Chapter Text
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Youngho is five years old the first time he hears tales of the fish people. He spends his days waddling around in shallow tides, collecting shells and small clams. At night, he listens to his father tell fantastical tales of his days at sea, venturing as far as the ocean would take him. Nowadays, his dad doesn't go too far into the harsh waves, not after his brother, Youngho's uncle, drowned in a terrible shipwreck.
Being in a fishing village by the sea meant that everyone knew at least one person who had drowned at sea. In an attempt to keep the children safe, the tales of the fish people began to spread.
Youngho is five and his grandmother is tucking him into bed when he asks for a bedtime story. She grins, her wrinkles stretching and the light casting wicked shadows on her face.
"Well, surely you've heard of the fish folks, right?" She asks him in a mischievous voice. His eyes widen and he shakes his head frantically, childhood curiosity striking him hard. His grandmother gasps. "Your parents haven't warned you about the fish folks? It's like they want you to drown like your foolish uncle.
"The fish people live in the ocean beyond the cliffs to the west of the village. They look like they could be human, except they got beady red eyes. And you better hope they don't smile at you, or you'll see rows and rows of razor sharp teeth, just like a shark! And where there should be legs, they got fishtails. If you ever go in the water near those cliffs, these fish monsters, they're real smooth talkers, they'll lure you right into the ocean! They can't get on land, that's why they gotta pull you in."
Youngho pulls the covers close up to his face in an attempt to hide. "What do they do to you once you're in the water?" He asks in a tiny voice, fear only pushing his curiosity further.
"Well, they devour you whole!" She laughs, like it's the most obvious answer in the world. "But you'll probably drown before they can even start to eat ya."
Youngho gasps in horror, which seems to only make his grandmother laugh more.
"And with that, it's time for you to go to bed, kiddo," she says, leaning in to kiss his forehead. She rises up from her spot on Youngho's bed and heads for the door of his room. "As long as you don't go in the water near those cliffs, them fish folks will leave you alone. Probably ."
She leaves with one final cackle, leaving a young and terrified Youngho trembling in his bed.
Youngho is five years old when he crawls into his parents' bed, crying about getting eaten by these sea creatures.
His mother brushes his hair. "Has grandmother been filling your head with crazy stories again?" She sighs, pulling him close to her. "The fish people aren't real, I promise. This is just her crazy way of trying to save you from drowning."
Youngho is five years old and he falls asleep to the repeated promise that no fish people would ever hurt him.
-----
Youngho is fifteen years old and hasn't taken the story of the fish people seriously in years. Not since he was nine and his grandmother passed away; without her whispering wild tales in his ear, it became easy to believe his mother's promises that she was lying.
He doesn't believe in the fish people, which is why he laughs in Yoonoh's face when the younger boy dares him to go in the water at the base of the cliffs. It's still early summer, the young boys wild with the freedom of being out of school. That freedom led to a series of increasingly dangerous dares.
"You don't really still think there's monsters in the water, do you?" Youngho snorts, reaching out to pinch Yoonoh's cheek. "You're more of a baby than I thought!"
Yoonoh swats his hand away. "If you're not scared, then why haven't you accepted my dare yet?"
Taeyong and Taeil both chime in, cooing at him to accept the dare. Soon, all three of his friends are all actively pushing him to accept the dare.
Youngho scoffs, yanking off his shoes. "You can't really think I'm afraid of some bullshit they tell little kids, right?" He asks, pulling the legs of his pants up so they bunch up around his knees. Then he yanks his shirt over his head and starts towards the cliff. "There's absolutely nothing to fear in that water."
Youngho's friends trot after him quickly as he strides to the cliff, cheering him on as he starts to climb down.
The climb down the cliffs isn't overwhelmingly difficult; the cliff isn't so much a straight drop down, but more a steep slope. A tumble down the entire stretch would leave anyone worse for wear, but it's not an impossible climb to get down. There's practically a trail beaten into the rocks from countless curious teenagers, venturing down to the water to see if anything really lives there.
Above him, Youngho can hear his friends still cheering him on, their voices getting softer as he gets closers to the splashing sounds of the water.
The base of the cliff is only about forty-five feet down, a small stretch of rocks scattered across the bottom before the water takes over. Youngho climbs carefully, cautious of the damp and slippery ground beneath his feet.
"Do you see anything yet?" Taeil's voice calls down, echoing along the rocks.
"I see rocks and some fucking water," he calls back when he finally climbs out onto the base, kicking a few pebbles from his feet. He steps closer to the water, peering into the murky abyss. "Actually, wait, I think I see-"
All his friends hear is a shriek from down below as they watch Youngho fall into the water.
"Oh my god, did he get pulled in?" Yoonoh exclaims, grabbing Taeil's arm in fear.
Taeyong calls Youngho's name as loudly as he can, as the three boys rush towards the path of the cliffs. There's panicked cursing and stumbling as they try to get down by the water when the three of them hear the sound of laughter coming from below.
Youngho has pulled himself up onto the rocks, lying on his back; he's clutching at his stomach as laughs hysterically. "I can't believe you guys fell for that."
"Youngho, you dick!" Yoonoh screams, grabbing a pebble off the ground and lobbing it at him. It misses him, splashing into the water next to him.
Youngho watches as his friends start to trot back up the cliffside. He quickly hops up, hurrying towards the cliff. "Come on, guys! Don't leave without me!" He yells, scurrying up the rocks. As he gets approximately halfway up the cliff, something in the water catches his attention.
There's movement under the water, a figure that looks almost human moving just beneath the surface. Youngho freezes, watching the figure move along, until it dips too deep for him to see anymore. It's then that he realizes his friends have long since left the edge of the cliff, and he quickly hurries up the rest of the trail, the thought of the figure in the water disappearing from his mind completely.
-----
Youngho doesn't completely forget about the figure.
He tries to go back to the cliff the next day, only to have rains and wind cancel his plans. His day is spent staring wistfully out the window, watching lightning flash endlessly in the distance, trees shaking and swaying in the wind of the storm.
The rains don't let up until long after the sun has set, making it too suspicious for him to sneak out to the cliffs. All things considered, the climb down the wet rocks in the dark would probably be dangerous as well.
When he awakes the next morning to see the sun shining, he can't get out of the house fast enough. His mother is suspicious, but he brushes her off with the excuse of hanging out with his friends.
The cliffs are, as they typically are, abandoned. He pulls off his shoes, leaving them at the top of the cliff as he begins the trek down the pathway. The rocks are still slippery from all the rain, making it more of a struggle than it had been the other day. He's only about ten feet from the base, when the rock underneath him slips out from under his foot.
The fall itself isn't too painful, a few jagged rocks catching on his skin. It's when he lands on the base, head knocking painfully against the rocks at the base. There's a brief moment of panic as his body falls into the water beneath him, before everything goes black.
-----
Youngho is fifteen when he wakes up on the rocks, drenched to the bone with an ache in his head. He sits up slowly, blinking wildly as the sun glares in his eyes. A sweeping look around reveals that he is alone on the rock.
"Hello?" He calls. All he's met with is his own voice echoing back at him. Youngho rises, trying to get a better look around. His clothes hang heavy, damp against his skin. The pain in his skull seems to pulsate as he moves. He calls out again. "Is there anyone there?"
There's a splash and he catches movement out of the corner of his eye, but when he turns, there's nothing there. It does nothing to ease the feeling of being watched.
"Please, if you're there, tell me!"
Again, he's met with nothing but silence and the splashing of waves against the rocks. He stands for a few more moments, looking around as if he expects someone to magically appear in front of him. Yet no one ever does.
Finally he decides to climb back over to the cliff trail, moving much more cautiously than he did on the climb down. It takes much longer getting back up with the pounding in his head, though the rocks have started to dry in the sun, making it less slippery.
When he finally reaches the top, he takes one last look back. Youngho swears he sees the figure of a boy, peaking just beyond the rocks at the bottom, but he blinks and the figure is gone.
-----
"What on earth happened to you?" His mother exclaims the second he steps into their house. "Oh my god, is that- are you bleeding?"
The ache in his head turns out to be a gash, one that has been bleeding since the fall. Youngho gives her a sheepish shrug.
"And your clothes are all wet! Youngho, we need to get you cleaned up this instant!"
Youngho stays mostly silent as his mother tends to his wound, cleaning and bandaging it as best she can. Worry is practically seeping off of her as she cleans up the other scraps and cuts on his body, but he manages to dodge most of her questions.
"We were just rough housing around by the water and I fell, it was an accident," he mumbles, staring down at his lap. It's clearly a lie, but his mother doesn't call him out on it.
Instead, she purses her lips and sends him to his room to change into something dry. "I hope you know you'll be staying home until you're all healed up, young man!" She calls to his retreating figure.
-----
True to her word, his mother refuses to let him out of the house for the entire following week. It feels like he's on lockdown. For the first few days, she tries to keep him mostly in bed for recovery, but near the end of the week, she puts him to work doing chores all around the house. The house has never been cleaner; equally, Youngho doesn't think he has ever been more bored in his life.
There is a terrifying day where Taeyong comes knocking, and Youngho has to rush to the door before his mother can scold his friend for something he didn't do. He pushes him out of the door and quickly shuts it behind him before his mother can find out he's here.
"Oh my god, what happened to your face?" Taeyong blurts out immediately.
"Okay, listen, my mom thinks this happened when we were hanging out so I need you to pretend you knew," Youngho explains quickly, only to be met with a confused stare. "Please!"
"What actually happened?" He asks curiously, leaning closer to inspect his injury. By this point, it's mostly just bruised over, a hefty scab running across his forehead.
"I… I went back to the cliffs by myself," he mumbles, eyes cast downward.
Taeyong's eyes grow wide. "By yourself? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" It figures Taeyong would nag.
"Well I certainly know now!"
"Why would you go alone?" He asks, eyes still wide and incredulous. "Even if you don't believe the stories, that's fine, but you know people still drown out there!"
"I can't- I can't explain it to you yet. It was something stupid. Please just play along with whatever my mom says," he pleads, pouting ever so slightly.
When Taeyong finally promises to play along, the two make their way into the house. Almost immediately, Youngho's mother arrives, ready to scold Taeyong for letting anything happen to her son. Taeyong, true friend that he is, accepts it all with an apologetic smile.
Youngho's mother never could stay mad at his friends for too long.
-----
It's several more days before Youngho is finally allowed the leave his house again; on the promise that he was just going into town for groceries, he immediately sprints towards the cliffs.
It's been well over a week and the curiosity of who or what pulled him out of the water has been eating away at him the entire time. Something has to be out there, and Youngho is determined to figure out what.
The cliffside is much drier than Youngho's last climb down, but he still takes his time, cautious about each step he takes. It takes him much longer to reach the base, but he figures that's better than smashing his head open again. Once at the base, he climbs out to one of the smaller rocks, putting him further out so he can survey the area better.
The ocean is still today, waves rocking against the rock in gentle, rhythmic splashes. With salt on his skin and the wind brushing through his hair, it's calming enough that Youngho could almost forget why he had come. Almost, but not quite.
He doesn't have long to stay; with the claim of only going for groceries, his mother will grow suspicious if he's gone too long. Still, he doesn't want to leave until he figures out what is in the water. He stands there for five, ten, fifteen minutes, met with nothing but the sound of the water.
With a sigh, he turns back to the cliff, ready to climb back and actually go to the market like he promised. It's just as he starts to climb the slope back up that he hears something in the water; it's different the the typical sounds the waves have been making.
He turns quickly, and catches sight of what looks to be a boy around his age, peering at him from around one of the rocks in the water. It's much too deep for him to be standing, yet Youngho is sure it would be impossible for anyone to tread there that long.
"I can see you, you know!" He calls to the boy, certain that this will be the time he finally figures out who he is.
The boy looks startled at his words and before Youngho can process what has happened, the boy is gone. Youngho waits another moment, waiting for him to resurface or peer around a different rock, but the moment never comes. It's as if the boy was never there at all.
"I won't stop coming here until I find out who you are!" He yells out, hoping that wherever the boy might be, he hears what Youngho has to say.
With one last sweeping glance around the water, Youngho turns back to the cliff and continues his climb, certain his entire trip to the market will be filled with thoughts of the mysterious boy in the water.
-----
Youngho heads back to the cliffs a few days later, when the summer sun beats too strong and the wind carries only hot air. The rocks sting under his feet after baking in the sun all day but it does nothing to deter him. He's not leaving today; not until he finally figures out who he keeps seeing in the water.
He settles on one of the largest rocks at the base, sitting comfortably so he can look out into the water. Nothing immediately catches his eye, but he's certain if he waits long enough, the figure will show up.
It doesn't take long in the beating hot sun before Youngho starts to grow drowsy, eyelids growing heavy and head bobbing slightly as he fights off sleep. His eyes start to shut, sleep trying to settle in on him. With the heavy sound of waves crashing into the rocks around him, it only takes a moment before he dozes off completely.
Youngho is certain he couldn't have been asleep for more than a few moments, but he wakes to the unpleasant burn of too much sun on his skin. He yawns, eyes squeezed shut, and stretches his arms high above his head. When he opens his eyes, he greeted with a pair of dark eyes staring back at him, wide in surprise.
Youngho only gets a brief glance but the boy is absolutely beautiful; his hair is black, though it seems to shimmer green in the light. His skin is a warm honey color, water slowly dripping down his face and sides. Youngho wants to stare at him forever, but instead he lets out a startled yelp.
It's the wrong move to make because the boy, only half propped on the rock, quickly drops back into the water, disappearing from Youngho's sight.
"Wait, come back!" Youngho shouts, leaping up from his spot. Glancing around, he doesn't see the boy anywhere, only a faint shadow moving deep under the water. Youngho doesn't even think about what he's doing. Instead, he quickly yanks his shirt off and dives into the water after the boy.
Youngho quickly resurfaces after entering the water, looking around desperately to see where the boy went. All he can see is a dark figure moving deep under the water. Seeming like the only thing to do, Youngho dives back under, swimming down towards the figure.
The water is rougher than he anticipated. Even with his years of swimming experience, he can't quite get to the figure. Trying to open his eyes underwater seems to only make things worse, the salt stings and seems to only further disorient him.
There's hands around his waist and suddenly he's at the surface again, gasping for air. The beautiful boy is there is front of him, keeping him afloat.
"Why do you keep getting in the water when you're so bad at swimming?" He asks; his voice is smooth and warm, rhythmic like the gentle push and pull of the water.
"You're real," is all Youngho manages in response, still trying to regain his composure. There are still hands on his waist, cold even in the warm water. It's then that he realizes his legs aren't brushing against other legs. Instead, he feels something smooth, almost slippery; it's much too thick to be legs, but its movement is what's keeping the two of them above water. "What are-"
The boy moves back to the rocks and pushes Youngho up onto them. "I shouldn't even be talking to you," he says frantically, starting to slip back down in the water.
Youngho reaches out from his spot on the rock to grab the boy's wrist. "Please don't leave," he pleads, starting into the boy's dark eyes. "Please stay."
There's a moment where all they do is stare at one another. Up close, the boy's sun-kissed skin has almost a teal hue to it, specifically in the apples of his cheeks and the curves of his shoulders. His eyes are dark, nearly black, but they seem to glimmer and glint the same way the ocean waves do.
The boy finally sighs in defeat. "I'm gonna get in a lot of trouble if anyone finds out I'm here with you," he says, but he puts his arms up on the rock and props himself there, lower half still in the water. It's a clear sign that he's going to stay, but Youngho finds himself still holding onto his wrist, just in case.
Though it's clear that the boy is anything but human, he speaks clearly and concisely, every word perfectly understandable to Youngho. "You speak common?" He asks dumbly.
The boy looks as annoyed as he should be at the question. "Of course I do. All of my people do," he says, an arrogance in his voice making it sound like this should be common knowledge to Youngho.
At the mention of more people like the boy, an abundance of questions flash through Youngho's head all at once, but what he says instead is simply, "I'm Youngho."
"Youngho," the boy repeats, mouth moving around the unfamiliar name. He seems to process it for a moment before he nods. "I'm Ten."
"Ten," Youngho repeats, finally releasing his hold on the boy's wrist. Again, there's a swirl of questions flooding his brain. "What are- I mean uh… Why do you keep coming back here?"
Ten shifts, propping his chin on his arm as he looks up at Youngho. "I could ask you the same question, you know."
"Well, I keep coming back to find you."
Ten seems startled by the honesty. Youngho swears he can see Ten's cheeks start to flood with a strange teal color, similar to the ocean water surrounding the two of them. As if acting on instinct, Youngho reaches his hand out to touch Ten's cheek, the skin surprisingly hot; it's almost as if he's blushing. But people blush reds and pinks, not blues and greens. He quickly pulls his hand back.
"Are you… You're not…" Youngho finds himself struggling over his words, so he takes a deep breath to steady himself. "What are you?"
"Well I- I'm a mermaid, of course," Ten explains like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I kept coming back because we aren't supposed to interact with humans, but I was curious. I'll get in serious trouble if anyone finds out about this."
Youngho is still processing the phrase mermaid when he notices the slightly anxious tone of Ten's voice. "Why would you get in trouble?"
"Don't you know anything about humans?" He asks. "You kill for sport. My people get caught in your traps and hit with your ships and get killed by your kind. I've been taught since I was young to stay away from land and stay away from humans."
"Well, I've been taught the same thing about you! My grandmother told me stories of people who lived in the water with razor sharp teeth who would drag unsuspecting sailors and fishers into the water to drown them. Maybe even to eat them."
"Well I've never eaten a human before," Ten responds matter-of-factly.
"And I've never killed a mermaid!"
The two stare at each other for a long moment before both boys break into wide grins and quiet giggles. Youngho notes how Ten's teeth shine like pearls, but none seem too pointy. He's not at all what Youngho had imagined the fish folks to be, and it only leaves him more and more curious. He wants to know everything about Ten and in exchange, wants to tell Ten anything he wants to know.
Just like that, the tension between them dissolves completely and conversation seems to flow easily. The sun slowly works its way across the sky and Youngho finds he doesn't even mind the stinging in his skin, as long as he's talking to Ten.
Soon enough, Ten lowers himself off of the rock and back into the water with a small splash. "I would like us to meet again, Youngho. You don't seem too bad. For a human, that is."
"Well, you know where to find me," Youngho says, patting the rock underneath him.
Ten nods, then smiles. "Well then, farewell for now," he says, diving back under the water. He makes a big show, his beautiful, teal tail rising up out of the water. Youngho is mesmerized for a moment before the tail crashes back into the water, sending a giant splash of water directly at Youngho's face.
"I bet you did that on purpose, asshole!"
-----
That night, Youngho dreams of the sea and a boy who blushes teal. He wakes up with a warm heart and a smile on his face.
Not that he would ever tell Ten about that.
-----
Youngho goes back a few days later, this time with a large canteen of water and some fruits stolen from his mother's garden. Ten in already waiting for him when he arrives, surfacing only when he spots Youngho climbing down. From up on the rocks, Youngho can see the blues of Ten's tail shimmering brightly even through the water.
They both settle into similar spots as the last time; Ten's upper body in propped up on the rock while Youngho sits in front of him, legs crossed.
"Have you been waiting for me?" Youngho asks with a smug grin.
Ten seems completely nonplussed by the answer, focusing instead on the small bag Youngho has. "What's that?" He asks curiously, reaching towards the bag to try to peek instead.
"I brought fruit from my family's garden," he explains, opening the bag. He pulls out the contents of the bag; he brought a few peaches, ones that had fallen and were too bruised to sell at full price, as well as a few bundles of grapes. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, but these are the best this time of the year."
Ten stares in wonder at the food in front of him, eyes wide and bright. It occurs to Youngho that the other boy might have never eaten food like this before. Youngho picks up the nicest peach he brought and holds it out to Ten.
"You have to be careful though, there's a pit in the middle," he says as Ten delicately takes the fruit from him.
He seems startled by the fuzzy texture and only stares with eyebrows furrowed at the pink fruit for a moment before bringing it up to his mouth. Ten hesitantly opens his mouth and gently bites into the peach. His eyes grow wide as the juice dribbles down his chin.
"It's so sweet!" He exclaims, eyes sparkling in amazement.
Youngho can't help but laugh. "Nothing but the best for you," he grins. Ten resumes eating, rapidly tearing chunks off of the peach. "Whoa, slow down, Ten. I told you, there's a pit in there."
Ten grins sheepishly around a mouthful of fruit. "Sorry, I've just never had anything so sweet before."
Youngho moves so that he's laying on his side, head propped up on his hand, as he watches Ten take slower bites, seeming to savor the fruit in his mouth. "What do you usually eat?"
"Fish, shellfish, certain types of seaweeds or algae," he explains with a shrug. "Living in the ocean means my diet generally also lives in the ocean."
"So you just eat all your fish raw?" Youngho exclaims.
"No, I cook it all over a magical underwater fire," he deadpans. "Of course it's raw, dumbass."
Youngho flushes, embarrassed at how silly his question must have seemed. He quickly tries to change the subject. "Does it get boring eating the same foods constantly?" He asks, picking at the grapes he brought along.
Ten finishes his first peach, careful to avoid the hard pit in the center, and tentatively picks up a second peach, as if asking for permission. Youngho nods slightly and Ten grins, biting into the fruit. "It's not bad, it's just what I'm used to. Though now that I have you, maybe I'll get to try all sorts of new foods. You're going to spoil me."
Youngho laughs at that, and the two fall quiet for a bit as Ten enjoys his second peach. He is once again cautious of the pit in the center and when he finishes, he turns to look at the grapes Youngho is eating. Youngho plucks one from its stem and holds it out to Ten; the other boy bites it out of his hand, teeth grazing along Youngho's fingertips. He can't explain why it makes him blush.
"Why is all your food so sweet," Ten whines after he swallows the grape. "That's not fair!"
"It isn't all sweet," Youngho says, trying to force away the tingling in his hand and the warmth in his cheeks. "Fruit is just usually sweet. I'll bring you something different next time, I promise."
Ten seems to brighten up immediately at the promise of more food. He leans in and opens his mouth for Youngho to feed him more grapes.
This goes on for several minutes, a peaceful silence falling over the two. Youngho continues to pluck grapes off the vine for Ten, who is content to keep being fed by Youngho. Youngho, unfortunately, decides to open his damn mouth and ruin the entire moment.
"My friends will never believe me that you're real," he says offhandedly, outstretching another grape towards Ten.
Ten doesn't accept the grape this time and seems to shift away from Youngho instead, moving back towards the water. "You can't tell other people about me."
"Wha- why not?" Youngho asks dumbly.
Ten does drop back into the water at this, taking a moment before he resurfaces. Youngho just peers over the rock edge curiously, waiting. "Youngho, I trust you," Ten says finally, staying low in the water. "But I don't trust people. I've heard too many bad stories. I'm sure the people you know would mean no harm, but I don't want them to know about me. When humans know, they tell other humans. I can't do that to the rest of my people. Please don't tell anyone about me."
Youngho stares at Ten for a minute, watching the way his eyes have turned dark and seem to swirl like stormclouds. There's a heaviness in Ten's voice that Youngho hasn't heard before. "I won't tell anyone," Youngho says. "I promise."
Youngho is only fifteen but it feels like the most important promise he'll ever make.
-----
It's early July when Youngho finally makes it part of his schedule to go to the cliff every single day, weather permitting. His skin has grown tan and his cheeks are littered in freckles from all the time he spends in the sun.
Ten is almost always there. Sometimes Ten is there waiting for him, lurking underneath the surface of the water until he arrives. Other times, Youngho basks in the sun, dipping his feet in the water until Ten finally swims up and splashes him.
Sometimes they swim together, despite how much Ten loves to criticize Youngho. Or sometimes, Ten will swim around the rocks, showing off while Youngho watches. Mostly, Youngho will stretch out on the flattest rock while Ten props himself next to him, tail still dangling in the water, and the two boys will talk for hours.
"What's it like living on land?" Ten asks, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Boring, mostly. My mom grows fruit, so I help her with that. Usually I go to school, but it's summer now, so I get time off," Youngho explains. His hand had absently found its way to Ten's head, running fingers through the silky strands of hair. His hair is surprisingly soft, with a faint hint of curl from the salt of the water. The strands shimmer teals and blues between his fingers.
"School? Does that mean you'll have to stop coming soon?" If Youngho didn't know better, he would say that Ten sounded nervous.
Youngho rolls closer and ruffles Ten's hair, the few water drops still clinging to him splattering everywhere. "I won't leave you just yet. I still have over a month off. And even once school starts, I can still come and visit on weekends," he explains, then moves even closer to poke at Ten's cheeks. "Why, you gonna miss me or something?"
Ten's cheeks blush a bright teal and he starts to lower himself off the rock, seeking shelter in the water. "It's just. You're the first friend I've ever had."
Youngho stares at Ten in surprise, watching the boy sink lower into the water to hide his burning face. "You're my friend too, Ten," he says, surprised by how gentle his own voice comes out. "You're not gonna be able to get rid of me that easily."
-----
Visiting Ten every single day gets harder as the summer goes on. His parents have only been giving him more and more chores, convinced that it would keep him out of trouble. He doesn't know what kind of trouble they think he's getting into, as the workload only grows worse the further into summer they get. On days when the chores aren't too bad and he can slip out of the house, his friends always seem to arrive; part of him feels guilty that he would rather spend his time with Ten than with the friends he has known for years.
Despite all the obstacles and distractions, Youngho does his best to see Ten every day. It's always worth it when Ten pops out of the water and smiles wide, eyes crinkled up and pearly teeth on display.
He can't explain why it makes his cheeks grow warm or his insides flutter, but day after day, it keeps drawing him back to the water.
-----
The days reach their peak in mid-July, and by August, the sun sets sooner, making the days shorter and the nights cooler. The impending end of summer looms over both of them, as does the question of what happens next?
"What happens to you during the winter time?" Youngho asks one afternoon. The sun is unbearably hot so the two have been swimming around; when Youngho grows tired, Ten has no problem keeping them both above water.
"Hmm, usually I swim to warmer areas and try to avoid bad weather," Ten explains, keeping a loose grip on Youngho as the boy floats next to him. "Typically by the equinox, I start traveling south."
"The equinox? But that's- that's practically a month away," Youngho says, pulling out of Ten's grasp so he can swim on his own, facing the mermaid. "Will you- I mean, when will you come back?"
Ten gnaws on his lower lip, something Youngho has noticed he does whenever he's uncomfortable. "Well, probably not until the spring equinox."
Youngho finds himself swimming back to the stretch of rocks they rest on, pulling himself out of the water. He sits with his legs dangling in as Ten swims anxiously around him, still gnawing on his lower lip.
"Ten, that's- you're going to be gone for months," Youngho says, and he can't understand why his chest hurts so much at the idea. "How could you get upset about me going back to school when you're leaving for so long?"
Ten pulls himself onto the ledge, reaching out tentatively to put his hand on Youngho's thigh. "Youngho, I need to go. If I don't leave the cold waters and go somewhere warmer, I could potentially die. It was wrong of me to get upset at you previously, but you must understand that this is for my own safety."
Youngho nods slowly, hyper aware of the hand on his thigh. Ten's skin is cold and wet from the water, but he burns hot against Youngho's leg. He feels overwhelmed and confused by everything.
"Please don't be mad at me, Youngho," Ten pleads. "I'll come back! You're my friend, I promise I'll come back."
Youngho places his own hand over top Ten's, amazed at how Ten's fingers seem to interlock perfectly with his own. It seems to dawn on Youngho that there is nothing guaranteeing that Youngho himself will come back when Ten returns. They both run the risk of never seeing each other again. Youngho squeezes lightly around Ten's hand. "And I promise I'll still be here, waiting for you."
A brilliant smile breaks out on Ten's face, teeth shining bright and eyes turned to crescents. Nothing is guaranteed, but neither boy really seems to mind.
-----
The two don't let school starting up again deter them from meeting up each day. It isn't too difficult for Youngho to sneak away from his friends on his way home, making his way to the cliffside instead.
It's such an easy routine to fall into: go to school, visit Ten, go home to eat, sleep, repeat.
Youngho never wants it to end.
-----
Unfortunately, the equinox comes sooner than either boy would like. The air starts to cool off, the September air turning crisp as October inches closer and closer. Their last day together is an abnormally chilly Saturday near the end of September.
Youngho is wearing a jacket and Ten doesn't pull himself out of the water, trying to stay adapted to the temperature. Youngho sits on the rocks and watches as Ten swims around him.
"So this is it, huh?" He asks in a small voice. There is some inexplicable fear in the back of his mind that he will never see Ten again, but he refuses to voice that out loud.
He doesn't need to voice it though, because Ten seems to read his mind. "We'll see each other again soon, I promise," he says with a warm smile.
"It doesn't feel like it'll be soon," Youngho grumbles, staring down into his lap. He feels like a child, behaving like this, but the fact is he is a child; the thought of not seeing his best friend for months on end terrifies him.
"We're friends, right?" Ten asks. Youngho can only nod weakly, head still dipped down. "Then we can handle a few months apart. And when I come back in the spring, we'll still be friends."
Youngho stays at the rocks for a few more minutes while Ten swims about, though neither boy says anything. There's something about simply being together that makes the prospect of saying goodbye a little less scary.
-----
Youngho keeps going back to the cliffs even after their goodbyes; old habits are hard to break and his climb has practically become muscle memory, each step carefully calculated so he doesn't slip.
Ten is never there.
The days grow colder and colder until the rainy days turn to icy days, the icy days turn to snowy days, and Youngho can't risk climbing down the cliffs anymore. He stops even walking that way, trying to avoid the temptation. Eventually, the snow gets so bad that there isn't even a path to get out to the cliffs anymore; he figures it's a sign, the world telling him that Ten isn't coming back anytime soon.
Months go by and Youngho does not see Ten. He turns from fifteen to sixteen as snow continues to pile up outside. It's been too cold for Youngho to even think about trekking out to the cliffs, but that doesn't stop the longing deep inside him. Time seems to tick by slowly, and Youngho spends his afternoons staring wistfully out the window, waiting for the day the snow finally melts away.
School seems even more boring now that Ten isn't around. Unlike before, when he found himself anxious for the end of the day so he could sneak off to see him, he finds himself unable to focus on anything. The only thought that sticks in his head is that he'll be able to see Ten again soon. As the days start to grow warmer and the piles of snow start to dwindle, his lack of focus grows worse. Even his friends seem to notice something has changed.
"What the matter with you, man?" Yoonoh asks, knocking their shoulders together as they trek home from school one afternoon. "I feel like you have been zoned out for months now."
"You're like one of those girls, always fantasizing about your crush or something," Taeyong teases. The thought makes him blush. He doesn't have a crush on Ten, he simply misses his friend, that's all.
"I'm just tired of school and gross weather," he reasons. "I miss last summer, I guess."
"But we hardly ever saw you last summer," Taeil reminds him.
Youngho falters; it's true that he spent most of his summer with Ten. His own friends have no idea of how much went on without them. "I did a lot of work and adventuring by myself. I just miss it."
"So the crush Youngho's always fantasizing about is just the summer," Yoonoh says, then pouts. "That's so lame."
Youngho puts him into a headlock. "Learn to respect your elders, no matter how lame they are, you punk," he says, knocking his knuckles against Yoonoh's skull.
His actions are enough to break the tension in his group as they all start to laugh, the focus finally off of his distant behavior.
-----
It's April before the snow finally melts away and Youngho can climb his way out to the cliffs. They're damp and muddy and the air is still too chilly to be enjoyable, but the potential of seeing Ten drives him onwards.
He sits out on the rocks for a few minutes, calling Ten's name out in the hopes that he's nearby.
Ten doesn't show up. It doesn't exactly surprise Youngho; the air is still cold, with a breeze that bites at his skin even through his thick jacket. The sun is warm against his skin though, and it instills hope in him that Ten will be back soon. He just has to be patient.
-----
Patience, to Youngho, involves going back to the cliffs almost every single day. With each day, the sun grows warmer and the wind starts to die out. The weather practically feels like spring again, and Youngho is certain that Ten will return any day now.
And sure enough, Ten comes back. It's a warm Saturday afternoon and Youngho is stretched out on one of the rocks, basking in the warm sun as he reads a novel for school. He's taken to doing all of his work out here; he figures he might as well keep his grades up while he waits for Ten. The sun has started to drift back down towards the horizon, long shadows starting to stretch across his book, when he hears a strange splashing noise from the water. Youngho's jaw drops open when he looks up to see Ten sitting on the rock in front of him.
"Did you miss me?" Ten asks with a grin, teeth as pearly as ever.
Youngho regains his composure and snaps his jaw shut. "Miss you? Had you left or something? I didn't even notice," he says nonchalantly, but with the way he hurries to put his book down and crawl across the rocks is a clear indication that he's lying.
Despite Ten's protests that he's still wet from the ocean, Youngho immediately throws his arms around the boy, pulling him into a tight hug. Ten seems to melt into the embrace, his own arms winding their way around Youngho's waist.
"It's good to see you," Ten says, voice muffled into the fabric of Youngho's coat. "I missed you."
Youngho presses his own face against Ten's neck, breathing in the smell of salt on his skin and sighs contently. "I missed you too."