(a/n): Did this one-shot for a request on Tumblr! I really, really enjoyed making this and had lots of fun! Hope you like it too~
/Warning for some swearing/
"Halfway"
When Matthew first met him, they were just kids.
There he was, sitting at the edge of the pier dipping his toes into the sea. His Papa had recently bought a cottage a walk away from the beach, and being tired and weary from the long journey, Matthew had patiently gained his papa's permission to enjoy the dwindling sunset.
The ocean's surface sparkled, reflecting the golden flakes of sunlight amongst its glittering blue waters. But then there was a strange bit of sparkling—over to the left, where a patch of the ocean was glimmering silver.
It inched closer, curiously, and seven-year-old Matthew was torn between sprinting away and staying to see what it was. The choice was quickly made for him when not a foot away, a head of white hair sprang up bearing a beaming face.
Matthew yelped. The face kept its toothy grin.
"Y-you're a kid!" Matthew yelped, surprised as seeing a random human pop up from the water when he had never spotted him diving in—or at least, he thought it was human.
"Hiya!" Said the mystery boy. "You're new here, aren't'cha? Wow, I've never seen someone up close before. You guys are always so big and tall and scary, but then you're here—and you're just like me!"
Matthew was confused and flustered, but his manners kicked in and his instincts guided his actions. Tentatively, he stuck out a hand. "P-pleased to meet you. My name is Matthew. If I may ask, how did you get into the water?"
"Oh," The boy shrugged. "I've been here for a while now. Call me Gilbert!" He grasped Matthew's hand, the cold wetness of it snapping him to realization.
This was a new kid. A new kid he'd never met before introducing himself to Matthew. Could it be? Could it really be some long-awaited miracle? Matthew making a potential friend on the first day of a move?
He smiled down at the boy.
"So how long have you been here, Gilbert?" He asked with a giggle.
"Oh! I've lived here my whole life, you know. I bet you've just moved in, huh?"
"Ah, yes. Just today actually. My papa's still fixing our house over that hill there—see? So I went down here."
Gilbert gave him a lopsided grin, then looked up at the distant hill in wonder. "Wow, you really live up there? Must be really cool. Well, not as cool as me, but still—really cool!"
Matthew giggled and Gilbert laughed. He liked this boy, despite him being really loud. His brother was loud too, so he supposed it was the same.
"Do you like swimming, Gilbert?" He hummed pleasantly.
"Swimming's my whole life, Matthew! Gee, I really like your name. Matthew. Rolls right off the tongue!"
Matthew giggled at that. And then he got an idea. "Hey," he said. "Why don't you come out of the water and we can play?"
"Oh, I can't do that," Said Gilbert with a shake of his head.
"What? Why not?" Matthew paled. Perhaps this kid didn't actually like him as much as he'd thought.
"Because I'm a mermaid, silly!"
He blinked. "What?"
In that instance the boy dived down under water, and then he was flying up in a spray of seafoam. A glimmering silver tail followed out of the water and he flopped back down with a flourish.
"Tada! I've been practicing that for a while now. Did you like it?"
Matthew didn't realize he was gaping, really, until he had seawater splashed into his mouth by the boy mermaid. Merman? Mer-boy?
"A-are you r-really…?"
"Yup! I'm totally a super cool-awesome mermaid who's now your friend!"
Friend? Friend! He'd really made a friend! Better yet—a mermaid friend!
Matthew's mouth was still open, but this time he was smiling. He supposed Gilbert took this as a good sign because then he asked, "Do you wanna ride on my back and go swimming?"
And of course, Matthew said, "Heck yes!"
He ran back into the cottage soaking wet and beaming all over. He was babbling about Gilbert, his new mermaid friend with white hair and a silver tail and how he took him on an amazing underwater ride.
His Daddy Arthur simply scolded him for swimming and took off his wet clothes, and his Papa Francis only smiled kindly and offered him dinner before patting his head and trotting off. He knew that they didn't believe him. How could they? They were adults, like Gilbert said, and would never believe any such thing.
But Alfred believed him. His brother jumped up and his eyes widened and he began to ask about the cool mermaid. For once in his life he was listening to Matthew—excitedly at that. He asked if he could meet him and if they could be friends too. And of course, Matthew said yes.
"Gilbert! Hey, Gilbert! Ah, it seems I forgot to bring some fish-feed to attract the species."
"Hey! Watch your mouth."
Matthew giggled, smiling down at the grinning white-haired lad now bobbing in the waves.
Gilbert had really grown over the years. It was hard to miss his toned chest and his defined biceps. How his fantastical tail had grown so much that if they had been legs, he would've easily stood a foot over Matthew. One would have expected a merman like him to have a rather tanned body by then, but his skin was still as milky-white as a newborn baby. And his grin became more endearing and less annoying, and it was particularly difficult to miss the rather handsome look in his red eyes whenever the sunset caught his face at just the right angle. Or any angle, really.
Well. It seems that Matthew really did have it bad.
In truth, he'd always found Gilbert cute. And then later on, he was pretty. And then he was handsome. And then dashing. And then Matthew was in… well, he supposed he fancied the merman quite a bit, but he was far from being a love-sick young lass who giggled over a particularly good-looking man.
No matter how much Alfred called him on 'ogling', Matthew knew he would never! Of course not, right?
"How're you doing today?" Matthew greeted, kneeling down by the pier so Gilbert could slip his hand into his and intertwine their fingers, both meeting the other halfway.
It was no big deal—they've been clasping hands together for years. The pair figured it was like a symbol; keeping them connected despite existing in different worlds. The constant touch was a way to be together beyond simply looking.
But still despite himself, Matthew couldn't help the jolt in his chest whenever he held Gilbert's palm.
"Well, well, Matthew. You're looking pretty dressed-up today. Going on a dinner with a pretty lady, huh?" Gilbert wiggled his brows.
Slapping the merman lightly, Matthew chuckled. "Oh please, you know I wouldn't. Papa's taking us out to dinner later and I wanted to be prepared."
"Really? Preparedness for you is bringing your best suit to the sea where it could, oh I don't know, get wet."
Matthew narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't."
"I wouldn't," Gilbert affirmed with a chuckle. "Still though. With something as impractical as that I couldn't help think that you were trying to look your best for someone, huh?" Again with that suggestive grin.
And no, Matthew was certainly not blushing. He was not flustered. He was calm, cool, collected—
"Aww, and even your ears are red. My, my, Matthew, was all of this polished get-up really for me?~"
"I-I, h-how, I—" Matthew spluttered. " W-well it's your fault for always looking your best that I couldn't—couldn't help but feel just a little underdressed showing up in a shirt and shorts, you know?"
"Ohh, so this is all for me!" Gilbert chuckled, but Matthew felt the grip tighten on his fingers. His heart beat sped up. "And what's this about me looking my best? I am like, literally naked every time, Matt. If you think I brush my tail every morning I swear to you that it's always looked this way. Hey, wait a minute, do you just think I'm—let's see, naturally macho?"
"Ugh, don't get so full of yourself," Matthew slapped him on the head, but Gilbert was still laughing with a flush on his cheeks. "But yes, I do think you're unfairly dashing I think I'd like to square up."
And then he stopped laughing. Instead, Gilbert had a determined look in his eyes, when he faced Matthew and tugged him down by the hand. "Hey, Matthew, c'mere," He cupped his cheek with the other hand, swimming up a little higher. He looked into Matthew's eyes and cleared his throat for a little speech. "You are amazing just the way you are, alright? Hey, listen to me. Come on, okay. It's not just your extremely sexy looks—"
"Pfft," Matthew grinned.
"—and your really hot body—"
"Gilbert, what the fuck?" He giggled.
"—but also your awesome smile and rockin' personality, okay?" He tilted his head and inched closer, and Matthew didn't pull away. "Dare I say it, Matt, but you're even awesome-er than I am. And—why the heck not, to tell you the truth… I love every part about you."
So he leaned and closed the distance.
Gilbert's kiss was sweet and gentle, like one was testing the waters before fully diving in. He held Matthew's hand fast while he cupped his cheek and the human leaned in, further, closer to the merman because the wind was knocked out of his lungs and he wanted more of that sweet, blissful moment to last. So into that explicit bliss and joy was he pulled in.
And that was how Matthew came home in a drenched suit, a dreamy grin, and whispered news to Alfred that he did, in fact, land himself a merman boyfriend.
Although at this point he had nothing to wear to that dinner.
Thank you for reading! Hope you liked the story,, review if you did~