“So, what do you think?”

Alon sighed, frowning and looking up to the surface above, pondering carefully. She pouted sadly when he gave a small shrug, crossing his arms.

“I don’t know, Iara…”

Alon blinked, because Iara let out a small growl.

“I thought you had let go of that silly apprehension of yours! He-“

She halted, looking up at him when his hands lowered onto her shoulders, pulling at her. His eyes narrowed with care, his voice firm.

“Iara, I don’t say it because I feel he must not be near us. I don’t feel like that anymore. Look, I admit it, I like the idea of hanging out with Matthew.” He shook his head, trying to show his point of view, what worried him. “But there’s a big problem. He fears water. I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell him to swim!”

He had a point. But she had more.

“Al, Matthew comes to the beach every single day. He did even before he saw us.” Alon blushed, her tail tangling around his, holding him in place, so he would listen. “He comes here because he is angry with the sea. He’s exasperated, because of that night. He wants to push himself to the water; he hates it when he finds himself unable to do so. I have seen his glares, the small moves of his feet towards the waves, which always end in anxiety. He is trying to overcome his panic. He hates the dread, not the water.”

Alon’s mouth opened for a second. Only to close again, a small grumble escaping him, unable to deny her point. He had seen the longing as much as her.

She smiled a little when his tail curled too around hers, his eyes leaning closer. His voice was kind and attentive.

“You know it’s not easy to overcome fears.”

She laughed, making him blush more when she ruffled her forehead against his.

“That’s why I will help him! Small steps!” She leaned back, chuckling while Alon floated frozen. “And you will help us both, right?!”

His hands let go of her shoulders. Her amusement only grew when the merman crossed his arms with a small nod, too shy to let words out.

It was enough to make his agreement clear. All she needed to know.

—————

 

He asked, trying to make sure he heard right.

“S-swim?”

Alon sighed, having expected Matthew to react somewhat like that. Iara nodded, unfazed by how he fidgeted a little away from the waves, his eyes opening in a nervous daze. Only a few words were needed to make him panic internally.

“Yes!” She plopped herself at his feet, and Matthew looked down at her with doubt while she nudged his boots with her fins. “Don’t pretend that you don’t stare with envy while we do! You want to swim too!”

Not really.

What he longed for was to be with them. But he pushed that thought away for the moment, crouching slowly to her eye level. His voice had an apologetic tone.

“Ia, as much as I would like to…” He ruffled his hair, snarling. “I- I don’t know. Since that night, I haven’t…”

There was a lot of doubt in his eyes while he looked subtly at the soft waves. The sun was reflecting on them, barely any strong currents, all brushing the sand gently. It would look inviting to any other, but not to him.

The memory of dark waters faded slightly when Matthew heard her try to explain.

“You don’t have to do it if you feel you can’t.” He frowned, staring at her kind azure eyes. Her voice was reassuring. “If you try, it does not have to be sudden! You won’t go all the way in! Remember how you warmed up to us slowly?”

Matthew nodded, shying slightly. Iara only continued, and Alon shook his head, because she did too cheerfully.

“Well, this is the same! You can do a little every day, small steps! First, your feet, then your waist, and so on! And we won’t leave your side, you won’t have to worry! We wouldn’t let you sink or leave you alone for a single second!” Both boys blushed when she suddenly cackled some words loudly. “And if any fish tries to bite you, I will eat it!”

Matthew squirmed, frowning at her with a nervous smile.

“Ia, please, don’t you eat a living fish in front of me.”

“What? You have eaten raw fish too!”

“Dammit, in a restaurant, Ia! It was prepared and suited for consumption!”

She opened her mouth to retort, but Alon took her chance.

“Leave the matter already, you two…” He shook his fins, pouting at her. “However, I agree with Matthew. I have seen you eat, Iara. So, don’t.”

Iara was able to bite a live fish down in seconds. Meanwhile, Alon never ate them alive, always striking and cleaning them first. His meals always turned out similar to what humans called sashimi.

She rolled her eyes, waving an arm in a prideful motion.

“You two are so squeamish!”

“You are too energetic.”

She blinked and grinned, merman and human blushing, realizing they had spoken at once. They only looked up again when she clapped her hands, coming back to the important matter they were discussing.

“Well!” She crawled a little towards the waves, and Matthew shivered when she looked over her shoulder, in question. “Shall we begin trying today?”

Alon did not like how Matthew began to tremble slightly, gulping as he tensed, his voice shaky.

“T-today? A-already?” She nodded. And so he heaved, his only hand moving around nervously, eyes looking everywhere but at them. “Umm, I-”

They stood poker-faced while Matthew rambled. Fast, about anything.

“I- I don’t know if today is a good day! I- I mean, I’m in my regular clothes; I’m not wearing my trunks! I can’t just get in the water! And if I got my boots off and left them on the sand Shamira could spot them and steal them, and then I would have to search all over for them! Imagine all the sand on my feet! You don’t have feet, but I tell you, later it would be fucking uncomfortable to put on my shoes and walk back home! There aren’t any showers by the road, and I would have to deal with it all the way back! Besides, is the water even warm? I could feel cold once I got out because I don’t have a towel! You don’t need towels! You are always in the water! So this-“

“Matthew, get your damn boots off already.” He finally stopped his fast ramble, seeing Iara lean and threaten. “Or I will.”

Alon raised a hand to his head with a sigh, seeing Matthew step away, grumbling down at her.

“Yeah, right!” He dared mock her, eyeing her down with an angry grin. “Try! You can’t reach me.”

She could.

Shamira’s ears raised in the distance, because she heard a loud yelp. Alon rolled his eyes and let himself float onto his back while the other two messed around. Iara had made a very impressive leap forwards with a kick of tail, almost snatching Matthew’s feet. She would have grabbed them, if not for his fast startled jolt backwards.

The merman just fumbled with his long hair, trying to tie it up while he ignored their silliness. Matthew was running around, his hazel eyes full of surprise and bafflement while Iara crawled at a very decent speed behind him, her tail slamming to try to make him trip face first.

“I can crawl all day, Matt! Stop running!”

“No! You are not getting off my boots!”

“You humans really have a sick fascination for clothes!”

“You too are wearing something, Ia! So don’t tell me what to wear!”

“What… my seaweed bra? I always forget it’s there! I know you humans are ashamed of your bodies! You wear clothes because you are nervous to show yourself like you really are! Our kind only wears trinkets for show, fun! I get it off all the time!”

“You WHAT?!”

There it is…

Alon splashed some water mindlessly, hearing a faint thud and muffled grumbles, something thrashing on the sand. The two were yelling nonsense while they wrestled.

It was going to be a long week.