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Chapter Text

Under the clouded sky, filled with a melancholic greyness that impeded the sun's rays to pass through, the soft melody of the dark waves crawling gently to the coastline as it crashed against the shore made of rocks entered his ears, making him close his eyes, entranced by the music of the sea. In the horizon, the curtain of mist over the water warned him of the rain, but he was none to care. Even the smell of chlorine that reeked out of the liquid around him left him indifferent, seemingly out of habit.

Sitting on a gigantic rock next to the infinite mass of water, his naked feet soaked against the flowing of the tide, yet his mind was nowhere near his body. It floated over him, his thoughts blubbering indefinitely into his own head. It was the dark sides of loneliness, after all: being stuck into its own destructive thinking without any presence left to snap us out of it. That's how he felt at the moment, and that was what he had been feeling for the past weeks, dare he say months. There were so many people around him now that he was out of Mint Eye and back with his brother, and yet somehow, he never felt so alone.

The feeling came and went, however. He sometimes realized how good for nothing he was, wishing simply to disappear as if he had never existed. To vanish in the very same waves he felt crashing onto his body. Yet, most of the times, the thought faded softly against his own internal fear of death. This was something he imagined was long-gone after all those years, yet he realized that it wasn't entirely.

As another wave foamed and pounded on the shore, he let out a sigh that was lost under the noise of the sea. Today was one of those days. The feeling was heavy into his heart, immobilizing his limbs and head under its weight. He was scared of course, as his mind was temporarily invaded with self-doubt. Was there anyone, really, who would miss him if he had to go away? The answer was clouded by many things, especially his own feelings, so much that the logical facts were soon anything but dust.

The thought of actually doing it was something that came back to him every day, involuntarily yet always present. His first tentative had been interrupted by Saeyoung, a few weeks back, and if his first reaction at the time was a slight form of regret and shame, it soon enough dissolved back into his head to go back exactly how it used to be.

He bit his lower lips as his own nails dug into the palm of his hand in anger. The cigarette he held between his fingers against his mouth lightened up as he breathed in the chemicals, before apathetically throwing the joint away from him, into the dark waters surrounding. This whole world cared nothing of him, but he cared even less about it anyway.

He knew he could have given more thought into his decision, as the existence, or not, of life was supposedly a big deal, but he was also aware that any attempt at being rational, even at the slightest, would make him drop out of it. He nodded softly, reaffirming to himself that this was the only way. There was no one in sight, thus no witnesses. Good, he thought, this time nobody was going to get into his way.

He opened his eyes gently as he pulled out his feet from the water, pushing himself up onto his legs despite feeling the slippery surface of the rock under him. His gaze went on into the horizon once more, admiring for the last time the vastness of the sea. It was one of the rare things he would miss, he realized as the ghost of a weak smile formed itself at the corner of his lips. Yet having his life lost into the infinite waters of the Earth wasn't such a bad thing.

However, as sudden doubts attempted to creep into his mind, he was already gone, his body engulfed by the tidal waves.

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

There was something about the shore that excited her. Maybe it was simply the proximity to the land, or the adrenaline of being seen by a human, yet she couldn't explain, even to herself, why she liked going there so much during the day. Her people usually avoided those territories like the plague, even going as far as fleeing miles away from any ship into the foreseeable distance to avoid any human eyes gazing at their presence, but for some reasons, she never acted that way. Curiosity perhaps, was her only option left, as she was already being considered something of a recluse throughout her society because of her interests. Yet she never really cared about it.

The mere existence of merpeople was supposed to remain a secret through centuries and millennia. A few old human legends bore their presence through their lines, but nobody ever considered the truth, however. Luckily for her and all the others, since even despite her own enthusiasm towards the human species, she had to admit that a truthful discovery of this magnitude would undeniably bring its whole lot of consequences for them.

As she swam between the agitated waves under the restless storm raging over the ocean, she soon enough reached the land, where the gigantic rocks drenched by the sea subsided for the lack of sand that she could usually find on other coastlines. A small smile drew itself on her thin lips, the metronomic noise of rain droplets over her head indicating that there would be no one on the beach under such a weather. With little luck on her side of things, maybe she could even gaze out of the water with her own two eyes without taking a risk of being caught.

Yet suddenly, she heard a splash, making her freeze in fear. The noise undoubtedly came from the shore, as her overdeveloped hearing underwater allowed her to suspect, but no sea animal could have made such a noise so close to the coast. The only option left would have to be a human, but under this weather? Highly improbable.

Despite the obvious risks, her own mind forced her to investigate the matter, pertinently knowing that she wouldn't get even a minute of sleep before this whole situation was settled. She swam even closer to the shore, until her hands were barely touching the smooth rocks.

Her gaze went around the area where she had pinpointed the sound, yet it seemed she could not see anything. But as her eyes glanced down, under her shining blue tail hovering in the water, a dark silhouette appeared to her sinking down to the ocean floor.

She got closer by swiftly swimming down, and the sight instantly surprised her. The body of a young human, a male with strands of white and red hair floating around his head like a halo. She was hesitant to approach him, the rule about being met with a human's gaze being very strict between her people, but as she noticed that he didn't have any struggle breathing, which was abnormal for a human being underwater, something in her suddenly clicked.

Was she doing the right thing, or simply getting herself into trouble? The answer would depend in regards to who she asked, yet the adrenaline of the moment led her to trust her own instincts before the rational thoughts of her people.

She grabbed the young man, holding him closer against her body as she swam up to the shore, the fastest she could as she pertinently knew that every single second was key to saving him. As her head emerged out of the water, soon followed by the rest of her upper body, she felt the chilly droplets of rain against her skin, shivering slightly at the touch. Yet she brushed it away, too busy to let it affect her.

She suddenly came to realize that the weight of the young man was different once his body was out of the sea, making it hard for her to lay him down on the shore. She was brightly aware that she had to hurry so she wouldn't be there when he would wake up, yet for some reason, something in her legitimately wanted to stay. To see what he would have said to her, maybe. In truth, she didn't really know herself.

After swimming around the shore, keeping his head out of the water so he could breathe, she finally arrived upon a rock low enough for her to lay him down. She frowned as she pushed him up, since the mere strength in her arms outside of the water was barely enough. But yet here she was, smiling, proud of saving a human.

The dawning realization of her act suddenly came, like a wave of shame crashing into her. What would her people say of such a choice? It was foolish and dangerous. She would get into so much trouble if anyone came to learn the truth; which is why no one would ever be aware. She was never going to tell anyone about this.

Her eyes found themselves back gazing at the young man next to her. She didn't know anything about him, and yet somehow, something about him enticed her. She deeply wanted to stay, exchange a few words with him maybe, but knew this was an impossible thing to ask for. She had already taken a step way too far by saving him.

A sudden cough came out of him, his body being violently jerked upwards as his consciousness seemed to awaken, making her jump out of fear. She felt some form of relief into her heart, yet her panic did a great job at masking over it. What if he were to see her there, next to him?

Before any more questions born of her anxiety could emerge into her head, she turned around and plunged deep down, back into the waters that saw her born.

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

His eyes were forced open by his own repeated coughing that allowed the water to exit his body. His lungs, although he still felt the uncomfortable presence of liquid in them, were repeatedly asking for air, as he inhaled and exhaled too fast for him to formulate a single thought.

His natural instincts soon enough led him to sit up, keeping his head straight upwards so he could breathe more normally. The air was warm and humid, scorching the insides of his throat, yet the mere fact that he was breathing real air was enough of a relief.

This could not be real, could it? He very vividly remembered the freezing water washing over his body, then the great pain and suffering that came with it. Whether seconds, minutes or hours passed since, he didn't know, but he certainly did not expect to wake up alive back on the shore.

His eyes went around the area, searching for the cause of all of this, as his head was invaded with all sorts of feelings that intertwined themselves throughout one another. He was angry, obviously, as unforeseen circumstances constantly kept preventing him from taking off his own life, and yet this time he wasn't about to throw a fit. The guilt and the shame were back, hitting him violently as he realized that maybe, if such things existed, the universe did not want to get rid of him yet. Maybe that was it, he thought to himself while his head was getting clearer thanks to the oxygen he breathed in. Maybe he simply needed to bear the pain a little longer.

Panting heavily, his gaze went to the horizon he cherished so much. Only this time, he knew it wasn't the last he'd see from it.

As he laid his back onto the rock he was sitting on, his eyes went to the cloudy sky, tears flowing along the rain down on his cheeks.

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

[A week later]

After a full week of managing her courage and her wits, she finally decided to go back to the shore. A single human wouldn't prevent her from following her passion, she thought to herself for the hundredth time since the beginning of the day. She was very well aware of the risks that it bore, but also of the consequences of such curiosity. But once again, she was not going to let fear dictate her life.

The way back to the rocky coast was not very long, but it wasn't really in the neighborhood, as humans might say. There were plenty of other beaches she could have visited on that day, but they did not hold her attention. The exact reason why she wanted to go back there was blurry, but no matter what she would try to tell herself, she knew very well what the truth was...

The weather was a lot nicer today, the shy rays of the sun fragmenting in the water, slowly heating up the sea. She felt its warmness onto her soft skin, making her smile slightly as she got undeniably closer to the shore. She felt her mind making knots of anxiety by each meter she swam forward. If he was there, and that was a big if, would she even gather up the courage to talk to him? Or was she simply mapping out a very bad idea born out of her intentions to have her time to shine? She sighed, unable to find an answer as her internal questions multiplied.

As her tail brushed against the bottom of the sea, indicating that she was next to the coast, her eyes went over her head, gazing up through the thin line of the surface.

And here she saw it: his face, looking down at the sea with soft eyes tinted in a pale shade of green, was perfectly mirroring hers through the water. The still image of his sinking body came back to her briefly, as a sudden wave of relief foamed into her mind. She was very glad of seeing him alive and breathing.

This was it, she thought. As long as she knew he was well, there was no need to lurk around much longer. Yet as the saddened smile softly stamped her lips, the man's head suddenly jerked back, his face torn between fear and surprise. "He saw me!" she yelled to herself, panic starting to flow through her veins. "I'm so screwed!"

And yet as she saw him take a step back, a little piece of her mind knew that she couldn't live with herself with knowing a human had seen her out of fear. She was dying to burst out of the water and explain herself to the man, despite the rules, despite the traditions. She wanted to talk to a human, especially this one, for a nebulous reason she couldn't explain.

Her mind formed the next logical thought to proceed with, but the adrenaline in her body was the first to act as her head emerged out of the sea, a few inches away from the rock on which the man stood.

"What the fuck!" she heard him yell, the sudden sharpness of his voice making her wince. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Uhm..."

Oh great. What was she supposed to say now? This was an insanely bad idea from the start, but only now did she start to fully recognize it. Maybe it was better off for her to turn around and leave now. But this time, he knew she was there.

"What are you doing in the water?" he asked, a bit softer this time as his breath slowed down. "It's very deep around here. You should get out."
"N-no." she stuttered, barely able to look him in the eyes. "I-I mean, I can't."

The boy seemed to be taken aback by such a statement, yet he sat back down on the rock. "What do you mean you can't?" he scoffed, a small grin at the corner of his lips. "Geez, are you like, a mermaid or some shit?"

A soft chuckle escaped his mouth for a few brief seconds, until he effectively saw the very obvious blush that reddened her pale cheeks. His eyes were then drawn behind the girl, where for a split second, he swore he saw what seemed to be the tail of a blue fish. Unless...? Could it be real?

"Are you fucking with me?" he inquired, this time his gaze having seemingly recovered their seriousness.
She did not answer, but she shook her head from side to side with now her whole face red. He looked behind her once more, the swift gaze at the azur set of scales undeniably convincing.

He gazed down at the cigarette between his fingers, frowning. "What the fuck's in those thing?" he whispered to himself, as he extinguished it against the wet surface of the rock.

His mind was all over the place, unable to align things correctly. There was no denying that the girl was very beautiful, and yet, something at the pit of his mind held him back. From all the fairy tales he once heard, mermaids were most of the times creatures that enticed sailors with their angelic voice to drown them in the infinite sea. And yet, from the look of it, she did not seem menacing at all. Perhaps this was part of her trick?

"If you're really telling the truth..." he mumbled, unable to take his eyes off of her, "then what are you doing here?"
"I came back to see you." she nodded. "To see if you were alright."

If for a few seconds millions of questions crossed through his brain, he was suddenly brought back to this dreadful moment, a week ago, when he sent himself into the water to drown. The fear, the pain, the agony, but the sudden relief of having a mysterious guardian angel saving him from his own deadly thoughts was something he'd never forget. Was it possible that he finally had the answer to this whole bizarre thing?

The situation was weird enough, after all. He was ready to believe pretty much everything to explain what the hell happened back then.

"Do you mean..." the sudden wave of emotion clogged the words into his throat briefly. "Were you the one who saved me the other day?"
She nodded this time, the soft smile of joy upon her lips making happy he recognized her as such. He'd say this was a genuine emotion, but the whole mermaid thing confused him too damn much to be certain of it.

He nodded, scoffing to himself. "I tried to take my own life back then." he didn't quite know why he was confessing his life story to an absolute stranger, who claimed to be a mermaid no less, but for some reason he felt comfortable in her presence. He saw her head jerk upwards, showing that she was all ears to what he had to say. "I've been confused, and scared a lot recently. I wanted all to be over that day."

His gaze went back to the girl, soft this time. "But I've thought about it since then, and I regret it. If you're really telling the truth..." he sighed. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me." she declared, her face a blushing mess. "I just am so glad you're okay."

He was usually not the one for dumb smiles and cheesy thoughts, but he let out a faint chuckle at the sight. "So, mermaid uh?" he couldn't believe he was saying those words unironically. "I thought these were legends."
"Technically we are." she nodded, tilting her hair. "Well, at least we try to be."

Upon seeing the skeptical gaze floating into his eyes, as he probably was still confused as if she was the product of his brain (and/or illegal substances), she smiled at him softly, before plunging backwards into the water. As her head disappeared under the surface, a fish tail surfaced with blue scales shining under the sunlight emerged in front of him, to which he couldn't help but gasp in surprise. So she really was telling the truth...

"Woah..." was the first word he could utter under such a sight as her face exited the sea once more, her arms laid onto the surface of the rock he was sitting onto.
"Do you believe me now?" she asked, and he nodded positively.
He nodded slightly, altough his eyes were still in shock. "Well," he gulped, "I guess so."

A bright smile appeared on both of their faces. For so long, the two of them always felt different from the rest of their world. The world had constantly pushed them away, branding them as outcasts of their own. But perhaps for the first time, reality wasn't as isolating as it always had been. The lost ones found each other, nullifying the impression of loneliness that followed them for so long.

"Forgive me for asking," the girl broke the silence after a few seconds. "I know that I shouldn't be saying this at all but..." she took a long breath. She knew she would eventually regret going that far. "Can I know what's your name?"
"I'm Saeran." he replied with a small, yet genuine smile. "And you are...?"

She didn't know, as she replied with her name, that both of their lives would soon change for the better.

Even if their respective morphology prevented them from going anywhere else, the rocky shore was a serene and soothing place for both of them, which is why it never really bothered the two. Saeran came back nearly every day, braving even the most hostile weathers, and so did she, who was always there to meet him despite the increasing suspicions of her people back home.

It went on like this for a few weeks, then months, the two always meeting up at the same time and place. It even once came to the point where they almost knew more about each other than their own relatives and friends did. And yet, even if some kind of routine started to settle down, it seemed they were never bored of each other no matter the conversation.

Everything seemed to be important enough for them to talk about, no matter the subject. He shared details about his life, his sinuous past of which he wasn't proud of, but has learned to live with as time went on. She told him about her lifestyle, her home, how merpeople like her normally lived in the ocean. For one thing, she was not the same kind of normal, but he seemed to be remarkably interested by that part of the story anyway.

"So you all live in towns and villages like us?" he once asked after she was done talking about her hometown. His eyes were widened in surprise, to which she laughed.
"Yeah." she nodded. "But they're hidden to humans, of course. Our rules are very strict towards humans, since we're not supposed to have any contact."
A slight grin appeared on Saeran's lips. "So then, if your kind is forbidden to talk to us, why did you save me?"
She blushed madly, unable to formulate an answer that was more than two words stuck together, to which he laughed.

Their interactions were very similar to this, and as time went on slowly, the two of them got closer and more comfortable. Even with the obvious barrier separating them, they were both drawn to each other, two magnets attracted on different sides of a mirror. And even if the feeling was very obviously present, none of them dared to say a word about it.

It was impossible, after all. The world as it existed would never let their love be possible. And yet, even if they both internally knew the truth, the magic of it never faded away.

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

Obviously, her people started to realize that something was wrong, and especially her own parents. She was rarely home before, but now it was completely different. They barely saw her around since the previous weeks, which is what triggered the thought for them. Something was wrong with their daughter, and they would have to get the truth out of her.

She eventually came back so late, even sometimes in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep, that they had to stay awake for hours to make sure they'd catch her coming back. They had their little doubts about her whereabouts too: she always talked about the outside world, the world of humans, like a place she'd like to visit someday. Those were not thoughts she was supposed to have as a mermaid, yet they would let her chatter on and on about it without really interfering.

At some point, she even started to let out a hint that she was hanging out this new someone, which obviously made her really happy by the smile that appeared on her face each time the subject came to light. Yet, this person was very obviously not from their village, they realized after digging around a little bit. After all, everyone in the village affirmed having barely exchanged a word with her for weeks.

It worried them of course. She was not prone to rebellious tendencies, but her curious mind always led her to unusual places and thoughts. They were just scared that this time, she may have gone too far.

She finally arrived as expected, a few hours later than usual. But this time, they were waiting for her. "Is there something wrong?" she asked them, her heart suddenly beating faster under the anxiety. She couldn't see what she did wrong, but again, it did not surprise that they may have picked up something from the past weeks.
"Sweetie, we need to have a talk..." her mother whispered, the ghost of a sad smile briefly appearing on her lips. "If there's anything you need to tell us, we're all ears."

She felt her heart skip a beat, but it wasn't because of a good feeling this time around. "There's nothing wrong." she declared, her voice trying its best at being convincing, but her father did not seem to be fooled, as shown by his frown.
"You're never around, you come back home at impossible hours, and then you're going to tell me that nothing is wrong?" he shouted, seemingly a lot angrier than the mother about the case. "I'm very aware that you're drawn to the human world, and I don't know what you have picked up there that would change you so much, but you should always remember that humans are our enemies!"
"No, they're not!" she replied, her voice loud enough to startle both parents in fear.
Perplexed by the determination in the girl's eyes as she spoke, the father was the first to react, bringing his voice even louder. "How could you know that?"
"Because I met one, that's what!"

Both parents gasped, out of surprise, fear and confusion most likely, incidentally introducing them all to an awkward silence that engulfed the room around them. "You're all always talking about humans like they're the most evil beings of this Earth." she declared, her voice firm even though her gaze was glued to the ground. "But if you chose to open your minds a little, you'd realize it isn't true at all."
"That's enough!" her father yelled. This time, he seemed even more pissed off than before, so much that both the girl and her mother were startled from the surprise. "You're spouting nonsense now! Why can't you see they are trying to use you?"
"He's not!" she was about to get angry as well, yet her eyes threatened to spill out her tears.
"I don't want to hear it! You're not getting out of here until you finally purge all this nonsense out of your head."

Upon uttering these vitriolic words that left her heartbroken, he sent another brief glance at her with disdain before exiting the room, leaving only the daughter, inconsolable, and her mother whose eyes could only be filled with motherly love. She approached the girl, softly laying her hand onto her shoulder.

"I may not fully understand your feelings," she confessed, her voice smooth, causing the young girl to lift up her head in confusion, "but I know that my daughter would not give out her precious love to anyone." A slight smile appeared on her lips. "He must be very special."
The girl let out a small giggle, of both happiness and nervousness. "He is. I don't think anyone has ever understood me as well as he does."

The mother shared yet another comprehensive gaze with her daughter, who could barely lift up her eyes from the ground, before exhaling sharply. "Very well." she whispered, mostly to herself. "There might be a way for you two to be together."

The young girls eyes immediately shot upwards towards her mother, her eyes driven in question marks as if she couldn't believe a word she just said. How come would this kind of procedure exist? She was joking, right?

"Wait what?" were the only words that could exit her mouth under the sudden shock washing over her.
"This is not to be taken lightly." her mother assured, her voice dead serious. "But if this is the choice you'd rather make, I am not going to stop you."

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

[The following day]

"You seem distracted today."

Saeran's voice immediately startled her, drawing her out of the ceaseless thoughts consuming her mind since the previous day. Her mother revealed to her such a crucial information that she didn't quite know what to do with it. What to choose, really?

"Ah, well..." she bit her lower lip, nodding softly. "There's a decision I am required to make." she confessed to him. "It may very much change my whole life."
"Really?" he frowned slightly, repositioning his leg so he could stare at her better. "You don't look too happy about it. Is it this serious?"
She sighed heavily. "Yes. And it's definitely not easy."

Her information was really vague, but in truthfulness, Saeran was probably the best person to truly recognize and understand someone who chose to keep a situation secret for personal reasons. He did not want to pry into her whole life, even if he had to admit he was a little curious about what could consume the happiness of such a usually cheery-looking girl.

"I understand." he smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm not sure if I can help you with this, but I'd say you should follow your heart."

She brought up her gaze, eyeing him up with a mixture of hope and confusion. She liked receiving pieces of advice as much as the next one, but seeing Saeran talking about feelings was not something she was prepared for. Not that she'd complain, of course.

"My... heart?" she asked, genuinely bewildered.
"Well..." she thought she briefly saw a faint tint of blush onto his pale cheeks, but it was gone before she could even formulate a thought, "You shouldn't make a decision in regards of what others would think of you. Just think about what yourself, and yourself alone, would do."

Unknowingly to him, he had given to her one of the biggest parts of the unfinished puzzle she had to figure out. Her worry for her parents, for her people who'd wonder where she disappeared to. What would they think of her? What would they say of her once she was gone? How much of a taboo would she become to them, being a subject carefully avoided by anyone who has ever crossed her gaze before? How could she not worry about it? No matter how they have treated her, these people had been her whole life until then.

Until she met him, that is. Despite not knowing Saeran for very long, she has never felt more at ease than when she was by his side, or even simply when she was thinking of him. She was filled with millions of new explosive emotions that made her heart flutter, emotions on which she couldn't put a name. Was this how true love felt, she thought? Like her entire world was changing, crumbling down only to become brighter and happier than it ever had been. The feelings were so warm to her, yet so wonderfully breathtaking that they seemed unstoppable, growing like vines into her chest. She woke up everyday feeling like another person, the smile on her lips merely being enough at describing all the fuzziness and euphoria that confused her mind. She wanted to shout it, yell at everyone around her how happy she felt, how the universe was much more beautiful than what she'd always thought.

And that happened every time, no matter how much they saw each other during the week. The emotions would be back, stronger and even more befuddling than the previous day. She was obviously scared of it at first, as she feared those feelings would only lead her to wish for something that she could never grasp. Knowing it was there, hanging over her head, she tried to push all of them at the bottom of her heart, like they never existed. But as time went on, and the pain became harder and harder to bear alone, she realized that maybe she could still enjoy the bliss of love inside of her head. By not letting all the positive thoughts go to waste, the magic that flowed inside her heart could at least make her delighted to wake up every day to see his face.

But now that she knew there was a way... Now that she held onto the possibility for that magic to exist out of her own self, to be shared with the person she cared for the most in this lonely world. To finally be next to the only one who'd never look her down for being different, who'd always be by her side no matter what would happen, who'd make her smile by not even saying anything. He was to her everything she ever longed for: a caring presence yes, but also a friend to which she knew she could always confess her deepest feelings.

This was a tough decision, of course, as leaving her family behind could never be considered as an easy choice, but if she really had to follow her heart, as Saeran told her, she already knew what she would do. The thought bounced into her head one time, two times up to a million, as she calculated every scenario, every reaction that her people back home would have upon learning the news. And as painful as it was to imagine everyone she ever knew hating her guts, it was no match to the thought of having to live her entire life separated from the boy next to her.

Her decision was made, she nodded to herself as a way to reaffirm that it was the right choice. She simply hoped she'd never regret it.

"Actually..." she started to mumble, bringing Saeran's attention back to her. "I think you can help me."
His eyes immediately lit up at her words. "I'll try my best." he nodded, making her smile softly for a few brief second.
She inhaled a long breath, before exhaling slowly. She was aware that was she was about to say was going to change her whole life, but she was ready. "There might be a way for me to become human..." she confessed, glancing at him from time to time in hope to catch his immediate reaction.

He didn't move an inch at first, out of shock or bewilderment, and most probably both. Was she having a laugh? She was most surely mocking him, he thought to himself as he carefully analyzed every inch of her face. But her heavy eyes, along with the absence of a smile on her usually so bright face somehow helped him to take in the sudden information.

"What...?" he couldn't help but be surprised. "Are you for real?"
"Well, yeah. I never would have told you that if it wasn't true."

He gulped down, his thoughts rolling into his head at a speed he couldn't even intercept. "In any case, why would you want to do that?"
She was suddenly taken aback, the surprise overflowing all the others tint of feelings that used to be into her eyes. "What?" her voice was low.
"Being human is so boring, heartwrenching and somber. I'm not sure it's a world that you'd like."
"Well," she nodded, her face stiffening slightly, "I don't care about what kind of world I'm in. It doesn't matter. All I want is..." a single tear escaped her eyes as she brought up his gaze on him, smiling softly "I want to be with you. Every day of my life, I want to know that you'll be there. And if my own world can't accept me as such, I'd much rather wake up next to you than to live another day back there."

His eyes widened even more with each word flowing out of her mouth, resounding like a soft melody to his heart. Did she really like him? Were the comforting feeling of love he used to hate years ago finally embracing him? It had been a while already since his dawning realization that he felt something towards her, and yet he despised it, avoiding himself to think about a future that he pertinently knew would never exist. But now that it was shaping itself into a plausible reality, could he finally enjoy this pure and soothing bliss everyone thought of so highly? Was he, after all the crimes he committed, and all the heinous acts he regretted in a life on which he barely had any control, ultimately allowed to hold onto his own destiny and taste what real love felt like?

"Are you sure that it's what you want?" he asked her again, yet inside of him he was terrified she would change her mind. It was no secret that, even if he was getting better in the most recent times, his self-esteem was crucially low. He wondered for a few seconds if she'd really be happy with him, if she would not regret her decision once she realizes who he really was.

Yet, as she was about to answer, she noticed the look of perplexity engulfing his eyes, and smiled softly at him. "Yes." she nodded, sighing from the relief of finally being able to speak up on her feelings. "That's what I want." She paused briefly, her voice lowering. "Do you?"

Unable to pronounce a single word, all of his thoughts mixed with one another without the ability to form a single line, he simply nodded, a genuine smile forming in his lips as he tried his best to prevent any tears from escaping his eyes.

"So, how does it work?" he finally asked her, mentally slapping himself for not asking the obvious question earlier.
"Well..." her cheeks, then her entire face flushed bright red. "From what I've heard, it's not complicated really..."
"Yeah?"
"Here, come closer."

He stepped down on the lower part of the rock, halfway bathing in the clear waters of the sea. He was able to sit where it remained dry, but his feet were already soaked. Her smile suddenly disappeared as she took in a long breath, exhaling it for a few seconds before leaning towards him.

After a time that seemed infinite, their lips suddenly touched, their warmness melting onto each other upon contact. If they were both slightly stiff at first, not exactly knowing how to react, their instincts soon kicked in as the euphoria of the kiss, a dazzling sensation of electricity into their bodies, embraced them with an aura of pure blissfulness. Everything around them seemed brighter and beautiful, so exaltant that they barely forgot to breathe for a few seconds

Their heart beating widely in unison, they both thought that nothing would ever feel better than this moment. The illusion of a world disappearing around them, along with its barriers, leaving only the two of them in a place into which time had stopped momentarily.

As they both moved back, out of breath, a sudden blinding ray of light refracted into the water, where her tail used to be. Millions of little diamonds mirrored into the sea as the blue scales slowly started to disappear under the glow, leaving behind after only a few seconds, the reflexion of two human legs through the surface.

She was smiling widely, and yet the grip of her hands against the rock wasn't strong enough, making her fall back. Only this time, she couldn't swim.

As her arms began to float around frenetically, he managed instantly calm her down by grabbing her hand, pulling her towards him as he helped her climb the shore slowly. Although still not used to this new body of hers, she managed to sit down next to him, shivering from the cold.

Saeran noticed it soon enough, ripping his own vest from his back to lay it softly against her shoulders. She turned her head towards him, smiling widely. Even if the burden of her decision somehow still weighed on her, she knew it was the right call. She would never regret living every day next to him.

There was so much they wanted to say, yet knew little of how to do it. But the fact that they were finally together, embraced into each other's arms, was enchanting and magical enough that not a single word was needed.

In the end, she laid down her head onto his shoulder. "I love you." she whispered, tears of happiness flowing down her cheeks.
"Me too." he smiled, bringing her body closer to his.

Their gazes lost themselves up in the horizon, on the sparkling surface of the ocean from which their dreams would now sail.

Chapter Text

In all honesty, Saeyoung's house (thus his house as well, he would have to admit it to himself eventually) wasn't really far from the shore. After all, he first had found the place by pure coincidence by walking around the neighborhood that was, needless to say, very empty of life in general. Very few houses, most of which were either really suspicious or simply abandoned, he stopped questioning his brother's neighborhood choice a long while ago.

Even then, he started to realize he was infinitely thankful for this fact and to this place, now that he was in the middle of a cracked road, empty and full of holes, holding the hand of the love of his life who was wearing only his vest zipped halfway and struggled at adjusting two steps in front of her. Needless to say that if someone was ever to pass by them, he was scared they'd call the police.

Yet he gazed at the girl at his side, and the worries suddenly all started to melt away, replaced by a soft smile of joy hanging at the corner of his lips. The police could come if they desired, he thought to himself, but he knew he was not going to make it easy for them.

His train of thoughts was interrupted as he suddenly felt his beloved trip against the uneven surface of the road, and hurried himself closer so she wouldn't hit the ground. He harshly grabbed her in fear, yet lowered the intensity of his embrace once he realized it could hurt her. But she didn't say anything, simply smiling softly.

"Thanks." she mumbled, barely able to look him up in the eyes. "Is walking really so hard or am I just a disappointment?" she let out a small giggle, but deep inside she really wanted to master this mysterious art of walking.
"Well, it is hard at first." Saeran nodded thoughtfully. "Babies can take up to a year, sometimes a year and a half before being able to walk on their feet."
"Ah..." she gulped. "Alright then."

She pushed herself back upwards, ready at another attempt, and yet her feet had barely been laid on the surface that she was already going back to the ground once more. He caught her mid-fall, frowning.

"Walking barefoot on a road is certainly not a good way though." he declared. "Here, I'll lend you my shoes."
"So you'd have to walk barefoot then?"
He was taken aback by her question. He didn't really know why, but guessed that he was simply not used to people genuinely caring about him. "Well, yeah..." he said, and she shook her head firmly.
"Then I refuse."

He sighed. She was certainly as stubborn as he was, and he pertinently knew that they could argue on this for hours if given the possibility to do so. "Alright then, I'll carry you on my back. We'll be home in five minutes anyway."

Dozens of different emotions suddenly crossed through her gaze, as she pouted softly. "Are you sure? I mean, it's still a long walk isn't it?
He shook his head. "It's fine, don't worry."

He stopped walking, crouching next to her slowly. "Here, put your arms around my neck and hold tight." She nodded, obeying to his words with slight hesitation. Once he felt her gripped against his back, he gently got back up, earning a gasp from surprise from her.

"Don't be scared." he affirmed, feeling her breath faster. "I won't drop you."
"I sure hope not!" she exclaimed, making him chuckle.

They continued their walk back home like this, surprisingly a lot faster than they were before now that they could advance at a normal pace. She kept her mouth shut tight for a few seconds until a sudden thought burst into her head.

"Hey, Saeran?" she timidly asked, her voice low.
"Mh?"
"Do you think your family will accept me?"

He was suddenly brought in a wave of thoughts as well. He hadn't really, with everything that happened in the last hours, reflected on how Saeyoung and MC would react to him bringing in a mermaid (well, technically an ex-mermaid) into the bunker. It's not like he had really taken the time to know his brother in the last months anyway, and the same went for his girlfriend/wife on which the only things he knew for sure were what he'd learned during the background check he did on her for Mint Eye. With this amount of information, how would he ever be able to predict their reaction?

"Eh, well..." he struggled with his words, unable to formulate through his thoughts an answer that'd be adequate. "They're both very unpredictable, but they're not bad people." he couldn't believe he was saying this about his brother with his own mouth. "I think that with given time, they'll have no problem with you."
"Okay." she nodded, biting her lips. "Hopefully."

After a few other minutes, they finally reached the front door of the bunker, of which he thankfully had previously hacked the mechanism to make sure he could enter and leave as he wished without having to deal with Saeyoung's security system that, everyone had to admit, was a pain in the ass. He took in a long breath that he exhaled very slowly before pushing the door in and entering the bunker.

Thankfully, the entrance hallway was empty as he allowed himself in, crouching once more to allow the mermaid to climb off his back with slow hesitation. He reassured her, telling her to lean against the wall while he took care of closing back the door.

"Fine." she declared, sighing as she took a step back towards the wall without tripping. He pushed back the mechanism and closed the entrance behind them.

Suddenly, the faint noise of footsteps against the ceramic floor resounded inside of his ears, instantly stopping as he was about to turn around. He had to admit that he wasn't much surprised to find MC standing at the edge of the corridor, still in her pajamas. Yet her eyes were widened in sheer surprise.

"Saeran Choi..." she started, weighing each of her words. "Why is there a half-naked girl with you in the middle of the entrance hall?"

Footsteps that were not from any of them suddenly resounded further away, with a sudden shriek of surprise from someplace else in the bunker. "I'm sorry, what?" the voice, obviously belonging to Saeyoung, was heard by the three of them, which instantly made MC snap back.
"Sayeoung go back to hacking, or so help me God!" she yelled back, and there was no answer. For a few seconds at least.
"Wait..." there was a pause. "Did my brother finally get laid?"

This time, MC gave no reply, and instead instantly turned back to Saeran, who immediately frowned in anger. "Of course not, you fucking moron!" he shouted back. "And what do you mean, finally?"

Saeyoung's signature redhead suddenly popped in the doorframe, smiling mischievously. Ten shades of anger went by into MC's eyes, as she clearly about to push him out of the entrance hall. "Ah, I'm so proud of you brother!" he shrieked with a grin.
"That's not what-"
"Shouldn't you have given her proper clothing?" MC suddenly scoffed.
"I'm right here, you know." the girl suddenly snapped back, despite not having said any word previously.

"Now, I swear this is not what it looks like. ." Saeran started, sighing to himself. Oh, hell. This was going to be a pain in the ass to explain, would it?
"Well, I sure hope so." MC giggled softly, while her boyfriend merely winked playfully.
"The only other excuse I will stand, " Saeyoung chuckled "is if you tell me you just saved a mermaid, or something like that."

The two newcomers turned to each other, widened eyes, as the mermaid opened her mouth. "How'd you know?" she genuinely asked, bewildered that anyone would have seen through it easily.

But Saeyoung was kidding of course. Such things didn't exist. Or at least he thought so until he saw his brother's face along with the girl's next to him. They both looked traumatized as if they've seen a ghost. "What, did I say something wrong?" he asked, the mockery in his voice being toned down by a lot.
"No, quite the contrary." Saeran declared, and this time both Saeyoung and MC were taken aback violently. Saeran wasn't the type to pull up this kind of prank, and the girl did not look like she was kidding either. She even looked as if she had trouble merely standing up. Could they be telling the truth?

"Hey, I was only kidding about the mermaid stuff." the redhead reaffirmed. "Are you telling me that I was spot on?"
"Well..." the girl raised her head, seemingly with a new wave of confidence into her eyes. "I guess it's up to you if you want to believe it or not."

Saeyoung and MC shared a brief mutual gaze, silently saying "what the actual fuck" to each other, but then MC suddenly turned back towards the girl.

"Ah well, mermaid or not, you're going to need some clothes." she declared, taking a few steps towards the girl. "Here, follow me."
As the brunette extended her hand towards her, Saeran suddenly stepped in between them. "I'm going with her." he firmly affirmed.
"The hell you are." MC scoffed. "It's a girl thing now. Woosh."

But as he was about to protest once more, the mermaid turned to him with a bright smile on her face. "It's alright." she told him softly. "I'll be okay."
He exhaled sharply, admitting defeat as he realized he truly could not refuse her anything. "Fine." he turned to MC. "Don't hurt her."
She simply grinned in answer. "Who do you think I am?"

Altough he was about to add something, this time he was interrupted by warm lips melting on his own, lasting a few seconds before leaning away. He gazed in surprise at the one he loved, who replied with a shy smile, until his eyes went on the two others who looked at him with the most surprise and confusion he'd ever seen on their faces. And for Saeyoung, this was saying a lot.

After the few seconds needed to go over the shock, MC suddenly pulled the other girl's hand towards her, laying her arms under her shoulder so she could help her walk properly. They eventually left the entrance hall, leaving only the two brothers behind.

Saeran had to bear the obvious smirk ensuing to appear on Saeyoung's lips, as he approached him with a laugh. "I never thought I'd see the day." he scoffed, earning himself a death glare from his brother that he promptly ignored. "Congrats bro!"
"Shut the fuck up."
"Aw..."

Saeyoung grabbed his brother by the shoulders, forcibly engulfing him into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you!" he faked cry. And while Saeran deeply wished with all his might to toss him away, for unknown reasons he simply stood still, unmoving. He smiled to himself however.

Some things would never change, he thought. His brother was the perfect example: he'd remain who he was, a breathing joke that never missed a chance a teasing him. Yet, Saeran now knew that other things however, could change. He included himself in those things, but his whole relationship towards life as well.

Sometimes, things did change. And this time, it really was for the best.