Did I do this instead of getting ahead for my finals? Maybe.
"Of all the places we could've gone for our senior trip, we had to choose the beach," Kurt muttered. He was walking down a long, deserted dock, needing a reprieve from the crowds for a moment before he associated the smell of coconut suntan lotion with anxiety for the rest of his life. "We couldn't have gone to Chicago or Indianapolis or somewhere with decent air conditioning. No, everyone just haaaaad to go to the be- aaaah!"
He tripped over a loose coil of rope hanging from one of the posts and lost his balance, windmilling his arms in the vain hope that he could keep himself from falling into the deep, salty water. The motion only seemed to make his fall worse, though, and Kurt closed his eyes an instant before he hit the drink.
The shock of the fall made Kurt inhale water and start choking, still beneath the surface. He couldn't seem to figure out which way was up in his panic, which only made him panic more, especially when what felt like a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and started pulling pulling pulling and-
-oh. He broke the surface, coughing and gasping for air with his eyes still shut. The mysterious force kept dragging him along, eventually pushing him onto the seashore, where he curled up and choked out the last of the water in his lungs before rubbing his eyes dry.
Kurt almost had to rub them again when he saw what had saved him.
"Holy shit," he said, gaping at the black-haired sight before him. "You're a - a -"
"Merman," the merman said cheerfully from his spot in the shallows. "My name's-"
At this, he made a series of unrepeatable dolphin noises. Seeing Kurt's distress, he continued, "But you can call me Blaine!"
"Kurt," Kurt said, still in shock.
"That's a nice name," Blaine said, smiling sincerely.
"Yours too. I'm sorry, I'm just having trouble believing my eyes right now," Kurt said, not wanting Blaine to think he was ungrateful. "I thought I was going to drown, and now I'm face to face with a merman."
"You're not going to tell anyone about me, right? Because that would be bad. Like, Atlantis-levels of bad," Blaine said, hazel eyes looking very frightened in a way that made Kurt's heart twist painfully in his chest. "We're not supposed to be seen."
"I wouldn't sell you out like that, Blaine, I promise," Kurt said. "And even if I did, no one would believe me."
"You'd be surprised," Blaine said, a slight frown on his face.
"I promise," Kurt repeated. "Your secret is safe with me."
"I believe you," Blaine said simply. "I don't know what it is about you, but you seem trustworthy, Kurt."
"Glad to hear it," Kurt said with a smile. "Besides, if I'd wanted to turn you in, I would've run off to grab my phone the second I saw you."
"Your what?" Blaine asked, confused.
"My cell phone. It, uh, it allows me to call people and take pictures of things," Kurt said, trying to quickly explain the relevant features.
"I knew humans were different, but I didn't know they had magic," Blaine breathed, looking awestruck.
"It's not quite magic, but I don't know enough about how it actually works to explain it to you," Kurt said. "I could bring it back some time and show you, though. As long as you can come out of the water like this! If my phone gets wet, it won't work anymore."
"I can return tomorrow!" Blaine said excitedly. "I'd love to see your not-magic shell phone."
Kurt couldn't hold in a giggle. "Cell phone, Blaine. And I can come back tomorrow as well! Maybe right at sunset? It'll keep you from being seen."
"I'll meet you at the end of the dock," Blaine said. "I can hold myself on the edge for a while, so you and your cell phone can stay dry, but I can still see."
"I can sit on the shore for a while, too," Kurt said. "I don't want you to tire yourself out on my account, and as long as my hands stay dry, we'll be fine."
"We'll figure it out tomorrow," Blaine said with a smile. "Right now, I should probably get back home before people think I've been captured."
"And I'd better make sure my friends aren't looking for me," Kurt said. He got up and waded into the shallows near Blaine before sitting down again, putting them at the same level. "Thanks again, Blaine." He held out a hand for Blaine to shake.
Apparently that wasn't a custom underwater, though, as Blaine simply stared at it confusedly before lacing his fingers through Kurt's. "It was my pleasure, Kurt."
"Until tomorrow?"
"Until tomorrow." Blaine let go of Kurt's hand and turned around with a splash of his deep red tail, making Kurt shriek and laugh once the water hit him.
As he got up and walked away, he thought he could hear another laugh echoing from the sea.
The next evening couldn't come soon enough for Kurt. His friends hadn't questioned his disappearance, thankfully, and they'd already made plans to spend that evening with some locals Puck had befriended. It would be easy enough for Kurt to just slip away and meet up with Blaine again without anyone noticing, especially when the alcohol started flowing.
Sure enough, Kurt slipped away at sundown with no one the wiser, as they were all arguing over what song Sam should play next for their impromptu jam circle.
Once he was at the end of the dock, Kurt whisper-shouted. "Blaine?"
"You came!" Blaine said, popping up from below the dock and nearly sending Kurt into heart failure.
"Oh my God, you scared me!" Kurt plopped down on the dock, dangling his legs off the end.
Blaine ran a hand along his calf in apology, sending tingles up Kurt's spine. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just didn't want anyone else to see me!"
"I understand, Blaine, it's fine," Kurt said, smiling down at him. "Now, do you want to see my phone?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Blaine cheered quietly. "You said it takes pictures? What's a picture?"
Kurt just stared for a moment, dumbfounded. "God, how do I explain...okay, do you have sculptures or statues where you live?"
Blaine nodded.
"A picture is like that, but flat, like it's been drawn on a wall," Kurt said, hoping that definition made sense with what Blaine knew. "Here, would you like to see?"
"Of course!" Blaine said.
"Smile!" Kurt said, pulling up his camera app and making sure his flash was on - it was getting kind of dark, unsurprisingly.
"Whoa," Blaine said once the camera went off. "What was that?"
"It needs light in order to be clear," Kurt said. "So cameras - the things that make pictures - have a built-in way of providing light."
"And you said you don't have magic," Blaine said, looking adorably smug.
"Would you like to see the picture?" Kurt said, not sure of how to refute Blaine's comment.
"It's already done?" Blaine asked, surprised.
Kurt just nodded. "Here." He turned his phone around so Blaine could see.
"That's me!" Blaine said. "It looks just like me!"
"You know, you could be right," Kurt said, thinking about Blaine's excitement. "Maybe cameras are kind of magic after all."
"Of course I'm right," Blaine teased.
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Kurt cleared his throat.
"Hey, Blaine? Would you mind if I took a photo of both of us? I just - really want to make sure I remember this," he said, hoping he didn't sound too pathetic.
"That would be amazing," Blaine said, smiling up at Kurt. "How should I...?"
"How about you swim as close to shore as you can get, and I'll come crouch beside you? I think that'll be easier than trying to lean off the dock, especially after yesterday's events," Kurt said, smiling back at Blaine.
"I'd catch you again if I needed to," Blaine said, turning and swimming to shore.
Kurt quickly hustled off the dock and into the water, kneeling next to Blaine. "Wrap your arms around my shoulders?"
Blaine obliged, putting them almost at the same height - if they had both had legs, Kurt would probably still be a couple inches taller.
"Perfect," Kurt said, trying not to get too dazed by Blaine's surprisingly warm skin and its comfortingly oceanic smell. "Smile!"
Kurt lined up the shot with his front-facing camera, glad he'd downloaded an app to make the flash work there, too. Once he was satisfied with the angle, he clicked the shutter, immediately scrolling to the gallery so they could see the finished product.
"I love it," Blaine said softly, close to Kurt's ear. "I'm glad you wanted to remember this."
"Of course I do," Kurt said, just as quiet. "But, um. Does this have to be the last time we see each other?"
"As long as I'm around for meals and chorus practice, the other merfolk don't care what I do," Blaine said, slipping back into the water and causing Kurt to shiver in the sudden cold. "I can definitely come see you again and again."
"I'm going home in five weeks," Kurt said, knee-walking forward enough to sit down on the tideline. "But I don't think my friends will mind if I sneak away from our group periodically. They know I like having some time to myself."
"But you won't be having it all to yourself if you're with me," Blaine pointed out, looking concerned.
"I think I'd be willing to sacrifice a little of my alone time for you," Kurt said, smiling gently. "I get plenty of it back home anyways."
Blaine's reciprocal smile was almost brighter than the camera flashes. "Then I'd love to see you tomorrow. Maybe we can even meet up in the morning someday so we can swim together."
"That would be fantastic," Kurt said. "Definitely not tomorrow, but maybe in a couple of days? Just so my friends don't get suspicious."
"Sounds perfect," Blaine said, still smiling. "We can discuss it more tomorrow? I'd better get back before it gets too dark."
"I'll be here, same time as today."
"Then so will I."
Spending time together periodically soon became spending time together every day as Kurt and Blaine got closer and closer. Kurt was just as fascinated by merfolk life as Blaine was by human, and they could still find somewhat common ground in their childhood stories and mutual interests. Maybe Blaine had never heard of Kurt's favorite musicals, but Kurt was just as ignorant of merfolk melodies and legends, giving the boys an unexhausting source of conversational topics.
By the end of Kurt's vacation, he knew he was in deep trouble when it came to Blaine.
"Of course I can't crush on a human boy when I finally have feelings for someone," he muttered to himself as he walked to their dock at sunset the day before he was supposed to leave. "No, I have to fall in love with a merman. A cute, sweet, charmingly naive merman."
Kurt cut himself off as he got closer, not wanting Blaine to hear his disgruntled monologue. As it turned out, though, he didn't have to worry about that, because Blaine wasn't there.
"Blaine?" Kurt called out, concerned. "Are you hiding on me again?"
Blaine didn't pop up from under the dock, though, intensifying Kurt's worry.
Maybe he doesn't want to say goodbye to me, he thought as he took a seat on the edge. Maybe he just saved another boy's life, and now they're off taking pictures together.
Or maybe someone saw him before I got here.
Kurt's blood ran cold when that thought struck him. They'd been so careful, making sure to meet up only at dark or so early that no one else was up yet in order to be alone. Sure, Kurt's friends were giving him shit for having a secret summer fling, but they weren't following him around in order to blackmail him - at least, not after he threatened to replace all of Puck's vodka with water when he tried. No one knew about Blaine.
"Wherever you are, please be safe," Kurt whispered, biting down hard on his tongue to keep from crying. His fear for Blaine's well-being won out in the end, though, and he couldn't help but let a couple of tears slip loose.
"Kurt? Why are you crying?" a familiar voice asked, making Kurt instantly whip his gaze toward the water.
"Blaine?" he responded, wiping away his tears. "You made it."
"I'm sorry I'm late," Blaine said, deeply sincere. "I got held up by the elders."
"What? Why?" Kurt asked, worries rekindling slightly.
"They noticed that my head's been in the kelp recently, and they were wondering if I'd finally found a match," Blaine said, blushing a little. "I told them that I thought I had, but…."
"But…?" Kurt said, heart rising in his chest. He tried to quash his hope, just in case, but it was no use.
"But if I had, my match was human, and I clearly was not," Blaine said. "And they told me I had been worrying in vain."
Kurt just sat there, transfixed.
"There is a magic available to us that we don't often use, because we generally don't need to. I didn't even know it existed," Blaine continued. "It gives a merperson legs for a year and a day, allowing them to be with their human match on land. If it turns out that the match is true, then the mer gets to keep their legs forever. I took that deal."
"You-" Kurt couldn't finish his thought.
"You were telling me that you expected all your dreams to come true in this 'New York' place," Blaine said, pushing himself onto the dock to reveal legs covered only by a ratty pair of swim trunks. "Would you mind if I tagged along?"
Kurt surged forward and kissed Blaine with more passion than he knew he possessed, spine going loose when Blaine started kissing back with equal fervor. "Yes. Yes, yes, yes," he chanted once they broke apart. "I can't believe you'd give up being a merman for me."
"It wasn't really a hard choice to make," Blaine said, pressing his forehead to Kurt's. "If my options are a lifetime with you or a lifetime of secrecy underwater, I choose you every time. Plus, now I can get a shell phone of my own."
Kurt had to kiss Blaine again for his dumb joke. "I can't wait to show you my world. God, my friends are going to be insufferable when they learn that my secret summer boyfriend is actually coming home with us. My dad too, for that matter."
"Will they like me?" Blaine asked, looking nervous.
"Are you kidding? My friend Brittany will probably want to adopt you," Kurt said, smiling. "I'll have to beat them off with a stick."
"I wouldn't worry too much," Blaine said, returning Kurt's smile. "I don't know how good my balance is yet - I might end up clinging to you for a while until I learn how to walk right."
"I suppose I'll suffer through it," Kurt teased. "Having to finally hold my boyfriend for the first time, what a shame."
"Disappointing, I know," Blaine said. "Want to start now?"
"God, yes."