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Lance had courted a few people before Keith, though none were nearly as serious.
And besides the facts that Keith was the only mer Lance had ever introduced to his family and that this was the longest relationship he had ever been in, Keith was special in another way. He was the one pursuing Lance.
Well, to be honest, they were pursuing each other, which was definitely not the typical way things were done. But up until Keith, Lance had been the one to make the move, had been the one to bring presents to his partner, had been the one to fish and cook the meals, to plan their dates, to prove himself worth being loved.
Keith hadn’t even given it a second thought—he’d met Lance, got to know him a little, and realized that of course Lance was worth being loved and Keith was the one who needed to prove himself.
It had been shocking for Lance when, after having gone out to fish and make a meal in order to bring to Keith as a way of announcing his plan of courtship, Keith had arrived with a basket woven of seaweed that he had made in order to announce his own plans of courtship.
And in that very moment, the two of them stunned to silence before blushing and trading their gifts and giggling at their good luck, Lance knew that Keith was his other half, and that he would never look anywhere else.
Of course, this made Lance want to try harder and impress Keith even more in order to make sure Keith realized these same things (and of course, in that very same moment as Lance, Keith had realized these things, it just took the two of them a few months before admitting it to one another). And it was no burden on Lance, courting and loving Keith. None at all.
Lance never thought he would get to the point where he was invited to stay over at Keith’s family’s den, but here he was, staying the night, curled up with Keith in his seaweed and sponge bed. It wasn’t a bed meant for two mer’s, but that just made it cozier. And in fact, curled up like this, Lance had fallen asleep quicker than he could have imagined—having Keith there made him feel safe and secure, physically and emotionally; he didn’t need to stay up late wondering if he was worth it, or just thinking of Keith in general, because Keith was here, heartbeat steady against his back, showing Lance, just by holding him close, that Lance was very much worth it.
Now it was the morning after, and Lance was awake earlier than Keith. He was trying to soak up the way this moment felt, the way that Keith felt when he was asleep and cuddling. It was like memorizing the pattern of sunlight on water before it flickered and changed with the waves.
Keith kissed the back of Lance’s neck, sending a shiver down his spine.
<Good morning> Keith murmured, voice deep and musty after a night’s rest.
And in that very moment Lance realized that he didn’t have to memorize everything perfectly. He didn’t have to because he would be able to have this moment again and again and again. Because Keith really was his other half. Because Keith really did love him, too.