a/n: ok wow uh I dont know if anyone uses anymore or if we've all just collectively moved on to ao3 but I thought? I haven't written any kind of fic in 2 years, I might as well cover all my bases. Even if everything on this account is super embarrassing now, eh.

So uh, Mermaid au Cutebonesshipping. They're also 6/7 in this, so it's not really shippy at all yet. This is very self indulgent. Hope you enjoy if anyone finds this! Dunno if I'll continue yet, or if I do, if I'll even keep uploading here. So definitely check it out on ao3 if youre that invested in it, ahah.

Gladion tore through the empty halls of Aether Paradise. His breathed through his teeth in short, gasping breaths as his face burned. He rounded a corner at random and spotted a door partway down the hall. He raced over to it, reaching up to grab the handle. He pulled it down and puffed his cheeks as he struggled to push it open- partly from the weight of the door, and partly from his fatigue.

When the opening was just large enough for his small body he squeezed through, and the door shut quickly behind him with a resounding click. The room seemed to be a kind of storage closet, with jugs of chemicals lining the back wall and various piles of cleaning supplies strewn about. Shaking, Gladion headed into the corner, stumbling over something on the floor. He curled up against the metal rack, drawing his knees to his chest. There was no light fixture in the closet, so the only light in bled through from a small round window at the top of the door. The boy sniffed sharply, roughly wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Now that he had settled down, his emotions began to pile onto him, building a pressure on his chest that left it hard to breath. He gripped at his head violently, vigorously tearing his fingers through his gelled hair. He growled deeply, squeezing his eyes shut and balling his hands into fists, pulling at the hair tangled between his fingers.

Quiet voices from the hallway made his eyes fly open and his body freeze. Gladion held his breath as he heard footsteps advancing to his door, andwhy hadn't he tried to lock it, stupid, so stupid- He could hear two of them, most likely just Aether Foundation employees, probably coming to collect cleaning supplies, or sent by his mother to find him- But they passed by, shadows flickering quickly across the door's window. Gladion still didn't dare to take in a rattling breath until after their voices and footsteps had faded away.

Gladion sat curled in the corner for another minute, trying to regulate his breathing, though he could still feel the hot burning in his throat. Glancing down from the door, he spotted something that he hadn't noticed when he came in- an aluminum hatch in the center of the room, sporting a red wheel on top. Wearily glancing to the door, ears ringing from the heavy quiet, he crawled over and tried twisting the wheel.

He grunted in frustration, moving his hands to get a better grip, and pushed with his whole body to get the wheel to squeak open. His heart jumped into his throat again, wondering if anyone had heard. He stood still, listening intently, but the only noise was still the ringing in his ears. Taking another shuddering breath, he pushed the wheel again. It squeaked loudly, but within a few more turns, the hatch popped up slightly with a burst of air. Gladion grabbed the rim with both hands a pulled up.

He almost dropped it when sunlight and a salty breeze poured through the opening. He scrambled to throw it all the way back, no longer caring about the loud clang it made as it fell. He placed his hands on the edges of the opening, peering down the hole. A ladder extended from the opposite side of the hinge, dropping down a hundred feet to a large rounded bleached white platform, ocean lapping at the edges.

Still white, always so white. Gladion swallowed thickly, setting his brow as he carefully backed down through the hole onto the ladder. As soon as he left the room, he was hit in the face with a salty gust of wind. He pressed his eyes shut, relishing in the feeling of his tussled hair flapping behind him. As the gust died down he continued his descent, squinting his eyes from the daylight, glancing down at the platform still far below him.

When he finally touched the bottom, he peeled his hands from the metal bars, wincing at the pain of extending his fingers flat. He looked up and saw Aether Paradise spread above him like a white tarp, broken only by thick black beams running parallel along it and other giant legs pillaring into the ocean, though none with a base like the one Gladion was standing on. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, listening to the sounds of the wind passing through his ears, waves crashing against other pillars, and the cries of distant wingull closer to the Alolan shore.

He curled his hands into fists and screamed as loud has he could, channeling all of his burning anger into his voice. When his scream died out he wrenched open his eyes, immediately catching sight of the sprawling white ceiling, prompting another hoarser cry to tear from his throat. Always white. He spun around, hands itching through his tousled hair again as he kicked out at the base of the pillar he climbed down.

" I! Hate! It! " He cried out, punctuating each word with a kick. When his foot began to hurt, he spun back around and began pacing back and forth along the platform. His his fell from his head to his arms, rubbing up and down as he fumed.

His hands kept hitting his sleeves folded at his elbows. Snarling, he stopped pacing and gripped at his collar, trying to pull it away from his body. He fumbled with the buttons, managing to rip off the last one just by yanking the shirt away from his chest. He tore himself out of it, balling up the white fabric in his hands.

Gladion reeled back and threw the shirt into the ocean with another shout. It unfurled before it hit the water, thrown by the breeze a few feet to the left of where he was aiming. It landed in the water peacefully, growing darker as it soaked up the water but not sinking.

A choked sob tore through Gladions body as he stumbled away from the water's edge, hands reaching back up to cover his ears. He crumpled to the ground, curling into a ball while still gripping his head as sobs racked through his body.

He had no idea for how long he sat there crying, but gradually, his choked sobs subsided into wet hiccups. He shifted to fold his naked arms around his knees, burying his face in between them, whimpering quietly.

A soft voice spoke ahead of him. "Hey."

Gladion ripped his head up, eyes wide and bloodshot, every muscle in his body tense. Bobbing in the water a few yards from the platform was a boy about his age, with dark wet hair plastered to his head.

They boy ducked back into the water slightly, bringing his arms closer to his body, but still stared at Gladion with wide green eyes. "Are… are you ok?"

Gladion felt hot embarrassment from being caught crying. "I'm fine." He snapped, wiping his nose on his wrist and sniffing sharply. He turned his face away from the other boy, shuffling his knees closer against his chest, scowling at the floor.

He heard the soft splash of the boy swimming away. Gladion wiped his nose again with his knuckle, trying to focus on not sniveling. There was a slightly louder splash, prompting Gladion to glance up wearily.

The boy leaned forward with one hand on the platform, the other holding Gladion's dripping shirt. "Do you want this back?" He offered it slightly, mouth drawn in a line and eyebrows creased.

Gladion screwed up his face and opened his mouth to refuse when he caught sight of his hip peeking out of the water.

"Do you have a tail?" The boy dropped his hand that was offering Gladion's shirt and shrunk back into the water, smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah, but you're not supposed to know."

Gladion's scowl deepened. "Why not?"

The darker boy rose again, resting his elbows on the edge of the platform, still gripping Gladion's shirt in his hand. "Well, no one's supposed to know. I'm not supposed to talk to humans- my grandpa tells me so all the time ." He groaned, exaggerating rolling his head with his eyes. He let his cheek fall into his folded arms, eyes still focused on Gladion. "But, I 'unno, you seemed really upset."

Gladion pouted, glancing away and feeling hot. "'M fine."

The boy hummed noncommittally. Gladion stole a glance after a few moments, finding the other boy still staring at him. Gladion couldn't help but do the same, noticing his tail in full for the first time as it bobbed closer to the surface. It was a dark green color that matched his hair, though it seemed to shine with a rainbow of colors in the light. A large translucent fin at the base of his tail slid out of the water, catching the sunlight for a brief moment, and clapped the surface lazily. Gladion thought for a second.

"Are you a pokemon?"

The boy snorted, shoulders shaking with giggles.

Gladion pouted again, dropping his arms to press his palms against the floor. "What's funny?" He demanded.

"Pokemon don't talk!" The boy laughed, shifting to lift his head back up.

That's true, Gladion thought. He knew that pokemon didn't talk, he spent a lot of his time around recovering pokemon in the Paradise. "But you're not a human." He reasoned.

"No-pe," The boy smiled, popping the 'p'.

Gladion started intensly at his tail, waving just under the surface of the water, fins occasionally breaking through soundlessly. Was there anything in the world that wasn't a pokemon or a human? He seemed somewhat familiar, like Gladion has seen his shape somewhere before. He narrowed his eyes, thinking intently. The boy wiggled in the water, seemingly enjoying Gladion's scrutiny.

Finally, Gladion remembered a picture book Wicke had read to him and Lillie. He couldn't remember the story, but the character in the pictures… "You're a mermaid." Gladion said firmly.

"Yep!" The boy pushed himself off the ledge, throwing his arms into the air and smiling brightly as he fell backwards into the water with a large splash.

Gladion scrambled, scooting closer to the water's edge, peering in. The boy reappeared a moment later, surfacing under Gladions face. The blonde jerked back with a yelp, landing with his legs sprawled in front of him.

"And you're a human!" The boy surmised, continuing their conversation seemingly unfazed or unnoticing of the other's death glares.

Gladion pushed himself back up, crossing his legs in front of him but staying closer than he was before. He thought for a moment. "I don't think you're supposed to be real."

"If I'm not real, then why can't you tell me what you were screaming about earlier?" He responded without missing a beat.

Gladion frowned, drawing his legs to his chest again. The other boy continued looking at him with wide, smiling eyes. He seemed to smile a lot.

Gladion sighed. "It's my mom," He mumbled.

"What about her?" The boy prompted.

Gladion took a few seconds to answer. "She… She always makes me dress up, and… stay clean, and act polite, and stuff… and-" Gladion's voice caught in his throat. He shook his head, not wanting to cry again in front of the other boy. He buried his chin between his folded arms, glaring past the mermaid. "She took my pokemon." He mumbled.

"You have a pokemon?" The boy gasped, instantly straightening up.

"Not anymore." Gladion muttered darkly.

"Wha.." The other boy shrunk back down, folding his arms again. "Why would she take your pokemon away?"

"Tch," Gladion scoffed, glowering at the ground. "I just- me and Cleffa-"

"What's a cleffa?"

The mermaid shrunk under Gladion's glare. "Sorry! Sorry, please don't stop."

Gladion sat silently for a few seconds before sighing. "Cleffa… was… my pokemon. Me an' her wanted to play in the grass, so we went into the conservation area- It's the only place on the Paradise that's like the real world, everything else is so clean and so white- " He had to stop, taking in a breath before continuing. "We played in the dirt, and some of the other pokemon there joined us. When my mom found us- I guess an employee saw us and called her over. She… got really mad, and yelled a lot. She grabbed me-"

He started rubbing his wrist subconsciously, remembering how red it was when she let go. "...she dragged me past everyone, and wouldn't let me walk by myself… I was so embarrassed, even Lille saw me…" Gladion squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to keep talking. "She threw me in the bathroom, and made me give her my clothes so she could throw them away. She scrubbed all the dirt off of me, and made me get dressed in new clothes, and even did my hair."

He scratched the side of his head, not daring to look at the other boy as he felt his voice tighten and face redden as he continued talking. "And, she kept talking about how disappointed she was, and how I was imperfect . And when she finally finished, an employee brought her Cleffa's pokeball- And I never put her in her pokeball." He added vehemently. "She took Cleffa's ball, and wouldn't give her back to me, saying I didn't deserve her anymore… I just got so angry that I ran away."

A beat of silence stretched between them. " Wow, " The mermaid breathed. "That's terrible! She sounds really mean."

Gladion grunted in agreement, burying his face in his arms.

"Well," The boy continued after a moment when it was clear that Gladion wouldn't speak anymore. "I've never had a pokemon or a mom, but maybe that's not a bad thing, if they can be as terrible as yours!" Gladion glanced up and saw the boy smiling and rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't still grasping Gladion's shirt

A prickle of curiosity poked at Gladion's mind, momentarily pushing aside his dread. "You don't have a mom?" The boy shook his head, pushing a lock of wet hair off his cheek and behind his ear. "Who do you live with then?"

"My grandpa. He's super strong, and has a Poliwrath- do you know what that is?" He looked up at him, eyes twinkling.

Gladion didn't know what that was. He knew of a few poli whirls in the conservation area, so he figured they must be related, or that the other boy had just said the name wrong. "Of course I do."

The boy pouted, sticking out his bottom lip and sinking back down to rest his cheek on his arms.

Gladion's eyes were gradually brought back to the boy's tail flickering idly in the water. The movement was almost hypnotising, with his large clear fins expanding and closing with the bounce of the current. Gladion's eyes trailed up his spine, seeing how the dark fish-like scales of his tail slowly faded into a deep brown skin, a sharp contrast to the stark whiteness of the Paradise.

"I like your tail." Gladion decided.

The mermaid smiled up at him, and though he had smiled many times before, Gladion noticed his sharp teeth for the first time- jagged, like a bruxish. "Thanks! I like your legs."

Gladion snorted, chuckling slightly. What a weird compliment.

His reaction just caused the boy's smile to grow larger. "Hey, what's-"

"Gladion?" Called a loud, echoing voice.

Gladion looked up sharply, caught off guard. A familiar head with dark purple hair leaned carefully above the hatch far above him, a hand keeping hold of the pointed glasses on her face.

"Wicke?" Gladion called back, pushing himself up and walking closer to the ladder to get a better view. He must have forgotten to shut the hatch when he climbed down.

"Gladion!" Wicke called down, relief evident in her voice. "Thank goodness- What in Arceus' name are you doing down there?"

Gladion looked back down to the mermaid- but the boy was gone, the only trace left of him being Gladion's crumpled up shirt at the edge of the platform. He walked towards it slowly. When he picked it up, it was still heavy with water.

"Gladion, what are you doing? Get up here! The president and Lillie are worried sick!"

Gladion wrung out the shirt, squeezing as much water out of it as he could before slipping it back on, not bothering to button it up. He shivered as the wet fabric stuck against his skin. He paused with one hand on a ladder wrung, gaze searching the ocean surface again.

" Gladion! "

The blonde boy sighed, and began the climb up. Wicke called out words of encouragement as he continued his ascent, though Gladion was sure she was much more nervous than he was.

He grunted with effort as he reached the top, trying to find a hand hold on the rim of the opening. Instead, Wicke scooped him up from under his shoulders, pulling him away from the hatch and into a full body hug.

He wiggled uncomfortably in her grip. "Put me down." He growled, trying to push away from her.

Wicke took in a deep shaky breath. "Oh, Gladion, I was so worried when I saw you all the way down there," She slowly sank to her knees, letting Gladion stand on his own while still holding him close.

"Let go of me," He wiggled in her hold, trying to pry her hands away. "I'll get you wet."

Wicke gasped, holding his shoulders and leaning back to inspect him. "How did you get wet? Did you fall in?"

Gladion wondered how to explain it. "No," He started, speaking slowly. "Just my shirt."

Wicke sighed, seemingly satisfied, and pulled Gladion back for a much gentler hug. Gladion gradually sank into her embrace, letting his hands crawl beneath Wicke's arms and his face fall into her shoulder.

"Come on," She eventually whispered into his ear. "You're family is worried about you."

Gladion sighed as she pulled away, letting his arms fall to his sides. He doubted that Lusamine was really worried about him. If she cared about him, he'd still have Cleffa.

A loud clang drew his attention back up. He turned to see Wicke leaning over, tightening the wheel on the now closed hatch.

"Really, these things should have a child safety lock of some sort…" She mumbled, dusting off her hands when it wouldn't twist any further. "Well, come along, Gladion." She gently led him out of the room, hand resting on his opposite shoulder to keep them pressed together. "Maybe we should find you a clean shirt before returning you to your mother, hmm? To help keep her in the best of moods for her son's return."

"Yeah," Gladion mumbled. The closet door shut with a click as they continued down the halls. His thumb rubbed idly against his wet shirt.

"Really, Gladion, I can't imagine what drew you down there." Wicke breathed, squeezing him closer as they kept walking. "What if a wave had come and swept you away, or-"

Gladion suddenly jerked away, turning on Wicke with wide eyes. "You're not going to tell Mom, are you?"

"What?" Wicke's eyes also widened. "I- Of course I am, I have to."

"You can't!" Gladion blurted, worry blooming in his chest. "You have to promise not to!"

"Gladion, I understand wanting privacy." Wicke sighed, folding her hands in front of her and lowering down to meet Gladion at eye level. "But we have to know where you are and that you're safe. Why don't you have your alone time in your room?"

Gladion shook his head forcefully, screwing up his eyes and balling his hands into fists. "No, you have to keep that place a secret. Promise me!" He looked at her with wide, pleading eyes, reaching forward to clasp her hands.

Wicke searched his face, eyebrows drawn together. "I- uhh.." Gladion squeezed her hands. "Ohh, oh fine. But-" Gladion sucked in a breath. "You have to promise me never to go back."

Gladion froze, processing Wicke's ultimatum.

"If you want to go outside, you can go out on the balcony portion of the paradise that leads to the President's room." She reasoned, face stealing over.

Gladion shook his head. "No, it's not the same-"

"Gladion you can not go back down there." Wicke spoke sternly, gripping back at Gladion's hands. "If you fell in the water, no one would be able to hear your splashing or calls for help!"

The mermaid would hear me. Gladion swallowed, avoiding eye contact.

"Please, Gladion." Wicke breathed. "Please promise me you won't ever go back there.

The young boy shifted his feet, looking everywhere but at Wicke. He took a deep breath. "Ok. I promise. But you can't tell my Mom."

"Alright." Wicke concided. She smiled, pulling Gladion in for another hug. He returned it dejectedly.

Gladion pushed his door open. The lights powered on automatically, illuminating his room in bright fluorescent. His eyes scanned everything slowly, from the clear white walls, to his white bed sheets, white shelves, white carpet…

He narrowed in at the biggest spot of color in the room. A small, pink cushion placed at the foot of his bed. He walked over to it slowly, kneeling down. It was as spotless as everything else, not even a hair to remind him of the pokemon that had once slept there.

Gladion sighed, pushing away from the pillow. He felt too heavy, his mind too slow to process it any further.

He had been here earlier with Wicke to grab a fresh shirt before she paged his mother that he was found. When they had met with her she had fallen to her knees and hugged him. Lillie had stood in the background, hovering but silent. Lusamine sent him to his room, not that Gladion had wanted to go anywhere else anyways.

Gladion flopped onto his bed, burying his face in his pillow to block out the glaring white of everything. Too much had happened today, leaving him completely drained. The joy of playing with Cleffa in the conservation enclosures with other pokemon, the anger and embarrassment after being found out, the hatred and helplessness when he saw Lusamine pick up Cleffa's pokeball…

And the curiosity of meeting someone new. Gladion hadn't ever met someone his own age before- other than Lillie, of course. He couldn't deny that he felt better after talking with the mermaid, even if they were cut short. Not that he could ever blame Wicke, though. She was the only adult that ever seemed to listen to him when he talked.

He wondered where the mermaid was now. Was he also going to bed? What did beds look like underwater? Was he also thinking about Gladion, or did he have other mermaid friends to play with instead?

His door creaked open slowly. Gladion tensed up, but didn't move from his position.

"Hey," Said a soft voice from the doorway.

Gladion instantly relaxed, sighing. "Go away, Lillie."

Silence stretched between them. He heard her shuffle in place.

"Get out." He said, more firmly.

One more beat of silence, then the door closed, just as quiet and slow as it had opened.

Gladion groaned into his pillow, twisting his body above the sheets of his bed. He just wanted to be alone.

Later, as he drifted off to sleep, he realized that he never learned the mermaid's name.