[CONTENTID1]Chapter One[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Taemin inhaled sharply, savouring the saltiness of the sea before he would soon break the ocean surface. The intensity of the daylight became stronger as he neared it. Bubbles tickled his eyelids, making him blink rapidly as his head now surged above the water. His eyes adjusted to the sudden bright light, as they now focused upon the sandy beach ahead of him. It was strange, breathing in the pure seaside air instead of having to filter it out of the murky sea water. Whilst on the surface,  Taemin felt like he was using senses he had never used before; the world was brighter, the colours of the sand more saturated, and the air around him felt warmer. His nose remained above the water, unlike his mouth, which fell slightly agape, allowing the water to gently flow through into his mouth and down his throat as he pushed forward.

For the past few weeks, Taemin had been frequently disappearing from his home to observe the surface. Watching the land-walkers was fascinating, more fascinating than the stupid rehearsals he had waiting for him at home. Land-walkers were on a different level to mer-people, in Taemin’s opinion. They could leap high into the air, yet fall back to where they started. They could play volleyball without having to worry about the ball floating away. And most importantly, they could walk. Ever since he was a child, Taemin had dreamed of exploring the surface, even if only once in his life. However, his father would never allow such a reckless act. Taemin and land-walkers were forbidden to ever interact. So, Taemin took it upon himself to ‘explore’. Little by little; getting closer and closer to the surface. All without his father’s permission. Willing away the thoughts of his busy day ahead, Taemin began to observe the humans.

The beach had become his learning ground. Taemin had found the best hiding spot between the rocks. From there, he could quietly observe these land-walkers. He enjoyed watching each person on the beach, usually creating a story within his head involving them and wondering why they came to the seaside. To tan? To swim? To relax? Taemin found it unusual to want to relax near the sea. He had always come to the surface to relax and clear his mind of the tedious tasks back at home. Here, Taemin could forget his royal duties and clear his head. Relaxation always washed over him as he observed the land-walkers. Taemin did have his favourites; especially this one land-walker he had been eyeing for a while. 

As he swam towards the isolated location, he grinned as his regular complex of rocks remained undisturbed. Perfect. His indigo tail dipped in and out of the water as he swam, lightly splashing against its surface. Taemin happily paddled towards the rocks before placing his hands on the rough edges of the stone. Grunting, he used all of his upper body strength to lift himself out of the water. The rock became smoother the more Taemin wiggled along its surface. After what seemed like forever, Taemin had finally managed to perch himself on top of the rock formation. With his tail now dangling slightly over the edge, Taemin eyed the isolated beach area in front of him as the waves gently lapped against the shore. His purple tail now soaked in the warm rays of the sun. It’s bright light reflected off his scales, shining beautifully as he basked in the rays. A sigh of satisfaction escaped his plump lips as he finally lowered his abdomen against the pleasantly warm, dry rocks. He lay there, waiting for his favourite land-walker to appear. Taemin felt calm under the pleasant sun. With his head on his arms, he soon drifted to sleep. The happy chatter of beach goers served as relaxing white noise.

~~~

“Come on! Let's play already!”

Taemin groaned, he must have fallen asleep for a while. Rubbing his eyes as he yawned, Taemin saw a group of young looking land-walkers emerge from their odd metal carriers with wheels. Ignoring the large number of people, his eyes locked to his favourite. Taemin's mouth grew into a smile. There he was; the one land-walker that Taemin had been watching so closely. The prettiest land-walker he had ever laid his eyes upon (and he had seen quite a few). A land-walker that had been sculpted by angels, no, sculpted by the Gods.

Taemin could stare at his face all day. His eyes looked so warm, crinkling slightly whenever he grinned. Taemin kept his eyes on the gorgeous man he saw before him, following his movements along the sandy pathway as he walked alongside a female. 

The female seemed to be attached to his hip as they walked together, always glancing towards the beautiful man’s face. He looked unamused whenever she tried to get his attention. Taemin couldn't focus on her though as his gaze kept falling back to the gorgeous man. Tall and muscular, with his hair a crown of dense black locks, the man’s disinterested facial expression seemed to stand out like a sore thumb. If only he had the stunning smile he usually expressed when he came to the beach alone. The smile complimented his elegant but sharp jawline. He was just so handsome. His broad shoulders contrasted with his toned yet slim waist. 

He was certainly dressed for the weather, wearing a simple white t-shirt and a pair of aqua-blue shorts. Taemin leaned forward, wishing he could get closer, but he knew it would be dangerous. Surely a few more centimetres wouldn’t hurt? 

Taemin smiled to himself as his eyes followed the young man's frame until he finally sat himself on the sand. Taemin strained his ears as he desperately tried to hear any speech that was exchanged between the group.

“Let’s split up into teams of six. Minho! You can be with Chaewon.”

Minho? The land-walker was named Minho. Taemin rested his chin in his palm as he now watched the land-walkers throw a thick, rubbery ball into the air and over (what Taemin assumed was) a fishing net. Every now and then he would hear cheers from the sidelines whenever each team seemed to score a point. Taemin assumed they were playing volleyball, yet it seemed much different to what he always played with Kibum. The land-walkers used a ball instead of a random pufferfish, so Taemin assumed the rules were quite different too. Time seemed to fly by as Taemin watched the game continue. He always smiled to himself, secretly celebrating whenever Minho gained a point. The game finally seemed to come to a halt as Minho approached the ocean after pulling his shirt over his head. 

“I’m going to take a break.”

Taemin gasped, lowering his body back into the water as the land-walker approached. He felt a sense of regret getting this close to Minho, worry soon filled his veins. With only his eyes left above the water, the merman held his breath in anticipation. Minho and the woman had walked close to Taemin’s hiding place. Minho seemed annoyed that he was followed by her.

“You played well today. I’m proud of you babe.”

Taemin’s face seemed to scrunch up. The way this female land-walker spoke to the male disgusted him. Were these two a couple?

“Thanks.” Minho replied quickly as he gazed out towards the sea.

“I actually wanted to speak to you, so I’m glad we’re alone right now.” the woman said. Her face contorted into a nervous expression.

“Oh?” Minho replied, still facing the ocean.

“Yeah… at least look at me please, Minho. Look, we’ve been dating for a while now and I was wondering if you’d, you know… finally propose to me?”

Taemin tilted his head with confusion, this conversation, where was it going? He didn’t know why, but hearing of their possible engagement sent a sharp pain through his chest. Taemin’s bright blue eyes examined the face of the male land-walker who conveyed such surprise towards the words being said by his friend. Taemin then glanced back towards the woman, glaring at her from behind the rocks.

“Propose?! I- “ Minho suddenly turned to face her.

“You’ve been avoiding this topic of conversation for months now!  Do you not love me anymore?!” Taemin could hear the pain in her voice, yet he couldn't find it in himself to care. He secretly hoped Minho didn’t love her.

“Chaewon, I’m at a place where I’m solely focusing on my career. You know this.” Minho sighed.

“Why are you avoiding the question?!”

“I’m not. I… I love you? I… Just, don’t you think it’s a little too soon?”

“We’ve been dating for nearly five years, Minho! How is it too soon?”

“Can we talk about this later?!” Minho had finally snapped, unable to listen to Chaewon’s pleas any longer. Taemin could see how tense he was by staring at his shoulders. His large, muscular shoulders. Focus, Taemin.

Chaewon’s eyes began to swell up with tears as she suddenly whipped her head away from Minho.

“Fine! We’ll talk about this later, like you always say we will! But don’t think you can ignore the subject anymore!” Tears started to pour down her face as she walked away from Minho and towards Jinki. Minho cringed as he knew he would get an earful from him tomorrow at work. But he just didn't care. Minho sighed as he was finally alone again, currently unaware of the young prince’s presence. 

~~~

The sea had always seemed like a close friend to Minho and the proof was there on his wrist. The bracelet he always wore was the one thing he could never part with. A part of the sea is always close beside him. The cute little turtle pendant always grounded him. He would run away from his problems and strip his feet of his shoes and socks to stand in the ocean. It calmed him. It made it feel like he belonged. He devoted his life to the ocean. He worked to explore it and care for those that inhabited it. Even after a long day of observing dolphins on a small uncomfortable boat, he would relax by closing his eyes and letting the soothing noise of the waves wash over him. Minho didn’t know why, but he felt that the sea would always call to him. That it would lure him in as a siren would call sailors to their deaths.

Minho walked deeper and deeper into the chilling water, feeling refreshed as he felt himself cool down after the exhausting game of volleyball. As the water neared Minho’s waist, Taemin began to panic. He was getting closer and Taemin didn’t know what to do. If he chose to swim away, Minho would see and hear the splash as his tail would propel him beneath the water, even if only from a few feet away. Yet if he stayed still, Minho would surely see him as soon as got closer. Taemin decided that hiding would be the best option. 

After finding a small space between two of the rocks, he slowly pulled himself down into it. He held his breath, once again afraid his breathing would be too loud. Yet, to his dismay, Minho swam towards him. The water was now up to Minho’s neck, the current getting stronger the further he swam. 

Minho couldn’t place the feeling, but he swore he was being watched. He glanced back in the direction Chaewon had walked, yet saw she was still in an embrace with her brother as he tried to console her. After turning his head towards the rock formation to his right, he saw it.

Hidden between the rocks were two piercing blue eyes. They seemed to stare into his own before blinking quickly then disappearing beneath the water with a resounding splash.

“Hey!” Minho shouted, attempting to get the attention of this person.

He got no reply. Instead, he saw a beautiful rich purple tail splash quickly against the surface. It shone beautifully underneath the midday sun. Each scale reflected the sunlight slightly differently, creating an elegant firework display within the water.

Minho’s arms reached out. He tried grabbing this gorgeous creature. He had to see it up close. He needed to see if it was the owner of the alluring tail.

“Please! I won’t hurt you!” he pleaded. But his efforts were in vain as the creature disappeared into the vast ocean before him.

~~~

As his heart pounded, Taemin finally took a break from swimming. He didn’t know how long he had been frantically flailing his tail; his body was exhausted. He could still feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins. After his pulse slowed to its usual pace, Taemin started to smile. Looking back on what happened, he decided he loved it. He had never felt such a rush of adrenaline before, he didn’t know if it was from the shock of being discovered by Minho or the warm feeling he felt in his chest when they locked eyes. As he held his hands to his chest, Taemin decided he wanted to see Minho again. No, he needed to see him again. 

The swim back to Atlantis had never felt so long. Taemin’s mind was running wild. Images of Minho’s shocked face plagued his mind. He thought of small things at first; how Minho’s tone changed fr