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Chapter Text

Two pairs of feet made their way up the muddy hills. Their step was unsteady, less so for the muddy earth loosened by the rain, but because the wanderers seldom walked on solid land.

They were used to the incessant up and down of waves beneath their soles.

Hands entangled. Long, slender fingers wrapped around the shorter ones of his lover. They made up for the lack of a missing pinky, cradling the healed stump with reverence.

Hongjoong lifted his head to examine the nearing house on the hill through his wet fringe. The rain had dulled to a sizzle and the ocean's mists rolled over the cliffs to shroud them in constant moisture. Yet, it was drier than what he was used to. The distant crashing of the waves into the rough walls reminded him; called him back home.

The captain's eyes studied the dark windows of the run-down hut, ducked onto the field like a stubborn bug who refused to be washed away by the weather. No horse idled nearby, and no child came running at them, swinging a pan for a weapon.

Though they never announced their visits, this place had never been this silent before.

Disquieted, Hongjoong glanced at his companion.

Seonghwa's face was even. When at rest, it lost the agitated lines of stress and worry that plagued him all the time. Though the scars remained, his skin smoothed out and his strong, beautiful eyes mellowed with that inherent softness.

Even after they spent so many years at sea together, Hongjoong still saw that Seonghwa hadn't been born a pirate. No matter the mad glimmer in his eyes when he was covered in guts and blood and no matter how smoothly he rode the waves. The same pure core remained.

Their wedding ring glinted on Hongjoong's finger when he pushed his hair from his face. His fingers tangled in stubborn braids and dreads, clicking against pearls and rings woven into the complicated mess.

A tribe of native island dwellers had done them for him; had praised his naturally brown hair that was bleached by the sun and the wind. They brightened the stubborn strands into a dirty blond and tied them back with their fascinating techniques. The result upheld much better than Hongjoong would have expected.

"Ye reckon they be 'ome?" Hongjoong asked as they crossed the last spread of slippery grassland. His eye caught onto the raging sea beyond, where a storm chased dark clouds across the skies to strike lightning and thunder at the unfortunate souls who didn't seek a harbour in time.

When Seonghwa replied, the jagged scars on his cheeks where his mouth once got cut open contrasted with the smooth velvet of his voice.

"We can find 'em in town if they left fer the market."

But it wasn't Friday. Seonghwa never timed their visits, only that they couldn't be on Friday. Friday was market day.

Reminded of the day they first met - a Friday -, Hongjoong left it to him to find out while he mulled over his thoughts. Back then, it also rained. And Hongjoong had anchored the Precious at these very shores, seeking provisions and finding so much more.

Seonghwa rapped his knuckles against the drenched door of his prior home. The wood was withering the same way the Precious would if Jongho didn't tend to her so dutifully. Since Seonghwa's mother was old, they should bring their shipwright next time. He could elongate that door's life for however much longer its services were needed.

As they waited, the usual fond nostalgia crossed Seonghwa's eyes. It caught up with him whenever they returned here and it never lost its magic over the years. Visiting his mother and Tikki was his ritual of peace. They weren't the Pirate King and the Pirate Prince here. They were just Seonghwa, the baker boy, and his besotted husband.

Hongjoong couldn't help himself. As Seonghwa smiled at the ground with the shy grin reserved only for fond memories of his past, the pirate's hands lifted to his face as if unable to resist his draw. Seonghwa was the siren calling to him, always. Hongjoong would drown in his depths time and time again if it meant spending mere seconds with his breathtaking treasure.

"Sugar," it slipped from Hongjoong's lips before his brain conjured a single thought. His heart surged when Seonghwa turned his head in response. When Hongjoong's lashes fluttered shut and their lips met, his dark-haired lover gladly fell into him.

Seonghwa's lips tasted of the sea and of the rum Yunho served with their every meal, no matter whether on land or on water. They were Hongjoong's pillows to rest on, so heavenly and soft, the door to Seonghwa's ever-so-charming sounds and whispers.

They got lost in each other longer than they would allow themselves usually in this place. No one bothered them out here, so they were unrushed. Arms pulled each other closer as their lips exchanged memories and their meanings.

The expected interruption of the opening door never came. No shrinking lady beamed up at them. And no iron pan hit Hongjoong's shins.

They pulled from each other when the sinking curiosity distracted the flutters of their hearts. Hongjoong adored Seonghwa the same as back then. Had it been seven years? An eternity passed.

Seonghwa peeked at the door. Before he removed his warm hands from Hongjoong's sides, he sent him an apologetic grimace. Unperturbed, Hongjoong leaned his hip against the wooden wall of the little hut. The additional wetness that soaked his shoulder and clung to his heavy weapons didn't matter.

Seonghwa knocked again.

"Mum?" He called, voice low enough not to alert any bounty hunters who might creep around. Her hearing hadn't deteriorated yet. Perhaps they went out on some special errands.

"Yonghwan might 'ave taken 'er on a voyage," Hongjoong reckoned as he eyed the far tree line. The Precious anchored in a hidden bay, but they could walk the road to the town. If they got cold, Hongjoong knew some delightful ways to warm them back up.

If the two went elsewhere, the pirates wouldn't know. It wasn't safe to send messages announcing their arrival when the entire royal navy, plus every bounty hunter with a death wish, was after them.

Seonghwa nodded as he tried the door. It swung open, underlining their suspicions.

After another scan around the area to make sure this was no trap, Hongjoong pushed off the wall and followed Seonghwa inside. The dim twilight of the evening scantly lit the room. The ocean's noise grew dull once Hongjoong tugged the door shut, and the lightning flashes were bright enough that they didn't need fire to see.

The house lay before them, solitary and barren. A faint sheen of dust had settled on the furniture and the coals were cleared out of the chilled fireplace.

Together, they ventured to the back, where Seonghwa's family usually curled up together in one pile. The furs and blankets were gone, the uneven boards of the ground naked.

No one had been here for a long time.

Hongjoong opened a cupboard to find it stripped of its contents. If all their possessions were gone, and the horse as well, did they move to a safer place? Did Yonghwan bring them elsewhere or did the navy finally apprehend Seonghwa's mother for supporting her pirate son?

Gaze darkening, Hongjoong sat on the corner of the desk while he waited for Seonghwa to look around. Worry overshadowed his features, but since their departure didn't look frenzied, he kept his calm. Hongjoong withheld his thoughts to assure his husband. Had they been seized, their belongings would still be here.

"'Ow will we find 'em? They must be with Yonghwan," Seonghwa shared his conclusion. Lost in his usually so warm surroundings that became distant from the lack of his loved ones, he turned on his heels. His fitted coat reached to his calves and was pinched to his waist by his weapons belt. The rose rapier that had once been Hongjoong's made him look like a noble knight from the neck down.

Even now, Hongjoong would believe him he was a prince if Seonghwa insisted. No matter how the sea roughened him up, a certain grace remained.

"Where would Yonghwan leave a message?" Hongjoong asked as he stood. They searched again, checking the nooks and crannies, because the admiral knew the two would show up in due time.

And he knew they would break all hell loose if they had reason to suspect something happened to their family.

It took them some pondering, but they ultimately found a corked bottle under a loose floorboard below the wardrobe. As Seonghwa pried them aside, he chuckled that he hadn't done this since he was a child and hid the flower a boy had given him from his mother. By the time he went to retrieve it, it was dusty and wilted.

The parchment was humble. It addressed no name and wasn't sealed with wax, so the author couldn't be tracked down. Together, they huddled under the narrow window to open it. Seonghwa struggled to read out loud sometimes, but he proved his progress by trying.

"Son," he began, lips odd around the word since he never had a father to call him that. Yonghwan seldom called him that, but the message was direct and anonymous. If Seonghwa lived with them, the navy officer would have become his stepfather.

"I don't know when your journey next takes you here, but by the time you read this, we are long gone. I am sorry to overbring the news, especially through a letter instead of a conversation. Your mother..."

Seonghwa broke off, lips no longer producing sound. His fingers started trembling and Hongjoong stepped in when a suspicious wetness glinted in Seonghwa's eyes at the next flare of lightning.

When he stretched out his arm, Seonghwa fell into it. He became so small, so vulnerable, so unlike the scary pirate who slaughtered demons before.

Hongjoong's heart sank when he could tell what this was about. But nothing hurt worse than Seonghwa's stifled sobs in his neck.

Hongjoong held him as he read the letter, lips pressing mindless kisses under Seonghwa's ear.

Your mother was struck by illness and didn't make it through the winter. I tended to her in her final days and we talked a lot about you. Please know she didn't go alone. She left with a smile on her lips and asking me to tell you she loves you. In the bottle is also the secret recipe for your favourite pastries. She passed on to you now, though she knew you long since figured out the ingredients.

I took care of everything. Since I wanted you to visit her, we buried her at the cliff down in the forest, where she can watch over the ocean for your return. Pay her a visit.

Your daughter is with the butcher lady in town, the one your mother was close to. She agreed to take care of the little one until your return. Best come by during the night to resolve things. She knows.

I'm sorry about the circumstances. There was no way of telling you. Take your time and seek me out if you need to talk. I will arrange to share your grief.

Father

The simple last word struck a cord in Hongjoong. With a sigh, he lowered the letter on the table to engulf Seonghwa in his arms. He rocked his husband left and right, swinging gently to soothe him. Vicious tears bit at his eyes, for Seonghwa's sadness was his sadness. Hongjoong received lots of love from Seonghwa's mother and he was eternally grateful for her help with Tikki. He would miss her.

But even more, he suffered from the sobs that made Seonghwa's body quiver.

Hidden in the privacy of the empty home, he left it to Seonghwa to mourn. Everything else could wait.

Never alone, no matter what, Seonghwa clung to Hongjoong and smothered his tears on his shoulder. They sat down on the bench after a while, wiping Seonghwa's tears, but fresh ones spilt.

Until late at night, he sat in Hongjoong's lap, exhausting them both with his agony. Hongjoong never let go of him; never lost patience. He held Seonghwa, rubbed his back, and whispered to him it was fine to let go and think of nothing right now.

By the time the tears dried and Seonghwa remained as a hollow shell, the rain thrummed against the roof at a steady pace and darkness shrouded them.

Hongjoong gulped his own sorrow away and pressed his cheek against Seonghwa's head.

They sat in silence for a while longer.

Chapter Text

Seonghwa slept against Hongjoong's shoulder for a while. Exhaustion drowned him into a fitful nap and the captain held him in the gloomy leftovers of his once so heart-warming home. Hongjoong found no rest, just sitting with a heavy heart and his cheek pressed to Seonghwa's head. His husband's pain resonated in his chest.

By the time morning greyed, Seonghwa stirred. The first twitch became him burying his head in Hongjoong's shoulder. He needed no reminder. As soon as his mind caught up with their hollow surroundings, he gulped. For a while, they sat in silence. Hongjoong left him space to mourn while he hung in his own thoughts about the kind woman who gifted the world with Seonghwa. Back when he came back from the dead, she blessed him with the kindness of a parent. He would never forget her or her lack of fear as she held his bloodied, mangled hands.

He felt her lack like a hole punched into his heart. And Seonghwa's grief was much worse. She was his last family by blood. Now only Tikki remained.

"I want to visit 'er," Seonghwa croaked after a long silence. The sun shone through the bleak white mists, dousing them in a diffuse light. Seonghwa's eyes were reddened when he lifted his head to look at Hongjoong. Reverent, Hongjoong cradled his cheek and ran a thumb over its curve.

"Now?"

A timid nod before Seonghwa's chin sunk to his chest. His lashes lowered.

"I 'ave lots to say."

Since he couldn't refuse his treasure, Hongjoong strained his throbbing back to sit up. They sorted their limbs, stretching until the lingering aches of their uncomfortable position fell off them. When they emerged into the chilly fog of the morning, Hongjoong checked on their surroundings.

The forest lay tranquil, unbothered since few would wander this far from the town. Calmer after the storm, the ocean rolled into the cliffs, filling their ears with the familiar rushing that soothed their agitated souls. Hongjoong missed his ship and his crew, but they could wait for a while longer. Before Seonghwa couldn't move on from this place, Hongjoong wouldn't urge him to hurry.

They wandered the dewy grass along the cliffs. Seonghwa kept his hands to himself today, and his face cast toward the sea. Its spread of stormy blue mingled with the grey of the clouds.

No words passed between them. Seonghwa knew where to go without having to glance at the letter in his coat another time. Swaddled in his warm furs, Hongjoong trailed behind him.

A seagull circled overhead.

Since Seonghwa's mother was no criminal, Yonghwan had marked her grave. A rounded gravestone bared her name and her lifetime. His wish to see her off was engraved underneath.

The most loving soul and mother. Rest in Peace.

When Seonghwa sunk to his knees before the heap of earth that sprouted the humble beginnings of fresh grass, Hongjoong joined his side. His knees got soaked, but none of that mattered. With his hands in his lap and his head lowered, he paid his respects to the last resting place of the woman who blessed him with his greatest good.

He, too, wished he got to speak his mind before she passed. So much got left unsaid and no matter the monetary aid he provided for her and Tikki, he could never thank her enough. Not for bringing up his daughter, and especially not for birthing Seonghwa into this world.

"Hey, mum," Seonghwa whispered, dropping the language of the sea for her.

"I'm late, but I made it. And I brought Hongjoong along." Seonghwa bit his lip, fingers digging into his thighs. His eyes had more tears to shed, but he gulped them down to maintain his quivering voice.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry you had to do this alone. You were so good for me, but I-" A sob wrenched over his lips and Hongjoong's hand found his shoulder. Absent-mindedly, he rubbed his warmth into Seonghwa's clammy body.

The Pirate Prince lowered his head, dark hair falling into his eyes as he cried for his mother. No number of scars or blood or crimes could stain this part of him. His love was unconditional.

"I will thank Yonghwan for everything he did for you. For making your last few years a joy. Once we checked on Tikki, we will meet with him. Don't- Don't feel bad about having to leave her behind. She lost someone again, but we will be there for her. You will live on with her, and me, and everyone else." Seonghwa wiped at his eyes, straining his gaze on the wilted flowers tucked against the gravestone.

"Thank you for everything you did for me. For us. I will sail the seas with my love and feel the wind in my hair as I think about you. I will never forget." Stiff, he perched in place as his eyes shut in agony. Though he adjusted to a life apart from her, witnessing her lack without accompanying her last days was jarring. Suddenly, the time as a pirate was forgotten, and he was a young boy again who innocently trailed after his mother and baked sweet rolls by her side.

Hongjoong waited, sending her off with his own well-wishes and praying that whatever deity she believed in took good care of her soul.

They sat for a long while and when Seonghwa finally stood, Hongjoong's knees ached. His eyes asked a question without needing to word it.

Seonghwa shook his head.

"Sorry, I... I need some time."

Without hesitation, Hongjoong retreated to wait at a nearby tree.

"O' course, precious. All the time ye need," he crooned softly.

He watched as Seonghwa wandered the forest, gathering his thoughts while he sought the first yellow spring flowers peeking through the stubborn layer of frost. He plucked them into a little bundle, and once he was done; he came back to place them next to Yonghwan's flowers.

An affectionate smile graced his lips, tugging painfully at Hongjoong's heart.

"I'll be back, mum. I will visit you as often as before. Next time, I might bring Tikki along. Take care."

His smile wobbled as he lingered, unable to leave. But this time, he knew where to seek refuge and where he regained his strength. As soon as his hand reached for Hongjoong, the pirate joined his side. With Seonghwa's form curled against his shoulder, he glanced back once more. The grave saw them off, and the blossoms bobbed in the breeze.

"Farewell," Hongjoong whispered with a grateful nod. He led Seonghwa back to the house so he could rest his trembling limbs. Once away from the grave, his agony eased, but the shadow of grief swathed him in a stifling embrace.

Hongjoong made a fire and sat on the bench as he watched Seonghwa wracking through the few things left in the storage closet. With a faint smile, he beckoned his chin to the bottle on the table.

"The admiral left us just enough for a patch of pastries. Will you bake with me, Pirate King?"

All the affection in the world carried in Hongjoong's eyes when he gazed upon Seonghwa.

"Gladly."

Seonghwa slipped into the role of his past, and for a while, the world was fine. As he rid himself of his coat and tied aprons around himself and Hongjoong, the glow of his younger self bedazzled him with beguiling innocence. Hongjoong wanted to whisk him away, wanted to kidnap him out to the sea to show him the stars, and an unbound beauty.

But all of that could wait. As Seonghwa happily stirred ingredients into the dough and snickered about Hongjoong's clueless murderer's hands that spilt flour all over the table, everything was as it should be.

Seonghwa showed Hongjoong how to roll out the mass and how to form the cuts into rings. His muscles flexed under his loose shirt when he flung the heavy dough around. Every time he crowded Hongjoong into the table to reach around him and teach him how to knead the heel of his hand into the stubborn mass, Hongjoong's stomach jumped in delight. Once, he dared to angle his head back and left a fleeting kiss on Seonghwa's lips.

The man smiled before he checked on the fire in the oven.

"I never thought I'd be here one day. Back at home doing the same mundane baking as back then, but now with my husband by my side. Or no, that is reasonable. My husband being the pirate who rules the seas isn't," Seonghwa smiled to himself as he shoved the first platter with creations into the heat. It was blatant which were his and which were made by Hongjoong's clumsy hands, but Seonghwa regarded them full of adoration.

Glad that Seonghwa's strain lifted, Hongjoong leaned against the corner of the table while Seonghwa sprinkled more flour across it.

"Ye rule by me side, precious," he reminded him. They were one, them two. Them, and the crew.

Seonghwa ducked his head. A blush crept into his cheeks like the dawn of the southern seas.

"Yet I never stop being impressed by you. You are so much more than the feared scourge of the seven seas."

They went back to work in an easier mood. Occasionally, they shared some comments or snickered over yet another misshaped pastry. Seonghwa had laid out the recipe, but he didn't glance at it once. He knew the procedure by heart.

While they waited for the last patch of pastries to bake, they packed the rest to share with the crew. Hongjoong tried one while it was still warm and the taste was heavenly. It was sweeter than anything he ate out at sea, so luxurious. At the same time, it tasted like something only Seonghwa could make.

With his chin cradled in his hand and a tender smile on his split lips, Seonghwa watched as Hongjoong relished every bite.

"You look tired these days. Are you fine?"

Hongjoong always looked tired. Though freed from their curse of the umbras, they left a lasting scar on everyone. Nightmares plagued him, and he often glanced at his feet in dread, afraid their shadows might take physical form again.

He shook his head, knowing Seonghwa was worried because he lost someone. He would be vigilant that it didn't happen again.

"I be jolly. Let's take it slow on the voyage fer a while. The Black Bay awaits us an' we 'ave to figure out what to do with Tikki." Hongjoong sighed as if the brat were the bane of his existence. Seonghwa chuckled with him.

"Let's see her after this. She will be happy to see us."

"She'll be 'appy to spy ye. I expect to be painted as the murderer o' ye mother."

Seonghwa's smile softened impossibly more.

"She loves you."

With a scoff, Hongjoong fell onto the bench. He traced a foot up Seonghwa's leg until the man glared at him without heat.

"She be lousy at showin' 'er love."

"Same as her father." Seonghwa kissed Hongjoong's forehead and cleared the table of their traces while the pirate grumbled to himself.

Warmth and the soothing scent of the pastries baking away brought their spirits back. Soon, all work was done, and they harvested the fruit of their labour.

Equipped with thick gloves, Seonghwa retrieved the plate from the oven. He poked at his creations, tended and decorated them as one would do with their beloved pet.

Tickled at seeing him slip into his past, Hongjoong watched him. He wore his heavy rings, donned his scars and the seaman's clothes below his flour-stained apron. But for today, there was nothing more they had to be. Seonghwa fed Hongjoong a warm pastry and the pirate relished in every bite up to the kiss Seonghwa pressed to his lips in gratitude for sharing this with him.

After cleaning up, they suffocated the fire. Hongjoong waited outside while Seonghwa shouldered his bundle and looked back at the house one last time.

They left it with the scent of hearty baked goods and fond memories.

As they made their way down the trail leading to the town, Seonghwa reached to intertwine his fingers with Hongjoong's. They bid their goodbyes to Seonghwa's mother on the cliff and promised the sea to be back soon.

Then, they were on their way to visit the butcher lady and see their daughter.

Chapter Text

Hongjoong kept his head low as the pair walked the muddy streets of the town. Commonly, his presence would instil terror and intimidate any passersby out of their way, but this was Seonghwa's home. The people recognised the Pirate Prince even when his face was scarred and he bore the seal of the sea. They could guess who accompanied him as his story got told far and wide, but no one dared utter his name.

Though this territory was protected by the royal navy, pirate sightings were rare. Glad for the shared truce in which no one alerted the soldiers and Hongjoong didn't have to kill civilians, he trailed behind Seonghwa through the streets. Even after many years away, he knew them like the back of his hand. Soon, his favourite sneak paths through narrow alleys became ended in a grand marketplace. No booths populated the cobblestone today, but a good deal of townspeople met for their daily gossip.

Everyone turned their heads when the pirates passed. They didn't fit in; stood out with their heavy weapons and their aura of menace. Seonghwa's gaze was that of a madman, and Hongjoong was the most dangerous monster of the sea.

When they made straight for the butcher, the group of chattering women nearby scurried away like a flock of birds. With their baskets clutched close to humble dresses, they watched the pair from a distance with gigantic eyes.

No one knew their story of shadows and blood. No one knew the fate tied to their fingers.

Seonghwa didn't knock before he entered. He ducked through the narrow shop door and Hongjoong kept his sharp gaze to himself, not calling for attention as he shut the entrance behind them.

Before he had to prove their identities or threaten the owner into compliance, the woman behind the wooden counter perked up. It was stained with the blood of many years and the pungent smell of meat hung in the air.

Hongjoong's eyes trailed over the slaps of meat dangling from their hooks, used to the sight. Perhaps his crew would enjoy a reward for their patience. He leaned against the wall, waiting as the gasping lady gathered her wits and hastened around the corner.

"Seonghwa, is it you? Is it truly you?" Her hands reached for his face, hovering but not daring to touch. When she met Hongjoong's warning stare over Seonghwa's shoulder, she clasped her trembling palms to her chest instead.

"You grew up so much! How long has it been, five years?"

His charming, crooked smile tugged on Seonghwa's lips. It reminded of the sweet baker boy he had once been.

"Thank you for waiting for me. Truly, the tides changed."

"So they have," she agreed with an unnerved glance at Hongjoong, armed to the teeth, in his corner. When she remembered what they were here for, her face fell. Their sorrow mirrored each other.

"Ah... My condolences about your mother, love. Her navy admiral told me she couldn't battle the fever any longer. He said you would come for the little one."

"Is she here?" Seonghwa asked, searching eyes desperate to find the piece that remained.

"Yes, she's upstairs with the cats. But... Seonghwa, I-" She glanced at Hongjoong again and flinched back when he pushed off the wall. The heavy clicks of his heels brought him to Seonghwa's flank.

The lady curled into her lush bosom, hands lifted in a placating gesture.

"I wasn't about to say anything improper. I just noticed a few... Extraordinary aspects about her," she stuttered out an explanation.

About as tall as Seonghwa, Hongjoong halted by his side and put one hand on his belt, where the coiled whip was tied around his hips.

"She be me blood. Blabber what ye spied," he grunted.

Startled, she looked from Seonghwa to Hongjoong and back to Seonghwa. She was pale around the nose but didn't stall with more questions. Since no threat came from him, she spluttered to appease the captain.

"Understood! I- When she arrived, the child was disturbed, as one would expect from the circumstances. She was grieved by the death of her caretaker and upset to be left with a stranger. When I tried to engage with her, she clutched her stuffed doll and refused to speak. It took her a few days to warm up to me, but she liked the cats. Soon, we could eat dinner together." Her nervous eyes flickered over Hongjoong's features, recognising Tikki in him. Panic stifled her voice, but when the Pirate King made no move to attack, she rambled on.

"But I saw... things. Bizarre things. Once, I came in to see her talking to her bunny. I thought nothing of it, but I swear I saw it twitch even when she didn't touch it. I passed it off as a trick of the light, but a few days ago, I smelled something burning and when I rushed to her room, the curtains were ablaze! Believe me, I would never keep fire near a child." Fleshy hands wrung out her apron before her body. Hongjoong's brows knitted together.

"I don't know what to do with her. Though I would love to tend to her for you, Hwa, I believe I am going mad. I fear what I might do if I ever overreact."

Seonghwa caught her shoulders before she could become delirious in her frenzy. Somehow, he looked soothing despite what he had become. As Hongjoong cherished it, others recognised the same pure core.

"Fear not, my old friend. I am thankful you tended to her while I couldn't, but we will take over from here. Can you fetch her?"

"Yes! Of course, just a moment!" She hurried away, bumping her hip on the counter before she disappeared up the stairs.

The two pirates were left alone between the dangling meat. Seonghwa was the first to search Hongjoong's face with worried eyes.

"Did you hear? Joong..." With a glance through the empty shop, Seonghwa lowered his voice further. "Can it be? Can magic be inherited?"

Hongjoong tapped his fingers on his hip. His expression had darkened, but he didn't want to think the worst of Tikki. Though animating an object was a feat for a young girl, she didn't need to stray on the path of the dark arts.

"I expected as much. But she be me first brat from a magic user so I would nay know lots. Though I reckon Yongguk 'as an answer. If 'er magic be showin', she needs to learn 'ow to control it. An' 'ow to set a different course than 'er mother."

Seonghwa nodded, troubled about the untamed power in Tikki's blood. Liv had been a mighty witch, cursing them even beyond her death. Though Tikki inherited only half of that, who knew what might happen to one born of a powerful witch and the ruler of the seas?

If they didn't tend to her well, solitude might turn Tikki into an abominable monster.

When steps trampled down the stairs, Hongjoong's eyes caught on her. Though she was old enough now not to carry her plush doll everywhere, he kept the dirtied bunny clutched under her arm. It was squished from affection, but the blurry lines she drew to the corners of its mouth and across its nose still identified it.

In a whirl of red locks barely contained by a blue headscarf, she threw herself into Seonghwa's arms.

"Finally," she breathed as if she had been suffocating for a long time. "I thought you wouldn't come back."

Awed how much she had grown, Seonghwa rubbed her back. How old was she now? Eleven? Liv's freckles dotted her cheeks and big, green eyes stared back at him over a replica of Hongjoong's nose.

"As if we would leave you alone," Seonghwa smiled, coddling her as she hugged her face to his chest. "Forgive me for being late. I wished I had known. Are you alright?" They parted, so Tikki could look at her father. As usual, their mutual stubbornness clashed, and the two glared at each other. Possessive, she clung to Seonghwa's arm.

Hongjoong arched an elegant brow at her.

"Set 'im on fire an' I'll send ye to the briney deep. We 'eard o' yer recent rigs."

"Joong," Seonghwa protested softly. "She's happy to see us; don't fight." He petted Tikki's hair, not forcing Hongjoong to take a side between him and his daughter. To some, the answer should be obvious, but others might find his pick appalling.

"Have you been well? Our friend here told us you were struggling with your magic. How long has this been going on?"

Smothered by his care, Tikki pulled away. She leaned against the table with a bony shoulder, playing down her personal troubles. Dirty fingers played with the apron of her dress. It looked small on her, only fitting since she was so lanky.

That had to be Seonghwa's side of her genes. She was fed like a queen in his home.

"I always had it. Never enough to bother much, but granny soothed me whenever I startled myself. Now that she is also gone... I don't know how it works. Sometimes I get angry and then I just- It feels as if a dark shadow overcomes my mind. It does evil things."

Anxious, Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong. The captain sighed.

"Do you remember Yongguk? He helped us out occasionally."

Though hesitant, Tikki nodded. The name tickled an old memory in her brain.

Seonghwa kept a hand on her back, feeling he had to soothe her for the scare and the loss she dealt with months ago. Perhaps he was the one who needed soothing, and Tikki's resilience as she interacted with her father distracted him. For Tikki and Hongjoong, he could do anything. Proud of his endurance, Hongjoong faced his devil of an offspring.

"'E be a magic user o' the better kind. If ye want, we can take ye to 'im. 'E ain't a jolly parent, but ye be grown up now an' can learn. An' we will check on ye often from now on."

Tikki glanced up the stairs where the butcher lady rustled about to leave them to their privacy. Though a sense of longing for this place persisted in her eyes, she knew.

If she stayed, she would endanger the people tending to her and the entire town.

She knew of her cursed heritage. And the fire in her eyes matched that of Hongjoong's gaze.

"He can't be any worse than what I had so far. Bring me to him." Brave, she tipped her chin up, the starfish bracelet jingling on her wrist as she held onto Seonghwa. Relieved, the pirate pressed a kiss to her curls.

"Yongguk is a good man. If anyone can help you on a healing path of magic, it's him. You don't have to be afraid."

With a fond huff, she glared up at him. For Seonghwa, her eyes always softened. Though they spent such little time together, the tender man grew on her the same way Hongjoong could never resist the sparkle in his eyes.

Hongjoong and Tikki squabbled a lot because they were so similar, but if they agreed on one thing, it was their obsession with Seonghwa.

"I'm no child anymore, brobro. Let me say my goodbyes first. Though I scared her, she took me in." She patted Seonghwa with a hand far too mature for her age and a fond snicker passed Seonghwa's lips. He sent her off, leaving her to gather her few belongings for their journey. Their last trip with Tikki hadn't been so long ago, but her pirate's soul already befriended the ocean like an old lover.

"Truly, she's your daughter. How fearless," Seonghwa commented as he stepped into Hongjoong's arms. With a possessive growl, Hongjoong nosed at his neck, fingers settling over the tattoo on Seonghwa's ribs that was hidden by his clothes.

"She better behave. If she e'er wants to go on account, she needs to learn to control 'er magic. I adore 'er, but I expect she exceeds Liv."

"Those are high demands, Pirate King," Seonghwa hummed. His fingers brushed some hair from Hongjoong's eyes before they smoothly glided to his chin to pull him in.

"Bein' me brat comes at a great price," Hongjoong whispered, but the hard line of his brow smoothed out when Seonghwa's lips ghosted over his. They were still tense, still hard from their sadness, but for Hongjoong, his kisses were like the touch of the sun's rays.

Hongjoong cradled him carefully, not demanding, not shoving. Healing came slowly, but Seonghwa was good at concentrating on those who needed him. For now, Tikki needed him. Later, the Black Bay and ATEEZ would need him.

As Hongjoong rested his weary bones in his lover's embrace, they waited for their daughter to return to the Precious together and set sail into another future of change.

Chapter Text

"Ahoy, mateys," with a broad grin and Tikki trailing between him and Seonghwa, Hongjoong scaled the plank. His crew - busy until now cheating each other in liar's dice - broke out in cheers.

"Oi Captain, what took ye so long?" Jongho called from where he perched by the mast. Next to him, Yunho lifted his hand in greeting.

"We 'ad some matters to scuttle. Welcome Tikki fer another voyage!"

A chorus of greetings rained upon the girl and she drank them up before she scurried away to join their round. As if she belonged with them, she perched between Yeosang and Jongho and demanded to be let in on their game. San's dimple dug into his cheek as he shuffled the cards anew. As soon as she arrived, she immediately took the place of the captain.

"We brought some grub fer ye as an apology. Enjoy it," Seonghwa announced as he handed Wooyoung the pastries and meat. After a suspicious sniff at the former, their lookout regarded them with narrow eyes.

"What do we owe the 'onour?"

Hongjoong's hand found Seonghwa's lower back, steering him toward his cabin.

"Eat, ye dog. They be made with love," the captain growled. With a shrug, Wooyoung distributed the pastries among them. Mingi's eye curiously examined them for a rig, but he lit up when he dug his teeth into them. So long as the crew got their share, they didn't mind if the captain made them wait. Tikki gladly took a taste of home as well.

While they were distracted by Tikki, Hongjoong led Seonghwa to their shared quarters. His first in command looked fatigued, and his shoulders drew into themselves. The shadow in his eyes was different from the usual, and he leaned into Hongjoong's warmth on their way to their broad bed filled with Seonghwa's softest blankets and furs.

"Hongjoong," Seonghwa began, voice brittle, but the captain shushed him. His scarred fingers undid the laces of Seonghwa's shirt, helping him out of his clothes until only tanned, tattooed skin remained. He helped his tired husband sink onto their bed. After he brushed the dark hair from his eyes, Hongjoong left a lingering kiss on his forehead.

"Take a caulk. I'll take care o' our 'earties."

Gratitude swam in Seonghwa's haunted eyes. As if Hongjoong's understanding wasn't something granted to him, no matter the tides swamping them.

Hongjoong lost people before. And though he dealt with death differently than Seonghwa, he knew his treasure needed time.

With a nod, Seonghwa slipped his long legs under the blankets and curled up. He looked lonely in their vast nest framed by riches and gems. Maybe later, once he accepted Hongjoong's touch, Hongjoong would come to embrace him.

For now, however, the captain retreated. In his heeled boots and tight pants clinging to his legs to contrast his billowing shirt, he stepped back out into the spring sun.

His call bellowed over the deck and had everyone springing to their feet.

"All 'ands 'oay! We be sailin' fer the Buried Lagoon. Yeosang, matey, join me in the sickbay."

The ship drowned in its bustle. As the captain descended from the helm with thundering steps, the trampling of a dozen men rose around him. Yeosang came springing to his side and accompanied him across the deck.

"We'll take Tikki to the lagoon?" He asked with a glance at the girl who helped Jongho heave the anchor on board. The sails rushed to catch the wind above their heads as the ship found the course homebound.

Or not quite homebound yet. The Buried Lagoon was an island under the rule of the royal crown, but pirate vermin had been spreading for years. Hongjoong ruled the Black Bay and governed it to become a pirate hideout. If everything went as planned, the entire island would be pirate territory soon. Hongjoong's title was widely praised among the gentlemen o' fortune. He made it his goal to give sanctuary to those prosecuted by the navy who had no other place to rest.

"We must," Hongjoong mumbled without furthering the topic.

Not that it was unsafe. Aboard the Precious and within the Black Bay were probably the most secure places the Pirate King's daughter could be. And the bay meant healing for Seonghwa once he could take his mind off the matters tied to the ship.

Hongjoong would take care of his business on the island while his husband recovered at its healing beaches.

Since he didn't want to bother Seonghwa in his cabin, Hongjoong threw himself on the cot in the sickbay used for their mateys in case of an injury. Yeosang perched at the desk on the single chair, ready to hear him out.

Tired, the captain rubbed his eyes. His heart ached for his husband and he had lots on his mind to take care of. When he closed his eyes, he noticed his exhaustion for the first time.

"Tikki needs a place to stay. I reckon we send 'er to Yongguk. While we picked 'er up in town, we learned about 'er developin' magic. Since she might become a danger otherwise, 'e can teach 'er to contain it. It means safety an' we will know where to find 'er. I need no second Liv."

Yeosang faltered. His long silence was pregnant with theories, but the question he brought out was one of the politer ones.

"So I assume Seonghwa's mother..."

"She joined Davy Jones' locker," the captain replied. He tugged his hand up to his forehead, watching Yeosang's reaction from lidded eyes.

The navigator bit his lip. His jolly hand fumbled with his prothesis.

"Is he fine?"

Hongjoong sighed before he sat up. Blond hair tumbled over his shoulders and got entangled with his necklaces and his coat's collar. The scar lining his throat throbbed with phantom pain.

While he waited for a reply, Yeosang retrieved some paper they kept around for making market lists and a pen. He crossed his legs as he sat down again, writing to Yongguk. Once the letter reached him, he would be alerted to join them at the Black Bay. Hongjoong would accommodate the man with a hut and everything his magical heart desired, but it was ever so difficult to get a grasp on him. Obscure figures demanded his services all the time, Hongjoong being one of many.

"Let's leave 'im some time an' focus on the voyage. We can take care o' Tikki in the meantime," Hongjoong suggested. Yeosang was quick to nod. His writing was neatly ended by his sign, a subtle way to keep the navy off their backs if the letter ever got into their hands. Not that Yeosang's name or that of any other crew member was irrelevant.

Yeosang rose from his seat and rolled up the paper.

"I will send this out as soon as possible. If you need me to have an eye on Seonghwa, just tell me."

Hongjoong closed his eyes, resting them for a few minutes. He grunted his thanks, and the door clicked shut behind Yeosang. Only the benign sway of the ocean remained, lulling him with its hypnotic song.

He didn't mean to doze off, but when he stirred the next time, the commotion of their departure had mellowed. Everyone returned to their games and tended to Tikki. Only occasionally, Yeosang had to check their course.

When Hongjoong stumbled from the sickbay, the navigator huffed a smile at him. Hongjoong glanced at the bright sky and at Wooyoung's head peeking over the edge of the crow's nest. Another head sat suspiciously close as San used his sail-manning duty as an excuse to flirt with his spouse.

Hongjoong passed his crew to check on Seonghwa. Before he entered the cabin, he knocked. Other times, Seonghwa's silence had haunted him, for it gave away how frazzled the man's emotions were. This time, his lethargic hum resonated in Hongjoong's chest.

"May I enter?" Hongjoong asked, leaning against the door frame and with his voice low so no one needed to hear. Yeosang wasn't one to spread rumours, but Tikki's presence gave everything away. The deal had always been to take her along only in case Seonghwa's mother gave her up.

"Come in."

Hongjoong shrugged his coat from his shoulders when the sun followed him inside. It found its place carelessly flung over a drawer with swords and books. The fur gained no more of his attention as he found his precious curled up at the foot of their bed. He had one leg drawn to his body and his body curved as he propped his chin atop his knee. Before him and spread across the furs were sheets of paper and jars of ink.

The worn wood of the cabin's floor dulled Hongjoong's step when he joined his lover's side. Seonghwa didn't lift his head, busy hands working away with deliberate swipes.

The face developing from the blank paper was familiar to Hongjoong. In age, Seonghwa's mother looked kind, with wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. In her image, she bore a faint smile, almost mischievous. The arch of her brows was elegant, and though little colour stuck to the strands of her hair gathered in a messy bun, Hongjoong knew it was a greying brown, and often specked by flour.

Seonghwa's face was serene. Nostalgia lingered in his eyes as he drew his mother from memory, but the defensive coil of his body shouldered the weight of his grief.

Hongjoong's hand slipped over Seonghwa's nape, massaging the bumps of his spine. When the man leaned into his touch with a shudder, Hongjoong caught his weight against his body.

"My treasure," Hongjoong whispered. Empathy swam in his voice because this was worse than any physical pain the umbra scallywags could inflict on them. No wound was deeper than that of the heart.

Seonghwa leaned into him, powerless against the cycle of life and death. His limp hand dropped the pencil as he emptily stared at the vision of his mother. She smiled back, still and lost, no more but a memory in their minds.

Lost, like so many other souls at sea. And they all had stories to tell the same way she did about Seonghwa.

When he couldn't bear it any longer, Seonghwa turned his head to bury his face in Hongjoong's stomach. His arms came up to hug the lean pirate close, and Hongjoong's hands buried in the inky curls atop his lover's head.

Seonghwa didn't cry anymore. He was fatigued and tormented, but he wanted to move on. He wanted to carry her memory as she waited for him out there. Now, beyond the one line separating them every day.

"'Ow be Tikki farin'?" Seonghwa uttered, voice choked around his sorrow. His nimble fingers undid the whip slung around Hongjoong's hips, putting the awful weapon aside so all he felt was the warmth of his other half.

Hongjoong watched it slither to the ground in a heap.

"Orderin' 'er mates around. She digested it jolly. Though I reckon 'er fear o' 'er developin' magic distracts 'er."

"She lost so much," Seonghwa whispered. He had to swallow when his voice got stuck in his throat. "Liv, ye, now 'er."

"Loss be a pirate's life," Hongjoong argued. His fingertips were calloused, but caressed Seonghwa with utter gentleness. "I also thought I lost ye once."

In the end, they all joined Davy Jones' locker. Some in good spirits, others after a run-in with Jack Ketch. But in the briney deep, their souls all found their destiny.

When Seonghwa looked up at Hongjoong with his chin propped on his stomach, his eyes were reddened.

"Can she be the last? Can Tikki nay lose anyone anymore? Let's be there fer 'er."

Something else carried in his plea and Hongjoong lowered his body to sit by his side. When his fingers cupped Seonghwa's face, the Pirate Prince nuzzled into them, greedy for the devoted touch.

Inside here, they didn't need to be the feared rulers of the ocean. They had doubts; they felt misery. But they always had each other.

"We will," Hongjoong promised, not leaving any doubt between them. He stepped over the whip when Seonghwa pulled him closer, one leg swinging to sit in Seonghwa's lap.

When they kissed, Seonghwa's sadness tasted salty on Hongjoong's tongue, but they knew how to handle each other with the care they needed.

Hongjoong reached past Seonghwa, shoving the drawing utensils on the ground so he could press his lover into the sheets. As he freed Seonghwa from both his shirt and the choking hands of loss, the crease in his brows smoothed out.

They held each other close, became each other's anchors. As they had always been.

Chapter Text

Hongjoong's hands smoothed over the words by Seonghwa's side, the bird of freedom taking flight on his shoulder. He nuzzled into the man's neck, covering him with kisses that bloomed like flowers across the tan of his skin. 

Though sadness consumed Seonghwa and he didn't dare seek comfort in Hongjoong's embrace while grief held him in an iron fist, their bodies knew each other and their needs. Seonghwa's thighs parted for Hongjoong to sink in between readily. The world was right when their bodies slotted together, a perfect match. Plush lips dropped open in a pleased sigh when Hongjoong grasped him by his waist, pinning his body in place to grind their crotches into each other. The heat stirring in their stomachs made them forget. 

Hongjoong's hair fell over his shoulder to tickle at Seonghwa's chest, marred by countless small scars from past battles. 

"Sugar... Sin' me a son' o' what ye need. To 'ave all thought scuttled from yer brain? Or to ravage until none be left? I will give ye anythin'."

Hongjoong usually chose the former when overwhelmed by emotions. It helped him to stop thinking, and Seonghwa only put force in those gentle hands when he was asked to. To Hongjoong, it was the highest form of trust, his ultimate weakness. No one but Seonghwa got to handle him in that state.

But Seonghwa never lost someone so important to him before. Not with Hongjoong as a witness, at least. Even as Tikki's giggles sounded from the deck outside, no smile quirked his lips.

Hongjoong saw all light gone from his eyes once. There was nothing he wouldn't do to rekindle it.

"Ye. I just need ye," Seonghwa pleaded. His arms came up to wrap around Hongjoong's nape, tugging him down toward him. 

After stifling a cough that bubbled up in his throat, Hongjoong got out a fond smile. He kissed his beautiful husband as his fingers dipped below the waistband of his breeches. He skimmed taut, trained skin, the softness of the hair Seonghwa insisted on trimming precariously with a knife every so often. Need for Hongjoong bucked Seonghwa's hips on instinct when Hongjoong found his warm, stiffened flesh and wrapped his hand around it.

As so often when they came to this point, Seonghwa stifled a snicker. The feeling of Hongjoong's small hands on him never failed to amuse him.

In fond retaliation, Hongjoong tugged at the skin of Seonghwa's neck with his teeth. A moan tilted Seonghwa's chin back to allow the pirate access. In mindless bliss, his head dropped into the pillows.

"What be there to smirk about, precious? Ye feelin' cold?" Hongjoong growled against his throat. A breathy chuckle answered him when the pleasure of his tugs below knitted Seonghwa's brows together. His lax, pleased expression charmed Hongjoong time and time again.

"Hngh- I can nay 'elp but find ye e'er so endearin'," Seonghwa panted, but a grin played around his lips. His smug words stuttered when Hongjoong ducked his lips to his chest, finding a greedy nub with his teeth to tug on it.

Seonghwa arched into the touch, chest expanding. His dark hair spread over their furs like spilt ink and he leaked wetness over Hongjoong's fingers. Ever so hungry for his husband, Hongjoong ground into his thigh, chasing the tingling heat. His desire wasn't explosive, wasn't greedy and possessive and on the high of a near-death experience where they so often encountered each other. Though he ached to have Seonghwa, his body was as patient as his mind. Only what Seonghwa wanted he would get.

"Endearin'? Ye must mistake me fer someone else. An' I would 'ate to learn ye be thinkin' o' anyone but me when I 'ave ye pinned," Hongjoong indulged Seonghwa's babbles. He shoved the man's breeches down so Seonghwa could kick them off. As soon as he had access, Hongjoong's hands slipped over the heated curve of Seonghwa's behind to find the entrance he worshipped with the same fervour as on the first day. 

Since they didn't play these days, Seonghwa wore no toy inside to keep him open for their insatiable lust for each other. Yet, his body was soft and gave easily to the welcome intrusion of Hongjoong's fingers. Seonghwa rocked into him with a pleased sigh.

They took it slow, easing Hongjoong in bit by bit until he could feel for Seonghwa's spot and make his eyes roll back and arousal leak all over his stomach. They didn't ask anyone to join them today, occupied just with each other. However, they stilled in fear once when Tikki's voice got loud right before their door. Thankfully, Jongho dragged her off before she could ruin her eyesight.

When they settled back in their rhythm, Hongjoong lifted Seonghwa around his waist to position him higher on the bed. His husband held on to his shoulders, head slumping to listen to Hongjoong's heartbeat as he allowed himself to be thrown around. Once he settled comfortably, Hongjoong pulled back to get rid of his own clothes and stared at his beautiful treasure in marvel.

Some might argue Seonghwa lost his appeal when scars mutilated his face and body, but Hongjoong thought the opposite was the case. Each inch of Seonghwa told a story, their story. Though they were painful memories, they spoke of overcoming hardships and staying with each other through all dangers, even death. 

As Hongjoong gazed upon Seonghwa's lidded eyes, parted lips, ruffled hair and the heave of his chest over his dribbling hardness, he couldn't be more captivated by the beauty of his husband. 

If he wished better for Seonghwa, wished he never became like this, they never would have met. In his selfish love, Hongjoong found the Seonghwa he had become just right.

With a cough, Hongjoong flung his shirt aside. He crawled back between Seonghwa's spread thighs, but his lure got ignored in favour of a worried brow.

"Did ye catch a cold?" Seonghwa asked, hands finding Hongjoong's biceps as he wrapped Seonghwa's legs around his waist. Carefully, he guided his tip towards the melting paradise of Seonghwa's insides.

"Might be the mould. Let's swab the ship soon," Hongjoong purred as he reached for Seonghwa's shoulders. He held him in position as he breached him, filled him deep, and Seonghwa stifled a guttural moan in the pillows as he was complete.

Their hands entangled after that; rings reflecting the depths of their souls as they rolled onto the sheets. They kissed, and Seonghwa pulsated around Hongjoong, needing more.

Truly, he wasted not another thought on his grief or their concerns for Tikki. Now, everything was just about them.

Hongjoong kissed his neck, his cheek, his lips. In return, Seonghwa nibbled at Hongjoong's ear, careful not to tug too hard on the scarred fork of his lobes.

The first thrust shoved any other thought from Seonghwa's mind. He arched into his husband, begging to be held, and Hongjoong complied. He wrapped his arm around Seonghwa's midst and cradled him close. As his hips doused them in the sweetest pleasure, their arms clung to each other to feel the heat of their living, breathing partner.

The sweat on their skins was the same; they shared it that often. It eased the slide when Hongjoong pinned Seonghwa with his weight, took his breath away until the orange sunset bathing them through the windows made him appear as a creature of light. He gasped when Hongjoong guided his legs over his shoulders, folding him down the middle. The distress in his eyes melted into adoration under the gorgeous hues of the horizon.

"Me Pirate King... Me everythin'," Seonghwa brought out, lips parched around his moans so Hongjoong kissed him, breathed the heat back into his mouth. He sunk even deeper in this position, touching Seonghwa's most sacred spots that clamped to him in an embrace like home. Each time he ground into him, bulged through Seonghwa's stomach, a piece of sanity slipped away from Hongjoong.

"I be 'ere," Hongjoong vowed. He pulled back to let Seonghwa breathe, and he writhed in the sweetest throes. His fingers clutched Hongjoong's over his head, chest rising and falling with the faded ink of his tattoos. Through his hot, saccharine skin, Hongjoong could feel his pulse hammering away, reminding them they were alive, they had each other.

Grief loosened its stifling hold on them as their undying love assured them.

Hongjoong glanced at the weeping length trapped between their stomachs, bouncing with each jerk of his hips into Seonghwa's. His lidded eyes clung to it when he turned his head to sink his teeth into the soft flesh of Seonghwa's thigh.

Accompanied by Seonghwa's sweet whimper, more fluid oozed to stick to his stomach.

Knowing he didn't need to touch Seonghwa for him to lose his mind, Hongjoong held him impossibly tighter, impossibly closer, until the only part of them that could move were his hips that hammered into Seonghwa. Trapped into place with nowhere to run, Seonghwa trashed in the pirate's powerful hold, sobbing for he felt so good.

Heart soaring as if carried by the wings of a bird, Hongjoong gritted his teeth. He held out as Seonghwa fell apart, breath hot on each other's faces. A litany of Hongjoong's name rained from his babbling lips, slurring as his wet eyes rolled back.

The heat of their entangled bodies was overwhelming, and they stuck to each other as if they weren't meant to part. When Seonghwa's come splattered up to Hongjoong's chest, he let Seonghwa's hands go to engulf his waist, holding that beloved body as he chased his high. 

Seonghwa lay beneath him with glassy eyes, watching full of adoration how Hongjoong cursed and bit his lip. None felt better than Seonghwa. More right. More like home.

Hongjoong slipped on the furs when his hips stuttered, slumping over Seonghwa to keep him in place as his hot come overflowed to fill Seonghwa's insides. He panted harshly, coughing when the stifling air didn't suffice. 

They stayed like that, coiled up like two snakes in their uncomfortable position. When Seonghwa could move again, he ran fond fingers through Hongjoong's sweaty hair, brushing it from his nape to cool him.

Hongjoong waited until his breathing regulated before he lifted his head. Just as ruffled, Seonghwa glowed as if Hongjoong reignited a flame inside him.

They fell into each other without a word, sharing a deep kiss that was wet from their unravelling but profound in its meaning.

"Feelin' better?" Hongjoong muttered as he caressed Seonghwa's cheek, removing himself carefully so Seonghwa wouldn't pull something. The prince groaned when his legs came back down at a normal angle. Hongjoong massaged them while he watched with a never-dying fascination how his white spill leaked from Seonghwa's red, puffy rim.

"I be so obsessed with ye. With yer mark on me, yer love," Seonghwa confessed, voice rough as he wiped his eyes of leftover tears. 

Hongjoong kissed his knee.

"An' I with ye. Woe 'as no 'old on us."

They sprawled out next to each other, legs intertwining as Hongjoong held Seonghwa close. This time, Seonghwa didn't duck away or lost his attention to a hazy distance. A hungry flame glowed in the depths of his gaze.

"I think I be ready. 'Ealin' takes time, but I want to use it fer our progress. With Tikki, with the Black Bay, an' with our goals. Me mother, she... She be out there, waitin'. Once we crossed that 'orizon, I will spy 'er again."

Warmed by his perseverance, Hongjoong nuzzled his cheek. Seonghwa was so strong, possibly even stronger than him. He never gave up, always hoped. Where Hongjoong ran wild on rampages, Seonghwa knew better days would come.

"Do nay think o' crossin' those shores any time soon. She can wait an' we will think o' 'er as we rule the seas. Ye know she would be proud o' ye," he whispered. When he lost his father, there was no time for misery, no one to share his agony with. Seonghwa had someone, and Hongjoong couldn't be prouder to be the one, even if he couldn't kill anyone to fix it.

"I will nay," Seonghwa hummed with a smile. "I will stay by yer side fer a long time. So let's build the future together."

"Startin' with gettin' that brat somewhere she does nay bother us," Hongjoong finished with a glare at the door. Tikki ordered his men around outside and they spoiled her, calling her the better captain.

With a kiss to his cheek, Seonghwa pulled Hongjoong closer to share their lingering heat as their bodies recovered.

"Yongguk will take jolly care o' 'er. Do you reckon we can visit Yonghwan? I want to thank 'im."

Hongjoong settled back into their cocoon, satisfied with their embrace.

"That son o' a dog be difficult to visit in the 'eadquarters, but we will find a course. We 'ave lots to babble."

"Thank ye, Hongjoong."

Hongjoong's heart melted, easing the strain on his chest.

"Anythin' fer ye, precious."

Chapter Text

"Land ho!"

Hongjoong blinked against the sun breaking on the wood of the mast. Up in the crow's nest, Wooyoung excitedly beckoned his arm in the direction they were going. A familiar coastline shimmered in the haze of the sun-bathed ocean. Waving palms and a few hills greeted them; the Buried Lagoon.

"Reef 'em sails an' ready to anchor!" Hongjoong's call bellowed over the ship. As his mates dashed around each other with practised ease, he took the wheel from Yeosang so his navigator could study the bay with the spyglass. Only parts of the lagoon were safe to approach for pirates. Though Hongjoong trusted Yongguk to find his way inside, they still had to tuck the Precious behind some rocks.

For now. Once their plans succeeded and they took over the island, no pirate needed to duck away in fear anymore. The lagoon would become a haven for everyone to rest in until they were ready for another adventure.

Seonghwa swung over the railing without hesitation. His liveliness had returned to him as he filled his role as Hongjoong's second-in-command once more.

By Hongjoong's legs, Tikki held onto the railing and matched the fond look he sent after the man.

"Is this where you live? With my brobro?" She asked. Red curls that reminded so painfully of her mother cascaded over her shoulders. They were tangled from the sea wind, but the scarf Yunho had tied around them kept them from her features.

"Aye. Whenever we do nay live out at sea, we come 'ere."

She frowned at the nearing island. It looked so different from what she was used to. No towering cliffs and cities of stone. Just golden beaches, palms and settlements built of bamboo.

"You better make him happy here," she warned with a sharp side-eye. He snorted, massaging his throat with one hand when he gasped in a breath of salty, rotten sea air.

"That be all I do. What worth does a king 'ave if 'e can nay please 'is 'eart's jewel?"

"I know how you pirates and your jewels can get." She rolled her eyes. After watching Jongho lug the anchor to the railing with his bare arms flexing under the sweltering sun, she looked down at her own fingers. They were soft with youth, though not dainty anymore.

"Yunho said I need to be careful since I will hurt my loved ones otherwise. I don't want to hurt my Ddeonghwa. I only have him now..." Concern marred her brow.

With a sigh, Hongjoong leaned against his wheel. His heeled boots crossed over one another. This pair was a striking red. Seonghwa had gifted them to him after they robbed an island mansion together and the golden buckles matched Hongjoong's mountains of jewellery.

"If ye be careful, ye will nay. We also lose course sometimes. But so long as we do nay pull our sabres on each other, we be jolly. Yer mates just 'ave to come first. Think about 'em."

"I'll become a pirate, too," she said, voice determined. When Hongjoong scoffed, she turned to punch his side. The blow got cushioned by his coat, and she regretted it a moment later when a wave toppled her over. Hongjoong laughed with the seagulls when she stood and dusted off her butt, humiliated.

"Ye? A gentleman o' fortune? Ye make a stuffed bird laugh."

"Wait and see!" She stomped her foot, making Mingi snicker as he passed behind them. "I will become much stronger than you and beat you in a fight! And then I will marry Seonghwa!"

A challenge flashed in Hongjoong's shrewd eyes when he leaned in. Tikki gulped, standing her ground when his clicking hair dangled before her.

Hongjoong's grin was broad and demonic with the scar splitting across his face.

"I would like to spy ye try. Last time I checked, ye been on yer way to a rogue witch. A witch ain't what Seonghwa needs." He beckoned over the horizon, the ship. "Look at this. This be all mine. Me ship, me island to rule. While I grow stronger, ye need to catch up."

She glanced and ground her teeth together since he was right. Though she disregarded his progress, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the goal she picked.

When she replied, her voice trembled, but she didn't give in to the insecurity flashing through her eyes. The bracelet the crew gifted her dangled from her wrist that clutched to the railing.

"I will do it. I will become better than you. While you lean back and relish in your success, I will rise. And once you got old and lazy because you think you won, I will come to take it all away."

Not for the first time, Hongjoong considered kicking that brat into the ocean, loud mouth attached.

With a sneer, he withdrew. He didn't do it only because Seonghwa would get mad.

"Do nay wail later when ye lose an' Hwa chooses me o'er ye. 'e already wears me ring." Mockingly, he wriggled his fingers at her, showing her the bindings of their vows. While she howled bloody murder and how she would hack off his finger, the crew got loud with barked orders as they steered into the Black Bay. The anchor plummeted into the ocean, sending water spraying everywhere. Wooyoung swung from the ropes and everyone trampled about to have their weapons ready and be on the lookout for an ambush.

However, the Black Bay was already secured under Hongjoong's personal protection. The settlement tucked into a private corner of the island, away from naval rule. When he killed the overseer and declared it a pirate's nest, swashbucklers flocked from far and wide to buy land and have a safe port to return to. In the past few years, many relocated their families here, safe among other pirates. A community of outlaws formed.

The Jolly Roger of the skull encircled by a whip sent the port into a frenzy. The fishermen and merchants who didn't care whose grimy hands paid for their wares scurried to end their lounging and ready for trade. Another docked ship yelled at their powder monkeys to remove the crates blockading the dock.

With the wind in his hair and a grin on his features, Hongjoong angled them to a stop. He rolled his shoulders as Jongho and Mingi threw the gangplank down to a waiting Seonghwa, who jumped off their broadside as soon as they arrived. The sun announced the captain's presence as he descended from the Precious with thundering steps.

A lone figure stood out among the raucous pirates attempting to look less drunk and appreciative of their king's efforts. Hongjoong's arrival meant additional money to upgrade the port, and it meant expansion. Though he didn't know these people, they joined hands to banish the navy off this island and have their peace.

Yongguk leaned against a pole on the walkway. He scanned their rows as one more person than usual came bounding between their feet. While San and his group of bickering youngsters carried off their loot to sell, Wooyoung dashed after him with a shirt in his hands. Ever since they got married, Wooyoung was touchy about showing off his gorgeous mate.

Not that it mattered among the crew.

"Ahoy," Hongjoong greeted their favourite warlock as he came to stand before him. He shrugged off his coat, warm in the coastal breeze. His loose red shirt fluttered in the wind.

Seonghwa's hand found the small of Hongjoong's back. The other one nervously rested on Tikki's shoulder. The girl scanned Yongguk with guarded eyes.

"Good to see you relatively in one piece," Yongguk greeted. Age hadn't touched upon him, not in the time they last saw each other, and not since Hongjoong first met him.

Sometimes, he wondered if Yongguk was more than he claimed to be. If he was star-touched, like Kira, Youjin's wife, had been. Or if some other odd enchantment Hongjoong wouldn't understand for the life of him prolonged his youth.

"It been a while," Seonghwa smiled. Though each of his grins was devilish thanks to his scars, Yongguk recognised when it was friendly. He turned on his heel to accompany them through the settlement.

"You built a society here. I'm impressed. Though I am the last to question your leadership, I didn't consider it would apply here. The people speak fondly of you."

Glad he found approval despite allowing in anyone who sought refuge, Hongjoong looked around the village. It was grimy and run-down, not as elevated and tended to as the naval ones. The gardens were overgrown and empty bottles hovered in every corner.

Yet, the laughing pirates swaying in their stupor and relishing the sun on their features made it homey. No one feared Jack Ketch here. And so long as Hongjoong didn't have to experience mutiny again, they could be whatever the hell they wanted.

Despite the drunkenness, however, the arrival of their rulers demanded attention. People dragged their eyes along Seonghwa's shape, his long legs and elegant coat that swished behind him. Though Hongjoong wore no grand hat or coat, his presence made them whisper.

Intimidation was a good way to gain respect among pirates. Especially those greedy for the infamous Pirate Prince.

"Jolly to 'ear that. We 'ave no office, but I will show ye the 'ouse I reserved fer ye. Ye do nay need to use it, but this be a safe place fer ye. If ye e'er need a break, come 'ere." Hongjoong directed their step up the sandy road to the hill. Lush grasses cradled the only tavern in town. It played merry music, and the barkeeper lifted a mug in cheer when they passed, inviting them for later.

Seonghwa grinned back at him and kept Tikki close. She looked around with curious eyes, not afraid of the rugged pirates and their black teeth.

"I have many homes. Perhaps this can become my retreat when no shady figures require my services."

Hongjoong smirked a crooked grin. The wind rustled in the palm trees and carried their longing gazes to the cerulean blue ocean waiting behind their backs.

Soon. First, Tikki. Then the Black Bay.

"The closer ye be to the local shady figures, the less ye 'ave to travel fer another unreasonable request o' ours."

They reached the house, up on the hill and secluded from the others. It huddled into a patch of forest surrounding the estate on top of the cliff, where Hongjoong put his quarters. Though it wasn't so isolated as others Yongguk fancied, he trailed an appreciative hand down the white facade of the terrace.

"True words. After all, you are my neediest customers who are always up to no good." They entered and Yongguk took in the sight. All the furniture was still intact after the hurried departure of the prior owners. It was light and exotic with items from far settlers, but Yongguk hummed in satisfaction. Hongjoong leaned in the door while he looked around and tested the dry and robust beams. Near the ocean, all wood soaked and softened with time, but this was excellent craftsmanship. Whatever rich lord built these before the pirates came left them a treasure.

When Yongguk turned with a content nod, the couple grinned and gathered back outside. Yongguk followed, ducking his head under the doorway.

"Speaking of, I have a matter to discuss with you. Perhaps we talk first, then I settle in?"

Hongjoong beckoned up the road. By his side, Seonghwa's eyes lit up. Expectedly so, their home in the Black Bay had become everything he ever wanted. Something he could tend to and own the same way Hongjoong owned the Precious. Their mansion was fully after Seonghwa's tastes.

"We also 'ave a favour to ask. This way."

Yongguk glanced at Tikki, who poked at a bug on the road.

"I can imagine," he replied. He followed them deeper into the thicket of the humid forest, protected from the sun and the eyes of other pirates.

While they caught up, the rest of the crew would tend to matters like restocking supplies and checking on the newcomers and their conditions. Hongjoong wanted new maps for abandoned hideouts, so Yeosang promised to look for them. By the time they would make it to the tavern, Yunho would have organised a full meal.

Chapter Text

Hongjoong opened the doors on the white veranda with a grand gesture. The glass giving a peek inside did no justice to the luxurious hall that greeted them.

The mansion was tall and lofty, it even had a basement. When they raided it, expensive vases got shattered and blood splotched over the white curtains, but Seonghwa brought the place back in shape. Light doused the wooden floorboards and fed the plants in their tall pots. They framed the gathered treasures the pirates robbed from the prior owner: artworks framed in elaborate wood, maps, and documents of land ownership. There were ancient rapiers and pieces of armour, even a stuffed owl that never failed to amuse Hongjoong.

The manor comprised four large rooms; a kitchen, a dining room, and a study for their plans with the island and the treasures they sought. The bed in the spacious sleeping quarters was massive and sparked Hongjoong's creativity whenever they visited. 

Down in the basement, they stored weapons and equipment, nothing of grand worth in case they ever got raided.

Seonghwa adored the fireplace most, along with the chandelier that doused the large rooms in a homey setting. Though a tropical island was never in need for flames to heat it, he liked to ignite them just for the dance of light and shadows across the walls.

Hongjoong liked the unnecessary clock tower.

Upon entering their palace, Tikki whizzed away to look at everything with awe. The house had belonged to the nobility, so its grimy, humble capturers pretended to be its new kings. 

Yongguk looked impressed while Seonghwa scurried away to find the lass who promised to look after their home in return for protection from greedy pirate hands. She kept her word. Not a speck of dust lined the polished furniture.

"I stick to my word. You live up to your title, Pirate King."

"E'er since we came to the Black Bay, mateys been callin' me that more often. It be time to show 'em what that reckon means." When he made for the large dining table that could fit the entire main crew and more, Yongguk tracked him inside their home. With a groan, Hongjoong pulled the heavy belt with weapons over his chest and clunked it on the glossy surface before him. He kicked up his legs, relishing in the few moments without Seonghwa's nagging.

"What be yer infatuation with it?" He asked as Yongguk settled down. Seonghwa showed Tikki around the house while their maid prepared the rare coffee they found here. Yongguk's head lifted when its aroma filled the air. It was imported from the farms of the near island, where workers ground up beans to pour a devilish drink. Another absurd idea of the royal family.

"The world has greyed, and the tides changed. Soon, other crews will come to take the throne and abolish the old powers. You'll need to adjust if you wish to stay relevant."

Hongjoong chuckled, though he knew better than to mistrust this man's foresight.

"New buckos can bow down to us scourges or they get scuttled. Arrogance does nay win against a blade."

"Yet, you aren't getting younger," Yongguk reminded. Dark lashes fanned over his cheeks when he lowered his voice. "Or at least, your crew isn't."

Hongjoong's smile died.

It was a matter they masterfully avoided, skirting around it as if through reefs. But though he just as often ached and groaned about past injuries, Hongjoong was the odd one out. He survived a higher blood loss, revived when close to death. 

He was undying, and though a blade to his neck could kill him like any other, the woes of time left him untouched.

But not his crew, not his ship.

And not Seonghwa.

Both his and Yongguk's eyes found the man. His hair dried from his earlier ride on the starboard side of the ship and curled in his nape. He had gathered part of it in a ponytail, but most raven curls fell around his features with a rugged beauty. The earring Hongjoong had picked for him from his collection dangled with his laughter as he knelt to explain a plant to Tikki. They felt over the shiny leaves with matching noises of awe.

Hongjoong was scared. Scared to remain in this world after his light left. Scared to hold Seonghwa in his last minutes, unable to follow.

He wanted them to age together. One day, they would be too weak to pick up their swords and then they would retreat here and watch the island as others claimed big titles for themselves. They would tend to Tikki and they would leave this world together.

But not as it was currently. Not with Hongjoong touched by the Abyssus and its demons.

Hongjoong rubbed the haunted shadows under his eyes. On alert, Yongguk watched how he leaned back, exhausted. 

"Does it pain you?"

"It robs me o' sleep occasionally, aye," Hongjoong confessed. He kept his voice low so Seonghwa wouldn't be alerted. Because Seonghwa would do anything to help. He knew, in a way, but he wasn't aware enough to notice how it held Hongjoong back as the others moved on. If he learned of the changes, he would fret.

"I do nay want 'em to fear fer me, but I want to stick with 'em. An' though I can protect 'em to the last battle like this, what will I be afterwards? If I be but a shell o' myself without a course, I do nay need to continue sailin'. They be the stars that guide me." He looked at Seonghwa at those words, but the rest of his crew was just as precious. They bested every storm together, and he was nothing without them.

Yongguk didn't say it, but the mighty pirate looked worn. Though fuelled by demonic might, he seemed as if stricken with an illness. As if the frenzy to catch up with the others robbed his sanity.

"I relieved Kira of that burden. Once it's time, I can do the same for you," he offered, though hesitant. Hongjoong was a prideful creature and didn't submit easily. 

Distracted, Hongjoong merely nodded. Different thoughts plagued him now.

Yongguk was about to revert the conversation to shallow waters, so the Pirate King' triumphant return wasn't soured when a warning yelp had them both twist their necks.

Seonghwa hauled Tikki away from the plant around her waist. He called for the maid in fear and she came running in. For a moment, they caught sight of the smouldering leaf closest to Tikki's fingers, then its blackened edges got doused with water. 

Spooked, Tikki clutched to Seonghwa's midst. She buried her face in his stomach, but no matter how much he shushed her and petted her hair, she wouldn't calm down. Hysterical sobs quivered through her body.

"I see," Yongguk whispered when Seonghwa brought her over. They distracted her with some sweet pastry and, though she wouldn't stop apologising through her shock, it helped her to stop crying.

"Liv's 'eritage manifested in the last two years, accordin' to Seonghwa's mother, but it lost balance when she went through the trauma o' 'er loss. She scared some townsfolk an' since we know which magic she stems from, we need ye now. Ye be the only one who can teach 'er 'ow to control 'er magic," Hongjoong explained. Seonghwa held Tikki close and ran his fingers through her curls. She calmed in his embrace, but was reluctant to meet Yongguk's eyes.

"Indeed, she's at that age. Has she hurt anyone?"

Tikki agitatedly shook her head. Sympathetic, Seonghwa spoke for her.

"My mother was wonderful at accepting who she was and embracing her as a regular child, but it never got cultivated. What might happen if she is left to her own devices scares us. It got remarkably worse after she was left with my mother's friend."

Yongguk hummed, studying her pointy features and bright eyes. She grew up to look more like Hongjoong than Liv, and Hongjoong was glad for that. Although the head of red locks and the magic sparking from her fingertips alerted all alarm sounds in his mind.

"I can take her in. I rarely meet those of my kin, so I am interested in an exchange. Although I can't promise which direction her magic will take. Already, I can tell hers is more destructive than mine. We can redirect its power, but we cannot change her inherent talent for the dark arts."

Though they didn't understand the first thing about the marvels of magic, Seonghwa accepted hurriedly. 

"Please do. So long as it doesn't consume her, and she remains her bright and bubbly self, it's already a massive help." He beamed at Yongguk, thankful for any assistance. The warlock hid his embarrassment behind a cough stifled in his fist.

"Was this the favour you needed to ask me? Why you came here?"

"Among others, aye. Ye can stay with 'er 'ere fer 'owever long ye need. The buckos on the island know nay to touch 'er. In the meantime, we 'ave the rest o' the Buried Lagoon to scuttle."

Interested, Yongguk crossed his legs. The many odd vials on his belts clicked through the bundles of herbs.

"The goal is ownership?"

"Aye," Hongjoong grinned darkly as he got to his feet. He made for the weapons closet with his most prized possessions and pulled out a heavy blunderbuss. It weighed in his arms before he leaned it against his shoulder.

"If we pay a visit to the town an' smoke the navy out o' their base, they lose sight o'er the remaining island. Every gentleman o' fortune down on the docks be ready. Anyone in a uniform gets cleaved at the brisket."

Seonghwa eased Tikki to glance at Yongguk, reluctant to make his acquaintance. Though the man could look scary, his smile was soft and convincing to a young girl. She relaxed by the minute, slowly uncramping her grabbers from Hongjoong's husband.

"Leave some to run so they can tell the tale. We are so far away from headquarters, I doubt they are interested in reclaiming one island."

"That be the plan, aye." Hongjoong kicked the closet shut and strode back over. When he handed Seonghwa his two scimitars, the man stood with a reassuring grin at Tikki.

"Don't go anywhere, baby. We will be right back. Why don't you tell Yongguk about the fires in the meantime? He understands. He also makes fires with his hands."

Awed, she whipped around to the warlock. He twirled his hand at her with a triumphant grin, all five fingertips ablaze with blue flames. Since she knew how real it was, she only stared, didn't touch. Recognition flashed across her eyes.

"Do what you must, Pirate King. I said everything I need to. Your daughter is safe with me," Yongguk assured. As the couple made for the door, Tikki's smile looked relieved.

"Take good care of Seonghwa, bucko!"

Hongjoong bared his teeth, irked fingers tapping on his weapon.

"In me care, 'e does nay catch fire."

Though she pouted, hurt, their spat was in good spirits. As Seonghwa left with Hongjoong, he hooked one arm around that of his husband as if they were going for a casual market stroll. While Hongjoong guided him, Seonghwa applied his war paint, drawing red lines up his scarred mouth and down his eyes.

"She will be happy with him, I know it. Since we are so difficult to look up to, he can be her mentor."

Hongjoong looked at the town square where his crew had assembled, armed to the teeth and ready to infiltrate the naval base. Since they were so far out from regular sea-faring territory, no one expected an attack here. The navy lazed all day, unaware of the festering plague in the Black Bay.

"She 'as many jolly mates to look up to," he agreed. They shared a soft smile before the call of their destiny darkened their eyes. Together, they descended the hill to join with their crew. Wooyoung and San were eager to taste blood after a long drought, and Mingi adjusted the eye patch that made him look more intimidating than the bare scar would. Yunho sorted his awful needles on his belt, while Yeosang waited by his side with his hook and the remaining pistol at the ready. Next to him, Jongho's arms bulged where he crossed them, enough to bash in heads all by themselves.

"Me 'earties," Hongjoong greeted them with a broad grin.

"Leave no quarter."

With a cheer, they departed and others came along to spread out through the forests on a mission to kill anyone who restricted their freedom as pirates. 

Chapter Text

Yunho and Mingi kicked the door to the naval fort down. Blunderbuss in hands and with his murderous husband by his side, Hongjoong stepped over the threshold. They faced a bunch of wide-eyed jack tar seated around a table playing cards. Their uniforms were rumpled and their weapons far as they scrambled to sit upright.

"Gentlemen, this be an invasion. Lay down yer weapons an' swear to the blackjack, then we will spare yer miserable souls."

The soldiers looked at each other, wide-eyed and unprepared for an attack despite training for years to get rid of the pirate plague. Hongjoong waited, impatient, but the fools tried their luck. One scrambled to the hind door, yelling for their commander. He went down first, riddled with bullets. The others followed the moment they made for their guns. 

In a swirl of steel and blood, the pirates bathed the room in their colours. Alarm bells rang across the yard, assembling their lazing men, but whichever scallywags they expected, it wasn't the Pirate King and his crew of demon-killers. Their orderly rows got mowed down by sabres like rye. 

As the crew swarmed out to search the buildings for leftover cowards, Hongjoong stomped up the stairs to the commanding office. He didn't run, never hurried though blood caked his boots and made the stairs slippery. Around him, the stench of gunfire and death filled the air. San lunged with his eyes blazing and two fumbling soldiers went down under his attack. He dragged their bodies off to a pile to salvage later.

Flanked by Yeosang and Seonghwa, Hongjoong kicked the door to the office open. The man behind the desk was but a shadow of a governor. He wore noble clothing, pigging out on the high earnings his position promised despite never lifting a blade himself. When the three pirates appeared in the doorway, he fell to his knees, fingers coming up to plead before his white wig.

"Have mercy, scourge of the seven seas! We are a humble outpost; this island has nothing to offer you!"

Hongjoong snorted. As he transgressed the room, Yeosang and Seonghwa supervised the door. 

The cowering male ducked deeper, grovelling before Hongjoong's feet that carried the leftovers of his men.

"Do ye 'ave no shame? 'Idin' away 'ere while we slaughter yer mates?" A fine commander he made. He should have died at their front, leading them into battle. How must it be to die for a person without having worth to them? Hongjoong hoped his crew would never find themselves trapped by such doubts.

"I beseech you! Have my treasures and my maps, but leave this fort! Harm will come upon you once our allies arrive; it's in our mutual interest!" The man babbled.

Ice-cold scorn filled Hongjoong's heart. He crouched, not bothering to pack the man by his fake hair and going straight for his throat. Spluttering and gasping, the commander flailed as Hongjoong hauled him around the table. He didn't mind the howls of pain as his captive collided with its corners.

On the naked stones beyond the table, glimmering in lantern light, hung spreadsheets. Wanted posters of the worst pirates mingled with death warrants. 

Hongjoong halted before them with the commander by his feet, grovelling and praying for clemency.

"Do ye know who I be?"

"N-No, please! Please have mercy; the Lord blessed every man walking the earth with it! You have it; you can find back on the right path and go to paradise, please, I beseech you-"

Hongjoong hauled him up and slammed him face-first into his wanted poster. The crack of the man's breaking nose echoed through the tall room and blood splotched over the visage of a past Hongjoong staring back at him. Riches beyond everyone's imagination awaited the one who handed him in. His title: Pirate King Kim Hongjoong. Just Dead.

With bulging eyes, the man gaped at the poster when Hongjoong yanked him back. 

"I be the darned Pirate King, ye son o' a biscuit eater. Yer life been lost the moment ye ignored the plague investing yer shorelines." After those words, he slammed the governor's head into the rocks with enough force to crack his skull. He stepped back, wiping his hand on his coat, and retrieved the dungeon keys and the map from the slumping corpse's belt. He tossed the former to Yeosang.

"Free 'em fellows from the bilge an' send 'em to 'elp with reparations. I want everyone to search the island fer secondary watch towers. By noon, all jack tar be gone from this place."

Yeosang dashed away, gathering up the others to relay his orders. Seonghwa lingered, dark eyes heavy on Hongjoong as he sat down on the edge of the table. He left the maps to deal with later. When he patted his lap invitingly, Seonghwa came springing. His body was hot and feverish from their fighting and cosied up against Hongjoong like a starving man finding food. His tongue lapped off the mixture of blood and sweat on his neck, only partly Hongjoong's own. 

As he clutched to Seonghwa's hips to crowd their bodies together, Hongjoong crooned into his ear.

"Do ye like it, sugar? This be me present to ye, this island an' its beautiful sights. These be yer forests now, yer shores an' yer cliffs."

Seonghwa panted into his neck, close as he rutted into Hongjoong. The stench of death doused them in an exhilarating haze.

"Our children can grow up 'ere. We can grow old 'ere. I will wait fer ye whenever I can nay sail with ye an' I will prepare ye meals an' a warm bed to come 'ome to. A warm body."

Chuckling, Hongjoong seized his behind with two hands, splaying him open for his leg to grind against. Seonghwa moaned, tumbling into him to sprawl them flat over the massive table. The door was open and the cheers of victory from outside could come closer any second. But Seonghwa couldn't be stopped as he feverishly kissed Hongjoong's throat, leaving marks that declared the ferocious pirate as his.

"All yers. Ours. I will brin' ye anythin' ye want. Jewels, stars, slaves. As many kids as yer arms can carry."

Seonghwa whimpered, picking up their pace until they wound on the table. He shuddered, blood-crazed mind emptying when ecstasy took over. Hongjoong helped him ride it out, proud to be the only one to see Seonghwa like this. As his treasure slumped onto his chest to catch his breath, Hongjoong meant every word he said.

They rested there for a moment while Hongjoong caressed Seonghwa's messy locks and pressed kisses to his forehead. Perhaps they would have stayed until the rumoured reinforcements came to determine the island lost, but Wooyoung collected them before that. He appeared at the door with his face splotched with blood, but his grin was cheeky when he laid eyes on them.

"Ahoy, captain couple," he chirped as he came sashaying inside. A grazing shot hit his arm, but Yunho already bandaged it up. When he caught Hongjoong's lingering eyes, he waved it off.

"All done in 'ere? We cleaned up outside." He stepped up behind Seonghwa, bending over his lax back. Hongjoong groaned at their combined weight, lungs protesting. Nonetheless, Wooyoung pressed a bold kiss to Seonghwa's lax cheek as his hand dipped down between their bodies.

"Once yer blood frenzy be over, we should greet the townsfolk at the marketplace an' announce our presence. If they do nay want to live under a gentleman o' fortune's rule, they better 'urry out o' 'ere."

Seonghwa stifled a whimper in Hongjoong's shoulder when Wooyoung squeezed the wet crotch of his pants. With lidded eyes, Hongjoong watched his two troublemakers put on a tempting show.

"Be this adultery?" Hongjoong asked as he helped Wooyoung balance Seonghwa on his feet. The tall quartermaster wobbled between them for a moment, drunk on his delirium, but he quickly regained his senses. As he adjusted his sleeves and ripped the wanted posters from the wall, Wooyoung grinned fondly at his ring.

"Since we both be married, perhaps nay. The solution be to team ye up with San in return."

Hongjoong snickered at Wooyoung's creativity. His body ached when he dusted his pants off and though he didn't get injured, he should check on his nutrient intake. Dying from scurvy after so many mad adventures was the most shameful way to go. He rubbed his eyes as he accompanied his lookout outside.

"It been a while since I played with ye two. Let's celebrate together once everythin' be resolved an' if me precious be up fer it."

"Savvy, Captain," Wooyoung purred. They stepped to the balustrade of the fort together, looking out over the town below. Some inhabitants took notice of the smoke rising from their patrons' quarters and warned each other in fear of the approaching pirate dread. Most were pretty damsels in elaborate dresses with their husbands that served no further purpose than being their walking aids.

"I sent the monkeys to go undercover an' pick up on any rumours. If we promise 'em the land they own currently, they might nay care who rules the isle."

"Those who feel threatened can feed the fish," Hongjoong replied as he observed their scurried haste through the narrow passages. The town was beautiful; untouched and lush since it saw few raids but plenty of nature. Even if they resisted, Hongjoong hoped they could save the buildings, so they had fewer to build later when the pirates settled in.

"They also 'ave the largest trading port on the Buried Lagoon. This be the one we want to invest in."

A port could supply them with everything a pirate needed. Canvas, food, wood. Carpenters whenever Jongho couldn't shoulder the repairs by himself. Though the others were ever so eager to help, their hands were clumsy with nails and hammers.

When Hongjoong stifled a cough in his sleeve, Wooyoung glanced at him. Burning eyes glared at the smoke raising behind the headquarters.

"I do nay need this buildin' fer meself, but tell 'em to avast 'em flames. We can put a tavern in 'ere but nay if 'em 'alls crumble."

"Aye, Cap'n," Wooyoung huffed before he jogged away to order the evildoers around. His shadow followed him through the diffuse air; harmless and unchanging by his feet.

As if all those things never happened.

They healed, slowly, but some scars lasted forever.

Seonghwa exited the office behind Hongjoong. His eyes had cleared and his posture was regal as ever. When the king offered him his hand, the prince took it so they could descend the stairs together.

As promised, Hongjoong gathered the crew at the marketplace. Many didn't dare come outside to attend his speech, but those who did would carry the news.

"Yer island been captured by pirates an' will become our outpost. Ye may stay neutral labourers or ye may join us under the blackjack. The rest may flee or pray to be rescued by the naval reinforcements. That be, if any o' 'em survived." Hongjoong grinned sinisterly at the crowd of mannerly lords and ladies. Someone fainted; Yunho laughed. 

The town sunk into mayhem, but that was not the crew's place to care. While they figured themselves out and the allied pirates seized everything left unattended, the crew returned to the Black Bay. Though smaller, it was private. Hongjoong was no mayor. Someone else could do that work while he was out at sea. To him, this home was just a hideout for him and Seonghwa to catch their breaths.

They didn't see Yongguk on their way up the hill on unsteady sea legs, but light danced behind the windows of his new home. Pleased that Tikki found her place and Seonghwa wouldn't need to fret about her, Hongjoong parted from his crew before his villa.

"Keep yer deadlights on the 'orizon fer the jack tar. We will splice the mainbrace tomorrow, so take a caulk an' check each other fer injuries."

Yeosang shyly leaned in Jongho's arm as the carpenter took off his prosthesis with gentle hands. As much as it was a convenience, it caused their navigator pain when worn over longer periods of time.

"Aye, Captain!" They chittered and left for their mayhem. Hongjoong rubbed his temples at a stab of pain. He deserved his rest.

First, however, Seonghwa reached for him with a coy hand, walking backward into their shared home. Though they were grimy and full of sin, the man's lure was that of an angel.

"Let me repay the favour," Seonghwa invited as he made for the spacious bedroom, and Hongjoong all too gladly fell into his husband's siren call.

Chapter Text

"Will ye make do on yer promises to make this our 'ome? Fer children an' such?" Hongjoong smirked as he followed Seonghwa inside their private quarters. Their bodies were disgusting, but neither cared for the clean sheets as Seonghwa dropped on them. His splayed body invited Hongjoong in; offered its service.

"We can put a crib over there. A nursery one room over," Seonghwa purred as he seized Hongjoong's hips, throwing him into the sheets. Gladly, Hongjoong let himself be pressed down, too fatigued to battle for the dominance he gave up all too willingly. Lazy hands carded into Seonghwa's hair as they kissed. It was sticky with blood, but once more, he could be proud of his husband's improvement in fighting.

"Ye be so charmin', precious," Hongjoong purred as Seonghwa smoothed his hand down Hongjoong's side. With it reignited the lingering heat that never left.

"'Ow do ye want it?" Seonghwa whispered, in a sharing mood since they were riled up from the adrenaline of their fight and triumph.

"Anythin' be fine with me."

Now Seonghwa pulled back. He didn't frown, but his suspicious eyes wandered down Hongjoong's lax form. Usually, there was more spite in him before he turned into putty.

"Be ye feelin' jolly? Ye did nay get 'urt or poisoned, aye?"

"I be jolly," Hongjoong assured him, smirk crooked. "Just too in love with ye to do anythin' but marvel today."

With a fond huff, Seonghwa bent to nibble at Hongjoong's neck. The pirate tilted his head back so the marks would be seen. He was prideful to show off their pair, towards strangers and the crew.

"I'll let ye off the 'ook, then. Let me take care o' ye. Ye can rest if ye want."

Hongjoong lashes fluttered. He was so sleepy, so cosy in Seonghwa's embrace, though their obtrusive clothes and weapons were so filthy. He hummed, lips lethargically responding to Seonghwa's kiss.

They were usually better at taking off their clothes, but their hands were fumbly and their clothes gritty with grime. By the time they were bare and cleaner than before, Hongjoong lolled on the sheets as Seonghwa crawled between his legs. Though Hongjoong's mind was fatigued, his arousal wasn't. It stood proud and needy, begging for attention with enthusiastic twitches. When Seonghwa's plush lips enveloped it in the heaven of his throat, Hongjoong sighed in bliss. His fingers carded into Seonghwa's hair, legs coming to rest over his scarred shoulders. He adored Seonghwa; was so aroused by him. His lashes fluttered as he buried his head in the pillows.

Somehow, he must have dozed off. He knew Seonghwa took his time worshipping him with his mouth, knew he trailed lower later to bury that wicked tongue in Hongjoong's entrance, though he hadn't showered and reeked of blood and sweat. However, his mind was hazy around those memories.

When he came to, Seonghwa had rolled him on his stomach and settled over him. He had just buried deep inside the other pirate, filling him until his head kicked back. The feeling of him inside was glaringly clear. As was the whip Seonghwa had slung around his wrists to pin them to his lower back.

"Oh, ye be aft? I think ye nodded off on me fer a moment," the Pirate Prince noted at Hongjoong's guttural moan. When he leaned forward to grasp Hongjoong's chin in his hand and turned his head, Hongjoong squirmed as the shift pressed deliciously against his spot.

"Pardon," he gasped, keening when Seonghwa's hand slipped to his throat instead, applying mild pressure.

"We can stop if ye be feelin' under the weather," Seonghwa suggested, and though he wanted to punish Hongjoong for his disinterest, he sounded worried. The grip of his hand lightened.

"Absolutely nay. 'eave." Hongjoong angled his hips, bucking them into Seonghwa's to communicate his want. With a chuckle, Seonghwa held him tighter once more.

"Do nay complain about achin' 'ips later, old salt."

"I would never," Hongjoong replied, but he ended in a gasp when Seonghwa slammed into him. His spine arched, strung as a bow as his insides caught Seonghwa's burrowing, swaddled him in an embrace like home. They panted each other's names, harsher than last time as their carnal desires drove them, but Hongjoong still felt he couldn't keep up. He liked Seonghwa's hand cutting into his airflow, liked how his whip restricted him. Yet, he wanted to crumble under Seonghwa's weight he normally held up without effort. He wanted to lay flat and be Seonghwa's tool to use, but this wasn't what they came for.

Why was he so tired? Could he not match Seonghwa's fervour anymore?

Hongjoong leaked over his stomach when the door flung open. The windows in it gave a view of what they were up to, yet Yunho came strutting inside without a care in the world.

Hongjoong rolled his eyes.

"It could nay wait?" Seonghwa huffed as he yanked Hongjoong's hips closer, burrowing deep into the gasping pirate. Yunho snickered as he came over to sprawl out before Hongjoong. Uncaring of the captain's glare, he opened his pants to invite him in.

Seonghwa shoved him down, leaving him with no other choice.

"No worries, I can blabber in the meantime. We took o'er the town an' everyone who wanted to flee left. A few 'undred joined our rows; Yeosang be busy gatherin' their names an' identities- ouch." He scowled down at Hongjoong when the spiteful captain dragged his blunt teeth over his length. The fire in his gaze bemused their surgeon. When he fisted his hand into Hongjoong's hair to guide him, the pinned captain accepted his fate. With a hand on his back, Seonghwa bore down on him, each thrust squelching wet.

"An' the jack tar?" Seonghwa prompted, voice stuttering in the pace of his hips.

Yunho traced his thumb around Hongjoong's stretched mouth, smearing the overflowing saliva.

"Still far. They sent some sea dogs, but they will take a while to arrive. We can celebrate in peace." He grinned a sunny smile at Hongjoong, trapped between their bigger bodies. The captain's lashes fluttered. Occasionally, he enjoyed being held down for their pleasure. Though he was exhausted with this petty weariness, he liked how Seonghwa groaned above him, how Yunho's hand trembled on his jaw.

Hongjoong left his body in their care as he returned to his trance. No need to think about upcoming run-ins with the navy or island duties here. For now, it was only them and Yunho's rambling.

"Once they arrive, we will 'ave enough mates hoay to brin' our point across. They can accept us, or we make a point keelhaulin' 'em." Yunho leaned his back against the headboard. His fingers spasmed on Hongjoong's head when he buried his nose in Yunho's pubic bone, swallowing his most impressive mate deep. Curses slipped from his lips as he was close. Each time Hongjoong's throat tightened because Seonghwa's thrusts impaled him deeply, his abdomen clenched.

"We gotta make sure Tikki an' Yongguk do nay get caught up in the crossfire. We promised 'em safety 'ere." Seonghwa lowered himself onto Hongjoong, lips pillowy on his tattoos, his nape. When his hand reached between his legs, Hongjoong livened up to moan against Yunho. His eyes rolled back when Yunho rocked down his throat, unable to hold back any longer. The long spurts of his come were disgusting on Hongjoong's tongue, but he gulped them down fast enough to avoid the worst.

As he slumped away, Seonghwa undid the bindings of his hands. He kissed Hongjoong's shoulder in praise as he pulled his hips higher, chasing their highs as Yunho watched on. Faint, Hongjoong clutched to the sheets, putty in Seonghwa's arms. His hair dangled over his shoulder as he hung his heavy head.

Seonghwa skimmed his hands down his sides, an act of worry since Hongjoong was so unresponsive. To assure him, Hongjoong clamped down on him, ripping a vulgar yell that had him grin with pride from Seonghwa's throat. When his husband came a moment later, Hongjoong also trembled through the punitive fist on him.

They collapsed into a heap, tangling their cuddles with Yunho, who had interrupted so casually. Hongjoong took a nap between their heated, familiar bodies, glad to sink into them and disappear for once.

Seonghwa cleaned him with the soiled sheet, but his hand kept coming back to trail over him in concern. Only halfway aware, Hongjoong dozed on and off.

He just needed some sleep.

"Cap's been lookin' pale. Shall I check on 'im?" Yunho confirmed Seonghwa's fretting. If he had the energy, Hongjoong would have told him off. Even as the king of all criminals, he couldn't get a break.

"'e reckoned 'e be tired from the fight. Let 'im rest."

Seonghwa always understood. He was Hongjoong's other half, reading him as if his body was his own. As he engulfed Hongjoong's waist in his arms to chatter with Yunho in hushed voices, Hongjoong trusted him to hold him as he dozed off.

-

When he woke, hair wild, Yunho had left. Seonghwa walked around the room, parading a velvet coat he found leftover in the wardrobe from the past owner. He looked ridiculous and out of place in it, but also handsome. After all, a prince suited Seonghwa, no matter the circumstances.

While Hongjoong sat up against the headboard, his throat was parched. He reached for his bottle of rum on the bedside table and chugged it with big gulps. Lidded eyes lifted to Seonghwa, where the man straightened after playing with the unnecessary long tails on his coat.

"'Ad a jolly caulk?" He grinned, coming over to sit with Hongjoong. He had bathed in the fancy tub of this place and smelled delectable as they kissed. Hongjoong grimaced in apology at his stink. Ever so used to it, Seonghwa overlooked it.

"I always sleep extra jolly after ye showed me 'eaven," Hongjoong chuckled. He nodded down at Seonghwa's frame before he glanced at the windows. Night had fallen and the torches of the village danced in the night.

"Be this yer outfit fer the evenin'?"

"Be it too reminiscent o' our enemies? I can wear it without a shirt to lure everyone to 'armony," Seonghwa suggested, tugging at the expensive red bow tied to his throat over the black brocade.

With sharp-witted hands, Hongjoong picked at Seonghwa's collar. His head spun when he sat up too fast, but he blinked the dancing dark spots from his eyes. Unnoticed by his husband's watchful eyes, he skimmed his hands over the V of the vest, gauging how deep it would dip.

"Wear it without a shirt. Give those poor starved dogs somethin' to ogle. Too bad it be all mine," he smirked. He could tell when Seonghwa's eyes glazed over, his body leaned coyly into Hongjoong's side. Their hands came up to entangle, rings glinting.

"All yers. 'Ow be ye feelin'? Yunho been worried fer ye." His gaze added the rest. He was also worried, and he would involve the others if Hongjoong didn't feel better soon. Though the sea was anything but sanitary, the wilful captain rarely fell ill. Ever since they were alleviated of their curse, only minor ailments struck them.

"I be jolly. Let's drink the bug away as we celebrate our win. Perhaps this be merely me anxiety to do things right on the lagoon. I do nay want those who trusted us to run into a jack tar trap to dance the Hempen's jig."

Seonghwa trailed his hands down Hongjoong's arms, hooking their fingers together. The one holding the stump of his pinky cradled it most tenderly.

What a far memory of the past. The scar never bugged him, but it often reminded him of the time he spent apart from Seonghwa and how losing the Precious brought them back together. How had he lived without him back then? What had life been before they were whole?

"I 'ear yer worries. We be by yer side. An' if ye grow anxious, talk to us. For now, let's find ye some lemons. Would 'ate to spy ye die o' scurvy."

Hongjoong chuckled since he thought the same.

They found another ridiculously fancy outfit for him, one with a matching long robe and a hat reminiscent of a potato sack that had a fancy feather on it. They batted at it, snickering, as they made their way down to the tavern to drink all their apprehensions away.

Chapter Text

The merrymaking was in full swing by the time the captain couple arrived fashionably late. Wooyoung perched on the bar counter, one arm wrapped around the tirelessly pouring barkeep and with his legs crossed. San sat in a corner with a bottle clutched like a lifeline, watching him with smouldering eyes. 

Yunho and Mingi raised their cups at the latecomers. They sat at a table with some other pirates who helped the raid and they bonded over the overflowing alcohol.

"Ahoy, buckos," Hongjoong grinned as he guided Seonghwa inside by the small of his back. Amused by Wooyoung's flirtations, Seonghwa leaned next to him while Hongjoong's tattooed lower arms came to rest on the grimy countertop. Scarred fingers tapped to the beat of the concertina someone played nearby. A woman sang the song of victory and the seas for them and the stomping of pirates in mindless dance woke the rest of the bay to join them. Yeosang was breathless, overgrown blond hair wild as he danced with the other pirates. Jongho nursed his drink on the terrace. His eyes never left their navigator. 

Wooyoung and San went up and down like the tides, never bored with their games. And although Yeosang and Jongho were much more tentative about their relationship, it was good to see that Jongho considered Yeosang the brightest star, even after so many years. Yeosang guided them all with his light and so long as Jongho didn't stray off his path, everything would be fine.

"Ah, this reminds me o' past days," Seonghwa sighed into his drink once he received it. He sunk onto the stool next to Hongjoong. Despite the rowdy and boisterous pirates around them, he was the moon to their tides. 

Sometimes Hongjoong wanted to scoff at how good of a prince Seonghwa would have been. A proper one, that was. In a castle with a white horse and a princess to marry. Not a prince of the seas. In a way, Seonghwa was the prince of their own little kingdom now. His joy was in the white castle atop the hill.

Though no one loved Seonghwa's dark sides more than Hongjoong.

Swaying in his chair until he found his seating, Hongjoong indulged him.

"O' a time when one cup got ye three sheets into the wind?"

"No," Seonghwa said, though he had to chuckle into his bottle. As he relaxed in the warm island air and the sunset bathed them in an orange glow, everything about him screamed attractive. Hongjoong was less tired, but if his headache weren't so bothersome he would have tugged Seonghwa away again, not yet done with him.

Happiness suited the man. Even if it came in odd shapes out at sea, Hongjoong hadn't noticed how much he missed it until Seonghwa started healing from his loss.

His smiles would be touched by a certain sadness for a long time still.

"I meant when those umbra bastards been around. We also celebrated like this, but they overshadowed our every joy."

"It been a long time. Ye do nay need to fear 'em any longer." Hongjoong's hand found Seonghwa's thigh, squeezing it through the expensive fabric of their costumes. 

With an absent-minded touch at the corner of his lips, Seonghwa made a sound of agreement. They couldn't forget the vile curse. No matter how strong it made them and how easy other troubles became, they feared every day that the dark puddles at their feet would take the shape of people. Hongjoong often flinched away from nearby walls when the sun made his shadow glide alongside him.

"Ye 'ave a lot on yer mind. Let's focus on this. The Black Bay. Our triumph." Hongjoong beckoned around them, at the crowd of guffawing pirates with no care in the world.

Seonghwa drank to that.

"Ye only add to it, me love. Do nay fall sick. We need ye once the jack tar appear on the 'orizon."

When Hongjoong leaned in to nuzzle into Seonghwa's cheek, Seonghwa readily turned his head to kiss him. In the eye of the storm, their devotion to each other was almost too pure. Not that it bothered the rowdy bunch around them.

"E'en if I were tied to me bed an' could nay move, ye would do me work twice as jolly as me. I trust ye," Hongjoong whispered when they parted. Seonghwa chuckled against his lips.

"Yet, stay by me side."

"Always," Hongjoong vowed. He smiled when Seonghwa ducked, a blush catching up with him, though their promises to each other never swayed in all those years. Though they occasionally fought - over endangering themselves in inevitable battles most often than anything else - they always overcame their worries. A cough wouldn't break them apart, as wouldn't some fever. 

As long as he had Seonghwa to return to, Hongjoong would go to the end of the world for him.

Before they could fall deeper into each other and prematurely leave the party to indulge their never-ending hunger, someone came up behind them. Mingi swung his arms around their shoulders, once each, and squeezed them into a tight embrace. Stifled against his chest, Seonghwa whined while Hongjoong elbowed Mingi's tattooed side.

Their mate's rich laughter filled their ears.

"What be ye two gettin' the morbs o'er 'ere fer? Put a spring upon 'er, Yeosang be teachin' us courtly dances."

Hongjoong glimpsed at the platform before the counter, which filled with more and more people ready to share the glee. Alcohol flowed in rivers and they clapped along as Yeosang drunkenly tried to remember the steps ingrained into his childhood. As he fumbled about and couldn't explain the proper hold on his ever-changing partners lacking a hand, his rosy cheeks made everyone snicker.

"We been on our way to join," Seonghwa assured as he slipped from his chair. He waited, one dark brow lifted at Hongjoong.

The captain beckoned him to go with a shrewd grin into his chalice.

"I will sit 'ere an' wait to 'old San aft once 'e makes fer Wooyoung's throat. Ye 'ave fun with the others."

Since they talked enough about this, Seonghwa huffed a fond smile before he took off. A moment later, he put a hand on Yeosang's shoulder and the drunken navigator tumbled into his arms, giggling in mirth. They attempted the stiff court dances together, and everyone couldn't help but be charmed by Yeosang's adorable attempts.

Hongjoong watched them fondly. He didn't trust his legs to hold up so much stomping since his head spun from the liquor. Nonetheless, he had a good time watching how the others fooled around.

Seonghwa convinced Jongho with big pleading eyes to dance with Yeosang after him and, though their navigator was broad and muscular, he liked to duck into Jongho's chest when the boatswain reached for him.

Someone shuffled up on the counter next to Hongjoong and he didn't need to turn to know who it was. Wooyoung nudged him with a playful foot.

"Gettin' old, capt'n? 'Ow come ye ain't out there stakin' yer claim on the most beautiful mate o' the evenin'?"

Hongjoong leaned into his meaty thigh. The stench of gunpowder stuck to Wooyoung like a second skin. Though they had clean water here, his mates didn't think much about hygiene.

"No need to. Anyone can flatter 'im tonight an' gift 'im the most exquisite o' treasures, but the one whose arms 'e will crawl into by the end be mine."

Wooyoung scoffed at his cockiness. When he leaned forward to follow the complicated dances with his eyes, his ring dangled from his necklace. He nursed his drink as he eyed Yeosang and Seonghwa up and down, head full of mischievous ideas.

"Extra rules apply to us. Maybe I will try me luck tonight. It been a while." He licked his lips and Hongjoong rolled his eyes. Nothing kept Wooyoung. If Seonghwa wanted to play with him, he could decide that by himself.

"If ye 'ave no plans with 'im tonight, I might just take 'im an' Yeosang."

Hongjoong leaned back against the counter. One arm rested behind him to play lazily with the necklaces adorning his chest. 

"Ain't ye forgettin' someone?" His gaze wandered to San. Their master gunner was sulking to himself in his corner. He wasn't one to go around and find alternatives, despite being the one Hongjoong got to know him as. Or, for that very reason. Though they overcame the shadow of the past, Wooyoung couldn't be tied down. If San played with others, Wooyoung punished him with ignorance. If Wooyoung strayed, San had no other choice but to let him if he wanted to stay in Wooyoung's favour. An eternal push and pull, but they were addicted to it.

"Since we found plenty o' booty, I need somethin' grand. I can 'ave 'im any day." Wooyoung replied. He leaned back, tattered top riding up his stomach to show his belly button. As multiple men stared blatantly, Wooyoung wrapped his arm back around the barkeep's nape.

"Give me another one," he pleaded, ever so cute. Hongjoong shook his head as he adjusted the buckles on his shoes. While he had slept in, Seonghwa scrubbed them for him and though the blood stains would discolour them forever, Hongjoong regarded them as his personal fashion statement. 

As Kira once said and Seonghwa's flank now read: he wore the smell of death like a perfume. It was his personal note and a warning for all those who dared get in his way.

"I'll dance with our two doves. Ye rest yer old bones, Captain." Wooyoung grinned once he sat back up. He smacked a wet smooch against Hongjoong's cheek and he grimaced, wiping it away, while Wooyoung bound off with a giggle. A moment later, he joined their mindless roundelays.

Hongjoong didn't mind the noise and the stench, though his head begged him to take it slow. Perhaps he shook up his brain in their last brawl; he was always bad at noticing that. If he didn't get better after some lemons, he would ask Yunho for his medical advice. 

It couldn't be the seasickness getting to him after all these years, right?

The only thing more embarrassing than dying of scurvy was for the Pirate King to retire early because the sea shook him up too much.

Hongjoong was about to beckon San over to give him a pep talk on how to deal with impertinent brats when some drunken buccaneer up on a tree behind them slurred a call of warning.

"Sail ho! 'S them sailors." He slurred, almost falling off his swaying branch when he beckoned his bottle at the ocean. 

Hongjoong strained his eyes. Not one sail, but three moved at a slow and steady pace in their direction. The ships didn't look rugged enough to be more pirates down to splice the mainbrace.

Over the lively music, Hongjoong gestured for some mostly sober lad to scale the hill and check it out. While he scurried away, the captain tensely watched the nearing guests.

Seonghwa threw his head back in laughter, carefree, as he tumbled between their other mates. Wooyoung's large hands splayed over his hips, pulling him close as the former baker took a rest between his and Yeosang's bodies.

Yunho, who had been playing pin finger with the pirates at his table, burst out in laughter as the man next to him cried in pain.

The world was spinning, but it returned to its order when Hongjoong pinched his eyes shut for a moment.

Blimey, that bug was getting to him.

It took the lad a moment, but when he came scrambling back down the hill, slipping and sliding until his pants were stained with mud, his eyes were wide with urgency.

"White an' blue sails on the 'orizon!" He bellowed, shooing up the lax pirates. The music died, and the dancing stopped as everyone exchanged insecure glances. Ultimately, their eyes found the Pirate King splayed over the bar and with his lax form exuding unshakable confidence. 

Sobering quickly, Hongjoong pushed himself up and adjusted the whip slung around his waist. His eyes flashed as he caught Seonghwa's gaze.

They could continue their dance later on.

"They been smart. Let's go welcome 'em at the port."

With a cheer in unison, the pirates assembled to descend the hill and face the navy with their chins held high.

This was their new home, their freedom to defend.

And under Hongjoong's flag, they united as one to demand their right to a home.

Chapter Text

Seated on a barrel snap at the end of the walkway leading to the docking area, Hongjoong crossed his arms. The nightly breeze ruffled his hair and crept under his shirt to skim his chest with ghostly fingers. Black ink dedicated to his crew and his husband made an appearance, personal to him and him only.

The three looming warships closed in on the harbour. Whoever carried the news to the nearest fort so fast must have mentioned Hongjoong's presence. For a regular pirate raid, they wouldn't send so many soldiers.

Hongjoong's crew grouped around him. They had his back as they awaited the nearing enemy. None of them had drawn their weapons, showing their offer for diplomacy.

Of course, shooting the warships' hundreds of cannons to bathe the port in flames was the easiest way to get rid of the government's greatest foe. When they passed the area of recommended Fire in the Hole to anchor instead, a smirk played around Hongjoong's lips. 

They recognised the figure at the bowsprit of the frontal ship. His long hair whipped in the light of his lantern and, though his brows were drawn, he didn't look half as hateful as most of his people.

What a pleasant surprise.

Seonghwa perked up behind Hongjoong. He wanted to greet him, but wisely kept to their defensive formation. Out here, they were easy prey. A bunch of pirates on foot didn't defeat three men o' war. Either they won the battle of wits, parted on neutral ground, or died gruesome deaths.

The excitement of which it might be coiled darkly in Hongjoong's stomach.

Expectedly, the navy hadn't taken kindly to hearing Hongjoong was back from the dead. Since the admiral who claimed the kill joined Davy Jones' Locker, some argued he had been a fraud, and others feared the diabolical power the Pirate King used to walk the living plane once again.

And they weren't wrong. Most had seen their shadows fight by their sides. He was their most feared enemy, partly because he became something unholy in addition to his human crimes.

The ships docked, but the admiral beckoned his men to stay on board. Nervously, they clutched their rifles. Their eyes kept twitching back to Hongjoong, petrified now that they saw him. What looked like a lithe lad to many was the horror of the seven seas.

Accompanied by four soldiers, the admiral descended the plank. He wore an impressive coat over his impeccable uniform, and the seagulls fluttered away when his steps thundered over the wood. He didn't falter, and his men regained their confidence at his display.

Hongjoong kicked his legs merrily, welcoming them with a grin.

"Pirate King," Yonghwan breathed as he nodded a courteous head. Hongjoong bobbed back.

"Admiral. What a positive surprise to cross your path here."

The corners of Yonghwan's mouth twitched. His eyes read an apology as they swiped over Seonghwa. They had lots to catch up on; so many words to convey.

For now, however, it had to wait. The tension was thick enough to cut with a sabre.

"I see you've made your home. Our couriers mumble you claimed the Buried Lagoon as your property."

Again, Hongjoong nodded.

"Less so mine than I want to give it to the people. We live the lawless life at sea, aye, but just like you, we crave a place to take a break in. Somewhere to hide our families and children." He drawled; knew it struck a nerve. Yonghwan loved Seonghwa's mother dearly, and he loved Tikki, though he knew whose brat she was.

Edgy, the soldiers on the ships attended the exchange. No one attempted hasty decisions. They trusted their leader.

"But it is your flag under which you unite? Your title that keeps them safe?"

"Aye. We aren't many, but I ally with those I consider honest mates. We let the civilians flee and killed only where we had to. They have many places to go. We don't."

The intent was clear. Hongjoong laid the deck on the table, free for the navy to inspect. They could come here for inspections, they wouldn't get slaughtered. In return, however, they needed to endure the pirates in plain sight. Their promise not to kill their families for peaceful coexistence.

"I would like to confirm that myself, if possible."

"Go for it. We have some left over whom we promised safe passage through you. They have been waiting." Hongjoong beckoned over to the storehouse to their right. The indignant inhabitants of the Buried Lagoon used it as their bastion of safety as they awaited salvation through the navy. 

With a glance at Hongjoong and his rugged crew, Yonghwan marched over. His guards came along, but no one got harmed as they turned their backs to the pirates. Those who weren't Hongjoong's crew shifted nervously, but they held out.

Part of showing exemplary leadership was recognising how well one trained his subordinates. Yonghwan and Hongjoong could respect that in one another.

Yonghwan hammered his fist against the tall doors.

"Anybody there? This is Admiral Kim from navy headquarters. I am here to inspect the unlawful takeover of the Buried Lagoon."

Some rustling inside; strained whispers. Then they peeked out of the windows. Hongjoong smirked at a mannerly female with ruffled curls and fanning her face. She blanched before she retreated from the window.

Yonghwan knocked harder.

"No harm shall come upon you. We are here to promise safety to anyone seized by the pirates."

"They went in there themselves," Yeosang pointed out. The pirates wilfully ignored the squeamish nobles as they plundered the market for rations and blankets. In their hurried escape, the fools didn't think of the necessities.

Yonghwan sent the crew a flat look. He was about to come back when the door creaked open. A frenzied man glanced him up and down, afraid to get a bullet between his eyes.

As if a building would hold back the pirates.

Amused yet revolted by their simple minds that didn't understand the situation, Hongjoong observed. A cry of relief echoed through the building.

"Safety! Everyone, the navy came! They will save us from the pirate plague!" 

Cries of joy, tears. Then, gradually paling faces as they unlocked the doors and noticed the crowd of pirates waiting behind the admiral. 

Wooyoung waved at them cutely.

"N-no, what is the implication of this? Admiral, have they taken you hostage as well?" An elderly lady asked. Her makeup was smeared and cakey, and her full bosom huffed in the corset she refused to take off as if it would save her life. 

Yonghwan clasped his heels together with his hands behind his back.

"Negative, Madam. If you look to your left, you will notice we came with enough reinforcements to sink this entire island together with its infestation if so needed."

They peered over. Instantly, they babbled all over each other like indignant geese.

"Then kill them! They are right there! Those villains need no trial; rid us of their vile souls!"

Hongjoong tucked a leg to his body and leaned his cheek on his knee. When he addressed the crowd of colourfully dressed jesters, they huddled together in fear.

"We came in peace, didn't we? Did we harm any of you or your children?"

They glowered at him, but reluctantly shook their heads.

"Did or did we not offer anyone who didn't want to stay a safe departure from this island? Including leaving you alone in this poor excuse of a hideout?" 

They were offended but grumbled under their breaths that no harm came upon them.

"We didn't even rape any of you," Hongjoong scoffed.

"One of your awful thugs stole my pearl necklace!" The same lady as before screeched, pointing a folded fan along their lines. 

Hongjoong's smirk broadened. Curled up like a child, yet grinning like a ghoul, his aura wasn't that of a normal person. 

"What's worth more, the pearl necklace or your life?" 

She clamped her lips shut. 

Yonghwan considered their startled, though lively forms.

"I see no injuries. Undoubtedly, you proved your ability for mercy."

When Hongjoong perked up, the admiral spun on his heel.

"I will relay this declaration to my headquarters. We will tend to the hostages and leave your people alone. Your flag is respected, Pirate King, and the nearby fort would be foolish to attack a place growing so quickly in numbers. We will, however, keep a close eye on you. If crime spreads from here, we will need to cut off the tendrils." 

His elegant hand beckoned to his ship.

"Men, please lead these people to our guest quarters and provide them with everything they need. They will have a safe voyage to the nearest larger port."

Though disgruntled, they took off. Ultimately, their possessions weren't worth more than their lives. Whatever they had here, they could buy again elsewhere.

Yonghwan stayed behind. When he halted before Hongjoong, his eyes skimmed the crew once more. Seonghwa fought his wobbly facade with a smile.

Before he got to announce his departure, Hongjoong stood from his barrel.

"Why don't we share a drink over this successful treaty? Peaceful negotiations with the Pirate King are a rare feat for an admiral. Your people can relax, though we'd prefer they stay on their ships."

Any other admiral would have spat at Hongjoong's feet and left.

But not Yonghwan. He nodded and relayed the information to his crew. Though apprehensive, they let him go as the pirates took him up the hill to their tavern.

This time, they weren't so rowdy. The other pirates retreated into the alleys and forests, watching from the sidelines as Hongjoong's crew poured a drink for Yonghwan. No music played, just the rush of the ocean they all adored. 

"Cheers to our new home," Hongjoong grinned as their mugs clicked. Yonghwan knew how to drink, not skittish with it.

Seonghwa swayed in his seat, sitting on his hands to keep himself from bursting out of his skin. When Yonghwan's fond eyes found him and studied him in his full pirate getup (disguised as a noble), Seonghwa fought back fresh tears.

"Is she here?" Yonghwan asked; voice lowered so no nosy ears would pick up on it.

Seonghwa nodded.

"She has everything she needs. I can't thank you enough for being there for them. If she had left all alone, I-" He got choked up by his constricting throat, shaking his head.

Lowering his drink, Yonghwan shared his grief.

"She spoke lots about you, as if she knew her time had come. She wanted me to tell you again that she loves you dearly. And that she will watch over you and your family." His eyes wandered over to Hongjoong, not blind to the rings on their fingers. Hell, the entire coastline of their territory knew of their relationship and dreaded them as the most hellish pair to grace the earth.

Seonghwa gulped. He nodded to himself, hair falling into his eyes. The rotten wood of the counter supported him as he played with his cup on it.

"I found your letter. Tikki shared some memories, so... I think I'm ready to move on. I won't forget her, or what you have done for us. This time as well. Thank you for protecting my people, always."

Yonghwan sighed.

"If only you picked a different crowd. But I promised her as much. Don't make trouble, then you will be fine under my jurisdiction."

Hongjoong grinned so broadly that Yonghwan rolled his eyes at him. He emptied his drink and stood.

"Enough of that. I can feel my soul tainting with every sip I share with you. Safe waters, Pirate King. Use this opportunity for its best. You, too, Seonghwa. Let's meet again soon."

Though Seonghwa itched to stand and hug the man, too many sharp eyes watched them. When he beamed instead, Hongjoong accompanied Yonghwan to the crossroads leading back to the port. He tapped his fingers on his weapon belt.

"I'll count on your promise. No attack from our side in return."

They shook hands, so similar yet from opposite worlds. 

Yonghwan had already turned when he paused and studied Hongjoong once more.

"Excuse my question out of the blue, but... Are you fine? Did you get injured during this takeover?"

Baffled, Hongjoong shook his head. Nothing but the usual scratches.

Yonghwan hummed.

"You're looking pale, is all. Maybe because you didn't know if this was your last day under the sky. Get some rest. I have it covered." He coughed into his fist, hiding his awkward care for a pirate.

With a wolfish smile, Hongjoong nodded at his ship.

"'eave, before they go rabid from fear fer ye. I can 'andle meself."

"Aye, aye," Yonghwan grumbled. He waved over his shoulder as he left and soon, the naval ships left the Buried Lagoon.

Peace settled over their haven and with a collective cheer, the pirates went back to their drinking; now, without abandon.

Chapter Text

"Hongjoong. Hong-joong. Ye be missin' the G."

Tongue tucked between her lips, Tikki tried again. Her hand was slow and shaky, letters comically large as she scribbled them on the paper. Seonghwa perched by her side, overlooking her process. The loose shirt he donned slipped over one shoulder, exposing the tattoo of lips on his back. Occasionally, Tikki tugged the fabric back up with an indignant screech that he should get dressed, but it kept dropping, kept seducing Hongjoong's eyes back to him.

Yongguk sat opposite Hongjoong at the table of his new home. He studied the maps they retrieved from the fort's office and made sense of the naval markers and scribbles. Each of them nursed a cup of tea, and Hongjoong's had extra lemon juice squeezed in.

Hongjoong hadn't asked for that. Yongguk took one look at the shadows under his eyes and mixed his ingredients.

"It seems they have several storehouses dotted over the surrounding islands. If you send some men, they can use the resources to install their own harvests or do trade," Yongguk explained as he pointed out the islands in question to Hongjoong.

"There lies treasure here," he said, circling a symbol that might be a chest of runny ink. "And a watchtower there. They have weapons, but attacking them goes against your deal with the admiral."

Hongjoong caressed his chin. The tea scratched his throat, making him cough.

"We could spy out the islands while 'em other buckos get to fishin'. So long as they can nay do that, their first food source lacks," Hongjoong pondered as he marked the locations on their own (more sensible) map to show to Yeosang later. At this hour, the navigator was probably still knocked out and naked slumbering on Jongho's chest. He didn't hold back on the grog last night.

"Love, did ye forget? Ye already sent the civilians who joined us to become fishermen. They 'ave their course set," Seonghwa said without looking up from their messy paper. Tikki scrawled with great concentration, body sprawled in all directions at once to find her angle on the ground.

Hongjoong played with a pearl tangled in his hair. Truly, his mind was befuddled these days.

"Aye, I ordered that. Then we'll send 'em other mates, aye. We can retrieve the treasure an' make some money from it to pay fer the docks. We 'ave many ships inbound."

Yongguk nodded as he tapped on the narrow passages between the sprinkled isles.

"Look out for bandits in shallow waters. Their smuggler caves hide between the reefs."

"Anythin' ye need? We can pick up some obscure ingredients while we be out there. Never find as many bones anywhere as on shorelines."

Though a contemplative look flashed through Yongguk's eyes, he refused with a crooked grin.

"I need nothing for now."

The usual shudder when he dealt with the odd warlock in the black robes crawled over Hongjoong's spine. He shrugged it off before bending back over his maps. While he contemplated where to go after this and what other reserves they might need to build their home, Yongguk sipped his tea.

"Granny. Double N," Seonghwa chuckled to their left. Tikki threw her pencil on the ground with a huff of frustration.

"Writing is hard!"

"You need to learn it if you want to keep yourself from catching fire," Yongguk replied, ignorant of her rage. He didn't lift his eyes from the map, fingers still cradling his mug.

Hongjoong snickered at her. Though hurt in her pride, she didn't back down.

"Seonghwa also 'ad to learn it. Did ye nay want to become better than I? 'ow about this?"

"I'm fine if you can spell better," Tikki shot back with a roll of her eyes. Then, stubbornly, she huddled back down to try again. Seonghwa ran his fingers through her curls, soothing her. She had a short temper, even more so than Hongjoong. That part of her was inherently Wooyoung, the captain swore by it.

As they doused themselves back in their studies, Hongjoong rolled up his maps. He tucked them together neatly, tying them shut with a leather band. Once he put them aside to finish his tea, Yongguk locked eyes with him.

"She's making good progress. Though the path of a witch never ends since our magic is ever-changing, she doesn't need to learn what she has no interest in. So long as she can contain it, she can grow up as a regular child."

"She wants to become a gentleman o' fortune," Hongjoong hummed. He cradled his chin in his hand as he contemplated his daughter. Seonghwa heard of that for the first time in a long while and he gasped in delight. They huddled close to gush about the glorious parts of pirate life (leaving out all jack tar and holystones), writing forgotten. Now that Tikki got older, her goals became tangible.

"She can be. Liv chose a dark path and the demons she made pacts with devoured her soul. But Tikki never needs to do that. And while she is under my wing, she won't. There are other ways to draw power from magic."

Satisfied, Hongjoong leaned back in his chair. His cup was empty. The taste of lemon lingered on his lips.

"I know 'er in the best 'ands. Take jolly care o' 'er an' if ye need anythin', tell me. We will come by often."

This time, Tikki perked up.

"I will see you more frequently than before?" She asked her brother or father or love interest or whatever Seonghwa was to her today with gleaming eyes. He tickled under her chin with a croon.

"Aye, baby, we have lots to do here and will go back and forth lots. Next time I come by, you can show me how good you became at magic, yes?"

Not that he had any standard for it, aside from umbra.

Tikki jumped to her feet to sling her arms around his neck. Fond, he hugged her to his body.

"I will! Watch how I become great super quickly. You will stay behind soon, mate!" She hollered at Hongjoong.

When Seonghwa stood to help her gather up her things, Hongjoong also sat up. It was time for another adventure and since Tikki wouldn't miss them for long, there was no need for tragic goodbyes. Yongguk would stay on the island for the time being.

"One day I will nay come aft an' ye will regret spittin' curses at me the last time ye spied me," he pretended to be pitiful. He stood and Tikki was about to retort with something mean when he staggered.

For a moment, the room spun. The black dots were back, blurring his vision. When he lost his footing, he saw from the corner of his eye how Yongguk shot up in his chair.

A moment later, an arm caught him around his waist and pulled him into a familiar chest. Taking deep breaths, Hongjoong leaned into Seonghwa and waited for the ringing in his ears to die down.

"Hongjoong?" Seonghwa asked by his ear, soothing voice spiked with fear.

Hongjoong squeezed his hip.

"I be jolly, just nauseous from last night. Let me sober up on our way to the port."

They pulled apart, but Seonghwa didn't let go of him until he knew Hongjoong could balance on his own legs. Tikki sat on the ground with big, spooked eyes. She couldn't tell if he ran a rig on her to underline his point or if he actually hurt.

Yongguk, on the other hand, saw right through him.

"These dizzy spells... I will give you something that helps with them."

Hongjoong waved it off, humiliated by how his weakness got laid bare.

"It be nothin'. Could be age, could be old wounds. It ain't the first time I be sick."

"A dizzy spell at the wrong time ends you in the blade of your foe. Accept the herbs, drink them."

Suspicious, Hongjoong watched as he bustled about in his hut that already looked so bizarrely Yongguk. Probably moved some stuff over via mirror walking.

"I do nay trust yer 'erbs after they made me precious pregnant."

Seonghwa flushed a bright red. He looked at Tikki, scandalised, but she was clueless as she concentrated on her drawings.

Yongguk chuckled, dark and foreboding, and not like someone whose herbs one should drink.

"They worked, didn't they? One more reason to know I mean well. Here you go. Drink them each evening before bed and you should get better. They help against all the typical ailments sailors get because they live off fish and salt water."

"An' the dotin' touch o' their lubbers," Hongjoong finished with a cheer. He tied the pouch to his belt as Yongguk went back to his business.

It was a pirate's life for him. All sea sickness included.

"Let's set sail then. We will be aft in a couple o' days, so ye better 'eave, lass."

She stuck her tongue out at him. After another hug from Seonghwa and the whispered promise she would be fine with Yongguk, she let them go.

Outside, Hongjoong sucked in the fresh sea air. His fingers tangled with Seonghwa's on instinct, ready to pull him into another adventure, but his husband held him back. When Hongjoong turned, his gaze searched Hongjoong's face for signs of pain.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, voice a whisper for he knew Hongjoong didn't want to hear it again, but he couldn't help but worry.

Hongjoong slowed down for him, patient with his care. When he stepped back in, Seonghwa instinctively supported him with an arm around his waist, rough hands settling over the whip.

They were usually around the same height with boots, but since the terrain sunk here, Hongjoong was smaller again. He cursed his existence as he lifted his hands to Seonghwa's face.

"Sugar, I promise ye I be jolly. I 'ave no pains, no injuries. Whatever this dizziness be, it will pass," he vowed. He meant it, and Seonghwa pursed his lips as he had to accept the answer.

"Yongguk is right... If it comes at a wrong time, you- You could get hurt because of it."

"That be what I 'ave ye fer, nay? Ye look out fer me. Ye an' all those other scallywags."

Seonghwa couldn't resist. He shared Hongjoong's fond grin, though his glow was dulled.

"I suppose you're right... I just- I don't want to lose you, Hongjoong. Not again." His voice fell to a whisper at the end, almost inaudible.

Hongjoong pulled him down to lean their foreheads together. They shared the same breaths.

"We went through so much together. I came aft to ye, always. I will do the same this time. An' this be neither a curse nor a navy admiral."

Though reluctant, Seonghwa nodded. He exhaled; then he opened his eyes. He looked at Hongjoong with so much endearment the pirate believed he might melt into a puddle to be swept away into the ocean.

"Savvy. Stay by my side, always." He turned his head to kiss the ring on Hongjoong's finger.

"I will," Hongjoong crooned. At his nudge, Seonghwa faced him again so they could melt into one, lips each other's home.

Once Seonghwa calmed, they intertwined their fingers and departed down to the port. The rest of the crew brought the Precious from the Black Bay to the main town and fixed up some minor nicks from the last storm. When the captain couple arrived, they all lazed around on board and snickered with each other. Yeosang played dice with San and the kids, and Jongho lounged at the anchor, ready to lift it as his daily routine.

Pleased to see them ready - though Mingi still sobered up with his head on Yunho's shoulder - Hongjoong scaled the stairs to the helm and raised his voice.

"Mateys, set sail fer another adventure! We be goin' treasure huntin'!"

Excitement took over. Jongho lifted the anchor; Wooyoung and San retrieved the gangplank. Seonghwa ushered Mingi to get some soup to cure himself as Yeosang sprung up the stairs to join Hongjoong's side.

"Course?"

"North-north-west. We be searchin' 'ere." He pointed at the island on their map, and Yeosang whipped out his compass. As they got the ship moving and fell back into their usual bustle, Hongjoong didn't feel dizzy anymore.

Perhaps he spent too much time on land. It was true. Whenever he was apart from Seonghwa, he felt miserable. His second love, the sea, received him back in her embrace, curing him of all ailments.

Chapter Text

The fooleries didn't end upon ATEEZ' return to the sea. If anything, they intensified because they were in their familiar surrounding with people who knew and adored one another.

"A play!" Wooyoung demanded, slamming his cup on the table where they all had assembled.

With his boots propped on the table, Hongjoong lifted a brow. It had been a while since they were so busy securing the Black Bay. Now that they were just on a hunt for resources, however, they had time to waste.

"I be with ye," Yunho grinned, mischievous smile infectious, as the rest of the table joined. Jongho toppled into Yeosang in his hurry to stand up and prepare his storytelling voice, as the other cursed and looked around for his violin hand.

Seonghwa peered at Hongjoong with those doe eyes that were impossible to refuse.

"Be ye up fer it, Captain?"

His voice tilted with a twinkle of fun, asking the permission of one occasionally too grumpy or stressed with their duties to indulge in fooleries. His eyes, however, were marred with the same worry as before.

"Aye, 'oist the mizzen," he allowed them, pushing the attention off. Their eager cheers and preparations gave him the opportunity to disappear into the background.

Everyone assembled on deck, sitting in two rows of a half-circle as they awaited Jongho's verdict on whose roles he needed. The boatswain knew the captain's peek whenever he wanted to be excluded, and he smoothly accepted it this time, as well.

"I want... Wooyoung in the role o' our 'eroine," he began, but gasps got loud immediately.

"What?!" San hissed.

"Nay me?" Seonghwa added, just as baffled.

When Jongho shook his head, face even as a rock, they exchanged looks.

"Trust me, this role be most befittin' o' 'im. Wooyoung, get in yer dress o' choice."

Though surprised by this turn of events when Seonghwa had played their female roles since his arrival, Wooyoung trudged off to comply.

From narrow eyes, Hongjoong studied Jongho's face. It was almost too poised.

"Yeosang takes our male role."

Another shocker. Did Jongho come up with a revolutionary new plot to keep them all on their toes? If so, he succeeded.

By his side, Yeosang pointed at himself with his good hand. The long hair framing his features underlined his innocent beauty.

As if Hongjoong hadn't been the one to take that innocence away from him.

"Seonghwa still gets to play a lass, 'e be the evil stepmother."

San's squeal of delight had him rolling backwards. The corners of Hongjoong's lips jumped up. Hesitantly, Seonghwa glanced between the snickering audience and Jongho as he shuffled behind the canvas to join the other actors in getting ready.

"I can nay wait fer this," Hongjoong commented as they scooted closer together. When he found himself next to Yunho to get his cup refilled, the man gave him a sly smirk. Hongjoong glared him down.

"An' Yunho, ye be our 'eroine's trusty mare," Jongho announced without a hitch.

Yunho cursed under his breath as he got chortled at, but he accepted his fate. Tucked between San and Mingi as the boys assembled behind them, Hongjoong awaited the story to begin.

Jongho cleared his throat, imitating the singing minstrels of the noble courts as he waxed his poetry.

"Once, there been a young lass. 'Er beauty beguiled mates far an' wide, an' she was so temptin' that she been rumoured to seduce e'en the maidens tendin' to 'er chambers."

Wooyoung stepped out behind the canvas, donning a long dress and a crookedly tied corset. He hid his smirk behind the coy bat of a fur-lined fan, but when he threw a wink at the audience with that cheeky mole under his eye, whistles rained upon him.

He strutted around the stage, showing off his charms and the line of his neck. Hongjoong was half glad half upset Seonghwa didn't get the role.

"She was used to gettin' anythin' she wanted. The most expensive dresses, the shiniest jewellery, the finest 'orse."

On all fours and depressed with his role,glad, Yunho came crawling out. The crowd threw fistfuls of air at him.

"The 'orse ain't energetic enough!" San hollered. By his side, Mingi slammed his mug on the deck and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

"'Ow be that the finest 'orse?!"

Yunho shot them a death glare. Bemused, Hongjoong leaned into San's strong shoulder as Jongho scolded the horse.

"The 'orse been the most energetic, the most loyal. It often carried the noble lass through 'er gardens," he threatened. Since he didn't want to be ripped in two by those fingers, Yunho begrudgingly crawled over to Wooyoung. He let him sit on his back in an orderly sideways fashion. In return for his commitment, Wooyoung scratched his scalp for him.

"But one day, the lass' mother... left on a voyage overseas. Since 'e became lonely an' bored, 'er father married anew. But the new woman been a devil. As much as she been beautiful, 'er 'eart been wretched."

Without lifting his eyes from his 'script' that was the flat of his palm, Jongho held out his free hand for Seonghwa. Poised fingers adorned by flimsy rings slipped into his calloused grip.

Sometimes when the pirates robbed the chests of rich nobles or merchants, they didn't find all the pieces needed for a proper gown. And occasionally, they didn't bother lugging the ridiculous amount of underskirts around.

This black dress was new because Hongjoong would remember if he ever saw his husband don it. It was long and elegant, but not as luxurious as most others. This one hugged Seonghwa's shape and restricted the length of his step. A dress for mourning, perhaps, or a nightgown. Who knew? Either way, he looked spectacular in it. And the red painting his lips matched the glimmer of his silver necklaces.

He held his chin high, eyes lofty with superiority. As he regarded Wooyoung on his trusty old mare, he looked like the seductress any man dreamed of.

They were in the middle of the sea, but Hongjoong was sure every island nearby heard their hollers.

Interested, Hongjoong perked up. He wanted Seonghwa to sit on his lap like this, elegant and authoritative. Wanted to be denied all touch as Seonghwa held the reins.

Aware of his effect, Seonghwa slinked over to Wooyoung to cradle his chin in his hand.

"Daughter o' mine... Ye be so sweet an' beautiful. I be delighted I got to meet ye an' yer father." With a glance down, Seonghwa added: "An' yer 'orse."

Yunho scoffed, like a horse.

But Wooyoung whipped his head away.

"Ye ain't me mother an' ye never will be. I love only me horse now."

"Whom she also loved was 'er fiancé, the son o' the owner o' the library," Jongho added, making sure his plot aligned with their improvisations. "'is name been Yeosang an' 'e wooed 'er fer many years. One day, 'e came to visit 'er after the stepmother moved in."

Yeosang came galloping into the scene on his invisible horse. (Actors were expensive.) He wore a ridiculous wig all knotted up and turned the wrong way and flicked the ponytail from his forehead as he halted before his lady.

Mingi and Hongjoong tumbled into one another with their giggles. While his first mate refilled everyone's drinks, the captain went back to ogling his precious. No star and no jewel matched Seonghwa's beauty.

"My heart's flame! I came to visit you after I heard your mother went to buy expensive furs overseas! How can your father marry anew when the sole thing to criticise about your mother was her love for exotic furs?" He wailed in the whininess of a noble.

Bothered, Wooyoung sank into his arm as they sat together. Yunho trudged off to eat some grass.

"Oh, dearest. If only she been nay so obsessed with furs. Now I must put up with this evil goat o' a wench." Wooyoung fanned himself, faint. When he pointed at Seonghwa, who stood with a jug of rum cradled like a chalice, Jongho narrated again.

"But the first time the fiancé laid 'is deadlights upon the new mother who been in 'er late thirties an' much older than 'im, 'e been bewitched. Nay really. She ain't no witch, we 'ad enough o' those. But in love, 'e been, aye."

Never one to question their odd prompts, Yeosang thrust Wooyoung off until he landed on the ground with an 'oof.' On one knee, he came sliding over to Seonghwa. Hongjoong prayed he never looked as dumbly love-struck as Yeosang did at that moment.

"Star of my night skies! Apple of my eye! Your aged beauty ignites my loins and sways my heart! You are like wine on my tongue!"

Seonghwa was half disgusted, half held back their laughter. He snickered into his hand, trying to find back into his role.

"The foolish lad forgot 'is boring yet better lass. The next time she found 'im, 'e been balls deep-" Jongho cleared his throat. "Ardently makin' love to 'er mother!"

"Noooo," Mingi wailed. Hongjoong hit his fist on the ground at the twist of events. They had been rooting for the characters they knew for a couple of scenes.

Yeosang and Seonghwa kissed each other's cheeks, giggling ever so sweetly as they rolled around on the deck. They made a tempting sight and Hongjoong pondered once more how he never invited the pair into his bed.

Probably because he would get ripped in two if Jongho didn't agree.

Wooyoung barrelled in through the invisible door. At the sight, he choked his wail with a fist.

"'Ow could ye! I showed ye me bosom!" With his hand pressed to his eyes, he stormed away.

Tense about how the conflict would get resolved, the pirates clutched to each other.

"Since she got from 'im what she wanted, the stepmother massacred the fiancé in cold blood!" Jongho made a slashing motion, and Seonghwa copied. Yeosang slumped to the ground, twitching before he lay still. A moment later, he rolled away to exit the scene. Seonghwa got to his feet.

"But, as the seductive devil she been, she did nay 'alt e'en before 'er own daughter..." Jongho glanced up through his lashes as Seonghwa made his way over. Pretending for indignation, Wooyoung hit his shoulders and chest with dainty fists, until Seonghwa grabbed both wrists. He kissed Wooyoung square on the lips, drawing him closer to steal his vitality, as well.

Heat shot down Hongjoong's stomach, but others weren't as pleased.

"Does this 'ave a bad end?" San pouted when Wooyoung melted into the flick of Seonghwa's tongue.

Jongho shrugged.

"Ain't a bad story just because people die. Ours ain't, either."

"Make 'er get together with the 'orse. It been so loyal an' pitiful," Mingi suggested, beckoning at the horse that had developed an alcohol addiction in its time of being discarded.

Mortified, Wooyoung parted from Seonghwa, red staining his lips now, too.

"Excuse me?!"

"The horse?!" Yeosang asked as well, peeking from the canvas where he was changing his clothes. His bare collarbone was dotted with moles.

"A 'orse ain't a jolly lover," Seonghwa pointed out, forgetting his role as he clutched his daughter in fear.

"'e can take it," San said confidently.

Everyone yelled and bickered back and forth, but they settled when Jongho lifted either warning or placating hands.

"Avast, ye. I be tellin' the tale."

They huddled back down and Seonghwa draped his arms around Wooyoung's hips once more, waiting for the conclusion.

"Savvy, so the stepmother be about to kill the daughter an' gain 'er inheritance."

Seonghwa lifted his imaginary dagger, poised at Wooyoung's throat while he was distracted by their kisses.

"When the loyal, trusty 'orse kicks in the doors an' stomps the villain to death!"

Seonghwa went down with a cry of agony as Yunho threw punches that landed on him soft like feathers. He died in a theatrical pose with his hand on his forehead, rolling off in the same subtle fashion as Yeosang.

"Finally, she found a lover suitin' 'er an' never leavin' 'er alone. That night, the lass discovered 'er love fer 'er 'orse's plug tail."

Wooyoung squealed when he was bent over, face down, and Yunho pressed his crotch to his backside. Though he looked mortified, having Yunho so close made the bite of his lip coy.

At least Hongjoong hoped that was what it was.

"Wait, ain't it been a mare earlier?" Mingi muttered under his breath as Wooyoung moaned obscenely. He and Yunho toppled over in laughter, unable to keep it in any longer.

"By some morbid miracle, she survived that, so San gets 'is 'appy end. They made many sweet 'alf-'orses together. End." Jongho bowed before them and earned thunderous applause. Seonghwa came by to bring him something to drink and praise his wit.

Mingi looked traumatised.

They discussed the plot and the evil stepmother until late into the night, when they were too drunk to make sense of it any longer. As Hongjoong tumbled into bed, he hallucinated someone neighing like a horse during their late-night scuttling activities.

Chapter Text

Yeosang brooded over his maps at Hongjoong's desk while the captain slurped his tea. He was dutiful about it, less so because he was intimidated by Yongguk's ominous words, and more because Seonghwa watched him with a hawk's eyes. While they were out at sea to spread their lawless message and gather supplies for the Buried Lagoon, his condition shouldn't worsen. Hongjoong got forced to regular baths, a vegetable-rich meal plan and his daily teas. By some miracle, Seonghwa even found some sugar to provide him with.

Right now, his husband had joined Yunho in the kitchen to prepare some sweet pastries in addition to the sumptuous care package. Hongjoong sulked alone for a while, bored since he wanted to embrace Seonghwa in that gorgeous dress. Not that he didn't preen with pride in getting tended to so meticulously by his beloved husband.

Thankfully, Yeosang showed up. Now, the captain lay curled in his bed while Yeosang's pen scratched over the pages of the logbook.

"I want to give Seonghwa another present," Hongjoong hummed out of the blue. Seonghwa's devotion to him inspired him. A present would distract his fretting and convey Hongjoong's gratitude.

The scratching didn't stop, so much more pleasant and smooth than Tikki's writing. Some things never left Yeosang's heritage.

"Is it a special occasion? Or a random thought?" Deep and soothing, Yeosang's voice washed over Hongjoong's strained mind like a spring of fresh water. He propped himself up on his elbow. Right next to him was Seonghwa's treasured baby blanket, worn and stained from use. He caressed it with a contemplative hand.

"'E takes such jolly care o' me. I can nay always check in on 'im in return, but I want to do somethin' jolly fer 'im." His eyes pondered the ceiling. It was heavily hung with a chandelier and expensive fabrics, creating a sky of soothing colours above his head.

What was a suitable present? What, that Seonghwa didn't already have?

"Could invest in a pet," Yeosang offered. He glanced at his compass, turning a page.

"Wooyoung?" Hongjoong asked, lifting his head. Their eyes met, and they broke out in snickers.

The captain dropped back down.

"It 'as to be somethin' better. Somethin' 'e can enjoy without addin' more work. Though we could share a pet."

"Whenever we have chickens on board, he is quite taken with them."

Hongjoong mulled it. Clothes? Weapons? Furs? Artwork? Something to compliment their home? His own cabin boy?

He scuttled the last idea. No one but him got to touch his husband.

He was about to suggest a fancy hat to Yeosang when a cry from outside sent their heads snapping around.

"Sail ho! Jack tar on the 'orizon!"

"Blimey." Hongjoong rolled out of bed, grabbing onto his weapon belt in the same movement. "Did we leave Yonghwan's territory?"

Yeosang hastened to whip out the naval map at the same time as he stood and screwed his hook onto his stump. His lips pursed.

"Seems like it. His pardon doesn't make us privateers."

"Then we sink 'em. Where they attack, we can attack." Hongjoong thundered outside, taking the wheel from San so he could run and prepare the cannons. The boys ushered Mingi to hide, no longer so young to need protection.

"'Alf-mast an' prepare 'em mortar," Hongjoong bellowed with a glance at the far ships. They readied their chase gun before they would come broadside to broadside. Unfortunately for them, the Precious had more cannons.

"Must nay 'ave spied our flag, those pitiful bastards," Yunho huffed as he readied for scuttling. Hongjoong didn't take an opponent lightly. Though arrogant about their abilities, he knew of the dangers at sea. Just because the navy played no demonic mind games with them didn't mean a shot couldn't kill his men.

"Keep yer deadlights open," he warned as the waves carried them over.

"Fire in the 'ole!" San bellowed over the ship. The mortar guns creaked when they got aligned.

"Fire!" Hongjoong ordered. Down the ship, Seonghwa echoed his call. He hovered on the railing, hand entangled in the rigging. He bore the blade Hongjoong once left in his kitchen as their promise to meet again. It looked pretty, almost dainty in his hand. Seonghwa would use it to commit unspeakable horrors. This one wasn't the innocent baker boy whose marvel charmed Hongjoong time and time again.

This one was his husband, his other half. Murderous and eager to kill all those in their way.

The booming of canons had long since ruined their hearing, so Hongjoong flicked his head at the bothersome ringing in his ear. He watched as the wood of the opposing ship splintered under the onslaught and their sailors hurried back and forth to patch up the damage and grab their weapons.

"'Ooks," Hongjoong boomed as he yanked the steering wheel around, aligning them. They fired before they were so close to get jammed into each other and the death cries on the other ship ignited the pirates' blood lust as they hauled in the enemy.

Hongjoong pulled his blade and his gun as he followed his rabid crew. Wooyoung and Yeosang perched between the masts, firing down at the naval ship that became a grave.

On the hunt for the captain, Hongjoong struck down two men and shot a third, who was about to come after Jongho's unprotected back. The few who recognised them before they fell died with their eyes wide open in fear, haunted into the afterlife as they witnessed a demon dawn upon them.

Something dark called to Hongjoong. Something that whispered in the back of his mind.

They interrupted him while he prepared a present for his precious.

They wanted to hurt his people.

They deserved agony.

Hongjoong sunk his blade into the next sailor. It wasn't uncommon that he wanted to punish those ignorant enough to underestimate him. But since when did he breathe in the stench of blood so greedily? Since when did his lips jump into a smile when his boots squished over intestines?

Befuddled, he scaled the steps to the stern castle.

It made sense that he got less squeamish the more time he spent as a pirate. He had seen the same development in Seonghwa. Death no longer frightened him, and blood no longer nauseated his stomach.

He found the captain at the stern of their vessel. He fended off Dahan and Seungmin at the same time, blade swirling to clash with theirs. The younger boys were no match for him, so Hongjoong sent them to scramble with a sharp whistle. Soon, only he and the panting naval captain were left in their hidden corner of the poop deck.

"Ahoy, captain. 'Ow come ye be puttin' up with pesky gentlemen o' fortune this far out?" Hongjoong lifted his blade to his face, lapping up the dripping blood. It tasted sweet on his tongue.

The opposing captain paled under his scowl.

"Don't pretend to be innocent, plunderer! I know who you are, you and your group of devils."

With an eerie grin stuck to his lips and blood staining his mouth, Hongjoong put his gun away.

"Then why did ye nay put a sprin' upon yer ship an' left? Why throw yer lives away?"

"This curse ends if I send you back to hell where you crawled from," the captain hissed. He threw himself forward, sword poised.

Hongjoong side-stepped him with a mad laugh.

"What, ye think all be resolved, then? We ain't the only pirates an' more be comin' every day."

"You are like rats in one's basement, aye! You have to be killed before it gets worse! So many good men falling out of grace. And you vile bastards breeding with good women."

Hongjoong feinted, used to the deadly dance on the slippery deck. Faint rain sizzled upon their shoulders. The fog of the morning had yet to let up, but it couldn't drown out the cries on the ship.

Did the officer know? That only his people were dying? That Hongjoong didn't even need to glance over his shoulder to know his crew was fine?

"Do ye know what ye must do if the rats become too many an' ye can nay find 'em all anymore because they be in yer closet, yer galley, yer bed?"

Offended by the innuendo, the man crashed into Hongjoong. Their blades shrieked and Hongjoong's smaller frame got pushed back, but he persisted with blazing eyes.

As their faces were so close together, he whispered into the man's terrified features. The shadow of death looming behind Hongjoong drew from his confidence.

"Ye burn the entire 'ouse to ashes."

He sprung back, balancing over the railing before he came to stand at a safe distance. His strained wrist circled his sword.

"But what 'appens if ye burn down yer 'ouse? Ye burn with it." Chuckling, he dashed in; ducked to use his smaller build to his advantage. He kicked the man's legs from beneath his body but got blocked before he could slice his throat. With a huff, the relentless sailor pushed himself up.

Did he know the screams got quieter? That he was the only one left standing? That the dead bodies of his crew littered the deck framed by beautiful blossoms of red?

He must know.

Or Hongjoong could show him.

"So if ye do nay want to die, ye must accept the rats. Must let 'em crawl in yer closet, yer galley, yer bed." He hacked at the arm holding the sword, and the man's howl echoed over the sloshing water. Bathed in precious red, the officer stumbled but came back up.

"You are mad. None of this makes any sense!" Once more, he dared a last despairing attempt, but his side was open. Hongjoong's knee hammered into it and the man cringed; grip loosening.

"Rats be an infestation, a plague. They do nay stop until they plundered everythin' an' then they move on. They be incredibly 'ard to kill," Hongjoong sang. He hacked the wilful hand off and listened to the man's scream as if it were a lullaby. The limb landed on the deck with a thump. Forced to his knees, the injured admiral desperately scrambled for his weapon with his non-dominant hand.

"So they keep plunderin' an' they keep crawlin'."

Hongjoong kicked the blade aside and wound his whip around the man's throat. When he tried to stand, he stabbed him in the calf. Blood soaked the deck beneath their feet, each desperate attempt to scramble up accompanied by a cry of pain.

"Up yer windpipe passage an' yer throat, into yer guts," he continued, dragging the hissing and cursing man with him. Unafraid, they marched towards the silent deck. The rain wasn't strong enough to wash off the blood sticking to Hongjoong.

Each confident step made the captain by Hongjoong's feet falter.

He knew what was coming, but he hadn't suspected it before. He had been arrogant. When he stemmed himself against Hongjoong's grip to hide away from the truth, Hongjoong hauled him over the rough, splintered planks. His whip choked him, left vicious red lines around his throat.

They emerged from the helm to a sight truly heavenly.

The deck was bathed in blood, red seeping through the floorboards and splattering up the mast. Dead bodies in naval uniforms hung over the cannons and railing and lured in the seagulls.

Tears gathered in the officer's eyes.

"Until they consume yer 'eart with their evil, nibbling teeth," Hongjoong grinned. He slashed the man's throat and let him drop to the ground, dead with the last image of the demonic pirate crew walking the rows of his dead men.

Hongjoong's heart sang, so happy and so pleased. Joyous memories filled his mind. He wiped his blade on the captain's back before he sheathed it.

"Search their storage fer rations an' treasure then sink the ship, me 'earties! Take all ye can salvage. We-" Hongjoong staggered. He pressed his hand to his right eye, suddenly overcome with a stabbing pain inside his skull. When he stumbled, Seonghwa's voice bellowed over the ship.

"Hongjoong!"

Through his blurring sight, Hongjoong saw him dashing through the ruin of splintered wood the ship had become. All might left him suddenly. As if whatever had driven him evaporated, his knees buckled. When he crashed onto the planks next to the dead captain, he heaved for breath. Red blended into black.

Warm arms caught his fall before he could hit his head on the ground. He sunk against Seonghwa, deaf to the voices of his crew, calling over each other to check on him for injuries.

Darkness overcame him, robbed him of all sense, and dragged him with it into the depths.

Chapter Text

Seonghwa paced up and down in the cabin. When Hongjoong came to, he first laid eyes on his agitated husband. The pad of his bare feet was gentle, clean of the prior gore. He wore some golden anklets Hongjoong had gifted him, but his thunderous expression contrasted with their delicate charm.

Pain throbbed in the back of Hongjoong's head. He ignored it as he sat up with a rustle. Seonghwa had made the effort to clean him, even disentangled the feathers and pearls from his hair. In damp waves, the dirty blond strands reached his chest.

Seonghwa whipped around when he caught his movement from the corner of his eye. For a moment, their gazes met. Both were fearful, but for different reasons.

"What 'appened?" Hongjoong croaked. He remembered passing out, but why? Was he hit? When he glanced down at his bare chest and low-riding pants, he found no injuries. Seonghwa must have searched meticulously, as well.

"That be what I be askin'," Seonghwa exhaled. He rushed over to sit by Hongjoong's side. A warm hand felt over his forehead. It was soothing to Hongjoong's stress, but Seonghwa's frown didn't ease.

"No fever, no wounds. What be goin' on with ye, Hongjoong? Ye be scarin' me."

Hongjoong's face fell. He cradled Seonghwa's jaw in his hands, searching those expressive eyes. They were haunted by dark shadows, distressed by all the fear that had accumulated.

"Sorry," Hongjoong breathed as he leaned their foreheads together. "I be sorry, sugar. I did nay want to 'urt ye."

Seonghwa cradled his hands to his face, relishing their heat. When he turned his head to kiss Hongjoong's ring, his lashes fluttered. So dear, so trusting in his grip. Hongjoong's heart gave a painful pull.

"Ye said ye would be jolly. That I did nay need to worry. But then ye collapsed an' I-" His lips trembled. 

So afraid to lose Hongjoong. Again.

Last time they got ripped apart so abruptly, so cruelly. This time, misfortune tormented them slowly, yet it was just as unstoppable. Was this their inevitable fate? To be torn apart by the waves time and time again?

"Tell me 'ow ye be feelin'. What be goin' on? What do ye need? Do nay 'ide away an' burden this alone. We can brin' ye any medicine, no matter 'ow far." He pleaded; begged as if Hongjoong was doing this on purpose.

As if stabbed by a hot knife, Hongjoong pulled him in for a kiss. Seonghwa's lips were stiff under his.

"I swear I would tell ye if I could. I be as confused as ye. Me 'ealth be 'ornswogglin' me an' I feel weak without knowin' why. I drank Yongguk's teas. I rested an' ate. What else be there to do?"

Afraid, Seonghwa studied him once more. No poison entered his system, and he had no symptoms aside from his lethargy.

"Maybe Yunho can 'elp," Seonghwa uttered. "Maybe if 'e relaxes ye with 'is needles..." He let the sentence hang in the air because both knew it was a desperate last resort. At this point, they just wanted any explanation.

Hongjoong didn't feel like he was dying, but something odd was happening. Was this his age catching up with him, after all? 

"We must sail fer the mainland. We can get ye to the best surgeons; they will know what to do. Blackmail 'em if we must. But I will nay watch as ye waste away."

Troubled, Hongjoong held on to him. Refusing Seonghwa meant disputing the evident problem once more. Now that he passed out, he couldn't brush it off any longer. This became harmful, and if he didn't tend to his needs, he might end up falling into an enemy's blade. Or into Seonghwa's, once his frightening husband left him no other choice anymore but to comply.

Yet, he didn't want to endanger his crew in return for his health. What worth was his healing if they might get captured in return?

Since he hesitated, Seonghwa decided for him.

"Tell me whenever ye wane from now on. Every strain, every oddity. An' tell me while ye be awake. Ye babbled in yer sleep an' though I 'oped fer some truth, I could nay make out yer words."

Embarrassed, Hongjoong ducked his head. He had no other choice. If this unknown fever haunted him any longer with no signs of stopping, he needed to lay his cards on the deck. If necessary, they could take a break at the Buried Lagoon.

"Me deadlights often blur an' I 'ear a constant ringin' noise. 'Eadaches plague me an' I got nauseous from drinkin'. When we shared a bed I been so drained, I could nay love ye as I promised I would," Hongjoong confessed. Dizzy spells, Yongguk called them. That sounded fitting. But neither did he lack any nutrients, nor rest.

Upset at all the secrets, Seonghwa fought the wetness in his eyes. He kissed Hongjoong again, slowly and patiently, to remind both they were doing this together.

"Be that everythin'?"

Hongjoong nodded sheepishly.

"As much as I felt been off."

Seonghwa exhaled, then he nodded.

"Once we be back at the Buried Lagoon, we will tell Yongguk. He might know more. An' if he says to find a better doctor, we will."

"Way to jab at Yunho," Hongjoong uttered with a weak smile. Seonghwa copied the gesture.

"'E be jolly but there be better. Let us take care o' ye. Ye always do the same fer us, so trust us this time," he pleaded.

With no other choice left, Hongjoong conceded. Relieved, Seonghwa kissed him. This time was less anxious. At least as long as they knew the truth, they knew how to expect his weakness. 

They got interrupted by a call outside the door.

"Princess Swab? We anchored at our destination," Mingi informed them. 

Seonghwa grumbled when Hongjoong snickered at the nickname. His lips pushed him back down into the pillows until the pirate lay sprawled in the furs. After parting from him, Seonghwa covered him with his treasured baby blanket.

"Stay while we dig out the booty. We will be aft as soon as possible an' return to the Buried Lagoon. If ye need somethin', Mingi be outside."

Not one to argue with his husband after getting berated, Hongjoong shut his mouth and nodded. He remained behind while the others left, irritated by his frailty. More than ever, he wanted to spoil Seonghwa and show his gratitude, but he was too damned wimpy.

Even if that were his sole reason to get better, he was fired up to stomp that cursed sickness to dust.

Hongjoong grumbled to himself, but he didn't dispute Seonghwa. As he promised, he stayed in bed and hugged the blanket to his lean chest, trying to find some sleep. He only remembered hazes of the mayhem that broke out when he fainted, but he was sure he slept plenty if they arrived in the meantime.

When Mingi knocked on his door, a sigh of relief escaped him. Busy with survival at sea every day, Hongjoong was terrible at being bored.

"Enter," he called, not bothering to make himself look any grander than he was. They all saw him collapse. They all saw him hanging in Seonghwa's arms as he rushed him to their cabin from the enemy ship. 

"Ahoy, Captain," Mingi greeted as he stepped inside. He closed the door behind him to give them some privacy from the bustling boys, who repaired the minor damage from the battle. Jongho's powerful voice dictated in the distance. It was strained compared to the day he narrated their play.

Mingi's ruffled red hair was gathered into a ponytail, but some strands had escaped to hang into his eye. His tall form seemed hunched; cautious when he approached the bed with the resting captain.

"Do nay lurk in the corners. Come 'ere." Hongjoong impatiently patted the bed by his side. He wasn't dying. Just because Seonghwa banished him to bed rest, he was more than capable of conversing with his crew.

Mingi's brow smoothed out. He gladly came over and kicked off his boots before he stretched out by Hongjoong's side. Thankful for the pillow, Hongjoong put his head on his chest and listened to his first mate's heartbeat. Mingi's arms cradled him carefully, as if he were made of glass.

"It ain't the first time I took a spontaneous caulk. Why be everyone overreactin'?" Hongjoong huffed. Mingi wore a sleeveless vest today and his arms exuded the heat from the sun. Perfect for Hongjoong to smush his face against and pretend he was outside.

"Usually ye 'ave injuries we can tend to. E'er since the umbra situation we been... Touchy on unexplained phenomena," Mingi defended himself. When Hongjoong looked up at him and studied his black patch and his good eye, the loyalty that reflected at him only wanted his best.

He sighed.

"Whatever." His head plummeted back down on Mingi's chest, making him cough.

"The others went to dig out the treasure, then we will sail aft to the lagoon. Hwa said all other resources can wait until ye feel better."

"If he plans to ditch me there while ye sail the seven seas, we gotta 'ave a talk."

Mingi's hand came up to thread into Hongjoong's hair. He made the captain look at him, studied his sulk with that sharp eye full of compassion.

"I will stay with ye if there be a need fer that. But knowin' ye safe be our priority. Ye be the captain, but we get a vote. We lost ye once."

"If I stay aft we might lose someone else," Hongjoong growled, pushing himself up on his elbows so he could look down on Mingi. Unperturbed, his first mate held his hips. They had known each other for so long; the longest even, since Youjin and Hanbyeol got cleaved at the brisket. Mingi knew best how bad Hongjoong was at taking care of himself and how he preferred to fight pain with pain.

"Ye were nay in that prison, Cap'n. Ye did nay cry every day, thinkin' we lost our most treasured mate. Let us cherish yer life. I doubt ye get another."

Upset since Mingi was right and Hongjoong couldn't make light of their agony, Hongjoong dropped to his side. His hands came up to braid some loose strands of Mingi's hair into two tiny braids framing his features. Mingi's eye shut, trusting his hands.

"Seonghwa been up all night frettin' fer ye. I do nay know what will 'appen to 'im if 'e loses ye again, but I fear we can nay catch the fallout. This blow might be the last."

"'E will nay lose me," Hongjoong barked. He would make sure of that. He would fight death personally if he had to. It didn't get to rip him away from his people twice. "An' neither will ye. So stop with the whinin'."

Mingi did. His plush lips closed as he left himself to his captain's touch. Just being there with him and knowing him alive and kicking assured him.

Their gentle pacifist didn't want to fight, especially not with those he considered his family. He just wanted to cradle them all safe.

Hongjoong understood, and usually, he would do everything to accommodate that. But he hated the attention, the fearful gazes. Instead of pity, he wanted to mean strength to them, always.

But alas, he left once. His priority should be not to do it again.

They cuddled for the entire time the others were gone. Hongjoong dozed on and off and when he woke to voices outside, he lay with his back pressed to Mingi's broad chest and with his arms slung around Hongjoong's smaller body. The blanket was twisted around them, haphazardly pulled to cover most of him, only to slip during their snuggles.

Hongjoong huffed a smile. When the door opened, he lifted his head.

Seonghwa stood there, his frame unmistakable against the light of the moon. He took off his boots as he came in, leaving the sand in its designated corner. 

Positive they got their booty as intended and the course was set without him getting another opportunity to voice himself, Hongjoong said nothing. He stayed in place as Seonghwa undressed and washed off, quiet so he wouldn't wake Mingi. In sleep, their friendly giant softened until his face seemed so youthful and innocent.

When he was done, Seonghwa blew out the candles and crawled into bed with them. He covered Hongjoong from the other side, squeezing close to relish his warmth.

Trapped between those who never wanted to let him go, Hongjoong felt safe.

But his migraine throbbed behind his eyes all the way back over the swaying sea to the Buried Lagoon.

Chapter Text

"'Ere, Yongguk's tea," Seonghwa said as he handed Hongjoong his mug. The pirate stared into the brown brew, pretending it was rum as he guzzled it down.

"We should arrive at the Buried Lagoon by tomorrow. 'Ow be ye feelin'?"

When Hongjoong put the mug away to reach for Seonghwa's thighs, his treasure readily let himself be guided into his lap. He wrapped his arms around Hongjoong, cradling his head against his chest with a coo when the grouchy captain burrowed into his neck.

"I 'ave so much I want to do to ye. So many ideas. That dress, yer lips smeared with red, the role ye played... So many things. Yet I am tied to the bed. An' nay e'en literally."

"I can tie ye down if it 'elps ye stay put," Seonghwa offered. He kissed Hongjoong's temples, getting nibbled at the throat in retaliation. Moments later, a dark mark blossomed. Blood would flow if anyone dared touch Seonghwa because Hongjoong was out of commission.

Chuckling at yet another claim when their rings were so blatant, Seonghwa carded his hand through Hongjoong's hair.

"Only if ye ride me after. I 'ave so many things I want to do. So many places to go. I'll go mad if I be restricted for much longer."

Seonghwa soothed him with his embrace.

"Avast a bit longer. If Yongguk can nay cure ye, 'e may be able to slow it down until we reach a jolly doctor. We will figure out 'ow much ye can do, then."

Hongjoong grumbled to himself, but he was compliant putty in his husband's arms.

"An' I would, just so ye know. Tie ye down an' ride ye."

Hongjoong closed his eyes to imagine Seonghwa, lips painted red and in that sinful black dress dominating him, yet taking him so well. A needy groan stifled in Seonghwa's shoulder.

"Ye be so jolly fer me. Me beautiful wife."

Seonghwa giggled at the term, coyly pushing his overgrown hair back.

"Anythin' fer ye, Pirate King. But e'en more than that, I want ye to be 'ealthy. So that ye can press me into the sheets until I can nay breathe as ye scuttle me," he breathed in Hongjoong's ear. Playful teeth tugged on its lobe and Hongjoong's breath hitched. His hands on Seonghwa's narrow waist tightened.

"Once I be at full strength. I will recover sooner than ye think, so ye better be ready."

"I will wait with me legs spread, presentin'," Seonghwa promised. They moaned in unison when Hongjoong twitched between them, but they treaded back into safer waters. Seonghwa worriedly brushed Hongjoong's loose hair back.

"Last time I needed ye so bad, an' spied ye like this, ye been dyin' under that cult's oppressive black magic."

He said it without a second thought, fingers busy braiding little strands of Hongjoong's hair to match the ones he did for Mingi.

After a pause, however, both of them stiffened. Their minds aligned when they shared the same thought.

Disbelief spread across Seonghwa's features.

"It can nay be," he whispered. Terror petrified him. Everything in Hongjoong yelled at him to hold and soothe his precious, but he couldn't move either. His heart was stuck in his throat.

Was the knot in his gut forming from dread or from realisation?

Did he want to know?

Seonghwa caught his breath first, but his eyes were so frenzied, his breath so quick.

"Be- Be this black magic? Another curse?"

Hongjoong shook his head. His grip tightened, pulling Seonghwa closer until they sat flush. They listened to each other's heartbeats going crazy with fear.

"No. No, it ain't. We angered no witch. We do nay e'en know another bein' o' black magic. Aft then, Liv's magic festered in us an' our umbras. It ain't been anythin' we could reckon with. But it all 'ad reason. This does nay."

Though his words made sense, neither of them could accept their meaning. The trauma trapped their minds in place, chained them in ice. The sole heat that remained was the two of them clinging to each other, their touch.

They weren't alone. They stood through such horrors. Though they always feared the worst, this was nothing of the such.

"Do nay fret. We be together, an' I ain't goin' anywhere. Yongguk will probably tell us 'ow 'armless this be."

Seonghwa exhaled. He nodded, eyes still glassy. After another moment, he caught himself. This time, he meant his nod.

"Savvy. I trust ye. Though I 'ope I did nay get ye sick." Upset, he tightened his hold on Hongjoong.

With a fondle chuckle, Hongjoong reversed their roles. He made sure Seonghwa could hide in his neck while he engulfed him. Though his body strained to keep them both up while Seonghwa's weight leaned against him, he held out so Seonghwa was comfortable.

"'Ow would ye make me sick? If anythin', ye 'eal me."

Seonghwa made an embarrassed sound. It became a rarity between the two, since they shared so much, knew each other inside and out. Hell, the entire crew was like that, but their pair most of all.

"The ladies at the port constantly warn about the tokens. Perhaps mercury can soothe yer ailments."

Endeared by his concern that never ceased, Hongjoong squeezed Seonghwa in his arms until all the ominous predictions drifted away from him.

"I reckon we'd 'ave noticed somethin' like that."

"Yunho wanted to apologise to ye, too. In case 'e been too rough. Ye should 'ave told us."

"I ain't mad, Hwa. I be jolly. Ye did just right," Hongjoong muttered. He turned his head to catch Seonghwa's lips, kissing the fear away. Though Seonghwa didn't magically heal from his anxiety, he eased because of Hongjoong's presence.

If all Hongjoong needed to do was to continue to be there, he could hold out. If age drew on him, he might never regain his strength. But he was there, and he could soothe Seonghwa.

"As soon as ye be better, let's tie ye up. Use the dress. Whatever ye want," Seonghwa vowed.

"Deal," Hongjoong grinned like a pirate. He knew to recognise a good bargain.

When Seonghwa pulled back, the ice had melted. They had yet to return to their cosy safety, but Seonghwa's movements weren't so stiff anymore when he pushed Hongjoong down for some more rest.

"Take a caulk. As soon as we be aft, let's talk to Yongguk."

"'Ow convenient to 'ave 'im in the Black Bay," Hongjoong chuckled as he sprawled out on the sheets. The bed seemed too large for just him alone, but Seonghwa had to command the ship in his absence. He would return to hold Hongjoong later.

"Almost as if he knew," Seonghwa muttered under his breath. After shooting Hongjoong a fleeting smile, he scurried outside.

Though they could be sure it was nothing of the like, the sinister reminder of the black magic left a foul taste on Hongjoong's tongue.

-

Hongjoong's dreams were bizarre ever since he had fallen sick. They were full of faceless shapes, distorted heights, and sounds that no creature from their world could produce. Usually, they churned around him as if in a maelstrom. He couldn't talk and he couldn't move, only watch as they rushed past to chip at his sanity.

Though he fell asleep safe and swaddled in Seonghwa's embrace as the ocean rocked them to rest, Hongjoong awoke from these dreams exhausted and disoriented. They scared him, even when he never suffered pain. Sometimes, he startled himself awake to glance at Seonghwa's relaxed face by his side. With the reassurance that everything would be fine, he would return to his wistful slumber.

Tonight, as well, they haunted him. Swathed him in their shadows, suffocated him with the sickeningly sweet scent he couldn't place. He searched for it, hoping it would mean an escape from the terrors, but his feet endlessly waded through a squelching mass. The shadows never lifted.

They grew faces, long and distorted smiles. Gleaming eyes that had nothing human about them. They laughed at him; lured him with spindly fingers.

Hongjoong grabbed for his weapons, but none adorned his hips.

He was alone. Defenceless.

"Seonghwa," he whispered, in his head at least, though he didn't know if his lips formed the word. He wanted his husband, his crew. Any sort of explanation.

"Seonghwa," the shadows echoed back, ridiculing him. Their whispers swelled until they said his name over and over again, twisting and hissing it until it sounded vile, like an insult.

No hands could clutch to Hongjoong's ears. No feet could carry him from this place. He sunk into himself, swallowed by the shadows. If they bore on him for long enough, he would disintegrate, lose his sense and become one of them.

A rough hand shook him from his sleep. Hongjoong flailed when he was convinced he was finally getting consumed for a long, agonising second. He twisted away, panicking while caught in his sticking dream. They only let him go reluctantly, his new friends, and their whispers echoed in his mind.

Before he could roll off the side of the bed and to the ground, an arm caught him around his middle. He struggled, afraid of those fingers; that draw. He couldn't give in, couldn't listen to their lure.

"It be me, Joong. Shh, calm down. It be just me."

A voice filtered through the agitated hisses. A familiar voice. A comforting voice.

Hongjoong ripped his eyes open, searching the darkness for an ounce of light, something to soothe him, something to-

Seonghwa was right before him. His doe eyes were worried, inner brows risen as he cradled Hongjoong close. The bare of his skin was dimly lit by the twilight just before dawn; when the air was the coldest and the yawns the longest.

Relief flooded Hongjoong's chest. At once, he slumped, all resistance diminishing. He could breathe again and the shadows disappeared into their corners when Seonghwa took their place. His attention was soothing and, though Hongjoong felt remorseful for mistaking him for depravity, he was glad Seonghwa woke him.

"Sorry," Hongjoong uttered. He only now noticed how hot he felt, how his hair stuck to the back of his neck. His legs cramped, as they must have tensed for a while now. How much had he tossed and turned to wake Seonghwa?

"Nightmares."

Though Seonghwa had no reason to doubt him, his nod was reluctant.

"The usual?"

Hongjoong wasn't sure. Was it the usual? Piles of corpses, the wails of his crew. Seeing Seonghwa's umbra mutilate, rape and kill him with no way to save him.

No, it wasn't the usual. Yet Hongjoong didn't feel it was something new that spawned with his condition. The two merged and his fear of the dark and every silhouette that moved in it grouped with the distorted nonsense of his illness.

"Ye been talkin' in yer sleep. But... ye did nay sound like yerself."

Hongjoong tilted his head. Seonghwa still held on to him, but he didn't draw him against his chest to soothe him with kisses as he normally would. The gap between them was cold and full of suspicions.

"What did I babble?"

Seonghwa had to piece it together, for it frazzled him just as much. When he glanced between Hongjoong's distraught eyes, he spoke slowly. As if he hesitated to share this information with him.

"I thought ye been awake at first. Ye asked me to come to ye. But when I embraced ye, ye stayed motionless, deadlights closed. I asked ye where to, an'..."

Hongjoong's gut clenched. This wasn't right. Only he had the whispers lingering in his ear. They weren't real, they couldn't translate into the real world. Had he echoed what he heard? Had he called Seonghwa's name in desperation?

The feeling of foreboding tasted like bile in Hongjoong's throat.

"Ye lifted yer 'and." Seonghwa glanced at the still limb, unassuming as ever. "But ye still been asleep."

Slowly, he copied what Hongjoong had done. In the dark, the hand seemed detached from Seonghwa, as if it had its own life. Hongjoong watched it rise and rise, moving until his index pointed at something across the room.

The vanity in the corner, where Seonghwa did his art and his makeup and they kept all their caskets overflowing with jewellery.

The mirror eerily reflected their two huddled forms on the bed, pointing back at them.

Hongjoong gulped. His mind was void of all thought as he met Seonghwa's eyes.

With pale faces, the two stared at each other.

Chapter Text

Seonghwa's silence was honed. Hongjoong knew how he looked when he was dead set on something. Though Seonghwa pursed his lips and mulled it over in his mind many times, the answer remained the same.

Their awful suspicion had been right.

Somehow, Hongjoong's current condition was tied to black magic. How and why they had yet to find out.

The only thing keeping Seonghwa from marching straight into the shadows' embrace to demand answers was their duty. Paired with the barricade of the closed mirror portal, thank heavens. There was no holding him back, and Hongjoong wouldn't know what to do with himself if Seonghwa found his end in that god-forsaken place. Whatever curse drove him, mirrors never meant well.

The others didn't know yet. And honestly, Hongjoong preferred to pretend this was a mislead over endangering their lives because of chatters in sleep. As Wooyoung and San flirted in the crow's nest and Mingi helped Jongho to refresh the paint of the railing under the warm sun, Hongjoong valued their harmony too much. Before he didn't know more, he wouldn't disrupt their tentative peace.

Seonghwa and he didn't debate more theories. They were strained to address the topic towards one another, aware their methods would clash. When Yunho came to try his needle treatment on Hongjoong, Seonghwa left the room without comment. Hongjoong joked he might do another tattoo soon as Yunho looked after their Pirate Prince. With a distracted chuckle, Yunho returned to his task.

During the time they sailed back to the Buried Lagoon, Yeosang counted the coins they retrieved from the treasure chest and calculated the worth of its other contents. A statue made of alabaster, various weighty fabrics, and an old artwork of lush forests rich with apple trees. The money would be enough to buy them another docking bay. They could employ their new mates from the island as workers there.

After another three bland days in which Hongjoong wandered the ship slowly and watched by many eyes whenever he insisted on joining them in the dining room, they anchored at the familiar beaches of the Black Bay. In the warm sun, they all wanted to pause and indulge in the turquoise glow of the ocean and its colourful fishes, but Seonghwa excused the pair with a strained smile.

"I will get 'im to Yongguk right away. Let's play once 'e feels better," he offered. With a cheer, Wooyoung splashed into the water, Mingi following close behind. Their squeals rivalled the seagulls.

Yeosang heaved the trunk into his arms only to get freed by the load immediately after by their strong youngest.

"We'll tend to matters in the port. Leave it to us and focus on getting better," the navigator grinned, small teeth bright in his tanned features.

Hongjoong accepted his fate where he stuck to Seonghwa's side.

"'Ave a deadlight on these rascals," he said with a nod at the squealing and playing bunch. Yunho sat in the sand and collected sea shells while his legs adjusted to the still earth. San enjoyed falling over into the water with stretched arms. Dark marks dotted his body underneath his clinging clothes.

"As usual," Yeosang chuckled. He nodded at them to leave first. Since he wasn't as pushy in his care, Hongjoong appreciated the subtle relief in Yeosang's eyes.

Seonghwa's lips formed a grim line, tugging the scarred corners of his mouth taut. When he led Hongjoong between the trees obscuring the bay from the village, his stride was quick.

"We do nay know if me dreams be anythin' to go by. It might still be some other sickness," Hongjoong pointed out, feet less elegant than usual as he tripped over roots and branches, but he blamed it on the land legs. Though Seonghwa caught his every stumble, he didn't have the patience to dawdle and check on Hongjoong each time.

"Yer symptoms match the ones at the wendigo cave. An' the mirror..."

"I 'ave nightmares o' the umbras, precious. If I call in fear o' 'em an' dread the sole mirror in the room, it does nay 'ave to mean anythin'." Hongjoong was begging at this point. Even when his gut seemed to know more than him, and even if it might be the truth.

He didn't want to get caught up with black magic again. And he didn't want to go back to that awful place. Or send anyone else to suffer in his stead.

The cries of colourful birds over their heads contrasted with the pirates' gloom. Seonghwa's boots dug into the sand as he ruthlessly dragged Hongjoong along.

Usually, he enjoyed returning here. Especially now that the island belonged to him, it was supposed to mean peace and home.

Yet he dreaded the sight when the trees lifted to the houses scaling the hill. His haven with Seonghwa didn't get a glance as his lover hauled him to Yongguk's home.

Hongjoong's hope that the warlock already left and was unavailable (as if that would stop Seonghwa) shattered when a deep voice grumbled in response to Seonghwa's aggressive knock. A light female voice asked if she should open the door, but Yongguk did it himself. Though he knew it was them, he'd rather not send Tikki by herself.

"My teas didn't help," Yongguk deducted with a glimpse at their strained, exhausted frames. Seonghwa stressed over Hongjoong's health as well. He lost sleep to both his dread and Hongjoong's nightmares. They barely closed their eyes after the haunting encounter with the mirror.

"What do ye know?" Seonghwa demanded. His cold voice left no room for secrecy, so Yongguk beckoned them in with a sigh. They sat, but Tikki was asked to continue to study by herself.

Yongguk crossed his legs. His calculating eyes studied Hongjoong. The wild of his hair that didn't come from the sea wind, the haunted eyes.

"I'm at a loss. I thought it was odd but blamed it on natural deficits. The way you stormed in here tells me I was wrong. What did you find?"

Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong, daring him to come up with an excuse. Since he didn't want to fight with his precious, the captain kept his eyes lowered and played with his rings.

"Hongjoong fainted durin' a battle," Seonghwa laid their cards open.

Yongguk's eyes twitched down the captain's frame.

"To the depths," he cursed. He was about to stand and offer them aid, but Seonghwa continued.

"'E mentioned gettin' dizzy an' 'eadaches. Then 'e 'ad a nightmare."

Seonghwa described as much of it as they could gather. What Hongjoong had seen, how it correlated to their past and how his sleeping self delivered a cryptic message. Yongguk's features darkened by the minute. After Seonghwa dropped a last comment about how these reminders of the past, he fell quiet.

Hongjoong bit his nails.

"I see," Yongguk muttered after a long pause. He stood, and when he returned, he placed two bottles of rum in front of them. Amused that it wasn't yet another herbal tea, Hongjoong grabbed one. The grave expression on Yongguk's face told him they would need the alcohol. Hongjoong uncorked his bottle without complaining.

By his side, Seonghwa sat straight as a rod. He didn't distract his mind with the tempting drink. Nothing mattered more to him than Hongjoong's well-being.

"You made a good call," Yongguk began with a nod at Seonghwa. "This isn't a light-hearted issue. Though I had hoped we'd have more time." Distressed, he rubbed his forehead. His locks tumbled back down, unkempt as he calculated in his mind how long it had been.

"What ain't ye tellin' us?" Seonghwa pressed. He crossed his arms, obstinate like a rock at a beach.

After another pause, Yongguk looked off to the side. He lost himself in memories of the far past, years back from where they arrived now.

To a time when their shadows still took shape by their sides to haunt them.

"Do you remember Kira? The one blessed by the stars with eternal life?"

Hongjoong nodded. His grip was clammy around the dusty green glass of his bottle.

"Youjin's wife."

Yongguk hummed. She had been much more than that, an eternal being, but that side of things had always concerned only Yongguk. To them, she had been a good friend, though plagued by eternity after she couldn't be with the one she yearned for so long.

"When you died, you became like her. Eternal, undying. Not touched by worldly time as you were shrouded in the magic of a different plane. Not my magic from reviving you, however. His magic. The magic of the shadow realm."

The details were blurry in Hongjoong's memory. He had been so confused to return, by that riddled explanation of how that could be.

The dead didn't return to the living, never. No magic was powerful enough for that. It was only through the combination of Liv's curse and Yongguk's effort that he found a loophole. And even then, Yongguk had apologised.

"Back then, instead of regaining your soul to create something new, I made a mistake. I turned two into one, reviving you through the lingering fortitude of your umbra's life force. I turned you into one like Kira. One cursed to wander the earth for eternity; too powerful to die, yet a magnet for supernatural problems."

The leather of Seonghwa's corset vest creaked when he leaned closer, glued to Yongguk's lips. His mutter was low and self-deprecating, but the pirates tried to follow along.

"I knew this would come. But I closed my eyes from it for as long as I could."

"What be 'appenin'?" And what did it have to do with Hongjoong's death?

"It's calling to you," Yongguk whispered. Hongjoong's blood froze in his veins. "The shadows reap what they sow, always. They aren't benevolent like the stars. Every dust of power comes at a price. A new life and eternity for your humanity. Each day, they drain you more. Madness waits at the end of this road. A human mind cannot comprehend the darkness of the Abyssus. You will survive, but you no longer will be yourself. Humans aren't supposed to best time. Or to return from the dead."

Seonghwa shot up from his bench. Hongjoong was pale around his nose, clinging to his bottle like a lifeline.

"But the umbras died! They no longer have power over us! The curse is over!" Seonghwa raised his voice. Fear stood written across his features, so much worse than anything they anticipated. Their time had been limited, after all. A captivating fantasy of a second life. One that Hongjoong had never been supposed to have. It was precious time, but the outcome was the same.

Hongjoong was dead.

The pirate felt cold all over. The understanding was worse than the sudden and unexpected death back at the Island of Gold. How could he part from Seonghwa slowly, agonisingly? How could he leave them behind again as he became but a shell of himself?

"They did. It's not Liv's curse that did this. It's the new shape he assumed for his return. And my fault," Yongguk ended in a whisper. A distressed hand ran through his curls.

Seonghwa slammed his hands on the table. Tikki startled, looking at him with wide eyes. Frenzy reflected in Seonghwa's eyes. The wood trembled under his force as his voice roared through the room.

"I'm not letting him go. They called for us, no? What can we do? What can we offer them to leave him alone?"

Yongguk hesitantly shook his head.

"There is nothing I know of. It might be a trap; calling for you. They are strong in the Abyssus and if you go there, they might reap everything that is precious to him. All the whispers and promises are a product of his decline."

Numb, Hongjoong stared at his hands.

Hands that weren't his own.

Hands he had no control over.

"There must be something!" Seonghwa begged. "Open the portal for us. We will go and see. They can't defeat us all and if we- If-" His voice broke when he found emptiness in Yongguk's eyes. He wouldn't endanger them for something that was inevitable. His loyalty to Hongjoong meant preserving what he could preserve.

"I won't send you there again. Surviving it once was incredibly lucky," Yongguk whispered.

Tears overflowed from Seonghwa's eyes. He fell back down on the bench, defeated. His sorrow dripped from his chin, unmasked.

Tikki sat in shock, wavering to come closer and soothe him.

Hongjoong held on to his bottle, staring into the void.

It wasn't his place to reach for his husband. To ease his pain.

When all that awaited them in the near future was losing each other all over again.

Chapter Text

Hongjoong found Yongguk on the beach. The man's bare feet left trails in the sand and his hair and clothing ruffled with the wind. The orange glow of dusk framed his lonesome silhouette. That man was rarely caught in the light of day, so these sparse rays were a rare sight, giving away the disruption in his mind.

Hongjoong strolled behind him slowly. From time to time, Yongguk picked up sea shells to collect them for Tikki. The girl enjoyed amassing them as decoration, but she liked it even more when Jongho and Mingi made necklaces and bracelets out of them. 

The water licked at their feet. It was warm enough now to take a dip and lured Hongjoong with the promise of endless freedom. Not one to trust its lethal snare when he wasn't in full health, Hongjoong watched it slosh into their trails.

After a while, Yongguk halted. The palm trees reached to the water here, bent into amusing shapes to poke at the waves in retaliation. Yongguk's honeyed skin glowed in the last light of the day.

Hongjoong sunk into the sand next to him. His toes wriggled in the sand.

"How is Seonghwa doing?" Yongguk asked after a long silence dominated by the rushing of mellow waves. The Bay was peaceful and no other pirates disturbed them there. All the action Yeosang dictated with his wit happened in the port town.

"'E been 'oled up in the room all day. Did nay want to talk to anyone. 'E e'en sent Tikki away."

Seonghwa couldn't bear the thought of losing Hongjoong again.

Hongjoong wouldn't be able to, either. To him, this still felt like a stupid sickness, nothing that would rip them apart.

But Seonghwa had a different viewpoint. And though they didn't part yet, old scars echoed his loss.

Hongjoong had seen what became of him once and Seonghwa had been right.

He wouldn't make it a second time.

The chill of that thought, of Seonghwa ending his own life because he couldn't deal with Hongjoong's loss, was what got Hongjoong moving. He agreed with Yongguk; they should stay far from all shadows and the mirror world. But if his decline came with the loss of his crew, of his life's light, he would confront all dangers. Survival brought them this far. If not for his own, Hongjoong fought for Seonghwa's survival.

"No wonder. Though I imagine he becomes clingy soon, to spend every last second with you."

Hongjoong stayed silent. These moments didn't feel like his last. He wasn't struck with a fever; didn't bleed out. The shadows crept steadily, ate at his heart to steal everything that was precious to him.

With a glance down at him, Yongguk lowered himself to his side. His bony fingers played with the colourful shells he had gathered.

"It will be dangerous. No one knows what will become of you in the future. If darkness takes over, it will try to consume your loved ones as well, as emotion is a potent delicacy. If they don't seek distance..." He let the sentence hang in the air. Its rich scent of ripe fruit and the sea was obscenely optimistic compared to their topic.

"I will nay let that 'appen," Hongjoong replied, voice stable. The sea washed over their feet, wetting the fringes of Hongjoong's pants.

"I can nay spy 'im like this," he added, softer. He wasn't gone yet, but every inch of him screamed that this was wrong. That his husband shouldn't have to suffer this much, especially not because of him.

"You want me to help you," Yongguk deducted. He sighed, hand ruffling through his untamed curls. 

"We went there once an' returned. We can do it again."

"It's a trap. No one says there is a cure there. Perhaps none even exists. For you to be free of the shadow, you'd have to perish. Stepping into his embrace might hurt your loved ones even more."

"We might find somethin' else," Hongjoong argued. "If just a way to prolon' this. That realm be filled with dark magic that can be harnessed." Though he would prefer to go alone, he knew his crew would follow him anywhere. To death and back.

"Whatever it be, if I find somethin' I can brin' to ye an' ye can make a cure, Seonghwa will nay 'ave to live in anguish." Or the others, who had picked up on Seonghwa's reclusive behaviour, but didn't even know yet.

Hongjoong would hate to betray them twice.

His fingers twisted his ring, Seonghwa's ring.

Another long silence. Monkeys chased each other through the trees, squealing as if chased by the devil. 

Would Hongjoong's curse ever end?

When Yongguk lifted his gaze to look across the sea and the small islands dotting the shoreline, his eyes were closed off.

"I can't recommend this."

"If only I been smart enough to listen to yer recommendations. But we would nay be 'ere otherwise."

That had the warlock huff a grimaced smile.

"I wonder if that means you'd be long dead or that you'd live a regular, successful pirate's life. Some fights with the navy, some sinking other pirate ships. Normal things"

Endeared by the perfect, harmless world he painted, Hongjoong dug his feet into the sand.

"But it seems you attract misfortune and its haunts. And here I am, too kind to tell you to feck off already."

Hongjoong bumped his shoulder into Yongguk's with a cheeky grin.

"Ye love me," he snickered, and earned a punitive glare.

"When I lay awake at night, I am convinced I hate you. And I hate myself when I keep coming back for your moronic quests."

"If ye did nay trust that I'd make it, ye would nay return."

Yongguk sighed. The ocean, their closest companion, shrouded them in privacy as they figured out their risk. No other pirates ventured close. Everyone was blissfully distracted by the mundane life they lived during the past few years. 

Everyone but Seonghwa.

As if his insides were stretched apart by vicious hands, Hongjoong clutched a hand to his chest.

"I can nay leave 'im alone," he returned to the severity of their situation.

It ripped Hongjoong's heart in two; robbed him of all breath. He left Seonghwa once, and the damage was irreparable. If there was a glimmer of hope, any way, he would fight. He wouldn't drift from Seonghwa without resistance. If they succumbed together after giving their everything, at least Hongjoong wouldn't feel as helpless as last time.

"He isn't alone. He has the crew, Tikki, me. This." Yongguk jerked his chin over his shoulder, at the land mass.

"'E lost 'is mother just recently. An' Tikki be unstable. Last time, 'e turned to 'is shadow. I know 'im. Without me, 'e..." Hongjoong blinked his eyes, glancing away to the side. He didn't want to imagine it. Seonghwa's pain resonated in him whenever he imagined losing the other. 

"I love this charming part of your personality that insists on walking the world of the dead for your husband as if I wouldn't be responsible for both of your deaths if I support this." With a huff, Yongguk flicked one shell that had a sharp edge back into the ocean. A crab passed their feet, unperturbed by their brooding frames. 

"Can nay give me charms to anyone," Hongjoong smirked. "But truly, I beg ye fer this favour. Put all the blame on me if we do nay make it. At least we can die in each other's embrace then."

Yongguk rubbed his face with an exhausted hand. Salt rimmed a wavy line on his wet pant legs.

"I need you to understand Seonghwa isn't the only one who cares about you. I also would like to know my friends are safe."

The vast horizon stretched before Hongjoong's eyes. Its beauty was immeasurable, the opportunities countless. 

"I do nay plan to die. Ye just always fret too much," he chuckled. Yongguk growled back at him.

"So what? I open the portal and you see what the shadows want? If there is any trade to make?"

"Or any bastard to kill to make this stop. Perhaps another Liv uses the shadows to run a rig on us."

"Hopefully," Yongguk answered, without hope. 

Satisfied, Hongjoong nodded to himself. He got to his feet and dusted the sand off his butt before he stretched.

"'eave ho. Let's get aft to the others. I 'ave a 'usband to console an' ye collected many pretty shells for Tikki."

Embarrassed that he had noticed, Yongguk let them disappear into his pocket. He took Hongjoong's hand to stand. They studied each other in the impending dark. The first stars glistened in the sky and they would make a marvellous roof to kiss Seonghwa under and promise him they would be fine. 

"Anything I can say to stop you from doing this?"

"Nothin'."

"Savvy. Meet me once you're ready, and I will grant you passage. Anything beyond that is on you."

Hongjoong gave him a blinding smile. Though it was no ray of hope, he rather flailed in his net than be fished and cleaved without further ado.

"Thank ye, matey."

They made their way back side by side. While Hongjoong stared out over the ocean and its undiscovered beauty, Yongguk looked at his feet and the guilt marring his brow gave away his thoughts. As he caused this situation in the first place, he was now plagued by the knowledge he shouldn't support this, shouldn't let them go.

But Hongjoong needed those endeavours. Even if they weren't perfect, he could try to find a hole to squeeze through. Put up a fight.

They were almost at the first houses connecting the beach to the island when Hongjoong addressed him again.

"Oi, Bbang."

Yongguk lifted his head.

"I'll come aft. Fer ye, an' Tikki an' all me other mates. I know 'ow much ye do fer me. An' I wanna be there to show me gratitude."

Yongguk clenched his jaw before he nodded. He scurried off to get back to Tikki and soothe her tension over the situation.

Left to his own devices, Hongjoong returned to the villa with his eyes on the sky. The stars over the open sea were magnificent, but he liked how they blanketed the glowing houses with their shine.

That other world was upside down, all twisted and wrong. Once they found back to this sky, they would be fine. Hongjoong knew their course here.

Hongjoong let himself inside the dark hallway. As he tugged the flimsy glass door shut behind him, he listened for the maid, but Seonghwa must have sent her away. The mansion lay silent.

He took off his heels on his way to the bedroom. Though he doubted Seonghwa went to sleep so early, he didn't want to wake him if so.

However, a slim line of light spanned beneath the door as he arrived. When he pushed the wood open, he found his precious, curled up under the blankets and with a pillow hugged to his chest. Candles danced by the bedside, but their soothing light hadn't alleviated him from his crying. The air was thick with sorrow.

In the gigantic bed, he looked so fragile, so lonesome.

This would become a reality if Hongjoong left him. Their love was too strong. No other could take his place, and no one could mend Seonghwa's heart.

"Precious," Hongjoong whispered when he came inside. Seonghwa stirred, but he didn't turn.

"Don't look at me," he whispered, creating a wall between them. Hongjoong shattered it. He put his heels on the ground and crawled to Seonghwa's side, uncaring of the sand he carried into the bed. They could clean later.

Seonghwa rolled around when Hongjoong grasped his shoulder to turn him. His eyes were red and puffy, lips bitten raw from all his screaming. 

A knot formed in Hongjoong's throat. Without hesitation, he gathered Seonghwa up in his arms. He rarely felt small, but now he did. Feeble, as if he would float away if Hongjoong didn't hold on to him tightly.

Hongjoong buried his face in Seonghwa's neck. Heard his sorrow.

"We'll go through the mirror," he vowed. "We'll go an' save me. We ain't restin' before that."

Seonghwa's breath got stuck in his throat. He hesitated, unsure if he should be the wiser one now and call things back.

But love was selfish. They were selfish.

He clutched to Hongjoong with all his might, holding him close to feel how alive he was.

"Thank you," he whispered, over and over again.

"Thank you, Hongjoong."

Hongjoong held him close, refusing to let go in the same way as Seonghwa did.

Chapter Text

Seonghwa was over the moon in gratitude. To him, there had never been a reason to second-guess going to the mirror world. He would have left without a second of hesitation. So long as Hongjoong would live, he could do anything.

Hongjoong appealed to his caution better, but ultimately, he caved under the desperation of his husband. They both knew it was a terrible idea. Not even Yongguk could fathom how dangerous the Abyssus was, especially without the mark of their umbras on them. But they had done it once. They could do it again. Like last time, they would bear all suffering to make it out together.

Once Seonghwa's rush of gratitude ended, he surged to press his lips to Hongjoong's. They tumbled into the sheets together, overwhelmed by Seonghwa's zeal as their mouths moulded into one. Hongjoong's gasp of his name to slow him down became a breathy whimper when Seonghwa nipped at him, cradled him close. He held Hongjoong impossibly tight, as if he needed to feel his heat with every inch of him. 

Hongjoong gave in. The happiness washing over to two swept him away. Nothing was more precious than Seonghwa's delight. He raked his fingers into his husband's overgrown hair, tilting his head with gentle force until he could control the kiss. Pinned under Seonghwa's larger frame, he lost the sense of everything else.

"I'll make it come true," Seonghwa vowed between kisses. "Our world, this island. Our children, turnin' old together," he listed. Everything he wished for that was so mundane and easy for others. Somehow, to them, it was the most intricate fortune.

"We will always stay together," Hongjoong replied, soothing Seonghwa's stress. "Forever."

A word Hongjoong used hesitantly. Forever was a long time and he couldn't make such promises light-heartedly. But for Seonghwa, he would. For his crew, as well. They meant forever to him.

He needed to see them soon. To clarify the situation, catch them up on everything that went on behind closed doors. While they established their safety in the pirate's nest, Hongjoong was about to imperil everything they worked for yet again.

Although he would let anyone stay who wanted to stay. This time, they weren't forced to go together. If anyone feared for their life or their loved ones, they could relax and await their return. Especially Wooyoung and San made many advances and many regressions because of their umbras. Hongjoong understood if they wanted to treasure their brittle peace. They had come a long way from their prior loathing.

Seonghwa's hands dipped under Hongjoong's shirt, roaming up his scarred flanks and the planes of his stomach. When his thumbs caught onto his nipples and the captain sighed, the quartermaster sat up to undress them. Moments later, their bodies intertwined, naked as the day they had been born. Used to each other yet ever so enamoured, they traced their hands over each other's shapes lovingly.

Sometimes it was hard to convey all the love for Seonghwa in Hongjoong's heart through the prison of his flesh. It limited him, created a barricade. Today, too, Seonghwa couldn't be close enough. As the captain ignored his dizziness to hold his treasure close, Seonghwa sighed into his neck, completely enamoured.

"'Ow do ye want it, sugar? Let's celebrate by makin' yer wishes come true," Hongjoong suggested. Seonghwa's eyes blazed in joy and Hongjoong wanted to purr like a cat. This was what he liked. Not miserable, hopeless Seonghwa. He liked when those deep eyes were bedazzled with stars. When his crooked smile made him the most charming person on earth.

"Which surface 'ave I nay bent ye o'er yet? Which position be left fer me to eat at ye in?" Seonghwa chuckled. He kissed Hongjoong's jaw, trailing hot lips up to his ear. The captain's lashes fluttered when their hips ground into each other. He clutched Seonghwa's hips, helping his movements.

"Thar must be new ones to find," Hongjoong mumbled against Seonghwa's lips. He was more than happy with the same old, but that was his fatigue speaking. He wouldn't let the shadows win. Seonghwa wanted to celebrate, so they would celebrate.

"Show me I be yers then. That ye will never let me go."

"Even if ye cry an' beg?" Hongjoong's hand traced down Seonghwa's thigh, seeking the approval he needed whenever their words lost meaning during sex. There was a trick San taught them. If one of them was tied up and wished to stop, or if they riled each other up with words they didn't mean, one term would be spoken and everything would stop. Shoving hands, refusals, they all could be excused in their throes. Not this word, however.

They never used it, but they shared it with the crew, just in case. Most of them had no reason to retreat, they all were rough with each other. But if someone on the ship had to express himself with 'mizzen', end. 

Seonghwa met Hongjoong's eyes. He knew their word; he knew to use it. If he couldn't speak, he could trace it on Hongjoong's skin. If he couldn't move, he could look towards the mizzen at the stern of the ship. 

"Especially when I cry an' beg," Seonghwa purred. When Hongjoong's hands found his knees, he levered his body, exposing himself to Hongjoong's roaming palms. He squeezed at the supple flesh bared to him, skimmed his fingers over that sensitive place.

Seonghwa shuddered in his arms, about to sit up, but Hongjoong kept him trapped with an arm around his waist. 

"Stay."

Putty in his embrace, Seonghwa waited. He was watchful if Hongjoong would black out, but his gathered strength was enough. After fumbling with the drawer for a moment, he came back with the oil and slicked his fingers in it. As they sunk into Seonghwa, he tilted the man's head to kiss him, give him everything. They needed to be one, needed to taste the bottoms of each other's souls. 

Hongjoong eased him open, knowing Seonghwa's body better than he knew his own. When his rings slipped in, nudging into Seonghwa's walls, the pirate dropped his head to Hongjoong's chest with a sigh of satisfaction. 

Before he entered Seonghwa, he rolled them around. While Seonghwa sprawled in the sheets, beautiful like the morning sun on the ocean, Hongjoong reached for his discarded clothes. The whip slithered from the pile to find its familiar place in the curve of his hand.

From lidded eyes, Seonghwa watched as Hongjoong slung it around his narrow waist, stretching the leather taut. It matched Seonghwa, the wildness of him. But he didn't need taming. He complied, Hongjoong's most loyal devotee.

"Gonna keep ye real close," Hongjoong whispered as he bent to align their chests. He pressed them together until nothing would fit between their bodies and tightened the whip around his own back. It tied them together, turned them into one. Their heartbeat thumped in tandem against their ribcages, reaching out for one another.

Seonghwa raised his hand to yank the bindings taut. They cut into their skin, chafing harmlessly as he looped the grip around, tightening its knot behind Hongjoong's back. 

"Come in," he pleaded, legs splayed open to present himself to Hongjoong. Blind from their proximity, Hongjoong ground into him until his tip caught onto that willing entrance.

While he sunk in slowly, blissfully, to connect the last piece of them that still had space to move, Seonghwa dipped his fingers into the far jar of oil. He embraced Hongjoong, kissing him with those pillowy lips. When he guided the handle of the weapon inside Hongjoong to keep it from unravelling, Hongjoong stifled a gasp in his mouth. 

They were locked in place. Tied up against one another, they never parted their gaze as Hongjoong rocked into his lover. The deep grind rubbed against Seonghwa's arousal from both sides, trapping it between their feverish bodies. 

Seonghwa raked his hands through Hongjoong's hair, tugging on it to get him far enough down to lap at his neck. Eyes fluttering shut, Hongjoong encouraged him with a moan, pressing deeper until he believed Seonghwa's insides would never let him go.

Nothing came between them. They belonged to each other, body and soul.

Relishing in Seonghwa's every breath, every thump of his racing heart, Hongjoong plunged deep with another minuscule thrust. Seonghwa clenched around him, head dropping as he approached his euphoria. As the tan spread of his throat came into sight, Hongjoong gulped. Other than his scarred and discoloured neck, Seonghwa's skin was beautiful and even. It begged for a touch, a mark, a promise.

Hongjoong wanted to adorn it with the prettiest jewels, always. Silver and red. Red suited Seonghwa so well.

No thought crossed his brain when he leaned in, nosing over the smooth curve. As he bucked into Seonghwa, the man's back arched, wet insides clamping down on Hongjoong in the most delicious way. 

Not moving an inch even when Seonghwa squirmed from the deep intrusion, Hongjoong bared his teeth to sink them into Seonghwa's neck. A stuttered moan was his response, more spasms as Seonghwa was pinned beneath him with no way to shove Hongjoong off.

His mind clouded over. The squirming below jostled the whip inside and the grip on him was so good Hongjoong believed he could never leave. Seonghwa's clawed fingers raked over his scarred back, holding him impossibly closer as his come pooled between them.

Everything became too much when Hongjoong tasted blood on his tongue. With a muffled growl, he let go of the heated coil in his belly, keeping Seonghwa pinned as he filled him up. Shallow thrusts pushed his come deeper, wanting it to stay with Seonghwa forever. 

Seonghwa's blood was so sweet on his tongue. It tasted heavenly, bathing his senses in a state of drunken euphoria.

He ripped away when he forgot to breathe, tongue flicking out to lick the traces from his lips. The wound wasn't too big, the imprint of his teeth blunt apart from where his sharp canines ripped skin. It beautifully marked Seonghwa, and he dipped to lap up the fresh red oozing from him. So pretty, suiting him so well.

"Hongjoong," Seonghwa gasped, voice throaty. 

Distracted, Hongjoong peered down at him, finding his debauched husband so blissed out, so glowy. 

Satisfied, Hongjoong hugged him closer, warmed him through their shudders.

Seonghwa eased the whip out of him so Hongjoong's body could also relax. As he loosened it to put it aside to clean later, Hongjoong came after him, pressing him back down before he could roll off. 

With an endeared chuckle, Seonghwa grabbed a pillow to hug under his chest as Hongjoong parted his shaky legs once more.

"Ye be insatiable," he hummed, then his eyes rolled back when Hongjoong slid back home. Nothing had leaked from Seonghwa and he was satisfied to stir it into a mess with proper thrusts this time. Though these made Seonghwa's orgasms more explosive, more abrupt, none twisted their guts as good as feeling each other in their throats.

"I want everyhin' from ye," Hongjoong replied as he bent over his lover to lick at the wound, making Seonghwa's back arch to accommodate their difference in height. 

They lost themselves to their intimacy, their adoration for each other. After their second orgasm, Seonghwa crawled away to get them some water, throats starved and black spots dancing before Hongjoong's eyes. 

The captain dragged him back in by his ankle, dawning upon him again to mark his pretty skin with that sweet red, to give Seonghwa everything until no sense was left in him.

When they finally collapsed, they still refused to let go of each other. They spent every second clinging, relishing the safety and peace of this place even when Hongjoong's waning was a constant reminder. 

Later, when Seonghwa got up to prepare a bath for them to clean off their shared grime, he took Hongjoong along. He gathered the pirate into his arms, holding him like a precious good as he wrapped lethargic arms around Seonghwa's neck. 

They sat together in the tub, washing each other as Hongjoong dozed on and off. Never apart, never making room for anything to come between them.

Forever, Hongjoong had promised. Whatever awaited them on the other side, they would best it; they would stay like this.

Nothing in the world would keep them from holding on to each other.

Chapter Text

"Captain!"

Hongjoong glanced over his shoulder. His hands dropped from Seonghwa only after double-checking the bandage looped around his neck. Then, he called at his crew that came racing down the hill.

"Ahoy, me 'earties! Everyone 'ad a jolly caulk?"

Wooyoung and San reached him first, speedier than Yunho's light jog. Even from a distance, Hongjoong could tell Mingi was perturbed and his brow was furrowed over his eye patch.

"Seonghwa told us what happened. Why didn't you say anything?" Yeosang stuttered as his hand found Hongjoong's shoulder. He eyed him up and down as if Hongjoong might have sprouted an extra limb. When he found only the prior traces of fatigue, he bit his tongue. As someone so versed in his readings, he should have noticed.

That, and the sentiment they all shared. As a loyal crew who adored their captain, they all should have noticed.

Hongjoong didn't blame them. The first thing a pirate became good at was hornswoggling others. He would have been insulted if he didn't get to keep some secrets from their nosy selves.

And they didn't even suffer the worst of it. Seonghwa did and though he stuck to Hongjoong's side as always, the intention was unmistakable. He would lead them through the mirror no matter what. They were not parting.

"Ye gotta babble to us more, Cap. Princess Swab 'ides ye away too much," Mingi grumbled, just as fed up with hearing the news last.

"I'll 'ave ye know none o' ye would bother with this if me sugar were nay so greedy fer 'avin' me healthy. I kept the secret."

Seonghwa glowered at him. This was no matter to keep to himself between husbands. Especially not since it had to do with the Abyssus. A cold was one thing. Being haunted by demons, another.

"So... Yongguk said somethin' about the umbras? An' that ye feel sick because o' yer death," San recollected, unsure about the details.

Hongjoong hummed.

"I be sick because I ain't 'uman anymore. Seonghwa an' I decided to find a remedy o'er in the mirror world."

A collective shudder crawled down their spines. Jongho caught Yeosang's hand when it fumbled for him, calm in the storm.

"Ye do nay 'ave to join us. There be lots to do 'ere, an' a port to build. If ye can wait, we will 'urry aft," Hongjoong assured them. He preferred to keep as many people here as he could. Blimey, he would go alone if this wasn't all Seonghwa's doing. The pirate's gut still told him this was a bad call.

If it saved his crew's lives, he'd rather split up. He was lost already, but they lost much more.

Wooyoung and San sought an answer in each other's eyes. Yunho patted his pouches.

"I be with ye. If ye find a remedy, I 'ave to be there to double-check it."

"It be dangerous," Hongjoong reminded them. Though they all felt the draw of the unnatural magic over there last time, their umbras weren't the only vile creatures of that realm. It bustled with monsters beyond their human understanding.

"That's what we have you for, no? You see it differently and you know what you need to do. We'll be your support. As always," Yeosang smiled. By his side, Jongho nodded.

After another moment of reluctance, Wooyoung gave in. The one he feared, San's umbra, was no more. It wasn't as if they'd run into them there.

"I want to find out what 'aunts our dear captain this time. It'd be sick with worry if I stayed."

Hongjoong rubbed his forehead. They only came this far because of their collective stubbornness, but Yongguk was right. This was no easy sacrifice. They prided themselves on their power and arrogance, but they couldn't equate this journey with the last.

When San and Mingi also joined in, they were back at the beginning. Only that now, Seonghwa smiled, reassured they would make it.

Since his crew was Hongjoong's pride and joy, they spurred him. If they went to save him, he would return to save them. Time and time again.

"I convinced Yongguk to open the portal fer us. We do nay know what we seek, but the shadows in me dreams invited us to the place beyond," Hongjoong explained. There was no map to check, no compass to set a course by. Only a chilling fear swathed in stubborn determination.

"If we do nay find a cure, Hongjoong will get worse. Since this be a matter that 'as to do with the shadows, we must turn o'er every stone," Seonghwa said. With his face so serious and his lips pursed, he looked older, strict, like a commander. For the first time, Hongjoong didn't feel like the leader at their tip, but like the bumbling stowaway who got dragged along.

Truly, he wouldn't make this much effort for himself.

They gulped at the stakes, but they agreed.

"No need to go there an' return with empty 'ands," Wooyoung uttered. He patted his hips, checking all guns and ammunition.

"Our bundles be packed an' Yunho divided the provisions. We be ready to set sail whenever ye want," Jongho addressed Hongjoong. Then, when Hongjoong blinked violently to focus his blurring sight, he added: "Preferably soon, I reckon."

Seonghwa beckoned them with his hand. Everyone trudged along, nervous at the prospect of their goal, but not ones to withdraw without trying. If they went there and all hell broke loose, they could still flee. Or die in battle, together over being alone.

While San chatted up Seonghwa and flirtingly asked him to be as attentive towards him as he was for his husband, Mingi matched his pace with Hongjoong. His pensive face mirrored Hongjoong's uneasy feeling.

Mingi knew him the longest, saw his every rise and fall. Saw him crawl from the ashes time and time again. Yet, for the first time, he saw his captain stand back, reluctant of their goals. His leadership brought them so far. If his gut feeling told him this was off...

Then again, they faced demons. Anyone would dread a repetition of their umbras.

Hongjoong reminded himself this wasn't the same. Nothing of the like could happen to them.

When he exhaled, Mingi hummed.

"Ain't lookin' too jolly, Cap'n," he informed. A new headache throbbed behind Hongjoong's eyes as he led them up the hill to Yongguk's home. The Precious was safely tucked into the bay between two tall cliffs that would protect her from wind and weather. The pirates of this island would have an eye on her until the crew returned.

Hongjoong couldn't wait to take her out for a proper adventure once they returned. When he didn't flail like a fool anymore.

But she was as loyal as the crew. As they went through so much together, she would wait for them to make their glorious return. And once they ruled the oceans again as the strongest crew that made every landlubber quake in their boots, life would mean freedom once more.

"I'd rather nay get mixed up with those demons. Yongguk also said it be a lethal gamble," Hongjoong confessed. They were beyond the point of fretting now. Seonghwa marched for Yongguk's home and Hongjoong had conceded to come along. Better he had an eye on things than being dead weight.

Eye in the past, Mingi nodded.

"Though I'd rather deal with the remnants o' yer umbra than with Seonghwa's."

They could all agree on that.

Though Mingi hadn't been with them back then. Neither aboard the shadow doppelgänger of the Precious nor in the wendigo cave. He hadn't seen the games Hongjoong's double played, always winning, robbing their sanity. He hadn't felt the keel peeling Hongjoong's skin from his body.

No wonder that being haunted by his leftovers meant going mad.

Hongjoong put one foot in front of the other prudently. He made sure not to topple over. By now they were so used to walking on land, it would discover him like a blazing beacon.

But they made it up the hill safely. Tikki was with a few other kids today, learning how to socialise without hitting anyone who bothered her. She didn't have to witness the crew all pale and apprehensive.

Yongguk opened the door for them, and he didn't sway their minds again. As they filtered into his home, he dragged a large mirror over. It was covered by an old cloth and when he hauled it away, Hongjoong recognised the same splintered surface as back then. No wonder Yongguk kept it covered.

When Yunho walked past the distorted surface, only his own self dashed over it. Hongjoong didn't get too close, but the tip of his shoe mirrored in a corner was black instead of the supposed brown.

"I prepared a potion for you, similar to the one I gave you back then, to disconnect you from your umbras. It should make you invisible to the creatures over there, but expect to be observed more intently than last time. Your souls were lost then, but now they are free for taking," Yongguk explained as he handed out the vials.

Not if Hongjoong demanded them as his, something in him whispered. He repeated it aloud without thinking.

Yunho stared at him. Wooyoung fiddled the potion to his belt.

Unaware of how sinister he had sounded, Hongjoong furthered his idea.

"If I appear to 'em as one o' theirs an' I 'ave these souls with me, will they nay assume they be mine? I can protect me 'ands that way."

Yongguk gave Seonghwa the last potion and tugged his clothes tighter around his narrow shoulders. While that mirror was uncovered and stared back at them, the room seemed frosty.

"Perhaps. Your umbras were masters of trickery, infamous even among the other creatures born of the dark. If they recognise you as him, perhaps you can fool them. I hope so. For you and your crew."

Who knew if they could win? Those creatures were vulnerable in that realm, but not everything could be killed. And not everything had a shape.

"We'll make it," Seonghwa swore with a glance down their rows. The pirates mingled around the room, spending strength to each other with their presence, but their glances were unsure.

How much did love blind Seonghwa? And how much was it their trauma that held them back when they could be confident?

"Drink your potions and pray. I will monitor the portal day and night. Once you need to return, I'll be ready," Yongguk said. When he came to stand before Hongjoong, the only one not grimacing over the bitter taste of the potion, his bottomless eyes were understanding of his dread.

"I hope you return in better health. Or at least with something for me to work with. I am ready to help where I can."

Hongjoong let go of a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. Yongguk often seemed impatient with them, but Hongjoong could always trust in his loyalty.

"We'll be aft," he promised, and he meant it. They had too much to do here, such extensive projects that finally came to fruition. Something like this couldn't hold them back.

With a glance at each of them, Hongjoong gathered their support. Finally, he stepped before the mirror, ready to lead them.

A man with a black hat stared back at him. His gaze was icy under the brim of his hat and his posture exuded a power he drained from Hongjoong every day.

When the pirate bared his teeth at his sight, the lips of the other jumped into a cruel grin. He held out his hand.

"Remember, you can't kill him. You are one. If you get rid of his remnants, you die, too," Yongguk whispered. For their coexistence, for Hongjoong robbing his body, both of them needed to survive. He just had to become the stronger soul. Make the other submit.

"I'll chain that dog somewhere 'e can nay bother us," Hongjoong hissed.

Amused, the gloved hand turned. Come hither.

Hongjoong earned his approval from Yongguk. Though he had never seen the warlock's eyes so shifty before, he kept his word. When Hongjoong lifted his boot, it breached the watery surface of the broken mirror. He reached out behind him to form a chain with the others. Seonghwa found his hand and clutched it, holding his palm out for the rest.

When they were ready, Hongjoong grasped onto his umbra's chilly fingers and let himself be dragged into their world. Where everything would be different and scary, but they made it once.

For Seonghwa, he would make it again.