Water Boy (1/1)

He could hear the waves crashing against the shore, but it sounded different. It sounded sharper, harsher, louder. He could feel the water against his feet, but it was cold and it stung. He was tired, pained, and confused. His eyes were closed, but he could see the sunlight through his eyelids. It was bright. Too bright.When he finally opened his eyes, he saw sand beneath him. Dry sand. And sunlight. And the shore.And he remembered. He remembered what he had done. What he now was.Slowly, he moved his arms. He placed his hands in the sand and pushed himself up off his stomach. He admired the look his body now had. He admired the smooth skin, the unwebbed fingers.It really happened. He really was a human.He rolled over and looked at himself in his entirety, at the body that was now his. He stretched his legs and flexed his toes. It was so strange. He had never felt anything like it before. It was so weird moving both feet independently.The water lapped against his body, and yes, it felt different. It felt nothing like the sea he had grown up in. Those waters had felt comforting to him, but now, against his dry human skin, they felt foreign. It was no longer his element; the open air was. The wind and sun were now his medium. And it felt so good to know that.Cautiously, Taemin started to rise. He didn't quite know yet how to do it, but he managed to push himself up on all four limbs, then eventually, onto his feet. His knees were shaking as he rose to his full height, standing as a human for the first time. He smiled happily as he took his first step, relishing in the coarse sand that pressed into the bottom of his tender feet.He was human. He was alive.Taemin took his next step. And then another. He was walking, and a second later, he was running. It was effortless and invigorating. The next thing he knew, he was dancing. He was spinning and jumping, kicking up sand as he flailed about. It was the most wonderful feeling. He had never felt so ecstatic before.He was different. He felt different and he looked different. His skin no longer shimmered and the hair that fell down his back was black instead of gold. But he didn't mind. None of that mattered. He had found his happiness. Finally, he could live the life he wanted, and be with the man he wanted. It felt like nothing stood in his way.The once merman came to an abrupt halt when he discovered he wasn't alone there on the beach. He thought he was, as it was still fairly early, but no. There were two human men standing there, staring at him. The looks of puzzlement on their faces were unmistakable.Taemin assumed he must look pretty ridiculous dancing around on the beach naked (since that was something humans never did), but he didn't care. He was too happy to be ashamed."Hello," one of the two men said awkwardly - the tall one with the big eyes.Taemin opened his mouth to greet him, to speak those human words with his human lips. But nothing came out. He worked his muscles to speak, and yet there was silence.His hands went to his mouth as the realization sank in. He could not speak! He could not get a sound past his lips. Magic had taken his voice from him. That was the price he had paid.A dozen questions went through his mind at once. Why hadn't Yoori told him? Did Yoori even know? Why his voice? How could he communicate with Jonghyun? With humans at all? How could he explain to them who he was? How could he tell Jonghyun that he loved him?"Um, are you alright?" the tall man asked again. He looked wary as he took a step closer.Again, Taemin tried to speak, but nothing came out."Don't be scared," he continued, noticing his distress."What happened to you? Are you alright?" the other man with him asked, the shorter one. "Can you speak?"Sorrowful, Taemin shook his head."Are you hurt?" the tall man asked, clearly concerned for him.Taemin shook his head again."What happened to you? Where are you from?"Weakly, Taemin gestured to the sea. It vaguely occurred to him that maybe he shouldn't have pointed, but he was so distraught he didn't know what to do. How could those two men even help him if he couldn't speak to them? How could he get them to tell him where he was? How could they take him to the prince?"Hey, it's okay. It's okay. Don’t cry," the shorter man said, coming closer to him."He probably fell overboard," the taller man said to his friend, speaking softly."Do you think he was in the water long?""It's hard to know." The taller man paused and surveyed the beach, as if looking for something. Perhaps another person or a clue as to where he was from, "Get a blanket, will you?"Immediately, the short man took off running. The taller man remained, trying to be encouraging with his soft smile. Taemin just continued to sob. Cautiously, he reached out, stroking Taemin's head and his wet hair. Taemin didn't expect it to, but it actually made him feel a little better. Enough so that he wasn't sobbing quite so hard.It wasn't very long before the other young man returned, holding a balled up blanket in his arms."Don't worry, we'll help you. You're not alone. Okay?" the tall man continued to comfort him, "My name is Minho. And this is Joonmyun. We'll take care of you. We'll make sure you get back home."Joonmyun shook out the sand from his blanket, before draping it over Taemin's shoulders, covering him. Though he hadn't felt cold, the blanket wrapped around his shoulders was comforting. It helped stop the rest of his tears."See? Everything's fine," Minho said.Everything wasn't fine, but the two of them made him feel a little better. They were there to help him. He wasn't alone. They might even be able to take him to the castle."You can't tell us your name, can you?" Joonmyun asked.Taemin moved his lips to say his name, though the sound didn't come out. His two new friends drew a little closer to watch him mouth it."Something-Min," Joonmyun deduced."Min. Can we just call you 'Min'?" Minho asked.Taemin nodded. He didn't really care at the moment."Why don't you come with us?" Joonmyun said, laying his arm over his shoulder and leading him along the shore, "We'll take you home to Kibum."