Chapter Text
The ship rocked gently on the black water, its chrome hull reflecting glints of green and violet from the distant horizon. Somewhere across the endless ocean, the city of Halcyon Reef pulsed like a wound. Towers rising from the water, cables dangling into the sea, lights flickering through the mist. But aboard, it wasn't the city that was alive tonight. It was the crew.
"TO VICTORY!" Hongjoong shouted, standing on a steel crate in the middle of the deck, one hand gripping a glowing bottle of rum. The others cheered, the sound rising into the night like thunder.
San whooped, spinning a half-empty bottle on his finger before putting it down. "To victory, to chaos, to whatever that was back there!" he laughed, nodding toward the cargo hold, where the stolen tech still hummed quietly, freshly looted from a corporate patrol.
"Whatever it was, it almost fried my arm off." Mingi said, grinning.
"That's because you touched it." Jongho muttered, half amused, half irritated.
Mingi threw an arm around him. "That's what pirates do, Jongho. We touch shiny and dangerous things!"
The crew's laughter rolled across the deck. Somewhere near the helm, Seonghwa leaned against the railing, his eyes soft but alert, always watching for movement on the horizon. Yunho was on a crate nearby, playing with a handful of glowing chips, winnings from a round of deck poker. The neon light bounced across their faces, painting them in streaks of magenta and blue.
And then there was Yeosang, seated on the edge of the main deck table, a faint smile ghosting across his lips. He didn't drink much, didn't need to. The way he watched, calm and calculating, was its own kind. His mechanical right eye, faintly golden beneath his lashes, flickered every few seconds as it processed the movement of the others.
San noticed that flicker every time. He leaned over the table, elbows against the cold metal, grinning up at him.
"Come on, Yeosang. We actually won tonight. That's got to be worth at least one toast."
Yeosang raised an eyebrow. "I'll drink when you learn not to trip over the boarding rail."
"That was one time."
"Twice... This week."
San pointed the bottle at him. "You keeping score or something?"
Yeosang tilted his head, smiling. "Someone has to."
Their banter drew Yunho's laughter from across the table. "You two sound like an old married couple already." he teased.
San turned, dramatic as always. "If I were married to Yeosang, he'd have divorced me before breakfast."
"Correct." Yeosang said without missing a beat. The corner of his mouth curved slightly, revealing amusement. San caught it the smallest twitch of warmth in Yeosang's otherwise composed face and grinned wider.
Hongjoong hopped down from his crate and clapped his hands. "Alright, my dear outlaws. Let's make it official. First successful raid in six weeks! No injuries, minimal fire damage, and a hold full of tech we can actually sell."
"Minimal?" Seonghwa said dryly. "You set half the starboard railing on fire."
"Minimal." Hongjoong repeated with a wink.
The music started, a crackling synth track blaring from an old speaker, patched with wires and duct tape. Mingi pulled Wooyoung onto the improvised dance floor, and soon the deck was a swirl of motion. Boots thudding, laughter echoing, neon reflecting off wet metal.
San joined them, spinning with reckless energy, his laughter cutting through the hum of the ship. Yeosang watched for a moment, the golden flicker of his eye softening. Then, with a quiet sigh, he stood and walked toward the railing, letting the sea breeze wash over him.
"Too cool to celebrate?" a voice said behind him.
He didn't turn, he didn't need to. "I was celebrating. Quietly."
San leaned against the railing beside him, the edge of his jacket brushing Yeosang's sleeve. "You're always quiet. Doesn't it get boring?"
Yeosang's gaze stayed on the water. "Noise doesn't always mean life."
"Maybe not." San said, grinning. "But it feels a hell of a lot like it."
For a moment, neither spoke. Below them, the waves shimmered with reflected light, carrying pieces of the city's glow across the dark. The ship's engines hummed beneath their feet. The heartbeat of The Ateez.
"Do you ever think about what we're actually doing?" San asked softly. "Like, beyond the credits and the loot. We steal from corps that already own everything, but it never feels like we win."
Yeosang's tone was even. "We keep the sea alive. That's something."
"Yeah?" San looked at him. "And what keeps you alive, Yeosang?"
Yeosang turned his head slightly, finally meeting San's gaze. For an instant, the light from the city hit both their faces. San's flushed and wild, Yeosang's calm and unreadable. The air between them was tense with something unspoken, stretched like the cables holding the ship together.
Before Yeosang could answer, alarms blared.
Red light sliced through the blue glow of the deck. The laughter cut off instantly. Hongjoong dropped his drink, eyes snapping toward the radar console.
"Corporate signal. North quadrant!" Seonghwa called out. "They're tracking us!"
The crew scattered into action. Mingi diving for the engine controls, Jongho and Yunho loading the plasma cannons, Wooyoung sprinting up the ladder to the lookout. The celebration turned to rush in seconds, music still playing faintly beneath the chaos.
San grabbed his jacket. "Can't even get one night off..." he muttered.
Yeosang already had his visor down, his voice calm. "Then you'd get bored."
On the bridge, Hongjoong slammed a button. "Visuals!"
The screen flared to life, showing a black silhouette cutting through the water, sleek and fast.
"Corsair-class interceptor." Seonghwa said grimly. "They'll be on us in five minutes."
Hongjoong smirked. "Plenty of time to make a mess."
The deck lights shifted from violet to crimson. The hum of the ship grew louder as the engines powered up. San and Yeosang took their places. San manning the harpoon rail, Yeosang on the targeting array.
"Locking targets." Yeosang said, fingers gliding across the holographic interface.
"Charging plasma coils." San replied, matching his tone. Their voices synced almost unconsciously. A rhythm forged from a hundred fights fought side by side.
The enemy ship fired first, a streak of light arcing across the waves. The Ateez shuddered, sparks raining down from a shattered antenna.
"San, left flank!" Yeosang shouted.
"I see it!" San turned the harpoon controls and fired. The weapon shot out with a hiss, cables snapping tight as it struck the interceptor's hull.
"Direct hit!" Yunho called.
"Nice shot." Yeosang said, quiet but sincere.
San smirked. "You sound surprised."
"Just impressed you didn't fall off the rail this time."
"Keep talking, I'll aim for you next." San said with a teasing smirk.
The interceptor turned away, smoke curling from its side. The crew cheered again, adrenaline replacing the earlier drunken energy. The corporate ship retreated, lights flickering, disappearing into the horizon's glow.
As the sirens died, silence filled the deck, only the hum of the ocean and the faint echo of the city lights remained.
Hongjoong let out a breath. "Alright, maybe we do deserve that celebration after all."
San leaned back against the railing, chest heaving, wide smile on his face. Yeosang stood beside him, visor retracting, a faint line of sweat at his temple.
"Still think noise doesn't mean life?" San asked.
Yeosang glanced at him, really looked at him this time. "Maybe sometimes it does."
San grinned, eyes bright. "Good. Because I'm turning the music back on."
And as the synth beat started again, pulsing through the ship's deck and into the endless neon night, The Ateez sailed on, a ghost of light across the dark horizon.