What some people couldn’t see was the beauty underneath the surface. The beauty of the life that swayed along with the water, the beauty of all the different types of fishes swimming in groups. Whatever humans thought what the beauty of the ocean was only saw what they could see. They were unable to see all of the colors, the little details in each coral, the voices.

The voices that was too high for their ears to catch. There had been many sights and spotting of these voices, but they never truly saw what they were like. They lived in their own world deep in the sea where they lived out their days just like humans on the surface.

Unlike humans, they were terrified of the surface. It was forbidden for any mermaid, no matter the reason, to ever reach the shore. It was worse to come into contact with a human. They could capture you, take you away, most of all they could kill you.

Two of the most important rules and Johnathan had broken both. Underneath the surface was dull and boring. He craved for adventure, the rush of excitement. It was the reason why he perched himself on a rock near the shore and sung. He wanted to see what would happen.

And when it did happen he was terrified. All that his sister had told him flooded his brain and he was drowning in fear. But it was Evan who pulled him back. It was Evan that opened a whole new world to him.

He would be in trouble if he was caught talking to the man, but it didn’t stop him every afternoon when they met up. Evan was his new adventure and he craved it badly. Every morning he would go about his usual doing, but when the time came he snuck out to see the human.

His sister was skeptical about her brother’s new found happiness. Even though he was always sunshine and smiles he brightened even more for the past few months. She never bothered him about it, but it nagged her every time she caught him smiling to himself.

So one afternoon, before he mysteriously left for the rest of the day, she stopped him outside of his room. Johnathan was swaying in his hammock, humming a song she never heard before. His smile was bright and radiant, something he hasn’t shown for so long.

When he finally noticed her presences the smile faded only a little bit. He played that innocent smile that fooled everyone but her.

“Alright, Johnathan. Spill it,” she demanded with a smirk.

He only shrugged his shoulders and continued to sway.

“You’ve been overly happy lately and disappearing. What’s up?” she asked again crossing her arms.

Johnathan chuckled to himself as he let his smile grow. “I don’t know what you mean, Lauren.”

It was never easy with him. Lauren rolled her eyes with a playful smile. “You’ve been seeing someone. Who is it? Are they from here?”

The shy grin on her younger brother’s face said it all. He was seeing someone that wasn’t from here, but she didn’t need to know the fine details. She didn’t need to know at all. Evan was his own secret whisper.

To ease his sister’s curiosity he nodded his head. His cheeks heated up as he thought about the man on two legs. The man that still talked to him even though their differences. The one that kissed his troubles away and made his nights ones to never forget.

Then he remembered what time it was. Evan should be arriving at the beach soon. Johnathan hopped off the hammock and made his way out the room with his sister trailing be hide.

“Are you going to see them like you always do?” she questioned.

Johnathan became annoyed and halted his swim to turn around and meet Lauren’s questionable expression. He hated how noise she could become, it was a reason why he never stayed around. She was there waiting for answers, details of who the mysterious person was.

There was no way he could tell her. He would be in so much trouble, but worst of all they could go after Evan. “Yes and I don’t want you ruining my time either,” he replied rather coldly. Her expression changed to hurt and he brought her into a huge in apology.

“I just want to be alone. I’ll see you later, alright?” and he left without wanting a reply. Johnathan swam away, occasionally looking back to make sure he wasn’t followed. Like all was, he was not followed and went on his merry way to the shore.

What he didn’t know was that his sister had indeed followed, but to a different route. She was too curious about the person making her brother so happy all the time. It ate at her every time she saw the goofy smile on Johnathan.

She followed him until the floor was getting closer and the waves were rougher. They were getting too close to the surface, but Johnathan never stopped. He kept going, tail flipping with speed.

When he did slow down they were in a dangerous spot. Lauren hid herself be hide the farthest rock away from the shore while Johnathan climbed on top one. Her heart was beating as her cautious eyes wondered to every direction.

This was dangerous and stupid. Johnathan knew the rules so why would he be here? Before she was able to expose herself and call for her brother she heard another sound. A deeper voice calling out her little brother’s name.

Then he appeared. Two legs, two feet, and all. His smile was wide while his eyes hid under dark shades. The alertness in Lauren’s body was going off as she watched the human walk into the water. Johnathan never backed down or swam away. He held a playful smirk as the man made his way up to the rock.

Johnathan reached for the other’s cheek who lovingly leaned into his palm. She was disgusted. Angry that a filthy creature touched her brother in such a way. She was angrier at the fact Johnathan was smiling, his eyes hazed over with love.

It was forbidden. It was a disgrace. She could see their lips move, but didn’t listen to the words being exchanged. Her focus was on how close they were getting. The human wasn’t even fazed about Johnathan being a mermaid. It was completely bazar.

As they were getting closer it hit her. Johnathan was in love with a human. A murderous land dweller that has killed their species multiple times. The higher ups had to hear about this. Her baby brother was in danger.

This human had his lips pressed against Johnathan’s in a simple kiss. It made Lauren sick to her stomach. Her brother’s happiness was a lie. He was brainwashed against his will. She quickly pushed away from the rock and rushed back into the sea.

 ______________________

When the stars glistened against the night sky and the two boys said their farewells, Johnathan happily swam back to his home. Evan left him with a kiss to his cheek that still burned into his skin. His body was warn and tired from being out in the sun. His bed was calling his name.

What was actually calling his name was trouble. At his front door were two bigger mermen and his sister who was in tears. He raised an eyebrow and looked between them.

“Johnathan, you have to come with us,” one of the men said, his voice deep and serious.

Immediately he searched their faces for any sign of what was happening. When he couldn’t find anything he let his eyes fall to Lauren. She avoided his gaze and silently cried under her hands.

“I didn’t do anything, guys,” Johnathan began to protest, but then his sister laughed.

It was a cruel laugh. A laugh with no sight of glee, just spite. Her eyes were angry and hurt and slightly red.

“Didn’t do anything? I saw you, Johnathan! How could you?” she sobbed, wiping her eyes furiously.

“What did I do?!”

“I saw you kiss him! That…that,” Lauren started to stutter over her words, “that human!”

Johnathan’s whole body became cold. His heartbeat hammered against his ears and his eyes widen. She had followed him even though he wanted to be alone. At that moment he felt so many emotions towards his dear sister.

His heart was shattered. Everything that he risked was now gone. These men would take him away where he would never be able to see Evan again. He would never feel Evan’s arms wrapped him, his fingers tracing his tattoos, his lips against his.

It was all over as the bigger men took him by the arms. Rage filled his body when his sister kept her betraying eyes on him. He wanted to punch her. Hurt her in the same way she has done, but he couldn’t. Not with his hands bonded be hide his back.

He only glared at her, sinking daggers into her head while he was being taken away. Lauren flinched, silent tears falling down her pale cheeks. His adventure was over.

 _____________

Today made day eight without a sight of Johnathan. No signs, no message, nothing. Evan’s heart sunk deeper and deeper with each day he sat on the beach alone. He stayed there until the moon welcomed him with its glowing surface.

Nothing.

It affected his daily life. He wasn’t having fun anymore. None of his friends could cheer him up so they slowly disappeared. Since moving out a few months ago his small house was even quieter, if possible. His fingers never touched his gaming controller or his computer.

He lay on his bed with thoughts of his mermaid. The thoughts of the sun causing his slightly tan skin to glow, his eyes showing him the whole world. His smile blinding and making his heart skip a beat. Most of all he missed the salt he tasted when they kissed.

Everything was agonizing. Every ounce of him was heavy with loss. When he stepped onto the beach with hope the sand burned even more. The sun above made him feel sick.

Each time Johnathan wasn’t there he thought it really was a dream. Each night he went to bed to see if it were true, but the dreams were never as vivid. He couldn’t feel the wind blowing against his body. The water felt fake as did the rocks.

Dream Johnathan didn’t feel real either. His lips were cracked and dry, his skin wasn’t as smooth, and his laughed didn’t brighten his day. It only sounded fake. Forced, even.

So when the sunshine poured through his window and he opened his eyes he knew it wasn’t a fairy tale. Mermaids were real and so was Johnathan. He was out there somewhere where Evan could never reach him.

On day nine, he walked on the beach to find no one. Evan thought he would get use to it, the loneliness, but he didn’t. It still stung as he watched the waves roll onto the shore. It stung when he dropped to his knees not caring that he landed on a sharp seashell. It stung the most when the first tear made its way down to his chin.

That day he let himself cry until the sun got too hot and he became dizzy.

Day ten rolled by slowly. Evan only starred out into the horizon. Tears were not shed as they were all soaked into his pillow. His body was numb, aching for that familiar feel of skin. The ocean was starting to haunt him.

No matter where he looked there was always blue. Like the blue of his favorite eyes and the blue of his favorite scalded tail. Now he fully understood what it meant for someone to feel blue.

His face was showing it like no other. Every time he looked into his bathroom mirror all he saw was sadness. Under his eyes were dark bags that told how his nights went. His eyes were red from the lack of sleep and crying. His lips hung low in a permanent frown.

It was depressing.

Johnathan probably left him for good for another being. He couldn’t take the fact that they were never able to be with each other all the time. It was something that was always on Jonathan’s mind and Evan knew it. He knew it when his baby blue eyes sadly wondered to his feet.

He got fed up it and gave up. The only thing Evan wished was that Johnathan would have drowned him before he vanished.

Day eleven and his hopes were not peaking at all. Why did he keep going to the beach anyway? For the slim hope that lingered? It was ridiculous. He should move on, continue with his works and get back with his friends.

But he didn’t. He sat on the beach with the blazing sun beaming down on him. His shades and hat were abounded at his home and he welcomed the blistering heat. It brought memories of their first meeting.

When he found Johnathan sitting on top of a rock singing his heart out, he was taken. The more they talked the faster Evan was falling for him. When Johnathan was in trouble and his secret came out his love never vanished, not even for a second.

Johnathan wouldn’t leave him. Not after all that they’ve been through. Not when they spilled their feelings for each other out in the open. He knew Johnathan and this wasn’t like him. He wouldn’t just leave without a word.

It snapped Evan out of his depressive state. If Johnathan wanted to leave him he would have done it sooner. He wouldn’t hang out with him every day at the same time. Johnathan was not a liar. Those kisses were not a lie.

He loved him and Evan loved him back. This new conclusion brought more worry to the Asian as he got up and left for his car. The first time in what felt like a long time he turned on his computer. His fingers opened previous tabs about mermaids and he dazed into research.

Nothing helped with his problem. All he found were the same old tales and drawings. He was on his own with this. Evan retired to his bed, thinking about ways to find Johnathan until his eyelids grew heavy.

This routine was growing old, but he couldn’t stop. All he has done with Johnathan couldn’t go to waste. There was no way he could move on from his mystical lover.

So he sat there skipping rocks across the water’s surface on day twelve. The wind rushed past his ears with a whistled tone. It was almost like Johnathan’s voice and it made his stomach twist uncomfortably. Memories of that angelic voice gracing him with such tunes filled his head.

Evan was floating. The world around him blurred into nothing as he let himself go deep inside his brain, reliving everything for a sign. Just that one simple sign of why Johnathan never came back almost two weeks ago.

His senses came back to him once the wind became cold and the water hitting his toes was freezing. The moon showed its crated face like it always did with the stars shining against the black sky. Such a familiar scene was only lacking one thing.

One person he missed deeply. He missed their nights when they held each other close in the cool breeze. He even missed when the mermaid’s scales lightly scratched his legs or when his tail splashed cold water onto him.

Most of all he missed the way his name rolled off the other’s tongue.

Johnathan made it the most beautiful thing ever each time. Evan could practically hear it rounding his head. He closed his eyes and let it repeat until it felt sickly real. His ears buzzed against his skull when he heard it again.

When he opened his eyes he could see it. A blue tail shimmering from the moon and disappearing into the water. Evan quickly got to his feet and waddled into the water ignoring the shiver breaking throughout his body.

The mermaid’s movements were rigid. They weren’t graceful or smooth like they usually were; the way he swam was sloppy, unstable, and even rough. The closer he got the more Evan saw. Johnathan was terrified and desperate.

Once Evan reached almost waist deep in the water he dropped to his knees and pulled his companion into a tight hug that was gladly returned. It felt like hours until they could break apart just enough to see each other’s face. Above them the moon enlightened their features.

Baby blues were tired with a matching pair of bags under them. They were wet with tears that spilled like a waterfall down his pale skin. Johnathan’s cheeks were slightly puffy and his bottom lip was split down the middle. His expression was full of pain and it boiled Evan’s blood.

Every inch of him burned in rage. Someone had hurt Johnathan badly and kept him for days most likely against his will. He pulled his hands up to the mermaid’s cheeks who flinched once contact came. Evan then lightly placed his hands further up his face, trying his best to avoid the bruised skin.

“Who did this to you?”

Johnathan looked away as the tears fell faster. His body shook as he quietly sobbed. Evan took him into another hug, this time a gentle one. The mermaid cried into his shoulder until his voice became hoarse and his throat itched.

When they regained eye contact Evan waited for an answer. His heart sunk deeper and deeper the more he took in Johnathan’s face. He was beaten and tired. A creature so pure and beautiful now destroyed and torn looked into his deep brown eyes.

“Please take me with you. Take me to your house,” Johnathan quietly pleaded. Evan was taken aback by the request. The cocky smartass he knew so well looked hopeless and fragile in his arms. There was no more light in his eyes that would make his day so much brighter.

Now he was here after disappearing for almost two weeks. Whatever happened to him broke his spirit. As Evan let the plea soak in he shook his head. He couldn’t take Johnathan out of the water. There was no telling what could happen to him.

Johnathan frowned even more and clutched onto Evan’s shirt. “Please Evan. Please take me away from here. They’re not going to stop. Next they’ll come for you and I can’t deal with the fact that they’ll hurt you too.”

Evan was puzzled. He didn’t follow the whole story or why he was in danger too. “What happens if I take you out, Johnathan? What if you…” he didn’t need to finish his sentence.

His counterpart shook his head. “I’ll be dead if I stay here. I’d rather die next to you than alone.”

The Asian swallowed around the lump in his throat. He picked up Johnathan bridal style and made his way out of the ocean. A thousand of questions buzzed in his head as he walked down the sandy beach carrying his mermaid.

So many he couldn’t even put into words as he placed Johnathan in the back of his car then put himself in the driver’s seat. He drove through his town on the quiet road listening to the man in the back quietly breathe.

His house wasn’t too far and his eyes always glanced to his rear view mirror. Johnathan laid across all three seats, his eyes taking in the sights beyond the sea. Even though he was hurt he still held awe as he watched buildings pass by the window.

When they reached Evan’s home he parked his car and carefully carried his tailed friend out of the car. It was late so nobody would be able to see the odd scene in his front yard. Quickly he unlocked the door and walked in to shut the door with a bump of his foot.

Evan didn’t bother turning on the lights as he weaved his way up the stairs to his bathroom. He put Johnathan down on the floor, turned on the light, than ran the bath water. The silence between them held on for too long. Once the water was high enough he helped the other into the water.

“What happened?” the youngest asked as he kneeled before the tub. His eyes wondered over his lover’s body. A few bruises littered his abdomen and his wrists looked as if they were shackled for a long time. Johnathan followed his gaze then gave him a reassuring smile.

The smile didn’t help either of them feel better. A deep sigh came out between busted lips. “My sister,” the mermaid began, “she followed me one day and saw us kiss. She told the higher ups and they sent me away.”

He raised his hands out of the water to show his purple and blue wrists. It still stung him to hear his sister’s cry. The sting of betrayal was fresh in his chest.

“Still can’t believe she did that to me,” the laugh that came out was cold and broken. “All those years growing up with her and she just lets them take me away. She let them do this to me!” his voice rose.

Inside he was shaking. All the anger was finding its way back to him and if it wasn’t for the hand on his shoulder he would have exploded. Instead he looked at Evan and felt safe. He was unharmed and untouched.

Although his earthly eyes were tired they still held a twinkle of hope. His tan hand cupped his cheek and on command he leaned into it. The warmth overflowed the anger deep inside of him and left him vulnerable as it always did.

Evan’s touch made his worries become dust in the wind. He was away from the ocean where he was wanted. Away from the harmful hands of his own kind and in the hands of the man he loved. The warm hand trailing to the back of his neck and pulling him closer until the warmth of his lips was added to the mix.

Until now he didn’t know how much he craved this. He was afraid to open his eyes when his lips were left cold. The fear of opening them and finding himself in that dark cell all alone.

“Johnathan?”

The mermaid shakenly exhaled and opened his eyes. Evan was an inch away from his face with a perfect smile on his perfect lips.

“I missed you.”

Their lips reconnected in a long awaited kiss. A kiss that told how much one missed the other through the lonely days.

When sleep was calling Evan he left to his bed that was next door to the bathroom. He bided Johnathan goodnight like they always did and shut the light off as he left. Johnathan got as comfortable as he could as he drifted off in a dream.

It was cold. He couldn’t breathe out of his nose. His body quickly adapted to his wet surrounding by changing his air way to his gills. Johnathan was back in the ocean where everything was dark and chilly.

His hands were cuffed above his head as his tail was chained to the floor. Everything was pitch black. The only thing he could make out was the distant talking getting closer and closer. Then a gate opened. His gate to his cell.

He was back in their jail. Two guards were talking amongst each other while rummaging through something. Jon couldn’t tell what was going on. He couldn’t tell what they were going to do to him or Evan. Oh god. Poor Evan.

Panic rose as he pulled against his restraints. The other mermen chuckled darkly and their voices were closer. Too close for comfort.

The first punch hurt the worst because Johnathan wasn’t expecting it. Then more came toward his stomach where he felt his insides burn. Everything was on fire as the guards beat him against the wall. It was his punishment for breaking the most important rules.

In his own eyes he did nothing wrong. He fell in love with someone who deeply cared about him. The only thing keeping them apart were Evan’s two legs that carried him away once the stars came out. No one else would understand how Johnathan felt.

They stuck to the old tales of old fishermen killing mermaids for sport. If it was still true Johnathan would have been dead a long time ago, but Evan never hurt him. Not how these men were.

Then it stopped. He could feel his body bruising all over; sore and weak. His ears listened closely to what sounded like something being unsheathed.

The first slice went to his tail and up along his scales. It burned even more, but he couldn’t scream. His lips were sealed shut as he felt the smooth blade of a knife cut into him.

Oh god it hurt. It hurt so bad, but he couldn’t do anything. He was frozen. Stilled by fear. The cuts never stopped. They kept coming and coming until Johnathan opened his eyes.

He wasn’t in that dark cell cuffed against a wall anymore. He was in Evan’s bathroom, he remembered. It was all a nightmare, but the pain didn’t leave him. His tail still felt as if someone was stabbing him, cutting him up.

Johnathan reached down to his tail to inspect it, but what he discovered wasn’t what he thought.

And he screamed.

Evan’s eyes flew open once he heard it. Quickly he jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. He flipped on the light switch and saw a panicked Johnathan. The bath tub was coated with a thin layer of blue slim as well as scales drifting around.

Then he saw them.

Legs.