Hi everyone. I hope you like this chapter, and sorry for the long wait!

Please remember to review!


"...Arthur?"

"Y-Yes?"

"...You have to get in the water first."

"I know, you idiot. I...I'm taking my time."

"The sun will set by the time you get your feet in," Alfred pointed out, a small frown on his face as he watched Arthur move towards the water, only to back away again as the waves crashed on the shore.

"I-I'm working on it!"

"Should I just drag you in like last time?"

Arthur whirled on him, fear and anger in his eyes. "Don't you dare! Just a reminder - this mess is all your fault!"

Alfred held up his hands in mock defense, a twinkle in his eyes. "All right. Take your time."

Arthur glared at him before approaching the water again, every part of his body screaming for him to run. But there was nowhere to run.

And Alfred was here.

Arthur knew he had to learn. He didn't have a choice. If Alfred refused to go near the dock to drop him off, he'd have to learn how to swim - or at least, survive - long enough to get himself to the pier.

He just hoped that Lukas would be okay until then. Perhaps it was arrogant of him to expect Lukas to worry.

One step. Another step. A stop.

One more step.

The water lapped at his toes, and a flash of panic ran down his spine as his entire body froze. Alfred moved closer to him, an encouraging, appreciative look in his eyes. Arthur focused on him as he moved forward. The cold surrounded him, but he kept moving, in a trance, all the way to Alfred.

Alfred smiled, lightly taking Arthur's hands in his own.

"Was that bad?"

"Terribly."

He laughed. "Well, you seemed calm and composed."

"Did I?"

"Always," Alfred grinned, and Arthur couldn't tell whether he was being serious or joking.

"S-So how do I begin?" Arthur asked, embarrassed.

"Hmm..." Alfred squeezed Arthur's hands gently as he floated away from him slowly. He looked at Arthur again. "Can you float up for me?"

"Pardon?"

"As in...make your body parallel to the surface of the water. Face down."

"..."

"Let your feet float up to the surface. You'll naturally float if you don't struggle, you know."

Don't struggle? How on earth was he expected not to struggle when he'd drown? He'd probably be the first human to drown without any reason.

But Alfred had trusted him with a secret. And now, he had to trust Alfred.

Gulping, he pushed up with his feet, squeezing Alfred's hands unconsciously as he tried to tilt himself forward.

"W-Wait, then my face will..."

"No, keep your face up. Well..." Alfred frowned. "Yes, your face is going to have to be in the water eventually. But I think, for humans, you can use your feet. I mean, legs. To power you forward."

He had seen Scott and Wyn swim before, and he knew the basic motions and what swimming should look like, but it was terrifying to have to try it himself.

"Don't freak out."

"What?"

Suddenly, Arthur's right hand was free, and cold water swirled in to replaced Alfred's grip. Panicked, Arthur glanced at Alfred, who was slowly moving to Arthur's side.

"I'm going to hold you up. And you're going to practice holding your breath."

"Excuse me?"

"For me?" Alfred pouted, a pleading look in his eyes.

Arthur felt ridiculous. He couldn't believe he had made Alfred try to convince him to try when he was the one who needed to learn. He nodded without thinking, gritting his teeth, as Alfred gently placed a hand on Arthur's stomach.

"Okay. I want you to push on me."

Arthur blushed slightly as he pushed forward, and Alfred placed a hand on his back, gently applying pressure until Arthur was almost parallel with the water, face down. He was no longer holding Arthur's hands, but Arthur noticed that Alfred was careful to never completely let go of him.

"Here's what's happening," Alfred said gently. "You're going to put your face in the water, hold your breath, count to three, and then stick your face up - but only your face. Try not to move your body. I'm here, holding you, so you'll always be at the water's surface."

"Alfred...how do you know how humans swim in the first place?"

"I've seen a person swim before," Alfred said, a sad smile on his face. "A long time ago."

Arthur blinked, deciding there was a better time to ask.

"Okay," Alfred said, his voice lowering to a whisper. "Go for it."

Arthur shut his eyes, taking a deep breath before sticking his face in.

It was cold. It was terrifying. He felt as if he were in a different world. A terrifying world that threatened to wipe out his existence, but Alfred was there by his side, holding him, supporting him...

His head shot up after a while, and he turned to look at Alfred with wide eyes.

A small smile crept onto Arthur's face as he saw Alfred's huge grin, but he tried to squash it quickly.

"You're amazing!" Alfred exclaimed, patting him on the back. "That was almost a minute!"

"...Really?"

"Yeah, I didn't expect you'd be able to hold your breath that long! Are you sure you're a first time swimmer?" he teased.

"O-Of course, you git," Arthur muttered, feeling his face flush slightly. "S-Shall we try that again?"

"Of course!"


"Arthur...you're really not looking too good..."

"I-I can keep going, it's no -"

A sneeze.

"- big deal..."

"I'm sorry," Alfred said suddenly, his eyes downcast. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard."

"'S nothing," Arthur murmured, half unconscious. His body felt drained, and the moon was high in the sky as he blindly reached for Alfred's hand. He had slowly gotten used to the feeling of the waves, and after he learned how to hold his breath Alfred helped him learn how to kick. He still had to hold on to Arthur, but according to Alfred, Arthur was progressing well.

"No, it's not nothing," Alfred said firmly. "I..."

But Arthur didn't hear the rest of what Alfred said as the water swallowed him.

...

"...thur. Arthur."

A stir. A rustle. A thud.

"Geez, you need to eat more. Hey..."

Something warm was on his face.

"...I thought it was you. I can't tell for sure, but..."

A pause.

"Even if it wasn't me...it was someone else."

...

Arthur slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly. The sky was still dark, and he turned his head to see Alfred staring at him, his forearms resting on the dock. He was gazing at Arthur worriedly, and instantly perked up when Arthur's eyes opened.

"Arthur!" Alfred exclaimed, a large smile on his face. "I thought I lost you! I was so scared...how are you feeling?"

"Fine," Arthur lied, a tight smile on his face. He groaned as he sat up. "I don't..."

"Arthur!"

Alfred instantly shrunk back into the water, his eyes just above the surface as he glanced at something behind Arthur.

Arthur quickly turned around to find Lukas running towards him, his eyes wide and his face unusually pale. He seemed a lot more ruffled than usual, with a frown on his face.

But if Alfred had been resting his arms on the dock, it meant that he would have been slightly out of the water...

Lukas might have seen him.

"Lukas!" Arthur exclaimed, coughing. "I..."

What could he say?

"You idiot," Lukas scolded, coming to a halt in front of Arthur. "I was looking everywhere for you. I finally interrogated your pathetic excuses for brothers and learned that they forced you to stay out here all this time. I was wondering why you came on the beach in the first place. Where did you go?"

Arthur quickly turned to the water, but found that Alfred was nowhere in sight. His heart sank a bit as he turned back to Lukas.

"O-Oh, nowhere..."

"You're soaked."

Arthur fell silent. Lukas said nothing as he wrapped a warm towel around Arthur, helping him stand up.

"Thank you," Arthur whispered before he sneezed again.

"You're a mess."

"I know."


He had a fitful night, and he ended up barely sleeping. Dreams of memories and nightmares melded together as he tossed and turned, and often he broke out in tears, sweating as he dreamt of drowning. Of suffocating, of dying. Sometimes Lukas slept through it, but sometimes he woke up and stared at Arthur, getting up without complaint to toss him the tissue box.

But in the midst of all that, there was Alfred, too, a crazy merman who wove a white thread through his dark nightmares, his smile, his laughter, and the warm feeling Arthur had whenever he saw him.

Of course, Arthur knew it was ridiculous. Over the course of the night he convinced himself it must have been a fanciful dream.

And now, Arthur wasn't sure he'd ever see him again. Because Alfred knew that Lukas could have seen him, and if he did...

Arthur turned to Lukas, who was awake by now although the sun was only beginning to rise. Lukas was checking the time on his phone, and although he had gotten little sleep his face didn't show it.

He knew he should ask. But he was scared.

But then again, it was Lukas.

And he was unpredictable.

Even more importantly, however, if anyone knew how to keep a secret, it was Lukas.

"Lukas..." Arthur began hesitantly, turning to him.

Lukas turned to look at him, his eyes blank.

"I...last night...the reason I wasn't there..."

Lukas waited.

"Er...this may be hard to believe...and I know you probably will think I'm mentally ill, but..."

His expression remained unchanged.

"Yesterday, I saw a...mer...man."

Lukas blinked. Arthur assumed he wanted more explanation.

"At first I believed him to be drowning and in need of assistance, but upon seeing me he became a bit startled and ended up dragging me into the water."

Lukas' eyes widened a bit.

"You were scared?"

"Unbelievably," Arthur chuckled, shaking his head. "But he...we talked, and he actually helped me learn to start to swim."

Lukas blinked again.

"Can you swim now?"

"Not really," Arthur admitted. "But I began to learn some of the basics."

"Is he there now?"

Arthur paused. "I doubt it. I think he thought you saw him, so he went away."

Lukas lowered his eyes.

"Are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know," Arthur said softly, his eyes downcast. "But regardless, I thought you might be interested," he said with a small smile. "After all, we're two-thirds of our magic club at school. Perhaps the evidence of mermaids implies evidence of more fantastical creatures. And maybe magic itself."

The tips of Lukas' mouth twitched, and Arthur laughed softly.


The next morning was more or less bearable, with Arthur's brothers teasing him occasionally about the ocean but mostly focusing on preparations for Wyn's wedding. Arthur was left with a lot of free time, and in the evening he and Lukas decided to go for a walk on the beach.

"So it was there?" Lukas asked, pointing the pier. Arthur nodded, although he refused to look at it.

After all, fears weren't solved in a day.

Even if he had an unbearably attractive merman to assist him.

But despite all that, Arthur knew that it was best to forget about Alfred. A merman with any sense of self-preservation would flee for good after another human saw them, and although Alfred seemed to trust Arthur, he wasn't sure if he trusted Lukas.

Arthur sighed as he shuffled through the sand, his back straight but his eyes downcast.

"Will he come again?"

"I doubt it."

Lukas fell silent. They walked together for a while before they turned back, walking in the other direction.

"I believe you," Lukas finally said, and Arthur turned to him in surprise. He had his normal expressionless face, but Arthur could sense a rare warmth in his eyes. "You wouldn't lie."

"Unless I'm going insane," Arthur amended with a small smile. Lukas snorted.

"Even then. You aren't a fool."

Arthur patted him on the shoulder gratefully before looking down at the sand again.

"...Was he alone?" Lukas asked, so softly that Arthur couldn't hear him.

"Pardon?"

"...Nothing," Lukas finished, and Arthur glanced at him, puzzled, before letting the subject go.


3 days later...

It had been three days, and Arthur had gone to the beach every single night, sitting by the pier no matter what his mind told him to do.

Because he was stubborn. And stupid. So very, very stupid.

And each night his hope was dashed, such that by the fourth night he decided to stay in his hotel room, perusing a book while Lukas was typing softly on his laptop.

"I heard they finished the deal with the catering service," Arthur began, turning to Lukas. "How long until the bride arrives?"

"Shouldn't you know that?" Lukas responded absentmindedly, frowning slightly as he studied his laptop.

"I'm not exactly close to my family," Arthur pointed out, his voice simple. Stating a fact.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Oh." Lukas turned to him. "Sorry. What?"

Arthur smiled slightly. "Sorry. It's nothing."

Lukas turned back to his laptop, saying nothing.

Perhaps it would be best not to disturb him.

Arthur sighed as he placed the book on his nightstand before turning over, staring out the window from his bed.

Over the past few days, Alfred had been slowly fading from his mind. Perhaps it was good. But every time he looked out the window, looked at the night sky, at the bright moon...

All he could think about was Alfred.

He sighed again, rolling over to find Lukas staring at him.

"Y-Yes?" Arthur stuttered, sitting up in surprise.

"You're not going?"

"..." Arthur looked down. "No. It's a waste of time, as you can tell from the past couple of days. It's for the best. The child in me has been satiated already, just knowing that they exist."

"Does seeking more make you a child?"

Arthur paused, looking up at him. "What?"

Lukas cleared his throat. "Does wanting to understand the world more...does wanting to see the magic in life make you a child?"

"I've been told it has."

"I'm telling you otherwise," Lukas said harshly. "I told you that you weren't a fool. Don't make me change my mind."

Arthur laughed softly as Lukas went back to his laptop.

But am I a fool, Lukas. A scrawny, pathetic fool.


On the fifth night, Arthur decided he'd give it one last try. After all, they were leaving the next day, as Wyn's bride decided to change the location last-minute. Arthur managed to escape before Scott threw a tantrum, and he waited on the beach, watching the sunset with calm eyes.

He at least wanted to say farewell to Alfred. He wanted to have some way to say to him that he was leaving - although Alfred probably didn't and never would care. He wanted finality - a chance to end whatever it was they had. He wasn't sure if they could even call it friendship - after all, they only knew each other a day.

Acquaintanceship?

That sounded ridiculous.

He walked over to the pier with a heavy heart, his heartbeat still speeding up at the prospect of getting closer to water. He still feared it, but over the past couple of days he'd gotten to dip his toes in and sit over the edge of the pier without vomiting.

It was a start, at least.

"Alfred..." he whispered, sighing as the sun receded into the water, as the moon grew brighter and the canvas of colors faded to darkness.

He knew he should probably go back inside, as the temperature was rapidly dropping and they had a lot to do the next morning, but his body refused to move.

Suddenly, something dark in the water caught his eye, and a blob of darkness was quickly moving towards him. His feet were still in the water, and before he could react something grabbed his ankle.

He let out a cry of surprise, rapidly drawing his foot out of the water.

But there was a hand on his foot.

...what?

"Arthur!"

And then Alfred was there, his head bobbing up and down as he gazed at Arthur with excited blue eyes.

"I caught you!"

"You bloody -" Arthur stopped himself, stopped his tirade as he stared at Alfred.

Who was here. With him.

He came back.

"W-Why did you come back, you oaf?" Arthur huffed, frowning as he crossed his arms over his chest. Alfred let go of his ankle, backing off a bit.

"I missed you," Alfred said hesitantly, his eyes a bit darker as he looked down, his eyebrows furrowed. He seemed to be conflicted again as he backed away ever so slightly, his lip quivering. He suddenly looked up at Arthur again, his eyes intense. "I missed you," he repeated, more to himself than to Arthur as he moved closer again. He could tell that Alfred was tense, stressed, and a bit of something else as he held Arthur's gaze.

Arthur would have readily responded, readily been honest, but he remembered what he came for in the first place and let his gaze fall.

"A-Alfred, I'm...it was a pleasure to meet you," he managed, his voice shaking slightly. "But I..."

Alfred waited, his expression unchanging.

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

Alfred froze ever so slightly before studying Arthur. "You are leaving here?"

"...Yes."

"Why?"

His voice, his tone had gone formal again. Arthur noticed that as they grew to know each other a bit more, Alfred began to talk more casually, his voice more at ease - but now it was tense again, as if they were strangers. It sickened him a bit, but he knew it was for the best.

"My brother needs to meet his fiance," Arthur said. "We were originally going to meet here, but the location was changed."

"Arthur," Alfred began, backing up a bit more as he stretched out his arms.

Arthur blinked, confused.

"Come," Alfred said with a smile, his eyes pained and conflicted as his position remained unchanged.

"W-What?"

"Come here. I'll catch you."

"You must be crazy to think that I'd just jump into the water because you asked me!" Arthur spluttered, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"Maybe I am," Alfred grinned, his eyes suddenly bluer, suddenly clear.

And before he had time to think, to analyze, to fear, he jumped in, diving for Alfred's arms.