Jesus Christ, I feel like a complete fail with this fic. I am very much in love with it, and want to make this into a very successful story, but life has just not been on my side! I have literally had this chapter written in my school notebook for the past month. I had no computer or internet and it was a long and painful time for me and—ugh. I have internet now, along with a working computer, so my fanfiction's are back in business! Which, includes this one! Hooraaayy!

So I have decided that every Monday, sometime after school (so between 1:45 and 11:59 P.M) there will be a new chapter posted of my two current fics: Got it bad and this one, Down Under.

Thank you all for your encouraging views, and to those of you who alerted/Favorited this! I really don't think you understand how much I appreciate it.

I am guessing this will be about 20-25 chapter, if everything goes as planned. Which, considering I'm the writer, will go as planned. I had a few questions about this, so let me clear some things up really fast:

It is Rated T because I am still not sure if I want to add any serious smut or slash to the fic. I guess we will see where the next few chapters take us. It is a possibility that I will bump it to M; keep that in mind, folks!

At first thought, it really had no relation to The Little Mermaid at all. But now, as I am working on what I want each chapter to have, I do believe that there is some kind of relation. It is not going to be like that in the case of Kendall being hypnotized into loving someone else though, don't worry. You'll just have to wait and find out, eh? ;)

Anyways, enough of my random chat. I would love if you would review, and tell me about what you think. I read all the reviews, and if you give me a good one, I'll reply! :D

James is granted his own room for the night, the "guest room" as Mrs. Knight had called it. He had successfully accomplished nearly all of his surface goals on his very first day of being a human.

He met a human family. Check.

Went into one of the beautiful homes. Check.

Made a friend. . . .Kendall was considered a friend, right? He hoped so. The blonde had been very sweet and helpful to James, making the Prince's heart swell.

He sleeps soundly in his new bed for the first couple hours of the night, until a particularly terrifying dream startles him awake. He had dreamed of his Father, with all his power, trying to pull him back to the sea; back to his home. James had resisted though, not wanting to go. So much he hasn't seen yet. Done yet. So in the dream. James kicks and fails and he was almost certain he had tears in his eyes. His body is cold and wet when he wakes, mouth and throat painfully dry. He peels off his shirt, the one Mrs. Knight had given him, and then pushes the blanket—he had no idea what it was even called, referring to it as 'the piece of cloth' until Kendall had pointed it out that it's actual name was 'blanket'—to the far corner of the bed and sits in the darkness.

He lets his breathing return to normal, having a hard time recuperating from the nightmare, and then he almost forgot that he had to breathe through his mouth instead of his gills, and that was almost painful. He reaches over and takes hold of the glass of water that he had taken to bed with him and sips, making a face when he realizes that there was no salt. He was not a freshwater merman; there was no way he could stomach this. So he sets the glass back down, disappointed, trying so hard to find the sleep that has seemed to leave him entirely. His closed eyes snap open when he hears the door open, watching a tall and rather manly figure creep in.

"Kendall?" He whispers, traces of his dream and his Dad trying to take him coming back and frightening him.

"Yeah. I . . . I heard you from my room. Sounded like a pretty scary nightmare. You okay?"

James sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I believe so. It was a fairly terrifying dream, though," He admits to the blonde.

"Well, it was only a dream. Can I . . . can I get you anything?"

James doesn't hear him; he is much too infatuated with the fact that Kendall was just so nice. "Thank you for your patronage. You are a very sufficient host,"

"Eh," Kendall shrugs, and grins."It's a burden I must carry." They smile at each other before Kendall coughs into his fist. "So, can I get you anything?"

James narrows his eyes, trying to think of something, before widening them and smiling. "Actually . . ."

Kendall helps James open the tab of the salt container before watching the brunette spill it into a tall glass of water. Once he thinks he has added enough, James stirs it up with his finger and brings the cut up to his lips. Taking a small sip, his whole body tingles. An energy-like current running through him.

"Perfect," James breathes, looking over at Kendall, who has his nose scrunched.

"You're so . . . so weird!" Kendall laughs, and James joins him. He probably did look pretty weird to a human like him.

"Taste it." James says, trying to give his friend the glass.

"Ugh, no! I'll stick to my normal drinks, thank you!" He pushes away the glass and smiles.

"You are missing out." James takes another swig of his salty drink.

"Do you want to watch some T.V?"

James nearly chokes. He was going to watch television. He could barely contain his excitement as he nods, following the blonde into the living quarters. He is pulled down onto the couch by Kendall, watching in complete awe as he grabs a black, thick plastic object and clicks a red button on it.

"Oh my," James says as lights and video come on the once-black screen.

"Pretty cool, huh?" They share a grin before turning back to the screen. He watches as a pretty girl with long brown hair cries into one of her pillows.

"Why is that woman sobbing?" James whispers.

"Not sure. If anything, I bet it's over a guy." Kendall sighs.

James continues to sip at his nearly empty drunk, eyes wide with energy. His fingertips and toes are tingling as he leans more on Kendall, who doesn't object.

"Thank you for making sure I was all right, and then staying up with me . . ." James whispers.

"No problem." Then it is silent, except for the sobbing girl from the television.

That morning, Kendall takes James and Katie into town. "We have to go get ice cream!" Katie says, grinning over at James. "Then we can go to the arcade. Right, Kendall?"

Kendall rolls his eyes. "Sure thing."

James stays silent, mind still reeling. Ever since he had that glass of water, his body had jolted into overdrive. Was he supposed to drink it? He wishes Camille was here to tell him how to act and what to say or not to say. He had virtually no idea what he was doing. What was ice cream? And what in the world was an arcade? He didn't ask, in fear Kendall would call him crazy and leave him. Which really was a dumb thought; Kendall had helped James pour sea salt into his cup of water and was still taking him out. But he was still afraid. He follows the siblings into a building. It's cold and smells icy, making James shiver.

"What kind of ice cream do you want, James?" Katie asks him.

Kendall must notice James' distress, so he answers for him. "He wants chocolate, like me. We talked about it earlier. Go get it for us, wall ya?" He hands Katie a slip of paper, the humans currency he guesses. Once she is gone, Kendall grabs onto the Price's wrist, startling him.

"Where did you come from?" He whispers, breath ghosting over James' ear in a way that makes him sigh.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, James. You don't know what ice cream is, you talk so formal like, and you drink water with salt! Not to mention those weird things you have on your ribs!"

On his ribs . . . his gills? How had Kendall seen those? James gives the blonde a look. "How did you—"

"Dude, I saw you naked." They watch each other intensely, only breaking eye contact when Katie hands them each their frozen treat.

He watches as the two people lap at the food, and James mimics them. It has got to the single most delicious food to ever enter the royal man's mouth. Ever. He eats it quickly, as if he doesn't finish is fast it will suddenly disappear. So quickly, in fact, that the siblings stop their eating to watch him.

"Slow down there, sailor," Kendall teases, but James winces. He was no sailor. In fact, his people despised those men.

"I'm not a sailor!" He says the word sailor like one would say the word 'rape'.

"It's just a saying," Kendall whispers softly, grabbing a napkin from the table and cleaning James' mouth.

"Oh." James says back. "Of course. I was aware of that."

Kendall doesn't respond, setting down the crumbled napkin on the table beside him. The door chimes open, and a girlish squeal makes the trio turn. Camille is there, legs and all. James thinks she looks very . . . odd. He likes her better with a fin. Did she think the same for him? "James! Oh my goodness!" She hurries over to him, and he can't help but notice how well she is able to walk and run.

He stands and they hug, pulling away just enough to grin at each other. "Is this your girlfriend?" He hears Katie ask.

"Oh, no! This is Camille, my best friend." He squeezes her hand as he says it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Katie." They shake hands, and James turns to see Kendall with . . . a scowl on his face? They lock eyes, but before James can ask him what's wrong, Camille interrupts.

"And you are?"

Kendall glances at her and sighs. "Kendall. Kendall Knight."

Camille joins the group, ordering a rocky road ice cream with an extra scoop as if she has lived here her whole life. She smiles at James, and his body shivers as her voice is suddenly inside of his head.

Sorry about leaving you. It wasn't on purpose, I swear it.

I know it wasn't. I met Kendall, so it's okay.

Yeah, he seems nice. And into you.

Into me? Camille, I really don't think he is . . .

Oh, he is. Did you not see the death glare he gave me when he thought I was your girlfriend?

He looks over and Kendall and smiles, biting his lip.

And you so like him back! Yay!

Be quiet, Camille. I can't like him. He's a human.

So?

So. James thought over that for a minute. He knew from his scrolls that on the surface, humans were judgmental.

In Hallendria, there was no such thing as titles. No gay, or bi, or lesbian. You loved whom who ever you loved; that was one thing James had loved. Of course, as Prince and future ruler, he would have to wed a woman—despite the fact that he preferred the company of merman, rather than mermaids—so that the Diamond dynasty would not die out. Four of his seven sisters had female counter parts, actually. It was the norm in Hallendria. But clearly, not here in California, United states.

"Hey James," Katie says in a weirdly monotone voice. He looks up to see her eyes glazed over and a funny way, and James knows Camille is in there, manipulating her mind like a puppet master. "Are you gay?" She blinks and her eyes are back to normal and he glares at Camille. Don't do that.

Do what?

Manipulate her mind like that!

They turn to see Kendall having a coughing fit, so surprised by Katie's sudden question.

"I don't know where that came from," Katie apologizes. "Sorry James."

"Why? In fact, yes, I am 'gay.'" He does air quotes around the word 'gay'. This makes Kendall start his fit all over again.

You should be inside this boy's head right now. Oh my Zeus, he likes you so much!

"Jesus Kendall, you all right?" Katie pats him on the back. He eventually regains composure. "Uh . . . yeah. I, uh, let's just go down to the beach and—"

"No!" Camille is quick to say, earning confused looks. "I mean, neither I nor James swim. So what's the fun in that?" James has to keep from doubling over in laughter at that one.

"You can't swim?" Kendall asks, green eyes wide.

"No, I cannot swim . . ." James chooses his words carefully.

Kendall sits back in his seat. "That explains why you were washed up on the beach, then," Katie says and James nods quickly. "Heh . . . yes. That it does."

He feels pressure on his leg, glancing up to see Kendall with a blush on his face.

He's flirting with you, idiot! Camille's voice is shouting in his head again.

Are you making him do this?

Nope. Honey, it's all him.

He listens for Camille's instructions on his to flirt back, but she seems to have left his mind. He feels Kendall's leg shift slightly, and panic sets in. Is this how humans flirt? Is this, pressing your legs against another, a way for Kendall to show James his affection? James thinks back to how the girls in his class would 'flirt' with him. Batting their eyelashes, brushing their hair, and polishing their fins in front of him . . . His heart is beating irrationally fast as he pushes his leg closer to Kendall's trying to be as cool about it as possible.

This was the first time James didn't know what to do, here on the surface. Those human anatomy and lifestyle scrolls that had been passed down to him did not prepare him for 'flirting'. Or doing any sort of romantic things with the walkers, for that matter.

Kissing was the same, at least. He knows only because he witnessed a human couple kiss on the way to the ice cream shop. They had walked with their arms linked, obviously in love.

He wanted that. He wanted to walk hand in hand with his love. Walk. Walk? He wonders why he said walk. Sid he truly want to spend the rest of his days here, on the surface? His Father might come looking for him; Hell, he probably had men on the surface looking for him now.

The pressure on his leg is gone and he sees everyone getting up. "To the arcade!" Katie declares, making James smile.

Of course, he only smiles wider when Kendall takes his hand in his as they walk.