It’s dark. Well, the ocean is always dark unless visited by bioluminescent creatures Kihyun grew fond of, or unless the moon is full and round. Tonight, however, Kihyun can’t locate the moon. Kihyun can’t see much around his small cave he calls home. He’s afraid.

The last time it was this dark, the sirens came out.

The last time it was this dark, he witnessed the sirens take a woman down, down, down and he never saw her come back up.

In a world full of beautiful things, the sirens are not one of them. Their appearances may be captivating, but the ugliness inside is too powerful to let them be beautiful.

Kihyun believes his brother is beautiful, inside and out. Everything about Minhyuk is beautiful, and just thinking about it makes Kihyun miss him even more. He doesn’t want to be in the dark anymore. It’s saddening.

He wiggles out of the sand he is laying in and swims upward swiftly, careful of the possibility of being seen by sharks and sirens. While sharks may be dangerous, sirens are ruthless. He grimaces at the thought.

Wanting to see something beautiful, he peeks his eyes out from the dark water and faces the land. There’s someone there.

“That’s not good,” he whispers to himself. “The sirens could get him.”

He nears the shore cautiously, watching the boy on the sand. Where’s his companion? he thought. All humans have at least one companion. But there was no one else.

Kihyun watches the boy with curiosity until he notices something truly incredible.

“How did you learn to do that?” he asks a little too loudly and without thinking before acting. He thought to duck beneath the waves, but he didn’t want to be like the sirens, who call out to lonely beachgoers and lure them in. He stays in sight and moves a bit closer.

The boy’s head snaps to his direction and Kihyun can clearly see the fear in his eyes. Even though they are quite far apart. He’s scared.

“Don’t be afraid. Please. I’m not like the others. I’m not going to hurt you,” he assures, swimming closer to the shore until his tail is nearly touching the sandy floor.

“W-who are you?” the boy questions with a shaky voice.

Kihyun smiles softly. “My name is Kihyun,” he answers.

“You should get out of there. It could be dangerous this late at night. Especially when there’s no moon,” the boy advises.

The merman chuckles. “Thank you, but it’s safer for me in here. I live here, you know.” Kihyun tilts his head inquisitively. “But isn’t it dangerous for you to be here? Aren’t you alone?”

The boy nods hesitantly. “I am, but I need to do this. I need to get over this.”

“Get over what?” Kihyun asks, now laying on the sand with his tail still in the waves. Only the top portion—the human portion—of his body is visible to the boy on the beach.

The other shakes his head ever so slightly as if to himself. “My fear,” is all he responds with.

Kihyun doesn’t understand what the boy’s fear is, but he finds himself drawing nearer. He thinks it’s ironic how he’s the one getting lured in by a human whereas the sirens lure in the humans. He smiles.

“My name is Changkyun,” the boy on the sand offers.

“Changkyun,” Kihyun repeats softly. “It’s beautiful.”

The boy looks up in surprise. “What is?”

Kihyun smiles. “Your name. I like it.”

“Uh, thank you,” Changkyun says shyly. He continues to do what he has been doing for the past few hours.

Watching Changkyun with more interest, Kihyun finally notices the actions of the boy. How could he have not noticed? How did he not see the tiny structures the boy built with sand?

“They’re beautiful,” he breathes. He wants to touch it. He wants to help the boy make an entire kingdom. But there was something barricading him from the castles. “But what are these?” He picks one up and feels the smooth surface beneath the pad of his thumb. When did he get so close to the boy?

Changkyun, without looking up, replies, “They’re small stones. Pebbles, if you will. I brought them over from a nearby stream. I’m using them to—” He finally