The Tail Of Taekook

16 - Ungrateful Much

We hear the sailors cursing, and that's what causes us to sit up properly, sharing one last peck on the lips before slipping easily into the water again, mentally saying our farewells to the air and allowing our gills to get back to work again. We know that we can't mess this up.

And we don't have that long until sunset.

So we lead them on, hands intertwined as I swim above Kookie, to partially hide his tail with my own, directing them towards the coast, where they run aground suddenly, forcing them to focus on their safety rather than the gold that they can see. We hide in the rocks, listening and watching on.

"Fuck! Captain, we're gonna sink if we're not careful!" I hear someone yell out. "We've gotta get out of here!"

"Have you found that gold?" My eyes widen at the coldness of this response, and Jungkook's face goes blank, as if he's way too shocked to actually react properly.
"I don't think we'll find it," someone calls out, "if we search for it, we're dead."

"We're not leaving without it," the captain insists, and I look over at my mate, make an agreement with him in seconds, and then, for the last time in this slightly messed up race against these sailors, we slide into the water, silently. "Come on, boys, it can't be far away. We can be rich."

"Rich and dead," someone mutters, "I'm not doing this. You're crazy." There's a cleared throat, and a nervous cough.
"Well, isn't that mutiny?" I hear the captain say harshly. "Chuck him over, boys."
"But-"
"Get him off my ship."

The guy in question yells out as he's suddenly thrown over the side, but Jungkook and I are suddenly there to catch him, working together to help him. "What the actual fuck?"

Jungkook smirks a little, placing his index finger over his lips, and the sailor nods in understanding, closing his mouth, as we hold him up in the water, helping him stay afloat. "We're gonna help you out, on one condition," my mate whispers. "You say nothing about us. We weren't here, understand? You swam to the coast."

"Why are you two just casually swimming here?" the sailor asks once we have set him down on a rock so that he can breathe. I shrug, looking over at him.
"I don't know, why are you searching for gold in a place like this? It's so dangerous."
"Our captain is desperate to find treasure," the sailor says. "And when he heard someone yell about a guy on the back of a whale, he was even more determined. He says that that guy was clearly holding it."

Jungkook chuckles. "Must have been seeing things," he comments, rolling his eyes, and the sailor nods. "Now, we will take you to the coast. You tell anyone that we helped you, and you'll regret it. Understand?" The sailor nods again, frantically. "You're just a good swimmer. And one with common sense. Get yourself another life, because that captain will throw you over if he finds you again. We might not be there next time."

With that, we grab a shoulder each and start to lead him to the coast, one eye on the ship behind us, just in case. He doesn't question it, though I know it's possible that he's going to, especially since we can't exactly walk up onto the beach with him. That wouldn't work. "But really, why would you swim round here? And is there treasure here?" the sailor asks after a few seconds, the shock of not actually dying fading away, and Jungkook sighs.

"There isn't treasure here," he says, clearly tired. He then looks over at the sea, checking the progress of the sunset. "Shit, hyung, we haven't got long, before the sun sets. We were gonna watch it, remember?"

"What does hyung mean? And why did we all see-"
"Please just stop questioning things," I beg, seeing Kookie's free hand clench into a fist due to his irritation, "you'll piss him off. In fact, you'll annoy us both. Just go with it, okay? Be glad we saved your life. You could be on deck, about to crash. And you're not. Be grateful for what you have and shut up."