Chapter Text
Jang Il-so tilted his head, leaning it into his hands. He could hear the clinking of his jewelry with every movement and it infuriated him. He ripped his necklaces off, watching the valuable stones and broken chains clatter across the floor. Even after ripping those off, it still wasn’t silent. His earrings still clicked softly, so he ripped those out too. His adorned headdress, his ornate clothing, everything that could make a sound, he threw off. He was left in nothing but a simple robe, nothing like how he usually is.
‘...what is wrong with me..?’
Jang Il-so had been rather infuriated by almost everything recently. The sounds were too loud. The colors were too bright. The food was too flavorful. It was hell. He could find no enjoyment in those luxuries of life anymore. Distraught, Jang Il-so moved to the tank, at the side of his room, where he knew he could find some comfort.
“My shiny little vertebae…”
Jang Il-so didn’t say much, and he didn’t need to. The rainbow fish in the tank looked back up at him, and grinned. His voice was surprisingly deep for a fish of that size.
“Glub glub.” You seem concerned, baepedal. What is it that bothers you?
Jang Il-so leaned down, so that his face could touch the water. The rainbow fish swam up and used its strong tail to sweep Jang Il-so’s hair out of his face.
“Vertebae… I’m changing from what I was before, I can’t enjoy what I used to…”
“Glub glub.” But you still enjoy my company, don’t you?
Jang Il-so laughed a little, creating delicate little ripples in the water.
“Of course I do. Color has become far too bright for me, but your scales have always been the perfect hue.”
Jang Il-so lifted his face from the water and instead placed a hand inside to gently caress the rainbow fish.
“These rainbow scales are what drew me to you in the first place, and even with all that has changed within me now, they draw me in even still.”
Jang Il-so’s eyes closed halfway as he felt the rainbow scales under his fingertips while his love swam through them. As he passed, Jang Il-so grabbed off one of his scales and brought it up to look at. The rainbow fish’s delicate skin was slightly ripped open at the rough pull, leading to a small trickle of blood in the tank, not that Jang Il-so would have noticed, enraptured by the scale’s beauty.
“I still find myself enraptured by their color and iridescence. The way the light bends at their presence and cowers at their splendor.”
“Glub glub” You are the only one who has ever known how to appreciate them for what they are.
“...and I could say the same for you.”
Jang Il-so looked away from the scale to stare into the eyes of his vertebae. This fish is the only one to see his splendor for what it truly is. They share a moment of silence between the two of them.
Jang Il-so broke their stare to bring the scale over to a small pot placed next to the tank. It was filled with other brilliant scales. Jang Il-so had a habit of collecting them from his vertebae having them made into fine jewelry. Just recently, he had sent some out to be made into a ring for him to wear.
Jang Il-so let out a deep sigh.
“I am not someone who is known for their patience. Yet I have acquired a role that requires it.”
Before Jang Il-so could let himself get swept up in his thoughts, the rainbow fish spoke to him.
“Glub glub.” Baepedal… Let me comfort you.
Jang Il-so turned to the tank slowly, then nodded. He grabbed a small, clear vase that was next to the tank, and scooped up the rainbow fish. He then walked out of that room into a side room, which contained nothing other than a large tank, with some chairs, a table, and bed all underwater.
Jang Il-so climbed the stairs leading up to the tank and gently poured out the water in the vase, allowing the rainbow fish to swim into the massive tank. Jang Il-so then removed his upper robe, laying it on the stairs, before joining the rainbow fish. He took a deep breath before allowing himself to sink all the way into the water, letting his long black hair flow around his face and he enjoyed the tranquility of the water.
That tranquility did not last long, as soon that rainbow fish appeared at this face, peppering it with affection. With a smile, Jang Il-so settled himself in one of the chairs and closed his eyes, letting his vertebae swim around him, tickling his face and arms gently while also planting sweet kisses all across his bare skin, with a particular focus on his abdomen. The rainbow fish was right. This did comfort him.
He sat there until his fine skin became wrinkled, only going to the surface occasionally for air. The water held a silence that air did not. It held tranquility. Jang Il-so was not one to praise others, but he supposed that he could understand Wudang’s dedication to their sword art a little bit more now.
Once it was finally time for Jang Il-so to leave the tank, he sat on the edge for a bit, thinking about the future.
“Glub glub.” There isn’t anything to ponder about this, baepedal. You are you, and will return to being you once this is over.
The deep, sultry voice of his lover brought Jang Il-so back to reality.
“...right. I am not going to change forever because of something as primitive as this.”
Even if Jang Il-so didn’t fully believe those words, he smiled as though they eased his heart. But his heart knew that he could never truly be the same man after this. He brought his hands up to his stomach, which had begun to bulge out slightly underneath his abs. He was going to have a bloodline after this. One that he had to ensure would not crumble under the pressures of his position.
He looked down at the shining fish swimming at his ankles. A tiny, delicate fish.
‘I will make you stronger.’
***
The pressure filling the room was immense. Jang Il-so was lying on his massive bed as a doctor tended to him. Although Jang Il-so did not make a sound, one could tell of the pain that he was in based upon the aura he exuded.
The doctor was highly experienced in his field. He had detached and reattached limbs, aided in births and also numerous deaths, though, even he was at a loss for words as to what he was experiencing. He had never aided in a half-human half-fish birth before, much less with a proverbial sword to his throat. If there were to be any complications with this birth, it would be the last medical procedure he would go through.
With this in mind, he worked carefully and cautiously, hardly saying a word, as he did not want to break the eerie silence that permeated the bedchamber.
Jang Il-so was staring straight at the ceiling, with one hand resting in a nearby fishbowl, where his vertebae swam lovingly around his slender fingers. Though the rest of Jang Il-so’s body was tense with the trauma of childbirth, his hand and face remained gentle. He had been lying there for hours already, but his patience for this process was unmatched, as he dutifully continued to push his children out.
The doctor had successfully retrieved one child from the bloody mess that was Jang Il-so. It was a fish, but not quite..? It was adorned with red scales akin to the blood flowing from his father, but did not have any fins or a tail. Rather, it had small arms and legs, like that of a human child. It was like nothing the doctor had ever seen.
“Would you like to hold i-... him?”
The doctor cleaned off the fish-human baby and was about to pass it to Jang Il-so.
“Do you really think I'm already done?”
Jang Il-so’s tone was icy as he stared daggers into the doctor. The doctor then looked back down and saw another color, blue. It seems there was more than one child within Jang Il-so.
It took another two hours before all of the children were received. There were seven of them in total, bearing the same fish bodies and human arms and legs.
“All of your children are healthy sir.”
The doctor bowed toward Jang Il-so on the bed and slowly backed away to leave the room. He only took one step before falling over with a hole in his head. Jang Il-so was now sitting up on the bed, with a bloody finger to match the rest of him.
“That man was getting on my nerves. He could barely even do his job right.”
Jang Il-so looked over towards his children. For the time being, they were being contained within a large tank with their other father. The rainbow fish was dutifully swimming around and checking on each one of them. Although no child matched the splendor of the rainbow fish, each of them bore one color with striking intensity. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, one for each color of the rainbow. He left it to his husband to name each of them.
“Glub glub.” I think we should name them Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet, to match their countenance.
“What a lovely idea.”
***
It did not take very long for the children to begin speaking, actually, it took them only three days from the time of their birth before they were replying to their fathers in full sentences and running around like toddlers.
“Father, have you seen my katana?”
The young Orange looked up at Jang Il-so as he asked.
“No, I have not, have you tried asking your siblings? Violet perhaps?”
“Blub blub.”
“I can never understand what she’s saying, father!”
Violet grabbed onto Orange’s hand and dragged him off into the direction of the training yard, which is indeed where he had left his katana.
Yellow, Green, and Red were chasing each other around the halls, playing some sort of cat and mouse game. Jang Il-so walked past another room where he noticed Blue and Indigo caught in a complex game of Chess. Jang Il-so had harbored high expectations for each of his children, but within days they had already seemed to exceed them. A rare warm smile etched itself across his face and he made his way to his bedroom, where the rainbow fish swam.
“Glub glub.” Baepedal, you must tell me how the children are coming along. They don’t find me interesting enough to come tell me themselves it appears.
“Vertebae, I cannot bring myself to force them to see someone they don’t want to, you know this.”
Jang Il-so’s harsh words stuck the rainbow fish like a slap. He had noticed the colder aura his baepedal had been exuding recently, but who could’ve thought that he was the reason?
“Glub glub.” I don’t know what it is you expect of me, baepedal. I am but a humble fish you sought to bring into your life, how is it I’m supposed to appease you now?
Jang Il-so paused for a moment, seeming to consider his words. He held a hand up to his face as he laughed quietly at himself.
“I don’t expect anything. I shouldn’t. I know you, and I love you just as you are, vertebae.”
Jang Il-so said these words, but his heart seemed to disagree. He usually did not give his feelings much thought, but it appeared that they were now different from what he had previously experienced.
He let his hand idly float in the water as the rainbow fish approached to caress it.
“Glub glub.” Perhaps I should try to join them in their games of tag. They can certainly join me in the water, can’t they?
Jang Il-so gave him a mirthless smile, but the rainbow fish did not notice anything unusual.
“I’ll do my best to convince them.”
***
The rainbow fish swam around their ornate house, using the complex system of glass tubes to traverse through the rooms. After being ignored by his children so much, Jang Il-so had them installed, so that the rainbow fish would be free to roam wherever he pleased.
On this day, the rainbow fish went out into the yard to watch the children play a game of sword-tag, as they called it. Orange was the one with the sword, obviously, and all the other children were running from him. The rainbow fish watched as his children ran playfully around the yard, each one nimble enough to not get caught by Orange quite yet. A flash of red across the grass changed his focus when Orange managed to snag Violet in the shoulder with his blade.
“You’re out!!”
“Blub blub…”
Violet stepped away from the field to nurse her wound.
Despite this violent show, the rainbow fish felt no need to intervene, as he already knew that this was how his baepedal thought his children should be raised. Harsh lessons reap heavy rewards. Orange continued to race around the field, lunging at their siblings with fervor.
Before long, Indigo, Green, Red, and Blue were all out, leaving only Yellow being chased by Orange. Yellow was the fastest of the bunch, and the most nimble too. They jumped over the bushes of their garden, and through the trees, getting Orange stuck more than a few times. The branches often snagged on their rough scales, peppering them with scratches. Orange was getting more and more impatient.
Yellow made a dash towards the rainbow fish, lightly stepping on the top of his tube, likely with the thought that Orange would stop and admit defeat. However, Yellow had underestimated Orange’s tenacity. Yellow was only able to jump out of the way at the last moment, before Orange crashed directly into the tube, shattering it. The water rushed out of the tube at an alarming rate, and dragged the rainbow fish out with it. Thankfully a servant was able to close off the tube before any more water could drain, but this still left the rainbow fish gasping for air on the grass.
“Orange you idiot! Look what you did.”
“Why is this my fault?! You’re the one who jumped up there!”
“Well maybe if you had admitted defeat by now we wouldn’t be here!”
Yellow and Orange continued bickering back and forth, while the rainbow fish flopped helplessly on the ground.
“Doesn’t it look like he’s struggling..?”
“No, I’m sure he’s fine. It’s not like he can’t breathe.”
“Red. He’s a fish. Why should he be able to breathe?”
“Cause we can, duh.”
As the other fish children blabbed back and forth about their father’s breathing ability, Violet was the only one to move forward and check on the rainbow fish. It only took a few moments for them to realize that he really couldn’t breathe. She scooped him up and ran off to the nearest basin. The other fish watched with a sudden silence as they realized what was going on.
“So he can’t breathe air..?”
***
It had been a few days since the accident in the garden, and despite the precarious state the whole ordeal put the rainbow fish in, only his daughter Violet went to visit him. Jang Il-so had spent the past few days in his room, contemplating. Today he was pacing even more than usual.
“Was I really so stupid to think that I could make a fish stronger..? HA! It’s just a fish! Of course he doesn’t have arms, and can’t breathe air. It’s already a miracle enough that he gave me such strong children.”
His fingers fiddled with his rings as he pondered his decision to make love to a fish. He then noticed one of the rings he was wearing. It was a ring embedded with the scales of the rainbow fish. It reflected the light brilliantly, seeming to encapsulate every color imaginable.
This was why. This was the reason why Jang Il-so fell for this fish in the first place. His beauty and splendor. His way of capturing his attention at every second.
The ring clattered across the floor as Jang Il-so ripped it off his fingers and threw it aside.
“No more of this farce.”
Jang Il-so left the room, leaving the ring in a dusty corner.
***
Jang Il-so had called for a family meeting. Each of the children sprawled across couches and the floor, while the rainbow fish sat swimming in a nearby glass vase next to Jang Il-so.
“I have called you all in here to discuss the incident that happened in the garden the other day.”
The children felt their blood run cold. It was obvious that their father was going to discipline them for letting this happen to the rainbow fish. In contrast, the rainbow fish felt happy. They were worried that their baepedal had forgotten about them, and was trying to leave them behind. They brushed aside that silly thought and let themself trust Jang Il-so entirely.
“I wanted to hear your thoughts about your fish father.”
…
The atmosphere in the room was strange, as none of the fish present knew what this question meant. Violet decided to be the first to answer.
“Blub blub.”
Jang Il-so let out a soft smile.
“Such kind words. I would also like to hear from the others.”
Yellow was the next to speak.
“I think that he is really beautiful, and livens up the palace.”
Indigo went next.
“He has decent insight into my chess games.”
And these comments of lukewarm praise continued from each of the fish children, until it was Orange’s turn.
“I don’t like him.”
The other fish children swiveled their heads to stare at him, getting nervous in his place.
“I don’t like that he can’t walk or breathe air. Father, this fish is useless .”
…
The air grew heavy, as they watched for Jang Il-so’s reaction. To their surprise, he smiled.
“You’re right.”
He then reached in and grabbed the rainbow fish. He hadn’t ever grabbed him this roughly before, the rainbow fish was stunned with shock. They stared helplessly at Jang Il-so as he brought him out of the water. The rainbow fish couldn’t breathe. Not because of the lack of water, rather, the look in Jang Il-so’s eyes made his tiny fish heart stop. There was nothing in those eyes. Not even distaste. Just… nothing.
Jang Il-so carelessly tossed the rainbow fish out the window. Down, down, down, he fell. He couldn’t even make sense of what was happening.
‘Why?’ Was his last thought before he hit the ground below.
Jang Il-so did not even look out the window once.
“I do not tolerate the weak or useless here.”
The fish children gawked in silent awe. Violet rushed forward to the window and looked down. It was at least five stories up, and there was no water down there. If the rainbow fish hadn’t died from the fall, he would die from lack of water.
“Don’t mourn for something useless Violet.”
His cold words shook through Violet, and she shrank down the wall before curling into a ball.
Jang Il-so left the room, taking the other fish children with him, leaving Violet as the only lifeform left who could mourn for the rainbow fish.