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The bed is too warm, and San snuggles the pillow tighter, not wanting to wake up–wait, he didn't fall asleep in a bed.
Suddenly, San is wide awake and scrambling out of the bed, moving so quickly that he falls off and slams into the floor, learning the hard way that he was apparently sleeping in a lofted bed. He rakes his fingers through his hair, groaning softly as he pushes himself up to his feet.
He finds himself in front of a mirror and stares at a reflection that isn't his own. Cupping his chin and studying his face, he appears to be trapped in the body of Jung Wooyoung, the very man he always longingly watched from afar.
~
Wooyoung wakes up slowly, bubbles releasing into the water with his simple movements. There is a faint swish as he moves, and his eyes flutter open as he fully awakes. It takes his brain a little bit to register he is waking from underwater, and he quickly attempts to swim to the surface. He's not sure how long he has been under, but he knows it can't be good. A fire creature like a phoenix should not be underwater, and he isn't sure how he ended up there, let alone waking–was he not sleeping? Was he passed out?
He attempts to kick his legs to push himself up higher because he isn't moving fast enough like he should, but his legs don't move.
In fact, they aren't there. Where his legs are supposed to be is just one long, dark purple mermaid tail that ends in two long lavender fins.
It makes him stop, because he finally realizes he can actually breathe underwater. He isn't even himself, and it is possible he isn't even in his own body. He knows there is a siren community nearby, but how he ended up like this, he isn't completely sure.
It's a struggle, but Wooyoung manages to make it to the top and breaks the water. Thankfully, he apparently can breathe air as well. He rakes his fingers through his hair to slip it back. He's in a home, at least, a room in a home. It looks to be a small pool inside of the apartment off to the side in a bedroom. There's a dresser and a bed covered in stuffed animals that doesn't look like it has been slept in a long time.
He places his hands on the side of the pool and lifts himself up. It feels so weird to do without legs, but thankfully, this body seems to have a strong upper body, possibly from doing this repeatedly. He crawls out of the pool, his hands slipping a little bit until he manages to get his entire body out of the pool. He allows himself to rest as he stays there, and an odd sensation starts in his lower body, a sort of gentle tingle, and it isn't painful, just uncomfortable. Shortly after, it is like his tail has dissolved into a pair of legs. Beautiful, sculpted bare legs. If he didn't know any better, Wooyoung would think he is in the body of a human.
A very, very naked human.
A very, very beautiful naked human.
Although he really wants to examine every inch of this man's body (and maybe even play with it because who can blame him, this guy is gorgeous), he can't. It isn't right.
Standing up on his legs takes some time because they feel almost like they are asleep, like the nerves are still waking up. Eventually, he manages to get himself planted on his own two feet and he is in front of a body length mirror.
Well, he said he wouldn't look at the siren's body, but he can at least steal a peek.
But Wooyoung has been taking up too much time. He goes over to the dresser and dresses himself in a mix of the siren's clothes in an effort that is both quick and careful.
Eventually, he is out the door and on the way to his own apartment, hoping his own body is at least okay. He gets there as quickly as he can, regretting living in one of the highest apartments when he has no way to turn into his other form and fly and because these legs don't seem used to walking up that many stairs.
When he reaches his door, he pounds on it loudly, banging on it repeatedly. His hand starts to hurt a little when the door swings open.
And he's looking at himself. The rather handsome man with bright red hair and chiseled jawline. Wooyoung hates how short he is; on his way over, he assumed the body he is in was the same height, but, now, with his own body in front of him, he didn't realize he was actually taller.
Whoever is trapped in his own body stares at Wooyoung, and before the other can say anything, Wooyoung is barging into his own home.
"What did you do!?"
His height is now his advantage as Wooyoung can tower over his own body and demand answers. The other backs up, eyes glued on Wooyoung, but making no effort to fight back.
"I didn't do anything."
"You must have done something to make us end up like this. What did you do yesterday?"
It occurs to Wooyoung that he is just assuming the siren is stuck in his own body. He never stopped to consider that someone else could be trapped there instead.
"I was lifeguarding. At my job. Like I always do."
"You're lying," Wooyoung says, stepping away from the siren trapped in his phoenix body. How small he seems in comparison, and it made Wooyoung mad when he is really mad at himself and how he looks. He does a once-over of his small apartment, checking if everything is still in its proper place. He doesn't know how long the other has been awake, and it isn't likely he stole from him if he hasn't left the apartment yet, but Wooyoung just wants to make sure.
He is very aware of the siren watching his every movement. He just stands there, and the door to the apartment is still wide open. What would happen if the siren decided to run out and he never gets his answer?
Wooyoung starts to move back to the door when the siren speaks up finally: "What did you do yesterday?"
Wooyoung stops beside his kitchen's countertop and faces the siren.
"I. . ." He trails off. Truthfully, he doesn't remember much of yesterday. All he remembers is the late afternoon and nothing after that. He agreed to go out with some friends to an event, but. . .everything else after is blank. A pitch black abyss that he can't see through, and his head starts to ache if he tries too hard to remember.
His own body watches him, waiting for an answer, raising an eyebrow as Wooyoung's head starts to pound as he tries to recall the night before.
They are cut off by Wooyoung’s cell phone ringing. It is on the kitchen counter, right next to Wooyoung, and he picks it up so quickly, like it is a natural instinct before the siren can even process what the new sound is.
"Hello?"
There is a pause on the other line. ". . .Hello?" And Wooyoung recognizes it as Jongho, who sounds utterly confused. It is only then that Wooyoung realizes it sounds like a complete stranger just answered Wooyoung's phone because he is speaking with the wrong voice. Frustrated, Wooyoung thrusts the phone in the siren's direction.
"It's for you," he says with a pointed look, daring the siren to say something wrong to his friend.
The siren takes the phone and holds it up to his ear, all the while looking completely dumbfounded. "Hello?"
Rocking back and forth on his feet anxiously, Wooyoung wishes he forced the conversation to be on speaker, or at least turned up the volume so he can listen in on whatever his friend is telling the stranger in his body. He watches, and he can only guess what's being said, and it is enough to drive him crazy. The cheeks in his own body turn a bright red; Wooyoung assumes Jongho would never let a comment go about the wrong man answering his phone in the morning. Yeah, yeah, Wooyoung got fucked by the stranger.
Actually, Wooyoung would prefer if he did get fucked by the stranger. Once he has that thought, his mind is flooded with inappropriate images. How easy it would be for the siren's body to scoop up the phoenix's, especially with those light boned, he can't weigh much. How easy it would be to carry him off to his bedroom, this muscular body on top of his own. Hell, he could scoop him up here and fuck him right on his counter.
Now he can feel himself blushing, and he has to look away because all he can think of is this body manhandling his own.
Something clatters to the floor, and that makes Wooyoung whip back around and see the siren standing there, his hand to his ear, mouth slightly agape, but the phone has slipped off his hand and onto the floor. Wooyoung glances at the phone, then his own body, then the phone again, completely ignoring the stunned expression on the siren's face.
"Why the hell did you do that!? That thing costs more than--"
"You wanted to find your soulmate," the siren says and stops Wooyoung from his whining while bending down to pick up his phone. His eyes flick back to look up at the siren, waiting for him to admit he is joking, but he is gazing back at Wooyoung, eerily serious.
It's. . .foggy, and his head starts to hurt again if he thinks too hard yet again, but something is becoming clearer, although faintly. He knew he wanted to see if he could find his soulmate, and he heard of someone who could make a potion that would show his soulmate to him. Was that what he did last night?
Story has it, phoenices, of course, are always reincarnated, although they never remember their lives before. Reincarnation for other creatures or humans is not guaranteed, but it is for the soulmate of the phoenix; in every life, they will find them again, so they never have to live a life without the other. They never live too far, and they are fated to find each other. Potions are rumored to have been crafted to help a phoenix find their soulmate if they so wish. Wooyoung was curious, and he heard a rumor of someone who could. But, if that is the case, then that would mean. . .
They both stare at each other, blush still coating their cheeks. Both are speechless, and the silence is growing, but neither of them dares to look away. Distantly, Jongho is shouting on the phone, but he isn't important right now.
"So. . ." Wooyoung starts, but he trails off again.
There is a pause, and the siren echoes, "So. . ?"
"I did this to us."
He watches the siren swallow, and Wooyoung attempts to keep his thoughts not perverted. "So it worked? And that would make us. . .?"
"You're my. . ." Wooyoung can't bring himself to say it. Soulmate . This siren, this handsome, handsome siren in his tiny body is his soulmate.
"Soulmate," the siren says quietly, a little above a whisper.
"Can I kiss you?" The question is blurted out because Wooyoung can realize how weird it sounds. And desperate.
And then the siren laughs, his voice cracking loudly like Wooyoung knows his laugh always does when it is a genuine laugh. The laugh sounds so strange when he isn't hearing it with ears that aren't his own. It catches him off guard, especially when the siren squeaks again; why does he feel so proud he made him laugh so hard?
"Why is that funny?" Wooyoung asks, sounding more defensive than he truly means to be.
The siren stops laughing, but he has a playful sparkle in his eye, a smirk on his lips that Wooyoung knows everyone he knows must be used to when he's ready to cause trouble. "You want to kiss yourself?" Suddenly, Wooyoung gets really hot, realizing how it sounds. "Love yourself that much, huh?"
"Shut up," Wooyoung mumbles. "Just let me kiss you."
The siren laughs again, but he takes one step closer, looking at Wooyoung's lips and then the eyes. "Alright. Let's fulfill this crazy fantasy of yours, soulmate."
"Your fantasy now too," Wooyoung mutters mostly to himself because the siren just agreed to kiss himself as well.
Wooyoung moves closer, although slowly, unsure, and the siren does the same, still looking up at Wooyoung expectantly. He moves to set a hand on the siren’s waist–his own waist, and he hesitates for a second and carefully places his hand there as if he is fragile. It’s not like he is new at kissing, in fact, he is actually pretty good (so he hears), but this body feels foreign and if this truly is his soulmate, it makes him more nervous than he expected it would be. With a slight tilt of his head, Wooyoung finally closes the distance between the two of them. The kiss is shy, hesitant, unsure, even when their lips meet. Heart pounding in his chest, he moves his lips slowly. He almost jumps when he feels the siren’s hands cup his face and he almost breaks the kiss. Was this too weird? Why did he request this?
He attempts to relax, trying to rely on his old tactics. Moving his lips a bit faster, allowing his own tongue to get involved and feel the inside of his own mouth–okay, maybe it is a bit weird.
Then, like a bolt of lightning hits them both, and, suddenly, Wooyoung is the one with the tongue in his mouth and a strong hand resting on his waist. Both of them pause mid-kiss; they are back in their own bodies.
And then, the siren takes over with a wave of confidence. Wooyoung stumbles back a step, taken by surprise as the siren pushes his tongue further into his mouth, pressing his body closer so the distance between them vanishes. His other hand presses against Wooyoung’s back, pressing them even closer. And Wooyoung relaxes, his arms dropping to wrap around the siren’s neck, opening his mouth wider and making a quiet sound. Their tongues mix, teeth click, and both are gasping for air, but they don't break the kiss. They gasp for air in between, and fingers start clawing at each other.
Wooyoung’s head is spinning–it isn’t just from the lack of oxygen, no, he knows that much. He has been kissed like this before, but he knows this isn’t just lust. There’s something there, something making his stomach tickle with a nervousness he hasn't experienced since his first crush.
Eventually, they finally need to break; they can only go so long without breathing.
“Damn,” Wooyoung exhales breathlessly.
The siren smiles and, maybe because he is back in his own body and looking at the siren with his own eyes, he appears even more handsome than before.
And he knows he doesn’t want to let go of him. He knows, deep down, this siren is his, and is meant to be his: they are a part of each other, and they found the part that was missing before.
“Yeah,” the siren echoes, “damn.”
With an impish smile, Wooyoung leans back into the siren. “Guess it’s time for you to take me out on a date.”
“How about more than one?” the siren offers.
“You owe me at least five after that kiss,” Wooyoung replies. Oh, yes, he will be okay if this man is meant to be his soulmate.
Someone clears their throat from the front door, startling the both of them. Yeosang is standing there, leaning on the door a little too comfortably, and Wooyoung wonders how long he was standing there watching them make out. Guess it is a good thing they didn’t do anything else.
“Jongho thought you were dead. Guess you’re far from dead,” Yeosang says, and Wooyoung wants to wipe that stupid smug grin off his best friend’s face.
Wooyoung bites back a retort and instead looks to the siren. “This is. . .um. . .” And then he realizes: he still doesn’t even know the siren’s name.
The siren takes a step forward. “San. I’m San.” He then smiles with the brightest smile in the world. “And I’m his soulmate.”