IU departed the palace and he held onto the pink conch trinket box as if it was burning his palm. He felt Moonbyul's eyes glued to him as she was waiting for him to do something. Namjoon didn't know what IU had done, but she mentioned Jin. That could mean nothing good. He wanted to figure out what the little box meant.

For a moment he thought that IU was misleading him. Namjoon knew that the sea witch hungered after the throne and careless to how she got it. IU has wanted to be the ruler of the ocean before he had been born. His father told him all about the sea witch when speciously the "time was right." IU was exiled a few months before he had been born.

"What are you to do, Namjoon?" Moonbyul inquired, dread detected in her tone. She must think IU was mocking them too.

Namjoon made a choice. If this was a joke he wouldn't let anyone be affected. In case a tragedy were to befall on him, Jin, the queen of Atlantis, was to take control of the kingdom until Yoongi became of his age. His oldest son was only seven at the moment. Namjoon pleaded to Poseidon that this wasn't a harsh joke of IU's. He wished it had nothing to do with Jin moreover. He wished his husband would return in one piece and that IU just gave him a pathetic box.

"I'll go to my own chambers and see what this is." Namjoon replied as he got up from the throne. He turned to Moonbyul, "Keep an eye in case Jin returns. Protect the palace until I return." Moonbyul nodded as if it didn't even need to be asked of her.

Namjoon swam to the chambers he shared with Jin. He swallowed heavily as he placed the golden trident on the bed where he laid with his husband. With unwillingness, the king of the ocean opened the little trinket box. He closed his eyes as he waited for something to jump at him. When nothing came he opened his eyes. Nothing was wrong. Everything in place, nothing disturbed. He felt something touch his shoulder and he spun.

What the king saw wasn't what he had been expecting. Standing right in front of him was Jin. Namjoon's eyes fell to Jin's pink tail. He felt time freeze and his heart stop. What he saw wasn't completely his beloved mate. Jin didn't have a tail, Namjoon gulped. His husband was dressed in what humans wore "trousers" and he had legs in its place.

"Jin..." Namjoon was deprived of words. He didn't know what to say. The last time he had seen his husband was two hours ago. He wasn't dressed in human clothes and he had a tail.

Jin had tears in his eyes as he beheld his husband. He sniffled, "Joon, I—" the queen of the ocean didn't get to speak as his king interrupted him.

"What has happened? I thought...I thought you had gone to see..." Namjoon didn't understand how the heck IU was involved with Jin. His husband had gone to visit Hyosang. How did the sea witch come into the picture?

With his husband silent and letting him respond, Jin did, "I...I was wrong about those humans, in particular."

Rage could be seen in the king's eyes, "What do you mean you were wrong?" Namjoon didn't want to hear these words coming out of Jin's mouth. "What are you telling me, Jin?"

Jin cried prettily as tears spilt down his cheeks, "They had IU trap me into a human form..." Jin motioned at the legs that substituted his pink tail. "...They deceived me, Joon, that's what I'm saying."

It felt like his world was disintegrating. Namjoon had so many emotions, of sorrow and fury, welling up from within. He didn't know how to react. There was the desire to sob, scream and to break something. Namjoon recognized that in this dilemma of theirs that there was nothing he could do. He was unconditionally useless and Jin was entombed in a form that didn't suit him or anyone.

Jin wasn't supposed to have legs. He wasn't made to live on land. Jin was a child of Poseidon and consequently he was meant to be one with the ocean. Untamable and adventurous like the ocean, yet he wasn't. Jin was stuck between a rock and hard place. Then there was Namjoon, stuck with him, just somewhere else.

Namjoon felt betrayed. He put the conch trinket box on Jin's and his bed next to the trident. He had imagined so much for Jin and him, but this was beyond that. A life where they, connected for life, couldn't be together.

"Jin...Why have you done this to us? How could you?" Namjoon didn't like the words pouring out of his mouth. It destroyed him that he was speaking this way, but he didn't feel apologetic. "How could you have done this?"

Jin, not expecting the venomous words, was perplexed, "I didn't want this to happen, Joon. I didn't know that Hyosang was going to go behind my back...I didn't plan this."

Namjoon sneered, "Oh?" His father's words about humans came back to him. Vile beasts. "Humans aren't merfolk, Jin, you can't trust them. They're not your own. I warned you! I told you to not trust them!" Tears were falling from his cheeks.

Jin was inconsolable to see his husband in this condition. The queen of the ocean couldn't blame IU though he did. He had been blinded by the humans. He would've never thought there was a bad bone in Hyosang. They had become friends. How could he have done this?

"Joon, I—"

"What am I to tell our sons?!" Those words had shattered Jin's heart to pieces. He was leaving behind more than Namjoon. "YOU did this, Jin, YOU!"

Jin looked down, "I'm sorry, Namjoon...I really am."

Namjoon shook his head, "Your regret does nothing, Jin. It doesn't make this situation more worst than it already is." He would have to come up with something to tell their sons, "Why did you do this to us, Jin...Why?"

There was delight to finding out that Jungkook was in love but it did bring him back to when he met Jin. After discovering his mate, all he had done was tried to get him to love him back. His heart song, Love, to Jin had done its job and Jin was falling for him. Namjoon wouldn't have ever thought that one little fault of Jin's would cause their family to live in despair. He wouldn't have estimated for Jin to cause him so much heartache.

For eleven years he had been interacting with a ghost. Jin wasn't dead, like he had made everyone believe, he was alive and well. Namjoon would open the pink conch trinket box IU had given him and the two mates would talk. Not much happened in Jin's life as it did in Namjoon's, but what was someone to experience when they were stuck in a cell?

Jin had a black crab trinket box from IU. If both boxes were open than they could communicate with each other. Namjoon found out that Jin never closed his; always waiting for when Namjoon would open his own. It was a pitiful life but Namjoon knew Jin couldn't do anything else. Jin might as well keep his trinket box open. Namjoon didn't have time to make little appointments with his husband. He had a kingdom to run.

Namjoon headed to his chambers. He was accustomed to sleeping all alone. For eight years Jin and he had been sleeping by each other and when Jin was enforced to stay on land, the bed became cold. Namjoon didn't relish it but he familiarized with it. Jin wouldn't be coming back soon.

Jackson had said that all day Yoongi would get a real taste of what it was like to rule a kingdom. Moonbyul would be overseeing over as well. Namjoon knew Jackson was keeping an eye on Jungkook too. He could trust his friend so he knew Jungkook was doing fine. Taehyung was undoubtedly up to his own good stuff he preoccupied himself with. Since he had the chance, talking with Jin wouldn't be too bad.

At first their discussions had been unkind and empty. Namjoon spoke intensely with Jin getting not anything but backbiting words from his husband. Jin never whined. He dealt with it. Namjoon knew Jin would. Although he had been infuriated with his husband, Namjoon grew to be slightly obliged. Jin wasn't dead to him, but to everyone else he was. Namjoon was the only one suffering. At least their children wouldn't ever have to cling onto dying hope.

As usual Namjoon took the pink conch sell trinket box from his nightstand and opened it as he laid the trident and trinket box on the nightstand. For adapting to sleeping alone, Namjoon preferred Jin and him catch up while being on the bed where they've slept together for eight wonderful years. And like always, Jin in his human form was lying right next to him as if he had never left. Namjoon wished his husband had never met a human.

They would be living happily as they all should've.

"Hello Namjoon." Jin's beautiful voice echoed in his ears.

Namjoon wasn't able to talk to Jin all the time. In the first years of this Namjoon only communicated to Jin at night since he put all of himself into the kingdom and the childhood of their children that Jin couldn't be a part of. Namjoon had to be more existent. He had been appreciative that Jungkook and Hoseok had become friends.

When he did get to speak with Jin, Namjoon felt his whole body hurt. Jin was his mate and they had been connected ever since their wedding night. Lacking Jin his life would just incessantly be miserable. His mate wasn't with him and all mers mated for life.

"Jin." Namjoon answered. It wasn't infrequent that he ached to hold Jin but it hurt after when they had to bid goodbye. Sometimes they did and sometimes they didn't.

Jin initiated the embrace. Years ago, Jin had been cautious. Now he was confident that his husband wouldn't reject him whether he wanted to be touched or not. Like Namjoon, Jin was yearning for their love too. The queen wrapped his arms around Namjoon and leaned closer. Namjoon didn't move away.

"How have things been?" Jin asked. Most of the time Namjoon's responses were the identical to Jin's. Jin rejected to reply since it was no different than his last response.

Namjoon heaved a sigh, "You wouldn't believe this, but...Kookie is in love with someone, Jin."

Jin's eyes widened and he beamed. He treasured hearing any information about his precious babies. It's been so long without them. Namjoon was well-informed that Jin was being tortured from being away from their sons. He didn't keep events of their lives from Jin.

He wanted Jin to know. To some extent it was to remind Jin of what he was missing out on. Namjoon wished for Jin to comprehend that his own anguish was his own doing.

Jin sat up, seeing Namjoon's frown, "You're distraught by this news? This is something to be thrilled about, Joon. Our baby is in love."

"He's only sixteen." Namjoon reminded him.

Jin smirked sneakily at his husband, "We didn't get married until we were seventeen, Joon. We were stealing kisses at the same age. And they weren't chaste and small."

Namjoon remembered. Those memories once made him happy. They no longer did. They were nostalgic.

The king looked up at his husband, Jin's unblemished, creamy cheeks, "Is he not growing up too fast?"

Jin shook his head, "Mers don't age like..." The queen only used that word when Namjoon and he weren't talking so calmly. "Who do you think the lucky mer is?"

Namjoon shrugged, "I don't even know if Kookie prefers mermaid or merman. He's never been attracted to anyone from what I've seen."

Jin removed his arms, putting one hand on Namjoon's chest and the other on his neck, "It could be that the mer isn't from here?"

"Like how I met you," Namjoon grinned at the connection. It would be comical if Jungkook's mer wasn’t from Atlantis. It wouldn't be a horrifying thing as long as the mer wasn't fascinated with humans as Jin had been.

Jin leaned close to Namjoon's face, longing to kiss his husband. It wasn't Namjoon's fault that kissing was occasional. When they did Jin felt like he was on fire. He yearned for Namjoon's touch. It was torture what they underwent. Jin could only ever want Namjoon.

Namjoon didn't move away though. The king welcomed Jin bringing his face closer. Namjoon rose and claimed his husband's lips. Still as sweet, plump and soft as ever. The kiss wasn't chaste but long and passionate, both males not wanting to ever stop. The king straightaway changed their positions to where he was hovering above Jin.

Jin held onto Namjoon, not wanting to let him go either. Both males had wanted to make love to each other but it never got that far. Namjoon never permitted it and Jin couldn't blame him. Still, Jin didn't moan and groan. If all he could do was hold and kiss his husband then so be it.

Namjoon was the one to pull away from the kiss. Both of them were out of breath and their eyes full of love for each other. Namjoon Jin's cheeks tenderly. In instants like these, Jin was reminded of the husband he had seen eleven years ago. He earned the malicious words Namjoon threw at him. It was nice to know that Namjoon's suffering didn't harden him wholly. He was able to love their sons hopelessly and at the same time, love him too.

"I love you, Joon," Jin whispered. His heart, body and soul would always belong to the merman above him.

Namjoon gave him a small smile, "I love you too, Jin. I give my all to you." Abruptly, his face went stoic, still he Jin's cheeks, "If only you had your all to give to me."

It felt excruciating when Namjoon pulled away from him. In this affectionate moment his husband had cruel words to say to him. Jin had been enchanted by their passionate moment that had been ruined.

Jin said disdainfully, "I just live for our intimate moments. You always come up with the right thing to say, Namjoon."

With darkened eyes, Namjoon wheeled around to Jin, "Do you disagree with me, my love? What could you possibly offer me? You're not even really here!"

It was a cruel comprehension they always had to endure. Jin worried Namjoon wouldn't take it any longer that he just wouldn't ever open the trinket box. Years had passed and he was stunned that Namjoon hadn't remarried. Some people would even pressure it of him, Jin knew. But like him, Namjoon slept alone in their bed that had once been warm and loving.

Jin couldn't see Namjoon as much as he wanted to. IU was harsh enough to use sturdy magic to where they could even feel each other. They could never make love even if Namjoon allowed it. Namjoon couldn't stay hauled up in their chambers all day either. The whole condition was just painful.

Namjoon pulled at his hair in frustration, "Still to this day, I wonder..." He turned his head to Jin, "Why did you go? Hyosang didn't need you, Jin. You had no reason."

Jin irritably gazed at his husband, "A little girl would've drowned if I hadn't gotten there, Namjoon."

Namjoon scoffed, knowing Jin left out something, "Which was all a ruse for you, my queen," he mocked Jin. Namjoon didn't know why Jin protected them. "Your wretched humans lied to you, Jin and you still stand up for them. Look where they put you and you don't hate them!"

"I don't blame humans for putting me here, Namjoon." Jin told his husband. It was something they talked about a lot. "It's like an ongoing cycle."

Namjoon looked at Jin in disbelief, "That's how it'll always be, Jin." Even after this fight, like all the rest, they'd communicate again. "Do you know why I never tried saving you?"

Jin was bewildered. He allowed his husband to carry on.

"I can give myself legs and I can give myself my tail," Namjoon began. He eyed the trident, "But I can't give you yours back." A tear-jerking epiphany it was. He went to the nightstand and closed the conch.

Why, Jin? Why? Namjoon questioned.

The king of the ocean began weeping. If only he knew that on land, the queen was doing the exact same. Both soulmates living a Hell by being so far away from each other.

     くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡

I ship Namjin sooooo much 

I was really wondering how to insert Namjin in here so I kind of had to put my own spin on it. I'm happy that I was able to make it work. What do you guys think? Comments are loved and hope you're enjoying the story <3