The docks stretched into the night like fingers reaching for the horizon, their wood creaking softly beneath Duman's boots. The air was cool and briny, laced with the scent of salt and the faint rot of seaweed. Above him, the moon hung low, spilling silver light across the inky water. The ocean was restless, its surface rippling with whispers of waves that seemed to hum an ancient song.
Duman leaned against the railing, staring into the water below. He should've been with the others, planning their next move in the fairy hunt. The winx were kicking their asses left and right. The idea of losing this battle made his chest tighten. To avoid feeling weak, or facing such fears, Duman wandered the docks of Gardenia. He wasn't necessarily looking for anything.
He took out a pocket knife, picking at his nails. A sudden splash broke the quiet, startling him. He looked around, readying himself for a fight.
"Careful," came a voice, smooth and teasing. "You might cut yourself."
Duman froze. He walked carefully, looking over to the dock's edge. Floating just below the surface was a figure—a man, but not. His plum hair fanned out around his face like ink spreading through water, and his olive eyes seemed to glow, reflecting the moonlight. His shoulders broke the surface, built yet slick, and just below them, Duman caught a glimpse of shimmering scales, their green iridescent hues shifting like liquid starlight.
"What the—" Duman stumbled back.
The figure grinned, resting his arms on the dock's edge. "Not what you were expecting?"
Duman blinked, his heart racing. "A mermaid?"
"Merman," the figure corrected, his voice dripping with mock indignation. "Do I look like I collect sailors and shipwrecks?"
Duman raised a brow. "You are lounging around the docks at night."
The merman laughed, his smile playful. "Fair. I'm Tritannus. And you are?"
"Duman," he said cautiously. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be… I don't know, avoiding humans? Or avoiding me? Something like you lounging around the docks doesn't seem normal."
Tritannus smirked. "Probably not. But I couldn't resist. You've been stomping around the docks every night, looking all broody. Figured I'd find out what your deal is."
Duman sneered slightly, "I'm not stomping, nor am I brooding."
"I see," A sly smile played on Tritannus's lips, "Perhaps your just restless then? Is there a way I can help with that~?"
Duman frowned, glancing back at the darkened warehouse . "You shouldn't be here. If the others see you—"
Tritannus rolled his eyes. "Theyll what? Throw a net at me? Dont make me laugh. Do you know how many hunters I've outswum? They couldn't catch a fish if it jumped into their nets."
Duman crossed his arms, his irritation growing. "Well, maybe you should stop swimming into danger for no reason."
"Maybe you should stop hanging around people who can't tell the difference between a fairy and a firefly," Tritannus shot back, grinning.
Duman opened his mouth to retort, but Tritannus was already pulling himself closer, his arms resting on the dock. "You don't seem to eager to fish, Duman. So why are you here?"
The sound of his name in Tritannus's voice sent a strange thrill through him.
"It's complicated," he muttered, looking away.
"Humans and they're 'complicated,'" Tritannus said with a chuckle. "Let me guess, the great fairy hunt isn't going so well?"
Duman opened his mouth to argue, but Tritannus cut him off. "You think too much," he said, reaching for Duman's hand. "I'll get that restlessness out of you. Come with me."
"Wha—" Before Duman could finish, Tritannus pulled him over the edge.
The world plunged into cold and chaos as the sea closed over Duman's head. For a moment, he flailed, panic surging. But then strong arms steadied him, pulling him into a calm embrace.
"Relax," Tritannus murmured into his ear, his voice somehow clear even underwater.
Duman stilled, the tension in his body fading. The water around them was dark, but shafts of moonlight pierced the surface, painting the seabed in shifting patterns of silver and shadow. Schools of tiny fish darted around them, their scales glittering like stars. The ocean was alive, its silence thrumming with an energy that made Duman's heart ache.
Tritannus held him close, his eyes alight with mischief and something softer, something tender. Slowly, he leaned in, his lips brushing against Duman's.
The kiss was unlike anything Duman had ever known—cool and warm, salty and sweet, like the ocean itself had wrapped around him. The water cradled them, weightless and endless, as if the sea had paused to hold its breath. Duman's hands found their way to Tritannus's shoulders, clinging to him as the kiss deepened, filling him with a strange, exhilarating joy.
Duman was not aquatic, and inevitably the need for air had his lungs burning. He ripped away, crawling onto the dock in a coughing heap. His heart drummed, the electric current alight in his body from the experience. A loud thump made him lay back, as an unfamiliar weight pinned him. Tritannus hovered above him, a playful glimmer in his eyes.
"Don't tell me you've run out of energy ~." His lips met Duman's once more. Tender and reverent, his hands trailing the damp cloth that clung to Duman. Letting a hand just barely explore the wet skin of Duman's chest.
Duman had lost his focus, now his carnal needs were taking precedence. His hands traced over the sea dwellers skin, the feeling of slick scales was foreign, but welcome. He let his hands find the fin along Tritannus's back.
Tritannus in turn let a groan leave him, his "hips" adding pressure to Duman's.
Duman felt his hips respond happily to the new pressure of the merman's tail. Any logic was far gone, he didn't care how, he wanted the man above him.
Lips danced and hips shifted as the smell of sea water slowly began sending Duman into a euphoric trance. As Duman reacted more feverishly, Tritannus suddenly pulled away completely.
"H-hey!? What gives?"
Tritannus smiled, "The sun will be rising soon, I need to go back, but I'd be more than happy to return tonight~."
With that, Tritannus splashed into the sea, leaving Duman to deal with himself.
By the time Duman stumbled back into the warehouse dripping seawater, the wizards were already awake.
"Where were you?!" Ogron bellowed. "You've been gone all night!"
Duman threw his hands in the air in frustration and said, "I made out with a fish tease!"
The warehouse fell into stunned silence.
"You huh?" Gantlos asked.
"You heard me," Duman said, everywhere. "A fish. Scales, tail, the whole lot. The nerve to leave me when it was just getting exciting! And he kissed me first!"
Anagan's face twisted in confusion, "You've lost your damn mind."
"Not yet I haven't," Duman snarled. "I'm gonna fuck that fish."
The wizards stared at him in confused silence as Duman grabbed a towel, muttering under his breath about annoying mermen and their terrible timing.