H2O - 

chapter one

Woobin can't swim. It's a simple fact, a fact he doesn't (and won't) bring up very often. Because it . He can't swim. Which is why his mom had been appalled when Woobin had announced over the phone a week ago, "I'm going to take the boat and float on the sea for four days." And Woobin is a incredibly stubborn man, that does not go back on his word. 

Though sometimes he wishes he wasn't so stubborn, cause it'd been really nice if he had let his mom convince him out of doing this. He's on a boat, by himself, in the middle of the ing sea, and did he mention that he can't swim. 

"Good job Woobin," he grumbles to himself, wondering when he had gotten so far from shore that he can't even get reception anymore. He's 100% sure this is his stupidest antic yet. He sighs loudly, hands gripping the metal handle bar until his knuckles turn white, making sure to keep himself a good length away form the ledge. 

Maybe he should've brought a friend, but Woobin had just wanted to get away from the whole entire world, he didn't want to wake up in the morning and think to himself 'oh I have to do this, that and this' he merely wanted to wake up, lay and bed and wonder if he's going to get out of his bed at all today. 

Breathing in the fresh ocean air; Woobin feels the world around him soothe out in a way he's always wanted it too. 

There's the soothing splashes of the water hitting the side of his boat, the soft wind blowing the salty scent of the ocean throughout the air. He smiles idly to himself, eyes opening slowly as he looks across the vast waters. 

"Maybe I'll even meet a mermaid," he muses to himself, walking away from the railing to go get himself something to snack on as he finishes a book he had brought with him. 

Okay so maybe the whole 'go on the sea and float on a boat for four days' plan wasn't exactly thought out entirely. Sure he brought a few books, a few movies, and his ipod and blah blah blah, but sitting on a boat, a small one too boot, for four days isn't exactly the ideal way to have fun. 

He's drop dead bored and it's only been 5 hours since he's sailed out. 

Even the once relaxing sound of the waves hitting his boat is causing anxiety to grip at the reins of his emotions. He's almost ing crazy, and it's only been 5 hours. 

Okay, maybe this isn't a good idea. Woobin thinks bitterly, wondering how those sailors in the old times used to live for months on a ship without any entertainment and barely any food, Woobin can't imagine how they did it, he's starting to believe the men on those ships used to have together and just never spoke about it. 

"I've lost it" Woobin screams to himself, jolting out of a chair seated on the deck when his mind starts to wander to mental images  of sailors dancing in a gay way, pink ribbons tying their nasty hair as they each other on the decks. "I'm sure pirates had too many things to be doing instead of ing each other ---"

"Like ing mermaids" a voice chirps haughtily, and Woobin blinks not once, but a few million times, before whipping his head to stare at the railing, the smooth water still rippling as Woobin's boat tips side to side. 

He pauses, "I should head back home. I'm hearing things now, I knew this was a bad idea." 

He doesn't know what possesses him next to send him waddling towards the railing, hands gripping the metal as he looks down into the water, blinking away the shock when he see's a boy (quite handsome, too) floating in the water, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. 

"Oh" Woobin mouths, tilting his head to the side. "There's a person."

"You know," the guy says, and Woobin's eyes idly watch a blue fin sweep back and forth beneath the boy, "usually people first react in asking if they can help me." 

"I can't swim," Woobin says almost shyly, "so I wouldn't be much help in getting you out." He pauses, looking to observe the thin nose, the cupid bow that dips almost perfectly, plump lips and shallow dark eyes. He ignores the fin momentarily, crouching down so even if whatever-the-hell-this-guy-is does try to pull him over board, Woobin won't go down without a fight. 

The boy laughs at him, eyes crinkling as he moves forward, hands pressing against the metal of the boat as he looks up to Woobin, head tilted to the side, his eyes twinkling in mischeif. "If you help me up I can be human for awhile."

"I just told you I won't be very much help, and" he says pointedly sending a deadly look towards the boys tail, "are you like a mermaid? Won't you just drag me over board and eat me, or something." 

Though Woobin won't admit he'd probably be very willing to be eaten by this boy. 

The boy pouts, plump lips being pushed outwards as he reaches up, grabbing the metal railing, Woobin takes a tentative step back, watching in amazement as the mermaid (or would it be merman cause he's a boy?) pulls himself up, eyes daring Woobin to reject him. "Will you help me now?"

Woobin swallows. "I'm not so sure, you won't eat me, will you?"

The merman practically growls at him, "just hurry up and grab my goddamn arm before I fall!" 

Woobin shuffles his way over cautiously grabbing the merman's arm, and helping him pull himself over the railing, not even surprised when the boy comes on with two pairs of legs, very, very legs. 

"Uh" Woobin says, cheeks becoming a nice cheery colour, eyes avoiding to look down,  "clothes, wait I'll get you clothes." 

The merman (well, now human) rolls his eyes, dauntingly leaning his back against the railing to rake his eyes up and down Woobin's body. "No need, I don't like clothes, never understood why humans bother themselves with them, you'd look better without them, too." Woobin flushes to that, deciding to just ignore the comment entirely. 

"Don't mermaids, like the females wear something to cover their s?" Woobin stutters, sulkingly grabbing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, blinking away his surprise when he realizes that this merman is practically the same height as him, which is rare, because Woobin is very tall. Without waiting for response, he tosses the clothes over to the stranger. "I don't want you to talk to me with you junk hanging out, though." 

The merman scoffs. "No, why would they? And fine." 

It's silent for a moment, the guy putting on the sweats on slowly whilst glaring at the article all the while, Woobin refrains from laughing because that'd be weird, and if anyone does pass by and Woobin really is just imagining the guy on his boats deck putting on clothes, he'd seem really ing weird for laughing by himself in the middle of nowhere. 

"You're real, right?" Woobin asks finally, "wait, your name."

The merman gives him an annoyed look before answering, "Jongsuk." 

"And you're real."

An exaggerated roll of his eyes, "yes." 

"Great," Woobin says, pointing to himself. "I'm Kim Woobin." 

Jongsuk laughs, shaking his head at Woobin. 

"So, Woobin," Jongsuk says nonchalantly, "do you always talk to yourself? You had some pretty interesting conversations with yourself." 

Woobin blushes and sends Jongsuk a dirty glare, wondering if he should really answer that. To tell the truth, he doesn't really think he should. He sighs loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose to exhale loudly. 

"Not that it matters" Jongsuk chirps in finality when he realizes Woobin isn't going to answer him anytime soon. "So, where are you headed too?" 

Woobin blinks, before shrugging his shoulders. "No where, really."

Jongsuk's eyes sparkle to that, "I can bring you somewhere cool."

"That's not underwater?" Woobin says off-handily, diverting his eyes to not seem rude. But he doesn't really feel like getting eaten anytime soon. His mother would seriously kill him in Heaven, or Hell, if he did. 

Jongsuk snorts. "It's an island, not one lives there, and I can teach you to swim."

Woobin briefly thinks he doesn't really want to be in the water at the same time as Jongsuk, because he's watched enough Hollywood movies to know that mermaids, as sweet as they may look (and Jongsuk does look quite nice and sweet) are blood thirsty. 

He sighs, "okay." 

A/N: Hohohohoho

I always wanted to write a mermaid AU, and now I can! Yeah! Jongsuk is a bit bossy and mean here (the way I believe he truly is) and Woobin is easily flustered and easily bossed around (which, he probably is).