drown for you | jjk

15

That night, on your way home from the lab, you replay the day in your head. Seeing the smile on Jeongguk's face after you granted his wish of being kissed warms your heart.

At the time, you felt guilty and wrong for even considering it, and even more so after he told you he wanted to keep going. It had been sort of cloudy, all the reasoning behind your emotions, but now, in the cold evening air, it couldn't be clearer.

You need to protect both yourself and him. You know he'll need to return to the ocean eventually, yet you care so immensely for him that you prefer to not think about it.

There's no way to grade or rate your fondness for the siren, but you hesitated before kissing him because you didn't want to pretend that there could ever be a future for the two of you. But kissing him still felt so right. Just being around him made you happy.

The need to draw an emotional line for yourself is evident. You won't distance yourself from him, he's done nothing wrong, nothing worth punishing him for, and you want to be as kind and good to him as you can, even if you'll be hurt when he leaves.

You just won't get any closer because that would cause an injury to your heart that you might not recover from.

As you place one foot in front of the other and hug your arms around your jacket-covered chest, you think of Jeongguk and how guilty you feel for wishing more than anything that he was human.

The sound of synchronized steps echoes around the walls as you and Hoseok walk from his lab, where you've gone over the plan for the examination, to the room that holds the siren's tank.

When Hoseok greeted you that morning, you suddenly started to sweat, stuttering in discomfort at the thought of him having seen the tape from the night before. But as time went on, and no tape or kisses were mentioned, you figured neither he nor Namjoon had seen it.

There's always the possibility that they've stopped watching them altogether, as no one has mentioned them in a while.

You haven't brought much from the lab, Hoseok has a small notebook tucked under his arm and a stethoscope around his neck. What a doctor. At least he's skipped the lab coat, opting to wear a wetsuit under some basketball shorts and a t-shirt. Your own body is clad in only wetsuit, expecting to get wet.

You try to explain the transparent film that covers the meaty edges of Jeongguk's wound more thoroughly to Hoseok, but he only hums and scratches his neck as you ascend the stairs to the platform. He'll have to see for himself.

When you reach the top, Jeongguk is waiting for you at the surface. It's not as much as before, but some of that hostility remains felt from him, and you notice his eyes follow your forms as the both of you step onto the platform.

As silent encouragement, you smile softly at him, hoping that he won't put up a fight. There's no time for Hoseok to mimic your actions of sitting down with your legs in the water before a few hurried knocks are heard.

"I'll be right back," he mutters in an annoyed tone and turns around, heading back towards the steps. You barely register it, already completely focused on the siren in front of you.

"How are you feeling?" you ask gently. You can tell by his expression that he isn't exactly thrilled, his gaze locked onto your knees as he lazily bobs up and down slowly. Perhaps he's feeling a little nervous, after all.

"I'm okay," he replies with no real emotion to his voice. You want to give him something to show him your appreciation.

"I'm so proud of you, you know that?"

He looks up at your face, seeing you already observing him. He didn't expect those words to come out of your mouth, his wide eyes evidence of that.

"You are?"

"Yeah," you say, ideally wanting to elaborate, but being interrupted by Hoseok calling your name loudly.

"Your mother has called you, uh, fifteen times!"

"What?" you yell back, perplexed. Your mother rarely calls you. Something has to be wrong.

You quickly excuse yourself to Jeongguk and hurry down the stairs and over to the door. The person knocking was Taehyung, he stands in the doorway with the phone you forgot at the lab in his hand.

Just as you reach for it, it starts ringing once again, and you immediately pick it up. The door is held open for you as you walk through it in search of some privacy.

"Thank you for finally answering my calls," the irritated voice of your mother sounds.

"What is it? Did something happen?" you ask, already considering all disastrous possibilities in your head.

"Yes, I'm calling to tell you that the Kims are in town, and I want you to show their son around. Can you do that tomorrow, please?"

"Mom," you whine. "I thought someone had died! But you're telling me you called sixteen times because you want me to show Jin around town tomorrow?!"

"I'm sorry, but you're always so busy; you never answer my calls anymore. I already promised that you'd take him on a tour."

Your mom keeps you on the line for far too long, scolding you for not answering her calls and pleading for you to go on a 'date' with Jin, the son of a business partner of hers.

The only way to get your mother to stop whining is to agree, and since you also feel bad about not talking to her lately, you figure you'll make it up to her and not try to argue your way out of it. Besides, you've met Jin before, and he's both kind and funny. The only problem you have with him is your mother's wish that you'd date him.

You hang up after hearing your mother's parting words, in a much worse mood than before. She has a way of just completely draining you of energy. With a roll of your eyes, you start the trek back towards the siren's room, thinking they're waiting for you.

Whilst on the phone, you'd walked all the way back to the lab, your feet carrying you mindlessly as your mother nagged at you. You've been gone for about ten minutes when you round the last corner only to spot Hoseok already speeding towards you, appearing to have been looking for you, and quickening his pace even more upon finding you. Your heartbeat increases rapidly at his wild expression.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he questions, sounding more shocked than angry.

"Tell you what?" You ask to bewildered. You have absolutely no idea what he thinks you've kept from him.

"That his fucking fin's grown back?!"