Baekhyun heard the water.

 

He could hear the gentle plane of white noise, the swishes and rippling sounds, subtle and discreet, but never changing. They added a touch of liveliness to the otherwise sterile mansion that was really more of an office building.

If he closed his eyes, it was easy to picture the water being closer, close enough to have a spray of droplets moistening his dried up skin. 

Mr. Lee wasn't a bad person. He prioritized work over his family, which, in turn meant that a lot of his employees could keep their own families happy.

But it wasn't just his family who had to take a step back for the company. Any kind of social relations or responsibilities were largely lost on Mr. Lee, leading to people calling him a loner. When Mr. Lee turned old and grey and ever-unbothered by the accusations, their scorn turned into an odd form of respect. Yes, Mr. Lee was a loner, but that was perfectly fine with him.

 

He must have been around fifty-five years old when his fellow business partners had decided that it was too late to gift him beautiful escorts for his birthday... and gave him a fish instead.

It was very common for people of Mr. Lee's wealth and rank to own not one, but multiple pets. But of course, pets didn't fit the other's lifestyle, and he'd even jokingly said that the only pet he'd be able to take care of would be a fish.

Baekhyun was pretty sure he was talking about an ordinary goldfish back then, not an actual, humanoid hybrid koi, but that was how Jongin had entered the other's life.

Mr. Lee wasn't too happy back then, but the fish was purchased already, and he was a man of his word.

He had a generously-sized aquarium custom-made and service personnel in charge of maintaining it as well as serving him food and regularly tending to his appearance.

He even gave the young fish a name because he found Kai to be a lackluster choice made by the breeding center.

It probably came as a surprise to people, but Jongin became the best investment the corporation had made in awhile. His aquarium was set in the main meeting room, giving visitors something to look at and interact with. Where Mr. Lee had nothing to offer in the small talk department, Jongin’s excitable smile was enough to fill conversations and send people off with a warm feeling. Unlike much more common and excitable dog hybrids or individualistic, hard to handle cat hybrids, fish were much less intrusive. Jongin didn't talk - though it was said that he could - and while he was extroverted and energetic enough, he was obedient and complacent, never straying from his assigned aquarium and retaining a healthy amount of wariness when it came to strangers, always avoiding their touch. He was also intelligent enough to interpret people's moods and feelings and made himself scarce whenever Mr. Lee was in a bad mood.

Baekhyun was actually a little proud of the fact that Jongin had taken a liking to him straight away. He must have lived with Mr. Lee for around seven years when Baekhyun walked into the meeting room for the first time, carrying his portfolio and a somewhat forced, confident smile that washed out into wonder when he saw a fish hybrid for the first time in his life.
His gaze was wandering down the surprisingly human body, taking in the surprisingly tan skin and tiny scales sprinkled across it. He had no visible tails or fins - at first glance, he looked just like a beautiful young man clad in a simple, but expensive-looking bathing suit. Only the subtle gills and beautiful scales were a clear giveaway - they were colored in every shade of orange imaginable, as well as white and black. Baekhyun had been captivated right away. So captivated, in fact, that he'd been craning his neck as he walked and hit his ankle on a low table with a dull thud. To the present day, Baekhyun never forgot the embarrassment he felt during that little mishap.

The secretary only found it endearing, and even Mr. Lee reacted positively upon entering the room to find Baekhyun standing by the aquarium, with Jongin having poked out his head to curiously peer over the edge of the glass.

"He's the most beautiful hybrid I've ever seen," Baekhyun had said, so earnestly that even thinking of it now made embarrassment run up his neck and ears.

Back then, he had no idea that Jongin could understand his words, but judging by the other's happy smile, it was rather obvious.

 

That was six years ago. Now, Baekhyun could hold his documents with careless confidence written into his muscles by a persistent routine. For six years, Baekhyun had taken care of Mr. Lee's relations, slowly and steadily becoming his most trusted advisor despite their steep age difference - because if there was anything truly nice to say about Mr. Lee, it was that he valued hard work over years spent on earth.

Swept up in work and spurred on by success, Baekhyun sometimes felt like he was becoming the second Mr. Lee himself, and he never knew for sure whether he would like that life or not.

He'd try to picture himself sitting in this lonely mansion, all by himself, and come to the conclusion that he needed something more than that. Something other than money, and even something other than the grateful smiles on his employee's faces. He was selfish like that.

 

If he felt particularly selfish, like today, he'd take the stairs after work. The elevator could easily take him all the way down to the exit, but sometimes, Baekhyun took the stairs instead, which forced him to cross the first floor, to get to the next staircase.

 

It had been two years since the meeting room had been moved to the top floor. Mr. Lee's vision was getting worse and he'd eventually claimed to have grown sick of the dingy lighting in the old room.

As for Jongin... he'd be moved up there eventually, Mr. Lee told his clients whenever they asked about his infamously precious koi.

He'd been saying that for almost two years, and considering the effort of moving the aquarium, Baekhyun had the lingering suspicion that he wasn't truly making plans for it.

 

These days, barely anyone entered the first floor, aside from maids.

For a moment, Baekhyun stopped in his tracks, just shy of passing the doorframe of their old meeting room.

He closed his eyes and listened to the water.

It was always calm these days.

The plush, expensive carpet muffled his next steps, and Jongin didn't stir from his position as Baekhyun peeked inside the room with a hesitant expression growing mellow.

Jongin's aquarium was huge, occupying one of the walls and stretching into the room. There were stones to sit above the water level, and a jungle of exotic plants catching the colored light of the room while the water was lit from below. It was easily the most beautiful aquarium he'd ever seen, and he'd watched Jongin lounge on the stones, legs dangling slowly in the water as he was sunbathing. He'd chuckled at the way the other sometimes rearranged parts of the aquarium himself, and cooed over the way he had dozed, stretched out on the sandy ground. Sometimes Baekhyun had craned his neck and tried to find him, only to realize he'd slipped into the adjacent bathroom through the only door in his pretty glass cage.

These days, however, Jongin always sat at the bottom of the aquarium, back pressed into the glass, half hidden behind plants and curled in on himself.

He seemed to be staring at nothing in particular, or had his eyes closed altogether.

Today, however, he wasn't dozing and when Baekhyun stepped up to the glass, Jongin's eyes flit up. Only for a split second though, before he was staring into the sand again, shoulders drawing up ever so slightly.

Baekhyun swallowed down the lump of unrecognizable emotions and stepped back again, feeling like an intruder.

 

---

 

'I think something's wrong with your fish.'

 

'I think something's wrong with Jongin,' was what Baekhyun had initially said, only to reiterate when Mr. Lee shot him a short, confused look. Eventually, that confusion melted into dismissal.

'He's doing perfectly fine. The maids would have mentioned any issues.'

'But-'

' He's growing old, Baekhyun ,' Mr. Lee had insisted, voice straining only a little, but Baekhyun had known him long enough to sense when the ice under his feet was growing thin, and this was such a moment.

'He's not as young as he used to be. Not everyone can be an agile grasshopper like you.'

There was a certain finality to it, and Baekhyun dropped the topic, silently wondering whether Mr. Lee was avoiding Jongin on purpose. Because while it may be true that hybrids calmed down over the years, Jongin's appearance had remained youthful and ethereal, never once changing in the years Baekhyun had known him. Was it rough, to face this reality? Or maybe Mr. Lee had simply never been particularly interested in his pet, had never truly bonded or engaged with him and did thus not feel the need to treat him as anything other than an oversized goldfish.

It seemed like a preposterous suggestion to Baekhyun, considering how charismatic and human Jongin seemed, but maybe it was less far-fetched to a man who didn't care much about bonding with anyone in general.

Either way, he wasn't convinced. Not at all.

Jongin was not alright, and simply knowing that made him too uncomfortable not to do anything about it. It was simply impossible to go about his work without being acutely aware that Jongin was lifelessly sitting in his tank. It was impossible to hear the water without being reminded that the blinding smile he associated with it was gone.

It had been a gradual downfall, and Baekhyun decided that he'd been a bystander for long enough.

The next day, when his work was over and done, he took the stairs once again. He knew Mr. Lee was still pouring over documents, and he knew that no maids would be busy on the first floor this late into the afternoon - that didn't stop him from turning his head though, making absolutely sure nobody saw him slipping into the former meeting room.

Jongin was sitting on a coral, the only thing poking out of the water being his head. Even from afar Baekhyun could tell that this wasn't the relaxed, serene kind of sunbathing he'd seen Jongin do in the past. He looked tired. Sad.

Baekhyun gathered his courage, stopped chewing on his lip and carefully cleared his throat instead. The reaction was instantaneous and almost violent as Jongin's head shot up and under water, brown eyes shooting him a startled, almost accusing look.

It was so unlike the previous day that Baekhyun felt his own heart skip a beat, dramatically placing a hand over it.

"Alright, I guess I deserved that," he muttered. Being under water, there was no way Jongin could hear him, and he could see that much in the confused tick flitting over his expression, but the other remained wary. It hurt, but that, too, Baekhyun probably deserved. He should have really stopped by earlier.

"Hello Jongin," he began, surprised over the minuscule shakiness in his own voice. When was the last time he'd felt even a little insecure? Maybe he really had become too much like Mr. Lee.

Jongin looked wary still, not moving a single muscle.

What do you want?

Why are you here?

Baekhyun was rather confident those were the questions on Jongin's mind. He was just as confident that one wrong move would have the other slip out of his aquarium and into the bathroom to get away from him.

"I just- wanted to say hello," he began, a little louder so the other might make out his words. When he lifted the box in his hands, he could see Jongin follow it with his eyes.

"I brought cake?"
Still no movement, but Jongin did look reluctantly curious. Seeing the opportunity for what it was, Baekhyun slowly approached the aquarium and reached up to place the box on one the border.

"But shhh," he added, putting a finger to his lips. He'd read that fish hybrids had no issues eating human food if the amounts were reasonable, but he didn't want to risk getting in trouble with Mr. Lee.

As he slowly backed away, he gave Jongin a careful wave and left, fighting the urge to look back or stay.

 

When he returned the next day, Jongin seemed to have expected him already. Without hesitation, he scurried to the back of his aquarium, retrieving the box from behind some plants to present it to him. His posture remained guarded as he placed the box on top of the aquarium, crossing his arms afterwards. But his eyes held a dozen emotions all meshing into something Baekhyun couldn't quite interpret, but felt drawn to nonetheless.

There was curiosity, mild fear, but also a spark of liveliness dancing beneath it all. For the first time in forever, Baekhyun felt a pang of yearning himself.

There was absolutely nothing connecting them, and yet he had a feeling that his own eyes held similar emotions right then.

 

Baekhyun brought Jongin different kinds of cake after that. He got him a slice of chocolate cake (which he loved a lot) and a bit of cherry pie (which he liked considerably less). Jongin never held back on his opinions, but even when he pulled a face at a mouthful of carrot cake once, he still seemed sad to see him go.

That was probably the reason Baekhyun made sure not to skip a day.

Because whenever he caught sight of Baekhyun, Jongin would smile.

He'd always smile so brightly. So genuinely . The mere idea that Baekhyun made him that happy was almost beyond comprehension. Sure, people appreciated Baekhyun's presence and the work he did, but nobody lit up like that. Even on the very rare occasions that Baekhyun had no gift on him, Jongin didn't seem all that disappointed. Even if all Baekhyun did was step inside and smile and ask a few questions Jongin wouldn’t respond to, the other seemed happy. And Baekhyun? Well, he felt like he was getting greedier by the day, spoiled by the other's affection and chasing for more.

So when he one day snuck into Jongin's room, only to have the other stick his head out of the water and call his name, he felt like his heart stopped for a moment.

"Baek-hyun."

It came out confident at first, but quickly sizzled out under a dose of insecurity, shoulders drawing up again. It didn’t matter to Baekhyun, who was rendered speechless for a moment.

" Hi ," he then breathed out, smiling like a fool. He must be looking like a fool, but he just couldn’t help it. He was just... happy.

"How are you?"

Being prompted to speak again already seemed to fluster Jongin, who buried his head on his arms, a tinge of red dusting his cheeks. Baekhyun wasn't deterred at all.

"Good, right?"

Jongin nodded obediently, and hoisted himself up to lounge on one of his small, artificial islands as Baekhyun sank to the ground with his back to the aquarium.

He kept talking that evening, never stopping for long enough to put Jongin on the spot. It was like his mind was charging forward driven by excitement, hoping for nothing to destroy the moment. He talked about his day, about his way to work and the sweets he'd bought at the bakery, about the light rain and the cute dog hybrid being barked at by an actual dog. He just kept talking and whenever he craned his neck to look up at Jongin, the other met his gaze, listening intently.

Only when Baekhyun had gotten up to his feet and dusted off his clothes, did Jongin speak again; only when he was about to leave, asking Jongin one last question, cautiously pushing his luck.

"So, what do you want me to bring you next time?" he asked, forcing himself to sound casual. "Anything you wanna try or taste again?"

 

Jongin had leaned over the aquarium back then, the resolve clear in his surprisingly smooth voice.

"Sky."

Baekhyun blinked.

"The sky?" he echoed, ignoring the way his heart was itching to plummet. "I don't think you can taste the sky, to be honest..."

"I can," Jongin insisted, eyes glittering with the reflections of the colorful lamps. "When I got here. When I walked into this house. I tasted the sky."

"You saw it," Baekhyun corrected, but it sounded hollow even to his own ears.

"I saw it. And I tasted it," Jongin said firmly.
 

Baekhyun nodded, and because he didn't know what else to say, he bid him goodbye with a weak smile. His entire way home was clouded by gloomy thoughts.

Only once in his life had Jongin seen the sky.

And there was no way Baekhyun could bring it to him.
 

---

 

Baekhyun thought long and hard after that, and by the time he visited Jongin again, four days had passed.

He stayed in his office much longer than usual that day, waiting for Mr. Lee to retire for the night. After that, he made absolutely sure nobody would be close to the first floor before exiting the stairway.

When Jongin saw him, he immediately shot to the surface, splashing water all over the floor.

"Baekhyun!"

Hearing his name was nice, but seeing the other so alarmed certainly wasn't.

"Yes?" he asked, immediately mirroring the other's concern. "Is everything alright?"

"I thought you wouldn't come back," Jongin burst out, guilt and shame both battling for the upper hand. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I won't ask for anything. Ever again. Please."

"What? No ," Baekhyun muttered, still trying to comprehend while his heart kept twinging painfully under the weight of his words and their unspoken meaning.

Please.

Please don't leave me.

"I- this is all my fault," Baekhyun admitted right away. There was no such thing as pride when someone was this scared. This wasn't about him saving his grace; it was about alleviating the insecurity that had obviously attempted to suffocate Jongin right after he'd left four days ago.

"I should have visited you earlier, I'm sorry," he began, crouching down to rummage through his bag. "I just- wow, this probably sounds really stupid, but I wanted to wait until I got this. It was supposed to be a surprise but... I should have stopped by sooner. I'm sorry."

Jongin was tilting his head, looking at him with teary-eyed confusion.

That expression didn't change when Baekhyun had retrieved what he'd been looking for - a small, round object.

"What is that?" Jongin asked carefully, but Baekhyun only closed the door and walked over to the control panel, switching off every light one by one. The colorful lights vanished, and so did the UV lamp's warm glow. Only when the aquarium's lighting was switched off, did Jongin whimper - a tiny, questioning sound barely surpassing the gurgling of water.

"It'll be fine, I'll switch it back on in a bit," Baekhyun assured him, blindly reaching for the only ladder. Had anyone but the staff personnel ever climbed this ladder? Probably not.

Mr. Lee certainly hadn't.

But Baekhyun did, heart fluttering anxiously with every step.

"I'm climbing up, okay?"

Swishing water was his sole response. Baekhyun couldn't hold it against him.

"I'm not gonna touch you or anything. Promise."

He heard a small 'okay,' which was enough to make Baekhyun realize that he'd seriously hurt anyone who'd ever do so much as lay a finger on Jongin. The thought was stored away for later when he felt a surprisingly warm, solid stone under his searching fingers. He carefully sat on it, legs still resting on the ladder as he fiddled with the thing in his hands.

"It worked when I tried it at home," he mumbled, mostly to fill the silence. Relying on touch and memory alone, he found the row of buttons on the bottom, pushing them one by one. Within a second, sprinkles of light were filling the room, settling on the walls and ceiling. Not too far away from him, Jongin gasped at the sight, eyes wandering from the lamp to the ceiling and back again.

"That's a nice lamp," he breathed out, slowly inching closer, moving through the water with unintentional grace.

"It's supposed to be a pretty accurate replication of the night sky," Baekhyun explained, not even pretending to tear his gaze from Jongin's dimly lit face. "So basically, it's what stars look like. Kinda."

For a moment, Jongin seemed confused, but the emotion quickly morphed into understanding. Slowly and oh-so-carefully, he placed his arms on the stone - as if he was fearing for Baekhyun to make a move towards him - and looked up at the ceiling with new-found appreciation.

"Sorry I couldn't bring you a blue sky," Baekhyun hummed, still gauging the other's expression for any hidden disappointment. "Or any sky, for that matter."

"This is a sky," Jongin insisted, eyes meeting his. Baekhyun opened his mouth but was cut off immediately.

"It is a sky," Jongin repeated, more firmly.

Startled by the lack of doubt, Baekhyun felt strangely dazed when Jongin turned to lie on the stone with his upper back, facing the ceiling.

It was probably some odd, defensive mechanism that had Baekhyun lie down as well, legs still awkwardly draped over the edge of the aquarium. There was moist stone pressing into his back, the scent of plants permeating the air... and silence.

Baekhyun had never been this close to the water. Or to Jongin.

Above them, star constellations cast a dusty light on the ceiling, and Baekhyun felt his own breathing slow down. They may be artificial, but something about their stillness made him feel at ease. Maybe it was the water, too. Or the warmth radiating off Jongin, who had inched close enough for his wet hair to tickle Baekhyun's cheek.

"Baekhyun?"

"Hm?" he hummed in response, resisting the urge to bury his nose in the other's hair.

"You're the best human," Jongin said, quiet but earnestly.

Baekhyun breathed out a chuckle, trying to cover up just how much those words meant to him. Because really, Jongin deserved so much more than what meagre presents Baekhyun had brought him.

"And you're the best fish hybrid," he said, bumping Jongin's head ever so lightly with the side of his own; a gesture just fleeting enough for Baekhyun to brave it.

Contrary to his expectations, Jongin's voice dropped at this.

"I'm not. I'm not a good fish."

Baekhyun stared at the ceiling with furrowed brows.

"Why would you think that?"

Jongin didn't reply immediately, but when he did, dejection was swimming in every syllable.

"Because I'm not good enough for Mr. Lee. That's why he left me here. He doesn't want to see me anymore. I'm too annoying and not smart or pretty."

Despite the darkness, Baekhyun turned his head incredulously, ignoring the turmoil of ugly emotions stirring in his stomach.

"Did he say that?"

At his tone, Jongin flinched back just a little, causing Baekhyun to backpedal immediately.

"Sorry, I just- he didn't say these things to you, did he?" he repeated, softer this time.

Jongin shook his head - a motion Baekhyun felt more than he saw.

"No," he admitted quietly. "He just didn't come back. And took his visitors somewhere else so they wouldn't see me. I don’t know why, so... I don't know what is disappointing about me. Can you ask him? I'll try to be better. Promise."

Baekhyun had no idea what had gotten into him but before he knew it, he'd half-turned to cradle the other's head closer to him, fingers carefully brushing through his hair.

"You're already the best," he hummed gently. “You’re not annoying, you’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen, and you’re smart, too. Just look at the way you can talk despite- despite everything. You’re improving within the hour, just by listening to me and picking things up. You’re much smarter than most humans.”
He could feel the other relaxing with every passing second, carefully leaning into the touch without a complaint.

"You're perfect,” Baekhyun insisted calmly. “The best fish. And I'm sure Mr. Lee isn't mad at you. Or disappointed."

"Then why?" Jongin breathed out, voice cracking midway and shattering Baekhyun's heart with it.

Why indeed? Why did an intelligent, kind-hearted creature have to wither away in loneliness, confined to a single room?
Baekhyun had no answer to that.

"I don't know," he admitted, half-fearing the other would distance himself. Jongin only pressed closer though, close enough to bury his face in Baekhyun's neck.

"You'll stay, right?"

Baekhyun hummed, unable to get a word out of his clogged up throat.

"And if you leave, you'll tell me why, right?"

The scales sprinkled across the side of his face felt smooth under Baekhyun's palm. He gave in to the urge to close his eyes and focus on nothing but the other's presence.

"I won't leave."

It was somewhat of a reckless statement. But he meant it.

 

---

 

Mr. Lee passed away one chilly night in April.

It was an unexpected, but peaceful death.

Morbid as the world was, this caused an enormous amount of paperwork and work-related questions. Baekhyun wasn't particularly hurt over it though. Work came first and their employee's lives were of the highest priority. Mr. Lee would have wanted it that way.

Besides, it was easier to get used to the empty desk in the living room with so many things to do. He could still hear the old man's voice inside his head sometimes, could imagine the way he'd nag his work into perfection.

But Baekhyun wasn't Mr. Lee. He'd been on the same path for a long time, yes, but recently, he'd strayed. Not too far - just far enough to nurture not only his mind, but also his heart. Far enough to visit Jongin and hold him tight.

Far enough to have Jongin hold him when he felt like crumbling.

And maybe, just maybe, Mr. Lee would have forgiven him for that. Maybe he'd known that Baekhyun needed something else, something more. Maybe he'd known everything all along. Or maybe he hadn't and fate was simply smiling upon Baekhyun, rewarding him for doing his best for such a long time.

When Mr. Lee's will was formally read, all Baekhyun had truly worried about was Jongin. Being the responsible man he was, Mr. Lee had not forgotten about this pet he'd never really wanted - and he wanted Baekhyun to take care of him from now on. It said nothing more than that, and yet Baekhyun started to cry, silent tears finally finding their way out, uncaring of the people seeing him.
 

 

"Would that be okay?" he'd asked Jongin after the meeting standing in the way too large meeting room with his hands balled into fists by his sides, biting his lips. "I won't have room for an aquarium this big, but you could use the rest of my place, too, if you want to. And stay in here while I work. You don't have to say yes, of course. I can arrange whatever you want. You're free now."

Jongin had looked at him with wide eyes, upper body leaning over the aquarium. Almost like when they had met for the first time.

Unlike then, however, Jongin had no trouble following his words.

"I'll do my best," he promised right away. No more drawn up shoulders or fingers clawing into the glass.
Baekhyun chuckled despite his burning eyes.

"Just be you. It's not your job to be anything. Okay?"

"Okay," Jongin relented after a short pause, smiling just like he had back then.

Baekhyun walked over to the ladder, extending his hand.

"Let's go out?"

Within seconds, Jongin had made his way over and was staring down at him, droplets of water hitting Baekhyun's cheek.

"Are you sure that would be okay?"

Baekhyun didn't even attempt to keep back his grin.

"Well, you did want to see the sky, right? It's really blue today. And I know a good park. You told me you wanted to try running, didn't you?"

The excitement blossoming on the others face was enough to chase away any doubts or fears he might have had.

 

That day, Jongin did see the sky. He'd worn a pair of Baekhyun's pants and a shirt, but his feet stayed bare as he skidded through the grass, running and tumbling, and laughing even when he scraped up his knee.

He also pressed a kiss to the crook of Baekhyun's neck as they lay in the grass around sunset, claiming he tasted just like the sky.

Baekhyun wasn't going to correct him. After all, looking at Jongin's slightly parted lips, hearing his deep, calm breathing and watching his scales glisten in the golden light... he was absolutely certain he could hear the water.