[CHAPTERFIC] Cerulean Chapter Four (Axis Powers Hetalia)
Title: Cerulean [FF.NET] [ Writing Journal Previous Chapters ]
Pairing: Main: AmericaxEngland. Minor: CanadaxUkraine, SwedenxFinland, DenmarkxNorway, PolandxLithuania, SpainxSouth Italy.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama/Alternate Universe
Word Count: 3,491
Summary: Arthur is spending a normal summer at his father's beach house in Cape Cod, when he encounters the extraordinary in the form of an enthusiastic young merman named Alfred, who holds an intense curiosity for Arthur. Over one summer, they'll fall in love. Over one summer, their lives will change forever.
Chapter Summary: And there was a feeling of dread in Arthur’s stomach, because he just knew that Francis was going to bring up Alfred. No doubt when all his obnoxious friends were still there, so he could be further embarrassed. With a huff and a curse, Arthur pushed himself off the couch and left the room for the kitchen.
Author's Note: So I went out of town right after my last fic update, and then, upon returning, got super sick for like three weeks. Ack! Hopefully updates will be back to normal now...
Nikolas- Norway
Katyusha- Ukraine
Alfred whistled out a cheer as the fluke of his tail made contact with the ball, sending it flying through the water and into the rock circle perfectly.
He raised his arms, pumping one fist in triumph, and then turned next to him, where a brown-haired merman floated. “Pretty awesome huh, Toris?” he asked, his grin wide with anticipation.
Toris laughed lightly, gliding over and picking up the ‘ball,’ which was actually a heavy rock wrapped in several layers of seaweed to soften it. “You’re definitely the best I’ve ever seen at this game, Alfred.”
Alfred spun around once and sat on the sand, catching the ball when Toris threw it gently. “Well yeah, I mean… I did make it up.” He tapped his chin. “Still haven’t thought of a name for it yet. I wonder if humans have any games that are at all like this…”
Toris sat down next to him, his pale green fin swishing in the white sand. “Maybe…”
Alfred nodded. It was early afternoon; he could see the sun shining down into the depths. Boats floated by far above sometimes, and schools of fish flitted over them as well.
“I should find out!” Alfred exclaimed.
Toris chuckled at this, shaking his head. “You and your humans…”
Alfred bit his lip. In truth, he’d kind of sort of brought Toris out so he could talk to him about Arthur. He’d been wanting to spend some time with his best friend anyway, having not seen him much the past few days.
But he felt weird talking to Matthew about Arthur. It wasn’t that he thought Matthew would get angry about it. Matthew might have been irked at first, but Alfred had a feeling that it was more because he was nervous about the meeting with Ivan than anything else.
It was more, well, something he couldn’t exactly pinpoint. The idea of discussing Arthur with Matthew of all people felt… awkward, as if it were something you just didn’t really talk about with your brother. Toris was the more comfortable option, definitely.
“It’s not just humans, Toris,” Alfred replied. “It’s… everything! You know that.” He was tossing the ball back and forth from hand to hand.
Toris just shrugged and pushed a wisp of hair out of his face. “Yes I know.”
Alfred put the ball down and leaned back. “But you know what? I can actually ask someone now!”
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
“About the ball game.” He leaned over, as if about to tell Toris a great secret. “See… I’ve actually been talking to a human.”
The other merman blinked in bewilderment. “Really now?”
“Yes!” Alfred exclaimed. “We met two days ago. We talked for a long time, and then yesterday we spent all day together! His name is Arthur and--- “
His blue eyes were wide, and he was gesturing animatedly with his hands. Toris elicited a noise of shock. “Wait, you mean you actually talked to a human?” His hand hovered over his mouth.
Alfred bounced off the sand. “Awesome, huh? It’s amazing, Toris… so many things I’ve already learned, and he’s actually pretty cool! I mean he’s sort of grumpy, but he’s--- I don’t know, I really like him!” He blinked owlishly and went silent for a moment. “Oh hey wait! You… just thought when I first said I’d spoken to a human, that it was… well under disguise?”
Toris nodded. “Yes, Alfred. You’ve done it before, pretended you really were just a dolphin so the boaters would talk to you and pay attention to you.”
Alfred laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess I have. But that’s because it was the closest I could get…” He grinned. “But not anymore! Arthur can see through it. He sees me. It’s… the coolest thing ever!” his voice rose in pitch as he spoke.
The other merman bit his lip, a nervous expression on his face. “That’s really… unusual, that someone has the sight like that.”
“Yeah, Nikolas said he hasn’t heard of it happening in his lifetime at all.”
“Then is this… Arthur fairly old, older than Nikolas?”
Alfred shook his head vigorously. “He’s my age! Well a little bit older, but not much.”
Toris caught a fond smile on Alfred’s lips out of the corner of his eye, and he knew he wasn’t imagining the light blush on his cheeks either. The same age, huh? Toris fretted inwardly. His best friend had always been an adventurer, to a ridiculous degree, even. Ever since they’d met, he’d been dragged on quest after quest, sometimes barely escaping danger. He remembered a spring ago, when they, along with Matthew, had swum out to the Sargasso Sea together to watch eel hatchings. They’d nearly gotten lost, going as far as an island called Bermuda before they managed to turn around and make the long trek home.
If anyone else in their two pods had met a human, Toris would have been shocked, but not concerned. The masking magic protected them from being discovered by humans, but one human seeing them couldn’t be very harmful. It’s not as if they could prove their existence to others unless the spell was removed.
But Alfred, endlessly curious Alfred, was another thing entirely. He half expected, judging by that fond smile, that Alfred was already utterly infatuated with the idea of Arthur.
This was wherein the problem stood. Toris wondered if Alfred would fall for any human who could see him, as long as they were of similar age and were kind to him. It appeared that Arthur was both.
“He took me to his home! Well, he has his own beach… and a dock that leads out to the ocean,” Alfred began again, enthusiasm never ebbing and his arms moving in wide motions. “And he’s from London. That’s in England. He’s got an accent and… uses lots of weird words I’ve never heard.”
“He sounds very nice,” Toris replied, and then pressed further, “What does he look like?”
“Well uh, he’s pretty cu---“ His cheeks flushed crimson. “I mean, he’s got short blonde hair and uh, green eyes and sort of… really big eyebrows?”
Alfred closed his eyes, willing his face to cool down. “Say, Toris?” he laughed, awkward. “How are you and Feliks? I mean did you… did Ivan get on your case at all the other night?”
Toris’s eyebrows rose at the sudden subject change, although considering what it appeared that Alfred had almost said, he wasn’t surprised that it had occurred. “You mean when we stayed out late? He… didn’t say anything. I think he was too preoccupied with what Matthew and Katyusha were doing.”
The blonde merman wrinkled his nose. “I so do not want to know what my brother was doing with his fiancée.”
Toris chuckled. “That makes sense. In any case, it wasn’t a problem…”
Silence settled between the pair for a couple of minutes, before Alfred finally broke it. “Hey Toris?”
“Yes?”
“What do you know about pearls?”
“As much as anyone else, I guess.” He paused. “Oh, and that Feliks wants me to find him a pink one.”
Alfred nodded, before speaking again, “Do you have any idea if they’re still considered valuable to humans?”
----------------------------------------------
This was, without a doubt, the worst afternoon since the beginning of Arthur’s summer break. Upon returning home after nabbing a bite for lunch, he’d discovered that not only had Francis arrived home (which he’d expected), but that he had brought Gilbert and Antonio along with him. Antonio’s boyfriend-in-denial, Lovino, had come as well.
He knew it was bloody awful when he felt that the perpetually angry Lovino was the best company of the lot.
Bollocks. Francis was sitting down next to him right now, after passing a bottle of beer to Gilbert (who had his dirty feet resting on the table Arthur had just cleaned!). Antonio was attempting to lure his boyfriend out onto the beach for a walk, but Lovino would have none of it. Arthur knew that the young Italian would relent and agree to go with him eventually.
And there was a feeling of dread in Arthur’s stomach, because he just knew that Francis was going to bring up Alfred. No doubt when all his obnoxious friends were still there, so he could be further embarrassed. With a huff and a curse, Arthur pushed himself off the couch and left the room for the kitchen.
He reached in the pantry and picked out a favorite tea, turning on the stove to heat up the kettle. He made a mental note, as he always did, to ask his Mum to bring a spare electric kettle when she visited later that summer.
Tuning out Gilbert’s raucous laughter from the living room (Francis had likely just told a crass joke or story), he washed his favorite teacup out and stood beside the stove in wait.
The laughter grew louder. He furrowed his brows downward and winced. Gilbert had the most god-awful laugh in the world, he swore. And now it was combined with Francis’s, which was only not as bad because it wasn’t as loud.
With an indignant huff, Arthur stormed out of the kitchen. “Do you mind terribly not splitting my eardrums with your idiocy?” he shouted.
Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio, who was hovering behind the couch, just looked at him and the volume of their laughter rose even more. For Christ’s sake, they were pointing at him now.
He spotted something in Gilbert’s hand and squinted a bit to make out what it was.
Oh bloody hell. It was his camera.
“You really like dolphins, don’t you?” Gilbert asked, snickering.
Arthur crossed the room the rest of the way, snatching the camera from his hand with a sharp glare. “I fail to see what’s so funny.” So they did see a dolphin then. He assumed that they would, that only to him, it would appear as Alfred in the pictures.
Well damn.
Although, he supposed that it was good in a sense. As much as it would be nice to show Francis that there was a rather lovely looking young man spending time with him, he’d feel like quite a git if he revealed Alfred to someone without his permission.
Francis grinned, mischievous. “Arthur, according to you, you went on a date with a dashing young man named Alfred yesterday, correct?”
Arthur flushed scarlet. “Y-yes, we spent the entire day together.”
Francis leaned languidly over the couch, his grin turning into a smirk. “Well these photos are from yesterday, oui? They are labeled as such on the camera….”
“Yes they are. What in the hell are you getting at?” He stiffened, jutting his chin out, resolute.
Antonio and Gilbert stifled more laughter. “Either this Alfred is so ugly then, that you refused to take a picture of him, or you are in fact, in love with a dolphin. A dolphin? Even I would not--- “
“Shut it!”
“Although I did once read that dolphins can be sexually attracted to hu---“
He was interrupted by Arthur’s hands around his neck. “Belt up, Frog!”
Francis’s blue eyes still sparkled with mischief, despite having his air supply cut off.
“He’s just camera shy, all right?” Arthur explained, which he knew was an awful explanation. Francis knew him, after all. He would have, if indeed he were a camera shy date, at least snapped a discreet side shot, just to show Francis that Alfred did exist.
Francis managed to worm out of Arthur’s grip and exhaled in relief. “I do not believe you! I knew that your ‘date’ sounded too good to be true… for you, at least.”
“Luckily I found this camera, haha,” Gilbert cut in.
“There’s no recent calls on his phone either,” Antonio supplied, glancing at Arthur’s cell. “Except Francis and… ‘Mum.’”
“Oui, and we do not have a home phone here…”
Arthur caught Lovino out of the corner of his eye. He was standing by the sliding glass door, impatient, no doubt, to start the walk with Antonio that he’d so vigorously protested.
“He didn’t call,” Arthur explained, his face bright red in embarrassment. He nabbed the phone from Antonio, stuffing it in his pocket. “We planned to meet up the previous day, no need for him to.”
Francis gave him a firm look. “Mon frère, provide proof, and I shall believe you. As it is though? I call…”
“BULLSHIT!” Gilbert interrupted, taking a swig of his beer and barking out a laugh.
“Ahh, I have to agree,” Antonio said.
Arthur gritted his teeth. “Antonio, your boyfriend is clearly waiting for you, so why don’t you--- “
The fire alarm went off. In the midst of his argument with Francis and his friends, he had completely missed the whistling kettle. And now…
Shit! He ran into the kitchen, grabbing a stool along the way so he could reach up and shut off the fire alarm.
Loud laughter followed him, and his cheeks burned in shame.
--------------------------------------------------
Alfred rolled the pearl in his hand, its iridescence playing in the sunlight that shone down into the depths. It was the biggest one he had and the most luminescent as well. He didn’t have many possessions, but he did have a small collection of items that he’d acquired on his adventures, kept buried under a rock in the cove he often slept in. There were a few pearls, but this one; it was undoubtedly the most awesome.
Toris was hovering behind him, and Alfred shot his best friend a wide grin. “I guess I still don’t know if they’re valuable to humans, but it’s kind of cool, huh? I mean they’re not that easy to find, and it looks pretty nice. I think that if he’s showing me all these awesome things, I should totally do something.”
“That’s nice of you, Alfred,” Toris replied, a small smile on his lips. “I’m sure… Arthur will appreciate it.”
“Yeah, plus he promised that he’d give me something human to eat next time. So I know that this probably isn’t as cool as that, but I’m pretty awesome, so maybe the fact that it’s from me will help!”
“You think so?”
“Yep. Totally heroic pearl. That kind of thing,” he added.
Toris laughed lightly, but then went silent, a rueful expression settling on his face.
“Something wrong?” Alfred queried.
“Sorry, I…” he breathed deeply, “I’m just a little worried about you is all.”
“Huh? What do you mean? C’mon, you know me…”
Toris shook his head. “That’s exactly it, Alfred. I know you… and I’m just wondering about you and Arthur.”
Alfred cocked his head, his fin brushing against the rocky bottom of the cove. “What about us?”
“I’m sure he’s very nice and all but…” he closed his eyes and rushed out the last part, “is it just because he’s human?”
The blonde merman blinked, nonplussed, before his eyes widened. “Oh. No, no! That’s not it at all,” he clarified. “Geez, Arthur wondered the same thing. He’s… well, I honestly like him, okay?” He pouted, his cheeks stained light pink, which Toris did not fail to notice.
Toris sighed. “I’m happy for you then. I hope he likes the pearl.”
Alfred frowned. “H-hey, Toris?”
“Yes?”
“Um… if you’re worried about like, me replacing you or something? I mean I dunno if it’s that, but… you’ll always be my best friend, okay?”
Toris chuckled, his face flushing. “T-thank you Alfred. And you’ll always be mine.”
Alfred nodded, his smile huge. “Yeah. It’s kind of like… you know how Feliks is different to you?”
“Yes?”
He clapped a hand on Toris’s shoulder. “Well Arthur… he’s different to me, okay?”
Toris wondered if Alfred had any idea of the implication he’d just given. “Different like Feliks… really?”
“Yeah!” Alfred swam out of the cove, glancing upward to the surface once he’d exited. “Looks like it’s almost sundown, so I’m gonna head to Arthur’s, okay?”
Toris followed him out and gave him a one-armed hug. “Have fun then, Alfred…”
“Sure! I’ll tell you all about it,” he promised, and then swam upward and away, the pearl clutched in his hand.
---------------------
Arthur sat at the end of the dock, a glass of iced tea in one hand and his bare feet dangling in the water. It was a muggy evening, humid to the point of slight discomfort. There were a couple of good things though; firstly, Francis and his friends had decided to go out for the evening, secondly, Alfred was supposed to be coming soon.
A small smile crossed his lips as he thought of the energetic merman. Sure, Alfred had inadvertently gotten him into a load of trouble that afternoon, but it wasn’t his fault. The poor boy couldn’t help what he was.
Not that there was anything wrong with it. On the contrary, it was right amazing, astounding. Alfred was beautiful, no getting around it.
He could feel his face heating, and he took another drink to cool himself down. He hoped that Alfred wasn’t expecting that food tonight. Francis had made dinner, and he didn’t want Alfred’s much anticipated supper to be… French food. He was loathe to admit it, but Francis was a great cook. Nonetheless, he wasn’t going to give it to Alfred! The last thing he wanted was for the merman to gain a taste for… French things.
He wondered if Alfred would kiss him again tonight. He would ask him about it either way! He wasn’t going to let him get away without answering again.
A light splash, and then a shout of “Arthur!” pierced his thoughts. Arthur glanced out seaward, to see Alfred a good five meters away, but swimming toward him quickly.
In the sunset, the gold of his hair shone even brighter, and the sheen of his damp skin was---
“Hey!” Alfred rested his arms on the deck, his signature smile in place.
“Hallo, Alfred,” Arthur answered. “Just on time.”
“Yeah! I swam really fast. I was almost late… was looking for something,” Alfred explained. “Scoot over, okay?” Arthur did so, and once he had enough room, Alfred pushed himself up onto the dock, sitting with his tail in the water, just like Arthur’s feet. “What are you drinking?”
“Iced tea,” Arthur answered. Feeling a bit bad for not having that ‘really awesome human food,’ he held out his glass. “Would you like some?”
Alfred nodded, snatching the glass and taking a gulp. His nose wrinkled in disgust almost immediately. “It’s gross! It needs to be sweeter, I think.”
Arthur scoffed. “It’s too sweet already, git! Iced tea often is…”
He shook his head in the negative. “That better not be what you’re giving me!”
Crossing his arms, Arthur frowned. “I-idiot. It’s not! I… don’t have that for you tonight, because my brother cooked and that’s absolutely not worth your time.”
Alfred’s lips jutted out in an unmistakable pout. “Ah, man. Well next time, you’d better.”
“I promise.”
The merman bounced closer to Arthur. “You seem grumpier than usual…”
Arthur ran a hand down his face. “I had… a rather terrible day.”
Alfred gasped, looking incensed. “Really? Anyone I need to talk to? I am a hero, after all…”
Finishing off his iced tea, Arthur chuckled. “Well firstly, they’re all human, so there’s not much you could do. But… I’m all right. It’s just Francis and his friends being idiots.”
Alfred leaned down, looking underneath the fringe of Arthur’s bangs. He smiled, fond. “Hey well, I’m here right now… okay?” His smile grew. “So cheer up!”
His cheeks heated at how close Alfred’s face was to his, how his bright blue eyes shone in the light of the sunset, a tinge of sky gold reflected in their corners. “R-right… I’ll try.”
The merman leapt away. “Awesome. I have something for you then…”
Arthur’s eyebrows rose. “Y-you do?”
He noticed now that one of Alfred’s fists was clenched. Possibly, it had been the entire time.
Alfred nodded, his cheeks glowing bright pink in the light. “Y-yeah. Uh…” he gulped, closed his eyes, and opened his hand, holding it out, “here you go.”
In Alfred’s hand was a perfect pearl. Large and round and utterly gleaming, reflecting colors like a rainbow in the burnished sunset.
Bloody hell. The kissing was nothing compared to this
.
As much as he found it unbelievable, completely preposterous, and ridiculous beyond all belief; he thought there was a damn good chance that the merman was, well… courting him.
Pairing: Main: AmericaxEngland. Minor: CanadaxUkraine, SwedenxFinland, DenmarkxNorway, PolandxLithuania, SpainxSouth Italy.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama/Alternate Universe
Word Count: 3,491
Summary: Arthur is spending a normal summer at his father's beach house in Cape Cod, when he encounters the extraordinary in the form of an enthusiastic young merman named Alfred, who holds an intense curiosity for Arthur. Over one summer, they'll fall in love. Over one summer, their lives will change forever.
Chapter Summary: And there was a feeling of dread in Arthur’s stomach, because he just knew that Francis was going to bring up Alfred. No doubt when all his obnoxious friends were still there, so he could be further embarrassed. With a huff and a curse, Arthur pushed himself off the couch and left the room for the kitchen.
Author's Note: So I went out of town right after my last fic update, and then, upon returning, got super sick for like three weeks. Ack! Hopefully updates will be back to normal now...
Nikolas- Norway
Katyusha- Ukraine
Alfred whistled out a cheer as the fluke of his tail made contact with the ball, sending it flying through the water and into the rock circle perfectly.
He raised his arms, pumping one fist in triumph, and then turned next to him, where a brown-haired merman floated. “Pretty awesome huh, Toris?” he asked, his grin wide with anticipation.
Toris laughed lightly, gliding over and picking up the ‘ball,’ which was actually a heavy rock wrapped in several layers of seaweed to soften it. “You’re definitely the best I’ve ever seen at this game, Alfred.”
Alfred spun around once and sat on the sand, catching the ball when Toris threw it gently. “Well yeah, I mean… I did make it up.” He tapped his chin. “Still haven’t thought of a name for it yet. I wonder if humans have any games that are at all like this…”
Toris sat down next to him, his pale green fin swishing in the white sand. “Maybe…”
Alfred nodded. It was early afternoon; he could see the sun shining down into the depths. Boats floated by far above sometimes, and schools of fish flitted over them as well.
“I should find out!” Alfred exclaimed.
Toris chuckled at this, shaking his head. “You and your humans…”
Alfred bit his lip. In truth, he’d kind of sort of brought Toris out so he could talk to him about Arthur. He’d been wanting to spend some time with his best friend anyway, having not seen him much the past few days.
But he felt weird talking to Matthew about Arthur. It wasn’t that he thought Matthew would get angry about it. Matthew might have been irked at first, but Alfred had a feeling that it was more because he was nervous about the meeting with Ivan than anything else.
It was more, well, something he couldn’t exactly pinpoint. The idea of discussing Arthur with Matthew of all people felt… awkward, as if it were something you just didn’t really talk about with your brother. Toris was the more comfortable option, definitely.
“It’s not just humans, Toris,” Alfred replied. “It’s… everything! You know that.” He was tossing the ball back and forth from hand to hand.
Toris just shrugged and pushed a wisp of hair out of his face. “Yes I know.”
Alfred put the ball down and leaned back. “But you know what? I can actually ask someone now!”
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
“About the ball game.” He leaned over, as if about to tell Toris a great secret. “See… I’ve actually been talking to a human.”
The other merman blinked in bewilderment. “Really now?”
“Yes!” Alfred exclaimed. “We met two days ago. We talked for a long time, and then yesterday we spent all day together! His name is Arthur and--- “
His blue eyes were wide, and he was gesturing animatedly with his hands. Toris elicited a noise of shock. “Wait, you mean you actually talked to a human?” His hand hovered over his mouth.
Alfred bounced off the sand. “Awesome, huh? It’s amazing, Toris… so many things I’ve already learned, and he’s actually pretty cool! I mean he’s sort of grumpy, but he’s--- I don’t know, I really like him!” He blinked owlishly and went silent for a moment. “Oh hey wait! You… just thought when I first said I’d spoken to a human, that it was… well under disguise?”
Toris nodded. “Yes, Alfred. You’ve done it before, pretended you really were just a dolphin so the boaters would talk to you and pay attention to you.”
Alfred laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess I have. But that’s because it was the closest I could get…” He grinned. “But not anymore! Arthur can see through it. He sees me. It’s… the coolest thing ever!” his voice rose in pitch as he spoke.
The other merman bit his lip, a nervous expression on his face. “That’s really… unusual, that someone has the sight like that.”
“Yeah, Nikolas said he hasn’t heard of it happening in his lifetime at all.”
“Then is this… Arthur fairly old, older than Nikolas?”
Alfred shook his head vigorously. “He’s my age! Well a little bit older, but not much.”
Toris caught a fond smile on Alfred’s lips out of the corner of his eye, and he knew he wasn’t imagining the light blush on his cheeks either. The same age, huh? Toris fretted inwardly. His best friend had always been an adventurer, to a ridiculous degree, even. Ever since they’d met, he’d been dragged on quest after quest, sometimes barely escaping danger. He remembered a spring ago, when they, along with Matthew, had swum out to the Sargasso Sea together to watch eel hatchings. They’d nearly gotten lost, going as far as an island called Bermuda before they managed to turn around and make the long trek home.
If anyone else in their two pods had met a human, Toris would have been shocked, but not concerned. The masking magic protected them from being discovered by humans, but one human seeing them couldn’t be very harmful. It’s not as if they could prove their existence to others unless the spell was removed.
But Alfred, endlessly curious Alfred, was another thing entirely. He half expected, judging by that fond smile, that Alfred was already utterly infatuated with the idea of Arthur.
This was wherein the problem stood. Toris wondered if Alfred would fall for any human who could see him, as long as they were of similar age and were kind to him. It appeared that Arthur was both.
“He took me to his home! Well, he has his own beach… and a dock that leads out to the ocean,” Alfred began again, enthusiasm never ebbing and his arms moving in wide motions. “And he’s from London. That’s in England. He’s got an accent and… uses lots of weird words I’ve never heard.”
“He sounds very nice,” Toris replied, and then pressed further, “What does he look like?”
“Well uh, he’s pretty cu---“ His cheeks flushed crimson. “I mean, he’s got short blonde hair and uh, green eyes and sort of… really big eyebrows?”
Alfred closed his eyes, willing his face to cool down. “Say, Toris?” he laughed, awkward. “How are you and Feliks? I mean did you… did Ivan get on your case at all the other night?”
Toris’s eyebrows rose at the sudden subject change, although considering what it appeared that Alfred had almost said, he wasn’t surprised that it had occurred. “You mean when we stayed out late? He… didn’t say anything. I think he was too preoccupied with what Matthew and Katyusha were doing.”
The blonde merman wrinkled his nose. “I so do not want to know what my brother was doing with his fiancée.”
Toris chuckled. “That makes sense. In any case, it wasn’t a problem…”
Silence settled between the pair for a couple of minutes, before Alfred finally broke it. “Hey Toris?”
“Yes?”
“What do you know about pearls?”
“As much as anyone else, I guess.” He paused. “Oh, and that Feliks wants me to find him a pink one.”
Alfred nodded, before speaking again, “Do you have any idea if they’re still considered valuable to humans?”
----------------------------------------------
This was, without a doubt, the worst afternoon since the beginning of Arthur’s summer break. Upon returning home after nabbing a bite for lunch, he’d discovered that not only had Francis arrived home (which he’d expected), but that he had brought Gilbert and Antonio along with him. Antonio’s boyfriend-in-denial, Lovino, had come as well.
He knew it was bloody awful when he felt that the perpetually angry Lovino was the best company of the lot.
Bollocks. Francis was sitting down next to him right now, after passing a bottle of beer to Gilbert (who had his dirty feet resting on the table Arthur had just cleaned!). Antonio was attempting to lure his boyfriend out onto the beach for a walk, but Lovino would have none of it. Arthur knew that the young Italian would relent and agree to go with him eventually.
And there was a feeling of dread in Arthur’s stomach, because he just knew that Francis was going to bring up Alfred. No doubt when all his obnoxious friends were still there, so he could be further embarrassed. With a huff and a curse, Arthur pushed himself off the couch and left the room for the kitchen.
He reached in the pantry and picked out a favorite tea, turning on the stove to heat up the kettle. He made a mental note, as he always did, to ask his Mum to bring a spare electric kettle when she visited later that summer.
Tuning out Gilbert’s raucous laughter from the living room (Francis had likely just told a crass joke or story), he washed his favorite teacup out and stood beside the stove in wait.
The laughter grew louder. He furrowed his brows downward and winced. Gilbert had the most god-awful laugh in the world, he swore. And now it was combined with Francis’s, which was only not as bad because it wasn’t as loud.
With an indignant huff, Arthur stormed out of the kitchen. “Do you mind terribly not splitting my eardrums with your idiocy?” he shouted.
Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio, who was hovering behind the couch, just looked at him and the volume of their laughter rose even more. For Christ’s sake, they were pointing at him now.
He spotted something in Gilbert’s hand and squinted a bit to make out what it was.
Oh bloody hell. It was his camera.
“You really like dolphins, don’t you?” Gilbert asked, snickering.
Arthur crossed the room the rest of the way, snatching the camera from his hand with a sharp glare. “I fail to see what’s so funny.” So they did see a dolphin then. He assumed that they would, that only to him, it would appear as Alfred in the pictures.
Well damn.
Although, he supposed that it was good in a sense. As much as it would be nice to show Francis that there was a rather lovely looking young man spending time with him, he’d feel like quite a git if he revealed Alfred to someone without his permission.
Francis grinned, mischievous. “Arthur, according to you, you went on a date with a dashing young man named Alfred yesterday, correct?”
Arthur flushed scarlet. “Y-yes, we spent the entire day together.”
Francis leaned languidly over the couch, his grin turning into a smirk. “Well these photos are from yesterday, oui? They are labeled as such on the camera….”
“Yes they are. What in the hell are you getting at?” He stiffened, jutting his chin out, resolute.
Antonio and Gilbert stifled more laughter. “Either this Alfred is so ugly then, that you refused to take a picture of him, or you are in fact, in love with a dolphin. A dolphin? Even I would not--- “
“Shut it!”
“Although I did once read that dolphins can be sexually attracted to hu---“
He was interrupted by Arthur’s hands around his neck. “Belt up, Frog!”
Francis’s blue eyes still sparkled with mischief, despite having his air supply cut off.
“He’s just camera shy, all right?” Arthur explained, which he knew was an awful explanation. Francis knew him, after all. He would have, if indeed he were a camera shy date, at least snapped a discreet side shot, just to show Francis that Alfred did exist.
Francis managed to worm out of Arthur’s grip and exhaled in relief. “I do not believe you! I knew that your ‘date’ sounded too good to be true… for you, at least.”
“Luckily I found this camera, haha,” Gilbert cut in.
“There’s no recent calls on his phone either,” Antonio supplied, glancing at Arthur’s cell. “Except Francis and… ‘Mum.’”
“Oui, and we do not have a home phone here…”
Arthur caught Lovino out of the corner of his eye. He was standing by the sliding glass door, impatient, no doubt, to start the walk with Antonio that he’d so vigorously protested.
“He didn’t call,” Arthur explained, his face bright red in embarrassment. He nabbed the phone from Antonio, stuffing it in his pocket. “We planned to meet up the previous day, no need for him to.”
Francis gave him a firm look. “Mon frère, provide proof, and I shall believe you. As it is though? I call…”
“BULLSHIT!” Gilbert interrupted, taking a swig of his beer and barking out a laugh.
“Ahh, I have to agree,” Antonio said.
Arthur gritted his teeth. “Antonio, your boyfriend is clearly waiting for you, so why don’t you--- “
The fire alarm went off. In the midst of his argument with Francis and his friends, he had completely missed the whistling kettle. And now…
Shit! He ran into the kitchen, grabbing a stool along the way so he could reach up and shut off the fire alarm.
Loud laughter followed him, and his cheeks burned in shame.
--------------------------------------------------
Alfred rolled the pearl in his hand, its iridescence playing in the sunlight that shone down into the depths. It was the biggest one he had and the most luminescent as well. He didn’t have many possessions, but he did have a small collection of items that he’d acquired on his adventures, kept buried under a rock in the cove he often slept in. There were a few pearls, but this one; it was undoubtedly the most awesome.
Toris was hovering behind him, and Alfred shot his best friend a wide grin. “I guess I still don’t know if they’re valuable to humans, but it’s kind of cool, huh? I mean they’re not that easy to find, and it looks pretty nice. I think that if he’s showing me all these awesome things, I should totally do something.”
“That’s nice of you, Alfred,” Toris replied, a small smile on his lips. “I’m sure… Arthur will appreciate it.”
“Yeah, plus he promised that he’d give me something human to eat next time. So I know that this probably isn’t as cool as that, but I’m pretty awesome, so maybe the fact that it’s from me will help!”
“You think so?”
“Yep. Totally heroic pearl. That kind of thing,” he added.
Toris laughed lightly, but then went silent, a rueful expression settling on his face.
“Something wrong?” Alfred queried.
“Sorry, I…” he breathed deeply, “I’m just a little worried about you is all.”
“Huh? What do you mean? C’mon, you know me…”
Toris shook his head. “That’s exactly it, Alfred. I know you… and I’m just wondering about you and Arthur.”
Alfred cocked his head, his fin brushing against the rocky bottom of the cove. “What about us?”
“I’m sure he’s very nice and all but…” he closed his eyes and rushed out the last part, “is it just because he’s human?”
The blonde merman blinked, nonplussed, before his eyes widened. “Oh. No, no! That’s not it at all,” he clarified. “Geez, Arthur wondered the same thing. He’s… well, I honestly like him, okay?” He pouted, his cheeks stained light pink, which Toris did not fail to notice.
Toris sighed. “I’m happy for you then. I hope he likes the pearl.”
Alfred frowned. “H-hey, Toris?”
“Yes?”
“Um… if you’re worried about like, me replacing you or something? I mean I dunno if it’s that, but… you’ll always be my best friend, okay?”
Toris chuckled, his face flushing. “T-thank you Alfred. And you’ll always be mine.”
Alfred nodded, his smile huge. “Yeah. It’s kind of like… you know how Feliks is different to you?”
“Yes?”
He clapped a hand on Toris’s shoulder. “Well Arthur… he’s different to me, okay?”
Toris wondered if Alfred had any idea of the implication he’d just given. “Different like Feliks… really?”
“Yeah!” Alfred swam out of the cove, glancing upward to the surface once he’d exited. “Looks like it’s almost sundown, so I’m gonna head to Arthur’s, okay?”
Toris followed him out and gave him a one-armed hug. “Have fun then, Alfred…”
“Sure! I’ll tell you all about it,” he promised, and then swam upward and away, the pearl clutched in his hand.
---------------------
Arthur sat at the end of the dock, a glass of iced tea in one hand and his bare feet dangling in the water. It was a muggy evening, humid to the point of slight discomfort. There were a couple of good things though; firstly, Francis and his friends had decided to go out for the evening, secondly, Alfred was supposed to be coming soon.
A small smile crossed his lips as he thought of the energetic merman. Sure, Alfred had inadvertently gotten him into a load of trouble that afternoon, but it wasn’t his fault. The poor boy couldn’t help what he was.
Not that there was anything wrong with it. On the contrary, it was right amazing, astounding. Alfred was beautiful, no getting around it.
He could feel his face heating, and he took another drink to cool himself down. He hoped that Alfred wasn’t expecting that food tonight. Francis had made dinner, and he didn’t want Alfred’s much anticipated supper to be… French food. He was loathe to admit it, but Francis was a great cook. Nonetheless, he wasn’t going to give it to Alfred! The last thing he wanted was for the merman to gain a taste for… French things.
He wondered if Alfred would kiss him again tonight. He would ask him about it either way! He wasn’t going to let him get away without answering again.
A light splash, and then a shout of “Arthur!” pierced his thoughts. Arthur glanced out seaward, to see Alfred a good five meters away, but swimming toward him quickly.
In the sunset, the gold of his hair shone even brighter, and the sheen of his damp skin was---
“Hey!” Alfred rested his arms on the deck, his signature smile in place.
“Hallo, Alfred,” Arthur answered. “Just on time.”
“Yeah! I swam really fast. I was almost late… was looking for something,” Alfred explained. “Scoot over, okay?” Arthur did so, and once he had enough room, Alfred pushed himself up onto the dock, sitting with his tail in the water, just like Arthur’s feet. “What are you drinking?”
“Iced tea,” Arthur answered. Feeling a bit bad for not having that ‘really awesome human food,’ he held out his glass. “Would you like some?”
Alfred nodded, snatching the glass and taking a gulp. His nose wrinkled in disgust almost immediately. “It’s gross! It needs to be sweeter, I think.”
Arthur scoffed. “It’s too sweet already, git! Iced tea often is…”
He shook his head in the negative. “That better not be what you’re giving me!”
Crossing his arms, Arthur frowned. “I-idiot. It’s not! I… don’t have that for you tonight, because my brother cooked and that’s absolutely not worth your time.”
Alfred’s lips jutted out in an unmistakable pout. “Ah, man. Well next time, you’d better.”
“I promise.”
The merman bounced closer to Arthur. “You seem grumpier than usual…”
Arthur ran a hand down his face. “I had… a rather terrible day.”
Alfred gasped, looking incensed. “Really? Anyone I need to talk to? I am a hero, after all…”
Finishing off his iced tea, Arthur chuckled. “Well firstly, they’re all human, so there’s not much you could do. But… I’m all right. It’s just Francis and his friends being idiots.”
Alfred leaned down, looking underneath the fringe of Arthur’s bangs. He smiled, fond. “Hey well, I’m here right now… okay?” His smile grew. “So cheer up!”
His cheeks heated at how close Alfred’s face was to his, how his bright blue eyes shone in the light of the sunset, a tinge of sky gold reflected in their corners. “R-right… I’ll try.”
The merman leapt away. “Awesome. I have something for you then…”
Arthur’s eyebrows rose. “Y-you do?”
He noticed now that one of Alfred’s fists was clenched. Possibly, it had been the entire time.
Alfred nodded, his cheeks glowing bright pink in the light. “Y-yeah. Uh…” he gulped, closed his eyes, and opened his hand, holding it out, “here you go.”
In Alfred’s hand was a perfect pearl. Large and round and utterly gleaming, reflecting colors like a rainbow in the burnished sunset.
Bloody hell. The kissing was nothing compared to this
.
As much as he found it unbelievable, completely preposterous, and ridiculous beyond all belief; he thought there was a damn good chance that the merman was, well… courting him.