Amidst the hysterical stress of waiting for his MIA son, Seokjin had collapsed into a deep sleep on the living room couch. His cheeks were tearstained, and his clothes faintly smelled of sweat from when he'd been running through the neighborhood looking for Jungkook.
When Jungkook silently shut the backdoor to his house, he felt for the lightswitch to see if the lights were on. They were; his father was home. Dammit, he thought.
Using the wall as a guide, Jungkook snuck into different rooms of the house, on a quest to find Jin. As he approached the living room, Kookie could hear the calm, deep breaths of someone sleeping.
He followed the noise into the middle of the room, hoping he wouldn't run into something and bring Jin out of slumber. Jungkookie concluded that his father was heavily hibernating on the leather couch. I would've gone with the fabric one. He must be uncomfortable, Jungkook said to himself with a smirk.
He shrugged. Well what do I do now? What if he wakes up before I can get Taehyung upstairs to my room? What would I say if he asks me why I'm carrying a talking fish? Aigo. Maybe I should send him off somewhere just in case.
"Hey Dad?" spoke Jungkook, tapping Jin's shoulder. Seokjin jerked awake and gawked at the audacity Jungkook had to leave him worried for so long. Jungkook couldn't see his father's face to know how much trouble he was in, but he could feel something was off.
Jin stood up on the couch and squeezed his son. Kookie couldn't get his arms free to hug Jin back, so he just nuzzled his head into Jin's shoulder. He must not have changed before falling asleep. His shirt smells like he's probably been running all over looking for me, Jungkook thought, regretting he forgot to assure his father he was okay.
"I will keep you on a leash the next time you do that again," uttered Jin. He was shivering, partially from fear and partially from anger. However, the anger faded quickly as he held Jungkook close.
"I'm an idiot. I'm sorry I scared you, Dad," Jungkookie said, guilt hitting him like a wave in the ocean during a storm. Jin nodded and squeezed Kookie so he could barely breathe.
"Were you safe?" Jin wondered aloud. Jungkook hummed a yes. His father sighed in relief. Jin let go of his son. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"Anything you want to make," Jungkook replied. The father and son smiled, Jin leading Jungkook into the kitchen. Jungkook sat on the cold marble countertops as he heard his father happily bustling throughout the kitchen. He heard his father pause while opening the fridge.
"We're out of eggs," Jin said, remembering back to the time he'd used eggs as an excuse to go argue with Jungkook's eye doctor. Jungkook tilted his head.
"I thought you got eggs last week. Don't you, like, stockpile them?" Kookie asked, suspicious of this sudden shortage of cooking supplies. "What are you making, anyway?"
"You'll have to wait and see, my boy," Jin giggled. "Although I guess you'll have to wait a little longer than intended. I need to go buy some new eggs." Jungkook's face lit up, realizing this was his chance to sneak in Taehyung.
He figured he had around half an hour once his Dad left. "What's that look for?" asked Jin, curious about Kookie's sudden mood change. Jungkook shook his head nonchalantly to dial down Jin's suspicion.
"Well, I'll be back soon. Don't run off again, or I will buy you a leash," Jin told his son, grabbing the keys as he headed to the front door. He didn't notice that Jungkook hadn't followed him there.
As soon as he heard the front door close, Jungkookie hopped off the counter and raced to the back door. He hurried down the path to the beach, hoping that Taehyung was still waiting for him.
"You're back!" exclaimed the merboy, sitting straight up on the rock he had been boredly slumped over. Tae excitedly splashed his tail in the water, allowing Jungkook to use the noise to find him.
"Hey! My dad is at the store, so I figure we have about half an hour to get you in. When he comes, you're okay to chill out in my bathtub or something, right?" asked Jungkook while reaching out his hand in search of Taehyung's.
"What's a bathtub?" Tae replied, taking Kookie's hand. Jungkook laughed to himself. "It's like a tiny pool. I can fill it with water while you sit in it," explained Jungkook. Taehyung hummed enthusiastically, and Kookie smiled in response.
"Shall we be going?" Jungkook asked with a grin. He leaned down to pick Taehyung up, carrying the merboy bridal style as always. Tae blushed, wrapping his arms around Kookie's muscular shoulders.
"You're so strong," Tae muttered shyly, and Jungkook giggled. To show off, Jungkookie threw Taehyung a little and caught him as the mer shreaked. They laughed together.
Slowly but surely, Jungkook carried his crush along the sandy path, listening for Taehyung to tell him if they were approaching an obstacle. They worked perfectly together.
They reached the house with about 15 or 20 minutes to spare. As Taehyung gawked at all the mysterious land plants in Jungkook's backyard, Jungkook took the merboy in the direction of the back door.
Jungkookie and Jin had put in a low-to-the-ground patio a few years ago, so Tae warned him as they approached the tiny step. Kookie stepped up to the patio, feeling the rough wood that was in need of a new paint coat with his bare feet.
"Where are the two chairs?" Kookie asked, assuming Taehyung knew what "chairs" were. Tae tilted his head, but figured his guess wouldn't be too bad since the "chairs" were the only things he could see on the platform.
"Over to the right," he uttered. Jungkookie walked toward the right, and his foot eventually bumped into a wooden object. Kookie began to place Tae on the seat, but Taehyung wouldn't let go.
"It's okay. I just need to open the door," he said, putting his hands up to show Tae no harm would come to him. Resting on the "chair", Taehyung watched in amazement as Jungkook twisted his hand on a silver knob and opened the door. He was silent as Jungkook came over to pick him up again.
"H-how did you free the door like that? What is that thingy?" Taehyung said, pointing a finger at the shiny sphere Jungkook had just twisted. Jungkook, not seeing that Tae had pointed, waited for further specification.
"What thingy?" Kookie said as he knelt to hoist up Taehyung. "The shiny ball you used to free the door," Taehyung immediately responded. Jungkook smirked as he realized what the mer was referring to.
"It's called a doorknob. I have one on the door in my room, too, if you want to try to use one," said the boy, now walking towards the open back door with his crush in his arms. He cautiously felt his way onto the kitchen's hardwood floors, closing the door back with his foot on their way in.
On the trip to the stairs, Taehyung was like a kid in a candy shop. He would stare at something in awe until he found something even cooler to look at right next to it. He tried to stay focused though, because Jungkook had asked him to help lead them in the right direction.
They reached the stairwell with almost no trouble, but now the daunting task of carrying the mer up the stairs was upon them. Jungkook's arms were getting a little tired, so he decided to sit Tae down on the stairs for a bit. Tae whined and was reluctant to be let go of, but he complied when he saw Jungkook's pleading face.
"So what now?" an impatient and excited Taehyung asked. Kookie stretched his arms. "I'm not sure," he said, angling his face towards Taehyung. "Hmm..."
"I don't think it would be safe for me to carry you up since I can't see where I'm stepping. Also I don't think we would want to have to ask my dad for help if either of us got hurt. Maybe I could pull you up," Kookie wondered aloud. Taehyung scrunched his nose, thinking it wouldn't be too comfortable to be dragged up the bumps of stairs.
"I don't think that would feel very good against my tail. What are these things anyway? Where do they lead?" Taehyung asked, pointing to the end of the hallway above. Jungkook giggled at the cuteness of Tae's curious voice.
"My room is up there and so is the bathtub I told you about. They're called stairs by the way," explained Kookie. Taehyung nodded and idly brushed his tail up against Jungkookie's ankles, making the boy grin.
"Okay what if you try lifting yourself up one stair at a time," suggested Kookie. "Here, I'll show you what I mean." Jungkook crouched and carefully lowered himself to sit beside Tae. He then scooted himself one step higher, Taehyung watching carefully to try to replicate the movement. "Now you try."
Slowly and with much concentration, Tae managed to sit his tail one step higher. He smiled and picked up his pace, confidently scooting up the stairs while his tail slightly flapped with eagerness. Jungkook grinned and also scooted up the stairs as he heard Taehyung pass him. The two giggled as it turned into a bit of a race.
Once at the top, Jungkookie scooped Tae up into his arms, asking the mer to make sure he didn't walk into a wall. He lead the mer through the right wing of the hallway, towards his bedroom. Taehyung gasped when he saw a familiar looking object.
"A doorknob," he gushed. Jungkookie grinned at how slap-happy Tae was about something as insignificant as a doorknob. "Do you want to open it?" Kookie said, leaning Taehyung slightly forward towards where he assumed the door was.
With a shaky hand, Tae grabbed the silver human thing and twisted it like he had watched Jungkook do. It was magical: he heard something rotate inside the door, and then he pushed it open. The hand Taehyung had wrapped around Jungkook's neck tightened its grip.
Jungkook walked inside, knowing the layout of his room well enough to not need Tae's guidance. He placed the mer on his bed and situated himself down next to him. Taehyung propped himself up on his knees and felt the colorful fabric of Kookie's bedsheets. He was mind boggled by the softness and attractiveness of the sheets.
"It's so soft," Tae mumbled as Jungkook felt around to grip Tae's hand. "Is this where you sleep?" He looked to Jungkookie's face as the smiling boy nodded, then noticed the beauty and neatness of the room around him.
"This makes my endless underwater caves look like nothing," admitted Taehyung. Jungkook laughed loudly, completely amused by Tae's amazement at all the things he took for granted.
"Even if I gained my sight back, I don't think I would be as excited to see my room as you are," Kookie replied, Taehyung scoffing at Jungkook's mockery. Tae scooted his heavy tail over so he could sort of tackle Jungkook as payback. And so, a tickle fight commenced.
Tae, in all his years of experience from playing with Jiminie, won the war. The two breathlessly ended the fight with a hug, filled with content and butterflies. "Alright, you won. So wanna see what a bathtub is now?" Jungkook asked, filled with nervous and impatient energy.
"Sure! Here, let me just..." Taehyungie trailed off as he removed himself from laying on top of Kookie. Jungkook swung his feet off the side of the bed and stood up, turning around quickly to find Taehyung.
Once the mer was comfortably in bridal style, Jungkookie guesstimated his way to the bathroom. Taehyung beamed when he realized he got another chance to open a doorknob. He was in awe of the spacious and stylish bathroom.
The countertops were marble, the shower had a pristine glass door, and the spotless bathtub was large and equipped with jets. Although Taehyung knew none of what everything was, he still was aware of the fanciness and expensiveness of the room.
Jungkook entered and placed Taehyung on the sink countertop when his foot felt where it was. Tae wagged his tail a bit like a happy dog, and it created a tapping sound against the cabinets. Kookie smiled.
"Do you always do that when you're excited?" he asked Tae. The mer sarcastically gasped and responded, "how did you know?" Kookie shook his head playfully and turned around to find the tub.
He twisted the handles to get the water started, making sure it would be warm. Taehyung jumped at the sudden rushing sound. Jungkook stood facing Taehyung and pointed towards the bath. "This is a tub," he said.
I'm so thankful people are still reading and enjoying this story, especially since I haven't been the nicest Author-nim with regards to updating. I'm so sorry for leaving y'all hanging for so long. Hopefully finishing this book up quickly will make up for it! Love ya!