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“Sir, please wake up. You have breakfast with your father and brothers in twenty minutes. ” 

Beomgyu groaned, curling tighter into the warmth of his blanket. 

“Sir, it’s imperative you wake up soon. Your father says he has something important to discuss with you.” 

Beomgyu groaned once more. Wait. His father wanted to talk with him? About what? 

He sighed heavily, stretching his arms over his head and squinting at his advisor, Heeseung. 

“Come on sir, you just have to sit there as the stylists do your hair and makeup.” 

“What could father want this early in the morning with me?” Beomgyu complained as he swam over to his shell-shaped vanity. 

“Sir, respectfully, it’s almost 11 am.” 

“Oh.” Beomgyu said as he pursed his lips. 

The stylists started on his hair and makeup as Beomgyu looked at Heeseung with a small smile on his face. The advisor smiled back, slightly laughing at the prince’s expression. 

Once the stylists were done, Beomgyu silently swam to their dining room with Heeseung trailing behind him. 

🩵

Beomgyu uncomfortably entered their dining room, quickly joining his brothers and father as he sat down in his chair next to his second brother. He waited as some servants served his plates in front of them, thanking them silently once they finished. Once their father signaled, they all began eating their breakfast (lunch? Brunch?), the only sound being heard was forks clinking against plates. 

Beomgyu tuned out the hushed conversation between his oldest brother and father, focusing on eating his clams and crab legs. Maybe that’s why he didn’t realize his father was talking to him. 

“Beomgyu? Beomgyu!” His father called, the boy picking at his plate. His brother shoved his elbow into Beomgyu’s side, causing him to flinch before looking at his father. 

“Yes, sir? Were you saying something?” 

His father cleared his throat, looking at Beomgyu seriously. 

“As I was saying. The Coral Kingdom has made an offer with our kingdom to strengthen our bonds through marriage. You will travel to their kingdom in one days’ time and marry their youngest prince.” 

Beomgyu’s eyes widened as everything around him faded away. What? He was going to be married off? When he was sixteen? Beomgyu was dreaming, right? There’s no way this was actually happening… right? 

“Sir, that’s not fair! Not even Ingyu and Hyeongyu are married yet! Why should I get married off to strengthen our ties! I won’t accept it, no I can’t! I refuse to go through with this marriage! Find someone else to marry off!” Beomgyu stood up from his seat and swam out of their dining room, swimming back to his room as tears welled up in his eyes. He immediately flopped onto his bed, tears falling from his eyes. He lifted his head from his pillow gazing at the translucent crystals on his pillow. He cupped them in his hand and brought them over to his vanity, opening a drawer with one hand and pulling out a jar full of more translucent crystals and emotionally put them in the jar. 

Long ago, after their kingdom was established, the gods took favor upon their people and granted the royal family ‘gifts’ to help their kingdom grow and prosper. At first, the gifts helped their kingdom to grow, but later the gods started giving them gifts that related to the royal’s personal character. Unlike others, Beomgyu’s royal gift immediately manifested after he was born unlike his brothers’ who became obvious as they were three or four years old. His parents and brothers stared at him with wide eyes as small blue topaz jewels fell from his eyes. And, of course, the jewels would change when Beomgyu’s mood changed. Red rubies would fall when he cried as he was mad, blue topaz jewels when Beomgyu was sad, and translucent crystals would fall when he was a mixture of mad and sad. 

Beomgyu hated his royal gift. What kind of royal gift made you cry jewels? Plus, how did it even help his people? His brothers’ gifts helped people. His oldest brother could communicate with sea animals, while his second oldest brother could heal people’s injuries with his very hands. Their kingdom was already one of the wealthiest under the sea, so he didn’t need to sell his jewels. 

He heard someone swim into his open room, turning to face them with a serious expression. When he met eyes with his oldest brother, he relaxed greatly and sulkingly looked away, putting his jar back in the drawer and swimming back to his bed. His brother slightly smiled, swimming over to sit next to Beomgyu on his bed. Beomgyu looked at his brother silently, eyes welling up with tears once more. 

His brother wrapped his arm around Beomgyu’s shoulder, slightly pushing the younger closer to him. 

“It’s just not fair. I have my whole life ahead of me. I don’t want to marry someone I don’t even know.” 

“I know it’s frustrating, Beomgyu-ah. But you know father means well. He wants you to grow into a respectable person. Someone ready to rule a kingdom.” 

“I have been! I’ve sat in countless history lessons, etiquette lessons, and governing lessons. I know more than you and Hyeongyu about our neighboring kingdoms. There is no way I am marrying the prince of the Coral Kingdom! No one even knows him since he’s a recluse!” 

His brother stared at him for a moment, maybe two. Then he smiled. 

“Maybe the reason you’re so against this is not because you don’t want to get married, but maybe because you don't want to leave our kingdom.” 

“Why would I not want to leave our kingdom? I’m a teenage boy, all I want to do is explore the sea.” Beomgyu easily retorted, becoming defensive.

“Maybe you don’t want to leave because mom’s statue is still here.” His brother looked at him seriously, hitting the nail on the head. 

Beomgyu slightly flinched, biting his lip silently. He looked at the framed picture of his mother on his vanity, head slightly bowing in silent reverence. She passed away when Beomgyu was barely three years old, so he seldom held any memories of her. But, the ones he did remember were so incredibly precious to him. He missed her every single day, and the days he wished to see her and talk to her, he swam to the statue his father made her for their first anniversary and talked to it, just like he was actually holding a conversation with her. 

After she died, his brothers tried to raise them as best they could. It didn’t replace her absence though, only filled the void in their hearts only a little bit. At the end of the day they were still children though, his second brother was only five years older than Beomgyu and his oldest brother was only eight years older. Beomgyu didn’t blame them though, he knew dealing with the stress of losing their mother and taking care of him was a lot, even from his earliest age. So, Beomgyu chose to be their sunshine. He smiled widely whenever he saw them, warming their hearts as they patted him on the head. Whenever they would sing their mother’s lullaby to him, the youngest would smile silently as he drifted off silently, soon falling asleep under his second brother’s hold. 

Beomgyu was comfortable with his life here. As the youngest of his kingdom, he got away with a lot of things his older brothers couldn’t. It hadn’t been very long since his oldest brother took over his father’s duties on the throne, he was crowned when he was 20, the official age someone could be recognized as the next in line for royalty in their kingdom. His father still held his chair on the undersea high council though, so he was still responsible for a lot of things in their kingdom though. Now, his brother was 24, his second brother was 21, and Beomgyu was 16. His significant age gap with the others meant it would still take four years for Beomgyu to officially be crowned next in line for their kingdom. Maybe his brother was right. Maybe he didn’t want to leave because of his mother. And he knew he was ready to lead a kingdom. Even if it wasn’t his. Even if he missed his family too much. Blame his overly caring nature for not wanting to leave. 

Beomgyu looked at his oldest brother with a slight pout on his lips, eyes wide as they sparkled with unshed tears. He sighed, closing his eyes. 

“You’re right. As always. I just…what if something happens and I never get to come back here? I don’t know if I could take that.” 

“Beomgyu…mom will always be with us, right here.” His brother pointed to his, then Beomgyu’s heart. 

“As long as you never forget that, you don’t need her statue to talk to.” His oldest brother smiled at him. 

Beomgyu sighed before nodding, smiling as he closed his eyes and put his hands over his heart. Warmth radiated through it, just like when he thought of his mother. 

“I guess I should see father again.” He slightly pouted, causing his brother to ruffle his hair softly. 

“Come on, I’ll go with you.” 

🩵

They both swam back to their dining table, where their father and second brother were still eating their breakfast. Beomgyu swam next to his father, folding his hands as he looked down regretfully. 

“I’m sorry sir. I overreacted. I…would be honored to strengthen our ties with the Coral Kingdom through marriage. I’ll prepare my belongings today.” 

“As long as you know this will greatly benefit both of our kingdoms. You may finish your breakfast.” His father did not look at him, responding eloquently. 

“Thank you, sir.” Beomgyu went back to his seat and sat back down in it, finishing his clams and crab legs silently with a serious expression on his face. 

Once he finished his breakfast, he excused himself to start packing. He grabbed all of the coral containers and seashell pouches he had been gifted over the years to pack up all of his stuff in his room, his advisor quickly coming in to make sure he was actually packing. 

“Hello, sir. How was your breakfast?” Heeseung smirked as he entered Beomgyu’s room, the prince scowling at him. 

“If you knew this was going to happen, why didn’t you tell me sooner? Maybe I wouldn’t have had an outburst in front of my father that way.” He mumbled the last part as he stuffed his jars from his vanity in containers. 

“I figured you’d have a less than pleasant reaction, and if I’m being honest I didn’t want you to yell in my face.” Heeseung smiled innocently, facing Beomgyu with a teasing smile on his face. 

Beomgyu huffed, continuing to pack his multiple bags. 

He looked at his advisor for a moment, immediately taking in the bittersweet expression on his face. They had been with each other since they were born, it was hard to believe this was how they were parting. Heeseung’s mother was a maid in the castle, and was practically best friends with Beomgyu’s mother before her death. Beomgyu and Heeseung were only eight months apart, the former being the older one in the relationship. But, it wasn’t like their kingdom had a set age system though, unlike some undersea kingdoms. They just called the royal family by their official titles, prince or king. The two boys quickly became friends when Heeseung’s mother started to bring him around when she was working, the boy sneaking off with Beomgyu to play around in the castle. It was hard to believe they had known each other for sixteen years now, time seemed to pass by so quickly yet not at all when they were together. They were both bright boys for their age, everyone knew they would have to depart from each other some time soon, even they secretly knew. That didn’t mean it hurt any less for both of the boys. 

He swam over to his advisor, catching his eye silently as he tried reassuring him. He grabbed his hand softly, looking at Heeseung with a small smile on his face. 

“You know this doesn’t mean goodbye…right?” 

Heeseung looked at Beomgyu’s hands in his, smiling bittersweetly. 

“I know. It’s just…hard to believe this is it. We’ve seen each other every single day ever since we were born…I can’t believe I’ll have to get used to not seeing you around the castle.” 

“Hey…you know what my brother told me earlier? My mom will always be with me right here.” Beomgyu pointed to his heart, just like his brother did earlier. 

“And I’ll always be right here with you in spirit. Never forget that, okay? Even if we’re separated geographically, our hearts will always be together. Okay, little brother?” Beomgyu pointed to Heeseung’s heart as he affectionately called him, truly believing he was his little brother in his mind. 

“Okay, big bro. I won’t forget.” Heeseung connected their foreheads together, closing his eyes as warmth enveloped his heart. Beomgyu smiled silently, staying there for a moment. 

Beomgyu went back to packing somewhat bittersweetly, deciding what attire he should bring with him. He concluded to bring his royal attire for parties and his long flowing sweater to meet the prince of the Coral Kingdom tomorrow. The Coral Kingdom was the closest to their kingdom in terms of geography, but even still it took a day and a half to travel there by carriage, and even longer on foot. Or, tail, I guess. 

Beomgyu knew everything there was to know about the Coral Kingdom, his father always emphasized the importance of it in his lessons, since his kingdom was the closest in power to the Coral Kingdom. He learned everything he could about the kingdom as an act in the hopes his father would be proud of him. He never expressed it though, just nodded and dismissed Beomgyu. 

He knew everything but one thing about the Coral Kingdom. And that very thing was their first prince, the second child of their family, Kang Taehyun. He was only one year younger than Beomgyu, but he had never been past the boundaries of his kingdom as opposed to Beomgyu, who had been to almost every undersea kingdom except his. Every ceremony, party, and wedding between each kingdom Kang Taehyun was nowhere to be seen, each time with a new excuse from his parents or older sister such as he’s been extremely sick this week so we chose to keep him under the care of our kingdom’s medicine, or, the prince is extremely busy so he could not find time to come. Rumors quickly passed through each kingdom as a result, suggesting he’s definitely a recluse or, he’s so spoiled to the point he probably wouldn’t even go to his own wedding. Beomgyu tried not to believe in the rumors, he was a better person than that. But it was hard to not believe, especially when the other did nothing to stop them. 

He didn’t exactly hate Taehyun, in fact, others would suggest quite the opposite. He was so incredibly curious about the younger it was almost killing him. No matter how much research he found about the Coral Kingdom, every new history book he got of their kingdom for his birthday, each time more detailed about their recent history, he couldn’t find anything about Kang Taehyun. He got so frustrated to the point where he almost begged his father to let him start sending letters to the younger, which his father immediately rejected gruffly. That had been about five days before this whole situation happened. He didn’t want to be sent away from his kingdom, but he definitely wouldn’t pass up this opportunity to finally meet the infamous Kang Taehyun. 

🩵

The next day came sooner than Beomgyu hoped. He woke up early with a dreadful feeling settled in his stomach. He stood up in his bed silently, rubbing his eyes as he looked out of the window behind his bed once more. This would be the last time he would see this scenery. The last time he would gaze at his kingdom lovingly from his window, feeling an irreplaceable peace in his heart. It made him feel a little bitter, but what could he do at this point? Just put on a brave face for his servants and family as they waved him goodbye. He sighed, standing up from his bed and grabbing all of his luggage as he put his long flowing sweater on. 

He entered his family’s dining room, mentally preparing himself for the last breakfast he would have with his family. He gave his luggage to a servant before entering with a serious expression on his face. He sat down in his chair next to his second brother before their father allowed them to eat, the plate showing oysters and salmon, Beomgyu’s two favorite foods. He smiled warmly, happily eating the food with a smile on his face the whole time. About halfway through their breakfast together, a servant informed Beomgyu he should leave soon. He sighed, standing up from the table as he followed the servant with a serious expression on his face. 

They soon reached the entrance of the castle, Beomgyu turning around to his brothers and father seriously to say goodbye. He swam to his oldest brother first, with a slight smile on his face. His brother smiled back, reaching out to fix a strand of Beomgyu’s hair. 

“Make sure to write, every chance you get. And don’t hesitate to tell me if something happens over there, okay Beomgyu?” 

“Okay, hyung, geez. You’re like a mother. I’ll write to you, I promise. And you better not forget I exist! I know you’re busy but I’m still the most important person in your life, okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah, like I don’t already know that. But…write. Are we clear?” His brother smirked at him, making Beomgyu roll his eyes sarcastically as he silently nodded, hugging his oldest brother before moving onto his second brother. 

“Don’t have too much fun over there, are we clear? Can’t have you spreading rumors before you get married.” His second brother punched him in the arm playfully, full smirk on his face. 

Beomgyu smirked back at him, returning the gesture. 

“Same goes for you too. Lord knows what will happen if I leave and rumors start spreading around about you since I won’t be around to play with your crazy antics.” 

His brother huffed playfully, fully used to this kind of reaction from his little brother. 

“But, make sure to still have fun, squirt. You still have the freedom I want, don’t take that for granted.” 

“I won’t, Hyeong.” Beomgyu hugged his second brother tightly, feeling the warmth between their two bodies. Finally, he moved onto his father silently, his lips curling downward ever so slightly. 

His father fixed Beomgyu’s sweater at his side, bringing it closer to cover more of his chest. 

“Make sure to properly introduce yourself when you get there.” His father smiled slightly, looking his son in the eyes. 

“Yes, sir.” Beomgyu said carefully, nerves somewhat rising. 

“And stay alert, remember your lessons.” His father nodded, eyes starting to shine with unshed tears. 

“Yes, sir.” Beomgyu slightly smiled at the man, looking at him with a nervous but anticipating face. 

“And…” His father slightly whispered before clearing his voice. He sighed, composing himself once more.

“Be careful, son.” His father’s lips curled up, making Beomgyu’s eyes widen and Beomgyu smile back unknowingly. 

“Yes, sir.” Beomgyu slightly whispered back, not believing he just witnessed this moment with his own two eyes. His father had mostly shown him an indifferent or serious face after his mother died, never sparing Beomgyu one emotion it seemed. Once he stepped down from the throne though, it seemed like he loosened up and opened himself up more to Beomgyu. His father didn’t have many reactions, but if he did they were usually rare moments Beomgyu automatically saved into his brain. This would be one of those moments. 

His father brought his hand up to Beomgyu’s cheek, eyes still welling with tears now accompanied by a beautiful smile on his face. 

“You look just like your mother, Beomgyu.” His father carefully said as he cradled Beomgyu’s cheek.

“Yes, father.” He showed a beautiful smile to the older man, unintentionally reminding him of his late wife. 

His father backed away, painful memories flashing through his mind. 

“Be good, son.” He tried smiling at the younger boy, but it wasn’t the same as before. Beomgyu nodded before grabbing his luggage from a servant and swimming into the carriage. He waved from the window of the carriage, showing a smile to his brothers and father as the carriage started moving. His father composed himself once more, folding his hands together and showing an indifferent face as his son rode away in a seahorse carriage. 

Once they were out of sight, Beomgyu sighed to himself, a bittersweet ache creeping through his bones. He knew he looked exactly like his mother. He knew that sometimes even seeing Beomgyu brought his father extreme pain. His father loved his mother so much, after her death he completely shut himself off from the world, not even seeing his sons for months on end. And don’t even get him started on Beomgyu. Unlike his two oldest brothers, Beomgyu completely resembled their mother’s appearance, down to his rose brown hair and light blue tail. It was really uncanny, even as he grew older the resemblance only grew with each passing year. Beomgyu thought it didn’t make sense. How could his brothers not inherit one physical quality from their mother while Beomgyu was the spitting image of her? Beomgyu wondered if his mother just adopted him one day because he was the spitting image of her, but his oldest brother denied those claims saying he was literally there the day Beomgyu was born, with a full head of rose brown hair and all. Apparently his mother had been born the same way, it seemed like magic that she had been born with a full head of rose brown hair to her parents, Beomgyu’s grandparents. 

Anyway, I’m getting a little off track. His father would not even look at Beomgyu for the first year after his mother’s death. It was just too much for him to process. Beomgyu was a good boy though, so he never blamed his father for it. He internalized it and carried it with him in his heart, silently vowing to himself to make his father proud of him for other reasons. 

🩵

Beomgyu arrived there early in the afternoon after a full day and a half of traveling in his carriage, taking appropriate breaks to stretch and eat. When they entered the kingdom’s boundaries, it was obvious how much larger the Coral Kingdom was compared to Beomgyu’s kingdom. Don’t misunderstand, Beomgyu’s kingdom was actually the second largest kingdom under the sea. But that meant there was still one kingdom larger than theirs, and that very kingdom was the Coral Kingdom. It hadn’t been much older than Beomgyu’s kingdom, establishing itself only 100 years before Beomgyu’s in fact, but their part of the sea had vast resources and natural materials, making it one of the most sought-after kingdoms to live in. Beomgyu thought the Coral Kingdom was amazing, the fact that they were able to build a kingdom as big as theirs with only natural resources was nothing short of extraordinary, he thought they deserved the multiple titles they received over the years of Best Undersea Kingdom and Most Prosperous Undersea Kingdom to date. 

When he arrived at the castle in the middle of their kingdom, he marveled silently at the size, looking out of the window with wide eyes and mouth slightly ajar. Beomgyu grabbed his bags and stepped out of the carriage as a servant opened the door. He closed his mouth, front teeth still slightly sticking out as he looked to the very top of the castle, eyes still wide as his head fully bent upwards. 

“Presenting Prince Choi Beomgyu of Pearlhaven!” A servant announced his arrival, trumpets blowing afterwards, making Beomgyu compose himself as he realized the front doors of the castle were opening. Three mermaids swam out, each with warm and welcoming smiles on their faces. 

“Welcome to our humble kingdom, Choi Beomgyu. It is an honor to formally meet you in person.” The large man spoke eloquently, slightly bowing as the other two bowed as well. 

Beomgyu bowed back to them, a charming smile on his face. 

“No, the honor is all mine. Thank you for inviting me to your illustrious kingdom, it’s much more beautiful than I ever could have thought.” 

He soon recognized the three to be the royal family, making him smile warmly. The Coral Kingdom had always been known for their warm hospitality to other kingdoms, Beomgyu never would have thought they would personally come meet him first though. 

“Please, you flatter us. Why don’t you come this way? You must be exhausted after your long journey.” The queen gestured for him to come inside, Beomgyu gladly taking the invitation. 

He marveled at the interior of the castle silently, eyes wide with high regard for the careful detailing in each inch of the interior. Still amazed with the interior, he didn’t realize a servant was standing before him with a small smile on her face. 

“Would you like me to take your bags for you, sir?” 

“Oh, yes. Thank you.” Beomgyu showed her a friendly smile, which she returned to the royal nicely. 

“I’m so sorry our prince is not here to welcome you today, he’s in our kingdom acquiring a gift for your arrival.” The queen smiled at him guilty, which caused Beomgyu to smile back understandingly. 

“Oh, your highness! You really didn’t have to pick anything up for me! I should be the one preparing gifts if anything!” Beomgyu shook his head as he covered his hand over his mouth, trying to mask his small smile. 

“Please, it’s an honor for us to be welcoming someone as bright and amazing as you into our household. We’ve heard stories of how brilliant you are and how you bring great honor to your kingdom through your revolutionary laws and governing techniques. Please just think of this as our way of welcoming such an amazing person into our family.” The king continued, smiling widely at the younger boy. 

“Sir, you flatter me. If anything, I admire your family greatly for building your kingdom up from only natural resources. That is something much more amazing than my simple techniques that made our land flourish beautifully. I was inspired by how you led your kingdom to greatness in these past 20 decades.” Beomgyu showed him a friendly smile as he somewhat ranted about their kingdom, showing his true admiration for him. The king was a legend in Beomgyu’s mind, he couldn’t believe he was actually going to marry into his family as well. 

“Well, thank you for that son, I’m honored. Why don’t you join us in our dining room, you must be famished.” 

“I’ll gladly take you up on that offer, sir!” Beomgyu smiled warmly, excitable nature on full display. 

Beomgyu followed the royal family to the dining room, a servant pushing back his seat to let Beomgyu in. Beomgyu thanked them, sitting down as chefs started coming from the kitchen. 

“Today we present the royal family with fried parrotfish and a side of sea anemone.” 

Beomgyu internally groaned, of course his first meal with the royal family of the Coral Kingdom had to be his least two favorite foods. His mouth scrunched up in a grimace, silently cutting the fried parrotfish with his fork. 

Suddenly, right before he was about to take a bite, the doors of the dining room burst open, revealing a commanding presence as Beomgyu turned around. His eyes widened as they sparkled with newfound curiosity. The boy he met eyes with was beautiful. Much more than Beomgyu. He didn’t know if it was the white of his hair, or the deep brown of his perfectly shaped eyes, or the delicacy of his pink lips. But Beomgyu knew one thing. This boy was beautiful. 

“Father, I must speak with you. Can we go to your office?” His voice was delicate, yet also commanding. He didn’t look much older than Beomgyu, but his presence commanded attention, unlike Beomgyu’s naturally friendly and bright presence. He reminded Beomgyu of when he was a little boy, trying to command his father’s attention but not being granted that luxury. 

“Perfect timing, son. Come meet your fiance.” 

Beomgyu’s eyes widened. He slowly turned to the king, not believing his ears. This was Kang Taehyun? The recluse prince of the Coral Kingdom? No wonder he never went out, girls would probably be all over him. He turned back around to the boy, eyes still wide and a surprised expression on his face. 

The boy’s large brown eyes stared into his, Beomgyu’s cheeks immediately flushing pink. Beomgyu stood up from his chair, swimming closer to the boy. He stared at him for a moment, meeting the boy’s confused expression. 

Beomgyu composed himself, showing him a friendly smile. 

“It is an honor to formally meet you, Prince Kang Taehyun of the Coral Kingdom. My name is Choi Beomgyu of the Pearlhaven Kingdom.” 

Beomgyu bowed with a small smile on his face, looking the prince in the eyes confidently. 

Taehyun straightened his posture and looked at the boy with his dark pearl eyes silently. Then he looked away, eyes nervously looking to the side. 

“Hello, I am Kang Taehyun of the Coral Kingdom. It is nice to meet you, Choi Beomgyu.” 

“Would you like to join us for lunch?” 

“Um…sure.” Taehyun sat down in the chair next to Beomgyu’s uncomfortably, a servant immediately serving him food. 

Taehyun visibly grimaced, he despised parrotfish and sea anemone with his whole body. But, he needed to put on a friendly face for his fiance. Even if he didn’t want to be here. 

Beomgyu sat next to Taehyun carefully, glancing in his direction every so often. The boy looked to him, causing Beomgyu to look at his plate. He slightly grimaced upon looking at his plate again. Right. He just needed to suck it up and eat it though, he definitely didn’t want to throw a fit in front of his new (beautiful) fiance. 

Taehyun looked at the boy silently, taking in the grimace on his face curiously. 

Maybe…

The boy ate a bite of the parrotfish, a grimace spreading on his face. Taehyun slightly smiled before turning back to his plate. 

Once they finished their lunch, a servant showed Beomgyu to his room while Taehyun and his father went to their study and the rest of the royal family went to take care of their responsibilities. 

Beomgyu couldn’t believe his eyes. Was he really staying in a room like this? It was much larger than his room at home, with a king sized bed and two bedside tables at the end of the bed and pushed against the right farthest wall. Besides that, there was a large desk in the farthest corner of the room that could fit at least three people. The room was not lacking in terms of decoration either, it was beautifully accentuated with shells and pearls all across the walls and edges of the room. Beomgyu stood in place with wide eyes as he took every inch of the room in, not daring to miss one detail. 

He swam over to the large window on the other side of the wall curiously, eager to gaze into his new settings. 

Wow. 

To say this view could beat his from his room in his kingdom would be an understatement. It was like he was floating above the Coral Kingdom, the view let him overlook the most beautiful sealine of the kingdom. Beomgyu smiled as his eyes lit up, sparks flying in his heart. 

Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought.

A faint click of the door was heard, making Beomgyu turn around, eyes still glazed over with an awed and inspired look. His lips curled down, turning into a rather surprised expression when he met the same eyes he did earlier, deep brown eyes looking at him widely. 

“What are you doing in my room?” Taehyun said, eyebrows furrowed as he didn’t move from the door. 

Beomgyu’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“Uh, the servants said this was my room? I would stay here during my time in the castle.” 

He swam closer to the boy, confusion laced in the tone of his voice. 

“Uh…there must be some mistake. This is my room. Uh, I’ll talk with my father about this, uh, just wait here.” 

Taehyun left the room, leaving Beomgyu to his vices. 

🩵

Taehyun quickly swam to his father’s throne room, confusion evident in his face. 

“Father! Why is he in my room? A servant told him to stay there, what is the meaning of this?” 

“You know our guest room is under renovations for the next two months, so I thought it would be fine to let your fiance sleep in your room.” His father slightly smirked, folding his hands together and looking confidently at his son. 

“Sir! You know we're still teenagers, right? I mean, I was barely on board with this engagement, but now you want us to sleep in the same room? You’re unbelievable.” Taehyun crossed his arms incredulously, looking at his father with a scolding look. 

“Oh? Beomgyu is technically an adult though. 20 is the official age that all kingdoms accept someone to be next in line for the kingdom, but 16 is the official age someone is seen as an adult in every kingdom. I thought you were aware of that, Taehyun-ah?” 

“Of course I’m aware of it, but the fact of the matter is I’m still a minor. Plus, I think 16 is too early to be considered an adult. What 16-year-old can make good decisions anyway?” 

His father’s smirk widened ever so slightly. 

“I’d have a conversation with your fiance if you think that’s the case. I’d imagine you’d be surprised.” 

Taehyun’s eyebrows furrowed silently. 

What does that mean? 

His father smiled at him confidently from his desk, silently imploring him to follow his suggestion. Taehyun's eyes squinted silently, before he sighed and turned around to leave his father’s throne room. 

“Oh! Here, he’s in your room anyway, you should just give him your present.” His father swam from his desk and set a small box in Taehyun’s hand, the boy taking it somewhat spitefully. 

🩵

Beomgyu was confused. He guessed he should talk to a servant about changing rooms first. It would be much too embarrassing to sleep next to Kang Taehyun, his fiance. Even if he would miss this room, he should’ve known it was too good to be true. He grabbed his bags from the corner of the room and swam closer to the door, about to open it only to be interrupted by someone else opening it. He stumbled back ever so slightly, eyes widening as he locked eyes with new but quickly familiar eyes. 

“Oh, hello Taehyun…ssi. Uh, I was just going to find a servant to find me another room. I must say, I wasn’t aware this was your room. I’m sorry for the intrusion.” Beomgyu hesitated, worried the way he addressed Taehyun might offend the younger boy. 

“Oh. Um…it’s fine, actually. Our guest room is under renovations right now, so my father told everyone you can stay in my room.” Taehyun looked down embarrassingly, hand clutching against the present behind his back. 

“No, I couldn’t! This is your personal space, I can’t invade like that. I’ll talk to a servant right now, it doesn’t matter, really.” Beomgyu reached out for the door handle, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist somewhat tightly. 

He turned to look at Taehyun, cheeks turning pink as he took in the cute expression on the younger boy’s face. 

“I don’t…mind. We should prepare for sleeping in the same bed anyway before its too late.” 

The younger boy blushed, embarrassment on the forefront. Beomgyu slightly smiled, eyes staring into Taehyun’s shy demeanor. 

“Okay. I guess I’ll stay if you insist.” Beomgyu looked down to his wrist still in Taehyun’s grasp. The younger flinched back, quickly realizing he was still holding his wrist. 

Beomgyu set his bags back down in the corner of the room, realizing Taehyun was holding a box in his right hand behind his back. He silently smiled, choosing not to mention it and letting the boy show it to him in his own time. 

Taehyun looked at the older boy shyly, cheeks pink and deep brown eyes sparkling in amazement. Taehyun thought the older boy was so tragically beautiful. Much more than Taehyun could ever be. His delicate blue eyes that matched his tail threatened to tear Taehyun down to his very core, revealing his innermost secrets and convictions. His perfectly shaped jawline and chin that Taehyun wanted to grab so badly with his smaller hands that would turn his cheeks red. His perfectly shaped lips that Taehyun wanted to passionately press up against his in a swirl of youth and curiosity. Beomgyu was irresistible to Taehyun. But, he had to hold himself back and control his youthful urges. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the older boy away with his thoughts. 

As he became lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realize the older boy started talking to him, quickly snapping out of it when Beomgyu tapped him on the shoulder. 

“Taehyun-ssi? Did you hear me?” His blue eyes looked into Taehyun’s brown as the younger boy flinched and looked at the older boy wide-eyed. 

“Oh, no. Sorry, what did you say?” Taehyun’s eyebrows furrowed up slightly, sad he missed the older boy’s statement as he was lost in his thoughts. 

Wait. Taehyun- ssi? Why was he being so formal with Taehyun? Plus, didn’t Pearlhaven not have an age system? Did he study about the Coral Kingdom’s customs before arriving? Wait, but he couldn’t have been informed earlier than Taehyun about this marriage, it took a whole two days for the messenger to arrive at their kingdom to tell the royal family they would be honored to invite Beomgyu into their family through marriage. 

Taehyun chose to push his thoughts down for a moment in favor of listening to the older boy’s question. 

“Um, is it okay if I use the desk in the corner of the room to write to my brother and father? I want them to know I’ve settled in well.” 

“Oh, of course. Everything in this room is yours.” Taehyun somewhat whispered absentmindedly, cheeks pink and brown eyes looking anywhere but Beomgyu. 

Beomgyu’s eyes widened. 

Does he…really mean that?

Maybe this marriage wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. Maybe he could actually…love Kang Taehyun. The beating of his heart deep underneath his chest seemed to agree with him. The light pink spreading over his cheeks couldn’t help but make him think he already fell for the boy with no advanced warning. Beomgyu’s eyes flickered down to Taehyun’s lips silently. His perfectly shaped, beautifully pink, delicate lips. Beomgyu lightly slapped his left cheek, closing his eyes as he snapped out of it suddenly. Taehyun’s eyebrows furrowed silently in confusion. 

“Yes, thank you sir. I’ll just…um.” Beomgyu awkwardly pointed over to the desk, smiling as he looked at the younger boy. 

“Um, why are you addressing me like that?” Taehyun cleared the awkward atmosphere with a single question. 

“Sorry? Oh, did you want me to call you ‘Prince’ instead?” Beomgyu innocently questioned, afraid he upset the younger boy. 

“No, I mean why are you formally calling me? I’m younger than you, if anything I should be calling you ‘hyung.’ In fact, I was sure the Pearlhaven Kingdom doesn’t have an age system like ours, so isn’t it more natural for you not to call me anything at all?” 

“Oh, you are right about Pearlhaven not having a set age system like the Coral Kingdom’s, but I’ve studied the customs of your kingdom since I was a child, so this is only natural. I don’t want to disrespect any of your customs. I was invited to join your family, I should respect your way of life.” Beomgyu folded his hands together as he spoke, looking at the younger boy with respect and care. 

‘I’ve studied the customs of your kingdom since I was a child,’ 

Why did that statement make Taehyun’s stomach flutter with the force of a million butterflies threatening to fly out from his mouth? Maybe it was because it implied that Beomgyu cared about their kingdom just as much as his kingdom. Maybe it was because Taehyun’s never met anyone like this before. He couldn’t exactly placate the cause of his feelings. All he knew was that his heart was beating quickly as warmth enveloped his chest. 

“You can just call me by my name. If you do that, I’ll start calling you ‘hyung’. It’ll…be easier on both of us that way.” Taehyun shyly looked to the side, blush on his cheeks and nervous sweat adorning his skin. 

Why do mermaids even sweat? We live underwater. How does that make sense? Taehyun thought as he hoped the older boy wouldn’t notice. 

A sweet smile adorned Beomgyu’s face, causing Taehyun’s blush to only deepen. 

“Thank you then, T…Taehyun.” Beomgyu’s cheeks turned pink, a shy smile on his face. 

“Of course…hyung.” Taehyun smiled shyly back, cheeks also pink. His hand clenched tighter against the box in his hand. He flinched, pulling the box from behind his back and looking at it in his hand silently. He silently steeled his nerves. Better to get it over with before he dies of embarrassment. 

“Um…here. I got this for you.” He stretched his arm out to the older boy, cheeks still pink as his body heated up instantly. 

“For me? Thank you,” Beomgyu questioned lightly, accepting the box with the tiniest smile. 

His eyes widened as a surprised expression came across his face. His eyes gazed upon the prettiest hair accessory he ever witnessed, a white seashell with pearls glued onto the exterior. He picked it up, eyes sparkling in curiosity as his lips unintentionally curled up in amazement. 

“I love it,” he slightly whispered, a precious expression on his face. 

Taehyun smiled calmly, glad he enjoyed his gift greatly. 

🩵

Once Beomgyu finished writing his letters to his brother and father, Taehyun had already left to take care of some business around the castle, and Beomgyu was long overdue for a tour to get a general bearing of his surroundings. He left the room, carefully looking around the hallway to see if anyone was around. Luckily, it appeared that everyone in the castle was busy with something else. He smiled to himself, before carefully shutting the door behind him. One could argue he looked just like a child, mischievously chuckling as he snuck around the castle in the hopes of finding an exciting situation.

He took in every detail of the hall as he swam through, truly amazed at the careful detail of each inch of the castle. Most of the doors were closed, making Beomgyu wonder if he should open them in curiosity or leave it be in fear of punishment. He ultimately chose to leave it, his fear outweighing his curiosity. 

That is, until one door burst open as Beomgyu was swimming by, causing him to flinch back. His light blue eyes locked with Taehyun’s deep brown eyes, and Taehyun instantly smiled, glad he was meeting the older boy’s eyes again so soon. 

“Hello, hyung. Oh, did you need something?” He relaxed simply, heart warm and cheeks even warmer. 

“Oh, no. I was just getting a bearing of my surroundings. Is this the library?” He noticed the book in Taehyun’s hand, quickly connecting the dots. 

“Oh, yes it is. Wait, there’s no servant to show you around?” 

“No, it’s not that. I wanted to look around the castle by myself. Is that okay with you?” Beomgyu asked carefully, wondering if he crossed a line. 

“Of course it is, hyung. If…you’d like. I could show you around. I know my way around a lot better than you.” Taehyun lightly joked, causing Beomgyu to smile widely. 

“I’d…love that. Please, lead the way.” 

They continued to swim throughout the castle, Taehyun giving him the grand tour as he liked to put it (Taehyun argued it was grand because he showed him all of the spots in the castle he would hide in when he wanted to run away from his life for just a moment). While Beomgyu appreciated it, he was somewhat bewildered. He never would have guessed the first prince of the Coral Kingdom would want to run away from his life, even just for a moment. Then again, he could understand the sentiments. When Beomgyu was formally introduced as a member of the royal family in his first official royal gathering when he was ten years old, all he wanted to do was run away and hid from the world, refusing his title of third prince of the Pearlhaven kingdom. But, he faced his fears and ultimately accepted his title. Unlike his brothers, it didn’t weigh on Beomgyu heavily, especially since he wasn’t of age to be considered next in line for royalty. 

They explored around the castle lightly, laughing at each other's jokes softly and becoming more acquainted with each other. They quickly found each other’s company a nice reprieve, a space where they could just fall away for a moment and be nothing more than two young mermaids (who might’ve had feelings for each other). They weren’t princes, they weren’t teenagers with too much responsibility on their shoulders, they were simply two young mermaids who enjoyed their time with each other. 

Beomgyu became shy around Taehyun. He didn’t know how to process his feelings whenever he saw Taehyun. He just knew one thing. This boy was so incredibly pretty. Just, pretty. Even if he didn’t know anything about the younger boy, if he knew Kang Taehyun looked like this, he would’ve immediately accepted this marriage and moved to the Coral Kingdom as soon as he could. Even though they were both still teenagers, Beomgyu was ready to marry this boy tomorrow if he could. Even though he literally met this boy today, he was ready to marry him. He felt like waiting would kill him, part of it coming from his impatient nature. If he wanted something, he wanted it fast. As fast as possible. People would think it made him seem like a brat, but because there was hardly anything Beomgyu wanted in his life, there weren’t enough times for Beomgyu to be called a brat. Beomgyu did want Taehyun though, and he simply couldn’t wait until he could call him his .

Taehyun didn’t know how to control himself in front of the older boy. He fell so fast. He fell too fast and too hard for the boy’s visuals. The logic in his mind argued against him, claiming he needed to get to know the boy’s personality before he pledged his life to making him happy. Little did he know he already secretly pledged his every breath to make the boy happy. To hear his heavenly laugh every single day, and watch his perfect lips curl up in glee at a particularly funny joke he makes. Taehyun was ready to risk everything if it meant he could stay by this boy’s side for eternity. Taehyun felt like Beomgyu was a forbidden garden. A forbidden garden he could only gaze at longingly, not daring to step in any further for fear of being tempted. If Taehyun stepped in, he’d be swallowed and could never come back out. Taehyun was a little afraid. He was scared of becoming something more than just the first prince of the Coral Kingdom. He could feel Beomgyu’s love for him in the depths of his heart and chest, he was afraid of being someone who was so openly loved by someone else. He was afraid, yet he was ready. He had very conflicted feelings. For just a moment, he decided to push those feelings down. For just this moment in time, he would stay frozen, choosing not to let his feelings dictate every decision he made.

🩵

A couple of days had only passed since then, yet Beomgyu and Taehyun could not stay apart for more than an hour before swimming to wherever the other was located at that moment, smiling when they met each other’s eyes and giggling lightly at each other’s soft remarks. The royal family hadn’t interfered much with their time together, letting the boys curiously explore every aspect of each other. It didn’t take very long for Taehyun to learn of Beomgyu’s love for reading, which gave Taehyun an idea. Finally, the day came when Taehyun revealed his surprise to Beomgyu. 

Taehyun awoke to a warm presence curled into his side, immediately causing him to curl in closer to the presence as he smiled silently, immediately realizing who it was. 

“Good morning, hyung,” he said, a smile evident in his tone as he closed his eyes once more. A hand wrapped around his arm that wrapped around his tiny waist, causing Taehyun to instinctively wrap his arm tighter around it. 

“Good morning, Taehyunie~” A pleasant voice came from his side, voice sounding heavenly to Taehyun. 

“I have a surprise for you,” Taehyun whispered into his ear, causing the older boy to open his eyes and sit up in their shared bed. 

“A surprise? What kind of surprise?” Beomgyu tilted his head, slightly smiling in anticipation. 

“Just a surprise. Do you wanna see it now, or wait until after breakfast?” 

“Let’s eat breakfast first.” Beomgyu smiled, eyes closing as he showed his fiance the brightest expression. 

After a couple of minutes of still laying in their bed, basking in each other’s warmth, they went to get their breakfast together. 

Once they finished their breakfast with the royal family, Taehyun led Beomgyu to a private corridor of the castle, leading him with a blindfold as he smiled warmly at the boy.

“Okay, wait right here.” Taehyun abruptly stopped Beomgyu, the older smiling somewhat nervously. 

He untied the blindfold from Beomgyu’s eyeline, the older boy opening his eyes to meet Taehyun’s giddy ones lit up with glee. 

“Surprise,” Taehyun moved to the side to reveal Beomgyu’s present. 

Beomgyu’s eyes widened, his blue eyes lighting up like a million stars. He twirled his head slowly, mouth falling ajar as he gazed upon the biggest library he’s ever seen in his life. His lips curled up in wonder, eyes sparkling as his hands covered his mouth carefully. 

“This is my private library. It was a gift from my family for my tenth birthday, but its grown every year since then. Anything in here is yours to read.” 

“This…is all mine?” 

“Yes…if you choose to accept it.” Taehyun smiled ever so shyly, cheeks pink and body heating up with slight embarrassment. 

Beomgyu locked eyes with Taehyun, causing the younger to look away shyly. Beomgyu’s fingers stretched out unintentionally, going to grab Taehyun’s as it felt like sparks shot through his heart. His finger shakily interlaced with Taehyun’s, Beomgyu not daring to look the younger boy in the eyes as he smiled cutely. 

“It’s amazing.” He slightly whispered, cheeks fully pink and heart leaping in his chest. 

“I’m glad you like it. Unfortunately, I have to go into town because there’s a problem with our merchant’s trade route. I wish I could stay longer with you, but I cannot. I’ll visit you once I’m done, hyung, I promise.” Taehyun’s hand clenched tighter in Beomgyu’s hold, his eyebrows furrowing up cutely as his mouth slightly pouted. Beomgyu wanted to scream whenever Taehyun showed him that expression, but he held back for his own sake. 

“I understand. I’ll start looking around here for a while. I’ll see you as soon as your royal duties are completed, love.” Beomgyu softened, putting his larger hand on Taehyun’s cheek as the younger leaned into his touch. 

Before he ultimately decided to stay with Beomgyu and not attend to his royal duties, he took his leave. Beomgyu smiled, immediately turning back to the library with a sort of glee, not believing this whole room was his. He immediately swam to the shelves, grabbing every book that intrigued him. He noticed a thin book located in between two thicker books, immediately intriguing him as he pulled it out. Unlike the other books he picked out, this one had seaweed paper as the cover, making the book look flimsy. The letters carved into it confused Beomgyu, eyebrows furrowing carefully. 

Medical history from birth to age 13

A medical history? Of who? And for 13 years? That’s certainly a long period of time to hold a medical record. He pushed his curiosity down and swam back to the table he placed his other books on. Setting it down, he looked at the steady stack of four books and decided that would be enough to keep him preoccupied. He immediately started reading, saving the seaweed paper one for last as he argued against the curiosity clouding his mind. 

A couple of hours had passed since Beomgyu had started reading in the library, already nearing the end of his third book. He quickly finished with a satisfied expression on his face, brain pulsing with new knowledge about the Coral Kingdom’s relationship with other kingdoms. Finally, after hours of his curiosity only growing stronger, he moved onto the seaweed paper book, not prepared for what he was about to read. 

With bated breath, he opened it carefully, not daring to press any further so as to damage the seaweed paper. 

02.08.02 08:20 PM

The first prince of the Coral Kingdom was admitted under my care after running a 101º fever for the second day after he was born. His skin is like glass, if he doesn’t stop running his fever it will have detrimental consequences.

02.09.02 05:13 AM

His fever was broken, but his lungs are currently in a very weak state. I have recommended the royal family rub algae gel over his chest to regulate his circulation better. I have been instructed to stay in the palace until his condition seems to improve. 

02.10.02 03:48 AM

His lung condition seems to have improved with the help of the algae gel. I will provide him an as needed prescription of algae gel for future circumstances. From this day on I will act as the lead medical caregiver for the first prince of the Coral Kingdom, Prince Kang Taehyun. 

Pause. What? This was a medical journal about Taehyun? Like, Kang Taehyun, the love of Beomgyu’s life? That Kang Taehyun? No, there must have been some kind of mistake. His fiance was healthy. He was a normal, healthy, perfect mermaid prince. Right? Tears welled up in Beomgyu’s eyes silently as he turned to the next page silently. 

03.16.09 07:52 PM

The Prince started running a fever after scratching his knee on poisonous coral near the castle. He reported sharp pain in every part of his body and weakness in his legs and arms. I gave him medicine for the fever and ointment for the scratch. 

03.17.09 02:19 AM

The Prince had an allergic reaction to the medicine for his fever, he started to run hives across his body and his fever became worse. He still reported sharp pain in every part of his body, and that he felt like his whole body was on fire. There’s not much I can do for him, all we can do is hope his fever breaks soon or we find a new treatment that works for his body. 

03.19.09 11:23 AM

The first Prince’s fever finally broke after two days. We weren’t able to find any natural remedies to help him. I’m going to research more natural remedies in case this sort of incident occurs again.

Beomgyu would’ve been eight years old when this entry was written. Meaning Taehyun was seven during this incident. Was this real? Was Beomgyu really reading this correctly? Taehyun had told him he’d built up a sort of ‘immunity’ against most poisons in one of their conversations, when Beomgyu talked about how when the first time he was poisoned he was bedridden for a week, his mother singing him a soft lullaby every time he woke up. He was two and a half years old, so he doesn’t remember the time well but it’s a distinct memory of his mother he can clearly imagine unlike the others. 

He flipped a couple of pages, eyes still pooling with tears as sorrow swallowed his heart. 

04.22.13 11:35 AM

The first Prince has contracted a deadly case of pneumonia after being poisoned by a mercenary from an opposing kingdom. He cannot sit up without help and his fever has not lowered after two days. He wears a seaweed oxygen mask to help his breathing. Natural remedies have only helped his pain level lower, ever so slightly. His Highness reported shallow breathing and extreme stomach pain. He cannot keep down anything he eats down and cannot drink anything besides water, otherwise his stomach condition will worsen significantly. 

05.03.13 12:20 PM

After two weeks of natural remedies and finding new treatments and techniques for the Prince, his fever has finally left his body. The pneumonia is still pretty bad, to the point where he can’t take the seaweed oxygen mask off yet. However, now that his fever has broken, we have what we need to start properly treating him with regular pneumonia medicine. 

05.14.13 07:37 PM

The first Prince’s pneumonia has improved greatly over the last week. He is able to conduct his royal duties and attend his lessons again as well as visit the town with his advisors and servants. Note for the next pneumonia case for the Prince: if the Prince’s fever comes back while treating him with medicine for pneumonia, immediately stop the treatment and focus back on natural remedies to help his breathing. 

Beomgyu felt sick to his stomach as images of a younger Taehyun bedridden flashed through his mind. He flipped to the next page, lips shaking and eyes wide with curiosity and surprise. He shouldn’t be doing this. He shouldn’t be reading this, yet his arm wouldn’t stop turning the pages. He felt sick. 

07.31.13 04:45 AM

The first Prince has contracted a fever after being the victim of food poisoning with a dinner from a noble family in another kingdom. His father has contracted a case of the same symptoms as well, but with lessened effect on his body. I’m treating both of them in the same room, so it’s easier on the royal family to not contract it. 

Beomgyu heard about this incident. The King of the Coral Kingdom contracted a sickness after attempted food poisoning from a noble family. He didn’t hear anything about the first Prince contracting it either. Blame the royal family for wanting to keep their first son’s private matters to their family. The noble family was immediately convicted, and sentenced to public execution after attempting to murder the royal family of another kingdom. Beomgyu thought it was deserved, the family always made him uncomfortable.

08.01.13 07:32 PM

The King’s fever luckily broke after being treated with the regular medicine we use for treating fevers. The first Prince’s condition has not improved, but it has not worsened. I’ve moved the King to a post-treatment room and kept the Prince in our treatment room. 

08.07.13 03:24 PM 

The Prince’s condition has slightly worsened from the poison still flowing in his body. His fever has not broken but he’s able to stay awake normally unlike the other times. 

08.09.13 12:34 AM

The Prince’s fever broke and the poison seems to be leaving his body after rubbing ointment on his body. 

Beomgyu flipped to the next page, blue topaz crystals falling from his eyes silently. They fell to the floor, more tears immediately pooling in his eyes once again. He read the dates, his heart not bearing to read the summaries of the doctor’s findings. 

01.04.14 02:34 AM

01.06.14 06:46 AM

01.29.14 03:26 PM

02.04.14 09:29 PM

02.05.14 05:36 AM

Beomgyu flinched. Taehyun was bedridden for his twelfth birthday? He couldn’t celebrate it at all because of a vicious fever. More crystals fell from Beomgyu’s eyes, lips quivering as he clenched his fist. 

Beomgyu closed his eyes, shutting the book simultaneously. He stood there for a moment, slowly taking in the information he just read. Suddenly, an arm pulled him into a warm chest, Beomgyu’s eyes opening in surprise as warmth enveloped his heart. 

“You read it?” Taehyun’s voice felt so timid, yet so strong at the same time. Beomgyu closed his eyes, pain enveloping his heart once more as he nodded silently. 

“You knew?” Beomgyu asked timidly, voice shaking as tears threatened to fall from his eyes once more. 

“Of course I did. It’s about me.” Taehyun said, quickly composing himself as he held Beomgyu’s face against his chest. 

Beomgyu moved away from Taehyun’s hold in favor of looking him in the eyes. Tears fell from his eyes upon meeting Taehyun’s bold yet tear-filled eyes. Taehyun smiled as he dried the tears coating Beomgyu’s eyes. Beomgyu closed his eyes once more, one last jewel falling from it as he leaned into Taehyun’s hand, still cradling his cheek. 

“It’s okay. Let it all out, Beomgyu-hyung.” Taehyun wrapped his arms around Beomgyu once more. Beomgyu silently weeped into Taehyun’s arms, blue topaz jewels falling from his eyes and body warm as he wrapped his arms around Taehyun carefully. 

🩵

Taehyun told him how after he was poisoned for the last time when he was thirteen, he started working out to build up his immune system. He took up sword training, and he had been surprisingly good at it from the beginning of his lessons. Now with almost two years down his belt, he was confident in his skills to protect himself and the people around him. 

The night that Beomgyu cried into Taehyun’s arms after reading his medical journal, Taehyun didn’t let go of Beomgyu, telling him to take all the time he needed to process this fact. He came to rest his head on Taehyun’s shoulder that night, still feeling sensitive but knowing he was done crying. He felt dried out, if that was even possible. 

They laid in their shared bed, Taehyun with a silent but glum expression on his face and Beomgyu with a silent but sweet expression, his eyes puffy and cheeks slightly blotchy. 

A moment of silence between them both. Then, intricate words. 

“You’re amazing. Do you know that?” Beomgyu’s slightly whispered, voice grounding Taehyun’s nerves. 

Taehyun smiled, laughing out of his nose slightly. 

“My father would disagree. In his eyes, I’m still a weak, sick little baby who could break with any wrong touch.” His eye twitched, annoyed that his words were nothing but true. 

“But the fact that you could survive something as horrible as poisoning multiple times is amazing. I’ve only been poisoned once, and that was horrible enough. I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like multiple times.” Beomgyu felt tears well up in his eyes once more, overly emotional. 

“Yeah. It has…been hard. But, it’s history now. I haven’t gotten sick in two whole years. For someone like me, that’s amazing. Like how you are for taking this so well.” 

Beomgyu’s lips curled up ever so slightly, blue eyes sparkling steadily. Taehyun smirked, eyes flickering down to the older boy’s lips silently. 

“You’re amazing, Beomgyu-hyung,” Taehyun whispered, coming in closer proximity to the older boy. Taehyun reached his hand up from their covers, embracing Beomgyu’s cheek carefully. Taehyun leaned in closer, blood rushing to his cheeks as Beomgyu closed his eyes. Their lips intertwined softly, somewhat needingly as they both yearned for closer contact. 

Taehyun had been so patient. He had been so incredibly patient until that moment. He felt he deserved it now. He finally let it all go, passionately pressing his lips against Beomgyu’s forcingly, the older accepting it as his lips heated up and sparks flew from his heart and onto his lips. 

Their lips stayed locked for a minute, maybe two, before they both pulled away, simultaneously out of breath. They both panted, cheeks equally pink and eyes sparkling with the newfound feeling permanently engraved in their hearts. 

Beomgyu and Taehyun shared their first kiss together the seventh day after they met. For a moment, they forgot about the world around them. Laying in each other’s arms, cheeks and lips tinted pink as they held onto each other’s warmth silently, ever so gently. 

Beomgyu felt delicate. He felt like he was made of all of the delicate smiles and warm hugs he received from Taehyun over the past week. 

Taehyun felt carefully made. Like every moment in his life led him to this moment, right here, in the love of his life’s arms as warmth radiated between both of them. 

Taehyun panted lightly, before breathing in once more, deeply this time, and pressing his lip against Beomgyu’s once again. The older boy immediately pressed back, hand pressing against Taehyun’s cheek needingly as he tilted his head, yearning to feel every part of Taehyun more deeply. 

They both fell asleep in each other’s arms that night, cheeks still tinted pink and lips swollen. 

🩵

When Beomgyu woke up the next day, his heart painfully clenched upon realizing Taehyun was gone from their shared bed. He gracefully rose from the bed as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, lips slightly pouted. If he were here, Taehyun would surely be smiling as widely as he could as he kissed the boy’s face. But, he wasn’t, and Beomgyu was cold and tired and wanted to believe he was dreaming and Taehyun was still right next to him sleeping peacefully (probably with the cutest expression on his face). 

Taehyun seriously faced his father, confident expression on his face as they stared into each other’s eyes. He clenched his fist, silently breathing as his heart clambered in his chest. 

“Father, please contact the royal family of the Pearlhaven Kingdom. I would like to have dinner with them within the next week.” 

“Dinner? Where did this come from, son? Are you intending to break off your engagement with the prince?” His father showed him a slightly concerned expression, swimming closer to his son. 

Taehyun flinched silently. How could he arrive at that conclusion that quickly? 

“Not at all, sir. Quite…the opposite in fact. I want their blessing to marry him. I should also meet them before the wedding takes place. Oh, speaking of, I want to oversee the wedding preparations after I propose to him.” 

Taehyun spoke somewhat hesitantly, shyness on the forefront as his cheeks tinted pink. He didn’t unlock his eyes from his father’s gaze though, confidently standing his ground. 

His father’s eyes widened, expression blooming into a surprised one. He nodded silently, slightly backing away from his son. 

“Okay. I’ll see to it that you will oversee the wedding preparations. I’ll contact the Pearlhaven Kingdom today as well. You may leave now, son.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Taehyun slightly bowed to his father, cheeks still pink and a serious expression on his face. 

💙

“I want to go into town tomorrow.” 

Taehyun looked up from his seaweed paper document, tired eyes meeting Beomgyu’s light blue ones silently. He tilted his head, sure he didn’t hear the older boy right. 

“What? You want to go into town?” Taehyun smirked, leaning into his chair as he set the document down. 

“Yes, I do. I haven’t gotten to explore the illustrious Coral Kingdom once since I came here. I want to explore so I can show my family around when they come this weekend.” Beomgyu sarcastically said, a smirk on his face.

“Ah, yeah. I forgot you weren’t from here for a moment. Very well, shall I go with you my love?” Taehyun swam from his desk to the older boy, smiling as he questioned the older boy. 

“NO! I mean…uh…I know you’re busy with paperwork this week and you already have enough on your plate. I’ll go with some servants tomorrow, it’ll be fine. ” Beomgyu smiled, thinking of his true purpose for going into town tomorrow, to get a ring so people would know he was serious about Taehyun. 

“Okay, if you’re sure. Let me know if you do want me to go though, I wouldn't want you missing me too much.” Taehyun smirked, playful attitude in full swing as he wiggled his eyebrows. Beomgyu smirked back, scoffing as he rolled his eyes. 

That night, they came to rest on each other’s shoulders once more, heat radiating between their bodies and silent smiles on both of their tired faces. 

When Taehyun awoke the next morning, it was his turn to sulk and pout at the lack of warmth in their bed. There weren’t many instances where Taehyun woke up alone anymore, but his work ran deep into the night, and by the time he entered their shared bedroom, it was long dark, and Beomgyu was fast asleep. He kissed the boy on the cheek before he laid in their shared bed, but he wished the older boy was awake to at least kiss him back. 

Beomgyu swam around town with a guard from the castle, wearing a cloak provided by the castle so he wouldn’t be easily recognizable as Taehyun’s fiance. He was enjoying himself so much, he almost forgot why he decided to travel into town in the first place. 

He looked around town for a jeweler, most of the shops selling delicacies exclusive to the Coral Kingdom, or sustainable clothing shops. After a while of swimming around, he finally found one, smiling happily as he entered the smaller sized shop. He greeted the owner, an older mermaid with a slight hunchback and eyes that barely opened, but still held a friendly smile on his face. 

“Welcome, sir. Please let me know if you need any help.” He spoke in a soft but still strong voice. 

“Thank you.” 

Beomgyu looked around the shop for a little bit, blue eyes sparkling at the vast array of jewelry held in each case. Then, he spotted it. An amethyst ring, with floral designs all across the band. Taehyun always had an eye for underwater nature, and amethyst was the official jewel of February. 

“You have a fine eye, sir. That ring just arrived from the Cerulean Shores. It’s crafted from exquisite underwater amethyst found near their waters, and look here.” The man pulled the ring out from the case before cupping it with both hands, imploring Beomgyu to look into it. Beomgyu peeked into the crevice of his hands, light blue eyes sparkling as he took the ring in. It sparkled like a million stars, making Beomgyu gasp silently. 

“It’s perfect! I’ll take it.” 

“Wonderful! I’ll pack that up for you, valued customer.” 

The older man carefully packed the ring into a container, Beomgyu grabbing his money to pay him. 

He waved to the older man as he left the jewelry shop, satisfied his mission was a success. He turned to face the guard, satisfied expression on his face and exhaustion flowing through his body. 

“Ready to go back?” 

The guard nodded silently, still somewhat awkward with the royal. 

“I’m sure Taehyun misses me enough, do you think he’ll be busy when we get back?” 

“I’m sure his Highness will make time for you, sir.” The guard nervously replied. 

“Like I said! You don’t need to call me sir. You’re older than me Namjoon-ssi. Please, just call me Beomgyu.” Beomgyu slightly pouted, seriously facing the guard with wide eyes. 

“Sir, I can’t. I’m just a common guard, I have no right––” 

“I’m telling you to call me by name! Isn’t it more disrespectful to not follow a royal’s request?” Beomgyu refuted, cunningly forcing the older man to call him by name. 

The guard looked at Beomgyu surprisedly before nodding somewhat uncomfortably. 

“Okay. Please, let us return to the castle…Beomgyu.” 

“Yes, sir!” 

Beomgyu swam forward quickly, turning back to face his guard trying to catch up to him. He registered the concerned look on his guard’s face as he reached out to grab Beomgyu, before suddenly being hit in the head by something hard, immediately causing him to fall unconscious. His hand fell limp, still holding the container with the ring he got Taehyun. Beomgyu’s warm blood flowed out and mixed in with the water surrounding him, large amounts of it flowing out steadily as his guard carried him to the nearest hospital in his arms. 

They made it to the hospital as quickly as they could, but Beomgyu kept losing blood every second and Namjoon was too shooken up to even register how fast he was swimming. Once there, he was immediately checked into the royal sector of the hospital, also doubling as the most private wing of the hospital. Beomgyu’s head was bandaged up quickly by the nurses and doctors on duty, his lead doctor ordering an MRI to assess if he had any brain damage from the accident. 

Namjoon immediately swam back to the castle after entrusting Beomgyu to the hospital, knowing he was likely to be fired, or worse, executed. But, he needed to accept any consequence coming his way without any fanfare. The thought of a royal being hurt under his watch, he couldn’t bear to even comprehend it. Much less it being Beomgyu, the nicest royal he’s met so far. 

💙

Taehyun missed Beomgyu. It had only been a couple of hours since Beomgyu left, but he missed the older boy more than he could comprehend. He sighed, deciding to patiently wait for the older boy to return so they could speak to each other, see each other, and love each other once again. He swam to his father’s study, confused as to why he got a proposal presented in a document for his sister from another kingdom. 

“Father, I––” He opened the door to his father’s study, not realizing he had a guest there until he looked up from his document and noticed the older man. He immediately recognized it to be Beomgyu’s personal guard, surprising him greatly. 

“Is Beomgyu-hyung back?” Taehyun smiled, eyes lighting up thinking he’d see the love of his life again soon. 

“Son, sit down. Something happened.” His father showed him a serious expression, Taehyun hesitantly swimming down at his father’s desk and sitting down on one of his chairs as a bad feeling started to grow in his chest. 

“I’m very sorry, sir. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit.” Namjoon said from his bowing position on the floor, confusing Taehyun. 

“Father? What does he mean by punishment?” Taehyun’s eyebrows furrowed together, bad feeling growing three times larger at his remark. 

His father looked down to his folded hands silently, struggling to make his words tangible. 

“Beomgyu and Namjoon were coming back from town after shopping…and. A merchant’s carriage from another kingdom hit him in the head as they were leaving. He’s in the hospital right now.” 

Taehyun felt everything collapse from around him. His whole body started shaking, his vision becoming blurry as a glassy film covered his eyes. A sudden ringing overwhelmed his ears and he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t talk, see, breathe without thinking of Beomgyu. His hearing filtered in and out. 

“...we sent a notice out to all of the kingdoms…his family will come…the wedding will be postponed…his recovery is…” 

Taehyun clutched the edge of the desk tightly as tears fell from his eyes silently. 

“I…I need to see him. I…I need to make sure he’s okay…he’s…all alone. His family…won’t come soon. I…I need to go to him…I need…to see him.” 

Taehyun stood up from his seat, glassy film covering his eyes once again as despair wrapped around his heart. 

“Son, look at me.” His father said seriously from his desk, causing Taehyun to look at him with the most despaired expression on his face. 

His father sighed silently, knowing Taehyun needed to do this by himself. 

“Be safe son.” 

And with that, Taehyun took his leave, swimming to the hospital as quickly as he could, begging his tail to somehow swim faster. 

When he arrived at the hospital in record time, the staff immediately greeted him respectfully. Luckily there weren’t many patients around, so there wasn’t much of a commotion. A nurse guided him to Beomgyu’s room and Taehyun caught the doctor before he left the older boy’s room. 

“What’s his condition? Will he be okay?” 

The doctor silently sighed, causing more unintentional tears to well up in Taehyun’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry your Highness. His condition is really bad. He lost a lot of blood before coming here, and the blunt force trauma from the accident caused him to fall into a coma. He…isn’t able to survive without life support right now. We can’t say how long he’ll be under, but I’d conclude from the amount of blood loss it will be a while.” 

Taehyun sighed, tear falling from his eye silently as his lips quivered. He felt stripped bare, as if he was just a little boy who was too sick for his own good once again. He quickly composed himself once more. 

“Thank you. Please, do whatever it takes to help him.” He bowed to the doctor imploringly, the older man bowing back silently before swimming away to attend to his other patients. 

Taehyun shakily entered the room, immediately facing the older boy that blended in too well with the hospital bed. Taehyun felt sick to his stomach. He couldn’t decide if it was the overwhelming smell of pure cleanness in the room or because of the fact that the love of his life was in a bed that did not suit him one bit. He silently fought the urge to take the boy by the hand back to their bed. Their perfect bed that was so much softer than any hospital bed. The bed where they shared their perfect first night together, their perfect hugs together, their perfect first kiss. 

He slowly swam to the boy’s bedside, fear covering his heart like a blanket as he shakily reached out to grab the older boy’s hand. His fingers interlocked with the boy’s cold ones, making him slightly flinch before noticing an odd object in it. He shakily pried it from Beomgyu’s grasp, which was too limp for Taehyun’s liking. 

He opened the carefully wrapped box, eyes widening as tears poured out of them steadily. His head immediately flopped onto the comatose boy’s lap, body shaking as he wailed loudly as the love of his life laid on a hospital bed fighting for his life. 

💙

The first month was the hardest for Taehyun. Time started to move slower for him, without his other half, nothing felt fulfilling to the young mermaid prince anymore. For the first few days, no one could tear Taehyun away from Beomgyu, the royal staying by his bedside every hour of every day, barely eating anything and sleeping even less. The only thing that made him unlatch from Beomgyu was when the older’s family visited him in the hospital. 

A light knock on his door was heard, Taehyun silently opening his eyes and rubbing the sleep out of them as Beomgyu’s family let themselves in. Taehyun locked eyes with them immediately, then looked back at Beomgyu. They looked so alike, yet not at all at the same time at the same time. 

A memory flashed through his mind. 

“I’m jealous you and your sister look so alike. Someone could probably mistake you two for twins,” Beomgyu pouted as he leaned against Taehyun’s shoulder, who was looking through one of their older family albums. 

“You think so? I don’t think my sister and I look anything alike though…” Taehyun smiled, not seeing the resemblance at all. 

“Trust me, if you think you look nothing like your sister, wait until you see me next to my brothers. I’m the only one who looks like our mom, I have no physical traits from my dad at all, meanwhile those two are the spitting image of him. Sometimes I used to joke with my brother that my mom actually adopted me because I looked exactly like her, but my oldest brother always argued he was literally there when I was born. Oh! And did you know I was born with a full head of hair unlike my brothers? They were so interested because I came out with a full head of rose brown hair! And…” 

Taehyun smiled silently, too in love with the boy as he continued to wail on about the story of his birth. 

Taehyun wished they were meeting under different circumstances, just so he could line Beomgyu up with his brothers and compare their visuals to see if the older boy was telling the truth or lying. 

Taehyun hesitantly released his grasp from Beomgyu’s hand, folding them together and swimming forward to greet the family. He faced all of them with red eyes and blotchy cheeks, trying to quickly compose himself. He had no right to cry when it was their own family in the hospital bed. 

“I’m honored to finally meet you all. My name is Prince Kang Taehyun of the Coral Kingdom, I–– I am your son’s fiance. I’m sorry for my appearance, I didn’t know when––” 

Taehyun was interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping around him carefully. 

“That’s enough, son. You can rest now, it’s okay. Go back to your castle and let them know we’ve arrived, then take a nap. Beomgyu wouldn’t want you to ruin yourself because of him.” The King unwrapped his arms from Taehyun, laying his hand on his shoulder as he looked at him with a serious expression. Taehyun’s eyes immediately welled up with tears once more, falling on his cheeks as he closed his eyes, nodding silently. 

He hesitantly took his leave, glancing at the comatose Beomgyu one more time before leaving. He swam back to the palace silently, not commenting on the hushed whispers of some of the villagers. 

As soon as he entered, he met with a servant and told them to inform his parents that the royal family of Pearlhaven had arrived, the servant immediately following his instructions. 

He swam to his room silently, energy completely leaving his body and pain covering his heart. He locked eyes with their bed, silently swimming over to it as fast as he could. He flopped onto the bed, body curling in on himself as he inhaled the older boy’s scent still clinging to their sheets. Silent tears welled up in his eyes, pouring down his cheeks as grief overtook his body and poured into his heart. 

💙

Taehyun didn’t go back to the hospital after that day. Once someone dragged him out of that room, he knew there was no going back ever again. Beomgyu stayed in the Coral Kingdom’s hospital, Taehyun’s father convincing Beomgyu’s family to since they had the best healthcare system in the whole seven undersea kingdoms. 

Taehyun drowned himself in work, finding any and everything he could to distract himself from Beomgyu. It surprisingly worked well for the most part, except when Taehyun went to rest in his bed and took in the older boy’s lingering scent. Taehyun rarely left his study, making the maids bring him food ever so often and falling asleep in the late nights, a bioluminescent light still on. 

He couldn’t think about him. If he chose to think about him, it would only end up destroying his already broken will. Any place he would go would remind him of the older boy, his personal library, the dining room, his room. Their room, where they shared so many soft and silent moments with each other. The room where Taehyun fully fell for the older boy. The room where he shared his first kiss with the older boy. Taehyun couldn’t take it. 

Going through life like this, before he knew it, a whole year had passed. For the first time in his life, his birthday hurt to celebrate. Sure, he had been poisoned on his twelfth birthday, but that was nothing compared to this. To not celebrate his birthday with his soulmate, the love of his whole life? It tortured Taehyun. He’s sure Beomgyu would’ve made it one of the best birthdays he’s ever had. Taehyun held the fantasy in his mind constantly, the only comfort he could feel on his birthday. 

Here’s how it went. 

Taehyun opened his eyes silently, sleepiness still evident in his expression. 

“Good morning, my love,” A sweet, honey filled voice came from his side, causing Taehyun to instantly smile as he turned around to meet the love of his life’s eyes. 

Beomgyu pressed his lips against Taehyun’s softly, careful as they both closed their eyes simultaneously, sparks flying from both of them and bodies heating up steadily. 

“Let’s go eat our breakfast,” Beomgyu whispered after their lips unlocked, cheeks heating up as he looked at the younger boy. 

Taehyun nodded, holding the older boy’s hand as they both left their shared bed. They both swam to the dining room, giggling softly at each other's teasing remarks. They both sit down next to each other, a servant immediately bringing them their plates. Taehyun smiled silently at the plate, crab legs and salmon, his two favorite foods. 

After their breakfast, they both went to their private library, picking out books for each other and reading next to each other for hours in silence, simply appreciating each other’s warm presence. 

After they finished their reading date together, they took a swim through the castle, hands still intertwined as they basked in each other's presence. They stop at the underwater garden near the outskirts of the castle, sitting on a bench as they gaze upon the rare flowers and plants only found in their kingdom. Taehyun leaned his head against Beomgyu’s shoulder, contentment flowing through his body as he smiled silently. 

They stay with each other for a moment in silence, hearts beating loudly in their own chests. Then, the most fragile words come from Taehyun’s mouth. 

“I love you.” 

Taehyun’s cheeks and nose instantly reddened, realizing the weight of the words that just came from his mouth. He lifts his head from Beomgyu’s shoulder, immediately facing the older to gauge his reaction. 

There Beomgyu sits with the most beautiful expression on his face, Taehyun engraving the image into his temporal lobe. His lips are curled up perfectly, just enough to show the start of his dimple, his blue eyes sparkling like a million stars. As if he had any doubt before, he knew how he’d be willing to watch the world collapse if it meant he could stay happy. He’d do whatever it takes to protect him.

“I love you too.” 

Their lips lock passionately once more, their youth and curiousness flowing from their mouths into each other. 

Taehyun cried into his sheets as silently as he could, gasping sobs not doing anything to help his plea. Taehyun didn’t leave his bed very much that day, barely eating as he tried to get his mind to stop thinking; to just stop working , reminding him of Beomgyu every single moment of that day. The memories suffocated him; despite only knowing his fiance for less than three weeks, the memories they made together only fueled Taehyun’s grief. 

“I’m sixteen now…Beomgyu-hyung.” He whispered late into the night, eyes too red and cheeks puffy. 

💙

A couple of days pass after Taehyun’s birthday. Then weeks. Taehyun doesn’t move from his bed anymore. His parents become worried. They try to pry him into the hospital, but to no avail. Taehyun looms around the castle halls like a shadow. He takes in the hushed whispers of the maids. 

“Did you hear about the Pearlhaven Prince? Apparently they’re taking him off life support next week since he hasn’t woken up from his coma.” 

Next week. Next week Beomgyu will turn seventeen years old. Next week Beomgyu will leave this world. 

Taehyun didn’t think it was possible to despair more than he already did. Wow, could he be wrong. Despair permanently rooted itself in his heart, he could never replace this feeling with anything else. 

Next week comes too soon for Taehyun. His concept of time was ruined ever since the incident. He felt like a zombie, still breathing but dying inside. It was like he was rotting in his own room, from his very own making. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about that room. That room that was too white, where the love of his life laid as he fought for another day. Meanwhile, here Taehyun was, wasting his life away because the older boy was ‘asleep’. 

Taehyun finally decided. He would work up his courage, put on a brave face, and visit Beomgyu on his birthday. 

Finally, the day came. 

Taehyun woke up with a dreadful feeling settled in his stomach. This was it. The day his soulmate would turn seventeen, and simultaneously the day he would die. 

He woke up early in the morning, unable to get more than three hours of sleep consecutively throughout the night. He went through the motions of his morning routine, numbly preparing himself for the moment he was about to encounter. 

He doesn’t remember swimming over to the hospital alone, too in his head to think of anything else except seeing Beomgyu again. In that damned room. In that damned white bed that he blended into too well. 

Finally, the moment came. He stood in front of the door silently, nerves tensing his body and hesitant expression on his face. He sighed, closing his eyes as he turned the door handle, heart clambering in his chest. 

No one was in the room, Taehyun immediately looked everywhere except the bed. Finally, his eyes landed on the bed, unintentional tears immediately welling up in his eyes. He put on a brave face, slowly swimming closer to the bed. 

The older boy looked so peaceful there, like he was simply sleeping without a care in the world. If only that was the case. Taehyun stood there for a moment, maybe two before clenching his fist and breathing slowly, in and out. 

“Hi, Beomgyu-hyung.” He slightly whispered, voice shaking and eyes still filled with tears. 

The boy on the bed stood still, eyes still closed but the rising and falling of his chest grounding Taehyun’s nerves. 

“Can you hear me? Ah…probably not.” Taehyun looked downtrodden into his lap, a thoughtful expression on his face. 

“I’ll still talk though. Since…this seems like…” Taehyun instantly choked up, tears pouring out of his eyes and down his cheeks. 

He sighed, trying to compose himself once more. 

“I’m sixteen years old now, Beomgyu-hyung. I know you’re probably really mad at yourself for missing my birthday. Well…I’m mad too. You always talked about how you were going to throw me the best sixteenth birthday after I told you my birthday, but you still missed it. I’m incredibly mad at you. Getting my hopes up only to not celebrate my birthday with me. It was cruel, Beomgyu-hyung.” Taehyun slightly jokes, teasing nature coming through for the first time in a year. 

The boy on the bed continued to lay there silently, eyes still closed and chest still (luckily) rising. 

“And today you turn seventeen years old, hyung. So I’m mad again. You can’t even wake up to celebrate your own birthday? With me, your fiance? That’s more unfair. You won’t celebrate either of our birthdays. And the fact that you’re leaving me? You’re cruel, hyung. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to you, how is that fair?” Tears flowed out of Taehyun’s eyes heavily, heart weighing down his words as it felt like he was suffocating under them. 

Taehyun grabbed the older boy’s hand, needing the comfort of his physical touch as his lips quivered, requiring the boy’s warmth. When he was met with a cold hand, it only fueled his anguish. He silently cried as he clung onto the older boy’s hand, stretching his fingers out carefully so Taehyun could feel the grounding touch he hadn’t felt in a whole year. The quivering of his lips lessened, ever so slightly, imagining Beomgyu’s grounding touch on his cheek. His heart instantly warmed, thinking of the limited memories he shared with the older boy, lips curling up as a flicker of a smile; a flicker of a smile from simpler times. 

“There’s just one problem, hyung. I could never hate you, no matter how much I tried. No matter how much I wanted to hate you for leaving me too soon, I couldn’t bring myself to. Because… I love you, Beomgyu-hyung. I’ve loved you since I laid my eyes upon you. Nothing could ever change that fact. I’ve loved you for a year now. Even though we were separated too soon, my love for you only grew. Nothing… nothing will ever be able to replace how you make me feel. So, I have no choice but to carry this burdensome love with me for the rest of my life. This incredibly heavy, imperfect, burdensome love. Because we deserve that. You deserve that as much as I do. This will be our punishment for loving each other too deeply and too fastly. We will always hold the memories of what our romance could have been.” 

Tears flowed steadily out of Taehyun’s eyes, chest stuffy and heart heavy, as if it was a weight Taehyun could barely carry. 

He stays there, holding the boy’s hand for a moment before someone enters the room, Taehyun seriously locking eyes with him. A man with a white lab coat stands in front of him with pitied eyes for the young prince. Taehyun turns back to Beomgyu silently, lips quivering once again and fear overtaking his body. At last, the moment was here. 

The doctor swam closer to Beomgyu’s IV, holding up a syringe with a heavy heart. 

“This is morphine, your Highness. It will make his death painless and quick. He will stay asleep during the whole process.” 

“Yes, sir.” Taehyun spoke in the tiniest voice, afraid if he spoke louder he would crack. 

Taehyun leaned closer to Beomgyu’s bedside, his hand shakily laying upon Beomgyu’s left cheek. Silent tears made his eyes sparkle, lips still quivering and heart worn on his sleeve. 

“Nothing will ever change our love. Not even this.” He whispered, leaning closer to the older boy as tears fell on his cold cheeks. 

He passionately locked lips with the comatose boy, lingering to stay in this feeling as his warm lips connected with cold ones, soon making them ever so warm with leftover heat from Taehyun’s body. 

He hesitantly lifted his head, drying his eyes, but to no avail as more tears immediately came to his eyes. 

The doctor nodded to him silently, moving to insert the syringe into Beomgyu’s IV. Taehyun closed his eyes, not bearing to watch the process. The cold hand still in his grasp soon turned limp, causing Taehyun’s head to lower as his body started shaking. He sunk to the ground silently, limp hand still in his grasp and sobs wracked through his body. 

🩵

At least, that’s what Taehyun thought would happen. He was a realist, and on top of that he liked to imagine scenarios down to the very last detail. Call it a flaw all you want, but Beomgyu loved that characteristic of Taehyun, so Taehyun loved it too. 

Taehyun calculated the whole scenario in his mind, he already knew this kind of conclusion was possibly going to happen in the long run, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less for Taehyun to go through. 

He thought that was exactly how it would go. But, he was starting to learn his calculations could be wrong. 

Here’s how the day actually went. 

Taehyun woke up with a dreadful feeling settled in his stomach. This was it. The day his soulmate would turn seventeen, and simultaneously the day he would die. 

He woke up early in the morning, unable to get more than three hours of sleep consecutively throughout the night. He went through the motions of his morning routine, numbly preparing himself for the moment he was about to encounter. 

He doesn’t remember swimming over to the hospital alone, too in his head to think of anything else except seeing Beomgyu again. In that damned room. In that damned white bed that he blended into too well. 

Finally, the moment came. He stood in front of the door silently, nerves tensing his body and hesitant expression on his face. He sighed, closing his eyes as he turned the door handle, heart clambering in his chest. 

The room was filled with people, from doctors and nurses, to Beomgyu’s family. Beomgyu’s family turned around simultaneously, confused expressions on their faces. When their eyes met Taehyun’s tired, and slightly scared ones, they instantly weakened, hearts embracing the younger boy’s distraught expression silently. The King swam over to him, silently gesturing for the younger boy to follow him outside of the room. Taehyun followed his instruction, silently leaving the room without so much as a glance towards Beomgyu. 

“Hello, son. It’s good to see you again.” Beomgyu’s father slightly smiled, showing the boy a gracious expression as he silently took in Taehyun’s ragged look, cheeks slightly sunken in and eyes too tired for their own good. 

“Yes, sir. It’s good to see you too. I um…I heard about…” Taehyun cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. 

“I heard about Beomgyu-hyung’s…condition. I…I…”

“It’s okay, son. You don’t have to explain yourself.” Beomgyu’s father sighed through his nose, knowing exactly what the younger boy meant. He composed himself once more quickly, smiling widely to the boy. 

“Listen to me very carefully now, son. We’re not going to take Beomgyu off of his life support quite yet. The doctors ran some scans yesterday and they found changes in his brain activity again. He might wake up soon.” 

Taehyun was reeling. Did he really hear that right? Or was his mind tricking him and he was still sleeping in his bed? His eyes widened, sparkling with unshed tears as hope started to rise in his heart. Could he dare? Could he dare hope that Beomgyu, his Beomgyu, would wake up from his coma? 

Taehyun slightly panted, overwhelmed by emotions as a silent tear fell from his eye. A sweet sort of bubbling started to rise in his chest, suspiciously feeling like hope and happiness. His lips curled up unintentionally, the most hopeful expression on his face. 

“Beomgyu-hyung…is…he’s going to be okay?” He said in the sweetest tone, voice cracking with hope. 

The King smiled at him, nodding in favor of expressing his skepticism. That’s not what Taehyun needed right now. 

“If you’d welcome us, we’d love to stay with your family for the next week so we can keep visiting him.” 

Taehyun composed himself as he spoke, showing him a gracious expression. 

“Yes, of course. My family will welcome you if you visit them in person, I’m sure of it. If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay with Beomgyu in his room for the next couple of days as well. I’ll give you updates if his condition changes at any time.” 

Taehyun had to be there when Beomgyu woke up. There was no choice in his mind. To see the boy open his eyes once again, look at his lips curl up as his dimple popped out, and to hear the boy’s angelic laugh once more. 

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll go to the castle right now and visit your family.” The King laid his hand on Taehyun’s shoulder, smiling gently upon seeing the younger boy’s relieved expression. 

Taehyun put on a brave face, breathing in and out carefully before entering the room once more with a serious expression. Beomgyu’s brothers both faced him simultaneously, Taehyun slightly tensing up as he swam over to them. 

“Hello, I’m sorry for my delayed introduction. It has been far too long, my name is Kang Taehyun, first prince of the Coral Kingdom.” Taehyun slightly bowed to both of them, a charming smile on his face as he looked at the older boys confidently. 

“It’s an honor to meet you as well, Taehyun. My name is Choi Ingyu, I’m Pearlhaven’s first prince and Beomgyu’s oldest brother.” An older boy swam up to Taehyun with a friendly smile, holding his hand out for the younger boy to shake. Taehyun instantly complied, with a warm smile on his face as he took in the older boy’s features. His bone structure was similar to Beomgyu’s, Taehyun could see the resemblance, though it was hard to tell since every other feature on his face was exactly like Beomgyu’s father. 

“Hello, Taehyun. My name is Choi Hangyu, I’m Pearlhaven’s second prince…and Beomgyu’s second older brother.” The other pretty-looking man swam up to him with a soft smile. Taehyun noticed a lot more of Beomgyu’s features on his second brother, but again, it was still hard to pick out underneath his father’s general facial structure. 

“Your father just went to our castle to take care of your lodging. I’ve also offered to stay here through the night for the next few days and give you updates of Beomgyu-hyung’s condition if anything changes.” Taehyun folded his hands together as he looked at both of them respectfully. 

“Thank you for that. We were thinking of getting some breakfast, do you know of a good place nearby?” Beomgyu’s second brother questioned Taehyun, slightly tilting his head, figuring he should give the younger boy a moment alone with Beomgyu. 

“I would personally recommend a nice cafe just down the street from here. It has a big sign, you can’t miss it!” 

“Thanks! Come on Han, let’s go check it out.” Ingyu pushed his second brother toward the door, the younger one sporting a confused expression on his face but complying with his older brother’s sentiments. 

And so there were two. Well, besides the leftover doctor and nurses still taking note of Beomgyu’s charts. The doctor finished giving his notes to the nurses, quietly requesting them to keep him updated to see if his active scans changed anymore. They all left simultaneously from the room, bowing to the Prince respectfully. 

Now, there were two. Taehyun silently swam closer to the bed, immediately facing the older boy on the bed, his eyes still closed and his chest rising and falling steadily. Taehyun shakily inhaled, trying his best to smile for the older boy but to no avail. 

“It’s been a while, Beomgyu-hyung.” 

Taehyun hesitantly went to grab his hand, nervousness rising in his lungs. He breathed in, then out. He could do this. 

His fingers interlaced with Beomgyu’s silently, a single tear slipping out of his closed eyes. 

He felt Beomgyu’s softness. He felt his warmth. He felt Beomgyu . He felt solid all at once, in a way he thought he’d never be able to again. 

He looked down at the amethyst ring on his ring finger. He had never taken it off since that day, numbly staring at it when he wished Beomgyu was right next to him. 

“I never thanked you for my ring, huh, Beomgyu-hyung?” Taehyun smiled, a comfortable expression on his face. 

“Thank you, hyung. Thank you for showing me what love could be like. Thank you for loving me so warmly and openly. Thank you for letting me love you. You…were like a shooting star for me. You granted my wish. To love and be loved. You’ve given me something so precious. So…please wake up soon, hyung. So I can pay it back a hundred fold.” 

Taehyun lifted his left hand to lay on Beomgyu’s cheek, soft, warm skin immediately greeting him. Taehyun closed his eyes, lips unintentionally opening slowly as he leaned in closer to the older boy on the bed. Finally, his lips closed in on the older’s soft ones, heat radiating between their two bodies steadily as Taehyun pushed every feeling he had into the older boy’s lips. 

Their lips stayed connected for a moment, Taehyun’s lips tingling at the missed sensation for the past year. Maybe because he was so distracted with that, he didn’t feel an arm wrap around his waist. The arm pushed him closer, lips pushing back against Taehyun’s forcefully. Taehyun flinched, opening his eyes as a confused expression overtook his face. 

Light blue eyes met his cold brown ones, curling up in instant relief and euphoria. 

“Hello, my love.” Beomgyu’s voice was as smooth as ever, honey dripping from it despite no proper use in the past year. 

His lips curled up steadily, soon revealing his dimples to the younger boy. Oh, how Taehyun missed those dimples. 

His eyes instantly teared, a shaky smile overtaking his face. His eyes sparkled with unshed tears silently, breath caught in his lungs as he stared at the older boy silently. 

Beomgyu stared back at him, a smile on his face turning into a concerned expression. 

“What’s wrong, my love?” He spoke delicately, eyebrows knit together and hand stretching out to cradle Taehyun’s cheek. 

Taehyun grabbed the older’s hand over his cheek as he closed his eyes. This was it. The grounding touch he had been missing for a year. There was no mistaking it. 

He leaned into Beomgyu’s touch silently, body yearning to feel him closer and more earnestly. 

“Beomgyu-hyung?” he whispered, voice cracking with an edge of joy. 

“Yes, my love,” his honey-like voice dripped into Taehyun’s consciousness.

“Beomgyu-hyung,” he whispered once more, eyes squeezing tight as his cheeks were painted pink. 

Tears fell from Taehyun’s eyes silently, warmth and relief flowing through his body. He slightly hyperventilated, tears still welled up in his eyes, and a shaky smile fully overtaking his face. The older boy smiled at him silently once more, a pleasant expression on his face. 

“Beomgyu-hyung!” He lunged forward instantly, tears falling from his eyes and and mouth shaking happily. He happily wailed into his hyung’s arms, like a little boy who had scraped his knees. At last, he was home.

🩵

It took Beomgyu a while to recover from the accident, his cerebellum was damaged heavily from the accident, so he lost all motor functions in his tail and had to relearn how to use it. But, it was okay, because Taehyun was there every step of the way to support him. Taehyun would never leave his side again. 

In total, it took another whole year for Beomgyu to recover from his accident. He spent most of his recovery time in the Coral Kingdom, seeing as their physical therapy program across their kingdom was one of the most prestigious underwater, his physical therapy was overseen by the best physical therapists in the Coral Kingdom. Taehyun never left his side since that day, rolling the boy around in his wheelchair any and everywhere he wanted to go. Beomgyu appreciated it greatly, even if he did feel guilty he took up every minute of Taehyun’s day.

It took Beomgyu quite a while to believe he was in a coma for a whole year as well, thinking Taehyun was joking with him when he told him how his sixteenth birthday was the worst birthday he ever had thanks to Beomgyu. Taehyun was a little bitter about how Beomgyu woke up on his own birthday as well, claiming he could actively celebrate being seventeen years old while Taehyun only cried on his birthday. The effects of his time in the coma was obvious in everyone’s expressions when Beomgyu woke up though, showing him Taehyun really wasn’t lying and how worried his family had been. 

There wasn’t any ‘easy’ part of Beomgyu’s physical therapy, despite the fact that Taehyun went to every appointment with him it appeared like Beomgyu wasn’t getting better at all for the first month. And no matter how many times Taehyun and his family reminded him that these things take time and it’s okay to take it one step at a time Beomgyu always got frustrated, especially because Taehyun had to always see him in this weak state. 

It was the longest and most painful process of Beomgyu’s life. Almost every night, each time he came to rest his head on Taehyun carefully, he either cried or immediately fell asleep from the leftover pain of his physical therapy. It was slow ( so incredibly slow as Beomgyu liked to put it) but he knew how much it helped. And with Taehyun by his side constantly, he worked up the courage and worked on himself. 

Taehyun’s seventeenth birthday passed 11 months into Beomgyu’s physical therapy. Beomgyu was due back to his kingdom next week, his physical functions had mostly returned and his family felt it was best to let him come back home for the last month of his recovery. Taehyun knew he wasn’t ready to spend a whole month apart from Beomgyu, so he chose to not think about it and instead celebrate his seventeenth birthday. 

Taehyun was right; Beomgyu made his birthday one of the most special days of his life, in more ways than one. 

Taehyun’s eyes silently creased open, sleep still evident in his expression. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he yawned silently, still comforted by the warmth next to him. He turned around with a small, delicate smile on his face, immediately facing his soulmate with a not-so-graceful sleeping expression on his face. He slightly laughed, not daring to wake the older boy as he softly cradled his bangs with his hand. 

“Good morning, Beomgyu-hyung,” He whispered, falling back onto his sheets facing his Beomgyu-hyung with a warm smile on his face. 

Beomgyu groaned audibly, lifting the covers on his body higher as his eyebrows furrowed silently. 

“Five more minutes…” 

“So you’re not going to eat my birthday breakfast with me then?” 

“I never said that, I said five more minutes…” Beomgyu moved closer to Taehyun, eyes still closed as he wrapped his arms around the younger boy. 

“Just five more minutes in bed with me, then we’ll eat breakfast.” 

“Okay, Beomgyu-hyung,” Taehyun laughed lightly, eyes closing once more. 

When Taehyun awoke once more, he grimaced at the sudden loss of warmth next to him. He shot out of bed, looking around his room with his eyebrows slightly furrowed and pout gracing his lips. Beomgyu was nowhere to be seen, causing Taehyun’s heart to sink in his chest. 

He immediately swam out of his room, calling Beomgyu’s name through the halls of the castle, the strange emptiness only serving to confuse him more. Usually at this hour, there would at least be a couple of servants and maids strolling around the castle, taking care of their duties. 

“Beomgyu-hyung? Where are you?” Taehyun really wished he put a tracker on Beomgyu somehow. 

He looked through every room he could think of in the castle, their private library, the dining room, even the hidden grottoes he showed Beomgyu a couple of weeks ago. Finally, he came upon the underwater garden found near the outskirts of the castle. He opened the clouded door silently, confusion on his face as he saw multiple mermaids swimming around with supplies and materials in their arms. His eyes widened as he fully took in the scene, a surprised expression painting across his face. 

There Beomgyu was, in all his directing glory, seriously looking down at a clipboard and shouting commands at the servants to place those decorations over there! and hurry up, Taehyun will be here soon! 

The garden was beautifully decorated with seashells and pearls all around, on the flowers, coral, and aquatic plants. Tears silently welled up in Taehyun’s eyes as his mouth fell ajar. His eyes sparkled with wonder, like a child in a candy store. Except this moment felt so much sweeter than any candy Taehyun could ever eat, he thinks. 

“Taehyun! UH–– this isn’t what you think, I swear! This––this is for…my family! Yeah! For next week, when they come pick me up! Why aren’t you at breakfast? Did you already eat?” Beomgyu immediately swam over to him, covering his eyeline with his body so Taehyun wouldn’t see any more.

“I was looking for you, Beomgyu-hyung. You said we should eat together.” Taehyun smiled knowingly at him, not believing his bluff for a minute. 

“Oh…I did say that, didn’t I? Um, okay. Let me finish up here in one minute and then we can go together!” Beomgyu energetically said, smiling at the younger boy before turning around and talking to Taehyun’s advisor. 

Once Beomgyu was finished, they both swam to the dining room, hand-in-hand and both with warm smiles on their faces. Of course, their plates held crab legs and salmon, Taehyun’s two favorite foods. Beomgyu smiled at him before they both started eating, hands still intertwined under the table. 

After they both finished their breakfast, Beomgyu blindfolded Taehyun and led him somewhere the younger would instantly love. 

“Okay…wait one minute. Ta-da!” Beomgyu unwrapped the blindfold from Taehyun’s eyeline, his eyes glinting with excitement as his smile revealed his dimples. 

Taehyun smirked silently, looking curiously at the older boy as he immediately realized where they were. Taehyun’s private library, which he gifted Beomgyu soon after he met the older boy. 

“I was thinking we could choose books for each other and read them for a little bit.” Beomgyu slightly fiddled with his fingers, a shy expression on his face as his cheeks painted red. 

“Did you read my mind, Beomgyu-hyung?” Taehyun said incredulously, was this really happening? Was Beomgyu this in tune with Taehyun or was he still dreaming? 

“Eh? I don’t…think so.” Beomgyu smiled widely, glad the younger enjoyed his idea. 

They proceeded to pick multiple books for each other, then read next to each other in silence for a while, hand-in-hand. Once they were both done with their respective books, Beomgyu tied the blindfold over Taehyun’s eyes for one more surprise. He led the younger boy by the hand, smiles on both of their faces and excitement flowing through Beomgyu’s body. 

“Okay, we’re here. Wait one minute…” Beomgyu untied the blindfold from Taehyun’s eyeline, the warmest smile on his face, causing the younger to smile unintentionally as well. 

“Happy birthday Taehyun!” Beomgyu swam out from Taehyun’s eyeline to gaze at their setting together. 

Wow. 

There they stood in the underwater garden near the outskirts of the castle, pearls and seashells gracing the flowers and plants. Taehyun’s eyes sparkled as his mouth fell ajar. Even though he saw this earlier, that moment was nothing like what the finished product turned out to be. 

“Beomgyu-hyung…it’s beautiful.” Taehyun slightly whispered, eyes still sparkling in wonder as he swam closer to the plants, touching the flowers ever so delicately, not daring to shake the pearls off of them. 

“I lied earlier. This is my birthday present to you. Our first date together.” Beomgyu smiled shyly to the younger boy, cheeks still painted pink. 

Taehyun locked eyes with the older boy, eyes sparkling with unshed tears as he closed in proximity to Beomgyu. He lifted his hand up to touch Beomgyu’s cheek delicately, a beautiful smile on his face. 

“It’s the best birthday gift someone’s ever given me, Beomgyu-hyung.” His eyes flickered down to Beomgyu’s lips as his face came closer to the older’s, the rose-haired boy still smiling perfectly. 

Their lips interlocked carefully, both boys feeling a mixture of affection, passion, and longing swirl through their chests and hearts. The kiss lingered for a moment, until they were both out of breath like their first kiss shared together. 

Once their lips left each other’s, swollen and still tingling from the sparks of their chemistry together, they sat down on a nearby bench. Taehyun leaned his head against Beomgyu’s shoulder silently, staring at the various plants and flowers with a content smile on his face. 

Was this real? This wasn’t just some elaborate dream sequence Taehyun was dreaming up, right? He was allowed to be content and happy in this moment, right? 

“Taehyun.” 

Beomgyu’s voice was unusually serious for once, causing Taehyun to lift his head from his shoulder and look at the older nervously. Beomgyu had the cutest expression on his face–– at least, in Taehyun’s eyes–– eyebrows furrowed lightly and lips pouted out ever so slightly as his already pink cheeks turned pinker. 

Wow, I’m shaking. Why? It’s not like he can reject me. Beomgyu thought as he continued to stare at the younger boy, cheeks turning more pink by the second. 

How can he look so perfect without any makeup? 

Beomgyu breathed heavily, why was he so nervous and sweaty now? They lived underwater, it didn’t make any sense. 

Just do it. Just say it. 

“I love you.” 

Delicate words spill from Taehyun’s mouth gently, causing Beomgyu to silently look up at the younger boy as his light blue eyes sparkled with the force of a million bioluminescent jellyfish. 

“Wha––” 

“I love you, Beomgyu-hyung.” 

Taehyun’s lips curled up softly, the cutest expression on his face as he felt like his heart would jump out of his chest. 

Oh. 

That was easier than Beomgyu hoped it would be. 

Now he just needed to reply. He moved to open his mouth silently, tears silently welling with tears as relief rushed through his body. But, for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth. Why? He had prepared for this moment for almost a whole year now, so why, why did he have to choke at this moment? 

Taehyun looked at Beomgyu upon realizing he hadn’t replied to Taehyun’s statement. A seed of doubt planted in his heart quickly, smile quickly fading and instead replaced with a nervous expression. 

Was that wrong? What if he doesn’t love me like that? 

Every mermaid who saw Beomgyu and Taehyun together could easily argue against the fact, seeing as how Beomgyu stared at Taehyun in constant admiration no matter what they were doing. Every mermaid except for Taehyun, that is. He was too lovestruck with the older boy to even take in his constant stares and admiration in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry. Um–– please, forget I ever said that. I’m sorry, I need to––” Taehyun went up to leave, quickly swimming toward the door to leave. 

Beomgyu immediately swam after him, tightly grabbing his wrist with no intention of letting go. He wrapped his arms around Taehyun, eyes still sparkling as he buried his face into Taehyun’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry. My silence–– it wasn’t–– I’m not rejecting you. I was just…too…amazed to think of anything to say. I love you too. I’ve loved you since the first day I met you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Taehyun. Will…you grant me that honor?” Beomgyu moved to look at the younger boy, eyes sparkling with unshed tears. 

Beomgyu flinched back, heart immediately caving upon looking at Taehyun’s expression. Tears fell from Taehyun’s eyes as they sparkled lightly, relief and the adrenaline of Beomgyu’s confession flowing through every part of his body. 

“No, don’t cry, my love. It’s okay…please. Don’t cry, darling.” Beomgyu cradled Taehyun’s cheeks with both of his hands, worried expression on his face and in the tone of his voice. 

Beomgyu’s pet names only caused more tears to fall from Taehyun’s eyes, feeling the love and affection in each word he spoke to the boy. Taehyun lightly laughed, a beautiful smile overtaking his face as he lifted his hands over Beomgyu’s still sitting on his cheeks. 

Beomgyu was relieved upon seeing Taehyun smile again, grip on his cheeks slightly lessening as he smiled back. His eyes flickered down to the younger’s lips as he simultaneously moved his face closer to Taehyun’s face. The younger closed his eyes silently, lips yearning for Beomgyu’s touch. 

Their lips interlocked passionately; intimacy, passion, affection, admiration, and love conveyed into the kiss, and swirled around in both of their lips, down to their throats and settled warmly in their lungs and chest. They both felt it simultaneously, the sum of their love bundled up into one big ball that spread through their whole bodies and embraced them delicately. 

🩵

Time passed quickly for the both of them after that. Beomgyu left to go back to his kingdom for the last month of his physical therapy after that, even if Taehyun didn’t think it was necessary seeing as how Beomgyu’s tail had its normal functions back. Taehyun bitterly went to see the older boy off, his family was busy with other royal duties so none of them could see the boy off, much to their despair. 

“Beomgyu! Come on, we’re leaving in five minutes!” his second brother called from the carriage, they had come a couple of days ago to collect the prince and explore the kingdom. 

“Okay, Hyeong. One minute, jeez.” Beomgyu audibly yelled, despite their distance of five feet. 

Beomgyu turned back to Taehyun, a bittersweet expression on the younger’s face. Beomgyu smiled knowingly, secretly bitter about leaving as well. 

“It’s only for a month. Then, we’ll see each other every day again and everything will be perfect. ” Beomgyu cradled Taehyun’s cheek lightly, a gracious expression on his face. 

“One month exactly. Any more time and I might come and get you myself.” Taehyun teased the older boy, still feeling a little bitter. 

“Of course, my love. I’ll see you in one month.” Beomgyu leaned closer to the younger boy, lips opening carefully and interlocking softly with the younger’s lips. 

Their lips stayed interlocked until Beomgyu’s second brother audibly cleared his throat, causing them to shyly back away with pink cheeks and swollen lips. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too, hyung.” 

Taehyun longingly watched their carriage swim away, not bothering to mask his downtrodden expression. 

Taehyun surprisingly took Beomgyu’s absence well. He worked earnestly on his royal duties and started preparing to take over the throne after their wedding. He missed the older, but he always reminded himself it was only a matter of time until he saw Beomgyu again. The beautiful boy he could dare to call his. 

Beomgyu struggled during the month he was away from Taehyun, a lot. He wondered if this was how Taehyun felt when Beomgyu was in his coma. Not only did he long to physically see the younger boy, he longed to hug him, kiss him, touch him even. It was probably the hardest month of Beomgyu’s life. Blame his impatient nature for it, but he just wanted to go back to the Coral Kingdom and marry the love of his life. Don’t get him wrong though–– he still loved being in his kingdom, especially the times he would visit his mom and share everything that had happened and how he found his true love in Taehyun. He wondered if this was how his mom felt when marrying his dad–– he heard stories of how much they loved each other and how they showed it openly before her death–– but he always wondered what it would be like to experience that kind of feeling. 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Beomgyu, he was finally returning to the Coral Kingdom after his physical therapy and going to marry Taehyun. He left on the date he left the month prior–– March 13th, two days before his eighteenth birthday. He told Taehyun he would leave on the 15th of March, so they would celebrate his birthday belatedly but Beomgyu just couldn’t wait any longer. He needed to see the younger boy on his birthday. 

Beomgyu’s carriage arrived late in the evening on the 14th, with only a few minutes left until midnight. He grabbed his bags and thanked his servants before they drove back off to the Pearlhaven kingdom. He silently swam to Taehyun’s room, opening the door as silently as he could, so as not to wake the younger boy. He smiled silently upon seeing a peacefully sleeping lump under the blanket in their shared bed, setting his bags down as carefully as he could and swimming over to their bed, lifting the blanket silently and sliding in next to the sleeping boy. He wrapped his arms around the boy silently, eyebrows furrowing upon not feeling his warmth against his body. 

“Taehyun?” He lifted up the blanket confusedly, eyes widening upon realizing he was hugging a pillow. 

Where was he? 

“Happy birthday, Beomgyu-hyung~” An alluring voice came from behind Beomgyu, causing him to turn toward it with wide eyes. 

“Wha–– but–– I–– I said I was coming back later though.” Beomgyu looked confusedly at the younger boy, wondering how he could orchestrate this. 

“Yes, but I know you, hyung. You’d probably miss me so much you would leave your kingdom early and try to surprise me on your birthday.” Taehyun smiled knowingly.

How did Taehyun hit the nail on the head so well? Was Beomgyu really that predictable? Or was Taehyun a psychic? Beomgyu decided to just stop thinking about this moment. 

“You ruined my surprise! I was supposed to sneak in all stealthily and surprise you, and you were supposed to smile and tell me how much you missed me and kiss me all over my face!” Beomgyu pouted, looking at the younger boy with wide eyes as he sulked audibly. 

“Okay, okay. Why don’t you come back in and I won’t interfere this time. I’ll pretend like I’m sleeping, smile, hug and kiss you all you want.” 

Beomgyu thought about it for a moment, before silently nodding with a tiny smile on his face. 

“Okay, get your bags, let’s do this properly.” Taehyun tucked himself into his side of the bed, Beomgyu already swimming to get his bags and enter the room once more. He left silently, already getting into character. 

Beomgyu entered the room silently once more, as carefully as he could so as not to wake the younger boy peacefully sleeping in their bed. 

He smiled silently, setting his bags down carefully and swimming towards the bed, lifting the blanket silently and sliding in next to the sleeping boy. He wrapped his arms around the boy silently, smiling widely upon reaching the boy’s warmth. 

“Beomgyu-hyung?” A tired voice came from beside him, turning around with a confused and sleepy expression on his face. 

“Surprise~” Beomgyu smiled, thinking his expression was the cutest expression he ever saw on the boy. 

“Beomgyu-hyung!” Taehyun immediately hugged him, burying his face into his chest as his arms tightened around Beomgyu’s slender frame. Beomgyu smiled warmly, fully satisfied with Taehyun’s reaction. 

“I missed you so much, I thought I was going to die.” Taehyun over exaggerated, putting on his best show for the older boy. 

“Really? Aww I missed you too, my Taehyunnie~” Beomgyu basked in his attention, arms wrapping tighter around Taehyun. 

Taehyun’s arms unwrapped from Beomgyu’s frame, looking to face the older boy with the biggest smile on his face. Beomgyu looked at him as well, with a warm smile on his face. 

Taehyun leaned closer to the older boy, eyes silently flickering down to his lips as his cheeks heated up. Their lips locked passionately, heating up their lips and throats. As soon as their lips left each other’s they stared at each other with a smile on both of their faces. 

“Welcome back.” Taehyun whispered, both of his hands cradling Beomgyu’s cheeks. 

“I’m home.” Beomgyu replied, sweetest smile on his face. 

Taehyun’s smile widened, before he peppered kisses all over Beomgyu’s face. The older giggled lightly, closing his eyes and cheeks turning pink upon Taehyun’s touch of his soft lips. 

🩵

Both Taehyun and Beomgyu became extremely busy after Beomgyu’s birthday. Taehyun was busy enough in between preparing to take over the throne and his sword training lessons. That being said, Beomgyu seemed to be much busier than Taehyun could ever be. Not only was he in charge of almost all of their wedding preparations, but he took over Taehyun’s previous responsibilities around the castle as well. 

It took them months to finally get everything prepared for the wedding, but when they did they were so incredibly glad it was over. 

Finally, the day came. When Beomgyu would marry the love of his whole life; and vice versa. Both boys were shaking with anxiety and adrenaline the day of, both separated in the early hours of the morning to start the countless hours of delicate makeup work and dress fittings. 

Beomgyu shook silently, adrenaline flowing through his veins. Gosh, why did his family have to walk in when Beomgyu was in this less-than-graceful agitated state? He looked knowingly at his second brother with a silent smirk on his face, knowing he’d never live this down. He looked at his father through the mirror, smiling silently as the makeup artist put foundation on his face. His father’s eyes softened as his lips curled up ever so slightly from the corner of the room. A long flowing skirt’s waistband wrapped around Beomgyu’s slim waist, a skirt wrapping behind Beomgyu’s tail and flowing out behind him. The makeup artist painted a deep blue eyeshadow over his eyes, accentuating his light blue toned eyes. She then proceeded to put on a lighter blue and blended them together, creating a shade similar to Beomgyu’s eyes. She dabbed waterproof mascara on his long eyelashes, then applied a soft coral blush to his cheeks. She finished the makeup by carefully setting three tiny pearls underneath Beomgyu’s eyes in a crescent-like shape on both sides of his perfectly symmetrical face. His father swam up next to the mirror, right hand holding an unfamiliar box, causing Beomgyu to look at his father with a confused expression through the mirror.

“This was…” His father breathed in, then out, silently looking at the box. 

“This was your mother’s lipstick she wore to our wedding. She always wanted a daughter, but she said if that wasn’t possible she’d at least want her last child to wear it to their wedding.” 

Beomgyu looked up to his father with wide eyes, mouth falling ajar as he gazed down to the box lightly. 

“Father…” 

“Please, Beomgyu. She may not have had a daughter but she’d be proud you wore it. You look exactly like her on our wedding day.” Beomgyu’s father pressed his hand against the prince’s cheek, looking at him with a pleading expression. 

Beomgyu stared at his father for a moment, then smiled. He nodded silently, gently grasping the box in his father’s hold and giving it to the makeup artist. She opened it and took a seashell out, opening it to reveal a teal lipstick that matched Beomgyu’s eye color to a tee. He lightly gasped, before puckering his lips to let the artist apply it carefully to his lips. She lightly smiled, nodding to herself before revealing it to Beomgyu in the mirror. 

Beomgyu’s eyes sparkled warmly, wow did this lipstick suit him. He smiled warmly, glancing at his father’s reaction in the mirror. He lightly flinched, there his father was in the corner of the room, hand over his mouth and tear slowly rolling down his cheek. 

“Father…” Beomgyu turned around, caring nature immediately overtaking him. 

His father dried the tear off of his face before swimming back over to the boy, cradling his face gently. 

“Your mother would be so proud of the person you’ve become, Beomgyu. I’m proud of you, son. I love you.” 

Beomgyu’s eyes widened silently, tears immediately welling up in them and falling from his eyes as yellow Topaz jewels. 

“Well, at least he can’t ruin his makeup by crying.” His second brother admonished slightly under his breath, arms crossed and smirk still on his face. 

Beomgyu lightly laughed, catching the jewels in his hands before looking at his brothers with the biggest smile on his face. 

“Finally, one last touch.” The makeup artist put the barrette Taehyun gifted Beomgyu two years ago in his rose brown hair, perfectly suiting the young mermaid’s look.

Taehyun was nervous. Actually, he was so nervous he felt like he was going to pass out. He was mostly shaking from the nerves, but a tiny bit of it could also be given to the adrenaline flowing through his body. Finally, the moment had arrived. After two and a half years, Taehyun was going to marry the one he bonded his soul with. It was a long and painful process, but this was it. Taehyun felt like every moment was leading up to this incredibly satisfying moment. Every trial he went through Taehyun overcame was for this moment, right here. Marrying the love of his whole life.

Taehyun shakily touched each corresponding finger on his hands with each other, a nervous habit of his as he sat in the chair to get his makeup done. The makeup artist carefully put foundation on his face, then applied a blush, and the lightest eyeshadow that shadowed Taehyun’s dark brown orbs perfectly. Afterwards, she put a clear lip gloss on his lips and smiled at her work, letting the prince take a look in the mirror. Taehyun slightly smiled, eyes sparkling with unshed tears before nodding to her silently. 

“Prince Taehyun? It’s time to go to the altar.” A servant fetched the young prince, hands folded and a shining expression on his face. 

Taehyun turned around to his family with a nervous smile on his face. His father smiled widely at his son, nodding in affirmation to him before turning to his mom and sister. His mother smiled beautifully to the young prince, fixing a piece of his white hair still sticking out with tears in her eyes. She cradled his cheek lightly, a beautiful expression on his face. 

“I’m so proud of you, honey.” She whispered, the son nodding silently before turning to his sister. 

“Don’t screw up, little bro,” She lightly joked, teasing nature still evident. 

Taehyun snorted carefully, reply just as teasing. 

“Are you allowed to say that even though I’m getting married before you?” 

His sister snorted back, lightly smacking his neck with light force. 

Taehyun quickly turned back to the servant, nodding to them before following them to the wedding venue. 

Finally, the moment was coming. The time Taehyun’s beautiful ‘bride’ would be revealed to him and both of their lives would be complete and perfect. 

Beomgyu’s family were soon instructed to their seats, as well as Taehyun’s family. 

Beomgyu’s shaking lessened, ever so slightly when he swam in front of the doors leading to the venue. His hold on the bouquet helped to mask it, but not much in Beomgyu’s opinion. Finally, the music started and the doors opened, Beomgyu slowly breathing in and out before swimming forward with a serious expression on his face. He looked to both sides of the audience as he swam, spotting mostly familiar faces and smiling to them gently. He finally got to the front and locked eyes with Heeseung, the latter smiling widely upon locking eyes with Beomgyu as well. 

“Welcome, family, friends and loved ones. We gather here today to celebrate the wedding of Prince Choi Beomgyu and Prince Kang Taehyun. You have come here to share in this formal commitment they make to one another, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Beomgyu and Taehyun to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them. So welcome to one and all, who have traveled from near and far. Beomgyu and Taehyun thank you for your presence here today and now ask for your blessing, encouragement, and lifelong support, for their decision to be married.” 

The officiant of the wedding started, causing Beomgyu and Taehyun to look at each other with nothing but love in their eyes. The officiant's voice quieted as the world around them fell around the two, as it always seemed to do when they were together. Bits and pieces of the ceremony filtered in and out of their ears, but nothing substantial stayed until one sentence filtered into both of their ears. 

“Now the grooms will state their declarations of intent and exchange vows.” 

“Kang Taehyun, from the moment we met, I knew that my life had found its missing piece. Today, I stand before you, ready to embark on this incredible journey as your partner, your confidant, and your forever love.

I promise to love you fiercely and unconditionally, even on the days when life's challenges test us. I will cherish the moments that make us laugh and hold you close during the times that make us cry.

I vow to support your dreams and aspirations, encouraging you to become the best version of yourself. I promise to be your sanctuary, your safe haven, and the person you can always turn to in times of need.

I pledge to learn and grow with you, to be patient and understanding, and to stand by your side as we build a life filled with love, adventure, and shared dreams.

I promise to respect and honor you, to be faithful and loyal, and to be the partner you deserve. I will be your partner in all things, your rock, and your shelter from the storms of life.

With you, I have found my home, my heart, and my forever. I eagerly anticipate every sunrise and sunset by your side, knowing that our love will only grow stronger with time.

I take you, Kang Taehyun, to be my lawfully wedded spouse, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow to you, my love, for all the days of our lives.” 

Once Beomgyu was done reciting his vows, there was not a dry eye in the audience, including Taehyun’s and the officiants. Beomgyu lightly laughed, drying the tears off of the boy’s face gently. Taehyun cradled his hand gently against his face before composing himself once more and reciting his vows. 

“Choi Beomgyu, as I stand here today, surrounded by our loved ones and with all the love in my heart, I make these promises to you:

I promise to love you without reservation, to cherish each moment we share, and to be grateful for the love we've found in each other.

I vow to be your partner in all things, to support and encourage your dreams, and to celebrate your successes as if they were my own.

I pledge to be patient and understanding, to listen with an open heart, and to always strive to understand and empathize with your perspective.

I promise to be your unwavering source of strength and your soft place to land in times of sorrow, knowing that together, we can weather any storm.

I vow to laugh with you in times of joy and to comfort you in times of sorrow, to create a home filled with warmth, love, and laughter.

I promise to continue to grow and evolve with you, to learn from our experiences, and to cherish the lessons we discover together.

I pledge to respect and honor you as an individual, to recognize the beauty in our differences, and to always communicate openly and honestly.

With you, I've found my greatest adventure, my truest love, and my forever home. You are my rock, my confidant, and my greatest blessing.

I take you, Choi Beomgyu, to be my partner in life, my one true love, and my constant companion. I vow to love you today, tomorrow, and always, for all the days of our lives. This is my solemn promise to you, my love.”

Now it was Beomgyu’s turn to cry. The older boy’s lip quivered with the force of a thousand winds, something bubbling up in his chest and lungs, feeling suspiciously like happiness. Tears pooled in the bottom of his eyes and fell from his eyes as yellow Topaz jewels. Beomgyu caught them with his free hand and lightly laughed as Taehyun looked at them surprisedly. 

“They’ve never been yellow, have they?” He slightly whispered, bewilderment in his voice. 

“No, they haven’t. It’s because I’m happy.” Beomgyu whispered back, a wide smile on his face. 

“May I please have the rings?” The officiant continued the ceremony, continuing before the couple got lost in each other’s eyes once more. 

The ring boy quickly delivered the rings, the officiant holding one up to Beomgyu to slide onto Taehyun’s finger. The older prince complied quickly, adrenaline flowing through his body once more. He shakily pushed the finger onto Taehyun’s ring finger (which was perfectly shaped Beomgyu must’ve said). The officiant held the other ring up to Taehyun, the younger prince pushing the ring onto Beomgyu’s ring finger as well, a shaky smile on his face. 

“I now pronounce you husbands! You may kiss the groom!” 

Beomgyu immediately pulled Taehyun in by the waist, alluring smile on his face. Taehyun made a light squeaking sound before laughing in the older boy’s arms, lightly slapping his chest. 

Beomgyu breathed out, heavy breath on Taehyun’s skin as he moved closer to the younger boy. Taehyun closed his eyes and brought his hand to rest on Beomgyu’s cheek, lips locking intimately, not daring to leave for fear of losing each other’s warmth. 

Finally, Beomgyu could call Taehyun his. Finally, they were perfectly matched with their soulmate and destined to live out the rest of their days in love with the perfect person in their mind. Finally, they could lead happy lives with another who supported them wholeheartedly and earnestly. 

Fin