A few days later, Eunhyuk was awaken early when his phone rang. He groaned and turned over before grabbing the phone and answering “Hello?”

          “Hi sweetheart, how are you?” Eunhyuk’s mother asked.

          “I’m good mom, how are you?” Eunhyuk wondered as he sat up.

          “Just fine, listen why don’t you come out to the house for a few hours? It’s been months since your father and I have seen you,” his mother suggested.

          “Sure that’d be great, um, can I bring someone?” Eunhyuk inquired as he looked down at a sleeping Donghae.

          “Yeah go ahead, I’ll see you in a couple of days,” Eunhyuk’s mother said. “Bye sweetie.”

          Eunhyuk hung up the phone before lying back down next to Donghae. He wrapped his arms around the merman and pulled him closer. Eunhyuk kissed Donghae’s face as the brunette woke up and looked at him. “Hey,” he whispered.

          “Hi,” Eunhyuk muttered before kissing his lips gently. “Listen, I want you to come with me to meet my parents in a few days. I think they should get to know you.”

          “What if they don’t like me?” Donghae asked.

          “Why wouldn’t they like you?” Eunhyuk wondered as he raked his fingers up and down Donghae’s torso slowly. “They have no idea you’re a merman, so we have nothing to be afraid of.” Donghae wrapped his arms around Eunhyuk and buried his face in his neck. “They’ll love you because you’re my boyfriend and I love you,” Eunhyuk reminded as he placed another kiss on Donghae’s head.

          A few days later, Eunhyuk and Donghae were driving down to Eunhyuk’s parents’ house. “So how long has it been since you’ve seen them?” Donghae wondered.

          “Several months; I’ve been busy with my latest book that I haven’t had time to talk to them,” Eunhyuk replied. “Speaking of which, on New Year’s Eve, I have a party to go to, and I was hoping you’d come with me.”

          “Like a party with, people?” Donghae asked.

          “Yes Donghae, there will be people at this party, but it’ll be okay,” Eunhyuk promised. “This will be the first event we go to together as a couple.” Eunhyuk slid his hand over to Donghae’s and interlaced their fingers together. A couple of hours later, Eunhyuk parked his car outside of his parents’ home and turn the car off. As Donghae started to get out of the car, Eunhyuk stopped him. “Wait, Donghae, there’s something you should know before we go in there.”

          “Okay, what is it?” Donghae asked.

          “My family doesn’t know that I’m gay,” Eunhyuk stated.

          “What are you talking about?” Donghae wondered.

          “I never came out to them, so they can’t know that you’re my boyfriend,” Eunhyuk said.

          “When were you planning to tell them?” Donghae inquired.

          “I don’t know,” Eunhyuk replied as he gripped the steering wheel.

          Donghae reached over and touched Eunhyuk’s shoulder. “Don’t you think you should tell them soon? I mean, we’re committed to one another,” he reminded.

          “I know that Donghae, I –” Eunhyuk stopped and looked over at Donghae before placing his hands on the merman’s face and kissing him gently. “I’m just scared.”

          “Scared of what?” Donghae innocently asked.

          “That won’t approve of me, of us,” Eunhyuk responded as he his thumbs over Donghae’s cheeks.

          “Even if they don’t, I won’t love you any less,” Donghae replied.

          Eunhyuk smiled before kissing Donghae’s lips again. “Just please don’t say anything, not yet,” Eunhyuk requested.

          “As you wish,” Donghae agreed as they climbed out of the car.

          The two walked up to the front door before Eunhyuk knocked softly. He took a deep breath as the door opened up and revealed a woman. “Hello sweetheart,” the woman said as she hugged Eunhyuk.

          “Hi mom,” he replied.

          “Who is this?” Eunhyuk’s mother asked as she turned her attention to Donghae.

          “This is Donghae, he’s my friend who’s been crashing at my house for a few weeks,” Eunhyuk stated.

          “Yes, yes I am Eunhyuk’s friend,” Donghae agreed with a grin.

          “Wonderful, well it’s nice to meet you, please Lee Hyukjae, bring your friend inside,” the blonde’s mother requested.

          “Okay,” Eunhyuk agreed.  

          “What did she call you?” Donghae wondered.

          “Lee Hyukjae is my birth name, Eunhyuk is just a nickname,” Eunhyuk explained.

          Donghae smiled. “Lee Hyukjae, I like that name,” he said.

          “Thanks,” Eunhyuk replied with a smile. The two walked inside and sat down on one of the couches in the living room. “Where’s dad at?”

          “He’s upstairs in the shower, but he’ll be down in a minute,” Eunhyuk’s mom stated before she sat down on the opposite chair from the two. “So tell me a little about yourself Donghae, where did you attend school at?”

          “School?” Donghae asked in a confused tone before looking at Eunhyuk.

          “Um, Donghae was homeschooled all his life by his guardian,” Eunhyuk quickly lied.

          “Oh okay, I see,” Eunhyuk’s mother replied before Eunhyuk’s father walked in.

          “Hello Hyukjae, how nice of you to come visit,” the man said as he looked at his son. “Who’s this?”

          “This is Donghae, he’s been staying at my place for a while,” Eunhyuk repeated.

          “So how’s your work been going Hyukjae?” his father wondered.

          “Wonderful, my last book proved to be a bestseller and I’m about to start on a new project,” Eunhyuk informed.

          “Excellent, what about you Donghae, what do you do?” Eunhyuk’s father asked.

          Donghae nervously looked over at Eunhyuk. “Well um, dad, he um, Donghae works with fish at an aquarium,” Eunhyuk lied again.

          “Oh okay,” Eunhyuk’s mother replied. “So Hyukjae, have you found a girlfriend yet?”

          “Girlfriend, Eunhyuk is that anything like a boyfriend?” Donghae wondered as he looked at the blonde.

          “Donghae,” Eunhyuk shushed, motioning for the merman to be quiet. He turned back to his parents and stated “No, I’m not with a girl right now.”

          “What about you Donghae, are you with anyone right now?” Eunhyuk’s father asked.

          Eunhyuk looked over at Donghae, and watched the brunette begin to struggle to breathe as he fell over. “Donghae, what’s wrong?” he questioned.

          Donghae panted and muttered “Water.”

          The blonde realized what he meant. Donghae had been out of water for so long, that he was starting to get weak. “C’mon, I’ll get you to the bathroom,” he whispered as he helped Donghae stand.

          “Is everything alright?” Eunhyuk’s mother wondered as she stood up as well.

          “He just needs to use the restroom,” Eunhyuk said as he hurried Donghae upstairs. Eunhyuk closed and locked the door slid Donghae into the bathtub as the merman struggled to take his clothes off before Eunhyuk the water. Donghae felt the warm water run over his legs as they morphed into his sapphire blue tail. “There, how does that feel?” he asked as he gently wiped Donghae’s face with a washcloth.

          “Better, I’m sorry, I’ve been spending so much time with you, that I forgot to soak in the bathtub to rebuild my strength,” Donghae apologized.

          Eunhyuk smiled before placing a kiss on Donghae’s lips. “You don’t have to apologize; I like spending lots of time with you,” the blonde replied.

          “You don’t have to stay in here with me, go spend time with your family,” Donghae said.

          “I feel bad for leaving you alone,” Eunhyuk whispered.

          “Don’t feel that way; just come back in here when you’re finished. I need to soak for a good while anyways,” Donghae promised.

          Eunhyuk kissed him once more before walking out of the bathroom and back downstairs. “Is your friend okay?” his mother asked.

          “Yeah, he just needs to rest for a while,” Eunhyuk said.

          “In the bathroom?” Eunhyuk’s father wondered.

          “Well he likes to relax in baths when he doesn’t feel well,” Eunhyuk explained.

          “That makes sense,” his mother agreed. “Well why don’t we eat?”

          When the family had finished their meal, Eunhyuk took the leftovers upstairs to Donghae. “Got a surprise for you, I brought you some fish,” Eunhyuk informed as he handed Donghae a bowl.

          Donghae devoured the meal before him. “Your mom is a very good cook,” he said after he finished eating; picking at his teeth with a fingernail.

          “Thanks, I’ll be sure to tell her,” Eunhyuk responded before kissing Donghae. “How’re you feeling?”

          “Good, I’m probably gonna need to soak in the bathtub overnight when we go home, but I feel much better,” Donghae informed as he heaved himself up onto the side of the bathtub and draped his legs over the side before Eunhyuk wrapped a towel around him.

          The two walked downstairs before Eunhyuk announced “Well mom and dad, thank you for dinner, but I need to get Donghae back home so he can sleep for the night.”

          As Donghae climbed into the car, Eunhyuk’s mother took her son by the arm and whispered “We know that Donghae is your boyfriend Hyukjae.”

          Eunhyuk’s eyes widened. “Don’t worry son, we’re not angry at you,” his father promised. “We can see that you really care for him, and we wish you two the best.”

          “Wow, thank you, you two, you don’t know what that means to me,” Eunhyuk replied.

          “Just as long as you truly love each other and are happy, that’s all we care about,” his mother added. “We love you Hyukjae.”

          “I love you too,” Eunhyuk said as he hugged his parents. Donghae watched from the car and smiled at his boyfriend with his parents.

          After Donghae and Eunhyuk returned to Eunhyuk’s apartment, Donghae soaked in the bathtub as Eunhyuk brushed his teeth at the sink. “Your parents are friendly,” he stated.

          “Yeah they are, and they know about us now, and are very supportive,” Eunhyuk informed before he slipped off his shirt and boxers.

          “That’s good,” Donghae agreed as Eunhyuk climbed in and sat down in the water behind Donghae.

          The merman leaned his back against Eunhyuk’s chest as the blonde wrapped his arms around Donghae’s torso. “You seem upset,” Eunhyuk muttered before he kissed Donghae’s face.

          “It’s just that seeing you with your parents made me start to think about my own parents; if I even have any anymore,” Donghae explained.

          “Donghae,” Eunhyuk whispered as he ran his hand through the merman’s brunette hair and down his neck. “I’m sure you have parents out there, but even if they’re not alive anymore, I will take care of you and love you.” Eunhyuk bent his head and pressed his lips against Donghae’s shoulder gently.

          “I know you will, but I’ve made up my mind that in the spring I’m going to return to the ocean and search for them,” Donghae stated.

          Eunhyuk opened his eyes and turned Donghae’s face to his. “You’re going to leave me?” he asked.

          “Not permanently, we’re mated, so we’re soul mates, and I’ll come back, but I have to know if I have a family,” Donghae replied. He wiped a tear from Eunhyuk’s face before adding “I’m not going to abandon the one person I love forever.”

          Eunhyuk touched Donghae’s face and pulled him closer before kissing his lips sweetly again. “I love you so much Donghae,” he whispered.

          “I love you too,” Donghae responded, sliding his hands up Eunhyuk’s chest gently. His lover didn’t want him to go, but Donghae had to know whether or not he was the only merman left on earth, even if that meant spending time away from his human, the human he loved and cherished more than anything else.