"Taehyung stop pushing that fucking button!"
"But it's cute, look, there, it lights up!"
Jeongguk was fucking done with Taehyung pressing the bell on the bus every five seconds. This was Taehyung's first time on public transport, and Jeongguk had to lecture him on the bus stop that he cannot belt off songs in the bus, or harass other passengers. Taehyung followed these instructions, but what Jeongguk had left out was the tiny little yellow buttons on the handles. Taehyung saw other passengers pushing the button, then the bulb near the driver lights up. He didn't seem to understand the concept that he should only push the button when the bus is approaching his destination. He kept pushing it and made buzzing noises as sound effects. Jeongguk was very frustrated, to say the least. Some schoolgirls were staring at them, giggling.
Luckily, Taehyung's curiosity vanished after eight stations.
They got off several stations later, where they had to walk shortly before reaching the orphanage. The pair walked in comfortable silence, with Taehyung wobbling after Jeongguk like a baby penguin. Jeongguk would never admit his lips curled up slightly when he heard Taehyung's small gasps and awes behind him.
The duo soon reached the orphanage. Since it was still school time, the kids were not in the centre. The staff at the reception looks like she wanted to eat Jeongguk up alive, eyes ogling and practically drooling all over him.
"Sir, you are too kind, would you like to stay here a bit so our staff members could thank you properly?" She purred at Jeongguk, who looked like he didn't detect any form of flirting from the female staff.
"No thanks, I'll just head home. Bye." Then Jeongguk grabbed Taehyung's hand and left the orphanage.
"Jeez, she was totally into you, Ggukkie, she practically eye-fucked you!" Taehyung whisper shouts. Jeongguk immediately let go of his hand and coughed unnecessarily loudly. "Who taught you that expression! You shouldn't learn this type of things!"
"From the TV of course. Netflix to be exact." Taehyung said proudly as if knowing the phrase "eye-fucking" is a really great achievement.
"That's it, you are banned from Netflix."
"No! You can't ban me from my only happiness!"
"I thought Yeontan was your only happiness?"
♆
When they got home, Jeongguk finally let Taehyung see what he had bought in the mall (the older had continued to pester him throughout the whole bus ride). Taehyung first took out the fairy lights, not knowing what it was. When Jeongguk explained that it would glow in dark and make his room prettier, and Taehyung couldn't be happier. Jeongguk had been nervous showing Taehyung all his purchases, afraid that the merman would judge him for his childishness, but he should know by now that Taehyung is a kid at heart, and he loves anything Jeongguk gives him (other than oatmeal).
When they unpacked everything, Taehyung was over the moon to hear that Jeongguk will be re-decorating his with him. He never had the chance to decorate his own room back in the palace, as he is a prince and there were some royal protocols that he had to follow. Jeongguk told him that they could decorate it together tonight after bathing, and Taehyung finally asked the million-dollar question.
"Ggukkie, is it okay for me to stretch out my tail? It's been too long and I feel angsty."
Jeongguk let out an unintelligent oh , brain going on numb. Is his tub big enough? Will it be too cramped? "Well, you know how big my tub is. If that is okay with you, then sure."
And that's why Taehyung is now waddling in Jeongguk oversized black sweater with nothing underneath, following Jeongguk into the biggest bathroom in the house. "Careful Tae-" "Ow!" "Tae I told you to be careful of the door frame." "Why are my reflexes so slow on land, ugh, I would've dodged it if I was in water."
While Jeongguk is filling up the tub with warm water, Taehyung looked at the bath bomb curiously. "Ggukkie, what is this?"
Jeongguk stole a glance at the baby blue bath bomb and said "It's a bath bomb. Put it in the water and it will dissolve. It gives pleasant smells and pretty colours. I bought it for you, it's my favourite, its called Seashore Breeze."
"Oh, that sounds very promising already. I will be the judge if it really smells like seashores." Jeongguk let out a small chuckle. "Sure. If it turns out to be fake, I will sue them with the testimony of a merman."
Peaceful silence fell over them, with Jeongguk filling up the tub and Taehyung sitting on the toilet, swinging his legs and wiggling his toes. When it was time, Jeongguk told Taehyung to put the bath bomb in, and Taehyung was more than delighted to do so.
Taehyung's genuine smile whenever he tries something new still amazes Jeongguk: the way his eyes light up at the frizzling sounds of water, his melodious laughter and the boxy smile on full display, Jeongguk thinks he's never met someone so pure and so intriguing. Jeongguk thinks he might be in [redacted]. (Hint: the l word)
Jeongguk looked away when Taehyung removed his sweater and jumped into the tub. He just stood there watching Taehyung play with the bubbles. "Aren't you going to shift?" Jeongguk asked, not understanding why the older haven't done that the first thing he got into the tub.
Taehyung suddenly fell uncharacteristically silent over Jeongguk's question, eyes looking anywhere but the young marine biologist.
"I-I don't- can you please l-look away for one second?" Taehyung's bubbly voice was reduced down to a near whisper. Jimin and Yoongi always told him to shift in deeper waters first, then swim up to the shores so he won't be attacked by humans. He guessed shifting is a really vulnerable process, but that's not the main reason why he asked Jeongguk to look away. He knew Jeongguk would never hurt him. But Taehyung had never shifted in front of Jeongguk, the first time being an accident. He was scared that the process would be very gruesome and may scar Jeongguk for life. After all, bone rearranging and scales growing out can't be that pleasant.
"Oh." Jeongguk let out, thinking that Taehyung didn't want him to witness his tail due to personal reasons. "I can leave if you want to, I think you can manage it on your own. Just shout when you need my help, okay?" Jeongguk was ever so patient and so gentle Taehyung could hear the aches in his heart.
"No! Don't leave! I-I mean, it's okay, it's just I have never seen anyone shifted before... I don't know if it would look very ugly or scary." Taehyung's guilty expression made Jeongguk want to crawl out his hair.
"Oh. Well. I'm sure I've seen worse. You won't scare me, don't worry. I can still leave if you want me to." The way Jeongguk's eyes showed so much care and concern in them made Taehyung's heart swell. He was scared of scaring Jeongguk away, but after his reassurance, he wants Jeongguk next to him in his first conscious shift.
"It's okay, you can stay, I don't mind. You can watch if you want to." Taehyung bit his lower lip, words threatening to spill out of his mouth any moment. "C-can you hold my hand while I shift? I'm very nervous. P-please?" Taehyung extended his hand slowly, bubbles slipping from his forearm.
Jeongguk couldn't tell if the blush on Taehyung's face was due to the humidity and temperature of the room, or from what Jeongguk didn't dare think of. Jeongguk was pretty sure his cheeks would be tainted pink by now. "S-sure. If that's what you want."
The image is quite sweet and domestic, with Taehyung in the tub holding Jeongguk's hand, who was sitting on the floor, eye-level with Taehyung. They stared into each others' eye for a while, before Taehyung broke it and gave Jeongguk's hand a tight squeeze. "I'm going to shift now, wish me luck Ggukkie."
"You'll be fine, Tae."
When Taehyung closed his eyes, he tried to reach for Mother Ocean deep within him. He put his free hand in the water, and whispered the secret language of the mer, seeking out to his roots. He soon felt a deep burn starting from his abdomen, then it began spreading downwards to his thighs, his calves. Jeongguk's reassuring whispers became white noises. He couldn't hear anything, could only feel the hot pain soaring from his lower part, slowly consuming his mind. He vaguely remembers Jeongguk's grip tightening on his hand, can feel his burning gaze on him. After an agonising minute, Taehyung's mind finally came back, registering the pain. He blinked several times, before turning to Jeongguk. The younger boy's face was as pale as a sheet of paper.
"Hey," Taehyung whispered softly, a bit tired from the shift.
"Hey yourself. You scared the shit out of me." Jeongguk's voice was even smaller than Taehyung's, the slight tremble in his voice an indication of how scared he was.
"Aw. Did I manage to scare little Ggukkie?" Taehyung teased, watching red bloom on Jeongguk's pale face.
"That was quite intense I wouldn't lie. How's your tail feeling? Does it still hurt?"
Taehyung had almost forgotten he had a wound in his tail up till now. The wound left a scar there, milky white against emerald, but slowly fading already. "It feels kinda weird, not in pain, definitely not, but the scales around it seems to be stretched and slightly rearranges so it feels a bit... funny."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Perhaps try moving it around? Who am I kidding, I am no mermaid expert. Just- well, you can make a splash if you promise to clean it up later."
"Is that so?" The usual mischief lit up in Taehyung's eyes, and Jeongguk immediately knew that he was doomed.
"Tae, I-" He was cut off by a stream of water shooting right at his face. Taehyung's giggles echoed in the bathroom, and Jeongguk's hair now sticks to his forehead gloriously.
"Ugh. You make me want to sell you to the sushi owner, Taehyung." Taehyung, however, didn't seem to be threatened by that statement, casually waving his hands and created a water statue of Jeongguk in an Iron Man suit. "Nah, I'm sure you won't Ggukkie, you love me too much to let me go."
Well. That hit too close to home. Jeongguk's brain shut down for a moment because he cannot find any lie in Taehyung's words. Jeongguk kept telling himself it was just infatuation, but deep down he always knew it was something more. Realising he had no comeback from this, he let out a quite yeah that Taehyung didn't seem to notice.
Taehyung played in the tub for more than half an hour, when Jeongguk offered to warm up the water for him, Taehyung simply dismissed the idea, saying that if it was nothing compared to the Arctic Seas.
"So. Tell me about this Jimin and Yoongi fella that you always mention."
"Oh! Jiminie is my best friend! His father is the general and a close friend of my father, we bumped into each other one time when we were young and got our tails tangled together. I would like the consider it as fate! We've been best pals ever since. Yoongi is three years older than us. He is Jimin's second soulmate, me being Jiminie's first and foremost of course. Yoongi has been courting Jimin for like... a little more than three years I think. Disgustingly in love, makes me third wheel all the time. He came up here three years ago as well, as p a part of our so-called royal training. I think he rapped. His stage name was July... wait, no. August D?"
"Holy shit. You mean Agust D? Dude. He's epic. You know him? What the fuck. I remember listening to his mixtape on loop while I was in the university gym. I bumped into him once in Hongdae when he was busking there. It was the best day of my fucking life. Holy shit, do you think I can meet him? Can you introduce me to him? Do-" Jeongguk's eyes were opened comically wide, excitement clear on his face.
"Guk-ah, you are rambling." Taehyung let out a breathy chuckle. "When hyung said he was famous on land, I never thought he was serious. He actually has fans?! Wow. I can't believe this. He's gonna be so smug about it. Since I lost the seashell I brought, I guess we can find another one on the beach and try to reach out to them. It really depends if he is awake or not."
"You guys can communicate via seashells?! What the fuck? How does it even work? Do you have numbers for each seashell?"
"No, Ggukkie, we don't need any of that. We just think of the person really hard, think of their voice and their face. It somehow connects you magically. Of course, not every seashell works. The one I brought up is the best kind, but I guess others will do as well."
Jeongguk seemed to be in a daze for a few moments to process all the new information, thirty seconds later he scrambled out of the bathroom and came back with a small cardboard box in his arms.
"I used to collect seashells when I was younger. If this doesn't work, we can just go down to the beach and pick some up. Do you think any of these work?"
Taehyung opened the box and found a dozen colourful well kept seashells inside. "Wow. You must really wanna talk to hyung, don't you Jeonggukkie?"
So Taehyung set to work: by work he meant examining each seashell while bringing them towards his ear and try to think of Yoongi hyung and his scowling face. At last, he picked a medium-sized shell with blue dots on it.
"I think this will work. Let's hope hyung is awake." Taehyung closed his eyes and listened to the solid beating of his heart along with Jeongguk's. He tried to think of Yoongi Hyung's voice. What popped up in his mind were sentences like kid shut u p and Taehyung stop bothering Jimin and give Jimin back to me you punk .
After minutes of reaching and Jeongguk anxiously chewing his lip next to Taehyung, Taehyung finally heard something from the shell.
Who the fuck is this?
"Hyung! You answered! Hey, hyung! Where's Jiminie? Tell him I miss him!"
To Jeongguk, it seems like Taehyung was screaming at thin air. He couldn't hear any voice from the seashell. Taehyung was talking animatedly, one arm whacking around happily. He looked like an idiot.
Taehyung? Why are you calling me in this ungodly hour? Where have you been, you punk? We tried calling you for days and you don't even reply. What are you up to?
" Hyuuuuuunnggg , I lost my shell, I used another one. I missed you guys so much." Taehyung used his best whining voice, knowing that Yoongi is not really mad at him. "Plus, I met Jeongguk! He is very nice and I am staying at his house now and-"
Taehyung are you crazy? You're staying with a human? What if they know you're a-
"Too late hyung! He already knows! And you know what-"
Tae Tae is that you?! AHHHHHHHH Yoongi go away I have to talk to my soulmate!
It was a mess, Jimin screaming into Taehyung's ear, screeching about him being irresponsible and making him worry about him all week. Taehyung put the shell on the floor and finally, Jeongguk could hear all the fuss.
-is the person you're staying with trustworthy? Tae, you shouldn't trust humans, you know.
And that was the first sentence Jeongguk heard. He did not feel good. He understood where this came from, yet he still felt bad.
"Guys, Jeonggukkie is very trustworthy, okay? He is very nice and friendly, and he has been taking good care of me! He's shown me all the cool stuff. He's good! I promise, don't worry, okay?" Jeongguk couldn't help but feel a warmth spread in his chest, the way Taehyung spoke so highly of him to his friends, made him believe that maybe he could be accepted.
Kid, I still don't think you trust any humans. They are manipulative, and you're too naive for your own good, you should leave-
"Yoongi hyung, he's a fan of Agust D."
Oh. Good. He's good then, I trust him.
Yoongi! You can't trust Tae's life on a stranger just because they are your fan!
"He said he met you once, hyung."
Really? I don't have a good memory though. I doubt I will remember him.
"Um. Hi, Yoongi-ssi, my name is Jeon Jeongguk, I'm a huge fan. Uh, I don't think you'll remember me, but, I am the kid who dressed in all black and gave you an Americano in Hongdae while you were busking. Yeah, that's me. Ha." Jeongguk awkwardly scratched his neck, blushing slightly and looked down on the floor.
You're that kid? Wow. You know what, I am always grateful for your support. I remember reading your comments and tweets about my mixtape. And I really appreciate your Americano kid, really, thanks a lot. Means a lot to me.
"Yoongi hyung, I think you broke Jeongguk, he's sniffling."
"No I'm not ."
Kid, take good care of Taehyung, okay? He's annoying sometimes, but he's a good kid.
"Hyung!"
They talked for about an hour, Jimin kept asking Jeongguk question that is harder than the US immigration test, Jeongguk answering their questions with caution, shy and reserved at first, but soon Taehyung and Jimin eased him up, into time he was laughing his heart out at Taehyung's poor attempt at rapping.
"I knew they'd like you Ggukkie, I can tell they trust you a lot." Taehyung says after their 'call' when Taehyung was drying the bathroom with his powers.
"I think that's just because I happen to be a fan of your Hyung's music." Jeongguk deadpanned. Taehyung laughed at his seriousness.
"Yeah, maybe. Who knows? I trust you a lot. Definitely not because you like Agust D though."
♆
Jeongguk laid out all the fairy lights and decorating lamps on Taehyung's bed. "I also ordered some bedsheets and curtain, I think they will arrive in a few days, I will put them up later." Jeongguk first hanged the fairy lights on the wall while Taehyung was struggling with the wrapping of the seashell lamp. It took them a solid thirty minutes until they finished decorating Taehyung's room. Taehyung opened the last wrapped gift on his bed and found a weird sphere.
"Ggukkie, what is this? It looks very very cute!!" Taehyung eyed the globe curiously. The snow globe was not a big fancy one, just a small one with a little snowman in it, with a dog that kinda resembles Yeontan if you use your imagination.
"That's for you. It's called a snow globe, try shaking it gently. It will snow." Jeongguk explained softly.
When Jeongguk was met with silence, he turned to look at a distressed Taehyung.
"Jeongguk-ah, you know you don't need to do this, right? You don't need to buy me all these stuff, I-I can't repay you with anything. You already gave a place to stay,, gave me food and clothes. I cannot ask any more from you." Taehyung eyes were full of emotions, and his hands were fiddling with the hem of his sweater.
Jeongguk walked closer, and at that spur of the moment, Jeongguk felt brave, so he grabbed Taehyung's hands and rubbed circles with his thumb. "Taehyung, you don't need to repay me. I buy you all this stuff because I hope you would like them, that they will remind you of home and you can feel better whenever you are homesick. "
"But I'm not homesick." I have already found my home in you.
Jeongguk looked up from his lap. Taehyung's face was so close he could count the number of eyelashes on his lower lash line. Jeongguk could see the little mole under Taehyung's right eye, could see the intricate patterns in Taehyung's irises, could smell Taehyung's faint seashore bath bomb artificial fragrance, could hear his own heart thumping loudly in his chest.
But Jeongguk was a coward, so he stood up and brushed his sweatpants, and urged Taehyung to go to sleep. Taehyung didn't seem to have noticed Jeongguk's inner turmoil, if he did, he didn't mention it, skipping happily while humming some tunes he heard on the radio in Jeongguk's car.
♆
That night Taehyung couldn't sleep. He was tossing and turning on his bed, and he can't seem to slow his heartbeat or to will away the almost-permanent blush on his cheeks. "Get it together Taehyung, Jeongguk only takes care of you because he doesn't want you dead," Taehyung muttered to himself. Taehyung hugged Jeongguk's spare pillow tight against his chest, inhaling the fresh linen smell and the faint smell of Jeongguk's shampoo on the pillow. The clock on the side of his bed shows that it was already very late at night. Taehyung could see the small photo of him and Jeongguk on the wall. He had asked Jeongguk to take a picture of them on his camera and print it out, so Jeongguk took a selfie with Taehyung using his Polaroid camera. Taehyung was pinching his cheeks while tickling his stomach, Jeongguk looked so happy in the picture Taehyung couldn't stop smiling to himself like the love-struck idiot he was.
( "Ggukkie, you need to smile more, your bunny teeth are cute."
"Tae I'm anything but cute."
"Nuh-uh. Now show me your bunny smile Ggukkie!"
"Tae!")
Taehyung remembers using one hand to pinch Jeongguk's cheek, the other circling around Jeongguk's waist to tickle him. Jeongguk had squirmed a bit, then taking revenge by circling around Taehyung's waist and unleashing the tickle monster. At that moment, Taehyung felt so close to Jeongguk: their bodies morphed together, fitting each other like lost pieces of puzzles. The warmth Jeongguk emits and his airy laughter, the way his eyes crinkled up, with is adorable bunny teeth on full display, and knowing that Taehyung I the cause behind Jeongguk's happiness, Taehyung thinks he might be a little bit in love.
terribly sorry for the late update guys :(((