Chapter Text
Seokjin is angry.
He has never been fond of humans, most of the time he thinks they're annoying and now they have crossed the line. He can tolerate that they come into his territory, he gets that they like to see the beauty of the sea and even that they eat seafood, but this he can't forgive. They took one of the things he loves the most.
His fish.
Her name is Yepee. She's a beautiful purple and pink Betta fish, and besides her beauty, she's his friend, she has been beside him all her life and plans to be there for the rest of it. And now she's not with him because some damn humans kidnapped her.
"I'm gonna get revenge on them," he mutters. He's swimming around, making small angry waves with his tail.
It doesn't help to lessen his anger that his threat is answered with a snort.
"You're not gonna get revenge on anyone," Jimin says. He's completely unbothered by the situation, laying down on the sand while reading a book. "We don't do violence."
"Maybe we should start doing some."
"Yepee is gonna be okay, they said they would take her to an aquarium," Jimin tries to calm him down.
"What the hell is an aquarium?" Seokjin looks at him with confusion, stopping in front of him.
In his opinion, Jimin knows too much about the human world. They can pass for humans when they're out of the water and he loves to go and explore the surface. He even has human friends, like the one who gave him his books—Jimin loves his books, he almost never uses his magic, but he uses it without a doubt to make sure they don't get damaged.
Seokjin, on the other hand, has never left the sea. Why would he? He has all he needs, he's comfortable and he loves his home. The human world is scary and humans are annoying, why would he want to mingle with them?
"An aquarium is like a zoo but for sea creatures," Jimin explains.
"What is a zoo?"
Jimin sighs and puts down his book. "You would already know this if you weren't so disinterested in humans," he points out. He's probably right but Seokjin thinks it's not the moment to throw that in his face. "A zoo is… a place where they keep animals captive—"
That alarms Seokjin. He spins in desperation. "That's horrible!! How—"
Jimin lifts a hand to stop him. "They do it to preserve them. Most of the time."
"Most of the time?"
"I'm not going to lie to you and say there haven't been any horrible cases, but in general zoos are a good thing."
"So how can you be sure that Yepee is okay?" Seokjin asks.
"Humans are not evil."
"Some of them are. My disinterest is not so big as to not be aware of that."
"Well, I think it's best to think that the ones that took her are not evil."
Seokjin starts swimming again, replaying the moment he lost his fish.
They took Yepee by accident, she was very close to a school of fish and they caught her in a net. Seokjin tried to rescue her but it was impossible unless he revealed his presence to the fishermen. He had no choice but to watch as her friend was taken away, and he managed to hear one of them say: "Look, a Betta! Let's take it to the aquarium."
He closes his eyes as he swims and uses his magic to find Yepee. She's alive, he can sense it, and she's on the surface.
"I'm gonna go and recover her," he decides. He stops in front of Jimin, making him drop his book due to the surprise. He quickly recovers it and puts it to safety. "Would you come with me?"
"Are you going to go to the surface?" Jimin looks at him in disbelief.
Seokjin can hardly believe it either, but he sees no other option. He tries not to show how scared and nervous he is about visiting the human world. "Yes."
But if there's ever gonna be a reason to go, this is it. He loves Yepee, he has to go for her.
Only love would make him go to the surface.
"I can't fucking believe this!" Namjoon screams as soon as he opens the door. He's pissed, and he didn't expect to get pissed on such a beautiful Saturday, his first day off after a hell of a week.
He just wanted to do grocery shopping, not go around rescuing fish.
Yoongi turns to look at him strangely. His friend and roommate is watching TV. "What's going on?"
"This is going on," Namjoon shows him the plastic bag he's carrying. It contains some water and a single Betta fish. "I found it in a fucking market, in the tiniest fishbowl. Are they stupid? Betta fish need space. And this one isn't even a baby, I don't know how or why they had it."
He hurries to his fish tank. He already has a Betta fish, a male one, and if he's not mistaken this one is a female.
"Isn't it cute?" he asks Yoongi once he finishes installing his newly rescued fish.
"It has pretty colors," Yoongi says.
"It's cute. Don't act like you don't think fish are cute," Namjoon enjoys teasing his friend. "Not so long ago you were going around asking people ‘Do you know this fish?' while showing them a picture of one."
"I didn't find that fish cute, I found it fascinating," Yoongi replies. "Dogs are cute, cats are cute, rabbits are cute. Fish are… fish. Yours have pretty colors, but they're still fish."
"Don't listen to him, you're cute," Namjoon tells the two fish. A flash of pink light comes from the new one and startles him. "Huh?"
"What?" Yoongi asks.
"I—" He shuts up, deciding he probably imagined it. It was a stressful week and he's tired, and he knows for sure that Betta fish don't emit light so his eyes must have deceived him. "Nothing, I'm gonna take a nap."
"Sure," Yoongi smiles at him. "I'm going out in a bit, but I'll leave you some food in the microwave, okay?"
"Thanks, hyung," Namjoon smiles back. "See you."
He falls asleep immediately, still in his clothes.
"I don't understand why we have to go to see your friend first," Seokjin says, not for the first time.
"Because I don't have clothes that fit you and he's about your size," Jimin explains again. "And I don't wanna miss an opportunity to see Taetae, it's been a while."
They're on the shore, about to surface. To be honest, Seokjin just keeps pestering Jimin with the same questions because it distracts him from how nervous he is.
"I will never understand why you trust him," he complains. "He's a human."
"He's a good person," Jimin defends his friend. "I revealed my identity to him by accident and he was nothing but understanding, nothing changed between us. And for ocean's sake, Jinjin, I'm not stupid, have some faith in my choice of friends."
Seokjin sighs.
"Are you ready?" Jimin gently squeezes his shoulder.
"No," Seokjin decides to be honest. "I'm not as excited about the human world as you and Jungkook are."
Jungkook is the youngest merman in his shoal. The three of them are the closest in age and they see each other as brothers. The rest of the shoal is conformed by two older mermen and five mermaids, but they're not as close to them as they are to each other. They barely see them since they are all adults, actually.
"Did you call me?" Jungkook appears from behind them, he was distracted playing with a small shark. He joined in on their plan on his own as soon as they told him they were going to the surface, and no one could say no to him. His big, bright eyes haven't changed in the slightest throughout his life, and Seokjin feels like that's why he'll never be able to stop seeing him as a baby and giving him whatever he wants.
"Are you excited to go to the surface?" he asks Jungkook. He can't help but smile as he does so. Jungkook spins around in happiness.
"I am! I've never gone with you, only with Jimin."
"Kookoo also likes Taetae," Jimin says, smiling sweetly at the youngest.
"Yes!" Jungkook beams at the mention of Jimin's friend, although if Seokjin remembers correctly, they have only met once before. "He's so pretty," he adds in a dreamy tone.
"Well, let's go," Seokjin says. His nerves aren't going away, so they might as well just get it over with.
"Do you have your clothes, Kookoo?" Jimin asks. Jungkook nods. "Are you ready to be invisible, Jinjin?"
"Sure."
Jimin emerges from the water first. Seokjin watches the rapid transformation, the tail turning into a pair of legs in a split second, the scales and gills disappearing in a flash. Jimin quickly gets dressed—he puts on shorts, a t-shirt and sandals—and once he has checked his surroundings, he motions for them to come out as well.
Jungkook does exactly the same as Jimin, while Seokjin makes himself disappear as soon as he steps on the surface. It's just an illusion and it only works for humans, Jimin and Jungkook are still able to see him.
The sky is turning dark since they decided to surface at dusk to attract as little attention as possible, and it worked, there were only a couple of people around and none of them saw them. Jimin's friend lives near the coast so he starts walking while Seokjin and Jungkook follow him.
Seokjin thinks that having legs is weird, but he doesn't struggle to walk.
A few moments later Jimin looks at Seokjin, looks him up and down and quickly looks away. "Oh," he says.
"What?" Seokjin asks. Jimin avoids looking in his direction.
"You don't have a tail anymore."
"Neither do you, it's what happens when we come to the surface. You know that better than me."
"I should've gotten you some underwear," Jimin mumbles.
"We never wear clothes, what's the matter? I'm invisible to humans," Seokjin is really confused by Jimin's reaction. Jungkook is not paying attention to them, he's happy skipping around while they walk.
"You have the anatomy of a human male now, Jinjin," Jimin tries to explain. "There are some... visible things that are not normally visible."
"You mean my penis?" Seokjin asks. Besides the legs that's the only thing he can think of that is not visible in their original form.
Jimin snorts. "Well, yes. I've seen several men naked and let me tell you, they're not usually that big."
"Yours is small?" Seokjin is genuinely curious. He has never thought much about his anatomy, neither as a merman nor as a man.
"What's small?" Jungkook asks, finally paying attention to them.
"Your penis," Seokjin says.
Jungkook looks at his crotch pensively. "No, mine is almost the same size as yours. And Jimin's almost the same thickness, just a little bit smaller."
"Can we stop this conversation?" Jimin seems flustered.
"But you brought it up!" Seokjin points out.
"And I'm regretting it," Jimin says.
Seokjin doesn't get it. They're just talking about their bodies, it would be exactly the same if they were talking about the length of their arms. But maybe for humans it's different, and they're now in the human world after all.
He doesn't discuss anymore, just walks in silence next to Jimin. Jungkook seems to be in his own world again while he observes everywhere with his big brown eyes.
"We're almost there," Jimin announces. Seokjin is relieved by hearing that because walking turns out to be exhausting and the sole of his feet hurts. "You should remain invisible until I explain the whole situation to him, okay?"
"Fine."
They stop in front of a tiny house, not so different from the rest that Seokjin have seen until now. Jimin knocks on the door and Jungkook makes little jumps of joy. The door opens and behind it appears a confused man with black and slightly curly hair, whose face immediately lights up when he recognizes Jimin and Jungkook.
"Oh my goodness, hi!" He hugs both of them, taking a little longer with Jungkook, which confuses Seokjin. "What a surprise!"
"Sorry for coming at this hour, Taetae," Jimin says. "I— we need a favor."
"Anything you need, Jiminnie," Taehyung immediately says.
Jimin takes a deep breath. "My friend here," he points vaguely in Seokjin's direction. "Not Kookoo, but my other, currently invisible friend Seokjin, has come to the surface for the first time and before anything else he needs some clothes. He's about your size."
"Sure, come in," Taehyung invites them. "All of you, even the invisible one."
Seokjin notices that he's not as calm as he is playing to be, but he doesn't seem dangerous, so he follows Jimin and Jungkook inside the house.
He finds it fascinating. The whole concept of houses is very interesting to Seokjin. In the ocean they don't have such a thing, you can be the owner of things, but not of spaces, so to have a confined space that belongs to someone is something rare to witness.
"You can sit on the couch," Taehyung says. "I'll go to my room for the clothes."
"I'll go with you!" Jungkook happily screams and hurries to follow Taehyung, grabbing him by the hand and almost dragging him to the room.
Jimin plops on the couch and pats the space next to him to invite Seokjin to do the same. He obeys just because he's a little tired after walking.
Seokjin is starting to think there's something between those two that he's not aware of. "Are they—" he starts asking Jimin, pointing to the bedroom, but he immediately signals him to keep quiet.
"You don't need me to answer anything, you'll see," he says in a low voice.
It takes several minutes until Taehyung and Jungkook return, both of them with messier hair and redder lips than when they left. Seokjin gives Jimin a surprised look and he just shrugs.
Taehyung clears his throat and lends a bunch of clothes to Jimin. "Here you go, he can change in the bathroom, I left the lights on."
"Come with me," he stands up and Seokjin follows him. Jimin closes the door behind them. "See? I didn't need to say a word." He begins to hand Seokjin the different items of clothing, quite similar to the ones he is wearing, and guides him to put them on correctly.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Seokjin asks. He's confused both by zippers and by why his closest friends would keep this from him. "And didn't they see each other like once before today?"
"Kookoo has come here several times without me," Jimin explains. "He didn't tell me either, I noticed it by myself. But it wasn't my place to tell you, and I think he is worried about you not liking that he… mingles with a human in that way."
"You mingle with humans in that way too and I've never opposed that," Seokjin frowns.
"I know, but… I usually mingle with humans without feelings involved," Jimin says. "And Kookoo… He definitely has feelings for him."
There's a knock on the door in that moment that startles both of them. "Hey," Taehyung's voice follows the knock. "I don't wanna hurry you, but I need to use the bathroom and sadly I just have this one."
"Just a second!" Jimin yells. He helps Seokjin with the zipper of his shorts. "Let's go, stop being invisible."
"Done," Seokjin finally lets his magic rest.
They get out of the bathroom and Taehyung hurries inside, taking a quick glance at Seokjin. Jungkook is sitting on the couch and they join him.
"You look handsome with clothes," he tells Seokjin, smiling at him.
"Thanks, little one," he gently ruffles his hair. "So you and Taehyung, huh?"
Jungkook blushes and covers his face with both hands. "Are you mad at me?" he asks, his voice coming out muffled by his hands.
"I'm a little upset that you didn't tell me before, but I'm not mad about the situation per se," Seokjin reassures him. "It's okay, Kookie."
Jungkook peeks out from between his fingers. "Really?" he seems hopeful, and Seokjin can't help but smile while he nods. Jungkook uncovers his face and lets out a sigh of relief. "Good, because I like him a lot."
"Who?" Taehyung is back, and his question takes Jungkook by surprise, making him flustered all over again.
"You know who," he mumbles.
"But I want you to say it," Taehyung walks towards him with a mischievous smile.
"You heard me!"
"Please say it again," Taehyung asks, reaching Jungkook and caressing his cheek.
"You're gonna make our Kookoo explode if you keep going, Taetae," Jimin scolds him, although he seems amused by the situation.
Romantic relationships between their own kind and humans have always existed and they are pretty well accepted. Seokjin would never oppose them, even when he doesn't fully get the appeal of relationships in general. He has never been in one—neither with someone like him and much less with a human—or in love, and is not interested in doing so, he is pretty happy by himself.
But, surprisingly, he's a little amused too while looking at Jungkook and Taehyung. There's something in the way the two of them look at each other that seems almost… magical. And he knows about magic.
"I said I like you a lot," Jungkook says finally, and a big smile appears on Taehyung's face.
"I like you a lot too, Kookie." Taehyung leans to kiss his cheek and then sits next to him in the armrest. "Seokjin, right?" he asks, turning to him. "Nice to meet you, Jimin always talks about you. Or well, I assume you are who he refers to as Jinjin."
"Nice to meet you too," Seokjin clumsily says, taken a little by surprise.
"Now, with all due respect, I know you're magical creatures and all that, but did all of you have to be stunning? People are gonna suspect that there's something weird about you."
Seokjin is not sure how to reply to that. He doesn't think there's something special about his appearance. And yeah, his friends are pretty but so is Taehyung.
Fortunately Jimin speaks first. "You're just gay, Taetae, we're nothing extraordinary."
Seokjin thinks he's heard the word "gay" before, but he's not fully sure what it means—something about sexuality, he thinks—. He makes a mental note to ask Jimin. Maybe he's gay and doesn't know it.
Taehyung laughs. "You're probably right," he admits. "So, what else can I do for you? What brought you to the surface, Seokjin?"
"My fish, Yepee, was kidnapped by some humans," he explains, focusing in what brought him to the surface. "And I need to rescue her."
"Okay," Taehyung nods slowly. He seems pretty confused, Seokjin notices. "Do you know where she is? I guess I can drive you there."
Seokjin appreciates the fact that he still wants to help even if he doesn't fully understand the situation. Maybe gay means kind. He's starting to get why Jimin and Jungkook like him so much, and to his own surprise, he wants to accept his help.
"We don't have an address or anything like that," Jimin says. "But Jinjin can sense where she is, so I guess he could guide us."
"Okay, let's go then," Taehyung stands up. "It's not too late yet."
The four of them get into Taehyung's car, where Seokjin and Jimin sit in the back. The vehicle freaks out him a little, he doesn't understand why humans are so content moving in tiny metal boxes, but he can sense Yepee is a little far away and he just discovered he's not a fan of walking. Jimin notices he's tense and helps him fasten his seatbelt, and to be honest that doesn't make him feel any safer, but he appreciates the gesture.
"Okay, which direction should I take?" Taehyung asks.
Seokjin focuses on sensing Yepee. "North," he says.
They start going north and then… then they go to the west because that's how the streets are designed. It happens multiple times and it annoys Seokjin because every time they're getting close to his fish they deviate again. He understands that it's to avoid accidents and fines—apparently humans enjoy fining each other for breaking rules they themselves invented—but it's still frustrating.
After half an hour or so they get there. "Here!" Seokjin screams. "She's in there!" He points to a white building on his right.
"I can't park here, so you two get out and go ahead. Jungkook and I will go find somewhere to park and we'll catch you later," Taehyung says, stopping the car.
Seokjin and Jimin quickly get out and run towards the building. "Are you sure it's here?" Jimin asks.
"I can feel her here." Seokjin enters the building and starts climbing the stairs.
"This doesn't look like an aquarium," Jimin points out. "These are apartments."
"They must've lied," Seokjin frowns. "I knew they couldn't be trusted." He turns to the left and walks to the door behind which he can sense Yepee.
"Knock on the door!" Jimin reminds him. He gave him a flash course to remind him of human etiquette before coming to the surface.
Seokjin does as he's told, even when he finds it annoying and unnecessary. They didn't knock on the door before taking his fish. Not that there are doors in the ocean, but still.
The door doesn't open, so he knocks again. And again. And again.
"Can I knock down the door now?" he asks Jimin.
"No! Maybe they went out."
"That's even better, it would be easier to rescue Yepee."
"Just knock again!" Jimin hurries him.
Seokjin obeys and knocks again. The door opens this time, and behind it appears the most beautiful human he has ever seen.
He has short dark hair, tan skin, seems half asleep, and looks deeply confused while looking at them.
Seokjin almost can't take his eyes off him, but out of the corner of his eye he catches sight of a fish tank with Yepee inside and rushes towards it, passing by the beautiful man and ignoring Jimin's attempt to stop him.
Maybe Namjoon is still dreaming.
That's why a gorgeous man with black hair and broad shoulders just bursted into his apartment and rushed towards his fish tank. That's why he seems to be talking to the fish.
"I'm so sorry," the voice of the other man, that's still by the door, startles him. He has blonde hair and a kind smile. "He… uhm. That's his fish."
"Huh?" Namjoon looks at him with utter confusion. "His fish?"
"Yeah, the pink one," he explains. "Her name is Yepee."
Namjoon blinks several times, trying to make sense of the situation. "Excuse me, who are you? And how did you know the fish was here? Did you follow me from the market?"
"We're—" the man doesn't seem to know how to finish his sentence. "Wait, market?"
"We're mermen," the gorgeous man says, interrupting his friend. "That's what humans call us, I think. And I knew Yepee was here because she's my fish and I can sense her."
"Seokjin!" the man by the door reprimands him. "What's wrong with you? What about not telling humans about us?"
"What? We can alter his memories when we leave." He turns back to the fish tank and keeps on talking with the fish.
Namjoon should be more skeptical, but if he's being honest, there's definitely something non-human about them. Although he's half asleep. But the fish seems to be emitting a pink light again. Still, his most logical part tries to find another explanation.
"Is this a joke? Is there a hidden camera somewhere?" He looks out of the apartment.
"No, it's not a joke," the other man—merman?—says.
"Prove it."
"I'm sorry, we can't transform out of the water and your fish tank isn't big enough, you'll have to trust me on this one."
"I don't even know you."
"I'm Jimin," he extends his hand and smiles a little. "And that's Seokjin."
Namjoon shakes his hand slightly and then points to the gorgeous man.
"What is Seokjin saying to the fish?"
"Oh," Jimin grimaces. "He's trying to convince her to come back home with us but she doesn't want to."
"Why?"
Jimin gasps. "Because she fell in love with your fish. He's her mate."
"But they just met."
"They're fish." Jimin states, as if that makes everything clearer. "Yepee doesn't want to go back, so now he's convincing your fish of coming to the ocean with us."
Now that's something that Namjoon can't let happen. He loves his fish, he has been taking good care of him for almost a year.
"Hey!" Namjoon rushes to the fish tank. "He's my fish, you can't take him."
"He's his own fish," Seokjin argues. "Oh, you're your own fish too?" He's talking to the pink fish again. "That doesn't make it okay for you to leave me. You're my friend." He seems really sad while he whispers the last words. "Of course I want you to be happy!" He continues. "But you can be happy in the sea, you love the sea, and he can come too."
"No, he can't," Namjoon repeats.
"Stop making decisions for him!" Seokjin scolds him.
"He can't go," Namjoon insists. "He has never been in the sea, he would die. He doesn't know how to feed himself."
"Come on, you can't agree with the human," Seokjin looks at the fish with disappointment.
"The human has a name. I'm Namjoon."
"I don't care, you kidnapped my fish."
"Excuse me!?" Namjoon cries out. He can't believe he's being accused of something like that. "I would never."
"Then why is she in your house?"
"I bought her in a market. You could say I rescued her, because they didn't have the optimal conditions for a betta fish," he explains.
Seokjin's expression softens a little. "Oh."
"Listen, I'm sorry someone took her from you, but if she doesn't want to go I'll have to ask you to leave—"
"You want me to do what!?" Seokjin almost screams, and it took a moment for Namjoon to realize he's not talking to him but to the fish. "I can't keep coming here, Yepee, that's absurd."
"What did she say?" Namjoon asks. Seokjin ignores him, too absorbed in his conversation with the fish. "What did she say?" he asks Jimin instead, returning to his side by the door.
"Yepee wants to stay here and she wants Seokjin to visit her often."
"So he's going to keep coming to my house? I don't know if I like that."
A part of him—still half-asleep and with a weakness for handsome men—tells him to accept immediately, that of course he wants to see him often, but Namjoon chooses to ignore it. He can't give in so easily just because he has the most beautiful face he's ever seen.
"Your fish agrees, he says it would be important to Yepee's well-being to keep seeing someone so important to her," Jimin says.
Seokjin and the fish discuss for a bit longer, until the merman sighs and joins them by the door.
"Can I keep coming here?" he asks Namjoon in a strangely formal tone. "To your house?"
"It's not like you asked for permission the first time," Namjoon bitterly says.
Seokjin stares at him and he does his best to hold his gaze. Damn, that's a gorgeous face if he's ever seen one.
"I'm really sorry about that," Seokjin finally says. "I was desperate to see Yepee and I thought you were a fish kidnapper so I didn't really care about breaking into your house. But you're apparently a good person and you rescued her, so… I'm sorry."
"I forgive you," Namjoon thinks Seokjin is being sincere so he says that with honesty too. "But I'm still not sure about you coming here again."
Seokjin seems to be at a loss for words, he just twirls his fingers nervously.
"Listen," is Jimin who talks after a couple minutes of silence. "I know it may sound absurd to you, but Seokjin and Yepee have a special bond. She's more than a pet, she's his friend, his family even, and it would be very very sad for both of them if they wouldn't be able to see each other. And we can't separate her from her mate now that she found him, but he can't go to the ocean, so Seokjin coming here is I think the only option left."
Namjoon looks at Jimin, looks at Seokjin, looks at the fish and then he makes a decision. He turns to Seokjin.
"Show me that you're a merman and then you can come any time you want," he says.
"What's happening?" someone asks from the hallway. Two other men appear right after.
"Are you mermen too?" Namjoon asks.
"I am!" the one with black hair and big brown eyes says. "My boyfriend is a human," adds, pointing to the other, who greets him with a small bow.
"Hi, I'm Kim Taehyung," he introduces himself.
"Kim Namjoon," he greets him back.
"They're telling the truth," Taehyung says. "I've seen them transform."
"No offense, but I need to see it myself," Namjoon insists. "That's my only condition, Seokjin."
The merman stares at him, as if he's studying him, and Namjoon puts all his will into not showing his nerves. He's never had someone as gorgeous as Seokjin looking as intensely at him.
"Fine," the merman accepts. Namjoon notices that everyone is surprised, not just him. Even Seokjin looks bewildered by his own words.
"Let's go to the beach then," Taehyung says. "I'll drive you."
All the time they spend squeezed in Taehyung's car, there's a single thought in Seokjin's mind: he has gone insane. Coming to the surface really messed him up, that's why he's on his way to show his true form to a human instead of modifying his memories and taking the fish with him.
He's second-guessing himself when they finally reach the beach, but he just needs to remember that everything is for Yepee, he wants to visit her frequently. He can't just stop seeing his friend when he's used to being next to her everyday.
"Jinjin, are you sure about this?" Jimin asks him in a whisper.
"Mhm," he mumbles.
"Do you want me to go with you? He'll be even more convinced if both of us transform."
"I'll do this alone," he affirms. Namjoon asked to see him. "Come on," he calls the human and starts walking to the shore. There's nobody else on that area of the beach at that moment.
"You're not gonna drown me, are you?" Namjoon asks while they walk.
"Not unless you give me a reason in the next few seconds," he replies. The human nods. Seokjin looks at him and perceives his nervousness. "Relax, I'm kidding, I'm not gonna hurt you."
"The sea makes me a little anxious," Namjoon explains. "Maybe it's because I don't know how to swim."
"You don't have to swim, I'll be the one swimming."
"What if a wave sweeps me away?"
"Then I'll rescue you," Seokjin doesn't hesitate to answer. "We're here, are you ready?"
"I don't have to do anything, just watch."
"That's what I mean, are you ready to watch this?"
Namjoon nods and Seokjin starts taking off his clothes.
"Oh," Namjoon is startled and quickly turns around.
"You can't see if you turn your back on me," Seokjin points out.
"I don't intend to see you naked," Namjoon argues.
Seokjin sighs. What's with humans and modesty? He still doesn't get it, bodies are just bodies.
"I'll keep the underwear," he reassures Namjoon. He doesn't really need to undress in order to transform back, but it's more convenient and he feels more comfortable without clothes anyway.
"Okay, fine." Namjoon turns again and his eyes are immediately fixated on Seokjin's body. The moon is bright enough for Namjoon to see him well.
Seokjin discovers a whole new feeling when Namjoon's gaze falls on him, and even if he doesn't know how to explain it, he likes it.
Maybe bodies are not just bodies when they're under the right gaze.
He doesn't want Namjoon to stop looking at him.
"I'll go into the water now," he says. Namjoon nods and takes one step closer to the shore, but still stays a safe distance from the water.
Seokjin takes a few steps into the water and then submerges in it. His body changes immediately, the familiarity of the ocean feels relieving and part of him doesn't want to go to the surface again, but he has to, surely Namjoon can't see him underwater at this hour.
He swims to the surface and sticks his head out of the water. He finds Namjoon's eyes immediately, looking at him with surprise. Seokjin can't help but smile at him.
He swirls to let him appreciate his tail and can hear his gasp even from there. Then he gets out of the water again and walks towards him.
"Did that convince you?" he asks.
Namjoon swallows and looks at his eyes. "You can visit your fish whenever you want. Actually no, we need to agree on visiting times, I work during the week and I don't live alone."
"Do you live with your partner?"
"I don't have a partner, I live with my friend."
"Oh."
"And you need to wear clothes when you come," Namjoon adds.
Seokjin looks down at himself and realizes the underwear he had on is long gone. He needs to remember to not lose his clothes next time. "I will," Seokjin assures. "So when can I come?"
"Do you have calendars or something like that?"
"Of course we do."
"Then come in one week," Namjoon decides. "That day we will set when you will come again, okay?"
Seokjin nods. "I'll come after sunset, is that alright?"
"Sounds good to me, I'll be waiting at home," Namjoon says. "Now please get dressed or go into the ocean again because it's getting hard to keep looking at your eyes."
Seokjin chuckles and Namjoon smiles a little.
Part of him wants to get dressed and spend some more time with this human, but there's another that's craving to go back to the ocean, and he decides to listen to the latter.
"See you next week," he says before diving into the water again.