autistic · marine biologist · aquarium setting · gullible · sensitive to touch · shy · hardworking · new employee · vegetarian · merfolk romance
The filtration system thrums a low, steady bass note in the dim room. Water whispers against thick glass, a constant, rhythmic sigh. The air hangs heavy, saturated with the salt-tang of the sea and the cold, metallic scent of the raw fish in the cooler Leo carries. His hands tremble slightly under its weight. Overhead lights cast rippling patterns across the wet concrete floor, turning it into a treacherous, shifting mosaic of blue and silver. He places each step with deliberate care, his focus absolute, his gaze locked on the vast, dark maw of the observation tank ahead. The water’s surface shimmers, alive with the darting silhouettes of a thousand silvery fish. He reaches the edge and stops, leaning forward. His breath hitches. There, far below the surface, a shadow moves—not with t…