When March finally approached and the weather turned warmer, Eunhyuk noticed Donghae was becoming more and more anxious to return to the ocean. “Have you decided when you’re going back yet?” Eunhyuk asked as they walked along the beach one afternoon.

          “Probably next week,” Donghae figured.

          Eunhyuk froze. “Next week? That’s so soon,” he replied.

          “Yeah, but the longer I wait, the harder it’ll be to leave,” Donghae responded as he interlaced his fingers with Eunhyuk’s.

          “Wait, I have a suggestion,” Eunhyuk said, turning to face Donghae.

          “Alright, what do you suggest?” Donghae wondered.

          “Why don’t you wait til the day after the full moon? That way you can have your legs all day and night, and you can spend your final night with me,” Eunhyuk stated.

          Donghae smiled. “I really like that idea,” he whispered before Eunhyuk leaned in and kissed him.

          A few weeks later, Eunhyuk awoke extra early on the morning of the full moon and hurried into the bathroom to find Donghae still sleeping in the bathtub with his legs in place of his tail. Smiling, Eunhyuk knelt down and shook the merman awake. Donghae groaned slightly as he turned over to face Eunhyuk. “Hey,” Eunhyuk muttered with a grin.

          “Hey,” Donghae echoed as he sat up and planted a kiss on Eunhyuk’s lips before heaving himself up onto the side of the bathtub. “So what are we gonna do today?”

          Eunhyuk handed him his clothing before replying “There’s a place I wanna take you too, then I figured we’d go out and eat whatever you want, and finally come back home to have some final alone time.”

          “Before I have to leave in the morning,” Donghae muttered as he slid a t-shirt on over his head.

          “Yeah,” Eunhyuk agreed quietly, lowering his head.

          Donghae walked over to the blonde and lifted his face before kissing his lips once more. “Let’s not think about it right now,” he suggested, his fingers over Eunhyuk’s jawline. “Let’s just go enjoy our day together.”

          Eunhyuk smiled before responding “Okay.”

          “Now where did you say we were going today?” Donghae wondered after they finished eating breakfast.

          “It’s a surprise, c’mon, I’ll show you,” Eunhyuk said as he took Donghae’s hand and led him downstairs.

          After climbing into Eunhyuk’s car, the two travelled about thirty minutes down the road to a large building. “What’s in there?” Donghae inquired.

          “C’mon, I’ll show you,” Eunhyuk repeated as he pulled Donghae towards the entrance. “This is a place where people rescue injured sea creatures and take care of them until they’re ready to be set free again.”

          Eunhyuk grinned when he saw Donghae’s jaw drop slightly. “Really? And they don’t hurt them?” he asked.

          “Nope, while they’re healing, they keep them in this large aquarium where they’re comfortable, and people can come look at them,” Eunhyuk explained.

          Donghae and Eunhyuk walked around inside, looking at the many tanks they had filled with injured or sick fish. “These got caught in an oil spill,” Donghae stated as he pointed to a large tank before turning to another tank. “That dolphin over there was beached after getting into a fight.” The brunette turned yet again and pointed to another tank. “And these baby sea turtles were abandoned and were almost eaten.”

          “How do you know that?” Eunhyuk questioned.

          “Isn’t it obvious that’s what they’re saying? Don’t you speak fish?” Donghae wondered.

          Eunhyuk laughed quietly before replying “No, I’m afraid humans can’t talk to fish.”

          “Well they say they’re very grateful to the humans who rescued them and care for them. This place has a very good vibe, the humans here haven’t harmed them in anyway,” Donghae informed.

          “Are you happy we came here?” Eunhyuk asked as he wrapped an arm around Donghae’s waist.

          “Yes, this restores my faith in that there are good humans besides you,” Donghae stated as he placed a hand on the glass to the dolphin tank and watched the aquatic animal swim up next to him.

          “He seems to like you,” Eunhyuk noticed.

          “He’s a she,” Donghae corrected with a grin.

          “Oh, well tell her that she can’t have you cuz you’re mine,” Eunhyuk joked as he kissed the merman’s face while Donghae giggled.   

          When the couple were done at the aquarium, Donghae asked “Where do you wanna go eat dinner at?”

          “You pick, this day is all about you, so we’ll go wherever you want,” Eunhyuk said.

          “Okay, can we go eat at that café where I tried coffee for the first time? It was really good,” Donghae requested.

          “Yes, if that’s what you want, that’s where we will go,” Eunhyuk agreed before driving over to the café he knew Donghae liked. The blonde knew exactly what Donghae wanted, so the merman went over to grab a table as Eunhyuk got their food and drinks. “Is it alright?” Eunhyuk asked as he chewed on his sandwich.

          “Yeah, it’s really good,” Donghae confirmed as he swallowed his bite and took a drink of his coffee.

          “I’m glad, I want today to be special for you,” Eunhyuk muttered as he slid his hand on top of Donghae’s before the brunette smiled at him.

          After dinner, Donghae and Eunhyuk returned to the apartment and a light in the living room. “Are we going to stay in here and watch TV?” Donghae asked as he sat down on the couch.

          “We could do that, or we could go do something else if you want,” Eunhyuk suggested, running his fingers up Donghae’s arm.  

          Donghae leaned over and placed a kiss on Eunhyuk’s lips as the blonde slipped his arms around Donghae’s waist. The merman pulled back slowly and ran a hand through his boyfriend’s bangs as he whispered “Can we go to bed?”

          Smiling, Eunhyuk nodded before pulling himself and Donghae to their feet and leading them into his bedroom. Closing the door, Eunhyuk pressed Donghae back against the door before latching his mouth to Donghae’s neck as he kissed and at the skin and ran his hands up under his shirt. The brunette moaned quietly as he raked his fingers through Eunhyuk’s blonde hair while Eunhyuk yanked off Donghae’s t-shirt. Donghae wrapped his arms around Eunhyuk’s neck as the blonde picked him up and lay him down on his bed before pulling off his own shirt and throwing it down onto the floor.

          He ran his hands up Donghae’s torso as he kissed the merman’s mouth again while the brunette dug his nails into Eunhyuk’s shoulder blades. The blonde ran his lips down Donghae’s neck and began to kiss his chest as he ed their jeans and slid them, along with their boxers down off their bodies. Eunhyuk entered Donghae’s body slowly over and over as the brunette moaned his name, while Eunhyuk continued kissing Donghae’s neck.

          When he was done, Eunhyuk laid down next to Donghae and pulled the brunette close to him. “I love you,” Eunhyuk whispered as he grazed his fingers over Donghae’s shoulder and placed a kiss on his forehead.

          “I love you too,” Donghae echoed, running a hand down Eunhyuk’s muscled torso.

          “I really don’t want you to go in the morning,” Eunhyuk said.

          “I know you don’t, but I want to do this,” Donghae replied as he leaned his face against Eunhyuk’s rested his head against the blonde’s.

          “How long do you think you’ll be gone?” Eunhyuk inquired.

          “I don’t know, maybe a year, possibly longer,” Donghae estimated.

          “A year?” Eunhyuk repeated, tightening his arms around Donghae’s body.

          “There’s a lot of ocean I have to cover,” Donghae reminded.

          “What are you going to do on days like today when you have legs?” Eunhyuk wondered.

          “I’ll rest on a beach somewhere,” Donghae responded.

          “I hope you come back soon,” Eunhyuk said before kissing Donghae’s lips again. “I don’t wanna be apart from you longer than I have to be.”

          “I know, I don’t wanna be apart from you for a long time either,” Donghae agreed, pressing light kisses along Eunhyuk’s jawline. He looked down and played with the fish charm on the necklace he’d gotten Eunhyuk for Christmas. “Just wear this and think of me,” Donghae requested.

          “Don’t worry, I’m never taking it off,” Eunhyuk promised.

          After a few hours had passed, Donghae had fallen asleep in Eunhyuk’s arms, but the blonde remained awake. He thought that if he fell asleep that when he awoke, Donghae would already be gone. Looking over at the clock, Eunhyuk saw that it was almost midnight, which meant that Donghae needed to be in water soon. Turning back over to the merman, Eunhyuk kissed Donghae’s lips softly before pulling away and picking up his sleeping boyfriend bridal style. He carried Donghae into the bathroom and sat him down in the bathtub before climbing in and sitting behind him as he ran warm water in the tub.

          Eunhyuk pressed Donghae’s back against his own chest as he watched Donghae’s legs morph and form his sapphire blue tail. The blonde held the sleeping merman close and wrapped his arms tightly around his torso, crying into Donghae’s brunette hair. “I don’t want you to go, I love you, please don’t leave me,” he whispered, kissing his shoulder before leaning his head against Donghae’s.

          Early the next morning, Donghae and Eunhyuk walked down to the beach and stood on the sandy shoreline together holding hands. They went early enough to make sure that no one else was around to see them, so no one would see Donghae’s transformation and become suspicious. Donghae slowly stripped himself of his clothing before stepping into the water and swimming out a little ways. The waves were calm, so Eunhyuk removed his shoes and socks and followed Donghae into the water. “Eunhyuk, no you can’t swim,” Donghae reminded as he swam up to the blonde, who was now in waist deep water.

          “I don’t care, I’m going with you,” Eunhyuk said as tears began to fill his eyes and slip down his cheeks.

          The merman reached up and wiped the tears away before kissing Eunhyuk’s lips, as Eunhyuk held Donghae’s face in his hands. “I need you to stay here where I know you’re safe,” Donghae muttered.

          “I love you,” Eunhyuk cried as he pressed his forehead against Donghae’s.

          “I love you too, my beautiful human. I will return to you, I promise,” Donghae stated. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

          “Be safe my love,” Eunhyuk requested before kissing Donghae a final time.

          “I will, I love you,” Donghae repeated as he slowly released his hand from Eunhyuk’s and turned to face the vast ocean.

          “I love you too,” Eunhyuk said, watching Donghae dive underneath the waves and not resurface. He hoped that Donghae would be safe and return to him soon. Eunhyuk walked back up to shore before sitting down on the sand with his feet in the ocean. No matter how much Eunhyuk wanted Donghae to stay, he couldn’t keep Donghae away from doing what he wanted. Eunhyuk wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before he looked at the sapphire water and whispered “Come back Donghae, please come back to me.”