Mi-young groaned as she dragged herself into consciousness, and she rolled onto her back as her eyes fluttered open to stare up at the blank ceiling. After Baekhyun had so savagely rebuked her in the backyard, she had fled back to the bedroom to dissolve in a fit of bitter tears once more, and the crying spell had kept her up for quite some time. She had fallen asleep maybe two hours ago, but her natural body clock had awakened her at her normal time. As she rolled onto her side and jerked the comforter over her head in an attempt to return to sweet, blissful sleep; however, try as she might, she could not fall back asleep, and with an exasperated sigh she threw the blankets off herself and stepped out of bed. She walked over to the mirror and peered into her reflection, and what she saw there wasn’t appealing. Her hair, normally luscious and beautiful, was an unkempt mess, and her face was stained with tear tracks. I look like a mess, she thought miserably.

To be honest, she felt even worse. She felt like her heart had been torn out and stomped on and then shoved back in her chest with rudimentary stitches. Her entire chest ached with the pain, and to make matters worse she knew that there was nothing she could do to amend that situation. Despite pouring out her feelings to Baekhyun, he had still insisted that she return to the sea- and that hurt. Still, she could not stay in her room and mope all day, so she rubbed at her face to wipe away the tear stains and ran her fingers through her tangled strands to improve her hair's condition before exiting the room and venturing out into the hallway. The boys were already awake, as she could hear them in the kitchen, and for a moment she hesitated in the threshold of the bedroom door. Come on. You can't avoid them, she told herself firmly before taking a deep breath and proceeding into the living room.

“Morning, Mi-you- Heyyyy, what’s the matter?” Suho exclaimed in shock as soon as his eyes landed on the despondent mermaid. It was quite obvious that her efforts to conceal her deplorable state was quite unsuccessful, as the boy had noticed immediately. She blushed slightly as her emotional state was abruptly called into question, and cast her gaze to the wooden flooring. As the girl turned uncomfortable, Suho hopped off of the love seat to rush over to her. “Mi-young?” he repeated worriedly. Naturally, his alarm attracted the other members of the household- save for one.

“Where is Baekhyun?” she asked meekly.

“He was gone when we all crawled out of bed. Does he have something to do with why you’re upset?” Kai accused hotly and crossed his arms. “What did he do now? Tell us so we can go beat him up for it!” he snapped, and despite her somber mood the boy's feistiness managed to draw a laugh out of her.

“No, no, I don’t need you to beat him up,” she chuckled and shook her head before looking up at the eleven boys eager to cheer up the sad mermaid. “Baekhyun and I had a… well, I suppose you could call it a disagreement, but that isn’t really it. I didn’t want to go back home, but… Baekhyun told me I more or less have to, and… I suppose that it made me upset, that's all,” she explained as she sighed deeply and sat down on the couch. Though she was still a little sad about the matter, she already did feel better knowing that her boys were right there to aid her.

“Oh. That’s unfortunate,” D.O. frowned at her, and then clapped his hands together loudly. “All right boys! I need a breakfast crew!” he announced and hopped up from his seat to gesture dramatically to the kitchen. As the boys scrambled over each other in an attempt to get to the kitchen first, the confused mermaid simply sat on the couch with her head swiveling back and forth like an owl’s.

“What? No, no, I don’t need you to cook food for me!” she cried out in alarm, turning around and sitting up on her knees to look over the back of the couch while the gang of boys slid across the linoleum kitchen floor in their feverish attempt to please her.

“Shut up! You’re getting waffles and you’re gonna like it!” Sehun cried as he poked his head around the corner and shot her a very stern look before disappearing back into the kitchen. What followed was a lot of yelling and pots banging and the occasional giggle. Well, at least they’re having fun, she mused as she settled herself back onto the couch and pulled down a blanket to wrap it around herself and snuggle into the fabric. Being cozy certainly helped her mood a little, too. Still… I wish Baekhyun wasn’t gone, she moped after a moment of basking in her minute contentment, and then just like that her mood was soured again. She curled up into the cuddly blanket and sniffled slightly as she felt fresh tears coming on. She knew that what he had said was only for her best interest, but it didn’t make it hurt less. It always hurt more when he avoided her. I don’t want it to end like this, she thought sadly. All she wanted was to make the most out of what little time she had with him, but she always seemed to be messing it up. I should have kept my mouth shut.

“Oh, no, she's cocooned herself in a blanket! This is bad!” came a shout from the kitchen, and she looked up to see Lay looking very distressed. “Administer the waffles!”

“You guys are crazy,” she giggled as the gaggle of idols hurried forward and set a plate of steaming waffles drenched in syrup on her lap. Still, it was enough to drag her from her melancholy. As she took the fork that Chanyeol was holding out to her and carved out a section of the fluffy breakfast item and spooned it into , her shoulders immediately sagged as her entire body relaxed. “It's yummy!” she exclaimed in delight and began shoveling it into with gusto. They watched her eagerly, eyes sparkling with happiness as she praised them for their hard work. “Thank you guys,” she smiled when she was finished.

“Do you feel better?” Tao asked hopefully, and she nodded.

“Yes!” she replied happily as she set the empty plate on the coffee table and beamed up at them. She knit her eyebrows together in confusion when they all began laughing. “What is it? Do I look funny?” she asked in bewilderment, her head turning back and forth as she looked between the eleven boys in turn.

“You have syrup on your face,” Chen chuckled before retrieving a napkin and leaning over the back of the couch to dab at her sticky face. She squirmed uncomfortably under the assault of the thin square cloth. Her childish reaction only made them laugh more.

“You know, Mi-young, it's hard to remember you’re a pretty mermaid when you act like a little kid!” Xiumin mused as Chen finished removing the syrup from her face. The comment made her pucker her lips in a pout.

“Am I really that childish?” she asked disappointedly, and she cried out in protest when Suho leaned over to ruffle her hair affectionately. “Hey!” she whined loudly.

“You’re just so cute!” he told her with a snicker. Under all the attention and affection, she could not help but smile, but to her dismay the shadow of sadness still burned in the back of her mind like a hot iron. Baekhyun should be here… It's just not the same without him. He always would give me that smile when he complimented me… she thought miserably as she slumped down in the couch. As her mood immediately took a dive, she abruptly stood up from the couch and pulled the blanket around herself to begin shuffling down the hall as her depression mounted.

“Thanks for breakfast, guys. I think I want to be alone now,” she sighed with a small wave before disappearing into Baekhyun's vacated bedroom and closed the door behind her. She could hear the boys scrambling behind her with attempts to cheer her up, but she flipped the lock on the door before shuffling over to the bed and flopping down face-first. She wriggled her way under the comforter and snuggled herself in like a caterpillar weaving its cocoon, but even the cozy warmth of her sanctuary could not chase away the cold spear of ice in her heart. I miss Baekhyun… I just want to see him. But then again, what would I say? I haven’t changed how I feel. Things would probably be awkward between us… But still, I wish he wouldn’t avoid me.

She wasn’t sure how long she lay wrapped in her fortress of solitude before the inevitable knock at the bedroom door came, but she was still in no mood to entertain one of the boys. “Go away,” she whined before curling up more under the soft blankets. She groaned loudly when the series of knocks continued, until finally she was forced to crawl off of the bed, dragging the assortment of blankets with her, and hobble over to the bedroom door to unlatch it and crack the door. “Oh. Hey, Luhan,” she mumbled.

“Hey, Mi-young. Most of the guys went out to take care of things, so, I was wondering if you wanted to do something,” he smiled happily at her. Mi-young glanced over her shoulder to stare longingly at the comfortable mattress where she had been curled up for the past few hours. “Come on, you can’t just lay in bed all day. I promise, it’ll be fun!” he insisted with a raised eyebrow. “It's something you haven’t done before~” he added and nudged her with his elbow. Despite her melancholy, the promise of a new activity certainly did intrigue her. I suppose it is the perfect thing to get me out of the dumps, she reasoned and nodded mutely before following him out into the hallway. Still enshrined in her fluffy cocoon, she shuffled alongside him until they reached his bedroom and then forlornly followed him inside.

As soon as she entered, her curiosity immediately piqued; she had never been in any of the boys’ rooms aside from Baekhyun’s, and so it was interesting to see yet another section of the house. It wasn’t much different than Baekhyun's room, except instead of his room being themed with blue tones, it was in muted grays and blacks. On the wall where Baekhyun's fish tank would be, there was a giant mounted flat screen with a myriad of boxes that she could only assume was some sort of technology. “What are those?”

“Game systems!” he announced proudly as he gestured for her to remain still while he walked to the side of the room to drag out two large, round constructions. She looked down at them with wide eyes, then leaned down to give one an experimental poke.

“They’re squishy!” he exclaimed with a mixture of delight and wonder. He gestured for her to sit down, and although the strange squishy structure did not seem in any way a chair, the mermaid obediently gathered her blankets around herself before plopping down onto it. She squealed happily as she sank down into the round chair, and she looked up at him excitedly. “What is it?” she cried.

“It's a bean bag chair! See, it's like a fabric ball filled with all this little tiny beads, so it molds to your shape when you sit in it! Comfy, huh?” he grinned before jumping into the one beside her. Her grin matched his as she shifted in the chair, giggling as it made funny noises and moved around her. It was certainly an entertaining little thing, and she was already in a better mood. “Now, that isn’t what I wanted to show you. Here, hold this,” he instructed before dropping a strange device into her hands. She turned it over, inspecting it thoroughly while Luhan fiddled with one of the boxes attached to the television with a few wires. She then jumped violently at the television kicked to life with loud music and a display of automobiles speeding on an asphalt track. “Cool, huh?” he laughed at her shock reaction.

“What are they doing? They’re going so fast!” she exclaimed. She was under the impression that the roads of the human world had preset speed limitations.

“It's a racing game,” he explained. “We control the cars and try to win first place.”

“Oh! So like chariot races,” she realized.

“Exactly. Now, this button is go faster, this one is to brake, and this one is to go super fast, but you have to be careful because the car becomes harder to control,” he instructed. She nodded in understanding, pressing the buttons experimentally before looking up at the screen as Luhan started the game. She stared at the screen in wonder as the time ticked down and the race kicked into life. She hurriedly jammed the button to “go".

“Ah! Which one am I? Which one am I?” she screamed in alarm as she watched the screen erupt into chaos.

“That red one!” Luhan shouted as he jumped up and down in the bean bag chair. She managed to locate her specific car and was alarmed to realize that she was in dead last, and so she stuck out her tongue in concentration as she attempted to advance in the race. As a turn approached, she noted that Luhan leaned to the side very heavily as he turned the virtual car, and so she copied his movement. I wonder if it increases power of the turn? She wondered, and then reasoned that it must be true as she jumped from last to 6^th place.

“I’m doing it!” she cried ecstatically.

“Way to go, Mi-young! Now, try not to hit any obstacles or other cars and you should be able to climb the ranks!” he encouraged her happily. She leaned forward as she attempted to follow his instructions and to her delight managed to climb up to 2^nd place. “Great! Now, hit that button to go super fast,” he beamed, and she did so gladly. She gasped as blue flames erupted from the tailpipes of the car and she shot forward with such force that she was only on her back wheels.

“Whoaaaaa!” she laughed at the colorful display. “I’m in first! I’m in first! I won!” she squealed elatedly as she crossed the finish line and confetti blasted across the screen. “Oh, but Luhan, that means you lost!” she frowned at him.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Mi-young. I’m just glad you’re having fun!” he responded jovially.

“This is fun!” she agreed and looked back up at the screen where her triumph was still being displayed.

“So… Does that mean you’re feeling better?” he asked her hesitantly, obviously worried that her emotional state was still in shambles. Immediately muted as her pressing problem was so glaringly brought into view again, she looked down at the controller in her lap as she measured how to respond.

“Yes, I am feeling better, but that still doesn’t change the situation. Baekhyun is avoiding me…” she pouted as her shoulders slumped miserably. “I’ve messed up pir relationship. Why does it always end up this way?”

“Well, that's simple. Baekhyun does stupid things because he’s totally in love with you,” he answered casually, and then snapped his hand over his mouth as if he realized he had said something emotionally heavy and probably a secret.

“He's in love with me?” she blinked, and Luhan shook his head vigorously, but it had been done. “He's in love with me…” She continued to say it over and over. He loves me. That thought made her heart sing and constrict at the same time. He loves me… but he still wants me to leave. “I don’t understand. If he loves me, why is he so insistent that I go home?” Luhan seemed to figure out that he had let the cat out of the bag and could not recover, so he sighed deeply and lowered his hands.

“Mi-young, don’t you see? It's because Baekhyun loves you that he wants you to go home. He knows that he can’t be selfish. He knows that it would be better for you to go back to where you belong,” he explained to her, and once she had it spelled out to her, his recent behavior certainly made sense. “He's probably avoiding you because he doesn’t want to run the risk of doing something dumb. He's impulsive, you know, even though he seems the type that’s all put together. Especially when it comes to girls,” he mused, then looked down at his lap. “You know, though… None of us really want you to go. We all love you… Although, not in the way Baekhyun does, more like brothers. Your eleven older brothers above the waves,” he laughed gently. “Anyway, you know, if you really don't want to go home, why don't you just try talking to Baekhyun? You never know. It may work out,” he replied. “… Do you want to go home, Mi-young?”

The question was certainly heavy. She had been on the line for so long now, straddling what she must do and what she wanted to do, that she had never considered what she truly wanted. Do I want to go home? She wondered. Surprisingly, the answer was quite simple.

“No. No, I don’t want to go home, Luhan. I love Baekhyun, and I want to stay here. I know it's dangerous, but we have made it work for all this time. Surely we can make it work,” she decided and looked up at him with a happy smile. “Thank you, Luhan. Talking to you really helped get my mind straight,” she told him and reached over to hug him.

“I’m glad I could help. Now, Baekhyun is going to continue to sulk, so your best bet is to go to the university tomorrow and surprise him,” he told her as he hugged her back.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she gasped and pulled back with a worried expression.

“Don’t worry! Tell you what, I’ll even go with you- you know, be there for moral support!” he encouraged her happily, then grinned mischievously and picked up the controller again. “Now, what do you say to pass the time we have another race? Now that you know what you’re doing, I won’t go easy on you~” he teased and wiggled his eyebrows. The funny movement made her laughed, and now that she was significantly cheered, she was not opposed to playing another game. As she picked up the controller and prepared to play the game, she tried her best not to let the gloom creep back up on her mind.

I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Regardless of which way this goes, I’ll tell him fully how I feel. If it's meant to be, it’ll be, right?

Right?