English (?) | noun

♦state of relaxation and wonderment experienced while gazing upon the stars

 

---

 

The days are seeping into each other, lining themselves up like a string of pearls and thus steadily creeping towards the end of summer.

But the time for autumn has not quite come yet. The air is still filled with bright sunlight and the nights are warm.

So warm, that Taehyung dishes out some nonsense to his landlords, about a short trip back to the city.

Upon hearing the news, Jimin wipes away big fake tears, blabbering something about his child growing up and then proceeds to put a pen into Taehyung's hand.

"As departure gift, you shall do the honours of measuring Yoongs' and my height today." He says it with an immense weight, face solemn, as if he's bestowing a knighthood on Taehyung.

Taehyung rolls his eyes - such unnecessary dramatics, really - but complies and gets to work. The kitchen door frame is littered with lines and marks, some drawn with bold highlighter, others crossed out and scribbled over. What are two more lines to that mess?

Jimin stands straight as a pole with his chest puffed out and corners of his mouth twitching traitorously.

Taehyung has to tell him to stop tip-toeing and take it like a man four times.

Yoongi, on the other hand, is all cool about it. Simply steps forward, lets his measurement get taken, and steps back. It's a matter of less than ten seconds. His whole demeanour changes, however, once Taehyung announces him the taller one of the two, mouth splitting into a -eating grin and chin rising up so he can peer down his nose at a fuming Jimin.

"Guess that means I win. Again," he drawls before side-stepping his shrieking boyfriend.

Jimin only snaps out of it when Taehyung mutters something about packing snacks for the trip. He rushes forward to pull him into a tight hug. Wishes him a safe travel and all the best. Yoongi only rolls his eyes in the background and waves at him to get out already. And even Yoongi-yaong (as they've nicknamed the cat in a half-hearted attempt to soothe human Yoongi), weaves through their legs before pressing against Taehyung's ankle with a meek 'Meow'. Taehyung untangles himself from his landlord and crouches down to scratch the little guy's head, the kitten snuggling into the touch and purring contently before giving a timid to Taehyung's hand and traipsing off.

Jimin coos at them until he gets snapped at by Yoongi for running late.

Taehyung waits for the both of them to leave for work, and then heads to the pier with his stuffed bag. Yeah, no, he's not heading to Seoul at all. But his landlords don't have to know the details, do they?

And what's much more important, Jeongguk.

Tonight he won't leave Jeongguk with a goodbye that tastes like ash in his mouth. 

 

The day stretches and condenses in turns. It is difficult for Taehyung to get a grasp of the pace of time on a day that seems to be like every other, except it is not. There is a slight tension to him whenever he thinks of the night to come. When the stars will come out, when he'll stay with Jeongguk for the first time and get to witness his beauty under the sliver moonlight.

Jeongguk too seems to vibrate with barely-contained anticipation.

It is yet another first for them, after all. 

They are, once again, lazing on their favourite rock, Jeongguk half out of water, half dipped into the refreshing cold, limbs entangled as they take turns to read from the tales of Marco Polo to each other. Jeongguk's eyes are gleaming with that insatiable hunger he sometimes shows whenever Taehyung tells him something new about the human world. He nudges Taehyung's side with his fin, a silent request to tell him more about the fabled horse people from the Mongolian steppe.

Taehyung humours him, shares what he knows about the matter with deep, hushed voice. Eyes closed, the mer listens, leaning against Taehyung and absent-mindedly tracing patterns on whatever bits of skin he can reach. 

It's something he's gradually picking up since Taehyung so patiently introduced him to it - the matter of skinship, that is. The idol has always been a touchy person and favoured a reassuring hug or caress over kind words spoken from a distance. So for him to not only be able to initiate contact with the mer but also Jeongguk growing accustomed to it to a point where he too seems to develop a constant urge to touch and feel, it's nothing short of the most beautiful miracle.

He revels in the sensation of fingers brushing over his skin, feather-light as it may be.

And there is a lot of skin for Jeongguk to touch. With his exhausting workout routine finally showing effect, Taehyung more often than not discards his shirt, and lately even opts for a pair of tight boxer briefs rather than the swim trunks he prefers most of the time. If his is back to its luscious size, cheeks nicely round and firm, well. Maybe Jeongguk ought to see.

(And if he caught the mer glancing at his buttocks a couple times in the past days, then that's just between the two of them.)

Like that, they spend the day. Come evening, Taehyung finds himself much more settled than usual, despite that certain tenseness tugging at his insides whenever he wonders how the night will turn out. For once he doesn't have to think about when to go back so he'll be on time for dinner and not risk the wrath of one Park Jimin who has been kept waiting. (Jimin, he learnt, is someone not to be left waiting if you value your life.)

It is then, under a sunset that paints the sky almost violently with vibrant splashes of colour, that Jeongguk tugs at his hand. Taehyung gives him a puzzled look, so he tugs again and this time he understands the gesture for the silent request to come into the water that it is.

"What?," he asks, body already moving to oblige Jeongguk's wish.

"Taehyung."

Ah, how sweet his name sounds, coming out of Jeongguk's mouth like that, filled with something akin to devotion. One day this very thing is going to be the death of him. 

"I want to show you a different place for tonight."

Taehyung easily goes. Doesn't even question it, just wraps his arms around Jeongguk's waist and grins.

"Show me, then."

Jeongguk leans down with a much softer smile to nudge his nose against Taehyung's.

"Breathe," he murmurs.

So Taehyung does.

And then the world warps, as Jeongguk pulls him under, picking up speed in an instant and manoeuvring them through the ocean with the ease of someone who knows every corner of it.

They come up somewhere in the middle of the sea once. Jeongguk gives him the time to catch his breath and to look around. What he sees is a whole lot of-

Nothing, some might say.

And would be so wrong for it.

The sun-painted sky stretches endlessly in every direction, as does the sparkling sea. Only in the far distance Taehyung can make out dark slivers of land. 

Jeongguk gives him a questioning look, and Taehyung nods, the two of them returning into the sea's cradle then.

The second time they come up, they are on a tiny island. It is barely more than a big rock peeking out of the water, with sand having collected in a soft hollow.

"Here should be good," Jeongguk says to himself. Then lifts Taehyung up onto the rock.

Taehyung giggles at the gesture but lets himself pliantly be manhandled into laying on his back, eyes up to the sky - up to Jeongguk hovering above him with the slightest knot of concentration in his eyebrows as he so obviously struggles to decide which is the most perfect position for Taehyung to stargaze. Pushing his legs up, bending them one side and then the other before pulling them flat down again, jostling Taehyung a little bit to the left, closer towards the centre of the stone. Chuckling, Taehyung lets him do as he pleases.

There is only a short moment of a slip-up when Jeongguk leans forward some more and suddenly Taehyung is eye-level with his muscular chest. With the delicate silver chains fastened to the mer's necklace - a heavy plate that must be made of solid silver and reminds Taehyung of those... torque(?) necklaces that are experiencing a renaissance right now, except it looks much older, almost ancient - dangling right into his face before disappearing behind Jeongguk's back. Some of them have tiny shimmering plates hanging on them that jingle with every movement. It's a sound he's come to associate with Jeongguk, that faint and bright tinkling.  It adds to Jeongguk's already ethereal air, sounds just how his scales glittering in the sun look like.

More than everything, these body chains are a wicked temptation. Especially now, as they are so so close, bits of them across Taehyung's face like a cool whisper on his skin. He has to ball his hands into fists until there's a grounding bite of nails digging into his palms to refrain himself from opening his mouth and tugging at one of the chains, of them in, tongue already lolling out on its own accord.

What a tease. Jeongguk is such a tease and he doesn't even know it, stays completely oblivious through it all until he leans back, taking his pretty chains and even prettier, chiselled chest with him.

"Good?" he asks with hushed tone.

Taehyung does not trust his voice and so, can only nod his head at him. He gets a soft smile as answer, such a fragile little thing he wants to wrap his hands around it and protect it at all costs.

With a big heave, Jeongguk pulls himself further out of the water and lays down too, then nestles into the space right next to Taehyung. There is a flick of his tail that sends droplets of water spraying on them before it languidly drapes itself over Taehyung's ankles. The slight scratch of scales on his skin is familiar to Taehyung now so he doesn't as much as flinch. Glancing to the side, he can see the rest of the tail dangling off the rock and into the water where it tapers off into those glorious fins.

The fins at the end of Jeongguk's tail are by far Taehyung's favourites.

He snorts.

Is he seriously biased towards a certain pair of Jeongguk's fins? Well. Maybe. Excuse him. But the other two pairs - two smaller ones sprouting out at the front of Jeongguk's tail close to where his hips would be, and two bigger ones at the height of his knees - just don't cut it. It's not that their colours are less beautiful, or that they're not as thin and translucent as the caudal fin (ha! at least one fin name Taehyung could memorise back when he researched the different types). It's just that they are not nearly as large. Don't look as much like feather-light veils shifting in a warm summer breeze in front of an open window.

He still likes them, because of course he does, they are just not his favourite.

...Does that make him a size queen?

Dammit.

The thought alone has Taehyung's mind going back to the image of a very Jeongguk the first time he became human-looking in front of him. To him standing there in all his glory, and Taehyung swears he hasn't wanted to look, really. But he's just a simple man. And so he did sneak a glance. And has to live with the knowledge that human-form Jeongguk is very well-endowed down there ever since. He'd fill him up so good-

Nope. Not going there. No, no, no.

They came here to stargaze, to watch the meteor showers that can be seen at the night sky every year during this time. Not to... whatever his mind was trying to think.  They haven't even kissed, for crying out loud! Besides, Taehyung has no idea if Jeongguk likes him the way he does. If the mer loves him - because with every passing day Taehyung is growing more and more sure that's what's happening to him. He's mid-fall for Jeongguk, with no end in sight.

Maybe the whole gifting thing could be a clue. If this was a different era and they were both human, Taehyung would say Jeongguk is courting him. But it's not and they aren't, so who is to say it's not just a merfolk habit he doesn't understand?

And, it's Jeongguk.

The two of them are worlds apart.

How could he ever hope-

With a soft flutter, one of Jeongguk's fins - not Taehyung's favourite yet still very much lovable and stunning - splays over his stomach like a warm and moist blanket. His mind goes quiet. And when he turns his face, there is such raw tenderness in Jeongguk's eyes it makes Taehyung's breath hitch.

Oh, he thinks.

Maybe the idea of 'them' is not so far-fetched, after all.

 

The blanket Taehyung brought lays abandoned next to his bag, from when he got out the can with hot chocolate. Turns out wherever the sand comes from that's covering the rock in a thick layer (Jeongguk, he thinks, it's been Jeongguk), it's more than soft enough for them to lay there for a prolonged time.

For hours.

That's how long they've been here already, cuddled against each other as the sky turns from orange to pink to purple and into that certain twilight shade of blue before one after another the stars peek out. Jeongguk's heartbeat is a steady rhythm, slow and even where Taehyung's ear rests on his chest. His tail minutely shifts with each breath, fins fluttering along in a shadow-like caress on Taehyung's skin.

And when the starry night is showing itself in its unparalleled glory, the sky littered with more stars than Taehyung has ever seen, milky way stretching across the firmament like a lucent cloud that dips its toes into this and that colour just ever so slightly, Jeongguk begins to glow.

First Taehyung thinks it's a trick of the eye. Discards the idea as laughable and tries to focus back on the night sky. But the glowing next to him doesn't go away. 

And so he looks.

Sees, for the first time, the mer at night. Under the open sky, under the watchful and attentive eyes of his many brothers and sisters that haven't pummelled into death and rebirth yet.

Taehyung stares.

It is an exquisite sight.

Jeongguk's skin seems to hum with a warmth that comes from within. It's barely noticeable, really, if Taehyung wouldn't know what the mer looks like most of the day. What's truly breath-catching, however, is the fish in him. His scales, fins, and the rows of gills along his neck are dipped in starlight, glowing silvery like stained glass behind bright light. Fragile. Dazzling.

Taehyung has never seen something similar before. But then again, he's never seen something like Jeongguk period.

He stares for way longer than society would deem appropriate, he know he does. And again Jeongguk lets him. Gives him the time to take in the sheer magnitude of one Jeongguk at night, allows him to take as long as he needs to lift his eyes up, up, up.

Until he is met with Jeongguk's gaze and his breath hitches one again. For the mer's eyes are no longer from that eerie yet stunning bottomless darkness, not anymore. Only at the outer edge of his irises do they still hold the inky blackness. But closer to the centre, like a brilliant ring encircling his pupils, they've become molten moonlight. Are shining in the most pure silvery white Taehyung has ever seen, the tiny stars etched into the skin beneath Jeongguk's eyes twinkling along.

There is no space for words. Words could never do justice to the most magnificent wonder that is Jeongguk.

Dazedly, Taehyung reaches out his hands to cup the mer's cheeks and run his thumbs over the glowing stars in Jeongguk's face, right under his eyes.

Those eyes, which flutter shut now before opening again as the mer buries further into the touch and stares right back at him with the scorching intensity Taehyung has only ever known from Jeongguk. 

Forgotten are the night sky and their plans to spot as many shooting stars as possible.

This, right here next to Taehyung, is the most captivating sight of them all.

"What," he whispers, has the faint sense his eyes must be big as saucers, "what is happening?"

Jeongguk closes his eyes again. Turns his head to nose along Taehyung's hand, then blinks up at him through dark lashes where Taehyung is now leaning over him.

"Like calls to like," he says cryptically.

Taehyung doesn't even register he's been given barely an answer at all, too busy processing that the sight of Jeongguk at day was not the peak of his ethereal beauty yet.

His fingers are still Jeongguk's cheeks, and when a faint sea breeze ruffles the mer's hair and blows black locks all over his face, one of Taehyung's hands comes up to carefully brush them away. Until he's got a clear view on Jeongguk once again.

And Jeongguk, he soaks it all up. Every touch, every caress, eyes rarely leaving Taehyung's as he takes everything in a way that's - coupled with his almost fierce expression - bordering on greediness. 

He silently demands more.

And who is Taehyung, to not comply so easily and keep touching him, worshipping him reverently, just the way he deserves, while Jeongguk presses feather-light yet scorching kisses at the inner side of Taehyung's wrist in a way that seems like an oath on its own?

Taehyung will never be able to grasp the entirety of Jeongguk. There is too much. He is too much, too breathtaking, of a ravishing beauty to a point where it hurts.

 

The night passes like that, stretching abandoned above their heads. None of them pays it any mind as the two of them are too lost in each other.

More than once Taehyung's gaze flickers down to the lips curled into a small smile and he wonders how they would feel against his. Wonders if Jeongguk tastes of starlight, too. He never acts on it, however. Not because he is afraid of his feelings being one-sided, that definitely can't be the case with how Jeongguk keeps looking at him, touching him. That's not how you touch a mere friend.

But tonight is not about finding each other and igniting the spark that might have been smouldering for longer than Taehyung was aware. Tonight is about Jeongguk. About Taehyung showing him just how deep his... everything runs for the mer, and treating him with the utmost care. The only way he should ever be treated.

Somewhen, minutes, hours later, Jeongguk speaks up again.

"We call out for each other," he says. "The stars and I. They recognise me as one of their own, and vice versa. It happens to every mer at nights as clear as this one, although some experience it stronger than others."

Taehyung hums, a single finger tracing along Jeongguk's sensitive gills. He marvels at the rosy sheen reflecting on his own skin from where there is a soft pinkish glow breaking through the skin of Jeongguk's neck with every breath he takes.

"Do you miss them?"

Jeongguk mulls over the question. His hands up and down Taehyung's sides where at some point Taehyung swung a leg over his tail and is straddling him now, before coming to a halt at his hips. A few beats of comfortable silence pass before he answers.

"Sometimes. Sometimes I hear the call so loudly, feel it pulling at me so strongly I wish I could fly. Grow some wings and return to their side. Although-"

One hand gliding to the small of Taehyung's back, Jeongguk deliberately drags the other one up his waist, side, arm and shoulder until it comes to rest at his neck, and with a flick of his wrist, cradles Taehyung's jaw.

"-although it isn't that strong, recently."

Since I met you, is what he doesn't need to say.

Taehyung melts.

 

They do get some stargazing done, somehow. Taehyung has no idea how he manages to pull his eyes away from Jeongguk but by some kind of miracle he manages the impossible and comes to look at the star sky at long last.

Jeongguk, it turns out, doesn't only have eyes like an endless pit by day, he also is one, if it comes to stories about the stars. He can name every single of them, it seems, and knows tales about them and their constellations to no end.

Taehyung wonders if it's a merfolk thing, or if it's purely Jeongguk. Finds, he doesn't care as long as he gets to listen to the mer's sweet voice.

But even with nerves and self-control made of steel - which Taehyung does not have - he cannot fight the sleep forever.

And so he falls asleep sprawled over a glowing Jeongguk somewhere in the middle of nowhere, to the lull of Jeongguk's voice telling him  about the seven sisters who loved the moon and the one who loved the sea and fell down to earth, rendering the constellation forever incomplete.

Out of his periphery Taehyung thinks he sees a shooting star. Before sleep can claim him true, he makes a very selfish wish.

 

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

 

One night together under the open sky turns into two, turns into three. It is addicting. Taehyung's eyes glued to him, his hands roaming all over his body. The way he treats him like a treasure beyond measure. Jeongguk loves it. Finds he can't get enough of it.

On the day after their first night together Taehyung has been writing for a long time in that little book he always carries around. And even then, his empty hand has always been touching Jeongguk somewhere. As if he too couldn't bear for the two of them to be apart for more than a breath. 

When Jeongguk asked him what he was writing about, he said, "About the stars. About the night, about you." And gave Jeongguk one of those looks that made him feel as if he was worth a whole kingdom, at least. It was one of those looks that settled deep in his chest, to never disappear there again.

During the second night, he's brought them to a beach even further away. One, that looks like countless starts have fallen into the sea. It's a special kind of glowing shrimps living there. With eyes squinted, they turn into tiny sparkly dots in the sea, a truly beautiful sight. Taehyung has been over the moon. The beach however was not as abandoned as their rock from the first night, as it has become a favoured spot amongst humans lately. So Jeongguk had to severely dull his nightly glow.

(If he's been exaggerating it in the first night to impress Taehyung and urged his body to shine brighter than usual, that's between the sea and him.)

But as always, all good things have to come to an end.

And so, after the fourth day, Taehyung has to return to the fisherman's son.

Their parting is bittersweet. Over the days, Jeongguk has grown accustomed to the presence of Taehyung next to - and not seldom on top of - him, which makes him fear the nights alone in his cave. It helps to know they will meet each other the next morning without fail.

However, Jeongguk barely has time to feel lonely.

He's just gone through his second shift of the night - it hurts more tonight, after he couldn't practice for three nights in a row - when he feels it.

A movement in his waters, too sharp and deliberate to be a mere fish. It's driven by intention.

The waves of the sea ripple around the intruder and give word to Jeongguk, confirming his suspicion of the creature's body being rather big - about the size of his own.

He's got a visitor.

Senses turning razor-sharp, Jeongguk leaves his cave.

 

"So I found you, at last."

It's an odd way to greet a stranger but Jeongguk doesn't care. Merfolk is family. Some mers abide by the rules of basic manners... and other's don't. Simple as that. The mermaid in front of him clearly falls into the latter category.

She's a rough-hewn beauty with sharp features yet kind eyes, her hair billowing around her head in a grey cloud despite the youthful face, tail equally grey and speckled with purple dots.

"Found me... have you been searching for me, then?"

She nods. "Yes. For a little while now, the sea keeps whispering about that one reckless little mer who so wishes to go on land and wander the human realms, again and again and again."

Jeongguk's eyebrows rise higher and higher with every word. He wasn't aware the sea was this... talkative about him.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." The mermaid smiles and stretches out a sharp claw. "It is nice to meet you. My name is Asterin."

He takes the hand, ignoring the little sting where Asterin's nails pierce his skin. It happens. A mer's love is always rough.

"Jeongguk."

They smile at each other, and the warm, wobbly feeling of meeting a distant relative settles in his stomach.

"If you don't mind me asking... why did you search for me?"

Asterin shrugs. "Because I was curious. I wanted to meet you. And," she takes one of the many conches hanging around her waist like a loose belt and hands it to him, "because I thought you might need those."

Jeongguk takes the conch and plucks the little sponge from the opening. When he upturns the conch, a few strange berries tumble into his palm. They are dark, almost black - although Jeongguk can't be too sure in the dim light of the moon filtering through the sea - and covered by a web of intricate golden veins.

"What are those?"

"These are sea berries out of my private garden," Asterin explains. "They can give earth creatures the temporary ability to breathe underwater." She gives him a knowing look. "You have met a very special human, haven't you, child? Otherwise you wouldn't want to turn into one so badly."

Jeongguk splutters, cheeks reddening. "Wait, why- how can you tell if I'm younger than you?"

She laughs. "Because us ancient mers aren't so reckless. Only the youths. You are probably only a few centuries old, at most. Not that it's a bad thing."

Jeongguk pouts and she laughs again, then points back at the berries.

"One of them is enough to last a human an hour or so underwater. They work without question, I've cultivated and perfected them for a long time. Use them wisely."

"Is- is such a thing really possible?", Jeongguk asks, eyes big.

"Of course it is. I can grow all sorts of unique sea fruits. Besides," she boops his nose, like a gentle granny would, "didn't you know? The sea loves all of us, but in different ways. Just like you got granted the wish to roam the lands above whenever you want, I can harvest little wonders. None of us mers exist twice since the sea spends so much time and thought on creating us. Some mers just take longer to realise it and find the treat that's unique to them. That's why they like to call me a sea witch, and you a shifter."

"I had no idea," Jeongguk admits but Asterin waves it off.

"How could you? You live far away from other mers, of course you don't know. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so..."

"I do." The mermaid adjusts her conch belt, then. "It was nice to get to know you, Jeongguk. If you ever have questions, come find me in the northern ice sea."

With that, and a warm goodbye thrown over her shoulder, the strange mermaid whose name means star leaves just as promptly as she arrived.

Jeongguk keeps looking after her for a long while.

He doesn't have to ask why she was so kind to gift him those berries. Because he knows. It's in their nature.

With how much wondrous love it takes for a mer to be born, it rubs off on them. All mers love and care for each other like long-lost siblings, with no remorse, unconditionally. 

It's why they never understand how humans can argue, hurt, kill each other, how they can go to war.

What's the point?

 

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

 

Taehyung comes back to his temporary home - the home that's a place, not a person; because with every day he feels the thought of Jeongguk becoming his new home more and more to be true - and faces serious changes.

And with 'serious changes' he means, Jimin has made good of the more than gracious sum Taehyung transfers to him monthly and purchased a Siri thing which he carries from room to room.

It hits Taehyung completely unprepared. Because Jimin hasn't let him in on his grand plan. And that means, when he returns and opens the door, he is not faced with a cheering Jimin flinging himself at him. Instead, he's greeted to the sight of the very same Jimin laying on the couch, sprawled all over Yoongi's lap, making eye contact with Taehyung and promptly yelling from the top of his lungs, 

"SIRI, PLAY THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!"

And thus, Taehyung gets for the first - but not last - time entrance music appropriate to what Jimin deems the appropriate mood. Which, okay, weird.

But also kinda cool.

Yoongi-yaong kind of kills the mood though, as he comes scurrying over with high-pitched 'Meows' way too loud for such a small body, then proceeds to almost aggressively sit himself down onto Taehyung's shoe, demanding ear scratches.

Taehyung coos.

Leans down to fulfil his duty as cat butler when suddenly the refrain hits, his foot automatically tapping along the beat and throwing Yoongi-yaong off. The cat lets out an aghast shriek and, with a snippish curl of his tail, flounces off.

Taehyung sighs. The daily struggles of being a musician, everybody.

Jimin laughs himself off the couch at the sight and even Yoongi smirks. Traitors.

"Wow," Taehyung huffs. "I'm gone for, what, three days, and this is how you treat me? I see how it is."

"Aw, come-on, Taehyung-ah, don't be a sore loser."

"Sore los- I'll show you sore loser!"

 

They play eleven rounds of Snakes And Ladders. 

But, the extreme version. Whenever someone hits a snake, he either has to take a shot or a spoonful of whatever the others chose. Which is an evil concept. Especially considering how many spicy and sour things Jimin has stored in the fridge.

Once, Taehyung has to eat a whole spoonful of wasabi paste. He's ready to throw up at this point but Jimin cackling manically while exclaiming himself the winner has the competitive kid in him continuing.

Which is a bad idea.

By the end of round eleven, all of them feel horrible.

And, somehow, Yoongi turns out the winner of the evening.

Taehyung is not sure how that could happen. He has the vague sense the older must've been cheating, with Jimin knowing and just letting him.

Not. Fair.

 

The only reason why Taehyung manages to hold himself together and not puke his guts out, is because the faucet in the bathroom is dripping. 

Really.

From his place on the floor, leaned over the toilet, when he looks up to the source of that annoying dripping sound, he sees the water drops hanging from the faucet. Sparkling in the light, and catching bits of the blue wall colour. 

Taehyung looks at it, and he thinks 'Jeongguk'.

Thinks of his incredibly pretty starlight-bathed scales, of his bright eyes and tender hands.

He gets caught in the astounding memory to a point where he forgets about his nausea altogether.

 

...And that's is how his huge crush and him seeing Jeongguk in literally everything cures Taehyung that night.

 

Taehyung wakes up somewhen in the middle of the night, with an empty stomach and one of Jeongguk's pearls in his hand.

A mere man cannot hope to fight nature, he decides, and get out of bed with a low grunt.

He tip-toes out of his room and down the stairs that have the tendency to creak obnoxiously, until he reaches the kitchen. And, more importantly, the fridge. Taehyung is not a great cook, even less so in the dead of the night. He's also not incredibly creative five minutes after waking up against his will.

So, a bowl of cereals it is.

Ever mindful of his surroundings and not wanting to wake anyone else - both Yoongis in this household get unbearably cranky when woken up - Taehyung tries his very best not to make any noise. He is careful with opening the fridge, careful with pulling the plastic bag out of the cardboard box and pouring the cereals in a bowl, careful with the milk too. 'Careful' meaning slow.

It takes him at least five minutes to prep his bowl of cereals, if not even longer. 

But it's quiet. He's positive nobody woke up from him making a midnight snack.

Nice.

Now he'll just have to let it soak until it's mushy, and chew it slowly. And get back into his room without stepping on any creaky boards. So far everything is going quite well. Until-

"The you're doing, man?"

Taehyung spins around with a little shout, milk swapping from the bowl onto his hand. Something slides off his nose and falls to the floor with a clatter. The world turns bright.

He groans against the brightness and squints his eyes until they've adjusted. And comes face-to-face with Yoongi sitting at the dining table, reading newspapers.

It takes Taehyung an entire two minutes before he realises, that, oh. It's not night. It's late noon. And for a reason he doesn't remember, he's been wearing his favourite sunglasses.

Has he been drunk? Have they been drinking last night? 

...They have, haven't they?

Oh. That... that explains a few things.

And now Yoongi has been watching him pour the world's slowest cereal bowl, completely unnecessary at that. The look of heavy judgement he sports says it all.

"Uhm." Taehyung clears his throat. "Hi."

His landlord snorts. 

"Sup."

Wait.

Why is Yoongi even here in the first place? Doesn't he have, like, work? Except...

"Is- is today Sunday?"

Another weird side-glance.

"Duh."

"Oh. I'm. I mean, cool."

Taehyung picks up his sunglasses and hurries to his room with flaming head.

 

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•

 

Jeongguk ends up not giving the precious berries to Taehyung. Not yet.

He knows the human is not ready yet, has a certain sense of fear from the endless depths awaiting him - it shows in the way his grip turns tighter whenever Jeongguk dives into darker waters with him. Albeit, he hasn't got half as much fear as he ought to have.

That's where it clearly shows he was not born at the coast. He knows nothing about the horrors of the sea, about the unrestrained, all-crushing powers haunting the coast during a storm - or a mer's rage - crushing towns and collecting lives like sand grains. Doesn't know that the proper respect of those who are familiar with the sea is born out of a deep-rooted fright.

Not that Taehyung has to fear any terrific storm flood hitting Nakseongdae this autumn, not when Jeongguk can help it. But the locals don't know that. And his generosity doesn't extend to any other coastal village.

Yet Taehyung, he is safe. Despite his ignorance of the very real dangers lurking in the dark depths of the ocean and far out at the sea, save for that vague sense of uneasiness, the human doesn't have to fear anything.

Jeongguk silently makes that vow to himself as he grabs Taehyung's hand and slowly lifts it to his mouth to lay a hushed ribbon of kisses over Taehyung's knuckles, the human blissfully unaware of what direction Jeongguk's thoughts have taken.

His mind doesn't stay with the thoughts of floods for much longer when Taehyung grants him a smile filled with so much adoration it wipes Jeongguk's head clean of everything else. Taehyung leans down to where Jeongguk has flung himself over his legs and allowed the human to use his back as support for his writing book, and places a lingering velvety kiss of his own on Jeongguk's neck, somewhere right below his gills, maybe where he's got that one mole.

Jeongguk hums, revelling in the little chuckle it pulls from Taehyung at the gills fluttering against his cheek, tickling him. He contently stretches himself in the warmth of the midday sun, then slides a hand up and down one of Taehyung's arms, always mindful of his sharp nails. Taehyung doesn't flinch. Not a single white scratch mark mars his golden skin. Jeongguk smiles.

"Are you happy?", he asks with low voice.

It has Taehyung's eyes crinkling at the corners as his smile stretches further, has him brushing a finger over the little stars framing Jeongguk's lower eyelids, first the right side, then the left.

"Yeah. I am."