Keith breathed in slowly through his nose, letting the salty air fill his lungs. As the incoming waves slammed against the rock where he sat, water began to slip over the top of it and splash at his legs, each direct hit a signal of the incoming tide. He thought he saw something reflective floating in an incoming wave, but watched as it was predictably lost within the rolling water.

The hits of cold water weren't enough to make him move. The only time he ever felt peace was down here on the shoreline. There was a pull to this place where the water frothed along the rocky coast. An energy that told him to come every day and sit and wait. Even now, as the light from the setting sun darkened the ocean, eliminating the visibility of what was happening under the water.

While he was sitting here, he could ignore the fact that his father was not only constantly out of town traveling for work, but was threatening (okay, so his dad and brother wouldn't use the word threatening) to move to a new city. A new city situated five hundred and fifty six miles from this coastline.

The distance to this particular stretch of water may have been the first thing Keith had researched when his dad mentioned it over their last Skype call.

He sighed as he let his eyes move away from the water to focus on the surrounding trees that thrived here on his rock-strewn coast. They were currently covered in vibrant fall colors, and almost as entrancing as the ocean, even if their oranges and reds were a stark reminder that autumn had arrived. He was eighteen years old. His father moving to a new city for work wasn't supposed to affect him. After all, he'd been accepted into college for the fall semester. The fall semester that had begun over a month ago. The fall semester he currently wasn't attending because instead of packing up and moving away, he'd gotten a part-time job in town and stayed put.

He wasn't sure what it was, but something told him not to leave this coastline. With its large rocks and shells, and the soothing sounds of the incoming waves, the ocean had been the only constant in his entire life. His mom left when he was younger, almost too young to remember the features of her face. His dad traveled constantly. Even Shiro had left two years prior, attending a college out of state.

Everyone left, including his childhood best friend. Although his early memories were a bit hazy, they did include playing with a boy who had a loud laugh and bright blue eyes — water eyes in all of Keith's memories of him. But that friend had disappeared from his life as well, at about the same time that Keith's mother had gone her own way.

He wished he could remember his friend's name.

Keith could accept that nothing in life really stayed the same, but hadn't failed to notice that compared to the other kids in school, he didn't have many close relationships. Not that he'd made much of an effort to make or maintain friends at school — he could admit that he had some walls up, okay? But he'd definitely reached the point where he was no longer actively making an effort to make additional connections.

The sun's rays hit on something floating on the water once again, spiking a reflective light so bright that Keith's eyes squeezed shut for a brief moment. But he swiftly jumped into action and leaned over the side of his rock as he saw what looked like a glass bottle riding a wave towards him. He scooped the bottle out of the ocean before it could make contact with the hard stone, and then let himself fall back into a sitting position as he ran his fingers over the deep blue glass. It was in perfect condition, and certainly wasn't like the plastic soda bottles he typically found washed up on shore.

When he lifted the bottle up to eye level, using the last of the sun's light to check for chips or cracks, he saw something inside; the deep blue color of the glass had prevented its contents from being easily seen. He hummed with interest as he pulled the cork from the bottle's mouth, allowing him to jiggle out the thick piece of paper that had been rolled up inside.

What lives at the bottom of the sea and shakes?

He stared down at the single handwritten question before turning and walking back to where he'd left his bag, near where the rocks met the forest line. He fished out a pen, and with a small shrug, (Shiro would surely make fun of him if he knew what he was doing), he scratched his answer into the paper.

A nervous wreck

Then he re-corked the bottle and heaved it back into the ocean.

Keith dug through his fridge and tried to remember how old the leftover pizza was before he gave up and decided to just make himself a sandwich. He leaned against one of the kitchen counters as he chewed, his eyes trained on the shelf above their sink. He'd found some interesting shells and intricately curved pieces of driftwood over the years, and he'd always brought his favorites home to be displayed up there.

Shiro liked to point out that while he didn't seem to have a preference for what shape the driftwood pieces were in, he only brought home shells that were blue. The shinier the better.

His thoughts were interrupted by a vibration in his pocket, and he perked up a bit when he saw who it was. He answered with a smile on his face, one that faded as Shiro didn't even bother with a hey, little brother or even hello.

"I talked to the admission people over at that seaside party school."

Keith slumped against the counter again as he listened to his brother jump right into talks of college. Shiro had read Keith's refusal to attend Garrison University this past fall as Keith's disinterest in that particular college. So, he had made it his new mission in life to find a college that Keith would like.

"You know, Marmora University?" Shiro continued, and Keith listened as the wind swept around his brother's words, telling him Shiro was walking outside, maybe heading back to his college apartment as he spoke. "I still don't know about that place, but it is closer to the ocean, so maybe you want to check it out? Watch the mail, they're sending you an information packet."

"Okay," Keith sighed. He wasn't really sure how to tell Shiro it wasn't college he had a problem with.

"What'd you do today?"

"Work."

"And then?"

Keith sighed again. Shiro was fishing. And Keith was one of very few lucky people who knew how stubborn Shiro could be when he wanted something.

"I sat by the ocean till the tide came in."

"I really don't like you going out there by yourself."

"Shiroooo," Keith groaned. "I'm an adult."

"Keeeith," Shiro mocked back. "You don't know how to swim."

"I didn't say I was swimming. I was sitting, Shiro. I know how to sit."

Now it was Shiro's turn to sigh. "Look, I'm sorry, bud. I just worry, okay? I know dad's never there, and you don't really hang out with anyone since I left. I just don't like it."

Keith stared up at his shelf of ocean trinkets again. He didn't like it either.

The sandy area of his beach always provided plenty of smooth pebbles to skip across the ocean waves, and that's what Keith was doing when he saw a flash of blue riding in on the tide.

He dropped the small stones he'd collected and climbed back up on his rocky perch, disbelief on his features as he watched the water carry the bottle towards him. Surely it wasn't the same bottle he'd found yesterday?

He rescued the bottle before it could hit the rocks, his mouth immediately pulling downwards in a confused frown. Because this was the same shade of blue. And this bottle was also sealed shut with a cork. And when held up against the light, it definitely appeared to have a paper tucked inside. He once again removed the cork, giving the bottle a shake to retrieve the paper.

His mouth fell open, because written below his response to yesterday's question, was something new.

Solid pun. Whoever came up with that one must be a genius. How about this one –

What does the sea say?

Keith's head snapped up and his eyes traveled as far as they could go across the familiar ocean. Then he reread the note before his gaze traveled once again all the way to the horizon. He had no idea what he was searching for, but how was it possible that someone — presumably the same someone who had written the initial note — had found his response, written back, and then sent the bottle back to him?

Keith swallowed hard, unsure if his mouth was dry from the constant sea breeze or pure shock. He couldn't stop himself from glancing from the paper to the sea a few more times. But when nothing magically appeared in the waters in front of him, he slowly climbed to his feet and once again went to fish out a pen from his bag. He wrote down another response —

It doesn't say anything, it just waves

— resealed the bottle, and then pitched it back to the ocean.

Pouring rain wasn't enough to deter Keith from returning to the shoreline the next day, determined to see if the bottle would reappear. He combed the small portion of sandy beach first, then moved on to the rockier areas, all while doing his best to ignore the cold rainwater that kept pushing his bangs into his eyes.

The rain had the waves acting up, but Keith didn't mind their misbehavior, since those violent crashes always brought new treasures. He scooped up a few nice shells, but when he didn't see the distinctive blue he was searching for, he climbed up onto his favorite rock and tucked his legs underneath himself before scanning the waves. His phone vibrated in his pocket, but Keith ignored it. He was certain his brother had their hometown set permanently in his weather app, knew it was pouring, and was calling to make sure that Keith was safe and dry at home.

Although, safe and dry didn't sound so bad right about now, Keith had to admit, as he finally acknowledged that he was shivering. The water didn't bother him as much as the cold. He released a shaky sigh and was about to climb down from his rock when he saw a familiar blue sparkle riding a wave towards him.

And even if he'd been half expecting to see the bottle again, it was still a shock to watch it approach. How could the sender possibly know when to send it across temperamental waters so that it would reach him exactly right now? Whoever this was clearly had to see him, right? And know he was here?

In the few seconds he had left before it would reach him, Keith scanned the area. But the shoreline was empty, as it should be during a terrible storm, and the waters in front of him were dark and rolling harshly — there was no way a sane person would be out here in this, especially just to deliver a silly note?

He leaned over the side of the rock and rescued the bottle once again. Then he took off in a sprint for his house. And since he didn't actually want an 'I told you so' from Shiro when he died of pneumonia, he peeled off his wet clothes and practically dove into a hot shower before doing anything else. Only when he was in warm, dry clothes did he allow himself to uncork the bottle and dump out the letter to see what treasure it held for him today.

This is better than a shell phone.

Sea what I did there?

And there?

And hey, here's one of my favorites —

What did one tide pool say to the other tide pool?

He couldn't help but cringe slightly as he scribbled down the answer. Frankly, he wasn't even sure why he knew the answer. But he did, and he wasn't going to back down from the challenge involved in responding correctly.

Show me your mussels

Dork

He realized he was definitely looking forward to these notes when happiness shot through him at the bottle's next appearance. Plus, he was thankful that adding his own banter to that last note hadn't scared off whoever this was. He pulled the paper out in a hurry and quickly scanned down the growing notes to find the newest addition.

Come on, you have to admit that's the best one yet!

It didn't matter that no one was around to see him, he still fought the smile that was trying to pull at his lips, especially when he spotted the little smiley face that had been added at the end of that statement. Although, his face smoothed out as he read the next line.

Why do you visit the sea every day?

He wrote out a response as quickly as he'd read the question.

I just feel pulled to be here. What are you doing out here?

But then Keith chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. It was one thing to trade silly puns with an unknown stranger, but did he really want to share something so personal? Or ask for personal information in return?

He let his eyes roam over the ocean, letting its steady rhythm fill him with the peace he'd come to associate with the sound of each crashing wave. As much as he enjoyed it here, he realized that if he didn't want to live out his days with the ocean as a best friend — maybe it was time to try letting someone else in.

He recorked the bottle, ran his thumb over the seal for good luck, and then lobbed it back into the sea.

"I think this ship is shaking," Keith said as he pressed his hands against the sunken wooden boat and peered through one of the portholes.

"Cause it's a nervous wreck," his friend said, elbowing him in the side a few times to emphasize his dumb joke.

And dumb or not, Keith still found himself smiling, especially as he listened to his friend's loud but lovely laugh.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, Keith, what does the ocean say?"

Keith held out a blue shell to his friend, and watched as those bright blue eyes (like the bluest water he'd ever seen) widened in appreciation. His joke was forgotten for a moment, his smile turning soft as he accepted the gift and repaid Keith with a tight hug.

"The ocean doesn't say anything," Keith said quietly into his friend's hair.

And there was that wonderful laugh again. He was released from the hug so that his friend could see his face as he said, "You're right! It just waves!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Keith, check out my muscles!"

Keith shook his head slowly in mock disinterest as he eyed the mussels his friend had draped over his arms. "You're the biggest dork I know."

Those blue eyes brightened whenever his friend laughed. "Yeah, but you love me anyway."

"Yeah, I do."

Keith woke with a gasp. He hadn't dreamt of his childhood best friend in years. But those snippets of memories finally made him realize why he knew all the dumb pun answers to the questions he'd found in that bottle.

He pushed himself from his bed and pulled on warmer clothes before escaping out his front door. He jogged down his familiar street, ducked into the forest, pushed past some odd branches, and then finally arrived at the sea. He hadn't allowed himself the chance to catch his breath since he'd first awoken, and he hunched over now as he let his hands fall to his knees.

When he stood straight again, he was immediately greeted by the sight of the blue bottle right there in the sand. He was still panting a bit, but he pulled the bottle free from the small pebbles that were hugging it close to the ground. Then he climbed up onto his rock to sit, doing his best to contain his excitement. But he couldn't help the way his fingers trembled as he rolled open the note.

He was eager for more, desperate for answers, even when he wasn't sure of the questions. His gaze raced down the paper, and he found his most recent message first, where he'd not only admitted that he felt pulled to the sea, but had asked What are you doing out here? Then he felt his breath catch as he read the response.

Doing my best to do the pulling.

Put this on. You'll need it for our trip.

Keith reread the words a few times before he realized there was something else in the bottle this time. He shook it a few times, and then stared down at the necklace that had fallen into his palm. It was made of the most beautiful seashells he'd ever seen. Conchs, scallops, tulips, and saddle wings had all been expertly strung together in an array of pinks and reds and blues.

The tightness that had been squeezing his chest since he'd woken up — woken up with the realization that there was more to these messages in a bottle than he'd previously realized — loosened as he slipped the necklace over his head and let it settle around his neck.

"It's pretty, right?"

Keith startled at the sound of another person's voice, especially when a quick glance around didn't reveal anyone standing on the beach or near the tree line.

"Keith."

His breath caught at the call of his own name — that voice had definitely come from the direction of the ocean. Keith peered slowly over the rock he was perched on, doubting his own sanity as he realized he was actually looking for someone, was actually hoping to see someone there in the water.

Hoping or not, he still gasped when he found himself face to face with…well, another face. And, holy seashells, the ocean had actually delivered him his possible friend in the form of a boy who appeared to be treading water just below where Keith perched on his favorite rock.

"Who — who are you?" Keith managed to say as his fingers scrambled to get a hold on the edge of the cold, wet rock beneath him.

The newcomer, who appeared to be roughly his age, suddenly frowned up at him.

At that, Keith's own eyes narrowed in on those glaring blue-but-oh-so-familiar eyes. "Wait," he breathed out, "wait, I know — I know you."

Keith's partial recognition seemed to appease the boy, his satisfaction evident in the way his eyes lit up and his mouth spread into a grin as he continued to bob in the ocean's waves.

"Good, cause that'll make this a whole lot easier. Come on." He lifted a hand from the water and held it out to Keith, before waving it a few times when Keith didn't move in response. "Come on."

"What? I don't —"

But that's as far as he got before the other boy grabbed his arm and yanked him face first into the water. His mouth had been open in surprise when he breached the surface, and he yelped as he felt the freezing temperature, the cold water practically burning his skin on contact. He struggled as he was pulled below the waves, and it didn't register right away that he still had his mouth open — that he was inhaling what was surely an unhealthy amount of salt water — but seemed to be breathing just fine. Or that his movements were slowing as the cool water quickly turned him sluggish.

Because none of that mattered right now as much as the fact that he was currently staring at an honest to goodness merman. While the top half of this boy was all bright blue eyes and brown skin, the bottom half was … a long tail covered in glistening blue scales.

"How are you — where did you get that?" He awkwardly gestured to all of the blue tail, which was currently still flipping back and forth, working to pull them away from the tide. "Wait, am I talking? Did I just die?"

Finally, the other — the merman — stopped swimming and turned to stare at Keith, his own face covered in worry.

"No, you didn't die, but I thought — I mean, the necklace is what's allowing you to breathe under here, even though honestly I kinda thought it was an old fish tale that it would even work, but its just a temporary fix. I mean — "

"You just dragged me under the water not knowing if the necklace would work?" Keith asked with a stunned expression as the fingers of his free hand gripped the shells of the necklace in shock. "And how temporary?"

But the merman only ran his hand through his brown hair, sending all the strands upwards and then floating back and forth in the water. "I just thought getting you into the water would do it, but you've still got …"

Keith watched him glance down at Keith's two very human legs, and while he briefly wondered what the merman was expecting to see, he hardly thought his shock over Keith's legs in any way compared to his own continued astonishment to be talking to a merman.

Still, those blue eyes were hauntingly familiar, and Keith couldn't help but to ask, "Why do I know you?"

That got the merman's gaze to focus on his face once again. "I'm Lance," the merman said with emphasis, as if saying his name powerfully enough would force the memories back to Keith. "You were my best friend when we were kids —"

"Lance," Keith repeated reverently, overwhelming relief racing through him at finally being given his friend's name once again. "We were friends. But then, you — you left."

Keith frowned down at Lance's tail with a tilt of his head, sending his own black hair swirling around. Those dreams he'd had last night — playing with Lance near a ship or giving him a seashell — if those were memories, they could've happened up on the beach, right? In the sand? But how did his brain fail to remember that his friend had a tail? That his friend was a freaking merman.

"You left, and my mom left, and —"

"No, Keith," Lance interrupted with an almost violent shake of his head. "Your dad took you above the water one day, and you never came back. You left us. We didn't go anywhere."

"I left?" Keith whispered. Forget the fact that he was already floating under the water talking to a merman. Those words were what finally knocked his world on its axis.

The grip Lance had on his forearm tightened as he pulled Keith in closer to him. "Yes, you left. And your mother has missed you. The whole pod has missed you."

Missed? He'd been missed? By his mother? The — the pod, which he was assuming was the rest of the merpeople family who existed in these waters.

"You can bring me to my mother?"

Lance nodded quickly. "I wanted to be the one to bring you back, but" — he paused again to glance down at Keith's legs in frustration — "I don't know how."

His eyes met Keith's once more and Keith suddenly swore the blue waters of this ocean had nothing on how those blue eyes gleamed when Lance had an idea.

"Maybe you have to decide for yourself," Lance stated, his tone matching the determination in his gaze. "Maybe I can't do it. Maybe you have to do it. You have to choose."

"Choose?"

"Yeah, like make a choice between this world and that one." His eyes briefly flitted up towards the water's surface before returning, full of hope, to Keith's face.

Keith thought about his current lonely life on land. He suddenly had some questions for his father, and he wondered how much Shiro knew — and Shiro — Shiro was definitely a staying factor. He relied on his brother for friendship, but he knew that went both ways. If he left, Shiro would surely miss him. And not just miss him, Shiro would likely be frantic. If his choice was to stay beneath the waters, he'd have to find a way to reach out to Shiro. Keith would never leave him to spend the rest of his life tormented due to a missing little brother.

And then Keith realized that his instincts were making the decision for him before he even finished thinking it through. Because before he could even open his mouth to tell Lance that he wanted to stay in this place where his friend and his mother and his family were all waiting, gills reappeared in their rightful place in his neck, and his legs transformed into a long tail covered in scales that shimmered with different shades of red and black with every back and forth movement.

"There you are," Lance sighed out before he pulled Keith into a tight hug. "There you are, Keith," he repeated, his voice practically cracking with emotion as he buried his face into Keith's neck.

Keith could only wrap his arms around Lance and gratefully return the embrace. Instead of being freezing, the water was now an inviting warmth against his skin. And he could already feel how freeing it felt to move his own tail beneath the water, giving him an inkling of just how fast he was going to be capable of moving.

The pull he'd always felt towards the water was stronger than ever. In fact, he was already certain which direction they'd be heading when Lance stopped hugging him and decided to bring him back to where his mother waited.

"I missed you," Lance whispered before pulling away enough to grin widely at Keith. "Come on." He repeated those words from earlier as he finally released Keith from the hug in order to loop his fingers in with Keith's. "Let's get you back to your family."

He nuzzled his own face against Lance's hair in return. "Thank you, Lance," he whispered.

He was home.

A/N: FellFromtheSky made amazing art to go with this story for the zine, and it can be seen on the archives site within the same story, or on Fell's Tumblr page. Thanks for reading!