Advent '10 - December 22nd
December 22nd - 3 days to go!
Ash walked into one of the homiest and weirdest scenarios he never thought he'd see.
He blinked but the image didn't disappear.
A small clearing had been hollowed out of the jungle at the back of the house with a view of the beach. Which, really, was weird enough because the back of the house didn't face the beach.
In the clearing a small bamboo table and two chairs had been placed. Sitting in those chairs were Savitar and Harry. That part wasn't so much weird as quite cute in a married couple kind of way.
On the table was a breakfast spread of toast, English muffins, an array of jams, orange juice and a tea set. Harry was currently spreading strawberry jam on toast and kicking his legs as he hummed to himself.
The kicker to the whole scene was Savitar who was sitting wearing the blue wetsuit that Harry had given him, reading glasses and reading the newspaper, chuckling every now and then as he sipped from a tea cup.
Ash checked in case the world had decided to end without telling him.
Nope! Still there!
"Er…"
Harry's head turned and he smiled brightly at Ash.
"Ash! Come sit down! What are you doing here?"
Ash slowly walked over to the table and gingerly sat down in the chair that Harry conjured for him. Despite his best efforts he couldn't tear his eyes away from the picture Savitar made.
Savitar ignored him.
"Tea?" Harry offered.
"Okay." Ash said in bewilderment, taking the delicate china cup when Harry handed it to him.
"So, how have you been?" Harry asked as he turned back to his breakfast.
"Good." Ash nodded and then tilted his head to see if Savitar would change with a different angle.
He didn't.
"That's good. Muffin?"
"No thank you." Ash took a small sip of tea and decided he couldn't take it anymore. He put the teacup down. "Savitar. What…?"
Savitar dipped the paper and stared at him over the top of his glasses. "Yes?"
Ash's mouth worked for a moment before he said the only thing he could say. "You wear glasses?"
"No."
"But…" Ash was confused.
Savitar flicked the paper until it stopped drooping. "Harry transfigured them for me."
"'Cos they make him look more distinguished!" Harry chirped in, licking a blob of jam from his thumb.
"Oh." Ash said faintly, "I see."
Savitar dropped the paper and glared at him with narrowed eyes. "Are you contradicting Harry?"
"No." Ash said quickly and then had to smother a snort of amusement, "You look very pretty."
A tick appeared in Savitar's jaw.
"I think they make him look hot." Harry said absently as he reached across the table for another slice of toast.
Savitar smiled smugly at Ash and disappeared behind his paper again.
To try and bring some semblance of normality back into his world view Ash turned back to Harry. Who was sprinkling sugar on top of his jam in a pattern that, Ash noticed in slight alarm, looked like his mother's symbol.
"Where did you see that?"
"Hmm?" Harry looked up, blinking out of his daze, "See what?" He took a giant bite of toast. "How's Fred and George doing by the way?"
Ash closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against them. After a moment he sighed and sat back up. "They're doing fine." He said, "More than fine actually. Somehow they roped Julian and Kyrian into a prank."
"Ooh! What did they do?" Harry asked in excitement.
"They released a herd of small animals that they had-"
"Nifflers?"
"Small, brown and steals shiny things?"
"Yup!"
"Then yes, Nifflers. They released them into Valerius' home. His entire house is filled with things that glitter. He wasn't pleased."
Harry dissolved into laughter. "Oh man, priceless."
Ash noticed that whilst Harry was laughing, Savitar was surreptitiously staring at him out of the corner of his eye with a fond look on his face. He grinned wildly at him when Savitar felt his stare and looked at him.
Savitar scowled and folded the paper, which Ash just noticed was today's Daily Prophet, and put it on the table.
Ash took another sip of tea to hide his smile when Harry looked up.
"So, Ash, why are you here?" Harry asked again.
"I'm here to collect your pets."
Harry cocked his head, "My pets? Why?"
Ash shot a look at Savitar who was studiously drinking his own tea. "Savitar asked me to last night, so that he could spend the day with you without you worrying about them."
Harry turned to Savitar with an affectionate look, "You got a babysitter for the kids?"
Ash had to quickly turn his snort into a cough. "Um, yeah." He said before Savitar could smite him. "That's exactly what he did."
"You're so sweet." Harry smiled at Savitar and then turned around a bellowed "Ash!"
Ash jumped and looked at Harry like he was mad. It didn't help that Savitar was now grinning at him.
He was just about to ask 'what?' when, what could only be described as, a black ball of fluff bounced through the door and up to Harry where it started to purr.
Harry bent down and picked it up, thrusting it at Ash. "Ash, meet Ash! My Lieutenant."
Ash carefully picked up his namesake and brought it closer to his face to get a better look. He let out a yell and jerked in surprise when it shoved its tongue up his nose.
Harry laughed. "Oh yeah, they do that sometimes."
Ash warily held the puffball at arms length, staring at it cautiously as it waved its tongue at him.
"Ash also has a strange fixation with my head." Harry said musingly.
Savitar snorted into his tea whilst Ash's eyes widened. "What?"
"Ash." Harry continued. "Likes to sit on top of my head. His real name is Acheron though, but I always call him Ash."
Ash choked a little, unsure how his day could get any weirder, "What? Why?"
Harry shrugged at him, "I was going for the Greek theme. Ash," he turned his attention back to the puffskein, "call them."
Puffskein Ash let out a loud trill and within seconds sixteen other balls of fluff had bounced through the door and surrounded the table. Harry reached down and put the two smallest yellow ones on the table where they promptly rolled in spilt jam.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Okay," Harry said, "I'll explain who they are. The black ones are Ash, which you've met, Ares and Hades. The pink ones are Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, the purple are Hermes, Dionysus and Hephaestus. Green are Artemis, Poseidon and Demeter and the yellow are Zeus, Hestia and Apollo."
Ash stared at him with wide eyes.
"Oh, it gets better." Savitar murmured at him.
"And these two," Harry grinned down at his two babies, "Are Julian Macedon and Strukerius. Stryker for short."
Ash choked.
"You'll have to be careful with Stryker," Harry confided with him, "He has a bit of hero-worship for Ash and will most likely want to sit on your head too."
Harry grinned at him and held out his babies. Ash took them absently and just stared at them.
"Take care of them."
"I will." Ash shook himself and looked up at his companions. "So what are you planning to do today?"
Harry shrugged. "I dunno."
"I was going to take Harry surfing."
Ash nodded and then glanced at Harry when he murmured, "Surfing…", licking a stray bit of jam off his palm from Stryker, "Oh, I know that one. It has a board, right?"
Ash snorted when Savitar let out a pained noise, looking like someone had just punched him in the stomach.
"Unless that's wrong?" Harry asked uncertainly.
Ash stood up and gathered the puffskeins around him. "No, you got it right."
"How can you not know what surfing is?" Savitar asked in disbelief.
"Hey," Harry defended. "It's not my fault! I hadn't really even seen the sea until I came here."
Savitar let out another pained noise.
"Unless you count the shack during that storm at night when I was eleven…or when we went to the cave when I was seventeen. Though I don't really count that last one because the zombies just made everything bad."
Savitar narrowed his eyes. "Zombies?"
"Uh huh." Harry nodded his head. "But my school had a lake. It had a giant squid and mermaids in it. Does that count?"
Savitar looked like he really wanted to ask more about the zombies. Instead he just shook his head and stood up. "No. No, it doesn't count." He poofed Harry's robes into a pair of swimming trunks. "I'm taking you surfing. Now."
Harry turned and waved goodbye at Ash as Savitar dragged him down to the beach. "Bye! See you later!"
Ash raised a hand in farewell and turned to stare at the puffballs. He grinned and disappeared, taking them with him.
Harry was straddling his surfboard and gripping it so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
Beside him Savitar was sitting on his own board, his eyes closed, his head tipped back and a content smile on his face. He looked completely at peace with the world.
Harry's board gave a wobble as a wave swelled underneath it and he swallowed. He was just trying not to drown.
Savitar sighed "This is the life."
"Yeah," Harry replied as his board tipped alarmingly to the side and he quickly tried to right it. This was nothing like flying.
Savitar stared around him. He was surrounded by blue except for the smudge of white and green in the distance that was Neratiti. There wasn't even a cloud in the sky and he loved it.
He could feel the waves swell underneath him but they were too far out for them to properly develop. Once he got closer to land they would grow and break.
Right now he was just showing Harry how peaceful it was. Showing him a little part of himself.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
There was no reply and Savitar glanced at Harry to see what was wrong.
He came face to face with an upside down surfboard and no sign of his companion.
"Shit!"
He quickly righted the board and grabbed the leash and pulled. He kept pulling and when he got to Harry's ankle he tugged him up out of the water and across his own board.
Harry spluttered and coughed up water as he gripped Savitar's thigh.
"Whoa." He croaked out after the water had left his system, "That was terrifying."
Savitar snorted and manhandled him into a sitting position, his back against his chest. Harry squeaked when another wave caused the board to rise and dip.
"Okay." Savitar said, banishing Harry's surfboard with a wave of his hand. "New rule. You're sticking with me."
Harry coughed, "Hey, I'm not that bad."
Savitar stared at him, unimpressed. "Harry." He said slowly, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist when he felt the shorter man tip slightly to the right, "If I hadn't made you wear that leash you probably would have died."
Harry shuddered. "I hate dying. It makes me feel weird for ages."
Savitar stiffened behind him. "You've already died?"
Harry let his head drop back onto Savitar's shoulder, feeling more relaxed now he knew that Savitar was in charge. "Just a few times."
Before Savitar could ask more he was blinded by Harry's smile when he twisted to face him. "So, this is surfing?"
Savitar didn't know what to do. Continue questioning Harry or start correcting him on surfing.
The surfing won out.
"No." He grinned down at him, "I'll show you what surfing is all about. Kneel on the board."
He watched incredulously as Harry got on his hands and knees in front of him.
"Like this?" Harry asked, looking over his shoulder.
"That'll do." Savitar croaked out. He glanced upwards, praying for restraint before kneeling himself and starting to paddle.
The water under them was beginning to get just that little wilder, waves breaking and sending them dipping. Harry squeaked whenever this happened and clutched at the sides of the board.
Savitar grinned at him and looked behind. The wave he had been waiting for for the past week was coming up.
"Hang on. This is going to be awesome." He told Harry, grinning at him reassuringly when he glanced back with a hint of fear in his eyes. "Don't worry, I wont let you die. Just don't move."
And then suddenly he jumped up, expertly balancing the board with Harry's extra weight, and the wave was on top of them.
Harry let out a yell of shock when the board veered to the left but it quickly turned into awe when the wave curled up and over them. He gasped and leant back, his hands leaving their death grip, as he gazed up at the edge of the wave that they were just staying ahead of.
Savitar watched glanced down fondly and compensating when Harry shifted around and trailed his fingers in the wall of water, laughing as it sprayed out behind them.
Harry on the other hand was having the time of his life. Terror had quickly turned to delight as Savitar steered him safely through the passage. He turned around on his knees to see behind them, wrapping his arms around Savitar's waist and peeking around his hip as he watched the wave crash and churn just metres from the tail of their board.
Savitar jerked a little when he felt Harry wrap his arms around him, the board wobbling slightly. He glanced down to see what Harry was up to and only saw Harry, kneeling between his legs, wrapped around his waist staring up at him with joy sparkling in his eyes. His brain died.
"Fuck!" He cursed as he lost concentration, the nose jerking into the wave and sending it flying into the air. He barely had time to grab Harry's wrist before the wave crashed down on them, sending them spinning deep into the water.
He could feel Harry tense and flail but didn't let go. Instead he wrapped his arms tighter around him and kicked his legs, dragging him up to the surface.
They broke through, spluttering and coughing. Harry was clinging tightly to him, trying to rub the salt water out of his eyes. Savitar kept them both afloat and glanced around them for his board. He spotted it a few metres away floating serenely in the calming waters.
Kicking his legs he half swam half dragged Harry through the water. When he got to his board he lifted Harry until he was sitting on it.
Harry finished coughing and wiped his face, taking in a gulp of air. He stared down at Savitar looking rather startled. Then a huge grin broke across his face.
"That. Was awesome."
The smiled finally did Savitar in. Placing his hands either side of Harry he lifted himself out of the water.
"Were we supposed to do that thou-" He broke off with a squeak when the board sunk a little and turned to ask Savitar what he was playing at when he was thoroughly distracted by firm lips crushing against his own.
He moaned and threaded his fingers through Savitar's hair as he kissed back, parting his lips when he felt Savitar demand he do so.
Their tongues slid against one another as Savitar pressed harder against him. Harry, his eyes closed as they desperately kissed, was fully unprepared when his centre of gravity suddenly shifted and he was sent toppling backwards and into the water again.
Savitar cursed as Harry's mouth was wrenched away from him and ducked underneath the board, grabbing Harry and dragging him up again.
As soon as Harry's head breached the surface he started to kiss Savitar once again, wrapping his legs around Savitar's waist so they wouldn't get tangled.
Savitar groaned, one arm on his board, the other hand latched in Harry's hair, tilting his head until it was at just the right angle. He groaned when he felt Harry press against him, but needed to be closer. He needed…
With barely a thought they were back on the island, Harry letting out an 'oof' as his back hit the sand. Savitar was quick to catch it with him mouth though and pressed his body down against the man underneath him, feeling very smug when Harry groaned and arched into him.
Then higher brain function left and all he could concentrate on was skin and hands and lips and tongue and the green, green of Harry's eyes as he stared at him lazily and the moans and little noises they both made. His hand quickly found the burn on Harry's thigh and he spent who knows how long tracing every inch of it, delighting when Harry pressed closer, tugging the zip on the back of his wetsuit and pushing it down until it pooled at his waist, running his hands across his chest and back.
A cold breeze blew across his back and Savitar jerked a little at the sensation, pushing himself up on his elbows above Harry. He was a little startled to find it was night out but was distracted when Harry tugged at his hair, trying to bring him back down.
"Please," Harry begged, "please…"
And with the way Harry arched into him, the moonlight glinted in his eyes, turning them from emeralds into molten silver, Savitar realised that Ash was right. He wanted to keep Harry here, with him, forever. But Harry had family. Harry would want to go home to them. Harry would leave him and he wouldn't follow. Harry should be doing this with someone he had a future with, not with a millennia old immortal who was tired of life.
He had never been so clearheaded in his life. Harry needed someone better.
That was why, instead of leaning back down and transporting them back to Harry's room, he brushed back the hair that was sticking to Harry's forehead and stared him straight in the eye and told him, "You need to go home. Now."