I love u

Thalassius suddenly stopped, his sharp gaze sweeping over the area. He paused for a moment, sensing something. His eyes narrowed as he turned, locking onto the tree where Noah was hiding. He smirked, knowing exactly where Noah was.

"You're not as clever as you think, Noah," Thalassius called out, his voice low and taunting.

Noah froze, feeling exposed and vulnerable, but there was no use in hiding anymore. He stepped out from behind the tree, his face pale, his body shaking. Thalassius walked over to him slowly, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes that Noah couldn’t decipher.

The group of mermen and mermaids gathered around, whispering among themselves. One of them raised an eyebrow, clearly curious.

“So, why’d you get him pregnant, Thalassius?” one of the mermaids asked, her voice dripping with intrigue. “I thought you didn’t like humans...”

Another merman added, “I didn’t think you were into that sort of thing. You’ve never done anything like this before.”

Thalassius’s expression tightened, but he didn’t immediately answer. He glanced at Noah, then back at the group. “It was... necessary,” he finally muttered, as if the words weren’t coming easily. “I needed him for something. Now, it’s done.”

Noah felt his stomach churn again at Thalassius’s cold tone. He was nothing more than an afterthought to the merman, something used to fulfill a goal. The way they all spoke about him—like he was just an object, a means to an end—it made Noah feel small and worthless.

The mermaid who had spoken earlier raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s quite the surprise. I guess we’ll see what happens now, won’t we?”

Thalassius didn’t respond, but he took a step closer to Noah, his hand reaching out to gently touch Noah’s belly. Noah flinched, taking a step back, but the merman didn't seem to notice.

“You’ll learn to understand,” Thalassius said, his voice softer now, but there was no warmth in it. “What you’re carrying will change everything. Everything will fall into place soon enough.”

But all Noah could feel was the emptiness of it all. He wasn’t sure what he had expected from Thalassius, but it certainly wasn’t this.

Thalassius stood there, watching Noah, his expression conflicted. He seemed to be struggling with something inside himself, his usual confident demeanor slipping as Noah continued to cry. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and heavy with frustration.

"I... I don't want to admit it, but I actually like you, Noah," Thalassius confessed, his words hesitating as if he was fighting with his own emotions. "But I can't let myself feel this way. I'm the king of the sea. If the others find out I’ve impregnated a beautiful, little, cute human like you, they would destroy me. They wouldn’t allow this kind of weakness. You wouldn’t understand…"

Noah’s heart pounded in his chest, the words confusing him even more. Thalassius, the cold and calculating merman who had used him, was admitting that he had feelings for him? Noah couldn’t make sense of it. The pain in his chest didn’t lessen, but now there was a strange twist of guilt and confusion.

Thalassius took a step closer but paused, his eyes dark with an emotion Noah couldn’t quite read. He clenched his fists as if fighting some inner battle, trying to maintain his composure.

“I never wanted to care,” Thalassius continued, his voice softer now, almost as if he was talking to himself more than to Noah. "But you... you're different. And that makes everything so much harder. I don’t want to admit it, but I can’t deny it. I like you, Noah, but I can't let anyone know. Not like this. Not with what we've done."

Noah’s mind raced. What was he supposed to do with this? Thalassius had hurt him. He had used him. And now he was telling him he had feelings? But those feelings seemed tangled in pride and fear—fear of how others would perceive him, how his reputation as a king would be tarnished by something so personal.

“You don’t have to do this,” Noah muttered through his tears, barely able to look up. "I don't need your lies. I don't need any of this."

Thalassius's gaze softened as he looked down at Noah, his usual cold exterior crumbling just a little in the face of his vulnerability. He stepped closer, his voice quieter, almost tender as he spoke, though there was an undeniable edge to his words.

"I... I really love you, Noah," Thalassius admitted, his voice rough with emotion. "That's why I did what I did. I wanted to see you like this. To see how big, round, and cute you look carrying my child. It's not just about control or power. It’s about you. I wanted to have something of you with me, something that would bind us together, even if I can’t let anyone know about it."

Noah’s heart twisted, a mix of anger and confusion building inside him. Thalassius's words only made everything more complicated. How could someone who claimed to love him treat him the way he had? How could someone who truly cared for him do what he did, using him to create a bond like this?

Noah shook his head, tears threatening to spill again. "You don't love me. If you did, you wouldn’t have treated me like a pawn in your game. This—" he gestured at himself, at the life inside him, "—this isn’t love. This is control, manipulation, and cruelty. You never cared."

Thalassius's expression darkened, but there was a flicker of something—guilt? Regret?—beneath his usual confident facade. He reached out, but stopped himself before touching Noah, as though he feared rejection.

"I never said I was good at this," Thalassius whispered, his voice barely audible. "I never learned how to love like you think I should. But I do love you. In my own way."

To be continued

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