ok so i always see people syaing keith would be a deep sea mer and they give him bioluminescence and lance is a reef mer.
and i dont argue that at all... but consider lance being a reef mer who ALSO has bioluminescence w/ altean-like markings. bioluminescence is very rare for reef fish to have, so it would be like finding a diamon in the rough.
Wanted to do a mermaid au at one point. Still do, but maybe not this one. Might come back to it, not sure rn. Mark it Abandoned*. This was the scene that started it, which happens farther into the nonexistent enemies-to-friends-to-lovers plot.
~*~*~*~
This dance between the two of them had gone on for too long. It was interfering with their work, and Pidge had had enough. Hunk may have decided that they’d work it out themselves, but Pidge couldn’t take it anymore. She got up from where she was sitting between the rows of lockers to stand between them.
“That’s it! I have had it with both of you. I still don’t know what the fuck you both think you’re playing at, but it’s over now. We all have a job to do here, and your bullshit isn’t helping. I don’t even care how you do it, but I refuse to go back out there with either one of you until its settled.”
Lance stopped glaring at Keith long enough to snap his attention to Pidge. “We go back out in three days. And besides, I’m not the one with the problem. And if I’m being totally honest here, I’m the only one who doesn’t have a problem.”
“Like fuck,” Keith bites back, “You have the biggest problem of them all. You treat all of us like we’re spying on you all the time. The only reason I get so pissed is because you won’t stay out of my fucking business!”
“I don’t give a fuck about your business! I just want you out of mine!” Lance shouts.
“Knock it the fuck off! Both of you!” Pidge yells over them. “Look, whatever’s going on – and I don’t care what it is – it needs to get settled before we’re all stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean together. Again. Tracking the whale migration is way more important than whatever issues you two are having. Also, do you both seriously think the other is spying? Or have you two made yourselves so paranoid, you only think the other is spying? What the fuck is going on here?”
Keith sighed, deflating. Pidge was right, he had gotten paranoid. But not for any reason she could logically come up with. He hooked a finger under the ever-present cord around his neck, pulling an organically star-shaped, red coral pendant out. Pidge just watched, having no idea what was happening. She was focused on Keith and missed Lance doing the same thing with a round, mother-of-pearl pendant of his own. Keith and Lance stared at each other in complete shock.
“No fucking way,” Lance breathed, “But – I thought – how? How are you even here? This is the North fucking Atlantic!”
“I could say the same for you,” Keith answered just as quietly, “These waters should be way too cold for you.”
Pidge looked between her teammates, more confused than before. “I think I missed something here. The fuck is going on?”
Lance looked around the locker room before dragging Pidge into the laundry room. Keith followed, locking the door. He leaned against it while Pidge hopped up on one of the machines and Lance paced. He stopped, locking eyes with Keith for a brief moment before turning back to Pidge.
“Ok,” Lance started, “You’re going to think we’re both batshit, but this is real. We’re both – we’re not – fuck! I don’t know how to phrase this without sounding insane.”
“There is no way to say it any other way,” Keith said, “And, Pidge, you can’t tell anyone this. There’s a lot more in the ocean than you think. Selkies, sirens, kraken,” he paused, looking at Lance, “Mermaids.”
“I’m sorry, repeat that?” Pidge asked, not sure whether or not to believe what she’d just been told.
“Basically, any aquatic mythological race you can think of exists,” Lance supplied, “We’re real. And yes, the North Atlantic is fucking freezing. Give me the Caribbean any day.”
“And by ‘we’, you mean you two?”
“Yeah. We’re specifically mermaids. We’re a lot more widespread than you might think. Which is why Lance is so confused to see me here. I’m a Japanese mermaid. We don’t typically leave the Pacific. But this specific whale migration escapes even our kind. We don’t know where they go either, and I think we both had the same idea – try to track them from the surface with human technology,” Keith explained.
Lance was nodding in agreement. “And I’m Caribbean. Specifically from around Cuba."
At long last (rip my real-world schedule) here’s my preview for the awesome @acrossrealitieszine. The whole project came out really well, and I’m honored that I got to contribute!
If you love Klance and have always wondered at Mer-(Half) Siren relations, I might just have a story for you! Now with 50% more starfish throwing!
(And if that’s not your thing, there’s dozens of other AUs for your fantastical heart to peruse!)
Heh, so, uh, yeah about those updates,,, ^^; to be fair, i blame @thesearchingastronaut and im weak for her ideas. *gestures at fic* case en point
Summary: Sharks and Mers used to live in harmony, then they were banned once Zarkon tried to eradicate the mers. For fifteen years it has been like this, and Lance was fed up with it. He was out exploring when he met a shark, and over the course of many months, they fell in love.Little did they know their true identities or how their relationship could heal the rift between another.
WC: 3689
Ao3
Lance’s fins curled as the scout continued on and on in front of the court. It was an update about the sharks. They were still outcasts, still limited to the other side of the trench, still not allowed to associate with any of the merpeople. Nothing had changed.
Lance looked at his mother and father from the corner of his eye. Their crowns shimmered in the lighting, the water distorting how bright they actually were. And still, the messenger droned on. Allura was looking just as bored as he was. Each month, they had a scout go to the trench and meet with a shark about the status of their clan. It was part of the agreement when King Alfor banished them to the other side of the trench after Zarkon's downfall. The sharkman had tried to steal the throne and the hunting grounds of the merpeople, but it had been thanks to the few sharks that didn't agree with their leader to do such a thing. Despite that, the merpeople were wary of the sharks, once seeing their teeth and sharp fins as protection but now as threats.
Sharks were physically stronger than the merpeople, faster with their streamlined fins and strong tails. The merpeople were the fauna of the sea, bright scales and soft fins. Lance himself was a deep blue that faded into a light rose color. His sister had purple scales that faded through pink and into silver, just like her hair. Just before the sharks had been banished, one of them had been courting her. Their champion, the one with the most successful hunts, among the fastest and the strongest of all of them. Their relationship was beginning to blossom and Lance had never seen Allura smile so brightly.
Then the news came. Zarkon was after their territory, the throne, and whatever else he could get his hands on. He had been young, practically a guppy when this happened.
Now, nearly fifteen years later, they still hadn’t accepted the sharks back, and Allura’s smile was tight. Lance couldn’t remember the days when Allura truly smiled.
“And thus, my Lord, the sharkpeople have been contained to the other side of the trench.” The messenger finally finished.
Alfor nodded and the messenger left. Lance stretched his tail, unlocking the stiff muscles. Staying in one place was difficult when their species was literally built for constant movement. His father and mother rose from the thrones, wishing the court well and leaving. Allura and Lance followed.
“I thought that report would never end,” Lance grumbled.
Allura shot him a look and agreed, “It was much more long-winded than normal.”
“We must keep an eye on the sharks, Zarkon was never killed, so it is still possible for him to try and cross the trench again to attack our people,” Alfor said sternly. Lance admired his father for always thinking of their people, he thought it was a wonderful thing, but Zarkon was far older than him. The shark could have passed on by now.
“Father, it’s been fifteen years, why must they remain on the other side?”
Lance’s fins fluttered, Allura’s defiant glare making him shiver in the warm waters.
The king spun to face them, the four of them stopping.
“Allura, you know better than to ask that question.”
Their mother put a calming hand on Alfor’s arm, gliding in between the two of them. “Dear, it has been a long time, they deserve a better answer.”
Alfor looked at them, his glowing blue eyes narrowed and his face grim. “The sharks are not to be trusted. Ever.”
Lance fought down a snort, his gills flattening themselves. Neither Allura or Alfor looked at him, and his mother glanced briefly at him. After a moment, Alfor shook his head and swam away, his long cerulean and silver tipped tail disappearing around the corner.
Their mother turned to them with a sad smile. “Children, I know that maintaining this separation from our once deeply loved friends is hard, but it is for the best.”
She turned and swam away, following after their father.
Allura let out a rush of water, small bubbles escaping her gills. “This ban is pointless...” she said before swimming away herself, leaving Lance alone in the corridor.
Lance clucked his tongue in agreement, flicking his tail. He loved his family, but his mother followed the word of the king and Allura… well, she had other ideas. The older they became, the more distant they were. Lance had reason to believe that the shark that was courting her was someone she truly loved. Allura's tail never flicked in amusement anymore, her smile never reached her eyes, she never saw any of the suitors Alfor arranged for her.
Most days it felt like Lance was an only child with how absent Allura was.
Not that he was any better. He snuck off to see the trench whenever he could. Like right now for example.
He looked around, saw no one near him and took off, swimming out of one of the holes in the wall and hightailing it to the trench. He had a spot, one that was well hidden and his people had no clue it existed. Hunk knew of it, but he never ventured much farther than the dolphin pod routes when he was with Lance.
Lance swam, pushing hard through the water with giant sweeps of his tail. He was outside the city limits within seconds, already coming to the pod routes. Dolphins were swimming by and he wove in between them, clicking greetings for each them. They chirped and squeaked back, a few of them bumping him with their noses. Lance smiled and patted them, letting the dolphins dance around his tail as he passed through.
The coral that made up the city fell away and the ocean floor was open. He took a deep breath, gills stretching, and let it go. It had been so long since he was able to swim openly like this.
He took off, heading for the rendezvous spot. It was a small cove near the end of the trench, just where it started to narrow again. It was in the opposite direction from the monthly meet-up for delegations and updates. That was located at a much narrower spot, the one Lance was swimming towards was overgrown with seaweed and generally a place that merpeople avoided. No fish swam by, the dolphins typically went around it, not liking the feeling of the seaweed on their fins. Lance didn’t either, but he knew a way around the densest part of it all.
The trench loomed in front of him, a dark gash on the gray-blue of the ocean floor. He turned quickly and followed it, the edge speeding under him on his right. Lance hoped he would be there. His dark fins, pale skin so much unlike Lance’s warm brown coloring. His alluring purple gaze always drew Lance in. He missed how his hands would run down his sides and caress his fins.
Lance grinned to himself and pumped his tail harder through the water, he was done taking his time.
He made it to the cove, tall stalks of seaweed surrounding him. He dove around the side, the seaweed ghosting along his scales as he swam by. He spotted the opening and coasted through. Sunlight filtered from above, lighting the area in a soft blue.
It was quiet, peaceful. Lance relaxed, floating around on his back while he waited. He was slightly earlier than normal. Their meetings usually happened once a week, when the sun was on its way to setting. Lance's people were early risers and early to turn in, thus making the mornings were the hardest times for Lance to sneak away. But with today being a court day, the day of the monotonous updates on the sharkpeople. Lance always found himself without anything to do after the court dismissed.
The stalks swayed with the current, some of them changing directions as he flicked his tail. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the seaweed move away sharply. Lance righted himself and caught the glimpse of a black tail fin disappearing into a denser clump of seaweed.
Why he liked to play like this was beyond him, but Lance loved it just as much.
Lance turned and saw the tail vanish just as quickly as before. He crossed his arms and smirked. He would come to him when he was ready.
A sharp movement out of the corner of his eye had Lance spinning. He was greeted with glowing purple eyes and a sharp-toothed smile.
“Who are you?”
Lance rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around the shark’s neck, pulling him closer. “Just your pup, Keith.”
Keith smirked and leaned forward to bump their foreheads together. Lance smiled and leaned into it, reveling in the feel of Keith’s arms around him. Keith pulled his hips closer and Lance wound his tail around Keith’s.
“I’ve missed you…”
Lance nuzzled Keith’s cheek. “I’ve missed you too.”
Keith hummed and hugged Lance closer. Oh, how he’s missed this, and it has only been a week since he had last seen Keith. They had been meeting like this for months now, ever since the first time they stumbled upon each other and Keith had pinned Lance to the ocean floor, demanding answers. He giggled at that mere thought of it, his tail fluttering along Keith’s in anticipation.
Keith pulled away, a smirk hiding his teeth. “What are you laughing about? We were having a bonding moment!”
“Just reminiscing,” Lance cooed, brushing a hand over Keith’s gills. The shark fluttered his eyes closed and angled his neck, baring it to Lance.
The merman didn’t waste any time and nipped at the edges of each gill, working his way up. Keith ran his hands down Lance’s sides. They stopped at his hips, thumbs circling where skin faded to scales. Lance hummed and tightened his tail around Keith’s.
Lance kissed his way up Keith’s neck, nibbling on the corner of his jaw. Keith, as impatient as ever, turned his face and met Lance’s lips. They moved together in tandem, hot and cold mixing together and fighting for equilibrium. Lance ran his hands down Keith’s back, massaging the base of his dorsal fin. Keith melted into him.
He smiled into the kiss. He loved the way Keith’s cool hands felt on his warm skin. They left a tingling trail wherever they went. Lance shivered as Keith spread them across his back and dragged them down, lightly clawing his back but nothing that would leave a mark.
He could feel waves of heat traveling throughout his body, engulfing him with pleasure. Lance bit Keith’s bottom lip and smoothed it over with his tongue. Keith inhaled sharply, nails digging into his hips. Lance hissed slightly and continued to suckle Keith’s lip, enjoying his sweet taste mixing with the salt water surrounding them.
“Sorry, sorry,” Keith muttered. He massaged Lance’s lower back with his knuckles, tucking his claws away.
Lance ran a hand through Keith’s hair, enjoying the silky texture of it. “Don’t worry about it.”
Their tails wound tighter, scales rubbing against rough skin, heat coursing through both of them. It pulsed between them, faster and faster as hands roamed, pulling them impossibly closer. Lance was drowning in Keith. His gills pumped and pumped, yet he still felt out of breath. His chest heaved against Keith's as the shark gently ran his tongue over Lance's.
Lance always found it amazing how gentle Keith would be for him, claws and teeth kept in check when Lance knew that they could tear him to shreds if Keith wished. He had witnessed how Keith took down a squid that was meandering through the trench. Never in Lance’s life had he seen something so majestically brutal in his entire life. Where merpeople hunted with tools such as spears and nets, sharkpeople hunted with their sharp claws and teeth. They tore into their prey with reckless abandon, savoring the moment rather than catching as much as possible and saving it for others.
He ran his tongue over Keith’s teeth, noting how sharp they still were. They hadn’t dulled a bit since they met.
Keith nipped lightly at Lance's lip, catching it between his teeth tugged gently. Lance moaned and pulled Keith's head back to him, fisting his hand in the shark's hair. Keith shifted, rubbing against the length of Lance's tail, pleasure spiking through both of them. Keith darted forward, capturing Lance's mouth hungrily. He licked inside of Lance's mouth, sliding his tongue over the merman's and along the roof of his mouth.
They reveled in the feel of each other, the way they tasted...it was almost too much.
“Keith, where the hell did you -”
They jerked apart, Keith snapping his teeth together over Lance's lip. Lance clamped a hand over his mouth, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. He tasted blood and salt.
Keith was staring wide-eyed at the white-tipped shark floating a few feet away, equally as shocked.
“Shiro! What are you doing here?” Keith hissed.
Shiro - the shark - continued to gape between the two of them. “Keith, what...what are you doing with a-a merprince?”
Keith opened his mouth to retort but stopped, realization dawning on him. He whirled towards Lance, grabbing one of his arms. Looks like his shimmering fins gave him away.
“You’re a prince of the merpeople?” He sounded absolutely shocked and Lance fought to not dissolve into laughter.
He licked his lip clean and shot a pair of fingerguns at Keith with a smirk. "You bet."
Keith blanched, his pale skin becoming nearly translucent. He let go of Lance to pull at his hair, muttering curses under his breath. Then he froze and quickly grabbed Lance's face, examining his kiss-swollen lips and the cut he left behind.
“Lance… I’m-”
The merprince gently took his hands off his face and held them. “Don’t worry about it, it was an accident.” He grinned. “Besides, I’ll be healed by the next time we see each other.”
“If there’s a next time,” Shiro commented from off to the side. “The prince of the sharkpeople shouldn’t even be on this side of the trench.”
Lance flinched away fro Keith, mouth hanging open in shock. Keith was glaring at Shiro, the shark crossed his arms and glared back at Keith - the sharkprince.
“Wait, you’re a prince too?”
Keith rolled his eyes. “Yes, pup.”
Lance snorted. “Well, isn’t that ironic.”
He earned a half-hearted chuckle from Keith before Shiro swam between them.
And Lance thought that Keith was fairly large, but no, Shiro dwarfed them both. His tail was longer than Keith's by about two and a half feet. He was corded with muscles, thick arms and torso leading up to a strong jaw and stern face. Shiro had scars tracing all along his body and his left arm held the shark's traditional markings from his wrist to his bicep - denoting each of his accomplishments.
Was this…?
Lance looked up at Shiro, noting the scar and the white forelock of hair matching the tips of all his fins.
It was.
Shiro turned and started to herd Keith to the clump of seaweed he came out of when Lance reached out and grabbed his arm. The shark turned and looked back at Lance. After a second silence, Shiro finally recognized him.
“Lance…”
Lance tightened his grip on Shiro’s arm. “Come with Keith next week, Allura misses you.” And he let go.
Keith darted around Shiro and pressed a chaste kiss to Lance’s lips, cradling his face gently. Lance reached up and cupped Keith’s hands as he pulled away and tilted their foreheads together.
“Don’t get caught, you’ll be turned into sushi,” he said with a grin.
Lance rolled his eyes and smiled. “You don’t even know what sushi is, shark.”
Keith laughed and gave him another kiss before finally pulling away. He and Shiro disappeared into the seaweed, Lance swimming in the opposite direction.
When Lance returned to the palace, he immediately headed to Allura’s room. He had to tell her that Shiro was alive. He didn’t know why he thought the Champion would die of all people, Shiro was heralded for his ability to survive, hence his title.
Just as he thought, Allura was floating around in her room aimlessly, her frustration with their father having faded away to numbness.
“Allura!”
Allura flipped herself upright and looked at Lance, concerned. “Lance, why are you coming in through the window?”
Lance swam through and waved her off. “Nevermind that, I just saw Shiro!”
The princess’ eyes widened momentarily before narrowing. She swam up to him and grabbed his face and turning it this way and that. “Why is there a cut on your lip.”
“Ugh, why aren’t you listening to me!” Lance groaned, slapping her hands away. “Shiro? You remember him? That suitor from before the banishment?”
Allura continued to frown. “What were you doing near the trench in the first place, Lance. You know what our father has said.”
“Aallluuurrraaaaa….”
“No, Lance, answer me.”
Lance groaned again and waved his hands as he explained in a rush. “I’ve been visiting the trench for months now, made a friend, who’s more than a friend now, and he’s actually the prince - but that’s for a different time because I came here to tell you that Shiro is alive! And he wants to see you!”
His sister didn't look convinced as she crossed her arms and twitched her tail. "That has nothing to do with the cut on your lip - which you got from a shark."
Lance reached out and grabbed her shoulders. “Forget about the damned cut and listen to me!”
She pushed him away, scowling. “No, Lance. You know better than to be associating with the sharks. Why have you been going out there?”
“I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell dad, he’d de-fin me in a heartbeat.”
Allura considered him, her silver hair and fins floating around her in a cloud of glitter. The way she gnawed on her lip told Lance that she was caving, the thought of knowing how he found out about Shiro was too good to resist.
Her shoulder slumped. “Fine, what have you been doing out at the trench.”
Lance beamed and launched into how he had been exploring a few months ago and he and Keith had stumbled upon each other. He spared her the lovey-dovey details and told her enough to convey the story. Lance and Keith would hunt, talk and learn about each other’s people, discuss the reasons why the ban should be lifted or at least softened. Keith had told him stories of how Zarkon fell into madness and now Thace was ruling his people. Keith’s oldest brother was doing the best he could with the little hunting grounds they were allowed. The trench stretched for miles in either direction, and the merpeople’s capital lay near one end, while the shark capital lay more towards the center. It was a long swim for Keith to meet up with him, but he was among the fastest sharks alive and never complained about the distance.
Eventually, Lance told her of how Shiro had apparently followed Keith to their meeting spot and discovered the both of them. It had taken Lance longer than he wanted to admit in order to recognize who Shiro was. He didn't feel quite as bad, the time it took Shiro had been much longer, but in both of their defense, fifteen years of not seeing each other made their memories hazy.
Allura took it all in, never once interrupting Lance as he explained. He watched her face morph from irritation to hope the longer and longer he went on.
“And so, now we just have to wait a week and then you can see him again!” Lance concluded. “Would you like to see him again?”
He smiled at his sister and for the first time in forever, she smiled back.
“Very much,” Allura whispered, “Thank you, Lance.”
He wrapped his arms around her in a quick hug. “Awesome! Now, can you help me with this cut? ‘Cause I don’t want dad or mom finding out about it.”
Allura rolled her eyes and swam towards her vanity. “C’mon, guppy, let’s fix you up.”
“Hey, I’m not a guppy anymore!”
“Always will be to me, now get over here so I can heal you.”
The week dragged on. Both Allura’s and Lance’s tailfins were twitching with anticipation at breakfast that morning. No court day to keep them there any longer than they had to be. Their mother smiled at them, happy to see some of Allura’s old energy back.
As soon as their meal was over, the two of them sped off through the ocean, dodging around merpeople as they swam out of the city. Lance led the way and Allura followed close behind him.
The trip to the meeting place felt much shorter than it normally did and when Lance pushed through the seaweed he was greeted with Keith’s blinding smile and Shiro trying to block his path. Lance deftly outmaneuvered Shiro and barreled into Keith, laughing and smiling as Keith nuzzled his cheek.
Even with their joyous reunion, happening, Lance watched as Allura edged her way through the stalks and came face to face with Shiro. Both of them froze, staring in awe at the other. Lance knew for sure that Shiro didn't have as nearly as many tattoos up his arm when he began to court his sister. And Allura's fins had just begun to find their shimmer at the same time. Both of the had changed so much over the years that Lance was sure they felt like they were looking at strangers.
Allura broke out into a smile and charged Shiro, enveloping him in a hug and wrapping her tail around his. She closed her eyes and held him tight while Shiro’s arms wound their way around her waist, securing her to him.
ok so i always see people syaing keith would be a deep sea mer and they give him bioluminescence and lance is a reef mer.
and i dont argue that at all... but consider lance being a reef mer who ALSO has bioluminescence w/ altean-like markings. bioluminescence is very rare for reef fish to have, so it would be like finding a diamon in the rough.
