#59:Fins to the Left, Fins to the Right
Continuity: right after the previous drabble

Baekhyun stared at the pool in disbelief. When Chanyeol had offered to teach him to swim, he half thought that it wouldn’t happen. He absolutely refused to go in the ocean, and he thought that there was no way Chanyeol would be able to find a substitute. Clearly, he was wrong.

“How did you get it so clean so quickly?” He asked.

Chanyeol grinned at him. “When you said you wanted to swim, I went right to Kris and asked if he could help me figure out how to filter the pool. Remember when you were playing around with Chen and Kai? We snuck out here to figure out the filter. Suho came with us and he helped us fill the pool, and between the three of us it really didn’t take too much time.”

Baekhyun had to smile at Chanyeol’s enthusiasm, but his happiness was tempered by the knowledge that he would have to go in the water. He’d asked Chanyeol to help him, and he’d be damned if all that work went to waste.

“Okay,” Baekhyun said, taking a deep breath. He felt kind of silly—he was dressed in the neon pink shorts and a horribly clashing blue shirt to keep his shoulders from burning, and he was sweating not because of the sun, but because of the water.

Chanyeol tapped Baekhyun’s arm. “We don’t have to do this,” he said for the umpteenth time. “There’s no evidence that forcing yourself into a situation you’re afraid of helps at all with your fears.”

Baekhyun bristled even though he knew Chanyeol was just looking out for him. “I can take it,” he said defensively. “And I want to do this. Even if I don’t learn how to swim, I want to be able to go in the water and not freak out. I was a wreck on that…that boat…” his voice trailed off and he swallowed, feeling faint at the memory. “If we ever have to go on a boat again…I want to be able to survive in the water.”

Chanyeol nodded slowly. “I do want you to be comfortable with at least putting your face in the water. Like you said, if something were to happen…panicking would only make the situation worse.”

Baekhyun marched to the edge of the pool. The water sparkled in the sun, and Baekhyun took a moment to focus on the light, hoping it would distract him from his fear. It was fascinating, how the light could reflect off the water in so many ways, depending on how the water moved. But the water also looked cold and uninviting, and Baekhyun found himself shivering.

“Um…” he began, fidgeting slightly. “Can you…warm it up a little bit?”

Chanyeol choked back a laugh. “I can try, but I think by the time you get in it will be cold again.”

Baekhyun huffed. “Okay, forget it then,” he mumbled. There was a set of stairs leading into the water, and he put one foot on the first step, hesitating only briefly before stomping his other foot down as well.

“There,” Baekhyun said. “Easy.”

Chanyeol stood next to him. “Are you sure you want to start like this?” he asked. “I thought maybe you could sit on the edge and dangle your feet in for a few minutes.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “I’m not a baby,” he sighed. “I can handle these stairs—look,” and he went down onto the second step. The water now reached his knees. “See?” he said, but his voice came out higher than he would have liked, and he cleared his throat, willing his heart to stop pounding. “Totally easy.”

Chanyeol followed Baekhyun and put an arm around his shoulders. Baekhyun automatically leaned into him, thinking of Chanyeol as a pillar to hold him up if he fainted. But he wouldn’t faint, he wasn’t scared. At least, not scared enough to faint.

Chanyeol tapped him lightly. “Want to sit down?”

Baekhyun nodded and let Chanyeol support him on the way down. He sat on the first step and let his legs drift out in front of him, the water keeping them slightly buoyant. Chanyeol reached for his hand and Baekhyun clung on, trying not squeeze too tightly. The water was shallow on the first step and barely covered his thighs, and Baekhyun wrinkled his nose at the feeling of wet fabric against his skin. He imagined it would chafe and hurt after a while. He sighed, leaning his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“Who the heck decided that getting wet for fun was a good idea?” He grumbled, and Chanyeol chuckled, leaning down to peck him lightly on the lips.

“You’re very cute, do you know that?” Chanyeol asked. “Prickly and defensive, but that’s part of why I love you.”

“That’s just weird,” Baekhyun sniffed. “Why would you like someone who’s basically a porcupine?”

Chanyeol laughed. “I think you’re more like a hedgehog,”  he corrected, kissing Baekhyun again. “And for the record, hedgehogs can swim.”

Baekhyun sighed, lifting his feet to the surface of the water and splashing a bit. He held his hand over the water and bounced light off the surface, wondering if he could make it strong enough to be seen from space. But he figured that to do such a thing, he’d need a bigger body of water.

The longer they sat, the antsier Baekhyun became. He knew he was procrastinating, and he knew he wasn’t okay. Finally he sighed and decided that they might as well get the worst part over with.

“I think I should try to go in,” he said quietly, surprised by how steady his voice was.

Chanyeol squeezed his hand. “Do you want to walk in?”

Baekhyun shivered at the thought. “I don’t think I could,” he admitted. “Can you carry me in?”

Chanyeol hummed in agreement and stood up, walking down the rest of the steps. “Would it help if I swam around a little?”

Baekhyun shook his head and sighed. “Let’s just get this over with,” he grumbled, standing up. He wrapped one arm behind Chanyeol’s neck and clung to the collar of his shirt with the other. He debated how best to pick up his legs (One at a time? Should he jump?) but before he could decide, Chanyeol placed his arm behind his knees and gently lifted him. Baekhyun gasped as his feet left the floor, and he tightened his grip on Chanyeol’s neck, squeezing his eyes shut. Chanyeol drew him closer, and the water rose to Baekhyun’s waist, soaking his shirt. Baekhyun shivered and whimpered, tucking his head against Chanyeol’s collar.

“Baekhyun?”

“What?!” Baekhyun demanded.

“I’ll put you back down if you want,” Chanyeol said gently, “If it’s too much, just tell me and I’ll bring you back.”

“If I want out,” Baekhyun mumbled, “Believe me, I’ll let you know.”

Chanyeol nodded, cradling Baekhyun closer. “I’ve got you,” he whispered, kissing Baekhyun’s forehead in an attempt to help him relax. It usually worked, but Baekhyun was too high strung to notice at the moment.

Chanyeol sighed and took a step back, further into the water. Baekhyun shuddered as the water moved around him, taking a deep, shaky breath. Chanyeol had barely taken five steps when Baekhyun decided he’d had enough.

“Okay!” He screamed, digging his nails into Chanyeol’s collar, “Okay, that’s enough, put me down!”

Chanyeol lunged for the stairs, trying to set Baekhyun down gently, but Baekhyun practically leapt from his arms and scrambled out of the pool. In his haste he tripped over the first step and landed hard on the concrete.

Baekhyun stared blankly at the ground in front of him, feeling an awful burn on his shin. “Ow,” he whimpered, lowering his forehead to the ground. He didn’t stay down for long—Chanyeol was there in an instant, crooning softly as he turned Baekhyun over and gathered him to his chest.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Chanyeol whispered. Baekhyun burrowed into his chest, just realizing that he was shaking. Chanyeol rubbed his back. “You just scraped your leg on the edge of the pool.”

“Am I bleeding?” Baekhyun asked faintly.

“Only a little,” Chanyeol assured as he lifted Baekhyun up. He carried him over to the lounge chair he’d set up earlier and wrapped a towel around Baekhyun’s shoulders, taking a spare one and wetting it with water from a bottle. Baekhyun sat back in the chair, watching as Chanyeol cleaned the scrape on his leg. It was a shallow cut, but it would sting if he went into the water again—there were chemicals in it to keep it clean, there was little they could do to clear the chemicals out.

When Chanyeol finished cleaning the scrape he kissed the inside of Baekhyun’s knee, making him twitch and smile as it tickled. Chanyeol sat next to him and held his hand.

“You did well,” he praised, and Baekhyun snorted.

“I flipped out,” he sighed.

“But you survived,” Chanyeol reminded him. “You went into the water and you came out…mostly unharmed. But the scrape wasn’t because of the water,” he mused, “So I guess it doesn’t count?”

Baekhyun shrugged.

“Well anyway, we can stop if you want,” Chanyeol said, rubbing Baekhyun’s arm. “Want to go walk on the beach?”

Baekhyun thought about it, and then shook his head. “Can we sit on the stairs again?” He asked quietly.

Chanyeol squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek. “Of course.”

Kris grinned fondly as Tao gasped, picking up another shell.

“It’s beautiful!” He cried, cradling it in his hands. “Look, Kris, Suho, isn’t it beautiful?”

Suho hummed in agreement, picking it up gently. It was about half the length of Tao’s little finger, a pure white shell that swirled to a tapered point.

“You really love these shells, don’t you?” Kris asked, holding out the plastic bag Tao was using to house his collection. He wasn’t sure when he’d ended up with it, though.

“They’re the most beautiful,” Tao insisted, eyeing his collection. He pouted when Kris laughed. “Okay,” He amended, “They’re all beautiful, but these are my favorite.”

“What are you going to do with them?” Suho asked.

Tao shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’ll think of something!”

Suho watched him run off again with a frown. “He does know he can’t keep them all, right? I mean…we just can’t carry them.”

Kris looked down at the bag and bit his lip. It was only their second day here, and already Tao had another bag full of shells back at the hotel, and he was well on his way to filling this one too.

“Well I mean, he could just leave them here…” Kris mused. “It’s not like someone will steal them. And we’ll come back…later?”

Suho was already laughing. “Leave them here? Who are you talking about, again? And anyway, if we come back again he’ll only collect more.”

Kris swatted at Suho’s arm but quickly pulled him back again. “Alright, you’ve made your point. We’ll have to bring this up to the others too, I know Kyungsoo and Lay are going crazy with the shells.”

Tao ran back to give Kris some more shells and narrowed his eyes when he saw Kris and Suho with their arms wrapped around each other. “You two owe me cuddles later,” he sniffed. Then he leaned in and kissed Kris briefly before turning and kissing Suho as well. Kris had to laugh when he saw the surprised look on Suho’s face. It had been Suho’s idea for the three of them to try to make something work, but he always seemed shocked whenever Tao showed him affection. Kris wouldn’t have pictured Suho as the type to get flustered, due to what he had to put up with from his children, but whenever Tao kissed him Suho would turn the color of a sunset. Kris found it adorable, but confusing as well.

He nudged Suho to get his attention. “You have no problem when I take care of you, why do you get so flustered with Tao?”

Suho rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Ah, I guess it’s because I’m so used to you babying me.”

“Hey!” Kris protested, “I do not—” he cut himself off when Suho glared. “Okay, maybe a little…” Suho pulled Kris to a halt and crossed his arms, staring at Kris expectantly. “Alright, alright!” Kris sighed, “I baby you. But it’s just because you’re so freaking adorable and tiny…” and he wrapped his arms around Suho’s torso and heaved him up into a hug. Suho yelped, his feet kicking out at the air.

“Kris! I can’t fly, put me down!” He cried, but he was laughing. Kris lowered him back to the sand anyway, smiling when he saw that Suho was flushed again, grinning in that special way that lit up his eyes.

“Wow. I really love you,” Kris breathed.

Suho laughed, taking Kris’ hands and twining their fingers together. “I know. I love you too.”

They kissed briefly and turned to find Tao, intending to call him over, but he wasn’t looking at them. He was eyeing the foliage near the beach, looking a little apprehensive.

“Tao, what’s up?” Suho called, still wrapped around Kris. Tao didn’t answer and walked carefully towards the trees, only to stop dead after a few feet.

“What is he doing?” Suho mumbled, just as Tao let out a piercing shriek and jumped back, running as fast as he could back to the two of them.

“What is it?” Kris gasped as Tao slammed into him, clinging to his arm. He nearly toppled Kris over with the force, his eyes still on the patch of trees.

“What—that—it’s—HUGE!” Tao screamed, pointing.

Suho looked positively baffled. “What happened? What did you see?”

Tao took a deep breath, and then he screamed again. “SPIDER!”

Kris whirled around to look, and saw something huge come creeping out of the trees.

“HOLY !” Kris yelled, stumbling back. Suho yelped, clinging to Kris’ other arm. The creature was a good distance from them, but Kris had no idea how fast it could move or really what it was—but it did look a bit like a spider.

Tao was almost crying, his face pressed to Kris’ shoulder. “Oh mygod by the Tree it’shuge I can’t…somebody kill it, kill it!” He screamed, shaking Kris’ arm for emphasis.

“Ow, stop it!” Kris yelped, trying to shake Tao off—he was losing feeling in his arm. The thing was creeping slowly towards the water, and Kris was starting to have a sneaking suspicion as to what it was. “Alright I have done a lot of reading about what kinds of animals live on this planet and where, and I’m pretty sure I know what’s going on,” he assured, patting Tao’s head. “Now I’m going to go take a look at it, and you two are going to stay here, got it?”

Tao released Kris at once and rushed at Suho, crashing into him so hard they stumbled back a few feet. It was pretty funny, seeing Tao cling to Suho the way he was when the top of Suho’s head only reached Tao’s chin.

“My brave boyfriends,” Kris mumbled, putting down the bag of shells and picking up a piece of driftwood. He walked up to the thing, and the closer he got the braver he felt. A few steps away he stopped, choking back laughter. He poked the creature (Tao yelped) and it scuttled backwards before freezing. Kris finally started to laugh.

“What?!” Tao cried. “Kris, what??”

Kris walked back, barely concealing his smirk. Tao slowly released Suho, looking tearful. Kris wanted so badly to laugh again, but knew better. He took a deep breath, collecting himself.

“It’s not a spider,” he told Tao gently. “But I can see why you’d think that. It’s a crab, a coconut crab.”

Tao gaped at him. “B-but…it’s…we saw crabs…”

Kris nodded. “It’s bigger than the ones Suho caught last night, but it is a crab, an edible one too.”

“We can eat that thing?” Suho asked faintly. “Oh god…”

Tao couldn’t take it anymore—he burst into tears. Kris held out his arms and Tao practically burrowed into him, his knees shaking.

“It’s okay, baby,” Kris cooed, petting Tao’s hair. “I know it scared you.”

Tao whined and squeezed Kris even tighter. “It ran at me!” He wailed, “I thought I was going to die!”

Kris rocked Tao slowly, rubbing his back. It really wasn’t funny, he could only imagine how monstrous that creature had looked to Tao, who’s nightmares involved tentacles of shadows grabbing at his legs. He hated bugs, but bugs (any creature really) with long legs really freaked him out.

Suho on the other hand was looking much braver. “How does one kill it?” he asked—more like growled. “I’m going to make it pay for scaring my Tao.”

“Our Tao,” Kris corrected, and Tao paused in his crying to laugh. “And if I remember correctly they can’t swim, so…”

Suho nodded grimly, shaking out his hands. “It will make a tasty dinner,” he decided. “Sweet revenge.”

I don’t actually know if coconut crabs live on Beihai beach but I am sooo beyond caring, I just spent two hours looking up what kind of shellfish are found along the coast of mainland China and this crab lives at least close to it!

This is what it looks like:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Birgus_latro_(Bora-Bora).jpg

Nasty little bugger. And it’s about a foot long, three feet with its legs pulled out. You can see why Tao would be scared of it, and confuse it for a spider.

Also I’m officially titling these beach drabbles after Jimmy Buffett songs (This one is "Fins"). Why? Because this whole venture reminds of my past trips to Key West and Jimmy is HUGE down there so any time I think beach, I think Buffett. Plus my parents are big fans of his and I was raised on his music. I changed the title of the previous drabble for this reason. 

Next drabble picks up where this left off.

AND BAEKHYUN WILL EVENTUALLY LEARN TO TOLERATE WATER!

(PS the shell in the picture is the one Tao loves. It's called an Auger)