"Oh yes, that sounds good," he says, smiling wide. He doesn't know if he can do much more than swim back, since he's a little tired. He knows his arms are going to hurt in the morning.
"And then I'll help you with your walk." And he does like the idea of being there to catch Crowley after watching his hips swish back and forth.
"How do I tread?" he asks, trying to walk as if this might help him float, but knowing that it's making him increasingly more tired.
Crowley's hands rest on Aziraphale's middle and he hoists him up onto the stone. It is, indeed, an excellent rock for sunning. With a smooth, flat slope, perfect for reclining on. At this time of day it's terribly warm. When Aziraphale is safely settled, Crowley proceeds to demonstrate treading water.
"Right," Crowley says, and holds up one hand, fingers together. "You keep your hands like this, and then push the water out from your chest, circle back round, and out again. I'm moving my tail right now, but you'll be kicking your legs, just like you did to get here, only you'll be vertical."
He does it a few times, before pushing himself up on the rock and sprawling out beside Aziraphale, grinning.
"Yes, just the one. Can you come up here so we can sun a little longer?" He smiles so brightly and the sun shines behind him to create a halo, the water reflecting off his skin and casting a gentle blue light.
"It's very nice up here and I think we could call this one ours, don't you think? Would be rude to visit and only stay a minute." Rude to the rock, of course.
But now that he thought about it, it was true. This was part of Crowley's domain, was it not? This territory was going to be his and Crowley's, a domain for them to protect and to keep. He looks at Crowley dreamily, just chasing his thoughts.
That halo of sun and the bright smile is almost blinding, and impossible for Crowley to refuse. He joins Azariphale, sprawling out along his side with his chin rested comfortably on his shoulder.
"Would be very rude, yes," he stretches lazily, and his tail flops over Aziraphale's legs.
"My den isn't far from here," he says, pointing to an outcrop of rocks some ways off further out to sea. "There. The water's choppy that way though, so it'll be a little while before you can come."
Aziraphale looks over and smiles wistfully at that patch of sea. "Someday," he says, taking one leg out from underneath Crowley's tail and draping it over top to sandwich it between his calves. It's sweet to just have a little physical contact, particularly with a partner who seems to welcome every one with open arms.
"Will you tell me what it's like? I'd like to know," he says. "So when I do go see it, it'll be like visiting somplace familiar." He wants all of Crowley to be familiar to him. They are, after all, betrothed. It is a part of their courtship.
Crowley wriggles his tail playfully, careful not to jostle Aziraphale's legs too much with the powerful appendage, before laying his arm over his chest and snuggling close.
"It's only a little cave," he admits. "Mostly hidden by kelp. You got to be looking for it at all if you even want to find it. But once you get in, it's nice. Dark and cozy, and full of all the little treasures I've collected."
He hums fondly.
"There's big beds of kelp, perfect for hunkering down in, little nooks to slither in, and I keep some lumpfish so my scales are always pristine."
If only there was a little treasure chest that occasionally opened and released bubbles, it would be paradise.
If Aziraphale knew that Crowley liked bubbles, he'd make him a bubble blower and invent a perpetual motion machine to blow them for him. He looks at him, fondly, pressing their foreheads close together.
"It sounds delightful, my darling." But he has one question. "What are the lumpfish for? How do they help keep your scales nice?" He reaches over to smooth his fingers over them, loving the slick feel underneath his touch. Crowley is surprisingly warm underneath it, helped by the sun which reflects so wonderfully on him that it's nearly blinding.
He bites his lip, and tries very hard not to pull Crowley in for a crushing kiss. He thinks this is the moment that he can feel himself tumbling, falling face-forward in love, and he lets it take him in like a current.
He laughs. "No, I just have a brush." He thinks he could help Crowley with his grooming, if Crowley would let him.
And then, he looks, slightly distractedly, at the fringe.
"What does that mean?" he asks, basically petting Crowley's hip. "When the red part of your tail waves?" He noticed that it had a few times now. At first he thought it was a warning sign: danger, you're about to die.
But now that he thinks about it, it's more like a blush, or -- "Is it... Is it like what you thought when I first put on this swimming costume?"
He's about to answer about the brush when-- oh, called out. He looks away bashfully, but it's a bit of a show at this point. "You're very enchanting, you know. Happens, what with being a... a charming, resplendent, clever merman."
He places one hand flat on Crowley's chest and he can feel himself pouring all his hopes and dreams, distilling them into a hydrodynamic shape with a glorious cloud of red hair.
After a pause, he tucks this moment away into his heart like a photograph carefully placed into a picture album. "Shall we head back, then? Cake should be cooled, and I've worked up an appetite."
Crowley grins, flicking his tail and playfully flashing the red fringe. Nuzzling up against Aziraphale's neck.
"Speak for yourself, you brilliant, vibrant, and utterly terrific human."
Settling again, he contemplates the merits of leaving their cozy spot before finally deciding that yes, a swim back will be enough for today. He doesn't want to overwhelm Aziraphale.
Crowley disentangles himself, slithering back into the water, arms outstretched to help Aziraphale in.
"Right then, remember what I said about treading water...?"
Aziraphale blushes furiously at the compliments and looks away. He still can't believe it. Crowley is the most beautiful thing inside and out that he's ever witnessed. How could little old Aziraphale compare?
He nods and reaches for Crowley's arms, letting himself slide into the water without fear.
Still holding on, he starts to move back, but his muscles are already screaming from their use earlier to get to the rock. He's tired, but he thinks he can make it back. Then he'll have to beg Crowley to give his arms a little massaging. And his poor, tired calves.
"Will you stay with me? Tonight?" he asks. The alternative being that Crowley goes home and they spend their nights alone. Aziraphale thinks he never wants to wake up alone again.
"Alright," he acquiesces, as he holds onto Crowley's neck and shoulders, and starts to kick. It's much easier, not having to use his arms, and he also likes how tightly he has to hold onto Crowley who is very slippery.
He does stop a little before they get to shore to catch his breath, mostly because he knows they'll be walking back and he'll be guiding Crowley.
When they finally make it, Aziraphale sits on the sand for a moment, heart beating fast, sweat dripping from his brow.
Crowley is so supportive that Aziraphale can't help but to turn his face to offer a kiss, lay fingers appreciatively on the flat of his chest, and smile against his mouth. "It's only because you're a good instructor."
He wraps his arms around Crowley again like a greedy child with a coveted toy.
"Could I put the pendant on for you?" he requests, hungry for touch, for how intimate it is.
Crowley is quite happy like this, tangled up with Aziraphale as the waves lap over them. Merfolk are covetous by nature, and Crowley is glad Aziraphale wants him just as much.
Wordlessly, he hands the pendant over, clasping his love's hand as he does so.
Happily, Aziraphale takes the pendant and swims behind Crowley to place it on him, draping it over his nape and clasping it tightly on so it doesn't fall off.
He's there to catch Crowley for when he transforms, in case his legs give out from underneath him.
Crowley leans back a bit against Aziraphale, taking a deep breath. Aside from some mild cramping in the legs afterwards, the transformation doesn't so much hurt as it feels very peculiar, like a full-body sneeze.
There is a faint glow, and Crowley's body tenses, his tail shrinking down and splitting into a pair of long, scaly legs.
He sets his feet down on the sandy floor of the sea, finding it easier to stand while buoyed by the lapping waves, and then turns to wrap his arms around him and press kiss after kiss against Aziraphale's mouth.
"Yes," comes the reply, slightly breathless as he watches Crowley's body change. It's such an odd thing to witness, beautiful and strange, and he forgets to breathe.
Aziraphale places an arm around Crowley's waist and hoists him up a tad to levy most of the weight.
"First thing you've gotta do is learn how to balance on your feet. Might be a little difficult, since we're on sand. But I'm here." He's solid and soft, and ready to catch any falls.
Yes, excellent first step. Holding on to Aziraphale feels like a very good idea and he never wants to let go.
Slowly he lets Aziraphale guide him along. There is the occasional stumble, but he seems to be taking to walking as quickly as Aziraphale is taking to swimming.
Unfortunately, Crowley does seem to overcompensate with his narrow hips, swinging them to and fro as he would with his tail.
Aziraphale notices this and gently guides his hip, telling him, "it might help to move with your shoulders instead." But of course, Crowley's always had the most swishy of hips. It is a shame to try and fix his gait.
He won't let go, even when they reach the cabin. He won't let Crowley fall on his face ever again. No. He'd rather move his entire house right onto the water, build his foundation on stilts.
"I think you're getting the hang of this," he says, though only because he thinks if Crowley stood still he might not fall over immediately.
Crowley doesn't seem to mind failure. A tumble down into soft sand and his love's arms are certainly not the sort of things that would demotivate him. So he lets himself fail - figure out what's wrong as he works out what's right. He stumbles and fumbles until they're only a little ways from the cabin where he's less swinging his hips and more swishing them, leading with his shoulders as Aziraphale instructed.
He could, at this point, probably walk on his own with minimal incident (aside from his gyrating hips causing a scandal). But he wants to hold on to Aziraphale for more than just support; he's just so wonderfully warm, even wet as he is from their swim.
"Well," he says. "You are walking." He admits it's not like any human he's ever seen, possibly because Mick Jagger hasn't been born, but he smiles pridefully. "You're such a good learner, my dear."
He rewards Crowley with a quick nip and opens the door to the cabin, letting them back in and settling Crowley back down on the bed.
"Now. A real treat. One second."
He busies himself getting more bowls, to whip up a soft cream for their cake.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
inlovewithmycar
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"And then I'll help you with your walk." And he does like the idea of being there to catch Crowley after watching his hips swish back and forth.
"How do I tread?" he asks, trying to walk as if this might help him float, but knowing that it's making him increasingly more tired.
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"Right," Crowley says, and holds up one hand, fingers together. "You keep your hands like this, and then push the water out from your chest, circle back round, and out again. I'm moving my tail right now, but you'll be kicking your legs, just like you did to get here, only you'll be vertical."
He does it a few times, before pushing himself up on the rock and sprawling out beside Aziraphale, grinning.
"Any questions?"
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"It's very nice up here and I think we could call this one ours, don't you think? Would be rude to visit and only stay a minute." Rude to the rock, of course.
But now that he thought about it, it was true. This was part of Crowley's domain, was it not? This territory was going to be his and Crowley's, a domain for them to protect and to keep. He looks at Crowley dreamily, just chasing his thoughts.
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"Would be very rude, yes," he stretches lazily, and his tail flops over Aziraphale's legs.
"My den isn't far from here," he says, pointing to an outcrop of rocks some ways off further out to sea. "There. The water's choppy that way though, so it'll be a little while before you can come."
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"Will you tell me what it's like? I'd like to know," he says. "So when I do go see it, it'll be like visiting somplace familiar." He wants all of Crowley to be familiar to him. They are, after all, betrothed. It is a part of their courtship.
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"It's only a little cave," he admits. "Mostly hidden by kelp. You got to be looking for it at all if you even want to find it. But once you get in, it's nice. Dark and cozy, and full of all the little treasures I've collected."
He hums fondly.
"There's big beds of kelp, perfect for hunkering down in, little nooks to slither in, and I keep some lumpfish so my scales are always pristine."
If only there was a little treasure chest that occasionally opened and released bubbles, it would be paradise.
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"It sounds delightful, my darling." But he has one question. "What are the lumpfish for? How do they help keep your scales nice?" He reaches over to smooth his fingers over them, loving the slick feel underneath his touch. Crowley is surprisingly warm underneath it, helped by the sun which reflects so wonderfully on him that it's nearly blinding.
He bites his lip, and tries very hard not to pull Crowley in for a crushing kiss. He thinks this is the moment that he can feel himself tumbling, falling face-forward in love, and he lets it take him in like a current.
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"Good for grooming," he murmurs into Aziraphale's neck. "Clean all the dead skin while I have a good rest, you know? Saves me doing all of it myself."
He gazes adoringly at Aziraphale, brushing damp curls from his cheek.
"Do you get the birds or something to do that for you?"
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And then, he looks, slightly distractedly, at the fringe.
"What does that mean?" he asks, basically petting Crowley's hip. "When the red part of your tail waves?" He noticed that it had a few times now. At first he thought it was a warning sign: danger, you're about to die.
But now that he thinks about it, it's more like a blush, or -- "Is it... Is it like what you thought when I first put on this swimming costume?"
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"Mm, just like the stripes. Can't seem to help showing off a bit with you."
His hand comes to rest upon Aziraphale's on his hip, thumbing the knuckle.
"Looks like it's doing the trick."
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He places one hand flat on Crowley's chest and he can feel himself pouring all his hopes and dreams, distilling them into a hydrodynamic shape with a glorious cloud of red hair.
After a pause, he tucks this moment away into his heart like a photograph carefully placed into a picture album. "Shall we head back, then? Cake should be cooled, and I've worked up an appetite."
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Crowley grins, flicking his tail and playfully flashing the red fringe. Nuzzling up against Aziraphale's neck.
"Speak for yourself, you brilliant, vibrant, and utterly terrific human."
Settling again, he contemplates the merits of leaving their cozy spot before finally deciding that yes, a swim back will be enough for today. He doesn't want to overwhelm Aziraphale.
Crowley disentangles himself, slithering back into the water, arms outstretched to help Aziraphale in.
"Right then, remember what I said about treading water...?"
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He nods and reaches for Crowley's arms, letting himself slide into the water without fear.
Still holding on, he starts to move back, but his muscles are already screaming from their use earlier to get to the rock. He's tired, but he thinks he can make it back. Then he'll have to beg Crowley to give his arms a little massaging. And his poor, tired calves.
"Will you stay with me? Tonight?" he asks. The alternative being that Crowley goes home and they spend their nights alone. Aziraphale thinks he never wants to wake up alone again.
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"You look a bit sore. Let's swim together, yeah? You kick us along and I'll use my tail. Nice and easy."
It would still give Aziraphale some practice, but Crowley didn't want him straining himself. It wouldn't do to be sore.
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He does stop a little before they get to shore to catch his breath, mostly because he knows they'll be walking back and he'll be guiding Crowley.
When they finally make it, Aziraphale sits on the sand for a moment, heart beating fast, sweat dripping from his brow.
"I'm going to have to practice a lot more."
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"Yes, but just look what you managed today. You couldn't swim at all yesterday and with only a little help, you made it from here to that rock."
He nuzzles up against his cheek, fingers gliding over his sides.
"You did so well, my love."
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He wraps his arms around Crowley again like a greedy child with a coveted toy.
"Could I put the pendant on for you?" he requests, hungry for touch, for how intimate it is.
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Wordlessly, he hands the pendant over, clasping his love's hand as he does so.
"Please," he finally says. "Please do."
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He's there to catch Crowley for when he transforms, in case his legs give out from underneath him.
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There is a faint glow, and Crowley's body tenses, his tail shrinking down and splitting into a pair of long, scaly legs.
He sets his feet down on the sandy floor of the sea, finding it easier to stand while buoyed by the lapping waves, and then turns to wrap his arms around him and press kiss after kiss against Aziraphale's mouth.
"My turn to learn then, yes?"
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Aziraphale places an arm around Crowley's waist and hoists him up a tad to levy most of the weight.
"First thing you've gotta do is learn how to balance on your feet. Might be a little difficult, since we're on sand. But I'm here." He's solid and soft, and ready to catch any falls.
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Slowly he lets Aziraphale guide him along. There is the occasional stumble, but he seems to be taking to walking as quickly as Aziraphale is taking to swimming.
Unfortunately, Crowley does seem to overcompensate with his narrow hips, swinging them to and fro as he would with his tail.
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He won't let go, even when they reach the cabin. He won't let Crowley fall on his face ever again. No. He'd rather move his entire house right onto the water, build his foundation on stilts.
"I think you're getting the hang of this," he says, though only because he thinks if Crowley stood still he might not fall over immediately.
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He could, at this point, probably walk on his own with minimal incident (aside from his gyrating hips causing a scandal). But he wants to hold on to Aziraphale for more than just support; he's just so wonderfully warm, even wet as he is from their swim.
"How's this, love? Am I walking like a human?"
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He rewards Crowley with a quick nip and opens the door to the cabin, letting them back in and settling Crowley back down on the bed.
"Now. A real treat. One second."
He busies himself getting more bowls, to whip up a soft cream for their cake.
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