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theradicalace · 3 months ago

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💙💜Land and Sea (OreoSplash Fanfic)💜💙

this fic as requested by @frapsteretriever! i had an absolute blast writing these silly little critters together :D

(also on ao3, check it out!)

When he really thought about it, the beach was where Frappy felt most at home. So close to the ocean, there was no worries, no stresses from daily life, just the cool air, the smell of salt, and the sun glittering off the surface of the water. He could sit at on the docks for hours, just staring out into the horizon, watching the waves, and if anyone asked, that’s exactly what he’d tell them.

There was something else, though, a secret he kept close to his heart. Every time he visited, he looked and looked, watching out for mermaids. He’d loved mermaids since he was a child, and his biggest dream was to meet one face to face, and earn their friendship for life. Was that silly, to be so sure mermaids were real? To want one as a friend? He didn’t think so. Someday he would find one, he just knew it, and then he would never have to be alone again.

That’s what he told himself, sitting underneath the rays of the summer sun, waiting and watching. Lately, for some reason, he was finding it harder to believe, the words sounding fake to his own ears. Day after day, he was slowly starting to lose hope, as he was met with nothing but open seas every day. He patiently waited, at the edge of the dock, legs hanging over the edge, just barely bushing the top of the water. Just a little longer, and then he’d call it quits for today.

*~*~*

Toothy found himself swimming up to the surface often, these days.

His friends asked him about it sometimes, and he would wave them off with an answer about wanting to watch the sky. They would tease him a bit for being so lost in dreams, tell him to keep his fins in the water, but he knew they didn’t mean anything by it. To them, that was just how he was.

The truth was, he couldn’t possibly care less about the sky. The real thing that kept him coming back, over and over, was him.

There was a surface critter who visited the beach every day. Toothy had seen critters who lived up there before, of course. They all had. It seemed like the people on land enjoyed coming to the water as much as he and his aquatic friends liked to visit up above.

Somehow, though, this one was different. Different to the others he’d seen from the surface, and different from the people surrounding him underwater. He couldn’t put words to how or why, but this one was special. Something about the look in his eyes made Toothy feel like he would understand him.

Some days, he thought about going up to see him, but he could never quite manage to gather up the courage. He talked himself out of it every day, thinking himself in circles, worrying over every “What if?” he could come up with.

But his surface critter looked sad, today, and that was enough to chase every rational thought out of Toothy’s head. Beyond any sense of reason, he found it in himself to be brave, and he raced upwards as fast as he could.

*~*~*

Frappy took a slow, deep breath in, and then back out. It seemed like today had been another failure. He figured there was nothing to be done about it. He hauled himself to his feet and stretched, taking one last look outwards.

Just as he moved to turn away, there was a loud splash as something burst from the water in front of him. Startled, he stepped back a little too fast, and slipped, landing hard on the wet planks of the dock. He grumbled under his breath, cursing himself for being so jumpy.

“Are you okay?”

His head whipped up at the voice, and all of his thoughts came screeching to a halt.

That was a mermaid. The one thing he has been chasing and dreaming of for so long, was real, and right in front of him.

And he was cute.

He couldn’t get distracted by that, though, this was what he’d been waiting for this whole time. He needed to do something. He needed to say something.

“Are you… real?”

Very smooth.

“No, wait, of course you’re real, you’re right in front of me. Oh my god, there’s a real, actual mermaid in front of me. This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me! I’ve wanted to meet a real mermaid for years, but I never thought it would actually happen, this is- This is-“

His struggle for words was interrupted by a clear, bell-like laugh from the other, and oh no, that was the prettiest laugh he had ever heard. He was so done for.

“Gosh, I don’t think anyone has ever been so excited to see me before.”

Frappy felt his cheeks heat up, and scrambled to save what little of his pride he could salvage.

“What I mean is- is… It’s nice to meet you. My name is Frappy.”

It didn’t feel like enough, but the smile he got in return was worth every ounce of the embarrassment he felt.

“My name is Toothy. It’s nice to meet you too.”

The next few hours passed like seconds, as they talked and laughed and traded stories and questions. Seemingly out of nowhere, he glanced up to see that the sun was setting, the sky lit in vibrant pinks and oranges. The time had gotten away from him, and he would have to hurry if he didn’t want to walk home in the dark.

Toothy seemed to pick up on this, and sounded a bit disappointed when he spoke again.

“Do you need to leave now?”

Frappy cringed a bit, hating to disappoint, but still needing to get home all the same.

“I do, but I’ll be back! I’ll come back here and visit every day, you just watch!”

His new friend laughed lightly again, that beautiful sound that he’d gladly make a fool of himself just to keep hearing, and playfully poked his cheek.

“I’ll hold you to that! Get home safe, Frappy.”

“I will. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, he stood and made his way towards home. The air had a chill to it as the heat from the day started to recede, but Frappy felt warm, and he let that carry him on his way.

*~*~*

Toothy was beside himself with excitement. The previous day had been everything he had dreamed of and more. Not only had he been brave enough to speak to the critter he’d admired from afar for so long, but he’d even earned his friendship. Frappy would be coming back every day, to visit him.

He had known this one was special, but to find out that the feeling was mutual was almost more than he could take. He’d hardly slept, repeating the memories of the day, and eagerly imagining what the next visit would hold. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d felt so giddy.

It was mid-morning when he spotted Frappy walking to the end of the dock, and swam up to meet him. He surfaced a little slower this time, not wanting to scare him again, and waved. Frappy immediately perked up and broke into a jog to reach him faster, and if Toothy’s heart beat a little faster at the gesture, well that was just between him and the ocean, wasn’t it?

“Told you I’d be back!”

He couldn’t help but smile. It was silly, but somehow, that was exactly what he’d expected him to say.

“I never doubted you for a second.”

It was shaping up to be another wonderful day. And maybe, if he was lucky, there would be plenty of days just like it waiting for him in the future.

*~*~*

The daily visits became a part of their routine. Meeting at the dock, spending their time together, exploring where they could. Sometimes, Toothy would haul himself out of the water completely for a bit. Never for too long, just a minute or two at a time. Just as often, Frappy would dive beneath the waves, just for a minute or two. Both of them wanting to experience as much of the other’s world as they could.

They grew close as the days passed. A playful shove here and there, a hand lingering on a shoulder a little longer than necessary, gazes turning fond with time. There was something special, there, but neither of them were willing to call attention to it, too afraid to damage what they had.

So the days turned into weeks, which turned into months, an unspoken connection burning stronger between them. Summer gave way to fall when they weren’t paying attention, catching them both by surprise.

*~*~*

Toothy was doomed. Well, maybe not doomed, but he sure did feel like it. Was that dramatic? Maybe it was. He felt like he’d earned a bit of drama, though, things being what they were.

He was in love with Frappy. It had happened so gradually that he didn’t realize it until he was already in too deep. He was in love with his best friend, and he had no idea what he was going to do about it.

He had to tell him, right? There was no way he’d be able to function with the feeling in his chest around him otherwise. He was going to figure it out at some point anyway, so wasn’t it more fair to say it directly?

Sound logic, of course, but that didn’t make it any easier to actually do. How do love confessions go? What if he doesn’t feel the same way?

It was as scary as when he’d first made the decision to go up and greet him, endless worst-case scenarios haunting his thoughts. But he’d been brave then, hadn’t he? It had ended up being the best decision he’d ever made. He could do it again.

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Frappy approaching until he’d already reached the end of the dock and sat down.

He rushed up to greet him, but only got a nod and a mumbled “Hey” in response.

“Is something wrong?”

Frappy shook his head, but didn’t say anything. Toothy frowned, not sure why his friend was lying so blatantly.

“If something’s bothering you, I’m happy to listen for a while.”

Frappy averted his eyes, and a long moment passed. Toothy let him gather his thoughts for a bit, until he turned to face him again.

“I have something to tell you, but I’m not sure how you’ll take it.”

Toothy tilted his head, curious.

“You know you can tell me anything. As a matter of fact, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you, too. Why don’t we say it at the same time?”

That got Frappy to perk up a bit. He nodded, and Toothy counted down from three.

“I’m in love with you.”

A long moment passed, before they both broke into laughter. Toothy leaned against the dock, trying to catch his breath. Eventually, he pulled himself together enough to ask the question that had been on his mind for days.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Nothing would make me happier right now.”

Toothy practically flung himself forward, nearly overbalancing the both of them, and their lips crashed together. It wasn’t the perfect kiss from his daydreams. It was hasty and he was pretty sure their teeth knocked together at some point. Somehow, though, it was so much better than he ever could have imagined.

It felt like it lasted forever, and at the same time, it ended entirely too fast. They pulled apart, and Frappy started laughing again, to Toothy’s amusement and confusion.

“What’s so funny?”

“I just can’t believe it was this easy. I’ve been stressed about this for days, and it ended up being so easy.”

Frappy leaned back in, and they shared another kiss under the setting autumn sun.

*~*~*

For how worried he’d been, Frappy was surprised at how little things changed after they’d gone from being friends to being boyfriends. They still spent their days together at the docks, they still talked and laughed. Really, the only thing that changed was that they kissed sometimes now.

So things were awesome, obviously.

Still, though, sometimes he found himself a little wistful. He’d learned so much about Toothy’s life, and his home, and yet, he’d never seen any of it. More and more, he was finding that all he wanted to do was join him under the waves. He made it sound so incredible down there, surrounded by other mermaids and other aquatic life.

“You’ve been lost in thought today. Want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

Frappy jolted, having forgotten his surroundings for a second, before he looked away.

“I don’t know… It’s silly.”

“If it’s weighing on you like this, it isn’t silly. Not to me.”

The words cut through his somber mood, bringing a smile to his face.

“I just… Sometimes I wish I could be a mermaid like you. I’d give anything to see what it’s like down there, to be a part of your life in a way I just can’t from up here. I’d leave the surface behind in a heartbeat.”

Toothy let out a soft hum, leaning back to think about what he’d said.

“You know, I think I might be able to help. Do you trust me?””

“With my life.”

“Then take my hand, and get ready to hold your breath for a bit.”

Determined, he did exactly as he was told, taking the deepest breath he could, and grabbing tightly onto Toothy’s outstretched hand.

Toothy pulled him into the water, and led him down underneath the docks. Together, they went faster than he could ever swim alone. He wasn’t sure how long they swam for, or how far they went. Eventually, just as his lungs were starting to burn, Toothy pulled him upwards, and they surfaced in an underwater cave.

It was beautiful. Sparkling crystals in all sorts of colors jutted out from every surface. There was what almost looked like a platform of rocks in the center, and there, right on top of it, was something that looked far too mechanical to be surrounded by this much water.

He looked at Toothy, waiting for some kind of an explanation.

“One of my friends made this. He was like you, at first. He came from the surface, but he didn’t like it up there. He never told me why. One day, he pulled me aside and showed me this, and said he would never have to deal with any of it again. I didn’t even believe him at first, but the thing is that it worked. He even brags about it all the time now.”

Frappy kept staring, the words taking a long moment to sink in.

“So you’re saying…”

“You could stay here. If you wanted to.”

Of course he wanted to. At a loss for words, all he could do was nod hard enough to make himself dizzy.

The process ended up being simple enough. The machine almost seemed like it already knew what he wanted, starting up with a loud clank as soon as he got close to it. There were hand shaped marks on the top of it, which glowed as he approached. He pressed down on them hesitantly, and everything seemed to blur around him.

The machine glowed almost blindingly bright, whirring loudly, and shaking underneath his palms. Suddenly, his legs gave out underneath him, and everything went dark.

*~*~*

When Frappy came back to his senses, the first thing he noticed was that Toothy was holding his hand again, which was nice.

Then he noticed the tail. His tail.

“It worked. It worked!”

He sat up, looking around. They hadn’t moved far. It looked like Toothy had just pulled him into the water. And wasn’t that a kick, that he was fully underwater and breathing just fine? He laughed, more excited than he could ever remember being, and yanked Toothy into his arms.

“I can’t believe it actually worked! This is the best day of my life!”

He tried to swim around the area, only to end up flopping around kind of gracelessly.

Right. He was going to have to get used to the new body. Which meant he was going to have to relearn how to move around.

Even with that, he couldn’t find it in himself to be disappointed. He had all the time in the world to adjust to this, and someone he loved at his side to help him through it.

He could definitely get used to this.

*~*~*

The days went by quickly. Toothy was happy to show Frappy around the place he called home, and Frappy was delighted to see it all. He met all of Toothy’s friends, including the one who built the machine that transformed him.

(Toothy did get a bit of a scolding for messing with it without asking first, but there was no hard feelings afterwards.)

Toothy showed him all of his favorite places to explore, and the best spots to collect stuff that fell off of boats. They visited sights that were mundane to Toothy, but incredible to Frappy, just because he’d never seen them before.

Every day felt like a new adventure. Things were different now, but Frappy was the happiest he’d ever been. He wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

New friends, a new home, and a new life. And to top it all off, his wonderful boyfriend was with him through all of it.

Dreams he hadn’t even dared to dream had all come true, and he couldn’t wait to see what the future held for him.

#ace rambles #ace writes #happy tree friends #oreosplash #frappy htf #deus ex machinad the mermaid transformation so i could focus on silly critters in love #also forgive my ugly formatting i may have figured out ao3 linebreaks but tumblr html is a separate beast that i am afraid of #it looks better on ao3

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