I've owed this to EssenceKaulitz on deviant art for a LONG time and I apologize for the very long delay! I'm sorry for being so lame D= I hope this all makes up for it.
I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters.
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Tino skipped another flat rock across the lake his family's cabin overlooked with boredom. There wasn't much to do there during his spring break and he has grown tired of the forest and water after only a couple days of being back. He knew he didn't get out much and should remain outside more but the thought of possibly getting a signal on his phone was too tempting to stay near the lake bed.
But just as he was approaching where the grass met sand he found the most perfect skipping stone. It's flat and sleek surface was just begging to be thrown and glided over the dark water. He bent down and picked it up and turned back to the lake, aiming for the center and most deepest part of the the body of water.
Throwing it as hard as he could he watched and counted the steps the stone took.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5-
"Awesome~ Keep going! Keep going!" He cheered in a hush voice.
6, 7, 8, 9-
"I'm about to break my record!" He smiled and walked onto the slowly rotting, small wooden dock that homes their old jetski.
10, 11, 12, 13
"Two more!"
14, 15-
And just as it was about to briefly splash the surface onto the next jump something stopped it. Perplexed Tino began squinting just to help focus on would it could be. With his luck it was probably a turtle making it's way to the shore- But no. This thing wasn't dark or hard-looking. Infact it was pale, very white as if it hasn't seen sun in a long time if ever and was not hard or scaly-looking in the least. Shuffling his feet almost off the ledge of the dock he tried peering even closer because surely it can't be what he thought it.
I looked like a human hand.
'Of course Tino. Someone grabbed your rock from point center of the lake (where it's fridgin' cold) just to spite you.'
Just as he was making out more of the object (hand) it descended under the water and something else emerged. Something bigger and more frightening.
It looked like someones head. A blonde someone. Who was turning and now looking right at him with the scariest scowl he's ever seen in his life!
His mind told him to run but just as his body was going to grant that wish he lost his footing and fell off the dock into the water below.
'Calm down Tino! He's out in the middle of the lake, he can't swim to you that fast!'
He kicked his legs and started swimming for his life. It was a short distance so he knew he shouldn't feel as panicked as he was but as he was crawling into the shallow part of the shore when he felt something around his ankle and pull him back.
He was about to scream but instead got a mouth full of water. Tino's head resurfaced and began a coughing fit. He didn't feel anything around his ankle anymore but he could tell something was pressing against him. It felt like arms were wrapped around his middle, helping him stay above water. Dare he rub his eyes to see his captor?
Yes.
Quickly he rubbed the water away from his eyes as best he could and looked in front of him to find the same man who was out in middle only seconds before. He was completely scared but relaxed a bit when he saw it looked to be just a normal person like himself. 'Maybe he's just a freakishly fast swimmer.' Tino thought.
"You okay? I saw you fall off the deck."
"Y-yeah I'm fine. Hey did you take my rock?" The other man looked at him confused and then seemed to remember.
"You were throwin' those? Ja, I stopped it. It was scaring away the fish."
"You were fishing? How? Your underwater! And how did you get to me so fast?"
"I swam." The man gave him a blank look and Tino, feeling strangly more comfortable, shot back his own 'Thanks,Smart-Ass' face. In that moment he decided to take in the stranger's features. He had bright blonde hair and Tino was right earlier when he said pale . You could sort of see the blue veins under his skin in his shoulders. But the most striking thing about this man were his eyes. They were beautiful colors of blue and bright green but it was also the hard gaze his face sculpted around them that made him seem so stern and serious.
"Um, you can let go of me if you'd like. I can swim fine."
"Oh, sure." He pulled his arms away and- was that a blush? Tino couldn't help but smile a little at the nice coloring on the man's face. It complemented his face and made him look less-scary.
"What's your name?" There was a pause, as if the other was thinking about it, possibly giving Tino a fake name.
"Berwald. What is yours?"
"Nice to meet you Berwald. I'm Tino. I'd shake your hand but it's a little hard since I need them both to stay afloat, hahaha" Berwald gave a look between his usual blank look and a small smile.
"So, you from around here."
"Yeah. You?"
"Yeah, my family is here for break. We're in that cabin over there." He pointed behind him.
"That's a very nice place." There was something in Berwald's eyes that seemed far off. 'Is he remembering something?'
"So which cabin are you staying in?"
Berwald was silent and looked at Tino a little surprised. He looked away, scratching the back of his neck. His behavior was really strange but Tino decided to ignore it for now in favor of having company. Just having your parents around can get to be a drag so it was nice to have someone who looked around his age to converse with.
"It's hidden away kind of deep, I don't think you've ever seen it. Very hard to find."
"Oh okay. . . Hey Berwald how old are you?"
Again he looked apprehensive, like he was thinking carefully on how to answer Tino's questions.
"I'm 17. You?"
"16."
"Hm."
It was quiet after that. Berwald didn't seem to contribute to the conversation but he also didn't acted as if he wanted to leave. Tino was about to swim to the shore when he felt something smooth and scaly touch his leg.
"Whoa I think I felt a fish! A big one too!"
"Oh sorry."
"Sorry for what?" As if it were possible more color drained from Berwald's face. He looked entirely blanched and at a loss for words.
"Um . . . For touching you? Don't mean to scare ya."
"You mean earlier?"
"No jus-"
"Tino!"
The talkative blonde turned around to see his mom up the hill calling for him to come back to the cabin.
"Be right there!"
"Is that your Ma?"
"Yeah. I think the food's ready, would you like to come join us? You know, since I scared all the fish away, hahaha"
"Wish I could."
"Oh your family expecting you?"
"Um, no."
"You're so weird, you know that?"
"You don't know the half of it."
"Alright. Well it was nice meeting you Berwald. I hope this doesn't sound creepy but could I meet you again tomorrow? It's just, I'm only here a few times out of the year so I don't know much people. . . "
"Yeah. I'd like that very much."
"Cool. Same place? Aroooound 1?"
"Um okay. Yeah."
"I'll see you then. Bye Berwald." Tino smiled at him and walked out in his now drenched clothes. The soaked clothing clung to his body and it was hard for Berwald not to stare. He didn't notice before how lean the other one was and how round his hips were.
Then there was his legs. Berwald has seen legs before but there was something about this human's that caught his full attention. They weren't particularly long or thin, no, they were white like snow without being blinding and had a sort of delicate thickness that reminded him of romanticism from long ago, where having some meat to you made you beautiful.
He faded back into the water, just skimming the surface so he could keep Tino in sight and made sure he made it home up the hill. When the little blonde was safe inside the wooden house he turned back and swam home with his large fish tail to the bottom of the lake.
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So the title I found out is also a name of a band and a song from another band.
Admiral Radley does a song called Lonesome Co. and I think it strangely fits for a merman. So weird I found it after writing this. . . . Yeah I hope you enjoy and I'll write another chapter for this. Again, sorry I haven't done this way earlier Essence Kaulitz. You're awesome and I hope you like what I have so far.