Meeting at Midnight

By CubKitPup

(This takes place when Ariel is still mute and staying with Eric but before the 'Kiss the Girl' scene.)

Ariel stared at Sebastian curled on the pillow beside her, amazed that the little crab could sleep in this heat. She had been tossing and turning all night but couldn't get comfortable enough to fall into her dreams. The ocean was never this hot; if anything, it was typically cold since they lived on the bottom of the sea. She had already tossed off all the blankets and lay on the bed with only her nightgown covering her bare skin.

'Enough is enough,' she thought to herself as she slipped out of bed. When her toes touched the floor, she pulled her nightgown over her head and tossed it onto her dresser. A sigh escaped her lips with her skin finally free to the faint night breeze she hadn't been able to feel with her nightgown on. For all her curiosity for human things, she couldn't see the point to clothes when it meant she couldn't feel the wind on her skin; it was like being unable to feel the ever changing tides under the surface of the water. She stood in her room for several long minutes, relishing the night wind as it raised goosebumps all over her body: on her legs, her stomach, her chest.

Much more comfortable now, Ariel knew she could probably curl up beside Sebastian's pillow and fall asleep. But the open door leading to her balcony and the sound of waves crashing on the beach outside was too tempting for the girl to pass up.

WMWMW

Eric sat out on his own balcony, enjoying the evening. He had spent the day seeing to his kingdom, though his mind had not been fully in matter. Instead, his attention had kept flickering back to thoughts about the strange girl with firey-red hair he had rescued from the beach. Eric knew his household staff would take good care of her but there was so much he didn't know about her, so much he yearned to ask her, even if she couldn't answer.

What had happened to her out on the ocean? Was she comfortable in his home or did she want to return to her own? What would it feel like to run his fingers through her hair as he kissed her, pressing her up against the wall of a dark and otherwise unoccupied hallway?

'Snap out of it, Eric,' he thought to himself as he shook his head. 'The girl has been through something horrible, something so traumatic that she can't even talk about it. The last thing she needs if you thinking about her that way.'

Movement across the courtyard caught the prince's attention. All thoughts suddenly fled from his mind as he saw the very girl he that had been in his head all day stepping out of her bedroom and onto the balcony that stood opposite his own. Not only that, the girl was completely naked. He had no idea why as he knew the maids he had assigned to her had provided her with a full wardrobe, including nightgowns.

For whatever reason she had chosen not to wear the nightgown, she looked quite content. As Eric watched, she stepped up to the railing of her balcony and she spread her arms wide, as if soaking in the peaceful weather that had set in after a brief storm had plagued the kingdom all afternoon. With her head tilted back and her hair falling down her back, Eric could see her breasts lifting and falling with each breath she took. The moonlight highlighted her pale skin with a gentle glow across her arms and her chest.

Her arms finally fell to her sides after a long while that gave Eric ample time to take in the sight of her. Resting her arms on the railing, the girl leaned forward to look out towards the beach. As she gazed out, her hips swayed from side to side, as if to music only she could hear. Her movements were slow and subtly sensual.

Transfixed by her hypnotizing motions, Eric could almost feel her smooth skin beneath his hands as his fingers trailed up her thighs to rest on her hips. In his fantasy, her skirt obscured the sight of her long legs that was being granted to him tonight but he didn't need to see to find the path his right hand was taking from her hips to slip between her legs. Besides, his eyes were fixed on her face and he was rewarded with the pleasure of seeing her eyes widen as he very gently touched her and then close when he gave her a swift deliberate stroke.

Eric groaned at the mental image, wishing more than anything that it was real. In the empty courtyard, the sound traveled quickly to his guest's balcony and she looked up to find him staring at her.

While any other lady would have attempted to cover herself or simply flee back to the safety of her room, the nameless girl simply stood and waved at him, with a smile on her face. Eric waved back before turning and heading into his own bedroom to take care of fantasy in his head.

MWMWM

If she had her voice back, Ariel would have laughed out loud and not cared who she woke up. What luck that she had been awake to see Eric! He had seemed surprised but not unhappy to see her. With one last look at his balcony, Ariel returned to her room, deciding she better get some rest so that she could wake up early tomorrow to see Eric. Without a glance at the nightgown she had tossed aside, Ariel laid down in her bed, thinking of Eric and wondering if he was thinking of her.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Well, I've just discovered the Disney_Kink group on LiveJournal and I couldn't help myself when I saw this prompt: "It's too warm and beautiful outside for clothes!" I picture Ariel being a bit of an exhibitionist. She really doesn't know any better. Eric likes it, though...a bit TOO much.

Thank you, Promisemewings, for the spark of inspiration! This was fun to write!