Chapter Text
"Minumura mo ba ako?!" The merman's eyes widened and he stared at him with disbelief.
Kung siguro may mga paa ito, baka sinubukan na nitong tumayo at sugurin ang lalaki. There's no way he would let this guy trample on a merman's pride.
The nerve of this guy to throw stones and now even curse the hell out of him?
"Oh shit. No, I mean sorry—holy—ahh! Tangina, wait!" Heeseung kept stuttering as he tried to step back subconsciously, even knowing the merman in front of him had no ability to run after him.
"Gago. May buntot ka." He just managed to utter as he stood there dumbfoundedly. "...Bakit?"
Parang bigla siyang natuod sa kinatatayuan, and as much as he tried to remind himself that everything he's seeing is normal—all those vampires, supernatural discourses on the internet and news—but seeing and interacting with one in real life?
Oh god. A merman is shouting at him.
A freaking merman!
This would have turn his original world upside down.
Jake, the merman's—eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he eyed this weird man. Tiningnan niya ito nang matiim mula ulo hanggang paa. Suddenly, his urge to interact and communicate with inland creatures dissipated a little.
Ganito ba kabobo ang mga nilalang na nasa lupa? The guy looks fine, pero mukhang may tama ito sa utak. That thought alarmed him a little. What if this guy took him? Is mermaid kidnapping still a thing nowadays? Oh my god. He might die today.
'Shit, I should have just listened to Sunoo.' Jake found himself regretting every impulsive decisions that led him to this situation.
"Why should it be your issue na may buntot ako?" He managed to reply in defensive mode, habang ang dating nagliliwanag na buntot ay unti-unting nawawalan ng kulay—prior to their biological response depending on the emotional state of their kind. I
Heeseung held his breath and finally laughed and shook his head in incredulous mood. "Sorry... Sorry... Ah, it's just first time ko makakita and makausap ng sirena," he answered, still in disbelief before he silently cursed himself for being weird, while his gaze enveloped the pretty merman in front of him.
Ang ganda niya.
Parang sa isang iglap, nawala 'yung mga iniisip niya at napalitan ng mangha. Maybe from the fact he's seeing and talking to a merman? or was it because the guy's beauty is literally out of the world?
"But you're talking to me," Heeseung remarked in awe.
"What's your name?"
"...I'm Jake. You?"
Heeseung let out a small smile and nodded.
"I'm Heeseung, but people call me Ev—no, they call me Ethan." He introduced himself with his original nickname from his world. He felt a tug of string inside his chest. He's introducing himself. the real him to this stranger. a merman.
He gulped upon noticing na mataray pa rin siya nitong tinitigan. "Well, sorry for earlier if natamaan kita ng bato. Nasaktan ba kita?" He asked in the softest tone he could utter, before subtly gazing over the entirety of the merman once more.
Paunti-unti ang kislap ng buong buntot nito, and forgive him for being crude and for the lack of articulation, pero—shit, parang Christmas lights 'yung buntot ng sirena na kaharap niya ngayon.
'Does this mean glow in the dark sila sa ilalim ng dagat?' He thought silently.
Jake's eyelashes fluttered as he felt the man's gaze over him before he shook his head.
He felt a bit conscious as he lowered himself to the sand more.
"No, it's fine. My skin is elastic naman. A small stone couldn't hurt me anyway—isn't that a normalized information about mermen? You study that in biology sa school niyo, right?"
Heeseung's smile twitched before he crouched down slowly, not wanting to startle the merman.
"To be fair with you, I don't know a lot of things."
"Ah, so bobo ka?"
"...Can we use other terms instead of blatantly calling me bobo?"
Jake's lips pursed, but he moved nearer unconsciously—mas nanaig ang kuryosidad niya sa taong kaharap niya ngayon. "Ang dami niyo namang kaartehan na mga tao! Then what do you call people who don't know things? Hindi ba bobo or stupid?"
"You can use ignorant," Heeseung smiled.
"Ah, so you're ignorant." Jake nodded in understanding as if absorbing new knowledge. "Bakit naman ignorant ka? So hindi ka ba nakapasok sa school for humans?"
Heeseung eyed the merman, the previous troubles surging back inside as he looked at the twinkling sky and back to Jake.
He suddenly felt an urge to confess everything to this strange creature. Maybe it's because the craziness of the situation and the things happening to him really made him disregard everything..He just want to be real. again. for once.
"I don't belong to this world," he responded vaguely. Tangina, nababaliw na siya. He's already starting and he's opening this up to a merman?
"HUH? Anong pinagsasabi mo? Was that even the answer to my question?" Jake's forehead creased. "The hell, are we even on the same page of conversation right now?"
"Look, I know i am weird—but technically, the fact that I'm talking to a merman is weirder, you know?" Heeseung grinned sloppily, ignoring Jake's rants as he continued spouting everything that's been holding him back. "I like everything that I have here, but this life isn't mine to begin with," he added as he gazed at the stars again quietly. Iyong isipan niya ay napunta sa walang hanggang katapusang katanungan. He wants to know and understand if the earth was just around in the sky that he's looking at.
Jake couldn't help but to groaned in pure frustrations. I am not even understanding a thing on what's happening right now. Does communicating with a human is this supposed to be this hard?
"Have you heard some tales about humans?"
Napatahimik na lang ang sirena sa pagrereklamo sa isipan at napalingon sa kalangitan na tinitingnan ng lalaki bago bumaling ng tingin kay Heeseung pabalik. Hindi man niya maintindihan ang takbo ng isip at daloy ng pangyayari ngayon, pero simula nung dumaong siya sa dalampasigan ay pansin na ang mga matamlay at kaguluhan sa buong presensiya nito.
His whole body radiates the same unmistakable loneliness that Jake is feeling. Maybe in the different font. But jake knows how it feels to be unable to share something that is important to you.
So, he listened.
"...Well, yeah. A lot. Hindi naman kami totally isolated from humanity. We knew a lot more than you guys know." Jake explained as he played with the rocks and shells on the shore mindlessly. "Annually, 'yung elders namin pumupunta sa United Nations ng mga tao. You know something about the diplomacy stuff."
Heeseung nodded in understanding while he hugged his thighs closer and continued talking to this strange creature.
"Do you usually communicate with people?"
"Nope. As much as the merman population and humanity are on good terms naman, may pagka-xenophobic pa rin ang mga kauri ko." The merman's tail splashed against the sand leisurely. "I can't blame them. Most humans are just as insane as they are." He eyed the guy secretly. "You're not taking offense about it, are you?"
"Hindi naman. Buhay niyo 'yan eh." Heeseung just shrugged.
"That's a neutral feedback, or you don't have any wise words to say?"
"Daldal mo rin pala, no?"
"Am I talkative?"
"It's okay. I don't mind it. It's my first time to communicate with a merman, kaya I am more inclined to observing you." Heeseung admitted honestly, his mouth twitching into a small smile. "Pero it's weird how you seem comfortable with me."
"I can say the same thing to you." Jake nodded in agreement. "Your presence doesn't scream danger naman. Unhinged or fool, yes, maybe—but it's within my tolerance."
"although for a second, i thought you'll end up kidnapping me...pero looking at your figure now. you seems unable to even lift yourself up."
Heeseung rolled his eyes exasperatedly at how sarcastic and tsundere this merman is sounding right now. Hindi niya alam if he should take Jake's words as an insult or be fond of this weird creature for being this expressive.
Regardless, for once—he isn't enforcing any persona or reservation he has to hold up to everyone. And so, he stayed.
"Pag ako umiyak, Jake ah."
Jake stiffened as he stared at Heeseung with widened eyes. Napaupo siya sa pagkakahiga sa buhanginan at tinitigan ng malalim ang lalake.
"Oh. You called me by name."
"I did? Is that wrong?"
"Nah, but we don't use name basis in merman culture. We often refer to each other based on the clan we came from."
because only married merfolks called their beloved with their first name.
Pero kahit kailan hindi niya sasabihin 'yon sa weirdong lalake na ito.
Heeseung tilted his head before nodding. "Ahh, ganon pala... As for us naman, we use first name basis because it helps us to identify one another or set one apart from someone... Are you not comfortable with it?"
"Uh? No. I just find it surprising, but the feeling was nice. It feels like I was incorporating a new culture to mine." Jake shrugged as he went back to the laying in the shore.
"You can also call me by nickname too, you know. Ethan," he suggested.
and in the back of his mind, he continued to hope.
Napatigil si Jake at napaisip kung gagawin niya ba. Would that make things different and awkward? Pero hindi naman ito ang mundo niya. There's nothing wrong if he tried calling this guy on his first name, right?
And there's Heeseung who continued waiting.
Waiting for Jake to acknowledge and call him on his own version of name, with a slight hope that it'll ground him from trying to absorb and take this world as his.
"Sure, Ethan."