#f:nw

When Jimin arrives at the entrance of the cave, he sits down on the lip and waits patiently.

Water laps at his feet, only nipping at his calves when a wave pushes it forward. The day is stifling with its heat, almost hot enough that Jimin worries Hoseok won't come.

The brown-haired merman always has trouble emerging from underneath when it's hot enough to dry him up almost immediately. Jimin has told him countless times that he doesn't have to force himself to come above water if it hurts him, but he never seems to listen. Instead, he smiles at Jimin like he cracked a particularly amusing joke and presses another gift into his hands to change the subject.

Jimin watches the waves and lets the refreshing, cool water distract him for a moment. He comes here nearly day, at varying points in time thanks to his work schedule, but always on time to see Hoseok.

He still remembers the first time they met.

Jimin was eight and while out surfing, got caught in a riptide. He tried to swim parallel to the shore as his surfing and swimming instructors had told him to if he ever got caught in this situation. His arms had tired quickly enough though and then he had to fight to tread water when his surfboard nearly smacked him in the head when he wasn't paying attention.

The shore had seemed so far away in that moment and Jimin had wondered briefly if he should have listened to everyone who had warned him away from swimming in this section of the beach. No one ever came here, claiming it was haunted, that the water was deadly, this place just felt off somehow. Jimin had believed most of the rumors about the beach until he came here for himself and felt none of the bad feelings others had warned him about.

It was just a normal stretch of beach. Nothing else. And it was private. Which was great for him since he didn't want to surf where others could see him wipe out and fail.

Maybe he should have gone to the more populated parts of the beach, he thinks as he tries swimming parallel to the shore again. At least he wouldn't be stuck here all alone, trying to not get caught up in the current and drown.

His arms tired faster the second time around though and Jimin thought about giving up. He thought of his mom and dad at work and at home, waiting to hear about his day at dinner, when they would realize that he wasn't going to come home ever again and then the funeral that would probably follow. It made tears sting his eyes as he worked furiously to get back to shore, heading straight forward that time in his desperation and screaming when the current pushed his surfboard back against him in the center of his chest.

He gasped for breath, sure of the fact that a large bruise would color his chest if he got back to shore alive. He was running out of options though and the beach looked even farther away than before.

Then an arm had wrapped around his waist and suddenly, Jimin was being propelled smoothly to the side instead of forward. He looked to his savior, mouth opening wide when he met the golden eyes of a boy close to his age. The boy had brown hair and gills in his neck, his skin a golden brown that made Jimin look pale in comparison. He moved them parallel to the shore until they had escaped the current and lead them forward to the sand Jimin could see glittering closely.

Hoseok had saved him that day and then comforted Jimin as he cried once he got back on land. They had exchanged names and Jimin had thanked him again and again as he wiped at his face.

Since then, Jimin has come to see Hoseok almost every day. It took Jimin almost a week after they met to figure out that Hoseok was a mermaid, which should have been obvious with the gills and tail and all. He had also quickly learned to never speak a word of his friend to others, afraid of what would happen once someone knew about him.

Mermaids are still hunted for their scales in some places, but sightings have dropped drastically in the years from Jimin's youth. No one is able to make a serious profession out of mermaid hunting anymore and new laws were enacted recently to keep them safe.

Jimin doesn't trust those laws as far as he can throw them, but it is hard to explain to his parents why he refuses to settle down even though he is at the age where he should have had a partner already.

He's only twenty-three, it won't be the end of the world if he decides to never date. Plus, his heart is already taken anyway ー not like he would ever admit that out loud, but still. That has to count for something, right?

A hand slaps his calf and draws him out of his thoughts.

"Miss me, Jiminnie?" Hoseok leers at him.

Jimin rolls his eyes. "It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet, Hobi."

"So?" Hoseok shrugs as he swims forward and lays himself down on top of Jimin's calves.

He crosses his arms over Jimin's knees and smiles at he tilts his head up, the sunlight creating a halo around his head. "Got you something."

"You always have something for me," Jimin replies easily, trying to make sure that his face doesn't flush. "I read a few interesting texts about that yesterday actually."

Hoseok's cheeks glow with a dusting of blue for a moment before he gets a hold of himself. "Oh?"

Jimin nods his head and settles back, hands supporting his weight from behind. "Yep. Something about mermaids courting their potential mates by bringing them shiny stuff. Sometimes, when a mermaid comes of age, suitors will compete against each other by gifting the mermaid in question with the shiniest things they can find. Doesn't matter if the gift is useful or thoughtful, as long as it's shinier and glitters more than the rest, then that suitor is guaranteed a win."

"Uh-huh," Hoseok hums to himself.

"Yep," Jimin murmurs, fighting the urge to look down and meet Hoseok's gaze. "It got me thinking."

Hoseok shuffles on his knees. "Oh? What about?"

Jimin smiles. "Whether you're courting me or not."

Silence befalls them quickly. Jimin's resolve wavers as he looks down to see Hoseok's reaction.

Hoseok is blushing a light blue once more, eyes focusing on the cave past Jimin's shoulder instead of Jimin himself. He seems to be struggling with something internally and Jimin waits.

His patience wins out in the end when Hoseok sighs and flops down on Jimin firmly, the edges of his lips beginning to dip down in a frown. "Would you be bothered if I was?"

"No," Jimin answers honestly. "I would be pleased."

Hoseok's golden eyes dart up to meet Jimin's before they flicker to the side again. "Really?"

The blue of Hoseok's cheeks deepens as Jimin smiles. "Of course. I mean, I don't know how it could work long term, but I wouldn't mind being with you, Hobi."

"Do you mean it?" Hoseok asks, his voice surprisingly small as if Jimin is going to take what he said back as some kind of a joke.

Jimin would never do that, so, instead, he grips Hoseok by the chin and grins at the merman. "Yes, Hobi. I really do mean it. I wouldn't play with your feelings like that."

Hoseok brightens almost immediately, back to his sunshiny self. "Good, because I have been courting you."

"I'm glad I was right then," Jimin murmurs.

Hoseok smiles back, his grin bright enough to power countries and lead Jimin through the dark. "Oh, here!"

Jimin holds his hand out for the gift, smiling at the gold coin Hoseok plops into the palm of his hand. He lifts it up and turns it between his fingers, examining the way the sun shines off its edges. It reminds him of the necklace Hoseok gave him a week ago, something that turned out to cost quite a lot when Jimin took it to a pawnshop to figure out what kind of gemstone was inlaid in it. The owner had gawked at it, stuttering out an extremely high number that Jimin had asked him to repeat again just to make sure he had heard it right.

That same necklace is clasped around his neck, tucked underneath his shirt from prying eyes and thieving hands alike. Jimin touches the chain as he lets his hand fall and closes his palm around the gold coin.

"I love it," Jimin murmurs as he meets Hoseok's gaze once more. "Thank you, Hobi."

Hoseok beams at him. "I'm glad you like it. My Jiminnie deserves the best and shiniest things!"

"Your Jiminnie, huh?" Jimin smirks.

"You've been mine since we met, Jiminnie," Hoseok replies, tilting his head to the side as he continues. "You knew that, didn't you?"

Jimin only smiles, something warm and soft settling deep within him. "Yes, I knew that."

Hoseok smiles back, gold eyes flashing in the sunlight with his tail trailing out behind him. Jimin really doesn't know how they are going to make this work between them. What he does know though is that they can.