Joonmyun is writhing around in the net, making small grunts and trying to free himself like he had pointed out to the fisherman, "I've been in these situations before. I can handle myself." But so far Sehun can't really see this man getting out without his help.

Sehun doesn't even understand why this guy's in his fishing net at all. He came out to fish for mackerel. Not guys(that's for weekends). But also because he's like 12 miles out in the ocean and he's heard of extreme ocean swimmers but this ultimately crosses the line.

Joonmyun huffs and gives up, letting the net fall and press down his pretty blonde hair.

Through his fringe, he looks up at Sehun and sighs. "Okay. I need help." He mumbles and reaches out towards Sehun, gesturing for him to come closer.

Sehun pushes aside his thoughts and leans down a flip knife in one hand and Joonmyun flinches.

Sehun raises an eyebrow and looks down at his knife. Joonmyun is scared, initially anybody would be if somebody if a stranger approached them with a weapon, but there's something in the way Joonmyun's pupils dilate and his lip quivers that makes Sehun close the blade.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispers reassuringly and by hand he begins untangling the rope, trying not to hurt the other as he tightened some places and loosened others.

It would have takes less time if Sehun had used his knife to cut the ropes but he manages to untangle Joonmyun from the mass in under an hour and a half.

Sehun dusts his hands off on his fishing trousers and turns to Joonmyun, questions still fresh on his tongue.

"So what are you doing all the way out here?"

Joonmyun rubs at the red chafes on his arms and sneers at the question, "why should I tell you?"

Sehun sighs, "because I freed you from that net."

"The net you trapped me in." Joonmyun retorts.

Sehun decides to not press on and hands Joonmyun a towel to cover himself up, because he is and Sehun doesn't (though that's a lie) want to see that.

Joonmyun wraps himself in the towel while Sehun finds him a dry sweater and pants.

---

Sehun tells Joonmyun he's on a few day trip out and if he wants to see the shores again he'll have to live through another 3 days on his ship.

Joonmyun just shrugs.

---

Sehun finds Joonmyun in the kitchen when it's around five.

"You can cook?" He asks, watching Joonmyun sauté onions.

Joonmyun nods, "hobby."

Joonmyun forks up a slice and cups his hand under it, turning to Sehun, "say ah." His face is dead serious but Sehun is staring at him like he's crazy.

"I don't like onions." He mutters.

Joonmyun rolls his eyes, "you'll love mine."

Sehun is hesitant but opens his mouth anyway.

Joonmyun places it on his tongue and Sehun wipes his mouth once he's swallowed it.

Joonmyun's smirking and Sehun just says, "still don't like onions." And Joonmyun's smirk drops a bit. Sehun walks to his cabin.

Sehun doesn't admit that those were the best ing onions he's ever had in his life.

---

Sehun wakes up and turns over in his already too small twin sized mattress to come nose to nose with a sleeping Joonmyun.

"Woah hello what are you doing in my bed please get out." And Joonmyun just shifts to lay on his back mumbling something inaudible.

"Hey I said get out." Sehun repeats.

Joonmyun presses his hand into Sehun's face, "just shut up. I'm trying to sleep."

Sehun smells the sea on Joonmyun's hand, but brushes it off because they're in the middle of the freaking sea.

Sehun gets out of his bed and groggily washes up in the bathroom.

Joonmyun makes him breakfast when he comes out.

---

"I'm getting mixed vibes from you." Sehun says on their second day. Joonmyun is reading a book he found in one of Sehun's drawers.

Joonmyun nods, not actually paying attention.

"You get on my ship, you're a complete douche." Sehun waves his hand in front of Joonmyun's face.

Joonmyun mock bites his finger.

Sehun hisses and takes his hand away, "then you're all nice and make me food."

Joonmyun shrugs, "you're my host aren't you?"

"I'm someone you just met." Sehun presses, "aren't you in the least bit scared I could be some massive S&M ert or something?"

Joonmyun looks up at him and raises an eyebrow, "why? Are you?"

Sehun holds the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb because his es are beside the point.

Joonmyun goes back to reading his book.

---

On the third and last day Sehun is sitting on the deck with a beer because he is exhausted from Joonmyun's constant mood swings.

He'd woken up next to Joonmyun again but didn't try to push him out and just let him get his sleep.

Joonmyun made him breakfast again, but the atmosphere was different.

Joonmyun didn't make a witty comment about how they might as well be married because he honestly doesn't think Sehun could live without his food.

Joonmyun doesn't pour him a glass of orange juice and Sehun has to ask for it. In turn he gets a numb, "get it yourself. Your a big boy aren't you?" And he leaves the room.

---

Joonmyun is leaning against the cabin door when Sehun comes to clean up.

"How do you feel about me?" He asks stopping Sehun from entering the cabin.

Sehun snorts, "I think you're a great cook who's a big douche."

Joonmyun nods and moves out of the way.

---

When Sehun wakes up Joonmyun isn't beside him.

There is no Joonmyun cooking at the stove. The book he was reading is left on the table.

There is no one in the cabin.

---

Sehun panics because the last thing he ever said to Joonmyun was that he was a douche and oh god, what if underneath his tough guy act Joonmyun was actually very sensitive as maybe had some problems and what if he's dead what if he thought he could swim away from Sehun oh god oh god oh god oh god oh go-

Joonmyun comes around the deck, hair soaked and towel wrapped around his waist, "hey." Is all he says.

Sehun stares at him in disbelief.

"Sorry I didn't make breakfast I went out for a swi-"

Sehun has pulled Joonmyun into his arms and is whispering a slur of words that Joonmyun can't quite decipher but there is hints of "idiot" and "worried" and "swim?"

---

"What were you thinking, swimming out in the middle of the ocean like that?!" Sehun is yelling and his face is flushed because it's just scare after scare with Joonmyun isn't it?

Joonmyun shrugs, feeling small, "you found me out swimming in the middle of the ocean, I don't see what the big deal is."

"It doesn't matter how I found you." Sehun hisses through gritted teeth, "you could have died. Just a small mishap could have gotten you killed."

"I can handle myself. I don't need you." Joonmyun spits.

Sehun doesn't know why but what Joonmyun says kills him.

---

They dock around noon and Joonmyun is silent when he pushes past Sehun to get off the freaking boat because he's not sure how much more he can handle being with Sehun.

---

Sehun almost forgets about Joonmyun. But he never does.

And when he tries, Joonmyun's face comes into his mind, those last words on his lips.

"I can handle myself. I don't need you."

---

"No! Get away!" Joonmyun is screaming his voice hoarse as the fisherman comes close.

"Oi. Easy son. Just trying to help alright?"

Joonmyun is a blubbering, begging mess because he's trapped again and that god forsaken blade is coming closer and closer, "Leave me alone!"

Joonmyun is crying, "Sehun! Sehun! Help me!" And he doesn't know what else to scream.

---

Sehun doesn't hear. Sehun doesn't want to hear.

Joonmyun isn't saved that day.

---

Sehun tries to forget about Joonmyun because his last words continue to echo around in mind.

Joonmyun said he didn't need him.

Why does that hurt so much?

Why does Sehun find himself crying when he sees Joonmyun over and over again saying that he doesn't need him.

Why does he cry?

---

Joonmyun can't sleep at night.

Sometimes he'll hang around Sehun's boat when the other isn't there. He'll touch the sides and the name on the boat. He'll touch but he won't try to get on or remember what it was like.

He won't remember the way Sehun closed his blade.

He won't remember how Sehun untangled him so gently from the ropes.

He won't remember seeing Sehun's eyes light up when he fed him onion.

He won't remember the tint of rose across Sehun's cheeks when he woke up to find Joonmyun beside him.

He won't