“What? You want to cook dinner?” Baekhyun gaped at Mi-young as she excitedly held out the cookbook to him, pointing insistently at the recipe she desired to prepare. When the boys had finally gotten around to consuming the noodles she had cooked the night she had attempted to return to the ocean, Mi-young was elated to learn that they immensely enjoyed the meal and were eager to try more of her cooking. Thus, as a result of boredom, the mermaid had plucked the cookbook from its home on the shelf and perused its contents. She had landed on a delectable beef steak with a side of stir-fried vegetables- a challenge, but a welcome one.

“Yes! Will you please help me, Baekhyun?” she pleaded with wide blue eyes. Baekhyun frowned deeply, then sighed slightly and reached out to take the cookbook from her and inspect the recipe.

“This is pretty extensive, Mi-young,” he glanced up at her with an eyebrow raised, and she swallowed, concerned that he may refuse her; then, he smiled gently and marked the page by folding the corner of the page and snapped the book shut, rising to his feet. “All right. I don't have a lot of the stuff here, so let's head to the store, okay?” he told her, and she squealed in delight and clapped her hands together. She loved visiting the human grocery stores; no matter how many times that she visited them, she always found something new and interesting. Baekhyun chuckled at her as she rushed over to the door to pull on her shoes, hopping on one foot as she pulled one on, and then switching feet to do the other. As she lost her balance and wobbled, she blushed as Baekhyun caught her by the waist. “Careful,” he warned.

“Sorry. I just got excited,” she laughed weakly, acutely aware of his hands wrapped around her middle. She still wasn’t sure what they were. The kiss still weighed heavily on her mind, but Baekhyun had made no attempt to do such a thing again; yet, at the same time, he did things like this. It was very confusing. However, she did not want to bring up the issue to him, as she was admittedly afraid she would receive an answer she would not like. Once he was assured that the mermaid was steady on her feet, he released her, sliding his hands slowly off her waist as if he were reluctant. Mi-young felt slightly sad. Swallowing slightly, she resumed pulling on her shoe and tried to ignore the tingling of her skin where Baekhyun had touched her. When she had accomplished the task, she looked up at him with a small smile. “All right! I’m ready to go,” she announced, and he chuckled again at her excitement before leaning forward to open the door.

“Let's get on our way, then,” he mused as he bundled her out the door and locked it behind her, leading her to the van. Mi-young paused on the sidewalk to glance out at the street, admiring the nice weather. The sky was clear and blue, with the sun burning white and spilling warm rays of sunlight down to earth. It warmed the mermaid's skin, making her smile slightly. It was the perfect summer day for an outing to the store. Baekhyun waited patiently for her, and when she glanced back at him, his smile was warming than the bright sunlight pouring down on her. “You really love it up here, don't you?” he murmured softly. Mi-young looked down at her feet.

“I just want to make sure I remember what it's like,” she murmured. She knew now that she had to return to her home beneath the waves when the time came. She had forgotten much of her life in the sea, and she was terrified that when she finally did go home that her memories of her time on land would similarly degrade. The thought of forgetting the heat of the sun, the soft touch of the wind, the smell of grass in the morning, the sound of songbirds singing- it was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Baekhyun noticed her melancholy and walked over, and she looked up at him miserably as he reached up to gently place a hand on her cheek. She instinctively leaned into his touch.

“You won't forget,” he reassured her softly, running his thumb over her cheek. The confidence in his tone cheered her a little, and her smile brightened marginally. Part of her wanted him to tell her that she didn’t have to forget, that she could stay with him above the water forever. That was just a wishful fantasy, though. Once he was satisfied that the mermaid was no longer blue, he dropped his hand from her face and headed for the car. As his back was turned, Mi-young lifted a hand to her face to run her fingers lightly over the place where Baekhyun's hand had been moments before.

I wanted him to kiss me, she thought in longing before dropping her hand and following after him.

Mi-young's somber mood gradually brightened as they ventured deeper into the city toward the grocery store. By the time Baekhyun was circling the massive tar parking lot searching for an empty parking space, she was pressed against the window with her pretty blue eyes flashing about, peering at the different kinds of cars and people. As Baekhyun swung into a parking space, she whipped off her seatbelt and wrenched open the door to hop out of the van. She ran over to one of the metal constructions that served as a storage space for the shopping carts and, with a little struggle, pulled one free. She turned to face Baekhyum with a huge grin on her face.

“Let's go!” she beamed and whipped around to speed toward the supermarket entrance. She heard Baekhyun laughing behind her as she jumped up on the shopping cart to coast across the tarred lot and up onto the sidewalk in front of the grocery store. She hopped off the cart and pulled it to a stop to keep from accidentally crashing into shoppers, and looked back at Baekhyun as he came trotting up. “I learned that trick from Grandma Lee,” she smiled and stuck her tongue out slightly as she smirked playfully.

“Is that so? I knew that crazy old bat was a bad influence,” Baekhyun mused as he grabbed the handle of the shopping cart. “Do you want to ride in the basket?” he asked suddenly, and Mi-young gasped in delight. Because of the old woman's frailty, she was not able to push the mermaid around in the shopping cart, and so she had never asked. With a squeal, she clambered into the wire basket and sat cross-legged facing the young marine biologist, happiness practically radiating from her. Though she was not large by any means, the mermaid's bulk nearly filled the entire shopping cart. She held the sides of the cart gleefully as Baekhyun pushed her into the supermarket. “You really are like a little kid,” he laughed.

“This is so fun! Wheee!” she giggled, completely oblivious to the boy making fun of her. Her head turned this way and that as Baekhyun wheeled her through the supermarket, and though the girl got plenty of funny looks, she was enjoying herself so much that she didn’t notice. Her eyes went wide as Baekhyun stopped by a wall of freezers stocked with packages of meat, and she craned her head to watch him as he perused the meat selection. He grabbed a package of the steak that they required and held it out to her, and she took it in her hands to inspect it curiously. She screwed up her face in slight disgust. “It's bloody,” she remarked as she set it in the bottom of the basket.

“It's raw meat, Mi-young. Of course it's gonna be bloody,” he mused as he began pushing her around the store once more. The mermaid continuously poked at the package of meat, a used at how the steak squished beneath the plastic, before her attention was claimed by Baekhyun selecting the vegetables that they required. Soon, Mi-young was sitting in the basket surrounded by various food items, grinning with glee as she poked and prodded the curious items around her.

“Humans sure do have a lot of things to eat,” she commented. It amazed her how many things they could cultivate and harvest, and how even more things could be made from those things, and on and on.

“Mermaids don't?” he remarked in curiosity, his voice low so as not to attract the attention of passersby, and she shook her head.

“We have very simple diets. Fish and crustaceans and aquatic plants. Things like that,” she replied as she set down an onion she was currently examining. “Although we can do a lot with those things, we don't have the large variety of options that humans do.” Baekhyun nodded at her explanation, then smirked slightly.

“Well, maybe we should cook more often,” he mused as he whipped her around a corner, heading for the cash registers. Though it was an innocent suggestion, Mi-young blushed lightly and held a leek to her chest as she grew warm and fuzzy inside. I would love to cook with Baekhyun… she thought. She treasured what little time she had with the boy who had rescued her, and wanted to share as many experiences with him as possible. Tonight is going to be great! She thought with excitement as they arrived at the check-out aisles. She helped Baekhyun ring up the meal supplies and load them into paper bags, and soon they were on their way out of the grocery store. After Baekhyun loaded the groceries into the van, Mi-young stood up in the shopping cart and attempted to clamber out of it unsuccessfully. The cart shifted each time she moved, making her wobble and wave her arms to try and keep her balance, and she could not find a way to clamber down without suffering a fall.

“I’m stuck!” she wailed in distress, and Baekhyun laughed as he turned to help her. She pouted as he made fun of her, but she obediently remained still as he approached the cart. Almost effortlessly, he grabbed her around the middle and lifted her out of the basket. Mi-young's breath left her body as he swung her out of the cart and set her down on the ground, exhilarated by the sudden motion. Baekhyun, acting like it was nothing, grabbed the basket and walked off to return it, while Mi-young stood beside the car, flushed from breathlessness. Everything he does just gets me going… she thought with a small sigh.

The drive home was uneventful, and when they arrived home laden with the shopping bags, the other boys flitted about them in curiosity. They were excited to learn that Mi-young would again be cooking for them, and promptly fell over themselves when the mermaid requested assistance. Though she would have preferred to cook with Baekhyun alone, it was a lot of work for just the two of them, and they were so eager to help that she could not refuse them. She enjoyed the time that she spent with all the boys, too.

As such, all of them crammed into the tiny kitchen to prepare the meal that the mermaid had chosen.

“Get outta my way!” Kai whined and elbowed D.O. sharply in the ribs as he attempted to slice up the onion; D.O., who was attempted to the same with the leek on the small section of counter space afforded to him, scowled and elbowed him back.

“You get outta my way!” he retorted hotly. What ensued was a feverish fight to see who could cut up their vegetable the fastest and impress the mermaid. On the other side of the kitchen, Mi-young was standing beside Baekhyun, standing on her tip-toes to watch as he cooked the meat in a skillet. Once he noticed that she was watching, he shuffled to the side and put a hand on the small of her back to push her forward. Her attention became less focused on the art of cooking and more on the racing of her heart, and in a moment of inattention she rested her hand against the stove. She instantly recoiled with a shout, her palm burning an angry red. Whimpering with tears stinging her eyes, she cradled her wounded hand miserably.

“Mi-young! Let me see,” Baekhyun ordered, and she held out her hand for him in response. He took it gingerly, and she winced as he inspected the burn. It stung horribly, and had already begun to blister. The other boys abandoned their efforts to rush to her side, crowded around the pair in various states of panic.

“Wah! You’re gonna be okay, Mi-young! Don't cry!” Chanyeol cried as he pulled at his hair.

“Don't tell her not to cry when you’re crying!” Xiumin shouted; indeed, Chanyeol was close to tears, staring at the reddening burn on the mermaid's milky-white skin. Luhan was running around in a circle screaming about calling the hospital, and Suho was fanning Sehun's face, which was pale and it looked like he was going to faint. All of the attention frightened the mermaid, and she began to sniffle as her bottom lip quivered violently. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks. She had never been burned before, and the way the boys were acting made it seem life-threatening; with how much it hurt, it felt like if could be.

“Guys! Knock it off!” Baekhyun barked, and the boys immediately snapped their mouths shut. “Give her some space, will ya?” he added crossly, and when they obediently cleared some space for the injured girl, Baekhyun returned his attention to the burn. “You guys finish this up while I take care of Mi-young,” he ordered, and they protested loudly as he grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her through the small crowd.

“Pl-please?” she whimpered and looked up at them pleadingly. “I don't want all our hard work to go to waste…” At the mermaid's meek bequest, the boys hopped to it and resumed working on the meal with renewed vigor. Baekhyun steered her into his bedroom and retrieved the first-aid kit he kept in his nightstand drawer before indicating for her to sit down on the edge of the bed. Mi-young just continued to sniffle and try not to sob as he gently took her hand and applied ointment to it.

“You can't be so careless, Mi-young,” he scolded her quietly, his face strangely expressionless as he worked on the wound. She couldn’t even feel bad; it had been her own folly that had resulted in the injury. Her shoulders just slumped in guilt, but the next thing he said made her glance up in slight shock. “I can't stand seeing you hurt.” She blushed when she looked up and her eyes met his. He was gazing at her intently, with this strange heat in his eyes that sent a shudder through her body and made her heart palpitate fiercely. She watched mutely as he placed a bandage over her hand and stared at it thoughtfully. “You know… Up here, they say there's a way to make wounds heal faster,” he remarked casually.

“What's that?” she asked quietly, reluctantly. Why is he looking at me like that? It makes my heart pound…

“A kiss,” he responded smugly, and she gasped slightly when he pressed his lips to the bandage concealing her burn. Electricity rocketed up her arm at the stimulation, and her cheeks flushed further as a strange heat rose inside of her. He held the little kiss for a long time, and then to her astonishment he began planting kisses up her arm, pressing close to her as his lips traveled up to her shoulder. Almost as if under a spell, Mi-young leaned her head back as he made it to her chest, and she trembled as they brushed over her neck.

“Baekhyun…” she breathed as his face rose to meet hers; her voice was full of longing and desire, and she was afraid of the strength of the emotions she was feeling. We shouldn't… but I want it, she thought, unable to think reasonably as his hands slid around her face, cupping it gently as he leaned forward to kiss her on the mouth this time. She slumped slightly as she melted under the passionate kiss, her hands clinging to the fabric of Baekhyun's shirt as if in a desperate attempt to anchor herself. Her mind was whirling, unable to settle on coherent thought as his mouth moved powerfully against hers. All the desire that had built up inside her in the days since he had first made his affections known to her burst forth, and she kissed him back with everything she had. His hands moved from her face down her neck, over her chest to settle on her hips to pull her so close that their bodies were touching.

Mi-young had never felt love before, but as she sat there in his arms, positively helpless from the intensity of his passion, her feelings so strong that it hurt, she was almost positively she knew it now.

I love Baekhyun.

When he pulled back, however, his expression was of horror and regret.

“I shouldn't have done that,” he exhaled breathily, panting from exertion. That was definitely the last thing the mermaid wanted to hear, and she just stared at him with wide blue eyes as he straightened up and ran his fingers through his hair, his expression stressed. “Jesus… I told myself I that I wouldn’t do it again, and what do I do? The exact opposite. Way to go, Baekhyun,” he mumbled to himself as he paced back and forth slightly. Mi-young gulped slightly, curling into herself as she tried to quell the heat inside of her.

“Baekhyun…” she interjected quietly, but when he looked at her, she was at a loss for words. He sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face, looking years older than he ought to.

“I’m sorry, Mi-young, but we can't do this,” he told her, and she felt her heart sink as she cast her gaze to her lap. He was right, of course, but that didn’t stop her from growing sad. “No matter how much either of us want it, it can't happen. It would never work…”

“I know,” she muttered miserably. She knew that, but then, why did it hurt so badly? Tears dropped down onto her legs as they rolled off her long lashes. “I know… I just… I wish it could,” she moped as she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. Baekhyun sighed and slipped a hand under her chin to lift her face, using his shirt sleeve to dry her eyes.

“It's my fault. I have to control myself better,” he mused with a forlorn smile. I hate seeing him so sad, she thought as her heart constricted in pain. If she was only normal, they would not have to suffer so and they could be together. There was nothing she could do about that, though, so they just dissolved into silence, pretending like nothing ever happened and rejoining the boys in the kitchen.

However, as she lay in bed that night, Mi-young could simply not forget. She ran her fingers over her lips, feeling the phantom of Baekhyun's mouth against hers, and recalled that intense, heat-filled gaze. She then buried her face in the pillow as the tears returned.

I belong in the sea, and he belongs on land…

But our hearts belong to each other.

Though time would part them, that thought was enough to give the heartsick mermaid enough comfort to fall asleep…