Jeno doesn’t know how long he waits for you to return. The air is cold against his skin, and the sky seems dull now that you’re gone. He stillcomes to the surface every day at midnight, when the moon is at its highestpoint in the sky. He still remembers the way the silver light shown on yourface, how your eyes gleamed in the darkness before you leaned in to kiss himsoftly on the lips, the taste of salt mingling on your lips, as Jeno’s tail swayed under the dark seawater.
He misses you, eventhough he shouldn’t, even though you told him to never come back after theattack for fear of Jeno being hurt, dragged onto the land and torn apart in thename of science. But Jeno won’t listen. Can’tlisten. So he keeps coming, waiting for someone who will never come.
You do come, eventually. You come years later, but you’re not alone. A man’s hands are intertwined with yours, and Jeno is forced to watch as you look at him the same way you used to look at him, softly, fondly, lovingly. Not anymore. Rings adorn your fingers, and the man’s arm is looped around your waist.
You catch his eyes, once, right before you leave. You smile at him, once, right before you rip Jeno’s heart to shreds.
For the first time in his life, Jeno feels like he’s drowning.