Disney 1. Mermaid Lagoon

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Disney characters featured in this story.

**A/N:** I'm pretty sure I'm going to regret this and delete it, but I thought I would go ahead and publish what started out as tapping out nonsense on my phone in the middle of the night and quickly spiraled out of control. After writing about thirty pages it seemed like the opportune thing to do, chop it up into chapters, package it and sell it, but...heh. There's a lot of ridiculous semi-adult nonsense in here? It's really embarrassing.

At any rate, if you follow my deviantArt, you know that I've drawn angel!Mickey and mermaid!Minnie together a lot. I've often explored the story with my best friend, but this is my first time writing it with this particular set-up and in this format. I have no idea how far it will go or where it will even go. And for those of you not familiar with mice fandom and how Mickey and Minnie are plunked down into crazy themes and situations all the time...I don't know what to tell you, heh.

I'll just leave this here, the first of what will be a few chapters I have ready to go. En...joy?

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Now that he was looking right at it, Mickey could see what the fuss was about. Sort of. Okay, not exactly. But a little? Mermaid Lagoon had its share of interesting characters, he would grant it that. Merfolk of all sorts lived beneath the waves of the sapphire seas, but Mermaid Lagoon was the hangout of the more youthful crowd. Teens and young adults gathered to sun on the rocks, play games, make music, craft, socialize with the landfolk, and above all else, show off. That last was what attracted so many more creatures to the lagoon from inland, people of all shapes and forms and species who thought talking to a shapely mermaid or ogling a muscular merman was worth their time.

Merfolk were not like the landfolk, for they never wished to move an inch from their territory. Despite the island being rich with bacchanals and celebrations that ran for days amongst the centaurs, satyrs, nymphs, minotaurs, and other such land creatures, mermaids and mermen never participated, even when offered accommodations. No, they never left their lagoon or their ocean, never even swimming up the mouths of rivers. If you wanted to see a mermaid, you had to come to them.

Some argued that they were afraid to venture from the sea. Others insisted that it was a matter of arrogance or perhaps something more coy in their nature. All merfolk at that age, after all, basked in attention and frivolity, before growing older and wiser and returning to the ocean to be more elusive like their parents. This was probably closest to the truth. It wasn't so much the sun or the rocks they treasured, but the open stage. And most creatures were happy to oblige if it meant having some spicy fling or a change of pace in terms of recreation. Merparties were their own spectacle, even if they always happened in the same place.

Angels, on the other hand, preferred to merely observe from on high, the way they observed everything else from a lofty distance. But while land creatures were constantly allies and even friends of the winged people, angels seldom if ever interacted with the merfolk. Too many centuries of war over who could even remember anymore, too many differences in demeanor and culture. And where they were similar, it was only fuel for more tension. Mixing two races that both had an elitist outlook, had a superiority complex, and did not like to share attention was only asking for trouble. And like merfolk, angels were show-offs and socialites when they were young, and then over time they flew higher and higher up into their mountains, having had their fill of the land creatures and their parties, and now striving for quiet.

So it was from the trees that Mickey sat with a few of his angel pals, or more accurately, companions that happened to be his age. Usually Mickey preferred his clique of assorted species such as Donald and his girl Daisy, Horace and his girl Clarabelle, Goofy, and so on. But his fellow angels were alright, if a little insensitive sometimes. Mickey was with them now because although his closer friends visited Mermaid Lagoon quite often, angels were not very welcome. At most, they might make their presence known with jeering and tossing nuts from where the merfolk couldn't reach for a laugh, but that was it. And although Mickey didn't have a personal investment in seeing Mermaid Lagoon itself, it was essentially high time he actually look upon the merfolk in person. They were, after all, ancient rivals. And secretly, Mickey had always wanted to know why the landfolk found them so interesting.

The angels he sat with up in the thick branches of a tree that snaked halfway over the lagoon all had different opinions about the fish folk below. Mickey had drawn some of his own conclusions pretty fast, that yes while fair in face and fit in body, the merpeople were no more attractive than anybody else (then again, Mickey had never taken much interest in romance, so what did he know), and that they seemed too vain for his tastes. He watched as various mermaids beamed at their own reflections, trying on a multitude of accessories, doing up their hair. A good number of them were singing but in the way that seemed less like they felt like it and more like they simply wanted someone to hear them doing it. While some were directly giggly and flirty with this centaur or that fairy, others seemed to be concentrating on looking like they didn't know they were being gawked at while putting on a show anyway, glancing over their shoulders to make sure someone or something was watching. The mermen were just regular old boys that thought they were tough, swimming and splashing and diving and wrestling and being generally loud as they played their games and made their not-so-clever jests.

Yet Mickey's companions were constantly pointing out features on each mermaid (when they weren't having a laugh at everyone else) that they found attractive (as far as mermaids went, because after all, no angel would ever settle for a fish). These comments confused Mickey. Because when someone pointed out golden locks or tantalizing waistlines or deliciously plump hips or cute freckles or kissable lips or big purple eyes, Mickey could only squint, try to see what they saw in whichever her they were looking at, and shrug. Yeah, they could be pretty. But none of them were -

_Beautiful. _Mickey's eyes had finally found something, and now that they had, they wouldn't be able to let it - her - go any time soon.

There she sat, all alone on her own little thin column of rock, marooned by water all around her. A dainty, delicate thing made strictly of curves and soft, sweeping contours the likes of which Mickey had ever seen. She had large, sparkling, intense brown eyes that seemed to gaze inland and yet see nothing, like she was too deep in thought to truly notice the things going on around her. Mickey had heard of deep eyes before, but he'd never truly seen them, and from this distance it felt as though he were going to drown. Those entrancing eyes were framed by long, dark lashes, a pale face like a pearl, a pert nose, pink cheeks. Earlier when someone had mentioned kissable lips on another girl, Mickey had snorted at the phrase, and now he found himself looking at this girl's lips and thinking that if anyone ever looked like she deserved to be kissed and then kissed well for the rest of her life, it was this sweet, exotic creature.

And she was a mermaid. Mickey was almost alarmed at how little that seemed to affect her beauty. In fact, whereas the others had looked kinda funny before, he found himself suddenly understanding just how and why mermaids had come to be known as so unquestionably desirable. For starters, her tail was an iridescent, colorful wonder. At its core it was silvery-white, pearl-like, and yet from each and every one of those scales seemed to flash a different color. A good number of those merpeople had flashy tails, but this girl's seemed to sparkle with the elegance of stardust. The fins were long and transparent, looking like flower petals on a breeze as she idly swished the end of her tail slowly back and forth, the tips sometimes grazing the water's surface and leaving little ripples.

The tail alone was graceful and appealing, yet what really made it was how it flowed with the rest of the girl's body. At some point very low on her hips the scales began to fade into the dark, creamy skin that made up the upper half of her body, emphasizing incredibly curvy hips for such a slender thing. Her waist curved in beautifully, and then, Mickey noticed with a bit of a blush, that she had a nice chest too. Not horribly busty like the others, but something just right, all perky and delicate and soft like the rest of her. He'd noticed that the mermaids wore various things on their chests, and this one in particular wore a little bra of two starfish united by the presence of a few tiny sea flowers woven together. Between her breasts started a couple strings of pearls that draped loosely across her chest and around and over her arms, emphasizing the fact that her shoulders were bare. Of course, everything else was; even her bust did little hiding behind those starfish and flowers. Mickey especially found that if those scales had been any lower she wouldn't have been fit for public consumption, at least by angel standards.

And then there was the matter of her hair. Long, sweeping, dark waves that looked silky and so soft that one could run their fingers through and never meet a tangle. Though this hair was free in that it trailed down behind her, there were still more flowers woven into it and even a few more pearl strands that pulled back the hair just a little bit so that some of those curls could separate and stand alone against her cheeks. There was so much of it though that it folded all around her anyway, even when pulled slightly back.

She was a mermaid, yet Mickey had never seen a more perfect specimen in his life, and he doubted he ever would. He had been staring at her for a long time, analyzing every detail, to the point that even the other angel boys couldn't help but notice. One of them, by the name of Hawk, was prodding him until he finally hit Mickey with his wing. "Hey, Mickey, what's gotten into y - ?"

"Wh-who's that?" Mickey interrupted. He hadn't realized that that was possible, being able to ask such a question, but now that he realized it was, he discovered that he wouldn't be satisfied until he knew.

"Who?" Hawk asked obliviously.

"H-her." Mickey barely twitched, nudging his chin in the direction of the lonesome mermaid. All at once, the angels followed his line of vision.

"Crimony! What a knockout," was the immediate opinion of Westwind who shielded his eyes from the sun despite being under the shade, like this would grant him better vision. Corvid offered up a wolf whistle in agreement, and Volt was giving Mickey a nudge, uttering, "Now that's what I call a catch of the day!"

Instantly, Mickey was sorry he'd pointed her out. Of course, given that the boys were already laughing, they might have been playing up their reactions to tease him, but Mickey and his reddening cheeks were not so sure. Only Zephyr had said nothing, but now he piped up, gray wings opening up in an epiphany.

"Say, I heard a that fish! S'gotta be her, nobody else around here's got a diamond dust tail like that." Mickey finally tore his eyes away from the mermaid for a few seconds to glance at Zephyr, assessing the sincerity in this statement, before he was looking back at her with new urgency. She of course was perfectly lost in her own little world, swishing that tail and braiding a little strand of hair, but not in a showy way any other mermaid might have, but in a reflective, almost pensive manner.

"Y-ya have...?" Mickey asked apprehensively, swallowing.

"Sure! The Morose Mermaid. Sometimes I hear the gals call her Mopey." Zephyr laughed and the others chimed in. Mickey shot him a glare before he could help it, because if he wasn't going to take this seriously...

Zephyr held out his hands though, showing he meant no offense. He was on the level. After all, he was sort of an expert on these things. "Honest to Zeus! But it's just 'cause they're jealous, see? That dame's so popular with the fellas that she's turned down half the island and everybody under it, the way I hear it. At this point nobody really bothers with her because she's just gonna turn 'em down. Probably a real snob. All by herself because she thinks she's too good, just like a typical mermaid..."

Mickey hadn't known what to think of that business of her receiving a lot of male attention, but he knew what he thought of that last part. "You don't know that," he blurted out a little too passionately, when he remembered who and what he was. He amended this with a shrug, rubbing his neck and trying to not look at the mermaid so straightforwardly. "I'mean, maybe she's just fed up with all these other 'maids. They all seem kinda..." He wrinkled his nose in thought, not sure what to call them.

Zephyr, never one to accept being wrong on any topic, even the ones he had little concern for, shook his head. "Here, I'll prove it!" Before Mickey or anyone could stop him, Zephyr was plucking a nut from the trees branches and was tossing it down, skipping it across the water with a little whistle to disturb a nearby trio of mermaids who had been gossiping and combing their hair. The other angel boys flinched as the girls gasped and looked straight at the flock in the trees, but nobody reprimanded Zephyr because after all, he was pretty popular, and therefore probably knew what he was doing. And to their surprise, after their initial shock the trio of mermaids were looking at one another and giggling like they'd never seen anything funnier. Mickey noticed that they seemed rather pleased with themselves for having attracted the attention of even their sworn rivals.

The mermaid with the purple and green tail cleared her throat and sat up straight, putting on quite the show to compose herself and turn heavy, cool eyes up at Zephyr. "Yes? Can we help you?"

"Afternoon, ladies!" Zephyr greeted. Clearly, he'd done this before, because there wasn't a note of apprehension in his voice. "Yeah, sure, you can help us!"

The mermaid with the pink and yellow tail giggled and made an interested splash with her fins. "Ohhh, and just what can we 'help' you with, birdie?"

"Yes, let us know," chimed in the third coy mermaid whose tail ran three different shades of blue and turquoise.

"It ain't a big deal, just this one - " Zephyr jabbed a thumb in Mickey's direction and all at once the latter angel wanted to fly off like any spooked bird, but he stayed where he was all the same, just blushing worse off than before. " - was wonderin' all about THAT one..." Zephyr shamelessly pointed in the direction of the solitary mermaid with the stardust tail. Mickey thought killing Zephyr might be in order, because the last thing he needed was to be the center of this kind of attention (Mickey liked to show off, not BE showed off, paraded around like some idiot). But before he could punch Zephyr in the arm, the mermaids had all looked in the direction he was pointing and collectively scoffed.

"Oh, _her_?" the blue one asked derisively. "Don't even bother, she isn't worth the trouble..."

"If you want someone to play with, angel boy, you ought to try someone else..." the pink one cooed, changing her tone to one of thick flirtatious beckoning. She was looking straight at Mickey, flexing her arms over her head and trying to draw his attention to certain features. Oh, he really wanted to kill Zephyr.

"Minnie doesn't cut any boy a break," the purple one finally offered, folding her arms. This did draw Mickey's attention. So her name was Minnie, how interesting. "Oh, they fling themselves at her anyway but it's always 'no thank you' in that honey-sweet voice..." Clearly the purple mermaid found this annoying. "And she's not one for making many friends either. Even when she comes to the lagoon because us girls invite her..."

"She always ends up leaving the rest of us to go sit on that rock or whatever," blue finished. "And today we even helped her dress up. That's gratitude for you." Mickey wondered at how a mermaid 'dressed up' when they wore so little, but he supposed that strings of pearls weren't practical for swimming, and when he looked again, he realized that those starfish weren't even dead. W-well, anyone ought to be a stick in the mud with something clinging on so tight, let alone two of them, let alone _there_. Was that normal for a mermaid?

"She_ is_ sweet though," the pink mermaid relented, and to be fair, none of the three mermaids looked entirely mean themselves, just a little jealous. "She has a _beautiful _singing voice, and her garden is so pretty, oh, and she can dance so gracefully..." The pink mermaid almost looked admiring then, clasping her hands together and gazing in Minnie's direction like she were some kind of idol. "And that _tail_...she is fun to dress up, isn't she, girls? Oh, the most fun..." Mickey had found some relief in what this mermaid was saying up until that point. Did...was she like a doll or some kind of plaything for them? He'd noticed the mermaids having fun doting on one other, preening each other now that he bothered to think about it. They were weird, he decided instantly. Angel girls had fun playing dress-up, sure, but dressing each other up, well...seemed different somehow.

"Yes," the purple one couldn't help but agree wistfully, her tail scooping water with her fin. "She's the tiniest, it's so cute, and I swear she can wear anything. Not every girl can pull off starfish..."

"She squealed when we put them on her though," blue one pointed out, smirking in a way that indicated some haughty pleasure from this. "But she's sensitive about everything. Comes with being so small." The blue one rolled her eyes. "She doesn't just turn down men either, but girls too. And not just romantically speaking, I mean we just want to dress her up and play with her..."

"And listen to her sing and watch her garden and dance with her," the pink one mourned with a starry-eyed gaze. Now Mickey was sure beyond a doubt that mermaids had the oddest fixation on beauty to the point that they seemed to be objectifying the prettiest in their midst because they didn't just want to mimic her, but actually actively watch her be beautiful. He'd heard that mermaids were amorous creatures, but this seemed to be something different altogether. And as he looked out at her, at this Minnie, he realized that he understood completely why she'd want to escape. She didn't seem to be the attention-craving type. The other girls in the lagoon seemed positively thrilled at being treated like dolls, yet this one looked like she had more on her mind than that. In fact he caught her shifting uncomfortably, her fingers unconsciously dancing up to one of those clinging starfish. He found himself pitying the poor thing.

"Can't say I blame ya," Westwind suddenly teased, making Mickey jump because the angels had all been silently listening up to that point. "Who wouldn't wanna play with that?" A couple of the other angels laughed. That was the new generation for you, less concerned with the boundaries of their ancestors, more eager to break some rules. Ten years ago angels had never even set foot in the lagoon, and now look at them all chatting them up.

"Well good luck finding her," the purple one retorted, flinging the water she'd been balancing on her fin. "When we haven't caught her and dragged her here she's off somewhere else. Nobody knows where she goes or why."

"Or why for so long!" the pink one breathed.

That was rather intriguing, but just as Mickey had been opening his mouth, about to ask after this to see if she really was the exploring type, he noticed with alarm a familiar, loathed face. "M-Mortimer!" he balked. "What's he doin' here?"

The other angels looked and all groaned when they laid eyes on the centaur. He was without a doubt most hated by Mickey, as the two had a bit of a history in trying to one-up one another, but Mortimer didn't have any angel fans either. He was always followed behind by a pack of centaurs, and this was because he was the prince of one of their clans. Of course, every clan had a prince, none more important than the other, and someday when the king of the centaurs was dead all of his bastard sons would have to kill each other for his position. Of all the centaur princes though, Mortimer had deemed himself to be incredibly important, constantly chatting about the father he didn't know and lying about his heroic feats. Maybe that was a part of playing the game in trying to become heir, but Mickey despised the centaur's arrogant, narcissistic, and downright cowardly behavior.

And to his grand horror, the centaur was plowing right through the water, up onto the rocks, making a beeline for the little mermaid Mickey so admired. Before he could demand why, the purple one was answering his question.

"Oh, the centaur prince? Why, he's here for Minnie, of course."

"Most of the boys have given up, but not Mortimer. Whenever he hears Minnie's on the surface he gallops right on over," the blue one explained. She was now looking rather disinterested in the conversation, examining her nails instead. "At least he brings his herd with him. They can be fun sometimes. But it's gotten so old, I wish she'd just give him what he wants already..."

What he wants. Mickey didn't like the sound of that. He watched as Mortimer greeted Minnie, and she turned, looking discouraged to see him but not entirely surprised. She must have known he'd be coming. Starfish and centaurs. Again, no wonder why she was so miserable. And being the coward that he was, Mortimer was flanked by some of his centaur cronies, the ones who weren't flirting with mermaids and nymphs and having unrelated fun. Minnie looked so small on that rock, but she looked like she was trying to make herself smaller. She wasn't glaring as she exchanged words with Mortimer that Mickey couldn't hear, but her eyes reflected certain displeasure. Mortimer looked entirely undeterred, flashing his teeth in a smile, even reaching out to take her hand and kiss it.

"It's awfully romantic, isn't it?" the pink one sighed, smiling at the scene which made Mickey want to shout or something. "He just won't give up on her. To think, having a centaur prince fall deeply in love with you..."

"And carry you inland?" the blue one asked with a cluck of laughter. "No thanks!"

"Love will find a way," the pink one insisted. "You know there's lots of rumors that he wants to marry her, and still more rumors about how he plans to make it work..."

"She won't agree to it," the purple one pointed out knowledgeably. "We're talking about Minnie here. They say she turned down Poseidon himself."

"I thought it was Zeus," the pink one said, squinting in confusion.

"Hmm. Or maybe it was Apollo," the purple one reconsidered.

The blue one laughed. "You're both thick. If a god ever wants his way with you there's nothing you can do to stop him. If Minnie said no to Poseidon or Zeus or even Bacchus she'd have paid dearly for it."

The pink one conceded to this with a laugh. "If not by the will of a god..."

"...then by a furiously jealous goddess!" finished the purple one, and then they were all laughing, even some of the angels. By now, Mickey was so tired of the conversation that he would have liked nothing better than to fly off and leave the inconsiderate mermaids, his inconsiderate angel pals who were now taking over the conversation while Mickey tuned them out, and the inconsiderate centaurs who did nothing to stop Mortimer as he flirted shamelessly with Minnie.

But Mickey couldn't just leave because he was watching that go on, watching with a certain protectiveness in his heart. Maybe she really wasn't as kind or as smart as he was hoping she was, but he'd already decided that whatever was going on, it wasn't right for everyone else to treat her the way they did. And when Minnie finally seemed to excuse herself, she was leaping off the rock, slipping into the water with agile elegance, and as her fin came down, she splashed so hard that water hit Mortimer square in the face. Mickey found himself swelling with pride over that, the sight of his soggy rival stomping off, embarrassed.

Huh. He'd never known Mortimer had a thing for anybody. He was a bit of a flirt with any girl and an extreme idiot, but he looked genuinely put off, almost obsessed. Just another reason to hate the centaur, Mickey supposed.

He sat there in silence, thinking. The mermaids and the angels had forgotten about Minnie and were chatting about other things, then the two groups were ignoring each other again and gossiping amongst themselves. Mickey didn't listen, just thought about Minnie.

She came back sooner than he'd expected she might. She rose quietly from beneath the water after a time, looking this way and that to see that Mortimer was gone. When she saw that he was, to Mickey's amazement and intense admiration, she broke into a sly, saucy little smile. Instead of resuming her old perch, she merely rested her upper body on the rocks, her tail sometimes dipping in and out of the water. Mickey watched, chin in his hand, as she sparkled under the sun, wet and dripping and somehow even more beautiful than before. She continued to smile, her shoulders scrunched up, even as she remained in her own little world. He watched as she spotted a hermit crab looking for a new shell, spied on her as she started collecting it a few choices for a home, holding them up to the crab for size, then setting them down in a row. He saw the hermit crab wave its legs in eagerness over one of the shells she offered, and Mickey actually saw her giggle even if he couldn't hear it. He watched her help the little creature crawl into its new home, watched her wave it goodbye, and decided instantly that she must have been kind after all, just misunderstood.

He could have watched her forever, but the angels were all pressuring him to leave, not understanding why he was still staring in Minnie's direction. Eventually, he found he had no choice. She'd laid her head on her arms and was napping in the sun, fins happily swaying back and forth as they poked out of the water. He had to leave, hoping that he'd get the chance to see her again. But maybe next time, he'd actually say hello.


	2. Unrequited

**A/N: **Itty bitty chapter. Probably not enough to stand on its own, but at the time I wasn't writing with the intention of publishing. Yet here we are~

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The sun was low in the sky, but not quite sunset, when Minnie had arrived at one of her favorite spots. As always she was happy to break free of the other mermaids who were still lounging in the lagoon. They were sweet enough, but bless them, they cared nothing for anything outside of their bubble. Minnie had constantly tried to share with them her findings around the island outside of merfolk territory - of plants and animals, objects and customs observed from some of the more reclusive cultures. But she never received much of a response, and had learned from an early age to keep her curiosity to herself. It was why she never bothered to tell anyone where she was going anymore.

Minnie liked to explore. And in those explorations she had discovered many smaller, nicer places to do her investigating of land life both up the rivers and along the beaches in rocky alcoves and watery caves and the like. The world was so taken with her beauty, but Minnie was so taken with the beauty of the world. Being a mermaid she of course loved the ocean, loved her swimming and her sea flower garden, loved mermaid music and lore, but what she didn't particularly care for was the isolation. And though she'd been asked out by several boys, none had ever asked her to even go to a bacchanal or party even though they were frequent. None of them offered to take her exploring in the woods or fields even though Minnie was willing to go where no other mermaid dared. Well, Mortimer offered to take her to his stomping grounds constantly, but she had no desire for that at all.

No, what Minnie wanted was the world without strings attached. And if she were to ever fall in love with a boy, it'd be with one who could respect that. And Minnie wasn't in love. Or...not exactly.

She just liked to watch him, that was all.

Maybe by now it was turning into a fixation, but Minnie could say that at least the first couple of times, she hadn't meant to stumble across the angel. Now though she did not have that excuse, knowing exactly where she needed to lurk in order to spot him, which was a little ways around the island, and it did require a little climbing, but not so far up that the waves couldn't reach. They could spill over into the great rocky bowl that she would bathe in, and sometimes the waves would reach so high that they would overcome the circular wall of rocks that bordered the land and trickle right down onto the sand and green grass.

It was the most perfect spot a spying mermaid could ask for. Because while she only had to climb a little, beyond the bowl of rock the land dramatically sloped down, past sea level, revealing rolling fields of grass and tall trees and even the foot of a great mountain. This patch of land was bordered by a wall of boulders and cliffs that kept the ocean out, cliffs that seemed tall when looking at them from the land side, but were not so fierce when observing them from the waves. Magical geography was an extraordinary, limitless thing.

Minnie was there now, nestled amongst the rocks, peeking out between them and looking down, and there he was. It was to the point now that whenever her eyes found him, she smiled without considering it first. He simply made her happy.

The angel was almost always accompanied by friends. There was a kindly, gangly fawn named Goofy, a grumpy but enthusiastic water elemental named Donald, a stubborn but mellow satyr named Horace, a great hound called Pluto who seemed rather close to the angel in particular even though he was more animal than any of them, and even a beautiful flower nymph named Daisy that Minnie personally knew and considered to be one of her best friends. But Minnie had never told Daisy of her little...fascination, fearing that the nymph would expose her secret to the very object of her admiration, and so even when Minnie had learned that Daisy was a part of the angel's circle, she never mentioned her exploits. Even when Daisy had introduced Minnie to another member of the group that Minnie recognized, a gossipy but well-meaning fae named Clarabelle, Minnie had kept her mouth shut.

Minnie was wonderful and social when she was in the company of people she knew, giggling and animated and spunky. She was adventurous and daring, independently exploring the island all on her own. But she was shy when it came to meeting new faces, and the idea of anyone mentioning her to the angel in particular was mortifying, and not because mermaids weren't supposed to care for angels, but because Minnie felt woefully unprepared whenever she saw him.

It didn't help that he was constantly surrounded by people. In addition to the regulars there were the other forest spirits, suave Jose and excitable Panchito, the rough and tough stone golem Butch, the wise and bearded but nonetheless spritely sage spirit Nathaniel who the angel would usually chat with one on one. And there were countless others, and that wasn't even mentioning when he'd pal around with other angels his age.

But oh, she could ever see why he was so popular. Minnie had been impressed when she'd first laid eyes on him. And it had been an irrevocable mistake when she overheard his name the way she had overheard all of their names, because then she couldn't forget his name in particular. Mickey.

Mickey was down there now to her delight, just with a small group of his guy friends, none of whom were angels. He seemed more comfortable outside their company, and Minnie liked him when he was relaxed. He was shorter than his friends, but taller than her, she was sure, if only by about a millimeter. He had dazzling blue eyes that were kind and almost always full of laughter. He had a crooked, dimpled smile that could make frost melt, a round, friendly face that was slightly tanned, but with the sort of strong jaw that one imagined could be never shattered in a fist fight. His nose looked like it might have been broken a couple times, but for some reason that appealed to Minnie even more. It was proof that he was just as adventurous and mischievous as he seemed.

His ears were perfectly round, the rest of his skin dark and often peppered with scrapes, and from what she could tell beneath the various things he wore around his arms, he had some muscles lurking under those deceptively slender arms. She'd even seen him without a shirt a few times, and she could definitely testify that under that leather armor was a toned, strong, sturdy looking chest and stomach, and the kind of shoulders that could support anything.

Equally fascinating, perhaps even more so, were the features on him that she couldn't find among her own kind. He didn't have a fish tail or goat legs or anything like that, but instead he had the kind of human-shaped legs that the gods and certain nymphs and spirits had. Minnie liked them, the way they could run so fast, the way his toes twiddled in their sandals when he was thoughtful or bored, the way they bent just before he kicked off and shot into the air...to fly on the most gorgeous wings of all.

They were nothing like a bird's wings, she'd observed those. Similar yes, but these were thicker, stronger, protruding from his delightfully hard and straight back just around where his shoulder blades were. When he stretched them, they extended so wide that Minnie was always shocked and amazed to see it. Each feather was white flecked with gold, champagne, ivory, even a little bit of silver. One time one of those feathers had landed in Minnie's pond after he'd gone for a particularly incredible flight full of tricks and spins, and she had seen up close and with her own fingers that the feather was stiff and straight in the center, yet softer and softer the more you touched it as it glinted happily in the light. Sometimes when he flew and cracked his wings open a certain way or spun, the sun would catch the threads of metallic colors woven in the white and throw them off in majestic light. They were swift and agile too, not just strong. When he flew, Minnie watched and pretended she was up there with him. When he folded them completely around himself in embarrassment, she wondered involuntarily what it must be like to hide in there with him, to see what he looked like when he didn't want anybody to see him at all.

Mickey the angel. He was playing with his friends now, running and gliding and play-fighting. Oh, that was another thing, his athleticism. He was playful but talented and skilled, nobody could fire a bow or command a sword like he could. And he was kind and funny and clever and a bit of a -

Minnie's heart leaped as she thought for an instant he had looked her way, and she was diving behind her rocks for protection, her back pressed against them and turned to the scene. She looked out at the sky, heart still beating fast, and she found herself smiling even as her cheeks turned hot and pinker than they already always were. Of course he hadn't seen her, he never did. It was fortunate, because it wasn't as though she could just pretend that this was a normal place for mermaids to be. To climb up here today Minnie had removed the pearl strings that the other mermaids had draped around her top and cinched them around her hips or else they would have gotten in the way, not that her long hair didn't try, and those starfish weren't helping matters. They pulled at her now, but the ache in her heart was so much worse.

Okay, maybe she was a little in love.

" - Okay, so maybe I DID see sumpthin', what of it? Sheesh, lay off..."

Mickey. Mickey's voice! Minnie peered around the stone she was pressed against, peeking behind it to see why she could suddenly hear what he was saying, and she almost immediately shot back to her hiding place. He was headed up the slope, climbing the rocks with his friends while they talked. Sometimes they ventured this close, but it never ceased to make Minnie panic just a little.

She realized as she sat there, waist-deep in sea water in her pool, that just because she had no problem with Mickey being an angel, that didn't mean he didn't have any qualms with her being a mermaid. If Minnie was honest with herself, that was her deepest fear in the possibility of ever actually meeting Mickey. It would be awful enough if he didn't like how she looked or what she was like as a person, but it would have been downright heartbreaking if those eyes ever found her and immediately turned to disgust because of what she was. Just because he was kind didn't mean he didn't hold the same grudge against her race that the other angels did. Minnie looked at her own tail then, and it flicked back, looking guilty for being itself.

"Ha, I knew it! I knew you were lookin' like a big dope over somethin'..." she heard Donald laugh. "I'd know that look anywhere..."

"Yeah, you would know, ya wolf," Mickey glumly retorted.

"Hey, shaddup," Donald shot back. Like all of their conversations, Minnie could tell that there wasn't any malice in them, just that Mickey and Donald liked to have a go at one another once in awhile. They were so different, and yet they were such good friends that breaking them up was unthinkable. Donald continued, "Anyway, we're talkin' about YOU. How you're moonin' over some girl."

All at once Minnie felt her heart stop and every other function within her, mental capacities included, halt as a result. Girl? Mickey liked somebody already? No, calm down, just listen...

"H-h-hey, I n-never said anything about - about a-any girl - !" Mickey protested, and Minnie nodded in agreement because no he had not. Even though she had not heard the rest of the conversation.

"Lookit 'im, he's gone redder'n fire!" Horace laughed. Minnie wished she could have seen it to assess the truth in this situation.

"Gawrsh, was she a...purty girl, Mick...?" she heard Goofy inquire bashfully. She could almost picture him swaying, turning those deer hooves of his in the dirt.

"Yeah. I mean no. I mean - I - I never said - there ain't no - " Mickey was stammering and Minnie felt her stomach twist. She didn't have to see him to know that his friends were right. In some fashion, Mickey was thinking about someone.

"Aha! It IS a girl! Alright, fess up, who is she?" Donald sounded positively gleeful in having the best way to torment his best friend.

"Issit Angela? Ruby?" Horace suggested. He seemed to be taking pleasure in throwing out these names. "Raven? Robin? Rrrrrowena, perhaps...?"

"No, no, none of - no!" Mickey was sounding more and more agitated, but also more and more like he knew there was no escaping their accusations. Next he mumbled, so softly that Minnie couldn't quite hear it, and she felt a stab of desperation when she didn't. Thankfully, his friends were there to unknowingly help her plight.

"Gawrsh, well if she weren't an angel like you, then what _is _she...?" Goofy asked. Minnie repeated it to herself, almost mouthed the words 'not an angel.' Her heart started beating again, was racing now to get to the finish.

But Mickey was better at keeping secrets than she'd hoped. After a pause, he told them firmly, "M'not tellin'. If I tell ya, I'll never hear the end of it. An' - an' so what if I saw somebody I liked?" Minnie felt a twinge of something painful when she heard a smile creep into his quiet voice. "...If only ya did know, though. Ya wouldn't be able t' blame me. She...she was sumpthin' else...gosh, if only I coulda...I dunno..." He snapped out of whatever spell he was falling under, and with a playful spring in his voice, he announced again. "But I ain't tellin'! Now, last one down th' slope is a rotten egg!"

Minnie heard him take off, she could recognize the sound of those wings snapping open, and she heard his laughter grow more and more distant. There were shouts of surprise and panic as his friends realized what was happening, and their voices too faded as they ran, stumbled after their friend, calling him a cheating, winged so-and-so.

Minnie stayed precisely where she was. Precisely where she'd always been. Out of sight, invisible to the only boy who she'd ever really wanted. She hadn't known how badly she'd fallen for him until now, when it was too late. She was almost in shock, thinking about all the time she had wasted and - and why? Her fin slowly lifted out of the water, dripping apologetically. Minnie couldn't be angry at it though. Could only be angry at herself.

And anyway, what did she even know about Mickey? So much of what she did know was simple observation, a lot of it without hearing him clearly or even at all. But...

Minnie finally peered around her rock, stealing a glance at him. Who knew what he was saying now, so animatedly while he hovered over his friends, out of reach and obviously taunting them. But his laughter was so kind, it was so clear that they were all having fun. For however long she'd been spying on them, Minnie had forgotten that she wasn't their friend at all, just an onlooker. They didn't even know she existed.

She turned back to look down at her reflection in the water. "Well...i-it wasn't meant to be. Never anything serious, just a little crush, that's all," she reminded her mirror image which looked uncertain. "And...and anyway...who's to say it isn't actually you?" She tried to sound optimistic, but as soon as she said it she knew it was an idiotic notion. Her reflection returned her a somber, realistic approach, sadly reminding her, "Angels don't go to Mermaid Lagoon. That's the only place anyone would have ever seen you." Oh.

Minnie and her reflection tried not to tear up, but it happened anyway. She cried to herself quietly for awhile as the sun sank into the sea, wondering to herself if she was ever destined to meet someone like Mickey, instead of being chased by people like Mortimer.


	3. Observations

**A/N:** This chapter is pretty ridiculous and definitely one of the more embarrassing ones. Because I never thought I'd be showing it publicly I decided to be as silly as I wanted to with the behavior of the mermaids and go over the top with Mickey's perspective on how pretty Minnie is. Welp, here you are anyway.

* * *

It was disappointing at first, when nobody brought up going to Mermaid Lagoon the next day, because that left Mickey with no excuses to take another gander at the little mermaid who had plagued his thoughts all night. He had been so tormented, switching back and forth between feeling protective sympathy for her and maddening desire. How was it that nobody at all in the village had any interest in taking in the sights of the lagoon after getting a taste of it?

But...he slowly began to realize, if he snuck off and went by himself, then he could stay for however long he wanted. And maybe - maybe he really would get the chance to talk to her without his buddies pestering him and trying to embarrass him. Besides, he really didn't want anyone else to know that he'd taken such a keen interest in mermaids all of the sudden, even if it was because of the most beautiful one of the bunch.

Making up his mind, Mickey soared to the lagoon all on his own, but when he got there, whatever bold thoughts he'd started thinking about just swooping in and not giving a darn about what anybody thought, he was attacked by sudden stage fright as soon as he saw the merfolk. So he dove into the same tree as last time, almost crashing into its winding trunk, but nobody seemed to notice. Least of all Minnie, since to his despair, she was nowhere to be seen.

M-maybe she was just running late, that was all. He'd wait a bit, and see if she turned up. And then - and then he'd say hello. Yeah. He'd flutter down, barrel right up to her the way Mortimer had - well, no, okay, maybe instead he'd act nothing like Mortimer. Maybe he'd approach her more casual-like. Did girls like assertiveness or aloofness more? As Mickey sat in his tree, whiling away the hours, stomach twisting and turning like a drunken serpent, he wished he'd paid more attention when everybody else talked about courtship or at least introducing yourself to a girl.

But as fate would have it, Minnie never turned up. Eventually Mickey had to face facts, remembering what that one mermaid with the purple and green tail had said about how hard it was to catch Minnie at the lagoon at all. He hated to leave in case she turned up, but he convinced himself to take to the skies instead, feeling morose and disappointed, and yet still playing through in his head how he would introduce himself, muttering his lines as he did so.

He didn't see Minnie anywhere on the beaches that day, and he didn't see her at the lagoon the following day either. Or the next. He was starting to feel like a bit of a creep, lounging in that tree and jumping each time he thought he saw a flash of diamond or pearl scales. But when he wasn't on the lookout for her, with his friends or at home, his mind turned her over again and again. He wished he had a better memory, because he was starting to forget what she looked like. He just hoped that wherever she was lurking, that she was alright. That was what really got him, the idea that Minnie must be miserable somewhere. Little did he know, it was a pretty accurate prediction.

On the forth day, Mickey told himself that he'd only be stopping by the lagoon. If she wasn't there, he'd go about his business, plain and simple. This turned out to be a lie, as he did wait there for a few minutes, but by gosh was it _ever_ worth it.

Minnie emerged from the water, just when he'd started to give up again. His eyes had been lazily scoping the scene, but then they snapped open and he sat up straight as suddenly, looking even more gorgeous than he'd even remembered, she was sliding out of the water onto one of the larger land masses of rock. Mickey broke into a grin, standing up from his perch, because now was his chance -

\- when he was stopped by the fact that Minnie was swarmed by others first. In fact, the first one to join her was a mermaid who had burst from the water - that one he recognized with the pink and yellow tail. She trilled excitedly, "Look who I found, girls! She finally let me drag her out of her grotto. Oh, and guess what, she said she'd play with us!" This caused a bit of a commotion, as nearby mermaids squealed with excitement and swam or slid right on over.

Minnie, Mickey realized upon closer inspection, only wore a weak smile, like she wasn't sure about the whole affair. She was humoring them. What did that mean, what the other girl said? Had Minnie been cooped up at home all this time, rather than go to those mysterious places the others could not comprehend? Mickey found himself settling down, deep in thought and observation. He wanted to rescue her from what looked like unwanted attention, but maybe it wasn't entirely unwanted...?

"So, uh, Minnie, does that mean you'd be up for a little swim...?" a young merman was asking, looking awfully transparent as he grinned slyly, and even reached out of the water and gave her fin a tug. Inexplicably Mickey felt a jealous rage rush through him at this contact. It made no sense at all, he didn't know anything about Minnie. Maybe it was the way she had looked momentarily alarmed and thrown off guard, unable to conjure up a single thing to say, the quietest of protests escaping her lips.

"O-oh, no, I..."

But one of the mermaids came to Minnie's rescue, slapping the merman's hand away with her green tail speckled with gold. "Hands off! Minnie's going to play with _us_, isn't that right, Minnie?"

Mickey wasn't convinced they'd take no for an answer, but they didn't have to anyway, because she merely nodded. It was strange though. From what he'd known of her before, she didn't buy into these little games of theirs. Why now was she being so complacent? Then again, the others had dressed her up the other day, so maybe she gave in every now and again. The angel found himself to be a spectator of a culture he did not understand as he watched the mermaids actually pick Minnie up and reposition her onto a higher point on the rock, like she was on a little stand.

"Oh, let's dress her up first!" a mermaid in red scales suggested, having brought along an assortment of jewelry and was shuffling through the collection in excitement.

"Oh, yes, let's!" agreed another mermaid that Mickey had recognized from the other day, the one with the purple and green. She seemed to have an epiphany, springing up excitedly where she sat. "Let's make her up to be a princess! Wouldn't you like that, Minnie? You'll make the sweetest mermaid princess."

Mickey watched Minnie's reaction carefully as the others chattered away about this exciting prospect. She almost seemed to have a flash of uncertainty, but it was gone so quickly as she put on her sweetest, most cooperative face, smiling. "Um, if you want..." It was the first Mickey had truly heard her voice clearly, and shoot, were they ever right about it being honey-sweet. It was high-pitched and girlish, lilting and almost musical. He found himself hugging the trunk of his tree with one arm for support. He knew he was a dead angel if anybody saw him up there, but they all seemed too occupied with Minnie, and anyway, he couldn't look away now.

"Well of course! You're already like a princess...no wonder why the centaur prince likes you..." the pink one cooed, and she was already sweeping her fingers through Minnie's hair, accomplishing nothing but delighting in the privilege.

Mickey saw Minnie actually wrinkle her nose in disgust before she sweetly offered, a spark of mischief in her eye, "Or...if we're going to pretend I'm a princess...then - then we should pretend another prince loves me instead." She seemed to wait for them to take the bait, and when they did, Mickey almost wanted to laugh. So that was how she didn't go completely crazy, she would gently usher them in better directions. And any direction away from Mortimer was a good direction. He hoped he wasn't just imagining it when he decided that she couldn't have had feelings for that dirty half-horse, not really.

"Ohhhhh, what kind of prince? A prince of the sea, surely..." The mermaids were chatting about this now, making up their stories about a handsome prince who would sweep Minnie off her fins someday. Funny, they seemed plenty irritated with the idea of Minnie getting too much male attention that she was going to reject, yet they all seemed to relish the idea of the beautiful mermaid having a beautiful romance, one that they could watch and bask in the beauty of it. While she probably did deserve a prince, Mickey found himself frowning at the idea anyway. Princes weren't everything. After all, he wasn't one.

The mermaids didn't even seem to be living vicariously through her, or at least it seemed to Mickey, to hear them talk and make up their stories about Princess Minnie. Some of them were even acting out the tales, yet no one was taking her place, just serving as narrators or other characters. Minnie let them spin their yarns, only every now and again guiding them away from ideas that seemed to make her uncomfortable or were going a little overboard.

She was terribly modest, Mickey noticed, never buying into their stories with her expressions even while she smiled and laughed politely, sometimes even correcting their passionate exaggeration about her looks. In this case Mickey had to side with the mermaids. - she really was the most gorgeous pearl, princess-like in her grace, sparkly and perfect like a jewel arisen from the sea. But it was nice that she was so humble, so modest. So she wasn't vain like a typical mermaid.

And she was also shy, he found. Because all the while through all this storytelling, the gaggle of mermaids surrounding Minnie were indeed dressing her up. She did appear awfully sensitive when their fingers brushed along her skin and scales; not that he could blame her, they all seemed to like touching her a little too much by angel standards. She was ticklish in places too, squirming and stifling giggles.

Then came something that horrified Mickey because he was too much of a gentleman to look straight on, yet couldn't keep himself from peeking at. She had been wearing the most modest and plain of seaweed wraps around her chest, yet without warning one of the girls had undone the wrap and tossed it aside. Luckily for her, Minnie's long hair was covering anything vital, and almost immediately her hands had flown up and she was hugging herself, protecting herself from exposure and blushing incredibly pink. Yet she didn't seem entirely shocked, only that she was used to this treatment and yet still uncomfortable with the idea of being exposed, like she'd never grown accustomed to it. They fussed over what to dress her in instead, and Mickey spent much of that time trying to decide how much of his face to hide in his hands and how much he was allowed to look since Minnie was censoring herself anyway. He also felt hypocritically compelled to look about the lagoon, making sure that nobody was looking on in a way that they shouldn't.

Mickey couldn't believe just how much time he spent watching a bunch of mermaids dress up another mermaid. The thing was though...she was so beautiful, was so sweet and likeable...it wasn't just interesting to watch as her hair or her bra or her jewelry or her makeup transformed again and again, but also educational to watch her put up with it.

There were some things that she seemed to enjoy a little, like having her hair combed and being told that she was special. Then other things she seemed to have a harder time responding to, like the other mermaids being too personal or predicting if she'd be more beautiful as a damsel in distress who was kidnapped by dragons or as a seductive warrior princess who slayed sea monsters all by herself. Maybe that was something to kid about with one's lover, Mickey thought to himself, but he thought that coming from these mermaids...they didn't seem to understand some of the dangerous things they were saying or some of the hurtful things they were doing. They only seemed to care if Minnie looked, sounded, acted beautiful whether she was uncomfortable wearing something or hypothetically being fought over by not one prince but two. They were nice, but not very considerate.

By the time they were finishing Minnie's princess crown, Mickey felt he understood her plight better than ever. Not once had anyone mentioned that Minnie was smart or talented. Not once did anyone respond when she happened to light up and start talking about things that Mickey was shocked to hear come from her. She was a mermaid...why was she so interested in what rolling in green grass must feel like while the others weren't? How did she know that pegasi moved in family groups at most but not in herds, and that unicorns were almost always solitary? And when she did talk about these things - land things and sky things - that was when she looked her best. She was interested, passionate. Why couldn't anybody see that...? Minnie was more mysterious than ever - there was a side of her fighting to get out, yet nobody wanted to see it. Except for him.

When Minnie shimmered in her crown, indeed looking like he imagined a mermaid princess might (a drop-dead gorgeous, unreal vision of loveliness), and she was bid to look at her own reflection in the water, the mermaids were praising both her and their handiwork. Some were asking her to do "something beautiful" now, like sing or dance or whatnot. But when someone finally asked, "Minnie, aren't you happy?" she finally became honest.

"No," she murmured, gazing at that reflection. Mickey leaned forward as all the mermaids gasped and uttered their confusion.

"Well, why not?" demanded the snooty blue mermaid from the other day, who looked as though she'd been having fun up until now. " You're gorgeous!"

Minnie looked entirely miserable, gazing down at her lap. "For what purpose? If he doesn't think so, then it doesn't matter. And he never will think so."

Mickey's ears stung with her words. H-he? He was asking himself the same questions the other mermaids were blurting out immediately. "He? What do you mean 'he?' Who? Is there someone you like? Who wouldn't think you were gorgeous? Minnie, what are you talking about?" Mickey almost wished he could fly down and demand it himself. This lovely creature didn't think she was enough for someone? What scum gave her that impression? And...and did she really like someone already...? B-but...but he thought...

All of these questions were upsetting Minnie. She was shaking her head, tugging the crown and its accompanying veil from around her ears, pulling off accessories. "N-no, it's nothing - I - I shouldn't have come - I-I'm sorry, girls, but I - I just - I can't..." She could say no more, obviously choked with tears as she was. Before anyone could stop her - and they did try - Minnie was moving toward the water, and when she was close enough, she dove into it, completely disappearing.

Mickey sat there, utterly stunned. He felt as though he knew both more and less about the pretty little mermaid than when he'd arrived. He had more questions than ever, yet that explained a few things. She'd been hiding at home because some boy had broken her heart. She'd agreed to be dressed up, probably hoping to improve her mood, belong to her so-called friends, maybe feel good enough for said boy.

And her heart...her heart belonged to someone already. Someone undeserving it sounded like, because if Minnie was Mickey's girl, why - why he'd do anything to make her feel special, happy, and wanted. He'd fallen for her from the first, yet now it felt like he had even less of a chance with her than before. And - and that mattered so much less than the fact that she was hurt.

He felt so in pain himself over her liking someone else, yet he felt now more than ever that he needed to meet Minnie for real and correct this mistake she was making about not being good enough. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he had to do something.


	4. A Modest Proposal

**A/N: **Nothing really to say about this one...except that Minnie will get stronger and less timid as time goes on. I'm always self-conscious about that. After all, spunky, spitfire Minnie is the best Minnie.

* * *

It had been rather rude, after all, to brush off the other mermaids like that. They'd only meant well in their special way, and they couldn't possibly understand what she was going through. To them, there was no such concept as something only being beautiful to some people, or that said beauty wasn't everything, or that a mermaid might want something more out of her life.

Minnie could still remember the first time she had ever been brought up to the surface. She'd fallen in love with the heat of the sun, the smell of the air, the promise of the world being far bigger than she'd ever dreamed it could be. And not just in size, since the ocean was quite vast, but in variety. She never wanted to stop swimming with the fish, never wanted to stop being a mermaid, for her heart still belonged to the sea. But she'd always been different. Her values were different, her thoughts different. And on her worst days, she questioned if she belonged anywhere at all. Because even the interesting land creatures showed a lack of understanding in why a mermaid might want the things Minnie did.

Maybe that was why she had fallen so hard, so fast, so easily for that angel boy, Mickey. When she first saw him fly, it was like watching somebody swim in the air. He was a free spirit, and he too challenged ideas, tested limits, broke rules. It was so clear to her that he wasn't like the other angels, because she had seen him with them. The sort of looks they gave him when he talked about exploring the sea or flying far away from the island were looks she knew too well from her own kind.

If mermaids valued beauty and grace above all else, then angels valued a warrior spirit. They could be awfully aggressive, and it was clear that Mickey was admired for his strength, agility, and cunning. But it was apparent that whenever he did something unorthodox, the reaction was less than favorable. And while angels may talk to land creatures, they weren't known to become best friends with them, hanging around them every day the way Mickey did with his best friends. He was different, like her.

In the days that Minnie had stayed at home, she'd thought about all this and questioned if her hurt feelings were legitimate. Maybe she had fallen for all the wrong reasons. She reflected that she'd been awfully shallow herself. And what had she expected to happen, hiding behind rocks all the time and spying? That he would someday notice her and coax her to come out because she was special to him somehow? Nonsense and fiddle-faddle. It was only right that he should find someone to love. He was young, he was kind, he was clever, talented, and fun. Why, he must have been awfully popular with the girls, she realized in her time alone.

But she hadn't spent all that time being reasonable, rationally working things out to get over him. While she did the wise thing in not going to spy on him anymore, she couldn't really stop thinking about Mickey anyway, entertaining her more favorite fantasies. She'd lie in the middle of her grotto and look up at the opening that allowed the sun to shine through, and she'd think about Mickey picking her up and carrying her off into the sky. When they were landed, he'd wrap those wings of his around her so she wouldn't be cold. He'd take her to a party and maybe even help her dance without feet or water to swim in. And mostly, she thought about the things she would ask him. Things she would tell him. Maybe that was what she wanted more than any of it, was someone to talk to. Maybe all this time, she'd simply wanted a friend.

It would be healthiest then, to go and seek out friendship elsewhere. That was why she'd decided to let the mermaids show her their particular brand of fun in a way that was more involved than she'd ever let them before. That had been less than successful because of her emotional outbreak. It had been so silly, and yet Minnie had felt her heart rip little by little, the cracks in it growing longer and deeper the more the others talked about romance and dressed her up. Because she knew the truth and they didn't, that there wasn't some sea prince out there for her, no fairy tale ending. And she could sparkle all she wanted, that didn't make her undesirable. Angels were attracted to shiny things, she had observed with amusement, but Mickey would never be fooled into liking a girl just because she glittered. In the end, she discovered in that reflection, her situation had not changed one little bit.

But that didn't mean she couldn't apologize. And so the very next day, back at the lagoon, she was doing just that, explaining that she hadn't been feeling well and that she appreciated the efforts of the other girls, really she did. They seemed reluctant to forgive her, but in the end decided that there was no reason not to. They still were intrigued by this Minnie who came to Mermaid Lagoon willingly, and now, they had questions. Who was this boy she liked? Did they know him? Why didn't he like her? Was that why she rejected the others?

It was difficult fielding these questions, especially because Minnie was trying to be as vague as possible. The last thing she needed was for her secret to somehow make its way off that rock, head inland, and right into Mickey's ears. She gave away the information that it was no merman, it was no one they knew, and it was certainly_ not _Mortimer. It felt good to have a legitimate excuse for not liking him. Of course, she'd always had a legitimate excuse for not liking him, several actually, but the mermaids had never really accepted those. Now that they knew someone else had snagged Minnie's heart, they understood things a little better. They still thought it was foolish and annoying for Minnie to turn down all those boys, but at least now they could almost grasp why it kept happening.

And this was why Minnie didn't deny having a crush. She might have gone with some narrative about how she was over it and that she didn't want to talk about it at all, but she would have never gotten away with it. And for now, she just wanted to make peace with her sisters of the sea, to try doing things their way, to try and be the mermaid everyone thought she was supposed to be.

In some ways, it was very difficult. In other ways, it was incredibly easy. The other mermaids were easily misled, and that was very helpful. She convinced them that she didn't need to be dressed up today because she was going to sing for them instead, and they could all join in and they'd make music. She didn't need to talk about her crush, because instead, they could play games like collecting seashells and tag and the like. The best thing was when she would convince the others to sunbathe with her, because that meant quiet and thought, all the while she was technically participating with everyone.

Minnie gave this a shot for a couple days, but it was sort of undeniable that she was still feeling unfulfilled. Telling herself to stay away from the land was only making her more miserable, she realized. She liked to explore, collect, and observe. It was who she was. So maybe she'd run into a sight that reminded her of Mickey. That was no reason to swear off her interests, just because of some boy. And really now, wasn't she overreacting? She didn't even know the boy to begin with.

One afternoon Minnie sat up, having had this moment of clarity with a frown, and decided - well, the island didn't belong to Mickey and his friends. And she remembered that why, she had friends on the island herself. Not many, but one of those friends was her best friend, and that counted just as much as ten at least. With this encouraging thought, Minnie abandoned her sunbathing and Mermaid Lagoon altogether, diving into the water and consequentially - although accidentally - sprinkling her fellow sunbathers with water droplets that made them squeal. Minnie popped back out of the water, called, "Sorryyy!" with a little apologetic wave, and then disappeared into the water again, dodging inquiring mermen and rocks. She headed out of the lagoon and along the beach, where not too far away there was the opening to one of the shadier, calmer rivers.

Up this way, not too far, was where Daisy and many of the other nymphs lived. Of course, nymphs scattered themselves all over the island, but this paradise was where they clustered together the most. Minnie liked the nymphs, they somehow seemed calmer than the mermaids despite being playful in their own fashion. They could be awfully judgmental, but mostly, they were concerned about their privacy, and that was much of their reason for running away from mortals and the like on the mainland. Out here, in pure nature, they truly shone. They were creatures with echoey laughs and sly movements, so that sometimes you could never tell if you had seen one or not, especially if they had no desire to be seen.

Luckily, Daisy was one of the more social ones, and she was never too difficult to spot. The various silks and flowers she wore were always quite colorful, and she was never truly one for hiding. Playing hard-to-get, certainly, but not hiding. She was sitting now on the bank in a spot where the sun leaked through the canopy of leaves, and the light formed a golden-silver halo around her. Minnie smiled. Nymphs were good at that sort of thing, looking picturesque without even trying, and being a mermaid, Minnie couldn't say that she was entirely born without an appreciation for beautiful things.

Minnie swam closer, head bobbing above the surface, and then she rested her upper half upon the little bit of land that rose out of the water upon which Daisy sat. "H'llo," Minnie greeted innocently, hoping that Daisy hadn't been taking it too hard that she'd been absent so much.

As a matter of fact, Daisy had. She snapped up in surprise, having been distracted by the daisy chain she was making, and she gawked at Minnie as though she had never seen such a sight. Her bill fell open and them she pursed her lips with a huff, her hands falling on her hips, the rest of her straightening up. "Hello? Hello? That's it, after being gone for a week, I get hello?"

Minnie was struggling with the smile that was trying to cross her face, wanting to respect her friend's wishes, but ultimately she knew that she was going to get away with her crime because Daisy was always forgiving in the end. "Oh, now, Daisy, it hasn't been a week, just a few days..."

"Well for however long it was, it was forever," Daisy insisted defiantly. "You know how I worry! What with you always roaming around where you shouldn't..."

"I've been home mostly. Or at the lagoon," Minnie clarified. She turned her eyes downward, her chin finding her chest, her fingers plucking at bits of grass. She knew Daisy was about to ask why, so she shrugged preemptively, murmuring, "I've been a little blue..."

"And that's different from normal for a mermaid, is it?" Daisy couldn't resist cracking a smirk at her own cleverness. But then her expression softened, and as always, Minnie's transgressions had been forgotten. Minnie was a responsible sort, so she tended to have her reasons for the times when she was flighty. Daisy lifted Minnie's chin up with one hand and shared with her deepest sympathy. "Minnie, dear, what's wrong? I know you hate the lagoon, and - "

"I don't HATE the lagoon," Minnie interrupted with a shy laugh, shaking her head. "I just...don't...fit in there very well, that's all..."

"Be that as it may, it's not like you to be there all the time, otherwise maybe I'd come and visit you for a change," Daisy coolly replied. "Anyway don't change the subject. What's going on? Is it something someone did? Because, oh, if somebody..."

Minnie shook her head, grateful for her friend's dedication and concern, but not wanting Daisy's intervention, especially now that Minnie was too late. "No, nothing like that. I don't need you to go picking fights with anyone for little old me." Daisy raised her brows skeptically, but Minnie shook her head again, smile growing. "Honest to goodness! Just...something didn't work out the way I wanted it to, and so I've been sulking about it. Oh dear, I don't even want to talk about it, I've missed your stories about your friends and the island so much...I've missed coming here...oh, please, Daisy, let's talk about that instead..."

"What? You expect me to just drop it?" Daisy looked incredulous. She tended to stick her beak where it didn't belong, but she especially did so when it was her friends who were keeping secrets. "Minniiiee - " she began, clearly hungry for the story, but Minnie knew Daisy would press anyone to death except for her. Like a lot of people, Daisy recognized that Minnie was sensitive, and she was in fact more perceptive of it. The other nymphs hadn't talked to Minnie when she had first naively greeted them all, they had all stared at her in confusion, but when Minnie had approached Daisy, Daisy had immediately understood that the poor thing was in need of friendship.

And now, all Minnie had to do was mutter softly, "Daisy...please...?" Those big brown eyes blinked slowly, clearly manipulative, but it worked.

Daisy tried to look as though she were quite irritated, but the truth was, she certainly didn't mind getting to be the speaker instead of the listener anyway. She heaved a heavy, tragic sigh, but was flopping onto her own stomach quick enough, resuming her flower chain. "Well, alright, but don't think you're off the hook now..." Minnie giggled, knowing the pun was intentional. "In fact...I know I say this a lot, Minnie, but you really ought to come to tonight's party. Even if it means going with a lame date. If you want to know about the land so much..."

Minnie didn't dignify that possibility with an answer, simply humming, "Storyyyy..."

And so Daisy told Minnie of the latest island goings-on with a growing smile upon her face replacing her look of defeat, and Minnie listened with fascination, trying to imagine the things Daisy was talking about as usual. Here and there a nymph or spirit passed by, but they were no longer alarmed by the sight of a mermaid in their midst. They simply ignored it. And Minnie knew better to only glance at them curiously when they didn't know it. For the first time in days, Minnie's mind was off of her brush with heartbreak, as Daisy prattled on about her own real relationship, the drama between Horace and Clarabelle, the activities of various others. Unfortunately, without realizing it, Daisy came right back around to the source.

"You know my angel friend, Mickey? I think I've mentioned him a couple times. The one who I said would be cute with you. Well anyway, I guess you don't have to worry about me playing matchmaker, since it seems he's finally fallen head over heels for some girl..."

Minnie felt a pang in her chest like the stabbing of a dagger, but didn't let on. Her smile merely vanished, and she kept her eyes on Daisy's fingers as they wove together flowers. "Wh-who is it...?"

Daisy shrugged, eyes widening for emphasis before returning to their natural state. "Nobody knows! He won't tell anybody about it. He's been gone during the day, every day, and nobody knows where to. If you ask me, he must be with her. Secret meetings and whatnot..."

"A-and you're sure he really likes her," Minnie murmured. She felt cold then, even in the sun.

"Honey, I've never seen him like this before," Daisy took no time in stating. "Mickey's never dated anyone that I know of, but boy, is it obvious now. He zones out, he does that slower whistle boys do when they get all moony, he blushes when you try to ask him about it. And usually he'll try to refuse to say anything, but he's terrible at keeping secrets. He gets this goofy look on this face and mentions that she's beautiful and smart and whatnot. I'm trying to be happy for him, we all are, but the secret's _killing_ Donald, and I don't know, you know I don't like secrets either. Something about it seems off. You know I always wanted you to at least _meet_ Mickey..." Daisy looked at Minnie accusingly from the corner of her eye, and Minnie was forced to smile back.

"W-well it sounds like he's already got s-somebody, a-and I d-don't need anybody, really." Minnie was trying to concentrate on not shivering, but it wasn't quite working out. "Y-you know that. A-and - h-he's an angel, right? I - I don't think I'm his type." Minnie's fin raised out of the water as a little reminder.

"Well I guess so, but - hey. Hey, what's wrong?" Daisy had turned her head to look at Minnie directly now, and she looked alarmed.

Whatever was wrong with her appearance, Minnie couldn't say, but she knew she was starting to fall apart again. She shook her head, forcing that smile more. "N-nothing! I - I just have the shivers, that's all. Oh, I must be catching s-something. I - I have to go, I'm sorry, Daisy - l-lost track of the time, so I-I'll just - "

To Minnie's surprise, Daisy caught her wrist. Where Daisy would have been yelling at anyone else, she spoke softly to Minnie here, not hiding that she was genuinely concerned.

"Hey," she murmured. "Come to the party tonight, huh? I don't know what's happening, but - you've always wanted to go anyway, right? It'll do you good. I don't know who all is going, but I'll be there. And if my klutz boyfriend is on time you can finally meet him." Daisy offered Minnie a caring smile.

Minnie wanted to think of a thousand reasons why she should refuse, but in that moment, she couldn't, not in the face of such selfless, rational advice. Minnie winced, but in the end, she did nod slowly. Yes. She'd - she'd go.

Minnie slipped out of Daisy's grip, disappearing back into the river, escaping before the tears started up again.

When she returned to Mermaid Lagoon, she didn't have time to mull things over. She'd been poking out of the water, scooping heavy, dark hair out of her eyes, when the first sight she met was what looked like Mortimer huffily making conversation with a group of mermaids. One of which who now turned and unhelpfully pointed Minnie right out. "Oo, _there _she is!"

Minnie wanted to disappear right then and there, but she froze as Mortimer turned her way, his eyes lighting up with recognition. Then he was turning his whole body, stomping those hooves of his as he plowed through the water. Minnie wasn't so deep that he couldn't reach, and so he'd hooked her shoulder and reeled her in.

" Minnie! Babe! Been lookin' all over for ya! Ya had me worried. Girls said ya high-tailed it outta here already, an' ya know I can't catch ya when ya do that." That was the point, Minnie thought to herself, but instead all she did was make a little noncommittal noise while he found her hand and tugged her closer and slightly out of the water. Mortimer was smirking, but it looked as though he'd grown tired from chasing her shadow all day. "Now that I've hooked ya though..." It was never funny when Mortimer was the one making that pun. "...how's about I whisk ya away and we fool around a bit, huh? What'dya say, doll, t'night's finally th' night, I ken feel - "

"Th-the party!" Minnie squeaked, remembering. Mortimer looked confused, and that was when Minnie had her answer in the matter of transportation, so she elaborated. Minnie's voice and posture grew stronger as she spoke. "There's a party on the island tonight. I - I need an escort since I can't make it there by myself..."

Mortimer was starting to look interested. He slicked his ears back with a smug grin. "Ohh, so ya had me all picked out for a date, huh? Don't blame ya, toots, it's a good chance to show off our relationship..." Minnie grimaced, but couldn't quite correct him yet, because he was leaning in and trying to further his case from before. "Ah, party-shmarty though, there's a party that big every week! C'mon, cutie, we can gab about that later..."

Minnie used all of her force to lurch away, removing herself from his grip. "No, we can gab about it now," she said firmly, a dangerous spark in her eyes. Just because she needed Mortimer, didn't mean she was going to let him play her like a lyre and take full advantage of her. Minnie knew how to play people too. "I'm going to that party, Mortimer, and I'm going to do it right. I'm going to get dressed up and - and I'll expect you to pick me up at sundown." He was trying to interject, but Minnie was rising above it, becoming more shrill. "You'll be taking me straight to the party, no tricks. And - and we're going as friends or we're not going at all."

Mortimer gave an exasperated laugh, his eyes wide and having no idea what to make of this side of Minnie, as he never did. She was going too fast for his feeble brain by suggesting they take things slow, and so he was weak when pursuing a better deal. "Friends!? Aw, c'mon, sweetheart, I know ya've fallen fer me, th' whole island thinks we're t'gether - "

"Well we're not. You'll be taking me, Mortimer, and you'll act civilized, or I'll just have to ask some _other _gentleman to take me to a land party like I've always dreamed." She shot her brows up, waiting.

And to her shock, he actually crumbled. Mortimer looked dejected, then calculating. He was thinking a great deal about this, mouth hanging open, pride in jeopardy. But eventually, he yielded, stealing Minnie's cheek and pinching it. "Aaaaalright, cutie, we'll play it your way. If this is aboutchyer reputation, don't you worry. An' you an' I both know that by th' end, you'll be wanting some action anyway..." He winked, which was clumsy and off balance somehow. But he'd said yes, and now he was turning, looking victorious even though Minnie had engineered the whole situation herself. "Pick you up at nine, babe!" he called over his shoulder.

"Eight!" Minnie corrected in frustration, before sinking down under the water to float and ask herself if this was really worth the trouble. She hoped Daisy was right, about this party lifting her spirits.


	5. At Last

**A/N: **Are you ready for more predictable, overused romance tropes? Of course you are. Here's the final chapter I've written thus far. Hopefully I'll get around to writing another one soon.

* * *

Mickey needed to get his mind off of things. He was starting to realize that his friends were right, that he was acting strangely, that it couldn't be healthy. He wasn't so interested in checking out the party itself, but to sit at home and stew didn't seem like the better option. Anyway, several of his friends were going, so he could always round them up and hit the trail if the bash was too dull. At the very least, the music and the noise would perhaps chase away the sort of thoughts that had been plaguing him.

Mickey had seen it all those last few days. He saw Minnie apologize to the other mermaids even though she didn't have to, saw her trying to make things work, even heard her little cryptic hints about this would-be suitor who she didn't want to speak of. The last he'd seen of her was when she'd been sunbathing that afternoon, and then she'd sat up suddenly as though urged on by some thought, and then she took her leave. He had no way of telling if she'd be back, so after some waiting, he'd gone ahead and left as well.

But darn it all, not once, in all that gazing from afar, had he worked up the courage to go up and talk to her. What was holding him back, keeping him in that stupid tree? Usually when Mickey cared about something, he would rashly dive right in and face the consequences as they came. but he'd never liked a girl before. The mermaids obviously weren't helping, as they didn't give Minnie much privacy and lately she wasn't doing much to separate herself from them like when he'd first seen her. He imagined that if he flew down there the mermaids would either be disgusted or they would all start giggling with interest, and he didn't know which was worse. Either way, he decided that Minnie wouldn't like it.

No, he needed a perfectly natural excuse to talk to her. You don't just walk up to a girl and say you like her, plain and simple, surely. Although that seemed to happen to Minnie as frequently as everyone had hinted at, and each time Mickey had looked on with mounting desperation. One of those fellas might strike her fancy someday, and he'd have no one to thank but himself. He'd run through every possible scenario of how he'd say hello, how he'd approach her, from confident and bold to casual and laid-back, but all of them seemed like rubbish when he was gearing up to take the plunge.

A party was probably exactly what he needed. Mickey wasn't shy with other people – not always anyway - and being surrounded by friends, he might forget about how he was a completely spineless fool harboring affections for some girl who didn't know he existed and probably never would.

Shoot, though.

She was some girl. If she were merely a pretty face, he could have survived. But she seemed so nice too, so smart and funny - at least to him, because while she said things that confused the mermaids, he was stifling laughter up in the branches over her witty comments. There was just something about her, something that told him she was so much more than anyone on land, in the sea, or up in the air even knew.

Mickey could practically see her as he swirled the wine in his goblet, which he'd taken a grand total of two sips of. It wasn't even very strong, so any plans he had of knocking himself out in a thoughtless, and therefore Minnie-less stupor, were for naught unless he planned to drink half the fountain. Music was playing, people were talking, dancing, and laughing, but the festivities were proving to be less interesting than he'd hoped. Also, there was a distinct number of centaurs from Mortimer's clan, and they had a way of turning a party into something obnoxious and mean-spirited. But where was Mortimer himself? Mickey wondered as he looked around the moonlit field that was all alight with fairy lights of many colors. It wasn't like him to miss something like this, not when his goons had crashed the event.

Mickey took another sip of wine. Mortimer had the hots for Minnie. He still wasn't over that. Imagine, the only girl he'd ever cared about being menaced repeatedly by that buffoon. Mortimer picked on lots of girls, but apparently, he picked on Minnie the most. Was it because she was so desirable, or was it because she repeatedly rebuffed his affections? If one could call it that. Mickey didn't like the couple of times he'd seen them interact, the way the centaur would get all grabby and the little mermaid would recoil. It was none of his business, yet he thought of it constantly. Maybe Minnie needed a champion, that was all. Someone to look out for her. Well, if she didn't care for Mickey trying to be her boyfriend, she might be interested in a bodyguard who knew how to best Mortimer.

Mickey was pondering this when Horace came marching up from the dance floor, his arm around Clarabelle. "Mick, those centaurs are hoggin' th' place like ya wouldn't b'lieve."

"And they're _so_ rude," Clarabelle the fae added, inspecting her dress, the hem of which was torn and covered with horse hoof prints. "Look at this! Look! After all Daisy's fine work, my dress in shambles!"

"Anyways, we're ditchin'. I've already rounded up Don, Daisy, Goof - we're thinkin' a bonfire on th' beach," Horace explained. He looked tousled and flustered, like he'd just had a shouting match with one of those centaurs. Knowing him, he probably had.

Mickey was more than agreeable to this plan, nodding easily enough. "Fine by me. I ain't been gettin' anything outta this..." He set his still mostly full goblet down, following Horace and Clarabelle as they pushed their way through frolicking creatures of varying shapes and sizes, musicians that had wandered away from the larger band and were merrily dancing around, and of course shoving centaurs that trampled on the ends of Mickey's wings on purpose. To leave it all behind was an immense relief.

He plodded along through the woods with his friends, on their way to catch up with Donald, Daisy, and Goofy, when Mickey caught something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped, peering to the left and seeing through trees and brush the faintest glimmer of something in the moonlight. Stardust, was his immediate thought. C-couldn't be though, that was impossible. She was a mermaid, she wouldn't be this far inland, there wasn't a river for miles. But as he focused his attention on that direction, Mickey swore he could hear not one voice, but two, and both sounded familiar...

"Hey, Mick! What's th' holdup?" Horace was asking over his shoulder. He and Clarabelle were well ahead, halted in their tracks.

Mickey's curiosity was getting the better of him, and he found himself waving the older couple on. "Y'all g'wan ahead. I'll - I'll catch up with ya. Meet ya at th' beach. Sumpthin' I need t' see..." He didn't wait for a reply, although he did hear that Clarabelle and Horace were holding a hushed tiff over whether this had anything to do with Mickey's secret girl and if that was any of their business. Their voices did fall away though, as did their footsteps, and so he assumed that he was alone now, save for the two voices he was approaching. He didn't sneak, just walked straight forward, feathers brushing the leaf-strewn ground.

"Just take me to the party, Mortimer, please. You know I don't want - you know I just wanted to go to the party - " a girl was pleading, and Mickey stopped in his tracks. It was her. Or at least, it sounded exactly like her. It couldn't be her, yet it was exactly her voice, and she was talking to Mortimer...

Mickey started walking again, faster and faster, as Mortimer replied, "Look, doll, th' games were cute for awhile, but now I'm gettin' wrung out. Ya lead me 'round and 'round, an' all I ever get is water in th' face. C'mon, show some appreciation, huh...?"

"I-I never lead you on, I - I said - I never said - Mortimer, _stop_!"

Mickey ripped through the last bit of brush and there they were. It was worse than he thought - and shocking too, because he really was looking at Mortimer - and at Minnie, for the first time away from the lagoon. It seemed impossible for her to be here, away from the sea, moonlight caught in her hair, all dressed up like her mermaid friends had gotten to her again. But she was pinned to a tree. Mortimer had her by the middle and her hands were on his shoulders, trying to push him away, her tail slapping against his legs and the bark. She was squirming, squealing as Mortimer was trying to steal a kiss.

Of course, all of that ceased when Mickey belted out a simple, commanding, infuriated, "Hey!"

Both Mortimer and Minnie looked shocked, but in entirely different ways. Mortimer was irritated by the interruption. Minnie, for her part, looked as though she were about to faint, the color draining from her face as she gaped at Mickey. It was bizarre, but Mickey could almost swear she knew who he was already or something, like he could see the recognition in her eyes.

This was of course because she did recognize him, and in that moment, Minnie felt so humiliated and small, wanting to shrink until she disappeared entirely. It was awful enough to be caught in a moment like this, but of all people to be caught by, why him? Minnie wasn't sure whether to go limp or stiff as a board, wasn't sure if her heart ought to be beating fast or if it should stand still entirely. She chose paralysis, because in all of her time fantasizing about meeting Mickey for herself, she could have never predicted an encounter like this. He'd just burst right on in, like he'd never been too far behind at all.

"Well, well!" Mortimer sneered, not relinquishing his grip on Minnie. "If it ain't my old pal, Mickey!" He pretended to smile, but it abruptly disappeared. "Beat it, ya overgrown turkey, I'm busy." His back hoof stomped, his tail flicked as though shooing away flies, and Mortimer returned to this business of his, and Minnie resumed her squirming, although she seemed to be in a bit of a shock. Her hands were going for his face now, but they weren't working the way she might have hoped. She barely had the strength to squeal again.

"Leave 'er alone!" Mickey snapped, and he meant it. It didn't matter, even if he'd never seen Minnie before in his life, even if he didn't have feelings for her already, he would have been standing up for her all the same. Mickey burned inside at the sight of Minnie being treated so shamefully. His wings flapped so that he was hovering in the air now threateningly, leaves scattering below him.

He had Mortimer's attention again, and he certainly had Minnie's. Minnie gazed up at Mickey in wonder and admiration, thinking to herself that she ought to flee as was her instinct, and she might have done so had she been near the water. But she could only watch as the boy - who she believed wouldn't care for her in any capacity - was actually standing up for her. She'd always known he was brave and noble.

Mortimer's opinions on the matter differed greatly, and he whirled around, tucking Minnie under his arm instead, where she clawed and punched at his side to little effect. She'd been fighting all night, ever since Mortimer had picked her up, headed for the party, and then veered away from it. It had been a ruse all along, and she felt stupid for having fallen for it. But Minnie had some strength in her yet, in places where Mortimer hadn't thought of.

"You don't scare me!" Mortimer scoffed. "What'dya care anyhow? This is my girl an' I can do whatever I wa - " Minnie interrupted with a sound thwack! along his side, her tail hitting him in the ribs with all of her might. Mortimer yowled, dropping her instantly, but before she could crawl away she felt him grab her by the tail now, dragging her along the forest floor.

That was, until, Mickey had found Mortimer's collar, seized it, and with the efficiency of a professional, he punched Mortimer so hard in the jaw that there was a sound crack when his knuckles made contact. He went again for the eye, and once more, despite this fleshier, softer target, Mickey punched so hard that it was audible. Minnie watched all of this in astonishment. She'd never seen just how much damage Mickey could deal out, and he looked horribly impressive then, his eyes cold and determined and furious. And...it was for her...? Well Mortimer had said Mickey's name, clearly they were already enemies, but...

"I said leave 'er alone!" Mickey growled, kicking the arm of Mortimer's that was still clinging to Minnie's tail so that now he had no choice but to release her. She yelped as Mortimer recklessly swore and bucked, those heavy hooves falling so near to her, and she actually saw, looked up just in time, a look of alarm and concern cross Mickey's face as he glanced down at her. Directly at her. Mickey had really, actually looked at her. And perhaps it was that threat to her that gave him the strength to not only fend off an enraged Mortimer who was trying to rip into him, but to toss him bodily onto his side. Mickey had flipped him over and away from Minnie, and the centaur went crashing down.

Mortimer staggered to his feet, completely thrown not only literally, but in the matter of his own egotistical expectation. His hand was on his jaw, and while he looked enraged, he also seemed to be more afraid than he'd let on before. He knew somewhere, deep down, that Mickey was no pushover. And maybe he wanted Minnie, but he didn't need this kind of aggravation to get her. There were other ways that suited his cowardly nature better. For now, he stumbled about, dizzily looking at Minnie who was sitting upon the ground, tail drawn up to her chest, eying him.

"Babe!" Mortimer shouted. "C'mon! Yer just gonna let this punk - " She had turned away from him, squeezing her eyes shut, and Mortimer got the message before she had even telegraphed it properly. "Aw, so that's how it is, huh? Fine! Just spend th' night out here for all I care, you'll come crawlin' back!" Mortimer jabbed a finger in Mickey's direction. "Next time I see you, feathers, yer dead!" Mickey didn't bother with a reply, seeing as how Mortimer was already turning, trampling off back towards the party, ripping through bushes and stumbling into trees, head no doubt spinning from the wallop it had taken. Let him go complain to his centaur buddies, there were more important things.

When Mickey turned to look at Minnie, to drift back down to his feet, all of that planning and speculating he'd been doing was forgotten, and he said what was most important to him at that moment. "Hey...you okay? He didn't hurt ya, did he?" He was kneeling to her level.

Minnie opened her eyes, looking at him and immediately feeling overwhelmed by the welcome sight. In that moment she would have wanted anybody to help her out of her predicament, yet never would she have expected it to be Mickey, who she hadn't even known would be around, and really, wasn't he the one that she would have wanted to save her anyway. Yet her shyness was still getting the better of her, especially after being the center of such nasty attention. Mickey who she'd watched for so long was now looking right at her, asking with genuine concern if she was alright. All Minnie could do was nod, quietly utter, "Uh huh..."

Mickey sighed with relief. She seemed to be maybe a little afraid of him, but not altogether displeased that he had intervened. After stressing so much about talking to her, interrupting a disgusting thing like that had been the easiest thing in the world. Still running on that energy of determination, Mickey found that it was also easy enough to reach forward, sliding his hands beneath her tail and around her back. "Here, lemme help you up...ally-oop..."

He lifted her into his arms, and...geez. It felt nicer than he could have imagined. She felt nicer than he could have imagined. Everything about her was just about as soft as she looked. Her skin and scales were cool from the night air, but it felt nice. The mermaid was incredibly light in his arms, fitting into them quite perfectly. Her silky hair brushed against him, his nose detected the subtle scent of flowers and the ocean...and because of all that sensory overload, he became stupid again. A crooked, shy smile growing on his face, Mickey murmured helplessly, "H-h'llo."

Minnie had been staring with wide eyes, reacting with a small gasp as he picked her up, like he wasn't disgusted by her at all. He was even kinder than she had expected him to be, treating her with a gentleness she hadn't seen him treat anybody with before. It was like meeting Mickey, yet meeting someone entirely new at the same time, a side of himself that nobody had seen yet, except for maybe that crush of his who she had forgotten all about. He was doing his best to hold her in a way that wasn't overstepping his bounds, clearly not trying to claim her for himself after besting the last boy who had tried. His strong arms simply cradled her as much as they needed to, respectful and now, to her delight, quite shy himself. It was Minnie who unconsciously filled in the gap, leaning in closer, her arms sliding around his neck, even while she was blushing.

"H-hi," she breathed back in wonder. He was so warm, just like the sun.

And for a moment, they simply gazed at one another, both thinking their thoughts of attraction, both entranced in the person they had so longed to see up close. And now they weren't just looking, but holding one another, almost like they'd been wrong about destiny all along, because now it seemed to gently push them together instead of keep them apart. Blue eyes and brown eyes probed and memorized each other, bodies huddled together against the cool night air. Something tugged at Minnie's lips, willing her to smile, but it wasn't all the way done, just a dazed almost-smile. For that good moment when she and Mickey were simply observing one another, they'd forgotten why they had resisted talking to one another in the first place. Minnie was no longer a mermaid who supposedly pined for some unknown young man, Mickey was no longer an angel seeing some mystery girl. For that moment, everything made sense.

It was Mickey who woke up first becoming aware of the fact that he was the one holding her, and therefore it was his opinion on what they ought to be doing was a little more obvious. Then again, those slender arms were wrapped about his neck so willingly...he could have melted right there. Instead, he worked up the nerve to talk. "Sorry about that - that creep. Somebody oughtta teach him a lesson, y 'know. I - I'm sorry fer bargin' in, it's just I was walkin' along an' I heard...well it seemed...um...yer - yer Minnie, ain'tchya...?"

Minnie might have launched into a hundred reasons as to why it was perfectly acceptable that Mickey had done what he did to that scoundrel Mortimer, but then she was shocked to hear her name come from Mickey's lips. He knew who she was - she wasn't a nobody to him after all. Was she dreaming this...? Maybe she'd fainted in Mortimer's arms and this was all made up. She nodded anyway, because it all felt awfully real for an illusion, and she was sitting up a little straighter, her fins curling in anticipation. "Why - why, yes. How did you know...?"

Mickey became warm and slightly red, knowing darn well how he knew. But he doubted Minnie would ever take to him if she knew the truth right from the start. Talk about being a creep - at least Mortimer didn't skulk about in the shadows the way Mickey had been doing. Luckily, he had another reason that was sort of true. "O-oh, I - I jus' heard aboutchya, that's all. Pretty little mermaid who that rat Mortimer likes...an' - an' I'll bet there ain't a single other mermaid with a diamond dust tail like yers."

Minnie's breath caught as she glanced at her tail in a moment of reluctance. She fleetingly remembered that bit of trivia about angels liking shiny things, thought of how many creatures seemed to only care about her rare tail, but then Minnie's logic caught up to her. She couldn't just pretend that Mickey had only cared about her tail, that was unfair to him. He'd just saved her when he didn't have to, seemed genuinely concerned with her well being.

"Anyway," Mickey continued, shifting from one foot to the other, which was fascinating to Minnie because she could feel him doing it. "I'm - "

"Mickey," she finished before she could even think about it.

"Huh?" It was Mickey's turn to feel a little rush of confusion and intrigue. How this perfect girl knew about a do-nothing angel was beyond him. As far as he knew, he'd never done anything to warrant fame. It seemed silly for the island's most sought after - yet isolated - girl to know who he was. Maybe...maybe the mermaids knew what he'd been up to somehow, and suddenly he felt nervous.

Minnie did too for a moment, undergoing her own dilemma on whether or not to tell the whole truth or just some of it. She settled on the latter, because there was no way she could tell Mickey that she'd been watching him like some eerie stalker. "U-um, well...I have this friend. She's a flower nymph, her name is Daisy. She's told me about all her friends on the island, and a few times she's mentioned an angel with white wings, round ears, like you...so...so you must be him, right?"

Mickey stared at her, dumbfounded, processing the information that one of his good friends had been in contact with the mermaid he'd been pining over all along. It wasn't like Daisy to keep such a secret - and the one time when it really would have benefitted from it too. He couldn't help it - he issued a warm laugh over the irony. "Ya know Daisy? Crimony, she ain't never mentioned knowin' anybody like you. Shoot, when I get ahold of her, I'm gonna have t'...h-hem." Mickey remembered himself, and in that second of quiet recollection, while Minnie wondered to herself just what Mickey meant by all that, he heard the distant music of the party and remembered that he was the one detaining Minnie.

"Oh, uh, um - th' - th' party, I guess ya wanna go - " But Mortimer would be there. Mickey abruptly changed tracks. " - o-or I could help ya get home, I-I mean I assume ya need a ride, can't jus' leave ya - u-uh..." But really, Mickey didn't want to part ways. They'd barely exchanged words and he was already talking about sending her on her way like some kind of doofus. Maybe he was imagining it, but even Minnie seemed disappointed by these suggestions. And really, it wasn't fair to deny Minnie a night out when he knew she'd always wanted one, just because some cretin tried to take advantage of her. That was when Mickey remembered. "Or - or - say! U-um, well, gee, my friends an' I - we were leavin' th' party already, gonna have a bonfire on th' beach instead. An' - an' Daisy will be there! It'll be fun, honest, much more fun than that dumb ol' pony show back there anyway. An' I'd take ya home afterwards. Ya...ya wanna go?"

Minnie could hardly believe what she was hearing. At first, she really had thought he might abandon her somehow, even if it was with a nice ride home. He had no obligation to take care of her, had done enough already. And as he spoke of that bonfire, she thought for a few seconds that he really was asking just to be nice. But she saw a spark of excitement in his eyes, heard actual pleading and hope in his voice, and she couldn't deny the happiness that was swelling inside of her until she was smiling truly now, dazzling and shining and real. He was asking her - her! - to come and spend time with him and his friends. Suddenly everything that had happened up to that point was entirely worth it. She didn't know how, but suddenly, she was with the one she'd always admired.

"Oh!" she gasped excitedly, giving his neck a squeeze, beaming. "I'd - oh, I'd love to."


	6. First Impressions

**A/N: **Looooooots of stuttering in this chapter. Mickey stutters a lot in canon already, and Minnie seems to follow his lead sometimes. Meanwhile, in an earlier chapter I stated Donald was a tree spirit, but I've decided that he's probably a water elemental. Originally I only wanted Minnie to be related to water, but for Donald, it makes much more sense, and considering I've made José a wind elemental and Panchito a fire elemental, it only makes sense. So that's going to be retconned.

Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and given me feedback in one way or another on this fanfic so far!

* * *

It was really happening. Minnie could feel the angel's every footstep and the subtle way his body would shift each time he put a foot down and then pushed off again. She didn't question why they weren't flying to their destination, because honestly as much as Minnie wanted to try, she was too wrapped up in him. This way they could talk. She'd never known until this moment how badly she had wanted to feel like she was walking too, and in Mickey's arms, she really was. And he was so…close. Every breath he took saw Mickey's chest rising and then falling again, right against her own body which was huddled against his for warmth. She shivered, although at least half of this was from her own excitement and nervousness.

"Ya chilly?" Mickey was asking, looking at her with curious eyes and that sweet, handsome, shy smile of his. Before she could answer his wings were folding around her even as they walked, and suddenly Minnie felt completely embraced in a warmth that she could feel right down to the bone. It was nicer than she could have described, and surely she must have been blushing then. Or, more than she already had been. Mickey was holding her. And talking to her. Looking at her. And he'd helped her too. How did she ever find herself in such a nice position…?

"Thank you," Minnie replied with a shy smile of her own, finally remembering her manners.

"Heh, no problem. Got enough t' spare." Mickey gave his wings a slight flex, and accidentally his feathers tickled her bare skin and Minnie giggled. Her laughter was infectious, and he started chuckling too. It rumbled healthily from his chest, causing Minnie to unconsciously cuddle up to him even more.

"Oh my, it must be nice having wings," she breathed in awe. Minnie let her eyes roam over them, and she found that even with only the moonlight streaming in through the trees, they still shone with silver and gold fibers. "Getting to fly all over, having something soft to sleep on wherever you go…"

Mickey gave another small laugh, shrugging, which made Minnie in his arms rise and then fall with a little bounce and her stomach twisted in delight. "Aw, they're alright, I guess. Kent complain. Kinda get in th' way sometimes, but I'm pretty fond of 'em. I'd be an awfully pitiful angel without 'em anyway." He smiled in a way that made two lovely dimples appear which Minnie took a liking to right away. "What about – well what about – " He seemed unsure, hesitant and too shy to say what he was thinking, but then he made the effort. " – that tail, issit handy? I mean – I mean not _handy_, but ya know what I mean – uh – do ya?"

Minnie grinned, her tail giving a little swish before curling up on itself as she found amusement in this cute fumble of his. "Aw, it's alright," she mimicked, also giving a light shrug like he had. "Without it, I'd guess I'd be about half of what I was."

Mickey's eyes widened at that, surprised at this candid and easy humor coming from such a shy little thing, and then he was laughing all over again. So far, she was just as pleasant as he had always hoped. A little soft-spoken and shy of course, but shucks, was she ever cute and interesting, not to mention so very sweet. How anyone could have treated her so roughly, he would never understand. Mickey found himself glancing down at her frequently, and each time he did, he felt a little warmer, felt a little bolder, like he could fly a hundred laps around the island and never get tired if it was for her sake. "Guess ya got me there," he was saying when he could speak again, and then his own shyness latched onto his tongue as Mickey thought about the stark differences between Minnie and himself.

Minnie was thinking about it too, about how natural it felt to be in his arms…yet it was incredibly strange for an angel to be carrying a mermaid like this. It felt like she belonged right there, taking an easy stroll with him through the woods…but there were reasons why this hadn't been possible before. They were only here because of extraordinary circumstances. Minnie sobered, nibbled on her lip. "I'm really sorry to be burdening you like this. I should have never come out here in the first place, I know, but – well…"

Mickey raised his brows in interest at this, and he had grown serious and contemplative as well. "A-ah, no, ya ain't – a-ain't no trouble, I – I was in th' neighborhood anyway, an' – " _And spending the evening with you is exactly what I wanted to be doing anyway .Probably for every evening after this too. _Mickey shook these inappropriate thoughts of his own mind, and then he couldn't help but blurt out, " – an' yeah. But, um – what were ya doin' with Mortimer anyhow? I – I mean, that's none of my business, m'sorry, I – "

Minnie shook her head quickly. "No, no, it's alright! I just wanted to go to the party, you see, and I thought – well, I needed help getting there, and – " It sounded an awful lot like she was trying to use Mortimer, now that she was conveying her little plan aloud. Minnie was fiddling with an odd strap on Mickey's spaulder without quite meaning to, as was her habit to get antsy fingers when she was nervous. Typically she'd start playing with her own hair or smooth her scales, but she was unconsciously fascinated by these odd clothes he wore. " – I just meant for him to take me as a friend, I never meant – i-it's not like that between us."

Mickey wanted to breathe a sigh of relief at that. He'd overheard that nasty conversation between Minnie and Mortimer before he had intervened, yet he hadn't been so sure of the truth anyway. Contrary to what Minnie believed, he couldn't see it as her using anybody, especially seeing as how he already knew that Minnie had a keen interest in the island, and anyway, Mortimer of all people would have deserved it even if she had harbored ulterior motives. Mickey was eager to express this, so much so that he was stumbling over his own words even more now. "I know! No – I mean – I – I didn't know – I, gosh, uh –w-well, I just mean that – that – he had no right treatin' ya like that, that's all." This last part he was able to deliver firmly, and it was because it was something he believed in with every fiber of his being, no matter how pitiful his being probably was.

Minnie's breath caught, and once more she felt that strange sensation that had overcome her when Mickey and Mortimer had been fighting, of feeling just a little bit uncomfortable and small, yet at the same time, like things would work out alright, because Mickey would see that things turned out that way. All her life, she'd always felt uncomfortable and small, but nobody had ever defended her like that before. For so long, she had even wondered if maybe she deserved to be taken advantage of, if that was the way the world worked since it had been all she had ever known. Everyone objectified her, everyone acted against her wishes, and no one had ever stood up for her. The fight in her had been chipped away, bit by bit, to the point that Minnie had forgotten how to defend herself.

And here Mickey was, doing it for her. It made Minnie want to believe in her own independence again. "You really think so?" she half-whispered, almost afraid to hope that he had actually said what she thought he had. She might have been imagining it, but it almost felt like Mickey was holding her a little tighter then, straightening up, his jaw setting…just like he always was whenever she'd seen him be passionate. If hearts could sing, hers would be doing so now.

"I know so," Mickey murmured in return, his voice unwavering and determined, low and unbreakable. His stuttering problem had disappeared for the time being, and he had forgotten to be self-conscious about what he was saying. Mickey was talking in something he stoutly believed in, and that always did wonders for his speech impediment. "Gal like you bein' picked on by a big sorehead like him…it's enough t' make a guy sick. If I could punch that louse in th' face one more time, heck, I'd wait in line an' pay a fee t' do it. If ya said ya wanted t' go as friends, he shouldn'ta laid a single finger on ya. Mortimer's a dirty creep, always has been, always will be. Why, if I had one more go at him, I'd…" Mickey caught Minnie's eye, realizing that he had gone on for quite awhile about it. He blushed, averting his eyes and shrugging. He hoped he hadn't come off too strong. "Anyway…m'just glad I got there b'fore… b'fore anything happened," he murmured, wincing slightly at his own forwardness.

Minnie was silent for what felt like forever, but her eyes upon him were soft, not at all criticizing him for overstepping his bounds. Rather, Minnie was gazing at Mickey in deepest wonder and awe, trying to understand how someone could be as noble and passionate as him. She had seen Mickey get worked up over what he considered injustice before, but she would have never known to expect to hear him talk that way about anything to do with her. Without entirely understanding where she got the courage from, Minnie found her head drifting down, down…and she rested against his shoulder, her eyes falling shut. In that moment she simply appreciated how it felt to be held by him, to rest in the comfort and safety of his embrace. "So am I," she murmured in return, unaware of the way Mickey's heart was threatening to burst through its confinement.

He must have been dreaming, surely, Mickey thought to himself, even though the ever so slight weight on his shoulder was too real to ignore, along with the appealing scent of the salty ocean mingling with flowers that seemed to naturally belong to her. Some of that silky hair had fallen over his arm and he could feel it brushing his skin where his arm was bare between his gauntlet and sleeve. It was a strangely breathless, tight feeling, carrying Minnie through the deep dark woods, yet only being able to hear the sound of her breathing and his own in addition to the slight crunch of his sandals crushing fallen leaves. The island was so vast, and yet Mickey felt strongly as though he and Minnie must have been the only two living creatures upon it. He was almost too terrified to look at her while she relaxed against him, yet the moonlight seemed to be constantly bidding him to do so, pointing out that pretty pale face, that shimmer in her hair, that sheen to her dark, creamy skin.

His thoughts were only interrupted when he heard Minnie quietly ask him next, "How do you know Mortimer?"

Mickey had to lick his lips about twice to find any saliva in his mouth at all, what with the way his pounding heart was sucking him dry. He might have run his sweaty hands along his own trouser legs had he not been holding onto Minnie. The change in topic was a welcome enough one. "Oh…just…guess we've always kinda bumped into each other. An'…every time that happens, somebody loses a tooth. Usually him." Mickey cleared his throat, rolled his shoulders awkwardly. "Never…never could stand 'im. He's a pain alright." Mickey glanced ahead as they passed through a moonlit clearing with an abundance of swaying flowers, before he bravely glanced at Minnie again, curiously inquiring, "He's been botherin' ya for a long time…?"

Minnie's eyes fluttered open and Mickey's quickly snapped back to the road again. She averted her eyes as well, gazing at her own shimmering, scaley lap. "I suppose. I know I'm not th' only girl he flirts with, but…" Minnie shrugged, or as much as she could in her current position. "…the other mermaids think I'm special to him or something. I don't really know."

"He'd be nuts t' pass you up," Mickey muttered aloud before he could stop himself, and then he blanched, wide, stark eyes turning on Minnie, as though hoping against reason that she hadn't heard a single word he had said, but apparently he had because her cheeks flushed anew and she blinked, like she wasn't certain of what she had heard. "I – I – er – w-well, yer jus' – yer pretty nice. That's all."

No, that wasn't all. Not even close. Mickey wanted to curse his own stupidity, because that had been his moment to tell her all about how fantastic she was. But he wasn't supposed to know any of that stuff in the first place, he dutifully reminded himself. Mickey had to silently curse himself again for not getting to know Minnie properly in the first place, rather than this odd charade he was putting on.

For Minnie's part, she wasn't sure exactly what to think. Nice could mean a lot of things. And at any rate, there was already a girl that Mickey seemed to think was rather nice, she remembered painfully. It was nonsense to think Mickey would harbor any jealousy for Mortimer on her behalf. He had never seen her before, didn't know her. Mickey had always been about doing the right thing.

Minnie shrunk in his arms for an instant, fighting her own despair before she was able to force a weak smile onto her face. "I don't know about that, but…" Minnie shrank a little more, her tail curling, and she wasn't sure what she ought to be saying. If she had had any reason to believe Mickey might be interested in her, this might not have been so difficult. But he wasn't single, and she wasn't an angel. "…a-anyway. Thank you. For…for saving me."

She was recoiling, he could feel it. As desperately as Mickey wanted to save the situation, he didn't know how. He was so utterly lost in the realm of girls, so devoid of any understanding in what precisely was transpiring between them. Did she hate him? Well that seemed to be a drastic thought, but it came suddenly nonetheless. After all, he was just some chump she'd never met, flying in out of nowhere and whisking her away to who knew what. Come to think of it, did she know what a bonfire was? He couldn't exactly think of how it would be a common occasion for a mermaid. Mickey was squinting, confused over his own thoughts, his tongue tying itself into knots, his lips feeling as useless and uncontrollable as rubber.

Fortunately, he was saved from having to figure out what to say next. Unfortunately, he was only saved because he had nearly run right smack dab into Goofy.

"Gawrsh – what in th' heck – oh! Hiya, Mick! Ahyuck!" Goofy's head nearly sank completely into his torso as he bounced in laughter, up and then down, his dangling, long ears flopping gleefully. He had his arms wrapped around a hazardously arranged assortment of branches and moss, and he had a few twigs sticking out of his pockets, his sleeves, and his hat besides. If Mickey hadn't known any better, he would have mistaken his best friend for a walking scarecrow. "We was wond'rin' where ya'd got yerself off tuh! Thought maybe ya'd walked out on us tuh go find yer – " Goofy paused, deciding to lean forward for this next bit of juicy information, a look of sheer delighted bashfulness crossing his face. " – _yer lady friend_," he whispered so loudly that it hardly constituted a whisper at all.

Mickey stood rooted to the spot, his face alit with fresh fire and humiliated red. That was right. His crush. The one everybody knew about. And here he was, waltzing on in with a pretty girl nestled in his arms like he'd bagged her at the marketplace or won her in a fish scooping contest.

"Uh," he croaked foolishly, incapable of any sounds resembling speech.

Minnie for her part had frozen in Mickey's arms, and she was blushing a pretty pink and curling up shyly on herself. She wasn't sure what to make of Goofy interfering, since she had only ever seen him from afar, and she was more uncertain about what he could have possibly been making of her. She'd never seen any of Mickey's friends around Mermaid Lagoon, and she hadn't been sure what to make of it. And she certainly didn't know if in Goofy's eyes she looked like Mickey's secret "lady friend" or if she looked like an interloper in what was a pure relationship.

But Minnie had been off the mark slightly, because Goofy hadn't even noticed her. He was a strange sort of person, always noticing what others didn't and never noticing what others did. Something as obvious as Minnie in Mickey's arms was lost on him, whereas something invisible like Mickey and Minnie's private thoughts could be read loud and clear. He was grinning lazily, turning carefree eyes around the scene, when suddenly those eyes locked on Minnie, who he stared at for one brainless second, trying to register what it was he was looking at, and when he decided that her presence was an anomaly, he gave a great lurch. In what was a beautiful display of intricate clumsiness he reared back, fawn hooves tap dancing wildly on the forest floor, arms splaying and throwing out branches and kindling in all directions, ears flying wildly, and he gave a great yelp of surprise. When he at last came to a standstill he stared at Minnie, and Minnie stared back.

Minnie wasn't sure what to make of this for all of one short moment of shock…but by the time she processed it, her wide eyes flickering with startled amusement, Minnie's nose crinkled, her lips curled into a pleased little smile, and she began to giggle. Softly at first and then her laughter bubbled out of her all at once like the steady trickling of pebbles rolling down a mountain side, more and more until she could hardly breathe. Her tail was flicking pleasurably, her shoulders bouncing, and whatever she did, she couldn't contain any of it.

Being quite used to Goofy's antics, Mickey hadn't reacted just at first beyond basic surprise, and then he was looking upon Minnie with much greater amazement. He'd never heard her laugh so hard as that, and it was a beautiful sound. All at once he was sort of jealous that he hadn't made her laugh like that first, sort of astounded that she could laugh like that at all, impressed by how good-natured she was, eager to make her laugh like that someday, but mostly, strangely, inexplicably happy that she was in fact, laughing. And against his better judgment Mickey was cracking a grin, eyes alight with interest in her – and then when he couldn't hold it back anymore, his chuckling was harmonizing with her giggling, and they laughed together.

Goofy glanced back and forth between the two laughing mice, trying to figure out what the joke was that he was not in on. But then, as he usually did, he decided that it didn't matter at all because a joke was a joke and he ought to be laughing right along with it. And so he did, chortling in his characteristic manner, ahyucking with the other two.

"I'm – hee – I'm sorry, did I frighten you?" Minnie asked as soon as she could catch her breath. She wasn't sure what else to say, but for some reason, she felt oddly comfortable then, as though she could trust the kind of person that Mickey would select for a friend. It seemed that she could, because Goofy was shrugging kindly.

"Aw, tweren't nuthin', Miss – Miss – " A finger reached under his hat and he gave his noggin an audible scratch. "Say…don't think we've ever met b'fore. Gawrsh, I beg yer pardon…" As though he was only just now realizing that he was speaking to a member of the fairer sex, Goofy became slightly bashful, one hoof pivoting inward, and he raised his hat in courtesy, disturbing the twigs beneath it.

"Not at all!" Minnie replied all at once, suddenly confident in that moment, sitting up a little straighter in Mickey's arms. Her tail swished in a friendly manner, and Mickey was gazing at her with a strange surge of pride that he had no real right to. "I'm Minnie. It's wonderful to meet you – " She clamped her lips shut before she could name Goofy the way she had with Mickey, and instead, she offered him a slightly wary smile, hoping that he couldn't read minds. After all, it was rather unhealthy that she should know all of them when none of them had had any idea she even existed.

"Goofy, at yer service!" Goofy bowed low, rear sticking high in the air, hat swooshing out, and several twigs and sticks slipped out of his sleeves and out the top of his shirt, which caused Minnie to giggle more. Seeing that he had caused the loss of even more kindling, Goofy hurriedly tried to scoop everything back up into his arms, which only caused a greater mess than before, as his hands showed no discrimination and gathered up several leaf piles as well. He was chortling shyly as he did so.

Mickey grinned at this slightly pathetic, yet well-intentioned image. "This is one of m' best friends, Minnie. Sorry if he gave ya a fright. He's a swell fella." Mickey wasn't sure what else to say, and so he bit his lip and glanced at Minnie to see if she approved, which she seemed to, because she was smiling right up at him and he felt an odd flutter in his chest.

"Shucks, Mick! What're ya doin' – hng – what're ya doin' keepin' – " Goofy was still dropping kindling all over the place yet stubbornly trying to gather up his fine collection anyway, stuffing more back into his pockets while his arms were still full, practically falling all over himself. Mickey would have assisted him had his hands not already been full, and Minnie was on the verge of offering help as well, only she realized that out here she couldn't. "Ya never mentioned ya had a _mermaid _friend b'fore!" Deciding he had a good enough grip on things – or else forgetting about his current struggle because it was difficult for him to multitask – Goofy leaned in, tree branches still swaddled in his arms – delicately took one of Minnie's hands, and gave it a kiss, because that was the right and proper thing to do.

Minnie smiled sweetly and shyly. She couldn't explain it, but there was something about Goofy that told her she had nothing to be afraid of, and it wasn't like the way she felt about Mickey. With Mickey, she knew she had nothing to fear because he would never hurt her and because he would even protect her. He was strong, dependable, courageous, handsome. With Goofy it was the sort of business of him seeming to be anyone's friend without any strings attached, as though he simply did not know how to make any enemies. Even as he looked bashful in her company and kissed her hand, she knew it was all a basic shyness and gentlemanliness that must have come with him whenever he interacted with any female ever. Maybe meeting Mickey's friends face to face wouldn't be as frightening as she had originally feared.

Mickey tried not to look as suspicious as he felt. Goofy wasn't the sharpest, but there were those rare occasions when he would put two and two together and belt out a solution that no one had ever imagined before – yet would always be horribly true somehow. Mickey could only hope that in Goofy's mind that this secret mermaid and his "secret lady friend" weren't the same person, because it would have been awful for Goofy to know that indeed, Minnie had been his crush all along because this would only mortify Minnie, surely. Uneager to give Goofy the chance to figure it out, Mickey started shuffling forward and around Goofy, heading towards the direction in the woods from which a flickering orange light shone through the vegetation. The sound of the roaring ocean waves was near now and the breeze had grown stronger, ruffling and pushing about Mickey's feathers.

"A-anyway – ya comin', Goofy? Minnie's gonna join us t'night. Should be a real doozy of a bonfire with all that wood ya got. Heh." Mickey tried not to walk too fast as to reveal his growing anxiety, yet Minnie was looking at him in curiosity. Little did he know that even when she had no idea what he was up to, there was still a spark of fondness in her eyes.

"Oh, sure! Ah'm comin', Mick! Jus' hang on, I – woaoahoahoh - !" There was a crash and then an explosion of tinder when Minnie looked over Mickey's shoulder at where they had left Goofy. As branches pelted the fallen fawn, they almost seemed to plunk out a musical tune in rapid succession against his skull.

"Oh!" Minnie squealed. "The poor dear! Are you alright, Goofy?" Mickey did stop, turning to glance and see if the damage was serious, even though he already knew the answer.

Goofy, whose face had collided with the ground also, glanced up, mouth full of leaves which he spat out. "Shore I am, Miss Minnie! G'wan, I'll ketch up! An' I'll be bringin' thuh best firewood y'all ever saw!" He might have elaborated, only a squirrel had scurried to perch on top of his head, which he immediately became distracted with.

"Suit yerself, Goofy! Jus' holler if ya need a hand," Mickey suggested, turning back towards the direction of the beach and continuing his journey right along with Minnie. He glanced down at her, as she was clearly concerned. "Gee, don't worry, Minnie. That's just Goofy for ya. He's a bit of a clumsy ox, but he bounces back in a heartbeat." Mickey smiled at her reassuringly and gave her a little wink.

Remembering that this was indeed true from what she had seen, Minnie did smile in return. "He seems awfully nice."

Mickey felt encouraged by the way she was looking at him, and he gave a light shrug. "He is! Gosh, Goofy an' I go way back…same as me an' Donald. Which – say, guess yer about t' meet th' whole gang in a second. Heck, they're all gonna love ya." How couldn't they, when Mickey himself had fallen for her so quickly?

"It must be nice having so many friends," Minnie murmured before she realized how it would sound. She wasn't quite aware of just how lonely it seemed even after it was out, and instead she was merely gazing at Mickey, thinking about what it must be like to have so many people to have fun with, to depend on, to share things with. She did have Daisy and Clarabelle…and now it seemed that she might have Mickey as well. It was a comforting thought.

Mickey's steps slowed as the weight of her words seeped into him, like little anchors planted beneath his skin, bringing him down to a place that made him want desperately to make her life better. "Minnie…" he began softly, something tender overcoming him, a gentle note in his voice.

But once again, they were interrupted, as Mickey had unwittingly stumbled away from the woods just enough to be noticed.

"Hey, Mickey! Ya finally made it!" Horace called from the shore.

"Now where's that big palooka with th' firewood? If I have ta go into the woods after him…" Donald griped about Goofy's apparently lengthy absence.

Mickey and Minnie looked around at the same time, finding that there was already a roaring, pleasant bonfire crackling away not too far from the waves. The other friends were gathered around it, sitting on logs, having disposed of their shoes and any unnecessary superfluous articles of clothing. Apparently they ha d met José and Panchito along the way, because the wind and fire elementals were present as well. Pluto must have tracked the group down with his powerful nose and had joined everyone too, and currently was frolicking in the surf. Donald and Daisy looked as though they had already been swimming, and it seemed that someone –or more than one someone – had probably taken a considerable amount of food and wine from the party. It had probably been Donald's idea, and knowing him, he had persuaded Goofy into being a pack mule of sorts so that they could carry even more stolen goods. Daisy must have approved of the idea eventually, because she was sipping at a goblet and nibbling on chocolate truffles quite comfortably. José and Panchito were passing back and forth the same bottle of liquor, and even from here Mickey could see the burning embers of José's cigar.

Mickey glanced nervously down at Minnie, but then seeing how nervous she looked, he decided instead to give her a reassuring smile. It wasn't about him anymore. She was going to spend an evening with friends, and she was going to have a wonderful time doing it. He gave her a little bounce to grab her attention, and when he had it, he gave her a little wink. "They're gonna think yer swell. I know it."

Minnie could hardly believe just how intuitive those words had been. Mickey was either strangely observant or else she was just that transparent; either way, he had seen her apprehension and he had comforted her. She smiled at him gratefully as he led them closer to the fire, and she was clinging to him not only for protection but for the sake of clinging to him. And instead of feeling so frightened of strangers, she was beginning to feel the sort of excitement that she had known when Mickey had first invited her to come along. This was nicer than any party she could have imagined, being with Mickey and his friends.

When they neared the light, Mickey unfolded his wings, fully revealing the little mermaid in his arms, and that was when the chattering around the fire died down as one pair of eyes after the other found the two mice and stared. Daisy and Clarabelle broke the silence simultaneously, recognizing the mermaid and crying in unison, "_Minnie?_"

Mickey glanced at Minnie with wide eyes, because he hadn't been aware that Minnie had known Clarabelle too. It was one thing for Daisy to keep secrets, it was another for Clarabelle to do so – because Clarabelle keeping secrets was absolutely unheard of. His mouth fell open, but Minnie was waving shyly. "H'llo," she was greeting everyone softly.

Before Mickey could say anything after that, Daisy was already sweeping forward, having thrust her goblet into Donald's unsuspecting and already food-laden hands, and she was walking right up to Minnie, catching her friend's face in her hands, then taking the other girl's hands, all while chattering away. "Minnie, you made it! Or – well, what about the party? Did you go? Oh, Minnie, I was _waiting _for you – I didn't think you'd show! What are you doing out here? Oh, but forget that, I'm just so glad you made it! And anyway – " Daisy suddenly paused as she considered the fact that Minnie was with Mickey of all people. Something devilish appeared in her blue eyes, and she looked at Mickey, a peculiar, and almost frighteningly wicked smile manifesting on her face. "Ohhhhh, so this is why you wandered off, hmm? Why, Mickey, I'm _shocked_…"

Clarabelle had by this point stood to her feet as well to get a better look at the couple, and now she was swatting Horace on the shoulder, which caused him to collide with the griffin leg he was attempting to bite into. "Ya see, I _told_ you Mickey was meetin' up with his girlfriend! Didn't I tell you? I told you!" Clarabelle didn't grant Horace an opening to complain, because she was clasping her hands together and squealing. "Don't they look so _cute _t'gether! How romantic, havin' secret encounters in th' woods!"

"Minnie, you sly thing, why didn't you tell us?" Daisy winked and gave her friend a light shove. "You didn't take up my invitation to meet him because you'd already _met _him!"

"Wait, how long have you been keepin' this a secret, Miss Minnie?" Clarabelle realized, suddenly incredulous. "And _you_, Mickey! Shame on you!"

Mickey and Minnie blanched, and both were competing to see who could die of embarrassment first, because they were looking at one another, then back at their accusers, and then trying to hide away just how humiliated they were.

"I-it's not like that, I just- she –" Mickey wasn't sure how to explain the Mortimer situation without humiliating Minnie further, nor was he sure how to clarify that Minnie was not his girl even though he sorely wished she was.

"I-I was on my way to the party, Daisy, Mickey was just – " Minnie was encountering more of the same problem.

"Just what?" Daisy accused, leaning forward, brows raising.

"Yes, tell us, just what?" Clarabelle chimed in.

To Mickey's surprise, it was Horace who called the girls off. "Oh, fer th' love of Mike, give it a rest, huh? A man's allowed t' keep his secrets! An' I don't blame th' pair of 'em one bit, seein' as how they prob'ly knew ya'd behave just like this! A pack of vultures, that's what you are. I swear, women…" He aggressively bit into the griffin meat, chewing noisily and letting everyone know just what he thought about this business. Even if Horace had wanted to know who Mickey was interested in, there were simply other things that mattered to him more. Now that he knew who it was, that was good enough for him, and that meant he could eat his meat in piece. Except Clarabelle jostled him again.

"Why, Horace Horsecollar! Th' very idea…!"

"I do not blame Mickey and this sweet thing for carrying out their romance in secret," José contributed, tapping on his cigar with his pinky so that ashes fell gracefully from the tip. "After all, forbidden romance only breeds _passion_." He smiled coolly, taking a contented swig from the liquor bottle before Panchito stole it back, looking equally amused.

"SÍ, amigos!" he agreed, tipping his great hat back and away from his face. "For who are we to come between two young lovebirds? They have chosen a most beautiful night for confessing their relationship to the likes of us." Panchito shot an enthusiastic wink Mickey's way.

Daisy and Clarabelle were clearly considering these possibilities, weighing which was more important, a spicy and steamy romance hidden from view or their right to know everything about everyone. Minnie, encouraged by these beautiful words somehow even though they should have made her feel more embarrassed, was actually smiling, even if she was feeling quite shy, because she was in spite of all still entirely proud of Mickey's good deed, and she wanted so desperately to clear his name.

"Really, everyone, it's not like that, honestly," she explained, shaking her head. "I was on my way to the party, Daisy. I…well, it was awfully foolish of me. I landed myself into a bit of a bind. And Mickey happened along and helped me out. That's all, really. He was so courageous, and…" She glanced up at her rescuer, smiling at him genuinely. "…very sweet for bringing me out here to meet all of you."

Mickey grinned at her in return, relieved that she wasn't offended by her friends being so nosy and assuming. He swayed, pleased, giving a humble shrug. "Wasn't yer fault you got mixed up in alla that. Just glad I could help."

Daisy looked on skeptically. "So…you two have never met before?"

Both harboring their own personal guilt about the fact that they knew each other longer than the other was even aware of, both the angel and the mermaid were silent as they shook their heads like a pair of naughty children.

"Works fer me," Horace grunted, and just then, Goofy was finally emerging from the woods. The attention went to him as Donald, who hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise as badly as he wanted to taunt Mickey for his troubles, turned his blazing irritation on his friend for being so late with the extra kindling. He started badmouthing the fawn immediately, and then just about everybody had something to say about Donald's rudeness or Goofy's tardiness, and finally, Mickey and Minnie had a moment to breathe easy. That was, until Pluto, who had only just now noticed Mickey's arrival, came bounding up to lick Mickey and Minnie both in the face and pelt them with water that he shook out of his coat and sprayed everywhere. The great hound was large enough to splatter everyone, and there was a howl of protest from the group. Minnie for her part enjoyed the shower and was giggling and giggling, and she was reminded of one little problem that had began to nag at her.

"Mickey…?" she asked him privately while the others were distracted. "Do you think…maybe you could drop me off in the water for a second?"

Mickey was perplexed momentarily before he remembered that the girl he was holding was half fish. By now, her scales were starting to dry out. "Oh! Oh, yeah, gosh, I'm sorry! Here, lemme…" He went half-jogging down to the water, Minnie in tow, and he was all too eager to lower her into the shallows.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Minnie flicked her tail gladly, humming as the waves washed over her. "Thank you…" she murmured contentedly. Mickey had expected her to keep sitting there for awhile as the sea crashed against his legs, but unexpectedly Minnie dove forward, slipping beneath the next wave even though it was quite shallow, and she disappeared.

For an alarming moment, Mickey had thought that this was her making an escape from the strange land creatures, as though she had been waiting for this ever since he had picked her up. Maybe she had never wanted to come at all and just hadn't known how to say so. His eyes scanned the surface of the dark water as it shimmered under the moonlight, but just as he was about to truly lose hope, the mermaid was suddenly leaping high out of the water, bursting forth from beneath the surf and soaring in a perfect arch, her stardust tail pale and beautiful in the light of the moon. All of Minnie was impossibly gorgeous as she twisted, drops of water casting off of her long tresses o f hair and iridescent tail, and when she gracefully entered the water again she hardly made a splash, not until her fins came crashing down on the surface and spraying the ocean in an artistic flurry.

Lost in his own awe, Mickey was still and infatuated, and he nearly jumped when Minnie appeared before him, sliding up from the shallows with complete stealth. She was propped up on her arms, tail curving upward behind her, shoulders risen up to her rosy cheeks. Her hair was dripping, her body soaked and sleek from her little swim. "Mm, that's better," she hummed, her tail swishing appealingly behind her. "I've never been out of the water for so long. I should be alright now." She glanced in interest towards the bonfire and the circle of friends, all of whom were wrapped up in their own fun.

"Ya sure…?" Mickey found himself asking, squatting down to meet her eyes. As impressed as he had been with this little show, he still wore concern. "Ken swim as much as ya need t'." Unconsciously, his fingers reached out and swept a stray strand of dark hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear which was decorated with little sea flowers.

Minnie felt her skin tingle where he had barely brushed her. For a moment she was incapable of speech, entranced in the way that even now, when he wasn't thinking about it, he was looking out for her. Mickey had brought her here, had saw to her foreign needs…he was every bit as sweet and generous as he had seemed from afar, in fact even more so than she had imagined. "I'm sure," she told him softly. "Mickey…?" She tilted her head shyly, tail slowing in its swishing. "Thank you. For everything."

Mickey smiled at her in return, a dashing, darling thing. "Thank _you_, Minnie."

She blinked, tilting her head further, questioning. "For what…?" She hadn't done anything notable for him as far as he was concerned. She searched his face, trying to understand.

"Fer bein' my friend, a'course," he replied easily. And it did feel easy to talk to her again. Perhaps it was because she was so lovely and gentle, which he had been finding so intimidating, and yet he was seeing that side of Minnie that he had so desperately wanted to talk to. Being with her alone, it was easier than he would have ever suspected, speaking to her and telling her everything, even being smooth from time to time because he was completely oblivious to it.

They might have stared at one another, even continued to murmur silently in the water, only they were being called up for whatever reason by Donald, and Pluto echoed the sentiments with his barking.

"Guess – heh – guess, we oughtta go back, huh?" Mickey asked, smiling in guilty pleasure, rubbing the back of his neck.

Minnie gave a soft giggle, her shoulders rising even more against her soft cheeks. "Guess so," she agreed.

"Here…I'll help ya…"

Mickey gingerly reached out to assist Minnie, and Minnie all too eagerly drifted toward him, lifting her hands out of the water to fall upon his chest as his arms circled around her. The angel and the mermaid moved slowly, neither eager to actually stand and abandon their private little world as nice as it would be to share the night with friends.

As Mickey drew Minnie into himself, and as Minnie cuddled against him, their locked eyes once more. For a sweet second, they were simply looking at one another from so close, interrupted only when a wave came tumbling from behind Minnie, pushing her closer to Mickey as he in turn swayed backwards and drew her in. The wind whipped around them, as though sea and sky were both beckoning the angel and the mermaid to stay close.


End file.
