Oblivious (Greg)

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Kuni didn't mind June in Pilot Ridge too much.  It was still warmer than he was used to, but at least it wasn't like the heat wave that hit in the later summer months.  He practically melted in July and August, and spent as much time as possible submerged in a cool body of water, trying to escape the heat.  No matter how long he lived in the area, he was never going to get used to it.

Today was perfect for going for a swim.  Then again, Kuni thought every day was good for that, but the morning was already warm and only going to get warmer as the day went on, so the Inuit boy made an early start out to the lake.  He walked instead of taking the bus today; it took a good deal longer, but it was a pleasant walk, and by the time he arrived, he was more than ready to dip into the water's welcoming depths.  

It was still pretty quiet around, so Kuni sat his knapsack by a rock near the edge of the lake and pulled off his shirt, which was already damp from perspiration.  He already had his swimming trunks on, so it was only a matter of dipping his feet into the cool water and he was off.  Kuni quickly went from the shallow edge to the gradually sloping deeper portion, until he only had his head above the water on tiptoes.  Then, without further ado, he submerged.

And he would stay submerged for the next five minutes at least, lazily drifting around underwater, pulling himself through the murky depths with practiced ease.  Ahhh, there was nothing like escaping the heat and just disappearing into the lake's cool embrace...

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg had never regretted not being much of a competitive swimmer – he knew how to swim, yes, but his focus back in Banff had been more towards team and ball sports – until he saw the members of Hammel’s swim team. Boy were they something else truly. He had just gotten out of the sauna after a workout when he managed to get a glimpse of the swim team doing laps, and boy was his heart stolen. It was just like One Direction, with less Niall Horans and more Zayn Maliks. That day he knew he just had to be part of the team next year.

Oh, and he saw how much lifeguards in the Pilot Ridge community centre were making and how being a competitive swimmer was preferred and boy did he need the money. That too of course.

So the Canadian’s decided it’s high time to kick his swimming regimen up a notch and do laps daily. He’d do it in Hammel, but whenever the sun’s shining so beautifully (like it was currently), he often heads out to the lake and swims from the shore to the bouy and back. The pool’s useful, but letting the sun go to waste would be terrible. And ‘sides, he figured if he can swim properly in (semi)open waters, he’d be better in controlled chlorinated water right?

His smile got wider when he saw what seemed like a familiar figure taking a dip not far from his planned path – one of the Zayn Maliks! And it wasn’t just any Zayn Malik, it was the Zayn Malik. In nothing but skimpy swim shorts. He couldn’t be any prouder of himself if he tried right about now.

Taking one last look of that honest-to-goodness specimen of human perfection, Greg began swimming towards the buoy, occasionally turning to his side to check up on Zayn. When the boy didn’t come up after Greg’s done his first lap, he got a bit concerned. But then again he’s part of the swim team, so he shouldn’t worry. But then after three, four, five laps, he still haven’t resurfaced.

Shit.

Greg instinctively cast his telepathic net towards the boy’s direction. He hasn’t used his powers to track people yet, but he’s heard it’s possible, so why not try it now?

There. A mental signature. Greg tried to hone in on it, and it was really useful, considering how he didn’t know how to open his eyes underwater. He kept swimming towards where he thought his mind was directing him to, smiling when he finally brushed against something that felt like an arm. Wrapping his own arm around it, he began tugging, just slightly, pulling it towards the surface.

It was heavy, but hey, it’s a body so it should be. Hopefully he just won’t run out of air before he manages to get the boy up.

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Kuni was happily drifting around in the water, his lungs not yet burning from strain. He typically lasted around ten minutes; about twelve was his limit. So he was in no rush to get to the surface, having no reason to believe that anyone would really be paying attention to his disappearance. He hadn't brought anyone, not even someone that didn't know about his ability, so he should have been golden.

Should have been.

To say he was surprised when a sudden, unexpected figure bumped into him and snatched up his arm would be an understatement. Kuni jolted slightly at the touch, but soon realized it was a person... Trying to get him to the surface, for some reason. This was weird. Nevertheless, Kuni wasn't going to make the guy haul up his dead weight, so he helped kick himself to the surface, taking a deep lungful of air once his head broke through to the air.

"What happened? What's going on?" he asked dumbly, staring at the stranger with wide, concerned eyes. "Do I... Know you?" The guy looked vaguely familiar, probably from around Hammel or something. If Kuni was smarter, he likely would have realized the boy had probably seen him submerge and not surface for a good seven or eight minutes. As it was, he just sort of gawked as he tread water.

[Greg Mackenzie]

Diving to dark waters to retrieve was straining enough, especially for a non-swimmer such as himself. Using his telepathy to look for someone just made things worse. Add the panic he’s feeling ‘cause he wasn’t sure if his powers were working, and that he was scared he won’t be able to find the boy in time, and that he might run out of air soon, and it was like a recipe for disaster. If the struggle to get the body out of the water lasted any longer, it would’ve been the outburst of January 2014 all over again. Or even worst.

So thank goodness Kuni helped him get the boy out of the water.

For the first three seconds out of the water, all the Canadian cared was to get fresh air back to his lungs. Oh god the smelly lake air had never felt so good. “Well…you were drowning so…” said the boy in between his smaller breaths, surprised at how he’s managed to stay afloat himself, “…so I swam down and…like grabbed you….but like you’re…”

“…Not drowning.” Of course. He’s part of the swim team after all. That explained why his mental signature remained strong – or at least had the same intensity – throughtout.

Fuck. He totally just made a big fool of himself.

“Oh shit. I’m so sorry.” If he could turn even redder now, he would’ve. “I go to Hammel too. I think we have drama with Mr. Bond together?” Well not really (or at least he hasn’t seen Kuni around there; he would know if he was there, he’d notice Greg said), but it was worth a shot. “Like I saw you dive down and I went like five laps and you’re still below water…”

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Had Kuni known what was going on in the poor boy's mind, he would have felt awful. As it was, he was mostly just bewildered. Had someone called for an evacuation? And how had he even found Kuni in the first place? It was all so strange...

Drowning? Huh? The Inuit boy's face was blank with confusion and misunderstanding as he tried to figure out what the stranger was saying.

"No, I wasn't... Drowning..." Kuni hadn't thought anyone had been watching him when he'd gone under, but he hadn't looked around all that hard. He stayed quiet as realization seemed to dawn on the guy, still too bewildered to say much himself. So he just paddled and waited for him to be done talking.

"Y... Yeah, I go to Hammel," he confirmed. "I... Haven't taken drama though..." Kuni was pretty sure he'd be the worst actor in class, he was awful at impersonations and too slow for improv. "But maybe I've seen you...?"

It only completely hit Kuni about what the guy had been thinking when he explained what he'd seen. "OH! Oh, no, I'm so sorry," he replied with a breathless laugh. "I... I didn't realize anyone had been watching..." Dang, now he felt bad. "I can hold my breath for, um, about ten minutes," he explained. "If I'd known someone was looking I would have warned you... Ah, now I feel awful, I'm sorry!" It all made sense, of course. Kuni should have realized it right away, but, as already determined, he was a bit slow.

"Thanks for, uh, looking out for me though, I appreciate it." Kuni smiled at the stranger and offered a hand. "I'm Kuni, by the way. Um, maybe we've had some other class together?" Now that he looked closer, Greg did seem somewhat familiar, but it might have just been from around school.

[Greg Mackenzie]

He didn’t take drama?

Shit.

Why didn’t he say Biology? Or Physics? Or History? Everyone took those. Why did he have to choose a seemingly obscure elective? God damn it.

Greg mentally hit himself in the head. He’s usually better than this. Flustered was a colour he didn’t usually wear, and whenever he did, he just looked awful. Like not even adorably awkward than you’d just let him go and laugh it off. No it was painful and it almost always got worse.

“Oh really? Haha. Derp?” If he didn’t take swimming lessons back when he was a kid and just floated without thinking about it, he would’ve totally drowned right now. And he got that Greg was watching? Shit. No. He’s totally marked as a stalker in Kuni’s mind now, he just knew it.

Then the unexpected happened. Kuni felt sorry? Was this kid part Canadian or something?

/Fuckstopthatnowyoujustlooksocutestopomghessoadorbsstop,/ thought Greg as he totally blocked everything else and focused on the adorable marvel right in front of him. And by blocking everything, it included his mental walls that prevented him from unintentionally projecting his thoughts.

When the whale shifter thanked him for looking out for him, well, Greg just about died. Oh how he hated himself for having these kinds of crushes.

/Oh I know who you are,/ the boy thought when Kuni introduced himself, having to physically stop himself from snorting about how creepy his thought sounded. “I’m Greg,” he replied, “Yeah probably. All white people look alike.” He let out a semi-awkward laugh before adding, “I’m guessing you’re power training? So sorry for interrupting.”

Normally he’d be happy now that Kuni knew who he was. But having the Adonis alone was something that didn’t happen normally, and he’d be dumb if he’d pass this opportunity up. “So what’s down there? The Loch Ness monster?”

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Fortunately, Kuni was still a bit flustered and uncertain himself, so he wasn't noticing Greg's own embarrassment all that much. He was a bit too dim to realize why the guy might be flustered at all, actually. As far as Kuni was concerned, he'd just been innocently trying to save his life, and that wasn't anything to be upset about.

"Maybe there's someone in the class that looks like me," he offered kindly. Because he totally wasn't the only giant Inuit kid at Hammel, nope. It took a lot to get Kuni too worried or suspicious of anyone, and as much as Greg thought he was, imagining the smaller boy as a stalker was the last thing on Kuni's mind.

So he just floated, smiling and still a little bewildered, but otherwise without a trace of contempt.

"Nice to meet you, Greg," he replied automatically and easily. Kuni's eyes widened slightly at the white people comment, and he quickly backpedaled and stammered,"Oh, no, that's not what I meant...!" Was Greg offended? Kuni hoped not, but didn't know what else to say to make up for it. So he just stumbled into silence before the boy asked his next question. "Oh, um, yeah... Well, honestly I just like swimming, especially when it gets hot, so it's sort of, um, killing two birds with one... Stone?" That was how the phrase went, right? "You're not interrupting at all. It's always nice to meet someone new."

Even if that someone new had thought he was drowning and attempted to save him. It reminded him of when he'd met Eloise here... That had been incredibly embarrassing. At least Greg wasn't naked (as far as he could tell....).

"Uh... I haven't noticed any monsters yet, no," he chuckled. "Although I guess I'd probably be eaten if I had, huh?" Kuni leaned to float on his back, staring up at the hot, cloudless sky. "What about you?" he asked curiously. "Just out for a swim today, or are you power training too?"

[Greg Mackenzie]

If it had been anyone else, Greg would’ve totally taken that statement as a rather patronizing one. Or even a sarcastic one. But since this was Kuni and the boy’s totally distracted by the Inuit’s ten-out-of-ten would bang looks, it was taken at face value. (Greg would also like to add that he’s a telepath and he didn’t sense any ill will with that statement. Not that he was paying attention to his power going all rogue and grabbing thoughts here and there during that time anyway). “Yeah, probably.” He caught himself letting out a half-shy, half-coy smile and hit himself mentally in the head. Since when did he turn back to being a thirteen year-old girl seeing a guy she liked for the first time? Shit.

Had Kuni not told him his power earlier, he’d totally think that reverting people to their pre-teen selves was the Inuit’s power. ‘Cause seriously, he needed to get his shit together – and fast – otherwise him being known by perfection made flesh will be all for naught. He can’t, and won’t be, ‘the crazy dude who hit on me on the lake then eventually shat his pants in excitement’. Never. Ever.

And like it always had been, the moment he thought Kuni’s perfection has ended – and he got his shit together – Kuni decided to say the cutest things ever and boy did it take a lot from Greg just to keep himself afloat.

“Haha, it’s a joke. I know, I’m crude. I’m white so I’m allowed to say it don’t worry.” He barely managed to finish the sentence, and to be honest, he felt like he just butchered pronouncing the words ‘cause something was caught in his throat. “It’s nice to finally meet you too. I meant nice to meet you. Truly nice. Like yeah.” Shit. Really now? He did not just say that. Fuck.

When Kuni decided to float on his back, Greg just right about died. Like, died. Can this day get any better? “Not all monsters are carnivores. I hope. Unless they’re the kraken. Then defs dead.”

“I’m practicing swimming. Wanna try out for the swim team next year. Too pretty to practice indoors so I figured why not try it out here.” He swam closer to the boy, floating on his back as well but sneaking occasional glances to his companion. “Is isn’t too hard to get in isn’t it? Is the coach nice?”

Wait. Did he just let it slip that he knew Kuni was in the swim team? Despite the boy not telling him that? Holy. Effing. Shite.

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Kuni, unlike the guy he was currently talking to, was starting to feel a little more at ease now that he knew why he'd been 'saved' and that there was a potential new friendship. He also didn't know that he'd met yet another telepath like Eloise (though she had told him that she had enough control to block out his thoughts if need be anyway, so he assumed most telepaths were like that... Oops.).

He was also very bad at picking up why Greg might still be flustered. It didn't even cross the Inuit's mind that he was attracted to Kuni, because... Well, why would he think that?

"Oh, uh, right, a joke." Cue Kuni laughing awkwardly late at said 'joke'. "Uh, good one?" Derp. Well, now he did feel incredibly moronic again, but it was nothing but his own fault. People really shouldn't try to tell such jokes around the slow giant, he was bound to fumble and fail. Fortunately, he was caught up in his own awkward to miss the 'finally' bit of Greg's statement, though he likely wouldn't have picked up on it anyway. So he just smiled dumbly and dipped his head. "Like... Yeah," he repeated, scratching a hand through his damp hair.

Sometimes Kuni wished he turned into something smaller and cuter so he could use it as an excuse to suddenly cop out of an awkward conversation. But turning into a whale at the moment, even though he was in water, didn't seem like the best idea.

Back to the present. "Hmm... Would a monster be considered a monster if it wasn't a carnov... carvin.... Didn't eat meat?" he asked, stumbling over the longer word like an idiot. "What's a... What's a kraken?" he asked obliviously. He hadn't heard of such a thing in his home town, and he hadn't really studied any sort of mythology (or if he had, he'd forgotten). "It sounds like a... Uh, giant cracker or something." Talk about white jokes...

He glanced over as Greg floated on his back as well, trying to dispel the awkward with another smile. "The swim team is great," he replied,"Although I do prefer, um, swimming outside too." It did momentarily cross his mind that Greg somehow knew he was on the team, but... Well, he was someone that stuck out pretty well, so... Yeah, no, he wasn't worried about it. "Nah, anyone with enough enthusiasm is welcome, really. The coach is nice. A little hard at times, but, uh, he's only trying to get us to do our best." Without warning, Kuni turned over and did an impromptu roll underwater, surfacing again with a grin. "Do you want to race?"

[Greg Mackenzie]

Oh. My. God.

If it was possible to melt and/or vapourize by virtue of someone just being so damn adorable, Greg would’ve been dead by now. Or even five seconds ago. Or even ten. Twenty? God Greg lost track of time really ‘cause Kuni was just so damn cute.

Move over Zooey Deschanel, this cute whale-shifter just redefined adorkable to a tee. And it just might cause Greg his life.

Had this been an anime episode, this would’ve been the part where Greg would turn into a chibi caricature of himself, his circular face slowly turning red from chin up, then he’d blast off to god knows where because of blood blasting out his nostrils with enough force to help a rocket ship attain escape velocity. Because if Kuni scratching his head after smiling dumbly wasn’t perfection, he didn’t know what is.

“Hardly,” he said, his voice almost breaking, “Is a huge squid thing. Like, an ugly squid that’s supposed to eat ships and shit.” He flailed about, rolled his eyes and lashed his tongue in and out – i.e. be the ugliest he’s every been – in an effort to show the boy what the kraken was. Adorkable, meet stupid. “That was bad,” he laughed, “Know what, it’ll be easier if I just show you. I think.”

He closed his eyes and tried to project an image of a kraken to the boy. But for some reason, this was the closest image he could come up with. (And with his telepathy, who knew how much of the image he actually projected into Kuni’s mind).

He had to snap himself out of the ‘admiration’ he felt at the ease at which Kuni rolled in the water. “A race? Would that even be fair?” he chuckled, taking a small dip himself to wet his hair, “But sure. Loser gets to buy the other one ice cream?”

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Huge squid thing? Kuni was baffled. "I've heard of giant squid," he offered. "But... I didn't know they could sink ships. They must be... Huge." He was mulling this over as Greg began his visual aid, and Kuni watched him with a bewildered expression until he finally broke and started laughing. "Ah.... Yes, that, um, that clears it up completely," he chuckled, grinning from ear to ear. This Greg guy was pretty funny.

Show him? Now Kuni was even more confused. "Uh, is there one living in the lake or something...?" And Greg had the ability to bring it up? Or...?

Suddenly an image appeared in his head out of nowhere, without Kuni thinking about it. He jolted visibly, and took a long moment to begin to understand what had happened. "You're a telepath?" he asked, just managing to focus on the visual that Greg had put into his head before it disappeared. "That was.... That was interesting." This was a weird coincidence. Eloise was a telepath too. "I, uh, I think I kinda get it now." Kuni offered another weak smile, still a little thrown off by the boy's power having pushed into his head. He wasn't angry or anything, but it'd just been unexpected.

He shook his head and tried to push his from his mind. His smile broadened at Greg's inquiries. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to see?" Kuni chuckled. "That sounds good to me. I love ice cream." Especially on hot days... Mmmm.

The Inuit boy settled himself in the water and prepared to take off. "On go. One... Two... Three... Go!" And off Kuni went. He dove headfirst into the water and started powering through, his large, strong arms and powerful legs making quick work through the lake. He glanced back briefly to see how Greg was keeping up, but it was hard to tell underneath the water. When it got too shallow, he popped up to the surface again and took a deep breath, looking around to see where his new friend was. Had he won?