Chapter Text
“Are you nervous?” George asked, watching Wilbur fumble with the straps of his flippers while he stood in the shallow water, waiting impatiently for his boyfriend to put on his equipment.
A month had passed since Wilbur kissed George, and he had never been happier. There was hardly a weekend they didn't spend together, either finding new places to eat, spending time on the beach, or just enjoying each other's company.
It didn't take long for Wilbur to get certified for diving and get the gear, desperately wanting to be able to be with George in his element.
Wilbur looked up at George, squinting from the sunlight and offering him a bright smile, “Excited.”
George returned his smile, before handing him his goggles, Wilbur accepted them, hooking them over his forehead before fiddling with the nozzles of the small oxygen tank. It wasn't meant for long, deep-sea dives, but it would last him long enough to spend a good amount of time with his boyfriend.
“There are so many things I want to show you,” George said, bouncing on the balls of his feet, fiddling with his hands, “I could show you where I found the shell, or- or I know! There's this little tunnel system that leads to a cool underwater cave.”
Watching George ramble, Wilbur’s heart melted, he absolutely adored when George got excited. His eyes always lit up, he bounced his foot, and he talked far faster than usual, it was incredibly endearing.
“We have time, Gogs,” Wilbur reminded, hooking the oxygen tank over his shoulders and maneuvering deeper into the water, “If we run out of time we'll just come back.”
George nodded, following Wilbur deeper into the sea, “Are you sure you know what you're doing?” He asked, motioning to all of the gear, “That looks complicated.”
Wilbur rolled his eyes, but his fond smile revealed his lack of hostility, “Yes, I know what I'm doing.” George bit his lip, his hands fidgeting by his side while he stared at the equipment. That's when Wilbur realized, buried beneath George's excitement was flashes of worry.
He reached for George, grabbing his hand and lightly kissing the back of it, “I’m okay,” he enunciated, “I'm going to be okay, Gogy, I promise.”
Nodding, George took a deep breath, before glaring at Wilbur, “If you drown again, I'll kill you.”
Wilbur laughed, before going deeper, the water level now up to his chest. Looking at George, he noticed how it was up to his neck, and bit back the urge to call him tiny again, “I'll keep that in mind.”
“So the mouth of the cave system is down shore a little bit,” George explained, “The tunnel is plenty big, we won't have a problem getting through.”
“Where does it lead?” Wilbur asked, slipping the goggles over his ear and making sure he had a seal, placing the oxygen tube in his mouth.
George only giggled, slowly pulling him beneath the water, “You'll see, just follow me.” He said, then they went under.
He took a second to make sure his airflow was good, and his seal tight, before allowing himself to take it all in.
Now that he wasn't chasing after George, he could really absorb how beautiful it was beneath the water. George was swimming circles around him, his movements smooth and graceful. It was enchanting.
While he descended further, his eyes widened. There was an impressive reef, surrounded by what he was sure was a small school of mackerel.
“Follow me,” George said, his voice sounding astutely deeper in the deep water. Unlike when they were on land, the strange distortion of his voice sounded natural under the waves. It made it so that his voice was still audible, even as the sounds of rushing water filled his ears.
Wilbur signed “Okay,” As the both of them learned basic sign language and diving signals for communication in the water.
George swam past the reef, paying no mind to the sea life, Wilbur followed, slowly, taking it all in.
The sun shone through the water, illuminating them as they swam. Wilbur could see how George felt free under the water, it was like as soon as he dipped beneath the waves, his worries got left behind.
After a short minute of swimming, George motioned to a crevice in the rocks, which led to a small hole. Completely unnoticeable if you didn't know it was there.
George slid in before Wilbur, the latter feeling slightly claustrophobic as he looked into the dark tunnel. He checked all of his gear before entering, praying that George knew where he was going.
He was right, the tunnel was small, but it was still big enough Wilbur could swim through with all of his gear. He wondered what kind of sea life filled the dark tunnel, but quickly shook the thought from his mind. He didn't want to know.
The tunnel seemed to go on forever, slight curves and dips making Wilbur have to weave his way through, but after a long couple of minutes, the rock finally opened up around him, exposing him to the large cavern that George described.
Sunlight beamed through cracks in the rock ceiling, unnoticeable from the ground above but illuminating the cave. Wilbur wondered how many caves and tunnel systems were all around them, waiting to be discovered.
He swam higher, following George, before eventually getting above the water. He slid off the mask, shaking the excess water from his face and hair, his eyes wide as he scanned the impressive cavern. Vines grew down the side of the rock, and there was a dripping coming from… somewhere, but he put it out of his mind when George swam closer to him, encasing his hands in his own.
“Come here,” George said, pulling him further towards a section of the cave that was filled with large, smooth rock, offering him a place to sit and rest. He slowly climbed up, sitting off the side and keeping his calves and feet in the water.
Wilbur couldn't help but look around the place in awe, he thought places like this only existed in tropical climates as he would see on the nature channel, he never thought one would ever be this close. He wondered where his house was in relation to the cave. He stared at the cracks in the ceiling, trying and failing to grasp where he was.
“It’s cool right?” George asked. Wilbur tilted his head back down, making eye contact with his boyfriend, who was smiling brightly, resting his elbows on the rock next to him, “I found it accidentally one of the first times I swam in the area, now it’s my favorite place to come, especially when I need to think.” A beat of silence passed between them, “It can be kind of creepy though.”
Wilbur chuckled, grabbing George’s hands and pulling him so he was leaning on his legs. He bent down, lightly kissing George’s forehead, “It’s nice,” He whispered, “I had no idea this was here.”
George nodded, rubbing circles onto the back of Wilbur’s hands, careful as to not scratch him, “Yeah, the mouth of the tunnel is pretty hidden, I don’t think anyone has found it but me,” He explained, “And well, now you.”
“Our little secret,” Wilbur mumbled, leaning down slowly towards George, his tongue jutting out to wet his lips out of habit.
George hummed, eyes flicking down to Wilbur’s lips, “Our little secret.”
Before Wilbur could make contact, George’s hands left his own, wrapping around his waist and pulling. Wilbur yelped, before falling into the water, the chill liquid splashing around them.
Wilbur came back up above the water, pouting at George, who was laughing, loudly.
“Gogyy-” He whined, attempting to feign hurt, but it didn’t last long as he found himself joining in with George’s laughter, he couldn’t help himself, George’s smile was just unnervingly contagious, “You’re going to pay for that,” He threatened, kicking off of the rocks and towards his boyfriend.
George shrieked, his laugh echoing off the cave walls as he attempted to dodge Wilbur. He wondered if anyone was above the cave and if they could hear them.
George sunk beneath the water, the low lighting making only a vague shadow visible. Wilbur scanned the water around him, a large smile tugging the corners of his lips. Occasionally he felt the brush of a tail grace his leg, or a fin touch his back, and he fought his instincts to jump. His pride would never heal from that.
Looking around the cave, he realized George was right, even though he wasn’t actually alone, when the cavern was quiet and seemingly empty, it was incredibly unnerving.
Another brush of a tail slid across his leg, and this time, he couldn’t keep himself from jumping. He stared down into the water, smirking. George was circling him, like a shark. He reached down suddenly, trying to wrap his arms around George, but the slick scales made it nearly impossible.
He dove into the water, almost laughing when he saw George’s shocked expression, trying to turn and swim away. But Wilbur didn’t let him. He finally caught him, one arm around his waist, one around his shoulders.
They made eye contact, both smiling beneath the water. Wilbur had never seen anything prettier than George right then, his hair floating, his skin and scales illuminated from the low light shining through the waves, and his sharp teeth pulled into a grin. It should have been imposing, but Wilbur found it entrancing.
Pulling George closer, Wilbur moved one hand to the back of his neck, this time not even flinching when he felt George’s ear fin tickle his fingers.
George didn’t squirm away this time, his own hands wrapping around Wilbur’s neck and pulling him close, stopping when they were mere centimeters apart.
Wilbur was the one to break the distance, pressing his lips to George’s. Like the ear fins and the sharp teeth, the constant taste of seawater was another thing Wilbur had quickly gotten used to, the saltwater no longer making his nose curl like it used to.
Wilbur tightened his grip on George, before kicking his legs, raising them above the water. They eventually parted, Wilbur needing to catch his breath.
They stayed like that, in each other's arms, in the middle of the cavern, sucked into each other’s gaze. Wilbur felt like they were the only two in the world, and he knew right then he never wanted to leave George’s side.
“George-” Wilbur whispered, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. His heart raced, but he knew what he was feeling needed to be said. That feeling being the overwhelming, all-consuming, love for the man in his arms. He opened his eyes, noticing how George perked up at the use of his real name, his eyes wide and worried. Wilbur knew he was overthinking, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss his worries away, but still, he persisted, “George, I, uh...:”
“Get on with it,” George interrupted, making Wilbur huff out a laugh. He appreciated how good George was at lightening the mood, “I don’t have all day.”
He raised a hand to George’s jaw, making sure he saw how genuine Wilbur was being. He hoped that through their eyes, George would be able to see just how much Wilbur needed him.
Wilbur took a deep breath, his voice barely audible, “I love you, George.”
George’s eyes widened, and for a moment, Wilbur was worried that he had gone too far, or too fast. But then, webbed hands were back around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss.
When their lips connected, it was like they were never apart, lips moving together like a perfect symphony, a composition that Beethoven could only dream of. Wilbur knew right then that George did feel the same burning love, and his heart almost burst.
Pulling away, George looked back into Wilbur’s eyes, “I love you too, Wilbur.”