Before we Begin: Merpeople are interesting to write, even if it's for a snippet like this.

Kris liked going to the beach in the evenings. There was next to no one on the sand, and he could stroll along the shoreline deep in his thoughts without being disturbed by anyone. The sand felt cool under his bare feet as he let the tide lap at his ankles, washing away all the sand that had stuck to his toes during his walk. The water was surprisingly warm for mid-autumn too, making it the perfect temperature for pondering all the things in his life that he was trying to work out.

“Excuse me, could you please help me?”

Like why there’d be another person on the beach at this time.

Kris walked over to the origin of the voice – a crop of smooth boulders that had been polished by the waves – and ducked his head around the corner, spying a young woman trying to wiggle her torso free of the natural trap of the rocks. Her long hair was pulled from her face in a thick braid and it dripped with seawater, her golden eyes rimmed red with her frustration of being caught. There was a single crystal dangling from around her neck as a sort of pendant, similar crystals ringing her wrists as bracelets.

“Were you the one calling for help?” he asked, tilting his head at the situation. The young woman looked up.

“Yes, I was! I saw you walking toward me and I hoped that you could hear me and – Eek!” Kris had scrambled up the rocks during her fast talking and hooked his arms underneath hers, ready to tug her free of the trap.

“One, two…three!” With one swift yank the two of them flew off the boulders and onto the sand, her on top of him. Kris groaned; she wasn’t heavy, but the sudden change in weight had really got to him. He looked down at the young woman…and down…and down…and down…

“Please don’t tell anyone!” she hissed at him, spying where his eyes were going. She lifted the fin of her long emerald tail out of the water just to show it off, all iridescent colours and shines for Kris’ eyes to see. The fishy scales trailed up her body and curled themselves around her torso as a sort of modesty for her chest, the transition from scale to skin looking as smooth as each component itself. Her ears were pointed slightly, two green fins sitting behind them on her head as a sort of decoration, while more fins of a similar shape lined the sides of what he assumed were her hips.

“Wha…” was all he could squeak out.

“Yes, I’m a mermaid. Yes, I got stuck in the rocks because a wave threw me in there. Please don’t tell anyone! We’re not bad; we protect the humans that live and work around here!” she squawked, snapping Kris out of his stupor. He blinked at the high pitch her voice had risen too, desperate for him to concede with her request.

“…you live here?” was all he managed to formulate.

“Yeah! Me and my cousin and his bride and – oh no!” She clapped a wet hand to , “I was supposed to be finding coral for Baekhyun’s crown for his wedding!” She slid down Kris’ body back toward the waves, “I have to go!” Before she could make it to the deeper area of the beach Kris grabbed her arm, forcing her eyes to meet his.

“Can I see you again?” he asked, “I promise I won’t tell anyone about you living here.” It was an excuse to get away from his house again. The mermaid’s face twisted with her thought, befire she brightened up and smiled.

“Of course! I’ll meet you here tomorrow night, same time. Okay?” Kris let her go so she could shimmy back into the water, “By the way, my name’s Tora!” With a wave, she splashed away. Kris watched the gleam off her green tail disappear beneath the dark water before standing up and examining himself.

Maybe he could explain the wet patches with “I tripped over my own two feet and fell face first into the water.” That’d have Jongdae laughing long enough to ignore everything else he would have added to the story, that’s for sure. Besides, who was going to believe him when he said that merpeople lived in the same waters that Luhan liked to skinny dip in?

Author's Note: ...I bet you all envisioned Luhan going skinny dipping.

-GuardianOfTheDawn :3