Seungkwan went rampant with his knocking on the door until Baekho woke up. Minhyun didn't even need to ask who it was for Baekho to know. He pushed himself up since there was no way Minhyun would be able to get the door open. He unlatched the hut and Seungkwan burst in with the wheelchair and duffel bag. His eyes widened when he saw the two shirtless males. Baekho shut the door behind him quickly and latched it again.

"Did anyone see you?" Baekho asked and Seungkwan shook his head, eyeing Minhyun suspiciously. Minhyun stared back at Seungkwan, wondering why the human was giving him such weird stares.

"Why're you shirtless?" Seungkwan asked Baekho who ped the bag and rummaged through it, quickly pulling out a shirt to put on and sliding on a hoodie as well.

"Cause I was soaked to the bone and I had to cover Minhyun's tail with something to make it all the way here," Baekho barked his response. He was tired and his head hurt. His whole body hurt. He didn't even feel like talking right now. Seungkwan put the back of his hand against Baekho's forehead and the male hissed, swatting his hand away.

"You're really burning up."

"Doesn't matter. We gotta get off the island now," Baekho said quickly.

"You can't. Your aunt wants to have dinner with you tonight," Seungkwan said abruptly. Baekho gasped at his best friend in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? I need to get Minhyun away from here and you're telling me to go back and have dinner with my aunt?" Baekho growled.

"You're not thinking straight, Baekho and I thought we agreed to put him back into the sea?" Seungkwan replied, trying to keep his calm.

"No, I am thinking very clearly. I'm bringing Minhyun with me back to Seoul whether you agree or not!"

"You want to be with this... this..." Seungkwan's eyes met Minhyun's confused ones and he had to tear away from him. "This monster? He ripped the guys' throats apart without mercy and left them bleeding to their death." Baekho shot angry glares at Seungkwan. Minhyun just kept a downward gaze, hearing Seungkwan call him a monster really hurt too. He never intended to hurt those men but they were hurting Baekho and he couldn't just leave like that.

"He did it to save me," Baekho said firmly, not letting his decision waver. He would have already punched Seungkwan for calling Minhyun a monster if he wasn't his best and only friend right now. "He protected me when that guy was about to kill me. When you had no power to save me. But your screams were what brought him back to me."

"My... screams?"

"He knew we were in danger. I was in danger and he came back despite himself being in danger too. I would have died if it weren't for him, Kwan. So please... please don't call him a monster." Baekho's eyes filled with tears that he couldn't control. "I'm sorry for having involved you in this... please... If you don't want to help, I understand. Please leave. I won't hate you for it. In fact, I thank you for having helped me this far."

Seungkwan stared at Baekho, speechless for a moment. He sighed and pulled his friend into a hug. "I'm sorry. I just... I am just so scared, Baekho. I can see how much you two love each other and it pains me to know that you won't be able to have a normal happy life with him." Baekho gripped Seungkwan tightly and sniffled. Minhyun wished he could stand to give them a hug too but he couldn't so he just sat at his spot and looked down.

"He makes me happy, Kwan. It's okay if I can't have a normal life as long as it's a life with him in it. In fact, I don't know how to live if he's not there anymore."

"I hope you're making the right choice. I'll help you get to the ship but after that... try not to get into trouble."

"Thank you, Seungkwan. Really..." Baekho let his friend go and went back to digging through the bag. He didn't want to undress in front of them but his wet underwear was unbearable. "Could you please turn away for a bit?"

Seungkwan nodded and turned away so Baekho could change out of it. The human male couldn't be bothered by Minhyun staring at him removing his pants and underwear though since he doubted Minhyun even knew how his anatomy was like. Once he was in much more comfortable sweatpants and fresh dry underwear, he got a shirt for Minhyun to put on as well. Minhyun just let him put the shirt on without a struggle.

"Did you bring sunglasses and masks?" Baekho asked, roughly recalling what he had asked Seungkwan to bring for him.

"Yeah. They're all stashed in the bag. Brought your passport and wallet too."

"Thank you, Seungkwan. This really helps a lot," Baekho said and took out the items from the bag. He squatted down in front of Minhyun and placed the sunglasses in his hand before realising he needed a way to cover the scaley hands as well. He could just have the other put it under the blanket he guessed. Minhyun inspected the sunglasses and Baekho taught him how to put it on but Minhyun almost snapped it so Baekho took it back and helped him slide it on. Minhyun squeaked as his vision was disturbed. "Don't worry. It's just to hide your eyes for now. Humans don't typically have glowing purple eyes."

"None of us have glowing eyes, Baekho. It's all just CG," Seungkwan grumbled and Baekho rolled his eyes.

"And this is to hide your fangs. I'll let you take them off once it's safe enough," Baekho said and slid the face mask on for Minhyun who cringed at the smell of the mask but dealt with it for now. "Did you bring the wet blanket?"

"Yeah. It's here," Seungkwan replied while taking it out from an extra compartment underneath the wheelchair.

"Great," Baekho said and lifted Minhyun up. He grunted and quickly put him down on the wheelchair since his leg wanted to give out. Seungkwan put the blanket over his tail and wrapped it up as much as he could while trying to avoid any form of contact. He hoped he would be able to survive the ship ride at this point. "I need you to help us get tickets. Is that alright?"

"Yeah. Whatever you need to get out of here," Seungkwan said. Baekho smiled weakly and nodded, putting on his own sunglasses and face mask. He hoped they didn't look suspicious at all. "I'll deal with your aunt. Just make sure to text me when you get back, okay?"

"I will. Let's go then," Baekho said and the three left the hut, making their way down the pathway to the port. Baekho could only pray that none of the fishermen was there and that there was a ship ready for them to board and leave too. They avoided as many people as possible and thank the stars when they managed to make it to the port without being spotted or stopped. Baekho and Minhyun waited as Seungkwan ran off to get the two of them tickets to board the ship. Baekho took a seat on the bench and stared out at the sea. His breathing was getting heavy again and it was stuffy with the mask on as well. He lowered it so he could breathe easier. Minhyun reached over to hold his hand, making him jump slightly.

"Are you sure about leaving with me? There's no turning back from here." Baekho asked again for the nth time. Minhyun nodded and even though Baekho couldn't see his expression behind the sunglasses and mask, he could somehow imagine the other smiling back at him.

"I'm sure. You're not... chasing me again," Minhyun said determinedly and squeezed Baekho's hand. Baekho smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"I'm sorry you had to come back... but I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe from here on out. And... to keep you happy and always interested in me so you'll never want to leave," Baekho said, silently making himself promises to always care for the other too. Minhyun pulled down the mask and smiled.

"Just saying you love me is more than enough for me," Minhyun said and Baekho blushed even more with his already red cheeks.

"I love you, Minhyun and I know this is a very sudden development that we've had but... I really do."

"And I... love you too," Minhyun said and kissed Baekho gently.

"Ewew... Don't make me see that again or I might have to bleach my eyes," Seungkwan said teasingly and both of them blushed furiously as they quickly separated.

"You got the tickets?" Baekho tried changing the topic but Seungkwan had this teasing grin that just made him irritated. He held up the two tickets before handing it to Baekho.

"Of course. And... good luck getting to Seoul and settling him in," Seungkwan said, exchanging one last hug with Baekho. Seungkwan turned to Minhyun and thought for awhile before sighing and eventually hugging him. Minhyun was startled and froze but Seungkwan didn't mind. He quickly moved away too. "Well, you certainly pass the human top criteria. I'm sorry for calling you a monster earlier. It's just hard for a measly human like me to accept the fact that we can just die at any moment like that."

Minhyun shook his head and gave him an understanding smile. "I am... merman after all. I'm sorry... you had to... witness that."

" See you when I see you, Baekho and hopefully with your merman still alive."

"Thanks, Seungkwan. This means a lot to me," Baekho said and smiled.

"Thank you," Minhyun said as well before pulling the mask back up and hiding his hands since Baekho had gotten to the back of the wheelchair again. "See you."

"Bye, Kwan."

Seungkwan smiled and nodded. He watched them leave the port and board the ship, waving until they were out of sight. He sighed and hoped things would turn out better than he hoped.

Minhyun was excited and ecstatic to be able to follow Baekho. No one questioned or stopped them when Baekho handed them the tickets and boarded the ship. Baekho couldn't believe this was working but he certainly was glad that it was. He had some money to get them a cab once they reached Seoul and his phone still worked. Seungkwan really did pack most of his necessities in the duffel bag too. He was going to call his aunt and apologize later. He remembered when he had first encountered Minhyun and almost died yet here he was now, leaving on a ship with the other. Sometimes he felt like life was playing a prank on him but this time, it was like a joke that went too far and couldn't find a way back. The joke being Minhyun and his fish tail. He found a nice quiet spot for them to sit and rest. After waiting for a couple more minutes, the ship made a loud alarming noise before it set off.

Baekho was already thinking about all the things he wanted to show Minhyun and what he wanted to do with the other. Even if their love wasn't conventional, he was going to make do with it because he loved the other with all his heart and he just wanted him to be safe and happy always. Minhyun's smile was brighter than ever when he watched them leave the island and the life he had always known into an uncertain new future. He was eager to learn more about Baekho too. See more of his world even if that meant abandoning his own but all that didn't matter now that he had found the one person he wanted to be by for the rest of his life. He no longer needed to feel lonely or be alone.

Baekho reached under the blanket to hold Minhyun's hand and Minhyun was more than happy to hold him in return. They would face this future together. Now and forever more.

Fin

A/ N : A huge thank you to everyone who has been reading this story~♡ also I decided to end it with a rather.... open (but happy?) ending so it's up to you guys to fill up the gaps of the after story, they could go somewhere far away to be together or ultimately figure out a way to stay in Seoul together :)

Also a huge HUG to a friend who drew this awesome fanart of their first meeting :D

♡♡♡ BassysAss ♡♡♡