{ chapter six

When Jongin ventures down to the beach the next day, he pauses on his way up to the rock shelves, before turning back and making his way to the other side of the shore. This time, he doesn’t want to go down with Taemin – he wants to find Kyungsoo, and he wants to do it alone.

Jongin knows it’s a dangerous risk. He could see Taemin on his way up at any point, or he could easily get lost. There’s nothing assuring him that he’ll be able to find the labyrinth of rocks again, or that Kyungsoo will even be there, but after what Taemin disclosed about the younger prince, he’s willing to take the chance to find him again.

He swims out further than the families splashing about in the shallow waters, and, once he’s assured nobody is watching him, ploughs under the surface and swims as far under as he can without stopping. He doesn’t even realise he’s breathing until he takes a break to check that nobody has followed him, under the assumption that he’s drowning. As far as he can see, he’s completely alone – a cue to go ahead, and try to find Kyungsoo again.

The single problem that holds Jongin back is the fact that all of the ocean looks exactly the same, and there’s no indication of which direction he should go in, aside from his intuition.

Eventually he comes across familiar looking coral, assuring him that he’s going the right way, and a long while of meandering leads him to a promising set of rocks and cliffs that surely resemble the ones he came across previously.

Finally, he noiselessly swims around a corner, and stops when he sees Kyungsoo curled up in a crevice between two boulders, carving away at what appears to be a stone. Jongin pauses, wondering whether or not he should call out to him, but decides instead to swim a little further out so as to not startle the prince.

Kyungsoo looks up from under his eyelashes, detecting movement, and straightens up quickly once he notices who his visitor is, dropping the rocks beside him. Jongin swims forward to sit beside him, leaving a safe distance between them, not wanting to bring discomfort to the timid boy.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo says gently. A smile involuntarily blooms on Jongin’s lips – he half expected Kyungsoo to address him as ‘human’, but the fact that he remembered his name only assures him that the prince is welcoming his presence.

“Hey,” Jongin replies, wringing his hands together. “Am I interrupting you?”

“Of course not.”

Kyungsoo’s doe eyes watch Jongin inquisitively, welcoming him to move a little closer. Despite the briefness of their interactions, there’s no tension or awkwardness between them, so Jongin gives in to his silent invitation and shuffles towards the prince shyly.

Kyungsoo pushes whatever he was carving further away, before reaching out to hover his hands over Jongin’s knees. He blinks at him, as if asking for permission, paired with a soft “may I?” that leaves Jongin breathless. He nods, and Kyungsoo’s small hands gently touch the foreign limbs, excitement sparkling in his eyes. Jongin doesn’t feel uneasy at all – somehow, the reciprocated fascination with one another has created a comfortable bond between them, and it feels like they’ve spoken a lot more than just a few words.

“I’ve never—seen a human before,” Kyungsoo says, finally pulling away from Jongin’s legs.

“I know.”

Kyungsoo meets his eyes curiously.

“Your blood—you can’t breathe on the Surface. And your father…”

Kyungsoo tenses up at the mention of his father, and he brings his hands to his lap, drawing back ever so slightly. “Who told you this?”

Jongin opens his mouth to say “Taemin”, but he realises that it may be dangerous revealing Taemin’s involvement with the Surface to someone so closely associated with the King, especially behind his back. Noticing his hesitation, Kyungsoo quietly assures him he means no harm, and would never tell the King about anything they discuss.

“Father would be furious if he knew I was out of the palace at all—let alone with you. You can trust me.”

Jongin bites his lip, knowing he should be careful about what he says, but he’s so sure that Kyungsoo means well, it’s hard not to trust him.

“My friend—Taemin.”

“A Mer boy?”

“Yeah. Please don’t—I mean, he doesn’t know I’ve met you. I just…”

Kyungsoo can tell that Jongin is nervous for his friend’s wellbeing, and the slightest smile adorns his beautiful lips – a smile that sends Jongin’s mind into turmoil, because Kyungsoo is just so breathtakingly beautiful.

“I wouldn’t say a word.”

Dazed, Jongin wills himself to look away, and instead distracts his eyes, letting them follow a small, coloured fish that swims past them.

They sit together in silence, watching the fish dart back and forth, before Jongin looks back over at his new friend. He’s still having trouble comprehending just how exceptionally attractive the young prince is, as if every little feature of his was carved from the hands of a skilled craftsman. If Jongin didn’t know any better, he would have mistaken him for a doll.

Kyungsoo meets his eyes and offers him another one of his lovely, small smiles, and Jongin knows that no number of rules and restrictions will ever stop their friendship.

* * *

Jongin wiggles his toes in the water, head tilted up to the sky, soaking in the wonderful rays of sunshine kissing the coast of the beach. He slowly kicks his feet back and forth, just to feel the water move on his skin, but the serene ambience is broken when two hands wrap around his ankles.

Jongin shrieks, and Taemin pops up from the water, half-coughing, half-laughing. Jongin clutches his chest, his heart hammering, fingers wringing the material of his shirt to suppress the urge to kick Taemin back under.

“Your face,” Taemin gasps, doubled over and clasping the edge of the rocks for support. Jongin glares, looking away and completely ignoring him, pretending he’s undisturbed by Taemin’s obnoxious laughter. Finally, Taemin pushes himself up beside Jongin, smiling at him innocently.

“Hey. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Jongin grunts indifferently, and Taemin’s smile finally begins to falter. He’d noticed Jongin’s absence for the past few days and can’t help but feel that something is wrong. It’s not like Jongin to seem uninterested in entering the Sea again.

“Jongin? What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

Taemin bites his lip, and Jongin looks up noticing his silence. His friend looks genuinely upset, and Jongin feels a pang of guilt sting his chest.

“Is it because of the way I feel about Junmyeon?” Taemin whispers, and Jongin quickly straightens up, shaking his head vigorously.

“No! No, Taemin, of course not.” Now Jongin is positively distressed. How many times had Taemin waited for him at the rocks, stewing over all the reasons for his absence, blaming himself for the loss of his friend?

“Are you sure? Because if it—”

“No, Taemin,” Jongin says firmly. “I don’t care about your feelings for Junmyeon. I just…I’ve been busy. I’m sorry.”

Taemin looks unconvinced.

“You just don’t seem enthusiastic to see me. I thought you might have missed the Sea. We haven’t gone under together for days.”

Jongin can’t bring himself to lie. He purses his lips together, unsure of how to respond, and finally agrees with a skirted “I did miss you, Taemin” that doesn’t do the Mer boy much justice.

Taemin contemplates Jongin’s slowly swaying feet, and similarly sweeps his tail back and forth across the skin of the water. He waits for Jongin to suggest going under, but the he never does, so Taemin eventually gives up, convinced he’s done something wrong. He moves forward and falls back into the water again.

“Where are you going?”

Taemin faces his friend, eyebrows raised. “I won’t disturb you any longer.”

“You’re not disturbing me,” Jongin says softly. He can see the hurt in Taemin’s eyes, and decides to push away his temporary craving to be in his own thoughts to comfort his friend. After all, he’s been avoiding contact with Taemin ever since he realised he could enter the Sea without help.

Before Taemin can leave, Jongin s his shirt and shrugs it off, throwing it behind him where the waves don’t land. Taemin watches as he pushes himself into the warm waves, finally beginning to smile.

“Come on. I want to see Jonghyun and Minho again.”

“Really? Them? Not me?”

Jongin pokes out his tongue childishly, and splashes Taemin with the water, before plummeting under, the sound of Taemin’s laughter ringing in his ears.

* * *

“Hey, Jongin, long time no see!” Jonghyun exclaims, clapping Jongin rather firmly on the back. Jongin is almost propelled forward, and he hisses in agony while Minho snickers. He had no idea that the Mer had such strength underwater.

“Yeah. It’s been a week,” Jongin grumbles. Taemin has brought him down outside the markets – a safe distance from the palace – and they’re hovering around the cave entrances, contemplating whether or not to enter. Jongin has already received a few bemused looks – fortunately none of hatred or disgust – and he feels a little too self conscious to trap himself in a small shop, in full view of any citizens that enter. So far, however, he’s too busy focusing on his pain to notice the people passing by.

“How come you haven’t been bringing Jongin down, huh? Have you been keeping him to yourself?”

“Is this why you’re not interested in Junmyeon anymore?” Jonghyun jeers, and Taemin balls his fists, gritting his teeth.

“Shut up, you two,” Jongin sighs. Jonghyun and Minho gasp comically, erupting with screams of shock at Jongin’s sudden assertiveness, and Taemin sends a thankful smile his way while his friends are distracted.

Jonghyun and Minho fall silent when a few customers swim out and frown at their rowdiness, and Taemin grabs Jongin’s wrist and pulls him towards the mouth of the cave.

“Come on. Let’s go in.”

Jongin stays plastered up against Taemin’s back to hide his legs, ignoring Jonghyun’s giggling from behind. He murmurs a stricken “wow” as Taemin swims him in, eyes roaming the enclosure, drinking in the mossy walls and ledges filled with quirky products.

“Oh, what’s that?” Jongin whispers, pointing at an array of what appears to be rocks on the ground, covered in blankets of woven weeds. Taemin smiles, and swims over in the direction of Jongin’s finger.

“They're geodes. Very rare and valuable. You have these on the Surface.”

“We do,” Jongin breathes, as Taemin’s delicate fingers move the covers and unveil the glimmering crystals encrusted within the broken rocks. It’s bedazzling all the same.

“Do you buy these often?”

“No. Apparently the royal palace is filled with them. We use them for decoration, but my family doesn’t care for aesthetics, unfortunately.”

Taemin lays the cover back over the geodes and straightens up. “Everything in here is precious – crystals and hand-carved ornaments.” He looks around him to make sure Jonghyun and Minho are distracted, before leaning close towards Taemin. “When people can afford them, they give these kinds of things as gifts to celebrate marriage,” he whispers.

“Why are you whispering?” Jongin hisses back.

“Because every time I mention marriage, those two—” Taemin gestures towards Minho and Jonghyun cooing over strings over pearl in the corner, “—don’t shut up.”

“Ah, right.”

Taemin gestures for them to exit, leaving Jonghyun and Minho to themselves, and Jongin notices the way the shop assistant is goggling at him from the other side of the cave as they go. He gulps and swims out a little faster, only to have Taemin grab him around the waist and yank him back inside.

He claps a hand over the human’s mouth to silence his gasp, and Jonghyun and Minho finally look over.

“Don’t move. It’s the King.”

Jongin’s eyes widen in alarm, and he cowers back against the wall, shielding himself behind Taemin. Jonghyun and Minho peer out the mouth of the cave, notice the King, and quickly turn around and pretend to be browsing.

From Jongin’s position, he can only see through a sliver of the cave entrance, and it takes a while for the King to pass the cave. Jongin is immediately terrified, and can only imagine what sort of horrible fate he’d suffer if he’d been seen. His tail is a vibrant, pure purple, and his figure is massive, strong, powerful, despite the age showing through the greyness at the roots of his dark hair.

What shocks Jongin more is the two Mer that swim past behind the King – first, it’s Junmyeon, elegant and friendly as he greets citizens that bow their heads in respect; and then Kyungsoo. He forces himself not to inhale sharply, knowing Taemin will feel it against his hand.

Whatever Taemin said about Kyungsoo seeming off, Jongin finally understands. He seems to shrink in his father’s and brother’s presence, tiny and weak in their shadow. His head is down and he doesn’t meet eyes with anybody he passes. Jongin can’t see his face from the angle he’s looking from, but he can tell from the drooped shoulders that his expression is probably as sad as his body language shows.

When the royalty is finally long out of view, Taemin releases his grip on Jongin and moves back, exhaling deeply.

“I’ll take you back home,” he suggests softly. “Just in case.”

The small part of Jongin that wants to chase Kyungsoo and light up his face in a smile is crushed, and he nods frantically in agreement – Taemin’s suggestion is nothing short of appeasing in his fear.

* * *

Kyungsoo seems to find great amusement in watching Jongin’s human-like body move in the water, and upon his request, Jongin walks across the rocks and sand before the prince, describing the pressure on his feet that would normally be present had he been on the Surface. He describes the exhilaration of running, the way the air streams through his hair and the concrete pounds on his shoes, and the feeling of gulping coarse air, so dissimilar to the smooth water Kyungsoo is so familiar with.

The prince, in response, confides details of the royalty life to his human friend, painting intricate images in Jongin’s head of beautiful tapestries along the palace walls and vibrantly coloured plants that no Mer has seen before. He gossips about the other Kingdoms, sharing rumours and speculations and listening intently as Jongin voices his opinions.

Their mutual fascination with one another sparks conversation between them, and their words ease them into comfortable grounds of friendship, but even when words run dry, they still find contentment in sharing each other’s unspeaking company. Hours pass with fleeting speed but each moment spent together is never consider to be wasted.

Kyungsoo is mysterious, unique, inquisitive and enchanting in every way, and Jongin knows the bonds forming between them are surely like no other.

✏ [ a/n ] shoutout to my daughter shawn & goojayhee for always consistently leaving me comments !! ur all cutie baes but these two are the cutest baes B) all of u leaving comments are the reason why i haven't deleted this fic lmao 

word count: 2498