Sherlock's waking wasn't pleasant. What woke him was a pain that started in his legs and worked up to consume the rest of him. He snapped open his eyes and cried out in pain, his skin sunken in. He quickly crawled off the bed and went to find water somewhere. Since he only knew the pool and tanks from the other room, he went there, discarding the robe and getting in with the rays. The pain vanished once he got in the cool water, his skin returning to normal, but his tail coming back as well. He sighed and decided to just stay, pushing Frank away when the ray bugged him about the space.

john smiled as the first few patrons came in and bought the tickets. john smiled as a group of younger kids came in for there field trip and explained the history of the aquarium before taking them on the tour. he smiled as he saw a large group around the pool and brought the kids over, eyes going wide as he saw Sherlock in the pool. john cleared his throat "and just a special surprise for the pre school" he said, the older people catching on and smiling to the astounded little kids. john motioned Sherlock to come over and lifted one of the kids to pat Sherlock's head.

Sherlock at first hadn't noticed all the little eyes on him, but as the number of stares grew, he looked above and saw human children looking in awe at him. He smiled at them, as they looked harmless compared to the adult sized humans. He swam around for them before heard John's voice and now looming eyes of adult humans. Those were more scary. He slowly came up to the surface and grinned at the child who patted his head with a similar grin on her face. He made a pleased sound to her and she giggled in enjoyment, the other kids pressing closer to the pool in excitement.

john sighed happily and smiled as the adults lost interest and walked to another tank john smiled and lifted each of the kids up to gently pet Sherlock, the kids waiting giggled and pet the otter. " now, who wants to go to the tunnel?" he asked after they had all gotten a turn. one of the teachers stayed behind and smiled at Sherlock "thank you, that was a lovely surprise for the students" she smiled and gave him one of the suckers she had in her pocket. she smiled once again before going to go catch up to the group

Sherlock was quite pleased that all the children wanted a turn to see him. He got a bit nervous when an adult stayed behind but then quickly cheered up when she presented kind words. "You're welcome!" He called to her as she left. He looked at the sucker, not exactly sure what to do with it. He sniffed it, smelling something sweet, but when he licked it, the plastic was all he could taste. So he tore that off and licked again, finding the hard candy incredibly tasty. He purred and swam about happily with the candy in his mouth. He hoped more children would come to see him.

as john finished the tour the kids all wanted to see Sherlock again. john smiled and led them back. "mister...can I touch your tail?" one child asked quietly as john helped the little boy be able to reach into the shallow pool again. john smiled and looked to Sherlock, shooing frank away as he tried to nudge Sherlock away again

Sherlock beamed as he saw the children again and came up once more. He nodded and lifted his tail out of the water, the blues glimmering under the lights and fin reflecting the water. "Do you like it?" He asked the small boy, eyes warm and soft as he let all the children play with the scales.

the boy smiled and nodded "pretty!" he giggled as the other children pet the scales and took turns touching the delicate fins. even some of the teachers touched the beautiful scales. "come along class, we need to get back to the school" one of the teachers said to the upset children. "can we come back miss Hooper?" one girl asked " if you want we can have a vote at the end of the year for were we will go for the last trip" she smiled. john grinned and watched as the students left and turned to Sherlock "sorry, I didn't know you were in the pool" he said

"That's ok, John. I love the children," he replies still smiling. "I woke up hurting. I guess I'll always need water. This time I'll manage it so I don't have to jump in the pool each time." He wasn't a human after all. He lifted himself to sit on the ledge.

john nodded " im sure I can find something that keeps you moist enough that you don't hurt but dry enough to have legs. if you wanted of course" he said as he sat beside him, setting the otter down on the warm rock

"It seems I need it every certain amount of hours." Sherlock supplied. "I want legs again. I wanted to practice more on them." He glances at the otter and thinks of the children's faces again. "Do you have children John?" He asks

john sighed and shook his head "no...ive wanted some for a while but im not good at settling down" he said and shrugged " you could have legs in the day and take breaks to get wet. does it still hurt to change

Sherlock food that a funny thing to say because John seemed like a very nice person. Who wouldn't mate with him? Sherlock shook his head at the question. "It didn't really hurt the first time. Just felt really weird." He pulls out his tail completely and swings over the other side. "Can you help me down?"

john nodded and put one arm around his shoulders and another under where his tail bent. he was going to lower him when instead he got one of the wheel chairs and put Sherlock in it so he would still be mobile

Sherlock looked at the contraption he was placed it, figuring it out quite quickly. He grinned. "Wow, you humans have made all sorts of smart things!"

"that's so people who cant walk on there own can still move. granted its limited by stairs" he said with a smile "thought you'd rather move around

Sherlock smiled and moved around in the chair and giggled. "It's fantastic. We have some merfolk that have problem too. Some of their tails stop forming. So they only have scales up to here." He puts his hands were the knees would be.

"oh...that's sad. we have a special false tail that we put on dolphins if there tails get amputated. im sure I could get my hands on one if you know someone who needs it"

Sherlock thought that was a great idea but..."That's very kind of you John. It would help, but our kind isn't supposed to interact with humans." He explains, watching his scales lose their colour again and his legs began to come back.

"i could show you how to put it on and you could do it" he said with a smile. " you could say that you made it yourself" he said as he pushed the chair thought the walkways and picked up some of the trash

"They wouldn't believe that." Sherlock said with a snort. "I have no way of making things like that. When I go back they probably won't even go near me for months now I smell like a human from being around you."

oh...im sorry. I can leave you alone if that will help "he said, genuinely upset he had possibly hurt the other

Sherlock looked up quickly. "No! Please don't leave me alone. I don't want to be alone again."

john was shocked by the out burst and nodded "i wont..i thought I was hurting you by making you smell like me" he said softly

Sherlock shook his head, "No, you aren't hurting me. It's nice to be around someone for once." He said quietly, feeling ashamed of his outburst. He looked at the momma otter asleep in John's pouch and felt his heart sink.

"well... if you're not hurt then why do you look so upset?" he asked ad gently rubbed Sherlock's shoulder. "is it something here? missing someone?" he asked

Sherlock shook his head and pushed his thoughts away and smiled up at John. "No, I'm fine. Just thought it would be sad to be alone so soon again." He says, which at least isn't a lie.

john stopped pushing the chair and moved in front of it before hugging Sherlock tightly "you don't have to be alone okay? you can stay here as long as you want" he said and hugged him a bit tighter

Reassured and touched, Sherlock wound his arms around John and squeezed back. "Thank you," he murmured softly. To at least have a home was something. Something maybe he didn't deserve at all. So he was grateful to have one for one. His tail had become legs again and the room was chilly. He shivered slightly.

john took off his button up uniform top and put it around Sherlock, wearing a tank top underneath. he pushed him through the tunnel and smiled "i like the tunnel the best...its so close to them but still gives them there space" he said and smiled as a large saw nosed shark swam over head. " its nice to see "

Sherlock pulled the clothing around him a little tighter, actually enjoying the smell and warmth. He smiled as they watched the creatures swim above their heads. It was something he saw everyday but the innovation was quite lovely to look at. He shuddered a little when he saw a large dark shape of a tiger shark. "Those are mean," he murmured, pointing at it. "Very mean to our kind as are those." He points down below where a bull shark sits still on the ground.

john put his arms around him from behind as he looked at the sharks "yeah...they're hyper aggressive " he said and nodded " but in here they are not going to get you" he said and smiled as they past a divider and grinned at the turtles " they are some of my favourites" he said and grinned, putting his hand to the glass and watching the turtle go by. " are you staying in my room again tonight or would you like me to set up the spare room for you?"

Sherlock didn't feel so tense once they left the sharks. The others one had to simply be aware of but those two always actively seemed out fights for fun. He smiled at the turtles. He liked them too. "Too bad whales wouldn't fit. They are the kindest creatures in the ocean. I swam with them a lot and sometimes even slept on their backs." He looks up at John's question, blushing slightly. "I didn't know that was your room. I'm sorry. I don't mind where I stay. I liked the bed. It was soft."

john chuckled "that's adorable" he said, picturing Sherlock sleeping on the back of a whale. " the national aquarium has whales, I could take you some time " he said with a smile. " I don't mind if you stay in my bed, just don't sleep in the middle of it" he smiled as they got into his part of the building. " you can have what you want for food. ill go put some more blankets in the dryer so they are nice and warm for bed. keep an eye on Mary" he said and set the otter in a basket of wool and blankets

Sherlock nodded and stood up from the chair now, looking down at the otter who was in a peaceful little doze. The merman crossed the look in the kitchen where he now knew food was kept. He didn't know what to try so he just used his nose to find what smelled best. He picked out something that was in a pretty package. He opened it, finding a solid brown bar. It smelt amazing so he bit into it and purred. Chocolate, he read from the wrapper and grinned. He liked that. He sat by Mary and nibbled on the sweet treat.

john added some fabric softener to the sheets and went back upstairs "you like sweets?" he asked and pulled out a container full of candies he kept for school trips to give to the kids. "here. you can have some of these while I make a fruit salad" he said

"I like the fruit too!" Sherlock grinned. "That lady who came by with the children was really nice. She gave me a sweet. I had to lick it lots before it was gone." He rummaged through the little box, looking at all the different wrappers curiously.

john smiled "Maddison Hooper, her sister is the marine biologist here, molly. she comes whenever one of the fish gets sick or we get new fish" john said as he cut up fruits " actually ill make a crumble" he said

"Isn't crumble a verb?" Sherlock asked confused. "What's a crumble?" He elongated his neck trying to see what John was doing from his position on the ground.

"well it is a verb. but its also a treat. first you take some oats and make a fine layer, then you cut up a whole bunch of fruits and mix in a little bit of jam. you put some sugar on top and then another layer oats, you put some of the extra fruits on top and put it in the oven." he said and did just that. he took out some lettuce and made a salad for them to eat as they waited for the crumble to cook.

Sherlock hummed, nibbling on whatever John gave him. Some of it tasted better than others. The chocolate was much better tasting than the lettuce for one thing. "John, why did you say earlier that you couldn't seem to settle down with a mate?"

john shrugged "i just cant seem to. the longest ive been with a girl was a month. then we just...split up" he said sadly and ate some of the lettuce, putting a piece on Mary's head and snickering at her makeshift hat.

Mary didn't seem as amused as John. Sherlock smiled though and chuckled as she shook her head to get it off. "A month is a long time for a human?" Sherlock asked curiously. "Our rituals last a month. They come and go with the moon."

"a month is short. usually when we settle down its for life" he said and sighed "anyways its fine, I have this place to take care of so its not like ill be lonely" he said and sighed.

Sherlock tilted his head at John, eyes softening. "Maybe not, but you don't look happy." He pointed out softly.

john shrugged " ill manage " he said and sighed. he looked down sadly for a few moments before shaking his head. he went to the oven and smiled at the treat and pulled it out "big piece or small?" he asked

Sherlock got the sense that John was just as lonely as he was. He didn't want to be rude though by bringing it up again and simply smiled. "Big." He decided easily. "Your human food is quite splendid."

john cut him a big piece and got himself a small piece "wait a bit, its hot" he said and handed him a fork

Sherlock blew on the food on before taking a small bite. All the flavours had blended together and the result was wonderful. He purred happily and blew on another piece to eat. "So good!" It was like magic! "Oh, I meant to tell you. When I said our rituals I only meant our mating cycles. Once we mate we stay with that companion for life like you." He tilted his head, "Do humans have mating rituals?"

" we do but we can sleep with people and not live with them for the rest of our lives. ive actually slept with a lot of women and im still not in a committed relation ship" he said " so our of curiosity...how do mers...um...shag?"

Sherlock wasn't too surprised to hear this about humans. It wasn't natural in their world but there were aggressive merfolk who sought to take advantage of pleasure. At John's question though, he giggled at John's innocent face and frowned a little with a smile. "Shag? Does that mean intercourse?" What an odd word to be chosen. It didn't sound very pleasant. "Well, it starts under a new moon usually, though that is a very old tradition. We dance with each in the water and whoever takes the initiative first will be the giver and the other the receiver. It is not gender specific like your race. Male and female can carry. Right now there are more mermen then mermaids. They have been getting killed off by ships far out in the ocean for reasons I spoke of earlier. So the males are carrying mostly for now until numbers can be picked back up."

"ah...that explains you situation" he said using his fork to point at sherlocks crotch " only females can have kids though there are people who don't like the opposite gender and instead like those of the same gender. then they can adopt or get a surrogate mother" he said "well, if they want kids. some people don't" he said and nodded.

Sherlock rose a brow, looking down at himself. He didn't quite understand what John meant until he explained that females could only bare a child. "You're species is strange," he says after a moment of thought, eating more of his meal, passing some to Mary that was trying to thieve it anyway. "Humans sound much more complicated." He adds.

john chuckled at the otter stuffing its face with the fruit insides. " well not really. males have a penis and a female has a vagina. I actually have a sex education book somewhere around here" he said as he gathered the finished plates and set out some strawberries for their thieving mammal

The mother otter waddled herself to the strawberries, making Sherlock laugh in despite of his envy. He stands up, swinging one leg lightly and then the other. He liked having them and couldn't wait to test them with running and such. "Why don't you just show me?" Sherlock asked, pointing at John's crotch now.

" well it considered inappropriate. I can give you the book though" john offered as he walked over to a bookshelf and after some rummaging he found the book with is other medical ones and gave it to Sherlock to look over

Sherlock frowned in confusion. Why would it be considered inappropriate? "You humans are weird," he said again simply before took the book curiously. It was mostly full of diagrams and he looked all of them over with curiosity. It's wasn't so different he supposed but it was still strange. The organs looked bizarre on a flat page and not very flattering. He flipped through, finding different subjects like how a human child formed in the female's body

john smiled and picked up Marry "c'mon love, ill go put you in your sleeping drawer " he said and kissed her head, using a damp cloth to clean her face before putting her in the drawer. he went out and smiled to Sherlock " if you go to the bedroom now I can wrap you up in the warm blankets " he said and went to get them

Oh Sherlock wasn't going to pass that up. He jumped up with glee and nearly hit the floor from excitement. He giggled at himself. "It's a long way down to the floor." He says, glad he didn't strike it.

john came back and smiled at Sherlock before putting the soft and warm blankets on Sherlock and tucking them around him with a smile

Sherlock purred and curled under the blankets, his head and everything covered under the soft material like a cat. It was like swirling in soft sun baked sand but it smelt a lot better. "This feels so amazing," he sighs, poking his head out and grinned at John.

john smiled and put a warmed cloth on the mamma to be and went to get changed. he stripped and pulled on a pair of jogging pants before getting in the bed and smiled at the warmth as he slowly drifted to sleep with his back to Sherlock.