S T I L L B E A T I N G

Jeongguk asks Lalisa out on a date.
Much to Lisa's horror, he takes her to an aquarium exhibit.

* * *

"What did you say?"

Jeongguk watches as the Phoenix--Seoul's infamous villain and whom he personally knows as Lalisa--ducks behind a lamppost as a wave of water is thrown to her direction. Behind his mask, his brows are pulled together in worry when she doesn't come back up immediately. He's about to go and apologize when a fireball comes hurtling in his direction and hits the window behind him.

"Fuck!" He curses, butt landing flat on the ground. "I said," he grunts, pulling himself back up, "will you go-- ouch! Will you go on a date with me?"

Perhaps it's a bad idea to ask someone out on a date during a violent duel, but Jeongguk just didn't know the right time and place.

"Honey, I can't hear you from here!" He hears Phoenix's voice from above, and when he looks up, she's already climbing up the building with her ropes in hand. Damn it. "Say it loud and clear!"

A flash of a camera disrupts his train of thought, and by then Jeongguk is reminded of the fact that they're being filmed by the media, the Tempest and the Phoenix's fight is currently being broadcasted to all the newstations in the country. For what reason? He doesn't know. Maybe there's nothing else entertaining going on at the moment, and although he's against the idea of putting on a show, Lalisa had been thrilled.

Sigh. Always the show off.

"Just-- ugh," he pants, "I'll go there. Wait for me!"

Lalisa's cackle can be heard from floors down, and before he knows it, a trail of fire has travelled down the wayward vines and onto the ground, almost burning his feet.

He internally groans. She's clearly enjoying this, what with how she's laughing and smiling for the cameras as if Jeongguk isn't fighting for his life. He has a burn mark near his left cheek while she's unscathed. He knows he should be mad at her for it, but he also knows the fact that Lisa would patch him up later when everything's done.

Fed up with the cameras and Phoenix's goading, he summons an ample amount of water and uses his fingertips to direct them towards building, aiming to grab the ends of his nemesis' feet with it. He succeeds, of course, and soon enough he's got a grinning fire elemental in his arms. In an instant, Jeongguk pulls her towards a secluded part of the building, away from the media.

"You caught meee," she singsongs, wrapping her arms around his neck now that they're in private. With their faces inches apart, he could see the fire in her eyes, the flames within them burning and glowing in the darkness. "What's up, seaweed boy?"

He grimaces. "Can you stop with the nicknames? I'm not even calling you anything except for Nix."

"You can call me hottie, though."

"Okay, stop." Unconsciously, his arms tighten around her waist. It's been three months since they've revealed each other's identity to the other, and their friendship has gotten to the point where touches like this are completely normal. Normal to the point where it's almost not normal. Does that make any sense?

Phoenix chuckles and pinches the tip of his nose, to which he narrows his eyes. "I'm not doing anything," she says. "Anyway, what were you going to tell me?"

Ah. That. Holy gods.

He just asked her to go on a date with him. A date.

Now hold up. Before you judge him, listen: it took Jeongguk a long time to come up with the question. It's true that he and Lisa became great friends after he saved her from those men at the sea, and even greater friends as soon as their secret identities were out of the way. With no secrecy between them, he was able to discover that she's more than just the villain Seoul City pictured her to be; she's gentle, caring, annoying at times, has a weird obsession with cats and weird ass microwaves, but she never loses that fiery streak that makes her stand out to him.

Call him whipped, but it didn't take long for him to come up with the conclusion that he likes her.

So, after a few fights with Taehyung, he finally packed all of his courage, summoned all of his strength, and asked her to go on a date with him. While they were fighting in the middle of Seoul. Talk about romantic.

Back to the present: Jeongguk huffs and avoids her eyes, choosing to stare at the broken debris at the corner than her own. Yet without having any choice, he croaks, "I said, will you go on a date with me...?"

He feels Lisa's limbs freeze.

"I mean, it's not that you have to! I'm just asking, I swear, there's really no need--"

And then, she punches him.

"Ow! Wha--" Before he can even ask what in the Hades was that about, a flash of a camera takes his attention and oh my Gods, the media found them. Again.

Lisa, now back in her Phoenix mode, backs away from him with an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, sugar, duty calls."

Oh, how Jeongguk wants to conjure a storm right then and there.

With less enthusiasm, he pulls himself up and straightens his back, readying himself with another half-assed fight with the Phoenix.

"Yeah. Okay, let's get this bread," he says, and then attacks.

* * *

"Let's get this bread? Who are you, the bread man?" Lisa snorts as she places the ice pack against his bruising cheek, emitting a hiss from Jeongguk. "That was the corniest thing I've ever heard from you, I swear."

"I couldn't think of something cooler, okay?" Jeongguk rolls his eyes, but lets her tend to him anyways. The dorms are thankfully quiet; exams were over and everyone's trying to get a good night's sleep, hence why Lisa is still able to sneak into his room. Nothing could be heard except his ragged breathing and her constant comments, so everything feels quite relaxing. "Besides, I never got your answer."

Lisa chuckles and taps his cheek. "Answer to what?"

Gods, Jeongguk knows she's just teasing, but he can't help the groan that escapes him. "You know!"

"What do I know?" She feigns innocence.

"I can't even say it again," he mutters, looking down on his lap. All the adrenaline from the fight had left him, so he doesn't have the guts to ask her for the nth time.

She snorts and takes away the ice pack, and Jeongguk's face feels numb at the lack of coldness. "Okay, okay, I'll give you a chance. Yes, Jeongguk, I'll go on a date with you."

Jeongguk almost faints as soon as he sees the genuine smile spreading over Lisa's face.

"Surprise me," is all she says, and resumes to help him with his wounds.

(And if Jeongguk's bathroom pipes break in the middle of the night due to his excitement, no one has to know.)

* * *

L A L I S A

"When I said surprise me, I didn't mean this!"

Lalisa couldn't believe it. Out of all the places she and Jeongguk could go to, it had to be the place she despises the most in the world. The place she considers as hell, only second to the Sea. The aquarium exhibit.

When Lalisa was a little girl, there was nothing she hated most than being bathed. Her parents have always told her that she thrashed and cried whenever they bathed her when she was a baby, and it continued even when she became a grown up. It took them a few years to realize that no, little Lisa didn't hate being bathed, she just hated water.

There's just something utterly discomforting about it, the way water felt on her skin: cold, sudden, wet. Drinking it is no issue, since all humans need water to survive anyways, but being bathed in it, being consumed by it, it makes all of her insides churn and her gut tighten. It just didn't feel right.

She didn't like pool parties. Didn't go to them despite her friends begging her to. The first time she went to one, she vaguely remembered seeing something glowing beneath her skin as soon as she put her arms in the water, something hot and fiery, almost like embers. She didn't play with sprinkles either; she abhorred the rain. She didn't like anything that involved water, and even if she tolerated bathing, she still had to make it quick and immediate or else she'd go crazy.

So during her sixth birthday party, the voices began. It used to be just a few whispers here and there, but when she woke up in her nursery that day, they'd gotten louder. Clearer. Little Lalisa didn't know them, but she wasn't scared of them at all. It almost felt like she's known them her whole life.

The voices only got louder when her birthday cake was being brought to the table though, a lit candle on top of it. The sight of the flame calmed her insides, but the voices were persistent. Out, out, out, they protested, dancing wildly beneath her skin. Lalisa was young and she didn't know any better, so she let go of the imaginary leash and released the voices to the world in the form of a raging fire, burning everything on top of the dining table in the blink of an eye.

Needless to say, a firetruck was called right before they cut the cake, and Lalisa was instantly taken to a healer that specializes in the supernatural.

She was blessed, the healer had said, blessed by Hephaestus, the God of the Forge and Fire. She was chosen to bear his power, his strengths, and it would be up to her to use it in any way she wanted.

Of course, when humans don't understand something, they fear it. Panicked, her parents instantly sent her to South Korea to an aunt who took care of her until she left the place for college by choice. It wasn't that she was treated badly per se, it's just she felt like a burden especially after her parents just dropped her off like that, barely taking the time to call her during the years they were apart. She went home for Christmas sometimes, but there'd be nothing except awkward conversations and forced hugs.

So, she never tried fixing whatever it was between her and her so-called family.

It wasn't until later that the news had spread: a boy that was blessed with the power of the Sea God has overtaken the Soul City, and for the first time in her life, she felt something akin to joy. She wasn't alone, and she may never be.

Fast forward years later: here she is now on a date with the said boy, the both of them standing in front of a coral reefs exhibit. Her with a frown on her face, and him with an excited glint in his eyes.

"Well, you're surprised, aren't you?" Jeongguk, the chosen one of the Sea God, asks right next to her. Compared to Lalisa, his aura is practically glowing, obviously happy to be near his element. Lalisa briefly wonders if she should bring him to a fire show on their next date.

"Horrified is the right word," she retaliates while walking backwards. The blue colour just makes her stomach churn, eurgh.

Jeongguk notices her backing away and grabs her hand. This time, the look on his face is serious: brows pulled together and doe eyes genuine. "Hey," he says gently. "I didn't bring you here to terrify you... I just, well, I know you're afraid of water and as someone who loves the element, I wanted to show you the beauty of it."

Aww. He's honestly so cute, Lalisa thinks as she purses her lips and nods despite the fire in her body thrashing at the idea. Shush, she tells them. Let me have my moment.

"The Sea isn't something to be afraid of," he adds, looking over the rainbow colors of the corals. "It isn't just violent, but it's gentle and caring and it's beautiful. So please, just give it a chance? Just this once? I'll make it worth your time, I promise."

She can't help it when a snort escapes her mouth, the tension in her body lessening because of his words. "I can't believe you just waxed poetic about water."

Jeongguk glares at her. "Hey. It's not just water, it's the Sea. It's my friend."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," she acquiesces. To be honest, the coral reefs look kind of awesome. It's all... rough and curvy and shit. Whatever. Maybe it won't be so bad once they explore the rest of the exhibit. "They better be worth it or I'll burn your eyebrows."

Okay, she won't really do that, but seeing Jeongguk's face morph into fear brings her some kind of joy.

* * *

By the time they were nearing the end, Lalisa is practically crying about sea otters while Jeongguk walks next to her with a smug smile on his face as if saying I told you so. He's such a little shit, but she likes him for it.

(And sea otters deserve the hype, okay?)

"Oh my gods, Gguk, they're just so cute!" She prattles on and on, staring as the creatures attempt to follow her. She'd played with them a little earlier, cooing and laughing as they attempt to nuzzle her hand with their cute little nose. "Do you think the staff would get mad if I melt the glass down?"

This breaks his smugness and Jeongguk practically drags her by the time they enter the last exhibit, worried and slightly concerned. "You're gonna get your ass kicked out, Lali."

"Damn it," she sighs and begrudgingly follows him in front of a door with the sign Restricted hanging right in the middle. Instantly, her interest is piqued. "Oooh, what's this? Soul City's hero breaking the rules? What a shocking revelation!"

He rolls his eyes and touches the door handle, looking around in case the staffs were staring at them. "Shut up. It's something I just discovered moments ago. If it weren't for the fish over there, I wouldn't have known."

Lisa raises a brow. "What fish?" Jeongguk mumbles something, but she doesn't catch it. "Wait, what do you mean if it weren't for the fish? Did they tell you?" He nods, turning the door handle ever so slowly. "Holy Hephaestus, you can talk to fish?!"

"Like you don't talk to lizards," he blurts back. Immediately, she shuts up because... well, she actually does and lizards are nice creatures, too, for your information. They're cute and they're fun to talk to. When the door's fully open, he grabs her hand in a hurry and pulls her in.

"I also talk to lions, sweetheart. Don't you ever-- oh." Oh. She blinks, and then looks at Jeongguk, and then looks back at the exhibit again. Her breath almost stops in her throat... because-- "Oh wow, I don't... wow. This is-- this is--"

"Beautiful?" Jeongguk finishes for her. She nods, licking her bottom lip.

Right in front of her is a room filled with numerous jellyfish tanks, their beauty highlighted by the darkness blanketing the whole exhibit. Inside them, the jellyfish were pulsing with colorful lights, varying from pink to blue to green that Lisa feels like she's in a whole new world. The other sea creatures were amazing, too, but to see this... it's just-- she's never been anywhere as beautiful, as wonderful as this.

A nudge breaks her out of her trance. "Hey," she hears Jeongguk speak, "let's walk around?"

Lisa swallows and nods. "Okay."

Jeongguk smiles again--that fond, small smile that he'd been sporting these days--and grabs her hand. If Lisa were in her Phoenix mode right now, she'd jokingly burn his palm with a bit of fire but she decides that this moment is too precious to ruin, so she takes it and walks towards the tanks.

"This isn't supposed to open until next week," he says conversationally, reaching over to touch a blue tank, the jellyfish instantly going to him like he's some kind of magnet. "But the fishes at that other exhibit told me it's fine, so, here we are."

"Oh to be wooed by a man who can talk to fish!" She sings dramatically, pretending to faint in his arms. Jeongguk catches her, obviously, and when she looks up, there's a slight tinge of pink in his cheeks. "Jokes aside, that's seriously cool though. Like, if we were to have an apocalypse the fish can give you some place to hide for the time being."

"Whatever," he deadpans, but his chest puffs out a little and she almost coos.

They walk around the said exhibit hand in hand, with Jeongguk looking more alive than ever. Lisa supposes it was because he's surrounded by his element, with the way he was also spitting out random aquatic facts like he's some Encyclopedia or something. She thinks it's super adorable.

("Did you know that most fish are hermaphrodites?")

("Jellyfish are immortal, fyi.")

(I don't know if you know this but most of the life in Earth is aquatic.)

Soon enough they were nearing the end, and Lisa notices Jeongguk looking fidgety as they pass the last tanks. Before she can even ask, though, he's already facing her, biting his lip in worry.

"Look, I--" He begins, tone unsure. The neon lights of the tanks illuminate his face, and Lisa takes a second to admire his beauty. "I know this wasn't the ideal date for you, and I'm really sorry for that, but--"

"Woah, woah, wait. What are you sorry for?"

Jeongguk seems dejected. "It's just I knew you hated water but I still forced you into this--"

Lisa's jaw falls open. "Forced? You didn't force me to anything, you barnacle. I know it did seem like I was mad, yeah, but I find it really touching that you went through this with the thought that I'd like it, and honestly, I did." It's the truth. Even the fire that lies in her veins were forgotten as they went through each and every exhibit. "Plus, as we explored everything else, well... I realized that..."

Shit. Can she say this? Her fiery pride would deflate if she would.

Jeongguk, the little shit, probably realized her crisis because the sad look is gone and replaced by a wicked grin. "What? What, say it!"

Damn him and his rabbit smile. "Sea creatures aren't... bad at all."

It's embarrassing to admit, even as her flames protested as if they were offended, but she finds that Jeongguk's laughter is worth the admission. He throws his head back to cackle like a damn witch, and Lisa tries to stop the snort that's threatening to leave her lips.

"You said it! You said it!"

Feigning a glare, she flatly says, "Yeah, I did."

It's the most fun she'd had in a while, and if she were given the chance to do it all again, she would--sea creatures and water and all, just so she could see Jeongguk this happy again.

* * *

The apartment is quiet by the time Lisa came to. It's well past 9pm, and she's already preparing for bed after spending an exhausting day with a certain water elemental. After they went to the aquarium, they dropped by to another arcade and spent the entire afternoon fighting over tickets like elementary students. Dinner happened after (seafood, much to her chagrin), and then in the blink of an eye, Jeongguk was already speeding off to head to Taehyung's after dropping her off her place.

Despite all her snarky comments and endless teasing, she still couldn't deny that spending time with Jeongguk makes her feel all kinds of warm. And that's saying something, since her insides were literally made with fire so it's a given that she's warm--it's just he makes her feel warmer. Comforted, in a way.

She's already slipping in her sheets when her phone rings from the nightside table, and she picks it up without looking at the caller.

"Yes?" Lisa asks, laying her head down her pillow.

"Lali," Jeongguk says from the other end, breath ragged and heavy.

Instantly, her face forms into a frown. Her instincts were already telling her this isn't something good. "Yeah?"

"Can you-- can you come here? At Taehyung's, I mean," he rasps into the call.

Before he even finishes the sentence, she's already up and headed towards her front door, keys, phone, and wallet in hand. "Why?"

"There's something going on."

"Is it dangerous? Do I need to change into my suit?"

"No, no, but..." His next words send a chill down her spine. "Just be ready. In case."

* * *

Taehyung's apartment is located a few blocks away from Jeongguk's dorm. Lalisa knows this because she sometimes visits the boy with Jeongguk just to play video games during their free time. It's dark when she arrives to his front door, but Jeongguk is already waiting by the living room as soon as she enters.

His eyes light up when he sees her getting inside. "Hey. You're here."

If it was any other time, she'd drop a joke, but the atmosphere doesn't seem right. Instead, she says, "Yeah, I am. What's going on?"

Jeongguk stands up and puts a hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the hallway. "Look."

It's quite difficult to see in the dark, but Lisa waves her hand and it begins to glow, small fires dancing in between her fingertips. When the small hallway is illuminated with enough light, she sees patches of dirt scattered around the carpet.

"It's... it's dirt," she says dumbly, because it's honestly just dirt. "What--?"

He shakes his head. "No, no. Look inside his room."

The expression on his face is grim, and it sends Lisa's instincts going haywire. She nods wordlessly, and walks towards the bedroom with careful steps. She feels Jeongguk follow from behind her, a strong but quiet presence. Her other hand comes up to twist the door knob, and what she sees almost sends her fleeing.

"Is that--"

Jeongguk grunts. "Yes, that's Taehyung."

"But he's..." Lisa gulps, taking in the sight in front of her.

Taehyung, or what supposedly is Taehyung, is hovering three feet above his bed in a lying down position. His eyes are closed as if he is in deep sleep, but that isn't the issue. The issue is that there's plants growing around the room, all of them more than six feet tall, and they're still growing to a bigger size. Dirt is strewn around; on the bed, under the plants, spilling out of the cabinets. And vines... vines were circling around Taehyung's arms and legs like snakes. Alive, but not seemingly so.

"Taehyung, he..." Jeongguk stops and lets out a shuddering breath. Lisa stares as one of the plants reach its stems over to their friend's face, caressing like a mother would to her child. "Taehyung's one of us. He's blessed by Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility."

And then, Taehyung's eyes flew open.

THE END.

* * *

a/n: what is up!!! this sequel was supposed to be published months ago after a friend of mine suggested for me to make one, but i didnt start writing it until the end of september. anywho, THEYRE DATING NOW!!! that's progress right thereeee

also yes jk can talk to fish and other aquatic animals, and lisa can talk to lizards and lions and tigers and roosters bc they're all animals associated w fire. plus idk if it's clear but jk has always mentioned that lisa has fire in her eyes, and that meant actual fire. theres like flames dancing in her irises, mixing with her normal brown color. lisa also has fire in her blood--again, actual fire, and that's why her arm/hand glowed when she put it in the pool when she was a child, and how she was able to light up the hallway of tae's apartment when she waved her hand. for jk his blood has water too, and altho his eyes dont mirror the sea, his attitude does.

+ the jellyfish exhibit photo is from google and manila ocean park btw i went there w my friends some time ago and it was rly pretty so.

idk if there's gonna be another part to this. honestly the taehyung part wasnt planned at all, but i thought it'd be a nice addition to our little elemental duo. we've got water, fire, and earth now, all we're lacking is air LOL jk this isnt some avatar shit. but i think that'd be nice too.

all that aside thanks for reading,, lemme know what u think

caly x