down where it's wetter | KOOKV

epilogue

Waking up next to Taehyung is a surreal experience that Jeongguk cannot get used to.

It's been a few days since the merman had returned to him, yet every morning when he sees Taehyung pouting in sleep his heart squeezes impossibly tight and he always ends up waking Taehyung accidentally by planting too many kisses on his face. Taehyung always complains he disturbs his sleep, but Jeongguk could see he secretly enjoys Jeongguk's daily shower of affection.

That night when Jeongguk was reunited with Taehyung for the first time in two years, there were a lot of tears and crying. The moment they entered Jeongguk's apartment, Jeongguk's lips never left Taehyung's, from the couch to the bedroom. (You may have expected sexy time, but no, Jeongguk was too emotional to get hard.) Taehyung had spent the entire night telling Jeongguk what he had done in the past two years. After returning to his kingdom, Taehyung had rejected the prince right away by telling him he had already mated with a human. It caused the prince great humiliation and he left immediately. It angered Taehyung's father as well, in order to appease his dad and to persuade him to make Yoongi the next in line instead, Taehyung picked up the mission to promote peace and coexistence between different pods, travelling around the seven seas to form alliances and teach the tribes how to deal with global warming and changing water temperature. It was challenging and it took him two solid years to finish his mission. Once he was done, he bid farewell to his parents and swam ashore. Jeongguk was not at the beach as he promised (which made Taehyung a bit worried and sad). He tried to find Jeongguk in Busan: he went to the lab, knocking on the door timidly only to be answered by a bright cheerful girl (whom he mistakenly thought might be Jeongguk's partner). Ryu was very nice and helpful, she didn't ask why he's looking for Jeongguk, nor why he seems so clueless about everything. She taught him how to take the train to go to Seoul, and taught him how to go to SNU by himself. Ryu was very patient in teaching Taehyung even though he has a lot of questions, and Taehyung made a mental note that if he successfully finds Jeongguk, he needs to give the girl a raise. He thought about going to Jeon's residence but thought it might be intrusive and he didn't know what the family would think of him now.

This time, Taehyung wore a mask to block out the city smell. It wasn't entirely effective but at least it makes the whole ordeal more bearable. Thanks to Seulgi and her map, Taehyung did not get lost once. Throughout the journey, he was tempted multiple times to follow the puppies or the little kids, but his mind blared sirens whenever he was distracted, going jungoo jungoo jungoo jungoo. He was almost lost in SNU campus, but since Namjoon and Jeongguk being guest professors was a pretty big deal, there were some posters and arrows that Taehyung could easily follow. When he sat down in the large lecture hall, he was a bit nervous, he's gonna see Jeongguk for the first time in two years, and there were so many loud whispers around him, the college students seem to have taken a liking towards this ethereal beauty that is himself. Taehyung tried calming himself down by pinching his thigh, the presence of Namjoon was also reassuring, but nothing could have prepared for the moment when Jeongguk entered the room.

Like Namjoon, Jeongguk was in formal attire, black suit and a black tie, paired with shiny lace-up oxfords and fitting slacks that accentuates his long legs and muscular thighs. Taehyung would be drooling on the spot if it weren't for his speeding heart, he has heard the wonders of suits but has never witnessed it on Jeongguk, he was glad he could see it once before he died. When Jeongguk took off the blazer, a quiet collective gasp could be heard in the crowd. Some girls were trying to snap a picture of him, some guys straight up ogle. (Taehyung was a bit jealous, he told Jeongguk that night when they were cuddling and asked Jeongguk to pay him with ten kisses. Jeongguk paid him more) After the lecture, Taehyung mustered up the courage to walk up to Jeongguk and the rest is history. They ordered take out that night, Jeongguk leaving campus immediately and brought Taehyung back to his apartment. He professed his undying love for Taehyung again and again, in which Taehyung welcomed each and every attempt with a sweet peck. At the end of the night, both of them were exhausted from crying so much, but the adrenaline of seeing each other again kept them awake the whole night. When it was nearly dawn and the two of them were lying on the bed face to face, Taehyung asked why Jeongguk wouldn't close his eyes and rest. Jeongguk said he didn't want to close his eyes, not even for one second because he's afraid Taehyung would disappear when he woke up. They ended up falling asleep in the early morning, limbs tangled and bodies pulled flushed against one another.