Title: His Night Lover (2/2)
Pairing: XiuHan (Xiumin/Luhan)
Rating: PG.
Genre: romance, angst, fairytale
Length/Word Count: two-shots/3212w
Note: I was going to update this after my exams (which is 2 months later) but upon hearing about Luhan's departure, I felt a need to write this. To all XiuHan shippers, let's wish him the best. I believe in their friendship and Luhan will stay in our hearts forever.

To Luhan, there’s only one way to be with Xiumin – and that is to go through a painful process to turn his tail into a pair of legs. Luhan doesn’t mind a close-to-an-hour painful transformation where he has to pour a potion of what seems more like a bottle of acid on his tail an hour before midnight. When Luhan first approach the Sea Witch for the potion, it was out of curiosity of what the human world is like. But after the fated encounter with the prince, the only reason why he would go through this tormenting procedure again and again is none other than Xiumin.

Late in the night when the clock strikes 11, Luhan would pour the yellow acid on his tail without hesitation and Yixing would always be by his side to support him even though the little fish can do nothing to help Luhan ease his pain in any practical way.

Luhan bit his bottom lip and shut his eyes during the first ten minutes because it hurts the most in the beginning. The fish just cringes whenever he sees Luhan in pain and one time he blurts, “This is the first time I actually think you are rather gallant.”

In which Luhan manages a small smile and said, “I’ve always been very manly, you idiot.”

In the last three minutes to the completion of the entire process, the Sea Witch, Luhan and Yixing would hum to a tune in sync so that Luhan will recognise their voices and the tune when it’s time to call him back to the Sea World.

The time spent between the mermaid and the prince wasn’t long before the both of them fell in love. It was a mutual affection that they felt. They believed in true love, they believed in forever.

“No one can dispute the fact that you are so beautiful.” Luhan would always say in such awe-like manner as if it was his first time meeting Xiumin, in which the latter would blush and pleaded him to stop. The mermaid would caressed his cheek with one hand and hold him in the other like he was something so precious.

They would spend their nights whispering sweet nothings to each other till dawn broke. Even with Xiumin yawning countless times and Luhan’s constant naggings to ask his one true love to turn in because it pains him to see his prince so tired, Xiumin would always decline and insist on accompanying Luhan because, “I don’t want to waste my time sleeping when you are right here next to me, so please don’t push me away okay?” although he really does ends up dozing off midway of Luhan’s long stories.

Everyday Xiumin would set up his store in the early morning like he always did, selling his buns till midnight. Even though he doesn’t know, but Luhan would always watch him from afar from the sea. The mermaid finally understood what is meant by the cliché phrase “so near yet so far” because if he could, he would want to be right there next to his prince.

It was slightly after midnight did Luhan appeared in front of his humble home again and the first thing he said after “I love you” was to ask his boyfriend for his steamy hot buns.

“Aren’t you sick of eating those buns every day?” Xiumin would ask.

In which Luhan would retort in the midst of munching those buns, “Would you be sick of seeing me every night?” causing the shorter boy to blush again.

“Lu, did you hear the sweet melody that someone hummed to just now?”

The mermaid knew very well what the tune he was referring to but instead, he replied, “No, I didn’t. Why?”

“It’s so beautiful, it reminded me of you.”

The lovebirds talked a lot about their future, about what they plan to do. They might not know what lies ahead of them, but they believed in their love.

The prince isn’t someone who speaks empty words, and even though Luhan doesn’t know that his boyfriend meant every word he said when they discussed about their future, even though he was doubtful if they even have one, Luhan was serious about it too.

Xiumin isn’t a man with many words, he isn’t someone with many promises hang loosely from his tongue, so when he gently held on to Luhan’s soft hands and said, “I’d like to marry you sometime in the future.” It doesn’t take the mermaid to see how genuine he is in his eyes; Luhan felt his strong sincerity, so much so his body was shaking.

“I wish I could keep you forever. Sometimes, I wish I could hide you from the world because only then, perhaps you can be mine and only mine.” Xiumin said, his voice almost a whisper.

“Then let’s hide from everyone. I’m yours to keep, and you’re mine.”

They struggled with balancing between work and love. Even though it was tiring on Xiumin’s part and Luhan have to endure the pain to meet his boyfriend, with concerted effort, everything was possible.

“Lu, did you realised we only meet at night?” The prince asked. “It’s like you’re my night lover.”

It was one of those nights when they’d snuggle up to each other on the small bed with a thin blanket which hardly covered them. Luhan would wrap his arms around his boyfriend and realised how small his prince is. He’d bury his face in Xiumin’s soft hair and breathe in the scent of his hair.

“Lu, how is it like in the city? Is it prettier than the scenery here in this village?” The prince wondered.

The mermaid was glad the only light that shone was from the moon because the darkness helped to cover his frenzy self.

“Lu?”

“No. It’s beautiful here because of you.”

“You’re such a cheesy man.” Xiumin laughed. “Anyway, can you come by in the morning tomorrow? I want to introduce you to my best friend.”

“I- I can’t, Xiumin.” Luhan almost thought he could die from the guilt for rejecting his love for the fourth time, especially when Xiumin sounded hopeful this time.

“Oh, it’s okay then.” Xiumin managed a small smile.

Luhan doesn’t even need to see for himself Xiumin’s disappointed look, he could imagined it in his head. The mermaid gently touched his face and tilts his head so that they are now looking at each other. “Are you upset?”

The prince just looked at him with sad eyes and gave another smile which made Luhan’s heart fell “I thought you’re okay with people not knowing about us?”

Xiumin searched his eyes, and even though the darkness enveloped them, Luhan could see how beautiful the prince’s eyes are, how bright those eyes twinkled. “The struggle is real, Luhan. Sometimes, you don’t want to feel too exposed, but you want your existence to be acknowledged.”

Once Luhan went back to the sea, he went to look for the Sea Witch immediately. Even though he haven’t recover from the pain, but to Luhan his physical pain is nothing compared to seeing his prince’s disappointed look repeatedly.

Luhan asked if there’s a way for his tail to transform into a pair of legs in the morning so that he could fulfil his love’s only request. There is a way, but the transformation