Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The ocean is a beautiful place, full of wonder and awe. And for so many years, it hid a beautiful secret.

The merfolk have been around far longer than humans would ever suspect. As safe in their watery homes as any ocean animal could expect to be; protected from an enemy they didn’t yet know existed. 

For centuries, merfolk languished in the depths of the sea, no more aware of the creatures of the land than they were of the mers. But humans are a curious people, and the merfolk equally as. Their meeting could not be prolonged forever. All it took was a single mermaid, curious about the floating homes moving across her roof, to change their lives forever. 

The knowledge of such magical beauty, hidden in places that humans had barely even started to explore, was not something to be taken lightly. Nor was it easily forgotten. More and more of these “boats”—as they called them—spread across the water, searching for a glimpse of the beauty below the surface. Merfolk were the “jewels of the ocean”. Rare, beautiful, and bewitching. And humans, whose very nature was one of greed and lust, could not simply admire that beauty from afar. 

So they took them.

They took these jewels from the homes they knew and the families they loved and locked them up in cages to be poked and prodded and made into a spectacle. 

First, there was the hunting. Merfolk corpses made into trophies, their scales ripped from their bodies and sold at market. Live ones were locked in tiny tanks to be gaped at by crowds until they suffocated on their own filth.

The first merfolk captured alive died slowly, agonizingly, under the uncaring eyes of the sailors who netted her.

The second lived barely a few days, skin cracking under the sun, nostrils working furiously to try and grab air. This mermaid breathed air like a human; it didn’t have scales or fins. But she, too, died slowly and painfully as she withered away in the hot sun, left without water for far too long.

The third to be captured took his own life. As did the fourth. The fifth died before the boat ever reached the shore. The sixth during transport on land. 

The seventh. The eighth. The ninth. 

There were many more after that, too many to remember. All succumbing to the cruelties of man.

The merfolk pulled away from the surface, desperate to save their own scales, but they could not outrun the nets. 

They grew fewer in number until, eventually, even the humans were forced to acknowledge that the hunting could not be sustained. But if they could not kill them, they would capture them instead. 

Humans got smarter. Got trickier. Made new technologies to snuff out even the most well-hidden of the merfolk. They were captured in droves and sold to the highest bidder. A novelty item. An exotic pet. A little dangerous, but more than worth the money. 

Certain types of merfolk could go for millions. And it didn’t matter that they were sentient creatures who felt fear and sadness and pain. It didn’t matter that organizations were working on their protection, that they were becoming endangered, that there were laws being made to keep these kidnappings from happening. 

For the richest of the world, those laws did not apply. The trappings continued, and they only got more efficient.

So the merfolk fled. Deeper and deeper into the ocean, as far as they could get. They became fearful and wary, distrusting of even their own kind. They hid, in caves and reefs and trenches, and they taught their children to be aggressive, strong, and fierce. With sharp claws and sharper teeth, they learned to fight and kill and strike back at those that hunted them.

And they told their own stories of the monsters that lurked on the surface.

〰️〰️〰️

“Mommy, mommy look!”

A little girl, maybe six years old, was peering down into the rippling water, eyes locked on the creature she’d seen within. Hiding amongst the colorful fish and lively coral, was a single merman. 

Brilliant purple scales, speckled with pink and yellow down the sides, sparkled in the light. A pair of shining blue orbs were tracking the child’s movement, the merman’s body half-hidden behind the rocks.

As the girl turned to look for the parent in question, he surged forward, fast as a whip. His eyes were locked on his oblivious target, sharp teeth bared, and as he got close, he flipped, tail prepped for a mighty smack, and then—

Splash!

The girl shrieked in delight as a surge of water broke over the glass barrier, spraying her with salty seawater. Her mother, staying well clear of the wet zone, smiled from where she was filming with her smartphone. The girl clapped excitedly, bouncing on her tiptoes to peer at the merman who was playing with her. 

Inside the tank, Jungkook swam a happy circle, pelvic fins flowing behind him, thin and long. He whistled joyfully, the sound bouncing around the enclosure and off the smooth glass walls. This was always one of the highlights of his days.

In a sudden rush of speed, Jungkook flung himself from the water, twisting through the air and slipping back under with barely a splash. His audience, which included several families and kids, oohed and aahed appropriately. 

Jungkook laughed, twirling through the water and waving at the enraptured faces watching him. “You see that, Gureum?” He swept a delighted hand down the back of the blue-spotted stingray. Gureum was his only companion. Well, him and about a bazillion fish. The friendly ray liked to follow him and ask for pets.

“Yep,” Jungkook continued, drifting lazily past the glass. He smiled smugly and waved at the eager faces. “They love me.”

And Jungkook loved them. For the next few hours, he entertained his audience, groups of humans coming specifically to admire one of the aquarium’s biggest attractions. Their very own coral reef merman. 

By the time the aquarium closed to visitors, Jungkook had shown off for several more crowds. He took some selfies, did some tail tricks, and splashed quite a few more unsuspecting kids. Now, he was just hanging out in the shallow end of his habitat lazily drifting along the floor. 

Jungkook lived in the largest tank of the barrier reef habitat in Seoul Aquarium. It was a two-story enclosure with a 50% live coral reef that ran through the tank and a long wide viewing panel showing it off to visitors. This was the home of the many many tropical fish that shared the reef with him.

Jungkook was lounging along the sandy bottom of the shallows, the area above the reef where the half-barrier was. It was on the main level of the habitat and was where Jungkook spent the majority of visiting hours, showing off for the guests who stopped by. He was chatting with Gureum, who was balanced on his stomach. 

“Did you see that last girl, Gureum? She had my new stuffed animal!” Jungkook grinned at the peaceful ray, his wings fluttering against Jungkook’s belly. “They made my tail out of sequins this time, so it can be purple and pink. I think it looks pretty cool.”

Gureum wasn’t the best conversationalist, but at least he hung around long enough for Jungkook to talk to. Everyone else in his enclosure were just spazzy little fish.

A tap on the glass startled him enough to send Gureum darting away. He turned to glare at the partition, surprised that he hadn’t sensed anyone walk up, but it turned into a smile when he saw who it was.

“Namjoonie!” He squealed excitedly as he hauled his torso out of the water, his arms hooked over the railing of the tank. He let his tail float horizontally behind him to take some weight off his arms. 

He cocked his head and grinned. “Dinner?”

Namjoon smiled back, his right arm lifting up to show Jungkook the bucket in his hand. “Dinner, right?” he repeated. He set the bucket down and said the word again, but this time with the corresponding sign.

Namjoon was one of the lead curators of fish and invertebrates. A basic dinner feeding was a little below his station, but Namjoon had been overseeing the Coral Kingdom group of tanks since he first arrived at the aquarium, and he had been Jungkook’s main handler for just as long. He’d spent years trying to teach Jungkook sign language so the merman could communicate with them.

Jungkook chirped happily, bobbing his head up and down in confirmation. He didn’t much like using his hands to talk, but Namjoon had gotten pretty good at recognizing some of his vocalizations regardless. 

“Alright, here ya go. You know the drill.” Namjoon handed Jungkook a large white bottle, like the kind ketchup might come in, and a small plastic container. Jungkook grabbed them in his webbed fingers, eager to finish so he could eat his own meal.

Leaving the container to float for a minute, he gripped the bottle tight and dove. Jungkook’s enclosure was decently big and over two stories deep. It was large enough for Jungkook to dive comfortably and swim between rocks and crags to find sleeping holes. Most of his smaller tank mates spent their time down in the deep section with the crash of the artificial wave above them. 

Just like Jungkook, the fish knew that it was dinner time and flocked over to him as soon as they saw the bottle in his hand. He giggled at their insistent nudges, some of them trying to nibble on his fins. 

“Hey, cut it out. You’ll get your turn.” He waved a useless arm at them before giving up and just giving them what they wanted. He gave the bottle a hard squeeze, the food flying out the top. He wrinkled his nose at the cloud and let himself drift away a little, continuing to squeeze out food for the hungry fish. 

Some of the big fish would’ve been fed larger food earlier just by tossing it onto the surface, but this was a much more effective way to get everyone fed equally. It’s been Jungkook’s daily job since he moved in. Having Jungkook be able to feed and monitor fish and coral health made all the aquarists' jobs a little easier, and it also served as a sort of enrichment for him.

“There see, plenty for everyone.” Once the bottle was empty, Jungkook headed back up the surface, handing the bottle to a waiting Namjoon and prying open the lid on the plastic container. He grabbed a handful of the chopped-up fish and dove back down. 

A few of the little silversides were given to the big sea anemones along the coral wall. He had to search a little for the last one. Contrary to popular belief, sea anemones were capable of moving around a tank, and Jungkook didn’t bother keeping track of their whereabouts. 

From down by the reef bottom, he could see out into the rest of the exhibit through the large glass wall. There were several smaller tanks with different mixes of fish, coral, and even jellies who had different care requirements or were too small for the big tank. 

Jungkook swam to the top of the reef, pausing to see if he could sense Gureum’s distinctive movements. “Gotcha!” 

Gureum was given the rest of the fish and shrimp in the container, Jungkook giggling at the ticklish feeling of the ray’s mouth on his hand as he fed him. 

“Alright, buddy, hurry up. I’m hungry too!” Jungkook gave the friendly ray a soft pat. All the animals at the aquarium were fed very specific diets, and Jungkook had long since learned not to tamper with that. No stealing snacks from his tank mates (and definitely no eating them!)

After all his fish friends were fed and sated, Jungkook hurried back over to where Namjoon was patiently waiting. “Dinner!” he whistled demandingly. 

Namjoon just laughed at him. “Alright, alright. Settle down, Kook.” 

Namjoon had been the one to give Jungkook his name when he’d arrived at the aquarium several years ago. Back then, Namjoon had been a rookie, barely into his first year on the job. He’d been one of only a few aquarists at the time who cared enough to notice Jungkook was much more intelligent than, say, a dolphin or otter. He treated Jungkook like a person, back when even Jungkook himself thought he was just another big fish.

“No visitors today,” Namjoon chatted as he ate. “But I have a special surprise for you.” 

Jungkook gave him a curious chirp, floating on his back around the pool so he could hear Namjoon while he ate. He was a little disappointed he wouldn’t be getting any cute visitors. 

Every few days, the trainers would bring the sea lions or penguins by to say hello as part of the mammals’ enrichment. They weren’t allowed in the water with him—much to his profound disappointment—but they were beyond adorable to watch. Plus, the sea lions liked to show off.

“Here,” Namjoon continued. He reached down into a bag that Jungkook had previously overlooked at his feet. He pulled a thin computer out and flipped it around to show Jungkook. “Just until evening check, okay?”

Jungkook swam over quickly, nodding hard. His large blue eyes were locked on the computer. He loved movies, but he very rarely got to watch any. 

“Hoseok said I should let you watch Finding Nemo, so don’t make me regret this. It’s a cartoon, so it might look a little funny.” 

Nemo. Jungkook knows that word. He hears it all the time from the mouths of the little kids who like to poke at the glass. Usually, Jungkook watches nature documentaries; he’s been making his way through the Blue Planet series. He doesn’t know enough about human culture to understand any of their movies, but he enjoys learning more about his home and all the ways the humans try and explain it. It’s almost laughable how little they really understand. 

Namjoon sets the computer up near the glass wall before collecting his bucket and bag. “Someone will come collect this later, okay? Be good, and don’t get it wet!”

Jungkook barely heard him, already settling on the bottom so he could peer through the thick glass. It wasn’t perfect, but it was more than enough for Jungkook. He buried his elbows in the sand and propped his chin on his palms.

“Look, Gureum!” He called out to the ray as he swam by. “Namjoon calls it a ‘cartoon’.” He pointed at the screen where the colorful pictures were playing. Even with Jungkook’s exceptional hearing, it was hard for him to make out the dialogue. That’s okay though, he mainly just watches it for the pictures.

“It’s a reef! Gureum, look, look, it’s a reef!” The ribbontail paid him no mind, swimming around Jungkook where he was laying on the ground, his tail stirring up clouds of sand as he wiggled joyfully. “Oh, they’re clowns! Gureum, they’re clownfish!” 

Jungkook hummed happily and sank further into the sand. His stingray friend came to bury down next to him, and he gave him a soft pat and released a contented sigh, gills fluttering as he smiled. 

Yeah, Jungkook loved his life.

〰️〰️〰️

A sharp whistle sounded through the air, piercing the water and reaching Jungkook where he was tucked away in the reef.

Jungkook’s eyes blinked open; he stretched languidly, giving all his fins a little flare and shaking his tail out. He’d been curled up in his typical sleeping spot under the reef, but the lights were on, and that meant it must be morning again. 

Yawning sleepily, he took his time swimming towards the surface, the whistle sounding again as he made his way towards the back of the tank. This was the behind-the-scenes area of the enclosure. A large room with shelves and small coral grow-out tanks and the large artificial wavemaker. 

A small lagoon sat near the back corner, the shallow water separated by a rocky ledge. It was fringed with juvenile mangroves, and currently was home to the aquarium's four zebra shark pups and some other small fish.

“Hey Jungkook, how’re we doing this morning?” Namjoon greeted cheerfully. He dropped the silver whistle from his mouth and let it hang on the lanyard around his neck, smiling down at the merman from where he kneeled by the edge of the pool.

Jungkook gave him a friendly chirrup, his eyes brightening when he saw a bunch of other aquarists standing around. If this was a typical morning feed, it would just be Namjoon and a couple buckets of fish. The other people and equipment were an immediate sign that today would be different, but Jungkook loved people. The more the merrier.

“Here ya go, Kook, you know the drill.” Namjoon leaned over from his spot kneeling by the edge to hand Jungkook the two squeeze bottles. A few other aquarists were walking around the perimeter, dropping food for the surface feeders. A few more were hanging out on the walkway that stretched over the lagoon to feed the animals that lived in the shallows. 

Jungkook swam forward obligingly, but he eyed the other people and gave a curious whistle, tossing his head so his wet pink hair flopped against his forehead. 

“It’s okay, Kook, checkup as usual today. Most of these guys are just here to watch and hand stuff over. Nothing to worry about,” Namjoon reassured. Jungkook loved to show off for crowds, but he wasn’t always fond of sessions with other handlers. Usually, that meant something much more invasive than a checkup was happening. 

Jungkook went through the motions of feeding the little fish and Gureum like usual. The coral got fed their squeeze bottle in the morning as well, as did the young moray eel. The artificial wave that crashed overhead would also help move any food throughout the tank for the corals all through the day. 

When he finished, he handed everything back to Namjoon and waited patiently for his own bucket. Namjoon, however, had a different idea.

“Alright, Jungkook, we’re gonna get you weighed, and then you can eat, okay?” He pushed up to his feet and walked towards the large scale a few yards away. He waved his hand purposefully and gave a short whistle as though Jungkook wasn’t well aware what “get you weighed” meant.

The scale was large and white and technically made for dolphins, but it suited Jungkook just fine. The aquarium was big on “voluntary healthcare” and having the animals be calm and happy about being taken care of. Jungkook had very basic checkups every morning, but he only got weighed a few times a year, and he rarely needed this many people there for it.

Reluctantly, he swam over with Namjoon. “Alright, Jungkook, haul out.” Namjoon gave him the instruction both verbally and with a hand motion. When Jungkook had first arrived at the aquarium, he hadn’t understood much of the humans’ language, so he was taught hand signals and auditory cues like any other animal.

“Haul out, Jungkook, come on,” Namjoon repeated. Jungkook just glared mutinously, sinking under the water so he was looking at Namjoon through the wavering surface. 

Jungkook didn’t like the scale. Unlike some species of merfolk, Jungkook couldn’t lung breathe. Hauling out of the water wasn’t all that comfortable for him, and could be a death sentence to a wild mer. Now what Jungkook could do is suck water in and seal his gills up so he can stay out of the water for a brief moment without feeling like he’s suffocating. It was kind of like the human equivalent of holding his breath. 

But that didn’t mean he liked it. 

Namjoon waited patiently, Jungkook’s bucket of fish at his feet. A few other aquarists were stationed around the scale with curious eyes and clipboards in hand. 

Jungkook released a grumpy sigh, water shooting out of his gills and rippling across the surface. Taking a deep breath, he ducked further under and gave a powerful thrust of his tail, propelling himself out of the water so he could slide onto the slippery scale. Namjoon reached a hand out to his shoulder to stop him from hitting the edge.

“Good job! See? Nothing to it.” Namjoon smiled down at him and ruffled his hair, pointedly ignoring the glare Jungkook shot his way. “Tail, please.”

Jungkook pouted but did as told, flexing his tail to lift his fins out of the water to hang over his back. Jungkook was a very flexible mer. If he wanted to, he could touch his head to his tail.

As he raised his fins, he gave them a little thrust, throwing drops of saltwater onto the spectators. He giggled lightly, high-pitched clicks and chirps.

Namjoon laughed with him, not bothered in the slightest. Anyone who worked in an aquarium was prepared to get a little wet on the job.

“Thanks, Kook,” he said sarcastically, tossing the merman a small fish. Jungkook gave him a sharp-toothed smile, tilting his head back to catch the fish in his mouth.

After that, his checkup went smoothly. He was allowed back into the water for the rest of it, Namjoon taking him through the usual movements. He stretched out on his back, flipped onto his stomach, and presented his tail for a fin check. 

Jungkook was perfectly capable of just telling Namjoon if he’d been injured overnight, but the aquarium apparently didn’t trust him much. He let Namjoon clip his nails and brush his teeth and handed back the tape measure after wrapping it around his waist. For each action he complied with, he was tossed a piece of his breakfast.

The whole time he was going through his morning routine, the new aquarists were hanging around, taking pictures, writing down notes, and whispering amongst themselves. Jungkook could listen if he wanted to, but he was largely uncaring of human conversations.

“Alright, Kook, one more thing,” Namjoon said, wrapping up the last of the checkup. He grinned, dimples popping out as he turned and took something from one of the girls behind him. 

“Since you were so good today,” he said, handing it down to Jungkook. 

Jungkook gasped, arms shooting out to grab onto the thing in Namjoon’s hand. It was a camera. A small, point-and-shoot, underwater camera, its silver body glinting in the bright lights.

Jungkook gave a squeal of delight, twisting in place as he turned it on. He loved cameras! It was one of his favorite enrichment activities. Plus, it was useful. Jungkook could take pictures of all the fish and coral down in the reef. While divers came in and out of his enclosure quite regularly, Jungkook was far better at finding all the shy little ones in hiding.

“Ten minutes, Kook. I’m gonna go put all this away and then I’ll be back,” Namjoon said. He stood with a stretch and grabbed the buckets and equipment, the other people helping out. Jungkook paid him no mind, already diving down to find his favorite ray.

“Come here, Gureum, you can be my model!” He spun happily through the water, fingers fiddling with the camera buttons. Just another perfect morning here at Seoul Aquarium. 

〰️〰️〰️

Jungkook’s week continued in a similar pattern. A small suspicion was tugging at this mind because he kept having lengthy checkups in the morning for no apparent reason. 

He’d hauled out for longer and longer each day, despite the fact that he didn’t need to be weighed. The large group of new aquarists was always hanging around, asking Namjoon questions, observing Jungkook’s behavior, and even trying to tell him what to do a couple of times. Namjoon kept giving Jungkook all his favorite treats and enrichment toys afterward, as though he was bribing him for something. 

Jungkook couldn’t figure it out, but it was starting to make him nervous. There was something going on here that Namjoon wasn’t telling him. 

On Friday, Jungkook finally got him to spill the beans.

“You’re being moved.”

Jungkook blinked, hanging upright in the water with his head above the surface, eyes staring at Namjoon without comprehension. Moved? What the hell did that mean??

“There’s a new merfolk law. The government decided that since merfolk are a social species, they are no longer allowed to be kept alone. You’re going to need a companion.” Namjoon didn't sound very happy about this.

Jungkook started to shake his head vigorously. He didn’t want a companion!

Namjoon frowned, eyes beseeching. “Don’t you want a friend, Jungkook? Someone you can talk to and swim with?”

“Have Gureum!” Jungkook cried. “Have you!” 

Namjoon just cocked an eyebrow, obviously unable to understand. He gave Jungkook a sad smile. “I’m sorry Kookie, but it’s not up to me. We can’t fit another mer in this tank, so you’re going to have to move.”

Wait, wait, wait. Move, as in, leave his tank?! Nonononono he couldn’t leave. This was his home! He didn’t want to leave!

He shrieked loudly, Namjoon wincing at the high-pitched tone. He shook his head harder, tail thrashing in the water, then turned from Namjoon and dove, down and down towards the very bottom of his tank. He ended up curled along the bottom, wedging himself into a small cave and throwing his fins protectively across the entrance. 

This was so not a perfect morning. 

---

Despite Jungkook’s many many protests, the move was inescapable. The aquarium had made their decision, and there was nothing Jungkook could do to dissuade them. 

He remained petulant all week; not even the penguins marching past his tank could cheer him up. Namjoon tried his best, but Jungkook ignored his efforts, doing nothing more than grabbing his food and retreating back to his cave. He refused to show off for visitors, he refused to do any enrichment, and he refused to cooperate for checkups.

He was mad, and he wanted everyone to know it.

Moving day came regardless. On his last day in the reef tank, Jungkook said his goodbyes to his favorite fish and anemones. He gave the zebra shark pups a quick hug, and he swam for hours with Gureum, who unfortunately was not allowed to move with him. Namjoon had promised there’d be many more rays and other animals to keep him company in the bigger tank, but that wasn’t the same as his long-time friend.

After closing on Thursday, divers entered Jungkook’s home and shooed him towards the surface where a large team armed with a stretcher awaited. He was expected to enter the stretcher and allow it to yank him out of the water and place him into a waiting tub. 

For a moment, Jungkook considered resisting, but there were already divers in the water, and he didn’t want to hurt anyone. He knew he would lose in the end anyway. Resigned to his fate, he obediently entered the stretcher and tried not to panic when it closed around him, pulling him out of the water. 

The journey certainly seemed long to Jungkook, even with Namjoon assuring him that he was “doing good” and they were “almost there” every few minutes. He was still in the stretcher, but the poles had been hung over a large wheeled tub so that Jungkook would be covered in water.

He had to take the elevator. Because there was a small patch of natural sunlight coming in through the ceiling above the lagoon, Jungkook had always assumed his tank was on the top floor. But the giant main enclosure was so big, the top of it was even higher than Jungkook’s little area. The elevator was a little scary, but he didn’t make a sound for the entire trip.

The first thing Jungkook noticed was how bright it was. There were lights in his tank, sure, but these lights were something else. Despite having eyes evolved for intense sunlight, he still had to squint a little when they entered the room. The second thing he noticed, was how big it was.

Jungkook wouldn’t know what a football field is, but that’s about how long the room was. The main tank took up most of that space, but there were several holding tanks and a lot of walking space. Docks and platforms and walkways stretched over the tank, and the sides were filled with shelves and equipment and people. Lots and lots of people. 

They were scrambling into motion now, ready for Jungkook’s arrival. His moving team wheeled him to the edge of the water, hooking his stretcher up to get him lifted. Because Jungkook was a known healthy entity, he could go straight into the large holding pool attached to the main tank. It was the same water, and he would stay there for a couple days to get him acclimated while the aquarists monitored his well-being. 

The third thing Jungkook noticed about his new home, was it was really freaking cold. 

Theoretically, the shallow holding pool had to be around room temperature, but to Jungkook, who’d spent years living in a heated tropical environment, it was shockingly chilly. He protested immediately, tail thrashing inside the stretcher, the humans yelling as they struggled to keep hold. He released several high-pitched shrieks, hands pushing against the fabric. 

“Jungkook, hey, Jungkook! Calm. Down. You’re fine, it’s not that bad.” Namjoon’s voice floated in from above, the curator standing on the edge still as the team in the water attempted to keep the merman still. 

Yes, it very much was that bad. But Jungkook was trapped, and there was nothing he could do as the stretcher continued its descent into the pool.

He breathed hard, the shock of the temperature change wearing off, but his discomfort lingering. 

“Okay guys, on my count.” Jungkook didn’t recognize that voice, but he managed to piece together what it meant. He held himself still, waiting for the leader to count down and release the stretcher poles. As soon as the people stepped away—Namjoon’s whistle sounding with the typical “job well done” cue—Jungkook shot forward as fast as he could.

He didn’t have far to go. The holding pool ran lengthwise to the main pool and was separated into three sections of different depths, each one with its own gate into the main pool and nothing more than a simple wire fence between each other. Jungkook had been released into the deepest one, but it was still barely larger than his shallow pool in the reef tank, and he’d circled the tank twice within seconds of being released. 

Eventually, he settled along the far wall, curling into himself and eyeing his new roommates with disdain. There were several rays in there with him, most of them significantly larger than little Gureum, and a couple schools of fish. He nearly jumped out of his scales when he noticed the final inhabitant, who was a six-foot-long zebra shark lounging on the bottom.

“He looks good, Namjoon. He’ll settle in fine.” The humans were all watching him. One in particular was standing beside Namjoon, their eyes on the young merman. He was shorter and leaner than Namjoon, but his shoulders were broader.

“I don’t know if he’s ever even seen sharks before, hyung. And I know he’s never interacted with other mers. What if the new guy is too aggressive for him?” Namjoon’s voice was worried, but it was his words that Jungkook latched onto.

New guy? Was there another mer in the tank? He did another lazy lap, eyes peeled for anything he’d missed, and staying well clear of the peaceful zebra shark. He peered through the wire barrier, not quite sure what he was searching for.

“New Guy still has at least a month or so left in quarantine before he can come up here. Jungkook will be totally settled in by then, and hopefully, New Guy will be a bit more used to us, too.”

Oh. Jungkook slowed, turning back to his spot in the back corner. He was still curious though. Jungkook had rarely met other mers in his life. He didn’t remember being young and living in a shoal, and he’d been in Seoul for most of his life.

He’d met only three mers before. One of them when he was super young. He barely remembered her, but she was a little fry like him and was a different reef species. The other two he’d met were both cetaceans. Matching porpoises with smooth, scaleless tails and no gills. That was at the facility before he came to Seoul though, and well, he doesn’t much like thinking about his stay there.

Jungkook was also aware that he wasn’t the only mer that Seoul Aquarium had. There was a pair of them, an arctic mer and a seal, that lived in the cold water exhibit. Jungkook had never met them, but he’d heard Namjoon refer to them before. In the wild, they’d be direct competitors, but these mers had bonded super close and were the best of friends. It was perhaps why the aquarium thought Jungkook would be okay bonding with another mer.

After a while, the spectators left, busy doing other jobs, until only Namjoon was left sitting on the edge of the pool. He was watching Jungkook, his whole demeanor drooping. Jungkook might be more than a little upset with Namjoon right now, but the human was still his friend, and he didn’t like seeing him so down. He hadn’t even thought about how this might affect his favorite handler.

Jungkook let himself drift over to where Namjoon was sitting, staying low so only his eyes were poking out of the surface. The human smiled at him, but it was soft and sad.

“Hey, Kookie. How’re you feeling now?” He dipped a hand in the water, letting Jungkook bump his forehead against his palm. It had been like a version of their own secret handshake for years. 

“I’m not going to be able to see you much anymore,” Namjoon said softly. “I don’t really work in this department.”

Namjoon was an invertebrate expert. Of course, he could still talk your ear off about hundreds of species of tropical fish, too, but he really specialized in things like crabs, shrimp, corals, jellies, etc. It’s why he was the head of the Coral Kingdom exhibit, which showcased all of those kinds of animals. 

“That’s why these guys have been shadowing me the past several days. They’re going to be in charge of you from now on.”

Jungkook frowned, eyeing the other aquarists who were wandering around the enclosure doing…..whatever it is that humans do. Namjoon might be a human, but he was Jungkook’s closest friend as well. He didn’t know these other people, and he didn’t want Namjoon to leave.

“You’ll like it here, Jungkook, I promise. You’ll have so much room to swim around and meet new friends! And there’ll be another mer, too.” Namjoon looked like he was trying so hard to stay positive that Jungkook couldn’t get himself to play angry anymore. He was just…resigned, now. 

“Here,” Namjoon said, hand reaching into his pocket. “For being so good today.”

He handed the thing over to Jungkook, but this wasn’t some toy or other enrichment object. It was a bracelet, strung with small pieces of coral and sea glass. Jungkook took it carefully, wide blue eyes never leaving Namjoon’s face.

Did the human know what it meant? To give jewelry to a mer? 

He assumed not. Jungkook might not have grown up around other mers, but even he knew the importance of jewelry. In the ocean, jewelry was one of the few personal belongings that a mer might own. Usually the only one besides their weapon of choice.

It was also a very common courting ritual. Merfolk would hunt all over for pearls and sea glass and rare shells to string together. Jewelry was almost always given, not made. If a mer was wearing jewelry, it typically meant that there was someone very important in their life.

Romantic or not, it was always a sign of a great bond. Couples would wear matching earrings, siblings matching pendants. Parents would give their kids their first jewelry, and it was usually one that they’d worn previously. 

Coral was not a very romantic gesture, but it was a very Namjoon one. Jungkook’s fingers closed gently around the bracelet, heart aching in his chest. This was his very first piece of jewelry, and it was a goodbye.

Eventually, even Namjoon had to get back to work, and Jungkook was left alone in his new home. He curled up, small and silent, in the back corner, fins splayed protectively in front of his face. It was too bright and too cold and too loud and too different for him to feel comfortable sleeping, so he just lay there, heart heavy and hands clutching the bracelet to his chest, and willed himself not to cry. 

Chapter Text

“He’s not doing well, hyung.”

Seokjin’s not sure if there’s a world record for ‘most sighs in a single day’, but he’s pretty positive he must’ve broken it by now. And it wasn’t even noon yet.

“Hi, hyung, how’s your day going? Oh, wonderful, Namjoon, thanks for asking,” Seokjin snarks, turning to see his friend in the doorway.

Namjoon just rolls his eyes. “Oh, please. You’re hiding out in your office pretending to do paperwork. Your day isn’t going any better than mine is.”

Seokjin scowls. He can’t really argue--Namjoon’s right after all--but: “You could’ve at least pretended,” he grumbles. He kicks away from his desk and stands up. “Alright. What do you want?”

Namjoon frowns, turning and heading down the hallway with the expectation that Seokjin will follow. He does, although not without another heavy sigh. 

“It’s Jungkook, hyung,” Namjoon starts. It doesn’t surprise the older man; it’s been all Namjoon’s wanted to talk about for days. “He hasn’t settled in well, he’s not eating, and he won’t cooperate with his new handlers.”

Jungkook, the smooth coral reef mer that’s been one of the aquarium’s star attractions for years, had recently been moved to the Open Ocean exhibit’s holding pool. And he’d been trouble from the moment he got there. 

Usually, the merman was a perfect citizen. He did his show for the visitors, he ate readily, he participated in health checks, and he loved enrichment. Usually, Jungkook did a great job at lessening the guilt Seokjin felt about keeping such a beautiful and intelligent creature in captivity. 

This past week, though, had definitely not been usual. As one of the senior directors of fish and invertebrates, Seokjin was pretty much in charge of all the slimy scaly critters that called Seoul Aquarium home, but he definitely specialized more in the saltwater fish, and even more specifically- the Open Ocean exhibit. Nothing happened in that exhibit without Seokjin’s say-so.

They’d all known that moving Jungkook was going to be a challenge. For one, the mer had made it perfectly clear in the days leading up to his move that he was not excited about it. He’d been acting up more than he ever had in his many years at Seoul Aquarium. Seokjin had been hoping, however, that he would settle down in his new home and return to normal behaviors when he realized that he was there to stay.

All living species of merfolk--plus the ones that already went extinct--were notoriously difficult to keep in captivity. Jungkook had spent most of his life in some sort of tank, and he was actually one of the few shining examples of long-term success in the merfolk community. Seokjin had always been proud of how genuinely happy Jungkook seemed to be, and how well he interacted with his team.

Unfortunately, most of that team actually consisted of a singular person: Namjoon. The crab-lover had not signed on to become a mer specialist, but he worked better with Jungkook than any other aquarist.

But Namjoon, an associate curator who pretty much ran the entire Coral Kingdom exhibit, did not have time to follow Jungkook to the Open Ocean. About half of Jungkook’s normal team of handlers had agreed to follow the mer and transfer to the Open Ocean while the other half spent the last couple of weeks teaching a new batch of aquarists all about the young mer.

It had appeared, initially, like Jungkook would be willing to work with them. Currently, however, it was not holding true. 

“Did he show any improvement after your visit?” Seokjin asks. This morning, Seokjin had given permission for Namjoon to visit Jungkook and try to encourage him to eat. It was actually pretty common for mers in captivity to refuse to eat, and it was certainly not unheard of for them to be actively suicidal. Seokjin highly doubted that was the case with Jungkook, but it had been a few days now, and they did not want to risk the mer losing too much weight or becoming sick.

“No. Well, it depends on what you define as ‘improvement’.” Namjoon scowls, exiting into the large saltwater room with angry steps. “He’s pissed at me, I think. He showed more energy, for sure, but it was essentially the merfolk version of flipping me the bird.”

The pair head towards the holding pools along the edge of the main tank, greeting the other aquarists on the way. They aren’t the only ones there to look at Jungkook. A couple of his new handlers are also standing or kneeling along the edge, frowning down at the huddled shape. 

“How is he?” Seokjin asks on approach. He crosses his arms, peering down through the clear water at the little purply-pink form. Jungkook doesn’t appear to notice his arrival. He was tucked into a ball with his tail fins spread out to shield himself.

“Not good,” comes the reply. “This is his usual position. Every now and then he goes for a lap. He doesn’t look at the gate, doesn’t prod the fence, and actively ignores any enrichment items. During feeding, he doesn’t move, and if we send in swimmers, it’s like playing tag with a cheetah.”

Great. Not really what Seokjin wants to hear about any of his charges. “What has the vet said?” 

Seoul Aquarium had an amazing on-site animal hospital and veterinary team. They were very lucky to have people experienced in merfolk care, and Seokjin trusted the vets’ opinions more than anyone else in the facility. 

“They think he’s depressed,” Moonbin speaks up. Moonbin was one of the youngest aquarists at the aquarium, and he’d volunteered to work with Jungkook. He apparently had a great fascination for merfolk and had been very eager for the chance to meet one up close. Seokjin really liked him and his enthusiasm, even as he wrinkled his nose at the boy’s words.

“Right. So, how do they propose we fix it?” he asks, pushing away the initial doubt that merfolk were capable of such a thing. Studies had proven in recent years that their brains were much more complex than initially assumed.

“They aren’t sure,” another aquarist answers. “They’re kind of just hoping that he snaps out of it. Health-wise, he’s fine, the move didn’t hurt him in any way. He’s adjusted to the temperature and everything. His white blood cell count and cortisol levels are up, but that’s minor and obviously related to the stress of the move.”

Moonbin shrugs, giving Jungkook another glance. “He’s freaked out, if you ask me. He’s sad he left the tank he knew, and he’s scared about being in a new one. He won’t get within eight feet of that zebra shark, and he hasn’t interacted with a single ray. I’m told he was quite fond of both of those back in his old tank.”

Seokjin opens his mouth to say something, but Namjoon beats him to it. “There was only one ray in that exhibit: a bluespotted ribbontail. And the zebra sharks were just pups.” 

Bluespotted ribbontails weren’t suited to the open ocean, so Jungkook wouldn’t find any in this new tank. Plus, they rarely grew much larger than a foot in width. The pups, likewise, were only about two feet long right now. 

The eagle rays currently gliding around Jungkook’s holding pool also had spots, but they could grow to be 16 feet long and over 10 feet wide, so….not quite the same. These ones were maybe only 7 or so feet wide, but that was still massive compared to a little bluespotted. 

Likewise, the zebra shark was a good 6 feet long, which was longer than Jungkook himself. Sunset mers, the subspecies that Jungkook was a part of, tended to be amongst the largest of the Zygaris genus, and Jungkook himself was pretty big. His last measurement put him at about 5'3" in length, but that was still way smaller than a lot of the Open Ocean inhabitants. 

“Do you think he’s just nervous? He’s not used to tankmates being bigger than him,” Seokjin thinks aloud. “Maybe he’s worried about feeding with them nearby?” 

Moonbin shrugs again. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was a part of it. But there are literal manta rays out there. He’s going to need to get used to it.” 

The aquarist has a point. The Open Ocean exhibit is large. The largest single tank in South Korea, and the third-largest in Asia as a whole. It was specially built at the aquarium’s opening to house a pair of greater blue mers: an open water species that were the largest species of mer in the world. That pair has since passed away, but the tank left behind is so large it had even been home to whale sharks in the years that followed. 

Right now, their largest inhabitants were five manta rays, the biggest of which was nearly 20 feet wide. There were also plenty of other large rays, sharks, and fish swimming about. If Jungkook was too scared of them to come eat, it could pose a serious problem to his health. 

“Alright, here’s what we’ll try,” Seokjin declares. “We’re going to move Jungkook to a separate holding pool by himself and see if he’ll eat once he’s away from the shark and rays. If he feeds well for a week, we’ll reintroduce him to the holding pool and try to get him used to larger tankmates.”

Seokjin wasn’t entirely sure how that was going to go. They’d never really had to worry about that before. It was just….a part of life for most fish; there was always something bigger than you. In the wild, Jungkook would share a habitat with zebra sharks and other large predators. This was a problem they hadn’t seen coming.

“Do you think he’ll be even more stressed if he has to move again?” Moonbin asks. 

“It’s a possibility. But he’ll still be here, on the same schedule with the same people and the same water. The only change is the tank, and we’re hoping being by himself will de stress him a bit.

"Jungkook is used to being the largest animal around, and he’s usually a people pleaser. We’ll give him this time to really bond with his new handlers and get used to being somewhere new before we throw the idea of giant fish at him.”

Seokjin nods sharply and sees the other aquarists exchange looks of relief. On the inside, though, he’s a pit of anxiety. He has no idea if his idea will work. Moving Jungkook to a solitary tank is just as likely to stress him out more than it is to destress him. At the very least, it will hopefully be too small of a space for him to avoid aquarists who need to handle him for health checks.

“I think it’s a good suggestion, hyung,” Namjoon reassures. The pair make their way back towards the exit, leaving Jungkook’s new team to their job. “It’s very similar to how I first bonded with him way back when he was still in quarantine after moving here.”

Seokjin sighs again--he’s really pushing for that record--and watches the doors of the elevator slide shut. “Yeah, well, speaking of quarantine…” he trails off suggestively.

“No improvement on that end either?” Namjoon gives him an empathetic pat on the shoulder. 

Jungkook was, unfortunately, not the only unhappy mer currently living at Seoul Aquarium. A red tip reef shark had recently been captured off the coast of the Philippines. It had been deemed non-releasable, and the Seoul Aquarium board--at the time trying to find a solution to the new ‘no mer alone’ law--had leaped at the opportunity to bring the mer here to Seoul. 

Seokjin thinks they were perhaps a bit too hasty. And stupid. 

Red tips are some of the most aggressive mers in the world and are nearly impossible to keep in captivity. This particular one had already injured several people during transport, and it was proving very difficult to keep it sated and fed to prevent unexpected attacks. 

All of which Seokjin could’ve predicted himself if they had simply asked him.  

“You might as well come see for yourself,” he tells Namjoon. The younger man shoots him a look but doesn’t protest as he follows Seokjin to East Holding.

East Holding is a very large room meant specifically for quarantining animals. Truthfully, there are over a dozen places in the aquarium where new, sick, or injured animals could be kept under observation, but East Holding is by far the biggest. There are always a number of different species hanging out and biding their time here. 

Currently, Seokjin’s favorite was the pair of juvenile mandarin ducks chilling in a little pool by the entrance. These overgrown ducklings were hopefully going to be the newest addition to the freshwater habitat at Seoul Aquarium, and the mammals and birds team hadn’t been able to shut up about them. 

“Cute, aren’t they?” he says as Namjoon pauses to peek into the enclosure. He grins at the tiny birds, their little feet paddling along in the shallow water. East Holding was filled wall to wall with tubs and tanks of all size, numerous pipes, and the rush of flowing water filling the air. 

Seokjin heads all the way back to the largest one, climbing the stairs to get to the platform around the top. Namjoon stops on the bottom floor, peering through the clear windows at the animal within.

“Wow. He’s…kinda small actually.” Seokjin rolls his eyes at Namjoon’s words, crouching down to peer into the clear water. “He’s smaller than Jungkook,” Namjoon continues.

“Didn’t you take basic mermology? Red tips rarely get larger than five feet.” The mer in question was currently doing slow laps along the bottom, his signature red-tipped dorsal fin cutting easily through the water.

“Yeah, yeah, tease me about it. He just sounded like he’d be bigger, ya know?” Namjoon clambers up the steps to join Seokjin, the both of them squatting by the edge.

“It’s his freaking sharky attitude. He’s not given us a single day of peace since he got here.”

“Hmm. I know you didn’t want a shark, hyung, but you’ve gotta admit- it’s a great opportunity for SA.”

“Did it have to be a red tip though? I mean, I’d maybe have said yes to a spotted.” 

Red tips were dangerous, clear and simple. They were notorious for being aggressive with humans, fish, sharks- even other mers. They hunted alone or in pairs, and they were wicked fast, their razor-sharp teeth latching on before their prey could so much as think about fleeing.

They were also, unfortunately, critically endangered with perhaps only 50 or fewer left in the wild. They might be extremely difficult to keep in captivity, but if Seoul Aquarium could manage it, they could change the game of mer keeping forever.

“He’s only been here a couple weeks,” Namjoon muses aloud. “He just needs time, I bet.”

There’s no doubt that the mer--who has yet to be officially named--knows the two aquarists are there, but he continues his slow laps undisturbed. Seokjin admires the smooth pale skin as the mer swims past. He wouldn't be able to see the faint slash of scars if he weren't looking for them.

“Well, at least he’s physically on the mend. His injuries have healed up, he’s putting on weight, and he’s swimming with ease, doesn’t appear to be in pain at all,” Seokjin comments. 

“So he is eating then?”

“For the most part. He only takes live food, though. That’s been one of the bigger issues.” 

In order to be cleared from quarantine and allowed into the exhibit proper, the mer doesn’t just need a clean bill of health. He also has to prove that he can be station fed. Every feeding, handlers will drop a specific target into the water for the mer to know they’re waiting with food. It’s how all their sharks are fed, and it’s how Jungkook will be fed as well. If he cooperates, that is.

“We think he understands the target concept, but he’s ignored pretty much every meal we’ve tried. There were some schooling fish in here with him initially, but as you can see-” Seokjin sweeps a hand down at the tank, empty but for the mer. 

“Hyung, I have to ask,” Namjoon starts tentatively. Seokjin already knows where this is going. “If he’s healed, and he can hunt, then why is he here?”

“He was deemed non-releasable, Namjoon. You know this.”

“But he’s an adult. He was captured already fully grown, and he’s not lost any of his instincts, clearly. He should be able to be returned to the wild.”

Seokjin sighs, plopping down to sit as his thighs start to ache. “It’s not that simple, Joon-ah, we’ve been over it. He was too severely injured and he’s been held in captivity too long.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. He’s only here because They want to prove we can keep a red tip in captivity.”

“And what of it? The deal with the female smooth fell through. If SG-3 hadn’t popped up when he did, we wouldn’t have any other option for Jungkook but to send him to a new facility entirely. How do you think he’d feel about that?”

Namjoon glares at Seokjin through the fallen tufts of his hair, groaning in frustration at the older man’s logical argument. “I was never a fan of that plan in the first place. Jungkook’s not a science experiment.”

Seokjin shakes his head, nudging Namjoon’s leg with the toe of his shoe until the other man looks at him again. “We breed animals here all the time, Joon-ah. It wouldn’t be any different. It’s what they’re meant to do.”

“He’s not just any animal and you know it. Stop trying to sound so indifferent, you’ve seen him. He listens, hyung, he communicates, he understands.”

Namjoon’s eyes are wide and earnest, neither of them paying attention to the pool anymore. “Besides, it wouldn’t have worked anyway. I doubt he’d go for it.”

“It’s been done before.”

“Once,” Namjoon shoots back. “And it was sketchy as hell.”

Breeding endangered animals in captivity for release back into the wild was always the goal of conservation efforts. So far, there had only been one successful mer born in captivity. It had been to a pair of smooth reef mers, just like Jungkook, and the baby mer was still alive and doing well.

When Seoul Aquarium had heard of a new female that had been deemed non-releasable, they’d been excited to try and recreate that success. Unfortunately, the deal went to an aquarium in the US that also had a male they were hoping to pair with her.

Caught up in their own thoughts, neither aquarist notices the mer in the water below until he breaches the surface with a mighty splash, slamming into the few feet of netting stretching over the tank for precisely this reason.

Namjoon startles hard with a yelp, nearly toppling over onto his back. Seokjin just sighs. Again.

“Yeah, he does that. We had to lower the water level to accommodate. Some of the handlers were worried he’d jump straight out of the pool.”

“Red tips don’t breach! That’s not a behavior ever recorded in wild Vrancaris!” 

“Well. This one does.” Seokjin stands and glares down at the rippling water. Under the surface, the mer seems to glare right back. His eyes are pale blue, his hair pitch black. Tension lines his lean frame, his muscles quivering down his shoulders and back as he turns in tight circles under the net. 

“Man. He really doesn’t like you,” Namjoon comments. 

“He doesn’t like anyone. That’s the problem. He keeps pulling stunts like this, scaring off all my best aquarists. He grabbed hold of the target the other day when it was being lowered and nearly pulled the poor man into the pool.”

Seokjin doesn’t have to say what would’ve happened had the shark gotten ahold of said man. The cold fury Namjoon can see in those icey eyes makes it more than easy to fill in the blanks.

“We can’t put him out on exhibit like this. He’s a danger to the fish and the aquarists. I wouldn’t trust a single diver to go into that water with him.” Seokjin’s tone is defeated, his shoulders slumped as he gazes down at the angry mer.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do with him.”

Namjoon reaches out to give his friend’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. He looks down, watches the mer twisting below them, his strange eyes never leaving the two figures. “He doesn’t belong here,” Namjoon says. 

Seokjin lets his chin fall to his chest, his hands coming up to rub down his face, fingers pressing into his temples. He hates to admit it…but the younger man is probably right.  

〰️〰️〰️

Over the next couple of weeks, Seokjin sees despairingly little improvement in SG-3’s attitude. He has started to accept some manner of freshly chopped fish, but he’s still a menace to the people in charge of caring for him.

Jungkook, at least, is showing some progress. After a harrowing move to the new tank where the young mer nearly wiggled his way out of the stretcher, he’d settled in without any hiccups, already more at ease without the large shark and rays. There’s a small school of porkfish, but Jungkook seems unbothered by the smaller fish, swimming with ease around the pool.

He’s not got his energy all the way back, still unwilling to interact with his new handlers, but Seokjin’s been told that he’s definitely getting more comfortable.

Namjoon’s been allowed a couple more visits to help him settle in, but it’s Moonbin who he seems to be latching onto this time. The aquarist has taken to spending as much time as possible with the mer, encouraging him to engage in enrichment and learn his station cue.

Jungkook isn’t oblivious, he knows what the station means. And the reports Seokjin’s been getting confirms that he’s willing to take food from the station feeder. The problem is more….how they’re giving it to him. Seokjin’s not above saying he thinks Jungkook is a little spoiled.

“Really? You want me to tell my aquarists to give him his food…in a lunchbox.” Seokjin’s voice and face could not have been more skeptical. “Do you hear yourself?”

“Look, hyung, it’s not actually a lunchbox. It’s just one of those cheap plastic tubs. But it’s what he’s used to. He likes to float around and eat on his own time. This drive-by way of feeding confuses him.”

“Namjoon, I can’t just toss plastic tubs into the exhibit! First of all, he can't be toting fresh cut fish around the tank with him, that’s just asking for someone bigger to come along. And second of all, I’m not going to pamper him. He can eat his food normally just like any other animal here!”

“But, he’s no--”

“And don’t hit me with that ‘he’s more than an animal’ shit, it’s been a long enough day already!”

Namjoon frowned, hurt clouding his eyes even as Seokjin pinched his own shut and apologized. “He’s eating, yes? Not as often, not as much, but he is eating. Moonbin gave me the report himself this morning. Give him a little more time to adjust, alright? I’m sure he’ll perk back up.”

But Namjoon just kept frowning. “You don’t understand, hyung. He hasn’t made a sound since he was moved. Not one sound. The Jungkook I know is noisy as heck.”

Seokjin’s not sure what to say to that one. It’s true, any animal exhibiting abnormal behavior is an immediate cause for concern. But Jungkook is technically still healthy. He’s stopped losing weight and he’s hitting his target and he’s moving around more now that the shark and rays are gone. He’s not sick. He’s just--

“Depressed. He’s sad and confused hyung. He doesn’t understand why his whole life is changing.”

“I’m sorry, Namjoon. I really am. But there’s nothing I can do about that.” Seokjin sighs, shuffling his paperwork to the side and setting his glasses down. He shoves a hand through his hair and leans back, his gaze roaming over his friend’s slumped posture.

“Do you remember when Jungkook first arrived? He was such a tiny thing, dirty and skinny like a puppy dropped off at the pound.”

Namjoon’s hit tilts not unlike a puppy himself at the statement, but he nods anyway. “Yeah, of course, I remember. Why do you ask?”

“Because I remember what you told me back then, about why this little merman wasn’t improving quite as fast as we’d hoped.”

Seokjin smiles fondly watching a faint blush spread across Namjoon’s cheeks. “I said he was sad.”

“You did. And I said you were crazy, you remember that?”

“I do,” Namjoon laughs. He shakes his head. “That was a different time. People didn’t really believe merfolk were capable of such a range of emotions back then. They thought he was simply a lost cause.”

“And look at us now.” Seokjin spreads his arms, gestures at his messy office. “The both of us climbed higher than we ever thought possible, and Jungkook’s become the aquarium’s star exhibit and a merfolk success story known around the world.”

He leans forward, props his elbows on his paperwork and looks his friend in the eye. “Give him time, Namjoon-ah. He will come around, I know it.”

Namjoon smiles and nods, reaching out to grab Seokjin’s hand, the two sharing a rare moment together before they pull back, shake off the touchy-feeling vibes, and move on to Seokjin’s other problem.

“He’s…better. I think. I mean, he’s not actively trying to kill anyone anymore, so that’s a plus.”

“That’s a very low bar.”

“I’m aware.”

The two lock gazes again before busting out laughing, Seokjin falling back in his chair again and sighing. “Maybe we can just…give them their own tank. Like what we did for the other two.” He snorts, amused at his own line of thought before he realizes Namjoon’s still silent.

“Wait, no, I know that look.” Seokjin stands suddenly, looking down at the growing grin on Namjoon’s face. “Namjoon, no, no . We cannot do that.”

“Hyung, that’s brilliant! It would be perfect!”

“Namjoon!” Seokjin laughs as his friend bolts upright out of his chair in excitement. “Joon-ah, we don’t even have another tank big enough for them. We’re barely allowed to keep them in these quarantine tanks for as long as we are.”

Seokjin stood as well, giving Namjoon’s shoulders a squeeze as they slumped in disappointment. “It was a good thought. But it won’t work this time.”

“Yeah, it was a good thought.” Namjoon smiled, shoving his hands into his pockets and tipping his head towards the door. “Speaking of, though. How about we pay those two a visit? Maybe seeing some happy mers will help lift the mood.”

Seokjin grinned too, reaching over to grab his phone and jacket. “Deal.”

〰️〰️〰️

The Arctic Adventure exhibit is, as one might assume, very cold. Especially if you're on the inside, far beyond where visitors were allowed. Seokjin is glad he’d remembered a coat.

“Hey, Hoseok! Long time no see,” Namjoon calls out, arms already extended to catch the enthusiastic hug his fellow aquarist was known for. 

“Namjoonie! Seokjin-hyung! What are you two doing all the way up here?”

“Just thought we’d stop by, see how you guys were doing. Wanted to check on your prize pupils.”

Jung Hoseok was one of Seoul Aquarium’s senior pinniped trainers, but the animals he was in charge of were a little more unique than the others. Known for his bright demeanor and even brighter hair, the cheerful young man was one of the best in the business, and he’d helped Namjoon out more than a time or two over the years. The two had become close friends.

“Ah, I see. You’re feeling down about your own protege then? Want to come see what success really looks like?”

“Oh, shut up.” Namjoon shoves the man’s shoulder fondly, Hoseok laughing as he beckons them across the walkway.

Unlike Open Ocean, Arctic Adventure was comprised of two main tanks, each with its own room. This was the smaller one, the cold dark water empty of the bustling fish present in the Open Ocean. Instead, the water was full of natural-looking rock formations creating fun obstacles for the inhabitants to swim around. There were a few fish--somehow there was always random fish in every tank--but none of the large crowds Seokjin was used to.

That’s because the real prize was the two mismatched mers that called the tank home. Hoseok was their primary caretaker, years of research and training and trust-building behind the incredible bond the orange-haired man had managed to cultivate.

“It’s been kind of a slow day, so I’m sure they’d be willing to put on a bit of a show. We’ve been working on some new skills.” 

Hoseok grabs a bucket and lifts the thin whistle from around his neck, giving it a blow that none of them possessed the ability to hear. The trio waits patiently by the tank’s edge, peering into the cold dark water below. 

“There!” Namjoon points, his excitement not unlike the kids Seokjin was used to seeing running around. A large pale shape is rapidly approaching the surface, and the two aquarists barely have time to process Hoseok backing away before the water breaks around a large form, droplets spraying down on them as the new arrival twists and flops back down, a huge splash echoing around the room.

Seokjin gasps and blinks water from his eyes as a series of high-pitched chirps sound out, clearly a form of laughter. A large grin overtakes his normally stoic expression, his glee barely contained as he wipes his face off and creeps back towards the edge.

“Wow! He’s getting kind of good at that isn’t he?” Namjoon admires.

“He definitely is, the little bugger. He knows you’re new, sorry. A bit of a brat this one.”

“Ah, well, he’s got nothing on the last mer that breached on us.”

Seokjin winces at the reminder of SG-3 but he can't help but enjoy the show all the same. Breaching was a common activity for wild false beluga mers, but it had almost never been observed in captivity before.

This arctic mer--as they were more commonly called--had been weak and withdrawn when he’d arrived at SA. Getting him to show breaching behavior was a compliment to the hard work Hoseok had put in over the years.

“V-yah! You little brat, come say hi. Politely, this time,” Hoseok calls. He gives a short sharp whistle and another series of those laughing chirps sounded out. 

‘V’ is significantly bigger than SG-3 or even Jungkook. He's over seven feet long from top to tail, with thick banks of blubber and a mop of curly light grey hair. His tail is a pristine white with flukes instead of fins, not unlike the cetacean the species had been named for.

Arctic mers were uncommon to see, largely because they lived in such frigid waters. They were known for migrating with the beluga whale pods, blending in with the crowd and helping with the hunt in a type of symbiotic relationship that still baffled scientists. 

V had been with Seoul Aquarium nearly five years. In that time, he’d participated in numerous research projects and experiments to help learn more about his elusive species. Hoseok had been with him nearly that entire time.

“Good job.” Hoseok tosses a small fish out to the mer who catches it deftly between his sharp teeth. “Now, come on. Budge over so Mochi can have a turn.”

V gives a little trill, ducking down in a flash of white flukes that stir the dark water into an opaque mess. Seokjin can't see below the rippling waves until another, smaller, head appears above water. 

‘Mochi’ is quite a unique-looking mer. A very fine layer of nearly imperceptible fur starts at his shoulders and works down his back until it reaches his hips. Like most mers, his torso blends seamlessly into a tail- in Mochi’s case, a thick pale grey with two dark flippers instead of flukes. His hair is a thick mop of white.

He's an absolutely beautiful, healthy seal mer. And he might very well be one of the last of his kind. Perhaps the most extensively hunted of all mer species, there were only eleven known Rocky Seal Mers left in the world. Naturally pretty passive and with an unusual habit of coming onto land to give birth, seal mers made easy targets for the mer hunters of the world.

Arctic mers and seal mers were both notoriously difficult species to keep in captivity. Both were incredibly social. Seal mers mated for life, which unfortunately meant that separated pairs did very poorly. Arctic mers were used to long migrations and needed extensive physical and mental enrichment to prevent harmful stereotypies.

V and Mochi were an odd pair, yes, but to the merkeeping community, they were an incredible success and a shining beacon of hope. It was this strange coupling that made Seoul Aquarium so sure that they could pair Jungkook with SG-3.

“So, how are things going with the new guy?” Hoseok asks. He pulls a small toy torpedo from a pile and tosses it across the water, the two mers eagerly chasing after. They’d spent the last several minutes showing off and now it was time to play.

Namjoon and Seokjin both wince at the question, which is never a good sign. “He’s….better,” Seokjin replies. “We got him a new station marker and he seems to be targeting with regularity. He’s eating correctly. He, uh, hasn’t killed anyone.”

“That’s a very low bar, hyung.”

“I’m aware.”

Hoseok shrugs. “Just sayin’.” He trades the torpedo Mochi has brought him for a small fish. 

“How did you do it?” Namjon asks. “Get V to accept Mochi?” The three aquarists watch as the two mers dive down, pushing and twirling and squealing. “They get along so well, but in the wild, they’d be natural competitors.”

Hoseok sighs, watching the two fondly. “It was pure luck really. I think….they were both lonely. Really, really lonely. And someone was better than no one.”

Not really the answer Seokjin was hoping for, but one he understands nonetheless. They did that with animals all the time, right? Threw together different species, or the same species but from different herds/pods/packs etc and expected their innate social nature to bridge the gap.

“Listen,” Hoseok says cautiously. “What you’re doing, it- it might not work. In fact, most evidence would suggest it won’t work.”

“We know that Hoseok,” Namjoon says.

“I know. I know you know that.” Hoseok swings his gaze pointedly to Seokjin, meeting the senior's eyes with his own dark ones. “But- let me just ask you this. What, exactly, is going to happen to that shark if it doesn’t work?”

And- for once, Seokjin is speechless.

It’s not like he doesn't know how slim this chance was. How terrible the odds. It’s just…he had been trying very hard recently to not think about an After. He just wants to get through the Now.

“Well, if the two don’t get along, then we’ll still have to meet the no mer alone rule. Either a new mer will come to SA or Jungkook will be moved somewhere else.”

Hoseok maintains his steely gaze. “And the shark?”

“Hoseok-ah, what do you want me to say here? If the shark won’t accept captivity, if he hurts anyone…we’ll have no choice.”

It was the unfortunate truth, too heavy for the salty air to hold. It pushed on them all, dragging them down, filling them with a sense of deep sorrow they had no way of resolving.

If SG-3 wouldn’t accept Jungkook, than he would die. No, not die. He would be killed. Just another nameless mer that humanity will have failed.

That Seokjin will have failed.

Chapter Text

The thing about sharks is: they never stop moving.

“A still shark is a dead shark,” Yoongi’s brother once told him. Yoongi’s not a true shark, not really, but the idea is similar enough. In the ocean (where he belongs) to be stationary for too long was to give the enemy opportunity to attack. 

So Yoongi never stops. He keeps moving, keeps swimming, over and over and around and around in this tiny prison that he finds himself in. And he hates every second of it.

He hates the hard blue walls that keep him trapped. He hates the foul taste of artificial saltwater on his tongue. He hates the phantom sting of pain down his back every time he spies the net stretched overhead.

But most of all, Yoongi hates the humans. 

They're always there, constantly watching, dumping dead fish into the water and pointing at him with strange glowy-things. It’s beyond weird, watching them walk around on their awkward legs and feet. Their piercing gaze sends ripples of discomfort through his body, and there’s nowhere to go, no place to hide, and no ocean to swim away from them in.

He hates it. It makes him feel trapped, cornered, afraid. 

It’s not like Yoongi’s never felt fear before- of course he has. But this kind of fear, clustered under his ribs and swirling in his belly, an anxious type of terror that expresses itself in twitching fins and phantom pain, is something different. 

Back home ( home: someplace Yoongi yearns for more and more with every passing second) Yoongi felt fear in quick bursts. Short and sharp and lasting only as long as it took for a larger predator to travel through his territory or the awful human-boats to pass overhead. And in those cases, Yoongi knew exactly what to do. He was prepared; he was ready.

There was nothing, nothing, in the ocean that could’ve prepared him for this.

Yoongi barely even remembers getting caught. He remembers the pain, the panic, the sharp smell of blood in the water, and the terrifying touch of air on his skin. But the images are distorted flashes, nothing concrete, like trying to peer through a school of herring. 

He knows it’s been a while. Weeks, maybe months. He’d been in a different prison, smaller than this one. But he’d been too tired, too hurt, to really process anything. There’d been a sluggish heaviness to his limbs and his mind, the cloudy water sharp with the taste of a chemical he couldn’t escape from.

Long stretches of darkness, blank spots in his mind, slip between the cracks, making him unsure how much time has passed or where he really was all those days. But the memories, disjointed as they may be, haunt his every moment, both awake and in his sleep. Not that he’s been getting much of the latter.

Yoongi refuses to sleep because Yoongi refuses to stop moving. Over and over and around and around in this tiny prison made by humans, Yoongi keeps moving. Over and over and around and around, Yoongi swims, and he dreams about going home.

〰️〰️〰️

“Has he been targeting better?” 

Yoongi tilts slightly to peer up through the clear water as another human joins the small crowd above him. He knows this one, recognizes the cadence of his voice even if he has no clue what he’s saying. The way humans talk baffles him, and he’s grown to hate the sound of it warbling down through the water at him.

“Yes. But I still don’t trust him for a second.”

“He passed his live fish test, yesterday. That’s a great sign.”

Annoying- that’s the main emotion Yoongi attributes to this human. He’s clearly important, like an elder passing through the territory and demanding his finest catch. All the other humans look to him for guidance. 

“He did eat one eventually.”

“But only one, and he still came to the station like normal.”

Yoongi keeps moving, swimming in leisurely circles. His belly is full, a sensation he’s still sometimes startled by. Yoongi may hate the idea of being fed by humans--of coming when called to their stupid ball of light and meaningless whistle--but he sure doesn’t miss the hunger that could sometimes last for days out in the ocean.

A small schooling fish darts past him, and Yoongi watches as it joins the rest of its group. They’d dumped those in here two feedings ago. They were small and largely tasteless; Yoongi had mostly ignored them. Early on, he’d been so ravenous, his body so desperate to replenish itself, that he’d gone after any fish in sight.

It baffled Yoongi, more than a little bit, because it was just another thing about the humans that he didn’t understand. They pulled him from the water, they tore him from his home. They kept him in that tiny, dirty prison full of foul water that clouded his mind. Why do all that…just to move him somewhere else? Somewhere with plenty of food and fresh water? 

He remembers, vaguely, the sheer confusion that he’d felt when he’d first woken up in this cage. It was many times larger than the one he’d been in previously, full of clean water and with a small school of fish for him to go after. Why?? What sort of new, cruel game were they playing?

And then, after he’d already proven he could still hunt, that his injuries would not slow him down, they insisted on giving him food that was already dead. 

He felt like a young pup getting tossed the scraps of his mother’s meals. Did they not think he was capable? Did they think he was still injured? He swam with ease these days, the residual pain and soreness fading with time, and he even tried jumping out of the water a few times, terrifying touch of air be damned. 

They’d brought the net out after that, though, which had sent him into such a panicked frenzy he’d nearly rubbed his sides raw on the awful prison walls. 

Yoongi didn’t get it. He didn’t know what the humans wanted from him. They didn’t want him dead- he’d surmised that much by the way they continued to feed him. So what was it they were looking for? A prize to keep staring at like a particularly large shark tooth or a shiny piece of shell? What?!

Tides, but he hated this! Yoongi was never the anxious sort, he just wasn’t. Cool, calm, collected. That was always who Yoongi was. He needed to be. His survival, the survival of his siblings, depended on it. 

This awful, overwhelming, indecisive energy where he doesn’t know what to do or how to act or even the first clue how to escape the situation was really starting to wear on him. Yoongi was tired. He has no idea how long he’s been here. He has no idea if his brother will be searching for him, if his sister thinks he’s dead. He has no idea if he’ll ever see them again.

And that, perhaps, is the worst feeling of them all. He may never see them again. 

Yoongi shoves a sharp rush of water past his gills and gives his arms a quick shake. He can’t dwell on it, that won’t help anyone. He just- he needs- he’s got to-

He keeps swimming.

The humans are gathering, someone new coming to crouch by the water. Their voices float through the water, random clutches of sound that mean nothing to Yoongi’s ears.

“We’ve been monitoring any weight gain we can see. He was improving steadily for a bit, but he seems to have hit a plateau.”

“But he’s been eating everything?”

“ Yes. It was a bit of a fight to transition him to station feeding. But he’s been targeting well for a good two weeks now.”

“Any more problems with breaching?”

“Nothing all month. He seems to respect the net.”

“And the station?”

“Hoseok over in pinnipeds helped us rig this up. It’s crude, but it does the trick. He sees the light and comes right over.”

“Good. And he seems to be swimming well. No pain or stiffness from his previous injuries.”

“Do you think he’s ready?”

“I think you’re running out of time whether he is or isn’t. The sunset mer in holding--”

“Jungkook.”

“--Jungkook, right, he’s on track to be put on exhibit again very soon. Let’s get SG-3 moved over, and we’ll at least have them in the same place.”

“Great! I guess it’s time to start thinking about a name.”

Yoongi shook his head, the thick black strands flowing around him as he changed direction suddenly, the push and pressure of water as he swam a quick series of zig-zags helping mute the conversations above. His heart was pounding, something about the new human crouched by the edge making him nervous. She was vaguely familiar, her voice and appearance pulling at memories from a time clouded by pain and hunger and prickling pain in his arm.

Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop, his brain chanted. It didn’t help that, logically, Yoongi knew he couldn’t go anywhere. He couldn’t run away when he was already locked in a cage. But it gave him an outlet for his restless energy, pushing himself faster and faster until the water was swirled and churning, waves splashing against the sides of the wall.

The voices got louder, nearly shouting, as Yoongi started to lose control, too confined for the speed he was trying to push towards. His side rammed into the wall, the impact startling a sharp screech from his throat. He shoved away, the panic starting to build, unsettled and scared and not sure why. 

His stomach felt like lead, his heart pounding so hard he could feel it in his teeth. His tail twitched and spasmed, careening him off course and into another wall. The foreign material pushed more memories to the forefront until he could nearly smell the blood in the water.

Was that actual blood? Was he dreaming? What was wrong with him?!

And then- everything stopped. Yoongi squeezed his eyes shut, fists clenched, and just tried to breathe. His tail kept twitching, but otherwise he was perfectly still, slowly sinking toward the floor as the water began to still. His gills hurt, they were working so hard.

He tried desperately to block out whatever noise and commotion the humans were up to. He concentrated only on the feeling of water sliding past. For the first time since he was brought to this strange place, his belly brushed against the smooth pool floor. 

It was so odd, so foreign, so different from what he was used to. He let it ground him, focusing only on the touch of it against his vulnerable stomach. Tides, he wanted to go home.

They left him alone after that. The lights dimmed down, as close to darkness as they ever got, and the humans left him with just the sound of his own voice, tiny whines he hadn’t even realized he was making.

He doesn’t move an inch until morning.

〰️〰️〰️

When the humans return, he knows something is different.

He’s back to swimming in lazy circles, over and over and around and around. The same group from before, including the female one who makes spikes of fear flare through his fins, are gathering at the front of his enclosure.

Here, at least, it’s easier to keep an eye on them. There’s patches of clear material at the front of his enclosure that he normally despises because it makes him feel even more exposed than usual. But now that the humans are down in front of his cage instead of on the platform above it, he can watch them easily as he makes his laps.

Something is different.

There are a lot of them, for one thing. And they’re carrying all sorts of strange human-things, most of which are quite a bit larger than the glowy-boxes he’s used to seeing. He shivers involuntarily and speeds up a bit on his next lap. 

His tail still aches a little from banging around yesterday, and his muscles are sore- both from the exertion of swimming so hard when he’s been in this cage for so long and for lying so still for hours after. 

It’s harder to hear the humans when they aren’t above him, so that at least is nice. Yoongi is still suspicious though. They’re messing with some strange blue thing that, if he thinks about it, almost looks like a tiny version of the cage he’s currently in.

He doesn’t like this. The humans are up to something. Movement above him pulls his attention. The male human, the one Yoongi assumes is in charge, is staring down at him. He does that a lot, his mouth pulled down at the corners.

The human says something to the others and several of them raise their hands in the same shape. A signal of some kind. Suddenly- a loud, horrendous clanking noise fills Yoongi’s ears. He darts across the tank. Once, twice. But there’s no escaping it.

Something is being lowered from above. It’s blue, rectangular, and longer than Yoongi himself is. It opens as it hits the water, flat expanse of human-material sinking beneath the surface. Yoongi goes still. A cheerful ball of light pops up in front of the odd thing, the sharp cue for ‘food’ sounding down at him.

He’s not stupid. He knows what it is they want. He darts underneath instead.

The humans, however, seem intent on making it happen. There’s a rush of voices, a pounding of feet, and then several small nets and sticks are lowered into the water near him. He snaps at them, tries to rip one from their grasp, but there are too many, poking and prodding and herding him toward the blue shape.

“Watch out!”

Yoongi grabs one, snatching it into the water. The net tangles in his fingers; another stick pokes against his back. He wishes he could grab one of the humans. Drag them underwater until they’re in reach of his claws and his teeth. 

He moves forward a few feet, shaking the net from his hands, and the humans stop. Their weapons lay unmoving at the top of the water. In front of him, the blue surface waits. Panic starts to rise.

He knows what they want. And he knows he doesn't have a choice. 

With aching slowness, Yoongi creeps forward. He brushes his fingers across the strange material. He has no idea what it is or what it does. It’s just laying there. Maybe…maybe it’s like his food station? They just want him to swim over it?

Cautiously, Yoongi swims closer, the water just deep enough over the blue thing that his dorsal fin doesn’t stick out. It’s cool and slippery against his stomach and tail. A short whistle blows, different from the one that means food. Still, it’s a mere second later that a small handful of delicious squid is passed down from above. Yoongi is almost too nervous to eat, but he reaches out anyway, sucking them down without much thought. 

A voice warbles down. The boss human comes closer. And then that awful sound starts up again and Yoongi realizes, with growing horror, that he’s being lifted. The material closes snugly around him, too slippery to grasp and too sturdy to claw through. The panic grows.

He’s screaming by the time his head touches air. Swimming with all his might, pushing with desperate hands against the blue surface. He was wrong. Tides, he was wrong! The humans wanted to kill him all along.

What happens next is hazy. Air, painful and terrifying and suffocating. Water, rushing back in without warning, the foul chemical taste from Before mixed in. Walls, closer and tighter than he’d felt in weeks. Voices, movement, and too many unrecognizable sounds to count. The awful press of human hands on his skin. And then finally- lights, so bright they hurt his head.

At first, he almost thinks it’s the sun. But as the sluggish weight begins to recede and he rubs the grit from his sleepy eyes, he realizes it’s just more human-lights. Way more human-lights. Yoongi’s head pounds as he squints through the water, his fingers running mindlessly over the tiny dots of pain on his inner arm.

He’s somewhere new, obviously. Somewhere larger than before with no clear or blue walls in sight. Instead, it’s a rough grey material that he finds his back pressed to. Movement stirs in this new expanse and Yoongi has no idea what to expect.

Once again, the humans have left him reeling in confusion and fear.

A shark rumbles past and Yoongi nearly jumps out of his skin. It’s a small one, not even as long as Yoongi himself, and it’s missing a small chunk of its dorsal fin. Still- sharks are fast and their teeth are sharp. Yoongi finds it very unsettling to be trapped somewhere in such close approximation with one when he isn’t feeling his finest. 

As he begins to move and take stock of the situation, he finds the small shark isn’t his only new prisoner. There’s fish, schooling near the bottom, and a pair of rays slowly drifting past. The water is richer, heavier, and duller than before, full of the taste of many fish and other creatures. 

Wherever he is, he is very very much not alone.

Yoongi begins a cautious lap, swimming slowly but ready for anything he might stumble across. He follows the wall, letting it lead him counterclockwise as his eyes search through the middle depths. Strange grey tunnels, too small for anyone to swim through, sit on the bottom. There are little grey sticks too, of the same material, some with strips of something green waving up from them. 

He cocks his head and curiously reaches out to feel one. Is it meant to be grass? It’s not edible, Yoongi can tell that much. The best thing in the tank, however, by far, is the small platform that sits by one edge. It’s pressed against the wall, a flat solid top with those grey sticks to hold it up. It’s no cave, no comfy reef shelf or soft sand burrow. But it’s big enough for Yoongi to curl up underneath and already he can feel his relief. 

Maybe now, he can actually get some rest.

After a moment to push things around, his lap continues. He’s nearly three-quarters of the way around when the noises change and he can feel a minuscule current against his skin, pulling inexplicably toward a section of wall. Except: there is no wall. Yoongi is instead met with a strange lattice of metal--a material he finally recognizes--that the water is passing through.

His gills flutter anxiously, three shocked pulls, as he peers past the grate. There is water out there. So. Much. Water. Yoongi can’t see any walls. All he can see is water and more water, stretching out in front of him, endlessly enticing from where he’s trapped behind bars. 

There’s fish too; so many fish! Some swim right past him, tiny enough that they could almost slip between the gaps. Some he can sense are much much larger, swimming slowly past his sight. 

Yoongi wonders, for a moment, if he should feel excited. Or anything positive of that ilk. Instead, all he feels is sick. He’s confused by the humans, unsettled by his prison, and uncomfortable with the idea of just how many creatures are trapped here alongside him.

Eventually, the crowd above him disperses. Yoongi settles into the rhythm of his laps, counting the seconds, the heartbeats, the breaths, the tail strokes, as he moves around and around. At some point, new humans return for feeding. Two flat objects are slid into the water, each with a different symbol. He recognizes these from the early days, and he watches as the lone shark and two rays swim over and receive a bounty of food.

Ah, so that’s what they were for. Yoongi had tried to pull them into the water. After all, everything else the humans had handed down--food mostly, but occasionally the odd object that he let sink to the floor--was either for Yoongi to take or meant to annoy him like the nets from today. 

His ears pick up the now familiar sound of his own whistle signal, the glowing ball of orange light that meant it was mealtime popping up by the wall. The shark gives the ball an odd look as Yoongi slides past, but she’s been fed well and doesn’t seem interested in stealing Yoongi’s food.

Time passes, Yoongi pausing at the metal grate with every lap to peer into the depths. There’s another grate, longer across than this one, at the other side of his prison. Yoongi doesn’t give it much thought though. It opens only into another identical prison to his with a handful of fish and rays inside.

When the human-lights start to dim and the voices and footsteps fade, Yoongi starts to gather the strange tubes and grass-sticks from the floor and push them towards the platform, the green strips tall enough to cover one whole side. It’s not coral. It’s not a den. But it is something, and after so many days of being entirely exposed, it feels good to crowd behind it. 

Out there, beyond the metal, lies a territory big enough for hunting and with rocks large enough to hide in. Yoongi won’t let himself fall asleep, not yet, but he lets himself settle, his body still a bit weak and sluggish, and he listens to the sounds of the closest thing to home that he’s got.

〰️〰️〰️

Two days pass, as far as Yoongi can tell, before anything changes. 

There’s a commotion above him, something much louder than the typical stomp of feet as the humans mill about. Blurred forms rush past overhead and there’s a sudden loud splash from the water beyond the grate. 

Curious, Yoongi swims closer to the side of his prison. A long stretch of thick webbing separates him from the pool beyond. He’d tested it, that first day, but it was sturdy and strong and there wasn’t anything on the other side worth tearing through it for. 

Now, it offers the perfect view of the humans. Yoongi blinks, a bit startled. The humans are…in the water.

…the humans are in the water??

He swims closer, sure he must be imagining it, but no- there are four humans sliding from the ground above into the pool beyond the net. 

Their strange human-legs paddle awkwardly to keep them afloat, their hands flapping uselessly at the surface. Their skin is covered by something black and their feet have a contraption on them that reminds Yoongi almost of flippers. 

He remembers, suddenly, the old grey mer that he’d met as a child. She had been the one to teach him about humans, about their strange floating surfaces and their cruel hunting tactics. He remembers how she told him they could enter the water, holding their breath like a dolphin. 

These humans he’s watching are graceless and slow. He can’t picture any of them being a threat. But he knows, just like any mer knows, that a human in the water is a sure sign that death is coming. 

With careful strokes, Yoongi keeps close enough to the net to watch and far enough that he could dart away if one came closer. They seem focused on something above them, though, not paying any attention to Yoongi’s side. 

Their hands lift, suddenly, just as that awful cranking loudness fills the air. Startled, Yoongi whips around, turning frantically as he tries to peer up at the surface. It takes him several laps to realize the blue surface is not coming to him. No, it’s the other side, the one with the humans, where the awful blue thing appears. 

This must’ve been how Yoongi got here. With his heart still beating a touch too fast, he creeps closer once more as the humans reach for the blue and pull. 

It takes Yoongi longer than he’s comfortable admitting to process the sight. Out of the stretcher, in a blur of speed and purple scales, comes a fully grown mer. It darts around, swimming two quick laps without ever brushing a human before it settles by the far edge. 

The humans are busy pulling themselves out of the water, the blue surface retreating alongside that sound. They don’t seem concerned with being in the water with the mer, and the mer itself—male, long pectoral fins, definitely a reef mer like Yoongi—doesn’t seem bothered either. 

If it were Yoongi in the water with a human….

Well. This definitely changes things. 

Yoongi waits for the humans to leave. The other mer doesn’t make a sound, settling curled in a ball in the far corner of his side. Yoongi waits, patient and still so as not to attract attention. 

At some point, a human he can almost recognize, tall and muscular with a serious but kind-looking face, stops above him and their voice warbles down his way. 

“Be nice to him, Suga. We’ve got high hopes for the two of you.”

Yoongi ignores him, of course. Eventually, the human retreats out of his sight, the bustle of feet toning back down to the amount that he’s become accustomed to the past couple of days. 

Hours pass without either mer stirring. The humans periodically come and glance at both of them, seemingly waiting for them to notice each other. 

Yoongi isn’t sure what to do. His stomach’s been in knots since the realization. There was something almost relieving at finding out he wasn’t alone, but it’s all tied up in the sick horror of knowing another mer now shared a similar fate to his own. 

Eventually, he grows restless, impatient to keep moving where he once could lie in wait for days. Fine, he finally huffs to himself. He’ll make the first move. 

He approaches the net slowly, achingly aware of the humans crowding closer once more. He lets his fingers reach out and grab at the sturdy lattice, only the tip of his tail twitching. In a prison-pool like this one, there’s no current to fight against to stay still. 

“Hello?” he clicks out. Immediately, he cringes at the way he sounds so tentative and unsure. “Hey, you in there?” he tries again. 

The instant his voice reaches past the bars, the other mers head shoots up. He unfurls, long flowing tail flashing in the artificial light. 

His hair is pink, floating in a cloud around his wide, shocked eyes. He darts forward so fast that Yoongi jerks back on instinct, baring his teeth and claws. The mer stops. His mouth opens and closes like a dumb fish, throat moving but no sound emitting. Finally-

“W-who are you?” the strange mer clicks out. His voice is odd, childish almost with a muddling edge to his sounds. Yoongi can barely understand him. He’s met a couple of bright fins like this before, though, and he's pretty sure they speak the same reef-language the sharks all learn.

To be fair: the first bright fin Yoongi ever met, he’d tried to kill. He had passed into Yoongi's territory unexpectedly, his deep red scales practically inviting an attack. He’d been more agile, but Yoongi had been quicker. 

This time, though, there is no reason to fight. There’s no territory here. They’re both well-fed. This particular mer doesn’t have the venomous spines that Yoongi’s heard tale of. And Yoongi….he can admit to missing the companionship of his siblings. It’s been a while since he’s gotten to speak to someone who knows how to listen. 

“I’m Yoongi,” he sends out. “You?”

The mer’s head tilts. He seems to take a second to process Yoongi’s words. “Jungkook,” he finally responds. He crowds closer, eager and bright. 

“I’ve never met a mer like you before! How long have you been here? Do you like it? The water's so cold here! Have you met Namjoon? I'm hoping he sticks around this time.” The younger mer’s words come fast and high, nearly impossible to understand. And- they don’t make any sense. 

Does Yoongi like it? What kind of question is that! And who was Namjoon? Another mer? Just how many did this place have??

Yoongi shakes his head, frustrated. “Slow down,” he urges. The humans aren’t helping, their loud voices and excited pointing crowding for attention in Yoongi’s peripheral. 

“They’re talking, hyung!”

“I can see that, Joon-ah, I’m right here.”

“Sorry,” Jungkook says. He glances upward, the deep blue of his eyes tracking the movement above. The corners of his mouth tilt up, similar in shape to what Yoongi’s seen the humans do. “They’re excited,” he explains. “They’ve been planning this awhile, although I only just found out.”

At his words, innocent though they may seem, a cold rush of terror shoots down Yoongi’s spine and spreads through his chest. “Can you…understand them?” he chokes out.

Jungkook nods happily, head bouncing up and down. “Most of it, at least. I don’t think they realize how easy their mouth-speak is.”

Just how long had this mer been trapped here?

There’s pity at first, for the idea of how awful it must’ve been all this time, until Jungkook continues speaking. And then there’s only fear.

“I know how confused you must be. If you need anything, I’m happy to ask on your behalf.”

Yoongi stares, the ice spreading through his veins. “You- you can talk to them?”

“Well, not with mouth-speak. I can use my hands, see?” Jungkook makes a strange gesture, a signal that Yoongi’s never seen before. Then he lets himself rise slowly to the surface, and--to Yoongi’s ever growing horror--he lifts himself partially out of the water, gills flattened tight to his neck. 

The gestures are repeated before Jungkook slides back beneath the surface. A clamor of commotion sounds, the human voices rising. Jungkook swims back down to the net and shoots Yoongi a flash of his teeth. “They’re going to bring us some more fish.”

It was…unheard of. Impossible. So utterly, uncomprehendingly ridiculous that Yoongi was having a hard time processing it. This mer could speak to the humans! Not only that- he seemed almost to like them!

Yoongi’s gills fluttered harshly as he sucked in desperate gulps of water. “What are you?” he whispers, backing slowly away. 

Jungkook tilts his head again. “I- I’m a mer. Like you! Well, not exactly like you. But close enough, right?” Those bright purple fins flare out as Jungkook twitches closer. "We- we can be friends, right?"

“A mer? Who speaks to humans? Impossible.”

“I- I- Namjoon taught me sign language so that we could communicate. It’s nothing to fear!”

Yoongi shakes his head. He continues backing up, teeth bared slightly. He refused to admit that he is actually scared. 

“Please. I think…they want us to get to know each other. To be friends.” Webbed fingers reach out to curl around the bars and big blue eyes stare beseechingly up at the shark.

For a moment, Yoongi had felt a flash of hope. That he wouldn’t be alone. That two heads were better than one. That he’d have someone to escape with. That hope is rapidly fading under the weight of his horror, and anger starts to seep in and take its place. He lunges, suddenly, claws raking against the net and forcing Jungkook to swish back with a startled click.

“Wha- What did I do?” the mer yelps. Above them, the humans come running.

“I don’t want anything to do with you,” Yoongi spits. “Go back to your humans. Abandon your people. I don’t care! But stay away from me.”

He turns, swimming angrily to the other side of the pool. He hears Jungkook call after him, but he ignores the words. The young mer is confused, peppering the water with long series of chirps and whistles, but Yoongi just focuses on swimming. Faster and faster. Over and over. Around and around and around and around until the only thing he can hear is his own heartbeat, pounding in tune to his fear.

 〰️〰️〰️

The days that follow are fraught with tension.

Jungkook continues trying to talk to Yoongi. Yoongi continues to ignore him. He swims his laps during the day, comes when called to eat, and curls up under the platform at night to try to imagine a way of getting out of here. Of going home.

It irks him, more than a little, how accustomed to the humans he’s already become. How he comes at their whistle like a well-trained pet. Like Jungkook. 

The other mer baffles him. He’s a bit sullen and withdrawn, staying curled up on the floor while Yoongi does his laps, but he still engages with the humans way more than Yoongi does. They give him toys and treats and odd objects, all things he tries to share with the shark. He calls them ‘enrichment’, skittering away when Yoongi meets him once again with a warning flash of claws.

The humans try and give Yoongi things too. Weird little balls that float on the surface. Round little rings that sink to the bottom. Anything that doesn’t float, Yoongi takes and adds to a small pile behind the fake grass. Perhaps one of them could be fashioned into a weapon of some sort.

The humans are also, clearly, trying to get him to interact with Jungkook. They keep making Yoongi feed right beside the net where Jungkook waits. The other mer attempted once to pass Yoongi a small fish through the bars, but the snap of sharp teeth towards his hand stopped him from trying again.

It’s frustrating. But Yoongi can’t help but pay attention to the other mer. Jungkook doesn’t take his food in quick drive-bys like Yoongi and the true shark he shares the enclosure with. He takes his food in a strange human-container, drifting leisurely as he eats. He comes up nearly daily to the surface, flipping over and showing off his hands and fins to the humans who tap away at their glow-boxes. 

The humans try to get Yoongi to do this too. They blow their false-whistle and wave their silly hands about, trying, clearly, to get him to perform specific movements. He doesn’t want to indulge them--far from it!--but he often doesn’t know what they asking for anyway. Regardless, he almost always gets food out of it.

Food, it seems, really is a universal concept. He and the female shark don’t bother each other or the rays--despite the enclosure being much smaller than a hunting territory and the fish easy pickings--because their bellies never have a chance to give so much as a single grumble of discontent.

In the ocean, days or even weeks might pass between meals. Here, Yoongi gets fed twice a day. A tiny part of him appreciates the routine of it. He settles more, letting himself spend more time tucked away in his not-quite-a-den, resting and ignoring the humans.

The toys the humans have given him are round and soft. Nothing that could be made into a tool. Yoongi has inspected both the net and the metal grate several times, but can find no weaknesses or a clue for how to open them. Plus Yoongi knows, logically, that escaping the pool itself doesn’t do him much good. Not when the air above him is as impenetrable a barrier as any gate.

Sometimes, he just closes his eyes and listens. Jungkook tends to be oddly silent most of the day. He only speaks up--hesitant little clicks--when he thinks Yoongi is watching. But the water they’re in is teeming with life beyond just the two of them, and with his eyes closed and his ears open, sometimes Yoongi can pretend it’s just the normal chorus of the reef.

At night, when the lights have dimmed and the sounds have faded and only one or two humans remain, Yoongi goes to the grate. His eyes track the movement of more fish than he can count, his hair drifting in the tiny bit of current he can feel. He aches to be out there, someplace big enough to truly dive and dash and get away from the eyes that constantly watch from above.

Occasionally, he tunes in to the other side of the net in the middle. He knows that nighttime is important to Jungkook as well. Nearly every day this week, the other mer has swum over to the edge of the pool and popped his head above the water. Yoongi doesn’t see him make any more of those strange human hand signals, but he can tell he’s interacting with someone.

During the day, different names will float past every now and then. Namjoon. Yugyeom. Seokjin. Moonbin. They’re meaningless to Yoongi.

“They call you Suga,” Jungkook had said at some point. Yoongi swiped a lazy claw at him and continued swimming past, not interested in the words of his captors or their pet. The young mer’s presence chafes at his nerves. 

Yoongi doesn’t have the energy to stay truly angry, though, as the days pass. Despite the twice-a-day feedings, he feels lethargic, the endless stress and hypervigilance getting to him after a lifetime spent sleeping for much of the day. Red tips weren't made for such constant motion. The human-lights are so bright it hurts, and this enclosure is much much busier than his last. Humans are always coming and going and splashing about.

About a week after Jungkook’s arrival, Yoongi finally plucks up the courage to see what it is he’s doing at night. He makes his way to the edge nearest the net, sucking in several deep breaths, so hard his gills flatten tight to his neck. Then he sticks his head out of the water.

Immediately, he panics and drops back down. The touch of dry air on his cheek had about unglued him, causing him to take several sharp laps with his claws digging into his arm before he was ready to try again. 

This time, he reaches up with his arms first, the dry press of air making his hands tremble. His fingers find purchase on the edge of the pool, the surface rough on his sensitive fingertips. He takes a big gulp before once more lifting himself up.

Water drips down his nose and his hair plasters limply to his cheeks. The air stings at his eyes and skin as he squints across the way.

There’s a human sitting by the poolside. This, Yoongi expected. What he didn’t expect, is the casual way his feet are dangled into the water right by a certain mer’s head. Jungkook sits right below, gazing up at the human while keeping himself just far enough into the water as to cover his gills.

“We’re not quite sure what the best move is. You’re meant to be released on exhibit tomorrow, Kookie. But Suga’s just not ready yet. If he isn’t going to cooperate soon, they’re going to start pushing back at us for keeping you alone so long.”

The sounds mean nothing to Yoongi, but he can tell Jungkook understands by the way his face twists. Yoongi slips back down, sucking in grateful gulps of water, and tries to process what he just saw.

This is the same human that had said something to him the day Jungkook arrived. He was clearly familiar with the young mer. Yoongi pops up two more times--careful not to draw either’s attention--and watches as Jungkook hovers underneath this strange man. On the last one, mere seconds before Yoongi retreats back to his platform, he notices something odd.

Jungkook has one hand stretched out of the water, reaching to grab onto something the human is handing him. In the faint dim light of the evening, something glitters against his wrist and catches Yoongi’s eye.

It’s a bracelet. Clearly handmade, with small pieces of orange coral and glistening blue sea glass. Yoongi stares, blue eyes wide, and tries to remember if he’s seen Jungkook wear it before. He must’ve, right? Did he just not notice? 

As Yoongi dips back below the platform, his hand goes automatically for his neck, bare and smooth where two necklaces had once sat. He fingers the space between his collarbones, picturing in his mind the way the coral used to feel against his skin, and suddenly feels overcome with such intense sadness he can barely keep himself from keening aloud. 

Somewhere in the world, Jungkook has a brother. 

That night, curled behind the fake-grass under the human-platform that is the only thing that gives Yoongi comfort these days, the young shark dreams of home. His sadness hardens into resolve; determination in the face of tragedy. He will make it home. He has people waiting for him.

And now that he knows that Jungkook does too- well. He’ll just have to take the other mer with him.