A Lake’s Love Story

by RS_Vaesen

Content enticements/warnings:

🌑

The rain was pouring down like a curtain, drumming on the ground at a steady, rhythmic pace. Gray clouds draped the sky and hid the sun; the light was so dim that the murky water of the lake appeared darker and more profound than usual, looking just like an abyss. This morning, the mountain top was shrouded in a sorrowful but peaceful atmosphere.

“I thought you liked rainy days, so why the long face?”

A voice resounded in his head, and Zevven lowered his gaze to look at his friend, Nethon. The merman was leaning his elbows on a rock, propping his chin on his left hand. His long, golden-red fishtail whipped the water behind him—Zevven couldn’t help but be reminded of a puppy waving its tail. But he refrained from voicing this thought; teasing his hot-tempered friend rarely ended well, and he didn’t want the lake to be turned upside-down this early in the morning.

“I still like rainy days,” Zevven eventually said, “just not today.”

“Is that so,” Nethon smiled, his golden eyes brightening with mischief. “Does it perhaps have something to do with the humans who’re camping on the North side of the shore?”

“No, of course not.”

“Really? Because you stared at that guy all day long yesterday.”

Zevven grimaced but couldn’t refute his friend’s words. A human family had come up the day before yesterday and settled in a log cabin by the North shore. It wasn’t anything surprising, however.

Over the past decade, more and more people had started to climb their mountain to enjoy the beautiful scenery it offered at its top. Many would then take the opportunity to jump in the water and swim in the lake, which covered the whole mountain top. Some endearing humans even dared to build roads, chalets, and docks in recent years, and now the shore was dotted with unsightly buildings that irked Zevven and his kin to no end. They did not like seeing the forest be destroyed for these people’s convenience, and they liked it even less when they tossed their garbage in their lake. Thanks to this bad habit of theirs, their youths would often get entangled in the plastic trash and hurt their tails badly.  

Still, Zevven wouldn’t go as far as to cause the humans trouble—unlike Nethon, who loved to pull pranks on the campers. No, he’d rather idle about at the bottom of the lake in his rare moments of free time. He usually wouldn’t even spare them a glance. And yet, he somehow couldn’t take his eyes off of one particular human yesterday.

It was a young man in his early or mid-twenties. He was tall with a lean body and leathery suntanned skin, letting Zevven know that he spent most of his time outside. He had bright blue eyes that shone with joy and shoulder-length wheat blonde hair that he kept loosely tied at the nape of his neck. Since the man showed up at the lake, his laughter echoed far and wide days and nights. He exuded so much joie de vivre that it was somewhat contagious. Zevven even caught himself smiling as he observed the human playing in the water with his younger siblings, and the merman wasn’t one to smile often.

“The rain is about to abate at any given time now,” Nethon chuckled. “The human will come out soon enough, so stop it with the murderous gaze. You’re scaring the fish! And I’m hungry!”

“You only know how to think of your stomach!”

“Is there something more important than my stomach?”

‘Yes, a lot of things!’ Zevven inwardly scoffed but decided not to comment aloud. Instead, he brought back his attention to the surface of the lake.

As Nethon had predicted, the sky started to clear up and the sun shone upon the water, tainting it with golden hues.

A few seconds later, the door of the chalet opened. However, what came out wasn’t the young man but a toddler. She wobbled to the dock, giggling gibberish noises only a little girl could understand. If Zevven remembered well, she was the man’s youngest sibling.

The merman frowned and observed the kid as she crouched to look at the water, her face closing up. She tilted her head before stretching a hand to catch a leaf. But her arm was too short, and she had to bend over a little more to touch it with her fingertips.

The next instant, she fell.

The child then sank quietly into the lake.

A second later, Zevven heard a panicked voice. “Anny!!! Where are you?!” He recognized it as the young man’s. It had lost its cheerful tone and only fear remained. The human ran to the dock and crouched to search around, but he couldn’t see the bubbles that rippled the water surface where the toddler had fallen, a cluster of leaves hiding them from sight.

Again, the man called his sister’s name.

The merman clenched his fists and glanced at the drowning toddler, hesitation flashing across his face. She didn’t have long left. 

“If you save her, the elders will give you hell.”

“I know.”

Merpeople shouldn’t meddle with humans: that was the ironclad rule of their kin. Zevven had always abided by it, and it was the first time he thought of breaking it. Legends about how their ancestors were hunted by humans back in the day were still passed down; it served to remind them of why their tribe had left the sea to hide in the mountains. The ocean was too vast and dangerous, but a secluded lake was a paradise for Zevven’s people. There was a watercourse at the time that they could swim up to reach the mountain top; however, said watercourse had dried since then, meaning that migrating back to the sea was near impossible. They couldn’t flee if they were to be discovered by humans this time.

Of course, Zevven knew this. But when he heard the young man’s shaky voice, his body moved on its own. Before he realized what he was doing, he had already swum to the toddler.

‘Oh, screw this!’ he thought as he gripped the kid’s wrists and brought her close to his chest. Then, with a fling of his tail, he flew to the water surface.

The man’s eyes seemed about to pop out of their sockets when their gaze met, but Zevven didn’t pay it any heed. Instead, he lifted the toddler and stuffed her in his arms. “Be careful; kids tend to drown quieter than adults. Don’t let her out of your sight again.”

That being said, he turned and dove back into the lake. Ah man, he’d need to find a way to placate the elders now.

***

“Ryan, are you ok?”

“Yes, I am. Anny just scared me witless, that’s all.”

A short silence shrouded the room before a man in his late forties shuddered, “Thank God you noticed she was gone! I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t. Thankfully, you found her before it was too late.”

Ryan smiled but didn’t comment. He wasn’t the one who had saved his little sister. However, he couldn’t very well tell his father that a merman brought Anny from the bottom of the lake and threw her at him, could he? He himself still couldn’t believe it, and he had seen it with his own eyes.

‘A merman, huh?’ he inwardly laughed as he gazed at his sleeping sister. After spitting out a mouthful of water, Anny had cried herself to sleep earlier, but otherwise, she seemed as healthy as ever. He knew it wouldn’t take long before she started to run all over the place again, and he had to thank the merman for that. If it hadn’t been for him….

“You’re getting lost in thought again!” his father chuckled before patting his back. Then, the roar of a car engine resounded. “Looks like your mother and your siblings are back from the grocery store. I’m still concerned about Anny, so I’ll go to the hospital with her just in case. She seems fine, but you never know. Your mother will probably come with me, so can you watch over Carla and Alexander while we’re gone?”

“Sure, no problem.”

.

.

After tucking in his siblings, Ryan went out. Night had fallen, but his parents weren’t back yet. They had called to tell him they would spend the night at the hospital with Anny because the doctor feared she’d suffer from secondary drowning. Water was left in her lungs, and since she was a toddler and couldn’t tell them if she wasn’t feeling well, it was better to keep her under watch for now. The good news was that her life wasn’t in danger.

Ryan walked to the edge of the dock. He lowered his eyes and stared at the water surface that mirrored the starlit sky and the crescent moon; it seemed to twinkle with a thousand lights, a truly beautiful sight.

Time ticked by slowly. At first, Ryan didn’t move and stared at the water silently. But after a while passed, he kneeled on the dock and gripped the edge. He bent closer until the tip of his nose almost touched the water.

“You’re here, aren’t you?” he whispered. “I’d like to see you. Is that possible…?”

No answer. Seconds passed, and just as Ryan thought the merman wouldn’t show up, the water rippled and a head popped. Then, eyes that looked like freshwater pearls met his. Under the moonlight, the merman’s pinkish irises had taken on pale purplish hues, and flickers of silver and gold seemed to flutter about.

‘Gorgeous,’ Ryan couldn’t help but think, while outwardly, he smiled, “I wanted to thank you for saving my sister. I couldn’t tell you earlier.”

“You shouldn’t thank me. I wasn’t planning to save her at first.”

“But you did in the end, and that's all that matters.”

The merman cocked an eyebrow. “Well, glad to hear that. If that’s all you had to say, I’ll go back. See you—”

“Wait! What’s your name?”

“Zevven…. Yours?”

“Ryan!” The man’s smile grew wider. “I’d like to talk to you for a bit, is that ok?”

A dumbfounded look flashed across the merman’s face. He stared at the human as if he was a fool before pursing his lips and averting his eyes, seemingly about to dive back into the lake. And yet, he didn’t. He hesitated but nevertheless pulled himself up on the dock and sat on its edge. 

“Only for a bit.”

Ryan chuckled as he unconsciously shifted his gaze to Zevven’s tail. The scales were golden-brown with darker brown spots randomly scattered lengthwise. Pinkish-grayish brown fins dotted the side, and the scales climbed up to his hips. His bare chest allowed Ryan to catch a glimpse of the gills stripping his ribs, the membranes quivering under the cold night breeze. He stared at them for a moment, then diverted his attention to Zevven’s well-defined abdominal muscles. Swimming put a strain on merpeople’s bodies as they needed to use all their muscles to move about, and they tended to have slender figures. Zevven was no exception.

“Are you done gawking at me?”

“Sorry! It’s just that I’ve never seen a merman before, so….”

“Oh? I’ve never been so close to a human before,” Zevven said teasingly, “but I’m not checking you up and down.”

An awkward laugh escaped Ryan’s mouth. Was his behavior too invasive…? Still, he couldn’t help but peer at the merman’s tail again, his fingers feeling itchy. “Can I touch it? Your tail, I mean.”

Although he asked for permission, Ryan didn’t wait for it before gently brushing the scales with his fingertips. It was a little slimy to the touch. Curiosity soon overcame any rationality he had, and his fingers trailed up to a fin. Gently, he tugged on it. It trembled slightly under the mistreatment as if it was protesting, looking somewhat adorable. The next thing Ryan knew, both of his hands were plastered on the merman’s tail. Goodness, it was packed with muscles!

“Question for you: how would you feel if I groped your legs as I please?”

Ryan froze at the sudden question before turning beet-red. He peeked at Zevven, only to see him holding his mouth as if to stifle his laughter. He didn’t appear angry. No, he looked to be having the time of his life.

“I’m sorry,” Ryan nonetheless apologized, bringing back his naughty hands to his side. “I shouldn’t have.” 

“It’s fine. You’re cute, so I’ll forgive you.”

“Thank you for your kindness,” Ryan coughed to hide his embarrassment. “Say, is it hard for you to breathe out of water?”

“Hm? No, not really. I do have lungs similar to humans’, though I can breathe just as fine underwater thanks to the gills. I still feel more at ease in water, however.”

“I guess you would, yeah,” Ryan nodded before asking, “By the way, how old are you?”

“I’m 27 springs old, I think?”

“Springs?”

“In human terms, it should be 27 years old.” 

“Why do you use “spring” to calculate your age?”

“And why exactly should my kin use “year” to calculate it?”

“Ah, hum….”

“….We count the number of springs we have seen because most merpeople are born in spring. Also, freezing water is hard on your youths, so surviving until spring is something worth celebrating.”

“What? Everyone is born in spring?!”

“Surprised? We aren’t like humans who pop up babies all year round, though there’s always a boom in the population in spring and a decline in winter.”

“Wait a minute. Won’t the lake get overpopulated over time?! It’s only so big!”

Zevven smiled but didn’t answer. Ryan got the cue and didn’t ask further questions on the subject; there were probably a few things the merman didn’t want to tell him—or maybe couldn’t tell him. Whatever was the case, he didn’t insist.

Whenever Zevven fell silent afterward, Ryan would cooperatively switch the topic to something else. He had always been a chatterbox, and now that a merman, a creature he had always thought only existed in fairy tales, sat before him, he had a thousand things to say. Zevven was patient and listened to his chirping with a faint smile.

In this way, hours passed and dawn drew closer. Too engrossed in the conversation, Ryan realized the night had gone by only when the day’s first ray hit the lake. The puzzled look on his face made the merman laugh his lungs out.

“It’s time for me to go, I guess,” Zevven said after catching his breath. “It was nice to meet you. Fare—”

“Can we meet again tonight?!” Ryan interrupted the merman, gripping his wrist and staring at him with a hopeful look. “Pretty please?”

There was a moment of silence before Zevven finally nodded, “Alright, see you tonight then.”

And with that, the merman dove back into the lake.

***

“I’ve been covering your tail these past two weeks, but if the elders ever find out you’ve been talking all night long with some measly human, we’ll both be turned into seaweed fertilizer!” 

“You’re worrying too much, Nethon.”

“Worrying too much?! You look like a lovestruck mermaid! You’ll have your poor little heart broken when the guy leaves!”

“….”

Zevven turned his head and pretended not to have heard his friend. He indeed passed all of his nights with Ryan since that day. Lately, he couldn’t even wait for the sun to go down and itched to get closer to the shore during the day. He knew better than anyone that this wasn’t good. Ryan’s vacation wouldn’t last forever, and he’d soon return to his home. He shouldn’t get attached to the human, or the one to suffer would be him. Only, Zevven was used to the darkness permeating the lake, and he couldn’t help being attracted to Ryan’s sunny personality. The more he talked with him, the more he came to like him.

“Say, isn’t it the full moon tomorrow?”

“Oh gosh, dude!” Nethon gasped. “Are you really going to break every freaking taboo we have?! I’m the one who usually causes trouble, not you!”

“So, will you help me?”

“You bet I will!”

***

Ryan sat on the shore, poking at a snail with his index. His gaze appeared a little vacant, maybe due to the dark circles etching under his eyes. He hadn’t slept much these past two weeks, talking with Zevven until the early hours every night. During the day, he’d be busy hiking or playing in the water with his family. His body had grown weary, but they’d be leaving tomorrow, and he’d have all the time in the world to rest at home. So, it didn’t matter if he was a little tired or pulled another all-nighter tonight. 

A sigh escaped his lips, and Ryan stopped bothering the poor snail. Instead, he glanced at the sun and squinted. ‘Ugh, still half a day left before nightfall.’

He had always loved sunny days, but not so much these past two weeks. He couldn’t wait for the sun to set and dreaded when it’d arise; now, he’d become fond of starry nights. Only after everyone had fallen asleep could he sneak out and meet with Zevven under the starlit sky. Although, honestly, he’d love to meet him under the sunlight too.

“You look bored.”

“Well, yeah—” Ryan stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at the merman with big, round eyes. What the hell was he doing, coming up to see him in the middle of the afternoon?! “Zevven?! What are you doing here!”

“Meeting with you, what else?” Zevven snickered before pulling himself ashore. And when his whole body came into view, Ryan’s mouth fell agape. “You’re making one hell of a funny face.”

“What happened to your tail?!”

“Oh, that. I never said I couldn’t change it into something more human-like, though it’s a pain to do.”

In stead of his tail, Zevven currently had two limbs very similar to humans’ legs—he even wore a swim truck he had found God knows where! Dark spots that looked like scales dotted the pale skin, and his feet were webbed. But at the end of the day, these limbs undoubtedly looked like legs. Meanwhile, the gills on his ribs were closed and could be mistaken for scars. The marks were so faint they were barely visible to the naked eye; if Ryan hadn’t known they were there, he wouldn’t have noticed them.

“You—”

“Brother!” a voice traveled to their ears, but before they could glance over their shoulders, a teenage girl had already crashed onto Ryan’s back. “Who’s this?”

“Ah? He’s, huh….”

“Hi there, I’m Zachary. My friends ditched me, and I was a little lonely, so I swam from my chalet to here.” Zevven pointed to a chalet he knew was unoccupied a few hundred meters away. “Your laughs echoed to my balcony, and you seemed to be having fun…. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!” 

“Yeah, it’s always fun when my big bro is around!” Carla giggled. “But what’s with your hands and feet? They look so weird.”

“I’m so sorry about my daughter’s rudeness!” a woman in his forties stuttered. She had been walking behind her daughter and arrived just in time to hear Carla’s question. “Come on, apologize!”

“There’s no need; she’s only curious. It’s called webbed hands and feet. It’s a malformation that happens when your fingers and toes don’t separate well, and a thin layer of skin lingers between them.” Zevven paused to wink, “But between you and me, I’d rather believe it’s because my ancestors were mermen, and I’ve got mermen’s blood flowing in me.”

“Oh! I also prefer the latter. It sounds more romantic,” the teenager laughed. “And about your legs? They also look w—”

“Carla!”

The girl pinched her lips but obeyed her mother and whispered a “sorry”. To which Zevven smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I’m aware they’re a little ugly. However, they’re just birthmarks; I know, my luck is terrible and my genes, horrible. But at least, I’ve got beautiful eyes, don’t I?”

“Your eyes?” Carla blinked, leaning over her brother’s shoulder to get a closer look. “Let me see!”

Although Zevven’s eyes were less striking than usual, they were still of a beautiful hazel color. Under the sunlight, they appeared to shine golden. They were not as pretty as when he was in complete merman’s form, but they were nevertheless entrancing, enough that they seemed to hypnotize Carla—the teenager fell silent and even forgot to close her mouth.

“I’m sorry to pry,” Ryan’s mother cleared her throat to break the awkward atmosphere, “but I overhear you say that your friends ditched you…?”

“It’s as I said! We rented the chalet for the weekend and were supposed to meet there, but they canceled at the last minute. We had already paid for it, and I was on my way, so I figured I might as well enjoy the scenery. But I admit it’s a little boring on my own.”

“Your friends are so mean!” Carla puffed out her cheeks like a squirrel. “If you’re alone, why not hang out with us then?”

“Can I? I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“The more the merrier, I say!” Ryan’s mother chuckled. “Carla, let’s go tell your father that we’ll have a guest for supper, ok?”

“Ok!” the teenager nodded before bolting to the chalet, where her father and other siblings were. Her mother followed along, leaving her son and “Zachary” alone.

After the two departed, a silence fell between Ryan and Zevven. However, it was soon broken by Ryan, who hadn’t spoken a word in the presence of his mother and sister. “How can you spout out so many lies with a straight face?! If I hadn’t known better, I’d have been fooled!”

“Work in politics for a few years, and believe me, you’ll have no choice but to hone your lying skills.”

“You work in politics…? Wait, merpeople have jobs?!”

“Of course we do! Otherwise, how could our society function? But let’s not talk about my job. Instead, can you help me stand up? I’m not used to human legs, and I don’t really want to tumble down.”

Ryan took a second to process the merman’s words, then burst out laughing before cooperatively pulling Zevven up. The merman hadn’t lied; he was unsteady on his feet and looked like a newborn fawn. He had to use Ryan as crutches for his first steps, or he’d have fallen headfirst. Human legs were much harder to use than he had thought, and he had to focus all his attention on keeping his balance. Suddenly, Zevven couldn’t help but admire humans; how the heck could they walk and run with these unsteady things?! It was nothing short of a miracle!

***

The fire crackled, and embers flew about. Zevven glanced askance at Ryan, who was curled up into a ball, his chin resting on his knees. A pout stretched his lips as he stared at the dying fire. It was the middle of the night and his family had gone to sleep. He, too, should be in bed. However, he had told his mother that he wanted to spend more time with Zachary and could always sleep in the car tomorrow. He wasn’t the one driving, anyway.

“You look a little unhappy.”

“Well, yeah!” Ryan grumbled. “I have to go home tomorrow morning, meaning it’s the last night we can spend together! Ugh, I don’t want the sun to rise.”

“You sound like a kid.”

“I’m not a kid, and don’t treat me like one! I’m only three years younger than you!”

“Yes, yes,” Zevven laughed, stretching a hand to ruffle Ryan’s hair. “But I guess I can’t talk. I also don’t want the sun to rise.”

Zevven smiled, then lifted his eyes to stare at the full moon through the foliage. Today had been fun. Ryan’s family was warm, just like the young man. They welcomed him with open arms, and Anny had clung to him like a koala, refusing to let go. The toddler even fell asleep on his lap earlier. The elders still hadn’t found out he had saved the kid’s life, but he had no regrets. No matter how much they would chew him out later, he’d never feel guilty for rescuing a child. Honestly, there were humans worth befriending. It was a shame that his people were too afraid to connect with the outside world.

“Are you ok?” Ryan asked in a worried voice. “You’ve been sweating an awful lot.”

“Merpeople and fire don’t go well together. I feel like a smoked fish.”

“….” Ryan’s mouth twitched. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

“I couldn’t very well say that before your family,” Zevven chuckled. “I won’t die for this much, but mind if we move to the shore?”

“Of course not!”

Ryan leaped to his feet and poured a bucket of water on the dying fire, extinguishing it. Then, he stretched a hand to help Zevven stand up. Although the merman had gotten used to human legs and could walk around just fine on his own, he gladly took his hand. He slid the upper part of his fingers with his, intertwining their hands. Ryan pretended not to notice. He also didn’t comment about how Zevven didn’t let go after standing up, and they thus walked to the shore holding hands.

They sat on a flat and smooth rock. Zevven took the opportunity to slip his legs into the water and unconsciously heaved a sigh of satisfaction. His skin had dried over the day, even cracking in some places. The cold water was like a soothing balm, making him feel alive again.

“I couldn’t ask you before,” Ryan said, “but why did you come to see me during the day? Staying under the blazing sun mustn’t have been very comfortable for you.”

“I guess I wanted to spend as much time as possible with you before you leave.” Zevven paused to wink. “I also wanted to try human food.”

“And was it to your liking?”

“What can I say? Your dad is a skillful cook.” 

“Isn’t he?” Ryan laughed, but his laughter didn’t last long. “I genuinely don’t want to go home yet. This place is quite far from where I live, so I won’t be able to come back to see you any time soon. Heck, if I could, I’d move to a chalet and stay here forever! I want to keep spending my nights with you, talking or just gazing at the sky. It’s so relaxing to be around you, and our conversations are always fun, and—”

Ryan was interrupted mid-sentence, soft lips gently brushing against his. He blinked and stared into the merman’s eyes, which had started to return to their original color. They were oh-so-mesmerizing, and he momentarily forgot how to speak.

“Can I take that as a confession?”

“Eh?” It took a moment for Ryan to process the merman’s words, and once he did, he turned beet-red. The blush spread from his cheeks to his ears and neck, making him look like a tomato. Still, he nodded and mumbled, “Yeah.”

“Come here,” Zevven said as he pulled Ryan to his lap. Though surprised, Ryan obediently followed along and sat on the merman’s thighs, gripping his shoulders. “I’ll be honest. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you since the day you arrived. I intended to only watch you from afar, but it seems fate had other plans in mind for us.”

“…Can I take that as a confession?”

Zevven responded by kissing Ryan again; he only let go when both of them were breathless, their chest heavily lifting up and down. Then, he pressed his forehead against his and chuckled, “Yeah.”

.

.

Ryan was sprawled on top of Zevven, his head resting on the merman’s chest as he listened to his fast heartbeat. His damp hair enclosed his face and stuck to his skin. Beads of sweat trailed down his spine, dying at the small of his back.

“My hips hurt,” Ryan said after a while. “My waist too. Ugh, it feels like something is still inside.” 

“Sorry about that,” Zevven laughed as he groped Ryan’s buttocks and kissed the top of his head. He couldn’t resist pinching the smooth skin, drawing out a small cry of protest. “I couldn’t prepare you well because of my hands, but you didn’t dislike it, right?”

“That’s not the problem here! I absolutely can’t go for another round!”

Again, Zevven laughed before switching places with Ryan and lying on top of him. The first rays of dawn hit his back, and the full moon started to fade. The dark sky was quickly dyed with pink and red—the sun was rising. 

“Unfortunately, even if I’d have liked to go for another round, I’m out of time.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zevven suddenly vanished. Ryan’s heart skipped a beat and panic crept on him, only to recede as fast when his gaze landed on his chest. A small merman, the size of an adult hand, lay on his sternum, his chin resting on his crossed arms. Zevven lifted his head and smiled at Ryan.

“….?!”

Needless to say, Ryan was at a loss. He carefully took the merman in his hands as he sat, and Zevven wrapped himself around his index, leaning his head against his fingertip. Ryan felt his heart melt at the sight. It was so damn cute he couldn’t resist stroking the tiny merman.

“Stop it!”

“Sorry, it’s just that you’re so adorable it makes me want to poke you!” Ryan froze an instant as if remembering something. “But why did you become so small?!”

“It’s just a small aftereffect of splitting my tail and playing human. Don’t make that face, it’s nothing worrisome! I’ll just be stuck in my fish size for a few days; I’ll be able to turn back into my human’s size fast enough.”

“But you—”

“Ahem.”

A cough cut Ryan mid-sentence, and he turned his head toward the lake. Golden eyes that seemed to shine met his, stunning him into silence. It was another merman. Wait, who cared about that? Wasn’t he bare-butt, his whole body, sticky and covered with love marks, in plain sight?!

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the merman said with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “but I’d like to pick up our tribal chief before he decided to elope with you.”

“How irresponsible do you think I am, Nethon?”

“A certain someone has been dumping their work on me and sneaking out under their guards’ noses for over two weeks. It makes me wonder how much more irresponsible they can get.”

Zevven rolled his eyes. “You’re usually the one skipping work, so don’t come crying to me for only this much; it’s not like I worked you to the bones. Anyway, I need to take a vacation once in a while, or I’m going to collapse.”

Ryan’s mouth was agape as he glanced back and forth between the two mermen, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him. Zevven was the tribal chief…?! Disbelief flashed across his face as he glanced at the tiny merman, unsure if he should say something.

As if reading his mind, Zevven brought back his attention to him and kissed his fingertip. “I’m sorry, my escort is here, so I need to go. I’ll be waiting for you, so be sure to come back next year.”

After saying his piece, Zevven flung his tail and dove into the lake, looking as if he was fleeing. But before he disappeared, Ryan caught a glimpse of his bright red ears and neck. It made him unconsciously smile.

“I’ll come back next year, I swear!” Ryan screamed. “So, wait for me!”

And Ryan indeed came back the following summer. Only, he never left again.

END

🌑

 

Author's Account:

RS_Vaesen

Author's Note:

I have no idea how I managed to squeeze time to write this short story! Still, it was fun to write, though I had to cut on a few things (like the smut ;A;) to fit in the maximum amount of words allowed. I’m not used to writing short stories, but I hope it was an enjoyable read anyway! Thank you for reading! ♥

Edited by Clozed!!!!