#mermanprince!jimin

[jiminisjamin]

Pairing: Jimin x Reader

AU: Disney / Merman!Prince

Rating: Fluff/Angst

Warnings for Chapter: Language, minor-suggestive content.

Title: Under the Sea

A/N: Obviously, for the sake of convenience, “merpeople” speak…English…because, obviously…actually in the little mermaid?? They do, so, that’s why. That’s my reason. There you go. Poof.

Word Count: 6,744

 Waves crash against the barrier, much like the way his heart hammers against his chest as he swims further up, searching for any way into the peaceful water blocked off by a few inches of clear walls. His gaze lands on the black, curious gaze a blue dolphin and it chirps at him, alarmed as he’s thrown against the wall once more by the furious waves. “I’m okay,” he coos, “it’s okay.” His gaze darts around as storm clouds gather overhead, raging lightning and rain crashing down against the water. His breathing is slightly labored as he goes back down under the water, searching again for some sort of door, only to notice the dolphin following him down. His gaze turns again and for a moment a smile slips across his plush lips as he tilts his head. The dolphin jerks in the water, chirping as it moves its body again, as if motioning somewhere. His lips tip up in a larger smile, “you lead, I’ll follow.” His voice cuts through the water smoothly and the dolphin shoots downwards. With a quick flick of his tail, despite the raging waters that still attempt to throw him against the clear enclosure, he moves downward quickly, easily matching the speed of the dolphin as the dive deeper down.

It doesn’t take them long to reach the floor, seeing as how the area is fairly shallow, and his gaze lands on a small cage like door. Why it’s there, he’s unsure, but he moves down to it, quickly working with the latch to guide it open. The waves rock against his body as he fights to fit through the large opening, the waves tugging at his body and beckoning him back into the open sea, however a quick, firm swish of his tail surges him forward, a commanding “no,” echoing past his lips as he swings back around, shutting the gaze and sliding the lock back into place before turning up towards the surface, smiling again as the dolphin follows him.

When he breaches the surface, he takes in a grateful gulp of air, blinking the water from his eyelashes as his body bobs up and down with the gentle, artificially produced waves of the enclosure. Water drips from the tips of his hair, his smile only growing as time passes, as more dolphins move to greet him, leaping around him and singing with joy when he swims down, surging up with them and flipping, letting out a gleeful laugh alongside their cheers. His actions still and he breathes in deeply again. Now that there’s a barrier between him and the open sea he takes a moment to survey his surroundings, his gaze lifting up to the sky, head tilting as it slowly lowers to find the top of the wall. It seems to be manufactured to give the feelings of being out in the sea, although the water is crystal clear- completely opposite of the stormy, dark ocean that crashes against the enclosure in waves. His expression darkens slightly at this, as if remembering something.

“You might as well stop,” he murmurs, “I won’t be coming back. You can’t bring me back, it’s over now.” The sky splits open as thunder strikes down far away, the water surging up against the tank. He laughs, flicking his tail under the water. “It’s no use.” In an instant, everything stills.

The water goes deadly silent and the blanket over the stars is lifted as the rain stops, bright, shining stars winking down at him as the moonlight shines down on him, illuminating his eyes. They shift, ever so slightly, the blackness lifting into a lighter hue as his heart expands, his chest filling with a sigh of relief as the storm ebbs away. His tongue darts out to lick the water from his lips, his breath coming out in small pants as exhaustion quickly takes over his body, all the anger and sadness fading away to joy and relief- his eyes reflecting the light in a way the brown changes to match hue of one of his new friend’s silvery skin. He tilts his head back, floating across the water with slow, lazy flicks of his tail to slowly move towards the opening that leads into a medium sized tank with multiple objects floating around in the water, the floor stretching out into the water. He frowns when one of the dolphins nudges a brightly colored, spherical object towards him, chirping in excitement as it hits his head, bouncing off and rolling further into the artificial enclosure. He tilts his head, rolling over onto his stomach and sighs as he flicks his tail, swimming over to the dolphin.

“Do you throw things at all of your new friends?” He hums, reaching out and petting its smooth skin, smiling when it yelps a reply at him, lifting its head and showing its teeth in a small greeting before splashing back into the water, surging back up at the ball and tossing it into the air. Laughter bubbles out of his throat as he gently taps it when it flies towards him, more dolphins coming over and chirping in excitement as they bounce the ball back and forth, only stopping when he lets it fall in the water in front of him, his eyes closing briefly. One of the dolphins nudges him lightly and his eyes open as he sighs, flicking his tail once to move over to a slope in the ground where the floor slowly rises up out of the water. He lays his back on the cool ground, his tail floating out on the water, his upper half tingling against the cool air as his skin slowly dries and his eyes drift shut, a soft smile gracing his delicate features once again as he murmurs, “thank you, for helping me to forget my troubles.” The last sound he hears before he slips into slumber is the sound of a delighted, yet slightly mischievous chirp.

Y/n wakes up and begins her day like every other day for the past three years. She dresses in her work uniform, grabs a small breakfast to go, hops in her car and hurries through the short, six-minute drive to Jeon’s Underwater Wonders. Most of her friends wouldn’t be this chipper on their last work day of the week- but she was more than excited to pick up an extra shift and go to work, a part of her wishing she could just stay there the whole weekend. She hums slightly to herself as the wind blows in through the opened window, a smile appearing on her face as she smells it: salt. Not just any salt, but saltwater- a smell she’d become very accustomed to over the past years. Her smile widens when the building comes into view. The building is dome shaped, white and blue, and connects out into the ocean, sectioning off a large portion for each animal.

Y/n quickly pulls into the parking lot, jumping out of her car and fumbling with her door before running towards the building, the smile on her face growing even more as the scent of the ocean fills her lungs. Home. She picks up her pace, moving faster as she enters the lobby, swiping her badge to gain access to the dolphin enclosure and hurrying forward, laughing lightly as she kicks off her shoes and strips of her shirt off, her bathing suit top and swim shorts baring the logo of her workplace.

“Hello, friends!” She calls out, her heart lifting when she hears the dolphins splashing in the water. She hurries over to the small fridge and pulls out a bucket, walking out onto the strip of floor that extends out and stretches in a small circle, setting it by the edge of the pool as she surveys the dolphins as they line up around her, chirping and moving backwards, doing various tricks to try and get her attention. She begins tossing out fish, making sure they each get one, her face lighting up. “Wow, good job, you all look so happy to see me, hm?” Her eyebrows furrow, “I wonder why that is? Couldn’t be these fish here, hm?” She frowns as she notices one fish left, and one dolphin that she hasn’t seen. “Where’s Aqua?” She calls out, as if they will point her in the direction of their slippery, flippered friend. However, a splash and flash of a tail alerts her to his position and she shakes her head, grinning as the dolphins disperse when she dips down into the water, curiosity quickly sparking her interest when none of them try and tempt her into retrieving the meal in her hand. She shrugs, takes a breath and dives down into the water to wet her hair before going back to the surface and swimming lazily in the direction she saw the dolphin go. “It’s okay, buddy, I’m just here to feed you,” y/n frowns when the dolphin doesn’t swim up to her in greeting. Worried that something may be wrong, y/n sighs and sets the fish on the edge of the ground near the corner that dipped down into the water before taking a deep breath and diving down, her eyes closed as she reaches her hand out, making contact with a smooth, yet very unfamiliar surface. Her hand curves around it slightly as she realizes it is definitely not any part on a dolphin and just before her eyes can open, she feels something grab her wrist- something obviously not belonging to any sort of aquatic creature, and she sharply inhales when her gaze meets a warm, brown pair of eyes.

Which are on a very, very human face- connected to very tan, and very human shoulders, which are flexed as its very human arm reaches out, hand wrapped around her wrist. The part that shocked her the most- and caused her to take another painful inhale of water as her mouth opens and she attempts to yelp- was the long, strong, salmon-pink tail that curls at her feet, as if to try and give her something to stand on. Her gaze quickly snaps up to its torso to check- yep, it fades into an orange color as the smooth scales fade into his skin.

Y/n chokes, feeling the urge to breath- and cough out the water of her lungs, and its eyes widen in concern, strong arms wrapping around her as they surge upward, breaking the surface in only seconds. She’s lifted into the air and set on the floor, her legs dangling into the water.

He moves forward, one arm staying around her, his hand resting on her back as his other falls to her thigh. He sees her raise her hand, slapping at her back as she chokes, her eyes shut and expression twisted painful as she coughs violently. He taps her back with his hand, rather lightly, only to shoot back when the water finally falls from her mouth. His sudden movement sends her flailing back into the water and the dolphins chirp as the fish falls down, the blue dolphin swooping forward to eat it in one swift bite before chirping at the man, flipping backwards and swimming back out to the group.

Y/n shrieks as the man’s face comes back into view, looking at her with concern. He jerks back again, his tail flicking wildly underneath his torso as he tilts his head.

“That’s a strange way to greet someone,” he murmurs, his plush lips pursing slightly as he moves forward with caution when her scream dies down.

“W-what the hell?” Her gaze falls back down to his tail as it flicks once more, carrying him slightly closer to her.

“Are you okay?” His eyes and demeanor are cautious still, but he seems much more concerned for her well-being as he feels the alarm rolling off her body in vicious waves.

“W-what the hell!” She jerks away from him her eyes wide as they move up and down, looking at his face and then his tail, over and over again. He tilts his head.

“Is that all you know how to say?” His voice is slightly teasing as he tries to ease her stress, but it seems to only worsen as her gaze moves back to his tail and he sighs.

“W-what are you?” She mutters, her eyebrows furrowing as she swallows roughly.

“I’m Jimin,” he holds his hand out and smiles. “I’m…me?” She stares at his hand and grabs it gently.

“You’re…a mermaid…merman? Mer…person.” Jimin’s head tilts at this.

“What would you call yourself, aside from human?” He asks, a soft smile gracing his features.

“I’m y/n,” she says.

His gaze drops down her body, taking in every feature as it moves up and down relentlessly, his head tilting more as he moves forward, his hand moving forward in the water to fall on her hip, his other hanging at his side. “You really don’t have a tail, no fins, nothing…that’s so interesting,” he murmurs, his tongue darting out to lick the water from his lips. “Legs look so…different up close.” His hand grabs at her thigh, his eyes sparkling slightly as he kneads her thigh muscle, his eyebrows shooting up as he tips his head down slightly. “It’s so soft,” he whispers, his eyebrows furrowing when she yanks away from him.

“What the hell?” Her voice comes out a growl and Jimin tilts his head.

“What?”

“You can’t- you can’t just touch me.” Jimin’s head tilts and his hand lingers near her.

“What do you mean?”

Y/n’s eyebrows furrow and she glares at him. “Is this some sort of prank? Did someone put you up to this?” Jimin frowns.

“You’re the only person I’ve met,” he replies. Y/n’s eyes roll, sending a wave of irritation his way. Jimin recoils slightly, his expression briefly shifting as he tries to shake off her negative energy.

“Listen, you got me, really, this was good. You can take of this…where did you even get it? How did you make it blend into your skin so nicely?” Y/n reaches down, her fingertips grazing his abdomen as she tries to find a way to remove the tail from his torso.

“Hey!” Jimin’s tail flicks violently as he moves away from her touch, his skin tingling slightly where she touched him. A light blush tints his cheeks as his tail stills underneath him.

“W-what the hell?” Her eyes scan the room, looking for any hidden camera- or coworker- who could’ve put him up to this.

“You sure do say that a lot,” he mumbles, his head tilting down as he reaches up, rubbing the back of his neck lightly. Y/n frowns, tilting her head as she pushes away from the floor, moving over to him.

“Are you…blushing?” He swallows roughly, eyebrows raising slightly as he looks at her, eyes wide.

“I’m…” Jimin’s voice gets caught in his throat at the almost angry look on her face as her gaze flicks back down to his tail.

Y/n huffs, still unsure of how it’s so seamlessly attached to his body. She can’t even see the outline of his legs.

“H-hey, stop! Stop looking at…at my…”

“Your what? Tail?” Y/n scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Listen, I’m tired of this, okay? Mermen? Mermaids? They aren’t. Real. Now I don’t know how the hell you got in here- and I don’t know why my dolphins don’t seem to mind, but you need to cut the act and leave, now.” Jimin’s face heats up more.

“I’m not lying to you, y/n. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Because this is ridiculous, not to mention impossible.” She crosses her arms over her chest and his gaze follows, lingering for a few seconds too long before her arm whips out to the side in frustration.

Jimin flips away, casting an angry but embarrassed glare at her before diving down into the water, leaving y/n stuttering as her mouth falls open. “Hey! Get back here,” she treads forward, not nearly as fast as him, “don’t just swim away from me! Jimin, hey, Jimin!”

Her eyes briefly catch his face turning to look at her from under the water before he’s popping up right in front of her, water dripping from his light brown hair as he eyes her cautiously. “Are you going to hit me? From what I’ve heard you humans can be…very violent.”

“No…” Y/n squints, willing away the headache that is beginning to form at her temples. “I’m pissed that you’re pranking me…but…”

“Why would I lie?”

“Someone must’ve put you- augh, I don’t have time for this! I have a job, you know! One that you’re keeping me from doing right now. So get out!”

“I can’t.” He murmurs, looking away briefly before raising his gaze to meet hers again. “You’ll just have to believe me.”

“Oh, yeah.” Y/n’s eyes roll, “believe that you’re…a merman? You have a tail?” Y/n bites her tongue to keep from saying anything more offensive, opting for a stern, “prove it then.”

“How should I do that? You don’t seem very convinced by my tail, or my swimming.” Jimin’s head tilts. “In fact you seem really stubborn. You won’t even believe what’s right in front of you. You have eyes, don’t you? Do they work? Can’t you see my tail?”

“Anyone can buy a costume. I don’t have time for this bullshit, get out, before I call the police. Trust me- whoever put you up to this- whatever you’re trying to accomplish, it’s not worth the breaking and entering charges.” Jimin’s shoulders tense as he watches her.

“The police?” He seems genuinely confused by her statement, mulling it over in his head before sighing. “I’m telling the truth.”

Y/n curses, covering her face with her hands and thinking of the quickest way out of this. The sooner she gets him out, the sooner she can just be with her dolphins. “Take the tail off before I take it off.”

Jimin’s face heats up and he stutters, his eyes darting around quickly. “I…uh…” His voice grows quiet as he keeps his gaze on the water. “I already said, I can’t just…remove it. And, you can’t touch it.”

“Of course you don’t want me to- I’d be able to tell it’s fake and your game would be over.” Y/n scoffs, “I hope for your sake you’re wearing something underneath,” y/n comments, reaching out to feel for the edge of the costume.

“Don’t,” he grunts, squeezing his eyes shut before grabbing her wrist and swimming over to the small slope, propping himself half out of the water much like he did when he slept. Y/n’s swallows roughly, her eyebrows furrowing at how nicely the fabric seems to blend in with his skin- not to mention his smooth, tanned skin. She shakes her head and takes a deep breath, her gaze darting up and meeting his nervous stare, which quickly darts away. Y/n coughs slightly and looks back down at his stomach. Her touch is light as she touches him, attempting to find a seam, some sort of waistband to prove she hasn’t gone fully insane.

Jimin hisses slightly when her hands glide over his stomach, his eyes fluttering shut as he leans his head back. His gaze falls on her once more, a small smile quirking across his lips as her face contorts in confusion. Her hands glide around his waist to his back and she leans into him slightly, peeking around to look for a zipper, Velcro, a button- anything. Y/n huffs, pulling back and tilting her head as her hands slowly move to feel the actual tail itself. Jimin’s eyes close again and he swallows roughly. “Could you not, uh…” She stops as her hands feel for his legs somewhere under the fabric- but are met with nothing but a strong, very, very tense muscle. Her eyes widen and her eyes meet his chocolatey ones and she shudders out a gasp, her gaze falling back down to her hands.

“I- I’m so sorry, oh my god,” she rips her hands away, “I practically just felt you up, I’m sorry-holy shit you’re a…mermaids are real? Or…am I dreaming? Did I fall and hit my head? Oh god, what if I’m drowning right now…” Jimin smiles and laughs, his head tilting again.

“Humans are real? How do I know these legs aren’t fake, hm?” Y/n blushes and swats his hand away as he reaches towards her teasingly.

“I just…I know I’m going to wake up.” She frowns at how real the water feels, how real his skin felt- how warm he felt and how vivid everything around her is. “I mean… assuming this is a dream…if it makes me late to work, I’m going to be really angry.” His smile falters slightly and he looks away.

“Hm…” Y/n follows his gaze out towards the outdoor enclosure and she tilts her head.

“Do you…uh, need to get back out? How did you end up here anyways?” Jimin smiles, his eyes darkening slightly, changing hue right in front of her to a smoky, dark grey.

“That’s…complicated.” Jimin sighs, contemplating whether or not to explain his situation when he hears a door swing open and his eyes widen in confusion.

“Whoa, what the fuck?” Jimin dips into the water at the sound of another voice and y/ns gaze turns to the door, her mouth falling open.

“Yoongi? W- you’re never early, why are you…”

“Really y/n, the fuck? I would’ve never guessed you were into that.” He shakes his head quickly before ruffling his hand through his bleached hair. He yawns, taking a few steps over to her and lowering himself into the water, completely ignoring Jimin as he pops back up, glancing at them tentatively. “He your new boytoy or something?” Yoongi stretches slightly, a small smile slipping across his face when one of the dolphins chirps at him in greeting.

“N-No!” He tilts his head, yawning again before closing his eyes for a few moments.

“So, what’s with the costume?” He opens his eyes, his gaze falling back to Jimin.

“It’s…it’s not a costume.” She mumbles, covering her face. “I don’t have time to explain it- and I don’t even understand it…”

Yoongi blinks a few times. “You expect me to believe he’s a mermaid?”

Y/n shrugs, smiling at him sheepishly. “I didn’t expect you to be here early- I don’t even know why you’re here so early.”

“I knew you’d be here,” he turns his attention back to Jimin after answering her, his mouth opening before she can stop him, “so, where’s your dick?”

“Yoongi!”

“My…?” Jimin’s eyebrows furrow, his cheeks heating up when he notices how freaked out y/n is. Yoongi smiles lazily, amusement filling his eyes.

“Your cock? Or whatever you guys call it,” He quirks an eyebrow. “Do you not have one? Didn’t get that part of being human, huh?” Y/n’s face heats up along with Jimin’s and she slaps her friend’s shoulder.

“Yoongi,” he sighs before shrugging, turning his attention to the dolphin that nuzzled up to him.

“You had to be wondering too.” His voice is flat as his eyes scan over Jimin once again. “Anyways, I saw your car here and thought I’d pay you a visit. Didn’t know you had company.” Yoongi’s eyebrows quirk as he goes back to watching Jimin, subtly moving his body in front of y/n’s. “How do you know him, anyways?”

“He was just…here. Why are you not more freaked out by this anyways?” Yoongi shrugs slightly before casting a calm yet suspicious glance at Jimin, who stays quiet as the two talk, gliding back slightly when Yoongi’s expression twists.

“You don’t know him, yet you were just…talking to him? Supposedly he’s not even human…what if he wanted to hurt you? He could just drown you and leave whatever way he got in.” The moment those words leave Yoongi’s lips, y/n glances at Jimin.

“I mean, he seems harmless…” Y/n thinks to add the part that he actually saved her from drowning, but considering it was his fault she almost drown in the first place, she doubts it would help his case any.

“Yeah? I seem harmless too, but I could drown you in this pool right now. If you go trusting any doe eyed boy you’re going to get hurt, y/n.” Yoongi turns his back to Jimin now, gently grabbing her hand. “Be more careful.”

“For what it’s worth, I wasn’t going to drown you.” Jimin speaks up, looking at her timidly. “I just…I can’t be out there right now.” Y/n’s gaze turns to him.

“Are you…in trouble?” Jimin’s eyes glaze over slightly and he looks away.

“I don’t want to talk about it. I can’t.” His tail flicks underneath him. Y/n frowns, ignoring Yoongi’s attempts to keep her back as she moves over to him slowly.

“If you…need a place to stay, I might be able to keep you here. I’m usually the only one back here besides Yoongi, and he knows now…you can stay as long as you’d like?” Jimin smiles softly.

“Thank you.”

“Y/n, are you fucking serious? What did I just say?”

“If he wanted to hurt me he would’ve done it by now, there were plenty of chances.” Y/n frowns, looking down at her hands. “He’s scared and lost, Yoongi. Have some sympathy.”

“He’s not some lost cat out on the street, y/n, he’s a literal mythical fucking creature, you have no idea what his intentions are, what he can do…nothing.” Y/n frowns, put off at his sudden aggression.

“I’m weirded out by it too, Yoongi. I just…I can’t explain it, I guess…I mean, I have a good feeling about him? As good a feeling as you can have about a…half human…merman.” Y/n squints, shaking her head at her own reckless behavior, but once her gaze meets Jimin’s her stress melts away and she smiles. “I mean…look at him.”

Yoongi scoffs but doesn’t protest anymore, instead just turns and hoists himself out of the water. “Fine. Have fun with fish boy,” he hisses, “I’m going to go dry off and take the day off. I don’t really feel like being here anymore.” Y/n squints at his sour expression, not looking away from him until the door is shut and the only sound left is the light splashing of the water as the dolphins swim around, exiting to their outdoor enclosure for some sun.

“Oh!” Y/n’s eyebrows pull together as she looks back at Jimin, worry clouding her mind as she realizes he must’ve been here all night. “What do you eat? You must be hungry- you do eat, right? Do you eat fish, or, is that like, partial cannibalism?” Jimin frowns and tilts his head.

“I’m…yes, I eat.”

“Do you eat like…seaweed? Plants?” Y/n grins, “come on, kelp me out here.” Y/n pauses for a moment, praying that merfolk understand puns.

Jimin’s face lights up slightly and he laughs, his eyes crinkling as he looks around the building, his eyes widening in curiosity slightly. “We do mainly eat plants, but we have to hunt a bit as well. For the most part, we’re a very…docile species.” Y/n frowns for a second, opening her mouth before quickly shutting it and shaking her head. His head tilts at this as he swims around the space leisurely. “If you want to say something, say it.”

“I don’t want to…pester you with questions- you seem upset about something- you must be scared and tired…” Y/n chews her lip and he grins.

“Go ahead. This must be big for you.”

“Do you know anything about…humans?” He hums, turning his gaze upwards as his eyes shine slightly.

“Me specifically, or my kind?”

“Both.”

“Ah…” Jimin sighs, “we aren’t really…fond of humans. My dad- he thinks that they’re cruel and uncivilized. He doesn’t see any reason for them to know of our existence- or for us to know anything about them. It’s sort of…taboo, I guess.”

“Why?”

“He thinks humans are dangerous.” He replies, “doesn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt trying to learn about them.” Y/n tilts her head, nodding slightly as her eyebrows knit in confusion.

“You seem to know quite a bit, though.” Jimin sighs, smiling as he flicks his tail to move back over to her.

“I don’t agree with him,” he pauses, thinking for a moment before continuing, “at least not all the time. I think…some humans,” he blushes slightly, motioning forward to her, “take you, for example, are perfectly fine…aside from…” Jimin coughs slightly, “accusing me of…pranking you. Which I’m not entirely sure what you mean but I can only assume it’s a bad thing, from how angry it seemed to make you.” Y/n’s face hearts up exponentially and she sputters slightly, waving her hand in the air.

“I’m sorry- about that. I just…it’s early in the morning and I wasn’t thinking straight and…well, you have a tail, so I was sort of…shocked.” Jimin shrugs it off, his smile returning as the kindness shines through his gaze again.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replies, “I learned more about humans thanks to you.” He pauses, his eyebrows knitting as he looks at her legs once again. “I’m sorry, for staring. It’s just…what’s it like? How do you…move?” Y/n grins, kicking her legs in the water slightly.

“Oh, these?” She laughs, “I’m assuming you can’t…go on land?” Jimin’s head tilts.

“I’ve never tried, but I doubt this would be any good for walking.” Y/n nods and pauses, watching him carefully as he returns to looking around the room, his eyes briefly landing on the door that Yoongi left. A mix of emotions clouds his complexion as he falls quiet, sinking slightly in the water as he retreats further out to where the enclosure stretches out into the ocean, his gaze becoming shy. “I’m sorry- I’m distracting you…you were feeding the dolphins.” He ducks his head slightly, his shoulders slumping. “I didn’t mean to startle you, earlier.” Y/n frowns, shrugging as she wades out towards him.

“I mean…I’m done feeding them. For the most part I just…need to clean things up. This technically is an off-day, I guess.” Jimin frowns at this.

“Who would’ve fed them?”

“Ah- I mean…I don’t really have to be here right now. I called in because I wanted to show up- extra hours I guess? So I was going to feed them and then…hang out for a bit before leaving.” Jimin’s eyes cloud slightly as he nods, eyebrows furrowing.

“You really care for them.”

“Yes, I do.”

“They care for you- I mean, I think it’s obvious, but uh…” Jimin shrugs, playing with the water slightly as he avoids her gaze. “I can tell.”

“Oh my god,” y/n’s eyes widen as she gasps, “can you speak to dolphins? Holy shit, that’s so cool-”

“No, no!” Jimin shakes his head, amusement twinkling in his eyes as she looks disappointed, pouting slightly as she looks over at one of the dolphins that swims over, chirping playfully and nudging Jimin slightly. “I can…uh…pick up on emotions- I can feel them, you know? Not just me- we…can sense emotions.” Jimin’s words seem reluctant and y/n frowns.

“Sensing dolphin emotions is pretty lame.”

“Well…” Jimin frowns, raising his gaze to meet hers. “It’s not just…dolphins.” Y/n quirks an eyebrow.

“Whales too? Hm?” He scoffs at her remark, flicking his tail to swim back.

“Everything.”

“Wh- everything? Like…anything? You can- me?” Y/n stumbles over her words before finally pointing at herself, moving forward in the water to try and keep up with him, huffing slightly when he easily reaches a few feet away from her. He turns, eyebrows raising and lips parting as he smiles lightly.

“Yeah, anything that has feelings, that is. We just sort of…feel it. When I was younger it was hard- I couldn’t understand what I was feeling and what others were feeling- but I learned the difference a while ago.” He looks at her, smiling proudly as he swims around.

“Do you sing?” The words fall past her lips before she can stop herself and she winces when he looks at her quizzically. “I mean…like, sirens, you know?” Jimin frowns. “Luring sailors to their death by…singing? Enticing them? No…?” Y/n blushes slightly when his head tilts, his eyes filling with confusion.

“Why would I lure someone to their death?”

“I- I wasn’t saying you would, I just…” Jimin’s expression shifts in an instant as he laughs lightly, moving over to her and practically caging her against the wall of the pool, his head tilting to the other side as his eyes twinkle playfully.

“I know what you meant,” he reaches forward, tapping her temple lightly and grinning, “or what you meant to mean at least. I know you weren’t accusing me,” his hand falls from her temple, resting in the water by her hip as his gaze trails down to her legs again.

“I’m no emotion-reader but…” Y/n pauses, holding her breath as she gazes down at his hand before raising her eyes to meet his, “you seem to look at my legs a lot…do you ever get tired of being in the water all the time?”

“I never did before,” Jimin replies softly, his fingers finding the hem of her swim shorts and playing with them slightly, his plump lips twitching into another small smile. “Recently though…it’s been different.” He sighs, his hand stilling on her thigh. “I don’t want to get into that, though.” Y/n swallows when his sullen expression is suddenly replaced with another playful one and he tips his head down. “Why are you so nervous? I’m not going to hurt you- should I not touch you? Tell me if I’m making you uncomfortable. I may know when you are but I don’t necessarily know what it’s directed at.” Y/n’s breath hitches and she shakes her head.

“It’s fine…I’m just not super used to…being super touchy feely- plus I barely know you.” His head tilts again- his hair falling into his eyes as he smiles gently.

“Is it bad?” His voice is a bit deeper- warmer and fuller- and y/n’s heart calms in her chest as she meets his gaze.

“I…w…what…” She closes her eyes briefly, almost jumping when his other hand rests on her hip, “it’s not…bad, I just…it’s weird.” She shakes her head, frowning as she looks up at him, her voice taking on a scolding tone, “you can’t just assume everyone’s okay with being touched, Jimin.” He flinches away at her sudden change, ducking his head as his expression turns serious.

“I’m sorry, y/n.”

“It’s fine- I just…I thought you studied humans, or something?” Jimin frowns.

“I’m interested in them, and I’ve watched some- but it’s not like we have any way to learn that much about you.” He smiles brightly. “But now I have you to teach me.”

A low rumbling stops any reply y/n had prepared, and her eyes widens as she watches Jimin, who clutches his stomach slightly and blushes in embarrassment.

“Oh my god…” Y/n covers her face. “I totally forgot- I was even talking about it, and I got distracted- fuck, I’m sorry, are you okay? What do you need? I can get something if you need it.” Jimin looks shy as y/n ushers him back over to the slope that he’d slept on earlier, scolding him slightly, “and you’ve been swimming around, using a bunch of energy- no wonder you’re hungry, when’s the last time you ate?” Jimin looks sad as he hoists himself onto the ground slightly, wrapping his arms around his chest as he watches her sit criss-cross next to him, examining him as if he was going to wither up and die at any moment.

“A few days ago, I think…I’ve sort of…travelled a long way.” He smiles wryly, “but that doesn’t matter. If you could get food…” Y/n watches him expectantly and he frowns slightly, “just no seafood…” She covers her mouth to keep from laughing, her eyes bugging out slightly as a small giggle escapes despite her efforts. Jimin’s head tilts as he looks at her questioningly, a smile still gracing his features due to the joy that radiates from her.

“Sorry- it’s just, you’d think you’d eat seafood. Since you’re…in the sea.” Jimin nods, pursing his lips slightly. Jimin nods.

“I want to try food that you guys eat. Bring me something…human, something…something that I can’t get back home.” Y/n laughs at his earnest expression and she shakes her head.

“What if it makes you sick?”

Jimin pauses, not having considered that before hand, and sighs, looking down. “You’re right…” He pouts slightly, holding his stomach. “I don’t think that would be good, it’d kill me instantly.” His eyes widen as he pouts at her, laying against the cool ground. “Just, you know, something you think I’d like,” his eyebrows raise as she shuffles slightly, moving forward and placing her hand on his shoulder.

“I will find you something that won’t make you sick- something to fill you up. Trust me, Jimin.” She pulls her hand away and clenches them both into fists, shaking them slightly as she grins, “I will take care of you.” Jimin grins, closing his eyes as he hums softly.

“Thank you, y/n,” his voice takes on a sing-songy tone as he takes a few deep breathes, sighing, “where will you go once you bring the food?” Y/n pauses, half standing as she stares down at him, weighing her options.

She’d been here a while- it was already almost time for her to be heading home, but the thought of leaving him here by herself tugs are her heart strings and she chews her bottom lip, standing up fully. “Who said I was going anywhere?” Jimin’s eyes pop open and he watches her quietly as she stretches slightly, “what? Someone has to take care of the dolphins anyways,” she doesn’t mention the automatic feeders that would normal be set up, instead raising her eyebrows and motioning at him, “not to mention you. We need to figure something out- you can’t stay here the whole time. Eventually someone else will find you.” She holds up her hand when his mouth opens and it snaps shut as he allows her to continue, “I’m going to bring a few things- I won’t be gone for too long though, if someone comes in- which no one should, but if they do, do out there.” She points to the quickly darkening outside enclosure and Jimin nods. Y/n smiles, “I’ll bring enough food for the both of us- everything I need for the weekend, and we’ll figure out a place for you to stay.” She turns, eager to get back home and collect everything she needs, when his hand wraps around her ankle.

“Wait, y/n.” She looks down at him and raises an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“No matter what, I can’t go into the ocean. No lakes, ponds, nothing. I can’t go back.” Y/n frowns slightly, irritation rising in her as she tries to think of a way to keep him safe while keeping him in water- but out of the ocean. Jimin smiles reassuringly. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out, y/n.” She nods slowly and he laughs, letting go of her ankle, “it sure would be nice if I could have a pair of those,” he mumbles, “I could just walk out of here.” Y/n tilts her head, staring down at him as she grimaces.

“There’s…some sites that may have suggestions on how we could give you legs,” Jimin tilts his head.

“What?”

“I mean- I don’t know how reliable they are- I always thought it was stupid, but then again I never believed in merfolk, so…I guess everything’s thrown out the window at this point, huh?” She laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’ll try to be back as quickly as I can- with as much stuff to try as I can, okay? Hang in there.” Jimin grins.

“You’re starting to repeat yourself, y/n. You should hurry so you can come back and rest.” She nods, taking a few steps towards the door before turning and huffing.

“I swear if you’re gone when I come back I’m signing myself into a mental institution.” Jimin grins and waves his hand at her.

“Hurry up before this merman starves to death.”

Y/n laughs with him, tripping towards the door and nodding. “Goodbye, Jimin.”

“See you soon, y/n.”