At this point,the one leg wasn't responding at all. It was hard to move. He could feel himself getting wet, but it wasn't enough just yet. The change was starting, but it was slow.

Groaning, Veli started to work out of his clothing. Sure, he could change in it, but it hurt more, and expanded more energy, and he couldn't quite spare any energy right now.

Noah lunged forward, clicking his tongue.

"Let me," he said, voice unusually quiet and unstable for him. He removed Veli's shoes and socks first, followed by his pants and then his shirt. Oh, God.

He wrapped an arm around the young man, resting his chin on the side of the tub.

Now he let himself cry, but only visibly. He had to stay at least moderately strong, if only for Veli.

Veli gave a little mumble, more Not-English. His hands were caring. Such an odd thought. He waited, and felt the familiar feeling start in his feet. Sighing, his head lolling back, he braced himself.

If Noah was looking, he might have noticed that the change happened first in the feet. His toes were already webbed together slightly, but they seemed to... Fuse, now that they were exposed to the water. His legs followed suit, the skin fusing them together. The color changed, and he seemed to be developing... Scales? And fins on his feet?

While the lower body changed, the upper did as well. The coloring on his chest grew, the scale pattern becoming more defined. Five fingers fused together into three, sprouting claws, and pops came from his chest as bones reset. The bleeding seemed to be slowing as well.

His head was last to change. The nose shrunk inwards while the eyes grew, as did the teeth, poking out of his mouth jaggedly. His ears changed to somewhat finny things, and a strange dangly thing grew from his forehead.

Veli gave a little inarticulate moan, hands flexing, his tail flopping slightly.

Well. What in the world was he?!

Yes, Noah noticed. After all, how could one not? He did, however, not move. His arm stayed where it was, but the other hand rose to caress Veli's cheek. So that's what he'd meant by 'different'.

Oh well. Terrifyingly hideous or not, it was his Veli.

...oh, God. "His"...

Veli kept making strange almost words, whispery and fluid sounding. His head moved back and forth slightly. One louder moan, a hand moving to his chest. And then his eyes opened. They were large and liquid, all iris and pupil, no white.

Looking first down at his body, noting color changes in the scales (He wasn't out of the woods yet in the healing business). Then, with obvious fear, he looked to Noah.

"Sorry." His voice was different. More whisper, somewhat liquid, with a musical undertone. "I... I'm..."

"Half-fish," Noah chuckled, still petting and loving, "I noticed." He sighed with something like relief then and grinned.

"Also not-dead."

"Knew me changing would fuse the bones. I still got internal issues, but the water helps with healing." It was cold, though. But, hey. Beggars couldn't be choosers.

"I'm... Heh. A merman. Know it sounds silly, but I am." Veli watched him, his little not nose wiggling slightly. And, since he was being touched, he carefully touched back, softly, in case Noah didn't want it. But, God, he was warm. Lovely.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell." His voice was little, and he was scared. God, he was scared. "You deserved to know... I just don't have a good track record with good things happening after I tell people."

Two months in a tank meant for lizards and nearly being dissected alive wasn't fun times, after all.

"Huh," Noah said, arching a brow and tilting his head slightly, "Thirty seconds ago, I didn't believe in mermai--men." He sighed, caressed Veli's hair a final time, and leaned in to kiss his cheekbone-that-wasn't.

"People suck. I promise I'm not like them. I don't give a damn what you are. Only who."

He moved his next kiss to the shoulder and sighed again.

"I really thought you were dying on me."

To ignore the sudden wrenching of his heart, he pulled the plug in the tub and began to run a heavy rush of warm water.

Giving a series of shudders, at both the kisses and the temperature change, Veli looked at him.

"Explains why I'm so cold sometimes, huh?" He asked, giving a little laugh, tail moving to splash some of the warmer water up on him. Mmmm, warm.

He didn't know what to say to the last part. 'If I'd been hit a block farther from you, I would've been?' He was damn lucky that Noah had the bath pre-drawn, or else he would have been in a world of hurt. God, that had been close.

"Sorry. I gotta stay in here for a little while. Can't change back 'till I'm safe and healed. Don't trust myself to move yet. Bones are in the right spot, but there's too much bruising and tearing. Sorry." And, oddly enough, he felt bad that he wouldn't be able to give Noah their usual nightly coupling. "And... Um... Could.. I have a little salt in the water?"

"I assume you mean sea salt," Noah smiled and stood, going to the fish tank in the living room and searching for the bag of salt. Ah! There.

...hey, fish. There would be no dirty looks.

He returned to the tub and began to add the salt slowly.

"Just tell me when to stop."

Veli sighed, long and happy, his eyes closing. The smell reminded him of home.

"Tha's good." He murmured, one hand moving to rest on Noah's wrist. "Mmmm..."

Noah simply put the bag down and knelt beside the tub, wrapping his arm around Veli again. He caressed the man's jaw and grinned.

"You're welcome, then."

Eyes flicking open again, Veli looked at him for a moment. He leaned against him, eyes closing again.

That funny feeling was back, and it was harder now. It was warm, but so different.

"Thanks. You're amazing." He said, softly touching him with the back of one hand.

Noah pulled back slightly and kissed the back of Veli's hand.

"Nah, just a simpleton," he chuckled.

The corners of his mouth pricked up in a smile, and there was something about him that said that if he'd been human, he would have been blushing.

When Veli finally spoke, his voice was soft.

"I've been playing at being human for ten, maybe fifteen years now. I've told one Human what I am. When I did, I spent two months in a tank fit for a lizard and, if my sister hadn't stepped in, I would've been dissected. Trust me when I say you're amazing."

Noah kissed the man...thing's neck again.

"I'll never let that happen again," he smiled, one hand moving down Veli's chest, down his tail. Huh! Intriguing.

The tail curled up, fins at the end tickling at Noah's hand. He sighed at the touching, eyes closed, head lolling to one side. Mmm, warm water and touchies.

"You're taking this well." He said softly, voice having a slightly far away tone to it. "I never thought anyone would."

Noah shrugged.

"Under other circumstances, I may have reacted a little...more negatively," he said honestly, "and, I mean, it's pretty surprising. A liiiittle scary. A lot confusing...but, hey. I've known you long enough."

Murmuring under his breath, Veli turned his head to look at him. He looked relaxed. Gently, he brushed Noah's cheek with his knuckles.

"I bet it is. Scary, that is. I'm not... The standard for merfolk. I'm bad, expecially by their standards." But his appearance was the main reason that he was there.

Noah shrugged.

"Eh, you're still as beautiful as ever," he smiled and touched one of Veli's teeth.

"I don't think we'll ever be having relations with those, though."

"Oh, no." Veli assured him, still touching him with the back of one hand. "They're very sharp. So are the claws. I'd never expect you to want to come near me when I'm like this."

"I'm near you right now, aren't I?" Noah chuckled and made a little shooing motion.

"Move over."

Veli looked at him, surprise on his fishy face. He moved over carefully, wincing. Ouchies.

"'Kay." he looked confused.

Noah stripped down to his skivvies quickly, and then removed those, and then he wriggled into the tub beside Veli, opening his arms for him. Awww...

Looking confused, Veli slowly moved into his arms. After a moment of awkwardness, he snugged against him, careful of any scales or fins or other sharp bits that might hurt him.

"Mmmm..." He sighed, giving him an awkward little nuzzle. "S'nice. Thanks."