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Nufuli feels relief wash over him as he sinks into the water. It touches his skin, a feeling so familiar, so homely, it almost hits him in the head. His previously tense muscles relax, a calmness seems to burrow under his skin. A sigh escapes his mouth, a soft sound that barely disturbs the atmosphere of the spring and merges with the sound of flowing water
The moonlight outlined the water, the transition between the soothing waves to the rocks that outlined its edges. It looked fabulous, the kind of view that Nufuli thought he would never tire of. He feels a grounded, fresh, soft scent hovering around him.
It was a far-off place from the spawn, hidden here in the server between mountains that no one saw a need for, and a forest that was remote enough and inconveniently located that no one would walk here. Something that Nufuli found on his own from the beginning, and defined this place as his.
There was something so special, so personal about this place, that brought the kind of peace in the soul that brings a sense of rightness and belonging. Something that Nufuli had never really clung to, but saw no reason to let go when he found it.
Nufuli smiles slightly, running his hand over the surface of the water, blurring the image of the moon that stood proudly in the long-darkened sky. This is what it feels like to come home after long days, after strained relationships with someone, after fights that ended before they could even begin.
Leviathan raises his head, turning to the only other living soul in his personal sacred place. The pale skin gleamed against the dim lighting, giving a better view of his face, no longer hidden behind the stupid red scarf that the snowman wore all the time, as if it were the height of fashion. White hair looks messy, and Nufuli knows from experience how difficult it is to bring it into a more proper appearance.
Black eyes peered uncertainly at the sparkling water, as if it held secrets he wasn't yet ready to reveal. His hand, unlike Nufuli's, barely touched the surface. Leviathan didn't even try to suppress a smile at the sight of his friend, crouching over the water like a newborn kitten, still unsure whether to trust it.
Eventually, Nufuli swam to Loonac, letting a smile spread across his face as the other looked up at him, the previously distrustful eyes softening in a familiar way that always made Nufuli feel something warm in his chest, something he couldn't quite explain. Something absurdly pure and childishly joyful.
"Hey," Nufuli said softly, with a hint of amusement in his voice that he couldn't hide, "Are you going to take a long time to determine if water will melt you?"
There was something silly about him, a leviathan, a creature of water, someone who considered this his home before he knew anything else, having a strong connection to a snowman hybrid, someone for whom water was not the best thing. There was something about this that made Nufuli burst into laughter.
Loonac snorted softly, looking at his best friend unimpressed. Nufuli confidently maintains eye contact before a laugh escapes Loonac's lips, and the slight tension in his shoulders eases with the a familiar sense of humor and presence.
Nufuli didn't understand how water could make someone uneasy. Well, okay, Loonac was a creature of snow, something that didn't like water (no jokes about the shower). Nufuli just couldn't understand it, okay? Don't blame him for that. The only thing he knows is that combining the two homes was the right thing to do.
Besides, Loonac never really complained. It was always just a huff and a gentle roll of his eyes before he voluntarily agreed. With a minimum of pleading.
He knows that when Loonac slowly sinks into the water, as it stirs with his every movement, hiding half of his body, the snow hybrid tenses again for exactly a second before relaxing, it warmed him almost as much as a fireplace could. Seeing Loonac exhale, letting the sensation of water tingle his skin is quietly delightful.
Nufuli, like a good friend, lets Loonac have a moment to himself and get used to it before gently grabbing his wrist to lead him further into the spring, giggling as Loonac walks in the water like a clumsy baby, without even trying to swim like Nufuli does. The skin under his hand is smooth, but at the same time cold in an inhuman way, one that has been hard to get used to.
Don't ask leviathan how or why, but he had a favorite spot in the entire spring. The one that was a little further from the flat middle, where the water temperature fluctuated precariously between warm and hot in a way that Nufuli loved.
So Nufuli stops right there, but waits a few more seconds before letting go of Loonac, allowing him to get used to the warmth of the water and hold on more confidently in it. But even after that, Loonac is the one who immediately grabs onto Nufuli to avoid trouble.
"Dude, you're not going to drown, calm down." Nufuli whispers, a smile lurking in his voice.
"Shut up," the snowman hybrid whispers back, frowning. "I know."
Nufuli continues to tease him, "Then why are you holding on to me like a child being in the water for the first time?" Despite his own words he doesn't move to take Loonac's hand off.
Loonac snorts again, but doesn't take his own hand away either, "I'm balancing myself."
"Ah, yes, how much you have to balance yourself literally in the spring." Nufuli says, nodding with feigned understanding.
"Man," Loonac groans, lightly pushing Nufuli on the shoulder, "You're unbearable." To which he only gets a soft, sincere laugh that makes Nufuli's eyes form into crescents, and Loonac can't hold back his own smile.
Nufuli waits for almost a minute before Loonac removes his hand from his shoulder, finally calming down enough to do so. Nufuli found it funny how much the snowman hybrid didn't trust the waters. How he needed a push to enter the sea or a spring, or how it took him time to simply get used to the feeling around him.
Ultimately, the leviathan simply didn't see how one of his homes could distrust another. How his human couldn't trust his element. It didn't fit in his head. It didn't make sense or take shape.
How could the two most important parts of his life and peace of mind somehow not be compatible?
That was the reason Nufuli had dragged Loonac here with him. Why he had waited patiently, allowing his friend to take the time he needed to enter the heart of his sacred ground.
It had always been so simple. In his mind it fitted together like two puzzle pieces. Loonac and the spring. Loonac and the home. The home and the spring.
How simple can it be?
Nufuli hums as he begins his usual routine of swimming around, checking in on Loonac. Sometimes he dives under the water, allowing himself to be completely absorbed, while water enters the nose and ears before surfacing back up, returning air to the lungs.
His gaze returns to Loonac every few minutes, but the guy only floats slightly, generally just holding his ground, letting the rest of him do his magic to relax his muscles. Nufuli continues to hum softly, satisfied.
He thinks he could spend eternity getting peace, a warm feeling in his chest, and a satisfied smile, spending time in his favorite place with his favorite person.
He thinks how this could be his eternity.
...
Leviathan exhales heavily, shaking his head. His grip on the ender chest tightens, his breath trembling slightly in the light of the night.
That was in the past.
The thought leaves a bitter taste on his tongue, something that doesn't go away when you swallow or drink water. A feeling that lingers longer than it should.
He misses Loonac. He misses the spring. He misses that damn peace that was there before, before someone else appeared in his life, in his plans.
Once upon a time, it was just them. Nufuli and Loonac. Two best friends, two kindred spirits. Without Recallingman, without Sharpness and his stupid team, without Slushly, without Mugm, without anyone else.
Even if he doesn't regret the new friendship he's made, Nufuli craves the old one. He longs to have his home back in the form of a snowman hybrid who knew how to joke and read him like an open book.
And he's going to get it back somehow. At least what he can. And that will be enough. And this will be home again.