A/N: Happy Holidays everyone! Also, a heads up, this story got away from me completely and is over 10,000 words… whoops. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy it and to the person who requested this prompt: thank you, I loved writing this story ☺

It had been two months since the marriage had been agreed between Jonghyun's father, the Duke of St Franscico, and the Duke of Morcrowell. His daughter and Jonghyun were to be married at the end of the summer without haste or protest. However, when the day finally came and church bells began to sing its metallic song, Jonghyun took no last chances. As he began to hurriedly dress himself, expecting his father's guards at any moment, he explained the situation to the young brunette he had spent the night with who ended up being less than impressed.

"You never said you were betrothed!" The girl said, folding her arms over her covered chest. "You're a skeeze."

Jonghyun smiled apathetically before leaning over to kiss her lips messily. Then, he crawled under his bed and pulled out the rope he had been crafting since the day the engagement had been announced two months ago and threw it out of his window.

The sound of heavy boots echoed down the hall towards the heir's room and without a second thought he climbed out of the window, making his risky descent down his father's country house wall. His escape did not go unseen as the garden staff immediately took notice of him and began to watch in bemusement as he cheered upon reaching soil and high-tailed it out of the gardens to sanctuary.

The guards burst into his room as he was out of the gates to the estate and saw to their dismay a young brunette sat in Jonghyun's bed. She simply offered them a sympathetic smile and a shrug before gathering her clothes and beginning to dress herself.

Jonghyun's sanctuary had ended up being a port-side pub where sailors and pirates often frequented. His kind, the rich and noble, weren't typically welcomed and he had hoped his less than dignified dress would allow him to slip into the tavern without being caught out.

He found himself lucky when he and a quartet of well-dressed young men were the only patrons of the bar. He quickly took a seat and pulled out a roll of paper and quill he had set aside in a hidden compartment in his trousers. He had them specially crafted for this very day and within many other hidden pockets held coins and his grandfather's pocket watch.

He caught the attention of the young men as he began to scrawl out a lengthy letter addressed to his own father, fabricating a story of his being kidnapped by a group of pirates and demanding a ransom if his father ever wished to see Jonghyun alive again. However, he came across a small obstacle when it came to sign the letter.

He looked up to see the men watching him closely, scrutinising his every move.

"Hey, um, can you give me a name of a pirate?" Jonghyun asked, feeling sheepish.

The four men then turned to look at one another and laughed. "How about Captain Jinki?" One of them, a blond in a royal-blue overcoat, suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good name!" Another agreed, this one with black hair hidden beneath a worn, grey bandana, earrings dangling from one ear.

Jonghyun, not thinking much of it but the name did sound familiar, signed the letter with Jinki's signature and then handed it over to the barman. "If a short, plump man comes in here demanding for a son named Jonghyun, please give him this but please, do not describe me."

The barman looked unimpressed. "It's gonna cost ya."

With a sigh, Jonghyun dug around in his pockets, still under the watchful eye of the pirates from across the room, and produced several golden coins. They were still new, glittering beautifully under the sunlight coming in through the dirty windows. The barman accepted them greedily and snatched the rolled up letter from Jonghyun's fingers. He then winked, assuring the Duke's son that he would keep his secret.

Without much left of a plan, Jonghyun exited the tavern and began to decide which route to take next. He had to leave the town, his father had complete control and without a doubt, he'd be rounded up and taken to the church to marry the beautiful daughter of the Duke of Morcrowell.

A hand slapped down on his shoulder and pushed him into a firm, warm body. "Say, what did you write in that letter?"

Jonghuyn looked up in surprise and saw himself face to face with the blond from before. "Oh, uh, nothing..."

"You were writing something interesting," another member of the group said, this guy was taller than Jonghyun would've liked with sunkissed skin and kind, doe eyes.

"What did you incriminate our captain with?" The remaining guy asked, his hair too was black but hidden beneath a tattered hat, an eyepatch covered his left eye.

"Y-your captain?" Jonghyun questioned. The grip on his shoulder tightened and he looked back to the blond. "Oh , Captain Jinki..." Now he remembered why the name sounded so familiar. Captain Jinki had been responsible for the assassin of the prince Junsu of Oakenvale and wore his coat with pride as he travelled across the globe. One of the most notorious and feared pirates to exist, Jinki had taken down armies with only him and three other crewmates.

"Yer lookin' at him," the blond said and Jonghyun felt weak at the knees. He'd just accused an incredibly powerful pirate of his kidnapping and had done it under the very pirate's watch. "So, tell me, what did you do me in for?"

"Kidnap," Jonghyun responded.

"Kidnap, eh... I'm not typically that kind of guy," Jinki said, pulling Jonghyun into the alley behind the tavern and pulling out his blade. "I tend to kill 'em and dump 'em."

Jonghyun gulped as he watched the glittering blade come closer and close before he felt the cold metal touch his neck. "Please... Don't..."

"But, if it's kidnap you want..." Jinki said, pulling the blade away and pocketing it. "Get him, boys."

The last thing Jonghyun remembered before the world going black was the tall one cracking his knuckles threateningly.

Jinki watched bemused as Jonghyun collapsed onto the dirty, urine-soaked cobblestone path. He then glimpsed over to Minho who glanced over to him with an equal amount of confusion on his face.

“You sure you want him in the crew?” Kibum then asked, lifting his eyepatch to stare down at the stranger with both eyes. “He seems… weak.”

Jinki scoffed. “He may be weak but he had tact and I like that. Minho, grab him and bring him aboard.”

Minho followed the orders wordlessly, bending down to snatch up Jonghyun’s limp body and throwing him over his stiff shoulder. He then followed after Jinki, Kibum and Taemin trailing after him, towards their grand ship, The Saviour.

None of the pirates noticed the Duke’s guardsmen enter the pub they had just left forcefully.

“Where is Jonghyun?” One of them demanded. The barman dried a dirty glass lazily, taking a moment to glimpse up at the guardsmen with feigned puzzlement.

“Who?”

“Don’t play coy, he was last seen coming into this bar.” The guard stormed over to the barman and pulled him down by the strap of his filthy apron. “Now, where is he?”

The barman did not waiver in expression and instead placed the glass down calmly and reached into the pocket of his apron producing a letter. “I do not know who you are talking of, but, I was left this letter if anyone came asking for a Jonghyun.”

The guard snatched the letter from the barman’s hand and released his grip on his apron strap. He quickly unrolled the latter and skimmed through it before scrunching it up in his hand in fury. “Damn pirates.”

--

“I think he’s coming to,” Minho said as Jonghyun blinked into darkness.

“What… Okay… Where am I?” Jonghyun asked, sitting up as soon as he regained full consciousness.

“Do not panic but you are aboard The Saviour,” Taemin responded, sitting the other side of Jonghyun’s makeshift bed. Minho was still standing over him, wringing out a damp cloth to place over his forehead.

“The Saviour?” Jonghyun questioned faintly before glancing over to Minho and nearly fainting once more. “Y-you hit me!”

Minho seemed offended by this, mouth agape and eyes wide. “I did no such thing! You passed out before I even touched you! And, if you must know, I wouldn’t have even used forced on your pretty face.”

Jonghyun wasn’t convinced but he took well to the compliment on his appearance. Taemin, on the other hand, did not as he huffed a breath of air and folded arms over his chest, refusing to make eye contact with the taller pirate.

“Where’s Jinki?” Jonghyun asked.

“That’s Captain Jinki to you, rookie,” Kibum said, entering the medical bay. “And he’s right here.” He took a step to the right to reveal Jinki’s shadow waiting in the doorway.

“Try not to scare him,” Minho joked. “He’s nearly fainted on us already.”

Jinki smiled genuinely as he patted his medic’s shoulder gently. “I’ll be kind.” He then cleared his throat once, signalling to be left alone. The three hurried out of the room, Kibum last to leave as he lingered until the very remaining minute, closing the door behind him, but not leaving the vicinity. He pressed his ear up against the wood to listen to the conversation about to take place.

“I guess I should be calling you Cap’n now, right?”

Jinki laughed quietly. “You may if you wish to…” He trailed off, pacing around Jonghyun’s bed before taking a seat at the foot. “Your stay needn’t be permanent.”

Jonghyun narrowed his eyes. “What? You really gonna kill me like you said?”

Jinki shook his head. “No, no, I don’t kill unless necessary. That… That show I put on outside that tavern was simply… well… a show. I’m not bloodthirsty like people seemed to think.”

Jonghyun remained sceptical. “You are the same pirate who has taken down armies with the simple flick of the wrist, right?”

Jinki grinned. “That’s right! I may not be always willing to fight but I do fight well… But, that’s beside the reason I wished to speak with you. What exactly is your story?”

“My story?” Jonghyun questioned.

“Why did you write that letter? Why did you lay the blame of kidnap on me?”

“Ah… That. Well, my father is the Duke you see, and I’m his only son out of about ten children. So, when I turned twenty he told me I had to marry his friend’s daughter. I just… I didn’t want to be tied down so early, you know? I have my whole life ahead of me, I can marry whenever and whoever I want to. I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid this wedding without reason… I didn’t intend to get kidnapped,” Jonghyun glowered at Jinki. “But, I suppose this is a better situation because now I can’t be in trouble for lying!”

Jinki laughed. “You are funny. You’ve been kidnapped by, as far as you know, a murderous pirate and you're sat here wondering if you’ll be in trouble for lying to your father.”

“Ah, but you just lowered your guard and said you weren’t murderous. I made the right choice.”

The blond pirate smirked and lowered his head in thought. “Okay, so, I’m assuming you won’t want to stay here. If it is best for you, we’ll drop you off at our next port and part ways there…”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun agreed. “That seems like the best solution.”

Jinki then leant across, hand outstretched. “Shake on it.” Jonghyun took Jinki’s hand in his own and shook firmly. “Right, let’s get you started on your first task.”

“Task?”

“What, did you think you’d be staying here for free?” Jinki asked, smiling. “You’ll be working the whole time you’re here. Kibum!”

Within a split second, the quartermaster threw the door open and entered. “Yes sir.”

“Let’s get Jonghyun set up with scrubbing the deck first, shall we?”

Kibum nodded. “Sounds perfect, captain."

--

The Duke skimmed over the letter once, twice, and then a third time before slamming his hands down on the table in anger and standing up. “You fools!” He growled. “You ignorant fools allowed this to happen!”

The guardsmen looked between one another in offence before turning back to the Duke. “But sir, he was out of our reach before we even arrived to the city center, how exactly is this our fault?”

The Duke’s swollen face turned redder than is royal coat and scrunched up the paper in his fat hand. “You weren’t ready. I warned you. I told you he was a brat and I told you he would try to escape and what did you do!? Nothing! You allowed to him run away. You allowed him to get kidnapped!”  The Duke choked on his breath, losing his wording. He sat back down and inhaled deeply. “This is fine, this can be solved.”

“Sir?”

“We need to find this blasted Captain Jinki and teach him what happens when he steals a noble’s only son, don’t you agree?”

The guardsmen shifted on their feet, suddenly worried.

“What? What is it?”

“Well, sir, it’s just…” One of the guardsmen said, trembling.

“Captain Jinki is quite infamous. He assassinated that Oakenvale prince not too long ago and wears his coat with pride, don’t you remember?” Another finished, placing a hand on his fellow guard’s shoulder.

The Duke did not seem to waver from his decision and raised an eyebrow. “And? You believe that you are no match for him? Is this the best the King could do… Is this the best the King could give me? A bunch of wimps too scared to face a measly pirate!?”

“But sir-“

“But sir,” the Duke mocked. “Go out there and get my son. I don’t care if you all die trying, just do it! Now, get out of my sight.”

The guardsmen set sail later that evening, on the search for The Saviour and its wayward captain.

--

Jonghyun scrubbed against the wooden deck with all of his might. He had never done a day’s work in his life, having lived a luxurious existence back at the noble house in St Franscico. His fingers were beginning to prune and his knuckles were turning white from gripping the old sponge too hard, and to make matters worse the repetitive motion was making his wrist sore. He found himself, not minutes later, lying on the wet deck, rotating his wrist to bring some feel into his bones.

A shadow loomed over him, blocking out the bright sunlight and Jonghyun blinked to get a good view. Taemin was looking down at him with an amused face. “Tired are we?”

“Only a little,” Jonghyun replied. “It’s my wrist mainly.”

Jonghyun fully expected Taemin to force him back to work, to kick him into action or whatever pirates did to their crew mates when they disobeyed, but instead, he sat down with him and grabbed a hold of his arm. He pressed his thumbs into Jonghyun’s wrist and began to massage the muscle.

“Don’t worry about it,” Taemin said. “I was the newbie not too long ago; I had to do this horrible job too. Thankfully, Minho taught me how to massage my wrist when it got too sore from scrubbing too hard.”

Jonghyun didn’t reply, relaxing as Taemin worked his thumb over the soreness, massaging it away.

“So, how are you finding things so far?”

“Your captain is completely different to what I expected,” Jonghyun responded honestly and Taemin laughed boisterously. “And also, I don’t think Kibum likes me very much.”

“Nah, don’t think that. Kibum’s just a tad stand-offish. He doesn’t mean to be but it’s a defence mechanism, y’know. He’ll warm up to you soon, and when he does, he’ll be the best friend you ever had.”

“I don’t think he’ll have much time to warm up to me, I don’t think I’ll be here long.”

“You’re not staying?” Taemin asked.

“No… Well… I don’t know…”

Taemin was about to say something to continue the conversation further when the sound of a bell alerted him to oncoming danger. He released Jonghyun’s wrist and scrambled to his feet. Jonghyun lazily sat up to see that the other two members of the crew were gathered upon deck whilst Captain Jinki took control at the helm, steering the boat to safety.

“What is it, Cap’n?” Minho asked, grasping the shaft of his rapier.

“Trouble,” The captain replied as another boat came into view. This one was not as decorated as extravagantly as The Saviour, only decked in one colour – coal black. A lone white flag flapped in the air with a messily designed symbol scrawled upon it by hand.

“Oh , it’s Joon,” Taemin whispered, never having left Jonghyun’s side.

“Joon? Who’s Joon?” Jonghyun asked, standing up. He placed the sponge and cloth back into the dirty bucket and kicked it aside.

Taemin looked over to Jonghyun with sympathetic eyes. “He’s meticulous. He’s ruthless. He’s…”

“He’s Jinki’s ex-boyfriend,” Kibum said, joining the two. “I see you haven’t gotten very far in your work Jonghyun.”

“He was taking a break, ‘Bum, leave him be,” Taemin said. Kibum huffed but made no further comment.

“So if he’s Jinki’s ex-boyfriend why are we so… on guard about him?” Jonghyun asked.

Kibum looked over his shoulder. “You’re about to find out. He’s here.”

The black boat had made its way to The Saviour and upon its deck stood a small crew, mirroring Jinki’s.

“Good afternoon, Jinki,” one of them said, a sly play in his tone. “What a fine day we’re having.” He raised a gloved hand to the sky, as if grasping the wisps of cloud above him with a playful smirk. “It’s almost… romantic.”

Kibum gagged and Taemin rolled his eyes heavily as Jinki held onto his sword tightly, walking away from the helm to join the crew at the main deck. Minho kept close to the Captain, his own hand ready to arm himself if the situation needed it.

“There’s nothing romantic about you being here,” Jinki responded. “I didn’t think you came from your hiding in daylight, and there certainly isn’t a full moon tonight. What is your reason for bothering us?”

Joon only laughed freely, tossing his head back as he did - the aging rope around his neck pulling the glimpse of a tiny black crystal from beneath his shirt. “Oh, my love, I do love your biting remarks. I almost love it as much as the idea of you actually biting me.” He leant forward, snapping his teeth together in example and Jinki shuddered.

“I’ll sink my teeth into his jugular if he likes biting so much,” Taemin growled. Jonghyun stared at Taemin, stunned beyond belief at such a violent remark. Was this the man who had been teaching him how to massage his wrist not two moments ago?

Kibum had, by now, joined Jinki and Minho and was beckoning the two behind him to do the same with a flick of the wrist behind his back. Taemin pulled Jonghyun so that the two stood behind the captain, Jonghyun on his tip toes just so he could see fully.

“Get out of here, Joon, you’re only here to cause trouble,” Kibum shouted. “Jinki doesn’t want you here, and he never will.”

“Of course he wants me here, he can’t have forgotten I have something precious to him,” Joon responded, placing a hand over his heart. “He must be reminded every day that he’s lost something so very, very precious.”

Jinki grit his teeth and Minho cursed beneath his breath. All four of The Saviour’s crew had hands on swords, Taemin’s on daggers, ready to attack if needed. Jonghyun, who hadn’t been trained in sword fighting ever was left feeling vulnerable amongst all the weaponry and defensive stands.

“It’s not lost if you’ve stolen it, bastard,” Taemin yelled. “You’re a cowardly thief!”

Joon grinned. “Cowardly thief, am I?” And then, the black crystal beneath Joon’s shirt began to rise out, glowing an ominous red. The entire crew stepped back in fright, Jonghyun tripping over his feet and landing harshly on his backside. “Yes, I’m the cowardly one. You are all a bunch of frauds, so feared throughout the land yet incapacitated at the mere thought of magic.”

Jonghyun scrambled to his feet immediately and began to stand up on his tip toes once more, catching Joon’s unwanted attention.

“And who is that behind you?”

“That is Jonghyun, he’s our newest crew member, and he’s a terribly good fighter. Don’t antagonise him.”

Joon laughed again, tossing his head back once more. “I refuse to believe that. He’s short and scrawny. All he’s good for is shark bait.”

Jonghyun whimpered, stepping back down to his original height. Taemin placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Don’t listen to him, he’s a bully.”

“Bring him out, I want to see his face,” Joon then requested. His voice boomed across the empty sea.

“You don’t have to listen to him,” Kibum urged, holding a hand out behind his back to stop Jonghyun.

“Just let him do it, Kibum, he’ll be fine,” Taemin hissed, pushing Jonghyun past Kibum and the Captain, who caught the newbie’s eye and gave a courteous wink of encouragement.

“Ah, he has a pretty face. I can see why Jinki kept him. What’s your name?”

“Jonghyun… Jonghyun the fearsome.”

“Oh my god, you idiot,” Kibum muttered under his breath, his palm meeting his face in humiliation. The other crew began to laugh hysterically, some falling to their knees, tears springing from their eyes as they lost control of their composure.

“The fearsome, huh? How about we have a sword fight?”

“Would you risk your life like that, Joon?” Jonghyun then asked, tilting his head with a cocky smirk. He reached back and gestured for Kibum’s sword who handed it to him apprehensively. “I have been trained since I was a baby.”

“He’s good,” Jinki murmured to Kibum. “I had no idea he was this confident.”

“He used your name for a false kidnapping ransom. The kid has no idea what he’s doing. He’s reckless,” Kibum shot back.

“You say kid, Kibum, but I think he’s actually a few years older than you.”

“I refuse to believe that,” the quartermaster snorted. He then took a quick glimpse towards Jonghyun who was taunting Joon with his sword, waving it back and forth without a care. "Impossible."

Jinki only laughed breathlessly before reaching behind himself to give the signal to Taemin. The youngest of the crew then took it on heed to slowly make his way over to the mainmast, shooting a glance towards Minho. The medic, torn between watching his lover and making sure he didn't give away the plan he and Jinki had been slaving over for months, watched him as carefully as he could without fully facing him. He then nodded very slightly and Taemin smiled.

If Minho believed he could do it, then he wasn't going to doubt himself either. Swallowing heavily, Taemin began to climb the mainmast, his foot slipping against the wood upon the first try, leaving him pressed against the shaft waiting for a signal to continue.

"And another thing, what is going on with your outfit? It’s a hundred degrees out here and you're dressed for winter!" Jonghyun crooned.

"Watch your tongue, boy," Joon seethed, his eyes beginning to grow dark, clouded with a grey mist as he clenched his fists by his side.

"Keep going Jonghyun," Taemin whispered as he started climbing again, nearly getting to the first sail when a cry from the other boat stilled him.

"Sir! Look at the mainmast!" Mir cried, pointing to where Taemin was climbing, his body only just visible from the side.

"Damn it Mir," he cursed beneath his breath as he looked down to his captain but was left empty handed when Jinki didn't offer him the same respect, staring down Joon, calculating his next move.

"You!" Joon yelled, pointing his finger towards where Taemin was stranded, helpless. A cascade of fireballs flew from the tip of his finger, heading directly towards the unassuming young assassin.

"Taemin, get down!" Minho yelled, running towards the mainmast, ready to catch him if he were to fall. He could only hope that the body he caught wasn't charred beyond recognition. Thankfully, the flames only against Taemin's exposed wrist and with a sharp cry, Taemin came tumbling into Minho's arms.

“Thanks babe,” Taemin said breathlessly.

“You’re an idiot,” Minho said in return before setting Taemin down onto his shaky feet.

"Kibum, take the helm," Jinki commanded. "It's going to get rough."

"And you!" Joon then said, aiming at Jonghyun.

"Oh boy," Jonghyun gulped, watching as blazing fire came hurtling directly at him.

"Jonghyun, get down!" Jinki called, running forward to tackle the newbie to the ground, Kibum's rapier sent flying from his hand.

The ship veered a hard left, leaving behind Joon in his fiery wake, The Mona Lisa left abandoned in the middle of the sea.

"They're not following us," Kibum sussed. "The bastard only wanted to taunt us."

"Whoa, what happened... I'm still alive, right?" Jonghyun murmured to himself, not having completely registered what exactly had unfolded but he could feel a heavy form on top of him.

"Yes, you're still alive, Jonghyun," Jinki affirmed, chuckling deeply into his ear. "I saved your life." The captain then climbed off of the platinum blond and offered a helping hand up, which Jonghyun took gratefully.

"You did?" Jonghyun questioned. "But why? I mean, thank you... but why?"

Jinki smiled. "You haven't finished your journey yet; it'd be a shame to have it end so suddenly here."

"Well, thank you," Jonghyun said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Jonghyun, are you okay?" Taemin asked as he and Minho bounded over towards their captain.

"I'm fine... Shaky, but fine."

"Yeah, Joon'll get you like that. I've seen his magic but I've never seen that up close before," Taemin admitted, holding his burnt wrist carefully.

"Taemin, you're hurt," Minho observed. "Come on." He pulled the younger into the medic bay to patch his burn up.

"Magic?" Jonghyun questioned, facing Jinki. "Magic?"

"It's a long story but, it goes like this: Joon sold his soul to a witch in return for her powers and that's what that was. He's pretty much immortal too, only a fatal blow can kill him," Jinki informed Jonghyun, brushing away an ember from his platinum hair before catching himself and pulling his hand away.

"So that's what Taemin was doing?"

"We... We had planned it for a month and a half and thanks to you and impeccable timing; we were finally able to implement it... It just backfired considerably."

"Well, I'm sorry about that..."

Jinki shrugged. "We'll get another go, I'm sure. Joon will find us again, he always does."

--

“Damn him!” Joon cursed, slamming the door to his quarters open. “Damn that entire crew and that sneaky bastard Jonghyun!”

“Jonghyun, sir?” Mir questioned, fidgeting on his feet nervously.

“Did you not see the way Jinki was staring at him?! If that fool thinks he can replace me in Jinki’s heart, he has another thi- Oh.” Joon cut himself off with a round of maniacal laughter. “He cannot replace me in Jinki’s heart because I have Jinki’s heart!”

Joon collapsed into a large chair at the head of a large table holding tattered maps. Standing on top of the maps was a grand golden box. With a quick wave of his hands it opened seamlessly, revealing a beautiful, red, beating heart. It glowed dimly, illuminating the captain’s face in a shade of red.

“Soon, Jinki, you will be mine and I will end that wretched Jonghyun’s life…”

“What about Taemin, the one who was attempting to kill you?”

Joon shrugged his shoulders. “It was a noble attempt but he failed miserably. I’ll let him live for now. Regardless, let’s set sail for our next port, St Franscico. I have a seller who is very interested in that cargo of coconuts we picked up a few days ago.”

--

Jonghyun couldn’t sleep that night. He lay in his hammock, covered in an itchy blanket that barely covered his feet, leaving them open to the biting sea air. To the left of him slept Taemin, who seemed to find that modesty was best left for the daylight as he had stripped himself of his clothes in the span of an hour since he had fallen asleep. To the right of him was Kibum, who had been sleeping facing Jonghyun, his eyebrows still furrowed in a perpetual frown.

With a resigned sigh, Jonghyun climbed out of the hammock with less trouble than it took to enter it. He didn’t look forward to going back to bed when he actually felt tired.

He opened the door to the deck and saw Jinki stood at the helm. He seemed peaceful as he watched the dwindling moments of sunlight fade beyond the sea. Jonghyun stepped out and waved nervously when Jinki’s eyes turned to him.

“Can’t sleep?”

“No, not really. I think I’m sea sick,” Jonghyun joked and was grateful when Jinki actually laughed in response.

“Come up here, I could do with some company.”

Jonghyun made his way over to the helm and glanced over to see that Jinki hadn’t even changed out of his clothes. His royal blue coat still draped over his shoulders proudly.

“I heard you assassinated a prince for that coat,” Jonghyun said.

“It wasn’t me, exactly. It was Taemin; he just gave me the coat as a gift.”

“So, what is Taemin’s story, exactly?”

Jinki chuckled. “You’ll need to ask him that, I’m afraid. But, he is what you’re thinking. He’s a fully-fledged assassin, trained by the best and somehow wormed his way into the crew. He actually stowed away amongst some begs of wine we stole from some Albion ships, and he begged for his life. We were gonna throw him into the sea but then, the moment I turned my back, he had somehow freed himself from the handcuffs. We knew then, at that moment, we needed him in our crew and that’s that story. But, for his actual life story… You’ll need to ask him.”

“So, what about you, what’s your story?”

Jinki’s face hardened and he turned his eyes away from Jonghyun. “You don’t want to hear my story… It’s very boring.”

“You asked mine, and it’s not like it was the Canterbury Tales. It’s just us up here, but I won’t pressure you.”

Jinki glimpsed at Jonghyun. “Forgive me if I do not share.”

“Alright, but, what’s your history with Joon?”

“Joon… I thought I loved him. He always told me he loved me. With all of his heart, he would say. How can you love someone with all of your heart if all you do is hurt them? I was too young, too caught up in what I thought was real that turned out to be a nightmare. It was too late when I realised he couldn’t love with his heart because he didn’t have one… He wanted mine. He said it was pure, like snow. Just as I realised what I was feeling was infatuation, he stole my heart from me as he… Well…”

“Did it hurt?”

“It was my first… Oh, the heart thing. No, it didn’t hurt. I didn’t even realise what he’d done until he’d finished and I felt empty… Lonely… Cold… And then I saw this thing in his hand and he was grinning… He stole my heart and he threw me away.”

“So… Why does he keep bothering you, he has what wants, right?”

“He’s obsessed with me. He has my heart and now he wants all of me back. He thinks with the heart he can win me back, but you can’t win back what never was.” Jinki fell silent as he began to watch the stars twinkle in the sky. “Well, at least the sky’s beautiful tonight.”

“I’ve never seen the night sky this closely before. It’s always been through my bedroom window.”

Jinki laughed. “You miss a lot on land.”

Jonghyun smiled wistfully as he turned his attention away from the stars to Jinki. A hint of a yawn then caught his lips and as hard as he did to hide it, Jinki had caught it.

“You’re tired, you should go to sleep. You’ve got a lot of jobs to do tomorrow. Including some cooking, so get ready for a Kibum full day.”

“It’s like you can read my mind,” Jonghyun quipped.

“Ah, Jonghyun,” Jinki called as the noble began to make his way back to the sleeping quarters. “Do me a favour and try and get along with Kibum tomorrow, please?”

“Sure, I’ll try,” Jonghyun replied before disappearing behind the door.

Jinki sighed deeply as he rested his head against the steering wheel. Tonight was going to be another, long night.

--

Morning began to break as The Mona Lisa docked at St Franscico. For all the times Joon had been at the small seaside town, he had never seen such a surge of military and security before. Everywhere he looked guardsmen stood in uniform, watching the citizens carefully.

“There’s a lot of guardsmen,” Mir observed. “Will we able to make this trade?”

“It’s not illegal,” Joon said. “We’ll be fine.”

Mir didn’t seem convinced, knowing fully well the trade wasn’t exactly legal either. All food products had to be signed for by the governing body of the town accepting the import and with Joon handing over crates of coconuts to an, in Mir’s view, already shady dealer, the whole operation was at risk from being uncovered. More so now with the influx of security in the town.

“I wonder why there’s so many,” Joon stated before leaving his body and wandering up to a guard who stood along the dock. “Good morning, my good man, how are you doing?”

The guard eyed him suspiciously. “I am doing my job, sir, and I may ask you not to distract me. We’ve had a grievous crime committed against our Duke’s son.”

“A grievous crime?” Joon questioned. “What happened?”

“He’s been kidnapped by Captain Jinki and as such the Duke has ordered all guardsmen to stand and watch the dock for suspicious activity… Which leads me to ask the question, what is your reason for docking here, sir?”

“My reason? My crew is sick and tired of the sea and I’m afraid I cannot look at water for one moment longer, we decided to stop here as we’ve heard favourable things about your brewed ale.”

The guard seemed to perk up at this, a smile gracing his features. “Our ale is the best in the whole kingdom, you will not be disappointed, sir.”

Unfortunately for the guard, whilst Joon kept him distracted with vivacious small talk, his crew managed to strike a deal with their seller and traded over several crates of illegal coconuts. Mir stared in wonder as the seller and his workers carried the crates past the guard without being stopped once and disappeared into the crowded stalls.

“Well, I hope to see you around sir. If you stop by the tavern later I will purchase a drink for yourself,” Joon offered.

“That’s very kind sir but I cannot drink on the job.”

“Well, another time I’m in town then,” Joon said, bidding his farewells as he left the docks, his crew deciding to follow him.

“You’re very smooth, Captain,” Mir complimented. “I had no idea that was your plan.”

“What plan?” Joon questioned, a playful smirk on his lips. “Coconuts aside, I have heard something that is quite useful. You remember that Jonghyun.”

“The one you’ve sworn to kill.”

“Yes, him. He’s the Duke’s only son and… Jinki’s kidnapped him.”

Mir ceased walking and stared at the captain. “But… He didn’t seem like he’d been kidnapped.”

“Exactly. He hasn’t... But, we can use this.”

“This isn’t going to be another undercover mission again, is it?”

“Mir, my boy, would I offer anything less?” Joon laughed. “We’re going to lead the guardsmen to The Saviour and whilst the crew’s distracted, we’ll kidnap Jonghyun. It’s foolproof.”

Almost, Mir wanted to add but knew better than to test his Captain’s words. If Joon said he could fly, Mir wouldn’t doubt him for a second, not because he didn’t but because he couldn’t. Joon had a mean streak and he prayed that Jinki could get to safety before anything too bad happened.

--

“So, I’ve been here about two weeks,” Jonghyun said one night as he and Jinki watched the glittering starlight. This had become a regular occurrence since Jonghyun had joined The Saviour’s crew unofficially.

“Has it been that long?” Jinki questioned. “Time has flown by with you here, Jonghyun.”

A lot of things had happened within those two weeks for Jonghyun. He had begun to get along with everyone in the crew, including Kibum, who warmed up to him after the episode involving the turtle soup. Who knew that broth could burn so badly?

However, the one person had grown closest to was Jinki. The two would spend every night on deck, alone, whilst Jonghyun tried to wear off his insomnia. They would talk and sing together, their only audience the blanket of stars above them.

“I was hoping you could teach me how to sword fight?” Jonghyun then said. “I’ve been here two weeks and all I know how to do is extract a splinter and cook turtle soup.”

Jinki chuckled. “Maybe that’s all you need in life,” he joked.

“Be serious here, Jinki,” Jonghyun pleaded. “I want to learn how to sword fight.”

Jinki smiled. “Alright, I can arrange that, but, be warned I am a ruthless teacher. I will not rest until your fingers are bleeding.”

Jonghyun stared down at his slim, smooth fingers and winced. “Bleeding?”

“Well, maybe not bleeding but certainly sore,” Jinki said.

“I also wanted to ask if you knew how far we are from our next destination.”

“A week,” Jinki responded. He felt a cold feel wash over him upon that realisation. If he had a heart it would sink. A week with Jonghyun left. It seemed so unreal when they had set sail from St Franscico but now with the deadline looming nearer it left Jinki feeling unnerved. Despite himself, he had allowed himself to get closer to Jonghyun. He had allowed himself to open up, to be vulnerable to Jonghyun.

He’d allowed himself to, quite practically, fall in love with him.

“Only a week huh,” Jonghyun echoed, swinging his legs as he sat against the railing. “That’s not very long… Think you can teach me in that short amount of time?”

Jinki strained a smile. “Certainly.”

“I’ll teach you how to dance in return if you’d like.”

“Dance?” Jinki repeated. “I can dance.”

“No, no, to dance,” Jonghyun said, climbing down from the rail and moving towards Jinki, who moved towards him involuntarily. His breath hitched in his throat as Jonghyun wrapped an arm around his waist and clasped their hands together. “Like this.”

He allowed Jonghyun to lead, following his footsteps clumsily as they waltzed around the helm. Jinki found himself growing hot beneath Jonghyun’s intense stare, his eyes only ever looking at him the entire time.

“You should… know how to dance,” Jonghyun said. “Every gentleman must know.”

Their waltzing began to slow before stopping entirely and the two were stood, beneath their audience of constellations, staring at one another as if nothing else mattered in the world.

And maybe nothing else did matter, really. Jonghyun had shown Jinki nothing but kindness, allowing him to rest as he took the helm some nights, telling him stories from his childhood.

Nothing else mattered except the blond that stood before him, offering his heart to Jinki as a replacement for the one he had lost.

Jinki had never loved before, he’d never been truly loved before either and it scared him.

“Jonghyun, I…” Jinki breathed, the space between him narrowing as Jonghyun inched forward, his eyes fluttering closed. Jinki followed, closing the gap between them and he could feel Jonghyun melt against his lips.

The starlight above them twinkled as Jinki brushed away a strand of hair from Jonghyun’s eyes as they pulled apart. His hand skirted along Jonghyun’s chiselled jawline, only to pull him back for another kiss.

Jonghyun’s heart felt heavy in his chest as Jinki kissed him. He wanted to give Jinki everything, his heart, his body, his soul. But, all of that seemed impossible because as close as he got, as close as he was now, Jinki would never fully love him, could never fully love him. It left Jonghyun feeling empty inside.

However, as uncertain as the two might’ve been, every night ended the same way. Jinki would teach Jonghyun how to sword fight during the day and then Jonghyun would teach him to waltz during the night. They would kiss beneath the twinkling’s of daylight, as the stars said their goodbyes, and every night it would get a little harder for Jonghyun to leave, to retreat to bed so that no one became suspicious.

Yet, as hard as they tried, nothing could escape the elusive eyes of Kibum.

“What’s happening between you and Jonghyun,” he asked Jinki one day. “I hope you’re not getting too attached, we’re arriving at Brightwall tomorrow at sundown… You’ll have to say goodbye.”

“I know, I know,” Jinki complied, keeping his eyes on the steering wheel. And, he really did know it, but every inch of him continued to wish for a little more time. Just a moment more, so he could feel Jonghyun run his hands through his hair as they danced together, foreheads pressed against one another. So he could feel Jonghyun’s warm breath dance across his cheeks as they kissed. So he could feel Jonghyun’s heart race beneath his fingertips when he became a little too touchy.

He knew that by sundown tomorrow Jonghyun would no longer be beside him and it left him feeling emptier than he ever thought possible.

“Jinki… I’m worried about you.”

“Why? I haven’t changed,” Jinki said, staying composed. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Jinki…”

“Kibum, I know you are concerned but I will be fine – I am fine.”

Kibum stared him down before a peculiar sight along the horizon caught his attention. He could see the silhouette of at least ten military ships, all heading directly for them.

“Uh, Captain…”

“Kibum, I already told you-“

“No, Captain, look!” Kibum commanded, pointing to were the ships began to come into view, their national flags flapping in the breeze. They had come from the town of St Franscico.

“Are you guys seeing that?” Taemin asked as he, Minho, and Jonghyun bounded over to the helm to get a better look at the fleet of ships. “Where are they from?”

“St Franscico,” Jonghyun affirmed, recognising the blue birds against the green backdrop immediately. The birds were a part of the town’s crest and he wore it on his best clothing when taking care of guests in the town.

“Oh , they must be looking for us,” Taemin assumed. “How did they find us!?”

No one answered the young assassin, worry having taken over the elders on the ship. The fleet was getting closer now and Kibum could see a small army of guardsmen aboard all ten of them. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

Joon smiled to himself as he stood at the helm of the main ship, seeing The Saviour come into view after weeks of travelling. He was about to take his revenge as best he could and with Mir sailing The Mona Lisa behind the fleet, his plan was going to unravel perfectly.

He had formulated the strategy in a night. He led the fleet to The Saviour’s whereabouts and then whilst the pirates were distracted fighting the guardsmen, Joon would snatch Jonghyun from the boat and take him aboard The Mona Lisa. There, Jonghyun would meet his demise.

Joon cackled gleefully when The Saviour lowered its sail and waited for the fleet to come to it. Jinki had no idea what was about to unfold and it left the sweet taste of revenge on Joon’s tongue.

“Kibum, take Jonghyun beneath deck-“

“But, I can fight alongside you!” Jonghyun protested. “You’ve been training me, remember?”

“Jonghyun, I can’t let you fight,” Jinki said. “You’re good, you’re excellent, but you’re not there yet. You’ll hurt yourself and I can’t allow it.”

Jinki caressed Jonghyun’s cheek softly, watching as the younger melted into his touch. “I can’t let you fight them alone,” Jonghyun whispered.

“I’m not alone. I have the best three fighters in the world by my side. I can’t let you die, Jonghyun,” Jinki said, kissing his nose gently. “Kibum, take him below deck.”

This time Jonghyun didn’t fight and allowed himself to be pulled towards the captain’s quarters where he would be kept safe.

“Whoa, so it’s like that,” Taemin commented and Jinki froze, having forgotten that his crew had seen the entire thing. “I knew you had a soft spot for him but I had no idea.”

“You love him, don’t you Jinki?” Minho questioned.

“Unbearably so,” the Captain admitted with a heavy sigh. “Well boys, ready to fight till the end?”

Kibum emerged a few moments later, both rapiers in hand. “I’ll fight with you, Captain,” he said. “Till the end.”

“Yes, till the end,” Taemin and Minho echoed, raising their swords above their heads.

“Captain Jinki,” the captain of the guardsmen said as the first boat pulled up alongside The Saviour. “You are under arrest by the state of St Franscico for the kidnap of Kim Jonghyun. Do you choose to go quietly?”

Jinki looked around as his boat became surrounded by the fleet. “I don’t seem to have a choice.”

“Cooperation is gratefully appreciated,” the captain said. “Arrest them.”

The ship became flooded with armed guardsmen, each splitting into groups to fight separate members. Jonghyun watched through the crack in the door as Jinki became surrounded by guards, each trying to unarm him.

“Captain, behind you!” Taemin called out before embedding his dagger into the stomach of one of the guardsmen before him.

Jinki whirled around on instinct and stabbed the guard with his elbow, watching him fall to the ground, his sword clattering beside him.

Joon wandered around the ship, avoiding blows and swipes from flying swords. He couldn’t see Jonghyun anywhere in the crowd. He didn’t think Jinki would be so obvious as to hide him away but then again, it seemed exactly like what Jinki would do.

Without being seen, Joon ducked into the captain’s quarters and became face-to-face with the object of his woes and revenge. Jonghyun whimpered when he felt the cool blade of Joon’s cutlass press against his neck – this had happened too many times in the span of a month but he knew that Joon wasn’t going to drop the vengeful act like Jinki did.

“I found you, snivelling brat,” Joon hissed. “Too easy, really. Jinki hid you away, did he? He must really love you and that makes me sick.”

“W-what do you want? Please, I don’t want to fight you.”

“Are you scared of me? You should be. You’re a wise kid. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you right now, but you are to come with me.”

“I…” Jonghyun stammered before grabbing a vase to his right and slamming it on top of Joon’s head. “I really don’t want to.” He finished before running away. He jumped down steps into the storage unit where Jinki hid his cargo. He could hear Joon follow him, thundering footsteps along the wooden floor. Above him he heard the grunts and cries of war and prayed that Jinki and his friends were safe and unharmed.

He had just made it to the other side of the storage unit when Joon had caught up to him and hit him over the head with the of his sword. He watched as Jonghyun fell to the ground, unconscious.

“It’s just too easy,” Joon chuckled as he grabbed a grey cloth covering some barrels of gunpowder and wrapped Jonghyun up. Joon then found out, when he threw the unconscious noble over his shoulder, that carrying Jonghyun was not as easy as obtaining him.

With fumbling footsteps Joon emerged from beneath the deck to see that Jinki and his crew had nearly defeated the small army of guardsmen. Swiftly he threw Jonghyun across to The Mona Lisa that had stalled beside The Saviour during the fight and Joon quickly jumped over onto it too.

“Take him downstairs and make sure you chain him up,” he ordered before looking over to The Saviour. With a click of his fingers, the military ships burst into flames, the guardsmen screaming as they dived into the sea. “Take care Jinki! I hope you aren’t missing anything.”

Jinki, wide-eyed and confused, stared down Joon as he sailed away. What the hell had he been doing here? Had he brought the fleet of guardsmen to his ship? That would explain the uniform. So many questions circled around his head and as he plunged his sword into the chest of the remaining guard, a sudden realisation came to him.

Joon was disguised as a guard. Joon had been on board the ship.

“Jonghyun!” Jinki cried out, racing to his quarters. He found it empty. His head pounded with anxiety, his stomach twisting as he ran across the ship from top to bottom, calling out the younger’s name.

But, it was no use. Jonghyun had disappeared.

“Kibum! Kibum!” Jinki cried. “Joon… He… Here… Taken Jonghyun!”

“Joon’s taken Jonghyun?!” Kibum repeated. Taemin and Minho stilled.

“How did he get on board without any of us noticing?” Taemin questioned.

“He was dressed as a guard, it was too easy. I was blind-sighted!” Jinki cried out. “He’s gone! He’s taken Jonghyun!”

“Calm down, sir. What would he want with Jonghyun? Surely not the ransom for his return, Joon doesn’t care for human life like that,” Kibum said. “There’s something here.”

“He must know,” Jinki sussed. “He knows I’m fond of Jonghyun.”

Minho snorted. “If fond is the word you use then Taemin and I are just friends. You’re in love with him and now Joon’s found out.”

“Well, we have no choice but to follow him,” Kibum stated. He looked overboard to see the greying silhouette of The Mona Lisa. They were far ahead but if they sailed quickly, they would catch up easily. “I’m taking the helm, Captain.”

As Taemin released the sail allowing the ship to pick up wind, Kibum made course for Joon’s ship, determined to save Jonghyun before it was too late.

--

“You look lonely,” Jonghyun had said one night during the third week of his stay, wrapping a scratchy blanket around his shoulders as he made his way over to Jinki. “Are you lonely?”

“I’m on a huge ship with four other individuals. I’m not lonely.”

“Being alone and being lonely are different, Captain, you know that,” Jonghyun said. “Are you lonely?”

Jinki looked up to the stars and smiled wistfully. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

Jonghyun dropped the blanket over Jinki’s shoulders and held him close. “So am I.” He pressed his nose into the back of Jinki’s neck. “I think I want to stay.”

“You sure? We’re only a few days from Brightwall. Maybe you’re just nervous about being in a new town…”

“No, no,” Jonghyun shook his head and Jinki could feel his hot breath against his neck – it sent a cold shiver down his spine. “I want to stay. Here. With you.”

“With me?”

“I… Gosh… I think I love you, Jinki,” Jonghyun said, closing his eyes in anticipation. “I want to stay here with you.”

“Jonghyun… I don’t have a heart,” Jinki stated. I don’t have a heart yet I’ve never loved anyone quite this much. “I can’t possibly give you what you want.”

“You don’t have to… I just want to be by your side from now on… Is that weird?”

Jinki nibbled on his lower lip. He could feel the agitation surge in his stomach, he felt nauseous and unnerved beneath Jonghyun’s touch as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around him. He could feel Jonghyun’s heart race beneath his skin, a sensation he had missed so long ago.

“Maybe I’m just tired,” Jonghyun then said, his voice small and timid.

“Jong-“

“I’m tired, Captain, I’m… I’m going to bed. G’night.” Jonghyun disappeared into the quarters not too long after, leaving Jinki alone and lonely at the helm. With a deep sigh Jinki pulled the blanket a little closer to him. It smelled just like Jonghyun.

--

“Wake up,” Joon commanded, slapping Jonghyun awake. His eyes blinked at the dimness before focusing on Joon’s menacing form before him. With a startled cry, Jonghyun pulled against his shackles and found to his dismay that he was trapped. “I’ve brought something to show you.”

From behind his back Joon produced a golden box, already unlocked, and opened it in front of Jonghyun’s eyes. The blond had never seen a heart entrapped by magic before and the result was incredibly beautiful in a sad, lonely way. It glowed dimly for a moment before the pulse began to race and it began to glow brighter than Joon had ever seen.

“What’s this!?” He cried, scandalised. “I’ve never seen it do that before!” He walked away from Jonghyun, watching as its pulse began to slow down, the beautiful rouge glow dimming again. With narrowed, sharp eyes, Joon looked over to Jonghyun and hesitantly, brought the heart back over to him.

Once again it began to overreact within close perimeters of Jonghyun’s presence and in defeat, Joon slammed the lid down.

“Is that Jinki’s heart?” Jonghyun asked.

“It is. I don’t know what happened there, it’s never done that to me… Why are you smiling?”

“You’re so dense,” Jonghyun laughed. “You’re really dense. Jinki doesn’t love you, that’s why it’s never reacted that way.”

Joon scowled and raised his hand to slap Jonghyun again but forewent his decision.  “I see. You think you’ve won because Jinki loves you?”

“I haven’t won anything, Joon, there was no competition. Jinki’s heart belongs to him and him only. You possessing it won’t stop him from feeling anything.”

“Sir,” Mir then interrupted. “On the horizon, it’s The Saviour. What’s the plan?”

Joon kicked aside a barrel of whiskey in irritation before storming away from Jonghyun. “I haven’t finished dealing with you yet, boy!” He threatened before emerging on the upper deck and watched as The Saviour, in all of its golden glory, gained on their boat.

“Mir, bring Jonghyun up but make sure he’s still chained up,” Joon commanded his quartermaster before turning to his other men. “The Saviour is gaining on us and will soon catch us. When this happens I want you all to stand guard. Do not fall for any of their tricks and keep an eye on the wily one with the bandana. There are rumours that he’s an assassin.”

“Yes sir,” the crew saluted the captain before scattering about the ship.

Mir emerged moments later with Jonghyun trailing after him. Mir threw him to Joon’s feet and crossed his arms. “Jonghyun, sir.”

Joon grinned darkly and bent down to meet Jonghyun’s eye level. “What you’re about to witness Jonghyun is the true side of Jinki. He’s not as strong as you seem to believe.”

The Saviour sailed up to The Mona Lisa, Jinki stood on deck with the angriest look anyone had ever seen. Jonghyun stared at him, wondering if Jinki had lied to him all along about his murderous tendencies.

“Jonghyun!” Jinki called in relief when he saw the younger shackled at Joon’s feet. “Hand him over Joon and this will end as prettily as it began.”

Joon smiled. “All I have to do is hand him over? I don’t feel like doing that, Jinki, I’m afraid. I’d much rather see him die.” He then drew his cutlass and pulled Jonghyun up from his knees. He pressed the sword against Jonghyun’s neck.

This really needs to stop happening to me, Jonghyun thought as his eyes left the glittering metal to glimpse at Jinki.

“Please Joon, I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t hurt him.”

“I told you he wasn’t as strong as you believed,” Joon whispered to Jonghyun before throwing him down onto the deck. “Anything I want? Why, there is only one thing I want Jinki – you.”

Jinki shuddered. “And if I give myself to you, you’ll set him free?”

“Absolutely. Without a hair on his head touched.”

“Jinki, don’t do it!” Jonghyun protested. “Please, don’t.”

“How can I not,” Jinki said. “It’s to protect you… I’d do anything to protect you.”

Joon scoffed. “That’s all nice and dandy but how about we do a trade, you for Jonghyun. Hurry up now, I don’t have all day.”

“Jinki, please, don’t do it,” Jonghyun pleaded as Jinki climbed onto the railings, readying himself to set foot onto The Mona Lisa.

However, just as Jinki was about to jump on board, he ducked down. “Do it, Taemin!”

Taemin appeared from behind the main mast and readied a pistol he had looted from one of the guardsmen. With one quick pull of the trigger, Joon was down on the floor.

“Sir!” Mir cried out, running over to his captain.

Jinki jumped down and ran over to Jonghyun, cutting through the weak chains with a sharp dagger and pulling him into a hug. “Jonghyun, I’m so sorry. This is my fault. If I hadn’t tried to hide you away this never would’ve happened.”

“Well, you were right. I wasn’t able to defend myself properly,” Jonghyun admitted. “I got caught after all.”

Jinki offered a wobbly smile to the younger blond before brushing aside some stray hairs. “Jonghyun, I never got to tell you this… And now I feel foolish because you might’ve never known… I love you, Jonghyun. Maybe not with my heart but what I feel for you… It can only be love.”

“Your heart!” Jonghyun exclaimed, running up to where Joon was crooning on the floor, nursing the gunshot to his abdomen. He grabbed the golden box that lay beside him and ran back to Jinki, opening it.

Jinki stared down at the pulsating heart. “It’s beating so fast…” The captain then looked up at Jonghyun. “It must be because of you,” he joked before taking a hold of the organ with careful hands. A white light blinded everyone around them as Jinki became engulfed in brightness, his heart and himself both one again.

As the light faded Jinki felt fuller than before, his chest heavy as his beating heart returned back home, where it belonged.

“How does it feel Captain?” Minho asked, pulling Taemin into a side hug.

“It feels heavy, weighted. I feel… I feel human,” Jinki said. “I think I know… Jonghyun… I love you,” he then took a hold of Jonghyun’s hand and pulled it up to his chest. “I love you with my whole heart.”

“That’s so nice, but you are forgetting where you are, right?” Joon coughed, standing up shakily as he held his wound with one hand.

“It’s over, Joon, you’re dying,” Jinki said.

“That may be so, but there is one thing I can do before I die,” Joon reiterated before lunging at Jonghyun and plunging his cutlass into Jonghyun’s abdomen. Joon then fell to the floor, dead, whilst Jonghyun collapsed into Jinki’s arms. His friends cried out for him as the ambushed The Mona Lisa, fighting off the remaining crew to protect their captain and his true love.

Jinki pleaded with Jonghyun to stay awake as he carried him across. He seemed so small when he laid on Jinki’s grand bed and when Jinki moved to get attention from Minho, a gentle, blood-stained hand grabbed onto the blue coat Jinki had loved so dearly.

“S-stay, Jinki… Please…”

Jinki could feel the tears roll down his cheeks, burning his skin as he held Jonghyun’s bloodied hand to his face. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.

The promise did little to hold when Minho shooed everyone but Kibum out as he stitched up Jonghyun’s wound. Jinki listened to Jonghyun’s anguished cries of pain as he was being operated on and Taemin did little to offer condolences, trying to distract the captain the best way he could.

“Y’know, I saw this whole thing coming. The moment you let him live, I just knew you liked him.”

Jinki didn’t say anything but the hint of a smirk played on his lips. “I suppose it was against character.”

“So what was it? His face? His body?

“His recklessness,” Jinki admitted. “I liked the way he did things on impulse. Who knew that incriminating me with kidnap would lead to this,” he laughed.

The door to the captain’s quarters opened and Kibum stepped out with a grim expression.

“Well?”

“We did the best we could but… he lost a lot of blood on that ship. Only time can tell.”

Minho only repeated his words when he left the room half an hour later and gave Jinki permission to enter and see Jonghyun.

“I knew swords were going to get the best of me,” Jonghyun joked when Jinki entered.

“They are dangerous. I’m sorry I let this happen.”

“You couldn’t have seen that coming, it’s not your fault. However, you just got your heart back and I refuse to die until you’ve loved me with the full capacity.”

Jinki smiled, leaning down to Jonghyun’s matted hair. “That’s a deal I can agree with.” He bent down to kiss Jonghyun gently. “I love you, Jonghyun.”

“And I love you… Captain.”

--

It took a month for Jonghyun to recover fully and by that point he had been established as an official crew member of The Saviour. None of the other four could see their adventures continuing without him.

“The sunset sure is pretty tonight,” Jonghyun said, stumbling out of the captain’s quarters after a long nap. He had an arm wrapped around his waist, a habit he had picked up over the month and had never really learnt to let go.

“Yeah… It’s lonely though,” Jinki said. “I always disliked sunsets the most. There’s just something so lonely and sad about them.”

Jonghyun wrinkled his nose. “Lonely? I don’t see that… When the sun sets the stars come out to play and that’s when the sky’s the least lonely, don’t you think?”

Jinki didn’t say anything as he took hold of Jonghyun’s hand. “I’m glad you decided to be so reckless and write that stupid letter to your father.”

Jonghyun snorted. “Is that you’re way of saying you’re not as lonely now I’m around?”

There was silence and Jinki pulled Jonghyun in closer and wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing his nose into the nook of the younger’s neck. “Maybe.”

It had taken a month for Jinki to get used to the feeling of having someone love him unconditionally and completely, but he knew he would never get used to the feeling of his heart racing whenever Jonghyun was around.

The Saviour still continued to sail onwards, revering their legendary status in the world. Only this time, there were no longer four talented young pirates, and it was often said that at night, if one listened carefully, you could hear the love songs between the Captain and his beloved as they waltzed across the deck, alone, beneath the twinkling stars.