“Well, look who decided to grace us with their presence after all!” Minseok’s tone was playful, but Jongin’s cheeks burned nonetheless. By the time he and Kyungsoo had managed to wake up, bathe (they’d cleaned up before going out the previous evening, but felt it would be best anyway, in case of any errant sand in their hair) and dress themselves for the day, the rest of the crew, along with Joonmyun, had already made a significant head start on breakfast.

“Where were you last night?” Luhan lazily stirred a bowl of porridge, sleepy grin on his face. “I heard you arriving at about four o’clock this morning, on my way to the bathroom. Whatever kept you?”

Kyungsoo, though keeping a straight face, shifted uncomfortably at Jongin’s side. “We were talking, that’s all there is to it.”

“All night?” Luhan’s eyebrows danced as Minseok leaned forward a little on his elbows, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Joonmyun, too, watched the pair quizzically, but fortunately the other crew members were too occupied with their breakfast to really be listening. Kyungsoo took the nearest empty seat without a word, but Jongin could practically feel himself squirming under the scrutiny.

“Ah…well, Captain is a very good conversationalist.”

Jongin realised the implications of what he’d just said before it even finished leaving his mouth, and there was a beat of pause before Minseok started choking on his breakfast, Luhan cackling beside him. Joonmyun’s kind, pitying smile from the other side of the table did nothing to cool the heat rushing to Jongin’s cheeks, though he could only be thankful he hadn’t accidentally called his captain Kyungsoo in front of the others.

Before he could do or say anything to save himself from any further embarrassment, a series of knocking sounds – light, but rapid – came from the direction of the front door. Joonmyun made to rise from his seat, but Jongin cut him off quickly.

“I-I’m already standing, let me.”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when he rushed out of the room, hand gripping the handle of the front door when he reached it as though it were anchoring him to the floor lest he melt away in embarrassment. Relax, he told himself firmly, the person outside didn’t hear what you just said, take a breath and start over.

He opened the door, willing himself to relax. “Good mo-”

The rest of the sentence died in his throat, his eyes wide, almost as wide as those staring straight back at him. Big eyes, bright and shining from an otherwise muddy face. Little hands in scraggly hair, dusty knees, bare feet hopping back and forth on the stony path that led up to Joonmyun’s front door.

A tiny messenger bag over the girl’s shoulder, gleaming and new against her worn rags. “H-how do you know Mister Joonmyun?” The child eventually stammered out, as if she couldn’t really believe who was standing in front of her.

“How do you know Mist- I mean, Joonmyun?” Neither of them moved for a while, an awkward silence punctuated by muffled chatter from the dining room and the odd squawk of a seagull. After a long pause, the little girl met Jongin’s eye properly, grinning widely.

“I bring him the paper.” She patted her bag proudly. “And mail and stuff. I’m saving up money to buy some shoes. But what about you? Why are you in Mister Joonmyun’s house?”

“Well…” Fortunately, Jongin wasn’t pressed for an answer, as Joonmyun himself called from the kitchen.

“Is it the paper girl, Jongin? I’m in the dining room, dear.”

“Yes sir!” The girl called back, wriggling past Jongin to find Joonmyun in the house. Jongin watched her scurry down the corridor and out of sight, before closing the front door to follow her. The little tap taps of shoeless feet across the floor had the corners of his mouth turning up, just a little bit.

The taps stopped, and when Jongin made it back to the dining room, the little girl was still standing in the doorway, uncharacteristically silent. Only her eyes moved, darting around the room from face to face. The pirates weren’t all looking at her, most of them still lost in their own morning chatter, but a few were, and it was as though the weight of those gazes had her rooted to the spot.

“There’s no need to be afraid, dear.” Joonmyun got out of his seat with a gentle smile, gesturing with his hands to encourage the girl to leave the doorway and approach him. “I know you’re not exactly faced with a room full of pirates every day, but they’re really not so scary. Come now, is that the paper?”

Pirates. Jongin swallowed hard, and the girl turned to look at him, mouth open just a bit in surprise. After a few moments, she straightened her back and took a breath.

“Yeah, it’s the paper. There was no mail, though. Here you go, Mister Joonmyun.”

She took the paper out of her bag and handed it to Joonmyun with her best dazzling smile, one which the master of the house returned.

“Thank you. Now, hold out your hand…this is for the paper,” he took a small, silver coin from a pot on the counter, maybe kept there for that purpose, “and this is for you.” A slightly larger gold coin, too, was pressed into the girl’s tiny palm. She beamed at him so brightly, it warmed Jongin’s heart to see.

“Was there anything else you needed, Mister Joonmyun? Like a delivery, or a message? Did you write a reply to that letter yet?”

Joonmyun paused, a sudden flash of realisation across his face like he’d just remembered something important that he had forgotten. The expression didn’t last long, though, and quickly returned to his previous kindly smile. “Ah, not yet. I’ll let you know, though.”

“Okay.” She turned back to the doorway as if to leave, but as she walked by Jongin, her footsteps slowed, for just a moment. “I’ll uh, be playing outside for most of today. Just so you know.”

The little girl broke into a sprint, and in no time at all, the group in the dining room could hear the front door closing behind her. Only the rumble of Jongin’s stomach broke the silence that followed.

“Ah, bless her. Do sit, Jongin, you’ve not eaten yet!” He did as he was told, generally the best idea where Joonmyun was concerned. As Jongin obediently took some breakfast for himself, Joonmyun leaned against the cabinets in thought. “I’ve actually taken up writing, you know, considering how much free time I have. Inspiration strikes at the strangest times, though, so I’ve ended up keeping odd hours. That girl, she brings me the paper nowadays, as well as anything else from the town I might need. Oh, of course, she just reminded me of that letter…”

Muttering a little under his breath, Joonmyun left the room. A quick glance around the room, and it seemed like everyone else was just as clueless as Jongin himself, and with a shrug, he settled properly into his chair to enjoy breakfast. There was still some porridge left, as well as small portions of cheese, fruit, and sweet berries.

It was while popping one of the tiny berries into his mouth that Jongin accidentally made eye contact with Kyungsoo.

They both pointedly averted their gazes.

Despite the odd chuckle from Luhan and Minseok every time he or Kyungsoo so much as breathed, Jongin ate his breakfast in silence, thinking back to the previous night. It was like every sensation he felt pulled him back to a memory, ingrained into his very skin. The slight grittiness of the porridge took him back to sandy beaches, water sloshing in glasses the waves lapping onto the shore. And the fruits…

His eyes met the captain’s again, over the fruit bowl. Kyungsoo took an apple before contemplating the cupboard doors as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

He his lips in thought, Jongin copying him without even thinking.

The fruits were as sweet as kisses.

 

Joonmyun returned as Jongin was finishing his porridge, an envelope in hand. He cleared his throat, and the pirates, all seated, stopped what they were doing to listen to him.

“I got this letter yesterday,” he began, holding the envelope up so the others could see it. “It’s addressed to my house, and my name is on the envelope, but when I had a look at the letter inside, it was for Sehun.”

The youngest member of the crew perked up in his seat immediately, almost knocking over his glass of water. “Me?”

“Just for you.” Joonmyun winked, handing the envelope to Sehun who practically yanked it from the elder in his haste to open it. “From the Emerald Bay.”

A few of the older crew members laughed, leaning across the table to get a look at the letter. Of course, Sehun’s lover in the bay – Sehun must have given him Joonmyun’s address to write to.

“You are serious!” Yifan prodded Sehun’s cheek. “You’re blushing.”

“Sweet nothings, Sehun?”

“Our baby is growing up!”

“Are you going to elope?”

“Shut up.” Sehun mumbled, face close to the paper so he could read it properly. It was long, with sheets of paper scattered around Sehun’s plate as he read. From what Jongin could see, the first sheet or so was comprised entirely of romantic blithering that would even put him and Kyungsoo to shame. Not that the captain was the love letter type, Jongin thought as he watched Kyungsoo stirring his porridge with disinterest. But then, Kyungsoo had surprised him a lot so far. Perhaps next would be a sonnet? He chuckled into his pear, unnoticed by the others.

Sehun’s eyes widened as they scanned across shaky lines of wobbly handwriting (oh, young love! As Luhan had cooed) and he put the third sheet of paper down on the table. With unsteady hands, he picked up the fourth and last sheet.

“Wow…” It was barely audible, more like a sigh, as he read the letter, over and over again. “Captain, I think you need to see this.”

“I’d say we all need to see! Gosh, Sehun, he’s so passionate!” Luhan snatched up one of the papers and stood up, holding a hand to his heart as melodramatically as he could. “Oh, how I miss you, Sehun. Every night I still dream of your kisses, your sweet words whispered in my ear, your fingertips feather-light on my cheek. Sometimes I even dare dream of more…”

“Shut up.” Sehun groaned and hurled an apple core at Luhan. He missed, but that wasn’t the point. “I mean just the last page. Captain, look.”

The sheet of paper changed hands, and Kyungsoo quietly looked over it. “This…is this a list of…”

“Sapphire ships.” The younger grinned. “I told you he works at the docks in Emerald Bay, didn’t I? I might have told him we were interested in Sapphire ships, where they were going, you know.” Despite all eyes being on him, Sehun no longer shrank back, puffed up with pride instead. “I mean, I didn’t expect a letter quite so soon, but…”

Not wanting to be left out, Jongin got out of his chair to take his (rightful) place at Kyungsoo’s side, peering at the letter over the captain’s shoulder. A list, a fairly long list, too, of ship names, destinations, and dates.

A small addendum scribbled at the bottom. ‘I won’t ask why you want this information, Sehun, but I have a feeling you’re not just an ordinary sailor…I still love you, you know. No matter what. Be safe.’

It was signed off with a long row of Xs, kisses. For a brief moment, the image of Sehun and his Emerald lover sharing all those kisses flashed in Jongin’s mind. It quickly transformed into him and Kyungsoo. He shook his head and tried to focus again on the list.

Angel, Jongin’s former ship. Apparently it was still on the water, heading out for the Ruby territories at some point in the last week.

Morning Star, Moonlight, Speeding Wolf, Royal Pearl, Jongin recognised all of these names and more besides, it was true, Sapphire ships often stopped in Emerald Bay, whether it was for trade with the country or simply stopping for supplies ready for longer voyages, but so many..

“He gets to chat a lot with the sailors as he works. He must have been busy – this thing is dated only a few days after we left…”

A crinkling sound as Kyungsoo tightened his hold on the paper, and everyone quietened.

“Titania.” He whispered.

“Titania?!”

“Is it on there, Captain?!”

Everyone scrambled out of their seats to gather around Kyungsoo, pressing in close so they could all see the letter. Jongin couldn’t really complain about being pushed right up against Kyungsoo’s back, but it was hard to play it cool, not like this.

Sure enough, on the lower half of the list in that messy handwriting, Titania, in deep black ink.

“It’s headed for the Diamond Isles.” He pressed his lips together tightly, as if suppressing a smile. Jongin wasn’t really sure why. “Judging by the departure date, and how long it took for this letter to reach here from Emerald Bay…they should be most of the way there by now.”

Jongin sighed. “Oh no…I guess we missed our chance.”

Except…nobody seemed disappointed at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Clutching the paper tightly, Kyungsoo was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, on the spot. “Jongin, have you ever seen a map of the Jewel Seas?”

“No…” All he knew was that Sapphire Country and Emerald Bay were to the north, and Opal Coast somewhere in the south, but nothing beyond that. At this, Joonmyun left the room once again, his footsteps heavy and excited on the grand staircase in the hall. Thud thud thud, footsteps, heartbeats, Kyungsoo actually looked like he was going to pass out, so Jongin took the opportunity to lean into him, whispering, “Breathe…”

Thud thud thud, back down the stairs and almost flying into the dining room, Joonmyun returned with a large, rolled up paper. Some of the others, Minseok, Yifan, Zitao, Luhan, hurriedly cleared the dining table of the plates, bowls and cups, placing them on the counters to make room for the enormous paper in Joonmyun’s arms to unroll.

A map. “Here we are, Jongin…”

Jongin’s breath hitched.

He wasn’t sure how he’d imagined the Jewel Seas looking, but it certainly wasn’t like this. Sapphire Country and Emerald Bay were at the top, just as he thought, and Opal Coast was to the bottom, that didn’t surprise him at all. What did surprise him was where the other countries, kingdoms, territories were located. It was like they were all stuck together, separated by parched plains and unforgiving mountain ranges that made sea travel a necessity, even for neighbours such as Sapphire and Emerald.

Land-locked. The Jewel Seas were almost completely land-locked, practically an enormous lake the size of several of its surrounding countries put together, held in by Opal, Ruby, and other territories preventing it from rushing free and joining the wider oceans outside.

He lightly touched the crinkled print with a fingertip, once Joonmyun gave him a nod of permission.

“Look, Jongin, over by the Ruby territories, what do you see?”

Following with his finger, Jongin moved west – from Opal, winding around forests, to Ruby, and then a pause.

Water.

The tiniest strip of water on the whole map, smaller than the font that boldly declared the names of every country, every ocean, every mountain. It was so tiny, Jongin could only just about touch it with the tip of his fingernail and not touch the countries on either side.

“Between Ruby and Garnet, do you see it?” When Jongin answered the captain with a slow nod, he continued. “They call that one the Red String of Fate, it’s the only way out of the Jewel Seas, into greater waters. The Jewel Seas, a long time ago, were simply a very large lake, entirely locked in the land until this area broke apart. To this day, it’s so narrow that if you sail to the very centre, you can see all the way to the Ruby and Garnet shores. And here…” Kyungsoo took Jongin’s hand, despite the audience, and guided his fingertip further south. His hand ended up obscuring the name of the place, but Kyungsoo said it for him, anyway. “The Diamond Isles. The only way for any ship to come back in, is the way they went out. Can you see?”

Another nod, words completely beyond him as he swallowed thickly. Kyungsoo didn’t let go of his hand, and it was like the anticipation, the realisation, was a kind of electricity shooting through their joined hands and straight to Jongin’s chest. His heart, too, pounded in time, thud thud thud.

“Captain…” Minseok’s voice, too, was strained, as he gently tapped Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “Even with the wind against us, we should be able to reach the red string in a matter of days. If we leave soon, we have a good chance of catching them on their return voyage.”

Catching Titania.

If it had been any other situation, Jongin would have been jealous at the way Kyungsoo looked at Minseok then, but Jongin knew, he understood, this was what Kyungsoo had essentially been living for, for the past several years.

“I-If we leave tomorrow,” the captain began, his voice unsteady as his stance, “then we can catch them. We can wait in the middle of the red string, they won’t be able to get past us.”

A sniffle from the far end of the table.

Joonmyun was crying, his tears shining as bright as his smile.

“Go and tell the others.” He wiped his tears away, but they kept coming. Jongin leaned into Kyungsoo, trying to ignore the uncomfortable hiccup forming in his chest. “Kyungsoo, give me your coat. I’ll get it cleaned…you have a big day coming up.”

 

The door to Yixing’s surgery opened after five knocks.

Luhan actually knocked on the door twelve times – he was just too excited.

“When did you come back?” The doctor blinked in surprise, opening the door wider to allow the group to come in. Many of the pirates offered him smiles, shoulder bumps, or high fives as they passed, heading towards the familiar side room where their favourite patient was waiting.

Fortunately, Yixing didn’t have any other patients in the practice today.

“Late last night, but we won’t be staying long.” Minseok spoke for Kyungsoo, who was still a little shaken from earlier, the list of Sapphire ships still clutched tightly in one hand. The quartermaster was grinning ear to ear, giving Yixing a hearty pat on the back as he passed. “We have big news.”

“News?!” A familiar voice from the side room, and the group’s steps sped into a sprint as they all raced to reach the room first. Practically toppling into the door, Sehun was the eventual winner.

They fell into the next room with a delighted yell, “Chanyeol!”

Chanyeol himself was sat up in bed, eyes wide and sparkling as if he were witnessing a miracle right in front of him. On a chair beside Chanyeol, squeezing his hand tight and holding it up to his chest, was Baekhyun.

“Oh, you’re back! You’re really back!”

“What happened out there, what did I miss?”

“Oh my god, Chanyeol, you won’t believe-”

“-and then Captain-”

“-Sehun was so embarrassed about-”

“-it was so scary! I thought we were-”

“Whoa! Jongin, check you out! When did the y battle scars happen?” Through the babble, chatter and general ruckus of a shipful of pirates gathered in one room cut Jongdae’s bright, cheerful voice, and at once the whole room turned to look at him. He wrapped his arms around Yixing from behind, resting his head on his shoulder with a lazy smile. “It’s good to see you all again.”

“How is he doing?” Captain Kyungsoo, cutting a smaller figure than his usual imposing self without his coat, turned to Yixing. “Chanyeol, I mean.”

“See for yourself.” And the whole group did so, watching as Chanyeol, beaming with pride, removed the bedsheets covering his lower half.

A wooden leg, from the knee downwards. Jongin had never seen one before, not in person, and briefly wondered if it would be inappropriate to ask to touch it. A proper peg-leg, a real one, with no attempts to be subtle – function over form, as it were. A solid piece of wood from knee to foot, with the foot replaced with a slightly thicker wooden base.

It was bizarre in its simplicity.

“Jongdae helped make it!” Chanyeol bounced a little on the bed, raising his leg to make sure everybody was looking. “I mean, it’s no flesh and bone leg, but it’s great, right? I went all around the town with it yesterday. I even ran a little!”

“Some might call it divine intervention.” Yixing chuckled from Kyungsoo’s side.

He leaned in to whisper something to the captain then, beckoning Minseok over to listen, too, but Jongin didn’t hear anything. Luhan had chosen that moment to ask if he could touch Chanyeol’s new leg and when the answer was yes, the whole crew was eager to get their hands on it. Casting his concerns to the side for a moment, Jongin joined in, too, as Chanyeol clapped and grinned in amusement.

He watched as Yifan’s mouth formed a surprised little ‘o’ as his ridiculous hands pressed against the wood, before reaching out his own hand.

Another ‘o’. The wood was smooth, the simple support was carefully, lovingly made despite its appearance. Jongin wondered what it felt like, to have such a thing attached to your person instead of an actual limb. Could Chanyeol feel it, when everyone prodded at his new leg? He wasn’t exactly a doctor.

He took a moment to glance around the room then, take in the expressions of childish wonder on his crewmates’ faces, the sunlight streaming through the little window across the room beaming onto Chanyeol and making him look almost like an angel, white bedsheet wings spread around him in a kind of heavenly disarray. Divine intervention, indeed.

“No.”

A beat of pause.

Yixing no longer faced Kyungsoo, or anyone else. The doctor turned his back on the rest of the room, face in his hands.

Shaking hands.

“Yixing…”

“No!” His words were muffled by those trembling hands. “H-he can’t go back yet. I- he’s not ready!”

“Me?” Chanyeol sat up a little straighter at that, chewing a little at his bottom lip. “What’s going on, Captain? I’m ready for anything!”

“N-”

“I’ll cut it short for you, Chanyeol – we’ve found it. We’ve got a lead on the ship we want, and if we leave here by tomorrow morning, we have a chance to catch it.” Chanyeol’s eyes widened gradually as the captain spoke. He looked like a small child on their birthday, ready to burst with excitement. Next to him, Baekhyun’s mouth hung open a little in surprise. “Yixing may be the doctor, but you know your own condition best. Do you think you can make it?”

“Do I?” Chanyeol laughed. It was a little strained, but the grin plastered across his face was unmistakable. “We’ve waited years for this! You couldn’t keep me away.”

Yixing frowned at the group then, the harshness quite bizarre on his usually gentle face. But he couldn’t stop his bottom lip from quivering, just a little. “It’s dangerous, Chanyeol. You’re in no state to return to battle so soon.”

“I’ll be with him.” Baekhyun piped in, rising to his feet with such haste he almost bumped into Sehun. “I won’t leave his side for a moment. I’m ready enough for the both of us.”

The doctor gave no response, save a muffled cough when Jongdae rested a hand on his shoulder. Something tightened in Jongin’s chest, then, as Yixing blinked away tears.

Of course. Jongdae was probably going to leave, too.

Yixing would be alone.

“I think,” Minseok began with a smile, gentle but still firm, somehow, “that maybe it’s you who isn’t ready, Yixing.”

“I don’t want him to get hurt.” Barely a whisper from Yixing. “I don’t want him to die.”

Jongin wasn’t sure they were talking about Chanyeol anymore.

With a pat on Yixing’s shoulder, Jongdae cleared his throat. “Well, good thing nobody’s going to die then. At least, not on our side. Fill us in on the details, ‘Seok. It’s been forever since we last saw all of you.”

It was odd, having all twelve of them in a room together; a rag-tag group of pirates and the men who, for better or worse, associated with them on land. It was as though they were a funny sort of family, even those Jongin wasn’t so close to; they were all bound by something, something bigger than any of them.

I wonder how big the Titania really is. Jongin mused, gazing out of the window as the cheers and catcalls regarding Sehun’s new lover fell deaf on his ears.

All Jongin could hear was waves.

 

Waves.

Seagulls cawed and flapped overhead, squawking a tuneless melody to the beat of Jongin’s footsteps. The road from the surgery to Joonmyun’s home was long, but he wasn’t really heading for the house; he had other places to be.

The group had decided to split up for the remainder of the day, after the brief meeting at Yixing’s surgery. They would regroup at Joonmyun’s in the evening for dinner, at Joonmyun’s invitation, but the rest of the day was their own to enjoy.

Chanyeol had scrambled out of bed in an act of defiance, announcing his intention to go for a jog around the town to get himself pumped up. Whether he really did go for a run, Jongin didn’t know, but he and Baekhyun vanished with Luhan, Zitao and Yifan shortly after, the first of the pirates to leave. Chanyeol’s peg leg made a funny clacking sound as he walked; just the thought made Jongin smile, just a bit. It suited Chanyeol in a strange way.

Sehun had left with Joonmyun, heading back to the house to pen a reply to his lover’s letter. Minseok and Kyungsoo disappeared without a word, probably to discuss important things. Perhaps, he thought, he should be jealous, but he already had business of his own to attend to.

As he drew closer to the little pier just off the docks, the tiny patch of open water where ships never bothered to land, a small figure came into view, huddled up at the end of the pier.

The little figure in the distance moved then, hauling a large fish out of the water with all the strength in its skinny arms. Jongin knew he had found the right place.

He took a seat at the edge of the pier, next to a shiny new messenger bag.

Caw! Caw!

With the cries of the gulls and the rolling of the waves, Jongin felt himself let out a breath he hadn’t really realised he’d been holding. A bit like a deflated balloon, he relaxed.

“I see you never gave the bucket back.”

The little girl beside him gave no answer to that, but she smirked as she cast the line back out into the sea. She was missing a tooth she’d had before.

“Figured I needed it more than he did. He has like, twenty buckets. I checked.”

“Some of the younger ones were playing hopscotch in the town, you know. You taught them? ‘Cause I sure didn’t.”

She shrugged, squinting a little to try and pinpoint any fishy shadows lurking beneath the waves. “Maybe. Someone’s gotta be mom, so now it’s me. I’ve been teaching some of the bigger ones how to fish, too, and how to make the rods. ‘Might not be around forever.”

The girl reeled in the line again, frowning a little. Jongin handed her another worm to tempt any curious fish. The bug squirmed a little in his palm, making him wince just a bit before a tiny hand took the wriggling worm from him. Wow, Jongin, you can handle a fight to the death, but not a worm.

“So, uh, how did you end up working for Joonmyun?”

“He asked me to get him the paper, one day. I was walking past his big house with my fish bucket, and he called out to me.” A few tattered bracelets, woven from colourful threads, slipped down her arms as she added the worm. “So I did, and he gave me some money, and asked me if I could get his paper the next day, and the next day, and now I take him his paper. And any other deliveries. I’m gonna buy some shoes.” Another gappy grin, poking her tongue through the gap in her teeth with a determined expression. She tossed the line back out.

“I’d have thought Joonmyun would buy you shoes, since he already gave you a bag.”

“He offered, but I said no. I’m gonna get the money, and go to the shop, and buy my shoes all by myself.” Jongin watched the girl for a moment, contemplating what was different about her. They’d been gone for a while, yes, but not long enough for her to seem quite so much older. Even the way she held herself as she fished, shoulders back and hair, still wild, pushed behind her ears, struck Jongin as far more mature than the child he’d left behind.

Perhaps it was the newfound sense of responsibility; holding a job, caring for the little ones, being an older sister, a teacher, a guide.

He brought a hand to his cheek then, tracing his fingertips over the scars running jagged down his face. Earned from his own responsibility to his ship, his crew, his captain.

Perhaps he looked older, too.

“Did the storms hit here? Were you okay?”

The girl just laughed. “Yeah, they did. They hit really hard, actually. You’d go outside and the rain was so hard it was like the clouds were punching you.” A little frown ghosted across her face, gone before Jongin got to look at it properly. Perhaps it was just dirt.

She was quiet for a while.

“You know, mister, I worried about you.”

The two of them were quiet together, then.

“I heard about it in town. Sailors died. There were funerals and everything. I…wasn’t sure if you were ever gonna come back.” She paused for a moment, the fishing line twitching with delicious promise. Splash. In the space of a blink, a fat little fish appeared in the girl’s lap, detached from the rod and then carefully placed in the weighted bucket with the rest of the day’s catch. Instead of throwing the line back out, however, the girl placed the rod beside her on the pier and raised her arms a bit so Jongin could see properly. “You see these things, all up my arms? I made them during the storms, to stop worrying. I thought maybe if I made a whole bunch of them, I could show them to you when you came back alive, so I kept making them, every day.” A nervous chuckle punctuated her words.

Jongin wasn’t really sure what to say.

“Did you steal them?” Ah. Probably not the right thing to say.

She laughed again, though, this time more genuine than before. “I did, yeah. The threads weren’t expensive though, I promise.” Old habits died hard, it seemed.

“I can’t really say I’ve not done worse than steal a couple of threads from a market stall.” He grinned at her, which she returned, with a wistful sort of look in those big, curious eyes.

“Say, mister….is it true, what Mister Joonmyun said? That you’re a pirate?”

She rubbed at her face a little, leaving a patch of chalk dust streaked under her eye and across her nose, and Jongin just couldn’t bring himself to lie to her.

“It’s true.”

“Oh.” Jongin could feel her eyes on him still, even after he had turned his own gaze back to the ocean. “Cool. It explains a lot, like the uh, stuff, on your face. Did it hurt a lot?”

He tapped a little at his scars. “Yeah, the disinfectant hurt more though. It could have been a lot worse.”

“Yeah…” The girl picked up the fishing rod again, peering into the bucket of fish for a moment before attaching a fresh worm to the end of the line. “I’m glad you didn’t die. I like you alive.”

Splash. The worm met its watery fate and the pair waited, waited for any sign of movement under the water. Perhaps the fish were a little lazy, the sun strong on the water with the gentle autumn breeze cooling the town considerably.

“Our journey might be ending soon, actually. We’re looking for something, and we might be close to finding it.”

“Really?” Another seagull squawked overhead, so close that Jongin could almost feel the beat of its wings. “Will you come back to the Opal Coast after that? Will you stay here forever? Mister Joonmyun’s house is probably big enough for all of you.”

Caw.

“Ah, actually, I’m going somewhere else.” The girl’s shoulders dropped a little then. Jongin’s own did, too. “Maybe it’s weird to tell you, but I’m in love with someone. We’re going to their home country once our journey is over.”

An inaudible mutter from beside him. Jongin nudged the little girl a bit with the side of his foot, and she repeated. “They’d better have shoes and a house, or they’re not good enough for you. Aim high, right?”

Laughter rang clear from the end of the pier, scaring away a pair of gulls that had settled nearby. One high, one low, mingling with the soft song of the waves.

“I’ll visit, though. That’s a promise.”

“Really?” Her whole face lit up then, and she pushed her hair back again. “Really really?”

“Yep. Now, do you have any spare rods? Two lines catch more fish than one, you know.”

“They’re under the deck, outside the florist’s.” When Jongin stood up, the girl hurried to her feet as well, forgetting about her rod for a moment. She reached out to grab Jongin’s arm. “Wait. You gotta pinky promise that you’ll visit, okay? I’m not letting you go until you do!”

The sun shone warm on Jongin’s skin. His heart was warmed on its own. “Okay, I promise, hold out your hand.”

A tiny, dusty little finger wrapped around Jongin’s, and the girl flashed him the brightest, gappiest grin he had ever seen in his life.

“I can’t wait to show you my shoes. You’d better be excited!”

The day was far from over, but as Jongin hurried to the florist to locate the extra fishing rods, somehow, he already was.

 

Perhaps it was just the autumn stealing away the summer, but the sun began to set all too quickly.

“You’ll get a good meal out of this,” Jongin looked into the bucket admiringly. Yes, there were a lot of fish in there, the kids would have an excellent fire tonight.

“Join us?” The girl lifted up the bucket with a little grumble, surprising Jongin once again with how much power was hiding in those tiny arms. “You caught some of it.”

It was a tempting thought, but no, Jongin had other arrangements already. He told her so, earning him a pout in return.

“Boo. More fish for me, then.” It was quiet, just for a bit, until they reached where the pier met the path.

To the left, Joonmyun’s home, where the rest of the pirates were waiting for Jongin.

To the right, the town, where the younger children were likely waiting for the little girl’s return.

They didn’t look at each other for a moment.

“I guess this is goodbye then.”

“Yeah…uh, goodbye, I guess…”

“Bye.”

He took a few steps in the direction of Joonmyun’s house, heart growing heavier every time his feet touched the ground. He sighed, looking up at the darkening sky. Why so soon?

No footsteps in either direction. Silence.

“Jongin!”

He froze, turning around again so fast he almost tripped. Bare footsteps, tap tap tapping along the pavement, and he was once again faced with the little girl, beaming up at him a little shakily as if she had just done something she shouldn’t have.

Jongin had no reply for her, save a smile that he hoped conveyed everything he needed it to.

Maybe she saw it, maybe she didn’t, as she busied herself with taking one of the woven bracelets off her arm. It was pretty, if dusty; brightly coloured threads waving up and down, in and out. “I uh, I made these things because I was worrying about you not coming back, but you came back, and you’re alive, so I don’t really need them all anymore. Maybe it’ll be like a good luck charm or something, and keep you safe…maybe it’s just some threads I stole from the market, but I kinda want you to have it anyway.” She set about tying the little band to Jongin’s wrist, a tighter fit than on her own arms, but it still fitted, in the end. The rainbow colours on his wrist matched the sparkling rainbow around his neck, now.

“I,” he began, “would be honoured to wear these threads you stole from the market. You could call them priceless.”

A shared chuckle, cut off by a tiny little sniffle, closer to the ground than Jongin.

“S-sorry.” She mumbled. “Big girls don’t cry.”

Jongin crouched a little, to be at her level. “Sure they do.” His heart was heavy, and perhaps were he the same Jongin he was when he left Sapphire Country, he might have cried, too.

She flopped against Jongin then, in a lazy sort of hug that Jongin returned, an arm around her tiny shoulders. Waves whispered, gulls called, the sun continued to slowly set, the coast taking on an orange glow that, in place of its usual comforting feeling, felt almost a little too…final.

They drew apart, and Jongin ruffled the girl’s already messy hair. She looked up at him with sparkling eyes, with a brave smile.

“Goodbye for real this time, right?” She sighed.

“Not really. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“…yeah, I guess so.”

 

The wind whistled.

 

“See you around, thief.”

“You too, pirate.”

Two sets of footsteps in opposite directions, as the Opal Coast was slowly blanketed in darkness.

 

Minseok really outdid himself that night; dinner for twelve, with a little help from the younger members of the crew. It was so warm, inside and out, Jongin observing his boisterous crewmates in conversation as he quietly ate his stew. Chanyeol teased Yifan about his repair work, Zitao gleefully recounted his medical work on the Siren to the listening medics (including some topics Jongin really didn’t think were appropriate for a meal. It seemed medical training gave one a strong stomach for these things.) Yixing rested his head on Jongdae’s shoulder for most of the meal, eating and chatting with the others but glancing up at Jongdae every so often.

Jongin wondered what it was like for him at that moment, the overwhelming need to savour every last chance to touch Jongdae, even just like this.

Kyungsoo had taken a seat beside Jongin for dinner, and while they didn’t say much to each other, Jongin did notice Kyungsoo swapping some of the apples in his fruit salad with pears from Jongin’s, unaware that the younger had seen him.

Jongin let him, of course.

As the group finished the candied fruits Joonmyun had produced from one of his seemingly bottomless kitchen cupboards after the meal, Baekhyun announced his and Chanyeol’s intention to stay the night.

“It’s been too long,” Chanyeol whined, “and the beds here are too comfortable to not sleep in when you have the chance, you know?”

“We’ll be heading back to the surgery…” Yixing stood up, popping a small chunk of candied pineapple in his mouth. Pineapple! Where on earth was Joonmyun importing this stuff from?

Jongdae whispered something to Yixing then, and being right next to Jongin, he overheard. “Hey, let’s take the long way back. We’ve got all night.”

As far as Jongin could remember, the road from Joonmyun’s to the surgery was a single straight road. There wasn’t really a long way to go, was there? He was distracted when Kyungsoo pressed another candied fruit into his hand.

Peach.

Somehow, it was the smallest of things that made Jongin fall more and more in love by the moment.

It was the same later that night, as Jongin and Kyungsoo lay in bed, watching the ceiling. Their palms kissed, their fingertips danced, they spoke in hushed whispers. Soon. It’s so soon. I can’t believe it.

It was just a dark ceiling in a dark room, but Jongin felt like he was gazing up into the night sky, into the stars. Fingertips brushed lightly across his palm, and for a moment, he swore he could see the morning star that would lead to his future.

Their future.