Bound. That was Sehun’s first thoughts as he regains consciousness, his legs feeling like they had been tied tightly using ropes. The numbness slowly dissipates, but he can’t seem to separate them, as if they had been stuck together with superglue. With a groan, he throws the blanket away from his body, about to massage his legs in an effort to get the blood flow going again. But when he does, he sees something that shocks him, causing him to let out a shout of exclamation, hands clamping over his mouth straight after.

Where his legs should have been, a cobalt blue tail was lightly swaying from side to side, reflecting flickers of light. He stares at it in wonder, jaw slack, and reaches out a hand to feel the slippery scales, cool to the touch. He trails his finger from his hip, where the scales start, right to the tip of the tail, which was soft to the touch, sort of like a feathery feeling. It was strange, seeing something so different on his body, but for some reason, it felt right. Even the colour reflected the ocean, it was as if he was always meant to blend in with it.

Too preoccupied admiring his newfound body part, Sehun fails to notice the body beside him, who promptly wakes up at the shuffling (he had somehow slept through the shouting)..

“Sehun?” The called man whips his head around at the familiar voice, gasping when he’s face-to-face with someone he had thought that he would never see again.

“Luhan.” the name rolls off his tongue like a sigh of relief, and he pulls the smaller into his arms for a bone-crushing hug. “Luhan,” he repeats, like a confirmation that the prince was in fact currently in his arms.

“Yes, that’s me,” replies Luhan with a chuckle, returning the hug with just as much vigour.

That is, until he pulls back to hit Sehun on the head, hard.

“Ow, what was that for?” whines the younger, rubbing the now sore spot.

“For being an idiot by following Jongin, disobeying my father, and most importantly, risking your own life by joining me in the dome,” huffs Luhan, crossing his arms over his chest. “You could have died, you did die.”

“But I came back. With you,” retorts Sehun, leaning over to place a chaste kiss on the older’s lips. “And I remember. I remember everything. Not just the last week, but every single moment we’ve spent together from all those years ago,” says Sehun, a sparkle in his eyes, the wonder evident.

“Y- You do?” asks Luhan hesitantly. Sehun nods, tilting his head to the side as he sifts through his freshly obtained memories.

“I remember kissing your cheek when I was thirteen,” the younger replies with a grin, carrying out the action. “I remember holding you in my arms as you sat in my lap when I was fifteen, and we were stargazing with your back against my chest.” This time, he pulled Luhan onto his lap, intertwining their fingers, their tails looping around each other. He leans down to kiss the tears that had escaped from Luhan’s eyes, his quiet sniffles shaking them both. “And I remember promising that I would remember one day, and that I would live with you forever and ever,” he whispers, catching Luhan’s lips with his, kissing long and slow. They were no longer in a rush, the knowledge that they truly did have forever allowing them to take it slow and easy, savouring every taste, every flicker of emotion.

After spending time re-exploring each other in the privacy of their new bedroom, an excited Luhan decides to take Sehun on a tour of the palace. Sehun listened intently to the prince’s explanations of the place, although it could be argued that he was only listening to the voice, and not the content. Either way, he had a hard time trying to get used to moving with a tail instead of two legs and feet, but he soon adapted with the aid of Luhan (and occasionally Lay and Jongin who came up to check on him). There had been a tense moment when they met the king, Kris, Luhan’s father, at the throne room and Sehun had almost gone down on his knees before he realized that it wasn’t exactly possible. However, instead of the wrath that had been expected, the older man just sighed, and muttered something that sounded like ‘I knew it was going to happen, might as well let it be. Being angry is just going to give me wrinkles…

Now they were at a small cave that Luhan liked to frequent, tails dipped in the water as they sit on a few rocks.

“Sehun, can I ask you something?” Luhan mumbles, and Sehun has to strain his ears to catch his voice.

“Sure,” he replies, reaching over to play with Luhan’s fingers. Luhan seems mildly surprised at the sudden skinship, but makes no move to pull away.

“Are you sure you made the right choice?” he whispers, uncertainty lining his question. At that, Sehun lifts an eyebrow, a frown pulling at his features.

“Why are you asking this now? Of course I’m sure, I love you.” His expression softens at the last statement, and he returns to playing with Luhan’s delicate fingers, trailing the veins on Luhan’s arm with his index finger.

“As I love you.” Sehun smiles, satisfied. But Luhan wasn’t done just yet. “But what about the villagers who depend on you?”

“Well, as much as they needed me, they are perfectly capable of surviving on their own. I’m not saying that I feel no guilt for just leaving them, but I never belonged.” He stared meaningfully at Luhan, who blushed under the strong gaze.  No more words were needed, since Sehun had already told Luhan how much he meant to him, how much they meant to each other.

“Luhan, can I ask you something now?” Luhan turns to the other curiously, motioning for the younger to continue. “I asked Jongin about this, but he said that there wasn’t really a tradition so I guess I’m just going to go based on instinct here.” That certainly piqued Luhan’s curiousity, his nervousness spiking.

“Wh-”

“Just listen until I finish okay? Please?” pleads Sehun, clasping Luhan’s small hands in his larger ones.

“O- Okay,” agrees the prince, flustered at the other’s sudden seriousness. Sehun takes in a deep breath, sliding into the water so that he was in front of Luhan, hands still clasping around Luhan’s. And then he began.

“During the last moments of the year, I had thought that it was love at first sight, spending a week with someone who I had initially thought was crazy. But there was always a part of me that was weak against you, my guard dropping without even me realizing and soon enough I fell for you, accepting your tales of a bigger world where mythical creatures existed and it made life seem so much more interesting. Now, with all of these memories, I realize that I hadn’t just fallen in love with you during the last week, although I was right about the love at first sight. It was always you, from the moment my eyes met the eyes of a young boy who smiled at me with such a genuine smile that melted my icy heart.” Sehun pauses, taking in another deep breath to calm his nerves after such a long speech.

“Sehun…” Luhan’s eyes were sparkling from unshed tears, happy tears, and his voice wavered with emotion.

“Luhan, you are my first love, my yearly love, my last love, my forever. Will you marry me?” By now, the tears are flowing freely, but Luhan manages to nod, throwing his arms around Sehun’s neck.

‘Yes.” They both are crying out of happiness, Sehun scooping Luhan into his arms and bringing him back down underwater to the palace to share the wonderful news.

Jongin and Yixing had congratulated them, the two brothers hugging whilst the two in-laws shared one too. Kris had nodded his head, probably the closest thing to an approval that they would get. Drunk on happiness, on love, the two return to their room, continuing to lose themselves in the passion of their love. Sehun had adapted so quickly, comfortably living the life of a merman.

Truly, Oh Sehun was a man of the ocean. But most importantly, he was alongside his soulmate. Sehun and Luhan. Luhan and Sehun. Two inseparable halves of a whole.