Chapter 57

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Jungkook barely realized when Taehyung opened his mouth. Too quickly did the effect of his voice send Jungkook back into a memory, just like Taehyung had done before. It was a dizzying experience and yet, when Jungkook opened his eyes again and found himself at a place he didn't recognize but still seemed familiar he had almost forgotten that this was Taehyung's memory.

Instead of fighting it, trying to make himself aware of his own presence and the fact that he was not Taehyung, he just let it flood over him. Tried to relax and stop thinking. Just take it in. Because he wanted to understand. Wanted to understand the reason Taehyung felt the way about humans that he did.

Taehyung was not in the water like Jungkook had expected. No, instead he was stumbling through a garden, trying to make as little noise as he could. He was completely naked Jungkook quickly realized. Which was the exact reason he was in that garden in the first place. Clothes were fluttering in the wind, hung out to dry.

Jimin had told him this had been the place where he had gotten his clothes the first time he had stepped into that human town. Jungkook could feel Taehyung's disdain. He didn't understand what Jimin liked about them at all. They stank, were loud and thought they owned the world.

And yet here he was, picking clothes off a washing line to do what Jimin had begged of him. Give them a chance. Just one. He had been so certain that Taehyung was going to like them. So Taehyung was doing that. Even if he still felt wobbly on those human legs, he was going to see what Jimin was oh so excited about.

He hadn't told Jimin though. Of course he hadn't. He already knew that Jimin would try to show him only the things he liked and avoided the things that were not to like. And Taehyung wanted to see humans, not the idealized version Jimin had made up.

He struggled with putting on the pants and the shirt, but at least the cape was easy to put on... and it could hide it if he slipped up. Staying human was hard. He had no idea how Jimin could do it hours at a time without showing any signs of stress.

Once he had gotten entirely clothed, he moved down to the main part of the town. It was a small town, mainly consisting of fishermen and some inns. To be honest, Taehyung knew more about that village than he had ever been willing to learn.

But Jimin just loved gushing about it hours on hours. It didn't take him long to find the villages center. It was just a little off the shore, in the middle of some small houses. These looked different from the ones Taehyung had always seen by the beach. Jimin had shown him parts before in his memory, but it wasn't the same as seeing it himself.

People were moving about, there were some market stands trying to sell food, furs and some jewelry. Right, they didn't have access to all the things that were beneath the surface. They looked a little different from what Taehyung usually saw though, so he approached one of the men that was selling the jewelry, his cape pulled up to hide his face. Humans tended to stare at it. He wasn't as good at hiding the fact that he wasn't human as Jimin was.

"...like..." Taehyung glanced up at the man that was talking to him. He had picked up some human language from Jimin, but not enough to understand the man with how quickly he was speaking. So he just looked down again, scanning over the items with his eyes. They were a lot sparklier than the things he usually found beneath the surface. He wondered if those had once looked like this.

"Is there ... you like?" The seller spoke up again, this time slower for Taehyung to understand. Slowly Taehyung shook his head. He had taken some money from the pouch Jimin had hidden, but he had no intention of buying anything here. Even if that jewelry looked pretty, there was no reason for him to want some.

Since the man seemed to become a little more anxious, Taehyung moved on. He wasn't sure if that was because he had noticed something about Taehyung that seemed off or if it was because Taehyung was not accustomed to the way humans acted and had maybe reacted wrongly, but he wanted to leave. He didn't want to attract any attention.

Jimin had told him to give humans a chance so he was giving humans a chance. Killing one of them because they thought he was being weird certainly wasn't going to help with that

He moved further down the street, getting a couple of seemingly curious as well as hostile looks. A man that walked past him intentionally pushed him to the side. Taehyung squeezed his hands into fists to stop the instinct to reach out and grab the guy. He wondered whether that was because he didn't look human or for another reason. As he moved further down the street he could hear mutters of "strange eyes". Were his eyes showing? He moved over to one of the glass windows of what seemed to be a store, glancing at his own reflection. No, they looked human... but they were right, they did look a little different than the other humans' eyes. A little sharper? Was that what they had been noticing?

Taehyung hadn't even realized that that part of him looked different too. But unlike Jimin he had no idea how to change that to look more suited. This was the type of detailed work that was so easy to mess up and required so much focus that Taehyung didn't want to risk changing it. If he did it was even easier for him to slip up or look completely weird.

So instead, he pulled the hood even deeper into his face and continued walking down the street. The looks seemed to stop for the most part, even if some people still glanced in his direction in suspicion. Taehyung wondered whether they were like that around Jimin too or if Jimin actually knew exactly what to do to make them believe he was one of them.

Finally Taehyung spotted something he recognized. An inn Jimin had shown him in his memories before. This was the place he usually stayed at when he decided to visit the town. Even though Taehyung didn't like this town at all, because Jimin kept making him come near it, he had somewhat positive feelings towards that inn. Every time Jimin showed it to him in his memories, there were so many positive emotions connected to it. Stories he had heard, people he had met and other things like that.

And while Taehyung knew he wouldn't have felt the same way living through these moments he understood Jimin's happiness. After all he had felt it himself.

He moved through the front door of the inn. Inside the air smelled weird. Like a mix of the same scent ships held and smoke. There were candles everywhere and Taehyung had to stop himself from turning right around. He didn't like fire whatsoever. It unsettled him. When Jimin had first shown him how to make a fire it had spread so quickly. He hated the stench of it and how fast it could ruin things.

And yet humans were using it in such large quantities in houses made of wood. But it seemed like it was controlled for the most part.

"...help you?" A man who Taehyung recognized as the innkeeper asked. He was standing behind a counter, cleaning a cup of a material he didn't recognize. He had seen metal cups before but this wasn't one of those. The surface was rough. They looked vaguely familiar, but that was probably just some of Jimin's memories mixing with his.

Taehyung had a vague idea of what to do now. Jimin would always eat and drink here, for coins. He pulled some coins from his pocket not sure how much he was quite going to need, so he just placed them down.

"Food." The word was harder to pronounce than Taehyung had expected. It came out sounding so different from the way Jimin had said it, but at least the innkeeper seemed to understand him because he nodded.

He said something else, but Taehyung couldn't understand it whatsoever. So he just turned to search for a place to sit, as far away from any candles as possible. Once he had picked one that was relatively far from open fires he sat down on one of the chairs. The inn was relatively full it seemed. Some men were sitting around one of the tables, laughing and joking loudly. Taehyung could only pick out a few words, but from the ones he recognized they were talking about women and sex.

A few other groups were there as well but none as loud as the one that was just a few seats down. After a few minutes the innkeeper joined Taehyung, placing down one of the cups Taehyung had noticed earlier as well as a plate with some sort of... thick soup in it. It smelled pretty good and Taehyung had heard Jimin praising the food from here countless times so he trusted it to be good.

"...not... from here?" The innkeeper sat down on the chair opposite Taehyung. In order to eat comfortably Taehyung pulled his hood off. When he looked back at the innkeeper the man seemed even more surprised, staring at his face. Taehyung couldn't help bringing up his hand to run it over his face and check if something was wrong with it.

He nodded slowly to answer the man's question. People around here knew each other. There was no point lying.

"...eyes... face..." Taehyung could barely pick up what the man was saying. He was speaking way too quickly. He was pretty sure his eyes should be looking human. "...other country?"

A little unsure Taehyung nodded. The guy was probably asking if he was from another country. At least he didn't seem to question if Taehyung was human. Maybe Taehyung looked human but weird for the people here?

Now the innkeeper seemed to change from a little curious to more relaxed. He continued talking at that high speed of his, laughing every once in a while and from the few words Taehyung managed to catch he seemed to be talking about the town... but at least he was no longer asking Taehyung any more questions.

Not sure how to use the spoon he had been given Taehyung picked up the plate with his soup and drank some, careful not to spill any. The innkeeper seemed to make a comment about it, pointing at the plate but Taehyung had no idea what that was about.

After a while someone else entered the tavern and the innkeeper said some words that Taehyung recognized, like goodbye, and then he was back at the counter to greet the newcomer.

So far most humans hadn't really bothered him. Taehyung might have gotten a few strange looks and didn't understand a word that had been said to him, but it was alright. He somewhat understood why Jimin liked this place. The food really did taste good and it was nice to see nature outside.

But at the same time Taehyung didn't like how many people there were. How loud they were and how intense everything smelled. Maybe it was the right thing for Jimin but Taehyung didn't exactly enjoy this either.

And Jungkook realized just how indifferent Taehyung had felt towards humans at this point. This wasn't like the memory he had seen before. Humans had felt different in that one. Taehyung didn't like humans, but he also didn't hate them. The best way to describe it was the way Jungkook felt about animals he somewhat disliked. Not like a dog or a hamster, but more like...a fly. Jungkook didn't hate flies per say, but if one bit him he also didn't exactly feel bad about killing it.

But when Taehyung had shown Jungkook his memories of that party Taehyung had felt more and intensely towards those humans. From annoyance to revulsion. Those had been the general feelings he had had towards everyone he had seen.

Now, as Taehyung looked around the room, those emotions weren't there. It was a weird mix of disinterest and curiosity.

Taehyung's body tensed reflexively and Jungkook found himself looking around the room as well, searching for the cause of the sudden feeling of threat. Just seconds later he spotted the men that had just been laughing loudly together coming towards him.

Taehyung wasn't good at reading body language. Not when the only person's body language he knew was Jimin's, and yet he could sense that the men approaching him now, unlike the innkeeper, weren't just there to chat. Something about them felt off. Taehyung had a good sense for ill intent and those men made his hackles rise.

They spoke but of course Taehyung could barely understand a word. They were talking about him being from somewhere else too, but this time it felt different. Hostile instead of curious. Taehyung just sat there, looking at the man that was talking down at him, his body strung tight like a bow. He had to prevent every single part of his body from reacting to the open hostility. He didn't want to cause a scene in Jimin's favorite inn.

One of the men touched his shoulder and Taehyung snapped. Warningly he hissed at the man who had touched him and he backed up, terrified. Based on his reaction Taehyung knew he had slipped up. Just for a moment he had lost his grip on his human form.

Before the situation could escalate any further Taehyung got up and walked towards the door, leaving his drink untouched. He pulled the hood over his head to hide his face again, since apparently even his human form wasn't enough to make people believe he wasn't different in some way. In a way that made them want to pick a fight with him.

Taehyung was going to be the one in control though. He had come here to look at the city, not to ruin Jimin's favorite spot for him. They were lucky Jimin liked this place that much.

The next few hours blurred easily. Taehyung wandered around the town as well as taking a look at the outer parts. He saw some animals he had never seen before. He was going to have to ask Jimin to come along with him to try eating one of those.

People of the town were... not exactly friendly. Most of them sent him dirty looks and started talking about him the second they saw him, but the worst were those that were open about it. Those that walked up to him with a clear intention to fight. Taehyung simply ignored them for the most part, making some others freeze in place that didn't let him. Some children started throwing stones at him, but when Taehyung walked towards them, they quickly ran away, laughing and screaming.

As night came around, slowly activity within the town started dying down. Taehyung had to admit he somewhat liked seeing the sunset from outside the water. The sun dipped the city in a beautiful orange and violet before eventually hiding behind the mountains. When Taehyung decided he was going to leave and walk back towards the ocean, it was completely dark outside already. The few humans he crossed on the streets were carrying fire with them to keep the area lit.

Taehyung had made it about halfway down to the harbor when someone grabbed him out of nowhere and the world around him went black. Literally. Someone had thrown something over his head. It reeked of dirty animals. They were dragging him down the street. Taehyung recognized their scents and voices despite the bag. They were the men from the tavern.

Taehyung could have defended himself and killed them within seconds, but he knew that would have caused a commotion. So instead he let himself be dragged down the street somewhere he didn't recognize. It smelled awfully. Not too far away he could hear some animals making noises. When the bag was finally pulled off his head he found himself in a stable. The men had closed the door behind them, the only light inside coming from the fire one of the men was carrying.

One of them spoke and Taehyung was just about able to make out what he was saying.

"Show what kind of monster you are." He pulled a knife from his pocket and directed it right at Taehyung. Their hostility was so thick in the air that Taehyung could nearly taste it on his tongue. He knew the knife couldn't hurt him, but the fact that it was pointed right at him made every instinct in his body scream to kill them.

He could feel the guy behind him tie his arms behind his back. Taehyung hissed warningly at him to make him stop touching him, but he didn't. Instead he pulled the knot even tighter.

"Look at me." The man in front of him roughly pulled his head to face forward. Taehyung's whole body tensed as he bared his fangs. The man behind him yelped, letting go of his arms when he saw Taehyung's claws.

"Freak..." The man said something else before hitting Taehyung straight in the face. The punch did nothing aside from pushing his head to the side, but it made Taehyung angrier. He had done nothing to provoke these men and yet they were attacking him like this.

One of the men said something but Taehyung could only pick out one of the words as the others pulled at the legs of Taehyung's pants. The skin on his shins had started changing, scales showing a little.

"...mermaid?"

Taehyung quickly hid them again, but he knew it was too late already. The man in front of him got closer to him, his faces just mere millimeters from Taehyung's. "...mermaid?"

Taehyung just hissed. He had no intention of revealing what exactly he was, especially not because that could actually make Jimin's life here difficult. If people knew that creatures like him existed they would start looking harder.

The man turned his head to say something to one of the other guys, who answered something short. Taehyung had no idea what they had said, but it certainly wasn't anything good because when the man turned back towards Taehyung he had lifted his knife again.

If he dared touch him again, Taehyung knew he wasn't going to be holding back anymore. Every single hand on his body made him feel dirty. He felt disgusting and they just kept inching closer and closer, a morbid curiosity and hostility in their eyes.

Taehyung had seen it so many different times in sailors' eyes when they had spotted him, but never to this extent, and usually he was in control in those situations. Yet he felt completely out of his element. The guy who had tied his arms grabbed them again, holding them tightly together behind his back, but before Taehyung could even react the man in front of him cut open the front of his shirt.

Taehyung wasn't sure where he had gotten the cup he was suddenly holding, but he felt the cold material of it against his now bare chest. The man lifted the knife and pressed it against Taehyung's collarbone.

Taehyung barely felt the prick as the man pushed the knife against his skin as hard as he could. His body switched completely to muscle memory as he pulled his hands in front of himself, the ropes snapping easily, before he buried his claws in the man's chest. He watched his eyes widen in fear, but it left him completely cold. He pushed his hand down, easily tearing through bones and flesh. Within seconds the man dropped, unconscious and bleeding excessively. Humans didn't heal the way Taehyung did so he was going to die. He stared down at the body before turning around. One of the men took off quicker than Taehyung could have reacted, leaving through the door into the dark of the night while the second stayed frozen in fear.

Taehyung didn't want to get his clothes any more dirty and likely to grab attention, so he made a small movement with his arms, pushing all the water in the man's body into one spot. Without as much as he sound he dropped to the ground and Taehyung quickly squatted down to wipe his hand on the his clothes.

When he finally made it back into the water he swore to himself he wouldn't go back there ever again. He didn't see the many positive things that Jimin liked in them, but things that were bad were just too easy to find. Taehyung had spent one day there and he knew that if he had stayed any longer this wouldn't have been the only incident. He had seen the way so many people had looked at him.

He had felt their intentions. He had felt the intentions of the men that had attacked him. He hadn't understood their words but he could tell from the way they looked at him. They hadn't just planned to kill him. They had wanted to use his body for their own purpose.

Taehyung shivered. He wasn't going anywhere near that place anytime soon.

A/N

There will be a second scene Taehyung will show Jungkook... any ideas?

Also what did you think of the chapter?🥺