The Tail Of Taekook

23 - Peppermint Of Reason

"Jungkook, there is a way to stop other people from controlling Taehyung," Sapphire tells me as we swim away from Eunji. My mate is busy talking to Jimin, Yoongi and Hosoek, so I know that he won't be able to hear us. Still, I'm confused.
"What? Is there really?" I ask, curious. She nods nervously. "What do I have to do?"

"As a legacy, I've heard a couple of stories of how certain things work," she starts awkwardly, "so don't be confused as to why I know this. It's a bit weird, but there you go. It's a process they call 'claiming'."
"That sounds very territorial," I comment quietly, and she nods, an amused glint in her eye for a second. "What does that involve, may I ask?"

"Well, you know the mer version of sex?"
"Touching the tail? Yeah?" I say quietly, genuinely baffled now. What is she on about?

"You have to do that and bite him at the same time," she says, all in a rush, and my eyes widen. "Most people do it on the neck as it's just easier, if they even know to do it. But it works wherever you bite him. It doesn't change how dominant or submissive you are, it just gives the submissive power over themselves as they don't have to obey other dominants that are less dominant than you. With how little power Tae has, it could turn out to be very helpful for you two."

I nod, frowning. "I don't know, Sapphire. I don't want to do anything that he's uncomfortable with." I glance over at where he is again, running a hand through my hair, my gills dilating once in place of a deep sigh. "He means a lot to me, and I don't want to force him into anything. I know some dominants would, to protect their mate from others, but I don't agree with it."

She nods in understanding. "I know," she says quietly, "I just thought it was worth knowing about. Think on it, talk to him. See what you agree to do. I won't get in the way of that, I promise. Just make a decision quick, because other people might also know how to do that. They might want to try it. And that is not gonna be fun for either of you."

"Thank you, Sapphire," I say quietly in response, watching as she returns to Jimin's side, explaining to him what she said I would assume from the expressions on their faces.

My mind flicks back to when I first saw Taehyung, his legs still fully formed, tied to a bag of pebbles with a bag of pebbles, unconscious and barely alive. The look on his face when he woke up both warmed and broke my heart in equal amounts, and I didn't really know how to feel when I realised that I could see his aura.

He meant the world to me, even then, when I barely knew him. The golden tone of his skin, the innocent but amicable sparkle in his eye, the pain he was obviously feeling as he spoke to me. All of it pulled me towards him, told me that he would matter. I never thought I'd have a mate. And I ended up with the equivalent of the son of Aphrodite, a stunning individual with an even more beautiful mind.

As well as that, he was respectful of my opinions. He listened to me, let me explain things without freaking out. He was in shock, yes, but he was still very polite and surprisingly calm. Not many of the first generation mer can say they did that. I can't, but I have an excuse. I was six years old. I wasn't exactly going to take the whole thing like it was normal. But he was so casual, and he even knew before I had to tell him about our eyes. It was just the tail which was new to him. He has an intelligence that I can't help but admire, the most incredible body, and a heart warming smile.

What did I do to get so lucky?

"Jungkookie?" Taehyung says, snapping me out of my thoughts suddenly. I jolt, turning my head to look at him.
"Yes, hyung?"
"What were you talking to Sapphire about?" he asks. "You look sort of stressed. What's wrong?"

I give him a gentle smile. "Nothing's wrong," I reassure him, "she just told me something I didn't know about our species. As a legacy, she's had more time to understand everything and hear more. It only makes sense, really. It was something we ought to talk about, actually."