Archive of Our Own ^beta

Junmyeon isn’t sure if he’s dreaming or not, because the last time he checked, Baekhyun had legs but now there’s a— a— t-t-tail where his legs should be hanging over the edge of the bathtub; sapphire blue, shimmery and scaly.

He could pretend that Baekhyun is wearing a fake tail but he’s pretty sure he’s never seen a fake tail as… full of life as this one before, and the fact that Baekhyun is screeching like a banshee at the top of his lungs—

“J-J-Junmyeon!!” Baekhyun screeches, quickly covering his chest with his arms. It doesn't do much at all, Junmyeon can still see everything.

“You're a- a-” Junmyeon's mouth is open, flabbergasted.

“I can explain!” Baekhyun yells, much too loudly for the bathroom and the sound ricochets against the tiled walls.

“Gills.” Junmyeon breathes, feeling like his soul has escaped his body. “You have g-gills.”

“Uh...”

“And- And a tai-”

His sentence is cut short when Baekhyun splashes his tail into the bath, sending water flying over the rim and onto the tiled floor, soaking Junmyeon’s socks. “Please don’t tell anyone.” Baekhyun’s voice is soft and when Junmyeon finally manages to tear his eyes away from the appendage, Baekhyun is looking up at him with his trademark puppy-eyes; big, wet, pleading— the very same pair of puppy-eyes Junmyeon had found himself absolutely endeared by when they had first met.

And even though he wants to turn around and run, this is still Baekhyun, his boyfriend of six months... just with the addition of a tail in place of where his legs should be.

There’s a pause where no one speaks, the silence accompanied by the sound of water dripping from the faucet into the bath. Baekhyun looks worried, afraid, and Junmeyon doesn’t like that look on him one bit.

Out of all the things he could’ve said or gone with, possibly assuring Baekhyun that he definitely wouldn’t tell a soul, he instead says, “You didn’t tell me you’re a mermaid.”

The withering glare Baekhyun sends him has him reflexively wincing a little. “I’m not a mermaid,” he frowns, and with that, he splashes his tail once more but with more force that sends a wave of water splashing all over him. Baekhyun is pouting, his eyebrows furrowed. He crosses his arms and huffs, turning his nose into the air. “I’m a merman.” 

“So… a merman.” This time, Junmyeon makes an effort to get it right. He’s changed into some spare clothing he keeps at Baekhyun’s apartment and now they’re sitting on the couch facing each other. His eyes stray to Baekhyun’s crossed legs in front of him and he can’t help but wonder if everything had been a hallucination of some sort.

It took some time, but Baekhyun had exited the bathroom, dressed in his pyjamas and had headed straight to where Junmyeon was waiting for him in the living room.

“Yes, a merman.” Baekhyun emphasises the last word. He still seems to be a little offended by Junmyeon’s earlier mistake, which is understandable. It’s never nice being misgendered. Junmyeon hangs his head in shame and Baekhyun sighs. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to find out this way… You just came over a lot earlier than I expected you to.”

When Junmyeon looks up again, Baekhyun is frowning. He seems to be thinking deeply about something. “I’m sorry I barged in on you like that,” he tries, “I just finished work early and I was hoping to surprise you.”

At this, Baekhyun’s expression softens a little. “No, it’s fine. I was going to tell you at some point, just… not right now.”

“I’m sorry,” Junmyeon apologises again, feeling a sense of guilt wash over him. “I know I should've knocked but usually when we take baths together, you never had…” he trails off. He’s taken showers and baths with Baekhyun before (and have done a whole lot more in them) but Baekhyun has never grown...

“A tail?” Baekhyun finishes for him. “Yeah, I have to dump like a whole bucket of sea salt into the water for that to happen.” He says it so casually, as if he’s talking about something as simple as how to take a bath. “I can usually go a whole month or two without changing, but lately I’ve been feeling like I’m losing touch with that side of myself, sooo… yeah.” He sighs. “I should’ve been more careful. It’s not your fault.”

But Junmyeon can’t help to think that it is his fault, he’s the one to barge into the bathroom like that after all. He hangs his head again and opens his mouth to apologise once more, but before he can, Baekhyun crawls forward and settles himself against Junmyeon’s body. “Don’t think too hard, Junnie. We can talk about this later, but right now I want cuddles.”

And how can Junmyeon deny his boyfriend's needs when Baekhyun looks up at him like that, through his feathery eyelashes with a cute smile plastered across his face, the kind that makes his cheeks swell adorably. Baekhyun leans up and pecks Junmyeon on the lips. “I hope that you finding out that I’m a merman doesn’t change anything between us, because… I really like you.”

“Of course I still like you, tail and all, it’s very pretty.”

Baekhyun preens like a proud peacock, smiling with all of his cute pointy teeth. “Thank you, I grew it myself.” He giggles before dropping all of his weight down onto Junmyeon, causing them to fall backwards. Junmyeon whacks the back of his head against the armrest of the couch, but his pained whine is swallowed by Baekhyun’s lips.

They pull apart for air and Baekhyun nuzzles the tip of his cold nose against Junmyeon’s. “I think I love you, Kim Junmyeon,” he breathes and Junmyeon’s heart skips a beat. It’s the first time Baekhyun has ever said I love you to him.

The words fall easily from his mouth. “I love you, too, Byun Baekhyun.”