Klaus woke with a jolt as a splash of salty water hit him in the face. He rolled reflexively to the side to try to get away from whatever was happening, but suddenly the ground was gone. He flailed as he fell, hitting the surface of the water only a moment later, sinking immediately before he even had a chance to panic.
He felt arms around him, guiding him to the surface and keeping him afloat, which was good because he had no idea which way was up. As his head broke the surface and he gasped for air, he heard the person still holding onto him laughing. He wiped water out of his eyes to find it was Dave, looking guilty and amused at the same time.
"I am so sorry," Dave said. He didn't let go, keeping both of them steady, and Klaus could see the vague outline of his tail below them. "The goal wasn't to drown you, I promise. I did not think that through."
"No, no," Klaus said, waving a hand as he caught his breath. "I was the one who fell asleep for our little get-together here, I guess I deserved it."
"Well, I have to admit that I am more than a little late," Dave said sheepishly. "I just wanted to make sure you were alone."
"Ah, watching me from afar, were you?" Klaus asked with a wink, grinning when he blushed. "Next time I'll be sure to put on a little show."
"Shut up or I'll splash you again," Dave muttered, finally releasing Klaus, although he seemed reluctant.
"Now that you got me all wet, what do you plan to do with me?"
Klaus saw too late the moment Dave's embarrassment shifted to mischievousness as an idea seemed to come to him. He grabbed him again and suddenly Klaus felt himself propelled out towards deeper water much faster than he would have thought possible. Dave was nice enough to keep his head above the surface at least, and when they finally came to a stop, the pier was still in sight in the distance.
"I'm pretty sure we already had plenty of privacy, but okay," Klaus chuckled, not quite sure what was happening yet, but not particularly bothered by the change.
"Look up," Dave said, releasing him to hold his hand instead, floating onto his back.
Klaus did the same, letting the water hold him up as he gazed up at the sky. Out here, they were far enough away from the city lights that the stars stood out more clearly than he'd ever seen them. They were beautiful and he couldn't help but squeeze Dave's hand slightly, grateful to be able to witness this.
He supposed the cold, deep water all around them would have been unsettling for most, especially this far from shore. To Klaus, though, the darkness pressing in didn't feel oppressive. Instead, it felt soft, like it was embracing him, holding him aloft in the gentle waves. He'd always loved swimming at night. And, for some reason, he trusted Dave. His presence was just as comforting, if not even moreso.
"It's pretty cold, we should probably head back," Dave said eventually. "I didn't actually intend to drown you and then freeze you to death on the first date."
"Keeping me on my toes, I like it," Klaus grinned, and Dave just shook his head, amused.
They sat on the pier for a while after that, talking about stupid things, Klaus sharing some of the shenanigans he got up to, and Dave talked about his shitty job that he kept to blend in better, and the silly tricks he played to make it more tolerable. Klaus eventually fell asleep feeling Dave's arm around him, but when he woke up with the morning sun, he was alone.