Like Darkness Falling, if this continues, summary will improve with story. I've only written the first chapter, because I'm still unsure about this. I angsted for so long over whether to write this, whether to post this, etc. If the reception to this isn't so good, I will be shelving it permanently, just because I am so insecure and unsure about it.

To those of you who only know me for Darkness Falling and are worried I'm no longer updating it, that is not the case. I am very busy with school and decided to stay up late to write and post this. I will write/post more Darkness Falling when I am not so busy.

To those of you who didn't bother reading the summary... tl;dr rolleigns cinderella-style merman fic

"You fucking asshole, I hate you so much."

Jimmy laughs, picking up the sand-covered soccer ball from the ground, dusting it off a little before tucking it under his arm and against his hip. "You're just sayin' that 'cause you're mad I beat you. Twice."

"That may or may not be true," Roman begrudgingly admits, tugging a hand through his hair in an attempt to get it out of his eyes, the warm Florida breeze tossing each strand around carelessly until his hair resembles more of a rat's nest than the sleek mane he likes it to be.

Of course, the one day he'd forget to bring a hair tie with him would be the day it had to be windy as hell.

Roman may hate nature sometimes.

"Wanna go for one more?" Jimmy asks, cocking his head at Roman. The two of them had decided, earlier in the day, that the weather was nice—it almost always is in Pensacola—and they should go outside and do something. They've been fucking around on the beach for hours, acting like children instead of the grown men society insists upon them being, forgetting about every responsibility and stressor waiting for them back home.

It's nice. Roman thinks it would've been even nicer if they could've gotten Jey and Dean to come, but they insisted on staying home, doing god knows what. He never knows what the hell they're up to anymore, and at this point, he thinks he doesn't want to know.

The sun is just starting to set, casting a dusky pink glow over the ocean waves lapping at the shore. This is one of the things Roman loves most about his hometown – the way Pensacola Beach looks at sunset, glowing softly with the last embers of daytime slowly flickering out until the night unfolds over the beach and leaves no glow but the moon.

"Nah," Roman says. "You're just gonna try to dump my ass in the ocean again."

Jimmy grins, but he doesn't argue, setting the dusty soccer ball he'd been holding on the ground. "What do you wanna do, then?"

Roman looks back at the sun setting, the ethereal glow of the ocean waves. There's a dock extending out into the ocean that he'd loved to sit on as a child, watching the sun set with his mom. Sunsets had always been his thing, and nothing changed as he became an adult.

Even now, he's still got a soft spot for sunsets. "Could go sit on the dock. Talk about… things."

"What kinda things? Better not start interrogating me, uce. I get enough of that from Naomi. I ain't need it from you, too."

"Of course not," Roman says, but Jimmy knows him too well, already five steps ahead of him and heading straight for the dock. Roman follows him, maybe a little bit too similar to an eager puppy in his strides.

They head to the end of the dock and sit down, the way they used to when they were kids, with their legs dangling off the edge, the water lapping at the shore several feet below them.

They sit in silence for what might only be five minutes, but what feels like an hour to Roman, taking in the view, each of the two trapped in their own heads.

Finally, Roman dares to ask the question that's been swirling around under his tongue since Jimmy brought her up. "How are things with Naomi, by the way?"

Jimmy groans. "Do we have to talk about that, man?"

"Sorry, man. I just wanted to know. She's practically my sister-in-law."

Jimmy's quiet for a few more seconds before he stands up abruptly, dangerously close to the edge of the dock. "'S just… she ain't been that good to me lately."

Roman winces sympathetically; he's met Naomi, and he's all-too-familiar with her ever-present dominating attitude. He can't imagine how Jimmy feels.

"What do you mean?"

Jimmy shuts down on him. "Don't wanna talk about it."

Roman feels like he's too small for the conversation, sitting down on the edge of the dock by himself with Jimmy looming over him, so he stands up, facing his cousin. Jimmy's expression is dark, stormy. Roman braces himself for what's to come.

"I'm just worried about you," Roman says. It's true—Jimmy's changed since he married Naomi. He only seems happy when he's not around her, and when she's mentioned, any peace within him disappears.

Roman knows the descent—he's been through it. He would never wish it upon anyone, and especially not someone who's like a brother to him.

"It ain't your business," Jimmy snaps, and there it is—the Jimmy that Roman knows is gone.

Just for the time being, hopefully. Roman's never sure.

"I think it is, man. We're like brothers. I'm just lookin' out for you," Roman says, stepping closer.

Jimmy shoves him away, hard enough that he wobbles and stumbles and nearly falls off the edge of the deck, catching his balance at the last second.

When Roman rights himself, he stares at Jimmy with wide eyes. "What the fuck? Are you trying to kill me? I could've just fallen off and busted my head open or something!"

Jimmy's shaking, and Roman's lost.

"Just hear me out," Roman pleads, stepping toward Jimmy again.

In return, Jimmy shoves him again, harder than before, and all is lost when Roman can't right himself at the edge of the dock and he falls over it.

He's fallen from the dock before – jumped off of it as a child – but this is different. It's different when you're not expecting it, when you're not prepared, when you crash into the water and it wraps itself around you like a vice and tries to pull you into its darkest depths.

The water is swallowing him down, an enormous gulf wrapped around his skin and bones, pulling him, down, down, down, and everything's getting darker.

He can hear the blood rushing in his ears – or maybe that's just the water – but all he sees is the light disappearing, the surface getting farther and farther away, and he is drowning.

The thought plunges through his consciousness, a sharp needle bursting his bubble of false peace, and he scrambles desperately for nothing, trying to pull himself up, up, up, but there is nothing to grab onto, and it is too late.

He closes his eyes and surrenders.