Second chapter of my gift for @prince-rowan-of-the-forest written for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange! Enjoy!
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Summary: Virgil’s father has always had his problems with him, he was just too compassionate for a pirate. So, to toughen him up, his father decides to leave him on a deserted island and check if he’s still alive in a few months. Unbeknownst to him, however, there is a curious merman watching and a sea god below the waves that might just change Virgil’s life…
Roman would never disobey Janus. His God. His partner.
And technically he didn't?
He had been careful every time he returned to the surface, kept his distance and hid himself between the rocks jutting out of the water that surrounded most of the island.
He just… hadn't actually decreased his visits to the surface as he had first planned. In fact, he'd been going more.
Now, he had waited several cycles before going back! He had been patient, kept Janus company and did his duties as his acolyte, it was just… the temple got overwhelming at times. Janus had a lot of devotees scattered across the oceans who traveled to his temple to worship him and leave offerings. And that meant a lot of unfamiliar people coming and going at any point of a cycle, which was often exhausting to Roman.
Going to the surface to clear his head had been his escape ever since he joined the order under Janus and since the God had taken a special interest in him, he had felt even safer doing so.
It wasn't like Janus was watching him constantly, he simply kept a kind of tether on him and his surroundings just to be sure he wasn't in danger.
So, he had been cautious not to get too close. But the first time he saw the human again? Something happened.
Maybe it was the closer proximity (he was still far away, but last time he had been even more cautious because of the ship) or maybe it was because the human looked more put together, unbound and cleaner than before, but something about his appearance struck a chord in Roman that he couldn't quite explain.
It must've been some sort of attraction but it was different from how he felt about Janus. Of course, that was hardly a fair comparison to begin with - a God and a human were not on the same level. The first time he had seen Janus, he had been enchanted by the divine glow around him, he instantly wanted to touch his golden scales, comb his flowing hair and worship him forever. He would never do any of that except for the worship without the Gods permission, of course, but it was suddenly a need on the same level as he needed to eat and breathe.
With the human, though? He could feel his heart starting to beat faster as he watched him run his fingers through his dark hair. The human had also lost the clothing covering his chest at some point and while he was skinnier than Roman, he seemed to have more muscles than him ⸺ Roman was an acolyte, not a guard, so he didn't need to work out his body that much, as long as he could swim fast, he was fine.
The human's appearance had flustered him. And he couldn't explain why.
So, truly, he was only going to the surface to figure out this mystery! Once he did that, there was no reason to return until the human left for good!
Nodding to himself, Roman broke through the surface of the water once again, hidden, of course, by some rocks. He waited for a few moments to make sure the splashing of his appearance didn't draw attention and gets him caught, before peeking around the edge.
He froze.
The human was right there, on the beach. He stood there, staring at his arm with an expression Roman couldn't quite make out enough to read from this distance but looked different from how he'd seen the human so far, except for… except for when he had first arrived on the island.
There was something unsettling about it.
Then the human started swaying before falling over. It was not the fast way Roman had seen humans fall over before when the had been hit with the noisy weapons Janus had told him to be especially wary of since they could hit you quickly from a large distance away, he just tumbled over, landing on his side. He didn't move for a moment before pushing himself onto his back, lifting his arm one more time before letting it fall back into the sand.
He didn't move again.
Roman waited with baited breath, but nothing happened.
Did he fall asleep? But it was the middle of the light cycle! The sun was shining strongly from the sky, he couldn't fall asleep like that! Even as a creature of the water, Roman knew that staying in the sun too long could have very bad effects!
Roman waited even longer but he couldn't shake the feeling of worry in his chest.
He decided to get closer. It was risky but he couldn't stand doing nothing anymore!
Slowly, he moved from rock to rock, swimming as quietly as he could and keeping an eye on the human all the way.
Still, no movement.
Roman stopped when he saw that the human's chest was still rising and falling, but not steadily and only very shallowly. Something was definitely wrong.
He needed to make a decision now: protect himself like Janus would want him to and swim away, or get to the human and check on him directly like his heart wanted him to do so desperately.
His heart won out.
Still keeping a distance, Roman approached the shore. The human didn't so much as twitch. Once he reached the shallows, Roman activated a blessing he had only used once or twice before, purely out of curiosity and only by himself.
He made his tail transform into human legs.
Immediately, he felt Janus' attention shift to him more intensely. He didn't stop Roman, but his worry about why he would do this was palpable. Roman couldn't really communicate back, so he just had to trust that his partner would trust him in turn.
Controlling appendages that he wasn't used to wasn't easy, but Roman clumsily made his way over to the human, who still hadn't moved more than the few, unsteady breaths he was taking.
Roman sat down next to him, unsure of what to do. Carefully, he touched the human's shoulder with a finger, pulling his hand back immediately after. No change. A more firm touch. Still nothing. Roman grew bolder and shook him a bit. A weak groan but nothing else. His eyes were closed, his mouth open a bit, raspy breaths escaping his lips.
"Hey, can you hear me?" Roman asked as a last resort, another of his blessings would translate it into whatever language the human knew, but no reaction again.
Maybe Roman didn't know much about humans, but he knew this one was in a bad condition right now.
Then he remembered the way he'd been clutching his arm before falling over. Roman would need to lean over him to take a closer look but by now he was pretty sure the human was in no condition to do anything to him anyway.
Carefully, Roman leaned over his torso, grabbing the human's arm and inspecting it.
It didn't take him long to find out the issue.
Two deep marks were standing out on the human's skin, the surrounding flesh having turned an ugly purple.
It seemed venom from fish and whatever creature carried it on this island wasn't too dissimilar.
The human was on the edge of death.
Roman panicked.
As an acolyte of a God, he had some semblance of healing powers, but not so much to fight this level of venom nor did he know if it would even work on land!
Still he gave it a shot and got a bit of power to accumulate on his fingertips but it fizzled out quickly.
There was nothing Roman could do.
…Except call on his God.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and prayed.
Janus, please hear me! The human is wounded and will die. Is there anything I can do to help him?
It took but a moment for his partner's voice to echo in his head.
My love, why would you interfere with him in the first place? If his time has come then so be it.
I… I don't quite know. I just don't want to watch him die, I suppose.
Dear loving, caring Roman. You know I adore your empathy for others but he is not one of our kind. You don't know what will happen if he awakens and finds you there with him.
I won't stay, let me help him and I will return to you immediately.
But why should I help him if he only poses trouble for my people? You and everyone else devoted to me are my priority over some human, love.
I know and I don't have a good reason, I just don't want him to die, Jan. Please?
There was a moment of pause in which Roman waited with baited breath on Janus' response.
…It will not be without cost, Roman.
For me, him or you?
Him. He is human. I am not meant to touch him.
Will it change him?
…Not quite. And I suppose it will be temporary. Still, he might not take it well.
Can't you just tell me?
I could, but I won't. You are making a decision here, Roman. You will need to carry the weight one way or another. If you want me to meddle with a human, I need you to be sure, no matter the consequences.
Roman could feel himself trembling. Janus was right. This was his call to make.
He looked at the human's face again and made his decision.
Please, help him. I'll bear whatever follows.
Very well. Place your hands on his chest and close your eyes.
Roman did as instructed. Soon, he felt a warm energy gather in his chest and then rush out through his arms, straight into the human.
And behind his closed eyes, he could see a flash of light.
Summary: When Thomas and Virgil are out collecting water samples to bring back to the lab, the last thing they expect to find is an injured merman tangled in a fishing net. While they try to rescue him, a storm blows in, and suddenly the merman is not the only one in need of rescue.
Or
A remix fic for @teacupfulofstarshine‘s Lovely, Dark, and Deep
Ships: Analogical, plus Paternal logicality and royality, Brotherly logince, and Platonic/Paternal Thomas & Virgil.
Content Warnings: Injury, nets, panic
Read on AO3 here!
Author’s Note: This was written for the wonderful @teacupfulofstarshine for a small secret santa exchange we were both a part of! If you’ve not read her fic Lovely, Dark, and Deep, then omg you NEED to, it’s so wonderful and I love it so much. Star, I hope you like this little remix, and stay tuned for chapter 2 because this uuuuuh got away from me a little bit, haha. Also, thank you to HouserOfStories for beta reading this for me!
— — —
Thomas was, unfortunately, used to finding animals tangled in fishing nets. Rescue and rehabilitation work was a significant part of his field, and as much as it broke his heart, it was technically what he signed up for when he became a marine biologist. Thomas has handled quite a few net related incidents over the years, from rescuing stranded seals and dolphins to untangling pelicans and seagulls; once he’d even been a part of a team that saved an injured humpback whale.
Thomas has never seen anything like this.
“Uh, Doc?” Virgil’s voice is slightly strangled, and Thomas recognizes the layer of panic hovering just beneath his research assistant’s calm exterior. “I...I need you to tell me that you’re seeing this too.”
Thomas doesn’t ask for elaboration; he knows exactly what Virgil is talking about. He’d had half a mind to ask that question himself, and part of him is relieved that Virgil asked first, taking the risk of sounding absolutely insane so that Thomas wouldn’t have to.
“I see it, Virge,” he says, staring into the water at the...the merman that was floating there, tangled in a fishing net.
When he first saw it, Thomas had thought it was a human diver who’d somehow swum into a net and gotten trapped, but when he brought he boat closer to help, he saw the fins on the elbows, the scales along his body, and most notably, the midnight blue tail in place of legs, that even from this distance Thomas can tell from the way it’s bent back at an unnatural angle isn’t one of those cosmetic diving suits. The creature isn’t moving and at first Thomas fears the worst, but there are two slits along his neck (gills, his brain supplies, they’re a pair of gills) that give the occasional weak flap, so at the very least, he’s still breathing.
Thomas shakes himself slightly, and shoves his disbelief to the back of his mind for him to think about later. He squares his shoulders, letting his training and years of experience in marine rescue take over. It’s hard to tell from this distance, but it looks like the merman got stuck in a discarded piece of seine net, if the handful of buoys keeping it afloat are anything to go by.
“We need to get that net off of him,” he says, slipping effortlessly into what Virgil refers to as his ‘teacher voice.’ “And we need to figure out if he has any injuries, and take him back to the lab if we need to.”
“How the hell are we going to do that?” Virgil asks, his eyes wide. “I mean, shit, Doc, that’s...this is a...are we really about to pull a merman onto our boat? What the fuck, this- this cannot be really happening-”
“Virgil, breathe,” Thomas instructs firmly. Virgil doesn’t look happy about it, but he obligingly takes a deep breath in when Thomas prompts him again. “I don’t understand it either, but we need to take this one step at a time. We’ll have time for a scientific crisis later. Right now, we have to help him.”
“Okay,” Virgil nods, shaking his head. “Okay, okay. It’s just an actual, honest to god merman. Trapped in a fishing net. No big deal. How are we even going to do this?”
“The dinghy,” Thomas answers after a moment of thought. “One of us will go down and get a closer look, maybe see if we can get the net off from there. If he needs medical attention, then we can pull him into the dinghy with us and bring him back to the lab.”
“It sounds so easy when you say it that way,” Virgil mutters, but then he squares his shoulders and nods. “Okay, let’s do this.”
The two get to work on readying the dinghy, and Thomas elects not to comment on the slight tremor in Virgil’s hands as he attaches the cables to sides of the little boat.
“Are we ready?” Thomas asks when the last cable is in place.
“All set here, Doc.” Virgil frowns then, looking apprehensively out across the water. “But I think that a storm might be blowing in. I don’t like the look of those clouds out there.”
“Well, then we’d better hurry,” Thomas says. “Are you ready?”
“Wait, I’m the one going down?” Virgil asks, panic creeping into his voice. “Wouldn’t it be better for you to check him out first?”
“One of us needs to operate the boat up here, Virge.”
“Yeah, which I can do,” Virgil snaps back. “You’re the one with more marine rescue experience.”
“I’m also the one with a boating license,” Thomas insists. “And with that storm blowing in, I’d rather be the one at the controls.”
“But I-”
“Virgil, listen to me,” Thomas interrupts, his voice firm, but then he lets his eyes soften, meeting Virgil’s wide, frightened gaze. “You can do this, alright? I have total faith in you.”
Virgil huffs out a breath, squeezing his eyes shut firmly before opening them and nodding.
“Fine. But if I fall into the ocean or get eaten by a merman, then I’m coming back to haunt you.”
“I’d be disappointed otherwise,” Thomas says with a smirk, and Virgil gives him a small smile back before taking a deep breath and climbing into the dinghy.
Slowly, Thomas lowers the dinghy and it hits the waves with a splash. Virgil visibly takes another deep breath, and Thomas’s heart swells with pride for his student as Virgil reaches out to touch the strange creature gently on the arm.
Then the merman’s eyes fly open and everything goes to hell.
— — —
Virgil was having what was unquestionably the weirdest day of his life. One minute he was out with the Doc collecting more of those godforsaken water samples, the next they were face to face with something right out of a fairytale.
How many legends were born because someone caught a glimpse of an animal they didn't understand? a voice whispers in the back of his mind. Who's to say that the stories about mermaids didn't begin in the same way?
Virgil likes stories about cryptids as much as the next gay millenial, but the scientist in him can’t help but remind him that they’re just that- stories.
Well, apparently not all of them, he thinks as he reaches out, wrapping his fingers gently around the merman's arm.
The moment Virgil touches him, his eyes snap open, and for a moment the two are frozen, staring at each other in mutual shock.
Then the merman opens his mouth and screams.
Virgil flinches back from the grating sound, his hands flying to cover his ears, and the moment he stops touching the merman the creature begins to thrash in the water, clearly trying to get as far away from the dinghy as possible. It's impossible for him to get far though, the way his tail is pinned against the rest of his body, and he lets out a wounded cry when the nylon digs deeper into his skin. His face contorts in pain, and he looks so human that Virgil is speaking before he has time to think about how crazy it is.
"Hey, hey, easy!" he cries, holding his hands out towards the merman in what he hopes is a placating gesture. "It’s gonna be okay, but you need to stay still, if you keep thrashing like that you're gonna hurt yourself!"
The merman lets out another cry, and this time there's another layer beneath the humanesque voice. It's beautiful, almost musical in nature, but there's a harsh undertone to it that makes Virgil wince again.
“C’mon, just stay still for me” he murmurs, reaching out to the merman again. He manages to grab the net this time, tugging on it so the creature floats closer to the boat. The merman snarls and bares his teeth at him, and yikes, those are fangs, steer clear of those! Virgil leans away, sucking a breath in through his teeth, but keeps his grip on the net steady.
The merman opens his mouth again and Virgil grimaces, ready for another heart-wrenching wail, but instead-
“Let. Me. Go!”
Virgil rears back, startled enough that he actually does what the merman says and releases his grip on the net, and not a moment too soon. There’s a sharp, almost metallic taste in the air and the hair on Virgil’s arm stands on end, then with a cry, the merman lets loose a burst of electricity. Virgil yelps in surprise (which he’d find embarrassing, if his brain wasn’t so busy trying to not die) and throws an arm across his eyes against the flash of light.
“Virgil!” Thomas shouts, and Virgil opens his eyes in time to see the last remaining sparks skittering across the surface of the water.
“I’m good!” he calls up, and Thomas lets out an audible sigh of relief. Despite the chill of the sea air, Virgil’s cheeks warm slightly under the doc’s concern; over five years since he started working as his research assistant, and he still wasn’t quite used to the way Thomas treated him, caring for him like he was family.
There was a hissing, spitting growl, and Virgil is yanked back into the moment.
Right. Angry merman trapped in a net; angry merman who can apparently speak English, and is electric to boot. How is this his life?
"Listen man, please," Virgil says, holding his hands out again. "I don't wanna hurt you. My friend up there and I, we're marine biologists...that means we study the ocean and the animals that live there.
"So you set this trap for me," the merman spits out, glaring. "To catch me and study me?"
"No!" Virgil shakes his head. "No, I promise. Our job is to help ocean creatures, not hurt them. We find ones that are sick or injured and we help them get better."
The merman's expression is still wary, but the heat of his glare isn't so intense now, and Virgil sees a familiar flash of panic behind the bravado.
"We didn't set the net," Virgil promises. "From what I can tell right now, it looks like fishing waste of some kind. And it's hurting you."
The merman doesn't answer, but Virgil knows he's right. He can see the nylon strands actually cutting into flesh in some places, and the merman's breathing is steadily becoming more erratic as he struggles weakly in the water.
"We just want to help," Virgil pleads, and the merman looks up at him, his wide eyes a deeper blue than Virgil thinks he's ever seen. For an instant, the merman looks less like a vicious sea creature and more like a terrified young man, then his face twists into another snarl.
"I can't trust a human," he spits out, and Virgil resists the urge to grind his teeth in frustration.
"If you don't want to come back with us, that's fine," he finds himself saying. "We could help you more at our lab, but if you really don't want to go with us, I understand. But at least let me get that net off of you."
"I do not need your help!" the merman snaps, and Virgil snaps right back,
"Well, it certainly doesn't look like you can get out on your own! I don't want you to die out here man, at least let me get the net off!"
The merman's eyes widen again, and Virgil wants to kick himself for letting his own panic get the better of him. That's not what either of them need right now, and it's not what Thomas would do if he were the one down here with the merman.
"I'm sorry," Virgil says more softly. "I know this has to be pretty scary for you. I'm scared too, if I'm honest. But I really do want to help you, please let me try?"
There's a long pause, then finally the merman nods slowly, wincing as the movement causes the netting to dig deeper into his skin. Virgil lets out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and nods back.
"Great. I'm gonna reach for the net, okay? Cool it with the sparks; I can't help you if I get electrocuted and pass out."
The merman nods, and for the third time, Virgil reaches out and grabs ahold of the net wrapped around his body. He pulls him closer to the boat, and for the first time, Virgil gets a closer look at the merman.
He looks remarkably human from the waist up, despite the fins on his elbows and the gills still flapping weakly on his neck, and Virgil’s disaster gay brain takes a moment to note that the bare chest and torso are pretty nice looking, actually, or at least they would be without the fishing net pinning the merman’s arms down and cutting into his tail.
“Virgil!” Thomas calls down to him, and Virgil glances up. “That storm is blowing closer, we don’t have a lot of time left!”
“Got it!” Virgil calls back before pulling a pair of wire cutters from the pocket of his windbreaker. “Okay, I’m gonna try cutting this off you, alright?” he says to the merman. “Try and stay still for me.”
It's slow, delicate work, but bit by bit, Virgil manages to cut sections of the net away, starting with the strands wrapped around the merman's neck and shoulders. When the first bit of netting falls away, the merman suddenly gasps, letting out a shuddering breath, and Virgil realizes with horror that the netting was pinning down the gills on one side of his neck.
Thank god there were buoys keeping him at the surface, Virgil thinks. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn’t been able to come up to breathe.
The relief on his neck and shoulders seems to calm the merman somewhat, and Virgil is able to detangle the mess of netting around his arms and chest more quickly, despite the sliver of gay panic in the back of his mind.
"Okay, now for your tail and fins..." Virgil mutters. "I'd be able to get those off easier if you were in the boat with me, is that alright?"
The merman instantly looks wary, and Virgil gestures at the pile of netting in the boat beside him.
"I've gotten all this off of you already, and if I really did want to hurt you, it'd have been much easier when your arms were pinned," he points out.
"...I suppose that is logical," the merman agrees eventually, and with a slightly pained expression, he reaches up and grips the side of the dinghy, pulling his torso out of the water.
"Virgil, watch out!" Thomas suddenly shouts, and Virgil looks up just in time to see a large swell in the water rolling towards them.
"Shit!" Virgil reaches out and grabs hold of the merman's arms to try and pull him up just as the swell reaches the dinghy, sending it tilting back.
The momentum sends the merman careening forward, and Virgil grunts as the creature lands against his chest. The sea around them is growing choppier, and wind whips through Virgil's hair as he struggles to regain his footing in the dinghy.
The storm has reached them.
"Virgil, you've got to get back up here!" Thomas shouts over the roar of the wind, but Virgil shakes his head.
"His tail is still trapped! He won't be able to swim with it like this, I can't just leave him!"
"You may take me up," the merman gasps, and Virgil whips his head around, locking eyes with him.
"What?"
"You may take me up with you!" the merman repeats. "You cannot stay here when the water is like this, I will go with you."
"Okay," Virgil says quietly, before shouting back up to Thomas. "Okay! Pull the boat up, we're both coming back aboard!"
Rain begins to fall as Thomas rushes to the winch controls; it’s light at first, but by the time the dinghy begins to climb back up towards the deck of the larger boat, it is well and truly pouring. So much so, that Virgil doesn't see the wave that crashes into the side of the boat until it's too late.
Water washes over the dinghy, and Virgil hears Thomas cry out before he and the merman are both swept overboard into the ocean.
Virgil’s head is submerged for a moment, but he’s wearing his life vest and he pops back up above the surface like a cork floating in a bathtub. He tries to gasp for air, but another wave crashes into him and his mouth fills with water. He coughs, and tries to think past the panic that’s clawing its way into his chest.
He turns his head, trying to catch a glimpse of the boat, but all he sees is water: waves crashing around him and rain pouring down into his eyes.
Oh my god, I’m gonna drown. I’m gonna die in the ocean and they might never find my body and I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Thomas-
Virgil’s panicked thoughts are cut off by a sudden, loud wail, and with a start he realizes it’s the merman, who’s still holding onto Virgil’s arms. He lets out the cry again, and Virgil realizes it’s the same harsh, musical call that he’d made earlier when he first woke up.
Virgil opens his mouth to ask him what he’s doing, but another wave rolls into them and his mouth once again fills with water.
I have to find the boat, or we’re both dead.
He tries to look around again, but with the merman clutching his arms he can’t maneuver well enough to get his bearings.
But if I let go, he won’t be able to swim through the storm. Why on earth didn’t I free his tail first?
The merman suddenly lets out another cry, but this time it’s different. The pitch is higher, and it’s layered with some sort of clicking that reminds Virgil of a dolphin. He squints through the rain, and sees that for the first time, the merman doesn’t look afraid. His brow is furrowed in concentration, and he lets out another stream of clicks and cries that almost sound…is that a language?
Before Virgil can ask what he’s doing, a figure suddenly bursts up from the water beside them, and Virgil can’t contain the shriek of surprise, because that’s another merman.
The two mermen click and chatter at each other for a moment, then both turn and look at him, and Virgil swallows. The second merman looks furious, and Virgil’s not interested in becoming fish food, but at the same time…
“Can you help him?” Virgil manages to choke out before another wave cuts him off, and the new merman’s eyes widen. “His-his tail,” Virgil splutters. “Can you help him?”
Before either of the mermen answer (does the second even speak English?), the water around them rises up, and Virgil is staring at the largest thing he’s ever seen in his life. It’s another merman, it has to be, but even with just its head poking above the water, it’s bigger than the boat, its glowing blue eyes boring down right into Virgil’s soul.
I’m dying, Virgil thinks to himself. I fell overboard and now I’m drowning and I’m hallucinating an ocean god and I’m definitely going to die.
The creature reaches an impossibly large hand towards him and everything goes black.
— — —
Logan’s memories of how he got here are vague and fuzzy at best. He remembers thrashing in the water, something thin and tight wrapping around him, constricting his arms, making it hard to move, hard to breathe, he remembers being pulled towards the surface, breaking above the waves and gasping for air with his lungs, and after that…he’s not sure. All he knows now is that he was completely at the mercy of this strange, purple human, and that the human didn’t hurt him. He’d done the opposite, he’d helped him, freed his gills and his arms and made sure that he was comfortable the whole time.
When the waves come and knock them both into the water, Logan knows he can get away if he tries. His tail is still pinned, but with his arms free he’ll be able to swim deep enough that the human can’t follow. But if he leaves the human alone in the sea, he might not survive. Logan refuses to let someone who saved him just die, even if that someone is a human.
The waves pull the human’s head underwater, and Logan knows he has to do something, and fast. Opening his mouth, he lets out his pod call, praying to the Seven Goddesses that his family is out there somewhere looking for him. He cries out again, sending the distress call in every direction as another wave rolls into them. The human is struggling to breathe now, and Logan knows that he will drown soon if he is not able to keep his head above water.
A familiar call suddenly sounds through the water, and Logan’s heart leaps. He calls back, and relief floods through him when he hears a response from close by.
“Roman! Roman, is that you?” he calls. “I am here! This way!”
“Sharkbait!”
Roman bursts up out of the water beside them, and Logan feels tears prick at the back of his eyes.
“Roman!” he cries, reaching for his brother with one hand.
“Logan, thank the Seven Goddesses we found you! Are you alright? What happened?”
“I was caught in a net and swept away,” Logan explains. “But then these humans found me and-”
“What did they do to you?” Roman snarls, whirling to face the human. Logan opens his mouth to explain, but before he can, the human speaks.
“Can you help him?” Another wave crashes over them and the human coughs, but he speaks again anyway. “His-his tail, can you help him?”
“What’s wrong with your tail?” Roman asks, and Logan twists in the water so Roman can see.
“The net, it is still wrapped around me. I-I am having trouble swimming still, but the human has helped to at least free my arms and gills.”
“The human?” Roman repeats, and Logan nods.
The water around them suddenly stirs, and Logan gasps.
“Dad!”
“LOGAN!”
Patton’s head rises above the water, and tears spill over Logan’s eyelids as he reaches for his father. Patton reaches back, and draws Logan close to his chest.
“Dad, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have run off, I didn’t know I’d get caught, I’m so sorry…”
“Shhhhh, it’s alright, guppy,” Patton soothes. “I am not angry with you. I’m so glad you’re safe! Your brother and I have been looking everywhere for you, and by the grace of the Seven Goddesses, we found you! We can all go home together.”
“Wait,” Logan says, turning, and he gasps when he sees that the human has fallen unconscious in the water. Somehow the orange thing around his neck and shoulders is keeping him afloat, but Logan doesn’t know how long it will last.
“What is it, Sharkbait?” Roman asks, and Logan gestures to the human.
“This human, he saved me-”
“SAVED you?” Roman snarls. “Humans are the ones to blame for you getting hurt!”
“But not this human!” Logan insists. “He found me in the net and helped to cut me free; he was trying to free my tail when we both were swept into the ocean. I cannot just let him drown after he saved me!”
“What are we supposed to do, take him to his ship? To shore? And let humans capture all three of us? I think not!” Roman growls, and Logan looks up at his father.
“Dad, please, I- we can’t just leave him!”
“I must admit, I share your brother’s concerns about the risk of venturing nearer to humans,” says Patton.
“But Dad-”
“I have not finished,” Patton interrupts gently. “It is not safe to bring him back to his kind, but there is another way.”
Patton reaches one giant hand out to the unconscious human, touching his thumb to the human’s forehead. There’s a flash of light, and when it fades, there are bright blue lines along the human’s neck that resemble Logan and Roman’s gills.
“The water will not harm him now,” Patton promises. “He will breathe it as we do, he will not drown. Now come, my guppies, it is not safe to remain here.”
“Will he…can we bring him with us?” Logan asks.
Roman makes a sound of protest, but Patton nods.
“That would be best, I think.” He reaches out and draws the human and Logan both close to his chest before sinking back beneath the waves.
“Wait!” Logan says suddenly. “This…this squishy orange thing, it is keeping the human from sinking. We should remove it before we dive.”
“Roman?” Patton prompts, and Roman doesn’t look happy about it, but he reaches forward, and after a few tears at the straps holding the device to the human’s chest it slips free, floating up to the surface.
“Now, guppies,” Patton says soothingly. “We must make for home.”
Logan relaxes into his father’s embrace, and lets himself be carried deeper into the ocean. He yawns, and Patton pulls him closer.
“It’s alright if you need to rest, Logan,” his father murmurs to him. “You have had a very trying day.”
“Roman?” Logan calls, and without another word Roman swims up behind him, curling around him and holding him close.
“That’s it, my guppies. Sleep now, I will wake you when we reach home.”
Logan glances at the unconscious human. He is not sure what to expect when the human wakes, or if bringing him beneath the waves was even the right choice, but there is no time to worry about that now. For now, he is safe in his father’s arms, with his brother’s tail wrapped around his back. His pod is back together, and nothing else matters.
Slowly, Logan’s eyes drift closed and he follows the human into sleep.
Here’s a piece set in the mer au au (or reverse mer au) made by the talented @voidsides. Roman is a merman prince who has fallen desperately in love with pirate captain Virgil, who he follows around constantly trying to woo his grumpy human crush.
Captain Virgil stood aboard his ship, gazing out at the waves as the vessel continued to cross the sea. Such a vast, unforgiving landscape, the ocean- Virgil could stare into its depths for ages, knowing that a single storm could bring him plummeting into its unforgiving murky secrets. It gave him a strange sort of chill, bringing his life up to the edge and spitting in destiny’s face instead, riding along the waves like a tamed wild steed. Sometimes it felt as though he could speak to the sea itself, whispering for him to jump in and the horrible consequences that would befall him below…
And sometimes, the sea did more than whisper.
“Cap’n, it’s back.” A crew member jutted his thumb towards the hull of the ship. Virgil groaned, already hearing that melodious voice as he approached.
“Oh Captain my captain, your ship may be steady in her course but I am more so!”
Virgil huffed, rolling his eyes as he stepped up to peer over the rail. There, following the ship diligently was that same dreaded mer folk. Ruby red scales sparkling in the setting sun, the creature looked almost out of breath but was attempting to hide this with a dazzling smile.
“I thought we lost you in the storm.” Virgil drawled, sounding almost disappointed. It had been a blessed few days of silence.
“Captain, a pleasure it is to see you as well!” The mer lit up at the sight of Virgil, completely ignoring the captain’s statement. “Don’t you look ravishing this fine evening, care for a dip?”
Virgil flipped him off.
“Ah, I see your manners are as lovely as ever.” The creature appeared a bit peeved, but a simple hand gesture wouldn’t deter him. If it would, Virgil would have seen the beast off a hundred times over. “Perhaps a song will lighten your spirits~”
“Fuck off, siren.” Virgil called out to him. Once upon a time, Virgil believed this creature to truly be a siren, a being of the sea that enchanted sailors to sink to their doom. Now Virgil wasn’t so sure, as to be around a siren for this long should’ve meant the death of his entire crew; either this was a very incompetent siren, or a very stubborn and foolish mer folk.
And given Virgil has had the pleasure of hearing the creature sing, he knew it was the latter.
Just as promised, the mer began to hum, easily picking a tune out of the air. Virgil grimaced, turning away from the rail and heading towards his quarters before the song could lure him into a false sense of security.
“Oh, ‘tis the pearl one.” One deckhand commented. “That’s me favorite, tha’ is.”
“Bet he’d love if you told it so.” The other teased.
Virgil groaned, turning to the pair with a scowl. “Don’t encourage it. I forbid you.”
“Oh Cap’n, wouldn’t matter if we said nothin’.” The first assured him. “Tha’ creature has eyes only for yourself.”
Virgil flushed, steadfastly ignoring how the man’s implications made him feel a strange hum in his chest. “Ridiculous.” He scoffed, slamming his door shut before he could be hackled further.
Unfortunately, there was some truth to his men’s words. For whatever reason, this beast had chosen Virgil and would accept no other. Virgil had tried every trick in the book to avoid the mer, short of retiring to land. He boarded a new ship. He sailed new waters. He holed up in his quarters. No matter what maneuvers Virgil tried, within a matter of time the mer would always, always return, and not leave until Virgil had interacted with it.
In the beginning, the very idea of such a curse terrified Virgil. What could the siren possibly want? How long until Virgil was inevitably drowned like all the countless tales? Why was Virgil singled out above all others? But as time passed… for whatever reason, Virgil’s fears morphed into a more quiet curiosity. For whatever reason, the creature seemed to mean him no harm.
So what did it want with him?
Virgil sighed, once again looking out his porthole window at the dark frothy waves. The sun had set some time ago, giving the waters an even more ominous ambience. The singing, now that Virgil was focusing on it, had ended some time ago. Virgil paused, surprised to see the mer was not pressed up against the glass as he was wont to do. Perhaps the last time Virgil had scolded him about “freaking PRIVACY-” had finally gotten through his thick skull.
(It had been rather alarming to find eyes peering in from the murky depths when he was changing. At least the creature had the decency to be sheepish as well.)
Virgil hummed for a moment, drumming his fingers on the desk. Begrudgingly realizing he wouldn’t be able to sleep without knowing if the mer was truly gone, Virgil grabbed a tankard and headed up to the deck.
The captain headed back to the hull of the ship, peering into the path they carved in the ocean. No eyes peered back at him. He took a swig of his rum, slowly circling the length of the ship and examining the waves. No sign of his mer anywhere.
Why was he disappointed?
Virgil sighed, nursing his drink as he attempted to sort out his thoughts. What did he care if the sea serpent wanted to leave? He didn’t care.
Virgil winced, knowing his words were both harsh and pathetic. It wasn’t right to call him a serpent, not when he had done nothing but try to earn Virgil’s trust. Not when he had a name.
Virgil sighed again, placing his head in his hand. “Oh, Roman…”
“You remembered!”
The captain jolted, so lost in his thoughts (and his drink) that he had failed to notice the mer slinking up in the waves. And now Roman was properly grinning, his teeth on full display as he was clearly delighted both at Virgil’s statement and catching the captain unawares.
Virgil huffed, immediately sinking back into his grouchy demeanor and pushing the warm feeling from Roman’s arrival deep down. Deeper than all the oceans combined. “How could I forget? You won’t stop singing your own praises.”
“Well, I would sing yours.” Roman assured him, leaning his arms on the rail a few paces away. He had learned at sword point to give Virgil personal space. “But you’ve refused to give me your name.”
“Hmm.” Virgil just shrugged, taking another sip of his drink.
Roman rolled his eyes, pushing his dripping locks out of his face. “So mysterious. Dark and brooding only keeps a man’s interest for so long, you know. However I am becoming increasingly interested in why you chose to call out to me- does the heart grow fonder, I sense?”
“In your dreams, princey.” Virgil chuckled. Despite his thoughts dwindling on the mer beside him, his gaze was fixed solely on the sea in an almost unfocused trance.
“A sand dollar for your thoughts?” Roman tilted his head.
Virgil paused, debating whether he should tell Roman what was truly on his mind. It was a dangerous game, one that would admit to Roman’s slow siren games working.
“What would…” Virgil paused, refusing to meet Roman’s gaze. He almost didn’t want to know the answer if the darker truths were correct. What would happen if I joined you? Virgil shuddered, watching the waters churn a bit more dangerously. The sea, dangerous mistress she was, would not be so kind to a landlubber like himself.
“What do you want with me?” Virgil murmured. “You’re always going on about how you’re so enamored with me, and you keep trying to get me to jump overboard but- but why?! What could you hope to gain? Stringing me along for the ride, playing your twisted games-”
“What?!” Out of the corner of his eye, Virgil saw Roman’s eyes go wide as saucers. “My captain, my tempter, my beautiful anxious two-legged fool… do you really think so lowly of me? Are my affections all some ploy to you?”
Virgil winced, turning to face Roman fully. He expected the mer to look outraged, insulted even. What he didn’t expect was the pained pleading expression he got in return.
“It’s not so difficult a notion.” Virgil shrugged, hiding his shame behind the lip of his mug. “You have been hunting me for ages.”
Roman let out an offended gasp. “Hunting- how barbaric a notion! Courting, I’ve been courting you, my insufferable flame.”
Virgil all but choked on his drink.
“Or trying, at the very least.” Despite his bold words, Roman had gone rather red in the face as well. “A-and you should count yourself lucky that I continue to try! You haven’t exactly made yourself easy to woo.”
Virgil coughed down some more liquor, needing the liquid courage to get through this conversation. He coughed again, trying to regain his composure. “So- I ask again, why? Why keep ‘courting’ me-” Virgil found a sour taste on his tongue at such an outdated phrase- “if all I do is push you away? Why don’t you leave me alone?”
Roman’s tail agitated the water, a sign Virgil had learned meant the mer was feeling uncertain. It was a more common sight than the mer would ever admit. “I… surely you don’t mean that, do you?”
Virgil just raised an eyebrow, challenging him.
“I think of this as a game, I suppose, it’s true.” Roman admitted, his fingers trailing down into the water with an outstretched hand. “But I thought you were playing along. I guess a part of me always suspected that was just my wild fantasies, though.”
“Oh?” Virgil frowned.
“Why, you must think me terribly annoying.” Roman’s ear flaps flattened to his head as the mer sunk further down. “Perhaps I was the only one who… I wanted to be wanted. Is that so terrible? To imagine a smirk upon your features every time I surfaced? I know you slow the boat down when I’ve been missing, giving me the chance to catch up.”
“I do no such thing.” Virgil lied through his teeth.
Roman sunk further, clearly too stuck in his own gloomy thoughts to catch wind of Virgil’s terrible lie. He met the captain’s gaze, looking pitifully pathetic.
“If you truly want me to go, I’ll go.” Roman spoke softly. Virgil sucked in a breath. “I won’t chase you down any longer. You’ll be free of me. Is that what you wish?”
Virgil stared at him for a very long time, gazing deep into those beautiful brown eyes. He only found sincerity in their depths. Now was his chance to get rid of this mer once and for all; if he told Roman to go, he would never see the mer again.
“...no.” Virgil sighed. “That’s not what I want.”
It was quiet for a moment, only the rippling of the waves to be heard. And then, Roman leaned over and punched Virgil in the arm.
“Ow!” Virgil looked at him aghast, surprised by Roman’s strength. “What’s that about?”
“You jerk!” Roman hissed. “You rotten fiend-”
“What happened to oh captain, my captain-?”
“How dare you play with my heart like that!” Roman’s lip went out in the most adorable pout. “You made me actually doubt for a moment, thinking I had been nothing more than a burden to you all this time, wasting my best years on someone who didn’t care.”
Virgil had been teasing at first, wanting to rile up the fish to see what happened; he never meant to make Roman truly upset. “You’re right, that was cruel of me.”
“Hmph.” Roman turned away from him.
Virgil smirked, feeling more than a little emboldened by his booze. “Can I make it up to you with a gift?”
Roman’s ear flaps twitched, the mer sending him a glance. He gave Virgil a coy smile, poorly hiding his genuine excitement. “For moi?”
“Yup.” Virgil leaned closer, dropping his voice to a near whisper. “Virgil.” He leaned back, letting out a loud laugh at Roman’s befuddled expression. He took another swig of his drink, turning to head in for the night.
“Wha- what does ‘Virgil’ mean?” Roman desperately asked.
“It’s my name, dumbass!” Virgil laughed over his shoulder. He turned back just long enough to drink in the look on Roman’s face, giving the shocked mer a hearty salute before closing his door.
The next morning, Virgil awoke with a pounding headache. He groaned, trying to stave off his hangover with some water as he headed to the deck. It didn’t help that every crew member he passed kept giving him a knowing smirk.
“Have a pleasant eve, Cap’n?” The deckhand asked, Virgil’s head tilted to take in the melody rising from the ocean. He groaned when he heard the words.
~ Arise my sweet Virgil,the pearl of the sea~
~Oh Virgil, my Virgil, forever we’ll be~
All variations of his usual songs, inserting Virgil’s name in as many places as possible. Clearly Roman had enjoyed his gift, no matter how much Virgil was beginning to regret it.
“And this is why you don’t talk to sirens, lads.” Virgil shook his head, muttering under his breath and refusing to head to that side of the ship as his cheeks turned scarlet. “Feed scraps to a hound and it will follow you to the end of your days.”
“Aye, and what a pup you’ve fed.” The lookout chuckled, gazing through an eyeglass back at the mer.
Summary: Janus has been banished from his pod for crimes that he did not commit. However, this merman’s bad luck is far from over. A mer is not meant to live on their own in the open ocean, and as one would expect, things do not go well. Enter: Florida Man.
Here is the mer! Roman! He’s based off an au made by myself and @theangstking. He’s based off of a peppermint angelfish!
To spare all of the background details and put it into a simple er, summary. He’s a ‘lost prince’ of a mer kingdom, and grew up as a human, only discovering his half mer heritage when he meets another mer one night (Virgil).
Plot stuff happens but Roman eventually gets the ability to switch between his mer form and human form. The first time he’s in mer form is when his royal blood is confirmed, as only the royal mers have markings on their face (think of it as a crown of sorts).
Characters: Janus, Roman, Remus, Logan, and Random crewmates
Ships: Rociet main & a small bit of Intrulogical
For: @noodlesyo
Note: I do not own Cinderella ‘So This is Love’, Tangled ‘I See the Light,’ or ‘A Lovely Night,’ from La La Land. Those all belong to their respective artists I hold no ownership of them.
Word Count: 2,378
Merry Christmas noodlesyo! I was your secret Santa this year for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange and gifted you a fluff filled pirate au, featuring mer Roman! I hope you enjoy this sweet bit of fluffiness
"All those days chasing down a daydream," a melodic voice called from below the ship, making the captain groan. ".....All those times never truly seeing...." The voice continued, followed by a small splashing sound
"Oh for fucks sake!" He cried out, plugging his ears. He heard his crew laughing and chuckling at his misery. "Not this fish brain again!"
"Oh come on! Give him a chance, his breath is probably only somewhat fishy" His first mate, Remus, called out, sending the crew into a louder fit of laughter. Even Logan, the ever stoic man, let out a small snort.
Janus shook his head, trying to tune out the merman swimming beside his ship. "I want the ship moving faster!"
"We can't do that, Captain," Logan stated, raising his hand up. "The winds are practically dead and the sails are already fully opened in an attempt to catch as much wind as possible. We are, essentially, stuck."
"I'm where I'm meant to go, and at last I see the light," the voice continued, and Janus wanted to throw himself overboard, that would do nothing but put him next to said thing he wanted to hide from, so he resisted the urge.
"God dammit...is there anything we can do?" He asked Logan desperately, but Remus was the one to speak up.
"Yeah totally! Just go talk to him already. I mean you wouldn't be throwing this much of a stink about it."
"But he is super annoying and-"
"And if he was as annoying as you believe, you'd have sent men to capture and kill said annoyance, right?" Remus practically purred. He enjoyed watching how red Janus got, even the long scars on the side of his face seemed to glow a bright red.
"Well still he is being annoying and disturbing my break tim-"
"So this is love~" The mer swooned, causing the crew on board to fall silent. "So this is what makes life divine. I'm all aglow~ And now I know~"
Those few lines made the crew burst out into cackling laughter. Most of the crew had to find a support from the mast or a few barrels littered around. Remus was in absolute pieces, rolling around on the floor and shrieking with laughter. There was a soft splash and the mer left, startled by the demented howling that was Remus.
Janus couldn't even formulate a response, turning to head back into his cabin to sulk. He heard his crew outside cheering and joking about him and the mer, "Finally gonna get in bed together," as Remus put it. He felt his face flaming, causing him to bring a hand to his face, pressing it against his hot cheeks. He shook his head, tugging open a drawer and grabbing a quill and some paper.
He ignored his crew who were still talking about him and 'His mer', pretending they were talking about someone else. He put on a pair of reading glasses and flicked his lamp on, focusing his attention on some paperwork that needed to be done. Sure, a pirate's life was very free and they could go wherever, as long as they had wind and a working boat. That didn't mean they escaped paperwork and typical adult duties, and it was a good distraction from the singing outside.
Just before sunset, Janus snuck out wearing a yellow wool sweater and fuzzy black pants. He had to stay as warm as possible, especially with how cold it gets the closer it gets to dark. He made sure everyone else was in bed, before making his way towards the front of the boat, slowly looking over the side. When he saw no merman he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pearl. It was about as big as his palm, it's smooth milky surface practically glowing in the moonlight.
He held his hand over the edge of the ship, opening his hand and letting the pearl fall into the water with a small splash. Janus smiled to himself, sitting down with his back against the side of the ship, closing his eyes. He counted in his head, getting to seven before there was a loud splash and a plop when something landed on the front deck.
"Do you always have to sing love songs?" Janus couldn't help but ask, opening his eyes to see the merman, his merman, sitting in front of him. The pearl was held in his webbed fingers, and he looked rather smug.
"Why can't I? Have you caught feelings for me yet?" He asked, holding the pearl out to Janus.
Janus flushed, taking the pearl back. "I...well I don't know yet. Have you lost your feelings for me?"
The merman grinned, slowly reaching out to take Janus' hand. He held it, pressing a small kiss to the back of it, before looking up at the pirate once again. "Never."
One word. One simple five letter, two syllable word managed to light his heart on fire. He slowly pushed the mer away, hiding his face using his captain's hat. "Now come on, stop teasing me like that. I don't find it very funny, Roman."
"I'm not teasing," the merman, Roman, assured, sounding far more serious than his normal frivolous attitude. "I would never put my heart out on display for a joke. I mean every single word I speak to you, dear Captain. I have caught feelings for you, and I do not plan on releasing them anytime in the future."
"But why? I'm a human and your a merman. I'm also a pirate, and we capture and kill merpeople to add their scales or whatever to our trophy collections."
Roman let out a small snort, making Janus glare at him. "Sorry sorry, I don't mean to laugh. But we have been seeing each other for months. Surely if you wanted me dead you would of already done it, correct?"
"Well yes but-"
"Then I'm fine. I trust you." He slowly scooted closer to Janus, and Janus slowly, very slowly, moved closer till their lower halves were brushing against each other.
Tail to legs, it was rather nice, something that Janus wouldn't readily admit to anyone else. "So....what do we do tonight? I don't have much to share with you, as I only did paperwork today."
Roman was silent for a few moments, before a big grin broke out on his face. "Sing with me....please?"
"What?"
"I want to sing with you, a duet. Please? You have a lovely voice and I'm sure we could make glorious music together."
"I don't sing!" Janus squawked, shaking his head. "I don't....what would we even sing?"
A chuckle was pulled out of Roman's mouth and Janus felt rather embarrassed. "Pick from the heart, it's rather easy to do. Would you rather me?"
"Yes, oh yes. I don't...well I don't sing as I don't see a point and I can't think of a good song to sing at the moment."
"Alright alright...I'll start for you," Roman assured, winking. "But you'd better jump in. Don't worry about the words, this is my own melody. Just sing what comes from within, alright?"
"Fine," He grumbled, huffing. "But don't expect it to be any good, got it?"
Roman gave a small hum, thinking up a few words. His gaze went out, looking at the setting sun with a small grin. "The sun is nearly gone, the lights are turning on. A silver shine that stretches to the sea."
Janus had a brief moment where he wondered how he got lucky to have a merman falling all over themselves for him. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around
He looked up when Roman stopped singing, clearly waiting for him to continue. "We've stumbled on a view that's tailor-made for two. What a shame those two are you and me." Janus felt his heart break a bit when he noticed Roman's face, leaning closer to show he didn't honestly mean it. He did continue though, stealing the next few lines as he thought them up. "Some other girl and guy-"
"We're both men," Roman commented, whining when he got a hand placed on his mouth and a light glare from the captain.
"Would love this swirling sky. But there's only you and I and we've got no shot." He let out a small squeal when the mer licked his hand and he pulled away, looking disgusted.
Roman pouted at the last line, before grinning. "This could never be, You're not the type for me-"
"Bullshi-" Janus yelped when a scaled hand reached out and pinched his cheek.
"-And there's not a spark in sight. What a waste of a lovely night~"
Janus rolled his eyes, before grinning. He threw his leg over Roman's tail, sliding onto his lap so they were face to face. Roman looked caught off guard, and that's exactly what he wanted. "You say there's nothing here, well let's make something clear. I think I'll be the one to make that call."
"And though you look so cute, In your polyester suit-"
"It's wool," Janus broke in, smirking.
Roman huffed, pouting at the human and poking his chest. "You're right, I'd never fall for you at all~"
Janus rolled his eyes, until he felt hands resting on his waist, pulling him closer. His cheeks grew pink, but he wasn't going to back down and lose this little "battle."
"And maybe this appeals, to someone not in heels-"
"Do not mock my heeled boots," Janus grumbled, sticking his tongue out.
"Come now, they are adorable!" Roman assured, lightly bumping his forehead against Janus' before picking up right where he left off. "Or to any guy who feels, there's some chance, for romance~"
"But I'm frankly feeling nothing," Janus sang back, lowering his volume as he noticed Roman's face getting closer to him.
Roman was only a hair's breadth away from him. One of the hands on his waist left, sliding down his arm and lacing their fingers together. He brought Janus' hand up to his mouth, pressing his lips against his fingers. "Is that so?"
Janus let out a soft chuckle, feeling his mouth dry up when those ruby red eyes met his. They looked at him with such adoration that it made him almost melt into a puddle. "Or it could be less than nothing," he sang, barely getting the line out as he just about choked on the words.
"Good to know~" Roman purred, letting go of his hand and moving to cup the captain's cheek. "So you agree?"
"That's right," Janus assured, leaning in and closing his eyes.
"What a-" Roman began, only for Janus to join in at the last line.
"Waste of a lovely night~"
Janus couldn't help himself, he just wanted Roman. He didn't know how a silly song made him realize his longing for the mer, but it did the trick. Maybe it was how close they were, or maybe this was just the perfect moment to show the mer how much he desired him.
He slowly leaned in, pressing their lips together. He never believed in first kisses being anything special, but goodness this felt absolutely magical. Sparks were flying and he could feel the love and tenderness Roman poured into it. Janus' eyes fluttered shut as he felt Roman deepening the kiss, the hand on his waist pulling him closer till they were practically chest to chest. His arms looped around Roman's shoulders and he wished this could go on forever.
Eventually, they had to break apart for air, both of them panting with flushed cheeks and pupils blown wide. Janus' clothes were a bit rumbled and messed up, as was his hair. When the captain finally caught his breath he gave the still frazzled mer a smirk. "Well....was that enough to clarify my feelings for you? Or shall I have to show you more?"
"N-No," the mer stuttered, and Janus couldn't help but find it endearing. "I just....that was very forward and I'd....if your actions prove anything, I believe that you are attempting to court me."
Janus snorted, kissing Roman's cheek. "Yes I am...I want to court you and form a relationship. So....will you give me the chance?"
Roman paused, before he pulled Janus into another, much shorter, kiss. When they broke away, he laughed. "Good gods yes. Yes I want you to court me!"
"IT"S ABOUT FUCKING TIME!" Remus cried out, poking out from behind a pile of barrels. "Finally we've been waiting forever!"
"Remus!? What are you doing here?" Janus shrieked, moving to climb out of Roman's lap. He felt the arm on his waist tighten and he stayed put.
Remus scoffed, crossing his arms. "I am watching my best friend finally get together with his fishy crush! Logan came too!" He reached behind the second barrel, hauling Logan to his feet.
"Hey!" Logan squawked, looking at both of them. "Uh...good evening, Captain."
"God dammit," Janus huffed, slowly standing up. "Well...I suppose that since you caught us, you should be the first to know that yes, I am in fact courting this lovely mer.”
“Hell ya!” Remus cried out, turning and pulling Logan into a kiss as well. He pulled away with a loud pop, cheering and celebrating while Logan stood there, completely stunned. His cheeks were flushed and he struggled to process what just happened.
Janus couldn’t help but watch those two. Sure Remus was waking the entire crew, but it would be worth it for this. He had his new partner, and he could see Remus making a move on Logan. It was about time, those two have been pining for each other for longer than even he and Roman had been.
He looked at Roman, slowly lifting the fish into his arms. “I know this is sudden, but would you be willing to announce our new relationship to my crew? I know it’s new and everything but-” He was cut off by a finger on his lips.
“For you, I’d do anything,” Roman whispered, leaning against Janus’ chest. “I’ll meet them, as long as you’re by my side.
“Of course. I’ll always be right there,” He assured, and realized that there was no other place he’d rather be than right by Roman’s side.
