Spanish | noun

♦heightened sense of emotion, passion, inspiration; the mysterious power of art to deeply move someone

 

---

 

Cat Yoongi is amazing, and cat Yoongi has come to stay. That's what Jimin and Taehyung decided together after human Yoongi threw a tantrum - which was the most hilarious thing to ever happen. 

Because human Yoongi does not like being called like that. ("I was there first, therefore I am the only true Yoongi! Stop calling the little cretin by my name!") So teasing him about it has become Jimin's new sport. Taehyung often stays in the living room after dinner these days to witness the show. 

And like that he learnt a valuable lesson: Yoongi starts fluently speaking bull once he's had it. 

"Yah, Park Jimin, abuse my name one more time and I'll take away all of your Texas tofu!"

"The is that- wait, I didn't even make any tofu for, like, weeks???"

"Yes you did, there is a whole plate of it in the fridge."

"...Do you mean the cheesecake?"

"Tofu shall be cake and cake shall be tofu, I know what I know and I tell you what I saw."

Jimin shakes his head and goes back to scratching cat Yoongi's ears.

"That literally makes zero sense."

"Just because you're dumb."

Taehyung snickers at his place on the couch - and promptly gets a toy mouse thrown at his head.

"Yah!"

 

Between their hikes and swims, Jeongguk is tearing through whatever book Taehyung brings him. He's read all 27 of Taehyung's books from the '39 signs' series by now - so the idol decides to bring him something else entirely next. Time to get the mer accustomed to Greek myths.

"I know I don't even have to try getting Jimin to talk with me about it so you are my next chosen victim," he announces as he plunks down the heavy book.

Jeongguk grins. "You know I don't consider myself a victim in this scenario at all."

"I know. You are sweet."

It's out before Taehyung can stop himself. Alas, no take-backs. He watches the subtle blush appearing on the apple of Jeongguk's cheeks, delighted. The mer tries to be cool about it and picks up the book but Taehyung saw. He's so endeared. A blushing Jeongguk is lethally adorable.

But Taehyung doesn't want to make the mer uncomfortable. So he pretends nothing happened and whips out his notebook. Looks out to the sea, to the sunrays dancing on the water surface and jumping from wave to wave in myriads of tiny glitters. Like stars dancing on the sea. He glances at Jeongguk, a star who feels at home with the endless blue himself.

The cap of his pen clicks, the familiar weight resting into his hand. He begins to write.

 

"So from what I gathered so far, Hades and Persephone are the only ones who did not turn into - how did you call it? - homewreckers after a few thousand years."

Taehyung opens his eyes wide and almost violently points at the mer. "Exactly! You get it!"

Jeongguk grins at him for the longest sweet moment, then goes back to reading.

Taehyung feels a weird sense of proudness. His boi is growing up so well with the literature diet he's getting. Taehyung is such a proud dad. ('Daddy', the not so innocent part of him supplies. He conveniently ignores it.)

'I look up, and am greeted by the sun. I look down, and a thousands suns await me. But then I turn around and you open your arms, my very own sun. My star.'

The sea keeps glittering around them and lapping at their rock with leisure. Taehyung smiles. His pen keeps flitting over the page. The ink has barely time to dry before he starts with the next line.

 

Taehyung scratches his head and sighs. Oof.

Being creative is a draining activity. Nothing new. It's a small price to pay for creating stories and worlds. The feeling that comes with it is a certain kind of fatigue.

Add like always he reaches a point where just no more words come out. Yet in all that time, Jeongguk doesn't stop reading once.

Which, okay. Taehyung can keep himself busy without interrupting his friend. No problem.

He slips off the rock to swim over to the beach, an idea forming in his head.

Wouldn't it be awesome if he could find a pebble with the same colour as Jeongguk's eyes?

 

Okay yeah it's official. He gives up. There just is no stone that comes even close to the richness of Jeongguk's dark eyes. He'd probably need to find an onyx or something similar. And let's be honest. How are the odds? 

Sure, there are some dark grey stones lying around. But the darkest shade of grey still is no match to Jeongguk. The mer's eyes are so black they sometimes seem blue. Taehyung only had a few rare occasions to make that observation, when he's been almost unnervingly close to Jeongguk.

There is no stone like that on the entire beach. He's sure of that.

So Taehyung makes his way back into the sea and to their boulder. Jeongguk is still diligently reading. Cute.

Taehyung pulls himself out and sprawls all over the boulder. He flops onto his stomach and closes his eyes. With the stone being toasty warm and the waves idly splashing against it he'll be asleep in no time. Taehyung smiles. It's such a perfect, lovely lazy moment. One of those you wish to never end. He could lay here for days and just listen to the water splashes and the soft mumble of Jeongguk's voice.

That's right. The mer is still not as practised in reading as he likes to pretend. It's something Taehyung only notices now with his eyes closed. Jeongguk's voice is so soft it easily gets drowned out by the sea.

What a pretty sound to fall asleep to. What a sweet voice.

 

Taehyung wakes up to something tickling his cheek. His eyes crack open just in time to see Jeongguk's hand flinch back, the mer leaning over him. 

"O-oh... I didn't know you're awake."

He hums. His voice cracks. "I wasn't."

"...Huh?"

Jeongguk's hand is still hovering in the air.

Taehyung grins. Gotcha. Before the mer can catch on, he grips the other's hand. This is his chance.

"Finders keepers," Taehyung chuckles.

Jeongguk pulls at his hand and makes a questioning noise but Taehyung doesn't let go. He is careful with every single movement as he pries open Jeongguk's hand and then lays his own against it, finger after finger. The mer has gone completely still and lets him do as he pleases. 

Taehyung marvels at the light touch. Something about that small contact is more intimidate than every romantic gesture he ever experienced. Which, granted, are not that many anyway. With the idol contract and dating ban and all. But still!

The hot tingling in his hand is slow to fade in the background.

Once Taehyung can focus on something else, he takes a closer look at their joined hands. Taehyung's own is rather large, with long and slim fingers. Typical artist hands. Were it not for the mer's sharp nails, they would probably be larger than Jeongguk's.

But with how things are, Jeongguk's hand easily overshadows his. The nails jut out several centimetres and his palm is broader, the fingers stronger. Jeongguk's hands look like hard labour - and danger. A predator's claw. 

Taehyung can't help but wonder how strong they really are. Can Jeongguk smash stone with them? That would be so cool! Cool and... scary, his subconscious keeps warning.

But the thing is, they don't feel like that. There is nothing scary in how Jeongguk's hand delicately rests against his. No calluses are scratching against Taehyung's fingertips, the touch feather-light. The mer's hand twitches even as he tries to stay calm. Very threatening indeed. 

And when Taehyung thinks of the beautifully carved swirl patterns, it is even the more obvious. Jeongguk's hands might not look the part but they are definitely artist hands too. They're as strong as they are precise.

However...

It's then Taehyung notices something strange.

He presses his palm more firmly against Jeongguk's. Indeed, even out of water and under the roasting summer sun, the mer's hand remains cool. It is soothing and irritating.

Taehyung needs a moment.

"Jeongguk-ah."

"...Yes, Taehyung?"

"Do you ever get, like, completely dry?"

This is what nagged him. Jeongguk's hand feels wet when it shouldn't.

The mer's expression shifts from wariness to a flat stare.

"Taehyung. There is water in my veins."

"Is that a 'no' then?"

Jeongguk tilts his head and hums, his gills fluttering. Taehyung stares.

So. ing. Cool.

 

"Taehyung-ah..."

Jimin sounds every bit as contrite as he looks.

Taehyung can't help but laugh. "What is it?"

"Can you... I mean of course you can, but would you- not that I couldn't do it myself but you know..."

"C'mon, out with it."

The fisherman grumbles under his breath and looks away. 

"Huh? What?"

"ICANTREACHTHELASTCANOFCATFOOD!"

"I... wait what?"

Jimin huffs and stomps up the stairs. 

Yoongi decides that to be the right moment for poking his head around the corner and-

Since when has he even been here?

"What that idiot is trying to say, you're on demon feeding duty."

Right. Because getting named after oneself equals being a descendant from the scorching fires of hell. Taehyung rolls his eyes.

"I saw that," human Yoongi drawls from upstairs. And glares again when he hears a demanding little meow right to his feet. "Yah, go away you little pest!"

Taehyung does all of them a favour and picks up Yoongi II to get the poor little guy out of Yoongi I's reach.

("Giving us numbers is even worse than addressing us by species!" - "Oh, shut up already or there won't be any s for the rest of the week for you." - "... You don't mean that.")

He snickers. His landlord couple is sure an entertaining bunch.

 

The summer sun burns hot at the east coast of Korea, forcing Taehyung and Jeongguk to seek refuge in the sprawling shade of that stone arch more often than not.

It's a different kind of heat than he knows from Seoul. Back in the city the summers are hot too, sure. But the stifling heat of used air being trapped between mirrored facades just can't be compared with the sun singing down on the countryside without boundaries. The heat is still everywhere but a lot thinner. Less tangible. Moving, with the steady breeze from the ocean.

If he closes his eyes and soaks in the feeling of tiny sand grains brushing over his skin, Taehyung can almost imagine laying in the desert, were it not for the never-ceasing sound of the sea itself. Splashing waves, crying seagulls, rustling leaves high above. And Jeongguk's voice.

The mer likes to offer reading for Taehyung these days - a proposal he is all too glad to accept. Jeongguk's voice is sweet and clear, several pitches higher than his own. It's a beautiful contrast to the voice he's most familiar with. If he were to compare them... Taehyung cracks open an eye and fumbles for his notebook.

If he had to describe his own voice (he has to take into account what others say about it because for himself it just sounds like any other regular voice), he'd say it's a forest. Earthy and rich, velvety and a little dark - so let's make it a deep pine forest in autumn. There hardly is an edge to it that carries the feel of a ragged mountain's harshness, not like it is the case for his landlord Yoongi. But, yes. A wild forest will do.

And Jeongguk's voice is crystal-clear water. A pretty pond sparkling in the sun, the ground visible everywhere and creating the illusion of shallowness when actually there is a hidden richness to it. Soft, like little waves lapping at smooth rocks. And sometimes it turns into some kind of alluring singsong. Like the endless blue of the ocean is beckoning.

The thought has Taehyung openly stare at the mer as he continues reading. They are currently doing "Howl's moving castle" and Jeongguk has loads of fun reading the part of Howl losing his about his hair colour. the mer's tail keeps bouncing and his fins flicking, sending shimmering droplets of water everywhere.

Everything about him screams 'sea'.

From his voice to his tail that has the colour of the sea close to shore, to his never-drying skin, to the intricate silver chains he wears that look like sun rays dancing on the water surface and the wave pattern on his broad necklace. His long hair spills all over his upper body in soft waves, and the pink rows of gills at the sides of his neck flutter with the slightest motion. 

And then his soft yet at the same time strong features. Just like the sea. One moment a kind and lovely thing, the next a natural force to be reckoned with. Taehyung knows that side of Jeongguk is there, hidden under many layers of wariness and later sweetness. He just hasn't shown it yet.

And finally, there is that strange hue of almost blackish blue in his eyes. It's unlike anything Taehyung has ever seen. But maybe, he muses, maybe that's how the middle of the ocean looks like.

It must be so because Jeongguk is the very embodiment of that - the ocean. Jeongguk is the fiercest and deepest kind of water snared into a body. And that's the most beautiful thing.

Taehyung stares at him and he knows he's looking at a king, an emperor, a deity. A god. Jeongguk is everything.

He smiles.

The next time the mer looks up, he pauses, confused first before he answers the smile. Taehyung's own smile broadens as he watches and mentally tucks the image away into his little box of most precious sights and memories.

He'll have to find a bigger box soon, it keeps getting filled more and more by everything Jeongguk. Just like his mind and soul. Like water, Jeongguk trickles into every nook and crevice of Taehyung. Slow, steady, unstoppable.

And Taehyung, he just... let's him. Embraces it. Falls in love with the sea, with Jeongguk every day a little more.

The mer gets back to reading but keeps glancing up once in a while, soft smile staying at his pretty face. Taehyung loves it. He loves it all.

 

Sometimes, having a lazy day can get boring. There is only so long you can read on a rock in the middle of nowhere. Especially if it's all you do for hours, days, weeks even. And sometimes, mother nature is quick to help out. Like, real quick.

One moment Taehyung is dozing off in the shadow to the sound of Jeongguk's sweet voice and the next he opens his eyes to the most spectacular cloud formation  ever. Or maybe it's less the clouds themselves and more the giant rainbow that seems plastered into the sky. Or, wait, are the clouds a rainbow? Taehyung is confused.

And where confusion is, curiosity tags along. Taehyung squints at the sky, cranes his neck to get a better view. What is that? That's not normal - right? Rainbows require rain, and, uh, stuff. Everybody knows that. There are no rainbows on a perfectly sunny day.

Yet here he is, looking up to a barely-there veil of clouds floating so very high above their heads, a giant rainbow rippling over the make-shift canvas.

Also, that stupid stone arch is in the way.

Taehyung cranes his neck until it hurts, then huffs. This is no good. He shifts, rolls over, the full picture slowly coming into view - just a bit more! - one more tug to the right and oh, he's hitting a puddle-

"Uhm."

Oh.

He turns his head and finds himself eye-level with Jeongguk, the mer leaning over him. Taehyung gulps. Honestly, he's got no idea how he managed this but somehow he manoeuvred himself straight onto Jeongguk's lap. He's laying on Jeongguk's lap. Oh God. He, Kim Taehyung, is currently-

Take a breath. Look at the clouds. The pretty pretty rainbow clouds. Not- not Jeongguk's eyes. His own secret unexplainable phenomenon.

Taehyung doesn't even glance at the sky.

"Hi."

Jeongguk gives him a bashful little grin that has Taehyung's heart stutter and plunge into summersaults.

.

"Hi."

Their moment lasts exactly as long as it takes for Jeongguk to lift a hand and brush at Taehyung's side. Taehyung flinches away from the contact, whole body spasming.

The next second his body hits the water.

Taehyung doesn't even realise he flung himself off the ledge, too busy navigating where up meets down. But when his head breaks through the water surface once more, Jeongguk is already laughing in his face, loud, cackling and unrestrained.

That's how Taehyung came to hear the mer truly laugh for the first time - and how Jeongguk found out that yes, he is very ticklish.

(Maybe that discovery lead to him getting tickled off the ledge four more times that day.)

(Maybe Taehyung doesn't mind at all, as long as Jeongguk keeps laughing like that.)

 

Something changes that day. As so often Taehyung only comes to notice it much later. But once he does, oh boy does it change things. 

You reached a new level, ding ding ding ding ding!

Taehyung jumps around in his room until Yoongi bangs against the wall and yells for him to "go the to sleep!" So he settles to sitting on his bed and silently fist-pumping the air.

He's been so wrong.

Maybe not wrong wrong, but. He clearly underestimated Jeongguk. Here he was, stuck in his head about how the mer is not used to physical contact, worrying how to ease him into it and best approach the whole topic. And then Jeongguk nonchalantly tickles him, his hands touching everywhere. Lets Taehyung rest on his lap like it's no big deal.

He doesn't give the mer enough credit. Jeongguk is no longer the fidgety guy who flinches away from the slightest skin-to-skin contact.

Congratulations, Player one. You unlocked the special ability 'Physical contact'.

Taehyung flops onto the bed and laughs.

"Holy !"

He rubs his face.

"Holy ."

 

Here is the thing: if you are denied something for too long, you'll crave it just the more. Even once you get it. Or so he heard.

Maybe that's why Taehyung's behaviour around the mer takes a 180° turn. He no longer holds back his need to touch and feel. Jeongguk, thankfully, takes it into stride.

Which is a good thing. Because Taehyung keeps going breathless whenever the mer is near. He looks at Jeongguk, and he yearns. He can't help it. Whenever he so much as sees the mer, his heart reaches out. And now his hands do, too.

Taehyung starts carving out a space for himself in Jeongguk's lap.

The other seems happy to let him, pulling himself out of the water until only the last bit of his tail and those beautiful fins are submerged, back resting against the stone behind him. A perfect place to rest.

Taehyung slinks into the space and puts his head in the mer's lap where scales fade into smooth skin. His hands curl into lose fists and come to rest on the tail. He can feel warmth and strength pulse beneath. It's alluring.

He keeps coming back to that pose, some days even daring to careful hands over the glittering scales and marvelling at the sensation.

The mer just hums and cards a hand through Taehyung's hair before picking up the book again.

Taehyung closes his eyes and curls himself into a ball as he lets himself get lulled in a daze by the mer's reading. From here he can almost feel the vibration of Jeongguk's soft voice.

This, this is his safe space. Right here with Jeongguk.

An arm snakes around his shoulders, anchoring him even more. For the whole time he reads to him, Jeongguk never lets go of him. Something settles in Taehyung. At the same time, something else begins to uncoil.

It's a new beginning. Taehyung just has to figure out of what.

 

On days when the heat gets too much, they continue to go on hikes in the woods. 

Taehyung is getting the hang of that weird vortex pushing them up the cliff. His instincts no longer go crazy about the fear of drowning. Now he clings to Jeongguk for a completely different reason, revelling in the closeness. And the mer knows, if his satisfied little smirk is anything to go by.

Their hikes also are when Jeongguk shows most of his duality. One moment he can be skipping through grass and chase beetles, butterflies and whatnot. Then again he turns towards the sea and gets that unreadable look. One that carries so many layers Taehyung wouldn't even know where to start unravelling it. Those are the instances where he gets a reminder of Jeongguk's otherworldliness. That single motion, the turn towards the sea coupled with that intense gaze clues Taehyung in on how Jeongguk is not a twenty-something years old guy.

Especially when he starts talking about time.

"In all this time I never got a look at my home from this high up."

And Taehyung can't help but wonder...

He somewhere heard that the sea has a memory, that it never forgets anything. He doesn't know if it's true. But it sure has him wondering about all the kinds of things Jeongguk witnessed. About what he remembers.

Taehyung eyes the mer from where he's sitting in the grass and braiding a crappy flower crown.

What kind of tales does Jeongguk have to tell? Which truths does he carry all by himself? He wants to know, but it's nothing you can just randomly ask. The thoughts sit heavy in his stomach like a lump that refuses to disintegrate. It's an occurring sentiment these days. That vague sense of Jeongguk having so incredibly many layers and the fear that Taehyung won't even be able to see half of them before he has to leave - one way or another.

 

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

 

Things are changing. Jeongguk can feel it. Things are changing between the human and him. 

He's just gone through the third shift this night, a routine he has established by now. His body has undergone severe changes and still - still Taehyung's touch lingers. His wrist burns where Taehyung grabbed it earlier and tugged him away from the cliff's steep edge with wide eyes.

"Be careful please," he'd said with shaky voice. "It's a long way down if you fall from up here." 

Taehyung had been afraid for him.

In all these decades Jeongguk has seen fear on human's faces aplenty. Fear of death, fear of him, yes, often coupled with hatred. But never worry for his well-being.

He lifts his wrist and presses a tender kiss into the skin Taehyung touched.

"Just what are you doing to me, Taehyung?"

 

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

 

Taehyung opens his eyes to a wall of steel grey, groans and flops onto his other side before squeezing his eyes shut again. Of course, there are also days where the weather is less than perfect. Rationally he knows that.

It still when it happens.

He was supposed to meet Jeongguk and go to the beach again for another idle day. And now?

The rain splatters heavily against the window.

What a joke.

 

The bag bumps against his thigh as Taehyung runs down the streets. The bright green umbrella in his hand bounces this and that way, hardly covering him as he hurries towards the pier. . He's running late. How long is Jeongguk waiting for him already?

His grip on the other massive plastic bag is slippery with all the rain water. He almost drops the whole thing.

, , -

He has no more time to lose. Hates to make the mer wait for him. His pace quickens. Already he's rushing past the wet dock and storage halls, the pier creeping closer way too slow for his liking.

Faster. He needs to go faster...

More old buildings fly past him, then it's just ragged stone and outskirts of the forest. Taehyung stumbles over the uneven path yet refuses to slow down.

Then his feet hit the planks of the pier and he slides forward, barely touching the slick wood and flying across it uncontrolled now.

. He miscalculated.

Taehyung's arms uselessly flail as he skids over the pier and straight towards the gap where a wooden beam of the railing is missing, dark sea already awaiting him.

With a yell he flies past the pier, feet losing hold of the ground - and soars into a wall of solid muscle.

"Oumpf!"

His back hits the wood, his bags following suit with dull thuds that have him whimper at the thought of his precious laptop inside one of them. The umbrella gets smacked off his hand and flies out of his reach.

It takes him a second or two to register the lack of pain - and that he did not crash onto the pier at all. In his defence, Jeongguk's strong arms feel just as solid as actual wood.

The mer is nose-to-nose with him where he caught him in a tight embrace and is laying with his entire body weight on Taehyung, protecting him from the fall as much as crushing him to mush.

"Gosh, you're heavy," Taehyung wheezes.

Jeongguk gives him a lopsided grin and finally - too soon - pulls away.

"Hello, Taehyung."

Really, what is it with the mer saying his name at any given time?

His poor, poor heart.

"Uhm, hi."

The mer lifts his tail and rearranges himself to sit on the pier next to Taehyung. Without breaking a sweat or anything! Colour Taehyung impressed. He just witnessed first-hand how damn heavy that tail is - not to forget all the muscles Jeongguk packs. And yet the mer moves around as if it's nothing.

Oh, right! His laptop. And his umbrella. And his... everything. He grapples for the stuff, one hand rubbing his thighs and chest where he can still feel the pressure of Jeongguk's weight. The bags are no problem but his favourite umbrella is floating on the water, out of his reach. He pouts.

Jeongguk's eyes dart from Taehyung's face to the obnoxious (exactly why Taehyung bought it) green thing. Without a word he slips back into the water and fetches the thing for him, both curiosity and wariness mixed into his features. 

"What a gentleman." Taehyung smiles. "Thank you."

The mer tilts his head. "What is this?" 

"An umbrella. It protects me during weather like this," Taehyung looks down on himself where he's on his best way of getting soaked, "although I guess it didn't work that well."

"...You need protection from weather?"

Taehyung chuckles. "No, not all weather. Just heavy rain."

"O...kay?"

He laughs again, then pulls back under the protection of the shabby huts' roof and fumbles for a screwdriver. Good thing he wrapped everything in bags multiple times. If the hand tools are still dry, then so is his laptop. 

"Alright Jeongguk-ah, change of plans for today. Watch and learn."

He grabs the screwdriver and heads over to the lock on one of the doors, fuelled with grim determination. He puts the screwdriver onto one of rusty screws - and almost rams it into his hand.

"Ouch, what the !"

So much to being smart in front of his crush. Seems like Taehyung is not that good with lock picking. Or at least a chunky screwdriver is not the right tool to go about.

Good thing Jeongguk is there to help him. Someone who can control a mighty wave thingy to carry them to the top of a steep cliff everyday surely can handle a wimpy lock. 

Although, if Taehyung is being honest, that slim water stream slithering from the sea up to Jeongguk's hand and from there in the key hole is definitely not his favourite magic trick. It looks like a giant tapeworm. Thanks but no thanks.

But it works. The telltale click isn't long in coming. 

"Good job. Thank you, Jeongguk-ah~"

Taehyung looks at the lock hanging open, thinks of tapeworms... and calls it quits. He's not gonna touch that thing. Ever. He gets up to take a step back instead and kicks the door open.

And maybe, just maybe he's a little over-enthusiastic and the door is a little more rotten than anticipated. Anyway, his foot gets stuck in the door.

And Taehyung ends up entering the abandoned shop with a sweeping fall on his face. 

"This is a terrible day," he groans.

"Are you alright?"

Jeongguk enters after him, as always - after the shift. 

Did Taehyung already mention he is good at multitasking? He can blush and fling a fluffy blanket at Jeongguk at the same time. Which was actually part of the plan! He's a genius.

And thanks to Jeongguk having no sense of modesty, it's also no big deal for Taehyung to slip out of his wet clothes and huddle up in a second blanket he brought without putting on any spare clothes. Then he gets out his trusty laptop that's packed with dozens of films he downloaded this morning. 

"Okay, come on. Get comfy over there." He points at a corner that looks dry between all the spots where the roof is leaking - and where not bits and pieces of the floor are missing, revealling the sloshing water beneath.

Jeongguk obediently does as told and joins Taehyung on the floor. Taehyung gets out the thermos bottle and pours a cup of hot chocolate for both of them, laptop starting up, when the mer pipes up again.

"Why do you need protection from rain?"

"Humans can get sick when they become wet and don't dry and warm up quick enough."

"Wait. Weather really makes you... sick?"

"Uh, sometimes."

Jeongguk ponders it. "You humans are really fragile, aren't you?"

Well. What is Taehyung supposed to answer to that?

 

Okay, so. Making Jeongguk watch his first ever film was both a good and terrible idea.

Good, because despite the two separate blankets they end up cuddling all day.

And terrible, because now the mer is fascinated by the existence of films. After the first one he wants to watch another one. And then another one. Not that Taehyung is complaining. More films means more cuddling and Taehyung loves cuddles.

Who cares about bad weather when you can spend the day like this?

That's right. No one.

But all good and terrible things have to end eventually. And after hours of hours of film watching, he has to face reality. It'll be time to get back soon. Not that he wants to, not at all.

Don't mind the film itself, Taehyung has no idea what they're even watching. All he can concentrate on is Jeongguk pressed up against him. Even with the two blankets between them, the mer is like a furnace, searing himself into Taehyung's skin. Or maybe it's only in his head. He can't tell. All he knows is that Jeongguk takes up every single corner in his mind.

It also doesn't help that the mer at some point unwrapped himself and laid an arm around him, squeezing Taehyung even tighter to his chest. Taehyung's hand has creeped in Jeongguk's blanket until he found his other hand and could entwine their fingers, his entire body going lax and snuggling into the mer's sturdy frame.

Like a couple spending their Saturday evening on the couch together. That's how it feels. Taehyung could cry.

And yet...

Is there even a point giving himself to the illusion? Jeongguk is so far out of his league they are not even playing the same sport. He shouldn't-

He shouldn't be so foolish and give himself to that lovely domestic feeling. With a quiet sigh he extracts himself from the hug. Prepares himself to steel his heart.

But if there is one thing Taehyung has always at, it's keeping his feelings in check.

"Uh, you don't happen to have a magic spell for drying my clothes too?"

It's been raining all day and his stuff is nowhere near dry. And honestly, Taehyung isn't keen on getting into his damp clothes for the track back to Jimin's and Yoongi's house.

Jeongguk hums thoughtfully, waits for the battle scene playing on screen to finish, then gets up and shuffles over to the sad heap on the floor. He lays a gentle hand atop of it. 

Taehyung gets to watch once more in wonder how the mer effortlessly bends the laws of physics and reality as if it's nothing.

His clothes regain their usual lighter shade in front of his very eyes while in Jeongguk other palm a water drop appears and quickly grows from the size of a marble to a swirling sphere as large as those crystal balls fortune tellers like to use. After he collected every last drop and the thing stopped growing, Jeongguk flips his wrist and sends the ball splashing to the ground where the water seeks its way through the creeks in the floor. A few drip dropping sounds later it's all gone, merged into the sea beneath them.

"Here you go."

Jeongguk hands him the heap with a warm smile.

Taehyung stares. How is he ever supposed to get over that sweet gentleman? His poor, poor heart indeed.

 

The next day brings back the most pristine weather and Taehyung finds himself at the beach once again, Jeongguk sitting in-between his spread legs and reading happily.

His tail is back on full display, a sight Taehyung missed on the one day they spent completely out of water. It's glittering just as prettily as always and reflecting tons of green and blue specks on the rock they sit on. In other words, it's being the most splendid sight on earth.

Taehyung shakes his head. Shutting off his heart was a dumb idea to begin with. Like, seriously, how could he ever think he'd have success with withstanding Jeongguk's charm?

The mer is turning more and more into a snuggler to his eternal delight, even now shuffling to press his back more solidly against Taehyung's chest while his claws gently grasp Taehyung's thighs and pull them around his waist. He lets out a little sigh that Taehyung only catches due to the shoulder movement, then the mer's entire body melts into Taehyung's hold. Taehyung's heart stutters pathetically in his chest.

Jeongguk picks up the book and once again the rustling of pages is all to be heard aside from splashing waves, crying seagulls and little splatters whenever the mer flicks his fins.

Taehyung starts humming a random melody, an old 2NE1 song that's stuck in his head all morning. He absolutely preens at the content sigh the mer lets out and hums louder, feeling his own chest vibrate against Jeongguk. 

"Hey, Jeongguk-ah?"

"Mhm?"

Jeongguk turns his face and all of a sudden Taehyung finds himself very close to his lips, his eyes. He stares at the row of tiny stars beneath the mer's eyes. They seem to be inked there yet shine as if crystals are embedded in them. The smallest of them right under the inner corner of Jeongguk's eyes are barely more than a dot yet Taehyung can still make out rays. They grow in size the closer they get to the outer edges, the biggest ones counting eight spikes and glittering icy blue.

Taehyung never noticed Jeongguk's eyes are literally lined with stars. He always thought there were some strange freckles. He stares and stares, until he forgets what he was about to say.

"...Taehyung?"

"Hm?! What, yes, huh?"

Jeongguk snickers, eyes crinkling and tiny stars twinkling. "Didn't you want to say something?"

Oh. Right. Yeah, he did.

"Uh, would it be okay, I mean, are you cool with it- can I braid your hair?"

The mer tilts his head, stars on his face shifting again. And Taehyung is such a ing goner for it. Jeongguk is so gorgeous it physically hurts. Especially when he gets that look again, the no-light-can-ever-reach-the-bottom-of-my-pond look where his eyes look like swirling ink one second and in the next, they turn darker than a starless night.

.

Taehyung's hand comes up to gently cup his face, thumb over the stars - he just can't look away. Jeongguk's lashes flutter against his skin when he buries into the touch. Taehyung is one very weak human.

"You are so breathtaking," he whispers.

Jeongguk opens his eyes slowly to answer his look, gaze unreadable.

"Taehyung," he just says, "you can do with my hair whatever you want."

Taehyung stays silent for a solid minute - he needs to process, okay -  before a grin spreads over his face. "That's a lot of power you are giving me there," he teases.

"Maybe so. I mean it though."

"Hmm."

Taehyung falters. Now the what? All he knows is that Jeongguk's fierce gaze is rendering him absolutely useless. So he squeezes his eyes shut, grabs the mer's head and turns it around. It's a not at all elegant move but it's a start. If he stops looking Jeongguk in the face, maybe Taehyung can grasp some straight thoughts.

Jeongguk, the little , chuckles at being handled like that. Taehyung wants to punch him (and kiss him square on the mouth. Oh gosh.)

"I don't even know where to start," he mumbles and runs both hands through the long dark waves of Jeongguk's hair. Admittedly, he's not that great with braiding. But he'll use every excuse he can to keep touching the mer's hair. Has been wanting to do it for several days now.

It always looks so pretty when it tumbles over his shoulders, or curls in little clouds around him when he's submerged. And the little man bun he's wearing is unfairly attractive. Taehyung has to do something about it. He opens the thin wire that kept it together with some difficulty, even more strands tumbling down Jeongguk's neck and upper back. 

Taehyung huffs. Well. That backfired quickly. So much hair to touch, to bury his hands in and smooch his face against. Oh, dammit. He's not going to get a single braid done today.

"...You're the worst."

"Hm?"

Taehyung splutters. "Nothing! Just-just ignore me."

Jeongguk is completely serious when he answers, words coming out slow and with a weight that's impossible to ignore. 

"Taehyung. How could I ever do that?"

Ugh.

Braids.

He's here to braid some hair. Yeah.

Get a grip, Kim Taehyung.

 

"Uhhh..."

Well, he tried.

Thankfully there are no mirrors nearby. This thing is a mess. Does it even deserve to be called a braid? Taehyung is not so sure.

"Sorry."

Jeongguk hums and Taehyung watches in enrapture how his gills flutter. It never gets old.

"I think it looks great. I'm proud you did my hair."

Overkill.

Taehyung squeezes both fists against his eyes and turns away.

"Why are you so darn sweet," he whimpers.

 

Taehyung can't, for the love of his life, stop thinking about Jeongguk.

Legit his first words to Jimin this evening are "Your hair is just too short", followed by a wistful sigh. He just spent hours carding his hands through Jeongguk's pretty hair and putting it in all kinds of hairstyles. From buns to braids to pigtails that looked way too adorable to be legal. Jimin's normal-length hair simply can't compare.

"Excuse you, you punk, what the ?! My hair has perfect length, thank you," the fisherman snips. Then remembers who Taehyung is and quickly adds a "Sir".

"Nooo, you don't understand."

Jimin harrumphs and splats the rice in his bowl with enough force to set some chunks flying.

"Yah! Mister landlord, don't be a meanie!"

Yoongi pokes a chopstick into his arm and gives him an cold glare. "You better shut up if you don't wanna taste these fists."

Taehyung glances down at the older's hand. Large and veined, strong. Yeah, this could hurt.

They are not as strong as Jeongguk's claws, though. Not even close.

...Ah, . He's doing it again. It's not even been a minute since he made the last comparison to the mer.

Taehyung sulks through dinner, then goes up to take a bath. He even goes as far as to add one of his favourite lush bath bombs in hopes of a distraction, only to realise the turquoise colour reminds him of a certain someone's stunning fins. 

Gosh. Jeongguk is really everywhere. In his dreams, his daily life, his thoughts and soul.

Taehyung is already counting the hours to their next meeting.

Soon, soon, soon, his heart whispers. Soon you can meet again and feel whole again