Sorry guys I had a little bit of a writers' block but I'm ok now and this story should be finished in 2-3 chapters. 

Two weeks had passed and Jongdae was still in the prince's private aquarium. He didn't mind too much, the human and his friends weren't bad company, but he was getting home sick. The prince would converse with him all the time, and the fact that Jongdae had no idea what he was saying and he couldn't reply back to him, didn't deter him. The prince and his friends had gotten used to calling Jongdae Chen.

"Yifan!" scolded Yixing when Yifan had first called the merman Chen. "He's not a pet!"

Yifan threw his arms up in the air in defeat. "Yeah well, he can't tell us his name and I'm getting tired of referring to him as 'umm you' or 'hey there'."

They also gotten used to Chen not only eating the kelp they gave to him but some of the fishes in the tank. Yifan and Luhan had thought Yixing would be livid. Those were his prized fish that Yixing had collected personally on his frequent diving trips to the ocean. He didn't let anyone take care of his 'babies' but himself and now some merperson was just eating them. However, Yixing surprised them both when he didn't get even a tiny bit mad. Instead, he ordered them to get some more of those fishes so Chen could eat heartily.

"Yixing." Luhan said one morning. "You're a lot better now."

Yixing nodded. "Hmm, yeah I am."

"Don't you think it's time for you to return Chen to the sea?" He suggested lightly, knowing exactly how attached the man had grown to him.

Yixing blinked in surprise. He had almost forgotten that Chen wasn't his and that he had promised the ocean dweller that he'd take him back home as soon as he was better.

Yixing nodded numbly. "Ready the boat. Tell Yifan to clear a safe passage and then to come and get me. I'll get Chen."

Luhan gave Yixing's shoulder a comforting squeeze before he went to do as he was told. Yixing began to walk toward the tank, every step he took felt heavy. He climbed the rungs of the ladder and waited at the top for Chen to surface. Sure enough, Chen's smiling face popped out of the water seconds later.

Yixing faked a smile. "Hi Chen. So umm I got better and er I think it's time I kept my promise."

Jongdae blinked blankly at him causing Yixing's heart to contract painfully. He held out his hand and Jongdae took it in his own almost immediately. The tugging in the prince's heart was almost unbearable at this point. He remember how in the beginning Chen would be wary of them and how he had quickly warmed up to Yixing and slowly learnt to trust Yifan and Luhan too. Yixing pulled the merman closer to him and then finally hoisted Chen into his arms.

Jongdae threw him a confused look when Yixing was climbing down the ladder with him in his arms. He couldn't quite understand why the prince had taken him out of his tank and where he was going. He fisted Yixing's shirt and pulled at it to get his attention but all Yixing did was hug him closer to his body.

"Everything's ready." Yifan said as he entered the room. "Follow me."

Yixing gave him a acknowledging nod. "Let's do this quickly and discretely. We don't want Chen to suffocate and we certainly don't want him discovered by anyone else."

Thankfully, they managed to get out of the castle and on to a boat in record time and without anyone noticing. Only when they were on the boat did Jongdae realise what was going on. He had dreamt of his freedom and now that it was here, he didn't quite know how to feel. There was a particular bittersweet taste in his mouth that he simply didn't enjoy. He was very much aware that Yixing was still holding him close to his chest but now a hand had somehow crept into his hair and was it soothingly. He realised that he was going to miss the prince. He was going to miss the sound of his voice, and the cute holes in his cheeks, and the way he'd style his hair with pearls and jewels, and the way he'd look at him with a mixture of awe and something Jongdae had never been able to identify. Jongdae cuddled closer to him and took in a deep breath, trying to memories the scent of the land dweller as he would never be this close to him again.

Yixing too was lost in his own thoughts. He had instantly fallen in love with his saviour, as clique as that might sound, and he didn't want to let him go. If Yixing was a selfish and cruel man, he would've kept Chen in his aquarium until his last days, but Yixing is a man of his word and he did promise to take Chen back to his home. He knew they wouldn't work out anyway, I mean, they are two different species. Plus he's the crown prince, he's already been promised to some princess from some kingdom even before he was born. Yixing sighs at the tendentious nature of the world and hugged Chen closer to him. He dropped a light butterfly kiss on top of the boy's head before gazing out into the ocean.

"We've arrived." Luhan said gently as he approached the two.

Yixing nodded in understanding before standing up. He walked to the ladder at the side of the boat and climbed down into the water. Once he was in the water, he let go of his hold on Chen but Chen didn't let go of his hold on Yixing's shirt.

Yixing smiled at him in reassurance. "It's fine, we're here. This is the exact spot that Yifan and Luhan found you. So don't be afraid. You can go home now, I'm sorry it took such a long time."

But all Jongdae did was stare at him with wide eyes and clutch his shirt like his life depended on it. He just didn't want to let this human go. Before they both knew it, tears were rolling down their faces. On a whim, Yixing cupped Chen's cheeks and pulled him into a passionate kiss, and while their tongues were caressing each other, he untangled Chen's fingers from his shirt. When they finally broke apart, he pressed one final kiss on Chen's forehead before climbing back up on to the deck. He looked down and saw the end of Chen's tail as the merman disappeared forever.