Tails and Toes • Jikook Mermaid AU

Chapter Three

Jimin touched everything in his reach and he was glad that Jungkook let him explore the house on his own. Jimin was in the kitchen and looked curious at the weird machine that stood on the kitchen counter. ''What is this?'' Jimin asked Jungkook who stood behind him, ensuring that Jimin didn't break his stuff or accidentally hurt himself. ''That's a microwave, Jimin. You heat food in it.'' Jungkook answered casually and Jimin turned around to face the black-haired boy.

''To heat food? You have machines for that? Wow.'' Jungkook loved to see Jimin browse around in the house, curiously looking at all his belongings. Jimin didn't knew what the most things in the house were, because they were all for humans. ''By the way, now that we are talking about food. What kind of food do you want to eat for dinner?'' Jungkook asked Jimin who was touching the microwave and was pressing some buttons. ''No seafood, that's a bit weird. Unless you have seaweed or some kind of seaplants.'' Jimin answered, his attention was focused on the kitchen sink and the tap above it.

''Okay, so no seafood. Maybe try something new? I have chicken, noodles and rice so what about- Jimin no!'' Jungkook pulled Jimin away from the kitchen counter after Jimin turned the tap on and a fresh stream of water ran into the sink. ''I'm sorry, I just wanted to try it.'' Jimin apologised to Jungkook who let go of him and turned the tap off. ''You need to be careful around water. You said a few drops are fine, but that wasn't just a few drops.'' Jungkook warned Jimin who nodded with his head. He understood Jungkook's concern, but he was just really curious. ''But don't worry about it. Let me show you the most important part of my home.'' Jungkook said to Jimin and led him to the backyard.

The backyard wasn't that big, because the swimming pool took all the space. The water was fresh and blue and looked inviting to both of the boys. Jungkook cleaned the swimming pool regularly, so it looked really shiny and new. With big bushes and a fence, the backyard couldn't be seen by anyone else and was hidden to outsiders. ''So, this is the swimming pool. You can always take a dive, every day if you want to. It's completely safe.'' Jungkook said and turned to Jimin who was taking off his clothes. Jungkook's cheeks started to get red when Jimin took everything off and he looked into a different direction.

When he heard Jimin diving into the water, he looked again. Jimin swam gracefully in the water and where his legs were, was a long blue tail. Jungkook looked enchanted by the beauty of the mermaid in the pool. Jimin swam towards Jungkook who was standing by the edge of the pool. The water rippled around the mermaid when he emerged from the water. Jungkook took his flip-flops off and put his feet in the water, sitting on the edge of the pool and right beside Jimin who was leaning with his arms on the edge. His tail swifted slowly under water while Jimin looked at Jungkook, a smile appeared on his face.

''Wow.'' Is the only thing Jungkook could say and Jimin chuckled softly. ''It's a pretty big pool to be honest, I'd love to swim here every day.'' The mermaid said, drops of water rolled down the side of his face and his neck. Jungkook bowed forward and brushed the wet black hair of Jimin aside, because it was plastered to his forehead. ''You can. And you can stay here as long as you want, I would love to have you as my guest.'' Jungkook answered and he smiled too. He hesitated a bit, but Jungkook eventually took his tanktop off and slid down into the water with Jimin.

''Take my hand.'' Jimin said to him and Jungkook held the right hand of the mermaid. Jungkook took a deep breath and then the two went underwater. The pool wasn't that deep, the water came by Jungkook to his shoulders when he stood. They swam together, hand in hand. Jimin was much faster than Jungkook, because Jimin had a tail that gracefully slid through the water, Jungkook had legs who didn't coöperate like Jimin's tail did. They both emerged from the water and smiled at each other. ''I won't mind it if my days will look like this.'' Jungkook joked and Jimin chuckled again. Jungkook swam to the side and sat down at the edge again, drops of water were rolling down his torso.

''What kind of food do you like, Jimin? What kind of human food do you actually know?'' Jungkook asked the mermaid who was dozing off. ''Pizza!'' Jimin answered loudly and his tail excitedly flicked. Out of excitement, Jimin splashed a large amount of water on Jungkook who got drenched. Jimin was so excited that Jungkook didn't care that the mermaid splashed him wet, Jungkook could tell that Jimin loved to talk about the human world. ''Pizza? How do you know that?'' . ''People have always been eating it by the pizzeria at the beach. And people on cruise ships have been eating it too, one human threw a few slices in the sea from the ship because she wasn't hungry anymore and I wanted to try it. It was delicious! Even though, it was a bit wet because it drifted in sea. But still, I would love to it eat again!'' Jimin's dark brown eyes sparkled, because he was talking about something that he loved that was also from the human world.

''Then I can order some pizza, no problem. Would love you something to drink with it? Maybe a milkshake?'' Jungkook wrote it down in his head, so that he could later on go to the pizzeria. He would take Jimin with him, after all, the mermaid wanted to see everything from Jungkook's world and every human he saw was a wonderful experience for him. Jungkook wanted to take Jimin into a big city one time, Jimin would love it there. ''Yes, a milkshake! Those things look delicious, people have been drinking them at the beach or eating ice-creams. I want to try that too.'' The mixture of Jimin's curiousness and excitement was what made Jungkook extremely happy. ''Do I need to help you get out of the pool?'' Jungkook asked Jimin, but the mermaid shook his head and swam to the side. He lifted himself out of the water with his strong arms and flopped with his tail on the concrete around the pool.

''I'll get you some towels.'' Jungkook said to Jimin who nodded and enjoyed the sunshine. His blue scales reflected the sunlight. Jungkook walked away from the backyard and into the dinner room with the kitchen. He walked past the living room and into the little hallway. Jungkook took the stairs to the second floor of the house and while he walked up the last step, his mind was blank. He had a mermaid in his house. A fucking mermaid. He was friends with a mermaid. Wait, were they friends? They didn't even knew each other a day, but they already trusted each other. Jungkook entered the bathroom and grabbed two towels from the shelf next to the sink and the bath.

When he returned back to the backyard, Jimin was still sitting by the pool with his shiny blue tail. Jungkook handed him a towel and helped him drying his tail off, so that Jimin's legs would appear again. At least, Jungkook thought how it worked, but he didn't knew that much about mermaids to be honest. Jimin knew more about humans than Jungkook knew about mermaids. ''I have a question.'' Jungkook said to Jimin while drying the drops of water from his blue scales. ''You with all your questions.'' Jimin laughed. ''But go on, ask me.'' Jungkook stopped drying Jimin's tail off with the towel and locked eyes with the mermaid.

''Are we friends?'' The question was directed to Jimin, but Jungkook didn't really knew. He hoped it though, he already cared about Jimin. ''Of course.'' Jimin responded and smiled to comfort Jungkook. ''My first human friend.'' Jungkook nodded, he was glad to hear that Jimin thought the same about it. ''And my first mermaid friend.'' Jungkook answered and he felt a warm feeling. He was happy that he met Jimin. Well, also that Jimin saved him, of course. Jungkook had the feeling they would become best friends, because he had a good feeling about the mermaid. Jimin made him feel really happy and made him enjoy things he had never done before.