drown for you | jjk

11

Yeah, he's been eating like a goddamn horse for the last few days, but he still went two weeks without any food at all before that. He's got no business looking that ripped. Water drips from his hair, running along his skin and over every bulge of pale muscle before it joins the rest.

Momentarily, his gills are entirely visible to you. You're beyond fascinated by the pink slices in the skin over his ribs, but you're quick to realize that you'll have to marvel over those another time.

You thought you'd been prepared for the tail. You really did. But what you come face to face with when Jeongguk moves to lie with his head away from you...

"Whoa..."

Nothing could have prepared you for it. It's dark in color and absolutely massive, and suddenly it makes sense that he'd have the most defined abs on earth if he's to steer and balance that thing around.

He keeps it in the air so that it won't touch you, bearing a strange resemblance to an orca at sea world. And the fin at the very end does look like that of a whale, splitting into two in the same way. But to your horror, there's a huge chunk missing from one side.

So that has to be the injury he arrived with then.

The siren peers back over his shoulder to deem your reaction. You don't want to bring up the injury, at least not as the first thing, so without thinking, you reach your hand out before stopping it in mid-air.

"Can I touch it?" you ask breathlessly.

"Yeah, it's okay," he answers, unbothered.

You reach out once more to let your fingers touch the part where the tail connects to the fin.

Unexpectedly, Jeongguk seems to have characteristics of both mammals and, well, fish. He has gills and scales like a fish, but also a horizontal tail, like a marine mammal. Incredible.

He's easily the most beautiful and fascinating living thing you've ever seen; you marvel with wide eyes, gently running your fingertips over different parts of the tail. To avoid hurting him if the fin's still painful, you steer clear of it altogether.

You grow a little bolder and softly guide the tail onto your lap, still unable to tear your gaze from it. The scales... You've never seen any so dark. Light bounces off them in the most captivating way, and they feel slippery and cold under your touch. It reminds you of snakeskin.

When you glance at Jeongguk's head again, he's resting it on his forearms, and it almost seems as if he's asleep. You take the opportunity to inspect the wound closer.

The missing piece is roughly the size of your palm, and the edges don't look the way you imagine they should. By no means are you an expert, but you know that wounds shouldn't be red and meaty with, what looks like, a thin transparent film over them. It should be a pale pink by now, you guess.

"Does it hurt?" you decide to ask anyway. Will he be upset? You don't want to bring up bad memories, nearly wincing as you picture how painful it must've been to be cut like that.

"Sometimes," he states without moving. You wonder if he's lying to make you feel better.

"You should get back in the water... Thank you for letting me see it."

"I don't mind; this isn't so bad," he mumbles. His position and the tone of his voice remind you of someone sunbathing at the beach, soaking up all the rays and on the brink of falling asleep.

"What? Not being able to breathe?" you question, amused.

"No, I already said I can go a long time without breathing, especially if I'm not talking."

Judging by how relaxed he seems right now, you assume that when he stranded himself before, he must've been out of the water for quite some time before you found him.

Another aspect that confuses you: he has gills, and fish with gills can't be out of water for very long. Marine mammals, on the other hand, can dive down and stay down for extended periods of time before they have to return to the surface for air. Once again, Jeongguk seem to have combined characteristics?

"...What I mean is that it feels nice when you touch me like that," he continues.

You're not as unbothered as Jeongguk sounds. Heat travels to your cheeks, and you wonder if there's a way for you to persuade Namjoon to disconnect at least the microphone, if not the camera too.

You haven't even thought of the fact that, even though Jeongguk probably saw the devices being installed, he might not understand that he's being recorded.

The cameras cause a recent thought of yours to resurface. It's a rather complex one.

Before, when all you knew was that Jeongguk was somewhat intelligent, it was easier to accept that you were basically keeping him against his will. It was only to help him, so it was for a good cause. He was just being treated like other smart animals who didn't have any rights.

But then he started talking. What really separates him from you now? The fact that he has a tail? How long can you keep defending what you're doing?

You really need to get him back out at sea; you can't keep him like this for much longer.

"Jeongguk?" Your voice is quiet, and your eyes focused on a particular area of scales, watching the way the colors shift slightly under your hand.

"Yes?" He can most definitely hear the dread in your voice.

"Please don't get mad at me. I'll promise I'll do whatever you want if you just... let Hoseok examine your wound."

Surprisingly enough, he's silent. You remember asking before, and how he'd been so quick to interrupt you, his opinion so set in stone. What are you even offering him in return? What could he possibly want? Tastier snacks? For you to swim with him?

"I don't like them, and I don't trust them," is all he says. Well, that's a no, isn't it? You'll try again. Just once more.

"You can stay in the tank; Hoseok can come here and just take a quick look. I'll be here, as well."

Without giving your suggestion an answer, he pushes himself up on his arms, and you watch his tail smoothly follow him from your lap and into the water.

He's upset again.

When a few seconds pass, and he doesn't resurface, you stand up with a sigh, preparing to leave him alone for a while. You'll come back later with his food.

"Okay," you hear from behind you just as you've started walking towards the stairs.

You turn around, eyes wide.

"I'll do it."