Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They didn’t have guests over very often. On the occasions they decided to be social, it was usually them who did the visiting. So it was a little bit of a surprise when Jongho suddenly told them they had mermaids waiting at the mouth of their cave. 

As Yeosang followed San out of the cave to greet their surprise guests, he thought back on what Hongjoong had said a few days ago. How many humans apparently thought sirens and mermaids were the same thing. To which both Yeosang and Yunho had scoffed. 

They were not the same thing. Yeosang could easily list a number of differences that could be observed on the first glance, he thought as he got a look of the visiting three mermaids. Purple, soft red and pink. Different from Yunho’s pink, Yeosang found himself thinking. 

”Long time no see!” Wooyoung, the most lively of the bunch, chirped as he breezed to wrap himself around San in what was probably supposed to be a hug. Behind him swam Seonghwa and Mingi, a little calmer but still obviously delighted to see them. 

While the sirens were fairly well-built, mermaids often had softer-looking upper bodies, but they more than made up for it with their tails, which were strong and flexible, reminding Yeosang of whales. But perhaps the most notable difference to Yeosang was how... colorful the mermaids always were. Each of them had different colored hair and all of them loved to decorate themselves with bright, sparkly accessories. A stark contrast to the sirens’ uniform dark hair and lack of any decor. 

Now, he knew he was attractive, Yunho had said so many times and Yeosang could honestly see it. San and Jongho had handsome faces too. But the bright, vibrant colors that the mermaids brought with them would definitely steal the show, were there ever such a situation where they would be compared to each other. 

He shook off the thought as he greeted Seonghwa, who gave him a warm smile. That only lasted a few seconds, before Yeosang had a borderline screeching Wooyoung pounce on him. It was one of the moments when he was somewhat grateful that San was such a cuddle bug, it made the more affectionate nature of the mermaids easier to handle. Wooyoung especially didn’t just seem to have any concept of personal space. Not that Yeosang hated being touched. It was just... a lot, especially when he had to be careful not to get tangled into any of Wooyoung’s thin, gold chains that he liked to wear. There were so many, it amazed Yeosang how one could have so many things on them and still be considered bare-chested.  It didn’t last long though, as Wooyoung was soon hurrying to give the same treatment to a loudly protesting Jongho. 

Last, there was Mingi who also gave him a brief hug, and it was admittedly a bit more comfortable one, and much easier for Yeosang to return. 

”Hmm? You’ve met Yunho”, Mingi stated as he pulled back, looking at him with curiosity. The words seemed to get Wooyoung’s and Seonghwa’s attention as well. Yeosang looked back, puzzled. 

”How did you know?” he asked. 

Wait, how did they know Yunho? 

”You have his pin”, Mingi said, pointing at his hair. Yeosang’s hand automatically reached for the hair pin. He had spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to place it neatly, like Yunho had done for him. He hadn’t quite got the hang of it yet, but it still looked pretty on him. 

”He gave it to me”, Yeosang replied, a little embarrassed as he realized how defensive he sounded for no reason. Mingi laughed quietly in response. 

”I can see that”, he said. 

”It suits you well, Sangie”, Wooyoung chimed in. 

Mermaids were always so affectionate, Yeosang thought as he let the two coo over him and arrange the pin slightly better (completely unprompted, but he didn’t mind). Wooyoung moved on into the cave pretty soon, along with the others, leaving only Mingi and Yeosang to the entrance. 

”I can’t believe he agreed to part with that”, Mingi said, so quiet and mostly to himself, Yeosang almost failed to catch it. 

”Hm?”

”The pin. I asked Yunho to give it to me once and he refused”, the mermaid explained, a strange, knowing smile on his lips. For some reason, it tickled the possessive part of Yeosang’s mind. 

”Well, maybe he likes me more”, he stated, sticking out his tongue tauntingly. It only got a good-natured laugh out of Mingi. 

”Maybe. Try not to eat him”, he shrugged, patting his shoulder. Yeosang huffed. 

”I literally can’t, since he’s like the only human in the world immune to my song.”

For some reason, that got an even bigger laugh out of Mingi. 

”Yunho has always been weird. Don’t worry about it, love”, he said as they moved into the cave to join the others. 

Yeosang couldn’t help but think there was something Mingi had left unsaid. He looked too amused. 

”So you know the mermaids that live nearby?” 

Yunho raised his brows, like he had been expecting the question. Yeosang hoped he hadn’t sounded accusing. 

”Of course I do”, the human nodded. 
”I met them way before I met you. How so?”

”They came to visit and Mingi recognized that this belonged to you”, Yeosang pointed at the hairpin. Yunho had once again put it in his hair for him. Yeosang thought he had done a good job this time by himself, but hadn’t protested. It felt nice to let Yunho play with his hair a little. 

”Of course”, Yunho sighed with a chuckle. 
”Nothing ever gets past him. Expect him to point out every single thing I give you, I think he knows well that sirens don’t really gather things the way mermaids do.”

Yeosang hummed, looking at the beaded bracelet Yunho had given him today. It had been a lot more unceremonious than the pin, as Yunho had simply taken his hand and slipped the bracelet on his wrist without saying a thing. Not that Yeosang minded at all. He liked all of Yunho’s gifts, no matter if they were food or something pretty he could wear. All the attention he was showered in often made his face heat up so bad that he was afraid he would combust, but he liked it nonetheless. It made him feel special. 

The only negative side he could point out was the small twinge of regret, of not having anything to give back. Yeosang wasn’t a mermaid, he didn’t have a collection of pretty things he could choose gifts from. But so far, Yunho didn’t seem to mind not getting anything in return. He simply wrapped his arm around Yeosang’s shoulders and told him about his visit to an astronomy tower, where one could apparently see the stars even better than from the beach.  

The visits kept coming regularly, as did the shiny, pretty gifts. And Yeosang almost got used to the teasing it earned him from San and Jongho every time he came back. 

”He’s turning you into a second Wooyoung”, Jongho stated as he fiddled with the chain of a necklace Yeosang was wearing, ignoring the smack on the wrist it got him. 

”This isn’t even a third of everything Wooyoung wears”, Yeosang huffed, yanking the necklace back. 
”He’s not turning me into anything.”

”He’s turning you lovesick, that much is obvious”, San quipped, snickering at his protesting grumble. 
”Our Yeosangie has a crush~”

”Shut up”, Yeosang crossed his arms with a pout, though it did nothing to stop their knowing smiles. Yes, they were absolutely right, but did they have to be annoying about it? 

And could you really blame him? Yunho was handsome, just as kind as Yeosang thought he would be the first time he saw him, and gave him nice things. Easy to talk to as well.. Yeosang could have gone on for at least an hour, listing all the positive things he could think of Yunho, and he probably would still have forgotten some. 

So yeah, he couldn’t really deny it, and San and Jongho would never shut up about it. 

Though they did at least change their approach, after having had enough of the teasing. 

”So, are you going to tell him?” Jongho asked. 

”... should I?” Yeosang frowned, unsure. The two other sirens looked at him in a way that said he had just asked a really stupid question. 

”Why wouldn’t you?” San asked. 

Right, why wouldn’t Yeosang tell Yunho how he felt? In theory, it sounded very simple. 

But in practice, Yeosang could see several obstacles in the way. The first, and maybe the simplest to overcome, were his own stupid nerves, of course. But he could get over himself, he thought, he could gather the courage to actually share his feelings. 

Then there were the other things. Like the fact that he was a siren and Yunho was a human. Yeosang wasn’t exactly equipped to function in human society, and unless Yunho knew how to grow a pair of gills, they couldn’t really do much besides meet on the beach. Which, while nice, wasn’t how relationships were supposed to work. 

Yeosang flinched when San poked him in between the ribs. 

”I can hear you overthinking”, he stated, his smile had shifted into something more encouraging. 
”You can tell him. You have nothing to lose.”

”Besides a valuable friendship”, Yeosang retorted, but San didn’t seem to agree. 

”Well, if he refuses to be friends with you after you tell him how much you care about him, he wasn’t a very good friend to begin with, in my opinion”, Jongho stated. 

Yeosang didn’t think it was all that simple, but he decided not to say it out loud. Instead, he moved on to the next obstacle he could see. 

How would he tell Yunho? And how to make him actually believe him?

Sirens didn’t really court their love interests. At least to Yeosang’s knowledge, though he had to admit, he didn’t have much knowledge on the matter. Such was the downside of living only as a flock of three, with no other sirens anywhere nearby. So Yeosang wasn’t sure how to get the message across, aside from just saying it. 

And even if he just blurted it out... how would he make sure that Yunho wouldn’t think he was joking, or that the whole thing was a ploy to get a chance to eat him? 

Well, now that he put it that way, Yeosang could recognize how ridiculous the thought was, but for some reason he couldn’t quite drop it. But perhaps he should look at it in a different way.

Namely, that he probably shouldn’t just confess out of absolutely nowhere. It would be better to do something else first. To carefully test the waters, so to speak, to see if the interest was mutual. 

Yes, that sounded like a good idea, Yeosang thought, congratulating his brain for finally coming up with something useful. But then there was the final obstacle. 

How would he do that? 

He glanced at Jongho and San, who were busy bullying each other over who knows what, having forgotten him and his crush for a moment. Yeah, they weren’t going to be helpful in any way. Yeosang would have to get advice from someone else. 

Unfortunately, there weren’t that many options available for him. Hongjoong would have been probably the best person to ask, since the human was good friends with Yunho, and well-versed in human ways of courting, for obvious reasons. But Yeosang had no way to contact him, so he had to be ruled out. 

Which meant, he would have to ask the mermaids for help. 

He was confident they would at least try to give honest advice. The mermaids didn’t seem all that mischievous, and they all liked Yeosang, so he was feeling optimistic. 

Now, as Yeosang left to visit them, he had no idea which one of them would be the best one to ask. He really hoped he wouldn’t have to ask Mingi. He would surely get all smug about it, especially since he had been the one to notice Yunho’s hair pin in the first place. But Wooyoung probably would tease him almost as much as San or Jongho did. So perhaps Seonghwa would be the best. Though he always seemed so preoccupied with something, maybe he wouldn’t have time to help Yeosang...

Honestly, he would probably settle on whoever he managed to find first. 

The sun was already starting to set when he made his way towards the mermaids’ terrain. It wasn’t the best time to visit, but he had gotten caught up with San and Jongho, as they had each tried to wiggle out of the responsibility of getting food for tonight. For once, he had been victorious and left Jongho whining about his fate. 

A large mermaid swam past him at one point, almost hitting him in the face with their  tail. Yeosang frowned as he whipped around, only to see that the rude mermaid was already nothing but a figure in the distance. Either his friends had guests or Mingi’s tail had changed color during the last few days. 

The mermaids lived a little further from the shore, but their residence was still easy to find. Yeosang remembered Wooyoung telling him that larger pods and societies had constructed larger palaces underwater, though Yeosang doubted that they were actually as fancy as the mermaids claimed them to be. 

Their friends, however, lived inside a sunken ship. It was a large, metallic monstrosity, certainly not the biggest vessel that had ever sailed, but Yeosang couldn’t help but wonder what mermaids did with all that space. He also had to respect how despite all the rust and creaking, they had somehow managed to make it actually a rather nice place to live in. 

He didn’t even have to bang on any of the cabin doors, when someone already swam out, apparently having noticed his approach. 

”Oh, Yeosangie? Didn’t expect to see you here”, Wooyoung sounded delighted. 
”Did you come to see me, starfish?”

Mermaids and their never ending endearments, Yeosang rolled his eyes in playful exasperation. 

”Kind of. You’ll do”, he said. 
”I need a little help and San and Jongho are not going to cut it.”

Wooyoung’s brows rose in surprise. 

”Oh? What kind of help?” he asked. 

Now, he had to actually admit the whole thing. Yeosang took a moment to compose himself. 

”Umm... you know Yunho”, he started, and tried not to blush as a knowing smile spread on Wooyoung’s lips.

”Of course”, the mermaid said sweetly. 
”What about him?”

... all he had to do was to spit it out and be done with it. He didn’t have all evening. 

”... I like him”, Yeosang was himself surprised by how easily the words came out. 
”And I think he might like me back?”

”Mmmhmm”, Wooyoung nodded. 
”And what is it that you need my help for?”

”Well, um... I’m not sure how to tell him”, the siren tried hard not to squirm. 
”You know, since I’m a siren and he’s a human... so I just want to be sure that he doesn’t think I’m trying to trick him. And that I haven’t misunderstood him, you know?” 

A strange expression flashed on Wooyoung’s face, his mouth falling open, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, so Yeosang didn’t question it. 

”Okay then”, Wooyoung eventually nodded. 
”So... you think he likes you back?”

”I mean, he keeps bringing me gifts...”

Yeosang ended up explaining most of their encounters and everything Yunho had given him in great detail. And every second he could see Wooyoung grow even more amused. 

”And- what?” he interrupted himself, frowning at the mermaid, who was quietly giggling behind his hand. 

”Oh nothing”, he was quick to reply. 
”It’s just that what you’re describing to me is pretty much the exact way how we mermaids court whoever we’re interested in.” 

... oh. That was not what he had expected. But now that he thought of it, he could see it. It sounded like a very mermaid thing to do. 

It didn’t explain why Yunho was doing it, but Mingi had said the human was just weird. And sirens didn’t really do the courting thing at all, and even if they had, Yeosang doubted Yunho would have known their ways. Perhaps he thought that what worked for mermaids would also work for Yeosang. 

He was absolutely correct, Yeosang thought as he shook his head, focusing on Wooyoung again. 

”So...”

”So what I’m saying”, Wooyoung giggled. 
”Is that there is no doubt that he likes you. Now you just have to respond.”

He sounded so certain that Yeosang couldn’t help but believe it. Yunho liked him. The thought caused a warm feeling to surge through his entire body. He liked that feeling a lot. 

”Okay. How do I do that?” he asked, hoping his blush wasn’t too visible in what little light they still had left. 

”Well, I know you guys don’t really do this sort of thing”, Wooyoung started. 
”But I guess you could do it like we do it? I mean you’ve already been accepting his gifts, so that indicates he has a chance to impress you... but to really show him you like him back, you should give him a gift too.”

It sounded simple enough, and something that would definitely get the message across, or so Yeosang hoped. Wooyoung at least seemed certain, so maybe he should too. 

But what could he give? Sirens didn’t hoard things, in fact they barely gathered anything they didn’t explicitly need, unlike mermaids. Yeosang knew they often went on long scavenging trips, exploring sunken ships and their treasures, sometimes even the garbage patches as well, for less glamorous plastic ”treasures”, or anything they could make use of. 

Wooyoung, thankfully, seemed to be one step ahead of him again. 

”How about we go scavenging tomorrow?” he proposed. 
”I know a few good spots! We’ll find something pretty you can give him!”

Yeosang didn’t need any more persuasion. 

”Sounds good”, he nodded, grateful that Wooyoung was willing to help. Said mermaid smiled cheerfully. 

”Great! Come back in the morning and I’ll lead us there!”

Yeosang took his leave shortly after, as it was getting late and he really didn’t want to get lost in the dark waters. Wooyoung waved him goodbye before returning inside the ship. As Yeosang turned, he heard him talk to someone.

”I can’t believe he STILL hasn’t told him!”

Huh, he really was that obvious, if they had realized Yeosang’s crush ages ago? Oh goodness, he must be so transparent, it was embarrassing. 

Yeosang shook his head and swam away, hurrying home without listening to what Seonghwa’s voice exactly replied to Wooyoung. 

The next day, Wooyoung first took him to one of the garbage patches. While Yeosang pointed out that as a human, Yunho likely wouldn’t have any use for something fellow humans had thrown away, the mermaid simply waved his hand dismissively and explained that it was much more likely they would find something Yunho would like from here. Most treasure ships had likely been looted already by them or other mermaid pods that lived nearby, or humans had come back to look for what they had lost. 

And he was right, Yeosang had to admit. 

Because despite feeling slightly grossed out at having to dig through all the trash and being certain he had ended up with more plastic in his system than was healthy, he did find something. 

That something ended up being a small bag full of colorful, hollow beads. He fished it out among  many other similar bags. Wooyoung squealed victoriously when Yeosang presented his loot. 

”Ooh, good choice! He’ll love those!”

Yeosang wasn’t as certain. In fact, he felt a bit silly. Yunho could get the same thing anytime he wanted. And it was something he literally picked out among trash that humans had thrown away. 

Wooyoung, however, was having none of his second guessing. But after a bit of debating, they agreed on a compromise that Yeosang should probably find something to go along with the beads. Luckily, he did come up with an idea of his own. 

Humans loved shiny things almost as much as mermaids did, right? And they loved pearls, especially. So after leaving the garbage patch they proceeded to search for clams. They managed to find several with pearls inside, and Yeosang easily persuaded the clam with the biggest and shiniest pearl to part with it. 

He felt slightly more confident now, clutching onto his findings as they headed back to his cave with Wooyoung. 

”By the way”, Wooyoung said when they briefly surfaced, close to the empty beach. 
”How did you meet Yunho?”

”Tried to lure him but for some reason he’s like the only person in the universe besides other sirens that are immune to my song”, Yeosang huffed, thinking back to said first meeting. He still felt a little embarrassed. 

”That’s not true, though”, Wooyoung said. 
”All mermaids are immune to you guys.” 

Wait, what?

”Really?” Yeosang asked, surprised. For some reason, that had never come up before. Then again, he never recalled singing in their presence either. 

”You can test if you want”, Wooyoung suggested. 
”I want to hear your song. I’ve heard Jongho’s and San’s, but not yours.”

Yeosang could have argued that it didn’t mean he was immune since the sirens weren’t exactly in the habit of eating their friendly neighbors but chose not to, as Wooyoung looked at him with pleading, eager eyes. Instead he just decided to humor him and sing for a bit. And true to his word, Wooyoung didn’t seem to fall under his enchantment like humans (sans Yunho) did. Instead, he just clapped his hands cheerfully when Yeosang finished. 

”I love that you all sing to me about shiny things”, he said. Yeosang laughed quietly. Of course, he should have known that’s what he was singing about this time. Mermaids loved their shiny things. 

Briefly, he wondered what he had sung about when he had met Yunho. He had never told him, and Yeosang couldn’t really tell himself...

Wow, one man really could make himself home in his head so well that Yeosang couldn’t go more than a few minutes without thinking of him, huh? He was suddenly very, very grateful that his desires couldn’t be revealed like the others’. A siren’s mind was shielded even from their own songs. 

Then again, it’s not like he was subtle. He looked down at his hands and the gifts he had picked. He couldn’t wait to give them. 

He didn’t end up giving them on the next time he met with Yunho. 

Though to be fair, that was probably only because Hongjoong had tagged along again, and while Yeosang was happy to see the blue-haired man again, he wanted to give his gifts when they were alone with Yunho. So he hid his gifts for now, and simply enjoyed the company and the snacks offered to him, delighted that both Yunho and Hongjoong remembered which ones were his favorites. 

”He hasn’t shut up about you”, Hongjoong leaned closer to talk to him when Yunho’s back was turned for a moment. 

”Really?”

”Yeah, I don’t think he can go two sentences without mentioning you again”, Hongjoong chuckled. Yeosang hid his face behind his hand as he felt his cheeks heat up, quietly glancing at Yunho, who was packing up their trash. 

”... you don’t think it’s weird or anything?” Yeosang asked quietly.

”Hm?”

”You know, human and siren...”

A strange, surprised expression took over Hongjoong’s face for a second, before he shook his head. 

”I don’t think you have anything to worry about”, he stated with confidence. Yeosang was about to ask for clarification, but it was that moment when Yunho had finished picking up their trash and had started talking again. 

Well, it was reassuring to hear that, but Yeosang couldn’t help but feel that there was something Hongjoong had left unsaid. Something he should realize. 

... oh well. He managed to make sure that Yunho would visit him tomorrow, at least. He would make his move then. 

Yeosang was used to having to wait for Yunho in the mornings, when he was the first one lounging on the rocks, looking forward to their moments together. Apparently, Yunho was - at least according to the man himself - notorious for sleeping in and it always took him a while to get himself up and running. 

So he had kind of gotten used to the sight of the human stumbling towards him, with his head as a third leg as he hurried to their meeting spot. Yeosang grimaced as he saw Yunho almost slip and hit his knee. 

”I’m okay, I’m okay!” the human flashed him a grin, apparently having noticed the face he made. 

”Okay, I believe you”, Yeosang said, grinning back. Now, this was the moment...

”I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m in a bit of a hurry this morning, so I can’t stay for long”, Yunho’s face turned apologetic. Yeosang blinked. Wait, what?

”I have some important things to do”, Yunho said. 
”But I wanted to come see you quickly, since you asked... don’t really have anything nice for you today, sorry.”

”It’s okay”, Yeosang replied quickly. 

Now, do it now, he told himself. Before Yunho would have to leave and he would once again miss his chance because he took too long to gather courage. 

”I... actually I have something for you.”

Yunho’s brows raised in surprise.

”Oh? You do?” 

Why did he sound like he hadn’t expected it? At least Wooyoung had claimed that he was using the same tactics as mermaids did, and Yeosang thought the feeling was pretty obviously mutual. 

Oh well. He brought out the bag of beads and the shiny pearl with a pink hue he had gathered, presenting them to Yunho and willing his hands to not shake, despite his nerves trying to get the best of him. 

”Um...” Yeosang quietly swallowed as Yunho stared at his offerings and slowly knelt on the rock. 
”I don’t think I can give you anything useful, but I just thought they were pretty...”

He cut himself off when Yunho leaned closer, giving him a smile that was almost giddy. 

”Thank you, darling”, he said, opening his palm for Yeosang to place his gifts on. 
”Ooh, did you have the pearl already or did you go looking? It’s really pretty!”

”I found it for you”, Yeosang replied quietly. Yunho hummed as he pocketed the gifts.

”Thank you.”

Yeosang didn’t get to reply when he felt a pair of lips brush against his forehead, making his cheeks heat up to what must be a dangerous temperature. 

He was no stranger to kisses. It was impossible to be when you lived with San. But this felt different. 

He could have sworn Yunho was almost glowing when their eyes met again. And he was certain he himself had blushed all over, face, ears and all the way down to his neck. 

”Now, I really have to go, I’ve got a lot to do”, Yunho said, sounding disappointed. 
”But, can we meet tomorrow, at sunset? I have something to tell you.”

”What’s with him?” Jongho raised a brow as Yeosang couldn’t stop wiggling around, trying to calm himself down. 

”He’s just impatient that he has to wait for his prince”, San quipped, dodging Yeosang’s attempt to shove him. 

”Shut up”, Yeosang grumbled. Yes, he was a little impatient and nervous, but honestly, could you blame him? Especially when he tried to imagine what exactly it was that Yunho was about to tell him. 

His rational side was certain that it wouldn’t be anything bad. But there was a small part in him that tried to convince the rest of Yeosang that it would mean Yunho hadn’t really liked his gifts, that he wasn’t actually interested and the whole thing had been a misunderstanding. Despite all evidence pointing to the other way, he just quite couldn’t shake off the tiniest ”what if” that stuck to the back of his mind.  

”Hmm.” He snapped out of his thoughts and flinched back when Jongho pushed his face close, tilting his head inquisitively.

”That’s not the face of someone dreaming of their prince.”

Yeosang pressed his palm against the younger siren’s face, pushing him back and ignoring the ensuing protests. 

”I’m just thinking”, he huffed. 
”Is that not allowed?”

”That’s encouraged, actually, you should do it as much as you can”, San stated. 
”Unless you’re thinking stupid thoughts. What is it?”

Yeosang sighed. 

”Yunho said he needs to tell me something tonight”, he said. Maybe it was best to reveal it all to these two. They would find out anyway. 

”And?” Jongho asked. 
”Why are you nervous? What else is there for him to tell, other than to confess his undying love for you?”

”That I’ve actually got it all wrong and he’s only been curious about me as a siren and doesn’t really like me like that?” Yeosang offered. 
”Or that he changed his mind and doesn’t think it’s going to work out?”

San and Jongho glance at each other, then slowly turn their heads towards him. Their faces give Yeosang a clear message, that what he just let out of his mouth is the stupidest thing they’ve heard today. Which is quite an achievement, considering all of them talk about stupid nonsense constantly. 

”I changed my mind”, San said, shaking his head. 
”You should stop thinking immediately. Keep that head empty.” 

”Hey!” Yeosang pouted. 

”Seriously”, Jongho sighed. 
”You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

”How can you two be so sure?” Yeosang asked, frowning. 
”You haven’t even met him!”

”No, but we talked with the mermaids, who have”, San retorted. 
”And they’re fully convinced that you both are so smitten with each other that it leaves no space for any kind of misunderstanding.” 

”That doesn’t remove the biggest problem”, Yeosang argued, causing the two to look at each other again, and then at him once more. 

”Oh Goddess... I didn’t realize he’s stupid”, Jongho said, sounding amused and ignoring Yeosang’s offended noise. 

”He’s good at hiding it most of the time”, San giggled, reaching to pat Yeosang’s head. 
”Just trust us, okay? It will work out easier than you think.” 

Yeosang frowned, but allowed himself to be pet, though he crossed his arms over his chest to signal he definitely wasn’t happy about it. The two behaved like they knew something he didn’t, but what he absolutely should. It was more than a little frustrating at this point, as he had noticed similar signs from almost everyone else. 

What was it that he didn’t understand? 

As the sun began to set, Yeosang was ready at the beach, lounging on the familiar rock, waiting for Yunho to show up. And growing just a little more nervous by every passing minute. 

But everyone else was so convinced... so he shouldn’t worry too much, right? 

Then again, Yeosang wasn’t sure if they had considered the difficult question. Such as how they could even be together, and that humans were part of the siren diet, which honestly probably should have been kind of a deal breaker. It was a testament to how weird Yunho was that it didn’t seem to bother him that much, at least as long as Yeosang wasn’t about to snack on anyone he cared about. 

Though to be fair, even Hongjoong hadn’t been too fazed. 

”You can’t really help your nature” , the man had shrugged. 
”Though it would be nice if you avoided it as much as you can, when other options exist.” 

Maybe that was a good way to look at it... but humans were tasty...

”What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

Yeosang almost rolled back into the water as he was startled out of his thoughts. 

”When did you get here?” he frowned at Yunho, who laughed as he parked himself beside him. 

”Just now, to see you all distracted”, he replied. Yeosang made a face before running a hand through his damp hair. He had to focus. 

Yunho stretched his arms up, groaning. 

”Ugh, I’ve been running around the whole day.”

Humans were so busy all the time, Yeosang thought. It was kind of interesting, seeing as sirens rarely had much to do during the days besides looking for sustenance or just playing around in general. It was almost ridiculous how simple his life must be compared to Yunho’s. 

How could they make that work? 

”You said you had something to tell me?” Yeosang asked. It was better to get this out of the way. He needed to know where they stood, that he had understood everything right, so he could move on to those other problems they needed to address. 

Yunho straightened up slightly, turning to look at him. It was the most serious look Yeosang had ever seen on his face.

”Yeosang. I like you, I like you so much”, he started. 
”Honestly, I should have told you this way earlier, but it got a bit hectic and weird and I wasn’t quite sure how you would react-”

”It’s alright”, Yeosang interrupted quickly. 
”I like you as well. I didn’t realize you were doing the mermaid courting thing until I asked Wooyoung for help, because I wasn’t sure how to tell you how I felt...”

He trailed off, carefully observing Yunho’s reaction, which seemed to land somewhere between joy and slight confusion. 

”No wonder you found these, then. I thought you might have asked for scavenging help”, he chuckled, gesturing to his hair. It was only then that Yeosang noticed the plastic beads decorating Yunho’s hair. He didn’t know what dark magic was used to keep them from falling off the strands, but he loved how they brought even more pretty colors, forming a pretty harmony with the peachy pink hair. 

Yeosang could feel the excitement pooling in his heart as he stared at the beads, unable to keep a delighted smile from his face. Yunho looked so incredibly pretty in the soft sunset light. 

He hated to break the moment, but he had to. 

”So... you’re not bothered?” he asked. 

”By what?” Yunho tilted his head, confused. 

”You know, I’m a literal man-eater like you said, and-”

”And a very cute one at that”, Yunho interrupted. 
”You know what, how about we go have a quick swim, and talk more after that?”

Yeosang frowned. What a strange request. Or rather, it seemed like it was something that would happen regardless of what he said. Yunho had already hopped on his feet and was in the process of taking off his shirt. 

”Um... sure? It gets really deep in here really fast, though”, he warned. Humans weren’t as strong swimmers. Honestly, even sirens weren’t as strong as mermaids and other inhabitants of the sea. Yeosang vaguely remembered some tale he had heard of their ancestors that had lived on land, but wasn’t sure if that explained anything. 

”It can be dangerous for humans...”

”Don’t worry”, Yunho had moved to take off his pants and Yeosang had to try (and fail) to will himself to not look down. The man didn’t seem to mind, however, as he only shot him a grin. 

”I’m no ordinary boy.” 

It sounded like there was a joke somewhere to be found in those words, but Yeosang had no idea where. It was only made obvious due to Yunho’s habit to giggle at his own jokes. 

Yunho folded his clothes haphazardly, fishing a couple stones to prevent the wind from snatching them. He glanced at Yeosang, who still wasn’t sure where he was supposed to look and gave him a bright smile. 

”Let’s go then?”

With an impressive leap, he dived into the waters, away from the shallows with a speed Yeosang hadn’t expected. He scrambled to dive after him, hoping he wouldn’t lose him in the waters as it would soon get dark. 

Yeosang considered himself to have pretty good eyesight, even in the dark he could see quite well. But he couldn’t see Yunho anywhere when he dove underwater. How could the man swim so fast that he was already out of sight? 

He yelped as he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist and he was pulled back. 

”Over here”, he heard Yunho’s voice right next to his ear as his back met the man’s chest. Yeosang almost melted into the touch, but something was a little off. As he pressed himself against the other, he could feel it. 

As he reached back with his hand, his fingers didn’t meet a leg, but a tail. 

A tail like a whale's. Like a mermaid. 

Yeosang’s mouth fell open in shock, and he wiggled to turn around, a task made much easier as Yunho let go of him. 

At first he thought he was just seeing things. But no, the longer he looked, the more he became convinced that this was real. 

Yunho didn’t have legs anymore. They had been replaced by a large, gorgeous tail. When he looked up, Yeosang saw that his smile had turned apologetic. 

”This is what I wanted to tell you”, he said. 
”I, uh...”

”You’re a mermaid?” Yeosang finished the sentence for him, still looking at him in slight shock. 

”Yeah”, Yunho nodded. 
”But as you saw, I can turn into a human.”

Yeosang blinked. He had never heard of such a thing, not even considered it could be possible. Yet it must be true. He had seen Yunho walk on two legs, and now his tail was obviously there. 

”So you-”

”I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you, I promise”, Yunho interrupted him. 
”It’s just- well, the first time I met you, I was in human form. And well, I’ve never met anyone like me either, so I wasn’t sure how to explain it, and I was going to tell you, but I kind of got nervous for some reason and I was crushing on you so hard and I got scared that you’d be mad at me for not telling you...”

He trailed off as he looked at Yeosang, who had never expected that Yunho could ever look as insecure, as he now suddenly did. 

It was then that Yeosang realized he hadn’t been the only one who was unsure of if they were going to make this work. 

And now that he thought about it... this reveal actually made things less complicated than one would have imagined. 

”I’m not mad”, he said as Yunho seemed to grow more nervous. 
”Surprised, of course... but I was so worried that you wouldn’t want to be with me.”

Yunho let out a small laugh. 

”How could you even come to that conclusion, darling?” he asked. 
”I’ve been courting you for over a month.” 

”And it took me forever to realize what you were doing!” Yeosang retorted, crossing his arms. 
”But now everything makes so much more sense! Like how you weren’t fazed at all that I tried to eat you!”

”Mm, I don’t mind if you have a tiny nibble every now and then, but I rather like living”, Yunho chuckled. 
”So, do you feel like we can be together now?”

He brought his hand on Yeosang’s cheek, making him look up at him. Yeosang found himself leaning into the touch. He nodded. 

”Yes, I want that”, he said, swimming an inch closer and bringing his arms around Yunho’s neck, pulling him in. 
”I want you to be mine, Yunho.” 

Yunho smiled, happily pressing himself closer until their lips brushed against each other. 

”Then be mine, Yeosang, and I’ll gladly be yours”, he said before closing the gap, leading them into a soft kiss. 

It was sweet and short, and still enough to make Yeosang vibrate with happiness and make his heart race so fast that for a moment he was scared he would burst into pieces. 

He couldn’t wait for more. 

They returned to the shore a couple minutes later, to make sure Yunho’s clothes were still there, and for Yeosang to receive his first kiss on land. Kind of. 

”I was a bit scared you wouldn’t want to be with me since humans really can’t live in the sea”, Yeosang confessed as they laid down on the largest rock together, with Yunho’s arm wrapped around him as he pressed against his side. 

”You know, even if I was just human, I fell for you so hard that I would have come up with something”, Yunho said. 
”But this certainly makes things easier. And I think my pod will be happy that I’m going to spend more time here than on land for once.”

His pod... Yeosang froze for a moment. Yunho’s pod. Hold on. 

No way. 

”They’re your pod”, he said. 
”Wooyoung, Mingi and Seonghwa. They’re your pod!”

He glanced at Yunho, who wore a slightly guilty smile. 

”They are”, he nodded. 
”We haven’t met, because I spend so much time on land... though I almost ran into you that one night when you went to see Wooyoung.”

”That was you?!” Yeosang remembered how he had almost got a tail to his face.

”Yeah... sorry about that.” 

That’s how they knew Yunho. How Mingi knew so well what kind of hair pins Yunho owned, and the weird, knowing looks they had been giving him.

... and it explained why San and Jongho had been so sure nothing would go wrong. 

Did everyone else know? 

”They all knew?! I’m the only one who’s been an idiot?” he groaned, hiding his face into Yunho’s side. He felt the mermaid shake with quiet laughter.

”Sorry, darling”, he said. 
”I wanted to tell you myself, so I asked them not to say anything.”

Well, Yeosang could appreciate that... but still, he was annoyed that Jongho and San had figured everything out before he did. He let out a frustrated wail. Those two hellspawns must have been laughing at his stupidity for a good while. 

Yunho only laughed when he voiced this complaint. 

”Don’t worry, sweetheart. You can always get revenge”, he comforted. 
”I’ll help you plan.”

”They will never make fun of me again”, Yeosang vowed, wrapping his arms around Yunho’s torso in a tight hug. 

”Now, that would take a miracle, based on what you’ve told me, but I’m sure we can knock them down a peg.”

”We will”, Yeosang nodded, giving Yunho a determined squeeze, which caused the mermaid to make an exaggerated noise, like a deflating balloon. 

”Now, before we get to that, I was wondering if you could sing to me again”, Yunho said, turning his head to look at him. 
”You know, I think you did manage to enchant me after all.”

Yeosang rolled his eyes as the mermaid laughed, but couldn’t help but smile back. 

”I’m glad I did.”

”So, can I hear your song again?”

”If you insist.”