Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The lonely house perched at the end of that beach called “Point End”, the no one visited, once belonged to Yoongi’s grandfather.

It was small, not bigger than any regular suburban house – a single floor was more than enough back then in the 70s. It was covered in light grey boards and the windows didn’t even have glass, wood was the preferred material for the majority of surfaces. It had two porches, one in the front and one at the back to have the perfect view of the ocean – said porches were once full of potted plants, roses and lilies hanging from the railings, now Yoongi didn’t care for those things. Yoongi’s room was located to the east, where he could see the sunrise each morning (or to be more exact, when he cared for it, which was never) The floors cracked with each step Yoongi took inside, it smelled of sea salt all the time, the objects that were once of a shiny metal were rusted and brown, the piping needed some serious fixing, he didn’t have time to care for the garden so most of it consisted of sand patches and weed – but it was home.

He visited the place each summer vacation when he was a child and with time it felt like his true home, he left Daegu to come live there when he started college – his grandparents had long passed away and he was the only one in charge. It was his, it was the one place where he felt safe. He loved the only noise he ever heard was from the waves’ dance or the birds flying high in the sky. It was true that he could do some re-decorating, with the way the furniture was the same his grandparents had bought all those years back, he didn’t even have a new TV, it was just the same one that could show ten local channels. Yoongi didn’t care for those things, it worked for him. He barely ever had company over, he either went to Namjoon’s or Tae’s place, so that day when he parks his Honda on the dirt driveway and jumps from the vehicle, he jogs directly to the beach behind the house to find a merman.

That day, Yoongi had left the boat at the University’s private dock and drove back to his house, where Jimin was waiting for him. He probably looked like a maniac, pale and anxious but he couldn’t care less. Jimin was waiting for him at his house!

Once he reaches the shore and scans the beach, he sees Jimin’s silhouette not too far from the house, his tail making a clear contrast with the brown wet sand. That day more than ever, he was thankful his house was located so far from town, in such a lonely spot.

“Hey,” he says once he’s closer to him, heaving, “You made it.”

Jimin smiles shyly, playing with patterns on the sand.

“How come you’re all the way here?” Yoongi asks when he realizes Jimin is a good five meters from the sea, “Aren’t you more comfortable in the water?”

Jimin looks up at him, his eyes big and timid, “Sit? With me?” 

Yoongi complies, sitting on the warm sand and leaving a few inches between their bodies. Yoongi will always be fascinated with Jimin’s tail, how long it is, how he can find new shades of blue and purple hidden in the scales, how very unique Jimin is.

“I tell a story, like the ones Yoongi always told Jimin,” the merman starts to say, “Yoongi listen until the end…”  

He only nods. Jimin’s voice was soft and calm, his accent obviously present but Yoongi couldn’t pay attention to that anymore, he just genuinely enjoyed listening to the merman’s voice.

“Jimin is child of the King of the… Deep Rocks,” he says slowly, moving his eyes in clear sign that he’s looking for the words in his memory, “Jimin is Prince of Deep Rocks, Jimin to be a King. King doesn’t like land-walkers, King hates them, so Prince can’t see or talk or be friends with land-walkers.”

“Okay…” Yoongi frowns, the complexity of the merpeople’s society hasn’t completely sunk in yet.

“Jimin didn’t listen to the King,” the merman continues, “So he fought and fought and they- they didn’t listen. When Chungha, my sister, is ill they still don’t listen and they want to hurt Yoongi the land-walker who helped her, they want to hurt the Prince too.

“Jimin left,” the merman says, a hint of sadness showing.

“Wait you- ran away?” Yoongi asks.

“What’s that? Jimin doesn’t have legs to run,” the merman replies, although his eyes move nervously to one side and the other.

“Running away is an expression like, you escaped,” he explains. Jimin nods this time.

“Jimin ran away,” he says, creating more patterns in the sand, his eyebrows folding in a way that has Yoongi’s heart twisting and turning. Suddenly the merman straightens his back, his face clears of sadness and he speaks up, “Part two of the story! Jimin is on land because he- he’s going to be a land-walker just like Yoongi and Yoongi can cure the itchy.”

At first, Yoongi thinks he’s joking, he must be…or maybe he still doesn’t grasp the meaning of words completely.

“What?” Yoongi mutters with an awkward chuckle.

“Jimin be a land-walker just like Yoongi!” the other repeats with a decided nod of his head.

“But- Jiminie you have a tail,” Yoongi starts to say slowly, “You’re a merman you can’t walk-”

“Merpeople can…” he answers shyly, “Other merpeople are land-walkers.”

“But how?”

“I wait here,” is what he says shortly, “I wait here in the sand…”

It makes no sense to Yoongi but Jimin can’t seem to explain further, he just rests his back in the sand and asks Yoongi questions about anything his eyes fall upon, he sees dry plants and pelicans that are skipping in the water and asks about them, he ask about the strange object Yoongi was driving a few moments ago, he seems giddy, his previous sadness forgotten all together. Jimin talks and talks about clothes and how he’ll wear lots of shorts and shirts with that cute accent of his.

They are waiting for something to happen, Yoongi knows the sun will set in a couple of hours and Jimin will remain in his merman form – those stories he heard were just that, stories. Nothing was going to happen yet they remained sitting on that spot in the sand, Jimin sneakily reaching his pinky to grab hold of Yoongi’s. The human wants to say something, start making a plan about where Jimin will hide from now, seeing as merpeople can track almost whatever creature that is in the ocean – or that’s what Jimin explained some time ago. He needs protection and a safe place to live. Yoongi is too lost in his thoughts, so much he almost misses it.

Jimin whines softly, a look of discomfort clear on his face, he sits up and starts to frantically scratch his tail. Yoongi asks what’s wrong and Jimin answers with an it’s happening! It’s the strangest thing he’s seen that’s for sure. The bright and shiny colors of Jimin’s tail turn opaque in a matter of seconds and like rubber that it’s been out in the sun for too long, the tail seems to be melting. Yoongi sinks to his knees, completely lost, only stares at the way Jimin’s tail dissolves into the sand. He worries Jimin might die. The other only laughs however, Jimin laughs, laughs hysterically, claims that it itches but in a good way.

“What the fuck?” Yoongi mutters when the nasty pieces of tail fall to the sides and reveal human legs. Yoongi gapes, staring at Jimin’s naked form – his tail is entirely gone and in its place have appeared legs, healthy, full and muscular. This can’t be real.

“Yoongi! I have legs!” Jimin says excitedly, touching them, kicking them, taking one of Yoongi’s hands so he can also feel them. It’s a little gross, since the remaining of his tail is also there and it’s also a little embarrassing, seeing as Jimin’s genitals are exposed – he truly wants to cover his eyes. Yoongi inspects further, seeing how Jimin’s gills have closed enough (looking like mere scars), his fangs have reduced in size considerably and the intricate lines of his ears have morphed into more human like ears. Jimin looks like a real human, a weird pale one, but a human nonetheless.

Once Yoongi has collected himself, he runs to his house to get clothes for Jimin. The sun is now starting to sink which means the air is turning just a bit colder so Jimin can’t stay there naked. When Yoongi is back, he helps Jimin get dressed – he’s too close, too excited, his smile hasn’t faltered a bit and it’s contagious.

“Stop shaking for a second, Jimin,” he says, the arm of the shirt lost somewhere behind Jimin’s head, “Looks like you’re going to explode! Sit still.”

“Can’t!” he laughs, “I have legs!”

“I need an explanation for this,” he replies, “Did you know this was going to happen all along?”

Jimin shakes his head, “Fast! Jimin thought it would be days and days waiting!”

“So- will you stay in human form forever?” he asks worriedly. It’s nothing he would dislike – honestly, the full implications of Jimin being human haven’t sunk in yet – but he worries for him. Jimin shakes his head again, a cute smile making his cheek full.

“I know merpeople lived on land for a while and then come back,” he says, “Grandparents and grand-grand parents.”

“Great grandparents,” Yoongi corrects.

“Yes, that.”

“But- this makes no sense!” Yoongi says, “Why don’t you guys go back and forth? Why does your father hate land-walkers so much if he could be one?”

“Because he hates them,” he frowns, crossing his arms, “He doesn’t want to be land-walker ever. He says they be horrible and cruel- father is cruel.”

Yoongi frowns as well. Jimin’s father is not wrong, humans are cruel and selfish creatures but he won’t say anything, he doesn’t want to ruin Jimin’s mood any more. He stands up and grabs one of Jimin’s hands to help him stand as well so they can move to the house. The new human tries, he pushes his weight on his heels but all results in him tumbling down on the sand.

“Oh, oh,” Jimin mutters, looking up at Yoongi as they both realize he doesn’t know how to walk.

Fuck.

It’s not that long of a way to his house but Yoongi wasn’t that fit, so carrying Jimin on his back all the way to the living room sure had him sweating. Jimin is the happiest person at that moment, still kicking his new legs as a toddler would. He enjoys the ride and the moment he sees the full living room he wows loudly, asking Yoongi to show him more.

At that moment Yoongi isn’t sure of what he’s feeling, doesn’t even give it a thought, but if he was asked what joy felt like, it was this. It was hearing Jimin’s chuckle behind his ear and the trace of his arms around his shoulders, it was the fact that Jimin now belonged to his world – everything was sinking in slowly.

Yoongi throws Jimin on the couch and he dumps his body next to him, staring at the white ceiling thinking of what to do next, he should probably prepare something for dinner and then he should clean the guest room for Jimin but his biggest concern was Jimin’s walking. The other seemed completely unfazed, reaching his fingers to touch his toes, stretching his spine all the way to pull and push his legs to the front, he looked like a child and Yoongi only stared at him disbelieved.

“What am I gonna do with you?” he asks with a breathy laugh. Jimin turns to see him, a similar smile gracing his lips.

“Yoongi takes care of me,” he giggles, causing Yoongi’s chest to feel too tight too fast, “Yoongi cures me.”

Oh, right. That.

“Okay, so- tomorrow’s the weekend and the University is closed until Monday,” he says, more to the air than to Jimin who asks what a weekend is, “That’s good, that gives us a whole two days for you to learn how to walk and- maybe you can pick up the language a bit more. You’ll have to go with me to the lab and- fuck I’m probably gonna need a blood sample, how the fuck do I get a blood sample-”

“Yoongi, look!” Jimin interrupts, his squeaky laugh filling the whole house with light, “Leg behind head!”

Yoongi rolls his eyes and stands, it’s a long weekend ahead of them.

Having someone in the house was strange but not in a bad way.

That first night was tiring seeing as he had to carry Jimin from the living room to the kitchen, then after having dinner he took him to the bathroom and taught him how to brush his teeth and shower – it was a bad idea, since the second Yoongi opened the water tab Jimin’s tail appeared again, just in a matter of seconds. It was a mess of yells squeals and laughs, Yoongi tumbled inside the tub with Jimin because he couldn’t support his weight with the tail included.

“Why didn’t you tell me if you got wet the tail would grow back?!” he whined, seeing as his jeans, shirt and the bathroom floor got ruined. Jimin simply shrugged with his eyes wide open and started playing with Yoongi’s wet locks of hair.

The first bath was awkward, Yoongi hadn’t done this to anyone, not even his nephews – “The blue bottle is shampoo,” he explains carefully to Jimin, both inside the tub, the warm water running over their heads. Jimin’s tail was too big to fit inside, so it came out of the end, dripping more water to the floor, “It’s for washing your hair while the purple bottle has body wash, this is for your body, like your arms and chest and- well, not your legs seeing as they won’t be present while you’re in the shower.”

“Smell,” Jimin sings happily, “What’s the smell?”

“The body-wash?” he replies, “Grape I think, do you like it?”

“Grape,” Jimin repeated, “What is grape?”

Yoongi chuckles. It’s a good thing Jimin distracts him of the awkward aspect of the bath, they spend the rest of the time talking about fruits.

Once Yoongi and Jimin manage to get to the guest room, leaving a messy trail of water on the floor, it was a matter of waiting once again. That second time it happens, Yoongi runs the chronometer in his phone and counts 33 minutes and 50 seconds for the whole process to complete, the tail disintegrated once Jimin was completely dry – Yoongi gives him pajama bottoms and a white, cotton shirt for him to sleep. He manages to get dressed by himself this time, although his shirt ends up backwards. Untangling his hair was the most difficult task that night, it takes Yoongi a while and he uses different products he had saved from the time he was a blond – finally, Jimin’s hair is combed.

“What’s that?” the boy asks with a weird look on his face as he notices the square shape of the bed.

“A bed,” Yoongi explains, fluffing up the pillows, “It’s where we sleep.”

“On there?”

“Yeah, it’s soft and comfy,” he replies, “Where do you sleep normally?”

“Sand,” he answers shortly, “Sand and seaweed.”

“Right…” Yoongi says, “I’m sure you’ll like this, Jiminie, it’s nice, trust me.”

“Trust you,” Jimin repeats softly, that pretty smile of his directed at him, “Yoongi stay?”

“Uh- no, I have my own room,” he says, scratching a spot behind his neck, “This is your room from now on.”

“Why?” 

“Why?” Yoongi mumbles dumbly, “I don’t know, that’s how it is. Only siblings share a room and only couples share a bed.”

“Couple…two?”

“Yes, two people that like each other are a couple,” he talks too fast, feels his cheeks heating up, “And they share a bed when the time comes.”

“Jimin likes-”

“Hey, Jiminie, it’s really late!” he interrupts him, preventing the loop of questions to flood his way, “I’m really sleepy. I’ll go to my room, we can keep talking tomorrow morning okay?”

Jimin looks at the floor and then back at Yoongi, nods carefully and then crawls to the bed on his own, “Soft!”

“See, I told you,” he answers, “Goodnight, Jiminie. Just scream if you need anything.”

“Good night, Yoongi,” he replies smiling, “Thank you…”

“Don’t mention it,”

That weekend was long and Yoongi was tumbling with something to do every second. Jimin was a handful, seeing as he didn’t know how to do most of the things Yoongi took for granted. The new human didn’t know how to walk, so he crawled from one place to the other like a toddler – (or something taken out of a horror movie. Jimin managed to scared the senses out of Yoongi whenever he came crawling his way from behind a couch) Jimin didn’t know how to use chopsticks or spoons, so he opted for eating with his hands – he was messy but praised Yoongi’s food nonstop, making him laugh and blush. By noon Yoongi placed an old yoga mat on the living room floor and started helping Jimin to walk. It started out with Yoongi carrying most of Jimin’s weight on his shoulders, just to get Jimin to stand straight for a couple of seconds before he would fall again. It was tiring and he could tell Jimin was starting to get frustrated after an hour had passed.

Yoongi decides to pause the training, make a more delicious lunch and get Jimin outside.

Of course he has to carry him on his shoulders, but they sit down on the sand (far away from the shore and the ocean) and have lunch with the blinding sun as company. He had kind of forgotten how easy it was talking with Jimin and how much he enjoyed his company. At one moment he remembered what he had planned the day before with the sunflowers and frowned when he remembered he left them at the boat. He had nothing to gift the boy.

“Yoongi look sad,” Jimin mutters, pulling himself to his knees to reach that line forming between Yoongi’s eyebrows.

“No, I’m not sad, Jiminie,” he answers, “It’s the other way around actually. I’m- I’m happy you’re here.”

“Yoongi want me to stay?” the boy asks carefully, Yoongi isn’t sure if what he reads in his eyes is hope.

He chuckles in response, looking down at their folded legs, “I wouldn’t mind,” he says, “I wouldn’t mind at all…”

“Yoongi!” Jimin frantically calls the morning of Sunday, “Yoongi, look!”

Said man is in the kitchen chopping pieces of onion when he whips his head to find Jimin holding himself between the wall and the kitchen chairs, intercalating his steps one after the other with uncertainty, standing for longer than ten seconds on his own – which was what they had accomplished last night. Yoongi laughs, tells him he’s doing amazing, goes to stand closer in case Jimin loses his balance.

“Wow, Jimin!” Yoongi holds one of his hands, “You learn everything so fast!”

“Jimin didn’t sleep,” he blurts, “Jimin wants to walk like Yoongi!”

“What do you mean you didn’t sleep?”

“Jimin practice all night,” he says, “Fell a lot but look, I can walk!”

That day Yoongi learns a new thing about Jimin, he was perseverant, reaching obsessive when he got his mind on something. That whole day Jimin tries his best to stay up and walk from the kitchen to the living room, back and forth, tripping and tumbling like a rag doll but getting on his feet right away. Yoongi insists he should take a break but the other shakes his head, says he has to walk like Yoongi once and for all.

By dusk, Jimin’s obviously drained. It’s right before dinner that he flops down on the couch next to Yoongi, who’s focused on a book, trying to find any useful information about Jimin’s family strange disease. His body feels strange next to his, maybe too warm on a heated evening, Yoongi starts squirming; Jimin’s automatic response is to whine and come closer.

“Yoongi- Yoongi fluffy,” he mumbles, his cheeks pressed against the other’s shoulder, “Yoongi stay.”

“It’s hot, Jimin,” he says, “Don’t you want to go to your room?”

Jimin shakes his head, “Alone.”

“You don’t like sleeping alone?”

“Don’t like the bed,” Jimin says easily, “Yoongi’s bed is how?”

“It’s the same as yours,” he chuckles, catching Jimin’s intentions, “You want to try it?”

He nods his head this time, “Try it.”

“Okay, we can change rooms if that’s what you want-”

“No!” Jimin whines again, “Yoongi not there, then no.”

The older squints in Jimin’s direction, taken aback by Jimin’s bluntness, “So- what you want is to sleep with me?”

“But beds are for couples,” Jimin replies with a decided nod, as if he’d plan this thing before, “So we can sleep on sofa.”

Yoongi can’t help but laugh, something involuntary that comes from his chest that has Jimin jumping a little in surprise. The boy straightens his back for a moment to take a look at Yoongi, who can’t control his chuckles. They lock eyes, something that Yoongi can’t do too often. It’s calm and sort of perfect, laugh comes easy for them. Jimin reaches his thumb to trace the lines of Yoongi’s face with curiosity, first over cheekbones then over his eyelids. He’ll say is the heat that’s making his cheeks red.

“Your eyes disappear when you laugh,” Jimin voices in a more fluent speech.

“Yours too,” he replies as Jimin’s thumb traces down the bridge of his nose and then to trace the curve of Yoongi’s smile still present.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi says breathless as Jimin’s pure beauty almost leaves him speechlesss, electricity sparking the spots Jimin’s gracing, “But they look cute.”

“I like,” Jimin mutters softly, his tiredness obvious. He rests his head on Yoongi’s shoulder once again, falling asleep in an instant. He takes that chance to let his heart pace down, it’s embarrassing how nervous he gets when Jimin makes it seem like he likes Yoongi back.

“Likes you back?” that annoying voice in Yoongi’s head blurts out, “So you’re admitting you like him now.”

He isn’t. He definitely isn’t.

He’s avoiding to think about that.

He can’t. Not yet. He can’t ruin this.

With a small cough, one that doesn’t wake Jimin up, he flips a page on his book and continues reading, waiting a good hour for him to get up and make himself a sandwich.

By 10pm he goes back to the couch, to cuddle Jimin until sunrise.

~~~

It’s really hot, that’s the first thought Jimin has. It’s warm and cozy but also really dry, he could use a splash of water right then.

He blinks the tiredness away, noticing the room he fell asleep in is still quite dark, only faint traces of sunlight entering through the windows. Once he lifts his head he realizes the soft case filled with feathers that Yoongi said was a pillow starts moving, only that it wasn’t a pillow but Yoongi’s arm, who’s scratching the tip of his nose lazily. Jimin smirks, his eyes crunching up slowly as he appreciates more and more the heat that he felt while waking up – it was irradiating from Yoongi, who stayed the whole night next to him after saying he didn’t want to sleep alone.

The next thing he notices is how his new legs are soared, he notices the second he moves his feet from the couch to the floor, feeling the hard wood on the sole of his feet. He sees faint marks that he had never seen before and worries, he shakes Yoongi awake.

“Yoongi, legs!” he mutters, “Colors!”

“What?” the other asks hoarsely, still half asleep.

“Look! Hurts!”

Yoongi sits up and inspects the splotches of color that paint Jimin’s knees and calves, the older doesn’t have much of a reaction, “They’re bruised Jiminie,” he explains calmly, folding himself enough to lay back on the couch, “It’s because you fell a lot these past two days, it’s normal it hurts. The bruises will go away in a couple of days, don’t worry about it.”

“Oh,” Jimin mutters. The room is calm and silent again, leaving him to sink down in his reverie of thoughts. 

After three sunrises as a human, Jimin can’t say he’s used to it. He doesn’t tell Yoongi he feels out of place, dry and often times he’s worrying about his family and the colony. He worries more of his kind are getting sick, he worries Chungha is suffering of breathing problems again. Jimin left saying he didn’t want to be a prisoner, but he also left with the excuse he’d find a cure of their strange disease.

The thing was Jimin didn’t know who he was lying to, to himself or to his family? Jimin wasn’t sure anymore, he was positive that even if Yoongi found the solution to their problem, he’d still have doubts. Of course he’d go back and help his family but his tail would be aching to return – not because he liked life on land, but because he didn’t want to hold himself down and lived secluded forever, he didn’t want to hide his friendship with Yoongi the land-walker…he didn’t want to lose him or the possibilities that being on land had for him.

Jimin doesn’t know how long it is until Yoongi raises again, with more sunlight filtering in through the half closed windows, “Hey,” he croaks, his voice rough from sleep, “You okay?”

The younger man nods his head in response, excitedly waiting what the day brings ahead.

It’s true he’s not used to being a human just yet but he likes the times he spends with the other. That’s the best part of it all.

The calm morning doesn’t last long for Yoongi starts rushing all over the house, first to prepare breakfast and then to organize his stuff for the day, he says many words too quickly so Jimin doesn’t understand most of it, “Okay, go to my room and pick up clothes for you to wear,” he says hurriedly, his hair still pointing to every direction, “I’ll make us some breakfast and then we’ll go to the university.”

Jimin dresses by himself and Yoongi uses that weird flat object with the many sticks to fix his hair. Yoongi also giggles when he sees Jimin’s choice of clothes but he doesn’t say anything else – Jimin is just a big fan of flowers.

Jimin likes cars. They’re fast and he doesn’t have to awkwardly wobble his legs the entire way to the university where Yoongi works, so he’s fancily enjoying the way the scenery drives past him. He also has a million and one questions to ask, everything from the other cars, the dozens of land-walkers strolling down the streets, the tall blocks that Yoongi says are called buildings.

“Okay, Jimin, listen,” Yoongi starts to say, catching his attention, “We’ll meet some people once we get there. Some will be nice and some others will not. I’ll introduce you as my cousin-” 

“What’s a cusin?”

“Cousin,” he corrects the pronunciation, “Umh- it’s the son or daughter of an aunt or uncle.”

“But- that’s a lie,” Jimin says softly.

“I know, but it’ll be easier to explain, that way people won’t start asking weird questions, okay? It’s better this way.”

Jimin nods, knowing Yoongi will do what’s best.

“Right, so what I wanted to ask you is- don’t say anything, okay?” he pleads with a small cringe, “If someone asks a direct question just- nod or shake your head but try not to speak too much, the least attention we attract the better.”

“Jimin’s voice ugly?”

“No!” Yoongi answers, “Of course not, Jiminie, your voice is cute but- your accent however…”

“Accent…”

“People will realize you’re not from here and I don’t want any suspicions on you- not even that you’re not from the country, I just- I want people to not even notice you but I know that’s impossible. I want you to be safe, yeah? This is the only way I know I can keep you safe, the least people know about you the better.”

Jimin notices the way Yoongi’s hands clutch the circle of the vehicle, occasionally running them through his hair. He nods his head again, letting Yoongi talk and talk for the remaining of the trip. They reach a big building with massive green and lots of palm trees, Jimin walks beside Yoongi, reaching slowly for his pinky.

“I’m sorry, Jiminie,” the other mutters softly, “I can’t hold your hand here. I’m really sorry.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’ll bring questions and that’s what we don’t want.”

Jimin doesn’t like this. He’s irritated already. He wants to go back to the house where he can hold Yoongi’s pinky whenever he wants.

“We’re going to my office,” Yoongi explains, “There you can do whatever you want.”

It’s like Yoongi’s pure energy attracted land-walkers like anchovies attract sharks. Several humans cross their path and Yoongi has to introduce Jimin over and over again as his cousin. The first humans aren’t so bad, just a few that stare a Jimin a little too much (and stares are something he isn’t used to yet, he has to remind himself that he doesn’t have a tail anymore) There’s a lanky male whose hair is lighter than Yoongi’s coal dark head, he has a tiny dot next to his cheek that appears and disappears with each easy smile he offers them.

“Hey, Namjoon,” Yoongi says with a sigh, “Sorry I didn’t reply to your texts this weekend I was a little busy with- uh- this is my cousin Jimin, he came to visit for a while.”

“Oh- hey!” Namjoon says offering his hand. Jimin stays rooted to his spot, not moving, only nodding with a smile. 

“He’s- he doesn’t like shaking hands with strangers,” Yoongi says quickly, “Germaphobe, you know how it is.”

“Right,” Namjoon replies, hiding his hand inside the pocket of his khaki shorts, “So you’re from Daegu, Jimin?”

Jimin shakes his head this time, replying honestly. He’s from the Deep Rocks.

“He’s from Busan!” Yoongi answers instead and Jimin frowns at the lie.

“I thought your family was from Daegu,” Namjoon raises a brow.

“Well- yeah- but he’s from Busan,”

“You guys!” calls a new voice, a much deeper one.

“Oh fuck me,” Yoongi mutters, running a hand through his hair for a millionth time that morning. Jimin wants to giggle, knowing how that was a curse word, one of the words Yoongi warned Jimin he shouldn’t say lightly. From their right comes running another male with dark hair that falls straight to his eyes.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” the newcomer asks, “It’s ridiculously hot this morning, oh- who’s this?”

“It’s Yoongi’s cousin,” Namjoon answers instead of Yoongi and instead of Jimin.

“Hi! Nice to meet you,” says the newcomer, offering his hand and this time Jimin doesn’t stay still, he reaches out and grabs his hand (later on Yoongi will explain that everything was great, only that he offered the wrong hand) The three guys stare at him, the tall brunette is the one to break the silence with a chuckle.

“You’re really funny,” he says laughing, “My name’s Taehyung, I work with Yoongi-hyung, what’s your name?”

“Jimin!” he answers with a smile. He wants to speak. He wants to stop the lies.

“Nice to meet you, Jimin,” he replies, “So you like the island so far?”

“Love it!” he giggles.

“You’re so perky,” Taehyung chuckles again, “You’re like- the complete opposite of Yoongi hyung, I’d like to see how you guys get along at home.”

“We’re-”

“Hey Joon,” Yoongi interrupts before Jimin has a chance to say anything else. The new human frowns shamelessly in his direction, “You have a friend that works at the hospital, right?”

“Hoseok? Yeah, why?”

“I kinda need a favor,” Yoongi explains scratching his head, “You think you can help me out?”

“Dude, I’m like- burning my scalp here with this sun,” Taehyung interrupts this time, “Can we go back to your office? We wanted to show you the progress we’ve made with the cleaning project.” 

Jimin can tell that Yoongi is nervous at all times. He wants to tell the younger that it’ll be okay; he can behave and act as human-like as possible. It’s a little difficult when Taehyung starts asking so many questions about his past, the questions Yoongi intends to answer in his behalf.

“So for how long will you be staying?”

“A couple of weeks-”

“Dude, I’m talking to Jimin, why do you interrupt him so much?” says Taehyung with a chuckle.

“He’s- he’s shy, yeah?”

“He looks anything but shy-” he says, “Are you shy, Jiminie?”

“What is shy?”

Namjoon and Taehyung bursts out laughing, which has Jimin laughing as well.

“That the worst impression of a Jeju accent ever,” Namjoon laughs.

That whole day Jimin stays entertained, Taehyung and Namjoon remain in Yoongi’s office the whole morning and by lunch Yoongi excuses himself, saying he’ll take the rest of the day off.  He drives them back to the house, sighing deeply once he stops the car by the driveway.

“Yoongi is mad?” Jimin asks carefully.

“What? No, of course not,” he answers right away, “I’m not mad I’m just- tense, I almost died when you walked pass the water sprinklers…”

Jimin giggles, “You don’t have to worry so much. I’ll be okay. I’m with you.”

“Right…” Yoongi says, “What do you want to do today?”

“Can Jimin read? Yoongi promised…”

Yoongi lets out a tiny breath, a small laugh leaving his lips.

Progress means to move forward, that’s what Yoongi explained anyway.

It’s a slow progress but after a full week of living on land, he doesn’t feel so out of place. Yoongi is the best teacher he could have, he’s patient and delicate and keeps his promises – he started teaching Jimin how to read Monday night. It’s slow progress, he tells Jimin with a tender smile, means we don’t have to rush. Jimin gets lost in Yoongi’s pretty eyes sometimes, gets distracted without wanting to – he doesn’t have enough of his delicate features and the funny way he moves his tongue inside his mouth, pushing it in and out, leaving a faint trail of something glossy on his lips.

“Are you reading or are you gonna stare at me the whole night?” Yoongi muses, which has Jimin jumping a little on his seat for getting caught. Staring is rude, Yoongi had said once.

It’s not just to read, Yoongi also teaches him how to use chopsticks and pencils, how to fold his clothes and how to work the washing machine. Yoongi says he’s working on his own, researching anything at hand about Jimin’s skin disease that has stopped spreading since he left the ocean, which was a clear sign for Yoongi that whatever was happening, came from the water. On Tuesday Jimin goes back to Yoongi’s lab and that day he’s all alone so he can take small samples of Jimin’s DNA from his skin and hair.

“Are you okay with giving me a blood test?” Yoongi asks.

“Blood? My blood?”

“Yes, I need it to check your values,” he explains, writing things on his computer, “It’ll be a small amount, you don’t have to worry. The thing is…well, I don’t know how to do that. That’s why I asked Namjoon to ask his friend, he’s a doctor.”

“Doctor like Yoongi?”

“For the hundred time, I’m not a doctor, Jimin,”

Jimin might feel safe in Yoongi’s home, doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss the ocean.

Jimin has a weird dream by the fifth sunrise.

It’s not a bad one, not when Yoongi was there painting his dreamland with tender smiles and sweet words, but it was dry and dark. There are massive waves coming towards the house but Jimin can’t move, he wants to jump in the ocean once and for all but he’s stuck with his legs buried in the sand. Jimin wakes up sweating, the sheets wrapped uncomfortably around his legs. The room was dark and no sound could be heard.

Yoongi said his room was just his but he was scared. Bad dreams never came to his mind.

He slowly walks towards Yoongi’s room, tracing his fingers over the cream colored walls. Said boy is laying down on the bed, curled in a ball, the sheets covering his whole body. Jimin sighs, wondering if it’s okay for him to do this. He ignores the doubt and sinks his weight over Yoongi’s bed slowly, curling to his side, lying right in front of him. Yoongi feels his presence of course, blinking the sleep away.

“Jiminie, what’s wrong?” he asks.

“Alone,” he says honestly.

“Oh,” Yoongi says, opening more space on the bed, putting the bed sheet over Jimin’s body, “Stay here.”

“Hey, Yoongi…” Jimin whispers.

“Yeah?”

“For how long will I stay on land?”

Yoongi fixes the pillow bellow his head, curls his arm underneath it for support, “I don’t know, Jiminie, I don’t think I’ve made much progress with your studies,” the older says carefully, “But- even if I find how to fix it and you’re cured… you can stay for as long as you want.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he nods, “I kinda like having a roommate.”

“What’s a roommate?”

Yoongi giggles, “It’s someone you share a house with. It’s what we’re doing now.”

“Oh,” Jimin says, “I like being roommate.”

“Me too.”

“Yoongi…?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know if I want to go back,” Jimin whispers, too afraid of the words that are leaving his mouth, “I’m the Prince of Deep Rocks and- and- I’m to marry another mermaid and rule the colony one day and- I don’t know if I want that.”

Yoongi comes a little bit closer, holding one of Jimin’s hands in his, “I’m sure there’s a ton of pressure on your shoulders and I know that I’d have to be in your place to really understand how you feel but- we aren’t forced to do anything we don’t want. You said you had other siblings, right? Won’t they stay in your place? If you don’t think that’s the life for you, it’s your choice to find your path. You can’t let this title figure it for you.”

Jimin looks down, letting Yoongi’s word settle in his brain. It’s nothing he hasn’t thought by himself but said by the other it sounds more logical, more real, more possible. The room is silent after that, only the buzz of the ceiling fan can be heard plus the crash of the waves against the shore. It’s calm and peaceful, just what Jimin needs to fall back to sleep.

As more days pass, Jimin realizes he never really knew what a true friend was like. Yoongi understands him in a way no one else did, he listens and gives advice and corrects him whenever he thinks Jimin is wrong. Jimin’s siblings were like that at times, only that other times it was a matter of fights and competition. Chungha was his friend too, only that they’d grown distance with age.

The downside of it was that Jimin stayed alone many hours a day after that first week. Yoongi goes to work at mornings and comes back a little after midday, leaving Jimin on its own for that time. He gets bored a lot. Yoongi gives him basic preschool books to read, bought him color pencils and markers so Jimin stays entertained with coloring books as well. Yoongi buys a big square object called television for him to keep busy during those hours too. It’s one of the most impressive things Jimin has seen since he left the ocean; there are people inside at all times! He loves watching TV!

“Jiminie, don’t you want to go outside for a bit?” Yoongi asks one afternoon, just when the sun isn’t scorching hot, “You’ve been sitting there the whole day. I can’t believe I’m saying this but some fresh air will do you good.”

Jimin obeys reluctantly, getting up from his comfy spot on the couch. They leave the house towards the always isolated beach, where there’s nothing but kilometers of smooth sand, the sky painted a light grey cause by the clouds. Jimin doesn’t like the weather that day but he doesn’t comment on it. Yoongi seems to be in a good enough mood, talking about a project he, Namjoon and Taehyung have been working on for a while, from before Jimin and Yoongi knew each other.

“That’s actually the reason I ended up all the way there, where you lived,” he explains, “Many pieces of plastic and garbage where reaching that part of the reef and now we’re making sure it doesn’t happen anymore.”

“I remember,” Jimin nods, “I was thankful… Wanted to tell you that but you didn’t understand.”

“Really?” Yoongi mutters with a smile, “That’s what you told me that first time? How dumb of me.”

“No, not dumb!” Jimin replies with a frown, “Yoongi never dumb!”

“Thank you, Jiminie,” he answers, putting one of his hands inside his short’s pocket to take an object out. It’s a small blue round thing that fits completely inside his palm, “You want to play catch with me?”

“Play?” he asks intrigued, “How to play?”

And from then until the sun is hiding behind the horizon, they play with the small ball, throwing it far away and then trying to catch it from the other. It’s the most fun Jimin’s had in a while, he’s pretty sure his father, mother and the others from the colony can hear his laughter. Yoongi also seems to be filled with joy, for his smile grows and grows in size, so much Jimin can clearly see the pink areas underneath his lips – the things Yoongi calls gums. Jimin loves his legs more than ever that day, he loves running, he loves how they burn when he jumps really high and how they tingle when he falls all over the sand.

When the beach is dark, so dark they can’t see what’s in front of them, they decide to return home and have dinner. It’s a fun walk, one where Yoongi curls his arm over Jimin’s shoulders as he tells him a funny story about sea turtles until he suddenly stops on his tracks, mutters one of those bad words Jimin finds too funny to repeat.

“What the hell are they doing here?” Yoongi whispers to no one in particular. The walk is faster then, Yoongi reaches his porch and Jimin notices another car parked just behind Yoongi’s with the lights on.

“Oh, hey hyung, we were just calling you-” says Taehyung who’s exiting the vehicle followed by Namjoon, “Thought you were already asleep…”   

“What brings you here?”

“Ah- well it’s been a while since we got together and had a few drinks and talked about things that aren’t work related,” says Taehyung with a shrug.

“And since Jimin is in town we thought it’d be fun,” Namjoon adds, “Get to know him a bit better too.”

“Uhm- well-”

“We can give Seokjin-hyung a call!” Taehyung jumps, “He always brings the good booze.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” answers Yoongi, “Jimin doesn’t like drinking that much and besides, isn’t Jin-hyung working?”

“That’s fine,” Namjoon waves them off, climbing up the stairs towards the front door, “We can order take out then, come on hyung, quit hogging your cousin, he seems fun!”

Yoongi finally rolls his eyes, pulling out his keys from his pocket.

Jimin is excited.

The night is long but definitely not boring. Yoongi’s human friends are fun, they talk too much and too fast but Jimin likes the challenge of trying to understand a full human conversation without Yoongi being able to explain at the moment, he just nods and smiles and adds a few words whenever they ask him a direct question. Jimin makes sure to take Yoongi’s hand on his own to calm his nerves – nerves that seem too obvious.

He doesn’t like the way Yoongi untangles his hands from him but he doesn’t let that affect his good mood.

They have dinner together and Taehyung shows him several pictures of their adventures through the years, Jimin likes knowing more about Yoongi’s past, the things he used to do before Jimin was in his life. He’s surprised to see pictures of him with a different color of hair. 

Jimin doesn’t feel sleepy even when the kitchen clock counts twelve tics announcing it’s midnight. With that alert, Taehyung voices they should definitely pay a visit to the human called Seokjin, Yoongi seems reluctant but once Jimin has stood up and agreed, he has no choice but to go with them. The group of four climbs Taehyung’s car and said boy starts driving through the dark road towards the city. It’s not quiet inside there either, Taehyung turns on the radio and it’s Jimin’s first glimpse of music. He absolutely loves it.

It’s not that long until the car stops and they climb off, Jimin inspects the building surrounding them, it’s not very tall compared to others he’s seen but it looks really clean – a little too clean if they ask him. Taehyung takes a hold of Jimin’s arm and they both lead the way towards a pair of glass doors, while Namjoon and Yoongi stay a few steps behind.

“So- I didn’t know you were into incestuous relationships,” he hears Namjoon say softly behind their backs, Jimin doesn’t understand what that super hard word means.

“What the fuck?” Yoongi replies right away, “The fuck are you talking about?”

“Come on- you’re obviously really into the kid,” Namjoon says with a chuckle, “And he’s really into you, the way you guys look at each other is not exactly how you’d look at one of your family members - unless he’s not really your cousin, you’re bullshitting us and he’s your boyfriend.”

“Fuck off,” is what Yoongi says before that conversation dies.

“Jungkookie!” Taehyung jumps as they enter the building and Jimin realizes just how clean that place is. The floors are of a hard, shiny material that reflects the dozen of light bulbs that hang from the ceilings. The air inside is cold and smells like something fresh that has Jimin’s nose tingling. He can read the words Jeju Palace Hotel on one of the walls – even though he has no idea what they mean. To the right a tall boy perks up when he hears his name, he sits behind a big table, his hair fixed to a side and wearing clothes that look tight and uncomfortable.

“What are you guys doing here?” the boy asks with eyes wide open, “It’s midnight, are you drunk?”

“Nope, not drunk at all…” Taehyung answers him, “We were just bored- this is Jimin! Yoongi’s uhm- cousin.”

“Quit it,” Yoongi warns, “He’s really my cousin, stop being weird.”

“We wanted to hang out with Jin-hyung for a while. He still has access to the good stuff, right?” Namjoon says, leaning closer to the desk where the boy is, “He’s around here?”

“Yeah- he must be in his office,” Jungkook replies, “But no fair- I’m stuck here! If you guys are doing something fun you better come here too! You can’t have fun without me!”

“Sure thing, Kookie!” Namjoon taps the table twice before he turns and continues walking towards another set of glass doors, with Taehyung, Yoongi and Jimin in tow. Jimin doesn’t forget to wave Jungkook goodbye.

They walk through a hall that’s well illuminated and then cross another door that takes them to the exterior once again.

“Where are we?” Jimin leans close enough to whisper that question by Yoongi’s ear as they walk through a garden.

“It’s a hotel. It’s where Jin-hyung works,” the older explains, “Remember I told you lots of people come to Jeju Island during vacations? Well, since they’re far away from their homes they pay money to stay here for a few days. Jin-hyung is the manager and the guy we just met is Jungkook, he’s the receptionist.”

“Oh- he receptions what?”

Yoongi chuckles in response, “He receptions people, tells them where their rooms are, helps them with other stuff…”

“Oh,” Jimin replies, “Jungkook your friend?”

“Yeah- they’re all my friends.”

“I like your friends,” he says honestly.

“Good. I’m glad.”

He doesn’t see it at first, he thinks it’s his eyes playing tricks but once Jimin looks at it, really discerns what’s in front of him, he gasps loudly.

“Yoongi!” he calls as he points to the enormous pond of water that’s ahead of them. It’s beautiful, clear blue water that’s concentrated inside that pond, there are no people in it either, it looks perfect to swim.

Later on Yoongi will explain it’s called a pool.  

Jimin doesn’t give it a second thought, he runs towards it. He doesn’t hear how Yoongi repeats his name, says the word no many times, chases after him but it’s too late. Jimin runs and jumps into the pool fully clothed and with no regrets in his mind – not until he realizes what will happen once his body is in contact with the water.

It’s refreshing in a way he had never felt before, he hadn’t been soaked in water like this in so long, he welcomes the cool wash all over his body with a full smile. Jimin feels the way his bottom changes, feels the way his legs transform into his long and graceful tail. He loves this feeling so much, had missed swimming so much. Jimin discards the shirt he’s wearing and keeps swimming, swims in straight lines until his hands touch the edges of the beautiful pond, he doesn’t come out to the surface in a few minutes, has an idea of the mess he’s made, he doesn’t want Yoongi to worry but he’d grown to like Yoongi’s friends – they can’t be bad people, he doesn’t think they’ll hurt him.

When he thinks he’s had enough for that night, Jimin finally gets his head out of the water.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me, Jimin,” it’s the first thing he hears coming from Yoongi’s mouth.

~~~

This was a complete disaster.

Yoongi knew he had his reasons for not exposing Jimin too much to his friends, to the outside world. What he didn’t know however, was that Jimin would expose himself like that, so easily. The second Jimin’s body touches the water, he sees it happen, the others turn their heads once they hear the big splash. Yoongi goes pale, he knows it with the way he feels his stomach drop to his knees. Jimin couldn’t be so reckless. His tail appears in no time, reflecting the lights from inside and outside the pool. They were so fucked.

Taehyung is the first to react, he runs to the edge of the pool with a gaping mouth and eyes that were about to leave their sockets. Namjoon isn’t so expressive but Yoongi knows that just as Taehyung, he’s having too many thoughts in his mind.

“Please tell me you guys are also seeing this,” Taehyung runs over his words.

“I’m literally pinching myself and I can’t wake up,” Namjoon says, “That’s- Jimin is a- that’s a-”

“Excuse my language,” Taehyung interrupts him, “But that’s a fucking mermaid!”

“Would you shut up!” Yoongi snaps at them, coming forward and kneeling at the edge.

“You knew?!” Taehyung blurts, his voice is too loud.

“Seriously, Taehyung, I’m gonna drown you and let Jimin eat you if you don’t shut up!”

“I can’t-” Namjoon says in a lower voice, “I’m dreaming, that’s it, I’m at home and I’m having this bizarre vivid dream. Bring in the dancers, hope on of them is Halsey-”

“For the last time, shut up!”

Finally, Jimin pulls his head out of the water, glances at them shyly.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me, Jimin,” is what Yoongi can say at the moment, “Why would you do that!”

“Water!” 

“For fuck’s sake- come here so I can pull you out,” Yoongi says, he sounds irritated, he can see Jimin doesn’t like that but he can’t help it, “You two stop ogling at him and help me get him some place safe.”

“So- this is like a thing?” Namjoon stammers, “You’re really friends with a merman, this is- you’re seriously friends with a merman!”

“Namjoon- I swear I’ll explain everything but I’m gonna die if anyone else sees him!” Yoongi pleads as Jimin effortlessly reaches the edge, “He needs to dry off!”

Jimin pulls himself easily out of the pool, Taehyung and Namjoon can’t seem to stop gaping. Yoongi’s cheeks are burning as the adrenaline rushes through his body. He takes a look around and makes sure no one is witnessing the scene, figures the safest place at the moment is Jin’s office.

“Okay, Taehyung, please stop drooling and go to Jin’s office,” Yoongi says just as Taehyung is extending his arm to feel Jimin’s tail, “I don’t know how but prepare him for this, I need to hide him until he dries off, no one can see Jimin, please…”

“Alright, alright!” Taehyung takes off. That leaves Namjoon and Yoongi to collect a few towels from the pool chairs nearby to cover the tail in the best way they can – Yoongi runs the towels all over Jimin’s head and body much to his distaste, in a desperate attempt to dry him faster. It’s not an easy task to hide a merman, especially when he weighs more than the average human but the pair still manages, they lift Jimin (Namjoon by his torso and Yoongi by the tail) and dash towards the wing where Jin’s office is located.

Once the door opens and closes with two bangs, Yoongi can actually take a deep breath.

This whole mess isn’t over but it could have been worse.

Jimin sits on the floor as he untangles his tail from the mess of the towels and then, they hear a blood curling scream.

“Hyung, calm down!” Taehyung calls, putting his hands over Jin’s shoulders, “I told you he’s a mermaid!”

“Merman,” Yoongi corrects over Jin’s erratic screams, he goes to stand between Jimin and Jin, seeing as the merman was getting scared, “Hey- listen, listen, calm down, he won’t hurt you!”

“What the actual fuck!” Jin yells, “How- what? What the actual fuck!”

“I know, I was thinking that exactly five minutes ago,” Namjoon replies, “I’m still not sure I’m awake, this can’t be real.”

“Just- chill for a few seconds and I’ll explain everything,” Yoongi mutters, leaning down to put one of the drier towels over Jimin’s shoulders – he must be getting cold. Jimin hides behind Yoongi, doesn’t say a word, avoids everyone’s stares. Yoongi knew this could happen if anyone found out about Jimin, he just knew.

“He’ll go back to human form in a few minutes, once he dries off completely,” Yoongi stars to say, “If he’s in contact with water then his tail appears, I know it’s a little hard to understand at first-”

“A little hard?!” Namjoon interjects, “He’s a god fucking merman!”

“Stop talking about him like that!” Yoongi replies loudly, “He’s just- yeah, he’s a merman but you treated him like a normal guy just a couple hours ago!”

“So- he’s not really your cousin then?” Taehyung asks before anyone else has a chance to say anything, “How did you find him?”

“Remember that time a couple weeks ago when I told you I saw someone by the reef?”

“Are you serious?!” Taehyung and Namjoon say at the same time.

“Well, he saw us before, he says he was curious at first and- well we met and started communicating and- a lot of things happened but he decided to come to land,” Yoongi shares the short version of the story, “And now he lives with me, I’m teaching him our customs and how to live like a human.”

“He speaks Korean?” Namjoon asks.

“You’ve talked to him, haven’t you?” Yoongi obnoxiously replies.

“So that’s why he has such a weird accent,” Taehyung concludes, “I figured he had speech problems or something.”

“Yeah, I taught him the language,” Yoongi says, “He’s incredibly smart, he learned how to speak in less than a month.”

“Wow,” Taehyung says. He sinks to his knee to be at eye level with Jimin, “This is incredible.”

“Just- don’t get too close,” Yoongi says, pulling Taehyung by the collar of his shirt, “He’s scared.”

“I’m- I’m okay,” Jimin finally speaks, his voice just a mere whisper, “Taehyung still my friend?”

Taehyung sighs, his eyes blown, “Of course, Jimin, I’m your friend forever!”

“You guys come to my office in the middle of the night,” Jin, who’s perched on top of his desk, starts to say, “And bring a merman and just- pretend I can be calm afterwards?”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Yoongi answers with a whine, “I didn’t want to come anyway, I knew something bad was bound to happen!”

“Well, excuse us for wanting to have fun on a Saturday night,” Namjoon replies loudly, “We didn’t know you hosted a merman in your house!”

“Stop fighting!” Taehyung scolds, “Namjoon-hyung and Jin-hyung quit being crybabies, this is probably the best thing we’ll witness in our lives.”

The room falls silent for a moment in which Yoongi notices Jimin breathes more calmly, his hair is still damp but he calculates it won’t be too long until Jimin’s legs are back.

“So- any of you has some spare clothes they can borrow?” Yoongi asks to the air.

“Why did you do that, Jiminie?” Yoongi wonders later that night. They’re back in Yoongi’s living room after Taehyung drove them to the house. The pair had to go through the whole process of wetting Jimin and getting him dry once again since Yoongi didn’t want him to sleep with his skin and hair coated in chlorine. Jimin sits by his bed, wearing a pair of Yoongi’s shorts and a fresh shirt. 

“Water,” the other answers, just like he said back in the pool.

“What do you mean?”

“I miss water,” he ends in a whisper.

Yoongi sighs, sitting back on his heels over the mattress, “I’m sorry, Jiminie,” it’s all he can say. He comes closer, placing one of Jimin’s wild strands of hair behind his ear so he can see his face better, “It must be hard for you. This is a whole other world you’re living in and I want it to be as easy as possible but- you know there’s bad people out there. I’m not talking about Joon or Tae, even Jin who was freaking out, there’s really bad people that would want to hurt you. That’s what I don’t want so exposing yourself like that is dangerous.”

“I know,” he says, “But only Yoongi’s friends were there, they’re not bad people.”

“We don’t know if they were the only people there,” Yoongi replies, “That’s the only people we could see.”

“I’m sorry,” Jimin says carefully, his hands folded in fists over his lap.

“Hey, don’t apologize,” Yoongi mutters, bringing a finger to his chin so Jimin looks at him, “It’s alright, no one got hurt and- I’m glad I don’t have to lie to them about you.”

“Me too,” he replies, “I don’t like lies.”

“Of course not, you’re too good,” Yoongi chuckles, “Ready for bed?”

“Yoongi…question,” Jimin says before Yoongi has a chance to get up, he waits patiently for Jimin to figure out what he wants to say.

The younger moves fast, leaning in and resting the palms of his hands on the mattress, he leans in dangerously close until their noses bump, Yoongi doesn’t have the strength to tell him to back off – doesn’t really want him to. Jimin runs his lips very softly over Yoongi’s, feeling like the touch of a feather, receiving that characteristic scent of salt water that Jimin still hasn’t lost. Then, Jimin swoops his tongue over Yoongi’s lips – much like a dog would do when it’s happy.

“What’s the name of that?” Jimin asks as he leans back.

“First of all, what did you try to do?” Yoongi manages to say, his heart doesn’t stop going frenzy. Yoongi wants to dry his lips with the back of his sleeve but fears Jimin might feel offended.

“I saw it on TV,” he answers innocently, “It’s a human custom, the girl on the TV did that to the boy and then said thank you. Is it how land-walkers say thank you? I wanted to thank you for taking care of me.”

Yoongi is frozen, put himself on autopilot, “It’s- it’s called a kiss.”

“Kiss,” the younger boy repeats with a bite of his lips.

“But- that’s not how to do it,” Yoongi continues to say, Jimin’s expression changes immediately, “And we don’t always use it as expression of thanks.”

“Oh,” the other frowns, “Then when?”

“It’s- it’s a way of showing affection but between couples,” Yoongi answers, “Remember what I told you about couples?”

“Why everything between couples?” the frown deepens.

“Because it’s personal,” Yoongi replies, his cheeks burning, “They’re things you want to do with people you’ve grown to like…to love.”

“But I want to do them with Yoongi…” Jimin admits, looking at his lap, clear sign of embarrassment.   

Yoongi was sure Jimin could hear the way his heart jumped in his chest, the way the butterflies made a mess in his stomach and couldn’t let him breathe properly. Yoongi wanted to believe Jimin didn’t know what he was saying, maybe it all meant something different to him than to Yoongi but his body language told him otherwise, he was timid and scared, like he knew he was exposing some of his deepest feelings to Yoongi – scared of rejection.

Yoongi was trying to run away from this feeling that burned inside each time he looked at Jimin. He didn’t want to admit it to himself and then be a prisoner of a crush – a crush that grew and grew without his consent and was becoming love.

It’s in slow motion that he moves closer to the younger, aiming not to his full lips but to the soft corner, pressing a shy, tender kiss there. Jimin stays still the whole time, letting Yoongi show him what a kiss is like. It wasn’t long, just a mere peck but it was enough for Yoongi to feel like he could explode. The warmth of Jimin’s breath fanning over him reminded him it was real, that he had just kissed his merman friend and above all, reminded him that he couldn’t run away from his feelings anymore.

“That’s a kiss?” Jimin whispers, like he doesn’t want to disturb the moment.

“Yeah-” and Yoongi wants to surge forward and kiss Jimin senseless, he wants to press lips against lips and push his mouth against Jimin’s and just be washed away with the feeling of electricity that’s still traveling through his body. 

“Want more kisses,” Jimin admits delicately, running his lips over Yoongi’s, “Yoongi kiss me more?”

To hell with it, Yoongi leans in again, this time with better aim, trapping Jimin’s plump bottom lip between his, savoring him and the faint taste of salt and sea still present, Yoongi thinks his brain is melting or perhaps the world is ending but he doesn’t care, he just leans in deeper, cupping Jimin’s face between his hands to preserve this moment for longer. He loves him, loves him like he’s never loved anyone else.

They stop kissing because Jimin’s giggles are uncontrollable, so much they have Yoongi laughing as well.

“Tingles,” Jimin laughs, running his fingers against his lips.

“Yeah- it tingles,” Yoongi admits, his heart soaring by the fact Jimin is feeling something similar.

There’s something hidden in the way Jimin is looking at Yoongi, something deep and meaningful that he doesn’t quite understand but he can’t bring himself to ask, all he does is let himself fall down next to Jimin on the bed, lets him lean closer and rest his head on his chest, lets him fold his arm over his stomach, lets him share his personal space just like he let him invade his life these months.

“It is to assume that his neocortex is advanced for he solves problems and is self-aware of the investigator and the implications of these encounters,” Namjoon reads out loud from Yoongi’s journal about Jimin, “Jimin’s intelligence traits could be associated with a human.”

“So- is he like a whole new species?” Taehyung wonders, his round glasses falling down the bridge of his nose, “Did you discover a species?”

They’re in Yoongi’s office the following Monday, just after Yoongi has explained the entire situation since the exact moment it started.

“I don’t know,” Yoongi answers, leaning on his elbows, “There’s not much I can study in the lab without people coming in and figuring out what I’m doing. As a whole I don’t even know in which clade merpeople belong to, they have many characteristics of many different creatures, both aquatic and terrestrial. I don’t have bones or other evidence of their ancestors and Jimin’s data on its own is confusing- I took DNA samples when he was in human form which gave me human results but then I took a hair from the bathtub from when he had his tail and then got completely different results.”

“Honestly, I don’t care about discovering a new species,” he continues, “I just want him to be cured of that strange skin condition…”

“Right,” Namjoon answers, discarding the journal and grabbing the pictures Yoongi took of Jimin’s shoulder, stomach, and other body parts that are still irritated from his constant scratching, “You said this is why you need Hoseok to take that blood sample?”

“Yes, and I need him to give it to me,” Yoongi replies.

“I’ll tell him but I can’t promise you anything,” Namjoon says, “Hoseok is really nosey.”

“You said the allergy medicine worked on his sister?” Taehyung asks, interested, “That means their values must be somewhat similar to ours.”

“I guess, but I’m worried about how quick the effects wear off,” Yoongi says, “I haven’t given it to Jimin since he hasn’t suffered from breathing problems. I don’t think it’s necessary. I think it also has to do with the fact that he hasn’t returned to the ocean in a month…”

“Why hasn’t he?” asks Namjoon.

“He says merpeople can track whatever creature is nearby as long as they have their scent,” Yoongi says, “Meaning that if he sets a foot - or his case a fin - in the water they could find him in a minute and it’d be dangerous not only for Jimin but for them as well.”

“Shit,” Taehyung mutters, “If you look at it a certain way, humans are so basic.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes, hangs his head with a sigh.

Truthfully, this whole thing was stressing him out. It had been a month and he hadn’t found anything useful. Books had barely any info about skin conditions on fishes, whales or dolphins, and obviously nothing about merpeople. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Namjoon, Taehyung and Jin knowing their secret.

“Okay so-” Namjoon interrupts his thoughts, “I wasn’t so mistaken the other night; you do have a thing for the kid.”

Yoongi doesn’t look up, frowns instead.

“Ohhhh, really!” Taehyung perks up, “Is he like- your play thing?”

“Of course not!”

“Then what is he?” Taehyung pushes, “You like him obviously but who wouldn’t, Jimin is cute, not bad to look at-”

“Taehyung…” Yoongi warns.

“Isn’t it weird?” Taehyung babbles nonstop, “To think he was once well- a sea creature.”

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Yoongi answers, not wanting to get there with his two best friends, “I don’t want to talk about anything that isn’t Jimin’s disease.”

It was late afternoon and Yoongi came home to music, loud bombing music blasting from somewhere inside. The peak of summer was already there and with it came the almost unbearable humidity and heat, his hair was sticking to his forehead just for walking from the driveway to his house. He was fantasizing with a cold shower and drinking some ice tea for dinner. Of course above all, he was excited to see Jimin, the blush on his cheeks and whatever thing he had learned that day via his new third grader books.

The next thing Yoongi hears is the water dripping down, much like when someone forgets to close a tab. He opens the front door quickly, throwing his bag and keys over the couch. He follows the noise (realizing the music is coming from the TV) which leads him to the bathroom. In there he finds Jimin in his merman form, lying down in the full tub. It’s a strange image, the massive tail coming out of one side of the tub while Jimin rests his head on the other side. It’s really interesting to see, so he decides to snap a picture with his cellphone before Jimin notices his presence.

“Hey,” the older man calls, which surprises Jimin, his instant reaction is to kick his tail, splashing some water out of the tub. Yoongi’s heart jumps in his chest the moment their eyes meet.

“Hi,” he says softly.

“In the mood for a bath?” Yoongi asks casually, sitting down on the toilet lid.

“It’s hot,” Jimin shrugs with a smirk, one that perfectly showcases his sharp fangs. Yoongi has gotten used to Jimin’s strong features of his merman form, but he kind of gets why Jin freaked out so much the first time he saw him. There’s something not entirely human about Jimin at the moment.

“Yeah, it is,” he answers, “So how was your day?”

Jimin thinks about it for a second before giving him an answer, “Slow?”

Yoongi grins, “How come?”

“One hour was slow, two hours slow, the whole morning was an eternity,” Jimin rolls his eyes, “I’m happy you’re back.”

“Me too,” Yoongi answers, reaching to place his hand inside the tub – the water isn’t cold at all.

“How was your day?”

“It was alright, probably not as slow as yours,” Yoongi says, “And I wanted to talk to you about something- remember I asked you that other time if it was okay if we took a blood sample from you?”

“Blood…”

“Yes, we need to run some tests,” Yoongi explains, “Tae and Joon are going to help me with that, they promised to keep it quiet too.”

“They coming to visit soon?” Jimin perks up, completely ignoring the main topic.

“Uhm, I don’t think so…”

“I wanna talk with them,” Jimin replies sadly, “Miss them.”

“Tae will be happy to hear that,” Yoongi chuckles, “He can’t stop talking about you.”

“Really!”

“Yeah, anyways, what I wanted to say is that tomorrow we’ll go to the hospital and see one of Namjoon’s friends,” Yoongi continues to explain, “He’ll take your blood. It won’t hurt, I promise.”

Jimin walks through the hospital halls with his arms tightly wrapped around Yoongi’s. He doesn’t seem to like the place; he says it smells too clean with a scowl, an expression Yoongi doesn’t get to decipher because they find the doctor they’ve been looking for. Namjoon, who’s been following them from the parking lot, speaks up, “Yah! Jung Hoseok!”

A young doctor turns around, suddenly startled. Yoongi’s seen him a couple of times before, maybe at one of Namjoon’s birthday celebrations or just around town, he’s probably around his age, a simple, bubbly guy with ashy blond hair and big eyes that can’t seem to hide anything he’s thinking. He’s wearing a basic medical suit colored light blue, on top of that his white coat.

“Hey!” he waves happily, “How’re you doing?”

They greet him, Jimin still doesn’t let go of Yoongi’s arm.

“You remember my colleague, Yoongi-hyung?” Namjoon re-introduces them, “And this is his- uh- his friend, Jimin.”

Smooth, Namjoon, Yoongi thinks.

“What brings you here?” Hoseok asks as he kindly shakes their hands.

“Remember that favor I wanted to ask you?” Namjoon replies, his voice lower.

“Oh- yeah,” he gets serious all of the sudden. His face reminded Yoongi of a cartoon character, too expressive, “Why do you want to do that, anyway?”

“I can’t tell you,” Namjoon replies, “Just- trust me, Hoseok we’ve known each other since we wore diapers…”

“Yes, but if this is something illegal or-”

“It’s not illegal!” Namjoon defends, “It’s nothing that will put your license in jeopardy either.”

“Then why can’t you tell me?”

To make it more clear that Namjoon was anything but smooth, the man turns his head to look at Yoongi with wide eyes, waiting for him to come up with a believable lie. Yoongi avoids rolling his eyes, “I’m the one that needs the favor actually,” he starts to say, “It’s- it’s complicated but Jimin is sick and we need to check his blood.”

“If you’re sick why don’t you come to get yourself checked?” Hoseok replies, crossing his arms, “This just seems fishy to me.”

“Fish…y…?” Jimin whispers by Yoongi’s ear, curious.

Yoongi takes a deep breath, pulling Jimin closer to his body, “As you can see Jimin doesn’t like hospitals and it’s something minor, I just need that blood test.”

“I can take the blood sample and run the blood test,” Hoseok clarifies, “I just don’t understand why you would want a tube of blood for yourself.”

“I know how to work a microscope, too, you know?” Yoongi defends. The tension was clear in the air.

“Well, just to be clear, I’m not going to take his blood unless you give me a reasonable answer as to why he can’t have his blood tested right here,” Hoseok states, his arms still crossed.

“Fuck- alright just- do you have an office we can talk in private?”

Hoseok laughs in their faces when Yoongi tells him the truth.

Yoongi gets it, it’s not something easy to understand or believe. He pulls out his cellphone and shows him the picture he snapped the day before, plus some older ones he’s had saved in his laptop all those months, “Okay, I’ll admit that’s a cool costume,” Hoseok chuckles, leaning back in his chair, “But do you really want me to believe he’s a mermaid?”

“Merman,” Yoongi corrects.

Jimin hasn’t said a word the whole time, seemingly intimidated by Hoseok. Yoongi tries again, explaining the main points about Jimin’s disease – it helps that Jimin scratches his shoulder once in a while.

“Yeah, that, merman,” Hoseok rolls his eyes, “I don’t buy it, I think it would have been more believable if you told me you’re a vampire and you want some of his blood to have a taste but you don’t want to bite him.”

“Hoseok,” calls Namjoon sternly, “Don’t be a dickhead.”

“I’m surprised you’re involved in this,” Hoseok comments, “Or did you hire them to prank me? Is this some belated April Fool’s joke?”

“It’s not a joke,” Namjoon replies, “I’ve seen him with a tale. I get how weird it sounds, believe me I was freaked out the moment I saw it but- it’s not a joke and he’s not shitting you. Merpeople exists, there’s a whole colony just beneath the High Rock’s Reef and they’re getting sick.”

“Okay but- you’re biologists,” Hoseok replies, not a trace of mock in his voice, “Why aren’t you reporting it? Going back to the colony to investigate further so we are aware these creatures exist?”

“Humans can’t go there,” Jimin speaks up, his voice soft voice a clear contrast of Yoongi’s. The older is surprised to see his previous demeanor is gone, instead his eyes are focused and he’s let go of Yoongi’s hand, “It’s dangerous for everyone.”

Yoongi as well as Hoseok and Namjoon look surprised, “He’s right,” Yoongi adds, “Merpeople are prideful and they don’t like humans. If we go there it’d be a massacre on both ends.”

“Please, help me, Hoseok-”

“Ssi…” Namjoon whispers.

“Hoseok-ssi,” corrects Jimin, “I really need your help not only to get better myself but to help those of my kind, many of us are sick and we don’t know how to get better.”

Yoongi knows what is like to be on the other end of Jimin’s piercing stare, he was weak the very first couple of encounters between them, so he notices the way Hoseok doesn’t look away, instead gets lost in Jimin’s dark, small orbs.

“Please…” Jimin pleads.

“Alright, just because I kinda like you, Jimin,” Hoseok responds, “You’ll owe me big time, Namjoonie. Let’s just get this over with.”

Yoongi stood by Jimin’s side the whole process, sensing the other was terrified to be pinched by the syringe.

“It won’t hurt that much,” Yoongi encouraged him, playing with Jimin’s tiny ear to distract him, “It’s just a small pinch and then the blood will come out. It’ll be over in less than a minute, I promise.”

Hoseok prepared the table with the tools necessary, two thin bottles and a syringe. Jimin held Yoongi’s hand tightly, his breathing pitching up as the syringe got closer.

“It’s just a pinch,” Hoseok reminds him as the needle pierces through Jimin’s arm, “What the hell?!”

Hoseok’s eyes grow big in size, his mouth starts gaping the more blood comes out of Jimin’s arm, Yoongi and Namjoon get closer, everyone is too shocked to say anything. The thick liquid pouring out is not red like a human’s, at first Yoongi thinks it’s plain black but then as the light hits it, it swirls in other shades of grey and blue.

“Oh my god!” Namjoon stutters.

“What the fuck is this!” Hoseok cries, distancing himself from Jimin, who’s completely lost.

“Okay, calm down,” Yoongi calls, “Finish your work and then- then we can figure out-”

“His blood is black!”

“It’s not black it’s like- like grey?”

“What’s wrong, Yoongi?” Jimin asks in panic.

“Nothing- it’s just- your blood is a little different from ours,” Yoongi says, his voice gentle, “Ours is red…”

“Red? Like apples?”

“Yeah, exactly like apples!” Yoongi chuckles. Their tiny conversation distracted Jimin enough time for Hoseok to finish extracting Jimin’s blood and then pulling out the needle. Jimin flinches again but exhales calmly when Hoseok puts a cotton ball in the crook of his elbow. The doctor takes the bottles and moves them in front of his eyes.

“That’s for not believing us,” Namjoon mutters by his shoulder.

“Shut up,” Hoseok answers, “So- so- he’s- what is he?”

“A merman!” Yoongi replies exasperatedly, “Who can switch between merman and human!”

“That’s so freaky!”

“Now, you gotta swear you won’t tell anyone,” Yoongi stresses as he picks a pink and blue band-aid, sticks in on Jimin’s dot size wound, “And if I find out you told someone I will personally find you and break your neck. Swear it.”

“I swear it,” Hoseok says nervously, his eyes blown wide, “I won’t tell anyone, not my business to tell.”

“Thank you, Hoseok-ssi!” Jimin sing songs, raising to his feet.

“How is he supposed to be the scary mythical creature, yet he’s all cute and you’re there being the cranky one?” Hoseok adds, much to Yoongi’s annoyance.

“Yoongi?” Jimin whispers against the quietness of the night, “Awake?”

That same night Jimin curls against Yoongi’s side just like the previous nights. Yoongi has given up on avoiding Jimin during night time, the other found every possible way to convince him to sleep next to him, just so he wasn’t alone. So there’s Jimin, being illuminated by moonlight and staying completely awake, his eyes lost in the vast blankness of the dark sky.

“Yeah, I’m awake,” Yoongi answers, his voice raspy.

“What is the moon?” he asks calmly.

“Uhm- I thought you knew what it was,” Yoongi replies, “Didn’t you say merpeople measure time with the moon phases?”

“Yeah, but I know it’s not just a floating circle,” Jimin says, amazing Yoongi with how much his speech has improved, “What is it?”

“Well, it’s a body that spins around the planet at all times… remember that documentary we watched about the Universe?”

Jimin nods, “And why is it so bright?”

“The sunlight reflects it, like a big big lamp,” he says.

“And why does it disappear during the day?”

“Because the planet spins and the moon hides behind where we are right now,” Yoongi replies calmly, “We can go to the museum one of these days, they have really cool showcases of the solar system, I think you’d like that.”

“I’d like that,” Jimin nods again, his eyes never leaving the moon’s silhouette, “Mother used to tell us story about the moon…want to hear it?”

“Of course,” Yoongi says, turning to the side to have a better view of Jimin.

“The moon is the master of time and master of the sea,” he says, “The sun is master of light and heat, together they make the world whole and we are to obey what they wish. The sun and the moon are never together for they have different duties, but the sun loves the moon, loves her for everything she has. The moon is untouchable; surrounding herself with a blanket of darkness at all times, the moon changes and moves the tides so she controls the seas. The sun gives us light but hides behind clouds when she’s upset. The sun and the moon are never together for they have different duties so the sun dies each night to let the moon have her space.”

“That’s really nice,” Yoongi mutters, fascinated with Jimin’s lips curving with each word he said.

“Children’s story,” Jimin shrugs, “Probably lost half of the meaning as I said it in Korean.”

“I think it was pretty,” Yoongi replies as he pinches one side of Jimin’s belly.

“Yoongi?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t want to be the sun or the moon,” he mutters, turning his face, soaking himself on Yoongi’s eyes.

“You’re not,” Yoongi answers a little breathless, trying to figure out the hidden meaning of Jimin’s words. 

“Then why do I feel like the sun?” he says, “Why does my chest hurt when I see you?”

The butterflies always present in Yoongi’s belly aren’t just butterflies anymore, they’re fireballs, clashing against each other, preventing him to breathe. Yoongi can’t answer right away, has a hard time coming up with the proper words, “Does it hurt in a good way?”

“I don’t know,” Jimin whispers, “I just know it hurts different when I think about leaving your side…”

“Do you think about me even when I’m not here?” Yoongi asks, testing Jimin’s feelings.

“Yes,”

“You like kissing me?” he asks, “You like spending time with me?

“Of course,” Jimin nods, leaning in closer, his breath fanning over Yoongi, “I love it.”

“Wait- say that again,” Yoongi mutters.

“I love it?”

“What does love mean?”

“It’s- caring, liking, strong feelings for something or…someone?” Jimin answers, slowly realizing the meaning of the words and how they connect to his feelings for Yoongi. Jimin inhales deeply, pressing his small hand against his chest, experimenting so many things in that instant for the very first time.

“I love you,” Jimin says clearly, barely a trace of an accent, “I love you a lot…”

Yoongi can’t hold himself anymore, he finds Jimin’s lips in the darkness, connecting his own in a desperate kiss. Jimin’s more experimented by then, especially since he’s the one to catch Yoongi’s lips whenever he feels like it, at morning and night – they’ve made out in the evening, with the lights off and the soundtrack of waves outside, they’ve made out at noon as Yoongi’s preparing lunch and they make a mess in the kitchen but they’ve never gone this far. They’ve never kissed so deep and meaningfully that they feel the need to share one body, one soul. Jimin kisses him like there’s no tomorrow, kisses him until his lips are raw and red, climbs his body and lets him feel so much.   

They start making love with no rush, Yoongi leading the way, letting Jimin soak in the experience. Jimin moans heavily, moans his name with plead, asking for more and more. Yoongi loves him too much, loves the way his skin is soft to the touch, loves the way Jimin’s shivers with some touches, giggles when Yoongi sucks a mark on his neck. Yoongi loves him too much, loves the fact that Jimin is willing to receive anything from Yoongi, loves how effortlessly sexy he is without knowing, loves the way he arches his back as Yoongi stretches him with care. He loves the way he smells like home, the way he cries for more, the way his voice is raw with moans when he’s close to the edge.

Jimin doesn’t release Yoongi’s lips, not even when it’s been minutes and they’ve come on the sheets. It’s soft and it means so much with no words. Jimin holds him tight, runs his hand down his chest in his embrace.

“Maybe I’m just a moon in the afternoon sky,” Jimin mutters breathlessly once he’s resting his head against the pillow, too spent but glowing with the moonlight.

Yoongi folds his arm over his waist, lying impossibly close to him, basking in his warmth. He couldn’t answer, he wasn’t that good with words, he just felt too much, he just loved too much.

“You love me,” Jimin says against the quietness, “You love me like I love you, right?”

“I love you more,” Yoongi mutters sappily, like all those movies he claimed he hated, “Love you from now until I die.”