Chanyeol visited the aquarium around once a month, the colours and the gentle motion of the fish swimming calming him and making his thoughs be forgotten for a while before he was forced back down to earth and had to deal with reality.

Lately he's been visiting more often, once a week if he's lucky enough because of the new attraction that had people lining up all the way outside the aquariums doors, into the parking lot.

The aquarium had obtained a new specimen, claimed to be from the deep sea, a creature that had been taken from its peaceful life in the ocean to one of many eyes all wanting to see a glimps of the scales on the tail the creature had.

Chanyeol would be lying he he said he wasn't excited about the news, insides bubbling with the possibility of seeing a real life dream with his very own two eyes.

But just like everyone else, Chanyeol never saw the mermaid even though the signs were there, posters plastered to the outside of the aquarium building, articles in newspapers and even the news covering the mythical creature that apparently resided in the aquarium he visited.

People would go in the aquarium, all rushing to the area that the mermaid was supposed to be kept, full of adrenaline and pure excitement and high hopes of the mermaid to be in plain view, showing itself to them like they weren't there, watching.

All that visited for the mermaid though would leave disappointed, angry and let down when they didn't see anything, not one person caught a glimps of the alleged mermaid.

But Chanyeol didn't give up, he still went whenever he could, watching the large space of water and the fish swimming about, without a care in the world.

Chanyeol was determined to see the mermaid, he wouldn't give up like everyone else that visited, saying that it was fake, that there was no mermaid and it was just the aquariums way of getting more revenue in a time of hardship.

Chanyeol believed though, he was young at heart and didn't want to say that it was a lie, that there really was no mermaid and that he was really just wasting his time. Wasting his time day dreaming about how the creature would look when he finally saw it.

If he saw it.

His friends would ask why, after two months of the official announcement of the mermaid at the aquarium, that he was still visiting and not just for the fish like before the whole mermaid ordeal.

The answer he gave would always be the same.

"I'm not giving up, I know there's something in there and I believe the aquarium when they said it was a mermaid" 

...................................................................

On one particular visit to the aquarium, Chanyeol found himself in the middle of a school trip, children all crowded around the glass that he had touched with his hands so many times. The children, all aged under ten he guessed, were on both sides of the tunnel, eyes showing innocence and their laughter filling the space.

Chanyeol stood next to the children, looking into the clean water with the familiar fish that he had started to name in his head, he had seen the same ones over and over but never once did he get bored or ever regret visiting.

He never lost the hope that one day he would see the mermaid, even if only a glimps.

The children left after an hour or so, the teachers leading them through the tunnel to see the other creatures the aquarium offered to them, giving up with the mermaid.

Chanyeol stayed, opting to sit down on the bench at the other side of the tunnel instead of standing, eyes slowly starting to close. He had been at the aquarium for a long time and he forgot his lunch this time, as he did a few time before when visiting.

Before his eyes closed fully though he swore he saw something move from far back behind the glass, but he didn't have the energy to open his eyes, instead falling asleep on the bench and dreaming the same dream he had been having since the mermaid was announced.

Chanyeol dreamed of a long tail, strong and able to turn and propel the mermaid through the water at speeds he could only dream of achieving himself. Delicate hands that would press theselves against the glass with his own large ones pressed on the other side, the thick glass being the only thing separating them and stopping them from touching hands with one another.

Eyes that would show curiosity and wonder of the world outside the water while his own would show the amazement of being able to live and breath under water. He wanted to know how that felt without getting his lungs filled with water and having to come up to the surface, gasping for air because he was a human.

A boring human while the mermaid was mysterious, beautiful and made Chanyeol's life exciting and gave him reason to live when he woke up in the mornings.

When he awoke hours later he rubbed his eyes, yawning and stretching out his arms and long legs. He blinked the tiredness away as he stared ahead into the water, brain not processing what he was looking at.

When it did though, Chanyeol's eyes widened and his mouth formed a large circle. Standing up quickly from the bench, he scared the being away, bubbles being left from the tail swishing through the water, the creature going back into hiding.

Chanyeol rushed forward, hands pressed flat against the glass, face almost doing the same as his eyes darted around the water, heart feeling like it would stop altogether from the rush of adrenaline running through his veins.

The aquarium wasn't lying, they really did have a mermaid, Chanyeol was sure of it because he saw the creature with his own two eyes, if only for a few seconds.

Chanyeol felt the tears well up on his eyes, he'd finally been reassured that the creature was inside the tunnel, he wasn't crazy for believing and he was filled with relief.

The only thing on Chanyeol's mind as he finally left the aquarium that afternoon was the fact that he'd finally seen the mermaid and when he would be able to see the creature again, for a second time and hopefully for longer than the first.

...................................................................

Chanyeol was in high spirits when he visited the next day, not being able to wait until next Saturday to come back, choosing to spend both days of his weekend in the tunnel, nothing but blues and greens surrounding him and the colourful splashes of fish.

Because of his frequent visits, he had decided to purchase a membership card that would last him a year, he could save money and use his points on his card for rewards within the aquarium.

Chanyeol was aiming for one of these rewards, eyes glowing happily every time he obtained the thirty points on his card when he visited, all of them adding up and slowing going towards the reward that cost the most points.

The reward Chanyeol was aiming for and would achieve because he wanted to be able to do it so badly was to clean the tank the mermaid was in. The inside of the tank, he'd actually be able to go in the water with this creature and he was visiting more and more just to top up his points on his card.

Chanyeol's friends called him crazy, told him that he was wasting all his money on some imaginary being that wasn't even real but Chanyeol knew better. 

His friends hadn't seen the mermaid so they had no right to say the scaled being didn't exist, it did and Chanyeol was going to see the creature again without a doubt. He was going to touch the fish scales on the beautiful tail and watch with wide eyes and an even wider smile as the mermaid played in the water, hand out and wanting him to join in.

But until then, Chanyeol had to wait and earn as much money as he could to pay for the many, many trips to the aquarium.

...................................................................

A few more months passed and Chanyeol was close to reaching his goal and he was practically beaming, he'd never been this happy before. He came to learn some of the names of the staff at the aquarium and they would poke fun at him for always being here when he should be out having fun, but he knew their words were harmless.

Besides, who said Chanyeol wasn't having fun?

"Chanyeol, you're here so often why don't you just move in with the fishes" Chanyeol sat on the bench he had come to know, the staff worker sitting next to him, laughing slightly.

Chanyeol tilted his head back and watched the fishes swim over his head.

"I'm getting sick of seeing your face every time I come to this section" The male next to Chanyeol copied his actions, leaning back and signing as he brushed his fringe out of his eyes.

"I would if I could Kyungsoo" Chanyeol let a smile grace his lips as he brought his arm up, stretching it out into the air towards the top of the tunnel.

"Don't you get bored coming here like, twice a week?" Chanyeol shook his head, arm going back to his lap and head turning to face the young boy he had come to be friends with because of his trips to the aquarium.

"No, I'm waiting for the mermaid to show again" Chanyeol heard the smaller boy on his left scoff, eyes being rolled as he stood up from the bench he was spending his break on.

"Chanyeol, what you saw that time was not a mermaid, it was a fish" Kyungsoo stared down at the curly haired male, hands on his hips, "I'm convinced that this whole 'mermaid' thing is fake, the aquariums way of getting more people through the doors" As the word mermaid left the short boys mouth, his fingers formed quotation marks, showing he was not as convinced as Chanyeol was.

"I don't care what you think it was, it was a mermaid and I will see the creature again, I'm close to reaching the reward I want" Chanyeol pulled out a piece of neatly folded paper from his jeans pocket.

"In a few weeks I'll have enough points to be able to go into this tunnel, I'll get to swim in the same water as the mermaid" On the piece of paper in Chanyeol's hand was lots of crossed off numbers, them getting lower as the list went on. He was keeping track of the exact day he would have enough points to trade them in for the experience he desperately wanted.

"Kyungsoo, I'll make you believe, make you regret that you ever doubted that such a wonderful creature doesn't exist"

...................................................................

Chanyeol bit his lip as he tried to hold back the squeal threatening to leave his throat as he handed over ship card to the guy behind the counter, getting the last thirty points he needed to obtain the reward he wanted. 

"Congratulations! You have enough points to clean out the mermaid tunnel if you would like to, or you can cash your poin-" The male behind the desk was cut off by the loud squeal and the hitting of hands on his desk. 

"Yes! Finally! I want to clean out the mermaid tunnel, yes when?! Please tell me when?!" Chanyeol couldn't stop himself from bouncing on the spot, hands gripping onto the desk and a wide grin plastered on his face making his eye scrunch up.

"Um, I'll have to ask, I'll have to get a contact number so we can inform you when it is scheduled for" Chanyeol nodded, the others in the line behind him having taken a few steps backwards to give the clearly excited giant space as he scribble down his number on a piece of paper, handing it to the male behind the desk.

"And here's your membership card, your total points is zero" Chanyeol couldn't thank the guy enough before running off in the direction of the mermaid tunnel, knowing the way like the back of his hand.

Chanyeol couldn't stop the large smile on his face, shocking those who turned to look at the commotion he was making on his way to the mermaid tunnel. He even saw a few children start to cry but Chanyeol had no reason to stop, sorry to say but he didn't care about anything other than the mermaid within the tunnel.

Once in the tunnel he saw no one there, the long tunnel completely empty, blues and greens swirling around on the ground, reflecting off the water above and all around him.

The blues and greens all around him mixed with the bright colours of the fish, glistening all around him, adding to his already sky high mood. Chanyeol didn't think there was anyway he was going to get any happier than he already was, then he saw it.

A shadow in front of him from above.

He tilted his head backwards to look up at the tunnel above him, breath catching in his throat at what he was seeing. Slowly, Chanyeol raised his arms into the air, fingers shaky as the tips of them touched the cool glass, right where the scaly tail was resting.

Chanyeol moved his hands back, jumping a little when the creature shifted, tail lifting off the glass and being replaced with a pair of hands and a face, staring right down at him from above.

Chanyeol literally thought he was looking at an angel. 

Chanyeol couldn't speak, voice disappearing and throat becoming dry as he and the creature held eye contact with one another. Bright eyes pierced right through him but he somehow managed to gain some courage to place his fingers back onto the glass, tiptoeing so that his hands could lie flat against the cold glass.

The creature moved back, frightened by the hands so close and Chanyeol saw the fear flashing in its eyes, tail swishing as the magical being swam off to the side and to the back of the tunnel, disappearing from Chanyeol's sight.

Chanyeol's eyes followed the beings every move, hypnotised by the swift and gentle, but powerful movements that were made through the water, whole body shaking and tears streaming down his face.

Chanyeol was so happy he thought he was going to have a heart attack and die.

...................................................................

The day soon came for Chanyeol to clean out the mermaid tank and he couldn't get to the aquarium quick enough, thankful for his long legs because he could take larger steps, cutting down time.

He was met with the member of staff in charge of the mermaid tunnel, a middle aged guy who's mood got worse once he saw how excited the male in front of him was.

"Son, I don't know why you are so happy, if I were you I would have cashed in all my points" Chanyeol followed the guy to the staff room, the one filled with all the underwater cleaning items, diver suits included.

"I want to swim with the mermaid" Chanyeol's voice came out higher than normal, almost squealing out the last syllable as the guy gave him a weird look.

The guy sighed.

"Look, I don't know who actually brought the mermaid here or who actually put it into the tunnel, but I'm pretty sure mermaids don't exist and that we definitely do not have one here" The guy watched the tall males face, waiting for the wide smile to disappear and be replaced with furrowed eyebrows, but it didn't.

"That's because you haven't seen the mermaid" Chanyeol tried to stand still as he heard the guy sigh and mumble something under his breath as he went to get some diving suits for Chanyeol to look at.

After looking at a few, Chanyeol found the one that fit him perfectly, showing off just how tall he was because it was stuck to his body.

"Follow me" Chanyeol followed the guy, equipment in hand and flippers on as they made their way to the entrance of what Chanyeol knows to be the mermaid tunnel.

"Remember what we went through, any problems and you come right back up here okay?" Chanyeol nodded eagerly, putting on the large goggles he was given.

"There's about an hour or so worth of oxygen in this tank, keep an eye on your watch" Chanyeol turned around and the guy helped him put the oxygen tank on his back, it being heavy and making Chanyeol want to get in the water even more.

"Sit here and when you're ready, lean backwards and get to cleaning the glass at the front" The guy had been over this a thousand times with Chanyeol already, but all the lanky boy could think off was the beautiful tail he had seen and those innocent child like eyes. 

Chanyeol nodded one last time before placing his breathing regulator into his mouth, taking a breath to make sure it was working, which it was.

"Good luck" Chanyeol leaned backwards and felt his body being engulfed by water, bubbles floating upwards as he let himself sink down a bit before turning around and looking at the huge expanse of water he was surrounded by.

He was in the mermaid tunnel.

He swam his way to the front of the tunnel, cleaning equipment in hand and started to clean the glass free of any grime. Chanyeol worked quickly, hand going backwards and forth at a fast speed so that he could get the cleaning done as quickly as possible and then go off to find the being everyone thought wasn't here.

The mermaid.

Chanyeol waved at the children in front of him, on the side he normally was, the children watching him with wide eyes as he swam over to the other side to clean the glass on that side as well.

Checking his watch, Chanyeol had finished the cleaning quicker than he thought he would, happy with himself and turning around and swimming off in the direction that he saw the mermaid go when he saw the beautiful creature a week ago.

Chanyeol stayed in the middle of the water near the back when a shimmer caught his eye, a flutter of a tail fin behind the large rocks within the tunnel. Chanyeol swam closer, swallowing as he approached the rock but stopping when he saw a hand holding onto the side of the bumpy stone.

Eyes peeked around the rock at him before disappearing quickly along with the hand and the end of the tail fin. Chanyeol quickly swam forward, looking around the rock to see nothing there, just a glimps of colour disappearing around the other side of the rock.

Chanyeol stared at the spot, not moving and just thinking for a while before he felt something touch his leg. Looking down quickly he became shocked, there it was, staring up at him this time, hands touching onto the material of his diving gear that was covering his leg.

The mermaid.

The creature moved upwards, hands trailing up Chanyeol's body until they were face to face, they weren't an arms stretch away anymore. 

Chanyeol tried to talk but nothing but bubbles came out, floating upwards within the water causing the mermaid to cover its mouth with a delicate hand, to stop what Chanyeol guessed to be giggles.

The creature moved backwards, away from him and Chanyeol finally got to see the whole of the being up close for the first time, making his eyebrows crease together. 

Chanyeol had been wrong this whole time, the creature wasn't a mermaid, he was a merman, a beautiful one at that.

Chanyeol swam forward, the creature now known as a male staying in place, watching with wide playful eyes. Chanyeol reached out a hand slowly to touch the mermans face, not knowing how he would react to being touched.

The tips of Chanyeol's fingers touched the mermans cheek lightly before he retracted them, taking a sharp intake of breath. He had just touched a merman, if he wasn't careful he was going to start crying.

Chanyeol's fingers touched the merman on the cheek again and the magical being leaned into the touch, almost making the breathing regulator in Chanyeol's mouth fall out.

The merman copied the actions, reaching out with slim fingers to touch the face of the strange thing in front of him, a smile making its way onto his face and eyes turning into crescent moons.

Chanyeol had never seen anything as beautiful as the mermans smiling face.

The bright eyed merman removed his hand and placed it over the one of the males touching his cheek, bringing it down and dragging the taller along with him in the water. Chanyeol followed blindly, watching the tail swish up and down right in front of him.

The merman turned around again, the two of them behind the large rocks that he has been hiding behind since he was put in here, being held captive.

Chanyeol let the merman do as he pleased, long pretty fingers touching him and head tilting to the side at the unfamiliar body, the merman had never seen a human up close, let alone touched one with his own hands.

When the merman took ahold of the breathing regulator in his mouth and removed it, Chanyeol had to hold his breath, he couldn't breath under water like the being in front of him could.

Chanyeol felt fingers ghost over his closed lips, eyes staring into his own and he forgot that he was holding his breath, trying to breath in deeply, only to get a lung full of water instead of oxygen.

The merman panicked, becoming scared at the way the male was moving, holding onto his neck and grabbing onto his hand, taking the thing he had removed just now from the tallers mouth.

Chanyeol placed the breathing regulator back in his mouth and sighed, relieved that he was able to breath again. 

He watched the merman move forward again, once agin reaching for the only thing keeping Chanyeol alive underwater. Chanyeol let him, knowing that the creature was curious and probably wondering why he couldn't breath underwater like he could.

This time though Chanyeol kept his cool, letting the merman place his small hands on his shoulders and lift himself up in the water so that Chanyeol had to tilt his head backwards to be able to keep his eyes locked with the creatures.

Chanyeol's eyes widened as he felt lips on his own, pushing air into his lungs and letting him breathe in without using the piece of equipment that was floating in the water next to them, attached to the oxygen tank.

He felt the merman continue supplying him with air, breathing out through his nose, bubbles being created within the water. Chanyeol closed his eyes and didn't know what to do with his hands, keeping them floating at his sides and moving them around so he wouldn't sink downwards.

When they finally separated, the merman held onto the breathing regulator and pushed it against Chanyeol's mouth, lips parting and it going back where it belong while he was undewater. 

Chanyeol watched the merman swim around him, face appearing in front of his seconds later and hands grabbing onto his own, body being pulled forward, downwards towards the mermans. Chanyeol felt the strong tail of the creature wrap around his side, fingers intwinning between his and bright eyes staring at him.

He saw the merman mouth words at him, eyebrows raising as he read the moving lips and realised what each silent syllable that was spoken within the water created.

'I like you'

...................................................................

Chanyeol still visited the aquarium every Saturday like he usually would even though he had reached his goal, he'd gotten enough points to clean the mermaid tunnel and even better luck to see and touch the mermaid, or should he say merman.

Chanyeol still dreamed of a tail covered in scales and delicate hands but now he had a face to go with it, a smile and the feeling of skin touching skin. 

Chanyeol felt silly to admit it but he was completely in love with the merman, the merman that had said the three words that made his heart skip a beat when he realised what he was saying. Words that not only made his heart burst with joy but with sadness as well.

Himself and the merman could never be together, it just wasn't possible, there was no way it was going to work. Chanyeol was a human, a man of the earth, walking on two legs while the one he fell desperately for was living in a completly different world.

He had a tail, covered in dark purple scales at the waist that gradually got lighter the further the eye traveled down, the very tip of his tail a beautiful mauve. He was of the sea, the ocean and Chanyeol knew this, understanding that he could only wait like he had done for the past so many months for the merman to show himself.

From the mermaid tunnel.

"Mummy, where's the mermaid? I want to see the mermaid" The little girl pressed her hands onto the glass of the large tunnel she was in, separating her from the sea creatures on the other side.

...................................................................

Finished! Quicker than I actually thought and not as long either.

Was it good? This was so much fun to write, I'm really happy with the outcome :) I don't know a lot about diving equipment or what the thing you breathe from is called so yeah.

Thanks for subscribing and I hope you all enjoyed reading this, I haven't read a mermaid fic where the mermaid is in captive for the public to see, so I thought this would be a good plot.

Goodnight

PrettyDeadRose11