Magic

"I fucking hate bugs," Valentine grumbled as he swatted at the air around his head. They weren't that noticeable on the beach, where it was open enough for the wind to blow them away, but now that the two men were within the tropical forests, shielded by rows and rows of trees and foliage, the little buggers were making quite the appearance.

"Be glad they aren't biting," Wesley replied with a sigh, doing his best to ignore both the bugs and Valentine. Valentine seemed even more miffed by Wesley's tolerance for the creatures. The little gnats and flies that were intent on landing on his face were never something he had to worry about when he lived in Aurelia. There were few things that could make Valentine nostalgic of his subsurface life, but bugs happened to be one of them.

"This water source better not be far," he practically whined as he swatted one of the insects that landed on his arm.

A rush of air fled from Wesley's nose in a curt huff as he failed to contain his amusement at the pirate's struggles. Though he kept his back turned to the man as he led the way through the trees, he could clearly envision the pouting pirate behind him.

"We should happen upon it soon,"  Wesley stated. "This island isn't that big, and judging by the way the landscape rises more dramatically the further inland we get, I have a feeling there's a river around here somewhere."

"By the gods, I hope you're right."

Wesley turned to look at the man over his shoulder and smirked at the way his face twisted into a scowl as his lavender eyes tracked an insect that Wesley couldn't see from his short distance away.

"Who knew it would only take a few little bugs to bring the big bad pirate to his knees?"

Valentine's eyes turned into a glare as they directed themselves at Wesley, but it only took a moment before the pirate's focus was broken and he was swatting at something on his arm again. Wesley smirked triumphantly as he turned to walk again, but it was soon wiped off his face as Valentine quipped, "I know something else that would bring me to my knees."

Ignoring the suggestive tone, Wesley trudged forward, proud to say he was becoming more immune to Valentine's innuendos. Or maybe he was just getting used to them. Either way, Wesley somehow avoided feeling embarrassed at the statement and instead rolled his eyes at the man.

It was just harmless flirting at this point.

Wesley was reluctant to admit it, but the more time he spent with the man, the less of a monster he saw. Of course, he would never allow himself to forget his very long list of misdeeds, but he was surprised to find that the captain actually made tolerable company. He was entertaining at the very least.

After a while of comfortable silence between them, Wesley felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Shouldn't we take a break soon?" Valentine asked as the merchant turned to face him. "It's too humid for all this walking."

"No need," Wesley said before jerking his thumb in the direction they were heading. "Do you hear that?"

Valentine paused to listen. After filtering through the cacophony of noise created by the birds and wind in the canopy above him, he was finally able to make out a dull hush in the distance.

His eyes widened in hope. "Is that water?"

Wesley smiled. "Yes."

"Seven Hells, it's a miracle!" he breathed. "Let's go. I need a swim."

Wesley agreed. Even he was sticky with sweat after all the exercise under the tropical heat.

It only took a few more minutes for them to reach the water's edge. Wesley was correct in assuming the island possessed a river, but in addition to that, the scene they happened upon was of a beautiful waterfall with a pooled area beneath its descent. It wasn't a huge feature, by any means. The waterfall itself was just a few heads taller than Valentine, and probably as wide as a townhouse. It was stunning nonetheless.

Wesley was still admiring its beauty when he heard an enormous splash just in front of him. His eyes flicked to the commotion only to see black scales and a light purple glint glide just under the surface. Moments later, Valentine's head emerged from the water. His black hair was free from the ribbon that normally held it out of his face. As he grinned over at Wesley, the wet strands fell deliciously over one muscular shoulder.

"What are you waiting for, Mr. Roberts? An invitation?"

His grin was infectious, it seemed, and being as he was eager to get out of the heat as well, Wesley had little hesitancy in stripping his clothes where he stood and jumping in. The thought that it probably wasn't the best idea to be naked in front of the siren briefly crossed his mind, but Wesley found that he trusted the man not to do anything. If he was going to, he would've done it by now. Besides, the man currently had a tail, so in Wesley's mind, there wasn't much to worry about.

The sudden coolness of the water was a jolt to Wesley's overheating skin, but it was a welcomed surprise. He drank the cool fresh water greedily, only then realizing how much he missed the taste of it. Fresh water didn't keep long by itself on long voyages at sea before growing algae and other less than ideal contaminants, so most ships settled for watered down alcohol to keep crews hydrated. Wesley hadn't tasted pure water in months, even before crossing paths with the infamous pirate swimming before him. It was absolutely refreshing.

It turned out that the pooled area of the river wasn't too deep, probably up to his shoulders at the deepest point, which was near the base of the waterfall. The other areas of it ranged from knee deep to waist deep, which meant it was deep enough for Valentine to swim freely in and for Wesley to stand if he wished to.

Valentine dove backward back into the water, letting his tail fin splash a mighty arc of droplets into the air as he twisted beneath the surface. Wesley was impressed by how quickly the man could move beneath the water. Where he himself was sluggish in moving from one point to another under the resistance of the river, Valentine glided from one side of the pool to the other in a matter of seconds.

"You better not be looking at my cock!" Wesley yelled loud enough so that the siren could hear him from under water.

Valentine resurfaced moments later with a hearty laugh, "What do you take me for? A pervert?"

"You're the one who kidnapped me with the intentions of whoring me, so you tell me." Wesley was surprised to find he said it with a teasing tone and not a bitter one.

The pirate swam closer and turned to float on his back as he neared the human. "As I recall, you technically came of your own free will."

"Hardly!" Wesley didn't miss the opportunity to splash the pirate in the face. Val responded by disappearing under the surface again and retaliating with a flick of his tail in Wesley's direction.

When Valentine's head emerged from the water seconds later, Wesley was ready with a counter attack. The two continued splashing each other, laughing in genuine glee the whole while.

Valentine had nearly forgotten how good it felt to swim in his true form. How freeing it felt. It made him feel young again and not nearly as weighed down by life as he normally was.

As Wesley gradually stopped the splashing war to catch his breath, Valentine became curious. He had successfully used his water manipulation ability to save the merchant when he was drowning, but apart from that, he had not practiced with it in years for fear of setting off the curse. He had nothing to lose now, though, so with a smile, he decided not to hold back. Closing his eyes, the siren lifted his blackened hand above the water and willed some of it to rise.

Wesley's breath hitched as he watched orbs of river water defy gravity. His eyes were glued to the clear spheres as they danced with each other, twisting and morphing into impossibly enchanting patterns. It was unlike anything he had ever encountered before.

"I grew up hearing tales of magic," the merchant breathed the words in awe, "but I never saw a speck of it until I met you."

Valentine opened his eyes and lowered the water.

"What do you think of it?" he asked.

It was then that Wesley noticed there was not much space separating them. Their gazes locked and there was this inexplicable intensity between them. The pirate exchanged his tail for legs so that he would not drift away in the faint current.

"It's beautiful," Wesley said. Like him.

Valentine stared curiously into the merchant's stormy blue eyes, and before he could stop himself, he spoke.

"May I kiss you, Wesley Roberts?" he asked softly, his chin just grazing the surface of the water.

The merchant didn't answer right away, for he was caught in a sea of lavender. However, when the words registered in his mind, he did his best to formulate a sensible response. What he arrived at was, "Give me three good reasons."

Valentine didn't look away. He didn't even pause for a moment to think.

"I can't," he said honestly. He was sure none of the reasons he could possibly come up with would matter to the merchant the way they mattered to him, so he didn't try. "But maybe I can give you one."

Wesley's gaze flicked to the other man's lips as he waited for them to form around his answer.

He did not have to wait long.

"It'll feel like magic."

It turned out that one was enough.

----+------+----

A/N

Greetings.

I hope you are all doing well.

Quick poll: are you looking forward to Valentine's death or are you rooting for him to somehow survive it? I already have made my decision on how it's going to go, but I'm curious about your opinions.

See you Monday,

-Mora Montgomery