German | noun

♦contranym: shallow depth, precarious depth; abyss of the soul

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Jeongguk continues to bring him gifts. It keeps Taehyung on his toes and still manages to throw him off his hinges every single time. Because each thing the mer gets him is nothing short of a treasure, deserving of a most secure spot in famous museums or the troves of royal heirlooms. And yet they make their way into Taehyung's hands instead. It's equal parts grounding and uplifting, and sure to set his head spinning.

This time the mer brought him a handful of pearls. Actual, real pearls. There is no doubt about it for not all of them are perfectly round and they feel heavier than those proclaimed ones Taehyung knows from fashion accessories. And they are dark. Not solid black, rather they are shimmering like spilled petrol, each one a slightly different hue. The biggest one, almost the size of a quail's egg, gleams greyish blue whereas some of the smaller ones seem more green and others almost purple. One of them even appears like a warm and rich kind of gold.

Taehyung doesn't know the first thing about pearl farming but even he can tell the ones Jeongguk carefully dropped in his open palm are exquisite rarities. It scares him a little. Because, honestly? He has no idea how to go about this. Jeongguk keeps giving and giving, collecting invaluable gifts for him, and he just takes. Receives the gems and puts them on his nightstand table to admire them when he goes to bed and wakes up. It's not- it's not right. It shouldn't be that way.

There has to be a way for him to give back.

Alas, he can't fight the smile that keeps tugging his lips apart so wide it aches. He is going to treasure each single thing Jeongguk brings him, protect them with claws and teeth and all means necessary. 

"Happy belated birthday," the mer says softly.

Taehyung smiles even more, fighting tears. This stupid, adorable fish. His laugh is wet and a little choked up as he responds.

"My birthday was like half a year ago, silly."

"I have to make up for all the missed ones," Jeongguk mumbles under his breath, turning away quickly as his cheeks begin to stain with a faint and precious glow of pink.

Taehyung's smile turns wobbly around the edges. His fingers twitch around the pearls - real, actual pearls, oh God, he is still reeling - as he is torn what to do. He wants to pull the mer into a tight hug, crash him against his chest, breathe him in and just hold him there, but he's afraid the pearls might slip past his fingers with the action. And he doesn't want that. Feels like it would be the worst affront to lose hold of them, even more so when Jeongguk is watching. Sure, they are not made of glass and would probably take no damage at all if they tumbled off his palm and into the water, easy to reach for the mer. But still.

And, they are just so many of them. Almost spilling from his hand if he so much as shifts it the tiniest bit.

It takes him several minutes where he goes through at least ten different grimaces with various degrees of ridicule until he realises that yes, putting a present aside is a thing. And he's not exactly taking up the entire space of their boulder.

Slowly, oh so slowly he twists his body and carefully lowers his hand, watches with bated breath how the pearls glide from his grasp and onto the rock. He waits an extra few seconds to make sure none of them rolls off before he dares to turn back. 

The slide down the rock is a rushed and sloppy thing, Taehyung failing to coordinate his limbs properly in his haste to get into the water and to Jeongguk.

The mer does startle when Taehyung reaches him and pulls him in almost violently. But he is quick to relax and soon enough melting against him, burying even deeper into Taehyung's hold while his own arms snake around Taehyung's waist.

And Taehyung, he savours it all. The intimacy, Jeongguk's willingness to let him into his personal space and initiate physical contact, the knowledge that he, Taehyung, might be one of the very few people the mer allows this close to himself. It's a gift of a different kind. His chest warms at the mere thought, at the honour of being allowed to touch Jeongguk, to be near him and share the same space.

Something  shifts beneath him, then. Before Taehyung can properly form the question in his head, it's pressing against his legs that have been constantly treading water, and gently nudges them apart. He blinks at the glittering tail now lodged between his legs, carrying his weight and keeping him afloat without him having to move a single muscle. This, oh. This is new.

He buries his face in the crook of Jeongguk's neck and mutters a low 'Thank you', drops it there like a secret between the two of them. Jeongguk's gills scratch against his cheek as they flutter with a long exhale, and the mer tightens his grip around him.

They stay like this for a long while. Basking in each other's presence. No words, no actions, just them. 

Jeongguk keeps shifting his tail languidly to keep them both up. It begins to turn into a problem the longer it goes on, with that ever-changing pressure between Taehyung's legs. Heat pools in his stomach and settles there, simmering.

He knows it's not intentional and there is nothing ual about it. Jeongguk is just being kind. But his self-control has never been the best, and so his mind can't help drifting off into... certain directions. A slightly bigger wave rolls past them and the tail shifts again. Taehyung takes a shaky breath, teeth digging into his lip as he bites back a moan. He feels his cheeks flush with heat and can't help but dig his fingers a little firmer into Jeongguk's shoulders.

 After all, it doesn't take a lot of imagination to pretend he's humping a muscular thigh, with how strong and solid the tail feels as it keeps rubbing him at a tantalising pace.

Gosh, Taehyung prays Jeongguk can't feel him getting hard.

But, maybe, by any chance... scales are hard and thick, surely they are less sensitive than skin? There is hope the mer won't notice... right?

Taehyung is so caught up in his head he barely notices how Jeongguk shifts them around some more - until he is no longer clinging to the mer but facing the sky instead, whole body sprawled over Jeongguk's. It's a bit uncomfortable, with how tense he is. Feels like he's laying on a wooden board. Anyway, like this Jeongguk is none the wiser about Taehyung's pressing matter.

"Look," Jeongguk murmurs from deep within his chest.

Taehyung can feel the vibration on his back. It spreads in a tingle from there through his whole body and draws a little sigh out of him. Thus, it takes him a hot second to focus on Jeongguk's outstretched arm.

"Hm?"

"The clouds. They are perfect for the cloud game. Do you humans play it, too?"

Taehyung fights down the urge to turn around until he's sprawled over Jeongguk and can face him, with an arm propped up on his chest or something like that. And consequently be way too close to the mer's face. No, that's... that would be too much. They aren't, they're not like that. He shouldn't get greedy. (And he still has to will away his without Jeongguk noticing, so there is that.)

He resolutely keeps his eyes on the sky as he stays put.

"Depends. If your cloud game also means that you point out different shapes and compete on who finds the best comparison, then yes."

Another hum has Jeongguk's chest brush against his spine. 

"Let's play, then. I'll start. The big one over there is a blue whale."

Taehyung grins. Let's play indeed. He won't go down easily.

 

Their little game turns chaotic within minutes, starting when Taehyung points out a cloud and names it 'God's raised middle finger' which leads to a crash course on theology and various kinds of human insults, then morphs into a heated discussion about gos and no-gos of the fauna once Jeongguk brings up spider crabs. Taehyung refuses to accept these two words fitting into one sentence.

So maybe they bicker, and maybe he gets a bit too enthusiastic and falls off Jeongguk.

Twice.

"No no no, these things should not even exist!" He is completely drenched, water running down his body and pooling on Jeongguk beneath him. Droplets of water fly in every direction as he shakes his head vehemently.

"They have the same right to exist as you do."

"Well, in fact- wait.

"Huh?"

"Whoa, look, it's Godzilla!"

"...What's a got-zilla?"

"It means I win!"

"Not a chance."

This is another thing Taehyung took quite a while to learn: Jeongguk might act calm and collected most of the time, only sometimes letting a glimpse of the ancient creature he is shining through. All those things hold true. But it is also true that he is a competitive brat.

When Taehyung keeps gloating about his cool cloud discoveries, the mer gives a playful snarl and tackles him. Dunks his head under for just a second and, once Taehyung comes up spluttering, chases him through the waves.

It's an unfair game of tag. Taehyung doesn't stand a chance against the mer in his literal element. But he finds he doesn't mind it all that much, not when being caught means he gets pulled into Jeongguk's warm and solid chest and can stay there for a few heartbeats. Until Jeongguk nips at his earlobe and lets him go to set off, counting loudly down from ten until he opens chase once more.

One of his conquers has the mer accidentally grappling into Taehyung's armpit. 

Taehyung goes under with a loud and bubbly shriek of laughter.

From then on it turns into a tickle war, the two of them giggling and goofing around and splashing through the sea to a point where breathing gets difficult.

It's a good way to exhaust oneself. Taehyung is still laughing faintly when they lay at the beach and gasp for air, courtesy to one of Jeongguk's monster waves that spewed them onto the toasty sand seconds ago. They both are sprawled out like starfish, and maybe it's a little wink of fate (or the quick side-glance Taehyung took) but their arms are reaching out for each other and they are close enough for just the tips of their fingers to touch. 

While certain other regions of his body have cooled down, this little touch is enough to set Taehyung's entire hand aflame. He turns around then, props himself on the side and stares at the picture. At the smallest bit of intimate contact.

And oh, he thinks, who needs the Sistine chapel and Michelangelo's frescos if he can have this exquisite touch all for himself?

His smile turns from giddy to fond as he once again takes his sweet time to study Jeongguk's hand that looks so unlike his own. He marvels at how delicate the mer holds him, his touch feather-light and so careful even with hands shaped as claws.

For through all their fooling around earlier never did those long, sharp and vicious nails hurt him. During their entire wrestling Taehyung didn't get a single scratch from those fingers that can carve stone as if it were smooth like butter.

When he finally tears his eyes away, Jeongguk is already staring at him, gaze unbelievably soft.

"You are the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen," he echoes Taehyung's words from days, weeks, maybe months ago, in a voice so hushed it easily gets drowned out by the splashing waves.

But Taehyung catches all of it.

 

Taehyung is floating in the clouds for the rest of the day. His head is so far away he almost misses the best round of Who Am I to ever happen in his life. Almost. Because Park Jimin, if not anything else, is insistent. And so the moment Taehyung makes to get up after dinner, his landlord pushes him back down onto his chair with a stern "You are not going anywhere tonight" and then orders  his boyfriend to go fetch some paper, pens and duct tape.

Taehyung doesn't get a chance to properly whine about how the glue is bad for his skin before Jimin all but er-punches his post-it onto the singer's forehead.

Taehyung's shriek gets drowned out by his landlord's loud cackle and even Yoongi smirks. The audacity! He's going to chose a fairytale item Jimin will never be able to guess. Ha!

It works. Six rounds in, Taehyung doesn't have exactly an idea what kind of fairytale item he is but Jimin has it far worse. The problem is not that Jimin's questions are bad, per say. They just don't work for him - for 'Snow White's poisoned comb' that Taehyung scribbled on the post-it now sticking to Jimin's forehead. It's greatly irritating him, much to Taehyung's delight.

"Okay, well, am I made of some kind of metal?"

"Yes-"

"Nah."

Taehyung eyes Yoongi and scowls. "There are some that are made of metal though."

"But not in this fairytale."

"It's never specified!" He turns to a huffing Jimin and concludes, "It's possible. Not very likely but possible."

"Ugh, you losers are not helpful! It could be yellow or not, made of metal or not, apparently, fit in my palm or be smaller or bigger, who the knows, it can be used outside and inside, and according to you-" he points at Taehyung- "it has magical powers but according to you"- a jab in Yoongi's direction- " it hasn't! Guys, come on!"

Taehyung snickers and dodges the smack to his head while Yoongi once more deadpans that there are no magical powers to that item whatsoever.

Two rounds later Yoongi wins the game as he correctly guesses his item to be the Little Muck's magic shoes. Jimin then rips off his own post-it and throws a tantrum about Snow White's comb for at least five minutes.

 

The next day, Taehyung wakes up to the alarm he set. It's the first time in forever that he gets woken up like that, but he's got plans. There will be a change in his daily routine. And for that, he is ready to fight his morning grouch tendencies. Sacrifices need to be made.

He, Kim Taehyung, famous idol on hiatus and Not A Morning Lover - or big fan of anything that requires physical training - is going to pick up his workout routine. And not just the usual one he adapted over the years for cardio and stamina training. No, he's gonna go all out and attempt to get back into his pre-debut shape.Or as close as he can get, without starving himself.

Thus, the Park-Min-household sees itself filled with heavy pants and the stench of sweat this morning.

The reason for all this?

Well. It starts with J. 

And ends with Eongguk.

Taehyung wants to look good for him. Easy as that. Where it sounds very much narcist at first glance, he doesn't mean it that way, at least not primarily. He's been laying awake for a long time last night and thought about how the pink fluffy unicorn he can give something back to the mer who keeps spoiling him. His eyes have drifted to the numerous pearls perched on a little make-shift cushion made of a rolled-up silk tie every couple minutes. And while he didn't have an answer to the big question in general, he figured that being at his best for Jeongguk might be a good start. 

Most of all, he'll keep teaching Jeongguk reading and writing. And numbers. And calculating. And whatever else he can come up with. There might be no materialistic gift he could buy that would be worth Jeongguk's time. He's a merman, for crying out loud. A deity. He's probably the closest to a god on earth. What could possibly compare?

But Taehyung is a human and as such he learnt a few things that are not common knowledge for merfolk. Surely he can do something with that.

All of those ideas seem way too mundane to be actually good and valuable though. He needs to keep thinking on it.

Project Give Back To Jeongguk starts now.

 

Project Give Back To Jeongguk is failing.

Jeongguk notices something is different the moment they meet at the pier. Instead of the usual "Good morning, Taehyung", his greeting of the day is, "Did you not sleep well?"

Which, sure, is a sweet question in and on itself. But it also means Taehyung isn't masking his exhaustion half as good as he hoped. Maybe he went a little overboard during his first training in - let's face it - several months. And, surprise! Now parts of his body are aching he forgot even existed. Way to go. One round of slow-claps, please.

He mutters some nonsensical answer under his breath and gingerly slips off the pier, into Jeongguk's awaiting arms.

That's also a thing they established not too long ago and that never fails to turn Taehyung's insides to mush - the way Jeongguk catches him halfway with steady grip of his strong hands on Taehyung's waist and then slowly lowers him into the water until only his shoulders and head are poking out. It's taken them some trial and error to come up with a solution of how Taehyung can best get into the water without dropping down like a sack of potatoes, splash probably loud enough to be heard by locals nearby. Which is the last thing they want.

After trying this and that, their current method has proven to be the best.

It's also by far the method that's worst for Taehyung's poor heart. But that's another story.

Jeongguk takes an inhale sharp enough for his gills to flutter along, and Taehyung sees it as his cue to breathe in deep. In the next moment, water splashes above his head and then they are flying out of the bay and through the ocean at break-neck speed. He keeps his eyes squeezed tightly shut, face buried against Jeongguk's shoulder as he counts the seconds for them to reach their secret beach.

The mer's grip tightens, scalding hot on his skin. One of his hands brushes down Taehyung's back and lower, lingering there. Taehyung has to start counting from scratch again.

To his delight, once they get back to the surface he is not half as winded as he thought he would be after the workout session. Seems their daily dive is good for something. By now he can easily hold his breath for as long as it takes to get here.

"Hey, Taehyung?"

"Mhm?"

"I want to try something today, if you'll let me."

Taehyung is nodding before the sentence has fully left Jeongguk's lips, expertly ignoring the little voice in his head that says his heart might not be ready for whatever Jeongguk has in store. But the mer is smiling so brightly at him he wouldn't be able to refuse him anything even if he wanted to.

They are still quite a distance away from the shore, further than the stone arch sitting proudly amidst the never-ceasing waves and far enough out that Taehyung has no chance catching a glimpse of the ground beneath him. If he were alone, he'd wonder if he had enough energy left to swim back to the beach from here, a hint of uneasiness probably lapping at his insides. However. With Jeongguk at his side he never has to worry about things like that. There is no doubt he will be fine, no matter how far out they are.

Even so, the mer navigates them into the bay like he always does, into the protection it provides from tides as much as prying eyes of fishermen in the distance. His voice is tender as he speaks, bobbing up and down a little along with the waves, sometimes being a little louder and sometimes barely more than a whisper. He is the sea, in so many ways, Taehyung can't help but think at times like these.

"You always have your eyes closed when you're underwater with me. It looks... strained, in a way. And you are missing out on so much. So I want to try teaching you to see underwater. If you want."

Taehyung gapes at him for at least a solid minute. His brain has trouble getting back into business, and so it takes him a while to formulate an answer.

"That's... that's really sweet. But I'm not sure I can keep my eyes open for very long. It doesn't seem to be a problem for you, but to humans like me, the salt in the ocean is kinda... aggressive. It burns our eyes, you know?"

Jeongguk's entire body slumps minutely before tensing up again.

"I'm sure I can figure something out," he says with determined expression.

So they try.

Taehyung is ready to risk dry and stinging eyes if it makes Jeongguk happy. He plunges his head underwater several times and pries open his eyes against the torrent and the salt that he knows will bite. It takes numerous tries of he doesn't know what, the only thing he sees is Jeongguk wiggling his fingers funnily in the water. Nothing changes. Until-

Until the burn stops coming. Taehyung has not the slightest clue what happened but suddenly opening his eyes in the water is easy. Easier even than taking a dip in a lake. Eyes wide open, he looks at Jeongguk, dark hair floating around his head like a cloud, and grins. Jeongguk grins back.

The mer shows him, then. Shows him how to float right under the water surface so it's like a veil of thin glass stretching over them that turns the sun high above into a wiggling yellow jellyfish. Urges him to stay underwater when a bigger wave rolls on and to watch it break from below, a pristine swirl of blues, greens, yellows and whites above their heads. Taehyung is dumb-struck. He's never seen a wave from below. It's so, so pretty, so enticing. He keeps staring, swimming up to gasp for air and then going right back, waiting for more waves to come.

The sea doesn't disappoint and sends wave after wave, each one bigger than before. Taehyung has the lingering suspicion it's Jeongguk's doing, with how the mer's fingers keep twitching and his grin turns slightly cocky. Taehyung gladly takes everything he's dishing out and keeps watching the waves.

It's... magical.

(Duh, obviously. But it also looks the part.)

When he comes up for a longer break - diving is fun an all but his body does in fact need air, and a few shallow gasps every now and then simply don't cut it on the long run - Jeongguk is already waiting for him, fin brushing against his calf.

"Do you want to see the little coral reef nearby?"

Taehyung wants to cry. 

How is he ever supposed to make it all up to Jeongguk?

 

(Of course they go to the coral reef. After just one look, Taehyung is in love.)

 

"Wait a minute."

Taehyung flops over, sand sticking to his back where he is laying on the beach. He turns to Jeongguk as a thought strikes him.

"The water isn't really this clear, is it? Like, usually, I mean. Like, environmental pollution is a thing, and normally there should be no way I can see the clouds in ultra HD when I look through the water from I don't even know how many metres under. Right? You did something there."

Jeongguk gives him a little smile and twirls the small braid Taehyung made him earlier around his finger.

"I don't know what you mean~"

 

Parting ways proves more difficult day by day. Taehyung hates the idea of leaving Jeongguk behind so he can go hide back in some dark crevice at the bottom of the sea. Or something similar lonely. Each time Taehyung has to bite his tongue and swallow back down the words. 

Today he doesn't.

He can't quite put a finger on what changed between them this time. It's maybe stupid, considering other things that he can't ignore are still the same, like Jeongguk's obvious disdain of humans. He is not a fool. Just because the mer is fine with him by now doesn't mean he'll willingly meet other humans.

And yet.

The words press against his teeth, wanting to break free. So he lets them.

"Do you want to come with me?"

It's a big step, a big question. He can feel the weight of it in his chest.

Jeongguk's eyes go big. Slowly he shakes his head.

Taehyung sighs.

It doesn't come as a surprise, but it still stings.

Taehyung decides he hates goodbyes.

 

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Pale moonlight filters into Jeongguk's cave and paints the waters liquid silver. He's gone through his three shifts of the night and now rests in a shallow pool, chest heaving from exertion. His mind keeps going back to Taehyung's face when it finally worked - when Jeongguk figured out how to alter the water for his eyes, pull the salt out of it right where Taehyung was, so he could look. Could see the beauty of the water from beneath, from within, and marvel at it the way Jeongguk used to as a little boy.

His eyes had been so big, mouth trapped in a wide grin as he went under time and again. Staying on the ground - soft sand, bare of anything that could hurt his delicate skin, Jeongguk made sure of that - for long enough that Jeongguk got worried he'd run out of breath.

It was a delight. Taehyung had been beaming like a little sun, like a star, back then. Jeongguk wants to hold onto that most splendid image until the rest of days.

 Watching Taehyung experience the wonders of the sea and grow familiar to the way Jeongguk knows it was a new kind of joy. He loves introducing him to his world.

Still, he hesitates to turn things around.

Despite his human legs, his physical ability to do as asked, Jeongguk refuses to accompany Taehyung home. Was frozen to the bone when he invited him earlier.

He knows Taehyung lives together with a fisherman's son. Someone who surely knows all the old tales and could recognise him for the fearsome thing he is. Those horror stories every mother in town tells her babes to scare them away from the sea and keep them safe are true, after all.

Long ago there was a time where Jeongguk heavily contributed to those whispered stories himself, wanted to make the humans pay for what they did to his family. Taehyung would never believe it, would never think Jeongguk capable of those horrid, gruesome things when he only knows him as a loving and gentle young man. But the truth is, Jeongguk is not a saint. For a while he's been as far from being one as one can get, has become a nightmare even.

And that fisherman's son, he would know. Would take one look and see Jeongguk as the marginal threat he is, once he learns about his true form. Would maybe even make him responsible for the awful storm flood of 1961 that wiped out the entire town save for one building Jeongguk left be as a grim reminder, and rightfully so.

He can't tell Taehyung the reason for his reluctance without admitting to all the wretched things he is held to be responsible for.

So he'll stave him off, keep mumbling about being uncomfortable around other humans, about feeling caged if he has to step inside a house. Albeit true, those are the less relevant things. He could overcome them if he wanted. But he won't. Will keep telling Taehyung white lies and stay off town for as long as he can.

Instead, a different idea starts forming in his head. (It already tastes so sweet Jeongguk knows it will haunt him from now on.)

If he can't come to Taehyung's home - then the human has to come to his. 

He hopes, with every fibre of his body, that Taehyung would like it.

Nowadays it is a far cry from the dark, cold cave it used to be upon Jeongguk's arrival long ago, back when it was barely more than a repulsive hole in a big stone, filled with inky blackness and drenched with chilling atmosphere.

It has taken him years and years but he nurtured it into an inviting home, a sprawling residence tucked away in an underwater mountain With various basins and halls, a big hole in the ceiling to let in moonlight and grant a view at the stars. Century-old dirt and grim scrubbed off the stone to reveal the glorious, unusual and colourful patterns beneath, vibrancy enhanced by a few of Jeongguk's tricks, some walls covered in all kinds of moss and corals. The ruddy drip stone columns scattered throughout the halls he patiently sanded down with grainy salt water into swirled pillars, and some of the holes in the walls he filled with sea glass in an excruciating slow process.

Yes, he thinks with a look around himself, Taehyung could feel at ease here perfectly well. Hopefully.

But.

First, he'd have to get here. And Jeongguk is not sure Taehyung could hold his breath long enough to reach Jeongguk's home.

Like that, just as fast as it came, his giddy excitement plummets past his chest and stomach, into the very tip of his tail and lingers there as something painfully similar to devastation.

How is Taehyung ever to get here? He is a human. The shore, and any islands are too far away for a being of the earth to hope mastering the long dive. This is, from the very beginning, the reason why Jeongguk chose this particular cave as his own decades ago.

 

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The mind is a wondrous thing, Taehyung concludes once again.

He's doing his third set of push-ups, body slowly getting used to the old routine again, and keeps looking at one spot on the patchwork-cushion thrown onto the couch. Jimin, it seems, has a penchant to completely change all cushions and blankets in the living room every so often. The cushion in question is made of several rectangles sewn together, each a different colour. One of them happens to be blue.

And while Taehyung keeps staring at it on every lift, his mind takes him to a memory from a few years ago. That rectangle has the same shade of blue the tie of one of those missioners had who knocked on Hoseok's door when Taehyung happened to be over for some predrinking.

He just finished a little Asia concert tour whereas his friend had gotten a tiny hiatus of three days with empty schedule. Perfect to go out clubbing for once. Like back in the old pre-debut days, where they could go places without bodyguards and a constant fear of paparazzi and sasaeng fans. Just with the addition of huge face masks and tinted glasses.

The three missioners had been around their age, and annoyingly sure of themselves. So the two of them decided to have a little fun - it was Taehyung's idea but Hoseok agreed all too easily, like always when he's on the verge of getting tipsy. Taehyung had dug out the pack of UNO cards from under Hoseok's sock drawer - don't ask how he knew where to look - and proclaimed the following rules:

In a match of seven rounds, they'd decide who was to step foot into the others' world. If the idols lost, they'd have to come to the next Mass.

But they won.

Thus, after some of the most intense UNO games Korea has ever seen, the three boys begrudgingly joined them on their way to the club. It was a fun night, filled with extremes of all kinds.

And ever since, that particular shade of blue is 'missioner boi tie blue' for Taehyung.

Although...

If he squints a little, it looks more like the blue of Jeongguk's scales right where they meet his fins.

 

Teaching Jeongguk numbers and the basics of arithmetic turns out to be a much slower process than showing him the ropes with letters. Taehyung takes it into stride as the mer struggles to tell one and seven apart and has an even harder time with division. It's a great reason to drape himself over Jeongguk's back, perch his chin on the mer's shoulder and point at the part Jeongguk got wrong, explaining the rules again with hushed voice.

It also is a little bit of a relief that there is something Jeongguk can't learn in the blink of an eye. Makes him seem a lot more human than he is. Taehyung has been secretly afraid the mer is some kind of prodigy and will be finished learning everything Taehyung can teach him in, like, four days or something.

He isn't. Mathematics don't come to Jeongguk easily - not for lack of trying or interest in the matter but rather because it's such a foreign concept to him. It gives Taehyung all the time he could ask for to patiently teach his understudy and stay as close as possible.

Jeongguk stubbornly making his way through the little arithmetic problems Taehyung writes in the wet sand for him and putting what seems to be his entire focus into the task also means his hair gains lots of tiny braids. Taehyung swears he isn't bored (he could never be, as long as he is with Jeongguk). It's just so fun! And he needs a victim to practice his braiding skills.

(Maybe he's watched a handful of braiding tutorials for all kinds of braids with three, four, five and more strands. And maybe, just maybe he wants to try out some of those intricate elven prince or Viking warrior hairstyles on Jeongguk that consist of a ton of braids. He needs a lot of practice to make that happen.)

Jeongguk jerks with a bright "I did it!", hair slipping past Taehyung's fingers, braids unravelling at once. He stares at the smooth strands flowing through his grasp and thinks of a mountain well dancing around rocks, parting into little rivulets and rejoicing time and again.

Taehyung pouts.

Takes a glance at the solution Jeongguk wrote in the sand - the numbers written by the mer being all sharp and precise lines next to Taehyung's dull ones - and gives him an appreciative nod before continuing to pout.

All his work, for naught.

"You know... I really want to fixate your braids so they stay for longer than five minutes."

Jeongguk hums, small wave lapping away the solved problem. Who needs a sponge or a dirty palm if the sea easily answers to you?

"But?"

"But," Taehyung starts before he gets thrown off by the mer laying down and nestling his head in Taehyung's lap. Taehyung's heart fills with warmth. He loves it. Loves how casual Jeongguk is about the contact by now, where he would've probably ran away screaming - or decked him - months ago. "But, I don't wanna put something as cheap and unbecoming as a two dollar scrunchie from Yoongi's grocery store in your pretty hair. It's- the scrunchie is not worthy."

Jeongguk chuckles.

"You are saying silly things, Taehyung. How can something even be worthy of my hair?"

"I know, right?! Nothing will ever be able to cut it!"

"No, that's not what I... forget it."

 

The next day, Jeongguk presents to him a dozen little metal rings, crafted thin enough to vary their tightness with the slightest pressure. He takes Taehyung's hand, turns it up and then drops the small pieces of jewelry in his palm. Each of them looks unique, except for the silver metal all of them are made of. Some are as thin as a wire and fashioned in tiny swirls, some are more solid, like a glittering ribbon engraved with wave patterns. A few of them even are adorned with blue and green gemstones barely bigger than rice grains.

"Will this do?"

Taehyung stares.

"Uhm."

 

This was a terrible idea.

Not because it's so difficult to work with the metal rings, far from it.

Rather, they work a little... too well. Taehyung has spent more than an hour braiding the mer's hair and put the metal rings he must have crafted overnight - seriously, when does Jeongguk sleep - in the braids to effectively fasten them. They hold tight.

And now Jeongguk's usually freely flowing black hair is partly braided back, some of the smaller braids slipped over his shoulder, tips barely brushing against his collarbones. And in between that rich, soft darkness and the still slightly raggedly-looking braids, hints of silver, blue and green are twinkling in the midday sun.

Taehyung finds himself spellbound.

A Jeongguk with sparkling hair is even more devastating than a Jeongguk with open hair.

Taehyung flings a finger out and points at him.

"You have to wear them all the time from now on," he declares with the most serious voice.

Jeongguk tilts his head and gives him a secretive smile but doesn't object.

 

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

 

Night time finds Jeongguk going through his shifts until a thin layer of sweat covers his skin. It also finds him yearning for a certain someone by his side, here in his cave. The longing for Taehyung to be with him at night too, to come visit him, grows with every passing day.

The very idea of the human coming here does funny things to Jeongguk. He is steadily throwing himself into the task of deep-cleaning his home whenever he's not with Taehyung these days. Wants his place to look meticulous, to be spotless and absolutely perfect.

Just in case.

What he does not know is this:

In the dead of the night - at the same time when Jeongguk longs for Taehyung by his side - the man in question lays in bed, unable to fall asleep with his mind skirting around thoughts full of Jeongguk, Jeongguk, Jeongguk as he absent-mindedly presses one of Jeongguk's pearls against his lips and lets it rest there. As he wonders what it would feel like to fall asleep in the mer's arms. To give himself to the male in his most vulnerable state, to put all of himself in Jeongguk's hands.

Safe, he reckons. It would be the safest place there is. The loveliest.

But, just how Jeongguk is not aware of how very present he is on Taehyung's mind by day and night, Taehyung has no idea either of what goes on in Jeongguk's head during the hours they are apart.

Which is good.

He needn't know about the dark and vicious pit Jeongguk's mind sometimes becomes whenever he pictures meeting that Jimin guy.

When he thinks of the accusations that inevitably will be flung at him. It has him spiralling down dark, deeply buried memories of all the things he has done, entire body tensing up at the century-old echo of violence beseeching him. The sea turns vicious around him then, power tingling at his fingertips and roaring to be set free, urging him to go on a rampage once again and shed any semblance of a cultured, civilised being. Deep vortexes spring to life in the cave and around it. The sea furiously whips against the stone and for a little while Jeongguk allows himself to be submerged in the violent torrents of his tainted soul.

No, Jeongguk decides. Taehyung needn't know about this. Preferably ever.