Theo lowered his feet and, indeed, found he could stand. With a sigh of relief, he straightened, though he maintained his grip on the other man. Less for security at this point -- though it did occur to him that he could hit a deeper patch, perhaps. Was that a thing that happened along shorelines? He had no idea. Theo didn't have much experience with the ocean and, after this, didn't want any. In the future, he'd make sure he slept well away from the water when he had to camp out on the beach.
But he'd also noticed that his rescuer was tired, and wanted to make sure that the smaller man got to shore too. While Theo didn't exactly believe in the principle of fair exchange, even he knew it would be a major asshole move to abandon someone who'd just saved his life.
"Thanks," Theo repeated, as his breathing returned to normal. "Did you see that? That fucking dolphin tried to kill me."
He said it with more amazement than anger, as Theo was not one to hold a grudge. But still.
can't say good morning without lying twice
