Tails and Toes • Jikook Mermaid AU

Chapter Twelve

Jimin woke up feeling a little light-headed. It probably was caused by his mix of heavy emotions that he shared with Jungkook in the middle of the night. Jimin looked next to him and saw that Jungkook was still asleep. The red-haired boy slowly took Jungkook's arms off his body, so that he could get out of bed. He carefully stepped out of the bed and walked around to get to the bathroom. The mermaid opened the bedroom door without any sound and walked on his bare feet to the bathroom. When he stood still for the bathroom mirror, he could already tell something was different about him. His dark brown eyes, that mostly sparkled out of excitement, were now dull. He looked down at his veiny feet and moved his toes a little bit. Jimin was so glad he had legs, but he couldn't miss them. It felt amazing to run and to walk, he didn't want to miss that feeling. The mermaid really didn't want to go back. He never thought of the oppurtunity that he could fall in love with a human, especially Jungkook. But here he stood, in Jungkook's bathroom and with his head full of problems. Jimin felt miserable. When it was his first day on land, he missed his home so much. And now he didn't want to go back. Jimin knew what changed his mind immediatly. Jungkook. The love he felt for Jungkook made him stay on land. When he thought about going back to the sea, to his hyungs, he felt sick to his stomach. He felt bad though, bad that he didn't miss his hyungs. His two closest friends who felt like brothers, who he had known his whole life. He didn't miss them anymore, because Jungkook softened the pain. Jungkook made him not think about the sea, his home. But when Jimin was alone with only his thoughts, it softly killed him on the inside. Pain. He needed Jungkook, he was like his painkilller. ''Jimin?'' The mermaid turned around when he heard the raspy morning voice coming from behind him, calling his name. Jungkook stood in the doorway with his arms folded for his naked chest, sleepy brown eyes, hair that stood up in different directions and only dressed in his grey boxers. ''Kookie.'' Jimin greeted Jungkook with his soft voice, what was even softer in the morning. ''You're up.'' Jungkook nodded and rubbed his face with both of his hands. ''You look tired, go back to sleep. I'll be fine.'' The red-haired boy suggested to his friend. ''No, I'll miss your warmth. By the way, what were you doing in the bathroom?'' Jungkook asked Jimin who avoided the stare the black-haired boy gave him. ''Thinking, I guess. I'm overthinking too much. Worrying is what I can do best, besides being annoying.'' Jimin answered honest, his eyes were focused on his toes so that he could avoid Jungkook's stare. ''You aren't annoying.'' Jungkook immediatly said and Jimin shook his head, a little smile appeared on his face. ''You're just saying that so you sound nice. I'm never enough, but that's okay. It's okay that people don't like me, I don't like myself either-'' . ''Jimin.'' He felt Jungkook's hands on his shoulders and even though he didn't want to, he looked up. Right into the brown eyes of Jungkook. ''Don't ever say things like that. You are important, the most important person I have met in my whole life. You're my little secret and you're perfect the way you are, okay. With a tail or legs, it doesn't matter.'' The words of Jungkook comforted Jimin, because Jungkook always had a calming vibe around him. Believe it or not, but Jungkook was so close to Jimin's heart that the mermaid would die for him, if that kept him safe. ''Get dressed, okay? We're going to pay Taehyung a visit today in his new home.'' Jungkook said to Jimin and the red-haired boy nodded with his head. Jungkook stayed in the bathroom to wash his face while Jimin returned to the bedroom and dressed himself in some new clothes Jungkook had bought for him in Busan. He went downstairs and sat down at the dinner table, still thinking about everything that happened and would happen to him. Seokjin-hyung had told him about some of the symptoms a mermaid got when it was too long on land. Such as throwing up daily, pain with walking, breathing issues and coughing up blood. It was normal for a mermaid who stayed too long on land to have a mental breakdown about it, because it was the first sign that it was too long and the start to a cyclus full of pain and sorrow. Jimin's extra time on land had started and he knew it was dangerous to disobey to not only his mind, but also his body. He didn't forgot the gory details Seokjin told him about his own legs, pale with threds of skin hanging from them and bloody pink scales underneath. Jimin knew it would last long, but he would eventually get it too. He wasn't afraid of the pain, but he was terrified of the idea that Jungkook might force him back to the ocean to save his life. And also that Jungkook would reject him when Jimin would start to get the symptoms and horribly sick. The mermaid wanted to enjoy the time he had left when he was still healthy and could feel his legs. Jimin was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice that Jungkook came downstairs and made breakfast ready. ''Are you okay?'' The black-haired boy asked concerned to Jimin. ''Never been better.'' The mermaid lied with a forced smile. He didn't want to let Jungkook know about the symptoms he would get later on. Jimin wanted to suffer if he could spend more time with Jungkook, so he would. The two boys ate their breakfast in silence and Jimin tried his best to act normal when Jungkook started a conversation with him. Jungkook didn't knew that Jimin was ready to feel the worst pain in the world, just for him, and maybe that was better for the both of them.