Yuuri lethargically flicked his tail, sluggishly propelling himself towards the waves above. He was certainly not in a hurry, trepidation weighing him down as it pooled in the pit of his stomach. If Viktor even showed up, what would he say to Yuuri? Would be angry that he had left without a word? He gulped, trying to push these thoughts away, but it was no use. Chewing the inside of his cheek, he slowed his ascent. What if Viktor didn't come down to the beach, and Yuuri ended up feeling even worse than before? And… what would he even say to Viktor if he did show up?

Anxiety twisted in his chest, constricting and threatening to suffocate him. His gills drew in water rapidly and his shoulders heaved as he tried to get enough oxygen from the water. His heart was beating wildly in his rib cage in apprehension and worry. To calm himself, he began trying to regulate his breaths and make them longer, but it wasn't really working to soothe his nerves.

Before he could change his mind, Yuuri shot upwards in a burst of energy and broke the surface. The night air was cool against his upper body, and he filled his weak human lungs with it. He surveyed the shore. Now, he had to find a place in the shallows to rest and wait. Somewhere hidden from people out on a morning stroll, but where he could still hear if Viktor was coming. The plan was to stay near the beach all through the night and the next day. That way, he wouldn't miss Viktor if he showed up.

Ah, there. Near a large cluster of boulders was a place where Yuuri could hide in the shallows, but not get stranded when the tide went out. He ducked his head underwater to make sure, and his hunch was confirmed. There was a steep drop a ways away from the rocks, creating a small chasm that would be great to stay in. When the tide was all the way out, it would stay full and partially submerged.

Inwardly, he was grateful that merfolk had good eyesight in the dark, although that didn't help the fact that he had a bit of hard time seeing things that were far away. There was no moon tonight, but he could still make out the shape of the hole up ahead. Yuuri swam forward, careful not to hit his tail against the craggy sea floor beneath him. It wouldn't penetrate his scales, but it would still sting. He came to the approximately six-feet deep trench and was about to settle into it for the night when he got a peculiar feeling in his gut. A feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Quickly, Yuuri jerked his head up out of the water and turned to face the beach. When he saw the vague shape of a human form sprawled across the rocks, his heart jolted. The person must be injured, otherwise they wouldn't just be lying there. He would not let that human die right in front of him when he could have done something to help, no matter how difficult it would be. If he didn't, he would be plagued with guilt the rest of his life.

Yuuri gritted his teeth, determined. Straining, he lifted himself up onto the edge of the miniature cliff. There was a thin layer of water underneath him, not retreated back with the tide yet, and it made a splash when he landed heavily. He peered out to the body that was slumped on its back and he gasped in horror when he recognized who it was. 'Viktor.'

A choked sob tore out of his throat and he desperately started crawling over the sharp stones. They scraped painfully against his exposed belly and tail, and he felt a scale dislodge. Crying the human's name over and over, he struggled closer. His Viktor was hurt. He might be dying. Tears blurred his vision and he clawed in the darkness for handholds to drag himself forward, his tail a dead weight behind him.

There was no water below Yuuri now, just rocks and gritty sand that irritated his skin and got stuck under his nails and lamina. He didn't even notice, neither would he even care if he did. The barnacles attached to the stones sliced the pads of his fingers and split some of the membranes between them, but he pressed onward.

Three feet away, two, one- and then there Yuuri was, right beside Viktor after what felt like decades. Frantically, he watched to make sure his love's breast was still rising and falling, and untensed slightly when he saw that it was. He searched for a wound, and saw dark blood on the boulder Viktor's head was lying on, shining nauseatingly in the starlight.

"No, no, no, no," he clicked panically in mermish. Viktor must be concussed. If he fell asleep, he could go into a coma and potentially never wake up, but couldn't shake him, or the head trauma could get worse. Instead, he gently hit the human's cheeks. "Please, please," he wailed miserably.

Viktor could not die. Yuuri would be absolutely destroyed. Drops of water fell from his eyes and onto his partner's forehead.

"Viktor, Viktor," he wept. Those heart-wrenchingly familiar sea-blue eyes fluttered open, and the mer released a shaky breath, relief flooding through his system. Viktor focused on the merman, and whispered,

"Yuuri," smiling weakly. Against his better judgement, Yuuri kissed him softly and sloppily on the lips, heedful not to shift the human's head, and then pulled away.

Viktor raised a shaky hand and placed it on the side of Yuuri's face. The mer leaned into the touch, biting his lip as he cried, shuddering. He had missed Viktor so much.

(Only two chapters left! Hang on guys, it's gonna be a wild ride~)