A DNF Merman AU

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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Clay awakens somewhere cold and dark, and it takes him a moment to realize that he is far beneath the surf. Somehow, he feels both weightless and leaden as he rolls head over heels, body tumbling in the harsh current. He tries to swim to the surface, but freezes in terror when he realizes that he cannot quite tell which way is up. His chest screams for air, and his body instinctively takes a breath, filling his lungs with water. He remembers being told that drowning was one of the most peaceful ways to die, but as he spends his last moments sinking steadily down into the black depths below him, he knows that it's bullshit. The freezing water surrounds him now, gripping and constricting his body like a vise. Just as he begins to black out, something warm wraps around his body, and he feels himself being pulled back up to the surface.

Clay awakens somewhere warm and bright, and it takes him a moment to realize that he is not alone in the sand. Gentle fingers run delicately through his hair, and a hand rests gingerly against his chest. The sound of waves crashing on the shore is accompanied by the faint whisper of the sweetest song that Clay has ever heard. He stays still, hoping to hear more of the melody and the voice that begins to grow louder with confidence. Clay is mystified by the lyrics, words in a foreign tongue that he'll never understand. The lilting voice rises and falls like the tides, and he feels himself being drawn in by its beauty.

Now fully awake, he begins to open his eyes, and the voice cuts off abruptly. He sits up a little too quickly, just in time to see a boy's face and the flash of something blue disappearing into the ocean, and his world darkens once again.

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Clay awakens to the sound of Nick's concerned voice, and he groans, trying to sit up. Hands immediately push him back down.

"Dude, dude stay down. You're like really dehydrated. Chill." Clay lifts his hands up to shield his eyes from the blinding light above him. He squints, looking around, and realizes that he is no longer on the beach. He's in a hospital bed.

"Sap? What happened?" His voice is raspy, and his throat burns. His friend is sitting next to him on the bed, forehead creased by worry lines. Clay has an IV line connected to his forearm, and he follows the line to see that it is attached to a half empty bag of clear liquid.

"They found you washed up on the beach, passed out in the sand. It looks like you swallowed a lot of salt water and got a minor concussion. You're gonna be fine, though. They're only keeping you here for the IV; we can leave as soon as they finish getting those fluids into you. The doctors said to come back if you started throwing up because that would be a sign that your concussion is really bad."

"Damn."

"Yeah," Nick sighs. "That was fucking terrifying."

"Tell me about it." Clay closes his eyes again. "Man, I just had the craziest dream."

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POV Change ;)

Nick chuckles under his breath as he listens to Clay's story. His face is lit up in excitement as he goes on and on about something to do with mermen and songs. Nick knows that Clay hit his head pretty hard. He's not really paying attention. To be honest, he is focusing on the fact that he nearly lost his best friend. He's too busy being mad at him for choosing to ignore the day's surf warning and nearly drowning himself. What an idiot. God, he needed that idiot.

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Apparently, much to Sapnap's dismay, Clay cannot stay away from the ocean, even after practically drowning himself. He has spent the past week with Nick in the lifeguard tower.

Nick looks over to his friend, and sees that he is wearing the stupidest shades he has ever seen. "Clay. The fuck are you wearing?"

"Excuse me. I look fabulous," Dream says, scoffing. "They're for my concussion. The bright sun still makes my brain scream."

"You're such a baby"

"Hey. That's Pissbaby to you."

Nick sighs in mock annoyance and returns to looking out over the ocean. The doctors told Clay to take a break from surfing while he recovers, so since the accident, he has been following him around like a lost puppy. He doesn't mind, though. It gets a little lonely in his tower sometimes.

But not always. Sapnap's tower gives him a very good view of everyone on the beach, and sometimes, when he's lucky, he gets to see a certain pretty brown haired boy. Today is one of those days. The boy is in his usual spot, writing in that purple journal of his. He pauses his scribbling, subconsciously sticking his pencil between his teeth as he thinks. He drums it against his lips before returning to his writing enthusiastically. Nick's eyes widen.

"Why don't you just go talk to him?" Nick almost jumps out of his own skin. Clay continues, "and stop staring at him like a creep? You don't even look at the ocean anymore. A kid could be drowning, and you wouldn't even notice. Oh wait. Someone almost did."

"CLAY"

"Too soon? Too soon. Sorry. "

Clay's right, though. Nick hasn't been able to take his eyes away from the gorgeous boy. How could he when that fluffy hair is just BEGGING to be played with? Today, the boy is sprawled out on a beach towel, leaning back on his elbows. His unbuttoned shirt falls open, revealing a smooth, tan chest. He leans his head back, turning his face towards the sun, mouth falling open, and Nick almost gasps. He HAS to know what he's doing. It HAS to be on purpose, right? Sapnap sighs and continues his admiration.

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Yay!!!! Sapnap POV finally!

Sappynappy gang! Sound off in the comments!!