Entering the bathroom the next morning and finding Donghae already awake, Eunhyuk said “So I have a question.”

          “Alright,” Donghae replied.

          “I read somewhere online that mermaids and mermen have special abilities, is this true?” Eunhyuk wondered.

          “Yes, that’s true,” Donghae confirmed.

          “What are some of the abilities you have?” Eunhyuk asked.

          “What does your computer say?” Donghae inquired.

          “It says that mermaids and mermen can save people with their tears or a kiss,” Eunhyuk said. “And that cutting off the tail turns them permanently human.”

          “Yes, your computer is right, but cutting off our tails is excruciatingly painful, and a huge sacrifice. We were born in water; why would we want to live out of water?” Donghae responded.

          “How do tears and kisses heal people? And what’s the difference in their healing power?” Eunhyuk questioned.

          “A kiss from a merman or mermaid will keep you from drowning underwater and will also heal internal wounds. But, we do not waste a kiss on humans who just use us and abuse us. Our tears are more sacred, which is why we rarely cry. Tears heal physical wounds, but we don’t cry unless it’s to save someone we truly care about,” Donghae explained. “Like I said earlier, we rarely find any humans who we truly want to save.”

          “Wow, that’s interesting,” Eunhyuk agreed. “Would you like to learn to walk on your legs?”

          “Will it hurt?” Donghae wondered.

          “I’ll try not to make it painful. Before we start, I’ll go get you some clothes to put on,” Eunhyuk said as he headed into his bedroom to retrieve a t-shirt and boxers for the merman. The blonde set the clothes on the counter of the bathroom before taking Donghae’s hands and pulling him slowly out of the bathtub.

          Donghae felt his tail begin to vanish as the human legs appeared and dangled the fleshy limbs over the side of the bathtub as he placed his feet on the cold, tile floor. Eunhyuk helped put the boxers on Donghae’s lower body and slipped the t-shirt on over his head. “This doesn’t feel right,” Donghae muttered as he tugged at the material. “Too restricted.”

          “It’ll take some time to get used to, but you have to wear clothes while you’re in your human form,” Eunhyuk said before he helped him to his feet.

          The brunette stood up and felt his legs shake and locked up as he collapsed to the ground. “Ow,” he groaned as Eunhyuk caught him.

          “It’s okay, I won’t let you fall, do you want to go get some breakfast?” Eunhyuk asked.

          “Yes,” Donghae admitted.

          “Okay, now let’s walk to the kitchen,” Eunhyuk said quietly as he helped Donghae straighten up.

          The merman stumbled for a few steps before stopping all together. “I can’t do it, my legs are too weak,” Donghae muttered as he leaned against the wall.

          “C’mon,” Eunhyuk replied as he picked up Donghae bridal style and carried him into the kitchen. He sat the brunette down on a chair at his kitchen table. “There, is that better?”

          “Thank you,” Donghae responded. “I’m sorry you had to carry me.”

          “It’s no problem, I know it’ll take a while for you to learn to walk,” Eunhyuk stated. He fixed Donghae a bowl of cereal and sat it in front of him. Before Donghae could pick up the bowl and slurp it down, Eunhyuk stopped him. “Here, let’s try to learn how to eat with a spoon.”

          The blonde placed a spoon in front of Donghae. “How do I use it?” the merman wondered.

          “Like this,” Eunhyuk instructed as he picked up the spoon and placed it in Donghae’s hand properly. Holding his wrist and hand, Eunhyuk helped Donghae scoop up the cereal and eat. “Now you try.”

          Donghae tried just like Eunhyuk showed him, but ended up dropping the spoon when he had to do it by himself. The frustrated brunette grabbed the spoon with his fist and tried again. “Look, I did it,” Donghae said quietly as he ate.

          “Good job, we’ll try it again at dinner,” Eunhyuk suggested. When Donghae had finished and Eunhyuk had washed the dishes, the blonde helped Donghae stand up.

          “No, please not again, it’s hard,” Donghae said.

          “I have an idea,” Eunhyuk replied. He stood behind Donghae and placed the brunette’s feet atop of his own, balancing him there by holding onto his wrists.

          “Don’t let me fall,” Donghae muttered.

          “I won’t, don’t worry,” Eunhyuk promised. “Now you just move your legs with mine and we’ll go over to the living room couch.”

          Slowly, Eunhyuk helped Donghae walk over to the couch. The merman watched his legs move in sync with Eunhyuk’s, even though the blonde was doing most of the work. “Wow, I’m walking,” Donghae whispered.

          “You’re doing really well Donghae,” Eunhyuk agreed as he helped him sit down on the couch. “All it takes is practice. How do your legs feel?”

          “I don’t know, squishy I guess,” Donghae said as he rubbed the skin on his legs.

          “Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be human full time?” Eunhyuk questioned.

          “I watch how humans walk and behave, and honestly it seems scary; I want to live in water, but I’ve been away from the ocean for so long that I don’t know if I could adapt or not,” Donghae replied. “But I can’t continue to live in your bathtub for the rest of my life either.”

          “So do you want to try and return to the ocean, or keep giving your legs a try?” Eunhyuk asked.

          “I don’t know,” Donghae repeated. “But I will never give up my tail, not for anything.”

          “I think I know a place where we can go that you’d be happy,” Eunhyuk stated.

          “Where?” Donghae wondered as Eunhyuk stood up.

          The blonde picked up Donghae and responded with a smile “You’ll see.” Eunhyuk carried Donghae downstairs to his car. He buckled the merman in before driving a few miles into Seoul.

          “What is this place?” Donghae asked as Eunhyuk pulled into a parking lot next to a large facility.

          “This is the gym where I go to work out sometimes. They’ve got a huge indoor pool you can swim in,” Eunhyuk informed as he carried Donghae inside.

          “No one will see me will they?” Donghae inquired.

          “At this time of day, no,” Eunhyuk promised.

          He set the brunette down on the edge of the pool and watched Donghae strip off the clothes he was wearing, and leap in, sinking underwater as his legs morphed and changed back to his tail. Donghae happily swam around the large pool, glad to have some room to move around. Eunhyuk watched the merman swim and stay underwater for a good ten minutes before coming back up. “C’mon, get in,” Donghae requested.

          “That’s okay, I’ll just watch,” Eunhyuk denied.

          “Do you not like swimming?” Donghae asked as he swam to the edge of the pool.

          “I don’t know how,” Eunhyuk confessed.

          Donghae began to chuckle. “A merman who can’t walk, and a human who can’t swim, maybe it’s fate that we met,” Donghae joked. He held out a hand, and said quietly “Please.”

          Eunhyuk smiled and removed his shirt before walking over to the pool steps and stepping in as Donghae swam up to him. When Eunhyuk was up to his waist in the water, Donghae reached to touch Eunhyuk’s chest. “What are you doing?” Eunhyuk asked as he backed away slowly.

          “I’m sorry, I’m just looking,” Donghae muttered before he fully submerged himself underwater once more and swam off to the deeper side of the pool.

          “No, Donghae, it’s okay,” Eunhyuk called to the merman.

          Donghae hurried back over and took Eunhyuk’s hands. “Now you kick your legs like a tail and I’ll hold onto you. I won’t let you drown, trust me,” he requested as he led the blonde to deeper water.

          Eunhyuk began to kick his legs and he held onto Donghae. “Good, good job, you’re getting it,” the merman cheered as he tried to swim.

          “Donghae, Donghae, please take me back to the shallow end, my legs are getting tired,” Eunhyuk said before the brunette took him back to the opposite end of the pool.

          “Can you hold your breath well?” Donghae wondered.

          “I can for a few seconds,” Eunhyuk admitted.

          Turning around to show his back to Eunhyuk, Donghae took the blonde’s arms and slid them around his chest before diving with them both underwater towards the deep end. Eunhyuk held on tight as Donghae zoomed rapidly through the water before popping back up so that Eunhyuk could get air. “How was that?” Donghae asked.

          “That was awesome, I’ve never done anything like that before,” Eunhyuk replied.

          Donghae and Eunhyuk smiled at one another for a few moments before Eunhyuk realized he still had his arms wrapped around Donghae’s chest. Quickly, the blonde let go of Donghae before climbing out of the pool. “Are you about ready to head home?” he asked as he dried off and put his shirt back on.

          “Okay,” Donghae responded as he lifted himself out of the pool and lie on the concrete next to it as Eunhyuk dried him off and helped him slide into his clothes as the merman’s legs appeared.

          “Can you stand up by yourself?” Eunhyuk wondered. Donghae attempted to stand, getting on one knee and pushing himself up with the other, but his strength in his legs wasn’t strong enough just yet. Before he could fall, Eunhyuk helped him up as he carried the brunette to the car and took him home.

          Eunhyuk served Donghae some fish for dinner before placing him back into a warm bathtub. “Thank you for letting me swim around today, and teaching me to walk,” Donghae said as his sapphire tail reformed in the water.

          “You’re welcome, thank you for helping me swim,” Eunhyuk responded. “Tomorrow we’ll work on your walking a little more.”

          “Okay,” Donghae agreed as a smile formed on his lips.

          “Goodnight Donghae,” Eunhyuk said.

          “Goodnight Eunhyuk,” Donghae echoed as the man closed the bathroom door.

          Eunhyuk lie in his bed, writing in his blog when his cell phone rang. “Hello?” he answered.

          “Hey honey, how did the meeting go with your editor today?” Heechul wondered.

          Eunhyuk had completely forgotten about the ruse he’d given his boyfriend the night before. “Oh, I didn’t go, Siwon called in sick, so I’m meeting with him Monday,” he lied.

          “Oh okay, well do you wanna do something tomorrow?” Heechul asked.

          “I can’t, I’ve got things I have to do tomorrow, sorry love,” Eunhyuk responded.

          “Alright, well how about Monday night, you come over and have dinner?” Heechul suggested.

          “Could you come over here instead please? I like it when you come over,” Eunhyuk requested.

          “Sure, well I’ll let you get some sleep. Night Eunhyuk,” Heechul said.

          “Night Heechul,” Eunhyuk echoed before hanging up. As he continued to type on his laptop, Eunhyuk heard Donghae begin to sing in an angelic voice from inside the bathroom. “Wow, he’s beautiful,” the blonde muttered.

          Listening carefully, Eunhyuk heard that Donghae was singing in another language, something that didn’t even sound human. Eunhyuk googled what he heard and discovered that what Donghae was singing was a mythical mermaid love song that merpeople would sing when they were in love or wanted to attract the attention of sailors. “He’s in love?” Eunhyuk asked out loud. “Who would he be in love with?”