Under the Sea ⇔ Cashton ✓

How Am I The Lucky One?

Calum furrows his eyebrows and chews on his bottom lip. It still doesn't make much sense to him. All the myths about mermaids and mermen made it seem like the ocean was friendly towards them. In reality, it isn't like that at all.

Ashton trails along the side of the cave and picks up what looks to be an ax, but what is made completely out of the same material as the cave. He swims back to Calum and hands it over. "Take this. We'll train with this first."

Calum reaches over and tries to take it, but nearly topples over when he realizes how heavy it is. The boy struggles to hold it, his air supply growing tight. Finally, he releases it, and Ashton rushes over to grab it before it sinks to the bottom of the cave.

"Can you not hold it up?" Ashton asks, holding it with irritating ease. Calum locks his jaw, avoiding the stern man's eyes.

"Just-- maybe something a little lighter?" He says, and Ashton rolls his eyes. He turns around and grabs a lighter weapon anyway, same style but a different material.

"As you wish. Good luck trying to harm a shark with that thing, though," Ashton says with a shake of his head. "Most it'll do is scare away some fish."

Calum grips the hilt easily and swings it through the water, finding it much more difficult than he thought it would be. Swinging a weapon through the air takes nearly no effort, but swinging one through thick water takes more strength than Calum has currently.

He swings it anyway, aiming at the same spot each time on the wall. He does it repeatedly, and Calum begins to grow out of breath.

Ashton notices and frowns, grabbing the weapon. "Alright alright, don't wear yourself out. Go get some air. I think that's enough for today."

Calum doesn't argue, swimming out of the cave and up towards the surface of the water. He takes a deep breath of air once he reaches the surface, wiping water from his eyes and smoothing back his hair. His cheeks burn red in embarrassment at how little he could do without getting tired. He looks down at his biceps, or lack thereof, and pokes at them. In comparison to Ashton's, he's definitely not the strongest of boys out there.

Calum makes sure he has enough air before ducking back under the water, allowing himself to swim with the current back down towards the cave. He slips through the opening silently, and feels a bit relieved when he notices Luke has just swam in as well.

Ashton intimidates Calum, he's not going to lie. But when Luke is around, Ashton seems to be just a teeny, little bit softer around the edges, not as hard. Calum doesn't mind that side of Ashton as much.

Luke is frowning at Ashton and furrowing his eyebrows when Calum enters. "Why are you letting Calum train but you won't let me?" he pouts.

Ashton pats Luke's shoulder and the blonde huffs childishly. "Because you don't need to. I'll protect you if anything happens. I don't want you to get hurt."

This doesn't seem to be the answer Luke was wanting to here, because he just rolls his eyes and pushes past me, swimming up and out of the cave. Ashton watches him go, a knowing look in his eyes as he does.

Calum shifts a bit awkwardly once it's just Ashton and him, staring down at the shimmering scales of his tail instead of at the man's cold hazel eyes.

Neither of them says anything for a moment, and Calum hears Ashton putting away everything back on the walls. Then, as Calum is analyzing the very uninteresting exterior of the rock walls, Ashton clears his throat.

"I never, um--" Ashton presses his lips together, avoiding Calum's eyes. "--thanked you. You know, for, saving Luke."

Calum doesn't say anything, just stares at Ashton with wide eyes as the curly haired man bites down on his bottom lip.