Tidepool (A Klance Surfer AU)

Life on Altea, a Day in Paradise (Chapter 17)

Hey guys, I'm back with another late night update. This is a lot longer, and like I mentioned in the last chapter, it contains like two or three sentences of Keith naked. You have been warned. Anyway, this is just a cute Klance chapter (finally got to Klance relationship after sixteen chapters). Hope you enjoy, PLEASE COMMENT! I like talking with readers! Thanks for reading!

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It took about an hour to get to the shoreline. It took even longer since it was daytime.

Tourists and locals alike littered the beaches, so it took considerably longer to find a secluded area with no witnesses before they could finally leave the water.

Except, Keith didn't want to leave. The sun nearly burned on his exposed arms and chest. The sand and greener land further away looked unwelcoming and inhospitable.

The water was Keith's home. Of course he didn't want to leave.

Lance noticed his friend's discomfort, and waited halfway in the surf. He offered a hand to the mer.

"Come on," he reassured. "It'll be okay. I'll be with you every step of the way if you'd like."

Keith felt his face grow slightly warmer, but whether it was the sun on his face or the blood rushing to his cheeks, he couldn't tell.

Reluctantly, Keith took Lance's hand, and pushed himself one last time onto the sand with his tail.

Lance was expecting some magical, light-show transformation like in the Disney movies. You know, something dramatic.

Keith's transformation wasn't even close. No light or magic. It was a simple poof, and his tail had split into two pale legs.

Except, Lance had forgotten about one crucial thing: clothes.

Lance's entire face became bright red as he stared at the naked boy on his knees in the sand. After a few seconds he finally had to turn away, and gave Keith his towel he had left out without turning back to him.

Keith silently took the towel, his face redder than Lance's. When Lance turned back around, Keith noticed the red oozing from his nose.

"Do all humans have red mucus in their noses?" Keith asked with a slightly disgusted look.

Lance wiped his nose and spotted the blood on his fingers. "No, it's a nosebleed," Lance assured as he pinched his nose. "It happens to humans sometimes, when saltwater gets up their nose, sometimes just randomly..."

Sometimes when they see things they weren't supposed to... Lance thought to himself as they headed towards his home.

Keith kept one hand tightly on his towel, the other around Lance's free arm. Keith's dagger was tucked loosely in the towel folds.

"How can humans move like this?" Keith complained. Lance only laughed in response.

Eventually, they made it to Lance's home. Lance was sure to warn Hunk and Pidge that they were coming, so they wouldn't tackle him again.

Lance's friends were actually waiting on them on the front porch.

"Hey, Lance, Keith!" Hunk called when they were a few feet away. Pidge held the door open expectantly, and soon the four were together in Lance's living room.

"We'll save introductions until your dressed. You can head up to my room and pick out some of my clothes. My clothes should fit you," Lance offered, helping Keith up the stairs and into his room before returning to the others downstairs.

"Not too talkative, is he?" Pidge muttered as they adjusted their glasses.

"I hope you both can find you stuff okay," Hunk added worriedly. "While you were gone, I kind of organized everything, including your room."

"Dude, I seriously owe you one," Lance sighed with gratitude.

"Yeah you do," Hunk chuckled. "Honestly, do you ever wash your clothes?"

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Keith glanced around the room. There was a desk, a dresser, a bed, and in one corner was a hammock near a large open window. Keith breathed in the salty air, the sounds of the waves calming his nerves a bit. Opposite of the hammock was the closet.

Pictures were scattered around the room, mostly of Lance and his friends. There was one of Lance, staring out the window at the sea in the background, completely oblivious to the photographer.

As Keith made his way to the closet, he spotted something. Resting in the hammock was a old guitar. It was covered in stickers, niches, and scuffs. Judging from the marks and scars, the guitar was an old one, and had been on many adventures.

Keith smiled to himself and made a mental note to ask Lance to play for him.

Keith started to look through Lance's clothes, but he wasn't sure what humans preferred, or how they wore the attire.

After ten or twenty minutes, Keith was tired of fighting the clothing and settled on a grey plain t-shirt, dark pants, and a dark green and orange jacket that was left on the bed, the sleeves too long for his arms.

Content with the awkward apparel and his appearance in the dresser's mirror, Keith shakily made his way back to the stairs.

Lance spotted him at the top, and smothered a chuckle at his choices, but didn't say anything. What really caught his attention was the fact that Keith had found his favorite jacket.

Hunk and Pidge had migrated to the couch, and Hunk had turned on the television as Pidge searched through dozens of DVDs for a movie.

Why they were watching a movie while the ocean was in trouble, Lance didn't know. He honestly wouldn't mind the temporary distraction though, and felt it would be good for Keith too.

"Hey, Keith, what movie would you like to watch?"

"What's a 'movie'?" Keith countered.

Lance couldn't smother his involuntary snort. "Mer don't have movies?!"

The three mer shook their heads in perfect sync, and Lance's grin widened. Because Hnuk and Pidge had claimed the couch, Lance plopped Keith down on some pillows on the floor.

He then quickly grabbed some sodas and popcorn before joining Keith on the floor. Pidge held up a case in triumph.

"Perfect!" They yelled excitedly. Lance barely caught the title before Pidge inserted the disc.

The Little Mermaid. He started to warn Keith about any crazy singing, but decided not to spoil the fun. The two leaned against one another as Hunk pressed the play button.