"Wait, where did Taehyung go?" Jeongguk's eyes widened, realising how long he has been talking to Jimin without paying any attention to the other merman.
Jimin smirked, but quickly got rid of it once the human looked back at him.
"I feel like such a bad friend! He must've felt so left out.." Jeongguk bit his lip, looking down.
Putting up the fake act, Jimin tried to make his words sound real. "Ah.. Don't worry, Jeongguk-ah. I'm sure he'll come around. I need to go back home anyways, I'll talk to him. It was nice meeting you! I─ I hope I can see you sometime again!"
Jeongguk smiled widely, "Of course, Minnie! It's nice to have another friend! Tell Taehyung I'm sorry, please."
Jimin nodded, pushing himself back into the water -which was needed anyway since his tail was getting really dry- and waved.
"I'll do that. See you next time!"
Waving back, Jeongguk smiled. "See you!"
────🐚────
Laying on his bed, Jeongguk stared at something specific.
The gifts from the blue haired male.
He grew attached to him. Taehyung is a friend everyone wishes to have in life, he's so kind and sweet.
Jimin comparing to Taehyung, however, is nearly impossible. They're nothing alike. Jimin is extroverted and he's nowhere near shy, he just says whatever is on his mind without stuttering. Taehyung keeps things more to himself, he's shy and adorable.
Jeongguk knows that Taehyung is sensitive. That's one thing he learned as he got to know the merman more and more. Yet, he ignored him and spent the rest of the night talking to Jimin, while in reality, Taehyung is the one who had waited for him for hours.
"Hopefully he doesn't feel too bad..." Jeongguk mumbles, rubbing his eyes feeling guilty.
"I don't want him to think I'm replacing him or something like that.. He's unique to me. He's irreplaceable."
At this point he was thinking out loud, trying to comfort himself a little.
He really owes him a big apology.
────🐚────
"It's all my fault.." Taehyung muttered quietly, blaming himself for the fact that Jeongguk sees Jimin as his friend.
If he had been honest with him from the beginning, none of it would've happened.
Sighing, he watched his fins droop sadly to his side. He never wants to experience the feelings he had to go through today, ever again.
It hurt, and he did it to himself.
It felt like something so very precious got taken away from him. He knows he should trust Jeongguk, that the human wouldn't leave him. But his insecurities made it hard for him to do so.
Taehyung rubbed his wrist with his hand, expecting to feel the bracelet Jeongguk got him on his wrist, but he gasped in horror once he felt bare skin.
"No.." He breathed out, checking his other wrist.
"No, no, no, no, no!" His bottom lip was trembling.
He lost it. What is he supposed to tell Jeongguk? Would he get mad at him?
He really lost it. He lost Jeongguk's gift.
Words could not describe how bad and guilty he felt.
His hand reached for his hair, tugging harshly on his locks.
He held his other hand on the empty space of his wrist, not wanting to look.
"Taehyung! I want to speak to you." The male looked up sadly, his mind clouded trying to think of what he was supposed to do about the entire situation.
"Hoseok.. Hi.."
The red haired ignored Taehyung's mood, about to open his mouth to say something, when another voice chimed in.
"Taehyung." The mentioned turned to look at Jimin, who swam towards him with a devilish smirk.
He, however, did notice the other's mood.
Or maybe it was just because of the fact that he knew. He knew better. He didn't have to read his body language to know how he feels.
"You look terrible. Oh well, when do you not?"
Hoseok rolled his eyes, but didn't try to intervene.
Taehyung just softly shook his head,
"It's g─gone.." He whispered. He didn't really think the situation through at this point, he knew that Jimin and Hoseok had no clue of what he was talking about. But he just blurted it out, nonetheless.
He just felt so, so bad.
He didn't even notice Hoseok's furrowed eyebrows in confusion or the smirk that only got bigger on Jimin's face.
"Are you looking for this?" Taehyung looked at Jimin who held up his wrist, showing off his bracelet.
He thought that Jimin didn't know, but he was wrong. Again.
With a pleading look Taehyung extends his hand, wanting to reach for what is his, for what is so dear to him. He didn't even question how, he just wants it back.
"Nah, ah, ah." Jimin shook his finger, taking a peek at Hoseok who was watching with confusion.
"Oh! Don't tell me.." Jimin laughed, looking back at Taehyung who slowly began understanding where this was going. Jimin smiled a huge, fake smile.
"Don't tell me Hoseok doesn't know about your little adventures?" The elder emphasised the last word.
Taehyung looked back at Hoseok, who was now silently staring at the bracelet around Jimin's wrist.
All kinds of emotions ran through the red tailed merman, he didn't know how to feel.
Taehyung waited anxiously, not really wanting a response because whatever it was going to be, he was trapped, driven into a corner.
If it was 'yes,' that means that Hoseok was aware of the fact that Taehyung was lying straight to his face, and if it was 'no,' Jimin would definitely be glad to explain.
"So it's true.." Hoseok whispered, breaking the awful, nerve-wracking silence.
"W─what is?" Taehyung tried, at which Jimin laughed. "No, no, there's no turning back now, Taehyungie. You got yourself into this mess, you better fix it." Taehyung was disgusted by the overly sweet, baby voice Jimin used, only to make it worse.
Before Taehyung got a chance to respond, he quickly got shut up when Hoseok gave him a glare that already said enough.
"I was aware that he left our world occasionally, yes. I was aware that he was lying to me, but I had hope that he would trust me, tell me. Guess I was wrong, I waited for a long, long time." He was still full-on glaring at Taehyung, while answering Jimin.
"Y─you knew?" Taehyung squeaked, feeling even worse, if that was even possible.
"But the bracelet, however.. I don't think you found that, did you?" Taehyung didn't know what to say. He just looked down and shook his head, defeated.
"Even Jimin, Tae.. Jimin, out of all mermen, knew! And you didn't bother to tell your best friend?!"
Jimin glared at Hoseok, a look that said 'be careful what you say.'
Hoseok sighed, nodding his head.
"Alright.. I guess I know enough."
Taehyung immediately looked back up, looking into Hoseok's eyes desperately.
Hurt.
That's what he saw.
"Please, Hoseok, I'm sorry! Please don't leave me!"
Jimin crossed his arms, finding this rather amusing.
Hoseok bit his tongue, not sure what to do. He gave Taehyung so many chances to tell him, but he didn't. This whole argument with Jimin in it made it even more painful for him.
At this point, Hoseok was done.
"I'm sorry, Taehyung.. But our friendship is over."
Already starting to swim away, Taehyung reached out of Hoseok's arms to stop him.
"No, please! Please give me another chance, I promise I'll never lie to you again!"
Hoseok scoffed, "And you expect me to believe that? What if that's just another lie?"
Taehyung felt his blood turn cold at the harsh glare he was receiving from his previously best friend.
He felt like his world came crashing down. Hoseok, his only friend he got here, was leaving him. And it was all because of him.
He watched Hoseok's figure disappear, then looked down.
It fell silent.
He looked at the empty spot on his wrist, glanced back at Jimin and thought of Jeongguk and Hoseok, everything hitting him at once.
He did that.
He caused all of it.
Jimin swam towards Taehyung, clapping his hands. "Good job, dude. Is fucking things up your talent? It really seems like it."
Taehyung just stared, drowning in his own thoughts.
"Oh, by the way, I think I'm going to keep this with me." Jimin smiled, holding up his wrist while stroking the moonstone.
"Who knows, maybe Jeongguk will give me an even nicer one! Since, you know, he'll like me more than you!" He thought out loud to push Taehyung more, sending him over the edge of self-hatred for today. Probably for the coming week, if not more.
It didn't take long before Jimin swam away, leaving Taehyung there all by himself, surrounded by kilometres of blue.
He has never felt so alone.