you remember seeing him on the first day of class, you were new so you didnāt know yet
that some of the people who lived around here were differentĀ
and yukhei, wong yukhei, as he had introduced himself to you
at first you thought it was just all in his face
skin soft like lilac petals
a smile so vibrant it outshone the rest of the people in the room
a low tone that when he talked, even casual things like asking for notes or about your day
you found yourself being lulled into this safe, warm place
āoh, let me guess - you have a crush on yukhei?ā
the one friend youād managed to make so far, haechan, stated as you leaned against the wall outside of your class and watched yukhei glide down the hall
blessing everyone with a polite nod as he did
for a moment, his eyes met yours and he brought out that smile
you nearly felt your knees give out
āi mean, doesnāt everyone?ā
haechan pops his gum,Ā āyouāre right about that, well you know - except for the people who hate his kind.ā
you didnāt understand what haechan meant at that time, and haechan couldnāt explain after being pulled away by another classmate
but with time - you came to knowĀ
it took you awhile, but after a couple of tries you finally figured out the fast way home from class
you had to take a shortcut that would bypass the local beach
and it didnāt take long for you to realize
that yukhei also took this path quite a lot
after a couple of days of just exchanging nods, you putting your head down to hide the oncoming redness in your cheeks
yukhei finally struck up a conversation - you know, just to be nice
there was a lot of small talk until you guys got down to shared interests, actual hobbies, and stories about each others lives
yukhei was genuinely curious about youĀ
but one of his questions threw you off
it was warm, just past seven thirty in the morning when you were getting to your first class togetherĀ
and yukhei had thumbed the necklace around his neck
he always wore it, a small seashell hanging just low enough that it peaked from the collar of his shirt
āwhat do you think of the ocean?ā
youād never been asked that before
āi ,,,,i guess i like it? itās always,,,,there.ā
yukhei nervously gripped at the shell and you watched his hands instead of his face
you missed the nervous bite back of his lip
āi donāt think i have a choice, itās the ocean afterall. i canāt pick it up and move it.ā
this made yukhei laugh and suddenly everything was back to normal
that awkward tension you thought youād felt disappeared as fast as it had come
āyouāre doing morning dates with yukhei now?ā
haechan asked at lunch as you shrugged it off
āheās just making conversation to be nice.ā
but he wasnāt,,,,because when you looked up from your food you saw him across the room
honey eyes flickering shyly off of your face,,,,,as if heād been staring
you saw it,,,,,even haechan did with a little smile to himself
it was when yukhei walked you right to your front door that you felt something was changing between you two
at school, he was just as kind and sweet - but he was always surronded
always flooded by peopleĀ
they were all feigning for his attention and wouldnāt let you get close - not even an inch
not that you tried,,,,you knew you had the time to be alone with him on these walks
but heād never dropped you off before, he just looked at the house and smiled
waving goodbye as you closed the door behind youĀ
youād texted haechan about it
and haechan had been no help, just spammingĀ āoooo what a romantic~ chivalry isnāt dead!ā till you responded with aĀ āi really might block you if you keep doing thatāĀ
the next day at school there had been some kind of commotion outside of the gym
people had crowded around and you saw yukhei,,,,,head hung low as someone stood before him - seething
ājust go back from where you came from, freak!ā
you heard it, through clenched jaws
and the rest of the student body uproared in protest
but yukhei didnāt move,,,not with all the people tugging at him and yelling at whoever had picked this fight with him
and that day,,,,you walked home alone
but you kept thinking about it,,,,even as you were doing your work and trying to focus
the only image in your mind was of yukhei
whoād never looked like that to you before - heād never,,,,been so defeated
and what ws that even all about?
āgo back from where you came from, freak?ā,,,,,was the person alluding to something you didnāt know about
it made your head hurt and your heart ache
and you wanted to just go to sleep and hope to see yukhei in the morning
but you didnt even have to wait because something tapped against your window and when you opened it
there,,,,,there was yukhei
he mouthed and you stared at the drain pipe and back at him
,,,,,,yukhei looked out of place in your room
to be honest he just looked out of place in general
there was a small healing bruise below his eye and his hair was a wild mess
the usual positive aura that followed him where he went was,,,,gone
his lips quivered a bit when he talked
āwhy did you come here? are you ok?ā
you took a peek at your clock, it was nearing midnight
āi,,,,,,,,you must have saw what happened today at school.ā
you didnāt mean to, but your eyes flicked over the bruise again
āi,,,yes,,,what about it?ā
he came closer, almost as if he was going to reach out and grab your wrist but he stopped himself
āwill you go to the ocean with me?ā
āi think itās time that you ought to know why im different.ā
youād never ridden on bike handles before, but yukhei was adamant that itād be faster than walking
the whole time you wanted to look back for some reason
to look at yukhei and that bruise
to kiss it better, at least provide some kind of comfort
but you were too scared- clutching the sides of the handles and praying youād make it to the beach in one piece
and you did and yukhei laughed when you gripped on him to gather your stability
but it was a sad kind of laugh,,,,,as if he knew something bad was just around the corner
and then he was off - running - running right toward the water
and you were standing on the sand watching him
until he was gone in the waves and your body snapped
you ran toward it, knee high in water - yelling his name
what was he doing? where did he go? was this some kind of jok-
and then you felt it, the brush of the water past your legs
the darkness of the night made the water thick and murky so you couldnāt see what it had been but then
you were being pulled closer into the waves
until ,,,, until you were neck deep andĀ
he asked, head bobbing on the waves
āare you insane, whyād you drag us into the water weāre going to be soaking -ā
he pushed back his hair - the underidge of his eyes was scaled,,,,with pretty purple scales
you then noticed the gills on his long neck
his eyes, once that plush honey were now vibrant yellow
you stared at him,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and then saw that the necklace he wore with the seashell was glowing in the dark
ālet me show you something,,,ā
he disappeared back into the water and within seconds you saw the large, beautiful tail lift from the water
the fins looked almost translucentĀ
and the moonlight made the scales sparkle
yukhei emerged from behind you, hands on your shoulders as you jumped a bit
and he giggled,Ā ādid i scare you again?ā
but then you heard his voice drop,Ā ābut really,,,,tell me if i scare you,,,,ā
you had to calm your heartbeat
not out of fear or anythingĀ
but out of,,,,,,pure shock
you never thought yukhei could look more beautiful than he already did and yet
here he was,,,,,all gorgeously shimmering with water underneath the moon
āim not scared,,,,is this what,,,,you meant by being different?ā
he smiles, his corner teeth are a bit fanged
āitās not just me,,,,a couple of us live among humans,,,,,and it was ok - nothing wrong about being different but sometimes people still canāt get used to it.ā
he pushes back, floating as he stares up at the moon and you push past the waves to circle toward him again
you reach out and take his hand in the water, the webbing between his fingers doesnāt even phase you
āif mermaids can breath underwater i want to try something,,,,,ā
yukhei grins,Ā āof course we breath underwater but what is-ā
you shake your head and motion for him to dunk his head under
he complies, eyes still wide and open as you join him and
taking his face in both your hands you press your lips to his
the taste is salty, thanks to the ocean - but you like it
and when you feel his hands grip your hips, you feel yourselves come splashing out of the water as he still holds you tight
ānever kissed a mermaid before ,,,,,ā
you muse - as you float on your back beside yukhei, his hand still clutching yours
āwell you can keep kissing this one.ā
in the morning, you look at yukheiās bike on your front lawn. youād biked back home while yukhei had stayed in the ocean
when you walk it back with you to school, you feel yukhei put a hand on yoursĀ
āwant me to give you a ride on the handle bars again?ā
you pass the bike over to him and lean up to kiss him
still a little salty aftertaste ,,, but youāll grow to like it
āhell no, you almost scared me to death last night.ā
āsooooo youāre more scared of my bike then of me, your monster boyfriend.ā
you scrunch your nose and put a hand on yukheiās cheek
āyouāre not even close to being a monster,,,,,,,,,,please remember that.ā
he sighs, but itās small and he turns his head to kiss your palm
āitās just the truth.ā
you stare at each other for a bit,,,entranced
if there was anything you had learned since moving here itās that people were always full of surprises
and that some peoples difference just made them all the more beautiful to you
āhey love birds, some of us are TRYING to get to school.ā
you and yukhei tore away from each other, haechan passing by with a shake of his head
ācanāt believe a mermaid and a human are dating, what a disney love story!ā
he fake gags and heads on further with a wave
you and yukhei exchange looks and giggle
āyou know what, ill ride on your handle bars just so we can beat haechan to school.ā
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