A/N: Just to avoid any squickiness, I was inspired to write this after seeing the Papermill Playhouse production of The Little Mermaid, in which Flounder is played by a college-aged actor and was implied to have an unrequited crush on Ariel.
Ariel looked so helpless, even though she had just saved the day. Flounder wanted to just swim over to hug her and tell her everything was alright. Still, even if they were best friends, he knew he couldn't solve this problem. She wants to be up on the shore with a human prince, not down here with just a little guppy like me, he thought to himself. Ariel was the most beautiful, most free-spirited merperson he'd ever met, but with her curiosity came trouble. Part of him wished that she could just learn to be happy with her life under the sea, but he knew that if he told her this, it would only make him just like all the others who dismissed her dreams. One of the main reasons behind their friendship in the first place was because he didn't think her fascination with the world above was crazy or wrong. In fact, he really enjoyed going with her up to the surface to visit Scuttle, even if it did scare him. If she were to trade her gills for legs, then they wouldn't be able to have such exciting adventures together again. Still, this prince made her happy. What kind of friend would I be if I kept her trapped here? he reasoned. As much as he loved her, Ariel would never be truly happy with him instead of Eric. She needed to explore a new world that she had dreamed of visiting for as long as Flounder could remember. He had to help her, even if it meant losing her.
"It's what she wants, Your Highness," Flounder told Ariel's father.
King Triton gave an understanding nod, then looked back at his little girl. But she wasn't a little girl any more. She had grown into a young woman, and he knew it was time to finally treat her like one. As Flounder watched his friend magically transform into a human again, he held back his tears and managed a smile for her.