Archive of Our Own

“Wei Ying! Wait up!” Nie Huaisang calls out.

“You’re the one who’s swimming so slowly!” Wei Ying cackles as he speeds away from the underwater city and up near the surface towards Caiyi City.

The Lan Kingdom’s capital, Caiyi City, is nothing but a small, humble, bustling, seaside town with some newly added construction from the Lan family, thus reclaiming it as a city. The people who live there had occupied the area for decades before the Lan family came, but their ruler was greatly unjust and cruel to his people.

When the great world wars swept across land and sea, destruction of livelihood and rulerships were prevalent everywhere. Many townsfolk from Caiyi prayed and prayed for the day that their ruler would be defeated and overrun, surely anyone else leading them would be a better fit. The Lan Kingdom was small, but they were always justly defeating evil when it came knocking.

The previous ruler of Caiyi took a grave misstep in his plans to overrun the Lan Kingdom during the great world wars and he failed. The Lans had then seen how terribly the people of Caiyi had been mistreated and made the executive decision to move their capital there and give back to the land, sea, and people. The people of Ciayi’s prayers had been answered by the Lan Kingdom and now life was greater than it had been in decades.

“We shouldn’t swim up this high, you know! Da-ge will be furious,” Nie Huaisang reminds him.

But Wei Ying is a free spirit, hard to reign in. Nie Huaisang knows this just as much as his older brother does. Still, the surface is a terrifying reality for merpeople.

One thing that the humans were never aware of, was that similar things had happened far beneath the surface of the water during the great world wars.

The merpeople down below were not all that different from the humans up above. They were full of love and rage alike. Thus, when the great world wars raged above the surface, naturally it all trickled down beneath the water and caused them to experience their own version of this horrific timeline.

Unfortunately, the merpeople faced a great terror during the great world wars and lost many, many people to the greed of humans. Battles beneath the water would sometimes lead to chaos that slipped above the surface in one way or another, and every so often, vile and selfish humans would take advantage of this and capture merpeople. Because the great wars caused famine and destruction, humans were desperate for relief – the capturing of merpeople resulting in either food or money for them.

There was once a time when merpeople and humans could interact with each other and live in great harmony. After all, merpeople have the ability to shift into human form when the sun sets and darkness takes over the land. This had led to a great relationship between merpeople and humans, aiding each other in survival and support, friendship and alliance, until the great wars started.

Years later, after the wars subsided and peace settled throughout the world, the merpeople withdrew far, far beneath the surface and were long forgotten by humans. They became nothing but a folktale, a dreamy story of times long ago.

“Huaisang, I was wondering something,” Wei Ying starts as he turns around, halting his pursuit to the surface.

The two merboys idle face to face, one with an exquisitely eye-catching red tail that shines beneath the rays of the sun, expressing a mixture of passion and warmth, and the other with an elegant emerald green tail that embodies poise and royalty.

“What?”

“If merpeople and humans are mortal enemies, why do we have the ability to shift into human form, huh? Have you ever wondered about that?”

Nie Huaisang looks away from him. He knows that Wei Ying’s point of curiosity is something all merpeople ponder about, though no one ever has the nerve to say it aloud. Afraid that his older brother, Nie Mingjue, will pop up around the corner at the mention of humans, Nie Huaisang just laughs nervously in response.

“You always have a lot of questions, don’t you, Wei Ying?” He brushes him off. “Let’s go, though, da-ge is expecting us back anytime now.”

Wei Ying doesn’t argue and follows alongside the other as they swim back down into the depths of the ocean towards their city. The space around them darkens as they swim down, passing through the abyss that keeps them safe from the eyes of humans, until they arrive on the other end where a bright, lively, and vibrant city lies.

After the great wars, the merpeople moved their cities deeper and deeper under the water in order to become completely undetectable by humans. If only they knew how beautiful of a life those merpeople lived among the blue water and sea life. The two eighteen year olds swim towards home, greeting the people of the city as they arrive closer to the castle.

Nie Huaisang is the younger brother of the king and ruler over the city of ShuiXia. Their parents had passed to unforeseen human interaction, even long after the wars ended, thus causing Nie Mingjue to become strict, rigid, and cold towards and about humans. Wei Ying happened upon Nie Huaisang when they were younger and when the latter learned he had no home, he begged his brother to let him live with them.

So Wei Ying was raised alongside Nie Huaisang in ShuiXia. He was treated as the royal family was, though he had no real role or desire to become a real heir or future leader. His wandering soul and curiosity for the world made it difficult as he grew to keep him tied down to just ShuiXia alone.

This was always deeply worrisome for Nie Mingjue’s heart, but there was little he could do when Wei Ying would always find a means to sneak away despite the regulations he set to keep him safe.

“You two are late. Come eat,” Nie Mingjue admonishes as the two boys arrive back at the castle.

“Da-ge,” Wei Ying starts, “do you know any old stories about the time when humans and merpeople were once allied?”

Nie Huaisang chokes on his food, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. No one ever had the gall to mention humans around Nie Mingjue. No one but Wei Ying, that is. Every time it happened, the younger brother was always surprised.

“No. Eat.”

“Aww, come onnnn! You have to know something!”

Having heard enough, Nie Mingjue stands to leave without a word. Nie Huaisang sighs, knowing that his brother is going to retreat into his quarters for at least a week now. The stress he’s been taking on lately is concerning to him and the servants within the castle, but there’s little they can do about it. Wei Ying feels completely unaffected by the older brother’s reaction and happily eats his meal with a thoughtful expression.

“You know he’s already stressed out about running the kingdom. Why bother him further?” He asks genuinely.

“Honestly, Huaisang, I think he’s a bit too rigid about it all. I feel like there’s a missing piece to this whole puzzle of ‘humans kill us and eat us, they’re evil’ that I want to figure out. Something that will bring peace again between us all. Then! Da-ge won’t need to be stressed ever again! And he can live a long and healthy life.”

Having said his peace, Wei Ying finishes his food and dismisses himself, making his way out to the courtyards in hopes to think further on things. Once he wanders leisurely throughout the courtyards, assuring that Nie Huaisang is not following him, Wei Ying takes off.

He swims out of the city through the back where there are less merpeople to see him leave and then heads back where he and Nie Huaisang were headed earlier.

The surface.

Wei Ying is a frequent visitor to the surface – secretly, of course. ShuiXia has always been beneath Caiyi, and tales were told that because humans and merpeople once got along, they learned language from each other and eventually merged together their own dialect. Wei Ying had always wanted to know if this was true, so years prior, he snuck up to the surface to listen to the humans speak.

Surprisingly, he understood every word. They spoke the same language.

This discovery was miraculous for the young merboy and sparked an interest in his heart that has only grown. There is a large rocky surface far out in the waters by Caiyi that is used by the fishermen as a physical marker of their ocean borders. Wei Ying learns this as he visits and usually hides behind this very same surface to spy on the humans.

As the teenager swims up towards his usual spot, his heart flutters and whirls. Excitement courses through his body as it does each time he visits. An entire world of wonders is above the surface and it’s always miraculous to see. Arriving at the surface, Wei Ying pokes his head out of the water.

He feels his wet hair stick to his skin as he rises up to his shoulders behind the large rock. The sun is high in the sky and Wei Ying has learned that the fishermen often call this midday. The red fins on the sides of his head quiver with excitement as he watches the beautiful boy walk down the street that he sometimes catches a glimpse of.

Wei Ying isn’t sure who he is, but it’s always an excellent day when he sees him. He’s tall and handsome with an impassive look on his face that the merboy just wants to pinch. Surely, there’s not even a merperson in the sea whose beauty compares to this boy’s. Of that, Wei Ying is certain.

“Hey! What’s that?!” a fisherman calls.

Wei Ying’s attention on the beautiful boy left him acutely unaware of his surroundings and without realizing it, he had lifted himself just above his hiding place to get a better view. The voice is so close, it startles him back down behind the rock, but when he looks around with wide eyes and sees a fisherman staring straight at him, he dives.

His heart rate picks up instantly and his gills work overtime as he quickly launches himself beneath the surface, fear gripping his soul. His swift escape, though, isn’t fast enough. Just as he reaches several meters down, a weighted net falls through the water quicker than he can swim. It cuts through the serene ocean like knives and immediately tangles upon Wei Ying’s tail, leaving him flailing and screaming.

The experience is terrifying, to say the least. Wei Ying can feel his gills unable to keep up with filtering the oxygen and water he needs and he quickly feels panic settling into every crevice of his scale. The net that catches him is thick and unbreakable and the more he twists and turns to get out of it, the more his tail is stuck in a painful position.

Getting captured by humans had never once crossed Wei Ying’s mind, he was never afraid of such a thing happening to him.

How unfortunate that he’s met such a fate, completely by surprise.

After a few minutes of struggling and trying to swim away, Wei Ying’s gills become so overwhelmed that he loses consciousness. The last thing he remembers is being pulled up towards the surface of the water.

When Wei Ying finally regains consciousness, it’s obvious that the sun has recently set. He opens his eyes more fully to take in his surroundings and his heart rate picks up once again. All around him are walls, concrete walls completely trapping him where he’s at except above him.

To a merperson who is used to the vastness of the sea beneath and around them, being trapped in the complete opposite situation is truly terrifying.

He looks up towards the surface, seeing possible only a few notches of sunlight left in the sky, which means he’s outside. His heart slows, thinking now about possible escape routes. Once the sun is down, Wei Ying can transform into a human and surely escape that way. Simple. Unfortunately, when he sees that the sun has sunk beneath the water and he pokes his head barely above the surface to scope out the scene, he sees guards at every exit point.

What has he done to be so deserving of imprisonment?!

He sinks back beneath the water and thinks about Nie Huaisang warning him, and Nie Mingjue being worried and stressed. Wei Ying wants to believe there is a way for this to be resolved, but he didn’t want to go about it this way .

“Why me?!” he whines exasperatedly.

Suddenly, he hears a clamour above the water and curiously surfaces to take a look. With only his eyes showing, he looks around to see the guards lying on the ground, passed out. He turns around to check all the exit points, only to be startled by someone walking his way.

He speeds under the water once more.

The human comes closer with something in his hand that gives off light like the sun and Wei Ying finds it curious, unable to stop himself from getting closer, though still beneath the surface. His eyes make out someone who is simply dressed and seemingly not threatening. They take a seat near the pool of water and do nothing but wait.

Wei Ying swims back and forth, singing an old lullaby in his head several times to see how long this human is going to sit and wait for. Much to his surprise, the human doesn’t move. He doesn’t leave, but he doesn’t try an approach or grab Wei Ying’s attention.

The naturally curious merboy can’t help himself after so much time and decides to surface only the top of his head up to his eyes. Startled once again, Wei Ying glides backwards to the other end of the pool with wide eyes.

It’s the beautiful boy from the surface.

“You are safe, I won’t harm you,” the boy says. His voice is deep and smooth, easing Wei Ying’s nervousness. The boy himself looks slightly worried before he adds, “I don’t know if you can understand me.”

“I can,” Wei Ying chirps before slipping his mouth back beneath the water.

The boy’s eyes widen in surprise and he sits up straighter than before. Wei Ying is unsure why he’s so surprised, but he doesn’t move any closer regardless, nor does he ask or say anything else. He only watches the boy’s expression carefully as it settles from shock to a worried pondering.

“You can speak,” he concludes.

Wei Ying finds the boy rather curious and a little funny with these words, so he rises above the water again, this time up to his shoulders.

“Of course I can. You speak too,” he hides a giggle.

“I’ve never seen a merperson like yourself before. There are only stories and fairytales about your kind.”

The merboy nods, finally understanding why the human is being so strange and cautious while also intently curious. While the merpeople told horror stories of humans ravaging their homelands and capturing them for food, it seems that humans have done the opposite. They tell stories and fables of their kind as if they’re make-believe.

“So,” Wei Ying starts, “you’re not going to kill me? Cut me up and eat me?”

The human’s expression turns gravely serious and Wei Ying fears for a moment that he might be correct in his questioning, but the boy shakes his head.

“Never… I came to help you escape.”

“Really?!” Wei Ying shouts a little too loudly.

He quickly drops beneath the water with his mouth covered, but when he sees no worry on the human’s face, he resurfaces.

“Yes,” the boy says hesitantly, “but I’m unsure of how to transport you without hurting you…”

It’s in that moment that Wei Ying remembers that he conveniently can transform. He smiles wide and then asks the human to wait one moment while he dips beneath the water. The boy watches Wei Ying curiously, his eyes glued to the merboy as he spins in the water a few times and then reaches the surface, gasping for air.

Wei Ying has gone through this transformation only a few times, and it’s only ever been in secret. But the fact that his gills disappear when it happens always takes him by surprise. He paddles over to the edge of the pool and holds onto the ground above him as he’s no longer able to glide through the water without his tail.

The human boy sitting on the solid ground next to Wei Ying has a look of horror and shock on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Ying asks.

“You… you have legs now.”

A laugh escapes the once merboy’s throat. It’s loud and bright, causing the human boy's ears to grow red.

“Sorry for not warning you, but I figured this would be easier than having a tail and gills!”

“Certainly…”

Wei Ying smiles wide. Seeing that the human isn’t showing any level of discomfort, he takes the initiative to clumsily climb out of the pool of water and up onto the concrete. He missteps on unsteady legs and tumbles over with a yelp, though is caught just in time by an arm around his waist. 

He looks up at the human who now does look a bit uncomfortable. His eyes won’t meet Wei Ying’s and he looks red and sweaty all over. How strange, he thinks and he stands up straight. Without a moment’s notice, the nervous boy strips his shirt from his torso and quickly wraps Wei Ying’s lower half with it. Only then does he seem to calm down more.

Wei Ying, on the other hand, feels his skin growing hot seeing the human boy without a shirt. Merpeople are always this way – clothes aren’t something they need or use, so he’s used to seeing everyone he knows with no shirt. But seeing this human boy without a shirt is kind of… mouth-watering. Wei Ying shut his eyes tightly for a moment, looking away.

“Follow me,” the human speaks up, clearing his throat. “Though we need to be quiet for now.”

With a nod and a smile, Wei Ying trails closely to the human boy, clinging to the piece of clothing around his waist to keep the human more comfortable. Barefoot and wobbly, Wei Ying is excited as he follows this trustworthy and beautiful human into the castle. Walking on feet is tricky at first, especially up these things he refers to as ‘stairs’.

It’s not very long before an awe-struck Wei Ying is brought into a room in which the human boy closes the door behind them and then finally speaks. “Clothes,” is all he says.

Wei Ying gets the hint. He’s always been a quick learner so it took no time at all to understand that they needed to cover their bodies more considering Wei Ying looked like a human now too! As the other boy grabs a few pieces of simple garb, Wei Ying wonders another thing.

“What’s your name?” he asks quietly.

The impassive boy turns around and says, “Lan Zhan.”

“Ohhh,” Wei Ying mouths the name several times over to himself. “Pretty. My name is Wei Ying!” He offers back.

Lan Zhan nods and gives Wei Ying a short, “Mn.”

After getting tangled in the pieces of clothing Lan Zhan gave him, Wei Ying sheepishly holds the fabric out and wordlessly asks the other boy for help. He seems to understand what the merboy needs and gently guides the shirt over his head and through his arms, following a similar pattern for his pants.

His touch is gentle and wary, as if he might hurt Wei Ying if he’s not so careful. It makes Wei Ying’s heart pound in his chest, but not in the same way  his heart was pounding when he was captured earlier that day. It’s a gentle pouding, a comforting and exciting thudding. It livens Wei Ying’s spirits and makes his human skin grow warm.

How strange.

Lan Zhan puts a gentle hand on Wei Ying’s back and guides him towards a tall mirror. He has one just like it in his own room down in ShuiXia! The merboy examines himself, having never actually seen what his human form looks like from this perspective. He’s a few inches shorter than Lan Zhan who stands behind him.

His legs are long and feel stronger the longer he stands on them. He lifts up his shirt to see his torso only covered in bare skin, not a scatter scale to be seen. His hair is the same, long length and the rest of him looks regular except… What's on his head?

Wei Ying gasps, grabbing at his ears.

“What are these ?!” he whisper-yells, getting close to the mirror.

Lan Zhan shows a tiny hint of a smile as Wei Ying examines this new body part he was unaware of at first. He’s seen them on humans, but it completely left his mind that he’d have them once he transformed too. He’s used to seeing his red fins here; these rounded creviced things are a bit funny looking.

“Ears,” Lan Zhan answers.

“Ears… Ears,” he repeats.

He turns to look at the other boy and moves his hair out of the way to see his ears. Every human has them, right? When he gets close to Lan Zhan, he doesn’t realize how much the boy freezes up, he’s too distracted and in awe.

He pushes Lan Zhan’s soft, dark hair behind his ear to see it up close and is pleased to see that it looks pretty similar to his own! Who would’ve thought? 

“Lan Zhan, you have ears too. This is incredible! O- Oh, yours are kinda red, though! That’s so cute and so cool!”

The impassive boy stutters out a cough and steps back from Wei Ying, though he doesn’t pay the action any mind. He only laughs quietly at Lan Zhan’s reaction and then looks at himself in the mirror again, continuing to examine himself. Before long, Wei Ying’s attention is stolen by the decor on the walls and the other things around the room that he sees.

“How long can you remain like this?” Lan Zhan asks after a while.

Wei Ying turns towards him, his smile faltering for only but a second. “I can be like this only when the sun is down. Once the sun even starts to show in the sky, I’ll shift back whether I want to or not.”

Lan Zhan seems to ponder on this for a few minutes before asking, “Would you like to see more?”

As if all of the merboy’s dreams were coming true in an instant, his heart fills with an indescribable joy. His eyes brighten and he jumps up and down.

“Please! Please, please, oh I’d love to see more,” he pleads, even though he doesn’t need to.

“Mn. Follow me.”

And they venture off once more. This time, both fully clothed. They walk off the castle grounds and down a footpath through shrubbery and plants. Wei Ying is enraptured by everything he sees, his fingers brushing it all to feel it and bending over to smell everything too.

Once they walk down the footpath long enough, they come to the outside of the seaside city that Wei Ying frequents. Only then does it click in Wei Ying’s mind that he was just in a castle, much like the one he lives in down in ShuiXia. Considering the people all live in this city, Wei Ying can infer that Lan Zhan isn’t an average townsfolk.

“Lan Zhan, I have a question,” he starts, “Are you part of the royal family? A prince?”

He turns slightly to meet Wei Ying’s eyes, the expression on his face indiscernible. The merboy smiles, though, because he doesn’t ask out of worry or judgement.

“No, no, don’t worry!” he laughs. “I technically am down in my city too, I’m just curious!”

Lan Zhan visibly relaxes and then asks, “You have cities? Rulers?”

“Of course! I think it’s all pretty similar to you guys, honestly. From my observations.”

“Does this mean you also have wars?”

The question feels a little out of left field and the mention of wars turns Wei Ying’s expression a bit grim. Unlike the humans, the merpeople don’t fantasize about their history. The great world wars and everything that happened back then are still a grave topic amongst them. Wei Ying is only able to ask about humans out of curiosity, though he never dares bring up their gruesome history from the wars. He knows better.

Lan Zhan seems to understand that his silence is enough to answer his question and seems a bit guiltful when he lets out a quiet, “I apologize.”

Wei Ying puts his hands up and waves them. “No need, no need. It’s fine! Where are you taking me anyway?”

Seeming to remember that he brought Wei Ying this way to take him somewhere specific, Lan Zhan continues walking, looking back to make sure Wei Ying keeps up. They enter the city and to Wei Ying’s surprise, it’s just as lively now as it usually is in the daytime when he frequents the surface. 

He had tried to visit the surface after the sun had gone down before, but down by the waters, it’s quiet and empty; void of all humans and living things alike. He had assumed all humans were this way. But he’s happy to see that the streets deep in the city are filled with people chatting and walking around. There’s street vendors set up along the sides selling all types of foods and handmade projects.

Wei Ying freezes, staring at the scene before him.

It’s magnificent.

There’s a cool breeze of wind that blows his hair gently as he takes in his surroundings with a smile on his face. Just like that bright, glowing light that Lan Zhan had in his hand earlier, dozens of them litter the streets up above, creating a gentle warmth that makes Wei Ying’s skin feel so comfortable.

“Hey, Lan Zhan!” He turns.

“Yes?”

“What’s that?” he asks, pointing towards the lights.

“Fire.”

“Fire… Fire,” he repeats. He’s never heard of this before. Interesting. “Can I touch it?” he asks, moving towards one of the small little fires.

“No!” Lan Zhan quickly grabs a hold of Wei Ying’s arm.

Wei Ying pauses and looks down at where Lan Zhan’s hand touches his arm, wide eyed and curious as to why his heart is pounding again.

“Why not?”

“It will burn you.”

“Burn…”

Lan Zhan’s grip on his arm loosens and slides down to take his wrist, bringing him close towards the little tiny fire he had wanted to touch. Without words, Lan Zhan pulls a piece of something small and flimsy from his pocket that has writing on it. He shows it to Wei Ying and then holds the corner of it inside the fire.

Wei Ying watches as it burns . It shrivels up and turns to ash amongst the flames. Now he understands why Lan Zhan wouldn’t let him touch it – the prospect of touching that with his finger seems painful.

“These are called lanterns,” Lan Zhan offers the knowledge, pointing towards the pretty decor that holds the fire in it.

“Hey, you there! Young boys! You seem to like this lantern, why don’t you come see the lanterns I have over here!” a vendor calls out to them.

Wei Ying’s attention is stolen and he whips around to see a stall full of beautifully designed lanterns in all different shapes and sizes. Full of vigor and excitement, he takes Lan Zhan’s hand and yanks him towards the stall to see the lanterns. He sees many designs he likes, telling Lan Zhan about every one of them, until he reaches one that makes him gasp.

The design on this lantern is of a raging sea. The waves look high and rough, crashing against a rock and spraying out into the air. Sitting atop the rock, is a mermaid.

When Lan Zhan told him that humans tell stories about his kind, he didn’t really understand fully, because this image truly is making them out to be something magical and mystical. Wei Ying is just another boy like any other human boy. Just like Lan Zhan.

The design is very pretty though and he compliments the vendor before waddling off somewhere else. Lan Zhan trails silently behind him, offering answers to questions and insight to why things are the way they are as Wei Ying curiously observes everything. After walking around for a while, Wei Ying can feel his stomach growl and he holds it.

“Hungry?” Lan Zhan asks.

“Yeah,” he laughs nervously. “I’m a little afraid I won’t like anything you have here though…”

“Would you like to try something? We can start small.”

Wei Ying agrees, being led to a stall full of a type of food that looks similar to what grows just outside of ShuiXia. He observes quietly as he watches Lan Zhan pick out a set of yellowish-orange ones, and then offers the man a piece of silver in exchange for the food. How strange that he’s not allowed to just have one because he wants it.

Are humans as greedy as the merpeople’s stories lead them to be? Needing to trade silver for a mere piece of food?

Lan Zhan turns and holds a small piece of the food up towards Wei Ying. “It’s fruit. Take a bite. Just don’t swallow the seeds inside.”

“Fruit… Fruit,” he repeats.

He holds it in his hands and it feels a lot like something he enjoys back at home. So he takes a bite. His teeth sink into the soft flesh of the small, round fruit. Much to his surprise, it’s sweet and tender, filling his mouth with a glorious taste he’s never experienced before.

His eyes light up and he quickly looks at his friend. “This is amazing!” he exclaims, his mouth full of the food.

Lan Zhan looks extremely satisfied. “They’re called Loquats.”

“Loquats… Loquats.”

Wei Ying commits this fruit to memory, savoring the sweet taste and enjoyable texture. He walks with Lan Zhan down the street of the night market as he continues to eat all the loquats that they had. He also keeps a few of the seeds in his pocket.

They come across a stall with handmade kids toys and bamboo weaved figures and Wei Ying jumps for joy as he scans through them all. He picks up and shakes all the toys that make noise, in awe of the sounds they create. He feels the softness and roughness of each toy, loving how everything felt against his human skin.

Everywhere that they went, Wei Ying was completely enamored by what he saw. There was nothing that went unnoticed by him. All but the gently fond expression upon Lan Zhan’s face as he watched the merboy experience humanity for the first time.

But of course, all good things come to an end in one way or another. The night market begins to close up for the night and Lan Zhan is reminded that the sun will begin to rise within the hour. When Wei Ying sees the vendors putting their things away, he turns to Lan Zhan with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“The sun is almost here,” he says quietly.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Wei Ying responds dejectedly, kicking a rock on the ground before continuing. “Were you still going to help me get back home?”

“Of course, but we must go a different way than the pier. The fishermen should already be out at this hour.”

Wei Ying nods, silently grateful that Lan Zhan is truly a trustworthy human. 

Merpeople are similar in this way too, he thinks. There are merpeople much like himself, who believe that there is good in humanity just as there is good amongst the merpeople. But there are also people like Nie Mingjue who believe that humans are the root of all evil and that every last one of them is out to get their kind.

Even though he’s only eighteen, Wei Ying knows there’s far too much nuance within a people to be only one way or the other.

Lan Zhan takes Wei Ying’s hand as they leave the city and circle around the castle grounds towards what looks like the back. He giggles to himself as he thinks about him sneaking out of his out home in the same way. Wei Ying holds tighter to Lan Zhan’s hand the closer they get to the water.

He can hear the wildlife around them beginning to wake up and he knows his time is limited; perhaps he cut his trip a bit too close to his deadline. But when he was exploring the city with Lan Zhan, time had escaped them both, leaving them entranced in a space where only the other boy existed to them.

He can hear the gentle waves of the early morning water and Wei Ying’s bones vibrate with excitement to have his tail back again. Once they arrive at the quiet shore atop an old wooden dock, Wei Ying turns to Lan Zhan.

“Thank you,” he says quietly, barely louder than the moving sea beside them.

“It’s my honor and privilege.”

Wei Ying lets out a giggle. “Lan Zhan, you’re so proper and well-spoken. Just like a true prince, huh?” he reaches out to gently pinch the boy’s cheek.

Lan Zhan’s eyes widen for a moment, accompanied by pink-tinted ears. And although Wei Ying’s heart hurts a bit having to say goodbye to his new friend, he is never going to forget the way he looks right now.

“You must go,” Lan Zhan urges.

Wei Ying sees the sun beginning to peak over the horizon and yelps as his legs start to feel like jelly. He quickly turns and dives into the water, feeling his body return to its natural state as he meets the ocean once more. But as soon as he transforms back into his merman form, he resurfaces and grabs a hold of the doc where Lan Zhan still stands.

“Lan Zhaaaaan~” he smiles.

The prince can’t hide the inkling of a smile from showing on his face for a split second. He sits in front of Wei Ying and without a word, he leans forward and gently brushes his fingers against the merboy’s small fins beside his face. Wei Ying chuckles at the action, remembering how he did the same to Lan Zhan’s ears earlier.

“They’re fins,” he tells the prince.

“Fins,” Lan Zhan repeats.

Wei Ying watches as the human boy looks up towards the castle at the sound of a horn playing triumphantly through the morning air. It’s obvious to him that Lan Zhan is likely being called, or perhaps the horn is played to wake the people up at dawn. Reluctantly, Wei Ying knows it’s time to let the most magnificent night he’s ever experienced go.

“You have to go?” he asks.

Lan Zhan nods, focusing back on the merboy before him. Wei Ying doesn’t give the other boy time to say another thing, instead he pushes himself up out of the water until his lips reach Lan Zhan’s cheek. He places a gentle and lingering kiss on the supple flesh there and then quickly sinks back down into the water.

Before Wei Ying retreats completely, he smiles towards an awestruck prince and says, “Will I see you again?”

The boy immediately nods without an ounce of hesitation and then the horns start playing again. Wei Ying waves for him to go and watches as he hesitantly stands and walks away. Lan Zhan pauses his steps to look back at the water several times, each time Wei Ying is still barely above the water and waving back at him.

The parting is bittersweet.

But such is life for the two different boys. One human, one merman.

One above the land and one below it.

Their meetings after the first time happen frequently.

Wei Ying makes it his mission to be as sneaky as possible in finding ways to see the prince above the water. It’s obvious their affections for each other grow as they spend time together as well.

One evening, Wei Ying swims through town to find his favorite fruit and bring some with him to the surface for Lan Zhan to try. The two of them had planned a meeting night every three days, carefully sorted out so neither of them would get suspicious followers taking notice of their regular escapades. As Wei Ying surfaces the water behind the Lan castle, he settles himself in the sand near the shoreline, his tail still submerged in water.

He doesn’t shift into his human form every time they meet; the two boys had learned very quickly that it drains Wei Ying’s energy far more than Lan Zhan liked. The human boy didn’t mind sitting in the water with him, though. So they rotated days Wei Ying would shift and not.

“Wei Ying,” the familiar voice quietly calls out behind him.

He turns his head around to see the beautiful boy and his heart feels as if it grows in size. Lan Zhan’s poise is of utmost seriousness, but when he calls for Wei Ying, there’s a gentleness to his voice that would make anyone melt instantly. Wei Ying is no exception.

“Lan Zhan! Your hair,” he observes, “It’s beautiful like this.”

The prince’s eyes evade Wei Ying’s for a moment before he continues to approach him and sit next to him in the shallow water. Wei Ying can see a hint of pink on the tips of his exposed ears and smiles widely. Lan Zhan’s hair cascades effortlessly down his back in a long and loose braid.

“What do you have?” Lan Zhan asks, noticing the fruit in the other boy’s hand.

“Ah! I brought it for you to try!”

Wei Ying hands the fruit to him and excitedly waits to see his reaction. Lan Zhan observes it similarly to how the merboy had done with the loquats before sinking his teeth into it. It’s a tad more bitter than a loquat and doesn’t have large seeds in the center. The flesh is tougher than loquats, too. Nonetheless, Lan Zhan quite likes this fruit more than the locally grown loquats.

“You like it, right?!” Wei Ying grabs his arm and shakes him slightly.

“Mn. It’s very good.”

“Agh!” The merboy falls backwards into the water with joy written all over his face. “I just had a feeling you would love it.” He sits up. “I will bring more next time, Lan Zhan. Would you like that?”

“I would,” he responds gently, his eyes roaming Wei Ying’s face.

Wei Ying stares back at Lan Zhan for a while, no words exchanging between them. The moment is suddenly charged with an energy that neither of them have really experienced before. An invisible thread pulls Wei Ying closer and closer to the prince until their faces are mere inches apart; Lan Zhan does nothing to stop the shrinking proximity.

It all happens quicker than the blink of an eye. Lan Zhan leans forward and captures Wei Ying’s lips in the gentlest of kisses. Wei Ying’s first kiss! He yelps before melting into the human’s touch, allowing his hands to inch up his torso and make home there.

Their kiss grows intense, a heat forming in the pit of Wei Ying’s stomach that he’s unfamiliar with, but he absolutely loves . That feeling makes him inch ever-closer to Lan Zhan, hinting to the human that he wants more. One thing about Lan Zhan that the merboy has learned, is although he is very passionate and seemingly prudent about the things he loves, he’s actually quite greedy and protective.

This leaves no real surprise in Wei Ying when Lan Zhan takes his inching closeness as an opportunity to take hold of the situation. The prince quickly puts a hand on the nape of his neck and one on his waist, directing him to lie back against the sand as he positions himself directly over him. Their lips part for a moment and Wei Ying’s heart squeezes again.

“Lan Zhan…” he mutters, in awe.

“My Wei Ying,” his voice is strong, yet gentle. “So beautiful.”

Wei Ying’s breath grows heavy and he feels as if his entire body blushes the exact color of his tail. Their lips collide once more and their tongues dance harmoniously as Lan Zhan's strong hands make their way towards taut, pink nipples. In all the merboy’s life, he has never been touched in this way and it elicits the sweetest moans from his throat.

Lan Zhan’s mouth leaves Wei Ying’s to dip down and continue the assault his fingers had started on his nipples, his tongue swirling circles around them as his teeth tease them playfully. He’s helpless beneath the human’s touch, writhing and whimpering, as if the touch isn’t enough. He feels Lan Zhan’s hands wander all over him, from his stomach to his tail.

Wei Ying feels like he’s the world’s most precious treasure.

He feels so seen and cared for, but also wholly desired and wanted. It’s a feeling he will never be able to live without from this point forward. As Lan Zhan sinks a particularly intense bite next to his nipple, a guttural moan escapes Wei Ying that leaves them both wide-eyed. The human’s hand tightens their grip and Wei Ying realizes suddenly that he wants more .

Urgently, he grips one of Lan Zhan’s hands and guides it downwards where he feels a searing heat arousing his entire being. The human couldn’t have known where to find it, considering it naturally hides behind flexible scales for coverage and protection.

Lan Zhan acts with no surprise as Wei Ying shows him where his pussy is, in fact, he immediately lets his fingers caress every crevice of the soft skin there. Wei Ying throws his head back, never having had another person’s hand touch him like this. It’s other-wordly, ripples of pleasure surge through his body as the human’s fingers make their way inside his hole, sinking in and out at a torturous, leisurely pace.

“L- Lan Zhannnn,” Wei Ying whines. “More, I need more. Do everything a- and anything!”

He watches as Lan Zhan’s gaze grows darker, his fingers suddenly moving quicker as his thumb rubs circles on his clit at the same time. Wei Ying is nothing but putty in the prince’s hands, gripping so tightly to his back that he’s sure to leave scratches for days. Before long, Wei Ying’s back is arching and a blazing white heat shocks him to his core as he yells out for Lan Zhan in the dark of the night.

Wei Ying is fairly out of it for a few minutes after, all he notices is that Lan Zhan peppers soft kisses all over his face and then sits him in his lap, holding the merboy closely and tightly.

“That was…” he mutters, staring out at the serene ocean before them and then up at Lan Zhan. “Incredible.”

“You’re incredible,” Lan Zhan replies and it makes Wei Ying blush.

“No, seriously! No one has ever made me feel that way before,” he replies earnestly.

Lan Zhan looks as if the world is on his shoulders while he stares down at Wei Ying. “No one?”

“No one ever,” he nods. “You’re my first. My first kiss, even!”

“Mn,” the human kisses him, languid and meaningfully. “Me too.”

“Lan Zhan, did you know that a long time ago, merpeople and humans used to live in harmony?” Wei Ying asks, as they lie in the grass amongst a field outside of Caiyi.

The night sky is especially gorgeous tonight. The full moon bares her light for all to see, shining down on the world as if giving a gift to nature. The two boys chose to explore outside of Caiyi tonight, Wei Ying begging Lan Zhan if he could see more of their nature and wildlife. The prince eventually led their exploration out to this open field.

Walking to the field is like a dream come true for Wei Ying. He has heard stories when he was a young child from street-side story tellers about humans running through fields and dancing amongst the flowers. Oh, Wei Ying feels like he’s on top of the world; far above water and far above land, somewhere transcendent among the stars.

He sees the openness before him, and he runs. Far used to having human legs at this point, the boy runs as fast as he can, the smile on his face larger than life.

The world is his oyster each time he’s with Lan Zhan. He can never quite place why he feels this incredible being with him, all he knows is that he will never let it go. As Wei Ying runs and dances around the field, laughing occasionally, he sprints towards Lan Zhan.

“Lan Zhaaaan!”

And the human is already standing there with arms open wide, ready to catch Wei Ying before he even says a word about it. They spin on Wei Ying’s impact, leaving the merboy in a fit of laughter and Lan Zhan with a smile on his face. Soon, the both of them are lying back on the grassy field and looking up at the stars, their hands entwined.

They talk about so many things. Their greatest fears and their deepest desires. Wei Ying admits he never wants to let Lan Zhan go and Lan Zhan agrees. They talk about their every wish and moments they imagine having with the other in the future – a future that can somehow allow them to live together and love each other in the light of day.

Their wandering hands and shared breath, interlocking lips and heated gazes all meld together throughout the hours of the night, leaving their hearts deeply interwoven.

“Really?” Lan Zhan replies.

Wei Ying sighs heavily, squeezing his hand. “Yeah. There was a time once where it was peaceful. The stories mention how merpeople used to teach humans how to grow food better and humans would show merpeople the instruments and music they could make. It seems like it was beautiful.”

As if the boy next to him can feel the heaviness weighing on his chest about the subject, Lan Zhan leans over to place a gentle kiss on his temple. “It will be this way again. I’ll make it so.”

Wei Ying props himself up on his elbow with a wide smile. “You better!” He points a joking finger to his chest.

Lan Zhan’s eyes are soft as he gazes up at the merboy, giving him a firm nod in response. Wei Ying lets out a chuckle and dips his head down to place kisses all over his stoic face. The way the human looks at him makes him feel like the only other boy in the entire world, it’s truly magical.

He lies back down and his mind wanders off to the possibility of getting the merpeople to agree to having human relations again. Nie Mingjue has always been exceptionally stubborn in his disdain for human kind ever since his parents’ accident all those years ago. Wei Ying grows worried because truly, it feels like there’s just no way to change his mind.

“I’m worried we’re imagining a world that might not be possible, Lan Zhan,” his voice sounds, barely above a whisper.

The stars seem to understand his hurt, sending a shooting star in that very moment across the sky – a free wish to answer his heart’s one true desire.

“Why do you say that?”

“Da-ge, he’s… he’s a passionate man. Stubborn, but he loves and cares so deeply and intensely. His and Huaisang’s parents were killed in an unfortunate shipwreck accident that involved a few unforgiving humans. Ever since then he’s been completely against the idea of even going near a single human.”

Lan Zhan is silent as he ponders and listens to everything Wei Ying tells him. One of the many things that the human has provided for Wei Ying, is a listening ear. Someone who truly wants to hear everything he says and also remembers everything. Not many merpeople have given Wei Ying’s running mouth the time of day before.

“Anyway,” Wei Ying sighs. “He can never know I’m here, seeing you. If he did find out, he might lock me in my room and never let me out again,” he laughs pitifully.

Now taking his own turn to prop himself up to look down at Wei Ying, Lan Zhan runs a hand through his hair. “Loving intensely and protecting his family and people means he truly cares.”

“I know that, I do! I owe him my life, honestly. I just worry…”

“Wei Ying has nothing to fear,” he reassures, leaning down to kiss his lips.

The entirety of ShuiXia knows Wei Ying and his high levels of enthusiasm and curiosity. The boy grew up there, after all. Nie Huaisang found him on the outer edges of the city at the age of seven and made friends with him, and it didn’t take very many meetings for the young prince to figure out that Wei Ying had no home or parents alike.

Being the thoughtful child he was, Nie Huaisang brought him home to the castle and begged his parents to let him stay. His mother was a kind soul, always guiding the two brothers in the ways of compassion and tolerance. She had wasted no time in taking the boy in as one of her own after thoroughly looking into his biological family, in case he was just a lost child.

Ever since then, Wei Ying grew up alongside the two brothers as though they were three blood brothers. He was treated by the people of ShuiXia as one of the princes – though it was known that because he didn’t carry their familial blood, he would never truly become a ruler. But this fact didn’t bother anyone and Wei Ying was always regarded as a prince.

So even now, as a freshly eighteen year old Wei Ying swims through the city’s market, the locals greet him happily and engage in conversation with him just excitedly as they once did all those years ago. Thankfully, it remains only obvious to him that his soaring mood is because of his new-found love for a said human prince up above.

Today he’s on a mission: he must find the city’s potion-maker.

She’s a recluse. Carefully hidden amongst the bustling city, in a secret location that few know of. The only people who know of her whereabouts are those who bring her new medicinal creations out into the world for use, and the ruler of ShuiXia. He wants to ask about a potion only stories tell of.

Wei Ying is, of course, a special exception to this.

When he was a young and houseless child, he happened upon the potion-maker accidentally. Though she was old at the time, he thinks that she might be ageless, considering she hasn’t passed away yet. She used to feed him regularly and tend to his wounds as they happened. She is like a grandmother to him, really.

He racks three knocks on an old, run-down door hidden in an alleyway that’s out of sight from the streets and it quickly opens to reveal the elderly woman he had met as a child. Her face morphs into the sweetest of smiles when she sees Wei Ying. The wrinkles on her skin soften her appearance and leave her with a kind aura that’s comforting to the heart.

“Popo!” Wei Ying exclaims, bowing his head respectfully.

“A-Ying, my child, come in,” she says, wading to the side and allowing him room to step through the doorway.

He enters her humble home, nostalgia filling his bones as he sees the familiar walls full of shelves holding potions, ingredients, and all sorts of things. He sighs deeply with a happy smile on his face as he sits himself at her table as he’s always done. He hasn’t visited too much in recent years, but he still feels like a small child while here.

“Why have you come to see this old woman? A-Ying, you seem very happy,” she starts as she pours him a cup of tea. “Your soul’s energy is pulsating with love. Tell me who is the lucky person?”

Wei Ying should’ve known that she would see right through him. He laughs in response, an effort to rid his chest of a nervous pouding. Although he’s familiar with this woman, he’s never spoken with her about humans, so he can’t be sure of her stance on the matter.

“You’re too assumptious, popo! Don’t flatter me too much, I’ll get a big head!” Wei Ying jokes, trying to play it off.

The old woman only smiles and shakes her head, sipping on her own tea before continuing. “You may be able to fool others, A-Ying, but you can’t fool me. Nie Mingjue holds great contempt for the humans, so you must be careful.”

The merboy chokes on his tea, doubling over in a coughing fit. Damn, she’s good, he thinks. Too many years apart from her and he’s forgotten how insightful she is.

After he recovers from coughing, he straightens up and asks, “What do you think about them?”

She sighs and looks towards her wall of paintings. Wei Ying follows her eyes and notices a large piece of a grassy field – one that looks an awful lot like the field he visited with Lan Zhan not too long ago. Is it possible that she is so old she had been around before the great wars and experienced the peace only told about in stories?

“They are not unlike us,” she begins. “The people above the land have hearts and minds as we do. They love and they hate just the same. The only difference is our appearances.” Her gaze turns glazed as she speaks, as if she’s recalling an old memory. “There was once a time where the only thing separating us from them was the level of the waters. We, as you must know, would shift into humans as we pleased. Many merpeople would travel the human lands for knowledge, art, and even business.

“It was also widely known that a specific potion could transform a human into a mermaid temporarily. Back then, it was a common household item amongst the sea and the land. Humans would travel below the water for the same purposes as we. There was a harmonious way of life, at the time. The world was in perfect balance; even homes were carefully constructed along shore lines to be partly under and partly above the water to cater to interspecies families.”

Wei Ying’s eyes grow wide at the coincidental mention of exactly what he came searching for.

“But,” her voice grows sorrowful, “merpeople and humans are, of course, not perfect. The world flows through highs and lows, both in love and hate. Before the great world wars, was first the conflicts of land and sea. It’s unaware of who started it, but merpeople and humans began to grow disdain for each other. It was a slow and painful process that pulled apart generations of peace. Over time, the interaction between the two peoples came to a crawl. It was rare to see interspecies families and the mention of the other was often met with scowls and cruel remarks.

“When the great world wars began, the conflict spread further and harsher. Many merpeople are told only one side to this, that humans would capture us for food, money, anything. Famine was widespread during the wars. But what many merfolk don’t know is that we once did the same to humans, for the same reasons. So, both worlds cut each other off. ShuiXia and merpeople all over the world rebuilt their cities further below the surface than ever before, and humans turned merpeople into make-believe fairy tales.”

Finished with her speech, the woman rises and grazes her hand across the field painting she had been staring at. Wei Ying’s chest is tight and his eyes are nearly brimming with tears at all this new information. She turns towards the boy and gives him a sympathetic, loving smile before approaching him and touching his cheek gently.

“Don’t let history scare you from what you want, A-Ying. Only you get to decide your future.”

“How can you be so sure?” His voice wavers.

“Do you love him?”

Wei Ying’s heart pounds heavily in his chest. He’s never told Lan Zhan that he loves him, but he knows that he does. He’s been too afraid to say so – afraid to pop the bubble they’re in. Afraid of reality and afraid of the universe tearing them apart the moment he speaks it out loud.

He’s afraid of losing him.

She takes his silence for an answer and speaks again, “It’s okay to be scared. I once was in a similar position to yours, but I was too afraid. I let my fear hold me back. If anyone is capable of changing the tides of our world, I have no doubts that it’s you, A-Ying.”

“I- I can’t lose him,” Wei Ying’s voice cracks, the brimming tears slowly streaking down his cheeks.

“A-Ying,” she straightens and wipes his tears, “You are smart, strong, and tender-hearted. No one loves as meaningfully as you do. Nie Mingjue might seem rough around the edges, but you two were raised by the same mother, him for even longer than you. There is nothing you can’t do about this that he won’t at last agree with.”

She pats his shoulder and then glides towards her shelves, reaching into a hidden area behind the wall. Pulling out a palm-sized bottle, she places it firmly in Wei Ying’s hand and cradles it closely within his grasp. Her eyes show a look of determination that fills the boy with a newfound sense of hope.

“Take this and use it wisely. Remember to smile and have fun. Young love is to be cherished and enjoyed, you are not young forever,” she smiles.

Soon after, he sees himself to the door of her home with many, many promises of visiting again soon. Having a trustworthy person to speak to about his forbidden activities brings him relief. Before the door closes she calls back out to him.

“I forgot, one drop will last one hour.”

He turns back to the old woman and gives her a gentle hug, thanking her profusely before swimming off with optimism in his heart that someday he won’t have to hide his love anymore.

Tonight, Wei Ying waits eagerly as the sun is setting. He had impatiently left ShuiXia earlier than usual because Nie Mingjue is away on a trip to another city, so he wasn’t as wary of being caught leaving the city so late. He wades back and forth beneath the water’s surface, twirling a small starfish in his hand as he waits for Lan Zhan to arrive.

The sun has a miraculous way of shining through the water during sunset, allowing a glorious orange glow to illuminate everything beneath the blue waves. Wei Ying enjoys finding little shells and shiny things that can only be spotted in the light of the sun at times like these.

Though before he knows it, the sun has made home far beneath the skyline and darkness takes over in its stead. Full of excitement, Wei Ying swims up towards the waters behind the Lan castle, as always. When he surfaces, the smile on his face only grows.

Lan Zhan is standing near the water with a pair of clothes in hand as his eyes search the water.

“Over here!” Wei Ying quietly calls out with a wave.

He can see the prince’s expression soften as he toes off his shoes and steps into the water to meet Wei Ying as far up as he can swim before shifting into his human form. He’s much better and quicker at it now, an expert, even. His frequent transformations now leave him full of ease as he stands up and quickly throws the fabric over his body the correct way.

Wei Ying notices Lan Zhan looking away when he rises out of the water and it makes him giggle. The two have seen each other in their full glory several times already and he is still as respectful as ever when Wei Ying transforms. It’s true that they haven’t gone all the way yet, but Wei Ying can only sneak up behind the human and tease him about it in his ear.

“Lan-er-ge, you’ve seen all of me and still look away at such an opportune moment?”

“Wei Ying…” he warns as he turns around to grab hold of his waist.

“What? I’m just saying that it’s cute!”

Lan Zhan eyes hold a dark expression, one that Wei Ying is not unfamiliar with anymore. It creates a fire in his bosom, egging him on further with his tempting words.

“You’ve nearly taken my innocence multiple times, already,” Wei Ying stands on his tip toes to whisper in his ear, “There’s no need to shy away~”

Hearing a quiet and restrained groan from the back of Lan Zhan’s throat makes Wei Ying smile. He loves to find new ways to rile him up. Strong hands tighten around the merboy’s waist, swiftly picking him up bridal style and stalking off with purpose. Wei Ying lets out a bright laugh.

“Lan Zhan! Where are we going? You’re just taking me away like this, what do you plan on doing?!”

“Lower your voice,” is all he says.

Wei Ying obeys, knowing that because they’re sneaking around, being quiet is a necessary piece to the complicated puzzle they’ve made for themselves. Putting a hand over his own mouth, Wei Ying sternly salutes at Lan Zhan’s admonition. The prince leans down and places a kiss to his hairline as he walks out of the city limits.

He takes Wei Ying into the field they had once ventured to and then continues past it, carrying him all the while. Once Wei Ying knows they’re far enough away that no one will hear them, he starts speaking again.

“Lan Zhan, you don’t have to keep holding me, you know. My legs work!” He kicks them for extra effect. Lan Zhan doesn’t put him down.

“We’re almost here.”

“Almost where?! We’ve never been out this far, we’ll have to remember to walk back to the water on time later or else you’ll be carrying a big fish back into town!” Wei Ying jokes.

“There is a shoreline closer to here. You can leave that way, you would just have to swim around eastward to get back to the castle shoreline.”

Wei Ying maps out the direction in his head and perks up when he realizes the location he’s mentioning. “There’s a cottage out here, isn’t there? I know this place… it’s usually empty, I thought it was abandoned years ago! How do you know it?”

They arrive at the exact cottage Wei Ying had pictured. He’s been here before, in fact, this was the first piece of land he ever walked on. It’s far enough from ShuiXia that he felt comfortable attempting a human transformation here many years ago. It took a few tires, but he eventually figured it out at this exact shoreline.

“The cottage is owned by my family,” Lan Zhan starts, setting the merboy down on the doorsteps. “It was erected by the previous rulership, so we rarely have use for it. I’m the only member of my family who comes here.”

Wei Ying smiles wide at this, knowing that they have yet another secret hiding place to meet. His heart fills and he jumps up to wrap his arms around the prince’s shoulders, bringing him in for a long-awaited kiss. Three whole days, to be exact. Though, any amount of time Wei Ying doesn’t kiss Lan Zhan, is too much.

Lan Zhan kisses him back with a fierce emotion and purpose, opening the door behind Wei Ying and guiding him inside with a hand on his waist. Their tongues explore each other’s mouths as if it’s the first time, charging their bodies full of want. Wei Ying breaks their kiss for a moment to catch his breath and look around.

The home is simple. There’s a table with two chairs and a table along with a furnished sitting room. Wei Ying sees a door to the side and grabs Lan Zhan’s hand, pulling him towards it. He enters the room to see a bed and feels his heartbeat grow quick, though he wastes no time in spinning around and bringing their lips together again.

This time, it feels far more desperate. Their wandering hands are both a bit rougher than usual. Urgent, even. Wei Ying relents control of the situation immediately, though, as Lan Zhan’s hand cradles the back of his head as he moves to lick and suck down his jawline and neck. The small cottage fills with sweet moans and sharp breathing, the sounds never gracing anyone else’s ears.

It’s just Wei Ying and Lan Zhan here.

Not another soul to experience the way Lan Zhan grips tightly to his hips as he walks him backwards onto the bed.

Not one single being around to feel the calluses on his hands as he removes the clothing Wei Ying had only just put on.

“Lan Zhan,” his voice is breathy as he cradles the boy’s face in his hands above him, “Please take all of me. I want you, I want all of you.”

Those golden eyes look into pleading grey ones with an expression they’ve never shown before. Wei Ying holds his breath as Lan Zhan kisses him again, this time shaking every fiber of his being. He moans into the kiss, fiddling with the hem of Lan Zhan’s shirt. Breaking the kiss, he sits back on his knees and removes his shirt before placing his hand on the waistband of Wei Ying’s pants.

Lan Zhan is meticulous in action, always calculating in his movements. Right now is no different as he expertly yanks the fabric down Wei Ying’s legs without a struggle before placing himself down between his legs, his hot breath fanning against his already wet cunt.

“Ohhhh, please, please, anything you want, er-ge. Take everything from m- ah! ” His pleading is quickly interrupted by Lan Zhan’s tongue pressing flatly against his clit and swiping up slowly, torturously.

His eyes remain on Wei Ying’s face as he swipes circles over the sensitive bud, leaving him writhing and whining. Lan Zhan holds his hips down firmly to the bed, keeping the merboy steadily in place as he continues his assault down below. Wei Ying is sure that he’s in heaven right now, the fire in his abdomen already about to burst when he’s only been touched for not even two minutes!

“I- I’m gonna, Lan Zhan I,” he warns, a guttural moan ripping through his chest as he comes.

Lan Zhan doesn’t slow his work even as Wei Ying’s high subsides. If anything, he works his oversensitive clit harder, sucking and licking as he slides two fingers inside his cunt. Wei Ying takes a hold of Lan Zhan’s hair, crying out for mercy, though they both know he wants nothing of the sort.

He keeps a consistent pace, in and out of Wei Ying’s hole, as he gives his clit one more hard suck before popping off of it and sitting back on his knees. Wei Ying lets out a whimper at the loss of touch, but then grinds down onto the fingers still massaging inside of him.

“My, Lan Zhan, so cruel to me! H- how, ah , could you stop like this?”

“You will be fine. Patience.”

Wei Ying lets out a soft moan at his words, grinding harder down onto his fingers. He can feel Lan Zhan staring him down as he inserts a third finger into his cunt. His gaze makes Wei Ying feel tingly all over. The possessiveness it holds grips tightly to his chest and leaves him feeling as if the world around them has disappeared.

Suddenly, his hole is empty and Wei Ying opens his eyes to see Lan Zhan taking his three, pussy-soaked fingers into his mouth. It looks like he’s savoring the taste, committing it to memory. Wei Ying can only stare with his jaw slightly ajar.

Lan Zhan moves to rid himself of his pants and Wei Ying can feel his heartbeat pick up because this is happening. They’re really doing this. Before it does, though, Wei Ying can’t stop himself from sitting up and reaching for the boy’s already hard cock.

He takes it in hand and quickly brings it into his own mouth, running his tongue along the shaft and looking directly into Lan Zhan’s eyes. And although they’re a sweet, honey color, their gaze is dark and brooding, as Wei Ying takes him into his mouth, gagging as he reaches the back of his throat. 

There is no patience left between them. Especially Lan Zhan.

He takes Wei Ying by the hair and tugs him off of his dick before pushing him back onto the bed. Wei Ying gapes.

“So rough, er-ge! Don’t be so mean to me, I’m just a fragile boy!”

“Wei Ying,” he scolds, leaning down to kiss him roughly.

It’s all a fever dream for Wei Ying from that moment, one he’s sure to never forget.

Lan Zhan’s hands bring his knees up to open his legs wide. He watches as Lan Zhan takes his cock in hand and rubs his over his went cunt for a while, torturing Wei Ying with pleasure and want. Slowly, he pushes the tip into his entrance. It’s an indescribable feeling, as Lan Zhan fills him up, inch by inch, second by second.

He’s so big . He fills Wei Ying up so well.

His thrusts start out slowly, this is new for them both. A serious level of uncharted territory that holds a different meaning, no matter how much they’ve attempted other forms of intimacy before. Wei Ying grips at Lan Zhan’s shoulders, bringing him down, closer, to him and attacks his lips as his thrusts pick up pace.

Wei Ying cries out for Lan Zhan over and over again. He feels as if he can never have enough of him. He wants this feeling to last forever.

Lan Zhan’s movements then quickly become harsher and the roughness puts Wei Ying close to his third orgasm. Grabbing Wei Ying’s hips tightly, Lan Zhan raises himself up to kneel and looks down at Wei Ying as he begins to relentlessly drive into his hole without mercy.

“L- Lan Zhan, I- I can’t, it’s too much!” he cries.

“You can take it,” Lan Zhan responds with a grunt, not letting up.

Tears brim Wei Ying’s eyes as his orgasm crests and that familiar white heat spreads throughout every muscle and bone in his body. His pussy closes tightly around Lan Zhan’s cocks as he does, pulsing against him as Wei Ying cries, gripping the bed with all his might. The merboy below faintly hears a deep moan from the boy above him and opens his eyes to see the glorious sight of Lan Zhan coming above him.

Lan Zhan is beautiful all of the time, but right now, he’s a special kind of beautiful. Through teary eyes, Wei Ying sees his cheeks tinted pink, a sheen of sweat along his forehead, and pinched brows, and he is a kind of beautiful that only Wei Ying gets to see.

“Kiss me,” Wei Ying says, barely above a whisper.

And he does. Lan Zhan leans down and kisses Wei Ying with a passion that surpasses words. The both of them embrace each other gently, both coming down from their highs, but not wanting the moment to be over. Lan Zhan keeps himself inside Wei Ying, even as he softens and their bodies lay taut on the bed, tangled amongst each other.

Wei Ying looks up at the prince whose arms he’s held safely in and runs his fingers along his cheek. Honey eyes stare back at him, gentle and steadfast.

“Lan Zhan…” he starts. He hesitates for a moment, but remembers what his popo had told him before. “Lan Zhan, I love you.”

He watches as Lan Zhan’s face transforms into its most gentle expression yet. Perhaps one that will only ever be reserved for the likes of Wei Ying and his confession of love. He hopes. One of his large hands leaves Wei Ying’s waist to hold his face and bring him in for a soft, ghost-like kiss. He looks closely into Wei Ying’s eyes and whispers back.

“I love you.”

That night the world aligns more fully than it has before. Wei Ying feels the puzzle pieces fit together effortlessly as he lies in Lan Zhan’s embrace. His worries vanish and his heart grips onto his feelings, remaining steadfast in his hope for a future where this is possible all the time. He believes, in this moment, that nothing can get in his way.

Love, it’s transcendent.

It reaches beyond the carnal desire and latches to the soul; giving not an ounce of forbearance.

When love is purposeful, it’s stubborn, strong, and faithful to the one in whose heart it resides. The greatest fulfillment is receiving that love from someone else. It gives and it takes, but with love being freely given between two souls, that give and take is replaced with a harmonious flow.

As Lan Zhan sees Wei Ying off near sunrise down at the water, their love illuminates the night. It radiates a bright glow from within them that they can feel, hugging them like a warm blanket. Wei Ying kisses the prince of Caiyi softly as he reluctantly walks down into the water for the next three days, his heart soaring higher than the clouds, regardless of him swimming deep below the surface.

The very next time they meet, Wei Ying is eagerly awaiting his love before he arrives, yet again. This time, in his hand is the small potion bottle gifted to him by ShuiXia’s potion-maker. His heart thumps in his chest, he’s a little nervous that Lan Zhan will feel indifferent about it.

They haven’t spoken about this, the human has no idea it’s even an option.

Though, to be fair, Wei Ying didn’t truly know it was a real option until he had made his visit to the old woman. Shortly, Lan Zhan arrives around the corner of the cottage – the two of them agreeing that meeting up in this area is safer than their previous meeting spot. He moves to sit in the water and wet his clothes when Wei Ying waves at him to stop.

“Lan Zhan, wait! Don’t sit, but come here!”

Questioningly, he obeys, stepping into the water up to his ankles to meet Wei Ying who remains in his mermaid form.

“I have something, I wanted to know if you’d like to try it.”

“What is it?”

Wei Ying holds up the small bottle and allows Lan Zhan to hold and observe it as he explains, “It’s a potion made by ShuiXia’s potion-maker. I trust her with my life and she gifted it to me. It’s a temporary human to mermaid transformation potion.”

Lan Zhan’s gaze shoots up towards the merboy at this. They’re wide and shocked, leaving Wei Ying to wonder if his expression is good or bad. Hesitantly, he continues.

“Anyway, um, one drop lasts one hour. So I thought maybe if you wanted to try it… we wouldn’t go to my city, though! That would be too risky, I’m too well-known. But down over on this side there’s a small cave and coral area I used to go to when I was a child. I figured that if you wanted to-”

“Yes,” Lan Zhan interrupts. “Sorry, but yes, I want to.”

Wei Ying immediately lights up, all his worries of Lan Zhan’s imaginary denial vanish in an instant. The merboy helps him by taking back the bottle as he strips his clothes and neatly folds them, setting them on a nearby rock. He comes back to sit in the water with Wei Ying, taking a hold of his jaw and placing a firm kiss to his lips.

“Are you ready?” Wei Ying asks.

“I am ready. I trust you.”

The other boy feels his heart race, the implication of Lan Zhan’s earnest trust fills him with an indescribable joy. Nodding, he tips the prince’s head back and carefully lets several drops fall into his mouth before sealing the bottle once more. Neither of them know what to expect from this, though Wei Ying doesn’t hone a sliver of doubt in the concoction he’d been given.

With his lower half already under the water, the two boys watch carefully as Lan Zhan’s legs magically morph into a dazzling sky blue tail. Lan Zhan lets out a surprised grunt, looking down where his legs used to be, running his hands up and down the smooth scales.

“Wow…” Wei Ying trails off, observing this new version of the boy he loves.

He feels honored to see so many beautiful parts of him, this one being no exception.

His eyes follow this magnificent tail up his torso to see the scattered blue fading into porcelain skin and gills on his sides, much like Wei Ying’s. When his gaze reaches the boy’s face, he smiles wide, reaching out to caress the fins that take the place of his human ears.

“Lan Zhan, how do your fins feel, huh? Now you look like me! Except blue!” He exclaims with a laugh.

The once human boy reaches up to touch the fins on the sides of his head while looking at Wei Yings, likely trying to picture how they look. Not a trace of worry sits in his expression as he silently wiggles his tail left to right and runs his fingers over his gills. His meticulous movements make Wei Ying giggle.

“How do I look?” Lan Zhan asks, meeting the merboy’s eyes.

“Incredible! You look like you belong!”

Wei Ying smiles brightly, wrapping his arms around Lan Zhan and kissing his lips gleefully. Lan Zhan holds his waist all the same, effortlessly supporting him despite his new body and lack of experience with balance or functionality. Taking advantage of his obvious familiarity with a mermaid body, Wei Ying throws himself further onto Lan Zhan, pushing him down into the sand and twisting their tails together.

The human boy takes it as it comes, enveloping his love with all of him, deepening their kiss. Lan Zhan’s tail is larger and longer than Wei Ying’s; it seems even in mermaid form, his size remains the same. Because of this, he’s able to wrap his tail tightly around the other and hold him firmly in place.

“My, Lan Zhan, you’re so strong already! Have mercy!” Wei Ying pats his cheek. “Come on, I want to teach you to swim.”

Lan Zhan relents his hold on the red tail, allowing Wei Ying to swim out further into the water. He holds a hand out towards the other, silently beckoning him over. He watches as Lan Zhan hesitantly wiggles his way down the sand until the water reaches his shoulders, then reaches out to take his hand.

Wei Ying holds it tightly. “How do you feel?” he asks as the boy uses his grip in Wei Ying’s hand to wade in the water lightly while still close to the shore.

“Surprisingly comfortable.”

The merboy’s heart soars. This is how Lan Zhan must’ve felt watching him love his human form. They swim in small circles for a while, allowing Lan Zhan time to familiarize himself with his new body before they dive beneath the surface. What happens next, Wei Ying expects, so he’s already at Lan Zhan’s side ready to ease him into it.

The prince sinks under the water and naturally holds his breath, feeling a bit claustrophobic as he seems to feel like he won’t be able to keep it up. Wei Ying gently glides his hands down Lan Zhan’s sides and over his gills. It’s a comforting motion, one to remind him of how his body works right now.

This seems to work because Lan Zhan closes his eyes to focus on slowly opening his mouth, all while he allows his gills to ripple. Wei Ying’s brows shoot up in surprise that he’s caught on so quickly, but he’s more happy than anything.

His Lan Zhan is willing to try anything with and for him.

“Lan Zhan?”

He opens his eyes and immediately pulls Wei Ying close. “Wei Ying.”

“Aiyah! Wow, Lan Zhan, you’re a natural! I’m impressed,” he pats his strong chest, their bodies clinging to each other. “You’re so good at this, it honestly makes me feel a bit hot and bothered!” he jokes.

But before Lan Zhan can reply to his teasing words, he quickly slips out of his grip and pulls him by the hand. The human gives no protest, allowing Wei Ying to take him wherever. They shortly arrive at a small cove, an oasis of bright and colorful life.

Wei Ying had lost his parents many years ago, long before he could even remember them. The only things he remembers about his life before the Nie family took him in as one of their own, are his visits to popo, and this safe haven. He usually would spend his nights here. Some may find the reality sad, but he quite liked it, honestly. It’s a small space away from civilization, surrounded by beauty while perfectly hidden – great for safety.

And now, as he watches Lan Zhan swim around, feeling everything and looking closely at the life it holds, his heart surges with pride. The human is in awe, Wei Ying can tell because of his lack of speaking paired with a wondrous look in his eyes that isn’t typically there.

The night feels like it lasts forever this way. The two of them swim together, gliding through the water as there’s not a single soul around them.

Wei Ying shows Lan Zhan how to move his fins and teaches him all about the sea life in the secret cove. They lie for a while in the cave, entangled, exploring each other in new ways all over again. The merboy takes this special opportunity to show the other exactly how his anatomy works. He revels in the expression Lan Zhan shows as he sinks down his torso, running his hands further and further down.

Lan Zhan doesn’t seem so surprised as Wei Ying rubs his nose against his tail to coerce his hardening length out and takes it into his mouth. He does seem in awe of watching Wei Ying expertly navigate this strange new body that he has yet to grow accustomed to.

Before long, Wei Ying sees Lan Zhan off, this time with the promise of taking turns transforming each time they meet.

“Huaisang, are you here?” Wei Ying calls out as he swims out into the courtyards of their home.

Spotting his brother sprawled out amongst a seaweed patch with his paints, he smiles and moves to join him, lying beside him on his stomach. Nie Huaisang looks up from his work and smiles gently at Wei Ying.

“Wei Ying, hi,” he looks back down at his art. “What’s up?”

It takes the boy a while before he says anything. There’s a rage of nervousness in his gut as he spins in circles, zoning in and out of observing Nie Huaisang’s art and picking at the seaweed. He’s wanted to talk to his brother about Lan Zhan for a few months now, but he hasn’t had the courage. He knows Nie Huaisang wouldn’t go spilling to da-ge, but he’s worried that he’ll scold Wei Ying regardless.

“Can I tell you a secret?” he finally blurts.

Nie Huaisang remains as casual as ever, nodding his head with a, “Of course, please do!”

“You can’t tell da-ge… Promise you won’t tell!” Wei Ying lowers his voice to a whisper.

The other boy halts his work and holds out a pinky for him to take hold of. “Promise.”

This is all the confirmation Wei Ying needs before he begins telling Nie Huaisang everything. He’s bottled up months worth of meet-ups with the boy he loves and it finally gets to flow out of him. And flow it does, in fact it cascades rapidly out of him like a waterfall begging to find home in the river below. Nie Huaisang listens closely, ever-supportive and enthusiastic as Wei Ying finishes his speech.

“So,” he starts, “Let me get this straight. You accidently were captured by the humans in Caiyi. The prince rescued you. Then you spent the evening together and fell in love and have been continuously meeting up for the past several months without anyone’s knowledge.”

“Yup!” Wei Ying confirms, lying on his back and swirling his tail in circular patterns above him.

“You’re awfully brave, that’s for sure,” Nie Huaisang smiles, a hint of pain woven into this expression. Wei Ying’s smile falls flat.

“What? Whatever you mean to say, just say it.”

“I mean nothing! I just… I’m allowed to worry about you. We grew up together and I care about you.”

Wei Ying straightens up, feeling a hesitancy from Nie Huaisang that he didn’t expect. “What you mean to say, just say it ,” he repeats.

“Wei Ying, I meant what I said! I wish the world wasn’t the way that it is either! Do you not know how much I admire the human’s art? I wish I could go back in time to when we were on good terms,” he lowers his voice. “But you know da-ge. You know how he is. He would never change his mind.”

Stubbornly, the other boy backs away from Nie Huaisang a few meters. “If there’s change to be had in the world for a happier and better life, then dammit, I’ll make it happen, Huaisang! I’m not afraid! In fact, I’ve never been happier than I am every time I go up to the surface to see Lan Zhan. I love him and I refuse to let go of that because of other merpeople’s fears.”

Wei Ying is fuming, fire blaring through his bones and igniting every crevice of his soul. When love is purposeful, it’s stubborn, strong, and faithful to the one in whose heart it resides.

In front of him, Nie Huaisang’s expression quickly changes from a gentle worry into fear. He suddenly looks as if he’s going to be sick and gasps into his hand. Wei Ying’s passion settles and a pain slowly takes over as he realizes that Nie Huaisang’s eyes are looking behind him. When Wei YIng turns around, his heart drops to depths of the sea.

“Wei Ying,” Nie Mingjue’s voice isn’t so loud, but more stern and graver than he’s ever heard it.

It rumbles deeply in his chest, wracking his bones down to their marrow. Wei Ying thinks that splitting his chest open and scooping that marrow right out of his ribs would give him less pain than his heart feels in this moment. He remains still and silent as Nie Mingjue swims up to the two younger boys with an angry expression.

“How long did you plan on keeping this from me?” he asks.

Wei Ying swallows the lump in his throat. “As long as I needed to.”

Because, truthfully, as afraid he is of the consequence that will follow his older brother finding out his secret, he holds no fear or regret in his choices. He had decided long ago that he would stand by Lan Zhan’s side throughout all of this and he still does. Even though he can hear his own raging heartbeat in his ears, Wei Ying straightens his posture as he looks back at Nie Mingjue.

This confuses and enrages Nie Mingjue to a level that Wei Ying has already prepared himself for. The younger boy watches as his expression twists with a touch of betrayal. It pains him to see the man he looks up to show him a hint of disdain, but he stands steadfast nonetheless.

“You will be seen to your room and you will not be allowed out. You can go now or I will have the guards escort you.”

“Da-ge!” Wei Ying cries as he backs up a few meters.

“You’ve chosen a path that endangers our people, I cannot let you continue.”

Nie Huaisang swims to shelter Wei Ying and raises, “Da-ge, please! Don’t do this!”

“Huaisang, if you know what’s best for you, you’ll move out of the way.”

“I will not!”

Nie Mingjue brings his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose with a pained expression. He waves his other hand and a pair of royal guards swim out to escort both boys away. Wei Ying’s eyes fill with tears and his mind races with the sinking reality of being confined to his room for the foreseeable future.

He sees Nie Huaisang mouthing to him “don’t worry, I’ll handle it!” and it hardly settles his anxiety. But as he looks towards Nie Mingjue, something in him rests for a split second. The last glimpse Wei Ying gets of his older brother is his tough expression turning soft and full of worry. Sadness, even, as grips at his own chest; as if he can feel the heart within his ribs crack open.

The days after that morph together and Wei Ying rots away in his quarters.

He sleeps on and off at questionable times, but he doesn’t care. He’s lost his appetite despite being brought his three meals a day at the exact time he would normally eat. He drives himself insane trying to figure out an escape route.

If only he could just speak to Lan Zhan, they’d be able to figure something out together. It’s not that Wei Ying can’t devise a plan on his own, he’s intelligent and wise beyond his years, but his heart aches.

It pains him. There’s a consistent arrow through his chest that won’t allow him relief. It’s a pain that he knows will only vanish the moment he can dive into Lan Zhan’s arms once again. He knows that the human has rightfully pledged himself to Wei Ying all the same as he has, but it’s only natural for him to worry. He doesn’t worry that Lan Zhan will forget him, but he worries that eventually, he’ll move on.

It’s only natural, right? If he searches and waits for weeks, months, years… how long would he wait for? How long would his family allow him to wait, putting off an eventual marriage? Wei Ying is unsure of the exact answer, though he knows Lan Zhan would do his best to wait regardless. All these thoughts do little to settle his increasing anxiety as he remains trapped in his own room. The walls become bleak and the world outside lives on without him.

Regardless of not being able to surface and his lover, Wei Ying also can’t roam the market in ShuiXia. He can’t visit popo like he promised and he can’t sit with Nie Huisang when he wants.

Torture, it’s like torture!

But perhaps Nie Mingjue knew that this would be the only expert way to keep Wei Ying from disobeying for now.

As the merboy swims idly in circles around his room and the day slowly comes to a crawl, one of the servants brings him his dinner. He thanks them kindly, knowing none of this is their doing and picks at the food reluctantly. He still has no appetite. It’s not until he pushes the food around enough that he notices a slip of kelp beneath his bowl folded neatly and hidden well. He carefully pulls it out and opens it to see handwriting. It reads:

The container isn’t food. Keep it safe, wait for tomorrow’s supper for the next ingredient

Wei Ying’s pulse picks up. He recognizes this handwriting as Nie Huaisang’s, and though he’s not exactly sure what his brother is up to, he’s sure that he trusts him with his life. If anyone is made to get him out of this situation, it’s him. So, putting his full faith in Nie Huaisang at this moment, he hides the contents of the container away in his room to keep until the next day.

Weeks pass by and Wei Ying is on the edge of his rope.

Together, through note communication, himself and Nie Huaisang have devised an escape plan, even if only temporary. A means to get Wei Ying free for enough time to surface again.

When the timed night arrives, Wei Ying is anxiously bouncing around his room. He’s unable to hold still as he waits for nightfall to arrive before carrying out his part of the plan. Over the past several weeks, Nie Huaisang has expertly snuck ingredients for a sleeping potion to him through his dinner trays.

When Wei Ying figured out he could write notes back and Nie Huaisang would be able to secretly receive them, he told him to visit popo and she would help him with the proper and correct ingredients. And so he did. Nie Huaisang followed his meticulous instructions and explained to her the situation. She set out to find everything the boys would need and in a few weeks, Wei Ying’s potion is complete.

He had received specific instruction from the old woman herself, via note, that it’s not consuming the potion that makes one sleep, it’s inhaling the fumes of it. Knowing this, Wei Ying keeps his tightly concealed and holds a fabric-like cloth in his other hand to place over his own mouth and nose to avoid inhaling it himself. The plan is this:

1. Nie Huaisang will slip his own bottle of this potion to the back guards
2. Wei Ying will slip it to the guards at his room
3. Resulting in a path for him to slip out for a few hours before the potion wears off

“For Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying whispers as he takes one last look in the mirror and counts down from five before opening his bedroom door and immediately opening the container.

With his mouth and nose covered, he watches as the two guards wading leisurely outside his bedroom quickly lose consciousness and sink down to the floor of the hallway. Wei Ying closes the bottle and lets out a relieving sigh. But he has no time to waste – the potion only lasts about four hours, so he must hurry.

Off he speeds, straight out the back end of the castle where he meets with Nie Huaisang at the exit that he’s all too familiar with. He swims straight into his brother’s arms and the two of them embrace for a few fleeting moments.

“I can’t believe it worked!” Wei Ying whisper-shouts, shaking the other boy’s shoulders.

Nie Huaisang laughs and shoves him forward with a quiet, “Go, go, go!”

Wei Ying nods, the brightest smile on his face in many weeks as he swims as fast as he can towards the shoreline behind the cottage. He knows Lan Zhan wouldn’t wait anywhere else for him, and it’s likely that the prince has been arriving every three days regardless of Wei Ying’s arrival or not. It pains him to think of a waiting Lan Zhan, sitting alone on the sand all night long.

He makes it to the shore in record time and shoots above the surface, a loud crash against the water sounding in his wake. And, of course, there the boy sits. His back is straight as he stares out at the water with a pinched brow and a frown etched into his expression.

“Lan Zhan!” he calls.

The prince turns and lets eyes fill with relief. Immediately, he’s standing and running straight into the water as quickly as Wei Ying is swimming up to the shore. Lan Zhan falls to his knees as the merboy meets him with a bounding joy, wrapping his arms around those strong shoulders at last.

It’s even better than Wei Ying had imagined it.

He feels Lan Zhan’s chest rising quickly and his heart squeezes as he realizes how tight the hold on his waist is, but he does little to change any of it. Because for the first time in weeks, Wei Ying feels loved all over again.

“Are you alright?” Lan Zhan asks, taking gentle hold of Wei Ying’s face and searching all over as if to find any injuries or worries.

“I’m okay, Lan Zhan, I’m okay! I’m better now that I’m here…” Wei Ying steadies his lover’s face as well, looking into his golden eyes. “Da-ge found out, he kept me in my room. Huaisang and I only just executed an escape route for tonight.”

Lan Zhan’s expression softens and oh, Wei Ying missed this so much. He lets himself go as the prince holds tightly to him, bringing him in for a long-awaited kiss. It’s gentle but full of love and want. All the weeks of waiting and pain wrapped up in a most simple form of affection. Wei Ying sighs, melting further into Lan Zhan as the human stands and walks a bit further into the water, as if concealing them within a warm blanket catered to Wei Ying.

The moment, though incredibly perfect and more than both boys could ever imagine, is quickly shattered when a gasp sounds from the shoreline.

They both whip around, Lan Zhan shifting Wei Ying behind him in the process. Before them, up on the sand, stands a young man, likely not too many years older than the boys in the water. Wei Ying thinks it’s strange that his man looks very much like Lan Zhan, though perhaps a bit softer in appearance. All he knows is that he feels the human’s grip on his hands tighten slightly.

“Brother,” Lan Zhan says.

Brother?!

Wei Ying feels light-headed. How is it that he escapes one older brother, only to be met with another older brother? The man on the shore doesn’t move. He doesn’t hold a look of anger or disgust, either. It seems as though he’s only a little confused and maybe worriedly curious. Though truthfully, after standing up to Nie Mingjue weeks prior, Wei Ying feels invincible.

“What is going on here?!” Another voice sounds and while Lan Zhan quickly spins around with Wei Ying still behind him, it’s the merboys turn to step in front of him now.

“Da-ge,” he starts, “You have to list-”

“Bullshit! I will not listen! Are you hellbent on making decisions that endanger us all?!” He yells, obviously furious.

Wei Ying, though, is far more curious on how he even knew to come here. He wracks and wracks his brain for an explanation when he spots a hiding Nie Huaisang off to the side. A fire quickly rages inside of him, feeling like he was just smacked in the face with betrayal. But before he can get a single word out, Lan Zhan is again, stepping in front of him.

“No one is in danger. We mean no harm to any merpeople,” his voice is steady and strong.

Nie Mingjue’s chest rises and falls quicker and Wei Ying can see the frustration inside of his being fan to a terrifying size. Rather quickly, Nie Mingjue lets out a raging yell of anger and grabs at the saber mounted on his back, slashing it out aiming it straight for Lan Zhan’s head.

But it doesn’t reach Lan Zhan, no it doesn’t even get close. Before anyone can even blink, Wei Ying expertly grabs tightly to the prince’s shirt and swings them around, putting himself in Lan Zhan’s place. Nie Mingjue halts his swing just in time, the tip of his saber mere inches from Wei Ying’s nose.

He doesn’t move. He doesn’t even twitch.

Wei Ying holds his position in front of Lan Zhan steadily and stubbornly, staring Nie Mingjue dead in the eyes with a burning passion that’s not unlike his own. Seeing that his younger brother is unwilling to back down, Nie Mingjue lowers his weapon and returns it to his back. With a pinched expression, he straightens and looks between everyone present.

“May I ask what’s going on?” The man on the shore asks.

Nie Mingjue’s attention is brought upwards where he sends a sharp glare. If looks could kill, surely everyone in the vicinity would be dead. He’s thoroughly unhappy and in no mood to converse nicely. Seeing that his older brother chooses to not say anything, Wei Ying glides around Lan Zhan, taking a tight hold of his hand.

“My name is Wei Ying. I live below the water, as do my people. I’m also in love with your brother.”

The man on the shore says nothing, only looks as though his mind is processing. Lan Zhan steps forward.

“Brother, I wish to create a peace treaty between the merfolk of ShuiXia and humans of the Lan Kingdom. This is what I planned on mentioning with you at the third month court meeting.”

Wei Ying looks over at Lan Zhan, tears beginning to brim his eyes almost instantly at the mention of this. He then hears Nie Mingjue huff behind him and turns around.

“You assume that all humans are like yourself?” Nie Mingjue directs towards Lan Zhan. “It’s foolish and naive to follow your heart over what history has shown us.”

“You’re wrong!” Wei Ying enters himself into the conversation. “Merpeople and humans both wronged each other during the great wars, it wasn’t their fault alone. Da-ge, they’re just like us! They have families and they feel rage like we do. Love and kindness as we do – as mother taught us. And regardless of whether you decide this treaty is reasonable or not, you can’t make me change my mind on this.”

“If I may intervene,” the man on land says. “My name is Lan Huan, I rule over Caiyi and other cities of the Lan Kingdom. We have long taken over the previous and unjust ruler of this land and have no qualms with anyone who wishes no harm. Be human or merfolk.”

Wei Ying’s heart is racing.

There’s so much happening and this is all completely unexpected. He feels Lan Zhan squeeze his hand, bringing his attention up. Lan Zhan gives him a look of determination that quickly fills Wei Ying’s heart with hope once more. Looking around, he lays eyes on Nie Huaisang again and his previous anger feels more like confusion. Though before he can confront his brother, Nie Mingjue speaks first.

“Huaisang,” he calls.

And as if he needs not ask for further explanation from the other boy, Huaisang comes out of his hiding spot and into the human’s view. Lan Zhan’s expression holds steady, even as Wei Ying feels his hand start to shake. A strange noise is surprise also sounds from the shoreline.

“It’s true, da-ge,” he nods. “Think about how happy Wei Ying was just then. Did mother not teach us all compassion?”

Nie Mingjue scowls. “Compassion should not override logic and safety.”

“I agree,” Lan Huan interjects. “But they should be able to coexist. Such things make for strong foundations of a long-lasting people.”

Just as Lan Huan finishes his words, the moon above them all shines through the cloudy night sky and lets her light make clear the expressions on everyone’s faces. Wei Ying glances around until he sees Lan Zhan looking back at him and he freezes.

The moon’s white light lets his golden eyes shine brightly and his porcelain skin glisten from the water droplets still clinging there. Wei Ying grabs hold of his arm and can’t help but nuzzle his face into the prince’s shoulder. He preens as Lan Zhan cradles the back of his head in response.

Wei Ying isn’t sure if it’s the moment of vulnerable affection in front of them all, or both of his brothers standing up to him with their mother’s influence, but Nie Mingjue backs down. He lowers himself slightly within the water, no longer towering over Wei Ying and instead leveling to his regular height. His eyes are soft for only a moment before he wipes it away with his usual expression of general animosity.

“Huaisang,” Nie Mingjue starts, “Coordinate a treaty settlement to take place on the third month.”

With those words he swims off, the tension of the moment receding with his dismissal. Wei Ying’s chest grows tight and his eyes fill with tears as he looks back up at Lan Zhan. The disbelief between them is still prevalent, leaving them to just stare at each other for a while.

Wei Ying can vaguely make out Nie Huaisang swimming near the shore and voices talking, but all he can focus on is light eyes full of love and hope. Nie Huaisang bids farewell to the pair at some point, but neither of them respond, only lost in each other’s eyes. Soon enough, the two are alone once more and the merboy finally snaps out of his daze.

“Lan Zhan!” he exclaims, pouncing on the prince once more, “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhaaaan!”

The two topple over into the water in a tight embrace as Wei Ying laughs and peppers Lan Zhan with kisses. They roll around in the water and the world disappears around them, much like it seems to do each time they’re together. Lan Zhan takes hold of Wei Ying’s smiling face and kisses him hard, the merboy melting into it.

This. This is the feeling that Wei Ying will never tire of.

Safety, love, adoration. Determination and devotion. All of these wrapped up into a moment of entanglement that pins itself to the wall of Wei Ying’s heart, never to be forgotten.

“We did it,” the merboy whispers between kisses and touches.

“Mn. We did.”

The weeks and months following their interrupted reunion, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan successfully aid in passing a peace treaty between their people through their older brothers. This moment goes down in history amongst merpeople and humans alike. Many more things happen after the treaty is passed as well.

The two young lovers erect first interspecies home along the shoreline of Caiyi in many decades.

The old potion-maker who has always been a recluse, finally emerges from her hiding place to teach merfolk and humankind about transformations and potions to aid in this transition of life.

Wei Ying learns not long after that reunion, that Nie Huaisang had expertly crafted the interruption on both ends. It turns out he had also been a regular visitor of the surface and had become close friends with Lan Huan long before Wei Ying ever met Lan Zhan.

Within the peace treaty, Wei Ying demanded that it include a call to action on proper history education. He continued to read on what really happened and spent many nights with popo, discussing what she had experienced and comparing it with the washed-over versions the world was told. With this, Wei Ying took up work in teaching this history to both merfolk and humans. He never wanted to rule like his brothers were born to, but he always stood for justice regardless.

Years pass this way and life quickly becomes the dream that young, eighteen year old Wei Ying imagined night after night.

At the end of a long day of teaching young merchildren, Wei Ying swims up towards his home.

“Lan Zhan, I’m home!” he calls.

“Kitchen,” his husband responds.

Wei Ying smiles to himself as he closes the front door behind him and transforms, stepping up the staircase of their home and throwing on one of Lan Zhan’s large shirts that was hanging on the wall. He enters the kitchen to see him there, standing tall and stirring something over the stove. The heat from the pot leaves a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, but when he looks up at Wei Ying, he gives him a soft smile.

He’s beautiful like this.

Lan Zhan is beautiful all of the time, but as time goes on, Wei Ying learns that he will forever get to experience new and exciting versions of his beautiful husband. Over and over and over.

He steps forward into Lan Zhan’s arms and is lifted up into a sweeping embrace. Their lips lock in a gentle and familiar kiss, the taste of each other one of comfort. He’ll never tire of this, not even after he’s gone. Wei Ying is sure that his love for Lan Zhan transcends their mere existence in this life.

After all, love is truly transcendent.

It reaches beyond the carnal desire and latches to the soul; giving not an ounce of forbearance, and a purposeful love is stubborn, strong, and faithful to the one in whose heart it resides.