Dreams of Luhan plagues Sehun in his potion-induced sleep, the merman always calling for him silently, bubbles of air escaping his lips. But no matter how hard Sehun reaches for him, only his fingertips would brush against Luhan's cold ones, before a dark shadows stole him away, his figure fading away as Sehun screamed for him.

When he finally did awaken, Sehun was covered in a sheen of sweat, or at least, that's what he thought it was.  However, when he sat up and he took note of his surroundings, his eyes widened in shock. He was underwater! Panicking, his hands clasp around his throat, and he gulps for air desperately. Strangely though, he doesn't feel a tightening in his lungs (like he did the first time he had ever entered the water, his head under the surface since he hadn't yet learnt how to swim), and there was no water going down his throat. He slows down his breathing, relaxing his arms beside him, calming down enough to think rationally.

"I'm breathing underwater... Oh my god, I'm really breathing underwater!" he belatedly realizes, hands on his chest as he tries to absorb that piece of information.

Suddenly, there was a knock to his door, and Jongin walks in with another merman behind him.

“I trust you slept well, Sehun?” asks Jongin, sitting on the edge of the bed. Sehun’s gaze strayed to the other’s tail, now able to marvel at the detail. The scales were shiny, the midnight black somehow reflecting the light (where did that even come from?). The other merman in the room had light blue hair, although not as white as Luhan’s. It was more of a turquoise,  his tail the same pretty colour. It suited the seas, but from the way he held hands with Jongin, sitting down beside him, Sehun knew that this person used to be a man, the man that had fallen in love with Jongin and vice versa.

“Yes, I guess that potion you gave me did the trick.” The two mermen chuckled, Jongin nudging the person beside him.

“You can thank Yixing for that, he’s quite skilled with sea plants,” he explains with a proud smile, leaning over to kiss said man on the cheek. Yixing blushed a furious red, but he too smiled, a deep dimple showing on his right cheek, right where Jongin had kissed him.

“Is this the one you fell in love with?” Sehun already knew the answer, but he wanted to make sure; and besides, he kind of felt like he was interrupting an intimate moment. Not that it should have bothered him, but he feels a sudden desire to have Luhan back in his arms, and knowing that he’s so close makes him edgy, impatient.

“Yes, the very one.” Jongin pulls Yixing closer, who tries to wriggle away in embarrassment.

“Have you been telling stories about me?” he gasps, but the small giggles leaving his lips give him away.

“Only the good stuff.”

“So you’re telling me that there’s bad things too?” Sehun watches their bickering with amusement, wondering if he and Luhan would ever be the same.

“Yixing, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.” He turns to face Sehun, shaking off Jongin. He already seems to understand what was lying in Sehun’s heart, but it made sense since he had been in the same position, chasing after his mystical lover that was always just outside of his grasp as a normal human being.

“Are you happy?” Yixing seems flustered at the question, and glances at Jongin before answering.

“Will my answer change your plans?” he asks carefully, knowing full well that it wouldn’t.

“To be honest, no.”

“Then yes, I am happy. Happier than I had ever been on that blasted boat, fishing for the other villagers every year.” Yixing pauses, gathering his thoughts. “Don’t get me wrong, they were nice people. But I was alone.” The way he emphasized that one word clicked with Sehun, who completely understood the feeling, nodding his head as he thought back to all the times he had been in the village. There, but not really.

“So you know just how much Luhan means to me. How he takes away that loneliness.”

“Yes, so I won’t even try to get in your way,” Yixing says softly, patting Sehun’s arm with such gentleness.

“Even if you had tried, I would have fought with all my might.” Sehun grins, the tense atmosphere melting away.

“I know you would have,” agrees Yixing, ruffling Sehun’s hair. “But don’t underestimate me, young one, I’m older than you think.”

Sehun throws away the covers on his body, stretching his sore limbs.

“So are you guys going to take me to Luhan?” Jongin and Yixing share a look, something that Sehun doesn’t miss. “What is it?” His patience level was at an all time low, and his nerves were already fraying at the thought of seeing Luhan again. That was all that mattered. What came after could wait.

“The ceremony is going to start in about thirty minutes,” says Jongin, blocking the way to the door. “The potion only lasts that long, you won’t make it back up to the surface unless you take another one, but we don’t have one prepared.”

“Then what are we doing just standing around? Or swimming, whatever it is.” Sehun huffs with his hands on his hips, tapping his feet incessantly.

“Sehun. You’re going to meet our father, the king.” The prince emphasizes each word, as if trying to make a point. Not that Sehun understood what it was.

“So?”

“You need to be mentally prepared. You’re going to need time to convince him.”

“But I am ready! Yixing, you know I am.” Frustrated, Sehun turns to said male, pulling at his hair. “Yixing, please, I need to go before it’s too late!” he pleads.

“Jongin… If we don’t let him go now, he’ll definitely be too late,” murmurs Yixing, tugging Jongin away from the door and opening it.

“I know, but-”

“Honey, please, I know how it’ll break him to know that he has to wait a whole year before he remembers. But even more so, you know how it’ll break Luhan, having to wait a whole year whilst pining for a love that’s forgotten him again.” At the mention of his younger brother, and the pain that it would cause him, Jongin’s posture changed, and he turns to the other two with a sudden burst of determination.

“Let’s go.”

-

The King of the Merpeople, Kris, was an intimidating man, his sharp eyebrows slanting in such a way that made him look permanently angry, his thin lips set in a line, his gaze hard and unwavering. But he looked as young as his sons, a perk that came with being immortal. Sehun had bowed down at his feet, pleading his case to the King, asking him to allow him to stay with Luhan, but to no avail.

“No.” His harsh rejection against Sehun’s request, despite not even hearing it all the way through, stabbed him in the heart, tears pooling at the corner of his eyes.

“But please-”

“My decision is final.” He strikes down his trident, a large weapon that glimmered when the light hit the golden staff. “Luhan, go prepare for the final stage,” he calls out, and Sehun almost runs over to the sight of Luhan, as delicate as always. But the man looked paler, weaker, and his heart broke.

Luhan made his way to a large dome at the centre of the hall, an oxygen mask strapped onto his face. Two buff guards were by his side, so Sehun forgoed the idea of trying to approach the older. However, they made eye-contact, Luhan’s eyes widening like a deer trapped in headlights, pure shock written on his face. Just then, he reaches the outer glass of the dome, the two guards opening the door for the prince to walk through, before locking it securely from the outside. Luhan was essentially trapped, but he seemed calm despite the frantic glances he sent to Sehun.

Suddenly, water starts pouring in from two valves at the sides of the dome, rushing in at an alarming rate. Luhan stays afloat for a few minutes, until the water reaches the top, finally submerged completely. At that moment, Sehun panics, turning to the king with desperation.

“Please! Let me be with him,” he cries, falling to his knees as he continues his plea. “Please, please, please,” he mumbles, tears streaming down his face. “Or at least save him!” he shouts, desperate for Luhan. However, the king remains calm, not doing anything.  

“Luhan must die in his human form, in order to be reincarnated,” he explains, looking to his son with a sad expression.

However, instead of being comforted by the idea like Kris had planned, Sehun becomes more distraught, running to the dome to bang his fists against the glass wall, trying to break through, trying to reach Luhan, trying to do something.

“Luhan!” he screams, unrelenting with his banging. Startled, the merprince turns to Sehun, releasing a bubble of air. He attempts to smile, his eyes disappearing into crescents as he mouths the words, ‘I love you.’ Sehun’s tears become a waterfall, his weeping increasing in volume as he screams Luhan’s name over and over again, his knuckles a flaming red from all the punching.

Maybe it was the sudden kindness that came with New Years Eve, or the expression of love on his son’s face, but either way, Kris takes pity on the broken man in front of him. Another wave of his trident and a resounding crack of thunder that echoed throughout the underwater palace created a bright flash of lightning. Sehun blinks, shielding his eyes from the brightness, and suddenly finds himself in the dome when he opens his eyes once more. Luhan is in front of him, eyes wide as he pulls the younger closer for a kiss. Sehun shares his last remaining oxygen, feeling the tightening in his chest as he runs out of breath. The potion must have worn off, he thinks to himself, but that’s okay. Their grip on each other never loosens as a white light envelops the dome, their minds dimming as their bodies become limp. The last thing in each of their minds is the other’s gentle smile, their fingers interlocking as they sink slowly to the bottom of the dome.