Archive of Our Own

Work Text

the pirate sneers at the sight of the monster that lurked in the murky seas, eyes full of disgust. he steps back, movements weary and calculated. "what are you doing here, siren?" he hisses, his voice harsh like a sharp lash, whip dipped in poison.  the siren smirks, propping his chin on the palm of his hands which were balanced on the edge of the docks. he flutters his eyelids seductively, his captivating ocean blue eyes flashing dangerously. the pirate knows better than to pay any attention to his enthralling charm; that wasn't even the worst sirens could do, and he knew it well and true. "why so serious, captain?" his voice was smooth as silk, a sound so beautiful but yoongi knows the danger behind it, the very voice that lulled many before him to their deaths. yoongi's stormy eyes darken, as he shoots a spiteful glare at the siren. "you better fucking listen, siren scum-"  the siren interrupts him, his crimson red lips forming a pout, "i have a name you know." yoongi scoffs at the monster. "does it sound like i care? you and your kind don't hold any of such importance for me to call you by your name."  the siren gasps, dramatically touching over his heart, "you wound me, yoongi dear – what have i ever done to you?" yoongi's fingers twitch at the other's words.  the siren continues when yoongi had yet to speak, "why do you hate me so? it pains me to see that after all the love i showed you, you'd still treat me like this." the siren tsked, swimming closer even though he was as close as he could be to land, but never close enough.  that earns a humourless chuckle from yoongi, hollow and cold. he shoots the siren an incredulous look, lips curling in disgust. "love? as if your kind could ever tell apart love from lust. don't humour me, taehyung."   despite yoongi's negative connotation, taehyung beamed. "so you do know my name, i was starting to think that you'd perhaps forgotten." yoongi diverts his gaze to the sea, trying to ignore the smug siren. he knew better than to indulge the other, especially one of an attention-seeking being.  "i don't associate with your kind."  taehyung quirks an arched brow, his tail causing ripples in the water. "my kind is in no means any less than yours, dear. if anything, we're superior."  yoongi laughs, throwing his head back in the process, a cocky smile spreading. "superior? you can't even leave the confinements of your watery haven, siren." his voice lowers, turning into a gravelly threat, "stop lying to yourself."  the airs stills, and taehyung tenses – but only for a second. he goes back to ease, his eyes lazily scanning the pirate. he had mastered the act of confidence for years to come. yoongi leaves. the heels of his boots make a rhythm growing more distant and faint until leaving nothing but the sound of the crashing waves and blowing breeze.   . the witch cackles. "a siren wishes to venture onto land?" when taehyung remains silent, his cold eyes devoid of any emotion, the witch thrashes his head back with laughter, dark hair falling over his eyes. he fixes his composure, the light from his eyes freezing to seriousness. the smirk on his face becomes a frown, forehead creasing slightly with thought. the witch turns to taehyung, face stoic. "do you know how costly such a desire is? no amount of riches in this world could value-"  "i want a contract." taehyung's voice is strong and unwavering, determined and willing. the witch's eyes sparkle at the mention of a contract. he shifts slightly, his slender limbs outstretched. taehyung notes the witch, a beautiful creature overridden with personal greed. a mistake that cursed him to a form that of a cecaelia, taking in too much, more than any of his ten limbs could ever carry. taehyung knows he resents his form, a hybrid of a monster that no one could ever admire.  the witch hums as if considering what taehyung offered him, one of his tentacles taking out a piece of parchment and quill nonetheless. some people never change, and the little mannerisms they possess reveal it all.   "i suppose that perhaps i could allow such a deal, i do love gambles after all," he swims closer to taehyung, tilting his chin up with his icy cold fingers, "and i'd do anything for an old friend." his voice has a melodious chime to it, similar to the likes of taehyung's, but his true powers lie in the magic he mustered.   "so, tell me, dear, why is it that you want to venture out to shore? a forbidden lover perhaps?" taehyung scoffs at the witch's suggestion, brushing it off.  "i can't possibly imagine why it is such a necessity for you to know, seokjin." taehyung teases, a smirk stretching on his lips. the witch huffs, rolling his eyes.  "you know i care for my clients, deeply," seokjin replies, already swooping by his rack of brewing ingredients and grabbing a few substances taehyung couldn't recognise. "how could i not be aroused by such a peculiar case, right, love? if it's not for unfinished business, whatever could it be? i know very well – we all do, life is far better under the sea."  taehyung sighs, "is it? tell me, seokjin, did you never have a longing or just an urge to step foot on land, to see places that we can never have down here? to feel the sand between our feet, to breathe the air they need so?" seokjin cocks an eyebrow, taehyung goes on. "i've lured in thousands among hundreds of humans, seduced them to come below – and all of them, despite my siren song always willed to return back on land, every single one of them-" taehyung laughs bitterly. "even the ones who thought they were tossing their lives away moments ago." "don't you see? i want – i need to know what they have up there that makes them wish to go back so much." passion is dripping off all his words, his eyes filled with such genuine sorrow and discontent that seokjin wills for just a fraction of a second that all of the siren's pain be free – until he knows that it is simply an attribute that of a siren. they are passionate and merciless creatures which lure in those of weak hearts with their fatal cries of grief and element of seduction. seokjin knows, this is none but a trick – and he smiles.  "you are clever, siren, but outwitting me is not a feat you'll accomplish today, i'm afraid." taehyung looks up, a silver of a smile on his lips, his eyes admitting defeat along with a hint of mischief. he too, knew that tricking the witch had never been and never will be an easy feat. but that never stopped him from trying.  the siren swims closer, his tail gleaming fiery red in the dim light. "will you help me regardless, seokjin?" the witch cracks a smile, "not a chance, siren. not until you tell me what it is up there that could have possibly attracted your attention. was it a human?" taehyung sighs, he should have seen this coming – there were no secrets when it came to seokjin. he knew everyone's deepest and darkest truths, and he kept them, like a prisoner locked away in a cage – but like always he was willing to set it free, lest a price be given. greed was his god, and to wealth he bowed. it was an open secret.  "i want revenge." taehyung admits, "i have someone who i want to see crack, i want to cut him open and i want to feast on his blood the day it happens. i want to ruin him, myself." seokjin cackles at that, his eyes electric with satisfaction. taehyung knew that the witch was just as sick as he was, despite his innocent look. perhaps his soft pink hair and honey brown eyes gave the impression that he was yet another seaside beauty who dwelled beneath the shores – but taehyung knew that inside, the witch was an ugly creature, getting joy out of greed.  seokjin nods, eyes bright. as he scribbles away on the parchment, he asks, "tell me, taehyung, tell me of the mortal whom you want to tear apart."  "you have heard of the pirates, yes?" taehyung queries.  "you wish to settle things with a notorious pirate? i know of them, of course. i've crossed paths with more of them than i'd prefer." something flashes across seokjin's eyes, but it was too quick for taehyung to have caught on.  
"no, 
i'd
 like to settle matters with their king." 
 
the air stills, and the sound of the quill scratching on the parchment dies down. taehyung gnaws his bottom lip as habit. "is there anything wrong, seokjin?"  the witch pauses for a second to think. "the one you hold your grudge against, is min yoongi?" there is a hint of incredulousness in his tone which almost takes the form of mockery.  "you know of him?" taehyung's voice has an element of interest in it. seokjin gives the siren a hearty chuckle, as if the other was a child who had not understood the seemingly obvious mistake in their prior statement. "know him? darling, who doesn't know king yoongi?" "everyone, land and sea-dwellers alike know of the one who had managed to strike fear into the hearts of people of above and perhaps even some of your kind. you must know that he was one of the only people who could ever resist the song of the siren, a cry so persuasive even the most strong-willed struggled to deny its power. there is a reason why no siren tries to go near him, its simply put: a lost cause."  now, that statement causes taehyung to frown. he knows that yoongi isn't easy to persuade, that he's practically impossible to sway with charisma and charm – but he refuses to believe that it was a lost cause. the pirate had challenged him, that he would always be stronger than taehyung because he wasn't rotting and hollow inside. unlike taehyung, yoongi had a heart, a soul – while the siren was a void of nothingness, trying to consume anything to fill in the empty space.  it made him resentful and bitter, but that's what sirens were made of – spite. taehyung grits his teeth, forcing a smile. but he breathes, and away goes the bubbling sense of annoyance and in comes a cocky smirk. "are you telling me, seokjin, that even you can't help to beat a measly human?" he hopes to ignite a spark in the other, a flicker of distaste.  and when he sees seokjin's smile drop slightly, his eyes turning dark – like a lit matchstick being blown away – taehyung feels relief flood in. after all, emotion was the core of vulnerability. taehyung presses in some more, his voice with unwavering confidence, his gaze suave and persuasive.  seokjin laughs humourlessly and taehyung could sense the bitterness seeping into his tone. "you are funny, siren," seokjin snaps his head to the other, his eyes cold and his voice ridden with venom, ghostly low, "however i'd suggest not to push my buttons." it was a blatant threat, taehyung knew as much, but he also knew this was victory.  seokjin was going to help him, regardless of his reluctance to do it.  "twenty-one days."  taehyung cocks an eyebrow, beckoning the other to elaborate further. "you have three weeks to kill the human, to make sure that by the twenty-first sunset, his eyes go lifeless and his heart is ripped to shreds." taehyung smiles, eyes crinkling, "what's the catch?"  seokjin gives him a stoic look. "you must take his life with the human's consent. and if you do as much, you have fulfilled my contract and you owe me nothing." without further hesitation, the siren signs his name on the contract. it almost seems too easy. taehyung wants to laugh, die willingly? that was beyond easy when he had his enchanting v- "and i'll be taking your pretty little voice while you're away." taehyung freezes, and looks over at seokjin. the witch is smiling, his eyes narrowed and his gaze knowing. he clenches his fists, the bastard had planned out all of this.  when seokjin sees the look of spite on taehyung's face, he adds on, "oh darling, don't worry. you'll still be able to speak. have some faith in me, i'm not that evil. the only little disadvantage is that your siren song would be useless, unless you know the sign language equivalent?" seokjin looks at taehyung's scowl and smiles, "i thought as much. so no more emotionally manipulating people, i'm afraid." taehyung grits his teeth, "what good is a voice with no sound? words with no magic?"  seokjin frowns at that and clicks his tongue. he shoots taehyung a pointed look that almost appears sympathetic and pitying. taehyung wants to know what it is that he's failing to understand, to him, his words made perfect sense. throughout the history of time, sirens were always portrayed and beautifully cruel beings with even more beautiful voices; and taehyung agreed, - sirens had no weakness.  and that was how things were, sirens worked alone, not even in the company of their own kind who proved at times to be their biggest threats. the rest of the ocean had an unspoken rule to steer away from his kind, no one opposed them.  but seokjin, oh seokjin. the sea witch didn't obey such rules because the first person who decides to cross him would quite definitely be the last, and seokjin would make sure that would be the way regardless of what measures had to be taken. as much as taehyung would never admit the case in point to be true, he closed an eye. at least seokjin was useful.  "my dear siren," seokjin drawls out, already moving to do something else, another brew perhaps? "perhaps this is when you learn that sometimes, silence is louder than words. haven't you heard of the saying, 'less is more'?"  taehyung runs his hand through his sangria hair, huffing. "brevity is the soul of wit?" seokjin looks up at taehyung and smiles, eyes bright. in these times, he wonders if the witch really did deserve the form he was cursed with. how can eyes so full of light be so full of hatred inside? taehyung decides to push those thoughts aside.    taehyung thinks how what he's wanted for so long is right in his grasp, in his control. to be able to do something so delirious and absurd. the pirate had always been so cocky and tough, nothing he did would work on him. but taehyung longed to see what it would take to tear apart what made yoongi whole, bend him over and take, take, and take.  "come again, tomorrow, as the sun is setting and i will grant you your wish." taehyung nods at seokjin and as he swims away from seokjin's cavern, he fails to hear the other's bare whisper.  
"there are more ways than one to tear someone apart, 
taehyung
."

.
 
the very next evening, the siren does as told and comes to the sea witch before dusk sets. an eerie glow casts from seokjin's dwelling. taehyung presumes its one of his brewery. he recalls a time when he came over to find the witch's cavern smelling of algae, sea anemone latching onto the walls outside. but of course, back then he had only been an amateur – back then when both of them were younger, happier.  taehyung shakes those thoughts off, what was important was the present.  he swims into the dimly lit cave, the faint blue reflecting on the walls. he can hear seokjin's voice echo along the pathways towards the heart of the tunnels. taehyung couldn't remember the last time seokjin left the confinements of his home, but he never asked. maybe because he didn't wish to know the answer. or perhaps reason being; he already knew.  a familiar melody haunts the caverns as taehyung draws to where seokjin was. the other was absent-mindedly humming the song that every creature of the sea knew by heart; the siren song. since seokjinhimself wasn't a siren, the song had no effect, but in was in moments like this where seokjin gave away key elements of his past. before he made that stupid, stupid, mistake.  seokjim senses movement behind him, immediately turning behind to be greeted by taehyung. a small smile tugs at the end of his lips before dissolving into a smirk. "taehyung, you're early. how lovely. i was starting to worry that you would be late. can't have that, can we?"  taehyung ignores the other's attempt at conversation. "can we start it now?" seokjin pouts pettily, tsking lightly. "not with that attitude. taehyung, hasn't anyone taught you manners?"  taehyung sighs, but decides to play along either way, waxing intricate poetry about the other, beginning with his rosy skin, all the way to his soft pink hair – only to be stopped halfway. "a please would have sufficed, tae." and with that he hands over the potion to him – a murky red substance in a small vile.  taking it gingerly, taehyung swirls the confinements of the vile, eyeing it with caution. "what do i do with it?" he asks seokjin, who only shoots him an incredulous look. "well i don't really know multiple methods to use a potion from a drinking vile, but if you find out anything please do tell."  taehyung scoffs at the other's sarcasm which earns him a quirk of an eyebrow. he makes a mental note to strangle seokjin after he's done with yoongi.  "the potion, however, is incomplete. I'm missing the most important ingredient; your voice." taehyung nods at the other who takes out the same piece of parchment as the previous day, and a quill in another hand. "i need you to sign this contract, just to show that you agreed to this."  taehyung looks at the dotted line and without another moment's hesitation, he signs his name on it, sealing his fate. and then, in the spur of the moment, a voice in a back of his mind speaks, is this really what you want? but it was too late for that, and he knows that when seokjin takes away his contract and with a flick of his fingers, the paper dissolves into green smoke. "and remember, tae, yoongi won't be able to recognise you unless you or someone tells him." taehyung looks up to see seokjin's eyes shining with a golden glow, an almost hungry look in his eyes, full of want. "sing for me, siren," he commands, his words smooth like the melody of a lullaby.  and sing, taehyung does. he feels his voice rise, steady and powerful, the words carried away by the otherworldly melody. and he sees it, a cloud of lilac enveloping him and like claws gripping at prey, taehyung feels his voice being pulled away. the rush of air at his throat channels away, and that's when he sees it.  it's a blindingly gold orb, shimmering and from it comes what can only be a sound that belongs to him, or belonged to him. it's his voice, in all its terrifying beauty and glory. and suddenly, taehyung feels a surge of panic wash through him and he thinks, my voice, i need it back.  but when he opens his mouth, nothing comes out. his eyes widen and he feels his throat, but nothing comes out. taehyung's head snaps back up at seokjin to see his voice in his arms, surrounded by a puff of purple mist. and in that moment, taehyung feels weak and powerless and taehyung is afraid. and he can only watch. watch as seokjin waves his hand, as ancient incantations slip out of his mouth, and he curves his voice inside a pendant. but before that, he takes a pinch of the orb and swirls it in the vile from before. and in that moment, taehyung realises that this isn't what he wants, and he wants to scream to cut off the contract – but he can't.  and it's frustrating how all he could do is stare at the sea witch, his mouth agape, his chest hammering. and that's when seokjin looks up and he's smiling, a glint in his eyes that taehyung can't put a name to.  and that's when it happens, seokjin raises his arm and like a cackle of lightning, taehyung feels a surge of pain running through his tail. he winces in pain, and all he sees is crimson on his tail until he feels a sensation run inside, almost as if it was cutting him open. and when he breathes, water coughs up his insides and all taehyung feels is pain.  and before he knows it, there's a sensation, almost like an instinctive feeling, and his body is screaming at him to swim up to the shore and breathe. he attempts to swim up, now without the aid of his tail and he feels the edge of his line of vision blur. when he reaches the shore, taehyung takes in a whiff of air and his lungs burn.  his head bobs above water as he reaches for shore, immediately clinging onto a seaside boulder, heaving himself up. he rubs his eye as his vision slowly returns, though blurry. once taehyung is out of the water, a passing breeze sends a shiver down his spine as taehyung realises how exposed he is.  but most curious of all would be his newfound limbs, the human legs in place of his magnificent scarlet tale. eyes wide, he touches his feet and the sensation is so foreign to him as he bends his toes. however, the moment taehyung gets up and tries to walk, he loses his balance, stumbling forward.  at that point, taehyung sees a piece of cloth washed up by the shore and he crawls nearer, unable to walk. taehyung grits his teeth and thinks, how do humans use these damned things? it's difficult for him, a siren trying to blend in on land, but if taehyung knows anythig, it's how to never give up. not when this is his chance of vengeance. an opportunity too sweet to lose.  taehyung wraps the cloth around his body, fashioning an impromptu robe. it's terribly out of place and taehyung feels no pun intended, like a fish out of water. for a moment, his steely gaze focuses on the crashing waves and he thinks how easy it would be to swim back to the ocean and go back - but he can't back down, not when there is so much in stake.  at that moment, taehyung senses movement around him and he tenses, eyes narrowing. he may not have his siren voice, but his instincts always remain.  from the bushes then emerges a person and taehyung goes into the role of a damsel in distress. it always works when luring in humans to feast on, why would it be any different here? the stranger appears to be a young male with light blonde tufts of hair which falls over his eyes.  "who are you, sir?" he asks and taehyung wills himself to speak, opening his mouth but nothing comes out. sighing, he points to his throat, trying to show the other that he's mute. thankfully, the boy catches on what taehyung is trying to say and smiles warmly before saying, "ah, well hello. my name is jimin. you're not from these parts are you?" taehyung shakes his head lightly, a small smile forming on his lips. in his head he thinks, humans have always been so easy to charm as he ignores his mind saying, all but one.  the boy – jimin – smiles warmly and asks, "do you need someone to show you around?" taehyung crinkles his eyes and beams at that, nodding eagerly. all too easy. taehyung tries to get up once more, but his legs fail him again. grunting in annoyance, he wearily attempts at it once more.  jimin catches on to his struggles and offers an arm for balance. taehyung doesn't want to take it, help from a human, but knows better than to let pride blind him of logic. he puts on a fake smile hoping to look appreciatively and in the slightest bit, bashful.  and as he takes jimin's hand and walks, though awkwardly and slow, he thinks that humans are pathetic and vulnerable beings that display their weaknesses like trophies, full of pride. and despite how apt taehyung is at understanding and adapting and mimicking their slight mannerisms and quirks, he never really understood why or how they could be so open.  sirens pride themselves in being creatures of mystery. no one knows anything of them, not what they're thinking, nothing. taehyung only shows what he wants them to know, and he manipulates his image, above land feigning as an innocent person in need of help, so, so vulnerable. but under the sea, taehyung is cold and unfeeling, sea dwellers steer clear of his path.  and as the horizon of the sea grows smaller and smaller, and jimin begins talking about the town and other trivial things taehyung didn't care about, he thinks, i'm coming for you, pirate.  "i don't mean to intrude, but what brings you here?" jimin asks at one point. taehyung hesitates and ponders whether to tell him his matter of business. he certainly doesn't trust the human, he's smarter than that. but - the human could serve a purpose too, if taehyung plays his cards right. taehyung frowns for a second before deciding to actually use seokjin's advice, something the siren was well aware that it was used as a joke, and actually use sign language. he spells the letters out with his fingers, eyes still trained on jimin, and thankfully he seems to catch on.  taehyung sticks out his little finger, i, followed by clenching his fist, thumb sticking out before once again tucking it in, am – then comes l-o-o-k-i-n-g and as taehyung goes to continue, realisation dawns on jimin's face.  "you're looking for someone?" he asks. taehyung nods at that, relived that the human finally understood. "who is it?" taehyung ponders for a second before using his hand to lightly ghost over his eye and forehead and then shifting his fingers from his shoulders to his waist. pirate king.  jimin's eyes widen once he understands what taehyung is trying to say. spluttering, he asks in disbelief, "min yoongi?" taehyung hums in affirmation though he thinks, does everyone know of him?  taehyung thinks if the townspeople here feared him, another area of land the admittedly skilled pirate had conquered long ago, the name itself striking fear into the people who dwelled these parts. and taehyung finds pleasure in the fact that if they fear yoongi, they have no chance when it comes to himself. much to their fortune, taehyung wasn't here for them, he was here for yoongi and as a sign of his mercy, he'd paint the town crimson with the blood of their most hated ruler. but when taehyung looks at jimin, the boy doesn't seem scared of shaken up but almost in awe? "min yoongi is our savior." taehyung's eyes widen as his breath hitches in the slightest. he takes in a breath of air and calms his fixture, face blank. instead, he mouths out his thoughts, why? "our town was under the rule of looters, thieves who wanted nothing more than our resources, sometimes going on murderous rampages to the extent of kidnapping our children. many of us fled but i couldn't – not when they took my lover. i had to stay and get him back." humans and their insane selflessness, taehyung's brain supplies. "but yoongi's crew, they came and at first we thought that they were just more pirates but he was different," jimin's eyes shine as he continues, "but he was different." and there he goes again, taehyung thinks, it's an open secret that yoongi is different – but different how, and more importantly – why?  "yoongi visits from time to time," jimin's voice drops, "and people say that some of the people who were taken away by the looters took refuge in his crew." taehyung doesn't need to study the other to know that jimin is leeching off false hope, a move that later on only prove to be foolish.  is he in town? jimin hums at that, nodding. "they'll stop by tomorrow for supplies and then, yoongi will depart. some say that he won't return afterwards so seeing him at least once is on my agenda. and...i'll try to look at his crew too because..." jimin's voice trails off.  taehyung knows that he should be listening attentively, eyes glistening with sympathy but he can't help the dull ache in his gut and the dryness of his throat. he's starving. and jimin is right there, so vulnerable and so easy.  patience, taehyung, he tells himself as he forces himself to follow the other.  . taehyung finds himself at a modest home, a dining room, and that's where jimin says, "this is my place. i thought that i'd bring you here to get a little more-" his gazes flicks over to taehyung's barely covered body, "ah- decent."  taehyung smiles warmly at the other, the hunger instead more imminent than ever. and taehyung could take things in two ways; he could wait it out a little longer and build tension, or he could always go for it.  and taehyung doesn't know whether it's his siren instincts or predatorial nature, but he's running impatient – especially when food was right there. so instead he proceeds to stepping into murky waters, a dangerous gamble.  how was your lover like? and at first, confusion flashes across jimin's face but he sees taehyung's face and how the other isn't joking. "i-he, he was so bright and hopeful. we were so happy before they took him away-" taehyung senses the other's breath falter, and he thinks, yes. he's going to crack.  "and before that we were perfect, you know? and it could have been avoided, none of them would have happened if i hadn't had run away that night? but i was so fucking scared and when they took him away, he – hoseok -  saw me. and he knew that i didn't help him." and at that point, jimin's in tears and taehyung takes that as a chance to come closer.  "do you know what the worst part was? i know he's in yoongi's crew and he knows too, and tomorrow's my last chance." taehyung embraces the other and thinks that jimin is lonely, and if he knows anything, it's that lonely people are the easiest to tear apart. give them a little attention and they'll fall.  from the embrace, taehyung pulls apart and he looks at the other's lips and again at their eyes as if to ask, can i?  in all truthfulness, taehyung doesn't care about consent, but he knows it's another way to make them think that he cares about them. taehyung bites back the urge to scoff, as if. and when jimin nods in the slightest, taehyung goes in. at first, it's innocent and a simple push and pull, but then taehyung's tongue swipes across jimin's bottom lip and it deepens; tongue and teeth colliding. taehyung can feel jimin let out a whimper and he takes that as a good thing, it's working. the kiss isn't the best, it's a little sloppy and desperate – but think of the delicious flesh, and taehyung pushes on. when taehyung feels jimin melt against him, panting lightly, he goes to nipping at the other's jaw hungrily and jimin lets out a low groan.  and that's when taehyung knows he has jimin wrapped around his finger, so easy, too easy. and he could torment the other longer, play with his feelings like a little rag doll, throwing it away when he's done, but taehyung can feel the other's pulse and the blood rushing through his veins and he's starving. without warning, taehyung picks that moment to bare his sharp teeth and he plunges into the soft, soft skin. at first, jimin let's out a shrill scream of pain and terror, but it gets choked up by the blood dripping from his mouth. and within seconds, jimin is lying dead on the hardwood floor, flushed golden skin now sickly pale.  taehyung can't find himself to care as he tears the human apart, blood red and rich on his fingers as he claws through the flesh, blood staining his face. taehyung eats, and eats, and eats – and soon all there is is a bloody carcass with the abdomen gouged out, jimin's lifeless icy eyes staring up at nothing. taehyung gets up, using the back of his hand to wipe at his mouth. he's pathetic, taehyung thinks as he takes a good look at his latest victim, letting me take him so easily while claiming that he still has a lover. and at jimin's collarbones, taehyung sees a tattoo that catches her eye, hoseok.  and he thinks that whoever this hoseok is, he's smart. smart enough to know that if his 'lover' left him once, he'd do it again. taehyung looks down at the mess, murky pools of blood at his feet, the walls flecked with scarlet. thankfully, of what taehyung knows, no one would come looking for the blonde haired boy. no one would notice, his mind supplies.  taehyung takes one last look at the body lying limp and the rancid smell of rotting flesh causes his lip to curl up in disgust. he decides that he'll take care of him later. for now, he needed to get some clothes considering whatever he's wearing is slipping off and completely drenched in blood. . after taking a bath to wash up all the dried blood on him and clearing up the area, taehyung finds himself looking through the house. jimin's room is mostly barren, but he finds another room which appears more used despite the layers of dust covering the furniture. taehyung finds a small photo and although he doesn't care of the trivial matters of the human, his curiosity is piqued. it's an old photo if how young jimin looks has any say in the matter. and beside the then brown-haired boy is someone taehyung can only presume as hoseok. his skin is golden, the complexion reminding him of seokjin. and he had fluffy, orange hair, eyes light and bright. taehyung wonders for a moment if things had played out different, would they have ended up like this. one aboard a foreign ship, living a new life while another lies rotting and dead at the bottom of the sea, where taehyung had half-heartedly disposed of him. he would make a good treat for desperate sirens lurking for food, taehyung supposes. taehyung manages to find a cabinet of clothing that he guesses hasn't been worn in years. he finds himself clothes that fits him perfectly. the sun is setting and he finds himself longing for the sea once more. without another word, he slips away and goes back to the shore, watching the horizon. taehyung finds the sight to be rather beautiful, as a siren he never took the time to do anything like this. meaningless human things, he calls it. and as the sun sets, seokjin's words floods his mind once more. by the twenty-first sunset. taehyung closes his eyes. he doesn't have a plan, per se, he's too spontaneous for that – but he won't go in blind either. if jimin was right and yoongi would be visiting tomorrow, taehyung has to take his chances in good timing.  taehyung feels something shift beside him as he jerks instinctively, eyes wide.  "i'm sorry, i didn't mean to startle you." taehyung would brush it off by nodding politely while cursing them in his mind, but that voice – could it be? taehyung tears his gaze away, towards the person and comes face to face with none other than min yoongi himself. the very person he's looking for. taehyung finds himself staring at the other, for the first time in his life, lost for words. perhaps because i have no voice, his mind supplies unhelpfully.  taehyung forces himself to snap out of his daze, instead dressing what comes off as a warm smile, a light pink dusting his cheeks. it wasn't supposed to go like this, taehyung curses internally. that pesky human indeed was good for nothing. he internally scowls at the thought.  yoongi studies taehyung for a moment, and he narrows his eyes. for a brief moment, taehyung holds his breath, his mind with the thought that what if he recognises me, but no – he trusts seokjin. "i don't think i've seen you here before," yoongi says quietly, "are you new here?" taehyung can only nod, eyes not meeting the other's. it isn't like him to be in this position, to be so bashful and meek, and taehyung has to admit that it feels awfully foreign. out of character, even.  yoongi hums at the other's lack of response. "you don't talk much do you?" you don't shut up much, do you? taehyung wants to hiss, but instead he maintains his calm and shakes his head lightly. taehyung briefly looks up, eyes meeting with yoongi's for a moment and he sees a glint of amusement?   can you read sign language? yoongi signs to him.  for a moment taehyung is surprised that the other knows how to speak in sign language, a skill the siren never thought a brute of a pirate would acquire. if anything, it's awfully convenient for him.  yes, he signs back. and taehyung almost expects yoongi to make more conversation, or at least attempt to, but instead the other sits beside him by the shore side rocks and gazes at the sea. it's serene, a moment taehyung never in a thousand millennia would have considered ever a possibility.  taehyung knows yoongi, that's true, but he never knew that he was so quiet.  it would have been nice, if it weren't for the feeling twinging in taehyung's gut, a sickening sort of feeling – almost like a reminder telling him that it was one sunset gone. eventually taehyung slips away, careful that yoongi doesn't notice and as he lies in a foreign bed hours later, eyes boring into the ceiling, taehyung lets out a sigh, eyes flicking over into the view of the vast ocean, home. three more weeks.  . yoongi only notices that the other boy is gone after the sun has set, and when the rest of the harbour has been engulfed in darkness, the only source of light being the moonlight pooling its reflection onto the water.  there was something about him that piqued yoongi's curiosity, and he can swear that he looks uncannily familiar – but to who? yoongi doesn't know. something about those captivating blue eyes told him that it was a face that was almost impossible to forget, but they didn't call him the accomplisher of the unaccomplished for no reason. letting out a weary sigh, yoongi closes his eyes. he'll see the male again, it isn't a big town here either way. any maybe next time, he'll get his name. but apart from familiar redheads with pretty eyes, yoongi had other problems on his mind. problems that were really giving him a migraine.  to begin with, there was another body.  and by that, he means that his crew found another body of a villager, limbs amputated and the torso barely there, dumped in the middle of the ocean. yoongi grits his teeth, no doubt the work of one of those sirens. and his quartermaster, hoseok, was pretty shaken up by the body. although he didn't say anything, yoongi saw how hoseok stiffened at the revelation of the victim's face, all battered and bruised. and he saw how his gaze lingered at the boy's tattoo near his collarbone. when yoongi saw the blossom of purples and blues that trailed along the victim's jaw and neck, it was almost certain that it was one of those sickening monsters. yoongi's mind wandered to a certain siren with a tongue sharper than a knife and a gaze that could bore into one's soul, he hasn't seen taehyung in a while. the very siren that sought to make yoongi's life utter torture.  wordlessly, yoongi gets up and makeds his way back to the rest of his crew, the image of fiery red hair and a scarlet tail burning in his mind.  . taehyung first makes his way to the town before the sun comes out. the air is cold and the sky is dark, and thankfully, the shore is free from any pirate kings. taehyung thinks that if he wants to get closer to yoongi, he first has to mingle with the locals and ease in, almost as if he hadn't killed one of their natives just the previous day. if the entire town adores yoongi, capturing the pirate's undivided attention might be more of a challenge than it appears. and as every moment ticks by, taehyung can't help but think how time is running short and he hasn't even made any significant process. slow and steady, taehyung reminds himself, almost as if he's hunting and yoongi is his prey.  vast majority of people are still in peaceful slumber as taehyung walks through the town, taking in all there is to the place that yoongi calls home. it's unfamiliar, to say the least, with the buildings and structures littered with human food and other human accustomed things. taehyung didn't have a lot of these things under the ocean, even the flowers that bloomed differed from the ones he was so used to seeing. and he can't help but show the wonder in his eyes as he sees a local riding what appears to be a horse, its hooves click clacking away.  even though he should be focused, taehyung can't help find the human world to be a little refreshing, the contrast in both lands, curious.  if he wasn't purely composed off spite and the sheer will to live, taehyung might have liked life above the ocean. but since taehyung has more wit than soul, he doesn't. instead he focuses his mind on his one true task that in the end would bring nothing to his but the satisfaction of it all. it's trivial, but taehyung knows most things are.  think of the glory he would have, to boast about killing off the toughest human to provoke his kind. it would give him a reputation among his kind as well, and of course the minor plus of not having to face the consequence of being unable to fulfil seokjin's task for him. taehyung decides that he's has enough visiting through the common town and decides to venture once again to the shore in hopes of perhaps catching a glimpse of yoongi's ship.  however, at the dock, there aren't any ships as far as taehyung could make out, but someone else perched against the ledge of the harbour. taehyung questions whether or not he should retreat and leave whoever it is behind, but he decides to go against it. it's about time he meets some locals who can actually provide him with sound pieces of information. if not, he wouldn't mind stopping by for another snack. besides, he's feeling a little peckish.  as taehyung approaches, the other person could sense his presence as they immediately snap their head towards taehyung's direction, eyes narrowed. it's then when taehyung comes to the jarring realisation that this is hoseok. taehyung wonders if he knows what happened to jimin, wonders if he even cares anymore. hoseok is seemingly wearier than yoongi seemed to be, his fingers ghosting over his sword in suspicion. he tilts his head in the slightest and taehyung catches on how he tries to scan the entire situation. he obviously doesn't recognisetaehyung and doesn't seem to trust him, either. "do i know you?" hoseok asks, eyes narrowing at him. taehyung only shakes his head. "you're not from these parts, so what's your business?" taehyung ponders for a second how hoseok is so quick to know that taehyung is anything but a local until it dawns upon him that hoseok grew up in this very land, he would undoubtedly know all the faces native to these parts. taehyung points to his throat in the hopes of conveying that he's mute. i come from far away, he mouths. hoseok seems to comprehend what taehyung says as he immediately gets up and beams. it's a little strained, taehyung can tell by how his eyes don't shine like they did in that picture, but he decides to ignore that. "since you're new here, i would suggest staying away from the seaside. terrible things lurk these waters, you're safer off in the heart of the town," hoseok tells him, once again sitting back down, facing the horizon.  i appreciate the advice, but i am well experienced with the water. i used to be a sailor, taehyung knows that's a lie, but hoseok doesn't. instead, all he does in hum before flickering his gaze back to the ocean.  "i'm jung hoseok." taehyung smiles to himself, eyes knowing.  taehyung thinks of what to call himself, knowing that the name taehyung might raise suspicion considering how hoseok was closely acquainted with yoongi himself.  my name is v, taehyung signs, his smile reaching his eyes. hoseok nods at him before the pair fall into a comfortable silence. taehyung does grow curious, what does hoseok think of sirens?  the monsters that lurk in these waters, by any chance, are they sirens? taehyung expects hoseok to nod and go off in a tangent about why sirens are nothing but bloodthirsty creatures that deserve nothing but cruelty sent along their way, but surprisingly, hoseok remains quiet.  "most would say so. but i disagree. sirens are bloodthirsty and dangerous, that's common knowledge. yet there is a certainty to their kind that separates them from any other monster that does monstrous things, they have a reason to do what they do." when taehyung doesn't add on anything, hoseok continues. "they feast on us to survive. that's just how they're made, and yet we ask them to spare our lives for the sacrifice of their own. if we fault a being for wanting to survive, that's going against our very own nature of being human. we want to live, so how can we fault sirens for wanting to do the same?" taehyung notices how hoseok has a wistful look in his eyes while his voice, faraway and distant.  the hoseok from the past screamed vibrancy, his entire presence being so bright and full of life. but this hoseok is quieter and sharper, no longer the bubbly individual from all those years ago. trauma changes all, taehyung thinks.  why are you part of yoongi's crew then? taehyung finds himself asking.  hoseok's lips tug up a little. "i owe yoongi a lifetime for all he's done for me. besides, i had a reason for wanting to leave as well." taehyung doesn't press on any further and neither does hoseok take the initiative to continue and they come to an unspoken agreement to leave it as it is. taehyung decides that now would be an appropriate time to ask the question he needs the answer to, how can i join yoongi's crew?"   hoseok raises an eyebrow at that, before replying, "that's entirely dependent on how willing yoongi is to take in any new crew members. the only person who'd know the answer to that is yoongi himself," hoseok pauses, "but i'll remember you, v." and with that, hoseok gets up and leaves and taehyung thinks, perfect.  . "and he had flaming red hair?" yoongi asks hoseok, raising a brow in curiosity. hoseok hums in reply, adding, "he's mute and says his name is v. have you heard of him?" yoongi pauses for a while, his mind flashing back to the events of the previous night and the mysterious stranger he came across before nodding.  "it must be him. he's the one i saw yesterday, the one-" yoongi replies but gets cut off mid-sentence by hoseok. "the one you seemingly can't stop talking about?" hoseok shoots him a knowing look, smirking in the slightest.  yoongi only brushes his quartermaster off, "it's just that something about him seems so familiar, i just can't remember what. i wanted to ask him myself, but he left without a word." hoseok seems to be unsatisfied with that response but yoongi pays it no heed. "well, yoongi, i have good news for you. he's been looking for you too, apparently. says he wants to join the crew." yoongi's eyes widen at hoseok's words. join the crew? yoongi gives hoseok a pressing look, urging him to continue.  "he says he's a sailor, knows the water like either one of us would. claims to come from far, but the weirdest thing about him was how he didn't freak out when i told him about the sirens," hoseok chuckles lightly at that.  yoongi bites back the urge to scoff at what hoseok's going to say, knowing the very opinion by heart, yet wholeheartedly disagreeing with it. simply put, hoseok tolerates sirens, yoongi on the other hand does not.  "most people typically disagree when i tell them that sirens can't help what they do. you should see the look of terror that flashes across their eyes, it's hilarious. but this one, v or whatever his name is, he didn't have any reaction. as if he was used to hearing this all his life." yoongi ponders for a moment; v really wasn't lying when he said that he's well experienced with the waters. any normal person would have a natural hatred towards those ravenous beings.  "what did you tell him when he told you that he wants to join the crew?" yoongi looks at hoseok, brows furrowed.  hoseok merely shrugs, "what was i supposed to say? i told him that the only person that could help him with that was you." hoseok looks up and meets yoongi's eyes, "so what's it going to be, chief? are you letting him in?" yoongi pauses. v by all means sounds like he has a lot of potential in his name, if whatever hoseok says has any credit, but yoongi doesn't know him enough to let him in like that. his crew is filled with people he trusts his entire life with, and he doesn't just let in anyone right off the bat. as always, yoongi asks the advice of someone that he would trust no matter what, hoseok. "what do you think? should i?"  hoseok sighs, "there's something about this v that seems off. i can't tell what it is, per se, but i feel like you should see him for yourself first. perhaps a little probation period?" yoongi smiles a little at hoseok, there's a reason why hoseok is his quartermaster, and his immense wit played a critical role in determining the reason.  yoongi only nods wordlessly at the other before getting up. their upcoming voyage, perhaps he could join? yoongi wants to know to what extent his abilities reach. he shares this plan with hoseok who quirks a brow, "seems fine to me. but, yoongs?" yoongi hums in response.  "be careful. danger has no given form, you know." yoongi is slightly taken aback by hoseok's choice of words, the implicitness of it, but hoseok always has been the type to never disclose much information. despite knowing him for years, hoseok's past mostly remains a mystery. all yoongi knows for sure is that hoseok used to be so lively and full of life, but after the pirates that abducted the town came about, and all the trauma that followed, it broke hoseok in a way he doubts ever can be fixed. it's upsetting, all of the things that floods yoongi's mind, the things that he never would have needed to worry about if those fucking monsters didn't exist. if sirens hadn't had taken away all he loved growing up, yoongi imagines that he would been living a peaceful life, blissfully ignorant. he wouldn't have had to take up this life of hunting and piracy, bloodshed and gore.  well now, it was time to take back what they took from him all those years ago, that fateful night. and now, yoongi spares no mercy, not until every one of those beasts end up dead and lifeless, like how they leave their own victims to rot at sea. . the townspeople were gathered in the heart of the island in the hopes of catching a glimpse of their beloved min yoongi before he set off to sea with his crew for what could potentially be the last time. taehyung finds himself in the midst of the crowd, taking relief in the fact that he blends in perfectly, as if he is a local, himself. the people are buzzing with excitement, taehyung notes, their eyes bright and lips tugged to a smile. small rumors and light gossip appear to have momentarily taken the attention of the people, the light chatter in the air getting increasingly loud. someone amongst the people gasps, "look! it's yoongi!" immediately, silence falls and the crowd turns to look at yoongi, walking up to the crowd with hoseok, and some other people taehyung doesn't recognise, in tow. a smile plays on yoongi's lips, a sight taehyung deems to be most peculiar, being used to the image of yoongi being spiteful and ruthless.  yoongi turns to address the crowd, much to the appeal of everyone, cheering at yoongi's motivating and uplifting words, mainly expressing his gratitude to the town for hosting him and being the place he can call home. taehyung finds himself tuning out at that, instead choosing to pay attention to the people behind yoongi who he can only presume to be the rest of his crew. one of them, is a male that doesn't seem to be any younger than he is, with a distant and faraway look in his doe-like eyes. taehyung swears that he's seen him before, senses that there's more to him than what he can deduct from first glance, yet decides to push those intrusive thoughts away. throughout yoongi's speech, taehyung can feel yoongi's gaze but doesn't meet the pirate's eyes. he knows that yoongi is curious about who he might be, why he slipped away that night wordlessly, but taehyung doesn't want to answer those questions before getting answers for some of his own. suddenly, the crowd starts clapping and taehyung realises that whatever speech yoongi had delivered, it is done. now is the perfect opportunity to get to yoongi before it becomes too late.  jostling through the already dispersing crowd, taehyung approaches yoongi, keeping his expression as neutral as possible to escape any more further judgement from yoongi.  "a little birdie told me that you're looking for me?" yoongi asks, nodding at taehyung as to acknowledge his presence. taehyung's lips pull into an easy smile at that. perhaps, he signs. yoongi smirks at that before adding, "and who do i have the pleasure of acquainting?" v, taehyung replies smoothly. yoongi pauses for a second before asking, "v, is that short for anything?" taehyung ponders dodging the question entirely before deciding, what harm does a little honesty do? instead, he smiles. it's taehyung, actually. but i feel like that name doesn't fit me, exactly. something flashes across yoongi's face as he hums in reply. "yeah, i don't think it fits either." silence spread for a beat, two - "say," yoongi begins, gaze locking with taehyung's, "how'd you feel about getting out of here?" taehyung beams, perfect. perfect, indeed.  . they end up going to a quiet bar, yoongi treating taehyung to a round of drinks. you don't have to pay, taehyung signs to yoongi, even though he does know that if yoongi hadn't paid on his behalf, he wouldn't have enough currency to afford any of the expensive drinks. although taehyung took some of the money jimin had lying around, it wasn't much.  "now, i've heard from my quartermaster that you're interested in joining my crew?" yoongi questions, raising an eyebrow. taehyung's expression turns to one of a more serious kind and he nods.  "but why? why did you choose to come here, if you don't mind me asking?"  taehyung smiles. he had anticipated such from yoongi, obviously he'd want to know what business taehyung really had. my homeland is no longer a place where i can stay, with disease spreading like wildfire. i heard that places around these parts hold potential – and to be honest, my experience at sea is the only real skill i have, and of course, i've heard many good things about your crew. who wouldn't want to join? it hurts taehyung's pride, to assume the role of such an incapable human, but he's using pity as his main asset, knowing that yoongi has a soft spot for the weak. as little as taehyung ever would want someone like yoongi's sympathy, it's his best chance at getting anywhere near where he intends to. yoongi's eyes soften and taehyung sees that as a clear sign of sympathy. regardless of whether he denies his proposal, taehyung knows he's still considering it. and for now, that's good enough. yoongi pauses for a moment before he speaks. "my crewmates, they're people i trust my entire life on and you know that's not a bond that forms instantaneously. but how about a little probation period?" taehyung perks up at that, eyes shining. "i'm going on a voyage tomorrow and perhaps you'd like to join?" yoongi meets taehyung's eyes for approval. taehyung signs a remark of gratitude, ease pooling into his gut. at that, yoongi smiles, telling him when to report the next day before the entire crew deports.  what'll we be doing? taehyung finds himself asking, curious. yoongi smirks. "siren hunting."  and with that, yoongi leaves, not before giving one last nod at taehyung, something flashing in his eyes. it's going to get interesting, taehyung finds himself thinking. it's a little shocking at first, but sirens aren't particularly loyal creatures. less of his kind simply means less competition out at sea, he presumes. perhaps it's a little cruel of him to betray his people without a second thought, but taehyung knows that if any of them were the ones making the exact decision, they'd do the same. it's upholding our reputation, really, taehyung reminds himself, taking one last sip of the alcohol now in his system.  . when taehyung returns back to jimin's house, he feels his insides growling with hunger. to be fair, it's been a few days since he last feasted and he knows very well that aboard yoongi's ship, getting a good window of time to go hunt is near impossible, especially under the watchful eyes of multiple highly skilled siren hunters. now would be the best time to target another victim before he has to plan what he'll do among yoongi's crew. yet the question still lies, who does he pick? unfortunately, taehyung is aware that not everyone is as naïve as jimin nor as trusting so finding someone to prey on will not be as simple. he has to pick someone unsuspecting and almost invisible. after all, the less people that are affected means the less taehyung has to worry about anyone getting suspicious. instantly, taehyung's mind flickers over to several drunkards he recalls seeing at the pub, completely wasted at the sorry state they were in. taehyung doesn't think it will stir too much attention if one or two happen to disappear one night – it isn't like they have anywhere else to be either way. and that's how taehyung finds himself at his second bar that very day, a different establishment – less high end and definitely a larger crowd. thankfully, the drinks are cheaper too, as he finds himself getting one to blend in.  the tonic had a bitter taste in his mouth and that sensation spread quickly. taehyung downed it in one shot, wincing slightly at the nullifying flavour. from the corner of his eye, he sees a man in what appears to be his mid-twenties, eyeing him with a certain look of lust in his eyes. he could sense that he wants to approach him yet seems hesitant. perhaps a little more to drink would do the trick, taehyung finds himself thinking. smirking slightly at him, taehyung locks his gaze with him as he walks over to him. hello, taehyung finds herself mouthing to him. the corner of the man's lips tugs up slightly as he slurs a greeting back, voice husky and rough. when taehyung flashes him some bedroom eyes and a suggestive glance, he asks him, your place or mine.  yours, he answers, a wicked grin stretching. . taehyung hauls the body. getting the man to fall right where he wanted was easier than he expected. the fact that he was drunk out of his mind was another major advantage. taehyung doesn't think that finding another victim would be as easy the next time. as of now, taehyung's by the shore again, but at another part of town, far away from jimin's house to avoid any suspicion. he's still rotting and taehyung winces at the foul stench. he didn't taste great fresh, either, his flesh rancid and tangy. if taehyung weren't starving, he'd leave him in his sorry state and look for another prey. his hands are stained red and there's dried blood on his body, dark and thick. however, it's late into the night and taehyung doesn't think that there would be many people in this part of town hanging around for his to be caught mid-act. just as taehyung is about to dispose of the man's body whole, he hears movement in the water and hears a gasp, followed by a sharp inhale of air. freezing, taehyung looks up and his eyes meet with a pair of golden brown eyes staring right at him, wide and astonished. 
it's a siren.
 
taehyung's mouth hangs open and for once, he doesn't know what to say. how would the siren even react to him? did he even count as a threat? the siren's eyes scans taehyung and upon seeing his bloodstained self along with a corpse right beside him, realisation dawns upon him. "you're a siren," the siren says in a bare whisper, more to himself, if anything.  taehyung wants to stop him and say something, but as soon as he realises that taehyung isn't just a typical human, he disappears beneath the waves, leaving taehyung stunned. what just happened? taehyung decides that essentially, no danger would come for him way off shore, yet, he has a feeling that the news might spread; that there's been a siren venturing on land. perhaps it would cause more to follow suit, unlikely if you ask him, but at least it would provide good business for seokjin. a way to let him know how i'm doing, taehyung thinks.  and with that, taehyung returns back to the house, determined to face the trials of the following day. yet the image of dark hair and bright eyes burning in the back of his mind. . yoongi steps onto deck. the sky is cloudless and clear, the moon setting a pale glow onto the waves and he can see hoseok from his field of vision, doing the last of his nightly duties. he knows that the rest of his crew are long asleep, preparing for a long day tomorrow and he knows that hoseok ought to be doing the same. "hoseok," yoongi calls out. hoseok only hums in reply. "get some rest, it's going to be tiring tomorrow." hoseok cracks him a smile, "no can do, boss." "are you defying a direct order?" that earns a laugh from the other, "precisely." at that, yoongi sighs and that's the end of it. hoseok, as much as he's brilliant, he's a stubborn one, and yoongi knows that far too well. yet, he can't help but to worry a little, especially when it comes to his crew. only when it comes to his crew. "alright, smartass." and in a softer tone, "just don't stay up too late, yeah?" hoseok doesn't say anything, but yoongi knows he's smiling – and that's enough. just then, yoongi hears shouts. he snaps his head towards the direction of the commotion and he sees hoseok do the same. without hesitation, yoongi finds himself heading towards site and hoseok follows suit behind him. they run, and yoongi's hand hovers over his sword just in case.  when they reach the site where people have gathered, a typically quiet area by the sea. yoongi sees the residents' faces and how pale it is, eyes sunken. "what is it?" his voice is laced with concern as his brows furrow. "the s-sirens," someone begins, "they've struck again." they point to the shore where yoongi sees another victim of what has to be a siren's doing, body ripped to shreds, murky blood pooling. yoongi finds his face hardening and he tells hoseok to make the residents evacuate the area.  once they've all dispersed, hoseok comes back to yoongi, his face unreadable. "it's the second one this week," hoseok says finally. "it's been two days since the first," yoongi says, more to himself if anything. yoongi moves the body, ignoring how the blood stains his fingers. once again, there are bruises along the victim, a young male's collarbones and jaw. however, unlike the last one, most of his body is still intact, with only his torso torn apart. "he reeks of alcohol," hoseok mumbles, wincing slightly. and yoongi agrees, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that he was drunk when he was attacked.  "yeah, but why would he come here? sirens don't have any power to suddenly make him come to the shore, it doesn't make any sense." yoongi goes on, "the boy that was killed two days ago, he was at the harbour, it won't be too unusual for someone to be there but why was he here to begin with?" "does every siren have a different way of killing? if so, the two victims look awfully alike – both were left to rot on shore when sirens typically drown their victims and leave them wherever they please. yoongi frowns. what hoseok said makes sense, everything with how their bodies looked and where they were found. "are you implying that it's the same siren that caused both cases?" "all i'm saying is that it's best if the people keep away from the sea for now, sirens never linger for long."  yoongi nods at that. "let's just inform them before we leave." hoseok starts walking back to the ship and looks at yoongi for him to follow along, and he does. the pair walk back wordlessly but yoongi still senses that something isn't quite right. whatever it was, yoongi decides to put the thought aside for now. it's a long day tomorrow. . taehyung is there when the people are gathered around town square, waiting for the arrival of yoongi. he knows what yoongi will address and he is aware that this is all because of his slip up the previous night when he left the man's body rather carelessly.  what he previously assumed would cause no trouble only did the opposite, yet just as he had thought, nothing still points back to him as the cause. perhaps yoongi will her have his guard up from now, but yoongi has already done all he's needed to do.  he heard the screams of the people when he had already retreated back to the house, still preoccupied with the thought of the siren that saw him. he couldn't find it within himself to care, not when it didn't exactly concern him.  taehyung has his mind occupied with the voyage he'll be embarking soon, a mark of his progress so far. he'd be lying if he says he isn't the least bit proud.  the crowd becomes jittery once more when they spot yoongi, closely followed by hoseok. yoongi's eyes are dark and his mouth is pressed into a thin line, brows furrowed. it's vastly different from how he was before, and taehyung can't blame him. it doesn't really help his reputation as the island's saviour.  looking at all this commotion, taehyung doesn't think it's all his fault. fundamentally, he was right. the people don't really care about the man's death, they care more about potentially being the next death.  however, for the sake of his act, taehyung puts on the most stoic and grim expression he can, mirroring the others' perfectly.  when yoongi gets in front of the crowd, scanning the crowd, taehyung hears the people next to him mutter, "honestly, why is he still here? doesn't seem like he's doing any good." taehyung's lips tug up a little at that, getting satisfaction out of the fact that people are finally looking past the illusion of yoongi as a hero and idol.  "as most of you would know, there's been another attack along the coast the previous night. my crew are still embarking on our voyage tonight, but we advise that you will stay away from the costs these weeks in to prevent any of such events from repeating itself." murmurs go around the crowd, some satisfied while others remain unhappy with yoongi's simple words. they've been hoping for stricter measures, clearly unimpressed.  yoongi knows that the crowd doesn't seem to be with him a hundred percent, with the way his eyes shift through the crowd until it finally lands on taehyung. he half expects yoongi's gaze to linger, but it doesn't, with him looking away.  the statement ends with the people dispersing, majority of them throwing wary glances at the pirate. little do they know that they have almost nothing to worry about once taehyung leaves the land with yoongi. but that's where taehyung's worries begin. he still doesn't know how he'll manage to get food aboard the ship. he'll just have to hunt when they stop on an island to restock supplies.  just as taehyung plans on how he'll slip away from the rest of the crew, he hears hoseok calling for him.  "v, we're heading out in a few hours. get all your things and meet the rest of us at the harbour. yoongi wants to deliver his pre-voyage pep-talk. well not exactly, but you know how it is," hoseok tells him as taehyung nods. . taehyung is the first one there. he supposes that the others have things to do, people to say goodbye to, but taehyung packed his things the night before, leaving him completely free. it's terribly boring, having nothing to do all day than to wander around. he'd say that it's no different than him being a siren out at sea, but it isn't exactly the same either. at sea, taehyung never wanted to do anything; the thought never crossed his mind. he was fine, hunting every chance he got, looking for new prey. what else did he need? he certainly wasn't a mermaid, why would he spend time with friends? the closest thing taehyung has to a 'friend' would be seokjin, but that's a whole other story.  but at land, taehyung sees how the people enjoyed nothing more than the company of others. seemed a little odd, if you ask him. what is there to talk about? common interests? light anecdotes? taehyung doesn't see any need in indulging oneself with that. yet, he feels a little isolated on land, with everyone already having someone else; family, a lover or perhaps just a friend.  he snaps out of his thoughts when he hears someone arriving. looking up, he sees that it isn't hoseok or yoongi, but another man that he doesn't recognise. he has dark rimmed glasses, with his hair swept back, a knowing look in his eyes.  "i assume you're new?" he asks. taehyung nods at that, still unsure of the kind of person he was.  "well, nice to meet you. i'm namjoon." taehyung smiles at that. did he know that he can't speak? he would think that either hoseok or yoongi would have told the rest of the crew. "and you are?" i'm mute, taehyung signs, hoping that he'll be able to understand. what he gets is a low chuckle as he says, "i know, i just wanted your name." taehyung thinks that they probably would have told him that but he's perhaps trying to be friendly. i'm v, he signs, nice to meet you to. say, what do you do on the ship? "i'm the sailing master. i guide the ship on where it's going and make sure nothing goes off course." he opens his mouth to say something else but is interrupted by the arrival of yoongi and what appears to be the rest. "joon, you've met v already?" yoongi asks namjoon who nods in return. taehyung sees that apart from yoongi, hoseok and namjoon, there are four other crew members, one of them being the honey-eyed male taehyung saw a few days back. "alright crew, this is v," yoongi introduces to the rest. he can feel their eyes on him but decides to ignore it. taehyung keeps his eye on the honey-eyed male and he swears he's seen him before, somewhere, somehow, but taehyung can't remember. yoongi points over to him, and says, "that's jeongguk, our ship's surgeon." jeongguk, taehyung keeps that name in mind, where have i seen a jeongguk? taehyung shifts his attention to yoongi before jeongguk can catch him staring at him. jeongguk's eyes are warm, but his stare feels cold, as if he knows something taehyung doesn't. in all honesty, it's a little unsettling, and taehyung doesn't like the feeling. "these are our gunners, hyungwon, minhyuk and kihyun," taehyung turns his attention to the other three boys. taehyung nods politely at them but his mind is still preoccupied with the events of the previous night. "you'll see the rest of the crew onboard but familiarise yourself with these people first, you'll get to know the rest later," hoseok whispers to him.  what will i be doing? taehyung asks hoseok, who then points to namjoon, saying, "you'll be helping namjoon out since you said you have experience with the seas. and if you don't have anything else to do, help around for a little bit. it'll help you get to know the crew better."  when taehyung sees most of the crew heading up on board, he takes that as a sign to follow suit. hoseok was right, taehyung notes, there are people walking around carrying supplies. taehyung decides to follow namjoon wordlessly, and people leave him alone, mostly.  "hey, who's the new kid?" taehyung overhears.  
"haven't you heard? 
captain's
 got a new crew member, 
i
 
don't know much either."
 
 "are you coming, v?" namjoon calls out and taehyung snaps out of his daze. he shoots namjoon a sheepish look, mouthing a silent apology. namjoon shows taehyung around, going to the lower quarters to show him where the sleeping quarters were.  "here's the medical room, you'll usually find jeongguk there," namjoon says before pointing to a a larger door, "that's the captain's quarters. i'd stay out of there if i were you, v. yoongi likes his privacy." taehyung raises an eyebrow to that, but doesn't press on any further.  do you know where we're heading? taehyung asks namjoon.  "there's an island, not too far from here, we've received a distress call from one of their ships. we'll be heading there as of now, we should be reaching by tomorrow morning if all things go according to plan," namjoon smiles, "let's hope for the best." for pirates, taehyung realises, they're all awfully kind. he was expecting barbaric and brutish people, having a lust for violence and bloodshed, but taehyung comes to realise that they're nothing like that. instead, they're friendlier than expected. however, he isn't as gullible to believe that they're as soft as they appear. he knows that when the time comes they can be harsh as well. taehyung would never admit it, but it's impressive, in a sense.  after their brief tour, namjoon leaves for his duties and taehyung takes the opportunity to familiarise with the ship, taking note of the little mannerisms of the crew members. he sees that the gunners start checking stock of the ammunition for the ship cannons. apart from the light chatter in the atmosphere, its rather quiet. most of the crew do their work silently and taehyung wonders if it’s because yoongi’s particular about remaining undisturbed but he soon comes to realise that everyone is so used to one another’s presence that they have no need to verbally say something out loud to infer a message. one of the gunners, kihyun says something to hyungwon who simply nods and shares a look with minhyuk and somehow that’s all the communication they need before they understand what’s needed to be done, almost effortless. “v, is it?”  taehyung turns behind to see a face that he doesn’t recognise. “i don’t mean to bother you, i’m jooheon. i need some help loading up some of the supplies,” he shoots taehyung a questioning look. taehyung smiles at jooheon, nodding.  as taehyung begins helping jooheon to carry supplies aboard the ship, eventually three other unfamiliar faces join in, introducing themselves as shownu, wonho and changkyun. taehyung quickly comes to realise that most of them are rather friendly, warming up to taehyung without the latter having to spark most of the conversation. taehyung found himself comfortable with the other boys leading the flow of their conversation, mostly lighthearted banter alongside one of them asking taehyung an occasional question in which taehyung gives a simple reply typically at the top of his head. he’s had more than enough time to make up a profile for himself, coming with everything from a family and a childhood that he doesn’t have. sirens are splendid deceivers, after all. at one point, shownu asks, “what do you like to do, v?” and taehyung opens his mouth to say something, a simple hobby that isn’t too special, but nothing comes out. what did he like to do? as a siren, taehyung’s never considered the thought of having a hobby, something that served him no purpose.  seokjin, himself, used to tell taehyung how his only desire in life was to survive – and taehyung, well, he couldn’t disagree to say the least. it never occurred to taehyung that having something to do other than hunt was a crucial thing. he was perfectly content living his days in bloodshed.  i play instruments, taehyung finds himself signing. taehyung remembers how seokjin used to be obsessed with humans, everything they did, the life they lead. he wanted to have a part of their lives, to indulge in the wonders they had. as such, seokjin would go out and gather forgotten and lost items left by humans long ago, sunken at the bottom of the sea. taehyung, himself, had no interest in such contraptions but seokjin was enthralled. he didn’t brew potions back then, didn’t stay cooped up within his caves. instead, he’d sneak away at the dead of night with taehyung in tow to venture the seas.  taehyung remembers how seokjin had an entire collection of human items, all carefuly locked away in a place only seokjin and taehyung knew. when seokjin would be away, taehyung would find himself visiting the area and he remembers there being a piano. some of the keys were missing, the tune wouldn’t always be right, but taehyung used to play it at times for seokjin, sinking into the haunting melodies.  “what kind?” jooheon asks, eyes shining with mirth.  the piano, taehyung replies. “yoongi plays it as well!” wonho tells him, “he doesn’t play as much anymore, but when he does, it’s beautiful.” the other boys nod as well and taehyung images yoongi’s fingers ghosting over the keys, playing a song. he ignores the desire in his mind wishing that someday taehyung could hear yoongi play as well.  . the ship sets sail a while after and by then, the sun’s already setting. yoongi’s nowhere in sight and taehyung presumes that’s how things will be on a regular basis. in fact, taehyung hasn’t seen the pirate since he boarded the ship and left to his quarters.  “how good are you at cooking?” kihyun asks taehyung, who just gives the other a blank stare. not the best, but i can manage? taehyung signs back, thinking of how although as a siren he never had to cook before, he did more often than not help out with one of seokjin’s brews. taehyung knew far too well that while he certainly wasn’t an expert, he followed seokjin’s instructions fairly well.  kihyun’s expression relives visibly as he prompts taehyung to follow him, all while explaining, “you don’t understand how terrible their cooking is. i’m the only one aboard that can produce something edible without setting the entire ship on fire, so it will be great to have some extra hands.” taehyung simply smiles at that, while the pair enter the kitchen. the first thing taehyung observes is how neat and tidy it is; he wouldn’t be surprised if kihyun’s managed to ban the others from coming in without supervision if the amount of confidence he has in their cooking ability has any say in the matter. “you can help cut the meat, okay? remember to wash your hands first, though, i don’t want anyone getting sick on the first night.” and with that, kihyun goes on to prepare the food leaving taehyung to prepare the ingredients.  taehyung takes the kitchen knife and takes a piece of pork, slicing it into thin, equal pieces. the first thing that strikes him is the smell of blood, and immediately, his senses sharpen and he realizes how hungry he is.  he bites down his bottom lip, digging half-moons onto the back of his hand to stop himself from going on to full on siren mode. he’s hyper-aware of how close kihyun is and how easy it would be to devour him right now and here, but he can’t. get a fucking grip, taehyung. taehyung’s vision blurs for a while and instead he decides to focus on the actual meat cutting. he swears that kihyun calls him, but he can’t make out what he says with his mind hazy and it’s not until kihyun calls out his name once more that he snaps back into reality. “you okay there, v?” kihyun asks, eyes soft, tone full of concern, “you blacked out for a moment.” his eyes flicker over to taehyung’s hands and he lets out a small sigh, “your hand, v - it’s bleeding!” taehyung doesn’t even realise it himself until he looks down to see that his grip on the knife was a little too strong, cutting himself with the force. it stings a little, but it appears that all of taehyung’s senses have weakened, with the amount of concentration he was using to control his siren instincts. his head throbs a little and kihyun seemingly manages to catch on how disorientated he is. “how about you go see jeongguk for a bit?” he suggests, “i’ll get minhyuk to help out.” taehyung gives kihyun a strained smile as he leaves the kitchen, slightly cursing at himself for being so useless. how hard could restraining himself be? if that’s how his body is going to react to every moment it senses blood, taehyung knows that it can lead to no good. instead, to clear his mind he goes to jeongguk’s medical quarters like kihyun suggested. he doesn’t know how jeongguk will react, but from all that taehyung knows about him, which admittedly isn’t much, he doesn’t suppose that the other would be too intrusive. it’s one of the things he likes about jeongguk’s nature. clenching his bleeding hand, he uses his other hand to knock lightly on jeongguk’s door. the door creaks open to reveal a tired-looking jeongguk who beckons the other in. “injured on the first day, huh?” jeongguk says softly while bandaging taehyung’s hurt hand. he says it with a straight face but taehyung can’t tell if he’s joking or not. instead, taehyung offers a small smile, have to be more careful next time, i guess. after that brief exchange, neither of them says anything and taehyung’s okay with that. he takes it as an opportunity for him to look at jeongguk’s quarters, the bookcases filled with books and what appear to be old albums and his desk stacked with medical equipment. all taehyung can say is that it looks like a room belonging to someone who really enjoys staying inside. he wonders if yoongi’s quarters are like that too.  . “it’s dinnertime,” minhyuk tells taehyung the moment he leaves the medical room, his hand perfectly bandaged. when he follows the latter to the dining hall, taehyung finds that most of the crew is already there with the exception of jeongguk, hoseok and yoongi. aren’t the rest coming? taehyung finds himself asking, in which changkyun replies, “hoseok would probably join later. not sure about gguk or yoongi, though.”  taehyung takes the seat in between hyungwon and namjoon, and for the most part, the food looks delicious. that however, if according to human standards of food. to taehyung, it doesn’t smell appetizing nor delicious, but he doesn’t suppose that’s kihyun’s fault. upon noticing taehyung’s arrival, kihyun takes the chance to ask whether he’s feeling better. and when taehyung reassures him that he does, kihyun begins eating. taehyung can’t help but realise how easily they’re all warming up to his presence, as if he’s been a missing part of their crew all along. if it weren’t for his entire get up, taehyung doesn’t think he’d ever be close to anyone within such a short span of time. to a siren, commitment isn’t practical. he doesn’t need anyone else to continue living life and he knows that no one needs him either. to taehyung, it’s every man for himself.  others are just unnecessary liabilities that will only end up holding him back rather than letting him progress. he’s already made that mistake once with seokjin and taehyung doesn’t think that he’ll be repeating his past errors any time soon. he’s smarter than that. taehyung observes how the others bite into the dish, pork bulgogi, with the occasional compliment to kihyun with minhyuk’s addition of, hey, i helped too. he pokes at his own food for a while, unsure of whether to eat it. he’s well aware that consuming human food would contribute almost nothing to his siren body, but taehyung knows that if he doesn’t eat, he’ll raise suspicion.  don’t think too much of it, taehyung tells himself as he eats a spoonful. he chews it for a while and honestly, the taste isn’t too bad. he takes a few more bites before excusing himself from the rest, taking his plate back to the kitchen. there, taehyung disposes the remainder of his food and washes up after himself, almost as an apology to kihyun for not finishing his food. taehyung doesn’t know why he chose to do that, knowing that he wasn’t at all obliged to do so, but a part of him for some reason knew that kihyun would appreciate the sentiment. . “when are we due to reach?” hoseok looks up at yoongi, brows furrowed, “joon says we’ll reach latest by dawn. do you think that’s too long?” at that, yoongi lets out a sigh, running his hand through his hair, “it doesn’t matter what i think if we can’t change it. i’m fairly certain that they’ll be able to fend for themselves until then.” he gnaws his bottom lip as a nervous habit.  he can sense the tension in the atmosphere, and yoongi hates that he can’t do anything about it. he wasn’t supposed to receive any distress calls, certainly not from a relatively small and quiet place like andong, where nothing really happens.  “did the call state what happened?” yoongi finally asks, looking up. “no, they didn’t. you heard it yourself, the audio from the radio wasn’t clear – not unlike most distress calls. i suspect an invasion of some sort, nothing we can’t handle,” there’s a spark of hope in hoseok’s tone and typically yoongi appreciates his positivity. it’s refreshing. yoongi can tell it’s getting late, he’s fine with staying up all night, but that’s not fair to hoseok if he holds him back for so long. “you should go and eat something, hobi-yah,” yoongi suggests to hoseok who gets up from his armchair. “same goes for you, yoon.” hoseok gives yoongi a look, as if to ask, are you coming? all yoongi can do is offer an apologetic smile. he doesn’t try coming up with a half-assed excuse, knowing fully well that hoseok will never have any of that and he appreciates the latter doesn’t question him about it either.  “i’ll come up later,” yoongi mumbles out and he isn’t too sure if hoseok heard him. not that it would have much of a difference, his mind supplies unhelpfully.  . taehyung can’t sleep. at first, he stays behind for a little to help kihyun with the dishes, but even after everyone’s finished all their duties and taehyung follows them to the sleeping quarters, he finds himself staring at the ceiling as soft snores from the others fill the room along with the gentle rocking of the ship.  it’s trance like, and by all means, taehyung should have been lulled into sleep just like everyone else. despite that, taehyung tosses and turns until he eventually decides that his efforts to force himself into sleep is eventually futile. as such, he quietly gets up from his bed and creeps up to the deck where he’s met with pale moonlight and the ocean breeze.  and most peculiar of all, he’s met with the gentle keys of the piano.  taehyung knows it’s well into the night and he has a rather good guess on who the midnight pianist is. the melody haunts taehyung, and it’s something he finds familiar, as if he’s heard it before. and taehyung, he’s struck with his urge to sing along, and that’s when he realises he can’t.  so far, taehyung hasn’t really longed for his voice as desperately as he is now. even when he wasn’t using his voice to lure in humans, he’d find himself humming softly under his breath every now and then. it’s another one of taehyung’s siren instincts, except for once, it isn’t something showing the viciousness of the nature of sirens, but instead the beauty that they possess.  taehyung’s been able to convey what he means to say without his voice just fine, but when it comes to singing, taehyung doesn’t think there’s any alternative to replace the feeling of expressing himself through something as simple as music. taehyungs hears the music stop, and a part of him longs for it to continue. instead, taehyung takes it as a sign for him to go back to sleep, and he does, this time, sleep creeping up on him almost immediately.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

taehyung wakes up before the rest. a part of him wishes to lie some more in his bed and drift off to sleep once more, but unfortunately for him, he’s wide awake. gently, he gets up and makes his bed, careful not to wake the other two in the same room, hyungwon and wonho, who are in deep sleep. taehyung can’t help but envy them. instead, he slips away to the deck where he’s met with the cool morning air. it’s still slightly dark outside, the sun having not fully risen yet. he thinks he’s alone when he suddenly senses someone behind him and turns around to see jeongguk. despite himself, taehyung flashes him a quick smile, mouthing good morning. he half-expects jeongguk to either ignore him or be unresponsive, but jeongguk smiles back, a simple tug of the lips. but to taehyung, that’s enough, knowing that it means that the surgeon had warmed up to him just a little, at least. that, or jeongguk happened to be just as good of an actor as he was.  “is your hand feeling better?” jeongguk asks softly.  it then dawns upon taehyung that of course jeongguk would show concern, he’s the surgeon after all. that’s his job. he can’t help but feel a little disappointed, but he still maintains his cheery exterior. much better, he signs, flexing his fingers a little.  admittedly, it doesn’t hurt at all. sirens, as everyone knows, can’t feel pain and by correlation, they can’t die from it either. there has always been only one way to kill a siren; deny their greatest strength, the siren song.  the moment a human lives past a siren’s greatest weapon, sirens become the one thing they’ve never been. vulnerable. they no longer remain sirens, instead just as weak as a human would be, easily killed.  taehyung has never taken the risk of using his song, knowing that the risk isn’t worth it. he doesn’t need he song when he can already charmspeak people into doing things for him. it’s less effectives and takes far longer to master, but taehyung’s done it long enough for him to have memorised the skill.  jeongguk only nods at taehyung after that, excusing himself. taehyung wants to ask jeongguk where he’s going, after all, what can be done at this time of day? but he stops himself, knowing that despite the fact that majority of the crew has already seemed to have warmed up to him, jeongguk hasn’t quite exactly done the same. the surgeon isn’t by any means unkind to taehyung, but he’s distant, almost weary. taehyung likes to dismiss it off as him overthinking things, knowing that as simple as they are to read, humans tend to be immensely complex at times to the extent that even sirens like taehyung can’t tell what’s going in their minds. there are people like jimin, who wear their heart on their sleeves, it doesn’t take long for taehyung to understand how the other is feeling, what he’s thinking. but then there are people like yoongi, as bold as they are, happen to be incredibly good at hiding emotion. albeit the latter has never been discreet about his feeling towards taehyung, but he knows that there’s more to yoongi than the things the pirate shows.  when taehyung thinks that for once, he’s managed to understand how yoongi works, the pirate does the complete opposite of what taehyung has thought prior. it’s frustrating, without a doubt, but taehyung would be lying if he didn’t love a challenge. it’s a part of the reason why taehyung never seems to let yoongi slip off his mind, the pirate having more of an influence than taehyung would ever like to admit.  fortunately for taehyung, he knows that once he’s done what he needs to, taehyung will no longer have any such distractions in his way, free to do whatever he wants back at sea. taehyung will continue hunting, knowing that he’ll never have to deal with the menace that is min yoongi ever again.  taehyung smirks lightly at the thought of finally ending the rivalry between he and yoongi, assuming himself as the rightful victor in the end. seokjin doubted whether taehyung could accomplish it, never approving of his lingering fixation on yoongi.  taehyung knows that the only reason why he has ever even batted a single glance towards yoongi is because he’s the only person that has come close to being a worthy nemesis. however, seokjin likes to think that its more than just that, something taehyung chooses to not acknowledge. seokjin may know many things, but that doesn’t make him always right.  sighing faintly, taehyung decides to let that train of thought go. and as the sun finally rises, its rays giving the clouds a golden hue, the rest of the crew slowly wake up as well, making their way up to begin their shift of duties onboard.  . surprisingly, yoongi joins the rest of the crew during breakfast and so do the rest of them, with the exception of namjoon. taehyung takes it as an opportunity to observe how the crew dynamic is like and taehyung half-expects it to be less chattery than before, especially with the inclusion of yoongi at the table. instead, yoongi indulges the crew members in their small talk, smiling softly at them as they continue chattering light heartedly. kihyun, for one, is seemingly overjoyed at the fact the captain has joined in, shoving a pile of food on his plate all while saying, you need to eat more, yoongi. look at you, you’re so frail!  yoongi doesn’t bite back with a snarky remark, but instead rolls his eyes, a light tug at the corners of his lips. “i’m not a child, kihyun-ah,” he mutters, but taehyung can see the look of endearment in his eyes as he eats it anyway.  it certainly is a peculiar sight for taehyung to see how caring yoongi can be when he’s not putting up his cold façade. for all the time he’s known the pirate, he’s known yoongi to be harsh and unfeeling, especially when it came to the sharpness of his words. but here, it seems almost as if yoongi’s a completely different person. taehyung still takes offense to how yoongi had never tolerated his antics when taehyung was still a siren, but he knows that him and yoongi weren’t always on the best of terms to begin with. his first impression of yoongi was someone of an aggressive nature, acted more than he thought. taehyung didn’t know who yoongi was back then, just simply thought of him to be another unsuspecting human. despite his nature, yoongi looked almost fragile, with his pale skin and soft raven hair, alongside his delicate features.  this is going to be a breeze, taehyung had thought, watching the boy from beneath the waves.  that, however, turned to ash the moment yoongi opened his mouth and said, “i won’t fall for your tricks, siren.” it was as if yoongi could see right through taehyung and honestly, the siren felt that it was a little refreshing. even at times when taehyung wasn’t feeling hungry at all, he’d still taunt the human for the sole purpose of riling him up.  and yoongi, he’d never actually play along with taehyung, either cursing at him or flat-out ignoring him at times. taehyung felt that he much rather the former to the latter, he never really dealt well with rejection. the mood however, dies down when namjoon joins the table and instead of settling down with the rest, turns to yoongi, his expression grave. “there’s something wrong with the shores of andong.”  immediately, the rest of them quieten, urging namjoon to continue, but the sailsmaster only shakes his head, insisting, “you have to see this for yourself.”  yoongi is the first among them to immediately rise and follow namjoon up to the deck, followed by the rest who trail after. taehyung furrows his brows, not knowing what namjoon meant by ‘something wrong with the shores’, could there be a threat there?  he goes on deck and once he sees what namjoon referred to, taehyung freezes.  there, is the island of andong and on the shores are bodies, taehyung supposes there must be at least a dozen, and when he steps nearer he notices that they have tails. minhyuk voices out the first thing that came into taehyung’s mind, gasping lightly, “those are mermaids.”  “and they’re all dead,” jeongguk finishes. taehyung doesn’t know what to say because he’s never seen anything like this. yes, mermaids dying isn’t something unheard of, but never so many of them, especially washed up on shore. unlike sirens, merpeople shy away from humans, their confinements strictly limited to their undersea kingdoms.  taehyung knows it’s because their king believes that it’s the safer option, taking into consideration that merpeople, unlike sirens, can’t fend for themselves against humans. but taehyung also knows the real reason why merpeople can’t leave their kingdoms. he still remembers back when mermaids and mermen were still free to go wherever they wished. he’d see some while he was out hunting, them mostly steering clear of taehyung, much to the siren’s benefit. but then came that one day when taehyung heard of the calamity that spread across the kingdom.  their crown prince was gone.  word spread fast and it almost seemed as if everyone under the sea knew about the missing prince. taehyung didn’t care much back then, considering that it didn’t concern him, but he heard of the king banning any of his people from leaving the kingdom. it’s been years since the prince went missing, but the rules placed still remained.  taehyung has seen the prince before, just small glimpses, knowing that they’d never let any normal person approach him, much less a siren. most believe that he’s dead by now, not being able to fend for himself without the protection of his people. yet, there were some who say that the prince still lives on, perhaps even a life on land. taehyung’s never paid much attention to any of those rumours, but a part of him believes that the prince is still out there, somewhere, far away from the life he was destined to live.  taehyung gnaws at his bottom lip, carefully gauging yoongi’s reaction to the entire ordeal. the captain doesn’t say anything but exchange a few words with hoseok and namjoon, too quiet for taehyung to have overheard.  when the ship finally reaches land, yoongi and jeongguk are the first ones to alight, not wasting another moment. taehyung trails after and sees yoongi talking with who he can only presume to be one of the officials of andong, their expression, grim.  jeongguk, however, wordlessly goes over to one of the mermaids, crouching on the sand and taehyung presumes that he’s examining the bodies. taehyung chooses to follow him and the first thing he observes is how gentle jeongguk is with the bodies, despite them being unable to feel anything. taehyung goes to the nearest one to him, a merman with his back facing front. when taehyung touches him, the first thing he realises is how cold his body is, skin a sickly pale tone. even his scales appear a dull shade of blue. taehyung frowns as he pushes the body to its side, to get a better look.  taehyung startles at the sight of a pair of icy blue eyes staring up at nothing, cold and lifeless. his eyes trail down to his torso where majority of it has been clawed at, resulting in thick clots of blood dried across his back.  taehyung’s eyes flicker down to the sand where the what would be golden particles of sand, are now dampened into a rich red by the blood. instinctively, he uses his finger to touch a sample of the blood, bringing it nearer to get a good whiff.  when he takes in the strong metallic scent of the blood, his senses immediately sharpen. the blood is fresh, but taehyung doesn’t dare taste it. unlike the pork from the day before, mermaids are in no means appetising despite their exterior appeal to most.  if a siren were to devour a mermaid, taehyung supposes that the consequences would be fatal. simply put, mermaid flesh is poison to sirens. taehyung knows it’s one of the main reasons why his kind leave mermaids unscathed, even if they are rather easy prey.  as such, he’s left clueless when he sees the sight right in front of him. no siren would be reckless enough to do this, unless...they wanted to die? taehyung considers that unlikely given the fact that the wounds don’t indicate any form of amputation.  taehyung looks up at jeongguk who scans all the bodies one by one, his forehead creased in worry. he still didn’t understand the look in jeongguk’s eyes when he looked at the bodies. if taehyung wasn’t wrong, it resembled a look identical to pain? taehyung ignored that thought, mostly due to the fact that it didn’t make sense. perhaps it was just his instinct as healer to not be able to bear it when he sees something suffering, especially when the matter can no longer be helped.  this is exactly why taehyung never sympathised with the hardships of others, knowing that sympathy only brought pain for a matter that didn’t affect him. it was just another form of weakness, and taehyung, for all he was, had no weakness. that’s the point of this entire pursuit of his, to finally end min yoongi. to teach that wretched pirate that nothing can nor will ever stop him.  hoseok comes to taehyung and jeongguk, looking at the scene and the others trail behind, some having gone back to the ship. yoongi returns with the andong official, expression darkened. they exchange some words and taehyung gets up as well, wiping his hands clean. he exchanges a look with jeongguk, waiting for the other to come along as well. jeongguk gets up and follows taehyung, neither of them exchanging any words. when the pair reach the group, taehyung can sense how tense jeongguk is, possibly even more than yoongi. before the captain can say anything, jeongguk says, “it wasn’t sirens. whatever – whoever – it was, sirens didn’t cause this.”  yoongi opens his mouth to say something, but taehyung gets the urge to say something as well. jeongguk was right, taehyung signs, mermaid flesh, its poisonous to sirens. that’s the reason why they attack humans and not merpeople.  “do you think a person could have done it?” hoseok asks quietly, brows furrowed.  “it couldn’t have been, mermaids don’t go near the surface. not in broad daylight, at least,” jeongguk tells him. taehyung’s surprised that jeongguk knows this, but presumes if jeongguk really had been part of a sailing crew for the better part of his life, it would only make sense that he’d note this observation.  yoongi hums lightly at that, eyes flickering over to the bodies for a moment, before shifting back on the ground, mouth pressed into a thin line. “do you know when this occured?” yoongi finally asks, glancing at the official. “we discovered the body last night, before we sent our distress call,” he replies, tone grim.  yoongi nods at that, “we’ll try our best to solve this matter.”  yoongi tells them to gather back at the ship to collect things he’d be needing before heading over to the area that they’d be staying while they’re stopping by. taehyung doesn’t have that many things to take, just the essentials he’d be needing. namjoon told him that he’d also need to be protected and gave him a small blade for taehyung to use.  the crew head over to the town, and taehyung sees how the city of andong was more rural than the previous place they had departed from. the housing, hanoks, as they were called, appearing more archaic than jimin’s place.  the crew split rooms, with everyone sharing a room with another member with the exception of yoongi and jeongguk. taehyung rooms with kihyun, and he doesn’t mind, having bonded with the cook rather well. taehyung would never admit it, but he likes how the elder can be caring but still respect taehyung’s preference for privacy. and the rest of the day flows slowly after that, jeongguk, hoseok, namjoon and yoongi all disappearing after settling into their rooms. taehyung supposes that he’d spend most of the day doing practically nothing, but that goes down the drain when minhyuk drags taehyung out of the house, completely ignoring kihyun’s protests, he doesn’t have to come if he doesn’t want to, minhyukie. the eight of them go sightseeing throughout the town, tasting the various types of street food, while taehyung politely declines, signing, i’m not really hungry.  kihyun narrows his eyes at taehyung at that, and for a moment taehyung feels his heartbeat fasten, before a smalll smile breaks out on the cook’s face. “promise you’ll eat during dinner? everyone’s coming tonight, i’ll even force yoongi to join. he overworks himself too much, sometimes.”  something flashes across kihyun’s face when he says that, too quick for taehyung to have caught on. taehyung wants to ask further, but is interrupted by wonho who excitedly tells them, “look, guys! a live performance!” pointing to a street performance, a small band playing a song taehyung didn’t recognise.  the group of them are momentarily distracted by that and taehyung follows after them, the words left unsaid dying on his tongue.  . “min yoongi, i don’t care if the world is ending or if they are diamonds raining from the sky, you are coming for dinner,” taehyung overhears kihyun telling yoongi, rather matter-of-factly.  taehyung hears a sigh, assumes its from yoongi. “you know i want to, kihyun-ah, but–”  “i don’t want to hear any ‘but’s, yoon,” kihyun begins, and in a softer tone, “i know you’ll only get busier after this, so it’s only fair that you join for this dinner. after that, i’ll leave you alone, for the most part. i even made lamb skewers, they’re your favourite!”  for no apparent reason, taehyung finds himself taking note of that. he hears another sigh, except it’s lighter this time round. “if you put it like, i don’t think i can refuse.” taehyung glances over at the two of them, and sees kihyun step closer and give yoongi a brief hug before kihyun leaves for the kitchen, saying, “thanks yoongi!” taehyung doesn’t know why, but he finds a small smile creeping up on his lips as he watches the interaction. especially at yoongi’s supressed smile. snap out of it, kim taehyung, he chides himself, don’t get sidetracked.  . much to kihyun’s content, yoongi does end up coming for dinner, along with hoseok and namjoon. glancing around the table, taehyung realises that this is the first time he’s seen everyone gather around for a meal.  they dig in almost immediately, the soft chatter keeping the air light. taehyung can tell that some of them are still a little weary, probably with the earlier events of the day, but he senses that it’s gotten better.  taehyung takes a little bit of the food, to not raise any suspicion. he swallows it down, barely chewing anything, all in while commenting on kihyun’s culinary abilities. however, at one point, the conversation turns to one of a more serious kind, discussing more about the issue regarding the mermaids. they chime in their opinions and theories while taehyung wordlessly watches the discussion unfold, it’s an easy way to understand each crew member’s subconscious quirks as they provide their insight onto the situation.  jeongguk has a habit of gnawing on his bottom lip when he’s tensed while hoseok wrings his hands as a nervous habit. to most, it doesn’t seem like too big of a deal to take note of these things, but taehyung already knows that there’s a lot that can be known about a person just by the simple gestures they have.  it’s been established that this is unlikely done by a siren, but have yet to come up with a feasible motive. “could it have been poachers, maybe?” hyungwon chimes in, pensive.  yoongi hums at that, replying, “that’s what i thought as well. but all the valuable parts of their body, their scales and organs were all still intact.” taehyung considers this, thinking back to how the wounds on that merman appeared. from what taehyung could deduce, it seemed that the intention of inflicting those wounds were for the sole purpose of killing the mermaids off, as efficiently as possible without making too much of a mess.  he conveys this to the rest who nod accordingly, none saying anything else. kihyun gets up shortly after, saying that he’ll begin clearing the table. taehyung follows the elder, already used to his role of helping kihyun out in the kitchen.  however, kihyun stops taehyung before the siren can get anything done. “i really appreciate you helping me out, v,” kihyun tells him gently, “but i have to make those other slackers do some of the work, too. it’s not fair if you’re the only one actually considerate to help out. instead, why don’t you take the rest of the night off?”  taehyung wants to protest and say that technically, he hasn’t done much the entirety of the day, but stops himself, knowing better when it came to the cook. besides, he has been feeling rather famished, and taehyung knows this is a golden opportunity for him to hunt. . leaving the hanok, taehyung decides to walk by the shores of andong. he doesn’t realise he’s not alone until he hears footsteps behind him and immediately whips his head around, senses alerted. when he’s met with none other than yoongi, taehyung feels himself relax.  “i didn’t mean to scare you,” yoongi says softly, “do you mind if i walk with you?”  taehyung only nods his head. to be fair, he’s a little upset that he missed out on his chance to have something to eat, but this alligns to his true agenda on land. gain the trust of min yoongi, only to tear it apart and finally teach that human a lesson. are things going okay? have you found an answer yet? taehyung internally winces at the questions, knowing that it made taehyung appear absolutely ignorant. it was according to his entire image he painted for himself, but even he knew that it was pushing it.  “you can drop the act you know,” yoongi says finally. taehyung feels himself freeze at that, trying his best to mask his surprise. “you’re obviously not as clueless as you present yourself, you know a lot more than you let on. and i won’t ask you how or why, because that’s none of my business, but you don’t have to downplay yourself for anyone.”  took you long enough to realise, taehyung smirks a little, and surprisingly, yoongi laughs.  “there are so many things about you that still remains a mystery,” yoongi begins, the small hint of a smile never really leaving his face. “is it okay if i try to break those walls down?” in all honestly, taehyung is slightly taken aback that yoongi would even bother to ask, but he nods anyway, curious to where the pirate is going with this.  “why v?” yoongi asks quietly.  taehyung knows what he means, and quite honestly, he’s never thought of it anyway. it seems mysterious, doesn’t it? if you’re going to come up with a name, might as well have fun with it, right? taehyung steals a glance at yoongi who has his eyes focused on taehyung.  “really? i thought there must have more of a tragic backstory behind it,” yoongi teased.  taehyung finds himself smiling, despite himself. not everyone has a sad backstory, i guess. some of us just want to start fresh for the hell of it. yoongi hums in agreement. it’s hard to explain why i chose ‘v’ specifically.  “if it's hard to say why you chose v, then tell me,” yoongi begins, “why not taehyung?”  taehyung is me, he signs, he’s reckless, he’s raw. he doesn’t think, he feels. taehyung glances at yoongi, but the other male doesn’t say anything. but v is controlled reactions, rehearsed lies that have been said enough times that it’s almost become true. taehyung wants to live, but v needs to survive. finally, after what feels like forever, yoongi speaks. “then tell me, who am i talking to? taehyung or v?”  his response comes immediately. taehyung.  it’s always been taehyung, he thinks. v wouldn’t do this, he would never be this reckless. and taehyung knows, he’s aware that he’s not being careful with what he’s saying. he knows that he shouldn’t be acting this way.  “can i call you that, then?” yoongi asks. and it’s the first time he’s heard yoongi’s voice this soft. every rational part of himself – v – screams no, knowing that this isn’t part of the plan. but taehyung doesn’t care. yes, he signs back. and this time, he doesn’t suppress the smile tugging at his lips.  . they two of them only part ways when they return back to the rest and hoseok calls for taehyung, his voice urgent. yoongi turns to taehyung, an apologetic expression on his face. “i’ll see you around, taehyung,” he calls out before following the taller male.  kihyun must have overheard because when taehyung goes back inside, the cook gives him a confused look. “taehyung?”  it’s my real name, taehyung rushes to explain.  kihyun hums at, “can i call you that, too? or is that only exclusive to yoongi?” taehyung lets out a cough at that, no, not at all! taehyung bites his lip as he feels his cheeks flush. kihyun shoots taehyung a knowing look, but taehyung choses to not think much of it. “i was going to ask eventually, whether v was just a nickname.”  why didn’t you? taehyung’s curious to as what kihyun will say.  “hey, if you wanted to name yourself after a letter of the alphabet, who am i to stop you?” kihyun’s tone lowers to a more serious one, “i understand the feeling of wanting to start fresh, i’ve had my fair share of experience.”  taehyung wants to know more, but he doesn’t ask, and kihyun doesn’t elaborate either. but for some reason, taehyung finds himself okay with that, okay with this entire dynamic they’ve established in the span of only two days. it’s a nice change.  the two of them settle into their own beds after kihyun blows out the lights. he doesn’t mention it, but taehyung is still a little hungry but he decides if he goes out now, he’ll draw too much attention to himself. kihyun will know that taehyung left late at night, and when they discover the body the following day, taehyung doesn’t know whether he’d be able to provide an alibi.  the risk isn’t worth it, taehyung concludes. he’ll have to sneak out at a later time when kihyun’s lulled into deep sleep. when the corners of taehyung’s vision blur with fatigue, he hears kihyun, voice faint. “good night, taehyung-ah.”  taehyung doesn’t know why, but he finds himself mouthing, good night kihyun. he tries not to think too much of it. . the scent the sea water hangs in the air a passing breeze blows by. yoongi turns towards jeongguk, whose looking at the waves, eyes unreadable. “i’m sorry for dragging you along, gguk,” he finds himself saying to the younger. jeongguk however, shakes his head lightly.  “you know i don’t mind, hyung,” jeongguk replies, smiling, though a little strained.  yoongi huffs at that, saying, “you can drop the honorifics, gguk-ah. i’ve told you that years ago.”  jeongguk only smiles a little wider, “never.”  yoongi rolls his eyes at him, but doesn’t say anything, expression soft.  they just finished their final discussion of the night over the mermaids. their day’s efforts haven’t been successful, but hoseok said he found a family that might know something in regards to the incident. they discussed among the three of them that it would be best if the crew split up the following day to gather more information. yoongi doesn’t realise that he’s deep in thought until jeongguk pokes him in the cheek, smiling. “are you okay, hyung? you have that look in your face that makes you look like an old man.” for better emphasis, he pokes yoongi’s eyebrows. “see? your brows are all furrowed.”  yoongi flicks jeongguk’s forehead at that, muttering, i can’t believe i actually put up with you.  jeongguk recoils, frowning. “hyung, i hate you.” there’s no bite behind his words and yoongi is well aware of that. however, even when the younger smiles, he can tell that it’s slightly forced, with how it never reaches his eyes. “hey, gguk-ah, everything’s alright, right? i saw you earlier today looking a bit upset.” jeongguk’s smile drops at that, and yoongi wonders if there’s something the surgeon isn’t telling him.  “well, i mean when i saw those bodies, i just, didn’t like the sight. i’m a surgeon, it hurts me to see others in pain, especially when i can’t help them.” jeongguk’s voice is a little smaller and yoongi gives his shoulder a supportive squeeze as comfort. before the two go to their separate rooms, yoongi looks at jeongguk, asking, “gguk, if there was something wrong, you can always tell me, okay? or any one of us, we’ll all there for you.” jeongguk shoots him an appreciative look, and yoongi can tell that it’s genuine. he feels himself relax at that. “but that applies to you too, yoongi hyung.” yoongi only nods, before saying, rest well, gguk.  he doesn’t know why, but jeongguk’s words linger yoongi’s mind longer than it should.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

taehyung only gets up when he’s sure that kihyun is soundly sleeping. he creaks the door open, taking one last look at kihyun’s sleeping form before leaving the room.  the entire house is dead quiet, taehyung presumes that most, if not all, of the crew are soundly sleeping behind their closed doors. however still, taehyung is cautious enough to leave the house as stealthily as possible in order to draw little to no attention to himself. the last thing he needs is to come up with a barely feasible excuse for being awake this late into the night. the first thing taehyung realises when he opens the door outside is how cold it is. he contemplates bringing a coat along but decides the less clothes soiled by blood, the better.  and that’s when he’s met with his second concern; the fact that he has no idea where to search for victims. unlike the previous island, andong is far larger and taehyung is unfamiliar with most of it. he doesn’t presume that many people would be out at this hour, especially considering the fact that after the mermaid incident, most of the locals are weary about stepping too close to the shores.  determined, taehyung finds himself walking past already-closed shops along empty streets, not another person in sight. there are no loud bars, no one loitering the roads all alone – in other words, things aren’t looking too good for taehyung. but he’s persistent, telling himself to continue looking a little while longer. taehyung continues his search, ignoring the voice at the back of his head telling him that his search is futile, bringing him nowhere, to the contrary, doing the opposite of it; the more he wanders, the larger his appetite gets. it’s a little longer in that taehyung understands that finding a potential target in andong isn’t anywhere as easy as it sounds. taehyung recognises some of the streets from where he had been earlier on in the day, but it’s surprising how earlier, the roads were bustling, a crowd of people gathered. yet later at night, the very place is deserted, no sign of anyone ever being there to begin with. it’s almost serene, the calm and quiet ambience of the air, still and undisturbed if it weren’t for the fact that taehyung was only getting more peckish, his appetite nipping at his insides like a dull throb.  he finds himself once again by the shore, walking along the coast. he recognises it as the same place as where the mermaids had been earlier. taehyung’s eyes land on the bodies lying ahead of him, still sprawled on the golden sand, unmoving. he doesn’t comment on it, but taehyung finds its almost unsettling that the bodies are just left there, rotting away. there’s a certain stillness lingering in the air as taehyung steps closer, crouching down beside one mermaid. his eyes land on her back, three swift slash marks, clotted with dried blood. he grimaces at the stench of the rotting meat, more pungent up close.  taehyung inches closer, and he brings his hand closer to the open wound, fingers just shy of brushing against it. and that’s when it happens – taehyung senses movement, the hairs on his back rising, as he jerks his hand away from the body. he stills, not moving.  it’s a subtle change in motion, easy to overlook, but taehyung caught on to how the waters ripple. he gets up cautiously, his fingers ghosting over the knife at his side. as he edges nearer to the waters, his eyes catch a glimpse of a figure under the ocean, dark and bleary. taehyung narrows his eyes, squinting to get a better impression of what may lie underneath. his memory momentarily flashes back to the time a siren had caught taehyung mid-hunt. without warning, the figure moves closer to the surface of the sea and taehyung draws his knife but hesitates when he’s met with sharp eyes and hair a shade of pink he doesn’t think he could ever forget. seokjin. the cecaelia stares back at taehyung, eyes wide. “t-taehyung?” seokjin gapes at taehyung as if the last thing he would have expected to see was the siren himself. taehyung mirror’s his confusion, but then seokjin’s expression contorts to something that taehyung can only call unease.  taehyung scans the cecaelia and seokjin, since the last time the siren’s seen him, he’s – different. his usual neatly parted hair is unruly and ruffled – taehyung knows how much time the latter spends on his hair – and his eyes appear more sunken than usual as if there has been something bothering the sea witch, keeping him from a good night’s rest. “what are you doing here?” seokjin hisses at taehyung all of a sudden, voice hushed and urgent. something about the tone of his voice ticks taehyung off, as the siren replies, why can’t i be here?  seokjin lets out a sigh at that, as if he expected taehyung’s reply to be something along those lines. “look-” he begins, voice that same mixture of exasperated and tired, as if taehyung is the one at fault. “tae, you shouldn’t be here, someone could see you.” taehyung sneers at that, lips pulled to a frown. he knows very well that he’s being a little childish, getting annoyed at seokjin for no apparent reason, but taehyung knows that there’s something bothering him, making the cecaelia more antsy than usual, causing him to unintentionally snap at the siren. but all the while, he’s frustrated that his hunting is being cut short by seokjin who’s clearly not in the best mood. someone could see me? taehyung signs, scoffing, i don’t have a tail anymore, i don’t think it matters if anyone sees me, seokjin. seokjin sighs again, frustration seeping in, judging by how his brows are knitted to a frown, looking at taehyung with a certain emotion the siren can’t decipher.  when the cecaelia doesn’t say anything, mouth open, taehyung presses on, why are you here, jin?  taehyung doesn’t miss how seokjin’s eyes shift from taehyung to the mermaid beside him – it's a subtle move, but taehyung understands. his eyes widen, and that’s when it dawns on him. the mermaids – it's all seokjin’s doing.  he can tell by how seokjin doesn’t appear at all shocked at the fact that there are dozens of dead mermaids a foot away from him, but instead appalled at the fact that taehyung is there. seokjin doesn’t want him to know, taehyung thinks, he doesn’t want taehyung to be here, near them. you – you caused this? taehyung’s hand goes limp in the air, as he once again looks at the mermaids before shifting the gaze to seokjin, who just trains his eyes at the mermaids, expression blank. he doesn’t deny it, instead saying in a quieter voice, “i did.”  taehyung isn’t taken aback by how seokjin did it, knowing that the sea witch was capable of so much more. yet, more so at the question of why. taehyung almost lets out a humorless chuckle – of course it was seokjin, no one else can hide their tracks as well as he can, and taehyung’s seen it enough times to know it by heart.  you just killed them? dozens of innocent mermaids? taehyung’s mind flashes to jeongguk’s expression when he first saw the bodies, a mixture of heartbreak and guilt. how the remainder of the crew just stared at them helplessly, not knowing what exactly to do at the sight. you did it, just like that?  seokjin lets out a bitter laugh at that, eyes cold. “since when did you care about anyone but yourself?” there’s a certain venom behind seokjin’s words that causes a pang in taehyung’s gut.  that’s not true, taehyung shoots back, i care about you. seokjin’s face softens, just for a split second, before it hardens again. “if you really did care for me, you’d drop this matter. it doesn’t concern you, taehyung.” taehyung only frowns deeper, forming creases on his forehead.  doesn’t concern me? ever since i lost my fucking voice, the matters of these people became my concerns. they’re asking for an explanation – what the fuck am i supposed to say? taehyung looks at seokjin expectantly, but realises for once how small the other looks.  “i - just,” his voice tight, near desperate, something taehyung hasn’t seen in the other in years, “i can’t give you an explanation now, but taehyung, give the people some kind of explanation to forget about this.” taehyung wants to protest at how ridiculous the proposal is, but catches on to how tired the other looks and he doesn’t know whether it’s the lack of will to protest or if he’s just so fucking shit at saying no to seokjin, but he agrees anyway.  tell me one thing, taehyung insists, why?  taehyung doesn’t need to elaborate for the other to understand – why is this so important to you? why are you so desperate? and seokjin’s answer is just as simple. in a quieter and shaky voice, he says, “i’ve already had everything i fucking cared about taken away once, i wo-can't let it happen again.” there’s something about how he says it that causes taehyung to feel something in his chest, a squeeze that’s nearly suffocating, crushing his ribs slowly, almost painful.  yet taehyung feels brave enough to swallow the ache, asking, what do you have to lose, seokjin?  the cecaelia meets taehyung’s eyes, the intensity of his gaze staring deep into taehyung. “they’ve made me into this,” he spits out, pointing to himself – his lower half with his slithering tentacles and all – with enough disgust to spite every inch of his being for just – being. “i - i don’t want to know what worse they can do, taehyung-ah.”  taehyung stares at seokjin, his mouth open and hands frozen in place, unsure of what he can say to that. he knows that no one hates seokjin’s form more than seokjin himself, despite the cool façade he has on most of the time. it doesn’t work on taehyung, though, it never did.  the siren knows him all too well.  with that, seokjin disappears into the waters again, not even waiting for taehyung’s response.  taehyung forgets about his hunger that night, a new sort of ache replacing the one he had for food, longing for something he can’t understand.  
 
“                                                         the two of them met a long time ago.  if taehyung thinks about it, he reckons that he’s spent more of his life with seokjin than without. most of his life before seokjin is hazy, the memories blurred. how they first met, taehyung can still remember it, the memory burning bright at the back of taehyung’s mind, almost like it’s a fond part of his past that shines brighter than the foggy details of his childhood.  life before seokjin was different, taehyung before meeting seokjin was different. he wasn’t nearly as skilful, not nearly as confident nor clever – but he was learning. and that was enough. it was that part of his life, right after leaving his parents, a phase all young sirens go through the moment they grow old enough to fend for themselves. yet, despite having known all the basics of hunting, the first few hunts were always rough.  taehyung was swimming near to the region where mermaids dwelled, one of their many kingdoms, in a desperate attempt to find prey lurking above waters. he wasn’t as confident in his ability to coerce humans into luring them closer to waters, as such taehyung stuck to the tactic of using sheer force instead, ambushing any unsuspecting humans he could find. it was a lot less effective, but that was the best option taehyung had.  taehyung tries his best to steer clear of any mermaids, not wanting any to get in his way. and for the most part, merpeople avoid his kind, knowing that getting involved with a siren meant nothing but trouble. taehyung doesn’t know how much truth that statement holds, but doesn’t find himself caring either way.  that however, doesn’t stop the one mermaid who spots him and calls out to his friends, “look! it’s a filthy little siren,” spitting out the last word like a curse.  taehyung doesn’t bother batting an eye at them, knowing that it’s just one of those bastards that want to rile him up, hoping to get some form of reaction out of taehyung. the last thing taehyung is going to do is give them any sense of satisfaction.  at his lack of reaction, the three mermaids begin tailing him. the one of the blue tail and the stupid smirk that taehyung would love to punch off his face swims in front of him as the other two corner him from the back. taehyung can tell that the only reason any of these mermaids were brave enough to even try to go up against a siren and begin taunting one was because they were in a mermaid-dominated area, they know that regardless of whether taehyung fights back or not, they have the upper hand in the situation.  if taehyung shows any sign of aggression, he’s well aware that a swarm of furious merpeople would be at his throat, ready to defend their kind. “what’s wrong with this one?” one of them asks, brows furrowed, “can’t use his pretty little voice, can you?” when he proceeds to shove taehyung, flicking at his chest, taehyung doesn’t say anything, instead gritting his teeth.  “i heard that sirens bleed black,” another drawls out, a wicked look in his eyes, “want to test that theory out?” they were about to resort to physical force to get a reaction out of him, and there’s almost nothing taehyung can do but suck it up and brace himself. what better does he expect from cowardly bastards like these?  the first blow comes before taehyung can react, one of them pining taehyung in place and he feels a harsh impact on his lower jaw. taehyung bites on his bottom lip until he can taste the blood in his mouth, whether it’s because he bit down too hard or from the impact of the punch, taehyung doesn’t know.  he almost anticipates another punch but an unfamiliar voice cuts his train of thought. “what the hell is going on?”  and it’s almost as if it’s that easy, the three mermaids immediately back off, and face the newcomer, faces various versions of distraught. taehyung looks up to see another mermaid with what may be one of the most beautiful faces he’s ever seen.  “it’s none of your business,” the blue-tailed mermaid hisses out, but taehyung can tell he’s still a little worried.  the mermaid raises a perfectly arched brow, scoffing, “i’d watch my tongue if i were you, euntae. wouldn’t want your father to hear about this, would you?”  taehyung almost smiles at the look of sheer terror that spreads on the mermaid’s face. in a less confident tone, the blue-tailed mermaid says, “w-we weren’t even doing anything–” nonetheless, the three of them swim away, without giving taehyung another glance.  taehyung half-expects the pretty mermaid to cuss him off as well, probably tell him to fuck off, but instead, he looks up at taehyung with genuine concern in his eyes and asks, “are you okay?”  taehyung, is not okay, because whatever this mermaid is doing, he’s completely going against the general unspoken law of the ocean; don’t get involved. he doesn’t understand why this mermaid is asking if he’s okay, nobody asks sirens if they’re okay.  so taehyung stares right back at him as if he’s gone mad, and asks, “why?”  the mermaid’s eyes flicker from taehyung’s still-bleeding lips back to his eyes and simply replies, “you have a busted lip,” as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “and i just practically saved you from getting beaten up.”  taehyung doesn’t say anything and silence settles between them. “no,” he says finally.  the pretty mermaid quirks a brow, the slightest bit of humour in his tone, “no?” "no, i’m not okay,” taehyung clarifies. “why do you care?” the mermaid lets out a short bark of laughter. “why wouldn’t i?”  “most people wouldn’t,” taehyung says, narrowing his eyes.  “most people are assholes, then,” the mermaid counters. taehyung feels his lip twitch upwards but then he catches himself before he does, realising that he’s wasting time. he shouldn’t be here, he certainly shouldn’t be having banter with a mermaid.  “i’m seokjin,” the mermaid says, and he’s smiling at taehyung, as if he’s not some sick, twisted, monster. he doesn’t get that sentiment a lot.  “i didn’t ask,” taehyung replies drily.  the mermaid, seokjin, opens his mouth as if he wants to say something, but taehyung doesn’t give him the chance to do so, already swimming off, not once looking back.  and taehyung goes about his life, without once thinking about seokjin.  he knows that’s a lie, but won’t let himself believe so. , taehyung prefers to dwell by the more secluded areas of the ocean, where less people linger. typically, he’d find certain areas where he knows that people don’t come near towards and he’s found a large vessel at the seabed, from what he could tell, empty. taehyung wonders how long the ship a has been here, how long ago it sunk. he usually sees ships as a good thing, especially when they’re nearing the harbour – more potential victims for him to lure. he doesn’t know whether it’s purely out of boredom, but taehyung looks around for a little bit, prying open one of the doors to the hull.  however, once taehyung manages to get inside the ship, he hears the distinct sound of singing. someone was here. the siren tenses for a moment, considering the option of just leaving before whoever else was here could see him.  but for whatever reason, he doesn’t. instead, taehyung swims closer to the voice, almost as if he was in some form of trance. yet, that didn’t make sense considering how sirens are immune to the siren song, there’s no possible way for it to have an effect on him.  despite that, as taehyung nears closer, the voice becoming louder and clearer, he can tell that it isn’t a siren. there’s a certain purity to the voice that makes it almost unlikely that it’s a siren of any sorts. the way the voice echoes softly sends a shiver down taehyung’s spine.  taehyung finds the room where the voice is coming from and goes through, hoping to put some form of a face to the voice and he’s met with– “seokjin?” taehyung’s eyes widen in disbelief as he stares at the mermaid before him.  seokjin startles and the singing stops, turning around to meet taehyung’s eyes. the mermaid’s mouth parts in shock, recognition flashing across his eyes. “what are you doing here?” is all that he stutters out, backing away from taehyung.  taehyung’s eyes flicker over to how seokjin has his tail over a pile of things that must have been scavenged from the ship almost protectively. “i could ask you the same,” is all that he replies, frowning.  “it shouldn’t concern you.” taehyung raises a brow at seokjin’s sudden defensive tone. “we don’t even know each other. hell, i don’t even know your fucking name.” the siren notices how seokjin wrings his hands, and if taehyung isn’t wrong, he swears he can see a look of nervousness in the mermaid’s eyes.  “taehyung.”  seokjin furrows his brows. “what?”  “my name. it’s taehyung.”  seokjin’s eyes soften a little, his gaze no longer as hard. “taehyung, i – i'm not supposed to be here. if the other mermaids find out–”  taehyung cuts him off. “i could care less.” seokjin bites down on his bottom lip, head tilting slightly. “you’re not going to tell anyone that you saw me here?” “consider it a form of payback. i won’t tell anyone, don’t worry. but,” taehyung pauses, cracking seokjin a lopsided grim, “if you’re trying to keep people away, sing a little bit more repulsively, yeah? as of now, you’re doing the opposite effect.”  slowly, a smile stretches on seokjin’s face and, if it wasn’t just a trick of the light, a hint of a blush as well. “thank you,” he says sincerely and taehyung feels himself mirroring a smile as well.  , taehyung sees seokjin more often since then.  sometimes it’s just in passing, taehyung will spot the mermaid heading somewhere, and perhaps he’d shoot the other a small yet fleeting smile, and he’d be off. that was that.  but then, more and more frequently, seokjin will meet taehyung at a hidden part of the ocean, at the depths of the night when the pale moonlight casts an almost eerie glow into the waters below. sometimes it will be at sunken ruins or a small cave and the two of them would spend hours just talking.  seokjin would talk about everything, nothing and whatever else in between, and taehyung will for once listen, like everything the mermaid says is interesting. and he’d never admit it, but perhaps it is. they’d spend hours on end like that, not as a mermaid and a siren, but as seokjin and taehyung.  until dawn creeps up and seokjin has to go back to the other mermaids while taehyung waves the other goodbye.  , “tae, you trust me, right?”  taehyung looks up at seokjin, brows furrowed. the siren supposes that it’s the beginning perhaps one of the mermaid’s one too many terrible jokes, but taehyung doesn’t see the bitten back smile or the light in his eyes. instead, seokjin’s looking at him with a certain seriousness he can’t seem to understand.  taehyung pauses. does he trust seokjin?  in all honesty, it took taehyung a bit of time before he even considered seokjin as a friend. he always thought that eventually the mermaid would get bored of him; maybe decide that taehyung isn’t as interesting as he thought and that would be the end of whatever acquaintanceship they had acquired.  but seokjin never got fed up of him, never once treated taehyung like anything else other than a friend. it was one of those days where taehyung came to realise that the things seokjin did that he once found annoying had become endearing, and when the siren wasn’t with seokjin, he’d actually miss the other’s company.  finally, taehyung agrees, “yeah, of course. i trust you.” “enough to follow me back home?” taehyung looks at seokjin’s face, hoping to see some form of humour or mirth.  “seokjin, wha–”  “i need to show you something. please?” taehyung presses his mouth to a thin line. he knows that seokjin is aware that the siren doesn’t like treading near mermaid territory, and for the most part, seeokjin’s never asked taehyung to go anywhere near where he lives.  taehyung opens his mouth to say no, but sees the shimmer of hope in his eyes and can’t find himself denying the mermaid. when did he ever become so fucking soft?  “okay.” taehyung sighs and seokjin brightens almost immediately. “but jin, where are we going?” seokjin ignores him, instead taking his hand and swimming off, despite the siren’s soft protests. “it’s a secret, tae.” fortunately, when the pair reached the border of the kingdom where seokjin lived, it was already dark, most of the mermaids having gone off the sleep, leaving the outside empty. seokjin swims off while taehyung follows behind, still not knowing what exactly it was that the mermaid was dying to show him.  seokjin motions him to swim slower, the both of them quietly making their way to wherever seokjin wanted to go. eventually, seokjin brings taehyung to a small cavern that lies in the outskirts of the border. to taehyung, it doesn’t seem like anything special. seokjin, however, glances behind before swimming over to a large boulder in front of the cavern. “help me push this,” he tells taehyung who furrows his brows but follows anyway.  together, they manage to push the stone aside, leading to a small entrance into the cavern. taehyung stares at it, but goes in after seokjin. but the moment taehyung’s inside, he’s stunned speechless. the entire cavern was hollowed, leaving shelves decked with treasures.  the narrow opening from the top of the cavern allows the moonlight to shine below, casting an almost silvery glow on all of the things. as taehyung looks around, there’s chests, jewels, books and even a piano – practically everything. it’s a collection of things, all from the surface. taehyung looks back at seokjin, for some form of explanation. he knows that seokjin’s always had this inexplicable obsession with the people from above the ocean, but never knew to what extent.  “what is all of this?” taehyung asks, still not past the initial stage of awe and disbelief.  seokjin wrings his hands as a nervous habit. “it’s my secret grotto. i scavenged all of these myself, from shipwrecks and sunken ruins. sometimes, even from above the surface.” if taehyung’s not wrong, there’s almost a bit of pride in the mermaid’s voice. “but mermaids aren’t–” “–allowed above the surface,” seokjin finishes, “i know. it’s a secret grotto for a reason.”  taehyung finds himself nodding. “when - when did you start collecting these?”  something lights up in seokjin’s eyes when taehyung brings it up. “as long as i could remember,” he breathes out, his voice growing faint, a certain fondness behind it, “i’ve always longed to go above the surface. i found this place and i made it mine.”  “does anyone know about this place?”  “no,” seokjin says, “they can’t know. taehyung-ah, you know how mermaids are like. they can’t stand anything that isn’t like them.” he lets out a short bark of laughter but there’s a distant look of sadness in his eyes when he says that.  “i won’t tell anyone,” taehyung says sincerely and seokjin just cracks a small smile at him. “i know you won’t. that’s why i wanted to show you.” “can’t have anyone ruining this, you know? it was a pain in the ass to haul all these things here.” seokjin says it as a joke to lighten the air but taehyung knows it’s more than just that. this little grotto is seokjin’s vulnerability, things that he treasures.  taehyung can tell that seokjin showing this to him is more than just the mermaid wanting to share his interests, but that seokjin actually trusts him, enough to show something as personal as this. taehyung chooses to ignore the sudden fluttery feeling in his gut. “do you have a favourite?” seokjin looks at taehyung, confused as the siren goes on explain, “i mean, surely among all these things you’ve collected, you have a favourite, right?”  seokjin pauses for a moment before he swims up to one of the upper shelves, carefully looking through his assortment of things, before finally taking a small box. taehyung takes a good look at it, and it doesn’t seem to special, just an intricately detailed box.  he doesn’t see anything special about it until seokjin opens the lid and gentle music plays from the box as a little figurine starts dancing to the soft melody. it’s a music box, is the first thing his mind supplies and taehyung glances up at seokjin who has his eyes at the small figurine, a certain look in his eyes that taehyung can’t decipher.  “i got this from above the surface,” seokjin tells him, fingers brushing the figurine gently. “it’s one of the first of this entire collection. i remember, near the shores of where i grew up, there was this house by the sea.”  “there was a human boy who would dance during his free time and i used to watch him and every single time he’d play the music box and start dancing, i couldn’t help but envy him. he’d dance with his legs and all i could do is watch, wondering why i couldn’t do the same.” taehyung hums lightly, urging the other to continue. “i wanted legs my entire life, taehyung. i hated not being able to leave the ocean. i hated that that little boy could and i couldn’t. i think all those feelings bubbled up until one day, the boy left his music box by the shore and i took it.”  seokjin’s lips tug up at the edges, perhaps at the memory of it. taehyung’s gaze doesn’t leave his face. “i took what i could have, even if it was just this music box. and i think deep down somewhere, i still envy the little figurine. i want to be able to do what it does even if it’s just a meaningless dream.” seokjin looks over at taehyung, searching for some form of reaction.  all the siren does is stare at the figure himself, narrowing his eyes slightly. he takes a look at the legs seokjin longs for so much and his eyes flicker to seokjin’s tail. “i can’t believe you stole from a little boy. what a delinquent,” is all he manages to say. it earns a snort from seokjin who smiles at taehyung, eyes crinkling to crescents, smacking him on the shoulder lightly. “in my defence, i was pretty young as well. i was bored and jealous, of course i’d be a little selfish. i wanted whatever he had and the dumb little music box was all i could take.” “jin,” taehyung tries to reason, “you can’t have the best of both worlds. humans are mortal, they die easily with their short and pathetic lives, why would you want that?”  seokjin leans his head back and closes his eyes for a moment. “what good is living for centuries if you can’t even do anything?”  “we have magic–”  seokjin laughs. “your magic can kill you and i’m don’t even have any. what’s the fucking point?”  taehyung frowns. “what do you mean?” “didn’t you know?” seokjin asks, incredulous. “the only mermaids with magic are the royal family. they killed off every last mermaid that carried magic within them centuries ago. the rest of us don’t have magic anymore.”  taehyung shoots seokjin a look that can only be described as, why? seokjin shrugs, putting the music box back in its place. “greed? power? fuck if i know. all i know is that even if anyone does have magic, showing it would be a death wish.”  there’s a certain melancholy to his voice and taehyung decides to change the topic. “do you still wish to dance?” seokjin gives taehyung a funny look but still mumbles out a small yeah.  “then why don’t you?” taehyung counters. “you don’t need legs to dance. all you need is a little bit of music.”  seokjin doesn’t quite understand where taehyung’s going with this but smiles anyway, playing along. “and where would i get that from?”  taehyung cracks him a sly smile. “you have a piano, don’t you?”  and the both of them know that seokjin can’t dance and taehyung definitely can’t play the piano either, but that doesn’t stop the two of them doing it anyway, taehyung fumbling around with the keys while seokjin dances around, bursting into a fit of giggles.  it doesn’t take longer for taehyung to join in as well, abandoning the piano altogether albeit rather hesitantly as the mermaid pulls him along. taehyung doesn’t think either of them are anywhere near as good as what seokjin would have wanted, but when seokjin laughs loudly, eyes forming half-moons, taehyung doesn’t really think it matters.  , at times, taehyung comes by seokjin’s grotto even when the mermaid’s out.  typically, the siren would look through seokjin’s collections, the new and the old, things that taehyung himself has picked up for the mermaid. it was the best way he had to kill time when seokjin wasn’t there.  taehyung finds himself by the piano. he toys around with the keys for a while, but none of the notes sound right. he lets out a frustrated huff, annoyed at himself. taehyung knows that it’s ridiculous, he shouldn’t care that he can’t play the damned instrument. but for a reason unbeknownst to himself, taehyung does care.  “what would a siren even need to know how to play this?” he mutters to himself, brows furrowed. when looking through seokjin’s collection, he managed to find what appeared to be sheet music for the piano. that however, did nothing to improve his skills considering how taehyung can’t even read it.  taehyung feels the cavern entrance opening but focuses his attention on the piano.  “you really like that piano, huh?” seokjin asks, smiling. he takes off the satchel he was carrying and drops it on the ground before making his way towards taehyung.  the siren huffs in response. “i can’t even play it properly. what’s the point?”  seokjin just tuts at the siren as if there’s something so elementary that taehyung is missing. “my dear friend,” he begins, ruffling taehyung’s hair in the way that he knows pisses the siren off, “you don’t need to be good at doing something to enjoy it.”  taehyung shoots seokjin an incredulous look. “how can i enjoy it if anything i try to play sounds awful?”  “then learn from someone who can play it.”  taehyung quirks a brow at him. “and who would that be?” a glint of mischief flashes in seokjin’s eyes as he replies, “watch the humans do it.” “you’re crazy,” taehyung tells him, getting up from the piano stool. seokjin just looks at him, unfazed. “i’m serious, just watch a human play and copy what they do.”  taehyung shakes his head at the idea, putting it off as one of the mermaid’s more ambitious ideas. sure, he’d love to able to play something on the piano, but he doesn’t think he has the dedication to observe a human.  yet a few weeks later when taehyung once again comes by the piano, a small stack of paper catches his eye. taking it gingerly, taehyung realises that it’s the sheet music for the piano that taehyung couldn’t read before – except it’s not.  instead of a mess of mindless scribbles, there are annotations beside the notes explaining what it means. upon further inspection, taehyung can tell that it’s in seokjin’s handwriting. seokjin made notes–spent fuck knows how long studying humans–on how to play the fucking instrument for him. taehyung bites down a smile as he flips through the sheet music. he looks at the piano for the first time with fondness in his eyes. a certain kind of warmth pools in his gut as the corners of his lips tug upwards.  , taehyung doesn’t know when it happens, but at one point, he starts seeing seokjin less.  they go from meeting almost daily to taehyung not seeing the mermaid for a whole week. in the past, the siren would have brushed it off, said that he didn’t care that seokjin wasn’t there. but in the past, taehyung only lived for himself. but now, taehyung’s already admitted that he cares a lot more about the mermaid that he lets on. for the first time in his life, taehyung had started to care about someone that wasn’t himself.  so, when seokjin disappears without a word, taehyung worries. he still hunts and does what he has to in order to get by, but he also spends the rest of his time looking for seokjin, wondering where on earth he’s gone.  taehyung starts to spend more time at seokjin’s grotto, playing the piano like before. except, this time, seokjin doesn’t join him later. most times, seokjin doesn’t come at all. and it’s reached a point where taehyung feels tired of waiting for him to come by when it’s obvious that he won’t.  when taehyung asks around, it’s apparent that no one else knows about seokjin’s whereabouts either. he starts to wonder what happened to him, whether he’s okay. so, when seokjin shows up at an ungodly hour–the middle of the night when taehyung’s passed out in the grotto, barely awake–of course taehyung is pissed.  “where the fuck were you?” taehyung demands the moment seokjin enters the cavern. the mermaid is slightly taken aback at the harshness of taehyung’s tone and furrows his brows. “hello to you too,” comes his reply, affronted. “you’ve been gone without a trace for a week. your hello is long overdue.” taehyung grits his teeth. seokjin lets out a short bark of laughter. “does it really matter? i’m back now, right? i didn’t think you’d care either way.”  taehyung sneers at seokjin. “what’s that supposed to mean? of course i fucking care.”  seokjin laughs humourlessly, adding fuel to taehyung’s rage. “you’re a siren. since when do you give a fuck about anyone but yourself?”  taehyung narrows his eyes at seokjin, a flicker of hurt flashing across his face. “oh? so we’re stooping that low? i’m sorry i was actually concerned for your wellbeing. forgive me for thinking that something’s happened to you!”  seokjin’s face softens at that. something reminiscent of guilt pools into his eyes as he frowns slightly. “shit, tae – i didn’t mean it like that.” he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, letting out a sigh. “i - i’m sorry, i wasn’t - fuck, i wasn’t thinking.”  taehyung stares at seokjin, brows still knitted together. seokjin continues. “i - i just. i’m being an asshole, i’m sorry. you’re right, i should have told you before leaving like that.”  seokjin runs a hand through his hair. “i’m feeling kind of jittery because i met someone. someone that can help me” his eyes widen at the last word, a certain anticipation in his voice.  taehyung tilts his head slightly. “what are you talking about? there’s nothing wrong with you, why would you need help?” “i met someone who can make me human.” seokjin says the last word carefully, eyes shining.  taehyung lets out a strangled noise from the back of his throat. “what?”  “she’s a mermaid with magic–i didn’t believe it at first, but when i went to meet her, it’s real. it’s real, taehyung. i can become human just for a little while. i can go to their world, tae. isn’t that amazing?” seokjin looks at taehyung with such genuine happiness in his eyes that it almost hurts the siren when he replies: “no.”  seokjin’s smile falters and he looks at taehyung, confused. “what do you mean?” “you’re making a mistake, jin. mermaids aren’t supposed to interact with humans, much less use magic. you know that. and you know what’ll happen if anyone else finds out.” “you interact with humans all the time–” taehyung cuts him off before he can finish, “i live off humans, jin. it’s not the same. how do you even know that it’ll work? how do you even know that this sea witch you met isn’t tricking you?” seokjin clicks his tongue in annoyance. “since when did you become such a cynic?” taehyung laughs humourlessly. “mermaids aren’t allowed magic. you told me yourself, every last known possessor of it was executed. doesn’t this person you met seem suspicious? so forgive me if i take this with a pinch of salt.”  seokjin runs a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. “look. i know that you’re weary of this and i appreciate that you’re looking out for me. i really do. but you have to believe me on this one, tae. i saw her myself and she’s as real as it gets.” taehyung doesn’t trust whoever seokjin’s met to be credible, but he knows that bringing that up won’t get them anywhere. “who are they?” he says finally.  “she goes by as joy,” seokjin begins. “she’s a mermaid and she keeps a low profile and it’s pretty hard to contact her, but it’s easier if you know what you’re looking for.”  taehyung lets out a low hum. “how did you manage to meet her?”  “well, you have to contact her beforehand and meet her at the location she gives you.” “you said her name was joy?”  seokjin nods. taehyung frowns, muttering offhandedly, “so that’s what she’s calling herself now, huh?”  seokjin cocks his head to the side. “what?”  taehyung shakes his head, brushing it off. “it’s nothing important.” the mermaid quirks a brow at the siren but doesn’t needle any further and taehyung takes relief in that. he’s never really liked lying to seokjin.  ,  taehyung glances behind him before swimming ahead into the cavern. the moment he enters the dark cave, the hair on his arms rise at the sudden drop in temperature inside. taehyung opens his mouth to call out for anyone in here, but in a swift movement, the entrance to the cavern shuts and taehyung whips his head towards the noise. “you made it.”  taehyung turns around and catches a glimpse of a scarlet tail before a mermaid emerges from a hall within the cavern. he looks up to see a familiar face, expression serious and hardened. taehyung cracks a smile at the mermaid, recognition in his eyes.  “sooyoung,” he begins, voice light. “it’s been a while.”  “what do you want?” she asks, expression blank.  taehyung lets out a soft tsk, earning barely a reaction from sooyoung. “is this how you treat an old friend?” he asks and sooyoung has the heart to humour him by letting out a short laugh, but leaves the air colder. “friends? i don’t think we were ever friends.”  the siren brushes the mermaid’s cold demeanour off. she’s always been like this, taehyung thinks, and he’s never been put off by it before, so why start now? “didn’t think someone like you would ever go by a name like ‘joy’. pretty ironic, isn’t it?”  sooyoung doesn’t laugh. “get to the point, taehyung.”  taehyung’s expression hardens when she gets serious, going back to the real reason he’s here. “what did you promise seokjin?”  if sooyoung’s the least bit taken aback by what taehyung says, her face doesn’t show it. there always has been something about her, ever since he met her when the both of them were still children, that makes it impossible for taehyung to guess what she’s thinking.  “gotten yourself involved with a mermaid, have you?” she looks at taehyung with her eyes narrowed, as if she’s searching his face for something.  taehyung ignores her. “answer the question, sooyoung.”   “i promised him exactly what he asked for.” “to be human?” “to have legs.” taehyung doesn’t understand what the difference is between the two terms and gives sooyoung a look, urging her to elaborate. “seokjin can never be a human.”  “i can grant him legs, i can give him lungs to breathe on air – but that’s all he’s ever be. a mermaid with legs. a mermaid on land. a mermaid pretending to be a human. no amount of magic i harness can change that.”  taehyung furrows his brows. “does seokjin know?”  “i don’t know.” sooyoung shrugs. “and quite frankly, i don’t care either. as long as i get my end of the deal, i’ll give him what he wants regardless of whether he knows what he’s getting himself into or not.”  taehyung doesn’t know why, but what she says irks him in a certain way. it’s as if she couldn’t care less what happens to seokjin as long as she has some sort of gain – and knowing sooyoung, taehyung presumes that’s the case. “how do you know that you’ll be able to do it? do you do this often?”  sooyoung scoffs, a bitter look in her eyes. “are you questioning my ability?” she shoots him a dangerous look, like taehyung should think before he says anything else. he isn’t fazed in the slighest by it.  “that’s exactly what i’m doing, so answer the question.”  sooyoung continues glowering at him, but continues, “he’s not the only mermaid that’s wanted to run off into their world, and if i could do it before, i can do it a million times after.”  “and will he be safe on land?” taehyung says it in a monotone but there’s almost an underlying hint of desperation in his voice.  sooyoung shrugs. “like i said before; i don’t know, and i don’t care.” taehyung grits his teeth. “i think you misheard me. i want a direct answer–will seokjin be safe?” the mermaid narrows her eyes, scowling. “is that a threat, kim taehyung?” taehyung opens his mouth in retaliation, but sooyoung’s cuts him off. “i don’t know what the fuck you’re playing at, but nobody tells me what to do.” “especially not you. so, if you have any respect for yourself, you’d stay in your fucking lane. got that clear?” taehyung looks at sooyoung in the eye and there’s a look in her eyes, as if challenging taehyung to go ahead and try something.  taehyung wants to snap back at her, wants to retaliate, but he stops himself from doing so. he’s here because he needs sooyoung’s help and upsetting the mermaid won’t do him any good. sighing, taehyung replies, “fine. name your price for seokjin’s safety.” sooyoung doesn’t say anything, toying with the rings on her fingers. finally, she says, “give me a week.”  “what do you want in return?” sooyoung looks at taehyung, and asks, “what is most precious to you, taehyung?” taehyung doesn’t question what sooyoung asks because he knows the mermaid brought it up for a reason. and the logical, rational side of him gives him a simple answer; his voice. it’s the only asnwer that makes sense, a siren without a voice isn’t a siren at all.  but the irrational, spontaneous part of him tells him what taehyung’s known for a long time–took him a long time to come to terms with. what is most precious to taehyung?  seokjin.  taehyung looks up at sooyoung, and thinks about what to tell her. and a part of him wants to lie and go with the easy answer, but if taehyung already knows the truth, sooyoung probably knows it too. “seokjin is a precious person to me,” he tells her, and there’s a certain quietness in his voice that causes sooyoung’s eyes to soften just a little. “and do you know what it’s like to have that precious taken away from you?” sooyoung looks at taehyung with a certain bitterness in her voice, a sharpness in her eyes. taehyung doesn’t say anything.   “tell me, taehyung,” she begins again, “do you remember what was most precious to me?” sooyoung doesn’t meet taehyung’s eyes as she says this. taehyung picks up the bitterness in her voice, the way she says what was. he knows the question is rhetoric, knows that sooyoung doesn’t want an answer. but taehyung thinks he knows the answer anyway.  “your sisters.” the slight twitch of sooyoung’s lips tells taehyung he’s gotten it right, and for once, he wishes he was wrong. sooyoung lets out a small sigh before her lips pull to a forced smile. “they - what happened to them, sooyoung?” taehyung asks, eyes widening slightly.  “they had magic, what do you think happened?” sooyoung replies, voice incredulous. taehyung’s mind flashes back to what seokjin told him, they killed every last one of them. realisation flashes in his eyes as he lets out a soft, “no–”  sooyoung’s lack of reaction tells him enough.  “what i want most,” she begins, forming her words carefully, “is to take away what’s most precious to his royal highness – the crown prince.” taehyung inhales sharply. he thinks of what sooyoung would want to use him for, what dangerous task– “but you can’t give me that.”  taehyung looks up at sooyoung, confused.  “what i want from you, taehyung, is a favour.” taehyung doesn’t say anything, instead waits for sooyoung to continue. and she does, “you don’t need to give me anything right now. but you owe me a favour. seems fair?” and taehyung wants to furrow his brows, wants to shake his head in disbelief and ask, since when do you care about what’s fair? but. he doesn’t. instead, he nods–and that’s that. , a week passes by slower than taehyung would have wanted.  seokjin begins talking to him again, starts acting like the way he used to and taehyung knows that everything should be fine, that everything is fine. but it isn’t.  because now, when seokjin’s not hiding anything from taehyung anymore, he starts gushing about finally being able to live his dream. now, he does nothing to contain the excitement within himself, the mirth in his eyes as he talks about living among the people that roam the surface.  but what seokjin doesn’t see is how taehyung stiffens at the mention of ‘becoming human’, doesn’t notice when taehyung’s response to these sorts of questions are always non-committal hums. and taehyung knows that seokjin shouldn’t pay attention to any of this because it’ll only raise suspicion, but a part of him wishes the mermaid would have picked up on this.  the part of him that was seokjin’s friend before anything else, the part that would usually be able to tell the mermaid all the small things that irked him, wished that seokjin would call taehyung out. wishes that he didn’t have to go behind his back.  and it seems so easy, taehyung thinks, to just come clean and tell seokjin everything. not only about seeing sooyoung but also how taehyung doesn’t like any of this, doesn’t like change and wants everything to just go back to the way it was. and in a perfect world, seokjin would understand. but this isn’t a perfect world. so. taehyung pushes these thoughts away.  , taehyung meets sooyoung in a different location this time. it’s far deeper into the ocean than the other location had been, and naturally, a lot darker as well. something tells taehyung that he’s perhaps meeting the mermaid at her lair.  ahead, taehyung sees light and what must be where sooyoung lives. it’s a skeleton of a ginormos creature, an eerie glow shining through the gaps in the skeletal body. taehyung swims ahead, and he stops for a moment to take a look at the entrance. it’s the mouth of the creature, the wide jaw of the monster sufficing as the arched gateway with sharp and jagged teeth poking out through the corners. only sooyoung would a place like this home, taehyung thinks, as he swims inside.  inside, through the long and winded halls, taehyung finally finds sooyoung, looking at him expectedly. “nice place you’ve got,” taehyung smiles, trying to ease the tension in the air.  sooyoung only shrugs, “as long as it keeps people out, it’s perfect.” “anyway,” taehyung says, “did you come up with a solution?”  sooyoung doesn’t immediately reply. instead, she rakes through one of the shelves on the wall and takes a small bottle with a green liquid. shaking it lightly, she passes it to taehyung who takes it gingerly.  “what is this?” taehyung asks, studying the bottle.  “your solution. i can’t possibly make sure that seokjin is safe the entire time he’s on land. but i can prevent him from doing anything that can possibly harm him. this right here,” sooyoung nods at the bottle, “is a decoy.” “when i’m done with the real potion, i’ll give it to seokjin. your job is to swap that with the decoy. if all goes well, seokjin will take the decoy, won’t transform and he’ll never suspect you to have done anything.” taehyung frowns. “but when he realises that the potion didn’t work, he’ll have questions for you. what will you say then?” sooyoung’s lips pull to an icy smile. “people like him believe anything i say, taehyung. i could tell him that the potion only works for the purest of heart and he’d believe me. seokjin is naive, he won’t suspect anything.” something about the way she says it irks taehyung. the siren feels his jaw clench as he says, “seokjin paid a price for what he wanted. you’re just fooling him into thinking what he sacrificed wasn’t worth anything.”  sooyoung lets out a humourless laugh. “does it matter? this is what you wanted, right?” taehyung goes quiet, as he stares at the bottle, long and hard. he doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know which is right – but it’s a choice he has to make anyway. and the thought scares taehyung, because for the first time, it’s not about how the consequences of his actions will affect him, but someone else. the thought of that alone scares taehyung. finally, taehyung says, “yeah. it is.” , looking back at it now, taehyung thinks that maybe this is where it all went wrong. ”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

seokjin
 frowns at 
taehyung
. “is everything fine? you’ve been awfully quiet.”

taehyung
 snaps out of his thoughts and looks up at 
seokjin
. “what?”

“see? you just did it again – you’re weirdly absent-minded lately. is there anything that’s been bothering you?” 
seokjin
 looks at him with such genuine concern in his eyes that 
taehyung
 almost can’t 
physically 
lie to the mermaid.

“do - do you have to do this, 
jin
?”

seokjin
 furrows his brows at him and opens his mouth to say something but 
taehyung

panics

and interrupts the mermaid, 
rushing to add
, “
i
 mean, 
i’ve
 just been worried that after exploring land, you’ll think that it’s better than life here. and then you’d no longer want to live here.”

taehyung’s
 voice trails off and 
seokjin’s
 face softens at his words 
but
 a small frown tugs at his lips. “
tae
, 
i
 didn’t know you thought that.” 
taehyung
 bites his tongue at that, stopping himself from replying,

because

i

didn’t.

instead, 
taehyung
 bites his lip and looks up at the mermaid. 
seokjin
 goes on to say, “
i’m
 so sorry. 
i
 don’t want you to think just because 
i’ll
 be able to venture on shore that 
i’ll
 forget about you.” before 
taehyung
 can reply, 
seokjin
 pulls him into a hug, mumbling into 
taehyung’s
 ear, “above or under the sea, you’re still important to me, 
taehyung
-ah. 
i’m
 s
o s
orry if 
i
 ever made you think otherwise.

really.

”

taehyung
 doesn’t say anything
.
 only tightens his arms around 
seokjin’s
 waist.

,

seokjin
 locks his eyes with 
taehyung’s
, expression serious. “
i
 want to use it tonight,” he says, all of a sudden.

and 
taehyung’s
 imagined this exact 
situation 
number of times, endless scenarios playing out in his mind – and in every single one, he imagines himself protesting, making a huge fuss, finally letting out everything he’s been bottling inside. but 
when it finally comes down to the real thing – 
he

doesn’t

.

instead, he just looks back at 
seokjin
. “yeah?”

seokjin
 nods.

taehyung
 had a feeling that today would be the day, 
seokjin
 looks like he’s had better days, eyes tired. 
taehyung
 wasn’t going to ask him about it, knowing that the mermaid doesn’t like talking about the things that bother him, always giving responses like,

don’t worry,

tae

,

i’m

fine

if 
taehyung
 ever brings it up.

seokjin
 might think that he’s got 
taehyung
 fooled, with how 
taehyung
 just lets it go after that, but he knows. he knows that 
seokjin
 isn’t fine, but he also knows that he

will

be fine, so he doesn’t say anything.

sometimes, 
taehyung
 
thinks
 about how scarily similar they are.

seokjin
 gets up to leave the grotto soon after, saying something about how he’ll spend the night at home. but before he goes, 
seokjin
 rummages through one of his cabinets before taking out something 
taehyung
 can’t see and sliding it into the siren’s hand.

taehyung
 feels it with his fingertips, the cool material between his fingers and he presses hard.

it

’

s a glass vial,

he thinks, and he does
n
’t need to ask seokjin what’s inside because hidden away in one of 
seokjin’s
 shelves is an identical decoy.

“take care of it while 
i’m
 gone, okay?” 
seokjin
 tells 
taehyung
, 
words soft.

taehyung
 doesn’t say anything, only nods. and just like that, the siren is left alone.

after what feels like an eternity, 
taehyung
 finally takes a look at the potion and frowns. it looks exactly the same as the one 
sooyoung
 gave him, the same icky green that makes 
taehyung’s
 stomach churn.

this is the perfect moment, 
taehyung
 thinks. as if the stars have aligned and some higher power has given him the chance for him to have

exactly

what he wanted. perhaps it would have made past 
taehyung
 happy. perhaps 
taehyung
 in the past would have already crushed the bottle 
seokjin
 gave him, would have gotten rid of all evidence and pretend as if nothing has happened when 
seokjin
 comes back. pretend like he doesn’t know what’s going on when 
seokjin’s
 potion doesn’t work. past 
taehyung
 would

pretend

and just move on without another care in the world.

so now, when everything is so perfectly in place, why is 
taehyung
 hesitating? why does he feel sick at the thought of replacing the bottles, something so

simple

, but almost impossible at the same time?

taehyung
 puts the potion down gingerly, as if he’s afraid to break it and looks for the one 
sooyoung
 gave

him

, the supposed solution to all his problems. when he finally finds it, stowed away behind one of 
seokjin’s
 countless number of artefacts, he compares the two side by side.

no matter how hard 
taehyung
 squints, they look identical, two perfect carbon copies.

and before he realises, 
taehyung
 is squeezing the decoy, so hard that his hand starts to hurt, knuckles turning white. it aches, but he doesn’t stop there, only pressing a little harder until he finally hears a soft

crack

.

there’s a crack in the vial and 
taehyung
 only sees that as a reason to push harder, hard enough until the green liquid begins to drip down his fingers, the broken shards of glass pressing 
i
nto his skin. harder until 
taehyung
 sees his blood running down the tip of his fingers to his palm, a sharp sting causing him to wince.

only when all of the potion has dripped down his arms, mixed with his own blood, does 
taehyung
 stop. he picks at the shards of glass that pierced his skin, frowning when his shaky hands only 
make
 it worse.

and 
taehyung
, he looks and feels like a

mess,

his actions don’t register in his mind just yet. he only stares at how the solution to all his problems is

gone –

but then 
taehyung
 shakes his head. it was never the real solution anyway. all 
taehyung
 cares for as of now is how the decoy 
is
 gone and 
seokjin’s
 real potion is safe. he smiles despite himself, albeit a little hollow.

–that’s how 
seokjin
 finds him when he returns back to the grotto. 
taehyung
, with his hands bloody and covered with a sickly green liquid, his eyes abnormally empty. the mermaid startles at his state, wasting no time to let out a string of incoherent worrying as he scrambles to patch up the siren’s hands.

and after he’s all cleaned up, 
seokjin
 holds 
taehyung’s
 shoulder gently and asks, “what happened?” his voice is strained, eyes a little tired.

taehyung
 lets out a soft sigh, resting his head on the mermaid’s shoulder. the gesture takes 
seokjin
 by surprise because he stiffens, only to relax once again. “
i
 don’t know,” 
taehyung
 tells him honestly.

“is the potion–” 
seokjin
 begins, words careful.

“yeah,” 
taehyung
 breathes out, “it’s fine.” something about how 
seokjin
 relaxes at that causes something unpleasant to 
simmer
 in his gut.

the petty part of him wants to ask why 
seokjin
 is asking about the potion when he’s supposed to be concerned about 
taehyung
, but then he snaps out of it and reminds himself that

of course

he’d be asking about the potion. it terrifies 
taehyung
, how he’s practically going against every single one of his beliefs of

don’t get involved

just for a mermaid that doesn’t even know of the means 
taehyung
 is going for just to make sure he’s

safe

.

but 
taehyung
 thinks that looking back, he’s still glad he befriended the mermaid. thinks that despite all, no matter what 
taehyung
 decided to do, he’d still end up chasing something that feels too much like a dream, that if he ever manages to grab ahold
 of it, it’ll vanish between his fingers – just like that.

taehyung
 
doens’t
 like thinking about that, so he doesn
’
t. instead, he focuses back to the lovely mermaid who’s right in front of him, mumbling out soft words of comfort.

when the siren feels his eyelids drooping, he says quietly, “promise me you’ll stay?” and he doesn’t know whether it’s because he’s already fallen asleep, but he doesn’t hear 
seokjin’s
 reply.

,

seokjin
 is gone the next morning.

taehyung
 wakes up, all alone in the grotto, not a single trace of the mermaid. a horrible gut-wrenching feeling only raises 
taehyung’s
 suspicions and when he finds that familiar vi
al
 by one of the tables, empty of its contents, the siren knows.

the realization hits 
taehyung
 in small pieces, tucked into the hollows of his bones as he goes on with his day. he realises that it’s been a while since his last hunt so he goes looking for a victim, ignoring the part of his mind that desperately wants to look for something else.

taehyung watches his prey from beneath the waves, careful to remain as still as possible. the human, a girl seemingly in her twenties, dangles her legs along the edge of the low dock and absent-mindedly stares off at the sea.

initially, taehyung thought that he could just pull her below likewise to how he’d have done it years back, but something tells taehyung that he’s better off being a little bit more patient, a little more cautious.

slowly, taehyung swims further away from the girl, so she’s facing his direction. the last thing he needs is for his sudden appearance to scare her off. when he thinks that he’s found the perfect spot, taehyung swims closer to the surface, and ever so gently, makes his tail cause a small ripple among the water.

the sudden movement of the still water catches the girl’s attention, just like how taehyung wanted. he watches from below, how her eyes scan the area of the ripple as she inches closer to the sea.

perfect

, he thinks.

then, in a smooth and practiced movement, taehyung pokes his head through the surface and looks up at her.

initially, she jerks away, staring at 
taehyung
 with wide eyes, but is quick to fix her composure and edge closer to the edge to get a better look. 
taehyung
 doesn’t say anything, just stares back at her with a blank expression on his face, gauging her reaction.

the girl doesn’t say anything at first, instead just tilts her head, brows furrowing. then: “you’re a mermaid, aren’t you?”

taehyung forces back a grimace. it certainly isn’t the

first

time a human has mistaken him for one of them, but it still doesn’t stop a sick kind of feeling forming at the thought of being compared to the likes of a mermaid.

a small voice in the back of his mind tells him,

how about seokjin?

but taehyung doesn’t need to think too hard about that because seokjin

isn’t

like other mermaids. and the thought of seokjin reminds taehyung of something he rather not think of as of now, so he pushes that train of thought away altogether.

“sure,” taehyung agrees.

it doesn’t take too long for 
taehyung
 to finish her off, her body having stopped struggling the moment she realised that there was no winning against 
taehyung
. and when she’s lifeless in 
taehyung’s
 arms, the siren takes the moment to just

look

at her.

not as how he usually would – as

food,

but instead as a human.

he stares at the body, the slope of her calves, the lifelessness of her eyes that stare into nothing. tentatively, he uses the tip of his fingers to touch her cheek, the skin freezing to his touch. 
taehyung
 frowns and he blinks.

when he opens his eyes, to his horror, he finds that the face of the girl has changed to seokjin and now it’s

his

lifeless eyes staring at 
taehyung
, blood smeared across 
seokjin’s
 cheek and 
taehyung
 – 
taehyung
 can’t

breathe

.

instantly, he jerks away from the body, hands recoiling as if they’ve been burnt. his breath hitches and 
taehyung
 swears that his heart is going to burst out of his chest. all he can think of is

seokjin

, how he’s up there, too far away for 
taehyung
 to protect. the image of 
seokjin’s
 lifeless body burns into his memory and the siren has to close his eyes to just let himself breathe.

when he lets out a sharp exhale, letting his vision focus, he notices that it’s just the girl’s body on the ground. yet, he can’t find it within himself to look at her any longer. for the first time in his life, 
taehyung
 doesn’t have an appetite.

,

later that night, 
taehyung
 finds himself by a rocky shore, perched on one of the rocks. he doesn’t know why, but a small part of him believes that 
seokjin
 will come by even though it shouldn’t be possible – there are countless of places he could be, who’s to say that he’ll come

here

out of all places.

that doesn’t stop a dangerous little thing from crawling into taehyung’s mind –

hope

.

a passing breeze causes 
goosebumps
 to form on his skin, as he shudders lightly. 
taehyung
 wants to give in, tell himself that there’s no point just

waiting

without a basis of what he’s even waiting

for

. 
but just before 
taehyung
 finally loses hope completely and decides to call it day, a silhouette peaks out from among the boulders and 
taehyung’s
 heart lunges to his throat when realization dawns–

it’s

seokjin

.

taehyung
 feels his pace pick up as 
seokjin
 starts running, an unspoken apology written in his eyes as he nears. before he knows it, 
seokjin
 is jumping into the water and 
taehyung’s
 already diving ahead. their hands meet first, fingers intertwining before 
taehyung
 pulls 
seokjin
 into a bone-crushing hug. it’s messy, 
seokjin’s
 completely drenched, but 
taehyung
 doesn’t care because in this moment all he feels 
is 
the rhythm of the other’s heartbeat against his chest
, his slow and gentle inhales and exhales
. 
seokjin’s

here

and he’s

safe

.

when they pull apart, 
taehyung
 takes the opportunity to smack 
seokjin’s
 arm, causing the other to grimace in pain. “fuck

you

,” he hisses out.

seokjin
 opens his mouth like 
h
e wants to say something but 
taehyung
 doesn’t let him. “
you
 absolute

asshole

, did you know how fucking worried 
i
 was?” 
seokjin’s
 lips pull into a lopsided grin and 
taehyung
 can’t bear to be mad at him any longer.

they decide to settle next to the shore, 
seokjin
 sitting on one of the boulders, feet dangling as 
taehyung
 stays in the water, looking up at him. 
seokjin
 tells 
taehyung
 how he took his first steps on land, albeit shakily, with his knees wobbling, how the breeze in the air caused his skin to prickle.

“well,” 
taehyung
 begins, eyes finally meeting seokjin’s, “how was it? going on land for the first time?”

he watches as 
seokjin’s
 eyes light up im
m
ediately, grin widening as he rambles on about his first day, all the exciting new things he’s gotten to see. and 
taehyung
, despite himself, listens intently to everything the other says, trying to paint a picture of what the world above water is like, by piecing together all the little details 
seokjin
 tells him.

taehyung only leaves when he notices, hours later when the sun begins to rise again, gold pooling into the dark blues of the sky, seokjin’s eyes starting to get weary with fatigue. seokjin insists that he’s not tired, but the redness of his eyes suggests otherwise.

when 
seokjin
 finally leaves, 
taehyung
 stays a little longer, watching the silhouette of 
seokjin
 grow smaller. 
seokjin
 notices 
taehyung
 staring so he turns around to flash him another blinding smile. 
taehyung
 feels an ugly feeling pooling in his gut. he chooses to ignore it.

,

“wouldn’t it be amazing,” 
seokjin
 whispers, “to be immortalized among the stars?”

seokjin’s
 lying on his back, eyes trained on the stars that dot the sky. 
taehyung
 hums in response, mumbling, “you’ve barely been on land and yet, you’re already dreaming of living among the stars? you really do want everything, don’t you?” he says it as a joke, but there’s a hint of bitterness in it that taehyung hopes seokjin doesn’t notice.

“how could 
i
 not,” 
seokjin
 replies, breathless, “when there’s so many things to

want

.”

taehyung
 doesn’t reply, only listening to the sound of the gentle waves and the passing breeze. 
seokjin
 continues to say, “maybe if 
i
 was a star, you wouldn’t have to ever worry about me 
leaving you behind
.” that takes 
taehyung
 by surprise, and the siren peers up at 
seokjin
, eyes wide.

how does he know–

but taehyung stops himself and it dawns upon him that that despite how aloof seokjin shows himself to be, the mermaid 
has a habit of 
pick
ing
 up on small things, notices things about taehyung that even he, himself doesn’t realise.

of course

seokjin knows, he’s always been able to read taehyung like an open book.

“but how would 
i
 find you then?” 
taehyung
 asks
 instead
, quiet.

“easy,” comes 
seokjin’s
 voice, airy and light. “all you have to do is look up at 
spot
 the brightest star you see. and there 
i’ll
 be, watching over you from all those millions of lightyears away.”

taehyung
 studies 
seokjin’s
 face, the way the stars reflect in his eyes, making them shine. his skin has always had this ethereal glow as if it was made of pools of moonlight. 
and 
if 
taehyung
 thinks about it, 
seokjin’s
 always been made out of fragments of the skies
, bits of the universe making up every fibre of his being.

“you know,” 
taehyung
 begins, “there’s a story 
i
 heard when 
i
 was little. there was a siren that spent too long above shore on windy nights, and ended up swallowing a piece of the night sky. the emptiness began growing in him, started giving him a terrible hunger that could not be fulfilled by anything.

he went on a killing spree and ate as much he could
;
 swallowed oceans 
whole 
and 
devoured
 masses of people, but that dull ache always remained. out of desperation, he traveled far to a witch who told him that the only way he’ll ever have this curse lifted as if he drank a few drops of sunshine
, some light to fill in the emptiness inside.

so
 with that
, he ventured out at dawn to the horizon where the sun meets the sea, turning the water gold. and he drank just a desperate handful of water, 
most of the water trickling down the sides of his mouth, but
 finally
,
 he could feel the hunger subside, the needless

want

satisfied, at last,” 
taehyung
 finishes.

neither of them say
s
 anything for a long time, until 
seokjin
 finally breaks the pin
 
drop silence, “
that does sound an awful lot like me doesn’t it?”

taehyung
 lets out a hum. then he remembers what he asked 
soonyoung
 weeks ago, remembers that look in her eye that followed as she answered. “what do you want most in life?”

taehyung
 searches 
seokjin’s
 face for an answer, a certain shift in his eyes that will tell 
taehyung

something

, but 
seokjin
 says nothing. instead, he parts his lips and trains his eyes back to the sky. “
i
 think 
i’d
 like to be able to find my own droplets of sunshine.”

taehyung
 doesn’t reply.

,

the days go by painfully slow for 
taehyung
. all he does is hunt and roam around idly, and 
taehyung
 has a mild feeling that he’s supposed to be looking for something, but he just can’t pinpoint

what

. the only highlight of his day is when he meets up with 
seokjin
 and listens to him talk about all the new things he’s seen, the new people he’s met.

unlike 
taehyung
, who has a certain tire tucked between his bones every time he comes to meet the mermaid, 
seokjin
 is always brimming with emotion; so saturated to the point where there’s so much

life

dripping from him.

today’s a little different because 
seokjin’s
 buzzing with a different sort of energy. 
taehyung
 can feel it in the air, 
among 
strings of nervousness, 
seokjin
 
is 
being unusually quiet. it’s not the type of quietness that comes with silence, hell, seokjin hasn’t stopped talking since he saw the siren. instead, it’s the type of quietness that shows itself when 
seokjin’s
 laughs aren’t as loud as normal, his smile not really reaching his eyes.

“have you ever been in love?” 
seokjin
 asks all of a sudden, and 
taehyung
 has to look at him again to see if he’s hearing it correctly.

“
i
– what?” 
taehyung
 splutters.

seokjin
 repeats himself, words slower
. “have you ever loved someone?”

taehyung
 feels blood rushing to his cheeks, the tips of his ears growing red. “no,” he says finally, voice growing thick. it’s not a lie if it
’
s a half-truth, 
is what 
he tells himself. “why do you ask?”

“there’s someone 
i’ve
 met,” 
seokjin
 begins, looking over at 
taehyung
 cautiously. 
taehyung
 keeps his expression neutral. “actually, it’s been a while already
 – since we’ve met, that is
. and you know me, 
taehyung
, 
i
 don’t

commit

. 
i
 like the thrill and the excitement of things but the moment it starts to get serious it feels so

heavy

, you know?”

“but this time,” 
seokjin
 continues, eyes trained on his fingers, “he always leaves me feeling like 
i
 can never get enough. god, he’s so

fascinating –

but
 
he’s not drops of sunshine, 
tae
, he’s the night sky that leaves me empty, and wanting more. is that what love is? never getting enough of someone?”

taehyung
 keeps quiet. he

does

know 
seokjin
, and he knows how 
seokjin
 treats fascinating things. he’s enamored with it, all the way until the moment he has it wrapped around his finger, right where he wants it to be. then 
seokjin
 gets

bored

and throws it among the pile of all his other objects of desire, moving on the next. he knows because he’s seen it happen in front of him again and again and

again

; until he wonders when it’ll be

his

turn.

but here he is, the same 
seokjin
, confessing that he found someone he doesn’t immediately want to toss out, talking about

love

and

commitment

out of all things – and 
taehyung
 feels

sick

.

he feels bad immediately after, chiding himself for feeling this way. and like a coward, he opts for the easier option out. “do you want it to be?”
 is his reply, just as cautious, looking at 
seokjin
 gently.

seokjin
 huffs. “
i
 - honestly? 
i’m
 kind of terrified, 
tae
. 
i’m
 not good at these things and avoiding my problems has always been the easier thing to do. but 
i
 don’t want to run away, not now. and that’s 
fucking terrifying
.”

taehyung’s
 rendered speechless by the vulnerability of 
seokjin’s
 words and he’s terrified too. because never in a thousand 
years
 would 
taehyung
 have expected himself to be in this situation – talking about

feelings

with a mermaid posing as a human, trying to give said mermaid advice about matters of the heart when his feels like bursting any moment.

when 
taehyung
 doesn’t reply, 
seokjin
 looks away, embarrassed. “

great

, 
i
 made it awkward now-”

“no,” 
taehyung
 suddenly says, feeling a lot like he’s been shifted off his axis. “it’s okay to be nervous, 
jinie
. this is all new for you, honestly, it’s new for me too, and it’s alright to be a little scared. but just know that while some things may change, others will stay the same, yeah?”

gingerly, he takes 
seokjin’s
 hands in his, ignores how his tremble a little in the process, and gives it a reassuring squeeze. 
taehyung
 holds his breath, thinks of whether he said the right thing, whether he’s made everything worse, feels his heart thump against his chest, hard enough to rattle his bones – and he feels 
seokjin
 squeeze back.

taehyung exhales.

,

“
i
 want you to meet him.” 
seokjin’s
 looking at him with an intensity that 
taehyung
 can’t find himself to look away
 from
.

he doesn’t ask 
seokjin
 who he’s talking about, because he already knows. after that night where 
seokjin
 confessed to having

something

going on with

someone

, it was almost as if a dam had broken down.

since then, 
seokjin
 has told 
taehyung
 everything little thing about his special someone – all the way from how his smile rivals that of the sun, to the way his laughter rings in his ears like the chimes of a bell – and 
taehyung
 listen
s
, and trie
s
 to paint the image of this person that has seokjin so utterly captivated.

and of course, 
taehyung
 wants to know who this person is, what’s so special about them that 
seokjin
 can’t go a day without talking about – but 
taehyung
 is hesi
t
ant. hesitant because he knows from the moment he finally gets to meet them that a dangerous thought will plant inside his min
d:

what do they have that he doesn’t?

and as much as 
taehyung
 wants to tell himself that he’s better than that, that he knows that 
seokjin
 loves him all the same, just in a

different

way, 
taehyung
 also knows himself. and 
taehyung
 knows himself to be

petty

and

envious

and all sorts of ugly emotions that he tries desperately to hide away.

“how?” 
taehyung
 starts, “
you didn’t tell him
 what you are, right?”

something he said must have had an effect on 
seokjin
, because 
taehyung
 notices hurt flicker across his face for just a moment, before his expressions grows back to norma
l
. it sud
d
enly dawns on 
taehyung
 that 
seokjin
 is

ashamed

of being what he is, and he knows that no matter how hard he tries, he never

really

could be truly human, can’t hide what he is forever.

when 
seokjin
 still doesn’t reply, 
taehyung
 finds himself saying, “how long do you plan on staying like this?” and it takes him by surprise, because it’s the one thing so far between all their little meetings that 
taehyung
 hasn’t touched upon, the one thing he avoids like the plague because 
taehyung
 has a feeling that whatever the answer is, he won’t be liking it.

taehyung
 thinks 
seokjin
 might have half a mind to ask 
taehyung

like what?

- just because he’s 
seokjin
 and if he wants to stay in denial, it’s not like 
taehyung
 can do anything about it. obviously 
seokjin
 knows what 
taehyung
 means by

like this

: like a mermaid stuck in between two identities. like a coward running away from the truth. like a human.

seokjin’s
 eyebrows shoot up at his question and 
taehyung
 feels his pulse pick up. “honestly?” 
seokjin
 lets out a short laugh, “until 
i
 find myself wanting something else. you know how it is already, taehyungie.”

taehyung
 feels something ugly blossom inside, and a scowl finds itself on his face, as he says, “enlighten me if 
i’m
 wrong, seokjin, but falling in love with a human has never been part of the drill, so,

no

i
 don’t know how it is.”

seokjin
 barely pays any attention to 
taehyung’s
 harsh shift in tone. “why does that make any difference?”

“
of course
 it makes a difference! you’re just going to leave him behind the moment you think you want something else? what happened to you wanting to stay?
 or was tackling the concept of love just another thing on your bucket list? now that’s done you can pretend it never existed?
” 
taehyung
 hisses in reply.

“calm the fuck down, 
tae
. it’s not like 
i’m
 ending his life – he'll live, and he’ll move on. what’s the big deal?” 
taehyung
 stares at 
seokjin
, incredulous. he thinks back to the 
seokjin
 who looked scared and vulnerable as he told 
taehyung
 that he caught feelings for a human, thinks back to the way his eyes shone when he spoke about him. then he realises, seokjin has always been a great actor.

“you-” 
taehyung
 begins, suddenly at a loss of what to say. “you never him loved him, did you? you were just so wrapped up by the idea of love, by the

idea

of having someone to love – it was never about him, was it?”

he thinks back to everything 
seokjin
 told him and he realises that everything sounded so painfully

superficial

- as if all that mattered was the grandness of it all, the

theatrics

of having a forbidden lover; of having a dangerous secret; of being in love.

taehyung
 continues staring at 
seokjin
, focuses on the way he bites the inside of his cheek. he doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

of course

seokjin
 didn’t love him, of

fucking

course he didn’t actually want to

commit;

because 
seokjin
 has always been full of empty promises and words so sweet that it leaves a burn on your tongue. 
actually, 
taehyung can’t understand why he hadn’t caught on earlier.

seokjin
 lets out a sigh, and smiles softly. 
taehyung
 knows what this means: admittance, exasperation,

defeat

.

“
so
 what if it was never really about him. what difference does it make to you, 
taehyungie
, if 
i
 decide to break a few hearts? 
it never meant anything – not with 
him,
 he was just convenient. 
that’s what sirens do anyway, right? why does it matter to you?” seokjin’s voice is gentle, but his eyes are anything but. he’s looking at 
taehyung
 expectantly, waiting for him to say something out of line and make

him

feel like the bad guy in the end. 
and all 
taehyung
 can think is – is that what he is to 
seokjin
 as well –

convenient?

taehyung
 doesn’t say anything but he knows

exactly

why he’s so put off by this. because for the better part of his friendship with 
seokjin
, this is what he always thought would end up with him. he feared the day when he would come to a realization that 
seokjin
 never

actually

cared for him, despite what his gentle gestures and soft voice might suggest. that in the end, 
seokjin
 only wanted the

idea

of having a close bond with a siren, that it was never 
specifically 
taehyung
. that in a blink of an eye, 
seokjin
 could replace him with any other siren that was 
too 
weak for bright smiles and shining eyes.

taehyung
 contemplates lying to seokjin, giving an excuse instead of a proper answer. after all, it’s what he deserve
s
. but he thinks that he’s done hiding away his fears until he finally has to face them out of having no other choice. he’s not seokjin; he won’t run away from the truth.

“what

difference

it makes to me,” 
taehyung
 begins, looking 
seokjin
 in the eye, “is that 
i
 don’t want that day to come by when you decide to pull this bullshit on

me

. talk about how grateful you are for having me by your side, then proceed to leave me behind in pursuit of whatever the fuck you want next. 
i
 don’t know what goes on your mind when you do things like these, but what goes on

my

mind is how replaceable 
i
 must be in your eyes.
 and you’re right - 
i’ll
 move on. but that doesn’t mean it won’t fucking

hurt

, being abandoned by who you thought cared for you.
”

when he stops talking, 
taehyung
 has to physically restrain himself from jumping straight into the water and swimming away before he can hear what 
soekjin
 has to say.

be brave

, he tells himself, so he stays.

seokjin
 lets out a shaky breath. “taehyung,” he starts, voice strained. “
i
 didn’t know that’s how you felt.” 
taehyung
 wants to scoff, but he stops himself and lets 
seokjin
 continue what he has to say.

“
i
 know you won’t believe me, but you’re not like him. 
i
 could leave him behind 
cause
 you’re right, 
i

don’t

love him. but you’re - as fucking stupid as it might sound – you're my best friend, and even though 
i
 can’t always stay by your side, 
i
 can’t let you go. not like that.”

“
i’m
 selfish and greedy and 
i
 can’t 
even pretend to 
promise that 
i’ll
 always be here, but 
i
 promise that 
i’ll
 always come back. my heart won’t stop wanting and 
i
 won’t stop making bad de
cis
ions, but at the end of it
 all
, 
i’ll
 only ever have on
e
 
taehyung
 in my life. 
i’ll
 only have you to return to
.
”

soekjin
 looks at him, and his eyes are a little glassy, and his smile is wavering. and for the first time in a while, 
taehyung
 sees the same 
seokjin
 that first got him out of trouble with a couple of mermaids, sees the same 
seokjin
 that spent hours writing sheet music for him. h
e doesn’t see the mermaid that’s obsessed with life above the sea. he doesn’t see the person that leaves him with a feeling akin to heartbreak. for the first time in a while, h
e sees his best friend.

“you’re awful,” 
taehyung
 says, and 
seokjin
 
doesn’t disagree. “you know you don’t deserve a second chance, but here you are, still asking for one.”

seokjin
 smiles, albeit a little sadly. “yeah.”

“
i
 need some time to think,” 
taehyung
 tells him, voice quiet, and 
seokjin
 nods. 
“but while 
i’m
 gone, take some time to think about what you really want. you can go around running after whatever your heart desires for as long as you want, but frankly? 
i’m
 done waiting for you to come back.”

seokjin
 doesn’t reply. but 
taehyung
 knows a reply isn’t what he’s looking for anyway.

,

taehyung
 doesn’t come back. not for a couple of weeks, that is. instead, he uses that time for himself, to remember what it was like to live without 
seokjin
 as the center of his axis. he stays away from the grotto, away from the little things that remind him of the mermaid. it’s a lot harder than 
taehyung
 expects, and for the first few days, 
taehyung
 sees bits of 
seokjin
 all around him
: almost jarringly, 
in the smile of a potential victim – taehyung had dropped him as prey almost immediately after the initial doubletake.

this time is for 
taehyung
, and for 
taehyung
 only.

it’s a little lonelier than he remembers, 
taehyung
 thinks. but it’s refreshing to be able to live without constant thoughts of a venturing mermaid clouding his mind. 
taehyung
 thinks he quite likes it like this.

in a surprising twist of events, 
taehyung
 decides to visit 
sooyoung
. the siren isn’t sure how the mermaid will take to his sudden 
appearance
 in the privacy of her home but 
taehyung
 likes to think that they’re maybe there’s a chance to rekindle their friendship, and maybe 
sooyoung
 would like the company.

he uses that small flicker of home to drive himself back to that secluded part of the ocean once again, where it’s so deep below that the sunlight streaming in from above the surface only manages to cast an eerie glow. maybe it’s a mistake. maybe 
sooyoung
 will tell him to fuck off and stop bothering her. but 
taehyung
 thinks that it’s a risk he’s willing to take.

unlike 
seokjin
, who makes his presence known through his gentle humming that flows through the halls, 
sooyoung
 is silent in her work. 
taehyung
 almost doesn’t realize that 
sooyoung’s
 home until he smells a potion brewing from inside the heart of the monstrous cavern.

slowly, he swims towards it, playing out the various scenarios of 
sooyoung
 reacting to 
taehyung’s
 unexpected visit.

“
sooyoung
?” 
taehyung
 calls out tentatively, rounding one of the corners before entering the room he assumes the mermaid does most of her brewing in.

he hears the sound of something hitting the floor, followed by silence. then a soft, “
taehyung
? is that you?”

at that, taehyung enters the room and his eyes fall on sooyoung’s who’s staring at him with her eyes wide, brows furrowed. her look of confusion, however, only lasts for a moment before her face reverts back to her usual expression – relaxed and prepared.

“what’s wrong? did something happen with 
seokjin
? did the potion-” 
taehyung
 cuts her off before she can finish, grimacing slightly at the mention of 
seokjin’s
 name.

he wonders if he’s always been so transparent, whether everyone else associates 
taehyung
 with 
seokjin
 so closely that the moment he arrives, it’s always got something to do with the mermaid. the thought alone causes something bitter to 
pool
 inside of 
taehyung
.

but logically, it makes perfect sense that 
taehyung
 is here because of 
seokjin
. in her defence, every time 
taehyung
 has contacted 
sooyoung
, it had been 
centered
 around him; it had been entire

for

seokjin
.

“that’s not it. seokjin’s.. fine,” 
taehyung
 finds himself saying, the words suddenly lumping at his throat. has it always been 
to
 difficult to admit the truth? “
i’m
 here because 
i
 wanted 
company
.”

sooyoung
 stares at him, not saying anything. it causes 
taehyung’s
 pulse to pick up, his face reddening at the sudden confession and he’s

embarrassed

because since when did he sound so pathetic? he almost expects 
sooyoung
 to sneer at him and call him pitiful. 
taehyung
 doesn’t think he’d be able to argue with her.

instead, 
sooyoung
 frowns and asks, “you came to

me

for company?”

“yeah,” 
taehyung
 mutters, “am 
i
 not allowed to?”

“no, 
that’
s fine i suppose. stay for as long as you’d like. it’s just weird? 
i
 guess?” 
sooyoung
 shrugs, eyes going back to the potions she was brewing. “
i
 just never would have thought that you’d pick my company over 
seokjin’s
.”

at 
taehyung’s
 lack of answer, she goes on to ask, “let me guess; trouble in paradise?”

taehyung
 rolls his eyes at her, mumbling, “since when were you so nosy?”

sooyoung
 hangs her hands up feigning surrender. “hey, you’re the one who barged in uninvited. it makes sense for me to have a couple of questions, alright?”

“did you know,” 
taehyung
 says all of a sudden, causing a thick sort of tension to form in the atmosphere, “that 
i
 wouldn’t use the decoy?”

sooyoung looks up from the potion that’s brewing and narrows her eyes at taehyung, dark irises staring right back at him. “
you’ve always had a soft heart, taehyung,” sooyoung says and taehyung opens his mouth to protest but closes it upon seeing the glare sooyoung sends him.

“you think that you’re uncaring and cold, and to some extent its true; you’re no easy shell to break. but you’re also loyal. you’d never break anyone’s trust. 
i
 had a feeling that you’d hesitate using the decoy, but 
i
 was still surprised when 
seokjin
 came to me with the potion, and it actually did the job.”

something uncomfortable squeezes inside of 
taehyung’s
 heart at the mention of 
seokjin
. “he came to you?”

sooyoung
 hums in affirmation, going to say, “he was deadly nervous and something about him 
seemed..

off?

i
 thought that maybe he was having second thoughts but then 
i
 realised that we more in a rush if anything, desperate, even.”

taehyung
 doesn’t reply. instead, he thinks about how in the last moments before seokjin took the potion, he probably didn’t even think about taehyung – probably had more important things in his mind, and taehyung wonders why this revalation causes his heart to sink.

“hey, 
taehyung
,” 
sooyoung
 calls out and 
taehyung
 snaps out of his thoughts and looks at 
sooyoung
 instead. “remember the price for the decoy? a favour? 
i’d
 like to ask one 
from you.”

at that moment, 
taehyung
 thinks of all the possible things 
sooyoung
 could ask from him, ranging from something mild like helping her run an errand, all the way to something that would probably get himself killed – but nothing prepares him for what 
sooyoung
 actually says:

“
i
 want you to be selfish.”

“
i
 - what?” 
taehyung
 stutters out, brows furrowing.

sooyoung
 rolls her eyes like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 
taehyung
 doesn’t quite follow. “for once in your damn life, think about yourself first and let yourself be selfish. let yourself have what you want. what’s stopping you?”

taehyung
 wants to scoff. he wants to roll his eyes and tell 
sooyoung
 
what 
exactly

is

stopping him from pulling a seokjin and just doing whatever his heart desires. yet the words die on the tip of his tongue 
when he realises that 
everything
 he could tell her sounds too much like an excuse, 
and the conversation moves on, the favor long forgotten – but what 
sooyoung
 said still lingers in his mind.

,

taehyung
 doesn’t realise what he’s doing until he finds himself scanning the surface of the familiar beach, eyes s
earching
 desperately for a familiar person – the same one he hasn’t seen in heaven knows how long; a week? a month? somewhere in the midst of it all, taehyung lost count.

maybe it would have hurt 
taehyung’s
 pride years ago, crawling back to someone who’s only managed to hurt him, someone he wants nothing more than to push away but at the same time can’t help but be pulled into – and 
taehyung
 supposes that this is what 
seokjin
 does to him, lead him to madness – the quiet sort that comes with being involved with 
seokjin
, the sort that 
taehyung
 didn’t catch himself spiraling into until 
h
e
’s completely engulfed by it
. but right now, what 
taehyung
 wants – what he

needs

is closure. and this is it.

something tells 
taehyung
 that he’s all too late, that 
seokjin’s
 probably already left him behind in pursuit of other, grander things. and 
taehyung
 ha
s
 half the mind to give in to these thoughts because it’s not as if 
seokjin
 would ever seek him out

first

- but as much as it hurts, 
taehyung
 wants to see for himself whether the universe has been kind enough to spare him a little inkling of hope
, to grant him a chance to finally be able to take back all he’s given.

all that doubt clears the moment he catches 
seokjin’s
 eyes staring straight ahead at him, widening as he begins to get up and towards the waters. his heart rate picks up and 
taehyung
 wonders why he’s so damn nervous – it's just 
seokjin
, but he realizes that that’s way; because it’s

seokjin

.

lovely, kind and thoughtful 
seokjin
 that looks out for 
taehyung
 during his worst days, always making sure that he’s feeling alright with his soft and lulling voice, large eyes filled with so much care. 
the 
seokjin
 that reminds him of the soft summer sun shining through the waters, casting an almost 
otherworldly
 glow to everything around him. 
so genuine that it breaks 
taehyung’s
 heart, not with pain but with so much love that it swells until it bursts.

cold, distance and outlandish 
seokjin
, the one who disappears for weeks on end without a word only to come back, eyes dark and lips pulled to a frown, unknowingly crushing 
taehyung’s
 heart every time
 he brushes the siren’s concerning questions with an irritated,

i’m

fine, alright?

the 
seokjin
 that’s like the currents, harsh, unpredictable and unforgiving, drowning those who make the mistake of lingering for a second too long.

confusing and un
r
ea
d
able seokjin, the one who masks his emotions so well that it leaves 
taehyung
 never knowing how exactly he’s feeling, what he’s thinking. 
seokjin
, so vast and wide and infinite, even more than that of the oceans, that of course 
taehyung
 is terrified. because it’s just

seokjin

.

taehyung
 almost crawls his way through the sand to reach 
seokjin
, but he stops – the both of them stop – mere steps away from 
each
 
other
 and 
seokjin
 stares at him like he’s a myth come to life, stares at him like how 
taehyung
 would to

him

, and he stays silent, almost like he’s afraid.

when he opens his mouth, his voice is quiet and strained. “how have you been?”

seokjin
 doesn’t have to say anything else for 
taehyung
 to read between the lines
,
 
knowing what he really means 
by the way his eyes soften, his teeth 
worrying
 
at
 his bottom lip –

i

missed you

. 
taehyung
 decides right then and there he's going to do what he’s been afraid of doing ever since he’s met the mermaid;

be selfish

.

“i love you,” taehyung blurts out and seokjin’s eyes widen as he continues staring at taehyung. he looks like he wants to say something 
desperately, 
but taehyung stops him before he has the chance to, heart lurching to his throat. “don’t say anything – please.”

“
i
 didn’t want to tell you this, not now. not ever, 
and definitely not like

this

. because 
i
 k
ne
w it would be a burden on you and 
the last thing 
i’d
 ever want is to force you to stay. 
but 
i
 can’t go on like this, not when
 every time you leave, it feels like a rejection
.
 like 
i’m
 not good enough for you to

want

to stay.
” 
taehyung
 doesn’t dare meet 
seokjin’s
 eyes, 
in
s
tead s
tarts playing with the sand between his fingers
 
in a futile attempt to calm his racing heart.

“
i’m
 sorry that you had to find out like this, and 
i’m
 sorry for being in love with you-”

out of all the times 
taehyung
 has thought of kissing 
seokjin
, he imagined 
seokjin
 to taste 
warm and syrupy like honey
, he imagined electricity buzzing in his veins every time they’d 
touch
, 
the way he’d lean in to 
seokjin
 and finally be able to have the pretty mermaid to himself, so lovely and so

near

. finally, within reach.

when 
seokjin
 kisses him, it tastes like regret.

taehyung
 freezes the moment 
seokjin
 leans in and it takes a moment for him to register what’s going on. 
seokjin’s
 plush lips are on his, and his hands are circling around his waist, the touch delicate and feather-light while the other curls around his jaw – and it’s everything 
taehyung
 would have wanted but it’s

not

.

when 
seokjin
 licks into his mouth, all 
taehyung
 can taste is bitterness – like salty tears and unspoken goodbyes – and this isn’t what he’s imagined. this isn’t the 
seokjin
 in his head. because this 
seokjin
 kisses him 
desperately
 yet gently at the same time like he has something to

prove

to himself – that he loves 
taehyung
 back.

perhaps at one point, 
taehyung
 would have been willing to take this, would have hungrily eaten up any and all crumbs 
seokjin
 threw at him, just to make him feel loved and wanted, but this isn’t right. under the pale moonlight, with the stars hanging above, like all of his fantasies come to life, 
seokjin
 kisses 
taehyung
 for the first time. 
taehyung
 doesn’t kiss him back.

instead, 
taehyung
 pushes 
seokjin
 away, face flushed.

the mermaid looks up at 
taehyung
, confused and his eyes still a bit glossed over. “
i-i
 can’t do this,” 
taehyung
 stutters out, moving away from 
seokjin
, as if he’s recoiling. “don’t play with my feelings like that, seokjin. you don’t love me back.”

seokjin
 narrows his eyes at 
taehyung
, a frown pulling at his lips. “
i
 don’t think that’s for you to decide.”

taehyung
 shakes his head. “no, 
i
 think 
i
 can. me suddenly professing my love for you won’t change you, 
seokjin
. you’ll only end up hurting me. when you do realize that commitment isn’t for you, you’ll break my heart whether intentionally or not.”

“then what are you going to do?”

taehyung
 chews on his bottom lip, hard enough to draw blood, his heart still hammering in his chest. “let’s stop this here,” he says finally. “we only end up hurting each other. 
i
 hold you back from doing what you want, and it’ll be best if we just go our separate ways from here.” 
taehyung’s
 voice cracks somewhere in between and he tries to bite back a grimace.

“
so
 you’re just going to leave? you’re going to tell me that you love me and just fucking

leave

?” 
seokjin
 – he's angry and if 
taehyung’s
 being honest, he thinks that the mermaid is being a bit of a hypocrite. perhaps he’d give in a month or two ago, maybe grovel and stay and rot some more, but 
taehung’s
 tired.

“
i’m
 sorry.” he doesn’t really mean it, but he doesn’t know what else to say. the world feels a little numb and if 
seokjin
 calls out for him as 
taehyung
 plunges back into the water, he can’t hear him. 
taehyung
 contemplates turning around, getting one final look at 
seokjin
, lovely,

lovely

seokjin.

he doesn’t.

(instead, he swims deeper into the ocean, white noise filling his mind. 
taehyung
 doesn’t pay attention to where he’s heading to, his mind 
overwhelmed
 with replaying everything that just happened. when he finally looks up, 
taehyung
 realizes he’s right in front
 of the grotto. it’s been empty for weeks.

taehyung
 finally bursts into tears.)

,

a week passes by, then a month. then 
a
 
year
.

taehyung
 doesn’t really think about 
seokjin
 for the most part. instead, he shifts back to how life was before they met, almost like 
seokjin
 never existed. except – he doesn’t because 
taehyung
 doesn’t think that it’s possible to ever forget someone like seokjin.

he thinks about some late nights, wonders what he’s up to. but then that opens a plethora of questions that 
taehyung
 doesn’t have answers to, so he ignores that train of thought. pretends like he doesn’t care. and to some extent, he doesn’t.

eventually, 
sooyoung
 gets taken away by the king and 
taehyung
 tries not to think about that either. he feels oddly lonely; the pair had managed to rekindle some parts of their old friendship that faded over time. he thinks back to whether he could have done anything from preventing that from happening, then taehyung realizes that sooner or later sooyoung would have faced the king. if not by force, then by her own free will. there was nothing he could have done.

(that doesn’t stop him for missing her, though.)

with both 
sooyoung
 and 
seokjin
 out of the picture, 
taehyung
 continues on with life as do the sun and the moon, an endless cycle. it’s quiet, but nothing he isn’t used to. he’s a siren before anything else, 
taehyung
 reminds himself, and sirens work alone.

yet on a cloudless summer night, 
taehyung
 finds himself compelled to go back to the grotto, for the first time in

years

, for a reason unbeknownst to himself. 
taehyungs
 calls himself insane for wanting to go back to the place that reminds him so much of seokjin, but he wonders if it’s still there, waiting for the very people who will not return.

and maybe he

is

crazy for actually listening to his gut and returning to a part of the ocean that reminds him too much of 
seokjin
, even if the latter hasn’t been here longer than he has. it feels all to foreign, pushing the familiar ent
rance and as taehyung enters the actual grotto, a wave of nostalgia washes over him.

then he hears

crying

and 
taehyung
 turns around, eyes widening, frantic. the first thing he notices is that the grotto is in

ruins

, the precious and dear artifacts shattered and thrashed on the floor. the familiar moonlight shines down from the small opening from the above and there, on the ground, is someone

weeping.

taehyung
 can’t see their face, but he sees tufts of soft pink hair and a shaking body, limbs pale and soft, except it’s not a mermaid – there are tentacles, eight of them in a dark sangria, twisting and coiling and just

there

- and 
taehyung
 knows what this is – a cecaelia.

it must have heard 
taehyung’s
 arrival because it looks up and 
taehyung
 feels all the air knocked out of his lungs. the 
cecaelia
 stares at 
taehyung
, glossy eyes widening in shock, soft, pink lips parting and he whispers, “taehyung?”

his voice is hoarse and croaky, but to 
taehyung
 it’s still so saccharine and sweet – so

seokjin

, that 
taehyung
 can’t even doubt for a moment who it is. he looks so broken and helpless, eyes bloodshot with tear tracks down his cheeks and 
taehyung
 wonders for a moment what must have happened for him to become

this.

but of course, he realizes that it doesn’t matter. because it’s 
seokjin
 and he still looks so beautiful, with strands of hair falling over his eyes and freckles looking like 
constellations
 dotting his arms. maybe he doesn’t love 
seokjin
 like that anymore – it's been to long – but to 
taehyung
, 
seokjin
 has and always will be so beautiful; so goddamn

lovely

.

seokjin
 pulls himself up, soft hiccups still coming from his mouth and he moves towards 
taehyung
, subtly and his tentacles follow, reaching out for him. maybe 
taehyung
 should have flinched away at the sight, but he doesn’t because it’s 
seokjin
 and 
taehyung
 doesn’t think that he could ever refuse him if he tried.

instead, 
taehyung
 embraces 
seokjin
, breathing in the other person, arms gently running down his back. 
seokjin
 burrows his face in the crook of 
taehyung’s
 neck, and he feels the dampness from all of the tears 
seokjin
 shed, but he doesn’t care.

“
i’m
 a monster,” 
seokjin
 croaks out, voice so petite and small that it causes 
taehyung’s
 heart to clench.

he thinks about how he should reply, stuck between

you always have been

and

you never will be

- and neither of them is false. instead, he opts for hugging him a little tighter, his presence as a wordless comfort.

the tears continue to fall and 
seokjin
 continues to tremble, though a little less and 
taehyung
 decides that maybe he wants to try again. 
taehyung
 doesn’t believe in a 
divine
 being, but he believes in the lovely person in his arms, believes in him with his whole being.

he hopes that it will be enough.

”