I'm a Mermaid, Not a Merman

2

A costume mermaid tail.

Danny took a moment to look at the thing that he'd imagined having for so long. It was a Malibu pink mermaid tail from the company Fin Fun. While pink wasn't the color he preferred - he probably would've liked green or blue better - this one had been on sale.

He'd thought about getting a tail for a long time, but seeing that one was at a price he was willing to swallow had finally put him over the edge. The tail was made to use while swimming, coming with a stiff monofin that would propel the wearer through water easier.

Danny had been interested in merpeople since he was little, but this was the first time that he'd really brought that interest into real life.

Sliding the boxes under the bed, he gingerly sat down on his bed and began to pull on his brand new tail. He didn't get a real sense of wearing it, as he was wearing cargo shorts and he didn't have the monofin in the end of the tail. But despite all that, he couldn't quell his enthusiasm.

He stared down at the end of his tail, and just for a moment, pretended that it was real...

Thumping rang through the walls as Sammy came down the stairs.

Danny quickly tossed the covers of his bed up over his tail, snatched his phone off the nightstand, and tried to make it look like he was just casually on YouTube or something.

He waited.

He heard Sammy go into her room, shutting her door.

Danny let out a small sigh of relief, and started idly scrolling on his phone.

He was going to have to be careful with this. He'd need to make sure he didn't have it in sight of his family, never taking it out unless no one was home.

But lifting up the covers and peeking at it, he felt a bit sad that he couldn't really do much with it, like use it for actually swimming.

Swimming in it around his family was out of the question. More than that - the question wasn't really a realistic one anyway. He didn't feel comfortable swimming at all right now, in more ways than one. Wearing a pink mermaid tail around family or in public was like something out of horror movie.

But he'd given leeway to his secret interest. He'd given in. And now, with his dream of having a tail realized, his dream of swimming in one now started to seem tantalizingly close. 

He couldn't swim with his family. He couldn't swim in public. He couldn't think of a place that he could swim privately, unless he drove to some lake somewhere. It was unlikely he'd find a place he could swim without being seen. Plus, he'd read that swimming alone in a tail could be unsafe if something went wrong.

But swimming with anyone frightened him. Not only would he have to endure the embarrassment of his bizarre interest, but he'd have to take the embarrassment of his "chubby chest" as well.

"AGH!"

Sammy laughed in delight. He'd been distracted by his phone when she'd snuck in and scared the crap out of him.

"Gosh," he said, "can't you let a man have a break?"

He adjusted his bedspread, praying that his mermaid tail would stay hidden beneath.

Sammy laughed. "Jumpy aren't we? I just wanted to get actual confirmation - are you coming to the party or not?"

Danny let his head drop back against the wall. "I dunno."

"You really just going to sit here when you could be having fun?"

"Yes."

"Well then," she said, "I'll guess I'll just have to drag you out of bed."

She'd just barely grabbed his wrist and started pulling before he gave in.

"Alright!" he said, perhaps a bit too loud. "I'll go."

Sammy seemed a bit jarred by his tone of voice, but didn't comment on it. "Be ready by 6," she said. "And bring your swimsuit."

Danny breathed out in what was obviously an annoyed way, and Sammy went back into her room through their shared bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Jeez, how did she scare him so quietly? He hadn't even heard the door open. Had he left the bathroom door ajar? Now that he thought about it, he may have.

Crap. He couldn't afford to be sloppy like this. Messing up would mean reputational suicide.

This was going to be difficult.

*******

The party was nice enough. When they got their, Danny opened his swimming duffel bag to discover that he'd forgotten a towel. Sammy claimed that he'd done so intentionally, but no arguing that he'd seriously forgotten one would change her mind. Whatever. He'd gotten what he wanted.

Sammy didn't force him into the pool, and he was able to avoid chafing his nipples. At least, more than normal. Danny hadn't gone swimming in the last year, and his problem had gotten to a point that last summer, Mom had made him start wearing a shirt when he went swimming. Even without his problem Danny disliked the feeling of wearing damp clothing. Hence his lack of participation in the water fight.

Even though he didn't do much at the party, sitting off away from people, he did enjoy the hamburgers and other food.

As it got dark, the family of Sammy's friend set up a projection screen, and watched an outdoor movie, that being the first Pirates of the Caribbean. It was a nice moment, just being able to laugh and enjoy one of his favorite movies. There were times the universe wasn't completely  against him.

The whole time the party was going on, Danny let his mind stew on things. He wanted to swim in his tail, and he had several big problems getting in the way of that.

He thought briefly about divulging his secret to Sammy, but.... he trusted his sister. He loved his siblings. And while he felt that she wouldn't tell Mom and Dad if he promised her not to, the prospect of admitting such weird things to his sister.... it was a paralyzing thought.

But at some point during the evening, a few thoughts coalesced in his head, and wouldn't leave. Soon, they became more developed, and stuck around.

By the time he went to bed that night, he began making plans for the next day. Making plans for what could be the stupidest thing he'd ever done.