The Waters of Florida

4 - Where The People Are

Nobody POV

Karl and George swim out of the spy hole when they saw the Sleeper Sharks arrive not wanting to be seen. Karl was already scanning the ocean floor looking for anything he could take home with them, he picked up a purple shell that was speckled with pink dots and little green swirls all around it, he placed it into his bag as he looked over at George who was smiling like an idiot "Whats got you smiling like that?" George snapped out of his trance letting out a little giggle "Dream, something about him was so mesmerizing." He glanced at the ground seeing a white rock, he grabbed it putting into his bag "He just looked so free on that wave, they all do."

George chuckled sitting on a rock near where Karl was searching "I can see why you're so infatuated by them. I mean I've always had an interest but haven't thought of actually watching them though." He bends over picking up a plastic fork flicking one of the prongs "I mainly just collect their stuff, like this tiny trident." He placed the fork into his bag. Karl picked up a few shells placing them in his bag looking over to George "You can't come at me with wanting to watch them, you swooned over Dream the moment you saw him." George scoffed  flicking sand at the younger "I didn't!"

"Did too!" Karl laughed trying to swat the sand away "Let's head home, our bags are getting full and its only the morning." George nodded following Karl though the water. George swam on his back so he was looking up at the surface "Karl, can I be honest for a second?" Karl swam over swimming above the burnette he looked down at him so they made eye contact "Yeah man go ahead."

George looked at the dog tags in his hands and sighed "I love the ocean, I love all of this, but it gets boring after a little while. I need something new, something different that isn't just exploring our area, collecting things, hanging out, hiding from humans, and now I guess spying on humans." He stopped swimming letting himself sink down to the sea floor so he was laying on the sand

Karl swam down laying next to him as he said "I get that, I've been feeling the same way." He took a deep breath letting it all out in a sigh, an idea came to his head causing him to sit up turning to George with wide excited eyes "What if we go to the surface?" The elder raised an eyebrow popping himself up on his elbows "We go to the surface all the time, we literally just did that a few minutes ago." Karl shook his head "No no no, what if we went to the human lands."

He grabbed George's arm pulling him to their home which was just an underwater cave in a cove, he let go of George swimming to a crevasse pulling out a stone with writings on it "Remember in school" he handed George the stone "Merfolk can have legs, and walk amongst the humans as long as they keep they their legs dry of any water based liquids." George looked over the stone and got bright red "I forgot that we can't reproduce in this form and have to go on land for that."

Karl made a face when George brought that up "I didn't forget...just chose not to acknowledge it." He put his hands on the burnettes shoulders "But don't you see? This is our ticket for an adventure, imagine the new possibilities!" George looked at the stone, than back to Karl he smiled nodding "Okay. Let's do it." Karl giggled doing a little wiggle "But Karl, few problems, one we don't know how to walk, and two when get out of the water and get legs we're gonna be naked." Karl thought for a bit snapping his fingers "We can practice at night at the cove above us, and there is a nude beach not far from here we can steal clothes from."

George looked at him with a blank stare, not sure weather to be impressed that he thought of this that quickly, or concerned that he knows where a nude beach is "I mean that's a solid plan, we can start tonight." He placed the stone back into the hole in the wall turning to the other "You've really thought this all through. How long have you been planning this?" Karl bit his tongue trying to remember "I think its been maybe five months now, I just never knew how to bring it up." George giggled a little patting the others back "Well we're doing this now, so hopefully it'll all be worth it."

Nightfall came quickly for the two mermen, they broke the surface of the water swimming to the shore line pulling themselves onto the sand groaning once they got far enough to not get wet from the water "So...we just wait it out now?" George looked over at Karl out of breath, the burnette nodded "Yeah I assume so, hopefully it won't take long." Luckily for them merfolk dry quickly when their fully out and away from water, their tails slowly morphed into legs, the yellow streak in George's hair disappeared along with all of the scales and marking that were all over their bodies

Karl sat up and looked at his feet as he wiggled his toes "Dude this is weird. And uh let's just not look at eachother okay?" George nodded already turned away from Karl feeling really exposed "Yeah...this is already awkward. Let's just practice for a bit than call it day."

After a few hours of practice, Karl was able to manage to walk about twenty feet before his legs started to grow weak, George struggled a bit more only being able to make it ten feet, after George faceplanted for maybe the fifteenth time he sat up spitting sand out of his mouth "Okay I'm calling it a night, he rolled back to the water letting himself transform "Hey, we made so decent progress." Karl laughed walking into the water transforming again, he surfaced once again looking out seeing the sunrise "I'll be back I gotta-"

"Spy on Nick?" George joked smirking at the younger, Karl quickly got red out of embarrassment "Stop it!" George laughed shooing him away "Go on, if you see Dream tell me." Karl rolled his eyes smiling "And you say I'm swooning." He dove into the water swimming towards his spy hole, he surfaced inside of it and waited for Nick and the others to show up

It was the day of the competition, Jordan always told his boys to go and take in the ocean every morning of a competition to help them get in the zone, they always went to their own areas of the beach to get some time to themselves. Nick paddled over to his spot sitting up on his surf board looking out at the sunrise taking it in, he smiled to himself taking a deep breath in and letting out a slow exhale as he crossed his legs on his board.

Karl looked at Nick who has drifted close to the spy hole, he started to smile as well before looking back at the sunrise 'He's so handsome.' He thought to himself letting out a small sigh on accident

The ravenette perked up a bit hearing the sigh, he chuckled clearing his throat "You know, I've seen you watching me." Karl jumped causing the water around him to splash the sound caused Nick to laugh a little not turning to face Karl "I didn't mean to scare you, I thought I've seen someone watching me from that hole in the rocks. I thought I was seeing things for a while until now I guess."

Karl bit his tongue moving back till he hit the back wall of the spy hole, he's been waiting for this moment for weeks, to actually talk with Nick. But, why was he scared, he couldn't talk if he wanted to. "I don't expect you to respond if that's what you're worried about, I've never gotten a clear view of your face so don't worry about that." He layed back onto his back stretching his legs out "I'm hoping you're real and that I'm not seeing and hearing things, if I'm not I hope to properly talk to you one day, and if I am its been a good run but I'll be officially crazy."

Karl smiled to himself looking at Nicks shadow that was being casted on the wall from the sunrise, Nick wanted to talk to him and he wanted to talk to Nick as well he was just unsure how, he knew what he wanted to say but the words wouldn't form, but, what if Nick would still want to if he saw what he is. He bit his lip trying to think of what to do when his eyes landed on his bag, he smiled reaching into it taking out the light purple shell that he found, he slowly moved to the opening in the hole, he reached his arm out tossing the shell to Nick, landing on his chest quickly pulling his arm back in.

Nick jumped a little not expecting it, he took the shell as he sat up looking it over "So you are real." He placed the shell in the pocket of his board shorts zipping it up so he doesn't lose it, he rolls over so he was now on his stomach "I hope to talk to you soon, I'll come back I promise." With that he turned his board and started to shore leaving Karl to his thoughts "What just happened?"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

1649 words