Janus's POV:

I was swimming, the salty water crashing over me as I pushed against the tide. I dove underneath the spray only to look up at the view over my head. Sunlight entered the waves, spilling into thousands of beams, lighting up the floor. The light washed over my body, becoming more fragmented as the current went. 

Shells littered the floor, pink and green, bright yellow and toned silver. I stopped, reaching down to grab a shell and lifting it up to the scattered light. It was, as far as I could tell, a shade of mauve with cream streaks flickering across the surface. 

Remus sank under the water, meeting me and giving me a quick wave before looking at what was in my hand. He smiled and continued to swim, motioning for me to follow him, which I quickly did. 

I had always enjoyed swimming, the feel of being in the water.  In the ocean, I felt like a dolphin, gliding sleekly along under the waves, angling myself to fit in the currents or avoid the larger rocks. Swimming through crevices, finding my way around obstacles. I was light and free, not bound by gravity anymore. 

After about a minute more of swimming, I finally came up for air, gasping breathlessly. 

We had swum far, far out. A cliff face now loomed high over the water, vines and moss hanging haphazardly off the ledges. The trees, edged with the famous pink blossoms of Orchid Beach, were slanted, roots buried deep in the dark soil. 

I coughed, treading water and trying to push my shoulder-length hair out of my face. Remus emerged a second later, an amused expression on his face. 

"You alright, hydra?" he asked, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my hear. I nodded and coughed once more. He laughed. "You're so short, you can't stand," he teased. 

I glared at him. "Don't rub it in," I muttered. "How can you stand? The water's like six fucking feet deep!" 

Remus stuck his tongue out playfully. "To be honest, I can barely stand," he admitted. "But you're still shorter. Anyway, we're almost there."

Growling, I pushed him away and dove back under, turning over in the spray to look at him. He smiled at me, then entered the water, swimming in front of me and pointing to a small cave entrance, nearly hidden by seaweed and algae. 

Curious now, I quickly swam along into the dark space. Luckily, there was air at the top, so I could stick my head out and breathe. 

It was larger than the entrance, and darker, nearly pitch black. I reached my hands out, feeling for rocks. Once my eyes adjusted, I could see fluorescent mushrooms, fungi, and all sorts of insects on the ceiling. A small, white bird flew over my head and out of the cave, cawing loudly. 

"Oh, wow," I breathed, paddling along and drinking it all in. Small fireflies flashed along the sides of the walls, landing on the dark moss and weeds that grew in the sandy rocks around the water. "Is this an underground river now?"

Remus popped up next to me, making me shriek. He laughed and grabbed my hand. "Yup. Hey, it's kind of deep here, you want some help?"

I looked at him with skepticism. "Thanks darling, but I think I'll be fine."

He grinned. " I want to pick up some of the insects! Can I, snapdragon, can I please?"

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "No. God, I'm like 75% of your damn impulse control." Glancing around, I saw a pretty rock. Lying on an outcropping of dirt, and surrounded by soft moss, it was small and pockmarked, the dark grey melting into a more reddish-brown. 

Somehow, I knew Remus would like it. It seemed like something he would take from a beach, or find it sitting next to a park bench. I picked it up and gave it to him, feeling the weight in my hand. "Here, love. Have this instead of the bugs."

He gasped. "Oh! It's beautiful! Thanks, Jan." He tilted his head, tracing the small markings engraved into the granite. When he looked up, his eyes were filled with happiness, which made me smile too. "I love you."

It was my turn to laugh. "I love you too."

---

Me and Virgil were walking around the sunlit-filled trees. There was a small, winding dirt path that led on and on into the trees, occasionally spotted with rocks and small plants. We jumped over fallen trees and tripped on small rocks poking out from the ground. 

"Hey, I found a worm," Virgil pointed out, motioning to a wriggling pink blob laying on the ground. I bent down, reaching over and grabbing a stick to poke it with. 

I giggled when, after being gently touched, it flipped over in panicked distress. "I barely poked it!" I laughed, prompting Virgil to roll his eyes. 

He crossed his arms. "Exactly what I say every time to you, and yet."

"That's different!" I argued. "Your punches hurt." I rubbed my shoulder, a reminder of when I had accidentally startled Virgil and gotten a blow right to the muscle. 

We resumed walking, each pointing out the more interesting things. A hole in a tree, a red squirrel, a strangely green-and-white bird. 

Some way in, we found a large tree with branches stretching out from the trunk, offering shelter for us to sit and talk. 

I smiled at my boyfriend. "It's peaceful," I commented, letting my head drop back and gaze at the sky above. 

He nodded in agreement, silence filling the space between us. It was nice, watching the branches sway so high above us, dancing to the beat of the rustling leaves and chirps of the forest. 

I placed my hand over his and put it against the old bark of the tree, tracing the old lines and scratch marks. Virgil sighed, leaning back and smiling quietly. 

Tranquil, silent, and still. Neither of us made a sound, too afraid to disturb the fragile quiet echoing around this golden forest. Fingers intertwined, shoulders touching, and hearts connected. We stayed like that for a while. 

Minutes? Hours? How long I didn't know, it could have been days and I wouldn't have cared. This was perfect, watching Virgil's deep, soft grey eyes looking around this forest path, then glancing back at me and smiling. 

It was beautiful, the glass bubble we were encased in, blocking any sound out other than that of our own breathing. I bent closer and pressed a kiss to his lips, then drew back and gave his hand a squeeze. 

"I love you so much," I murmured, grinning like an idiot. "It's impossible to love someone this much."

He sighed and leaned back, landing with a soft plop in my arms. "And yet here we are," he replied. "Three years into a relationship, and it's going so well. At first, I was so nervous, you know," he remembered. 

I chuckled. "Yeah."

Gazing up at the sky, we let everything else go, just watching the branches sway slowly in the gentle breeze.