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once you start to wander around humans, on their land, using their legs, the first thing you have to learn is how to cover yourself up. this was something taehyung wasn’t fully aware of, at first.
sure, he’d been warned by friends, by merpeople who were more experienced in the human world, but being warned and actually experiencing it for yourself are two very different things.
the first time taehyung had set foot on land, very much naked, except for some seaweed that’d clung onto his shoulders, he’d had the misfortune of walking onto land right next to a group of people. they’d looked at him, had looked at his face and then down at his crotch, before they’d called him a pervert and chased him off.
so that’s why i’m supposed to cover up, he’d thought, while he ran away from the ugly words thrown at his head.
it’d been a rude welcome to an otherwise so exciting world. taehyung had been bummed out and almost ran straight back to the water. he’d gone through so much trouble to get here, however, and going back had just seemed like a waste, so he’d taken to sneaking around carefully then, so as not to flash anyone on accident.
taehyung started observing humans right then, and then he came to the conclusion that their social rules were so arbitrary that he had no idea where to begin. he ended up going back into the water, defeated, and sought information from his fellow merpeople.
not everyone was a big help. most merpeople aren’t very fond of humans, you see, so they don’t take the time to study them beyond all the ways in which they work against merpeople.
luckily, taehyung had some friends who could help him, merpeople who were fascinated by humans and very willing to help him out. they taught him how to blend in at first glance, what to say and what to do, as well as what not to say or do.
one of the most important lessons they taught him, the only one he truly makes use of, is where to get his clothes from. specifically, where to steal them from and how to get away with stealing and then how to stealthily give them back—sometimes.
taehyung’s been wandering around the new town he’d arrived in using those techniques. he doesn’t love the clothes he’s wearing—he doesn’t really like clothes at all—but he considers it a necessary evil to do some sightseeing.
he’s currently at the market, wandering around the fish stalls and trying not to make it apparent that his mouth is watering at all that raw fish, just lying around waiting to be devoured. he knows humans don’t eat fish like this, not usually, but he’s also not entirely sure how they do consume it.
how are you supposed to consume fish, if not whole?
he wanders around some more, nose up to the sky while he smells the most delicious smells. there’s one smell in particular that calls to him. he smells something fishy in it, but it’s different from the other stalls. while the other smells just make his mouth water, this one nearly makes him drool.
when he decides to follow it to investigate and see if he can get a little taste of whatever it is, he comes upon a small stall where they sell… what do they sell?
taehyung sees drawings of fish all along the stall. from the smell alone he can tell it’s fish, but…
there’s something else besides the drawings and the nice smell that catches his attention. someone else. taehyung blinks softly at the person standing behind the stall. for a human, they’re exceptionally pretty. they have a really nice and sweet smile, and when they laugh, taehyung feels a shiver run down his back; it’s happy and warm and beats even the prettiest siren voice.
maybe it’s the fact that he’s surrounded by fish, or the nice smell, or the nice person, but taehyung falls in love a little right then and there.
after some staring, taehyung decides to approach slowly. he’s curious about multiple things: why does it smell like fish, when he sees no fish? why does it smell so good? why does the human have such a pretty smile?
“hi,” the pretty human says, when taehyung approaches. “what can i get you?”
for a moment, taehyung just stares. he’s aware that this isn’t a human custom, that he must come across as very odd, but he can’t help himself in the face of such beauty.
“can i… get you anything?” the pretty human asks again. his pretty smile doesn’t falter, nor does he frown or look peeved at taehyung’s behaviour; he just continues to look like the sweetest little thing and taehyung wishes to gobble him up.
but not really.
because that would be a shame.
taehyung tears his eyes off the human and looks down. he sees some stuff. food. he doesn’t know what kind, but it looks edible and smells absolutely delicious. he’s entranced by it all and nearly drooling; the only reason he hasn’t yet drooled all over the food is that there are plastic covers separating him from the food. “uh…”
“would you like to sample anything? here, try this.”
taehyung accepts whatever is handed to him. he studies it curiously, realises he still doesn’t know what it is and takes the smallest bite to see if that’ll help him figure out what he’s just been offered.
his eyes grow wide when he tastes. it’s fish, he knows it is, but it’s so much better than any he’s ever had. “what is this?” he asks, eyes still wide, looking at the human as though he possesses all the answers to the universe; which they kind of do.
“haemul pajeon. do you like it?”
“seafood?”
the pretty human nods, only to laugh softly at taehyung’s absolute fascination.
“what’s a pancake?”
“that is. d’you want another sample?”
taehyung nods quickly, drawing another laugh out of the prettiest of humans.
taehyung and the pretty human are just staring at each other, smiling kind of shyly while taehyung accepts more small samples. he learns what a pancake is, and what can go in it—everything—and then he learns that seafood doesn’t just mean fish and tearing into it with sharp teeth and claws. humans do, apparently, consume raw fish, but they also cook it and do fun things with it, like put it in other stuff.
“like seaweed, you mean?” taehyung asks.
the pretty human doesn’t blink. if he thinks taehyung’s questions are weird, he doesn’t comment on it at all. “sure, we use seaweed, but we use other stuff, too! we make stews and we put it in batter, and…”
“what’s batter?”
“the stuff that holds the seafood and other ingredients together in the pancake you just ate. do you want another taste?” he smiles and offers taehyung another piece.
taehyung opens his mouth to ask more questions, now that he’s found a real, live human to grill—not in the way the pretty human explained they grill fish—only to meekly step aside when another human comes to order food.
he studies this new person carefully as they ask for what they want, pointing at different things and nodding and then digging in their pocket and handing stuff over. after watching the curious exchange in interest, taehyung turns back toward the pretty human.
“what’d they give you?” taehyung asks.
“hm?” he giggles and the sound is the most beautiful taehyung’s ever heard. “oh, won! money. people buy the food from me in exchange for money!”
taehyung’s eyes narrow in confusion. “but it was just a piece of paper.”
“it is! but it has monetary value to it.”
“ah.” taehyung nods as he looks down, sticking his hands into his pants’ pockets like the customer before him had done. “i don’t have any of that.” it’s just a gesture he copies, not expecting to magically find anything to pay with. his fingers bump into the shells he’d found, the ones he’d stuck in his pockets to take back with him into the water later. he turns his pockets inside out now and holds up his hands to show what he does have in his pockets. “just these…” he says, with a small, embarrassed laugh.
the two of them giggle like little children over the collection of shells in taehyung’s palms.
after looking around, almost dramatically so, to see if anyone’s around or watching them, anyone who could rat him out to his boss, he looks back to taehyung and nods at the shells in his hands. “pretend those pretty shells are won.”
“hm? these? but they’re not—”
“—and these, too?” he interrupts taehyung, pointing with gloved hands toward a dish. he begins piling stuff into a container and talking loudly, just like he’d done with the customer just before. taehyung just nods slowly, kind of confused as to what’s happening, but curious enough to stick around to see where it’s going.
he hands over some shells when he’s told, even more loudly, what he’s supposed to pay and the pretty human sort of gestures toward taehyung’s hands. when he takes a bag that’s handed to him and looks inside of it, he’s hit with a waft of delicious, delicious food.
“i can eat this?” taehyung whispers loudly. he takes out a piece when he gets a nod and pops it into his mouth. that first bite makes his taste buds sing. he’s never tried something so delicious before; taehyung thinks he could cry.
while he would love nothing more than to eat it all, taehyung does share some with the pretty human. as much as the pretty human will allow, anyway, which isn’t a lot; he seems much happier to watch taehyung eat and enjoy the food.
“thank you,” taehyung says softly, licking his fingers, and then licking his lips and looking down shyly. “i can’t offer you anything, i’m afraid. i didn’t come prepared.”
“that’s okay,” the human shakes his head and smiles. “my treat.”
taehyung looks at the pretty human for a while longer, feeling himself start to get antsy because he’s been out of the water for too long. he knows merpeople can get used to staying on land the more they do it, but taehyung is definitely not used to it. he’s starting to feel itchy and dehydrated; the dry air on his skin makes his body feel tight and uncomfortable. he knows he has to go back, but he doesn’t really want to. not yet.
“can i… exchange a shell for something?” taehyung asks hesitantly, when he realises he shouldn’t push it, that he really should be getting back.
“of course!” the pretty human doesn’t hesitate at all. he looks down at the containers of food in front of him. “what would you like?”
“your name.”
“oh.” he looks up, stares into taehyung’s eyes. for the first time, his smile falters a little. when it comes back, it’s a little shyer and softer in intensity. he holds his hand out for taehyung to put the shell in. “jimin.”
“jimin,” taehyung repeats. “that’s a really pretty name.”
“thank you.” jimin blushes.
“i’m taehyung.”
taehyung shows up the next day, wearing a new outfit he’d stolen only moments prior with the intention of handing it back once it’s time to go home.
this time, he doesn’t wander around the market; he follows his trusty nose to find his way back to jimin’s stall. the plan is to say hi and thank him once more, and then be on his way. he still doesn’t have any human money to give him in return for the food, but he hopes another thank-you will be good for now.
that, and he just wants to see jimin again. he’s spent most of his time back in the water thinking of him; of seeing his face and speaking to him.
“hi,” taehyung says, once the customer jimin’s been helping leaves and they’re the only ones left. he clasps his hands behind his back and smiles shyly. it’s hard to make eye-contact with jimin, despite the fact that he’d love nothing more than to look into his pretty eyes.
he really hasn’t come to beg for more free stuff, even though the food still smells delicious, but jimin has other ideas the moment their eyes meet: “you have to try this!”
taehyung begins shaking his head, even though doing so hurts him to his very soul, but it’s useless; jimin ignores it completely. jimin’s kindness makes taehyung feel warm. his pretty smile makes taehyung feel warmer, still. taehyung has to bite his lip to stop from smiling.
“you’re sure?” he asks, with wide eyes.
jimin coos. “please, i want you to try this,” he says, pointing to one dish. “oh, and that one, too!”
taehyung accepts the food without much hesitancy. yes, he doesn’t want to accept free stuff. no, he hasn’t come here to get more free stuff. no, he has no way to pay jimin. but… he does have pretty shells. he’d actually dug through all his stuff to find his prettiest, shiniest little trinkets to give to him.
granted, he was going to give those to jimin as another thank-you, but at least he can give these in return for the new freebies he’s received.
“please, have some more,” jimin says, as soon as taehyung finishes his portion. he watches happily as taehyung eats, smiling as though taehyung’s doing him a great favour. he accepts the pretty shells taehyung gives him and acts as though he’s never received such a precious gift.
taehyung’s not entirely sure whether jimin is making fun of him, they’re just shells, after all, but he decides that’s probably not the case. jimin is too sweet to make fun of him. he hopes.
they don’t get to talk a lot, sadly, because a whole slew of customers keep jimin away from taehyung, but he does promise to come back. jimin demands him to, with his little playful smile.
taehyung goes back home with a smile.
when he stops by the next day, jimin’s there again. he greets taehyung with his familiar smile and tells him that he’s about to finish his shift—taehyung has no idea what that means, but he nods politely and says that’s really cool of him—and asks him to stick around.
“if you want,” jimin adds quickly. “only if… if you want… to spend some time with me.”
“i want to!” taehyung says immediately. he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than spend as much time as possible with jimin. spending time with jimin sounds like the best plan he’s heard in ages.
while jimin handles the last customers and gathers some food to put in a bag, taehyung sticks around. he shoves his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants and plays with the shells he’s stuffed in there to give to jimin later. he hopes jimin will like them.
once jimin’s left the stall in the hands of his coworker, he smiles widely at taehyung and lifts his brows as if to ask him whether he’s ready to go. he giggles when taehyung all but skips toward him, completely unable to contain his excitement.
they walk across the market, through the sea of people, out to the docks that overlook the actual sea. they go to sit along the edge there, the bag of food between them while their feet swing just over the water.
“do you like the sea?” taehyung asks. he looks down at their feet. he hopes jimin will say yes, since taehyung loves the sea a lot. it’d make him sad to know jimin doesn’t like his home.
luckily, jimin nods with another sweet smile. “it’s one of the reasons i’m here! i don’t normally live by the sea, but i decided to get away for a little, and came here. i’m an artist, and normally i feel like i’m overflowing with inspiration, but lately… i feel a bit dried up. living so close to the sea is really nice. calming. i don’t know. i like it. it helps me clear my mind, and i hope it’ll give me back my inspiration, you know?” he blushes and averts his eyes. “what about you?”
“i can’t be away from the sea for too long,” taehyung admits. “i get… antsy. i can’t live without it.”
jimin just hums. taehyung doesn’t get the impression that he finds the answer weird or exaggerated. he wonders how jimin would react if he were told the truth about what taehyung actually is. would he be scared? would he even believe taehyung?
taehyung doesn’t feel overly confident, so he doesn’t want to try his luck. instead, he looks at the little bag standing between them, and then back up at jimin. “what did you bring with you?”
“hm?” jimin looks up at taehyung, and then down at the bag. “oh. lunch! for the both of us. if you’re hungry, that is.”
taehyung’s eyes widen again. what a coincidence. i’m starving. although he isn’t entirely sure whether he’s hungry for food or… something else. could one be hungry for holding hands? he thinks it may be possible. at the very least, he feels like it should be possible to be hungry for warmth, or closeness.
“yeah,” he says softly. “i… could eat…”
jimin’s face immediately breaks into a smile again, or maybe he’d already been smiling the entire time. he pulls the bag into his lap and takes out several small containers. he opens one and takes out a piece, which he holds up to taehyung’s mouth. “open up.”
taehyung takes a bite. he holds eye-contact while he does, which they both end up blushing at the moment jimin’s finger grazes taehyung’s lip.
they both shy away from each other once they touch and look down into the water, as though they’ll find the courage there to deal with this. taehyung’s never been fed fish by any of his people, so he doesn’t know what it’s supposed to feel like, but he wonders if it’s normal for his chest to feel so light and fluttery.
“that’s really good,” he says. “what is that?”
“it’s… it’s, um…” jimin blinks. he stares down at his fingers, and then looks at taehyung for a split second, before he averts his eyes again. his cheeks flush a deep red. “food…”
taehyung snorts. “huh…”
jimin laughs, too. he hides his hand behind his mouth and giggles softly.
“i have more… uh… more won for you, by the way.” taehyung quirks up a corner of his mouth. he digs into his pocket and pulls out more shells. “here. i picked out my prettiest ones for you.”
their hands touch again when taehyung places them one for one in jimin’s palm. it’s like they’re both holding their breaths at that small touch, which makes taehyung wonder whether jimin feels the same way.
“thank you,” jimin says. “they’re really pretty.”
like you, taehyung thinks. “i tried my best,” he says.
they smile at each other for a while, feeling more and more comfortable and less nervous. eventually, they start eating and talking, cheeks no longer flushed. they hang out until taehyung starts getting too antsy and knows he should be getting back to the water.
parting sucks. taehyung normally loves going back into the water, but, for the first time, he wonders what it would be like if he could stay a little while longer.
the two keep meeting each other. taehyung makes a habit of showing up whenever jimin has a shift and, when he has a day off, they make sure to make plans for that day just so that they can keep seeing each other.
they eat a lot of food together. taehyung gets to taste a lot of new stuff. he loves human food, this is something he learns pretty quickly on, but what he likes most is eating with jimin or being fed by him. yes, the food is good, but the company is even better.
taehyung keeps handing jimin more pretty trinkets. he goes diving for them now, when he exhausts his own collection. at first, he finds prettier and prettier shells. jimin is very happy with those, although taehyung wonders if that’s because he likes the shells, or because taehyung’s given them to him.
during one of his dives, very far away from the human world, he finds something even prettier than a shell. he finds a pearl.
finding a pearl really isn’t a feat. maybe for humans it is, but merpeople? if there’s something shiny and pretty, they’ll find it. they like using them to adorn themselves; either they weave them into their hair or they find ways to fasten them to their bodies.
as such, taehyung has a lot of pearls just lying around, but he doesn’t really want to give those to jimin, for the simple reason that he prefers giving him stuff that he’s found while looking for something to give to him.
it’s about intent. to merpeople, giving someone a gift you’ve found with them in mind is greater than giving them something you already had lying around. a gift that’s been lying around isn’t a gift; convenience can’t be a true gift.
as luck would have it, though, taehyung finds a pretty pearl while scouring the bottom of the sea for jimin. the pearl is a valid gift, since he’s found it with jimin in mind. taehyung hasn’t felt this proud in a while.
he’s a little confused when he gives it to jimin, though, only for him to be shocked and stammer a little and tell taehyung, with a shaking head, that he couldn’t accept such a gift.
“why?” taehyung questions. he tries really hard not to pout, but it’s difficult. “i found this while looking for something for you. i found it for you. it’s my gift. to you.” now he does pout.
“but it’s…” jimin blinks down at his palm, where a fat pearl lies proudly. “i can’t… accept this. taehyung?”
taehyung cocks his head. “i don’t understand.”
“these are worth money. some are worth a lot. i can’t… it’s… how did you come by this?”
taehyung shrugs. “it’s fine. i found it. it’s not like they’re rare or anything…”
jimin’s brows shoot up into his hairline. “they are rare. natural ones, at least. you found this in the sea?”
they’re not rare if you know where to look, taehyung thinks. normally, he’d probably add a humans are so stupid, but he can’t, because jimin is human, too, and he’s not stupid. “i did.”
“i can’t accept this, taehyung,” jimin says seriously. “this is worth too much.”
“i have no use for it. it’s not like i use money,” taehyung says, before he realises what he’s said and quickly hides his mouth behind his hand. what if he says more stupid stuff? he’s already said so much to indicate that he isn’t human; it’s a miracle jimin hasn’t found out about what he is yet.
either jimin willfully ignores it, or he doesn’t see a problem with taehyung’s statement. he shakes his head again and pushes the pearl back into taehyung’s hand. “i really can’t accept this. now, you need to try this, okay? i’ve been experimenting with fish cakes a little. open up.”
taehyung opens his mouth and chews with a pout, although the food immediately lifts his spirits again, and his pout slowly but surely drips off his face.
they don’t bring up the pearl after that; they concentrate on food and talking and blushing when they accidentally touch each other. when taehyung leaves, he just slips it into jimin’s pocket and speeds off with a loud giggle.
back in the water, taehyung pays a visit to the closest pod that have made a permanent residence just off the shore of the town he’s been visiting. they’re a nice bunch; taehyung’s already befriended some of them. they remind him of the friends he’s made in the pod he was born in. like them, these merpeople are fascinated by humans, too.
since they know so much about humans, taehyung decides to go to them with a few questions that have been bouncing around in his head.
“is it possible to mate with a human?” he asks namjoon, who has just come to show him the bracelet jungkook’s made him. they’re supposed to be really good friends, even though taehyung’s fairly positive they’re the only two who haven’t yet figured out that they’re mates.
“huh?” namjoon cocks his head. “mate? with a human?” he squints in confusion, or because his eye-sight isn’t so great—maybe both.
taehyung nods. “well?”
“it’s unheard of, that’s for sure.”
“but is it possible?” taehyung presses.
namjoon just looks thoroughly confused, which should be an answer in and of itself. “i don’t know, taehyung-ah… i haven’t heard of a human mating with us. how… would that even work?”
taehyung shrugs. he’d come to namjoon in the hopes of being told exactly that. still, the fact that namjoon doesn’t know doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. sure, it may be out there. merpeople and humans don’t exactly mix, but there’s a first for everything, right?
“is this about that human you’ve been visiting every day? jimin? was that his name?”
“jimin,” taehyung answers, with a dreamy smile.
“you like him a lot?”
“i like him a lot,” taehyung sighs.
“hyung.” jimin barges into yoongi’s apartment before the door’s fully opened. “hyung. you know the regular i told you about? did i tell you about taehyung? did i?”
“you—”
“is it weird? is it okay to like him? can i like someone i see for less than an hour each day? what if he just stops by for the free food i give him? you know what? i don’t even care. i give him food because i like him. it doesn’t matter whether he likes me or not. i think it’s okay to just like him. i like him.”
“what do you like about him?” yoongi asks. he sits down next to jimin and pats his knee. on his face, he wears his most reassuring yoongi smile. it’s the smile that means everything will be okay, that someone is listening, that someone cares.
jimin shakes his head with a tired sigh. “where do i start?”
during the time they get to know each other, taehyung is only vaguely aware that they’re not alike. sure, it’s hard to forget that they’re not the same species—while he’s gotten better at dwelling on land, he’s still aware of the fact that it isn’t his natural habitat and he still has to go back after a certain period of time to recharge back in the safe water—but it’s easy to forget about that stuff when he’s with jimin.
with jimin, taehyung doesn’t worry about anything. instead, he just thinks a lot about jimin, about how much he likes being around him and how curious it is that a human has wormed his way into his heart. it makes sense, of course it does, this is jimin, after all. jimin has a way of doing that, it seems. all it takes is his kindness and his smile.
taehyung is an absolute sucker for him.
it’s in the moments when he’s not with jimin that he thinks about other, quite important things. primarily, he thinks about the fact that jimin’s going to find out about him one day.
he tries picturing jimin’s possible reactions, but each scenario is worse than the last. it ranges from jimin bursting into tears, to him accusing taehyung of lying to him, to taehyung being stabbed in the neck with one of those skewers they’ve eaten fish cakes from.
all taehyung can do is hope jimin doesn’t find out. he knows it’s wishful thinking, and that he’s been pushing it ever since they first met; he’s slipped up so many times.
still, he figures his best way of staying hidden is to completely ignore the problem. maybe it’ll go away. maybe taehyung will magically become a human—although he doesn’t really want to—or jimin a merman.
ignoring the problem, as it turns out, isn’t very helpful. it doesn’t offer taehyung any immunity to anything, which he’s soon to find out.
it happens when jimin has a day off and decides to hang out at the docks for a little. there’s very little going on, he’s the only one there, which is exactly how he likes it; empty and quiet.
he’s about to sit down with a book in a spot he knows won’t see any boats, when he hears splashing. it’s too loud for it to be a fish, but what else could it be, if not a fish?
it’s not a fish, of course; it’s just taehyung. he’s been hanging around in the harbour, trying to kill some time until he goes out to see if he can find jimin.
he’d never expected jimin to come to him, though.
taehyung’s first instinct is to hide, the moment he sees jimin’s familiar face pop up. he manages to sink below the surface, but his tail makes a great splash when he goes under. he dives all the way to the bottom, but there’s no way for him to hide; the water isn’t nearly deep enough for that.
“taehyung-ah?” jimin asks gently. he puts his book down and hangs over the edge. “it’s okay… there’s no need to hide.”
taehyung squints up. there’s no way jimin can’t see his tail; it’s glittering. why is he not freaking out? confused, he lets himself drift up a little.
jimin goes to sit down, legs dangling over the edge and feet submerged. he smiles as disarmingly as possible. “it’s okay. don’t be scared.”
“why are you not surprised? or scared?” taehyung asks, when he finally breaks the surface. he blinks up at jimin.
“hm? oh, i’ve always known.”
“how?” taehyung pouts. “i was so careful.”
jimin just laughs at that. he doesn’t tell taehyung that he’s been behaving suspiciously the entire time, or that his human appearance is just a little off—not enough to be noticeable from a distance, but from up close it’s easy to tell. “i went fishing with my boss and another hyung a while back. before we met. i caught a glimpse of your face in the water. i thought you were a dead body, at first, but then i saw your tail.”
taehyung doesn’t smack his forehead in annoyance, but he’s very close to doing so. he remembers coming dangerously close to the water one afternoon, after getting drunk off his ass with namjoon and jungkook.
he really thought he’d gotten away with it.
“i did some research after that and went around to ask some of the elders. they’re aware of you, in case you didn’t know. they know there’s some of you living close to the village.”
taehyung visibly startles. that’s bad news. humans knowing about their existence is one thing, but knowing the pod lives so close to them? what if they decide to get rid of them?
jimin is very quick to shake his head and hands. “it’s okay. please, they’ve known about you for decades. they keep you a secret. apparently, you’re the reason the fishing business is thriving in town. they don’t mean you any harm. they were very hesitant to tell me, until they realised i’d seen too much.”
“i—wh—um?” taehyung rubs his face, feeling mildly panicked. should he be going back to warn everyone? should they all leave and find some place else to go?
“taehyung,” jimin tries. “it’s okay. they’re good people. i promise.”
“but…” taehyung doesn’t really know what to say, so he just shakes his head.
jimin sticks his hand out for taehyung to hold. he squeezes it softly and leans over a little to look him in the eye. “i’m sorry. i should’ve told you sooner that i know, but i didn’t want to scare you off. i was waiting for a chance to tell you.”
“you don’t mind?” taehyung asks softly. he swims a little closer, until one of his pelvic fins all but brushes up against jimin’s ankle.
jimin quickly shakes his head. “no. i just think you’re really beautiful. and kind. and funny. and lovely.”
taehyung blushes at that. “thank you.”
“could i… see more of your tail?”
“of course.”
jimin admires taehyung’s tail as he floats calmly in the water. at times, he playfully splashes jimin a little, but only enough to spray his legs with water.
they talk about mermaids. taehyung explains that this isn’t his permanent residence, that he hasn’t had one in a while, but that he really likes the pod he’s staying with and has been thinking of staying with them for a little while longer. jimin seems really relieved to hear that last part.
“taehyung-ah,” he says, after a while. he squeezes taehyung’s fingers and smiles easily. “do you want to go on a date with me?”
“a date?” while taehyung can’t believe his luck, he ends up pouting and chewing on his lip. “i’d like that. but i can’t be out of the water for very long most days, so… it’d have to be a short date. is that okay? i don’t want to have to leave abruptly.”
jimin doesn’t seem deterred by that at all. he smiles mysteriously and shakes his head. “don’t you worry your pretty little head. i already have something in mind. do you know that place by the beach, just on the edge of town? where all the rocks are?”
a day later, jimin makes use of his second day off in a row to gather as much dishes that he knows taehyung will like and stuffs the portions in a basket. he brings a small picnic blanket, too, and a towel; just to be sure.
taehyung’s already there when jimin shows up. he’s sat on one of the flat rocks, leaning against another one, with his tail in front of him. the sunlight hits it in just the right way for jimin to stop walking and just stare for a moment.
“hi,” taehyung says, when he happens to turn his head and notices jimin looking at him. he giggles. “are you coming? how long have you been standing there?”
jimin’s cheeks flush immediately. he walks over and comes to sit down next to him. “just about a minute,” he admits sheepishly. “i was admiring your tail again. it’s just really pretty; i can’t stop staring at it.”
taehyung’s face breaks off into a smile. “thank you.”
“i thought this would be a good place for a date,” jimin says. “you can just hang out in the water and eat without having to worry about staying on land for too long.”
taehyung hums appreciatively. he peers to the side of him, into the water, and back up at jimin with a grin. he rolls over and lets himself fall in with a splash. when he comes back up, his grin is even wider. “the perfect human-merman date.”
“yeah? you think so? but we haven’t even started yet. we could still screw it up and turn it into the worst human-merman date ever.”
“that sounds like a challenge.” taehyung chuckles and leans his forearms on the rock. “what’s in your basket, jimin-ah? it looks very secretive…”
jimin begins unpacking with a proud little smile. first, he takes out the blanket and spreads it out on what looks like the driest bit of the rock. he throws down his towel, too, before finally getting to the food. he slowly starts pulling out dish after dish and spreads everything out. “i brought all your favourites.”
“all my favourites?” taehyung asks, visibly excited, before he looks up from the food at jimin. he smiles. “i just have one, though.”
“oh? and which is it?” jimin looks between the different things he’s brought, lips pursed while he tries to figure out which one it is. he doesn’t remember taehyung reacting to any one of them more strongly than the other, he’s always seemed equally excited about all of them.
taehyung hoists himself up so that he’s hanging off the rock, planting his elbows on the blanket and nearly sticking it in the bowl of fishcake soup jimin’s just put down. “you,” he says. he splashes his tail in the water and resists the urge to hide his face behind his hands.
jimin coughs. his cheeks flush and he turns away a little.
once they’re over their blushing, they get to eating and talking, the way they always have. they’re familiar with this, despite the fact that it’s now a date, which they’re not familiar with.
talking leads them over to more merpeople talk, and taehyung eagerly tells jimin more. he talks about his family, and more about migrating, and a little about the old friends he hasn’t seen in a while.
jimin asks after the shells taehyung always has for him, and then that easily leads over to the pearl he’d slipped into jimin’s pocket. “i have it on me, you know,” he says, with a shake of his head. “i still need to give it back to you. it’s worth much more than everything i’ve given you so far.”
taehyung shrugs. “i really don’t have any use for it. i have many. i only use them as jewelry.”
jimin scoffs. “you have many? how?”
with his chin in his hand, taehyung raises a brow. “i’m a merman, jimin-ah. i can find them easily.”
“i don’t believe you,” jimin grins. “you’re full of shit.”
taehyung narrows his eyes at him in an attempt to look as annoyed as possible. he’s unable to hide his smile, so it doesn’t really have the desired effect. without another word, and with a big splash meant to spray jimin a little, taehyung disappears.
jimin waits with a confused smile. he looks around, peering in the water and wondering where taehyung’s gone off to.
since taehyung’s a fast swimmer, he comes back pretty soon. he’s clutching a plastic bag in his hand, which he throws into jimin’s lap. “here.”
“what’s this?”
“pearls.”
jimin takes the bag between two fingers and dangles it in front of his face with a critical look. “plastic?”
taehyung just groans and nods. “don’t get me started on plastic pollution… it’s a nightmare, but it can be useful at times. i found a bag floating around and figured i’d repurpose it. i’ve used it in the past to make decorations, since we can’t do much else with it.”
jimin hums. he undoes the knot and slowly pulls it open to reveal an entire bag full of… he gasps. “you can’t be serious. these are all… you found these? all of these? they’re not fake?”
“i hang around at the bottom of the ocean a lot,” taehyung explains easily. “they’re really not that hard to obtain for us, you know? will you please take some? i have too many. please. have them.”
jimin quickly shakes his head and hands the bag over. “no. i can’t. they’re yours.”
taehyung pouts. “fine, but i’m not taking back the one i gave you. and now i’ll need to find another way to pay you back...”
“but you don’t need to pay me back,” jimin argues.
taehyung ignores him completely. his grin widens again. “hey, jimin.”
“hm? what, taehyung?”
“i know of another way.”
jimin leans over, until he’s on his stomach on the rock, on his elbows. “what is it?”
“a kiss.” taehyung purses his lips. “but only if you want.”
“i wouldn’t be opposed to that.”
“yeah?”
“yeah.”
“good.”
they lean in at the same time, slowly but surely, until their lips meet in the middle for a soft and wet kiss. they both giggle softly when they part, only to go back in a second time.
“do you want to swim with me?” taehyung asks. “i saw you brought a towel.”
jimin hums. “but you have to hold my hand the entire time.”
“of course. i wouldn’t dream of letting go of your hand.”
they don’t really swim, they just float around a little and kiss and make sure to hold hands the entire time, like jimin had requested. taehyung sweetly makes fun of the inefficient way humans swim, while jimin laughs and tells him to shut up.
“make me,” taehyung says, making a kissy face.
when jimin approaches to kiss him again, taehyung wraps his arms around jimin’s waist and briefly pulls him under.
they continue kissing and smiling and laughing for the rest of the afternoon.
while jimin’s original plan had been to stay only for the summer to get away from the city for a bit, he ends up staying after some heavy deliberation. he doesn’t need to stay in the city. while he enjoys city life, he can create his art anywhere, really.
not only has he befriended his boss and his boyfriend—seokjin and yoongi, who he was with when jimin saw taehyung for the first time—and has grown closer to them than he has to any of his friends in the city, but there’s taehyung, too. they’ve been going quite steadily, and jimin really doesn’t want to go where taehyung cannot.
the decision is made quite easily.
it takes a bit of time, but eventually jimin and taehyung come to a decision to semi move in together. they get a place as close to the water as possible—jimin chips in with some art sales, while taehyung does his part disgustingly easily by selling only a modest amount of pearls.
they dig a pond together, even though taehyung has the sea almost in his backyard now, and they have a lot of fun placing tubs around the house and filling them up. sure, the floor is wet a lot, which is a constant source of annoyance for jimin, but taehyung’s comfort makes up for all of that quite easily.
taehyung continues to travel, but he stops going for long periods of time. the longest he goes is for two weeks, to go back to his place of birth to visit family and old friends, but they both hate being apart for so long. while taehyung likes to travel, he prefers being with jimin, and the new friends he’s made—which include seokjin and yoongi, who accidentally find out taehyung’s a mermaid when they stop by unexpected to find him sat in a tub, watching a historical drama, one day.
jimin continues painting and sculpting, and finding new ways to experiment with art. taehyung becomes his muse, and the town loves his new art exhibition; it’s about mermaids.