Keith

"This is it. You can see the shore just over that ridge. It shouldn't be more than five minutes and we can stop just before we go in." Keith breathed heavily after their last heavy treck. He didn't know that there was a steep hill that encompassed the cove on all sides. I mean obviously, he knew that there was a small cliff surrounding that hid the cove out of sight if you weren't purposefully looking for it. He just hadn't been aware that the entire coast was a bowl like valley pouring down into the secluded calm waters.

"If I weren't wearing clothes I could get us there faster," Lance huffed as he stepped up behind Keith to look over his shoulder at where they were going. He wasn't even out of breath in the slightest. Keith decided that it was because the siren had monstrously long legs for being hardly taller than Keith. No. He wasn't taller than Keith, they were the same size . . . And Keith wasn't just thinking that to make himself feel better.

He was just so damn tired of being small. Smallest galra, small for a male Altean too. The woman-man-genderless thing with him had been nearly four and a half feet taller than him when he first caught sight of him before he's shrunk down . . . Keith hadn't quite figured that one out yet but he'd decided a while ago that he didn't want to know.

"And we don't need a break. It's hardly a hike down." Lance said passively and turned away to start down the steep hill. Keith stared after him blankly before he full on glared at the back of Lance's head.

"We don't need a break. It's hardly a hike down." He mocked quietly in a higher pitch to mimic Lance's tone once the siren was out of earshot.

"Keith!" Lance called back from a quarter ways down the hill. He looked up at his pale companion expectantly, impatience written all over his antsy movements.

"Yeah, I'm coming! Keep for pants on for quiznacks sake. I'm coming." Keith snapped back as he started down the hill. "Just keep going, If I fall and crack my head open just wait for me to roll to the bottom and then you can eat me or give me an ocean burial whatever have you."

"That's not funny!" Lance yelled over the wind as it picked up. They were leaving the dark forests behind and entering a stretch of hilly grasslands that led down to the ocean. The sunlight as almost agonizing on Keith's eyes after how long he'd been surrounded by the darkness of the forest with only glowing creatures and plants to light their paths.

Keith simply hummed in response. There was no way for Lance to hear him so he waited patiently for Keith who passed him without a word. They continued and finally reached the sandy beach all the while Lance nervously chattered. It only got worse the closer to the water they got until Lance all but fell quiet when his borrowed shoes touched the sand.

"Keith?" The siren said his name with a small tone. It made the prince pause to turn around and face him. Lance hadn't moved from the outer edge of the beach.

He frowned and scanned Lance's furrowed expression. "Yeah?" He asked with no hint of the antagonistic tone he's used a good ways back.

"If we make it back-"

"When we make it back." Keith corrected. Lance glanced away almost shyly at Keith's cut in.

"When we get back," he continued, "will you tell me about you? You know so much about me and I guess I've never given you the chance to speak for yourself if you wanted to. Will you tell me about your family? . . . Your real family?"

Normally if someone would have ever stated it that way Keith would have had them by the throat before they could blink. But Lance wasn't using the statement maliciously. He was confused and curious about the man who owned him. Who had agreed to go out of his way to help a harem. To help someone who was supposed to be nothing other than a hole to fuck and a carrier for the next generations ruler. But Keith didn't want them like that. He wouldn't want anyone that way.

"When you get us out of there alive I'll try to answer any questions you might have. It's only fair." Keith gave Lance a respectful nod to seal his statement as a promise. He met Lance's blue eyes as birds chittered overhead, catching floating fruit seeds out of the sky above them where they became trapped by the cliff walls of the cover and the wind blowing in from the sea. The water was calm here unlike further east closer to the city of Altea where the waves crashed on the beaches and rocks all day. He could hear small fish making little plops as they flicked their tails just below the glass like surface. Mostly petal fish.

Keith pressed his lips together and forcefully pulled himself away from the tempting pull of the siren's eyes. They were a weapon just as much as the creatures claws and teeth, Keith reminded himself as he started stripping out of his clothes. He caught sight of a little Puffy hopping around near the rocks. They were harmless friendly little creatures. Nothing but pleasant little pink balls of fluff. Sadly due to their friendly nature they tended to get eaten quite often. They were too stupid to learn to fear possible predators. Keith tried and failed to disguise his smile as he watched the little Puffy hop over and sit down on his nicely folded shirt. It peeped up at him with a little 'popple popple' sound. So cute. It was about the size of his palm.

"And Keith"

Keith looked over his bare shoulder at Lance who was still standing at the edge of the sand. He raised his brows in a silent que for Lance to continue.

"If something does happen, promise me you'll do everything you can to keep Petal safe," He pleaded, his eyes desperate and sad and angry but hopeful all at once.

"Popple Popple," the Puffy chimed in for attention. It was ignored.

"I promise you Lance that I will do everything in my power to try and get you both to safety, but most of all the pup," Keith said softly.

"Popple Popple! Popple Popple!"

"Thank you. And I promise I'll protect you. I need you in order for this to work,"

"POPPLE POPPLE! POPPLE POPPLE!"

Both Siren and Prince turned to look down at the pink little Puffy. Lance didn't have any idea what it was while Keith stared at it for a second before he took off his shoes and laid his socks out on top of the Puffy who gave a content little "Popple" before falling quiet under the sock blanket it had sitting on it's head.

"Very high maintenance" Keith commented before looking back at Lance who was squinting at the little creature before he blinked at shook his head.

"I don't like it," Lance decided and approached Keith cautiously before he bent over to undo his shoes clumsily before Keith knelt down and knocked his hands away so he could do it.

"Popple"

"Normally they aren't like that," Keith said as he pulled Lance's shoes off one by one before peeling his socks away as well and starting a new pile of clothes next to his. Lance didn't need any help with his shirt and happily removed his pants and anything else before grabbing Keith's hand and leading him into the water. Keith himself kept his pants on for sake of hopefully not accidentally losing his dick in case some hungry creature or a stray spear came too close. He didn't take privilege in sharing any of his assets but he was proud to have them and would like to keep them to himself thank you very much.

"Stay there," Lance ordered Keith once they were waist deep in water. Keith didn't have time to Ask any questions. The last thing he saw was a perk butt disappear beneath the water and slip into the deeper parts of the cove where all Keith could see was a reflection of the sky.

He stood there warily and waited . . . and waited . . . and-

Keith squawked when a giant surge of water rushed towards him at a startling speed before he was sucked down below. He managed to quickly get back up to the surface to cough up some of the water he'd gotten in his mouth. He wasn't ready to use the gift Lance had given him. It took him a little while to figure it out.

He was facing the shore when the waves created by the rush settled. He didn't see what was prowling just behind him.

"Are you ready?"

Keith startled as he whirled around at the sound of the familiar voice. Only it had much more presence behind it.

Lance smiled cockily at Keith's fearful and awestruck expression. Lance had his arms supporting his torso, his tail stretched out far behind him in the deeper water. Keith gulped as he took in the extent of the Siren who waited in what had been waist deep water. While balancing on his hands to lift himself out of the water it only reached a little over the third of the way up his forearm. He was huge. There was no way he was seeing this right. Back in the pool-? Back in the pool Lance had been bigger than him. That was normal. Siren's where bigger than Alteans. They compared to larger Glara in their natural form. But this- no this was far, far from normal.

Keith managed to shut his gaping mouth himself before Lance could make a comment. The prince stepped back, baffled as he took Lance in. This is what he meant when he said that none of the other sirens would bother them until they were close. So all siren's must not be able to completely shift their size?

"Uh . . . I don't think im going to be able to wrap my legs around you," Keith said nervously.

"I figured that after I shifted. You can hold on to my spines on the way there." Lance smiled, flashing a mouthful of sharp fangs.

Keith nodded slowly and glanced at the water beyond what he could see of Lance. He was only seeing the tip of the iceberg for Lances size. The real monster would be that long tail hidden below.

"Let's go save my brother," Lance smiled, his confidence faltering as he changed to focus on the real task at hand. Lance had said he needed Keith in order to accomplish their mission so he could still fight while Keith protected and held Petal. With Lance this big . . . what kind of trouble were they going to be running into?