Chapter Text
Yuuri visited Viktor nearly every day when they had started courting. The relationship was hard, but both parties did their best to make it happen. The couple soon fell into a routine. Yuuri would rise early, visit Viktor at the beach before heading off for whatever he had planned for the day.
During that time, Viktor would swim around from clan to clan searching for a way that they could be together longer. There had always been myths and legends about magic charms and spells that could turn a merperson into a human, or a human into a merperson, but most of them had very undesirable side effects. If they even existed in the first place.
It took Viktor swimming back to his home clan in Russia to ask his elder, Yakov, if he knew of anything. It seemed that Yakov had an answer to his question, albeit was a temporary solution to their larger problem.
“A merperson’s kiss will allow a non water breathing creature the ability to breath underwater for short periods of time.”
Viktor didn’t know what a kiss was. He asked Yuuri about it one day, only to have the Japanese man blush and stutter at him before explaining what it was. The pressing of lips together. It wasn’t a practice that was used with Viktor’s people, but according to Yuuri, it was a way human couples show their love and affection to one another.
Viktor had asked him if he wanted to try it.
Yuuri clammed up and refused to talk, his face going beet red.
“Yuuri, do you think we will ever find a way to stay with each other all the time.” Viktor had asked suddenly one night.
“I don’t know.” Yuuri murmured. “The human world is very scarce with any legitimate information on magic, that I can’t really help.”
“I suppose we did cut them off from us.”
“Why is that anyway?” Yuuri asked.
“Humans were always very eager to conquer and cull.” Viktor hummed in thought. “I suppose that once we cut them off all those centuries ago, we became too afraid to resume any form of contact.”
“So magical beings are scared of humans?”
“We’re not really magical, Yuuri.” Viktor told him. “We’re just like any other creature on this planet. It is simply humans that seem to lack the ability to comprehend something that is against what they think is natural.”
“I hope you don’t think of me as one of those humans.” Yuuri snapped.
“Of course not. There are a few instances where certain humans have been more open minded.” Viktor said. “It’s just that, the creatures that block all communication with humans find them arrogant. Its taught to the young and firmly locked within our culture. Humans are arrogant and cruel, never go near them.”
“Well, you obviously didn’t listen.” Yuuri cracked a small smile.
“I did always get in trouble for not listening.” Viktor laughed. “But I’m glad I didn’t, or I would have never met you.”
“What drew you to me all those years ago?”
The question Yuuri had randomly spoken that one evening had startled Viktor.
“Well… I don’t remember off the top of my head, it was years ago.” He began. “It was my first time up to the surface, and the first thing I saw was a wave knock you over.”
“You saw that!” Yuuri flushed in embarrassment.
“First thing I saw!” Viktor laughed. “Though I have to say, your crying freaked me out a little. It reminded me of the wails young mer would let out when they were distressed, so I guess my instincts told me to try and calm you.”
“The conch shell.” Yuuri muttered.
“It was the best thing I could find.” Viktor agreed. “I was lucky that it worked, but you almost saw me that day. I had to swim away cause I was told that if I was caught, I would surely be killed. I was scared.”
“I did see you though.” Yuuri told Viktor. “Well, the color of your tail anyway. I didn’t know who or what you were until our second meeting.”
“Ah, I remember.” Viktor looked reminiscent. “I could only speak Russian at the time, so I couldn’t get what I was trying to say across.”
“I remember. It freaked me out a little. You were just suddenly there behind me.”
“I didn’t plan to get caught, but your dog must have caught my scent or something.” Viktor smiled. “Though I’m glad he did. I wouldn’t have gotten this far if he didn’t.”
“And then you gave me that red abalone shell.”
“It was one of my hair ornaments at the time.” Viktor ran a hand through his hair.
“You just said Подарок and looked at me for the longest time.” Yuuri chuckled. “I was so confused. I could only speak Japanese and a small amount of English at the time. I never even heard Russian before.”
“I’ve heard that other languages find it a harsh sounding language, along with German.” Viktor nodded. “I’m not surprised that it freaked you out. You had to be, what, 13 at the time.”
“Yeah, it was eleven years ago.” Yuuri gazed out at the ocean. It was a wonder how much time had passed.
“Then ten years later we finally properly met!” Viktor exclaimed.
“You had cut your hair.” Yuuri recalled. “Of course I still didn’t know who you were then.”
“I don’t know if I ever told you, but I sat at that rock every day hoping that you would come.”
“I didn’t know that.” Yuuri seemed a little shocked. “But then again, you were always persistent. I almost didn’t approach you that day either.”
“Do you think we would be together if you hadn’t come up to me, Yuuri?” Viktor asked, his voice had become quiet.
“I can’t say, really.” Yuuri honestly had no idea if he would have eventually mustered up the courage to talk to Viktor, or if he would have continuously ran away from him. There wasn’t really much reason to think about such things, but it was a thought that passed through both their minds every once in awhile.
“I should probably tell you,” Viktor’s voice cut through Yuuri’s thoughts. “I think I may have found a way for us to be together more often.”
Yuuri jolted, looking at Viktor excitedly. They had been searching for months to find a way that either one of them could spend more than a few hours in the other’s respective environment. The distance had really began taking a toll on the couple.
“You have?! What is it?”
“Well, I’m figuring out the details now, but…” Viktor trailed off.
“But what?”
“We may have to chose which one of us have to sacrifice their culture. I don’t think it will work both ways.” Viktor told him. “Either I become a human, or you become a merperson.”
“So we have some serious thinking to do then?”
“Yeah, we do.”
Yuuri had left their spot by the ocean that night with a tense feeling in his chest. The decisions that he and Viktor had to make were heavy. Life changing. Yuuri also realized that it was time for him to come clean to his parents about Viktor. The two of them had discussed it in length, and came to the agreement that Yuuri would bring over the people who were important in his life and let them meet Viktor. Hopefully all would go well.
Yuuri’s mother noted her son’s silence during dinner. Usually he would have at least a little bit to say, or if not, would laugh along with whatever the rest of the family were talking about. But tonight Yuuri seemed to be lost in his thoughts, an almost pained grimace on his face. It hurt Hiroko to see her son in such a state, but she also knew that prying the answer out of him would only make matters worse. No, Yuuri always had to come to her or his father first.
“Mom?”
“Yes dear?” Hiroko was surprised by the sudden words. Perhaps he had gotten through whatever had been eating at him a lot quicker than usual.
“There’s someone I want you guys to meet tomorrow.” Yuuri began slowly, almost tentative of how they would react. “They’re really important to me, and I want you all to know.”
“Of course, dear.” Hiroko gave her son a reassuring smile. “When and where do you need us?”
“Tomorrow morning, on the rocks reaching out to the ocean, where I go when I need some air.”
“Alright, your father, Mari and I will be there.”
“Thank you mom.”
“Of course darling.”
The morning had come much sooner than Yuuri had wanted. He had been so anxious the night before that he had hardly gotten any sleep. Today was to be the big reveal, and Yuuri couldn’t be more scared.
Yuuri made sure to get up and leave before his family did. He wanted to make sure that Viktor was also prepared for what was to come. It wasn’t every day that more than a few humans came to know of a single merperson’s existence.
When Yuuri arrived at their usual spot, Viktor was already perched on the rocks gazing out into the sunrise.
“Good morning, Viktor.” Yuuri greeted him.
Viktor turned to the sound of Yuuri’s voice, a loving look in his eyes.
“Good morning Yuuri.”
“Are you ready?” Yuuri asked.
“As I’ll ever be.” Viktor chuckled. “I just keep thinking to myself, ‘Yuuri is a kind and amazing person, so obviously the people who raised him are going to be just as kind.”
“I suppose that's one way to deal with it.”
Yuuri sat down next to Viktor, leaning against him as they watched the sunrise together. Both of them were bracing themselves for what was about to transpire, be the reaction positive or negative. Viktor figured that at the end of the day, as long as Yuuri still loved him, he would be fine with however this meeting went. Yuuri figured that even if his family didn’t like Viktor, he would still love the merperson unconditionally with everything he had.
Chatter brought the pair out of their thoughts as sounds of footsteps became closer.
“It’s happening. We’re okay, right?” Yuuri asked in a panic.
“Of course, don’t worry about a thing, alright.” Viktor reassured him.
“Yuuri, were here.” Mari was the first to see them, traversing the rocks to quickly reach them. His parents weren't too far behind.
“I hope we're not too late.” Hiroko murmured. “Is this the person you wanted us to meet, Yuuri.” Her soft eyes fell on Viktor’s form, taking in his silver hair and ice blue eyes.
“Ah, yes, this is Viktor.”
“Yuuri.”
“Yes Mari?”
“He has a fish tail.”
“He does.”
“Is it real?”
“It is.”
“Oh.” Mari trailed off, processing the new information.
“You must be a merperson.” Hiroko cooed. “I’m Yuuri’s mom, Hiroko. This young lady over here is Yuuri’s elder sister, Mari, and this is my husband.”
“A pleasure to meet you.” Viktor greeted, a charming smile gracing his features. “I hope my… body, doesn’t upset you.”
“Oh nonsense. One of my close friends was close to a merperson” Hiroko said.
“Really, who?” Yuuri suddenly asked. If it was someone he knew, maybe they had some answers to his and Viktor’s dilemma.
“Minako, your ballet instructor.” Yuuri’s mother beamed. “Her sister soul bonded to a lovely Swiss merperson named Elisabeth. They live together in America now.”
“Wait, they live together? How?” Yuuri was frantic.
“Well, they soul bonded. From what Minako told me, when a mer and a human become the perfect match, their souls will bond together. It creates a strong magic that has different effects depending on the people.”
“And Minako’s sister?” Yuuri egged his mother on.
“Well, Lizzy’s deepest desire was to live on land with her, so their soul bond gave them the opportunity to become human.”
“Mom, Viktor and I are courting.” Yuuri suddenly blurted out, his face red, but determined. “If we bond souls, would we also find a way to be closer to each other?”
Hiroko smiled lovingly at her son. It was easy for her to tell that the boy was smitten the the other. Never in her life had she seen Yuuri gaze at someone with such raw and pure adoration.
“I can already tell that you both are very close.” She began. “The soul bond knows what you need. All you need to do is trust it.”
“Mrs. Hiroko.” Viktor finally spoke out.
“Yes, Viktor?”
“Do you know how the soul bond works?” Viktor asked.
“Not really. It seemed to happen with Minako’s sister when they promised to spend the rest of the lives with and for each other. I don’t know if that is the trigger. Minako isn’t here, so I can’t really ask her. I’m sorry.”
“No, that was fantastic.” Viktor reassured her. “We just made giant leaps to what we were looking for. Thank you.”
Hiroko smiled, placing a hand over her heart. These two were so cute, it almost seemed like it would be the death of her.
“It’s not a problem at all.” She replied. “We’ll get going now. The onsen will be opening soon, we need to be there.”
With that, Yuuri’s family bade the two goodbye. As the left, Yuuri looked at Viktor in relief.
“That went much better than I thought.” Viktor chuckled.
“Yeah... “ Yuuri trailed off. “I can’t believe that my own mother know so much about merpeople.”
“It was a surprise.” Viktor agreed. “I had heard of the soul bond, but I was told that it was incredibly rare, and only worked when two souls were destined to be together.”
“Do you think?”
“Maybe. It’s impossible to tell, but we can try.” Viktor offered.
“You know how to do it?” Yuuri asked.
“Every merperson does. Even if it’s rare, it’s a chance every merperson wants, so we all learn.”
“So, do you want to become bonded to me? Is this something we can do now?”
“We need to wait until tonight, but yes.” Viktor answered, wrapping an arm around the smaller man.
“Alright then. Tonight?” Yuuri’s face lit up. “I need to go help with the onsen, so I should go.”
“Okay, make sure you get here around sunset.” Viktor told Yuuri. “We will do it then.”
Both felt an electric charge run through them. Like a small spark had been turned into a storm. Yuuri slowly made his way back to the beach, sparing a final glance at his lover before running back towards his home.
Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder what he and Viktor would have to do to bond souls. Was there a ritual? A spell, a pact? All of these thoughts created a storm in Yuuri’s head. Of course his mother picked up on it quickly enough.
“Yuuri, could you help me in the kitchen for a moment?” Hiroko’s voice called out from said room.
“Sure, what do you need?” Yuuri came padding into the kitchen, a quizzical look on his face.
“Help me with the dishes?” Hiroko asked. “And tell me what's on your mind. You’ve been spacing out ever since you got home this afternoon.”
Yuuri blinked in surprise before a fond smile appeared. Of course she would pick up on that. She had always been the observant type.
“Mom, what do you think of Viktor?”
“He’s very handsome.” Hiroko said after a small pause. “He seems smitten with you as well, it’s quite cute.”
Yuuri blushed.
“How did you meet him, Yuuri?” His mother asked.
“Well, you remember that trip we took to the beach when I was 8 or so?” Hiroko nodded, “When I was playing in the tide pools, a wave crashed over me and I freaked out. You, dad, and Mari were too far away to hear me call you, and I was too scared to move.”
“Oh dear, I’m sorry I didn’t notice.” Yuuri’s mother let out a shocked gasp.
“It’s fine mom, it couldn’t be helped.” Yuuri reassured her. “But anyway, Viktor was coming up to see the surface for the first time, and the first thing he saw was me getting hit by that wave, and then crying. I suppose I must have freaked him out a little, but he had placed a conch shell behind me.”
“Oh, the pink one that glows orange when light passes through it?”
“That very one.” Yuuri confirmed. “I only saw a glance of the color of his tail that day, so that was the first day Viktor saw me, but I didn’t even see him until I was 13. Vicchan caught his scent when I was sitting by the ocean. He tried to give me a red abalone, but at the time he only knew Russian, so I couldn’t understand him.”
“That must have scared you.” Hiroko mused.
“It did, but Vicchan seemed to like him, so I didn’t panic too much.” Yuuri said. “It wasn’t until about a year ago that we really started talking, and a few months after that we started courting.”
“And now you want to find a way to be together more often.”
“Yes.” Yuuri looked down at his hands. “He wants to soul bond with me, but I don’t know how it’s done, so I guess I’m a bit anxious. It was running through my mind at lunch, and then you called me in here.”
“I see.” Yuuri’s mom paused for a moment, deep in thought, before continuing. “What I do remember Minako telling me is that the soul bond is different for every couple. It’s something that is specific to their personalities. Usually one of the two that are to be bonded instinctively know how to begin, and the rest just falls into place.”
“Since I have no clue, I assume it would be Viktor that knows then.”
“That may be the case, dear.” Hiroko hummed in agreement.
“I’m probably gonna head out. I told Viktor I’d meet him around sunset.”
“Alright, be safe dear.” Hiroko gave Yuuri a kiss on the cheek and ushered him out the kitchen.
By the time Yuuri arrived at their usual spot, the sun was already low on the ocean’s horizon. The brilliant orange hues reminding Yuuri of the first time he and Viktor officially met. Once again he found the merperson sitting on the edge of the rocks, back facing him as he gazed out across the sea.
“Did I keep you waiting.” Yuuri asked quietly, taking a seat next to Viktor.
“Not really, I’ve only been here for a little while.” Viktor reassured him, planting a kiss on Yuuri’s jawline.
“Are you ready to do this?” Yuuri asked. “I have no idea what to do, so I’m hoping you do.”
Viktor smiled at Yuuri, fond affection and pure love filter through the expression. Slowly, he lowered himself back into the water before turning and lending Yuuri his hand.
“Swim with me?”
Yuuri blinked, before slowly nodding and pulling his outer clothes off. He had gotten into the habit of either wearing or having a pair of swimming pants with him. He took Viktor’s hand with a smile, and lowered himself into the water.
“I thought it would be colder.” Yuuri stated in surprise.
“We’re near a warm current, so the water here is a bit warmer than it would be down the beach a ways.” Viktor explained.
“Oh” Yuuri dumbly replied.
“Yuuri?”
“Yes?”
“Would you willingly spend the rest of your life with me, and love none other than me?”
“I couldn’t ask for more. Of course.”
“And if the world seemed against us and wanted us apart, would you do everything in your power to stay by my side, and never leave?” Viktor asked.
“Everything in my power and more.” Yuuri answered without any hesitation.
“Yuuri, may I kiss you?” Viktor asked softly, a red glow warming his cheeks.
Yuuri blushed, but nodded eagerly. His eyes gently fluttered shut as he waited for Viktor to make his move. A few beats passed, before Yuuri felt a soft pair of lips caress his own.
Immediately, Yuuri felt a great sensation flow through him. Affection and warmth blossomed in his chest, and his body tingled from head to toe. Light flashed in front of Yuuri’s eyelids, and he snapped his eyes open to see one of the most wonderful sights he had ever laid his eyes on.
Red and blue lines glowed from the center of his and Viktor’s chest. The blue from Yuuri’s body swirled in intricate patterns down his body, and crossed over to Viktor wherever they were connected. Viktor’s red lines followed the same behavior, crossing over to Yuuri’s body and making their mark on him.
The glow got brighter, before the colors mixed and the source of both the colors turned a lovely shade of violet. The light lingered a little while longer before fading away slowly. Once Yuuri’s eyes had adjusted back, he noticed two things.
One, that where the lines had been on both of their bodies, He and Viktor had what looked to be tatoos of the design the light had created.
Two, Viktor now had legs.
“I… you.” Yuuri tried to speak, but the words failed him.
“Yuuri!” Viktor cooed, pulling the younger male closer to him. “We did it!”
“V-Viktor, you’re naked! I didn’t think to bring extra clothes!” Yuuri gasped. “What are we going to do, can you even walk?!”
“We can find out.” Viktor laughed, pulling himself out of the water. Tentatively, he moved to stand up before Yuuri stopped him.
“Wait, let me get out first. I can give you something to lean on so you don’t crack your head open on the rocks.” Yuuri rushed to pull himself out of the water. He carefully grabbed his pile of clothes before handing his sweatpants to Viktor. “These should be big enough to fit you until we get home.”
“I get to see where you live Yuuri.” Viktor exclaimed. “I finally get to spend more time with Yuuri.”
Yuuri turned to see tears streaming down Viktor’s cheeks. The sight caused Yuuri to tear up himself, as he lowered himself down to the ground next to Viktor and embraced him tightly.
“We can finally be together.” Yuuri cried in agreement. “Finally.”
“I love you Yuuri.” Viktor whispered into his ear.
Yuuri shuddered before replying.
“I love you too, Viktor. With all of my heart.”