Sputtering on surf and choking on seafoam, Ignis Scientia wasn't thinking about the party on the cruise ship, or how he'd somehow found himself sailing overboard; he was just grateful to be breathing air and not salt water. But he'd been miles from shore. How had he managed to crawl out of the ocean in the dark of night, when he could barely swim in a pool on a sunny day?

He opened his eyes, then opened them wider as something preposterous came into view. A man was beside him—a man who was half fish.

"My glasses!" he pleaded, praying his blurred vision caused the hallucination, and that he wasn't in fact dead and sinking to the ocean floor. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut as he rolled over and felt around frantically in the sopping sand for his spectacles. He failed to locate the missing lenses, but he felt someone's hand gently placing them on his face for him and again dared to open his eyes.

There was indeed a young man kneeling beside him in the ice-cold sea spray. But he had legs. His lap was in shadows, but Ignis assumed, of course, that he was wearing a swimsuit. But why would he be swimming at this hour, when the tide was high? And why, when the water was dangerously cold?

His own teeth were chatting as Ignis stammered, "Y-you…s-s-saved me…" It wasn't only his jaw trembling; he was shivering all over, uncontrollably. But the boy seemed perfectly comfortable in the chill night wind, aside from the concern showing on his worried brow. He was, in fact, quite beautiful. Ignis wanted to tell him so. "Y-y-you're…" he began, but could not finish. His lips were turning blue.

The dark-haired young man seemed to know just what to do. He took hold of Ignis's wrists and pinned them down to the sand as he climbed atop him, straddling his hips. He released his hold to unbutton Ignis's shirt, one the man had carefully starched and ironed for that stupid party and which was likely ruined now.

The boy pulled the shirt wide open to reveal Ignis's chest. The blond's nipples were as blue as his mouth, hard and aching from the cold. The boy leaned forward and clasped his mouth down around one, breathing heat. Then he did the same to the other.

Ignis was too stunned to resist, and admittedly excited, in spite of everything else that was happening. He didn't protest when the boy's agile fingers began unbuckling his belt or unfastening his slacks.

What happened next, he could only blame on shock. Shock from the accident, the cold, and his near-drowning. And maybe also his inexplicable desire for the beautiful creature straddling his hips.

The boy knew exactly how to raise his body temperature. He never said a word, but at that pivotal moment he threw his head back and let out a sigh of pleasured contentment. And when he looked down into Ignis's eyes, he gave him a tender smile.

The young man crawled off of him and Ignis lay panting for long moments before finally righting his clothing. This hadn't been planned, and it was doubtful anyone had witnessed the act, but it was still illegal…even if it had saved his life.

Feeling stronger, and much warmer, Ignis sat up on his elbows and looked to the side. "What's your na—?" he began to ask. But the ethereal beauty was gone.