"A mermaid found a swimming lad,

Picked him for her own,

Pressed her body to his body,

Laughed; and plunging down

Forgot in cruel happiness

That even lovers drown."

-William Butler Yeats

Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel were born on the same day of the same year in two very different places, but both underwater.

Blaine was born a human in O'ahu, Hawaii. His mother had been having contractions for the better part of three hours, and it was then that she decided that she had no desire to go to the hospital that happened to be all the way over on the main land. She'd read about water births, and a neighbor down the street happened to be a midwife, and offered to take care during labor.

So Mrs. Anderson got situated in her bathtub as the water filled up and within an hour, the bouncing baby boy was born into a world in which he would never feel like he belonged.

Kurt was born a merman in the Central Pacific Basin, 14,000 feet under the sea. His mother had laid him nine months before and some nomad had fertilized him before swimming off and leaving him to grow and eventually hatch. No one offered to be his midwife. The only one around when he was born was a bottom-feeder that attached to his neck and began cleaning immediately.

Ms. Hummel never met her son, and Kurt never went looking for her. He would spend the rest of his life always feeling like something was missing.

17 years, 129 days, and 13 hours later, the boys crossed paths.

It was a warm and sunny morning, so Blaine woke up earlier than normal to go down to the beach and go for a swim. Within minutes, he had stripped down to his bathing trunks and dove headfirst in the water. It was the best feeling the world, being underwater, body movements subject to his own strength against the waves, the current pulling him wherever it wanted. Blaine felt more at home here than he did in his actual house, and there were hardly any other people on the beach at six in the morning. Here he could be himself, able to think freely, hum pop songs, and dig his feet beneath the sand and rocks under the water.

Kurt woke up that morning with the realization that he was far too close to the shore. He had swam up to the rocks near the beach the previous night to watch some of the shirtless boys surf, get drunk and make love with their girlfriends, and he'd fallen asleep in the midst of it all. He loved watching the people, envious of their relationships with one another, but never quite wishing that he was one of them. Mermen were usually loners, swimming the course of the entire seas numerous times in their lives, never searching for a loving relationship, but rather fertilizing any eggs they came across by pleasing themselves. Kurt, however, resented this lifestyle. He didn't want it for himself, so he got his fun out of living vicariously through the humans.

Speaking of humans, Kurt remembered exactly where he was and knew that he had to get out of there as soon as possible. People would start filling into the ocean soon, and he surely didn't one of them to come across him or his tail. When he spotted a lone man diving in and out of the waves, however, he couldn't find it in himself to swim away.

This man was beautiful. His skin was a deep, tanned color and the water droplets that sat on it, slid down the curves of his muscles slowly before washing away as he took another dip under the sea level. His hair was dark and curly and falling in his eyes with the weight of the water. Kurt's jaw dropped ever so slightly, and he lost any ability to leave now. His gaze was permanently drawn to the hazel eyes, looking up at the sun.

Blaine decided that as long as he was out there in the water, he should at least practice for his swimming competition. The water was the only place he felt like he belonged, so he tried to be in it as often as possible. Whether it was for recreation or sport, Blaine knew it was the right place for him. He took a deeper breath than he had all morning, dove under the water and swam straight as long as he possibly could.

As Kurt watched the man go down for the twentieth time, he suddenly became frightened. It had been almost a full minute, and he still hadn't reemerged. Kurt didn't know everything about humans, but he was certain that they needed to be above the water in order to breath. Becoming worried, he began to lose his inhibitions and started swimming over to where he'd seen the man last. He ducked his head under the water and looked around, but the sea near the shore was always so filthy that it was hard to make out any human movements. And then his tail brushed against something that wasn't himself.

Blaine felt something like seaweed brush against his torso, and he opened his eyes, only to suddenly remember the stinging sensation that came with salt water, and brought his head up to the surface. After taking in a deep breath, he rubbed his eyes and looked around out of habit to make sure he was safe. He realized how far from the sand he had swam and was actually quite proud of himself for being able to go out that far. He then saw from the corner of his eye, a flash of skin that definitely was not his. Turning around, he saw the top of a man's head peaking out of the water behind him, the bluest eyes he'd ever seen starting at him, no, into him.

"Oh, uh, sorry man. I didn't-" Blaine began before losing his train of thought. This man in the water next to him was glaring at him so intently, it would've been scary if it hadn't been so beautiful. "What's your name?"

Kurt made sure not to take his eyes off of this man's as he spoke to him. As long as he could keep his gaze, he could avoid the fact that he had a tail where humans had legs. The man had asked him a question, he remembered. What had that question been...?

Blaine raised his eyebrows at the guy, waiting for a reply, but having no ability to keep track of how long it had been since he'd asked. Something about the blue eyes made his brain feel like it had been replaced by nothing but wind and saltwater. He decided to rephrase the question, because something in him was literally dying to know the answer. "I'm Blaine. Who are you?"

Kurt really wished that the man hadn't said this. The more he heard his voice, the more attached to him to he was becoming. And on top of that, he now had something to call him. Blaine. It was a name he'd never heard before, and that was probably worse than anything. Now he wouldn't be able to associate that name with anyone but him, most likely for the rest of his life. But the question was there again. Blaine undoubtedly wanted to know who Kurt was, and Kurt knew it was his own fault for locking him in the gaze. He'd never done it to a human before, but every time he'd stared into the eyes of a fellow mermaid or shark that was planning on making Kurt dinner, they became his to control. And they always wanted to know who their master was.

Blaine's legs and arms were growing tired from treading water, but he would've stayed there until his muscles gave out completely if he had to. And part of him knew that was the case. He was almost certain that he couldn't have left even if he wanted to.

Kurt could see that he was causing Blaine physical exhaustion from his peripheral vision, and decided that he didn't want to be the reason for this man's death. He slowly brought his nose of the water, and then his mouth, making sure to never lose focus on Blaine's eyes. He parted his lips and spoke the word that had been carved on his wrist from the day he was born. "Kurt."

Blaine then decided that Kurt was the most beautiful word, let alone name, he'd heard in his entire life. Kurt's voice was perfect, pitched slightly higher than his own, and sounded almost like a song or lullaby. His body ached from repetition of movement, and he knew how far away the beach was. Even the years of practice that he had couldn't have convinced him that he would make it back to the shore before fatigue stopped him.

It was half of a second of pure stupidity, but Kurt knew it was all his fault. He had seen Blaine's tongue emerge from his mouth to lick the salt off his lips, and his eyes had flickered down to see the process take place, releasing Blaine from his hold.

Blaine's mind sped at a million miles an hour when Kurt's eyes left his. Within a fraction of a second, he began feeling lonely and empty and confused. He felt that if there had been anything for him to live for, it was now gone, vanished forever, leaving him alone to suffer. He hadn't even let the thought completely register in his mind when he moved his gaze around Kurt's face, noticing how every pore looked as if it were made of flecks of glitter. He saw a look of horror come over Kurt's face, and he wanted to glare back into his eyes that were so desperately trying to grab Blaine's attention, but his mind wouldn't let him. Something was compelling him to look down.

Through the choppy, green water, Blaine was pretty sure he could make out four arms and two chests, but he only saw two legs, both of which belonged to him.

Kurt's mind was screaming profanities at itself as he tried to lock eyes with Blaine again. But he knew it was too late. Blaine had seen his tail, pink and silver with scales that glimmered in the sun half way up his stomach to where his gills were located. It was obvious in his widened eyes and and dropped jaw, and Kurt knew there was only thing he could do to cause Blaine temporarily amnesia, but he didn't know if he would be able to do that to someone.

"Y-you... you have a, um, is that a-" Blaine stuttered, simultaneously wanting to distance himself from Kurt and latch on to him for support. "Are you a, um, a, uh..." He couldn't even think the word without calling himself crazy! A mermaid? That was insane! Of course Blaine had always wondered about the mystical creatures and some part of him had been a strong believer in their existence, but this was just crazy! There was no way on Earth a mermaid would possibly be swimming right in front of him... He couldn't finish this thoughts before Kurt grabbed him by the wrist.

"Shh," Kurt said, taking a hold of Blaine. If he had waited any longer, the human was sure to have died from heart attack or physical exhaustion, and the last thing he needed was a death on his conscience. He swam quickly and with purpose towards the rock that he'd been hiding behind when he woke up.

Before Blaine knew it, he was being pulled at least fifty miles an hour under the water by Kurt. Water filled his mouth and eventually his lungs and he began to figure that this is how he was going to die. He let Kurt take full control over his body and held in the air in his chest for as long as he could. When he surfaced, he opened his eyes and glared up at the sun. He must've been in heaven.

Kurt picked Blaine up and set him on the rock, laying him on his back and trying not to let his gaze linger too long over his perfectly sculpted chest, little curly black hairs poking out ever so randomly across the torso. Kurt took a deep breath. He'd never done this to a human being before, and the only other time he'd done it to anything else was a baby dolphin that had separated from its mother during a violent storm. But he needed to save Blaine; something in him was forcing him to do so.

He placed his elbows on the rock and pushed himself up so the water level fell to his lower back. If anyone saw, they wouldn't have seen his tale, but it would've been obvious that he wasn't fully human. Kurt closed his eyes, leaned forward and pressed his lips to Blaine's mouth, filling his lungs up with air and removing any water inside of them at the same time.

Blaine saw Kurt's face, felt Kurt's lips on his, and suddenly, he could breathe again. His body relaxed on the rock that really should not have felt as much like a bed as it did, and he was definitely alive. In fact, he quickly realized that although he was pretty sure that Kurt just saved his life, the feeling of just his mouth wasn't quite enough for him. Blaine reached his hand up, placed it on the back of Kurt's neck and began kissing him, massaging his lips with his own, arching his back up into the kiss. He may have just gotten the ability to breathe again, but he was quickly testing their strength. Still, it felt like the longer that he kissed Kurt, the more able he was to breathe.

Kurt's eyes shot open when he realized that Blaine was kissing him. He wanted to pull away, but there was Blaine's hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in, forcing their bodies to touch in several places. When he finally got out of the human's grasp, he slipped back down into the water so it reached up to his collarbones and he hid half his face behind the rock. He couldn't swim away yet, and he began to wonder if he could ever swim away now without risking Blaine's life. Did his magic work on humans the same way it worked on other mermaids?

"Wait. Don't go," Blaine said and pushed himself up so he was leaning forward. That kiss had been, well simply put, it had been magical. "You saved my life."

Kurt looked down at the water beneath him, conflicted with his urge to fleet and his compassion for this man's life, which completely didn't make any sense because he was just a human and nothing more. Kurt wasn't even sure if humans had the ability to love the way merfolk could. He hadn't even saved his life anyway, because if it hadn't been for him, he never would've found himself in that position in the first place. He shook his head minutely.

"You did," Blaine nodded, feeling drawn to Kurt as if by magnet, wanting to be as close as possible to him without falling off the rock. "Is that a... special power you have? Giving people oxygen?"

Kurt shrugged, still not looking back up at Blaine. He'd already locked eyes with him once, most likely leaving him feeling terrible after he looked away. He didn't want to accidentally cause that internal pain again.

"Hey, look at me," Blaine commanded.

With the decision that no matter what, he wouldn't put Blaine in a hold, Kurt looked up at him. His eyes were light brown with freckles of green and blue and gold and he really was one of the most beautiful humans he'd ever seen.

"You can talk, can't you?" Blaine asked. "I mean you told me your name. Kurt, it was. This isn't like some Little Mermaid thing, is it?"

"Which little mermaid?" Kurt asked, not wanting to speak, but Blaine had finally said the word and that triggered something in him. This was the first time in Kurt's life that a human being had acknowledged that he was in fact a merman.

Blaine stared for a moment, relishing in the sound of Kurt's melodic voice. Then he let out a hearty laugh, because that might've been the silliest and most obvious thing in the world. Of course a mermaid wouldn't know about The Little Mermaid, but his childhood self, who thought that Ariel was a real girl, was confused by this absurdity. "Nevermind. Where did you come from?"

Kurt knit his eyebrows together. So many thoughts ran through his mind as Blaine spoke to him. Why wasn't he trying to murder or capture him? Would he follow him into the water if Kurt swam away? How was he able to talk to someone who most humans didn't even believe in? "I came from this rock," he answered as best as he could, even though he didn't quite understand the question before asking his own. "Why did you kiss me?"

Blaine shrugged his shoulders and answered honestly. "Because I wanted to. Did you not like it?"

Kurt clenched down on his jaw as he tried to admit to himself what he then said out loud. "I liked it very much."

A smile broke out across Blaine's face as he realized what Kurt had said. He'd only ever kissed one boy before who had promptly told him that he did not like it and made it a point to never kiss him again. "Well then, I'm glad I did it."

Kurt dipped a little deeper into the water. From what he could tell, Blaine didn't seem to be having any forced attraction to him, which pleased him greatly. Perhaps he could swim away before he was asked any serious questions.

"Why don't you come out from behind the rock?" Blaine asked calmly. The half of Kurt's face that he could see was absolutely stunning, but that didn't stop him from wanting to see the full thing. When Kurt did come all the way out, although reluctantly, Blaine found himself gaping at seeing once again how incredibly beautiful this man was. This time around, he took in the luxury of being able to really notice any and all features of his face, including his chiseled jaw, pinked lips, shimmering skin, and hair that swooped back from being constantly soaked in water.

Kurt felt as if he was on display when he came out into full view, and he hated the feeling of being gawked at, whether it be in lust or disgust. "Please don't stare."

Blaine bit on his tongue when Kurt spoke and he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to. You're just... so beautiful."

Kurt felt warmth spread to his cheeks as he blushed from the compliment. It was hard to believe that a human had actually just called him beautiful.

"How did you find me?" Blaine asked, because that's really what it felt like to him: Kurt had found him and saved his life that he was barely hanging on to, both figuratively and literally.

"I was watching you swim," Kurt explained timidly. "And when you went under for a very long time, I swam over to tried and help you..."

Blaine swallowed before building up the courage to ask the next question: one that could possibly scare the merman away if not posed correctly. He eventually decided on the most simplistic form of the question he could. "Can I see it?"

Kurt instantly knew what Blaine was talking about, and he laid out on his back, bringing his chest parallel to the sky, and pulling his tail up towards the surface of the water.

Blaine watched the creature splash about as he studied the color, shape and overall beauty of Kurt's tail. It was long, yet thin like Kurt, and started becoming part of him near the waist, and it looked almost nothing like Ariel's. The main color was redder than Kurt's flesh, but had splashes of blue towards the tip and near the center. The scales reflected the light of the sun, causing a glimmering effect over its entirety. Without much thought, Blaine reached forward and brushed the tips of his fingers over the body of the tail, recognizing the rough, but slimy texture of any fish.

Kurt retreated deep under the water from the touch before turning around and swimming back up to the surface.

"I'm sorry," Blain apologized. "I should have asked."

"I've never been touched by a human before," Kurt admitted, finally making eye contact with Blaine. It was the oddest thing in the world, but he almost felt a sort of fluttering in his stomach, as if everything he'd previously heard of human's being incapable of kindness and affection had been absolutely incorrect. He was almost overcome with the idea that maybe Blaine liked him. Why else would he have kissed him, right? He surely couldn't have known about the spell that came with kissing a mermaid, and even if he somehow had, why would he want to put it on himself?

Blaine's breath caught in his throat when his eyes found Kurt's again. It wasn't the same feeling as before - like he physically couldn't turn away - but it felt almost like this is where he belonged. Kurt's eyes felt like home for some reason unexplainable to Blaine at the moment. "I won't hurt you, Kurt."

"Why not?" From what Kurt knew of humans, they only wanted mermaids for show or money or even to eat. Something told him Blaine was different, and that scared him even more than if it hadn't.

"I-" Blaine began before realizing he didn't have an answer. Why? Because he was humane and just didn't like hurting people... But did Kurt constitute as a person? "Because you're beautiful, and I would never want to take that away." He paused for a beat before wondering out loud. "Are you lost?"

Kurt was taken back by this question. Did he seem lost? "I should ask you that. The sea is my home, yet here you are."

A full smile slowly creeped up on Blaine's face. Kurt was right about that, and it somehow made him feel silly for asking. He told himself he had to stop being so stereotypical in the way he was treating Kurt, and even that was one of the craziest things he'd thought all day. It still hadn't sunk in that he was communicating with a mermaid. "That's very true. Are there more of you?" He squinted beyond Kurt as if to see a school of merfolk swimming in the water.

Kurt shook his head, not entirely understanding the question. "No. There's only one of me. Are there more of you?" Was it normal for humans to ask that? he wondered. At least he would seem polite by reciprocating the question.

Blaine laughed out loud at this, more so laughing at himself and the English language than Kurt's misinterpretation of it. "No, no. There's only one of me; I was just wondering if you were alone out here?"

After a moment, Kurt nodded. He hated just thinking about how lonely he was, let alone discussing it, and he quickly changed the subject. "You ask a lot of questions for a human."

"As opposed to...?" Blaine asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face.

Kurt swam up a little closer to the surface, forcibly forgoing any embarrassment he had about his body in front of Blaine. "Well folklore tells me that humans don't have much concern for merfolk. Don't think I haven't seen your massive nets coming down to try and grab us and take us out of the ocean."

"I think that's more for fish and stuff than mermaids," Blaine responded truthfully, but he'd seen the flash of sadness in the blue eyes he'd been staring so intently in. At the same time, he was trying to calm his nerves from when they spiked his skin with goosebumps after hearing Kurt's voice. He'd read hundreds of mermaid stories in his life, some where the creatures are loving and friendly, and others where they use their beauty to lure sailors into rough waters, evil at their core. He couldn't quite decide which Kurt was, but he didn't seem sinister at all.

Kurt tilted his head slightly as he studied Blaine's face, so very handsome with an expression of longing and want. He dipped into the water a little so it rose to his bottom lip and smiled slyly as he spoke. This would be the one instant that sealed the hook he had on Blaine. "I suppose you would like to kiss me again, Blaine."

As Kurt's lips moved, water rushed past them, their pink color enhancing with each word.

Blaine noticed this and his muscles clamped with pure desire. And then there had been the way he'd said his name. Blaine had always thought that his name had been so boring and plain and unattractive, but the way Kurt sung it made it sound like it was a piece of classical art, and it sent shivers down Blaine's spine. Kurt was turning him on in more ways than he could imagine. "Y-yes," he wanted to kiss him again. He wanted to never stop kissing him.

Kurt knew how manipulative he was being, but he had to try this. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he wanted to kiss Blaine as much as Blaine wanted to kiss him. He quickly submerged in the water before using his arm strength to climb up onto the rock, and although they were distant enough from the shore that no one would see them, he knew he was being brave by exposing himself in the open air. He noticed Blaine's chest moving up and down rapidly from taking short, shallow breaths, and Kurt somehow managed to convince himself that this was purely for scientific research. Hypothesis: Would his charm work on a human?

A million thoughts rushed through Blaine's mind as this merman positioned himself so closely to his body. The first kiss had been his spur of the moment idea, with no time to plan ahead or really make eye contact even. Now everything felt infinitely more intimate as Kurt brushed the back of his fingers alongside Blaine's jawline, his thumb perhaps spending a bit too long pressed against the corner of Blaine's mouth.

Kurt had kissed mermen before on several occasions and even a couple female mermaids who had gotten the wrong idea about him, but this felt so incredibly different. For one, he wasn't thousands of feet under the water. But other than the obvious, something in Blaine's eyes, as his gaze flickered down to Kurt's lips, was so dangerously reassuring that made Kurt question his own intentions with this man. "I've never kissed a human before."

Blaine let out a whimper of a laugh. "I've only kissed a mermaid once. About three minutes ago."

"So do it again," Kurt requested, taking in Blaine's eyes once more before closing his.

Blaine wrapped his lips around Kurt's with eyes shut tight. He brought his hand up that wasn't resting on the rock behind him for balance and placed it on Kurt's chest, feeling his nipple beneath his palm, convincing him that Kurt was more human than fish. He stretched his fingers out and brought them up to Kurt's collarbone and neck, wanting to feel as much of his skin as much as possible.

Breathing in through his gills, Kurt let the oxygen in his mouth escape to Blaine's so neither would have to pull away from lack of air. Slowly, Kurt opened his mouth, introducing his tongue to Blaine's teeth and pushing it gently between them. It was then that he let down his walls and give a true piece of himself to Blaine.

Blaine let himself be overcome by the magic of Kurt's kiss. He felt the air in his chest running wild, filling up not only his lungs, but his entire body. Cold, cold air caused him to press closer into Kurt, grabbing the back of his neck tightly and pulling him in. Forgetting all about balance, he picked his other hand up off the rock and placed it firmly on Kurt's cheek. He made a decision that he'd rather die before he'd want to stop kissing.

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine, grabbing his shoulders from behind, and barely took his lips away from Blaine's face.

"Don't stop," Blaine whispered... begged.

Kurt flicked his tongue and opened his eyes, tilting his head so his mouth was pressed against Blaine's cheek. "What do I taste like, Blaine?"

"You taste like, like... not fish," Blaine answered because something about Kurt's lips was the best thing he'd ever tasted in his life and it was causing him pain waiting to taste it again.

Kurt laughed a musical tone, made sure his hold on Blaine was firm, and flopped backwards into the sea. Once fully underwater, his lips found Blaine's again and they began to kiss even more intensely than before.

As soon as his body hit the water, Blaine could feel it entering his mouth and lungs. He hadn't been prepared in the slightest for the dive and found a shortage of breath to be extremely discomforting. He lunged his face forward, grabbing onto Kurt as if he were scuba diving gear and taking in a deep gasp of air from his lips. Kurt's hands had slid down his back and were now resting near the hem of Blaine's swim trunks, pushing them in closer than ever before.

Kurt let Blaine take as much breath from his as he needed as he flipped upside before swimming quickly back up towards the surface so they were both completely behind the rock, Blaine's back against the rough stone.

"Wow!" Blaine exclaimed when he realized he was out of the water and pressing up against Kurt's body and a large, black rock simultaneously. "That was amazing! You're-" he couldn't even finish and when he got the tiniest look into Kurt's eyes, he crashed his face into the merman's, kissing more forcefully than ever before.

Kurt kissed back with as much enthusiasm, his tail splashing frivolously behind him as he really let himself enjoy being kissed by a human. But he couldn't stay for very much longer, and he knew it. The sounds of joyous children and barking dogs filled his ears as the beach began to slowly crowd with residents and tourists. He somehow trusted Blaine not to capture or murder him, but he couldn't say the same about the group of people on the sand. If he was seen, he'd surely be caught. He pulled away from Blaine's lips just far enough so he could speak audibly. "I must go."

The words seeped into Blaine's mind and began to fill his brain like a poison. "No, you can't," he said. He felt psychologically attached to Kurt in more ways than he felt physically attached to his own arms and legs. Kurt couldn't leave yet. He could never leave!

"The people," Kurt explained, and he began to really wish he hadn't even met Blaine in the first place. "If they catch me, they'll kill me."

"Wait," Blaine frantically pleaded, grasping firmly on Kurt's shoulders. "No, no, no. I'll protect you. They won't hurt you, they won't. Can't you, I don't know, ask the sea witch for legs or trade your voice or, or something?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. He felt so bad for having done this to Blaine, but the man was just not making any sense. "If we could ask for legs, there'd be no mermaids left."

"Kurt, please. Don't leave me, Kurt."

There was so much sadness in Blaine's beautiful eyes, and Kurt hated himself for being the cause of it. He should've never made eye contact with him in the first place. So what if he'd seen his tail? No one would have believed him, and he would've eventually just blamed it on a trick of the light. Now he was in far too deep. He had planted a seed inside of Blaine's mind that was growing and blooming at the speed of light. Quickly, he plunged deep into the water, removing himself from Blaine's hold and swam out about three feet in front of him.

Blaine, back still against the rock, now had to begin treading water in order to stay a float. He reached out his arm desperately, but Kurt was always just out of his reach. "Kurt-"

"I'll always remember you, Blaine," Kurt smiled, pivoted, and swam out about ninety yards before stopping and turning around to see the human.

Blaine couldn't believe Kurt was escaping him this easily. He had to catch up and convince him to stay for just a little while longer. He was a strong swimmer, and he knew he could do it. Diving into the ocean, he resisted the pull of the current and the push of the waves as best as he could as he swam out towards the long, red tail. His eyes burned when he opened them under the water, but he had no other choice. He couldn't lose Kurt this soon after meeting him, after he'd given him the best kiss he'd ever have in his life.

Kurt watched Blaine struggle, but he knew he couldn't go back and help him. If he did, they'd both be in grave danger. And Blaine wouldn't swim back to shore now, not when he was so magically drawn to Kurt in this way.

As water began to fill into Blaine's lungs, he swam faster and harder. If he could reach Kurt, Kurt would be able to give him some air and he would be able to live, and perhaps there was some spell that could transform him into a merman, and he could live with Kurt forever in the sea, two mermen, happy as can be. Even when there was no air left for him to breathe, Blaine swam.

Kurt was still 40 yards ahead of Blaine when the human stopped making forward progress. It pained him to see such a beautiful and magnificently kind creature drown, and he hadn't been lying when he said that he would always remember him. It changed the way Kurt thought about humans forever. Their compassion was something that only a few had, but if they did, it was strong and loving and wonderful, and Blaine had proven this to him.

With a flick of his tail, Kurt turned and swam straight out into the deep, blue sea.


A/N: So this turned out to be much more than I had planned (about 4,000 words more to be exact), but I couldn't stop myself! I have loved mermaids since before I can remember and having never been fully satisfied with any mermaid!Kurt fics I've read (although some have done great justice), I realized I had to write one myself. This doesn't mean this is better than any other glee/mermaid story in any way! In fact, I wouldn't doubt that it's subpar to any other long thought out and anticipated fic, in which I sort of made this up as I went along. I just needed to get it out of my system.

Anyway... long author's note aside, I hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Mermaids are truly some of my favorite creatures ever, and writing one was an absolute blast, despite this being sort of a spur of the moment thing.

Oh, and thank you! Reviews are adored, as usual :)