Chapter Text
Lifeguard AU Beach AU
Evening. Miami Beach.
The smell of the humid sea messed around in the calm atmosphere as the deep blue waves crashed against the shore. The infamous Miami Beach looked less popular at this time of the year, as the hot season ended a month ago or so.
But the temperature felt just right, so it was beyond Varian’s expectations.
The choppy wind uncontrollably blew in all the directions as the boy brushed back his unruly hair for the millionth time. He let out a frustrated humph as one of his sketch pages escaped his small notebook and went flying to the other side of the pier where he sat.
“Shit.” He cursed to himself and quickly jumped up from his comfy blanket, his knees cracking.
The naughty bit of paper teasingly danced around the end of the pier, the wind helped express its moves. One more light blow, and it would end up eaten up by the sea waves.
Varian kept his moves slow, aiming at the right angle to catch the page. He thanked that the beach was quiet and only the annoying seagulls would judge his embarrassing attempts to jump for his sketch.
Suddenly, -as he finally dove forward and caught his notebook paper – Varian felt a creak underneath him and a massive wave mercilessly whipped him off his feet.
Oh.
Oh no.
Not a second passed as he felt the sudden coldness and nasty feeling of salty water soaking his clothes. The vulnerability under the strong waves made him let out a silent yelp as he tasted the bitter salt on his tongue, the sandy water filled up his lungs as he helplessly tried to scream under the pressure.
The problem here is he wasn’t a skilled swimmer.
No one had ever taught him properly, even though he lived a five-minute walk from the main beach. He did spend evenings here to catch proper inspiration for drawing, but he enjoyed time on the shore and NOT in the water.
These thoughts of pity clouded his mind as he drowned further and further. The waves playing with him like with a useless muppet.
He thought it was the end.
Surely, nobody has seen him fall off the pier accidentally, so he ended up in fate’s claws. His mind went blank and his vision started to blur slowly.
The only thing he remembered before he fell into oblivion was a strong hand pulling him up by the collar of his shirt.
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
“Hey! You alive?”
Varian awoke to a warm hand tangibly tapping his cheek. A bitter desire to cough rolled up his throat as he still felt a painful amount of water in his lungs.
He shot up in a second, persistently hacking all the seawater out, wheezing at times. Again, somebody put a hand on his back, kindly helping him retreat from aggressive coughs.
Varian let out a final sniff, greedily inhaling the supply of oxygen in the air as if it were limited to breathe. He turned his head around to greet his saver, his eyes still ached, and his vision was blurry.
Despite an unclear image, he discerned a tall figure.
A man. Probably one or two years older than him. His wet, messy blond hair was tied into a ponytail, showing off his shaved undercut. Varian’s blues interlocked with the man’s serpentine eyes immediately lost in his thoughtful but extremely attractive gaze. He looked like one of those “hot-minor-movie-characters” who are 100 times better than the main ones, and who are everyone’s crush from the start.
Varian skipped the second he started staring at his saver, and his face heated-up as the other waved his hand in front of his face.
“Earth to Swimmer Champion! You okay?” Varian just blushed deeper at the sarcastic nickname, lowering his gaze down. That was quite a horrible decision. His eyes caught a glimpse of the man’s exposed shoulders and chest, the tanned skin glowing under the evening sun’s rays, a silver whistle hanging from his neck.
Wait a minute.
“Y-You’re a lifeguard?” Varian blurted out without considering his question, he bit his lip in an embarrassing realization of what he just asked.
But the blonde just let out a silent giggle, picking up his whistle and fiddling with it.
“Well, ye, as you see.” He waved the whistle in the air, demonstrating it to the ravenette. “And I just happened to save your ass, Baby Blue.”
He gave a shark grin when he saw the younger’s beat-red face, pleased at the response.
“I guess you just did.” Varian let out an awkward laugh, a small grunt escaping his lips. After a minute of hesitation, he cleared his throat, cringing at its soreness. “Thank you, if it wasn’t for you..eh...Sir.”
“Hugo.” The blonde held out his hand in a friendly manner. “And oh! No sweat, it’s my duty, y'know.”
A warm feeling tangled in Varian’s chest at the lifeguard’s confidence and kindness. He didn’t make fun of him. He didn’t tease him in a threatening way. This stranger’s behavior was overwhelmingly nice and open as if he had known him all his life.
Varian started to doubt that he didn’t drown.
“Woah, this all is just...surprising.” He scratched the back of his neck, still not fully out of his comfort zone. He really wanted to continue the conversation, and for some specific reason, he prayed that this nice man wouldn't just say goodbye and walk away.
“Surprising? Surprised you didn’t die?” Hugo was practically teasing him now, but it differed from the teasing that Varian faced in college by local bullies. He couldn’t help but laugh at the response, even though it wasn’t supposed to be a joke.
“Sort of.” Varian suddenly stopped his laughter convulsions as he felt a hand on his shoulder. The tall man all of a sudden started to lean in further.
Varian was still highly aware that they were ALONE on the beach and Hugo was literally SHIRTLESS. He gulped, frozen to one spot with wide eyes staring at the lifeguards’ actions.
When their faces were inches away, the blonde suddenly stopped, his hand creeping to the raven-haired man’s ear.
“Glad you didn't, Hairstripe. “I certainly wouldn’t want a cute thing like you to drown while I was holding guard.” He removed a long piece of seaweed from the boy’s hair before getting up to his feet.
And Varian would freakin’ LIE if he refused to admit his own disappointment.
Disappointment that it was just a piece of seaweed that ruined it all. He bit his lip at the unusual thought.
Hugo cracked his knuckles and stretched, his bare, cubic torso took up all Varian’s view. His gaze scanned the horizon where the sun was almost fully set down, a sudden change happened to his expression.
“Oh!” The blonde suddenly exclaimed as if remembering something important. “Hang on a minute.”
Without a single word, he dashed off to the opposite of the sea direction, heading one of the small beach huts. Varian didn’t even have time to clear his thoughts when the lifeguard appeared with a blanket that the boy thought he lost.
“This is yours, I assume.” He carefully unwrapped the synthetic fabric like a gift, offering the present inside to the raven-haired boy. “While you were unconscious for a while, I got time to collect your notes, and, wow, those drawings are AWESOME dude.”
Varian peaked inside, moving the blue material out of his way. Inside, lay his notebook. All in a perfect, neat shape.
The teen couldn’t help but open his mouth a bit in shock. Did this man just find his notebook for him and gather all the bits of paper together?
“Uh- T-Thanks.” He stammered, tripping over words and carefully holding his sketchpad, checking whether it was actually real.
“No probs! You’ve got talent, Swimmer Boy.” The blonde chuckled, taking a moment to wrap the blanket around the small teen’s shoulders, making sure he is warm after a “good swim”. Varian blinked at the sudden attention given to his sketches. He always considered himself not skilled enough to create drawings such as modern building drafts.
But the fact that someone actually complimented his work.
Woah.
Varian silently examined his belongings, before turning his head to the “stranger”. All of a sudden, in those deep, emerald eyes, he saw something more than just “No sweat, it was my duty”.
Maybe he idealized everything. Maybe he took things too far as usual.
They were still complete strangers to each other. What the hell, Varian only knew this man’s name.
But something deep inside his heart told him that this will be a good beginning to something more. Right now, he needed nothing more but to simply sit together in silence, watching the sun disappear into Neverland.