Little Merman - Klance Mermaid AU

Chapter One

Keith was never one to listen to reason. He was too stubborn to listening to anything his father, King Shiro, said about humans. He always said to not go near them, that they were fish killers and that he would get hurt if he went near them. Keith, however, didn't listen and would go up to the surface all the time.

He liked the feeling of the sun on his scales and skin, dry from sitting on the land for too long. No one saw him, because he was small enough to hide and had somehow found an island near the mainland to spend his time.

Over time, though, he started to spend less and less time on that tiny island. When he was eight he had heard someone on the mainland and had decided to investigate. What he found took his breath away.

A human boy was sitting on the beach of the mainland with a piece of wood with some strings on it in between his arms. Beautiful sounds came out of it, making Keith freeze and listen in awe. The music had sounded like none he had ever heard in his home kingdom, Altea, so he stayed, wanting to hear more and more everyday.

The boy himself was even more beautiful. His skin was like copper, shining in the morning sun, glistening with sweat from the heat. His hair was only a few shades darker, his bangs hanging in front of his eyes as he played the instrument with passion. He was only wearing a pair of swim shorts and a loose tank top, but Keith thought he looked absolutely beautiful.

When the boy started to sing, it made Keith's heart melt.The humans that had been living on this mainland spoke a language similar to Keith's but he had no idea what this boy was saying. He seemed to be speaking a whole different language.

"Oh por qué. ¿Nadie me verá por quién soy?" he sang out, strumming the instrument with a gentle passion. Keith set his head on his scaly arms atop a nearby rock and closed his eyes in bliss as the boy sang his song. It made him want to actually go up and speak to him, something he had always been too scared of doing with any human.

His bliss was stopped when two kids came towards the beach a few minutes later, yelling something. One was large and barreled down the sand in their bright yellow and green apparel. The other one was a lot smaller, but a lot scarier, a dark green dress hanging around their small, but fast limbs.

"Lance!' the small one yelled, making the boy turn to look at the two, "Your mom said it's time for dinner!'

"Coming!" he yelled, quickly standing up and jogging after them. He was out of sight quickly, leaving Keith alone in the waters.

The merman carefully swam up to the beach and dragged himself across the sand, wanting to sit right where the boy had been sitting. "Lance," he said softly to himself, bringing some sand up to his face, "His name is Lance,"

After that day, he made it a point to come to shore everyday to see if Lance was there, and everyday, without fail, Lance would come to the beach with his instrument. He would play it and sing in the beautiful language that made Keith's insides melt. Even though her had no idea what he was saying, he knew it was special and listened to every word.

Over the years, he learned a few things. He learned that the instrument Lance played was called a 'guitar', and that his two friends were named 'Hunk' and 'Pidge'. That Lance had a large family and an even bigger heart, especially when it came to animals, like the time Pidge had brought her new dog, Rover, to see him on the beach and his whole face lit up. All of it made Keith realize that he was falling in love with a boy who didn't even know him.

One day, Lance didn't come to the beach. Keith sat hidden near the shore, watching the sands with a mix of fear and curiosity. Lance always came to sing, no matter what he was doing, even if he was sick. Something was wrong, and Keith knew that, so he stayed. He stayed until nightfall, when Lance finally made an appearance.

It wasn't on the beach, like normal, but rather, the cliff next to it, right beside a house at the top. Keith had learned a while ago that that was where he lived.

Lance looked down at the water with a sad expression as he took off his shoes, not knowing Keith was watching nearby. The merman was getting a little uneasy, knowing that humans shouldn't ever be up that high, or they could die.

What happened next made his heart flip and fall into his stomach, like a diver. Lance looked back at the house, then jumped right into the sea, his impact making a loud splash on the water. When he didn't come up right away, Keith knew that something was really wrong. He knew that Lance was a good swimmer, and that he needed air, so he swam near him.

He found him near the cliff's face, sinking lower and lower beneath the waves, not even trying to struggle or swim. His eyes closed and he let out the small bits of air he had, making Keith panic. He quickly scooped the boy up and brought him to the surface. Their heads broke through the waves and Keith struggled to keep Lance's head above water as he carried them both to the shore.

He laid Lance down on the sands, checking him over for injuries. Other than a bloody nose, and the water in his lungs, he seemed fine. Speaking of the water in his lungs, Keith struggled to figure out how to make him breathe.

Merfolk breathed through their gills, but they could also breath in air from their nose and mouth, so he tried that. Pushing on his chest, he saw water come out of Lance's mouth, so he pushed another time, then another, and another, and another, until it all no more came out. He still wasn't breathing, so Keith had to figure out a way to get air into his body.

So, he needs to get air in through his mouth, and I can push out air through my gills and mouth he thought looking at Lance Maybe if I...

He slowly put his mouth on his and pushed as much air as he could into Lance's mouth. When some air started coming out of his nose, Keith pinched it to keep it all in. After a few breaths, Lance took in a deep breath and sat up, his eyes flying open.

Keith sat back, looking at the boy he had been watching for years. From this close, he could see that his eyes were a pretty shade of blue, even more beautiful than the ocean. There wasn't a single blemish on his copper skin, which shone in the early rays of the sun. He really was beautiful.

"Who-? What-? Where-?" Lance stuttered, looking around. His eyes landed on Keith and widened in fear. He sprung back, trying to keep his distance from the strange merman.

Keith furrowed his brows and crawled closer, forgetting that Lance would be scared. "I just saved you, so a little respect might be nice," he said, not meaning to snap. He sat down again, still a little ways away from Lance, but only by about 5 feet.

"Who and what are you?" Lance exclaimed, looking over Keith with wide eyes. Keith figured he did look a little different. His hair was long and black, not anything like Lance's. He had dark red Altean markings on his pale cheeks that matched his tail, and his eyes were sharper than humans'. Still, he didn't think he looked that weird.

"I'm Keith," he announced, knowing the answer by heart, "Mer-prince of the aquatic kingdom, Altea," He said it with a flourish, having been taught by both his father and sister to always say his full title like that.

"That's long," Lance said simply, looking over Keith with less fear and more curiosity, "and what do you mean you...?" His eyes widened again, but this time from shame, rather than fear.

"You brought me here after I jumped, didn't you?" he asked, bringing his knees up to his chest.

Keith nodded and scooted closer, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. When Lance didn't shrink away, he spoke. "Why did you jump?"

A/N: I came up with this in about two seconds during history. My friends are worried that I filled five notebook pages with a summary for this whole story in under five minutes. My hand still hurts and that was two days ago.