A DNF Merman AU

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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"George?" Clay repeats. He's surprised at how normal the name is.

"Yeah," says the quiet voice. "Can- uh - hm. Can you close your eyes?"

Dream nods slightly and obeys, and as soon as he does, he hears the boy moving closer. It takes every ounce of restraint in his body to not take a peek at the gentle splashes and the boy's slowly approaching body. He wants George to trust him, though, so he waits patiently. He knows that the boy must be very nervous.

Then, he feels the surfboard dip down for a second and rebalance, and the boy whispers, "okay. You can look now." Dream hesitates for a moment, not knowing exactly what to expect. He turns his head slowly, and his eyes are met with the most stunning sight he has ever seen.

A petite, beautiful boy – er.. merman (?) – is sitting beside him on the board, face turned slightly away. He trembles a bit as the breeze ruffles his dark hair. Clay wonders if the years of exposure to salt water have damaged it, or if it has remained soft to the touch. He resists the urge to find out then and there. As the hair moves in the wind, Clay notices a few strings of what must be algae or seaweed tangled between the strands. Still unable to see his face, he observes the boy's body, eyes tracing over the pale, practically translucent skin. He is thin, but lean muscles on his arms, chest, and stomach developed from years of swimming reveal to Dream that the boy is certainly not fragile. The gills on his neck are closed against the air, and his chest rises shakingly with each nervous breath. He fidgets slightly, and moves long, delicate fingers to rest on his lap. Clay follows the boy's movement downward, and his eyes widen in curiosity. The slim waist fades into a deep blue tail that curves down into the ocean, playfully flicking back and forth between the waves. Clay can see the sun bouncing off the scales, turning them into shimmering shades of green, teal, and purple. A couple of stray scales climb up his torso, dark indigo creating a gorgeous contrast against the pale skin.

Suddenly, he realizes that he needs to see his face. Dream reaches out slowly, cupping the merman's chin with a soft hand. George freezes at the contact, but visibly melts into his touch when Clay gently turns the boy's head. He nearly gasps in surprise at the boy's beauty. Eyes as deep as the fathomless sea look everywhere but back at Dream, long lashes fluttering nervously. His skin is smooth, and his cheeks are tinted a slight pink from the attention. His cute nose pairs well with his soft, plump lips. Clay notices a pearl earring hanging from one ear, and a small piece of coral from the other.

Dream cannot help but wonder how a creature designed for life in the deep, dark sea could shine so perfectly under the bright sun.

"You're beautiful," Clay murmurs, completely and utterly entranced.

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Nick is bored, feeling like Rapunzel as he sits in his high tower. It had been a fairly calm day, which was good for the beach-goers, but terrible for his personal entertainment. On slow days like today, Sap plays games that he creates in his head, like guessing how long a kid's ice cream will last before falling into the sand, or how many times that one Karen will reapply her SPF 100 sunscreen. His favorite game of all, though, is trying to guess what his favorite brunette is writing about. After a while, even that becomes tiresome to him. He is bored. So bored, in fact, that he is actually considering going to talk to the boy. The longer he sits on that thought, the more appealing it becomes. Luckily for his dignity, a kid screaming "help" in the ocean distracts him and saves him from what could probably turn into loads of embarrassment.

He quickly jumps into the sand, dives into the water, and swims to the small flailing body. Nick almost laughs when he realizes just how shallow they are. He's fairly sure the boy could touch the ground if he tried hard enough. Sapnap picks him up bridal-style, carries him to the shore, and sets him down gently on the sand. He wraps a dry towel around the kid's shoulders and squats down so that he is at his eye level. The young boy is shaking uncontrollably, and Sapnap calms him down, reassuring him of his safety. Once he knows that the kid is okay, he guides him back to his family, and begins walking back to his lifeguard tower.

As he walks, he notices a purple object being blown around in the wind in front of him, and he jogs a little to catch it. Finally picking it up, he identifies it as a color block bucket hat, and begins looking around for a potential owner. Aha! To his left, a figure is standing a few feet away, hunched over, trying to regain their breath. The person straightens up, and Nick nearly gasps when he realizes who it is. It's his beach boy! Er–– the beach boy. He puts on his famous confident grin and practically saunters over to him.

"Hey," Nick says. "Is this your hat?"

The boy meets his eyes with a shy smile and nods. "Thank you! I've been chasing it all over!"

"Glad I could help. So uh –– you come here often?" Sapnap replies. The boy giggles in response.

"Wait uh. I mean obviously. uh. dude. I swear I didn't mean it like that," Sapnap stutters, inwardly cursing his own stupidity. The boy's cute giggle only grows louder at this, and Nick's heart almost explodes at the adorable sound.

"Yeah! I do. But you already knew that!" the boy winks and begins toying with his hair playfully.

He smiles at the obvious attempt at flirting and extends his hand. "Hi. I'm Nick! It's nice to finally meet you." The boy accepts the gesture with a warm hand, and shakes it gently. Their hands stay together for just a moment too long.

"And I'm Karl! The pleasure is all mine."

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