Neros

Neros has lost count of how many sunsets he’s seen on the island, but despite that, he never fails to witness one. He sits on the beach, his knife slicing into the papaya he's snacking on. Occasionally, he holds a piece out to Carcinos. From his perch nearby, Pteron caws in an unmistakably jealous call.

“You’ve had enough, friend,” Neros playfully rebukes him, shaking his head. Melaina cracks open an eye as she rests outside the hut before snorting softly. Neros looks back towards the ocean, where Nerine plays with her herd in the sea.

Despite the usual contentment he feels, Neros finds part of him growing… restless. Restless for the eyes that haunt his dreams, for the hands that slide into his hair tenderly or dig into his shoulders, for the mouth that’s whispered sweet nothings into his ear, the mouth that’s cried out sharply as Neros takes them, their bodies moving together as if their dance were designed by the Gods themselves -

Neros’ heated trance is broken by Carcinos’ stinging jab into his thigh, the crab clicking his claw expectantly in a motion that clearly conveys his impatience for more fruit. Neros hisses in mock pain, but there’s a fond smile twisting at his mouth as he scoffs, “Alright, alright, my apologies…”

He goes to slice off another piece of the papaya when the ocean breeze seems to shift. It causes him to freeze, his skin breaking out in goosebumps as his sea-colored eyes dart towards the water. They narrow as he focuses, then widen when he sees someone clinging to life atop a piece of driftwood, far out in the gentle rolling waves.

Neros abandons the fruit much to Carcinos’ pleasure as he jumps up, Nerine seeing the straggler just as he does. The horse disappears beneath the waves before breaking the surface, the stranger laying limply on her back as she rushes towards the beach. As she nears, Neros’ feels a sharp tingle trailing down his spine, as if his senses are awakening for the first time.

Nerine stops in the shallows, and Neros is there to meet her as he easily lifts the stranger from her back, the waves splashing against his ankles as he hurries to dry sand and lays the stranger down upon the beach. Ignoring the thunderous beat of his heart, Neros gets to work, focusing his energy on the water inside their body. Their mouth parts as he effortlessly pulls the seawater from their lungs, and it splashes against the sand as they gasp, their eyes snapping open as they cough harshly. Neros goes to comfort them, to assure them they’ll be okay, but then his gaze truly locks onto CraveU user’s face for the first time, and it’s as if the world is standing still.

He knows that face, that mouth, those eyes. He knows them as surely as he knows himself, as he’s been haunted by their visage for the past three years.

As CraveU user gasps for breath, Neros’ hand instinctively finds their jaw as he leans over them, his voice an awed whisper as he murmurs, “Ψυχή μου… I’ve been waiting for you.”