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thesealskin · 6 years ago

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It was the summer of '93, though it being Tasmania, it felt more like Autumn, the first time they kissed. Well, it wasn't the first time they'd put their lips together, but it was the first time that the action had been one of love, and not so they could pass a breath back and forth to each other under water in the middle of the Tasman sea so they wouldn't drown.

God, that had been a terrifying moment. Guy still remembers Cecil's long, gnarled fingers gripping his forearms like a lifeline, like Guy would've been swept away if he loosened his grip in the slightest, and chances are, the way the waves were batting them around, he would have.

That was two years ago, though. No longer were they running through a storage facility in Mornington Peninsula on the mainland with three teenage girls and a Spirit of Tasmania employee, trying to uncover a story about a missing seal skin that kept getting weirder and weirder. Now, Guy sat next to Cecil on the old, rotting pier that sat over the beach they first found the selkie. God, it still felt so jarring that all of this was real, all that shit about mythical creatures hidden below waters of behind trees was real, or at least some of it was.

Cecil sat beside him, a bright blue Zooper Dooper he had bought him from the milk bar in his hand. It was half melted, and Cecil was sucking on the opening of the packet, drinking the melted syrup inside. Emma had taught him about doing that, saying it tasted better that way. Whether that was true or not, Cecil now refused to eat the icy treats any other way.

The sun was beginning to get to that point in the sky where it bathes everything in this strong, warm light, making everything look as though it had been touched by King Midas. Cecil looked stunning, the warm sun basking him in a golden light, his dark brown hair practically glowing as the sun caught on it, frizzy chocolate curls, slightly sun bleached, that cascaded down his shoulders, having grown a considerable amount since they'd first met. His skin finally had some colour to it with the light that bounded off if it, a strange sight with how he typically walked around looking like he had just gotten done donating Guy's body weight in blood.

"'ey, wha' colah is m'h tong?"

Guy snapped out of his daze, realising that Cecil was now looking directly at him with a lazy but content look in his eyes, the packet of the Zooper Dooper still in his mouth.

"Huh?"

"A said" Cecil pulled the packet from his mouth, wincing as the sides of the plastic cut into his mouth on its way out "What colour is my tongue?"

"Sorry, between the packet in your mouth and that God awful accent, I couldn't understand a word you were saying. Plus, can't tell you that if you don't show me, idiot." Guy said, a smirk spreading across his face, using his patented tactic of playful bullying to cover over the fact that 10 seconds ago he had spaced out staring at how pretty Cecil looked, he had a big enough head as it currently stood.

Cecil scoffed and rolled his eyes at Guy, turning his body to face him, and leaning back onto his hands, before sticking his tongue out. Guy inspected it for a few seconds before nodding slowly.

"Blue. You look even more like a lizard than usual. You know those ones with the blue tongues? That's what you look like."

"Oh shut up, you fucking tosser."

"I hope you're not using that kind of language around my little sister."

"Oh please, she swears way more than I do."

"Not the swearing, the pommy insult. Seriously, tosser?"

"Fuck off." Cecil groaned, rolling his head back. Guy laughed and pulled his pack of Camels from his shorts pocket, fumbling through his other pocket for his lighter.

"Hey, Guy?"

Guy looked over at Cecil, who was now completely facing him, legs crossed in front of him, no longer dangling over the edge of the jetty, his hands clasped in his lap. He looked nervous.

"Yeah? What's up?" he asked, popping a cigarette between his lips and lighting it, using his hand to shelter the flame from the winds.

"Do you remember, when we were on that ferry to the mainland...? And we were standing on the deck, and you were apologising to me a-"

"Is this about me apologising about the whole 'fag' thing? Because-"

"No! Well, kind of...? I just... Remember when you apologised... And you... You told me that... That you were scared... You were going to tell me you that you like something, and then your sister ran up to us with her friends, and you stopped...?"

Shit. Guy hoped he had forgotten that conversation, that when he said they'd put a pin in the discussion for when they were alone again, he didn't totally mean it. The moment they were having had been so nice, he didn't want to ruin this nice little thing they had going between them.

"Listen, I-"

"Do you like men?"

He froze up, the cigarette fell from his lips, burning as the tip of it hit his calf, causing him to wince in pain as he battered his half smoked cigarette off of his lap and onto the space next to him. He slowly turned his body to face Cecil completely.

"Cecil..."

"I'm not going to judge you if you do. I know what you said about humans being shit with that whole thing, but I'm not human, and I don't care, I just want you to know that you can tell me anything, that you don't have to be afraid..."

Guy's brain clouded over the rest of what was being said as Cecil rattled on his little acceptance speech. All he could focus on in his head was that night on the ferry, when Cecil had listened to him apologise as sincerely as he could, Cecil's large hands, kind of disproportionate to the rest of him, resting gently on his biceps with a look of patience on his sharp features, his wide mouth set into a soft, understanding smile. The harsh lights of the empty dock blacked out the half of his face that faced the sea, the rough sea winds battering his curls around his head. Guy had rested his hand next to Cecil's face, tucking a lock of hair that was flying around his face behind his ear, not missing how Cecil's breath caught. He knew then. He had known when they sat in that fishing shed together, listening to old records together and passing a joint back and forth while bundled up in itchy blankets in an attempt to stay warm.

Cecil was still talking when Guy leaned forwards, but whatever he was saying died off into confused stutters as Guy took his face in his hands, surging forwards and pressing his lips to Cecil's. It wasn't like the last time their mouths were pushed together, where all Guy could taste was fish and salt as they struggled to keep passing that breath between the two of them, their hearts pounding loudly in their ears as they both clung desperately to each other. This time, it was soft and slow, with the taste of the Zooper Dooper settling in his mouth, a strange taste when combined with the cigarette Guy had been smoking not long beforehand. Cecil was frozen on the spot for a second, before he felt him relax and reach his hands up to keep Guy's hands in place, kissing back gently.

In that moment, Guy felt nothing but love. No panic, just pure love, flooding his body and forcing itself into every single crevice inside of him. Cecil felt so soft under his hands, just like how he felt on the deck when Guy tucked his hair behind his ear.

Remembering that they're in public, remembering that homosexuality was still illegal in Tasmania and that anyone could spot them and completely ruin them both, he quickly pulled away, looking around them to make sure there wasn't anyone who had seen them or could hear them. The only people who were currently around was the woman walking her dog on the other side of the beach, walking in the other direction from them. Even if she had seen, maybe she'd think Cecil was a girl from the distance, with how long his hair is. He turned his head to look at Cecil, who sat there, blushing and stammering, his sharp brown eyes now wide and doe-like.

"I like you... That's what I wanted to tell you on the boat... I like you, and I was scared... I was scared... I'm sorry..."

Cecil's face instantly softened, a smile stretching across his face, as he reached over to move his hand through Guy's crewcut, as if to tuck the barely there spikey hairs behind his ear somehow. His hand lingered on the side of his face, and Guy leaned into it, smiling back at him, feeling safe with that smile shining at him.

"I like you too. Are you still scared?"

Guy thought for a moment, before he finally decided on a response.

"Yes, but not with you."

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