down where it's wetter | KOOKV

but that is a big mistake

Talking with Jeongguk was nice. It was nicer than what Taehyung had anticipated, but he could tell Jeongguk was full of unasked questions, his face crunching up and frowning, frankly, he looked like he was constipated.

They made little chats. Jeongguk asked Taehyung some trivial questions about the sea, and Taehyung answered them with honesty. Jeongguk asked about Atlantis and Titanic, in which Taehyung replied with a mere shrug, confirming the legends, as well as accounting his experience to the depths of the seas when he visited the site where the ship never sink rested. Taehyung had mentioned that the merfolk's body structure was not made for waters too cold or high pressured deep seas, so his visit to the ship that lied 12500 feet below was not a very pleasant experience, and Taehyung couldn't understand all the fuss about the cruise ship, since all he saw was some skeletons and rotten stuff. Their morning went on like this, Taehyung leaning against the pool, occasionally splashing his tail, while Jeongguk pulled a chair from his desk and sat next to Taehyung, looking at him with poorly disguised curious eyes, asking questions softly.

"When you eat the fish, how can you eat the bones all together?"

"Biological differences I guess. Do you want to try fish bones as well?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Okay."

Every once in a while they would fall into a comfortable silence, with Taehyung glancing around and Jeongguk thinking of other questions.

If Jeongguk was being honest, he could ask fifty million questions. He had so many unsolved questions, like the ones Hank claimed to have found answers for. He was prompted to let Taehyung read Hank's book so he could point out all the mistakes he had made. But Jeongguk was not fond of strangers, he has never been excellent with meeting new people, especially when said person is a fucking merman.

"Hey, Jeongguk sir?" Taehyung looked at Jeongguk with expectant eyes. This conversation happened so many times Jeongguk is now immune to Taehyung calling him sir.

"Taehyung I told you we don't call everyone sir up here, it's either someone old or... you're kinky," Jeongguk explained patiently, hoping Taehyung would get the hint.

"First of all, what is kinky? Does it mean being polite? You humans are so weird, do you have no manners? But I thought you guys had schools as well." Taehyung frowned deeply, seemingly genuinely confused. Just as Jeongguk was going to tell how wrong he was, Taehyung continued.

"Anyways, thanks for the fish Jeongguk, not the best I've ever had but it was fine. Do you think you could let me stay here for a few days before putting me back at the sea? I don't wanna go back immediately... wait- you're going to put me back right? Are you one of those hunters? You won't lock me up? Right?" Taehyung soon entered the panic state, as he stared at Jeongguk with wide eyes, fists clenched and teeth clattering. Jeongguk thought he looked as intimidating as a freezing baby polar bear.

"I just bandaged all your wounds and gave you a fish, if I were a hunter would I have don't any of that?"

"Well maybe you want to feed me till I'm fat and greasy then you'll eat me up?"

Jeongguk rolled his eyes to heaven. He couldn't believe this was the supposed prince of some marine tribunal clan. How does he not know anything? Jeongguk felt the tension loosened up a bit, as he tried his best to let out a deep chuckle, mimicking those Bond villains he sees in the movies.

"Maybe, huh? I bet you taste amazing." Watching Taehyung's face turn from confusion to horror was a fun process, but as soon as his brain processed what he just implied, he felt his cheeks turn warm. It must have been a surreal experience for Taehyung, one minute the guy in front of him was all enigmatic and villainous, the next minute he was blushing and stuttering out sorry and I didn't mean it. To say Taehyung was confused was a huge understatement.

"Um, how 'bout I tell you everything you need to know about the merfolk in exchange for my freedom?" Taehyung tried to bargain, as he still genuinely thought Jeongguk was one of those merciless hunters.

Jeongguk snorted, his face returning to normal human colour. "You don't need to bargain with me, I'm not a hunter, and I will never hurt you. I was joking. It's called sarcasm. Maybe you don't have it-"

"We have it you dimwit."

"Call me dimwit again and I would sell you to the hunters."

"Sorry sir."

And they fell into silence again. The gears inside of Jeongguk's head kept turning, his tongue feeling like lead in his mouth, his whole existence aching to ask the question that has been on his mind ever since Taehyung and he started making little chats.

Don't ask Jeongguk you'll sound like a real fucking creep.

Don't ask don't ask don't ask-

"So. How do mermaids have sex?" Shit Jeongguk now you sound like a fucking creep. Abort abort abort-

"Gguk what the actual fuck?" Taehyung had a really comical facial expression if it hadn't been Jeongguk's burning curiosity and embarrassment he would have laughed out loud.

"I mean, do you just dry hump, or what? Oh wait, you're under the sea so is it wet hump?" Okay there's no turning back now

"Jeongguk just shut the fuck up please." Taehyung was turning red, much like Jeongguk a few minutes ago.

"What. You don't know what kinky is but you know what humping is?" Jeongguk asked genuinely.

The thing is, Taehyung never thought Jeongguk would ask this question. Sure, he thought their anatomy and reproduction method might intrigue him, but he never thought Jeongguk would ask that so explicitly. And Taehyung rarely gets shy, but talking about this topic sure made him turn into a shy little ball of fluff. His mind so clouded with shock he didn't realise the slip of Jeongguk's nickname.

"We-I don't know. Well not exactly. Not really. But actually- well." Taehyung kept stuttering and blinking, eyes looking anywhere but Jeongguk. He had never openly discussed this topic with strangers, just with Jimin and Yoongi when he was curious. He didn't even ask his parents how sex worked. He couldn't believe he had to give his saviour on land the talk.

"Well. From what I've heard, you humans have casual sex like you can change your partner over time when you grew tired of them or something like that. In merfolk, we mate for life. We choose our partner and that's it. So- according to Yoongi hyung, there's no comparison between partners, whatever that meant. Also... I don't really know how sex for us works if I'm honest. I-I have never tried it before. But I've heard from Jimin that it involves wrapping the tail around each other, I think there might be some humping involved, I just guessed." By the time he slowly finished his explanation, he was red like a tomato, which was quite contrasting considering he had turquoise hair.

"Oh." was all Jeongguk could say after hearing so much new information. Mate for life? For real? Are they penguins?

"Have you tried it before then?"

"Tried what?"

"Sex."

Now it was Jeongguk's turn to turn into a tomato again. He realised that this merman had the ability to make him fluster with his simple yet outlandish way with words. Something that he didn't encounter often.

"Um. Yeah."

"How does it work? I have told you how ours work so it would only be fair if you tell me back." Taehyung said innocently. Jeongguk wants to slap himself for asking that question, now everything is weird and he could only blame himself.

"Uh. It depends on the gender. Well, if it was a guy and a lady, then...then-well the guy insert...put his reproductive thing inside the lady's reproductive part, then they move... and then they make babies." Jeongguk said it as slow as possible, trying to explain it as vague as possible, but the look on Taehyung's face clearly indicated that he was not satisfied.

"That's it? It sounds really boring. When Jimin came up here he told me he used some small advice which enabled him to watch people have sex for educational purposes. Can you show me those too? I wanna see them. I think it was called- corn?"

Jeongguk straight up choked on air.