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Chapter Text

The waves were roaring that day. The day they met.

The ocean was enraged. The clouds were bursting with thunderstorms, rattling the sky. But it was a beautiful sight regardless. It seemed like the ocean was reflecting what was going inside Leandro's heart. He was in anguish. Desparate. For what exactly? he didn't know.

But he knew one thing. There's something in the ocean that calls out to him. Lures him in. And he's helpless to the lure of the waves.

Prince Leandro is a little different from other royalties. In the fact that he does not have royal blood. That's right. A year ago, he was found lying unconscious on the sea shore by a servant. The island's King and Queen were desperate for a successor, considering they had no children of their own.

So they adopted him. And named him Leandro. The prince proved to be a ray of sunshine in their lives.

His beautiful smile and charming personality won their hearts easily.

Some court members had their prejudice, disliking the mere fact that the "prince" did not have royal blood in his veins. But Leandro never let it get to him.

He ignored everyone who raised a question on his origin. His parents liked him and that's all that mattered. He's perfectly content being the prince.

Except.

He doesn't know what happened.

He has no recollection of his life before the incident. Before he was found washed up on the shore.

And it bothers him sometimes. He has spent a million nights sleepless. The thoughts of his life and origin plaguing him. Making him restless. He often feels like he's missing something.

Or someone maybe.

Sometimes, he dreams about his previous life. A phantom touch on his cheek, amethyst eyes looking into his soul and then. Every single time. It feels like he can't breathe. His lungs protest and his throat burns. He's drowning, trying to find the surface for even a drop of oxygen, but fails miserably. He keeps fighting the pull of water until he wakes up in a sweat.

On those dreadful nights, he sneaks out of his bed chambers and strolls by the ocean.

It's odd. The ocean is a huge part of his nightmares but he feels no agitation when he's near it. It's the complete opposite. What a bizzare situation to be in. Loving something that you dread in your dreams. The splash of the waves soothe him.

He often finds himself staring off in the distance.

Hypnotised.

The wind is chilly during night time. But it doesn't bother him, rather, he welcomes the cold. It takes his mind off of the nightmares.

The stars reflecting in the water create a scenery that takes his breath away each time. Sometimes, he sits by the waves, simply enjoying the peace. Sometimes, he takes a dip into the water. Swimming mindlessly along the waves until his legs start to protest. He floats on the cold sea water and looks up at the starry night sky. The feeling is so familiar yet foreign. The water gently sways him, and he almost falls asleep there. Almost.

The ocean breeze pulls him in like a magnet. He wonders what's out there. What kind of creatures live there. How much deeper can the ocean get? How terrifying. How exciting.

One fateful night, when the dreams plague him again, he sneaks out as usual. Following a mindless routine, he sits by the shore. His toes digging into the cool sand, soothing his mind. When he sees something sparkling in the waves. Like a star just fell from the sky and is now carried by the waves towards him. His curiosity takes over and soon he's getting rid of his clothes. He cautiously makes his way towards the mysterious object. The waves reaching up to his chest, making him shiver slightly.

As he gets closer and closer, the sparkling object takes the shape of a glass bottle. He picks it out of the waves, and finds that the bottle is screwed shut by a cork. And inside is a sizable palm leaf rolled and tied by a thin vine. He takes out the cork with a pop. When he unfolds the leaf, he finds that there are scratch marks on it, weird looking symbols carved into the surface. It looks like the symbols have a meaning. Like it's a language that he doesn't understand.

But the more he stares at it, the more he gets the feeling that he should know what it means. He keeps staring at the symbols for a long time, but when his brain refuses to give him the answers he's looking for, he sighs. Closes the bottle back and makes his way back to the shore. He takes it to his sleep chambers and stores the bottle carefully in an old trunk.

He'll figure out what the markings mean eventually.

Chapter Text

His nightmares became more frequent after he found the bottle. Every time, he woke up with a gasp. His heart hammering in his chest. It always took him a few minutes to come back to reality, taking in his surroundings until his brain finally registers that he's in his room.

Not under water, drowning.

As time passes, the dreams become more vivid. Each time, something new gets added. One night, he heard a voice calling out to him, it sounded intimate. Like it was close. He liked the voice, but sometimes, the voice was shattered, a scream coming through. Whoever it was, they were in distress, and an enormous feeling of helplessness engulfed Leandro each time.

The day arrives when he cannot take it any longer. Along with some sailors to assist, he sets out on a journey.

A journey full of adventure and a mysterious longing. He knows he's looking for something, but he doesn't know what it is.

Yet.

“Summon the best craftsmen of Altea, I need a ship built”

“Yes, your highness.”

The ship is called "Sapphire". It's a massive structure that holds enough cabins for ten sailors. 

Although only 5 are going with him. He had it designed especially for this journey. Various quarters of the ship served various purposes. The exterior of the hull was decorated with tiny sapphires, surrounded by alluring designs painted on the ship. Apart from the two experienced sailors on board : Tim and James, there's the captain, a cook and a servant boy for running small errands on the ship.

Together, they decide on a path across the ocean. It is rumored that there's an island far away near a land called Daibezal, on which huge amounts of golds and diamonds and even gems never before seen are buried. Leandro is not interested in the treasure, assuming that its even real.

He wants. No. He craves the adventure. He wants to know what its like to be in the middle of the ocean, sailing through waters no man has ever touched before. He wants to become one with the ocean. Most importantly, he wants to find himself. His past, and everything it contained.

He knows that's where he belongs. His soul knows.

The first few days on the ship were grueling. Not used to being swayed constantly, he was nauseous pretty much all the time. But Leandro managed. The sea sickness subsided after a few days. Leaving him with a mild head ache.

He was resting his arms on the ledge of the ship, when he heard footsteps approaching. By now, he was familiar with everyone, so he didn't need to turn to see who it was.

"Hey Captain" he greeted, his eyes still staring into the ocean in front.

The sun was at it's peak, drenching them in hot light. The waves were calm.

The air stood still. Without any wind, the ship was frozen in time.

The crew was getting restless due to this.

"Your highness" the captain greets back. To which Leandro scoffs,

"I told you man" he punches his shoulder lightly, "just call me Leo"

His friend smiles, "I know I know, I just need some time to get used to it.."

"Aww come on Hunk! we've been friends for what, months now?"

"Yeah, its just a force of habit..." the captain shrugs.

"it's cool, don't worry." Leo shakes his head, "so? what did you want to talk about?"

"hmm? oh! yes. I just wanted to ask how you're doing. Any kind of unease? "

"Aww you worry too much buddy! I'm fine. I'm getting used to it."

He replies with a reassuring smile.

"Plus, look at the view! Isn't it gorgeous? I bet I can spend forever on a boat, surrounded by the ocean breeze."

He takes a deep breath, and then exhales," haah, love this aroma"

Hunk nods, "that's great! I'm glad you're having a good time"

then he stands there, awkward, fidgeting.

"Is everything alright?" the prince asks again, tilting his head in suspicion.

"YES! umm it's just, I guess I'm having a hard time understanding why a prince would wanna go through all this trouble for some treasure that he already has? I don't mean to offend you. We're all just truly curious about your motivation for this journey. Especially-"

Leandro cackles, the curiosity of his crew amusing him immensely.

"Oh my stars! really? that's what had you so nervous?! I thought you were gonna announce someone is dying!"

Hunk simply smiles politely and shrugs.

"okay, okay" he huffs, suddenly serious, "to be honest, even I'm not sure why I'm on this journey, I just love the ocean I think" he waves his hand, motioning downwards. A faraway look in his eyes, "and everything it consists of..."

Hunk goes silent after that. He's not really satisfied with that answer, but doesn't say anything. He knows Leandro is trying to ease his worry, but he knows something is bothering him. The wind picks up as the sun descends a little. The silence they've fallen into is comfortable.

He tries again, his voice more gentle, "you know you can tell me if something's wrong"

Leo looks at his friend. And maybe he saw something in his expression that made him believe the captain. So he drops the act and sighs. Giving in, he leans closer.

"the dreams are more vivid lately" he whispers, looking around for anyone eavesdropping.

Hunk frowns, "why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Leandro smiles sadly, "I didn't want to worry you, it's not a big dea-"

"Tell me" his friend interrupts.

"What?"

"Tell me. What did you see ?"

The prince stays silent for a few moments. Collecting his thoughts.

"I see a person. They have violet eyes. But that's- that's all I remember from the dreams. As soon as I wake up, this person's features disappear from my memory. We're always under water and scared. Terrified. Of what? I don't know.

The person screams in anguish and then I feel like I can't breathe. Like I'm drowning and then I just wake up. It's always the same dream. Or you can say nightmare . I want to get rid of it. But nothing’s working."

Hunk listens carefully, deep in thought. As if contemplating what to say. As if he knows something but doesn't know if he should share.

"What is it? " Leo asks, worried.

Hunk looks up at him, sighs, "its-"

"Captain! we need your guidance!" James, one of the sailors, yells from the cabin door.

Hunk turns towards him, "What is it?" the frustration of being interrupted clear in his voice.

"Follow me" comes the reply, as if that explains everything.

But the captain has no choice, his crew needs him. So he politely excuses himself.

And just like that their conversation is left fragmented.

Leandro has not told anyone about the bottle he found that night. He's worried that it will be taken away from him if he tells anyone. Which is bizarre because he knows no one would dare steal from a prince. But he doesn’t care. He doesn't know what the message inside means, but it feels intimate. And he wants to keep this one thing to himself. So he stays quite about it. Keeps the bottle secure in his personal cabin.

Chapter Text

A few weeks later, as nightmares clouded his vision, the prince woke up in the middle of the night.

His cabin was luxurious. As was suited for a prince. His bed was filled with navy blue silk sheets and too many pillows.

The room was spacious, as was the bed. A small circular window on the side of his bed indicated that it was night time. Leo sighed in frustration. He was tired of the nightmares. Shaking his head to get rid of the bad thoughts, he clambered off the bed and lit up an oil lamp. He made his way towards the study, where he stored the mysterious bottle he had found in the ocean.

Carefully taking out the leaf, he pressed it flat on the table. Using a magnifying glass, he looked at all the details meticulously. The symbols and everything in between. He studied the pattern of symbols that occurred repeatedly and tried to decipher the message. Tried to jog his memory. It all looked eerily familiar, he knew he had seen these markings before, but his brain refused to cooperate.

It's when he feels the tiny window open with a jerk, that he tears his eyes away from the markings. There's a strong gust of icy wind coming in. He jolts up from his seat. Panicking. He rushes to the deck and pushes the alarm.

Several loud bells echo in unison. The sound barely louder than the clouds above him.

"THERE'S A STORM COMING!" he yells

"STORM!!"

Within seconds, the whole crew was awake.

"COMING ABOUT!"

"DOUSE THE SAILS! PREPARE LIFEBOATS!"

"Drop the anchor!"

The sailors shouted varying commands all over. Everyone was running around the deck when the first wave hits the ship. And soon the clouds above them burst into a chilling thunder storm. Sapphire gets filled with water in minutes. Everyone holds onto their lifelines. Some thick ropes tied to the main mast, connecting everyone to the ship.

"Are the connections secure?!" Hunk yells

"YES CAPTAIN!" the server boy shouts back. Leandro had come to know that the boy was sneaking onto the ship when Hunk caught him. But then he had begged to be let on the ship and in return he'll do as many chores as possible. When asked why he wants to join them so badly, the answer was simple.

"I love the Ocean sir, and one day I wanna become the best sailor!"

Leo had agreed to let him in when Hunk brought the boy to him.

The boy's name escaped his memory. Paul? maybe.. Podge?

"OKAY! GOOD JOB PIDGE!" comes the voice of Hunk, breaking his chain of thoughts.

The crew holds on tight to their lifelines, the waves tilting the boat to dangerous levels, there' a high chance they'll not make it. The panic grows in Leandro's stomach like a tree spreading its roots in search of water. His journey might end too soon. As beautiful as the ocean is, it's equally terrifying. The clouds above roar with deafening thunder. Streaks of lightning decorate the nightsky like fairylights. Leo would be in awe of them if he weren’t in the middle of a life threatening situation right now. There's way too much water in the ship. The plimsoll line is nowhere in sight.

They're doomed.

Everything happens in slow motion and way too fast at the same time. His brain goes numb, he can't hear anything and soon, the panic consumes his consciousness too.

Chapter Text

When he comes to, he finds himself coughing out excess water. His throat burns with the effort of inhaling the much needed oxygen, before taking in his surroundings.

There's sand everywhere, he must have been washed up on an island. This feels like a deja vu moment. Except no servant comes running towards him.

The sand beneath his feet is hot. The sky is clear so that’s a relief but it looks like the sun will set soon. He might have passed out for a long time. He looks around for any sign of his crewmates, but he's alone. No one from his crew is in sight.

He explores frantically until he finds a silhouette in the distance. He squints to see a little clearer but the silhouette is frozen. It looks like someone’s passed out on the shore just like him. He rushes towards it. His heart beating so loud he can feel it through his chest.

As soon as he makes it closer to the unconscious man, the sight in front of him leaves him breathless.

Right there on the shore, was a mermaid- err a merman to be accurate. It seemed like he was unconscious. His body was littered with scars and some fresh looking injuries. But his beauty didn't go unnoticed by Leandro. The red and violet hues of his scales looked ethereal. He was in a trance, looking at the merman in awe. His shiny black hair looked soft to the touch. He couldn't help but admire this beautiful creature.

He leaned closer so he could look at him better. The prince wondered if his skin was soft too. But as soon as his hand hovered in front of the merman's cheek, his eyes opened with a jolt. Their eyes met, and it made Leo jump. The merman looked terrified and in a swift moment, Leandro was pinned to the ground by strong hands on his wrists. A dagger lightly touched his throat.

He gulps. Terrified but at the same time, finds himself entranced.

The sudden action leaves him breathless. His eyes went wide in shock, but as he stared at those eyes. The only words that left his mouth were,

"You're beautiful..."

He could sense the merman's shock at his words, the dagger at his throat lifted up suddenly and soon his wrists were free as well.

As Leo sat up again, they both stared at each other. A gorgeous blush covered the mer's cheeks. Leandro smiled as he shifted closer to him.

The guy was stiff, but he didn't move to attack him again, so he deemed it safe to approach him.

"What's your name?" he asked, praying to all the gods above that merfolk could understand english.

But the merman just looked at him with wide eyes, lost somewhere. Those amethyst eyes looked so familiar...

Before Leo could voice this fact, the mer gasped.

" Lance! " as if he just recognised someone he was desperately looking for. The way he said that name. It did something to him. Hearing that name in that voice felt so familiar yet at the same time, so foreign.

The abrupt outburst made him jolt.

"You- you're Lance right?" he looked so vulnerable and hopeful.

It made Leo's chest ache. But he shaked his head.

"N-No, my name's Leandro. You might be confusing me with someone else."

He regretted those words the second they left his mouth, because the way his shoulders deflated, the broken expression on his face. It made his chest throb in agony. A sudden protectiveness came over him. He scooted closer to the beautiful creature. Gently taking his hand in his, he tried to divert the conversation.

"Are you alright? those look painful" he asked, pointing to the wounds on his chest.

The mer looks at him carefully, then at his chest. He frowns, looking at the wounds like he’s just now realising that he’s injured.

“I’m okay, they’ll heal eventually” he squeezes Leo’s hand, the action feels familiar. As if he did it unconsciously. As if it was muscle memory.

He extended his unoccupied hand forward.

"My name's Keith" he said, but the way he looked into Leo’s eyes, it felt like he was suffering. Like something pained him deeply.

“Keith” he repeats the name like its the most precious word he’s ever heard

"Your name's beautiful too!" and kisses the offered hand gently.

Leandro revels in the resultant redness of Keith's cheeks. The guy was adorably shy.

He had heard rumors about the existence of merfolk. But this was his first time actually meeting one.

Before Leo could ask Keith to come with him so that he could fix his wounds, they heard voices coming from a distance.

Keith panicked at the thought of more humans seeing him, so he scrambled to get inside the water as fast as possible. But Leandro caught his arm right before he could dive deep.

"Wait! when will I see you again!?" he asked desparately.

Keith looked back at him, then glanced at the sailors running in the distance. A sense of dread consumed him. Keith can easily free himself from his hold, considering how he had pinned Leo earlier, but the way he was looking at Leo, it screamed that he didn’t really wanna let go.

They took each other in. Silently savouring this last moment together.

And Leo realised that he needs to let go.

So he does.

But it feels wrong. He doesn't know why. But letting Keith go feels terribly wrong. The merman looked at him one last time before diving deep into the water.

His lovely tail was the last thing Leandro saw before his crew reached him.

Chapter Text

They gather some food from the island and use the wood to rebuild the ship's damaged parts. It takes them three days to recover the ship, before they're on the waters again.

The whole time, Leo couldn't get the thought of Keith out of his head. He's mesmerized. He keeps repeating the memory of their interaction again and again. How his eyes shined like stars on a clear night sky. How soft his hair were. How amazingly his hand fit into his own. Hunk finds him daydreaming often. He couldn't focus on the tasks on the ship at all. Always lost in thoughts of the gorgeous merman.

He doesn't know what's come over him. He keeps thinking about the beautiful red scales, the amethyst eyes. Those eyes seemed so familiar. Like he has looked into the depths of those eyes a million times before. But all he can do is sigh in disappointment when he can’t recall where exactly he has seen those pretty eyes before.

The crew takes the ship back on track. It’s been two weeks since they started their journey and according to the map, they’ll need to cross three small islands before they reach the treasure site.

Leandro still thinks that the rumors are just that. Rumors. But he doesn’t mind his crew thinking otherwise. It’s because of them that he’s on this journey in the first place.

He keeps working on decoding the message in the bottle. Mostly during the night.

One such night, he jolts up from his bed. Another nightmare. He takes some deep breaths to calm himself down. And like routine, walks up to his desk. But before opening the bottle, he walks over to the small bathing chamber attached to his cabin. A warm bath might help calm his nerves from the nightmare. He takes off his shirt along the way, but as soon as he opens the door, he’s met with an unexpected sight.

Right there in his bath tub is-

“Keith!” he squeaks in surprise.

The sudden noise jolts the sleeping merman into panic. His heart hammering in his chest. But he sighs in relief when he sees its just Lance.

“Hi” he says bashfully, when Leandro continues to stare at him in stunned silence.

The shy greeting pulls him out into reality, and he meets Keith’s eyes,

“Hi” he greets back, and steps closer to the bath tub.

He crouches down to be eye level with Keith.

“What are you doi- how? umm-”

Keith chuckles, amused at Leo’s reaction.

“Sorry for the surprise, I sneaked in when you guys were repairing the ship”

Keith blushes in embarrassment, but looks him in the eye before declaring,

“I just- I just wanted to see you again” he looks down at his hands again, the ocean blue eyes staring into his own becoming too much to handle.

His tails sways in the water gently. Adorably awkward.

“Oh” is all Leandro can manage to say.

The sight of Keith in his bathtub is doing things to his heart.

He closes the distance a bit more, before smiling at his surprise guest.

“I’m glad you’re here”

The genuine smile takes Keith’s breath away. His eyes become glossy as if he’s about to cry.

The reaction confuses Leandro a little. But he doesn’t dwell on it. He reaches out to take Keith’s hand, holding it softly.

As he stares into his eyes, something clicks.

The eyes he has been dreaming about. The very eyes he keeps meeting in his dreams. Are looking into his soul right now.

“Have we? “ he whispers, ”met before?”

The merman looks taken aback by the question. But after thinking for a moment, he nods.

“Where?” Leandro asks, perking up at the confirmation.

Keith looks like someone took his heart out and squeezed too hard. He looks away. Unable to look him in the eye, “I can’t tell you that” he says, each word like poison on his tongue.

“Why not?” Leandro pushes, desperate for answers.

Keith looks up then, tears glistening in his eyes. But he doesn’t reply.

“I guess you can’t tell me that either”

Leandro receives a silent nod again.

“But” he pulls Keith’s face up by placing a finger under his chin,

“It feels like you want to tell me, you are just bound by something”

“Yeah” Keith gives him a sad smile. “I want to tell you desperately, but I am cursed to not be able to tell you”

To say that Leandro is shocked would be an understatement.

“s-so you know about my past? wh-who are you? what are we?”

“I do know about your past, you- ugh” his words get interrupted by an agonising pain in his throat. He places his hands on his throat trying to breathe. The pain dissipates after a few seconds. Leandro watches all this unfold horrified. Keith pants as he comes back to himself.

“What happened?!”

“I tried to tell you something I’m not allowed to..” he wheezes

“I-it’s okay, you don’t need to tell me” he squeezes Keith’s hand, “I just want you to be alright”

The worry in Leo’s eyes melts Keith’s heart. He sighs, “I wish I could though.”

“Perhaps you can tell me something else” Leo says suddenly standing up. Then rushes back to his room.

He comes back with the bottle in his hand. The bottle he has been obsessed with since forever.

Keith’s expressions instantly morph into recognition.

He smiles brightly, “You found my message!!!”

“Your message?! you wrote it!???”

Keith nods enthusiastically, “yess! so you already know? what I wanted to tell you!”

“I can’t read this Keith” Leo replies dejectedly.

And the smile disappears. Leo would sell his soul to get that smile back.

“You don’t remember the mer language either?” Keith asks, his voice small.

Leandro shakes his head, “No, I’ve been trying to decode this for months but I can’t figure it out. Perhaps you can tell me? You wrote it right?”

“I can’t Lance. If you don’t remember the language, then” he takes a deep breath, “the only way I can get around the curse is by writing, I can’t speak about it.”

“Lance? Is that my name? ”

“Yeah” Keith smiles. “isn’t that cool? what a lovely name you have.”

Leo blushes. His own words directed back at him.

“You can call me Lance then”

Keith leans closer to give him a peck on his cheek.

“Okay”

Lance looks down, too shy. But his gaze gets stuck on Keith’s injuries from the storm.

“How are your bruises? do they hurt?” he asks, pointing towards Keith’s chest.

Keith looks down at himself, checking the wounds on his chest, then shrugs

“Naah they’re okay. I’m used to it. I just got caught up in the storm”

Lance frowns, “Well, you shouldn’t be used to it. Wait right here. I’ll be back” he says as he gets up from his crouched position.

Keith watches him leave the room. And slides down further into the water. He needs to collect himself. If he can’t tell Lance, he needs to show him what happened and what Lance means to him.

He sighs as he looks at his torn tail fin and frowns. It should’ve healed by now.

Leandro enters again and it brings Keith back from his zoned out state. Their eyes meet. And then Leandro’s gaze travels towards his tail. He crouches down again. And gently pulls Keith’s tail closer.

Keith lets him put some ointment on it. But he’s sensitive. And the way Leo keeps touching him. It reminds him of something more heated .

The way he’s looking at him makes him hot and bothered. Leo seems to notice the tension in the air.

“You alright?” he asks, but the tiny smirk on his lips tells him that Leo is well aware that Keith is not alright.

All Keith can manage is a nod. His tail flicking at every gentle touch. Too sensitive.

Leandro maintains eye contact as his touch travels further up. From the end of his tail towards his navel. Goosebumps chase his light touches.

When Leo reaches his collarbones, Keith realises that during the whole process, Leo had reduced the space between them to mere centimeters. He looks up from his lashes to meet those Ocean blue eyes.

“Your scales are gorgeous”

Keith stares at his lips now. His attention pulled from his eyes to his mouth. His chest heaving with anticipation. He can almost feel Leo’s breath on his lips, when a knock on the door makes them both jump apart.

“Your highness?” a voice calls from outside. Keith recognises the voice.

It’s James. He looks at Lance, panicked. Silently telling him to not let James know that he’s in here. Judging by Lance’s expressions, he understands.

”Wait for me on the deck! I’ll be there in a few!” he yells back at James through the door.

They both wait for the sound of receding footsteps before exhaling in relief.

“That was James, one of the sailors. But don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about you.”

Lance says as he gets up.

“You should rest, I’ll be back in a few hours okay?”

“Okay” Keith nods, still coming back from the moment they just shared.

Lance leaves after sharing one longing look over his shoulder.

Chapter Text

3 months ago

“I can’t do this dad! Please!”

“I’ve told you already Keith, the king’s orders can’t be violated. It’s not in my hands anymore.”

“But-”

“ENOUGH”

The sudden outburst shuts Keith up,

“If I hear one more word about this selkie, you will regret it” his dad yells, looking anywhere but his eyes.

“He has a name you know” Keith sighs.

His dad ignores him this time and simply leaves the room, slamming the door after himself.

For the next few days, Keith refuses to eat anything, until at last, Shiro insists on talking to him.

Keith reluctantly lets him in. If there’s anyone he trusts, it’s his brother.

“What do you want Shiro. I’ve already told you, I’m-”

“You’re not marrying Prince James, I know” he sighs, “But you need to eat Keith. We’re all worried about you.”

“I don’t care, I just need to get out of here, I’ll find Lance and we’ll swim away. We have a plan. Pidge knows about an island-”

“And how are you gonna swim away if you don’t have the energy? hmm?”

“….”

Keith looks down, “fine”

Shiro finally smiles, “that’s my brother!”

Keith snatches the plate of sea fruit from his hands and sits beside his brother.

Shiro lets him eat in silence. He knows the situation is delicate. So he’ll need to tread carefully.

“I know what’s happening isn’t fair. And I’m not here to convince you to get married to someone you don’t love. But selkies.. isn’t that a bit much?”

“Just because selkies can turn into humans, doesn’t mean they’re that different from us you know?. The history we have with their ancestors has nothing to do with them currently.” Keith chews the fruit, “And you know Lance! he’s like the complete opposite of what we’re taught about them!”

Shiro nods in agreement, “You’re right, but the king would never allow you to marry him.”

“I know that. That’s why I’m gonna escape.” he insists.

“Are you sure about this?” Shiro asks after contemplating Keith’s plan.

Keith takes a moment to answer.

“More than anything” he says.

The determination in Keith’s eyes stuns him. But convinces him all the same.

“Then I wish you guys a long happy life together” he says, and pulls Keith in a side hug.

”Let me know if you need my help in anything alright? I’ll handle dad. Don’t worry.”

Keith finally smiles,

“thanks Shiro”

The day of the wedding arrives, and as planned, Keith escapes from his room just before the palace guards could take him to the altar. He’s taking the biggest risk of his life. He knows the king will be furious by his deception, but he’s willing to risk the consequences.

Why? oh it’s just that he had to go ahead and fall in love with this idiot selkie named Lance. Sue him. One look was all it took. Those ocean eyes had captivated him the moment he looked into them. He still remembers the day he met Lance. He had sneaked out in the night to explore an ancient wrecked ship. But when he made his way through one of the cabins, he came across the most beautiful man he had ever seen in his life.

In the beginning, although he was attracted to Lance, he was still vary of him. Maybe because he was taught since he was a child, that selkies are inherently evil and he needs to stay away from them. But Lance was far from dangerous. He was a fun guy who liked to talk a lot. And Keith liked listening to him. Their friendship was perfect.

Until eventually it grew into something more. Something Keith cherished more than life itself.

The ship became their secret meeting spot.

But just when Keith was about to introduce his boyfriend to his dad, a royal mail was delivered to their residence.

The King had declared Keith as the perfect match for his eldest son.

Prince James.

The reason? no one knows.

And questioning the king was impossible, unless you were ready to be executed.

So with no other option left, Keith escaped. He met up with Lance at their usual spot.

But horror struck him when he went inside the cabin. Lance was tied up on the floor. Unconscious. Two royal guards surrounded him from both sides.

It seemed like the mer King was one step ahead.

Keith fought with all his might, but he was out numbered. The guards tied him up in chains. Just like his lover.

The potion they forced down his throat was starting to affect him, but he remained conscious. Never lowering his guard.

Soon the king entered the small cabin. He sneered at them. As if their mere existence was disgusting.

Prince James was close behind him.

“YOU HAVE BETRAYED THE HIGH COURT, THE UNION OF A MER AND A SELKIE IS UNACCEPTABLE” the king recited in a thunderous voice.

“I CURSE YOU!” the king raised his staff and directed its glow towards Lance,

“YOU WILL CEASE TO REMEMBER ALL ABOUT YOUR SELKIE LIFE AND LIVE ON THE SURFACE AS A HUMAN! ”

Keith yanked on his chains, desperate. But he was helpless as he watched his lover being engulfed in the curse’s glow.

“NO” he cried out, “LANCE!”

“QUIET!” yelled James, “YOU ARE TO BE MY HUSBAND AND THAT IS FINAL”

Keith glares at the prince.

But the King was not finished. He raised his staff again, but this time pointed it towards Keith.

“YOU SHALL NOT FIND YOUR MATE, EVEN IF YOU DO, YOUR THROAT WILL CLOSE UP IF YOU TRY TO TELL HIM ANYTHING ABOUT THE CURSE OR HIS PAST“

The panic consumed Keith, along with the pull of the potion, he felt his body give out against his will. Everything went silent and he fell into a dreamless sleep. The last thing he sees before closing his eyes, is Lance being lifted up by the royal guards. With the last bit of strength left in him, he lifts his hand. Trying to reach his love, but the pull of unconsciousness is stronger.

“ Lance ”

he whispers, before finally giving into the pull.

Chapter Text

When Keith opens his eyes, he finds himself in an unfamiliar room, but the pattern on the walls indicate that he’s in the castle.

The guards must have put him here after he collapsed. Keith looks around and notices that there’s no window through which he could escape. And the door is predictably locked.

He has no way out.

He paces around the room, thinking. What can he do? Should he try to break the door? But the guards will be alert.

Soon they’ll take him to the altar. Keith doesn’t even know why the King is so adamant about him being Prince James's mate. He’s just an ordinary mer. What could he possibly gain by this marriage?

He keeps thinking. The biggest concern for him right now is Lance being safe. For that he needs to escape first. He looks around the room. But it’s completely empty. After pacing around for a while, he sits down in a corner. There’s only one option left.

He’ll have to face the guards when they open the door, and escape by any means possible.

After about an hour of waiting, the door opens with a slam.

And to his relief, it’s Shiro.

“Swim!! we don’t have much time!” his brother yells, his voice frantic.

Keith doesn’t waste a second more. Relief floods his system. He swims past the door and finds two unconscious guards lying on the ground.

“How did yo-”

“Later! we don’t have time right now!”

Keith rushes behind his brother. They swim down a tunnel that leads them right outside the Palace. It must have been a secret route for the army back in the day. Luckily Shiro found it.

When they’re a safe distance away, Keith asks again.

“How did you manage to get rid of those guards?”

Shiro huffs, the adrenaline wearing off slowly,

“I just lured them in using delicious food, they didn’t recognize me. So they bought into my lie of being the head chef.”

Keith snickers,” so you mixed some kind of drug in the food?”

“Anything for my baby brother” Shiro ruffles his hair, while Keith protests that he ruined his hair.

“Wait!” he gasps suddenly remembering, “Where’s Lance!?”

Shiro deflates at the question.

“I don’t know, the guards just took him when he was unconscious. But no one knows where he might be.”

Keith frowns, his fists clench in anxiety. Is Lance alright? The curse said that he’ll have to live as a human now. Does that mean he’s not even in the ocean? How is he supposed to find him then?

What if he never finds him again. And even if he managed to find him somehow, would Lance even remember him? What should he-

“We should go look for Pidge”

Shiro interrupts his spiral of thoughts.

That’s right! Pidge would know what to do.

Keith nods, determined.

He will find Lance. No matter what it takes.

Pidge was a childhood friend of Lance. They were neighbors and went to the same elementary school. But soon after graduation, Pidge left the ocean to explore the human world. Some selkies preferred their human body. And Pidge was one of them.

She occasionally visited her family and friends. And luckily, she was home for the time being.

They find her in her apartment looking at some ancient books.

She opens the door before they could even knock.

“I heard what happened” she gives them a look, and gestures them to sit.

Keith would like to do anything but sit down. His thoughts running wild with what ifs and hows.

So instead of sitting on her bed, he just voices his concern. Coming straight to the point.

“What should we do Pidge? I- I can’t lose Lance-”

“I know I know, don’t worry.” She’s too calm. Given the situation. It irritates Keith a bit, but he doesn’t say anything.

She opens a page on her book and turns it towards them.

“Read here” she points to a highlighted sentence on the page. An illustration of a selkie transforming into a human accompanied the text.

“I found some information on the curse that was put on Lance. It’s especially effective on our kind” she says

“What do you mean?” Shiro asks as Keith reads the text carefully.

“Basically what the curse does is that it suppresses our magic and makes us remain in our human form. Our kind does not need a coat to turn, but once this curse is put on a selkie, they’ll need a coat to turn back. The problem is that the king didn’t just make him permanently human”

She looks at Keith, “he also made him forget everything. So the most likely scenario is that he’s confused right now, and doesn’t remember anything. Not even who he is” she pauses,“ But he must be safe. I checked his birth pearl, and it’s glowing like normal”

Hearing this makes Keith sigh in relief, at least he’s safe.

“Wait, birth pearl? What’s that?” Shiro asks, confused.

Keith interrupts Pidge before she could answer.

“Every selkie is born with a pearl attached to their umblical cord, this pearl is linked to their health condition, if it glows, that means they’re alright.”

“Well..that’s handy!”

Pidge nods, “Yeah. In fact, Keith. You should keep his pearl chain with you, you’ll need it”

“He didn’t have it on him?” Keith asks, baffled.

Every selkie had a chain made of pearls given to them. The chain was made with a natural fiber passed through the pearls. It contained the birth pearl as well, and the selkie could keep their other prized possessions close to them as well.

“No , I visited the ship wreck to look for some clues, and found it lying there, he must have left it there on purpose.” Pidge replied.

“Oh wow. He’s smart!” Shiro remarked. Impressed with Lance’s quick thinking.

“Of course he is! he’s my boyfriend” Keith says, proud. And gingerly takes the pearl chain from Pidge’s hands. The biggest pearl’s bright glow made his body lose it’s tension. He didn’t realize how stiff he was until now.

“We’re trained to leave the chain behind, incase a loved one finds it and can know about our safety.” Pidge informs.

Keith feels Shiro’s hand on his shoulder,” We’ll find him. Don’t worry.”

Keith returns a small smile that doesn’t reaches his eyes. He turns towards Pidge.

“How can we break the curse Pidge? How do I make him remember?” Keith asks, determined to find his lover.

“It’s a typical curse. So in order to break it, Lance will have to fall in love with you again, and kiss you. But you don’t have much time. If you don’t make him kiss you in four months from now, he’ll never remember.”

“Your main concern right now is to make sure the royal guards don’t find you again.” Shiro reminds him.

Keith nods.

He puts on the pearl chain through his head and rests it on his shoulder. So that it covers his torso and the birth pearl rests on his hip. There’s a Shark tooth attached to it. It was a courting gift from Keith, which Lance had happily accepted. Giving him a kiss on the cheek in return.

Keith smiles at the memory. He had gifted it as a promise to always be there for him. To always protect their bond.

Coming back to the moment, he looks at Pidge. Then Shiro.

“Let’s find him”

It takes them two months to find the island Lance had washed up on. The mer world was surrounded by many islands so it took them a while to pinpoint Lance’s location. Pidge had taken her human form to look for him better. She asked around, travelled from island to island until she stumbled upon the island of Altea. There was a rumor going around that the new prince did not have royal blood. That he mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. Pidge digged deeper and found that her suspicions were correct. The prince was Lance indeed. The description matched him perfectly. She once saw him during a royal announcement as well and that confirmed it.

Keith had to lay low for those two months. He had a bounty on his head now. The king had declared a reward for anyone who could find him. So he mostly stayed with Pidge. The question of why the King wanted him in the first place remained unanswered.

At night, he would write letters to Lance and put them in glass bottles. In the hope that maybe they will reach him. He knew better. But something was better than nothing. He felt restless, and writing to his lover dissipated some of that restlessness.

The day finally arrived when Pidge informed them that she had found Lance. Keith wanted to immediately visit the land of Altea, but Pidge warned him not to. Lance doesn’t remember him, so it might be too much for him to suddenly meet a merman who claimed to be his lover. And if someone else saw mer people, there will be chaos. They might put their whole community in danger.

Humans were famous for being selfish, they can’t risk being caught by someone with wrong the intentions. They’ll need to find Lance alone, where no one else could see them.

She told them that she heard about a ship being built for the Prince. So it’s likely that he’s going to set sail soon.

They had to be patient.

As soon as the ship was complete, Pidge successfully managed to sneak in. Although she was caught by the captain, fortunately he was merciful, and Lance allowed her to be on the ship as well. So everything was going according to plan.

But this was just the beginning.

Chapter Text

The Storm took Keith by surprise. He never anticipated that after coming so close to reaching his love, he would have to go through another major obstacle.

Pidge had informed him of the ship’s location when it was frozen still due to the lack of wind. She had given him a special compass that always pointed to her pearl chain. He had planned to find Lance alone on the ship somewhere. But before he could swim close to the ship, the clouds had bursted with heavy rain. Thick drops of water fell from the heavens, hindering Keith’s vision, and his senses.

Helpless, he wondered what it would take to keep someone close to his heart safe. Everyone he has ever loved got away from him. Lance was so close now. Yet completely out of his grasp.

He kept thinking of that precious smile. The eyes that reflected the color of the ocean perfectly. Thinking about Lance kept him going. The past few months without him had been torture. Only Keith knew how he survived without Lance being there to hold his hand.

Sometimes Keith held his own hand in bed, pretending it was Lance. The thoughts of what ifs kept him awake at night. What if Lance is lost? what if he’s not safe? is he eating well? Does he feel the same ache in his chest as Keith? even if he doesn’t remember him? What would he even say to him when he finally meets him again? Would Lance even want to talk to him?

But all those questions don’t matter right now. Because the chances of even meeting Lance again are getting slimmer and slimmer. The waves rise and fall rapidly. Taking Keith with their flow. He knows he can just dive underwater and he’ll be fine. But he doesn’t want to lose the sight of his ship. It was incredibly difficult to catch up in the first place. He can’t afford to lose the ship again.

As the waves rock him from side to side, he gets pushed against some giant rocks. They cut into his skin and scales. He screams in pain but the deafening roar of the clouds drown out his voice.

He’s alone.

Terribly alone. In a vast Ocean.

Looking for his sunshine.

He blacks out when his head crashes into a rock hard.

Keith knew that his brother was just looking out for him when he told him not to go to the surface. It’s dangerous. He knows that. But the curiosity in him screamed to be satisfied. It compelled him to go against his brother’s warnings.

There were rumors among the merfolk, that an ancient ship had been found near the boundary. Investigation about its origin and history was going on, when Keith decided to see it for himself. Who knows what kind of human treasures he might find there. But going near the boundary was forbidden. For it was no ordinary boundary. It was the line between Mer-folk and the Selkies. There had been terrible wars between the two in the past.

It is said that Selkies used to keep Mers as slaves, they considered themselves much superior because they could live on both land and water. But that was centuries ago. There had not been a war since the past century. Although the elders were still prejudiced.

Keith being Keith had ignored these rules, and went on to sneak into the ship wreck in the cover of the night. He tredged carefully, constantly checking if someone’s spotted him, but he managed to sneak in eventually.

The ship was huge, many wooden pieces were spread in an array around the ship, but much of it’s structure was still intact. The mershark guarding the place was fast asleep, so slipping past him was easy. When he entered further, it was pretty dark. So dark that closing and opening his eyes made no difference. He had to strain his eyes to see where he was going. Eventually, when he was further away from the guard, he took out a sea shell from his satchel. He opened it to reveal a glowing pearl. It provided enough light to see, but not too much. It was his safest option.

Moving along further, he came across a lobby of sorts. Many pathways emerged from this position. He looked around and found some broken picture frames. A giant wheel in the centre with some of its parts scattered around. He took a random path and found himself swimming along a narrow hallway. Many doors were ajar and it seemed like they belonged to personal cabins of sailors.

Sometimes Keith wonders how it might feel to be human. To be able to walk on land, without the need for water to breathe. What kind of amazing adventures did the sailors experience on this ship? Must be nice.

To be free.

He’s pulled out of his thoughts when a light catches his eye. He turns abruptly, and finds that right at the end of the hallway, there’s a glow of sorts coming from the open door. He swims further towards it.

As soon as he reaches the door, before he could even say anything, the selkie in there rushes towards Keith and slams him into the nearest wall, immediately covering his mouth. In a matter of seconds, Keith was helpless against the very thing he was warned about since his childhood. He struggled in his hold but the Selkie was strong. And did he mention that he was absolutely drop dead gorgeous? The bright blue eyes looked into his. And then a melodic voice whispered,

“don’t make any noise, I’m not going to hurt you. But don’t get us caught. Okay?”

Keith looks at him back and forth, processes the words, then nods. The selkie’s hand still held tight on his mouth.

He looks at Keith skeptically but he must have sensed Keith’s willingness to cooperate. So he lets go and Keith finds himself taking a deep breathe. His heart beats rapidly in his chest. But he composes himself and looks at the selkie again.

“I’m sorry, I was just startled. I thought the guard woke up and found me” he whispers, still standing close to Keith.

“The name’s Lance by the way” he brings a hand forward for him to shake, a lovely smile gracing his lips.

Keith can’t help but stare at the unique features, he had seen some illustrations in books, but this was his first time meeting an actual selkie.

“I- I’m Keith! ” he squeaks, “I - umm” he leaves it at that and shakes the offered hand. Noticing how Lance’s hands are not webbed like his. How he doesn’t have scales but smooth skin instead. He has a bluish grey tail with beautiful white spots littered like stars on a clear night sky.

“You’re a selkie…” Keith whispers in awe, then abruptly closes his mouth. Embarrassed.

Lance chuckles, finding Keith’s antics rather endearing.

“Yes I am” he smiles, “come on, lemme show you something”

Keith follows hesitantly, everything that he has been taught about selkies crosses his mind like a rapid slide show. But looking at Lance now, it all feels like bullshit. So he gathers himself and follows him towards another door in the room. It looks smaller than the other ones. And its on the floor of the cabin. Instead of a wall. Lance opens it slowly, careful of making minimal noise. Then drops into it. Keith looks over, but all he sees is darkness. Then Lance emerges back, and waves at him, “come on!” he whisper yells. Keith looks back at the door he came from, then jumps in.

Inside, as he looks around, he comes across huge stacks of books all around him. He gasps, taking in all the shelves and knick-knacks spread all over the room.

“This is amazing” he looks over at Lance, his pearl chain glows a pretty pale yellow. His smile glows even brighter.

Keith comes to love that smile the most.

Over the next few weeks, Keith would sneak into the ship at night to explore with his new friend. And sneak out before dusk so no one caught him. They knew it was risky. Friendship with the other side? They would be thrown out of society in the blink of an eye. But they didn’t care.

Exploring the ship with Keith had been the most fun Lance had ever had in his life. After exploring almost every part of the ship and trying to decipher every book in the library, they started playing games. From racing across the narrow hallway to playing hide and seek to just. Talking. They would huddle together in the library and talk for hours into the night.

Lance would tell him all about his family, his childhood. What he has been taught about mer folk and their history. How different his human life is. And so much more.

And Keith would listen with rapt attention. As if every word that came out of Lance’s lips was precious.

He often stared at those lips. What would they taste like? What does Lance like in a mate? Does he find Keith attractive at all?

But he could never ask these questions directly. After all, this friendship that they have? it’s too precious to ruin by unrequited feelings.

The ship becomes a safe haven for them, they tell each other all their deepest secrets.

Except for the feelings they had for the other.

Keith was content with things as they were.

As long as Lance smiled at him. He would be okay.

One night, when he swims through the ship’s hallway, he doesn’t find Lance in their usual place. Maybe something came up at home. Or maybe he needed to do something in the human world. Keith sits there and waits. After a few hours, the sound of someone moving through water startles him awake from his half-asleep state. But he relaxes when he sees that it’s Lance.

“Where were you!?” Keith pouts

And to his credit, Lance does look guilty.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to show you something and it took some time to arrange everything.”

That makes Keith pause, “show me what?”

Lance grins as he takes his hand and drags him out of the ship. Keith becomes more confused when they start swimming upwards. Towards the surface. Where he’s absolutely not allowed to go.

“Lance!! wait! I can’t -”

“shhhhh, trust me” he winks. Winks at him.

and well….Keith’s weak for this boy.

As soon as they reach the surface, for the first time, Lance changes into a human in front of Keith. He takes out a piece of cloth from his satchel and ties it around his waist.

And wow, he looks amazingly handsome in every form huh?

Keith’s brain short circuits for a moment, before he comes back to Lance’s voice calling out to him.

“-ith? Keith!”

Keith jumps. He turns towards his friend and finds him jumping up and down on a shore.

He swims closer as Lance crouches down to sway his legs in the water.

When he finally reaches him, he slips in between Lance’s legs out of curiosity. Gently touching his thighs in fascination.

“It’s so amazing that you can change forms” he says, his voice filled with awe.

But as he looks up at Lance, he realises how close they are like this. It feels too intimate. Heat rushes to Keith’s cheeks. When he tries to pull away, Lance grabs his arms. He can see a blush covering Lance’s ears too, but his crush smiles at him. Shy and adorable.

“I-It’s okay, stay.” he says as he brings his legs closer together to hold Keith in them.

Keith’s hands had not moved from his thighs.

Eventually he gathers the courage to ask,

“What did you want to show me?” he’s so close to Lance that he’s pretty sure Lance can feel his breath on his face.

He tucks a stray lock of hair behind Keith’s ear. Incredibly gentle. Goosebumps rise on Keith’s skin at the touch.

Instead of answering, Lance looks up at the sky. Following his gaze, Keith looks up as well and.

Uhhh. There’s nothing? It’s just dark. There aren’t even stars in the sky right now.

Keith rarely went up to the surface, but when he did, there were always stars to accompany him.

“There are no stars tonight?” he asks, looking back at Lance. Who smirks,

“do you know why that is?” Lance asks. His eyes sparkling as if he’s hiding a juicy secret.

When Keith shakes his head, he grins.

“It’s because it’s going to rain!”

“rain?” Keith asks, the word foreign on his tongue.

“yeah! there’s water up there in the sky” Lance points upwards, “and when it gets too heavy, it falls in the form of tiny droplets”

The new information fascinates Keith.

“There’s water in the sky? How is that even possible?”

Lance puts his arms around Keith and tugs him closer, “just wait and watch” he whispers.

Keith shivers. Cold wind drenches them before the sky opens up and tiny drops of water start to descend from the sky.

Keith extends his hand outwards to catch a few drops. He turns around so that his back is resting on Lance’s chest. Lance adjust his arms so that he’s holding Keith close to his heart. He rests his chin on Keith’s shoulder and sighs in contentment.

“Lance” Keith says while looking at the sky in awe, “this is amazing”

Lance smiles, “I know right?”

Keith nods. He feels the chilled breeze on his face and the sweet warmth enclosing him on his back. The raindrops sparkle when they catch the moonlight. It’s beautiful. The rain adds a sweet earthy fragrance to the air that Keith inhales deeply. In this moment, everything that he had bottled up inside him. Every drop of love he had compressed in his heart, came rushing back to him. As long as Lance smiled at him. That was enough. Wasn’t it?

But how is he supposed to contain all this love inside? Sooner or later it will overflow and Keith would drown.

The moment Lance tightened his embrace, Keith knew. It would never be enough. He needs Lance. All of him. Whatever he can get.

“I- I need to tell you something” he whispers, hoping his voice was drowned by the sound of the wind.

But of course, Lance heard him.

He lifts his chin from Keith’s shoulder, and moves Keith gently so that he’s facing him again.

Keith keeps his gaze low, unable to look him in the eye.

“What is it?” he lifts Keith’s face with a finger under his chin.

He looks back at him, looking for the right words.

“These past few months with you have been amazing. A-and I want- I want you to know that I cherish our friendship a lot ” he moves his hand from Lance’s thighs, to his chest. He can feel the muscles shift under his touch. “But I want more” the words leave him in a whoosh. The heart under his hand was beating too loudly now. Keith’s gaze had shifted lower again, but when Lance stayed silent for a moment, he looked up.

“You want more?” Lance asks.

“I- I like you Lance” he sighs, “I like you a lot, and you might not feel the same but I had to tell you”

he looks down again, “I’m sorry, I don’t wanna lose you as a friend, I didn’t wanna make things weird I jus-”

“Hey hey hey, wait a second” Lance interrupts, “Now who told you that I don’t feel the same hmm?”

Keith jerks his head upwards to face him.

“You- you mean it?” he gasps

Lance brings his palm up to cup his cheek, and leans closer

“Of course I do. Have you seen yourself Keith?”

Keith relishes in the warmth Lance provides.

“I don’t just want more Keith” he kisses his forehead, “I want everything”

He leans even closer before asking, “Can I ?”

And Keith can only manage a nod, before Lance is closing the distance between them completely.

His lips are softer than Keith expected. His heart skips several beats just from the kisses.

“You can take everything” Keith smiles when they break apart,

“Only you”

Present

Leandro leaves Keith in his bathtub and walks out of his cabin. Whatever James had called him for, it better be important.

“What did you want to talk about? it’s the middle of the night!” Leandro asked as he stepped onto the deck. The wind was strong.

He noticed that it wasn’t just James, but his whole crew was present. A single oil lamp illuminated the area. And they were all hunched over some kind of map but straightened as he approached. They bowed in unison.

“Your highness” James spoke, “my apologies for disturbing you, but this required your immediate attention”

Leo stepped forward until he could see the map himself.

He noticed the three islands marked in red, and one marked with a cross.

“We need to cross these three islands before we reach our treasure, the one we passed a few days ago was this one and this is the one where treasure is buried” Hunk pointed to an island in the middle of the map, labelled “Daibezal”.

Leo raises an eyebrow, “that means we somehow missed the other two and we’re already pretty close to our destination!” he concluded.

“Yes your highness” Tim perks up, “this is what we wanted to report to you” his face splits in a bright smile, “We think the storm pushed the ship in the right direction, and although our ship got damaged, it still ended up in our favor.”

“That’s great news! how many days till we land on our treasure island?” The crew turns to the captain. But before Hunk could say anything,

James interrupts, “I’ll bring more lamps! there-there’s very little light, it’s hard to see” he says as he slips out of the crowd. Everyone shrugs.

Hunk takes out his notes, and turns some pages, before declaring,

“according to my calculations, and the speed of the wind, if we don’t encounter another storm” he looks up from his notes, “we should reach in three days at most.”

The crew cheers. Leandro smiles and announces that they’ll drink tomorrow in celebration. But for now he needs everyone to get some sleep.

The crew is dismissed, but Lance pulls Hunk aside.

“I know it’s late but I need to talk to you” he says, his voice low.

Hunk shrugs, “I’m all ears”

Lance takes a deep breath, ”Remember how I said that I see a person in my dreams?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I actually met him”

“You met him.”

“Yes.”

“HOW?”

“uhh, it’s - well I- ” Lance runs a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Okay so don’t freak out and believe me I know it will sound crazy”

Hunk gives him an understanding look so Lance continues,

“He’s a mermaid, I met him on that island we crashed into after the storm”

Hunk’s eyes go comically wide in shock, “Oh my-”

“I know. But I’m certain. He’s the one I have been seeing in my dreams. He’s definitely connected to my past life.” He sighs, “I just- ”

“You want to find him? I can help if you want. We can change course and-”

“Oh ! oh no no no. No need for that, he’s actually already on the ship”

“WHAT?”

Lance gives him a pained smile, “yeah, but even I got to know about this just an hour ago”

Hunk deflates, relieved that Lance wasn’t hiding this mermaid from him.

“So did you ask him?” Hunk says, “about your past life?”

Lance nods, “I did, but that’s the problem, he says he can’t tell me because he’s cursed to not be able to” Lance pauses,

“I don’t know what to do Hunk”

“You know, in my experience, there’s always a loophole when it comes to curses, I’m sure this has too. You just need to find it.”

Lance looks at his friend, then turns his gaze to the oil lamp. Deep in thought. He hesitates for a moment but then,

“There was a loop hole, he said he was not allowed to speak about it, but he can write about it. But then there’s the problem that I can’t understand mer language.”

“I can” Hunk says casually

“What?” Lance asks, certain that he just misheard his friend.

“I know mer language, I can read it for you” the captain declared way too calmly.

“How do you know that?” Lance asks, perplexed.

Hunk shrugs, “my mom was a mermaid actually”

“WHAT?!”

.

.

.

When Lance opens the door of his bathing chambers again, with Hunk right behind him, they find the bathtub empty.

Chapter Text

Pidge sneaked into the bath chamber to check on him once Lance had left after James. She asked Keith about their progress,

“So? do you think he might like you?”

Keith smiles at her, “Yeah, I think so. In fact I think he was just about to kiss me but James interrupted us”

Pidge looks taken aback at that, “Oh wow, well that’s great progress, we just need to handle James somehow then”

Keith nods in response.

“It’s weird though” she frowns

“What’s weird?”

“I don’t understand how James turned into a human” she pauses, deep in thought,” he’s a mer, not a selkie”

“Yeah. I think the king used his magic to give him legs, otherwise it’s not possible”

Pidge glances at the door, anxiety crawling up her bones, but she nods, “You’re right. But we need to be cautious of him. He’s here for you. I know that much.”

“I need to get Lance alone again soon, before James does something-”

The sound of footsteps outside the cabin catches their attention.

When the footsteps fade away,

Pidge sighs, “Alright then, I’ll slip out of here before anyone notices.”

“Yeah, thanks Pidge” Keith says, the appreciation for her was clear in his voice.

“Don’t worry about it” she smiles over her shoulder before leaving through the door.

As soon as she leaves, a sudden tension fills the air. Keith has a bad feeling about this. He feels restless as he starts stroking his fingers through his hair. A nervous habit that he picked up from Lance. He smiles slightly when he realises what he’s doing.

He already misses Lance.

A few minutes pass in silence, before the door bangs open again, but this time, it’s a face Keith was dreading to see.

Before he could so much as get a hold of his blade, a green colored liquid is splashed over him. He sputters in shock. The liquid burns his skin slightly.

He glares at James, who’s standing at the door with an empty bucket in his hand. His face is devoid of any emotion. “It’s Zafyde” he hisses.

Recognition flashes on Keith’s face. He had heard about it in one of his history lessons.

Zafyde : a poison used during the great war. It’s most effective on mer-folk and does not need to be ingested. Simply touching it would make a mer dizzy and they’ll soon lose conciousness.

The liquid burns on his skin and panic settles in his chest. He looks at James, terrified, as he comes closer and lifts him up.

In his dazed state, Keith asks one question, “why?” he wheezes, “- are you doing this?”

A guilty look on his face is all Keith registers before he blacks out.

James knew what he was doing was wrong in many ways. But he had to.

He had to do this.

“I want you to be very clear on this son. That filthy hybrid is our last hope. As much as I hate this, you need to mate him. Am I clear?”

“Yes father” he mumbles.

“I said,” the king pauses, “AM I CLEAR?”

“YES FATHER”

“Good. You should know that this is for the best of our people.”

He hauls Keith up from the tub, and out of the cabin. When he looks around for anyone spying, he’s only met with darkness. Taking a deep breath, he quickly dashes to the ledge of the ship, and throws Keith into the Ocean. Then leaps into the water himself, turning into his mer form as soon as he enters the water. He can only hope that no one heard the splashes.

The bathtub is empty. Just as Lance and Hunk process this fact, Pidge comes running into the cabin.

“It’s James, he has Keith” she pants, “I saw him hauling Keith across the deck”

In that moment, they don’t question how the servant boy knows about Keith.

They just rush after her as she leads them towards the ledge.

“I think they went down” she says

“But why would James do this!?” Lance asks while simultaneously climbing on the ledge himself.

Pidge sighs in resignation, “It’s a long story your highness, but right now Keith needs you”

Lance gives her a curt nod and then dives in with a loud splash.

As soon as he opens his eyes, he sees a small silhouette in the distance. He recognises the glow of Keith’s pearl chain. So he starts swimming towards it as fast as he can.

Now here’s a secret Lance did not tell anyone. He can breathe under water. It’s something that even he was surprised by. But given the fact that he didn’t know most of his past life, he accepted it.

Although, considering the fact that he has some connection with a merman, it only makes sense. And he has his own theories about it. About why he can breathe under water. But for now, he needs to get to Keith first.

He chases after James, and since James is carrying an unconscious mer with him, it slows him down significantly. Enough for Lance to catches up with him soon. And having left no choice, James turns around to face him.

“Stay back! You don’t know what you’re doing!” he yells as Lance gets closer.

Lance raises his hands in mock surrender, and sighs, “You’re right.”

Confusion splashes across James’s face at that response.

“I don’t know what’s going on. So please tell me.” Lance pleads.

Instead of answering him, James looks behind his shoulder, so Lance turns around to find Hunk swimming towards them. But he’s not human. No. He’s half seal. A selkie.

Lance’s eyes widen as he approaches.

“My mom was a selkie actually” is the only explanation he gives.

They both face James as he holds Keith hostage.

“Now tell us, why do you want to take the merman away?” Hunk asks in a dominating voice

James looks at them for a long moment, then sighs, he knows he’s outnumbered.

“Fine, I need him because mating with him is the only way I can save my people.”

“What do you mean?” Lance asks, confused.

“There was a prophecy” he looks down, “that the pearls produced after mating with a hybrid will be the cure for a disease that has been torturing our folk for years now”

The three stand there in silence, absorbing this new information.

Ultimately, Lance breaks the silence.

“Listen James, I get that your intentions are not that bad, but there must be some other way right?” he looks at Hunk, silently asking for support.

“Y-yeah, don’t take him away , come with us, we’ll figure something out alright? Just tell us everything you know about the situation”

James is hesitant, “I can’t do that. Please, you don’t know the king, he would go crazy if I don’t bring Keith with me”

“Listen man, I can see that you’re not doing this willingly, but trust me, I am very experienced. And I know that whatever disease your kind is suffering from, it can be cured through multiple ways. So I need you to come with us, we’ll figure something out.” Hunk reassures him.

James sighs. And after contemplating for a minute, he surrenders.

“Alright. Trust me I didn’t wanna do this. I just- with my father and everything-”

“Its okay man” Lance gives him a reassuring smile. “We get it.”

James nods curtly.

When they get back onto the ship, Keith is put back into his bathtub and Hunk changes back into his human form. Lance calls a private meeting with James, Pidge and Hunk in his cabin. All the others are thankfully still asleep.

Lance breaks the awkward silence by clearing his throat,

“So, tell us everything you know” he looks straight at James.

James faces him and starts the story from the beginning.

“I know you’re confused about all this, so I’d like to start with your past first”

Lance raises a brow, indicating him to continue.

“You and Keith were lovers, you’re a selkie and Keith is a mer”

Lance hears Hunk gasp, and it takes a moment for him to process as well.

“And in our society, it’s forbidden for a selkie and a mer to be together”

“We have a history and there have been wars and what not-”

“And what does that have to do with you? I’m sensing that me and Keith still decided to stay together despite what the society said?” Lance interrupts, still trying to process everything.

“Yes, but I am the prince of the mers, and my father came to know about you two, so he put a curse on you that made you forget about Keith and everything about your life underwater”

“Now, wait” Hunk cuts in, “why did he curse Leandro? why didn’t he just kill him? no offense, its just, the mer king has this reputation…”

“You’re right!” James agrees, “it would’ve been much easier, but he wants to fix his reputation, and killing a selkie might have caused more conflicts between the two sides. So he cursed him instead, and he cursed Keith to not be able to tell him anything”

Lance clicks his tongue in distaste, “well it was no use, was it? I got to know everything anyways!”

Pidge speaks up after her long silence, “something tells me you still have something to say” she glares at James.

“I do” he looks at them all, “being against a selkie-mer bond wasn’t the only reason why my father cursed you, it’s also because he wanted Keith to be my mate as I mentioned earlier.”

“Ah yes, the disease“ Hunk reminds the room.

“Disease? what disease?” Pidge asks.

Hunk explains everything to her, while Lance wonders how the servant boy got involved in all this. But there are more important matters to deal with right now, so he keeps those questions to himself for now.

“What’s the name of this disease you speak of?” Pidge asks after Hunk tells her the gist of the situation.

James raises an eyebrow at her, and instead of responding, he looks at Lance,

“Why is she here ?” he asks, completly ignoring her.

“Hey!” she protests but Lance cuts her, “wait..SHE?”

the room goes silent.

And Pidge rubs her temples in frustration.

“Yes. I’m a girl, I had to pretend to be a boy so I would be allowed on the ship”

“You know what? Explain yourself first, we’ll discuss everything after that” Lance huffs.

Pidge gives him a look, then starts,

“Alright, so. At this point I hope you just trust me that I’m not lying okay?”

When no response comes from anyone, she continues,

“So, I’m actually your childhood friend Lance”

Lance’s eyes go wide hearing her say the name he just recently came to know.

“And I’m the one who helped Keith sneak into this ship as well. I’m also a selkie just like you, and I’ve helped you guys sneak away numerous times. And I know a lot about curses and mer-magic so- yeah.”

.

.

Lance takes a deep breath, “Is there anyone in this room who’s not a selkie or a mermaid? Because I think I’m going crazy”

The room stays silent, but then James speaks up,

“Listen, I can understand that this kind of information load can be overwhelming, but I really need to find a solution-”

“That’s what I’ve been asking!” Pidge yells, “tell me what disease you’re talking about?!”

Before James could reply, Lance shouts in annoyance,

“You know what? I think it’s pretty late” he says,” We will discuss this in the morning”

He opens the door to his cabin, indirectly telling everyone to get out of his cabin.

“I will stay here with Keith, you all are dismissed”

Pidge and Hunk leave with a silent nod. It was clear that Lance needed some time to process all this.

“And James, I will see you tomorrow” he glares at him. The threatening undertone clear in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m - I’ll see you tomorrow” comes the reply before he leaves as well.

Outside the cabin, Pidge tries to talk to James again, but he avoids the conversation and stomps out of there quickly.

She huffs but then feels a comforting hand on her shoulder. It’s Hunk.

“He’s pretty annoying I know. But all of this is a mess. And I do think that we all need some rest you know?” he gives her a reassuring smile.

Pidge looks up at him, sees the sincerity in his eyes and finally, smiles back at him.

“You’re right” she nods, “I’ll see you in the morning then?”

“Yeah” he squeezes her shoulder before leaving.

Chapter Text

When Keith comes to again, his eyes protest against the weariness. It takes too much effort to open them, but when he does, he’s met with Ocean eyes instead of the ones he was expecting. He’s overwhelmed by the wave of relief that falls over him. Lance must have saved him from James.

His eyes sting with tears, “ Lance ” he says as Lance smiles at him sadly.

He holds out his hand and Lance takes it gently, just like always.

Lance leans closer until their foreheads touch.

“I’m here Keith” he whispers, then looks him in the eye as he strokes his hair.

“James told me everything”

Keith gasps, “What? ” he asks, trembling, leaning into Lance’s touch at the same time.

“I know about the curse, he told me everything”

Keith jolts up at that, “You- you know? wh-why would he tell you? I- you’re not disappointed are you?” he asks with so much pain in his eyes that Lance wants to pull him close and never let go.

He huffs, “Why would I be disappointed Keith?” he leans closer again, “I instantly knew we had some connection when I found you on that island, and you’ve been so brave” he cups Keith’s face in his hands, his skin incredibly soft.

“I’m so lucky that I have a lover who never gave up on me” Lance gives him a tiny smile as Keith relaxes in his arms. Tears threaten to spill from his eyes, but he takes a deep breath to hold them in.

“I missed you so much Lance” his voice breaks and a tear finally escapes.

“I missed you too”

Keith smiles teary eyed, “how? you don’t even remember me”

“I don’t need to, I saw you in my dreams” he wipes another tear, “and my heart knew I was missing someone important”

Keith closes the distance between them with a light sob and wraps his arms around Lance in a tight embrace. He feels Lance’s hand curl around his waist and sighs in relief after a long long time.

He missed Lance’s touch. He soaks in the warmth that he missed dearly.

As soon as they break apart from the hug, Keith leans in to place a soft kiss on his lips. Lance gasps at first, but then reciprocates with vigor. The gentle kisses turn into more hungry ones. The kind that leaves you wanting more, even if it means that you’ll end up giving all your oxygen in the process. It’s exhilarating, this is what Keith was missing for so long. A deep craving that couldn’t be sated no matter what he did. When they come down from the high, and the kisses turn soft again, Keith moves on from Lance’s lips to his cheeks, then down his throat. The moan that leaves Lance sends a shiver down his spine. Oh how he missed that sound. Lance roams his hands on Keith back and it makes goosebumps rise on Keith’s skin. Keith gently cups his face in both hands and pulls Lance into another hungry kiss. Lance leans into it willingly.

But then, something goes wrong.

Terribly wrong.

Lance’s grip on Keith loosens suddenly. Which makes Keith freeze. Confusion fills his mind as he pulls back to face Lance.

“what happe-”

His words get stuck in his throat as he registers Lance’s condition.

His lover is unconscious in his arms. Terror fills his body and he screams.

“PIDGE! PIDGE ! COME QUICK! SOMETHING HAPPENED TO LANCE!”

the water in the tub splashes all over from his frantic movements.

He almost goes into full panic mode, but then Pidge, Hunk and James all come rushing inside.

For a moment Keith tenses up when he sees James, but Pidge reassures him,

“it’s okay Keith, he won’t harm us. Trust me”

Keith relaxes a little as Hunk takes Lance from his arms,

“His pulse is okay, he’s just unconscious. I’ll put him to bed” Hunk says and Keith nods worriedly.

He doesn’t want to give Lance away, but it’s for the best, so he let’s Hunk take his weight.

Pidge comes closer and crouches down.

“What happened? tell me.”

Keith starts sobbing, but manages to tell her in between the sniffles,

“I don’t know, I just kissed h-him, and I thought the curse would break but-”

“Keeeeeith” Pidge hisses, “I told you! Lance needs to be the one initiating the kiss! Not you!”

Keith’s eyes go wide in terror as he realises his mistake.

He panics, “No! no no no no..”

“What do I do Pidge?! Will he be okay? what happens now? I-”

“Shhhhh” she shushes him, “What’s done is done, his condition might get worse but all we need to do is fix this”

“But how??” he asks, desparate.

“I think I might have a solution for all of this ” she says as she gets up and turns towards James.

At that moment Hunk comes back into the room,

“He’s not okay, I think he has a very high fever”

“Oh God, what have I done?!”

“Don’t worry Keith, I’m here” Pidge looks at Hunk, “what was that island where you all are headed?”

“D-Daibezaal” Hunk states.

“Oh that’s perfect then. That island is known for its medicinal properties! I’m sure that it will have a cure for Lance’s situation too!”

Hope blooms in Keith’s chest after hearing that.

“How long before we reach there?” he asks Hunk

“Just a few more hours” comes the reply, and everyone exhales in relief.

“I’ll go look for the exact plant that will act as an antidote for this” Pidge announces before leaving the room.

Right after she leaves, James gathers some courage and finally faces Keith.

“Keith- I ” he looks down in shame, “I wanted to apologise, for yesterday”

Keith glares at him but relents, “Explain” is the only word he says before James reenacts the whole story to him.

“So that’s the only reason why you were so against me and Lance?!” he asks, baffled.

“Yeah”

“THAT’S RIDICULOUS!”

“YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT WE WENT THROUGH ALL OF THIS SHIT !” he sighs, “just because you and your father could not bear to ask for the selkies’ help?!”

James stays silent in response.

“Do you know how easy this all could’ve been if you had just come to me and said, ‘hey Keith, there’s a viral disease spreading everywhere and I need some help to find the cure.’”

“I’m sorry Keith, I couldn’t stand up to the king”

Before Keith could bash him some more, Pidge returns with a huge book in her hands,

“I FOUND IT”

Everyone huddles around her as she opens the book on a small table besides the tub,

“So, at first I couldn’t find anything, but then I came across this!” she points to an illustration of a flower that looks like it grows in water, instead of soil.

“It’s called the Lavialy lotus, it’s seeds are famous for their healing properties” she informs everyone, “and get this. The seeds can cure any disease! you just need to ingest one, and your body repairs itself!”

“Th-that means they can be used on our people as well?!!” James exclaims, hopefully.

“YES!!!”

“Oh thank God” Keith pulls Pidge into a hug, “Thank you Pidge”

“Anytime” she smiles. Hoping that it provides some comfort to her friend.

“Alright then, I’ll call Tim and prepare to extract this flower” Hunk declares to the room.

James wordlessly follows after Hunk.

After a few hours, they reach the island safely. The anchor is set.

Hunk, James, Tim and Pidge climb down from the ship with the help of a rope. And head towards the centre of the island, where the lotuses should be. Maybe this is the treasure that was rumored.

Maybe, instead of gold and gems, this medicinal flower is the treasure. A magical flower that can cure any disease. That is definitely worth much more than anything.

Keith had requested them to lay Lance in the tub with him. He wanted to be close to his lover, and Pidge relented because the water would be actually good for him. So that’s what they did, and now Keith is waiting for them to come back with the flower. While Lance rests his head on Keith’s chest.

After two hours of waiting, Keith feels Lance lifting his head a little. He stiffens. He had not expected for Lance to wake up so soon.

“Hey sweetheart, you okay?” he asks, as Lance takes in his surroundings

He looks at Keith, takes a moment to process, then,

“What happened?” he asks with a low voice. It seems like he’s still dizzy.

Keith makes him rest his head back on his chest by gently guiding his head. Lance leans into him easily.

“I’m so sorry, you blacked out and it was because of the curse-” Keith says, trembling with guilt.

“The curse?”

“Yeah I- Oh God” Keith holds his throat as it throbs in pain. The suffocating feeling a sharp reminder of what he’s not allowed to speak.

“It’s alright! Y-you don’t need to tell me! ” Lance gets up from his position and gently touches Keith’s throat.

“Does it hurt?”

“No -” Keith coughs a little, “I’m alright” he tries to give him a wobbly smile.

Lance places a light kiss on his throat and lies down again. His head is killing him but he couldn’t care less right now.

“And here I thought that I fainted because I couldn’t handle how amazing that kiss was”

The resulting laughter from Keith makes him smile. He tightens his hold on Keith,

“No seriously ! I thought you must be thinking I’m soo laaame!”

Keith ends up snorting, “Oh my God, you haven’t changed even a little bit” he says with too much fondness in his voice.

Lance looks up at him in awe, his chin resting on his heart,” really?”

Keith smiles, “Yeah, and I’m so glad” he caresses Lance’s ear gently with his thumb, “You’re still my Lance”

A lovely blush blooms on Lance’s face. His heart going wild.

He smiles shy, “I like the sound of that…”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah”

A few minutes pass in comfortable silence, when Lance starts burning up again.

“Lance?”

“Hmm?”

“You alright?”

“I- I don’t know”

Before Keith could check up on him further, Pidge comes barging into the room. The glowing seeds in her hands is the first thing Keith notices, and the panic that was consuming him, subsides a little.

She looks at Lance and immediately rushes to him.

“Here, Lance. Just swallow one, you’ll feel much better”

Lance takes one look at her, then looks at the seeds in her hands. Then in one swift motion, he takes one and swallows it whole. Keith holds him tight throughout.

And soon, the fever starts to fade. His temperature lowers down and he feels much better.

“Oh thank you so much” he exhales in relief, then notices that Hunk and James had also managed to sneak into the room while he was recovering.

“You feel better?” Keith asks softly.

“Yeah, yeah I just- how did I faint though? I mean Keith cannot tell me, but I’m hoping you guys know?”

Pidge agrees, “Yeah, well in order to break the curse, you need to be in love with Keith and also kiss him, but since Keith ended up kissing you first, it went against the curse.”

Lance goes silent for a moment. Then,

“Seriously?”

“I-I’m sorry Lance” Keith chirps, but Lance cuts him in,

“What? Oh no no no I’m not mad, I meant…that’s all I had to do to break the curse?”

“That depends. Do you love him?”

Lance looks at Pidge like she has asked him the most stupidest question ever.

“It was game over the moment I looked at him Pidge!”

The room is filled with smiles while Keith blushes furiously.

“Well then what are you waiting for?” Pidge teases.

Lance grins and turns towards Keith again.

“Hey sweetheart, you ready?” he asks, his voice dripping with love

Keith meets his eyes, then nods. Unable to speak from the raw emotion he’s feeling right now.

Lance leans in and closes the distance between them.

The room cheers in celebration, as bright light spreads in every direction.

Keith gasps in ecstasy, because right in front of him is his lover. In his natural form.

In his beautiful selkie form.

“Lance! you- you’re back!”

The moment he kissed Keith, sudden flashes of moments burst across his brain, and in a moment, everything clicked. Everything that did not make sense upto this point, became clear.

He remembers.

Lance looks at his lover, joy radiating from his face.

“Keith, sweetheart” he cups his face gently, and wipes the tears with his thumbs.

“I’m back love”

Keith leans in to join their foreheads. And takes a deep breath in, before smiling.

“Welcome back”

Lance pulls him into another deep kiss.

Epilogue 

Pidge went back to her human life.

James collected many seeds to distribute among his people,

and the rest of the crew went home with a bag full of invaluable treasure.

There were times when Lance woke up with terror. The nightmares had plagued him many nights.

Making dread crawl up his spine whenever it was time to sleep. But things have been different lately. Good different.

He wakes up with a soft touch on his cheek, and a gentle kiss on his lips. A smile automatically blooms on his face as he opens his eyes and meet amethyst ones.

“Hey baby, it’s time to wake up” Keith says, voice hushed as if he’s sharing a secret between them.

“five more minutes” is what Lance manages to reply and drags Keith closer.

Keith gives up easily and snuggles into his husband’s arms with a content sigh.

“I love you”

Lance smiles, and smushes his face in Keith’s hair making him giggle.

“I love you too sweetheart”

“More than the Stars’ love for the Ocean”