Blaine heard it. One day, when he was picking fruit for the family that he worked for, he heard the most beautiful sound in all the land.
Someone was singing. But they weren't just singing ordinarily. They were… becoming the song and it was so brilliant that Blaine wanted to cry. He couldn't make out words because the song was in another language—Latin, maybe?—but it was still so beautiful.
He had to find the source of the majestic singing.
Blaine walked towards the surf. The family that he served lived in a beautiful house on a small island just off the coast of Maine, so Blaine found his way to the edge of the beach often. But today was different. He was searching.
There it was again. The singing grew gradually louder, and it seemed to be coming from out in the ocean. He walked closer, taking off his shoes and shirt before wading into the cool water. The evening sun beat down on his back but the soothing water soon covered his shoulders and he began to swim out into the sparkling blue waves.
He heard the haunting song more clearly now, and he could hear it like it was right next to him by the time he was a good fifty years away from the island. He wasn't sure why he kept swimming but he felt as though he had to.
As he swam further, he recognized a certain mournful sadness in the tone of the song. It made Blaine sad to know that whoever was making such a beautiful song could be so sad.
Before Blaine could think about the song again, he was being pulled under the waves. He called out but no one was close enough to hear him. He felt a tight grip around his ankles and it yanked him down until he was completely submerged and choking on gulps of salt water.
He didn't know how, but he could hear the song again, this time more sad and apologetic.
Blaine felt his lungs constrict painfully and he felt seaweed stronger than rope being tied around one ankle. He struggled to free himself but he couldn't, and the last thing he saw before his eyes fell shut was a silvery green tail flicking through the water.
…
Blaine was breathing. That was the only thing he really registered. That and the fact that there was a pair of soft lips pressed against his.
He opened his eyes to see the most beautiful boy he'd ever encountered. And the boy was kissing him.
Blaine pulled away from the boy in shock and suddenly he couldn't breathe anymore. He choked on more gulps of water that seemed to be trying to strangle him. The vice around his ankle was still there and he kicked and struggled to escape, to swim to the surface. He begged with his eyes for the beautiful boy to save him.
Moving impossibly fast, the stranger swam down and untied Blaine's ankle. Blaine tried to swim up once he was free but he lost his strength before he could make it to the surface. His eyes fluttered shut and he was only vaguely aware of an arm wrapping securely around his waist and pulling him up.
…
When Blaine woke up again, he was on land, but it wasn't the island he knew. He didn't recognize any of his surroundings. One thing he did recognize, however, was the pair of blue eyes that stared into his when he came to.
You're very brave and very stupid," the stranger said bluntly.
Blaine spluttered and coughed the water out of his lungs a few times before he could speak. "You… You saved my life."
"Of course," the boy said sadly. "After all, it is my fault you were in need of saving."
"What's your name?"
"Kurt," he said softly, smiling at Blaine. "And your name's Blaine."
"How'd you know?" Blaine asked with a smile.
"I see you on your island working and I hear them calling you Blaine," Kurt explained.
"I've never seen you before…" Blaine trailed off and for the first time looked down and saw that Kurt didn't have legs. He had a tail. It wasn't green like the one he'd seen before, but it was a tail nonetheless. It matched the color of Kurt's eyes. "You… W-What are you?"
Kurt smiled sadly. "Please don't be afraid. I may look like my sisters but I'm not like them. I don't prey on the innocent."
Blaine's throat went dry and he sat up, staring at Kurt. "You're a… a mermaid?"
"Merman, actually," Kurt corrected with a short laugh. "And just so you know, I hate all those legends that make me out to be a monster like the others. I'm not like that. I mean, I did save you from my sisters' trap. Even if I did sort of help create it…"
"What do you mean?"
"The singing that you heard," he explained. "That was me. I was supposed to be luring you to your death, but once I saw how defenseless and lifeless you looked… Well, I couldn't just leave you there. I didn't want to help my sisters anymore. So I… I kissed you so that you wouldn't drown." Blaine remembered now. He had heard stories saying that the kiss of a mermaid could save your life if you were drowning, but he'd never heard of it ever actually happening to someone. He thought it was just a myth. Theories, he thought.
"So…" Blaine trailed off, staring at Kurt in wonder. He suddenly remembered another story about the kiss of a mermaid. If the mermaid or merman kissed someone purely and selflessly, which Kurt had done for Blaine, the human had the choice of becoming a mermaid or merman as well. Blaine had the choice of leaving his life as a slave and living with Kurt in the ocean. He thought the choice was pretty obvious.
"What are you thinking?" Kurt asked curiously, reaching up to touch Blaine's face. Blaine brought his own hand up to keep Kurt's hand in place on his cheek. He smiled at Kurt and moved them closer to the surf so Kurt wouldn't be so uncomfortable out of the water.
"Is it true that I can become a merman since you kissed me to save me? Since it was selfless?" Blaine looked at Kurt hopefully, watching for any hints in Kurt's expression.
Kurt looked like he hadn't thought about that possibility. "Do you… want to?" he asked in disbelief. Blaine nodded eagerly and Kurt smiled a little. "Okay… Just, um… I need to kiss you again, if that's okay… to activate the spell."
Blaine nodded again, smiling excitedly. Kurt smiled and they moved until they were further in the water. Blaine stood in the water so it was at his shoulders and Kurt stayed just below the surface. Blaine yelped quietly when Kurt suddenly pulled him down but it was soon swallowed by a tender kiss to his lips. Blaine felt an odd sensation of warmth spread through his body and he felt his legs merging into one thick tail as he kissed back and held Kurt close. When his gills formed, he had to break the kiss and he whimpered quietly in pain, Kurt still holding him close and not letting him go.
After a few more moments, Blaine chanced a breath. He wondered if he would ever get used to being able to breathe under water.
Kurt grinned at him and kissed him again, spinning them around in circles. Blaine felt amazing, like he had no worries left. He flicked his tail a few times—whoa, he had a tail—and tried to maneuver in the water a little, swimming circled around Kurt who stayed in his place and grinned. Then Blaine decided to go back to kissing Kurt, holding him tightly, and he'd never felt so alive.
Finally, he was free.
A/N: I saw fanart on tumblr and I couldn't help but write this! Hopefully you all like it!
Review please, my lovelies! :)