When I let the water take me

[temperedwill]

[Keith ran a hand through his hair as he slipped his sandals off and stepped onto the sand. It's been awhile since he had really walked onto the beach. It wasn't that he didn't, but that it was usually only a quick trip to look out before returning. This time, he was walking near the shore and giving himself a breather. He pulled his hair out of the messy ponytail and put the hairtie onto his wrist before fetching himself a cigarette and his lighter.

Fall weather was already settling in, but he was shrugging his plain robe off his shoulders and enjoying the gentle breeze against his skin before lighting the cigarette.

He had been very busy.

Taken in by a couple who worked in kimono painting, he had grew up his entire life where he is. Honestly, he hadn't thought that he'd be doing what he did, but he found himself not particularly interested in many subjects and had dropped out of college very shortly. Instead, he had started learning how to make the gorgeous textiles his adopted parents did for a living and found enjoyment in there.

It wasn't that he didn't mind city life. He enjoyed it, and they lived close enough that he could go into the city by train. There was just something nice about living where he did. The quietness of it and the amount of freedom he had wandering. Keith had access to the ocean and the mountains and that also meant the forest too. It was nice.

Keith took a long drag before exhaling. It was rough. Being raised by them meant nothing when it came to apprenticing. They were strict and harsh and it was a lot of work, but apparently he had the skills and the passion. Enough that they were pleased with his work to be included in actually fulfilling orders. It's why he's taking a bit of a break now. They've been figuring out what colors they wanted to go with all day and he just needed a bit of some fresh air.

He also missed the ocean. The sailboat that they owned hadn't been used recently with the amount of work they had. Maybe after this order he'd have time to go out.

Comments

water's gonna take you alright

[meowterspace]

[he lost sight of him a few years ago, though honestly, when you live as long as lance has, it stops feeling like years and more like moments. some fresh-faced kid running off to college wouldn't mean much to most gods at all--they'd be dead before anybody knew it.

[but to lance, a fresh-faced teen himself as far as gods go, it had meant a lot more. he'd been warned not to get close to humans, to let them live their lives and watch over them from a distance; but he felt his element too strongly. water is emotional--calm enough to be a mirror in one moment and raging hard enough to wipe out entire civilizations the next. lance can't help the fact that he sensed something in the little orphan kid the couple that lived near the beach had taken in.

[he'd had attitude. he'd acted out. but lance had never once let him drown, and he'd never once let him get swallowed by the current and swept out to sea. even the raging storms would calm just enough when keith stood on the sand.

[he'd grown into something special. lance could feel it. but he'd left without a thought, and lance could feel that too. for a little while, it stung in a way he didn't really recognize, like he'd lost an old friend. and then it had moved on, and lance with it, and while the ocean never forgot that teenager, it certainly didn't halt the tides.

[which is good. because lance is out on this beach, in the waves as they crash against the shore, when keith walks out onto it.

[and lance, in his infinite wisdom, can do nothing but lay in the sand in all his merman-form glory (scales around his finned ears and all) and stare at him.

[he knows this feeling. he knows this young man. it's keith, his keith, his friend--and he's home. he's home, and he's gorgeous. lance doesn't remember him ever looking like this. the robe comes off his shoulders, and lance's eyes widen just a hair. those tatoos. that hair.

[he's stunning, and lance can't bring himself to even hide. he's just glad the water continuously rolls over him, offering him a little bit of concealment.]

when a water god's thirst can't be quenched.

[temperedwill]

[Honestly, Keith never felt too close to the people around him. He didn't hate them or anything. Just, there was no attachment. There was always a tugging feeling that he was being called back here. Maybe his heart had always been taken by the sea. He's not sure. He knows he feels at home where he is now. There's a lot that the city can't give him that Keith got here. He prefers the quiet and peace. Prefers being able to focus on work without being interrupted or distracted.

Keith takes another drag from his cigarette before starting to hum. His voice is carried through the air almost like it was the air itself. Lance could probably recognize it. It was a similar tune the couple had always sung to Keith. They were an old fashioned pair who could only impart traditional knowledge. At the very least, Keith was a brilliant child all things considered. They had to rekindle the trust in a small child who had only known abandonment by parents who apparently didn't see the gem they had been given, but Keith had flourished with them. And of course he was always grateful and did what he could for them. Returning from college had given Keith plenty to keep himself busy. Modernizing their business and bringing his own talented eye into account. It has been a lot of learning for them all.

He continues to hum as he walks through the sand, gently dropping his robe, so he was only down to shorts. He hummed this tube a lot when he anchored the little sailboat and just laid on the deck and letting time pass when he was younger. He shivers a bit as he steps into the water a bit, feeling the cold and wet sand between his toes.

Keith hadn't noticed Lance yet. Honestly he thought he was alone, so he can freely do as he please and relax. He had always been someone who was critical of how he acted around the public. Remnants of old scars as a small child that were healed by his foster parents. It just didn't help how critical it was for people to act in public. He was not the best people person and he had a sharp tongue and short temper that staying polite could be quite a lot of work. Keeping up and appearance especially now that he represented his parents was important. Just a lot of work.]

Did you miss me? [He laughs gently. It's not like the ocean can answer right?]

[meowterspace]

[that voice. that song. lance can't focus on anything else but the human approaching him. he's lucky his instinct is to shrink into the water a bit more, because there's no way he wouldn't get caught otherwise right now.

[keith's voice has gotten just a little lower, but it's still rough in just the right way, and that laugh may as well be a spear through the heart.

[he did miss him. he missed him every day, however strange it was.

[lance, ever the brightest crayon in the box, starts to move under the water. he's swimming too close to the surface here; the sun will reflect on these scales.]

[temperedwill]

[Keith continues to wade a bit into the water. Not too far in. It's too cold for that and he doesn't want to get his shorts wet. It's probably dangerous too, but that has never stopped him.]

Well, I don't know if you missed me or even cares, but I missed you. City is fun, but it's not my thing.

[He looks over his dwindling cigarette.]

I guess I felt drawn back here. It's nice here. Feels like you'll always listen to me.

[He pauses a bit. He thought he saw something glint out of the corner of his eye.]

[meowterspace]

[he will listen, always, always. add he talks, the water almost seems to curl around his legs, swirling and drawing closer to his skin.

[don't show yourself, he hears in the back of his mind. he's human, you can't reveal yourself.

[but he doesn't go deeper. he doesn't hide. he skims the surface and his back breaks it slightly, exposing where skin meets scales.]

[temperedwill]

[There's the bright laughter, like he can tell the ocean seems to enjoy his presence. That there's something special between him and the water.]

I should go sailing soon. Maybe after this big order.

[He's taking another drag, but the glimpse where the water breaks has him dropping his cigarette and coughing out smoke. Okay, he's not tired enough to be seeing things.] Wha-

[meowterspace]

[when he starts coughing, lance knows it's too late to go back. that laughter has drawn him in closer, and he's too far gone now. his stomach is practically grazing sand when the surf pushes in, water swelling enough to get the bottom couple of inches of keith's shorts wet, as lance circles around him in the water.

[there's not really any way he's hiding that. his scales and skin tone are far too different, and the water is far too clear.]

[temperedwill]

[Keith's body goes rigid and he's tense. There isn't fear though. For whatever reason he doesn't feel like he has to be scared. He definitely was on the defensive though. It's not very often one is suddenly being circles by a...merman? Yeah, he isn't sure what to feel or think.

He tries to take a few tentative steps back towards the shore.]

[meowterspace]

[he doesn't stop him, necessarily, though the water does seem to have a current that shouldn't be natural, lightly urging him to stay. lance stops in front of him, and even goes as far as to lift his head out of the water. his eyes practically glow, and the scales cover a good portion of his cheeks and forehead, leading to the long, finned ears.]

[temperedwill]

[There's a small yelp as he ends up stumbling backwards and he ends up falling back. The water is cold and he shudders a bit, but his mind isn't on the cold. It's on the person in front of him. If he could call them a person.

He just stares at the other.]

[meowterspace]

[oh, he does not look comfortable. lance stares at him, rising up to his shoulders and watching him for a moment.]

You're scared.

[temperedwill]

I don't know if scared is the right word.

[Well, yeah. The water is frickin' cold. Of course he's not particularly comfortable.] Surprised. Taken aback. Shocked because there's some mer...man right in front of me.

Not exactly something you expect everyday.

[meowterspace]

Do you want me to leave?

[he says it with the curiosity of a creature who's not at all expecting this kind of reaction out of him. he is, though.]

[temperedwill]

It's a public place. I'm not gonna tell you to leave.

[He lets out a bit of a huff.] I said I was surprised, is all. Besides, aren't you supposed to not show yourself to humans or whatever? Isn't that a creature thing?

[meowterspace]

.. You're handling this pretty well.

[he smiles, eyelids lowering.]

I thought you wanted to talk to me.

[temperedwill]

There's not much I can do now with you existing. Freaking out would be a waste of energy.

[And for whatever reason, Keith didn't feel panicked with the other being there.

He does flush a little.] Were you listening to me the entire time?

[meowterspace]

Maybe.

[yes.]

Do I feel familiar to you?

[temperedwill]

You do.

[A pause and a slight frown.]

But why?

[meowterspace]

That's a secret.

[the smile on his face says it doesn't have to be.]

[temperedwill]

I'm not gonna wrestle an actual answer out of you.

[He moves to get back to his feet, shivering a bit. It's chilly and his shorts are wet and that's really all he has on with his robes and sandals still on the shore.]

And I have work to do.

[meowterspace]

It's too cold for swimming.

[he sinks into the water a bit.]

I guess you don't have to spend time with me.

[temperedwill]

It is. I'm freezing.

[He tilts his head as he regards the other curiously.] If I don't finish my tasks today, I'll be behind to paint tomorrow.

I can't stay on the beach.

[meowterspace]

Well, when do you stop working?

[he tilts his head to the side.]

[temperedwill]

When I decide that I've done a suitable amount of work for the day. It's not like a normal job where I have set hours.

Why do you wanna know?

[He's not sure why the other seems to have so much interest in him.]

[meowterspace]

Because I want to see you again.

[he's direct at least.]