let me in your ocean - sandray

3.

NamChueam rushes to tell Mew and April, because she's NamChueam, and a very high Mew is now standing in front of him, curious. They call off the party because there's more important things to do right now, like find out if Mew is his soulmate.

The goose does nothing.

It curiously watches them as they look at it, waiting for it to do something, anything.

Finally, it gets off of him and onto the floor and walks into the dining room and settles on the incredibly expensive chair that they had furnished the room with.

Ray waits, nervous. Maybe it'd nip at Mew, maybe a stranger would walk into the room and the goose would declare them Ray's soulmate with a honk.

Neither of that happens.

They all watch on curiously, anxious, waiting for the goose to do something, anything.

And then it shits.

It shits on the incredibly expensive chair and honks happily because it's a stupid goose and it doesn't know the value of money.

They all collectively groan, and if Ray was just a little more evil than he actually is, he would have kicked it to the curb immediately. What a stupid fucking thing.

He doesn't, because he's nice (sometimes), and instead leaves the room, praying that no one follows him except for the goose and walks upstairs to crash on the bed and sleep.

The goose waddles behind him, and he groans at the loud patter of its steps as he lies on bed, head feeling like a sack of rocks and a dread settling at the bottom of his stomach.

He doesn't know what he's more terrified of, the fact that Mew isn't his soulmate, or the fact that he isn't even sad that Mew isn't his soulmate.

At the back of his mind, he thinks there's only one person he wants as his soulmate.

He curses under his breath as he lets his eyes fall close, all this thinking is hurting his head.

• 🌊˖°🐋🐚 •

The next morning, Chueam is the one to wake him up. She looks pissed off at all of them, rightfully so, but Ray knows that she can't help but care.

"So, you should probably stay at home and wait for your goose to do something," she says, "and please, please don't feed it bread because that will make it sick."

Ray nods at her, albeit a little absentmindedly. She says something about how it'll take the goose about a day or two to get its job done. Ray watches it curl up like a dog as it sleeps on the floor, April had almost tripped over it a few minutes ago.

Her suddenly sad tone makes Ray turn towards her. She sighs at him and April lets her arm curl around her waist, "Please fix whatever your thing with Mew is, now that you know he isn't your soulmate." she pleads. Ray tears up a little at the defeated look on her face. "Don't let the group fall apart."

"I- I'll try."

Chueam nods before she leaves, April mumbling something reassuring into her ears, and Ray gets up to look through the window and at the pool, knowing exactly what to expect.

Mew and Top are sitting by the pool, Mew looks out of it and Top rubs circles into his back.

His goose uselessly lays on the floor, and he stares at it, letting himself zone out.

• 🌊˖°🐋🐚 •

He sighs to himself as he gets off the bed to walk downstairs about an hour later, the goose predictably waking up at his movements. It follows him as he gets down the stairs and walks towards the pool where he knows Mew is probably sitting.

Mew squeaks when he sees the both of them, a cute little noise that doesn't make his heart flutter the way it would have about a month ago. The goose follows him as he sits next to Mew, legs hanging into the cold water of the pool, and watches as Mew pets the goose.

It honks loudly, flaps its wings everywhere, obnoxiously loud, and Ray glares at it.

Mew laughs at him, probably at the bummed out expression on his face, and stops petting the goose to hold his hand. The goose curls up at its spot again, probably to take another 15 hour nap.

What a useless, defective, lazy little thing. Like owner, like goose.

"Who do you think is your soulmate, Ray?" Mew asks, the sun illuminating the slope of his nose. He looks like he wants to cry.

"I don't know." Ray replies honestly, looking at the blue of the pool, the reflections of it over the walls, rippling prettily.

"Do you wish someone specific will end up being your soulmate ?" Mew asks again, softly kicking into the water and making sloshing sounds. His gaze turns towards the goose and he sighs.

"I don't think so," he says. It's a lie.

Mew lets out a sad laugh at that, his eyes brimming with tears, "I think I know whom I want as my soulmate, Ray."

"I know. It's Top, isn't it?"

Mew looks at him, a single teardrop rolling down his right cheek. Ray wants to reach out and wipe it away, but he isn't sure if Mew will be comfortable with that, not after everything that has gone down.

Mew nods, but then he straightens up, "This isn't about me, Ray. Aren't you excited to find out?"

Ray sighs again, it's all he's been doing for the past two days. "I'm not. I wasn't prepared for this."

Mew squeezes his hand, comfortingly, "You want it to be Sand, don't you?"

Ray snaps his eyes shut, his chest aches with a longing he hasn't felt ever before. He nods, shakily. Mew doesn't reply.

They sit there for a while, thinking, hands held.

"I'm sorry." Mew says, voice soft, "I used you as a getaway, didn't I? I'm such an asshole."

Ray lets out a chuckle at that, tasting bitterness at the back of his throat, "I kind of figured that out. You're still in love with Top."

"I don't think I'll ever not be." Mew says with a shake of his head, "I'm sorry for hurting you."

"I wasn't all perfect either, Mew," Ray reassures, "I was with you but I kept thinking of him."

"I guess we can call it even, then." Mew smiles, and it reaches his eyes for the first time in the past two weeks. Ray smiles right back, his heart feeling lighter when he nods in response. The sun shines over them, overly bright.

He thinks there might be some hope for him, for them.