"this is a hippo." mark explained walking next to a very excited donghyuck.

mark had convinced the boys to go to the zoo, so, here they were, walking around and looking at the different animals. the bubbliest of them was, obviously, donghyuck who kept discovering new things.

donghyuck was more comfortable around mark's friends. they had spoken together during breakfast, and donghyuck had found them very funny and friendly. he was still a bit scared of them, but he let them touch him as long as mark was not far.

"hey donghyuck?"

the called boy drifted his attention from the beast to a smiling chenle.

"do you know hippos poop in a very strange way?"

the mermaid raised a brow. "hum..."

"actually, they use their tail to- "chenle was cut in his story by jisung who had put his hand over the chinese's mouth.

"don't worry, this isn't a vital information." jisung told donghyuck, pulling his chinese friend away.

donghyuck chuckled at what just happened before bouncing to another animal.

mark followed donghyuck around, sometimes explaining him things about the animals they would see, and sometime just laughing along with the stupidities chenle would say.

"oh, my favourite part of the zoo! come on donghyuck, leave mark alone for a minute, we'll show you!" chenle said before dragging donghyuck and jisung inside a block that said 'aquarium' on top.

mark was left alone with jaemin and jeno.

"you seem to be fond of the boy." jaemin stated, entering the aquarium.

"really?"

jeno nodded. "yeah, you're always looking at him with heart eyes."

mark shrugged.

"i mean... it's justified, this boy is a ball of sunshine." jaemin said, earning a glare from jeno. "don't be jealous. i'm talking in mark's point of view." he added before pecking his boyfriend's lips.

"indeed, he is." mark confirmed, eyes glued on donghyuck who was smiling in front of a huge fish tank.

"do you like him?" jeno asked.

"yeah..." mark said, daydreaming. "wait- no! no, i don't." he corrected himself, making the couple chuckle.

"you don't seem so sure about it." jaemin pointed out.

"it's not that... it's just- i don't know. donghyuck is a beautiful person, inside and out. but, i don't like him this way. and if i did, he wouldn't be able to reciprocate my feelings."

jeno and jaemin sighed in unison. mark was really dense.

"mark, do you realised that this boy is always glued to your side? he trusts you, you're the only one he trusts actually. and have you seen his smile when you are around?" jaemin listed.

"i'm convinced he has feelings for you as well."

mark sighed. "i really don't know..."

donghyuck was a mermaid. mark was the only one to know it, but this was real. donghyuck and him weren't from the same world. donghyuck will leave soon. in fourteen days to be precise. mark couldn't fall for him. this was impossible. donghyuck was going to leave him and never come back. donghyuck hated the surface. he was scared of it. so, as soon as he will be able to leave, that's what he will do. he will disappear form mark's life, as if he never appeared in the first place. and mark will be all alone again. alone and heartbroken.

donghyuck was still with chenle and jisung, passing in front of a huge tank. it was at least five meters high and was full of rocks, corals and algae. however, donghyuck couldn't see any fish in it.

he approached the glass wall of the tank and searched of any sign of life.

"don't bother looking at this tank. the fish never come out. jisung and i came here billions of time and we saw them once." chenle stated.

donghyuck didn't listen to his comment. he stayed glued to the wall and concentrated to call the fish hidden in the tank.

it actually worked. his call had been heard by the fish inside the tank, because a whole school of fish got out of their hidden spot and swam towards donghyuck.

"woah!" jisung exclaimed pulling chenle along.

both stared at the hundreds of fish that were surrounding donghyuck. they approached the tank, expecting to have the same success as donghyuck among the fish, but were disappointed when none of them bulged.

"unfair! donghyuck has got all the attention..." he pouted.

hearing those words, donghyuck ordered the fish to stop looking at him and to follow chenle and jisung.

receiving an order from a mermaid, the fish immediately did as they were told and swam around chenle and jisung, making the two boys squeak. they ran from left to right, in front of the tank, happy to see the fish were following them.

mark, jeno and jaemin entered the room, surprised at the amount of life this usually lifeless tank had. jeno and jaemin joined chenle and jisung hand in hand, while mark only approached donghyuck.

"i know you have something to do with this." he told, gently putting his chin on the mermaid's shoulder.

"of course, i have." donghyuck giggled turning towards mark, allowing the raven-haired boy to see those beautiful golden orbs. "they just miss the ocean." donghyuck explained.

"you do too?" mark asked taking donghyuck's hand in his own.

donghyuck looked at their interwined hands before answering. "i do. but i am having a good time here as well. the two worlds are very different." donghyuck said softly.

"you have fourteen days left here, and after, you will leave..." mark lowered his head.

"we still have time mark. don't be this sad." donghyuck lifted his head, ignoring the way his heart was beating faster than usual.

"i promise those two weeks we have left will be wonderful." mark said, caressing donghyuck's hand and looking into his eyes that had turned brown.

donghyuck smiled and pulled mark in a hug, allowing himself to forget that he was an underwater creature for some time.

ψ

renjun was peacefully eating in him and donghyuck's shared house when a flying fish disturbed him.

"a message from donghyuck to renjun." the fish told.

renjun swallowed what he had in his mouth. "go on."

the fish opened his mouth, allowing donghyuck's voice to come out.

"mark's friends discovered i existed."

renjun tensed at what he heard.

"but don't worry! they don't now i am a mermaid. they only think i am a boy mark found in the sea, which is actually not that false."

renjun calmed down, taking another bite from his food.

"anyway. i went to the zoo today, i got to see many surface creatures. they're so strange like woah! some fly, some walk, some crawl, and some are very similar to those we have underwater, except they live above the surface."

renjun continued his meal, listening to donghyuck's day. he knew about those animals, he had been sent a month above the surface as well; and, in south africa, he had seen plenty of them.

"mark's friends are so kind with me. they treat me as if they have always known me, and it's the cutest thing. by the way, i'm sure you would have liked them as well."

renjun smiled. he was happy that donghyuck thought about him and took some time to send him flying fish while he was having fun. when renjun was above the surface, he had sent donghyuck flying fish as well, but he didn't have as many things to tell his best friend...

"i have fourteen days left above the surface."

donghyuck's voice became less bubbly, and renjun could decipher a hint of sadness in it.

"i am happy i did half of my stay, i can't wait to see you again... but, actually... i was a bit saddened when mark reminded me that i would have to leave after..."

renjun tried to process what donghyuck was saying, but the only detail that kept stuck in his mind was that mark had told him about it. mark had counted. mark cared about donghyuck, renjun could see that, even if he was far from them.

"i don't know what's happening to me... i just... don't want to leave him. i know i still have fourteen days left. but only remembering i will have to leave him saddens me. i don't know why... anyway, i hope you are fine down there. remember that i miss you. i love you renjunnie!"

"end of the message." the fish finished in his voice.

renjun thought for a second, registering all the information donghyuck had just told him.

donghyuck was slowly falling in love with mark. renjun was a hundred percent sure about it. it was a good thing, wasn't it?

there was no law forbidding humans and mermaids to be in love. the only rule was that humans should never know mermaids existed. but the two weren't incompatible... a mermaid could love a human if the human didn't know that his lover was a mermaid. except that... mark knew donghyuck was a mermaid. and perhaps that mark didn't like donghyuck. perhaps that he hated him. it didn't seem to be the case as mark cared about him, but what if mark didn't want of donghyuck because of his nature?

"renjun, do you want me to register a response to this message?" the flying fish asked.

"yes please."