Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You cannot be serious about that price?”

“Take it or leave it,” the bug-eyed man said, already seemingly disinterested in Jayce’s answer.

The fisherman muttered under his breath - unless Jayce wants to sail the Mercury Hammer without frontal shrouds, he would have to take it. He knew he was being ripped off, but the only other alternative far and wide was Piltover – and he couldn’t exactly buy the (more or less) same shrouds but with lengthier price tag at the moment. This would have to do. Bargaining here was over before it even began.

As if hearing his thoughts, the man responded with his heavy accent, “I make a fair price for you, you can sail elsewhere, if you like a better deal, topsider.”

Jayce sighed in defeat and pulled out his wallet.

- - -

“Mom, look!” Jayce pointed into the eddying waters.

“That must be a marai or even a mermaid! How lucky are we to witness this!” his mother said excitedly, shielding her eyes against the beating sun to see better.

Jayce watched the surface break, the creature flapping its tail like a promise before disappearing into the sea again. The water glittered like an expensive gown, smearing blinding whiteness for few simple moments.

It was truly stunning sight – one that Jayce guessed he would never get enough of. The work on the sea was sometimes demanding, it left you exhausted and bone-weary many days, but the sights alone were worth it.

- - -

Storms happened often during wintertime and Jayce had long grown accustomed to them. The sea was dark at night - blackness swallowing all sense of place, disorienting and terrifying, except for now - for split moments where everything was illuminated by a thunderbolt before it all faded once again into impossible darkness.

Jayce ran out on the deck, immediately trying to secure the port.

His vision blurred as unyielding, cold rain poured onto the ship, making the wood slippery and treacherous to walk on. His mother yelled over the chaotic sounds, instructing him on how to secure the deck.

They were very far out west, only two of them against the raging waters, and the waves were getting ominously bigger.

On that night, Jayce learned that while sea is full of beauty, it hides immense power and can spring it on you in hours, minutes or even seconds.

- - -

It had to be noted that the batches were getting worse each day, pushing the fishermen further into the sea, venturing out to find more. Jayce does not remember having to travel these distances, and he has rarely been so far from Piltover in his life. The bountiful times were over and the scarcity he remembered from his childhood was lost. He lamented on this often enough, missing more than just the old times that faded along with his memories. There used to be a time when being a fisherman was lucrative even. Those times were slipping through his fingers.

Jayce secured the frontal shrouds, setting aside the old, tattered ones to dispose of later. When they busted during yesterday’s evening, he was still out on the sea and started praying to Janna that he would make it to the port in one piece. Now, finally, after a lengthy installment, the ship was ready to sail.

Good forty minutes passed since he last saw a shore, which was a tell-tale sign to set up his fishing place. The cloudy day professed a mildly rainy afternoon, which was a relief after a week of constant sunshine. Jayce let out a heavy breath – it was mid-morning and he already started feeling roots of exhaustion take place. Thankfully, the fishing net was out, and he had some time to sit down and relax.

Jayce headed down to the cabin, shrugging off his work shirt. He poured hot water over a pinch of tea. He really hoped today’s hunt is going to be more abundant than the previous day’s.

Not even few sips in, he heard a loud dull thud right above the cabin, immediately startling his short peaceful moment.

Fuck.

That cannot be good. What part of the boat could have possibly fallen?

He slammed the cup down, inadvertently splashing the hot liquid on his hand and cursing under his breath. He ran up the stairs as fast as he could, hoping that there was no damage that he would have to pay for again. He prepared to quickly scan the perimeter for the culprit, ready to throw insults at inanimate objects when the words died down in his throat.

Jayce felt like his heart had stopped. He stood in one spot, bolted to the ground while his mind was processing what he was seeing. There, in front of him, lay on the now-wet deck a creature he only knew from fairytale books and the deepest recesses of his memories.

The moment dragged on as he held eye contact with the creature for few dramatic seconds - experiencing them as both infinity and an instant. The fish (- man?) watched him with huge eyes, clearly matching Jayce’s level of shock. He felt heart in his ribcage pump almost painfully, while black specks inconspicuously creeped into his vision. He could not faint right now when what he was witnessing was surely a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Not to mention that this creature would surely eat him if he were to pass out.

After blinking in quick succession, Jayce rowed his eyes slowly over the creature's form.

Its upper part could still be somewhat mistaken for a human one under different circumstances - as it had shoulder-length brownish hair with pale streaks, distinctly human face and long, lean arms. Even with that – Jayce immediately noticed that its eyes had very inhuman like quality about them and its skin gleamed strangely in the light.

The lower part, however, certainly had nothing human about it: shiny purple scales littered its tail, starting low on its narrow hips and lower abdomen and ending on the long, pronounced fish-like end.

There was no mistaking it. A merman had just landed (somehow) on his boat.

As soon as Jayce moved an inch – more shaking himself out of a stupor rather than any purposeful movement - the creature's whole body language shifted, moving into wary position, growling loudly and what previously could be mistaken for innocent, almost owlish eyes were now predatory golden slits, firmly set on the fisherman.

The shock quickly faded and was replaced by fear. The creature seemed ready to pounce on him, despite the considerate distance between the two of them. Jayce slowly raised his hands as if surrendering himself, while his body was starting to flow with adrenaline. His nape hair stood on end, as he realized that during all those years on the sea, he never encountered a moment where his hindbrain would scream at him quite like this.

He stood in front of a predator, with sharp teeth and strong body and sure – they are on land right now, but it probably would not take much hassle for the angry merman to drag him across the deck and into the deep dark waters. In Jayce’s peripheral vision, he saw the wooden wall where he knows he had his flare gun. He knew, however, that as soon as he would go and reach for it, the creature would jump on him. There was no question about who has the upper hand here – there is nobody else but them for miles and miles. Nobody will help him and there is a large carnivorous predator few scant feet across from him. He will probably die on the Mercury Hammer (how fitting, he thought to himself).

He watched the creature which still maintained its wild protective posture, when he noticed what he previously thought was a puddle of water. The merman was favouring his left hand, putting in in front of the right one which leaked what must have been – oh Janna – blood. Jayce didn't expect it to be red like human's and it made him almost flinch. The creature was hurt, he realized, and the puddle underneath it was not getting any smaller. He took a tentative step towards it, which made the creature screech, its whole body shaking with the force of it. Jayce took a step back, his ears ringing for a few painful moments, deciding that he has to help it – help him. Perhaps the merman might be also scared - terrified really - it encountered unfamiliar territory, out of the water, hurt and with a complete stranger. Jayce kept his eyes trained on the creature while slowly walking towards the supplies next to his hammock.

He reached for the first aid kit and showed it to the merman, who still emanated hostile sounds and gazes.

“See? This is for when you get hurt. It's not a weapon.” He said in calming voice that he would use for a child or the elderly, unsure if the creature understood the content of his words. Its gaze flicked between the man's face and the red box, unsure. The crazed look it had previously dissipated, now only cautious and tense, which – small victories, Jayce thought.

The fisherman lowered himself on the course wooden deck and set the box down, opening it slowly and gesturing for the merman to come closer, holding out his empty hand. He almost thought the creature would stay where it is, unwilling or too scared to move. However, after few long seconds, it did.

It shuffled towards Jayce, movements deliberate yet clearly showing its inexperience with movement without water around its body. As Jayce held eye contact, purposefully making himself seem as non-threatening as possible, he could not help but notice that apart from the unnatural irises that almost swallowed the scleras of the creature (he had to suppress a shudder at that), he had to admit – he understood what those old tales were about – the creature was undeniably handsome. Now that its face was not warred by fury and fear, he could see that it looked attractive, its features both delicate and yet strong. Not even in a way normal humans are, but in very distinctly otherworldly sense, where someone is so pretty it captures your gaze, and you cannot look away. If a man like this were to pass him on the street, he would look twice. Normal people do not look like this – celebrities in Piltover’s inner circles do. His stomach swooped at the enchanting combination of the inhuman wrongness of its look with its clearly human face. He glanced at its sharp protruding canines framed by pink lips and wondered if he was at a point in his life where he was lonely enough to fall into certain death for the promise of love like sailors did in those old stories.

As he felt blush creeping into his cheeks, he cleared his throat and snapped back into the present, ready to start solving problems at hand. The creature eyed him as he reached for its arm, startling only slightly as he found out the skin was cold, turning it around and surveying the extent of damage. As he looked at the torn skin, he instantly recognized its origin. He has seen scars and, unfortunately, also fresh wounds that looked exactly like this – it must have been a shark vastayan. The arm was torn in several places, slowly oozing scarlet. The merman still had his arm, though, which meant that he did not do what people usually do when sharks bite into them and did not try to tear out its limb out of the shark's grasp. If he did, he would surely lose entire part of his limb. He had to clean the wound and stitch it, otherwise there was still a chance that the merman would be limbless or worse – died from sepsis.

The creature growled menacingly, while Jayce had methodically cleaned the fresh wound. He finally considered it good enough after some dabbing. He looked up and saw that the creature had simmered down somewhat. Its pupils were huge and its expression on the verge of frowning, but it did not threaten the other man with any animal sounds anymore. Now came the stitching, and Jayce instantly felt bad – the worst part was unfortunately not over. He took out the necessary supplies and saw the merman's face wince.

“I know but it will not heal properly otherwise, you know? I will try to be as quick as possible,” he said, trying to compose himself and in effect calm the creature down, hoping it will not bite his head off for even trying to touch it with a needle. The merman seemed to understand, bracing itself for what's coming. Jayce tried to work quickly and efficiently, even as the merman whined and whimpered in pain at few occasions, glancing between its forearm and Jayce’s face, probably making sure he is not being hurt on purpose. Jayce felt massive relief as he cut the thread on the final stitch, quietly admitting to himself that the merman must have some remarkable pain tolerance, because he knows he himself would not survive this without at least several shots of whiskey in his bloodstream.

The creature was breathing harshly now, as Jayce noticed a strange movement on its neck - a skin that kept opening and closing on each side – no, not skin – gills, Jayce realized. If this were the only absurd moment of the day, he would probably think about how bizarre it looks. Locking his eyes again with the creature in front of him, he smiled, shaking off his unease as much as possible and put his hand on its shoulder with a level of cautiousness.

“Are you alright?” he tried to deflect some of the tension, rather than expecting the merman to answer. Instead, the merman looked at him with emotion that he did not really display until now. His eyes were still almost black but this time, the expression was not fearful one. His whole posture dropped significantly, and he looked alien, yes, but also—also very much vulnerable. As the creature slumped down, taking laboured breaths verging on wheezes, it grabbed Jayce’s wrist, holding him with its uninjured hand, squeezing him lightly.

Thank you, it probably meant, and Jayce gave a short acknowledging nod, unsure as how to proceed with the situation next. He watched as the creature sighed, its lashes fluttering, radiating exhaustion with every breath. Jayce got up and the creature’s head snapped up, exhaustion gone, once again wearing alert expression and Jayce could kick himself for the miscalculation.

“Please,” he began, “do not worry. I only want to help you back to the water.” He pointed at the sea. The merman’s eyes followed in the direction, before scowling. Jayce didn’t understand the reaction at first, and suddenly, in an instance of few seconds, the merman escaped from the boat with few strong flaps of his tail.

Huh, he thought endearingly, I guess he didn’t need my help with that.

As Jayce drank his tea, checked the fishing net, ate his sparse lunch, and put on his coat due to the cooling weather, he could not stop thinking about the experience, grinning all the while. There were even moments, where he questioned if it even happened or if he is simply so bored out here, all by himself, that his mind simply conjured up this scenario. But as he wiped the deck clean of the remnants of the creature’s blood, his thoughts swelled – he did not make it up, he actually helped a merman.

Chapter Text

Jayce laid in his hammock, eyes closed, soothed by the gentle waves. As he drifted in and out of consciousness, his dreams were blurring with reality.

Suddenly, he heard a splash and its intensity was different - it was much louder than the usual ones, snapping him out of any remnants of slumber.

He hastily pulled himself out of the hammock and looked around, his eye landing on a shiny object at the end of his boat. He walked to it as recognition seeped in. It was a large fish – a silver permit, dead and unmoving, yet fresh looking. Jayce’s sleep muddled mind was confused for a second – how did a large, pretty expensive type of fish appear on his wooden deck?

He realized, smile spreading across his face, that there could only be one answer – his friend from yesterday. He took it and went to conserve the fish in his cooler. He decided that he would not disrespect this gift by selling it, but instead, he would eat it by himself.

Jayce was elated. He couldn’t remember the last time he was gifted anything.

- - -

Jayce honestly thought that that would be the end of the story. He did something for the merman and the merman did something in return – one and done.

It was not the case.

The next day, Jayce found huge seashell. Then, several shiny rocks. The day after that, pieces of silverware. Jayce turned the cutlery over in his hand and studied it curiously. He noticed that all the gifts had something in common – they were all so shiny.

That couldn’t be a coincidence, right?

Jayce already had a nice set up on the shelf in the cabin – he proudly displayed the polished objects and this one would be added to the collection, but surely, surely – this many gifts was enough?! The act of helping the merman was a no brainer for him. Honestly, the opportunity to be this close to a creature of myths was enough of a reward, he didn’t need to be lavished with these things.

Perhaps it was a polite thing to do in their culture? The fisherman decided to head to a library tomorrow.

- - -

‘Much is not known about the functionalities of merfolk culture; however, some progress has been made towards understanding this unique species in recent years.’

Alright, get on with it, book.

‘Merfolk live by simple rules similar to early Runeterra’s cultures. Retribution (an eye for an eye) being one of them – a strike will be followed by a strike back. This also go for good deeds - merfolk will not leave kindness untouched.’

Hm. So that’s interesting.

- - -

The next day, Jayce took the nicest, juiciest looking fish from his net and placed it on the spot where his gifts usually (mysteriously) appeared during this time of day and waited in anticipation. He walked away quickly – he didn’t want to spoil this by spooking the other man.

When he returned from his cabin quarters, he saw that the fish was gone and, in its place, a big clam shell – shiny one, of course. Jayce couldn’t hold back the chuckle that escaped him.   

---

Jayce was reading his book on the hammock when he heard it – a spatter of water one second and in the next one – a pair of eyes watching him with unconcealed shock from the far end of his ship. Before he could process the scene, the merman threw himself back into the ocean. Jayce jumped up and ran to the edge of the boat, “Wait! Please, wait! I want to talk to you!” he sprinted but to no avail, as the creature had already vanished.

“You don’t… you don’t need to give me any more stuff,” he finished pointlessly. Then, he noticed the shiny crystal at his feet. Jayce picked it up and inspected the stone. He sighed, good-naturedly.

Another one to add to the shelf, I guess.

- - -

It was almost two weeks of these back-and-forths with the wild merman. The weather was getting warmer, and Jayce spend more and more time in the hammock outside – both wanting to get tanner and also kind-of sort-of hoping to cross paths with his unique friend. The cool spring breeze was gone and replaced completely by summers hot rays, making this wait pleasant.

He was once again dozing off when he heard noise. He blearily opened his eyes and was greeted with a figure in front of him – the merman was back on his deck.

Jayce sat up carefully, not wanting to scare him again.

“Hello, how are you, partner?” he said in a light tone, trying to calm his breathing. The other man lifted his arm, showing it to him and Jayce inspected it. The limb seemed completely healed, with pale scars and no traces of redness (Jayce mentally noted to read more about their physiology after this), only stark contrast created by the stitches.

Jayce nodded and guessed, “Do you want me to take them out?”

The merman poked into the stitches with his other hand, signaling that that’s probably the case.

Jayce took to work, reaching for his first aid kid in measured movements. As he slowly took out the stitches one by one, he marveled at the merman’s healing abilities. This was truly a wonder – the scars should be much more aggressive looking, but they seemed faint and pale, just like the rest of the creature’s skin. Jayce absentmindedly started rubbing the other man’s wrist, half thinking about how different people’s lives would be with this healing speed, half wanting to soothe the merman’s nerves after what was very make-do medical procedure. He looked at the other man’s face to gouge his reaction. The merman seemed to watch him with full focus now and his eyes weren’t wide like the previous days, rather they were half-lidded, framed by dark lashes. His pupils were large again and Jayce’s heart picked up again as he froze, hoping that after all of what they had been through, the merman will not decide to suddenly kill him.

Jayce kept still, anticipating a fight, his breath shallow. Please, I thought we were becoming friends, he wanted to say, but remained silent, the words stuck in his throat.

The merman smirked and leaned in, and Jayce was suddenly very aware of the sharp canines in the creature’s mouth that protruded now, of the talon-like fingers resting beside his legs and of the long, wagging muscled tail as he contemplated his final moments.

However, the creature didn’t attack, in fact it did something even more shocking – it moved its cheeks against Jayce’s vulnerable neck. The fisherman could only sit, unmoving, as he tried to catch up to the turn of events.

There was no mistaking the gentle and insistent movements-

Is he… is he nuzzling me?! Jayce thought in a crazed moment.

After a while, it stopped and moved back, smiling shyly and Jayce was entranced, mouth agape.

Before he could ask any questions such as “What had just happened?”, the merman once again ran away into the waves.

Jayce sat there, contemplating his next move. Fondness filled him again, as he choked out chuckle. So they were friends after all!

- - -

It wasn’t until later when the fisherman laid in his bed by a bedside lamp, reading more from the encyclopaedical book, did he finally make sense of the merman’s actions.

‘Merfolk show interest and attraction through series of courting rituals, which can be repeated or done in any succession. The purpose of repeating the rituals is to establish mateship with preferred candidate. These rituals can include:

-sharing food

-sharing other gifts, especially ones with glossy qualities

-physical affection (such as twirling into each other’s tails or other touches)

-scenting (usually on the neck or wrists, displayed by rubbing the aforementioned areas)’

Jayce eyes widened but he read on.

‘Unlike many other species, where one party would put in effort into ‘wooing’ the candidate, merfolk are equal in participating in the rituals, in the sense that both of the parties will reciprocate them (assuming both of the candidates are interested in consuming the mateship).’

Uh oh.

- - -

Jayce didn’t have enough air in his lungs.

He blinked quickly, but it was pointless – there was nothing to see in the dismal black of the sea in the middle of the night. He wanted to call out for him mom.

Where is she?

Is she already dead?

He wants his mommy - mom, please, please, help me, please! He couldn’t scream the words, he couldn’t even catch up to his breathing.

How did he fall from the boat?

He didn’t know – one moment he stood there and the next one, he didn’t. He knew he was going to drown. The water was so cold, colder than anything he has ever felt. His limbs started to feel rigid, exhausted, each stroke against the current less and less effective.

‘Someone, please, help!’ was his last coherent thought before he could not fight the oppressive waves anymore and started sinking. His consciousness was fading and that was the only merciful moment of this whole ordeal so far.

He knew his brain is losing oxygen, because he suddenly saw a blue light in the waves. This must be what everyone sees before they meet their Maker. He felt a presence of someone in front of him, pulling him into an embrace.

He is not as scared anymore, if the last thing he remembers before his demise is a hug.

Chapter Text

The Zaunite sea was a terrible place to grow up in even though Viktor only had vague comparison. The adjacent waters skirting the place land-dwellers called “Undercity” were polluted since his birth and he doesn’t remember it any other way. If anything, the H2O streaming into his lungs improved in recent years (word has it, it was due to changes from the big city land-dwellers), but it was simply too late. He was broken since he was a pup – the number of members in their commune was already dwindling and he was not exactly a candidate for repopulation – weak, small, a cripple – sickness wracked his body since he took his first breath outside his parent’s womb. When he saw his reflection staring back at him, he knew with clarity that stabbed not unlike a shard of shell, that settling with mate is not in the stars for him. He was at crossroads with his feelings on this – he yearned for company desperately, healing his sickly body with limited Arcane magic he was able to access, with long and painful experimentations on himself, and yet punishing himself, as if his circumstances were his own fault. On more than one occasion, during the most turbulent years of his life, he went up a shore and tried waiting until he ran out of oxygen in his lungs. After few desperate hacks, he flung himself back to the sea, not even sure what he expected from this.

He wished he could migrate into different waters, but this sea killed and sustained him at the same time – the remarkable fact was that while the pollution poisoned them, the temperature and currents kept their commune alive. If he were to move to Piltovian sea, he would slowly boil to death, as those waters were several degrees hotter. Longer distance was not an option – he was not strong enough to travel by himself for hundreds of miles. It would also mean abandoning the only other merfolk he knew and considered his pack. There was no escaping Zaun.

Despite this, sometimes he had to travel outside of the comforts of his own living area. Merfolk mates took turns hunting for food.

He did not have this luxury.

Many fish and other sea creatures died out or migrated to other waters, leaving their commune (including Viktor) hungrier than ever. So far, he managed to stay out of trouble for the most part, only brushing shoulders with danger but this time, he was not so lucky. Gnawing hunger clouded his senses and when he noticed being in vastayan territory, it was too late. No discussion took place, no reason – one moment he held fish in his mouth and the other he screeched in pain as it swam away, watching the scene as if outside of his body. Large black eyes bore into his as teeth were sinking into his flesh. What was worse, he sensed other creatures nearby. They were not going to let him off with warning. They will most certainly consume him if he perishes here. His other hand grabbed at the shark’s face, pouring magic into the animal, stunning him for a moment. Viktor had approximately two-second chance to escape.

He took it.

His body burned with survival mode, channeling his energy into swimming away as fast as possible. He knew they were going to catch up to him eventually – he has nowhere to hide. He will not have enough time to reach his commune in time to call out for help. He had no idea what to do and no time to stop and think about it. He was losing blood quickly and he knew it was attracting other creatures of the sea. After everything he went through – this stupid coincidence is going to lead to his demise?!

Then, he spot it – a land-dweller’s boat. Escaping from one killer’s maw into another was not bright, he knew, he knew– but… this could be his only chance. Vastayans would not go toe to toe with harpoons or guns (and neither is he, but - one issue at a time). He propelled himself with last burst of energy he had, light of Arcane accompanying it and landed, hard on the unyielding surface, fight immediately leaving him. His limbs shook, his arm bled profusely underneath him and now he felt truly clueless. For a moment, he allowed his head to drop. He only had minutes outside of water, spare oxygen in his body letting him survive. He wanted to cry, emotions quickly wracking his frame but he could not even begin to weep, because as soon as he lifted his head, there he was – oh, but of course it was human, the worst of all land-dwellers – ruthless, maker of weapons, war-bringer. Second wave of emergency hit him, and he stiffened and got ready into defensive posture. He will not go down without a fight – he already came so long, no way he is going to give up now. He only saw humans from afar, he was never near any land-dweller, always kept his distance.

Viktor knew he didn’t look menacing – he is smaller than average merfolk. He is injured. He does not have any weapons on him. He is out of energy. He is not even sure which odds are worse – a human on a boat or vastayans in water.

The human seemed afraid.

How did that happen?

Is he just pretending?

To kill him while his guard is down? No, he – he is taking some sort of box, beckoning Viktor to come to him. He is so tired, he just wants to believe that this is help. He blames the blood loss as he feels himself come face to face with the human.

The human heals him.

It hurts, but the merman is used to pain – pain is constant companion in his life. There seems to be only one human on this ship. Viktor is not outnumbered anymore and feels relief at that realization. Perhaps the land-dweller will let him live, he hopes. He doesn’t know. His eyes are drooping and breathing is harder. His skin is dry after so many minutes outside. He wants to go home. The human gets up and Viktor thinks: this is it. He was waiting to strike. But he doesn’t. The human points back at the sea. Viktor doesn’t understand and then hears his loud gasps for breath. Oh, right. He must go back as soon as possible, and the human probably can tell. He forces his muscles to work and returns into the blessedly cool sea. Vastayans did not stick around, likely scared of the land-dweller. The land-dweller who just helped Viktor. He cannot even tell this story to anyone, because no one would believe it. The merman can hardly believe it himself.

- - -

Viktor’s days have new purpose – finding appropriate gifts for his land-dwelling saviour.

He begins with the obvious and most important thing, which is food - he spots a beautiful shiny fish and collects it for the fish-hunter human. The fish is pretty large and healthy looking – a perfect opening gift before he brings in more.

Then, he scours the sand for shiny objects. They cannot be broken or damaged in any capacity. Only perfectly shaped pieces will do. Personally, he himself would not care in the slightest for a gift with imperfections (that would be highly hypocritical of him) but he knows human have knack for that type of details, therefore his efforts must count. It will likely take several months of favours for the human in order to pay him back for his good deed. In a way, Viktor is glad he has something to put his mind to – it was pretty soothing and repetitive in a relaxing way – like a trance, when he swims along the sand and waits for his eyes to catch on something interesting. At some point, Jinx starts asking him if he is perhaps interested in someone.

Viktor laughs at that notion. Right. He does not elaborate and thankfully her questions die down. The merman could put this whole idea behind him, but then he found himself in his designated spot on the boat looking at a fish that was clearly intended there for him.

He felt a flush rise to his cheeks and chest.

The human- certainly he didn’t- he couldn’t know, right? Their customs are not the same as- no that, that is not the case, Viktor decided. He probably didn’t understand what this reciprocation meant. Viktor was glad when the water cooled his skin again when he dove back into it.

The fish kept coming, however. How is Viktor supposed to settle his debt when the human brings him food constantly?! This was not a fair trade. Worse even – the merman needed another favour from the human – to extract the little black ropes that helped his arm to heal. He sighed.

He is never going to pay him back, is he?

Determined, Viktor swam towards the boat again, jumping on it. The human didn’t seem bothered by his request and began removing the tiny ropes. His arm had almost no scarring and it was all thanks to the human. The merman could cry with happiness – a situation that could easily end on much worse note turned out to be this.

He looked at the human’s face, truly taking him in now that he had the time and wasn’t overwhelmed by panic. The man had to be somewhere around his age (or the equivalent of), certainly no pup, but not old either. His face was symmetrical, and even pleasant looking. He had hair on his face, which was interesting. His forearms also had hair. Where else did they-nevermind, no, that thought is not going any further, Viktor cut himself off, his face heating up. Merfolk only had hair on their head and above their eyes (to shield them from objects flying in the current) and nowhere else. The man looked very exotic to Viktor. His skin was several shades darker too – nobody in Zaun had skin like that. Did it feel different than his own? He could only vaguely tell from how he held Viktor’s arm. How would his face-hair feel? Soft or scratchy? Would it be rough against his chest, against his-

The merman felt his breathing getting heavier and the time outside of water was only partially at fault. No way he is having these sorts of thoughts about land-dweller – he shut his eyes tightly – he had to stop now, the human did not show any interest in him, apart from platonic one.

Viktor’s vision suddenly stuttered open, flying to his hand. The human finished his healing and began circling his wrist, touching the tender skin in steady motion all while looking at it with intent and focus.

Now, there was no mistaking what this was – the human is making a pass at him. If Viktor were normal, perhaps he would feel disgust or simply nothing at all, but instead he felt rabid, unearthed elation, his teeth aching in a way he never experienced before as he kept his tail from shifting from side to side.

When their eyes met, Viktor felt like a taut string. The merman knew that he needs to assure the human he wants the courting to continue. He has never been nervous in this way before – he always prided himself on his intelligence, his wit, his courage to explore and create new things. So, he felt really out of depths here. He never got to this stage before. Inventing new things and creating mateships were two separate categories.

Gifts were exchanged and they clearly moved to the next stage.

Viktor couldn’t hold himself from a smile and the human was watching him now, just as enraptured as the merman felt. Viktor opted for touching – he was not touchy by nature, but it was a universal love language and one that they clearly both spoke. Before he could get plagued by self-doubt, he made his move. As soon as he rubbed his cheek against the human’s throat, he knew what the fuss about romance was about, as he nearly toppled towards the human in pleasure. He would groan, if he weren’t so out of breath, but he felt his eyes roll back, hormones in his body flaying to life after many dormant years. They were out of water, therefore Viktor’s smell was not as attuned as it would be were they submerged under the sea, but from this close he took lungfuls of dreamy masculine, salty scent. He swallowed saliva harshly, certain that the human would be able to feel the wetness if it spilled from his mouth and started getting lost in the steady movements. He ceased and leaned back, not wanting to seem too forward or too easy to access.

Viktor was didn’t want to wait for any feedback – negative one would crush his ego right now and regardless – he made his point clear. He retreated back to the waters without looking back, his heart beating its way out of his chest.

Chapter Text

Jayce paced from one side of the deck to the other. He could not believe himself.

Only he would get himself into a situation like this – accidentally flirting with a man that was not even his own species.

He ran his hand through his hair for a millionth time today. He was losing his mind over this.

How would this even work? They would… what- meet out here on the sea?

His thoughts quickly spiraled.

It’s not like children are even on the table for them – perhaps he is thinking too far ahead with this but still. And on that note, can they even…? Is that even what merfolk do or want?

He now regretted not reading more from that physiology chapter.

He was brought back to Runeterra by a loud chirping sound. First, he ignored it, thinking it must be some bird that probably landed on the boat but when it didn’t die down, he went looking for the source, watching the blue ocean over the rails.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the figure in the waves – the merman was back, waving his good arm around. Jayce stiffened, both embarrassed to be caught in the middle of those thoughts and also searching for any danger in the water. There seemed to be none, which meant the merman was just greeting him or something akin to that. The merman seemed to be pointing somewhere – to a nearby rock formation that protruded from the water. Once he had Jayce’s attention, he started swimming towards the rocks. The fisherman stood there, hands on his hips and realized that he probably wants him to follow. Against his better judgment, Jayce lifted the fishing net and set to sail.

Anticipation was building in him as he approached the rocks, where the merman already waited, his tail shifting from side to side. Another line from the book appeared in Jayce’s mind, unbidden – merfolk display happiness by wagging the ends of their tails. If Jayce wasn’t overwhelmed by nervousness, he might think the gesture cute.

He didn’t want his clothes to get wet, so he stripped to undergarments and pulled out ladder into the splashing salty water. Thankfully, the water’s temperature was manageable and so he quickly swam towards the merman. One part of the rocks was high enough from the sea bed so that he could stand and even slowly walk on it, while holding onto the rocks above the surface. As he was holding onto the slippery material and looking up at the sitting man, an uneasy feeling squeezed his stomach.

He just got into water with, what is essentially meat-eating and water-dwelling being. Nobody knows he is here or what he’s doing. He has never heard of any person who would have relationship with a mermaid or merman. He lifted his gaze to the other man perched on the rocks, hoping to see a smile, but was instead greeted by an intense gaze – all pupil, drowning out any white sclera and unnaturally still, poised pose.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, this was such a bad idea.

Panic immediately flooded his bloodstream, his feet slipping on the mossy surface and he tried to get his bearings, knowing he is trapped and any resistance is going to be futile. He needs to get back to his boat, nownownow!

The merman quickly slid into the water, reaching for him immediately and the chirping sounds were back, bringing him out of the state for few moments. There were hands on his shoulders and the merman was looking him over frantically. Jayce took few deep breaths, withdrawing from the other man, backing away. The merman’s expression seemed confused, and the chirping sounds were quieter.

Jayce gulped.

The other man’s body language was completely different now - his eyes seemed normal (well, as normal as they could be), his thick eyebrows knotted together.

Jayce stopped moving, and he realized how silly this must have looked to the merman - Jayce went to him and panicked out of nowhere, seemingly. He licked his dry lips and tried to calm his racing heart. “Sorry,” he said as apologetically as possible, as if the merman could understand him.

The other man’s face had fallen and now he was the one backing away. He looked away from Jayce, slowly sinking into the water.

Gods damnit, that’s not what he meant! Jayce reached to grab his arm, stopping both of them in their tracks. The merman looked up, hopeful glint in his eyes but disbelieving pout on his mouth.

“Please wait, don’t leave, I think you misunderstood,” Jayce told him, wincing, “or perhaps we both did, I’m sorry again.”

He hoped the tone of his voice will carry the message if not the language he spoke.

The other man seemed to calm down, relaxed once again as he re-emerged from the water. The merman slowly leaned in, and for a moment Jayce thought he knew where this is going but the merman changed course again to his neck, soothingly nuzzling over his neck like the previous day. The movement, Jayce had to admit, was pleasant, along with the proximity, even though he was acutely aware of their state of undress – Jayce wore one (soaked-through) layer and the merman didn’t have any clothes to begin with.

The merman rubbed the whole area from his ear to his jugular, where his pulse still beat frantically. In one instance, the fisherman thought, oh those must be his lips and in the next one, he felt a smart of canines against his oversensitive skin and shut his eyes, holding himself against reacting in a manner that would once again spoil the pleasant atmosphere. No pain came and so Jayce opened his eyes to meet the other, dilated ones.

The merman blinked a few times and Jayce furrowed his brows, not really catching on, until the other man hesitantly tilted his head in an obvious invitation.

Oh, okay, that-that he can do. Their proximity alone would be enough to make his head spin, but their degree of nakedness was a different thing all-together – as he felt the waves lap at his skin, leaving wet residue, Jayce was very aware that they are both soaked with salt water and also nearly without any layers between them.

Suffice to say… it has been a while for Jayce and even if it wasn’t – this is not something he could have prepared for ahead anyway.

Is he going to mind my beard? - ran through fisherman’s mind while closing in.  

He repeated the motions that the merman did prior with less finesse but more gentleness, since he didn’t want to give the creature a burn on his neck, not to mention the gills that periodically opened and closed – they looked almost like they had to hurt, their colour running deep red on the inside. Jayce mentally noted that he will have to simply get used to this – he is sure there are things about himself that the merman perhaps has to get accustomed to as well.

It didn’t stop a mild shudder running through him when they opened again.

The other man let out short sigh and then started making sounds that Jayce couldn’t place at first but quickly realized were close to some sort of (actually pretty pleasant) vibrations coming from his chest area. The fisherman wasn’t sure for how long he’s supposed to do this and didn’t want to overstay his welcome, so after some sufficient time, he stopped and studied the other man’s reaction.

The merman seemed happy with his ministrations, quickly diving in to take a breath and coming up again, reaching out his hand towards top of Jayce’s head, resting his fingers there (sharp, sharp, sharp, Jayce’ mind screamed).

The fisherman didn’t understand this gesture – perhaps this is another custom?

But before he could start analyzing it, he felt a powerful twinge – his mind experienced a snap, a mental equivalent of putting a shoulder back after dislocation – immensely painful for a quick moment and then strangely relieving. One moment the merman floated in front of him with his brown hair and golden eyes and the next, he transformed completely. Jayce felt disoriented, even afraid – he looked away, eyes scanning the sea and his ship to his left. However, those things looked completely normal, unchanged, so he looked back at the merman.

He had halo coming from behind his head, like some kind of mythical god, his hair pure blinding white, and his skin gleamed in unnatural colours like those of inside of a seashell.

What is going on?!

‘Don’t be frightened. This will not hurt you.’ The merman’s lips didn’t move. Despite this, Jayce heard him speak as clear as day. His voice had an interesting lilt and almost… an accent?

‘This is a type of communication array I can set up for us to speak.’ Jayce looked away once again to make sure he isn’t dreaming – the boat and sea still looked just like moments before, and the merman still looked… like that. Jayce was so confused. He suddenly realized he doesn’t hear the merman’s voice from anywhere outside – he can hear it in his own head.

‘You can speak my language?’ was the first question appearing in the fisherman’s mind. He realized he also doesn’t need to speak out loud.

‘No. The array translates for us. Try it – think to yourself any words that you hear right now in your own language.’ Jayce did and came up short. ‘Our ideas and thoughts are an input for the array which recreates an appropriate output response inside our minds for us. It’s as simple as that.’

That seemed to be the opposite of simple to Jayce.

‘What is your name?’ the merman asked, shaking the fisherman from his reverie.

‘Jayce Talis,’ the fisherman answered.

‘Jayce Talis, let me first thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I think that would be my last day in the lights of living.’ The merman did a mental equivalent of chuckle. Jayce didn’t feel like laughing on the other hand.

Jayce winced, ‘I’m sorry that it happened to you. I don't want to imagine what would happen if my ship wasn't around at the time.’

It seemed that the merman was pondering on that for a moment, his face hardened and serious, ‘I was told very different things about humans, so I did not expect any of this. I am truly thankful.’ The merman bowed his head a little, upturning the corners of his mouth which softened his expression somewhat.

‘You- you are welcome.’ They both shared a gentle smile.

‘Oh, I don’t even know your name!’ Jayce realized, eager to get acquainted.

‘It’s Viktor.’

“Vic-tore?” Jayce tried to say the name out loud, not quite succeeding but the merman reluctantly nodded.

‘Close enough,’ Viktor concluded. Jayce stifled the urge to grin like a maniac. Caitlyn is not going to believe him when he tells her this.

Jayce had like million questions to ask. He was so relieved to be able to talk directly that he had to actually focus on forming only one singular sentence instead of ten other inquires that would be assaulting the merman’s mind ‘So, Viktor, is this something that every mer-person can do? Is that how you guys talk?’

If the fisherman didn’t know any better, he would think the other man looks pleased by his curiosity ‘No, that would not be a sufficient communications strategy, I think. We talk via clicks, sounds, body language and the like. This is not a typical thing that we can do.’

Wait, what?

Jayce didn’t expect this, ‘So this is just your superpower then?’

‘No, of course not. I am using magic to be able to do this.’

Jayce felt his eyes widen, breath hitch and hands flex all at the same time, ‘You mean like Hextech?’

Chapter Text

Jayce really thought he was going to thrive in the Academy.

“This is the right direction,” his mother would say, “your brilliance will be recognized in a place like this.”

Jayce believed her. He knew that his inventive mind will most likely not be fully sated by endless days on the sea. He always tinkered with things, related or unrelated to fishing. Ximena Talis was also rarely wrong. He accepted financial tutelage under the Kirammans and gained a like-minded friend – Caitlyn, Mrs. Kiramman’s daughter.

Elation filled his heart when he overlooked the gorgeous, monumental building of the Academy. At first, it really seemed like a start of something new; this was different than a simple fisherman life – the hallways bustled with energy, the lectures were interesting, and Jayce thought he was learning pretty quickly. Few weeks into his education, he discovered that there is potential in exploring the energy of Hexcrystals. He was immediately mesmerized by it and got to work.

Persistently, he kept returning to the question that has been on his mind since he was a child – was it a person who harnessed this magic the same one who had saved his life back then in the storm? He hoped that this research could lead him to some answers about this.

However, after few optimistic months, his motivation started depleting.

Heimerdinger, professor who Jayce was most hopeful about, seemed opposed to the kind of innovation Jayce had in mind. And so he had to work silently.

He was determined to make others believe it, to make real progress – nobody else seemed up for the task, so it had to be him to make strides in the right direction.

He returned to his laboratory, only to find it filled scowling Enforcers and the professor. It blew up, they informed him.

He knew in that very moment that the explosion would be the end of it – no matter how he would defend himself, no matter what he would say next – it is not going to matter. They will not listen. He proved that Hextech is dangerous and unstable and all the other things they believed already. Piltover is not ready for magic, that was for sure.

The feeling of disappointment was stronger than he could bear. He could barely get a word out, his ears ringing, stomach turning with unease.

He found himself standing on an edge, overlooking the city. His foot nudged forward before he heard a voice, “Jayce, what the hell are you doing?!”

It was Cait. He turned around and saw her – arms crossed, one eyebrow raised, her mouth pinched – Jayce knew this stance, she was gearing up.

“Nothing,” he said, defensive, angry, tired. He stepped back from the ledge. He wasn’t in the mood to argue with Caitlyn right now.

Her eyes met his and softened immediately, “Doesn’t seem like ‘nothing’.”

“I don’t know what to do, Cait. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“’Doing the right thing’ is not going behind someone’s back, let alone your own professor’s!”

“But if I can stabilize the crystals, I can create inventions beyond our imagination, beyond anything we know right now!”

“And how did that go so far?”

“Right,” he said, opening his mouth to say more but as he looked at his friend’s face, he understood his situation in that moment. He had final realization that should have arrived much sooner: it does not matter how much he is going to argue with her, with Heimerdinger or his peers. He is alone in this. Nobody will ever understand his dream.

A week after this, the Academy’s verdict was that he is expelled for misdemeanour. He didn’t care anymore since he was determined to leave the studies behind anyway. In some twisted way, he felt satisfaction – they proved him right in their closedmindedness. He didn’t want to see his mother’s or Mrs. Kiramman’s disappointed faces. He left a note for them, thanking them and tried to keep bitterness out of his writing.

He took his scholarship money, determined to pay it back to the Kirammans, and went on doing what he knew and did best up until a year back – he sailed into the vast sea.

- - -

The man – Jayce Talis – was staring at him with something akin to wonder, with glint in his eyes.

‘I do not know what that is. I am using magic, like I said,’ Viktor explained simply. He wasn’t sure what this ‘Hextech’ was, though it awakened his curiosity. How much does this man know about these things? He was taking all of this pretty swimmingly, if Viktor may say so himself.

Jayce nodded, still focused on him with some amount of intensity, ‘Right, I see.’  

Viktor wanted to ask about it more but there were more pressing matters at hand and anyway - Viktor shouldn’t overwhelm him. He can find out how much exactly is Viktor incessantly inquisitive later on when he is more settled into… whatever is happening between them right now.

‘Viktor?’

‘Yes, Jayce Talis?’

The man’s face was beaming and it was pretty difficult to look away. His teeth seemed much less pointed than Viktor’s, which in the merman’s eyes, was almost charming – clearly their species didn’t evolve just like his kind, since they didn’t need sharp teeth for tearing prey apart. Before Viktor could find that charming as well, he remembered that Jayce’s kind used guns and weapons and that tamped down his faraway trail of thought somewhat.

‘Just "Jayce" is fine. "Talis" is my family name.’

‘I see. We don’t have those,’ Viktor explained, diving down for air quickly, ‘I’m just Viktor.’

Jayce was following his movement, before continuing, ‘Okay, just Viktor, I think… um, I believe I am developing a headache. I feel dizzy a little bit.’ He smiled sheepishly, ‘I’m sorry.’

As if he had to apologize for something like that - Viktor knew headaches and other pains more than intimately. He had his share of those during his early life.  

‘No need to be sorry - it’s probably the array, Jayce, I think our communication must be kept short in the beginning before you can get used to it.’ Viktor tried to reign in his disappointment, but it probably translated into the channel anyway. This wasn’t surprising to him; Jayce was human, and his body was experiencing something like this for the first time. The man nodded.

Their glances revealed that they both have still much to say but are filtering through what is most important to say at the moment.

‘So,’ Viktor began, deciding on boldness, which was an approach that has worked so far, while nervousness thrummed inside his veins, ‘before I cut our channel, I think we should clarify our momentary situation.’

‘That we should,’ Jayce said, his mouth opening as if he wanted to speak out loud, but no sound came - he probably realized the merman wouldn’t be able to understand him anyway.

Viktor has been without a mate for his entire life, and he has never been romantically all that interested in anyone before. All of these emotions were new, and they were strong. Stronger than he could have ever anticipated (though he heard stories from his packmates, of course, but he never lingered on those too much).

The nerve-racking mix of hope and fear felt all-consuming – his hand shook while he held his fingers on top of the human’s forehead, his tail was swishing in the water and his ribcage felt too small for his stomping heartbeat. It was awful and fantastic at the same time.

Viktor’s life felt much livelier these days, brighter, improved with something he couldn’t name yet. He never encountered much luck in his life and that only begged the question – does this Jayce-human want something permanent, or is it simply a flight of fancy that will sift through Viktor’s fingers like sand?

‘I believe that we are currently, as it may be- what appears to be- courting each other,’ he said, unable to wait for response and adding ‘and my understanding here is that this is very uncommon. I’m sure that you are also aware of the unconventional nature of the predicament. Therefore,’ a pulse of sadness, ‘I would understand if perhaps you might change your mind about it, whether it be today or… eventually.’

Jayce was frowning and his smile faded entirely.

Oh no, here we go-

‘Why would I change my mind? I am perfectly aware that this is… different. I followed you to the rocks and came here, didn’t I?’ the man answered with a degree of determination in his voice.

But the gnawing suspicion wasn’t wiped from the merman’s mind, ‘I believe I saw you try to escape the water mere moments ago, eh?’ despite the humorous tone he tried to insert, he couldn’t help but narrow his eyes, checking for Jayce’ reaction.

The man looked down, squeezing his eyes for a moment, ‘I know, I’m sorry. It was a momentary lapse in judgement, and it won’t happen again. This is new for me as well, you know? But I want to continue this… courting thing.’

Viktor would be hard-pressed to believe that this is the first time Jayce was courted by someone - he could tell that the man was attractive by both standards of people and merfolk (well, he was missing a tail with scales and some other things, but regardless of that).

Though, his words didn’t seem disingenuous.

‘The headache is getting worse, I think,’ the human said with miserable expression on his face, waking Viktor from his musings.

‘Oh, of course! Let us resume the discussion next time and, err, Jayce?’

‘Yes?’

‘I would also… I would prefer to proceed with the courting,’ he said and when Jayce didn’t respond with any more words, just a small smirk, Viktor ended their array.

Almost immediately, he felt his body aching, as the use of magic had worn it out. It was worth it, though - the look on the human’s face alone was worth it. Viktor dove into the water, breathing in fresh oxygen and when he emerged, Jayce was closer.

Outside of water, the merman could feel his face getting warmer much greater intensity than inside of it, he realized.

He suddenly felt hands on the side of his face and Jayce was telling him something he couldn’t understand. Before Viktor could start deciphering the language, Jayce sealed his lips over Viktor’s.

The merman’s breath caught, eyes sliding shut.

Chapter Text

Jayce could barely focus on his work these past few days. 

A smile was plastered on his face from mornings until late evenings practically non-stop. He was sure people who encountered him probably thought that he was some sort of maniac - his usual buyer definitely eyed him strangely when Jayce handed him the fish yesterday. 

But he could not help himself - spending time with Viktor had this kind of effect on him, it seemed. 

Last time he was interested in someone was during his Academy studies, when he met councilor Medarda. Jayce only spoke to her a handful of times during the Academy’s parties and other events where she was present. He felt like they hit it off well - she laughed at his jokes and even seemed interested in his research. She was witty, beautiful and ambitious. And also… totally unattainable. Perhaps if Jayce had more time to prove himself, he might score a real date and develop his their mutual interest further but since his dreams crashed and burned, he only managed to completely disappear from Mel’s life. He effectively ended his chances with her since the word on the street was that she was married to some powerful guy now. Either way, they never managed to go beyond drunk flirting or fleeting touches.

For what it’s worth, she was an interesting person to meet.  

Regardless, Jayce thought he coped with his loneliness well. He would never consider being with someone romantically simply because there was some sort of gap in his life. The days on the sea were mostly calm, full of routine and he could meet with friends out in Piltover if he needed company. 

His ship was his safe space and his sacred space - he used to laugh at old men who were basically hermits living out on the sea but few months back, when he awoke from a nourishing nap in his hammock, he realized, with some amount of dread, that he is kind of becoming what he used to scoff at. He even grew his hair out along with a beard - a fact on which Jayce's friends commented several times. He had to face the music - the man staring at him in the mirror was no longer an Academy student in his freshly-pressed uniform, but a man who looks every part the fisherman he is.

With the long days during the season also came the sense of unease that Jayce didn't seem to be able to place - he got to terms with his sour feelings regarding the Academy and that whole debacle, so that could not be it. It had to be something different and as he felt his mouth turning downward at display of happy Piltovian couple during May's love festival, he realized what had been gnawing at him. His mom noticed this absence as well and her line of questioning during their regular dinners certainly didn't lift Jayce's spirits. Dating was near impossible with seasonal work and a lot of people didn't have patience for it, so the few-and-far meetings Jayce had usually ended on polite excuses from the other party.

Meeting Viktor in some way truly presented a stroke of luck - they could meet in place where they were both comfortable and Viktor wasn't unfamiliar with the sea or its workings. He understood Jayce's job and Jayce didn't need to cut his working days short for a date. The merman could simply do other things in the meantime or wait around on the rocks. It seemed that previously, the bulk of Viktor's time was spent on hunting for meals and if that wasn't simply convenient - Viktor could take from Jayce's batches now, if he desired so. More time than merman knew what to do with suddenly fell into his lap. 

Moreover, the memory from last week haunted Jayce constantly - in a fit of insanity, which could partially be explained to be influenced by the display of the merman's strange and amazing powers (or perhaps due to connecting a sweet, soothing voice to the beautiful creature), the fisherman stole a quick kiss. 

Viktor seemed flabbergasted as they both stared at each other and Jayce quickly calculated whether or not it had been a misstep.

Thankfully, the other man seemed surprised but not in a bad way and the uncertainty lifted. It was only after Jayce was drying himself off in his ship's cabin did his racing heart slow down.

The communication part posed a bit of a challenge - Viktor somehow kept creating the arrays for them, which was handy, but Jayce could only handle a couple of minutes of it at a time. 

'I wish we could talk longer,' he admitted to the merman, 'I want to be able to express everything I feel.' 

But Viktor seemed confused at the notion, 'I don't understand? We are talking all the time.'

Jayce slid his hand along Viktor's arm, leaving shivering skin in its wake, 'Yes, but I can only last so long in the array, I could talk to you for hours.'

The merman made chirping sound, which Jayce now knew to be a laugh, 'Jayce,' he began explaining, 'what I mean is we talk in all sorts of ways, not just through the array.'

To illustrate his point, he grabbed the other man's wandering hand and pressed it to his cold cheek. 

'R-right.' Jayce's face on the other hand was anything but cold in that moment. Since they had to speak briefly, it became clear that each time they are trying to cram in as many things as possible.

Viktor told him about his life and Jayce desperately tried to school his expression into something neutral. The fisherman lived through some amount of pain and disappointment, but comparatively?

He felt coddled.

There was major contrast in their life experiences and the things that Viktor told him about made sadness coil around Jayce. The fisherman had only spent limited time in Zaun and had no idea that their issues mostly translated into its underwater counterpart as well - with all of its poverty, pollution and lack of resources in a neat pack. 

Jayce felt guilty when he realized that pity started creeping into his image of Viktor. Soon, it was however replaced by admiration - Viktor seemed to be able to make the best of his circumstances. The merman would have had total right to portray himself as a victim of life but instead spoke with air of resolution and determination. 

Viktor also talked about his abilities - how he managed to heal his body and even give it more skills than it had previously, something that seemed both amazing but almost fantastical. So much so that Jayce could barely believe it was real. The fisherman had recognized this magic - it had to be a magic originating from Arcane, he was sure of it. It appeared that one of them managed to crack the code and truly be able to utilize it. Jayce's idea always has been that such inventions should be mainly for the public - sharing magic must have been better for society than having just one person use it, right? 

'And did you experience any kickbacks? Did the magic ever... reject a task or something?' They were thirty minutes into a discussion and Jayce tried his best to push away at the incoming headache and its accompanying nausea. 

Viktor pondered the question, 'Well, er, except for exhaustion, there is not much else that I can think of. Oh, and the tiredness definitely gets worse when I use the magic to heal someone else.'

Jayce's eyes widened, 'You can also heal other merfolk?!'

The possibilities seemed limitless. But Viktor's face looked immediately doubtful. 

'In some capacity. I am certainly not as skilled as you probably imagine me to be but others would consider me a healer, yes. Sometimes, injuries are beyond healing and lives beyond saving.'

The fisherman nodded in understanding, though he could not stop himself from wondering how one person (merman, that is) managed to go this far with magic. Viktor was a sea creature without a traditional education and yet he accomplished more than some scholars in the Academy.

Jayce could not stall the stabbing pain in his head any longer and with regretful eyes had to check out out of their conversation.

- - -

Who even was Jayce?! 

Viktor has never spoken to any other human before him and his previous associations with them had been nothing but dreadful.

But this...

Jayce not only knew magic, he researched it. 

But best of all - he understood it when Viktor spoke about it.

Oh, how he wished he had someone like this by his side years ago when he was clueless and needed two heads with two opinions.

Debating with someone about magic previously turned out to be impossible - he could see it on other merfolk's faces - they had no clue about any of it and weren't interested in it either. His community did consider him to be important - healers didn't exactly grow in shells as they say, and others did express gratitude to him. 

Jayce only saw a glimpse of what he could do and already seemed more than amazed by him. Viktor almost wanted to back out somehow because he wasn't used to the praise and the admiration oozing from the fisherman's gaze - it made him almost shy to see the effect it had on Jayce. 

Furthermore, frustration built in Viktor each time they had to sever their connection and each time Jayce had to go back to work. He now sympathized with couples he had been dismissive of in the past, suddenly understanding their point of view when they didn't want to be separated even for a moment. He would never admit it to anyone but himself but he was slowly but surely getting into that territory. 

Today was no exception.

Viktor was hit with wave of weariness while Jayce held his head, waiting for the pain to subside. The merman slowly caressed his hair and they locked eyes, both smiling. 

The merman waited out his current state and was happy to realize that he is getting stronger each time he sets the array and the same also went for the other man. They rested on the rocks and watched Jayce's boat lightly swaying from side to side. The silence appeared comfortable as they were both getting their bearings, resting from the exerting energy each in a different way.

When Jayce's breath evened out, Viktor turned to him, looking for any clues of discomfort. 

The fisherman's movements seemed calmer as the effects of the array went away. Viktor was flooded with relief - watching the other man suffer by his own hand was not pleasant, even if they both wanted to use the array and were aware of the consequences. Right after easing his fears, the merman got flooded by a set of different observations.

Viktor felt his Adam's apple bob.

The fisherman was certainly... a specimen.

Now that summertime was in full bloom, his skin was darker and much more glowy. The merman was only able to reach two types of skin colours - washed out white and lobster's red after spending too much time outside of the water or skimming the surface for too long. Jayce, on the other hand, clearly handled sun in much better fashion and his coiled muscles stood out even more in this shade. 

Comparatively, Jayce was also much... bigger than him - in both height and stature. And if that didn't unearth some dormant feelings that Viktor was previously not aware of. 

When their eyes met and Viktor got momentarily mesmerized by the human's eyes, he could only blame himself for his speeding heart.

He tried to look nonchalant by looking away but knew that he is transparent - either way, this is silly - they are in the process of courting, so there is nothing to be ashamed of.

He wished he had more courage at times like these. 

Luckily, Jayce had enough of that for both of them and Viktor soon felt a grounding hand reaching his forearm. 

The human once again spoke his language and Viktor almost wanted to be snappy.

He didn't understand him and likely would never. 

But before any of this could show in his expression, Jayce shuffled closer to him. Nervousness blinded Viktor's senses as he felt fingers stroking at his jawline - back and forth, back and forth in some sort of maddening pattern. Their eyes met again and Viktor knew this look - the human was eager. Thumb met his lower lip, sliding against it and Viktor distantly heard a sound that had to be coming from himself. 

Heat ran below his midsection, as his abdominal muscles gave out a squeeze. The eye contact was unbearable, amber meeting hazel. Viktor perceived their first kiss as fleeting, despite being taken aback by it at first. So he patiently waited for more. 

Jayce pressed on the hinge of his jaw as Viktor opened his mouth to finally get a proper kiss this time. 

He wasn't sure about the mechanics of it, since his skills lacked in this department, so he followed his instincts and kept moving in opening-and-closing motion. The result was scandalous. 

The press was just right, wetter than he expected from a kiss above the water level and more intense than he imagined it to be. Once Jayce added tongue, the merman could barely hold back from making a noise, reaching for the other man's har, gripping it and preventing him from leaving. 

Viktor gained enough confidence to try something new and lightly bit down at the tongue, earning moans that will probably stay with him for a long time after this.

Jayce got even closer in the meantime and the merman could feel his body heat now. 

Somehow, knowing that Viktor is running out of breath made him more exhilarated, adding urgency to the concentrated sensations. The kissing deepened with each passing second, and Viktor wasn't sure if he is hearing the roar of the sea or of his own blood. 

The fisherman moved his hand from his face down his neck, initially only petting the skin, but then his fingers tested the waters and started rubbing the sensitive creases of his gills. 

The merman's tail whacked against the rocks while his eyes rolled back, and this time, he was sure he growled loudly. 

Jayce withdrew his hand and stopped, likely misreading the situation into thinking he hurt the merman.

Viktor, though... he could not look him in the eye right now.

He panted, desperately trying to take breaths from the dry air, cursing his body for being overwhelmed with such little stimulation. Jayce looked panicked and Viktor gathered his last strength to create another communication array.  

'Did I do something wrong?' Jayce fired immediately. 

Viktor's thoughts were scrambled. He had to focus.

'No... no, you didn't. You can- again,' he simply gave up on coherency, 'Touch me.' 

At Jayce's knowing expression, Viktor let go of the other man's forehead, hoping he needn't use any more words than this.