Blood red seeps across the sky, sliding towards them. It stains the clouds, burning, fighting to stay alive as the sun slips down, greeting the other side of the globe slowly but surely. Even the sea is tinted, looking like a glittering fire. The flames come closer, wave after wave. They lap gently at their toes on the shore, teasing, knowing they could cause devastation.
And everything comes to a slow halt. No shifting winds, no noises, no more breathing. Time is frozen in that moment, perfection and flaw preserved.
To them, it looks like the end of the world.
There's contentment inside of Spencer that feels as natural as breathing. It's rhythmic and deep, and it's moving her head and upper body in an enchanting lull that makes her eyelids droop every so often, only to open and find the unnerving blanket of deepening darkness above her. A shudder moves across her body at the sight. It looks as though the world is bleeding through a wound she can't see.
Dying slowly for the sky to show.
There's a star or two that manages to shine through the Los Angeles smog while the sun makes its descent. The transition makes the stars look like dots marring the colorful expanse above; almost as if mistaken they are even there. So close that one might be able to reach out and touch one of them, just for a moment, because they would burn everything alive.
The stars don't care that the world is ending. They'll burn forever.
Shivers slide down Spencer's spine each time she feels slim fingers running along her scalp, through her hair, and she rests her hand on the knee bent to her right as if it could anchor her. It's bare and she can feel goose bumps form on smooth skin when she lets her hand drift down to that warm leg.
The sun is falling further, and it's taking the world with it. The ocean is on fire, filling the air with a heat that makes the head foggy. It's heavy and weighs everyone down, pins them to the earth.
The stomach underneath Spencer's head contracts with what she assumes is a chuckle. She smiles to the sky and runs her fingertips up and down, following the curves beneath her hand.
"Ash?"
"Yeah?"
Spencer pauses before lifting herself up and turning over onto her stomach. Ashley is lying on her back, watching her with curious eyes. And soon Spencer's cheek is pressing into the fabric of the thin shirt that the older girl is wearing. She feels the rhythm of Ashley's breathing again, closer, and it feels like it could surround her now.
Small hands grip at Ashley's sides before slipping under the cotton, grasping at heated flesh to aid her chilled fingers.
The heat that had been bathing the beach wears off slowly. It slips away as the sun begins to curve around the other side of the world. The sand cools bare feet, making toes dig deeper beneath it in a futile attempt to keep warm. They won't leave. Just a little longer…
"Spence." Ashley's voice is soft and drifts down to Spencer. The blonde looks up, blue eyes wide and shining. "Come here…"
Spencer slides up Ashley's body now, and she can see her shudder at the warm body pressed tightly against her. Blonde hair hangs like a curtain around Ashley's face. The veil lowers as Spencer does.
Closer to Ashley.
Their lips touch, and a slow sizzle moves between them. The air pops and cracks as they part and meet again, mouths opening slowly before they fall inside.
Somewhere there's a cracking. A shift in the ground. The plates of the earth are pulling apart, and it's something slow and beautiful. The fire in the sky threatens to ignite the sand with its unbearable orange glow.
Pray for the end of the world.
They're gasping, curling and arching into each other. Red lips, bruised from hard kisses, wash hot breath over strained necks. Spencer presses her face tightly against the soft skin in front of her, and whimpers escape from her before she realizes that they are even there.
Fabric scratches against fabric, awkwardly placed hands find each other and press hard. Throaty sounds come from the girl beneath her; her small frame bows, and Spencer can only press against her harder, so tightly the blonde can feel the button from Ashley's jeans digging into her stomach. And she doesn't even notice the pain in her wrist from her hand deeply buried inside the rough material. She doesn't notice it because Ashley's hand is doing the same.
It breaks. All the way down to the core, releasing pressure and heat in an explosion that begins to snap loose the threads holding the globe together at its seams. Dirt and grit slide down with the rest of the land mass. It's sinking into the ocean, bubbling and steaming, adding to the heat.
A deep rumble shakes everything left to be seen. It continues for a moment that seems to last forever, finally subsiding into gentle shudders before continuing its slow destruction.
She breaks. A strangled cry moves from her lips directly into Ashley's ear. A harsh exhalation shoots across the tanned neck below her. The brunette moans in desperation, arching her hips upwards frantically against Spencer's hand. The younger girl can't help but pause.
Her eyes are screwed tightly shut, but she can still see. She can see Ashley's face twisted as she approaches. She can see them sinking in the sand beneath their blanket.
She can see the sky in flames, and it's the end of the world.
And it is done. No monumental climax to be had. The frantic climb upwards ends in a slow slide downwards. It was a messy creation, and now it is a clean destruction. Pieces of earth shift and break apart, sinking down into the boiling depths. It's a slow simmer that wears off when the sun finally disappears for good.
The sky is a deep black, glittering with stars just waiting to be touched.
Soft lips, murmurs, caresses. There are no words professing love.
Two girls kiss in the darkness.
And that's how the world ends.