[i][b]Click, click, click.[/b][/i]
An incessant noise. 
[i]Keith.. Keith. Can you hear me? If you do, do [b]not[/b] try to find me.[/i]
[i]This is just another one of your dreams. My life is too dangerous for you to be part of it. I'm sorry. I miss you, but I can't be with you anymore. Please don't hate me.[/i]

He grumbled in his sleep, trying to will the words out of his lips. Trying to speak up for himself instead of watching people make decisions for him for what felt like the millionth time. He had the right to say no, to deny everything, but people still let him go just to protect him, to keep him safe. [b]Fuck[/b] that, he was capable of that on his own. But that clicking noise, it went on for what felt like hours on end, like something was tapping against that window. Wait. 

Once that small fact hit him in the face he shot up, just about ready to see who was tapping against his window when he saw a raven that fluttered away as soon as it caught his movement inside, one or two feathers trailing behind it. His eyes had barely taken in any more detail before a rainbow crashed onto his face, like the shell placed against the sunlight was trying to calm him down or distract him. It worked, and Keith leaned his back against the headboard as he felt the colors on his face, photo-worthy.  He rubbed at his eyes, sniffing a bit. Too much happened last night. He got drunk, spoke to the merman.. [i]spoke to the merman[/i]...

An instant reminder of the kiss he'd gotten the night before sent his eyes down onto his hand, and he held it fondly once more like he was grasping a memory too precious to let go. He smiled a bit, hopping out of bed and lazily stretching. His hair was, understandably, a mess and locks of raven stuck out at every angle, but he never brought himself to care about that too much. Instead, he dragged his legs over to his bathroom, not so eager to start a new day yet still looking forward to it--surprisingly. Because, at this point in his day he always thought of ending everything. Take the gun his father left behind for him, pull the trigger and that'll be all. No one would notice, no one would care, and he liked it better that way. After all, he'd gotten pretty close to that only a few days ago.

But there was a new motivation there, something deep that Keith couldn't pinpoint, but he knew for a fact that it had something to do with a particular sea creature he came into recent contact with. Maybe he's not mending him, but he's making the pain tolerable and he needed that. Aside from him pushing himself to move, the excitement of seeing him again was also a contributing factor to the equation. He needed to see him again, otherwise the nagging feeling in his chest won't settle, but this time he wanted to join him at sea, fix the damn boat and let Shiro lead him wherever, because that's where he'll go, but he still lacked supplies, and that's what he took his bike for. 

It was strange. He stopped riding his bike months ago because he simply had no reason important enough to, yet there he was now, racing through the road and over to the nearest market where he was with Kolivan just days ago. He picked up what he needed, paid and raced back to the beach, half-hoping he'll find Shiro waiting there, because life was apparently a romantic drama movie. Of course he won't be there. The merman had a life, he knew that, and getting so attached was dangerous. He needed to get himself together as he approached the rundown boat, placing his tools beside it and deciding to spend his entire day fixing it, but a part of him nagged that he needed to take a look at the dock first. And he did just that, his hands behind his back as he swayed over to the deck, wondering if there was anything even awaiting him there. Maybe a shell. Maybe Shiro himself. Both were just as amazing.