CHAPTER 6: Intertwined Hands and Hearts

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The gentle and light glow spreads and envelopes the two boys, thus the merman slowly pulling the merboy downwards. 

With that, the merman pulled away but still kept their hands together. Feeling the warmth fading away from his forehead and cheeks, Jeongguk opened his eyes. First thing he sees, is the boy whose been doing things to his heart, smiling softly at him.

But then, he realized the difference of his surroundings and panicked. He flailed around and opened his mouth to shout, his hand still holding onto the merboy's hand. 

Another realization came to the human as he stopped flailing and covered his mouth. Wait, I'm not drowning? He confusedly looked to the amused merboy.

With Jeongguk's attention finally on him, he giggles. 

"Yes gguk, you're not drowning. You can breathe underwater now." he confirmed with a tilt of his head, and a blinding boxy smile.

Slowly removing his hand from his mouth, he gasped. "H-Hello?" he gasped and covered his mouth again.

Taehyung laughed from that, bending over his stomach and emitting the most beautiful sound Jeongguk ever heard, after his giggles of course. The human boy smiled endearingly before whining.

"You're laughing? Is it funny?" he asked with a whined. Taehyung still didn't stop laughing.

The human boy grumbled and let go of the merboy's hands. Attempting to turn his back, but it was a bit hard to do underwater. Taehyung laughed even harder with him clutching his tummy, watching Jeongguk as the younger tries to turn around.

Hearing him laugh even harder made Jeongguk cross his arms and pout. 

Seeing his pout, Taehyung's laughter slowly died down and turned into giggles. The merboy swam closer towards the human and placed his hands on the boys' shoulders. Swimming upwards so that his upper body was above the sulking boy's head. And dipped his head down so his head was upside down in front of the pouting human.

With a big smile, he said "Don't pout ggukkie, your reactions were cute."

Thanks to that, Jeongguk blushed a bright red from his neck to his ears. The sight made Taehyung blush too and grinned even more. He removed one of his hands from the boy's shoulders and pinched the human's cheek, cooing.

This action just made Jeongguk blushed even darker but he wasn't going to be embarrassed by himself. So he placed his hands to the back of Taehyung's upside down head and pulled it towards him. 

They were close. So close. This just made them quiet down and stare at each other with wide eyes. Not one of them moving.

Due to them not moving for a few minutes, a small fish passed between the two. Out of surprise, they're heads collided. They quickly yet clumsily scrambled apart.

Avoiding each others' gaze yet again. Taehyung rubbing his arm, and Jeongguk rubbing his nape. Their gaze slowly meeting again, but this time, kept the eye contact. Jeongguk swam closer, struggling a bit but hey, its Jeongguk we're talking about. Rubbing he slightly pink spot on Taehyung's forehead, before interlacing their fingers with a smile.

Taehyung smile back and squeezed his hand. He turned his body a bit and swam forward, leading Jeongguk with their hands still intertwined. They swam out of the cave through the small gaps underwater and swam a bit further and deeper from the beach. 

Being led further down, Jeongguk didn't feel any pressure or extreme cold. He felt secure and comfortable with the hand connected to his own. He looked around while swimming further, seeing many different things he's never seen from above.

The different vibrant colors of the coral reefs, the sea creatures he's never seen, everything was just new and fascinating. He turned his head to look at the boy whose leading him through this world. Taehyung smiling at him as he blabbers away about things, like Mr. Crubz and the starfish, Ricky.

The human boy looked at the merboy. Nothing in this world could be more fascinating than the boy he's holding hands with, the one whose eyes are a deep ocean blue, that just keeps him trapped under a trance. Whose boxy smile that makes his heart shake. Whose giggles and laughs that just makes him melt. Whose expressions that he wants to see more of. 

Taehyung lets go of his hand to go and continue talking to Mr. Crubz. Jeongguk clutches his chest, just over his heart, feeling the rushed heartbeats. Jeongguk may only be six years old, but he knows what he's feeling. What else could it be if not..?

He swims over to Taehyung, and grabs his arm. Making Taehyung gently place Mr. Crubz down and turn towards the boy.

"What is it, ggukie? Did you get hurt? Some things here are pretty dull but you could still get cut, you could get stuck because of the narrow gaps and spaces too and.." he asks worriedly as he fiddles around with Jeongguk's arms.

Jeongguk stops him by gently grabbing his hands, and interlacing them together. Taehyung pauses at their intertwined hands and looks up at Jeongguk's eyes. The way the human boy is holding his hands and looking at him, makes him feel all mushy and he doesn't know why. Yet he doesn't pull away or look away.

The human boy moved close to the merboy, the merboy moved even closer in response. They kept getting closer and closer and closer, until the tips of their noses were touching. The ease with which they are able to get closer to one another seems to be a natural instinct that came naturally to them.

It's different with Jeongguk, isn't it? Taehyung internally asked himself. 

I don't feel this way with anyone else, not even with other merfolk friends. I adore Ggukkie and he's my friend. In those moments when I call him by that name, I seem to feel my heart ache just a bit.I feel very warm and comfortable around him. He is also very cute, and I enjoy having him around me. My heart too.

What if this is what they refer to as... love?

There is no doubt in Taehyung's mind that what he feels for Jeongguk is not the kind of feeling he can have for his friend. If it's not love.. then what else could it be? A heart problem I have only when Ggukkie is around.

 He made up his mind, and his heart. Such smart kids, how scary-

The two leaned closer and fluttered their eyes shut. 

And surely, a soft and innocent first kiss happened.

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Happy 10th anniversary to our BTS!!✨✨ It's a bit late yes but it is never too late to celebrate.

We've spent a decade with BTS and knowingly, we'll spend the rest to come together.

Let's always be with the members regardless of what's to come. ✊✊

Borahae ARMYs!! 💜💜

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