Summary: Morrigan takes Silas to see the stars for the first time in his life (Happy Valentine's day ya'll)
Warnings: None Word Count: 1946
(Pls reblog and leave a comment 💖)
Skywatching
It is always obvious when Morrigan has come up with an idea. There were multiple, well-documented signs that exposed he had come up with something he considered to be so very clever and delightful. There is an excited jitter to every movement, a wider grin than usual, and an inability to sit still.
Right now, Morrigan exhibited every sign. He sat at his desk with a wide smile and rapped the table with one hand, and his tail flicked back and forth quickly without a moment's pause. His other hand tapped his pen against his lesson plans, then twirled it around, then clicked it repeatedly as he waved it back and forth. Really, he did everything but write.
Silas, who had been quietly observing this energised frenzy for quite some time, finally decide to bite.
"What're ya thinking about?" He asked softly, his deep, low voice bringing the tapping and clicking to a sudden stop.
Morrigan's head snapped up and he somehow managed the miraculous achievement of grinning even wider than before.
"I," He said cheerily. "Have had an idea."
"Oh, I'm shocked. Should I be scared?" Silas replied in an attempt to joke, though he was unsure if he sounded sarcastic enough.
Much to Silas' relief, Morrigan laughed and threw up his hands.
"Not in the slightest! Unless you're afraid of your romantic plans being outdone, that is! Silas, tonight I'm going to take you to the surface!"
To emphasise his point, he jumped from his seat, twirled in the water, and pointed upwards. "I have something special to show you."
Silas breathed in sharply and began to gnaw on his lip. "The… surface?" He questioned. Fuzzy memories pulled at his mind, and he felt uneasy. "I dunno…"
"Don't worry, it's completely safe. Not a human in sight!" Morrigan insisted. "Besides, you'll have me with you! I won't hesitate to break a ship in two for you, darling."
Magic sparked at his fingertips and the marigold stone embedded into the ring on his finger brightened in a gentle glow. He was smiling, but that didn't hide the fact that he was dead serious.
Silas didn't answer at first. That sense of unease and those tiny shreds of memory made her feel like she had gone up to the surface before, and something bad happened. But… that was far in the past, and Morrigan said he would protect her. Morrigan had never once failed her, and he looked so excited…
At long last, Silas nodded. "Alright. What time?"|
"Eight tonight! I promise, sweetheart, you'll love it!"
—
In reality, they left a little earlier than eight. Morrigan was so excited that he was ready to go early. While he waited for Silas, he swam in and out of the door repeatedly, stealing glances to the clock and tapping his claws together with poorly hidden impatience. Impatience that Silas eventually noticed.
"Should we just go now?" Silas asked. "I don't have a-"
And Morrigan was already at the door again, an excited "Yes!" just barely reaching Silas' ears. Silas rolled their eyes and followed after him in silence.
The trip upwards was a long one, with progress marked by the the gradual shrinking the darkness around them. In the distance, Silas could see the bright lights of the city of Atlantica, a golden glow in the black of the night.
Silvery streams of moonlight signalled they were almost there. Silas had seen the moon and its beams of gentle light before, but that didn't take away her amazement as she marvelled at it. Was Morrigan going to show them the moon? Probably, considering how big and bright it was.
Silas could see the ebb and flow of the water above them, the light above the surface rippled, contorted by the waves. The image dug into Silas' mind, scraping at the edges of their brain. Those memories flashed by again, but they were were clearer now.
Yes, he had definitely come close to the surface before. It was with… with Mei. He had been shot with by the harpoon gun and she… she…
The decades old injury to his tail throbbed with more pain than usual and he stopped swimming. His heartbeat began to quicken and his breathing became heavier and-
"Silas." Morrigan's voice was soft and gentle and so very patient. He took Silas' hand in his and smiled. "My love, it's alright. You're okay. There are no humans around for miles, and I promise you, I will protect you with all my strength if they do show. We can go back anytime you want, even right now. Would you rather go home?"
His words were like an anchor preventing Silas' mind from drifting to the very worst. The words may vanish from her mind soon, but not the feelings they left her with. Warmth. Trust. Safety.
"No. We can go." Silas whispered.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
Silas let Morrigan gently tug him upwards, so they were swimming up, up, up towards the gleaming circle of white light above.
"This is gonna feel a bit strange." Morrigan said, gripping Silas tighter. "But don't worry, you'll be fine."
Before they knew it, they were breaching the surface. Ice cold water was replaced with cool night air and a gentle breeze. It was a quiet, cloudless night, and the water was calm.
Silas shuddered at the alien feeling of water running down his face and arms and the air moving against him and stared down into water, itching to dive back under. He noticed each individual droplet, felt every gust of wind. It was strange, but not exactly unpleasant.
Then, Morrigan spoke. "Look up, love."
The true brightness of the moon made Silas wince. Their hands twitched at their sides, ready to shield their eyes, but they steeled themselves, forced their head upwards, and gasped.
The sky was alive with millions upon millions of little round lights and various colours that seemed beyond explanation. Silas had no clue what he was looking at, and his head hurt trying to comprehend it.
"There's… colours." She whispered, tilting her head in awe."And… glowing dots."
"Those are stars." Morrigan explained, his voice lowered to a hushed tone
"Stars." Silas repeated softly. He stayed stock still, transfixed by the gorgeous blanket of blues, purples, greys, and whites stretching endlessly above them. It was so bright, so ethereal, Silas almost didn't believe what he was seeing. "They're… they're beautiful."
At the awed sound of her voice, Morrigan shifted his gaze from the sky to look at Silas. Her mouth had dropped open and and she stared up at the cosmic display above, not daring to blink. Her eyes shone with wonder, pupils reflecting the sky. She reached a hand out of the water and raised it upwards, water dripping from her fingertips.
"Yeah." Morrigan murmured. "Beautiful."
There was a stretch of comfortable silence as they both enjoyed the lovely sight and peaceful atmosphere. Then, Silas' head snapped towards Morrigan and they regarded him with a soul-quaking stare so intense, that for a few horrible moments, Morrigan thought they were angry.
"How'd they get up there?" Silas asked, deadly serious. "Could I swim- eh, climb up there?"
Morrigan chuckled and squeezed Silas' hand. "They've always been there, Si. You can't climb up there, it's really far away, and you'll need special equipment."
Silas took a moment to process his words, then looked up again. "Stars. What are they?"
"Oh uh-" Morrigan rubbed the back of his neck. "That's a bit complicated. Some aren't really stars and are just planets like the one we're on. The rest are all stars though, they're balls of burning gas, hydrogen I think, and other materials held together by gravity. They produce their own light, which is how we can see them at night."
"I don't know what some of that means." Silas said slowly. "But it sounds interesting."
There was a beat of silence, and then suddenly Silas was even closer to Morrigan than before, that intense look still fixed to her face. "Where'd they come from? Why's the gas burning? Shouldn't they blow up? How's it so bright? Have people gone to 'em? Why's the sky so colourful?"
Morrigan didn't reply at first. He put his hand to his chest for a moment, suddenly feeling so very warm inside. There it was, that curiosity, that burning desire to know that he loved so much. The thing that drew them together in the first place. He found himself taken back to the hours spent in that cramped little shop, teaching each other their magic.
It was unfortunate he didn't know all that much about space.
"Sorry, dear." Morrigan sighed. "My expertise lies in cosmic magic, not space as a whole, I'm no astronomer, unfortunately. Oh! How about I buy you some books on space?"
Silas' intense gaze shifted to one of keen interest. "There are books?"
"Oh yes, plenty! I'll get you as many as you want." Morrigan continued. Then, he gasped and clapped his hands together. "We can learn together! Oh, yes, that would be so fun! I can make flashcards and posters! Perhaps I can create an optional special lesson for my students! Magic came to us from above, after all!"
Spurred on by excitement, Morrigan pulled Silas closer and spun around in a circle, laughing delightedly.
"Yes, yes, what a wonderful idea!" He said with a grin."So, shall I find us some resources to learn about space when we get back?"
He looked so happy, so eager to learn and take on another challenge. Silas couldn't help but smile and think of the times they taught him how to hunt.
"Mhm. We can both learn." They said. They leaned forward until their forehead pressed against Morrigan's, and they closed their eyes. They didn't say anything further, but they didn't need to. Morrigan new how they felt.
The two of them stayed like that for a while, basking in the starlight and simply enjoying each other's presence. It was peaceful.
Silas eventually pulled away to stare at the sky again, but this time his eyebrows scrunched and he started biting his lip, just barely piercing the skin.
"Morrigan, what-" Silas began, frustration seeping into his voice. "What'd you say those were called again?"
"Stars." Morrigan replied patiently. "Did you not bring your notebook?"
Silas shook their head and Morrigan slapped his palm against his forehead. "I forgot about ut, too! Oh, darling, I should've reminded you! I'm so sorry, I-"
"S'fine." Silas mumbled. "We can come here again."
Morrigan thought for a moment, then reached into the satchel slung over his shoulder and pulled out a camera. "Well, I was gonna take some photos here, so that works out. Pictures help you remember things better, right? You can put one in your notebook when we get back and I'll remind you what I said! And then we'll both learn more once I get us some books! How's that?"
Silas nodded, and sank a little further into the water so he could swim close to Morrigan and rest his head on his shoulder. "Thanks for all this."
"Of course, my love. I just knew you'd love this." Morrigan replied, raising the camera to take several pictures. He was no photographer, but each angle was carefully considered all the same. When he finished, he tucked the camera way and looked down at Silas. "You ready to go?"
Silas shook her head. "Just a bit longer."
"Of course."
Morrigan wrapped his arms around Silas' waist and pulled them closer to rest his chin on their head. They watched the sky together, lost in a world of their own.
-End
...........................................
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this Starlit Abyss fic! I had a wonderful time writing this ^^ I love these two so much
Tagging: @distant-velleity @br3adtoasty @rainesol @theleechyskrunkly @harryinramshackle @galaxies-and-gore @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @officialdaydreamer00 @krenenbaker @offorestsongs @kitwasnothere @elenauaurs @boopshoops @theultbeing @1dont-really-know @nemisisnemi @minteasketches @elysia-nsimp @skrimpyskimpy @casp1an @offorestsongs @tixdixl @poisoned-pearls @the-trinket-witch @ramshacklerumble @ghostiidasponk @thegoldencontracts @sillyslipperybananapeel @cloudcountry @skriblee-ksk @twstinginthewind @theolivetree123 @authoruio @jewelulu @moonyasnow @oya-oya-okay @kittys-mirror @s-t-y-x @minutewondertwist @random-twst-and-oc-stuff @creatorbiaze @bunnwich @blondeaxolotl @writier-sssr
