Waves and Embers

Under the Sea

Hayden felt his heart pounding as he walked down to the beach. Sneaking out of the house had been easy enough, but the thought of swimming through the ocean on his own was terrifying.

However, the image of Ulma laying in her hospital bed clinging to life was enough to refuel his courage as he stepped onto the sand. It was 1am and Auradon was quiet as it's people slept. That's why it came as a surprise when he realized he was not alone on the beach.

Just ahead of him, Hayden spotted two boys laying on a blanket staring up at the stars, their hands intertwined as they spoke in hushed tones.

Hayden moved away and attempted creep down towards the water without being seen, but the crunching of the sand gave him away. The two boys turned, spotting him as he neared the water's edge.

Hayden froze and before he could process what was happening one of the boys jumped up and charged him.

"You!" The boy screamed as he tackled him, pinning him to the ground before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. "Your the reason Ulma's hurt! You nearly got her killed! You--"

"Connor stop!" The second boy yelled, grabbing the first and pulling him away as Hayden laid in the sand in shock.

The first boy, Connor, struggled in the other's grasp as he desperately tried to regain his grasp on Hayden. His rambling becoming illegible as they struggled.

The second boy pulled the other close to his chest despite his struggling, and whispered in his ear. Hayden just barely made out the words. "Calm down, kè mwen. Please."

Connor stopped struggling upon hearing the words, allowing the second boy to comfort him. With the situation deesculated, Hayden realized he recognized this boy.

"Y-Your one of the boys from the picture on Ulma's phone. You're her friend." He stated in disbelief.

"I'm her best friend." Connor corrected through clenched teeth. "Now, why are you here?"

"Because I know how to save her." He growled back, standing up. "It will take a little bit of time but if this works, Ulma's energy will be restored. Now if you don't mind, I have a cave to find."

Hayden turned his back on them and prepared to transform and head into the sea, clutching the amulet in his hand as he stared out at the water.

"You can save her?" Connor's voice had changed from harsh to heartbreakingly sad.

"Yeah, I can." Hayden replied, surprising himself with his own confidence. "And for the record, I never wanted her to get hurt."

Connor nodded, his face solemn but also slightly relieved. "I believe you and I'm sorry for tackling you. It just hurts knowing she's in that hospital and I can't do anything to help her."

"I know what you mean, but now that there's a glimmer of hope, I'm not going to stop chasing it. I'm Hayden, by the way." He introduced. "And you're Connor, I believe thats what your friend called you."

Connor nodded. "Yeah, and this is Trevor my um...."

"Boyfriend." Trevor finished with a smirk before jabbing a thumb towards Connor. "Don't mind him, he's still shy about it. That's why we're having a date in the middle of the night. Isn't that right, kè mwen?"

A blush bloomed across Connor's cheeks as he did his best to glare at Trevor. "Please stop calling me that in front of him. We agreed that's supposed to be a private nickname."

Trevor sighed heavily. "Come on, Connor. We're dating, I should be able to call you whatever I want, whenever I want. I know you're still nervous about all this, but our friends support us. Isn't that what matters?"