Janus zooped across the countryside fast, faster, scanning around for Oannes, his friend, his Choirmate. He knew Oannes was around here somewhere, though 'somewhere' was about the size of the entire ocean right now. At least there was only one of 'em so far, really - there were plans to get the continent breaking up and moving, but nothing was happening there yet.

He ended up finding Oannes by a beach near the equator, in Vessel and swimming underwater as if he had gills. And he might. Who knew?

Janus dropped into Vessel and hung in the air for the brief, brief moment before gravity caught on, then plummeted, splashing into the still waters and causing an expanding ripple as he disappeared below the surface of the water. He grabbed Oannes' legs and rolled with him until Oannes broke surface, cursing at him but laughing, splashing back. "You-!"

"Me!" Janus agreed, grinning at him from up close, grabbing his shoulders before Oannes could back off. He threw his heavier mass forward and forced Oannes underwater again, holding him there until a fist to his stomach told him that enough was enough.

Coughing, he released Oannes' shoulders, grinning fit to burst. "I'm sorry," he said, not particularly apologetic, as Oannes coughed and scowled. Janus didn't believe it, not with the hint of a smile he could see on the other angel's face.

"Oh, well, I forgive - "

He was ready for the counterattack when it came, Oannes twisting, legs coming up to catch Janus' shoulders, shifting his weight forward as if the gravity of water was the most natural thing in the world to him. Janus inhaled a mouthful of water, despite his preparation, and reached up, grabbing Oannes and haul himself upwards.

He broke surface and coughed water, nose wrinkled. Oannes blinked twice at the look on Janus' face and cracked up, throwing his head back. Oannes' laughter was infectuous and set Janus off, spitting water, pressing close as he laughed.

Oannes treaded water for the both of them, smiling as Janus recovered. Still snickering, Janus hung off him, arms loose about his shoulders and feet kicking the water. "Oannes?"

"Yeah?"

"I have got to show you this thing I learned."

Oannes had always had an affinity for water, since he was sent down to work with it, and had learned little tricks, nothing big. Janus was much the same with air - he'd learned to make currents, small things, and it was only recently that he'd figured out some other uses.

With a skeptical look, Oannes gestured to him, a go ahead sign, then treaded water, one eyebrow still raised. "Go on, then."

Janus pushed off and treaded water himself, drawing in a lungful of air, then ducked so that his mouth was level with the water - and blew, starting up a current that grew stronger as his stomach clenched, whipped the waves around them into a frenzy. He had five foot waves now; he was sure that given some time to practice he could get them six, seven times that height. He drew in another breath of air and turned to grin at Oannes.

His grin widened when he saw that Oannes' eyes were glazed and his mouth had dropped open. "Neat, huh?"

Oannes' mouth worked and Janus laughed out loud as Oannes tried to find words. Finally, the other angel said, "...do that again."

Preening slightly, Janus did. He pushed himself further, got ten feet - no, over, he was sure it was more - on the next waves, and watched it stir the ocean up as far as it could see.

"I can feel it," Oannes said, and he was breathless for the first time Janus could remember. "I can - You have to teach me how to do that. I've been trying to get the waters in motion..."

"It... We have to get a pattern for the air currents, I think," Janus said. "Set 'em up. I've been working on it, think I can keep it going in this atmosphere. It'll take some work and Essence to make it perminant, but once I get a pattern of currents going... I think once we get regular BIG waves moving too, they'll help keep the air currents moving..."

Oannes exhaled and swam closer. "Breathe into me," he demanded. "Let me feel what you're doing there."

Janus took a small breath and then exhaled, leaning close to Oannes, gentle, not wanting to hurt Oannes, not sure yet how much damage he could do with this. The waves stirred around them, lapping against their chests, while larger ones crashed further out, still moving from earlier.

"More," Oannes said, seizing Janus' shoulders, pressing their lips together.

He mmphed in surprise, then forced the air out like that again, tentative, worried, and then - a wet heat joined the mix of air, Oannes' mouth the temperature of the water around them, and it was - right. Yes. This is what they needed. Right. Oannes' tongue stirred the air in his mouth and he met it with his own.

In the distance, waves grew higher, mountains in motion.

Oannes' arms wrapped around him, tight, their lips pressed together, mouth hot, wet, body pressing against Janus tighter when the waves swelled, less when they flowed away, swayed by their motion. This was - right. The meeting of bodies, the meeting of air and water. Janus made a sound into Oannes' mouth - a sound he didn't even recognize. A sound he'd never made before, something primal, thick with need, his hands clenching on Oannes' sides.

He gasped as Oannes' legs tangled with his, tying them together. He couldn't tread water well, but either his air or Oannes' water was obliging and they floated, mostly, rolling together as Oannes weight shifted, as he himself moved to pull Oannes closer to him, mouth working at Oannes' mouth.

The movement of body on body like - like something. Waves? He couldn't tell. He could feel the air mixing in the water, feel potentiality for life (life in the water!) being born, feel it being surrounded and taken into its depths, feel Oannes' response to that in the hardness that pressed against his stomach. Like this? he wondered. And touched.

Yes. Like that.

A storm at sea. They rolled together in the middle of towering black waves that should rightly have dashed their Vessels apart but somehow - did not, their bodies moving together, pressed against one another, rubbing and teasing, drawing reactions - out, yes, pulling noises of need and want and joy from each other with a movement here, and brush of a hand there, a mouth - ah, ah, here.

They could not see the land; the waves too high, water and sky the only things they could see if they were looking. They were not. Janus showered kisses over Oannes' face, eyes and cheeks and chin and nose and - ah, mouth again. He felt - like he was outside sense, reason, but God, he asked silently, Oannes' body rocking against his, legs tangled, taking a mouthful of sea water as he next gasped for air, God, who needs reason?

Oannes made a noise, muted and stuttery, into his shoulder, hips jerking, a quick splash of heat before the waves washed it away. Yes, Janus thought. Yes, right, this is right. Right. God-

Heat, sudden burn, but good, better - he threw his head back and wailed, always had been less controlled than Oannes, than - yes. The wind played with his hair, tossed it around his face, cooled the water on his back and just - just - yes.

Oannes was watching him with eyes that had gone as black as the towering waves around them. After a moment, he smiled and pulled Janus closer again, legs kicking the water slowly.

The ocean moved, the waters active now - Janus tasted the winds and felt like this wasn't going to change. Never was going to change.

"I think," Oannes said, testing the words carefully, "That we - found something important." He made a gesture, lost in the next wave which crashed down, shifting them further out but not hurting. Somehow immune. "Something very-"

"I know," Janus said. He rested his chin on Oannes' shoulder and grinned, tilting his face to watch the clouds move, the wind and water in concert. "I know we did."