Hey guys! Just a heads up, there won't be an update next week because I'm heading to a con! I just want to say how amazed I am that there are almost 100 people following this fic! Yall are amazing! I'm thinking of doing some sort of side one shot when we hit 100 followers for the story (and then maybe another one shot when we hit 100 reviews on this fic!). Thank you for continuing to read and support my story!

Happy reading!

-Cass

Yuuri rubbed at his gills, wondering what he was doing. There was no way Victor was even going to show up and Yuuri would be waiting in the snow by himself for hours. He would wait, of course he would wait. He would wait until there was no way it was just Victor running late or over sleeping. He would wait until there was no possible answer except for Victor having stood him up.

He didn't really know where the self-doubt was from, back home he wasn't nearly this critical of himself. Then again he'd never had any reason to be. He'd never really been attracted to any of the mermaids. There was a little mermaid he'd been in classes with when he was younger that he'd had a crush on but nothing had ever come of it. In fact she was now married with three kids. She was married and raising her family, and Yuuri was standing outside an old museum hoping that the angel he had a ridiculous crush on would show up.

His head snapped to the side as the sound of snow crunching under feet reached his ears. Victor was approaching him, his white clothes and hair all but camouflaging him into the white background. He smiled widely as he locked eyes with Yuuri, and the mermaid felt himself smiling back in response. His heart fluttered in his chest and he wondered again how someone he had only known a few days could have this kind of effect on him. The angel approached, his hands tucked into the pockets of the white pants he wore. The white of his pants flowed into a white collared shirt and a white scarf that wrapped around his neck. Yuuri wondered if the boy had ever worn anything other than white. He had a strange urge to see him in something bright and vibrant, something that matched his personality.

"You're not wearing your glasses." Yuuri's hand went unconsciously to his face, touching his cheek even though he knew his glasses weren't perched there.

"Sara said that my eyes should be able to handle sunlight now so I don't have to wear them." She had told him to keep them with him anyway just in case his eyes started hurting or it got too bright outside.

"So where are we going today?" Victor asked, linking his arm through Yuuri's. The merman looked at their intertwined arms and swallowed hard. Having Victor this close made it hard to think but there was no way he was going to pull his arm away. He racked his brain, trying to remember what he had planned.

"Well," He started when he finally collected himself, "I got to see your wings yesterday so I was thinking we could go to the beach and maybe I could show you what I really look like?"

It was a question and a statement at the same time. He wasn't sure if this was weird or too soon. It felt right to him to have the boy see him in his true form but maybe for angels that would be weird. Maybe seeing him as a mermaid would remind Victor that the angels considered themselves above the other species. Victor was staring at him. Oh he'd definitely overstepped some sort of holy angel boundary.

"I think I'd like that very much." He was quiet, a weird tinge of what sounded like surprise in his voice. Yuuri gave a small smile, his racing heart calming a bit. He thought about what he was going to ask next and his heart started right back up. It couldn't be healthy for his heart to be going through all of this.

"The beach is a bit far." He bit his lip and his hand went to his neck. Victor nodded encouragingly, waiting for him to continue. "Do you think you could fly us out there?"

Victor giggled and Yuuri wondered how someone so beautiful could make such a cute sound. The angel boy brushed his fingers across his cheek, causing Yuuri to nearly faint in surprise.

"Is that what this blush is all about?" Victor dropped his hand into Yuuri's grasp and pulled him towards the forest.

Victor could acutely feel Yuuri's hand in his as they moved into the cover of the trees. His skin was incredibly soft, probably a result of having lived under water his entire life. Truthfully, his hands could have been as rough as sandpaper and Victor still would have felt as if he was holding the softest thing in the world.

They had to go far enough into the forest that they wouldn't be seen from the town once Victor took off. He could only imagine the lecture he'd get from Yakov if someone in town reported a flying man. Once Victor thought they had gotten far enough, he turned to Yuuri and held his arms out. The dark haired prince stepped in between his arms and wrapped his arms around Victor's waist. The angel had to concentrate hard to keep his breathing normal as he felt the boy's chest press against his own. He wrapped his arms around Yuuri and felt the delicious stretch of his wings unfurling. They fanned out behind his back, fluttering in the slight breeze. He stretched them wide, as wide as they could go, and pushed downward. He could feel the wind brushing against each solitary feather as he lifted them both into the sky. He carefully dodged trees, not an easy feat with his large wing span, as soon they were gliding above the tree line. Yuuri peeked up and pointed to the beach he wanted to go to, a faint tan smudge on the skyline.

Victor flew, catching the slightly warmer currents of air and coasting easily on the breeze. He felt one of Yuuri's hands reach up and touch a feather, causing a jolt to go through his whole body. He nearly dropped the prince and the pair dipped down quickly. Yuuri gasped and yanked his hand back, gripping Victor's waist tighter than before.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to mess you up!" He apologized quickly and Victor had to steady his voice before he could reply.

"Angel wings are very sensitive and you…you startled me." Victor was glad that angels didn't blush because his entire face would be bright red. His whole body tingled with warmth from that one touch. The outer feathers weren't as sensitive but the ones towards the base, the ones Yuuri had caressed, those were extremely sensitive. He looked down at Yuuri. The boy had his face pressed into Victor's shirt, trying to hide the vibrant red blush that colored his cheeks. He let out a booming laugh and pulled them back up into the warm currents.

They landed on the beach, after Victor had circled a bit to ensure there weren't any people around. The sand shifted underneath his feet as he set them both down, his arms lingering a bit too long around Yuuri. To Victor's surprise, the merman's arms stayed around him just as long. They turned to the beach and Victor looked out across the water. The sun was mostly hidden behind the clouds, causing the sky above the waves to look slightly gray. The water lazily rolled into the shore and Victor watched as it dragged the sand back with it every time it receded. He slipped his white shoes off and folded his wings into his back, not wanting to weigh them down if they got wet. The sand was harsh and pebbly between his toes, nothing like the soft, sandy beaches he had heard about. Maybe that was in a different place, because this looked nothing like his idea of bright white sandy beaches and crystal blue water. He edged forward until the water licked the tips of his toes when it rushed up onto the shore. It was weird. It was water, but something about it felt inherently dangerous and alive.

He could hear Yuuri behind him and he turned to ask the merman how the whole transformation worked. His words stuck in his throat when he turned and saw Yuuri pulling his shirt over his head. Mouth dropping open, he stared at the boy, his eyes traveling over every plane of his toned stomach and chest.

"Oh! I didn't even think that this could make you uncomfortable." Yuuri blushed and covered his torso with his shirt. He retreated behind some bushes and Victor tried to pretend as though he couldn't hear the rest of the boy's clothes coming off. His mouth was painfully dry and he couldn't seem to swallow. All of the moisture from his mouth seemed to have retreated to his palms, which were clammy and warm.

"If you close your eyes I'll run to the water." Yuuri called out. Victor squeezed his eyes shut, though some part of him wanted to peek, and waited until Yuuri gave him the all clear. The other boy was waist deep in the water. And Victor wished he had brought some other pants to change into. A thought popped in his head and he wondered if even he would be bold enough to do it.

He slid his pants down his legs and unbuttoned his shirt until stood in just his plain white boxers. Yuuri's mouth popped open in surprise and Victor laughed as his cheeks flushed. He waded into the water and stood next the merman who was looking everywhere but Victor's bare chest.

"I've never done this before so I'm not sure how long this takes." Yuuri admitted. They waited a few minutes and Victor wondered if there was a problem when suddenly Yuuri dropped down in the water. Brilliant colors flashed through the water and down the boy's legs which seemed to have fused together.

He could just barely see through the water but he could see where the pale flesh of Yuuri's stomach turned into dark scales. The dark fish tail was studded with streaks of purple and red, with a large, thinner fin expanding from the back. Two smaller fins flanked Yuuri's hips, and Victor wanted nothing more than to reach down and touch them. He reached into the water and allowed his finger tips to trace the thin fin. Yuuri's hand grasped his and used it to pull himself to where his face was out of the water.

"You're beautiful." Victor breathed before he could stop himself. His hand flew to his mouth, holding it closed before he could say anything else. Yuuri smiled slightly and Victor could see two slits along the side of his neck. He touched them lightly with his fingers.

"Those are my gills. They allow me to breathe under water." Victor nodded, not completely understanding how they worked but not overly concerned with the science. He watched as Yuuri glided through the water, much more graceful than he'd ever seen the boy on land.

"It's like you're flying but in the water." For some reason the statement made Yuuri laugh out loud.

"It's called swimming Victor." Victor laughed too and reached down to dunk Yuuri under the water.

"I know that. I just mean you look so comfortable, like it's completely effortless."

Yuuri swam for a little longer and Victor watched him silently, taking in the way he moved smoothly through the water. The weak sunlight glinted off of his dark scales and Victor vaguely wondered if he had ever seen anything more beautiful. Every time the prince would swim by him he'd let his fingers glide over his lithe body. He knew it was improper, that if his father ever knew about how he was acting he'd be banished for sure, but he was drawn to the boy for some reason. It was almost as if he could feel his body being pulled forward until they could touch again.

Yuuri surface, the water slicking his dark hair back against his skin.

"Do you want to head back to shore?" Victor nodded, wondering why the image of soaking wet Yuuri made his heart do weird things in his chest. Nothing about this boy made sense to him. He was ridiculously attractive but he carried himself as if he didn't even know it. He was so interesting but acted like no one had any reason to want to talk to him. He was so many contradictions and Victor found himself wanting to unravel him.

When they got back up to the beach, Victor watched in fascination as Yuuri's legs separated and the scales began to recede up towards his abdomen. He respectfully looked away when they got too high and, when he heard Yuuri retreat behind the bushes, he retrieved his pants and shirt from the sand. The clothes clung to his wet skin and he hoped he dried off before he returned to the hotel because there was no way he could explain this to Yakov.

Yuuri reemerged from the bushes, his clothes also plastered to his wet skin, and they settled onto the sand. They sat close, their shoulders brushing and Victor fought the urge to reach out and take the prince's hand.

They talked for a while, both exhausting their questions about the other's home and life. Victor was extremely interested in how free the mermaids were to do just about anything. There were very few rules to govern their lives, though that was in part why everyone got along so well. Everyone was free to do whatever made them happy as long as it didn't harm someone else. Yuuri was equally as interested in Victor's description of the Academy. The mermaids had schools but nothing was quite as organized or thorough as the Academy seemed. He asked lots of questions about the classes and what they learned.

When they had covered all of the questions they could think of, they just sat and talked about each other's hopes and dreams. Yuuri confided in Victor how he was worried that he wouldn't be a good leader, and how all he wanted was to do what was right for his people. Victor admitted to Yuuri that all he had every wanted was to make his father proud but that everything he did seemed to push him farther and farther from him. They tried to comfort each other, but mostly they just listened which was what both of them really needed.

Victor wasn't sure how long they sat on the beach but when he looked up, the sun was beginning to dip behind the edge of the water.

"Did you want to head back towards the hotel before it gets too dark?" Victor started to get up but Yuuri's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Actually I didn't just bring you out here to see me in the water. There's something else I wanted to show you and JJ said this is the best place to see it." Victor was confused by the vague answer but he sat back in the sand. They continued to watch the sun fade behind the horizon and Victor wondered what Yuuri could possibly want to show him in the dark.

Suddenly the night sky lit up with lights. Streaks of green, blue and purple danced across the sky and Victor's mouth dropped open in complete awe. His hand reached out and gripped Yuuri's, needing some reassurance that he wasn't in some sort of fever dream. He stared wide eyed at the sky, trying to take in every color in the spectrum above him. It was absolutely breath taking and a part of him wondered how he could ever go back to the plain white angel kingdom after seeing something like this.

He looked down at Yuuri, the boy's dark eyes reflecting the magnificent colors in the sky. His cheeks were flushed with excitement and he was staring up at the sky in wonder. He turned to look at Victor and seemed surprised to find the angel already looking at him.

"Isn't it beautiful?" He whispered, his eyes dancing like the lights above him. Victor smiled gently, his heart pounding inside his chest and his breaths coming in nervous pants.

"It is." Victor whispered back before leaning in and pressing his lips to Yuuri's.

Thank you so much for reading! Please comment and let me know what you think. Also feel free to let me know what you want the extra one shot to be about (it can just be a little side story to this one or a YOI universe one shot or something). I hope you enjoyed this chapter!