Chapter Text
Just kiss the boy. That was the advice his friend gave him, nothing more, nothing less.
But when do I kiss him? William had asked, still unsure of the whole thing.
Whenever it feels right. You'll know when the time comes. That part had sounded vaguely weird, but nevertheless, he knew Mark was right. Maybe the reason he hadn't kissed Damien yet was because it just hadn't been the right time yet. He honestly wasn't sure, but it was the best thing the merman had at this point.
He swam through the blue water, on his way to his and Damien's daily meeting place, mind swarmed with his thoughts, barely paying attention to anything around him. He usually loved looking at the fish going by or the plants, but now he found he couldn't focus on them at all. Every inch of his thoughts were filled with Damien, how he was going to kiss him, when, how the human would react, everything. He didn't know what he would do with himself if Damien didn't love him in the same way, but he kept coming back to Mark's words on how that would never happen.
Good god above, let those words be true.
Much sooner than he thought he would, the merman came to Damien's shore, and it took him a minute to realize that in his unfocused state, he had swam a lot faster than he normally would have. Meaning the human would take longer than he expected to to get there.
At this, William's anxiety spiked up, nervousness running through his veins as if it was his blood, never able to stay still for longer than a few moments. The seconds ticked by slowly, making minutes feel like hours and the merman's resolve to kiss the human grow weaker. He tried to take his mind off of it, make it seem like no big deal, but he knew it wasn't. He's been waiting far too long to tell Damien that he loves him, and now that he knew he could do it he felt like backing out.
No. If he backed out now, he would never do it. He must.
Finally, after what felt like years to the Colonel, he saw Damien come down the path, the sunlight catching his dark hair and eyes, and in that moment, William has never wanted him more. The smile that the human made when he saw William made his heart ache, the desire to kiss him right there and now overwhelming.
But no, he had to wait for the right moment to do that. And plus, the merman couldn't reach the other from his place in the water while Damien was still on the beach. By the time Damien got to him, William got ahold of himself, and when the human sat down, the Colonel went ahead and wrapped his tail around the other. It was normal between them by now, but it still made the merman's heart flutter.
"Hello, William," Damien greeted happily, eyes warm and sparkling. William barely managed to force out a response.
"H-hello Damien," he said quickly, trying not to sound as nervous and anxiety ridden as he was. Luckily, if there was anything to indicate that there was, Damien never seemed to notice it. Instead, the two instantly fell into their patterns of talking about their days and what had happened while the other was away. It was William's favorite thing to do, listening to the human talk and watching his excitement in his face. He was positive he had a lovestruck look on his face, but once again either Damien didn't notice or just didn't comment on it.
"Do you want to go to the cave?" Damien asked abruptly, startling William out of his spacy mind. They had both been to the cave quite a bit ever since the merman had found it, exploring the wonders it had to offer, and William could hardly refuse that request. With a shaky nod of his head (he didn't trust himself to speak at that moment) they started to make their way to the cave, Damien following closely behind William with the help of his cane. Now that they both knew the way well, it was a quicker trip, and they spent it in comforting silence.
It gave William too much time to think again, and with Damien right beside him, all of his senses were on hyperdrive. Not talking was the only thing keeping the merman in check, otherwise he was confident he would have sang out his love by this point (which might not be bad, but still.)
They came to the cave, and the human went into the water, grabbing William's hand that was offered to him. The merman liked to think that Damien wasn't exactly afraid of the water anymore and only held his hand because he wanted to, but he couldn't say for sure. Either way, they went into the cave and sat down in their usual spot, right in front of the mouth facing the ocean and sky. The sun was already halfway down the sky, warming the sand underneath them pleasantly. William pulled himself partially out of the water, leaving the majority of his tail in the water.
For a few minutes, there was so sound besides the waves of the ocean and the breeze, relaxing both of them. William's mind finally cleared, and he had the feeling this was it. This was now or never.
He turned to Damien's seeing the warm sun reflecting off of his dark hair, skin glowing softly. God, why did he have to be so beautiful?
"Damien," he said softly, gaining the other's attention, dark eyes meeting his red ones. They were inches from each other, so close they they were exchanging air and William could feel the others heat coming from his skin. The human's gaze turned shy when he realized how close they were to each other, leaning away just a little bit to create distance. The merman's heart began to pound again, moe doubt trying to peak it's way into his mind.
"Y-yes, William?" the human stuttered, the faintest shade of pink covering his cheeks. It made William question how he ever resisted him for so long.
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now," the merman admitted, leaning in so that their noses were touching. "And I think I've waited way too long to say it."
Damien's eyes widened, the pink on his cheeks flushing bright red, and he whispered, "I think there's something I've wanted to tell you as well." The human leaned in so that their foreheads were touching, but before either could say anything else, their lips met halfway, sealing them in a long overdue kiss.
The knot in William's chest instantly loosened, one of his hands reaching behind the human's neck, bringing him closer as he cupped the soft strands of hair he found. Damien sighed against his lips, wrapping his arms around the merman's shoulders and back and leaning into the arm that snaked around his waist. They both sighed, pulling away ever so slightly to look at one another before diving back in.
Good god, Damien was so warm. That's all William could think about now as he threaded his hand through the black strands of hair. The warmth of his hands as they trailed up the merman's neck and cupped his face, the warmth of his lips as they moved together, his breath whenever they moved away. William couldn't help himself when his tail gradually wrapped around the human, taking all the warmth he could from his body, slipping a hand under Damien's pesky shirt and into the warm, soft skin of his stomach. The human shivered at this, arms going around the merman's neck and holding tight.
William continued to move his hand under the shirt, taking in and feeling all the skin he was denied for so long. The human's back was his favorite, the dipping of skin and muscle, the ridges of bone along his spine and shoulders, and and way Damien practically melted against him, the merman's tail squeezing the human like a hug.
Finally, neither of them knowing how long it's been, they pulled away, panting softly and holding onto each other like a lifeline, looking deeply into each other's eyes. At that moment, William knew he had never felt this happy in his entire life, and that for as long as he was alive, Damien would forever be his.
"I love you," the merman breathed, pressing a kiss on Damien's jaw. "I love you I love you I love you," he kissed down the human's neck and collarbone, trailing back up to peck Damien's lips.
"I love you too," the human managed to say, stroking William's cheekbones tenderly, butterfly kissing his cheeks and the corner of his mouth. "I always have."
And no more words were said between the two, instead they kissed one another over and over again, until the moon shone in the sky and they had to part. But this time, both of them knew their love was returned, and they would always have someone to love them.