#sicheng imagines

LIVE

there is a sound that seltzer water makes when you drop something into it, like a slice of fresh fruit, like a little pop of fireworks
you remember liking the sound ever since you were young, much has changed since then, but you still like it now
you put the last bottle in the basket of your bike and check your phone, the farmers market opens in half an hour
your stand is much smaller than the rest, a lot of the people are driving down into town from large farms in the countryside. some local restaurants are setting up summertime stalls.
your little abode is all but a wooden table you brought last night from your balcony, covered in a checkered cloth and a handwritten sign
cold sparkling cherry ades & lemonade - home made
though meager, you are content - setting out the cooler you expertly tied to the side of your handlebars with the drinks you’ve prepared
the summer sun beats down on your shoulders, but you don’t mind
the people watching is a fun activity for an otherwise boring summer
the first couple of days, you’re not surprised by the scarce amount of customers
every other stand has more options and more people - but you still manage to sell some bottles, and with each one, you get a satisfied smile from the customer
one afternoon, you’re halfway through a book you’ve brought along when someone’s shadow casts over you
you close it and look up to see -
“dong sicheng?”
“ah, i thought it was you.”
he’s taller than you remember, and broader.
the hair longer at the back of his neck.
“are you back for the summer, i heard you spent last semester abroad?”
he nods, fingers reaching for one of the bottles of cherry ade
“can i buy one?”
you smile, “it’s on the house. tell me if you like it.”
he takes his time opening it, taking a long drink
you notice how his hand is large, big enough to wrap around the entire bottle’s width
he finally turns back to you and smiles, soft, “i do like it.”
you lean forward a little - “it’s my grandmothers recipe.”
“isn’t it just sparkling water and fruit?”
he tilts his head and you shake your head, “there’s a secret ingredient.”
his brown eyes reflect into an almost homey yellow when the sunrays beat down directly onto them
“what is it?”
you shrug, “secret- remember?”
he waves and you realize only a couple of minutes after he has gone
that he left money on the table
you bike back in the summer night breeze, suddenly remembering the last time you saw him - dong sicheng.
it was almost two years ago, since then he’s spent his time out of the country.
you had passed his group of friends in the park, but he wasn’t ever there
he’s grown, he got more handsome.
you wobble on your bike a little at the intrusive thought. you shake it out, instead focusing on the preparation for tomorrows market.
about a week passes, and maybe word has gotten out about your cherry ade, because you get a little more business
and sicheng keeps showing up
you keep giving him the drink for free - but somehow money always ends up on the table or in the tip jar
you think you should confront him, but that might be rude.
so you just put it in a separate little box, planning that one day you’ll see him and give it all back.
it’s a friday when you look up from your book and see several shadows overcasting yours
you recognize them; kun, hendery, xiaojun, yukhei, ten, and yangyang
hendery pulls a bottle of lemonade from your cooler and grins
“so this is the stuff sicheng keeps drinking?”
kun snatches it and settles it back between the ice
“no, it’s the cherry ade.”
he turns to you with a slight grin, “but i don’t think it’s just the cherry ade he’s been coming back for.”
you have no idea what he’s talking about - and you put a hand on your hip
“do you guys want to buy something or-”
“sorry, seven cherry ades please.”
you count them - “but there’s only six of you.”
“we’re getting one for sicheng.”
your heart sinks a bit when you assume that means sicheng won’t come himself
but place the seven bottles into a brown paper bag
kun thanks you, hands you the money, but you refuse it
“i keep telling sicheng they’re on the house, but he keeps giving me money. ill just assume he paid for those seven in …. theory.”
kun smiles because he understands what you mean
hendery just looks at xiaojun for some help, but gets a halfhearted mumble in return
as the market closes for the day, the moon is peeking up in the sky
but it isn’t dark just yet
you pack what’s leftover into your bikes basket before walking out to the sidewalk
parked on the edge is a car you’re not familiar with, between all the vans from the different farms
the car door opens and sicheng’s tall figure folds himself out of the drivers seat
“do you bike home alone?”
“it’s only three miles, it really isn’t anything to be worried about.”
he tilts his head toward the trunk
“i think your bike will fit - and you can hold the basket up front.”
you are a little dizzy suddenly when you’re seated beside him and sicheng is pulling out from his parking spot
it has been silent since those words and you want to say something to avoid this kind of dense atmosphere so you open your mouth - but nothing comes out
why am i nervous?
“i heard my friends visited you today, im sorry if they bothered you. some of them are -” he shakes his head a bit “a handful.”
“i assume you mean hendery?”
“that one and yangyang, sometimes ten and xiaojun get looped into it too. yukhei is too nice to say no.”
“kun?”
he slows the car a little at a red light
“he’s too smart to go along with the idiocy.”
“he said something to me today.”
sicheng swallows, you catch his reflection in the car mirror
“he said you don’t only show up for the cherry ade….to the farmers market i mean, do you -”
you sit up straighter and your grip on the basket of leftover drinks tightens
“do you have another stall you like-”
“it’s you.”
the car starts moving again
“me?”
he seems to come out of his tight skin for a second, rolling his shoulders back but never letting go of the wheel
he keeps his eyes on the road till you get to your house, you have no idea how he remembers where you live, but you ask again before you get out
“me?”
finally sicheng turns to you and in the close proximity you see how the two years of age has made him more defined
“there were things about this place the i missed when i left, but i -”
he lets go of the wheel
“but i was surprised when i missed you.”
the night sky has come out fully now, which is weird - not much time seems to has past
“oh, i -” it had never occurred to you if you missed him too. maybe part of you did, subconsciously, because when you saw him again at the market you had felt more whole than before.
“don’t worry about feeling the same-” he sighs, voice smaller than before but still deep “i just wanted to let you know because my friends will probably open their big mouth-”
“can you kiss me?”
sicheng obliges, with only a second of hesitance, and it is slightly awkward because it’s over the middle partition and all and you’re holding the basket of unsold drinks
but it’s nice and it tastes like summer
and when he pulls back you say thank you out of sheer disorientation and happiness
only in the morning do you realize, i left the bike in his trunk!
you are ok with walking the two miles and you ready yourself for it but when you leave your house parked out front is sicheng
your bike is out of the trunk but when you put a hand on it he offers instead to drive you to the market
that way you can carry more drinks and he’ll drive you home after it closes too.
“you don’t have to do all that.”
“i want to.”
sicheng gets into the routine of doing it for you everyday, you insist numerous times that the bike is fine, but he never seems to fully listen
the only repayment he ever asks for are cold glasses of the cherry ade
and sometimes one more of those short, sweet in-car kisses
one morning as you’re walking out to meet him again he asks, gently, if you can skip this one day at the market
“why?”
“i thought we could go do something together.”
you agree, he could have just said date - you think with a little laugh to yourself, and are surprised when sicheng drives you out and down to the lake
there’s a sectioned off area for an outdoors cafe and when you both order the same cherry flavored drink, you note it as a coincidence
when it arrives, sicheng takes the first drink
“your homemade one is better.”
“i think you’re a little biased there.”
you feel him outstretch his long legs under the table, his ankles on either side of yours
the lean a little onto you, not too much, just enough minimal contact
“will you ever tell me the secret ingredient for it?”
he asks and you put your hands down on the table so they’re also just in reach of his own
he seems to get the signal and puts his hands down too, pinkies brushing pinkies
“if i decide you deserve to know.”
he sits up, “what’s the criteria for being worthy?”
you look away - out onto the lake
“telling you would be cheating.”
“well, i have all summer to figure it out then.”
the rest of the date, as you are sure that’s what it is, goes so comfortably that it almost is like sicheng had never been gone for those two years
it’s as if you’ve seen him everyday and he’s held your hand everyday and he’s admired you when he thought you couldn’t notice…….everyday
when it finally is time to walk back to the car for the drive home
he stops and says with an almost delicacy about it, that you two should have a first - real - kiss
he keeps his hands to himself when he says this and you can tell he’s trying to be careful with you
you don’t like that, and so you take his larger wrists and drag him toward you until you place them where you want them - on your hips
you look up at him and his pupils seem just a bit blown out
“you said a real kiss right?”
you lean in first, which catches sicheng by surprise, he makes another sound of it when you tug his lower lip between your teeth
his fingers curl a little into the fabric of your shorts and you mutter before you break apart that you are not a glass bottle of cherry ade, he doesn’t have to handle with too much care
from then on it is a flurry, the rest of the summer still has you working the farmers market but you spend too many ‘breaks’ in between kissing with sicheng pressing your back up against a hidden wall or a tree
when some of the farmers or other stall owners catch you, they rush away and giggle when you pass by during closing
one of the local florist stalls corners sicheng before he makes his way over to you and insists he give you this bouquet
you set it up beside your cooler and sicheng takes a long drink before he joins you behind the table
he watches you play with his fingers while you wait for customers and although he tries to poise himself
in five minutes time he asks if you can take another break
with his lips on yours you get that aftertaste of cherries - and you love it
on the night you have you first complete sell out, all bottles gone, you say you and sicheng should celebrate
he assumes you mean go out to dinner or something but you tell him to drive you home now
and when he parks you take his hand in yours and lead him inside
the middle of the summer is the hottest and the stickiest and you leave the window open regardless of what the neighbors might hear because of it
sicheng, though you warned him to not be all too careful, is so considerate the whole time you are the one who has to pull your own shirt off first and everything else with it
in front of wide, flustered, and slowly darkening gaze of him
when you wake him up the next morning, he’s groggy and gives you a little sound of protest - you sit in your bed eating cherries and then tell sicheng you can tie the knot with your tongue
he watches you do it and before you can finish, he pulls you back down ontop of him
the summer’s sweetness of sicheng and your cherry ade continues until you start to realize the nights are getting longer and cooler
and the questions dawns on you
is sicheng here for good? or is he going to leave again, for another year, or two, or three?
you feel weird about asking him, because if he wants to go then you don’t want him to rethink it at the expensive of you
so you don’t - not until it’s the last day of the farmers market and you are standing beside him with his hand on your waist and you go
“are you ready to hear the secret ingredient?”
“oh - i finally deserve to know?”
he nuzzles a kiss against your ear
“i want you to know it before you…….if you leave, i want you to know it if you leave because i might not be able to tell you-”
his hand drops and you realize this is your fear coming to fruition
“im not leaving.”
you turn, so fast you almost knock the cooler over but sicheng catches it before the glass bottles can go tumbling to the ground
“you’re not?”
“no. i don’t have any reason too because there’s something here i want to stay for now.”
he props the cooler back up and catches you still looking at him, he smiles softly
“unless you want me to go?”
“no!” you throw your hands around his neck and pull him down into a kiss that he has to stop because you are still in public
“then i wont go, i didnt plan on it and im not going to change my mind. i promise.”
he adds and you nod, an assurance coating the the doubt and terror that had built a home within you
“oh- the secret ingredient is-”
you lean up to whisper in his ear and he stifles a chuckle and a unsatisfied, ‘really?’
you pretend to be offended, but nod - “yes. really.”
“well i feel honored to know.”
his hand settles back on your waist and you lean into his side,
“you should be. you’re the only other person on earth right now who does.”
you remember liking the sound ever since you were young, much has changed since then, but you still like it now - that sound that seltzer makes when you drop something into it
you think sicheng has grown to love it too
standing behind you in the kitchen as you cut fresh cherries in halves and he watches
hands on either side of you - wedding band gleaming
“your hands are all dirty-” he mumbles and you take the diced cherries and plop three at a time into the glass bottles
the rest you feed to him over your shoulder, one for him - one for you
“ill wash them after im done.”
he takes one of your hands and kiss them, you swat him away and tell him to go take the tray of glass bottles to the dining room
all your friends are there waiting patiently, all older, but all still together
hendery claps his hands and you hear it from the kitchen
he takes a bottle and goes, “isn’t this the real reason you married them sicheng - all the free cherry ade in the world.”
you hear a sound and kun grumbling the words, “don’t be dumb hendery.”
you laugh and turn the water on to wash your hands - you don’t hear it but xiaojun whispers to sicheng
“so - what’s the special ingredient, did they ever tell you?”
“i bet it’s love or something, right sicheng?”
ten snorts and sicheng looks through the room at you, standing in the home you’ve built together, smiling to yourself
“you could say it’s something like that.”

#ok 4 days isnt too late i hope anyway i love you sicheng #wayv aus #wayv imagines #wayv scenarios #sicheng scenarios #sicheng imagines #sicheng au #winwin au #winwin scenarios #winwin imagines #nct imagines #nct au #nct scenarios #member sicheng #winwin #sicheng

@warmau

Sun, 01 Nov 2020 19:07:34

★ spy!au sicheng | tw: weapons + violence ment.

yukhei keeps bouncing his leg under the poker table and sicheng thinks it really is going to drive him nuts
they’ve been wandering around the hotel for hours
and the target hasn’t even shown their face, let alone made any sort of indication that they’d be coming down to enjoy the casino on this late summer evening
sicheng grits his teeth - was xiaojun’s intel wrong?
the gun pressed against the side of his hip, cloaked by the long linen blazer he’s wearing, still manages to feel cold against his hot skin
he’s been spying on your company for years - this is the first time any news of your true identity has come to the surface in the underground world
if he can just get you alone, get you to admit that you are who he thinks you are
then he can get you to admit how your company is just a sham - just a shell to hide the business you’re actually in
“i mean what if they just aren’t even here?”
sicheng’s eyes cut sharply into yukhei’s expression
he doesn’t have to even say it, but he does
“they are. xiaojun has never been wrong before.”
“ok, so what if they are here - but they’re not the evil mastermind criminal you think they- oh look at that i won!”
yukhei leans out to scoop the chips on the table toward him. the dealer giggles when he winks at her.
sicheng is getting impatient, yukhei could be right - but sicheng has never blown his cover and he has never apprehended an innocent civilian
he gets up, causing yukhei and the other players to startle
“restroom.”
he says and disappears, yukhei apologizing on behalf of his eccentric workbuddy.
sicheng splashes some water on his face and grips the side of the sink, he fishes an ear piece out of his pocket and slips it in, double-tapping it twice to connect him to his home base
ten’s laughter sparks through in a matter of seconds
“ah! hows the mission going?”
“put xiaojun on.”
ten sighs and mutters that he doesn’t like sicheng’s tone, he is his senior afterall
xiaojun’s voice comes in next
“sich-”
“sorry, but i dont recall asking you to give me bullshit information. sitting around and enjoying the beautiful sights of macau is fun and all that but im here to capture a criminal, not entertain yukhei’s blossoming gambling addiction.”
sicheng is pretty sure he can hear xiaojun cringe - but he keeps his voice low
“have their been any updates on their socials?”
xiaojun tinkers over on his side, and then confirms that you should be at the hotel. all of the gps signals from your phone are coming from the tower just down the block.
“well they’re not here - are you telling me they flew over here for a vacation just to stay holed up in their ro-”
“sicheng, they just posted a photo on instagram. the targets sitting at your poker table.”
as quickly as he leaves, sicheng reemerges at the table.
he’s happy to see that yukhei still looks perfectly composed, jolly and entertaining
but as soon as sicheng sits back down, he feels a tap on his knee
it’s them
yukhei’s tap means, sicheng taps back
good. let’s proceed with the plan.
sicheng is only a bit surprised, internally of course, that you look so much like your photos
either you’re flaunting your identity or you’ve made the biggest oversight of your life
buying an international phone, with an international sms chip, should be pretty hard to trace. but macau is part of sicheng’s turf. as soon as you bought it - your information popped up on xiaojun’s servers
and now
here you were
the dealer serves the cards, sicheng gets a flop of a hand
across the table, it looks like his target is giddy with their cards.
yukhei picks up on it as well and leans over to whisper something into the targets ear
the target bursts into laughter again. good, yukhei will sweet talk his way in and sicheng will clean up with an invitation to join them for dinner later
“sir?”
the dealer’s voice pulls sicheng out of his mind and back to reality
he pushes a small stack of chips into the middle
“ah - looks like my buddy isn’t gonna win this one, huh?”
yukhei says to the target and they both giggle at sicheng.
sicheng gives a shy, rehearsed smile
he knows his handsome and quiet persona paired with yukhei’s equally as handsome and loud persona is a sure catch in these things
if you don’t like yukhei, you’ll like him.
if you don’t like him, you’ll like yukhei.
the game goes on and everything goes to plan - sicheng is itching to get you alone - but his job is all about waiting
finally, the game ends - some rich old man on the other side of the table ends up with a boatload of everyone’s money
yukhei gets up and sicheng follows, buttoning his blazer
“would you like to join us for drinks, we’re going to head over to the bar”
yukhei asks first and sicheng bows his head slightly - polite, playing the gentlemen
he hears the target confirm and sicheng starts counting down the seconds in his head
there’s an alley between the casino and the poolhouse, it’s used for the staff - but sicheng knows the hotel’s owner, kun and has arranged that it be off limits for tonight
he will get all the information he needs there
just as he’s about to follow after yukhei, whose hand is already lightly on the targets waist
the dealer places something down on the table and out of the corner of his eye - sicheng freezes
it’s the ace of spades, but there is something written on it
he shouldn’t be bothered by it, but his curiosity nips him to look
‘and here i thought you’d actually catch me, dong sicheng.’
something in sicheng’s blood goes cold
he looks up and the dealer is gone
quickly, he sees a flash of the distinct red uniform that they wear weave away from him in the crowd
without notice, he takes off after it - and yukhei turns in confusion, calling out his name
the phone in sicheng’s back pocket is buzzing, he fumbles to get the ear piece back on and he hears xiaojun’s voice - staticy and unstable
“sicheng! we were looking at the wrong person - the actual- the- “
“xiaojun, i cant hear you!”
“the phone was planted! the - the phone-”
“xiaojun, get to it!”
“the dealer!”
sicheng rips the ear piece out, he dodges waiters with platters of drinks and drunk casino patrons as he follows your figure through them
at some point he think he loses sight of you, skirting to a stop near the doors to the kitchen when he hears someone shout from inside
he pushes through - and there you are, standing over a pile of desserts and a flabbergasted looking chef
you look over your shoulder and grin at sicheng, dashing off without another hesitation
sicheng follows, he hurries to grab the gun in his waistband, but stops as he realizes there are way too many eyes on him
he’s a spy, not a cop, if these people see a gun they’ll freak out
instead he jumps over the mess you’ve made - still chasing you
he’s surprised you’re faster than him, and it’s only when he turns the corner and into that little alley he’d set up earlier
that he catches you
but it’s too late - you’re standing there with our own gun drawn
behind you, where there should be another opening and sicheng was hoping he could call yukhei for back up - is a giant dumpster
not even yukhei could scale it and sicheng puts his hands up as you motion with your free hand for him to back up
“did you know i was onto you?”
“of course.”
“how?”
“you shouldnt be so sure of yourself sicheng, you know.”
he swallows and in the dim light, he sees a slither of your face
he hadn’t paid any attention to you at the table - which he can’t forgive himself for - he usually indulges every detail
but now he can see that you’re suspicious
for one, you don’t even have a name tag on
and you’re far too beautiful to be working tables at this casino - but that observation he files away for himself
“what are you talking about?”
“you think your friends won’t sell you out?”
the faces of yukhei, xiaojun, and ten flash through his mind. there’s also yangyang - a spy in training stationed on a mission abroad, and hendery - who knows about sicheng’s job only by an accidental meeting a couple of years back.
“none of my friends would sell me out.”
“oh im not talking about that sweet boy yukhei……..”
“then wh-”
kun? the owner of the hotel?
sicheng’s eyes narrow - “what did you do to him?”
you pull back the gun, but not enough that sicheng feels safe enough to approach you
instead you start the slow walk closer, the more you inch forward the more of your face becomes clear to him
sicheng really doesn’t get it now, how could he have been so blind - you put a hand out to touch his cheek
and as if you can read his mind, you answer his doubts
“it’s because you were way too focused on a stranger when you should have been looking at me.”
you give a tilt of your head and pout
“you’ve spent all this time chasing me, i thought you would finally sweep me off my feet this time.”
sicheng twitches, he hadn’t realized at the table, but you have a sweet smell wafting from you
he wonders if his brain is just malfunctioning due to all the mistakes he’s made or if you somehow managed to put it on in the time span of the chase
either way, it’s engulfing him - he thinks he won’t forget your face or this scent for a long time
he feels your other hand trace down the side of his blazer and pull his weapon masterfully from beneath
with both guns in your hands, he has to walk on eggshells now
“well, it looks like you’ll have to keep chasing.”
you step back and unbutton the vest of the uniform - sicheng’s eyes look away and he hears you slip the guns into what he assumes are holsters within the pockets
you suddenly lean forward, taking him by the chin and turning his attention back on you
“promise you won’t give up?”
you’re mocking him and it makes sicheng’s skin crawl
but at the same time, something in him is twisting around and reacting to the way your eyes, as cold and as cruel as they look, are reflecting under the shine of the moon
what a stupid romantic thought, sicheng tries to tell himself, but he can’t help it
“never”
he means to spit it back, to challenge you like you’re challenging him
but somehow it doesn’t sound that way and when you stand on the tips of your toes to kiss right beside his lip
you whisper
“good, i hope you really do get me next time.”
before disappearing and leaving sicheng alone - confused and pissed
when he finds yukhei again, his friend just blinks at him and asks
“what’s the stain on the side of your mouth it looks like -”
sicheng rubs it off with his sleeve
“nothing. let’s get back to the base. im not letting this one get away.”

#but idk thats what happens #wayv imagines #wayv scenarios #wayv au #winwin scenarios #winwin imagines #winwin au #sicheng scenarios #sicheng imagines #sicheng au #winwin #sicheng #weapons #nct scenarios #nct au

@warmau

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 16:12:12

summary:if injuring yourself and nearly drowning in the sea meant that a very cute (and shirtless) mermaid boy had to take care of you, so be it.
pairing:winwin x reader
genre:mermaid! au, fluff

Your summer had been boring so far, to say the least. You huffed, the wind ruffling your hair as you walked through the docks of your uncle’s vacation home while swinging your water bottle. There were summer houses all lined up within the beach, but only your uncle ever stayed here. Even then, he was spending the next week in the neighboring town to visit his old friend, so it was only you in the summer house. It gave the illusion that you had the beach all to yourself. To be honest, however, you couldn’t blame them. There was nothing here.

You set down your water bottle beside you and squatted along the edge of the dock, peering in to get a view of the sea. You couldn’t see much, given that it was nearing sunset, but the dark orange hue of the sun gave a pretty sight to the waters. One of the most pleasing things about being here was for the aesthetics. Water and the sea had always been calming to you, a refresher to the day’s stress. You could really stare at it for the whole day.

That was, until you saw a flash of something glimmering. You jumped up, startled before leaning closer to the edge of the dock. Why wasn’t this fish in the deeper parts of the water at this hour like every other fish? What kind of fish shone and shimmered? You sharpened your eyes, about to lean closer when you spotted it again. There, a little farther from the dock. It had teal scales, which glittered at the bounce of sunlight and two large fins as the end. The farther from the fin, the scales became less and less until they connected to a human torso.

Startled, you jumped a little away from the water. However, given how close you were to the edge of the dock, your balance went askew and you lost your footing. You let out a little cry as you splashed into the cold water, desperately trying to grab onto the edge of the dock. However, a sharp piece of the wood ran a long gash through the side of your arm, and you hissed in pain as it made contact with the salty water.

You tried your best to swim your way to shore, but it was just too far away. You kicked and kicked to keep your head afloat and above the water, but it was proving hard to you seeing as you could only use one arm. You didn’t even have the time to breathe in before water filled your mouth. You choked at the overly salty taste, panic already overtaking every corner of your mind.

It wasn’t long before you felt the edges of your vision darken and your limbs weaken, falling limp as you sunk deeper into the sea. You felt your eyelids flutter closed unconsciously. The last thing you felt before blacking out was the current’s whooshof something big making way toward you and two strong hands grabbing your hips, propelling you toward the shore before you blacked out.

“Chenle, you idiot, she saw you!” Someone hissed quietly, “I told you to be more careful! Who knew what would happen if gege wasn’t there to help us-“

“I know, I know,” a higher pitched voice whined, “I’ll be more careful next time.”

Your eyes fluttered open to see an cove of some sorts. There was water in the middle, but you were lying on the edge of the cold stone floor. Two teens were poking out from the water, arguing in hushed voices. One had the brightest red hair you’d ever laid your eyes on while the other had curly, blond hair. From the clear water you could see the outline of a tail. You blinked, making sure you weren’t hallucinating, but the tails remained. The redhead had a matching red tail of while his younger-looking companion had the blue-scaled tail you had seen earlier.

You went on a coughing fit, spitting out water. You tried to get the taste of salt out of your throat, but to no avail.

“I think she’s awake, Renjun-ah, Chenle-ah,” a softer, more mature voice called out. They instantly ceased their chatter and turned to you, swimming closer with their faces full of curiosity and concern.

Once you regained your breathing, you turned to the new voice. What you saw almost took your breath away again. In front of you was a man around your age, with light blond hair swept off his face and pink strands toward the back of his head. His tail was a light gray color, complimenting his puppy-like eyes, long nose and lips so beautiful it wasn’t human. To top it all off, he, like the other two, was very much shirtless.

You tried to sit yourself up, letting out a small cry as pain shot up your arm. In an instant he was by your side, an arm against your back to support you as he helped you into a sitting position. He turned to the redhead, cocking his head in signal. He nodded and swam off somewhere, returning with your water bottle in hand.

The man grabbed it, popping the cap open and tipping the contents into your mouth gently, “You should drink up to replenish your health.”

He pulled the water bottle away after a moment, and you hurriedly gulped down the contents, the water soothing your dry throat and washing the taste of salt away. You wiped your mouth with your good hand, suddenly embarrassed.

“Thank you, er…?”

“Sicheng. These are my brothers, Renjun and Chenle,” he indicated to the redhead and the blond. Chenle sent you a tentative wave while Renjun inspected you, as if observing you.

It was Chenle who swam forward first, a little hesitant, “Listen, uh, I’m really sorry that you fell into the water and that wound on your arm! I was only playing near the surface with Renjun gege which I know I shouldn’t be doing but did anyway and we saw you and I was so intrigued because we rarely ever see humans around here and I wanted a closer view on you and you accidentally saw me and-“

“I think that’s enough, Chenle,” Renjun cut in, sending a sorry smile to you. You nodded, still too dazed to really process anything, “We saw you drown and Chenle called for gege to help you. Thank god he came in time.”

“So you’re, uh,” you cleared your throat, wincing at how awful you sounded, “Mermaids?”

“Mermen,” Sicheng corrected you with a shrug, and once again you were captivated by how beautiful he could make a simple gesture to be, “But more or less.”

You were suddenly aware of how messy you looked. You ran a hand through your salt-streaked, dry hair, cringing at how rough and poofy it was, “I didn’t expect mermen to be real. I thought you were just stuff made out from fairytales and folklore, like The Little Mermaid.”

Chenle perked up, “I love that story! Except we don’t have a blue king that carries around a trident all the time or underground cities or whatever. It’s just us.”

“So do you have a name, or are we just supposed to call you Human?” Sicheng questioned quietly, not unkindly. A blush crept up your cheeks, a little embarrassed.

“I’m (Y/N),” you muttered. Sicheng moved closer to you, pulling out a few seaweeds and an unfamiliar paste. You looked at it warily, wondering what he was going to do with it.

“Relax, it’s going to help your wound heal. Can you give me your arm?” He held out a hand, and you reluctantly put your hand in his, “This is going to a hurt a bit.”

He scooped some of the paste with his fingers and rubbed it over your gash as gently as he could. You hissed through your teeth at the pain, distracting yourself with studying the features of Sicheng’s face. He was leaning so close you could see each individual lash of his. You thanked Chenle for breaking the pregnant silence, as he moved to the edge of the water and rested his head atop his crossed arms.

“Say, (Y/N)-noona, can I touch your legs?” You looked down on them, a little flustered that somebody would be asking you this odd question. However, his face was so expectant you found it hard to say no. You unfurled them from their criss-cross position and patted them.

“I don’t see any reason why not,” With that, his hand reluctantly left the water and traced a line on your leg. He poked and prodded them, and you giggled a little when he touched your feet, “That tickles, Chenle.”

Renjun joined in, sending a questioning look at you. You nodded, wiggling your toes at him. They asked you what a calf was, how many toes you had and how it felt to walk on two feet all the while Sicheng was wrapping the seaweed around your arm as a kind of bandage.

“What is it like up there in the human world?” Renjun asked, a glimmer to his eye.

“Well, for starters, we have four seasons-“

“What are seasons?”

“Be quiet and let her finish, Chenle-ah,” Sicheng nodded at you. You found yourself blushing, but you tried to shake it away.

“It’s when the climate changes. There’s autumn, winter, spring and summer, which is happening right now. School goes off during this time.”

“School? Isn’t that a group of fish?”

“It’s where a bunch of people go to learn,” you answered, “Don’t you have those in the sea?”

Renjun shrugged, “We mostly learn how to keep the corals safe and how to avoid getting netted from our brothers.”

“Finished,” Sicheng breathed out, pulling away to admire his handiwork. You had to admit, you were impressed. The seaweed wrappings were neat. Satisfied, he let go of your hand. You tried not to be disappointed at the loss of contact with him, “You probably need to get back, don’t you? It’s already dark outside.”

Chenle whined, while the redhead’s lips turned to a frown. You could tell they wanted to hear more about the human world. Truth be told, you felt like this whole encounter would shimmer away to your imagination once you left the place. You bit your lip worriedly, “Will I see you guys again?”

“Of course,” Sicheng answered. The younger boys whipped their heads toward him, confused, but he continued, “We’ll alternate shifts. Besides, these boys need to take care of your wound as a punishment for being too careless around the surface.”

“Can you tell us more about your world tomorrow, noona?” Renjun questioned, and you nodded eagerly.

“I don’t see why not.”

Each day after that for the next few months, you visited the cove. At first you were skeptical it had been a delirious dream, but the seaweed on your arm proved otherwise. Some days, it would be Renjun and Chenle, and on the others it would be Sicheng. You found out that Chenle seemed to never run out of topics to talk about and that Renjun had an unquenched curiosity for the human world.

For Sicheng, you found out that he was attractive in whatever he did and was a total sweetheart.

“Earth to (Y/N)-noona? Hello?” Renjun waved a hand in front of your face, trying to snap you out from your thoughts. Chenle snorted from eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which you had brought a few weeks ago for them to see what human food was like. Chenle had gotten addicted to it and begged for you to make one every time you came).

“Noona’s too busy thinking about gege,” he quipped. You blushed scarlet, stuttering protests. He only smiled devilishly, knowing he hit jackpot. Your crush on him wasn’t a secret, and the two teens liked to tease you mercilessly over it. However, you were a little skeptical; you were absolutely positive Sicheng had no feelings for you, and even then, you weren’t even sure if human and mermen relationships even worked.

You sat at the edge of the stone, your feet dipping in the water. Renjun pulled himself up beside you, unknotting the seaweed wrap around your arm and washing the paste from yesterday off gently. It had to be removed and replaced each day, you learnt.

The three of you fell into a comfortable silence, Chenle munching on his sandwich happily, Renjun replacing your wrap and you watching the whole process happen. You had gotten attached to the two, thinking of them like little brothers you never had.

“Hey, (Y/N)-noona,” Renjun started out softly, his tone different from his usually playful one, “You really like gege, don’t you?”

“W-What brought this on?” You questioned, but Renjun just hummed. Sighing, you knew there would be no escape from this situation, “But yeah. I really like Sicheng.”

“I don’t get it,” Chenle finished his sandwich and flipped across the water, sending water splashing everywhere. Renjun let out a cry of distaste as the blond emerged, “Why don’t you just confess, noona?”

“It’s not that simple, you know,” you sighed, “He probably doesn’t even like me back.”

“You never know, noona,” Renjun tutted, finishing up with the seaweed wrap before looking up to you with a crooked grin, “Now tell us more about hospitals, please.”

“You took long,” Sicheng looked up at you from his sitting position on the edge of the stone as you entered, his tail slapping lightly against the surface of the water.

“I almost forgot Chenle’s sandwich,” you held up a Ziploc bag, smiling sheepishly. Sicheng patted the space beside him, and you sat down where he indicated.

Immediately, he took your arm and placed it on the lap of his tail, pulling off the seaweed wrap Renjun did yesterday and washing away the paste. The wound was almost healed, with it now being a pink outline. You had to admit, the paste and wrap was doing a good job. You looked up to study Sicheng’s face, with him being taller than you. He was focused on your arm, a furrow to his brow and an intense look in his puppy-like eyes.

“Do you – are your ears pointed, Sicheng?” You questioned, only realizing the detail now. He looked at your confused face for a moment before continuing to rub the paste in your arm, a small, embarrassed smile on his lips.

“One of them. It’s not a mermaid thing, if you’re wondering. It’s just a me thing.”

“Can I… touch it?” He nodded, and you reluctantly brought one of your hands up to trace the outline of it, eliciting a shiver.

“Careful,” he tilted his head up to look at you straight in the eye, his voice suddenly huskier. He worded each sentence of it carefully, talking in a slow tone, “It’s a little sensitive.”

You bit your lip, nodding at the close proximity between you two. He looked back down to focus on wrapping the seaweed. One of your nails dragged a line in where the point was, and to your surprise, Sicheng let out a throaty groan.

He looked up at you for a second time, this time tying something on your wrist. There was something almost dark in his eyes, and you found yourself entranced in them once more. His hands found your hips and squeezed them gently as you worried your bottom lip.

“Do you know,” he breathed, eyes darting to your lips, “How much you drive me crazy, (Y/N)?”

“H-Huh?”

“Do you know how difficult it is to control myself in front of you? How hard it is to refrain from kissing you right then and there when your eyes light up at the mention of your hobby or when you’re telling the boys about your world?”

“Sicheng,” you brought both hands up and entwined them behind his neck.

“Do you know how worried I am that one day you won’t pass through that entrance in this cove?”

“Dong Sicheng,” you tilted your head up, both of your foreheads and noses already touching, “I’ll always come back to you.”

With that, you brought your lips up to his, sealing the promise.

“Say, noona, is that an anemone bracelet on your wrist?” Renjun asked. Chenle choked on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You nodded, holding it up for him to see.

“Yeah, Sicheng gave it to me yesterday. Isn’t it pretty?”

“N-Noona,” Chenle coughed a few more times before calming himself down, clearing his throat, “You do know what an anemone bracelet means, right?”

“They have meanings?”

“Of course,” Renjun quipped, “Don’t flowers have meanings in the human world too, noona?”

“Well, yeah, they do, but I didn’t think you paid attention to those kind of things,” you shrugged, “What does an anemone bracelet mean, then? Enlighten me.”

“It’s a declaration of love,” a new voice said, and you whipped your head around to see Sicheng emerging from the surface of the water, “It means I devote myself to you and only you.”

“O-Oh,” you gulped as he swam closer to you. Renjun had moved away from you, splashing back into the water and trying to steal a few bites from Chenle’s sandwich, “I thought it was Renjun and Chenle’s shift today.”

He wrapped an arm around your waist and buried his face in the crook of your shoulder, his voice a little muffled, “What, am I not allowed to see my girlfriend? That’s the term you use in your world, right?”

“Yeah,” you smiled, running your hand through his hair, “And for the record, Dong Sicheng, I’m in love with you too.”

cr. gif not mine unless stated!

@murkrees

Sat, 06 Jan 2018 22:01:59