Aquatic AU

[simplepuzzle]

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[unbreachable]

He's totally gaping.

Then grinning brilliantly.

"That's so cool! How'd you do that?!"

[simplepuzzle]

Oh.

Chuck smiles a little cautiously.

"I dunno, I just do."

[unbreachable]

"Really?"

Raleigh's beaming from ear to ear.

"Do it again! Can you do it again?"

[simplepuzzle]

"You have to promise not to tell anyone."

That's important. If Chuck can't follow it for one human, the human has to promise to follow it.

[unbreachable]

"I promise." He holds his hand up.

"Scouts honor."

[simplepuzzle]

"...I don't know what that means but if you tell anyone I'll make you sorry." Chuck scowls.

...and wraps the pelt around himself again and then there's an adolescent seal splashing around happily.

[unbreachable]

"It means I wont," he says helpfully before Chuck does it -- and when he does, Raleigh is utterly gleeful, clapping his hands together and laughing.

How. Cool.

[simplepuzzle]

Chuck might lift his head a little higher and flap his tail a little more than he would--it is cool, isn't it?

[unbreachable]

It's incredibly cool, and he's cute as hell, too.

"Come back, lemme see your face again!"

[simplepuzzle]

He splashes around a little before he pulls his pelt off; no human's gonna tell him what to do, nope.

"What's your name?"

[unbreachable]

He beams.

"Raleigh. What's yours?"

[simplepuzzle]

"Chuck. I'm Chuck." Chuck digs his heels into the sand and looks at the human--Raleigh.

"Why'd you come out here?"

[unbreachable]

"Chuck. Okay."

He shrugs and looks up, scratching his head, all awkward legs and knobby knees.

"Wanted a swim."

[simplepuzzle]

Chuck's not good at judging ages but he thinks this kid's a little older than him so he sits up straighter to try and look taller; as impressive.

"Humans aren't supposed to go there," he says simply. " 's dangerous."

[unbreachable]

Raleigh grins, it's a little crooked. He shrugs.

"Yeah. I've noticed."

[simplepuzzle]

"You shouldn't come back here."

Though Chuck's sort of shrugging only one shoulder. He wants to keep playing, wants Raleigh to come back.

[unbreachable]

He wrinkles his nose. You're the only friend he's made, Chuck. Yancy is older and therefore Raleigh isn't cool and Jaz is a GIRL.

"But I wanna play..."

[simplepuzzle]

Yeah and Chuck's the only pup his age in the pod, aside from Mako and she's yeah a GIRL and thus the enemy. He chews on his lip and sort of looks around like he's expecting his mom to show up and scold him.

"...Okay but this has to be secret playing." Chuck is so serious for an eight year old. "Nobody can know or it's gonna be real dangerous for both of us." More Chuck, really, but he's seen his dad overturn boats to protect his family, even if he's pretty sure his dad wouldn't hurt a kid. P r e t t y sure.

[unbreachable]

Chuck is serious and Raleigh takes him seriously, blue eyes big and wide and he's nodding, shaggy wet blond hair falling into his face.

"Okay. Okay, it's a secret. I promise. I won't tell anyone."

[simplepuzzle]

"...Okay."

Chuck believes him.

He pulls his pelt back around him and dives at Raleigh, barking happily.

[unbreachable]

Raleigh squeals happily and splashes into the water, happy to flail and continue their game - even though it's totally skewed and he'll never catch Chuck in a million years.

[simplepuzzle]

No! No he will not. He tries though, playing through most of the summer. It's a dangerous secret for them both but they both keep it, and when the summer ends and it's time for them both to leave they both promise to meet back at the little beach. And Chuck promises he'll teach Raleigh how to swim better.

They meet like this every summer, play and talk and keep secrets. Chuck looks forward to it over the winter months, looks forward to the one month he gets to spend with his human friend.

His mother dies when he's ten, and it's his fault. No matter what his dad or anyone else says, if Chuck hadn't needed saving then his mom could have been saved. He's angry that summer, lashing out; Raleigh's confused and hurt right back at him until he finds out what happened. Then he bears it, meeting Chuck blow for blow and sometimes with silence. It works for Chuck, everyone else is treating him so fucking carefully, Raleigh's the only person who's treating him like there's nothing wrong. And when he finally, shamefully, breaks down into tears in front of him at the end of the summer, Raleigh just lets him cry on his shoulder, sitting on a rock and wrapping his arms around him.

They're each other's first kiss four years later; it's not long before Raleigh and his family's leaving, and Raleigh's been worried all summer because his mother's been so sick, and Chuck just goes for it with all the daring and clumsiness of his fourteen years. Raleigh kisses him back and smiles; the next fall and winter and spring months are all the more difficult for Chuck with that memory, and the wait is torture.

That next summer has a distinct lack of stupid Becket though; Chuck waits on their beach, even tries looking around the little island, but they're not there. Raleigh and his family stop coming their for the summer and Chuck tries to forget all about stupid humans.

[unbreachable]

Raleigh loves the summer months, loves spending time with his friend and inevitably he realizes (when he's older, a little more knowing, kissed his fair share of girls to realize) that he loves said friend, too -- because no one else has seen that raw, playful side of Raleigh.

But then his mother dies not long after that sweet summer kiss, she dies and their father flees, leaving three kids helpless and not really knowing what to do. Raleigh's older brother - who he'd mentioned frequently - takes up the mantle of 'father' and takes care of them, ensures their health and safety. Jaz and Raleigh are minors and Yancy's old enough to be appointed guardian, so there's some luck in that, at least.

They don't know what to do, Jaz and Raleigh and Yancy and when Jaz hits that age where she can do it, she drops out, makes her own way and moves across the country, setting up in New York and leaving Alaska and her life as a Becket behind.

Raleigh and Yancy join the military because what else do two boys with zero parental guidance do? They join up, but wind up caught in the crossfire and Yancy dies and Raleigh's unfit for duty, too banged up and hurt to be able to properly function as an active duty Seal (ironic, isn't it).

It's years later when he revisits that beach, when he comes to stand on the shore with his hands in his pockets, lines on his face from trauma and sadness, staring out into the ocean blue.

[simplepuzzle]

Things change in those years, for both of them.

Chuck--

...he doesn't get to swim a lot.

He visits the beach once in a while, when he can get away, just standing on the outskirts and sitting with his arms crossed and watching the waves come in. No one else comes, and he can believe it's a cursed place.

So he's pretty surprised to see someone else there--a little angry, too, how dare someone come and ruin his sanctuary. He's ready to yell, maybe throw a punch (he's got enough built up hurt to want to try and let it out) but--there's something familiar...

"Oy," he calls out instead. "Private beach." And that's not even a lie.

[unbreachable]

He hadn't expected to hear that voice, that accent. He's almost teetering on the edge of thinking it's some kind of hallucination when he turns around and -- no, it's not a dream.

It's Chuck.

Filled out and older and looking all grown up and beautiful, but it's still Chuck.

Still his childhood friend.

"Chuck."

A statement, not a question. Does Chuck remember him, or has tragedy burrowed to deeply underneath Raleigh's skin, leaving him unrecognizable?