Strifehartwinterweek2k16.

Themes: Ice Or Northern Lights.

The current eased his body through the water like driftwood, Cloud floated apathetically as he stared up at the surface, an inky black mess of nothing dotted with deep icebergs ending in scary points no one dared go near. Not even the humming of whales could be heard, the pollution of human ships was far away, the tiny ribbons of moonlight caressed his skin and scales and brought a lethargic sigh from his lungs.

With a lazy twist of his tail, he turned through the water all around him and closed his eyes, letting the peace of the shallower depths of sixty fathoms wash over him- no nagging parents, no worrying friends or suspicious neighbours. It was peaceful, dead silent and still. Just as he had promised.

He was all alone. His thoughts turned like the rhythmic rolls of the tide, unhindered and neutral. He understood why Leon liked this forbidden zone so much. It was like a dream, a suspension of reality, a bubble all to his own.

Cloud heard someone approaching and opened his eyes to stare upwards. He quickly spotted the movement and the mass heading towards him. He offered a soft look at his lover, Leon, swimming from above down to greet him. Powerful stroke of his arms and flicks of his tail carried him gracefully and rapidly downwards, Cloud admired his approach.

Leon, always so quiet, such a loner. So, by the book, Cloud never would have though he was such a rule breaker.

It was like their little secret, he mused as he raised a hand to reach him. Their fingers silently slid together, palms mirroring as their fingers bent to hold their catch. Cloud revered Leon in the low light, toned body rippling with powerful muscles, shoulders slimmer a slight bit and long mane of hair floating around him and obscuring the view behind him. His tail, dual coloured deep blue-almost-black with silvery under scales, brushed up against Cloud's and the merman gasped as a shiver ran through his body.

His under scales of light blue and green were sensitised as any mermen's was, any touch there he was weak too, but Leon's touch most of all. He moved his webbed fingers and pressed his forehead to Leon's, silently asking … Are we safe?

"Yes," was his hushed answer.

Leon didn't touch him more, he tugged on his hand and urged them both to rise through the water. Cloud followed, gliding upwards slowly and smoothly, it was like a fantasy. Not once was he scared, trusting Leon as the merman guided him to the point where it was forbidden and then through the surface.

The air was so different!

Cloud ducked his head under again, having only experienced the surface a handful of times before, then braved the change of atmosphere again. His lungs ached briefly as the water was pressed from his chest and replaced with thinner, richer air. Feeling light headed he reached for Leon's arm to support himself.

Leon was patient. Watching and waiting with his silvery eyes fixed on the sky above them. It was filled with tiny dots of light, more than could ever be counted. Cloud thought that the lights looked very much like Leon's eyes sometimes, or was it Leon's eyes looked like the sky? It didn't matter, he knew which he was preferred.

He swam behind Leon and linked his arms around his shoulders "Here?" he breathed against Leon's ear, not liking to speak above water because his voice sounded so strange up in the ether. High pitched, piercing and scratchy.

Leon liked it even less. He shook his head and took Clouds hand again, guiding them both slowly through the lazily pitching waves reflecting a peaceful sky until they were at a private, low little iceberg shaped a bit like a seat.

Leon helped him up, using his arms to drag himself above the water when he was sure Cloud was fine. Cloud huffed at the unnecessary attention his lover was bestowing on him, so what if he wasn't as used to gravity as Leon was? He wasn't incapable. He turned over and rested his head against Leon's chest when Leon had propped himself up against the iceberg, using his upper body strength to pull Cloud into a comfortable position, and they waited.

To pass the time, Cloud dozed and counted the sky's lights he spotted moving. They moved like spooked sardines, flashes of silver smaller than eels. Some stretched as long as his fins, others barely made a mark in the blueish black. They entertained him until he lost count.

The motion of the iceberg was lulling him to sleep, the cradle motion of the ocean was so exaggerated up here, it had his eyes growing heavy in no time. He was dozing when Leon nudged him awake and looked up at the sky.

Following his eyes, he saw it too.

The sky was very different.

Cloud's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. It was alight with brilliant blues and greens, purple and pink and even white playing at the edges of the rivers of lights above them. Their currents moving like hair through the ocean's fingers, so smooth and graceful, rippling through the air as if there was another surface to the world higher up.

He reached a hand up, knowing there was an infinite distance between himself and the sky, but Cloud was unable to help himself. Against the backdrop of stars, in solitude and the peacefulness of lapping waves he finally understood why Leon came up here so often.

Leon's hand rested over the back of his hand and curled it into a fist. Cloud smiled and sighed, watching the remainder of the show of the sky with awe. It was so beautiful.

His lover's hand against his scales made him blush very slightly, recalling how Leon had compared his scales to this explosion of colour and grace. Idiot, he thought fondly, giving into sentimentality to hold Leon's hands in his against his chest. Leon's heart beat healthy and strong against his back, but outwardly nothing had changed.

Hypnotised by the colours and relaxed by the solitude and peace the hours passed before they realised.

They stayed until the dawn touched the eastern horizon. Leon sitting up and murmuring a warning, not even he would risk staying up here in the daylight hours. Cloud agreed, moving his stiff muscles, and edging closer to the water. Together, they both reluctantly slipped back into the sea and down, down into the depths of their home.

Cloud hesitated and slowed to look back up at the sky again, already missing the environment of tranquillity where they could just exist together without fanfare or expectations. Home was always so small, pressing on their private time from all sides. So what if they were the gossip of the sea, so what if they should have gotten together years ago, so what if they were taking it slow. Did that warrant the unrelenting nudges and pushes from everyone they knew?

Knowing how serene it had been up there, around this forbidden shallows, it was hard to go back. He was so tired.

He sighed.

Leon swam up next to him and brushed his hair out of his face, a soft look in his eyes as he read him like an open book. Keeping eye contact, he brought their lips together briefly, "There will be other times," he promised.

Taking comfort from the promise the blond merman tilted his head, "You'll take me there when there's another one?"

Leon nodded.

At ease again, Cloud followed Leon further down towards their home, reaching out only the once to brush the back of his knuckles up Leon's spine. After all, he caught the heated look his lover sent over his shoulder and returned it impishly, he still had to thank Leon for the experience.

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