Always a Catch (Klance)

Chapter 1

Keith's hands were tucked securely into the pocket of his hoodie, head ducked and shoulders slumped. Dying in LA by Panic! at the Disco blasted through his earbuds. He walked aimlessly, with no destination in mind. He came out here to think.

The Atlantic Ocean stretched out endlessly to his right, the moon glinting off the surface of the dark water. The waves lapped gently against the base of the cliffs that loomed up ahead. Keith walked along the rocky beach until he reached the cliffs. He sat cross-legged on a large rock, the cold seeping through the seat of his black jeans. He turned down his music so he could faintly hear the churning of the ocean. He sighed, his breath escaping in a cloud and dissipating into the air, and let his shoulders relax. He placed his elbow on his knee and rested his chin on his hand, letting the world blur as his eyelids drooped.

A strange ripple in the water caught his attention, and his eyes flew open again. But there was nothing, the ocean as flat and expansive as always. Still, Keith was sure he had seen something. He sat up straight, craning his neck as he searched the waves. Long moments dragged by, until he began to doubt his tired eyes.

Wait. There. A tiny movement in the water about 20 feet from where Keith sat. He stared intently at the water. Then, a head emerged, followed by tan shoulders. Keith furrowed his eyebrows. Someone was swimming? It was October, and cold as shit outside.

The person appeared to be male, wet brown hair clinging to his head. Keith leaned forward for a better look. A few pebbles tumbled off the rock and splashed into the water. The boy turned his head sharply at the sound, his eyes widening in fear as he saw Keith. He dove beneath the waves.

Keith yanked his earbuds out of his ears and stumbled off the rock. "Hey, wait!" he called out.

A shimmering blue tail kicked up behind the boy as he swam away, flicking shining droplets of water high into the air. And then he was gone.

Keith stood there for a very long time, mouth hanging open. Was he going crazy? Had he really just seen... a mermaid? He scanned the ocean, looking for anything, the slightest ripple, a tiny splash, anything to prove that he wasn't completely losing it.

Keith pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the erratic pounding against his palm. He kept turning that moment over and over in his head. A smooth, tan chest flecked with drops of seawater. Wide, scared eyes that looked almost black in the darkness. And that long, powerful, ultramarine tail that had arched out of the water like a whale's and propelled the boy out of sight in an instant. He had to see the boy again, if only to prove to himself that he had actually seen him in the first place. But how was he ever going to do that?

Finally, Keith decided he would simply show up here, at the same time tomorrow night, and pray for the best.