The Tail Of Taekook

24 - Blue Whales

"Tae, we need to talk," I say quietly, and he turns to look at me, a nervous look in his eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing bad, I promise. You've not done anything wrong or anything like that. I just need us to clarify some stuff, just in case anything happens."

He nods, accepting this as a good enough excuse and allowing us to drift slightly away from the others, so that we can have a touch of privacy. This is something that I know none of them are overly bothered by, as they've all done the same at some point. It's just part of traveling as a group - people will want to talk to different individuals at different times. If a more private conversation is needed, that's fine.

"I'll make it quick, so we can move on and think about other things, like how to continue bringing awareness to the rest of the mer," I say quickly, and he frowns.
"What do you need to say, Kookie?" I close my eyes for a moment before opening them again, glancing away from him for a moment to properly anchor my thoughts.

"If somebody else makes an attempt to claim you, do I have your permission to not only get rid of them but claim you myself in order to protect you and fend off the individual who has the nerve to do so?" I ask after a few seconds, and his frown clears almost instantly.

"Are you asking for advance consent?" he questions, giggling a little, and I nod awkwardly.
"I know it's not really the best way to do it," I say nervously, "but in that scenario I would have no self control. I would like to think that you're at least aware and okay with it, for conscience reasons." He giggles again.

"Awe, Kookie, you're so sweet," he comments quietly. "Of course it's okay in that situation. You're going to claim me at some point anyway, and there's nobody else I would want to do it, so I don't have a problem with it. Obviously you're not ready to do that without provocation yet, I get that, but I also understand where you're coming from."

"Thanks Tae," I say gratefully, kissing him suddenly, and he beams when I pull away, wrapping an arm around my shoulder in a cheerful but affectionate embrace.

"For what?" he asks. "Another dominant might just go about it and then tell me I'm lucky that nobody else did, and then act as if I'm supposed to be grateful for it. You're so much more kind and thoughtful, and you know when I want to have a little control over myself for a change. That means a lot, trust me. You let me have a voice in our relationship. Most submissive mer are probably suppressed by their dominants, not including those in our team, so I count myself lucky to have you."

My attention is taken suddenly when I hear a warning call from far away, one that seems to be made by a species of whale. It's too far away to be totally sure, but I have reason to believe that it's a blue whale, the largest living thing in the whole ocean.

They don't often find themselves in danger. And this doesn't seem like a hunting trip.

"What's wrong?" Taehyung asks me, glancing over at the newly tensed nature of my muscles and noticing that my face has gone pale.
"Blue whales," I say simply, "they're in trouble for some reason. I don't know what yet, but it doesn't spell good. It seems a little bit like an execution to me, which is something that goes against everything we're preaching about."

"Guys!" Taehyung immediately calls to the others. "We have an issue!"

Everyone instantly turns round, swimming over to us and asking what this problem is, and how we are going to solve it. My heart shatters into pieces when I hear what sounds like a mother whale mourning the loss of her calf, and I'm reminded in a way of the fate of Horace's parents. Jimin gives me a sympathetic look, and explains it for me, being the only one that can read my mind.

"Well then," Namjoon says, a dark smile on his face, "we better get the hell over there and solve this." He turns to Jin, who concentrates for a moment before pointing in the direction of the calls.
"That way," he says simply, and we all give our tails a powerful flick, one that propels us forward at a fast pace, getting us to our destination as quickly as possible.