“Teach me” 

The melodious voice was resonating in Yoochun’s ears like a broken disk while he was laying on his bed that night. Just thinking about that long, eventful day was making him feel dizzy; it was as if it had lasted for at least a week. 

Jaejoong had insisted on sleeping inside the pool, and in the quietness of his room, alone for the first time in almost 20 hours, the actor could finally try to sort out his thoughts carefully. 

It was as if he had fallen in an alternative universe and he still wasn’t sure all of that wasn’t just an awfully strange, detailed dream, so he pinched his cheek hard and groaned in pain just to come to the conclusion that everything was actually real. 

His phone beeped on the nightstand and he stretched his arm to lazily reach for it. The preview of a message appeared on his lock screen: it was from Yunho. He swept his finger up the touch screen to read it. 

“You have the day off tomorrow, but I expect you to let me know what Jaejoong’s decision is. He seems underaged, so we will need his parents’ approval and sign. I can try to talk to them if they don’t like the idea of their son becoming a singer. Don’t get in trouble, the headache you gave me today was enough for at least a month. ‘Night.” 

Yoochun couldn’t help the laugh that came out from his mouth since he knew Jaejoong was almost 200 years older than them. The whole situation was going to be a huge problem since the merman didn’t have any ID nor legal tutors, so he had to find a clever solution soon. And most importantly, he had to teach him how to appear like a normal person. That was going to be a real challenge. 

Another major problem was going to be the water: Jaejoong had to stay away from it and wouldn’t be able to have any schedule involving it, or his secret was going to be discovered, which was exceptionally dangerous. 

It seemed like the following days were going to be even more difficult than the one just passed.

————

The next day, Jaejoong woke up in an unfamiliar place, utterly confused. He had hoped everything was a nightmare and that to wake up inside his bedroom in the palace; he hoped to see his Father again and prayed he was safe. He wondered how his people were, worried if his sister had hurt anyone else.

He realized though, that this was now his reality and it actually wasn’t that bad; the life he had lived during the past 200 years had been nothing but hollow. After he lost both Yunho and Junsu that night, he had never sincerely smiled again. 

Also, he had met Yunho the previous day, and even if it had been just another painful event added to his apparently cursed life, he couldn’t help but unconsciously hope.

The fact that he had stumbled into Yunho’s best friend and met him on the very same day he was thrown into this world had to mean something. He let out a shaky breath and covered his face with his wet arm while lying on his back on the water’ surface of Yoochun’s pool. The ceiling was now devoid of the artificial, countless stars he had stared at the previous night; the beautiful sight had helped him to fall asleep gently cradled by the water. 

He thought about the conversation he had with Yoochun and clenched his fist with determination. He didn’t exactly know what an idol was yet, but he was going to become one and get close to Yunho to discover if, deep inside, he was still his Yunho. 

There was no barrier left between them in that reality: they were both on the mainland, the water he had come to painfully hate because in the past kept the two of them apart wasn’t an obstacle anymore. 

But most of all, Yunho was alive. 

So even if he had been thrown out from his own world, he had never actually felt attached to it since the moment his mother had been taken away. Then Yunho died, Junsu was banished and his Father had tried to kill him because of his crazy sister. This situation could definitely be for the better, so he decided he was going to try to be optimistic about it. 

A sudden knock on the door startled him, causing his black tail to sink and his body to consequently straighten up in the water. 

“Uhm, Prince Jaejoong, are you awake?” Yoochun asked timidly after he cleared his throat with a slight cough. Jaejoong’s first impulse was to roll his eyes at the way Yoochun had called him, but he couldn’t help the exasperated chuckle that escaped from his mouth. 

“I’m awake.” He said loudly enough for Yoochun to hear his reply from behind the door. 

The actor opened the door slowly and his expression seemed surprised, as if he actually wasn’t expecting him to be really there. Jaejoong could understand him, everything that happened the previous day was probably a lot to digest for a human. 

“Yoochun, didn’t I ask you not to call me like that?” Jaejoong kindly reminded him and Yoochun’s face became bright red from the embarrassment. 

“But-” 

“I’m not a prince here, there’s no need for you to address me in that way. Think of me as a friend, please. I would appreciate that.” He smiled, and Yoochun noticed that the smile hadn’t reached his eyes, but he knew it was the most genuine smile the other could offer anyone at that moment. It made him wonder just how deep his scars actually were. 

“Okay.” He replied, not wishing to upset the merman even if he wasn’t exactly comfortable since he was indeed a prince and, based on his tale, he was at least more than 200 years older than him. 

“You should wash up as I taught you yesterday.” Yoochun stated while pointing to the bath amenities he had left at the poolside before Yunho had interrupted them. 

Jaejoong seemed uncertain about what he had to do, his eyes were narrowingly scanning the object with unfamiliarity as if he was ready for a challenge, and the actor chuckled. 

“Come here and turn your back to me. I’ll do it for you this time.” He told him gently. 

As the merman got close to him and turned around, Yoochun squeezed the right amount of shampoo on his hands and washed Jaejoong’s already damped hair gently. His eyes unconsciously travelled from his hair to the curves of his neck, then to his back, and that was when his hands froze in shock. 

Jaejoong noticed the sudden halt and turned his head to the right to look at him. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked as Yoochun’s hands started trembling. 

“It’s… Your wound.” He whispered short of breath. It wasn’t bloody anymore and there was no sign that the other had been stabbed, or to be accurate, it was impossible to tell. Because ominous dark-silver scales had appeared at the back of his shoulder and it seemed they were going to spread through his whole body soon. Under the skin, it was as if the veins were being enveloped by something thick, almost bulging prominently through it. 

Incapable of explaining the frightening sight displayed in front of him, Yoochun grabbed his phone and took a picture to show it to the merman; his hands still shaking. 

Jaejoong was careful not to show any particular emotion while he looked at the picture. 

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. That’s the way our wounds get before healing themselves. Don’t worry about it!” The prince explained. He just smiled and dismissed the whole thing as if it was something normal, handing back the phone to the actor. 

“Oh, really?” Yoochun asked, not convinced in the slightest by the tight smile Jaejoong was trying to feed him. He was a good actor after all, he could ea