mark was stupid. and, he knew it perfectly.

how could a human being be this stupid?

him and his four friends had organised 6 months before a 10-days holiday at mark's house, and this dumb human couldn't even remember it!

"what's with this face markus?" jisung asked jumping on the living room couch. "don't tell me you forgot."

"no no! i didn't forget at all! but- why didn't you send messages or call me?"

"oh, we did." chenle sat next to jisung. "but you never answered."

mark thought for a second. he hadn't touched his phone since donhyuck had arrived. and, speaking of which, donghyuck was still in mark's room.

"why are you this stressed?" jeno asked passing an arm around his boyfriend's shoulder.

"yeah, you look tensed." jaemin replied snuggling into jeno's touch.

"i'll... go to the toilet!" mark rose to his feet before rushing towards his bedroom.

arriving there, mark opened the door and entered the room, finding donghyuck hiding behind his bed.

"donghyuck!" mark whisper-yelled.

"w-who was it?"

"we have a big problem."

the merman raised a brow.

"i had totally forgotten, but my four friends are here for 10 days."

donghyuck widened his eyes.

"i'm very sorry. i had forgotten. and now... i don't know what to do!" mark explained.

"we can't let them know i am here." donghyuck said trembling.

mark approached the shaking boy and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"it's okay, i won't let them know you you're here."

donghyuck smiled shyly at mark, making his hear beat in his rib cage at a fast pace.

"MARK!" a yell from downstairs interrupted them. "ARE YOU TAKING A SHIT?!"

mark ignored jaemin's voice and faced donghyuck, taking his hands in his own.

"they'll probably sleep in my room, because it's how we usually do. i'll bring you to my uncle's room if it's okay for you. he has a huge bathroom and a bath tub as well. don't worry, i'll come to see you whenever i have some time and i'll bring you food, okay?"

donghyuck nodded.

"now, we'll need to find a way to bring you there."

"MARK!!!"

"okay, i'm going. we'll probably have a swim in the pool tonight, so i'll bring you in yongsu's room at that moment."

mark ruffled donghyuck's hair before going back to his friends.

"took you long enough!" jeno sighed.

an hour after, the boys were all ready to jump into the pool, as mark had expected. he had taken this opportunity to bring donghyuck into his uncle's room and to make sure the younger was okay.

and then began hard days...

ψ

one day.

two days.

three days.

well, time had passed.

mark's friends were still there.

it was donghyuck's 15th day above the surface.

he was starting to miss being under the sea. sure, he had mark's pool and the bath tub, but this wasn't enough. he missed the salted water, he missed playing hide and seek in the algae with renjun. and, well, he missed renjun so much.

actually, for the past days, his main activity had been speaking with renjun. both boys had exchanged more flying fishes in four days than they had ever done since their birth. let's say that all the flying fish of the yellow sea knew mark's address by heart now.

in those numerous exchanges, donghyuck had told renjun about mark. he had explained him everything, from the moment mark found him to the moment he helped him in public, at the café. he had also told donghyuck about the many things mark had given donghyuck. he had told about ice cream, about beef and about his new robot fish that he liked playing with in the bath tub. he had also informed his best friend that he had taught mark how to play blind shark. and finally, he had told renjun about the wired feelings he had whenever mark helped him. he could feel that mark really cared about him, and this was honestly one of the best things ever.

renjun was, at first, very mad at his best friend. riley had clearly told them that humans shouldn't know they existed. and donghyuck had informed mark about their existence. plus, donghyuck was scared of what happened above the surface. he didn't even want to go there in the first place. so, that's why renjun was mad.

but, thinking about it, donghyuck was very happy, and it seemed like mark took good care of him. sure, he was a human, but all humans aren't bad. perhaps, the fact that donghyuck met mark was a good thing? renjun didn't know, but judging by how donghyuck talked about mark, it surely was good for him.

renjun was happy for his friend. first, donghyuck told him countless of times how much he loved him and missed him. second, donghyuck was way happier above the surface than how he thought he would be. and third, he had someone to take care of him.

renjun should really thank mark one day...

mark was in his room, with his four friends, all laying on the bed and mattresses, falling asleep.

well, jeno, jaemin, chenle and jisung were falling asleep.

mark was waiting for his cue to leave the room.

he had done this for the past days. in order not to leave donghyuck alone, mark would wait for his friends to be asleep to go to his uncle's room and be with donghyuck.

everything had gone well the past nights, and donghyuck was always very happy to see mark coming to play with him, so, this had encouraged mark to continue meeting him.

this is why mark got out of his room in silence, how he had been doing the days before. except that this night, he wasn't the only one not asleep when he got out of the room.

"jeno. wake up!" jaemin nudged his boyfriend who wrapped his arm around him in his sleep. "jeno!"

"mmh?" the older mumbled tightening his embrace.

"wake up!" jaemin whisper-yelled shaking his boyfriend.

"you better have woken me up for something interesting." jeno grumbled, opening his eyes.

jaemin rolled his eyes. "mark has left the room."

"and? he probably went to the toilet."

"he didn't." jaemin shook his boyfriend who was falling asleep again. "he comes back to his bed in the morning. very early."

jeno turned around, facing his back to jaemin. "and how do you know that?"

"because i wake up every single time something makes some noise. and to tell you, i wake up often because of your snoring!"

jeno yawned. "too bad."

"what are you two talking about at two in the morning?!" a sleepy chenle whisper-yelled pissed.

"deal with jaemin." jeno mumbled.

"please, go down with me, i want to know where mark goes every night." jaemin pleaded.

"can i come too?" jisung's messy bed head appeared.

jeno sighed. "yes, go with him. now let me sleep."

"no way. you all come with me." jaemin insisted, shaking jeno again.

"jaemin, i swear that if it's nothing, i'll make you sleep on the floor for the rest of the holiday." jeno sat on the bed, glaring at jaemin.

"yes jeno." jaemin rolled his eyes. "now let's go. be quiet, we never know what could happen."

jeno scoffed. "yeah, we could see a sleepwalking mark. very scary."

the four boys made their way downstairs, looking inside every room for mark, but there was no sign of him.

"the doors to the garden are still locked. he's not outside." chenle stated.

"where could he be then?" jisung asked.

"there's still his uncle's quarters." jaemin pointed out.

"yeah, but he told us, the first time we came here, which was something like 6 years ago, that we should NEVER go there." jeno told.

"please, don't. i remember perfectly this one-hour speech about it." chenle raised a finger in jeno's direction.

"but he could be here." jaemin stated before heading towards the door of yongsu's room.

jaemin put his ear against the door, his eyes widening when he heard voices inside.

he made a hand motion telling the others to come.

the three boys approached an imitated jaemin, having the same reaction.

"he's in here." chenle whispered.

"with someone else. obviously." jisung added.

"should we enter?"

"yes." "no." jaemin and jeno said at the same time, glaring at each other.

"raise your hand if you think we should enter." jaemin told, causing him, chenle and jisung to raise their hands.

jeno rolled his eyes. "go on then."

jaemin took a deep breath before putting his hand on the door handle and pushing the door open.