Work Text:
sky and sea. wind and water. feathers and scales.
opposites at birth, foes in nature, friends when given the chance.
***
Saying the sky was blue would be an understatement. a blue sky is more than just a color floating in the heavens. it coats the trees and grass in a layer of cool mist and is a calming presence over the creatures below it. it colors the sea and casts streaks of warm light into the dark depths of the ocean. so a blue sky is more than just a blue sky. its impact reaches all corners of the globe and is a constant for nearly everyone who simply looks up. george likes that.
george has always been one to appreciate the sky, even while living his life in the sea. it gets a bit boring at times, but he’s always been one to smile at the small details he finds in the ocean. it’s sort of a game for him, looking for whatever new thing he could find and explore all day long.
even today, he swims in the warm water of the rising sun, weaving through barnacle-covered rocks and colorful coral. a trail of while bubbles behind him as his beautiful navy blue tail pushes him onward.
he drags his fingers across the ruff coral as he swims past, giggling happily as the texture tickles his pale skin and makes his tail twitch in excitement. his heterochromic eyes scan the sea floor for anything interesting.
george wasn’t sure exactly how long spent simply traveling along the reef. he was content circling around colorful structures and occasionally letting his bare belly graze across the white sand of the sea bed.
the merman was about to give up and head up to the surface and let the warm yellow sun dry his skin and fluff his hair when he spotted something shine out of the corner of his eye. he twisted his body and pupils zoned in on the object, hands already outstretched to grab it. he dug it out of the sand, sharp nails working to scrape off the dirt and rust.
taking a closer look it appeared to me a small metal box, nearly as big as his palm. it confused him. there was a ridge along the sides of it and hinges in the back, turned slightly red from the water. after a bit of a struggle getting his nails under the lid he pried open the metal thing, careful to avoid damaging the rusted parts. It opened slowly, small bubbles of air rising up. inside was a small red cloth, dark from the water. in the middle of cloth were two silver rings. george cocked his head to the side in confusion, eyes holding an intense gaze with the pieces of silver. it was something forign to him, yet intriguing. he's always liked shiny objects, he would go as far as to say that he’s drawn to them, and these small rings of silver were truly beautiful to him. their metal was still clear and smooth despite being submerged underwater for who knows how long. embedded in the middle of both were these stones, shinning in the few streaks of sunlight that reach this far in the ocean. One was green and the other was blue. george’s eyes brightened at the detail, only making him love the objects even more, his chest warming with happiness.
he threw his head back and let out an airy giggle, smile tugging at his lips. He knew exactly who these would be good for. with a click he shut the box and scrambled up from his position on the ocean floor. even through the water he could see the sun nearly at the top of the sky meaning he had somewhere to be someone to meet.
with a smile, he darted off the way he came, the metal box a comforting weight in his hand.
***
A sneeze was what woke dream up in the morning. not the greatest way to wake, but it definitely wouldn’t be the first. his wings tended to have a mind of their own, and would often fold over his face and the feathers would tickle his nose.
with a groan, dream opened his eyes, then immediately shut again once the harsh sun glared angrily at him. he dragged an arm over his eyes and let out a muffled yawn, stretching the brown wings under him and arching his back to get the morning stiffness out of his bones.
he lazily cracked his knuckles and dragged his eyelids open, making a point to look away from the sun.
he clawed at the nest of sticks and moss under him as he sat up, toes curling as the cool morning air hit his bare shoulders and legs.
the blonde squinted his eyes and turned back towards the rising sun, letting out the content sigh at the red and pink pastels in the sky above him, fading into a baby blue. his wings fluffed behind him and goosebumps crawled along his spine. the sight before him really was beautiful.
with a grunt, dream stood from his nest and stretched his arms over his head, hearing a satisfying click. he ran a hand through shaggy blond hair, pushing it away from his eyes and staring down at the clifface below him, waves crashing against it in a comforting, repetitive sound.
dream smiled. Despite living in the sky and loving the way the air flows across his skin as he flies, there has always been something about the ocean that fascinated him. it was a constant in his life. when he woke up, it was there. fell asleep, still there. and returning after a long day of exhausting flying, coming home to his nest and the sound of the water let him know that nothing was going anywhere. this is his home, and it’s the best one he’s had in a long time.
a happy sigh left his lips and a warm buzz was in his chest. reluctantly, dream tore his gaze from the sea below him and bent down to grab the leather satchel at the side of his nest. he pulled it up and over his shoulder, making sure that the latch was closed tight, before gracefully diving off the cliff face and tumbling face first towards the ocean, letting his eyes close as the rush of wind brushed through his hair. just before crashing into the ruff waves of a sea, his wings spread above him, catching the air and launching him up and into the blue sky.
it was mornings like these that he really appreciated with the warmth of the yellow sun dancing along his tanned back. his smile tugged higher and his hand gripped his empty bag to his side, ready for his day to begin.
***
george waited patiently where he laid across a rock just sticking out of the water's waves. most of his body was exposed to the cool air of the surface, his pale skin at the mercy of the sun above. The only part of him that was still under the water was the tip of his tail, splashing occasionally in the ocean. his eyes were closed and arms under his head, cushioning it from the rough boulder. fluffy brunette locks blew across his forehead, now completely dried from the salty air. george let out a content sigh, happy in the watchful gaze of the warm sun.
george scrunched his nose when he felt a cold shadow pass along his body, then it was gone just as quickly as it came. he refused to open his eyes, even as he heard the familiar batting of wings land directly beside him. the brunette heard a huff and the sound of grains of sand shifting under a weight.
the person next to him cleared his throat, but george still chose to ignore them, trying desperately to keep down the grin tugging at the corners of his lips.
there was a humming by his ear, “geooorgie,”
george just gunted, pulling one webbed hand out from under his head and blindly swinging is that direction, snickering once he hit something,
“wha- george! what the hell!”
that only encouraged the merman to chuckle louder, chest heaving up and down with bubbling laughter. he finally pried open his eyes to the sight of wavy blonde hair, and face under it pouting and trying not to join in on george’s laughs.
“You’re so mean, george, bad fishy.” dream mumbled, giving the merman those puppy-dog eyes that sent warmth through his scales.
“I’m not a fish bird brain,” george grunted as he sat up, leaning back on his palms and staring at the man in front of him with an amused smile.
a breeze smelling of salt and sea passed through both men, drying george’s already fluffy brunette hair and ruffling the soft feathers coating dream’s wings. neither broke eye contact with the other, both happy just mapping out every smile wrinkle and freckle that lay on the other’s face. the sun beat warm rays down on their skin, turning dream’s broad shoulders into an even more beautiful tan. it created a ring of golden light around george’s pale torso. dream’s breath hitched.
gently, the blonde brought one large, tanned hand to cup george’s cheek. his heart melted as the brunette leaned into his touch. brown and blues eyes looked into green ones.
“hi” dream whispered, his voice soft enough to be caught in the wind, but loud enough for the other to still hear.
“hi” george smiled as he said the word, bringing his own hand up and placing it on dream’s, leaning further into the avian’s loving hold.
dream returned the smile, ignoring the itchy feeling of warm white sand under his legs, only able to focus on the breathtaking man in from of him. before dream met george he thought that it was impossible for a creature of the sky like himself to be short of air in his lungs. every time he looked into the merman’s eyes, his thought is proven wrong over and over again. dream was never so happy to be wrong. he would gladly loss his breath if it meant he could look at george just a little longer.
george’s honey sweet voice broke dream out of his thoughts, “did you bring me anything today?”
“oh! yes i did, gimme a sec,” dream reluctantly withdrew his hand from the brunette’s face, missing the way george mourned the loss of his warm palm.
dream reached behind him to the leather bag he threw to the ground as he landed. golden blonde locks fell in front of his face as he leaned down and riffled through the contents of his bag. george thought it was cute how dream’s face turned a pale pink when he reached over and tucked the loose hair behind dream’s ear.
with a triumphant ‘ah ha!’ dream pulled out the items he was looking for. in dream’s hands were bunches of flowers, all different vibrant colors, contrasting nicely with the blue sky.
george’s eyes lit up at the flowers, taking a couple into his webbed hands, “these are beautiful, dream! what’re they for?”
dream snickered at the brunette’s excitement, finding it cute and endearing at the same time, “you’ll see, georgie, just watch.”
the blonde took the flowers from his hands and george’s and set them all down on the sandy ground, humming softly as he weaved intricate patterns and knots with the stems.
george watched with interest, turning to lay down on his stomach on the rock so that he was eye level with whatever dream’s was doing. with careful eyes he followed the movements of dream’s hands. he always loved the blonde’s hands. they were big and rough for years of use, but also warm and comforting whenever he held george. dream was strong, he was built with broad shoulders and long legs, but he was soft and gentle with his favorite mermaid. he held george like he was afraid of breaking his porcelain skin. he held george like he was the only one his heart belonged to.
george knew that at least his heart belonged to dream and dream alone.
as he continued to watch dream’s fingers work he could begin to make out what the other was making. his heart swelled as he saw what the flowers were turning into.
they stayed like that for a while longer. they didn’t need to talk to feel connected, just being with each other was enough for the both of them.
george didn’t know how much time had passed before dream spoke up, “annnd, it’s done!” he exclaimed, holding up two rings of flowers in the air. george giggled and sat up again so that he was level with dream’s emerald eyes and blinding smile.
“what is it?” george asked, even though he knew very well what it was, his smile matching dream’s.
the avian laughed gently, eyes crinkling with joy, “i’ll show you, close your eyes, georgie”
george did what he was told, submerging the world in darkness as he waited for dream. he could feel the soft wind glide across his scales and hear the occasional giggles leaving dream’s lips. god his lips.
he felt something being placed on top of his head, held snuggly there by brown curls, safe from the wind. there was a small ruffling sound before dream told him he could open his eyes again.
george squinted as his eyes adjusted to the sun’s light flooding into his open eyelids. after blinking away the spots in his vision he was met with a sight that he could only describe as adorable.
sitting in front of him, leaning forward with one of the biggest smiles george had ever seen was dream. wavy blonde hair blew lazily in the wind and curled behind his ears and over his forehead. beautiful freckles were painted along his nose and across his cheeks, barely visible stubble dusted his jawline. and to top it all off, a crown of blue, red, and soft pink poppies rested on blonde hair. the colors didn’t seem to be in any particular pattern or order, but that only made george love it more. it looked humble and loved. just perfect.
george gasped, “oh, dream! it’s so pretty!” george brought his hands up to pick and pull at the flowers on dream’s head, unaware of dream’s eyes, full of love, staring at george’s face, flickering down to his lips every few seconds.
dream chuckles]d as george continued to admire the flowers. very gently, dream reached above his head to grab one of george’s wrists in a grip that could only be described as caring, and brought it over to the brunette’s own head where his own flower crown lay.
dream’s smile widened as the merman’s eyes filled with recognition and started playing with the flowers that sat atop his hair.
“ya like it, george?”
“yes! of course i like it! dream, these are amazing, how’d you learn to do this?”
dream laughed shyly, “i spent most the day practicing in a flower field before we met up- ow! george!” dream grunted as george punched his forearm lightly.
“you idiot!” george tried to sound at least a little mad, but the smile in his voice gave him away, “you didn’t have to spend a whole day making flower crowns just for me.”
dream smiled sweetly and brought george’s hands from his head and into his own, linking their fingers and holding them between the two, “yeah, you’re right, i didn’t have to, but i wanted to. besides, it was worth it, you look adorable, georgie!”
george blushed a deep red and dream cooed internally, “you’re such an idiot”
“your idiot.”
george scoffed, “unfortunately.”
“what! george you wound me!” dream held a hand to his heart, not bothering to disconnect their fingers.
“i’m kidding, i’m kidding, now do you wanna see what i brought or not?”
“oh! yes, yes, show me!” dream bounced like a little child ready to fly for the first time.
george laughed and pulled his hands away from dream, immediately missing the warmth it gave him. he leaned behind him to grab the small metal box from earlier.
“what’s that?” dream asked, his wings twitching behind him in anticipation.
“be patient and maybe i’ll show you.” george laughed as dream visibly tried to still his wings. it didn’t do too much but george appreciated the effort.
“okay, okay, just look,” george took the box into both of his hands and carefully pried the lid open to reveal the two silver rings, one was a green gem, the other a blue one.
dream didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared at the shiny objects, admiring the sparking stones. he didn’t speak as he pulled out the ring with the blue gem, or when he took one of george’s hands in his own, held gently in his palm. he didn’t speak as he held up one of george’s fingers, or when he slid the ring down pale skin.
george’s breath hitched and his heart skipped a beat. dream cradled george’s hand in his own, slowly bringing it up to his face and planting a loving kiss on his knuckles, flicking his eyes up to make eye contact with george when he did it. george’s face was a deep shade of red and his mouth hung open slightly. soft breaths tickled dream’s nose.
dream leaned forward, pressing his lips against george’s ear, “these are beautiful, george, could you put mine on?” dream’s voice sounded innocent, but george was quick to pick up on the smirk that rested on his face. but george still did what he was told.
george’s hands tembled slightly as he pulled the green gem ring from it’s place among the red fabric in the box. he took dream’s only free hand, letting his fingers trace along the veins on his wrist, up to his palm and the wrinkles on his knuckles. slowly, he pushed the ring down dream’s finger, holding it there like he was afraid it would fly off.
with the hand that george wasn’t holding, dream gripped george’s jaw, tilting his face up to look dream in the eyes. his expression was soft, emerald eyes full of warmth and love.
“thank you george, these are almost as beautiful as you are.” george was wrong thinking that his face couldn’t get any redder, because it certainly just did.
george’s tail flicked in and out of the water, just waiting for something to happen. the beat of the ocean against his rock didn’t matter. the squawking of seagulls and tapping of crabs forgotten as george stared into dream eyes, his gaze lingering down to his lips.
“show me how beautiful i am”
george’s tail stills as he felt plush lips pressed against his own. as hands cupped his face and soft brown wings wrapped around his body. he tangled his fingers in the blonde locks at dream’s neck, titling his head to deepen the kiss.
neither knew how long they were pressed together, and neither didn’t care to worry about it. all that mattered was the love that each gaze held as they broke apart. breaths mingled together and faces were blown red. dream smiled and george smiled back, laughing breathless with joy.
george ducked his head under dream’s chin, heart warming as he felt dream trace random shapes across his bare back.
“i love you fishy”
“i love you too birdy”