A few things of notice for the chapter: Sirens don't have marriage or anything. they just find another Siren partner. Also, Sirens are unable to have children; I'll describe why later. And Finally, in this story, The Sirens live in caves in coral reefs. There is no giant underwater city or anything, they just live in caves.
Also, Taeyeon, Sunny, and Hyoyeon are not really sisters; but they were all 'adopted' by Queen Boa, and became her children. You'll see later. :)
Chapter 7 To The Sea!
Saturday morning came upon the Lee family as it usually did; calmly, gently, like a blanket slowly being pried off after a nice sleep. Taeyeon opened her eyes to find the sunlight streaming in through her blinds; she sat up and stretched, happily welcoming the day.
"Today's the day!" she whispered excitedly, slowly crawling out of bed so as not to wake her sleeping husband. She tip-toed to his side of the bed and giggled quietly at his sleeping form; completely submerged under the covers with nothing but his hairline peeking through. She gave his head a little kiss before slowly making her way to her closet, pulling out the outfit she had chosen days ago and pulling it on.
She looked at the mirror and grinned at her reflection; she decided to wear a nice gold bikini with ruffles at the top underneath a strapless top that wrapped tight around her chest; the perfect fit for a good swim, with a color that matched her tail fins. She finished her look with the seashell necklace her friends had made her years ago, the one she never took off. She pulled on a pair of jean shorts for show before slipping back into the bedroom and to her husband's side.
"Onew…Onew, wake up," she whispered quietly, shaking his shoulder. Her husband rolled over in his sleep, peeking an eye out at her. He yawned sleepily.
"What time is it?" he asked, blinking rapidly in the sunlight. Taeyeon glanced at the clock on their bedside table.
"It's nine in the morning," she whispered sweetly, pushing his hair out of his face. He pulled the covers down and sat up, stretching.
"You're excited, huh?" he asked in amusement. She nodded happily.
"Of course I'm excited; the weekly swim always gives me more energy," she answered, twirling in her spot. She smiled brightly. "I'll go wake up the kids. Can I trust you to make some nice halibut for breakfast?"
Onew chuckled. Fish, always fish. "I'll make some, Taengoo. Don't worry."
Taeyeon smiled at him and gave him a light peck on the lips before practically skipping to her daughter's room, pushing the door open with a loud bang. She heard Onew chuckle from the hall as he made his way downstairs.
Yuri slept peacefully, snuggling up to her many pillows in her princess canopy bed. Her tongue stuck out awkwardly to the side as she quietly snored, taking deep breaths. Taeyeon smiled and pushed her hair out of her face, kissing her forehead.
"Yul baby…Yuri, it's Saturday. Umma needs you to wake up," she cooed. Yuri pulled her tongue back into her mouth and frowned, burrowing her face into her pillows; Taeyeon rolled her eyes.
"Aigoo, Umma! Let me sleep for five more minutes," she whined, her voice muffled by her pillows. Taeyeon rolled her eyes again and pulled the covers off of her only daughter, making her scream from the sudden cold.
"I'm not delaying our swim any longer! Lee Yuri, you wake up this instant!" she commanded. Yuri curled up into a ball in an attempt to keep her body heat in, but her eyes were opened wide and annoyed, glaring at the sunlight as if it was to blame for her sudden chill. Taeyeon, satisfied, gave her a light pat on the shoulder. "Get dressed."
Yuri grumbled incoherent curses under her breath as she rose to her feet and dragged herself to her closet; Taeyeon gave her a firm nod of happiness before closing the door, heading to Key's room.
Key was more pleasant to wake up; he was sleeping peacefully, cradling a pillow in his arms. A smile was alight on his face as he dreamed; Taeyeon almost felt bad waking him up.
Almost.
"Key, wake up," she cooed. Her second son slowly peered up at her, rubbing his eyes.
"What time is it?" he asked, slamming his head back onto his pillow.
"Nine am. You have half an hour before Sooyoung gets here," she told him. He sat up and stretched; everything he did reminded her of his father. They were mirrors of each other, really.
"Alright. I'm up."
Taeyeon also gave him a nod before leaving, softly closing the door behind her. Jonghyun usually came next on her list of victims as she pried his door open, spotting the lump under the covers in the bed.
"Jonghyun! Up!"
In response, the lump flattened out and his head appeared, eyes narrowed in the bright light. He looked around, his face scrunched up, and when he spotted his mother, he groaned and fell back into the covers.
"What kind of reality is this?" he grumbled when Taeyeon pulled his covers off, effectively destroying his little cave. He rolled over onto his back and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes, but to no avail.
"Jonghyun, it's swim day! Come on, I know your Siren blood is as excited as I am!" Taeyeon cheered. Jonghyun glared at his mother.
"My Siren blood wants to sleep," he hissed. Taeyeon rolled her eyes and sat him up, shaking him lightly.
"Uh, Umma! Fine, fine. I'm up, I'm up!" he whined, pushing her away. Taeyeon gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and left her oldest child annoyed and grumpy as he fixed his bed.
The smell of halibut was strong when she stepped back into the hallway; she inhaled it greedily, her mouth salivating. But she couldn't go downstairs yet, there was one last child to take care of. The worst grouchy risers of grouchy risers, Taemin.
She pushed into his room, ready to make the loudest ruckus she could possibly make to wake him up, but she found him under the covers, looking worried as he typed out messages on his phone. Taeyeon sighed delightfully; if he was already awake, then she didn't need to meet his internal monster.
"Taemin, what are you doing?" she asked him, coming up beside him and sitting down. Taemin gave her a quick glance.
"Hi, Umma. Yoona texted me this morning and said that Sulli's brother had to come with us to the movies, so then Sulli started to text me with the same thing, and then they got all confusing and I'm trying to sort out my messages," he answered. Concentrating on his phone. Taeyeon nodded.
"Well, breakfast is ready downstairs when you are," she told him, patting his shoulder. He nodded and waved her off.
"Be down in a sec…"
Taeyeon smiled. That sweet, sweet halibut was hers now.
She literally skipped down their spiral staircase, coming onto the landing with a light thump and continuing to the kitchen. Onew had already finished her plate – a giant cooked fish sat in the middle – and he was currently working on a spicy seafood salad and seasoned kelp for himself and the kids. Taeyeon grabbed her plate, thanking him kindly with a kiss.
Taeyeon was in the brightest mood; she was swimming again, swimming! Her legs were itching to release her scales into her powerful flipper, and she was dying to push it through the waves like a torpedo. She also couldn't wait to see her old friends; Sunny, Hyoyeon, and Eunhyuk, even maybe her old mentor, Boa. The excitement seemed to flow out of her in waves; she quickly started on the fish, hoping to finish it as soon as possible.
Yuri came down stairs looking refreshed; she had cleaned her face and left it without makeup, and decided to wear a light halter-top with beads on it. She gave her Umma a kiss on the cheek as she ravened through her fish and proceeded to the kitchen, taking her share of breakfast. Key was right behind her, wearing a red T-shirt and jeans; he needed to drop Sooyoung and Nicole off at the mall. Taemin came next, still staring at him phone in confusion. Finally, Jonghyun appeared, more awake then before.
Taeyeon felt like jumping off the walls; everyone could feel her excitement. "Umma, what's wrong with you?" Taemin asked curiously. She shrugged.
"I'm just happy. Oh so very happy. You're the best son ever, Taemin!"
Jonghyun and Key shouted out a string of protests while Yuri rolled her eyes and turned to their Appa. He smiled back at her helplessly as Taeyeon grabbed her youngest son and hugged him tightly.
"Umma, let go! I have to leave soon, Yoona says she's ready," Taemin whined, pushing Taeyeon away as she smothered him. She pouted.
Taemin rolled his eyes as he finished his breakfast; he pretty much inhaled the whole meal. When he finished, he took his plate to the kitchen and looked over the kitchen island at his brothers.
"Jonghyun Hyung, can I borrow your car?" he asked, pushing his phone into his pocket. Jonghyun nodded, pointing to the keys on the counter. Taemin nodded joyously and picked them up, heading to the garage.
"You'd better bring it back in one piece!" Jonghyun called after him. Taemin saluted and left with a wave.
Not five seconds after he left, a harsh pounding resonated throughout the house; Sooyoung was here. Key jumped to his feet, finishing his last bite, and ran to the door, letting her in. she seemed a little annoyed.
"Umma, Appa, Annyeong!" she called cheerfully at the sight of Key's parents. They smiled at her and waved. Sooyoung gave a smaller wave back and greeted Jonghyun and Yuri as well before addressing Key.
"Ok. So Nicole's been sending me a long string of curses and death threats because we're taking so long. She keeps saying that if we delay any longer, the shoes will be gone," she said, rolling her eyes. Key chuckled and grabbed his keys.
"Then let's not keep her waiting." He waved to his family, winking to Taeyeon; he was coming for the swim a bit later.
Yuri quietly finished her food and sat back with the remaining members of her family, waiting patiently for the sounds of Key's tires to disappear. When they were satisfied, Taeyeon leapt to her feet.
"No more delays! To the beach!" she declared, rushing to the door. Onew followed after her with Yuri and Jonghyun in tow.
They marched across the beach, ignoring the looks of awe from the early beach commutes as Taeyeon led them to their usual rendezvous. Yuri flipped her hair over her shoulder and tied it up into a ponytail on the way there, and Jonghyun stretched out his limbs; the waded into the shallow waves of the ocean, feeling their transformation coming in. Yuri sat down, waiting patiently for her scales to slide over her feet. She pushed herself further and further out into the ocean just to be sure that no one was watching her.
Jonghyun was already off into the sea, a dark blue fin glimmering in the ocean waves; his transformations didn't take that long since he was more Siren than human. When Yuri looked down at her fin – a beautiful mix of blue and gold – to find it completely come in, she quickly chased after her brother.
Taeyeon smiled and stepped away from the ocean, continuing towards the tide-pools on the other side of the beach. She couldn't just rush into the water like her kids did, especially since she was full-siren. A single drop of water would send her into immediate transformation, and then the people of the beach would freak out. No, she had to be secretive about her return to sea. She had just started climbing up the tedious hill when Onew took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
No matter what, Onew was there for her. He had always been there for her, ever since her first swim with him; he would dive in after her and stay with her for as long as she needed. It was something she loved about him. His care, his gentleness. He was the one who discovered the tide-pools for her to leap from; it was away from human eyes, and a direct leap into the sea. She gave his hand a tender squeeze back as they approached the cliff ledge, beyond the tide-pools.
"I'll be right behind you," he promised as she stepped up to the ledge. The sea-breeze played with her hair as she took a deep breath and jumped, executing a perfect swan dive into the water below. As soon as the ocean spray hit her face, she could feel the tickling, the pricking of her skin. When she looked at her legs under the water, they had already been replaced with a beautiful, shimmering gold tail fin.
Onew kept his promise and was right there beside her instantly, the water filtering into his lungs like air. She took his hand and smiled. Onew let her pull him along in the water; he wasn't the one with the fancy fish fin, after all.
They spotted Jonghyun and Yuri in no time at all, twirling and flipping under the water as they threw bits of coral at each other. Yuri took notice of her parents first and pushed Jonghyun, making him stumble and drop all of his coral. He watched them sink in sadness before joining his family.
"Have you two seen Sunny or Hyoyeon yet?" Taeyeon asked them. They both shook their heads. "Maybe their farther out…they should come soon."
"By the way, was that dead coral or did you pick it?" Onew asked sternly. Yuri and Jonghyun hung their heads in shame. "You guys need to stop killing the reefs."
Yuri shared a look with her brother and bowed. "Sorry, Appa."
Onew ruffled their hair. "It's ok. Just don't do it again," he chided. Jonghyun grinned.
"Come on, Yul. We've got Sirens to find," he called, quickly paddling out of his father's grasp. Yuri nodded and gave chase.
Taeyeon watched her kids swim away at Siren speed, twirling and flipping through the water, and decided to follow them; she took Onew's hand and paddled out, deeper and deeper into the ocean.
The water was warm under the sun's rays; and the farther they traveled, the clearer and more pristine the ocean became. The water turned from a murky greenish blue to a clear, crystalline sky blue that glistened under the sun; they were far enough away from land to avoid human eyes. The ocean life below them was teeming and endless; the coral reefs were tall here, mixing colors like pink, blue, and purple in one giant rock formation that towered over them if they stood on the ocean floor. Schools of different fish swam in and out of the little openings, following each other in a never ending line; the sea anemones and starfish clung to the rocks. Dolphins and sea turtles wove in and out of the water as well, playing with each other; she watched as her children rolled with them, laughing and playing tag. Taeyeon smiled, releasing Onew's hand and doing a three sixty spin in the water, loving the feeling it gave her.
"Taengoo!"
She stopped her spin just as two Sirens crashed into her, wrapping her in a bone crushing hug; she laughed and hugged them back happily.
"Auntie Sunny, Auntie Hyoyeon!" Yuri cried, quickly swimming up to them. The opened their arms up for her, giving her a hug. Jonghyun waved from afar, waiting patiently next to his father; he didn't like their hugs since they left his ribs aching.
"And Onew, too! Say hi for us, Taeyeon!" Sunny cried, waving wildly and splashing her bright red tail around in a frantic manner. Onew waved back, knowing that she meant well; he couldn't understand the clicking Siren language his wife, sisters-in-law, and children were speaking. Hyoyeon swam towards the men, grabbing Jonghyun and hooking an arm around his neck, effectively choking him and giving him a noogie. She flipped him, slamming him down onto the sea floor and pinning his tail to the ground with her hands before smirking at him.
"What's wrong with you, boy? Not happy to see us?" she joked, releasing him. Jonghyun coughed, glaring at his aunt. He swam a good distance away, his mood sour.
"No, I'm happy!" he denied. Yuri chuckled, coming up behind him.
"Jonghyun is just sore because Eunhyuk Oppa didn't come," she commented, ducking and spinning away from him as he lunged for her. She stuck her tongue out and hid behind Onew. Hyoyeon laughed.
"Eunhyuk? He's coming, don't worry. He's just helping the new baby come along."
Taeyeon perked up at the sound of new kids; Sirens didn't give birth like normal humans did, but rather, the children seemed to appear magically in giant conch shells. Every new child discovered was given to a pair of Sirens who would 'adopt' the child, becoming their parents. She pulled away from Sunny and swam up to Hyoyeon, taking her hands.
"You have children now?" she asked gleefully. Hyoyeon smiled brightly.
"Yup! Her name is Seohyun, and she is the cutest, most innocent little Siren you ever will meet! She reminds me so much of you," she sighed. Sunny jumped in.
"She reminds me of Onew more than Taeyeon; Taengoo has her violent streaks," she joked. Taeyeon made a move to slap her, but Sunny twirled away. Instead of giving chase, Taeyeon swam back to Onew and hugged him, twirling around; the unexpected motion caught him off guard, and he was sent reeling in dizziness.
"Onew, I'm an aunt now! Hyoyeon has a daughter!" she cried in Korean, happily twirling with him. Yuri and Jonghyun perked up at the news, swimming up to Hyoyeon joyfully.
"We have a new cousin?" they asked in unison. Hyoyeon laughed, pulling both of them in for a hug.
"Yes you do! And she's adorable! Look, there she is now!"
They all turned to see Hyoyeon's Siren partner, Eunhyuk, tightly clutching a baby Siren's hand and gently pulling her along. She was about the size of a ten year old human, with long black hair that fell in waves in front of her face and dark, piercing brown eyes. Her tail was a glistening purple color, shining brighter than the adults because of her young age. She looked at the Sirens around her fearfully before catching sight of Onew.
"Human," she muttered in Siren. Eunhyuk nodded as Taeyeon came up in front of her, treading water.
"Hello, sweetie! I'm your auntie, Taeyeon!" she introduced kindly. Seohyun looked at her before smiling and pointing at her flipper. Taeyeon brought it around, sending the sunlight off of her gold scales. Seohyun gasped and laid a hand on it, amazed.
"So pretty!" she cried. Yuri and Sunny squealed from her cuteness as Hyoyeon swam up to her other side, taking her free hand.
"This is auntie Taeyeon, Seohyun. She's like auntie Sunny. And these are your cousins, Yuri Unnie and Jonghyun Oppa," she cooed. Seohyun digested the words and looked around at all the smiling faces. She grinned.
"Auntie Taeyeon! Yuri Unnie! Jonghyun Oppa!" she called cheerfully. Yuri and Sunny squealed again. Seohyun looked around happily until her eyes spotted Onew again. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Human?" she asked Hyoyeon. Hyoyeon nodded and looked at Taeyeon, who understood.
She quickly swam over to her husband, taking his hand; Onew didn't protest as she pulled him over to the small Siren gathering. He smiled to Seohyun and waved; she hid behind Eunhyuk's legs in response.
"Ok, Seohyun sweetie? This is your Uncle Onew." Taeyeon started slowly. Yuri and Jonghyun came to their side, Yuri extending her tail fin as Seohyun stared at it. The little girl nodded in understanding as she grabbed Yuri's scales.
"Uncle Onew is human?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Yes, uncle Onew is human. Auntie Taeyeon loves Uncle Onew, so she moved to land," Sunny cooed. Seohyun nodded in understanding.
"Auntie Taeyeon, Uncle Onew, Yuri Unnie, and Jonghyun Oppa live on land?" she asked. Taeyeon leaned back, surprised; she certainly was smart for a new soul. Hyoyeon smirked at her reaction.
"She's really bright. Not at the normal level of Siren intelligence. Boa says she's more excelled. She's taking your old place as her student, and they've already found a suitor for her; Sunny's taking care of him. His name is Yonghwa." She explained. Taeyeon nodded, in awe.
"Seohyun, do you want to go for a swim?" Yuri asked, lightly touching her cheek. The little girl looked up to Eunhyuk for an answer; he nodded and smiled.
"Ok, hold on to my tail, ok?" Yuri told her. Seohyun took a tight grip around her flipper as Yuri took off, at a slow, casual pace. Jonghyun followed behind her to make sure the little girl didn't fall. Onew and Taeyeon watched after them, reminiscing.
"They remind me of the day Jonghyun turned one," Onew whispered, watching his children laugh and play with the baby Siren. Seohyun released Yuri's tail onto to flip and spin wildly into Jonghyun's awaiting grasp. The three of them laughed. Taeyeon nodded.
"I swam like that with him. I remember," she sighed blissfully. She leaned her head on his shoulder and let him wrap his arms around her. That day marked the beginning of a Siren love for humans; when news of Taeyeon's half-siren, half-human child reached the underwater cities, many Sirens were baffled and amazed; Taeyeon hadn't returned to sea for nearly an entire year because she was taking care of Jonghyun's human side above land; she had to keep her supply of water up through their bathtub, which was cramped and too small for her tastes. When Jonghyun finally turned one in human years, Taeyeon decided it was time for his first swim; an entire city of Sirens had come out to see the anomaly that was Jonghyun.
It certainly wasn't Onew's fondest memory; he remembered how the Sirens had looked at him, licking their lips and flashing their pointed teeth at him, ready to take a bite. But he could never say he hated the memory, either. Taeyeon had been by his side, protecting him all the way to Queen Boa, who gave Jonghyun her blessing. She held his hand and cradled the little baby Siren that was Jonghyun in her other; he remembered. Almost immediately after Boa blessed little Jonghyun, he could feel the tense atmosphere evaporate; and instead of carnivorous looks, some Sirens started to whisper and point. He was human, but he was able to supply Siren children, which was very rare; a Siren child only appeared once every five Siren years, which was a very long time. It shocked the Sirens, and they suddenly had a new respect for humans.
Everything changed for them all as the Sirens stood back and watched Taeyeon train Jonghyun how to swim; he had giggled and flipped his little dark blue flipper wildly, still unable to control it. It was endearing, watching the baby Siren – he was no bigger than a six year old human with barely any hair – splashing around, laughing and spinning with his mother. But Onew gained utmost respect – and even a little fame – when Jonghyun called out to him in Korean, swimming into his father's arms. The Sirens had watched the action in complete awe, staring at Baby Jonghyun laugh wildly as Onew tickled his tail fin. It proved that Humans weren't just food. They were so much more.
Sunny ruined the perfect moment by swimming up in front of them, her eyes sparkling. Taeyeon blinked in surprise.
"Oh! Oh! Taeyeon, I need to tell you the most amazing thing ever!" Sunny cried, pulling her attention. The couple turned to her, raising an eyebrow as she flapped her fins wildly and threw her hands up in the water.
Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk shared a look and rolled their eyes. It seemed like the story was told many times before. Yuri and Jonghyun stopped as well, picking up Seohyun and swimming back to the group. Jonghyun cradled Seohyun tightly to his chest as the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Ok, So the other day, I got a little bit too close to shore because I was shark hunting, and I accidentally ran into a rock; I think I screamed, because out of nowhere, a human jumped into the water and tried to help me. He was soooo cute!" she squealed. Yuri raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know who it was?" she asked. Sunny shook her head.
"I didn't get his name because in the heat of the moment, I panicked and swam away. But his eyes were so gentle and warm…gah, he was so Cute, you don't even know."
"Sunny, maybe this is finally the start of your romance!" Taeyeon gushed. Sunny blushed, grabbing her cheeks and spinning, her tail continuing to flap wildly in the water.
"I hope so! I'm always a third wheel to Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk, and none of these Siren men interest me! Maybe I can be the second Siren to take claimage on land…Oh, Taeyeon, you have to teach me the human language so I can talk to him!" she cried. Hyoyeon laughed, smacking her.
"She's been going up to shore ever since; I'm pretty sure she needs your help. But I want to learn too! I always feel so bad leaving Onew out of the conversations," she said, sending a look to the human in question. Taeyeon giggled and pulled away from his embrace, taking his hand.
"You're going to learn Korean? We can help!" Yuri exclaimed, perking up. Jonghyun nodded.
"Then let's have lessons every weekend! We'll be pros after a few weeks, and as long as Sunny here learns the basics, I'm pretty sure she'll be fine," Hyoyeon cheered.
"So first things first…annyeonghaseyo. It means Hello," Yuri interjected. Onew perked up.
"Are you teaching them Korean?" he asked. Taeyeon nodded; he smiled brightly.
"I think I would be the best teacher for that; I taught you, didn't I?" he said with a laugh. Taeyeon gave him a light punch.
"Then teach them like you taught Umma, Appa!" Jonghyun and Yuri cried. Seohyun squirmed in Jonghyun's arms, so he let her down.
"Annyeonghaseyo, Uncle Onew!" she said calmly. Hyoyeon stared at her in wonder.
"She's amazing," Eunhyuk commented, ruffling his daughter's hair. Seohyun giggled happily. Onew gave her a wide smile and waved to her; this time, she returned it.
"So that's hello…I'm one step closer to having half-human babies of my own!" Sunny cheered loudly. Taeyeon blushed, smacking her sister in embarrassment. Hyoyeon, Eunhyuk, and Sunny laughed.
"Eunhyuk Hyung! I'll race you!" Jonghyun declared suddenly, breaking the awkward tension. A wicked grin formed on Eunhyuk's face as he flipped his dark green fin back and forth in the water, like a propeller. Jonghyun tensed in a ready position.
"Please, Boys. No one swims faster than me," Yuri boasted, joining her brother and uncle. She left Seohyun in her mother's care. Both men gave her a look before chuckling, drawing a line in the sand below; Hyoyeon took Seohyun to the other side of the coral reef, raising her hand and waving to let them know where the finish line was. Taeyeon took Onew with Sunny's help to the other side, cheering for their children.
"Yeah, well prove it!" Jonghyun growled, falling behind the line. Eunhyuk grinned evilly.
"On the count of three. One…two…"
"Three!"
The three of them sped off, pounding their fins into the water and pushing their limits as hard as possible; they were the three most competitive Sirens alive, and losing was not an option for any of them as they swam, weaving in and out of the coral rocks, pushing through the forest of rock as the finish line came into their sights. Yuri grinned as she dived through a tight squeeze in the coral, effectively giving her an edge as her competitors went around the opening. She was seconds away from the finish line – where Hyoyeon and Seohyun were cheering wildly – when a shadow passed by overhead.
Eunhyuk, Jonghyun, and Yuri all gaped at the winner of the race, completely mind-blown; Key crossed the finish line, literally coming out of nowhere with his bright pink and violet fin glimmering under the waves. He looked exhilarated and excited as he claimed the title of fastest Siren from Hyoyeon, grinning wickedly to his siblings and Uncle; before he could brag about it, Sunny wrapped him in a tight hug.
"It's my Key baby! Oh how are you, sweetie?" she cooed, her voice hitting three octaves higher than normal as she acted cute. Key flinched away from his favorite aunt, slowly returning her hug with an awkward pat on her back.
"I'm great, Sunny Noona. I just had to drop some of my human friends off at the mall," he told her. She squealed and hugged him again, smothering him.
"Oh, my baby Key is so good, putting his friends before fun!" she cooed. Yuri and Jonghyun chuckled, sticking their tongues out at him.
Sunny had a strange obsession with Key since his first swim. When he was just a baby, like little Seohyun, she gained an attachment to him when he gave her the nickname Sunny; her real name being Sunkyu. His exact words were "Auntie Sunkyu is so bright, like the sun! I want to call you Sunny!" and since that moment, Sunny had loved little Key like her own son; she even asked Taeyeon if she could keep him, once. Now, as a teenager, Key could only describe his favorite aunt as eccentric and outgoing, as well as a bit obsessive.
Eunhyuk chuckled and gently pried Key away from her. "Let him breathe, Sunny," he scolded lightly, before high-fiving Key. "That was some fast fin work you had back there."
"You guys always make fun of me because I'm not fit and stuff, but I'm actually the fastest swimmer out of all of you," he boasted. Jonghyun swam up and slapped him on the shoulder.
"It's not fair. That was a cheap shot, sneaking up on us," he complained. Yuri came up beside him.
"I wouldn't say it was a cheap shot, Jjong. Key started out way farther than we did, and he still beat us," she argued. Key hooked an arm over his older sister, nodding.
"Listen to Yuri, Jonghyun! She's always right."
Jonghyun grumbled. "I still think you pulled a cheap shot."
Taeyeon watched her kids argue and play, and soon her smile slowly turned into a frown. It felt wrong, having a family swim with one member of their family missing. Her thought quickly went to Taemin and his cute smile, his kind eyes, and his magnificent voice; she could only wish that someday, she could bring him down with them.
"What are you thinking of?" Seohyun asked her, tugging on her tail fin. Taeyeon belt down to her level, opening her arms for her. She swam into her aunt's embrace without question.
"I'm just thinking about your last cousin," she told her gently. Seohyun cocked her head to the side and pointed to Key, who had acquired a starfish and was trying to stick it to Jonghyun's face.
"That's Key. He's your cousin too, but you have one more; his name is Taemin. He can't swim yet," she told the little girl. Seohyun looked at her in confusion as Sunny and Hyoyeon swam up to her.
"Why can't Taemin Oppa swim?" she asked cutely. Hyoyeon removed her from Taeyeon's arms and gave her an apologetic look. Sunny pouted as well.
"Because he couldn't sing for a while. I haven't brought him down to meet you all."
Seohyun looked even more confused. "Taemin Oppa can't sing? Is he a Siren?"
Sunny answered for Taeyeon, feeling her uncomfortable vibe. "He is a Siren, sweetie. He's just a little different from the others. But I'm sure you'll meet him soon, right Taeyeon?"
Taeyeon nodded, smiling again. Although Sunny was a bit of an overexcited girly girl, she knew just what to say to make her feel better. That was what sisters were for, she guessed. "Right. He'll come down soon."
Key swam up to them, suddenly discovering Seohyun; he released a high-pitched, girl like squeal and picked the girl up into his arms, twirling her; Seohyun giggled joyously.
"Who is this little cutie?" he asked. Yuri came up and pinched her cheeks.
"This is our new cousin, Seohyun. She's Hyoyeon Unnie and Eunhyuk Oppa's daughter," she cooed, just as Seohyun giggled again. Key threw her up into the water, catching her as she floated back down. Jonghyun smiled.
"She reminds me of Taemin when you do that. You use to always throw him up in the air when he was a baby," he said, tickling Seohyun's purple flippers. She squirmed, laughing.
Key suddenly passed the little girl over to Hyoyeon, becoming serious. "Speaking of Taemin, he texted me a little while before I came down here. He says that his date with Yoona and Sulli ended short because Sulli's brother took her home."
Taeyeon sighed. Then it was time to leave. She gave a quick hug to her sisters, tightly squeezing both of them before pinching Seohyun's cheeks. "I'll see you guys next week."
"Can you bring Taemin Oppa?" Seohyun asked cutely. Taeyeon smiled dryly.
"We'll see."
Yuri, Jonghyun, Onew, and Key each gave their family hugs before waving goodbye, watching Sunny, Eunhyuk, Hyoyeon, and Seohyun take off in the water, back to the Siren city further in the coral reef. After they were positive they were safe, Key took his father's other hand, pulling him towards the surface. Taeyeon followed his lead, and the family quickly set off, back towards the beach.
When they hit the cold air of land, the sun had gone down and the beach was empty; meaning, it was past time for the beach to close, which gave them a good place to rest and dry off their fins. The sun was barely in the sky as they dragged themselves onto shore, covering their glistening scales in beach sand. Onew – being the only one with legs at the moment – helped pull each member of his family away from the water before rushing into their house to grab towels.
"I can't believe Hyoyeon Noona has a daughter now," Jonghyun mused when Onew returned. He quickly wiped his tail fin, trying to get dry.
"I know. Seohyun is the cutest thing ever," Yuri cooed, wrapping her hair up so it wouldn't drip.
"Not as cute as Taemin, though. He tops the cake," Key joked. Taeyeon slapped him.
"Of course Taemin is the cutest. He's my baby," she murmured. "I wonder what time he'll be back."
Key shrugged. "Probably soon. The movie theatre is pretty far away."
Taeyeon nodded, leaning back in the sand; she could sit here for a while, especially since her fin – being a full-Siren instead of half, like her kids – didn't dry out that fast. Taemin wouldn't suspect anything if she told him that she went for a walk after losing a nice kill-streak record on Call Of Duty. She nodded, settling her resolve to use that excuse when Key stood up beside her, already dry. He handed his towel to her.
"If Taemin comes home early, I'll distract him. Don't worry, Umma," he soothed. Taeyeon smiled, nodding; she could trust Key to keep Taemin busy.
She sat in deep thought as Jonghyun and Yuri dried out as well; soon, she was left alone with Onew by her side, rubbing soothing circles into her hand. Eventually, as her ankles began to reappear, she leaned onto his lap, closing her eyes.
She loved these moments, the peaceful quiet of the beach with Onew by her side. It reminded her of how many countless times he had comforted her, soothed her, and cared for her. He pushed her bangs out from in front of her face and smiled at her as she grabbed his hand. She didn't know how long she would have survived above land if Onew didn't find her that day in the cave. She owed him her life.
"Come on, Taeyeon. You're dry," he cooed softly, shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked down at her fin, happy to find her legs in their place. Onew helped her up and steadied her as she stumbled in the sand.
"Umma!" Taemin cried from the beach house. He ran over to them, panting. "Key just told me the bad news; do you want me to help you build your kill streak back up?"
Taeyeon nodded, flashing a smile to Key who was hiding on the front porch; he gave her a thumbs up in return. "That would be wonderful, Taemin. Can you set the system up?"
Taemin nodded, smiling brightly. He ran back into the house and slammed the door shut behind him. Onew chuckled. "A Siren that doesn't like killing humans, but finds great pleasure in killing them in video games; You're certainly something else, Taengoo."
Taeyeon grinned, leaning into his shoulder as they wiped their feet on their door mat. She couldn't find much of a response to the statement, so instead, she leaned up on her tip-toes and gave him a long kiss on the lips; he returned it.
"I know I am. But you love me anyway."
Onew chuckled. "I love you anyway," he agreed.
Eunhyuk, Hyoyeon, Seohyun, and Sunny introduced!Can anyone guess who the human was that tried to save Sunny? there was a little hint in the previous chapters... ;P
A Note: Sunny's tail fin is a bright red, like crimson.
Hyoyeon's tail is a darker shade of orange, like the sunset.
Taeyeon's tail is a bright, sparkling gold, which is really rare for Sirens.
Yuri's tail is a blueish gold.
Jonghyun's tail is pure blue, like the font above.
Key's tail is pink and violet, like the sky at twilight.
Eunhyuk's tail is dark green, like tree leaves.
And Seohyun's tail is a pretty purple color.