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"It's going to be beautiful tonight," Hound had said. "I learned from one of my human friends that there's going to be a meteor shower."
Mirage cocked an eyebrow. "A...meteor shower? That doesn't sound pleasant."
"It is. Or so, I've heard it is. It's just a night where you get to see shooting stars from space." Mirage's skeptical look didn't fade at this added information. "You know, like comets."
"I don't follow." Mirage said incredulously. "Hound, I've only seen the stars maybe twice. They don't really allow us to break the surface in the city," He explained. Even interacting with and befriending a nomad- that being Hound- was teetering on the edge of breaking the rules.
Hound knew this, too. "And yet, you don't really have an issue with disobeying." He adds lightheartedly, and Mirage says nothing, but he knew he's right. It's only half-true, however- Mirage seems completely content to stay in line except when it comes to Hound. Something about the nomad makes him want to break all the rules.
"Just consider it, yeah?" Hound lifts one of Mirage's finned hands with his own, that signature genuine smile on his face again. "I'll be there, if you decide to come."
Mirage wasn't sure. He had little interest in life outside the ocean, and the chances of being spotted by humans- who may or may not have the intent to hunt him and Hound- were almost enough to deter Mirage completely. Almost. The thing is, this could be a date with the coelacanth. The two had been flirting for a couple months now, yet no moves have been made. If it is a date and Mirage decides not to go, this would be seen as him rejecting Hound and basically saying that all the flirting he's been doing, is for fun and nothing serious. That is far from the case- Mirage is flirting with Hound because, yes, it's fun, but he genuinely wants him.
And besides, he's already done some risky things thanks to his little crush. What's one more?
So at night, when everyone's asleep, he escapes the castle quietly, swimming out a window. He's slow and careful as he sneaks past the guards lining the city exterior, not making a sound or barely a ripple in the water. Escaping was an art form, at this point, and Mirage was a master at it.
Once a safe enough distance away from the city, he picked up the pace, not caring as much about making noise. A dolphin like him could fight off any fellow predators that were dumb enough to try to attack him, which had happened before, especially since the royal necklace he bore around his neck made him an easy target- or so they thought. But Mirage was more than just a prince, and he's trained to fight, to kill.
He reaches the giant rock that he and Hound often visit together, nothing special- just a recognizable landmark. The rock is firmly set in the seafloor, rising and rising till it breaches the water's surface. Mirage wasn't sure how far above sea level it is. He supposed he was about to find out.
Moving once more, he pushed his way upwards through the water, and, for one of the very few times in his life, broke the water's surface.
His deep blue hair, usually flowing through the water, was still, resting on his shoulders. He was just glad it stayed in a presentable form. He didn't see Hound, at first- so he circled the rock until, sure enough, saw Hound on the other side. He was sat on a ledge not too high up, easy enough to climb.
Upon spotting Mirage, he beamed. "Mirage! You made it!" Mirage's heart soared with hearing that voice, as it often did- hearing Hound so happy, so excited, was already a blessing in of itself, but he being the reason for it? It was almost too good to be true.
"Of course I did. I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to spend some extra time with you." He said it casually, but it was the honest truth. He used his arms to climb up onto the ledge, with a bit of assistance from Hound to help allieve the weight of his heavy dolphin tail trying to drag him back in.
With enough effort, he was situated on the ledge, to Hound's left. Mirage, being a dolphin, could handle the air for a good while. But Hound...
"Are you okay? Being out in the open air..." His voice was full of genuine concern, but Hound didn't seemed too bothered.
"Eh, I breach the surface all the time to talk to my human friends. I guess I have a bit of a tolerance for it." He explains. "I'd wager I'm good for another 10 minutes, give or take. Plenty of time to watch the show."
Mirage hummed, considering this. Of course, it's not too surprising Hound could last longer in the air than your average coelacanth, further cementing just how special Hound is. But it's most definitely something to note, something to file away in Mirage's little section of his brain dedicated to Hound that seemed to grow day by day.
"Look, it's starting!" Hound pointed a finger toward the sky, and for the first time, Mirage really looked at it. He'd seen the stars before, but never paid them much mind- now, he didn't know how he ever did that. They were beautiful, twinkling in the sky, far too many to count. And, as Hound pointed out, the first streaks of shooting stars were appearing.
He hadn't known what Hound was talking about with this meteor shower, or with the shooting stars or comets, but he supposed he caught the gist of it now. Things- space debris, most likely, hopefully not actually stars- were falling, causing visible streaks of light to permeate the Earth sky.
Mirage and Hound both watch, enraptured by the show. Mirage doesn't even notice when their fingers brush together.
"Y'know, they say if you wish on a shooting star, it'll come true." Hound's voice is quiet, matching the mythical feel of his words, of the legend. Yet, Mirage rolls his eyes playfully.
"That's silly."
"Maybe, but who knows? It could be true." He glances toward Mirage. "So? Wanna make a wish?"
Mirage mulls on this for a moment, before opening his intake again. "I wish-"
"Ah, no! You can't speak it out loud, otherwise it won't come true!" Hound raises his servos in a 'stop' motion, and only then did Mirage realize their fingers had been touching- ah, well.
He cocked an eyebrow. "Humans sure have odd traditions. You're sure about this?"
Hound laughs, genuine, aware of the absurdity of his request. "Just indulge me?"
Mirage sighs, then looks back to the meteor shower. 'I wish...'
What does he wish for? All his life, he's never really known what he's wanted, only that he wanted something more than the sheltered life he lived. But then he met Hound. And meeting him, and being with him right here, right now...Mirage figures he knows exactly what he's been longing for.
'I wish to get away from my royal life. To be with Hound, to be free, to be his and for him to be mine.'
He didn't see how wishing on a piece of falling space debris would make his dream come true. But, then again, odder things have happened in his life.
He moves his hand so it's covered over Hound's.