Part Thirteen

As Oren approached the portal, he seemed more finicky than ever. His eyebrows were creased and he shrunk back as if intimidated by it. "Are you okay? Wanna wait for a while?" Clayton asked, raising a hand so he could gently brush the side of Oren's arm. The elf shot him a glance and seemed solidify.

"No. Let's go.." He grasped Clayton's wrist and inhaled, holding a bubble of air as he dived in, dragging Clayton into it as he entered.

»»--------««

As Clayton opened his eyes, he found himself to be sitting in the sand, fat-bellied silver fish swimming in schools around the human. He reached up to feel his hair, only to feel it rise up with the current. It was wet and felt soft as he looked around.

The ocean floor was uneven and jagged, speckled with caves and mile-deep trenches. Light brown, short alien plants swayed at the bottom as rocks and pebbles jutted up from beneath the golden sand.

Next to him sat a large temple, the chipped coral-colored bricks uneven and some fallen to the sandy ground. The temple looked ancient, hence the worn structure and sand that built up around it. Tall, slim windows were scattered across the walls in a random pattern, now conquered by sea plant and unnatural amounts of moss growing through the spaces.

Though, what interested Clayton was the fact that various gems surrounded the building, some ruby and small, some teal and large. Others were a mixture of sunflower yellows, leaf greens and icy blues.

A whimper fanned out from Clayton's left, causing him to snap his head towards the sound. He finally saw Oren, who looked extremely confused and moreover terrified. The poor thing looked too petrified to move, bare feet dug into the sand as he eyed fish that swam by to inspect him.

"Clayton," he called with wide, frantic eyes, "I don't know what to do." A tiny translucent fish flickered curiously at his hand, then darted away again when Oren flicked a finger at it. "I forgot to tell you," he started, looking up to Clayton as his face scrunched up in shame, "I don't know how to swim either."

With a roll of his eyes, Clayton pushed off of the ground and swam towards the elf, shooing away any fish that dared to get close. As he approached, his irritation withered as he took heed of where they were.

"We're in another fucking dimension, Oren. Look up! There's literally no surface up there. Just more.. and more and more water!" Clayton gave the elf a grin and kicked the ground, stirring up a cloud of sand as he did so.

"Clayton... N-No, I'm scared. I can't-?" Oren was immediately cut short by his own silence as the human slowly grew near. So close. They were so close. They were mere centimeters from brushing. Oren flushed green as he met the other's strangely valiant eyes. Oren felt himself relax.

"I'm right here, so why are you doubting this? Remember the thunder night, you slept next to me and fell asleep instantly." the blond grinned smugly as he brought up the event, moving his hand to Oren's and squeezing it tightly. "C'mon, let's explore this place."

Oren soon let loose and clung to the human's bicep as they swam. They came to thoroughly investigating the temple, meeting alien bioluminescent fish along the way. One species was long and frail with six fins layered at the sides, and despite the body, the jaw was strong and large teeth were angled. The eyes were an opaque white as they bugged from the violet serpent's head.

Oren squeezed Clayton's arm when he was led forward. His eyes were pulled to a glowing gem that was buried into the ground, half of it's structure barren of its shine.

Unknowing, Clayton continued forward as the elf slowly let go of his arm. The blond turned around, pausing. Oren knelt onto the hard brick floor of the temple, digging out the crystal with his nails as the gem pulled from the crevice it was lodged in.

"I think this is.. I think this was done deliberately." Oren looked up to the human and left the gem aside as he peered into the hole it concealed. There was nothing there... Surely there's more to it, right? Clayton shrugged it off and slipped through a window, waving for Oren to follow.

Hesitant, the elf trailed after him. There was something fishy about this place... Almost as if it were abandoned in the middle of production. Despite the weird vibe this place gave him, Oren seemed to distract himself with the beautifully shimmering gems that revolved round this twisty labyrinth of a temple.

»»---------««

As they each exited the portal one by one, Clayton staggered to the ground first, his form drier than a desert, which was surprising since he was just surrounded in water a minute ago.

He groaned, hoisting himself up on his elbow when a heavy mass plummeted on top of him with a shriek. Oren, left dizzy from the portal's deadly grip, peeked an eye open to see a baffled Clayton laying flat below him.

Had Oren not stumbled out of the portal and landed on top of him, the atmosphere around them wouldn't be so tense. He quickly lifted a knee and swung it over Clayton's waist, removing himself from the awkward position. "S-Sorry." he muttered, hand lazily brushing over something rock solid in the human's pocket. He stilled, and Clayton quickly shuffled away with a scoff.

"It's fine, really-- just-just get off me." Clayton softly nudged Oren aside with his foot as he adjusted his clothing. His face was an embarrassing shade of scarlet and his ears weren't an exception either. The elf removed his hand from Clayton's hip, giving his hand an odd stare before glancing back to Clayton.

"What was that?"

"What?" Clayton replied quickly.

"There was something hard in your pants." Oren bluntly remarked, making Clayton's face even redder if that was possible.

"Oh my God that sounds so bad. No, no it's not that, idiot." Clayton quickly dug through his pants' pocket and fished out a bright emerald gem that he'd picked up earlier. Oren went rigid, eyes now fixated on the glisten of the rock in the dull light.

"What..?" Oren asked breathlessly, his entire being flushing with joy as the human placed it into his palm. The edges were angled, almost as if it were carved by a person. It was smooth and its core held a bright light that could be kept kindled for ages. His fingers curled around it evenly, giving him a sense of sincerity as he held it.

"You think I didn't see you look at these, like, every five seconds? I knew that you wanted one, so..." Clayton drifted off with a mumble. Oren took the beat of silence to bolt forward, hugging the other happily. Clayton huffed out a chuckle and slowly returned the hug.

"Thank you."

_____

Thanks for reading Part Thirteen!

I had to end it abruptly. Sorry. :)