Okay you have to listen to Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden at some point. I don’t care if it’s while you read this (you don’t have to loop it if you don’t want to), or before you read it, or after but it’S SO FREAKING PERFECT FOR THIS STORY I’M SO INSPIRED BY IT in case you couldn't tell by you know, the freaking title.

Truly Madly Deeply

Being part of a secret agency that deals in stopping some of the world’s most intelligent, ruthless terrorists does come with several perks. There’s the fantastic health care, the swanky living situation, a credit card that allows them to buy almost anything they want, and there’s also the fact that they inexplicably have the key to the building’s pool, and they can go use it at night while everyone is asleep. Or more specifically, Kai can go use it.

It’s not something they can do all the time, because sometimes there’s just not enough hours in the day, or everyone is really tired, or other reasons that just pile up. But sometimes things work out just right and Kai is able to go down to the pool and swim for a while, and a few people will go along to use the hot tub. The Agency has said that a few people who can swim should accompany Kai when he’s in deeper water, in case something goes wrong. His lung is still healing from the stab wound he sustained a few months ago.

Kai is practically beside himself tonight, hopping from foot to foot at the door as he and Kyungsoo wait for everyone else to get their stuff together.

“Come on,” Kai whines. “I wanna go swimming!! Kyungsoo can’t we leave them behind?”

Kyungsoo sighs heavily. “How unfortunate that you fell in love with someone who can’t swim.”

Kai hugs Kyungsoo tightly. “I really don’t need to be supervised. The pool isn’t deep enough to give me problems.”

Kyungsoo kind of knows that, but still. “I can’t help you if something does go wrong. I hate feeling so helpless.”

So they just have to wait for the others to get their things together and join them. It only takes a few minutes, but it feels like an eternity. It’s only Jongdae, Baekhyun, Lu Han, Suho and Sehun, and once they’re all assembled at the door Kai takes off running. He’s the first one to the elevator, and he fidgets all the way down to the ground floor. Then he’s running along until he gets to the frosted glass doors, and he’s the one who unlocks them. once the doors are opened he dashes in, stripping off his shirt as he goes. He’ll leave a trail of clothes to the pool, which Kyungsoo will patiently pick up. By the time Kyungsoo and the others get to the pool, Kai will be in the water and his transformation will be complete. So far Kyungsoo still hasn’t watched Kai transform, and he hasn’t brought it up.

Once they all get to the pool, Sehun, Lu Han and Suho go to the hot tub. Kyungsoo is pretty suspicious when Baekhyun and Jongdae follow him to the pool. Kyungsoo determinedly ignores them, sitting on the edge of the pool and putting his feet in the water. They sit on either side of him and start nagging.

“Ah, young love,” Baekhyun sighs, putting and arm across Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “These two kids are—ouch!”

Kyungsoo smirks as Baekhyun rubs his side. “If you’re here to pester me, get lost or I’ll ask Kai to drown you.”

“We’re not here to pester you,” Jongdae says, sounding wounded, but the smirk on his face gives him away. “We’re here to inquire about your intentions towards our dear Kai.”

Kyungsoo pokes Jongdae too. “I fail to see how it’s your business,” he says.

“It is because we’re your friends!” Baekhyun says. “And seriously, we’re not blind. We know that you guys got really close really fast. You moved in with him right away, he’s always hanging off of you, you’re not half as sneaky as you think you are when you’re making out in the hallways before dinner.”

“We just hit it off, that’s all,” Kyungsoo tells them. “Kris and Tao started dating quickly, too.”

“Yeah, but they’re not you,” Jongdae says. “You’ve always been the quiet one, you didn’t open up to us for a while after you moved in, and we just want to make sure that you and Kai know what you’re doing.”

Kyungsoo’s actually quite touched by that. “We know what we’re doing, I promise. Thanks for looking out for me.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Baekhyun says with a wide smile. “So, if you ever need condoms don’t be afraid to let us know. and remember, lube is your best fr—” he cuts off with a shriek as Kyungsoo pushes him into the pool. He then pushes Jongdae in too, just for good measure.

It ends up backfiring, because then Kai swims over and plays with them for a little while, and Kyungsoo gets so jealous he’s amazed that his eyes haven’t burned holes into the backs of Baekhyun and Jongdae’s heads. Either he’s keeping a great poker face or they’re just ignorant, because they’re not even smirking at him.

Eventually Baekhyun and Jongdae swim off to join the others in the hot tub, and Kai swims over to Kyungsoo. He nudges Kyungsoo’s legs apart and places his hands on either side of his thighs, pushing himself up until they’re nose to nose.

“I saw you glaring,” Kai says, a small smirk on his beautiful face. “You can come in too, you know. We can play in the shallow end of the pool.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “No, it wouldn’t be fun for you. You need the deeper water.”

Kai pouts. “It would be fun because I would be with you.” He leans forward, and Kyungsoo closes his eyes automatically.  He doesn’t like taking his eyes off of Kai, but for some reason he can never keep his eyes open when they kiss.

Kai’s mouth was made for kissing. Kai says the same about Kyungsoo, but Kyungsoo thinks Kai is better at it. Human or aquatic, he’s just a fantastic kisser. Kyungsoo wraps his arms around Kai’s neck, fingers in his hair. He past Kai’s lips, tongues the sharp edges of his teeth. Kai groans and leans forward suddenly. Kyungsoo pulls back with a gasp as he lands on the ground, staring at the ceiling.

“Kai,” he groans, closing his eyes again as his life flashes before his eyes.

Kai giggles and crawls over Kyungsoo, wide-set hips nudging Kyungsoo’s legs further apart. He drags his hands up Kyungsoo’s chest and kisses his neck, smirking when Kyungsoo gulps.

“Kai,” he says, breathless, “We’re not exactly alone.”

“I know,” Kai sighs, “But I wish we were.”

Kai slides back into the water and Kyungsoo sits up, feeling dazed. Kai is giving Kyungsoo a heated look, and Kyungsoo’s legs just touch his shoulders. Kyungsoo tries to scoot back and close his legs, but Kai grabs onto his ankles to stop him. Kai stares up at him and presses a kiss to the inside of his knee.

“Kai,” Kyungsoo says warningly.

“One day, we should come down here alone,” Kai says, lips still pressed to Kyungsoo’s skin. “Would you let me, if we were alone?”

Kyungsoo swallows, his throat suddenly dry and his face hot. “Let you what?”

Kai smirks. “I’m not the only one who gets by this kind of conversation, it seems.” He places his hands on Kyungsoo’s knees and draws closer. “Want me to tell you?”

Kyungsoo puts his hand right in the middle of Kai’s face and pushes. “Having in a public place is illegal, you know. And yes, s and s count.” How interesting a conversation it had been, explaining those words to Kai.

Kai didn’t push after that, though he did smirk at Kyungsoo and say “It’s only illegal if you get caught.”

A chlorinated pool is not a good substitute for the ocean, and everyone is painfully aware of that fact. Shortly after Sehun joins the team and Yixing is kidnapped for the third time, Kai starts to loose energy. He doesn’t eat as much, he doesn’t talk unless he’s spoken to, and there’s a spark that’s missing from his eyes. Kyungsoo does what he can, but wonders if he doesn’t make it worse. After all, Kai has said before that Kyungsoo feels like home. So Kyungsoo makes plans for a surprise.

“Kai, wake up.”

“What? Why?”

“Come on, up, up! But quietly, we don’t want anyone to wake up.”

“Wake…Kyungsoo, it’s four o-clock in the morning.”

“I know, I don’t want anyone seeing us and trying to come along.”

“We’re going somewhere?” Kai finally sits up, his eyes only half open, hair mussed and shirt wrinkled. He’s so adorable, it’s painful for Kyungsoo to not kiss him.

“Yeah, we’re going somewhere. Alone.”

That gets Kai up. “The pool?” He asks excitedly.

Kyungsoo nudges him towards their bathroom. “Go brush your teeth.”

Kai’s ready in ten minutes; Kyungsoo’s been ready since last night. They sneak down the hall and down the stairs, and they’re out the door without being seen. Kyungsoo takes Kai down to the parking garage and shows him a key.

“I got us a ride,” He says gleefully.

“I guess we’re not going to the pool,” Kai laughs.

“No, we’re going to the ocean.”

Kai stares at him and his jaw drops. “You’re…serious?!”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Kai stares for a few more seconds, then his eyes start to fill with tears.

Kyungsoo reaches for him. “Oh my gosh, why are you crying? Baby I’m not joking, I promise—” he cuts off with a choked cough as Kai lifts him up in a tight hug and spins him around.

“I’ve wanted to go for so long!” He sobs into Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “You don’t know how happy I am that I get to…that I’m going with you!” He pulls back with a gasp. “Oh I know exactly where to go! Can I show you where I want to go? I want to show you something amazing!”

“Of course,” Kyungsoo says, wiping tears off Kai’s cheeks. “It’s your day, we can go anywhere.” He hesitates. “But we should try to be home before tomorrow.”

“It’s not very far,” Kai says, “Do you have a map, I’ll show you, I know exactly where it is!”

Kyungsoo does have a map, and he takes it out of the bag he packed. Kai quickly picks out the place he wants to go. It’s so early that they won’t hit rush hour traffic, so the drive is about two hours, not bad at all. They might even make it in time to see the sunrise, if they get a move on.

Kyungsoo was prepared to have a snoozing Kai riding next to him, but now that Kai knows where they’re going he’s bright-eyed and chattering excitedly the whole way. It’s so nice to just be alone with Kai outside of the house. Even in their own room, it never truly feels like it’s just them.

Once they near their destination, Kai starts telling Kyungsoo where to go. At first Kyungsoo is worried that Kai is leading him off a cliff—the road narrows, and seems to disappear entirely at some points. Eventually they come to a small parking lot, with space for four or five cars. But Kyungsoo can only see a glimpse of the ocean between a thick forest of bamboo shoots.

“We have to walk,” Kay says, his voice shaking with excitement. “Wait till you see it, it’s beautiful.”

“How do you know about this place?” Kyungsoo asks, wondering as he puts his backpack over his shoulders if he should have brought bug repellant and a first aid kit.

Kai looks sheepish. “Well…remember how I told you that my dad was human? He used to come visit me and…and take me to the city.”

Kyungsoo had just started to walk, and he freezes. “What? Really?”

“I mean, I thought you would have guessed,” Kai says with a shrug. “I don’t know everything but like…I know about electricity and toilets. I know how a credit card works. Mostly, anyway.”

Kyungsoo nods. “Well it makes sense when you put it like that. I just…never really thought about it I guess.”

They walk in silence for a while, Kai in the lead. He keeps glancing back, and finally he says quietly, “Anyway, I know about this place because my dad would meet me here. Sorry I never told you.”

Kyungsoo grabs his hand and tugs Kai to a halt. “Don’t be sorry, I’m not upset.”

Kai smiles, looking relieved. “I just never think to talk about these things. I forget that you don’t know everything.”

They start walking again, holding hands.

“What was your dad like?” Kyungsoo asks.

Kai hesitates. “I think I look like him. My smile is like his, my mom says so. He was really tall, and strong. He used to carry me on his shoulders a lot. He took me to dance lessons a few times, brought me out to eat a lot. I think he wanted me to be like him.”

“Is he…do you still see him?” Kyungsoo asks, wondering if Kai’s father is dead. He’s using past tense like he might be.

“He moved to Hong Kong three years ago,” Kai says quietly. “Got a job offer he couldn’t refuse. I wanted to swim to him, but my mom said it was too far. He came to see me when I got hurt, but he couldn’t stay long.” He sighs heavily. “Actually I think he was married. Like, before I was born.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo says. “Oh…I…how do you know?”

Kai shrugs. “Things that they said, him and my mom, that I didn’t understand until I was older. I’m pretty sure I saw him wearing a ring a few times.”

“Oh my god,” Kyungsoo blurts before he can help himself.

“I mean if it wasn’t before I was born, then I understand. My mom can’t leave the water, what’s he going to do? He deserves to have a family,” Kai says. “But on the chance that…you know, it was…I never asked. And neither of them ever told me. I think he has a family by now, but they don’t know me. I’m pretty sure I have at least one sister by him.”

“You never met her?”

“She can’t know,” Kai says. “My kind, we’re…merfolk are hunted. We’re protected, few people actually know about us, but when the wrong people find out it gets ugly fast. My dad never told anyone about me, and he always took me places where he wouldn’t be recognized. I think it was better when he got the job abroad, he had a reason to not see me. it was getting dangerous as I got older. But wouldn’t you know it, I got hurt anyway, by the same people they were trying to protect me from.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kyungsoo says.

Kai immediately looks guilty. “No, oh my god, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound…I mean…I love him, he’s my dad and…at least he was…”

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo assures, “Kai, you can be upset about this, don’t feel like you owe it to me to be exclusively grateful to have had parents.”

Kai relaxes. “Maybe we should have talked about this before. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by telling you things that might be painful, or apologizing and making it worse.”

Kyungsoo squeezes Kai’s hand. “It’s okay,” he says again. “I want to hear about your family, if you want to tell me, and it’s okay for you to feel bad for me, but don’t censor yourself because of it. And if I ever get drunk and whine about being an orphan, don’t take it as a sign that you need to stop talking about your family.”

Kai looks surprised. “Has that ever happened?”

“It was one time,” Kyungsoo says quickly. “So are we there yet? Where are we going?”

“It’s a little farther,” Kai says. “So, do you know anything about your parents?”

Kyungsoo’s stomach lurches and he’s glad that Kai is focused on leading them through the bamboo shoots. He supposes it’s only fair to tell Kai something, since Kyungsoo just interrogated him. “Not really. I know that I was abandoned, though.”

Kai stops and whirls around. “You were what?”

“Abandoned,” Kyungsoo repeats. He lets go of Kai’s hand and wipes his palms on his swim trunks. “Somebody found me in the park. I was three, sitting by myself. I don’t remember being found but I remember being in a hospital, people asking me where my parents were. I don’t remember anything before that, really. They thought I was mute, I didn’t talk until I was nine. Of course then I proved that I could speak like a normal kid, but by that time I was too old. Nobody wanted a mute three year old and nobody wanted a nine year old. Everybody wants the babies.”

Kai looks sick. “How could someone just abandon a child?”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “I mean…they never found my parents. They might have died, I don’t know.”

Kai takes Kyungsoo hand again and starts walking. “Did you ever try to find them?”

“Once,” Kyungsoo says. “I found my grandfather, actually. He’s still alive, but I haven’t been to see him. I wouldn’t know what to say, I don’t even know if he knows about me.”

Kai looks so upset. “When I was growing up, one of the women died during birth. The baby’s father was part of another clan, they didn’t mate for love. The whole clan had a hand in raising the baby, she grew up thinking all the adults were her parents. For us, abandoning a baby isn’t an option. Someone will always care for them.”

Kyungsoo sighs. “The world is an ugly place sometimes.”

“Sometimes, yes,” Kai agrees. “Which makes me kind of glad that we’re having this conversation right now, because the place I’m about to show is so beautiful that I can’t believe it exists.” And he pulls Kyungsoo along, quickening his pace.

They soon come to the edge of the forest and find themselves on a rocky outcropping several meters above the water. Kai leads Kyungsoo more slowly now, the rocks are wet and slippery. They don’t go far before they reach a narrow opening in the rocks that leads to a sloping tunnel.

“Follow me,” Kai says, squeezing Kyungsoo’s hand.

The tunnel is short, and opens to one of the most beautiful things Kyungsoo has ever seen. They’re in a cavern, about the size of the pool at their apartment. The rocky land above becomes a beautiful cavern, and cracks in the rocks allow slivers of sunlight to bounce off the water. There’s even a tiny area where white sand lines a smooth slope in the rocks, making a miniature beach. But the water is easily the most beautiful part of the cavern, so blue it doesn’t even look real, and so calm it could have been a lake.

“if you dive straight down, there’s another tunnel that leads to open water,” Kai explains as Kyungsoo stares around the cavern in awe. “I never found out how, but my mom always knew when my dad would be here, and he would meet us here whenever he could.”

“It’s beautiful,” Kyungsoo says, turning in circles. The black rocks, white sand, blue water, the smell of the ocean—a camera could never do this place justice, and he wants to remember it forever.

Kai’s arms wrap around Kyungsoo’s waist from behind, and he kisses Kyungsoo’s neck. “I’m going to get in the water. Watch me?”

Watching Kai change might just be the only thing that could make Kyungsoo tear his eyes away from the cavern. Kai undresses, no shame in his face as he hands Kyungsoo his clothes. When he’s , he steps backwards off the edge of the more rocky shore and disappears into the water. Kyungsoo scrambles to the edge just as Kai’s head breaks the surface. He floats on his back and Kyungsoo watches in awe as the water bubbles around him. His skin darkens to a deep brown and even darker spots blossom across his torso and arms, his legs snap together and the water froths, obscuring him from the waist down. Kyungsoo can see tentacles peeling off of his newly formed fin, they latch onto the rocks and hold Kai steady as his head arches back into the water. When he lifts his head up again his mouth is slightly open, and Kyungsoo can see sharpened teeth. The transformation is complete in less than 30 seconds.

“Sorry you couldn’t see much,” Kai says, sounding out of breath, “I forgot about the frothing. But I don’t think you really want to see that anyway.”

“Does it hurt?” Kyungsoo asks.

Kai thinks for a moment. “It’s uncomfortable, but more like…like when your clothes chafe. It’s not really painful, just annoying.”

Kyungsoo sits down and a lone tentacle wraps around his wrist, tiny suction cups sticking to his skin. “I thought it was beautiful,” Kyungsoo says.

Kai looks away shyly. “You should sit on the sand,” he says, letting go of Kyungsoo’s wrist. “The slope isn’t very long and it ends in a steep drop, you’ll be able to see how far it goes.”

“How deep is the water here?” Kyungsoo asks as he walks around to the sand.

“You could drop a three story house in this pool of water and it would cover the roof,” Kai says.

Kyungsoo can’t deny that when he’s sitting on the smooth slope and inches to the edge, lets one foot dangle over it, he’s absolutely terrified. Bad enough that he doesn’t know how to swim, but now he doesn’t know how to swim in water that’s deep enough to swallow a three story house. But he’s determined to not let his fear of deep water ruin this day for Kai, who is currently watching him anxiously.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo says. “This place is absolutely magical, you know. Thanks for bringing me here.”

Kai grins widely, showing off his pointed teeth. “It was your idea to leave the house, I should be thanking you!” The grin dropped. “Wait, are we going to get in trouble?”

“No,” Kyungsoo says with a laugh, “I told Suho last night that I was planning to take you away.”

“Oh,” Kai says, looking stunned. “Wow. You kept it a secret for a while, didn’t you? I didn’t even suspect!”

“That was the idea.”

“Well, the fact that Suho knew makes this significantly less badass. But I’m glad that I finally got you alone.”

Kyungsoo inches back, wary now. “I’m not letting you near my with those teeth, I’m warning you now.”

Kai laughs incredulously. “You think I wouldn’t be careful?” His gaze softens and he swims closer, situating himself between Kyungsoo’s legs, his hands on Kyungsoo’s knees. “I don’t know, though, if I want to be like this when…when it happens.”

“Why not?” Kyungsoo asks.

Kai shrugs. “Isn’t it weird? I have tentacles, you know, I’m like an alien.”

Kyungsoo frowns at him. “You are not doing this now, mister.” He grabs a handful of Kai’s hair and pulls hard. Kai yelps and follows Kyungsoo’s grip, up and over the edge of the rock, until he’s lying on top of Kyungsoo. Before Kai can say anything Kyungsoo rolls them over and straddles Kai’s hips.

“You’re not an alien,” Kyungsoo says firmly. He grabs Kai’s wrists and pins them to the ground, holding him still. “Now you just stay there, don’t move, and listen to me, okay? You’re not weird, and it’s not weird to me because this is who you are and I can accept that. Look, right now we couldn’t do much of anything anyway because I didn’t plan for an adventure in , so I didn’t bring condoms or lube or anything. But just like I kiss you when no matter how you look, we’ll make love no matter how you look, someday. Not today, but someday.”

Kai looks like he could cry, but he smiles cheekily. “So I guess you’re into that freaky tentacle stuff, huh?” his voice cracks half way through the sentence.

Kyungsoo chuckles and leans down to kiss him. “You’re an idiot,” he says against Kai’s lips. “And you’re about as mature as a twelve year old, but you’re mine and I love you, and I want you.”

Kai laughs and even when they kiss, Kyungsoo can feel him smiling.

“Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah?”

Kyungsoo feels something wrap around his waist and then he’s being flipped onto his back. He yelps, expecting to hit his head, but a tentacle supporting his neck prevents that. Kai hovers over him, triumphant, and laughs. “I have eight of these things, you know,” he purrs, wrapping another tentacle around Kyungsoo’s wrists. “Holding my arms down does absolutely nothing to keep me from moving.”

Kyungsoo feels like the air’s been stolen from his lungs, though whether it’s from panic at having his head possibly cracked open or the way Kai looks at him, he’s not sure.

“Could you not look at me like that when I’m having a heart attack?” Kyungsoo asks.

Kai giggles and nuzzles Kyungsoo’s stomach. “Better?” He asks.

“Not really. Stop trying to have with me!” His voice gets higher as Kai palms his crotch. He picks up his head and glares at Kai.

Kai huffs. “Okay, since you didn’t plan for an adventure in , here’s what’s going to happen. I’m either going to slowly go mad, watching you sit there and be all y—with your smile and sparking eyes and stupid human breathing—”

“Breathing? How is breathing y?”

“It is when it’s you, okay? And I’m going to get so hopelessly that I’m going to, I don’t know, hump your foot or something stupid, or, what you could do to distract me, is come swim with me.”

Kyungsoo shoves Kai’s face away from his stomach. “Kai, I can’t swim. It’s not even that I’m afraid of the water, which isn’t necessarily true or untrue I just…I can’t swim.” He’s never actually said that to Kai before.

“I know,” Kai says gently, “Let me rephrase that—I’ll help you swim.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I brought you out here so you could enjoy the ocean, not babysit me.”

“Okay, you listen to me, mister!” Kai says, scowling—though his tone s playful—“I love you and I want you to come in the water with me, I don’t think of it as babysitting and I love you whether you can swim or not! You idiotic, dramatic—”

“Alright Shakespeare,” Kyungsoo grumbles. “I get the point. What do you want me to do?”

Kai rests his hands on Kyungsoo’s hips. “Wrap your legs around my waist, and put your hands on my shoulders.”

Kyungsoo scoots to the edge of the rock and does as he’s told. He stiffens, waiting for Kai to pull him off the rock, but that doesn’t happen. Kai turns his head into Kyungsoo’s neck and kisses him, lips lingering against his pulse point. “Just relax,” Kai says. His thumbs rub circles on Kyungsoo’s hips. “I’m not going to let you get hurt. I’m not going to let go of you.”

Kyungsoo inhales and exhales. He’s shaky, but he relaxes. His spine isn’t as ridged, he bends against Kai’s body. Now Kai pushes off the rock and they’re floating. Kyungsoo is floating, nothing anchoring him but Kai’s arms. The water is warmer than he expected it would be and…it feels good.

Kai is still kissing his neck. His teeth scrape Kyungsoo’s earlobe, and Kyungsoo shudders.

“This is all I wanted,” Kai says. “I hope someday I’ll teach you to swim, but isn’t this nice?”

Kyungsoo smiles and buries his face in Kai’s hair. “Mm, it’s nice,” he mumbles. “I’ve never floated in water before.”

“It’s better when you float on your back,” Kai tells him. “Oh god, Kyungsoo, the best thing in the world is being out in the open water at night, far away from the lights of the city, floating on your back and staring up at the stars. I could never be able to tell you how amazing it is, you lose yourself in the sky, the stars—it’s absolutely magical.”

Kyungsoo leans back so he can look at Kai. His eyes are wide and hopeful, and Kyungsoo grins at him. “We’ll do that one day. Though I’m not sure about, you know, open ocean at night since sharks are a thing.” He freezes. “Oh my god, tell me sharks can’t get in here.”

Kai laughs so hard that Kyungsoo is afraid he’s going to be dropped.

“Hold on,” Kai says when he regains his breath. “Let go of my shoulders, I’m going to lean back so you can just sit on me.”

It’s a smooth transition, and Kyungsoo is once more straddling Kai’s waist, staring down at him. Kai takes Kyungsoo’s hand and kisses his palm. “The tunnel is too narrow for sharks, and I am blessed with a kind of shark-tuned sonar. I always know if one is coming. There aren’t any around here.”

Kyungsoo sighs in relief. “Is my natural fear of sharks so funny to you?”

Kai starts humming the Jaws theme in response.

“That is not funny!” Kyungsoo yelps, “If you keep it up I’m going to drown you I swear to god!”

“You can’t drown me, I have gills.”

“Smug little brat.”

Kai smirks and rests his hand over Kyungsoo’s crotch once more. “If it helps you relax I can—”

“Not while you’re holding me afloat god almighty have you no shame?!”

Kai laughs and removes his hand. He crosses his arms behind his head and positively smolders at Kyungsoo. He looks like he could be lounging in bed, he’s so comfortable. Kyungsoo’s about to yell at him to hold onto him for heaven’s sake but then the tentacles wrap around his waist, under his shirt, and help anchor him in place.

“That might be doing more harm than good,” Kyungsoo says, resisting the urge to squirm as the very tip of a tentacle tickles his side. “Are you doing that on purpose?!”

“Maybe.”

“I’m going to fall off of you and drown.”

Kai stops tickling Kyungsoo. “I won’t let you drown. Even if you squirm around like a jellyfish, I’ll be able to hold you up. I did stuff like this with the kids all the time, holding them up in the air with these things alone. They’re stronger than you think.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo says, trying to relax. “But I’d rather not test them.”

Kai hums and puts his hands on Kyungsoo’s hips once more, then Kyungsoo feels Kai’s flippers start to slowly move. They float around the cavern in lazy circles for a while. Kyungsoo relaxes more by the minute and starts to enjoy being in the water. It feels nice to actually move in the water, instead of sitting on the edge. He’s so relaxed that he doesn’t mind when Kai tugs at the hem of his shirt, laughing as hands and tentacles struggle to remove it.

“Need some help?”

Kai growls and bats Kyungsoo’s hands away, grinning happily when he gets Kyungsoo out of his shirt. “I don’t know why you wore it into the water, it got all wet,” he remarks as he throws the shirt onto the rocks.

“I don’t usually like being half .”

“I can’t imagine why. You’re so perfect.”

Kyungsoo touches his stomach self-consciously. “I could use a few more sit-ups.”

A tentacle stick to his stomach and the little suction cups start to slowly lift off, then stop as Kyungsoo gasps.

“What?” Kai asks.

Kyungsoo blushes. “I…I always thought that it felt like…kisses.”

Kai looks absolutely delighted. “The suction cups, right? I know, I think so too.”

Kyungsoo can’t help but to smile, and he wonders how it could be possible to love one person this much. “It feels really nice.”

“Good,” Kai says happily. “Keep thinking of it like kisses. I want to kiss you everywhere, this is the best way to go about that.”

When they finally leave the cavern and make their way home several hours later, Kyungsoo has tiny little red circles all over his stomach. He playfully complains that his tentacle hickeys looks like he has chicken pox, but h really doesn’t mind. Though he wears extra long shirts until they fade, least Jongdae and Baekhyun see them.

Eventually Kai and Kyungsoo go back to the cavern and mutual s happen. will I ever write that? Maybe someday, when I finally stop cringing every time I type a euphemism for pen*s. But next I think I’ll finally do something for Chanyeol, since I was actually working on that before this happened. But anyway if you want a little teaser for what that’s going to be like, first comment on the Kaisoo, then click here