#until they finally gain consciousness and change it to a normal photo of themselves

[jrueships]

the 43 is actually the amount of times hes contemplated making a spectacle out of his soul releasing, wherever it may go, just in the span of these few minutes

[nobodyfamousposts]

Kagami VS The Wall of Faces - A Kagaminette Commission

A dragon is a fierce creature. Strong. Dangerous. Greedy.

And Kagami was so very greedy.

Particularly when it came to the time and attention of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

It started small at first, beginning with that contest they had participated in together. For all of the missteps, Kagami’s awkward attempts, and the other girl’s anxiety, it was probably one of the best days of Kagami’s life. Even if they hadn’t won the contest, they both had gained something from it. A unique experience. A better relationship.

It hadn’t been until she finally confronted her mother after the akuma battle that she realized.

Kagami had her first “friend”.

One who was willing to defend her. One who was willing to stand up to her mother. One who stayed by her with an ease and jovial mind even when they lost at their goal.

The life of a Tsurugi was one of strictness and discipline. A loss was a burden. A failure was a shame.

But here...drinking juice together and talking and just being together...Kagami felt none of that.

It was freeing in a way. Confusing, true. But freeing, like the weight that normally dragged her down after any failure was lightened...perhaps even nonexistent.

If she felt this way in Marinette’s presence despite a loss, perhaps it was a feeling she could continue to have around her?

And so, Kagami started making a point to spend more time with the other girl. Seeing her more often at school. Joining her for lunch. And even taking precious moments she would use to hurry to fencing practice and get a head start to stay with the other girl for a bit longer, arriving to her practice on time instead of early as per her usual. And as she grew closer with Marinette, she was invited on more outings with her and her friends, which was something she had come to enjoy.

And yet...something had to be wrong, because Kagami found she couldn’t seem to get enough. As time passed, Kagami slowly began to feel dissatisfied but didn’t know why.

Was it because of Marinette’s infatuation with Adrien? It had to be, Kagami realized one day as she found herself glaring at the horde of pictures of the boy on Marinette’s wall. They were both in love with the same boy, after all.

Except then Marinette started talking about the blue-haired boy, Luka. Some pictures of him slowly started to make their way onto the wall. And to her surprise, rather than lessen, that dark feeling was just as strong.

Was she...jealous of Marinette?

Or was she jealous over Marinette?

Did she want Marinette to get rid of the pictures of Adrien? Yes. That meant she saw her as a rival for his affections, right?

But then the niggling little thought interfered. That one questioning little thought with a loud voice and a perfect image of how Marinette’s wall would look so much nicer if it had pictures of Kagami up instead…

It hit her.

She remembered hearing before...how everyone had something that represented their heart and what was most important to them within it. For more traditional folks, it would be some manner of collection—antiques, trophies, souvenirs, or other collectables. For many, it would be their computers. Or their phone. Their music. Some sort of tangible thing to display that showed a person’s heart.

And for Marinette, it was that Wall.

That wall of pictures wasn’t just a sign of Marinette’s love for Adrien. It was also symbolic of just how much space Adrien took in her heart.

...Kagami wanted that space.

She wanted to be in Marinette’s heart.

She wanted to be on that Wall.

____________________

Much as a dragon would hoard its treasures, Kagami found herself inclined to hoard what meant most to her.

And her “treasure” was the time and attention she received from her new good friend. Seeing Marinette smile. Hearing her laugh. Having her gaze solely on herself.

She started with little things. Compliments of Marinette’s appearance. Praise of her skills. And something in Kagami sparked when she got a blush or stammer in response.

Then she started increasing their time spent together.  Visiting the bakery Marinette’s parents owned after school as a post-fencing practice “break”. Staying in the bakery itself if Marinette happened to be working that day and chatting with her between customers. Arriving early to walk to school together in the mornings, and gaining gratitude from Marinette’s parents and much surprise from everyone else that her doing so has since helped Marinette to start arriving on time.

As days and weeks passed, she saw how Marinette became ever more comfortable around her. Her friends were nervous and uncertain. And that Rossi girl and Bourgeois brat certainly made themselves scarce. But Marinette was genuinely happy to have her around.

And never was this more clear than the day Kagami entered Marinette’s room and discovered a change to the Wall of Faces that took up her heart.

More pictures took up space on the Wall. Some of that blue-haired boy. A couple of the hero Chat Noir. A few of her friends all together.

And then there was one of her.

Of Kagami.

Not even of her and others in a group. But just one—a profile picture. Something she recognized from a magazine that had done an article about her once. It had been a while ago. Marinette would have had to do some searching to find it.

Marinette had gone out of her way to find a picture of Kagami for her Wall. And furthermore, she had not placed her in the somewhat limited section that seemed specifically set aside for her friends. Rather, Kagami was in the mix of photos that seemed to be designated for a deeper feeling.

She...felt warm at the prospect. Almost giddy.

And yet...

It wasn’t enough.

She didn’t just want a part of her heart.

She wanted all of it.

And that meant only one thing.

She had to take over the Wall.

____________________

She continued from there in a rather simple manner. Marinette had an instagram account and Kagami shortly after started her own as well. With this excuse, she suggested they take “selfies” and pictures of their outings together to add to her account. Marinette had happily agreed, and soon both Kagami and Marinette’s accounts had pictures of the two of them at various activities.

This also had the fortunate effect of providing additional photos available for Marinette to add to her Wall at any point. Something Kagami saw was working, as she noted more pictures of herself taking up increased space on the Wall. It was still not as much as she would have liked, but given that the Wall had originally been solely dedicated to Adrien, it was substantial progress.

The next step was to introduce herself as a potential object of Marinette’s affections. While she seemed to hold some feeling for Kagami, the limited space on the Wall and the girl’s own mixed feelings meant that she likely didn’t consciously realize Kagami as an option.

She had to fix that.

And what better way than to offer her tokens of her esteem?

So Kagami started giving her gifts. A keychain from a souvenir stand they happened upon during one of their outings. A small plush toy from the arcade. A mask from a carnival. Just small things here and there...at least at first.

In her time with Marinette, she took note of the other girl’s interests. Design, obviously. Sewing and knitting as well. And then there was the less noted one of gardening.

Marinette gasped in delight the day Kagami presented her with a gift of potted pink hydrangeas.

“They’re beautiful! But are you sure you want to give them to me?”

Kagami smiled.

“I wouldn’t have brought them for you if I wasn’t certain. In fact, I could think of no one I would entrust with them more.”

Marinette blushed at that, gratefully accepting the gift.

(Marinette didn’t understand why Tikki kept giggling the rest of that day. It wasn’t until she looked up online for information about hydrangeas and how to care for them that she discovered the symbolism.)

When Kagami next came into Marinette’s room, the number of her pictures on The Wall exceeded those of Couffaine. She felt a thrum of pleasure in her heart.

And so she continued. Gifts of yarn. New sewing needles. And at one point, much to Marinette’s awe, a rather expensive roll of fabric that earned her a very pleasant hug of excitement. Kagami kept the gifts sporadic—she didn’t want to overwhelm her after all. But the more time she spent with her and the more gifts she gave her, the more that Kagami found she was slowly but surely taking over the wall as well as forging her own place in Marinette’s heart. One that was eventually comparable to the space of Adrien’s own.

This was never more clear than when, to Kagami’s joy, Marinette started to reciprocate.

“Hey, Kagami! I made you some mittens!”

“Here’s a scarf I made for you! As thanks! For...for the materials you gave me…”

“I had a thought about a new fencing uniform. Would you like to take a look and tell me what  you think? Um...if that’s all right?”

Kagami’s new fencing uniform three weeks later made it more than all right.

Marinette was acting different. Stammering a bit more. A little awkward. Flushing and blushing and making Kagami’s heart thrum with delight. Even her friends started to realize what was happening.

...Adrien, it seemed, did not.

“I’m glad to see you two are becoming such good friends!” He told her one day after practice when she was about to leave with Marinette.

Kagami had to hold back her laughter. Because really, how ridiculous could he get?

She didn’t want to just be Marinette’s “friend”.

She wanted to be Marinette’s “one”.

That meant wooing Marinette.

Kagami smirked.

Well, if Adrien wasn’t going to get a clue, it might as well be a woman who shows him how it’s done.

____________________

Things came to a head at a specific point.

It was an akuma battle. Not any different from the usual, except that the akuma this time was a slighted fencing rival who was targeting Kagami herself. Her attempts to fend him off would have been admirable, but were sadly lacking as she didn’t have the power of a Miraculous or akuma to defend herself with. At most, she had only her own physical abilities and skill.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!”

And one Marinette Dupain-Cheng attacking with a frying pan she must have grabbed from her kitchen when the akuma barged in and WHAT WAS THAT GIRL THINKING?

“Are you CRAZY?!”

“Kagami, he’s after you! Just RUN!” Marinette shouted as she parried a strike.

Kagami could only stare in shock. Partly in fear. Mostly in awe of this girl who was only an amateur in fencing at best but who was still trying to step in for her sake.

...She hadn’t thought she could be any more in love with her.

Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last. Now that the akuma was focused on Marinette, the two adult Dupain-Chengs grabbed Kagami and rushed outside of the bakery, ordering her to run. Then pushing her when she attempted to refuse until she had no choice without making all their attempts futile and risk them coming to even more harm. If she wasn’t there, at least, maybe the akuma would leave them alone to try and chase after her? Maybe it would lose interest in them?

That is a big “maybe”, though...

And didn’t that just grate everything in Kagami? To run away? Unacceptable. To flee from an opponent? Unacceptable. To allow Marinette to be facing an enemy in her stead? To be injured—possibly killed for Kagami’s sake?

UNACCEPTABLE!

She was about ready to turn around and head back, damn the consequences! But something else stood in her way.

A certain black-clad something with a rather familiar box.

“Special delivery!”

Chat Noir had somehow gotten ahold of the Dragon Miraculous and sought out Kagami for her aid in the battle. She didn’t know how or why. She didn’t know if this was part of a plan. She had no idea where Ladybug even was.

None of that mattered.

The only thing that mattered was that she finally had a way to fight back and defend the treasure precious to her heart.

“Loong, bring the storm!”

Within mere moments, she was transformed and taking to the sky, leaving Chat Noir yelping out in surprise. She didn’t have time to wait on him, though. She had a treasure to protect. And a lady to save!

For Marinette, the fight had been a short one—little wonder, as she was untransformed and a frying pan could really only do so much against a skilled fencer. Within minutes, the akuma had Marinette cornered and unarmed.

Marinette saw the akuma’s weapon raised and ready to swing down on her. She closed her eyes, knowing this may very well be it.

Something slammed into her, though. But it wasn’t a weapon. It didn’t hurt.

“I have you, Hime!”

Her eyes snapped open in shock.

It wasn’t that she was alive. It wasn’t that she was in the air. It wasn’t that there was a Miraculous user active.

It was that her saviour was Ryuko.

Kagami.

She was in Kagami’s arms. With Kagami smiling at her. With Kagami holding her oh so closely.

“Are you unharmed, Mari-hime?”

And calling her “Princess”.

Marinette felt herself blush in a way she hadn’t around Adrien in weeks.

“Fine! You’re fine! I-I mean I’M fine! We’re fine! Just…”

Very fine. Were her arms always this muscled?

She squeaked.

Kagami—Ryuko! Her hero name is Ryuko!

Marinette shook her head.

Ryuko gently set Marinette to stand on a nearby rooftop. To Marinette’s embarrassment, she stumbled, causing Kaga—Ryuko to grab her again to steady her.

“Careful!”

“Thank me! I mean—you!” Marinette couldn’t even bring herself to speak.

Kagami—because it WAS Kagami behind that mask damn her—gave a gentle smile.

“Of course, Hime. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

She bowed and placed a kiss to the other girl’s hand.

“Until we meet again, Mari-hime.” Kagami told her, giving that oh so satisfied smirk she always wore when she knew she was winning.

Which she was and she knew it, seeing the way the pigtailed girl flushed a deep red and started stammering. Kagami would almost say the reaction made everything worth it.

“Ryuuko!” Came the call from a distance. Chat Noir was in trouble.

Kagami gave Marinette a wink before going after the cry.

Marinette curled into a ball, covering her face with her jacket and giving out a muffled cry with only Tikki to witness the display and try to calm her down enough to get her to transform.

Needless to say, Ladybug was distracted for the rest of the fight.

____________________

Two days later, Kagami met with Marinette in her room. To her inner glee, there was a picture of Ryuko front and center in the middle of The Wall. More pictures of Adrien had been taken down in its wake as she saw her Miraculous self standing tall with sword in hand. The picture was larger than a good majority of the others, and it in combination with her other pictures left her taking up a good three quarters of the entire canvas that represented Marinette’s heart.

There were still some pictures of Adrien left on The Wall. But Kagami had time to remove those. As things stood, it was clear who held most of the space in Marinette’s heart.

“Marinette? I was wondering if you would perhaps like to go out to dinner with me?”

The designer blinked in surprise at that. “You mean like hanging out at the cafe like usual?”

She shook her head and took Marinette’s hand in her own. “No. I mean...dinner. With me. Together.”

Marinette gaped in surprise. But Kagami did not falter.

“The fight with the akuma the other day really made me realize that I have been...hesitating. I like you. I like being with you. And I...want to be with you. If you will have me.”

Marinette blushed. When her eyes met Kagami’s, there was uncertainty. But she was looking at Kagami—just at Kagami. The way Kagami had been wanting her to.

“I think I would like that.”

Kagami smiled. They both did.

The Wall still had pictures of Adrien. And a few of Luka. As well as a couple of Chat Noir.

Kagami didn’t care.

It didn’t matter if Adrien still had a part of Marinette’s heart. Kagami had most of it, she was sure. And if the amount of space she took up in Marinette’s heart was enough for her to at least get to call Marinette her own…

She wouldn’t be wholly satisfied with that, but she could at least try to be. For now.

____________________

This is a commission for Sbelle, who asked for Kagaminette with an “unambiguously happy gay ending”. I hope you are satisfied with how this turned out! Thank you for your patronage!

If you would like to support me or request a commission, please check out my ko-fi.

[jliyah17]

Pairing: Kang Yeosang (Merman) x Female Reader (Lifeguard)

Word Count: 11,300

Warning: Mentions of death, mentions of abuse

Photo: outrosan on Instagram

A/N: this is somewhat based off of the movie Aquamarine. Also, Yeosang’s hair is really long in this imagine. Like mid-back, so keep that in mind.

Masterlist

“This job is so boring,” you said as you let out a sigh. The heat was getting to you. Anyone could look at you and see how exhausted and worn out you were. You envied the look of enjoyment that the guests had. The children giggling and screaming as they splashed each other, parents holding their smaller children on their shoulders, some guests were asleep on the sand, trying to get their summer tan. It was a beautiful June day. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, everyone except you. You had only been out there for a few hours. Unfortunately for you, the sun made it feel like a few days.

There was a strict rule against the lifeguards having their phones with them on post, which made your situation even worse. You were hoping that you could get some sort of relief from the scorching hot sun. You awaited the cool feeling of the ocean waves hitting your soft skin, anticipating the time hitting 5:00 p.m. so that your shift could finally end. You were so bored that you decided to count each wave that appeared, watching as they crashed onto shore. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, everything seemed normal. That was until you spotted a strange object out in the distance. The rays from the sun reflected off of it, blinding you for a split second. You raised your hand to shield your line of sight as you got a better look at the object. It had a metallic like shine to it. The chrome like material caused you to see multiple colors of the rainbow reflecting off of it as it danced in the waves. You turned to your left to retrieve your bag that was hanging from the arm rest of your post. You reached in and pulled out binoculars, getting a better look at the object. You lost it for a few seconds, the location unknown, until you saw the familiar shine. Having a closer look of the object helped you spot more details. The object had a scale-like pattern on it and what seemed to be two fins were attached at the end.

“Is it a fish?” you said as you zoomed in on the object. As you zoomed in more, the object became more visible. You soon realized that it was a tail. You tried to look for more details when a sudden shriek interrupted you.

“Oh my god, he’s drowning!” a lady on the beach yelled as she pointed. You heard others gasp as they looked in the direction that the lady was pointing at. You zoomed out and moved the binoculars to where she pointed at. You located the person she was referring to, to see a boy around ten years old, flailing his arms, trying to keep his head above water.

Shit, shit, shit, you thought as you grabbed a life jacket and charged to the water. Arms extending out, aiding your body to glide in the water, closer to your target.

“Help! Help me, please!” the boy yelled. The water surrounding him got more active as you got closer to him.

“I’m almost there!” you tried to reassure him. When you reached the boy, he was still flailing his arms around, trying not to drown. “Hey, hey, I got you,” you said as you put the life jacket on him.

“I want my mom,” he said, crying and clinging onto you.

“I know, I know. I’ll get you to your mother safely.”

Getting him to his mother safely was the challenge, though. The waves were already hectic before you got to him, but they seemed to have worsened as you tried to leave. There was no way for you and the boy to get back to shore. The currents went in opposite directions, causing them to circulate you and the boy. The intensified, leaving you nowhere to exit.

“Fuck, we’re in a whirlpool!”

You pulled the boy close to you, thinking of a way to get out. He panicked even more, trying to get out of the whirlpool.

“No, stop! Panicking will make it worse, calm down!” you exclaimed.

“So what are we gonna do?” he said, holding onto your jacket. 

“We’re just gonna have to keep calm and swim, panicking isn’t going to make the situation better,” you said. “Do you know how to swim?” He nodded again. “Okay. Follow my directions carefully.” 

You demonstrated what to do and he copied your actions. It was going good and soon, he was free from the whirlpool. You were almost out, before an unexpected current came and pushed you back. You tried with all your might to swim, but the waves were too strong. Your nostrils burned like fire as the water overtook your body.

“Help! She’s drowning!” the boy screamed.

You were certain that this was the end. All your accomplishments going down the drain. Getting acceptance letters from all your applied colleges, graduating high school, getting a free-ride scholarship. All of that going to waste, knowing that this was the way that you would go out.

Please, someone. Help me, you thought. As if on cue, you felt strong arms wrap around you. The stranger fought against the waves and swam out of the whirlpool with ease, taking you with them.

You started seeing spots as you felt your limp body being placed on the rough sand. 

“Can y’all give him some room!” you heard someone in the crowd yell. That was the last thing you heard before sleep took over your body.

You gained back consciousness as you felt the water in your throat rising. Blood rushes to your cheeks and your mouth watered as you sat up, emptying out your stomach. Your throat burned like hell as you held your stomach. The people started cheering, seeing as you were awake.

“Here’s some water,” a voice said from beside you. You turned to your left and looked up, blindsided by the man’s beauty. His baby-soft skin glowing from the beaming sun. Long blond hair flowing in the wind. He was the epitome of gorgeous.

Damn, you though, taking the water bottle from him.

“Thank you,” you said, smiling.

“I was really worried. I thought you were dead when I got you out of the whirlpool.”

He was the stranger.

“That was you?” you said and he nodded. You jumped up and wrapped your arms around his frame. “Thank you, thank you so much. I thought I was gonna die,” you said as you felt yourself getting emotional. He hugged you back.

“No need to thank me. I couldn’t let something happen to either of you, knowing that I could have prevented it,” he said, pulling away.

“There has to be some way I can repay you.” He shook his head.

“You don’t have to repay me. I’m just glad I could help someone,” he said as the smile on his face grew. You smiled back.

Remembering the boy from earlier, you looked around, trying to spot him in the crowd. He was walking beside a woman who you assumed was his mother. The closer they got the more you realized that they were walking towards you.

“You don’t know how grateful I am for what you did today,” she said as she stopped in her tracks in front of you. “I don’t know what I would have done if my boy died, so thank you. Thank you so much,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes as she grabbed your hand.

“No need to thank me, I was just doing my job,” you said, giving her a warm smile. “The real hero is him. He saved mine and your son’s life.”

She looked to your left at the blond stranger and grabbed his hand too.

“Thanks to both of you. You’re both very brave and courageous people. Now what do you have to say Daniel,” she said as she turned to her son.

“Thank you for saving my life,” he said. You both said “you’re welcome” and the mother and son left.

“That was brave of you to go out there. Especially in a whirlpool,” he said as he turned to you. You just shrugged at his comment.

“I didn’t even know there was a whirlpool. I just heard someone say that the kid was drowning, so I ran to the ocean.”

“You still went out there though.”

“I was just doing my job,” you said, shrugging once again.

“No need to be modest. You can give yourself a pat on the back,” he said. You patted your back sarcastically, causing him to let out a chuckle. You were about to say something else to him when one of your coworkers, Amy, interrupted you.

“Hey Y/N...Tanya said that you...you can have the rest of the day off and I’ll just...fill in for you,” she said, out of breath as she rested her hands on her knees.

“Damn, why are you out of breath?”

“Because...I had to...I had to run all the way over here.” You gave her a look.

“You could have just told me on the walkie-talkie,” you said, laughing. She flipped you off and walked to the post. As you turned to walk off, you turned back around towards the man. “I almost forgot to ask. What’s your name?” He turned to you with a smirk on his face.

“Why do you wanna know?”

“I wanna know the name of the man who saved my life.”

“Yeosang.”

“Y/N.”

“Y/N. That’s a pretty name,” he said as his smile got bigger. You rolled your eyes jokingly.

“Well, it was nice meeting you Yeosang, but I have to leave,” you said, turning around once again.

“Nice meeting you too, Y/N.”

After you encounter, you went to the small building where the lifeguards could put their belongings and freshen up. You took a shower, changed your clothes and retrieved your phone. On your way to the car, you sent Maya a message.

You: finna stop by your job otw home

Maya: why are you getting home so early?

You: tell you later

Putting your phone on Do Not Disturb, you put it in the cup holder in between the two chairs as you sat down with a sigh. You were ready to get your ice cream so you could go home and sleep. You weren’t even in the mood to drive, which was usually something you loved to do. The cool breeze caressing your face as you drove down the road. Occasionally looking at the pretty, tall palm trees and beach houses as you stopped at a red light. Today, you just wanted to go home.

After a while, you finally spotted the Cold Stone’s. Turning your right signal on, you maneuvered the car to the right, made another right turn, and parked into an empty parking spot in front of the store. 

“Hey girl!” Maya greeted you as you walked in.

“Hey Yaya.”

The cold air felt good on your skin, contrasting from the scorching heat outside. Surprisingly, the store wasn’t as packed as you thought it would be, considering today were the hottest days so far. There was only a few people at the ice cream place. A mother and her daughter who looked to be around three years old, sat at a table near the door. The little girl giggled as she put ice cream on her mother’s nose. A group of teenage girls sat at a booth in the back. They looked familiar to you. You realized that they all went to your school.

I’m so glad I don’t have to go back to that hell hole, you thought. Yesterday was you and Maya’s graduation. A day you’ve been anticipating since you started school back in kindergarten. You were just grateful that the day finally came. As you walked to the counter, you made eye contact with the little girl. You smiled at her and waved. She smiled back, giggling. You walked to the counter, standing across from her.

“I’m going on break in a little bit, so we can talk after I make your ice cream,” she said as she picked up an ice cream scoop, already knowing what you wanted. You just nodded your head as you stood in front of the cash register. After making your ice cream, she gave it to you. With a ‘thank you,’ you handed her the money.

“Keep the change,” you said. You found a table in the corner and sat down as you opened your phone, checking your notifications.

Damn, I shoulda got his number, you thought to yourself as Maya came from behind the counter, taking a seat across from you.

“So, what happened? Why aren’t you at work right now?”

You sighed as you explained what happened. Trying to save the boy, getting stuck in a whirlpool,and being saved by Yeosang. She just sat there, processing the information you told her.

“Damn...you almost died Y/NN. I almost lost my best friend,” she said, voice breaking and tears welling up. You came to realize what could have happened, eyes tearing up also.

“I didn’t... I didn’t even realize till now. If Yeosang didn’t come, I...” You couldn’t even finish your sentence. Maya reached across the table, grabbing your hand and squeezing it.

“You’re here. That’s all that matters.”

You two sat there for a while, calming each other down, comforting each other.

“I love you Y/NN,” she said, rubbing your hand with her thumb.

“Love you too Yaya.”

You let go of her hand, grabbing some napkins for you and her, wiping your tears away.

“You got me all emotional and shit, crying,” you laughed. She laughed too, a hiccup escaping. She picked up her phone, checking the time.

“Damn, my break is over,” she said, standing up. “I’ll see you later when I get home.

You said your goodbyes as you grabbed your things and headed to your car.

You walked through your bedroom door as you let out an exaggerated sigh. The bed was calling your name. The time may have been 5:30, but you were ready to go to sleep.

“Shit, I  need to wash my hair,” you said. With a groan, you walked to your bathroom to wash the ocean water out of your hair.

It didn’t take as long as it usually would, since your hair was in braids. You dried them off as you walked to your room, putting a towel on your pillow so that it didn’t get wet. You signed as you finally layer down on your bed, throwing the covers over you, getting comfortable getting comfortable as sleep took over.

Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring! Ring ring-

You turned to your right, grumbling as you picked up your phone, checking the caller ID.

Yaya, it read.

“Hello?” you said, clearing your throat as you sat up.

“Hey girl. I’m at Chipotle, you want anything?” she said.

“Yeah, can you get me my usual please?” you asked and she said yes. “Why are you going out now, didn’t you get off at 6:30?”

“Yeah. I came home and saw that you were asleep, so I just took a nap too. I woke up feeling hungry and you were still asleep, so I left,” she said. You heard a door close and footsteps, indicating that she was walking to the restaurant.

“I’ll talk to you when you get back home, and thanks for the food.”

“Okay, bye,” she said and hung up.

You tried going back to sleep after the phone call, but your body wouldn’t let you.

“Maybe I need some fresh air,” you said. You let out a moan, enjoying the feeling of your muscles stretching. You changed into some shorts and put on some slides, grabbing your phone just in case.

You sighed, smiling as your feet hit the sand. The sand wasn’t hot like it was earlier, since the sun had set. It was nice and warm. You reached down to take your slides off, thinking that it would be easier to walk in the sand barefoot. You looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful night. The sky was pitch black with hints of blue, there were millions of bright stars in the sky, and clouds, looking like grey clumps of cotton. You walked for a couple minutes before you reached your post.

“I didn’t even realize I left this,” you said, picking up your bag that hung from the arm of the chair. The bag consisted of binoculars, a whistle, and other items you needed during your shift. Slinging the strap over your shoulder, you walked towards the ocean, dipping your feet in the shallow water.

The beach was probably your favorite place to go to, especially at night. You, alone, no one else. Just you and your thoughts. You pulled your phone out of your pocket, in the mood for some slow music. You were deep in your thoughts for a while before you heard a faint sound, stopping your movement. You paused the music, making sure you actually heard something.

“Help! Help!” you heard a weak yell.

Again, you thought as you looked around, trying to see who the sound belonged to. You looked to your right to see a familiar shine. It almost looked like what you saw earlier during your shift. You heard the same call for help, realizing that it was coming from the object. You squinted as you walked towards it, trying to make out what it was. The closer you got, you were able to recognize the object, or should you say person.

“Help me, please,” they said as you got closer, before passing out.

“Oh my god,” you said. “Is that a...mermaid?” You finally approached them, shock written over your face when you realize who it was. “Yeosang?”

He’s a mermaid.

He looked how he did earlier, except for the fact that he had a tail. His tail matched the one you saw earlier, the light from the moon reflecting off of it. You noticed a dark liquid spilling out of a very large cut on the side of his tail.

I have to help him. I can’t just leave him out here, you thought to yourself, trying to figure out how you would get him to your house. Guess I’ll have to drag him.

Putting your slides in your bag, you got behind him, bending down as you put your hands under his arms, dragging him as you walked backwards. His tail turned into legs when he was completely out of the water.

What the hell?, you thought, continuing to drag him.

“Damn, I need to workout more,” you said, regaining your strength as you continued to drag him towards your house. “Almost there, Yeosang,” you said.

Approaching the door, you opened it, dragging Yeosang into the house. Dragging him into the living room, you mustered up the rest of the strength you had, laying Yeosang onto the couch. You plopped onto the floor from exhaustion, wanting nothing more than to go back to bed. You heard the sound of a car door closing, indicating that Maya was home.

“Great. Now I have to explain this,” you said, standing up.

“I’m home- hey Y/NN,” she said, noticing that you were already downstairs. 

“Um, I have something to tell you,” you said as she got closer. Her face fell when she saw the man lying unconscious on the couch.

“Y/N, who the hell is this?” she said.

“I’ll explain later, I have to clean his wound,” you said, leaving the living room to go to the bathroom. Maya was hot on your heels, anticipating your explanation.

“No, tell me now. You can’t just bring a stranger into our house and not tell me anything about it.”

“I’ll tell you after I clean his wound. Just let me help him,” you said, opening the cabinet and bending down to get the first aid kit. You washed your hands thoroughly and moved past her, walking back to the living room.

“Fine, but you better tell me,” she said.

Sitting on the ottoman in front of the couch, you took out all of the necessary items you needed. You heard a groan as you took the alcohol out of the kit. You looked up to see Yeosang shielding his eyes from the light.

“Where am I?” he said as he turned towards you. “Y/N?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Do you remember what happened?” you said. He nodded his head, sitting up.

“I was swimming and my tail- I mean leg got caught on some glass and it cut me deep. I remember calling out for help and then passing out. Thank you for saving me,” he said, giving you a look of gratitude.

“It’s no problem. I couldn’t leave you all alone out there,” you said, pouring the alcohol onto a cotton pad. “This is definitely gonna hurt,” you told him. He just nodded his head as he gripped the arm of the couch. “Ready?” you said, about to clean the cut.

“Mhm.” he said. “Aaaaaahhhhh, fuck!” he yelled as he jumped, gripping the couch harder. Maya jumped from his sudden outburst, holding her hand over her heart.

“I’m sorry,” you said. After cleaning it, you applied a cloth to the wound and wrapped his leg with gauze.

“Thank you, Y/N,” he said.

““You’re welcome,” you said, getting up to throw away the remains. Maya hit your arm when you walked into the kitchen, nodding her head towards Yeosang. “Hold up,” you told her as you washed your hands again. “Um Yeosang, can I talk to you for a minute?” you said as you walked back into the living room.

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“I saw your tail,” you said quietly so that Maya couldn’t hear. His eyes widened.

“You know?” he said. You just nodded your head.

“Your secret’s safe with me, but my best friend wants to know what happened so...”

“You can tell her.”

“Are you sure? She doesn’t have to know. I can just tell her that I found you unconscious.” you said. He just shook his head. “Okay. Maya, can you come here?” She walked to where you two were, sitting in the recliner adjacent to the couch you were sitting on.

“Are you gonna tell me now?” she said. You nodded your head.

“After you called me, I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I went down to the beach to get some fresh air. I heard someone calling for help, so I followed the sound and found Yeosang lying unconscious in the water. And... he had a tail.” She had a look of confusion on her face.

“Wait, Yeosang? The one who saved you earlier?” she said, you nodded your head. “And what do you mean he had a tail? What type of tail?”

“A fish tail... I’m a merman,” he said. She laughed sarcastically.

“Y’all are funny. A merman, really? Mermaids aren’t even real,” she said as she stood up, running her hands through her hair. “Can y’all just tell me the truth?”

“We are. He is a merman,” you said. She scoffed.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Then I guess I’ll have to show you,” he said getting up. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“I’ll show you,” you said.

Both of them followed you as you walked to the bathroom, opening the door and turning on the light. Yeosang walked to the tub and turned the water on, putting his hand under it to get the desired temperature. He pushed the plug down, stopping the water from going down the drain.

“Um, what is he doing?” Maya said.

“Proving to you that he’s a merman.”

He turned the water off and got inside of the tub, sitting down. His legs, feet and toes grew out, morphing into a long, pretty tail.

“What the fuck?” Maya yelled, jumping back, holding her hand over her heart. “You were serious?” 

You both nodded. Yeosang bent over, pulling the plug up, causing the water to go down the drain. When the last drop of water left, his tail changed back into his legs. He stood up and got out of the tub, walking towards you two. Confusion filled your mind.

“I’m confused,” you said, turning to him.

“About?” he said.

“When the water hit your legs, it turned it into a tail, and when the water left, it turned back. If that’s the case, does that mean that your tail was visible when you saved me?”

“My kind are different. During the day, we can choose when our tail appears if we’re in water, but at night we can’t.” You hummed in response. Maya tapped your shoulder, causing you to turn to her.

“Hey, can I talk to you in private?” she said. You nodded your head, following her out the door. You two walked upstairs into your bedroom. “I hope you’re not considering him living with us,” she said after closing the door.

That’s exactly what I was thinking.

“I mean...” you said, shrugging your shoulders.

“Really Y/NN,” she said, dramatically throwing her hands in the air. “You don’t know this man. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

She has a point, you thought to yourself.

“I wasn’t gonna let him live with us permanently, I was just gonna let him stay for a little bit until he’s healed.” She opened the door, walking down the stairs as she said ‘no’ repeatedly. “Maya,” you said following her. “C’mon. He saved my life. It’s the least I can do. He’s probably far away from home too. How is he gonna get home if his leg is hurt?”

“That’s too bad,” she said, walking into the kitchen.

“Maya, that’s wrong. He has nowhere to go. He’ll only be here for a couple of months, then he’s gone.” You gave her pleading eyes. She sighed loudly.

“Fine, fine. But where is he sleeping?” You just shrugged.

“He can just sleep in my dad’s room.”

She gave you a look of sympathy.

“You sure Y/NN.”

You hesitated then nodded. 

“Okay,” she said. You walked away from her, going towards the bathroom where he still was. 

“Hey, got some news for you.”

“What is it?” he said.

“How would you like to stay with us?” He was about to oppose you when you interrupted him. “Only until you heal. I doubt you have somewhere to go.”

He stood there, thinking about what you told him. 

“You’re right. I don’t have anywhere to go.”

“So...”

“I’ll stay here for a bit,” he said, causing you to cheer. “Thanks Y/N.”

“You don’t have to thank me. It’s payback for saving me earlier.”

“You know you didn’t have to pay me back,” he said. You just shrugged your shoulders.

“I have another question,” you said.

“Yes?”

“How did you know what CPR is?” He gave you a confused look.

“What’s CPR?”

“Nothing,” you said as you laughed.

“I don’t like this,” Yeosang said, walking out of the dressing room. He wore black jeans paired with a black hoodie and a light washed jean jacket.

“What? It’s cute,” Maya said, you nodding in agreement. It’s been a month since Yeosang moved in with you two. It took some time to get used to having a third person in your house since your father no longer lived there. Yeosang was a good addition to your house. You did have to teach him a couple of things, since he didn’t know that much, like cooking, doing laundry, washing dishes, etc. You’re still confused about how he knew how to perform CPR, considering he didn’t even know what it was.

He got tired of being in the house, wanting to explore the crowded city of Los Angeles. You three came up with an agreement that he could only go out if one of you were with him, seeing as he was a little naive. The only clothes he had were the shorts he wore the day you met him. You decided to take a trip to the mall, treating him to new clothes.

“I don’t like it,” he said.

“What don’t you like about it, Yeosang?” Maya said, rolling her eyes. This was the sixth outfit that y’all picked out for him, but he disliked all of them.

“I don’t know. I just don’t like it,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. You two just sighed.

“Go back in the changing room, I’ll bring you another outfit,” you said. He turned around, going into the room as you stood up. “And I thought you were picky,” you said to Maya.

“He got me beat. I’m not even that bad.”

You went to the male section, trying to find yet another outfit. If this didn’t work, you didn’t know what would. You decided on another pair of ripped jeans, a simple black t-shirt and a checkered white, grey, and black flannel.

“He better like this shit,” you said, wanting to go home and watch TV. “Here you go,” you said, hanging the clothes over the door of the dressing room he was in.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Mhm,” you said, walking to where Maya sat.

“I hope he likes this outfit, cuz he bout to get on my last nerve.

“Who you tellin,” you said, sitting beside her.

After a few minutes had passed, you heard the door open indicating that he was finished.

“I don’t like it,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders. Maya stood up.

“Yeosang, I’m bout to fight you,” she said, pointing at him. He looked a little scared as he backed up.

“What did I do?”

“What didn’t you do?” Maya said.

“Yeosang, that’s the seventh outfit we’ve picked,” you said. He shrugged.

“Not my fault your taste in clothes isn’t that good,” he said. Maya gave him a look.

“Well since our taste is so trash, how bout you go pick out your own clothes,” she said.

“Gladly.”

It didn’t take him that long to find clothes that he liked. He took all of them into the room with him, quickly changing into an outfit. After he was done, he came out and stood in front of you two, wearing a big smile on his face.

“Um, are you sure that’s what you want?” Maya said as she looked at you.

“I think it’s cute,” you shrugged. “He does too,” you said. The outfit he chose was a grey crop top with “CALIFORNIA” in big blue letters. He paired the shirt with knee length black shorts. He did a full 360, showing you all of the outfit.

“I like it,” he said as his smile grew. You felt butterflies in your stomach when you saw his smile.

That’s weird, you thought.

“It looks good on you.” It really did. The crop top complimented his frame, showing off his toned stomach. The short sleeves showing off his muscular and veiny arms.

Damn, you thought as your eyes gazed over his body.

“Y/N. Y/N.” You snapped out of your thoughts when Maya waved her hand in your face.

“Huh?”

“We’re about to leave. Yeosang’s at the register with all the clothes he wants,” she said as she stood up, walking to where he was. You followed. “Oh, and it was obvious that you were checking him out,” she said, chuckling at your facial expression.

“What?” you stopped abruptly.

“Mhm,” she said with a smirk.

I hope he didn’t notice, you thought.

“Your total is $138.59. Will that be cash or credit?” the lady at the register said. You pulled your debit card out, swiping it and putting in the code.

“Thank you,” you said, grabbing the bag and giving it to Yeosang.

“Thanks Y/N,” he said as y’all walked out of the store.

“No problem, we still have to get you shoes, though,” you said, going to the mall map to find stores to go to.

You three went to four different stores, finding shoes to match his outfits. To say you were exhausted was an understatement.

“Damn, you expensive,” you said to Yeosang as y’all left the last store. In total, you spent $527.54.

“I’m sorry. You know, you didn’t have to buy me anything,” he said with a guilty expression. You put your hand on his shoulder, reassuring him.

“I was just joking with you. I can afford it. I mean you did save my life.” You weren’t kidding when you said you could afford it. Your father was a famous producer and he had his own record label. He left you the rest of the money he had, seeing as he didn’t need it anymore. You chose to spend your money wise, making sure that you put most of it in a savings account. You were almost at the entrance to the mall when you spotted a familiar group walking towards the door.

“Here we go,” you said as you rolled your eyes.

“Hi Y/N! Maya!,” she said with a gasp and an over exaggerated voice.

“Hi Tia,” you both said in unison. Tia Carter. The popular girl. Instead of being a cheerleader, she was the head captain of the volleyball team. She wasn’t outright rude like most mean girls.

“So who is this?” she said, checking Yeosang out. 

“He’s my friend from out of town. He’s visiting for the summer,” you said. She stood a little closer to him, reaching out and rubbing his arm.

“Are you single?” she said as she tilted her head. He didn’t look phased by her attempts to flirt.

“Does that have to do with me having a companion?” he said as he tilted his head in confusion. Tia and her minions made a face.

He is so cute, you thought to yourself.

“Um...”

“He’s really innocent, don’t mind him,” you interrupted Tia. She just nodded her head slowly.

“Um, okay. I’m throwing a pool party on Friday. Yeosang, you’re welcome to come if you want to.”

“What about us?” Maya said, looking a little offended.

“What about y’all?”

There she is, that’s the real Tia.

“Yeah, I’ll go. Sounds fun,” he said. You both looked at him as if he was crazy.

“Good, can’t wait. I’ll pick you up around 7:30,” she said as her and her friends walked off, purposely bumping into you. Maya held you back when you tried to go after her.

“She’s not worth it Y/N, let’s just leave,” she said, grabbing you and Yeosang’s hands, leaving the mall. 

“Y’all can come with if you want,” he said when the three of you walked into your house.

“She said only you’re invited, Yeosang,” Maya said. He just pouted, giving her a puppy dog face. You ignored him and went upstairs to your room.

“Is she mad at me?” he asked her.

“I don’t know,” Maya said, shrugging her shoulders.

You got a couple of shoes when you were out. You turned the TV to what was on, getting ready to put them up.

“This just in, a storm is coming to the southern part of California. A storm that will cause severe flooding. Please be careful and watchful of your surroundings.

“Damn, I’m kind of worried” you said, feeling uneasy. You heard a knock on the door. “Come in!” Yeosang and Maya walked in. You noticed that Yeosang had on the crop top that you bought him earlier. Maya came and sat on your body, pulling out her phone. Yeosang just stood where he was. “Yes?”

“Um, can I ask a question?” he said, you just nodded your head. “You sure you don’t want to come?” You let out a loud sigh.

“No, Yeosang. I do not want to go to her stupid ass party. I don’t understand why you’re going anyway.”

“I’ve never been to a house party. It sounds like it’ll be fun. Why are you being so mean?” he said, frowning.

“I’m not being  mean. I just don’t see why you want to go so bad. There’s a whole storm coming in a few days.” Maya sat up abruptly.

“Storm?”

“Yes. The news anchor said that it’s gonna cause severe flooding.”

“They said it’s in a couple of days, not today,” he insisted.

“Yeosang, water might not affect you since you can breath under it, but it affects us. If it does hit, you’ll be the only one that’s not affected by. I don’t know you want to go so bad,” you said, walking past him with your shoes in your hands, walking to your closet. He followed behind.

“Why are you so mad about me going to a party? I’ve been in this house for a month. I need to get out.”

“And you did go out. Today.”

“Nah Y/NN, you know that’s wrong. He barely gets to go out. Just let him go to the party,” Maya said.

“He doesn’t need to go to a party himself. He can barely do basic human things anyway.” You spoke without thinking. Letting your anger and jealousy get the best of you. He had a hurt look on his face.

“Y/N!” Maya said with a gasp.

“It’s okay, Maya,” he said as he looked you in the eyes. “She’s only acting like this because she’s jealous.” You opened your mouth to oppose, but he ignored you. “You are jealous. You only want me to yourself. I saw the way you looked at me today when we were at the mall when I was trying on clothes. You also looked jealous when I accepted Tia’s invitation. You’ve even been jealous of Maya.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never been jealous of Maya!” you said, raising your voice. You were livid. How dare he accuse you of such things? Even though deep down, you knew every word that came out of his mouth was the utmost truth.

“You know it’s true! Whenever we would be alone, you would always come around because you were scared that we would try something! You would always sit in between us! Every time! I’ve told you multiple times that I don’t see Maya in that way, yet you still think I do!” Yeosang was just as mad as you were. Pacing the room as he yelled, moving his arms frantically. “You confuse me so much! I don’t know whether you treat me like your boyfriend or your child! One minute, you’re close to me, showing interest in me, the next minute, you treat me like this! Like I’m not capable of doing anything!”

“Can you blame me?! When you first got here, you barely knew how to do anything!”

“That was then, this is now. I’ve been living here for too long for you to still treat me like this. I am a man! I’m not a child! I’m not your fucking child!”

You and Maya were both surprised by his outburst. Yeosang never cussed. Ever. He would always get on you two whenever you did. He was furious with you. His arms hung on each side of him, fists clenching and unclenching out of anger.

Beep beep!

The sound of a car horn was heard outside of your house.

“That’s my ride. Bye Maya,” he said, turning away to walk out of your closet, refusing to look at you. The sound of your door slamming shut caused you to flinch. A few seconds later, you heard another door slam, Indicating that he left the house. 

A few minutes went by. Neither of you said anything. That was until Maya interrupted the silence.

“Y/N, you know you’re dead wrong for talking to him like that.” You tried opening your mouth but she interrupted you just as he did earlier. “Hush. Listen to what I’m saying. You do treat him like a child and you know it. And you know damn well you get jealous of our relationship when it’s not even like that. You shouldn’t have gotten mad at him just cuz you’re confused about your feelings towards him. He doesn’t deserve that.”

She was right and you knew it. You were confused about your feelings towards him. You liked him, and you would love to have a relationship with him, but you couldn’t.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have treated him like that.”

“I know I’m right. Now take your ass to that party and go apologize to him.” 

Your eyes widened, causing your eyebrows to raise.

“Go to the party?”

“Mhm. Is there a problem?”

“Duh. Tia didn’t invite us.”

“Since when do you care what Tia thinks?” 

She has a point, you thought.

“Fine, I’ll go, but you have to come with me.”

“Okay,” she shrugged and walked out of the room.

Guess I have to pick something to wear now.

You decided on a simple tank top with shorts, not really caring. You put your braids up into a bun, grabbing your keys and phone and exciting your room.

“Are you ready?” she asked once you got downstairs, getting up from the couch. You just nodded your head, walking out of the house and getting into the driver’s side. She followed, sitting down in the passenger’s seat.

The drive to Tia’s house didn’t take nearly as long as you expected it to. There wasn’t as much traffic today, so you got there quicker. The cool breeze calmed your nerves, causing you to not be as angry as you were. The music from her house could be heard all the way up the street.

“Damn, I’m surprised nobody made a noise complaint,” Maya said as you parked on the side of the street. You turned off the engine, walking towards the backyard. Y’all got in with no problems, seeing as Tia had no one standing by the gate making sure the people getting in were actually invited. “Ooh, this is a nice party.” You had to admit, Maya was right. Her gigantic pool was decorated with multiple floaties and other pool accessories. Water proof LED lights littered the sides of the pool, making the water appear to be a magenta color. Towards the deep end of the pool, there was a big twisty slide and a really tall diving board. The pool was packed with people from your school, splashing each other and playing other games. There were two really long tables with a vast amount of food were on the tables. In the far corner there was a group of people playing beer pong. In the opposite corner, there was a group sitting in a circle playing what you assumed was either Never Have I Ever or Truth Or Dare. A humongous flat screen TV was mounted on the outside wall of the house, showcasing a football game. Cheers could be heard from the crowd, mainly dudes, when one of the teams made a touch down. It was a challenge to find Yeosang, considering the fact that the backyard was packed. She really was popular. You finally spotted him, sitting in a chair by the pool with Tia sitting beside him. She was rubbing his arms as she looked at him seductively, but he didn’t seem phased.

“I don’t really like the shirt. It seems really girly. You’re cute though, so I’ll-”

“Yeosang, can we talk, please?” you interrupted her when you approached them.

“Excuse me? I know you heard me talking-”

“I honestly don’t give a fuck what you were doing. I need to talk my friend,” you interrupted her again.

“You have no right coming to my house and talking to me like that. You weren’t even invited.”

“I couldn’t care less about an invitation. Mind your fucking business, I have something important to tell Yeosang.” You weren’t in the mood for her attitude. You just wanted everything back to normal between you and Yeosang. 

She opened her mouth to say something, but Yeosang interrupted her this time.

“It’s okay, Tia. I wanna hear what she has to say,” he said getting up from his seat causing her hands to loosen their grip on his arm. She looked shocked, not expecting him to go with you. 

He followed you as you walked into her house. You chose a quiet corner in the living room since the kitchen was also packed with people.

“What do you need to tell me?” he said, not making eye contact with you. You thought about what you were going to say before opening your mouth.

“Yeosang, I’m really sorry for how I treated you. And you were right. I did treat you like a child and that was wrong of me. You’re not a child, at all. You’ve improved a lot ever since you first moved in with us. I’m so sorry.” You made eye contact with him for a split second before he broke it.

“Why did you even treat me like that in the first place. Were you scared that I would leave you?” he said.

Should I really tell him how I feel, you thought to yourself. Fuck it. 

You were about to open your mouth to tell him the truth when a scream interrupted you.

“STOP! STOP IT! PUT ME DOWN, PLEASE!”

You immediately recognized the voice.

“Maya!” you yelled, running out of the house into the backyard. A group of dudes were holding her by her limbs, swinging her back and forth as if they were about to throw her in the pool. She squirmed, trying to get out of their hold. You spotted Tia standing beside them laughing as she recorded the incident with her phone. “Put her down, now! What the fuck is wrong with you?!” They ignored you as they swung her one last time. “STOP IT!” you screamed as you ran towards them. You were too late. She screamed as the sound of her body hitting the water was heard throughout the yard. You pushed everyone out of the way as you dove into the water. The pool was eight feet deep, which wasn’t good in her case. Maya was terrified of water and never learned how to swim. 

You had a hard time getting to her because of all the floaties in the water. You spotted her limp body at the bottom of the pool. You were grateful for your father. Pushing you to become a lifeguard as a part time job. You grabbed her body and swam upwards to the top of the pool. Yeosang sat at the edge, helping you pull her body out. You laid her body on the ground, preparing to give her CPR. 

“C’mon, Maya. Wake up. Wake up, best friend,” you said as tears fell. You alternated between pumping her chest and breathing into her mouth. There was no response. “Maya! Wake up!” you screamed. You felt a hand on your shoulder. You looked back to see Yeosang.

“Let me help.” You nodded your head and switched places with him. He copied the same thing you did for a few seconds before Maya sat up, throwing up the pool water. You charged towards her, embracing her.

“I thought you weren’t gonna make it,” you cried as you rocked her body back and forth.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she joked and you chuckled. You heard the crowd around you start cheering, causing your anger to return. You let go of Maya standing up on your feet as you looked at everyone.

“I don’t know why the fuck you’re cheering. Y’all sat here and watched them do this. Everybody knows Maya can’t fucking swim, so why wouldn’t you help her?” Some people put their heads down in shame, others looked like they didn’t give a damn what you were saying.

“Is that true, Tia? You knew she couldn’t swim?” Yeosang said as he walked towards her. She crossed her arms as she made a face at him.

“Yes, I knew she couldn’t swim. It’s not like we were gonna let her drown. We were just playing.” You gave her a deathly stare.

“Now what if she would have drowned, huh? What would you have done?” you said. She looked to the side, not answering your question. “Fuck all of y’all. You’re all trash human beings,” you said as you helped Maya up, walking out of the backyard.

“You really are a trash person,” Yeosang said to Tia as he followed you two, leaving her there with a hurt expression.

Yeosang helped you sit Maya in the back seat when he caught up to you two.

“I can drive and you can sit in the back with her,” he said. You looked at him as if he had two heads.

“Boy are you crazy? You can’t drive.”

“C’mon, Y/N. It doesn’t even look that hard.”

“Hell naw. I’ll drive, you get in the back with her. I am not tryna die.”

You got into the driver’s seat, putting the keys in as Yeosang got in the back with Maya.

“You okay, Maya?” you asked. She gave a weak “yeah” and you drove off.

“Thanks for today, Y/NN,” Maya said. You two were cuddling in her bed. You were the big spoon and was the little spoon.

“I would do anything for you, Maya. You’re my sister.” She looked back at you and smiled. You smiled back. “I shoulda beat Tia’s ass for what she did. She really told them to throw you in the water,” you said as your anger came back. Maya turned around in her spot to face you, rubbing your back.

“Calm down, Y/N,” she said. “I’m okay. Plus, I don’t need you getting arrested over me. I’m fine.” You just nodded her head. After you three got home, Maya said that she was tired, so you followed her into her room. Yeosang was also there for a while too, but he left to go outside, saying that he needed fresh air. Now it was just you two. “Hey, Y/NN?”

“Yes Yaya?”

“I love you best friend.” Her words came out slurred. You knew she would be alseep soon.

“I love you too, best friend.”

A few minutes went by, and you heard light snores.

She goes to sleep so fast, you thought, chuckling to yourself. You carefully unwrapped your arms from her, getting up from the bed. You stretched silently and walked out of her room, deciding to go where Yeosang was.

You looked around as you walked outside, trying to find him. You spotted him sitting by the waves and walked towards him. His tail got more visible the closer you got to him.

“Hey,” you said, sitting beside him.

“Hey, Y/N.”

You two sat there for a while before you broke the silence.

“I forgot to thank you for saving Maya’s life,” you said as you turned to him.

“Y/N, you really don’t have to thank me.”

“Yes I do. I don’t know what I would have done if I lost my best friend. She’s, she’s the only family I have left,” you said as your voice broke. Yeosang moved closer to you and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. “I’m so grateful that she came to live with me and my dad. I can’t imagine what would have happened if she would have died that day.” Yeosang gave you a confused look.

“What do you mean?” You sat up and sighed. You really needed someone to talk to.

“Me and Maya have been best friends since seventh grade. We would talk all day at school, and talk even more when we got home. She would always spend the weekends at my house and vice versa. Everything was going well. Her parents were really good parents and they were always kind to me. She lived in a happy home. Or so we thought.” You breathed a few times, preparing yourself for what you were about to say. “One day during the summer after seventh grade, I went to Miami with her and her parents. We were so hard headed,” you said as tears ran down your face. “Her parents told us not to go too far out in the water, but we did it anyway. We were playing in the water when all of a sudden, a huge wave came and knocked both of us down. At that time, I couldn’t swim, so I was just as helpless as she was. The lifeguard was off-duty when it happened so both of her parents ran out to get us. Her father grabbed me and took me to shore, saving my life. Her mother went out to save her, but when she did.” You let out a sob. Yeosang brought you back into his embrace. “Another wave came, but this one was even bigger. It took out both of them. The lifeguard came just in time to try and save them while her father gave me CPR. The lifeguard got to Maya first and took her back to shore. By that time, I had already woken up. The lifeguard went back to try and get her mother, but she, she was nowhere to be found. No one knew where she was.” 

Yeosang wiped your tears away. You let out a few hiccups, then continued what you were saying. 

“A search team was called. They looked everywhere for her, but her body was nowhere to be seen. I blamed myself that day for what happened. I felt so bad after that day, I couldn’t even imagine what Maya and her father were going through.” you said.

“After that day. I rarely saw Maya. I only saw her in class and even then, she would barely talk to me. I thought she blamed me for what happened, but I had it all wrong. Her father was abusing her. verbally, physically and mentally.”

“What?” Yeosang said. “Why did he do that?”

“He blamed her for what happened. He told her that it was her fault that her mother was dead and that it should have been her. I found bruises on her body one day when we were at school. She told me not to tell anyone, but I had to. I couldn’t let my best friend go through that when I knew I could prevent it. So I told my father. He knew that he couldn’t just go to the authorities without proof, so he hired an investigator. He found proof that he was abusing her. It had been going on for two years. He was sentenced to six years.”

“Only six?” he said.

“Yes. That bastard deserved life,” you said as you balled his fists. Yeosang grabbed your fists and caressed them with his thumbs. “She didn’t have any other family to take her in, so my father adopted her. She was mad at me for a long time. She blamed me, saying that she told me not to tell. After a while, we made up and she thanked me for telling my dad.”

“I’m glad you two made up.”

“I still feel like it was partly my fault. I was the one who persuaded her to go out there with me. If I didn’t do that, her mother would still be alive, and she wouldn’t have had to go through that abuse.” 

“Y/N, that wasn’t your fault. You two were children, you didn’t know that would happen,” he said as he placed both hands on the sides of your face.

“But-”

“No buts. You were a kid. You didn’t know that would happen. Stop blaming yourself for something that happened in the past. That wasn’t your fault. Okay?” he said as he wiped your tears, looking into your eyes. You nodded your head. He kissed your forehead and you laid your head on his chest. There were a few moments of silence before he spoke again. “So, what ever happened to your father?” You didn’t say anything. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me.”

“It’s fine. I wanna open up to you.” You sat up again and faced him. “It was just me and my dad for a while. I don’t really have that many memories of my mother. She died from lung cancer when I was five.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah. My dad was a really good dad. He tried to be there for me even if he was busy a lot. He was a famous LA producer. He was very well known,” you said. “I loved my dad. He was my best friend. I could always tell him anything, no matter what it was.” You braced yourself for what you were about to say. “Two years ago on the first day of sophomore year, my dad dropped me and Maya off at school. He had just came back from a business trip in New York. He was gone for most of the summer, so I was grateful to have my dad back. He was on the way back home after dropping us off when-”

You let out another sob.

“A fourteen wheeler ran into him. He was killed on impact.”

Yeosang pulled you into a hug.

“You don’t have to tell me anymore. I don’t want you to have to relive that.”

He rocked you back and forth for a while before you pulled away.

“Thank you for comforting me,” you said as you looked him in his eyes. He looked between your eyes and your lips.

“You know, you never finished telling me what you were saying earlier.”

You sighed. All your courage from earlier went out the window.

“I-I.”

Girl, spit it out.

“I was gonna say that, that, I was scared that you would leave me, but not because I thought of you as a child. It was because I...”

“You what?” he said with a smile.

“I like you. I was scared that you would leave because over the span of a month, I’ve grown feelings for you and I really want to make this work if that’s okay with you.” You had a hopeful look in your eyes. Hope that he would accept your apology and say yes.” 

“Y/N, I really like you too. I really do. But... I don’t think this will work out.” he said as his face fell. You pulled away from him.

“What do you mean? You said you like me. Isn’t that enough?”

“I wish it was, I really do. But...I have to leave soon.”

You felt your eyes well up with tears again. You didn’t want him to leave. You wanted him to stay.

“My father is angry with me. That’s why this storm is coming.”

“What does that have to do with your father?”

“My father’s the king of the ocean. He controls the water. I’ve always wanted to explore life above the water and I planned on taking a trip, but he didn’t support my wishes. I told him that I would leave anyway, but he said if I did, bad things would happen. Now there’s a storm coming all because I wanted to be selfish and explore.”

“You can’t just go back and persuade him into letting you stay,” you pleaded.

“He’s not gonna listen to me.”

“You never know Yeosang, he might change his mind. Please,” you said as you grabbed his face. “I don’t want to lose you.” You looked into his brown eyes.

“Okay, I’ll try,” he said. You just smiled.

He looked back and forth between your eyes and lips like he did earlier. You nodded your head, giving him permission. He leaned, closing the gap between you two. The kiss was sweet and slow. Neither of you wanted to rush anything. You pulled away after a few minutes.

“We can make this work,” you said smiling as you rested your forehead on his.

And you did, for the remainder of the time you had. After that night, Yeosang went back to his kingdom to ask his father again if he could stay. He rejected his wishes, but he said that he could stay for one more month. If he didn’t come back, things would be even worse. Over the course of a month, you and Yeosang got closer. He even got closer to Maya as they were now close friends. You two didn’t even realize that your time was almost up.

“Yeosang, stop!” you yelled, laughing as you ran away from him. Yeosang wanted cookies and you told him that you could pick some up from the store, but he whined, saying that he wanted to make them from scratch. You got all of the ingredients that you needed, finding a chocolate chip cookie recipe. He wanted to do most of the work, wanting to be independent, even though he couldn’t cook for shit. Everything was going good until he slipped on some egg yolk that he dropped earlier. The bag of flour in his hands poured all over him, causing you to laugh hysterically. You grabbed your phone, taking multiple pictures of him, which made him mad, so he decided to get revenge. Which brings you to where you are now. “Yeosang, leave me alone!”

“No. This is payback!” he said laughing. He chased you throughout the house, not even stopping to catch his breath. You were tired of running. Giving up, you stopped in your tracks, trying to catch your breath. “Gotcha!” he said as he wrapped his arms around you.

“I let you catch me,” you said. He gave you a pout so you leaned up and kissed his lips. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” he said with a smile.

You looked in the mirror across from you, taking in your appearance.

“We need showers,” you giggled as you walked upstairs to your bathroom.

“You wanna save water?” he said as he followed you into your bathroom, a smirk present on his face.

“Yeosang, get the hell out of my bathroom,” you said as you pushed his out playfully. He put his hands up in defense.

“Sorry for wanting to save resources.”

“Goodbye,” you said, closing the door in his face. “This boy, I swear.”

A good shower was definitely what you needed. You were just glad none of the flour got in your hair. After a nice long shower, you walked out of your room to see Yeosang on your bed, flour free, cuddling your new cat Coco.

“Aww,” you said, walking towards them and sitting beside him. “Y’all are cute.”

“I know,” he said as he wrapped his arms around you. You rolled your eyes.

“You’re annoying.”

“You love me though.”

“Hm, about that,” you said as you grabbed your chin.

“Shut up,” he said as he nudged you.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You didn’t know when, but you ended up falling alsleep in his arms. He went to sleep shortly after. The sound of strong winds woke him out of his sleep. He looked out the window to see the trees moving every which way.

“Oh no,” he said as he got up. “Father.” He looked down at you to see your beautiful sleeping form. He didn’t want to leave you, honestly. But he knew he had to. “I love you Y/N.” He got up from the bed, making sure that he didn’t wake you up. “Bye Coco,” he said, bending down to pet her. She meowed in return.

He knew something worse was to come. The clouds were dark and the sea level started to rise.

“I have to leave soon.” The walk to the shore seemed forever and a day. Yeosang didn’t want to go back home. He wanted to stay here with you. You were his home now.He reached the shore, feeling regretful already. Taking off his shirt, he stepped closer to the water. One more step and his long muscular legs would turn into his metallic tail.

“Stop! Yeosang!”He turned his head to see you running, or trying to, towards him.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? Why are you here?” you said. He gave you a look. “Are…are you leaving?” He nodded his head.

“I’m sorry.” Tears welled up. “I didn’t want to tell you-”

“So you were just gonna leave unannounced? No goodbye, nothing?”

“Y/N. I didn’t want to tell you because I knew it would be hard.” He grabbed your hands but you pushed his away.

“You know what, just go. Leave, I don’t care,” you said, turning away from him as you started crying.

“You don’t mean that.” He grabbed your shoulder, turning you around. You looked into his eyes.

“Do you really have to go?”

“Baby, look around. Do you see what’s happening? I have to get back or this will just get worse.”

You knew he was right. And as much as you wanted to be selfish and keep him here with you, you knew he had to leave.

“I love you so much Y/N Y/LN. These past two months have been the best two months of my life.” He grabbed your face.

“You really mean that?”

“Of course I do.”

“I love you too, Yeosang Kang. I always will.” You pulled him in for a kiss. This kiss was different from your first one. It was way more passionate. Way more desperate. You needed to feel each other’s skin.

Boom! 

The sound of loud thunder broke up your kiss.

“I have to go baby,” he said as he let go of you. He stepped into the water, his tail soon appearing. “I love you,” he said before he disappeared into the water.

“I love you,” you said, but he was already gone.

After that day, things were back to normal. At least for everyone else. The storm stopped a few hours later which meant that Yeosang got home safely. You told Maya about the news. She comforted you, wanting to make you feel better. And she did a damn good job. A year had passed. You thought about Yeosang from time to time. Thinking about what would happen if he stayed. But that was all in the past now.

“Maya! Your greedy ass!” you yelled.

You two decided to have a picnic at the beach. You both had the same amount of food, yet Maya had to reach her hands over to your plate.

“Girl calm down, I only took one chip,” she said as she rolled her eyes.

“You annoying,” you said as you got up. “I’m finna get in the water for a bit.”

“You’re gonna get cramps.”

“Oh well,” you shrugged as you walked to the water. “Ouch!” you yelled as you held your arm You looked down to see a volleyball.

“Sorry ma’am,” a little boy said as he ran up to you. You bent down to pick it up.

“It’s okay,” you said, handing him the ball. He thanked you and ran back to his game. When you turned back around, you spotted a familiar blond coming out of the water. “Y-yeosang?”

He turned to you smiling. You ran towards him and jumped into his arms. He leaned down and gave you a long kiss.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came back to see you. For good.” Your eyes widened.

“Wha-”

“My dad finally realized that he couldn’t control me, so he let me go. Now I’m here with you,” he said, simply shrugging. You took in his appearance. His hair was longer than it was last year, reaching his lower back. Multiple piercings adorned his ears. He wore a light blue crop top with shorts, similar to the outfit he wore last year at the pool party.

“You look good.”

“So do you,” he said as he smiled.

“I missed you so much, Yeosang.”

“I know you did,” he joked, causing you to hit him. He just laughed. “I love you Y/N. I’m never leaving you again.”

You looked into his eyes as your smile got wider.

“I love you too, Yeosang.” You pulled him in for a kiss. He pulled away after a few seconds.

“I know you do,” he said with a smirk. You rolled your eyes.

“Annoying ass.”