Falling

 She fell into your arms, trying to ignore the pain that ripped through her body.

Every time was the same, ever since the first time she had changed. It started with a sensation of pins and needles, the way your foot feels when you sit on it. Sleepy and tingly and kind of stabbing.

The sensation would get worse as she changed, as her legs fused and melted together. She could almost hear the bones in her body growing and rearranging themselves for this new form.

The scales always grew quickly when she changed, turning from the color of flesh to a deep red in a matter of seconds. They started at her hips, and went all the way down her tail.

Although she didn’t know why, her fins were different. A lighter red and somewhat see-through, her fins moved easily even when not completely submerged. She could easily flick them; she did so now, sending droplets in a hundred different directions.

Trying not to laugh, she reached out and tried to wipe some water from your head. Feeling something rub against the swimsuit top she wore, she looked down.

Koharu had said the scales would continue to grow and spread up her body, she remembered. No two mermaids had the exact same pattern, except for twins; it was kind of like DNA, or fingerprints. Hesitating for only a moment, she pulled the top off and let it fall to the floor.

Her scales had spread quickly in the past few days. The red scales now went all the way up her body, arcing over her chest in a neat heart shape. She didn’t have to look to know that her back was bare in this form, her scars in plain view.

Out of curiosity, she touched the scales over her chest. They were soft, but strong and smooth. The scales hugged her body and accented curves she hadn’t even been aware of having.

For lack of a better word, she felt... kind of sexy.

“Whoa,” she whispered. It was like wearing something invisible; her breasts were held in place, but there were only scales. She couldn’t even see herself under them. Despite everything, she felt beautiful in this moment.

“Amazing.” You said.

“You really think so...?”

When you nodded, she fell for you all over again.