Look at my eyes, I whisper alone as I look at you from far away

Just smile for me once, I can endure it just by seeing your face

Pairing: Jongtae, Jongyu

w/c:2.6k 

So this is the sequel to Day 11- Take the Dive, where Jinki’s the leader of the Lost City of Atlantis who loves Jonghyun, who also loves Taemin who lives on land… this is about Jonghyun telling Taem about who Jinki really is ^-^

Taemin was stirring the mango sauce in the pan when he heard the front door open. When Jonghyun had texted him saying he was coming back from being with Jinki for a few days he had begun to cook. He missed him a lot, but he understood he had two men to love. He leaned the spoon against the pot and wiped his hands on the apron around his waist before turning the corner to find Jonghyun. A huge smile erupted on his face at the sight of him. He rushed over, bringing him close. “Hey, Babe.”

“I missed you,” Jonghyun mumbles, nose pressing into his neck. The weight of what he had to talk to Taemin about was hanging over his head. He wanted to ignore it for as long as possible on one hand, but on the other, he wanted to get it off his chest for he knew it would be almost impossible to enjoy his time with Taemin with it over him.

It seemed as if Taemin knew him too well, could sense something was hanging in his mind for too long, as he pulled away and cupped his jaw. His eyes were soft and concerned. “What’s wrong Babe? Did something happen with Jinki?”

“No.. and yes.” Jonghyun flashed a little smile. “Jinki was great. I loved the time I spent with him. He gave me this.”

Taemin’s fingers were warm, but slightly rough from all his work in the dirt. The sweet smile fell from his face as he tried to place the rock the bracelet beads were made of. He lifted Jonghyun’s wrist higher closer to the light of the ceiling fan. He twisted it, trying to find clues, and then he saw the mark on the white pearl in the center. “Where’d you get this again?”

“Jinki gave it to me.”

“This Mark. Right here.” Taemin ran his thumb over it as he looked at him through his fringe. “It was found around the ruins of what they believed to be Atlantis, carved into the stone.”

With his nerves through the roof, Jonghyun smiled. It seems Taemin made the decision for him. “I know. I’ve seen the city.”

“Jonghyun, sweetie, are you on anything? Did you and Jinki do some type of hallucinogenic? If you did we’ll get you help and I’ll love you the same.”

“I’m serious.” He rips himself from Taemin’s grip, shaking his head roughly. He stared at him, pleading. “I met him by the cove of my childhood home. He was looking for shells, had runaway after a fight with his father. I’ve known him for 18 years.” His hands are shaking uncontrollably, no matter how hard he tries to stop it. “I’ve lived here with you all these years, visiting him a few days a month and missing him all the other days. I’m happy with you and with him, but I’m never complete. I’m living a double life. I can’t let him go just as I can’t let you go. And he can’t leave his people… and he loves me enough to invite us both to live with him.”

“What?”

Jonghyun sniffles harshly. “He wants to meet you. To formally invite you to live there.”

“Babe.. Jonghyun I can’t.” Taemin’s hands fall from his attempt to comfort him. All doubt that he had in Jonghyun’s story fell when he saw the tears, how worked up he was over trying to be believed. “I have my work and-”

It feels as if the entire world was crumbling around Jonghyun’s shoulders. All the hopes and positive thoughts he had that maybe he’d have both his loves, falling to pieces around him. It breaks Taemin’s heart watching him break. Jonghyun pushes away from him and runs out the door. Taemin tries to grab his wrist, to call out for him, but he doesn’t stop and the screen door slams close shortly after.

—-

Jonghyun runs his hand over his eyes quickly, trying to wipe away the tears as if more weren’t streaming down his cheeks. His brows furrowed a little, confused, as his bracelet softly glows. It’s then he hears the sand crunching as if someone was walking along the beach. His heart leaps in his chest when he looks up to spot Jinki. Without a word, the Atlantian comes closer, climbs up onto the rock formation he found jutting out into the ocean and holds him close. His lips are pressed against his hair shortly, holding his head against his chest. Jonghyun tries to speak, but his voice breaks as soon as he tries. Jinki pets his hair as he quietly shushes him. “I know Baby. I know. I’m sorry.”

“If it would help you not hurt so much my love, I’ll stop calling for you. You can live here on land with him fully.” Jinki continues. In response Jonghyun just grips him tighter, rubbing his face into his chest, as if he never wanted to let go. “When I showed you my world, loved you as I have, I never wanted to make you choose. Never thought you’d have to. I won’t make you choose.”

“I want,” Jonghyun takes a shaky breath. “You both.”

“I know. I know you do Baby.”

—

It’s about two hours later Jinki realizes Jonghyun must return home. The man is sound asleep against his chest, exhausted from all the emotions of the day. Jinki thought about carrying him home, but then he remembered he doesn’t know the way. With a few soft kisses to his hair he softly says, “My sweet, come to, you must return home.”

Jonghyun groans, moving to rub his face against what he thinks is a pillow, but quickly remembers is Jinki’s chest. “Why can’t time stop here?”

“I wish it did Love,” Jinki smiles then, fixing his messy hair as Jonghyun lifts his head. “I’ll come with you if you want me to… make sure you get home and are alright.”

“Can you be away from Atlantis for this long?”

“Not even an hour has passed there my Sweet. Come, let’s get you home.” As they climb down the rocks Jinki offers his hand and Jonghyun gladly takes it with a sweet smile.

As they start walking up toward the road Jonghyun quietly states, “Thank you for coming.”

“You know I’d do anything for you.”

“I know I just.. I didn’t call for you.”

Jinki’s cheeks are a little pink, warmer to the touch. “I was checking up on you. You didn’t need to call.”

Their hands slipped from each other as Jinki moved his arm around him. Jonghyun curled his fingers into the fabric of Jinki’s simple shirt as they continued to walk. “It’s the last house on the left.”

Before walking up the steps he was pulled back, Jinki’s hands on his hips. One hand lifted, cupping his cheek as their noses brushed softly. “I love you, My sweet.”

“I love you too.” The words were cut short as he pressed their lips together. But then the porch light flicked on and the door was pushed open, revealing Taemin looking positively worried. The two of his boyfriends catch a first glimpse of the other in the few moments it takes Jonghyun to climb the few steps and follow him inside. The door isn’t even locked before Taemin is trying to say something, but Jonghyun holds his hand up to stop him. He moves around slowly, tired. “You don’t want to leave, but know I won’t choose between you.”

When he moves toward the steps and slowly begins to ascend them, Taemin follows, “You have to give me time Jonghyun. You just told me your other boyfriend is the ing ruler of Atlantis. A lost, sunken, forgotten city. You can’t just… expect me to just want to drop my entire life to live in a place a few hours ago I thought was a fool’s tale.”

There’s the sound of water coming from the bathroom before it’s shut off and Jonghyun is stepping out holding his toothbrush. “I understand that. I understand you need time, but you didn’t say that. You said you couldn’t leave your ing job. A JOB. I thought I was work a little time to think about it.” He pushes the toothbrush in his mouth a few times, stepping into spit before continuing, his words a little slurred with the extra foam in his mouth. “I love him. I love you. I’d give up anything to follow you wherever you decided to go. I’ve traveled further to just be with him… but you can’t even think about it for more than 5 seconds?”

Taemin presses his lips together tightly as Jonghyun returns to the bathroom to spit and swirl some water in his mouth, before coming out for the last time. “Was that him who walked you home?”

“Yeah.. I ran to the beach after and he heard me,” Jonghyun hummed, looking at his hands for a moment, nervous. “He wanted to make sure I was okay.”

The silence is almost suffocating before Taemin chirps, “I thought he’d have fins.”

Jonghyun let’s out a little laugh as he sits on his side of the bed, working to get his pants off for bed. “He’s not a merman.”

Taemin shifts nervously at the end of the bed, gazing at him, unsure if he’s welcome in the bed with him. “I don’t want to lose you Jonghyun. I know we haven’t been together as long as you have with Jinki but I- this is just a real ing lot to deal with.”

He wiggles under the covers after getting comfortable, hugging a pillow close as he frowns. “Just meet him? Give him a chance? I don’t need you to agree to drop everything, just promise me you’ll try.”

“Okay.. I’ll try.” Jonghyun exhales harshly, softening. Taemin bites his bottom lip before softly asking, “Can I come to bed too?”

“Of course.”

—-

Taemin almost chokes on his coffee when he sights them coming in. Their hands are intertwined just behind Jonghyun as he tugged Jinki along. The grip falls as they get closer, Jinki’s smile falling as his eyes fall on him. Jonghyun gives a big ole grin. “This is Taemin. And Taemin this is Jinki.”

For a long moment nothing happened, just their eyes moving over the other’s frame sizing them up, but then Taemin is holding out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Jinki stares at that hand before quietly leaning closer to Jonghyun to quietly ask, “What is he doing?”

Jonghyun softly giggles. “It’s a handshake. A form of greeting.”

“Oh.” Carefully Jinki takes his hand and jiggles it around. After letting Taemin’s hand go he frowns. “Such a weird custom.”

When they take their seats, they both look at Jonghyun to sit next to them in the booth. Jonghyun just quietly pulls up a chair to the end of the table and slips in quietly. Ordering food was a little confusing, as Jinki hadn’t spent much time on land to begin with, and never in such a context. To save him more confusion Jonghyun ordered something he knew he’d like. Once the food came easy conversation began. Until Taemin blurted out, “To breathe underwater to you have like retractable gills?”

Jonghyun hissed, smacking the back of his hand softly. “Taemin!”

Softly, Jinki runs his fingers over the back of Jonghyun’s right hand. “That’s quite alright, my love.” He turns to Taemin, holding out his bracelet. “These help us travel underwater. Whether by keeping us warm from the cold deep waters, to breathing. We are fully human. We aren’t some morph of sea life and human.”

“Interesting.” Taemin hums. “Did you know about me?”

With a soft nod, Jinki answers. “He told me a lot about you when he met you. Our time together decreased significantly then.”

Taemin pushed his pancakes around before asking, “What do you want out of this Jinki?”

“Jonghyun’s happiness.”

“And you think us moving to… your world would do that?”

“I think having both of us would make him happy.” He reaches over to gently curl his fingers around Jonghyun’s hand with a smile, before shifting his gaze to Taemin. “I cannot leave my people for I have no heirs to take over should I step down. He won’t leave you to be with me completely and won’t leave me to be with you.”

“I may not be as important as you are to your people, but I have a life here. I have a job, friends, a life. I can’t move to an entire new place, a culture, on a drop of a hat.” He makes the mistake of looking towards Jonghyun, seeing the lines of his face shift to one of sorrow. “I love Jonghyun so much. My hesitance to do this doesn’t reflect my love for him at all. You don’t understand. You don’t have to change your entire life.”

Jinki stiffens a little, hand falling from Jonghyun’s. “I am breaking countless laws just sitting her visiting you, meeting you to see if you have a good enough heart to go into Atlantis. All these years of giving you 90 percent of the time.. Seeing him wake up in the morning, dates, holding his hand, resenting you for something I couldn’t have. You don’t know what it’s like to go months without seeing him, do you? But I did it, because for some reason he loves you. I’d do it all for him.” He taps his fingers on the table, eyes sharp. “Word of advice from someone who has lived thousands of years, a new job and purpose in life will always come around again. Love as strong as I know you two have from how Jonghyun fights for you.. Doesn’t come around as often.”

He carefully slips from his booth, pressing a long kiss to Jonghyun’s hair, fingers curling around his neck oh so gently, before saying on last thing to Taemin. “What’s more important to you, your place of employment, or this beautiful man right here?”

“Goodbye Jinki, I love you.” Jonghyun whispered, tipping his head back to look up at him. Jinki caresses his cheek lovingly with a smile before slipping away. There were a few moments before Jonghyun slipped into the newly vacated booth. Taemin is fidgeting with his fingers, trying so hard to not look at Jonghyun. After sipping at his tea, Jonghyun softly states, “I guess that didn’t go as well as you hoped.”

With a shrug, Taemin explained, “I can definitely tell he’s used to being a ruler and getting his ole mighty way.”

“That’s not fair to say Taemin.”

“Why not?” Taemin’s voice rose slightly, hand lifting to gesture along with his words. “Why should we move to him?”

Jonghyun plays with the straw in his cup, and doesn’t answer him. He only does when Taemin asks again. “I’ve always wanted to move and live with him… I was going to, but then I met you and I changed my plans.. For you.”

And then it hits him. Taemin thinks about Jinki’s words, how many times Jonghyun has moved for him, changed his entire life’s plan just to be with him, and the question of what was more important to him had such a simple and easy answer. When he lifts his eyes again Jonghyun is staring at the ice swirling in his glass, sniffling a little as tears begin to fall. Taemin’s heart lurches a little and his hand is reaching over to grab his tightly before he can even think it through. Jonghyun’s eyes are wide and hopeful, to big and vulnerable. “I make no promises other than to try, but if it will make you happy Babe, I’ll try to give you both of us.”

He almost spills his drink being tugged over the table to meet Jonghyun in the middle for a deep kiss.

—