The first stop they made was a flurry of motion. Yeosang was the first to jump out of the truck, credit card already in hand to pay for gas, with Jongho close behind him to watch his back.

Mingi and Yunho followed as well. They were tasked with going inside with Hongjoong to get some food for everyone, because despite the urgency of their situation, they were all starving.

And none of them would operate well on an empty stomach.

That left San and Wooyoung alone in the bed of the covered truck and San was not one to waste an opportunity.

He leaned over and captured Wooyoung's lips, and he could tell the merman was just as anxious by how he raised his upper body up to meet him halfway.

They clung to each other, savoring their reunion and San felt himself falling deeper and deeper into the spell Wooyoung had cast on him.

"Please," He breathed between kisses. "Please, never- do- that- again."

All Wooyoung did was whimper and nod to answer, lifting a hand up to weave his fingers into San's hair. His tail flopped against the bed of the truck as he tried to twist around more, urgently pressing himself closer to the human.

That's when San started to taste salt on their lips and he pulled back, making Wooyoung whine. "Hey, hey, hey." He whispered, running his finger's through Wooyoung's hair and cupping his cheek. "What's wrong baby?"

Wooyoung just shook his head and pressed his face to San's neck. His body trembled from crying.

"Wooyoung, my love, please breathe." San whispered. He lowered the merman to the bed of the truck again so they could lay down together. It was hard with how much space Wooyoung took up, but San managed to twist his own body just right so that Wooyoung could keep his nose against his neck. "It's alright. You're safe now. We are together again."

The door opening drew his attention and he looked up to see everyone slipping into the back of the truck again.

Hongjoong looked back at them from the cab as he buckled his seatbelt. "Get ready. I'm going to try and get us there so we don't have to stop again but these trucks don't have the best gas mileage."

"Do what you can." Yeosang said, patting the man's shoulder. "We can't plan for anything right now."

With a nod, Hongjoong started the engine, a mighty roar vibrating so violently that the bed of the truck shook beneath them.

San held Wooyoung closer to him when the merman whimpered.

"Youngie?" Yunho said softly while Mingi sank to his knees. "We got you some food. You should eat."

It took a moment, but Wooyoung eventually nodded and let both Jongho and San help him sit up so that his back was against the wall of the truck cab.

He smiled at his friends with tears still filling his eyes. "Thank you." He said in a tiny voice. "What did you get?"

Yunho laughed nervously and dumped the two bags he was carrying onto Wooyoung's tail. Several bags of chips, candy bars, hot snacks, and a few other random things fell out. "We have no idea. We just started grabbing things."

San couldn't help but laugh. It was the exact same thing Wooyoung had done during the beginning of their relationship. "You did good. Try these." He picked up a bag of honey butter chips and gave them to Mingi.

"Here." Yeosang said from behind him. San looked up to see his friend extending several bottles of water through the hole in cab. He took them and passed them out, then reached up to hold Yeosang's hand for a moment.

They had an entire conversation in a matter of seconds, checking in to make sure the other was alright, showing concern for the unknown hours ahead of them, acknowledging their fear.

"They are sweet!" Mingi exclaimed, cutting in and making all three humans chuckle.

"Let me try!" Yunho dove forward to snatch the bag away and started shoveling chips into his mouth one by one.

Soon they were all passing around the food and discussing which ones they liked.

It was odd, when San thought about it, that they were able to laugh and enjoy this moment. Here they were, driving from a mad man who wanted to imprison Wooyoung, and potentially Yunho and Mingi, for the rest of eternity, and they were able to joke about the face Mingi made after trying a super sour piece of candy.

Maybe this was what made relationships and being alive special. Laughing no matter how hard things could be.

As the hours dragged by, Mingi and Yunho took turns using their magic to create water and dousing Wooyoung's tail with it. He was looking much better, but now the main concern was taking care of him so he was strong for when they reached the ocean.

"We have about thirty minutes left. I think we will be running on fumes, but we may just make it." Hongjoong announced after awhile. He exhaled sharply through his nose. "I think we may have a tail..."

"No you don't, how would that be possible?" Yunho asked, tilting his head to the side.

Jongho's grimaced. "No, it means someone is following us."

The mood in the truck instantly changed. San wrapped his arms protectively around Wooyoung. "Are you sure?"

"No." Hongjoong growled. "It's too hard for me to tell in the dark, but I feel like whenever I change lanes, a car behind me does too. I just can't tell if it's the same car or not." As he spoke, the engine revved, giving away that he was trying to speed up.

No one spoke now, too scared to voice their thoughts aloud. It just made the time pass by slower, the awkwardness swirling around them and it felt like it was hard to breathe.

And yet, all too soon, Yeosang was announcing that they were almost there.

San felt Mingi's eyes on him and looked at the prince. "What's the plan?" Mingi asked.

"Whatever you think is best." San forced around the lump in his throat.

This was it... This was... He couldn't even put a name to it. Was Seonghwa going to be waiting for them? Was he behind them? Was this going to be the last time he was ever going to see Wooyoung?

He shook his head to dismiss that last thought and focused on Mingi once more. Thoughts like that would not help right now.

"Hongjoong, are you able to pull right up to the water?" Mingi looked to the front of the truck, his forehead creased with deep lines of concern.

"I'm going to try. As long as I-"

He was cut off when the truck suddenly jolted to the side, making all of them cry out in alarm. Then it happened again, joined by an awful screeching and crunching sound.

"Hang on!" Hongjoong yelled. "Hang on!" He jerked on the wheel and slammed his hand against it, causing the horn to blare angrily in an attempt to warn other people on the highway. "Son of a bitch! He's blocking my exit! I can't get to the beach if I can't get off soon."

"Wooyoung, can you shift?" Yeosang looked through the hole again, his lips pressed together so hard they were white.

"No! He's not strong enough yet." San said immediately. "We can't risk it."

"I have an idea, I need you to trust me." Yeosang met his eyes, begging for permission.

San desperately wanted to argue. He knew how much strain it would but on Wooyoung's body and magic to shift...

"It wouldn't be for very long." His friend continued, looking between Hongjoong and everyone in the bed of the truck. "But we may be able to take him by surprise."

"Well please tell me this surprise will be soon because this truck isn't going to be drivable for much longer." Hongjoong hissed through gritted teeth.

When the truck was rammed for a third time, Wooyoung cried out, making everyone jump and look at him with surprise. Then a blinding flash happened, revealing him with human legs when it vanished.

His skin was pale and already covered in sweat, but he looked at San with a grim face and nodded.

"You don't need to be human long." Yeosang reassured him. "Hongjoong, just cut across traffic and get off in two exits."

"But that puts us past the beach."

"I know. I want the cliffs. The road is narrow leading up to it and there will be just enough room for you to turn the truck to the side and block the road. Then we can get out and run like mad. Wooyoung, Yunho, and Mingi can jump off the cliff, there's no way anyone would follow them."

San had to admit it was the perfect plan. No human could make that jump and survive. Not without the help of magic.

"We will hold him off as long as we can." Jongho grabbed his bat and worked his way over to the door, but not before turning around to pull Wooyoung into a fierce hug. "I'm so glad I met you."

Wooyoung's lower lip started to wobble and he nodded into the younger's shoulder. "M-Me too. Thank you, f-for everything."

The sight broke San's heart. He knew he should find a way to say goodbye too, just in case...

Following the mood, Wooyoung carefully stood up to hold Yeosang's hand. They were both crying now, Yeosang's face wet with tear trails and his cheeks flushed. "Youngie, I-"

The merman shook his head, wiping his own cheeks. "I know. Me too."

Yeosang sobbed while pulling his hand back in, getting ready to assist Hongjoong as best he could.

Then Wooyoung sank back down and turned to San. Right as the truck tires screeched and they all were all thrown to the left.

"I... I can't..." San shook his head quickly.

He didn't want to say goodbye. He couldn't... It was too painful.

His entire body felt numb just thinking about never seeing Wooyoung's beautiful face again... hearing his laugh... feeling him...

Wooyoung looked like he was having the same thoughts. There was no holding back the tears for either one of them as they fell into each other's embrace.

Their home.

"It's t-too soon. I'm not ready."

Wooyoung squeezed him tighter. "I love you, Sannie."

Now San was the one who openly sobbed. He tired to speak, but nothing seemed right. There were no words that could possibly express how much the man in his arms meant to him.

"I love you so much." Wooyoung said. Over and over.

Since he had learned about love, the merman had always enjoyed saying it. The word had opened up a new feeling for him, and San knew this was how he expressed it.

And each time the word left Wooyoung's perfect lips, San felt his own love grow even more.

How as he supposed to let him go??

How was he going to say goodbye to the person, the merman, who had changed him so completely?

"I love you too." San forced out as the truck started to jostle them back and forth. They must have reached the road Yeosang was talking about, but he hadn't been paying attention to anything besides Wooyoung.

This couldn't be happening... No. No, no, no, no. There had to be another way.

"Woo..." He whined. "I can't-"

"Never forget."

"No! I c-can't! I c-could n-never!"

Wooyoung pulled back so he could press their foreheads together. Agony etched itself into every inch of his skin.

Neither one could bring themselves to actually utter actual words. It was too hard to say... He couldn't... He just couldn't say good bye.

"We will protect him." Mingi whispered, his voice trembling. "I give you my word, San."

He exchanged glances with Mingi and Yunho. They had both respectfully stayed silent durning the exchange, but it was plain to see this wasn't easy for them either.

"HANG ON!" Yeosang and Hongjoong shouted at the same time.

It was barely enough warning for the five in the back to brace themselves for the truck suddenly lurching. Wooyoung, Jongho, and San were thrown into Yunho and Mingi, all of them hissing at the impact while the truck groaned from the unnatural pressure and position it had been forced into.

The time for goodbyes were over...

Now San's heart pounded in his head. He lunged forward before the truck had even stopped moving to throw open the doors.

"RUN!!" Hongjoong yelled. "HE'S RIGHT BEHIND US!!" Gunshots followed his words.

San didn't stop to see if he was ok. His only concern right now was helping Wooyoung out of the truck.

Mingi and Yunho were already running toward the cliff, their long legs carrying them across the distance faster. The air around them buzzed with magic as they prepared themselves to change.

"Go!" Jongho jumped down next to them and held his bat up.

Only for all three of them to leap to them side when the car following them didn't stop, now driverless, and slammed into the back of the truck.

Pieces of metal flew in all directions and San watched, horrified, as the momentum forced the truck to tip onto it's side.

"YEOSANG!!" Both he and Jongho screamed.

The younger was already running, skirting around the crumpled car, dropping the bat in the process.

San wanted to follow him, but then Wooyoung screamed next to him.

He was on the ground... with Seonghwa on top of him.

"YOU ARE MINE!! I OWN YOU!! HOW DARE YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME!!"

"GET OFF HIM!!" San yelled, charging forward to ram into the man. "WOOYOUNG, RUN!!"

As he rolled, he saw Wooyoung push himself up to run to the cliff edge. He pushed himself away from Seonghwa and ran after him, needing to know that they all made it to safety.

"NO!! NOOOO!!" Seonghwa screeched.

Gunfire followed.

Everyone dove to the ground as six shots echoed through cool night air.

"Wooyoung, please!! Go!!" San called out when they stopped. He looked up to see Wooyoung, Mingi, and Yunho helping each other up, scrambling to get their footing. "RUN!!"

Then he glanced over his shoulder and everything slowed.

Seonghwa pushed himself up onto his knees.

He was loading his gun.

Bullets fell from his shaking hands, yet he still closed the barrel and took aim again.

Then San was running. His eyes focused only on Wooyoung.

He could tell he was screaming, but all sounds were muffled. His body hurt, the strain weighing down on him and making it feel like he was running through tar.

Wooyoung was right in front of him, turning to look at him with wide eyes.

The merman's mouth opened.

San reached for him, arm extended, ready to push him over the side.

One gunshot.

The three mermen all flinched and turned to the cliff.

A second gunshot.

Wooyoung screamed, looking over his shoulder to lock eyes with San again.

A third gunshot.

San slammed into his love, body tingling for a second at the contact as they stumbled to the side.

Pain.

Wooyoung slipped from his arms, getting farther and farther away.

Or San had let go of him...

The world tilted until he was looking up at the stars.

Then he was falling.