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Chapter Text

Japanese | noun

♦ an escape from your everyday routine

Taehyung shivers.

The cheers are loud enough to drown out the fireworks going off behind him. Even with the earplugs in Taehyung knows, feels his whole body vibrating with it. The late spring sky above Seoul Olympic Stadium looks pitch black against the colorful bursts shooting into the night. He can't see a single star. But if he looks back down, there is a whole starry night spread before him. Loud and fierce, shouting and cheering for him only.

He puts one last brilliant smile on for his fans and waves in every direction.

"Thank you everybody, get home safely! I love you all. Let's meet again soon, borahae!"

The crowd goes wild.

Taehyung heads back to the lifting platform and steps around some jewelries littering the stage. There are so many of them, rings and bracelets and ear piercings that came undone during the performance. A tiny glittering galaxy on its own. Seems like he needs to go shopping for new jewelry soon.

In the backstage area, manager Seo is already waiting for him.

"Good job, Taehyung-ssi. A great final performance to end the tour." He whips out his ever-present tablet and starts tapping on it. Taehyung lowkey has come to hate that tablet. "Now there are only the backstage interview left, the announcement tomorrow, the promotion for next week, ..."

Taehyung collapses onto the couch and closes his eyes.

"Ugh."

Seo keeps talking for a while longer but Taehyung is not listening. He just finished his twelfth and last concert of the world tour, cut him some slack! 

The next time he opens his eyes, Seo is gone. Scratching his head, he drags his heavy limbs out of the room and finds both his manager and bodyguard waiting outside. Seo pats his shoulder. They make their way back to the backstage exit, Seo typing on his tablet and almost walking into a pillar.

Taehyung snickers. Gets a dirty look and shuts up.

They head to the black van with tinted windows and Taehyung is about to get in when Seo holds him back.

"Wait." His managers' voice is dead serious. "That's not our car."

Before Taehyung can process what he just heard, he's already pulled behind a wall of muscle, other bodyguards appearing out of thin air and crowding around him, pushing him away and through the door they just passed. Somewhere next to him, Seo is yelling into his phone and demanding to know where their driver is. Taehyung still doesn't get it.

"What the fuck," the idol mumbles.

After some more yelling and cursing, Seo turns towards him and peers through a gap between two burly necks. 

"The license plate is wrong, and the chrome bumpers are missing."

Taehyung's mouth goes dry.

Shit. Not again.

Seo notices the shift in his mood and nods. "These are either sasaengs or kidnappers. Or both. To be honest, I can't decide which one I find worse."

They are almost running now, hurrying to a more secluded part of the backstage area. Taehyung thinks Seo might've called the police.

Goshdammit. He slumps down onto a chair, shoulders caving in. If those really were sasaengs again... no, don't think about it!

He's officially ready for this day to be over, thank you very much.

"So, have you started yet? You have, haven't you, it's about time after all-"

Taehyung cuts off the call and tosses his phone next to him on the pillow. If he gets asked about his new album one more time today he's going to buy an entire batch of tartelettes, hollow them out, fill them with hot sauce and put them in random places at the HYBE building. Or, maybe he'll just explode.

Actually, exploding sounds much easier and more realistic right now. Less effort, better result. 

...

Exploding it is.

But yeah, that's all it is about with him these days. Not wasting effort or energy because he simply hasn't anything left to give

Just to prove his point, Taehyung gets up and goes over to his desk to perform the same ritual he's done for the past two weeks: pull out the chair, sit down, take his lucky pen and then stare at a blank sheet for an hour.

Every. Single. Day. Writing is fucking difficult!

He doesn't know since when it's become an issue.

All he knows is that it sucks so bad.

This... this is wrong, Taehyung thinks.

It's the fifth Sunday after his tour ended, he went to bed early and should be more than well-rested, but. He can't get up.

Like, he's physically and emotionally unable to leave the bed.

My dude, Taehyung says to himself, you need to get up and do things.

Which is true. Today's TV show might seem years away but there is so much he needs to prepare. Dialogues he needs to check, organizing stuff he needs to discuss with his manager (ugh), outfits he's gotta plan with his stylist, and whatnot. There are always things to do if you are a person of public interest. Screw Sunday, weekends don't exist for idols. Just like holidays, vacations and sick leaves.

With each passing minute Taehyung gets more restless. He really should get up now, he has to. He's got work to do!

Yet, his body refuses. Keeps laying in bed like some exhausted flatfish, and refuses to move. As if it wants to say, You did a thing yesterday. That's enough things for now.

It takes him two hours to leave the bed and he ends up running late for everything. Manager Seo keeps giving him the stink eye for the rest of the day.

From then on it doesn't get better, no matter how much he rests.

After half a month or so, he caves and does the next-best thing: he asks his friend for help.

Hoseok is over the moon that Taehyung contacts him and easily promises to hear him out - after Taehyung accompanies him for a video task he doesn't want to do alone.

Taehyung squints at the dumb chicken hat his friend has to wear. Renowned idol and widely celebrated dancer Jung Hoseok looks like an overgrown toddler who wants to attend carnival and had his unmotivated parents make him a costume last-minute.

The things you do for your fans...

Taehyung huffs and does his best not to think of the silly plastic diadem that's stuck in his obscenely fluffed up hair. He's 95% certain it belongs to a princess costume. Also, should he bother to ask why his presence in the show requires for his hair to double as an exploded pillow?

...Nah.

Doesn't mean he has to be happy about it, though.

Next to him, Hoseok whips out his phone and sneaks a few candid shots of a very not amused princess Taehyung just when he yawns real wide. Taehyung closes his mouth and squints at him.

"You did not just do that."

The little smile his friend wears by default grows bigger. "I have no idea what you're talking about~"

"Jung Hoseok, I swear, if I find these photos on your Insta profile tonight I'll unfollow you."

Hoseok laughs. "Aw, don't be a stuck-up, Taehyung-ah. As if you would ever do that to your favorite hyung. Besides, the pictures of our adorable selves are going to be all over the internet in a few days anyway. But don't worry." He pats Taehyung' shoulder. "It'll be fun I'm sure!"

"Says the one who's afraid of amusement attractions and has to ride the most exciting ones of them while solving quiz questions in-" Taehyung glances at his watch- "seven minutes."

The smile drops off Hoseok's face. "Let's... let's worry about that when it's time, and not before, yes?"

And yeah, okay, maybe that reminder was a bit mean of Taehyung. He knows perfectly well how much his hyung despises these adrenaline-kick things. Hoseok's producers sure are cruel. But hey, at least they allowed him to bring a friend, and if it's just to get more views because of another fandom involved. So, kudos for trying to reconcile?

"Alright, alright, Mister Chicken," Taehyung chuckles. "Change of topic. Are you currently working on something?"

It does the trick. Hoseok's chest swells and he gets that Proud Boi^TM look. 

"Hehehe~ I'm preparing a collab stage for an Mnet special performance with many other idols." Here comes the big sunshine smile. "But don't even try to make me spill the beans on who my partners are. All I can say is that it's gonna be aaaaaaawe-some!"

One of the stylist-noonas sticks her head around the corner. 

"Five minutes left before we start rolling. Please get ready, you two."

Again Hoseok's smile freezes, then vanishes.

"...Shit."

Ah, Taehyung thinks as he glances at his best friend. Here they are. Hoseok's big nerves.

Relatable.

"I'M GONNA DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"

"Hoseok-ssi, what's the capital of Norway?"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Taehyung grabs onto his friend before he can fall off the Viking ship. He's not quite gotten into the mood yet himself, still stuck between having the time of his life and getting a major case of nerves.

For poor Hoseok however, the case is clear.

"...What's the capital of Argentina?"

"IWANNAGOHOOOOOOOOME!"

It takes one hour of sweet-talking, a trip to the spa and watching half of Ratatouille for Hoseok to normally function again. Then, halfway through the film he remembers why Taehyung accompanied him to the Lotte World horror trip in the first place.

He turns down the volume and faces Taehyung, eyes big and sincere. Taehyung almost chokes where he's just been about to inhale another slice of pizza.

"Alright, let's start sweet and simple. What motivates you to get up everyday?"

The younger chews, then snorts.

"...The undeniable urge to take a piss?"

Hoseok purses his lips. "Huh. So it's bad bad, hm?"

Taehyung shrugs.

Intrigued, his friend starts asking him 101 questions, both the film and the amusement park horror long since forgotten.

After what feels like half a day of talking, Hoseok comes to a conclusion.

"Yeah no, okay. You, my dude, need a break. And I'm not talking just a week or so. You'll need at least a few months for yourself. And a major change of scenery, like, asap. From what my non-psychologist ass can tell you're this close to complete burnout."

He holds up his thumb and forefinger with enough space for - Taehyung squints, maybe a TicTac? - to fit in. Just, it's very little space.

His uneasiness must show, for Hoseok is quick to assure him that maybe it's not that bad, maybe they're both overreacting.

Yet at the end of the day he asks Taehyung to please at least consider it.

"I don't want to lose you to the fame until there's nothing left of you anymore, Taehyung-ah," his friend mutters with a solemn expression that doesn't quite fit to his usual persona.

Taehyung nods. "I'll think about it. Promise."

He's so damn lucky to have a genuine friend like Hoseok in a business that thrives from being fake.

And because a promise is a promise and should not be broken, he does think about it. Thinks about the matter of going on a longer hiatus quite a lot, actually. To a point where, even though it's barely more than a game of make-believe, he's narrowed it down to a certain area where he could imagine living for a while. Away from the never-sleeping streets of Seoul, blinking lights, skyscrapers and screaming fans.

He's always liked nature, especially the sea. And the east coast of Gangwon-do with its small villages is a secluded as it gets. In other words: double kill! Nice scenery far away from home, and close to zero chance for anybody to recognize him there. Gosh, he could actually go out on the streets without dressing up like a burglar, maybe. Leave the face mask, huge shades and hoodie at home.

The more he thinks about it and browses the web, the more he loves the whole idea.

The mere thought of living like an average person is way too enticing. No car chases with obsessive fans, no getting touched by dozens of hands as soon as he sets foot on an airport, can you imagine?

So when he gets the next call from Seo, Taehyung tells him to block the next weekend from anything and do some magic so he can have both days off. Which goes... well, it doesn't go as bad as it could have, he supposes.

"The interview is literally on the Tuesday after, I'll still have an entire day for preparations... If we record the promo-shot one day later, nobody is going to die from it. No... no, I don't care, I just need these two days for myself entirely, is that so difficult to understand?"

Seo fumes and curses but in the end has no choice but to oblige. Especially once Taehyung threatens to just not show up if  the schedule is not cleared.

He ends the call and fist-pumps the air.

That's right. He's got an entire weekend off. And he's going to make perfect use of it and go sightseeing! Or however you call it when you wanna go visit different remote villages to figure out which one's gonna be your temporary home for the next... however many months.

He's going to make his own luck!

Maybe a village is too small for him. He's a city boy (read in Ryuunosuke Tanaka's voice, because maybe Taehyung is currently binging the first three seasons of Haikyuu for the 37th time which will never not be great) and needs an easy access to stores and stuff. Sue him.

Okay, so no villages. But, how about, hmmm... fishing towns are cute, right? A small community right at the shore with an old harbor, the sea stretching to the horizon and beyond, seagulls flying high above and singing of freedom? Yeah, that sounds good. Taehyung pens it down and limits his possible destinations even more.

A part of him wants to take the easy way and ask manager Seo to find a place for him, but. No matter how much he has to thank the diligent man, Taehyung doesn't trust him to be an actual help without following ulterior motives - like subtly plotting to get Taehyung back on track with chasing him out of his new residence. Taehyung wouldn't put it past him. Couldn't even be mad at him for it. He knows the kpop industry is a tough place, ruled by survival of the fittest. And him willingly giving up the momentum of his success that he's been chasing for years on end? It could very well mean career suicide.

Oh, Seo is going to be royally pissed once he finds out what's going on and that he wasn't allowed to get involved at all.

But Taehyung is going to worry about that when it's due. Maybe he'll ask Bang PD-nim to not give his new contact info to Seo, just out of spite. On the other hand, he likes breathing. Hm.

He keeps going with his research, one by one excluding more destinations because there are no houses or apartments for sale, let alone holiday rentals. By the night before his free weekend (his first free weekend in years!)  he's got it narrowed down to exactly two places. Taehyung throws a coin where to go first, then heads to bed.

Nakseongdae is a place of contradictions.

Except, well, that's not really true. But it would've sounded cool if he could've written something like that in his journal. Wait. He doesn't have a journal. Maybe he should start writing one.

Anyway, back to topic.

Nakseongdae is not your typical name for a coast town. 'Place where a star fell'. What star? Where exactly? Why? How? Both Google and Wikipedia know nothing. What reliable and helpful buddies, these two, seriously.

Despite the complete lack of background info on the name, Taehyung came here with a certain expectation. 'Place where a star fell' sounds lush and somewhat romantic, no? Yet so far he's seen a total of six local residents, all of them fishermen who looked about as approachable and happy as if someone just told them eating kimchi is punishable by death.

He's just considering to call it quits - if there is not a single friendly soul living here, he doesn't think he'll be able to survive - when he meets one local who doesn't fit in the picture so far.

Taehyung's half-hearted search for a drink gets cut short by some loud swearing a few aisles away. The store is rather small (if not to say tiny), so it takes Taehyung not even five steps to see what's going on. Or more like, who.

There, at the aisle with detergents, a young man is spectacularly failing to reach the top shelf. He can't be much older than Taehyung himself, dark hair floofing up as the stranger jumps on the spot, hands gripping thin air.

"Fucking hell, why the fuck do they keep putting that shit up there where no normal human being can reach, what an idiotic idea, honestly..."

Taehyung presses his lips together. He knows it's mean but... the whole scene is kinda cute. Now the stranger is even stomping his foot while he keeps cussing like a sailor.

Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh. Deep breaths. You got this. Okay, Kim Taehyung ready on three, two, one, go!

"Hey, sorry, do you need a hand?"

The lad stops, mid-climbing the shelf, turns around-

And screeches loudly in Taehyung's face.

"What the f- who are you, where did you just come from?! And-and also I am not tiny!" 

Taehyung's ears are ringing. That dude's got some high-pitched voice when he shrieks. He lifts a hand, slowly backing away.

"Okay, chill dude. I just wanted to help. My bad."

Time to get to the other town. This one is a waste of time.

He's almost at the other end of the aisle as Mr. Not-tiny pipes up again, this time a lot more timid and with a considerable lack of cursing.

"Uhm, actually... I mean, wait, first off, sorry for yelling in your ear. But uh..." Mr. Not-tiny fidgets, "could you, maybe? I mean, yeah. Please."

Taehyung is going to disregard how none of that was a proper sentence whatsoever. He just got his first proper view of the guy and yeah, he's just plain cute. Taehyung looks at him and thinks of dressed-up workers of amusement parks who sell cotton candy on sticks. You don't say 'no' to cotton candy. And Taehyung technically still doesn't know what that dude needs but there is exactly one product displayed at the top shelf so guessing shouldn't be that hard.

One little stretch and handed-over green bottle later, the guy is smiling broadly and bowing deep in thanks. Taehyung blinks. What was that about deceiving first impressions? The dude is the personification of a sweetheart. He's just got a foul mouth.

And probably an extraordinary vocal range, the 'I'm always in work mode' half of Taehyung's brain supplies. That's all it takes for his thoughts to drift off, wondering how the lad would be doing in the music business with that range and unique voice of his. If he'd be any good as a singer. Okay yeah, consider Taehyung hooked. 

They somehow end up strolling down the aisles together, one thing after another making its way into the small basket of the stranger. Taehyung is pleased to note that the guy is easy to chat up. Soon enough they leave the store and make their way through the streets, Taehyung trailing after the other like a lost puppy and secretly praying he'll find the way back to his car later. 

They turn into a smaller street that runs parallel to the coast where the buildings give view to the open sea. Taehyung pauses, takes in the view. And finally remembers why he's here in the first place.

"Hey, uhm..."

The other gives him an adorable smile. "Just call me Jimin. What is it?"

"Alright, Jimin, thank you. Uh, do you think you could show me where the Honghap Inn is?"

Jimin stares at him blankly.

It's enough time to make Taehyung second-guess everything. Was it honghap or another mussel? What if I just made a fool of myself because I insulted a popular place here or something? Shit, shit, shit-

"Aw man, sorry. The old Mrs. Ahn died a while ago and so far nobody has taken over. I don't know if the inn will ever re-open, to be honest."

Taehyung's face falls. That inn would've been pretty much the only place for him to stay here. Seems like Nakseongdae won't make the cut. And that when he just found a nice buddy...

"And you don't have any other accomodations here?"

He at least has to try.

But Jimin is already shaking his head. "Nah, we don't have stuff like that here. The inn was a rarity in itself already." He shrugs. "I mean, nobody ever strays so far off the big streets they find their way here. The only visitors we ever have are some family members, and they can stay overnight with their relatives."

Taehyung bites his lip. "Damn," he mutters.

"Hm? Why?" Jimin gives him a curious look, head tilted to the side. "You need a place to stay?"

The idol nods reluctantly. Jimin looks like he's got something on his mind.

"I guess... I mean, if you want, you could just stay in our spare room."

"Our?"

"My boyfriend's and mine, duh." Jimin grins, eyes twinkling a little daringly. As if he's just waiting for Taehyung to say something homophobic.

Tough luck, Taehyung thinks. I'm bi. And now he knows there is at least one open-minded couple in town.

He purses his lips. "That, actually... can I think about it? I might take you up on that offer if your boyfriend is okay with it."

Jimin beams. "Awesome! C'mon, let's ask him right now, then."

His free hand grabs Taehyung's and pulls him along with fast steps, almost jogging. While Taehyung stumbles after him, he can't help but notice how small Jimin's hand feels. Like from a seventh grader or something. Not a grown man.

"Oh, right," Jimin calls over his shoulder, "just checking so I don't look like a fool when I don't know how to introduce you. What's your name again?"

Fuck.

Taehyung almost runs into a wall. Shit shit shit, think, c'mon, think faster-

"Uh, huh- I mean, Hyunjin? That's, yeah. Choi Hyunjin. That's me."

Ohmygod, how much more obvious can you be? Abort mission!

But Jimin just squeezes his hand and nods. "Cool. I used to know a Hyunjin but he moved away ages ago. Nice to meet you."

Taehyung hums and hopes he'll remember the name and not blow his cover in like, five minutes. Or however long it takes to reach The Boyfriend.

It does not only take five minutes. At all. 

Taehyung starts wondering how they can walk that long without leaving the town - because honestly, Nakseongdae is tiny. On their way, they pass all kinds of houses. Simple thatched-roof homes that look like they've seen better times but might actually be original. Some hanoks sprinkled here and there, the telltale dark tiles peaking over unusually high stone walls. And just to forever confuse (seemingly nonexistent, according to Jimin) visitors about the time period they stepped foot in, the space between those traditional houses is filled with simple two-story buildings from the last century. 

It's a weird mix but not unpleasant enough to put off Taehyung and make him turn tail. He's optimistic that after a few days spent here he could actually find it charming. 

Stay positive, you're just on your way to your potential new home. Happy thoughts!

By now Taehyung is positive Jimin is leading him on the least direct way possible. What for, he has no idea. Is this supposed to be an unscripted sightseeing tour with Taehyung having to figure out the landmarks by himself or what?

Finally, Jimin stops in front of a two-story western style building. (Maybe Taehyung is disappointed, just a little. But living in a real hanok would've been too much to ask, he supposes.) 

"Alright, let's see what Yoongs says." Jimin chirps.

He unlocks the door, motions for Taehyung to follow him and goes to the space straight under the stairs.

"YOONGI-AH," he hollers, arms flayling every which way.

Taehyung thinks he hears a grunt from upstairs, then nothing at all for a while. 

Jimin shouts again and repeats his little dance. 

A head pops up in the hole of the ceiling, right above the top step.

"What is it?"

That Yoongi guy's voice sound scratchy, disgruntled and about as unimpressed as he looks. 

Jimin however is completely unfazed by the brusque behavior. Or, well, almost.

"Yah, could you at least pretend you've got some basic manners? We've got a guest."

Yoongi huffs.

"Ugh."

Taehyung takes a long breath. Sweet Buddha. This is going to be one uncomfortable conversation.

Spoiler alert: he guessed right. But for different reasons than he thought.

Where he was positive Yoongi would be a social disaster and also quick to shut down the idea of housing a stranger, that certainly wasn't the issue. No, what turned the whole conversation tense was one very specific topic: money.

Jimin doesn't want to get a single Won from him, despite the fact that that's how renting a place usually works. Yoongi stays silent most of the time during that delicate topic but keeps giving his boyfriend searing looks and kicking him under the table. Which is not confusing at all. And also in no way subtle, with how the entire table rattles every time it happens.

They've just reached some kind of stalemate after Taehyung said it doesn't have to be money he'd pay with. Yoongi uses the break to slip Jimin an envelope across the table. The other is too stunned to do anything but comply and rip it open.

"What..."

He skims the text, turns it around, then turns the letter back and re-reads it.

"What the fuck?"

Taehyung makes a little questioning noise, not sure if it's his place to ask what's going on. They are essentially strangers, and personal mail is, well, personal.

Jimin doesn't seem to mind, though.

"I just, I got a rejection letter for a job I never applied for?! Like, I mean, what the hell? I don't even know them. Is that a modern-time 'keep away' sign or what? Just stay the fuck away from us, is that it?"

During that rant, Taehyung learns two things about Jimin. One, he starts to talk fast and jump up in pitch when he's agitated. And two, Jimin isn't one to hide or suppress his emotions. At all.

"Fuck you!" He's yelling at the letter now, half standing on the chair. Yoongi casually grips one of his thighs for support. "Well, you fucking know what?! Joke's on you, I don't need that shitty job anyway! I make enough money as it is!"

"Lie," Yoongi deadpans. 

It's his first word in half an hour.

The glare Jimin gives him as he lowers the letter screams murder.

One house tour and a prolonged negotiation later, they finally come to an agreement. Yes, Taehyung likes the offered room. No, he doesn't have a single problem sharing a space with a gay couple, why should he?  And yes, he'll pay a monthly fee. With money.

It has taken Taehyung making exceedingly ridiculous offers what to pay with if not to use money (from watermelons to washed and folded socks) and Yoongi commenting several times that "Yes we do need the money and you know it" followed by a fidgeting Jimin to make it work.

Seeing how he lost the battle, Jimin immediately announces himself Taehyung's tour guide, kitchen chef and advisor for the time of his stay. Cool.

Taehyung's mind is set. He will move here and share a house with that Jimin guy - and hopefully get along with his grumpy boyfriend too.

Before Jimin can change his mind, Taehyung scribbles his contacts on a notepad, catching himself last minute from writing 'Kim Taehyung', and flees the house. States he wants to go take a hike right this very second. Which, true.

Ever since getting out of his car, he kept glancing up the steep brownish-grey cliffs and pine woods surrounding the town. Is itching to find his way up one of these mountains. The view must be incredible from there.

After asking around a bit (and oh hey, Jimin is not the only ray of hope here, other locals are kind too), he finds the start of a hiking path.

Half an hour later he is rewarded with the most gorgeous look ever. He's got a clear view on the valley Nakseongdae tucked itself in, even spots a little harbor with fishing trawlers. And from up here, the layout of the village begins to make sense at last. He tries to recall the route he took with Jimin, finger drawing lines in the air as he traces the different streets and turns.

Yep. Called it. Jimin took them all around the houses. The couple's home is only two streets away from that store.

But Taehyung is not mad, not a single bit. Not when he gets to look at the turquoise water splashing against dark stone far below and stretching all the way past the horizon, waves glittering in the afternoon sun.

He's going to stay. If not for the people, then for that amazing view.

And then there is that other issue. The whole I want to live incognito and be left in peace for once issue.

Because on his whole walk through town? Not a single hysterical scream. No squealing, no hushed whispering following him like a shadow. 

This is so nice! 

He almost wants to cry.

And neither Jimin nor Yoongi behaved like they were aware a top chart idol has entered their home. If things would stay like that, this would be so wonderful. A dream come true, really.

Don't get him wrong, he loves his fans. But he also loves the calm, and being treated like a human being with basic rights for personal space and privacy and such. 

With a last longing glance at the sea, Taehyung heads back to Seoul and starts packing his things.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" 

Hoseok looks five seconds away from strangling Taehyung. He gulps. Cause of death: stupidity and an overly worried best friend.

Gaining momentum, the other idol continues. "You can't just- Taehyung-ah, you can't just go with a complete stranger and follow him to his house, on top of that in a town you've never been before! Like, seriously, are you fucking nuts? Do you have a death wish? You realize this is how kidnappings and murders happen, yes?"

Taehyung sighs.

"Hyung, it's literally fine, I'm good at judging people's character, remember? Also the dude was small, I could take him on anytime."

But Hoseok is light years away from calming down. He shakes his head furiously.

"No, no, you can't be sure of that. Don't underestimate small people. Besides, didn't you say it's an old fishing town? The people living there are probably hauling tons of fish everyday and have muscles this big." He gestures, drawing ridiculously tall mountains in the air.

It's enough to make Taehyung smile. 

"Yeah well, too bad. We already set up a contract for my accommodation there. Pd-nim and my manager are informed and have agreed too." 

Hoseok shrieks and throws a banana at him.

What Taehyung doesn't tell his friend is how Not Easy it was to get the two to agree. 

First there was the whole 'telling manager Seo' thing, which involved lots of frustrated shouts, flayling hands, and statistics thrown in.

"A break?! NOW?! Why," Seo had yelped, hand clutched over his heart.

And Taehyung, with all the accumulated calm of Zen, Yoga and his daily breathing exercises he could muster, had given him a simple "because of reasons."

Which of course didn't make anything better, especially when Seo started rambling about the new album and how they were already sooo behind schedule, what does he think he's doing, and so on.

Taehyung had just shrugged. "The stars are not aligned yet."

The next day it's been the same deal again with Bang PD-nim, albeit in a much more subdued version. That man doesn't raise his voice, ever. He can be difficult to convince though, sometimes.

Seo was present too and kept chiming in about how Taehyung just started to scratch at the peak that is international recognition.

After a while Bang PD-nim kicked him out so the two of them could talk in peace. Bang Shi Hyuk is nothing if not an empathetic and understanding soul and so it took little time to convince him that a break is the thing Taehyung direly needs, right now.

Only when he asked Taehyung how long he thinks he'll be gone and the idol said he'll start with a year for now, did the CEO's smile get a little wobbly around the edges.

"Years, huh? That's a little... it's a bigger unit than I thought, to be honest."

But Taehyung stood his ground, told him about how Michelangelo took four years to paint the Sistine chapel and ran away twice. Surely taking one year off for mental health reasons and informing HYBE of his whereabouts was a much better option, no? Besides, God knows he deserves it after working himself to the bone and picking the leftover shards of himself up for each new album release. With the money he makes, he could easily take off a couple years yet is only asking for one.

And so Bang PD could just nod and slip Taehyung the necessary papers to sign.

A press conference, some interviews and countless sad fan posts later Taehyung finds himself a step closer to temporary freedom.

He told Bang PD-nim, his parents and Hoseok his address and fake name in case of emergencies. 

Not Seo. And if he gets chewed alive for that bratty behavior once he returns to HYBE, so be it.

Lately the dollar signs have been shining too often in Seo's eyes. It reminds Taehyung too much of Scrooge McDuck. Things haven't always been like that but for the past months he's afraid the fame of one Kim Taehyung has gotten to his manager's head. Hoseok had advised him to ask for a new manager a few times, but. Seo knows all his quirks, all the things to pay attention to. Getting a new manager would be like training a puppy and starting at zero, which, just, no. He does not have the patience and mental strength for that right now. Maybe after his break.

Moving in with the couple goes wonderfully easy. The room he gets has a decent size and most of the furniture is already there. He only needs to order a proper desk to work on, track back and forth from Seoul to Nakseongdae a few times and then unpack his multiple bags.

Jimin is all too eager to help him with literally anything and being an angel about it.

And the Yoongi guy... well, he's a bit strange. Silently stands in the hallway and watches Taehyung settling in for minutes without moving a finger, yet occasionally giving him advice that's actually helpful with a voice like he'd rather chew rusty nails.

Hard shell, soft core, Taehyung deduces.

He asks Yoongi to please hand him the blue screwdriver.

And Yoongi, he scoffs and says "Nah, get it yourself." While reaching out his hand and handing Taehyung the screwdriver and even paying attention to turn it away from the idol so he doesn't get hurt. It's so odd, Taehyung bursts out into laughter. Square in Yoongi's face.

Yoongi's mouth corners turn down even more, then he trudges out of the room. 

Oops, Taehyung thinks. Maybe that wasn't the smartest move.

A while later, Yoongi passes by and throws a water bottle on Taehyung's bed.

"Humans need to drink to stay hydrated," he grunts and is gone again.

Yeah, this guy is a little weird. But he seems to have the heart in the right spot.

Taehyung grins. 

He can't wait for his new life to start.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Deep under the sea, a fair distance away from Namseongdae's harbor, something stirs.

Cracks open an eye, large tail slowly uncurling from around the boulder and languidly shifting. The smaller creatures nearby hush down as the big shadow glides past and disappears in even deeper, darker waters.

Chapter Text

Italian | adjective

♦ breathtaking, majestic; that which arouses amazement and admiration; that which startles violently

"Fuck yes! I win!"

Taehyung groans and turns around. As long as he can't see the sun through his window it's definitely too early to get up.

He's just about to fall back asleep in his new home - yesterday was exhausting, okay, especially once he got to the point of arranging his books in the little bookshelf, which he had to start over thrice because he changed his mind over the system - when Jimin nullifies all of his plans. The door to Taehyung's room opens with a loud creak. Moments later, Jimin's voice filters in.

"Good morning, Hyyunjin-ssi!"

Taehyung slinks even deeper into the cushion.

Jimin just laughs, plops down next to him and starts pulling away the blanket.

"Time to wake up if you don't want to oversleep the whole day, let's go, let's go~"

Taehyung grunts and rips the blanket out of Jimin's hands, cursing under his breath. These were supposed to be long vacations. Not... this. Stress in the morning. Without the option of sleeping in.

But Jimin is having none of it. "If I come back and you are still in bed, I'll tell Yoongs to get you. And he's gonna throw a wet old cloth at you."

Wait, what?!

Nowhere in their contract did it say that the dude can be such a little pest! Taehyung feels played.

"Ugh, fine, fine. 'M coming."

Once he sits on the breakfast table, Yoongi is nowhere to be seen. Is he allowed to sleep in but Taehyung isn't? Unfair. As he says so, Jimin snickers.

"My man is already diligently working, duh. You are the latest one to get up."

That manages to catch Taehyung's interest. "Work? What's he working as?"

"Hm?" Jimin looks up from where he is mixing something. Is that... is that supposed to be porridge? Taehyung hopes it tastes better than it looks. "Oh, Yoongs is rocking the grocery store down at the docks."

He puts down a big bowl right in front of Taehyung, together with a glass of juice. 

"Dig in," he grins.

Taehyung does. And is relieved that the greyish slime does indeed taste not that bad. He could get used to it.

"What about you, then?"

Jimin makes big eyes above his smoothie. "What about me?"

"Don't you have to work, too?"

He laughs. "Aw, worried about me? It's all good. The trawler I work at needs some repair today. Also, told my uncle I have a guest and want to show you around today. So it's fine."

Taehyung is a little touched, no kidding. The other barely knows him yet goes at such great lengths already. Chivalry is not dead!

That thought is what makes him wolf down the breakfast and then promise he'll only take a few minutes to get ready. Jimin signals him okay, hands already full with dirty dishes. Taehyung makes a mental note to offer washing the dishes from now on. That's the least he can do.

Five minutes later, he's done with the minimum of morning wash and got his notebook and camera packed. Jimin is already waiting for him, bouncing on his heels. Taehyung smiles.

"Any particular reason you are in such a good mood?"

Jimin's answering grin is broad and gleeful. Maybe even a little savage.

"Why shouldn't I be in a good mood? Today is a very good day."

Taehyung arches an eyebrow, face one big question mark as he follows Jimin down the hill. As if he'd buy that explanation.

"And?"

"And," Jimin hums, "this morning's measurements say that I have, in fact, grown 0.4 centimetre taller. Now I have breached Yoongi-bear's height!" He fist-pumps the air, does a little jump. Then he turns around to Taehyung and points at him, laughing. "Just you be ready, Hyunjin-ssi. I'm coming for you next."

Taehyung snorts. Can't help but smile fondly even as he rolls his eyes. "Sure, just you try."

"Yah!"

They make their way through Nakseongdae slowly, Jimin pointing out different stores, a few good places to eat or drink, and rattling down family names whenever they pass a hanok. Like that, it takes almost an hour for them to reach the harbour. The heart of the town.

Before Jimin can start to go off with his explanations for real, Taehyung remembers to ask about the town name.

Jimin shrugs. "There used to be a legend about it once, I think. But it was a pretty boring one. So nowadays nobody bothers remembering. Except..." He purses his lips. "You could try asking the elders. But you gotta bring lots of time and nerves if you want a specific information from them."

"You have elders here? For real?"

The young fisherman (apparently? That's what you are when you work on a trawler, right?) gives him a weird look.

"Uhm, yes? Like every town and village?"

"Oh."

Taehyung turns away sheepishly. Way to make himself a fool. Tis I, a dumb city boy.

"Alright, back to the more interesting stuff." Jimin waves him to an old building close to the-

"Harbour?" Taehyung points to the basin with colourful wooden boats.

Jimin shakes his head. "Wet dock," he declares, then points back to the building. Or to the markings climbing up the facade, to be more precise.

"What's that?"

"This," Jimin announces with much bravado, "is the adventurous part of living here. October 1634," he points at one of the markings well above their heads, " a terrible storm tide reached up til there."

Taehyung's eyes widen.

Jimin points at the next marker. "February 1825, we got hit by a typhoon."

The idol begins to fear he didn't think through his little vacation. Typhoons? What the fuck?

Jimin is not done with him, yet. "That one up there is from 1961. Tsunami erased the whole town except for this one building and- oh. You okay?"

"Peachy," Taehyung grits out. "Just... let me sit down for a second."

Jimin cackles but lets him be. "Yeah, living here means you don't just look at the sea when it's pretty. You have to fight it, too. Or sometimes your only option is to run. What I'm trying to get across right now is, be careful, Hyunjin-ssi. You are new to the coast and could easily underestimate the sea. It's a fickle thing. All glittering little waves one second, and a ruthless beast the next."

He dusts off his trousers, then gets up from where he crouched down next to Taehyung. Ready to show him the next... whatever is on his agenda.

"Oh, and no swimming in the sea," Jimin calls over his shoulder.

Taehyung furrows his brows. For real? No swimming? Yeah, no, as if. He did not move his ass to the east coast with amazing view on the sea to then not go swimming here. But one thing he knows. Strong currents are a thing. So... he'll have to be subtle. See where the locals go swimming and stuff. 

Yeah, Park Jimin what? This man here is going to taste the ocean.

"Hey, newbie! You coming?"

Taehyung hurries after Jimin, wondering how he can be so much faster despite clearly having the shorter legs out of the two.

The lad continues showing him around, introducing him to some folks, giving more recommendations about what to do where. They take a little tour around the wet dock, then up and down the jetties, where Jimin tells him all about his dad's fishing trawler, the 'Bangtan Boat'. 

"...And I still have loads of work to do, obviously, but one day I'll have it repaired. And then I can take the old lady out onto the open sea. Hey!" He twirls around way too close to the jetties' edge, then stretches out his arms. "When I'm done getting her in good shape, I can take you out. Plan?"

Taehyung nods. "Sure. Now get down here, Captain. Before you fall."

 It's enough to get the guy hopping down from one of the breakwater boulder thingies. Jimin even casts a vary glance over the shoulder.  

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that."

Taehyung chuckles. "What's with you, seriously? This is such a weird concept. Who would've thought a fisherman can be that afraid of water?"

"October 1634-"

"Yeah, okay, okay! The ocean is your enemy, whatever."

Jimin screeches and swats his chest. "I'm not joking, you punk!"

From the next day onwards, Taehyung is on his own. Jimin makes it part of his routine to prepare breakfast for Taehyung before he has to leave somewhen in the early hours of dawn. Yoongi follows a few hours later, still before Taehyung is up. Which makes breakfast a pretty... lonely business. But it's okay, for now. He's a grown lad, he can eat on his own.

Once he's got something in his stomach and the dishes are cleaned, the main point on Taehyung's agenda is finding a good place to write. And, what comes even before that, some inspiration. Which is easier said than done, with how his mind seems to be wiped off all lyrics, all ideas. That creative part of him is dried out like a drained bog. 

First, he tries going to the wet docks and watching the boats leave or return. It's exciting for the first few days, but after half a week not so much anymore. 

So Taehyung turns to the forest surrounding Nakseongdae. The Taebaek mountains almost reach the coast here. Or at least he believes the rugged formations are still part of those mountains. He could be wrong. Either way, the path to the top of the cliffs is steep, just as the coast itself. It's a long way down from the top of these weathered granite walls, the sea crashing against unyielding greyish-brown stone far below. The sight, however, is totally worth it.

Taehyung barely registers sweat drenching his shirt while he breaks through the trees, only a few feet of rampant grass left before the ground disappears and gives view on endlessly stretching sea. It doesn't fail to take his breath away. He must be at least fifty metres up where he stands, the whitecaps raging against the cliff barely more than white dotted lines. The cliffs at the other side of Nakseongdae's basin look even taller.

That's where he starts to spend most of the day. Wandering the cliffs, occasionally straying off into the forest before coming back for another stunning view at the endless blue. A pity there is nowhere a beach to be seen. Only cliffs everywhere, with some rocks sprinkled into the water. Like this, taking a swim will be a challenge indeed.

And he still hasn't seen anyone go into the water. But maybe it's just too cold. They've got spring, maybe he needs to wait a few more weeks? Hopefully not months.

The only thing Taehyung has seen so far is a big shadow in the water. Like a shark or something. It's swift though, and disappearing as fast as it came. So he is not sure. Doesn't tell Jimin or Yoongi about it. Maybe it was just a figment of his imagination.

Maybe it was no big deal.

The first week Taehyung doesn't think much about it when not a single boat sails on Friday. The second week, he gets confused. At the third week, it's gotten all too odd to keep quiet.

"Jimin-ah, why are there no boats leaving on Friday?"

They are past the initial honorifics ever since all three of them played five rounds of Monopoly and Taehyung and Jimin had to pack-bond against one ruthless Yoongi. Not that it helped one bit. The older still wiped the floor with them. But it certainly was a great ice-breaker to curse at the nonplussed shop worker like there was no tomorrow. Now Jimin is something like Taehyung's new best friend.

Jimin takes his sweet time chewing and swallowing around his dinner before giving a reply.

"Because," he says slowly as if teaching a child, "it's Friday. Nothing and nobody sails on Fridays. It's bad luck."

Taehyung blinks. Stares at his plate of grilled mackerel as if it holds more answers than what Jimin just said. (Yoongi was on grilling duty once Jimin found out how much Taehyung actually loves grilled mackerel. And it tastes absolutely delicious. Taehyung could kiss both of his gay landlords for that alone.)

"Huh. Never would've thought you are such a superstitious bunch."

Jimin gives him a flat stare that could rival Yoongi's default pissed-off expression.

"Dude. You really are not from here. You're such a freshwater fish, I swear."

Taehyung pouts. Excuse him for not being endemic.

It's Yoongi, surprisingly (sometimes Taehyung forgets altogether he's still there with how rarely he speaks), who explains it to him.

"Hyunjin-ah. Seamen are the most superstitious folks you'll ever find."

Jimin huffs at that but doesn't deny it. The older continues.

"Never heard about how people living at and on the sea do nothing but yarn all day? There are so many rites and weird habits ingrained in our daily life we barely notice at this point. But for you, an outsider, it surely must look strange as fuck." He shrugs. "Better get used to it."

"O...kay...?"

Taehyung tries to recall if he saw anything else that's weird so far. Was there something? Did he miss loads of local customs already? Uhhhm...

"I can hear you thinking, kid." Yoongi shoves some of Taehyung's spicy kimchi into his mouth and sloshes it down with what Taehyung is pretty sure is not water. "Don't sweat it. Most things are probably real subtle or happen only to certain occasions. You'll get your fill of weird shit, eventually."

Taehyung nods. And subtly pushes his kimchi closer to the older, grateful that he noticed him not eating any of it. He told Jimin about his aversion of spicy food. But sometimes the dude forgets about it, as it seems. Which is fine as long as he notices on time, really. No biggie.

"Okay, cool."

It keeps happening. 

Not the- well, okay, yes, the thing with the boats on Friday keeps happening too. But that's not the point. The point is, Taehyung keeps seeing that massive fish shadow from his spot on the cliffs. He actually contemplates to see if he can find some binoculars in town, however feels dumb about it. He's a young healthy man in his twenties and needs no help, thanks. 

The fish never comes close to the shore or even in the direction of the town. So things should be fine. Right?

Maybe he'll ask Jimin about local big fish tonight. During dinner. Which has become the unofficial time of togetherness anyway, the one meal where they all sit at the table at the same time.

On his way back, Taehyung sings some of his favourite songs. He's not worried about anyone hearing him, being the only one out in the woods. But in town he has to be careful. Lest someone actually has heard of Kim Taehyung before. That'd be a mess.

Spoiler alert: asking Jimin about the big fish during dinner is a fail.

But can you really hold it against him when the conversation is that ridiculous?

And with 'that ridiculous' he means, going from "Oh shit Jimin, I tried to make mug cake as dessert but it nuked itself out of the mug and now there is cake everywhere in the microwave except in the mug, are we sure I am a legit adult?" to "Min Yoongi, if Vikings could get newlywed brides a kitty then so can you!". Taehyung's mind is reeling, man.

He is still stuck at the part where Jimin conceded that yes, they are adults but more like adults cats. What does that mean? That they can sort of make it on their own if they try but it would be better if someone took care of them? Is that what Jimin meant? But, like, who would take care of the two unadulty adults that they are, Yoongi or what?! God help them all. That sounds like a horrible idea. The older looks like the personification of a cat himself.

...Or did Jimin mean something else entirely?

Taehyung is so, so lost.

Simultaneously, the couple is in their own world. 

Yoongi tries very hard to be adamant about how they are in no way close to being related to Vikings at all, even throwing numbers around that sound like they could make sense. Taehyung gets the distinct feeling the older is full of bullshit trivia - which is strangely comforting. 

Jimin, on the other hand, is having none of it, keeps yelling for "Fluffy kitties! Each household needs one!"

"No, listen," Yoongi groans and rubs his face. There is no way this conversation is happening for the first time today when he looks like that. "The whole kitty thing was only custom because their Goddess was said to drive a chariot pulled by cats. Do we have a Goddess who drives a chariot pulled by cats? No, no we don't. Do you see the point I'm trying to make?"

"All I see is that you got a stick up your ass, Yoongs."

Yoongi splutters.

"This is not what I- also, we are not newlyweds!"

 So yeah. They don't come even close to talking about big fish.

Taehyung tries again later, when he knows Jimin is still up and chilling on the couch. He slinks out of his room and towards the living room. 

"Uhm, Jimin-ah?"

Jimin doesn't react, too busy snickering at something. 

"Do not burn onions," an angry female voice comes out of his smartphone.

Taehyung halts. What?

Jimin cackles.

Intrigued at last, Taehyung closes the gap between them and peers over the fisherman's shoulder.

"Whatcha watching?"

"Oh, hey Hyunjinnie. A video about climate change."

Excuse him. Climate change and... burnt onions? Taehyung has so many questions.

"...What?"

Jimin grins and pats the cushion next to him. "Come, look. Ever heard of the twisted translations channel on youtube?"

So they watch the video that got Google translator-failed one too many times about the climate change. And then one about assembling IKEA furniture. And making breakfast. And airplane safety instructions. And weather reports. It's a whole new kind of messy and it's awesome!

"Tomorrow I'll show you the 'I like shapes' video," Jimin promises mid-yawn. Then he's off. "Night, bro..."

And this is how Taehyung failed to ask about the big fish.

It takes him two more weeks to find a really cool spot for writing - and pondering in general - that's not fifty metres above sea level. And in town.

First he overlooked the little stilt houses at the far end of Nakseongdae's shore completely. They are no more than old fishing lodges, probably. Or are they? Damn, what did Jimin say again, did he say anything at all? Was it something about a failed attempt to attract tourism?

Anyway. They might've looked cute and inviting once, perched on the stilts almost as far out in the water as the jetty, pressed together like one long building and with a pier running all around it. But now they just look shabby and are obviously not used or maintained by anyone. 

Taehyung carefully walks down the long pier until he reaches the houses and rounds them. That's where he finds it: a secret little nook. The two huts at the ends reach further into the water than the ones in the middle, forming a U-shape. And if Taehyung sits down onto the pier there, he's got a free view onto the open sea with nobody seeing him.

It takes him less than five minutes to decide this is going to become his little spot. Already he settles down and whips out his notebook. Just in case inspiration hits him. Because here it feels like it could. It feels very possible here. Which in itself is a wonderful and liberating thing.

The water gurgles where it splashes against the stilts. Above him, a seagull cries out before it flies away.

Yes, Taehyung thinks. This is it.

The day passes without him noticing. Taehyung is too busy watching boats drive by in the distance, listening to the water right beneath him and penning down random words and phrases. It's not much, and not very good either but it's all the time better than nothing at all. Than staring at a blank page. Maybe this pier can become his sanctuary.

And then the sun is already setting and he has to hurry to get back before dinner.

Something, he doesn't know what, keeps him from telling Jimin about his new discovery. But one thing is for sure: tomorrow he'll pack his breakfast and bring it to the pier. And then he'll stay there all day long. Yeah.

Said as done.

On today's menu is egg toast sandwich, which is conveniently easy to pack up for later. Taehyung is up and off in record time. Can't wait to get back to his spot.

The weather is amazing too, giving his steps a slight bounce as he makes his way down the hill, past the wet docks and then some further down the road.

Trusting the old wooden planks much more than yesterday he jogs down the pier, rounds the huts and flops down. The sun is already high up in the spotless blue spring sky, waves twinkling like myriads of gemstones. Taehyung sighs. So pretty.

He slips out of his jacket to put it on the floor like a makeshift pillow, then gets out his breakfast. Big ships pass by in the far distance, just shy off the horizon. Mighty container ships, and what looks like one of those giant cruise liners the size of a small city. And, a lot closer, the town's fish trawlers. On one of them must be Jimin now. But they are too far away for Taehyung to make out any details let alone crew members.

A cheeky seagull tries and fails to steal his breakfast. 

"Too slow," he mocks the bird, takes another bite, then another and the sandwich is gone.

The seagull gives him a judging stare. With a loud shriek, it heads off. And it's then that Taehyung hears some lighter much more subdued chirping. He cranes his neck, searching the underside of the huts' roofs until he finds it: there, not too far away from him he can make out the vague shape of what must be a swallow's nest. Cute. Swallows are lovely.

The day keeps getting better and better.

Taehyung gets out one of the apples and crunches away on it while warm sunlight falls onto his face. Hah, nice. Now he just has to put all these soft and fuzzy feelings inside him into words. Hm.

He leans down, has to flop onto his stomach to reach the water and wash the juice off his hands. It's... warm? Maybe not 'I'm gonna jump in right now and never come out'-warm but definitely a lot less bitingly cold than he assumed. Given that nobody is ever taking a dip anywhere, and all that. He chews on his lip while his hands slowly dry. No, the water temperature can't be the reason for that weird swimming ban. 

How very strange.

He shrugs.

Whatever.

And then, because the shimmering green little waves look just way too enticing, Taehyung gets out of his shoes and socks. And, one at a time, carefully dangles his feet into the clear water.

He smiles, eyes slipping shut on their own accord as he turns his face back into the sun. Tiny waves playfully lap around his ankles. Finally, for the first time ever since he moved here, he's gotten into the sea. Well, part of him that is.

Bless.

The seagull from earlier returns with a piercing shriek that has the idol cracking open an eye. At least he thinks it could be the same one. A little fat, with that menacing glare as if he personally offended it. The seagull puts on a show for him, with loud shrieks and fast plunges into the water. At the third try it even catches a big fish. A too big fish, apparently, as the bird struggles to lift the whole thing out of the water. With an obnoxious splash, the fish falls back down, the seagull shrieking outraged before flying off, clearly pissed as hell.

Taehyung can't help but laugh at the scene. Not just a simple chuckle, a full belly-laugh from deep within. That stupid bird, honestly. Oh, he's going to have so much fun here. Toes wiggling happily in the water, he whips out his notebook and favourite ballpoint pen.

It's time for some productivity.

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Far away, in a cave nobody else knows, Jeongguk startles awake. 

There is a foot in the water.

When was the last time a human put a foot in his waters? Must've been decades ago by now, if not more.

He uncurls his tail and stretches, tips of his fins quivering.

Oh, how peculiar. A human in the water, even partly, is such a rarity. For the people living at the coast know of the dangers lying beneath the enticing blue surface. Know of the strong tides, sharp rocks, occasional sharks. Of his kind. And tourists, they usually listen to the signs no doubt lining the shores and forbidding them to go into the water.

But this human  there, he must've either missed them or didn't care. Jeongguk can still feel the toes wiggling miles away. Not an accident, then.

And he knows, technically that it's a stupid idea. Seokjin would hit him on the back of his head for such a dumb idea. Humans are dangerous. Spiteful, and greedy, and so many other bad things.

Yet Jeongguk can't help but wonder about that human who is playing in the water without a worry. It's been so long since he's last seen one up close. And living on his own he can only do so much to kill time. 

Taking a quick glance wouldn't hurt anyone. Right?

He's a fast swimmer. If there is anything suspicious going on, he'll be out of the bay in no time. But that location... Jeongguk's senses branch out again. It's so remote. Far away from the boats, from the vibrations of other humans walking around. As if that one wants to be alone. One lone human is not a risk, unless it's a trap.

Intrigued, Jeongguk makes his way over to Nakseongdae. It's bittersweet just thinking of that name.

He cuts through the familiar waters with ease, strong tail beating and propelling him forward faster than whales and dolphins, much faster than a human could ever hope. All the time he senses those feet splashing in the water. Jeongguk hurries even more, doesn't want to miss the chance now that he made up his mind.

The feet are still there when he reaches Nakseongdae, his stomach almost touching the rocky ground with how low he keeps himself, slinking from shadow to shadow. Out of sight from prying eyes of the locals.

He stares in something not unlike wonder as he finally spots the limbs that woke him up earlier. Strong, golden brown legs, big feet with toes curling around water. A young man, probably.

Most likely, as a warm hearty laugh sounds from above, loud enough to hear even beneath the surface. Unmistakeably male. 

Something pierces the water and Jeongguk flinches, turns around to see a seagull diving down. They make brief eye contact before the bird is already gone, fleeing. Just like most of the smaller fish that scuttled away upon Jeongguk's arrival. Away from the apex predator of the sea.

Only the feet didn't retreat yet. 

How strange, Jeongguk muses. With how close he is being to the human, even with the pier's shadow covering him there is no way he is not clearly visible from above. As something unnaturally big lurking under the surface. The toes are still wiggling and so he watches, entranced. He so seldom gets the chance to watch up close, especially humans that aren't stricken with fear.

It's refreshing. Nice, almost.

Maybe that human is blind? Maybe that's why he hasn't reacted yet - and walked past any warning signs.

Jeongguk waits until the feet go still and then, with a big stretch, comes up to experimentally nip at one of the big toes.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Taehyung shrieks.

Something just touched his foot. And it was not a stray algae.

Shit, shit, shit-

There is... oh, ohohoho, that's one massive thing in the water. Like, huge!

He starts kicking aimlessly, yelping as he hits something sturdy that's most definitely alive, holy shit, and it didn't feel like fish scales-

He's not ready to die yet. With a loud splash, Taehyung gets his feet out of the water and onto the dry wooden planks next to him. His heart is galloping so hard he can feel it in his whole body.

What the fuck was that?

Okay, deep breaths.

Whatever is down there can not possibly get up here.

...Right?

Whatever is down there...

Against better knowledge, Taehyung tries to get a better look at that big something. It doesn't move like a fish, not entirely. Almost looks like... are those, human arms?

No. No way. That'd be ridiculous. But then what...?

The waves make it difficult to see anything else than a whole lot of a distorted whatever. All Taehyung can tell is that it doesn't have a shark fin peaking out of the water. And that's good. No shark is. Great.

With that possibility ruled out, how dangerous can it be, really?

Hoseok would probably have his head if he were here. But he's not, and that means there is no one stopping Taehyung from laying on his stomach, knuckles white where he grips the wooden edge, and taking a deep, deep breath.

Oh.

He should've probably seen it coming but it still hits him full force how disorienting it is to dunk your head into the sea. So it takes him a moment to figure out what he sees.

Or better, who.

Because he certainly wasn't prepared to come face-to-face with such a stunning young man. He is, for a lack of better words, ethereal. Taehyung doesn't even know how to compute what he sees, where to look first. At the big dark eyes lined with little specks, the strong eyebrows, the long hair floating around the face, or the-

Holy shit. Are those... gills?

Taehyung gasps, remembering too late where he is. The sea water doesn't need a second invitation and already rushes into his mouth and down his throat.

Fuck.

He pulls back up, vision blurring as he keeps choking and spitting out salty water. It takes him a hot minute to recover from the shock. Choking in the sea is no fun, man. But eventually, his breath evens out and his chest stops heaving violently.

And Taehyung is giddy. Before he can think better of it, he inhales deeply and dives back down.

The beautiful stranger is still there, staring up to him as if he waited for Taehyung to get back. This time, Taehyung notices the huge fish tail behind him. And what a sight it is.

Curious, he loosens his hold onto the pier and stretches out a tentative hand. Wants to see whether or not he's dreaming. Part of him argues that no, he could not make this up if he tried. But the other part is sceptical and still reeling in disbelief. 

Until his fingertips brush against cool yet nonetheless real skin.

That's when he starts to believe his eyes. 

Taehyung smiles.

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Jeongguk is frozen on the spot. 

In bafflement he watches a brilliant smile stretching over the human's face. He doesn't dare breathing as the hand caresses his cheek, touch so tender it has Jeongguk's eyes stinging.

They stare at each other for a little eternity, until the human has to get back up for air. As soon as he's gone, Jeongguk already misses him.

But there, a hand in the water. Pointing to a spot amidst the stilts that seems to be the centre of the whole formation. An even more secluded area, protected from prying eyes with stilts on three sides and the open sea in Jeongguk's back.

Still shaken by the complete lack of fear on the human's face, Jeongguk watches him getting out of the water completely. And next thing he knows, there are unmistakable vibrations of the man walking over the planks, stilts shaking from his energetic jog. Then the water shifts once more, two now familiar legs making a reappearance at the spot where the human pointed to.

Jeongguk hesitates.

How are the odds this is a trap? 

Silly, he scolds himself. One human is no match for you. 

But one can never be too careful. So after waiting a little while, he slowly follows the human - fingertips tingling with the ocean's power at the ready, should he need it.

Minutes pass where he hovers in front of the legs, not sure what to expect. As the man doesn't dunk his head back into the water again, Jeongguk has to make a decision. It goes against everything he's taught as his tail shifts and pushes him up, up, up, until his head breaches the water surface. He blinks against the brightness above sea level, gills twitching in dry air while he adjusts himself. Ugh. That's why he never dives up.

The human, with the warmest voice and most captivating smile then greets him.

"Hello there," he says.

Jeongguk can only stare.

The smile widens. "My name is Taehyung. And I promise I won't bite. How about you?"

"...Jeongguk."

Taehyung perches the chin on his hands and tries out the taste of the name.

"Jeongguk."

The way he says it sounds so much sweeter than he ever heard it before. A shy smile tugs at Jeongguk's mouth.

At that, the human's expression turns almost dreamy.

"You are the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen."

Chapter Text

English, originally latin | adjective

♦secret, mysterious, understood by only a few

Jeongguk is tentative to come any closer. No matter how breathtaking that human is and how approachable he seems, he is still not convinced that Taehyung is trustworthy.

He is a human after all.

The thing is, as he sits there so relaxed and open, completely vulnerable with his expression showing not a single shadow of hesitation - it makes it so damn easy to trust him. And Jeongguk wants to. Feels like he doesn't have to fear anything from him. With each warm smile, each unguarded twitch that gives Jeongguk the chance to read him like an open book, he wants to let his guards down.

But there is that little voice in the back of his head, the one responsible for his decade-old apprehension.

Remember what they did to Seokjin. Humans are vile.

So he keeps quiet. Stays in the water, ready to bolt any second, fingertips constantly tingling. And lets Taehyung do all the talking.

Which is way easier than anticipated.

With big, round eyes  - trusty, Jeongguk's mind unhelpfully supplies - Taehyung starts gushing about him.

"Ohmygosh, you are- are you a mermaid?! No wait, merman? Is that what you are? Holy shit. Hobi-hyung will never believe this when I tell him. This is really happening, right? I'm not dreaming?" He keeps fluttering his hands like an excited bird.

Jeongguk watches quietly. Taehyung is only a few sentences into his ramble when Jeongguk decides he really likes his voice. It's deep and rich in a way he never heard before. And comes so unexpected. Looking at the human, he would've never guessed him to have that kind of voice. But most of all, it's warm. That seems to be the one word to describe everything about the human. As Jeongguk lets him talk without really listening, his mind keeps circling back to that one word - warm. Warm skin tone, warm voice, warm eyes. Like a little sun.

Too bad Jeongguk always preferred the night sky.

Taehyung is still talking, oblivious to how Jeongguk stopped listening. 

"...And like, are you the big fish I kept seeing from the cliff? Except, clearly you are not a fish." He flushes deep red. Jeongguk watches and once again thinks, warm. "Oh God, was that insulting just now? I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't mean it in a degrading way! Fish are cool! I love fish! I used to have a pet goldfish."

That one actually makes Jeongguk smile a bit.

Instantly he is met with silence. And. After all that talking it's almost glaringly loud.

What-

What's going on?

The human watches him, mouth slightly agape.

"Wow."

Jeongguk blinks.

Hm, what?

"You have the most adorable smile."

...Oh.

Jeongguk flushes and sinks back into the water until only the upper half of his head is peaking out, burning cheeks hidden from Taehyung's curious eyes.

The human has the nerve to coo at him.

Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows, tail beating in irritation.

And yet he stays. Refuses to leave the human's company just yet.

Taehyung has this awed expression again. Too late Jeongguk remembers - his tail is supposed to stay hidden.

"You are magnificent."

No, Jeongguk thinks. There is no way this is all fake. 

"Can I... is this for real? I'm not laying in bed and making this up, am I?" He lifts a hand, then halts. "Can I... can I touch you again?"

Jeongguk flinches.

"No!"

Seokjin bleeding, Seokjin covered in deep cuts, with his fins cut off-

He dives back down and emerges a safe distance away from the human's eyes, from his touch. Ignores the hurt flashing in his eyes.

A part of Jeongguk wonders why he still hasn't fled.

After an awkward silence, Taehyung puts on a brave face.

"That's okay. We can still talk, right? You are not going to leave just now?"

And Jeongguk, he doesn't even know why, but he shakes his head. Doesn't like how the human's voice cracked at the end.

He is rewarded with a bright smile.

"Awesome!" Taehyung claps his hands.

And gets right back to storytelling. 

For the time being, Jeongguk keeps his distance. Content to listen to Taehyung and watch him from afar. Where he is safe.

This way he barely notices the time pass. Only realises how late it is once the huts' shadow no longer covers him. Taehyung, he'll give that to him, is a bright human. Because Jeongguk thinks he does a good job at concealing his restlessness. But the human takes a long look at him and says,

"You want to go back, huh?"

Jeongguk nods hesitantly. He spent more time with a human in one day than he did for the past... at least sixty years.

Just when he turned his back to him and tenses to dive back down, Taehyung pipes up one more time.

"Uhm, hey. Are you... will you come back tomorrow?"

He sounds uncharacteristically small.

And Jeongguk, he is stuck for an answer. With a last glance at the lone figure he disappears.

If Taehyung plans to come back with company tomorrow he surely won't be stupid enough to give him any hints.

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"Hey Jimin-ah, you won't believe what I saw today!"

Taehyung bursts into the kitchen, ready to spill everything. He halts when he sees Yoongi mid-facepalm and Jimin with a sheepish smile.

"Uh, guys? What... what's going on?"

"My boyfriend is an idiot," the oldest scoffs.

Jimin huffs. "Well, at least you said boyfriend."

"You are not even denying it, idiot!"

Taehyung is still clueless. "Care to shed some light here?"

Yoongi, bless him, offers up some kind of explanation. If you can call it an explanation to wordlessly reach out and show Taehyung a brand new bottle of something, that is.

He takes the bottle, put off by how much heavier it is than it looks. "What...?" It seems to be porcelain or ceramic, a white bottle that has the word 'Ketchup' written on it in curly letters. And below, a picture of some blue grapes.

"What in the fuck is that?"

"Soap," Jimin mutters.

Taehyung gapes. How the heck is that supposed to make sense? A soap bottle that says ketchup and has grapes on it? What- How could anyone ever think this to be a good idea?

He looks at the bottle, up to Jimin, down at the bottle and back to Jimin.

"...Why?"

The fisherman shrugs.

"Intuition?"

"Your intuition sucks," Taehyung accuses. Then freezes as he belatedly remembers the presence of Jimin's boyfriend.

But Yoongi just nods with grave expression. "No, you are absolutely right. Go ahead."

They continue giving Jimin shit for the rest of the evening. And Taehyung ends up not mentioning what he saw today, who he met. Figures roasting his friend has top priority right now.

The next day he bounds over to his spot behind the old huts in no time. He can't wait to see if he'll meet Jeongguk again.

As he gets there however, no merman is in sight. Or... as whatever he identifies. They. Hm.

It stings a little, he's not gonna lie.

Maybe he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. But somehow he really thought the other would come back.

With a resigned sigh, he sits down onto the pier. Puts his feet into the water like yesterday just because and then gets out his breakfast.

By the time the sun is at the zenith, Taehyung has lost hope for Jeongguk to show up. He's just about to call it a day and go on another hike instead when a soft splash makes him turn back around.

And there, just a few feet away from him, a familiar dark head peaks out of the water.

Taehyung is exhilarated. He almost trips over his own feet and stumbles headfirst into the sea, only manages to catch himself in the very last second.

"You came!"

Jeongguk's eyes go comically wide.

Oops. Taehyung grins sheepishly and rubs his neck.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just. Really happy to see you again."

The other stills. Doesn't say a word, just like yesterday. He is not much of a talker for sure. So Taehyung does the same thing as last time, he talks. About everything and nothing. Tries to seem nonchalant and not be too obvious in gauging Jeongguk's every reaction.

"...And honestly, I thought it's so weird for a coast town to forbid anyone from going into the water. But it makes sense now. This bay is probably your territory, right? They don't want anyone to disturb you."

A mixture of emotions flits over Jeongguk's face at that, too fast for Taehyung to make sense of them.

And then, for the first time that day, the other speaks up.

"Did you tell anyone?"

Taehyung has to stop himself from gawping because gosh, that's a sweet voice. Then, slowly, the words register. He doesn't need to ask what Jeongguk means and shakes his head.

"I... no. Not yet. Should I?"

Jeongguk hums. "No."

"Okay. Then I won't."

The other tilts his head. "...Just like that?"

Taehyung shrugs. "Yeah. If you don't want me to tell anyone about you, then I won't... Oh, I know!" He perks up. "Do you want me to pinky-promise?" 

"Pinky... promise?"

Taehyung is beyond himself. They are having an actual conversation! So he nods enthusiastically, stretches out his hand for Jeongguk and offers him the pinky. Jeongguk gives him a confused look.

"What do you want?"

He doesn't know what a pinky-promise is. Cute.

"We have to lock pinkies to make the vow," Taehyung explains, hand still outstretched. "Here, give me your hand. Let me show you."

And Jeongguk, oh he is hesitant. Refuses to lift his hand for a solid five minutes. But Taehyung can wait. And eventually, lo and behold, Jeongguk caves. Lifts his hand just a little bit above water so that Taehyung has to stretch himself even more. His untrained hiatus-ass complains with burning muscles and instantly aching limbs.

Their hands touch for the briefest moment before Jeongguk flinches away, then takes a deep breath and tries again. It's so obvious how much he has to fight himself. Taehyung wonders just what happened to him to react like that. He keeps his voice calm and steady as he continues.

"Okay, now lift your pinky just like I did... very good. That's it. And now we lock them like this... no no, wait, I'm not gonna hurt you. Yeah, just like that." They lock pinkies, Jeongguk 's eyebrows furrowed. 

"And now we swear," Taehyung declares.

"Swear?"

"Yeah. I swear to not tell anyone about you." He pauses. "Now you."

Jeongguk gives him a strange look. "Why should I swear?"

"...Oh." Taehyung blushes. Laughs. "Right. Uhm, well, anyway. Now that we made the pinky-promise, you don't have to worry about me ratting you out. Because a pinky-promise is final. Okay?"

"O...kay..."

He doesn't even hide his scepticism. Which, honestly, is a tiny bit insulting. Seems like Taehyung has to try getting his point across in another way.

"No, really," he says as serious as he can. "I don't know what it is that you are afraid of but I swear to not tell anyone."

The other still doesn't look one bit closer to believing him. Taehyung sighs. This guy has some serious trust issues.

"I see there is nothing I can say or do to change your mind, hm?"

Jeongguk doesn't reply.

They stay like that for a long time, only looking at each other, silently assessing. And again, Jeongguk is the first one to leave.

That evening, Taehyung feels weirdly empty. Like he didn't accomplish a single thing. Or maybe ruined something, even. The way how Jeongguk kept his guard around him even after two whole days they spent together - okay, maybe 'spent together' is too strong of a wording - but it keeps him up. He lays awake for a long time wondering what went wrong. What happened to Jeongguk, and more importantly, how he can help him.

Because someone as magnificent as him should never have to fear anything. That's just... so so wrong.

There has to be something, anything Taehyung can do for him to feel more at ease. To start trusting into others again, into him.

...What should I do?

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There must be something that keeps tugging him back into that bay, Jeongguk muses. Otherwise, why would he keep returning to that blabbering human? 

It's the third day already.

And he really doesn't understand himself anymore.

Yet before he knows it, he already swims past familiar cliffs, can almost see the stilts now. And sure enough he can sense two legs in the water. He lets out an irritated huff, little streams of bubbles leaving his gills as his tail whips down once more and he crosses the distance to the huts.

Before he dives up, Jeongguk's gaze drifts to his hand. The one Taehyung touched. With a last deep frown he breaches the water surface. Always mindful to move careful and make the splashing noise as quiet as possible. With barely more than a thought he concentrates the energy at his fingertips until they are tingling. Just in case.

"Good morning Jeongguk," Taehyung chirps.

And.

It's enough to throw him off. Morning? What? Did he actually come here earlier than the past days without even noticing?

...Just what is that guy doing to him?

Taehyung watches him curiously, some food in his hand.

"Gimme a moment, then I'm ready, okay?"

Jeongguk stares.

Ready for what?

And stares some more as the fruit vanishes with only two big bites. That human has a.. healthy appetite.

Taehyung leans down to wash his hands - completely unbothered by Jeongguk's presence which is the weirdest thing ever - then reaches into his bag.

Jeongguk stiffens. His hands tense into claws as the water bundles around his fingers.

"Have you ever read a book?"

...Huh? 

That's certainly not what Jeongguk expected. He shakes his head, too stunned to even think about lying - or why the human asked such a question.

Taehyung grins. "Alright, then consider today your lucky day." He points at the book. "I've thought quite a while about what to start with and decided to go with an all-time classic. Does the name 'Harry Potter' ring a bell?"

Another subtle shake of the head. Just what does the human want?

"Okay, you comfy? I'll start at the beginning."

Jeongguk does a double-take. The human... wants to read to him? 

But Taehyung doesn't wait for a reply. He pulls his legs out of the water in favour to turn over and flop onto his belly, book laid out in front of him. The human clears his throat, then starts reading.

"The boy who lived. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much..."

In the hours that Taehyung reads to him, Jeongguk doesn't even budge. They only stop once the human's voice is raw from all the reading and he really, really needs a break.

They had taken some smaller breaks every now and then where Taehyung chugged down big gulps of the bottle he brought but at some point it seems he is just done for the day. He puts the book away and returns to his initial position, feet dangling in the water and food in his hands.

"So? What do you think? Shall we continue tomorrow or do you want me to pick a different book?"

Jeongguk ducks into the water until only his eyes are above and starts breathing bubbles through his nose - a bad habit he never got rid of. It's funny how the human doesn't even consider quitting. 

He comes back up, licks his lips once before answering.

"...No need. This one is... is okay."

Taehyung's smile is almost blinding.

It takes Jeongguk several hours to come to terms with the fact that he agreed to meet up with a human.

He rests in the cave with the colourful windows and looks at the spots of blue and green and red on the sand. It's one of his favourite places to think.

So that's what he does - think.

And wonder what's happening with him.

The next morning Taehyung is already waiting for him and even offers up some of his breakfast.

Jeongguk shyly declines.

"I don't eat."

The human purses his lips, ponders it for a while.

"Not at all?"

Jeongguk shakes his head. And then belatedly wonders if he just gave away some crucial information about his kin.

But Taehyung just shrugs and eats the fruit himself before opening the book from yesterday.

"Okay, where were we - Quidditch. As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy grey and the lake like chilled steel..."

With each day, Jeongguk dares to come closer and closer. Figures, if the human wanted to betray him or trap him somehow, he had multiple chances by now. And yet he didn't. Didn't even give a sign of aggression towards him.

First, Jeongguk drifts closer every day until he is within touching range of Taehyung. Like during their very first encounter.

As still nothing happens after a while he starts resting against the stilts.

And as days turn into weeks, he finds himself perched onto the pier, upper part of his body above water and arms resting on the warm wood. Still a fair distance away from the human, but. It's the most unguarded he's been in years. Decades, even. It's a rare thing for him to pull that far out of water, to have his hands dry. Especially that close to a human.

Taehyung must notice it too. But he never mentions it. Only gives Jeongguk one of his big smiles with each little change.

They go through the whole Harry Potter series like that, with Taehyung reading to him and Jeongguk listening attentively.

And everyday it gets more difficult to not just cave. To not let his guard down completely, close his eyes and just listen to Taehyung talk. Bask in the rich sound of his voice.

It scares him enough to keep him from sleep for days.

Jeongguk takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, watching the bubbles rise up to the surface as he floats above the sea bottom. His eyes are heavy from the lack of sleep.

The ground is cold and slick against his back as he sinks down. It's there that he makes a decision.

He has to stay away before everything gets out of hand.

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Spring is turning into summer during the time Taehyung reads to Jeongguk. He barely notices, too focussed on their daily meetings. Even though most of the time the other stays mute like a fish.

Still, they are making great progress in his humble opinion. It may have taken weeks but now Jeongguk is comfortable enough to half lay on the pier with his tail idly swishing in the water.

Taehyung is glad he picked the Harry Potter series to start off the whole reading thing. Had he chosen something where he doesn't get sucked in easily, he'd probably do a very poor job at reading to Jeongguk. Would be too busy to stare at his tail. Not in the 'holy shit, that's a fish tail, this is really happening' way. No, he's past that. But in the admiring way. In the 'ohmygosh, just look at how his scales shift from a rich azure kinda shade to something more green, something teal or turquoise when he moves' way. The water drops on them sparkle like tiny diamonds in the midday sun. It's just. It's a sight to behold. Every time he gets to witness that miracle, the stunning sight of Jeongguk hoisting himself out of water, Taehyung stares for a good few heartbeats before he remembers to get back to his job and read.

How big might Jeongguk's fins really be? He has only seen a bit of them, and never splayed out to their full size. But from what Taehyung caught he can already tell they must be huge and probably look like transparent veils shifting in a summer breeze when Jeongguk swims.

They are starting to appear in his dreams now. Large, greenish-blue fins, powerful tails in the colour of the sea during sunshine, chiselled chests and dark eyes.

So Taehyung writes it down - everything he can remember. Keeps writing during the early evening hours once Jeongguk leaves for the day and gradually fills his notebook with bits and pieces of stories. Of something that could one day turn into song lyrics. About him, about the sea, about the birds and fish that slowly warm up to Jeongguk's presence. Because oh, Taehyung certainly did notice. How it went quiet during the other's first appearances in the bay. There must be something about Jeongguk, something that all those animals instinctively feel too.

Taehyung wonders what a lonely life it must be when everything flees from your very presence. If there are exceptions.

His thoughts drift into muddy waters like that again as he tries to fry himself an egg sunny side up. And okay, yes, maybe he doesn't pay attention for a second or two of what he's doing and ends up cracking not one but two eggs into the pan.

Huh.

He squints at his creation, hands akimbo.

Just then Jimin makes an appearance. It's one of the few Saturdays where he doesn't have to work.

"Oh, morning Hyunjin-ah. You making yourself a second breakfast?"

Taehyung grunts in affirmation. Then turns around to beckon the fisherman over. Looks at the loose tank top he's wearing now and notices the muscled arms on display. His mind swithces back to Hoseok's fit right after he visited Nakseongdae for the first time. Back when his friend warned him to not underestimate Jimin just because of his height. Yeah, Hoseok was right. Taehyung has to give credit where credit is due. Somehow the dude is a lot more ripped than Taehyung would've thought.

But back to his... issue. He points with the spatula at the two eggs in the pan.

"This was not supposed to happen."

Jimin takes one look and snickers.

"Dude. That looks like a ghost who is scared of its own fat yellow tiddies."

"I know," Taehyung whines. "How could that happen? That's not normal, right?"

The fisherman gives him a side glance, then looks back at the pan and giggles again before patting Taehyung's back.

"Maybe you should leave the cooking to me, Hyunjin-ah. No offence."

Taehyung pouts but doesn't disagree.

That day he ends up running late for his reading session with Jeongguk. He hurries down the pier with an apology already on the tip of his tongue, one hand buried in his bag and grappling for the final Harry Potter book, but.

Jeongguk is not there.

Taehyung runs a full lap around the huts, thinks that maybe his eyes are playing him just now. No Jeongguk, nowhere. He even leans down to peer beneath the wooden structure, then pushes his legs into the water and waits.

After like ten minutes he has to come to terms with the fact that he's alone.

Which is weird. Usually Jeongguk would have arrived by now.

Yet the spot hidden between the huts stays empty. At some point little fish even start to wreathe around Taehyung's feet.

He keeps waiting for Jeongguk, too nervous to even think of opening the book and reading for himself.

Jeongguk doesn't come.

By Monday Jeongguk still hasn't showed up and Taehyung begins to get really worried.

Did something happen? Is he okay?

Just what went wrong?

Because something must be wrong for Jeongguk to stop showing up all of a sudden. Taehyung can only hope it was nothing he did, that he didn't scare him off.

A tiny part of him can't help but marvel though, at how free-spirited Jeongguk is. Like a wild animal that's purely reacting on instinct. Taehyung hopes it's just that, it's only Jeongguk being skittish, and not that he got hurt or something.

It doesn't stop him from worrying.

A whole week passes without Jeongguk coming to their spot. It makes Taehyung limbs heavy. The bounce he adapted on his way to the pier is now gone as he trudges to the lonely spot day in and day out. There is also a noticeable decrease in his writing flow. Where for a while the words came nearly as smoothly to him as in good old times, he is now stumbling over the phrases he tries to pen down. 

What keeps him company these days are the little swallows under the roof. Sometimes Taehyung lays on his back and watches the birds for hours.

Jeongguk never comes.

By the end of week two without Jeongguk, Taehyung doesn't even bother to put his feet in the water. He spends less and less time at the pier and instead opts for long hikes all around Nakseongdae. His gaze keeps drifting to the open sea, feet unconsciously carrying him to the cliffs more often than not as he keeps a lookout for a big shadow in the water.

Jimin must have noticed something off, for he one day drags Yoongi out of his room after dinner and sits all of them down in the living room to play Uno. Which is a cute gesture for sure. However, Taehyung has never bothered to learn the rules and so it takes no genius to predict that he loses six times in a row. He is this short of quitting when Jimin hurries to get out something else. You can never go wrong with ludo. Taehyung even gets to pick a colour first. He opts for green.

After like half an hour it turns out Yoongi may be the most ruthless Monopoly player out of the three of them, but if it comes to ludo they are all ready to cheat and betray each other like there is no tomorrow. What started as an obvious attempt to distract Taehyung quickly becomes a heated race for the first place. And so it doesn't take long for the rules to slowly but surely fall apart.

"Jimin-ah, capture my pawn one more time and I don't want anything to do with you," Yoongi threatens with low voice.

Jimin grins, rolls the dice and... kicks out Yoongi's black pawn. 

"Sorry sweets, I'm just following the rules~"

Taehyung guffaws. "That's not even- you didn't even roll a four! You rolled a five. That's not how it works."

"Well, he was in the way so I had to kick him out, obviously..."

Yoongi goes eerily quiet as he puts his pawn back home. 

Taehyung is still not over Jimin's fool play so he doesn't notice what happens next - but Jimin does.

"Yah!" The fisherman pounces and sets the whole table rattling. "You can't take your pawn out! You didn't roll a six!"

"I did," the older deadpans. "Five plus one makes six."

He puts his pawn on the starting field. Jimin reaches out to put it back but Yoongi gives him a jab, hand shooting out to grip his boyfriend's wrist. They wrestle like that for a solid five minutes. Taehyung takes the chance to carefully slide his own pawn a step forward... and another one... and another.

Things don't get better and so it doesn't take long for the whole board to fly across the room while Jimin yells, "I HATE YOU ALL!"

They stop playing for that evening.

After a few more days, Taehyung makes a life-changing discovery.

The absence of Jeongguk influences his sleep schedule!

That, or his body finally has switched into vacation mode and is well-rested enough now to get up early without trying.

(He low-key prefers to think it's because of Jeongguk, though.)

Him getting up early also means he gets to meet his landlords before they have to go to work - sometimes. When it's a late day for Jimin. 

And that means he can witness what must be the daily ritual of Jimin and Yoongi measuring their height. The first time he sees it, he doesn't even understand what's going on. But the second time, things start to come together.

Mainly because the two men are bickering passionately while pointing at the door frame. A door frame that, if Taehyung thinks about it, is littered with little nondescript markings. 

Jimin is the first to spot him.

"Ah, Hyunjin! Come here, we need a neutral judge."

Taehyung carefully approaches, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "A judge?"

The fisherman nods vigorously. "Yoongle-babe thinks I'm cheating."

"I know you are cheating."

"No I'm not! I grew, I swear I did! Hyunjin-ah, come and take our measurements, please."

Taehyung's eyes shift from one man to another. What would be worse, to declare Jimin taller, or Yoongi? Favouring his best friend or signing his death warrant?

"Uh, I need to pee."

Creative. Very creative, Kim Taehyung.

He ends up declaring it a tie. It's enough to make Jimin fume but Yoongi looks incredibly pleased. Still has a smug grin when they have breakfast together for once.

"Taehyung-ah, can you hand me the coffee please?"

"Sure." Taehyung reaches over to do as told - and promptly misses the weird look from Jimin. 

Yoongi accepts the coffee pot with a nod and an even broader grin.

Taehyung is about to go back to eating when Jimin can't hold it in any longer.

"But... but that's not his name?"

Taehyung gulps.

Oh. Shit!

That was... that was not very smart of him.

Especially when Yoongi shrugs and declares, "Yes it is." With a finality that doesn't leave any doubt. He knows, oh, he so knows.

Taehyung becomes very small.

"How... how do you know?"

He's been so sure this town would be desolate enough for people to not know about idols and stuff.

Yoongi shrugs. At least Jimin looks as lost as Taehyung feels.

"I'm a wannabe producer in my free time. Of course I know everything about what's going on in the music industry. And about one of the brightest stars in the music industry who wondrously disappeared a few months ago." He gives him a pointed look.

Taehyung curses.

"...Damn."

"Sucks to be you, huh?"

"Min Yoongi," Jimin shrieks and swats his head. "You better watch your mouth!"

Yoongi crosses his arms with a huff. "But he's not even smart about it! Who else except for him has dyed hair here in Nakseongdae? Of course he sticks out like a sore thumb, I mean look at him." He waves in Taehyung's general direction.

Taehyung pouts. Excuse him for caring about his looks to a certain degree.

Yoongi isn't done yet, ignores Jimin's kicks under the table. "Besides, who the fuck wears pyjamas on the street if not some kind of eccentric celebrity? That's just weird, come-on."

"Wh-what do you care what I wear?!"

"I don't. 'M just saying, it's all pretty conspicuous."

Jimin it seems has still trouble piecing everything together.

In the meantime, Taehyung is worrying a great deal.

"You're not going to rat me out... right?"

Yoongi snorts so hard he inhales coffee and ends up choking on it.

"Kid," he wheezes, "why the everloving fuck would I do that?"

Which is assuring, but. Taehyung scowls. "Why do you keep calling me a kid? You don't do that with Jimin."

Another shrug. "He's more than two months older than you. Suck it."

"How do you-"

"I can literally google your birthday, dude."

"...Oh."

And finally, Jimin has caught up, to.

In an astonished whisper he says, "Oh gosh, we are housing a celebrity?"

Only hours later Taehyung notices the parallels.

Of Jeongguk being so afraid that anyone knows about him and asking Taehyung to keep quiet. And now Taehyung has essentially done the same.

Sometimes life is a funny bitch.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Jeongguk manages to stay away for three weeks before he caves.

Three weeks holed up in his cave, with no human contact - or any contact whatsoever. 

It's nothing he is not used to, at least normally. He can spend months down here.

But that was before he met Taehyung. Before he got so used to the sound of his voice, the feeling of his presence in the water. It reminds him of something Namjoon told him many years ago. 

'Did you know, Jeongguk-ah? Someone who tasted hope will suffer ten times more than someone who never did.'

And maybe Taehyung does not equal hope. But Jeongguk thinks maybe it's not all too different, that emptiness he now feels after he met the kind human.

In the end he can't take it any longer. 

The thing is, by the time he finally decides to return he can no longer feel Taehyung. There are no wiggling toes in the water. No human who dares to get into the sea.  He knows, has adjusted himself to every minute movement in the bay of Nakseongdae by now. If anyone were to walk down the pier, he'd feel the stilts rattling.

Days go by where he restlessly cuts through the waters and keeps coming back to the bay. Close enough to sensitise himself even more yet far away to not fear the fishermen.

Still there is no Taehyung on the pier.

The uneasiness inside of him boils over and with an irritated flick of his tail he catapults himself out of the bay.

This is ridiculous. It's just a human.

With a deep frown he pulls at the water around him. Pulls and pulls with all his might, fins shifting, tail beating until he can feel exhaustion settling in. Like that he reaches the southernmost tip of Korea and still can't think of anything else than the lack of Taehyung in the water. It's like there is a Taehyung-shaped hole he can feel from everywhere.

Empty.

Two days later Jeongguk almost jumps out of his skin.

Taehyung!

He's on the pier again.

It should be embarrassing how he instantly leaps up to rush over. But he's too busy with swimming to care. Hurries to get to what has undeniably turned into their spot.

So maybe he all but jumps out of the water, a breathless "Taehyung" on his lips. Maybe he is too reckless for his own good. Forgets to quietly get out of water the way he usually does.

It's worth the look of surprise that quickly morphs into one of undulated joy on Taehyung's face.

Already he is leaning over the pier, hands tightly grasping the edge.

"You are back!"

Jeongguk flushes. When was the last time he got such a greeting, from a human no less? So kind and heartfelt and... enthusiastic at the mere sight of him?

A little overenthusiastic perhaps, as Taehyung leans forward too much and loses his balance, hands flailing.

It takes Jeongguk one, two beats of his tail then he is there. Lunges up and presses his hands against Taehyung's chest, steadying him. As he looks up, Taehyung is already staring at him with wide eyes.

It hits him then. That he is not afraid, despite being closer to a human than ever before. He doesn't even think of it being a trap. 

Maybe it will be alright.

Jeongguk allows himself a shy smile.

"I'm back."

Chapter Text

Arabian | noun

♦sitting together and talking with friends during sunset; evening conversation

Taehyung is so happy he thinks he could cry on the spot if he just tried hard enough.

He knows it's baseless. They are not friends, barely more than acquaintances to be brutally honest. And yet. It's been three weeks. He's just... thanks gosh Jeongguk seems okay. 

That's why it takes him a hot minute to remember how he was about to fall into the water like two seconds ago. He is literally held upright only by Jeongguk's arms alone at this point. 

Wow, that's... they're being pretty close. Taehyung sucks in a sharp breath and scrambles to get back onto the pier. He is not a prude, he swears. But with how shy Jeongguk has been all the time, how reluctant to get just a little too close to him, can you really hold it against Taehyung to be shocked? Funny how this time it's him who pulls away first, and not Jeongguk.

"Uhm, hi."

Where did his eloquence go? Get a grip, Taehyung! 

"I mean, are you okay? Did something happen?"

Jeongguk gnaws on his lip and sinks back into the water, looking away.

Cute.

"...It's nothing."

Taehyung nods and smiles. Just to be sure though, he asks, "So you are not hurt or anything?"

That's what gets the other to look back at him. With a curious little tilt of his head, Jeongguk watches him for a moment as if he's trying to decipher a puzzle.

"Were you worried about me?"

"So what if I were?!"

Another one of those long looks. Taehyung has the distinct feeling of Jeongguk peering right inside of him with these incredibly dark eyes of his. It's unnerving. And still he can't even start to feel afraid. Not of Jeongguk, never.

Then, a little secretive smile tucks at the corners of Jeongguk's mouth. 

"You are very strange, Taehyung."

Taehyung harrumphs. Granted, he has no clue how old Jeongguk is. How age works for him. But right now he's just being a brat.

"Well, excuse me for caring."

He nudges his foot against Jeongguk's shoulder before he can catch himself and misses the way he barely flinches.

That's when he remembers something.

"Oh, shit." Taehyung sucks at his lip. "I haven't brought a book with me today."

He stopped doing so a few days ago. Books are heavy. Especially when the summer heat begins to settle in and you need all the space in your bag for water bottles. Who could've guessed he'd meet Jeongguk today, after almost a month of absence?

"That's okay." Jeongguk smiles again. "You can just talk about something else."

Taehyung doesn't need to be told twice. But after a moment, he falters. He's been talking about so much stuff in Jeongguk's presence before he had the idea with the reading. Yet he never asked what it is that the other wants to hear from him. In hindsight, he feels pretty dumb. Did Jeongguk even bother to listen to his long rants?

"What, uhm... what do you want me to talk about?"

Jeongguk turns in the water, mighty tail breaching the surface bit by bit before disappearing again. Taehyung doesn't try to hide his staring. The other luckily can't see it while he swims over to the side and— and hoists himself up and out of the water until he sits on the pier. What.

Taehyung's jaw drops. Not only because Jeongguk has an absolutely mouthwatering body - which Taehyung caught on by now - but because this is by far the furthest he's gotten out of the water. Like, ever. Jeongguk has never sat onto the pier before.

There is also a lot more of his tail exposed than usually. Taehyung doesn't know where to look. There are too many options. And with that cheeky pose now, leant back on his arms, ripped stomach and chest on full display, it doesn't make things better. Because like that, Taehyung has a clear view on the intricate body chains spanning his chest and shoulders. Thin sparkling lines of silver.

Taehyung gulps. This is way too much sex appeal for one living being. He can't cope.

Wait, what was the question again? Did he ask something?

Don't be a creep, stop staring...

He looks down at his hands.

"Tell me about yourself," Jeongguk suggests. "Why are you here?"

He furrows his brows. "Wait, do you mean, like, here or here here?"

The other shrugs. 

So Taehyung starts at the beginning.

"...Because to be really fucking honest? Art is tiring," Taehyung declares, feet idly splashing in the water. It's afternoon now. He may have omitted some parts and then gotten carried away on others but what's new?

Jeongguk is still sitting on the pier and listening. He nods for Taehyung to continue so that's what he does.

"All forms of art are tiring. In every way. Dancing, singing, acting, writing and drawing... it consumes your whole damn heart and mind and soul, and it's not something you can switch off like a day job. You carry it with you like a second skin. And lately my skin has gotten too tight, I guess. So I came here."

"So, you are an artist?"

Taehyung ponders it for a moment. Explaining the concept of idols to Jeongguk might be a tricky thing. Besides, if it comes down to it... isn't he an artist? Isn't that what it all boils down to? He nods slowly.

"Yeah, I guess you could say so."

Back at his new home, Taehyung faces a dilemma he didn't see coming. Or more like, he gets pulled into said dilemma. As much as Yoongi and him hate Jimin's latest purchase, as much all of them want to find the right spot for the cursed soap bottle. So what goes down when Taehyung gets home is this:

His two landlords are pulling at the soap bottle and it looks like one second away from falling to the floor and shattering into countless pieces. Yoongi snarks 'ketchup' and Jimin shrieks 'soap' every few seconds.

It doesn't take a genius to understand what's going on. The endless fight between appearance and purpose. And guess what's gonna be Taehyung's role? The big decision-maker. 

The curse of being the third guy in a two people flat - you have to make all the decisions and risk offending someone.

Ugh.

So they spend the entire dinner discussing if the ketchup-labelled soap bottle belongs in the bathroom or kitchen. Taehyung doesn't contribute all that much to the discussion though, given how he has to stop himself from smiling like a fool. 

Jeongguk is back!

Jeongguk is back, and they talked, and he's gorgeous, and, damn!

"...Taehyung? I'm right. Say that I'm right, come on," Jimin urges.

Taehyung can't even remember who argued for what. And seriously, he doesn't care. Like, at all. He's got more important things to ponder.

So he decides to cut the whole thing short.

"In my opinion you are both wrong. It's got a grape picture so we should put wine in the damn thing."

He is met with twin inrcedulous stares and the next moment gets a lump of rice thrown in his face.

"Yah, you dumb idiot, that's not even remotely close to-"

Jimin doesn't get to finish his sentence before Taehyung bursts into loud laughter.

That night, Taehyung dreams of glittering silver chains in the ocean. Of secretive sparkles hidden in a deep sea trench and a greenish-blue glint around it. Of water currents so far away from the sun they run molten black.

He is swimming through the empty ocean, with nothing but that nameless silvery glitter guiding him, jingling every now and then. Sometimes he spots it to his left, sometimes to his right, most of the time straight ahead. It never strays far. Almost as if it wants to stay close to him. And amidst it all, Taehyung finds he is not afraid. Maybe because feelings and emotions in a dream are generally a fickle thing. Even so it's astonishing. How he is so far down no animal dares to follow, no plants can grow there. Completely alone in that everlasting blackness. And yet he feels perfectly safe. As if there is no way anything could happen to him.

He wakes up with a warm tingle all over him and the faint sound of silver bells in his ears.

The next day Taehyung indeed does bring the promised book. He is back to his usual high spirits, making his way to the pier with bouncy steps. Maybe to some of the locals he's being way too obvious but who cares?

He is just so damn eager to see Jeongguk again.

Secretly hopes that maybe, and if only a little bit, the other is looking forward to it too.

But.

As he sits there, heavy Harry Potter book in his lap and slowly munching on his breakfast, no Jeongguk comes.

He waits til early afternoon. Starts skimming the whole book and reading his favourite parts as he's already at it.

But Jeongguk stays away.

With a hollow feeling in his chest Taehyung has to give up his wait eventually. He heads back and wonders if his Jeongguk-deprived mind made up the whole encounter yesterday.

He comes home to a way too quiet Jimin.

Taehyung frowns. Something is not okay.

"Jiminie? Everything okay?"

Nevermind he is certainly Not Okay himself after getting dumped by Jeongguk - or waking up from a very vivid 24 hours-dream. He's not sure which one is worse.

Anyway. Back to the other problem. The one of Park Jimin staring at his phone and not giggling like usual.

"Oh, hey Taehyung-ah." 

He sounds as distracted as he looks.

(One day Taehyung will get him to also use nicknames. But for now, the fisherman is still too stuck up about housing a famous K-Pop idol.)

Taehyung sneaks closer, pushing everything Jeongguk in the furthest corner of his mind. Now he could easily peer over his friend's shoulder and see what's on his phone. But that's not half as funny as making Jimin talk.

With a cheeky grin he pokes the older in the side.

"Yah, tell me, tell me! What's going on, hm?"

A long-suffering sigh is his answer. And then,

"Hey, did you know owls have legs?"

Taehyung shrugs. "Uh, I guess?"

"No, like. Long legs. I mean- look."

He shoves his phone into Taehyung's face.

"Look at this shit! Owls laying down should not look like that."

Taehyung squints at the screen, then gulps.

"...This is a cursed concept."

Taehyung is more reserved the next day. Cautious to not expect too much.

Or maybe... he should not expect anything at all. 

That second time of Jeongguk's absence stings in a different way than the first. He can't tell if it's worse or not. Just... different. But one thing Taehyung does know for sure: there is a certain limit to how much he can take.

So he doesn't skip down the pier. Doesn't grapple for the book in his bag even before he rounds the corner of the old huts the way he did yesterday.

Having less hope means the bitter taste of disappointment will be bearable.

On the other hand—

Taehyung hesitantly peeks around the corner to their secret spot. His eyes take a moment to get used to the sudden change from sunlight to shadow. He blinks a few times, until there are bright spots of blue and green swimming in his vision. Then the picture clears and he sees a mighty tail glistening in the summer sun, blue and green. 

Taehyung smiles so hard his face hurts.

"Now look who came back."

Jeongguk pops his head out from under the pier.

"...Hello, Taehyung."

— it makes the surprise even bigger and a lot better.

Taehyung can't help the silly grin. He half-heartedly kicks Jeongguk's shoulder, aware that a part of him is pissed and hurt and quite a few other things because of the other's absence. But that part dwarfs in comparison to the bone-crushing relief he feels at the mere sight of that silly big fish.

Before he can completely forget about the loneliness and lingering aftertaste of disappointment though, Taehyung asks,

"Where were you?"

Jeongguk keeps quiet for a long time.

That's okay. It's something Taehyung is getting used to - the waiting that is. He needs to give Jeongguk enough time to sort out himself and maybe gather enough courage. People don't change overnight. And considering how Jeongguk behaved at their first encounter, maybe that's what Taehyung needs more than anything: patience.

When Jeongguk does reply, his voice is wavering first until it gets steadier with each word.

"I... had to test a theory."

"And?"

"I was right. But also wrong."

Taehyung tilts his head. "O...kay?"

Jeongguk swims a little lap in the space between the piers before coming to a stop right in front of Taehyung.

"It's nothing, don't think about it."

Taehyung waits a bit longer but as nothing more is added, he gives up. Gets out the book he's been carrying around way too often by now.

"Okay. You ready to finish this series once and for all?"

He waits for Jeongguk to nod and then gets started.

Now here is the thing: Taehyung is naturally curious. As a kid it was like, his default setting. So if anyone asked he was probably touching, sniffing, eating or questioning stuff with no remorse. Today he is a grown-up and has learned to tone down the sudden urge of touching everything he doesn't know. But that thirst for answers is still there.

Here is another thing: Taehyung also knows the definition of personal space and that it's inappropriate to push for something others are not willing to reveal freely. Being a renowned idol means among other things that he underwent merciless training for years. One thing that got drilled into him were manners. If you are facing the cameras of national tv your manners can't be anything less than on fleek.

It's not exactly difficult to put two and two together in the case of Jeongguk and his taciturnity. The lad obviously does not want to talk about himself or his kind - preferably ever.

Which is a problem.

Because even if Taehyung never so much as breathes a thought in the direction of Jeongguk about his non-human nature it doesn't mean he's not dying to know.

He is.

He wants to learn more about Jeongguk so so bad.

But every time he opens his mouth to ask something, anything - "Are there more like you? Do you have magic powers? Can you permanently live underwater? What's your personal deep-diving record? Are your gills, like, sensitive? Can I touch your tail? Were you born like this or did you get cursed or something? ...Just what exactly are you?" - the weeks and months and years of strict training with Mrs. Cheong kick in and his mouth snaps shut on its own accord.

(Taehyung always thought it to be a bad joke for Mrs. Cheong to bear that name for there was nothing gentle about the way she taught the trainees. Nothing.)

So whenever they meet and Taehyung doesn't get to ask his many answers, he dies a little bit inside.

And he's got plenty chances to struggle like that. After his second disappearance, Jeongguk is back to visiting him every single day at the pier.

Which, if you leave aside the fact that Taehyung has 101 unanswered questions, is nice. Not because the acquaintance of that strange guy is the best inspiration he had in years. But because he genuinely enjoys his company.

Is the other being eerily quiet most of the time and sometimes not saying a single word except for 'Hello Taehyung'?  Maybe so. However, it's not an uncomfortable kind of silence he radiates. Taehyung finds himself sucked into that air of calm otherworldliness. Of leisure hyper-focus. He's not quite sure how to name it, can't put his finger on it. All he knows is, that it's gentle. He doesn't feel threatened by Jeongguk even though he literally has zero idea of what he's capable of and if it would be common sense to be terrified to his guts or not.

Jeongguk's presence is grounding in a way that has something in Taehyung settle whenever he arrives. At the same time his very existence demands attention without asking for it. Taehyung always knows where he is, even when he gets too engrossed with the book he's reading from and Jeongguk silently shifts from one side of the pier to the other. After spending weeks together he's gotten tuned in on Jeongguk's whole being. Could probably point at him with eyes closed no matter where he is.

It's a special aspect of their relationship, something Taehyung has mulled over more than just once at night. He's experienced bonds and friendships where he'd like to say he got tuned in on the other well enough to always find them in a crowded room. But honestly, in these prior cases it would often be more of a question of spotting a familiar tuft of hair, picking out a certain laugh among dozens of people or something alike. Not feeling someone's presence, as weird as it sounds.

It's a nice thought.

It also does a whole lot of nothing with helping Taehyung's case of losing his remaining brain cells about suffocating his many questions.

It's seriously distracting him. Taehyung has the distinct feeling his reading quality suffers under his mental restlessness. And that's. Not good.

What if he reads so bad Jeongguk no longer wants to come? What if his reading skills plummet into the eighth circle of hell because he just can't fucking concentrate? 

So yeah, Taehyung is worried to lose Jeongguk as result of his progressively sucky reading. Having met Jeongguk is easily the best and most exciting, hell, most intriguing thing that happened to him in Nakseongdae. Even though technically he still has no idea who or what Jeongguk is. But alas. He can feel the dude's aura or whatever. That must mean something, right?

Jeongguk is special to him.

The two of them might be barely more than strangers if he'd ask anyone else but clearly they don't know shit.

They passed the point of strangers and mere acquaintances long ago.

To put it frankly, losing Jeongguk would hurt. And probably catapult Taehyung back into the dark hole he was in before he came to this town. (He expertly ignores that specific thought.)

So Taehyung does what he does best: he frets. Goes as far as to practice reading out loud in his room until one night Yoongi knocks at his door and tells him to shut the fuck up.

With all this in mind, Taehyung feeling like he is one hair width away from scaring off Jeongguk forever, imagine his endless surprise when one day (it's a Tuesday. Taehyung will forever remember it happened on a Tuesday) Jeongguk asks him to teach him how to read.

"You, uh, what?"

Taehyung tries and fails to blink past his massive confusion.

Jeongguk fidgets where he sits on the pier. Little twitches shake his tail as he fiddles with his hands - not hands but more so claws, as Taehyung realised after weeks - while resolutely not looking anywhere near Taehyung's direction.

He's nervous.

Taehyung stares.

Why is he the one who's nervous? It doesn't make sense.

"I, uhm. I want you to- I mean, maybe, could you? Teach me, I mean. How to read."

Taehyung thinks he might be staring at Jeongguk for half an hour. Which, in his opinion, is a solid and appropriate reaction.

"Huh," he says again and scratches his head.

Wow. Who would've thought? Maybe his reading skills haven't become crappy beyond recognition, then. Which, again, weird. He could've sworn...

Jeongguk huffs, fin splashing a little out of the water as he crosses his arms. 

"You don't have to- nevermind. Forget it."

And.

No way in hell will he forget.

He shakes his head, apologies already tumbling from his lips.

"No, sorry, I was just. You caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting you to ask me something like that, sorry. I know it sounds dumb. I, hm."

Taehyung shifts and tries to peer at Jeongguk's expression somehow.

"You really want me to teach you?"

Finally Jeongguk looks at him. Bites his lip and gives a timid nod before looking away again.

"Okay. I don't know if I'm any good but I'll try my best," Taehyung vows. "Tomorrow I'll bring a new book, and if things go well we can finish this one together, okay? Once you got the hang of it."

"Okay," Jeongguk mumbles and then, without any kind of goodbye, slips off the pier and into the water.

Taehyung beams.

That evening, he doesn't fret about his reading skills.

Instead he wonders why he always gets a greeting but never a goodbye from Jeongguk. Wonders if it means something or if he's getting paranoid.

He sits on his bed, in the twilight (pretending it's dark and silently cursing at summer for making th nights short because for his current mood night would fit way better) when Jimin walks past, then backtracks. Taehyung has a tendency to leave his door open. Which might be one of the reasons why Yoongi was so pissed at him reading out loud. But it's an important part of his mental self-care, okay? An open door makes him feel like part of a family. Like he is not alone and threatening to fall back into that limbo.

Before Jimin gets a chance to open his mouth, Taehyung puts another piece of yuja in his mouth, chews, cringes and does a full-body shiver before stating,

"I don't have answers."

"Uh, okay..." Jimin eyes him suspiciously. Which, to be honest, is fair. "Then I guess I'll leave you to your... evening affairs. Of staring at nothing while peeling yuja in your bed. That's, uh. Have fun."

He gives a hesitant wave and then slinks away.

Jimin is going to tell Yoongi and then the older will judge Taehyung so hard tomorrow during dinner. He just knows.

He mindlessly pops in the next slice, whole face scrunching up. Why is he even eating this shit? He doesn't like yuja. Or anything sour in general.

...Would Jeongguk like yuja?

Would he say him goodbye when Taehyung brought a yuja?

Wait. Where is the connection between those two things? The fuck? Time to get some sleep.

The next day when Taehyung arrives, Jeongguk is waiting for him under the pier. Taehyung has just sat down, feet dangling over the edge and into the water when the other nips at his big toe. Again. Taehyung almost kicks him in the face for a second time.

This better not get a regular thing. He likes his toes.

(And Jeongguk's face but he's not going to admit that out loud anytime soon.)

"Yah, seriously, how about a normal greeting?"

Jeongguk grins at him.

Cheeky brat.

It's enough to make Taehyung think that he's not as shy as he always seems.

Until he gets out a sketchbook and broad-tip marker and watches Jeongguk pulling himself onto one of the side piers - powerful muscles shifting, not that Taehyung is staring. A safe distance of at least two metres away from him.

Huh.

He scratches his head.

"I mean, I guess we can try like this but really it would probably be much easier for me to teach you if you were... y'know... a little closer."

Jeongguk gnaws at his bottom lip, eyes the distance between them. Settles for moving a total of one hand-width closer. Very effective.

Taehyung sighs.

Okay yes, the guy's painfully shy. This is going to be a challenge.

"Alright." He takes a deep breath. "We will start with the most fundamental thing, teaching you the alphabet." He tugs off the marker's cap with his teeth and writes one single letter all over the page, then flips the sketchbook around. "This is 'A'..."

Jeongguk, it turns out, is a diligent student. After the first day Taehyung can say as much. He is serious about learning.

A small, embarrassing part of Taehyung also likes the undivided attention of the other. A lot. A Jeongguk lounging on the pier or in the water and listening to the stories he reads is one thing, Jeongguk staring at him with an intensity that borders on piercing is something else entirely. As if he doesn't want to miss a single thing Taehyung says.

He secretly enjoys being subject of such razor-sharp focus.

A predator's gaze, another part of him supplies. Yeah, he'd call that the voice of reason.

He doesn't know what to make of it.

That evening Yoongi is being away without telling anyone where and why. Highly suspicious.

It means Taehyung and Jimin are having dinner together without him and that means Jimin picks something to serve for dinner he wouldn't dare put on the table if his boyfriend was here.

Among the usual stuff, this time there is also a plate with oysters waiting for Taehyung.

He scrunches his nose.

"Yeah, no. No way."

"Aw, come on, don't be such a baby."

Taehyung splutters. "A baby?! I don't understand who could come up with that inane idea in the first place! Seriously, look at that. Who could possibly look at that glob of sea snot and be like 'oh man I bet this tastes fucking delicious with some lemon juice'. Like, how about no? Why? What's your fucking problem, dude?"

"You haven't even tried yet."

"That's because these things are technically still alive!"

Taehyung is vehement. He is not going to drink a living mussel thing. Ever.

No fucking way.

"I told you to go slow!"

Taehyung retches again. "This is horrible! You are horrible. I hate this so much."

"You are such a wimp."

Taehyung turns away from the sink long enough to narrow his eyes at Jimin. "Spend three years of dance training under Mr. Lee's thumb and then we'll talk again, dude."

"Eh, how hard can it be?"

Nothing can ever get closer to a declaration of war than this.

"...You did not just say that."

As revenge for that unjustified statement - actually no, petty revenge is just a convenient coincidence - Taehyung steals one of Jimin's trays out of the kitchen. Then, before they can start their second lesson, he asks Jeongguk if he could fetch beach sand from somewhere. (If there was a beach anywhere close by Taehyung would go himself, but alas.)

Jeongguk gives him a questioning look but does as told. He's back not even a minute later, both hands holding a clump of wet sand.

"Is that enough?"

Taehyung tells him to put it on the tray, then shakes his head.

"We need enough to cover it," he explains.

So Jeongguk dives back down again. And again and again, until there is a pile of slowly drying sand on the tray.

Taehyung nods. "Yeah, that'll do. Thank you."

He smiles at Jeongguk but the other is quick to look away. Taehyung shrugs. Whatever.

If Jeongguk doesn't want to come close, he'll have to find creative ways of teaching him the letters. He starts going through the next set of letters with him until the sand has dried. Taehyung smooths it out until the tray is evenly covered and then pushes it over the pier towards Jeongguk.

"Okay, remember yesterday's letters? I'll show you how to write them and then you try with the sand. Sound good?"

A little nod from Jeongguk, understanding flashing in his eyes.

Taehyung grins. Aside from the whole thing being an idea he genuinely thinks will work well for them, using sand also means to bring something to their lessons Jeongguk is familiar and comfortable with. Double win.

It works.

It works way better than Taehyung imagined. He's so damn proud of his student.

There is only one thing worrying him. How is he supposed to teach Jeongguk to read an actual book without literally looking over his shoulder and guiding him through it?

Jeongguk is a natural and he is jealous. Taehyung certainly did not learn the whole alphabet in less than a week. So maybe he pouts as he keeps throwing random letters at the other and Jeongguk writes them with his finger in the sand, first the capital letter and then the small one without messing up once. Sue him. Yeah, he is miffed about it. 

But at the same time he can't deny how eager he is for Jeongguk to read his first sentence. He figured with how the other clearly is an adult - of whatever magnitude - they don't have to start off with extra big letters or stuff. A children's book with font size just above average will do. That's why he brought one of his absolute favourite books and kept it in his bag everyday, for whenever he deems Jeongguk ready.

Now it's Saturday and he thinks they are good to go. If Jeongguk can be persuaded of a tiny bit more... proximity.

"Okay, so."

Taehyung slaps his hands on his thighs, then subtly wipes them. He is not nervous how this will go. He isn't!

Maybe his voice sounds a notch too enthusiastic to be on the right side of realistic as he declares, "Let's try something new."

His copy of the first volume of "The 39 clues" written by none other than Rick Riordan himself is quickly pulled out, eyes now equal parts expectant and insecure on Jeongguk.

"I brought this book for you to try reading a story on your own. It should be easy enough to get started, I hope. If not I'll find something better."

Jeongguk nods, brows furrowed. As if he's waiting for the twist. 

Dammit, is Taehyung being that transparent?

He scratches his neck, bites his lip, wipes his hands again. "So, uh, for me to guide you through it and keep an eye on the text too, I guess you'd have to, well. Uhm. Come... closer?"

Gosh. Where did his backbone go?

Taehyung gulps.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Jeongguk gives him a hard stare as he tries to figure out the lie behind the words, the hidden trap.

Why does the human needs him to come closer? How much closer? Was that the big goal all along?

He stares and stares, mind running a mile a minute. He can see Taehyung sweating, notices his rising uneasiness the longer the silence drags.

His entire body is tense to a point where not even his fins move with the unrelenting drag of waves but are like stiff blades in the water. 

Taehyung wants him to get closer. Close enough to read the book together.

Part of Jeongguk scoffs at himself. It shouldn't be a difficult decision after how much time they spent together in which Taehyung never tried anything funny. He's safe with the human, his gut even confirming it for once.

But.

Seokjin's fins cut off, Seokjin's blood spilling into the ocean in billowing clouds of red until his skin has turned grey, Seokjin unconscious for weeks...

"Don't ever trust humans, Jeongguk-ah."

His vision clears and he sees Taehyung trembling. Feels tiny ripples of the movement lap at his tail where the water is shaken from the human's legs. Jeongguk pauses, and only then notices his own bared teeth.

Control.

Taehyung is still holding up the book.

Jeongguk takes a deep breath, gills fluttering along. Easy, he whispers to the sea, to where water has started to crawl up his tail against every law of physics. Easy, he tells himself, hands uncurling from where they've balled into fists, talons close to breaking skin as his fingertips tingle.

That particular human is no danger to him. And it's about time to prove that point to himself. He will sit next to Taehyung.

And if the human so much as moves wrong, he'll rip him to shreds.

After a little eternity of silence Jeongguk nods. But doesn't make a move. If Taehyung wants them to be closer then he'll have to come over himself.

He must've come to the same conclusion as he slowly scoots to the edge of the pier and around, towards Jeongguk, bag dragging over the wood. When he's close enough for Jeongguk to feel his body heat, he stops. 

"Is, is this okay?"

His voice is soft and hesitant. It doesn't fit Taehyung.

"Should I- uhm, am I too close?"

Jeongguk's eyes widen. He's asking him if he is comfortable.

What was that about ripping someone to shreds? The tension seeps off him, water slipping back where it belongs as everything in Jeongguk goes soft.

Who is he even kidding at that point? He doesn't fear Taehyung. No, quite the opposite, he likes him a little. Maybe a lot.

"...It's okay. Now tell me what that book is."

Taehyung's face transforms from one of hesitance to undulated joy. He gives that blinding smile to Jeongguk, everything else forgotten in an instant as he starts off his ramble.

"Okay, so this the start of an actually really long series. Like, it has multiple seasons. A ton of people have written on it but it's really good."

Taehyung's gestures are wild and sweeping as usual. Jeongguk almost gets hit by an arm more than once. The irritating thing is, he finds he wouldn't even mind.

"So basically there is that huge and super rich and powerful family, with several branches and members like everywhere. And it's like the most powerful family in the world, and that for centuries except most people are not aware of it."

Jeongguk watches him drone on and on about the story and smiles. Happiness looks good on Taehyung.

 "-And there are those two siblings who are part of the family but legit have no idea just what their family is. And then their grandma dies and sends the relatives on a deadly scavenger hunt all over the world and it's super exciting and you never know who to trust and also get super intriguing history knowledge spoon-fed with the plot and- wait, I shouldn't tell you this. You gotta read it yourself. Here."

He thrusts the thin book into Jeongguk's hands.

Jeongguk weights it in his grip. Considers his next move.

"You have to open it."

Oh. Right. 

He knew that.

The book opens easily and Jeongguk can't help but thumb at the pages, paper turning easily. Nothing sticks together. It's so unlike the books in his cave. He loves it.

"Okay, you can skip that page," Taehyung instructs him," and that one too. Yeah. Now start at the top. Go as slow as you need."

Jeongguk nods.

"Chapter... is that an 'I'?" 

Next to him Taehyung groans. Jeongguk notices how the sound is deeper, more guttural from up close. Revels in it.

"No, that's... it's the number one. If you see similar signs like that during reading, just ignore them for now. We can get back to learning numbers another time. Alright, go on."

So Jeongguk does.

"Five... five minutes... before she died, Grace Ca- how do you say that?"

"Cahill. It's a family name."

Jeongguk nods, repeats the name. "Okay. Cahill. Grace Cahill changed her will. Her... her lawyer brought out the, the uhm, alter- alternate? Alternate version, which had been her most guarded secret for seven years..."

They finish the entire first and second chapter and Jeongguk's breaks between words slowly grow shorter. He preens. In a few days maybe he can read fluently!

Over time Taehyung has scooted closer until his thigh was pressing against Jeongguk's tail. Jeongguk didn't move away.

"You're doing good," Taehyung announces at the end of chapter two. Pries the book out of Jeongguk's grasp gently after claming that's enough for one day. Jeongguk lets him, doesn't even flinch when their hands touch for the briefest moment.

They call it a day, the human stretching out a hand after Jeongguk but retracting it again. Jeongguk wonders what it is he wanted to do.

Taehyung asks him if they'll meet again tomorrow - a habit he picked up after Jeongguk left him for another day. At this point he doesn't have to ask anymore, really. But the human has no way of knowing that does he? So Jeongguk just nods like he always does before plunging into the water and leaving Taehyung without so much as a warning.

He hates goodbyes.

"...Amy took his voucher. They walked to the... the desk together and she picked up Mr. McIntyre's lighter. 'We're in,' she told him, and she sent two mill-million... million? Million dollars up in smoke."

"Well done," Taehyung praises him at the end of their second session.

It makes something warm and fuzzy take roots in Jeongguk's chest. Makes it sprout and bloom within seconds.

It is not normal, the kind of effect the human has on him, he decides. Doesn't mind. Just gives a timid smile back and watches as Taehyung takes the book and puts it in his bag once more.

What Taehyung does not know is this:

In the dead of night, long after he'd given the book to Jeongguk and had him read out loud for the first time, Jeongguk has gone to his cave with the collections. The space where he kept all those intriguing human-made things he found.

All the books.

They are neatly lined up in stone-hewn nooks high enough to not get wet and low enough for him to reach when he's still in the water. Some of those shelves have taken him weeks and months on end to create where he kept pushing water against and into the stone, slowly eroding the unyielding material until the little grooves turned into compartments big enough to hold whatever Jeongguk wanted to put in there. It was monotonous work but one that paid off. Now he's got little collections of this and that in several spaces all along the pond. The two longest nooks are filled to the brim with books.

And that night he'd read all of them.

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. But he'd at least try reading all of their titles and bring them in an alphabetical order.

Because he had to sort them for ages anyway.

Not because he wanted to practice so Taehyung would be impressed by his improvement. No, certainly not. That would be... unbecoming.

With barely more than a thought Jeongguk had a high wall of water rising, moulding and shifting, then smoothing over until it caught the moonlight falling through a hole in the ceiling. Like a makeshift mirror. It was just enough for him to make out the letters on those old, worn covers. Many of the words he didn't understand, the sound of them foreign on his tongue. But the letters itself were all the same.

The next hours Jeongguk spent swimming up and down the rows of books, mumbling to himself as he tried to decipher every title until dawn broke. And then some more. Until he could feel the pier's stilts shift under Taehyung's weight.

He blinks back into presence. Licks his lips in confusion as he notes the way Taehyung looks at him expectantly.

"...Huh?"

The human's smile turns into a little smirk that's way too attractive on him to be fair. Jeongguk scowls.

"I asked if you like the story so far."

And.

That's an easy yes.

(Jeongguk would've said yes either way. It's absolutely worth the bright smile he gets from the human.)

They continue reading together - 'they', because it might be Jeongguk who is supposed to do the reading but the book series is apparently one of Taehyung's favourites. And so the human eagerly leans in, more and more with each page they master until his chin is resting on Jeongguk's shoulders and he urges him to read faster.

Maybe that's not professional of him as he is supposed to teach Jeongguk and not rush him like that just because he can't wait for the page to get flipped. But Jeongguk finds it hard to get mad at him when he's too occupied with the searing warmth spreading from where he feels Taehyung on his skin.

Also, it's endearing to no end. Listening to the human's voice turning whiny as he complains for Jeongguk to take so long with that sentence. 

(If it makes Jeongguk read even slower on purpose just so Taehyung's whines turn louder and he gets nipped in the side by him, then nobody has to know.)

"...A mile away in Copley Square, Irina Spasky — code name Team Five — was worrying about her poison. She had loaded her fingernail injectors - her what?! - with the usual mixture, but she feared it would not be enough for this meeting. Back in the Cold War, she and her KGB colleagues used poi- poison-injecting umbrellas, or spray painted toxins on toilet seats. Those were the good old days."

Jeongguk takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, lowering the book. He's sure his eyebrows must touch in the middle with how hard he frowns because, just,  what? Fingernail injectors, Cold War, KGB, toilet seats? What even?

"I don't even know what I'm not understanding because I don't get a single thing in that sentence," he huffs.

Humans are so damn confusing.

Next to him Taehyung is doing a terrible job of muffling his laughter. "Okay, seems some explaining is due.."

Jeongguk crosses his arms, ready to sulk with all his might. And almost drops the book in the water.

One desperate lunge and then jump into the water later, Taehyung's lower half is completely soaked. Jeongguk gives him a sheepish smile, book safely in one outstretched hand as he swims in the water.

"Sorry?"

"Don't bother. We both know it's not true," Taehyung deadpans.

And yeah. Where is the lie?

When he pulls himself out of water once more, the human blatantly stares with lips pressed together. Jeongguk arches an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing, just." Taehyung vaguely gestures at him. "What are you?" Then halts, eyes going wide and hand slapping over his mouth.

Jeongguk finds he doesn't care. A few days earlier maybe he would've flinched away from the question. But things are different now. He is secretly practising to impress Taehyung, gosh. And honestly, he is touched the human didn't just assume something and started calling him terms without being sure. Consideration is not a word Jeongguk would usually think of in relation with humans. It's... touching.

For once he doesn't feel bad about exposing something about himself. With Taehyung he is safe.

"I'm a mer."

"Ah." Taehyung nods as if he just got the answer to all questions in the universe. "So... a merman, then?"

Jeongguk looks down his toned chest, then back to Taehyung. Delights in the subtle flush of red high on the human's cheeks. "Obviously."

Taehyung covers his whole face with those large hands and groans. Pretty, Jeongguk thinks.

"Ugh, this is terrible. Why did nobody warn me that you could be such a tease?"

The mer grins. 

"You wanted to ask that for quite a while now, didn't you?"

Not really a question but Taehyung nods anyway. And because Jeongguk is in a rarely good mood - around a human no less - he shuffles around until he's laying on his belly, tail languidly flopping in the water, chin rested on both hands. 

"What else do you want to know?"

So they talk. And for the first time it's not one-sided. It quickly develops into a new routine of theirs, Jeongguk first reading two chapters a day and making quick progress thanks to his late-night studies, then around noon they both chill on the pier and watch the sea until Taehyung can't hold in his many questions any longer and starts bombarding Jeongguk.

And like this, bit by bit the mer tells him.

Tells him the tale of how mers are children born from an impossible love - from when a star loves the sea so much it falls from the sky and plunges itself into the vast waters.

Of how, when the star (meteor Taehyung says but Jeongguk knows it as a star for it's always burning so bright when it falls from the sky) dies in the wet cold embrace of the ocean, bright flames put to sleep forever, in the same instance something new is born. A miracle, a mer.

One evening after a long moment of hesitance, Jeongguk even reveals that mers, as the almost godlike creatures they are, cannot die.

He does not tell the human about the power he holds over the sea and vice versa though. About how he can control the sea not unlike the magic in those Harry Potter books. For the sea loves its precious children and will do everything to help them and keep them safe. That, Jeongguk muses, is a conversation to be had later. Or maybe not at all. He doesn't want to scare off the one human he at some point began considering his friend.

They spend long evenings like that, talking about everything and anything. Jeongguk indulging the other with bits and pieces about merfolk secrets and Taehyung telling him all the different things running through his mind.

The sun drops into the sea more than once and they are still talking, Taehyung making an off-handed comment how Jimin is going to roast him alive for missing dinner yet not moving a single muscle to get up.

"...So I just learned that humans can fit a lightbulb into their mouth with ease but can't get it out without shattering, and- wait, you remember what a lightbulb is, right?"

Jeongguk nods. "Yeah, it's that glass thing where you put in glowworms and hang it on your ceiling at night."

"That's... cute but actually wrong," the human chuckles. "I'll get back to it in a minute. Okay, so, the point is, now that I know I have to like physically restrain myself from putting a fucking lightbulb in my mouth because I wanna see if it would fit real bad, you know?"

"...Why would you do something that stupid?"

"That's exactly my problem!"

They talk and talk entire evenings away like that. It never gets boring. 

And over the course of time Jeongguk comes to accept Taehyung's apparent craving for skinship. 

It's the height of summer and Jeongguk lays on the pier with Taehyung half sprawled above him while they chat, something that wouldn't have been possible in his worst nightmares a few months before. He tugs the human a little closer and smiles.

Chapter Text

Latin | noun

♦The shining surface of the ocean

It takes a few more days for Jeongguk to catch fire and get infected with the undeniable joy of reading. But once he does, he is unstoppable. Like a starved animal that got allowed onto a banquet and is now eating to its heart's content. The speed of Jeongguk's progress is mind-boggling. Wasn't he even able to understand the alphabet two weeks ago, he can now finish a slim book within three days.

Taehyung always has the next volume of the series in his bag, just in case. It's funny, he thinks, how they always build up a routine that doesn't last for more than a few weeks before it changes. First he talked Jeongguk's ears off, then he started reading to him until the mer wanted to learn it himself. And now here they are, Jeongguk devouring book after book with barely any difficulties while Taehyung sits there and watches him.

Jeongguk never complains about it. He lets Taehyung openly stare for however long he wants. Which is more than Taehyung could've asked for.

It is an honour, he decides, to witness the divine beauty of Jeongguk. To watch him laze on the pier with a good part of his tail out of the water. Scales glittering like gemstones in the hues of a mountain forest and the waters of the Caribbean where it's resting on wooden planks before dipping back into the sea.

Taehyung still needs to look up the names of all the different kinds of fins but those upper ones close to the mer's shimmering behind (and what a fine butt it is, nicely rounded in a way that makes Taehyung bet he wouldn't be able to entirely span it with his hands if he tried) are out of water too, and spread out in soft, translucent ruffles. They make him think of times where people danced beneath giant chandeliers in their most exquisite attire. Look so delicate Taehyung wonders how they can navigate Jeongguk through the waters. But there must be a hidden strength in them no doubt. He doesn't think they're there just for the looks.

And if it comes to Jeongguk, hidden strength seems to be a reoccurring theme anyway. Taehyung can't pinpoint why, it's just a feeling.

An honour, he thinks again, as his eyes slide from the giant fish tail to a strong back and broad shoulders. To all that unblemished skin that's started to gain some colour, and the intricate silver chains twinkling all over it. To the muscular arms that keep shifting minutely whenever the mer turns a page in his book.

What Taehyung can't see much of, is his face. The strong features are either hiding behind a book or long strands of wavy black hair.

A pity, Taehyung laments silently for he thinks the finest sight of everything Jeongguk are his eyes. Big and round and always so expressive. Sometimes they bear a certain kind of sharpness that gives away the predator inside. And they are dark, so, so dark. Taehyung didn't have a chance to get close enough yet but he is sure they are not just dark brown like it's common here. There is some richness to them that doesn't look entirely human.

Bottomless black pits so deep he could very well drown. Only on the rare occasions where the mer doesn't avert his gaze after a second, though. Even weeks and months after their first encounter he is still shy. Still can't bear to hold eye contact for a prolonged time and is never the one to initiate any kind of skinship either.

"...Will she?"

Taehyung's head jerks up.

He scowls at himself for waxing poetry about his friend's appearance. But. He's an artist, and an artist's soul is never on vacation. Sue him.

"Hm?"

Jeongguk gives him one of those cocky little grins he has whenever he catches Taehyung daydreaming. It happens. Shy boy who?

"Will Isabel really choose her own success above her children's lives?"

Isabel who?

Oh, right. The book. They're talking about the book now. Yes. Uhm.

Get a grip, idiot!

"I can hardly tell you without taking away the element of surprise, no?"

Smooth.

The mer has the audacity to pout.

Taehyung gapes. He feels attacked. Someone built like Jeongguk shouldn't be able to look cute like that.

Still pouting, Jeongguk goes back to his book, lips straightening out into a thin line of concentration and eyebrows furrowing.

Not even a minute later he has forgotten Taehyung's existence altogether.

It's obvious in the way his eyes fly from side to side and his mouth curls around little gasps with the unfolding drama. Because, spoiler alert, Isabel does not choose her children. Worst mother of the entire series, really.

And Taehyung, he's back to staring to his heart's content. All under the rouse of seeking inspiration for his new album but who is he kidding? The pages in his notebook are still as blank as they were two hours ago when he put it on his lap with the determination to get some writing done. It's not that he's procrastinating by any means. He's just... busy. Preoccupied with ogling that unreal creature in front of him, an unbelievable miracle given flesh and scales.

His friend.

Who could've thought the world holds beauty like this? Maybe he should start praying. Thank whoever is responsible for Jeongguk, and for Taehyung getting the opportunity to meet him.

Jeongguk screeches.

"SHE SHOT HER OWN DAUGHTER?!"

He is clearly distressed. Too caught up in the story. It makes Taehyung wonder just how much of a new world reading is for the mer. How much he's been yearning to delve into unknown waters like that. It also makes him marvel at how well Jeongguk is able to understand foreign concepts as family and blood bonds. Or heritage. Otherwise he wouldn't have that look now.

Taehyung reaches out to pull him in a hug, then falters. Retracts his arm. Jeongguk doesn't like skinship. He has to value that.

"Keep reading," he just urges instead. "It gets better, keep reading."

So Jeongguk does. And Taehyung can get back into his mind again.

His thoughts start to drift off in murky waters then. Linger on questions like where he would be without Jeongguk now, if he would wander the woods around Nakseongdae all by his lonesome self day by day. Or what he's going to do once he has to leave for Seoul and his old life. How he is supposed to cope with the loss of Jeongguk.

Because it would be one, a loss that is. Jeongguk might be the best thing that ever happened to him.

He looks at  the mer again, the sparkling droplets on his scales competing with those riding atop of the little waves in front of them. At least he doesn't shy away from his stares anymore. Doesn't hide away himself in all his gorgeousness.

'Marmoris', Taehyung writes down at the top of the page.

'I open my eyes, and grapple for my treasure box, myriads of gemstones sparkling in blues, greens and whites, and underneath them all there is you...'

His gaze flits to Jeongguk's face and his parted lips as the mer reads through the finale.

'Your breath rolls over my skin like lazy waves, engulfing and submerging me, and underneath them there is you...'

The words keep pouring out of his pen on their own once he started. Jeongguk manages to finish the book before Taehyung is done writing. He can feel Jeongguk's eyes on him but hasn't it in himself to put down the pen just yet. Not when he's pouring himself into what's going to be the first official song of his next album. 

'Underneath it all is you.'

Not when his heart is driving home a truth he wasn't aware of yet.

'You, you, you.'

"What do you wanna read next?" Taehyung has finally closed his notebook and is back to lounging on the pier. Legs in the water and feet idly splashing Jeongguk. The mer has squawked at him at first but by now doesn't even bat an eye at the childish gesture. "Continue with the series or start something new?"

Jeongguk's eyes widen.

"There is more?!"

Taehyung smiles. This adorable boy, really.

"Of course, there are tons more. 'The 39 clues' is only the first series in that universe. There is also the 'Cahills versus Vespers' series, 'Doublecross', 'Unstoppable' and more."

Jeongguk's jaw slackens. And Taehyung with a grin thinks he's got his answer.

"I'll bring you Vespers Rising tomorrow, kay?"

The mer nods quickly. Taehyung's grin widens. He's just happy they have the same taste in books. Which is awesome. He can bring all his favourite books that are way underappreciated by the general public and make Jeongguk a hoe for them. He may be an idol on paper but by night he's mostly a diligent reader. And now he's a man on a mission.

Once they are done with the 39 signs, he is going to introduce Jeongguk to The Mysterious Benedict Society, the works from Neal Shusterman, the Engelsfors trilogy by Mats Strandberg, and so much more. He should make a list. Have read Jeongguk all those books and then they can geek out about them together. Awesome!

"What is it even you do all day on your own?"

Today is bajirak kalguksu time and Jimin has gone all out. He happily slurps away on the noodle soup while waiting for an answer. Taehyung lowkey wonders how the fisherman has the energy to cook dinner like that when he has to get up at ass o' clock everyday. Is there a secret to it? Is it witchcraft? Can he learn that too?

Jimin is still innocently looking at him. His question however, is anything but innocent. Taehyung decides to ignore it for now and shove in another big bite of food. Maybe it'll work.

By now he should know better than to think Jimin is one to give up easily. 

"Taehyung-ah? Did you hear me?"

"Mhm?"

Taehyung makes a show of chewing and swallowing slowly.

"What do you do everyday?"

"...Uhm." He remembers the promise he made to Jeongguk. Their pinky-oath. "Uh, nothing big, really. Going for... a stroll here and there, I guess...Just the usual, you know?"

Jimin hums. Yoongi keeps eating as if there is no conversation happening whatsoever.

"You should join me for a day. Get the real sea life experience in ultra HD," the fisherman suggests grinning. Seem like he planned to bring it up for awhile and is very excited about it. "Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing someone else than my uncle and his friends on deck for once."

Taehyung mulls it over. He doesn't have anything against the idea per se, but.

"Let's assume I say yes. Then I had to get up for that little adventure, when exactly?"

Jimin inhales his last noodles and licks the soup around his mouth away.

"I mean, I usually have to get up at four, so."

"Okay yeah no, not happening."

His landlord laughs at him. Taehyung turns away.

"Dude, you are on vacation for who knows long, you can catch up on sleep anytime. Live a little when you're already here, will ya?"

Taehyung huffs.

The next morning he joins Jimin and they have breakfast together, Taehyung in all his grumpy half-awake glory. Jimin snickers the whole time. He stops snickering the moment they get to the trawler and Taehyung takes one look at the bold letters and folds in two.

Jimin's uncle might be an uncle but he definitely is also a dad with that kind of humour.

"Real- really?! High C's? Are you for real? Your trawler is named High C's? Oh god..."

He's wheezing.

"Don't," Jimin hisses, "mention the pun to my uncle if you want all of us to survive and not face five hours of terrible jokes."

Taehyung doesn't promise anything, just clutches at his sides. Damn, he sure is out of shape when a little bit of laughing gets him winded like that. Maybe he should pick up his workout routine.

On the other hand... nah.

A weathered man in his fifties is already awaiting them on deck, crew scuttling around behind him. The resemblance to Jimin is almost uncanny. Rather than uncle he could very well be his dad.

"Oi, time te get on board princess, we don' have all day!"

Taehyung mumbles a timid Yessir and scurries after Jimin.

This is gonna be a long day.

Honestly, 'long day' doesn't even cover a fraction of it. They might've been only a few hours on that trawler but Taehyung swears he aged at least three years during his time there. He thought fishing is a serene sport and supposed to be idle and all that. But this... this is madness. He has no idea how much fish Jimin and his uncle are hauling but surely it must be tons, right?

People are running around. Every now and then something is shouted but most of the time the crew works in tandem with the practised ease of spending years together. Taehyung's search for a safe spot has taken a while. First he thought he'd be okay next to the cabin but then people were running around there too. He moved to the railing then, which was even worse.

And which may or may not be the reason he's finding himself mid-plunge overboard now. He didn't even see the guy bumping into him before it was too late. And now, when he's just this close to take an involuntary dive, Taehyung can't help but think there are way worse things that could happen to him. It's not like he's afraid of the sea. Or of falling to his death.

The crew, however, seems to disagree. The very moment more than half of Taehyung's body is leaning over dark blue water, the guy who ran into him is screaming man overboard. He's still falling when he can see bodies lining the railing and the whole crew staring at him in pure undulated horror. Huge round eyes up and down the ship.

What a funny view, Taehyung thinks.

Then his back hits the water.

The world goes dark for a few seconds, and wet and endless. And while his body is reeling to distinguish up from down, his mind gives a short joyous squeal. It's by far not how he imagined it, but he's finally taking a dip in the sea!

Moments of happiness like these are known to not last long, though. As soon as Taehyung breaks through the water surface, the joy is snuffed out in an instant as he beholds the crew scrambling to get him back. A ring buoy has been thrown his way, people are running around again but this time a lot less controlled and a lot more panicky.

One of the lads takes a hold of Jimin who lowers himself off the trawler to reach out for Taehyung. (As if they hadn't thrown that ring buoy thingy with a rope after him already.) Either way, the fishermen are loosing their heads. Hysterical shouts, loud clatters and, to put it simply, chaos reigns on deck.

Getting back onto the trawler turns into a matter of less than five minutes. Yet even when Taehyung is back on board, the crew is still horrified. Jimin's uncle orders their immediate return to Nakseongdae. Nobody questions it or seems even a tad bit surprised. Just follow that routine only they know, to haul back ass into the harbour.

Taehyung watches from his little corner where he's bundled up in a thick blanket.

Madness.

The city boy fell into the water and they act as if they're all going to die.

Every five minutes or so Jimin drops his tasks to rush over and pull him into a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you survived!"

"It wasn't even that bad. I fell like, three metres. It's just water, chill out a bit."

"Still."

Forever confused, he turns his head to the sea. And for a moment thinks he can see a familiar shadow in the water.

"Seriously, you could have died."

Taehyung rolls his eyes.

"Uhm, I can swim?"

They're back in Nakseongdae and it's lunchtime. Jimin is sitting next to him on a jetty and sharing his sandwiches with Taehyung. Based on everybody's reaction, they've been back much earlier than usual. The townspeople have been worried instantly but Jimin's uncle said a few strict words that made no sense whatsoever to Taehyung and that was that.

Jimin hasn't been smiling ever since Taehyung went overboard. Which is a rare sight in itself.

And also unnecessarily dramatic.

"It's not about that," he keeps insisting. "You don't understand."

Which, true.

How is he supposed to understand a damn thing when no one bothers to explain anything to him?

Did he try asking Jimin? And his uncle (who weirdly enough is named Park Jimin too, which made Taehyung wonder if his friend got named after his uncle and if so, why, to which he just got a 'Please never talk about it again'), and that San dude, and Wooyoung, and a few other crew members? Yes. But did a single one of them give the slightest hint of an answer? N to the fucking O.

And that's why they are having the same conversation since at least half an hour. In fifty shades of "I'm so glad you're alive." - "Well, duh." - "No, you don't get it.", just with different variations.

So darn frustrating.

Jeongguk greets him with a somber expression this afternoon. Taehyung huffs. Look at that. Another guy who refuses to smile at him today. Not that the mer usually is a beacon of sunshine or something, but still. The whole thing starts to seriously get on Taehyung's nerves.

"You fell," Jeongguk says instead of a greeting.

Taehyung nods. That answers at least one question of the day. 

"So it was you who I saw."

Jeongguk's mouth presses into a thin line. Oops. Too direct, then.

The question is, why does Jeongguk look at him like he's some kind of escaped criminal?

No. Wait. Could he be-

"Were you worried about me?"

Taehyung catches sight of the mer's eyes widening before he turns away. He gapes. What? He was... actually right? 

No, no way. That can't possibly be it. 

Right?

Before Taehyung's brain can start to seriously hurt from thinking this outrageous possibility through, he better tries an easier question. Or so he hopes.

"Uh. How did you know I fell anyway?"

Jeongguk doesn't even budge.

...Wrong question again?

Nevertheless, Taehyung waits a few minutes without adding anything else. Grills the mer in his own stew, so to say. Or more like, gives him the time he needs to answer. Yeah, if he thinks about it like that it sounds a lot more nice.

And the best thing is, it works.

Jeongguk doesn't turn around to talk to him, but still.

"...I felt you."

"Huh?"

He what now?

What does that even mean?

And okay, maybe Taehyung has been on a dry spell for a little while. Ever since signing the idol contract, to be honest. So - he does some quick math - for a bit more than eight years. Hm. That's not exactly 'a little bit'. How long does it take to reach satori from abstinence? Is he halfway there yet? Wait, does it even work that way?

Either way, maybe that line of Jeongguk had Taehyung's thoughts go in a not so innocent direction.

I felt you.

Gosh, he wishes. With these muscles and everything. Jeongguk is everybody's wet dream. 

But.

Something like that is never going to happen. 

Taehyung slaps himself. The sting is just enough to bring his thoughts back onto the right track. And finally Jeongguk turns around and looks at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

Jeongguk squints. "Are you mad because you don't understand?"

"I, no, that's not it..."

"I know it'll sound weird for you, that's why I didn't want to elaborate at first."

Taehyung waves his hands, not really getting where all of this is going. "And you don't have to, it's okay-"

"It's just, I don't really know how to explain it to you. Because, I mean. When a human walks around in your forest you can't feel his every step, can you?"

"I, uhm." Taehyung starts. "No?"

Jeongguk nods and leaves it at that. Which opens a new array to tons of more questions Taehyung has, but most importantly-

"Wait, does that mean you felt it when I fell from the trawler?! Is that possible? How far away have you even been?"

It's enough to have the mer blush. Which in itself is the most adorable sight. Taehyung wants to coo but doesn't dare.

"I... yes. I feel everything in the water."

The way it's said as a shy admission does not fit the mind-numbing truth Jeongguk just flung at him. The wonder. The possibilities. He leans forward and for once, Jeongguk doesn't react fast enough and stays put, so that their noses are almost touching.

"That's so freaking cool!"

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•
 

That's so freaking cool!

Taehyung's eyes are wide, his words filled with excitement and this familiar warm broad smile makes an appearance. It's easily one of Jeongguk's favourite sights.

And clearly a situation where he doesn't know what to do with himself. As so often when it comes to Taehyung. So Jeongguk does the next-best thing he can think of to divert the human's attention from himself and yet another merfolk secret he just revealed, and asks for the book. Watches the human rummaging through his ever-present bag until he finds it and hands it over to him.

For a while Jeongguk just pretends to read and hopes Taehyung doesn't notice. He mulls over what he just said. Surely there is no way Taehyung has grasped the depth of that information, right? He's worried about that, not only because of what it means for merfolk when Taehyung does understand, but also because he's not sure if the knowledge could endanger the human in some ways.

Not all humans are kind and open-minded the way Taehyung is. And  if they find out he knows more than the average fisherman about merfolk - what would they be capable of doing to him?

Time to drive across a point.

"Taehyung," Jeongguk says with his most serious voice as he stops pretending to read, "you can't tell anyone. You know this, right?"

The human furrows his eyebrows but nods. "Yeah, of course. I promised not to tell anyone."

Jeongguk hums. "Good. Just... remember. Nobody can know. It's dangerous."

"Dangerous how?"

The mer lets a bit of the centuries-old being he is show as he answers. "Don't you know? Humans can be vile."

Again Taehyung's eyes widen but with a vastly different emotion than before. A grim expression flits over his face before it settles in understanding. Jeongguk thinks he may have revealed too much of his hand once more.

"You don't have to fear anything from me," Taehyung vows. Says it with enough determination to make Jeongguk smile.

"It's not you I'm afraid of."

Not anymore.

Not ever again.

But these words, too, are better left unsaid.

They have reached the height of summer, where days are long and nights but a short blink of time. Which means there is a lot of daylight Jeongguk can use to read in his cave. Sure, reading at night works too. He lived in the deepest part of the ocean for a while and knows his eyes can adapt to darkness if need be. But daylight has always been more comfortable.

So he makes good use of the light and the fact he needs little to no sleep, to practice reading. Out loud. Not because he can't read in silence, but. It's just something, anything to make his teacher proud. He wants to read Taehyung stories just the way he did.

And yes, maybe deep down he knows he's not only doing it as form of repayment. That his motivation is more than mere gratitude.

What a funny world.

Despite him never planning to befriend a human let alone grow affectionate past that, it seems that's exactly what's happening now. He is in a free fall for Taehyung. Probably has been for a while now. And it's a scary thing. Because, Jeongguk doesn't dare acting on it. Doesn't dare recognising and intensifying their bond to a point past return for he knows it wouldn't go well.

Knows what Taehyung thinks of him, why he keeps looking at him the way he does. For the human, he is a pretty thing. Something to admire but not to cherish. What Taehyung sees is his tail, his inhumane appearance - admittedly something Jeongguk prides himself to be quite the sight indeed. Seokjin has complimented him often enough for it, and some other mers he met over the decades too. He sees Jeongguk the mer.

But what he doesn't see, what would make the definite heartbreak all too hurtful, is Jeongguk the person.

So Jeongguk refuses to give in. There is no point in trying when Taehyung can't see all of him.Nno matter how much he wants to.

Even so, there are other things aside from his heart he can give Taehyung. Wants to, no matter the human will never grasp how deep it all runs for Jeongguk. 

And aside from being a good student and progressively getting over himself with his apprehension of human proximity, what Jeongguk can do is share another secret. Nothing big for merfolk in general and not even for him, but for the human it might be. He can show Taehyung a hidden spot even the locals don't know. Where they are truly for themselves in the best sense of it and he doesn't have to be on edge about fishermen storming the pier and attacking him every moment.

Tomorrow, he'll show Taehyung tomorrow.

If he wants.

If he trusts Jeongguk enough to follow him.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•
 

At dinner, Jimin is still going on and on about how Taehyung could have died and how he'll never take him to the sea ever again. He also exchanges a grim 'Has everyone been warned yet' with Yoongi to which the other just nods.

But, honestly? Taehyung sits there, let's him talk and it goes in one ear and out the other. He's got more important things to worry about than his apparently just barely evaded death. Like the fact that Jeongguk must've been coming for him at break-neck speed.

Or the revelation how he can feel everything in the water, because holy shit! How awesome is that? And how does it work exactly? Does he have like, a thousand invisible feelers floating around, or is it more like a sonar, or does it work because of vibrations? And how far does that control - is it control or more like sensing - reach exactly? Can Jeongguk feel what's happening at the Korean west coast? Can he tell when Taehyung so much as dips his big toe in the water?

He's got a myriad of questions and once more no chance to ask. The way Jeongguk's eyes have shuttered were a clear sign. Probing wouldn't get him anywhere.

"You're so lucky you are not dead yet," Jimin says for the twentieth time or so.

Yet all Taehyung can think about is Jeongguk.

The next day Taehyung is not greeted by grabby hands demanding a book to read. But by Jeongguk still in the water, head tilted back to look at him and asking,

"How long can you hold your breath?"

Which, good morning to you too, he guesses.

"I have a very long breath," he declares proudly.

Generally true. As an idol he needs to have a long breath, especially as soloist performing long shows all on his own. Except, he is on vacation. And hasn't been training for a while. But surely his ability to hold his breath hasn't dwindled into nothingness yet, right?

Begrudgingly Taehyung makes a little correction. 

"I have a longer breath than Hobi-hyung."

A statement that's admittedly more impressive to people who know Hoseok, but well.

Jeongguk nods. "Can you hold your breath for a minute?"

"Last time I checked, yes."

Another nod.

"And... do you trust me?"

Taehyung has to push down the urge to laugh. What an honest to God stupid question. 

Wasn't that- isn't it obvious?

"Of course I do!"

Jeongguk turns away bashfully and gnaws on his lip. Looks every bit of an insecure young lad. Taehyung thinks he can feel his heart double in size.

The mer sounds as hesitant as he looks when he asks, "Then, can I... I mean would it be okay- can I show you something? A place?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

Because Taehyung, he would probably follow the mer everywhere. It's a truth that comes to him fast and easy and brings a certain sense of clarity with it. Taehyung has no clue what the other is planning yet he trusts Jeongguk with his life.

Which in itself must be a sign. He's always been easy to trust and believe in the best within people, but not to that extent. Just another facet of their relationship, another unique little thing he wants to treasure.

The little smile on Jeongguk's face is a slow thing to show, nothing more than a mere twitch of his lips at first. Then, before it has bloomed into its full glory, the world spins and Taehyung has a split-second to open his mouth for a big breath before he's pulled into the water with his clothes, bag and all.

He squints against the salty water and for a moment doesn't even register the hand pressing down onto his mouth and nose. And then the world spins again, but also not, there is a push and pull at him, like wind - no, water - tugging at his limbs while simultaneously pressing them close to his body. The water and the sheer speed of something (of them?) stings terribly enough in his eyes to squeeze them shut.

Taehyung has lost all sense of orientation. He just knows that they are moving, and at an incredible speed at that. Has the vague sense of something constantly going down like a mighty boom next to them. Is that Jeongguk's tail?

He can't be sure. So he keeps his eyes shut, concentrates on holding his breath and tries to count the seconds as way of distraction from whatever the fuck is happening. Prays Jeongguk won't let go of him where he's got a strong arm wrapped around Taehyung's waist.

Things go dark, then blinding light and the next moment they are breaching the water surface together.

Through greedy gasps for breath - there is no way they've been underwater for a whole minute but he's been caught off guard, okay - Taehyung takes in their surroundings. Steep cliffs even higher than those around Nakseongdae encircle a small bay. There is nothing there except for an actual beach that gets cut off by the tall rocks rising into the sky. On the left side there is a beautiful sea arch and closer to the beach there are also some rocks of various sizes scattered in the water, surfaces smooth from centuries of waves polishing them.

Not a sign of humanity.

Again the feeling of motion tugs at him but this time much more subdued. Jeongguk is gentle as he manoeuvres them closer to the beach and over to one of the rocks. Tender almost, in the way he lifts Taehyung's entire soaking form out of the water and onto flat stone.

It's only once he lets go and Taehyung has to scramble for a proper hold on the rock does he come to realise just how close they've been. How he's essentially been pressed into Jeongguk's chest with nothing but a flimsy shirt as barrier. He wonders what it took from the mer to touch him like that. Marvels at the first contact Jeongguk initiated.

"You didn't faint." Jeongguk notes where he went over to a smaller rock and hugs it with both arms to stay afloat.

Taehyung grins. 

"Told you I got a long breath."

A hum is his answer and Taehyung watches the gills fluttering with it. Wants to touch them and feel the vibration against his fingers. 

But first things first.

"What is this place? Where are we?"

Jeongguk purses his lips, looks around once, then cocks his head.

"...Do you like it?"

"I, yeah, it's beautiful."

Not a lie. This bay is like a tiny secret paradise. It makes Taehyung want to live in the wild, with no one but seasons and the weather being his master. Maybe one day, or in a parallel universe...

He shakes his head, looks back at Jeongguk.

"Really. Thank you for showing me."

That timid smile is back before Jeongguk lets go of his rock and sinks into the water to start swimming some laps in the bay. Leaving Taehyung on his own to take in the serene scenery or make his way over to the beach. He does both, in exactly that order, as soon as he notes the water is shallow enough for him to walk where Jeongguk let him off.

Another asset of this place: there are barely any algae. Taehyung has been to beaches that looked nice at first view but nasty at second with carpets of algae close to the shore. But this one here is clean, only pristine turquoise water and golden sand and greyish rocks.

Once he reaches the beach and he's done a fair amount of digging his toes into toasty warm sand, Taehyung makes to get out of his soaked clothes - starting with his bag. And only then remembers the book inside. Shit. He sucks in a sharp breath, then opens and upturns the whole thing. Two apples, a bottle, a plastic bag with more food, three ballpoint pens, his notebook and Vespers Rising tumble into the sand. 

The corners of his notebook are soaked but it has only affected a handful of scribbled-down lyrics. And the book, miraculously is as good as dry. At the top the pages start to curl from dampness but that's all. Somehow his lunch pack must've blocked out most of the water. Taehyung sends a little Thank You to heaven and sets the book next to him. It's probably better off here than inside his dripping bag. Good thing he didn't bring his phone, or they might've gotten electrocuted.

He gulps.

Oh god. Next time they have to plan this whole thing better.

...Will there even be a next time? He hopes so.

After the initial shock, Taehyung remembers his original intention. He unceremoniously strips, lays his clothes out to dry, then stretches and flops down on the beach. Jeongguk is still happily swimming around in the secluded bay. A save sign that there are no other humans around. Taehyung watches him from his spot. It'll easily become his new favourite hobby.

He can see Jeongguk dipping under with majestic arches of his big tail as it breaks the water surface before being submerged once more. Demanding his undivided attention without calling for it. For once Jeongguk is being at complete ease with his surroundings. Free. Taehyung has never seen him like that before. Even when Jeongguk became more relaxed around him he never let his guard down, not like that.

He is just like an animal now. Like a young stallion that gets to leave the stables for the first time in a long while and bounds over the paddock without a care in the world.

Just as he thinks it, there is a loud splash and Taehyung watches Jeongguk jumping high out of the water and doing a flip, then falling down with a splash. His form is beautiful. For a moment he created an almost perfect circle, back bent in a deep arch and hands reaching out to touch his fins. 

Merman bagel, a tiny part of Taehyung thinks. The bigger part is stunned into silence and busy letting Taehyung's jaw drop to the floor.

What the fuck.

Jeongguk can do things like that?! Just how high did he jump now? That was more than two metres above water, right? Is that normal?

What the fuck.

Taehyung wants to see it again and again.

The mer keeps swimming around and doing tricks. He doesn't seem to get tired. Taehyung watches him in a trance. He doubts he could avert his eyes if he wanted to. Not with how gorgeous Jeongguk is when he's being in his element.

Even a blind man could see how much he loves the sea and the sea loves him back. Taehyung is a lucky man getting to witness all that.

Jeongguk stops eventually and makes his way over to one of the rocks close to the beach. But Taehyung can still see him leaping high into the air, like an afterimage. He has no doubt what he'll dream about tonight.

The mer signals him to come over, so Taehyung does. He barely notices the smile that refuses to leave his face. Jeongguk swims with such joy it's highly contagious. And awe-inspiring. 

The water laps at his feet, then his calves and soon his thighs as he takes step after step on the soft sand. Jeongguk tilts his head and watches him coming closer with burning gaze. Belatedly Taehyung wonders if his nudity is a problem for the mer. He probably hasn't seen a naked human before. But once Taehyung reaches him, Jeongguk doesn't comment on it. 

Just asks, "Do you want to go on a swim together?"

Yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

Taehyung grins so hard it hurts. 

Swimming with Jeongguk is an unreal experience.

His huge fins keep brushing against Taehyung. It almost feels like gentle kisses on his skin.

A few times the mer swims ahead and then waits for Taehyung to catch up, which gives him finally the opportunity to watch his fins working in the water from up close. It looks just the way he imagined it, like curtains fluttering in a summer breeze. But prettier. Graceful and fragile yet with an undeniable strength to them. The colour gradient of them - a dark inky greenish blue close to the tail morphing into a pale shade of teal towards the end - makes it look like they partially disappear with each shift. Some part of them always matches the colour of the sea, turning them invisible before they reappear with the next movement. It's like watching magic happen.

Taehyung swallows a bit of sea water twice because he is too busy staring.

Jeongguk notices and has them swimming back to the shore soon. He keeps looking over his shoulder with a worried expression. Taehyung follows him and silently curses his own stupidity for cutting their swim short.

Once back to the beach, Taehyung fetches the book and then makes his way to a large boulder a bit further in the water, skipping from stone to stone to get there.

But as he wants to hand it to Jeongguk, the mer declines.

"Can you read for me today?"

Taehyung eyes him a little confused. "Hm? Why?"

"...You're better at it."

Well. He doesn't get it but if Jeongguk asks him that nicely, how could he say no? So he gets comfortable laying on his belly and enjoying the sun on his bare skin, and starts reading.

"Alright. Vespers Rising, by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson. 'Damien Vesper didn’t plan on killing anyone today'..."

Jeongguk tucks his hands under his chin, head lolling to the side, and closes his eyes as he listens. When Taehyung's eyes flicker up from the page he can see a faint smile playing around the mer's lips. He gulps.

Beautiful.

He wants to see Jeongguk smiling more.

They watch the sun painting the summer sky in vibrant colours before it begins to set. No sooner does Jeongguk bring back Taehyung the same way the came. And this time Taehyung is prepared. He takes a deep breath that easily lasts him for their speedy trip. An egoistic part of him wishes it wouldn't be a hand Jeongguk uses to seal off his nose and mouth. He shakes off the silly thought.

As the mer retreats for the evening, Taehyung stays at the pier and watches after him. That close to town Jeongguk is quick to disappear into the water and out of sight. But the pictures are deeply rooted in Taehyung's mind. Even if he doesn't get a second chance to see the mer acting that carefree, he won't forget.

"You are like a wonderful melody I can't get out of my head," he murmurs.

Gets up and hurries to be on time for dinner.

Chapter Text

German | noun

♦state of having a sense of security and well-being

They go to the beach everyday from then on.

Taehyung can't say he's getting used to the way Jeongguk hugs him close while swimming them over. He doubts he'll get used to it anytime soon either. When you usually don't have any physical contact whatsoever over a long time, just the smallest touch carries weight. And when the mer smooches Taehyung against his solid chest that's a lot of contact.

It's the fifth time they are travelling via Jeongguk speed ship now and Taehyung is still reeling. This is way too much skin for him to cope with. It also doesn't help that the mer has body heat like a furnace so every part where they touch is positively burning. Taehyung couldn't ignore it if he wanted.

They are making a habit out of swimming together. Today they've taken a dip once already and then relaxed on what's becoming their boulder, with Taehyung once more being the one to read the story out loud.

Now that the shadow of the sea arch has wandered and is blocking the sun from their spot, they want to go on a second swim. It's a work in progress but Taehyung is working on convincing the mer that he's actually a good swimmer and has better stamina than he thinks. Just because he kept choking during their first swim. It was enough to make Jeongguk believe he's not good with water, which, excuse him. Taehyung always loved swimming. Especially in open waters.

The only thing bothering him is, that he doesn't know these waters at all. And with that comes a certain apprehension of hidden riptides and such. He says as much to Jeongguk while slipping down from the boulder but the mer stays perfectly calm.

"You don't have to worry about such things when you're with me."

It sounds like a vow.

And somehow, Taehyung is certain he doesn't grasp a fraction of the depth these words hold.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•
 

Jeongguk can't be sure the human recognises his vow for what it is. That doesn't change anything on the truth behind it though.

After all there is nothing more powerful than the beloved children of the sea itself - no shark or kraken or deep sea monstrosity could ever hope to compare. And with Jeongguk commanding the otherwise deadly tides in their little bay (there is a reason no human ever comes here), with his fingertips constantly tingling as he wills the vicious pull of the underlying currents to nothing more than a playful little tug around Taehyung's limbs, there is nothing the human has to be afraid of. Not when one of the seas's mighty treasures has fallen for him and is intending to keep him out of harm's way for as long as he lives.

They swim further out than the past days. Jeongguk keeps a close eye on Taehyung to see when he gets tired and his relaxed expression shifts into a strained one. It doesn't happen. Maybe he underestimated the human.

In the end it is Jeongguk who decides to turn around and swim back. He doesn't trust Taehyung to not show off and make himself look more unbothered than he is. Besides, the more they get out of the bay's cover, the bigger the danger of fishermen on the open sea noticing them by chance. Jeongguk doesn't feel like risking it. Not when they've just found a spot that truly belongs to them, without any danger of interruption.

On their way back he keeps brushing Taehyung with his fins more often. It gives him a strange sense of safety, feeling him and knowing they are safe, that there is no danger.

Taehyung gives him a questioning look more than once which he ignores.

They get back into shallow waters but Taehyung refuses to return onto the rock just yet. So Jeongguk comes up with something harmless to kill time.

"Do you know how to float?"

Taehyung tilts his head. "Float? You mean, like a starfish?"

Jeongguk is not sure what starfish have to do with floating. But the sentence seems to make complete sense to the human so he nods. 

"Nah, never got the hang of it. I always sink down like a lump of lead." He chuckles.

Jeongguk's chest swells. Finally. This, this is something he can teach Taehyung and not the other way round. Something actually useful. 

"Want me to show you?"

The mer is stumped when he gets a sceptical look as answer.

"No offence, but. How would that work? We don't exactly have the same anatomy."

True. However.

"So? I know plenty of swimming. We can figure something out."

And so they do. Jeongguk has to promise to keep his tail under Taehyung, just in case. He talks the human through it slowly. And like that, it doesn't take long for him to notice a major problem.

"You're breathing wrong."

"I'm breathing perfectly fine just like always," the human gasps.

Jeongguk hums.

"Yes. That's the problem. You need to take deeper breaths. How do you wanna float when there is barely any air inside you, hm?"

Taehyung pouts - and promptly sinks down further. Jeongguk is quick to grip beneath his shoulders and push him back up, tail doing the same with the legs. He tries not to think about how close they are. How he is deliberately touching a human all over.

It's Taehyung. If it's him, it should be okay.

It takes them a few more tries until Taehyung gets the hang of it and Jeongguk gradually inches away to give him space. Taehyung turns his head - and inhales a mouthful of water.

Jeongguk watches him splutter and scramble to stay afloat. He shakes his head. Pulls the waves flat with half a thought so Taehyung has enough time to compose himself.

"You humans are weird," he says. "You can't even hold your breath long and start panicking when swallowing the littlest bit of water and yet you love to swim. The water clearly is not an element made for you."

Taehyung scowls. "So? I  might've not been born for the sea but I can still love it."

Jeongguk closes his eyes and swallows hard. He shouldn't think too deeply into that one sentence, but. He is the sea. Well, part of. He's born from it. He belongs to the sea and the sea belongs to him. So for Taehyung declaring his love for the sea... the human could've very well confessed to him directly.

The mer turns away, biting his lip. No. Don't be stupid. As if.

They keep playing in the water together for a long time, with little breaks in between where Taehyung swims over to the sea arch and hoists himself onto a ledge. Jeongguk himself stays in the water - there would be enough place for a second person if they squeeze tight together, but that's still too close for his liking. He doesn't stay far away though. If the human twisted his leg just a little, he could put his foot on Jeongguk's shoulder.

And so, while they seek protection from the scorching summer sun, they talk. True, Taehyung does most of the talking. But he's by no means monologuing. And Jeongguk has to admit, the human has a way to make him talk. Taehyung has caught up on them not being remotely the same age and so has made it his task to learn about all of Jeongguk's weird hobbies. That's lots of fodder for conversation.

"So you never had any pets?"

Jeongguk shakes his head. He's turned on his back and languidly floats in the water with his belly up.

"No, never."

"Not even close?"

He hums. "I used to get along well with sea otters."

Taehyung nudges him with his foot. "Get along? What does that mean exactly? Don't be so vague."

"Okay, okay," the mer chuckles. "I... maybe trained them, a little."

Taehyung almost falls back into the water, eyes big and mouth wide open.

"Trained?! You can train sea otters? They are trainable? Ohmygod, tell me everything!"

Back when Jeongguk still stayed at the archipelago, Namjoon used to joke about getting old and desensitised. Which is utter nonsense, but enough to make Seokjin laugh.

Sometimes Jeongguk can't help but think about it. Wonders if he's getting old and desensitised himself. It's not often that he thinks stuff like that, but how could he not, when every time he carries Taehyung to their new spot and back he has the feeling the human's grip on him tightens more?

What an idiotic thought. Jeongguk is really not amused about his mind playing him tricks.

But just in case... Just in case he's not imagining things, Jeongguk has picked up a certain book from his own little library. He only found it recently, tucked into a tiny niche hidden behind one of his favourite troves - three books that's been lost to the sea long enough to completely loose their initial form and purpose. One of them got deformed to a shapeless chunk of paper, one turned into a tiny coral reef with various corals growing on the covers, and one that's gotten completely crystallised. It was a present from a good friend who claimed it came straight out of the dead sea. True or not, it surely is a curious sight, just as its two brothers.

And there, behind his three gems, Jeongguk picked up a copy of Jessica Roux's "Floriography". A guide to the Victorian flower language. Jeongguk has no clue what 'Victorian' means, but this book still fascinates him. Each flower has a certain meaning and together they can send elaborate messages. The pictures are pretty too. Jeongguk just wonders how big these flowers are in real life. Some of them would be gorgeous in the size of his head.

He turns to the next page and reads, 'Dahlia, eternal love and commitment'. The next page claims daisy means innocence, purity and childhood. And on and on it goes. What an utterly fascinating thing, that flower language.

Now Jeongguk doesn't know much about flowers, how to sustain them or where they grow. Yet he knows plenty about the treasures of the sea. The prettiest shells, corals and stones and how to get them. 

So he makes a plan.

In the time he doesn't spend with Taehyung, he'll start roaming the vast ocean ground for gems worthy of the enthralling beauty that is Taehyung. He's never done something like this before.

For Taehyung he feels like he should try. 

And maybe pay a visit to his parents soon. To ask Namjoon about how the whole thing really works, how Seokjin and him came to be long ago, and what he ought to do next.

The night is still young. If he leaves now, he can make it on time. Pay a visit and be back by the time Taehyung awaits him at the pier.

The mer makes his way out of the cave system he's been calling his home for the past few decades and heads into the open sea. Once he's far out enough to sense nothing but endless blue around him, he starts pulling at the water masses. Takes a deep breath. His strong tail beats once, twice, thrice, then he's found his rhythm. Faster than any human construction could ever wish to be, he cuts through the sea.

Within minutes he's passed the southernmost peak of Korea. Swims a wide arch around the Japanese islands and makes his way to the parts of the North Pacific that get shunned by humans. The water body around him keeps changing rapidly, seascapes flying by as blurry pictures. Night changes into evening and afternoon as Jeongguk keeps swimming.

Soon, he'll be there soon.

"Nooo, Joonie, look who is in a hurry! Look who's stirring up the whole archipelago."

Jeongguk grins. Some things never change. Seokjin still delights in being a busybody and making a ruckus about anything, it seems.

The elder mer has been coming his way when he's still been minutes away from the archipelago. First, the unmistakable tail has come into view. That gorgeous pink, like the prettiest sea urchins, dotted with light blue. Next, Seokjin's excited face became clear. Then the mer opened his mouth and began speaking. And has kept blabbering ever since.

He stops talking Jeongguk's ear off only now, to make a dramatic pause and wait for his partner's reaction.

Namjoon doesn't disappoint. The familiar mop of sandy hair peeks around a reef, mouth wide open. As if he hasn't sensed Jeongguk's arrival long ago. Jeongguk snorts. But if Seokjin wants a show, then the kind-hearted mer is all too happy to deliver, as always.

Indeed Seokjin looks much pleased by the whole scene.

The short pause is enough to give Namjoon the chance of a proper greeting. He slinks around the reef, jagged fins in the colour of a raging wildfire catching on some corals. The mer frowns at the little cloud of red seeping into the water before the wound can cluster. Another thing that didn't change. If Namjoon was mortal he probably would have killed himself with his clumsiness long ago.

Seokjin is immediately there to chide and dote on him alternately.

Yeah, Jeongguk feels like he never left. Home sweet home indeed.

Maybe five hours later, Jeongguk is on his way back. Packed with a huge snail shell, some good advice, and a human-made thing Seokjin found which none of them have an idea what it is.

Unsurprisingly, Seokjin has been not amused when Jeongguk told them about Taehyung. Has been fiddling with his dark long hair, undoing and redoing his braid several times - a habit he gets whenever he's nervous - while lecturing Jeongguk. 

"You just can't trust humans, little one. You never know what they'll do next."

Seokjin has good reason to say words like these. From early on he's warned Jeongguk to be wary of humans. The formerly dewy-eyed and outgoing mer has been heavily attacked more than once by humans in the past and now refuses to come anywhere close to them. A handful of the cruellest scars from that time still haven't healed and probably never will.

Namjoon however has told him a different story, has told him of the humans' curiosity and kindness, of their never-ending creativity. 

Jeongguk likes that version much better, he thinks, as he dives deep under a fleet of trawlers. And honestly, how could he ever fear Taehyung the way Seokjin does, let alone loathe him?

Visiting his parents - the two mer who took in newborn Jeongguk and raised him like the family member he is, the two mers who he considers as much his parents as the stars and the sea - has brought some clarity. Even if there is little to no chance of Taehyung reciprocating his feelings, he'll openly cherish him from now on. Will do his best to court the human, just like Namjoon told him. Protect and care for him for whatever time they've got together. And if Taehyung never loves him back, it won't have been a waste still.

He nods to himself as he makes a detour to one of his favourite places.

Yes. He's sure now. Taehyung is worth it.

Rays of the first sunlight cut through the water by the time Jeongguk has reached the place where a familiar rock slightly bigger than his head lays hidden. A rock that feels a little bit like home.

He was there, many years ago, when the burning star fell from the sky and plummeted into the sea. A star that was lost on its track, not caught in a hopeless love. No mer had been born that night. Instead, Jeongguk had found, the dead star held a different kind of secret. One that twinkled yellowish green at some spots.

Until now Jeongguk had no use for his discovery. Sometimes when a bittersweet feeling nestled deep into his chest he came here just to hold the stone and feel closer to the sky, but that was it. Maybe now it is time to share a piece of his treasure.

The ear-sized piece of green stone he broke off the star is warm in Jeongguk's hand, where he keeps water swirling tightly around it. He has to hurry. Has to try eroding the edges as much as he can before he reaches his caves. The sun is rising higher with every minute. 

Jeongguk pulls harder at the water masses, tail beating down swift and powerful, sea between his fingers sizzling where it swirls even faster around stone.

He doesn't need to hurry, per say. But he wants to. Wants to put his plan into action as fast as possible. A human's life is short, every day counts. He should hurry. Should get his first present done before meeting up with Taehyung today.

The mer pushes himself even more against sea and time.

Faster, faster!

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Yoongi squints at Taehyung as greeting. He is working the afternoon shift this week, which means daily awkward run-ins like these. The view of that grumpy guy is not enough to put a damper on Taehyung's mood, however.

"Morning, hyung," he sings.

Puts a generous layer of butter on his sandwich and then, balancing his chosen toppings in the other hand, bounds over to the table.

"Don't call me that."

Ugh, such a buzz kill. Taehyung fights the urge to roll his eyes. 

"Should I rather call you 'oh, mister landlord supreme', then?"

"..."

"That's what I thought, hyung."

Yeah, he's being smug about it. Sue him. After Yoongi exposed him to Jimin, the older owes Taehyung anyway.

Luckily they don't have to bear with each other for too long, as Taehyung only stays long enough to have breakfast and pack his lunch. Within minutes he's off.

The streets are already warm in the late morning sun. The air hums of summer, and Taehyung feels inclined to join in. Humming should be no problem to his incognito agenda, right? And music of whichever kind makes everything better. It's a fact. He starts humming snippets of different pieces from the Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack and matches his steps to the tempo, bag bumping against his thigh rhythmically.

It's a beautiful day in a beautiful summer, and Taehyung has never felt more carefree. Or, scratch the care part. He feels free. Unbound. And he is going to meet up with his friend who is the embodiment of that word. 

Young, wild and free. No, not young, not entirely. There is undoubtedly something ancient coming through every now and then. Usually in moments where the mer thinks he is not looking. So maybe 'young' is not the right term. Maybe 'deep' is more fitting, for there is a depth to Jeongguk, an abyss that hides stories, secrets and mysteries. Taehyung can't wait to uncover them - at least however much the mer is willing to show him.

Deep, wild and free. Jeongguk, his friend.

Taehyung grins.

That's another thing he noticed about himself. Nowadays he starts smiling while he's still a couple streets away from the sea. He can't help it. Just thinking of Jeongguk has the corners of his mouth moving upwards on their own accord. And isn't it a nice thing? To meander through town grinning from ear to ear in sweet anticipation?

His bag thumps faster against his thigh as Taehyung quickens his steps. He can already smell, hear and see the ocean. A few more minutes and he'll feel it on his skin.

And by now he is prepared for their swim sessions. His bag is lined with plastic these days, and then everything is wrapped in plastic bags separately. As much as Taehyung trusts Jeongguk, he does not trust the water to stay away from his belongings. His phone remains home, just in case. He also started bringing a small towel along with wearing trunks under his trousers.

Not because the mer made a weird comment, but because Taehyung seriously feels too naked under his gaze. Feels stripped bare to his bones, every secret laid open when Jeongguk just stares at him long enough. It's... unsettling.

But at the same time it's not. Because sometimes, there is a point where they seem to cross a line and Taehyung feels himself settling deep within his very core. In these moments he feels invincible, as if nothing could shake him. He's completely calm, then. Grounded.

It has taken mere weeks for Jeongguk to become his save haven.

His smile broadens at the thought, and turns into a fully-blown grin with teeth and all as he skips down the pier.

Jeongguk is already waiting behind the ramshackle huts. A small smile that, if Taehyung didn't know better looked borderline nervous, plays around the corners of his mouth. 

"Jeonggukie, hi!"

Oh, damn.

Taehyung freezes. He didn't intend to say the nickname out loud. That's not... Jeongguk wasn't supposed to know. Ah, dang, really. Just his kind of luck.

And indeed the mer gives him a long look, one that makes it easy to interpret things into it. 

"...Hello, Taehyung."

Then he merely reaches out a hand for Taehyung and waits. Which is legit. He knows that's all he's gotta do at this point for Taehyung to get out of his clothes and into the water. It's almost lukewarm. Taehyung gives him a sheepish smile, then takes the offered hand and off they go.

Speed-diving with Jeongguk - is that an existing term? Well, it is now - is still exhilarating. But Taehyung thinks he's slowly getting the hang of it. At least he is now aware of what his own limbs are doing. He knows to keep his eyes tightly shut. And has made it his new thing to try sensing which route they take, whether they go right or left or wherever.  (So far he is not doing a very good job, but practise makes perfect.)

When they reach their secret bay, something about the mer seems off. It's about the way he doesn't meet Taehyung's eyes and even goes so far as to turn his head away. It's an effort to catch Jeongguk's expression but Taehyung can manage. And what he sees - that serious look on his friend's face - floors him. Taehyung is definitely missing out on something.

What the fuck is going on?

He gets his answer sooner than expected, when Jeongguk goes out of his way to hoist Taehyung onto a bolder close to the shore. Another first. Usually Taehyung climbs onto the rocks himself - well, not always. But even so, this time the mer seems to be extra gentle with him. And just when Taehyung is about to ask him about it, Jeongguk dives back down with a loud splash.

A few seconds later he is back. And seems to think Taehyung won't notice how he's holding one of his hands behind his back. Is this... is Jeongguk trying to give him a surprise or something? 

Wait...

Jeongguk is still avoiding eye contact at all costs, but Taehyung thinks he sees a hint of-

A swift kick into the water sends tiny droplets flying straight in Jeongguk's direction. The mer splutters and turns away, finally granting Taehyung a good view on his flushed face.

How cute. He is blushing!

"Uhm."

Jeongguk uses his free hand to tug at one of Taehyung's and puts something on his open palm.

"For you."

The mer fidgets around some more. Then he glances up to Taehyung before plunging back into the water. 

And Taehyung?

He gapes at the yellow-greenish gemstone in his hand. It's bright and clear, an oval shaped, smooth stone that's small enough to fit into his palm but big enough to not look like a cough drop.

(Not that Taehyung would seriously confuse it with medicine just because of its colour.)

He lifts it closer to his face to study the intricate carvings. The sun catches in it and sets it aglow, like a young leaf in a spring forest, the tiny carved swirls seeming to dance.

Taehyung is speechless. 'Beautiful' doesn't cover a fraction of it.

It's, just, wow.

It's easily the most beautiful gem he's ever seen. (And k-pop idol Kim Taehyung has seen plenty of pretty and expensive jewels. Lots. Of them. None can hold a candle to the pendant he is holding now.)

"Thank you," he breathes into the direction of the subtle splash next to him.

Jeongguk hums. 

"...Do you like it?"

"It's magnificent."

And Taehyung has a feeling he already knows the answer, yet he asks anyway. "Did you make it?"

The way Jeongguk gnaws at his lip is confirmation enough. Taehyung smiles. He'll treasure it forever. His first gift from Jeongguk, and such a splendid one.

The mer sinks back down into the water until only his eyes peek out. And then, like an absolute child, starts blowing bubbles with his mouth and gills. 

The cackle rips out of Taehyung without warning, almost throwing him off the boulder. Who would've thought the mer could be this cute? 

"You're adorable."

Cue more of Jeongguk's bubbles appearing.

Taehyung has to leave the trinket on the boulder when he joins Jeongguk for a swim. He doesn't trust himself to hold onto it the whole time he's swimming, not when Jeongguk is outright glowing today. He can't look away.

But as soon as they take a break on the jut of the sea arch, the mer reveals that yes, he's taken the gemstone for safekeeping, does Taehyung want it back now? Fuck yes he does! He gingerly accepts it and studies the swirl pattern some more.

"Wait."

Taehyung squints. Looks at the solid silver necklace around Jeongguk's neck where all those tiny body chains are fastened, at the carved swirl pattern that vaguely resembles waves.

"Did you carve the same pattern for me like on your necklace?"

Jeongguk looks away and blushes once more.

"...Do you not like it?"

What.

"No no, I love it! And that you made me a piece of jewellery that resembles your own makes it even better. It's like I'm bearing a small piece of you with me now." 

Taehyung gives him his brightest smile.

The mer smiles back.

"I'm glad."

That night, sleep doesn't come to Taehyung easily. He lays awake for a long time and looks at the stone. A peridot, if the Internet is to be believed. He wonders how Jeongguk came to it - and if it has a deeper meaning.

Jimin doubtlessly noticed his state of distraction during dinner but didn't comment on it. Which Taehyung is thankful for. His head is full with Jeongguk, and Jeongguk only.

Jeongguk.

Since their very first meeting he felt oddly at home with the mer, even if it took him a while to put a finger on that feeling. Taehyung has known from the very beginning that he could trust Jeongguk with his life. That he is safe with him.

How ironic, he thinks, how it took him weeks to tell Jimin and Yoongi his real name whereas Jeongguk learnt it on day one.

Because he lives in the sea and wouldn't know the names of famous idols anyway, his more rational part argues.

Taehyung ignores that part in favour for the more romantic explanation: that there's been a special bond between them from the start. (He's a sap, he knows.)

What puts a damper on his mood is the obvious discrepancy between them. The whole 'them being them' thing. With Jeongguk as a miracle born from an impossible love on one side, his very existence mind-blowing. A wonder.

And on the other side, Taehyung. A mere human.

Who could compare?

Taehyung sighs.

Jimin stops by his half-open door and peeks into Taehyung's room.

"Hm? Everything okay?"

The idol smiles wistfully. "It's nothing, don't worry."

Jimin nods and leaves.

Taehyung sighs again . Even in dim moonlight the swirls on his peridot seem to dance. His very own piece of Jeongguk to cherish.

I think I have a crush on you, but sadly I am only a little bug and you are a garden.

Chapter Text

Japanese | noun

♦sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees

Things don't add up on Taehyung's end.

For one, Jimin keeps pacing around him like an over-protective lioness while mumbling weird things about arming and strengthening their defences. Whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean...

And two, Jeongguk.

Jeongguk, Jeongguk, Jeongguk.

His most darling mer.

He has brought him a second gemstone today. This one he couldn't hide behind his back as easily, considering the sheer size of it (chunk is not the right word for it when it looks so stunning but yes, it's easily as big as Taehyung's head).

Now Taehyung is sitting at the ledge of the sea arch where he was instructed to wait for Jeongguk. The mer returned like a minute ago, just to drop this chunk pretty stone in his lap. Quite literally.

Like the first one - which Taehyung equipped with a tiny hole big enough to put a chain link through and is wearing on a necklace under his shirt ever since - it's an off shade of green. But slightly different. His peridot pendant is of the brilliant and transparent kind, at some parts you can almost look through it. Whereas this second stone looks a little bit... butter-y? Translucent, and with muddy colour, small dark specks here and there. It's definitely a different kind of stone, not that Taehyung has a clue which one.

The biggest difference however, is that the second huge-ass gemstone is nothing short of an actual sculpture. And how phenomenal it looks. Like two breaking waves twirling around each other, and in the middle a bird breaking through the water, beak raised skywards.

Taehyung has never seen anything like it.

Usually he prefers modern art, likes looking at abstract pieces and coming up with his own explanations. Sure, the Old Masters hold a special place in his heart. Yet for some reason the classical or figurative art is often not what speaks to him. He just... doesn't feel it. Traditional art doesn't give him the space he needs to get creative as a spectator himself. (Except for Van Gogh. Van Gogh always goes. And Cézanne. And oddly enough Rembrandt too.)

But Jeongguk's wave sculpture?

Holy moly.

It looks alive in a way stone should not be able to. 

The term 'queering' - no wait, 'queerly', no, uhm, some Italian name... gosh, brain, why - flits through his mind, followed by pictures of an impossibly detailed fishing net crafted out of fine marble. Then they are gone again and he is looking at the stone in his lap that seems like it was molten and then frozen.

And once again the surface is covered in intricate swirls. Taehyung glances at Jeongguk's hands. At the sharp nails of his claws. He can almost see the mer sitting somewhere under the moonlight and carving the pattern with utmost concentration. The idea warms his heart. Of something that might look dangerous, maybe deadly even to some, being used for such lovely things.

Sometimes, if Jeongguk curls his fingers in a certain way, his hands can seem like some demonic clutches right out of a bloody nightmare, from some kind of Lovecraftian entity. But Taehyung knows better. Even if the mer was born with deadly devices as such, it doesn't mean he has to use them for cruelty. After all, monsters are made, not born. And Jeongguk is as far from being a monster as one can get. There is no way he ever used these sharp nails to shred through living flesh and spill blood. None. Taehyung knows.

He keeps staring at those hands as they nervously curl in the water - and can't help but imagine how they would feel on his skin. How tender they would be if they ever went beyond covering Taehyung's mouth and nose for their daily speed dive. His nails must be sharp for carving stone as if it were butter. Sharp, and so, so nimble. 

Jeongguk's hands are still fiddling as he waits for Taehyung's reaction. For his answer to the question whether he likes his gift.

It astounds him. How can the mer be insecure about a masterpiece like that?

If Taehyung-

If Taehyung had his way he'd slide off the arch into the water, cup Jeongguk's face gently with both hands and... he doesn't know what else. Doesn't allow his imagination to stray too far.

For now, he settles for the biggest smile he can muster and a slight nudge of his foot against Jeongguk's shoulder - that subtle and easy touch he is trying to get Jeongguk accustomed to. 

"I love it."

He watches the most captivating smile slowly spread on Jeongguk's face, starting at his eyes as they first go all round and sparkly and then turn into endearing crescents. The corners of his mouth lifting up, up, up until he is showing his teeth and his nose is all scrunched up. Taehyung loves that smile. Like a little sun that shines directly at him. And even better, it shines for him. Because of him.

His heart melts just a little more.

Dammit. Jeongguk smiles at him and he turns into a puddle of chocolate on a hot windowsill in summer.

After a while Taehyung delicately places the sculpture on the warm stone and slips back into the water.

They take another swim together, Taehyung struggling to keep up with Jeongguk's speed even when the mer makes a move to swim ahead. Just so he can stay as close to him as possible. And has an excuse to swim straight into Jeongguk's wake, to have the delicate fins brush against him. Sometimes it's barely more than a whisper on Taehyung's skin, sometimes it feels like dozens of cool kisses all over him. He savours every single touch. No matter how unintentional it may be.

He doesn't dare force himself more on the mer. Is not sure if he is already crossing boundaries with his intentional meddling. But he just... he can't help it. It's the closest he can be to the mer with how things are being between them... right?

It's getting late and the sun is starting to spill all its colours over the sky. Which means: time to get back.

Stuffing the delicate sculpture in his bag just to smuggle it past Jimin's prying eyes feels like blasphemy. Taehyung is afraid anything might snap. Or that he accidentally scratches the surface, with the stone seeming much more yielding than the one hanging around his neck. Alas, there seems to be no other way. He wonders if he should ask Jeongguk to help him, if the mer knows some kind of magic trick to get the sculpture to the pier and then home safely.

But wouldn't that just prove how badly Taehyung can take care of his presents? Wouldn't it be insulting?

So. No asking for help. Setting all hopes on his trusty bag it is.

Taehyung just prays his precious sculpture survives.

Surprisingly, it does.

Unsurprisingly, Jimin still notices. He walks by Taehyung's room the next day, takes one look, and stops.

"Where's that rock come from?"

Taehyung actually gasps. Hello?! A rock? Jimin has the audacity to call this most wondrous serpentine sculpture (yes, Taehyung did a lot of Googling last night and yes again, that means he only got three hours of sleep but sometimes sacrifices must be made okay) a mere rock? What- the- whAt?!

How dare he?

Jeongguk didn't slave away for nights on end - there is no way he got it done in one go, right? - for Jimin to belittle his masterpiece. That's just rude. Taehyung doesn't know if they can stay friends like that. 

No, honestly. He feels quite betrayed.

That's why he just snaps an angry "Magic, duh!" in Jimin's direction before turning his back towards him.

"What the fuck," Jimin mumbles but gets the hint and retreats.

Taehyung spends the rest of the evening silently fuming. He swears he's not being biased here, he is super objective about it. Jeongguk's wave and bird sculpture is simply the best thing on earth, okay. 

Also, it needs a proper title. He needs to do some thinking.

The evening is getting worse. Well, it was supposed to get better first, with Taehyung sneaking downstairs and snacking away on some doughnuts he found. He is an idol on vacation, he can have all the sugar and unhealthy stuff he wants.

But just when he finished the entire box, Yoongi decided to come home from his late shift. He takes one look at Taehyung, at the empty box in his hand and asks,

"Did you eat my powdered doughnuts?"

His landlord radiates the charms of a mafia boss, so yeah maybe Taehyung is about to piss his pants. He has never seen the older smile if he thinks about it. And right now, with that death glare and his big hands clenching at his sides it doesn't take a genius to sense Taehyung is in knee-deep shit.

"N-No?"

"Then what's that white powder on your shirt?"

Shit.

Taehyung looks down at himself.

Shit, shit, shit-

"Co-cocaine!"

Yoongi snorts, snatches the box out of Taehyung's hands and leaves with a muttered "Whatever, kid."

"I am such a dumbass," Taehyung laments as he stares up in the sky. He is floating on his back just the way Jeongguk showed him, slowly drifting away from their little shore. Doesn't need to worry about getting lost though, not with the mer watching over him.

Jeongguk swims lazy laps around him while listening to his whining, humming every now and then.

"Why are you a dumbass?"

Taehyung refuses the urge to turn his head, he's learnt his lesson the other day. "Nevermind. Just, it's a fact." He doesn't wanna tell the mer about bad human stuff like drugs.

Jeongguk hums and swims another lap.

"...Hey, Jeongguk-ah..."

"Mhm?"

Taehyung turns over and starts swimming over to one of the rocks. "Is there something else you would like to do today? Besides swimming and reading I mean."

The mer thinks about it, silently gliding through the water next to him.

"I'm not sure. What is it that you usually do?"

"Hmmm..."

Taehyung pulls himself onto the rock and watches the mer taking a hold on one of the smaller bumps jutting out of the water, tail slowly drifting around the rock and towards the shore like some kind of huge algae, fins fluttering. It's a sight as beautiful as ever. Taehyung will never get tired of it. He loves it when Jeongguk so openly shows himself, something he's rarely done at the pier.

"When you were gone, I used to go hiking a lot."

He doesn't say it with any remorse yet still a shadow flickers over Jeongguk's face at the words. 

"Hiking?"

"Yeah, walking through the forest up there." Taehyung points at the trees growing far above them on the cliffs.

"Walking," Jeongguk mumbles and glances down at his tail.

Crap, did Taehyung just drop a brick?

"Ahhh, nevermind. Swimming is very fun too! I bet you know all the most wonderful places in and close to the sea, right?"

Jeongguk nods but still seems distracted.

Taehyung wants to slap himself. That was really uncalled for. Now he made his friend sad. He wracks his brain what to say, hands mindlessly flitting over smooth stone and picking up a pebble.

He halts.

Wait.

"How good are you with mosaic?"

Jeongguk's frown deepens. "Mosaic?"

"Putting glass or stones together in a pattern, stuff like that."

The mer pouts a little as he mulls over it, and oh goh does he look cute like that. Which, what the fuck?! Jeongguk is already like, the most handsome creature alive, how dare he be cute too? Taehyung can't keep up with him.

When he turns to Taehyung, his eyes have once more taken that depthless inky shade. It's that look that seems to pierce right through Taehyung and tug at something deep inside him. (There may be one day when he grows accustomed to it but that certainly won't happen anytime soon. For now he's just as weak for Jeongguk as he was ever since day one.)

"I think I might have done that before."

Hm? Taehyung blinks back into reality. "Done what?"

"What you just said. With the glass and stones."

"Ah, I see. And was it fun?"

The mer shrugs. "Yeah?"

Taehyung grins. "Then I challenge you to a mosaic competition! On the beach, with all the pebbles you can find."

What better way to kill time than with some little competitiveness?

Jeongguk however seems to disagree.

"Taehyung," he deadpans with a telling look at his tail, then at the beach. "How would I do that?"

Oh.

Right. Jeongguk can't just swim until the water ends and he gets stranded.

Taehyung groans.

"See, I told you I'm a dumbass."

He is still silently scolding himself when Jeongguk's face lights up.

"Does it need to be on the beach?"

"Huh?"

"The moesi. Does it need to be on the beach, or could I also do it on one of the rocks here?"

Oh.

Ooooooh.

Taehyung grins. "Of course you can."

The smile he gets in return is a lot softer around the edges but no less playful. 

"Alright, the challenge starts once you reached the shore. Sound good?"

He nods. And then, without a warning, jumps headfirst in the sea. He has the vague sense of Jeongguk spluttering against the splashing water but pays it no mind. The guy is a mer, certainly he can handle getting a little wet. And Taehyung needs all the advantage he can get against him. Because, again, Jeongguk is a mer. He can fetch all the pebbles from the bottom of the sea in an instant whereas Taehyung has to go hunting for them on the beach that's mostly fine sand and shells.

But Kim Taehyung wouldn't have gotten where he is today if he were a quitter. 

Challenge a-fucking-ccepted!

Taehyung doesn't know how long they've been on it. What he does know is that Jeongguk shouts he's done the very moment he gets up to search for the last missing stone to complete his own pattern.

He curses and breaks into a jog.

The call from over at the stone arch sounds way too taunting for his liking.

"Taehyung, are you finished yet?"

"Just gimme a minute!"

The mer snickers.

Taehyung walks faster. There, a small wave just lapping at it, he spots his final piece. With a triumphant grin he picks it up and hurries back to the site where he worked on his mosaic.

Well, maybe mosaic is the wrong word. It's not like there are stones of all too different colour being found here. So instead he focussed on the shape of the stones and laid a pretty pattern on the sand. With flowers of various size and shape, leaves sprouting here and there. To be honest, he is not much of an artist aside from music. But he didn't do all that bad, if he might say so.

Just as he adds the final pebble and waves at Jeongguk to come over, a thought hits him. With the two of them the only participants in this however-serious competition, how are they supposed to objectively judge?

And, wait. How is Jeongguk even supposed to come to the beach?

But before he can worry about it too much, the water at the shore pulls back unnaturally far. Taehyung watches in confusion how the water pulls further and further back until it forms a weird bump of roiling liquid.

There is a moment of suspense where the whole bay holds its breath.

Then, without warning, the bump breaks. The water masses rush forward with a loud rumble and there, riding safely amidst it, is Jeongguk. He gets spat out with a powerful torrent and lands right onto the beach next to Taehyung.

Taehyung gapes.

What-

"What the fuck?"

How?

What did just happen?!?!

Jeongguk just leans over to admire Taehyung's work, with the waves weakly lapping at his tail where the mer is sprawled on the sand.

Like hell Taehyung is going to leave it at that.

"Yah! Care to explain?"

"Hm?"

"Don't 'hm' me, Jeongguk! What the- what- how- I thought you can't go to the beach?!"

The mer shrugs. "Of course I can. But for making a morsi-"

"Mosaic."

"-whatever, I would have to keep going back and forth like that and beach myself every time I bring over new stones. That'd be annoying."

Taehyung gulps. 'Annoying', he said. Not 'exhausting'. Just how powerful is Jeongguk? 

At some point he needs to do some thinking.

Certainly not know though, when Jeongguk is praising his work to the skies.

He is still blushing once the mer gently urges him to follow him to the stone arch. Slightly dazed, Taehyung is about to walk back into the sea and take a quick swim over but Jeongguk once more is ahead of him.

Before the water even reaches to his waist, Taehyung gets swallowed by yet another powerful torrent. He can barely take a deep breath before he's being swept away. Familiar arms wrap around him. 

Not even two seconds later he gets pushed to the surface. When he opens his eyes, they've already reached the sea arch.

He splutters.

Honestly, this guy.

"Please give a lad a warning next time."

Jeongguk has the galls to look apologetic after what he just pulled. "I'm sorry, Taehyung."

"Aish, it's okay, it's okay. Don't worry," Taehyung is quick to wave it off. "Just. Don't accidentally kill me alright?"

"Never."

Again, that overly serious voice. As if the mer just made a vow. It sends chills down Taehyung's spine.

The tension breaks when Jeongguk gestures towards a space where the tides have formed a smooth and flat stone not unlike a table. And there Jeongguk has created his piece of stone art.

Taehyung swims closer.

Although smaller in size, he has to admit Jeongguk's creation is a lot more intricate than his. An alluring pattern of spirals, some of them seeming to break like a wave and some of them surrounded by rays that taper off into tiny grains of sand. Shells of various shape are mixed in too, together with-

"When did you have the time to go gemstone hunting?"

For that's what the colourful stones at the centre of the spirals must be. This is insane. They've been at it for, what, half an hour maybe?

Jeongguk makes big eyes at him.

"Are they not pretty? Do you not like them?"

"That's not the point at all!"

It certainly isn't. Not when Jeongguk's work looks like he spend several hours on it. Beautiful. And so intricate. And. It seems the mer has found his own style.

"You love swirls, don't you?"

Jeongguk nods. "It's what I know best. The sea is made of them."

Taehyung cocks his head and smiles. "It is?"

Another nod. "Yes. At least for me. I sense it in swirls, spirals and pulls - in motions."

"Is that how you knew I fell off the trawler the other day?"

"Mhm. You entering the water interrupted its usual motion pattern. That interruption travelled all the way back to me."

How very curious. Or more like,

"Amazing," Taehyung breathes.

Jeongguk blushes and turns away. But it is amazing, it really is. The mer keeps astounding him.

"A-Anyway..."

Is Jeongguk stuttering? Wow.

"Who is the winner now?"

Taehyung scoffs. What a silly question. As if there's ever been a doubt about it. He smiles at the mer.

"You, you dummy."

The way Jeongguk blinks at him seems as if he's surprised. What an adorable idiot. Constantly shooting way past the aim, putting incredible effort into the things he does and yet still being surprised when he sweeps Taehyung off his feet.

Taehyung is such a goner for him.

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That night Jeongguk doesn't go on a hunt for a new gift. Instead, he stays up late to look at what must be mosaics.

Many years ago he had just another one of his phases and started collecting sea glass and gemstones - anything that let in light - and filled up holes in one of the caves. It's been one of those times when he was bored beyond reason so he took his sweet time creating pictures of crashing waves. Now when the sun falls through them, colourful spots in all hues of blue and green are dancing inside the cave.

He wonders if this counts as mosaic per Taehyung's definition.

But.

That's not what he planned to focus on tonight. No, tonight he wants to make a wish to the sea. 

"My dearly beloved mother and goddess," he whispers into the endless blue as he exits his cave and dives deep, deep down, "please grant me my wish."

With each beat of his tail, the water around him grows darker and colder. He keeps going until he can't feel anything anymore except for a deep hum that seems to come from nowhere.

The hum intensifies, starts hugging all around him and seeping into his very core.

"Please let me accompany the human I cherish on his hikes."

The hum grows even louder. 

"Is that really what you wish for?" The sea asks. "I do not grant it easily."

Jeongguk nods. "Yes. I would like to see the world how he sees it and join him on his adventures beyond your realm."

The hum shakes his entire body.

"Think carefully, little one. When you leave my reach I cannot protect you. Your powers will dwindle whenever you leave. Do you still want to take that risk?"

"Yes, I am certain." He bows deeply. "Thank you for warning me."

"Then so shall be it."

Jeongguk bows again with a heartfelt Thank you, the movement a little difficult against the strong hum and with how his entire body has turned numb.

As he makes his way back, he catches one last thought of the deep blue empress. Something that is hardly said to him and more like a vague sense going into the world, to be caught by whoever knows to listen.

Everything, the sea muses. Everything for my precious darling.

Once he's safely back in his cave, Jeongguk is eager to try it out. He sends the thought into the ever-listening waters as he is just a hand's width away from breaching the surface. 

The next thing he knows, an excruciating sharp pain shoots through his tail. He gasps, tears springing to his eyes as he can't do anything but let the biting cold ravage him from the inside out. More water rushes into his mouth until he chokes.

He watches in horror how his tail splices into two parts on its own before he has to squeeze his eyes shut against the tremors shaking his body, muscles ripping and bones breaking. A silent scream leaves him in a burst of bubbles.

The sea keeps wrecking havoc on him for what feels like a little eternity. It takes forever for his scales to retreat into smooth skin and pierce him like a thousand shards.

Eventually it is done, and he has to hurry out of the water before he drowns, his gills having turned into nothing more than little nubs on his neck. He is shivering and sweating all over. Barely has the energy to take in the flawless legs he now possesses.

Jeongguk doesn't know how long he lays on the stone gasping for air. The moon is high above him as his vision finally clears.

With grim determination he slips back into the water.

Again.

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Taehyung has not a lousy memory at all. He remembers his landlords fight about kittens and Jimin outright demanding one.

He just didn't expect to run into Yoongi with a meowing coat.

The older is even later than usual, and Taehyung just so happens to be downstairs to fetch himself some water (and look for something he can use to polish his pretty pretty wave sculpture). He left the lights off, both too lazy to head over to the light switch and because he decided to see it as challenge to his own sight.

The door opens slowly with a drawn-out creak until the gap is big enough for his landlord to slip inside, figure hunched over and coat dented in strange places. It's as suspicious as one can get. 

And of course Taehyung is not one to leave it at that. Especially when the coat makes noise on its own.

"Hyung, whatcha got there?"

Yoongi flinches, then freezes at the bottom of the stairs. 

"Drugs," he grunts, then hurries upstairs with his now loudly meowing coat.

Idiot, Taehyung thinks. As if he'd ever buy that. And even worse, the drug excuse seems to be on the best way of becoming a running gag between them.

He huffs.

Great.

Taehyung doesn't find anything that seems suited for polishing. But he finally decides on a name for his sculpture.

He's gonna call it 'Free spirit'.

The next morning  is filled with incredulous shouts and tears of joy.

This is how Taehyung learns the date of Jimin and Yoongi's anniversary. 

Jimin can't stop cooing at the tiny kitten in his lap. It's coat is fluffy white except for two dark marks right above its eyes that make it look like it has angry eyebrows.

"Oh gosh, he is so tiny and precious, just look at him!"

Taehyung has to admit that to be very true. He lowkey can't wait to pet the tiny fella himself.

"Yoongles, you are the cutest!"

'Yoongles' hasn't moved much from his place at the breakfast table yet, busy with blushing to no end. It's a sight to behold. Whenever Taehyung gives him a knowing look though he gets a death glare in return. Seems like no one but Jimin is allowed to know of Yoongi's soft side. Aww.

"Does it have a name yet? We need to name it! Is it a boy or a girl, do you know?"

"...A boy."

"Ohmygosh he just yawned, look at that, he is so adorable I'm gonna diiiiiiie~"

"...Please don't."

Taehyung snickers so hard he almost chokes on his breakfast.

With a bright smile Jimin lifts the small kitten up to eye level. The kitten yawns again, then leans forward, tiny paws outstretched, and bites Jimin's nose. Jimin just smiles more.

"Aw, aren't you the cutest! I think I'm gonna name you Yoongi."

Next to him, the other Yoongi splutters. "Wh- Can you not?!"

"But why? Just look at him, with his tiny grumpy brows he looks exactly like you, babe."

No matter the innocent tone Taehyung can see the mischievous glint in his eyes alright. Jimin is a fucking tease and he knows it.

Human Yoongi already looks greatly displeased about the arrival of cat Yoongi. Taehyung grins to himself and leans back.

Let the show begin.

The world must be out to kill him with surprises today. 

Jeongguk can't have read more than two chapters where they're lounging on their boulder together when he shuts the book and asks him if he would like to go on a hike together.

Taehyung stares.

"What."

The mer fiddles around with the bookmark peeking out and refuses to meet his eyes.

"I just thought- yesterday you said you like to go hiking, so..."

Taehyung is still processing. Give him a minute, goshdammit!

"I mean, yeah I did. But like. How would that even work?" 

You don't exactly have legs, love, is what he doesn't say.

"Would you like to try?"

Now Taehyung knows he is definitely missing out on something. Equal parts wary and curios of what's to happen next, he nods.

Jeongguk gives him a secretive little smile. Hands him the book and then tugs Taehyung into the water once he closed his bag.

"Take a deep breath."

Taehyung barely has time to do as told. The next moment he is swept away by mighty water masses once again. He struggles against the current until his body gets pushed into a familiar firmness and he can relax in Jeongguk's hold.

Travelling with that sentient torrent - or whatever else the hell it is - is as daunting as yesterday. This time however, Taehyung has the sense of them moving upwards in a way that should not be physically possible.

(Physics are a lost concept in Jeongguk's presence, he figures.)

It's over almost as sudden as it began. Before he knows it, Taehyung tumbles onto soft grass. He turns around and his jaw drops. The two of them are sprawled on top of the cliff at the outskirts of the forest, with the sea now far below.

What the fuck.

How the fuck.

This should not be possible.

He is so thrown by what just happened - seriously, can't Jeongguk give him a break for once - that he doesn't notice what's going on next to him. But as soon as he does, oh boi.

He can't stop watching.

There is something utterly captivating in the sight of Jeongguk's gorgeous tail transforming, his giant fins shrinking back and scales retreating into pale skin like secret gemstones hiding away from prying eyes.

Taehyung wonders how it feels to undergo such a powerful change. All the mer lets on is a little flinch and furrowed brows. 

A few moments later Jeongguk is laying next to him as a stark naked man. Looking almost human - were it not for his unnaturally long and sharp nails, for the otherworldly inkiness in his irises and the knobs on the sides of his neck.

Taehyung's gaze drifts lower and he blushes.

Figures. As a mer Jeongguk never had need for clothing. And now the only things he's wearing are his pieces of jewelry; these armlets wrapping around his upper arm and the silver chains spanning all over his chest - a sight Taehyung will never get tired of. His black hair is also nowhere near long enough to grant him some kind of modesty as it only reaches past his chest.

Common sense, Taehyung reprimands himself. You look at his face, and his face only.

With the heat of summer peaking these days he has nothing to offer Jeongguk. Or, wait! If he keeps wearing his trunks... Taehyung rummages through his bag and pulls out the cargo shorts he wore to the pier. Better the two of them being half-naked than one wearing nothing at all.

"Here," he says, keeps his eyes resolutely at the sea. "Do you know how to get them on?"

"I'll figure it out. Thank you, Taehyung."

Taehyung bites his lip. He noticed that too a while ago. Jeongguk saying his name even in instances where it's not necessary. Taehyung's perfectly aware how it affects him. How much he likes his own name coming out of Jeongguk's mouth. That doesn't mean it doesn't get to him anymore. Because it does.

But if his suspicion is correct and for whatever reason the mer likes saying Taehyung's name as much as Taehyung likes hearing him say it, then well. Perpetuum mobile.

A tap to his shoulder brings him back.

"Is this correct?"

Taehyung turns to give him a once-over. In terms of wearing the garment correctly, Jeongguk did great. The front is where it should be, the button closed, but. The way the material stretches over Jeongguk's thick thighs has Taehyung's mouth running dry.

"Uh, very good," he presses out and offers Jeongguk a hand to get up.

The mer accepts with a timid smile. Taehyung smiles right back.

"Now let me show you the wonders of a wild forest."

"By the way, do your legs equal your tail?"

"Huh?"

"I mean. You've got very muscular legs by human standards. Is that somehow connected to your tail? Is it also an exceptionally strong tail by merfolk standards?"

Jeongguk gives him a look. "How would I know that?"

"I-I don't know! Don't you, I dunno, race other mers sometimes? Who does usually win there?"

"...Yeah. And I do."

"A-ha! I knew it! So you are strong!"

The mer snorts - and almost stumbles over a protruding root. "You only figured that out now?"

"Yah!"

Taehyung is fine thinking about (and occasionally looking at) Jeongguk's thunder thighs. Well, it's killing him, but. In a positive way. He's good. What he can and should not think about for even a second is how well-endowed the mer is. It's just been a fleeting glance - he didn't even mean to look, okay?! - but it was more than enough.

And now he is getting ideas.

He shouldn't be getting ideas.

Focus, focus! High trees, sunlight filtering through green leaves, fresh grass tickling their soles, butterflies dancing through the air, birds chirping and some animal rustling in the wood every now and then. Beautiful nature, a salty sea breeze, spotless blue skies, and Jeongguk, Jeongguk, Jeongguk.

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The stars shine bright tonight as well. Jeongguk seeks comfort in that as he forces himself through the shift time and again.

It doesn't get better, the pain that is. Every single time feels as bad as the first. It's been a long while since he last experienced anguish like that.

The only thing he can do is practise to master himself. He doesn't want Taehyung to worry. He just hopes the human didn't notice anything yet.

So he continues. Lets the sea rip him apart and sew him back together, his strained pants filling the cave.

If it makes Taehyung happy, it's worth it.

They continue going on hikes every other day. Jeongguk keeps shedding his tail and fins in exchange for human legs so he can accompany Taehyung. 

But never around other humans, never around anyone else than him. He makes sure they never leave the forest or get anywhere close to Nakseongdae, doesn't dare when it feels like a heavy cloth has been draped over his powers. He can barely hear the whisper of the sea up here.

Taehyung is more than happy to take on the role of the tour guide, pointing here and there and everywhere to tell Jeongguk the name of things.

Jeongguk is in constant awe of the strange nature he sees, but most of all mesmerised by the view of his beloved sea from high above as they brave the cliffs once more.

A sight only bested by Taehyung smiling beside him.

Parting ways with Taehyung every evening is beginning to bother Jeongguk more than the constant shifting. He doesn't only dislike watching his retreating figure - he hates it.

The nights have become cold and lonely with no Taehyung at his side. Even more so than when he first left the archipelago and had to grow accustomed to a life alone.

So Jeongguk does is best to keep himself busy. He keeps pushing through the shift, reading his books, hunting and crafting pretty things.

Maybe he should go pearl hunting next.

Hopefully Taehyung likes pearls.

Chapter Text

Spanish | noun

♦heightened sense of emotion, passion, inspiration; the mysterious power of art to deeply move someone

Cat Yoongi is amazing, and cat Yoongi has come to stay. That's what Jimin and Taehyung decided together after human Yoongi threw a tantrum - which was the most hilarious thing to ever happen. 

Because human Yoongi does not like being called like that. ("I was there first, therefore I am the only true Yoongi! Stop calling the little cretin by my name!") So teasing him about it has become Jimin's new sport. Taehyung often stays in the living room after dinner these days to witness the show. 

And like that he learnt a valuable lesson: Yoongi starts fluently speaking bullshit once he's had it. 

"Yah, Park Jimin, abuse my name one more time and I'll take away all of your Texas tofu!"

"The fuck is that- wait, I didn't even make any tofu for, like, weeks???"

"Yes you did, there is a whole plate of it in the fridge."

"...Do you mean the cheesecake?"

"Tofu shall be cake and cake shall be tofu, I know what I know and I tell you what I saw."

Jimin shakes his head and goes back to scratching cat Yoongi's ears.

"That literally makes zero sense."

"Just because you're dumb."

Taehyung snickers at his place on the couch - and promptly gets a toy mouse thrown at his head.

"Yah!"

Between their hikes and swims, Jeongguk is tearing through whatever book Taehyung brings him. He's read all 27 of Taehyung's books from the '39 signs' series by now - so the idol decides to bring him something else entirely next. Time to get the mer accustomed to Greek myths.

"I know I don't even have to try getting Jimin to talk with me about it so you are my next chosen victim," he announces as he plunks down the heavy book.

Jeongguk grins. "You know I don't consider myself a victim in this scenario at all."

"I know. You are sweet."

It's out before Taehyung can stop himself. Alas, no take-backs. He watches the subtle blush appearing on the apple of Jeongguk's cheeks, delighted. The mer tries to be cool about it and picks up the book but Taehyung saw. He's so endeared. A blushing Jeongguk is lethally adorable.

But Taehyung doesn't want to make the mer uncomfortable. So he pretends nothing happened and whips out his notebook. Looks out to the sea, to the sunrays dancing on the water surface and jumping from wave to wave in myriads of tiny glitters. Like stars dancing on the sea. He glances at Jeongguk, a star who feels at home with the endless blue himself.

The cap of his pen clicks, the familiar weight resting into his hand. He begins to write.

"So from what I gathered so far, Hades and Persephone are the only ones who did not turn into - how did you call it? - homewreckers after a few thousand years."

Taehyung opens his eyes wide and almost violently points at the mer. "Exactly! You get it!"

Jeongguk grins at him for the longest sweet moment, then goes back to reading.

Taehyung feels a weird sense of proudness. His boi is growing up so well with the literature diet he's getting. Taehyung is such a proud dad. ('Daddy', the not so innocent part of him supplies. He conveniently ignores it.)

'I look up, and am greeted by the sun. I look down, and a thousands suns await me. But then I turn around and you open your arms, my very own sun. My star.'

The sea keeps glittering around them and lapping at their rock with leisure. Taehyung smiles. His pen keeps flitting over the page. The ink has barely time to dry before he starts with the next line.

Taehyung scratches his head and sighs. Oof.

Being creative is a draining activity. Nothing new. It's a small price to pay for creating stories and worlds. The feeling that comes with it is a certain kind of fatigue.

Add like always he reaches a point where just no more words come out. Yet in all that time, Jeongguk doesn't stop reading once.

Which, okay. Taehyung can keep himself busy without interrupting his friend. No problem.

He slips off the rock to swim over to the beach, an idea forming in his head.

Wouldn't it be awesome if he could find a pebble with the same colour as Jeongguk's eyes?

Okay yeah it's official. He gives up. There just is no stone that comes even close to the richness of Jeongguk's dark eyes. He'd probably need to find an onyx or something similar. And let's be honest. How are the odds? 

Sure, there are some dark grey stones lying around. But the darkest shade of grey still is no match to Jeongguk. The mer's eyes are so black they sometimes seem blue. Taehyung only had a few rare occasions to make that observation, when he's been almost unnervingly close to Jeongguk.

There is no stone like that on the entire beach. He's sure of that.

So Taehyung makes his way back into the sea and to their boulder. Jeongguk is still diligently reading. Cute.

Taehyung pulls himself out and sprawls all over the boulder. He flops onto his stomach and closes his eyes. With the stone being toasty warm and the waves idly splashing against it he'll be asleep in no time. Taehyung smiles. It's such a perfect, lovely lazy moment. One of those you wish to never end. He could lay here for days and just listen to the water splashes and the soft mumble of Jeongguk's voice.

That's right. The mer is still not as practised in reading as he likes to pretend. It's something Taehyung only notices now with his eyes closed. Jeongguk's voice is so soft it easily gets drowned out by the sea.

What a pretty sound to fall asleep to. What a sweet voice.

Taehyung wakes up to something tickling his cheek. His eyes crack open just in time to see Jeongguk's hand flinch back, the mer leaning over him. 

"O-oh... I didn't know you're awake."

He hums. His voice cracks. "I wasn't."

"...Huh?"

Jeongguk's hand is still hovering in the air.

Taehyung grins. Gotcha. Before the mer can catch on, he grips the other's hand. This is his chance.

"Finders keepers," Taehyung chuckles.

Jeongguk pulls at his hand and makes a questioning noise but Taehyung doesn't let go. He is careful with every single movement as he pries open Jeongguk's hand and then lays his own against it, finger after finger. The mer has gone completely still and lets him do as he pleases. 

Taehyung marvels at the light touch. Something about that small contact is more intimidate than every romantic gesture he ever experienced. Which, granted, are not that many anyway. With the idol contract and dating ban and all. But still!

The hot tingling in his hand is slow to fade in the background.

Once Taehyung can focus on something else, he takes a closer look at their joined hands. Taehyung's own is rather large, with long and slim fingers. Typical artist hands. Were it not for the mer's sharp nails, they would probably be larger than Jeongguk's.

But with how things are, Jeongguk's hand easily overshadows his. The nails jut out several centimetres and his palm is broader, the fingers stronger. Jeongguk's hands look like hard labour - and danger. A predator's claw. 

Taehyung can't help but wonder how strong they really are. Can Jeongguk smash stone with them? That would be so cool! Cool and... scary, his subconscious keeps warning.

But the thing is, they don't feel like that. There is nothing scary in how Jeongguk's hand delicately rests against his. No calluses are scratching against Taehyung's fingertips, the touch feather-light. The mer's hand twitches even as he tries to stay calm. Very threatening indeed. 

And when Taehyung thinks of the beautifully carved swirl patterns, it is even the more obvious. Jeongguk's hands might not look the part but they are definitely artist hands too. They're as strong as they are precise.

However...

It's then Taehyung notices something strange.

He presses his palm more firmly against Jeongguk's. Indeed, even out of water and under the roasting summer sun, the mer's hand remains cool. It is soothing and irritating.

Taehyung needs a moment.

"Jeongguk-ah."

"...Yes, Taehyung?"

"Do you ever get, like, completely dry?"

This is what nagged him. Jeongguk's hand feels wet when it shouldn't.

The mer's expression shifts from wariness to a flat stare.

"Taehyung. There is water in my veins."

"Is that a 'no' then?"

Jeongguk tilts his head and hums, his gills fluttering. Taehyung stares.

So. Fucking. Cool.

"Taehyung-ah..."

Jimin sounds every bit as contrite as he looks.

Taehyung can't help but laugh. "What is it?"

"Can you... I mean of course you can, but would you- not that I couldn't do it myself but you know..."

"C'mon, out with it."

The fisherman grumbles under his breath and looks away. 

"Huh? What?"

"ICANTREACHTHELASTCANOFCATFOOD!"

"I... wait what?"

Jimin huffs and stomps up the stairs. 

Yoongi decides that to be the right moment for poking his head around the corner and-

Since when has he even been here?

"What that idiot is trying to say, you're on demon feeding duty."

Right. Because getting named after oneself equals being a descendant from the scorching fires of hell. Taehyung rolls his eyes.

"I saw that," human Yoongi drawls from upstairs. And glares again when he hears a demanding little meow right to his feet. "Yah, go away you little pest!"

Taehyung does all of them a favour and picks up Yoongi II to get the poor little guy out of Yoongi I's reach.

("Giving us numbers is even worse than addressing us by species!" - "Oh, shut up already or there won't be any blow jobs for the rest of the week for you." - "... You don't mean that.")

He snickers. His landlord couple is sure an entertaining bunch.

The summer sun burns hot at the east coast of Korea, forcing Taehyung and Jeongguk to seek refuge in the sprawling shade of that stone arch more often than not.

It's a different kind of heat than he knows from Seoul. Back in the city the summers are hot too, sure. But the stifling heat of used air being trapped between mirrored facades just can't be compared with the sun singing down on the countryside without boundaries. The heat is still everywhere but a lot thinner. Less tangible. Moving, with the steady breeze from the ocean.

If he closes his eyes and soaks in the feeling of tiny sand grains brushing over his skin, Taehyung can almost imagine laying in the desert, were it not for the never-ceasing sound of the sea itself. Splashing waves, crying seagulls, rustling leaves high above. And Jeongguk's voice.

The mer likes to offer reading for Taehyung these days - a proposal he is all too glad to accept. Jeongguk's voice is sweet and clear, several pitches higher than his own. It's a beautiful contrast to the voice he's most familiar with. If he were to compare them... Taehyung cracks open an eye and fumbles for his notebook.

If he had to describe his own voice (he has to take into account what others say about it because for himself it just sounds like any other regular voice), he'd say it's a forest. Earthy and rich, velvety and a little dark - so let's make it a deep pine forest in autumn. There hardly is an edge to it that carries the feel of a ragged mountain's harshness, not like it is the case for his landlord Yoongi. But, yes. A wild forest will do.

And Jeongguk's voice is crystal-clear water. A pretty pond sparkling in the sun, the ground visible everywhere and creating the illusion of shallowness when actually there is a hidden richness to it. Soft, like little waves lapping at smooth rocks. And sometimes it turns into some kind of alluring singsong. Like the endless blue of the ocean is beckoning.

The thought has Taehyung openly stare at the mer as he continues reading. They are currently doing "Howl's moving castle" and Jeongguk has loads of fun reading the part of Howl losing his shit about his hair colour. the mer's tail keeps bouncing and his fins flicking, sending shimmering droplets of water everywhere.

Everything about him screams 'sea'.

From his voice to his tail that has the colour of the sea close to shore, to his never-drying skin, to the intricate silver chains he wears that look like sun rays dancing on the water surface and the wave pattern on his broad necklace. His long hair spills all over his upper body in soft waves, and the pink rows of gills at the sides of his neck flutter with the slightest motion. 

And then his soft yet at the same time strong features. Just like the sea. One moment a kind and lovely thing, the next a natural force to be reckoned with. Taehyung knows that side of Jeongguk is there, hidden under many layers of wariness and later sweetness. He just hasn't shown it yet.

And finally, there is that strange hue of almost blackish blue in his eyes. It's unlike anything Taehyung has ever seen. But maybe, he muses, maybe that's how the middle of the ocean looks like.

It must be so because Jeongguk is the very embodiment of that - the ocean. Jeongguk is the fiercest and deepest kind of water snared into a body. And that's the most beautiful thing.

Taehyung stares at him and he knows he's looking at a king, an emperor, a deity. A god. Jeongguk is everything.

He smiles.

The next time the mer looks up, he pauses, confused first before he answers the smile. Taehyung's own smile broadens as he watches and mentally tucks the image away into his little box of most precious sights and memories.

He'll have to find a bigger box soon, it keeps getting filled more and more by everything Jeongguk. Just like his mind and soul. Like water, Jeongguk trickles into every nook and crevice of Taehyung. Slow, steady, unstoppable.

And Taehyung, he just... let's him. Embraces it. Falls in love with the sea, with Jeongguk every day a little more.

The mer gets back to reading but keeps glancing up once in a while, soft smile staying at his pretty face. Taehyung loves it. He loves it all.

Sometimes, having a lazy day can get boring. There is only so long you can read on a rock in the middle of nowhere. Especially if it's all you do for hours, days, weeks even. And sometimes, mother nature is quick to help out. Like, real quick.

One moment Taehyung is dozing off in the shadow to the sound of Jeongguk's sweet voice and the next he opens his eyes to the most spectacular cloud formation  ever. Or maybe it's less the clouds themselves and more the giant rainbow that seems plastered into the sky. Or, wait, are the clouds a rainbow? Taehyung is confused.

And where confusion is, curiosity tags along. Taehyung squints at the sky, cranes his neck to get a better view. What is that? That's not normal - right? Rainbows require rain, and, uh, stuff. Everybody knows that. There are no rainbows on a perfectly sunny day.

Yet here he is, looking up to a barely-there veil of clouds floating so very high above their heads, a giant rainbow rippling over the make-shift canvas.

Also, that stupid stone arch is in the way.

Taehyung cranes his neck until it hurts, then huffs. This is no good. He shifts, rolls over, the full picture slowly coming into view - just a bit more! - one more tug to the right and oh, he's hitting a puddle-

"Uhm."

Oh.

He turns his head and finds himself eye-level with Jeongguk, the mer leaning over him. Taehyung gulps. Honestly, he's got no idea how he managed this but somehow he manoeuvred himself straight onto Jeongguk's lap. He's laying on Jeongguk's lap. Oh God. He, Kim Taehyung, is currently-

Take a breath. Look at the clouds. The pretty pretty rainbow clouds. Not- not Jeongguk's eyes. His own secret unexplainable phenomenon.

Taehyung doesn't even glance at the sky.

"Hi."

Jeongguk gives him a bashful little grin that has Taehyung's heart stutter and plunge into summersaults.

Fuck.

"Hi."

Their moment lasts exactly as long as it takes for Jeongguk to lift a hand and brush at Taehyung's side. Taehyung flinches away from the contact, whole body spasming.

The next second his body hits the water.

Taehyung doesn't even realise he flung himself off the ledge, too busy navigating where up meets down. But when his head breaks through the water surface once more, Jeongguk is already laughing in his face, loud, cackling and unrestrained.

That's how Taehyung came to hear the mer truly laugh for the first time - and how Jeongguk found out that yes, he is very ticklish.

(Maybe that discovery lead to him getting tickled off the ledge four more times that day.)

(Maybe Taehyung doesn't mind at all, as long as Jeongguk keeps laughing like that.)

Something changes that day. As so often Taehyung only comes to notice it much later. But once he does, oh boy does it change things. 

You reached a new level, ding ding ding ding ding!

Taehyung jumps around in his room until Yoongi bangs against the wall and yells for him to "go the fuck to sleep!" So he settles to sitting on his bed and silently fist-pumping the air.

He's been so wrong.

Maybe not wrong wrong, but. He clearly underestimated Jeongguk. Here he was, stuck in his head about how the mer is not used to physical contact, worrying how to ease him into it and best approach the whole topic. And then Jeongguk nonchalantly tickles him, his hands touching everywhere. Lets Taehyung rest on his lap like it's no big deal.

He doesn't give the mer enough credit. Jeongguk is no longer the fidgety guy who flinches away from the slightest skin-to-skin contact.

Congratulations, Player one. You unlocked the special ability 'Physical contact'.

Taehyung flops onto the bed and laughs.

"Holy shit!"

He rubs his face.

"Holy shit."

Here is the thing: if you are denied something for too long, you'll crave it just the more. Even once you get it. Or so he heard.

Maybe that's why Taehyung's behaviour around the mer takes a 180° turn. He no longer holds back his need to touch and feel. Jeongguk, thankfully, takes it into stride.

Which is a good thing. Because Taehyung keeps going breathless whenever the mer is near. He looks at Jeongguk, and he yearns. He can't help it. Whenever he so much as sees the mer, his heart reaches out. And now his hands do, too.

Taehyung starts carving out a space for himself in Jeongguk's lap.

The other seems happy to let him, pulling himself out of the water until only the last bit of his tail and those beautiful fins are submerged, back resting against the stone behind him. A perfect place to rest.

Taehyung slinks into the space and puts his head in the mer's lap where scales fade into smooth skin. His hands curl into lose fists and come to rest on the tail. He can feel warmth and strength pulse beneath. It's alluring.

He keeps coming back to that pose, some days even daring to stroke careful hands over the glittering scales and marvelling at the sensation.

The mer just hums and cards a hand through Taehyung's hair before picking up the book again.

Taehyung closes his eyes and curls himself into a ball as he lets himself get lulled in a daze by the mer's reading. From here he can almost feel the vibration of Jeongguk's soft voice.

This, this is his safe space. Right here with Jeongguk.

An arm snakes around his shoulders, anchoring him even more. For the whole time he reads to him, Jeongguk never lets go of him. Something settles in Taehyung. At the same time, something else begins to uncoil.

It's a new beginning. Taehyung just has to figure out of what.

On days when the heat gets too much, they continue to go on hikes in the woods. 

Taehyung is getting the hang of that weird vortex pushing them up the cliff. His instincts no longer go crazy about the fear of drowning. Now he clings to Jeongguk for a completely different reason, revelling in the closeness. And the mer knows, if his satisfied little smirk is anything to go by.

Their hikes also are when Jeongguk shows most of his duality. One moment he can be skipping through grass and chase beetles, butterflies and whatnot. Then again he turns towards the sea and gets that unreadable look. One that carries so many layers Taehyung wouldn't even know where to start unravelling it. Those are the instances where he gets a reminder of Jeongguk's otherworldliness. That single motion, the turn towards the sea coupled with that intense gaze clues Taehyung in on how Jeongguk is not a twenty-something years old guy.

Especially when he starts talking about time.

"In all this time I never got a look at my home from this high up."

And Taehyung can't help but wonder...

He somewhere heard that the sea has a memory, that it never forgets anything. He doesn't know if it's true. But it sure has him wondering about all the kinds of things Jeongguk witnessed. About what he remembers.

Taehyung eyes the mer from where he's sitting in the grass and braiding a crappy flower crown.

What kind of tales does Jeongguk have to tell? Which truths does he carry all by himself? He wants to know, but it's nothing you can just randomly ask. The thoughts sit heavy in his stomach like a lump that refuses to disintegrate. It's an occurring sentiment these days. That vague sense of Jeongguk having so incredibly many layers and the fear that Taehyung won't even be able to see half of them before he has to leave - one way or another.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Things are changing. Jeongguk can feel it. Things are changing between the human and him. 

He's just gone through the third shift this night, a routine he has established by now. His body has undergone severe changes and still - still Taehyung's touch lingers. His wrist burns where Taehyung grabbed it earlier and tugged him away from the cliff's steep edge with wide eyes.

"Be careful please," he'd said with shaky voice. "It's a long way down if you fall from up here." 

Taehyung had been afraid for him.

In all these decades Jeongguk has seen fear on human's faces aplenty. Fear of death, fear of him, yes, often coupled with hatred. But never worry for his well-being.

He lifts his wrist and presses a tender kiss into the skin Taehyung touched.

"Just what are you doing to me, Taehyung?"

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Taehyung opens his eyes to a wall of steel grey, groans and flops onto his other side before squeezing his eyes shut again. Of course, there are also days where the weather is less than perfect. Rationally he knows that.

It still sucks when it happens.

He was supposed to meet Jeongguk and go to the beach again for another idle day. And now?

The rain splatters heavily against the window.

What a joke.

The bag bumps against his thigh as Taehyung runs down the streets. The bright green umbrella in his hand bounces this and that way, hardly covering him as he hurries towards the pier. Shit. He's running late. How long is Jeongguk waiting for him already?

His grip on the other massive plastic bag is slippery with all the rain water. He almost drops the whole thing.

Shit, shit, shit-

He has no more time to lose. Hates to make the mer wait for him. His pace quickens. Already he's rushing past the wet dock and storage halls, the pier creeping closer way too slow for his liking.

Faster. He needs to go faster...

More old buildings fly past him, then it's just ragged stone and outskirts of the forest. Taehyung stumbles over the uneven path yet refuses to slow down.

Then his feet hit the planks of the pier and he slides forward, barely touching the slick wood and flying across it uncontrolled now.

Shit. He miscalculated.

Taehyung's arms uselessly flail as he skids over the pier and straight towards the gap where a wooden beam of the railing is missing, dark sea already awaiting him.

With a yell he flies past the pier, feet losing hold of the ground - and soars into a wall of solid muscle.

"Oumpf!"

His back hits the wood, his bags following suit with dull thuds that have him whimper at the thought of his precious laptop inside one of them. The umbrella gets smacked off his hand and flies out of his reach.

It takes him a second or two to register the lack of pain - and that he did not crash onto the pier at all. In his defence, Jeongguk's strong arms feel just as solid as actual wood.

The mer is nose-to-nose with him where he caught him in a tight embrace and is laying with his entire body weight on Taehyung, protecting him from the fall as much as crushing him to mush.

"Gosh, you're heavy," Taehyung wheezes.

Jeongguk gives him a lopsided grin and finally - too soon - pulls away.

"Hello, Taehyung."

Really, what is it with the mer saying his name at any given time?

His poor, poor heart.

"Uhm, hi."

The mer lifts his tail and rearranges himself to sit on the pier next to Taehyung. Without breaking a sweat or anything! Colour Taehyung impressed. He just witnessed first-hand how damn heavy that tail is - not to forget all the muscles Jeongguk packs. And yet the mer moves around as if it's nothing.

Oh, right! His laptop. And his umbrella. And his... everything. He grapples for the stuff, one hand rubbing his thighs and chest where he can still feel the pressure of Jeongguk's weight. The bags are no problem but his favourite umbrella is floating on the water, out of his reach. He pouts.

Jeongguk's eyes dart from Taehyung's face to the obnoxious (exactly why Taehyung bought it) green thing. Without a word he slips back into the water and fetches the thing for him, both curiosity and wariness mixed into his features. 

"What a gentleman." Taehyung smiles. "Thank you."

The mer tilts his head. "What is this?" 

"An umbrella. It protects me during weather like this," Taehyung looks down on himself where he's on his best way of getting soaked, "although I guess it didn't work that well."

"...You need protection from weather?"

Taehyung chuckles. "No, not all weather. Just heavy rain."

"O...kay?"

He laughs again, then pulls back under the protection of the shabby huts' roof and fumbles for a screwdriver. Good thing he wrapped everything in bags multiple times. If the hand tools are still dry, then so is his laptop. 

"Alright Jeongguk-ah, change of plans for today. Watch and learn."

He grabs the screwdriver and heads over to the lock on one of the doors, fuelled with grim determination. He puts the screwdriver onto one of rusty screws - and almost rams it into his hand.

"Ouch, what the fuck!"

So much to being smart in front of his crush. Seems like Taehyung is not that good with lock picking. Or at least a chunky screwdriver is not the right tool to go about.

Good thing Jeongguk is there to help him. Someone who can control a mighty wave thingy to carry them to the top of a steep cliff everyday surely can handle a wimpy lock. 

Although, if Taehyung is being honest, that slim water stream slithering from the sea up to Jeongguk's hand and from there in the key hole is definitely not his favourite magic trick. It looks like a giant tapeworm. Thanks but no thanks.

But it works. The telltale click isn't long in coming. 

"Good job. Thank you, Jeongguk-ah~"

Taehyung looks at the lock hanging open, thinks of tapeworms... and calls it quits. He's not gonna touch that thing. Ever. He gets up to take a step back instead and kicks the door open.

And maybe, just maybe he's a little over-enthusiastic and the door is a little more rotten than anticipated. Anyway, his foot gets stuck in the door.

And Taehyung ends up entering the abandoned shop with a sweeping fall on his face. 

"This is a terrible day," he groans.

"Are you alright?"

Jeongguk enters after him, as always butt-naked after the shift. 

Did Taehyung already mention he is good at multitasking? He can blush and fling a fluffy blanket at Jeongguk at the same time. Which was actually part of the plan! He's a genius.

And thanks to Jeongguk having no sense of modesty, it's also no big deal for Taehyung to slip out of his wet clothes and huddle up in a second blanket he brought without putting on any spare clothes. Then he gets out his trusty laptop that's packed with dozens of films he downloaded this morning. 

"Okay, come on. Get comfy over there." He points at a corner that looks dry between all the spots where the roof is leaking - and where not bits and pieces of the floor are missing, revealling the sloshing water beneath.

Jeongguk obediently does as told and joins Taehyung on the floor. Taehyung gets out the thermos bottle and pours a cup of hot chocolate for both of them, laptop starting up, when the mer pipes up again.

"Why do you need protection from rain?"

"Humans can get sick when they become wet and don't dry and warm up quick enough."

"Wait. Weather really makes you... sick?"

"Uh, sometimes."

Jeongguk ponders it. "You humans are really fragile, aren't you?"

Well. What is Taehyung supposed to answer to that?

Okay, so. Making Jeongguk watch his first ever film was both a good and terrible idea.

Good, because despite the two separate blankets they end up cuddling all day.

And terrible, because now the mer is fascinated by the existence of films. After the first one he wants to watch another one. And then another one. Not that Taehyung is complaining. More films means more cuddling and Taehyung loves cuddles.

Who cares about bad weather when you can spend the day like this?

That's right. No one.

But all good and terrible things have to end eventually. And after hours of hours of film watching, he has to face reality. It'll be time to get back soon. Not that he wants to, not at all.

Don't mind the film itself, Taehyung has no idea what they're even watching. All he can concentrate on is Jeongguk pressed up against him. Even with the two blankets between them, the mer is like a furnace, searing himself into Taehyung's skin. Or maybe it's only in his head. He can't tell. All he knows is that Jeongguk takes up every single corner in his mind.

It also doesn't help that the mer at some point unwrapped himself and laid an arm around him, squeezing Taehyung even tighter to his chest. Taehyung's hand has creeped in Jeongguk's blanket until he found his other hand and could entwine their fingers, his entire body going lax and snuggling into the mer's sturdy frame.

Like a couple spending their Saturday evening on the couch together. That's how it feels. Taehyung could cry.

And yet...

Is there even a point giving himself to the illusion? Jeongguk is so far out of his league they are not even playing the same sport. He shouldn't-

He shouldn't be so foolish and give himself to that lovely domestic feeling. With a quiet sigh he extracts himself from the hug. Prepares himself to steel his heart.

But if there is one thing Taehyung has always sucked at, it's keeping his feelings in check.

"Uh, you don't happen to have a magic spell for drying my clothes too?"

It's been raining all day and his stuff is nowhere near dry. And honestly, Taehyung isn't keen on getting into his damp clothes for the track back to Jimin's and Yoongi's house.

Jeongguk hums thoughtfully, waits for the battle scene playing on screen to finish, then gets up and shuffles over to the sad heap on the floor. He lays a gentle hand atop of it. 

Taehyung gets to watch once more in wonder how the mer effortlessly bends the laws of physics and reality as if it's nothing.

His clothes regain their usual lighter shade in front of his very eyes while in Jeongguk other palm a water drop appears and quickly grows from the size of a marble to a swirling sphere as large as those crystal balls fortune tellers like to use. After he collected every last drop and the thing stopped growing, Jeongguk flips his wrist and sends the ball splashing to the ground where the water seeks its way through the creeks in the floor. A few drip dropping sounds later it's all gone, merged into the sea beneath them.

"Here you go."

Jeongguk hands him the heap with a warm smile.

Taehyung stares. How is he ever supposed to get over that sweet gentleman? His poor, poor heart indeed.

The next day brings back the most pristine weather and Taehyung finds himself at the beach once again, Jeongguk sitting in-between his spread legs and reading happily.

His tail is back on full display, a sight Taehyung missed on the one day they spent completely out of water. It's glittering just as prettily as always and reflecting tons of green and blue specks on the rock they sit on. In other words, it's being the most splendid sight on earth.

Taehyung shakes his head. Shutting off his heart was a dumb idea to begin with. Like, seriously, how could he ever think he'd have success with withstanding Jeongguk's charm?

The mer is turning more and more into a snuggler to his eternal delight, even now shuffling to press his back more solidly against Taehyung's chest while his claws gently grasp Taehyung's thighs and pull them around his waist. He lets out a little sigh that Taehyung only catches due to the shoulder movement, then the mer's entire body melts into Taehyung's hold. Taehyung's heart stutters pathetically in his chest.

Jeongguk picks up the book and once again the rustling of pages is all to be heard aside from splashing waves, crying seagulls and little splatters whenever the mer flicks his fins.

Taehyung starts humming a random melody, an old 2NE1 song that's stuck in his head all morning. He absolutely preens at the content sigh the mer lets out and hums louder, feeling his own chest vibrate against Jeongguk. 

"Hey, Jeongguk-ah?"

"Mhm?"

Jeongguk turns his face and all of a sudden Taehyung finds himself very close to his lips, his eyes. He stares at the row of tiny stars beneath the mer's eyes. They seem to be inked there yet shine as if crystals are embedded in them. The smallest of them right under the inner corner of Jeongguk's eyes are barely more than a dot yet Taehyung can still make out rays. They grow in size the closer they get to the outer edges, the biggest ones counting eight spikes and glittering icy blue.

Taehyung never noticed Jeongguk's eyes are literally lined with stars. He always thought there were some strange freckles. He stares and stares, until he forgets what he was about to say.

"...Taehyung?"

"Hm?! What, yes, huh?"

Jeongguk snickers, eyes crinkling and tiny stars twinkling. "Didn't you want to say something?"

Oh. Right. Yeah, he did.

"Uh, would it be okay, I mean, are you cool with it- can I braid your hair?"

The mer tilts his head, stars on his face shifting again. And Taehyung is such a fucking goner for it. Jeongguk is so gorgeous it physically hurts. Especially when he gets that look again, the no-light-can-ever-reach-the-bottom-of-my-pond look where his eyes look like swirling ink one second and in the next, they turn darker than a starless night.

Fuck.

Taehyung's hand comes up to gently cup his face, thumb stroking over the stars - he just can't look away. Jeongguk's lashes flutter against his skin when he buries into the touch. Taehyung is one very weak human.

"You are so breathtaking," he whispers.

Jeongguk opens his eyes slowly to answer his look, gaze unreadable.

"Taehyung," he just says, "you can do with my hair whatever you want."

Taehyung stays silent for a solid minute - he needs to process, okay -  before a grin spreads over his face. "That's a lot of power you are giving me there," he teases.

"Maybe so. I mean it though."

"Hmm."

Taehyung falters. Now the fuck what? All he knows is that Jeongguk's fierce gaze is rendering him absolutely useless. So he squeezes his eyes shut, grabs the mer's head and turns it around. It's a not at all elegant move but it's a start. If he stops looking Jeongguk in the face, maybe Taehyung can grasp some straight thoughts.

Jeongguk, the little shit, chuckles at being handled like that. Taehyung wants to punch him (and kiss him square on the mouth. Oh gosh.)

"I don't even know where to start," he mumbles and runs both hands through the long dark waves of Jeongguk's hair. Admittedly, he's not that great with braiding. But he'll use every excuse he can to keep touching the mer's hair. Has been wanting to do it for several days now.

It always looks so pretty when it tumbles over his shoulders, or curls in little clouds around him when he's submerged. And the little man bun he's wearing is unfairly attractive. Taehyung has to do something about it. He opens the thin wire that kept it together with some difficulty, even more strands tumbling down Jeongguk's neck and upper back. 

Taehyung huffs. Well. That backfired quickly. So much hair to touch, to bury his hands in and smooch his face against. Oh, dammit. He's not going to get a single braid done today.

"...You're the worst."

"Hm?"

Taehyung splutters. "Nothing! Just-just ignore me."

Jeongguk is completely serious when he answers, words coming out slow and with a weight that's impossible to ignore. 

"Taehyung. How could I ever do that?"

Ugh.

Braids.

He's here to braid some hair. Yeah.

Get a grip, Kim Taehyung.

"Uhhh..."

Well, he tried.

Thankfully there are no mirrors nearby. This thing is a mess. Does it even deserve to be called a braid? Taehyung is not so sure.

"Sorry."

Jeongguk hums and Taehyung watches in enrapture how his gills flutter. It never gets old.

"I think it looks great. I'm proud you did my hair."

Overkill.

Taehyung squeezes both fists against his eyes and turns away.

"Why are you so darn sweet," he whimpers.

Taehyung can't, for the love of his life, stop thinking about Jeongguk.

Legit his first words to Jimin this evening are "Your hair is just too short", followed by a wistful sigh. He just spent hours carding his hands through Jeongguk's pretty hair and putting it in all kinds of hairstyles. From buns to braids to pigtails that looked way too adorable to be legal. Jimin's normal-length hair simply can't compare.

"Excuse you, you punk, what the fuck?! My hair has perfect length, thank you," the fisherman snips. Then remembers who Taehyung is and quickly adds a "Sir".

"Nooo, you don't understand."

Jimin harrumphs and splats the rice in his bowl with enough force to set some chunks flying.

"Yah! Mister landlord, don't be a meanie!"

Yoongi pokes a chopstick into his arm and gives him an cold glare. "You better shut up if you don't wanna taste these fists."

Taehyung glances down at the older's hand. Large and veined, strong. Yeah, this could hurt.

They are not as strong as Jeongguk's claws, though. Not even close.

...Ah, shit. He's doing it again. It's not even been a minute since he made the last comparison to the mer.

Taehyung sulks through dinner, then goes up to take a bath. He even goes as far as to add one of his favourite lush bath bombs in hopes of a distraction, only to realise the turquoise colour reminds him of a certain someone's stunning fins. 

Gosh. Jeongguk is really everywhere. In his dreams, his daily life, his thoughts and soul.

Taehyung is already counting the hours to their next meeting.

Soon, soon, soon, his heart whispers. Soon you can meet again and feel whole again

Chapter Text

German | noun

♦contranym: shallow depth, precarious depth; abyss of the soul

Jeongguk continues to bring him gifts. It keeps Taehyung on his toes and still manages to throw him off his hinges every single time. Because each thing the mer gets him is nothing short of a treasure, deserving of a most secure spot in famous museums or the troves of royal heirlooms. And yet they make their way into Taehyung's hands instead. It's equal parts grounding and uplifting, and sure to set his head spinning.

This time the mer brought him a handful of pearls. Actual, real pearls. There is no doubt about it for not all of them are perfectly round and they feel heavier than those proclaimed ones Taehyung knows from fashion accessories. And they are dark. Not solid black, rather they are shimmering like spilled petrol, each one a slightly different hue. The biggest one, almost the size of a quail's egg, gleams greyish blue whereas some of the smaller ones seem more green and others almost purple. One of them even appears like a warm and rich kind of gold.

Taehyung doesn't know the first thing about pearl farming but even he can tell the ones Jeongguk carefully dropped in his open palm are exquisite rarities. It scares him a little. Because, honestly? He has no idea how to go about this. Jeongguk keeps giving and giving, collecting invaluable gifts for him, and he just takes. Receives the gems and puts them on his nightstand table to admire them when he goes to bed and wakes up. It's not- it's not right. It shouldn't be that way.

There has to be a way for him to give back.

Alas, he can't fight the smile that keeps tugging his lips apart so wide it aches. He is going to treasure each single thing Jeongguk brings him, protect them with claws and teeth and all means necessary. 

"Happy belated birthday," the mer says softly.

Taehyung smiles even more, fighting tears. This stupid, adorable fish. His laugh is wet and a little choked up as he responds.

"My birthday was like half a year ago, silly."

"I have to make up for all the missed ones," Jeongguk mumbles under his breath, turning away quickly as his cheeks begin to stain with a faint and precious glow of pink.

Taehyung's smile turns wobbly around the edges. His fingers twitch around the pearls - real, actual pearls, oh God, he is still reeling - as he is torn what to do. He wants to pull the mer into a tight hug, crash him against his chest, breathe him in and just hold him there, but he's afraid the pearls might slip past his fingers with the action. And he doesn't want that. Feels like it would be the worst affront to lose hold of them, even more so when Jeongguk is watching. Sure, they are not made of glass and would probably take no damage at all if they tumbled off his palm and into the water, easy to reach for the mer. But still.

And, they are just so many of them. Almost spilling from his hand if he so much as shifts it the tiniest bit.

It takes him several minutes where he goes through at least ten different grimaces with various degrees of ridicule until he realises that yes, putting a present aside is a thing. And he's not exactly taking up the entire space of their boulder.

Slowly, oh so slowly he twists his body and carefully lowers his hand, watches with bated breath how the pearls glide from his grasp and onto the rock. He waits an extra few seconds to make sure none of them rolls off before he dares to turn back. 

The slide down the rock is a rushed and sloppy thing, Taehyung failing to coordinate his limbs properly in his haste to get into the water and to Jeongguk.

The mer does startle when Taehyung reaches him and pulls him in almost violently. But he is quick to relax and soon enough melting against him, burying even deeper into Taehyung's hold while his own arms snake around Taehyung's waist.

And Taehyung, he savours it all. The intimacy, Jeongguk's willingness to let him into his personal space and initiate physical contact, the knowledge that he, Taehyung, might be one of the very few people the mer allows this close to himself. It's a gift of a different kind. His chest warms at the mere thought, at the honour of being allowed to touch Jeongguk, to be near him and share the same space.

Something  shifts beneath him, then. Before Taehyung can properly form the question in his head, it's pressing against his legs that have been constantly treading water, and gently nudges them apart. He blinks at the glittering tail now lodged between his legs, carrying his weight and keeping him afloat without him having to move a single muscle. This, oh. This is new.

He buries his face in the crook of Jeongguk's neck and mutters a low 'Thank you', drops it there like a secret between the two of them. Jeongguk's gills scratch against his cheek as they flutter with a long exhale, and the mer tightens his grip around him.

They stay like this for a long while. Basking in each other's presence. No words, no actions, just them. 

Jeongguk keeps shifting his tail languidly to keep them both up. It begins to turn into a problem the longer it goes on, with that ever-changing pressure between Taehyung's legs. Heat pools in his stomach and settles there, simmering.

He knows it's not intentional and there is nothing sexual about it. Jeongguk is just being kind. But his self-control has never been the best, and so his mind can't help drifting off into... certain directions. A slightly bigger wave rolls past them and the tail shifts again. Taehyung takes a shaky breath, teeth digging into his lip as he bites back a moan. He feels his cheeks flush with heat and can't help but dig his fingers a little firmer into Jeongguk's shoulders.

 After all, it doesn't take a lot of imagination to pretend he's humping a muscular thigh, with how strong and solid the tail feels as it keeps rubbing him at a tantalising pace.

Gosh, Taehyung prays Jeongguk can't feel him getting hard.

But, maybe, by any chance... scales are hard and thick, surely they are less sensitive than skin? There is hope the mer won't notice... right?

Taehyung is so caught up in his head he barely notices how Jeongguk shifts them around some more - until he is no longer clinging to the mer but facing the sky instead, whole body sprawled over Jeongguk's. It's a bit uncomfortable, with how tense he is. Feels like he's laying on a wooden board. Anyway, like this Jeongguk is none the wiser about Taehyung's pressing matter.

"Look," Jeongguk murmurs from deep within his chest.

Taehyung can feel the vibration on his back. It spreads in a tingle from there through his whole body and draws a little sigh out of him. Thus, it takes him a hot second to focus on Jeongguk's outstretched arm.

"Hm?"

"The clouds. They are perfect for the cloud game. Do you humans play it, too?"

Taehyung fights down the urge to turn around until he's sprawled over Jeongguk and can face him, with an arm propped up on his chest or something like that. And consequently be way too close to the mer's face. No, that's... that would be too much. They aren't, they're not like that. He shouldn't get greedy. (And he still has to will away his boner without Jeongguk noticing, so there is that.)

He resolutely keeps his eyes on the sky as he stays put.

"Depends. If your cloud game also means that you point out different shapes and compete on who finds the best comparison, then yes."

Another hum has Jeongguk's chest brush against his spine. 

"Let's play, then. I'll start. The big one over there is a blue whale."

Taehyung grins. Let's play indeed. He won't go down easily.

Their little game turns chaotic within minutes, starting when Taehyung points out a cloud and names it 'God's raised middle finger' which leads to a crash course on theology and various kinds of human insults, then morphs into a heated discussion about gos and no-gos of the fauna once Jeongguk brings up spider crabs. Taehyung refuses to accept these two words fitting into one sentence.

So maybe they bicker, and maybe he gets a bit too enthusiastic and falls off Jeongguk.

Twice.

"No no no, these things should not even exist!" He is completely drenched, water running down his body and pooling on Jeongguk beneath him. Droplets of water fly in every direction as he shakes his head vehemently.

"They have the same right to exist as you do."

"Well, in fact- wait.

"Huh?"

"Whoa, look, it's Godzilla!"

"...What's a got-zilla?"

"It means I win!"

"Not a chance."

This is another thing Taehyung took quite a while to learn: Jeongguk might act calm and collected most of the time, only sometimes letting a glimpse of the ancient creature he is shining through. All those things hold true. But it is also true that he is a competitive brat.

When Taehyung keeps gloating about his cool cloud discoveries, the mer gives a playful snarl and tackles him. Dunks his head under for just a second and, once Taehyung comes up spluttering, chases him through the waves.

It's an unfair game of tag. Taehyung doesn't stand a chance against the mer in his literal element. But he finds he doesn't mind it all that much, not when being caught means he gets pulled into Jeongguk's warm and solid chest and can stay there for a few heartbeats. Until Jeongguk nips at his earlobe and lets him go to set off, counting loudly down from ten until he opens chase once more.

One of his conquers has the mer accidentally grappling into Taehyung's armpit. 

Taehyung goes under with a loud and bubbly shriek of laughter.

From then on it turns into a tickle war, the two of them giggling and goofing around and splashing through the sea to a point where breathing gets difficult.

It's a good way to exhaust oneself. Taehyung is still laughing faintly when they lay at the beach and gasp for air, courtesy to one of Jeongguk's monster waves that spewed them onto the toasty sand seconds ago. They both are sprawled out like starfish, and maybe it's a little wink of fate (or the quick side-glance Taehyung took) but their arms are reaching out for each other and they are close enough for just the tips of their fingers to touch. 

While certain other regions of his body have cooled down, this little touch is enough to set Taehyung's entire hand aflame. He turns around then, props himself on the side and stares at the picture. At the smallest bit of intimate contact.

And oh, he thinks, who needs the Sistine chapel and Michelangelo's frescos if he can have this exquisite touch all for himself?

His smile turns from giddy to fond as he once again takes his sweet time to study Jeongguk's hand that looks so unlike his own. He marvels at how delicate the mer holds him, his touch feather-light and so careful even with hands shaped as claws.

For through all their fooling around earlier never did those long, sharp and vicious nails hurt him. During their entire wrestling Taehyung didn't get a single scratch from those fingers that can carve stone as if it were smooth like butter.

When he finally tears his eyes away, Jeongguk is already staring at him, gaze unbelievably soft.

"You are the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen," he echoes Taehyung's words from days, weeks, maybe months ago, in a voice so hushed it easily gets drowned out by the splashing waves.

But Taehyung catches all of it.

Taehyung is floating in the clouds for the rest of the day. His head is so far away he almost misses the best round of Who Am I to ever happen in his life. Almost. Because Park Jimin, if not anything else, is insistent. And so the moment Taehyung makes to get up after dinner, his landlord pushes him back down onto his chair with a stern "You are not going anywhere tonight" and then orders  his boyfriend to go fetch some paper, pens and duct tape.

Taehyung doesn't get a chance to properly whine about how the glue is bad for his skin before Jimin all but sucker-punches his post-it onto the singer's forehead.

Taehyung's shriek gets drowned out by his landlord's loud cackle and even Yoongi smirks. The audacity! He's going to chose a fairytale item Jimin will never be able to guess. Ha!

It works. Six rounds in, Taehyung doesn't have exactly an idea what kind of fairytale item he is but Jimin has it far worse. The problem is not that Jimin's questions are bad, per say. They just don't work for him - for 'Snow White's poisoned comb' that Taehyung scribbled on the post-it now sticking to Jimin's forehead. It's greatly irritating him, much to Taehyung's delight.

"Okay, well, am I made of some kind of metal?"

"Yes-"

"Nah."

Taehyung eyes Yoongi and scowls. "There are some that are made of metal though."

"But not in this fairytale."

"It's never specified!" He turns to a huffing Jimin and concludes, "It's possible. Not very likely but possible."

"Ugh, you losers are not helpful! It could be yellow or not, made of metal or not, apparently, fit in my palm or be smaller or bigger, who the fuck knows, it can be used outside and inside, and according to you-" he points at Taehyung- "it has magical powers but according to you"- a jab in Yoongi's direction- " it hasn't! Guys, come on!"

Taehyung snickers and dodges the smack to his head while Yoongi once more deadpans that there are no magical powers to that item whatsoever.

Two rounds later Yoongi wins the game as he correctly guesses his item to be the Little Muck's magic shoes. Jimin then rips off his own post-it and throws a tantrum about Snow White's comb for at least five minutes.

The next day, Taehyung wakes up to the alarm he set. It's the first time in forever that he gets woken up like that, but he's got plans. There will be a change in his daily routine. And for that, he is ready to fight his morning grouch tendencies. Sacrifices need to be made.

He, Kim Taehyung, famous idol on hiatus and Not A Morning Lover - or big fan of anything that requires physical training - is going to pick up his workout routine. And not just the usual one he adapted over the years for cardio and stamina training. No, he's gonna go all out and attempt to get back into his pre-debut shape.Or as close as he can get, without starving himself.

Thus, the Park-Min-household sees itself filled with heavy pants and the stench of sweat this morning.

The reason for all this?

Well. It starts with J. 

And ends with Eongguk.

Taehyung wants to look good for him. Easy as that. Where it sounds very much narcist at first glance, he doesn't mean it that way, at least not primarily. He's been laying awake for a long time last night and thought about how the pink fluffy unicorn he can give something back to the mer who keeps spoiling him. His eyes have drifted to the numerous pearls perched on a little make-shift cushion made of a rolled-up silk tie every couple minutes. And while he didn't have an answer to the big question in general, he figured that being at his best for Jeongguk might be a good start. 

Most of all, he'll keep teaching Jeongguk reading and writing. And numbers. And calculating. And whatever else he can come up with. There might be no materialistic gift he could buy that would be worth Jeongguk's time. He's a merman, for crying out loud. A deity. He's probably the closest to a god on earth. What could possibly compare?

But Taehyung is a human and as such he learnt a few things that are not common knowledge for merfolk. Surely he can do something with that.

All of those ideas seem way too mundane to be actually good and valuable though. He needs to keep thinking on it.

Project Give Back To Jeongguk starts now.

Project Give Back To Jeongguk is failing.

Jeongguk notices something is different the moment they meet at the pier. Instead of the usual "Good morning, Taehyung", his greeting of the day is, "Did you not sleep well?"

Which, sure, is a sweet question in and on itself. But it also means Taehyung isn't masking his exhaustion half as good as he hoped. Maybe he went a little overboard during his first training in - let's face it - several months. And, surprise! Now parts of his body are aching he forgot even existed. Way to go. One round of slow-claps, please.

He mutters some nonsensical answer under his breath and gingerly slips off the pier, into Jeongguk's awaiting arms.

That's also a thing they established not too long ago and that never fails to turn Taehyung's insides to mush - the way Jeongguk catches him halfway with steady grip of his strong hands on Taehyung's waist and then slowly lowers him into the water until only his shoulders and head are poking out. It's taken them some trial and error to come up with a solution of how Taehyung can best get into the water without dropping down like a sack of potatoes, splash probably loud enough to be heard by locals nearby. Which is the last thing they want.

After trying this and that, their current method has proven to be the best.

It's also by far the method that's worst for Taehyung's poor heart. But that's another story.

Jeongguk takes an inhale sharp enough for his gills to flutter along, and Taehyung sees it as his cue to breathe in deep. In the next moment, water splashes above his head and then they are flying out of the bay and through the ocean at break-neck speed. He keeps his eyes squeezed tightly shut, face buried against Jeongguk's shoulder as he counts the seconds for them to reach their secret beach.

The mer's grip tightens, scalding hot on his skin. One of his hands brushes down Taehyung's back and lower, lingering there. Taehyung has to start counting from scratch again.

To his delight, once they get back to the surface he is not half as winded as he thought he would be after the workout session. Seems their daily dive is good for something. By now he can easily hold his breath for as long as it takes to get here.

"Hey, Taehyung?"

"Mhm?"

"I want to try something today, if you'll let me."

Taehyung is nodding before the sentence has fully left Jeongguk's lips, expertly ignoring the little voice in his head that says his heart might not be ready for whatever Jeongguk has in store. But the mer is smiling so brightly at him he wouldn't be able to refuse him anything even if he wanted to.

They are still quite a distance away from the shore, further than the stone arch sitting proudly amidst the never-ceasing waves and far enough out that Taehyung has no chance catching a glimpse of the ground beneath him. If he were alone, he'd wonder if he had enough energy left to swim back to the beach from here, a hint of uneasiness probably lapping at his insides. However. With Jeongguk at his side he never has to worry about things like that. There is no doubt he will be fine, no matter how far out they are.

Even so, the mer navigates them into the bay like he always does, into the protection it provides from tides as much as prying eyes of fishermen in the distance. His voice is tender as he speaks, bobbing up and down a little along with the waves, sometimes being a little louder and sometimes barely more than a whisper. He is the sea, in so many ways, Taehyung can't help but think at times like these.

"You always have your eyes closed when you're underwater with me. It looks... strained, in a way. And you are missing out on so much. So I want to try teaching you to see underwater. If you want."

Taehyung gapes at him for at least a solid minute. His brain has trouble getting back into business, and so it takes him a while to formulate an answer.

"That's... that's really sweet. But I'm not sure I can keep my eyes open for very long. It doesn't seem to be a problem for you, but to humans like me, the salt in the ocean is kinda... aggressive. It burns our eyes, you know?"

Jeongguk's entire body slumps minutely before tensing up again.

"I'm sure I can figure something out," he says with determined expression.

So they try.

Taehyung is ready to risk dry and stinging eyes if it makes Jeongguk happy. He plunges his head underwater several times and pries open his eyes against the torrent and the salt that he knows will bite. It takes numerous tries of he doesn't know what, the only thing he sees is Jeongguk wiggling his fingers funnily in the water. Nothing changes. Until-

Until the burn stops coming. Taehyung has not the slightest clue what happened but suddenly opening his eyes in the water is easy. Easier even than taking a dip in a lake. Eyes wide open, he looks at Jeongguk, dark hair floating around his head like a cloud, and grins. Jeongguk grins back.

The mer shows him, then. Shows him how to float right under the water surface so it's like a veil of thin glass stretching over them that turns the sun high above into a wiggling yellow jellyfish. Urges him to stay underwater when a bigger wave rolls on and to watch it break from below, a pristine swirl of blues, greens, yellows and whites above their heads. Taehyung is dumb-struck. He's never seen a wave from below. It's so, so pretty, so enticing. He keeps staring, swimming up to gasp for air and then going right back, waiting for more waves to come.

The sea doesn't disappoint and sends wave after wave, each one bigger than before. Taehyung has the lingering suspicion it's Jeongguk's doing, with how the mer's fingers keep twitching and his grin turns slightly cocky. Taehyung gladly takes everything he's dishing out and keeps watching the waves.

It's... magical.

(Duh, obviously. But it also looks the part.)

When he comes up for a longer break - diving is fun an all but his body does in fact need air, and a few shallow gasps every now and then simply don't cut it on the long run - Jeongguk is already waiting for him, fin brushing against his calf.

"Do you want to see the little coral reef nearby?"

Taehyung wants to cry. 

How is he ever supposed to make it all up to Jeongguk?

(Of course they go to the coral reef. After just one look, Taehyung is in love.)

"Wait a minute."

Taehyung flops over, sand sticking to his back where he is laying on the beach. He turns to Jeongguk as a thought strikes him.

"The water isn't really this clear, is it? Like, usually, I mean. Like, environmental pollution is a thing, and normally there should be no way I can see the clouds in ultra HD when I look through the water from I don't even know how many metres under. Right? You did something there."

Jeongguk gives him a little smile and twirls the small braid Taehyung made him earlier around his finger.

"I don't know what you mean~"

Parting ways proves more difficult day by day. Taehyung hates the idea of leaving Jeongguk behind so he can go hide back in some dark crevice at the bottom of the sea. Or something similar lonely. Each time Taehyung has to bite his tongue and swallow back down the words. 

Today he doesn't.

He can't quite put a finger on what changed between them this time. It's maybe stupid, considering other things that he can't ignore are still the same, like Jeongguk's obvious disdain of humans. He is not a fool. Just because the mer is fine with him by now doesn't mean he'll willingly meet other humans.

And yet.

The words press against his teeth, wanting to break free. So he lets them.

"Do you want to come with me?"

It's a big step, a big question. He can feel the weight of it in his chest.

Jeongguk's eyes go big. Slowly he shakes his head.

Taehyung sighs.

It doesn't come as a surprise, but it still stings.

Taehyung decides he hates goodbyes.

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Pale moonlight filters into Jeongguk's cave and paints the waters liquid silver. He's gone through his three shifts of the night and now rests in a shallow pool, chest heaving from exertion. His mind keeps going back to Taehyung's face when it finally worked - when Jeongguk figured out how to alter the water for his eyes, pull the salt out of it right where Taehyung was, so he could look. Could see the beauty of the water from beneath, from within, and marvel at it the way Jeongguk used to as a little boy.

His eyes had been so big, mouth trapped in a wide grin as he went under time and again. Staying on the ground - soft sand, bare of anything that could hurt his delicate skin, Jeongguk made sure of that - for long enough that Jeongguk got worried he'd run out of breath.

It was a delight. Taehyung had been beaming like a little sun, like a star, back then. Jeongguk wants to hold onto that most splendid image until the rest of days.

 Watching Taehyung experience the wonders of the sea and grow familiar to the way Jeongguk knows it was a new kind of joy. He loves introducing him to his world.

Still, he hesitates to turn things around.

Despite his human legs, his physical ability to do as asked, Jeongguk refuses to accompany Taehyung home. Was frozen to the bone when he invited him earlier.

He knows Taehyung lives together with a fisherman's son. Someone who surely knows all the old tales and could recognise him for the fearsome thing he is. Those horror stories every mother in town tells her babes to scare them away from the sea and keep them safe are true, after all.

Long ago there was a time where Jeongguk heavily contributed to those whispered stories himself, wanted to make the humans pay for what they did to his family. Taehyung would never believe it, would never think Jeongguk capable of those horrid, gruesome things when he only knows him as a loving and gentle young man. But the truth is, Jeongguk is not a saint. For a while he's been as far from being one as one can get, has become a nightmare even.

And that fisherman's son, he would know. Would take one look and see Jeongguk as the marginal threat he is, once he learns about his true form. Would maybe even make him responsible for the awful storm flood of 1961 that wiped out the entire town save for one building Jeongguk left be as a grim reminder, and rightfully so.

He can't tell Taehyung the reason for his reluctance without admitting to all the wretched things he is held to be responsible for.

So he'll stave him off, keep mumbling about being uncomfortable around other humans, about feeling caged if he has to step inside a house. Albeit true, those are the less relevant things. He could overcome them if he wanted. But he won't. Will keep telling Taehyung white lies and stay off town for as long as he can.

Instead, a different idea starts forming in his head. (It already tastes so sweet Jeongguk knows it will haunt him from now on.)

If he can't come to Taehyung's home - then the human has to come to his. 

He hopes, with every fibre of his body, that Taehyung would like it.

Nowadays it is a far cry from the dark, cold cave it used to be upon Jeongguk's arrival long ago, back when it was barely more than a repulsive hole in a big stone, filled with inky blackness and drenched with chilling atmosphere.

It has taken him years and years but he nurtured it into an inviting home, a sprawling residence tucked away in an underwater mountain With various basins and halls, a big hole in the ceiling to let in moonlight and grant a view at the stars. Century-old dirt and grim scrubbed off the stone to reveal the glorious, unusual and colourful patterns beneath, vibrancy enhanced by a few of Jeongguk's tricks, some walls covered in all kinds of moss and corals. The ruddy drip stone columns scattered throughout the halls he patiently sanded down with grainy salt water into swirled pillars, and some of the holes in the walls he filled with sea glass in an excruciating slow process.

Yes, he thinks with a look around himself, Taehyung could feel at ease here perfectly well. Hopefully.

But.

First, he'd have to get here. And Jeongguk is not sure Taehyung could hold his breath long enough to reach Jeongguk's home.

Like that, just as fast as it came, his giddy excitement plummets past his chest and stomach, into the very tip of his tail and lingers there as something painfully similar to devastation.

How is Taehyung ever to get here? He is a human. The shore, and any islands are too far away for a being of the earth to hope mastering the long dive. This is, from the very beginning, the reason why Jeongguk chose this particular cave as his own decades ago.

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The mind is a wondrous thing, Taehyung concludes once again.

He's doing his third set of push-ups, body slowly getting used to the old routine again, and keeps looking at one spot on the patchwork-cushion thrown onto the couch. Jimin, it seems, has a penchant to completely change all cushions and blankets in the living room every so often. The cushion in question is made of several rectangles sewn together, each a different colour. One of them happens to be blue.

And while Taehyung keeps staring at it on every lift, his mind takes him to a memory from a few years ago. That rectangle has the same shade of blue the tie of one of those missioners had who knocked on Hoseok's door when Taehyung happened to be over for some predrinking.

He just finished a little Asia concert tour whereas his friend had gotten a tiny hiatus of three days with empty schedule. Perfect to go out clubbing for once. Like back in the old pre-debut days, where they could go places without bodyguards and a constant fear of paparazzi and sasaeng fans. Just with the addition of huge face masks and tinted glasses.

The three missioners had been around their age, and annoyingly sure of themselves. So the two of them decided to have a little fun - it was Taehyung's idea but Hoseok agreed all too easily, like always when he's on the verge of getting tipsy. Taehyung had dug out the pack of UNO cards from under Hoseok's sock drawer - don't ask how he knew where to look - and proclaimed the following rules:

In a match of seven rounds, they'd decide who was to step foot into the others' world. If the idols lost, they'd have to come to the next Mass.

But they won.

Thus, after some of the most intense UNO games Korea has ever seen, the three boys begrudgingly joined them on their way to the club. It was a fun night, filled with extremes of all kinds.

And ever since, that particular shade of blue is 'missioner boi tie blue' for Taehyung.

Although...

If he squints a little, it looks more like the blue of Jeongguk's scales right where they meet his fins.

Teaching Jeongguk numbers and the basics of arithmetic turns out to be a much slower process than showing him the ropes with letters. Taehyung takes it into stride as the mer struggles to tell one and seven apart and has an even harder time with division. It's a great reason to drape himself over Jeongguk's back, perch his chin on the mer's shoulder and point at the part Jeongguk got wrong, explaining the rules again with hushed voice.

It also is a little bit of a relief that there is something Jeongguk can't learn in the blink of an eye. Makes him seem a lot more human than he is. Taehyung has been secretly afraid the mer is some kind of prodigy and will be finished learning everything Taehyung can teach him in, like, four days or something.

He isn't. Mathematics don't come to Jeongguk easily - not for lack of trying or interest in the matter but rather because it's such a foreign concept to him. It gives Taehyung all the time he could ask for to patiently teach his understudy and stay as close as possible.

Jeongguk stubbornly making his way through the little arithmetic problems Taehyung writes in the wet sand for him and putting what seems to be his entire focus into the task also means his hair gains lots of tiny braids. Taehyung swears he isn't bored (he could never be, as long as he is with Jeongguk). It's just so fun! And he needs a victim to practice his braiding skills.

(Maybe he's watched a handful of braiding tutorials for all kinds of braids with three, four, five and more strands. And maybe, just maybe he wants to try out some of those intricate elven prince or Viking warrior hairstyles on Jeongguk that consist of a ton of braids. He needs a lot of practice to make that happen.)

Jeongguk jerks with a bright "I did it!", hair slipping past Taehyung's fingers, braids unravelling at once. He stares at the smooth strands flowing through his grasp and thinks of a mountain well dancing around rocks, parting into little rivulets and rejoicing time and again.

Taehyung pouts.

Takes a glance at the solution Jeongguk wrote in the sand - the numbers written by the mer being all sharp and precise lines next to Taehyung's dull ones - and gives him an appreciative nod before continuing to pout.

All his work, for naught.

"You know... I really want to fixate your braids so they stay for longer than five minutes."

Jeongguk hums, small wave lapping away the solved problem. Who needs a sponge or a dirty palm if the sea easily answers to you?

"But?"

"But," Taehyung starts before he gets thrown off by the mer laying down and nestling his head in Taehyung's lap. Taehyung's heart fills with warmth. He loves it. Loves how casual Jeongguk is about the contact by now, where he would've probably ran away screaming - or decked him - months ago. "But, I don't wanna put something as cheap and unbecoming as a two dollar scrunchie from Yoongi's grocery store in your pretty hair. It's- the scrunchie is not worthy."

Jeongguk chuckles.

"You are saying silly things, Taehyung. How can something even be worthy of my hair?"

"I know, right?! Nothing will ever be able to cut it!"

"No, that's not what I... forget it."

The next day, Jeongguk presents to him a dozen little metal rings, crafted thin enough to vary their tightness with the slightest pressure. He takes Taehyung's hand, turns it up and then drops the small pieces of jewelry in his palm. Each of them looks unique, except for the silver metal all of them are made of. Some are as thin as a wire and fashioned in tiny swirls, some are more solid, like a glittering ribbon engraved with wave patterns. A few of them even are adorned with blue and green gemstones barely bigger than rice grains.

"Will this do?"

Taehyung stares.

"Uhm."

This was a terrible idea.

Not because it's so difficult to work with the metal rings, far from it.

Rather, they work a little... too well. Taehyung has spent more than an hour braiding the mer's hair and put the metal rings he must have crafted overnight - seriously, when does Jeongguk sleep - in the braids to effectively fasten them. They hold tight.

And now Jeongguk's usually freely flowing black hair is partly braided back, some of the smaller braids slipped over his shoulder, tips barely brushing against his collarbones. And in between that rich, soft darkness and the still slightly raggedly-looking braids, hints of silver, blue and green are twinkling in the midday sun.

Taehyung finds himself spellbound.

A Jeongguk with sparkling hair is even more devastating than a Jeongguk with open hair.

Taehyung flings a finger out and points at him.

"You have to wear them all the time from now on," he declares with the most serious voice.

Jeongguk tilts his head and gives him a secretive smile but doesn't object.

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Night time finds Jeongguk going through his shifts until a thin layer of sweat covers his skin. It also finds him yearning for a certain someone by his side, here in his cave. The longing for Taehyung to be with him at night too, to come visit him, grows with every passing day.

The very idea of the human coming here does funny things to Jeongguk. He is steadily throwing himself into the task of deep-cleaning his home whenever he's not with Taehyung these days. Wants his place to look meticulous, to be spotless and absolutely perfect.

Just in case.

What he does not know is this:

In the dead of the night - at the same time when Jeongguk longs for Taehyung by his side - the man in question lays in bed, unable to fall asleep with his mind skirting around thoughts full of Jeongguk, Jeongguk, Jeongguk as he absent-mindedly presses one of Jeongguk's pearls against his lips and lets it rest there. As he wonders what it would feel like to fall asleep in the mer's arms. To give himself to the male in his most vulnerable state, to put all of himself in Jeongguk's hands.

Safe, he reckons. It would be the safest place there is. The loveliest.

But, just how Jeongguk is not aware of how very present he is on Taehyung's mind by day and night, Taehyung has no idea either of what goes on in Jeongguk's head during the hours they are apart.

Which is good.

He needn't know about the dark and vicious pit Jeongguk's mind sometimes becomes whenever he pictures meeting that Jimin guy.

When he thinks of the accusations that inevitably will be flung at him. It has him spiralling down dark, deeply buried memories of all the things he has done, entire body tensing up at the century-old echo of violence beseeching him. The sea turns vicious around him then, power tingling at his fingertips and roaring to be set free, urging him to go on a rampage once again and shed any semblance of a cultured, civilised being. Deep vortexes spring to life in the cave and around it. The sea furiously whips against the stone and for a little while Jeongguk allows himself to be submerged in the violent torrents of his tainted soul.

No, Jeongguk decides. Taehyung needn't know about this. Preferably ever.

Chapter Text

English (?) | noun

♦state of relaxation and wonderment experienced while gazing upon the stars

The days are seeping into each other, lining themselves up like a string of pearls and thus steadily creeping towards the end of summer.

But the time for autumn has not quite come yet. The air is still filled with bright sunlight and the nights are warm.

So warm, that Taehyung dishes out some nonsense to his landlords, about a short trip back to the city.

Upon hearing the news, Jimin wipes away big fake tears, blabbering something about his child growing up and then proceeds to put a pen into Taehyung's hand.

"As departure gift, you shall do the honours of measuring Yoongs' and my height today." He says it with an immense weight, face solemn, as if he's bestowing a knighthood on Taehyung.

Taehyung rolls his eyes - such unnecessary dramatics, really - but complies and gets to work. The kitchen door frame is littered with lines and marks, some drawn with bold highlighter, others crossed out and scribbled over. What are two more lines to that mess?

Jimin stands straight as a pole with his chest puffed out and corners of his mouth twitching traitorously.

Taehyung has to tell him to stop tip-toeing and take it like a man four times.

Yoongi, on the other hand, is all cool about it. Simply steps forward, lets his measurement get taken, and steps back. It's a matter of less than ten seconds. His whole demeanour changes, however, once Taehyung announces him the taller one of the two, mouth splitting into a shit-eating grin and chin rising up so he can peer down his nose at a fuming Jimin.

"Guess that means I win. Again," he drawls before side-stepping his shrieking boyfriend.

Jimin only snaps out of it when Taehyung mutters something about packing snacks for the trip. He rushes forward to pull him into a tight hug. Wishes him a safe travel and all the best. Yoongi only rolls his eyes in the background and waves at him to get out already. And even Yoongi-yaong (as they've nicknamed the cat in a half-hearted attempt to soothe human Yoongi), weaves through their legs before pressing against Taehyung's ankle with a meek 'Meow'. Taehyung untangles himself from his landlord and crouches down to scratch the little guy's head, the kitten snuggling into the touch and purring contently before giving a timid lick to Taehyung's hand and traipsing off.

Jimin coos at them until he gets snapped at by Yoongi for running late.

Taehyung waits for the both of them to leave for work, and then heads to the pier with his stuffed bag. Yeah, no, he's not heading to Seoul at all. But his landlords don't have to know the details, do they?

And what's much more important, Jeongguk.

Tonight he won't leave Jeongguk with a goodbye that tastes like ash in his mouth. 

The day stretches and condenses in turns. It is difficult for Taehyung to get a grasp of the pace of time on a day that seems to be like every other, except it is not. There is a slight tension to him whenever he thinks of the night to come. When the stars will come out, when he'll stay with Jeongguk for the first time and get to witness his beauty under the sliver moonlight.

Jeongguk too seems to vibrate with barely-contained anticipation.

It is yet another first for them, after all. 

They are, once again, lazing on their favourite rock, Jeongguk half out of water, half dipped into the refreshing cold, limbs entangled as they take turns to read from the tales of Marco Polo to each other. Jeongguk's eyes are gleaming with that insatiable hunger he sometimes shows whenever Taehyung tells him something new about the human world. He nudges Taehyung's side with his fin, a silent request to tell him more about the fabled horse people from the Mongolian steppe.

Taehyung humours him, shares what he knows about the matter with deep, hushed voice. Eyes closed, the mer listens, leaning against Taehyung and absent-mindedly tracing patterns on whatever bits of naked skin he can reach. 

It's something he's gradually picking up since Taehyung so patiently introduced him to it - the matter of skinship, that is. The idol has always been a touchy person and favoured a reassuring hug or caress over kind words spoken from a distance. So for him to not only be able to initiate contact with the mer but also Jeongguk growing accustomed to it to a point where he too seems to develop a constant urge to touch and feel, it's nothing short of the most beautiful miracle.

He revels in the sensation of fingers brushing over his skin, feather-light as it may be.

And there is a lot of skin for Jeongguk to touch. With his exhausting workout routine finally showing effect, Taehyung more often than not discards his shirt, and lately even opts for a pair of tight boxer briefs rather than the swim trunks he prefers most of the time. If his butt is back to its luscious size, cheeks nicely round and firm, well. Maybe Jeongguk ought to see.

(And if he caught the mer glancing at his buttocks a couple times in the past days, then that's just between the two of them.)

Like that, they spend the day. Come evening, Taehyung finds himself much more settled than usual, despite that certain tenseness tugging at his insides whenever he wonders how the night will turn out. For once he doesn't have to think about when to go back so he'll be on time for dinner and not risk the wrath of one Park Jimin who has been kept waiting. (Jimin, he learnt, is someone not to be left waiting if you value your life.)

It is then, under a sunset that paints the sky almost violently with vibrant splashes of colour, that Jeongguk tugs at his hand. Taehyung gives him a puzzled look, so he tugs again and this time he understands the gesture for the silent request to come into the water that it is.

"What?," he asks, body already moving to oblige Jeongguk's wish.

"Taehyung."

Ah, how sweet his name sounds, coming out of Jeongguk's mouth like that, filled with something akin to devotion. One day this very thing is going to be the death of him. 

"I want to show you a different place for tonight."

Taehyung easily goes. Doesn't even question it, just wraps his arms around Jeongguk's waist and grins.

"Show me, then."

Jeongguk leans down with a much softer smile to nudge his nose against Taehyung's.

"Breathe," he murmurs.

So Taehyung does.

And then the world warps, as Jeongguk pulls him under, picking up speed in an instant and manoeuvring them through the ocean with the ease of someone who knows every corner of it.

They come up somewhere in the middle of the sea once. Jeongguk gives him the time to catch his breath and to look around. What he sees is a whole lot of-

Nothing, some might say.

And would be so wrong for it.

The sun-painted sky stretches endlessly in every direction, as does the sparkling sea. Only in the far distance Taehyung can make out dark slivers of land. 

Jeongguk gives him a questioning look, and Taehyung nods, the two of them returning into the sea's cradle then.

The second time they come up, they are on a tiny island. It is barely more than a big rock peeking out of the water, with sand having collected in a soft hollow.

"Here should be good," Jeongguk says to himself. Then lifts Taehyung up onto the rock.

Taehyung giggles at the gesture but lets himself pliantly be manhandled into laying on his back, eyes up to the sky - up to Jeongguk hovering above him with the slightest knot of concentration in his eyebrows as he so obviously struggles to decide which is the most perfect position for Taehyung to stargaze. Pushing his legs up, bending them one side and then the other before pulling them flat down again, jostling Taehyung a little bit to the left, closer towards the centre of the stone. Chuckling, Taehyung lets him do as he pleases.

There is only a short moment of a slip-up when Jeongguk leans forward some more and suddenly Taehyung is eye-level with his muscular chest. With the delicate silver chains fastened to the mer's necklace - a heavy plate that must be made of solid silver and reminds Taehyung of those... torque(?) necklaces that are experiencing a renaissance right now, except it looks much older, almost ancient - dangling right into his face before disappearing behind Jeongguk's back. Some of them have tiny shimmering plates hanging on them that jingle with every movement. It's a sound he's come to associate with Jeongguk, that faint and bright tinkling.  It adds to Jeongguk's already ethereal air, sounds just how his scales glittering in the sun look like.

More than everything, these body chains are a wicked temptation. Especially now, as they are so so close, bits of them stroking across Taehyung's face like a cool whisper on his skin. He has to ball his hands into fists until there's a grounding bite of nails digging into his palms to refrain himself from opening his mouth and tugging at one of the chains, of sucking them in, tongue already lolling out on its own accord.

What a tease. Jeongguk is such a tease and he doesn't even know it, stays completely oblivious through it all until he leans back, taking his pretty chains and even prettier, chiselled chest with him.

"Good?" he asks with hushed tone.

Taehyung does not trust his voice and so, can only nod his head at him. He gets a soft smile as answer, such a fragile little thing he wants to wrap his hands around it and protect it at all costs.

With a big heave, Jeongguk pulls himself further out of the water and lays down too, then nestles into the space right next to Taehyung. There is a flick of his tail that sends droplets of water spraying on them before it languidly drapes itself over Taehyung's ankles. The slight scratch of scales on his skin is familiar to Taehyung now so he doesn't as much as flinch. Glancing to the side, he can see the rest of the tail dangling off the rock and into the water where it tapers off into those glorious fins.

The fins at the end of Jeongguk's tail are by far Taehyung's favourites.

He snorts.

Is he seriously biased towards a certain pair of Jeongguk's fins? Well. Maybe. Excuse him. But the other two pairs - two smaller ones sprouting out at the front of Jeongguk's tail close to where his hips would be, and two bigger ones at the height of his knees - just don't cut it. It's not that their colours are less beautiful, or that they're not as thin and translucent as the caudal fin (ha! at least one fin name Taehyung could memorise back when he researched the different types). It's just that they are not nearly as large. Don't look as much like feather-light veils shifting in a warm summer breeze in front of an open window.

He still likes them, because of course he does, they are just not his favourite.

...Does that make him a size queen?

Dammit.

The thought alone has Taehyung's mind going back to the image of a very naked Jeongguk the first time he became human-looking in front of him. To him standing there in all his naked glory, and Taehyung swears he hasn't wanted to look, really. But he's just a simple man. And so he did sneak a glance. And has to live with the knowledge that human-form Jeongguk is very well-endowed down there ever since. He'd fill him up so good-

Nope. Not going there. No, no, no.

They came here to stargaze, to watch the meteor showers that can be seen at the night sky every year during this time. Not to... whatever his mind was trying to think.  They haven't even kissed, for crying out loud! Besides, Taehyung has no idea if Jeongguk likes him the way he does. If the mer loves him - because with every passing day Taehyung is growing more and more sure that's what's happening to him. He's mid-fall for Jeongguk, with no end in sight.

Maybe the whole gifting thing could be a clue. If this was a different era and they were both human, Taehyung would say Jeongguk is courting him. But it's not and they aren't, so who is to say it's not just a merfolk habit he doesn't understand?

And, it's Jeongguk.

The two of them are worlds apart.

How could he ever hope-

With a soft flutter, one of Jeongguk's fins - not Taehyung's favourite yet still very much lovable and stunning - splays over his stomach like a warm and moist blanket. His mind goes quiet. And when he turns his face, there is such raw tenderness in Jeongguk's eyes it makes Taehyung's breath hitch.

Oh, he thinks.

Maybe the idea of 'them' is not so far-fetched, after all.

The blanket Taehyung brought lays abandoned next to his bag, from when he got out the can with hot chocolate. Turns out wherever the sand comes from that's covering the rock in a thick layer (Jeongguk, he thinks, it's been Jeongguk), it's more than soft enough for them to lay there for a prolonged time.

For hours.

That's how long they've been here already, cuddled against each other as the sky turns from orange to pink to purple and into that certain twilight shade of blue before one after another the stars peek out. Jeongguk's heartbeat is a steady rhythm, slow and even where Taehyung's ear rests on his chest. His tail minutely shifts with each breath, fins fluttering along in a shadow-like caress on Taehyung's skin.

And when the starry night is showing itself in its unparalleled glory, the sky littered with more stars than Taehyung has ever seen, milky way stretching across the firmament like a lucent cloud that dips its toes into this and that colour just ever so slightly, Jeongguk begins to glow.

First Taehyung thinks it's a trick of the eye. Discards the idea as laughable and tries to focus back on the night sky. But the glowing next to him doesn't go away. 

And so he looks.

Sees, for the first time, the mer at night. Under the open sky, under the watchful and attentive eyes of his many brothers and sisters that haven't pummelled into death and rebirth yet.

Taehyung stares.

It is an exquisite sight.

Jeongguk's skin seems to hum with a warmth that comes from within. It's barely noticeable, really, if Taehyung wouldn't know what the mer looks like most of the day. What's truly breath-catching, however, is the fish in him. His scales, fins, and the rows of gills along his neck are dipped in starlight, glowing silvery like stained glass behind bright light. Fragile. Dazzling.

Taehyung has never seen something similar before. But then again, he's never seen something like Jeongguk period.

He stares for way longer than society would deem appropriate, he know he does. And again Jeongguk lets him. Gives him the time to take in the sheer magnitude of one Jeongguk at night, allows him to take as long as he needs to lift his eyes up, up, up.

Until he is met with Jeongguk's gaze and his breath hitches one again. For the mer's eyes are no longer from that eerie yet stunning bottomless darkness, not anymore. Only at the outer edge of his irises do they still hold the inky blackness. But closer to the centre, like a brilliant ring encircling his pupils, they've become molten moonlight. Are shining in the most pure silvery white Taehyung has ever seen, the tiny stars etched into the skin beneath Jeongguk's eyes twinkling along.

There is no space for words. Words could never do justice to the most magnificent wonder that is Jeongguk.

Dazedly, Taehyung reaches out his hands to cup the mer's cheeks and run his thumbs over the glowing stars in Jeongguk's face, right under his eyes.

Those eyes, which flutter shut now before opening again as the mer buries further into the touch and stares right back at him with the scorching intensity Taehyung has only ever known from Jeongguk. 

Forgotten are the night sky and their plans to spot as many shooting stars as possible.

This, right here next to Taehyung, is the most captivating sight of them all.

"What," he whispers, has the faint sense his eyes must be big as saucers, "what is happening?"

Jeongguk closes his eyes again. Turns his head to nose along Taehyung's hand, then blinks up at him through dark lashes where Taehyung is now leaning over him.

"Like calls to like," he says cryptically.

Taehyung doesn't even register he's been given barely an answer at all, too busy processing that the sight of Jeongguk at day was not the peak of his ethereal beauty yet.

His fingers are still stroking Jeongguk's cheeks, and when a faint sea breeze ruffles the mer's hair and blows black locks all over his face, one of Taehyung's hands comes up to carefully brush them away. Until he's got a clear view on Jeongguk once again.

And Jeongguk, he soaks it all up. Every touch, every caress, eyes rarely leaving Taehyung's as he takes everything in a way that's - coupled with his almost fierce expression - bordering on greediness. 

He silently demands more.

And who is Taehyung, to not comply so easily and keep touching him, worshipping him reverently, just the way he deserves, while Jeongguk presses feather-light yet scorching kisses at the inner side of Taehyung's wrist in a way that seems like an oath on its own?

Taehyung will never be able to grasp the entirety of Jeongguk. There is too much. He is too much, too breathtaking, of a ravishing beauty to a point where it hurts.

The night passes like that, stretching abandoned above their heads. None of them pays it any mind as the two of them are too lost in each other.

More than once Taehyung's gaze flickers down to the lips curled into a small smile and he wonders how they would feel against his. Wonders if Jeongguk tastes of starlight, too. He never acts on it, however. Not because he is afraid of his feelings being one-sided, that definitely can't be the case with how Jeongguk keeps looking at him, touching him. That's not how you touch a mere friend.

But tonight is not about finding each other and igniting the spark that might have been smouldering for longer than Taehyung was aware. Tonight is about Jeongguk. About Taehyung showing him just how deep his... everything runs for the mer, and treating him with the utmost care. The only way he should ever be treated.

Somewhen, minutes, hours later, Jeongguk speaks up again.

"We call out for each other," he says. "The stars and I. They recognise me as one of their own, and vice versa. It happens to every mer at nights as clear as this one, although some experience it stronger than others."

Taehyung hums, a single finger tracing along Jeongguk's sensitive gills. He marvels at the rosy sheen reflecting on his own skin from where there is a soft pinkish glow breaking through the skin of Jeongguk's neck with every breath he takes.

"Do you miss them?"

Jeongguk mulls over the question. His hands stroke up and down Taehyung's sides where at some point Taehyung swung a leg over his tail and is straddling him now, before coming to a halt at his hips. A few beats of comfortable silence pass before he answers.

"Sometimes. Sometimes I hear the call so loudly, feel it pulling at me so strongly I wish I could fly. Grow some wings and return to their side. Although-"

One hand gliding to the small of Taehyung's back, Jeongguk deliberately drags the other one up his waist, side, arm and shoulder until it comes to rest at his neck, and with a flick of his wrist, cradles Taehyung's jaw.

"-although it isn't that strong, recently."

Since I met you, is what he doesn't need to say.

Taehyung melts.

They do get some stargazing done, somehow. Taehyung has no idea how he manages to pull his eyes away from Jeongguk but by some kind of miracle he manages the impossible and comes to look at the star sky at long last.

Jeongguk, it turns out, doesn't only have eyes like an endless pit by day, he also is one, if it comes to stories about the stars. He can name every single of them, it seems, and knows tales about them and their constellations to no end.

Taehyung wonders if it's a merfolk thing, or if it's purely Jeongguk. Finds, he doesn't care as long as he gets to listen to the mer's sweet voice.

But even with nerves and self-control made of steel - which Taehyung does not have - he cannot fight the sleep forever.

And so he falls asleep sprawled over a glowing Jeongguk somewhere in the middle of nowhere, to the lull of Jeongguk's voice telling him  about the seven sisters who loved the moon and the one who loved the sea and fell down to earth, rendering the constellation forever incomplete.

Out of his periphery Taehyung thinks he sees a shooting star. Before sleep can claim him true, he makes a very selfish wish.

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One night together under the open sky turns into two, turns into three. It is addicting. Taehyung's eyes glued to him, his hands roaming all over his body. The way he treats him like a treasure beyond measure. Jeongguk loves it. Finds he can't get enough of it.

On the day after their first night together Taehyung has been writing for a long time in that little book he always carries around. And even then, his empty hand has always been touching Jeongguk somewhere. As if he too couldn't bear for the two of them to be apart for more than a breath. 

When Jeongguk asked him what he was writing about, he said, "About the stars. About the night, about you." And gave Jeongguk one of those looks that made him feel as if he was worth a whole kingdom, at least. It was one of those looks that settled deep in his chest, to never disappear there again.

During the second night, he's brought them to a beach even further away. One, that looks like countless starts have fallen into the sea. It's a special kind of glowing shrimps living there. With eyes squinted, they turn into tiny sparkly dots in the sea, a truly beautiful sight. Taehyung has been over the moon. The beach however was not as abandoned as their rock from the first night, as it has become a favoured spot amongst humans lately. So Jeongguk had to severely dull his nightly glow.

(If he's been exaggerating it in the first night to impress Taehyung and urged his body to shine brighter than usual, that's between the sea and him.)

But as always, all good things have to come to an end.

And so, after the fourth day, Taehyung has to return to the fisherman's son.

Their parting is bittersweet. Over the days, Jeongguk has grown accustomed to the presence of Taehyung next to - and not seldom on top of - him, which makes him fear the nights alone in his cave. It helps to know they will meet each other the next morning without fail.

However, Jeongguk barely has time to feel lonely.

He's just gone through his second shift of the night - it hurts more tonight, after he couldn't practice for three nights in a row - when he feels it.

A movement in his waters, too sharp and deliberate to be a mere fish. It's driven by intention.

The waves of the sea ripple around the intruder and give word to Jeongguk, confirming his suspicion of the creature's body being rather big - about the size of his own.

He's got a visitor.

Senses turning razor-sharp, Jeongguk leaves his cave.

"So I found you, at last."

It's an odd way to greet a stranger but Jeongguk doesn't care. Merfolk is family. Some mers abide by the rules of basic manners... and other's don't. Simple as that. The mermaid in front of him clearly falls into the latter category.

She's a rough-hewn beauty with sharp features yet kind eyes, her hair billowing around her head in a grey cloud despite the youthful face, tail equally grey and speckled with purple dots.

"Found me... have you been searching for me, then?"

She nods. "Yes. For a little while now, the sea keeps whispering about that one reckless little mer who so wishes to go on land and wander the human realms, again and again and again."

Jeongguk's eyebrows rise higher and higher with every word. He wasn't aware the sea was this... talkative about him.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." The mermaid smiles and stretches out a sharp claw. "It is nice to meet you. My name is Asterin."

He takes the hand, ignoring the little sting where Asterin's nails pierce his skin. It happens. A mer's love is always rough.

"Jeongguk."

They smile at each other, and the warm, wobbly feeling of meeting a distant relative settles in his stomach.

"If you don't mind me asking... why did you search for me?"

Asterin shrugs. "Because I was curious. I wanted to meet you. And," she takes one of the many conches hanging around her waist like a loose belt and hands it to him, "because I thought you might need those."

Jeongguk takes the conch and plucks the little sponge from the opening. When he upturns the conch, a few strange berries tumble into his palm. They are dark, almost black - although Jeongguk can't be too sure in the dim light of the moon filtering through the sea - and covered by a web of intricate golden veins.

"What are those?"

"These are sea berries out of my private garden," Asterin explains. "They can give earth creatures the temporary ability to breathe underwater." She gives him a knowing look. "You have met a very special human, haven't you, child? Otherwise you wouldn't want to turn into one so badly."

Jeongguk splutters, cheeks reddening. "Wait, why- how can you tell if I'm younger than you?"

She laughs. "Because us ancient mers aren't so reckless. Only the youths. You are probably only a few centuries old, at most. Not that it's a bad thing."

Jeongguk pouts and she laughs again, then points back at the berries.

"One of them is enough to last a human an hour or so underwater. They work without question, I've cultivated and perfected them for a long time. Use them wisely."

"Is- is such a thing really possible?", Jeongguk asks, eyes big.

"Of course it is. I can grow all sorts of unique sea fruits. Besides," she boops his nose, like a gentle granny would, "didn't you know? The sea loves all of us, but in different ways. Just like you got granted the wish to roam the lands above whenever you want, I can harvest little wonders. None of us mers exist twice since the sea spends so much time and thought on creating us. Some mers just take longer to realise it and find the treat that's unique to them. That's why they like to call me a sea witch, and you a shifter."

"I had no idea," Jeongguk admits but Asterin waves it off.

"How could you? You live far away from other mers, of course you don't know. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so..."

"I do." The mermaid adjusts her conch belt, then. "It was nice to get to know you, Jeongguk. If you ever have questions, come find me in the northern ice sea."

With that, and a warm goodbye thrown over her shoulder, the strange mermaid whose name means star leaves just as promptly as she arrived.

Jeongguk keeps looking after her for a long while.

He doesn't have to ask why she was so kind to gift him those berries. Because he knows. It's in their nature.

With how much wondrous love it takes for a mer to be born, it rubs off on them. All mers love and care for each other like long-lost siblings, with no remorse, unconditionally. 

It's why they never understand how humans can argue, hurt, kill each other, how they can go to war.

What's the point?

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Taehyung comes back to his temporary home - the home that's a place, not a person; because with every day he feels the thought of Jeongguk becoming his new home more and more to be true - and faces serious changes.

And with 'serious changes' he means, Jimin has made good of the more than gracious sum Taehyung transfers to him monthly and purchased a Siri thing which he carries from room to room.

It hits Taehyung completely unprepared. Because Jimin hasn't let him in on his grand plan. And that means, when he returns and opens the door, he is not faced with a cheering Jimin flinging himself at him. Instead, he's greeted to the sight of the very same Jimin laying on the couch, sprawled all over Yoongi's lap, making eye contact with Taehyung and promptly yelling from the top of his lungs, 

"SIRI, PLAY THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!"

And thus, Taehyung gets for the first - but not last - time entrance music appropriate to what Jimin deems the appropriate mood. Which, okay, weird.

But also kinda cool.

Yoongi-yaong kind of kills the mood though, as he comes scurrying over with high-pitched 'Meows' way too loud for such a small body, then proceeds to almost aggressively sit himself down onto Taehyung's shoe, demanding ear scratches.

Taehyung coos.

Leans down to fulfil his duty as cat butler when suddenly the refrain hits, his foot automatically tapping along the beat and throwing Yoongi-yaong off. The cat lets out an aghast shriek and, with a snippish curl of his tail, flounces off.

Taehyung sighs. The daily struggles of being a musician, everybody.

Jimin laughs himself off the couch at the sight and even Yoongi smirks. Traitors.

"Wow," Taehyung huffs. "I'm gone for, what, three days, and this is how you treat me? I see how it is."

"Aw, come-on, Taehyung-ah, don't be a sore loser."

"Sore los- I'll show you sore loser!"

They play eleven rounds of Snakes And Ladders. 

But, the extreme version. Whenever someone hits a snake, he either has to take a shot or a spoonful of whatever the others chose. Which is an evil concept. Especially considering how many spicy and sour things Jimin has stored in the fridge.

Once, Taehyung has to eat a whole spoonful of wasabi paste. He's ready to throw up at this point but Jimin cackling manically while exclaiming himself the winner has the competitive kid in him continuing.

Which is a bad idea.

By the end of round eleven, all of them feel horrible.

And, somehow, Yoongi turns out the winner of the evening.

Taehyung is not sure how that could happen. He has the vague sense the older must've been cheating, with Jimin knowing and just letting him.

Not. Fair.

The only reason why Taehyung manages to hold himself together and not puke his guts out, is because the faucet in the bathroom is dripping. 

Really.

From his place on the floor, leaned over the toilet, when he looks up to the source of that annoying dripping sound, he sees the water drops hanging from the faucet. Sparkling in the light, and catching bits of the blue wall colour. 

Taehyung looks at it, and he thinks 'Jeongguk'.

Thinks of his incredibly pretty starlight-bathed scales, of his bright eyes and tender hands.

He gets caught in the astounding memory to a point where he forgets about his nausea altogether.

...And that's is how his huge crush and him seeing Jeongguk in literally everything cures Taehyung that night.

Taehyung wakes up somewhen in the middle of the night, with an empty stomach and one of Jeongguk's pearls in his hand.

A mere man cannot hope to fight nature, he decides, and get out of bed with a low grunt.

He tip-toes out of his room and down the stairs that have the tendency to creak obnoxiously, until he reaches the kitchen. And, more importantly, the fridge. Taehyung is not a great cook, even less so in the dead of the night. He's also not incredibly creative five minutes after waking up against his will.

So, a bowl of cereals it is.

Ever mindful of his surroundings and not wanting to wake anyone else - both Yoongis in this household get unbearably cranky when woken up - Taehyung tries his very best not to make any noise. He is careful with opening the fridge, careful with pulling the plastic bag out of the cardboard box and pouring the cereals in a bowl, careful with the milk too. 'Careful' meaning slow.

It takes him at least five minutes to prep his bowl of cereals, if not even longer. 

But it's quiet. He's positive nobody woke up from him making a midnight snack.

Nice.

Now he'll just have to let it soak until it's mushy, and chew it slowly. And get back into his room without stepping on any creaky boards. So far everything is going quite well. Until-

"The fuck you're doing, man?"

Taehyung spins around with a little shout, milk swapping from the bowl onto his hand. Something slides off his nose and falls to the floor with a clatter. The world turns bright.

He groans against the brightness and squints his eyes until they've adjusted. And comes face-to-face with Yoongi sitting at the dining table, reading newspapers.

It takes Taehyung an entire two minutes before he realises, that, oh. It's not night. It's late noon. And for a reason he doesn't remember, he's been wearing his favourite sunglasses.

Has he been drunk? Have they been drinking last night? 

...They have, haven't they?

Oh. That... that explains a few things.

And now Yoongi has been watching him pour the world's slowest cereal bowl, completely unnecessary at that. The look of heavy judgement he sports says it all.

"Uhm." Taehyung clears his throat. "Hi."

His landlord snorts. 

"Sup."

Wait.

Why is Yoongi even here in the first place? Doesn't he have, like, work? Except...

"Is- is today Sunday?"

Another weird side-glance.

"Duh."

"Oh. I'm. I mean, cool."

Taehyung picks up his sunglasses and hurries to his room with flaming head.

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Jeongguk ends up not giving the precious berries to Taehyung. Not yet.

He knows the human is not ready yet, has a certain sense of fear from the endless depths awaiting him - it shows in the way his grip turns tighter whenever Jeongguk dives into darker waters with him. Albeit, he hasn't got half as much fear as he ought to have.

That's where it clearly shows he was not born at the coast. He knows nothing about the horrors of the sea, about the unrestrained, all-crushing powers haunting the coast during a storm - or a mer's rage - crushing towns and collecting lives like sand grains. Doesn't know that the proper respect of those who are familiar with the sea is born out of a deep-rooted fright.

Not that Taehyung has to fear any terrific storm flood hitting Nakseongdae this autumn, not when Jeongguk can help it. But the locals don't know that. And his generosity doesn't extend to any other coastal village.

Yet Taehyung, he is safe. Despite his ignorance of the very real dangers lurking in the dark depths of the ocean and far out at the sea, save for that vague sense of uneasiness, the human doesn't have to fear anything.

Jeongguk silently makes that vow to himself as he grabs Taehyung's hand and slowly lifts it to his mouth to lay a hushed ribbon of kisses over Taehyung's knuckles, the human blissfully unaware of what direction Jeongguk's thoughts have taken.

His mind doesn't stay with the thoughts of floods for much longer when Taehyung grants him a smile filled with so much adoration it wipes Jeongguk's head clean of everything else. Taehyung leans down to where Jeongguk has flung himself over his legs and allowed the human to use his back as support for his writing book, and places a lingering velvety kiss of his own on Jeongguk's neck, somewhere right below his gills, maybe where he's got that one mole.

Jeongguk hums, revelling in the little chuckle it pulls from Taehyung at the gills fluttering against his cheek, tickling him. He contently stretches himself in the warmth of the midday sun, then slides a hand up and down one of Taehyung's arms, always mindful of his sharp nails. Taehyung doesn't flinch. Not a single white scratch mark mars his golden skin. Jeongguk smiles.

"Are you happy?", he asks with low voice.

It has Taehyung's eyes crinkling at the corners as his smile stretches further, has him brushing a finger over the little stars framing Jeongguk's lower eyelids, first the right side, then the left.

"Yeah. I am."

Chapter Text

Latin | noun

♦dark cloud, thunderhead; circle of light, a saint's solid disc of gold in heraldry; a luminous atmosphere of a god on earth

When the first yellow leaf falls to the ground right in front of Taehyung, he sees it as a sign. Summer is coming to an end.

A summer which he spent almost exclusively at Jeongguk's side, just like the spring. Doing what he wants, far away from his ever-rising mountain of responsibilities and the mask of idol Kim Taehyung he had to wear every day for the past almost ten years. That fact alone, the admission that he could be his true self without consequences made it the best summer in a decade. Meeting Jeongguk, becoming his friend and falling in love just made it a hundred times better. And, he supposes Jimin is his friend too, now. (With Yoongi he's not so sure.)

What naturally follows after summer, is the much colder and more hostile autumn. And it seems autumn is quicker to arrive at the coast than in the heart of Seoul. Taehyung only faintly remembers it from his early childhood, before he moved into the capital and got used to late temperature drops. It's why it catches him a little off-guard that the days are already growing colder. Not nearly cold enough to be chilly, but he surely wouldn't want to sleep under the open sky with nothing but his swim trunks on at that point.

However. He'll be damned if he doesn't wear short clothes for as long as possible and take every opportunity to show off his growing frame.

But, here is the odd thing: water gets influenced by the air's temperature, right? If the air gets colder, so does the water, eventually. Except, it doesn't. Not here. 

Taehyung studies the phenomenon for a few days. It's not normal, he decides. Even with the air growing colder, to a point where wearing just a short-sleeved shirt is no longer a smart idea, and nature prepares to embrace the new season, the sea is always pleasantly warm whenever Taehyung gets inside.

It gets to a point where he can no longer reason it away as a local anomaly. Which only leaves one other explanation.

Jeongguk.

There is no way the water is naturally that warm still.

That's the conclusion he gets to, after rubbing his hands up and down the bare arms during his run to the pier - he should really cave and start wearing jackets - and sinking first into Jeongguk's awaiting arms, then in the comfortably warm water with a content sigh. The water is not steaming yet but the contrast sure is very much noticable.

They take their daily dive to the beach with Taehyung keeping his clothes on. For most of the day he stays in the water, his body submerged so he doesn't have to come out and dry in the cold autumn air. Burrr. No thanks. Better to stay right where he is, where it's warm and where the mer is always nearby.

Taehyung's reluctance to leave the water leads to an almost comical role swap. While he stays in the welcoming wetness wrapping around him from all sides like a warm hug and grapples onto some of the lower stone ledges, Jeongguk more often than not hoists himself onto their rock until only a small part of his tail is submerged. It's one fluid motion, driven by incredible, undeniable strength but executed so flawlessly graceful it's enchanting to watch.

Taehyung greedily watches every single time. Eyes jumping from the straining muscles of Jeongguk's arms to the dozens of glittering droplets gliding down his hair, chest and everything, to the perfect arch of his back that gets even deeper before the pulls himself out with one mighty heave and his tail curls in the air behind him, fins spreading wide and flicking out before falling down. Apparently he doesn't have a problem with getting cold.

But Taehyung can't find it in himself to be jealous. Not when the view is that great. Even something as simple as moving becomes art when it's Jeongguk, and Taehyung is absolutely here for it.

Once the mer makes it onto their rock, he stretches out a hand for Taehyung's bag, pulls their current book out of several layers of plastic and then begins to read to Taehyung.

Oh, how the turntables. Now Taehuyng is the one indulging in the melodious sound of Jeongguk's voice for hours on end. He is the one staying back in the water while the mer has gotten on land. A funny role swap indeed. And Jeongguk has such a beautiful voice to listen to. It makes forgetting the time - and everything else - really easy.

So easy in fact, that Taehyung doesn't notice the water growing cold around him.

But Jeongguk does. 

He finishes the last page of the chapter and then, with another fluid motion, is back in the water. The sea around Taehyung instantly warms up.

"Okay?", the mer asks, hands already rubbing up and down Taehyung's arms, expression growing concerned.

Taehyung nods, smiling. 

"Thank you."

He leans in to boop their noses together, giggling at the way Jeongguk goes cross-eyed.

"You don't need to thank me for something like that," the mer mutters.

Nonsense.

Taehyung doubts there is a single other mer aside from Jeongguk who would care to keep the water lukewarm for him. He says as much and watches in absolute glee how the mer's ears turn bright red.

"Cute." Time to get a point across. "I'll say it again; thank you, Jeonggukkie."

Jeongguk huffs something too low for Taehyung to catch, then leans in to nose up his neck and give a sweet peck to the spot right behind Taehyung's ear before slowly retracting to get back on the rock. His hand is the last thing to leave Taehyung, sliding from his shoulder down to his arm and hand until only the tip of his nails are touching the pad of Taehyung's finger. And then nothing at all, as he needs both arms to get back up.

This time Taehyung gets a bit more out of the water, pulls closer until he can stretch out a hand for Jeongguk. The mer shifts and lets one of his arms dangle off the rock so Taehyung can entwine their fingers and stay like that. Taehyung's face splits into a broad smile. It doesn't even take a second for Jeongguk to mirror it.

It's a poetry older than most kingdoms, the two of them smiling at each other like the love-drunk fools they are.

"Chapter fifty-one. 'Five million dollars?' I said those words repeatedly as we retreated from Zara’s wing to Tobias Hawthorne’s study to strategize. 'Five. Million. Dollars. Does Zara honestly think that Alisa is just going to agree to cut that kind of check?'..."

They made it to chapter fifty-five before Taehyung notices the dark clouds at the horizon. At the furthest end, the sky seems almost black.

"Whoa." He whistles. "This is going to be one hell of a downpour."

If those clouds reach them at all, that is. They are so far away, moving so slowly... chances that they will just pass by are probably quite high. It's fun to watch how they spread out though, come closer and grow darker from the centre. Almost like a drop of undiluted black ink on damp paper slowly tainting the white and creeping out in every direction, seeping into the fibres as the paper sucks it up, with no way to stop the process.

He has the faint sense that maybe he should be scared. Nature is a force to be reckoned with, especially when it gets the chance to brew somewhere out in the open. Everybody knows that. But somehow, the fear just doesn't settle in. Only a slight lick of... uneasiness.

Jeongguk in the meantime has secured his book and put it back into the bag. Hand with the bag raised high, he slips into the water and then gives the item to its rightful owner.

"You should probably go back before anyone starts to worry."

Taehyung turns around to him with a raised brow. "Do I need to worry?"

The mer shakes his head. "No. You are perfectly save, I promise. Nothing is going to happen, aside from maybe a little wind blowing here and there. But those townsfolks are a jumpy breed. A few clouds are enough to get them running. So maybe it would be wise to better be save than sorry, show up early and assure your friends you are not going anywhere tonight, you know?"

"I see," Taehyung muses. "That sounds reasonable. Although," he pouts and pokes Jeongguk's broad, sturdy chest, "I'd rather spend some more time with you. But yeah, Jimin can be a real pain in the ass if something doesn't go his way. And with how you described it, I can picture it perfectly well already." He sighs. Takes a last wistful look around their bay, then raises a fist skywards. "Homewards, then!"

Jeongguk's chuckle gives him enough time to inhale before the mer pulls them underwater and shoots through the sea.

They are swift like an arrow, as always, and near-silent when they emerge-

Under the old huts?! 

It's a funny picture, with how there are wooden stilts all around them carrying the former little shop buildings and the pier encircling them. Reminds Taehyung of that old playground where almost everything was made of wood.

Although the atmosphere is more one of a grotto, with the constant sloshing around the stilts, the dim light and dripping sounds.

"What-" Taehyung makes to ask, just to get shushed by Jeongguk with a gentle hand over his mouth.

They stay silent for several seconds as the mer strains his ears. And even Taehyung can hear some movement not too far away.

The look on Jeongguk's face is one of sharp focus. All serious, no smiles except for right before he leans impossibly closer.

"I won't come any further today," he breathes right into Taehyung's ear. The lips moving against his ear shell make Taehyung shiver. "Give me a sign when you've left the cover of the pier and can see if nobody's looking. I'll raise you up and drain your clothes. Should be enough to avoid questions."

Taehyung barely catches the last bit with how hushed Jeongguk speaks but nods nonetheless.

And then, because this moment is screaming for it - because he needs to have some kind of reassuring goodbye and because he's been dying to do it for the longest time, he lands a whisper-light kiss square on Jeongguk's mouth.

The mer is too stunned to react.

With a last smile at Jeongguk that he hopes conveys everything he can't say right now, Taehyung lets go of him and weaves through the stilts until he comes up from beneath the wooden planks in the same spot where Jeongguk always waits for him. There is nobody to be seen on the pier. But when he pears through the stilts, he can see  a trawler just making its way inshore. He waits until it's out of sight, then turns back to Jeongguk to give him a thumbs up.

The mer is already looking at him, one hand raised to his mouth and not moving. He blinks, shakes his head. Then his hand slips down, just for his tongue to run over the lip instead.

As much as Taehyung would love to continue watching, he doesn't get to. The water around him surges and lifts him up until he comes foot-level with the pier and simply has to take a step forward to reach it. When he looks back, the water pillar is already silently plummeting. A faint trickle follows with barely more than a little splash, and then his clothes are dry, too.

Taehyung splutters. This is so weird! He always forgets Jeongguk can do this.

But, wait. That also means... he doesn't even have to stay in the water all day just to avoid drying on cold air. Huh. What a funny world. Now he feels dumb.

He's still processing that new discovery - which he could've made a week ago, to be very honest - when a dark shadow flits out from under the pier. Jeongguk turns on his back to give him a wave underwater with the other hand resting against his puckered lips, then flips around and descends into the depths of the sea.

Taehyung stands alone on the pier for several minutes, trying his very best to fight down the surge of The Feels as he thinks about what he's just done. This won't do. He can't be all lovey-dovey when he has to face Jimin in, like, ten minutes or so.

No matter how much he just wants to roll around the floor and giggle right now.

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Jeongguk is torn in three. 

One part of him worries greatly about how Taehyung shows by far not as much fear of the impending storm as would be justified. 

The other part is absolutely giddy about that very thing, about the fact Taehyung feels so safe with him, with the sea that he doesn't even consider being afraid where others would have long since dropped to their knees and started praying they survive the night.

And the third part? That one's malfunctioning spectacularly ever since Taehyung kissed him.

Gosh.

Jeongguk brings up a hand and traces his lips where they are still tingling.

He did not see that coming.

How is he supposed to stay focussed and hold back the deadly waves all night like that?

But alas, he has no choice. The sea has been churning for about an hour already. It's roiling with power, the centre of that all-crushing abyss steadily approaching. He needs to be quick about this. Needs to spread out his net far, right up the the harbour of Nakseongdae, bury his claws deep into the surging masses once they begin crashing.

This is going to be a long night.

He has thrashed towns himself far more often than protected them. And now he wants to snuff out an entire flood before it can reach the bay all by himself, so not a single one of those humans gets hurt. Not that he cares for any of them aside from Taehyung, especially knowing most of them hate him with a seething passion. 

But a very selfish part of him wants Taehyung to keep his guards down in regards of the sea. Fears that if anything happens today, it will scare him off. And then maybe he won't be so relaxed when Jeongguk propels them through the water anymore. He doesn't want for Taehyung to ever look at the sea, at him, with the same wariness all those fishermen are born with.

And that means he has to protect the entire town. Not only Taehyung but everybody else too. Even if they don't deserve his protection. Not a single one of them. Jeongguk curls his lips at the thought of those fishermen, with their harpoons and hateful glares and vile shouts and everything. He sneers. Those bastards are so damn lucky Taehyung is living in Nakseongdae now. Or else Jeongguk couldn't be bothered to fight the looming storm flood. No, he'd rather have fun joining in on the rampage.

But things are different now. Taehyung is there. And as long as Taehyung is there, nobody will get hurt.

Maybe he should send out word for his parents. If the sea talks to other mers about him and his wish to grow legs, then surely he could forward a message to Namjoon and Seokjin. But who is to say they make it on time to help him? Besides, they have no connection to Nakseongdae and its inhabitants whatsoever - not anymore. It's been ages since Namjoon left this bay.

No, he'll have to do this alone. Nakseongdae, and most importantly Taehyung, are his responsibility. He'll have to be enough.

Jeongguk takes deep breaths and spirals further into every bit of power the sea is willing to give him.

Ahead of him, the core of the storm blinks its lazy eye at him.

It is time.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Once Taehyung rounds the crooked huts, he is greeted by the sight of everyone running around in a frenzy.

People are dashing up and down the quay and the street that runs parallel to the shore. Fishermen on the trawler are yelling all over each other. Little kids help carrying heavy bags, wooden boards, tools and whatnot. Elderly people are limping up the streets as fast as they can. There is a general movement up the streets, up the bay and away from the shore. Some families living closest to the sea seem to try packing their whole household on wooden trolleys. Everyone is rushing to bring things inside or upwards. Whoever passes the wet dock where the trawler still hasn't anchored yet, shouts at the crew to 'hurry the fuck up, you idiots!'

It is, in all honesty, madness.

Especially considering how Jeongguk told him nothing is gonna happen.

What the fuck?

Taehyung dazedly watches the chaos unfolds more and more while walking down the pier. It is, he has to admit, a controlled chaos though. Everyone seems to know what to do - save for him, that is.

Every few steps he gets closer, the noise level rises. 

Once he hits the streets of Nakseongdae, a little girl with a huge box of tealights almost mows him over. The kid doesn't apologise, just looks at him with wide eyes before dashing off again. At the next crossing it is a boy who just barely avoids running into him, long iron nails poking out of his pockets, little fists and even his mouth. He mumbles something around the metal stuck between his lips and throws Taehyung a glare.

Taeyhung is beyond confused. All in all, the town behaves like it's only hours away from world's end, except every single local is a prepper and now going step by step through their meticulous plan.

He makes his way through town like that, trying his hardest to not get into anyone's way and watching all the locals running around frantically, carrying things that grow more outlandish by the minute. Finally Jimin's and Yoongi's place comes into view - and for the third time someone is only a hair's breadth away from colliding with him.

This time it's at least someone he knows though. 

Jimin is packed with water bottles, holding a pack in each hand and having two more stuck under his arms when he notices the person in front of him is Taehyung. His jaw slackens. He gapes for a long moment. Several emotions flit over his face, from confusion to relief to... anger?

"Where have you been?!?"

It's piercing how he shrieks the words right into Taehyung's ears, enough so that the latter flinches back.

He doesn't get a chance to come up with a good lie before Jimin cuts him off and falls back into a sprint.

"Whatever! Get inside, lock all doors and windows and don't go anywhere!"

The last words are shouted from the top of his lungs as Jimin is already a few houses down the street.

Huh.

Taehyung doesn't have much of a choice, does he?

He hasn't even made it to the front door yet when Jimin already returns empty-handed, rushes past him fast enough he has to grip the wall for leverage to not face-plant into the house. Moments later he's back from behind the house with- a sand bag?! What, since when do they have sand bags stored anywhere? Is that normal? Jimin throws him a fiery glare, points at Taehyung and then the door, and is gone again.

Nope, Taehyung decides, this is most definitely not normal.

Stepping inside, he is greeted by even more strangeness. Because Yoongi is, without a doubt, packing. There are suitcases in the hallway and big baskets filled with food and all kinds of other stuff taking up the kitchen island. And now Taehyung's landlord is-

Well, he doesn't know what he's doing but he's got a big wrench in one hand and looks downright intimidatingly determined.

"What... what is going on here?"

"We need to get prepared," Yoongi grumbles and climbs up the stairs, cat Yoongi hot on his heels.

"Prepared? Prepared for what?!," Taehyung shouts up to him.

"Storm flood!"

Taehyung splutters.

What.

A storm flood? Here? And, like. They are real? Are something that's still happening in the twenty-first century?

"This is a joke, right?" 

He has to turn sideways and press himself flat against the wall as Yoongi is already on his way back down the stairs, squeezing past him without any finesse.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

That's an easy no.

Taehyung is momentarily torn which way to go until he ultimately decides to head up the stairs and get rid of his bag, then join Yoongi to offer help with... whatever he's doing.

Once he is back down, the older already has a dozen tasks waiting for him, starting with "Help me get the suitcases upstairs".

"Go get the torches from the cabinet under the sink - no not that one, the other - and bring them up too."

"Somewhere in the cupboard under the stairs is an old radio. We need that too."

"How many water bottles are upstairs now? Actually, forget it. We need more. Go fill up some more. You know where we keep empty bottles, yes?"

And on and on it goes.

At some point  after he just ran up and down the stairs four times, Taehyung dares to voice scepticism.

"Isn't this a bit excessive?"

Yoongi does not have to turn around for Taehyung to see the raised eyebrow. It's clearly audible. "Excessive?"

"Yeah? I mean," Taehyung shrugs, "how bad can it be, really?"

It's to that question does Jimin come home. He's panting heavily and sports an angry red gash down his entire forearm.

"You didn't... just ask this... in all honesty, did you?"

Despite the panting, his voice is slicing, such an unfamiliar pitch Taehyung does a double-take to see if it's really been Jimin who said that. If that icy tone really came out of this bubbly man's mouth.

"I... why? What's wrong with it?"

And oh, does he feel stupid with those judging twin glares turned his way.

"What's wrong with- do you even know how many people got hurt in the last storm night? How many died?"

Taehyung can only shake his head.

"No, you don't," Jimin affirms with venom lacing his every word. "You have no idea."

Taehyung turns away. He hates this Jimin right now. When he looks outside, the sky is of a dead, startling black, that kind of darkness that sucks every light away. The wind picks up and a tree branch snaps under the window.

Yoongi comes to join him. His stance is one of a soldier prepared for battle, with the absolute certainty there is no way in hell for him to win.

"Here it comes."

Taehyung can't sleep.

It's been hours since the fisherman flung the spiteful words at him. Jimin came to apologise later, with the apology itself wrapped into a crash course on the very deadly autumn and spring sea.

Outside, the wind was howling, flying around the house and screaming at them wordlessly, giving the blackness that devoured Nakseongdae a voice. It was howling inside too, every warped door whistling an eerie melody. Everybody was tense to a point where the slightest provocation could have them snap in half.

At some point the kitten had timidly scratched at Taeyhung's door. It's been a quiet sound, or maybe the wind was just too loud. Either way it took Taehyung a while to notice, to a point where the little Yoongi let out heart-wrenching meows. Once the door opened for him, he bolted into Taehyung's room, jumped on his bed and waited for him to come back. As soon as Taehyung sat back down he found himself with a lapful of shivering white fur. The little guy was barely more than a trembling fluffball, ears pressed flat against the head.

Now, hours later, the wind rattling the windows is not as bad anymore and cat Yoongi is dozing on the pillow. But still Taehyung can't fall asleep. In the room next to him he can hear Jimin pacing.

He just hopes Jeongguk is okay, out in the open sea all by himself.

Maybe it makes him a bad person but the truth is, Taehyung doesn't care for any of the folks living more downhill - and thus closer to the sea - half as much as he does for Jeongguk's safety. The sea must be so much more violent at the open, where there are no restraints to the force of nature and the storm can rage to its hearts content.

Gosh, he really hopes nothing happens to the mer. He'll have to check on him tomorrow first thing.

The wind picks up again then, and the howling amps up to horror movie-worthy volume.

It is already early in the morning when Taehyung's eyes finally flutter shut and his breaths even out.

Nobody in Nakseongdae aside from him gets any sleep that night.

With the first daylight spilling over the horizon, the News spread all through town like wildfire.

Nothing got damaged, nobody got hurt past little scratches from the preparations. The sea has not risen above its usual level even once.

A miracle, the townspeople say, and Jimin with them.

With the wind blowing that strongly it is nothing short of a miracle the sea stayed docile. As if a huge damper was put on it, preventing any of the treacherous waves to rise.

...It is absolute bullshit, of course.

Still, Taehyung sees many people praying on his walk to the pier. He quickly turns away before anyone can see him rolling his eyes. Whoever everyone is praying to, it's most likely not the entity actually responsible for the miracle.

He asked Jimin this morning if there was any chance they miscalculated and got worried for nothing. The fisherman has shaken his head.

"We are no fools, Taehyung. We know how to read the signs, it's passed down from generation to generation. By all means it was supposed to become a horrible night, with water rising more than five metres. There is no explanation why it didn't come like that."

"It's mind-boggling, is what it is," Yoongi grunted into his coffee mug. "Sounds like witchcraft to me."

At that notion Jimin's face twisted into one of outrage before smoothing out again. He gave a curt nod to his boyfriend and didn't distribute to the conversation any further.

Taehyung is still mulling over that look of wrath so hateful as he's never seen before when he makes his way down the pier. There is something Jimin doesn't tell him. Something big.

He shoves the thought far away upon sitting down behind the huts. Makes swift work getting out of his shoes. Only seconds later his foot is dangling in the water and he wiggles his toes. Jeongguk is nowhere to be seen.

He's about to pull his foot out of the cool water when it begins to warm up. Something flicks against his toe. Taehyung looks down just in time to see a shadow disappear under the pier. Was that-

Is that Jeongguk's tail?

He pulls his foot out and crouches down, both hands wrapped around damp wood, to peer in the darkness beneath the huts.

Sure enough a familiar face is floating not even a metre away from him, already smiling from within the shadows.

"There you are!" Taehyung grins upside-down.

Jeongguk cocks his head. "Hello, Taehyung."

Taehyung almost forgets to be sneaky in favour of letting himself fall into the sea. Almost. Because, oh, right. No loud splash sounds. But with Jeongguk so far away, how is he supposed to silently get into the water?

A quick glance around and the whispered confirmation that they are alone is what gets the mer to emerge from his hideout. He easily catches Taehyung and lowers him into the water as near-silent as always.

And Taehung, he keeps the words locked away in his mouth until they reach their secret spot. Once Jeongguk swims them to the stone arch and makes to get out of the water, he stops the mer with a hand around his wrist.

"Wait, Jeonggukkie."

The mer complies and turns towards him. A shift of his tail and Taehyung is propped up on it, floating amongst little waves.

"Yes?"

"I, uhm..." Gosh, why is he feeling so hot? "I wanted to thank you. For, you know. For keeping me save."

Jeongguk just smiles in answer.

It's like this, perched on Jeongguk's tail, with the mer making no attempt to deny such a far-fetched idea as being called the single reason a big tragedy was prevented, that Taehyung slowly begins to understand how incredibly powerful he really is. His abilities must easily go beyond what Taehyung could grasp. It's a thrilling thought. Not frightening, though.

Taehyung could never be afraid of someone so lovely.

He remembers to ask then. Sure, he's been checking on the other the very moment they met but seeing no injuries and knowing there are in fact none are two quite different things.

"Are you alright? Did you not get hurt last night?"

The mer gives him one of those impossibly tender looks that have a giddy warmth pooling in Taehyung's stomach. "Were you worried about me, Taehyung?"

"Yes."

He has no shame admitting it. Just wants to know Jeongguk is save.

"There is no need for that," the mer says with a little smile. "You don't have to worry about me, Taehyung."

Taehyung huffs and crosses his arms - or at least he's trying to, but the movement has him almost rolling off the mer's body. And he can't have that, can he?

"I can't help it! If someone dear to me is in possible danger, then of course I worry. Even if you are super duper fucking strong."

Jeongguk quizzically stares at him for a long moment. As if Taehyung is a riddle he needs to solve. Taehyung feels naked under his gaze, like Jeongguk can see everything of him. (He loves it.)

"Is that what I am? Someone dear to you?"

The question is asked with such softness Taehyung doesn't know how to deal with it. Fears his chest is too small to take in all the feelings that have his heart swelling up. So he rolls his eyes, tries to play it cool. But has the distinct hunch it's not working at all.

"Duh."

The mer grins.

They fall into a comfortable silence afterwards. Keep floating in their secret little bay, with Taehyung sprawled over Jeongguk like a big baby, his limbs hanging off him at all sides. The water is once more stupidly warm for this time of the year.

There is one thing he notices while he's laying on top of Jeongguk, head turned to the side as it's resting on the mer's chest with a few of his body chains wedged between the mer and Taehyung's cheek. There are no fish flitting around them today. None. Even with time passing and the two of them barely moving.

It's almost like back in the beginning when all the aquatic life seemed to shy away from Jeongguk. Over the months, the creatures have grown accustomed to him, much like how Jeongguk has grown accustomed to Taehyung. But now they are back at square one. And Taehyung wonders, if it has something to do with last night. If whatever Jeongguk did exactly reminded all the beings living in his territory what he is capable of. That he is easily powerful enough to be feared.

Or maybe that's not it at all. Maybe he's thinking too much into it.

(He has a hunch that his theory is correct, though.)

"What are you thinking?"

Jeongguk tilts his head while he voices the question. It has some strands of wet hair shifting so they cover part of his face, and the sun catching in his eyes and setting them aflame in a rich blue. Taehyung sees sparkling hues of blue and thinks sapphire, thinks lapis lazuli, then abandons the idea. Gems like that have not such blackness mixed in. Taehyung gets side-tracked for a moment as he keeps staring at those pools of ink, devouring light no longer but dripping with it for once, those respective billowing storm clouds of their own giving way for what Taehyung wonders to be the infamous Stygian blue, that one impossible colour.

Taehyung shifts too close and accidentally blocks out the sun. Just like that, Jeongguk's eyes are back to that striking darkness that goes beyond black. Are back to being so dark there is no doubt celestial bodies must reside in them, entire universes and galaxies laying ensnared there and giving the term 'stargazing' a new meaning.

Curiosity is beautiful on him, Taehyung thinks as he keeps carding a hand through Jeongguk's long hair. His fingers catch ever so often onto those pretty little metal rings stuck in the handful of braids the mer is sporting everyday now. (Taehyung asked him once if Jeongguk wants him to teach how to braid so he can do it on his own but the mer just shook his head and said he likes it better when Taehyung is the one doing his hair. And. How could he say 'No' to that?)

"I'm thinking," he muses and leans forward until his body weight pushes Jeongguk down and the mer is floating on his outstretched back, Taehyung perching himself up on his chest, "I'm thinking that you are absolutely incredible."

Jeongguk loops his arms securely around Taehyung's waist and gives him a fond smile. There is something else mixed into it, something so out of place it takes Taehyung a second to decipher. It almost looks like... disbelief.

"Why?"

"Wh-" Taehyung splutters. Has the strong urge to punch him yet similarly wants to worship the ground he walks on, the sea he traverses. "Why?! Because. You just protected an entire town from something impossible to protect from. And all on your own, at that! ...Right?"

Jeongguk nods but still seems a little apprehensive.

Maybe Taehyung needs to get his point across better.

"Jeonggukkie." He grabs the mer's face between both hands. "Turning down a natural disaster such as a storm flood is impossible. Impossible! Nobody could ever wish to fight against such a force - and make it out alive. Let alone win. Yet here you are. Defying the laws of logic and physics and who knows what else?"

Something shifts in the mer's expression. Maybe the message is finally hitting home. Taehyung continues.

"Gguk, the entire town of Nakseongdae is praying and thanking the heavens. They are talking about a miracle, say that a God must've protected them. And, I mean. They are not completely wrong, are they?"

"I'm not a God, Taehyung."

"Aren't you?" Taehyung challenges. Leans even closer, tip of his nose brushing against Jeongguk's before pulling away again so he can take in the other's entire expression. "Aren't you the deity who controls and protects these waters? Aren't you the God of this coast?"

Jeongguk slowly shakes his head in Taehyung's grasp, still smiling with a sad little edge to it.

Taehyung is having none of that. How can Jeongguk not see it?

"You may deceive yourself, but not me. You are every bit the wondrous marvel you told me all mers are, even if somehow you can't see that."

"...This is what you truly think?," Jeongguk asks lowly.

"I don't think so, I know so."

"Oh, Taehyung." The mer sighs. It is a small sound, laced with defeat. Taehyung instantly hates it. "You make it very hard to not love you."

And, oh. Such are the most sweetest words. Taehyung has to suck in a sharp breath, has to blink away the wetness gathering behind his lids. His grip on Jeongguk's head tightens to a point where his nails must be biting into the mer's skin. He never really thought- sure, he hoped, but-

"Then stop fighting it."

It comes off less like a demand and more like a plea. Sounds every bit as desperate as Taehyung feels.

Please don't let this be a dream, please don't let this be just in my head...

He soldiers on.

"There is nobody stopping you from loving me back." Here it is, his little secret, laid all bare in that last word. "Least of all me."

It's the furthest from 'just friends' they've ever been. And they keep taking step after step further away, the distance to that label growing with every second Taehyung's eyes flit down to Jeongguk's slightly parted lips, then up to his eyes just to catch the mer doing the same. There is lightning crackling between them, charging up what little of space is left between them. Taehyung can taste the storm now more than yesterday when there were actual thunder clouds crowding the skies.

This, air charged between them with every moment they don't quite give in to cross the distance, is a far more violent tempest than anything that came down on Nakseongdae last night.

The trickle of time slows down and comes to a stop until the very shadows of the sea arch covering them seem to breathe deep and glacial. Somewhere in the distance a seagull lets out a piercing shriek.

Another breeze ruffles Jeongguk's steadily drying hair and blows it all over his face, strands catching everywhere. Taehyung brushes them away one by one. Leaves the one stuck to the mer's lips for the end. And once he gets there - honestly, removing the hair is secondary to the sensation of Jeongguk's lips under his thumb. He lingers. Is deliberate in how he sweeps the finger over Jeongguk's mouth and traces its shape.

The mer slowly closes his mouth. Taehyung watches the top lip dent around his thumb, enraptured.

A wave crashes against the stone looming behind them.

Jeongguk takes Taehyung's wrist in his hand, pulls it up a little further to sear a kiss into Taehyung's skin right under his palm. The lightning between them strikes. Taehyung surges forward-

And gets stopped by a hand lifted his mouth and resting against it in a barely-there touch.

"No."

He almost falls off Jeongguk. What-

"No?," Taehyung asks, incredulous. Did he... was it not mutual? Did he misunderstand? Maybe... maybe Jeongguk doesn't want to love him, did never intend to give in?

Shit.

A dull ache begins to spread through him from he doesn't know where, it seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

He's probably overreacting, he know he is, but that doesn't mean he can do anything against it. Doesn't mean he has it in him to hold in the lone tear slipping past the corner of his eye and down his cheek. He takes one hand off Jeongguk's face - it immediately feels cold and empty and wrong - to furiously wipe at his face.

Gosh, shit. Why is he being like that? They've been great together until just now.

Taehyung's head fills with a cacophony of What-ifs and Whys and Where Did It Go Wrongs. He can't think straight. Can barely make out Jeongguk's features at this point.

The mer takes the hand off his face and gingerly cradles it in his own, the other one coming up to stroke over his cheek, sharp nails so, so delicate on his skin.

"Taehyung."

The chaos in Taehyung's head comes to a standstill.

"Taehyung," Jeongguk says again, voice spilling over with devotion.

Taehyung's mind empties of everything else. He blinks, and sees  the mer clearly again, beholds the worry in his face.

"Do not think I don't want you, little Star," Jeongguk murmurs and oh. Taehyung is ready to explode. Jeongguk is not allowed to call him that without a preliminary warning.  

The mer continues as if he didn't shake Taehyung's world with a single sentence twice within five minutes.

 "It is just. The first kiss, those kind of things are very important to you humans, are they not?"

Taehyung nods feebly.

"That's what I thought. And, it... maybe it is stupid, but. I don't want us like this, when you are just grateful because I saved the town. Don't get me wrong, I would love to give myself to you. So much. But not like this, not right now."

Taehyung can only stare, dumbfounded into muteness. Because it's true. Maybe not entirely, not how Jeongguk understands it and thinks he's only realising now how utterly amazing the mer is. But with how Jeongguk words it, the timing truly is... unfortunate.

And maybe Taehyung wants to slap himself. Just a little. For not being more sensible about the whole situation. Now Jeongguk  thinks he has some sort of saviour worship complex, which. No. That's not how it is at all.

It ultimately means two things:

One, Taehyung's feelings are more than mutual (he swoons).

And two, he just has to work harder and prove to Jeongguk that it's not his earthshakingly tremendous powers he likes, but him as a person. 

And he will.

He will show Jeongguk that he is so much more than the honorary title "Stormbreaker" he heard one of the old fisherman's wives mutter earlier. Jeongguk is so much more.

Chapter Text

English/Latin | adjective

♦beyond beautiful, of breathtaking beauty

"Do you have a death wish?"

Taehyung turns around to his landlord and rolls his eyes. "You know, others wish each other a good morning when meeting for the first time of the day."

Yoongi doesn't even budge and keeps eyeing Taehyung's attire of the day - long jeans but a light t-shirt despite the less than friendly temperatures outside. It makes his chest pop nicely. Excuse him for wanting to look good for Jeongguk without obviously trying too hard.

The older's eyes come back up to Taehyung's face. He repeats his question with the same deadpan drawl as before.

"No, seriously, do you have a death wish?"

"Just say what's your problem," Taehyung huffs. He doesn't have time for this. Jeongguk is probably already waiting for him and, yeah. He smiles at the mere thought of him.

"Yoongi-bear wants you to put on some clothes," Jimin merrily chirps from upstairs. It's so contrary to his behaviour a two days ago.

Taehyung gawks at the empty stairs.

"How did you- you're not even here!"

Jimin cackles. "Oh, but I know~"

It's creepy is what it is. Taehyung says as much, adds something about magic under his breath, then starts packing his lunchbox for the day while simultaneously eating breakfast. The way Jimin's cackle abruptly dies down the moment he mentioned magic is not lost on him.

When Yoongi comes to stand next to him and just silently stares at him, Taehyung caves. Still grumbling under his breath, he stomps up the stairs to change out of the short-sleeved shirt.

Now here is the thing: when Taehyung moved to this no-name town months ago, he did not exactly go on a wild shopping spree before. Which means he just brought a bunch of his favourite clothes. And sure, his summer attire happens to be nothing too exciting as it mostly consists of monochrome shirts and some basic trousers. His autumn and winter wardrobe, however. They are a completely different story. Because cold weather means more fabric and that means showing off luxury. Most of his long clothes are things he wears to public appearances. In other words, they are expensive brand pieces and look the part, too. Back when he packed his bags Taehyung didn't think much about it and just picked some of his comfortable wear which still is classy chic.

But now, he feels a little... overdressed. Especially in a fisher town where most folks wear the same clothes to work everyday for several weeks.

For the past three days there has been an ugly stain on Jimin's more than well-worn trousers, which, okay, you do you, Taehyung guesses. He won't discriminate. He should however not have asked what it's from, because his landlord has just shrugged and said, "fish brain, probably", and. He could've done without that information, thank you very much.

But back to the problem. Which is, that Taehyung can't dress down when he wants to attempt to also dress warm. Because if he picks the champagne shirt that may be plain in colour yet is still made with fine fabric and obviously good enough to be worn for tv broadcasts, then he has to change his trousers and shoes too. Has to wear his hazelnut dress pants and coat that fit so well with the shirt, get out of the sneakers and grab some leather shoes instead. The rules of fashion demand it. And now that he's already at it... he dips his fingers into the hair gel. Just a little. Just enough to expose his forehead. He's already royally late on Jeongguk at this point, two more minutes won't make much of a difference.

Taehyung casts a glance at the pile of clothes he's worn for maybe twenty minutes today and huffs. The only thing he did not change is his underwear. But then again, the steel grey sky doesn't look exactly enticing. Maybe Yoongi was right. Maybe dressing warm is the smarter thing to do.

He's not going to admit that, though. Ever.

Just like he's going to ignore the judging look Yoongi gives him - again - upon entering the kitchen for the second time.

"You look ready to give a press conference or some shit."

He doesn't. A press conference would see him going all out, probably opting for a black three-piece suit. And jewelry. And makeup.

But more importantly-

"You told me to go get changed."

"Never did."

"It was heavily implied."

Yoongi snorts, crosses his arms and turns away. "Whatever, kid. Don't come asking me why people start recognising you as a celebrity when you walk around like this."

"Oh, please. I'm literally wearing a shirt and some trousers. Besides, except for you, nobody in Nakseongdae even knows one Kim Taehyung exists."

"You sure 'bout that?"

Taehyung scowls. "You were literally the one to tell me that-"

"Dunno what you're talking about."

"I've got witnesses! Jimin also heard it."

"Too bad. He already left. Can't ask him anymore," Yoongi drawls.

Taehyung shrieks.

"What, without saying goodbye?!"

Yoongi shrugs. Looks every bit as unapologetic as he sounds. "Well, unlike others, he's got to work."

Taehyung pouts. He grabs his bag and leaves without another word. Yoongi wants to play dirty? Fine. He doesn't get a goodbye from Taehyung, then.

He forgets about the whole thing, and about him wearing some of his not-too-shabby clothes fast enough. Within twenty steps, to be exact. That's how long it takes for him to remember that he's off seeing Jeongguk. Once the name flits through his head, everything else becomes secondary.

Gosh. He is running later than usual. And that means, the time he spent apart from the mer is longer than on most days. Unacceptable. His quick steps turn into a jog down the streets without him even noticing.

Jeongguk is indeed already waiting for him. Pops his head out of the water as soon as the pitter-patter of Taehyung's steps on the pier announces his arrival.

"Hi," Taehyung breathes out, heart zealously pumping from the exertion and refusing to calm down at the stunning sight of his favourite mer. 

Just when he arrives, the sun breaks through the clouds and turns everything, the sea and the very air, golden. There are remnants of fog clinging into the niche formed by the u-shaped pier and the old huts looming over it. It turns into glowing honey mist, basking everything in an enchanting light. And in the midst of it, there is Jeongguk. Jeongguk, who looks more unreal than ever, like a fairytale prince or a dream.

Taehyung has the distinct sense he's gaping. He shuts his mouth, opens it again, gnaws on his lip. Almost expects something like a "You're late" in lieu of greeting to break the spell.

Nothing of the sort happens.

Instead, what Jeongguk choses to say is, "You're pretty."

It takes Taehyung forever to process the words. And then another eternity to remember that, right, he dressed up a little bit today.

"Uhm. Thanks. I mean, you too. But you always are, of course." He sheepishly rubs his neck.

For fuck's sake, where did his ability to speak go?! Jeongguk looks like the God of the sun and is so damn breathtaking it should be illegal. 

It should be burnt to the retinas of every human on earth.

Things don't get better from there. Taehyung, for whatever reason, remains a flustered mess. He's inwardly cursing himself for acting like a shy little virgin.

Seeing how out of his element he is - and after a glance at the grey clouds that once again are crowding the sun, a biting wind whipping through the air as if the whole world were out to prove that summer is over today - he even decides against coming into the water.

It's not that he has no trust in Jeongguk keeping the water cosily warm for him. But even Jeongguk' apparently tremendous powers have limits. So while he can control the water to do the craziest things for him, the air is very much not his element. And Taehyung really doesn't feel like catching a cold because he keeps swimming all day when the wind is that nasty.

It's a little hard to explain to the mer, though, especially once his frown turns into a mighty pout and then into downturned corners of his mouth, the entirety of Jeongguk looking just so, so sad.

Naturally, Taehyung stumbles over every second word and needs four tries before he gets across that at least for the time being he'd rather stay here, at their spot behind the huts.

He knows Jeongguk prefers the beach and its solidarity. No humans around, and they can be as loud as they want. He doesn't have to hide anything there.

But. If Taehyung ends up catching a cold (and he knows it's very much possible), then they won't be able to meet at all for entire days. And that's even worse than hiding from the rest of the town.

So Jeongguk caves, albeit unwillingly. That much is obvious.

His mood rises once Taehyung gets out of his left sock and shoe too, pushes the legs of his trousers up and dangles his legs in the water, splashing the mer with a giddy giggle. It may be not the his whole body submerged in water but it undeniably is some degree of contact with the sea - and thus Jeongguk. 

By the time the water droplets land on his face, the mer is already laughing.

Their usual routine gets disrupted even more, book quickly resting in Taehyung's lap forgotten, when Jeongguk starts asking about his clothes.

"Do you always wear long things when it gets colder, Taehyung?"

He nods. "Yeah. When it gets even more cold, they will also be thicker. Here." He leans down and stretches an arm out for Jeongguk to feel, the mer tentatively pinching at the soft sleeve. "It's not that bad yet, so I'm fine wearing thin fabric. But in a few days, I'll switch to other shirts, and in winter I'll mostly wear thick wool."

The mer tilts his head. "Bad weather?"

"Mhm. Remember how I said I can get sick from certain weather? Odds for that are even bigger when it's cold. So I have to layer up and keep myself warm when I want to stay healthy. You know?"

Jeongguk nods. Then swims over to where the pier curves around the hut and pulls himself up before plopping down on the wood. Chin perched on both hands, he blinks at Taehyung.

"Tell me more."

So Taehyung does. Tells him about different fabrics, styles and cuts, about when to wear what and about his favourite pieces. About human health and common sicknesses.

Jeongguk patiently listens through all of it - of course he does - but Taehyung can't help worrying if the mer really understands it all. It's nagging him, to a point where his overanalysing mind turns it into an actual problem. 

Luckily this one is a problem easily solved.

"Actually... wait!"

He pulls his feet out of the water, hand blindly fumbling for the old towel he always carries around now by default.

"I've got an idea."

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Jeongguk lets out an alarmed huff at the sudden  movement. At the whole... lack of Taehyung in the water. It feels wrong, wrong, wrong.

But before he can process that creeping sensation of emptiness, Taehyung already continues rambling, the sound of his voice immediately putting a damper on Jeongguk's rising panic.

"I'll be right back. Don't leave, okay? I just want to get something from my room. They always say 'show, not tell', right? It'll only take a few minutes, I'll hurry, promise. And then you get your very own exclusive fashion show."

With that, Taehyung runs off and leaves a puzzled Jeongguk behind.

Fashion... show? What?

Should he be worried?

With a deep sigh that has his gills fluttering, he sinks further into the water and shifts onto his back, always conscious to stay in the confines of the pier hiding him from prying views on three sides. The seagulls are flying high today. High above his head, where he could never reach unless he summons a wave or water pillar tall enough to be visible from everywhere.

Birds, he always thought, are like fish of the sky. Unbound, free to go wherever they want in their respective realm. Except for the invisible chains endowed to them since birth, urging some of them to go to a specific place. Like fish. 

The thought gets him a little nostalgic, reminds him of how he spent a decade travelling the seas and collecting comparisons between fish and birds through his own observations and the knowledge of other mers he met on his journey. It's been good times. Calm days, with him spending many hours on his back and watching the birds above his head just like now.

Seokjin had mocked him for it but Namjoon had reprimanded his partner and told him that everyone who lives as long as them needs some strange and, most importantly, immersing hobbies. Seokjin had shut up then, and it had Jeongguk wonder what kind of weird hobbies his parents might have. He forgot asking about it, when not much later he went to the Mediterranean and watched a huge flock of birds - starlings, he heard the people on a cruise ship call them - darkening the skies. Like a school of herrings.

He'd been able to draw many more comparisons like that, but that was more than a century ago. Most of the memory pairs he created in his head, he forgot the names of.

Jeongguk's vision clouds as he sinks down and lets a thin layer of water wash over his face.

Good times indeed.

He hopes Taehyung will be back soon. Without him, Jeongguk feels lonely in this bay that holds nothing but enemies and emptiness.

One of the seagulls shrieks at him, sounding almost teasing. Jeongguk flips it off. (Taehyung gleefully taught him the gesture a while ago when it was mentioned in a book. They've been giggling like children for several hours.)

But eventually, just when Jeongguk is about to slip into a daze while watching the birds, the first set of stilts trembles in the water. Then the next and the next, until Taehyung swings around the corner of one of the huts with enough momentum to skitter across the planks. Closer and closer to the railing, arms wrapped around a large bag and eyes wide, mouth round around the little 'oh's he lets out.

Jeongguk jolts up and towards Taehyung, arms stretched out and fingertips tingling as he readies the water to rise and form a cushion-

Except, Taehyung never reaches the sea. He rams the railing and cleanly folds in half around it. The bag is the only thing that manages to flit through the wooden beams and land in Jeongguk's awaiting hands.

"Taehyung, are you okay?!"

The man in question can't answer for several seconds. Just hangs over the railing, wheezing and all in all being a sad sight. Like a wet cloth that's hanging on a boat's railing to dry but was forgotten by the crew. 

Still wheezing and with a weak grin, Taehyung gives him a thumbs up.

"Peachy."

Jeongguk shakes his head. Runs a trembling hand through his hair until it gets stuck on some braids. The little strands Taehyung braided for him, one of them new from just yesterday. ("Here, hold this for me. When I couldn't sleep because of the storm last night, I looked up some more braiding tutorials and I'm positive I can do a round braid with four strands now. Probably.") The fresh memory is enough to make him smile, despite how Taehyung sent his heart racing just now.

"You are incorrigible."

Taehyung grins. "Hello to you too."

He unwraps himself from the beam, smooths out his clothes and then makes grabby hands.

"Hand me my stuff, please?"

Reluctantly, Jeongguk does as told.

"Are you really sure you're not hurt? That looked quite painful." With each sentence he draws closer until his arms can rest on the wood as he looks up to Taehyung. "Can I take a look? See if something needs to get cooled?"

"I don't think it's possible for me to cool down when you are around," Taehyung mutters.

Jeongguk tilts his head. "What do you mean."

"Nothing! And I'm alright, I swear. Just got a bruise maybe, 's all."

Jeongguk can't help the jerk of his tail that has his fin splashing loudly. 'Just a bruise'?!

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

Taehyung has the audacity to shush him. "Shhh, you don't want to draw attention, do you?"

Jeongguk squints at him. "Kim Taehyung, you little menace. You better really be okay, or so the sea help you."

"Ah, but." Taehyung puts the bulky bag away and then crouches down to boop Jeongguk's nose. "You are the sea."

"You are not playing fair."

He gets a grin as answer. "Never said I am. Now shush for real, I wanna get changed."

"Oh." Jeongguk blinks. "Uhm. Do you... should I turn around?"

The grin turns cheeky, then. "If you want~" Taehyung winks at him.

Jeongguk feels like he is missing something between the lines here. And also, "If I want? Aren't you humans the prude ones?"

"Ah!" Taehyung snaps his fingers and looks very satisfied with the world and himself. "Great use of vocabulary. I taught you well, my dear understudy."

Jeongguk rolls his eyes. Lets the endeared little smile tug up the corners of his mouth. "Whatever."

"Anyway. It's not like you haven't seen me naked before. So, suit yourself, Jeonggukkie."

The mer purses his lips. True. During the peak of summer, Taehyung had abandoned his swim trunks sometimes. And every single time, Jeongguk didn't know where to look. Part of him curious about the difference in their anatomy and wanting to compare Taehyung's body to his own human form while the other part of him was all too aware that it was rude to stare. Especially at an area that was almost always covered.

He ultimately decides not to turn away, reasoning with himself that he has to check Taehyung for bruises or other wounds.

And indeed, once the human gets out of his shirt, there is a broad angry red streak running across his abdomen. Jeongguk snarls.

"Whoa!" Taehyung gasps. Stops undressing in favour of leaning down once more, eyes big and round like they always are when he discovers something new. "Can you do that again?"

"Huh?"

"That... sound. I didn't know you can make sounds like that."

The words have Jeongguk's cheeks burn with shame. He didn't mean to lose control in front of Taehyung. To show him a glimpse of the beast inside.

"Well, usually I'm not angry," he mutters, avoiding his eyes.

"What, why would you be angry?"

"Because you are hurt!" he snaps. Stills. Rushes to apologise, eyes widening, but Taehyung doesn't let him.

The human smiles at him and stretches out a warm hand until it cradles Jeongguk's cheek.

"Jeongguk-ah." His voice is golden sunlight on a calm sea, warm and soft and all-encompassing. "It will be gone by tomorrow. During my debut days or whenever it's time to prepare for a comeback I already had much worse. I promise I'm fine. It barely hurts. Worst of it was the shock when I crashed into the beam. So stop worrying, okay? It's nothing."

Jeongguk would like to disagree. This is not 'nothing'. Taehyung got hurt bad enough for his skin to show glaring proof of it. Even if it was caused by his own recklessness. But still.

With an undiscernible grumble, he lifts a hand, takes some water with him and wraps it around his palm and fingers, then gingerly lays it at the bruise. Lets the water engulfing his hand cool down with a deep exhale.

"Better?"

Taehyung hums. "Better. Although I told you it's fine."

"It's not fine." Jeongguk's tail flicks again as he furrows his eyebrows and concentrates on treating Taehyung's wound in the only way he knows. "You are hurt. That will never identify as 'fine'."

"Gosh, you are so melodramatic," Taehyung laughs but makes no move to pull away.

"Learned from the best."

Taehyung gives him a playful flick against his forehead. "Brat."

"Tease."

"Are you ever going to let me change into the clothes I brought along, or what?"

Jeongguk shakes his head. "No. Not yet. Give me a few more minutes."

With a loud and exaggerated sigh that perfectly proves Jeongguk's point of Taehyung being just as dramatic as him, the human leans back on his arms and resigns himself to his fate.

Jeongguk stares. 

He knows he is, oh, he sure knows. Alas, it would be a sin not to look. Taehyung is explaining it to him and repeating words from earlier, something about a vest and a three-piece suit and some more words Jeongguk doesn't really get. All he knows is that Taehyung looks absolutely stunning with that pearl-coloured suit, pristine white shirt and brown ribbon thing around his neck he's been fighting with for the past few minutes. The fabric hugs his frame perfectly and somehow makes him look even prettier despite covering up most of Taehyung's body.

"Okay, so, usually I also wear a hat to this but it didn't fit in the bag anymore, so, like, yeah." 

Taehyung sticks his tongue between his teeth as he fumbles some more with the brown thing until his face lights up. He lets out a satisfied "Ah," and tucks most of it between his shirt and the... other thing. The vest?

"Sorry," he chuckles. "I usually tie my tie in front of a mirror, goes much faster." He runs both hands over his chest, tugs at the bottom of his vest thingy. "This is the more casual version of the outfit, without the hat and jacket, I mean. Here." Taehyung sits down and stretches out a leg, urging Jeongguk to feel the fabric.

Jeongguk scrunches it between his fingers. It feels thick and stiff, like a shell. He wonders if something like that is really comfortable to wear or if Taehyung feels constrained in it.

"That's a typical fabric for suits. Feels different to the stuff I usually wear, hm? Have you ever seen a suit before?"

Jeongguk ponders the question for a while. 

"Do all suits look like that?"

"Well..." Taehyung scratches his nose. "Kinda? They come in all colours and sizes nowadays but most common are black ones. They cover up everything and you can see very clear lines. And usually men have something like this around their neck." He points at the brown fabric slip.

"Then, I think I have seen some. Maybe. From far away, on a cruise ship."

Taehyung hums and absentmindedly dips a foot in the water - Jeongguk hurries to warm it up, didn't see it coming for Taehyung to get in - and splashes a few drops onto Jeongguk. "Yeah, sounds about right."

Then, just as quick, he pulls his foot back and makes to get up. "Okay. Next outfit!"

Taehyung doesn't get further than turning towards his bag before freezing at the muffled noise coming out.

"What-"

He lifts the flap and Jeongguk watches him going googly-eyed at the furry little head peaking out.

"No, what are you doing here, little guy?!"

The small thing shuffles out of the bag and rubs its head against Taehyung's leg.

Ah, Jeongguk thinks. That must be a cat.

Truth be told, he imagined them to be bigger. 

"Does it belong to you?"

"No. Yes. Kinda. He's Jimin's," Taehyung says while scratching the little thing behind its ears and looking very confused. "What should I do with you, hm?"

The cat purrs in answer and seems not to be concerned about being here in the slightest.Taehyung's reaction, however.

"Is he not allowed to be here?"

Taehyung sighs. "I don't know. Probably not. If he runs away, Jimin is going to kill me."

The snarl Jeongguk lets out at those mere words is deeper and more menacing than his little slip-up earlier. Around him, the sea begins to roll, waves licking furiously at the stilts and climbing up, up, up the bay, water crashing everywhere. His fingertips tingle where he gathers the sea's powers, then his hands, wrists and soon enough the entire arms. The sea turns steel-grey as it readies for a strike. Even the seagulls have quieted down.

"Not as long as I have a say in this."

Taehyung watches him with his mouth hanging open. Then he blinks, shakes his head and cradles the suddenly much fluffier cat in his lap.

"Jeongguk, calm down! It was just a joke, I promise."

The waves stop climbing up the pier.

"A joke?"

"Yes. Yes, of course, it's just some stupid slang. Jimin would never hurt me, or anyone. Really. The worst he could do is give me a disappointed look and send me out to go look for tiny Yoongi."

"Are you sure?" Jeongguk still has his eyes narrowed to slits. If that Jimin ever dares to harm Taehyung in any way...

But Taehyung is nodding so much now Jeongguk fears he might actually hurt his neck. "Yes, yes, yes. It was just a really dumb thing of me to say, honest. Nothing's going to happen to me."

"...Okay," Jeongguk says. Slowly lets the sea's tremendous powers seep out of his veins and back into the sea where it rightfully belongs most of the time. Takes some deep, deep breaths to will down the flood he's called fourth and smother the waves back into the tiny harmless ripples they used to be minutes ago. The water pulls back out of Nakseongdae bay where it's been bottle-necking and evenly spreads out in the open sea. A few more deep breaths, then his heartbeat has calmed down too. "Okay."

"Wow," Taehyung breathes. "You really do care a lot about me." It sounds almost disbelieving.

Jeongguk huffs. "Do you honestly notice that just now?"

"I mean, no. But sometimes I have a hard time accepting that all of this-" he points between the both of them- "is real."

Ah. Jeongguk knows that sentiment. He gives Taehyung the warm smile he deserves for keeping up with his sudden mood swings - and deserves in any other way, really, for just being himself - and promises with voice much more gentle once again, hands coming up to rub soothing circles into Taehyung's thighs, "It is real. Everything of it."

Taehyung's breath hitches beautifully. They get lost into each other for a delicious moment, the entire world fading into background as neither of them wants to look away or break the silence first.

That is, until a shrill, demanding meow comes out of Taehyung's lap and Taehyung flinches. Jeongguk immediately stares down the little fluffball who's gotten his claws clearly visible buried in Taehyung's thigh.

"You little-"

"No no, it's not his fault, he just hasn't learnt to retract his claws properly yet. It barely hurts, just stings a little bit."

Jeongguk grunts. "He better learn soon."

Taehyung chuckles as he pries the little hooks out of his trousers. "He's probably just feisty because there is no food here. Which." He lifts the flailing cat up until it's eye-level with him. "Which, honestly, is your own fault, mister. Who told you to climb into my bag and stowaway, hm?"

"If he eats, will he stop being mean to you?"

"Probably?" Taehyung shrugs.

Well. Better than nothing. 

"What does he eat?"

"Cat food, mostly. But, in comics they are often enough shown eating fish, so maybe we can do something with that? Although Garfield eats lasagne and I am not sure how realistic that is..." Taehyung thinks out loud while wiggling his fingers around, and Jeongguk has to watch in mortification how that fluffy little devil chases after them with its sharp claws all out. "My grandma's cat was a literal trash can and used to eat everything. But that probably doesn't work with our little guy here because he is still young and not fully grown yet. So he can only eat small things, I guess."

"Hmm."

Jeongguk gives one last warning look at the small thing - which goes completely ignored - then sinks down into the sea, senses branching out. If a flimsy fish is all it takes for that stupid cat to stop being a threat to Taehyung, then he can do that.

"Here."

Jeongguk hurtles a handful of little fish onto the pier and watches the cat timidly stretching out a paw, then slinking back when it begins to wiggle violently. All of them are, and one after another they thrash towards the edge and fall back into the sea.

Jeongguk huffs. "Great predator you are."

Then he goes back to recollect the fleeing fish, this time crunching them in his claws until they are no longer moving.

"Try again," he says and slaps the slightly bloody heap onto the pier, right in front of the cat. Taehyung wrinkles his nose but his little companion approaches the offered meal more bravely this time and soon enough he's digging in happily.

"Does it not know how to hunt?"

"Well, usually he doesn't have to," Taehyung is quick to defend the thing.

"Whatever."

"Whatever. Right! Time to get back on track."

Taehyung slaps his thighs and gets up to finally continue with that fashion show of his.

Three more suits, some fuzzy green shirt that has no sleeves and gets called slipover by Taehyung and an incredibly pretty, shiny shirt in red later, Jeongguk thinks he really didn't know anything about fashion at all. About what clothes can do, how they can enhance certain features and change the appearance of a person completely.

It's also fascinating to watch Taehyung change along with his wear. Like he slips on a mask and becomes someone entirely different.

"Do that again," Jeongguk breathes and watches with rapt attention how the boyish smile slips off Taehyung's face, how his gaze turns piercing, corners of his mouth turning down and forming an unforgiving line. Paired with the dark blue suit with a belt tightly wrapped around Taehyung's waist that makes his shoulders look even broader, the human looks without a doubt intimidating. Jeongguk has never seen him like that. Like he could do unspeakable things without batting an eye, while standing atop of the world.

Jeongguk licks  his hips. Just how many hidden facets does Taehyung have? How many layers he doesn't know yet simply because Taehyung never wore the things that bring out these other sides of him?

"How do you do that?"

Taehyung clears his throat and relaxes his posture. "It's part of the image training. As an idol, or any kind of celebrity, you are expected to be charismatic at all times."

"Charismatic." Jeongguk tastes the word and mulls it over. Yeah, Taehyung is insanely charismatic if he wants to be.

He switches clothes a few more times, mostly the shirts and jackets now, one time pulling out a long thing that almost reaches the ground when he's standing. 

"A trench coat," he announces with a silly grin.

It's a baggy, strange thing that swallows his whole frame and looks at least twenty-five sizes too big on him. Or however clothing sizes work. 

The last thing Taehyung pulls out of his mystery bag is a jacket so much smaller than the coat it's almost funny.

"And last but not least," Taehyung announces while shrugging out of the coat, fabric rustling where it pools around his feet, "my favourite cardigan."

He sits down on the pier with his legs swinging in the air for a bit before dipping into the water - Jeongguk got the message and could heat it up properly this time - then stretches out an arm.

"Here, feel. It's super cosy."

And, yeah. Jeongguk can imagine. The fabric is thick, plush and soft to the touch. Warm. He pinches it with his fingers first, then buries his entire hand in it, then pulls and pulls, until he can smother his face in it. Wow. So nice.

Taehyung laughs. 

"You like it too, huh?"

"Mhmm."

Somehow Jeongguk ends up with his head resting in Taehyung's lap, cheek smooched in the now neatly folded cardigan, the human running a hand through his hair and telling him more about fashion and how clothes work. Jeongguk hums contently, tail swaying lazily and fins making tiny splashes in the rhythm with the waves, with the sea. (With his heartbeat. It's all one and the same.)

"How did you get all those beautiful clothes, Taehyung? Did you make them?"

Taehyung laughs, a deep, rich, pretty sound. "No. I wish. But I bought them. Just like I bought the books too."

"Bought?"

So Taehyung explains him the concept of money, trade and work for the next hour or so. Some things he needs to repeat several times as Jeongguk's mind is still stuck on the many new pictures of Taehyung he saw today. On all those beautiful sights.

It doesn't help either that the concept of trade is completely foreign to him. It simply does not exist for merfolk. Mers help each other unconditionally. It's just how they are. All mers are a big family by default. So if one ever needs help and another can do something about it, there will never be any hesitation to come for aid.

Humans, however. They always want something in return. It is strange. Sounds very selfish to him. Which has him wonder if Taehyung expects something from Jeongguk too.

"Is someone's company also part of trade? Where you have to give something back?"

Taehyung purses his lips. "Hm, I guess it can be. I mean. Sugar daddies are a thing."

Jeongguk has not the slightest idea what that means. "Are you my sugar daddy, then?"

Taehyung chokes on his own spit and needs several moments to recover.

"What- no! I come here because I lo- like you, not because I want something from you. Jeonggukkie, I thought you knew?"

Jeongguk is glad he can't look Taehyung in the eyes from where he's laying in his lap. His cheeks are already heating up at the distinct feeling that he might have hurt the other with his words.

"Humans are complicated," he mutters into Taehyung's cardigan. 

That at least has him chuckling.

"True," Taehyung admits.

Then, partly because he wants to change the topic and partly because he is curious, Jeongguk asks, "Do you work too?"

Taehyung hums and resumes caressing Jeongguk's head. "Not right now, not actively. I'm on a break and living off my savings. And what I still earn on the side without having to do something for it with, you know, running contracts and stuff."

"So what is it that you usually do when you're not on a break?"

"I'm a singer." The smile is clearly audible in Taehyung's voice as he says it, the sound of it warming Jeongguk from the inside out. "I write most of my text myself, so that makes me also a songwriter, I suppose. A togetherslapper of words."

Jeongguk chuckles at that, asks him to spell out togetherslapper for him. It's a funny word.

"Could you sing for me, Taehyung?"

He loves hearing that Taehyung sings too. It's a side of himself he hasn't explored in a long while because of the deadly consequences, but truth be told, Jeongguk also loves singing. A lot. There was a time when he was oblivious to what happened when he began singing and indulged himself to days on end, until Namjoon took him to shore and showed him the wreckage. The evidence of what he'd done, the carnage. Yet the urge to sing to the rhythm of the waves was always there. He has just learnt to ignore it for the past few decades.

So to hear that Taehyung likes to sing too - is good enough to earn his money with it, and, from what Jeongguk gathered between the lines, actually famous for it - makes his heart clench in the best of ways. Maybe they can even try to sing together.

The answer he gets to his question is not as enthusiastic as he hoped, though.

"I, yeah, I can. But not here. We should better go to the beach for that, Jeonggukkie. I don't want to draw any unwanted attention and maybe have someone recognise me."

"Would that be bad? If you got recognised?"

"Well, yeah," Taehyung laughs. "I came to Nakseongdae to get away from my fans and other less friendly people. The life of a public person is a dangerous one, and you have always eyes on you. Always. Here in this retarded town nobody has recognised me yet except for one person. And I want it to stay like that for a bit longer. Or else I might have to leave sooner than I want."

"...Leave?"

The word tastes sour, bitter and foul all at once as Jeongguk spits it out. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Taehyung sighs.

"Yeah. My stay here never was supposed to be permanent. My name is powerful enough for me to write my own rules and get a long vacation but eventually I have to go back. I'm sorry, Jeonggukkie."

He kneads at Jeongguk's nape, then at his scalp until Jeongguk lets out a content grumble. There is a shift and a little nudge at his head, and Jeongguk thinks Taehyung might have leaned down to give him a little kiss. Lovely.

"No, don't apologize," he just says. Pats for one of Taehyung's hands to entwine it with his own.

He'll find a way to make Taehyung stay. There is no way he'll let him go to never return as if nothing ever happened. None.

He'll figure it out.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Sometimes Taehyung wishes he could tell Hoseok about Jeongguk. But he is not an oath breaker, and that means, no word about the mer to anyone. Not even his best friend. No, Taeyhung doesn't tell Hoseok a single word.

Which ironically ultimately means, Hoseok knows.

Because the sparse phone calls every few weeks where Taehyung has nothing exciting to tell at all yet sounds giddy beyond measure are a dead giveaway that he is hiding something big. Hoseok pointed it out thrice already.

The thing is, Taehyung is sure Hoseok would love the mer. Would probably go on a full ramble about how they are meant to be because 'Ohmygosh, 'Taehyung' means sun and Jeongguk is a literal star, how cute is that' the second they met.

Maybe one day. But even if it never happens, it's alright. Taehyung hates to break promises. He just hopes his friend understands why he is lying to him. Maybe the next time Hoseok calls, he should get a point across. Tell him that it's nothing personal and he still loves him a lot but this is just a thing he can't tell anyone. Not even his best friend in the whole music industry.

Hoseok will understand. He's always been like that.

And his landlords, well. JImin is clearly hiding something from him too, so they are even. Taehyung is not dumb. He knows something is going on which at least his landlords know, maybe even a big part of the entire town. And as long as Jimin is ignoring the elephant in the room, Taehyung doesn't even need to feel bad about not telling him shit.

Besides, if he's to be honest with himself, he has a worse feeling telling anyone of Nakseongdae about Jeongguk than with telling Hoseok. Something is not right with them. It shows in the way an entire crew of fishermen recoils from the sea. As if it wasn't their most important ally and the thing that keeps them fed, but their worst enemy instead.

Yeah, they are definitely hiding something.

Chapter Text

noun| Danish/Norwegian

♦the feeling of euphoria and infatuation when first falling in love

Taehyung wipes his clammy hands on the blanket for the third time.

Jeongguk wants to hear him sing. Holy shit.

He's sitting on his bed, a few hours after they've parted ways begrudgingly, with the sky already having darkened and signalled him it's time to hurry ass back home. Right before he'd left, Jeongguk had gripped his wrist and made him promise to sing to him when they get back to the beach. He's been serious about it. Somehow, singing seems to be a really important topic to the mer.

Which doesn't help Taehyung's newfound case of The Nerves at all.

It's bad enough with him having to sing to the person he coincidentally happens to be head over heels for. But with Jeongguk now turning it into a weighty affair, it makes things even worse.

He needs to practice.

...Dammit.

Taehyung wipes his palms again where he is sitting on his bed.

This is so... well, not stupid, really, because nervosity is a thing, especially when it comes to your crush, and-

Yeah, no, it is stupid.

He is Kim Taehyung, famous idol, top of the charts for several weeks with every new release, winner of multiple awards. Music is his business, it's his life. Singing should not be an issue for him, ever. Even if it is a solo performance for Jeongguk.

He is Kim Taehyung... and he's gotta practice!

"Hyu-huuung~"

"I'm not your hyung," Yoongi drawls from the room next-door. "You may address me with Mister, Sir, or Min Suga Genius."

Taehyung snorts.

"Yah, I heard that!"

"So? Whatcha gonna do about it?"

There is some muffled stomping, some grumbling and a cheeky cackle from Jimin, then Yoongi stands in the open door. "First of all, I'm gonna whoop your ass for disrespecting your landlord and elder," he announces.

Taehyung grins. "I pay you."

"...Crap. Capitalism is a trap and I am a willing prisoner."

"Amen."

Yoongi squints at him before relaxing and leaning against the door frame as if that's the single reason he came over. "Anyway. You've been calling?"

"Uh, yeah." Taehyung looks down at his hands, watches them fiddle with the blanket as he gnaws on his lip. "How good can the neighbours hear what happens in this house?"

"No, we do not own a Hi-Fi system. And the soundbar is mine," Yoongi deadpans.

"That's not what I-" Taehyung groans. Drags a hand through his hair. "Listen. I am a singer."

"On vacation, incognito, yes," his landlord affirms with crossed arms, nodding along.

"I still gotta practice."

"What for?"

"What f- I can't get out of shape completely, you know."

Yoongi raises an eyebrow. "No? I thought that's the single purpose of your stay here."

Yes.

"No!"

He needs a space to practice his high notes, and he needs that place to be out of Jeongguk's hearing range.

Jimin's voice cuts in from their shared bedroom, then. "Babe, stop teasing and just tell him he can be as loud as he wants because the old Miss Woo can't hear a thing anyway."

Yoongi grunts and toes the floor. "Yeah, whatever. But." He looks back up, gives Taehyung a warning glare. "If I find just one cracked glass, you gotta pay up."

Taehyung snorts. "You really think my voice is high enough to do shit like that?"

The older doesn't reply, just makes an 'I see everything' gesture and then goes back to Jimin's and his room.

Taehyung shakes his head. His two landlords sure are something else.

The second Yoongi leaves the house next morning, Taehyung begins to go through his warm-up exercises for the first time ever since he got to Nakseongdae.

And, wow.

"Wow," he croaks, "I sound like shit."

Figures. That's what he gets for neglecting his voice for weeks and months.

He's got a lot to catch up on, if he wants to have any chance of impressing Jeongguk.

With every day Taehyung flaunts a new reason to stay away from the beach, the mer gets more restless. And maybe a little irritated. But Taehyung really needs the time to get back in shape with his voice, he swears. The high notes just aren't coming nice and clean yet. So he keeps bringing his laptop to watch movies in the abandoned hut, brings some wool and shows Jeongguk how to make friendship bracelets while claiming it is something you have to do inside, asks him to go on hikes through the forest with its colour-changing trees, and brings a bunch of clothes for Jeongguk to try on. Just so the mer knows the different feel of a tailored suit and a cashmere pullover on his skin.

It keeps them occupied and most of the time they have loads of fun, but with every passing day it becomes more obvious that Taehyung is stalling. So when he finally hits each tone during his now mandatory morning warm-up, he gives in. Packs a blanket, stuffs everything in his bag in plastic and prepares to go to the beach.

He kept Jeongguk waiting long enough.

Of course as soon as Taehyung slips out of his shoes and puts them in his bag too before slipping into the water, Jeongguk is elated.

"Really? Are we, are we going? Does that mean you're going to sing for me today?"

Taehyung chuckles fondly as he confirms that yes, yes, they are going to the beach today, he is ready.

It's a beautiful autumn day, with the sun high up and not a single cloud crowding the sky. The golden sunlight catches in the mer's wide eyes and has them twinkling like the most precious gems. Taehyung stares. Before they can dive under and be on their way to the secret beach, he thumbs under Jeongguk's eyes. At the tiny stars hidden there. Ah, he thinks with a tender smile, the stars that couldn't fit in Jeongguk's eyes were scattered on his cheeks. Like fairy dust. What a beautiful sight. What a most wonderful kind of poetry.

They make their way to the beach with Taehyung clinging onto Jeongguk as tightly as he always does and experiencing the beginning of something that feels an awful lot like stage fright. Gosh. He doesn't even know what to sing to Jeongguk. Hopefully he won't sing horrible. (Hopefully Jeongguk will like it.)

This is already worse than all school recitals put together. Because with Jeongguk, it matters what he thinks of Taehyung's singing. A lot. He doesn't want to screw up. Jeongguk deserves a stellar performance and nothing less.

Taehyung blanks.

He knows that he must be singing, feels his mouth moving and has a distinct sense of sounds coming out. But. He's not tethered to the earth, and most importantly, his own body. He's floating somewhere high above, somewhere over the open sea where problems are not a thing.

And he has no damn clue what he is singing. At all.

The entirety of him is functioning on autopilot, from breathing pattern to the words escaping him, to the intonation and volume. It makes dealing with the fright of not being good enough easier.

Just... plans tend to be fickle things when Taehyung is the one making them. And so, just when he feels safe and thinks that yes, this is not all too bad, the wind turns. Literally. It's been a steady breeze all day - duh, Taehyung thinks, they are at the sea, of course there is wind - but for most of the time he could ignore it with the stone arch shielding him conveniently. Until now. Until the wind decided to be a little bitch and turn so it's blowing straight through the big arch and doing a great job of finding its way under Taehyung's garments.

Did he already mention that it's autumn, and the wind is now biting cold? Because it is. Which is why Taehyung, entire body shuddering, has no choice but to turn around and try to get away from the nasty wind. To turn and look where to set his feet on the slippery stone as he readjusts himself on the ledge - and come face-to-face with Jeongguk at last.

No, no, no!

He's been doing such a great job not looking at the mer, stifling his nerves successfully. But of course, it would be just his kind of luck that with one single look at Jeongguk his serene detachment is passé and he's coming back to his senses - meaning he loses concentration, stumbles over the next words and ultimately chokes on his own spit.

Shit.

He squints his eyes shut.

That's not...

Great.

He fucked up.

Of course he did.

Except, when he dares to peek at Jeongguk who's sitting next to him on the ledge, with his tail elegantly curled over the rock before dipping into the sea, the mer's mouth hangs open slightly.

"Whoa," Jeongguk breathes. "I had no idea."

Taehyung clears his throat and awkwardly wipes his mouth. He blinks. "Huh?"

"You are..." Jeongguk stretches out a hand, fingers opening and closing around nothing as he fumbles for words, "like a siren. I mean, I knew you have a beautiful voice, obviously, but I didn't think..." He shakes his head as if in disbelief and barks out a laugh, then turns to face Taehyung properly. "You have one of the most beautiful singing voices I ever heard. And I heard some."

Still caught up on the fact Jeongguk did not mock him for his hideous fauxpas that had him stop in the middle of the song, Taehyung's mind has difficulties comprehending what's going on. Processing that for one, Jeongguk did not find his little performance funny or bad at all. And two, that he called him-

"A siren?"

Jeongguk hums. Doesn't elaborate, as if it's self-explanatory. Well. It probably is for him. But very much not so for Taehyung.

So he nudges a foot against the mer's tail and pries,

"What does that mean? Are you a siren?"

Jeongguk hums again, then slouches down until he's moulding himself against Taehyung's frame. Head coming to rest on his shoulder, arm winding around Taehyung's, sharp nails slipping between Taehyung's fingers, side pressing into his hip.

"I can be, if I want," he says with low voice before losing a deep breath that has his gills fluttering against Taehyung's shoulder, tickling him. "Sirens aren't a separate thing. Just mers who happen to have an exceptionally beautiful and entrancing singing voice. Some say you can train it but in my opinion that's wrong. You are either born with that certain additional trait, or you are not."

"And you are?"

Jeongguk hums another tickle into Taehyung's shoulder.

"Yes. Which is good, considering how dear singing is to me. So when other mers were around and called me a siren for the first time back when I used to sing a lot, it meant that while I loved doing so it just happened to sound pretty nice too. It's a big compliment for a mer when they get called a siren."

Taehyung gently nudges his side. "Can you sing for me too, please? I don't think I've ever heard a siren before."

"Oh, certainly not," Jeongguk mumbles.

"What?"

"It's nothing." The mer runs a wet thumb over Taehyung's knuckles. "I can sing for you. However, I don't know songs like yours."

"Oh, that's fine, that's. Totally fine. Just show me." Taehyung already feels ready to burst out of the seams from the sheer anticipation. What does a siren song sound like?

Then he gulps. "Ah, but, wait." He gives Jeongguk a sheepish look from under his lashes. "Am I in danger?"

A justified question, he reasons with himself, considering what the stories tell about sirens and the demise of men at sea.

But Jeongguk merely laughs, leans in and gives a little peck to the tip of his nose.

"No, never. Not as long as I'm with you. Don't you worry about it, Taehyung.

Taehyung feels his cheeks heating up.

"...Okay," he mutters before burying his face with those annoyingly traitorous cheeks in the crook of Jeongguk's neck. They both shudder slightly when the mer keeps rumbling a soft, low laugh.

They calm down eventually, shifting around each other a couple of times until finding a comfortable position from which Jeongguk can also sing without problem. Taehyung's breath slows down to an even, silent thing as he tries to make himself as quiet as possible. As he tries to not miss a single thing of Jeongguk singing.

He shouldn't have even worried.

As soon as the mer opens his mouth, the very sea itself hushes. Everything goes still to a point where the endless sea before them is so impossibly calm it looks like a giant silver plate. Not even a tiniest wave is licking up the stones anymore. The sea birds have stopped their shrieking, the rustling trees at the cliffs high above are standing with bated breath.

Everything waits for Jeongguk's song.

And when he finally sings, oh, sweet world. Taehyung has never heard anything like it. Doubts he could make it up in his wildest dreams or with the most talented composers and producers at his side.

Jeongguk's voice is so pretty, so high and crystal-clear. It wraps around Taehyung like warm honey milk and seeps into his every pore as the embodiment of comfort and gentle purity.

The waves come back then, moving in patterns that are way too much in tune to the mer's singing to be deliberate. Taehyung can't tell if Jeongguk controls the waves, or if the waves give the rhythm to his singing. The only thing he knows is, they are one. So, so beautiful.

They are one, and-

He belongs to them, too!

With the biggest smile stretching over his face without him even noticing, Taehyung reaches out a hand for the sea where it bubbles higher and higher at his feet. Leans forward more, just a little more. He wants- needs to be closer to this miracle. Wants to join in on that wonder, stay with the sea and that breathtaking voice til the end of time. This is where he belongs.

Strong arms wrap around his waist and pull him back onto the ledge.

They stay there, circling around his hips securely as Jeongguk continues singing into his ear and the foreign urge to become one with the sea crashes against the inside of Taehyung's ribcage.

The wordless song goes on and on and Taehyung sits there, entranced, as he listens to the most beautiful melody he ever heard.

Minutes - or maybe hours, or days - later he manages to pry his own mouth open. To push out sounds and words, his ears straining to try and guess where the mer's melody carries next. And then they are singing together, Jeongguk slowing down the tiniest bit to wait for Taehyung and join him, his wonderful, sweet, otherworldly voice mixing with Taehyung's deeper one and melting together beautifully whenever Taehyung dares to climb up to his highest registers and strike perfect harmonies in the third octave or higher.

They sing and sing and sing and around them the world listens as if it's the finest performance since the dawn of time.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Jeongguk sighs dreamily.

Singing together with Taehyung is easily the best thing that ever happened to him. It's right there, with meeting Taehyung for the first time, training his first sea otter, and going with his parents to that one lagoon full of bright pink corals that had Seokjin turning giddy to no end.

Jeongguk smiles around the music, around the magic effortlessly slipping out of him while he keeps his arms around Taehyung. He promised him it would be perfectly safe to listen to Jeongguk's siren song. And it is, for Taehyung.

And for Taehyung only.

Because what he does not know, what Jeongguk does not tell him is this: a few miles down south, a little ship caught bits and pieces of Jeongguk's singing, of the melody drifting through the air and carrying abnormally wide. A few minutes later it violently crashes against a rock.

Jeongguk doesn't even flinch as he feels the ripples in the water telling him of the sinking ship far away. Doesn't say a single word. Just chalks it up as one more of the many unforgivable things he has done while they continue singing together. Because here is the thing: Jeongguk can sing. Loves it, even. So much is true. But he can't do it just for fun with no consequences, no strings attached.

When a mer sings, the world around them falls into an awed trance. And it always demands a prize for the attention it gives to the singers. The longer a siren sings, the higher the cost, the higher the number of lives that shall be paid.

In between two breaths a picture flashes in front of Jeongguk's inner eye, of back when he didn't know about those laws yet and sang without a bother in the world. Of when Namjoon took him to the nearest coast and showed him a disastrous pile of not one but several ships that were crushed against the rocky coast with a force that still had splinters of the impact floating in the air. Jeongguk had only shrugged and said, 'But it was fun', back then.

Taehyung doesn't need to know that.

Neither about his past nor about the doom of the unlucky trawler right now.

So Jeongguk keeps singing as if nothing happened - maybe flicks his wrist in the water, fingertips tingling as he sends a big wave to collect the fishermen and carry them ashore.

Taehyung is ruining his bad reputation.

The human has his eyes closed where his head is tilted back on Jeongguk's shoulder, giving himself to their music entirely. Jeongguk smiles and lifts a hand to run a thumb over Taehyung's cheek.

Oh, my poor love, Jeongguk thinks as the waves lap against his tail and bring word of the fishermen reaching land, laying on the beach and heaving for breath after having been submerged in the unnaturally big wave for too long. You wouldn't be alive if you ever heard another siren before.

Scarce is the siren who saves humans from their certain deaths after being unfortunate enough to listen to their singing. And even scarcer one who actively cares for a human and protects them from their very own siren nature.

Taehyung's eyes crack open to meet his, a warm smile tugging up the corners of Taehyung's mouth.

Jeongguk melts.

It becomes their new thing, singing together in their bay.

It adds a whole new layer to their relationship and the time spent together. Music has always been special to Jeongguk and was in his opinion the most honest form of expressing oneself. So with the two of them singing together regularly now - Jeongguk subtly steering all the approaching boats and ships off-course so they get far, far away and can't end up as annoying collaterals - he feels like he is experiencing a part of Taehyung that usually stays hidden. Like they converse with each other so much more sincere than they ever could with idle talk.

Besides, it is just such a great joy to sing together. To bask in Taehyung's singing voice that is much more unique and diverse than he'd thought. Taehyung, Jeongguk comes to realise, has an incredibly large vocal range for a human. His voice goes deep like an underwater cave that's never seen the light of day and only hosts beings like morays, but sometimes it also rises up high like a geyser shooting into the air and gleaming in sunlight as small droplets spray everywhere and it keeps rising still. Taehyung's voice goes very high and very low and everywhere in between.

And with that, he can do so many things. Can play around with his timbre and sing slow, heartfelt ballads just as good as aggressive songs where he keeps spitting out words like weapons.

Jeongguk asks him about it - so Taehyung tries to teach him a few things. Explains the different music genres to him, and the basics of how to manipulate your voice to achieve certain effects. He shows Jeongguk how a vibrato and a falsetto sounds, tells him about head voice, tells him about key modulations and octaves and so much more.

Some of those things, Jeongguk already knew. He just couldn't put a name on it. Others are completely new to him.

With a hand constantly splayed across Jeongguk's stomach, Taehyung then guides him through a few breathing exercises for a steadier voice or for carrying a tune longer. Jeongguk doesn't necessarily need to practice these things. But he'd never tell Taehyung that, and risk losing the contact, the soothing touch to his skin.

After a little while Taehyung notices he doesn't require lessons on those very things, though.

"Wait." He squints at him, and - Jeongguk called it - retracts his hand. "If you can breathe through both your mouth and nose, and your gills, then you don't have to do breathing exercises at all, do you?"

Jeongguk shrugs with a little grin. "Probably not."

Taehyung swats his chest. Jeongguk just lets him, too happy about the touch to even feel the slight sting.

"Yah, you little trickster! Wait. So, could you, like, carry a tune forever because you can breathe through your gills?"

Another shrug. "It'd get boring eventually."

"But have you ever tried to see how long you can sing without taking a breath?"

"I have."

And the result were thirty-one dead bodies, a throbbing bump on his head and a greatly displeased Namjoon.

Taehyung's sparkling eyes are a stark contrast to the memories Jeongguk's mind is drifting off to. "Could you show me? Just long enough to impress me."

Jeongguk raises an eyebrow and nudges a finger under Taehyung's chin. "How long would it take to impress you, then?"

Taehyung blinks, and Jeongguk watches in unfiltered delight as a faint blush colours the other's cheeks the longer he keeps his hand there. "Uhm. I'll show you how long I can do it, and then you best me, okay?"

"Very well."

Taking a few deep breaths that have his chest swelling, Taehyung prepares. Then, when he deems himself good to go, he sucks in one more breath and opens his mouth to belt out a tone so loud, rich and powerful it feels like it is whipping through the air and instantly filling the entire bay.

Jeongguk forgets to count the heartbeats or take some other kind of measure, too busy staring. Taehyung is magnificent. Even though it is not a word, just a single sound the human keeps going for several moments, it is still fascinating. His voice is just... so pretty. Reaches so deep into Jeongguk's chest, he doesn't know what to do about it. How is it possible for that much voice to come out of a lithe body like this? Out of a fragile thing like a human? It is mind-boggling. Jeongguk could listen to him for hours.

Maybe Taehyung has a little bit of a siren in himself. Maybe he just doesn't know.

Either way Jeongguk is amazed.

Eventually however - too soon, Jeongguk's mind complains - Taehyung reaches his limits and the sound stops, bay falling into silence as he takes in some sharp breaths.

"Now you," he says, and seems to almost vibrate with anticipation.

Who is Jeongguk to deny him?

So without breaking eye contact or so much as taking a breath, Jeongguk begins to sing. Anchors himself in Taehyung's wide brown eyes that look at him in wonder as he sings a song he knows from Seokjin's archipelago, a light, joyful tune the waves have murmured there. He turns a little inward to concentrate on the flow of the air, mindful of breathing through his gills only despite being on the dry. He sings and sings, several minutes passing without the sound breaking off.

It doesn't take long for Taehyung's eyes to go comically wide as he gapes at him. A bit more time passes, and his flabbergasted look turns into a pout.

That - not the need for air - is what has Jeongguk stopping. He tilts his head.

"What?"

"Cheater," Taehyung mutters.

Jeongguk keeps looking at him, waiting for an explanation.

It doesn't take long.

"Well," Taehyung splutters, hands flailing adorably, "I mean, technically you don't need to breathe. So for you to take part in a competition of who has the longest breath is not fair."

"It was your idea."

Taehyung pouts some more. "Yeah, I know. I'm stupid like that."

Jeongguk laughs, cradles Taehyung's precious face in both hands, thumbs stroking over his cheeks. "Silly Taehyung. You could never be stupid." To make a point, he leans in and puts a gentle kiss on Taehyung's forehead. Stays there a bit longer when Taehyung's hands come up to wrap around Jeongguk's wrists and keep him close.

"I've been plenty stupid in this life already."

Jeongguk draws back enough to lock eyes and catch the hesitation there. Still smiling, he shakes his head slowly so their noses rub together. Taehyung sniffs, then giggles.

For the first time he plays his age card on the human.

"Don't you know, Taehyung? I'm a very old, wise being. If I say you are not stupid, then you are not."

It's enough to make him chuckle. "You are such an idiot." Grinning, Taehyung playfully pushes at Jeongguk's shoulder. And shouts out in alarm when Jeongguk just... keeps falling.

It's been by no means a heavy push. Barely more than a puny nudge, really. But if Taehyung calls him an idiot, then, well. Jeongguk will behave like one. Or maybe he's just feeling playful. Either way, it's worth the look of confusion on Taehyung's face when he leans further and further away until he's falling on his back, now laying on the stone ledge.

"What are you-"

Jeongguk smirks. Doesn't let Taehyung finish his sentence before he is wrapping both hands around his waist, hoisting up a squeaking Taehyung and setting him down right where skin meets scales.

Something shifts in Taehyung's expression then, as he's straddling Jeongguk. Turns into a different kind of playful as he leans down until their faces are close enough to feel each other's breath again. Taehyung's hands are curious things, slipping under his silver chains and wandering up his chest, one of them skimming a very sensitive part of Jeongguk as they keep trailing higher, over his collarbones and around his shoulders. Wherever he touches, Jeongguk's skin erupts in goosebumps.

He watches in rapt attention how Taehyung's eyes fill out until they are almost as dark as his own. Barely notices one hand gliding up further and burying in his long hair when he is too busy watching Taehyung's tongue dart out for the shortest moment.

"Now?"

Taehyung's voice comes low and a little rough. A quality Jeongguk only recently got to know from him. He understands why. Knows what Taehyung is referring to. And it's so, so tempting. But.

"I've been singing not too long ago, Taehyung."

Taehyung nods. "Yeah. Sounded really pretty. Like always."

"No, that's not..." Jeongguk huffs fondly and tilts his head to bury further into Taehyung's large hand. "Thank you. But that's not what I mean. When a siren sings, you see, it puts humans under a spell. Like... a trance."

"I'm perfectly fine though?"

Jeongguk nods. "Yes. Of course you are. I'm keeping an eye on you. It's all good, you are fine. But, you might not be... entirely you."

The human frowns. "I'm pretty sure I'm sober."

Ignoring the foreign word - Jeongguk figures Taehyung understood him correctly and 'sober' is just human slang - he shakes his head. "Pretty sure is not sure enough."

The hand in his hair stills. Then all the air rushes out of Taehyung as he lets himself slump onto Jeongguk.

"You are so mean for this," he says, chin propped up where he's crossed his arms on Jeongguk's chest. "That's the second time you are denying me my kisses, you know."

Jeongguk gives him a wistful smile and tugs a wet strand behind Taehyung's ear. "I just don't want you to have any reason of second-guessing yourself later."

"That's annoyingly gentleman of you," Taehyung grunts, then turns his head to the side so it's resting right under Jeongguk's chin.

"Sorry," Jeongguk mutters. Marvels at how naturally his arms have come up to wrap around Taehyung's body and secure him, as if that's their most important purpose whenever the human is close.

"No, no, don't be. I'm gonna be thankful for your mindfulness in five minutes. Just. Not know. Right now I just feel hella blue-balled."

Jeongguk comes to the silent conclusion with himself that it's probably better he doesn't know what that means.

He begins to talk about one of his favourite lagoons to Taehyung, smoothing his hands up and down the human's pullover-clad back, calming down the both of them. Taehyung listens. Lets himself be guided away from his former mindset, eyes slipping close soon enough as Jeongguk continues talking with hushed voice. Half a thought of him has the waves quietening down to faint gurgles.

Like this, Taehyung falls asleep on him. With his cheek smooched under his collarbone, nose digging slightly into Jeongguk's skin, Taehyung's entire weight warm and heavy on him.

Jeongguk smiles fondly. Keeps threading a careful hand through Taehyung's damp hair, untangling the strands and collecting the wetness on his fingers until it forms little droplets that run down his arm and back into the sea, leaving fluffy dry hair behind. Just to be sure. He is not certain yet how human sicknesses work but if Taehyung can't stay in cold water for long, then water in his hair probably is not such a great idea either.

Taehyung huffs, smacks his lips together and buries himself more into Jeongguk's embrace. A wet patch tingles Jeongguk's skin where the other is drooling on him.

"Messy Taehyung," he whispers with the faint tremor of a chuckle in his voice as he wipes the drool away.

Taehyung merely grunts and curls one of his hands into a loose fist.

Jeongguk doesn't have the words to say how much he loves moments like those with Taehyung. Shortly he mourns that Seokjin is not here to witness this wonderfully calm and domestic picture of Jeongguk, with a sleeping human atop of him. The other mer's jaw would drop lower than the grounds of the Mariana trench.

But maybe it's better like this. He is not sure how well Seokjin would actually take to Taehyung. To him being a human and all. After everything he's been through, Jeongguk doubts their first encounter would be a pleasant one. Seokjin would probably either drag Jeongguk away from Taehyung or see him as a threat and try to kill him. 

...Yeah, maybe it's better he is not here, after all.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Taehyung is very happy to say that time continuously flowing turns out not to be the biggest disappointment of the year.

At first he'd been a little disgruntled at the thought of summer coming to an end and thus the lavish days spent swimming in their secret bay and goofing around no longer being a thing. However! Turns out, even with the weather gradually getting more chilly, he can still have loads of fun with Jeongguk. And be in constant awe of him.

They are singing duets every day now, to his huge delight. He never had a singing partner like Jeongguk before. It's such a unique experience, so different to anything else. In some ways, it feels like it goes so much deeper than any other duet or collaboration he ever did. Taehyung even has the distinct feeling that his own singing is changing slowly. He can't pinpoint it yet, but he knows that singing together with Jeongguk for such a long time is doing things to him.

And it's just so much fun. Jeongguk's voice on its own is already ethereal, would have scouts from the music industry lining up to knock down his door with printed contract in their hands. Yet combined, they sound even better than alone. It's the way their singing voices are so different by nature, with only a small overlap when Taehyung goes for his head voice, complementing each other perfectly. Taehyung doesn't use that word often. Perfect. It's justified for this situation, though. For them. It's a perfect match and nobody can convince him otherwise.

In the evenings, after he had to part ways with Jeongguk for the night - he is doing so with a kiss on Jeongguk's cheek now, because he can, because it feels right, and because he just loves showing his affection - he spends hours with his notebook in his lap. By now he has to sharpen the pencil almost everyday with how many snippets and ideas for lyrics he's jotting down. And all the while, Jeongguk's pretty, pretty voice keeps playing in his head.

It's gotten to a point where he even dreams of Jeongguk's singing. And of Jeongguk in general.

Where in the first weeks Taehyung had only vague dreams of glittering silver underwater or huge fish shadows circling around him, the mer is with him every night now, in full HD. And more often than not he's singing sweet lullabies to Taehyung while guiding him through the endlessly dark sea, one hand always holding Taehyung's.

Yoongi and Jimin kindly leave him alone whenever they notice he is in the zone, filling page after page with his scribbles and mouthing the words along, sometimes humming a melody. Then some musical notations join in with single words or complete verses, and the whole thing becomes even messier.

Cat Yoongi, however, doesn't have the good sense to stay away like his landlords do. Which has lead to the little guy slinking into Taehyung's room and deciding that right now is a great time to ram his little claws into Taehyung's leg and climb up, Taehyung letting out a startled cry or at least flinching hard. And then he promptly forgets what he's just been about to write down. It happened twice now, already.

So this evening, when cat Yoongi waddles up to him with twitching whiskers, Taehyung lifts up the little menace, tells him a stern 'No' and sets him back into the hallway. He likes the small guy but when his creative juices are flowing Taehyung simply can't stand to get interrupted.

Now here is the thing. When Taehyung is not either writing about, thinking or dreaming of Jeongguk, then he is seeing him. Which gives Jeongguk many opportunities to talk to him. Or more specifically, to call him things.

Over the past days - ever since their starry night camp-out, really, if not even longer - Taehyung has come to find that Jeongguk is a sweet-talker. He just has a way with words. And, Taehyung doesn't know if there is any connection to Jeongguk still reading through all of his books at an alarming speed or not, but what he does know is that the mer has started to call him by all kind of beautiful names. 

Where every second sentence directed at him used to include at least one 'Taehyung', now it seems Jeongguk has made it his new sport to call him anything else. Some variations are outright silly but most of the time they are really sweet and capable of turning Taehyung's insides to mush within seconds. He almost likes all of them, but the most lethal ones, the names that render him absolutely useless whenever Jeongguk says them, the ones Taehyung likes best to be called, are Treasure and Pearl. (Siren is a close second. Jeongguk had called him like that once after they'd sung an especially heartfelt slow piece together. Taehyung had been a puddle for the rest of the day.) Whenever Jeongguk calls him these things with that shimmer of awe in his eyes, Taehyung is a goner.

And of course, of course Jeongguk knows. Notices which pet names have him stuttering and blushing until he is a complete mess. So naturally, he mixes those in more often than the others. Sprinkles little 'my treasure's or 'sweet pearl's into their conversations like seasoning and watches Taehyung implode with a secretive little smile on his lips.

It's not fair. And also very bad for his poor heart.

The worst thing is, Taehyung has no idea what to do about it in return. He is powerless like that. No pet names come to his mind because Jeongguk is just too much. Too much of everything. Too bright, too astounding, too unreal. Nothing could compare.

(Except maybe one thing. There is one thing Taehyung wants to call him but hadn't dared yet. It's his secret for now.)

The autumn sea, Taehyung noticed maybe a little late, is a rough and unruly being. With steel-grey clouds hanging above their heads most of the time, wind whipping over the water and whipping up the surface into many waves, some of them growing impressively before dulling down again under Jeongguk's influence. Like the eye of a storm, their bay is always calm whenever they are there.

Taehyung mentioned his observation about the changing character of the sea once and Jeongguk had laughed in his face.

"Oh Taehyung, my precious pearl, you haven't seen winter yet."

Taehyung couldn't even be mad at him for being laughed at, too busy blushing himself into next year.

Over time he got used to the wildness of the sea. Now he doesn't even flinch at the hard bangs of tall waves crashing against stone in the distance with probably enough force to crush a car. They don't go on hikes in the wood that often anymore, however. Not with how the trees keep groaning and bending dangerously in the wind. He doesn't trust them. So they stay in their bay, mostly under the lee of that stone arch, and sing, talk and read to their heart's content most of the days.

There are a few rare exceptions though. Like, when Jeongguk has taken him back to that bioluminescent beach a few more times. It's easier now to go and watch the spectacle, simply because the days are shorter, nightfall earlier and thus the glowing little shrimp do their thing well before midnight. Taehyung needn't worry about being late for dinner like that.

One day, after an off remark from Yoongi who against all his gruff demeanour addressed Jimin as 'marshmallow', Taehyung has a realisation. Something they haven't done yet, despite it being the perfect time. It's a crime, really. Next evening, he has to show Jeongguk what a good campfire is.

So he begins to plan it out. Subtly asks a preening Jimin if marshmallows are available here - in some regards Nakseongdae feels like the end of the world, with how it is simply not possible to buy things like some good sheet masks, lip tints, character socks or phone cases here. The landlord gives him a funny look, gets up from his place at the table, trudges over and wordlessly opens one of the corner cabinets.

It is filled to the brim with sweets, more than half of them sugary goodies that look a lot like what Taehyung requested.

"Will that be enough?" Jimin asks drily, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Taehyung nods. "Uh, yeah. I think so."

(What the fuck? How did he not know of that huge stash of yummy stuff?)

"Cool. Help yourself, then."

"Uhm. Thank you?"

"Mhm."

Despite having gotten permission, Taehyung still waits the next day for both landlords to leave before stuffing his bag full of marshmallows and chocolate. (He might have whooped upon spotting a package of cookies and sacked that one too.) An additional blanket and his bluetooth speaker also make it into his bag, then he is on his way to the only other shop in town that is not Yoongi's workplace. It's not that the thing he wants to buy is anything suspicious, but the less his landlord knows, the better. Yoongi has a tendency to be scarily accurate when it comes to observations. Better be safe than sorry.

The old lady gives him a funny look when he asks for some sausages, muttering something under her breath that very much does not sound like sausages at all. When she comes waddling back to the front of the store, the thing she gruffly presents him is a pack of sundaes. 

Taehyung grimaces.

"Uh, no, I wanted sausages. Sau-sa-ges. You know, long, thin, for cooking, frying or eating raw."

She nods, then points at the blood sausages in her hand.

"No. Different." Taehyung whines and tries to mimic it with hand movements. Somehow it feels wrong and dirty when he attempts to show the woman that he's looking for something long and thin. The judging look he gets in return tells Taehyung he is not only imagining it - his gestures are easily inappropriate.

A few minutes later he gives up and shows her a picture on the phone instead.

The granny's face lightens up. She turns around to trudge back to the storage room, shaking her head and grumbles something that Taehyung swears includes the word 'idiot' at least twice.

He ends up getting his sausages. And, as so often, is running late. Luckily Jeongguk doesn't hold it against him. Just gives Taehyung a broad smile when he finally makes it around the corner of the hut and stretches out both arms for him. Taehyung doesn't think twice about it before merrily jumping off the pier. Leaves it to Jeongguk to figure out how to make his landing quiet.

And startles, when in the next moment he finds himself inside a huge water bubble that's slowly floating down, dipping into the water, into Jeongguk's arms before trickling down around him.

"Well." Taehyung tongues his cheek. "That was new."

Jeongguk shrugs and gives him a mischievous smirk. "Gotta keep you entertained somehow."

"Yah, you brat," Taehyung laughs, swatting at the mer's chest. Then leans down to smooch a purposefully wet kiss on Jeongguk's cheek. Preens at the way Jeongguk is not wiping it away, just smiling back at him. "Hi."

The mer nudges their noses together. "Hi. Any plans for today?"

"Yep." Taehyung pops the 'p', earning him a chuckle and a little flick against his ear. He furrows his eyebrows, momentarily lost. Why was that gesture so hot just now? ...Anyway! "We are going on an adventure," he announces proudly. "Kinda."

Jeongguk really laughs then.

"Alright. With the starting point being where, mister expedition leader sir?"

Taehyung wiggles around until he can pull free one of his arms out of their tight embrace. He pumps his fist in the air. "To the beach!"

Still laughing, Jeongguk watches him until he takes a deep breath, then pulls the two of them under.

They goof around all day until Taehyung begrudgingly has to admit they need to get their hands on actual wood to make a campfire. And to find wood...

He glances up the cliffs, to the old forest growing there, remaining leaves rustling. Sometimes a gust of wind blows down some dead leaves and they slowly sail down to the beach or directly land in the sea.

A look under furrowed brows at Jeongguk and then back up the cliffs has the mer springing to action.

"You wanna go up?"

There is a barely noticeable tremor to his voice. It's only fair, Taehyung thinks, seeing how long it's been since the last time they went up to the forest. And he still has no clue how the shift works, what Jeongguk must endure or do to ensure he is sprouting a pair of human legs.

But. He already brought all the stuff for the campfire here. And it would be a shame for autumn to pass without them using the opportunity.

So after gnawing on his lip for a while, Taehyung nods.

"I, yeah. But, I mean, actually... you can only do things when water is nearby, right?"

Jeongguk chuckles at his wording. "Yes."

"Do you think you could..." Taehyung glances at the clouds. It's not too bad today and.the wind is bearable but still. "Could you maybe, like, take a glob of water up with you? Just to be safe?"

"A... glob." The mer raises both eyebrows.

"Yeah, you know..." Taehyung gestures for a vaguely round shape the size of a big pumpkin.

Jeongguk shrugs, then. "Sure. Wanna go right now?"

"Uh, yeah."

So they do. They ride that huge water pillar wave thingy until it spews them out on top of the cliff. And sure enough, it doesn't plummet back down into the sea. Instead, the water masses stay where they are, then trail after them into the forest like a giant worm. It's equal parts weird, funny and reassuring.

Taehyung creeps through the woods with his eyes downcast, collecting dead wood in his arms until Jeongguk takes it from him and nonchalantly tosses it into the water worm where it floats behind them.

Once Taehyung deems it enough and also found some good sticks for roasting stuff, he lets out a relieved sigh. Rubbing his hurting neck, he looks up to the sky and rolls his shoulders.

"Nice. That should do the trick."

Jeongguk has long since given up pestering him about his plans for the day and just nods.

"Everybody get on board, please~" With grand movement and a silly grin that looks way too cute on him, he gestures for the water masses.

Giggling, Taehyung steps forward and lets himself be engulfed by the wetness, Jeongguk right at his side. Around them the wood is floating in the water like fish in an aquarium.

They ride their mighty water vehicle back through the forest and down the cliff, Taehyung snickering the whole way and Jeongguk grinning along where he has an arm wrapped securely around Taehyung's waist. They make it back to the beach with no issue. As soon as they land, the water seeps back into the sea, dropping wood around them in a loose circle.

"That was sooo cool," Taehyung says with the broadest grin.

Jeongguk mocks a bow. "Always glad to serve."

"Ah, we should have stayed clear of the regency romance novels," Taehyung laments. Clutches his chest dramatically. "This is not good for my heart." 

The mer just laughs.

It takes Taehyung exactly fourteen tries and three Youtube tutorials to set up their fire. In the meanwhile, he provides Jeongguk with the task of prepping the sticks for them, peeling off the bark and sharpening the ends enough so they can spear the sausages on them.

Maybe part of the reason Taehyung needs so many tries with the fire is because Jeongguk uses his bare claws to sharpen the sticks, cutting away on the wood with his razor-sharp nails. It's the first time Taehyung sees him using them and gets first-hand proof of how sharp, how dangerous they actually are. Maybe it distracts him a great deal. (Maybe Jeongguk notices and throws him a cheeky smirk.)

They do get everything set up, eventually. By the time the fire is going, it's already dark and the icy coldness setting in quickly, proving the timing to be perfect. Somewhere in the sand behind them, the bluetooth box is resting against a few stones and playing a generic playlist of campfire guitar music Taehyung downloaded the prior evening.

"Alright." Taehyung nods to himself. Gets up and pulls out the other blanket. "Very good."

They sit huddled together in front of their now brightly burning fire, one blanket beneath them and the other thrown over their laps.

"Welcome to your very first campfire night," Taehyung announces with great bravado, belting ou the words in full chest voice with his arms stretched out. The mer flinches. Taehyung cackles then makes grabby hands. "Stick, please."

A stick he requests, a stick he gets. He prods at the sharp tip and whistles. "Wow! Just like with a pencil sharpener. Or a really good jack knife." With a fat grin he turns around to Jeongguk. "In other words, you are a tool."

The mer squints at him. "Should I be offended? I feel like I should."

Taehyung laughs and pinches his cheek. Then he rummages through his bag to get out the goodies. The sausages are vacuum-sealed and yes, okay, he forgot to bring scissors or a knife. No problem.

"Hand, please."

With a confused grunt, Jeongguk offers his right hand. Taehyung takes it and guides one finger to the package. Once Jeongguk catches on, he slightly bends his finger and then presses down. His nail cuts through the plastic like butter. Taehyung is definitely impressed.

(How did he never get hurt by Jeongguk as much as touching him? What the fuck?!)

He takes out half of the sausages and spears them onto the stick, then gestures for Jeongguk to give him the second one and repeats the whole thing.

"Okay. You take this one-" Taehyung hands one of the prepped sticks back to the mer- "and I take this one. And now we both hold it into the fire like this and wait a while."

"And that's... it?"

"Well, it's a start." Taehyung huffs. "After we had our roasted sausages I also brought marshmallows and stuff. And while we sit here at the campfire it is mandatory that we cuddle all the time and tell each other cheesy and funny and interesting things. The law demands it. Also you have to..." he ponders for a bit, "you have to give me at least ten kisses during this time."

Jeongguk chuckles from deep within his chest. Taehyung can feel the vibration travel through his body. He loves it.

"Also usually it's mandatory that at least one good-looking dude with long hair plays the guitar and sings self-written songs or old classics. But I can't play the guitar for shit and my hair is not long enough, so. We have to limit ourselves to humming, I guess. This is so sad, Alexa play Despacito."

Nothing happens. Belatedly Taehyung remembers his bluetooth speaker is not an Alexa thing. Which is a good thing. He prefers it this way around.

Jeongguk gives him a questioning look that has Taehyung snorting.

"Forget it, it's nothing. It's a meme. You wouldn't know."

"Then maybe you gotta explain it to me."

"I'm not sure the world is ready for you to learn about memes," he mutters to himself.

Jeongguk is about to retort something, when he pulls his stick out of the flames and his eyes go round. "Oh-oh. My thing is burning, is- is that bad?"

"Yes!," Taehyung shrieks. "Quick, quick, blow it out, you can't eat burnt food."

"I probably could-"

"No no no, you'll get cancer!"

Jeongguk gives him a funny look then. "Taehyung. You can't 'get' cancers. They like to be left alone. Everybody knows it's stupid to pick up a cancer."

"No, not cancer as in, the flat snip-snip crabs, but the disease."

"Why would you name a disease after an animal? Sounds dumb to me. Also, that's bullying."

Taehyung throws his head back and groans. "No. Yes, I know. I mean. That's really not the point right now! Your entire stick is burning, will you please do something about it, I don't want you to get burnt!" 

Jeongguk has the audacity to roll his eyes. But, with a flick of his wrist, a bucket-worth of water floats over to them from the shore and goes down on not only Jeongguk's but both of their sticks in a loud splash, completely soaking the blanket too.

Taehyung splutters. "Great. Thanks. Uh, that is one way to do it, I guess. Seems like we'll have wet salty sea sausages for dinner."

He gingerly pulls off one of his sausages and nibbles on it. "Huh." He blinks. "It's not even that bad?"

They snack away on their almost-but-not-really roasted sausages. When it's time for the marshmallows - for Taehyung's version of s'mores - he gives Jeongguk an in-depth instruction on what not to do when roasting things. The mer listens with an amused little smile but nods anyway.

Turns out Jeongguk has a sweet tooth. He's inhaling the marshmallows faster than Taehyung can refill them. Taehyung can't even look as quick as they are gone, the mer holding out an empty stick, blinking at him with big innocent eyes and jutting out his lower lip again. Taehyung doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Settles for the first, simply because Jeongguk is too damn cute.

"Hey, can mer people get sick? Like, from eating too much?"

Jeongguk shakes his head, mouth already stuffed with the next serving. His fingers are coated with sticky sugar from how he keeps shoving more into his mouth than should be allowed to fit. "Nah." 

There is a little trail of marshmallow spit sauce running down his chin. Taehyung thinks he really must be madly in love with the mer if he finds the sight cute instead of disgusting. But alas, he just stretches out a hand to wipe the mess off Jeongguk's face with an endeared smile.

"That's so mean," he says, still smiling. "You can stuff yourself with so much unhealthy crap and not even feel the consequences. Well, at least I don't need to worry about you laying awake and puking your guts out tonight, I guess."

Jeongguk nods enthusiastically and shoves another marshmallow in his mouth. Taehyung sighs and shakes his head.

Taehyung is running very late for dinner with his landlords but he swears it's not his fault.

Not at all, not when after Jeongguk finally stopped gorging himself on sweets and cleaned his face and hands, all it took was one swipe of his still sugar-coated tongue to have his lips glistening enticingly. Especially with the glow of the flames sparkling on them. And. It's been half a year since they met. Taehyung came here in spring and now it's the middle of autumn. He is officially done waiting. 

And. He warned Jeongguk that he wants lots of kisses tonight. So it's not even a surprise attack by definition, really.

He pounces.

There is no plan to his actions, he doesn't know what he's doing. Just. He really wants to know how sweet Jeongguk's lips taste now. So when the mer turns to him with the most happy and excited look on his face, opening his mouth to say something, Taehyung's hand darts out to grab the back of his head and pull him in instead.

"Wh-"

Jeongguk doesn't get to finish a single word before Taehyung is pressing their mouths together. He swipes his tongue over Jeongguk's lip, hungry after being denied for so long. Gosh, those lips. And that stupid, stupid mole sitting right below them. Taehyung had been staring at it all night. With the flickering light of their fire it seemed like the cute little dot was dancing, mocking him.

He is about to deepen the kiss when he notices that Jeongguk has stopped moving completely. T

aehyung reluctantly pulls away.

"Sorry, I, uh." He clears his throat. "I should have just... that was kinda, yeah, well."

He doesn't even know what he wants to say, but Jeongguk hasn't kissed back and that's never a good sign. He should probably apologise some more for coming at him like this. 

Except.

Jeongguk is shaking his head now, features all soft and pretty in the warm light of the fire, eyes sparkling like there are fireworks going off in their depths.

"No, it's. It's okay. I was just surprised."

Taehyung's grip on the mer's hair subconsciously tightens, mouth hanging slightly open. He blinks furiously. "It's... it's okay?"

"Yeah." Their voices have dwindled down to a hush so low it's easily overpowered by the crackling fire. Jeongguk lifts his hand and cradles Taehyung's face in it, thumb slowly swiping over his lip, nail digging into the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, of course it's okay. And this time I know it's all you."

Taehyung huffs. Gives a timid lick to the pad of Jeongguk's thumb then places a feather-light kiss there. The fireworks in the mer's eyes wink out one after another until an alluring darkness takes their place. Taehyung can't look away. Jeongguk always had the most expressive eyes. So, so beautiful. "It's always been all me, dumbass," he mutters.

The mer's mouth lifts into a tender smile. "I had to be sure. A siren's song can mess with human heads a lot."

"Yeah, well. There is nothing messing with my head now except for your general gorgeous presence, so. Are you going to finally kiss me now?"

Jeongguk hums. And Taehyung can't help himself, he stretches out his other hand to rest his palm right on top of the mer's fluttering gills. 

"You really like them, don't you," the mer asks while leaning in and nosing up Taehyung's exposed collarbone. "You keep touching all the time."

Taehyung runs a finger over the delicate tissue. "Yeah. They are so cute. And I just love feeling you against me in any way."

Jeongguk peppers kisses up Taehyung's neck that barely touch the skin yet scorch him in the best way, climbing up to his jaw, nipping at one of the studs in Taehyung's ear, then stays there, humming again. His gills scratch against Taehyung's neck on one side and flutter under his still cupped hand on the other side of Jeongguk's neck.

"You know, I'm not exactly experienced in this," he murmurs right into Taehyung's ear.

Taehyung loosens his grip on the mer's hair to card a gentle hand through the long strands in what he hopes to be a calming gesture.

"You are doing pretty well, actually," he promises. "Besides, there is not much you could do wrong. Just go with what feels right. But if you want, I can guide you a little bit."

"Hmm."

Taehyung takes his other hand off Jeongguk's neck to run a finger up his chin and turn his head until their noses are almost touching. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, okay. Show me."

Taehyung smiles. Pecks one corner of Jeongguk's mouth, then the other, then brings both hands up to carefully grasp his face and places kisses on the mer's fluttering eyelashes. With a sigh, Jeongguk melts into him.

Taehyung keeps smiling while he kisses the stars etched into the skin under Jeongguk's eyes. While he trails back down and presses their lips together in a languid kiss, the mer soon copying the movement until they are caressing each other like lazy summer waves in the afternoon splashing around a rock. He can't help it, not when Jeongguk is so soft with him, so open and vulnerable. The smile stays on his face and doesn't leave.

It's a first kiss unlike anything he experienced before.

Granted, there haven't been many first kisses before Jeongguk, with the dating ban of the company, his always tight schedule and everything. But with Jeongguk it's just so different. Everything is more intense, every emotion runs deeper with the mer. Taehyung didn't know he could feel that much at once. He takes it all, greedily sucks it up to the last drop, even when his heart feels so full it might burst already.

They get lost in each other, the campfire under the now black clouds their only witness. Jeongguk is quick to grow more confident, hand sliding into Taehyung's hair and tilting his head. With each tentative lick and the answering push of Taehyung's tongue against his he becomes bolder, and soon he is laying down on his back, pulling Taehyung on top of him.

Taehyung loves it. Eagerly mirrors every passionate suck and bite, hands roaming all over the mer's body until one of them gets entangled in his lovely body chains.

The fire was a great idea. Especially now, when Taehyung can still see Jeongguk despite the darkness that has fallen all around them. And what a sight he is. Jeongguk looks so, so pretty. With his lips kissed swollen, face and chest flushed all beautifully, black hair splayed out around his head like a dark halo, the silver adorning his body twinkling with each heave of his chest. The stars both under and in his eyes are dancing to a song only the both of them know. 

The sexiest thing however, is the way Jeongguk furrows his brows every time before surging up to kiss Taehyung some more, kiss him deeper still than before.

Taehyung loves it all. And he has zero remorse about missing dinner with his landlords.

Because this, having Jeongguk finally yield everything to him, having him unravel right beneath his hands - and alongside all the passion bearing witness to the never-ending adoration the mer has for him in the way his grip never gets too tight, touch always remaining gentle with him and in the way all the lovely names keep tumbling from his lips - it feels like two souls coming home to each other.

Taehyung doesn't want to ever let go.

Chapter Text

English | noun

♦making unexpected discoveries by luck; good fortune; finding something good without looking for it

Jimin, unsurprisingly, is rather furious about Taehyung missing dinner. And a furious Jimin is a terrifying Jimin. Taehyung has gleaned as much a few times before. It feeds into Hoseok's theory that smaller people are prone to develop anger issues, and into his own theory that sunshine personality people are scariest when angered.

Still, Taehyung doesn't have it in him to be afraid of Jimin. He is immune to all negativity right now, still riding the high of that kiss. Jimin can berate him half an hour more, he doesn't care. Jeongguk kissed him! Well. He kissed Jeongguk. But those are semantics. They kissed! This is literally all that matters to him right now.

He doesn't even mind when Jimin starts to throw bits of carrot at him and a few pieces make a home in his hair - he is still so gone.

With not much of a choice left, the landlord finally gives up and begrudgingly lets Taehyung have his incredibly late dinner. Even stays behind so he doesn't have to eat alone and tells Taehyung about their catch of the day.

Yoongi on the other hand has long since left, together with cat Yoongi whom he'd picked up and wrapped around his neck like a tiny stole. Has taken one look at Taehyung's besotted expression, rolled his eyes and trotted upstairs.

Taehyung can't even tell what he's currently having for dinner. Everything not Jeongguk, Jeongguk, Jeongguk fails to register in his head. He just has the vague sense that he is eating and that eventually his plate must be empty for the space in front of him is now bare and Jimin is suddenly standing at the sink, scrubbing something. Huh. He smacks his lips together and belatedly comes to the realisation that yes, this tastes like fish. Probably. Figures, they are in a fishermen's village.

Long after dinner Taehyung still can't find it in himself to calm down. Jeongguk is taking up every crevice of his mind, heart and soul. His sweet lips, sturdy chest, gentle hands and greedy tongue. His everything. The way they have been so perfect together on the beach.

The pictures, the shadows of those intense sensations keep Taehyung awake and his skin tingling at the mere thought of Jeongguk fitting their lips together, licking into his mouth. At the memory of a slightly panting Jeongguk underneath him, illuminated by nothing but their camp fire.

Taehyung resists. Takes his twitching hand away from his lap and stays put, ignoring the raging boner pressing against its confines. It would be wrong. As if he'd betray Jeongguk when he'd get off to the mere thought of him, without the real Jeongguk there to share the moment. No. No will do. Taehyung will wait and practice himself in abstinence. It should be easy - in theory. He's been doing good for such a long time now. Has barely slept around, can probably count the times he revelled in his own touch in the past three years on one hand. Yeah, this should be easy.

If only it weren't for Jeongguk.

Taehyung already regrets his choice. Alas, he is stubborn. As soon as he notices his self-restraint fading, his primitive monkey brain or whatever switches into competitive mode. He can do this. He will prove to himself that he can. 

With a grunt and his brows furrowed so harshly it hurts, he crawls under the blanket.

"I'm going to sleep now," he mutters into the late night. "I will sleep. Yes, I'm sleeping now! Sleeping. Uhum."

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At the same time, hidden away in his cave, Jeongguk ponders the sea - as he does so often. Like any mer ought to. The sea is a ferocious, lovely thing. Like a cat, as far as he understands these creatures from what Taehyung has told him. And from that one encounter he had.

Wild and unpredictable, with its own mind, yet enrapturing with its beauty in a way that makes it impossible to stay mad at it for long.
He's had a good laugh back when the storm had come for Nakseongdae and Taehyung had told him about how the fishermen he's staying with said they knew what to expect from the sea with a mere look in the sky.

Had laughed, because it simply was one of humanity's greatest faults, as he learnt over the decades - the arrogant assumption that they know so much and have everything figured out. A sailor can spend his entire life at sea and claim to know it all, yet still be thrown by its antics.

As if something as ancient and boundless as the sea would ever become predictable. What a silly idea. Typical human.

He turns around in the sand until he has shifted onto his side and can see what his fingers are doing. Can follow his own movements as the sharp nails draw swirls and spirals in the sand. Wave patterns of all kind that, for once, don't remind him of the sea. But of Taehyung's damp hair on the beach a few hours ago.

His musing about the sea comes to an abrupt halt like that. Until now he's done quite a remarkable job not thinking of this evening, not sure what to do with himself and that warmth flooding his body. But this, a few mindless lines in the sand, is all it takes for his mind to stray off-course.

"Taehyung," he murmurs in tandem with the gurgling waves. Tastes his favourite name a few more times, his far-away siblings being the only witnesses to it as they peek through the hole in the cave's ceiling, myriads of twinkling dots. "My pretty, pretty Taehyung."

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"Hi!"

Taehyung is breathless before he even reaches the mer, cheeks hurting from the broad smile he dons. He is giddy. Has been skipping on his whole way from the house down to the pier. He doesn't think twice about gripping the railing and swinging around, trusting that Jeongguk will catch him one way or another.

The mer does. A bout of water cushions his fall and in the next moment, Taehyung finds himself in the secure arms he's come to adore so much.

"Good morning, Taehyung."

Jeongguk brushes his forehead with his lips and lingers long enough for Taehyung to feel the warm smile on his skin. "What are we doing today?"

It's a simple question yet Taehyung finds himself marvelling at it. At the way Jeongguk puts so much trust in him and lets him decide how they - not him, but they, the both of them - will spend the day. There is not an ounce of doubt or hesitation in his voice, as if it doesn't matter what Taehyung declares, he'll readily agree to anything. It's such a far cry from the early stage of their acquaintance back when the mer refused to get within ten metres close to him and kept eyeing him as if expecting Taehyung to spring a trap at him any second. And now here they are. They've come a long way since then.

Taehyung chides himself for the stupid tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and throws his arms around the mer to press impossibly closer and playfully nip at the other's lip. He grins.

"Surprise me."

The smile he gets in return, coupled with a claw sneaking under his shirt and ghosting up his side is nothing short of wicked.

He soon gets to know why.

Turns out, kissing Jeongguk at the beach is great - but kissing him underwater is even better! As long as Taehyung's lips don't leave Jeongguk's, they can stay underwater for several minutes, the mer breathing through his gills for the both of them and pushing the air right back into Taehyung's hungry mouth until it fills his lungs and allows him to stay submerged just that much longer.

It's not ideal.

Usually, as far as Taehyung is concerned at least, kissing means that you pull away every now and then, and if it's just to change the angle or switch up the pace. Keeping a constant connection to Jeongguk without any water coming in between and flooding his wind pipes requires more concentration and restraint than he thought. And even with their clever thinking it's not a stunt they can do for too long because Jeongguk's gills simply are not meant to supply two fully grown men with oxygen at the same time.

However. That doesn't take away from how very fucking epic the experience is!

Jeongguk brought him somewhere different today. Taehyung has not the slightest clue where they are but that colourful coral reef he's gently pressed against surely doesn't look like the bay of Nakseongdae anymore. They are somewhere out in the open sea he thinks, for every time they have to get up and catch some actual breath, he only sees the shadows of some island or coastline at the horizon in one direction and in the other nothing but endless blue.

"Are you okay?" The mer has one of Taehyung's cheeks cradled in his hand, gaze imploring as he studies Taehyung's face for any sign of discomfort, both of their chests heaving.

His eyes are dark pools of ink today again. Taehyung glances to the side and notices how little spots of white and gold glitter on the tranquil water surface. He shifts, turns his body away so Jeongguk has no choice but to follow along if he wants to keep the eye contact. It doesn't even take two seconds for him to do so. Taehyung smiles and shifts a bit more, the mer moving with him  until he's got him in the spot he wants, sunlight catching in Jeongguk's eyes and turning them the most vibrant deep blue.

Pretty, pretty, pretty.

Though Jeongguk's eyes always are stunning to look at. Whether they are of their usual unnatural blackness, or shining bright blue in the sunlight, or glittering with the silver of molten stars at night. His favourite eyes in the world. (And he's come across quite some beautiful eyes in the idol industry. Yet none of them are a match to Jeongguk. None.)

Taehyung stares until Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows and nudges his calf with his tail. 

"Taehyung?"

He blinks. "Huh? I mean, uh, yeah."

Jeongguk flicks his forehead and pouts. "Don't ignore me when I'm asking you about your wellbeing, pearl. I get worried about you quickly."

"Sorry," Taehyung says around a soft laugh and tugs the mer's hand back to his cheek, only to turn his face and plant a kiss square onto Jeongguk's palm. "I'm fine, promise. Just got a little-" he interrupts himself to thumb along the tiny stars under Jeongguk's left eye- "distracted."

The mer flutters his eyes closed so his wet lashes brush against Taehyung's thumb.

"Distracted by me?"

Taehyung hums, watches how those most magnificent eyes blink open again and turn from black to blue within a breath as soon as the sunlight hits them right. Forever enraptured.

The corners of Jeongguk's mouth tug up into a satisfied little smile. "Good."

Taehyung chuckles. Pinches the tip of Jeonguk's nose. "Someone is full of himself."

"Nah." The mer playfully snaps with his teeth after Taehyung's hand. "Just full of you."

Taehyung groans, body shaking as his head drops onto the mer's shoulder. "Please don't say it like that."

"Why not?" Jeongguk turns his head until his nose nudges behind Taehyung's ear. Then Taehyung feels something wet against his neck, the sensation lasting too long to be not purposeful. Oh god. His grip around Jeongguk's waist tightens.

"Because I easily get bad ideas," he admits. "Especially when you do things like this."

Jeongguk nips at the spot where his tongue has been before in a way that promises to leave a bruise. "Like what?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"Hmmm." 

The vibration tickles on Taehyung's skin. It has him torn between giggling and heaving out a shuddering breath.

"What kind of bad?"

His hands slip down from the mer's waist until they rest on a firm butt covered in blue and green scales, fingers splaying out. "The naughty kind," he admits, voice dropping lower on its own accord.

"Oh?"

"Mhm."

"Well." Jeongguk presses back into Taehyung's hold, gets one hand into Taehyung's hair and gently tugs him out of the crook of his neck just far enough to brush their noses together. He places a peck on Taehyung's upper lip, then the corner of his mouth, his chin, his cupid's bow, the other corner. "I mean. "Sounds... interesting?"

Taehyung almost chokes.

But Jeongguk already continues. "As long as it's with you, I'm ready to try out a lot of things. There is still so much I don't know."

Taehyung squeezes his eyes shut and bites down on his lip, hard. Tries to fight down the flood of pictures his mind conjures of a panting, naked Jeongguk under him, over him, everywhere. He's shivering everywhere and it has nothing to do with the autumn wind. Overkill.

"Jeonggukkie," he presses out through gritted teeth. His eyebrows are furrowed so much it hurts. "You really shouldn't say things like that without a proper warning. It's not good for my heart."

He shouldn't have said it like that.

Immediately, the mer pulls away and then leans down to press an ear against Taehyung's chest.

"It sounds okay to me, though. Maybe a little fast," he diagnoses.

Taehyung shakes his head, runs a hand through his hair and laughs. "No, baby. That's not what I meant."

Jeongguk blinks up at him, then licks his lips. He tilts his head. "Baby?"

Taehyung explodes. "I, no, I meant, well..."

"Is that what you want to call me?"

"Uh, well..."

A slow smile spreads on Jeongguk's face that grows by the second until it's that splendid, radiant thing.

And. There is only so much a man can take.

Taehyung takes one look at the precious smile and caves like the hopeless loser he is when it comes to Jeongguk.

"...Yeah, maybe," he mutters into the charged space between them.

Jeongguk hums and pulls Taehyung back against him until they are once more chest to chest. He twirls a strand of Taehyung's hair around his finger and watches it slip off, then tucks it behind the shell of his ear, nails slightly scratching there in a soothing motion. 

"I like it. You're my treasure and I'm your baby."

A strangled noise claws its way up Taehyung's throat. He is so going to die. Jeongguk is going to kill him without even knowing. He'll just drop dead due to heart failure someday soon and it's going to be all Jeongguk's fault.

But Jeongguk merely gives him one of those warm smiles that stands in such a stark contrast to the raging heat filling out Taehyung's veins. It has him melting in a completely different way. The mer bumps their noses together again, then peppers Taehyung's face with kisses before coming back to his mouth and licking back in with a boldness Taehyung wouldn't have expected of him two days ago.

Although... maybe Jeongguk has always been on the bold side. Considering how everybody believes merpeople are a myth, getting close to humans must be a rare and extremely risky thing for them. So maybe the way Jeongguk now swallows every sound Taehyung makes shouldn't come as a surprise at all, he thinks. 

Before the mer pulls them back underwater and towards that lively coral reef bursting with colour, streams of tiny bubbles blubbering out of his gills already as their mouths stay locked, needy for more.

"So..." They are back in their secret bay, Taehyung perched on one of the stone ledges and Jeongguk hovering between his spread legs. His hands running up and down Taehyung's clothed legs nonstop, head tilting up every few minutes to demand more kisses. Taehyung sighs into the mer's mouth - then pulls back and sighs again, heavier this time, shoulders slumping. He shivers when the autumn wind sneaks under his shirt, the sensation there much less welcome than the delicate touch of Jeongguk's hands. "I don't know how to tell you this, really."

That single sentence is enough for the mer to grip at the rock hard enough for his nails to make a scratching noise as they dig into the surface, arms tensing, body lifting out of the water, entire streams running down his skin and splashing on Taehyung where Jeongguk is all in his face now. He's pressing closer still, arms caging Taehyung on both sides in the most protective way he's ever felt. Taehyung can feel the words on his face when the mer speaks, that's how close they are. The sea water seeps into Taehyung's trousers where a powerful tail is now forcing them apart.

"What's wrong."

It's in the way Jeongguk doesn't say it as a question but rather demands the answer with no space for arguments. As if anything that could cause Taehyung whatever kind of discomfort is completely out of option and to be taken care off immediately. They say it's not what you say but how you say it. And man, Taehyung couldn't agree more. Has rarely ever witnessed such a prime example.

Alas, he should probably pacify his- are they boyfriends? Is that the term to use now? His Jeongguk. He already has a look of grim determination on his face that promises violence if need be.

"No, no, nothing is wrong," Taehyung vows. Raises a hand to Jeongguk's head and starts rubbing calming circles into his scalp. The mer relaxes, if only by a fraction, his gaze still wary. Taehyung smiles. "It's just. I have to go for a few days. And I really don't want to." He pouts.

"Why?"

The word comes out as a whine, such a stark contrast to the wild expression from before it takes Taehyung a moment to register the change. To understand the question.

"Oh. Hm, well, you see, it's my mother's birthday. And as I'm off schedule right now, it's my first chance in years to go visit her on that day. Do you know what a birthday is, Gguk?"

The mer frowns. Pulls one hand out of the stone that's counting ten new holes the width of a finger each and pokes Taehyung's chest. "Why are you calling me that?"

Uhm. Taehyung tries to distract from his instantly burning face with a not really annoyed sigh but he has a feeling he's failing spectacularly.

"Do you know what a birthday is... baby?"

Jeongguk hums. "Better."

Taehyung shakes his head. He'd like to reinforce his words from earlier about how Jeongguk is going to be the death of him, please. How is he supposed to survive when he's not allowed to call the mer anything else but his apparently new favourite pet name?

And Jeongguk must understand Taehyung's internal struggle at least to some degree, because his smile is a little too knowing for Taehyung's liking.

"But yeah, I know about birthdays. It means staying up the entire night and trying to remember what once has been while looking at the stars. And if you can't see them, you have to go someplace where you can. And every decade you meet up with your family and they tell you about all the great things you've done in those past ten years."

He's nodding along to his explanation like some wise professor who is confirming fundamental knowledge.

Taehyung huffs in amusement. "Yeah, that sounds interesting too."

Jeongguk tilts his head. "Wait. So you don't watch the stars all night on your birthday?"

"Uhh, no."

"Why not?"

Taehyung purses his lips. That's... a good question, actually. Why don't they watch the stars at every given chance? All the little Jeongguks up there?

"I don't know. I have no excuse, really," he admits.

"Maybe you humans should step up your birthday game."

"Hmm. Maybe we should."

Jeongguk's hands are back on his thighs, slowly kneading them, and, bless. How is Taehyung supposed to leave like this?

"How long will you be gone?"

He shrugs, pouts again. "Two days? Three? I don't know if mum has planned anything special. Or rather if dad succeeded putting one of his strange ideas into motion for once."

"Will you be close to the sea?"

Taehyung shakes his head and mutters an excuse. "No. 'm afraid not."

They don't need to elaborate further on it. It's crystal-clear what's left unsaid here: that Taehyung doesn't want to miss Jeongguk's company and that Jeongguk hates being out of touch with him.

"When are you going?"

"Uhh..." Taehyung gnaws at his lip. "Well, tomorrow?" 

"TOM-"

Jeongguk splutters. His hands are trembling. "Tomorrow?!," he whisper-yells. "And you are telling me only now?"

"I was distracted, in case you weren't aware," Taehyung hisses back. Indeed he was. It's so, so easy to get distracted and forget an entire world exists when he's - gosh - when he's kissing Jeongguk.

"But still!"

They keep bickering about it for a while longer before they realise that to be a poor way to spend their suddenly limited time together. But when Jeongguk makes to drag Taehyung back in the water, he declines with a foot pushing the mer away.

"No, no more water for me. My toes have already turned into sponges, see?" he whines, wiggling his puffy, wrinkled toes in Jeongguk's face.

Jeongguk just laughs, pulls him off the rock anyway and then, mouth once again locked with Taehyung's, underwater. He leads them closer to the cliffs until there comes an opening in view and they are diving into a motherfucking cave, are you fucking-

"What the fuck," Taehyung blurts, inhales a mouthful of water and immediately gets a severe case of The Choking of Death.

Jeongguk swiftly pushes them through the entrance and up, bedding Taehyung on something soft and then flicks his wrist or something - it's not like Taehyung can pay close attention as he is too busy choking on seawater and hyperventilating because they are in a fucking cave and this cave absolutely wasn't here before, he's sure he would have noticed it at some point and what's even-

Whatever Jeongguk did, the water is pulling itself out of Taehyung's airways, pushing against the back of his teeth until he opens his mouth wide and it slips out in a big bubble before splashing back into the sea.

Wow. That felt weird.

There is so much weirdness about this whole situation Taehyung doesn't even know where to start.

"What, when, I mean how, I mean, also thank you I guess, but I told you no, also what the fuck, where does this even, I mean did you- I mean didn't we- and, like, what-"

"So, I was a bit bored last night," the mer mumbles, fidgeting.

Taehyung takes the time to look around properly at last. The cave itself is not all that big, maybe about the size of Jimin's and Yoongi's house. Which isn't tiny. But for cave standards, he supposes, it's rather small. The back part is also shrouded in darkness, like the front might be as well if it weren't for a few holes high up in the stone that are too regular to be natural. They also all have about the same size. Just like-

He eyes the holes, looks down at Jeongguk's hands, looks back at the holes. 

"Did you really-" He doesn't finish the question, the mer's entire face and chest already flushing bright red.

"I, well, maybe?"

Taehyung tries to picture Jeongguk riding on a wave and punching hole after hole in the wall. He snickers. What the hell. This shouldn't be as funny as it is. The stone is like, how thick? And just with bare hands... He shakes his head. Insane is what it is.

Most of the cave's ground is also covered in a generous layer of sand and, in some calculated spots, seaweed or something similar which he doubts has been originally here. The stone itself that the cave is made of is a rough, jagged kind of thing. But, and this is by far the most endearing part of it, every sharp peak is covered with a mussel, moss or coral. They come in all shapes and colours, some patches of moss even bioluminescent. If he squints a bit, it looks like a kid has gone bonkers and thrown confetti everywhere. Cute. As. Fuck.

Taehyung coos.

"Last night?," he confirms. Jeongguk nods meekly. Taehyung hums. This is what the mer can do in one single night. Just, wow. He turned a dark rat hole into something that's almost... cosy. In a naive way. There is light, the sand beneath him is soft, he's holding a huge pink sea shell in his hand, and the water of the small pond could rival a hot bath in a tub, the unnatural heat radiating from the water and warming the usually dark, wet, cold stone walls.

"Isn't such a strong temperature play bad for the ecosystem here though," he can't help but say out loud.

Jeongguk cocks his head. "I am the ecosystem."

Taehyung purses his lips and nods. That's some level of self-esteem he wants. Then he breaks out into a wide grin. "It's really pretty, Gguk. I mean baby," he hastily adds, together with a chuckle.

"...You think so?"

"Yeah. Although, why did you bring me here?"

Jeongguk thumbs alongside the back of his left knee and Taehyung almost kicks him in the face out of reflex.

"Because you were cold."

"Huh." He was. Did he shiver? He probably did. "But I've been cold before, sometimes. Only a little bit, not much, I promise," he says at the alarmed expression on the mer's face. "So, yeah. Why?"

Jeongguk mutters his answer so faintly his gills are moving more than his mouth. Which in itself adds a whole new level of absurdity to all of this.

"Hm, what?"

"I said we weren't that, uh, familiar back then."

Taehyung doesn't even attempt to stop the laugh bursting out of him. "Fa-familiar?! Really, Gguk? It's called kissing. Kissing!"

Jeongguk, bless him, whines some more. "I know what it's called, I've read stuff about it with you, okay?! I just didn't want to, like, say it so bluntly."

"Oh gosh." Taehyung is still snickering. "Come here. You are too cute for your own good." He makes grabby hands at Jeongguk until the mer shifts onto his side and then proceeds to roll out of the water and into the nook filled with sand, like a barrel of ale. By the time he reaches a howling Taehyung, he is covered with wet sand from head to fin and looks very much like a breaded fish. Taehyung brushes the crust off his face as good as he can but the kiss they share next still ends up being a bit beachy.

"You are such a dumbass," he chuckles, slaps Jeongguk's sand-caked chest and kisses him some more.

"Always glad to be at your service," the mer quips and nips one of Taehyung's earlobes.

"Idiot."

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Talking bad things into seemingly good things is an art form Jeongguk didn't master yet.

His parents though are grandmasters in that matter as he learnt early-on, although in very different ways - Namjoon always getting philosophical until he has dissected the originally Bad Thing's purpose on a molecular level whereas Seokjin always, always finds away to make things about himself. But Jeongguk? He's not that good at it. If some major problem occurs then he continues seeing it as such and sulks and throws a tantrum until it's gone.

Except this time. This time, he sees the Yin in the Yang... or was it the other way around?

Anyway! After some deep thinking, he comes to the conclusion there is exactly one upturn to Taehyung leaving. And that is, that it gives Jeongguk the time to make a visit. If he there is no way to keep a watchful eye on his pearl with how far off the coast he'll be, then Jeongguk better spends the time doing something useful. Like, asking his parents for some more advice on this and that - on anything Taehyung-related, really.

So after a very, very reluctant parting on both ends, and after making Taehyung promise to come to the sea as soon as he is back in Nakseongdae, Jeongguk sets off. For a moment he considers asking the sea to watch the village for him while he is gone, then he remembers that oh, right, Taehyung is not there, and abandons the idea. The foul-hearted villagers can rot at the bottom of the mariana trench for all he cares.

His trip to the archipelago doesn't seem to take forever this time. Maybe it's because he knows he doesn't have to be back by dawn, knows that he isn't in a rush. Huh. Both time and speed are really just an illusion.

That's how it feels like he has been on his way for half an hour maximum once a familiar huge coral reef in hues of pink, orange and red comes into view when actually he's been swimming for the better part of the night.

He doesn't even make it through the first set of underwater stone arches before a familiar figure barrels into him. Just like Seokjin has sensed him miles ago, he'd known of the older's presence all too well too. But Jeongguk stays put, feigns a surprised shout and lets the other have his moment. Further ahead, past a few more stone arches that litter the seabed like an irregular colonnade, Namjoon watches the both of them with crossed arms and shakes his head, smiling fondly.

"Look who is here, Joonie! Our little stray came to pay a visit so soon again, we raised him well," the mer shouts and wipes a fake tear away, pink tail already wrapping around Jeongguk's and pulling him along.

Namjoon only sighs and gives an apologetic pat to his shoulder when they pass by, Seokjin chatting animatedly while they make their way into the grotto.

"You redecorated," is the first thing Jeongguk says once they have passed the long tunnel.

They did. Last time he's been here, he swears there have been more smoothed rocks peeking out of the water, the perfect size to lounge on. Now they are gone and the grotto looks much spacier. Also there is a new little waterfall across from the other.

"Yah!" Seokjin swats his chest. "That's the first thing you say? No 'hello dad how are you' or anything? The nerves of those youngsters nowadays..."

"Well, if you'd given me the chance to say anything in between your essay on the archipelago's stubbornness to accept your imported hot pink corals then maybe I would have."

"The audacity!"

They keep bickering back and forth for quite a while before the topic inevitably shifts to merfolk gossip (the one topic Seokjin likes to talk about aside from everything concerning himself or his mate's clumsiness). And so there comes a point when they are chilling behind the new waterfall - "if we have them, we gotta utilise them" - and have to shout against the noise, when Namjoon asks Jeongguk about the shifting, Seokjin eagerly leaning forward to not miss Jeongguk's answer.

It takes the younger a solid minute to work out how they know. To remember that 'the talk of the sea' is to be taken literally, as that strange mermaid confirmed to him weeks ago. The sea, it seems, is quite a talker these days.

"Busybody," he mutters. And he could've sworn the water itself chuckled around him.

Before he can get into any kind of explanation, however, Seokjin - who was the one insisting on going to the waterfall in the first place - announces that they better go somewhere less noisy. So they do.

"Alright, Jeonggukie, tell me," the mer urges once they got settled in a web of corals. "How does it work? Does it hurt, the shifting?"

Jeongguk shrugs, then nods. Why should he lie?

"Yes."

"How so?"

"Feels like a wicked blade is cutting me in half from the fins upwards." He halts, frowns, thinks about how to best describe it. "Not one of those flimsy things we sometimes find nowadays, but a real weapon made to kill and dismember. An old one. Like the one you showed me, like, eleven decades ago. And then my scales are pushing through skin, and back, as if slitting me open in a hundred different places at once. Except there is no blood coming out. That's what makes it so weird. There is no physical indication of the pain I am in, or the breaking of my body. It just happens, without any kind of disturbing visual evidence that would be expected. No blood, no bones jutting out somewhere, no open flesh."

Next to him, both his parents look rather pale at the mention of blood and bones. Jeongguk gives a quick apology yet doesn't fail to add that they asked about it.

"Yeah," Namjoon sighs, "I suppose we did. Please, go on."

"Right. So. If you think about that strange lack of, uh, ugly things to come along with the shift, it's almost a clean process. Except for the pain, of course."

Seokjin swallows. His pink tail twitches, bulky scars catching Jeongguk's attention for a moment. "Pain?"

"Ah, yeah. The first time I shifted I thought I was going insane from it. Felt like forever before it was finally over."

It's Namjoon who reacts this time, one arm stretched around Jeongguk to soothingly run up and down Seokjin's side. "Does it ever get better?"

A shake of his head is Jeongguk's answer. "No. I just get better at ignoring it. Train myself to grow accustomed to the feeling, you know?"

"I hate this. I hate him," Seokjin seethes, hands balled to fists. "That human. I hate him for what you have to endure because of him."

Jeongguk sighs. He called it. Of course Seokjin isn't very fond of Taehyung. With him being human and all. It's to be expected. He glances at some of the crueller scars running down the pink and blue tail, then scowls.

"You have no ground to hate my love, hyung. I chose this. He never asked me for it. I made my choice and went to the heart of the sea. She too warned me there would be a cost for such silly wishes yet I insisted. Do not hold something against him that he never dared to ask for."

Seokjin huffs and turns away, arms crossed.

On his other side, Namjoon gives him a warm smile. "He really means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

Well. That's an easy yes.

"Of course! I don't make bargains with the sea for just anybody. My Taehyung is special."

Namjoon hums and squeezes his shoulder.

"You really shouldn't encourage him," Seokjin hisses but his mate shushes him with a flick of his large, burning orange fin.

"Oh, hush, don't you see that our boy is deeply in love?"

Maybe Jeongguk's cheeks burn a bit at that.

They go on a swim together and forget about the matter for a while. Until Jeongguk slinks up to Namjoon in hopes that Seokjin for once won't overhear them.

"So, uh," he starts, looking anywhere but his dad's face, "about humans. I mean, Taehyung. I mean, humans in general, obviously."

Somewhere behind them, Seokjin snorts. "Humans in general, my ass."

Jeonguk rolls his eyes. Of course he heard.

In the meanwhile, Namjoon is waiting patiently for him to make his point. So he does.

"Humans like pretty things, right?"

The other hums. Tilts his head from side to side. "Generally, yes. But some prefer practical things. At least that's what I heard."

"Practical?"

"Mhm. Something useful for them."

Jeongguk mulls it over. Thinks about all the little treasures he has in his cave and wonders if there is something amongst them that could be useful for Taehyung.

...Maybe there is. Maybe he's got an idea.

"So, like, something to keep him safe?" he checks, just to be sure.

"No!" Seokjin snaps and crosses the space between them. A razor-sharp claw pokes against Jeongguk's chest. "No. Humans are not for safe-keeping."

Namjoon pushes between them. "Babe-"

Seokjin harrumphs, then lifts his fin - the one littered with scars so brutal they never  fully healed, with chunks of the tissue missing at the edges where it didn't grow back - right in Namjoon's face.

The other runs loving fingers over the damaged tissue. "I know, love. But not all humans are like that."

"You can't know that. They cast you out too, or did you already forget? And you!" He swivels around to Jeongguk. "Stay away from humans, Jeonggukie. They are no good. Don't get familiar and repeat my mistakes, you hear me?"

Jeongguk doesn't really have much of a choice but to nod.

They get back to lighter topics then, and Seokjin talks Jeongguk into racing him thrice, his joyous laughter ringing through the ocean as he wins twice in a row. (Jeongguk lets him win. He knows all too well how sulky his dad gets when he loses a race. That's why Namjoon wisely doesn't participate in the first place - he'd beat them all by several tail lengths.)

Jeongguk also stays the night, tightly squeezed between the two mers like back when he was still a kid. Namjoon loudly snores into his ear, which is a welcomed distraction from his pondering on how to get Seokjin to be more tolerant towards humans - or at least one specific human.

At some point the snoring stops shortly and Namjoon mumbles, "You can't force things like that, Jeongguk-ah" before going back to sleep. 

Which convinces Jeongguk once more that his dad must at least be a part-time mind-reader. He always knows things.

It's creepy.

(It's also kind of cool.)

They are awoken by a wad of moss falling on Seokjin's face and the mer promptly shooting a large water dose towards the ceiling, ultimately loosening more moss until it rains down on all three of them, the mers spluttering and scurrying away.

It's enough to have them part ways on good terms instead of the tenseness from last night.

"I wish you all the best luck," Namjoon says while hugging Jeongguk tightly, Seokjin next to him sniffing about their kid leaving too soon.

Jeongguk smiles and hugs him right back. "Thank you."

Then he is off, to go and look for his latest acquaintance.

"You're in luck, child," is how Asterin greets him in the centre of nothing less but an entire underwater ice palace. "I just came back from my garden."

Jeongguk blinks. "Oh. Am I interrupting? Should I come back later?"

The grey hair floating around her shifts like a dust cloud as she shakes her head slowly. 

"No, it's alright. I had a feeling you'd come visit me soon."

Jeonguk frowns. Why is it that everyone always knows what's going on in his head these days? "You knew?"

The mermaid laughs, then motions him to follow her while swimming off into a tunnel with high ceiling, the frozen walls facetted and breaking the light in several places.

"No, I didn't know per say. But I don't find it surprising that you came to look for me with more questions about your human. Because that's why you're here, isn't it?"

Huh. Maybe not another mind-reader, then. Maybe he's just transparent as fuck.

"Yeah." Jeongguk nods. "I was wondering if, you see, I don't really know much about, uh, I wanted to ask-"

"If you can lend a book?"

"I mean I'm not even sure if you are the right person to ask but-" Jeongguk halts. "What?!"

"I hear you read a lot these days," Asterin supplies with a kind smile and reaches into one of the many holes in the crystal walls to indeed pull out a well-worn book. "Here. I think that's exactly what you wanted to know." She places the ice-sealed book into Jeongguk's palms, the younger gaping. "A while ago I met with an old friend and asked her if she still has this book and would be alright parting from it and she agreed. So I took it back here, for safekeeping until whenever you'd show up."

"I, thank you," Jeongguk stammers, not sure what it even is exactly that he is holding in his hands. He turns the book around to read what's written on the back and-

Oh.

That's.

"How did you know?"

Again, Asterin laughs. "If you are as old as me, little one, you get a feeling for the flow of things. And after a certain point, things just become predictable. But now go. Haven't you been away from your human way too long already?"

She all but shoos him out of her palace. And like that, their second meeting ends just as swiftly as the first. Jeongguk thanks her three more times before making his way back to Nakseongdae, the cold book pressed to his chest.

He can't wait to see Taehyung again.

And to try out all the things he might learn from Asterin's gift.

Chapter Text

Greek / English | noun

♦the low rumble of distant thunder

"Namjoonie-hyung, how do I craft a dagger?"

One of the many sponges his dad has been lovingly tending to falls out of his hand. Slowly, the mer turns to him. "Pardon?"

"A dagger," Jeongguk repeats, slightly out of breath from his sprint here. This time he's been fast enough for Seokjin to not sneak up on him.

"Why do you need a dagger? Has the sea ever failed you?"

"No, that's not-" Jeongguk huffs, picks up the sponge and places it back into Namjoon's palm. "You said humans like pretty or practical stuff, right?"

"...Yes...?"

"And I remembered I have that piece of, I don't know, that pretty stone you gave me for the fourth decade, that one that is not really white but different hues of all kinds of colours and seems to glow from within, you know?"

"They're called opals, Jeongguk-ah."

Jeongguk snaps his fingers. "Yes! That's the bitch!"

Namjoon blinks at him, mouth slightly agape. "Wh-what?"

A loud "Ha!" comes from their left. "I told you he's spending too much time with humans, I told you, but 'Nooo you're overreacting, Jinnie', well, would you look at that," Seokjin miffs when he slinks around the corner. "Oh, also nice of you to stop by so soon again." He gives a little finger-wave to Jeongguk.

Jeongguk rolls his eyes. "Yeah, good to see you too." Then he turns to his other dad. "So. Back to my dagger problem. How do I make a dagger out of the pretty stone?"

Both of his dads give him a long, judging look. Jeongguk frowns.

"What?"

"You do realise I'm the worst person to ask, yes?"

Jeongguk's frown deepens. "Why? You are the smartest mer in the entire world, you know everything!"

Seokjin cackles at the deep blush spreading all over Namjoon's face and elbows him in the side.

"Uh, be it as it may," the sand-haired mer splutters, giant orange fin curling around him like a blanket until most of him is covered up. "I'm still the wrong person to ask. Or did you forget that I'm a pacifist?"

"Yeah, well, if we look at it roughly I guess this place here still counts as the pacific," the youngster agrees, shrugging.

Seokjin breaks out into loud wheezes, burying his face in Namjoon's fin-clad shoulder as he's shaking with laughter. Namjoon on the other hand merely sighs once and then dons his explaining-dad expression. 

"Pacifist as in, I dislike violence, Gguk."

"Oh." Jeongguk pouts. "So, even if you'd know how to craft a dagger you wouldn't tell me?"

"That's correct."

"Even if the weapon is not for me but for the one I love?"

"Don't get weak now," Seokjin mutters into Namjoon's ear, expression hardening at the mention of Jeongguk's human.

Jeongguk flutters his eyelashes but to no avail. 

"No means no," Namjoon insists from behind his now even higher raised fin, voice muffled.

Well, yeah. If he can't see Jeongguk making pleading eyes then he doesn't have to worry about caving. Not fair.

"If you want to create a weapon, then you'll have to figure it out yourself. Although I'd prefer if you didn't try at all."

Still pouting, Jeongguk leaves. He knows a lost case when he sees one. (Sometimes.) Clutches the frozen book tighter to his chest and then, after the second goodbye to his dads within one day, hauls his ass back to Nakseongdae at last.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•
 

Taehyung smiles when he steers his car off the main road and down the bumpy path that leads to Nakseongdae. It's been three eventful and exhausting days.

Sure, celebrating his mom's birthdays together with his family has been fun. But also draining as fuck. He forgot that family birthdays don't just involves his siblings, parents and him - it involves the entire Kim clan. And everyone wanted a piece of The Kim Taehyung. He's been shaking hands for at least two hours straight. Now he feels like he needs a vacation from his vacation. 

And his daily dose of Jeongguk.

His grin widens at the thought of his favourite mer. Granted, the only mer he knows, but something tells him Jeongguk will always be his favourite. Yeah, he is biased and not too self-righteous to admit it.

Then he reaches Nakseongdae, slowly steering his trusty Genesis through the too small village streets and, ah. Right. That's why he hasn't taken any car rides since he's come here. The old streets are way too narrow for his car.

That wall there is coming way too close to his  left side-vision mirror for his liking. At this point he's creeping down the hill slower than walking pace. Clogging up the entire side street, much to the dismay of two kids who came around the corner ahead, took one sour look at him and turned back the way they came.

Excuse him for living in the twenty-first century and owning an according car.

He eventually makes it to his - lodging? Temporary second house? Holiday flat? He's not even sure how to call the arrangement he made with Jimin months ago. Parks his car in the designated spot to hopefully not be moved all too soon again, grabs his bag and skips to the house.

"Hi, welcome back-"

Taehyung swashbucklers up the stairs, throws his bag on the bed and all but flies back downstairs in more than one sense, almost missing a step and falling flat on his face. 'Almost' being the key word here.

"Hi, it's good to see you too," he rushes out, pulls Jimin into a very quick hug and is out the door already. "Talk to you later, gotta go now! Bye~"

Maybe the door falls shut behind him with a bit too much force but can you blame him? He's gone without seeing Jeongguk for three entire days. That's at least five days too many.

And because he may be excited as hell to meet the mer again, he doesn't have it in him to be subtle now. Is running around at full speed, for everyone to see and wonder about it. Maybe even get the idea of following him to the pier. Which would be a really bad move in regards of the whole Keep Jeongguk a Secret matter.

However, idol training sometimes comes in handy in the strangest ways. One thing they had to learn was to multitask and make quick decisions. A good thing. It has Taehyung registering that he's being suspicious as hell. So while he knows he can't tone it down right now, he can make the active decision to not take the most obvious and direct way to Jeongguk. Breathing pattern adjusting to a longer run, he takes a sharp turn to the right and makes a beeline to the forest. Up to the cliffs and in the general direction of their beach. Where there are no prying eyes on him. And boy, is he grateful to have picked up training in the summer again. Pre-beach-body-Taehyung would be wheezing already.

The trees he's passing by barely register as his feet keep hammering on the forest floor. Minutes pass, five, ten, more, until he reaches the edge of the cliffs. 

Love makes you do stupid things, they say.

Maybe that's why for a moment Taehyung contemplates just jumping down, trusting Jeongguk will be there to save him. 

He doesn't.

Remembers last second that, when Jeongguk doesn't expect him to do such a dumb thing, there'll be nothing to dampen his fall. And those rocks jutting out of the sea look very hard. Also, the water is probably super cold without a certain mer around to amp up the heat just for him. So yeah, he stays put and starts walking along the brink for a good twenty minutes before finding a place where the mass of stone dips down and it's not that high. There he makes his careful descent, the first time that he's rock-climbing. It's nerve-wracking. Maybe his palms are sweaty.

He makes it down in one piece and once he's got a good grip on a protruding bit of rock, leans down to wait for a wave to hit his outstretched hand.

Which. Doesn't happen. He's still a little too high up. 

With a huff, Taehyung gets into motion again and carefully climbs a bit lower to where the stone begins to get slippery. Once his left hand is buried into a crack where he really, really hopes doesn't live a spider or something, he tries again. This time he can touch the water surface.

And just like he hoped (like he craved), it doesn't take much time at all until he can see a big shadow racing towards him. He doesn't see Jeongguk swimming fast from a distance often. Usually the mer is already there, waiting for him. So the visual of that familiar shadow approaching at such a high speed, much faster than normal ships and probably also faster than those little racing thingies, is indeed impressive. Makes him wonder if they go that fast when Jeongguk brings them to the beach too. Because if yes, then, oh lord. Then Taehyung is not giving his body enough credit for not fainting from that high pressure. Or whatever usually happens when you go too fast and your body says 'Uhm, how about no'.

He hasn't finished the thought when the water splashes up his entire arm and he finds his hand no longer empty.

"I missed you," Jeongguk breathes as soon as his head breaches the water surface. His fingers warm where they slide between Taehyungs. 

Taehyung doesn't bother hiding his wobbly smile, squeezing Jeongguk's hand without a worry about his sharp nails. He knows the mer won't hurt him.

He opens his mouth to say it right back. But as he's about to take a deep breath, something small and quick with at least six spindly legs crawls over his other hand. With a loud yelp he pulls out of the stone crack, tumbles, and falls into the water - right on top of a wide-eyed Jeongguk.

The cold water crashes over his head and seeps into his clothes like a thousand icy needles, quickly pulling him down and numbing him before everything turns lukewarm. Immediately Jeongguk is everywhere, arms wrapping around him, tail looping around his legs and fins splaying out to cover everything else.

They come back up together, the mer a mixture of worry, confusion and amusement on his face. He waits with a raised eyebrow as Taehyung splutters out water.

"Sorry," he wheezes out at last. Can already feel his cheeks reddening. "There was a cockroach, or something."

"Of course."

"Yah, are you doubting my words?"

That's when the warm smile finally makes a home on Jeongguk's face. "Never," he vows and rubs their noses together. Followed by the first peck, and a second, and a third, and-

"Oh for fuck's sake, kiss me already," Taehyung grunts and digs his fingers into the mer's long hair, pulling him to his already open mouth.

This time however, Jeongguk barely humours him. Pulls away after a few seconds to cast a look around them.

"We shouldn't be in the open like this."

He lifts a finger to prod at one of Taehyung's new earrings.

"Beach or cave?"

Taehyung purses his lips, looks up to the steel-grey clouds. "Uh, cave?"

"Cave it is. Deep breaths, pearl."

Cave it is indeed. 

In the few days Taehyung hasn't been here, he almost missed it already.

Despite being originally a dark and wet place, as it is the nature of caves by the sea, thanks to Jeongguk's doing it had turned into an oddly cosy place. (The presence of one Jeongguk helps a lot, too, if he is being honest.)

There is a moss-covered stone ledge Jeongguk lifts him up to, the water having eaten its way beneath it and underwashed it for who knows how many metres. It's almost as if he's floating, hovering above the water licking deeper and deeper into old greyish-brown rock. Taehyung dangles his legs above the ledge, big grin all over his face as he keeps splashing water on a laughing Jeongguk.

The mers arms come up to loosely wrap around Taehyung's waist while he stays in the water, tail idly drifting under the rock.

"You having fun up there, pearl?"

Taehyung hums. Keeps grinning despite the light blush warming his cheeks.

"Immensely."

"Good," Jeongguk says. Lets go of Taehyung to prop his hands up on the stone slumbering beneath that thick layer of moss. He hoists himself up until they are eye-level  and he can give a peck to the tip of Taehyung's nose. It's a gesture cute enough to make his heart stutter.

Taehyung's grin turns soft around the edges.

"Hi," he breathes.

Wraps his hands around the mer's arms where they are encasing him, the strong muscles bulging.

Jeongguk's voice drops to that mellow thing, deeper and a little scratchy around the edges. Intimate. Taehyung doesn't miss the way Jeongguk's eyes flick down to his mouth and look a little sharper when they come up again.

"Hi to you too."

"Silly fish," Taehyung mutters. "You are not good for my poor heart."

"Likewise."

It's Jeongguk who gives in first this time. Who leans forward and connects their lips in a heated kiss that has Taehyung's toes curling. He gasps into the mer's mouth as air becomes sparse yet refuses to let go. Jeongguk notices. Of course he does. Slots their mouths together even firmer and sways a little as he shifts his weight from two arms to one, lifting a hand and burying it deep in Taehyung's hair. The air keeps coming, albeit thinner.

Taehyung doesn't know how long they sit there. How long their kiss is searing him in the best way. Time becomes secondary when he's with Jeongguk. Maybe even tertiary. Jeongguk first, Jeongguk second, the rest of the world third.

Eventually however, they have to let go. Even if Taehyung really doesn't want to. Judging from the crease between the mer's brows, it's the same for him.

"Huh." Jeongguk smacks his lips together. He lowers himself back into the water until only his head and shoulders stick out. "Breathing through my gills on land feels weird." He tilts his head and keeps rubbing his lips together.

Maybe Taehyung is staring.

"Are you tempting me on purpose, or what?"

"Hmm? I don't know what you mean."

Taehyung snorts. Pulls back until he can flop down on his stomach - and momentarily forgets what he was about to do, too busy burying himself into that weirdly soft, fluffy moss, ohmygosh, that's nice-

Oh, right. He turns back to an amused mer and crawls forward until his head hangs off the ledge. The moss is damp in his grip.

"Sure you do. So you better take responsibility," he huffs. Leans down to reconnect their lips, Jeongguk already smiling.

"Did you make these?"

They are both resting on that mossy ledge now, laying side by side, Jeongguk's tail twisting back and fourth between Taehyung's legs until dipping into the sea as always. The mer is fingering one of Taehyung's new earrings. The dangly set is the most luxurious thing he's worn in Nakseongdae so far.

"Nah, I went to a specialist when I was away."

"A specialist?"

He nods against Jeongguk's shoulder. "Mhm. Went to a jeweller with my little pouch full of your pretty pearls and asked him what he can do. It went a little back and fourth until we agreed on a design I like, one that's not too flashy. You like?"

The mer hums. Gives the slightest tug to the earring before letting go, then snips a nail against it. "Very. Although I can't help but wonder... what happened to the other pearls?"

For the ones gracing Taehyung's ears are by no means all he got from Jeongguk.

They're just three each, a big one in the middle of two smaller ones. Thin bands of silver twist around them, connecting them and holding them apart at the same time. They're not exactly subtle with how pretty the pearls are but the design is a tasteful kind of minimalistic, showcasing the pearls' beauty without overwhelming by sheer numbers. Exactly the kind of jewel a famous idol like Taehyung can wear on a daily basis - because that's the whole plan.

"The other pearls? Well..."

He grasps one of Jeongguk's hands and leads it to his neck, then to the hem of his shirt, where a thin sliver chain is disappearing beneath fabric. Jeongguk gets the message and tugs the hem lower until he too can withhold the chain. 

"What-"

The mer carefully pulls it out from under the shirt and then lays it on top of it so he can look at it properly. At the long silver ribbon that reaches til Taehyung's chest, and the five pearls fitted to it. Two at the ends of the string and one to fasten them together. Taehyung smirks. The necklace is the part of his newly-made three-piece set that is not supposed to be shown. He'll wear it under his clothes all the time from now on, for nobody to know except himself. Well. And now Jeongguk.

"Stunning."

Taehyung revels in it. In Jeongguk's intense eyes focussed solely on him. Sucks it up like a dry sponge, every bit of attention the mer is giving him. And it's a lot.

Jeongguk keeps staring for a long while as he too seems to realise Taehyung's attention of wearing it nonstop. Takes a bit to catch himself and ask about the remaining pearls.

"Ah," Taehyung muses. "I think... I made a body chain with them." 

It's his turn to feel up the necklace adorning Jeongguk's body. The flat metal resting around the base of his neck and the several silver strings fastened to it that reach over the mer's chest and then around him before meeting in a single chain on his back. Twinkling silver, just like his new set of pearl jewel. He tried to choose a chain similar to Jeongguk's. So they can... yeaaah, so they can match. He'll admit it. Sue him.

"It looks a bit different than yours, though," he tells a slightly gaping Jeongguk. "Without that big, uhm-" he knocks a knuckle against the broad metal torque- "thing. And less tiny silver plates and gemstones but more, well, pearls instead."

Jeongguk is still malfunctioning.

"A... body chain?"

Cute. Taehyung coos. To think that there would come a day when Mr. sex appeal himself is flustered. Oh, his trip to the jeweller sure was worth every single won already.

Turns out, Jeongguk really loves Taehyung's new earrings. Or loves seeing it on him. Ah, semantics. He is so enamoured by it, that when Taehyung tells him to turn around so he can redo one of the braids that's come a bit loose, the mer pouts and complains that he can't see all his pearls anymore that way.

(Taehyung is well aware that he himself is included as one of those pearls. Maybe he is blushing like mad. Maybe even his chest is tingling with warmth.)

He tries to play it cool and laughs, smacking Jeongguk's arm and telling him to turn around anyway, he'll be quick. But the mer doesn't budge. Tells him to do it so he can still look at him.

Sighing, Taehyung gets to work.

"But when the braid comes out crooked, you are not allowed to complain."

"I won't."

"Good."

"Mhm."

Taehyung has to start over thrice because he gets too distracted by Jeongguk's gentle hands on his ears, neck, chest. Dammit. The blush stays on his face. At this point, Jeongguk really should know these are some of his most sensitive areas.

It's. It's such an intimate affair, somehow, the two of them sitting close to each other - Taehyung is practically in Jeongguk's lap at this point - and carefully touching each other without any hidden intentions. Taehyung can't cope. His heart balloons in his chest and then topples over, the mushy warmth spreading through Taehyung's body from the tip of his ears all the way down to his toes. 

At some point he can't take it anymore and stops braiding to bury his face in Jeongguk's shoulder. Stays like this for several minutes and just breathes him in, the hand that's not holding apart the strands of the braid clutching at Jeongguk's side. The mer lets him. Gives him all the time he needs and runs slow hands up and down his back, touch warm and impossibly delicate as always.

"It's okay," he murmurs. His gills flutter against Taehyung's cheek and gosh, he didn't realise how much he missed that silly little sensation in the past three days. "Everything is fine. You are home now."

Jeongguk hums a sweet little melody and slowly leans back, taking Taehyung with him until they are both laying down in the moss, Taehyung on top. Eyes already shut, he snuggles further into the embrace and lets the music wash over him.

A few minutes later, he's fast asleep in Jeongguk's arms.

"Already?"

Taehyung chuckles and gives another peck to the mer's pouty lips. "I've been here for hours, baby. Jimin knows that I'm back and just saw me running off the very minute I arrived. He probably thinks I'm the rudest person alive. I have no excuse if I miss dinner tonight."

"Fine." Jeongguk is still pouting. "But he better be super nice to you and not say one bad word."

Taehyung just grins.

With a grunt and brows still knitted together, Jeongguk lifts him off the ledge and into the water. Spends a good five minutes picking moss out of Taehyung's hair in such a blatantly obvious attempt to stall that Taehyung can't help but laugh and give him another short kiss.

"Stop sulking. You know I'll be back tomorrow."

Jeongguk huffs but finally tightens his hold and gives Taehyung that certain look that has him taking a deep breath before the world disappears in endless water and he gets brought back to the pier.

Jimin doesn't say one bad word. 

No, one is certainly a way too small number. The moment Taehyung enters the house, it's one curse strung onto the next, underlined by several hits with a spatula as his landlord rants about how Taehyung didn't even greet him properly, what the fuck, "I thought city boys are supposed to have manners, I was worried sick, you know- stop grinning, Yoongs!"

From time to time he remembers who Taehyung is and falls into a deep bow. Seconds later, he's back at it. Keeps scolding him like a mother hen. Taehyung can't even begin to feel bad. This is too funny.

"Yah, Kim Taehyung! The next time you disappear, you have to come back here and play at least ten rounds of ludo with me the very moment I'm back home, you hear? Stop laughing! Yah!"

Later, when Yoongi has made his way upstairs already and Taehyung is about to follow suit, Jimin hold him back with a hand around his wrist.

"Those are really pretty earrings," he says and squints at them as if he doesn't find them pretty at all. "I don't remember any deliveries arriving here for you...?"

Taehyung's eyes flit upstairs and then back to the landlord. "Ah no, it didn't get delivered. I bought them in my hometown."

"Hmmm."

Jimin is still giving him that calculating look. "They do look great indeed. Where did you say again you got them? Asking for a friend."

"Oh, uh..." Taehyung gnaws on his lips. "You can't- I mean, they're custom-made, y'know?"

"Is it the pearls?"

He nods. "Yeah, that's right. I found them."

"...Sure you did." Jimin halts. "Wait. You found them? Here?"

"Yup."

"Hm."

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Late that night, when he's sure Taehyung is asleep, Jimin nudges Yoongi until he stirs awake with a grunt.

"Mmwhadissid...?"

"Jagiya... our lodger is hiding something from us. Did you notice?"

Yoongi grunts again and rubs a hand over his face, then begrudgingly pries his eyes open. "Whaddaya mean?"

Blanket still wrapped around them, Jimin climbs on top of his boyfriend and straddles him, small hands splaying out on Yoongi's pecs.

"The pearls," he hisses, ass rocking down.

Yoongi's hands come up to wrap around his waist. He definitely looks more awake now. "What pearls?"

"The pearls our dear mister Kim is wearing as earrings now."

Jimin rolls his hips and lets out a satisfied huff when Yoongi bucks up against him. Long fingers wander from his waist down to his ass, massaging the flesh then digging in and pulling him down firmly.

"Why are you trying to have that conversation with me while riling me up, you little menace, hm?"

Smirking, the fisherman flutters his eyelashes. Revels in the way Yoongi's gaze darkens in the moonlight. He leans down to give a teasing bite to the older's lower lip. "How else am I supposed to get you awake past ten?"

"Very well," Yoongi drawls. Pulls down Jimin's boxers until he lifts one leg after another to fully get out of them, then waits for the younger to do the same for him. "Talk dirty to me about those pearls."

JImin huffs out a laugh. He's towering proud above him in all his naked glory. "You are so easy."

"Only for you. Now tell me what you must and then get me off, you little minx. We both have to get up early as fuck tomorrow."

"That foul mouth of yours, I swear."

Yoongi pinches his ass cheek. "As if yours is any better. I fell for your rotten sailor's mouth, remember?"

"When will you ever learn the difference between sailor and fisherman," Jimin sighs and grapples for the lube, ignoring his boyfriend's hiss as the cool gel drizzles on him. "And as a fisherman," he says, scooping up some lube with the hand that isn't busy stroking Yoongi to full hardness and guiding it to his own ass, "I am more than capable of telling which kinds of pearls can be found around here and which ones not. And the ones Taehyung allegedly found in this very bay are not endemic. At all."

"Oh, c'mon." Yoongi groans. "Not this again. We've talked about it, haven't we?"

"But! The long walks he takes everyday where he disappears for so many hours?"

"I told you, he's an artist, that's probably his way of-"

"There is nothing here to see! Nakseongdae and everything in close vicinity is absolutely boring, what else would he do all day-"

"Did it ever occur to you that he came here exactly because there is nothing to see? If he wanted culture and excitement he wouldn't have bothered to move to this arse-end of the world, yah."

Jimin's grip on him tightens. "But the pearls! How is he supposed to get his hands on such exotic pearls if not because he met one of those- those things? Maybe we should keep an eye on him."

"Jimin-ah," Yoongi grunts. "That's stupid and you know it. Now, how about less talking and more bouncing, hm?"

"...You're lucky I love you."

"Sure am."

"...I really should start following him. Just to be sure."

"Babe, sleep."

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Tongue between his teeth, Jeongguk stares at the pretty stone. 

"Okay." He cracks his knuckles. The water between his fingers begins to crackle with energy. "I can do this."

He turns to the side, where one of his books lays on the stone, a big conch holding it open. Most of the ink is blurry. Has turned into dark splotches that make the pages stick together in wet clumps. A few things, however, are still recognisable. Like that one picture of an old dagger from the 16th century. It has a beautifully twisted grip. Or, wait, was it hilt? Something with 'i'.

Anyway!

He's going to make the best pretty practical present ever for his treasure.

In some grove of his cave, tucked away half-forgotten, he found an old sword.

It was broken long ago, probably fell from a ship back when they were still made of wood and the humans had no business racing the seas like madmen yet. Maybe there was a fierce fight on deck between those who fled from justice in search of freedom and those who intended to conquer everything, maybe it was a sabre or a sword and the unlucky soul wielding it got overwhelmed, the weapon flying out of their hands and straight into the sea where it got buried in sand for many decades and slowly decayed... who knows? It's one of the favourite stories he came up with for all the things he found at the bottom of the sea. 

The jagged remnants of the blade he'd broken off quickly enough. Now it's about remodelling the hilt and giving it a new blade - a better one. Alluring yet dangerous. Just like the sea.

Water heating around his hands, Jeongguk gets to work.

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"You know what's funny?" Taehyung asks after they've tried out the acoustic in their little cave with him teaching Jeongguk children's songs for the pure thrill of it.

"What is?"

The mer is fiddling with his earrings again. Had the most blinding smile on when they met at the pier today and he saw them hanging off Taehyung's ears again.

Taehyung props himself up on Jeongguk's chest - his favourite spot - and takes the end of one of the mer's braids in his hand to tickle Jeongguk's gills with it until he sneezes. Taehyung grins. "Funny is, that we know each other less than a year. But it doesn't feel like it, does it?"

"No," Jeongguk admits with a voice so soft it's barely audible over the gurgling sea. "It really doesn't." Then, a bit firmer and with a finger under Taehyung's chin he adds, "Where have you been all my life before we met, I wonder?"

Taehyung slumps against him with a loud groan. "You really shouldn't say things like that without proper warning."

"Or what?"

He blinks. "Well. I might simply explode."

That has Jeongguk laughing, loud and high-pitched and carefree. But Taehyung doesn't fail to notice how the mer's grip around him turns tighter despite it. "Don't worry," he says and gives a little kiss to the shell of Taehyung's ear. "I won't let that happen to you."

Taehyung huffs, tries to ignore his burning ear. "You better not." He stretches out his pinky. "Promise?"

Jeongguk again has that smile that looks as sweet as a caramel latte tastes. (Taehyung has zero idea why his useless brain is making that specific connection. It's just. It's a really sweet and special smile, one of those he doubts just anyone would get from the mer. And it's doing, well. Things to his heart. A lot of things.)

"Promise."

They link their pinkies together in a slow and careful manner as the mer tries so very hard to not scratch Taehyung with his sharp nail. A whole new inferno goes off in his chest and mind and everything when Jeongguk guides their hands to his mouth and seals the promise with a lingering kiss to their pinkies. Taehyung's heart stutters at the raw devotion he finds in the mer's endlessly dark eyes. Yeah, he's got no doubt about it. Jeongguk will protect him from anything.

"By the way," Jeongguk quips in a nonchalant way that has Taehyung reeling, as if there hasn't been a tension between them thick enough to almost taste it just a second ago, "speaking of protection. I might have something for you."

"Oh?"

Now, that catches Taehyung's attention for sure. (As if the mer wouldn't have it all the time anyway.) And then, before he knows it, he's gingerly lifted off Jeongguk by those wonderful, strong arms of his, and placed onto the moss instead. Gosh. He should stop staring. Is he salivating? He hopes he isn't. Damn Jeongguk's physique and the muscle kink it invokes in him.

"What-"

"Just give me a moment, yeah? I'll be back in a second." Jeongguk gives him a kiss on the forehead, then swings himself off the ledge in one of those perfect arcs. Taehyung can't even be mad at him for suddenly disappearing when he gets a view like that to enjoy.

Sure enough, it doesn't take long for him to get back. And even when he's still a few metres deep in the water, Taehyung can clearly see he's holding something.

...He'd never expected that something to be a big knife, though.

"I, what?" He blinks. Has the faint sense of his mouth dropping open.

It's not that this new gift is lacking beauty in comparison to the ones he got before from the mer. Definitely not, with how the light breaks on the sleek surface of the blade that seems milky-white in one moment, dusty violet in the next, and then again light blue like the summer sky right above the horizon. Spirals of silver - so typical, Taehyung thinks and smiles - are wrapped around the upper end before turning into a slim hilt that's twisting around its own core. No, the beauty of it is not the issue. But rather, that he didn't anticipate to receive a weapon. Ever. Because that's what it is, a weapon. Even he can tell with one look how sharp it is.

"So, I, you see..."

Wait. Is Jeongguk nervous now? What?!

"So I went to my parents, and Joon-hyung said-"

Taehyung stops him right there. "Hold up. Parents? I thought mers are descended stars or something?"

"Yeah, well, when we are freshly born, usually the nearest mer adopts you and raises you as their own until you can wield the sea's power and survive on your own, which I'm pretty sure I told you at some point but-"

"No, you didn't!" Taehyung shrieks. "Details, now!"

With a good-hearted sigh, Jeongguk obliges. Only takes his time to get out of water and settle next to Taehyung before he tells his little tale.

"Very well. Then listen closely. Once a love-stricken star plummets into the depths of the sea and ceases being a star to be reborn as a mer... it goes like a whisper through the whole maritime realm. Gets carried by the waves into the farthest corner of the smallest bay. Everyone will know a new merbaby was born. And the mers closest to it will come to pick it up and raise it as their own."

"Just like that?"

Jeongguk hums. "Just like that. I told you, merfolk is one big family. We are all born from the same destiny and thus regard every single mer as our relatives. It's why we never understood you war-mongering humans."

Taehyung frowns. "Huh. So you too got adopted by the mer who just happened to be close by?"

The emr nods. "That's right. In my case it's been two mers, though. So, where was I? We get adopted and raised. And then, after a few decades, once a mer is old and strong enough to care for themselves and control the sea properly, they can decide whether to stay with their foster parents or to leave and start a life on their own."

Taehyung drops a hand to Jeongguk's neck and lets the sliver chains attached there idly run through his fingers. "So you decided to leave. And never heard that whisper yourself?"

"Oh, I did. I heard it once, pretty close to where I stayed back then," the mer easily admits. "But I refused to go. I knew there were other mers near aside from myself who could and would take it in. The whisper only stops when an older mer picks the newborn up, so as long as it's still ongoing, we know someone has yet to come and take it in. But I was young and reckless back then. I wanted to continue living on my own for a bit longer before getting a new family member shoved into my life out of the blue."

Taehyung chuckles. "So you were a proud and thriving single. How about now?"

"Now," the mer hums and tucks a strand behind Taehyung's ear, "I'd probably ignore the call again. Now that I have you."

"Aish, seriously."

Jeongguk laughs. "What? It's true. Anyway. Do you like your gift?"

"Yeah, I do." Taehyung leans forward to give him a kiss that is happily answered. "Thank you. It's unexpected, but I do. You spoil me."

"Only the best for you." The words are whispered against his mouth like a secret nobody should know.

Taehyung smiles into it and tugs Jeongguk closer by the chains. "How shall I ever show my gratitude to you, hm?"

Jeongguk frowns. "You already do. Everyday, you do."

Chapter Text

English / Latin | Noun

♦the state of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full

Jeongguk studies the book he's been given by Asterin to an extend where it almost turns religiously. In the secrecy of the night, he uses his daily shifting training not only to keep himself accustomed to the pain it always brings, but to explore the human body on his own. Which includes quite a few cases of trial and error.

Because as kind as it was from the Nordic mermaid to lend him this book - what does kamasutra even mean? - it happens not to be written in English or Korean.

Sure enough it's filled with many pictures that easily enough give the mer an idea what all this is about. Usually the drawing of a man and a woman together take up half of an entire page and then beneath it, in an obviously different drawing style, variations for two men or two women are shown. Which is perfect! Jeongguk wouldn't have known where to start with his research when it's been the big, probably original drawings only. Even he knows that a human woman's body works very differently from its male counterpart. 

Be it as it may, the many pictures don't warn him about how painful it is to try and open up himself in the back. It's a completely different kind of pain than the one when his scales break through skin a dozen within a heartbeat. Comes at him so unexpected he halts in his ministration, confused whether he's really feeling pain now, and why. And. That burn... feels a little weird.

Maybe he's doing something wrong. Maybe the foreign text warned him about it. And maybe, just maybe, it would have been the smarter decision from the beginning to find out which language it is and translate at least parts of the introduction.

So between customising the little cave he'd hastily hewn into the cliffs of their secret bay - not too much, just enough so it's comfortable for Taehyung; he wants to bring him to his actual cave soon - and spending the day with his most special human, Jeongguk reads and learns and tries to understand that book.

It takes him three nights to figure out his copy is printed in Spanish. And that too only because the hermit crab (who Jeongguk had allowed to share his space with for now) throws the bended, wobbly little book off the stone shelf. And it so happens to be a Spanish pocket dictionary.

Then it takes him another night to understand that what he's lacking in his little anatomic explorations is something called lube. Which is frustrating, just a little. Because. Maybe his mind is clogged or something but he can't think of anything the sea could provide him with for that specific cause.

Human-made goods, however!

He has to be quick. A look through the hole in the ceiling tells him the bigger part of the night has already passed. Digging his claws into the sea and forcing the tides under his command, he once more makes his way eastward.

Jeongguk almost slams into the shadow that is Seokjin, nothing more than a whisper cutting through the water himself.

"Yah, what- Jeonggukkie?!"

"Uh, hi."

Okay yeah, he's a little out of breath. But he really hurried to get here and then hopefully be back at sunrise.

The other mer notices and instantly turns worried, brows nudging together. "Is everything alright? Are you fleeing from something?" And then, a hint of panic seeping into his voice, "Are there- are there humans chasing you?"

Jeongguk quickly shakes his head. Not a smart idea. Now everything is spinning. He squeezes his eyes shut and waits for the sensation to fade. Maybe he did go too fast this time. "No no, no humans."

"Then, are you fleeing something else?"

"Nope." Well. He shrugs. "Time, maybe?"

The other mer huffs. "Now you just sound like Joonie."

"He did raise me too, y'know," Jeongguk quips with a toothy grin.

Seokjin sighs dramatically. "What will it take, I wonder, for me to become your favourite dad?"

The grin slips off the younger's face and turns into a scowl. "It's not like that and you know it."

"It's exactly like that and everybody knows it," Seokjin accuses with a jab of his finger against Jeongguk's chest. Then his features soften. "But I understand. I love him for the same reasons as you do."

"Huh? Whom do you love," comes a familiar voice out of their cave, followed by a rumble like from stones falling down and a muffled "Ouch!"

"Not you, you swimming disaster," Seokjin shoots back before hurrying into their cave when the faint taste of blood seeps into the sea. "Gosh, you are such an idiot. Why do I love you again?" He sticks his head back out of the cave. "Oh right, why are you here, Jeonggukkie? Do you need anything?"

Jeongguk licks his lips. Decides to slip into the cave at last, if only so his dad doesn't have to alternate between tending to yet another wound that's proof of Namjoon's ever-lasting clumsiness, and talking to him. There is not much Jeongguk himself can help. He doesn't have any more healing powers than every other mer and his knowledge about tending wounds is definitely poorer than Seokjin's.

"Uh, yeah, I was wondering if you still have that box of oil you stole from a ship."

"Excuse you, I didn't steal it, it fell into the sea and thus rightfully belongs to me," the older snips. 

"Yeah, the sea that miraculously raised five metres high all of a sudden and enveloped half of the cog," Jeongguk mutters.

"Yah! Do you want something from me or not, you brat?!"

He does.

"I wanna have the whole box, please."

Seokjin fully turns to him, eyebrows raised high. The gash on Namjoon's tail has clogged up already and is no longer leaking, the mer muttering some sheepish Thank Yous.

"What do you need so much oil for?"

"Uh, cooking!"

"...Mers don't eat, stupid."

"Which means you have no use for it too, right? Perfect!"

"But the entire thing? That's heavy. You know the box is solid wood and- yah, Jeongguk, are you even listening?!"

In the early hours of dawn, way before he's made his way back to the bay, Jeongguk feels something. Or rather, someone. 

And that someone is not his Taehyung.

It was a good thing, he decides, that he's been practising to expand his reach. To keep a connection with Nakseongdae and its surroundings no matter how far off he goes.

Controlling the sea and lending its tremendous powers is, as he learnt from his dads, all about imagination. As long as you can visualise what you want the sea to do for you, nothing is impossible. (Well, almost. He can't change things that don't belong with the sea. That's why he also can't make Taehyung breathe underwater.) His hold on Nakseongdae, he imagines like ropes fastened around his waist, the other ends unravelling into thin strings weaving themselves together into a net that broadens and fans out all over the bay, floating on top of the waves like foam and lapping at the stilts, the trawlers, the pier, everywhere.

That's how he knows somebody is standing at the pier. The humans of Nakseongdae think they are so subtle, that he can't tell where they are as long as they don't touch the sea correctly. Idiots. Even with the concrete pier, Jeongguk can still sense the vibrations of people walking across. And right now, while he is still swimming along the long chain of islands cutting off a little part of the pacific ocean from the rest of it, he can clearly feel it. That someone stands at the end of the pier, unmoving.

Then, a few pebbles get thrown into the sea.

And. Maybe it's nothing to worry about. Maybe he is overthinking it.

But his gut tells him that whoever stands there is looking for him. And not in a friendly way.

He mustn't let his guard down.

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"...And I lost the bet, because of course I did, but I am a man of my word, you know?"

The weather is nice enough to be at the beach today, the autumn sun drenching everything into a warm gold. The fallen leaves and pine needles floating atop of the waves contribute their part to the warm colour palette with hues of yellow, orange, red and brown.

Taehyung and Jeongguk - in his human form - are huddled together on their preferred stone ledge, an old blanket wrapped around them. They can't read books like that very well, so Taehyung has resorted to telling the mer all kinds of stories from his idol life. He also brought some snacks (like a romantic little picnic) and occasionally darts a hand out of the toasty warmth of their blanket nest to grab something and feed it to Jeongguk.

Chilly wind pulls at his hair. He splutters as he gets a strand in his mouth. Buries himself further into the blanket and Jeongguk's lose hold around him.

With a soft laugh, the mer plucks the hair out of his mouth and tucks it behind his ear. Pecks him on the cheek, then rests his chin on Taehyung's shoulder again. 

"Do you have pictures?"

"Of course I do, who do you think I am?!"

Taehyung fumbles for his phone. Scrolls through his camera folder until he finds it: a picture of the quacking, fuzzy duck sandals on his feet. The penalty for his lost bet against Hoseok. Excuse him. Taehyung has been so sure ATEEZ would win a Daesang this time, but no!

"You really wore them in public?"

Taehyung grins. "Of course I did. Hobi-hyung sure enough regretted his choice of penalty soon." 

"He did?"

"Oh yeah. Absolutely," Taehyung chuckles. "We've been grocery shopping with me wearing them, a whole group of bodyguards in tow. After like, five steps, Hobi-hyung hated them already. Their obnoxious quacking. Was trying to speed-walk away from me, going 'I don't know you, we are not friends, we don't belong together' and all that. So naturally I chased him all through the store and had the time of my life while the quacking drove him insane."

Jeongguk shakes his head, laughing. "You really are something."

"Yeah. I'm a handful. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Mhm. Ever since you kicked me in the face."

Blushing, Taehyung turns away. "Well, sorry, you surprised me, okay?! I've never seen anything that big in the water before." He pouts.

The mer laughs and gives him another kiss. "Don't worry about it. I barely felt anything. And, I mean, it was probably quite an appropriate reaction. Considering everything."

"Well, at least I didn't fuck up as hard as the dudes who had to organise the 1904 Olympic marathon," Taehyung huffs. He is still pouting. Sue him.

Jeongguk halts. Blinks.

"I- what?"

Taehyung is once again very thankful for his random knowledge. It helped him divert the topic in so many awkward situations already. And if the reporters twist that into him being weird just because they never heard of the pear being the official fruit of Genovia, well. Then it's their loss. He stopped caring what the tabloids write about him long ago. As long as people enjoy his music and have a good time at his concerts, that's more than enough.

Speaking of which, he should continue working on his album soon.

Jeongguk flicks Taehyung's earring against his neck. "Hey. You haven't explained yet. What is a 1904 Olympic meth-hatlon?"

At that, Taehyung laughs so hard he almost drops his phone in the ocean. That guy is too cute.

Between chuckles, he quickly explains the concept of the Olympic games, Jeongguk hanging on his every word like always when he tells him something new about the human world.

"Okay, and why did the organisers fuck up?"

"Because." Somehow, during that explanation he's made his way into the mer's lap. Not that anyone of them is complaining. As he now counts the many mistakes made by those so-called organisers, he takes one of the mer's hands, entwines their fingers and then taps onto one of Jeongguk's knuckles for each thing he names. "Because one, they forgot to prepare water stations along the way which means the athletes had to run a shit ton of kilometres without any chance of staying hydrated."

Tap.

"Two, they gave a cocktail that included actual rat poison to one of the competitors."

Tap. A playful nip of Jeongguk's teeth at the shell of his ear. Taehyung shivers.

"Three, one guy who hadn't been given food for almost two days sneaked into a garden or something, ate some rotten apples and then vomited his guts out right onto the track but still came in as one of the first guys because everybody else collapsed of dehydration."

Tap. Jeongguk shifts his food and wiggles his toes against Taehyung's ankles - in a way that has him clamping his mouth shut against the mixture of a high-pitched chuckle and a moan that's threatening to escape him. He wonders if Jeongguk knows how much those fleeting little touches tease him. Gulping, Taehyung licks his lips.

"Uhm, four, the race was held on a dusty road which is a stupid idea to begin with. But it was so dusty in fact, that one competitor managed to inhale enough dust to tear his stomach lining open, which. Before you ask, I don't know what that means exactly but it certainly doesn't sound pleasant at all."

Tap. Chin hooked over his shoulder and chest tightly pressed against his back, Jeongguk hums. The puff of warm air tickles in Taehyung's ear and the vibration he feels at his back momentarily distracts him.

The mer just feels so nice against him.

"Uh. Where- where was I?"

"Number five."

"Oh. Right." He nods. "Five. Someone accidentally released feral dogs onto the track. Which is about as stupid as one can be, because when dogs see someone running, then of course they'll give chase. I don't remember if anyone got injured and how badly but I bet the answer to both is Yes. So, yeah." He runs his thumb over Jeongguk's fingers, then traces one of his long nails up to the tip. Wonders if, with how sharp and clean they always are, the mer regularly sits in his cave or wherever and does manicure. The picture of Jeongguk sitting somewhere with furrowed eyebrows, maybe tongue peeking out in concentration and filing his nails has him smile. "Basically they fucked up everyone so bad that the dude who drank rat poison still was the one who won. Which tells a lot about their non-existing organising abilities."

"Hmm." 

Jeongguk's other hand comes up to delicately caress Taehyung's face, the touch one of utmost gentleness. Everything in Taehyung warms. He sags against the mer with a shaky breath. 

"Will you grace me with the sight of your splendid face, my dear?"

All air stutters out of Taehyung's lungs in uncontrolled wheezes.

"I didn't- gosh. Admit it, you actually own some old books, don't you? There's no way you'd know how to butter me up like that with the literacy diet I've given you. Gosh," he says again, drags a hand over his face. "Just, give me a minute."

Where did his ability to change subjects - and save his poor heart, for crying out loud - go when he needs it? He licks his lips. Looks around in search of anything until he spots the little snack basket.

"Come on," he says and hopes his voice sounds firmer than it feels. "We really should delete cookies."

Taehyung turns around in the mer's lap to straddle him instead, and grapples for the pack of chocolate chip cookies. He doesn't, however, make eye contact. Still feels like he'd fall flat on his nose if he was to get up now. Stupid Jeongguk and his sweet-talking. Stupid, lovely, wonderful Jeongguk.

The mer hums some more, hands idly slipping under Taehyung's shirt and wandering up and down his sides.

Which doesn't help him try to regain his composure at all.

"Why do I feel like this is supposed to be a joke of some sort?" Jeongguk's hands are warm on Taehyung's skin. Grounding him.

"Oh, right. I forgot that you're- right. It's, uh, some technical thing. Where websites and stuff put little trackers on you. They're called cookies."

"Why?"

"Well," Taehyung muses around a mouthful of cookie, "it sure sounds better than spiderweb, doesn't it? Or maybe it's because the programmers are playing Hänsel und Gretel with the data crumbs. Here." He feeds Jeongguk another cookie, holding the bit that wasn't eaten with the first bite and waiting patiently for the mer to swallow, chocolate slowly melting on his fingers.

Jeongguk notices, of course. Eats the other half of the cookie right out of Taehyung's hand and then teasingly licks the molten chocolate away. Which only partly works, as his tongue is still coated with chocolate and cookie crumbs that get smeared onto Taehyung's finger now. So, the mer grabs Taehyung's wrist, sticks his finger in his mouth, and sucks.

Taehyung gapes. Heat pools in his stomach.

He slowly shakes his head. "You horrible thing," Taehyung mutters. Pulls his finger out of Jeongguk's mouth, grasps his face and surges forward for a filthy kiss.

"So..."

"Oh no," Taehyung groans. "I know that tone."

"I thought, now that you, like, used up all of your pearls, you might want replenishment."

"Gguk." He laughs. Shakes his head. Keeps tracing swirls and waves onto Jeongguk's chest and shoulders, a habit he recently picked up from the mer. "Babe. I wouldn't even know what to do with them at this point, I'm pretty much out of ideas. Not that I'm not happy about your gifts, of course."

Jeongguk purses his lips. "I thought, because you humans value pearls a lot, there is never something like too many." He cards a hand through Taehyung's gradually lengthening hair. Taehyung leans into the touch and mocks a purr. "Besides, you are my pearl. Of course you gotta get all the pretty pearls in the world."

Taehyung smooches his face into the mer's shoulder. "You really love to do terrible things to my heart, don't you."

Again, there is that crease between Jeongguk brows when Taehyung peels his face off him, like last time when he gave Taehyung the dagger. As if he doesn't understand how completely over the top all his presents are. Honestly, how could Taehyung, a mere human, ever give back to Jeongguk for all the invaluable things he received already? (Maybe he should start making good use of the little fortune he's earned himself as an idol. Maybe he should stop feeling bad for all the potential vendors who have to make their way from big cities across the pathetically maintained street that leads to the village and start buying luxuries he can shower Jeongguk with.) 

"I just want to give you all the treasures you deserve."

Well.

The feeling is mutual.

"Okay," he says and has the faint sense of sounding hoarse. "As I know you, you've probably had the pearls ready all along, right?"

The mer gives him a secretive smile that's more than enough confirmation. With Taehyung securely in his hold, he sits the both of them up, then scoots to the stone ledge's rim, bare foot popping out of their blanket cocoon and dipping into the water. Moments later, a swirling water stream rises up like a small geyser, carrying a big mussel on top.

"What the f-"

Sometimes Taehyung forgets the mer can do literally anything with the sea. Every time he witnesses a new magical trick, it's mind-boggling anew.

"I haven't had a lot of contact with humans before I met you, as you can probably imagine," Jeongguk admits. "But occasionally, I would listen to them. Just drift behind their big loud swimming cities and hear all kinds of stuff. And a few of them talked about how much better it is when things are fresh. And. It doesn't get fresher than this, I suppose."

With that, he picks up the mussel, and the water stream plummets into itself. Jeongguk fits one of his nails between the two halves of the mussel and, with one twist, pries it open.

Taehyung stares.

Aside from the slimy thing in the middle that must be the - is that an oyster? - there indeed are pearls inside the shells. As in, lots. At least twenty. 

"That's.That's not how I pictured it. Give me a second, I gotta process."

Jeongguk tilts his head and gives him a funny look. "Pictured what?"

"How pearls are made!" He throws his hands in the air. Halts, shudders, and tucks them back into the blanket's warmth. "Okay so- so maybe it was naive of me to actually believe those things, but thanks to the pictures Gidnep and others-"

"Gidnep?"

"I used to misread the Disney logo for a long time. But that's not- anyway! The pictures I've been fed from an early age always were of mussels that pop open on their own and then inside is one single big perfect pearl, sitting on something that looks like a cushion. There was always only one big pearl, smack-dab in the middle. And not, like, a ton."

Taehyung can't even be mad when Jeongguk starts laughing at him. In hindsight it's been pretty narrow-minded to take anything Disney as given fact. But still! This doesn't look like the image in his head at all.

"Do you even know what pearls are?"

"Uh, well, oysters produce and then guard them?"

Another string of carefree laughs rasps out of the mer, Taehyung shaking with him. "Pearls essentially are nothing else than enclosed foreign objects. They are grains of sand or something similar that make their way into the oysters and hurt them, so the oysters try to get rid of them by coating them in several layers of, uh, stuff they produce. To make the surface smooth and not have it hurting them any longer."

"So this oyster here basically has, like, a ton of solid blisters?"

"Depends. What are blisters?"

"Well, blisters..." Taehyung begrudgingly peels out of the blanket, pushes up his sleeves, then the legs of his trousers. Checks his chest too, with a glance down his neckline. Everywhere he can look on his own without a mirror. He's already had blisters in the weirdest places. But of course, now, when he actually needs it, there is not one in sight. Typical. He huffs, tucks all the fabric back down and slinks back into Jeongguk's arms. 

"Blisters are like bubbles of some kind of dirt liquid under your skin."

"That... doesn't sound too far off," Jeongguk concludes, then begins peppering Taehyung with kisses - neck, shoulder, face, everywhere he can reach.

Taehyung giggles and lets him.

He'll start easy.

With something he can even make on his own. Probably. Hours of Internet surfing for present ideas lead to him creating a Pinterest account and then a pinboard exclusively for gift ideas. 

(He'll like anything if it's a gift from you, a voice in his head whispers. Taehyung ignores it. Wants Jeongguk to genuinely like the gift and make good use of it, not only because it's from him.)

So. After a nice shower and going through his skincare routine, it dawns on Taehyung that, well. Jeonguk most likely doesn't know the meaning of wellness. And that, that little random thought, becomes his starting point. He sneaks down the stairs to check the kitchen for all kinds of ingredients, cursing at that one step that always creaks and praying that neither of his landlords woke up from it. He gets lucky.

Two hours later, he's done with everything. Carries the finished things up to his room and then, with a full-body-shuddering yawn, collapses on the bed.

When he's just about to fall asleep, he gets an idea what to add to his first gift. Something really cool. And. If he wants to do it right, worth a small fortune.

Taehyung sits up again and grabs his phone.

Eventually, he finds what he's been searching for. A set perfect for Jeongguk. Giddy with excitement - he's almost vibrating out of his skin where he sits on the bed - he orders the item, ignoring the price tag completely. Activates the priority delivery too.

This is going to be one hell of a first present!

Finally, when it's way too late and his eyes are beginning to burn, he puts the phone away. 

Taehyung buries his face in the pillow with a big smile and lets out a squeal. This is gonna be so cool!

"Can I take you somewhere today?" Jeongguk asks as soon as he holds Taehyung in his arms in the shadow of the old huts.

You can take me wherever you want, Taehyung almost says. Bites his tongue just in time. Fuck. I'm so weak for you. Instead, he silently nods with a broad grin.

Jeongguk gives him a peck on the forehead. "Alright. Deep breaths, pearl."

Taehyung refuses to admit what a knee-wobbling effect that name still has on him. He is not affected. He isn't!

He opens his mouth wide, lungs filling with air - and the world turns shades of dark blue and green.

They swim for a long time. It's probably the longest trip Jeongguk has taken him. The farthest away from Nakseongdae.

Taehyung loses all feeling for time and direction. At the beginning, he tries to keep up with where they're going but after a while he simply gives up. With how fast Jeongguk goes, his senses are confused to the max. (Truth be told, he has to concentrate to keep the faint feeling of dizziness at bay.)

Five times - that's how often they come up for air and a short break.

Then, Taehyung spots foreign land on the horizon.

The next time they come up, walls of a steep gorge are looming tall into the sky around them. Taehyung can't see much with how quickly the mer pulls them under again but it looks like that gorge is on fire. Covered in brilliant hues of gold and orange and red.

They slow down at last. And when they come up with deep gasping breaths that taste like the finality of reaching their target destination, Taehyung finds himself in the middle of a wild pond. 

From the very first moment, it's a magical place. With the water-polished rocks scattered around the edges, the gurgling waterfall at one side, the blood-red maple trees towering above them and the other broadleaves adding their own fierce hues of smouldering flames to the picture, to the deer that stares at them with twitching ears before hopping off.

"Whoa!"

Taehyung doesn't have time to notice the satisfied little smile on Jeongguk's face, too busy gaping at their surroundings worthy of a fairy tale.

His gaze keeps getting caught by the deep-red spiked leaves.

"Is this- wait. Are we, like, actually in Japan?!"

Realistically speaking he know it's a foolish thought. That they are in a completely different country. On the other hand, they've been on the move for a while. And... Jeongguk went really fast. Besides, those trees scream ko- wait, what was the word again? Koya? Koyo? Koichi? Something short with 'ko'. The opposite of sakura. Anyway! Those trees scream Japanese picture book autumn. That's the bitch.

Jeongguk's answer doesn't help dwindling Taehyung's awe at all.

"I don't know how you call these lands."

What.

Now Taehyung stares at him.

Watches the mer swimming over to one of those rocks and wiping the layer of wet leaves clustered to it away to scratch markings in the hard surface with his nail. By the time Taehyung joins him, the map is already clearly recognisable. The lines show the Korean east coast, bits of Russia and the entire Japanese west coast - everything surrounding the east sea - with the accuracy of an atlas map.

"Here," Jeongguk mutters and points somewhere, nail clicking on stone. "We're here."

Honshu. They are somewhere at the north-western coast of fucking Honshu! Taehyung is going to pee, or something. He doesn't know how to cope with Jeonguk's sheer awesomeness.

(Also, nobody told him that mers are born cartographers. He feels so betrayed. Or is it maybe a Jeongguk thing? Either way! Hidden talents everywhere. Gosh. How is he so good?)

"Yep," Taehyung admits weakly, "that's Japan."

Sweet Jesus. 

Jeongguk is such a beast.

They spend the day there, in their magical little pond. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Japan. Just the two of them - and the fox and two more deer that hesitantly pass by.

It's a day full of leisure, the two of them enjoying their pretty surrounding just as much as each other's company. 

Taehyung is thrilled as fuck to cross 'kissing under a waterfall' off his non-existent bucket list. (They only try int once, though. The water pressure is too annoying to stay there for long and it's not like there is a hidden cave behind the veil pouring down on them. That would be too cliché.)

Which doesn't mean there is not a lot of kissing happening anyway. Because there is. To a point where Taehyung's lips feel raw and won't stop tingling. Not that he's complaining. Jeongguk is a great kisser. He secretly hopes the fox is jealous because it can't kiss Jeongguk. But Taehyung can. To his heart's content, even. Heh. He smirks and pulls the mer's head forward once more.

"By the way, does it bother you in any way to be in freshwater?" Taehyung is sprawled over a rock with his belly up and head hanging upside-down, the mer brushing their noses together or craning his neck for a short kiss every few seconds. "Some saltwater beings can't live in freshwater, from what I remember."

When the next peck lands on his cheek, Taehyung can feel Jeongguk smile.

"Don't worry about that. I always keep the sea close to me. See?"

He lifts a hand up to Taehyung's eye-level and shows it to him, a sliver of water flitting through his fingers. Then it leaves the mer's grasp as a floating ribbon, growing longer and longer until it encircles the entire pond. Like a broad blue string. It swirls around in the air some more before returning to its master and flitting back into the pond.

Taehyung stares.

"You are so fucking cool!"

Three days after their trip to Japan, Taehyung gets an e-mail about his delivery coming soon. 

He grins.

About time.

"Ugh." 

Taehyung eyes the store where Yoongi works. He's in a squeeze. It's either going to that old lady who had needed half an hour to get his request right last time, or going here, with the unmistakable knowledge that whatever he purchases will be reported to Jimin immediately.

He stands across the store, staring at the entrance for five minutes longer before caving and going in.

"Look who's finally worked up the courage to come in," Yoongi drawls from behind the counter.

Of course he saw Taehyung standing outside like the absolute dimwit he is. Taehyung sighs. That's just his kind of luck.

"Hello to you too."

His landlord weaves out of the confines of the tiny cashier area and comes to plant himself right in front of him. "So? Whaddaya need?"

Taehyung mutters something.

"Huh?"

"A... a gift basket. But empty. So like, just a basket. But a pretty one."

Yoongi squints at him. "Weird kink but okay."

"It's- that's not a kink," Taehyung splutters. "I forgot to bring one of my presents for mum's birthday and I want it to look nice, okay?!"

"If you say so."

"Yah!"

After some more completely unnecessary teasing on Yoongi's end and whines from Taehyung's, he's got his basket at last. Makes, with one last scowl over his shoulder at a smirking Yoongi, his way around the corner to stop, put down his bag and quickly arrange the several glasses in the basket. He even adds a bow wrapped around the handle. Then, once the whole thing looks decent, he stuffs it in the bag and bundles his spare clothes around it as makeshift cushion. Right next to the precious box that came yesterday and is wrapped up just as tightly.

Mindful of all the fragile things he carries, Taehyung has to walk slower than usual. Yeah, he's officially late.

And of course Jeongguk teases him with it.

Greets him with those exact words.

"You're late."

"I know." Taehyung pouts. Sits down onto the pier, swings his legs over the ledge and, hugging his bag, drops down into the sea. Into the mer's awaiting arms. Easily mirrors the smile Jeongguk gives him at their first body contact of the day. He wants to give him a quick kiss on the mouth but miscalculates, lips landing on the mer's chin instead. Jeongguk giggles. Leans back in for a proper kiss this time that Taehyung is all too happy to answer. "Sorry I made you wait."

Jeongguk shakes his head. "Don't mention it. I'm happy now that you're here. Now, cave or beach?"

"Cave, please."

The mer gives him an exquisite look. "You sound like you have a plan."

"Maybe~," Taehyung sings and winks at him.

"Congratulations to you very own exclusive spa day!"

Jeongguk stares from where he's still in the water, floating between where Taehyung has his legs spread open and dangling over the mossy ledge.

"My... what?!"

"Your spa day. Wellness. Relaxation." Taehyung opens his bag and gets out the little basket to gingerly place it on his lap. "Here, I made something for you."

A strangled noise makes its way out of the mer's throat.

"You, you made something? For me?"

Taehyung furrows his eyebrows. "Yes?"

If he didn't know any better, he'd say Jeongguk looks a little constipated. With how he doesn't say anything for a long while before his entire face melts into the most blinding smile. "Thank you," Jeongguk breathes with a reverence one might use to thank God for a miracle.

Taehyung blushes bright red to the root of his hair. "Hush," he stutters. "You- you don't even know what it is yet."

"Still."

And yeah, he thinks, that backfired quickly. He didn't plan to get himself killed by gifting something to Jeongguk. Deep breaths. Gosh. Are his hands shaking? The tremendous effect that stupid fish has on him, really. He hates it. (He loves it.)

"Alright. You, uhm, you just stay there, get comfy. And I'll just- yeah."

Entire head burning, Taehyung clamours to unpack his bag. First gets out the gift basket, little glasses clinking against each other, and puts it in the moss, followed by the silk-wrapped box. Then he slips out of his trousers - shoes and socks early abandoned upon their arrival as always - and gets into the water.

Jeongguk smiles at him. "Hi."

"Hi," Taehyung breathes and gives a peck behind the mer's ear. He pulls the silk box closer to the edge. "Could you help me with one thing, please?"

"Of course."

The answer comes promptly and with such a reverence it once more makes Taehyung's heart skip a beat or two.

He quickly looks away and focusses on the box instead. On opening it and fishing out the hand-carved tea pot and one of the cups belonging to that set crafted out of deep green Burmese jade. Imperial jade, the auctioneer had called it. One of the most valuable types of jade there is. Taehyung had mostly liked the colour, that shade of rich bluish green that looked so much like Jeongguk's scales in the shadow.

"Here." He hands the pot to Jeongguk who obediently takes it, a questioning look on his face. And then, lest he forgets it later, is quick to add, "That's yours now, by the way. I'm just showing you how to use it."

The mer is about to open his mouth and protest after taking a good look on the insanely intricate craft and all the shapes carved into the green gemstone, but Taehyung doesn't let him. Pulls the basket close already to get another thing.

Because next is the little metal box that sits in the centre of the basket, surrounded by a handful of glasses. It holds a couple of fish-shaped tea bags. One of those now makes its way inside the pot, followed by a generous pour of drinking water from Taehyung's bottle.

"Could you have the water boil for a second and then let it cool down on its own, please?"

Jeongguk doesn't bother answering.

Two seconds later, water bubbles are fizzing and popping inside the green pot. Taehyung quickly puts on the lid. He smiles.

"Thank you, baby."

The mer beams at him.

From then on, Jeongguk's spa day officially begins. The mer languidly sips his very first self-made tea (a mixture advised for singers, to soothe their throat) while Taehyung's hands roam all over him. First to rub in the citrus coconut peeling he mixed in the kitchen a few days ago, then to wash it off and treat the skin with a body lotion instead. He leaves out the tail for that, not sure how Jeongguk's scales would react.

Taehyung takes his sweet time with every single step of it. Revels in the slow and thorough touches just as much as the mer does. In the satisfaction that he can touch wherever he wants, for however long he wants. Maybe he overdoes it a bit with the massage, but. He needs to make sure Jeongguk's muscles are all nice and relaxed. So what if his hands linger?

By the time he gets to the hair care part, the tea pot is all empty. Jeongguk takes to humming soothing melodies and, with a casual flick of his wrist, lets water bubbles of all size rise up in the air and float around the entire cave while Taehyung, riding on the mer's tail, untangles his long hair and all those braids. Jeongguk's humming gets louder once Taehyung works on massaging in the shea butter hair conditioner and Taehyung watches in amusement how his eyes slip shut, entire body turning lax. Now he'd only have to purr to make a perfect cat.

Taehyung's favourite part of that little wellness programme of his however is the one for the lips. It's easy enough - he has to scrub old skin off Jeongguk's lips, then coat them with honey and wait. And then-

The honey needs to be removed, of course.

And what better way to do that, than licking and kissing the sticky sweetness right off Jeongguk's mouth?

"Thank you," Jeongguk whispers when they're back at the pier, dropping the words right into Taehyung's ear like secrets, or gemstones in a treasure box, "for this very special day with you."

Taehyung's hand comes up to bury itself in the mer's silken hair. He turns his head to give a peck to Jeongguk's temple, then another one to the bridge of his nose.

"Of course. Anytime."

Anything for you.

...I love you.

Chapter Text

Brazilian | verb

♦ the act of tenderly running fingers through someone's hair

The expression Jeongguk had when he realised Taehyung had a gift for him stays with the singer for the rest of the day. Longer, even. It haunts him in the most delicious way. Like a ghost who has been dearly yearned for and gets readily accepted in the family with no less kindness than a long-lost relative. Like the sweetest memory that seeps into every crack of one's mind, into the farthest corner, and settles there as clear golden honey that glistens in the sunlight.

It's simply the way Jeongguk had been so incredibly awe-struck by the mere fact Taehyung had gotten him something - made himself, at least partly - that keeps pulling at the strings of Taehyung's heart. The way Jeongguk's mouth had dropped open, eyes widening and voice almost breaking in tender disbelief.

As if it had never occurred to him Taehyung would want to give back, too. To reciprocate all those lavish gifts at least by a fraction. 

'Simply.'

Taehyung shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair. Nothing about Jeongguk has ever been simple. He is the furthest from simple one can get. Every minute detail about him is extraordinary. Breathtaking. What a silly idea, to think Taehyung would just take and take and take, and cease to appreciate the wonder that is Jeongguk. No, not just silly but plainly impossible is what it is with how much he's come to adore the mer.

Adore.

Taehyung frowns. Bites at his lip and turns the word over in his head.

Something clicks.

He stretches to the window ledge where his notebook rests. Flips through the pages and skims some of his notes as an idea forms in his head. A theme, a direction, a soft melody. Some chords, a selection of instruments.

The singer opens an empty page, then writes down the word 'Adore' in big letters right at the top before underlining it twice.

He knows what the opening track for his new album will be now. 

While his hand keeps flying over the page and fills it with verse after verse, he keeps musing about the term. Adore is such a soft word. 

'I adore you. I adore the way your eyes light up when you're excited, when I teach you new things about my world. I adore everything about you. I look upon you in adoration. I adore your affection and what it does to me.' 

Adore, adore, adore. He keeps mumbling the word to himself as the song steadily comes to life all on its own, the ever-present picture of Jeongguk's softest smile burnt into the back of his head.

Of course like that he misses Jimin calling out for him through the open door. ALthough honestly, even if he'd noticed his landlord he'd have ignored him. Taehyung is in the zone. Nothing deserves his attention at this moment other than the song in his head.

It's been ages since he's been like that. A broad smile stretches across the singer's face. When was the last time he truly basked in creating new music with every fibre of his being? It feels like half a lifetime has passed since his last title release. Too long.

But now he's back. Over the past weeks he's had a little taste of the exhilarating euphoria that came with working on an album, has dipped his toe into the water. This, however. This is pure indulgence. The longer he works on 'Adore', the more it reminds him of why he became an idol in the first place. A singer.

Much later, when dawn is just to break over the horizon, it is done. Taehyung closes his transcribing programme, shuts down the laptop and puts it aside together with his notebook. This time, he falls asleep with a different kind of smile than the past days. It's a smile of someone riding the high of their latest creation. The smile of a happy artist who gave it their all and has no regrets.

Just for that, for Jeongguk bringing back that rare kind of smile to him, Taehyung loves him even more.

"You can't- you can't spring things like that at me," Taehyung whines. He dares a peak through his fingers where he has both hands raised in front of his face, takes another look at the thing and squeezes his eyes shut once more.

Jeongguk winds his tail tighter around Taehyung's legs until they are no longer resting on the moss and chuckles, bright sound bouncing off the cave's walls. 

"I thought you like to learn new things about my world," he teases with a little poke to Taehyung's side.

Taehyung pouts. "I like to learn things period. But yes, especially about you," he admits. And quickly adds, "As long as it doesn't weird me out! But, like, seriously? First the oyster and now this?"

The mer keeps laughing. Pries one of Taehyung's hands off his face with nimble fingers and lifts up the scallop for Taehyung to look at once more. 

Taehyung obliges hesitantly. Looks at the scallop that is staring right back at him with all its two hundred something eyes, and shrieks some more.

He wasn't aware scallops have eyes at all! Let alone that many. To be fair, he wasn't aware that eyes are an existing concept for mussels in general. But you never stop learning. The old saying keeps true to itself with every new thing Jeongguk shows him. Be it pearls in their most natural form, or many-eyed scallops, or how to float on water.

"Come on," the mer urges, chuckling. "I promise it won't bite. They are completely harmless."

"The things I do for you," Taehyung sighs before turning both palms up for Jeongguk to place the thing there. Cringes, when he beholds those way too many eyes once more. Excuse him. Usually, two hundred eyes are what he sees during a warm-up for a concert, when the holders of VIP pre-show tickets huddle together in the pit right in front of the stage. Evenly divided onto a hundred lucky people. And not... one. Two hundred eyes are one hundred eighty too many for one living being (spiders and insects notwithstanding). That's just- no. A big Nope from him.

Open and close the scallop clacks. Taehyung looks... and looks and looks, as he forces himself to relax. To come to terms with what he's holding. Deep breaths. If Jeongguk says it's harmless, if it's part of his wondrous world, then he can do this. 

Stop being a wimp, Kim the fuck Taehyung!

"Okay, I'm chill," he tries to convince himself.

Jeongguk is still smiling at him but more fondly so. Less teasing, more affectionate. "Are you sure?"

"Mhm, positive. I mean, if I keep thinking about it, it could even be cute? Kinda? Maybe I should give it a name?"

"...What?"

"A name! Yes!" Taehyung grows more excited by the second. He loves giving names. "I mean, I'm not gonna adopt it as a pet, obviously, but still. Maybe something like... what was it again... Poppy... Popeye... Polpetto? Something like that?"

The mer perches himself up on his arm. "What does that mean?"

"Meatball, I think. It's Italian."

"Why would you chose-" Jeongguk starts before cutting himself off with raised voice, "wait, you speak Italian?! Isn't that really far away? Since when do you speak a language from the other end of the world? Did I miss something?"

Now it's Taehyung's turn to chuckle. Which is funny. Moments ago he was the one rambling and now it's the mer, with eyes going wide and fins twitching endearingly. Taehyung runs a hand through Jeongguk's long, long hair. He should braid it again soon. So pretty. His other hand joins in, and soon enough the mer closes his eyes, gently pushes his head into one of Taehyung's palms and stays like that. Lets him do as he pleases.

"No baby, you didn't miss anything important," he assures. Tucks one of the mer's strands behind his ear and caresses the soft skin there. Jeongguk hums, burying his head further into the touch. Taehyung smiles. "I'm not half Italian or anything like that. It's part of the idol training, you know? To learn multiple languages. At least English and Japanese. And at some point I wanted to try out another language. Maybe French, or Spanish, or Norwegian. Or, dunno, Italian."

"You say it like it's such an easy thing to do. Learning a new language," Jeongguk says with his eyes still closed. "As if it doesn't take incredibly much work and dedication to learn one, let alone three."

Taehyung shrugs. "I only did what every trainee has to do. Besides, I didn't exactly succeed with the third foreign language. I wasn't sure which language to go for, so I tried them out all at once but of course that didn't work at all because I got everything jumbled up and only remembered a bunch of the most random words. I can barely form a proper sentence in any of those languages, to be honest."

Jeongguk huffs out a little laugh. Turns his face to brand Taehyung's wrist with a sweet kiss, then noses along his hand, his arm, before he leans down to give a peck on Taehyung's mouth.

"That sounds so much like you."

Taehyung snorts. "Everything I do is me."

"I know." The mer's voice dwindles down to a low mutter that Taehyung physically feels where they are laying chest to chest. "I love it."

And. Taehyung doesn't even have to try hard for the smile to spread all over his face.

"You are such a sweet-talker."

Jeongguk shakes his head. "Just being honest."

"Aish, seriously."

The daylight is gradually vanishing and turning the cave into a dark hole. Taehyung should probably get back soon. He sighs. Keeps tracing the edges of Jeongguk's many, many glistening scales as he comes to terms with the fact that it's time for tonight's goodbye.

"I'm really glad I came to Nakseongdae of all places," he confesses absentmindedly.

There is just enough daylight left for him to see the shadow flitting over the mer's face. He frowns. Cradles Jeongguk's face and gives him a scrutinizing look.

"What is it, Gguk?"

The mer turns away - such a small gesture, but it stings - and bites his lip, then frowns, eyes turning into slits. For a moment he looks incredibly angry before his features smooth out again and he turns back. "It's just ironic."

"Ironic?"

Jeongguk hums. He curls a strand of Taehyung's hair around his finger. "Let me tell you a little story, Tae. About the old village Nakseongdae."

Taehyung sinks further into the damp moss, taking the mer with him. Begins to lazily trace patterns onto Jeongguk's back of those waves and swirls the other loves so much.

"Tell me."

Another hum, followed by a short silence as the mer collects himself.

"Long ago, there was a star that gazed down on earth from far away and fell in love. Not with the earth itself, nor its lands. But with the vast blue sea.

"And after years and centuries and aeons of yearning, the star couldn't bear it any longer. He gave up everything he was, his very essence, and ripped himself out of his place in the universe. Shot through several galaxies and crossed time and space until he finally reached this planet and plunged himself into the sea he watched for so long. Right here-" Jeongguk gestures around them, "in this very bay."

Taehyung's breath hitches. His fingers dig into the mer's shoulder before he notices and gives a few apologetic caresses to the spot.

"Was it you?," he breathes.

Jeongguk shakes his head. "No. But someone I know very well." His gaze turns distant again. "That night when the star drowned itself in this bay and a new mer was born, there was a witness. A lone fisher who had drifted off too far. He saw the wonder unfold, saw another mer coming to collect the newborn, his large, bright pink tail impossible to miss in these shallow waters during a full moon.

"The fisher went back home and told everyone from the tremendous thing he'd seen. Barely anyone believed him. But he was convinced he hadn't hallucinated. So he took his family and the few people who believed him, and moved to the bay where he'd seen the star fall down. He settled down there, founded a new village that was nothing more than a handful of huts at first. For many years it didn't have a single road, let alone a name. Eventually, however, it grew."

Taehyung turns on his side, chin propped up on his hand, and watches how Jeongguk's lips curl around all those words. He zones out for a second before the story continues to register in his head.

"Just like the mer who'd been born here. He loved coming to the surface to meet the humans. Word spread about him, and more and more people came. Amongst merfolk, some called him young and naive for being so trusty of humans. Which is plain wrong. The truth is, that despite his young age the mer was very wise. He had watched the forming of that nameless village and studied the humans living there from afar before making the decision to show himself. Each time, it was an active choice he made. He decided to like and trust the humans here - and only here. In exchange, the humans showed him kindness and taught him many things. Their language, their habits, their beliefs.

"To show his gratitude, the mer told them about our kin. Not much, for most of our knowledge is to be kept secret. But a few things he revealed. And vowed to protect the village. Which he did. Thrice. Two times from impending tsunamis, and once from a tempest so disastrous it swept away entire coasts.

"The fisher, an old man by now, was by far the most reverent of them all and came to the shore every single day to wait for the mer. Wonder turned into fascination turned into worship. He named the village Nakseongdae - the place where a star was fallen. And after they've been saved from the first tsunami in such an unrealistic way that it had to have been the mer's work, he prompted the building of a temple. 

"The inhabitants of Nakseongdae worshipped the mer like a God, even more so after the temple was completed. Both sides prospered from the connection. The villagers from their divine protection, and the mer from the knowledge that was shared with him."

Jeongguk's expression turns sour again. He furrows his eyebrows so hard they almost touch in the middle. 

Taehyung absentmindedly lifts a hand to poke at the deep crease between them.

"However, things changed," the mer goes on. "Time kept flowing, the hearts of the humans changed. And what should not have been forgotten was forgotten. The temple was abandoned. Left to fend for its own until it crumpled and turned to dust. Until nothing remained at all. The villagers no longer worshipped the mer. People stopped coming to the shore to talk to him. They grew restless and unhappy, and began looking for a scapegoat. For anyone to blame for all the things that went wrong in their lives.

"With the mer who had no grounds to defend himself, they found the perfect victim.

Taehyung joins the mer in scowling. He doesn't like where this is going. 

Jeongguk notices and gives him a sad little smile, hand coming up to smooth out the frown in a way that's both reassuring and telling Taehyung they haven't reached the bottom of it yet.

"There were no tragedies to defend Nakseongdae from for a while. So the villagers forgot about the mer's kindness altogether. Instead, they began twisting things until truths were turned into lies, and lies became truth. 

"At some point, the mer couldn't bear it any longer. He left this bay that has been his home for centuries - and never came back. 

"A few decades was all it took for the now thriving town of Nakseongdae to forget why it came to be in the first place. Nobody cared about the mer any more, and nobody thanked him for the many lives he'd saved. The people failed to remember their history, too busy with themselves. The village that had prospered into a town dwindled down once more and shrank back to half of its size - stagnating ever since, I guess. That's the story of Nakseongdae," the mer finishes with a deep exhale.

Taehyung sniffles.

He cannot see the way Jeongguk flinches, only feel it in the now dark cave. 

The mer's voice is back to normal with the next sentence. Back into the present. 

"Tae. My sweet treasure," he coos. Blindly pats around until he finds Taehyung's face and cradles it in his hands, then lands a peck somewhere off-centre on his forehead. "It's not all bad. That mer is living very happily now. Far away from the humans he came to love, but happy nonetheless. Hey." Another peck, this time on his eyebrow. "Please, don't cry. There is nothing to cry about for you, yeah? Don't be sad for something that's long in the past. No more crying."

"I'm not crying," Taehyung sniffs.

"Your cheeks are wet."

"The ceiling is dripping, or something."

With the next kiss, he can feel the mer smile against his skin. "That's a really poor excuse, pearl."

"Shut up."

It takes him a few more sniffles and a tight hug before he remembers something that crossed his mind during Jeongguk's undeniably sad tale.

"Is that why you are here now? Because of that mer you are close with?"

Jeongguk hums. 

"Yeah. I wanted to see what kind of place this is. And, well, I don't know." He shrugs in Taehyung's embrace. "I guess I wanted to prove a point."

"What point?"

"...I'm not sure yet."

"That's okay baby." Gosh, it's dark. Taehyung is just as clueless as the mer about where anything is and blindly places a kiss at the nearest surface that must be part of Jeongguk. Judging by the following giggle, it was indeed a random spot. "Sometimes it takes time to figure things out. You can't force personal decisions."

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me for anything, Gguk."

That evening when he comes home, Taehyung doesn't write any lyrics. He is in no mood for that. Barely says a word at the dinner table as he keeps glancing between his two landlords. And wonders, do they know? Are they familiar with the story of their hometown?

But-

Maybe he needs to take a step back. Look at it from a certain distance.

Is what Jeongguk told him even true?

Of course he wants to think so. But with Jeongguk's close relationship to that other mer it's clear that he is anything but objective about the whole matter.

The story seems plausible. Nakseongdae is an unusual name for a village, and sure to be connected to some kind of special event. And it would explain a few other things too. 

Probably.

Taehyung needs to keep cool about it. 

He slowly shakes his head. This, giving Jimin and Yoongi the stink eye, doesn't lead him anywhere. It would probably be best for now that he doesn't look at the people of Nakseongdae any differently than before. Not until he knows more about the matter. Until he has any kind of proof.

The next day, their luck with the good weather is over.

It's been surprisingly sunny the past weeks, considering it is autumn. Chilly, yes. But not unpleasant yet. Not like today, where daylight refuses to break - is unable to, with how everything is covered up by those dark clouds that have been pouring their content onto Korea's east coast relentlessly since early morning.

Shit weather is what it is. Honestly, Taehyung dreads putting but a single foot out the door. Despite the knowledge that Jeongguk will no doubt be waiting for him at the pier. For the both of them to meet up, he has to brave that never-ending downpour first.

Yoongi's comment during breakfast - thanks to the heavy rain beating down on the roof loudly Taehyung has been awake early enough to eat breakfast together for once - has simply been, 'Ah. So it begun.' With the finality of someone who knew the rain wouldn't relent for the next days.

Just, great. Wonderful.

Taehyung groans into his empty tea pot.

He's going to need a fuck-ton of tea, blankets and cookies to get through this. And board games. And his laptop. And crafting paper. And yarn, and knitting needles, and-

And he should probably get going now. 

How many umbrellas are there in this house? Do they have any waterproof film? He needs to check a few things and then hurry to the pier.

"Okay, so, on a scale from one to ten, how likely is it that this horrible weather is going to last for the rest of the week," Taehyung asks after he leans down the pier to give a greeting kiss to Jeongguk and then beckons him to come out of the water.

With as much grace as ever, the mer hoists himself up on the pier. (Of course Taehyung stares.) 

"At least nine."

Taehyung throws his head back and groans dramatically. 

"Are you for real?"

"Yeah, the clouds are spanning the entire coast and far over the open sea. This rain is going to last for for a while."

"Dammit," Taehyung mutters, then adds louder, "but that's okay, I have a plan! We are going to have lots of fun, you and I. Promise."

The mer raises his brows with a little smirk. "Oh?"

"Mhm. Are you okay with staying inside the next days?"

Jeongguk's expression turns wary. "Define 'inside'."

"Well..." Taehyung gnaws at his lip, "we can go to the cave of course, but maybe for one day or two... would you be fine with staying in the hut again?"

The mer lets out an empty chuckle. "Taehyung," he says. Drags a hand over his face, and then, again, with even more fervour in his voice, repeats "Taehyung." He slinks forward until he can take Taehyung's hands in his and entwines their fingers, grip warm and secure. "My dear Taehyung." He kisses the back of Taehyung's hands, his knuckles, wrist, cheek. "I never want you to feel trapped if that's the issue here. Least of all because of me. If you are uncomfortable in the cave, I will try my best to find someplace better."

Jeongguk halts to give him an apologetic look. "But I won't lie, I have a bad feeling staying here in a hut. Especially when I would be in human form, with wooden planks between the sea and me." A kiss to his mouth this time, lingering and scorching like a vow. "That's why, my beautiful pearl, please bear with me just for a bit. Only until I found a better place to ride out the storm. I promise I'll be quick."

"Alright," Taehyung easily agrees. Pulls their joined hands up and strokes his thumbs over Jeongguk's always so gentle claws. He can understand the mer, of course he can. If you have a deep connection with something that has always been there to protect you, severing that connection or even just straining it must be a horrendous experience. Like cutting off parts of yourself. He doesn't want that. Hates the very idea of the mer being uncomfortable. So he won't ask about staying in the hut again. Especially now that he has an inkling how Jeongguk might feel about Nakseongdae.

It was probably insensitive of him to ask in the first place.

"Okay. Let's go to the cave. It's not even that bad, really. I like it there."

"I'm sorry, little pearl."

Jeongguk's voice is small and muffled with regret.

Taehyung shakes his head.

"No, don't be. You did nothing wrong. Just don't let me catch a cold, 'kay?"

"I won't." Jeongguk looks down where he's etching patterns into the old wood with his claw. He peers up at him through fluttering lashes. "...How do colds work again?"

It goes without saying Taehyung is all too happy to explain.

In order to fight The Bad Weather^TM, Taehyung needs to make a re-run.

"Can you bring this bag to the cave already, please? I think I'll have to fetch a few more things."

Jeongguk is already nodding and stretching out both hands to accept the bag but pauses at the second sentence.

"...So you have to go back through that heavy rain? Even if extreme weather like this makes you sick?"

"I, well, yeah." Taehyung scratches his temple with a sheepish smile. "It's okay though. I have an umbrella, remember? And I'm wearing a rain jacket." He looks down at said jacket and pouts. Rain jackets are so unstylish. Whatever. He's an idol on vacation, he doesn't have to look runway-ready. 

"Tae, pearl." The mer shifts the bag from both hands to one to tenderly run a sharp nail down Taehyung's jaw. "The sea is my home, protector and family. It bends and listens to my will. And in extension, so does the rain coming from the sea. If you really are in danger to get sick from the rain, I could simply command it to not fall on you."

Wow. With each sentence coming from Jeongguk, Taehyung's mouth has dropped open wider, until he's openly gaping.

"That was the most badass thing I heard in my entire life," he whispers. And then louder, "You are so fucking cool!"

He does not accept the super-cool offer, however. Him walking through town with the rain cleanly avoiding him as if he were in a bubble would be way too suspicious for anyone watching. Jeongguk doesn't want people to know of his presence. But Taehyung would have a hard time explaining the rain's aversion of him as a natural phenomenon. Or anything else than magic, really.

So yeah. He'll have to brave it on his own.

It's just rain. No big deal. Just really heavy rain. He's not made of sugar.

Jeongguk can easily dry him up when he's back. Besides, in the cave he can snuggle in one of the blankets he brought and drink a big cup of hot chocolate and then everything's gonna be fine, right?

Taehyung stops in the middle of the street and turns on his heels to run back to the house. (Maybe he's cursing like a sailor while doing so, literally. He picked up some good lines during his one time on the trawler.) Dammit! He was really dumb enough to forget the marshmallows.

"So you can honestly control the rain?," he asks when he's finally all snuggled up in their cave, Jeongguk's naked chest pressing against his cashmere-clad back where the mer is sitting behind him, the two of them wrapped in the blanket together.

"Not all rain," the mer admits. "Only the one from the sea. If the clouds are water out of a lake or river, it stubbornly refuses to listen. Then I'm as powerless as you."

"Yah!" Taehyung pinches Jeongguk's leg. The mer has shifted forms as soon as they reached the cave while mumbling something about fish being colder than humans. What a complete sweetheart. "I'm not powerless, I have an umbrella."

Jeongguk ponders it for a moment, then nods, chin grazing Taehyung's shoulder. "Then I'm even more powerless than you during lake rain."

"...Why does that still sound belittling?"

The mer splutters. "That's- I didn't mean it like-"

"I know, I know," Taehyung chuckles and turns his head to smooch a wet kiss onto whatever part of Jeongguk's face he can get. "I'm just teasing, babe."

A sharp nip to his earlobe makes him yelp.

"...Meanie," Jeongguk mutters.

Despite Taehyung's many big plans and the considerable amount of stuff he raided from his landlords' house, aside from sipping hot chocolate - and tea, once Jeongguk brought the jade tea set Taehyung got him - oh, and halfheartedly solving a few crossword puzzles - on that first day of The Shitty Weather they end up doing a whole lot of... nothing.

The dim light in the cave and constant sound of rain from outside coupled with the cosy warmth of being cuddled together are doing a great job of making Taehyung drowsy. It's a lethal combination. Especially considering they are sitting on fluffy moss and that Taehyung brought two little cushions in his second bag for maximum comfort.

So maybe it shouldn't really come as surprise that he ends up napping the day away.

Jeongguk doesn't complain once. Lets him doze off to his heart's content and doesn't shift or change position. Even when one time Taehyung slowly blinks open his eyes and sees the mer's arm pinned under him in a way where it's impossible to not have gone dead.

(His Jeonggukkie is just the sweetest soul in the entire world.)

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Jeongguk does not sleep that night.

Instead, he swims up and down the coast all night, head breaching the water surface time and again as he searches for a new spot for them. For Taehyung and him. Somewhere where both of them feel comfortable. Far away from prying eyes.

It is by no means easy.

There are only so many places that are not visible both from land and from sea. And most of them don't fulfil the comfort part.

He finds a place eventually, that could work in his favour. 

Covered by a row of tall rocks that tower over the water surface like rusty needles grown together, there, in the actual cliff behind, he spots a row of large holes in the stone that look too deliberate to be natural. Too even-sized.

He dives into the water that's sloshing in little maelstroms between the cliff and its stony curtain. Digs his claws into the water to momentarily silence the strong swirls and bring the sea up instead, rising higher and higher with it until he can enter the cave. It's high up in the stone, several metres. But he has no idea how many. Has always been bad at estimating. Maybe high up enough that if a fragile human fell out, they would die from the impact on the water surface rather than the maelstroms lurking beneath. 

Jeongguk doesn't bother shifting to explore the place. Instead, he stretches his reach for the water longer and longer so he can float through the large cave on an ever-growing wave. He finds out there are not many separate caves but rather a big and a smaller one. If he widens the holes in the wall directed towards the sea, it could look like one of those ancient colonnades Taehyung showed him on his phone, and-

Why 'if'? How about 'when'?

The mer promptly gets to work and summons even more water to mill away at the sturdy material while continuing his exploration. With the growing holes, by day this place would probably be filled with light. Now however, it remains as glum as before. Not that it bothers Jeongguk, he can still see well. And what he sees is... 

A tunnel. Leading far into the rock, then twisting out of sight. In the large cave, a few half-rotten chests are scattered over the floor. In a corner, long metal things rest against the wall that look like those hateful weapons Seokjin has told him from.

Jeongguk briefly wonders what used to be this place's purpose, if it had been a pirate's or smuggler's lair. Then decides it doesn't matter because this is his cave now. He redirects the debris of his doing at the cave's front to the tunnel entrance and lets it plop down there, then sweeps a mighty wave through cave and tunnel to collect all the rocks and clutter laying there and haul it back, until the entrance is completely blocked. Just to be sure.

The mer keeps working at the cave all night. Forms the outer wall into pretty pillars and evens out the floor until it's as smooth as humans like things to be, then does the same with the ceiling. Until he floats in the middle of a very much naked, empty hall.

Uhm.

That's not exactly the level of cosiness Taehyung deserves.

So off he goes, plunges back into the sea deep below, checks one last time that his cave is indeed hidden from view and then makes to collect sea grass, shells, moss, sand, drift wood and any kind of human furniture he can get his claws on.

And while he does so, he congratulates himself.

If Taehyung feels trapped in their improvised little cave, then surely he'll like this one. It's bigger, neater, and much more open. On top of that, it has a view to the open sea - well, and the stones needles, but ehh. It's not the dark, wet hole the other cave was when Jeongguk found it. No, this one's a big improvement. He just has to keep working harder to make it even better.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

"I got you another something," Taehyung shyly declares two days later.

The courier arrived yesterday with the precious package and rung up a storm for Taehyung to accept it and give his signature. (Good thing he stayed behind until the delivery arrived.) Then he got out a second document to demand a signature there, too, together with Taehyung's ID, if he would be so kind. 

Something as valuable as the almost 600.000.000 won tiara he ordered needs more than just one signature. It took time to find someone who could deliver him what he's been looking for. Who could offer a design worthy of Jeongguk and everything he embodies. A design that, maybe, could take Jeongguk's breath away for once.

And indeed, when he gets out the velvet box and lifts the lid to present its content, the mer gasps.

"You- you can't just-"

Taehyung huffs. "Oh, please. You are known to make my heart stop every now and then with your wonderful and extravagant gifts. It's just fair that I try to do the same for once." He grins. "Did I succeed?"

Jeongguk stares at the tiara for a long moment, then at Taehyung. It's the kind of intense gaze that melts Taehyung's very bones away and turns him to putty right where he sits. That deep, scorching, wondrous look Taehyung knows only from Jeongguk.

"Immensely," the mer chokes out.

Taehyung gulps, licks his lips. Then remembers his little plan.

"Here," he says, and pats the space between his legs. "Come. I watched some tutorials and bought a shit-ton of bobby pins. Let's tame your hair and put this ridiculous thing on your head."

Jeongguk splutters. "Wh- you can't call it like that!"

"Shush. I bought it, therefore I can call it however I want."

The mer grumbles some more but sits down in front of him, back to Taehyung. His black hair freely tumbling over it.

Hair, which, as Taehyung noticed, doesn't just look pretty (because of course it does. This is Jeongguk!) but also has a tendency to grow insanely quick. When they first met it barely reached past the mer's shoulders. Now it tickles down his entire spine and can almost touch the point where blue and green scales protrude from soft skin around his hips.

How does that work? Is it because Jeongguk is so much underwater? Can you water hair and make it grow like a plant? Or is it a 'fabulous merfolk' thing?

"Are all mers visual stunners?," he muses out loud around the tiny hair ties stuck between his lips.

Jeongguk hums. "I guess? At least I haven't met any ugly mer yet. But then again I don't know if your idea of stunning is the same as mine. I mean, one of my dads has a tail that's covered with scars and still looks gorgeous. Maybe in your eyes, he wouldn't."

"Well, apparently you think I'm pretty and I think you're pretty," Taehyung quips. "So I'd say our preferences match perfectly well."

"Yeah," Jeongguk says and reaches up to caress Taehyung's cheek without turning around so the latter can keep combing through his hair and slowly braiding it. "The prettiest."

Maybe Taehyung's throat goes a little dry. He stubbornly looks at his fingers - only his fingers - and fights down the urge to bend down and press a kiss against the mer's shoulder.

"Uhm."

Change of topic. If he gets flustered now, he'll never pull off the hairstyle he wants.

"How did he get the scars?"

It takes two heartbeats and the stiffening of Jeongguk's entire upper body for him to realise that maybe this was a very bad question.

"Not all humans are curious in a good way," the mer supplies with a dark quality to his voice Taehyung never heard there before.

"...Oh."

Taehyung has a feeling he really, really doesn't want to know what happened to Jeongguk's dad. At least not if he wants his lunch to stay with him. 

"I'm sorry."

Another hum from the mer that no doubt has his gills fluttering in this absurdly endearing way. "Don't be. You did nothing wrong."

An uncomfortable silence begins to fill the cave, in which Taehyung regrets having asked in the first place. Can't even imagine the kind of dark places Jeongguk's mind might drift off now.

Hesitantly, fingers tightening around the strands they hold, he asks, "Can you sing for me?"

The glum atmosphere evaporates within two words.

"Of course," the mer says with a voice so warm Taehyung can hear the smile in it.

He loves it when Jeongguk smiles so broadly it's audible. Adores it.

(Maybe he should add just one more verse to his new song.)

The mer begins humming a soothing melody that has the water curling around them in little swirls and spirals. Taehyung stares. And, with a smile of his own, shakes his head.

Are there any limits to Jeongguk's awesomeness?

Taehyung is not a professional hairstylist - that would make this whole thing a lot easier. And also not see him redoing Jeongguk's hair three times. Alas, the saying goes 'three times a charm'. So he braids up Jeongguk's entire hair, hates it, untangles it to try a half-up, half-down style, is not satisfied with that one either and braids it up again - but differently this time. With five strands and not just three. (Which gives him only two tiny mental meltdowns and has him wish he had a third hand). Inverted french plait for more wow-effect, some tiny braids interwoven. And the tiara resting on the mer's head from the beginning, so he can braid it in and fixate it. Dare he say, he's slowly but surely getting the hang of more advanced braiding styles thanks to the fact that Jeongguk's hair is so lusciously long and he is allowed to play around with it whenever he wants.

Finally, he shuffles around Jeongguk to have a look at him from all sides.

Taehyung purses his lips and nods.

"There. I mean. Not perfect, but it'll do."

An understatement. Jeongguk looks every bit the royalty he is - at least where Taehyung is concerned. The tiara fashioned of silver, diamonds and sapphires proudly sits atop of his head in a way that silently demands attention, the waves in which it's styled looking as vivid as the mer whenever he plays with the sea.

Taehyung has sent twenty mails with a picture of the Boucheron wave tiara to different designers and asked, 'Can you make something similar?'.

And now... It fits Jeongguk perfectly.

To be honest, the hairstyle might not matter that much. The mer would probably rock the look no matter what Taehyung does. 

But he is a perfectionist, so there. 

And with those cresting waves in his hair, with those diamonds twinkling just like the stars under Jeongguk's eyes and the little galaxies swirling in them, the mer takes his breath away.

Taehyung doesn't get out a single word. Silently gapes at him, a lump in his throat. He's got the distinct feeling of his eyes watering, which is completely stupid, who the hell cries because the person they happen to love looks too good to cope, get a grip, Taehyung, and, just-

"...Shit."

No. Wait! That's not what he is supposed to say. Uhh. Oh gosh. But just, like, look at him...

"You are absolutely gorgeous."

There, better. That's the way.

Except-

Taehyung's eyes widen.

"No, I mean, not that you're not gorgeous at all times, which you are, I mean, of course, I was just- I mean, oh shit! I can't even- Gguk," he whines. "Babe. I'm turning into a disaster because of you."

And because Taehyung's coping mechanism for anything is terrible at best and out of service most of the time, the next thing he does is smack Jeongguk on his chest. Quite hard, might he say.

Which throws him right into the next clusterfuck of stuttered words that are a jumbled mess of apologies and "Stop looking so fatally attractive! I mean, don't. No, wait, yes, please do... and, like, fuck! This was a horrible idea, Kim Taehyung. Horrible, horrible, horrible. You check-mated yourself. Nooo, don't look at me like that, Gguk, my mind is doing a way too good job at pureeing itself already. Stop laughing! No!"

Indeed, at some point the mer bursts into bright laughter while Taehyung is still rambling like the complete mess he is. And maybe he's making the biggest idiot of himself. Wait. This is not a 'maybe' scenario. It's not up to debate at this point. He is an idiot. But maybe he too has the emotional range of a tea spoon because right now he can't even begin to feel ashamed of himself, too busy trying not to go absolutely bonkers because of that visual attack.

In fact, Jeongguk smiling so happily doesn't make things better one bit. To the contrary. It adds to the already devastating effect of his appearance.

Taehyung groans. There is nothing left to save him. This vision is going to haunt him and turn him into a dumb, drooling mess, brain liquefied and then dried up into a sad little raisin, here, snip it straight in the trash where it belongs, goshdammit!

"Deep breaths, pearl."

Taehyung whacks his chest again. That stupidly chiseled, perfect chest- don't, don't go there. Except, he miscalculates and somehow manages to hit himself too. Just proves his liquid brain theory.

"The fuck, I can't just breathe now, I gotta hyperventilate!"

Jeongguk laughs again.

And oh, isn't it the most beautiful sound in the world.

Taehyung shuts up for a moment to listen and revel in it. 

A moment that the mer uses to grab the lapels of his coat (Taehyung is very much into coats these days) and pull him in for a deep, long kiss. Not even Taehyung dares to pull away and continue his ramble of madness. He sighs into Jeongguk's mouth and kisses back with equal passion. Putty in Jeongguk's hands, that's what he is. And man, does he love it.

In Taehyung's defence, he absolutely was determined to complete the murder mystery game he brought for the two of them. It should have been a thing of two hours cuddling and putting the pieces together until the riddle was solved. Alas, that was the plan before he did The Thing.

Jeongguk in a crown is ravishing.

Taehyung clearly miscalculated when he thought he would not get too distracted by that sight to even remember his own train of thoughts from the last clue they solved.

Instead of two hours, by now it's been three and they still don't know who killed the Duchess. Sure, they take notes on a few sheets of paper Taehyung brought, but then he looks up, sees the splendour of Jeongguk's everything, gapes at him for a solid five minutes, looks back at the paper in his hand and has no clue why the fuck he wrote what he wrote there.

And that little shit knows!

Not that Taehyung is being even remotely subtle about it. And being the menace he is, of course he the mer rubs it in. Gives those knowing little smirks whenever Taehyung goes slack-jawed that drive him absolutely insane.

Naturally, the only appropriate reaction to Jeongguk's cockiness is to kiss the smirk right off his mouth.

Which... doesn't help with getting the riddle solved. At all.

Maybe Taehyung should just give up. Who cares about the late Duchess when he can make out with the most gorgeous being on the planet instead?

Something inside him snaps. He tosses his notes away, together with the clue cards and the mansion map - and pounces. Jeongguk barely has time to open his arms for him and let out a surprised laugh before Taehyung is all over him.

Fuck this game. It's indulgence time now.

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That night again, Jeongguk barely gets any sleep.

He's completely forgotten about the open bottle of olive oil resting in one of the stone-hewn shelves in his cave and waiting for his curious hands to pick it up again.

No, both book and bottle have slipped his mind. Instead, he remembered something else.

Or rather, someone.

A mermaid he met many decades ago. 

And with his current quest of turning the smuggler cave into a comfortable retreat, it might be the right time to pay her a visit.

So he leaves, not long after bringing Taehyung back to the pier, and sets out south. Further and further down the Korean coast until he can pass the peninsular and make his way south-west, a fine assortment of books and other human curiosities in his clutch. Hopes Kraken will accept it for exchange.

Kraken.

The word clangs through him.

It's a fun story with the mermaid's name. The mer who picked her up as newborn didn't know how to name her and told her to choose a name herself. So she did. Although it took quite a while.

Kraken, like so many mers, happens to have a very specific collecting habit. Where Jeongguk collects books despite not having been able to read them until recently and Namjoon collects knowledge, the old mermaid has a knack for fabric. For anything woven by human hands.

There was a time, she told Jeongguk, long before he was born, where she used to viciously drown entire ships laden with goods such as fine silk. Partly irritated by all the commotion above her head as more and more heavy dhows sailed her waters, yet also partly curious. She had told Jeongguk all about the euphoric feeling, the adrenaline rush she felt during her first drowning - young little Jeongguk eagerly listening to her.

He is ripped out of the memory by a sudden impact on the water surface when a harpoon spears through the sea, aiming straight for him. The mer rolls his eyes and shatters the offensive thing with barely more than a thought, then sends a lethal wave to the ship it came from.

He continues on his way and once more gets lost in his memories about the unusual mermaid with the spotted tail. Kraken sure is one of a kind. One of the most violent mers he ever met but driven by an almost childish curiosity.

He's had long talks with Namjoon about her - about what Jeongguk should and definitely shouldn't learn from her. Together they've wondered to what degree she is conscious about the horror she inflicts. With how proudly she carries her chosen name - a word she picked up the sailors screaming when she kept wrapping giant water ropes around the ship before pulling it down to the bottom of the sea with the entire crew on board - she has to be aware of the death and misery she brings to at least some point. Probably.

It's debatable, really. Just like her sense of morality.

What's not up to debate however is her excellent taste in textiles. That's why Jeongguk ignores Namjoon's plea from half a century ago to not meet up with her and does just that.

If there is one person who can provide him with fine fabric to cover up all that cold stone in the cave, then it's Kraken.

"Aww, if it isn't little Jeonggukkie," Kraken croons in greeting from where she is sprawled on a colourful coral throne, numerous silk scarfs tied to it and branching off to the ceiling. She's got a large piece of patterned yellow fabric wrapped around her upper body this time, the bright colour contrasting with her dark skin prettily.

Jeongguk bows deeply. "It's been a while."

The mermaid tuts. "It sure has." She nods her head, the heavy dark hair as long as her entire body swaying with the movement like a sentient being. A water tendril darts out of her hand and pokes at the tiara nestled in Jeongguk's hair. She smirks. "Cute."

Maybe Jeongguk blushes a little.

The old mer cackles obnoxiously. "Oh my, look at you." Two more tendrils come up to squish his cheeks. "You are adorable!"

Jeongguk splutters. "Kraken!," he shrieks, mortified. Nobody is allowed to squish his cheeks aside from his Taehyung. (And Seokjin. Jeongguk would probably die if he refused his dad something like that)

She just laughs louder.

"Anyway, you little rascal. What is it that you want, hm?"

"Phew." 

Jeongguk cracks his knuckles. 

Better.

The new cave is slowly coming to life. Between the pillars, there now are sheer curtains billowing, made of... uh... he already forgot how the fabric is called. But it's almost transparent, and really pretty. He fastened it on some rusty bars he found in a submarine long ago - after polishing them, of course. More fabric is covering the floor, two large and heavy rugs with intricate patterns of flowers, swirls and whatnot. He also draped fabric on the walls and tried his best to craft furniture to sit on. The cave surely is getting some colour. 

Aside from a bellowing laughter once Jeongguk had meekly explained what he needs the fabric for, Kraken gave him a helpful advice after inspecting the goods he brought her. If he had too much olive oil for his own good but no artifical light source, she said, he could just set the oil on fire. Not that Jeongguk has any clue how to make fire. But in case Taehyung wants to stay here until it gets dark, he'll be prepared. Has carved grooves and dents in the stone to fill with oil and hopefully keep the cave alight. If Taehyung knows how to light it up, that is.

So. Now.

Time to try and catch some sleep at last.

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The next day, Taehyung is still very much smitten with the crown-bearing mer. Tiara. Whatever. It's sparkly, expensive, remotely circular and goes on top of one's head. And Jeonguk looks damn fine with it.

This time however it's not just Taehyung mooning over the mer. Rather, they are all over each other - and spectacularly failing to do their Pirates of the Caribbean marathon. While Taehyung can't stop ogling Jeongguk, his fingers itching to redo the mer's hair and try out various more hairstyles, Jeongguk seems to have lots of fun fiddling with Taehyung's pearl jewels. He keeps flicking the earrings with his long nails, again and again and again.

Taehyung smiles. Something warm pools in his chest.

"They are my treasure now," he mutters when Jeongguk flicks the earring strong enough to bounce against Taehyung's neck.

"...Why?"

Taehyung tightens his grip ever so slightly where he's got his hand buried in the mer's hair and pulls him in for a peck on the nose, then on his cheeks.

"Because you gave those pearls to me."

Jeongguk smiles into the next kiss, one hand teasingly stroking up Taehyung's arm in a way that has goosebumps erupting in its wake. "I did."

Taehyung hums. "Yeah. That's why I'll never remove them again. They are always with me. When I take a bath, when I sleep, wherever I go. This way I always have a piece of you with me."

The mer's gaze turns impossibly soft at that. His wandering hand has reached Taehyung's shoulder now and from there darts up to cup his face. Pulls him closer once more until their foreheads are resting against each other, thumb rubbing over Taehyung's cheekbone.

"You always have me already, Taehyung. I'm always with you."

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Jeongguk wears Taehyung's words under his skin like his personal armour.

Treasures them, keeps them safe - and mulls over them. An idea begins to manifest in his head. It's unusual and risky. Also he's not sure any mer has done such a thing before. But with Taehyung...

With Taehyung, he feels safe.

Feels like he can take his precious words just one step further.

He takes his most treasured possession out of its casket and smiles.

Chapter Text

Latin | noun

♦ delight in someone else's happiness; the opposite of Schadenfreude

"Why are we doing this," Taehyung grunts as the yarn turns into a tangled mess with all ten of his fingers stuck in it. Again. For the seventh time in like, twenty minutes.

He is officially done with this shit.

Who needs knitting anyway? 

Jeongguk chuckles and brushes hair out of Taehyung's forehead. Taehyung nestles further into the mer's lap with a groan. It's enough of a distraction for the clew of yarn to slip into the sea lazily gurgling below and-

Okay, that's a lie. 

Taehyung has been shaking his hands violently until the dumb thing flew off in a high arc. He is wasted on that handiwork stuff.

"It was your idea, Tae."

"Yeah well, maybe it was a stupid idea. Don't let me have ideas," he says, pointing an accusing finger at the mer as if it was his fault they are stuck in a cave with a pound of wool each and way too many knitting needles strewn over the moss.

Taehyung glances at the tiara still adorning Jeongguk's head, all the little diamonds and sapphires. It's twinkling enticingly, as if it wants to seduce him. Lure him into doing something... a little naughty. Or at least a little not so well-behaved. He grins.

"Actually-" 

Huh.

He frowns.

Maybe throwing his yarn into the sea was a little rash. He licks his lips. 

"Uh, could you maybe..." Taehyung nods in the direction of his sad wet clump that's now sinking to the ground.

Jeongguk's little laugh is music to his ears.

Moments later, the heap is resting on Taehyung's chest - courtesy of the mer who salvaged it and floated it over in all its drenched ugliness - and doing a spectacular job of soaking Taehyung's favourite pullover. Until, with a flick of Jeongguk's wrist (it's so hot when he does that), the water seeps out of it and back into the sea, leaving dry wool and cashmere behind.

Very clotted wool, though.

Taehyung frowns. Seems like there are limits to Jeongguk's superpowers. The mer can't turn back time to when things were not wet yet. He can just - as if that ever could be a 'just' case - remove the water to the last drop. But when the effect of that is not so great, well. Tough luck.

Just means Taehyung needs to do a mad good job at untangling it now before he can weave the stuff into Jeongguk's crown.

He smirks.

This is going to be fun.

This is no fun.

"Dammit," Taehyung curses under his breath as he gets stuck on another little diamond-encrusted wave swirl. "Babe, when I told you to not let me have ideas I meant it. This was so dumb. Let's jot it down amongst the twenty-five dumbest things I've ever done."

The mer curls his lips and raises a brow.

"Twenty-five? Wait, do I want to know?"

Taehyung shakes his head. "Nope, you absolutely don't. Trust me."

And, ah. There it is again. That tiny change of expression whenever he says something that has Jeongguk's features soften in a way which proves the mer is just as gone for him as vice versa.

Taehyung takes a breath, gulps, and steels himself.

"I do."

Bullseye.

He knew his heart would get attacked. It's always the way Jeongguk says things - with such utter devotion, as if Taehyung were a saint and he couldn't help but pray to him - that turns Taehyung's mind completely useless. And even though he's slowly getting better at seeing those lethal attacks coming, it still doesn't change anything about how a weak whine comes out of him as response.

Gosh.

Dumb fools in love, the two of them. He'd eat the entire wool-covered tiara for Jeongguk if pressed. And he has the crawling suspicion Jeongguk would do the same for him.

"I really shouldn't have brought the wool and tried to learn knitting with you together," he says, voice still raw with emotion. "That was stupid."

Jeongguk keeps sitting still patiently, waiting for Taehyung to remove the wool from his head. He lifts his arm with as few movement as possible, a neat, half-finished scarf dangling from his grip.

"Just speak for yourself. I quite enjoyed it."

Taehyung pouts and pinches his arm. "Meanie."

It earns him another cute grin.

But yeah, no, he himself very much sucks at knitting. No hate to the activity itself though. His grandma used to knit a mad Christmas sweater each year. It's a great thing to do, just doesn't work for him.

In contrast, Jeongguk, with his clawed hands that are strong enough to smash bare stone yet gentle enough to carve intricate patterns and pry open tiny mussels - of course he excels in it. Has the fine motor skills and the patience to learn knitting.

If Taehyung gets a knitted scarf from him for Christmas he's going to cry.

Wait, does Jeongguk know about Christmas? Did they talk or read about it?

Maybe there is a chance for him to survive. Here is to hoping.

So. The thing with Taehyung being back into proper songwriting business is that he can't control how long he stays in the zone. How long the hyper focus stays with him. Best case scenario he finishes an entire song in one go. Worst case, well. He might get distracted within the first five minutes and not get back to writing for the rest of the day.

Which is not what happens tonight! Just for the records, he lasted a total of fifteen minutes. That's a lot. It can be enough to get half of the lyrics down.

(Today he managed to get down no more than one verse but that's beside the point!)

And the main reason for him to get properly distracted is, of course, his (everybody's) guilty pleasure - his phone. In other words, the Internet. Because there is so much stuff to find out there! It's fairly easy for him to get sucked in. 

At this point he doesn't even know how he ended up from researching baby dolphin behaviour to reading weird facts about space. He makes a slight return to his original purpose - which is, obviously, writing a song about how stunning it is to watch the sunlight fall through Jeongguk's fins - when two more clicks lead him from space facts to space poetry. Kinda. Poetry and songwriting are connected, after all. He's forgotten about writing something himself though and is just scrolling trough all these posts.

One in particular catches his attention.

It's about the blue veins on one's wrist and how they contain something-

What was it again? Hermo- uhh...

He scrolls back up. Reads 'haemoglobin' for the second time and instantly forgets the term again. Eh. Whatever. The important part is that it contains iron and that iron appears only in one place naturally: space. It's forged in the core of dying stars. So in other words... the iron in humans' veins equals stardust.

And, wow. 

Taehyung needs to sit back for a moment.

Now that is some revelation.

Humans have stardust flowing in their bodies.

The sound of raindrops hammering against his window turns into billions of tiny shooting stars knocking hello before falling onto the soaked grass outside as burning pebbles. Taehyung's mind is running a mile a minute as he thinks about space and stars and Jeongguk and him.

'Star child', he jots down at the top of the next page.

Some more deep thinking and scribbling down disconnected verses later - it's late and he is tired, okay, the waning days are eating away on him - he comes to a realisation. If he is made of stardust at least partially... and Jeongguk used to be an entire star himself... then, they are not that different. Well. Leaving aside the huge (gorgeous) fish tail, gills, tremendous magic powers and claws.

But they both have a star in them.

And that's incredibly sweet and encouraging to know.

Taehyung clings to that particular thought for the rest of the day. Spins it over in his head again and again until he is positive it's engraved in his brain.

Jeongguk and him respectively are star children of sorts.

With one of the pearls Jeongguk gave him clasped in his hand and a warm smile on his face, Taehyung falls asleep.

The next day, Taehyung is proud to learn that his hands are not completely useless when it comes to crafting. Sure, knitting was a dead loss. But origami, as it turns out, isn't.

He's already folded twenty-seven paper cranes, a fox, a penguin and is now working on a little star to the steady splatter of heavy raindrops spilling into the sea outside their cave. Ha. Jeongguk is not the only one with nimble fingers here. (Taehyung dutifully ignores how the mer has already folded double the amount of cranes.)

Once he is done with his three-dimensional star, he's memorised the steps well enough to shift his attention elsewhere.

Like that little fun fact he learnt yesterday.

"Did you know?," he asks, stretching his leg out to nudge Jeongguk's tail with a fuzzy sock-clad toe.

Jeongguk hums and looks up at him. Different to Taehyung, his attention shifts to the other completely, gaze intense as he looks at Taehyung through a few strands that have gotten out of the elaborate braiding.

Taehyung takes a long moment to bask in that scorching, all-pervasive attention like a a flower in sunlight. It's so vastly different to what he was used to before Jeongguk. The paparazzi, his fans, the haters, the many celebrities asking him for collaborations, they all had their focus on the idol identity he crafted. Always looking at him like behind a tinted glass panel. Jeongguk, however. He's seen him and only him for who he is as a person from the start. And has given him his full attention as just Kim Taehyung. It's humbling.

And also addicting.

He doubts he'll ever get tired of the razor-sharp focus the mer always has on him. As if Taehyung were his earth and Jeongguk the moon orbiting around him.

"Yes?"

Taehyung's tongue darts out to quickly wet his lips.

"Uh..."

He forgot what he was about to say. What a classic. Taehyung rubs a hand over his face and takes a moment to collect himself. Which is not easy, given he can't break their eye contact. And it's so very difficult to think of anything else than the otherworldly beauty of Jeongguk when he looks at him the way he does.

"I, uhm..."

Now what was he going to say again?

The mer's features soften when the corners of his mouth tug up into a smile. He stretches out a hand and gently flicks one of Taehyung's pearl earrings.

"Yes?" Jeongguk says again, voice even warmer this time. Like a blanket wrapping around him.

And, damn. Now Taehyung feels like he's making a big deal out of it. Just because he never has his shit together around Jeongguk and can't even nonchalantly drop a little piece of trivia. Seriously, he is embarrassed by his total lack of focus.

"Ah, nothing, it's just... yesterday I read something nice," he mutters. Feels his cheeks burning already.

The mer nods at him encouragingly.

Taehyung recalls the post he read last night and the giddy excitement returns. He grins.

"I too have a star in me!"

Well. It's a far stretch, but the gist remains the same, right?

Jeongguk's eyes widen.

Telling Jeongguk turns out to be a horrible idea.

Not because he is not understanding or anything, no, none of the sort.

Rather, it's because after he listens to Taehyung's little story, he first gives him a blinding smile, then pulls him in his lap to pepper his face with kisses, and lastly - fatally - gives Taehyung a new nickname.

"My little star," Jeongguk whispers in his ear, hands squeezing his waist.

Taehyung is an instant goner.

"I am so soft for pet names, it's absolutely super duper terrible," he whines when he's on the phone with Hoseok later that evening.

His friend does not react with the anticipated verbal pat on his back. Instead, he opens a questioning. 

"And you know that how?"

"Well, because Jeon-"

Taehyung bites his tongue. Wait. He is not supposed to tell anyone. As far as everybody knows, Jeongguk does not exist.

"Jeon?"

He can almost hear the raised eyebrows in that one. Shit, shit, shit, think, quickly...

Taehyung's palms turn clammy.

"B-because jeons are the only thing my landlord can cook and uhh, he likes to call his frying pan pet names and changes them every week. And I noticed I like it!"

If stupidity could hurt he'd have a massive headache now. Taehyung wants to slap himself so bad his entire hand is itching. That might have just been the dumbest excuse in human history.

The long pause and Hoseok's dry "You do know I'm aware you're not telling me something big, right" just confirms it.

And because Taehyung does nothing half-assed, that also applies to being an idiot. Which is why his solution in that fight-and-flight kind of situation is to mimic static noise and hang up on his friend.

He immediately gets spammed by angry messages from Hoseok but decides to ignore them for the night.

Phew.

That was close.

So close it's not even funny.

He should probably not rant about what a weak man he is to his friend who is not allowed to know of Jeongguk. Or anybody else. Which, now as he thinks about it, sucks. Because doesn't that mean he has nobody to pour out his heart about how fricken cute and sexy and terribly lethal in 156 different ways Jeongguk is?

Great.

Taehyung tilts his head back and groans.

Seems like he'll just perish at some point.

"Forget knitting and folding," Taehyung declares the next day once he arrives at the pier. It's still raining and he is both impressed and a little disappointed that Nakseongdae has not just gotten flushed into the sea at this point. Everything is mud. If he takes but one step off the path to his landlords' entrance door, he feels like he's sinking a metre into what used to be lawn. Also how the heck did he not catch a cold in that weather yet? Anyway. Back to his announcement. "We are going to make pompoms!" 

Again his bag is filled with loads of colourful yarn. And scissors and cardboard and a large piece of canvas rug backing he ordered online.

The mer gives him a mischievous little grin. "I wouldn't mind some more knitting, you know."

Taehyung rolls his eyes but still accepts the outstretched hand and lets himself get lowered into the unnaturally warm water. "You are such a show-off."

A sharp nip to the shell of his ear is the answer he gets. "Only for you."

He swats Jeongguk's chest and pouts, entire body going all tingly and cheeks heating up. "No heart-endangering lines first thing in the morning, you ass!"

Jeongguk frowns. "...Ass?"

And, gosh, Taehyung can't even begin to get annoyed at him when that stupidly charming love of his life doesn't even know human swear words. 

"Just bring me to our cave, idiot," he mutters, burying his face in the mer's shoulder before it can actually catch fire.

"Yeah, about that..."

It's Jeongguk's turn to turn away sheepishly. Not that Taehyung lets him get far. When the mer looks to the left, he just lifts his head and fits it on Jeongguk's left shoulder until the tips of their noses almost touch. 

"Yes?" Taehyung grins, burning cheeks a thing of long-lost memory.

Shy Jeongguk is a rare occurrence and he is hell-bent on savouring it.

"Err..."

The mer blushes. His eyes dart somewhere next to Taehyung. The tiny stars under his eyes seem to glow faintly.

Taehyung dies a little inside, heart wilting and blooming at once. He forgets about teasing Jeongguk, too busy watching the way his eyelashes flutter softly and lose strands of black hair fall into the mer's face, tickling his cheeks until he scrunches his nose adorably.

It's only when a wave crashes against one of the wooden poles from the pier and some droplets of salt water get into Taehyung's eyes - he has nothing but his own stupidity to broadcast for not blinking in time - that they snap out of it. Taehyung shakes his head and squeezes his eyes shut against the burning salt. 

And Jeongguk finds his voice again.

"I, uhm, I may have discovered a new place," he says quietly. He's still not looking at Taehyung and his nails are clicking together, something Taehyung doesn't remember seeing the mer do before.

To say Taehyung is intrigued would be a massive understatement. He thinks he might be gaping.

"Oh. Uh, okay." He nods dumbly.

Wow. This is awkward.

Why does he feel so jittery and nervous? Almost like... hm. Would his chest strain that much when Jeongguk would propose to him?

Oh, no.

That's not-

That's not even a remotely related topic.

What the heck.

Get your shit together, man. Jeongguk just said he wanted to show you a new place. No biggie. Don't- don't look in his eyes now. Or at the tiara. Or his stupidly pretty tail, or-

Oh gosh.

This is all too much.

With a low groan, Taehyung buries his face in Jeongguk's shoulder.

"Just... just take me there," he pleads and feels about as weak as on the day of his first press conference. Good thing he's not standing on the pier anymore. In the water he doesn't need steady legs.

Jeongguk's gills scratch against his cheek as the mer gulps. Then his hold tightens around Taehyung's waist and he gives a little squeeze, reminding Taehyung to take a deep breath.

The mer pulls him into the steel-grey sea. For a moment Taehyung can imagine the shock from ice-cold water crashing over his head before everything turns a muddy brownish-grey. But of course the temperature shock never comes. With Jeongguk, the sea is always pleasantly warm for him.

Taehyung's throat tightens just that little bit more. His fingers dig firmer into Jeongguk's skin. The mer answers him with a slow stroke of his thumbs up and down Taehyung's sides.

They have to come up for fresh air once.

When he looks around, Taehyung has not the slightest clue where they are and in which direction Nakseongdae could be. There is just lots of dark water and distant spectres that might be the coast, an island or just some ships. And of course, rain everywhere. He's starting to get real sick of the constant rain.

At the horizon, the sea is churning in a way that makes Taehyung really grateful he is with a strong and powerful merman capable of protecting him from those forces.

He thinks he gets why the sea in autumn is a dangerous thing. Maybe not to the same extend as all those coast villagers like Jimin and the others, but. He definitely wouldn't want to be there, where the clouds are almost black and water masses are rolling in a way that makes him feel tiny and helpless.

Jeongguk follows his line of sight.

"Don't worry," he mumbles. "Nothing's gonna happen to you."

Taehyung tightens his hold and nods. "I know. I'm safe with you."

The mer presses a kiss on the crown of his head. 

"That's right. I'm glad you know."

Taehyung has to squint his eyes shut for a completely different reason than a few minutes before.

At some point after they got swallowed by the sea once more, Taehyung's eyes get covered by a large hand.

Which is completely unnecessary because at this point he can't see a single thing underwater anyway. Everything is just... dark.

It's a cute gesture to make the whole thing more of a surprise though.

They break through the water surface and Taehyung takes the chance to gasp for breath while he feels Jeongguk shifting around him until the mer is hugging him from behind with one arm.

He lowers the other arm and nips at Taehyung's neck.

"You can look now, little star."

Taehyung tries to ignore how his mouth turns dry at that stupid nickname and focus on whatever it is Jeongguk wants to show him. Which works. Except. When he sees what looks like a lavish Roman villa hewn high up into a stone cliff, with the entire front made of pillars and curtains billowing between some of them, his mouth goes dry right again.

"Whoa!"

He turns around, attention momentarily caught by a chain of tall stones (geography lessons from ten years ago, don't fail him now, what was the term again for those things? Piles? Stacks?) towering between them and the open sea and, oh. Well. That explains why Jeongguk hasn't even tried being subtle with the place he created. No ship passing by would be able to see a thing.

And at this point Taehyung is positive to know the mer well enough for betting his left leg that there hasn't been an entire colonnade in that cliff a week before.

Just to be sure though, he checks with Jeongguk.

"You did all this?"

The mer bites his lip, shrugs, then nods.

As if it's no big deal. As if he didn't just admit to having carved an entire huge, mansion-like cave into a cliff. And where the fuck does a merman get curtains? Taehyung doesn't even know where to start wondering.

Luckily, Jeongguk takes that decision from him - or rather, makes it even more difficult - as he summons one of his water jets to carry them up there and safely set them down in what definitely reminds of an ancient textbook lodging. Jeongguk has finished shifting into his humane form before the water is even done seeping out of Taehyung's clothes and bag. Which allows Taehyung to stare at the mer's naked feet padding over a big Persian rug (one of the things that make the inside look less Roman-style) and curling his toes into the fluffy material.

Now Taehyung is no longer busy staring at the colonnade. He is staring at everything!

At the sheer curtains moving with the sea breeze between the pillars that, upon closer inspection, don't look very Roman or Greek at all. But instead a lot more Jeongguk with how they are twisted around their own cores like entwined ropes and capitals similar to stone-turned cresting waves.

The floor is even and smooth, like polished marble, with shallow steps that lead up to a pedestral for what seems to be a seating area. Rugs of various size and pattern are randomly covering the floor in a way that makes Taehyung smile as he pictures Jeongguk all alone up here, trying to figure out where humans usually put these things and which would be the strategically best places. One of the rugs that was clearly initially meant for laying on the ground is covering what seems to be an archway to another room, the metal bar holding it up bowing under its weight.

 Above the colonnade runs a trim of more or less rectangular holes along the entire wall, each hole filled with colourful shards of glass, creating small makeshift stained-glass windows. If sunlight falls through them, it must look magnificent, the whole room - or hall, with that high ceiling and the size and all - speckled with bright dots and patches of blue, yellow, orange and green.

They'd probably light up the ceiling too, together with those long panels of blue fabric fastened to it. Taehyung has trouble counting how many of them there are, with how slightly different the hues of blue are and how the panels overlap where they are fastened to the ceiling every few metres, sagging in elegant sweeps in-between each point of contact with the stone. Like shallow ocean waves seen from beneath. The blue fabric is covering up most of the ceiling but where Taehyung can see bare stone, it looks just as impeccable as the floor.

He barely notes how Jeongguk gingerly takes the bag off his shoulders and carries it over to the seating area. He is still too busy staring at the splendour of everything. Because as if it weren't enough with the pillars and ceiling and side walls covered in a funny mixture of algae and moss, the large wall across from the colonnade is made of one giant wave carving. His jaw drops. One would expect a sculpture like that in a museum, given the size, delicacy and astounding craftsmanship that's gone into making it.

How the fuck is Jeongguk real? How can he come up with those things from scratch and make them within days?

Taehyung has so many questions.

The wind picks up and sways the fabric on the ceiling, setting those textile waves alive. When Taehyung looks back at the huge-ass wave carving, he thinks it is moving, too.

With a choked sound, he sits down on his bum.

He needs time to process.

Jeongguk, however, misunderstands completely.

"Tae? Are you alright, do you want to sit down and rest? Is everything okay," the mer asks as he bounds over with worry written all over his face.

"I, uh, no, yeah." Taehyung pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath. He chuckles. "It's just. You are amazing."

Jeongguk is back to blushing beautifully and, oh. Taehyung could die on the spot happily to a sight like that, he thinks.

"So... you like it?"

Taehyung splutters.

"That's a bit of an understatement, aish!"

Taehyung spends half an hour inspecting the place and discovering more and more endearing details.

For whatever reason, Jeongguk seems to know what a chimney is and has built one on top of a fireplace that, from the look of it, could even function.

...If there were wood here to burn, that is.

He also finds several gouges in the floor and walls that are filled with some kind of oily substance. When he dips his finger into it, Jeongguk skirts over to him until he stands right behind him and perches his chin on Taehyung's shoulder.

"I, uh, figured we'd need artifical light at some point, so, yeah..."

Taehyung coos. He lifts his clean hand to blindly pat the mer's head somewhere behind the crown.

"So that's actual oil then?"

Jeongguk nods. Rubs their cheeks together with the movement, then turns his head to give a peck to Taehyung's cheekbone. "Yeah. It's olive oil. Will it work?"

"Sure." Taehyung shrugs. "Oil is oil. We just need a helluva lot of wicks, probably. Good thing I just so happen to have packed tons of wool and yarn!"

With that, he concludes his sightseeing tour - for now - and pads over to where Jeongguk left his bag. He gets out two balls of thick yarn (which he only brought to be thorough but was in doubt whether they could use it for today's project anyway) and hands one over to the mer, followed by a set of scissors. Does he even need scissors, with his sharp nails and all? Is it mean of him to think that way? Hm.

"Okay, so. We'll need to cut little strings off that are long enough to peek out of the oil when we put them in," he explains and rolls off a bit from his ball to show Jeongguk how long it should be. "We'll also need to fasten them to the ground of those gouges and make them stay upright so they get the chance to stay upright like proper wicks and don't just flop down into the oil, cuz that'll probably bring a whole lot of nothing."

Jeongguk keeps nodding along like a dutiful student, eyes wide and determined. Which is just plain cute.

Taehyung takes a moment to smile, then continues his Oil lamp DIY crash course. Good thing he watches the most random stuff on Youtube whenever he is in a creative low. From anime weapon reforges by professional blacksmiths to lock picking contests to shark fin soup documentaries to Marvel film reviews to, well, tutorials on anything that he could ever need in some kind of survival scenarios. (You can't be too careful of sasaeng fans and criminals. Maybe at some point he'll get kidnapped and manages to run away but has to spend a night in a forest. Who knows?)

They get to work and put in wicks everywhere -and maybe end up a bit too enthusiastic because they keep going until both yarn balls are gone.

Then, when they turn to each other victoriously, something dawns on Taehyung.

"Wait a second." He slowly turns around himself to look at all those wicks everywhere. "How are we supposed to light the wicks?"

"Well..." Jeongguk crouches down to play with one of the wicks until he pulls it out and holds it up, then sheepishly puts it back as if nothing happened. "Can't you just light it?"

"I can't shoot lasers out of my fingers, babe," Taehyung deadpans. Entertains the thought for a moment and thinks that yes, it would be real cool if he could do that, actually.

The mer pouts. "I know. But don't you humans need fire all the time? Shouldn't you have some fire-making thing with you wherever you go, then?"

Taehyung shakes his head and smiles. That guy is so darn innocent.

"Mosts of the stuff nowadays uses electricity and not real fire. People only carry around a lighter when they smoke - which I don't. And before you ask, smoking is really bad for you. So don't ever try."

"I wouldn't even know how."

"Good."

That still doesn't solve their problem. Unless Taehyung miraculously finds some flint stones here and figures out how to use them, they'll have to go without their army of candles today. He'll have to make sure to buy a couple lighters from Yoongi's store tomorrow.

Seems they'll have to utilise the pure excuse of today's daylight to its full extend and then just... chill in the dark. Or something.

...Taehyung secretly hopes the sky will clear in the evening and have moonlight filter into the cave-mansion (mansion cave? Cave hall? Cliff villa retreat thingy? Colonnade room? Sea temple makeshift living room? Honestly, he has no idea how to call it) so Jeongguk becomes all night triumphant sparkly again. That would be so darn awesome.

For now however, they'll concentrate on making The Best Pompom Rug. Which is a little ironic, seeing how this superior cave (maybe he'll go with that as name for now) already has rugs. But he didn't know that when he made the plan for today. And none of those other rugs is self-made by them. So there is that.

"Okay," Taehyung says, completely dismissing the entire 'we need fire but don't have any' matter for now. "I'll show you how to make the perfect pompom, now."

With an excited little "Alright", Jeongguk follows him to the seating area.

Taehyung plops down onto what seems to be a couch - and curses.

"What the f- what's this?! That thing is hard as fuck!"

"Uh, I thought, for sitting?"

Taehyung gets off the poor excuse of a couch, crouches down to lift the fabric covering it where it pools on the ground - and comes face-to-face with solid stone.

"What-"

He stares. And then stares some more.

And then, slowly but surely, begins to laugh. A little chuckle that turns into loud, boisterous full-belly laughter until he's got tears pricking at the corner of his eyes.

"Jeonggukkie, that's... that's really cute of you... but," he wheezes out, still laughing, "but I'm afraid that's not how furniture works."

Not that he knows how to make a proper couch. But shaping some stone, throwing a thin layer of fabric over it and calling it a day sure ain't it.

Jeongguk, upon hearing that, immediately looks miserable. Which is understandable. After all he probably put lots of thought and effort into that 'couch'. And Taehyung just laughed at it.

He properly sits down on the floor and gestures for the mer to join him, then takes Jeongguk's hands in his and begins rubbing soothing circles into them.

"I'm sorry," he says with low voice. Shifts a bit forward until he can bump his forehead against the mer's. "I didn't mean to laugh. You really did a great job, considering you've never seen a couch in your life. And I know you worked super hard on all this. Maybe spent the entire last few nights here. Which, actually-" Taehyung squints at him- "now that I think about it, did you even sleep?"

Jeongguk looks away. His hands stay securely in Taehyung's grasp though. 

"...I did sleep, yes."

"How much?"

"I closed my eyes and opened them at a later point."

Taehyung whacks him on the arm. "Jeongguk! You need to sleep!"

The mer arches an eyebrow and finally locks eyes with him again. "I... don't, though?"

"What-"

He misheard that. Taehyung absolutely misheard that. That did not just happen.

"I'll be fine without a couple night of sleep, if I have to. Merfolk can sleep, but doesn't necessarily needs to, in order to survive. Just like eating."

Okay, he didn't mishear. 

It's just... just another crazy aspect about Jeongguk he didn't know.

He's cool. Yeah. He knows Jeongguk is nothing like Taehyung, and full of mysteries and wonders. To now discover that he doesn't have to fulfil the most basic human needs to stay alive is no biggie. Taehyung is absolutely chill with that.

"You are so fricken cool!"

Yeah, no, he is not chill at all.

"Don't worry," Taehyung says while working on his fourteenth pompom - a big, purple one - and glancing at Jeongguk to see if he's doing alright. They have moved one of the Persian rugs right in front of the couch to sit on and are using the stone couch as back rest now. "I'll buy some thick cushions we can put on the couch. It'll be fine."

Then he eyes Jeongguk, how he is tightly wrapped in one of the blankets Taehyung always brings, but stark-naked beneath.

"And I'll bring clothes for you, too."

He nods to himself and adds 'packing some clothes' on his mental to-do list.

They end up going a bit overboard - again - and make way too many pompoms. When Taehyung assembles all the colourful little fluff balls on the rug backing it becomes apparent they will never fit all onto it.

And because growing up and becoming a responsible adult really is just a social construct, the best thing they can think of to do with the spare pompoms is, throw them at each other.

Almighty entity and wonder-turned-reality Jeongguk is the first one to break out into contagious giggles. Taehyung follows suit not long after, and soon enough they are running around the room, throwing pompoms and tickle-attacking each other, delightful shrieks filling the silence.

They go down together on a rug placed right in front of the colonnade. Taehyung ends up sprawled half over a burrito-wrapped Jeongguk, the two of them gasping for breath and still shaking with faint laughter.

One of the curtains swishes over them and sweeps against Taehyung's nape. If he'd turn his head a bit, he could look down the ledge and see the vortexes sloshing between their cliff and the stacks obscuring them from sight. He doesn't. Why should he, when the sight right in front of him is so exquisite?

The red cuddly blanket has wrapped around Jeongguk's torso and one of his shoulders several times in a weird mixture of an ancient toga, nowadays' runway couture and the iconic 'I failed to get out of bed' look. He's just. Bundled up around the middle real well, like a big, beefy fluff ball with four limbs and head poking out. The bump of the blanket wrapped around Jeongguk makes it a bit uncomfortable for Taehyung to lay on top of him, but he's not complaining. Not when the mer sees it as reason enough to sling both arms around him and pull him closer against all that cushion.

And. Jeongguk's entire face is alight with joy and giddiness, flush sitting high on his cheeks, eyes crinkling and the stars etched into his skin shrinking into tiny dots from the force of his bright smile.

It's the most beautiful view.

Taehyung is so very, very weak for it.

That's why he turns his back to the sea with no remorse whatsoever and instead bends down to pepper the mer's face with kisses. Have those adorable giggles keep coming. They die down eventually, into something more muted and lazy, when one of Jeongguk's hands slides up to grip Taehyung's jaw and capture his lips, turning it into a proper kiss. Taehyung is all too happy to sink into that all-encompassing heat and let go of everything.

They indulge into each other for as long as their lungs allow it and then some more, until they are breathless yet again. 

The curtain keeps brushing over them while daylight wanes. It's not before long that everything turns into grey spectres around them and Jeongguk too slowly gets obscured from Taehyung's sight.

It doesn't keep him from looking where he knows is the mer's face and leaning down to chase after his mouth.

After one more heated kiss that has Taehyung silently thanking himself for wearing a loose-fit sweater today instead of something tight where he'd melted by now, he props his chin up on his hand and gazes down at the faint glimmer that gives away Jeongguk's eyes.

"You are staring, love," Jeongguk mumbles and nips at his side.

Taehyung blushes fifty shades of pink.

"W-well, that's because I can!"

"Yeah?"

He hears, rather than sees the smile in that single word. It makes his chest tingle.

"Yeah." Taehyung nods, and manages to slip off his own grasp, chin thumping on the mer's sturdy chest before he can catch himself. The mer reaches out and slides a hand under Taehyung's head to gently lift it back up to where his own hand is still hovering in the air. A thumb, followed by a sharp nail, slowly strokes over his bottom lip. Taehyung's breath hitches.

"Also! Don't you know? You are supposed to appreciate beautiful and attractive things. And you, Sir," Taehyung pokes the mer's chest, "you are very attractive. Therefore I will stare at you."

Jeongguk hums under him. "Does that mean I am allowed to stare at you however long I want too, then?"

Taehyung splutters. "It's not- it's not like you're not doing that already!"

"Hm, true."

"...Idiot."

The mer laughs, entire body moving along and shaking Taehyung. When he speaks next, his voice is impossibly soft. Almost as soft as the faint kiss he brands Taehyung with, right atop of his forehead. 

"Your idiot."

Taehyung melts. 

"My idiot," he repeats, then leans down for yet another kiss. Lifts a hand to bury it in Jeongguk's hair and trace over the crown holding on for dear life at this point. He'll have to redo the braids soon if he doesn't want Jeongguk to lose it.

The last bit of daylight vanishes behind the steel-grey clouds and for a while they just lay together in complete darkness. Talk about this and that.

Like, why Jeongguk owns lots of olive oil, for example.

"In case we need it."

 "Need it? But I'm a really bad cook, Gguk."

"Huh?"

"What?"

The misunderstanding gets cleared up eventually, which then leads to Jeongguk asking Taehyung what his favourite positions are, and Taehyung imploding at least thrice within twenty minutes.

He has to admit that it's cute, though. The way Jeongguk goes out of his way to do research on the topic and even asks him things with actual interest in the answers instead of assuming to know what's best. They end up having an in-depth discussion about sex in general, the gender differences and all kind of pleasurable things that don't involve going all the way. Jeongguk makes a mental list of it which he then asks Taehyung from top to bottom, with all the things Taehyung does and does not like, sometimes even double-checking just to be sure.

When Taehyung asks him if he would like to try out something now, the mer declines.

"I just wanted to talk to you about it first. So I don't make any mistakes. Also from what I gathered it's important to happen naturally, right?"

"Yeah," Taehyung sighs and snuggles into Jeongguk's embrace, blindly nosing up the mer's neck until he reaches thick long hair and almost has to sneeze from how it tickles.

They also talk about how Jeongguk made this entire place come to be. The mer traces patterns and swirls up Taehyung's arm as he explains how he formed the pillars. Tries to mimic the process somehow. It, too, tickles.

...It also turns him on a little.

At some point they run out of words and Taehyung, after learning that Jeongguk's sight in the dark is much better than his, asks the mer to get him the phone so he can turn on some calm background music while they sit at the ledge next to each other with dangling legs and listen to the sea far below.

The rain has stopped somewhen around noon.

And then, like a hesitant child peeking around the corner, the clouds part and slowly give way to a bright moon. 

First it is no more than a faintly glowing cloud, but once the heavy blanket decides to open up at long last, silver light bleeds into the night sky and drips onto the sea in a murky reflection. Bringing along myriads of stars when finally, finally a strong wind high up in the skies blows away all those clouds.

Taehyung is so preoccupied staring at the clear sky for the first time in what feels like weeks that at first he forgets to look at Jeongguk.

Once he does, however.

Once he does, it's the most splendid sight. Of course. Jeongguk is as much a child of the day as he is one of the night. Gorgeous without fail and beyond doubt.

"Look at you," he mutters with reverence and cups Jeongguk's glowing face with one hand. Caresses the now twinkling stars under his eyes and watches the silver seep into his irises. "They are calling you again."

The mer gives him a soft smile that has Taehyung's breath hitch in his throat. He looks like a lunar God, with how his entire body is pulsing with the faint glow of moonlight and the veil sweeps over his bare legs that now take on a hue of blueish green, as if his scales are lingering just under the surface and waiting to break through skin. The diamonds and sapphires of his tiara sparkle amidst the lush raven hair.

A gentle and ethereal entity that has descended from the Heavens. 

"They can call all they want. I have no ambitions to join them up there."

Taehyung bites his lip and looks down to where scales are pulsing like colourful shadows under Jeongguk's skin. Their shapes become more clear by the minute. He cautiously traces one of them under the mer's knee.

"Does it hurt? That you are not in your real form right now?" 

If he lays his palm flat on Jeongguk's leg, he can feel it throb faintly.

Jeongguk takes his hand and guides it up to press a kiss on each single knuckle. "No. What would hurt were if I'd one day be unable to see you any longer. This here is nothing compared to that fear, little star."

Taehyung's heart flutters against his ribcage like a wild bird. He swallows.

"You are so very bad for my heart, you terrible sweet-talker."

The mer chuckles into Taehyung's palm and presses another kiss there. "You make me that way."

"I don't know if that makes things better or worse."

The corners of Jeongguk's eyes crinkle as he smiles even broader and kisses the little pout right off Taehyung's mouth.

"...Would you prefer to change back though?"

Jeongguk arches an eyebrow at him. Taehyung revels in the fact that he can see it, many thanks to the night sky. Watching the mer raise a single eyebrow is a fine kink of its own he wishes to never miss out on.

"I'm pretty much a fish out of water up here, Tae."

"Oh. Right." Taehyung nods. "That doesn't sound comfortable."

He keeps staring at Jeongguk and once more silently bemoans the fact that he cannot paint to save his life. Jeongguk at night deserves to be captured - not only with a few snaps from his smartphone, but properly.

For now he'll just have to keep looking and try to soak it all up. From the apex of the glittering cresting wave in the tiara's centre to the raven hair framing his face with a few loose curls. The mutedly glowing skin, the ring of silver now embedded in his irises and the tattooed stars reflecting their shine. The pulsating pink of his gills, the twinkling silver chains peeking out of the blanket where they are fastened to that broad necklace, and his legs that seem to have scales breathing under their surface. The way he slowly curls his toes the longer Taehyung stares but as always lets him.

Taehyung tilts his head.

"You can't visit someone in their dreams by any chance?"

Jeongguk's raised eyebrow stays where it is. "And how would I do that?"

Taehyung shrugs. "Just... curious."

He wants to write a song about Jeongguk basket in starlight. Something with moonlight sonata character. Something soft, ethereal and spherical, that sounds both clear and muted at once. He'll need at least five drafts before he can get to work properly. Catching the essence of nighttime Jeongguk won't be an easy feat.

At some point his hand started tracing random patterns on Jeongguk's calves. He watches, no less fascinated than before, how the scales seem to retreat from his touch just to get back into place once his fingers moved on. 

The fish in Jeongguk really must be screaming to get out.

With a wistful sigh, Taehyung tears his eyes away at last. It must be well past ten now. Jimin is going to shred him in the air for being so late. And don't they say you should quit when you're still having fun? So maybe he should just do the both of them a favour.

"You know I don't want to say this but I should probably go back."

The warm and understanding smile Jeongguk gives him is more than enough to keep the dread of parting ways and missing out on all those visuals at bay.

"Alright," the mer says. Then pulls Taehyung in for a languid kiss. 

Taehyung can't even begin to feel mad when he loves kissing Jeongguk so damn much. And so his voice is missing any bite when he complains that they're not going to get anywhere like this.

"Just one more," Jeongguk mutters.

And who is Taehyung to deny him anything?

"Where have you been?!"

Taehyung flinches.

Two things.

One, the high pitch and amount of pent-up anger Jimin shrieks those words with throws him right back into that one scene from Harry Potter where Mrs. Weasley carpets her sons for rescuing poor Harry. For a moment Taehyung feels ready to follow up with the script dialogue for the next ten minutes of screen time.

And two, while he is still having that thought, his body is busy processing that he got shot. With a ping-pong ball. Because for whatever reason, Jimin has been waiting with a ping-pong rack and ball in the living room, just to cleanly attack Taehyung with a killer serve the moment he enters the house and walks by. And very effectively hit his mark.

Taehyung's side throbs in confusion as it can't quite decide yet whether it's hurt or not. Taehyung looks down at it and gives it a few more seconds to before the pain belatedly registers.

"Ow!"

The armchair next to Jimin snorts.

"Wow. That was late," Yoongi drawls where he's completely obscured from view.

Taehyung squints at him. Thanks for nothing.

Jimin already has another ball in his hand and looks about ready to explode.

"You are late for DINNER!"

Again, the verbal attack immobilises Taehyung. This time he gets hit on his belly.

"Yah!"

"Don't 'yah' me!" The fisherman picks up a third ball. "Do you know how long I've been cooking that stew today? And then you don't show up-"

Taehyung evades that one-

"and don't show up-"

He jumps away from the fourth ball and almost falls over his own limbs when he lands-

"and don't show up!"

The last ball Jimin hits with so much force it flies straight up to the ceiling, shoots back down and goes haywire for a few seconds before Taehyung catches it mid-air.

Jimin's chest is heaving as he keeps glaring daggers at Taehyung. Yoongi leans forward enough to give him a loud and clear 'You done fucked up' look.

"Uh... I'm sorry?"

Jimin explodes.

"You could at least have called, you daft, gormless dick!"

"...Lawsuits," Yoongi grunts from his hiding place.

Jimin's eyes go wide as saucers. With that one word, he snaps out of it, mouth slowly falling open as he stares at Taehyung, then at the bat in his hand. 

"Oh shit. Oh fuck, you're right! He's an idol. I hurt a super rich and famous celebrity. I'm gonna go to jail! Fuck, I'm so sorry!"

In the next moment he's running towards Taehyung and throwing himself at him to very violently beg for forgiveness.

Taehyung awkwardly pats his back and tells him it's okay.

As if he'd sue his landlord for being worried and maybe only a little too much of a mother hen. Whatever.

The glance he catches from Yoongi tells him that he really doesn't want to get Jimin in trouble, ever. Smart decisions have been made this evening.

"Hey, is there anything left from your stew by any chance? I'm absolutely famished."

Not a lie. He sometimes forgets to eat properly when he is with Jeongguk because he is too busy with all of his... Jeongguk-ishness.

"Yes, yes of course!" 

Jimin tugs him into the kitchen and all but shoves him down one of the chairs, then hands him a huge bowl of still warm stew. And man, is it tasty.

Once he has cleared the first one and waits for Jimin to refill it, Taehyung speaks up again.

"You do know I can't call you, right?"

Jimin pulls the bowl away before Taehyung can grasp it, expression turning stormy.

"Why the fuck not-"

"You never gave me your number. I needed to send you all the paperwork about becoming your lodger and stuff per actual mail cuz I only know your address, remember?"

"...Oh."

This time when Taehyung makes grabby hands, Jimin hands him the bowl with a sheepish smile.

"Right. My bad."

Funnily enough they don't end up exchanging numbers afterwards. Taehyung doesn't know whether he finds it funny or dumb once he realises it an hour later, alone in his room.

Whatever. He's a grown man. He'll just ask for Jimin's contact... tomorrow. Or something.

Chapter Text

French | noun

♦ crossroad; turning point in one's life

Of course Taehyung forgets about swapping numbers. Figures.

What he does not forget, however, is to bring several lighters and cushions he bought from a grumpy Yoongi, together with some sweatpants and a couple of shirts and pullovers that might stand a chance to fit over the bulge of Jeongguk's muscles.

He also slips another little something into his bag which he may or may not have spent twenty minutes trying to wrap up prettily before giving up and deciding that the package it came with is enough. When he's halfway down to the pier, Taehyung turns around and goes back to pack some good paper, exits the house again and wants to skip down the streets - except, all the stuff he is carrying makes it too difficult. So after a few steps he gives up and just trudges over to the pier.

Jeongguk immediately burst into quiet laughter once he sees the disgruntled expression on Taehyung's face.

"What's with you today?" he wants to know, still chuckling.

Taehyung flops down onto the pier and hands him his bag. Once Jeongguk has slung it securely over a shoulder, Taehyung waits for the mer to reach out both arms and lower him into the water as always.

He slinks into the mer's hold with a mighty pout that has the other snickering again. Stops pouting just long enough to give Jeongguk a greeting kiss and then continues.

"I wanted to express my happiness about the end of rain and stuff. But! Sadly I'm a wimp."

Jeongguk cocks his head curiously. "What's a wimp?"

"It's when my tight shirts fit me easily because I don't have your muscles," Taehyung grumbles.

The mer snorts but leaves it at that. Waits for Taehyung to take a deep breath and pulls him under.

They actually manage to finish their pompom rug this time. Sitting on the cushions Taehyung brought, the two of them slowly fasten all those pompoms on the rug backing, canvas hanging over both their laps like a thin blanket. Or a net. A net they are both trapped in.

Taehyung ponders fishing nets, returned feelings, the sweet web of love and all those things while his hands move sluggishly.

The mer is much less hesitant, fingers moving nimbly already as if he hadn't done anything else his entire life. And somehow he never gets wool stuck on his long nails. (How Jeongguk manages to do that in particular is beyond Taehyung).

The pompoms waiting their turn lay in two heaps on the ground, one next to Jeongguk and the other next to Taehyung.

The blanket - an actual one, not the net that is gradually turning into a fluffy rug - only loosely covers their frames. It's enough to keep them both warm. Especially with how Jeongguk radiates heat like a furnace up close. Taehyung can feel it even through the clothes they both wear.

Earlier, the mer had to do a little runway show when Taehyung presented him with his assortment of oversized clothes. Two shirts did not make the cut. Even with the spare space Taehyung calculated, they turned out too tight to fit over Jeongguk's arms. After trying this and that, they decided to go with a black hoodie and some grey sweatpants today.

Which lead to an entire new problem.

Because Jeongguk in cosy clothes screams boyfriend material so loud Taehyung's ears and heart are ringing.

Only the tiara doesn't fit the concept.

And Taehyung is also not sure yet if he prefers the mer covering his silver body chains or not. On one hand it surely is a good idea to cover those weapons of mass destruction. On the other hand, he already misses them a little. And it's not even been an hour yet.

 Dammit.

The distraction lasts long enough for him to lose focus and prick his finger with the needle. 

He hasn't pulled his hand up from underneath the rug backing when Jeongguk's head whips around to him already.

"Are you hurt?!"

Taehyung's eyes go big. "Wha-"

"I smell blood."

He lifts his hand to eye-level then, and beholds the tiniest drop of red leaking out after several seconds. "How did you...?"

But Jeongguk is barely listening at this point. Gingerly takes Taehyung's wrist and leads it up to his face, eyes hyper-focused on the laughably small wound. His sharp nails almost don't touch Taehyung where they now curl around his hand, incredibly careful and sweet as always with how the mer handles him.

"Does it hurt?" Jeongguk's voice has dropped into something deep and dark. As if it takes all his concentration to stay calm.

Taehyung shakes his head. His voice automatically turns into a hushed whisper too.

"No, not at all."

It's the truth. The initial sting has already faded.

Jeongguk hums. And, despite Taehyung's assurance, darts out his tongue to lick the single drop of blood away.

With bated breath Taehyung watches him. Chokes, when the mer pulls the finger in his mouth and begins to earnestly suck. He flinches at the hot sting that shoots from his finger up into his arm when the pressure doesn't cease.

"Wh- Gguk, that's-"

Jeongguk is relentless. Doesn't let go of his hand, even when Taehyung tries to pull away. Taehyung squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his teeth, fighting down the urge to tell the mer that it hurts. Complaining about a laughable wound like that when Jeongguk has probably been through so much worse is something he refuses to do.

Finally the mer lets go of him. Releases his finger with one last timid lick, followed by a cute peck to its pad. The gesture is such a stark contrast to how Jeongguk has been sucking on it mere moments ago, Taehyung has difficulties to follow the mood.

"What was that just now?" he weakly presses out. Doesn't know yet what to think nor how to feel.

Jeongguk licks his lips, hums, then inspects Taehyung's finger. He must be content with what he sees, for he lets go of Taehyung's hand at last. Which gives Taehyung the opportunity to take a look himself. The little red point is gone. However, his entire finger sports an angry dark pink now, and the tip is slightly shrivelled.

"Blood is dangerous."

Taehyung furrows his eyebrows. "Huh?"

That's... a very random statement. And also phrased weirdly. Was it on purpose?

Jeongguk picks up his hand again to take a close look at it, as if he's fearing for Taehyung to spill more than but a single drop of blood. As if that would kill him, or something.

"Blood is dangerous," he mutters again. "Blood attracts sharks. And sharks are very fast and have very sharp and strong teeth."

Oh.

Well. Taehyung think he might begin to see where the other is coming from. Still. He cups Jeongguk's cheek with his hand and makes him look up into his eyes.

"But, baby... we are on land."

Jeongguk blinks. He looks around slowly, then, eyebrows knitting together before his expression lights up in understanding.

"Ah. Right." The mer chuckles. "There truly shouldn't be any sharks up here, huh? Okay, yeah. You're right. That's... true. Besides," he puffs out his chest, "they wouldn't ever get near you. I won't let them."

Taehyung cooes. "Aw, look at you, my strong knight in shining armour."

Jeongguk leans forward to plant a firm kiss square on his mouth at that. When he pulls back, he's sporting a dopey grin that makes Taehyung doubt he could ever hurt a fly.

"That's right. Your knight," the mer declares with the pride of someone who just got bestowed the most valuable title of an entire kingdom.

Taehyung laughs, forever endeared with that guy. He lets his hand fall off Jeongguk's face to pick up one of the strands that wiggled free from the elaborate braiding hairstyle he worked so hard at. Curls it around his finger and watches how the black contrasts with his own honey skin.

"You really are a being of the sea down to your very core, with how you can even forget that you're out of water, huh?"

The mer snorts. "Duh."

"Yah!" Taehyung swats his chest. "Don't you dare use the slang I taught you against me!"

"Oh?"

Jeongguk gives him a challenging smirk, brows raised.

What a brat. Taehyung huffs. 

"You're on."

...So maybe there is a little delay before they do indeed finish the pompom rug.

And maybe it's a really good thing there are other rugs strewn over the smooth stone floor already, or else the two of them would have aching backs and knees and everything from their tickle war that followed the previous exchange. Because Taehyung is nothing if not an enthusiastic tickler. As much as he dislikes being tickled himself (by anyone who is not Jeongguk), as much he loves to make others squirm and shriek under his long evil wiggly fingers and admit defeat in tears. There is nothing sweeter than winning an argument via ruthless tickling.

He counts himself as clear winner of today's match again.

(The way he folded in half and flopped onto his side rather violently with a loud "Oomph" the very moment Jeongguk as much as came close to digging a nail in his side does not count. That was still part of the warm-up round! Jeongguk did not win within 0.5 seconds. He refuses to believe that.)

The good thing of having a finished pompom rug is, that it's incredibly fluffy.

The bad thing of having a finished pompom rug is, that it's awfully fluffy. Taehyung has been hogging it and smooching his face into all the soft pompoms for five minutes when Jeongguk whines that he wants his turn with it. Which, of course, only has Taehyung tightening his grasp on the ridiculous thing.

"No, you 'duh'ed me. Pompom rugs aren't for bad boys."

Somewhere between all the colourful fuzzes he can see Jeongguk pout at him.

"But I never had a... that thing before," he whines.

The all-powerful God of Nakseongdae is whining over a dumb pompom rug. Taehyung seriously can't with this idiot.

"Well, anyway you can't have that one because it's mine now," he decides and buries his face into the addicting softness again. That's how he misses the challenging glint in Jeongguk's eyes.

The mer suddenly digs his fingers into one of Taehyung's armpits.

With a loud shriek, arms flying up, Taehyung all but catapults the fluff rug to the other end of the cave. Mansion. Cave mansion.

Jeongguk just gives him a victorious grin. A flick of his wrist has a water tendril rise up from the ocean down below and carry the rug over into his reach.

Taehyung, after getting his heartbeat back to normal, scowls. "I'm gonna get it back."

"Oh yeah? I'm not half as ticklish as you, pearl."

Taehyung huffs at the mocking tone. Playtime is over. "I got other ways," he claims. And crawls into Jeongguk's lap.

The mer gives him a curious look but lets him. Splays his hands around Taehyung's hips to pull him even closer and jostles him around until he finds a comfortable position, pulling a giddy squeal from Taehyung.

"What other ways could that be, I wonder?"

Taehyung doesn't deign to answer. Just grins at Jeongguk as he takes his face in both hands and leans down for a slow, languid kiss. 

"How about I'll show you?" And then, barely louder than a whisper, asks, "How far do you want me to go?"

He knows Jeongguk is not experienced in those matters. Is beyond proud actually, that the mer openly talked about it with him. Because above anything else, Jeongguk is a man of honour. He'll never assume, like so many other men would. Taehyung will try his best to do the same. A deep trust like that goes both ways. 

And Jeongguk, despite his lack of knowledge, looks beautifully relaxed. There is not a hint of nervousness on his features, his expression open as he covers one of Taehyung's hands with his own.

"Show me whatever you'd like."

He doesn't even need to say it: I trust you.

Taehyung hears it loud and clear. Gives him a kiss on both cheeks, then rests their foreheads together. Stays close like that so he could easily lean in for another deep kiss. Either of them could. But for now, he doesn't. Leaves the space between them charged with anticipation.  

"We won't go all the way." He leans just a bit closer, waits for Jeongguk to do the same and watches his eyelashes flutter before pulling back again. "I want to show you something, though. Teach you about the human body what your book couldn't explain." 

The whine Jeongguk lets out when he's denied the kiss tugs at Taehyung's heart strings in the sweetest way. Of course, it's all it takes for him to give in. To dive right back in, lick across the mer's lips and ask for an access he's already been granted.

For a while, he gets lost in the taste of Jeongguk, in the feeling of their tongues sliding against each other in a familiar fashion. Only remembers what he wanted to say when he's running out of air despite Jeongguk's wildly fluttering gills. With a gasp he makes to pull away, and gasps again when the mer doesn't let him just yet. Jeongguk draws him down with a strong grip at the back of his head to prolong the moment, hungry for more.

Like that, the sweater Taehyung is wearing becomes too warm quite quickly.

He revels in it. Grinds down into Jeongguk's lap and doesn't allow either of them to properly catch their breath.

"Tell me," he pants. Rubs himself against Jeongguk through their trousers. "Tell me, if it gets too much." Something like desperation seeps into his voice as he tries to get his point across against the pleasure clouding his mind already. "Tell me, okay?"

He tugs at the neckline of the pullover he lent the mer until he can lick over the other's clavicle. Trails his mouth up to where neck meets shoulder and gives a playful bite to the flesh that draws the most beautiful sound from the mer, then proceeds to suck a vicious hickey into the unblemished skin. His hips are moving on their own at this point, rocking and circling slowly.

Jeongguk's hands are all over him - stroking up and down his chest and sides, sometimes slipping under the sweater, sometimes not. As if the mer is not sure what to do with them.

Taehyung hums into Jeongguk's skin. Keeps sucking at that spot, satisfaction blooming wildly within him at how Jeongguk doesn't flinch away from him despite the sting, the unexpected pain he must feel. He grapples for the mer's hands and confidently places them somewhere over his ribs - under the sweater. Skin to skin.

"Tell me," Taehyung mutters again. "If I ever make you uncomfortable. There is no such thing as too fast or too slow. We'll move at your pace. Promise me that you'll tell me if there is something you don't like, yeah?"

Jeongguk's eyes are pitch black when Taehyung pulls away enough to look at them. The mer nods, expression solemn.

"I will. But you'll have to promise me the same."

Taehyung melts. His hips falter and for a moment and his mind clears as he breaks out into a warm smile without even trying. He strokes his thumbs over Jeongguk's cheekbones, then leans down to pepper feather-light kisses over his forehead, the tip of his nose, his cupid's bow, lips, chin.

"Of course. I promise."

The mer nods, seemingly satisfied with the answer. Then sits up to sneak one strong arm around Taehyung's waist, the other hand sliding down his back. Taehyung gets the memo and quickly wraps his legs around Jeongguk's torso when the latter pushes himself up in a standing position. Jeongguk doesn't even falter. Just takes it into stride, muscles tensing, when he carries Taehyung to the one part of that magnificent hall he hasn't entered yet. The second room hidden behind the heavy rug that's doing a poor job doubling as door.

Taehyung is too busy gently licking over Jeongguk's gills, curious to see his reaction, to pay much attention to their new surroundings. Jeongguk doesn't disappoint. Lets out a long, stuttering breath right against Taehyung's ear, accompanied by a full-body shiver. His gills flutter violently against Taehyung's lips, a little rough, sensitive. So Taehyung does it again. And only gets clued in on the change of their surroundings when he gets lowered onto something soft. 

Jeongguk doesn't let him look yet. He keeps his face buried in the crook of Taehyung's neck as he struggles to collect himself. His arms stay firm around Taehyung's body.

"That's... new," Jeongguk admits weakly after a sweet, long moment.

Taehyung hums and lifts a hand to card his fingers through the mer's long hair. Falters, when all he touches are tight braids and a few loose strands. He frowns. This won't do. No matter how majestic Jeongguk looks in a crown, Taehyung needs unbound hair when they are to get intimate with each other. Needs to be able to bury his hands deep into Jeongguk's long, dark strands and tug him close.

So when he gets the freedom back to move and look around as Jeongguk sits back and loosely straddles him, he doesn't. Only duly registers that they are in a smaller room now, with the seaside made of columns and air once more and floor-long, thin curtains swaying all around them, covering each wall and languidly moving with the breeze. The single thing catching his attention shortly is the heap of pillows scattered all around them on the sand-covered floor. When did Jeongguk move them from the couch to here, and when did they multiply?

He shrugs it off in favour of belatedly shuffling around Jeongguk until he's kneeling behind the mer. The perfect position to slowly untangle his pretty hair. 

"Is my hair a nuisance they way it is now?" Jeongguk asks, voice calm. There is nothing hurt or judging in his tone, only that hint of curiosity. His eagerness to learn everything Taehyung can teach him.

Taehyung shakes his head even though nobody can see. Leans down for a quick peck on the shell of Jeongguk's ear before resuming his work.

"No, nothing of the sort. I'm just being selfish."

Jeongguk makes a little sound as if he wants to disagree, then changes his mind. "Would you like me to sing for you?"

Taehyung lowers the section he is done with to pool down Jeongguk's front, then swipes his hands down the mer's shoulders and arms, nips at his nape where skin peeks out over the hood and pulls out the next few bobby pins.

"Always."

He peeks around to catch sight of the smile he knows Jeongguk must be wearing now. The mer's gaze softens when he notices and they lock eyes. He cranes his neck for a heart-squeezing short kiss before turning his head back in a silent urge for Taehyung to continue.

Taehyung swipes his tongue over his lips, savouring the fleeting taste of Jeongguk. He blinks into nothingness, dazed. Shakes his head and gets back to work to the sound of Jeongguk's beautiful voice. Under them, the sea soon crashes loudly against the cliff in time to the mer's singing. The gurgling of the vortexes between land and stones needles too becomes more rhythmic. It never ceases to amaze Taehyung - how the very sea itself strains to accompany Jeongguk whenever he opens his mouth and a melody comes out.

He closes his eyes to bask in it for a while, hands moving slowly without him looking. It's that moment of joy that has him realise once more what a wonder Jeongguk is. And how lucky he is to be here with the mer, together.

It's moments like these that make the very thought of returning to Seoul hurt in the most awful way.

Taehyung presses his lips together and forces the thought away.

Undoing Jeongguk's braids is a soul-soothing thing, like so much else when it comes to the mer. Almost therapeutic. Taehyung will never take it for granted he thinks, the way he is allowed to do whatever he wants to Jeongguk's hair, keep combing his hands through it however often he likes, gingerly take off the crown and set it in the sand somewhere next to them and massage his scalp until the mer's song fades out into a comfortable silence and he turns around.

"Good now?"

Taehyung smiles. Tugs at the hem of Jeongguk's - his - hoodie to lift it up and pull it over his head. He needs to help the mer get out of the sleeves, human clothing still very much a foreign concept to him.

"Yeah. Better."

Taehyung watches how the heavy strands flow through his fingers like water before spilling back over the mer's chest. Some of them get tangled with the silver chains dangling there. Ah, how he missed that sight. Already his curious hands are darting out to fiddle with the little metal plates fastened to some of the chains, tongue peeking out as he twirls the silver around his finger.

Jeongguk chuckles.

"And dad called me extravagant for wearing something like this."

Taehyung lets out a little shriek at that. How dare they- Jeongguk looks so good in his body chains!

"Which one? The one with the scars?"

"Nah, the clumsy one."

It's another thing that's been happening the past few days: Jeongguk telling him about the two mermen who raised him. Only snippets, and most of them vague to no end. Yet it helps remind Taehyung that Jeongguk didn't just pop out of the sea perfect already, but had to grow up and was raised by parental figures the same way most humans are. Well. The methods and subject of parental teachings might vary a bit - or a lot, probably. But the kernel should be the same.

He tries to picture a baby Jeongguk racing with dolphins and giggling brightly, two shadows he can't put faces on looming in the background and watching him. What a cute picture it would make.

The grin Jeongguk gives him now is not on the cute side at all. Under the warm fondness he showcases in front of Taehyung at all times, there is something darker lurking. Something hungry. Taehyung's spine tingles, gut tightening and breath catching in his throat. This, right now, might become a very different kind of play than the one baby Jeongguk came to know.

Taehyung licks his lips and gives a slight tug to the chain in his grasp. Jeongguk bends forward easily, malleable in his hands and eager to listen to any command he might receive. 

"What do you wanna do, little star?"

Taehyung gives himself a moment to enjoy that specific name before directing his thoughts back into murky waters.

"Well, first of all," he states while claiming the mer's lap once more, "I'm gonna kiss you silly."

Jeongguk pulls him close with a crooked smile, both hands spanning Taehyung's butt and giving a little squeeze. "I like the sound of that."

Taehyung leans in then, until the tips of their noses touch and the space between them turns damp where their breaths mingle. The little hair on his neck raise, air charged.

"If you can still talk, I must be doing something wrong."

He flicks his tongue against the mer's cupid's bow. Delights in the little gasp it draws before he pries Jeongguk's mouth open, this time with a more desperate note to it than earlier. There is a spark igniting in him, now that he knows what he wants to do to Jeongguk today. What to show him. A spark ready to set them both ablaze. He'll have to make it good for Jeongguk.

The small bottle of lube he purchased with bright-red head from a smirking Yoongi this morning digs into his abdomen where it's tucked away into the pocket of his sweater when he shuffles closer. When he readjusts himself so he is properly seated right atop of Jeongguk's manhood, their chests pressing together. Even through his sweater he can feel the heat seeping out of Jeongguk.

Taehyung pries his hand from in-between their bodies and comes up with his grasp empty of those pretty silver chains. Not for long though, as he digs his fingers into Jeongguk's long black hair and tugs. Tugs again, straining his ears for the quiet hiss the mer lets out, then bites down on the mer's bottom lip before soothingly running his tongue over the sting. It draws a high and needy whine from him, something Taehyung never heard out of his mouth before. It's a dangerous little thing that wakes the desire in Taehyung to try and see what other sounds of pleasure he can elicit from Jeongguk.

He'll try his damn best.

Mind set, Taehyung doesn't give Jeongguk much room to breathe as he keeps devouring him unlike any time before.

The mer groans into his greedy mouth when Taehyung sucks at his tongue. Sinks his fingers into his butt cheeks until Taehyung can feel the of the mer's piercing nails through the trousers.

It has Taehyung kissing him just a tad bit meaner. He sighs into the kiss and tilts his head, deepening it impossibly more while pushing himself into the mer's grasp. 

The mer gets fidgety, hands flying everywhere and legs twitching as he doesn't know where to direct the building energy. One moment his palms are holding Taehyung's cheeks securely - the next, one hand glides up Taehyung's bare back under his shirt while the other slips into his trousers and a finger tentatively strokes over his bum before quickly pulling away again.

Taehyung decides to help him, if only a little.

"It's alright," he mutters into the mer's panting mouth. "Just go with what feels right. Don't overthink it."

Jeongguk hums. "What feels right," he repeats, voice uncharacteristically rough. Pulls away despite Taehyung's strong grip on him to look him up and down. "It doesn't feel right how you look right now."

"Oh?" Taehyung arches an eyebrow, secretly glad for the little break to catch his breath. He cocks his head and purses his lips, looks at the other through long lashes. "How so?"

"You are-" the mer falters when Taehyung deliberately circles his hips in a lazy motion, and has to blink several times before regaining his train of thoughts- "you are too... too hidden away. Feels wrong."

Taehyung breaks out of it for a second to smile at the blissful warmth flooding his insides. What a gentleman. Is there any prettier way to tell someone to strip? Jeongguk is too good for him, in so, so many ways. (But he already knew that long ago.)

"Then maybe you should help me change that," he says coyly and lifts his arms. Waits for Jeongguk to pull the shirt off him the same way he did with the other earlier. It's another first for them. Sure, Taehyung has helped Jeongguk get in and out of human clothes a couple of times. But never before have they switched roles. And it shows, the mer's brows knotted in concentration as he oh-so-slowly lifts the hem of Taehyung's sweater and pulls it up, up, up. As if Taehyung could break if he moved too rashly.

Once Taehyung figures it will take a while for him to get naked, he closes his eyes and lets the mer set the pace, slow them down. That's how it catches him off-guard when he feels chaste lips on his stomach. His mouth drops open in a surprised little gasp. Jeongguk has leaned forward to measure the progress he makes in undressing him with soft, lingering kisses trailing up Taehyung's body, the tip of his nose cold where it brushes over Taehyung's stomach up to his chest and higher.

When the mer finally arrives at his mouth, the kiss he initiates is a lot more languid than the ones Taehyung pulled him in. Taehyung takes deep breaths when the realisation settles within him. Jeongguk wants to savour every moment of this, them together.

Sweet, slow and deep. He can do that. Cherish Jeongguk the way he deserves. 

There is a short flare within him, a fleeting resolution that he wants to give Jeongguk everything. He nods to himself as if to say, yes, that's the plan. The motion has Jeongguk miscalculating with his next kiss and the mer's mouth lands between Taehyung's cheekbone and ear with a confused little grunt.

Taehyung giggles. It's the last push he needed to let go of any remaining tension. His hand unclenches where it's been grasping at the mer's hair to tenderly run through it instead. Jeongguk buries in the touch like a cat. Pushes his head into Taehyung's and flutters his eyelashes. It looks as if both the tiny stars in and under his eyes are dancing.

Taehyung stares; of course he does. He watches how the mer's gaze drops down to his naked chest and his mouth pulls into a secretive smile.

"Better," Jeongguk decides.

Taehyung huffs out a laugh. "Look at you, such a ruthless beauty, stripping me in late autumn during such chilly weather," he teases. "You better take responsibility and keep me warm, hm?"

"Of course," the mer vows immediately with eager nods and serious expression, large hands immediately beginning to rub up and down Taehyung's body before he thinks better of it and pulls him chest-to-chest instead, then wraps his arms tightly around Taehyung's torso. His breath is a hot puff against Taehyung's nape, the trail he licks up his neck a searing path.

That's when he notices the little bottle peeking out where Taehyung's sweater is pooling into the sand. Taehyung can feel the way his eyebrows furrow against his shoulder.

"What's this," the mer asks and pokes at the plastic bottle. 

Taehyung rakes a hand down Jeongguk's back and then thumbs at his hip bone.

"My version of your olive oil."

He lifts his other hand, gently pushes some stray strands behind Jeongguk's ear and then turns his head to flick his tongue against the other's earlobe. Chuckles at the embarrassed whine the mer lets out. Jeongguk had told him about his excessive supply of olive oil a few days ago when they've had that in-depth talk about sex and everything related to it, first proudly but then with his voice turning progressively smaller under Taehyung's raised eyebrows until it was no more than a meek whisper and the mer could barely look at him anymore, head flaming red.

Now however, he is pouting. "What's wrong with my oil?"

Taehyung shakes his head. This adorable boy, really. "I just wanna be sure it's safe for us," he tries to explain in his best soothing voice. "Olive oil is a little bit... ancient. And kinda crude. Also, I don't know if stuff like that can expire, or how it changes when it's stored at the bottom of the sea for who knows how long. So better be safe than sorry, yeah? Bad weather is not the only thing that can make humans sick."

Jeongguk mulls it over for a long moment in which Taehyung keeps stroking his hair and humming a melody he's been experimenting with for his new album. "Okay," the mer finally decides. "Fine. No oil, then." And adds with barely more than a whisper, "Don't want you to get ever sick."

Taehyung melts. Still feels all kinds of floaty when he gets Jeongguk out of his sweatpants and the mer tugs down Taehyung's trousers and boxers in one incredibly slow motion too.  This time, he doesn't try to look away. Openly stares at the mer - at every part of him. Deliberately keeps his own posture open to show Jeongguk that it's okay, there is nothing to be shy about. They're safe with each other.

It seems to work. The mer doesn't make a move to cower or hide himself away from view. Just gazes right back at Taehyung with that curious look he so often gets. As if he wants to soak up everything he sees.

And. Taehyung can relate.

He wants to say something teasing like a good old 'Like what you see' to drown out the crackling filling up the air, but Jeongguk beats him to it. Makes his mind go quiet when he puts his hands back on Taehyung's split-naked body (where they belong) as if they never left in the first place. That simple touch is all it takes to electrify Taehyung. Because, let's face it, nothing about the mer ever could really be simple. And so, that simple - absolutely not simple - touch of Jeongguk tenderly running his pointed nails over Taehyung's skin like a predator who uses his deadly claws to caress, Taehyung just... combusts.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he severely overestimated himself when he thought he could keep his cool and go slow. There is no way in hell he can, not when Jeongguk is being like this. 

With a violent tremble, his body shudders awake. He lets out a gasp when Jeongguk's finger brushes over his nipple, and shoots both hands out to grip the mer's face and crash their mouths together.

The force of that sudden movement is enough to send them toppling over. In the blink of an eye, Taehyung finds himself splayed all over Jeongguk who's gone down into the mountain of pillows with a huff. The mer stares up at him with wide eyes for a moment before they go hooded and a new richness enters his gaze. Taehyung smirks. That guy really knows the ins and outs of him - even how to adapt to his mood.

Taehyung laves his tongue down Jeongguk's neck and mouths at his collarbones until he finds a good spot to suck another hickey into the mer's sensitive skin. Shifts so he is straddling one of Jeongguk's legs with his own thigh pressed between them. He delights in the low moans his actions draw as he leans down to take one of Jeongguk's nipples in his mouth - in the way he can feel the other hardening where he keeps pushing his leg against Jeongguk's length.

Taehyung faintly mourns that he can't have an out-of-body experience right now. The way Jeongguk is arching up and pushing his chest against Taehyung's lips with his mouth dropped open and eyes screwed shut must be the prettiest sight. The mere idea of it is enough for him to waste no more time toand wrap his hand around Jeongguk.

At some point the bottle of lube has found its way into his hand, he doesn't even remember when. Just knows that his palm is sticky with the stuff, the glide up and down Jeongguk's shaft smooth. Each slide up his shaft, each squeeze at its base and decadent thumping over his slit where pre-cum is already oozing out has the most beautiful moans tumble off his lips like precious gemstones. And Taehyung is so, so greedy to collect them all. Connects their mouths into an uncoordinated string of open-mouthed kisses in an attempt to catch every single sound and steal it right off the mer's lips. One particular snap of Taehyung's wrist has a loud groan of Jeongguk's add to their melody of pants and moans. Taehyung wants to wear that sound under his skin when he falls asleep.

"Taehyung," the mer gasps.

"Shhh." Taehyung gives a peck to Jeongguk's furrowed eyebrows. "I got you."

He slowly lays down and repositions them so that he ends up spooning the mer from behind and pulls Jeongguk's back into his chest. Lazily mouths at Jeongguk's shoulder blade where the long hair is giving way to smooth skin. Pushes his other hand between Jeongguk's legs to give one determined stroke to his balls that has the mer shuddering so strongly Taehyung thinks he is convulsing before a muffled 'ah' makes it past clenched teeth.

"Sensitive," he mumbles to himself, and smiles.

Jeongguk breathes his name with an urgent, slightly desperate edge to it. Taehyung hums into his shoulder while keeping both hands busy. Nudges his own erection against the mer's thighs in silent question as he waits to see if Jeongguk will allow him to slip it between them.

Jeongguk does.

Taehyung blindly pats for the lube to drizzle some more onto himself before he dares to slide in. It's mind-numbing pleasure. After Taehyung has been neglecting himself for a while now, the mer tensing his muscles just once is almost enough for him to fall over the edge. Taehyung moans, long and drawn-out and deep. It's a sound scratching somewhere at the bottom of the register that has other idols being jealous of his vocal range.

"Yeah?," he gasps out belatedly.

Jeongguk keeps tensing up and pushing against him under his ministrations, breath coming out in wet huffs as Taehyung fondles and strokes him while fucking his thighs with subtle movements.

"I think-" the mer starts but Taehyung opens his mouth to bite down at his shoulder hard, and Jeongguk cuts himself off with another loud moan. "I- ahh, I think... something feels strange, I don't-  don't know, I think 'm gonna-" His movements turn more frantic with each word. Jeongguk never ceases moaning as he pushes up into Taehyung's hand, then back against him and up again, rutting into his grasp until his voice turns raw.

"It's okay," Taehyung assures him. He's working the mer faster now, eager to match his quickening pace. "Let loose, baby. Don't think."

With a sharp cry, Jeongguk spills all over Taehyung's hand and his own chest, taking him right over the edge with himself.

They lay between pillows and sand for several minutes without saying a word afterwards. Taehyung has slipped himself out of the tight space between Jeongguk's legs and is now languidly mouthing at every patch of skin he can reach without moving much while he tries to keep his dirty hands away from the mer - or at least not spoil him further, rubbing just his knuckles over Jeongguk's oversensitive body in what he hopes to be soothing motions.

Somewhen, the mer has worked himself through the haze clouding his mind enough to notice the changed way how Taehyung touches him. Jeongguk shifts, and slowly, as if every movement is an effort, turns around until he's laying on his side and facing Taehyung once again. Then takes Taehyung's hands in his own and pries them open, gently grabs his wrists and guides Taehyung's hands to lay flat against his chest. Taehyung tries to pull away. But Jeongguk is much stronger. Doesn't even have to tighten his grip for Taehyung's palms to stay right where the mer wants them.

"Don't ever," Jeongguk says with firm voice and gaze way too intense for someone who's just been falling apart mere minutes ago, "stop touching me."

Taehyung's eyes widen. "Wh-what?"

Jeongguk lifts his hands to his own lips, then. Gives feather-light kisses to Taehyung's knuckles before his tongue darts out to lick the different fluids out of the space between Taehyung's fingers.

"Taehyung. My little star." He brandishes Taehyung's palms with searing kisses next. "Your hands will never be so tainted that you can no longer touch me. Ever. So please don't stop."

And Taehyung, he swears he isn't one to get overly emotional after sex. Not that he had many chances to testify that theory, with what how idol contracts work. On top of that, they didn't even go all the way today.

Yet still...

Still, Jeongguk kissing his hands that he so urgently needs to wash has him, well.

Sniffle a little.

Immediately the mer jerks at the weak sound and begins fretting.

"Wha- is everything- are you alright? Did I say something? Did you- did you get hurt? Taehyung, pearl, please talk to me!"

Taehyung wipes with his arm at the stupid tears threatening to fall. No way is he gonna admit that he's on the verge of crying because Jeongguk doesn't care very much for hygiene. That's so... so dumb. How deep can one fall for someone? At this point Taehyung is so gone for the mer it's not even funny anymore.

"...I wanna wash it off," he sniffs, still embarrassed.

Gosh. He feels like a virgin.

Jeongguk blinks. "Ah. I, oh. Alright." 

While Taehyung proceeds to silently beat up himself for that lamest excuse ever, the mer motions towards the sea and waits, arm raised, for a near-silent water stream to gurgle into his grasp straight from the crashing waves down below. Soon enough it covers his hands with two big bubbles. He entwines his fingers with Taehyung's who watches how the water laps at him, then pulls it off him like a pair of gloves. Taking all the dirt and grime with him and leaving only a thin crust of salt behind on Taehyung's hands.

Taehyung gapes.

Like that, the two of them quite quickly have freshened up in a most unexpected way. They search for a dry spot in the sand after Taehyung has waddled into the bigger hall to fetch their blanket and try to get settled back in the present.

Which is easier said than done. One look at Jeongguk's blissed out expression and Taehyung is ready to go again. He thinks he is doing a good job fighting it down, considering everything. Except, then Jeonngguk gives him one of these looks that have Taehyung ascend into heaven within seconds from its sheer magnitude and depth. Taehyung caves like a loser.

He improvises, remembering that above anything else he wanted to show Jeongguk all the different kinds of pleasure he himself is familiar with. 

So after some coaxing and promising that yes, he is alright, don't worry babe - paired with a forced little snack time and Jeongguk all but pushing the water bottle down his throat because 'you need to stay hydrated pearl, you said so yourself, physically straining activities mean lots of water' - he gets the mer right where he wants him.

And proceeds to try his damn hardest to give some good head.

Which proves to be a tiny bit difficult, considering how the mer switches from lust-filled moans to befuddlement at any chance he gets.

"Why- hnng!" 

Through his lashes, Taehyung watches Jeongguk screw his eyes shut and throw his head back. He circles his tongue around the tip of Jeongguk's length and suckles at it before pulling off.

"Babe. Eyes on me, yeah?" he demands with soft voice. Waits for Jeongguk to comply before he goes down on him again, eyes still locked.

Jeongguk tries again. Has to sit out the deep groan forcing itself out of him before his voice comes back to him.

"Why- why are you doing this?"

Taehyung licks up his prominent vein, widens his throat and takes the mer even deeper. Pushes down until Jeongguk's dark pubic hair tickles his nose, then stays there and swallows. Doesn't come up sooner than after he pulls another string of moans out of the other. 

He smacks his lips. Can't help but lean down to pepper kisses up and down Jeongguk's entire length.

...Maybe he gets a bit side-tracked. Maybe Jeongguk has to repeat himself before Taehyung takes his mouth off him long enough to answer.

"Because I want to." He wraps a hand around Jeongguk and lazily jerks him off. "I want you to know how it feels. And I want to be the one to make you feel that way."

"But what-" Jeongguk sighs slowly. Cards his claws into Taehyung's golden-brown hair and keeps him there, then rocks his hips up into his hold and moans again. "What about you?"

Taehyung coos. He lifts his free hand to caress Jeongguk's cheek, thumb tracing the stars under his eyes he so adores. "Baby. My sweet thing. The act of pleasuring you gives me immense satisfaction already." He gives a hearty squeeze to the mer's erection that has him whimpering. Taehyung smiles. "The knowledge that I am doing good for you."

There is sweat glistening at Jeongguk's temples. His gaze begins to turn foggy, breath becoming laboured as Taehyung strokes him faster and leans down to wrap his lips around him again.

"Are you... are you always like that? With, with others? Do you... put yourself second like that often?"

Taehyung pulls off with a lewd squelch. "I don't." He shallowly humps down against Jeongguk's thigh for some friction. "I, ah." He drags a hand through his hair. Entwines his fingers with Jeongguk's that are still resting there. "I usually don't do this kind of stuff," he admits.

Jeongguk squeezes his hand. "Usually?"

"Usually." Taehyung lifts himself up for a lingering kiss. Pushes some of the mer's pre-cum into his mouth and makes him taste himself while rutting down harder.

Jeongguk's hands fall from Taehyung's head to his hips, grip strong as he supports the latter's movement and guides him to rub himself on Jeongguk's thigh. Taehyung readily presses down, jaw slack. Then he shifts and opens his legs. Fits both of their lengths together and wraps his hand around them.

"You gotta know it, don't you? It's only you." He drops the words straight into Jeongguk's open mouth. Drizzles lube all over them and then pries Jeongguk's large hand off his head to guide it around their slippery cocks.

"This is just a taste, Gguk." Taehyung knocks their foreheads together and allows himself to get lost in the feeling of them together. Jeongguk is a terrifically quick learner. It only takes him a few tries before he's figured out the right amount of pressure to make Taehyung squirm and choke on his own spit. 

Jeongguk lowers his head so so he can catch Taehyung's now downcast gaze once more. His eyes are blazing wildfires of blackness. "A taste?"

Taehyung bites his lip and nods. Thinks he might draw blood when the mer twists his wrist, sharp nails slightly poking at sensitive flesh. "Yeah. Of... of how it'll feel. When, ah, you enter me."

The mer goes deep red at those words. It's so at odds with the entire situation Taehyung can't help but chuckle. Who's a blushing virgin now?

"You read that book, Gguk-ah." Taehyung takes full advantage of their positions and leans down the few centimetres to kiss the mer square on his mouth. Sneaks his hand between the two of them to join in on Jeongguk's ministration and press the pad of his finger into the mer's slit where more cum is already beading out. Jeongguk hisses. Taehyung does it again. Then grips Jeongguk's base amd squeezes, a little possessive. "You know where that big, pretty cock of yours is supposed to go. It'll feel even better than now."

"Tae!" Jeongguk gasps. "You can't- can't just say things like that."

"Oh? Well, then maybe you should shut me off, no?"

"Hmm."

"You really are something" Jeongguk huffs a bit later. 

Taehyung lays cuddled into his side, with the blanket thrown over the two of them. They have gathered the pillows into a heap and flopped down in the middle as if it were a nest. The mer has washed them off with another wave not too long ago. And thanks to the airy construction of the room, it doesn't stink of sex. A faint stench however lingers.

Taehyung pouts. He circles one of the mer's nipples, then tries to dig his fingers into Jeongguk's armpit and tickle him a bit. (He fails. But really, did he ever have a chance against those bulky biceps?)

"I'm going to take that as a clear compliment."

The mer snickers. "Of course you are."

"Yah! Getting feisty, are we?"

"Don't 'we' me. You told me only children's doctors and elementary teachers do that, and that every kid hates it. Are you likening me to a child after what we've just done?"

Taehyung perches his chin up on Jeongguk's clavicle and scowls. "I hate that this makes sense to me right now."

"You are just a sore loser."

"Wh- am not! I made you cum twice just now!"

"Well, technically, the second time I was the one who-"

"Yah!"

Taehyung is still a little pouty when he braids the tiara back into Jeongguk's hair.

And when he presents him the fountain pen he bought a few days ago, together with a big pot of ink and a slap of thick, structured paper. However, once Jeongguk lifts the lid of the box and starts gushing about how beautiful the pen looks - it is made of twisted glass with a hint of turquoise in the otherwise clear material - Taehyung has no chance to fight the giddy smile spreading all over his face.

Jeongguk immediately sits down cross-legged in the sand and tries out his latest gift.

By the time they have to part ways for the day, the mer has filled an entire page with ink splotches and Taehyung's name.

Taehyung is absolutely not endeared beyond measure or anything.

Just like it's totally not an overkill when they first spend quite a while to light up every single wick in those oil-filled grooves until it looks like the hall is alight with hundreds of candles, and then Jeongguk motions for Taehyung to rest his head in the mer's lap to slowly stroke his hair and sing him sweet melodies.

Yeah, no. 

Taehyung has zero clue how he survived the day. But it was a good day, a great day even. Ten out of ten would do it again.

On his way back to the fisherman's house, he pictures Jeongguk still up in their cave mansion practising with the fountain pen. With the warmest smile, he opens the door.

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"Tell me you saw that too," Jimin hisses once Taehyung has disappeared in his respective room with a notebook clutched to his chest.

Yoongi groans next to him and puts his head on the table with a dull thunk. "Did I see what."

"Him! He just-" the fisherman gestures wildly in the direction of Taehyung's room- "didn't you see?! He's been clearly exhausted yet glowing like a sun! And he barely registered anything we said. As if he wasn't entirely here."

"It's called 'spacing out', Chim," Yoongi deadpans. Absently scratches the little cat in his lap behind its ears. He is still adamant about not liking that fluffy creature. At all. "Sometimes people's minds just are somewhere else. It happens." He shrugs.

Jimin, however, is having none of it.

"No. Something is fishy about all of this."

"Ugh, please not this again."

"No, listen!" Jimin slams both hands flat on the table hard enough to send the cutlery rattling. "This... it's how you behave when you're head over heels for someone. And you and I both know that if he were involved with anybody from the town, we'd know. There are no secrets in Nakseongdae, especially not concerning strangers."

Yoongi nonchalantly gets up and starts picking up the dirty dishes to save them from Jimin's wrath. "He's been here for more than half a year now. I'd hardly call him a stranger at this point."

"But he's not from here. He'll always stick out. You know what I mean. And if he hasn't fallen for anybody from here, and also never leaves Nakseongdae, then there is only one answer who else he could have met. And, worst of all, caught feelings for."

Jimin ignores the sigh he can hear coming out of the kitchen. Stays rooted to the spot with his arms crossed. He knows he's right.

"Jimin-ah," his boyfriend mutters and trudges over to slump back into his chair.

The circles under his eyes are dark from working too long shifts at the store. Jimin immediately feels bad for being difficult and making him worry on top of everything else. His Yoongi-bear deserves all the rest he can get. And yet, this - this - is the only thing he can never let go. But for now, he swallows down his next rant and just hums, showing that he is listening.

Yoongi rubs his face tiredly and sighs again. "Chim, he maybe just have had a really good day. He's an artist, those kind of guys tend to see beauty and be captivated by the weirdest things. Don't think too much into it when you don't even know the full story."

Jimin doesn't agree to anything.

Tomorrow, he'll have to talk to the others. Warn them that maybe those things are back. And then ask for some time off or at least early leaves so he can keep a close eye on Taehyung. It's only for his best - for the best of all of them. The people of the coast must not, under any circumstances, get in contact with those... those monsters.

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Jeongguk sneers. He can feel a second set of steps on the pier.

Taehyung has just flitted around the corner where the pier bends around the first one of those empty huts, bag bumping against his side as always as he skips towards where the mer peeks his head out of the water. Today he is clad in a long coat that's all sharp lines and looks to Jeongguk's inexperienced eyes as if it's not something to be worn everyday. 

That's when he feels it. The faint shudder of the stilts closest to the shore. It's a lot less noticeable than when Taehyung hops over the wooden planks, ripples progressing much slower from stilt to stilt.

Somebody is sneaking after Taehyung. 

Taehyung gives him a splendid smile as he swings his legs over the edge and ducks away under the railing.

"Good mor- mmpfh!"

Before he can finish the sentence, Jeongguk has leapt out of the water and pulled him down.

He doesn't care about the loud splash it makes, not now.

This is no longer about stealth. But about swiftness.

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When he hears the splash, Jimin abandons his plan of remaining unnoticed and falls into a sprint. Silently prays that he won't, despite everything, fall into the water with how careless he's being right now. The sea is deadly here. One mustn't fall inside, ever.

But Taehyung doesn't know that. Not to the same extend as everybody else here.

He quickens his pace and flings out a hand for the ramshackle wood of the hut's wall, throws himself around the first corner, then the second, other hand tightly clutched around the knife.

No sight of Taehyung.

Jimin does a full circle around the huts. Follows the pier running around them until he gets back to his starting point, peers inside one of them where a door has been broken open and even dares to peek underneath the pier after some deep shaky breaths and a short tremble of his hands.

Nothing.

Taehyung is gone. He's already been taken away by them.

Jimin is too late.

He pockets the knife and curses.

Chapter Text

English/German | verb

♦ to bury something, to hide; to roll or surge over something; to cover something

That day, after Jeongguk for the first time pulled Taehyung into the sea without warning, something changes.

And Taehyung doesn't mean the part where the mer is so very open to try out anything he can teach him about the human body and its most sensitive part. Because, yes, that is a thing too now, much to his endless delight.

But it's not what he is on about right now. What Taehyung means with "change," is an altered reality, and not in the good sense.

What he means is, that Jeongguk does not bring him to the pier that day. Rather, the mer lifts the two of them up the steep cliff a fair distance away from Nakseongdae and floats them through the forest without uttering a word until he lets Taehyung out of their bubble to walk the rest home, and flings himself over the edge with a plunge that would have killed any human from that height, promising Taehyung to never be far away until he reaches his home safely. 

What he means is, that once he reaches Nakseongdae in the waning daylight that's more a suffocating steel grey than anything else at this point, there is a tension lingering in the entire village so strong he can almost taste it in the air. And it has nothing to do with the looming thunderstorm painting the horizon black - yet everything with the way people are hurrying through the streets with burning torches and harpoons, gaze hard and mouth pressed into grim, silent lines.

It is bizarre, to day the least.

And deeply unsettling.

Even more so when he turns the handle of his landlords' entrance door and gets greeted by a harpoon mere breaths away from his neck, followed by a stunned silence in which Jimin stares at him as if he'd grown a second head and then shouts, with something like mortification written all over his face, 

"YOU ARE ALIVE?! HOW?!"

Taehyung makes a point to push the harpoon away from his throat with a gentle yet determined finger. "Uhm, breathing, generally?"

"No, no that's not-"

The fisherman drags a hand - the one not holding a sharp weapon - through his hair. He looks stressed enough to punch a hole in the wall.

"This is wrong."

"How is me breathing wrong? You rather want me dead?"

"Wh- that's not even close to- no, no, you don't understand!"  Jimin brandishes his harpoon furiously, Taehyung struggling to dodge it.

The idol rolls his eyes. "There we go again," he mutters. Of course I don't understand if you never tell me shit.

The fisherman scowls at him, then pushes past Taehyung through the door and races down the path to the heart of the village. Yoongi stays behind, an ancient and rusty sword in his lap that he puts away the minute Jimin is gone. He gives Taehyung a piercing look and shakes his head.

"You are being reckless."

Taehyung freezes. "What do you mean?"

The older gives him a joyless little smile. "We both know what and whom I mean. I just hope it doesn't come biting you in the butt."

Taehyung hurries up the stairs without another word. He doesn't know what to make of everything. Only that somehow, things have gone severely wrong.

He listens for following footsteps up the stairs, but when there are none - just a quiet little hobble as the small black cat fights its way up the steep wooden stairs - he sneaks into the bathroom. Aside from the landlords' bedchamber, it is the only room where one can see a bit from the bay. He crouches down in front of the window and peers out. Watches the torch lights flickering out one after another where they are gathered close to the sea, until Nakseongdae is shrouded into darkness except for some lone points of light wandering through the streets.

How very, very odd indeed.

With a heavy feeling of dread in his stomach, he goes to bed and takes a long time to fall asleep that night.

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"What do you mean, he is back?!" Jimin's cousin Wooyoung stomps his harpoon onto the ground, the loud clinking resounding in the narrow street. He looks furious, lips curled back into a sneer and hand tightly wrapped around the weapon. A fighter ready for bloodshed.

Jimin shushes him with an annoyed wave of his empty hand. Stealthiness has never been a big strength of his younger cousin.

"It's just as I said," he explains. And then raises his voice a bit more, so the other villagers can hear him. "Taehyung has come back without noticeable harm."

"What does that mean? Did he escape," one of the elders asks.

Jimin shakes his head. He furrows his brows and gnaws on his lip. "I don't think so. He didn't look like he ran away from something. Just confused. Besides," he grins, "he is the kind of person who can't keep his mouth shut for long. If he were in trouble, he'd surely told me on the spot."

Wooyoung snorts. "Yeah, right, because you are such good friends and he tells you everything."

Jimin pulls out one of the daggers he's had tugged under his belt all day and points it at his cousin, daring him to keep talking like that. "Yah, you better watch your mouth, kid!"

The younger blows out his cheeks and huffs. "Who are you calling a kid, huh? What are four years anyway?"

That's enough," one of the older fishermen snaps. "We didn't come here to listen to some childish squabbles, but to protect our home. If you have nothing important to say, shut your mouth." Then he turns to Jimin. "Are you sure he's been with the monster?"

Jimin nods, face turning grim once more. "Yes. He must've been abducted by that creature."

"Then how come he's still alive and well, hm?"

"Maybe..." Jimin purses his lips. Clamps a hand over his cousin's mouth before he can say something stupid again. Sometimes he misses the time when Wooyoung used to admire him like a star. "Maybe it likes to play with its prey. Make humans think they are safe and then slowly break their spirit. Like poison."

The gruff sea dog scratches his beard. "Sounds like a load of horse shit to me."

Some of the other men, however, seem to be more convinced. They start muttering amongst themselves. Quietly first, then louder.

"What should we do now?"

"What do we do, how do we proceed?"

"A human who survived the sea? That's never happened before. We needa be cautious."

Jimin nods at that. "That's right, gotta be cautious. If the monster is playing with one of us, we should do the same. Put up a trap for that thing and lure it in."

Around him, people nod.

"That's good, we'll do that."

"Yeah, serves it right!"

"True, true... but we shoulda be careful. Mustn't have the thing know we're up to stuff."

"Yeah, right."

They keep discussing some more, until it gets too dark, too dangerous to stay outside that close to the scornful sea. Some decisions are made, others postponed. Backbones of plans get hatched and a few tasks distributed. Jimin, for now, gets told not to reveal anything to Taehyung and keep a very close eye on him. Spy on him to the best of his abilities and gather information about the demon haunting this bay once anew.

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Taehyung frowns at his chipper landlord, who just - well - refuses to leave him alone.

"Don't you have to be at the trawler or something?"

"Nope!" The fisherman grins. "I was allowed to take a few days off. So now I have loads of free time we can spend together. Isn't that great?"

"Super great," Taehyung mutters under his breath. How is he supposed to reach Jeongguk when Jimin sticks to him like a leech?

Short answer: Not at all.

The long answer to the problem at hand is, that Taehyung finds out just how determined his landlord and self-proclaimed 'new best friend' is the hard way. And how agile, and fast, and Not Stupid. Because try as he might, Taehyung fails with every trick from the book against Jimin. Somehow, whenever he takes a sharp turn, vanishes through an almost hidden door and whatnot, five seconds later Jimin's head pops up from around a corner, followed by crinkling eyes, a big grin and a loud "Gotcha!"

Seems like his landlord thinks they are playing an intense impromptu round of hide and seek. Which, uh, is not exactly what Taehyung has been going for. But if that means, Jimin doesn't notice how majorly rude he is being with trying his hardest to ditch him, then, well. He won't complain. 

Except about the fact, that Jimin always wins their non-existent game. Which ultimately means Taehyung has zero chances to sneak away and meet up with Jeongguk. And boi, does he try. To the point that he's exhausted and really, really needs a good long nap after Jimin invited him for lunch in a grimy diner.

Honestly, that establishment doesn't deserve the title at all. It's barely more than a small room with two big grills where the freshly caught fish, mussels, some sad-looking veggies and bread gets put on, while noise seeps in from the bigger room behind, where the fishermen's women cut open the rest of the fish and box it or whatever. There are also no seats inside, except for three bar stools right in front of the grills which are always standing in a dark cloud of smoke. Jimin already makes for one of those greasy stools but Taehyung pulls him away, towards one of the ramshackle wooden benches in front of the house instead.

The grilled fish, although dripping with fat, tastes surprisingly good. Taehyung says as much with his mouth still full from the first bite - because, honestly, the fact that he didn't have to spew out the bite comes quite as a shock to him - and earns himself a shit-eating grin from his landlord.

"Told ya," Jimin crows, delighted. "Trust the locals, little greenhorn, we know what's good here."

Taehyung scowls at him. "Call me greenhorn one more time, and Imma hog your kitty for the rest of the week."

Jimin shrieks and flings a dead fish eye at him.

What Jimin does not know, is that Taehyung's midday nap (after being hit by the fish eye, he dramatically collapsed onto the bench and simply stayed like that for the next two hours) had a double purpose. He didn't just restore energy from their hunt straight through Nakseongdae, but also saved up some more for the night. Because after the, like, twentieth failed attempt to get away from Jimin, he came to the conclusion that the only way to get past him, would be at night when everyone was asleep. 

So he waits. Sets a quiet alarm for midnight, and gets to bed under the pretence of being dead tired, to get in a few more hours of sleep before his night out.

It is freezing outside when he manages to get down the creaky stairs without any of his landlords bolting out of their room. Figures. Don't they have November by now? Seriously, ever since he's been off schedule, Taehyung has lost all sense of time. Anyway, it's late autumn now, almost winter. And especially at night one can feel it. 

After an entire five minutes of weighing the risk, Taehyung begrudgingly makes his way back up to fetch some warmer clothes, two extra jackets and a scarf. Then he is off, flashlight app on his phone switched on as he makes his way down the empty streets of Nakseongdae at night. Not a sound can be heard - safe for the constant splashing of waves. Everybody is asleep, all the lights turned off. Taehyung feels like a ghost or a burglar. As if he is doing something severely forbidden. Chills creep up his spine.

He quickens the pace then, walking faster towards the shore, towards the pier that lays dark and foreboding in the black sea under an equally dark, moonless sky. The rotting huts at the end of the pier loom over the pier like crooked teeth of a monster's maw. The wooden planks of the pier seem especially slippery tonight, or maybe it's just Taehyung's nerves getting the better out of him. And as he crouches down onto the pier, in that secluded corner where he can't be seen behind the huts from the villagers of Nakseongdae, he feels as if multiple eyes are staring holes into his back. Feels vulnerable in an unsettling way.

With shaky hands he gets one foot out of its shoe and sock, then dips his big toe in the icy water.

And then... then Taehyung waits.

It's no long before there is a familiar teasing nip at his toe - or, no, not quite. Instead of the barely-there sharpness of teeth, all Taehyung feels this time are plush lips pressing against his skin in a soft, lingering kiss. His smile feels a bit wobbly around the edges when Jeongguk pulls back and pops his head out of the water at last. This guy, really. He never gives Taehyung's poor heart a break. Or maybe Taehyung has just become weak, with how such a small gesture is enough to  melt him away.

He pulls his foot back and shifts until his legs are resting on damp wood and he can lean down with his upper body instead. Instantly, the mer's hands dart out to span his face, thumbs lovingly stroking over his cheekbones while Jeongguk rises up so he can press their foreheads together, the tips of their noses touching.

"Taehyung," he whispers with a richness to his voice that makes the adoration and worry lacing it almost tangible. "Taehyung, my Taehyung, my sweet, sweet pearl, my dearest star. What took you so long? I already feared they locked you away, or worse." His voice breaks at the last word in a way that grates on Taehyung's heart.

"I am sorry," Taehyung breathes. Slips his hands between his own cheeks and Jeongguk's palms to weave his fingers in the spaces between the mer's. "Jimin kept following me all day. I couldn't get past him until just now." As he says it, he pulls away and casts a glance over his shoulder. Gnaws at his lip, then turns back around and flips his legs over the edge before sliding into the mer's strong grasp and the now warm water. Plants a wet kiss onto where he thinks Jeongguk's mouth must be, then tightens his grip around him. "We should probably get going."

Nothing else is said. Jeongguk waits the extra second for him to suck in a deep breath. The next moment, Taehyung feels the mer's lips back on his, more sure this time, followed by the teasing swipe of a tongue. The all-enveloping wetness of the ocean crashing together over his head doesn't register in Taehyung's head when he feels Jeongguk's tongue plunging deep and hungry into his mouth. One of his hands loosens its death grip on the mer's side to come up and bury itself in Jeongguk's hair instead. He trusts that Jeongguk will keep him close despite Taehyung's own weakened hold on him and the break-neck speed they are cutting through the dark nightly sea with.

There is not a single light down here. Everything is pitch-black, so dark Taehyung couldn't see his own hand in front of his eyes if he tried. No glowing deep-sea fish, no moonlight, not a single star guiding them through this eternal blackness that's pressing in from all sides. And with his faraway siblings covered up by a thick blanket of clouds, Jeongguk himself blends into the dark sea as well. 

Taehyung begins to grow dizzy from disorientation. It is strange, to keep his eyes open against the salty sea and be unable to tell where is up and down. He feels blind, and also trapped, can't see a single thing. All he knows is Jeongguk's touch and taste.

On top of that, he can feel himself running out of air. Despite the oxygen the mer keeps pumping into him relentlessly, a steady stream of bubbles tickling past Taehyung's cheeks, there is barely any left in his lungs. He pinches Jeongguk's side where his other hand is still clutching at him, then draws an upward line on his skin in an urgent manner.

Jeongguk understands immediately.

There is a shift in the direction they are going, followed by the vague sense of slowing down. Moments later, their heads break through the water surface and Taehyung pulls away with a loud gasp.

Except, Jeongguk doesn't let him go far. Gives him only time to suck in a few breaths before his mouth is already covering Taehyung's once more, their lips moulding together, one of the mer's fingers curled under Taehyung's chin as his other hand wraps around his neck.

Taehyung gasps into the mer's open mouth. Pulls away for fresh air shortly before diving right back in for more. Greed has begun to lick in his stomach, has him heating up more with every flick of Jeongguk's tongue, every sharp nip at his lip, every harsh suck, every sweet moan pooling right into his mouth. He digs his fingers into Jeongguk's shoulder as he kisses him back with just as much fervour. Begins to shift his hips in slow circles where he's straddling the mer's tail. The mer's large fins lazily shift behind him with soft splashes to keep them afloat. A guttural groan drips from Jeongguk's lips down Taehyung's throat.

Then the darkness shifts and turns wet again as the mer drags them back under without breaking the kiss. He is relentless with his passion. By the time they seem to have reached the cave mansion, Taehyung's lips are numb. And he wonders if he tasted a hint of desperation from Jeongguk. It's not a thought he wants to entertain for long. He'd hate to be the reason for a negative emotion of any kind tainting that precious sea god in front of him. So he refocuses, pays close attention to how their bodies move together and tightens his grip on the mer again when he feels the impending surge of a water stream carrying them upwards. 

A few moments later, his naked feet touch cool, smooth stone.

"Gguk," he says around a moan, caught off-guard by the way Jeongguk now sucks at his neck. "Can you see anything?" Because he certainly can't.

The mer hums into his skin and keeps laving at the tender spot.

"Okay, uhm..." Taehyung lightly pats the other's arm. Takes a few deep breaths. The fact that a certain part of his is growing more interested in Jeongguk's ministrations by the second doesn't help him stay focussed at all. His body doesn't know what it wants in general right now, it seems, as there is also a good amount of fatigue weighing him down at this late hour. Is he tired, horny, or wants to get things done? Uhm. How about one thing at a time?

"Alright, can you-"

Jeongguk slips his now very human thigh between Taehyung's legs. His mouth falls open with a lewd groan.That's not-

He humps down onto the thick thigh, once, twice.

Focus!

"Ca- ahh, can you... get us to one of those, those oil groves?"

The mer kisses up his neck, takes one of Taehyung's - Jeongguk's - pearl earrings in his mouth and tugs, then reluctantly obliges. There is no warning when he picks up Taehyung and hauls him into the air, Taehyung yelping as his feet no longer touch the ground, before he gets caught by sturdy arms and those clawed hands hold him oh-so-gently. His feet are still dangling in the air and Taehyung grapples for Jeongguk's shoulders, neck, anything, as he gets carried through the darkness bridal-style. He feels straps dig into his lower back where the mer holds him and still has Taehyung's bag wrapped over his arm.

Then, with a kiss to his forehead - Jeongguk doesn't only glow at starry nights but also has far better night vision than him, how unfair is that?! - Taehyung gets lowered back onto his feet again. Large hands on his hips gingerly turn him around, one of them wandering up his side and tracing down his arm before taking Taehyung's hand and guiding it until his fingertips dip into oil.

"There," Jeongguk mutters from somewhere low in his chest straight into Taehyung's ear.

Everything in Taehyung burns.

"Thank you."

He shifts until he's half facing away from the grove, one hand still dipped in oil as his other blindly pats around for Jeongguk - his chest, shoulder, arm, Taehyung's bag. He pulls open one of the zippers, then fumbles for the box of matches he brought while Jeongguk keeps holding it for him. Along with the match sticks, Taehyung pulls out the old towel he always packs these days. Wipes his oily hand with it, and then gets to work to light the first match.

Jeongguk's eyes are bright and wide as saucers as the flame flickers to life.

"Whoa!"

The tiny fire reflects in his deep blue irises as specks of orange and gold. Finally, for the first time of the night, Taehyung can see his face.

He lifts his hand and searches for the nearest wick. With a weak crackle, the wick comes to life. Taehyung moves to the next wick. After a few more, the first grove is alight. Jeongguk has watched him with rapt attention the whole time. Trails behind him with barely more space than one step between them, and now makes grabby hands for the match box.

"Can I- let me, let me try, too?"

His fingers have been twitching towards the box a few times already.

Taehyung smiles. "Sure, babe."

He shows the mer how it works. Uses his now burning match stick to head over to the next grove and light a few more wicks. When he turns around, Jeongguk already towers behind him. Taehyung plants the small box in the mer's hand.

"Now you. But be careful not to burn yourself. Don't let the flame touch you, 'kay?"

He plants a fat smooch onto the scar on Jeongguk's cheekbone before taking up his role as guardian.

The mer needs exactly three tries to get it right - the first match stick breaks in two by seemingly Jeongguk just looking at it, the second one he accidentally flings straight into the oil grove - but once the tiny flame flickers alive through his doing, there is that look of pure wonder on Jeongguk's face. He almost goes cross-eyed as he keeps staring at the fire he created.

Taehyung is so smitten. Jeongguk can keep and burn the entire box, if it means he keeps looking like that. The world is beautiful, and so is life, but most of all Jeongguk. He sighs.

The mer turns around to him with his unbelievably round eyes. 

"Hm? Did you say something?" 

Taehyung shakes his head and keeps smiling softly. Watches the mer flit around the big room, happily burning match after match as slowly the entire wall comes to life. He moves over to the smaller room with the sand and heap of pillows, and continues his work there, Taehyung following close-by like pulled on a string. After a while, there are probably a few hundred tiny flames dancing in the night breeze. They cast flickering shadows everywhere and dip their surroundings in dim warm orange light. It makes the giant wave carving in the big room look even more vivid, as if the stone-hewn wave keeps rolling through the cave in a never-ending motion.

Jeongguk has been careful, just like Taehyung told him, and didn't hurt himself with the fire once. He's doing so good.Taehyung is very proud. 

The only thing bugging him is, that, well. The mer has been lighting up all those wicks split-naked, the only thing covering him being his long hair. And at this point, Taehyung is well past shyly averting his gaze. Which means he's been shamelessly staring the entire time. And the fact that despite his oblivious little happy skips through the room, Jeongguk still manages to look positively sinful with the way he moves so fluidly as if he still were underwater doesn't help Taehyung's situation at all.

Good God. Jeongguk is merely lighting some candles and here Taehyung is, wanting to climb him like a tree. He tugs at his increasingly tightening trousers, hoping for his movements to be subtle.

But of course, when you are Kim Taehyung you never have such luck. Jeongguk notices the small movement immediately, gaze flitting down to the obvious tent in the fabric, then up to Taehyung's eyes, a small smile playing around the corner of his mouth.

"Seems like you missed me in more than one way."

The mer's voice is barely above a whisper yet sounds bright and clear in the room, filling up the space all the way to the high ceiling. The sea beneath them has grown suspiciously quiet, as if Jeongguk has meddled with it. Taehyung narrows his eyes. Cheeky brat. At this point, Taehyung has stayed in the coast village long enough to at least read the most trivial signs of the sea. So he's like 65 percent sure - 67 if he pushes it - that at a night like this, where one can barely see the hand in front of one's face with how heavy the clouds cloak every bit of light, there has to be some wind roughing up the water surface. So yeah, that silence is most likely not normal. Stupid mer power flex. He feels himself hardening just that little bit more.

He finds his voice again, when Jeongguk places the bag on the ground with four empty match stick boxes inside and then crosses the space between them. Reaches out for the mer's hands to weave their fingers together and give a tight squeeze.

"I did," he admits.

Leans in until their noses bump together, then licks over Jeongguk's upper lip simply because he can, because the mer is as much putty in his hands as the other way around. He gives a peck to Jeongguk's slightly open mouth before pulling back and hooking his chin over the other's shoulder. Begins to fiddle with Jeongguk's hands in his grasp, the pad of his fingers running along the long, pointed nails. 

Jeongguk sighs into his ear, entire body going slack. He turns his head to nose up Taehyung's temple, followed by a kiss brushed there. 

"But you are alright." 

For a long moment the mer pulls away, grasps Taehyung's face in both hands and gives him a long, hard look that doesn't accept anything else as answer than 'perfectly fine'.

"Yeah," Taehyung promises. Gives a kiss to Jeongguk's palm, then peels both hands off his cheeks to take them in his own once more and guide them around his waist. The mer catches on immediately and pulls him in a lose yet close embrace, one hand splaying wide over Taehyung's clothed back, the other wandering down to rest just shy above his ass.

Jeongguk still doesn't look quite satisfied. "Did something happen?"

And.

Yeah, Taehyung thinks. It sure did.

He hums. "I don't know. Everyone was really weird yesterday. There were lots of folks running around with torches and stuff, like from a mediaeval witch hunt or something. It was super bizarre. And Jimin was, like, shocked to see me alive?" Taehyung huffs and shakes his head. "Honestly, I don't know what to make out of it all."

With each sentence, the mer's expression turns more guarded until he looks almost as unapproachable as during their first encounters. It's a look Taehyung doesn't like on him at all. As if all the walls they've slowly and carefully torn down together have come shooting back up within seconds. 

But maybe it's just Jeongguk's thinking face, he tries to reason with himself. And gives the mer a few minutes, patiently standing there and waiting for him to come back.

It works.

Soon enough, the mer's features clear up - the walls disappearing until he once more is the open book Taehyung has grown accustomed to. "I see," he just says with clipped tone. And that is that. After these two words, he's all warm sparkly eyes, soft features, smiling mouth and all.

Taehyung watches him for a while longer but decides to drop it if that's what Jeongguk wants. Doesn't ask what the mer makes of it - what he obviously knows. Instead, he traces his most beloved stars under Jeongguk's eyes. First with his eyes, then with his thumbs and lastly with his lips. The mer melts in his hold. Slumps against him until Taehyung stumbles a step back. And then another one, because this dude is heavy with all those muscles, until he steps onto a pillow and goes crashing down in the heap with an 'Oomph', taking Jeongguk with him.

They giggle into each other's ears, Jeongguk's long hair tickling Taehyung's neck and making him laugh even more. He cards his fingers through the long, slightly tangled strands of black and wonders if Jeongguk removed the crown to free his hair for Taehyung, after learning a few days ago that the latter liked it better long and open. His chest tightens at the thought, warmth pooling under his skin.

"Look at you," Taehyung breathes. Means not only the way the mer's hair tumbles over his shoulders freely and frames his face in a way that somehow makes him seem like a wild creature from the forest - which couldn't be further off the truth, for Jeongguk, without any doubt, belongs to the sea with every part of his being, not to the trees high above. What he also means is the way Jeongguk's eyes are taking an unfamiliar shade of almost greenish blue in the dim candle light, the way the flames dance in the silver of his broad necklace, how some of Jeongguk's earrings catch just the slightest bit of the light and glisten like secret gems tucked away between all that dark hair, how his gills move slowly with every breath, and how his lips look so damn kissable like this - slightly plumped up and bitten red, glistening gemstones of red by their own. Taehyung's eyes rove over every detail, eager to catch each novelty thing about Jeongguk in candle light from what he can see in this position.

He looks just in time to notice the way Jeongguk gazes down at him, eyes full of rapture and so much endearment he doesn't know what to do with it. It feels like their roles are reserved in a funny twist once more. Where Taehyung was the one doing the marvelling, he suddenly finds himself the subject of admiration.

It's a bit, hm, well. Not off-putting per say, and definitely not uncomfortable. Just maybe disorienting? This was supposed to be Taehyung's ogling time, not the other way round! But, he supposes they can just stare at each other and call it a win-win situation. That'd be fine by him.

Except Jeongguk doesn't content himself with merely watching. Sure, he lets Taehyung look at him for however long he wants. But soon enough, the mer's hands start roaming. He shuffles until he finds a comfortable position between Taehyung's spread legs and then keeps their eyes locked as his fingers creep over Taehyung's trousers. Up his calves in an almost ticklish way, then over his knees and along his inner thighs, slowly scooting closer to the kindling heat between his legs that Taehyung has done such a great job ignoring up to now. These times are over once Jeongguk pushes the heel of his hand against Taehyung's crotch.

Taehyung caves, instantly. Folds over with a whimper, hips bucking up into the pressure.

So Jeongguk does it again.

He keens into the touch and shoots out a hand to grab hold of something, anything, fingers wrapping around the flexing muscles of Jeongguk's biceps. Bites his lips hard when the mer keeps repeating the motion. Through half-lidded eyes he watches the damp spot spreading at the front of his trousers, Jeongguk now palming at the heat between his legs. Taehyung presses up against his hand, mouth falling open in a silent gasp.

The sound escaping him turns wet when the mer shoves his hand into Taehyung's boxers and grabs his cock, stroking gently.

Taehyung moans somewhere deep in his throat. It's a sweet kind of torture. He drops his head back with a low sigh and lets the mer do as he pleases for the time being. Surrenders to Jeongguk's touch and will, curious to see what the mer wants to do to him.

Confidence looks so damn good on Jeongguk.

The hold around him tightens, and Taehyung gasps. Bows into the touch, entire back lifting up and curving in. His body crackles with electric pleasure. Despite the unusually late hour, he feels more alive than all day. The friction soon turns dry, with only the soft trickle of pre-cum keeping the slide wet. Taehyung furrows his eyebrows against the unpleasant sting. Tries to ignore it a while longer, concentrate on Jeongguk's touch, on the way his eyes keep sucking him in like they have a tendency to do, until it gets too much.

"Babe," he presses out through gritted teeth.

Jeongguk's entire body stills immediately. His gaze turns searching as he scans Taehyung's face, corners of his mouth pulling downwards when he notices something is off.

Taehyung is quick to hoist himself up on his elbows and pepper reassuring kisses all over the mer's cheeks. Mumbled promises that nothing is wrong slip past his lips, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into Jeongguk's skin where he still got his hands wrapped around the latter's arm.

"This is the point where we can't do without lube any longer," he explains, voice warm and gentle. He knows he has to be patient with the mer, teach him every step properly.

Jeongguk nods seriously. His hands come up to pat Taehyung's clothes in search for the small bottle. 

With a smile, Taehyung shakes his head and nods in the direction of his back.

Moments later, the entire thing gets floated over in a large water bubble that pops open itself, bag falling into the heap of cushions with a quiet 'thump'. Taehyung tugs open one of the many zippers and fishes out the small bottle, then hands it to the mer.

"Why?"

"Because," Taehyung hums as he keeps resting his hand above Jeongguk's before beginning to trace mindless patterns onto the back of the mer's hand, "if the slide is too dry, it becomes... uncomfortable."

He continues to give a quick explanation to the few things they didn't cover before. Jeongguk is sitting in front of him, nodding along whenever Taehyung mentions something new, his expression one of razor-sharp focus.

"I understand," the mer says with strained voice. "I'll be more careful."

Taehyung nods. Uses the way they are both sitting upright ever since Jeongguk fetched the bag to his advantage and presses a kiss against Jeongguk's eyebrow. "Don't worry about it too much, babe. Just keep it in mind, now that you know."

"I will." Jeongguk tilts his head then, and purses his lips. "I didn't know you had to think of so many things."

At that, Taehyung laughs. "It's not that much, really," he promises. "Just some few basic rules. Everything else is pretty much personal preference. You just gotta remember that everything I told you now also applies for here-" one of his hands slips down Jeongguk's back and nudges between his ass cheeks, the mer's face staining bright red when Taehyung carefully drags a finger over his hole before pulling back- "and that the human body needs time to adjust to intrusions. That's pretty much it," he finishes off. Catches Jeongguk's worried gaze and adds, "Don't worry. I'll tell you if something is wrong. We'll go slow. Anything you want."

That seems to appease the mer, for he nods and his expression lightens up tentatively. "Alright. Thank you."

"That's nothing you have to thank me for, silly. It's only proper I tell you these things."

"Still."

Taehyung huffs out an exasperated laugh. "This is not a competition, baby. I just want the both of us to be comfortable."

"Thank you," the mer says with way too much conviction for the situation. 

Taehyung laughs again and shakes his head. 

They don't do much more that night. Taehyung figures that Jeongguk needs some time to think about what he learnt and decides to give the mer space if need be.

The latter is very much not appreciated, for as soon as Taehyung tries to put some distance between them, Jeongguk pouts, then huffs, gets up and plops down into his lap once more. The first time it happens, Taehyung laughs so hard he falls on his side and throws the mer off, who goes down with a loud yelp. The second time, Taehyung takes it into stride and accepts his fate as Jeongguk's personal chair. Just makes a mental note to switch roles next time. Because as much as he likes having Jeongguk on top of him, he enjoys it being the other way round even more.

Jeongguk keeps asking him questions about the human body and how the whole pleasure thing works, Taehyung patiently answering everything while braiding Jeongguk's hair into two simple long braids, only to realise they both came unprepared and with nothing to keep the hair in place. 

He also checks with Jeongguk once if he's cold and would like to put on some clothes. The mer merely shrugs and declares that he's fine, which, yes, he sure is, Taehyung thinks while sucking at his lip. He scans the other's skin for any goosebumps, doesn't find any and drops the topic.

During their 101 questions, when it becomes clear that they won't get physically intimate with each other tonight - because, seriously? Mentally they always are - Taehyung notices at some point that he can hear the sea. Seems like Jeongguk stopped putting a damper on it. That, the distant sound of crashing waves, coupled with the flicker of the many makeshift candles, the soft sound of Jeongguk's voice and the lazy patterns the mer keeps tracing onto Taehyung's clothed body, has his lids growing heavy.

In hindsight, Taehyung wouldn't be able to tell when he fell asleep. It was a natural progression. With his head rolling forward, shoulders sagging and upper body leaning against Jeongguk's, eyes slipping shut slowly as his breaths began to even out. All he remembers are gentle hands threading through his hair and massaging his scalp. Somewhere in-between dreams, he feels feather-light kisses on his closed eyelids. 

His dream is nothing tangible. Just a general feeling of comfort and safety, of warmth. He instinctively knows that he is where he is supposed to be, and that he has nothing to fear, even though his dream consists of nothing more than hues of black, dark blue and green, with only sometimes a sliver of silver flashing up somewhere. At some point, he thinks he's dreaming about the endless night sky with its many, many stars, but he is not too sure. A hot breath blows into his ear and he sighs, shifting in his sleep. His hand squeezes around something, and the something squeezes back. The corners of Taehyung's mouth tug up into a smile and stay like that.

Taehyung wakes up to the feeling of strong arms securely wrapped around him from behind and steady puffs of air tickling his nape. Everything is dark, save for a small stripe of grey on the distant horizon. Taehyung snuggles further into the embrace, eyes slipping shut-

Then he flinches.

"Shit!"

It's only a short word whispered into the silence of the early morning. Yet not even a second later, Jeongguk bolts upright, head whipping around and eyes scanning their surroundings before landing on Taehyung.

Taehyung feels both impressed and apologetic.

"I'm sorry," he whispers and blindly pats for any part of Jeongguk (honestly, all he can see is the glint in the mer's eyes, nothing else). "I didn't mean to worry you. But it's probably more than about time for me to get back when I don't want Jiminie to find out."

Jeongguk slumps against him. Takes a long, deep, hissing breath, then nods his head against Taehyung's shoulder.

"Alright. I'll bring you back."

The second part remains unsaid, and left hanging between them:

'Although I'd really rather not.'

Their way back is quick and swift, with no time for any romance as the first daylight peeks over where sky meets sea. When Jeongguk lifts Taehyung back onto the pier, he gives him one last lingering kiss before pulling away and scanning their surroundings, his entire body alert. It's bright enough for Taehyung to see as much, to notice the tension clinging to every line of Jeongguk.

"Go," the mer urges quietly. "And be careful. I'll wait for you tonight."

Taehyung nods, his throat suddenly clogged. He surges down for one last kiss goodbye, then hauls himself back up and rushes back up the pier on near-silent feet, sneaking down the streets of Nakseongdae like someone who committed a grave sin. 

Or, he supposes, someone who has something to hide.

And at this point, everything in him is straining to do just that - keep Jeongguk's existence hidden from the villagers. Because he's got the unexplainable sense, that, if anyone finds out about the mer, things will become very, very ugly.

Although he has no inkling why.

He manages to get back into his room unseen. The creaking stairs remained silent once again, to his never-ending relief. Not even twenty minutes after he snuck into bed with his heart still pounding nervously, those same stairs creak for the first time that day as Jimin sleepily trudges downstairs to get ready for work.

Taehyung lets out a breath he didn't even realise he was holding.

Shit, that was close.

"What-"

Taehyung stares at a smiling Jimin sitting at the breakfast table.

"Aren't you... I mean, don't you have work?"

Jimin laughs brightly, eyes crinkling shut. "Yeah, I thought so too. Got up early as always and was already halfway down the street when I remembered: I have the entire week off!" He beams at Taehyung. "So, what are we gonna do today?"

Taehyung wants to cry.

After a trip through Nakseongdae where it seems like Jimin made it his goal to introduce Taehyung to every single elderly people here (and every single one was grumpy as fuck), Taehyung got an idea how to make the most of it. For today, it's too late. But maybe tomorrow...

If he is stuck with his landlord for the entire week, then he better utilises him to his best abilities.

"Yah, mister tourist guide, sir, do we have a bookshop anywhere close-by?"

Jimin scrunches his nose at the first half of Taehyung's question, but begins to grin widely at the end. "Hmm, good of you to ask me, the best and most competent guide in these lands," he brags. "Coincidentally, there is a great bookstore only two villages away. I can take you there tomorrow."

Taehyung lifts an eyebrow. "Take me, how?"

"However you'd like."

They keep their straight faces for a total of five seconds before Taehyung bursts out into loud, wheezing laughter, Jimin following suit with high-pitched giggles. 

"That- that sounded... s-so wrong... oh gosh!"

"It's not my fault, dumbass," Jimin gasps. He slaps against Taehyung while blinking away tears. "You... you provoked it!"

They keep snickering for the next few minutes until eventually they manage to calm down enough for Jimin to explain that he owns an old moped.

"Not old, that thing is ancient," Yoongi supplies drily at dinner when the subject comes up again.

Jimin snatches the kitten from his boyfriend's lap, sticks out his tongue and then throws a fish bone at him he's pulled out from in-between his teeth a few minutes ago.

"Yah, don't you dare speak ill of Her Majesty!"

Yoongi rolls his eyes. He stretches out a hand to scratch the black kitten behind its ears and smirks when it clambers off Jimin to jump back onto Yoongi's lap again. Jimin watches the whole thing gaping in disbelief while the other bears the most shit-eating grin.

Taehyung silently face-palms in his corner. These two idiots, really.

After a while, he dares to ask, "So is it safe to drive with it?"

To which Jimin shrieks loudly and jabs him in the side. "My girl is perfectly safe, thank you very much, you idiot! If you don't wanna take a ride together with yours truly, then feel free to find yourself a better guide, yah!"

Taehyung quickly lifts both hands, palms up, and shakes his head. "That's not- I didn't mean it like that."

"Unbelievable, the brats those days," Jimin exclaims loudly. Takes a dramatic sip from his cup and slams it onto the table as if he'd just taken a shot.

Taehyung rolls his eyes. His landlords are both so unserious, really.

Jimin keeps his promise and takes Taehyung to the bookstore a few towns over.

The part where he said that it would be a perfectly safe ride, however, turns out to be a complete lie.

The last time Taehyung feared as much for his life as he did riding on that vehicle ready for the scrap heap, was during that breakneck race through Seoul when some insane guy tried to crash into his car with all his might. (The guy never got any prison sentence but only had to pay a fee. To this day, Taehyung is royally pissed about how poorly that obvious attempted murder of him got handled.)

When they finally come to a halt in front of the store - and when he says 'in front', what he means is, they are almost toppling through the door, with moped and all - his knees are jelly. Scratch that, his entire body is made of jelly. Also, he doesn't feel so good.

"You should not be allowed on the street," he mutters through the hand pressed against his mouth. He's trying very hard not to puke right now. Jimin is an insane driver, in the worst sense of the word. "Both your driving style and your shitty excuse of a moped are a hazard for road safety."

Jimin gives him the stink-eye and struts past him into the store, nose held high.

Taehyung seriously considers converting to whatever religion on the spot, if it meant that his prayers for getting back in one piece would be heard.

His landlord remains pissed the entire time they spend in the store, both of them slowly making their way through the aisles in silence.

Taehyung buys seven books, and then orders a handful more to be sent to his location in Nakseongdae. The middle-aged bookseller gives him a weird look and asks twice whether he is sure he wants to buy that many books at once. Taehyung simply smiles, pulls out his black American Express card and hands it over to the lady who is now staring at him as if she'd seen a ghost and needs a full minute to accept the card with trembling hands.

Next to him, Jimin scoffs.

"Of course, when Yoongi-bear said you're rich, he meant rich-rich. And you call that being subtle, yes? Great job of going undercover, Sherlock."

Maybe Taehyung blushes a little. Because as much as he does not want to hear those sneers right now, there is truth to them. This... was not exactly the best way of avoiding attention. Cursing under his breath, Taehyung accepts the bag of books and hurries out the store.

Later, when they arrive back in Nakseongdae, he stumbles off the moped the moment it comes to a stand-still, flops onto the ground and kisses the soil while whole-heartedly thanking every entity he knows.

Jimin grumbles that he'll never take Taehyung onto a ride ever again as he rolls Her Majesty into the make-shift lock-up. But seriously, Taehyung couldn't care less. He's not going to get onto that thing ever again. No way. He'd rather walk, or take his own car and search for the right way for three hours.

This night, he doesn't get lucky with the creaky stairs. Flinches, then silently curses when the second-last step makes an obnoxious noise, head whipping around to see whether one of his landlords got up.

He doesn't waste any time getting to the pier as silent as possible. The entire way, his nape prickles. Again and again he casts a look over the shoulder, but can't see anyone outside. Yet, the feeling of being watched remains.

Jeongguk wordlessly pulls him into the water as soon as his toes dip into the pitch-black sea. Taehyung barely has time to take a deep breath, before he's already pulled under. The mer's hold on him tightens as he accelerates and propels the two of them through entire worlds of midnight darkness.

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Jeongguk's mouth is pressed into a thin, unforgiving line as he cuts through the sea with Taehyung in his arms.

The third time.

It's been the third time now, that he felt someone sneaking after his little star.

He takes another deep breath through his gills and pushes the air into Taehyung's open mouth, their lips tightly slotted together. Needs to hold back with everything he has to not dig his nails into the supple flesh he holds in his hands, struggling to reign in how positively livid he is.

The sleeping sea flies past them, interrupted only by a few blurry schemes of nocturnal fish going on the hunt. They all make space for him. For the mer who's cutting swiftly through the water, tail beating in powerful strokes and fingertips almost going numb from the constant tingle as he pulls at the sea with all his might. The magic courses through him like a constant current. Not much further, and they'll have reached their new cave - this time, without coming up for air. They can't risk it. Joengguk needs to be faster. Needs to reach their destination in one go, without Taehyung running out of breath. Everything else has become too risky as it is. He can't make mistakes now.

When they finally do come up in the middle of a vortex Jeongguk silenced with half a thought between stone needles and high cliffs, Taehyung is gasping heavily.

"Wow, that... have... have you... gotten even faster?"

Jeongguk gives him a cocky smile, hoping that he plays it right. He shrugs, then leans forward to teasingly bite at Taehyung's adorably flushed cheek.

"Just wanted to spice things up a bit."

He can't really tell Taehyung that his true motive is, to make it impossible for anyone to follow them, can he? Not without sounding suspicious. No, no way. He'll just have to treat it as adventurous, fun little thing. And keep Taehyung safe at the same time.

If any one of those vile fishermen dares to hurt a single hair on him-

Jeongguk grits his teeth. Uses the cover of darkness to keep that absolutely murderous glare just for a little while before putting his facial features back under control.

Neither of them is going to get caught by them. Not under Jeongguk's watch. Him falling into the hands of those fishermen for them to do the same cruel things they did to his father is just as unacceptable as Taehyung catching a single scratch. They won't get caught. Jeongguk protects what's his - and if he has to tear an entire coastline to shreds in the process.

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Taehyung sits on his bed cross-legged, and weighs the books he bought for Jeongguk in his hands. The pallid late autumn daylight is barely enough to keep his room illuminated at this point.

He sighs, then puts the books away with a last longing look out the window. If only he could see the sea from his room. Instead, he is stuck with a not-so-splendid view of a backstreet and some rocks. It's for the best, he tells himself while subconsciously rubbing his wrist. The past two days he's been writing so much, his hands have started to hurt. If his nose wasn't buried in one of his by now three notebooks filled with handwritten lyrics, he was typing away on his laptop, or recording samples. The framework of six songs is completed by now, and he already sent a few files over to the studio.

Jimin has left him alone for most of the time, only calling him down to come and eat, or demanding from Taehyung to take a stroll around the village to get some fresh air and move his lazy ass (when the fisherman said the last part out loud for the first time, Taehyung wordlessly went to the door of his room, grabbed the upper frame and did some pull-ups, until Jimin muttered 'show-off' - and insisted for him to take a walk anyway.)

Most importantly, his landlord seems to be more calm now - or as calm as someone like him can be. Maybe 'reassured' is more fitting. Less on edge, like he was when he yelled at Taehyung and asked him how the hell he was still alive. Because during the past days, Taehyung has made no attempt to get close to the sea.

Which, admittedly, was not an easy choice to be made.

Taehyung has been thinking about it. About the strange behaviour of everyone he knew here. And decided, that maybe it would be good to actually take a small break from Jeongguk. Not because anything has changed between them. But because he felt like he needed to take a step back, and if it was only for half a week. There was that nagging thought about how spending his entire time with the same person would make him too dependant, maybe too naive as well. He needed to take these days off for some self-reflection, and for assuring himself of a few things.

In addition to that, it seemed like the safest solution for Jeongguk too. With how weird everyone in Nakseongdae behaves these days, maybe staying away for a while was not the dumbest thing for the mer to do.

When Taehyung told him one night that he wouldn't come for a couple days, of course Jeongguk was reluctant to agree. Scrunched up his entire face as if he'd bitten into a lemon, until ultimately jerking his head in a short nod, still looking greatly displeased.

"Alright," he'd said. "But only if you promise not to get hurt by all means. If you come back, I want you to look exactly the way you do now, you hear?"

Taehyung had given him a kiss on the forehead and linked their fingers together in a pinky promise. "I won't. But you have to swear the same to me."

Even now, three days later, Taehyung imagines he can feel the way Jeongguk squeezed their pinkies together, can still hear the whispered 'I swear, my little star'. He lifts his right hand, thumb stroking over his aching wrist, and presses his lips against the pinkie. Two days. Only two more days, then he'll go back to the pier. That's when Jimin's vacation and Taehyung's self-prescribed time-out ends. Hopefully he won't have to sneak out in the middle of the night any longer then.

But first, he'll have to survive yet another trip on Jimin's ancient moped tomorrow. His landlord declared at today's lunch that he'd take Taehyung for some sightseeing and shopping into a town nearby on Her Majesty. When Taehyung had sheepishly asked whether he could tag along on the trawler instead of riding that... that thing, Jimin had shrieked loudly, pointed a finger at him, and declared that Taehyung was officially banned from setting a foot onto the sea. Which, for one, was the strangest wording of all time. And two, totally not suspicious at all.

Nevermind. Maybe he finds something nice to buy in that supposedly great neighbour town. And maybe by the time they are back, a few more parcels have arrived for him.

"I hate you!"

On the front seat, Jimin snickers. "Aw, come on, stop being such a drama queen. This is perfectly safe."

The moped lets out an ugly splutter when he accelerates and speeds over a bump. Taehyung's hold around his waist tightens while he decides whether it's better to squeeze his eyes shut or keep them open. At this point, he is holding on for dear life. They race past a street sign with speed limit way below their current tempo, and Taehyung gulps.

"Yeah, no, I hate you! If we die because of you, I'm gonna kill you so hard!"

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Somewhere in a cave hidden deep into the ocean, a lonely mer goes through his fifth shift that day.

Jeongguk grits his teeth against the pain it still brings without fail, and keeps staring into nothingness, his other senses on high alert. He's been branching out his hold on the water's motions all day, everything in him straining for that far-away interruption - that tell-tale shift, when something deliberately breaks the water surface. Or rather, someone. A certain someone, on a certain pier, in the bay of a certain coastal village.

Every day that goes by without the now familiar feeling of Taehyung waiting on the pier for him, stretches long like a year.

Jeongguk frowns at his once again human legs. Keeps frowning, when his scales break through skin with the force of several hundred honed spears in a way that always makes him silently wonder how he is not covered in blood from his hips down, how the treacherous liquid is not coating him as it feels as if he's being ripped apart and sewn together at the same time. It really is strange, he thinks, frown deepening, that not too long ago, passing time was no issue for him at all. And now he is counting each second with bated breath.

His hands curl into fists, a low, vicious snarl rippling out of him. The water in his cave begins to gurgle and slosh, until waves are splashing against the ceiling and battling against the stone furiously. Taehyung better be in perfect health by the time they finally meet again. If but a single hair on his head got harmed, the villagers of Nakseongdae are history.

Chapter Text

German | noun

♦enchanting beauty; gracefulness, loveliness, elegance

Taehyung sports the dopiest grin when he wraps up the books for Jeongguk. He watched five different tutorials of how to wrap rectangular things in fancy ways and then went to raid Yoongi's little shop for all the gift wrapping and decorative ribbons there was. Now he sits in a messy circle of books, ribbons, paper, scissors and tape, his phone in front of him, as he is determined to perfectly wrap each single book. And every one in a different way. The mer has probably never gotten wrapped presents before, so Taehyung wants to go all out.

And also, just maybe, make it a little difficult for Jeongguk to unpack them. Make him work for it. And get the full dose of anticipation. His grin widens even more, until his middle finger gets stuck in the ribbon... again.

Cursing under his breath, Taehyung cuts off the ribbon and starts over.

It takes him a few more tries to get it right, but once he does, oh! He is beyond himself with glee. Jeonggukkie is gonna love this. He packs all the books - and a small pouch of some other things he ordered after immersing himself in Youtube tutorials - together with some clothes, a brush and a handful of pretty, bejewelled, star-shaped hair-pins and is ready to go.

Or so he thinks.

Because on his way to the exit, he passes by a half-asleep Yoongi sprawled all over the ruddy couch. Today his landlord works the late shift, so he has all morning off. Jimin, thankfully, is back to work. As much as Taehyung likes him, he is tired of sneaking around or waiting for the fisherman's days off to end.

Just when Taehyung thinks about whether or not to bid his goodbye, Yoongi peeks an eye open, then gives him a grumpy look.

"You're leaving again." It's not a question.

Once more, Taehyung has the creeping suspicion that his unfriendly landlord knows exactly what he's up to. He gulps.

"I, uh, yeah? I seldom stay in all day."

Yoongi grunts. The black kitten o his stomach stretches and opens his tiny mouth in a wide yawn. Absentmindedly, Yoongi scratches behinds his ears and nods, as if to say, 'yes buddy, me too'. 

Then, he gives Taehyung a pointed look. "You're not half as sneaky as you think you are. If I were you, I'd be more careful."

Taehyung gives him a long look, reconsidering him. 

"Why are you telling me this?"

The older shrugs. Puts his main focus back onto the cat. "Not all traditions are good," he cryptically says, dismissing Taehyung.

The idol has a feeling like he doesn't know the other man at all. Just what is he supposed to make of this?

Whatever Yoongi's agenda is in the whole thing, one thing becomes glaringly apparent: Taehyung's and Jeongguk's usual meeting point has been compromised. Probably.

At least, it is not suitable as secret place, not today. Not with how close and in clear view the old trawler is to the rotting huts on the pier. Taehyung is not even halfway down the road when he sees that the ship is in clear view of the huts' backside. If Jeongguk would come up there, the fishermen would see everything - even from that distance.

Taehyung lets out a deep sigh, shoulders drooping low. Seems like it's time for some cliff climbing again. And that with luggage. He squints up into the grey sky, the dark clouds in the distance. Great.

They'll have to come up with a new way of meeting up soon. One where he doesn't risk breaking his neck.

"Fucking hell!"

 Another bit of stone breaks lose under his searching foot where he's glued flat against the steep cliff.

Over the past minutes, his vocabulary has been reduced to exactly three words: fuck, shit, and hell. He's never been a big fan of climbing. The only thing that keeps him going is the thought, that Jeongguk is worth every second of this misery. Including the not-so-great feeling in his stomach. Whenever Jeongguk flies them somewhere with his huge powerful water jet wave thingies, it's more of an adrenaline rush, like riding the roller-coaster. Taehyung is fine with that. But here, where he's making the painstakingly slow descent, he's got all the time to register how high up he is. And to remember that he is, in fact, not good with heights.

Muttering another string of curses, he keeps going.

"Haaah..."

One hand massaging his neck, Taehyung lets out a long exhale once he finally made it to the cliff's bottom.

The sea seems to fit his bad mood in an oddly comforting way, with how it splashes and gurgles around the several rocks strewn into the coastline. As if the waves are acting a bit untamed themselves. Taehyung can't help but smile. He doubts it is more than a coincidence yet it still lifts his mood a bit. Just like it would help him to get into better spirits if he were to meet up and rant with Hobi together. Two friends being pissed together is almost as good as therapy. Or vacation.

He doesn't want to be grumpy when he meets up with Jeongguk. So, after casting a quick glance for other trawlers nearby - now that he's seen the one right in front of their pier, he feels as if they could pop up everywhere - he carefully clambers onto one of the rocks jutting out of the sea. It's slippery but rough despite the millions of waves that must have lapped over the surface. Taehyung accepts the wet butt he'll inevitably get after sitting down with the grace of an international star who's seen and endured everything.

Another wary look at the open sea and the dark sky, then he tugs off his shoes and socks and, after steeling himself for the cold impact, puts his naked feet in the water. The numbing coldness stings. Taehyung lets out another colourful string of curses. But after a few seconds, he gets used to it. And soon enough, the giddy excitement finally returns. His mood makes a 180° U-turn. Suddenly he can't wait for the mer to come, feels himself overflowing with fizzling energy. A wide smile spreading all over his face, Taehyung kicks his legs in the waves like a little boy. Soon enough, all complains and worries about getting to this spot are forgotten.

He continues fooling around like that for several minutes. Trusts that the weight of his bag will keep him onto the rock. Kicks at every surging wave and giggles whenever he hits them. Until his foot hits something solid.

With a loud yelp, Taehyung scrambles away - and avoids falling into the ocean head-first only by a hair's width.

"Wh-what-"

"Ouch."

Taehyung gapes at the mer - at the red blooming on one of his cheeks where Jeongguk now rubs with a hand. He startles. 

Jeongguk gives him a lopsided smile. "That's admittedly not how I imagined the next time we meet to go, little star." 

Squeezing his eyes shut, Taehyung rubs his face. "Me kicking your head really shouldn't get a habit, oh God."

The mer laughs. Then he stretches out both hands, palms up. "Are you ready?"

Taehyung gingerly accepts the offer and slips into the now lukewarm water. Their touch lingers, neither of them wanting to pull away first. Not that they'll really separate more than a centimetre before reaching the cliff mansion cave hall. But holding hands feels even more sacred than any other body contact. So they savour it. Keep quietly floating right there, with their hands clasped together between them. Taehyung studies the sharp nails Jeongguk is always so careful with and allows himself a secretive little smile when he thinks about what is stored in his bag. 

Jeongguk is the first one to break the silence. The look in his dark eyes changes from tender to concerned.

Still not pulling his hand away, he lifts one until he can rest their entwined hands on Taehyung's cheek and stroke a thumb over it. 

"Are you alright? Unharmed? Did they treat you well?"

He searches Taehyung's face with a strange calmness that has the little hair on Taehyung's nape standing up. The mer's gaze feels charged - like the calm before the storm. Wondering what Jeongguk thinks the villagers might have possibly done to him, he nods.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine."

Something tells him it would be smarter not to mention Jimin's hellish moped rides.

Jeongguk keeps looking at him for a long moment before he too nods, accepting Taehyung's words as truth. His shoulders droop as all the tension seeps out of him, facial features morphing into the most relieved, fragile smile.

"I'm so glad," the mer breathes. 

Lets go of Taehyung's hand in favour of stroking along his jaw and tugging a strand behind his ear. He cups Taehyung's cheek, smoothes a thumb over his lips - and leans in to capture them in a long, lingering kiss. There is nothing fierce about it. Just pure, undulated love and care. Taehyung hums happily, and lets his mouth drop open the slightest bit, kissing back just as fondly.

Somehow, they manage to have an entire silent conversation like that. It's like water slipping back and forth between them, lapping at one shore and then at the other, carrying words like 'I missed you', 'I'm glad you're back in my arms', 'Do you promise you are alright' and more with it.

It leaves Taehyung baffled. Each time he thinks their bond can't possibly go any deeper, he is proven wrong. At this point, he truly thinks, feels and breathes Jeongguk. The time apart hasn't changed that one bit.

With one last savouring lick over Taehyung's lower lip, Jeongguk pulls away. He turns his head in the direction of Nakseongdae, expression turning unreadable, then looks back at Taehyung.

"Breathe for me, pearl."

So Taehyung does.

"It was smart of you not to come to the pier," the mer mutters while he makes his round in the stone hall, lighting up wick after wick.

They don't necessarily need artifical light yet. But who is Taehyung to stop Jeongguk from his fun? He sits in a heap of blankets on the stone couch, watching the mer wandering along the walls while slowly yet steadily emptying another matchbox, and hums.

"Yeah, about that... I don't know if this will become a regular thing with the fishermen keeping watch or whatever. But I can't possibly keep climbing down that stupid cliff everyday." He arches an eyebrow. "Any ideas about that?"

Jeongguk ponders it. Keeps silently lighting the oil candles and breaking out into an adorable tiny smile every time he succeeds. It's a devastating sight. One that makes Taehyung's throat go dry and entire face heat up as he struggles to keep his cool. It's just a smile. Just Jeongguk smiling, lots of it, and-

Ah, shit.

With a weak groan, Taehyung buries the head in his hands. The things that stupidly charming merman does to him, really.

When he opens his eyes, Jeongguk is standing right in front of him, leaned forward to be at eye level with him. Taehyung has no clue when the other has gotten here. And how he could have been that sneaky! Logically speaking, shouldn't Jeongguk be clumsy on his feet? It hasn't even been a year since he first got them. So how can he manage to sneak up on Taehyung without making a sound? Is it a supernatural merfolk thing? Or something about him being a predator and getting all the stealth points? Taehyung doesn't know, man.

But what is way more fetching, is that Jeongguk is still smiling. Except now in a different way. Now it's no longer a smile of childish excitement, but rather it's a soft smile directed at Taehyung, and him only. It's the kind of smile one has exclusively for one certain person, for their special someone. It's the smile Jeongguk has reserved for Taehyung, and nobody else. How he is so sure of that, when he hasn't ever seen Jeongguk smile at anyone else let alone meet someone else with Taehyung still present, he cannot tell. Maybe it's about the smile having a certain depth to it. Or maybe he knows because of the the connection they have built.

Either way, it's without question the smile Taehyung loves on Jeongguk the most. The one he cherishes seeing in a way that's unparalleled. Selfish as he is, Taehyung takes the time to drown in the splendid sight. Doesn't do anything else for quite a while except take in the vision that is Jeongguk smiling for him. It is a picture he would carve into the inside of his head if he could.

Slowly, as to not startle him, Jeongguk lifts both hands and rakes them just as slowly through Taehyung's by now shoulder-long hair, still smiling. Then he tugs the blanket around Taehyung tighter, sits down next to him and lifts the Taehyung-burrito onto his lap, arms staying around his waist and loosely encircling him while the mer buries his nose in the crook of Taehyung's shoulder and sighs.

"I might have an idea," he murmurs into Taehyung's warm skin. "But it'll only work the day after tomorrow."

Taehyung hums lazily, snuggling further into the mer's embrace. "How so?"

A damp hand slips under his shirt and flits up his side. The breath Jeongguk lets out against his neck tickles. 

"We always went left from Nakseongdae. Today when you climbed down the cliff again just as much as when we went to our beach in summer."

Another hum. For Taehyung, it had always been the right, not the left, when he went on a hike through the forest on top of the cliffs. He'd always take a right turn from the main road through Nakseongdae towards the small hiking path. The forest looks lighter on that side. Easier to brave. Besides, so far he never noticed any hiking paths or a good way to get up to the cliffs on the other side. From Jeongguk's perspective, of course it is the opposite direction. He looks at Nakseongdae and its coast line from the open sea, whereas Taehyung... doesn't.

"Which is good," the mer continues. "Because the fishermen tend to head in the other direction. So going left always was safer. But maybe... I think there might be a spot that would work for us on the right side. Let me just check real quick, love."

For quite a while, Taehyung is too busy blushing himself into outer space to notice what's off.

They are-

Well, they are not moving at all. He is still securely seated in Jeongguk's lap, and the mer makes no attempts to get up anytime soon. How does he want to check up on anything like this?

All that happens is a water tendril rising from the sea outside and hovering between the stone pillars before creeping closer, until the end of it engulfs Jeongguk's now outstretched hand. Taehyung feels how the mer closes his eyes, lashes fluttering against his skin with the movement. He seems to concentrate, to put his entire focus in that weird water tentacle.

Not much later, Jeongguk opens his eyes again and nods, as if satisfied with something.

Taehyung frowns.

"How can you possibly check something in Nakesongdae when we are that far off? And you're not even in the water!"

Jeongguk shrugs as if it were no big deal. Which, lie. It is.

"I just can."

Maybe Taehyung gapes a little. "How," he demands to know.

The mer turns his head to playfully nip at the tender flesh where Taehyung's neck meets shoulder, then apologetically laps over the bite. He perches his chin on Taehyung's shoulder and blows against Taehyung's pearl earring until it softly bumps against his neck.

"Everything is connected," Jeongguk confides. It sounds like he is parting with a big secret. "This water tendril-" he flicks his wrist, and Taehyung watches the tentacle thing wave at him before it recedes the same way it came- "is connected with the ocean, and the ocean is connected with the shore. The shore is connected with the coast line and everything submerged in water. Everything made of sea water is one big entity and reports to us mers, if we so wish."

Taehyung lets that sink in. Enjoys the little caresses of Jeongguk everywhere the mer can reach from this position before piping up. 

"So, you can really sense what's going on, like, in front of our pier right now?"

"Yes."

"Wicked!"

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"Full offence, but I doubt even the city boy is dumb enough to fall for this," Wooyoung snarls from his watch post on the trawler.

Jimin asked his uncle to take his cousin along for that single purpose - to keep watch while he and the rest of the crew do their duty as usual. What he did not take into consideration, however, was the younger's big mouth. He rolls his eyes.

"The entire idea of this is to not be subtle, idiot."

"Yeah, no, I'm pretty sure out of the two of us you are the idiot."

"Listen!," Jimin huffs, ready to explain the whole thing for the third time.

Wooyoung throws peace signs at him, then makes the flower face pose and bats his lashes at Jimin with the most shit-eating grin. "Nope~"

Honestly, if Jimin wasn't busy rowing in the net, he'd probably throttle his annoying cousin right this second.

"You're lucky you are cute," he mutters. Doesn't even mean it. At least he gets to have the last word like that.

"I know I am!"

...Or not.

His uncle stomps up to them then, scratching his stubbly chin and throwing a nasty glare towards the remains of those cute little shops - a failed attempt of Nakseongdae adopting something like a shopping promenade for tourists. The tourists never came, and thus the shops were abandoned quickly, and left to rot for eternity.

"Anything yet?"

Wooyoung squares up, slouching posture all gone, expression one of high alert. "No, dad. Nothing."

Jimin's uncle grunts. "That wench better stays far away from here." He pats first Wooyoung's, then Jimin's shoulder harshly, and marches back to bellow more orders at the crew.

Jimin gnaws at his lip and throws one last look at the sad little huts before getting back to work.

There is no sign of the monster - and none of Taehyung either. Surely, the famous singer (sometimes when Jimin remembers who exactly he is housing, he still can't help but shudder) has seen their trawler and won't come to the pier today. He'll probably know Jimin is behind all this. But that's alright. At least, that way he is safe. Except for the pier or the jetties, there is no way to get into the water here. Both things, Jimin and the others are watching like hawks now.

Kim Taehyung won't get into the water, not on his watch. That way, the monster can't snatch him away. 

For now it's the best way to keep everyone alive.

Even if the idol gets fed up with Jimin's antics soon. That's still a better option than him being eaten alive, or whatever gruesome things those monsters do to the humans they catch. And as long as Jimin is just hovering above their city boy like a mother hen, the monster also has no ground to crush the entire village with a tsunami, or something like that.

Hopefully.

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Before it gets too dark - the dozens of candle lights are cute and romantic, but nowhere bright enough to do certain things - Taehyung remembers the stuff he packed. He peels himself out of Jeongguk's hold and groggily trudges over to where he abandoned his bag quite a bit ago. 

The mer makes a discontent noise at the sudden lack of Taehyung in his grasp, which the latter answers with "Just a second, Imma be right back, babe."

The last word has Jeongguk's little whine turn into a preen that makes Taehyung both chuckle and blush. 

Then he remembers his initial agenda.

"I, hm. I do have something for you again."

The mer stares at him from across the room.

Is still staring and worrying his lip with his teeth when Taehyung has returned with the bag.

"Do you... can I go first?"

It takes Taehyung exactly five seconds to process what he heard.

Then he wants to cry. And laugh. Maybe both.

"You got something for me too?"

His voice is embarrassingly feeble and so unlike his entire persona - except when he is with Jeongguk. In his company, he gets all shy and flustered as if he hadn't been on top of the world and gone numb to all kinds of delicate feelings. Jeongguk's company is like balm to his soul. The mer erodes his edges and makes him soft again without even knowing.

Jeongguk nods. Looks about as nervous as Taehyung feels all of a sudden.

"I, yeah."

A helpless smile steals itself onto Taehyung's face. Helpless, because he doesn't know what to do with himself. He shakes his head. "You spoil me."

Jeongguk gets up, brandishes Taehyung's forehead with a sweet kiss and then gently pushes him down to sit.

"Nonsense."

Then he heads towards the colonnade, walking backwards as to keep eye contact with Taehyung as long as possible. 

"Please wait a moment for me, little star."

A moment later, he drops off the cliff.

Taehyung yelps upright. Runs over to the cliff with his heart beating too quickly, a scream fighting to burst out of him. No matter how often he sees the mer performing miracles, he can't do anything against the fear clawing at the inside of his chest. What if, against all odds, Jeongguk was hurt? If the force of his impact on the water surface was too strong? If he hit one of the sharp rocks lurking right underneath? 

The splash of someone falling into the water never comes.

By the time Taehyung leans over the edge, all he sees is a large fin breaching the surface once before disappearing.

He lets out a long sigh. Subconsciously clutches a hand where his heart is still beating wildly. It's alright. Jeongguk is alright. He safely reunited with the sea without as much as a splash.

Maybe because Jeongguk is a child of the sea. Those endless blue depths probably welcomed him with a warm hug like a dear friend, and not with the force of a plumage onto a concrete surface. Rightfully so, Taehyung thinks as he trudges back to the stone couch. He hopes, the sea truly treats Jeongguk with all the care he deserves.

Before he can end that thought, the mer's silhouette darkens the space between two stone pillars again. For a second, Taehyung sees the shape of a large fishtail but it vanishes just as quickly, and Jeongguk stands on his own two legs once more. The mer has something cradled between his hands and walks oh-so-carefully. Whatever he carries, it must be either fragile or incredibly important to him.

Taehyung nervously wets his lips.

Just what is about to happen now?

"Here," the mer whispers with a voice so hushed Taehyung has to strain his ears. 

Jeongguk opens his hands, revealing a-

Stone?

It does look like a stone indeed, but only in the sense that it neither resembles a plant nor an animal or anything of the likes, and seems to be solid.

At the same time, it couldn't be further off the mark. Because Taehyung may not be a geologist - not at all - but even he knows, that stones usually don't glow from within. And even less so, move.

This, the thing in Jeongguk's palms, might be the most alien thing he's ever seen in his life. And he has seen some questionable shit already. But a pulsating, glowing stone? No way.

The surface seems to be crystallised, giving it a remote semblance to one chunk of a gemstone. It is impossible to make out its colour, as it keeps constantly changing. From blue to turquoise to green and back, in all different kinds of hues yet all of them wonderfully pristine. Those colours, and the iridescence... 

Taehyung glances down to Jeongguk's naked legs. To where his tail would be now, were they in the water.

No.

That's-

That's absurd.

And yet...

Like a beating heart, the thing minutely pulsates where it still rests in the mer's palms. In the same rhythm, the light grows brighter and dimmer, casting dancing specks of blue and green onto the ceiling and stone walls around them. As if it is breathing.

"What is this?"

Taehyung's body is locked up, caught between the fight-or-flight decision. He does not know what to make of all this.

Instead of an answer, Jeongguk stretches out his arms and nudges the thing even closer to him. 

"Do you want to hold it? I promise, nothing will happen."

Reluctantly, Taehyung offers his own hands, palms up, and watches with bated breath as the mer slips the big rock thing into his hands.

As soon as it loses contact with Jeongguk, it stops moving and grows dull. The different hues of the sea bathed in sunlight stay in one place, and the ceiling is no longer covered in specks like from a glitter ball. Now, it is nothing more than a chunky gemstone. Still pretty, but definitely dead. Or sleeping, more likely.

Taehyung understands even less.

"What-"

"This," Jeongguk declares after a drawn-out, shuddering exhale, "is me."

Taehyung whips his head around. Did Jeongguk take a shot of blowfish poison, or something? Did he hit his head on a rock after all?

The mer gives him a sheepish smile and scratches under his jaw. He doesn't quite meet Taehyung's eyes, which is even more off-putting.

"Okay, that was phrased terribly." He laughs. Still doesn't look at Taehyung. "But I had to start somewhere, right?"

Taehyung nods warily.

Whatever comes next, is going to be one hell of a reveal. And probably very personal, with how Jeongguk has started to earnestly fidget now where he is sat next to Taehyung.

"So, uhm..." Jeongguk sucks at his lip, looks straight ahead, slouches down and looks at his lap, then looks up to the ceiling as if searching for answers. "Remember how every mer is born from a star?"

Another nod from Taehyung. After the stone stopped, well, living, he has subconsciously taken to smoothing a thumb over it, get a feel for its texture. If only to calm his own nerves that have been rising together with the mers' ever after Jeongguk started acting so secretive.

"Okay, so this might sound weird, but-"

In the last moment, Taehyung can stop himself from saying 'No shit'.

"-sometimes, a little bit of the star remains. Like tiny splinters, or only even one or two pieces. It doesn't always happen. Some stars turn into mers completely and leave nothing behind. But some do." Little by little, Jeongguk's voice finds its usual strength and confidence again. By the time he finishes his explanation, he has regained the courage to answer Taehyung's stare. "I did."

And Taehyung, he thinks he is going to be sick.

Or have an out-of-body experience.

Or maybe faint, that'd work too.

Because what the fuck-

"Wait," he wheezes out. Feels as if he'd just run a marathon. At least his mind did. "Does that- does that mean, this-" he lifts the quite heavy rock with both hands- "is part of the star that used to be you?! Or, you used to be? Does that- is that what it means?"

The mer nods, and looks so, so happy that Taehyung understands.

Kind of. (He doesn't really. He is still very much coping.)

"Yeah, that's right. This is part of the star who gave birth to me. I only found it years later, when I went back to the place my dad showed me and looked around out of curiosity. It's the only piece I ever found."

"And now you are giving this to... me?!"

Yeah, no, Taehyung is definitely ready to faint on the spot.

Also, what is verbal speech? His throat is dry as a desert, tongue laying too heavy in his mouth and inside his head, there is only tabula rasa. A yawning void where usually so many words and thoughts dance around.

It feels like forever until he remembers one more word:

"...Why?"

And Jeongguk gives him that smile again. His Taehyung-smile. The one that makes Taehyung forget the meaning of yesterday and tomorrow and want to crow the silliest things from the top of the N Seoul Tower. Or the cliffs of Nakseongdae. Or maybe Mount Everest, because, why not? Go big, or go home.

"Because I haven't met anyone to entrust that part of myself with before."

Fucking hell.

Mindful of the invaluable treasure he holds, Taehyung surges forward to kiss the mer square on his mouth. Gives him barely more than a second to open up before he plunges his tongue in, tasting Jeongguk deep and true. Something akin to desperation licks at the insides of Taehyung's guts as he struggles to find an outlet for all the energy, all those feelings going bonkers inside him.

"You are too much," he gasps in the short break of Jeongguk pulling back, grasping his chin and reconnecting their lips, turning the kiss into something slower, more sensual. Taming and channelling the fire that threatens to burn Taehyung from within.

"I only tell it how it is," the mer murmurs right into Taehyung's open mouth. Then goes back to kissing him. Again. And again, until a needy whine lodges itself in Taehyung's throat and his arms are shaking from suppressing the urge to free his hands and claw at Jeongguk's strong arms, back, shoulder, anywhere. But he can't. He mustn't let go of that- of Jeongguk's-

The mer gingerly pries the star fragment out of Taehyung's grasp and puts it on the ground next to them.

"Don't worry. Stars are not easy to break," he promises with a richness to his voice as if that statement means a lot of things at once.

Taehyung's brain, however, is too fried. He can just nod dumbly, watching how the star piece lights up the very second Jeongguk touches it before going dark once more when he lets go.

Somehow, a rock being alive beats all the wondrous magic he has seen from the mer before.

The fire in his gut that's been surging to life without warning, almost like an explosion, simmers down to a constant thrum of heat. To a presence he can easily acknowledge yet is not overwhelmed with anymore. Just like the star piece laying dormant on the floor. But with how Jeongguk so carefully works on grounding him with little caresses and pecks, Taehyung now has a mind to concentrate better on the mer. Priorise him over lust and curiosity.

Which is good, really, because this time something shifts between the two of them. Like an unspoken agreement, another silent conversation where words themselves have gotten lost on the way. The very air crackles with that promise of today.

Jeongguk must notice it too, for his gaze shifts into something darker, stars in his eyes winking out one after another, his touch turning more purposeful. The way his sharp nails graze up and down Taehyung's ribs under his shirt more insistently and one of his thighs not-so-innocently slips between Taehyung's legs draws the idol's attention to Jeongguk's complete nakedness. 

The mer's hair flows boundlessly over his torso, with a few strands tangled in the silver chains he never takes off. Taehyung faintly wonders if Jeongguk has left his hair open all week, doesn't quite remember whether he braided it back up the last time they met. All he knows for certain is that, as much as he loves seeing the mer rightfully crowned, as breathtakingly gorgeous he is with his long hair open like that. To think that it barely reached past his shoulders when they first met, and now it easily tickles his butt cheeks when he stands upright. Just. Merfolk physics, how? If Taehyung's hair grew that fast, his stylists would go crazy over it.

A little smile on his lips, Taehyung reaches out to cautiously separate hair from chain. Jeongguk closes his eyes and lets him, humming a slow melody that sweeps and thrums through Taehyung's entire body. While Taehyung works on his self-implemented task, the mer's hands wander from his sides around to his lower back, then reach past his trousers into his boxers. He grabs a handful of Taehyung's ass, making a quiet, appreciative noise as he squeezes the supple flesh. Taehyung has to squeeze his eyes shut and bite down on his lip to keep himself in check, fingers stilling mid-movement. He allows nothing more than a choked gasp to escape him. If Jeongguk wants to rile him up properly, he has to try harder.

And oh, he does.

Within seconds, Taehyung finds himself sitting on the couch just as bare as the mer except for a fuzzy blanket Jeongguk draped over his shoulders. His clothes form a sad heap on the floor, right next to where the mer is now kneeling on a carpet. One of his hands smooths up Taehyung's thigh and nestles itself between his legs, giving some tentative tugs to Taehyung's member where it's hidden under the blanket.

Moments later, wet heat wraps around him. This time there is nothing Taehyung can do to stop the low moan tumbling out of his mouth. He lets his head drop back when Jeongguk swallows him down. The mer's lips wrap tight around Taehyung, urging him into hardness in no time and drawing moan after moan out of him, like pearls on a string. Taehyung's voice raises in pitch once Jeongguk starts laving up and down his length, tongue tracing the throbbing vein before suckling on his head and taking him in again.

Taehyung buries his hands in Jeongguk's hair and slumps forward, helpless to the pleasure. 

"Gguk," he gasps out. Squeezes his eyes shut before thinking better of it and opening them again, peering down at the sinful vision that is his God on his knees for him. His breath hitches as he finds that Jeongguk is already looking up at him, eyes pitch-black. Taehyung's grip on the mer's hair tightens. "Slow," he grits. Takes one hand off the luscious mane and smooths his thumb over the little scar on his cheekbone, right under Jeongguk's tiny star tattoos. "Go slow, Gguk. Don't hurt yourself."

Something like stubbornness enters the mer's eyes. Like determination. He keeps their eyes locked and sinks down on Taehyung even further, then swallows around him. Raises an eyebrow, daring him to repeat his words of concern.

Taehyung huffs out a laugh that tapers off into a groan. Jeongguk's hands that have been drawing lazy circles in the skin right under Taehyung's hip bones tighten their grip around him, to a point where he can faintly feel several pinpricks before the mer relaxes and soothes his sharp claws over the place. His breath turns ragged, eyes barely staying open. Everything in Taehyung stops, frozen in anticipation, hand on Jeongguk's face grown still and just cupping his cheek now as a familiar fire surges through his veins. His mouth drops open, eyes no longer able to stay open as he caves in even further. Taehyung has never felt anything like this before. Like he's been whipped right to the edge and left dangling there.

"I'm. I'm, ah, close," he breathes.

Remembers how to work his limbs and attempts to pull Jeongguk off him, doesn't want to make him swallow his load. But the mer stays put. Only pulls off on his own accord shortly, to purr into the silence that is filled by nothing else but Taehyung's ragged pants and Jeongguks little slurping noises, "Let go, my little star." Then he fastens his lips on Taehyung's head and gives a harsh suck that has Taehyung see stars. "That's it, let go."

With a drawn-out moan that comes from somewhere deep within his chest, Taehyung does. Shatters for the first time that day and spills down Jeongguk's throat, the mer eagerly drinking it all up to the last drop, until Taehyung whines from overstimulation.

He goes boneless and sags forward, right into Jeongguk's awaiting arms that so readily catch and engulf him, large palms rubbing over his back until Taehyung finds his way back to Earth. The sheen of sweat coating his temples begins to cool off. Temporarily blind and deaf to the world, Taehyung soaks up every bit of care and affection the mer gives him. Nestles into his hold and buries his face in the crook of his neck, until he feels Jeongguk's gills flutter against his skin.

"I've got you," the mer mumbles.

And Taehyung, he, well.

Pouts.

This should be his line. With the whole teaching about pleasure thing, he for once wanted to give back to the mer. Wanted, more often than not, to be the one muttering these words. He has to make it up to Jeongguk. Soon. Like, in the next five minutes or so.

"So, which one do you wanna try?"

Taehyung hands Jeongguk his phone and lets him scroll through the pictures. He came prepared. After reading up on manicure and going through all the steps to prepare the mer's nails for their makeover - from clipping and filing, to buffing, moisturising and even massaging - it is now time for Jeongguk to pick a design.

The whole idea came to Taehyung on a whim, really. When one day several weeks ago he hasn't been quite awake yet and groggily mumbled "Man, it would be so rad if he had painted nails to slay rocks" into his pillow. Then he'd slowly blinked awake, sat up in bed and nodded to himself that, yes, this was a great idea. And went to order a few things the very same day.

Except, those few things that were supposed to take two to three days to arrive (if you think, a backwoods village like Nakseongdae sells something as outrageous as nail polish, you are very wrong) took almost two months. Why? Because the cute little set Taehyung ordered made a detour over fucking Moscow! And nobody, not a single one of the many people Taehyung contacted over time to get back his parcel that was busy making a world trip, knew how it could happen. It shouldn't even be possible at all to deliver things to Russia right now, one assistant wrote him. Because of the current political situation and stuff. So not only did Taehyung's order get lost and went to the other end of the world, it shouldn't even have been able to get there at all. Delivery to Russia was not an available option. But through at least three different miracles, Taehyung's ghost parcel managed to turn up on his doorsteps eventually.

And now it is on Jeongguk to make a decision.

Because Taehyung prepared for a handful of different designs that he imagines badass as hell on Jeongguk. From dragon (merman) scales, to glued-on rhinestones, to glitter gradients. And he practised all of them. His chemically stinking bedroom can testify of that - and Jimin's kitten. The little guy has peeked around Taehyung's door yesterday, scrunched up his nose and hightailed it out of the room. Taehyung couldn't even be mad at him. The combined stink of nail polish and nail polish remover sure was not nice.

"This one."

The mer turns Taehyung's phone around so he can see the picture better.

Taehyung grins. Of course. Of course Jeongguk would pick out the one with black nail polish as base and sparkly silver glitter as highlight for the tips. Like the night sky.

"Alrightey," he sing-songs. Retrieves the needed flasks from his pouch, and gets to work.

Watches, first with concern, then with an endeared grin, how Jeongguk scrunches his nose the very moment Taehyung opens the first bottle of nail polish. Grimacing, the mer admits that he is sensitive to scents. To which Taehyung assures him, that humans generally don't like the chemically odour of nail polish too, but Jeongguk insists that his nose is more sensitive than other mers', which can be helpful at some times and outright annoying at others.

They quickly relocate right to the edge of the colonnade, with Jeongguk now wrapped in a second blanket leaning against a pillar, one leg dangling off the stone edge, and Taehyung sitting cross-legged in front of him.

And because Kim Taehyung, born singer, is not one to stay silent for too long, he at some point begins to do what he does best - he sings. Tentative at first, without looking up to meet Jeongguk's eyes. Pays extra attention to doing his nails. Instead of a black base he opted for a very dark blue, thinking it would suit the mer better. Words coming out quietly as he works, ears flaming red.

Because the songs he now sings to Jeongguk for the first time aren't just any songs. They are his songs, his very own compositions he created since he moved to Nakseongdae. And ninety percent are, in some way, about the mer. Almost all of them are love songs in their own way, even though others might not be able to tell with all the allegories he used. But Jeongguk, he of course knows. He is the one who would understand best when Taehyung sings about the sea and the stars, and a flash of silver at the bottom of the ocean.

So, uh, Taehyung feels, kind of, and very much so, nervous. Laid bare in a new way. He's never serenaded someone before. Especially not the guy who just so happens to be the love of his life, gosh! If he wouldn't be holding the nail polish, he'd bury his face in his hands now and ask for a hole in the ground to swallow him whole.

This is just so-

Shit.

He can't look at Jeongguk.

Who knew that singing a love song to the person it is about could be so hard?

Taehyung would rather do an entire stadium world tour right now, thank you very much.

But at some point he has to look up. Like, he physically has no choice. He must gauge Jeongguk's reaction, no matter how damning it might be. Heart pounding somewhere in his throat, Taehyung risks a glance up. And is immediately floored by what he sees.

Because Jeongguk, he is doing one of those precious soft smiles that starts from his eyes and then spreads all over his face. And Taehyung is the weakest man for it.

As he indeed stumbles over his next words, spontaneously forgetting the lyrics he poured over for several days, Jeongguk lifts a hand - the one Taehyung is already done with - and caresses his face with utmost care. It is such a sweet gesture, during a fragile moment where Taehyung feels so very vulnerable, that tears pool in the corners of his eyes. He rapidly blinks them away, takes a few shaky breaths and continues singing. He doesn't break eye contact for as long as the song continues.

The entire thing has him in a choke hold. And once he finishes, a single tear indeed escapes him.

It's always been like that with music - singing and songwriting is a very personal matter for Taehyung. Depending on the intended message of the title he performs, his emotions sometimes get the better of him. Which makes for great stage presence, but also for embarrassing moments like this, where he feels as if he cracked his ribcage open with his own hands and allowed Jeongguk a deep look inside.

The mer does look. Readily accepts all that Taehyung has shown him with a smile, all the cards he laid open to reveal whom his heart and every waking thought belongs to. With an equally open expression - the book cover flipped back to let Taehyung read Jeongguk as much as vice versa - the mer catches the tear with a crooked finger, then lifts it to his mouth and kisses it away.

"Thank you," he says with voice as raw as Taehyung feels. Leans forward to press a kiss against Taehyung's forehead, the apple of his cheeks, his lips. "Thank you, for showing me. For letting me hear your beautiful secrets. I will cherish your words."

Taehyung sniffs.

This isn't fair. Stupid Jeongguk shouldn't be allowed to have such a tremendous effect on him.

But stupid Jeongguk just coos and, still smiling, wipes the next tear away.

Goshdammit. Kim Taehyung, you walking disaster.

A few minutes later, Jeongguk's nails are all done. Taehyung has dragged a tiny needle through the glittery coating to draw some actual stars, then applied the clear top coating after deciding against adding gemstones. As pretty as they would be, they would probably not be very practical for Jeongguk, who, in contrast to acrylic claw-wearing proms, very much uses his claws in daily life.

Which was an ever-present fact while Taehyung worked. The mer's nails are much stronger, thicker, and - yes - sharper than humans. As if he regularly sharpens them. Taehyung faintly wonders how sharp and lethal exactly they are. What Jeongguk can pierce with them without problem. And then decides that maybe he doesn't really want to know. Because if the answer includes humans-

Nope, not going there. Jeongguk would never.

"Okay," Taehyung declares. Signals the mer to stop fanning his hands, prods at the now dry nail and nods. "That's it." And, slightly swooning, he adds, "That's such a killer look on you."

Jeongguk stops inspecting his nails and goes very still.

"Is... is that a good thing, or...?"

Taehyung nods enthusiastically. Not quite meeting the mer's eyes, he licks his lips. "It means you are dashingly beautiful. I mean, you always are, of course!" Again his ears are burning red. "But, like, you are really rocking this look. That's... I mean, yeah." With a lame shrug, he finishes his explanation. Gosh. Kim Taehyung, master of wooing and courting. What a great embarrassment.

As he dares to look back at Jeongguk, he is relieved however to see he is not the only one flustered. For a pretty blush also adorns Jeongguk's cheeks.

"...Thank you."

Okay, little addition, Taehyung thinks. They are both disasters with each other. He smiles, happy about the affirmation.

Flexing his fingers this and that way, Jeongguk gives him a side-look. "Is that your present for me?"

And, oh. Right.

"Yes!" Taehyung splutters. Then gapes. "I mean, no! I mean, not only. Uhm, wait."

Groaning, he gets up, shakes out his legs and shuffles over to his bag, taking the manicure pouch with him. Jeongguk wordlessly follows hot on his heels.

Exhilaration kick-starts in Taehyung, as if it never left since he wrapped up the presents in the first place. He grabs the several zip bags and presents them to the mer in a stack, turning around to him with the broadest grin.

"Here. This is for you!"

Jeongguk, rightfully so, staggers at the sight.

"Wh-what is all this?"

"You have to unpack them to see, of course."

The mer is still staring, yet even so, he pries the stack out of Taehyung's hold. "This is too much, pearl."

Taehyung won't have any of it. "Hush. You don't even know what it is yet." Then, he starts chanting, "Un-pack! Un-pack! Un-pack!"

Jeongguk gives him one of his unreadable looks but obliges.

Taehyung takes a seat next to him, eagerly watching how the mer first takes each wrapped present out of the separate zip bags and then gets to work to carefully unwrap them. Once he notices they are all wrapped in different ways, and that he has to figure out how to unwrap them for each single one anew, he frowns and then pouts adorably, before giving Taehyung a playful glare. 

Taehyung's grin just widens.

"Easy would be boring, babe," he quips, very proud of himself.

Jeongguk huffs and continues fiddling with the first present.

Exactly twenty-one minutes and seven seconds later - not that Taehyung has counted as he gleefully watched the mer struggle - all books are unpacked and resting between them in a neat stack. All ten of them, brand-new, with stories Taehyung is certain the mer doesn't know yet. Over them, Jeongguk stares at him as if he's gone insane.

And then says as much.

"You are insane. Are you sure? Are you really- these are all for me?"

Taehyung nods, feeling by now less triumphant and more so shy. "I, yeah? I only ever lent you my books, and from what I figured, the books you own are old ones that have gone overboard who knows how long ago. So I thought you might like some new books of your own..."

Jeongguk is still staring.

So, not quite sure what to do with himself, Taehyung picks up the zip bags and shows them to the mer. "These are part of the gift, by the way. You can put the books inside and swim with them wherever you want without them getting wet. So you don't have to magic them dry every time, or something."

He scratches his neck, hand full of zip bags still hovering in the air awkwardly.

The mer gingerly takes them and inspects one of them, pulling the zipper open and close. He summons a water bubble and has it engulf the bag, watching intently how it holds itself against the element. As the water lets off, the bag's inside is still dry.

"You are... very considerate," Jeongguk hushes. His gaze drifts from the zip bags to the neatly folded pile of gift wrapping paper, with the ribbons rolled up next to it, to the books, then to Taehyung and back to the books again. His hands twitch in the books' direction, as if he has to hold himself back from taking the first one and start reading right here.

Taehyung nods encouragingly. He knows the feeling. The allure of newly bought lecture that begs to be read. These days he is not that much of a reader anymore, but when he was younger, he badly wanted to go on those big book fairs where there is nothing but the latest literature from all around the world waiting to be seen.

"Go ahead," he urges. "Which one do you wanna read first?"

"Uhh..."

For a while, there is nothing but the languid shifting of those blue panels of fabric fastened to the ceiling audible. The surf is rather quiet today again. Only sometimes, Taehyung catches a faint mumble from Jeongguk as he reads the blurb of each single book.

He grins.

"Been skipping reading practice lately, huh?"

Jeongguk looks up and pouts adorably. "I'm still new to this, let me be! I've been illiterate for over two hundred years, that's much longer than the time I've been taught by you."

Taehyung however doesn't pick up half of the sentence, as there is a gust of wind howling through the hall that has all the candles flickering vigorously. 

"This one," the mer finally announces and holds up the first volume of 'Raven of the inner court'.

"Excellent choice, my good Sir," Taehyung sing-songs. "Now, candles or daylight?"

They both turn around to the murky sky that is visible with each flap of the veils and frown.

"Candles it is."

"Yep."

They march over to one of the walls, each of them wrapped in a fuzzy blanket and nothing else, and get comfy in front one of the oil gauges.

"Alright, you read, I braid," Taehyung declares. He has the bejewelled star hair clips already stuck in his mouth though, so all that comes out is "A'wigh, you weed, I brwwph."

Which is enough to make the mer chuckle. But he dutifully turns his back to Taehyung, book in his lap, and hums. "Looks like it's my turn to sing now."

Taehyung takes the clips out of his mouth and snorts. "And how do you wanna do that, when you are already busy reading, hm?"

"...Oh."

Another laugh bursts out of Taehyung. He pats at Jeongguk's shoulder, still chuckling. 

"I didn't think that far," the mer admits.

"Obviously."

When the mer turns around to pout at him, Taehyung pinches his cheek. "Aw, look at you, almighty ocean God who is acting all adorable because of a little teasing~"

Stuttering, Jeongguk turns back.

Once more they fall into comfortable silence with each other. Taehyung gets to carefully brushing and then braiding the mer's hair. Lets Jeongguk enjoy his present.

He has no way of telling how long they sit like that. How long he plays with Jeongguk's hair and deliberately tries out different things before settling for one long and thick braid that still reaches to the middle of Jeongguk's back. His phone lays abandoned in his room, as so often these days. And ever since he started his hiatus, he religiously refuses to wear watches, so there is that. The sky doesn't count as any indicator of daytime either, with how grey and gloomy it is all the time. It could be late noon, or afternoon, or early evening for all he knows.

But really, it doesn't matter. They have a good time together. Taehyung wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

After some deliberation, he sings one of the songs he wrote for Jeongguk again. Quieter this time, as to not distract him too much. Maybe one day he'll be able to confidently sing them to him. Or maybe that isn't ever meant to happen, not as long as Taehyung loves the mer as deeply as he does, and every stupid thing Jeongguk does makes his heart flutter.

On the last repetition of the refrain, Taehyung gingerly puts the stars in Jeongguk's hair. Watches how the diamonds, emeralds and sapphires catch the flickering candlelight. Yes, he thinks, he chose well.

The good thing about being an established idol is, he has many connections and knows all the good stuff. Sohee, his favourite stylist, has sent out subtle feelers on his request, to look for pretty, star-themed jewellery of any kind. Contrary to his manager, the woman does know how to keep her mouth shut, even when she suddenly gets a message from an unknown number after more than half a year of radio silence from Taehyung. She managed to strike up a good deal for the star hair clips and sent them over to Nakseongdae, no questions asked. Once he is back in Seoul, Taehyung better takes her out to a real good restaurant as thanks.

Jeongguk is still reading, so Taehyung busies himself cleaning up and putting everything away neatly, then sits down and snuggles into Jeongguk's side, his hand absent-mindedly playing with the tip of the braid.

Soon enough he traces nonsense patterns on the mer's blanket as his eyelids grow heavy.

The candles are so pretty, and Jeongguk is so comfy... A mixture of warmth and that certain sense of safety washes through him, tugs his eyelids down and has him nestle his head in the crook of Jeongguk's shoulder and neck, breath evening out soon enough.

A hand carefully combs through his hair, knuckles brushing against the shell of his ear. Humming contently, Taehyung buries into the touch.

A few minutes later, the dreamland has claimed him.

"Mmmmh..."

Taehyung smacks his lips together sleepily and frowns. The ticklish sensation repeats, first on his shoulder, then his nape.

Sighing, he decides it feels too nice to complain and lets it continue.

The teasing touch travels down his neck, back to his shoulder, then slips to his shoulder blade and stops where he can faintly feel the trim of a blanket wrapped around him.

It takes him rather long to figure out that Jeongguk is covering him in feather-light kisses everywhere he can reach.

In his defence, Your Honour, he's been knocked out good for quite a while. Adjusting to the world of wakefulness takes time, yo!

"Morning, sleepy-head," the mer mumbles right into his ear.

Taehyung grunts in answer. And then begrudgingly peeks open an eye to face the reality of-

Well.

A pitch-black night sky.

Morning, his ass. He calls bullshit.

"Whasssss-up," is what he actually slurs out.

Jeongguk's dimly-lit smiling face hovers over him. The mer leans down to blow a few strands from Taehyung's forehead and then gives it a peck. The braid slips over his shoulder with the movement, and the fuzzy tip flops straight into Taehyung's mouth that is wide open mid-yawn. He splutters.

The mer immediately tries to free him, but somehow the two of them fumbling around with the braid doesn't help at all. At least, Taehyung is much more awake now. All that flailing had him sitting up proper, both eyes wide open. Except, Jeongguk sees it as invitation to dig his fingers in Taehyung's armpit, setting off a mad tickle fight that has the two of them screeching and rolling on the floor in no time.

"I surrender, I surrender!" Taehyung squeaks where he is tackled under the heavy mass that is Jeongguk.

The mer gives him a satisfied grin, then leans in and nips at his ear. Hooks a finger into Taehyung's necklace where the same pearls as the ones on his earrings are dangling, and tugs.

"Good."

He then rustles around with the blankets until the two of them are huddled together under one, with the other one spread under them as cushion. It is barely big enough to cover two grown men. But seeing how excited Jeongguk snuggles under the shared blanket, Taehyung doesn't have the heart to tell him that his feet stick out and are about to freeze off.

Grinning broadly, the mer boops their noses together.

"Hi."

Taehyung shakes his head and smiles back. 

"Hello, you goof." Then he remembers what he's been wondering about approximately ten minutes ago. "By the way, is there a reason you woke me up?"

Jeongguk looks down to study his freshly manicured nails with great interest. "Uhh..."

Taehyung nudges his cold foot against the mer's leg. It has Jeongguk jerking away, then muttering something while his face gains colour until there is a prominent flush. His gills flutter rapidly.

Taehyung nudges him again. "What did you say?"

"I, uhm..." the mer peers up through his lashes for just a second. It is enough to send Taehyung into another minor personal crisis. This, this is a weapon of mass destruction right there and should never be let lose. Holy rutting Gods, sweet Buddha, dear stars and sea. You are calm, and collected, and utterly dignified. It was just one look. Chill the fuck out.

"Your skin... just looked, uh, very soft..."

Taehyung short-circuits.

After a few failed attempts of Jeongguk hiding behind his own hands that Taehyung pries off time and again - excuse him, if the mer didn't want to be teased, he should maybe stop being such a devastating Cutie - Jeongguk changes plans. And goes in the offensive, from hiding to distracting.

"Do you... do you always sing your love songs like this?"

And, okay, maybe the distraction works a little too well. Because now Taehyung is getting defensive.

"Yah, you idiot, how many love songs about very specific other persons do you think i have done? How many others do you think I have loved as deeply as you, to the point where I think of you when I look at a damned leaky faucet, hm?"

The mer shrugs; a little, self-deprecating gesture that has Taehyung's heart clamp up in sorrow. He cups Jeongguk's face in both hands, makes the mer look at him and see the truth in his eyes as he says,

"There never has, and never will be anyone like you, Gguk. You own every single part of me, you hear? Don't ever think otherwise."

It's the first time he spelt it out that clearly, Taehyung thinks but at the same time isn't so sure. The words, the intention behind them, feel familiar in a way some piece of fundamental truth does. Like people usually don't remember the first time they were told that the earth revolves around the sun either. It's an irrevocable fact. An unshakeable truth. 

Taehyung, from the singing earlier still in his element as a wordsmith, makes a point to drive the message home. His thumbs trace the lovely stars lining Jeongguk's eyes. He leans forward to nudge their foreheads together and turn the barely-there space between them even more intimate. Jeongguk's eyes are wide as saucers, his breath bated. 

"Gguk. Baby. My dearest and most beloved mer. Summer will follow the spring, and then autumn and winter. A compass needle will always point north. The moon commands the tides, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Just how all these things are certain, you can always be certain of my feelings to you. Gguk, listen. Look at me." His grasp on the mer's face tightens. "Do you know? Do you know that you've been holding my heart in your hands for quite a while now? Because you do. I love you with everything I've got. Okay? Never forget that."

Taehyung presses another kiss onto Jeongguk's forehead, his lips staying longer this time as he imagines it to be a brand - a seal that won't ever vanish, and remind the mer of what he just said.

But for Jeongguk, it's not enough. As soon as Taehyung makes to pull back, reality of all the things he just said crashing into him and making him flush bright red, the mer guides him right back into a searing kiss that has Taehyung curl his toes and his insides turning molten. Jeongguk keeps kissing him as he sneaks his strong arms under Taehyung and lifts him up, carrying him to the smaller room and carefully lowering him into the heap of cushions, every action gentle and careful as always.

Another silent conversation passes back and fourth between them. Jeongguk's blown-out gaze quietly implores Taehyung, asking him for permission as one hand slips under his blanket and caresses up his slowly hardening length, then brushes over Taehyung's hip and bum, reaching around to tentatively dip into the creak of his cheeks. Taehyung grounds into the touch with a soft pant, and nods.

Then, there is not much said between them for a long while except each others' names - Jeongguk endlessly repeating Taehyung's like a prayer, and Taehyung calling the mer by his name just as tirelessly.

The sea goes wild beneath them. In the few moments where Taehyung can spare a bit of his focus, he hears the waves furiously battling against the cliff.

Jeongguk slowly rocks into Taehyung until intense waves of pleasure course through him that almost had Taehyung forget his own name if it weren't for the mer chanting it into his ear. His long braid is coming undone over his shoulder, muscles shifting and face glistening with sweat in the dim light as he refuses to look anywhere else than straight into Taehyung's eyes with a gaze as dark as a starless night. And Taehyung thinks right then, for the hundredth time, that there is no sight on earth more exquisite than this - than him.

And Jeongguk treasures him through every part of it, worshipping his body as if out of the two of them Taehyung where the God-like creature. He is incredibly cautious, to a point where Taehyung's eyes sting treacherously, simply because he feels so touched, so loved. 

Their bodies crash against each other with the gentle might of waves breaking over rocks at the shore, glittering under the lazy midsummer sun. Jeongguk's lips melt against his like sea foam, soft and barely-there, never enough. His fingers ghost over Taehyung's skin feather-light, like a thousand water drops raining down on him.

And just like the sea welcomes everything in its depths yet barely lets anything return from it, the mer swallows the cries of Taehyung's release to never be heard again, then follows suit soon after with his entire body shuddering violently as he too falls over the edge and straight into the abyss.

The sea turns ravenous, then. For a moment, Taehyung thinks he can even feel the spray of salt water on his skin. Can see the waves lapping high enough to reach their spot as a wild, black mass.

He forgets about it soon enough when Jeongguk's erratic thrusts don't let up. A whine bubbles up in Taehyung's throat and lodges itself there. He weakly paws at Jeongguk's back, hips still jerking uncontrolled. The mer pulls out with an apology on his lips. Peppers kisses all over Taehyung and strokes gentle hands up and down his body as they both come down from their high.

Only, Taehyung doesn't want that. Not yet. He wants more. Wants to take Jeongguk so deep and true he'll feel it for days, now that he's had a taste. He's drunk on euphoria, and eager with lust. So he climbs into Jeongguk's lap and claims him once again. Sinks down on him in one long go and then starts riding him in a frenzy. 

He surges down and catches the mer's lips again, tongue curling under Jeongguk's to draw it into his mouth, so so greedy for everything Jeongguk is more than willing to give him. A lewd moan rips out of him as he grinds down and feels Jeongguk's length bury deep inside him. As he feels him press right against that spot that has Taehyung seeing stars of another kind than the one sprawled underneath him. He clenches tight around Jeongguk, mouth hanging open as his hips swivel in the mer's lap. The guttural groan Jeongguk emits sears through him and has him bounce even faster.

It is not before long that they both fall apart together for a second time. The sensation barrels through them with the force of an express train and leaves both of them breathless, Jeongguk biting down on Taehyung's shoulder where he's been nipping at the tender flesh for a while now, and Taehyung going slack on top of him, panting harshly as moan after moan seeps out of him while he keeps riding out their orgasm.

They lay in each other's arms for a long while afterwards. Only move occasionally to pepper whatever patch of skin they can reach with soft kisses. Taehyung's eyes are heavy with sleep. Maybe he'll fall asleep any moment.

He doesn't give a shit.

This, Jeongguk, is the best thing that could have ever happened to him. He is everything and more Taehyung could ever dare ask for. 

Here, nestled in the warm and secure hold of his beloved mer, the endless hovering of his landlord is the least of Taehyung's concerns. Shall he think whatever he wants of his absence during dinner. Taehyung is exactly where he wants to be. He is happy.

Chapter Text

Latin | noun

♦ sunset , west; setting; fall, ruin

Late that night, Jeongguk begrudgingly takes Taehyung back to that forsaken village. On their way he has to grasp Taehyung tightly - not that he minds, he actually revels in it - because the human is clutching the star piece to his chest and refuses to let go of it for even one moment. When Jeongguk offers to carry it and Taehyung vehemently shakes his head, pouts, cradles the splinter closer to him and declares that he'll be the one to take care of it from now on, the mer just smiles. Lets him hold onto it however tightly he wishes.

And is now looking for a way to get Taehyung to the scornful fisherman's house safely.

Maybe...

Maybe he'll he sneaky tonight.

Show the villagers a bit of his hand.

But, ah, it is a risk he has to calculate well. Because the villagers would notice - of course they would. Would question the strange phenomenon and count one and one together that it is his doing. A mer's doing.

Should he-

Should he really? For decades, Nakseongdae had no proof of him actually being here. To risk the ceasefire for a single human he met not even a year ago... Seokjin would call it madness. Would berate him for being reckless, for risking the fragile security he has. And Namjoon? What would he say? Would he say anything at all, or just hover behind his partner with a knowing little smile that the pink-tailed and so deeply scarred mer wouldn't see? Jeongguk can't go and ask him. Doesn't dare to leave Taehyung unprotected in a village full of people who want to see Jeongguk dead, and are ready to do he doesn't know what in order to accomplish it. Maybe even use Taehyung in whatever way is advantageous to them. 

No, no way can he leave now.

Maybe just a little bit of careful supervision will be alright. Just enough to keep an eye on things, at least until Taehyung gets inside.

After a while of the two of them just floating in front of the cliff, Taehyung notices his restlessness, his pondering.

"You are silent," he quips. Gives him a searching look and gently cups the mer's cheek in his palm, fingers of his other hand splaying wide around the star splinter to keep it secure.

Jeongguk flutters his eyes shut. Turns his head, and presses a kiss onto Taehyung's wrist. 

"I only want you to be safe."

Taehyung cocks his head. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Jeongguk doesn't deign to answer.

Instead, he lifts the two of them up the very same cliff Taehyung climbed down earlier that day. Pushes through the painful shift as soon as the massive wave sets them down on the cliff's peak, forces the change quick and unforgiving within mere seconds, so he lands on his now familiar feet where fins have been moments ago. The crown of that very wave accompanies them at the mer's silent order.

They quietly make it through the nightly forest. Jeongguk keenly listens for any rustle, any traitorous sound a predator from the woods could make. He does not know much about the dangers on land. About what lives here that could be a threat to Taehyung's life - and maybe even cash in a few good strikes against Jeongguk himself.

Every time he switches his glorious tail for legs, he feels a serious lack of his powers. Feels the sea not answering to him as keenly as it usually does. He has grown accustomed to that sense of vulnerability. Yet tonight, every part of him is on edge. Night has never been a particularly risky time of the day for Jeongguk. For humans, however - for Taehyung - he knows it's different.

His fingertips tingle as he calls the water mass floating behind them even closer. Wants it near in case he needs it.

Every sense sharpened, he walks beside Taehyung as silently as possible with the floor covered in dead leaves. Slips his fingers into Taehyung's, and squeezes.

It turns out that his worry was ungrounded. Their trek through the forest is not interrupted by any unpleasant surprises. They arrive safely at the outskirts of Nakseongdae.

As soon as lights peak through the thinning tree line,  Jeongguk halts. Doesn't dare getting any closer than this.

He could, of course, easily stand his ground against the villagers - especially once he reunites with the sea. But it would be no pleasant encounter, filled with bloodshed and brutality. Jeongguk selfishly doesn't want Taehyung to see him like that.

"I'll keep an eye on you," he promises Taehyung. Kisses his forehead, cheeks and mouth, then lifts Taehyung's knuckles to his lips. Jeongguk has never liked farewells.

Taehyung steals another kiss from him, and nods.

"How do I meet you tomorrow?"

The following words sear through Jeongguk's throat like bile. It is an effort to say them.  

"You don't."

Understandably, Taehyung's eyes go wide at that. The mer hurries to explain, to dispel his worries, carding a hand through his pretty hair. 

"Wait for me, just for one day. Then I'll have a stairwell ready for you on the other cliffs."

"Oh?"

He hums. "I'll build it the next two nights. When you walk on top of that cliff, keep a lookout for seven rocks that form a tight circle in the break, and two stone needles left to it. I'll build the stairs right into the stone there, and wait for you on the day after tomorrow."

Taehyung nods along with each point, his lower lip adorably stuck between his teeth as he listens in concentration. Jeongguk's chest fills with liquid warmth. And because he can - he loves it - he peppers the human's face with another round of kisses. Covers it so thoroughly with cute little pecks that Taehyung inevitably begins to giggle and squirm in his grasp.

"I'll see you in two days, then," Taehyung promises. Curls a lose strand of Jeongguk's ink black hair around a finger and watches as it slides off.

For a moment, Jeongguk slips away. Remembers how exactly the long braid Taehyung had made came undone not too long ago - how blissed out Taehyung had looked while riding him, how he kept threading his hands into Jeongguk's hair and tugged each time the mer ground up into him. Heat flares low in his guts.

One look past the trees is enough to extinguish it.

Getting back to their hushed conversation, Jeongguk repeats Taehyung's words. "I'll see you in two days, little star." Strokes down Taehyung's arm with the back of his claw, lingers at his wrist before entwining their fingers again for a short moment and giving them a good squeeze. Then he lets go. He can't postpone their parting any longer. Taehyung's feet are already turned towards the village. And no matter what Taehyung says, how much he denies it, Jeongguk knows he doesn't like to come back late and cash in a scolding. So he opens his hand. Lets Taehyung's fingers glide through his like sand on the beach, and wishes him sweet dreams.

As soon as Taehyung has to turn his back to him, the mer crooks a finger, beckoning the water mass over. The small piece of sea he carved out of the ocean's vast body listens easily. Floats over to him until it too weaves through his grasp. Half a thought has every drop he touches turn into mist. The blob dispels into a cloud, then thins out until it is barely more than a veil - so faint it is hardly visible yet the wetness still clings to everything. Bedewing skin, stone, and everything in between.

A subtle gesture has the sea mist float downhill and trail after Taehyung. It doesn't take long for the haze to catch up and engulf him.

Once it does, Jeongguk turns on his heels. Makes his way back to a cliff's edge not visible from Nakseongdae with swift steps, eager to reunite with the sea. To get back his real form and claim the tremendous powers he usually calls his own. Yet his focus never falters. Through the fog, he keeps watching Taehyung. Sends it into all the hidden corners and back streets to look out for ambushes.

It should be thin enough not to raise any alarm with the locals. With how wide he spread it, most of the fishermen shouldn't be even able to tell it is there at all. Or, to see it moving. See it creeping up the streets and following Taehyung like a shadow.

He furrows his brows in concentration as he jumps into the night sea from the cliff's peak, mental grip on the mist tightening. Keeps frowning when his tail rightfully returns with the same searing pain as always, lips curled back into a slight snarl.

Only once Taehyung enters a house without anything happening to him before does he let out a breath he hasn't realised he was holding. The tension doesn't completely vanish, however. For the inside of that house is out of Jeongguk's reach.

A faint feeling of uneasiness settles in his stomach.

He has no doubt it'll stay there until they meet again in two days.

Jeongguk detests having to let Taehyung go to those fishermen. But there is really not much he can do about it, can he? So he'll have to wait. Sit it out, and in the meanwhile do his very best to keep true to his word and provide his little star with a safe way to get into the water. Humans are so frail, after all. The very thought of Taehyung bare-handedly climbing down the cliff another time makes Jeongguk's guts churn.

With swift beats of his tail, he swims a wide berth around Nakseongdae's bay to its other side, and, fingertips tingling until they go numb, gets to work.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Jimin looks out of the window and squints at the fog. Scowls, as he keeps watching how it sneaks down the street against all physical laws. 

...Should he raise the alarm? Or is it too soon?

But Taehyung hasn't come back yet...

He gnaws on his lip as he contemplates the ins and outs of it.

Next to him, Yoongi snores gently, head rested on his shoulder. If he were awake, he'd surely call him out for overreacting. For being too superstitious, too suspicious of every little thing. He doesn't understand that all Jimin wants is to keep all of them safe. It's been the cause of quite a handful of arguments between them over the years. At some point, his boyfriend stopped fighting him about it. But whenever Jimin 'goes all mad about those fairy tales' as Yoongi likes to call it, the older would get that judging look that has Jimin pout and think about whether he wants to be stubborn or not.

(In most cases, the answer is yes. Yoongi can be disappointed in him or refuse to understand him all he wants, this is about everybody's safety. Jimin is not going to risk his entire hometown just because his other half likes to take things a little less seriously.)

After a few more minutes, Jimin carefully pushes him off and goes to grab the harpoon.

Taehyung eyes the weapon Jimin brandishes when he steps through the door at last.

"This is really taking overhand, dude."

Jimin, mouth pressed into a thin line, lowers his harpoon and offers no explanation. How should he get his point across to a world star who knows nothing about what it means to live with the sea? Who has no idea what happens when he as much as dips a toe into the water?  No, there is nothing left to say for him, really, except a snarly welcome.

"You are late."

The idol scratches his neck but is missing a convincing apologetic look on his face. Obviously he doesn't regret coming home in the middle of the night.

Which.

They'll have word about.

But, like, tomorrow. Because when Jimin looks a little closer at him, he can see Taehyung's slumped shoulders and the way he keeps squeezing his eyes shut before blinking them open again. Dude is dead on his feet.

So Jimin for the nth time swallows down his words and just steps aside to let him in. Puts his harpoon away - not too far, should he need it - and trudges over into the kitchen to warm up some milk as late night drink for the poor guy.

The next time he walks past a window and glances outside, the fog is gone.

Jimin's grip around the cup of milk tightens and he clenches his teeth.

This is not normal. They'll have to be on guard. Tomorrow, he'll tell the others tomorrow. Before things get out of hand.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Taehyung pulls himself out of dreamland with a deep, gritty groan. He doesn't have to move a single muscle to remember what he's been doing yesterday. His entire backside aches. Grunting, he shifts onto his side. Lifts a hand and rubs at his lower back, at his bum. As close to the burn as he can get.

Damn, it surely has been a while.

Not that he's complaining, he wouldn't have it any other way.

But maybe he'll need a nice, long, hot bath today. And pamper himself a little bit. 

And then there is that other thought nagging him. The oddity that his Jeonggukkie is even able to entertain the idea of him singing love songs like that for anyone but the mer.

This won't do.

It makes his competitive side stir awake - the same one that used to keep him in the recording booth until everything was perfect, kept him training until he could hit those high notes live without trouble, and made him workout in the middle of summer just so he could impress a certain someone.

He'll prove Jeongguk the truth. Will google "Kim Taehyung idol", present the mer an official list of all the songs he's ever written, and then sing them. Each single one of them.

Determination charges through him. Wakes him up proper and lets the literal pain in his ass fade into the background as Taehyung gets into the familiar mindset he also uses whenever he prepares for a tour. That mixture of nostalgia, perfectionism, anticipation and a few other things when he goes through his set list, recalling his old songs.

Yeah. That's right. Idol Kim Taehyung will make a short, secret comeback. And there will be exactly one person to ever know. He grins. Keeping that thought, he hops out of bed, stretches himself, and marches down the stairs.

There is a lot to do.

"...And then he almost poked my nose with one of those things whalers use, and I was like, you really have to tone it down a notch, dude. 'Cause that's not the kind of greeting I wanna get used to when I come back, you know?"

Next to him, Jeongguk nods against his shoulder where he sits pressed into Taehyung's side. He just finished his round of lighting all the wicks in the cave in broad daylight, and now has one of his brand-new books resting in his lap, together with Taehyung's left hand that he clasped into his and tugged towards him.

It hasn't been since long that they arrived in the cave mansion. Because maybe, perhaps, Taehyung has walked past the stairs hewn straight into the cliff for a total of six times. The mer sure has taken the word camouflage to a new level. But it had worked in the end. After Taehyung's aimless wandering in that foreign part of the forest, once he found the stairs, the descent was incomparably easier than doing some involuntary rock climbing. Took him only five minutes instead of over an hour. And with that ring of rocks thrown into the sea, they could also check out the visible cover part on their Required Features For A New Meeting Location List^tm. Behind that neat line of stones, Jeongguk's head poking out of the water could only be seen by Taehyung. (Of course, the whole matter of sneakiness would become pointless if a ship ever passed by and saw Taehyung climbing down the cliff to then never be seen again.  But in general, the idea was great.) It was a good plan. 10/10 would recommend.

As soon as they've safely arrived at the cave, Taehyung had poured both of them a big cup of hot chocolate from the thermos flask he snatched out of his landlords' kitchen this morning and put way too many marshmallows on top. A little sceptical, the mer had speared one of the floating sugar goodnesses on a perfectly manicured star night fingernail. Then watched it melt and run down his finger until his entire hand and wrist were sticky.

Taehyung had volunteered to lick it off for him, and learnt the hard way to be careful with putting his tongue close to the mer's sharp claws. After a little bit of panic when during their next kiss Jeongguk could taste blood in Taehyung's mouth, they'd calmed down enough to pick up their thread of small talk. Which maybe was the wrong name for it, considering how many in-depth questions the mer asked Taehyung as he wanted to know how he spent their one day apart. It was utterly endearing though, and Taehyung was positively gone for it.

So now here they are, snuggled against each other while the sheer curtains billow rather violently between the pillars and Taehyung keeps talking about everything Jeongguk has missed. They gaze onto the open sea together, where dark clouds gather at the horizon. Behind and next to them, several dozen small flames flicker in the wind. The blue fabric panels Jeongguk hung on the ceiling snap against bare stone ever so often. Taehyung can't help thinking of some good spanking whenever that particular sound echoes through the hall. He hopes the mer hasn't noticed him blushing or gnawing on his lip every now and then yet. 

The bluetooth speaker he brought (damn was he relieved when he switched it on earlier and realised it had indeed survived the trip through the sea) rests behind them somewhere close to that funky stone couch and plays soft piano tunes from Josh Kramer, Scott Buckley and whoever made it onto Taehyung's daydreaming playlist.

Taehyung grins to himself. Sure, he has told most of the things Jeongguk missed yesterday. But he omitted one little detail. He only mentioned that he'd practised singing. Not that he went through his entire set list.

He'd forgotten the time about it once the old training rhythm hit him full force. Had gotten swept up by his idol persona, by his life as a singer for a proper day and only realised how out-of-character it was for everybody here when he kept singing full-volume while grabbing an afternoon snack and heard a choking noise behind him. Jimin has been standing behind the kitchen counter, eyes impossibly wide and trembling hands raised in front of his open mouth. Yoongi had walked by too, then, given Taehyung an approving nod followed by a thumbs up, and vanished upstairs.

During dinner, Jimin wouldn't stop gushing about how he had no idea just how incredible of a singer Taehyung apparently is. It's been a bit awkward, really. As if he were having dinner with a fan at their parents' house. Yet also flattering.

Now he is feeling more confident in his skills. Not that one day is enough to catch up on all the training he skipped for weeks and months. But one or two songs, he can sing to Jeongguk today without being ashamed. Is sure he can do them justice. Only... maybe he shouldn't start off the entire thing with 'Love me again'. That one might not work in his favour to prove a point. However, that's okay. With how many songs he's written and recorded over the years, he wouldn't be able to get done within a day even if he tried. So he'll take his time. Start easy and sing one or two songs to Jeongguk everyday while getting back into swing. Getting his vocal chords used to the more challenging numbers steadily.

Again, what a good plan.

Things are just going smoothly with the two of them and their respective plan-making. Taehyung is very satisfied. Nods at himself while licking the dried sugar and milk foam off his mouth.

His efforts of cleaning up turn out to be in vain - at least partially - because Jeongguk smooches an equally sticky kiss onto his left cheek.

"Ew!"

Taehyung wipes at his face. And manages to keep up the facade for a total of two seconds before they are both giggling.

"You big goof!" He throws a dry marshmallow against Jeongguk. 

The mer picks it up and pops it into his mouth without any qualms for the dirty clinging to it. "Mmmh," he hums. Closes his eyes and makes a show of tipping his head back. "Tastes like heaven. Gordon Ramsay approves."

Taehyung groans. "I should have never shown you the wonders of the Internet."

"That's a lie, and you know it."

"Cheeky brat."

To prove his point, the mer leans in and chomps down on Taehyung's cheek. With a loud shriek, Taehyung jumps off, and boxes at Jeongguk.

"Yah, what the fuck?!"

But Jeongguk is already laying on the floor and roaring with laughter, clutching at his belly as the sound fills up the entire large room. Taehyung fails to stay mad at him for even a single moment.

Their shenanigans turn into a fully-blown contest to see who can bite the most ridiculous body parts of the other. Which goes well... until Jeongguk decides Taehyung's still sore butt is a good place to try, and Taehyung socks him in the balls. Hard.

He swears it was an accident!

Anyway, now Jeongguk is down, howling in both pain and confusion as he fails to compute what happened. And it is on Taehyung to crouch down next to him, laughing, while trying to get out a proper apology together with an explanation why that part of the human body is no fun to get injured. Eventually, he settles for stroking the mer's back until he calms down. And yeah, okay, Jeongguk gets an extra two marshmallows for good measure.

"The next time you wanna bite my ass, you ask nicely if it's still tender or not, okay?"

Jeongguk blinks at him with big, watery doe eyes. "You... what? It hurts?"

Taehyung snorts. "Babe. You dicked me down real good twice. And I haven't had proper sex for several years before. Do you really think I won't feel a thing afterwards?"

Cue an alarmed, jumbled mess of apologies from the mer which Taehyung has to fight off with a 'Stop worrying, that's normal'.

But aside from that, they spend a nice, calm day together.

...Except for the part where they have a pillow fight throughout the entire hall, one of the pillows catches fire from one of the many burning wicks and Jeongguk panics, dosing not only the pillow but also the two of them with a giant wave of freezing sea water.

...And the part where, after Taehyung has sung his two songs of the day and dissected the lyrics together with the mer, Jeongguk asks him to sing one of those songs he used to hear on small ships. Which somehow turns into a sea shanty karaoke competition. One, that which Taehyung loses. He has no idea how that could happen. (But then again, it's Jeongguk. Of course he wins in everything, even if it's a singing competition with someone who sings for a living. And Taehyung is not mad. The giddy smile on Jeongguk's face that makes his cheeks bunch up and the corners of his eyes crinkle so much his little star tattoos almost vanish out of sight is more than worth it.)

There is only one part where Taehyung is not sure whether to laugh or not. Whether he should maybe feel a tiny bit uneasy.

It's when, while getting ready to bring Taehyung back to the stairwell, Jeongguk says with dead-serious voice, "If that Jimin-hyung points a weapon at you again, you kick him in the balls."

How is he supposed to react to that?

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That night, Jeongguk is fuelled by enough vigour to push through ten body shifts in a row.

The mere thought of anyone pointing a harpoon at Taehyung...

A low, vicious snarl rips out of his throat. Stone screeches where he digs deep gauges into it with his claws.

He'll make a routine to check Taehyung for even the slightest bruise every time they meet from now on. This is not tolerable.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Maybe Taehyung is a bit paranoid, or maybe that's his inner magpie. Either way, he treats the star splinter with utmost care. Wraps it up in several layers of velvet carefully, and puts padding in between for maximal security. And comfort. In case this thing is somehow alive in the end.

The fabric was a remnant of a long coat he's worn in a music video years ago. He'd begged the director to keep the piece back then, but after the shoot was finished, had no use for it any longer. Now at least that old rug has gotten a new purpose. It's protecting his most valued possession.

Wrapped up as it is, he has chosen to put it at the bottom of his trunk. Can't quite pinpoint it, but his sixth sense is telling him that he shouldn't let anyone see it - not even his landlords. So he puts it away where it's safe and sound. Only digs it out at night right before sleep, to unwrap it and make sure it is all well. Despite him sometimes worrying that he might be overly careful, it sure has its charm. Like he is protecting a secret treasure.

"Like a dragon," he mutters to himself as he wraps the rock up yet again. Then chuckles. Peels the fabric back for one last glance as he remembers how different his treasure had looked when Jeongguk had held it. Like a glowing, beating heart.

Wait.

Taehyung sits up straight.

"Heart... dragon... dragon heart... the dragon of the grand deep blue..."

Unwrapping the star splinter properly to lay it on his bed, he leans over to switch on the bedside lamp.

Sleep can wait. He's got to get out some words as long as they keep flowing. 

"Inspiration is a bitch to strike at such ungodly hours," he grunts to himself with a tired grin.

And then proceeds to fill page after page in his notebook until his ballpoint pen runs out of ink. Only then it is time to go to bed. Oh, and to put back his treasure, of course. With his eyelids heavy like leaden gateways, Taehyung tugs himself in. What a lucky coincidence, he thinks, that his brainwave had him discover a potential new nickname for his most beloved mer. Well, it is not completely fleshed out yet. But something with dragon seems fitting for that fierce mer who holds his heart so tenderly, no? Maybe Taehyung can do something with that. Commit some word smithery. Alas, another time. Today was a good day yet now he really, really needs his sleep.

"Okay, so I am working on that new song," Taehyung admits as soon as Jeongguk has brought them back to their cave mansion.

He gets comfortable while speaking, patting for the mer to sit down, and then wastes no time to sprawl himself all over Jeongguk's lap. The mer follows his non-verbal instructions with a soft laugh. His hand easily finds the way to Taehyung's hair and begins carding through it, the painted nails occasionally scraping Taehyung's scalp. Taehyung hums. Snuggles further into the hold, while he flips through his notebook.

"A new song? What's it about?"

Taehyung reaches up to scratch under the mer's chin. Jeongguk slips his eyes shut, cranes his neck, and lets out a low rumble. Taehyung chuckles. Big kitty boi.

"I'm using a sea dragon as an allegory this time. A dragon heart. The dreamer, protector and hunter in the deep. But there is a problem. Here." He points at a certain spot on the page and reads out loud, " 'Who do you belong to, when you close your eyes? Who holds your heart in the deep blue night?' I want to explore that 'deep blue' part more in the next verse. But, you see," he says, "I don't know a thing about the bottom of the ocean. Can you tell me about it?"

Jeongguk hums above him. His hand briefly halts before a thumb traces along the shell of Taehyung's ear, and then his fingers slip back in Taehyung's brown hair.

"The bottom of the sea..." he says, then pauses.

While Taehyung waits for the mer to continue, the silence gets filled with the crashing of waves - growing louder and louder, swelling until they become a noise that overpowers everything else, even Taehyung's thoughts. Then they ebb away once more, to gentle laps that barely reach their spot up high. He silently grins up to the mer. Out of the two of them he sure is not the only one with dramatic tendencies.

"The heart of the sea is the most peaceful place. But also the most violent," Jeongguk muses. "At first glance there is nothing but gentle blackness that wraps around you from everywhere. An inky darkness that seeps through your gills into your lungs and slowly drowns you until coming up for light becomes more painful than sinking that deep."

His other hand flits under Taehyung's lose cashmere pullover and draws lazy circles on his hip. "But the longer you stay, the more you notice that you are not alone at all. There is so much beautiful life down there. And then you look some more, and notice the most hideous predators lurking around too."

After a failed attempt of Taehyung trying to write with the notebook lifted over his head, he begrudgingly rolls off the mer's lap and shuffles onto his side. Puts the notebook on solid stone and tries again, now with the loss of the gorgeous sight that is Jeongguk's pretty face.

"Okay, wait..." he scribbles down some more, "go on."

The mer, however, hesitates.

Keeps quiet for so long that Taehyung turns back around. Jeongguk sports that guarded look of his Taehyung so rarely sees these days. He reaches up to caress the mer's cheek. Tugs at one of his many silver earrings when he asks, "Is it a secret?"

"I'm not sure," comes the low admittance. Jeongguk muses about it some more before perking up. "How much do the people believe your songs?"

Taehyung snorts. "You mean, like, how literally they take the lyrics?"

Jeongguk nods slowly.

"They don't."

"I... what?"

The idol chuckles. "I often use metaphors. Say something as substitute for something else entirely. At this point it's become a sport amongst my fans to see who can decipher my latest lyrics the fastest, ya know?"

Jeongguk furrows his brows in that adorable way that make him look a few centuries younger than he probably is. "So..."

"So if I write about merfolk, a dragon heart, or weirdly specific allegories about the sea, everyone will either put it in a fantasy context or search for double meanings. I could literally write 'I slept with a merman' and they would say I am talking about yin energy and turning it into a matter of diversity, or something like this."

"Huh."

"Just accept that humans are weird and like to overcomplicate things."

That at last pulls a full-fledged laughter out of the mer. Taehyung doesn't have to try hard for joining in, at this point it's all too natural. 

They laugh together for a good few minutes before Jeongguk leans down to pepper Taehyung's face with kisses and then smooch his face into the soft pullover.

"Alright, then. I'll tell you all about the true heart of the sea..."

Taehyung drinks up everything he tells him. At some point barely looks at what he's writing as his hand keeps flying over paper, eager to catch everything Jeongguk says.

Then he thinks about it.

Sits hunched over his notes and gnaws on his pen as he tries to put the puzzle pieces together. Add something in a way that could enhance the new song. Jeongguk, by this point used to how Taehyung gets whenever he works on lyrics, pulls him into his lap with a content hum, fingers splaying over Taehyung's thighs and soothingly rubbing up and down. Taehyung can faintly feel the way the mer's chest raises and falls against his back in slow breaths. Feel the warm air tickle his nape and ears. It grounds him. Keeps him tethered to the presence, preventing him from drifting off too far while he gets into his creative mind space. It is an unfamiliar experience. Yet he welcomes it with open arms, because this is Jeongguk.

He can't tell how much time passes. Only notices the daylight slowly changing as he keeps writing and writing, crossing out some things and re-formulating others as he selects the best parts and follows various leads.

Somehow, the dragon heart prompt and his new knowledge about the bottom of the sea turns into not only one, but two separate songs. The latter theme could very well become a beautiful outro. He scribbles down a few chords together with instrumentation ideas, along with visual keywords for music videos. At this point, the backbone of his album is very much complete. The next step will be excessive fine-tuning.

Ahhh. Taehyung smiles. This is so exciting. He loves working on music with true passion. 

Jeongguk pecks him on the cheek once, twice.

"You're glowing," he murmurs. Noses along Taehyung's neck, then softly presses his lips onto Taehyung's shoulder. "I love it when you are like this. When you are this happy."

Taehyung turns his head to give the mer a proper kiss.

"All thanks to my precious muse."

A slight blush dusts Jeongguk's cheeks. Yet he still asks, "What is a muse?"

With a thoughtful hum, Taehyung twirls the tip of Jeongguk's braid around his finger. "It is, like, a source of inspiration. Someone who is the reason for someone else to create beautiful things. Like, when some artists find their muse, they paint them several times. And then those paintings turn into masterpieces, because they were so immersed in their muse, and their muse pushed them to new limits." He lifts the tassel and brushes it against his nose until he has to fight a sneeze. "I think, usually the artists find only one muse in their life. Like a soulmate. Or the love of their life. You know?"

The mer hooks his chin over Taehyung's shoulder.

"Does that mean I'm the love of your life?"

Taehyung chokes.

(He doesn't deny it, though.)

That evening, after Jeongguk has done his round and lit up all the wicks, he goes to fetch something from behind the couch.

Taehyung has actually noticed a few sheets of paper peeking out under the blanket hours ago, but didn't say anything. The way Jeongguk apparently sucks at hide-and-seek is adorable on its own. For now, Taehyung will let him believe that he did a good job at hiding.

But Jeongguk bringing Taehyung a stack of paper is not a surprise, not really.

What is a surprise, is that they are, well.

They are gorgeous ink drawings.

Of several sea creatures, ship wrecks, fins, but mostly of himself.

"What-"

The mer fidgets. Bites his lip, then grabs one of Taehyung's hands, pulls it out of its sweater paw, and begins playing with it. Entwines their fingers this and that way as he resolutely stares down.

"So, remember how you gave me that pretty pen?"

Taehyung nods.

Yeah, sure. He does. That still doesn't explain a thing.

"So, uh... I'm not a confident poet, like you."

Taehyung almost calls him an idiot right away.

"I mean, I practised writing with it, of course. But then it got wet. And I discovered I can do a lot of other things with that ink you gave me if I keep adding water. So I tried out a few things and, yeah..."

Taehyung gives him a soft glare. "Jeonggukkie."

"...Yeah?"

"What the fuck!"

"I, uh..."

He explodes. "These are fricken awesome! Oh my God! I had no idea! I mean, I kinda did, but I didn't?! Like, I knew you are an artist, obviously, but I didn't know you're an artist kinda artist! I mean, what the hell?! Does that mean you taught yourself drawing like that and with such a difficult medium in only a few weeks? Does your awesomeness know any bounds? You need to leave a few skills to the other peasants on this earth, yo!  This is so fucking amazing, holy shit!"

"So... you like them?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!? When are you going to hold your first exhibition, star boy?!"

Seriously, are there any limits to that stupidly impressive mer? Taehyung might need at least one more heart to cope with all the shit a certain someone puts him through. What the fuck. He was not prepared for this. He looks at the drawn baby sea horse, at the way its cute little tail curls around a black algae, and wants to cry.

This entire heart attack-inducing drama switches their roles in a hilarious way - for now it is on Jeongguk to calm down Taehyung, not the other way around. He manages to get through to him by sneaking into Taehyung's pullover. Sticks his head under the hem and keeps pushing, has it rig up, up and up, until they are both stuck in a soft cocoon, their naked chests pressed together. Jeongguk boops their noses together and grins. Playfully nips at his lip.

With a light-hearted giggle, Taehyung pushes the pullover entire off. Then shakes out his hair until Jeongguk splutters, and he laughs even more.

"Hi."

Jeongguk grins up at him before straightening his back to his full height, towering above Taehyung proper. "Hi yourself." 

He broadens his shoulders, chest popping out with the movement, and-

Yeah, okay, maybe Taehyung's throat goes dry.

Just a little.

As if staying sane in Jeongguk's presence has ever been an option.

They gradually learn the language of each others' body like the most diligent scholars.

Taehyung knows Jeongguk is mapping out every curve and crevice of him, knows he tenderly runs both hands all over Taehyung's naked skin in an attempt to memorise the shape of him. Knows that the reason the mer keeps changing his grip on their lengths is because he wants to learn all the different noises Taehyung can make in the throngs of pleasure. And that he kisses each moan and whimper right off him just so he knows how these sounds taste, too. Taehyung knows, because he is doing the same. He recognises how it looks and feels like.

This kind of studying seems to come to Jeongguk much easier than reading and writing, let alone basic arithmetic. Already after only a few times he is well-versed with most secrets of Taehyung's body, has familiarised the spots where Taehyung is especially sensitive to touch. Expertly scrapes his nails over the places that make Taehyung squirm, sucks where he has learnt Taehyung moans loudest when licked, kissed or bitten there.

Ah, he is a menace. 

So unrelenting in giving, giving and giving, to a point where Taehyung thinks he can't possibly come again but the mer takes it as a personal challenge and indulges him yet another time.

Tears of overstimulation, joy and passion - an exhilarating mix - traipse down his cheeks as Jeongguk twists the fingers inside him. Little gasps and whimpers spill out of him, completely out of his control. Through the blurry haze, Taehyung tries to focus on his favourite secret spots of endearment - the mole right under Jeongguk's mouth, his tiny star freckles, the arch of his brows, the scar on his cheek, his gills. All those things that are captivating only on second view, when one looks beyond those impressive eyes, pretty lips and the strong jaw.

With clammy hands, he pulls Jeongguk down to kiss all those things.One after one after one. He has to try a few times. Misses the mole twice with how much he jerks and thrusts up into the mer's grip as he gets milked through yet another orgasm. But the determination, the heart is there. So he soldiers on, and tries again to worship Jeongguk just as much. Show him how beloved he is. Even if Taehyung is unravelling more and more, and has difficulties to formulate a single thought at this point.

Jeongguk's eyes are incredibly soft as they peer down at Taehyung and let him do his thing. He holds still for once as he offers himself up to Taehyung's caresses, both hands staying in and around Taehyung but no longer teasing him. For that alone, for the way the mer gives him full access to every part of him as if it were nothing, Taehyung could kiss him silly.

He tries his very best to do just that.

That night, Taehyung stares at the star splinter entrusted to him by his mer for a long time. It feels like a promise, somehow. Like a vow, like something that goes way deeper than all the other gifts they exchanged before. Almost like...

His breath hitches.

Maybe...

But what if he is reading too much into it? Then again, when has Jeongguk ever given him a reason of doubt? And as Taehyung takes the time to listen to his inner voice, to his heart and soul, the answer is already there. He is not afraid to take that same step the mer took, to get one bit closer.

So he writes an e-mail.

And the next morning, one of his favourite jewellers sends the response that she is ready to video chat.

"You tell me, Kim-ssi, should I be honoured that after more than half a year of absence from everything, you are contacting me of all people?" 

The woman gives him a tired yet benevolent smile and bows her head to the camera. The first few grey strands peek through her formerly black bun. Seems like the stress from all the extravagant commissions given to her by idols is finally getting to her. Taehyung almost feels bad for adding yet another task.

"Ah, you know I could never do without your nimble fingers and the pretty things they create, Miss Kang."

"Aish, you old charmer."

Taehyung grins.

Miss Kang perches the chin on her hand and raises an eyebrow. "So... what can I do for you this time?"

Later, Taehyung tells Jeongguk about all kinds of rings. Even goes as far as making the mer run by him everything, just to be sure he understood it right.

"Okay, now tell me about engagement rings, what are they again?"

The mer rolls his eyes. Stretches his limbs and languidly sprawls himself all over Taehyung's lap with a dramatic sigh. And then shamelessly stretches some more, so he can reach up and tuck a lose strand behind Taehyung's ear.

"I answered that thrice already. Just like the wedding rings, engagement rings, friendship rings and-"

"Humour me."

Another sigh, followed by a gentle hand stroking down Taehyung's cheek.

"Who am I to ever deny you of a thing?"

Luck, Taehyung learns, is a fickle thing. Because as happy he is with Jeongguk and as wonderfully their new meeting spot works, as much Jimin is unrelenting.

Taehyung gets back that night after he sung three more of his songs to Jeongguk and the mer asked him to teach him the lyrics to one of them so he could sing along. They've shared a sweet kiss for every wick Jeongguk blew out (which were 162, if Taehyung's count was right - but maybe not, as he kept getting distracted by those plush lips on his). Taehyung is still in high spirits. Elated from the great time he spent with his favourite person in the world, head in the clouds as he keeps riding that emotional high.

But this time, the fisherman doesn't let him be.

Doesn't take Taehyung's "Nothing in particular" as answer to his question as to what he's been doing all day and what happened to him to be this happy. Instead, he blocks the way up the stairs and very resolutely tells Taehyung to sit his ass down in the kitchen.

Apprehensively, the idol listens. Feels his cheerfulness draining out of him with every trudging step he takes towards one of the chairs at the table. Whatever Jimin is about to do, it's not gonna be pleasant. The landlord's entire demeanour is sour, his movements stilted, mouth pressed into a thin line and furrow buried deep between his brows. Taehyung hasn't even sat down yet and already wants to bolt.

"So," Jimin says. Folds both hands in front of him and peers over them at Taehyung. It feels like a scorching glare.

Taehyung squirms.

"Tell me, Taehyung-ah. Did you meet a mermaid?"

Dat's the boi! Etruscan warrior Gguk a.k.a. the reason this update is so late:

Chapter Text

Scottish | noun

♦ The shock felt when one first plunges into cold water

Taehyung blinks. Splutters, as he tries to play it off, Jeongguk's insistence not to tell anyone ringing in his ears loud and clear.

"I don't- I, what?" He laughs, hopes it sounds convincing. "Yah, mermaids don't even exist, dude!" Laughs some more, even snorts for good measure. "Wow, for a moment you really had me, not gonna lie. But, like, seriously? Aren't we a little old for fairytales like that?"

Jimin, however, is not having any of it. Doesn't even flinch, let alone show signs of unsettlement.

"I know they are real," the fisherman states, dead-serious. "We all know. We also know about the threat they pose." He points at Taehyung. "You, however! You are not aware of it at all, are you? Or else you wouldn't keep going back to it."

Taehyung scowls then. He doesn't like how Jimin talks about Jeongguk. Not one bit. As if he were a serial killer on the run, or something. Which is ridiculous.

"Yah! He would never harm anyone! Why are you being so mean when you don't even know him, huh?"

"So it's a male... I don't know if that's better or worse," his landlord mutters. 

Taehyung immediately regrets saying anything. Curses his lose tongue. But then again, how could he not defend someone he loves so dearly?

Jimin's eyes zero in on him again.

"Just what did it do for you to act like this? Is that- that thing's control over you this strong, even with a fair distance to the sea? Did it invade your mind so thoroughly-"

"Don't!" Taehyung snaps, chest heaving. Oh, he is livid. How dare Jimin to say such cruel things, to even think them! "Don't you dare talk about him like that! As if- as if he were some kind of monster."

"But he is! A monster, an abomination, a nightmare. And the worst is, you seem to not understand at all. You don't even want to believe the fucking truth when it's laid out in front of you."

Taehyung can't trust his ears at this point. White-hot rage curses through him slowly yet unstoppably. Makes his entire body shake. "Because it isn't, Jimin! There is no truth in your words, not one bit! He isn't all those horrible things you claim him to be. He is the best thing that ever, ever happened to me. He'd never harm innocents, I know him-"

"No!" Jimin screeches, slams his hand on the table. Drops of spit are flying from his mouth as he keeps spiralling himself into a frenzy. "No, you don't! You don't know it, not the real deal, no fucking way! You have no idea of the things it has done, the violence it is capable of. Or else you wouldn't sit here and-and... and defend that thing!" His voice breaks at the last sentence as it jumps up an octave.

But Taehyung couldn't care less. He is beyond pissed, hell, he is mad! Hands balled into fists so tight he can feel his nails dig into his palms. Feels hurt, betrayed, angry and a couple other things he can't quite name at that moment. All he knows is that he is so fed up with negative emotions that he's only one wrong word away from saying something he can't ever take back, one moment of carelessness away from throwing hands.

So he shoots up, enraged at the audacity of his landlord to claim such cruel things and don't even bother using the proper pronouns for Jeongguk - as if the mer doesn't deserve it, or is beneath them and even animals. Taehyung throws one seething glare at Jimin and makes to storm away.

But Jimin is faster. Grabs his wrist, expression turning pleading within a second.

"Wait! You might not believe me yet but please, please go to my uncle's house tomorrow. The one where we went after you were on the trawler. There is an exhibition in there, about the three great floods. Go and have a look at it before you meet up again, okay? Please, for me? I only want you to be safe!"

Taehyung snorts. For Jimin?

After what his landlord just said about the person he just so happens to deeply love, Taehyung very honestly is not ready to do anything for Jimin. Especially with how obviously narrow-minded he is, calling Jeongguk a monster without even making the effort to get to know him.

"Bullshit," he spits. "Going to a museum curated by your family with probably not a single objective fact displayed? About floods? Because of J- of him? That's the dumbest thing I ever heard."

The fisherman buries his face in his hands. And as he peeks up through his small fingers, it's with something akin to desperation. "That's not... it's not bullshit. You don't get it, you never get it..."

"Well, how am I supposed to, when nobody ever tells me shit, huh?"

"I am telling you shit now!" The high-pitched screeching voice is back. 

Taehyung furrows his brows at that, tries not to flinch.

Yoongi, as always a great bystander, choses that exact moment to walk past the kitchen with a nod and a "He is." The dry cat snacks are rattling in his hand. After him traipses a not-so-small-anymore black kitten and meows for more.

Taehyung shakes his head at the antics of his second landlord. Then turns back to Jimin and scowls.

"You are still wrong about him. He is so sweet and always treats me well, why would he-"

Jimin doubles over at that. "Treats you- wait, did you get intimate with that thing?! Kim Taehyung, you dumb nut!"

A faint blush steals itself onto Taehyung's face. Makes it tingle with warmth in the most unsuited moment. From the hallway comes a sarcastic "Oh là là", followed by creaking steps up the stairs and another bunch of meows.

"Did we get- that's literally none of your concern, ohmygosh!"

"No, no, it makes sense now. I mean, like. Did he suck your dick and now you love him, or what?"

Taehyung jerks his wrist out of the other's grip. Has the faint sense that his face is burning crimson now. "We are done here," he declares. Stomps out of the kitchen and is halfway up the stairs before turning around and adding, "Just so we're clear - I've been feeling that way long before he ever touched me like that."

Jimin's wails cut through the night. "You can't love him! He is a monster! And if you say otherwise, you are a bloody liar!"

"Fuck you," Taehyung yells. storms into his room, bangs the door shut and locks it twice.

Maybe twenty minutes later, he thinks otherwise of it. Decides that stewing in his own juices here, in such a toxic environment, is not what he needs right now. A look out the window and a haphazardly thrown over coat later he grabs his phone and hurries over towards the door - then halts. 

No matter how agitated he is, he made a promise. Already broke it with admitting that Jeongguk exists. But maybe he can do some damage control if he at least doesn't make it all too easy for his crazed landlord to follow him. With the way Jimin has been sporting a harpoon every other day, Taehyung doesn't want to take chances of what happens should the two of them meet.

He carefully opens the window and peers down. The ground is almost pitch-black. Good. That means the light in the living room isn't burning - and nobody will see when he jumps out the window. Well, maybe not jump, but. Even if he were to climb down with some bed linen, he could be seen by someone sitting on the couch. Taehyung purses his lips.

Something goes crashing down in the room next door, then. Followed by angry voices.

That surely answers the question where his landlords are. Straightening up and taking a deep breath, Taehyung gets to work.

"Fucking hell." 

Maybe living with a real fisherman was not all too great for his vocabulary. Or maybe Taehyung would have quietly cursed on his entire walk through the forest either way. Can one blame him, though?

Walking alone through a forest in the dead of the night surely hasn't been on his bucket list. Alas, rage sometimes is quite the powerful fuel. And makes one do stupid things because the determination suddenly is there. The flash light of his phone trained to the ground, Taehyung keeps walking. Stops ever so often to listen for any pursuers. Or boars. What is it exactly, that lives in those woods? And even more importantly: Does he really want to know? At least to the second question, he knows the answer.

With the next step, Taehyung overlooks a protruding root, topples over, and crashes into a tree. 

"Ugh, shit! What the fuck- that's why I never do dumb things like this!"

Yet still, he keeps going. Walks further and further, until the trees thin out and give way to a murky moon hanging deep over an ink-black ocean.

Taehyung is glad he has taken the secret stairs down the cliff a few times by now, or else he would have missed the spot at night for sure. But with how things are, he finds it within seconds. Is already on his way downstairs. And then doesn't think twice before he pulls off his shoes and wades into the ice-cold water.

His teeth begin to chatter almost immediately. The cold creeps into his limbs and has his entire body shaking

. He stays in the water. Refuses to back out after he's come here already. 

Jimin's words seep into his mind like poison. 'He's an abomination, a monster! You don't know him, you don't know anything...' Tears sting in the corners of his eyes, and burn, much like the anger that has taken root in his chest. Taehyung takes another step into the water.

And another, when it suddenly turns lukewarm.

Now there is nothing holding him anymore. Small steps turn into wide strides, as he keeps charging into the open sea. Moments later, comforting arms pull him against a quickly raising chest, and into a hug. Jeongguk is a panting, barely visible dark mass in the night. Only the faintest glow radiates off him as most of the stars are covered by clouds tonight. He is all warm touches, solid muscle and soothing words.

"Taehyung, my sweet little star, what happened? What's wrong?"

Because clearly something must be wrong with how Taehyung ran into the sea in the middle of the night, and with now tears streaming down his cheeks after he reunited with the mer and everything just became too much.

"I just-" he sniffs. Clears his throat, digs his fingers into the broad planes of Jeongguk's shoulders, then tries again. "I need to get away from here. Right now. I can't stay here tonight, I just can't, I-"

Jeongguk shushes him with a loving kiss and tender strokes over his cheeks, collecting all the spilt tears lingering there. When he pulls back and silently studies Taehyung, the latter can barely make out his expression.

"Do you want to come home tonight?"

Where is home, Taehyung almost asks.

"Yes," he says instead.

The mer hums. Leans in for another kiss, deeper this time. And then slips something in Taehyung's mouth. Something round and... salty?

"You gotta eat," Jeongguk murmurs. "Do you trust me?"

Taehyung nods. And bites into the berry. Sweetness floods his mouth. A strange kind of heat sweeps through him, like honey in hot tea.

The mer watches his every move. "I guess that'll do."

Then steals another kiss from him, and pulls him under.

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Jeongguk loses a deep breath he didn't realise he was holding when they reach his home. Taehyung isn't so much as out of breath once they breach the water surface. And that despite the long tunnel they had to pass in order to get here - the only entrance to the cave, with no possibility to come up for air somewhere in between. 

Truth be told, he was reluctant to try out the berries Asterin gave him. Not for lack of trust - she too is a mer, after all - but rather because he just couldn't have it if anything would go wrong and bring harm to his Taehyung.

There hasn't been much of another option, though.  Not when he was woken up by frantic steps in his waters at such a time. Whatever had him come to Jeongguk so late and so reckless with how he kept walking deeper into the cold water, must be urgent. Taehyung's desperation was almost tangible as Jeongguk rushed over as fast as he could. Something has happened. And with whatever threat chasing his beloved out into the sea at night - the villagers, it must be those damned villagers - Jeongguk wants him close. Wants him where he can easily protect him from all harm. So he grabbed one of the berries on his way out. Watched Taehyung swallow it, and brought him over.

By the time it took to get here, most of the clouds have dispersed. So when they arrive, bright cold moonlight falls through one of the holes in the ceiling. Jeongguk bites his tongue to hold back the worried questions. Lets Taehyung have his moment as he marvels at the foreign surroundings. At the colourful stone that contains broad streaks of yellow and blue, at the pillars spiralling upwards, at the parts that must look like big stained glass windows to him. At the various water arms and ponds Jeongguk created, branching off from the entrance area where they are at, each of them crafted in a different fashion.

After a little while, the stars above register Jeongguk's presence too. And have him glowing brightly in their endless beckoning for him to join them. He ignores them. Trains his full attention on Taehyung instead. Taehyung, who looks so lovely in Jeongguk's home. Who still hasn't explained a single thing. 

The silence between them stretches longer. Taehyung slowly turns around in the water, until he faces Jeongguk again. Wades through the warm water and grapples for the mer's hands. Jeongguk willingly gives him what he wants. Looks down when Taehyung does, so they both watch their fingers intertwine. When he lifts his head, he sees Taehyung chewing on his lip. That upset expression is back. 

Jeongguk hates to see him like that. He leans in to pepper Taehyung's face with kisses, and strokes his thumbs over the other's knuckles. Bends down and slips his hands under Taehyung's coat, then under his pullover, until he can feel raw skin. Until he can dig his fingers into Taehyung's sides and watch him finally break a smile. Basks in the giggles when they bubble out of Taehyung at last.

He cups Taehyung's face to give him a long look, thumbs caressing his cheeks, drifting to the pearl earrings Taehyung always wears nowadays before coming back to stroke along his jawline.

"What happened?"

There it is. The unpleasant question he didn't want to ask - yet has to. 

Taehyung's reaction is immediate. The corners of his mouth turn downwards, shoulders slumping. With a distressed sigh, he drops his head on Jeongguk's shoulder. Winds his arms around the mer's torso and hugs him tight.

"They know," he mutters.

Jeongguk can feel Taehyung's lips move against his shoulder. Warm breath ghosts over his skin and has his sensitive gills flutter on that side. He turns his head and noses alongside Taehyung's temple. Breathes him in and tries to stay calm at the revelation. It doesn't work very well. The hold he has on Taehyung tightens, to a point where the mer worries about hurting him. But as he carefully strokes over the area, there is no traitorous liquid he feels. No bleeding caused by his too sharp nails on Taehyung's vulnerable body.

"Who," he asks. Forces his voice to sound calm. Reassuring. No reason to raise any alarm.

Taehyung shifts and hooks his chin over Jeongguk's shoulder, the mer's nose ending up in his hair with that movement.

"Jimin knows. Yoongi, his boyfriend, too. They were arguing about something earlier, but they definitely both know that I've been meeting with a mer. And maybe more of the villagers, I don't know. The way Jimin spoke, it sounded like it was common knowledge."

There is a pause where Taehyung seems too shaken to continue. A full-body shiver runs through him that has Jeongguk clutch him in worry. The mer quickly checks if the water temperature is still alright.

"I'm sorry," Taehyung croaks.

And.

Jeongguk can't have that.

"No. No, no, no."

He pulls Taehyung out of his neck and searches for his gaze. Makes Taehyung properly look at him, so he sees the sincerity in his words. 

"Don't apologise, little star." Jeongguk kisses Taehyung's sad eyes, the bridge of his nose, his forehead, his lips. "You have done nothing wrong. You'd never tell them, would you?"

A shake of the human's head confirms what he already knew, what he was convinced of.

"See? So it's not your fault. They would have found out sooner or later, anyway. So please, please don't apologise like that. Okay?"

Taehyung hiccups. Nods feebly. And then buries his face in Jeongguk's chest as he begins to sob.

Jeongguk can only hold him through it. Can only offer comfort through his physical closeness and a hand stroking down Taehyung's back. His hushed whispers fall on deaf ears.

"He- he said such mean things about you," Taehyung warbles after quite a while. Jeongguk had taken to hum a slow melody by then, and started to rocket the two of them back and forth with the faint sway of the sea. A fist weakly hits Jeongguk's arm. "I-I hated it! I hated to hear him say such things when he- I mean- he doesn't even know you!"

"Shhhh." Jeongguk increases their swaying motion. "It's okay. As long as you don't hate me, that guy can loathe me all he wants."

Taehyung hits him again, then. And again, and again. Jeongguk lets him. It doesn't hurt.

"No, it's. It's not! He doesn't know you, he has no right, he- he can't- you're not a monster! You're not, you're- I- no!"

Jeongguk almost laughs. That is all? A monster? That's what they call him?

Sure, it is not nice. But during Taehyung's silence, Jeongguk's vivid imagination has been straying much further, and come up with way more gruesome things the villagers might have told Taehyung. In comparison to that, being called a monster is almost harmless. Especially when they haven't told Taehyung anything else yet. 

However.

If the villagers start to tell Taehyung more...

What should he do?

As Taehyung's angry fists keep raining down on him, as the human keeps saying that it's not fair and nobody should ever say such things about his Jeonggukkie, the mer keeps contemplating that question. 

Because he has no doubt the people of Nakseongdae will pull him to pieces. And who knows, if after they're done Taehyung even wants to see him again?

On the other hand though... 

His little star deserves the truth. So he'll get it. Jeongguk will tell him what he wants to know, if asked. He can only pray to the stars that it won't break them apart. That Taehyung will stay with him still.

For now, as long as they both don't know how everything will turn out, the best thing he can do is offer his home to lovely, sad, angry Taehyung.

The latter easily agrees to stay the night.

And like this, they end up in each other's arms soon after, cuddling in one of the hollows Jeongguk filled with fine sand many decades ago. Jeongguk stays in his form and twists his tail so that his large fins splay over as much of Taehyung as possible. Cover him with a toasty layer. Jeongguk faintly regrets not keeping a blanket here just in case - just for whenever Taehyung might come here. But like this, it might work too.

Taehyung mumbles sleepily that he's comfy alright. Snuggles further into the embrace and digs a cool nose in Jeongguk's neck. The mer squirms. Shudders, fins fluttering along. It pulls a low chuckle out of Taehyung that soon enough turns into a long yawn. Which has Jeongguk laughing in turn, forever endeared by the adorable man in his arms.

Ignoring the stars high above, Jeongguk trains his eyes on his own little star. Quietly hums a soothing melody and urges the sea into a lazy motion to not stir Taehyung back awake.

Right before he drifts off, Taehyung mutters,

" 'S not fair, I'm supposed to look at your starry glow a lot more. Don't let me sleep just yet."

Another chuckle rasps out of Jeongguk. He coos. "Listen to your body, pearl. You had a long, difficult day. There will be many other possibilities to see me under starlight, if you so wish."

"That better be true," Taehyung grunts. Shuffles around a bit and tugs his head under Jeongguk's chin, then wraps a leg around his tail.

Not even ten minutes later, soft snores are all Jeongguk can hear from him.

The mer loosens his grip on the human shortly. Only enough to reach out and dip his hand inside the water, so he can make close contact with the sea and let his senses sweep through it, all the way back to Nakseongdae, to check whether there is anyone stirring at the coast.

He needs to ensure Taehyung's absence didn't start something this night.

Nothing moves.

There are no other humans in the water. No ship is manned, not a single wooden stilt is quivering under the weight of someone crossing the pier. For tonight at least they seem to be safe.

Jeongguk sharpens his senses again, throws his net even further before allowing his eyes to slip shut too.

He drifts off into a restless sleep at last. A part of him never stops to monitor their surroundings. The night stays quiet, with Taehyung being a grounding presence in his hold.

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"What?"

Taehyung's voice comes out a notch too feeble for his liking. Alas, he thinks he must have misheard. Because surely Jeongguk didn't really say that-

"You should... you should go to that museum, Taehyung."

While part of Taehyung thinks about how the mer is literally the only person who can call him by his full first name instead of things like 'Tae' despite them being close (because he always says it with such reverence and adoration as if it were his favourite in the world, and how could Taehyung ever be offended by that), the other part of him is, well, reeling. Because truth be told, he didn't plan on going into that family-run exhibition. At all.

And yet, here Jeongguk is, suggesting that very thing.

"...Why?"

His voice still is too small. Especially with how they are in the mer's home and it is literally the least place where he has to be afraid, or hold back. But something is not right. Not when, after that question, some emotions flit over Jeongguk's face before he catches himself. Taehyung is not sure he could pinpoint it correctly. Whether it was agony, desperation, or something else. He just knows he hates it.

In an instant, Taehyung rolls over until he's laying on top of the mer, and cups his face in both hands.

"Gguk. Talk to me. What's wrong?"

The following expression he catches for a split-second is definitely panic. Then, Jeongguk smiles up at him. Turns his head to kiss Taehyung's wrist, and keeps smiling.

"Nothing. Don't you worry, little star."

This clearly is not 'nothing'.

Now Taehyung is beginning to really worry. But if Jeongguk wants to deny it, then maybe... maybe the best thing he can do is indeed going to that local museum. Even though he really, really doesn't want to.

"Alright," he concedes, still worrying very much.

Brushes their noses together, then licks over the mer's lips, prying them open for a languid, deep kiss which Jeongguk is all too happy to indulge him with, hands already slipping down Taehyung's body until they grasp his bum and give it a good squeeze.

It takes no time at all for things to get heated, and soon enough Taehyung has two fingers pumping in and out of him at an agonisingly slow pace, their stiff members pressing against each other as Jeongguk's strong grip on him prevents Taehyung from rutting down. He whines at that. Pushes back onto those clever fingers instead. Struggles not to come right then and there, clenching around them. The third one has him whimpering.

Jeongguk continues to take his time. Guides Taehyung right to the edge for multiple times, just to leave him hanging there, dry and desperate. Until at one especially harsh press of the mer's fingers against his prostate, they both come together, Taehyung squeezing around Jeongguk tight. The orgasm crashes through him like a tsunami. 

And while they slowly come down from their high, chests raising rapidly and breath coming out in loud pants, they pretend nothing is the matter at all.

Later that morning, after Taehyung's stomach told him how not impressed it is at the lack of breakfast twice, Jeongguk takes him back to the cliff stairs. And has Taehyung begrudgingly promise to go to that stupid museum today. Which. He sure as hell does not feel great about, but. A promise is a promise. And a promise to his Jeonggukkie even more so.

So he nods, corners of his mouth turned downwards no doubt as he says, that, yes, okay, he will go there.

And feels a tad-bit better once the mer adds, "But come to me afterwards, alright? Promise?"

That's a promise he likes to keep. As if he'd ever skip on a possibility to meet up with Jeongguk, pshhh. Ridiculous.

It is that last sentence, right before they kiss each other goodbye, that has Taehyung's good spirits return and adds a skip to his steps.

Until he stands in front of Jimin's uncle, that is.

He is as intimidating and gruff as Taehyung remembers him to be. Truth be told, he wasn't all too mad that their paths failed to cross after the day on the trawler. Taehyung didn't miss the guy all that much. 

"The lad told me you'd come," Mr. Park grunts. He opens the door wider but refuses to move an inch, his massive, bulky form filling out a good part of the door frame. So Taehyung has no choice but to squeeze himself past if he wants to get inside. Which. Obviously he doesn't, not really. But he made a promise. And promises are there to be kept. Even if it means he comes face-to-face with Mr. Parks sweaty, stinky armpit.

The museum tour - or rather, one-room-exhibition - turns out to be about as exciting as a soggy slice of bread. Everything is bland, there is too much text in too small font plastered everywhere. And the lack of exhibits is... astounding. Only an old fishing net, some filled sand bags and equally awe-inspiring things are haphazardly thrown into some corners. 

Taehyung dutifully reads all the text printed out and glued onto walls. Notices spelling mistakes in every third sentence, and forgets what he has been reading about seconds later. It's that bad.

He is not a museum hater, quite the contrary. During rare breaks in his hectic idol schedule he likes to visit avant-garde exhibitions all around the world. Those, however, usually are perfectly curated. They have him stay in the museum for several hours more often than not.

This one, though, is, by far, the most boring exhibition Taehyung has ever attended.

He is about to leave at last, when Mr. Park grabs his arm and holds him back. The grip of his large hand is like a vice, and truth be told, quite uncomfortable. Taehyung wouldn't be surprised if he found finger-shaped bruises all over his skin later.

"Jimin told me to tell you not to do anything stupid."

Taehyung huffs. "Stupid like what?"

"Stupid shit like running straight to a monster, bozo."

The idol's jaw drops at that. Bozo? Well. He certainly hasn't been called like that before, ever. "I'm not- what-"

Mr. Park slaps him harshly on the back, not a hint of a smile on his face. Taehyung doubles over.

"Go sit with the elders."

"What?!"

"Go. Sit. With the elders," the man growls.

And nods to where in front of the shabby house next-door three grandpas are slouched onto a bench, playing yutnori together and cursing at each other like there was no tomorrow.

Taehyung meekly trudges over to them as soon as Jimin's uncle lets go of him. One after another, three heads turn around. The man on the left smiles slowly.

"Now zee wha' we 'ave 'ere, a proper gert greenhorn who be still soppy 'pon 'is lugs."

Taehyung blinks.

The grandpa in the middle boxes the one who has been speaking up, and snorts. "Ah, c'mon, stop being such a show-off. E'rrybody knows this ain't our way of speaking. You just wanna boast what a dumb, old man you are, it's embarrassing to watch, I dun' even know you, sheesh. You wanna impress the city boi that bad, huh?"

The first man cackles. "Aish, my bad, shitty boi. C'mere, c'mere, sit with those rusty losers, hm? We got a shit load of tales to tell ya, and way too few time. Old Hujin over there might drop dead any day now, ya know."

For the first time, the grandpa on the right pipes up. "Like hell Imma kick the bucket before your stupid ass does, yah!" He flings one of the yut sticks at the other, and immediately gets hit by a crutch in return.

Taehyung stands around awkwardly as he watches the quabble unfold. Shifts from one foot to the other, until the old men remember him, and decide to make space for him on their bench. Which immediately kicks off another foul-mouthed fight about who is the fattest and taking up too much space on the bench.

After maybe twenty minutes, Taehyung finds himself squeezed between Hujin and Joonwoo, with a bowl of fish soup in his hand which all three men claim to be the best soup on the east coast. (Two spoons in, Taehyung finds it is much too salty for his liking. He'll make sure to eat the entire thing, though. Show them how much of a city boy he is.)

Mr. Park, seemingly satisfied with the picture they paint, finally disappears back into his house and leaves Taehyung in the hand of the village's elders.

Two tales about alleged hobgoblin sightings and one about somebody's great-great-great-grand-father who got eaten by a giant carp ("You dumb idiot, carps don't even live here! Yer so stupid,  yer got sea weed sprouting outta yer ears, i swer. I keep telling ya it was a mackerel." - "Shut yer fat mouth, if I say it was a carp, then it was a carp! I'm the oldest here, which makes me the upper elder, yah!") later, Taehyung violently flinches at the sudden mention of mermaids.

"...Yer have ta be careful, city boy, of those mermaids," Joonwoo mutters. "Ain't nothing fun 'bout 'em. There's been one of those things haunting our bay for well over three centuries now."

"No, no, no!" Hujin shakes his head violently. It reminds Taehyung of those bobble head dolls. "The mother of my cousin's older brother said her grandma told her it was a male mermaid."

"Ain't no mer-maid then, innit?"

Hujin purses his lips. "Huh. Hate to admit ya got a point there. Maybe mer butler, then?"

"Nah, have ya ever seen one of those things wear a fucking tuxedo?"

"Have you ever seen one of 'em at all?"

"Fuck you."

"Fuck you!"

Taehyung tries his best to lean out of the way once Hujin and Joonwoo start throwing sticks at each other again. From the other end of the bench, Baekho gives him a toothless grin.

"Ignore those idiots, lad," he suggests. "I do. The point they failed to make is, that mermaids and such stuff are heckin' terrifying."

Taehyung really doesn't like where this is going. But squeezed between the grandpas as he is, there is nowhere for him to go as they begin with graphic descriptions of all the horrid things Jeongguk allegedly has done. The torture he inflicted on poor villagers, the many victims of his rage.

"...and then it ate Hyejin's left foot-"

"With the toe nails!"

Hujin smacks the back of Joonwo's head. "Nah, it spewed those out, I keep telling ya, idiot. It only likes thumb nails, remember?"

"Pshh, whatever. You haven't told the lad how many people it drowned for sports yet."

Hujin rolls his eyes. "For fucks' sake, I was just getting there, Joon-bo!"

"Yah, who're ya calling pabo, you senile goat, huh?!"

Taehyung thinks he is going to be sick. The remnants of fish soup taste foul in his mouth, and he can almost smell vomit. His hands feel cold and clammy at the same time, shaking faintly. 

He doesn't want to hear another word. Wants to jolt up and run away, but the three elders are surprisingly strong for their age. They manage to keep him in place with a crutch, two legs and three arms wrapped around him, and keep talking and talking. Jump from one terrific story to the next as they delight in retelling all the bloody details.

"...Remember when they found the bones of old Wenji, and they were gnawed clean?"

"Oh, yes, yes, my auntie told me about it! They found lotsa tooth marks on 'em."

"That's right, that's right. Or that other time, when-"

There is a ringing in Taehyung's ears. With each sentence ir gets louder. Slowly turns deafening as he tries and tries not to listen to any other word. Any other blatant lie.

"...And it stole poor children out of their beds at least trice, I heard!"

No. No more. He is done here.

In a moment of negligence from the elders, he jolts upright and elbows his way out. The grandpas laugh and shout after him to come back. Except for Baekho, who yells,

"Yah! Those mermaids and butlers, lad! Ya may like 'em when they're rain, but yer better be wary when they turn into a fucking storm, ya hear me?!"

Taehyung ignores him, them. All he can do is run. Run as fast as he can, as he tries to outrun the vile accusations still hanging in the air. As if, when he'd just ran fast enough, it could turn back time. Make all those things unsaid again. His feet keep thrumming on the cracked asphalt, his own heartbeat thumping in his head. He's gotta run faster. Run away from the nightmares those elders have been weaving.

The worst thing is, they believe them. With how they've been talking about them, they truly believe every single story they just told Taehyung.

The little box in his pocket, sent over by Miss Kang only yesterday, is searing him. Like molten iron.

He shakes his head and slides a hand over his face, distraught.

Taehyung runs and runs, runs straight to the pier. Towards the ocean, and the mer he knows is waiting for him. Jumps head-first into the water without slowing down, trusting that Jeongguk will get him before he can freeze.

This is not true.

None of this is true. It can't be.They are lying. This entire village is a village of liars.

Jeongguk would never!

Chapter Text

Greek | adjective

♦ composed of both good and evil

Jeongguk feels it like a slap in the face.

The sudden entry of Taehyung into his realm, that is. The way he jumps into the sea without hesitation, despite the low temperatures and the danger to be seen. There is no finesse to it. Nothing sneaky about how the human goes under head-first, loud and sudden like an explosion.

The mer digs his claws into the sea, and pulls. Launches himself forward as fast as he can, ignoring the strong toll on him, and the way his hands burn with how quickly the numbness spreads from his fingertips. He doesn't have time. Only a few moments, before the cold water can become lethal to humans.

He has seen it up close a few times. It's been decades ago by now, but he still remembers those tiny, spasming bodies slowly sinking down, some of them gasping like fish out of water. It looked different. Drowning in cold water seems to be quicker, and more violent for humans. The mere thought that Taehyung could end up like them, body convulsing before it goes slack forever...

No, don't think about it!

Yet still...

Those pictures stay in his head and refuse to go away. Jeongguk blinks aggressively, tries to get rid of them. Launches himself through the currents even faster.

It's a race against time. Maybe it's already too late. Each second counts. 

Hurry, hurry, hurry!

He needs to hurry.

His Taehyung's life is at stake.

The seascape blurs around him into a maze of grey and blue streaks. He has the faint sense of riling up the water surface with his speed. Doesn't care, not as he feels Taehyung struggling.

And then he sees him.

Jeongguk reaches him before he can dive up for air. Presses an urgent kiss against Taehyung's lips and pushes another one of Asterin's berries into his mouth. The cloud of warmth he brought along engulfs the human.

Taehyung's entire body relaxes immediately. He wraps his arms around Jeongguk and answers the kiss, playing around with the berry before swallowing it at last. Only then, only after he swallowed it and is easily breathing underwater, does Jeongguk allow himself to let go some of the tension clinging to his everything. He grasps Taehyung tight, guides the other's head to bury into his chest, and then cradles him even closer before setting off for his home.

On the entire way back, he listens keenly to Taehyung's heartbeat. Urges the sea around him to do the same - to pay attention for every slight sign of discomfort.

As soon as they reach his cave, Jeongguk checks up on Taehyung. First clasps his face in both hands and inspects it closely, then has the sea run its course, and lastly tells Taehyung to strip.

There is nothing romantic about the way he says it. His brows are furrowed so much he almost gets a headache from it, voice stern. Jeongguk needs to be sure. Needs, not merely wants, but really needs to see that Taehyung is alright. Only then will he truly relax - and give him a piece of  his mind for being so damn reckless.

But first he has to see with his own eyes that Taehyung is fine.

Taehyung slips off his pullover at last.

And. Jeongguk's eyes zero in on his left arm.

He is not fine.

The mer clenches his teeth.

Five.

Five bruises.

It is not hard to guess what they're from.

He gently grasps Taehyung's arm and runs soothing fingers over the hand-shaped bruise. Hopes the cooling layer of water he took up might bring some kind of pain relief.

"Who."

There it is, that lethal calm. The same one he felt back when Namjoon told him about the many scars on Seokjin's tail. It had taken everything from Namjoon to hold him in place back then, and prevent him from violently drowning the nearest inhabited coastline. Had the older mer not been more experienced and witty, and had he not gotten help from a very reluctant Seokjin in tackling Jeongguk, the younger would have gone along with his impulsive plan. He's been ready for bloodshed, then.

And now, seeing those bruises on Taehyung together with the tears in his eyes, he is not too far off again.

"Who did this to you?"

But Taehyung, ah. His brave, good-hearted, wonderful Taehyung stubbornly refuses to answer.

So all Jeongguk can do for now is fuss over him. Has to put the cumulating energy of his rage into something more useful, as Taehyung keeps his mouth shut. Even if he hates it. Even if he'd love to go and rip out the throat of whoever put their hands on Taehyung.

...At least he doesn't find any other wounds.

It pulls a weak laugh out of Taehyung, when the mer lifts up his arms one after another to search for bruises in his armpits. Followed by a squeak, when he pulls Taehyung's butt cheeks apart and checks there too, just to be thorough. Who knows what weird things humans might do to each other?

"Nobody touched me there, okay," Taehyung shrieks. Slaps Jeongguk's hands away, then turns and bends down to peck the mer on the bridge of his nose. His hands splay over Jeongguk's cheeks, warm and reassuring. "I promise I'm alright."

Jeongguk squints at him, at the dark purple bruises shaped like savage fingers. "Your arm says otherwise."

"That-" Taehyung splutters. "I mean, that- that's true. But really, nothing happened. Mr. Park only has a strong grip, you see, and, well..."

The mer's eyes widen slightly. He knows that name. Has it heard being shouted on one of the trawlers multiple times from a safe distance. He memorises that name. Rolls it around in his head like a lose barrel in the stormy sea. And mentally puts a target on Mr. Park's back.

No. That's not what Taehyung needs right now. Jeongguk shakes his head and forces a smile onto his face.

"If you say so."

After some more fussing and fretting, a lengthy lecture about the dangers of cold water and an extensive cuddle session, Jeongguk addresses the real problem.

"What happened, little star?"

As always, an adorable blush stains Taehyung's cheeks. He pouts, and turns his face away from where he is sprawled over Jeongguk like a starfish.

"...I just..."

"Hm?"

"I just couldn't bear it any longer. Listening to them."

There is a short moment of confusion before Jeongguk catches on. Villagers - surely there have been villagers in the museum. Probably elders, who tell their stories to every visitor. He wonders if they wait in the museum for customers all day long. If they sit there and start blabbering the moment they spot their next victim. Is that how museums work?

Regardless, they must have told Taehyung all kinds of tales. Gruesome enough to scare him away and have him jump into the winter sea. Jeongguk is still not quite over that certain shock.

But now, that they showed their hand to Taehyung...

"You must have questions."

And Jeongguk is ready to answer them. Even if... even if, truth be told, he feels tempted to lie. To deny the horrid things those villagers accuse him of. He still fears to lose Taehyung  once the other knows what he is capable of, and what he has done. Once Taehyung knows about the things he kept away from him.

Oh, he wants to twist the elders' words in Taehyung's mouth. Until his little pearl can no longer tell truth from lie and will believe the fishermen are the bad ones in the story, and that Jeongguk is the wronged one, the victim. It would be so easy, with how much Taehyung obviously trusts him. Would keep him at Jeongguk's side and have him cut all ties with the villagers.

But he won't. Decides against it. Taehyung, more than anyone else, deserves the truth -  even if it means he'll end up so repulsed he never wants to meet Jeongguk again. Even if it drives them apart. Taehyung is not someone who should be lied to.

In the decades and centuries he roamed the sea, Jeongguk has gained some flimsy bits of maturity and wisdom. Or at least he likes to think so. It's what keeps him from lying to Taehyung's face. And if worst comes to worst, if Taehyung really leaves him... then maybe Jeongguk deserves it. He won't fight the decision Taehyung makes. Somehow, he'll get over the loss, sooner or later.

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

Taehyung tilts his head, and blinks at Jeongguk. Something is off about him.

Of course he could be wrong, but-

Why does he get that strange feeling of defeat from the mer? What is he missing here?

"Questions?"

The mer nods. Pulls the necklace from under the pullover Taehyung put back on a while ago, and fiddles with the pearls hanging there. The pearls Jeongguk himself gifted him.

"Yeah. After what you learnt, you must have many questions." Jeongguk doesn't meet his eyes as he says it. "I promise to answer all of them truthfully. And bring you back whenever you say the word, no questions asked."

"Why?"

Taehyung doesn't like this, man. He doesn't like it one bit.

There is a sad little smile the mer dons when he responds. "I wouldn't want you to think you are a prisoner in the monster's lair, little star."

It breaks Taehyung's heart. Confuses him in the most hurtful ways. Why does Jeongguk act like this? Almost as if... as if the horrible claims were true!

...He doesn't really eat children... does he?

No, no, no, don't be absurd now, Taehyung!

Dread settles heavily in his stomach. This can't be true. No way.

With a deep sigh, Taehyung runs his hands along the mer's strong arms. Splays his own wool-clad arms wide, until he can reach Jeongguk's hands and entwine their fingers. He gives them a good squeeze, and grins at the amused huff he gets in return. Then he wiggles around so the mer's tail slips between his legs and he can take it hostage, clinging to it like an over-sized koala. The little box he tucked into his pocket digs into his abdomen. Not yet. It's not time for that yet. He wiggles some more, then makes himself heavy on top of the mer.

Jeongguk snorts.

"You are not exactly being cooperative here, Tae."

Taehyung pouts. "I don't know what you could possibly mean?"

Another huff, followed by a chuckle. The mer takes Taehyung's right hand and guides it to his mouth, slowly kissing every knuckle.

"What do you wanna know?"

And. Taehyung wants to sulk, he really does. But then again, Jeongguk is annoyingly right. He does have a lot of questions. Like, at least a ton. He's not sure which ones to actually ask, though. So he takes a moment to ponder, before he asks whether the villagers have a justified reason to fear Jeongguk.

It's not that much of a surprise when the mer nods slowly.

"And do I have to fear you?"

His second question has Jeongguk almost doubling over in his effort to deny it. "No, no, of course not!"

The way he squeezes Taehyung's hand is bordering on painful. It's still better than that self-depreciating smile a while ago, though. So he doesn't wince. Just squeezes back, and follows up with the next question.

"Did you have valid reasons for what you did?"

Jeongguk's hold on him slackens. He turns away and gnaws on his lip. "I mean, I'd like to think so, yeah. But. Anybody else would probably say something else."

"I'm not asking others, I'm asking you, dummy! You think you're valid?"

"I, uhm, maybe?"

Taehyung nods to himself. "Huh. That's good enough for me. The fact that you said 'maybe' shows that you're reflecting on your wrong-doings. I don't need to know more for now."

"You... don't?!?" the mer asks, blinking up at Taehyung dumbly.

Taehyung snorts. Frees one of his hands to flick Jeongguk's nose and then tickles his gills until he sneezes.

"No, silly! Did you seriously think I'd terrorise you with questions the moment I see you, then call you a monster and run away? You big goof. Dumbass Jeonggukkie, really. If I'd ask you any question about what you did, you'd honestly answer me, wouldn't you? That's what you said."

Jeongguk nods. "Of course, always."

He still looks like a lost puppy. As if he can't believe Taehyung refuses to put him on the spot. Laughable. He'd be the shittiest boyfriend if he did that, wouldn't he? So he puffs himself up, and declares proudly,

"Then that's all I need to know."

"I... Are you... certain?"

Taehyung slaps the mer's chest. "Yah, don't doubt me, idiot! By the way, how old are you again?"

"I, what, I mean, I, uh... something about two hundred years, I think? My dads would know for sure. But what does that have to do with-"

"See, you are old as heck."

"Yah!"

Taehyung shrugs. "People change all the time. For you it won't be any different. You're a completely different person than a hundred, or even fifty years ago now. Besides..." He frowns. Does a quick tally in his head. If Jeongguk is two hundred years old...

Then there is no way he is responsible for the flood from 1634. And maybe not the one from 1825 either. He'd only have been a child back then, right? So not only is it improbable that he did all those things the elders and Jimin said. According to basic arithmetic it's not even possible.

Those bastards. They can't just chalk up every tragedy to someone who technically has the powers to commit them. That's not fair. It's slander, and unjustified, and, just, well. Mean.

Jeongguk pokes him in the side. Taehyung yelps.

"Yah, what- ?"

"You didn't finish your sentence."

Taehyung purses his lips. "Huh. You're right. My bad."

"So... now what?"

The mer seems hesitant. Still looks unsure, and as if he has to walk on egg shells around Taehyung.

He can't have that. Such a tense atmosphere is the least thing he wants. They've been so at ease around each other. And now a few words from some self-righteous arseholes are enough for a proud sea god to tiptoe around him? That's the complete opposite of how their relationship usually is. The last time gorgeous, fearless Jeongguk had to be cautious around him was almost eight months ago, back when they didn't know each other. This, right now, however. This is worse. Taehyung dislikes it with a passion.

With a dramatic sigh, he flops off Jeongguk and makes to get up.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I am starving. So what I'm gonna do is, 'll help myself to some food."

It's an idea he just recently had. If the mer can control the sea water in any way, then that also means he can boil it. In other words: cooking stuff like instant ramyun is very much possible. They've only done it a couple of times so far, and the first time Taehyung forgot to tell Jeongguk to remove the salt from the sea water before boiling it. But it works. And luckily, Taehyung packed several servings of instant food that only needs to be boiled before he went to the damn museum. He is prepared to camp out in Jeongguk's home for a few days, if need be.

Now he begins to neatly stack the packs in one of the nooks in the colourful rock wall. Adds a few cereal bars, and some other things, together with the water bottles he brought.

Jeongguk silently watches him and dutifully takes up his task as human - or, well, merman - kettle. Has the water in the two cups Taehyung put in front of him bubbling in no time. 

He only steals one bite of Taehyung's ramyun, and aside from that, watches him wolfing down both servings in no time quietly. 

Taehyung shrieks. Calls theft and bloody murder, and pokes his chopsticks in the mer's cheek, demanding his food back. Of course, Jeongguk shakes his head. Swallows the stolen bite and licks his lips before giving Taehyung a cheeky little grin. Taehyung is so glad to see a hint of the usual Jeongguk coming through that he can't even begin to be mad. So he just laughs. And then makes an effort to guard his precious food from the greedy mer in front of him. 

Only after Taehyung has put both empty cups away, does he ask,

"No, I mean... what about us?"

"What about all the times you said you had the answers," Taehyung can't help but mutter. Stops himself last minute from belting out the entire refrain. That's not what they're here for right now. (Even though a collaboration with the one and only P!nk would surely be lit.)

Instead, he lovingly takes the mer's face in both hands.

"Jeonggukkie, you fool. You still think Imma leave you just like that? Aish, seriously." He traces the stars under Jeongguk's wavering eyes. "You may be old and mighty as hell, but sometimes you are a little stupid. I figured out weeks ago that there are some certain parts of you that you're trying to hide from me."

The mer gapes.

"I... what?"

Taehyung nods. "You sometimes get this really weird look when I talk about the villagers."

"...Oh."

"Also, you're not half as sneaky as you think, with how you pulled me into the water just before Jiminie could catch on."

"You... what? You noticed?"

Taehyung shrugs. "Not really. But I took a well-educated guess, and you just confirmed it, so."

Jeongguk blinks, stupefied. His eyes have gone all round and big, absolutely adorable. Taehyung coos. "It's okay. I think it's kinda cute how you're so worried I'll turn tail the second someone lays a nasty tale about you on me. Although you really have to understand that I won't do such thing. You're not getting rid of me that easily, pabo."

The mer seems to not listen at the last part, too focused on-

"I'm not cute!"

"Uhum~"

"Yah! Taehyung, I'm not! I am strong, and manly, and a very fearsome, mighty, powerful-"

Taehyung kisses the air between them and winks. "Sure you are. My terrific, legendary, insanely cute, dumbass mer."

"...That's not very nice of you."

"Yah! To your information, I'm always nice to you!"

For some reason, Taehyung's point has still not come across properly. Because a bit later, Jeongguk tugs Taehyung in his lap and stares at him for a solid ten minutes. As if the idol is some kind of riddle he needs to solve.

Taehyung succeeds in booping the mer's nose once, twice, thrice and getting away with it, before Jeongguk reacts.

"Wait, hold up," he says as if their conversation never stopped. "I just wanna get this straight..."

Taehyung wipes a fake tear away and sniffs. "You are using your twenty-first century slang so well nowadays, I'm a proud mum!"

With an eye-roll, the mer pinches his side. "I wasn't finished yet. You said it's rude to interrupt others."

All Taehyung can do as response to that, is pout. Because, well. Jeongguk isn't exactly wrong.

With a huff and a peck to Taehyung's forehead. the mer takes up his thread. And immediately looks like a preschooler who wants to make sure that two plus two equals four.

"Anyway, as I was saying. So, like, you know I am a bad guy-"

"You're not!"

"Hush. You know I am not quite innocent-"

Taehyung squawks again.

"-and yet you still don't wanna break up? You still won't leave me?"

With a deep scowl, Taehyung pulls at one of the mer's cheeks. The little box in his pocket weighs heavier than ever. Time for some bigger piece of blatant truth. If the mer refuses to believe him, he'll have to get even more obvious.

"Stupid idiot. Dumbass Jeonggukkie. Why the fuck would I do that when you are literally the love of my life?"

There.

He couldn't possibly get more straight-forward.

And sure enough, he seems to finally drive his message home. Because now Jeongguk is blushing so furiously he has to hide behind his pretty hands. 

"Wh-wha... why are you- why would you say that, gosh-"

He is fidgeting and turning away, too shy to meet Taehyung's eyes as he keeps rubbing his crimson face.

Taehyung coos. This must be the first time he sees his favourite mer getting his brain fried. What an entertaining sight indeed. He stretches out a hand for one of Jeongguk's braids he mindlessly undid earlier, and curls the long, black strands around his finger. Time to keep going until there is no way for Jeongguk to ever doubt him again. Even if he has to get as cheesy as never before. 

No, that's wrong.

He shakes his head.

It's not cheesy if it's true.

So he keeps spelling it out for the mer.

"Ggukkie, you are my soulmate."

Jeongguk whines and wiggles around again.

"The light of my life-"

"Stop."

"-my other half that completes me and fills all the holes in my heart-"

"Nooo!," Jeongguk wails, and slaps a hand over Taehyung's mouth.

Taehyung simply laughs and licks the other's palm.

Sure enough, Jeongguk jerks away. "Ew, what-"

"If you refuse to believe me, then I gotta rephrase my statement until you finally get me. Deal with it."

But the mer shakes his head. "No, no, no. You can't just... say those things and expect me to be fine!"

That has the idol cackle for real. He keeps watching the whining and fidgeting mer, and laughs, immensely amused. "Look who is flustered now! This is how I feel every time you call me your little star."

"Wh- how are you still alive?!"

Taehyung shrugs. "I honestly have no clue, dude."

"Yah, don't 'dude' me when I'm dying!"

It goes back and forth for a while, with Taehyung talking in increasingly empurpled ways, and Jeongguk in a last ditch-effort of self-defence holding his ears shut. Maybe he also throws Taehyung into the water twice. But that's only between the two of them, and nobody else's business, really.

Anyway. After a hilariously long time, Jeongguk finally manages to compose himself. And uses his newfound seriousness to ask the next stupid question.

"But don't you feel betrayed or hurt or something similar? By me not being completely honest, I mean?"

"Nah."

Jeongguk halts. And gapes. 

"I... what? Why?"

Taehyung purses his lips. Shrugs, and fiddles around with one of Jeongguk's chains he's been holding hostage for the past few minutes. "Maybe because I have zero sense of self-preservation?"

"I mean, yes," the mer agrees too fast for Taehyung's liking. Tugs his twinkling chain out of Taehyung's grasp to weave their fingers together instead, and adds, "Which is worrisome. And we should probably talk about that sooner rather than later."

Taehyung pouts. "...And because I love you, and trust you, obviously."

With a defeated sigh, Jeongguk slumps forward. Buries his head in Taehyung's shoulder and squeezes his hand. "You really shouldn't talk like that too often if you want me to stay sane, little star."

Taehyung, however, is having none of that. He threads his fingers into Jeongguk's hair, mindful of the tiara preciously nestled there ever since Taehyung re-did it earlier. Holds the mer's head in place as he mutters the next words right into Jeongguk's ear.

"I know you, Gguk. Maybe not every bit of you, not yet. But I still know you better than anyone else here. None of the villagers has ever really met you, right? All they ever saw, was a big shadow in the water, if anything at all. Right?"

The mer hums lowly. Strokes a thumb over Taehyung's knuckles slowly, as he keeps listening. So Taehyung continues to sort through his thoughts out loud.

"In other words... that means, all they know about you are fairytales. Stories passed down from one generation to the next. And everybody knows that with those things it's common they get blown out of proportion over time. But of course they think they know all the truth, because no way did one of their relatives ever exaggerate their story. Which is so naive it's almost dumb, honestly."

Jeongguk turns his head and hides a kiss in the soft skin right under Taehyung's ear.

"You are way too good to me, you know? Too kind about all this."

"Nah," Taehyung shakes his head. He isn't. Not really. "I'm merely being objective here, is all."

The mer huffs a little laugh against his neck. "That's a lie and impossible at this point, and you know it."

"You are no fun."

"You know I'm right, though."

"Ugh, okay!" Taehyung throws his hands in the air - and only almost gets stuck with one of them in Jeongguk's hair. "You got me! Fuck you! Then how about I give you the benefit of doubt? Does that sound any  better?"

Jeongguk looks as if he's thinking about it before he agrees with a little smile. "Yeah, I'll take that. Still doesn't explain the big Why, though."

"Fine. Well, I mean, it's just..." Taehyung looks around the cave in a search for help. Gets momentarily distracted by the sun filtering through those big coloured glass mosaics Jeongguk filled some of the holes in the walls with. "I mean, look. If you think about it from a modern-day perspective, you're like, a mobbing victim."

"...I'm a what now?"

But Taehyung is sure he's onto something there. He straightens up, involuntarily knocking the mer off, and explains with sweeping gestures, "I mean, look, a whole village is ganging up against you. They've been bullying you for centuries now, to a point where you have developed a fear of humans in general."

"Okay, that's only partly true..."

"No, but seriously! Remember the first time we met?"

"Yeah..." Jeongguk smiles wistfully. "You kicked me in the face."

"Yah, that's not the point I tried to make, and you know it!"

The mer shrugs, absolutely unapologetic. Playfully bites Taehyung in the neck, and only allows him to go on after peppering his entire face with kisses - and then deliberately rolling all over him with his entire heavy merman body. Taehyung tries to take it with as much dignity as one can when being flattened by a giant fish. 

"Weren't you the one to remember me of manners earlier? What about 'we let each other finish our sentences before talking', huh?"

Jeongguk shrugs. Rolls a little further until he's laying onto his side. He cheekily looks back at Taehyung, chin rested in his palm. "That's human etiquette. I'm not human, therefore it doesn't apply to me. And I can interrupt you as often as I want."

"...That's really not how it works, Ggukkie."

"Aw, don't be a sore loser."

With a loud shriek, Taehyung throws a handful of sand at the mer. "I haven't lost anything, you idiot!"

And launches himself on the unsuspecting victim for a tickle sneak attack.

Only after they've properly exhausted themselves and chased each other through the entire cave (and it's a big cave!) with Jeongguk shifting for a total of five times if Taehyung counted right, just to get away from the latter, do they continue their talk.

It almost feels as if Taehyung were drifting on the water surface like back in summer, with how heavily Jeongguk is breathing underneath him. The mer's chest raises, and lifts up Taehyung with each breath. Taehyung actually has to put in some effort to not fall off.

"You were so shocked back then." He lazily traces patterns on Jeongguk's skin. And has a good grasp on those body chains, just in case. Falling off mid-sentence would be pretty embarrassing. "As if it's been ages since you last interacted with humans." He hums. "The more I think about it, the more sense it makes."

Jeongguk at last takes pity on him and rolls them over so they're both laying on their sides. Taehyung immediately takes the opportunity to snuggle into the embrace the mer so willingly offers. His safe space. When they are like this, the things those elders said seem far away. Like that encounter hardly could have happened at this same day. 

With his body and mind relaxed, Taehyung is on his best way to doze off, when the mer pipes up again.

"You don't have to seek for explanations that make me sound like a better person, you know."

Which.

Excuse him!

Taehyung takes full offence hearing that.

"I'm literally not?! Besides, it's just fair to have at least one ally against-" Squinting, he pulls his right hand out from under Jeongguk's back, tries to do a rough tally, and then gives up- "hundreds? Thousands? Honestly, I'm so bad at guessing and estimating it's not even funny. Like, I have less than zero feeling for numbers." With a pout, he tugs his hand back where it came from and lets the mer snicker a bit. "Anyway, you know what I mean. One ally against the whole village."

Jeongguk hums. "So you're my ally now, hm?"

"Yes? Of course? I thought that way obvious, dummy. You'll have to try much harder if you wanna get rid of me at this point."