#day 8 wicked

elvendara:

For@mysme-fictober2020prompt list

and

@juminweek2019 Day 4:Swimming Pool vs.Beach

Day 8: Wicked 

Jumin walked down the beach, his shoes in his hands. There were times when his wealth was an asset. The secluded home and its own private beach being one of them. He took a deep breath and inhaled the salty sea air. It had been a rough few weeks culminating in one of the worst birthdays of his life. He’d decided to take a few days off and recharge.

As he walked he contemplated his place in the world. There had never been a time in which he had not known exactly what his future held, yet lately, he found his life empty, his work not as fulfilling as it once had been. V had suggested he was lonely. Perhaps he was right, but what woman could he ever trust? Most that came into his life were either gold diggers or looking to create a business alliance, not a marriage in the true sense. A merger of means as opposed to of love.

And there was the rub. Love. What did it even mean? He had loved his mother. He loved his father. But he had never loved a woman. He considered the feelings he’d held for Rika but knew it was nothing more than infatuation for a woman he could never have. It never crossed his mind that it was real, nor would he have crossed that line even if it was. He held too much respect and admiration for his friend, and for himself. Still, it was a starting point. The way Yoosung talked about falling in love was juvenile, however, he wouldn’t mind feeling those butterflies in his belly, that sweet shiver down his spine at the mere thought of another person. He envied the boy, knowing that that kind of love was not in his own future.

The cool water lapped over his bare feet and he stopped for a moment, watching the waves come in and go out, digging his toes into the sand. The tactile feel was pleasant and grounding. He wore a pair of purple swimming trunks and an unbuttoned shirt that flapped around him in the breeze. The sights and sounds of the beach were calming on his nerves. These thoughts were intrusive and insidious. Love.

Sighing he turned away from the water, but something bright blinded him for a fraction of a second. He turned towards it but saw nothing. After a few seconds, he began to think it was his imagination when it happened again, and then again. There was definitely something out there. A few rock outcroppings dotted the area, perhaps something had drifted onto one of them. He was about to turn and keep walking when curiosity got the better of him. He dropped his shoes well away from the waves and folded his shirt atop them. Wading into the water he dove in when it was at his waist. It took him no time at all to make it to the outcropping he had pinpointed as the origin of the reflection.

As he tread water he faltered, unsure of what he was seeing. The sun reflected off of shimmering emerald green scales. The size was enormous for a fish, but what he was looking at was most certainly not a fish. The scales tapered off into light green skin. His gaze went from a flat belly to exposed breasts, slender shoulders and a woman’s face with long dark green hair that was partially in the water. A single hand fell into the water and bobbed with the current.

After the initial shock he swam to the woman, his mind would no tolerate thinking of her as a mermaid, and tried to ascertain whether she was alive or not. As he placed his ring and middle finger on her throat her eyes flew open.

It surprised Jumin and he backpedaled in the water as he watched the woman sit up and slide into the water. Her eyes were sparkling, the same shade of emerald green as her scales. Her lips were full, a shade of deep purple. She was before him, eyes blinking and enticing.

“Never have I encountered such a bewitching mortal.” Her voice was soft as silk, Jumin wanted to hear more. She swam closer. Everything in Jumin screamed for him to run, but where could he go? In the water she was surely faster than he could ever hope to be.

“Wh…what are you? A mermaid?” he asked.

The woman laughed, and even that sent chills down his spine, it was delicate and frail.

“A mermaid? How insulting, as if I could ever be anything so insignificant. I am a being you could never fathom, so your minimal minds must make up stories. Do you imagine you are superior to me in any way?” her eyes blazed into Jumin’s grey orbs and he could feel the strength leeching out of his limbs. He was going to drown; he knew it as a certainty.

“Never.” He whispered nonetheless.

“Then perhaps you are smarter than your fellow men. Tell me mortal, what is your dying wish?” she wrapped her arms around Jumin and he could feel the scales of her tail against his legs.

“A kiss.” The words were out of his mouth before he really thought about them, but why not?

“I shall grant it for you, and you shall revel in the knowledge that no other mortal has ever felt my lips upon theirs, nor will any other mortal feel them again.”

“Why?” he dared ask.

“You intrigue me, your mind is…most chaotic. I shall cut your strings and free your soul.” She pressed her lips against Jumin’s, holding him tight as they sank beneath the waves. So this was what butterflies in your belly felt like.