Chapter Text
"Promise me you won't get any girl pregnant please?"
"Jimin shut up Taehyung is gay."
"He might get drunk and you know how he gets when he's drunk-"
Yoongi and Jimin kept bickering on the topic, yet Taehyung couldn't find himself paying any attention to the couple. Jimin insisted that Taehyung would only face immense danger on land, like getting caught by immigration or getting a girl pregnant.
"Jeez Chim, I'm not that dumb, I know how to take care of myself. And I'm good at faking and acting too."
"Yeah Chim, if I could make it through there's no way Tae wouldn't. But just in case, you're packing some of my autographs with you. Bet those would come in handy."
Taehyung snorted loudly. As if anyone actually liked Agust D duh. Two years ago when Yoongi finally reached 21, he spent a month on land, a tradition for royal family members. Some King thought this could widen their horizon and quote-unquote just because they are ignorant of our presence doesn't mean we should be ignorant of theirs. And that's how the tradition was set years ago. According to Yoongi himself, he had mostly slept through the days and when night time falls, he's out. The nocturnal merman made himself a name by performing in underground rapping competitions, under the name Agust D. Yoongi said he was really popular and often told Taehyung if he had stayed long enough, he could have won a Grammy.
Taehyung called it bullshit.
"Anyways, please be careful Tae, you know how dangerous humans are. And on your way up please be extra cautious, okay? You know there has been frequent reports on hunters in these waters. Just pick a deeper shore with no humans nearby. Do you want me to go with you? You know I can always-"
"Chim, I know you're worried about me, but I'll be fine, okay? I'm turning 21 for Poseidon's sake!" Taehyung let out exasperatedly. Jimin was his best friend, he gets where this came from but honestly, but after being babied for his entire life, he's a little bit sick of it. He wanted to live to the fullest. He wanted to have the chance to do what he loved, instead of what he was told to.
"Tae, just one last thing to remind you before we leave. You know you can only go on shore once you've discovered your trait right? Don't do anything stupid before that. And keep the necklace safe would you? Drink the vial once you're near the shallow areas, then you swim your way to the beach. Bring this shell with you as well, in case you miss us you could call-" Jimin was fidgeting, looking at Taehyung with big wide eyes.
"Come on Chim, it's his big day tomorrow, cut him some slack, he'll be fine, don't worry. Good luck and have fun out there bub." Yoongi patted Jimin on the back reassuringly, rubbing circles in his neck. It's only natural Jimin feel uncomfortable with Taehyung out of his reach, since the duo were basically joined at the hip since they were three. Jimin first met Taehyung in the palace, where his father worked as the General. Jimin bumped into Taehyung in the corridor, and got their tails entangled. Maybe that was fates' idea, since then, the two has been inseparable.
With a reluctant smile, Jimin waved Taehyung goodbye and left with Yoongi. Taehyung was alone in his room at last. He eyed the indigo vial that sat on his desk. Yoongi had told him that after he drank the vial, he could get temporary human legs for a month. Taehyung wondered if it would hurt: would all his scales peel off one by one? Will his tail split in half? Will his legs be bluish green, like his tail? Instead of pestering Yoongi with questions, Taehyung decided to find out the answers by himself. (Although he's pretty sure Yoongi would have told him off anyways)
Taehyung pulled out a petite ivory-colored shoulder bag from his drawer and placed the seashell and the vial necklace in it. The bag was woven by his grandmother, using the finest coral silk found in the seven seas. The bag was also decorated with pearls, glimmering faintly in the room. Taehyung eyed the autographs on seashells, sighed defeatedly, and shoved one in his most treasured bag. Being a forgetful person, Taehyung did not put down his bag. The chances of him forgetting to take it were very high. So he took it with him when he went for a midnight swim.
Taehyung's mind was clouded with thoughts. He would be turning 21 tomorrow, and 21 was a sacred age for the merfolk. The birthday boy/girl would discover their traits, if they had any. Some have the gift to control the tides, some could grow crops underwater (which is very useful), some were gifted with the ability to shapeshift to any sea animal, some even have the ability to change the color of their tails at will (which makes them really good spies if you ask Taehyung) . Being a member of the royal family, both Yoongi and Taehyung could manipulate water to some extent, although it might not be quite useful underwater, Yoongi had told him that it would come in really handy on land. Taehyung has been always jealous of his father, who acquired the gift of shapeshifting when he was 21. Taehyung thought it was very cool. His mother could change her hair and tail color at will. Yoongi could create tsunamis and storms. Jimin could shoot water canons out of his hands. But there were also less fortunate ones who are traitless. It's not abnormal, as only 20% of the merfolk were gifted.
Taehyung was scared. He was scared to be traitless. He was scared to be a shame to his family. He was scared his family won't love him anymore and possibly abandon him. Legend has it there was once a princess who turned out to be traitless, was fed to the sharks. It gave Taehyung nightmare for months and swam away as quickly as possible everytime he saw his fathers' shark prison guards. Although they always tell him he'll still be loved even if he didn't bear any gifts, Taehyung could still imagine how disappointed his father would look if someone broke the news to him.
That's why Taehyung asked Jimin and Yoongi to leave, so he could be alone and clear his thoughts. He laid on the sandbed nonchalantly, starring up to the starry night. Taehyung loved stargazing. But it was a privilege that he only gets to experience once a year. King tide. That's what the humans call them. It was when the Earth, Moon and Sun are aligned. It was a sacred day for the merfolk, all merpeople would emerge from the seas to the worship the moon goddess Luna, thanking her for keeping the tides up and running. Taehyung was not a religious person, but he had always been enthusiastic about the Moon Festival, because he gets to see the starry night in person. Being a prince meant he could not wander to the surface freely. There had been times when Taehyung snuck out to the surface with Jimin and Yoongi after begging them with his puppy eyes, only to came back facing the wrath of his furious father and was grounded for a month.
There was every reason for the King to be mad. There were human hunters scattered in the oceans all over the world. Humans did not know much about the merfolk, but several mermaids were captured in the past decades. The mermaids were either experimented cruelly or brought to some circus or merchants' aquarium. All of them chose to free themselves to end their sufferings. And that is the reason why humans basically know nothing about mermaids, except the fact that they have really shiny scales that could make expensive jewellery and luminous pearls that kings too desired. Huntings became more frequent and of larger scales, threatening the merfolk. It was only normal for the King to ban any surface activity.
Taehyung gazed up upon the sky. It's past midnight already so it was technically already his birthday. The full moon shone brightly, its image slightly distorted by the rippling waves. Every now and then, Taehyung could see some flock of fish swimming above him, casting dark silhouettes above the silvery beacon of light. He wondered how it would feel if he could see the moon closer. He missed the stars: the stars are not bright enough for him to gaze upon under the sea. He remembered wishing to touch the stars when he was younger, only to realise it was an impossible wish for a merman.
As Taehyung was reminiscing his past shattered dream, suddenly a school of sardines flocked and rushed towards the deeper grounds of the ocean bed. Taehyung could hear their mumbling and panicked thoughts, something about... swim... net... caught... Taehyung was instantly alerted. He stayed low on the ocean floor and watched with cautious eyes. He could hear the faint engine noises getting louder and louder. Seeing the flock of sardines have already escaped, he was going to leave until he heard a desperate wail.
"Help! Ahhhh it hurts so much-"
That was a voice Taehyung was all too familiar with. Taehyung immediately swam towards the voice, not thinking about the risk he had put himself into.
"Hang in there Jiwoon! Hyung's coming to get you!!!" Taehyung shouted through the strong current. The turbine made Taehyung struggle to swim any nearer to the boat.
"Hyung help me! The net has sharp edges in it!" Jiwoon cried out, making grabby hands at Taehyung. Only his tail was stuck in the net, and Jiwoon was getting dragged by the moving boat. Taehyung could see the net had some internal spikes, and Jiwoon's tail was bleeding badly.
When Taehyung reached Jiwoon, he was already exhausted from swimming against the strong current for so long. He felt like his tail was going to break from too much muscle contraction. His body wanted to give up, but he could never let his favourite little friend go. Jiwoon was the son of Taehyung's teacher, and he practically watched Jiwoon grow up. Watching Jiwoon suffering like this probably hurt more than being skinned alive. The little boys' face was red from all the shouting and struggling, eyes glassy with tears, and several pearls spilling out around the corner of his eyes. His tears.
"This is gonna hurt a little bit, but hyung will save you, okay? Hang in there buddy, Taetae hyung will save you, trust me Jiwoon!" Taehyung struggled to unhook the spikes that caught Jiwoons' little tail, hands shaking, resulting in even more blood spilt out, but at last Jiwoon was free. Taehyung felt relief surging through his body, his mind immediately relaxed.
"Let's go home buddy, everything's gonna be alright-"
Taehyung couldn't even finish his sentence when he felt his tail being caught in the same spike that tortured Jiwoon. It hurt like hell. But Taehyung couldn't even summon up the strength to scream. He let out a ragged breath, feeling his vision slowly dimming as pain throbbed through his veins. He saw Jiwoon screaming, making out words like "Hyung...don't go..." until Jiwoon could no longer swim against the turbines' current, until he could no longer hear the roaring of the engines, until the only noise he heard was the thumping of his heart, until he heard nothing but silence.
♆
"Jeon Jeongguk get your ass down here right now!" Mrs Jeon shouted for the umpteenth time, urging Jeongguk to the dining room.
Jeongguk was busy stalking his nemesis' instagram, being a petty little bitch. Looks like Hank got himself a new girlfriend, again. That douchebag got no jams though. Hank was his course mate in university, two years older than him, with squinty eyes and a big ass nose, he just looked ugly. Jeongguk hated him. Both were bright students who often compete for scholarships and their professors' favour. At the end when they graduated, Jeongguk was recruited into Namjoon's marine biology corporate, while Hank got into a shadier one, known for their cruel experiments against animals and merpeople.
Hank just published a new book about mermaids, claiming that he was the most knowledgeable person in the field, and boy did it piss Jeongguk off. He knew Hank used dirty methods to hunt and capture the mermaids he experimented on, and he was pretty sure those mermaids were as good as dead now. Though Jeongguk hated the Merfolk, he hated Hank more, and he believed that no animal, fish or mermaids, deserved to be dissected and experimented by Hank. Hank the ugly ass douchebag, who mocked his coconut hair emo fashion style, and bullied him throughout their college life.
Jeongguk tried hard to find flaws in Hanks' book, but sadly he knew nothing about the merfolk other than urban legends and from his younger brothers' bedtime stories. He made a mental note that he would ask Namjoon about it after he came back from his business trip with Seokjin.
♆
Dinner was usual, with Jaegguk talking loudly while munching his food, getting scolded by Mrs Jeon. Jaegguk excitedly told them about his day at school, how he got 100 marks in dictation and a girlfriend. Jeongguk nearly choked on his saliva at the information. The idea of Jaegguk getting a girlfriend earlier than him is both hilarious and terrifying. Sadly, much to his dismay, the spotlight was soon on him when Jeongguk was faced with the wrath and mockings from his own family, feeling utterly betrayed.
"Gguk, when will you bring a girl home?" Mr Jeon asked, face frowning and concerned.
"Or boy, it's both fine gguk-ah" Added Mrs Jeon, smiling wistfully at his son.
"Hyung can't even look at Irene noona in the eye! He will never get a girlfriend!" Jaegguk laughed hysterically. Jeongguk whacked his head with his slipper. It's not his fault Irene is intimidating as fuck. He's just nervous, totally not a coward.
"Say one more word and you do all the chores," Jaegguk whined and pouted, pulling off his best puppy eyes, trying yo get Mrs Jeon's sympathy.
Lucky for Jeongguk, a piercing ringtone rang just in time, distracting Mr Jeon, and he accidentally toppled his miso soup. Mrs Jeon immediately grabbed some towel and began mumbling under her breath, something about her husband being so stupid and clumsy.
"Hello? Wonho ah I haven't heard from you in ages! What's- wait what? Are you for real? Shouldn't you call Seokjin- ah I see. I'll ask him. I'm sure he'll be fine with it, don't worry! Be careful Wonho, take care!" Mr Jeon ended the call happily, while everyone else stared at him confusedly. Wonho was Seokjin's father, Mr Jeon's close friend. But Wonho doesn't call often, he was always busy with fishing and business. Wonho was a fisherman, and his son Seokjin was a marine biologist, like Namjoon. Jeongguk was no stranger to Seokjin, since Seokjin drops by Namjoon's lab every day, doing questionable things inside his office. (Sometimes Jeongguk wishes to yeet himself out of the Milky Way after hearing certain phrases like oh yeah right there or oh my god Namjoon-ah)
Breaking his train of thoughts, Mr Jeon cleared his throat and stared at Jeongguk with so much intensity that made Jeongguk's palms sweaty. Jeongguk felt like a seven-year-old again, when he blamed Jaegguk after stealing the last cookie on the table, and was caught immediately because Jaegguk was only one year old and had no ability to steal cookies.
"Wonho called and asked if you would like a mermaid in your lab." Mr Jeon's face was void of emotions and stoic, and Jeongguk thought for a moment and waited for his dad to burst out laughing. But he didn't. The dining room was so quiet he could hear his own brain cells bursting. It wasn't until five minutes later and his father still hasn't moved an inch and kept staring at him did Jeongguk finally realise that his dad was not joking.
"If hyung doesn't want it then we can put the mermaid in our bathtub-"
"Dad. Even if Seokjin's not available at the moment, there's still a fuck ton of other labs and aquariums that would kill to have a mermaid. You know I hate-"
"Do you want it to be handed over to Hank then? And let him torture and dissect the mermaid until the only thing left is bloody slimy scales and a cracked skull?"
"Jeez, our bathtub is still available-"
"Jaegguk be quiet!" "Jae please stop mentioning our tub." "Just shut the fuck up Jae."
The sudden outburst of the family resulted in awkward silence. Jaegguk's head hung low, clearly upset while trying to munch his food as quietly as possible.
"I'm sorry Jae, but this is a really serious matter. It's lives we are talking about. The mermaid cannot get into wrong hands. It's not just about science and stuff anymore Jeongguk. I'm sure you've heard about the news, the mermaid captured last month was sent to Yang's mansion, and never seen again. You know how these things work, there's no better place than Namjoon's lab. Wonho knew you wouldn't try anything funny on the mermaid that's why he trusted you to be the one. Besides, it's only for two weeks. Namjoon and Seokjin will be back before you know it. Come on Jeongguk." Mr Jeon explained quietly, expression pained.
Jeongguk hated the menfolk, and that's a fact. He hated them because they ate fish, basically their own kin, and they rule over the oceans like they're some sort of deity. He also didn't understand all the fuss about those fishy humans, he had used a blanket to wrap his legs together when he was young and it didn't feel cute or pretty. Just a nuisance. But Jeongguk was also curious, and a little competitive, ever since he read Hank's book. He's not that heartless, he doesn't want anyone to suffer from Hank's smelly breath and ugly faces. So he considers a while and reluctantly nodded.
"Thank you, son, I'm glad you made that decision. Wonho said he would deliver the mermaid to you tomorrow dusk, so you might want to go to bed now. It's going to be a long day." Mr Jeon smiled at Jeongguk wistfully, walking over to pat him on the back, before taking the dishes to the sink.
Jeongguk groans, pulling his hair out while curses to himself. He silently hoped tomorrow Namjoon and Seokjin will suddenly change their mind and come back to the lab tomorrow. He tried to think of the positive side- maybe the mermaid would be a gorgeous blonde woman with eyes as big as Ariels', without the purple shells-
"Can you take me to the lab tomorrow hyung? I'll behave!" Jaegguk climbed on Jeongguk's lab, whisper shouted to Jeongguk's face, spitting on Jeongguk's face when he talked so excitedly.
"Jae if you don't leave I'll tell your so-called girlfriend you ate your own boogers in second grade."
Jaegguk left immediately.
♆
Cold chilly breeze howled next to his ear, dawn was breaking in the horizon. The sea was shimmering with morning tides, painted orange by the rising sun. This is scenery is one Jeongguk could never get tired of. It's not like Jeongguk hated the sunrise, he's just not a morning person. Waking up ass o'clock is harsh. Waking up at ass o'clock for something he didn't even have any interest in is just brutal.
He led Wonho through the facility, with Wonho pushing a heavy cart with a covered glass tank. He guided Wonho through the maze of tanks and pools inside the laboratory. Seokjin and Irene took care of the injured or hurt animals in the front part of the lab, while Namjoon and Jeongguk would do their research at the back. The lab was quite dark, since Jeongguk didn't bother to open the lights, the only light source being the few light rays passed through the windows.
Jeongguk noticed something strange. All the marine animals were stirring and clearly uncomfortable, swimming around their pools. If they were humans, Jeonggk would've sworn they would look anxious, possibly biting their nails too. He heard one of the dolphins in the pool let out a series of clicks, alerting her mates. Some fish started thrashing and bumping their heads towards the glass wall, trying to escape. The sea lions and seals were whining loudly, clearly distressed. Jeongguk was perplexed. He has never seen these animals behaving like this in his whole life. He noticed all the animals were staring at the covered tank.
So he thanked Wonho once again and urged himself to push the heavy tank into the back of his lab.(thank god he worked out) He settled the tank in the middle of his lab. He branded himself for the worse scenario: maybe she has pointy teeth and claws for hands? Jeez, the animals were so scared of her, maybe she's a terrifying bitch and they could sense it? Wait-Jeongguk are you implying they have bitch sensing power-
Jeongguk heard a groan. A deep, husky groan, sounding utterly exhausted and burnt out. Maybe there's a man-woman in there. Oh my god she's a bitch and has a deep ass voice jkfdslkj
Jeongguk's shaking hands tried to unveil the tank but failed, so he only succeeded in getting a glimpse of what was inside of the tank before jumping back to his safe zone (under his desk). Jeongguk swore he saw a light inside the tank, but there's no way right? Unless the mermaid has laser eyes??????
Taking slow cautious steps, Jeongguk walked near the tank. Slowly he lifted the cloth.
....????
Hi brain please cue Take My Breathe Away
Didn't Wonho said it was a mermaid?
Well, he's prettier than a girl won must've mistaken him as a girl.
Wow
There was a faint pearly translucent glow inside of the tank, and the scales on his tail was shining under the morning glow. His back was facing Jeongguk, tan and smooth, soft and delicate, like a porcelain doll. Jeongguk lowered his gaze and saw the most beautiful thing he's ever seen in his life.
His tail was long and thin, emerald with scales- not the ugly fishy ones, but the ones that make your jaw drop. Intricate patterns and lines, spiralling across his stomach, down to the tip of the tail. Jeongguk couldn't help but noticed the hook that was still attached to the end of the merman's tail, oozes of blood spilling now and then.
Amidst Jeongguk's admiration, the merman stirred and groaned again. And Jeongguk swore his breath hitched. The merman turned around slightly so Jeongguk could make out his side profile.
Damn .