(part 2 to Oceanic Fear as requested by Monokumafan226 )

A calm boat ride was all it was supposed to be. Something to ease their nerves and a wonderful chance for a date. See the beautiful scenery on a clear day. Perfect setup. Until it wasn't.

Jakey pushed off and rowed the boat from the camp's dock, heading out into the ocean. Bryan sat at the front, leaning over the side with his hand gently grazing the water, letting it flow over his knuckles like a river bank.

"Be careful," Jakey warned. "I don't want you to fall out. These boats haven't been repaired in a while, I don't really trust them."

"Me neither, but I trust you." Bryan smiled and Jakey's face turned red. He chuckled and went back to looking into the water's depths. As they paddled out further, it grew darker and more dismal. The lovely underwater greenery and multicolored coral was no longer in sight so Bryan focused on the other beautiful water creature.

"So Jakey, what were you up to all day?" Bryan asked, tilting his head to gaze at his boyfriend.

Jakey hummed in thought and set the paddles in the oarlocks. "I mostly helped Mitch gather coral and flora for a bouquet. He's usually so easy going but he was really picky about what we used."

Bryan smirked. "Bouquet, you say? Who for?"

"Marshie. *He wanted to give her a gift for their date later. You should've seen him, he was so nervous. I rarely see him like that these days, surprisingly."

"Aw fish boy's got a girlfriend!" Bryan sighed dreamily. "So much love in the campus lately, it warms my heart. Bri will be sad she missed so much of it."

"Speaking of Bri, have you heard anything from her recently?"

Bryan opened his mouth to answer, only to be cut off by a loud crack somewhere off. He froze, arms locking up, and Jakey's forehead creased in concern. "What's-"

Another crack sounded, this time right above them. They both snapped their heads up in time to see dark clouds rush in, swirling ominously in the sky. The calm blue sky disappeared, replaced by a foreboding storm that chilled Bryan down to the core.

Noting his boyfriend's unease, Jakey took up the oars and started to turn them around back the way they came. "We should get back to camp. We can continue our date there."

"Inside," Bryan said breathlessly.

Jakey nodded. "Inside." He rowed the boat towards land and Bryan rested himself onto the floor, focusing on the mythodic sounds of the oars swishing in and out of the water. Light but urgent churning that mixed in unsettling well with the incoming infantile thunders of the storm.

CRACK!

The boat rocked and Jakey slammed down on the oars, peering over the sides. He narrowed his eyes and looked over at Bryan with confusion. Thunder boomed above them and the boat rocked again. They both braced their hands against the sides in feeble attempts to keep it steady.

Bryan pressed the palms of his hands as hard as he could against the wood until his arms were shaking and his elbows threatened to give in. Senses numbing until all he felt was the scratched wood, splintered in places and close to completely breaking apart. He could hear voices yelling, dull and quiet under the thunder crashing like cymbals in his ears, drumming into his head with too fast of a beat.

"-ok out!"

Bryan felt something ram into the side of their boat, rocking it furiously to one side. Before either of them could react, the boat overturned and dumped them both into the freezing ocean.

Bryan's movements quickly slowed to a heart racing pace. The water swallowed over Bryan's head in a quick tide and he desperately grappled for anything solid, forcing his limbs to move faster than thup ey could in the suffocating water. His hand hit the boat and he clung to it, yanking himself just enough to gulp air.

He coughed on the water lodged in his throat, searing with salt. "Jakey! Jakey, are you okay?!"

Jakey popped out of the water next to him, also soaked but completely fine. The water clung to the blue in his hair, freezing into tiny icicles. "I'm- I'm okay. I can still breathe underwater just fine."

Wide-eyed and panting out of breath, they watched silently as the sky lit up purple. A beautiful color not unlike irises, spread out in a field high above them. Lightning struck across the sky, cutting through the field, hitting an unknown force and barreled down towards the ocean surface.

Arms wrapped around him and pulled him under the water just as the two collided. Bryan shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable pulsing pain he was all too familiar with. But instead came the relief of air. He peeked open an eye hesitantly. Surrounding him was a bubble of, thankfully, air. He could see sharp sparks dancing across the outside as the storm continued.

He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and the arms still holding him relaxed. "Are you okay?" Bryan twisted his head around to see Jakey staring down at him, concerned. He sighed, relieved, then immediately coughed on the water still in his throat blocking his attempts to be relieved.

Jakey's face scrunched up and moved him to sit down in the bubble. "I'm going to take that as a no. I wish Austin was here for once."

Bryan nodded, rubbing his now strained neck. "What happened?" he asked, his voice quiet and weak.

Jakey pointed up. Bryan followed his finger and squinted through the dark, murky water. He could just barely make out their overturned boat where a figure sat on top, their hands outstretched towards them.

"Who's that?"

"Mitch. When the storm started, his dolphins were freaking out, that's what hit our boat. He made the air bubble to keep us out of the lightning's way and I pulled you inside. Sorry if I scared you by doing that, by the way. I didn't know if you could hear me."

"It's okay. I couldn't hear much of anything besides the storm." With his throat finally clearing up, Bryan leaned back against Jakey, suddenly more tired than ever. "How long do we have to stay down here? Not that I'm complaining about a handsome boy saving me and being stuck in a personal air bubble with him."

Jakey giggled and waved up at his brother. Then placed a hand on the bubble next to them and a layer of ice grew out on the outside under his palm. The ice spread out and climbed around them, sounds of small crinkles as it overtook the bubble.

As it reached the top, they were left in a frost ball, white and etched with blue haphazardly done designs. Something fell from the ceiling and Bryan reached out his hand to catch it. A tiny snowflake. Jakey had put them in a snow globe.

Bryan laughed. "And you call me dramatic."

"It's not dramatic, it's..."

"Excessive then."

Jakey slightly pouted but laughed with him. "Sure, let's go with that. But now we can stay in here and wait out the storm without any fear."

Bryan's heart skipped a beat and he curled into Jakey's arms. "Thank you, love."

He felt a hand cart through his hair and smiled. "Of course, Bryan"

(*reference to "A Lovesick Fish and A Seasick Bird" by CrystalWyvern03, something I recommend you all read!)