Sea, Stars and Silence

- 1. where blue meets red -

~🐚~

Keith flicked his maroon tail, swiftly propelling himself through the dark waters. Rubbing his eyes, he let them adjust to the surroundings as he let out a breath. He had finally got Shiro off his tail. Keith knew that he had his best interests at heart but he never wanted to see the therapist again, despite what Shiro felt was the best for him. They simply could not afford to waste any more money, especially because the ruler of Altea was dead and his successor had been missing for six months, leading to a sharp decline in the mer economy.

A soft thump behind him caused him to whip his head around, instinctively grabbing the knife strapped to his waist. He ignited the torch in his hand, the red flame illuminating the dark waters in the shipwreck. He turned back to look at whatever was behind him and as his torch swept in a half circle, a face came into focus.

He had tan skin and messy brown hair, and his nose and mouth were covered by a piece of cloth functioning as a mask. The boy pointed a gun barrel in Keith's face and Keith glared at him, not trusting the stranger.

The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, the tan boy taking in the sight of Keith's dark hair and pale skin, and the knife gripped in his hand.

"Lance Mcclain! Give yourself up!" A masculine voice yelled from outside. The tan boy looked at Keith for help, eyes pleading. "Please, don't tell them I'm here!"

"Keith! Keith! Hello, sir, have you seen a boy with dark hair and pale skin swim by here?" Another voice sounded, and Keith paled even more, which seemed impossible looking at how pale he already was. He dimmed his torch and grabbed the other boy, Lance, if he remembered correctly. He looked into his blue eyes. Trust me on this one. Okay? Keith grabbed his wrist and dragged him deeper into the abandoned shipwreck.

Lance pulled down his face mask and breathed out a sigh. The other boy didn't seem to be trying to kill him, despite him having had a knife pointed at his face when they first met. Said boy was busy swimming around, plating a chunk of kelp and preparing sea nectar. The mysterious boy put it in front of Lance, looking at him expectantly. Lance stared at him. Didn't he speak?

Keith stared back, confused. Didn't he feel hungry? Or maybe he didn't like kelp and sea nectar. He sighed, and his ears drooped. So much for being friendly. He took the dagger and held it under Lance's chin, motioning towards the food.

Lance gulped. He shakily looked up at the boy, who motioned towards the plate of kelp. He hesitantly picked up the fork and stabbed the kelp, popping it into his mouth. He looked at the boy, whose gaze had softened as he removed the knife, tucking it back into its sheath strapped to his waist.

"The name's Lance. What's your name?" Lance started, resting his head in his hands. He looked at the other boy expectantly, his eyes shining with curiosity. The dark haired boy finally looked away from his knife, signing at an impossibly fast speed.

Lance stared, spellbound as the boy's slender hands weaved through the water gracefully. Lance stared at him, and the boy facepalmed. Of course he doesn't understand sign, you dumbass.

Keith grabbed his knife and quickly wrote his name on the sandy floor. "Keith. Huh. Nice name." Lance smiled, glancing at Keith. He smiled, and Lance's heart warmed to see the dark-haired boy bustle around in the shipwreck which already felt like home.

He's really pretty. Lance thought to himself, grinning and taking another sip of his sea nectar drink. The two sat together in comfortable silence, sipping the sweet fluid from conch shell cups. Until Lance spoke. "These beveRAYges taste great, Keith!" Keith dropped his cup and looked at Lance, a mixture of horror and amusement on his face. That was the worst pun he had heard. Keith shook with silent laughter, his shoulders quaking as he did his best to contain the laughter bubbling inside him.

"Keith! There's a criminal in there! Get out! They're going to shoot!" Shiro's voice echoed from the outside of the ship. Lance snuck a glance at Keith, who had stopped laughing and had gripped his knife so hard his knuckles turned white.

Grabbing a bag of who knows what, Keith dragged Lance out of the ship just as a flurry of gunshots and the sound of screeching metal sounded. The rusty metal skeleton of the shipwreck gave way, the whole structure collapsing in a cloud of sand and debris.

Lance managed to see a figure swim away from the wreck of the shipwreck, tail fin shredded. Keith's breath hitched. He made a strangled sobbing sound, so soft that it could have been overlooked, and Lance turned so quickly that he could have gotten whiplash. Did he just make a sound?

Lance looked on incredulously as Keith's hands clenched into fists at his side. "Woah. Keith. Are you okay?" He gently enquired. Keith gave him a stiff nod, before swimming away. Lance glanced back at the injured mer before chasing after his new friend.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lance quietly asked, roasting a piece of kelp on the campfire the two runaways built in a cave. Keith shook his head, his bangs hanging in his face. Curling up into a ball, Keith hid under a blanket.

Lance woke up that night to the sound of sniffling. He pried his tired eyes open and saw Keith, shoulders hunched and hugging himself. He quickly swam down towards the boy and hugged him. What am I doing? I barely even know him! Lance thought to himself, panicking as Keith stiffened almost immediately after he made contact.

Is he hugging me? This is embarrassing... I said I wouldn't cry! Keith thought, flushing red and hiding his face. It was lucky that the cave was shrouded in darkness, or he would never dare to show his face again out of pure embarrassment.

Lance continued to hold on to the crying boy, awkwardly stroking his hair in an attempt to comfort him. He let out a relieved sigh when Keith slowly put his arms around Lance, relaxing into the hug.

~🐚~