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In Monster Hill, the small lake at the back of the neighborhood is home to Junmyeon, Lord of Pearls of the Mer Kingdom. The merman’s sparkling moonlight water-dance show on Halloween night is one that must not be missed. The wooden bleachers, four seats high, are completely full, and the audience sits in hushed anticipation.
Junmyeon watches from under the dark waters of his lake. A soft smile graces his lips and he flips his fin hard to quickly dive back to the bottom where his vanity and full-length mirror are. He curves his tail and settles back on it as he checks his reflection one last time.
Midnight blue hair, silver eyes, and soft rose lips. The pearlescent scales over his cheeks and between his brows look like the perfect highlight. His torso is pale as moonlight and perfectly cut to showcase every one of his slim muscles. After a rigorous cleaning that morning, his tail scales shine and shimmer with the barest of flips. Junmyeon has adorned his supernatural beauty with thin golden chains that hold precious gems about his waist. Interlaced bracelets grace his forearms, a pair of black pearls dangle from his ears. The most magnificent piece is the pearl and diamond diadem, a precious family heirloom that enhances his magic.
Junmyeon smiles. Showtime.
After swimming to the middle of the small lake, Junmyeon hangs suspended. He closes his eyes and reaches for his magic, extending it through the dark waters and bending it to his will. When he’s ready, Junmyeon opens his mouth and sings.
* * *
The only reason why Yixing agreed to do anything this Halloween is because his BFF Luhan threatened to cash in the lost tattoo bet. Not eager to get a sparkly unicorn with a banner underneath that says HORNY tattooed onto his ass, Yixing very reluctantly agreed.
They’d stopped by a few other houses by now—an empty vampire mausoleum with a sign that said “be back after a quick drink,” then some guy raising bone pets, and now this lake. They’ve been sitting here waiting for at least fifteen minutes, but Luhan refuses to leave.
Yixing leans forward settling his elbows over his knees and staring at the placid lake. “I’m bored.”
Luhan knocks their shoulders together. “Chill dude. I promise it’ll be worth it.”
“I do not trust you. Your tastes are questionable,” Yixing deadpans.
Luhan laughs. “Wanna bet?”
Yixing sits up, smirking at his friend. This is their thing. This is what makes life interesting. “What are the terms?”
Luhan bites his lower lip, eyes on the calm, dark waters. “Skinny dipping. If you hate it, I jump in. If you love it, you jump in.”
They shake hands on it just as an ethereal note echoes from the lake. They sit back and watch as the water begins to spin. A whirlpool starts to form in the center. Water spouts erupt all around like fountain jets. They shoot high into the night, the water droplets falling like silver rain in the moonlight.
The whirlpool contracts and closes with a splash. It spins upward like a tornado and right on top of it…a merman decked out in jewels.
Yixing’s mouth wants to drop open, but he feels Luhan’s eyes on him, examining his reaction. So, he maintains his expression neutral, and says, “A blinged out fish? Shocking.”
Luhan punches his shoulder. “Don’t be a dick. Junmyeon is amazing.”
The merman sings a haunting tune perched on his water-twister throne, while streams and jets of water dance all around the lake. Moonlight cascades down on him, turning everything brilliantly silver. It’s a prayer to the moon. The melancholy song rises to a crescendo and then halts. The crowd waits on the edge of their seats. And then the merman falls from his perch.
The crowd gasps.
Yixing is out of his seat in a flash, but Luhan holds him back. “Watch,” he says.
An orchestra starts up somewhere. Luhan points to some clusters of rocks that Yixing soon recognizes as outdoor speakers. The song that starts is fast-paced, a sharp contrast to the haunting melody before. Then the water stirs, and from the depths of the lake the merman emerges in a somersaulting jump.
Energy, life, and joy. Those are the emotions the show now inspires and the crowd applauds, sharing in the feelings. Yixing is entranced. Every time the merman jumps, his heart jumps inside his chest. There’s a huge grin on his face by the time the last note is played.
“Ready to pay up?” Luhan says as the crowd starts to walk down from the bleachers, still chattering excitedly.
Yixing blinks. Remembers the bet. “Shit.”
* * *
The applause is thunderous, reaching Junmyeon all the way in the depths of the lake and making him laugh out in joy. It’s the culmination of a full year of choreographing his own dance and practicing practically every single day. There’s nothing he loves more than a well-executed and well-received show.
Junmyeon swims leisurely back to his home, a man-made cave he had constructed to specifications and then submerged into the lake. He’s about to turn in for the night and go to bed, when the sound of a splash reaches his ears. Did someone fall in? A sense of urgency spurs him on. What if it’s a kid? Junmyeon swims faster, uncaring of maintaining an elegant form.
As he nears the shore, he sees a body floating above him.
It’s not a kid.
It’s a man.
And he is naked.
The man has dark hair, a long nose, and full lips turned up in a smile as he floats by. His body is pale and smooth, sinewy muscles carved from marble and glistening with pearly drops. Junmyeon’s gaze lingers on the flaccid cock lying among a bed of dark, wet curls. Being so different from his own, he’s always been fascinated with the human male genitalia.
If this was any other situation, Junmyeon would unabashedly ask for a closer look. Maybe stroke it and watch it grow, getting stiff with blood alone instead of a baculum or penis bone. Tasting it with his mouth has often been a pleasurable experience, but the humans are usually too freaked out by his teeth to keep up their hard-ons, well, hard.
Junmyeon shakes his head. What is he doing? It’s not time to fantasize about human dicks. It’s time to kick this asshole who though he could throw his naked body into Junmyeon’s home without consequences.
Diving, he swims closer to the intruder and surfaces a tail-length way. Junmyeon bares his pointed teeth and hisses. The man doesn’t even flinch, and it pisses Junmyeon even more.
“Why are you naked in my home?” Junmyeon says telepathically. It’s the only way merfolk can communicate out of water since human brains are not equipped to decipher merfolk song.
“Lost a bet.” The man does a backward stroke and continues floating, not giving a damn.
“This is my home,” Junmyeon explains. “You are trespassing.”
“I’m Yixing.” The man stops floating and sinks. He comes up for air and stares at Junmyeon with warm brown eyes. “Woah.”
Junmyeon wrinkles his nose. Is he going to comment on Junmyeon’s paleness or the weirdness of his face scales?
“You’re even more beautiful up close.”
“Oh.” Being a cold-blooded creature of the depths, it’s not often that Junmyeon gets to feel the heat of a blush overcoming his face. But, oh fishies, does he feel it now. “Y-You need to leave.”
“The water is great, man,” Yixing says, once again ignoring Junmyeon’s words. “Wanna race?”
Junmyeon blinks, not sure if he is serious. “I’m a merman.”
“So?”
“You will lose.”
Yixing smiles, threading water to move closer. “So?”
There’s something about that devil-may-care attitude and that lazy smile that sets Junmyeon’s heart into excited cartwheels. Maybe he’ll ask for that closer look after all.