Vinndalli raced through the waters, making her way deeper to where her pod made their home. With the sun beginning to set on the surface, the mer were beginning to rise and start their day. Everyone was still adjusting to the swapped sleep schedule, but had agreed it was safer this way. Vinndalli hated it, but she could not ask her pod to put themselves in danger for her personal opinions.

Hunting parties were beginning to form and even those who were not joining them had begun to spill from the cavern entrance. One mer in particular caught her attention and she called out as she swam closer. The mer in question had tanned brown-gray skin and obsidian hair that plumed around his head as he turned to face her. His face and front were bone white, and the tips of his tailfin and two dorsals were as dark as squid ink.

A bright smile spread across his face and he opened his arms wide just in time for her to crash into him. “There you are, Vinn,” he greeted. He hugged her and his hands settled just above the short dorsal ridge on her back.

His touch sent warmth racing through her body and she hummed as she leaned into his embrace. “Good morning, Scgeaer.” She pressed her lips against his and hummed as he pulled her closer.

“Trouble sleeping?” he inquired when they broke apart.

Vinndalli shrugged. She did not care for the flipped cycle and often found herself awake at odd times. But even as a child, she had often kept odd cycles and slept less than she should. “I got bored in the quiet, so I went for a swim,” she admitted.

“I figured that might have been the case when you were not there when I woke up.”

“Sorry.”

“So where did you wander off to?”

Vinndalli smiled and leaned against him. “The shallows.”

Scgeaer chuckled. “Very funny, Vinn. Now where were you really?”

Vinndalli met his gaze evenly. “The shallows,” she reiterated. “I did not jest.”

At first, Scgeaer seemed to want to laugh it off, but Vinndalli watched the mirth melt away as fear overtook his expression and he gripped her shoulders. “Vinndalli, have you lost your mind?! That was incredibly dangerous. Especially during the surface daylight.”

“That is the best time to go.”

“Vinn…what if you had been attacked? You could have been killed!”

Vinn pursed her lips. She doubted it. She was not completely stupid. But she also did not fear the outcome if it caught up with her. “So be it.”

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She knew instantly that it was the wrong thing to say and did not come off how she had meant it, because Scgeaer’s expression fell and he cupped her cheek. “Vinn…I do not want anything to happen to you. Please promise me you will not go back. What becomes of us if you are hurt or killed?”

Vinndalli sighed and she cupped Scgeaer’s face in both hands. She leaned in and pressed a few gentle kisses to his lips and cheeks. “Scgeaer, I love you. You know that I love you. We are like the vents at the bottom of the sea; warm and unending and a little chaotic. I promise, I am not seeking to throw my life away. I spoke poorly earlier.”

“However…?”

He knew her too well. “I have lived a long time, Scgeaer. Most of that time has been spent in the shadows. However long or short the remainder of my existence turns out to be, I will spend the rest of it in the sunlight.”

His arms tightened around her, just a little, and there was a warble in his tone. “I cannot talk you out of it?”

“No,” Vinn affirmed. “But I do promise to exercise caution. I will not ask you to come along, although you are more than welcome, but I know you are more comfortable in the deep.”

“I will not expect to understand what it means to you. I was born after our pod left the area, so it is hard for me to miss something I have never known. It is important to you, so I support you. But I do not think it is safe, so please promise me you will be cautious.”

Scgeaer was rubbing the top of Vinn’s dorsal ridge as he hugged her, and Vinn melted against him with a hum. “I promise,” she reassured him.

“You have been up all night.”

Vinn chuckled and shook her head. “No, Scgeaer, I have been up all day!”

Her comment earned her a nuzzle, and Vinndalli hummed. “Regardless,” Scgeaer laughed. “We should get you to a nest.”

Vinndalli wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “What? No. I have no desire to laze.” She was still buzzing with the energy from her adventure and spending time with her love always filled her with vigour. “How about we go hunting, instead? We can join a party or go just the two of us.”

“Vinn, you need to get some rest,” Scgeaer protested.

Vindalli scoffed. She pushed away from him to quirk a brow and place her hands on her hips. “Have I suddenly started looking frail since yesterday?” she taunted.

“Of course not!”

Vinndalli hummed and leaned back in to press her lips to his cheek. “I promise I will rest later,” she assured him. “For now, I have too much energy and I want to spend some time with you.”

Scgeaer’s face brightened and he took her hand. He squeezed her fingers and Vinn purred softly. She and Scgeaer had been together for just shy of ninety cycles. They had no children – he was not keen on being a father and Vinn refused to bring offspring into a world where they could not enjoy the reefs and sunlight she had grown up with – but their passion had never faded over time and he was one of few things in Vinndalli’s life that still sparked so much fresh joy and sense of adventure, and she cherished the way he made her feel, even if he did fret just a little too much at times.

She followed him into their cavernous home to collect a hunting spear and then wriggled with excitement. With a surge of extra energy, she twisted onto her back and stuck her tongue out at Scgeaer. “Race you to the hunting waters,” she teased before taking off. She could feel Scgeaer right on her tail and hear him chuckling, and she hollered with delight as they raced through the depths as if there were an apex on their tail.