Chapter Text
The boys all found themselves back on the Levanter’s deck, after Seungmin had made sure that no other boat was in sight of course. He’d shown them the “tanning spot” under the sails and the mers had pretty much overrode the place, ending up in a seal pile on top of the waterproof mattresses. Felix had carefully been placed on the top of the pile, and if his genuine smiles and small giggles were anything to go by, the boy was starting to feel like himself once more. The fact that he was surrounded by his pod, and that they were all finally relaxing after weeks of exhausting travels probably helped a lot.
“Alright… so…” the diver started, feeling intimidated once all eyes settled back on him. He was standing in front of them, with a couple of bags at his feet. “I tried to get something that you would each like, as a thank you to have willingly embarked on this adventure on the other side of the world with me.”
He passed a hand through his pink hair, watching how the mers all looked at him like a bunch of impatient pups, eager for their surprises. Some of them were barely able to stop their tails from wagging in anticipation, and the sight was so cute that Seungmin internally cried at not being able to take pictures of his precious boys.
“First up is Channie-hyung!” he reached down to retrieve something from one of the bags, mercifully putting an end to the little waiting game. “I’ve noticed that you’re really
playful whenever you’re not in leader-mode,” Seungmin winked at the orca “and Changbin once shared with me how you used to love jumping and flipping out of the water.”
“I did… But I had to stop when we almost got caught by humans because of me, once” Chan dejectedly looked down, one of his flippers flopping sadly.
“Well, I might have a solution for you” Seungmin smirked. He knew that marine mammals – such as whales, dolphins or seals – loved to jump. However, on top of that natural inclination, Chan also tended to act as a big puppy on his good days. Whenever he was relaxed, and let his guard down a bit, he loved to play tag with the others, or to annoy them into cuddling him, or even just to trail after them like a lost little pup. Hopefully, Seungmin’s gift would both satisfy Chan’s need for safety, and his more dog-like behavior.
The biologist pulled out a small black object from the bag, showing it to the boys who all awed softly, although none of them knew exactly what they were looking at.
“This is a drone” Seungmin quickly explained. “It flies, and it has a camera on it, which I can use to scout the area and make sure no one is around to see if you want to have fun from time to time. It can go pretty high up in the air, but if you tried, I think you could actually reach it. Do you want to try?”
The pink-haired boy knew that challenging the leader was the best way to get him to do something, and that’s exactly what happened. Despite being skeptical at first, as soon as he heard those words, the orca was down to try. In less than a minute, the drone was in the sky and Chan was swimming under it, tracking it with his eyes as if it was a particularly slippery prey. Seungmin took the time to check the camera feedback, making sure that no other ship was in sight around them, before he started moving the drone, dipping it low just to tease Chan and then soaring up high to entice the chase.
The pod leader seemed hesitant at first. It’d probably been a while since he’d last jumped, simply for the fact that he needed to keep his pod safe and under the radar. And, despite the ocean being a vast place, nowadays you could rarely find a stretch of water that was truly empty from cargo ships, pleasance yachts or fishing boats.
However, Chan knew he could trust Seungmin with his pod safety, and if he said it was safe to jump, then he would believe him. So, the pod – who were still lounging on the deck – all got to witness as Chan finally let his guard down, letting most of his body disappear under the water apart from his eyes, his tail undulating faster and faster, until he finally fully dived under, disappearing from everyone’s sight. A giant splash made all of them gasp as he emerged on the other side of the boat, easily jumping over the Levanter, his hand reaching for the drone that was still baiting him. He would’ve grabbed it if Seungmin hadn’t reacted at the last second, moving the drone around and making Chan fall back in the water empty-handed. The leader wouldn’t give up until he succeeded though, and he kept on jumping higher and farther away in his mission to grab the pesky little piece of human technology. His podmates cheered him from the boat, awing at his graceful arcs and marveling at how he seemed to fly in the air. Leaning on the railing, Seungmin smiled widely, happy that his first gift was appreciated.
After what felt like hours of playing around, Chan came back to the boat, radiating joy and the sort of bone’s-deep tiredness that could only come from a good workout.
“That was so much fun!”
“You liked it? If you want to do it again, you can just ask me and I’ll get the drone out for you” Seungmin smiled.
He gave some space to Chan so the orca could jump one last time, landing on the deck this time. The Levanter swayed a bit under the weight, but held up bravely, proving that she truly was a good fit for the pod.
“Thank you Minnie, I loved your gift” Chan crooned, and Seungmin simply could do nothing else but to crouch and kiss his leader lovingly, caressing the now wet curls of the orca.
“Minnie, what about us?” Jeongin whined behind them, and they both chuckled and separated, too weak to resist their youngest’s wishes.
“I’m coming! Binnie is the next one on my list actually” the diver reached into his bag once more while Chan settled back at the bottom of the seal pile. His leader’s instincts were never too far, despite the fun he’d just had, and he made sure to flick his wet tail over his boys to stop their skin from dehydrating.
In the meantime, Seungmin handed a shiny silver object to Changbin, who took it expectantly. “Here you go. You can leave it in the boat when you’re not using it, but it’s waterproof and has got a pretty decent battery life.”
“Uhm… thank you?” the mer asked, obviously very lost as to what was happening.
The human chuckled, sitting next to Changbin to show him how to use his gift. “It’s a flashlight. Here, if you press the bottom, the light turns on” he demonstrated.
The black-tailed mer gasped at the discovery, almost dropping the lamp. “What… what is this? It’s like a… portable light? Is it fire? I’ve seen a few of those on the coast before, during the night, but I didn’t think it looked like that” he frowned, turning the lamp over and grunting when the light hit his eyes directly.
“It’s not fire” Seungmin explained, “but it is supposed to bring you light in dark places. I thought that, since you love to hunt in the depths, you could try to fish with the flashlight. It will attract the fishes to you, and it’ll make it easier to catch something. Not that I doubt your ability to hunt, of course! I just mean, if ever you’re in a hurry, or if there’s not that many fishes it can help you-” he rambled on, afraid to have inadvertently offended Changbin. What a familiar situation he found himself in…
Thankfully, the mer cut him off with a kiss and a hug, squeezing the human tightly in his arms.
“Thank you little one. This is very thoughtful of you, always thinking of ways to provide for the pod. It’s most appreciated” he assured, nipping a little mark in Seungmin’s neck to show gratitude.
The diver only managed a strangled noise in the back of his throat, his breath quickening at the sudden intimacy.
“Changbinnie, let Seungmin breath” Felix teased them from his place on top of the cuddle pile. Hearing his deep voice both snapped the two boys out of their little world, and made everyone breathe a sigh of relief to know that Felix was truly back to being himself.
“Sorry” Changbin sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
“It’s… It’s okay… Uhm… Next gift!” Seungmin stuttered while his brain kicked into gear. “It’s for Minho” he called out, watching the feline mer slink away from the rest of the boys and slide to his side.
“What did you get for me, pretty boy?” he asked, hand rising up to caress Seungmin’s cheek.
He was without a doubt deploring the loss of Seungmin’s rounder face and planning dozens of ways to make sure the human gained back all the weight he’d lost. Seungmin didn’t push him off, knowing how important it was for Minho to feel like he could care for his podmates, and instead leaned into the hand as he presented him a small black box.
“It’s not very big, or extravagant. I just thought you would appreciate something more…, useful.”
Minho opened up the box, looking back at him with raised eyebrows. “Is it something to eat?”
“No, it’s not” Seungmin chuckled. “These are earplugs. I know that you have the best hearing out of all the pod, and that sometimes it gives you troubles. Chan told me how you never sleep for more than a few hours because some sound or another wakes you up; and I’ve also seen how you winced every time I started the engines on my boat, back in Busan. With these, the noise won’t be completely blocked out, but it’ll be at least muffled. Hopefully, it’ll make it more comfortable for you if you want to spend more time on the boat without hurting your ears; and who knows, it might even help you sleep for a full night! I… made a little pouch where you can store them and keep them with you, tie them to your net maybe…” he trailed off, his fingers skimming over the piece of net wrapped around Minho’s waist.
The mer was silent, observing the two beige-colored earplugs sitting innocently in their little box. Behind them, Jeongin whispered to Hyunjin: “Is he crying?”
“No, he’s not! It’s Minho, he never cries” the narwhal frantically whispered back, although he was swiveling his head around to try and get a good look at Minho’s face.
“I bet two handful of oysters that he’s going to cry” Jisung smiled, leaning forward.
“I take that bet” Chan chuckled, ruffling the shark’s hair.
“Ignore those idiots” Minho finally spoke up after a while, looking at Seungmin with teary eyes – but no tear fell down his cheeks. “Thank you for this; you are very observant, much more than I first thought, and I… didn’t expect this. But your gift is welcomed, and will be treasured, little one” the mer nodded, carefully slipping the earplugs in the pouch that was inside the box and tying the strings of the pouch to his net.
Some might’ve thought that this was a very formal way of thanking a friend, or a lover for a simple gift. However, gifts were very significant for mers, and they were always given and received with a sort of reverential wonder. So, Seungmin accepted Minho’s words gratefully and kissed the hand that cupped his cheek once more, giving the elder the time to put himself back together again, blinking furiously to hide the moisture in his eyes. To help alleviate the atmosphere, and also to make sure Jisung would lose his bet – because he was a little shithead like that – Seungmin playfully bit Minho’s thumb, making the mer jerk and scowl at him jokingly.
“Hey! Careful, you little rascal! It’s not because you gave me a gift that I’ll let you take a bite out of me like I’m some dumb little tuna! I’ll be the one to eat you” he threatened, surging forward to trap Seungmin on his back on the deck, while the human laughed heartily.
Behind them, they could hear Chan asking Jisung when he was going to get his oysters, while the shark whined that it was unfair. Minho leaned down to nuzzle Seungmin’s neck one last time, whispering a “thank you” against his skin, before pulling himself off.
“Alright” Seungmin brushed his hair back into place, massaging his cheeks that were starting to hurt from all the smiling he’d been doing in the past few hours. “The next gift is for Hyunjin! And we’ll have to go underwater for it. Actually, Jeongin and Felix’s gift is right next to it, so we can do that after.”
“I’ll be last to receive my gift? Seriously? You guys are all against me today” Jisung whined again, but it was cut off by Hyunjin grabbing him and pushing him towards the ramp so they could go and see his gift faster.
Each boy slid off the ramp easily, everyone ending up in the water, including Seungmin. Out of habit, Jeongin had slid next to the diver to help support him, like he’d done dozens of times since the gunshot accident. However, Seungmin gently redirected Jeongin’s hand, holding it in his own instead. He wanted to convey that he was fine and didn’t need to constantly rely on them, but that he still craved their presence by his side. Hopefully, the mer got the message since he quickly adapted to this new position and they both swam to the front of the Levanter, leading the pod.
“So, you probably already noticed that the hull here Is in a pointy shape, right?” Seungmin showed them, and they all nodded. “This is called the bow of the ship. And right here, on both the starboard and port side of the bow, I’ve installed these… let’s call them brushes.”
The pink-haired boy showed the pod the two big white bristled brushes that were fixed on the right and left side of the hull, right at the front of the boat.
“These are for you, Hyunjin. I got some inspiration after you told me that your horn is sensitive, and that you can never find something that’s both hard and soft enough to scratch it in the right place. All it took was for me to stay up late one night, get lost on the Internet and watch a documentary on cow brushes and this idea came to me!” he looked at the narwhal expectantly. “You can go ahead and use it to scratch your horn, tell me how it feels” he said confidently, pointing at his invention.
Hyunjin looked surprised, but he was always down to try something new. So, with no hesitation, the mer dove straight for the closest brush, angling his horn so it would slide against the brush’s whole length. Everyone also dove under the surface to observe his reaction and were reassured as soon as he let out a happy trill followed by quick clicks. Hyunjin quickly repeated the process of passing his horn along the brush, over and over again, his fins vibrating in happiness at the sensation. Then, with a laugh, he swam straight for Seungmin and wrapped him in his arms, hoisting him straight up and above the surface.
“This is incredible! Is it human magic? It feels so good! It’s much softer than a rock, but still very sturdy, and it scratches all my itches perfectly! You’re a life savior Minnie!”
The biologist chuckled as he let Hyunjin hug him tightly, petting his hair. “I’m glad you like it... I wasn’t sure it would work, but I’m really happy if it can help you out.”
Hyunjin’s hold on him tightened, the mer burying his face in his shoulder. “I can’t believe you even remembered about this. I… I talked to you about it once, many moons ago, and you still remembered it. Even better, you found a way to help me out with it… Sometimes I truly think we don’t deserve you, little one” he whispered in Seungmin’s ear, his hands tracing soothing patterns in the human’s lower back.
Before he even had the chance to protest that declaration, he was swooped out of the narwhal’s arms, a familiar giggle drowning out Hyunjin’s whistles of protest.
“Come on Minnie, it’s Lixie’s and I’s turn now!” Jeongin nudged him towards the turquoise tailed-boy, who was floating not too far away from them. Felix lazily smiled at them, extending a hand which Seungmin took, now effectively sandwiched between the two youngest mers.
“Alright, alright, you’ll get your gift” he laughed, playfully splashing Jeongin’s face. It barely did anything to phase the mer, but it was the intention that counted.
Behind them, Hyunjin dove back, probably to go enjoy his own gift some more. Jisung was swimming in circles around them, never having been the most patient one. Thankfully, Chan grabbed him gently and brought him in against his chest, back hugging him to help settle his nerves down. Minho was never too far from Felix, still feeling protective over the boy, but he did let them have their space to enjoy their moment with Seungmin. Changbin had decided to climb back on the ramp, liking to have the best vantage point to keep an eye on the whole pod and any possible danger around them.
“I remembered how you two told me that you were not just from the shallows, but from the reef? Innie told me how he missed the comfortable anemone beds whenever you travel in the open ocean” Seungmin gently recounted, brushing some of Jeongin’s hair out of his face. “And Lixie, you said that sometimes, especially when you have to sleep down in the depths, the pressure can become a bit too much and it makes it harder for you to breath…”
Jeongin turned a sharp eye to his podmate at that revelation, but Felix waved his concern off with a shake of the head. “It’s not that bad. It just makes my chest feel a bit tight sometimes, because I’m not used to go very deep, but my body usually adapts after a few days” he shrugged.
They all knew that the rest of the pod was listening in; how could they not, when they had such an acute hearing. They also all knew that Felix was downplaying how uncomfortable he could get, to not worry the others. However, Seungmin was here to help his boys, and he wouldn’t let go of the problem until he’d solved it.
“Well, I think my gift might still help to make you feel better; both of you” he held both Felix and Jeongin’s hands, squeezing them lightly. “What would you say about having your own sleeping place right under the boat, in a kind-of-reef?”
Jeongin tilted his head to the side, not understanding. “I’m not sure what you mean by that?”
Seungmin laughed and ruffled his brown hair. “It’s okay, I’ll show you what I’m talking about” he added mysteriously, tugging both mers by their hands towards the back of the Levanter. “Here, can you help me out?” he asked, taking the ramp and lifting the part where it attached to the deck to unhook it completely.
Changbin, who’d been sun tanning there quietly, yelped as his perch started moving, and he grumbled as he dove off the side, going to sulk about his sudden loss to Hyunjin. The narwhal had apparently finished his scratching session and he gracefully opened his arms to welcome a sulky Changbin while watching the rest of the operations with wide, curious eyes.
Felix and Jeongin, despite being two of the leanest of the pod, were still much stronger than any human and managed to lift the ramp effortlessly, holding onto it so it wouldn’t sink. Chan had been ready to help them out, just in case, but they’d been more than capable of holding the three-by-four-meters-long fiberglass panel.
“Perfect. Now follow me, I’ll show you where to put it” Seungmin instructed before diving under the hull, the two boys following him.
They slid the ramp into the appropriate hinges and hooks that the diver pointed out, ending up with a small platform fixed right under the hull, parallel to it and with about a meter and a half of space in between the panel and the actual hull. This created a little recess, almost like a hiding place, which the two reef mers quickly caught up on. They started chasing each other around the new space, examining how much they could stretch out in it and laying on the ramp-turned-platform.
In the meantime, Seungmin kicked back to the surface, using the rope ladder on the port side to climb on the Levanter and rummaging in one of the storage spaces on deck. He pulled out what looked like a big rolled up sleeping bag, heaving it overboard with a grunt and jumping in after it. Thankfully, Jisung had seen what he was doing and had caught the mysterious object before it sank further down. Seungmin scratched him behind the ear in thanks, earning a rumbling purr from the mer, before they both swam to the platform, Jisung helping the diver to unroll the surprise item. Once it was flat, it took pretty much the whole space available on the ramp, and Seungmin fixed it to the panel with some little hooks.
During his wandering around Sydney, the human had found himself in front of a furniture store which had been advertising a big winter sale. Inside, he’d stumbled upon a gel mat, which mimicked the hardness and spikes of foam mattresses, but which had the advantage of being waterproof and to be on the thinner side, making it easier to set-up at night and then clear in the morning. Of course, they wouldn’t be able to sail while the ramp was fixed under the hull and the mattress was in place – or at least, it would be harder to maneuver the Levanter with this weirdly positioned weight trailing them down – but it would be perfect for nights when the boat was anchored down. Hopefully, it would offer a more comfortable sleeping space for Jeongin, and it would give Felix a bed closer to the surface, allowing him to rest in a place where the oceanic pressure on his body was lessened.
Tentatively, Jeongin approached it, touching the thin mattress with one finger and seeing how it bounced back up at the contact. His eyes widened in wonder and he splayed himself on top of it, rolling around and feeling as the gel shifted around his body, reminiscent of the feeling of the anemone beds he used to sleep on back in the reef.
“Lixie! You have to try it, it’s so comfy!” the younger squealed, whistling frantically as he bounced up and down on the mattress.
The blonde boy took his time, swimming in circles a bit like a dog that’s trying to make itself comfortable, before finding the right spot and laying down on it, all curled up in a little ball, his black-tipped fins covering his body like a delicate blanket.
“Hmmm… this is perfect” he happily nuzzled is face in the mattress, his hand kneading the spot right next to his cheek. “So soft… so comfy…” Felix purred. Besides him, Jeongin was still jumping up and down, sending little tremors through the mattress which didn’t seem to bother the blue-tailed boy at all. He simply caught the younger’s wrist, a seductive smile stretching his lips. “Go kiss our little human for me, to thank him for the gift, will you?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice” Jeongin answered, an equally tempting and devilish smile appearing on his face, showing off his dimple.
Seungmin barely had time to think before the youngest barreled straight at him, sweeping him up in a hug and spiraling the both of them around while kissing the diver straight on the mouth. Sneakily, Jeongin used the opportunity to blow some air back in Seungmin’s lungs, which the diver was grateful for and showed it by sweeping his tongue over the mer’s plush lower lip. That apparently tickled, since Jeongin chuckled and moved away from the kiss.
“Thank you for this Minnie, it’s so great. You’re a genius for having thought of this” the mer praised him, his thumb caressing Seungmin’s cheek. “Such a smart human…” he crooned.
“Our little one is the smartest” Felix approved, swimming towards them and leaving a peck on the diver’s cheek. “He gives such thoughtful gifts… they’re almost just as precious as him” he teased, although his voice dropped as he got closer to Seungmin’s ear. “Thank you for helping to make this transition easier on everyone, Minnie.”
Seungmin hadn’t even thought about it that way. He’d simply wanted to show his appreciation to his boys for making this big move with him, and he knew just how valued gifts were in the mer community. If he also managed to solve some problems or worries that his boys had along the way, it was for the best.
“Alright, my turn now! I can’t wait anymore, I really want to know what Minnie got me!” Jisung interrupted their hug, swimming around them excitedly.
The shark managed to snatch Seungmin out of Jeongin’s arms and swam them to the surface, sporting a big wide grin.
“You’re so impatient” Seungmin laughed, booping Jisung’s nose as soon as he got a fresh gulp of air in his lungs, “but you did have to wait the longest, so I’ll let it slide” he winked. “Actually, your gift is… more of an experience? It’s something that I want to try with you, if you’ll let me.”
Jisung tilted his head to the side, curious. “An experience? What kind of experience?”
“Have you ever tried… to lay on your back?”
it might’ve sounded like a really dumb question, but it was in fact a loaded subject, and seeing Jisung’s widening eyes and small flinch, he knew it too.
“O-On my back? No! Never! I would never do that!”
“Alright, alright, it’s okay, I was just wondering” Seungmin tried to calm him down, knowing it might be a touchy subject. “Can I ask if you know what will happen to you if you lay on your back?”
“Yeah, I won’t be able to move anymore and I’ll stop breathing and I’ll die!” Jisung’s breathes became more labored, his arms sneaking around Seungmin’s waist and holding for dear life. “Th-they tried to do it to me; the humans that took us away. They tried to push me on my back to move me from place to place, but I bit them, and I didn’t let them do it” he mumbled, head against Seungmin’s shoulder.
The scientist sighed, petting Jisung’s hair soothingly. “You did a great job then, love. You didn’t let them take advantage of you, and I’m really proud of you for that.”
Chan popped up next to them, trilling lowly in the back of his throat, not liking that one of his pod members sounded distressed. Seungmin signaled for him to come closer, letting the leader wrap himself behind Jisung, effectively sandwiching the shark between them.
“It’s alright baby, I’ve got you” Chan whispered to Jisung, letting out a series of rumbles and clicks that sounded comforting even to Seungmin’s ear.
“Sungie… I want to offer you something. You don’t have to accept, it’s entirely up to you; but I think it could be worth a try. Maybe just once, to see if you like it or not.”
“Is… Is it something like a kiss?” Jisung tried to joke to lessen the waves of worry that he could feel coming from the two people holding him.
“Hmm… Let’s say it could put you in the same state as your first kiss did” Seungmin cheekily answered.
That got Jisung’s attention, as he snapped his head up to look at the human. “Really?”
“Yes but… Well, it will also make you feel very vulnerable, and you’ll be putting your whole trust in our hands.”
“What exactly does that have to do with the humans forcing him on his back?” Chan frowned, not understanding where this was going.
“Well… When you put a shark on their back, they go into a tonic immobility. They don’t die, I can promise you that!” Seungmin explained to Jisung, having heard the fear in the younger’s voice when he’d explained what he thought would happen to him if he rolled over. “But their whole body relaxes, their muscles go slack, and their breathing deepens. It’s like… if you were dreaming. You can’t fully control your body, and that can be terrifying, and I am so glad that those scientists weren’t able to force you into that state! But, if you trust us enough to let us do that for you, you could… simply slip for a few moments, just let yourself relax for a bit, while knowing that we’re around and that we won’t let anything bad happen to you…”
“Why would you want him to do that?” Chan frowned.
The mer hadn’t meant to snap at the human, but he was having a hard time understanding how putting Jisung in a weak state would help him in any way.
“Sungie” Seungmin focused on the shark, staring straight at him. “You’ve been having nightmares, right? Since everything that happened?”
Jisung simply nodded. He was still having a hard time copping with the kidnapping, and often found himself waking up screaming, or fighting some invisible hands away.
“That’s why I think this might help you. There’s a thing, on land, that we call meditation. It allows you to reach a relaxed state, where it makes it easier for your brain to sort out through everything that’s on your mind, the good and the bad. People use it often when they’re agitated, and they want to calm down or to make sense of something that keeps running through their head all the time. I think that putting you in the tonic state would help you achieve that. Still, just like I said earlier, this is entirely your choice and no one will ever do anything to you that you don’t consent to.”
Seungmin wanted to make sure that his message was clear, so he tilted Jisung’s chin up to meet his gaze. The shark blinked slowly up at him, seemingly lost in his thoughts. After a tense moment though, and a little nudge from Chan, he nodded.
“I want to try it… Just once. To see if I like it or not. If I don’t, we’re not doing it ever again; but I trust you.” He looked at both Chan and Seungmin with a determined glint in his eyes.
“Are you sure Sungie?” the leader asked once more, unable to hide the worry in his voice.
The shark simply nodded, and Seungmin ruffled Jisung’s hair playfully. “Alright love, let me help you out then. You just let me guide you, and you don’t think about anything else apart from relaxing, alright? I’ll only flip you for a minute or so, and then we’ll let you tell us how you liked it…”
Once more, Jisung nodded to show he understood, and he loosened his grip on Seungmin, allowing the human to move him. The biologist very slowly started tipping him backwards, keeping a smile on his face, reassuring words tumbling from his lips in a constant stream. Jisung’s eyes gradually lost their focus, shifting from Seungmin’s face to look up at the sky, even when his head was fully submerged underwater and that he was finally laying on his back. As predicted, his whole body went slack, Chan hurrying to support him from under to keep him from sinking.
Everyone stopped moving, their other podmates not wanting to disturb this very special moment, while Seungmin kept on praising Jisung for how good he was doing for them, repeating over and over that he was safe. It was weird for the other mers to see their shark so still, since he usually only stopped moving when he was asleep; and even then, he tended to shuffle around endlessly through the night.
Felix came closer, silently swimming laps around Jisung to make sure he truly was doing okay, and to be able to detect the smallest indication of panic if there was to be one. Minho also stood by, humming a high-pitched melody underwater to lull the shark into a further sense of safety. Jeongin swam up to Seungmin instead, and put a steadying hand on the human’s shoulder to assure him of his silent support, which the diver found absolutely adorable.
After about a minute, which seemed to have lasted much longer than that, Seungmin gently tipped Jisung back over, cradling him to his chest with Chan’s help, who was basically supporting the younger two.
“Hello darling… Are you back with us now?”
Jisung hummed a little, his hands grabbing the human’s shoulders, which told him that he was slowly coming back to his senses.
“That’s great, you’re doing so good… Can you tell us how it went?”
Jisung opened his mouth a couple of times, his brain seeming to have a hard time clicking back in place, but he managed it after a few tries. “Good… Felt good. Safe, and calm… Wanna do it again someday” he mumbled, his head dropping to Seungmin’s chest.
The human let out a huge sigh of relief, which was coupled with the others’ soft cheers, everyone swimming closer to congratulate Jisung on being so brave. The shark basked in the compliments, enjoying the sweet attention until Minho herded them all back to the ship.
“I feel like Jisung is going to need a nap, and I think we all want to finally have a cuddle pile with eight people in it” he added, looking straight at Seungmin.
The human nodded with a smile, letting Chan take Jisung out of his arms to swim back to the Levanter. Thankfully, Jeongin and Changbin had managed to put the ramp back into place at the stern of the boat, and they had even managed to lay the gel mattress down on the deck while Seungmin had been occupied with Jisung. That allowed everyone to climb back onboard easily, Chan ending up carrying Jisung in a piggyback style as they went back inside the cabin. Past-Seungmin had foreseen the need for towels around the boat, so the mers were able to pat themselves dry a bit before going to lay on the pile of pillows and blankets. Once everyone got settled in the nesting room – in one big pile of course, everyone touching their other podmates in at least one way or another – a calm silence seemed to wash over them, making everyone feel drowsy after a long day and a lot of emotions.
Still, Minho took the time to steal a bowl of grapes from the nearby counter, having remembered from seeing it before that it was edible human food and plopped himself on Seungmin’s side, feeding him grapes one at a time, possibly in an effort to reassure himself that the human was going to gain some weight back. It might’ve also been a flirting attempt disguised under the need to provide for a podmate, so just in case, Seungmin made sure to reward him with a kiss; and just to make it that much more fun, he added a little tongue to fluster the mer, which proved effective when Minho let out a surprised whimper.
Seungmin chuckled, but quickly settled back down as his eyes roamed over the pod all reunited in one place, like they were meant to be. “I’m so glad you guys found me… I didn’t doubt you would, I’m just… happy that you did” Seungmin confessed, pressing Jeongin’s head closer to his chest. Behind him, Hyunjin tightened his hold on his waist, while Felix threaded his fingers in his hair.
“You’re a part of the pod Minnie. Without you, we’re not complete. We’ll always find you, no matter where you go” Chan assured, his flipper resting comfortingly over Seungmin’s legs.
“I know you will… You guys are the best.”
“Speaking of being the best,” Minho smirked, looking at their leader “Channie has thought of a name for our pod. An official name, that represents us pretty well if I do say so myself!”
“Oh? What is it?”
Seungmin was definitely intrigued. He had vaguely understood that each pod had a proper name, that was used during formal meetings between different groups whenever they had to discuss trade or alliances for example. However, all the names he’d heard before were the names of his boys’ old pods, and they’d all been in the mer language – understandably so. Now, despite all of his good will, Seungmin wasn’t sure he’d be able to pronounce their own pod name if Chan went with one of their beautiful but intricate series of trills and click.
“Well… Since we all came from different places, and that we all were lost and wandering before we ended up finding each other-”
Minho interrupted the orca. “What Chan means is that because he’s got a bad habit of adopting every lost kid he finds on his way-“
The leader tackled Minho, cutting him off abruptly and burying him under a pile of blankets, ignoring the giggling and wiggling of the boy under him as he kept on his explanation.
“- I chose the name Stray Kids.”
Seungmin stared for a moment. “Oh…”
“You don’t like it” Chan frowned, his shoulders slumping.
“No, no, no! That’s not it at all! I actually really love it” Seungmin smiled, saying it over a few times to get used to it. “Stray Kids… it’s got a really nice ring to it! I just… wasn’t expecting it to be a name I could pronounce” he sheepishly admitted, biting his lip. “I thought you’d go with a mer name.”
“Chan never even considered that option” Hyunjin revealed, petting Seungmin’s hair.
“Every new name he gave us was human inspired, as he called it” Changbin chuckled.
Little gestures like that were what truly melted Seungmin’s heart. The simple fact that they made sure to not exclude him from the name of the pod, even though it was something so deeply anchored in mer culture... They still made sure he could pronounce it, and that he agreed with it, and that made the butterflies in Seungmin’s stomach turn into fireworks.
“Well, I think Stray Kids definitely fits us” he hummed in agreement.
“Then it’s approved” Chan grinned brightly, throwing himself on top of his boys happily and earning pained groans and muffled squawks from everyone. “We are now the Stray Kids!”
Silence enveloped them once more, each boy feeling as if they were truly where they belonged in the universe, at this exact moment. They had a name, an identity for their pod. They weren’t lost little kids anymore, they were together. That made them feel so much more powerful, to know that no matter what happened, they would always have each other’s back. They basked in that knowledge, enjoying everyone’s presence and the soft comfort that came with being able to hold and cuddle each other.
Still, Jisung being Jisung, – even when he was half-dead to the world and slumped over Chan’s torso – he couldn’t stop himself from blurting out: “Does anyone have food? I’m hungry…”
The laughter that rippled out from the cuddle pile was only amplified as pillows started flying around the room, hitting unsuspecting victims and innocent bystanders, creating an all-out pillow fight. And if Seungmin laughed brighter than he had in days because he’d finally been reunited with his boys, then no one was there to judge him about it.