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When the storm comes

Summary:

The sea was calm that night. In was sitting on a small rock near the entrance to the bay watching lights in a near village, his tail being swayed by a waves. His enchanted husky voice lurking sailors to their deaths. He never spared a life of a sailor before so why he saved the drowning boy whose small boat was flipped over? Why he makes him remember things he buried deep down determined to forget about them?

Notes:

hi! this is my first fic in english and it is also my longest work ever so i have no idea what i am doing. big thanks to myss cosmetics for the win/team ad that gave me this idea. and also tumbler post by screaming-till-im-numb about women that turns into mermaids when they are drowned. i only took uwma characters and create a story based on that post, so characters nor story idea is not mine i just put it together.
if you see some plot holes kindly step over them please.
i would also like to thank my amazing friends Jaz and Sha for keeping me sane and proof reading this for me

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The sea was calm that night. Fish were swimming peacefully in the bay and lazy waves were crashing on the cliff. In was sitting on a small rock near the entrance of the bay watching lights in a nearby village being turned off one by one and enjoying the literal calm before the storm. Rainy season is getting closer, which meant that life here will soon be very difficult.


In loved this time of the day, right after the sun hid behind the horizon but still some light remained. It felt like everything stopped, even the sea was somehow slower and more gentle. It calmed In, but it also made him remember. Remember of things he did not want to think about. Things he buried deep down in his mind, things that made him angry, so angry.

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“Jump! Jump or I will make you, you fucking scum!” Something hit his head and In tried to make himself even smaller. He was lying on the ground near the cliff. He could hear the angry waves crashing on the rocks and the croaking of seagulls flying above him, unknowing what was happening on the cliff below them.


“I said, jump!” the angry voice repeated and In was roughly pushed up onto his knees. He looked up and turned his head around. He was surrounded by a group of boys from the village he lived in. All of them were looking at him with disgust and even anger. The owner of the voice was right in front of him, watching him with a sneer on his face. Suddenly, a hand landed on his cheek with a force and he fell onto the ground again. In groaned in pain and covered his head with his hands. The tears were trying to escape from his eyes but In was trying to hold them in. He will not cry in front of these bullies, they will not see him cry and beg for help. Not again.


When there was no answer, the boy spoke again. “Just fucking throw him to the sea. I can’t even look at him. He is so disgusting and useless.” Loud cheers erupted around him and In felt hands grabbing him with enough force to make bruises. In was being lifted from the ground and dragged towards the edge of the cliff. He tried to fight them, but there were too many of them and his already weak body didn’t have enough power to fight back.


All of sudden, In was, again, thrown on the ground. The only noise surrounding him was from the sea. He was not afraid anymore. He was not afraid of the sea that was ready to swallow him without mercy.


And then, a big hand was holding his jaw, pushing him up. In tried to focus on the person in front of him, but his eyelids were heavy. Then he felt a light touch of lips on his ear and the voice whispered: “I hope you fucking die there, pretty boy. It would make everybody’s life so much easier, you know?” he could feel the lips moving and the hand making its way from his jaw to his neck, holding him tight. The pressure on his neck was getting bigger and bigger and he was being pushed up on his unstable feet. In looked around. He was standing right on the edge of the cliff. He could see his village and little boats cruising in the bay under him.


Suddenly, the hand holding his throat disappeared and he was being pushed from the edge. In did not know how long he was falling. It could have been seconds but it felt like eternity. There was absolute silence, he never felt so calm and serene in his whole life. Then he hit the surface, the water embraced him and he was falling again. Disoriented, he had no idea where it is up and where it is down, but is it important to know? Directions did not matter anymore. He felt at ease, the subdued noise of waves hitting the cliff made him sleepy so he closed his eyes and let the flow play with his numb body.


“Earth! Earth!” a faint voice was heard over the sound of waves. Earth, who is Earth? The voice was there again. Repeating the word over and over again, like it was some mantra. The voice sounded angry, sad and even desperate, still repeating the same word. “Earth? Please, answer me. Are you here? Earth!” There’s the word again. Earth. It felt weirdly familiar? Where has he heard it before?


“Earth, please.” the voice was begging with desperation clear in it’s tone. Suddenly, all his senses came back to him. It was him, The voice was calling his name! Why would somebody do that? He started to fight against the water, trying to get to the surface. Everything went quiet for a moment and then there was a strong hand on his wrist pulling him up. His head broke the surface and he tried to take a deep breath. As he opened his mouth water got into there which made him cough and gasp for air. He was frantically turning his head to look around. This quick movement made his head spin and he started to cough even more, slowly sinking below the surface again. The hand that was on his wrist started to pull him up again and another hand on his waist was added to keep him above the water.


He was being pushed till he felt solid ground under his feet. His knees hit the rocks near the shore and he collapsed barely holding his head out of the water. It took another shaky step and he was finally out of the sea lying on his back on a sandy beach that was under the cliff he was pushed from. Catching his breath, he slowly opened his eyes to look at his surroundings. The hands that were still holding him disappeared and he tried to quickly sit up, to see who they belonged to. He got dizzy and fell down, his back hitting the ground.


“Earth? Stay calm, okay?” it is the voice again “You are safe now. Everything is going to be alright.” That's the name again. What is-
In quickly opened his eyes and turned his head on the side where the voice came from. Kao? Is that him? He put his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun to see the person hovering over him worriedly. It was really Kao, looking exhausted but with a soft smile. His Kao. But that means? Earth? That was the name his parents gave him and how Kao called him.


“Kao? I-” In whispered and hugged Kao with the last of the energy his weak body had. Kao quickly embraced him and put him in his lap. He had no idea how long they stayed sitting there like this, Kao with In safely in his lap, quietly talking to In to calm him down, In‘s limbs tightly wrapped around Kao.


“Och god. I thought I lost you for good. I-” Kao started to sob and hugged In tighter “Park came to the village with his gang and talked loudly about how you jumped off the cliff. And- and how he tried to stop you and save you but you attacked him and- ” Kao took a log breath to calm himself down and his fingers started to play with In’s hair on his nape. “Of course I knew he was lying, so I ran here, but I couldn’t find you. Not on the cliff or on the shore. I- I was afr- afraid that you drowned. I-” he started to cry so much that he couldn’t talk properly. He just held In in his embrace, burying his face in the crook of In’s neck. The younger boy could feel Kao’s shaky breath on his neck tickling him a little.


“Shhhh, I’m here now. I’m okay.” In quietly whispered to Kao’s ear gently stroking his back with both hands. In could feel Kao shaking his head as he took his face with both of his hands and created some distance so he could look into his eyes comfortably.


“It’s been hours, Earth. You were in the water for hours! How can you- I just…..” Kao again buried his face in In’s neck and inhaled deeply. “Okay, let’s get you back home”
Kao slowly untangled all of In’s limbs and stood up, reaching down to help In get up and then carefully lifting him up so he could carry him on his arms to his home.


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“In? Hey In, can you hear me? In” The noise of the sea was slowly coming back to In. A hand was gently shaking his shoulder.


“Oh. Hi Pharm.” In smiled at the young boy sitting right next to him on the slippery rocks, their tails being slowly swayed side by side by the waves.” I’m sorry. What did you say?”


“Nothing important.” Pharm answered and smiled back at his friend. “Are you alright? It is getting dark already, we should probably go back.”


“Yeah yeah, sorry. I lost track of time. I was-”


“Thinking?” Pharm chucked and sat closer to his friend, putting his hand over In’s shoulder.


“Maybe” In sighed and laid his head on Pharm's shoulder and letting his friend to hug him tighter. “It is just- I don’t know. It is all coming back. All the memories. It’s been years, why do I keep seeing it?” In whispered and tucked his head closer to Pharm’s neck, who starting to stroke his hair carefully with his free hand. “I saw his face again. I miss him so much.” Pharm could barely hear In’s quiet voice. “I know it is wrong, but sometimes I am so jealous of you and Dean. Both living down here together. It’s wrong to think like that, but I just feel so lonely, especially now when the rainy season is coming again.” In started to cry quietly and gripping tightly Pharm’s small waist.


“It is okay, I get it. Dean and I, we were lucky.” Pharm paused for a moment and chuckled softly before continuing “Well, if you can call being thrown into water by a bunch of sailors as a sacrifice, and your stupid boyfriend jumping right after you, as “being lucky” then yes, we were so lucky.”


It was getting darker and darker, the waves getting more aggressive, but for the boys it felt like they were all alone.


“But everyday I think, what if. I was so sure I was going to die that day and the only thing I wanted was Dean to be happy. But he jumped right after me. I still have no idea what he was thinking at that moment. Now? I’m glad he did, but there are so many “what ifs”. What if we both died. What if Myss chose only one of us and the other would die? We were so lucky that Myss chose us both to live with her under the water and I will be forever thankful for that. She gave us the future we wouldn’t have. We’ve been together for almost centuries now and being not able to go on the ground is worth it.”


Pharm stopped talking and for a while, they just sat there, both lost in their own thoughts. Pharm’s story wasn't a happy one, but he and Dean got that happy ending they deserved. It was not common for Myss to transform two people at the same time, especially if one of them chose to jump to the water by himself. But everybody could feel that there was this thread of destiny, tying them together and not even one of the goddess of the sea couldn’t break them apart.


Now, Pharm and Dean were the oldest ones in their small community living in this area, excluding Myss, never leaving her, but instead settling just the two of them on their own, taking care of new people that transformed, teaching them everything they’ve learned during centuries living under water. In, with only around two hundred years living under water, was the youngest in their small community.


“Pharm? In? Where are you?” There was a loud voice coming from the sea and both boys were brought back to reality.


“Dean? We are here!” Pharm waved at his boyfriend who appeared not even fifty metres away from them.


“What is going on?” Pharm asked when his boyfriend was close enough to hear him.


“ There is another person being transformed near us. Myss told us the place so the rest of the boys are on their way there” without saying another word, Dean helped Pharm and In back to the water and dive under the surface.


“Are you coming with us or you will go back and wait for us?” Pharm quickly asked.


In nodded his head slightly “I am already here. I will be okay.” responded. He then dived under the water after Dean and followed him deeper to the sea.
There were no transformations for a long time in this area. The last successful one was In himself. Since then, there were few transformations, but neither of them were successful. None of them actually knew what makes the person survive transformation. The process is long and painful. The whole body is changing. From lungs transforming into gills, to legs becoming a long tail with scales. Even with Myss' blessing, not everyone is strong enough to survive this brutal change. And even if a person survive this, the healing part is even trickier. There is no guarantee they will be able to live under the water for the rest of their now really long life. In was the last person who survived transformation and managed to cope with changes that came for living with Myss. In never saw a successful transformation in his life and he was scared everytime Myss sent them to a new person being changed.


“We are almost there. According to Myss the person should be behind this small reef. Win should be already there” Dean turned to them after a while. They were near the shore in an area where were a lot of cliffs so they need to be careful when swimming here to not hurt themselves.


When they turned around the reef they saw two people swimming in circles above one of the gaps between rocks. They swam closer and joined the two, all looking down into the gap.


“Oh my god.” In whispered when his eyes focused on a small person lying on the ground below them. He hated this part. They were banned from helping them in any way during transformation. All they could do was to watch them and make sure that nothing will distract them. Their time to act would come after the full transformation was over, when the person going through that change was still alive. In would never forget the first transformation he witnessed. It was just a few months after he recovered and was able to leave his room. That time it was a really young girl, maybe fifteen years old. She was almost fully transformed when something happened and she drowned. She had her tail already grown but her gills did not function well enough to keep her alive. For In it was a torture to just swam around not being able to help her. But it was an important rule. No helping during transformation. When he asked why he couldn’t help her, they told him it is the spell that’s helping with the transformation. You can’t touch the person without breaking the curse.


So since then In never went with the others to wait for the transformation to end. He stayed at their small village near the reef with the rest of their people and wait for them to get back with or without new transformed mermaid. In was in the medical team that looked after the newly transformed mermaid together with other two people. They did everything they could to help them get better, but the chance was small. After In, nobody survived. Everyone lost their life. In took it as his own personal defeat, even though everybody told him that it was not his fault. Somehow In couldn’t believe them, crying and running away everytime a new mermaid didn’t make it.


And now, watching this boy fighting for his life, all he wished for was for him to make it so he could join them here and live his live happily with them under the water. He was petite with a short hair and flowy clothes that were floating around him. But the worst part was the ropes wrapped tightly around his wrist behind his back so he couldn’t swim and save his life. The ropes meant that he was thrown into the water just like In. As a sacrifice before the rainy season came. For some reason sailors and fishermen thought that throwing a pretty boy or girl into the water and killing them would somehow make the incoming part of the year easier. Since being used as a sacrifice himself, In made sure that none of these people who made the command to throw them would survive till next year. With Myss' blessing he was drowning every captain of a ship that used an innocent boy or girl as a sacrifice. Waiting for the biggest storm to come, lurking at rocks near the bay, waiting for boat to sail close to him and singing with his enchanting voice, luring sailors into the water to drown.


And now it looks like he has a new boat to wait for and captain to drown. It doesn’t matter if this poor boy fighting for his life below him will survive, the man who did this to him deserves to die and In will make sure that he will end just like he wished for that boy to. Alone and under the water.


“It is almost done.” Win’s voice brings In back to present.”Please, just a little more. You can do it.” Win talked to the boy who couldn’t actually hear him. In looked at the boy again who had his legs fully transformed into a tail and by small bubbles around his neck, his gills were just created. In hoped for him to make it. His transformation was really quick which was a good sign.


Suddenly his spine bent in an unnatural angle making his back arched from the ground. And then everything froze for a moment, even the sea somehow became absolutely quiet. Five boys impatiently waited for what will happen next. The unsettling quiet lasted for just a few seconds, then a small wave coming from the boy hit them, making them lose balance for a moment. Win collected himself first out of them and swam down to the boy, now lying unconscious on the bottom of the sea.


“He is alive!” Win turned back to them, checking on the boy who now was lying with his head on Win’s lap. “In and Pham, please go to the village and tell Mannow and Del to get ready. Dean came with them. Pruk helped me with him. He seems fine but just to make sure.”


Everybody nodded in agreement, Pruk joined Win, helping him to lift the boy so Win could properly hold him and the rest of them turned back and quickly left them to tell the others to get ready.