#winterfre2017

He told Fíli he was beautiful, but the brunet saw only the exterior.   He didn’t hear the blond’s thoughts, didn’t see the monster lurking just beneath his skin.  The creature that thought of little more than its thirst for blood and who it might take as its next victim.  Kíli wanted Fíli to turn him, to make him immortal, the same.  But Fíli refused.  He couldn’t do it.  He couldn’t take that risk.  That Kíli might lose himself to the bloodlust, might grow to hate him for ‘gifting’ him with eternal damnation.  There was a great darkness within.  Fíli fought against it night and day.  Without Kíli at his side he never would have managed it.  The brunet kept him sane, pulled him back whenever he fell a little further.  His brother was too pure for such things, and Fíli feared it would overtake him, put out that beautiful light that so often lit up his eyes.

In the end his resistance proved worthless.  It took but a glimpse of a single mark to change his mind.  A tiny wrinkle, just between his brother’s heavy brows.  It was a sign of age.  A sign of what was yet to come.  It was a silly thought really.  Kíli was still young, barely on the cusp of adulthood, but one day Kíli would grow old, one day he would die.  And Fíli would be left with little more than a memory of the one he loved so dearly.  He couldn’t bear the thought.  He wanted Kíli at his side forever, his warm body beneath his hands for the rest of time, and so he acted, finally giving in to his brother’s pleas.  

His fangs sunk into tender skin, and he tasted the irresistible sweetness of Kíli’s blood as it flooded his mouth, dripping over the brunet’s shoulder.  The change was painful, and he could feel Kíli’s struggles in every possible way.  He screamed, begged for it to go away, his heart pounded at a frightening pace, and his skin trembled beneath the blond’s fingertips as his soul was overtaken by the curse.  The curse they now shared.  

Kíli’s skin paled, his eyes darkening as his soul left his body.  He was cold to the touch, and the blood dripping from his skin changed, looked strange, infected, now belonging to something that wasn’t truly alive. His face was frozen in a mask of pain, teeth elongated and waiting to sink into their first meal.  Fíli felt regret overtake him, and for a moment he nearly let the sorrow consume what remained of his humanity.  He had destroyed his brother, selfishly taken what he wanted and in turn afflicted the one he loved to serve a thousand lifetimes of depravity.

Kíli would never forgive him.  How could he?

But there was a whimper, and it drew Fíli’s eyes towards the brunet’s face.  Kíli’s nostrils flared, and he ran his tongue over the two pointed teeth now fully formed within his mouth.  There was a shudder, and a gasp of air, before his lips moved in a familiar way.

Carefully feeling for the shutters, Fili finally detected a rise at the otherwise even outer wall. As silently as possible he pushed them open, peering inside. At first he couldn’t see anything in the mess of the room. What little furniture the wagon offered was covered in trumpery. Small glass bottles, glittering stones, nuts and berries, they drew his eyes to them with their shiny appearance, allowing Fili only at the second glance to spot the pedlar at the far back of the vehicle. And he wasn’t alone.

Almost hidden by the man’s huge figure was Kili. The little weasel huddled in the little cage Fili had once released him from. Some months ago his friend had briefly hinted at the technique the pedlar had used to catch him the first time. It seemed like it had worked again. Although, the brunet must’ve been unaware of the return of this man and walked straight into his trap. Now Kili was trembling slightly, showing his teeth and hissing warningly.

The pedlar’s bearing looked unfazed as he heated the tip of an iron rod in the flame of a candle. An ice-cold stone settled in Fili’s belly at the sight.

“This is your last chance,” the man growled. “I know what you are. Either you show me what I want to see or I will burn your fur until your true nature begins to shine through.”

Fili had heard enough. With a rapidly pounding heart he darted to the door, ripping it open just before the glowing tip could hurt the shifter. The pedlar whirled around with surprise. It took him too long to recover. Fili’s steps were swift, driven by the white hot hate burning within him. This man had almost… he had almost…

They collided, accompanied by a muffled sound as they crushed to the floor. A couple of glass bottles clattered as Fili fought to gain the upper hand. Throwing his weight on the pedlar he dealt kicks and punches, causing the man to gasp. The iron rod must’ve slipped from his hand during the fall. Fili didn’t care what happened with it as long as the pedlar wasn’t using it to hit him.

Eventually the struggles of the other became weaker and the blond, seizing his chance, reached for one of the expensive clothes and bound the madman with it tightly. Only when he was completely certain to have secured the foreigner well enough, did he hurry to the small cage – although not before shoving a gag in the man’s mouth.

As soon as the door to the cage opened Kili jumped onto his arm, rushing over it up to his shoulder. Needle-sharp claws were buried in his tunic, scratching over his skin as the small body of the weasel curled up in the crook of Fili’s neck, searching for safety after such a fright. The hunter’s relief at having Kili back with him was short-lived, for when he felt the furry creature tremble against him, another wave of anger and hate overcame him.

He didn’t act on those feelings, however. Simply carried his friend out of the cursed wagon and stroked gently over the shaking back. He barely felt the cuts Kili was ripping into his skin with how tightly he held on, just tried to soothe the shifter as best as he could.

“Shh,” he whispered. “It’s over. I got you.”

Despite Fili’s soft words Kili wouldn’t let go before they reached the safety of their home. There Kili hid under the blanket of the bed, whimpering softly. Rage washed over Fili once again, one of his hands wandered on instinct to a knife at his belt. It was this moment he choose to head back to the abductor.

The man hadn’t been able to move very far. With his arms and legs bound crawling was his sole option. A hint of fear wandered to the dark eyes, so different compared with the warm sparkle he loved to see in Kili’s deep brown orbs.

Good, Fili thought. This man deserved everything that was coming to him.

“Do you know what we do with thieves here?” Fili asked him darkly, his grip around the knife tightening.

*

*

Fili made sure to clean up thoroughly by the time he was done. He didn’t want to scare Kili with his bloody appearance. Usually the brunet had no trouble with blood, but tonight… well, better safe than sorry.

Kili had transformed into a human. He wasn’t shivering anymore, but wouldn’t look up, even though he felt Fili’s presence. The blond grimaced, ere he lay down next to his friend.

The shifter wasn’t protesting when Fili pulled him into an embrace, but went willingly with it, nestling up against the blond. Fili began to caress his love’s back gently, tracing the curve under the blanket, while pressing an innocent kiss to Kili’s temple.

“It’s alright. He won’t hurt you again,” Fili murmured, lips brushing over the brunet’s brow.

Kili seemed to release a breath he had been holding all this time and with it a part of the tension melted from his body.

“Thank you,” Kili croaked.

The resident in question was a mermaid and a rather rare sight nowadays thanks to overfishing, polluted waters, and human greed. Kili had never actually seen one in person before he'd met this one, and he hadn't known what to expect.

The species was known to be secretive and rather shy, keeping far away from land where humans dwelled. There were of course those myths about them being able to lure sailors to their deaths with their beauty and their song, but Kili had yet to observe any kind of singing so far.  Most were known to be unpredictably moody, though the younger ones seemed to have a curious streak as they were the ones more often spotted or caught. Kili had read too many articles about the high price a tail fin could go for if sold to the right buyer, or how another mer had died in captivity after someone had taken it home and had been unable to provide it the proper care it had needed. Unable to, or didn’t care.

It was enough to make him sick.

It was with that thought in mind that Kili stepped onto the observation deck and made his way to the familiar tank. The mer in question had been brought to them after being found on a beach barely alive. Nobody could say what had truly happened to him, but Oin, the establishment's veterinarian, had discovered that among many other lacerations and injuries, certain fins along the tail had been sliced off, and he could only guess that the mermaid had somehow managed to escape before whoever had caught him could finish the job. This mer’s tail had a colouring blend of gold and black that would shine when the sun hit it. It seemed to be a sought after colour as it was unique and eye catching.

He had been lucky to survive, and even after having been brought to the aquarium it had been touch and go for many days since the forlorn creature had refused to eat or even move away from a corner of the tank. Dead fish weren't appetizing and he couldn't move fast enough to catch live ones. Oin had tried force feeding him once out of desperation, but that had only traumatised him further and ingrained a deep mistrust for the vet and most of the other staff members. Once freed back into his tank, the mermaid had retreated to the bottom where his body grew thinner and thinner as the days passed and the colour of his tail dulled to brown and grey.

Everyone had given up on him surviving except Kili, and it was only by accident that Kili had dropped some of the grapes he'd had in his lunch into the water. Suffice it to say, apparently mermaids really liked grapes. At least this one did.

From there Kili had tried all kinds of fruit and found that the creature would eat practically anything. The only exception seemed to be apples. Those would only be thrown back at Kili along with an annoyed splash. Yes, mermaids were very moody, but a deep bond formed between them regardless of how many apples Kili tossed into the tank. And because of Kili's dedication, the skeletal like mer had filled out more and grew stronger with each passing day.

But no matter how strong he grew, he could never gain back the speed his fins had provided him with, and because he wasn't fast enough to catch food on his own or flee from danger, he'd been deemed a permanent resident. But Kili had hope that he'd be able to adapt so that one day he'd be strong enough to leave. It was a high hope, but the creature was intelligent and deserved to be back with his family even if that meant Kili never seeing him again.

Knowing that that wouldn't happen for years if it happened at all, Kili was just enjoying the time he got to spend with the amazing creature. They were both teaching each other and it was an experience Kili wouldn’t trade for anything.

Humming to a song he'd heard on the radio on his drive over, he shouldered the backpack he always carried a little higher as he spotted a redheaded woman already standing by the railing of his tank, leaning over it and peering into the water.

"Hey T!" He called out but barely got a twitch in response. He frowned in confusion before the sudden thought that something was wrong entered his brain.

Before he could panic and race toward the tank, his friend turned back to look at him with a grin on her face. "Come slowly." She whispered and motioned him forward.

Still confused but less panicked, Kili did as he was told, approaching the railing slowly and coming to stand beside her before peering into the water. He let out a sigh of relief and immediately relaxed when he realized nothing was wrong, though the scene wasn't something he expected to see. "How did that happen?" He wondered as he crossed his arms on the metal railing, smiling fondly at the mer in the tank.

"Ori forgot to lock the penguin enclosure after feeding them last night. I'm pretty sure they've been here most of the night." Tauriel tried to sound annoyed, but it was clear that she was enjoying the sight by the smile on her face.

Kili certainly enjoyed watching as the two small Humboldt penguins that had come to them after getting caught in an oil slick zipped and darted around the mermaid floating in the middle of the tank. He had no hope of catching them, but that wasn't the goal of their play apparently. The goal was to climb up onto the mermaid's tail that was floating along the surface and jump off into the water only to zip around the tank once before climbing up and doing it all over again.

It thrilled Kili to see that tail on full display as it was usually hidden beneath the water.

The mer seemed to be enjoying himself too as he kept himself afloat so that his new friends could play while he made a clicking noise every few moments that Kili recognised meant that the mer was pleased. They didn’t normally mix species in the same tank, though it wasn’t like they had another mer to socialize with. The only interaction the mer truly got and actually enjoyed was with Kili. All the interactions with Oin and the medical staff were forced and stressful.

Kili hadn't been noticed yet since he was behind the mer, so he took that moment to observe the relaxed and almost carefree behaviour. Now that the mer was healthier, it wasn't hard to see why mermaids were said to be able to cast spells on human sailors and lead them to their doom. Kili had long accepted the fact that he was utterly enchanted by this creature.

Long blond hair spread out in the water around his head like the tentacles of an octopus and the gold and even black scales of his tail caught the sun and shined in places now that it was healthy again. The mermaid was a beautiful sight to behold despite the scars that littered his torso and his tail, and Kili couldn't help but stare in awe of him. He could only imagine what that tail would look like if it had all its fins.

By the scarring Oin had been able to tell that the mer had originally had pectoral fins that had been located just under the hips on both sides and a long dorsal fin that had spanned almost all the way down the back of his tail. There were also markings to indicate that he'd once had pelvic fins on either side closer to the bottom of the tail. The fin on the fluke itself had once been almost feather like, but it too had gotten damaged somehow. Whether it was from the humans who cut the fins or from the struggle to shore, nobody could say for sure.

There were other scars, but on sea creatures they were a common sight. It was an eat or be eaten world and everything had to struggle to survive, so Kili didn’t think twice about the few marks of lighter skin along the creature’s shoulders or his chest. The one that was highly noticeable, and usually kept hidden from sight, was the long jagged mark that ran from the bottom of his ribs on his right side to the joint in the tail that allowed it to bend, about where the human knee would be. That had been still freshly bleeding when their rescue van had finally brought him in. It had later gotten infected, which had thrown Oin into action.

A sudden squeal that was followed by a loud clicking sound brought Kili out of his musings and he realized he'd been spotted. Kili had easily become the mermaid's favourite human and he was always greeted enthusiastically on the good days, which were becoming more and more frequent.

"Hi Fili." Kili waved to him before kneeling down and opening his backpack. He hadn't been the one to name the mer, but the staff had insisted on it because he was Kili’s mer and the name had stuck. The mermaid seemed to like it if only because it was so similar to Kili's name.

Tauriel chuckled, "I'll grab Ori and we'll round up the penguins." She said as she pushed away from the railing. "I wish my boyfriend would greet me like that." She teased.

Kili rolled his eyes as he set his bag down, "He's a mermaid, not my boyfriend." It was a familiar argument that Kili had resigned himself to.

"He's a boy mermaid." Tauriel pointed out, "Which still applies. He's your merboy."

Kili scowled at her as he drew a smaller waterproof pouch from his backpack that he clipped to the side of his waist. "He's not even human and wouldn't understand things like that."

"Bullshit. Everybody else thinks it; I'm just saying it. Even Oin mentioned his mating behaviour when you're around. He gave you his frog, Kili." She was talking about one of the bath toys they'd dumped into the tank to give Fili something to do. For whatever reason, Fili had decided that a neon green rubber frog that spit water when squeezed was his favourite. He'd carried it around since that day and had refused to be parted with it. Admittedly it had been easier to get him to cooperate for Oin if he could cling to the toy, and they'd only had one incident where he'd sunk his sharp teeth into another staff member when the man tried to take the toy away so they could get x-rays.

Everyone in the facility knew that that toy had become Fili's, and they risked life and limb by attempted to take it away.

And yet he'd given it to Kili about two weeks and had become distraught when Kili had tried to give it back. Now it sat in the bottom of Kili's bag and he found himself carrying it around with him.

Mermaids were said to give a gift to a potential mate. Normally it would be a rock or a shell that they could weave into their hair, though sometimes it was a fish or some other type of favourite food, but Fili's tank was devoid of any rocks or fish, so he'd given what he could. And out of all the toys in the collection, he’d made sure to give Kili his favourite.

"Yeah he did." Kili sighed and looked up at her. Everyone also knew that Kili had grown attached to the mer. He'd been afraid it would be considered wrong or unhealthy and that he'd be fired, but he honestly couldn't help it. Forming an attachment to any of the animals was a given, but mermaids were on a whole other level. He was relieved to know that he wasn't the first of his kind to form such an attachment either.

"Mermaids are different from the other creatures we bring in." Thorin, the man running this whole operation had told him when Kili had first brought it up, "I don't even feel right calling them animals. They're people, just different from us. It doesn't happen as often now since they're rarely spotted, but do a quick Internet search and you'll see that you're not the first." Kili had been under the impression that Fili wasn't the first mermaid that Thorin had ever encountered before, but he hadn't been brave enough to ask.

"Everybody knows that mermaids choose one mate in their lives, and this one has chosen you. You know he'd be displaying his fins for you if he could." Tauriel was smirking, "And from what we've pieced together, they'd be pretty magnificent."

Kili hated thinking about the fins Fili had lost. They weren’t only to help a mermaid swim and manoeuver in the water, but the fins were a way to attract a mate. Even if Fili were able to be released one day, he was pretty much condemned to a life of solitude. "Could you just go get Ori and get those penguins out? It's hard to teach Fili when he's distracted." Kili muttered as he got up and moved to a ladder that would take him to a large smooth ledge a few inches under the water. The water of the tank itself was a few feet down from the observation deck where Tauriel was still standing for safety precautions so that any animal inside it couldn't climb out and hurt themselves.

"Oh please." Tauriel rolled her eyes, "As if he ever pays attention to anything else when you're around. Stop denying it Kili." She huffed but did as she said she would and left to go find Ori.

“I’m not denying anything.” Kili mumbled as he turned back to the three figures staring at him. The two penguins had already climbed out of the water and were standing near the edge of the ledge. Fili was between them, leaning on his arms so that he was half way out of the water and his tail was still beneath the surface. He was rather protective of it and rarely let even Kili touch it. Kili couldn't blame him and didn't take it personally.

"Hey you." Kili smiled at his friend before kneeling down in front of the three of them. The two penguins got greetings of their own as they crowded either side of him looking for fish. "You two know I don't carry fish, and I'm not giving you the grapes I have." He told them as if they understood.

The penguins might not have understood, but Fili understood the word 'grapes' very well and his blue eyes lit up in excitement. He reached across the short distance and tugged on Kili’s shorts, giving the man a pleading look.

"You know the deal. You'll get your treats when we learn something today." Kili laughed as he pried that hand from his clothing. He didn't let go of it though, and Fili clung onto him too. His hand was cool from being in the water, but it warmed quickly within Kili's grasp.

During one of his many talks with Thorin regarding the mermaid and mermaids in general, Kili had learned that there were records of older mermaids learning to speak the human language. While Fili was considered young for a mer, Kili had decided that he was going to try to teach Fili to speak. If the mer was going to be a permanent resident, then Kili didn't see the harm in trying to better communication with him for both their sakes. Besides, Fili grew bored easily and this gave him something to do, and of course it meant more time with Kili and getting his favourite treat every time he learned a new word.

So far he'd learned to say 'hi', 'food', 'yes', 'no', and they'd been working on Kili's name, though the L sound was giving him a little trouble. They'd only just started, so Kili thought it was great progress.

The hand disappeared quite suddenly as Fili slipped back under the water and the penguins suddenly started chittering loudly as Tauriel returned with Ori. Ori was their favourite because he always gave them fish, but Ori had also been one of those that had helped in Fili's forced feeding so he wasn't trusted, and every time he was near Fili would hide under the surface.

"I hope they didn't cause too many problems." Ori smiled sheepishly as he knelt down to receive one of the penguins that Kili picked up and handed over.

"Nah." Kili shook his head, grinning widely as he remembered the fun his mer had been having. “I don’t think anybody would complain if they happened to get out again." He said cryptically.

Ori understood his meaning and winked down at the brunet. "Oh, knowing these two I'm sure it'll happen again." He promised as Kili handed the second penguin to Tauriel. "We'll leave you and your merboy alone now." Ori laughed.

"Damn it Tauriel." Kili groaned as he watched them walk away laughing. By noon the rest of the facility would be using that term and Kili knew he'd be in for a lot of teasing. Oh well, it was all in good fun, and he supposed it was kind of true.

He glanced back and was greeted with nothing but the calm surface of the water. "Are you planning on hiding the entire time?" He asked but there was no response. He sighed dramatically even as he walked to the edge and sat down with his legs dangling over the cement ledge. The water quickly soaked the shorts he was wearing and made him shiver, but he seemed to spent more of his time in the water than out of it and was used to the cold temperature. He patted the surface of the water to get Fili's attention.

"Alright, looks like I'll have to eat these grapes all by myself then." He dug into the bag he carried and pulled out a couple of green grapes. Those were the favourite choice. Red just didn't cut it.

Before he could even pretend to pop one into his mouth, a wave hit him from the front as Fili surfaced right between his legs and he suddenly had his arms full of chirping mermaid. He laughed happily as arms circled around his neck and a wet nose nuzzled against his chin. "I was only gone for eight hours and you act like you haven’t seen me in forever!" He snickered once the chirping had died down.

Fili didn't care how long Kili had been gone for and he always hated having to watch the human leave. Kili was told that he'd usually sulk in the bottom of his tank most of the night afterward, and while Kili felt guilty for causing the distress, he couldn't very well live at the aquarium, even if he wished he could.

"Hihihi." Fili greeted him, looking pleased with himself as the words were clear though slurred together. His voice was a little rough sounding as he wasn't used to speaking yet, but Kili enjoyed hearing it all the same.

A hand reached down to grab at the pouch on Kili's waist.

"Hey, hey! You know the rules." Kili wiggled a little to get away from the grabby hand. "New word first." He insisted, grinning when the mer pouted at him. "I'm glad to see that that isn't just a human trait." He snickered before holding up the grape he held in his hand. "Say my name and you get this and a special treat."

Curious as to what this special treat entailed, blue eyes regarded him for a moment before he opened his mouth. "Keeeee." He began.

"Now try the last part." Kili encouraged before showing Fili how to make the L sound by pressing the tip of his tongue against the back of his front teeth. "Leeee." He prolonged the vowel a little.

Fili had no sense of personal space and got right up close to Kili's face so he could watch the movements of the human's tongue as it preformed the action. He smelled a little stronger than the sea, but it was a scent Kili was well acquainted with and actually enjoyed.

"Lllll..." He opened his mouth, showing Kili his sharpened teeth as he pressed the tip of his rough tongue against the backs of them just as Kili had shown him.

"Now it just sounds like you're growling." Kili teased, leaning back on his hands so Fili didn't just drag him into the water by the weight of his tail. The mer was happy enough to rest against him.

"No." Fili pouted again, eyes narrowing at the teasing. Kili recognised that he should lay off the teasing a little as a real growl escaped his friend's throat. Some days Fili was receptive to it, others he wasn't. Moody creatures indeed.

"Okay, okay. I won't tease you today." Kili promised before bringing one hand forward and poking Fili's nose.

Those blue eyes crossed to watch the finger and the mer shook his head when his vision went funny. Apparently he wasn't having that behaviour today either because he opened his mouth and had Kili's finger between his teeth faster than Kili could register the movement.

He frowned when he felt the sharp pinch of teeth close around his skin. It wasn't enough to really hurt or do any damage, but the warning was clear. "Hey now. We've talked about this. You bite me and I take the grapes and go eat them myself, and I will make sure you can see it." Kili threatened and since he'd done it before, Fili knew it wasn't an empty one.

The teeth tightened but Kili wasn't worried. He knew Fili just had to take a moment to make his decision. He'd been bitten before, mostly at the beginning when they were still building trust between them, but there had been a couple of times like today when the mer was extra moody or having a bad day.

Deciding that grapes were better than being a brat, Kili's finger was released and most of the upper body weight of the mer was pressed down on the man. There were soft chirps and clicks of apology as Fili cuddled into Kili's chest.

"I know you didn't mean it." Kili promised, using his now free hand to run through Fili's hair. It was tangled and wet, but Kili was careful not to pull on any snags. "Were you up all night playing with the penguins?" He suddenly wondered. That would explain the grumpiness.

"...yes." Fili sounded reluctant to admit it, like a child being chided by his mother for staying up too late on a school night.

"You're such a silly thing." Kili laughing softly. "If we can make it through a quick lesson without any blood shed or loss of fingers, we'll go easy the rest of the day. How does that sound?" He moved his head back enough so that he could peer into Fili's face.

The mer looked tired now that Kili was looking, and he couldn't help but smile softly at the cute sight a sleepy Fili made as he nuzzled against Kili's shirt. He made a rather displeased sound, but relented and sat up so they could continue.

"Lee." Kili prompted and they spent the next little while struggling with the L until finally, Fili grew frustrated and took a deep breath.

"Lee!" He shouted to release some of that frustration, but instead startled himself into silence. He stared at Kili with wide eyes before sinking back into the water with a squeak.

Kili laughed, the comical behaviour once more reminding him of a child who'd just done something wrong. It was quite the opposite though, and Kili clapped in pride, "You did it!" He cheered. "Don't hide, you did it!" He held his arms out, knowing Fili knew it meant Kili wanted a hug.

A wave soaked his shirt completely as Fili surged forward, wrapping his arms around Kili's waist, squeaking and clicking happily even as his swishing tail churned the water around them.

"Okay, now say it together." Kili pulled back a little, hands going up to gently cup Fili's cheeks. "We'll go slowly, okay? Kee."

Fili was grinning widely, his whole body wiggling in excitement. "Kee." He repeated.

"Lee." Kili was excited for him.

"Lllleeee." The mer forced out again. "Keelee." He wrinkled his nose and frowned because it wasn’t quite right.

"You almost got it." Kili would have been happy with that, but Fili didn't seem satisfied. "Just say it a little faster. Kili."

"Kili." Fili breathed out.

"That's it!" Kili gasped, utterly bursting with pride at Fili's accomplishment. He’d make sure to leave a big message on the whiteboard in the staffroom about this.

"Kili!" This time the name was followed by a series of clicks and squeals that Kili had learned was an equivalent to laughter. "Kili. Kili. Kili."

"I wish you knew what a nerd was, because you're being one." Kili shook his head in amusement as he pulled three more grapes out of his pouch. "Alright, that was amazing Fili. Here's your treat." He held the grapes out where they were snatched up quickly as though he might change his mind any second.

Fili lounged against him as he consumed his well-earned reward as though he were a large dog who still believed itself to be a lapdog, but Kili didn't mind the extra weight and waited patiently for Fili to finish.

When he had, those blue eyes focused on Kili again. "Kili." This was clearly going to be Fili's new favourite word. Maybe they'd work on Fili's name next.

"What?" The brunet asked with a grin on his face, a surprised yelp escaping him as questing hands were shoved into his shirt. "Hey!" He giggled, "What are you doing?" He tried to shift away from sharp nails but Fili was basically pinning him to his spot.

The mer whined, unable to communicate what it was he was looking for. He reached for the pouch again and wiggled it, though surprised Kili by not just pulling it and retreated to the bottom of the tank. That had happened before.

"I already gave you your treats." Kili said brows furrowed for only a few seconds before it dawned on him. "Oh! You want your special treat?"

"Yes!" Fili attempted to crawl into Kili's shirt again, hunting for whatever else the human might have brought with him.

Kili couldn't help the giggles falling from his mouth, "It's not food, so you might be disappointed."

That caused Fili to pause and look at Kili in confusion. "Food? No?" He tilted his head adorably as he stared at the human.

"No food." Kili shook his head before smiling down at his mer. "I don't even know if mers do this." He admitted before he took a breath, leaned forward, and then planted a kiss right on the tip of Fili's nose.

The mer stilled completely as he stared at Kili like a deer caught in headlights once the man had pulled back to see his face, even his tail had stopped shifting.

Kili grew a little worried. Did mers have offensive gestures? Had Kili just crossed a line?

But then his worry melted away as the shocked expression on Fili's face turned into one of pure delight, and before Kili knew what was happening, hands gripped his wrists and he was being pulled into the tank.

"Hey!" He managed to cry out before he went completely under. He didn't panic as he was an expert swimmer, and he really should have been used to being yanked into the water by the mer.

He surfaced in the middle of the tank and brushed his hair out of his face so that he could spot the dark shape swimming in celebratory circles around him. He chuckled at the dramatic display and certainly wasn't going to put a damper on the mer's happiness. Besides, Fili's excitement over something small was ridiculously cute. "Are you done yet?" He laughed, treading water as he watched the dark colour of Fili's tail move by him again. Instead of going around for another lap, the mer changed course under the water and came right up beside Kili and floated along on his back.

"Are you done with your little dance now?" Kili teased, sensing that it was okay to do so this time. His respond was to get a tail shoved against his side. "Wait, what-" He knew touching Fili's tail would usually end in one way: with a harsh slap and the mer hiding along the bottom of his tank for a few hours, but this seemed to be like an offering of some sort.

He watched the mer, careful to keep his hands away from the shimmering scales. Fili didn't seem disturbed by having Kili so close at all and made an encouraging little purring sound as they both bobbed in the waves he'd created.

"I can touch?"

"Kili. Yes." Fili promised as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, seemingly not having a care in the world.

Apparently Kili was getting a special treat of his own today. It was the ultimate sign of trust as far as Kili was concerned, especially considering the harsh abuse Fili had already endured at the hands of other humans. He was not taking this offer lightly.

Carefully, and with more than a little caution in case Fili changed his mind as mermaids were known to do, Kili placed the tips of his fingers along the large scar along Fili’s ribs. The mer didn’t even twitch as he soaked up the sun that was beaming down into this part of the tank. Deciding it was safe, Kili trailed his fingers down marvelling at the change in texture as skin almost like his own turned rougher and darkened with scales. They were mostly smooth as long as he kept his hand going in the direction toward the fluke, but very rough if he moved back toward Fili’s head.

He paused when he reached one of the smooth scars where a pectoral fin used to be and ran his thumb gently over it. It saddened him, but he tried not to think about it. As much as he wanted Fili to be able to return to the wild and to his home, the chances of that were slim. He’d never survive, and now that he’d chosen a mate, the likelihood of him leaving was almost nonexistent. But like the other creatures at the aquarium, he’d be given the proper care and attention so that he would live a good and happy life.

Kili would personally make sure of it.