Rays of harsh, fluorescent light stream in via the small window of his dingy cell door: his only connection to the outside world. Chanyeol laments over how he would rather have the feeling of soft, natural sunlight kissing his skin than this scalding artificial brightness. He longs for the sun, he longs for his ship, for the dewy Autumn breeze to sweep its tender fingers through the flaming locks of his hair. Longs for freedom. But most of all, he longs for answers.

The first few hours of him being locked up in this cramped space, barely large enough in width for him to stretch out his legs, consisted of him raging and pounding against the metal door that sealed him away from his beloved freedom. He'd fought until he was drained and shouted until his voice was hoarse but his captors had turned a blind eye and Chanyeol's threats of, "just wait 'til I get my lawyer on you," were more acknowledged by the walls themselves than anyone of importance.

There are a few dents sunken into the metal frame, pinpointing where bony, too tightly clenched fists had struck down against the barrier, dark patches of blood left to dry not much further off. He lets a smug smile stretch across his dry lips as he looks at them now, a new feeling of pride surging through his chest. The indentations act as a subtle form of rebellion for the ever pristine Captain Park.

He had quickly become idle, however, once the guards outside had informed him of how displeased their Captain would be if he became aware of the damage made upon his ship. His feeble "to hell with him!" held no bite and was met with snickers from the people on the other side of the door. He can't help it. Whenever he thinks of the rage that had marred the man's otherwise handsome face - the image of soft beauty encased in leather and chains left to linger and seep into the deepest corners of his mind - he can't help but feel completely powerless. It is not a feeling he is well aquainted with which only makes him all the more restless.

"What is going on?" Chanyeol sighs and drops his head back against the wall with a quiet thud. It drowns out the sound of movement from outside. His accommodation is at least better than the dark, damp dungeons he himself has locked people in before, he'll give them that. With heavy eyelids, he stares at the immaculately made bed opposite from him. He hasn't touched it yet, unable to sleep a wink. It would feel too much like giving in.

"How's the prisoner?" a bored voice from outside catches his attention, clearly not interested in Chanyeol's wellbeing at all. The mentioned prisoner's ears perk up but he takes to busying himself with innocently picking at the scabs forming over his grimy knuckles, eyes forward yet ears open because eavesdropping is not a very noble thing to do. He frowns when his wounds reopen.

Quiet shuffling and the jingling of keys can be detected through the paper thin doors.

( If only the doors were as easy to knock down as paper, Chanyeol bemoans in his head. )

"He's fine. Quietened down now, thank the Cosmos. Rowdy one, he is."

Rude. Well, what else is he to expect from a bunch of no-good pirates that whizz around abducting good, honest people from their ships willy nilly? He hopes at least that his own crew got to safety and have alerted the authorities of his capture. Help was surely on its way.

"Well, let's pray he hasn't curled up into a ball and died."

Chanyeol looks up with narrowed eyes to see a pair of owlish orbs peeking down at him through the glass. They look so non-threatening that he almost forgets to put his guard up. "Come on, sailor. Get up. Captain wants you to join him for dinner." The owner of the monotonous voice knocks loudly against the door, the vibrations of bone clanging against metal a familiar sound.

It's about time the Captain has made some contact with me, the red head wants to grumble as the door swings open and two men hoist him up onto his feet. The fiery haired male does not think it's too nice of someone to lock up the man they'd accidentally kidnapped for a few days without relaying any news of what's to happen to him, thinks it's quite cruel actually. This is not to mention the fact that the Captain hadn't even come down himself to formally invite him to dine together and instead sent his goons to drag him over.

Well, a nice person wouldn't lock anyone up at all, so he rests his case. From what he'd deduced from their first meeting - the bump resting beneath a bird's nest of hair serving as a painful reminder of their previous encounter - his captor isn't nice, to say the least.

Chanyeol finds himself once again held captive - quite literally this time - by two men, one of whom he remembers seeing the first time he'd been brought onto the pirate ship. He has cheekbones sharper than Chanyeol's own wit - which is sharp, mind you - and a strong grip on his upper arm while the other limb is held tight by a man blessed with softer features, a high forehead and slicked back ebony hair. The third figure, owner of the round pair of eyes that had peered down at him earlier, attempts to fix his full lips into something resembling a smile before he turns to face him.

"Captain Park Chanyeol, my name is Kyungsoo. I apologise if you've been having any unpleasant experiences aboard the Exodus thus far, we don't usually have many guests. Perhaps you can give us some feedback on how we are performing as hosts over dinner?" he says, round face tilted to the side with a courteous expression masking what can only be hostile and derisive intentions. Even the low bow he stoops into irks Chanyeol to no end. As the - snickering - men by the hostage's side start to lead him away from his holding cell, he decides he does not like the short, raven haired man one bit.

The captive remains decisively silent as he is hauled up a flight of stairs - away from the lower deck where he'd been kept along with piles of rotting food and emptied alcohol barrels - and puffs out his chest, resolutely keeping his head held high despite his current disheveled state. He can't deny that the wrinkles plaguing the fabric of his uniform make his fingers itch for a steam iron, being a man who believes in looking presentable at all times, however his ego is bruising at a considerably fast pace so he is forced to grit his teeth and soldier on. He's determined to show these ill-mannered hooligans that even with his shirt half tucked into his pants, he is still every bit a regal gentleman. A man of his dignified upbringing does not take well to such mockery, thus certainly will not be wasting his breath on speaking to uncivilised, impertinent pirates.

"Not got much to say anymore, do you Mr. Bigshot Captain? What's wrong? Cat got your tongue, tough man?" Cheekbones coos at him, voice thickly dripping with scorn. The navy Captain merely side-eyes him.

This is clearly not the reaction the miscreant was aiming for so he does what all other bullies do when left unsatisfied. He jabs again. Harder this time. "Or perhaps, you don't want to associate yourself with people of such low class like us?" The voice is now nothing but cold ice biting at his ear, laced with a resentment sourced only by the assumptions he has made for himself.

It seems the Exodus' Captain and his men all have something in common: their short tempers.

Chanyeol's jaw locks in place as a bitter sting of injustice settles within him. He doesn't believe that the accusation is a fair one to make. It is not so much the feeling of superiority that keeps him from reacting to his captors but more the feeling of 'you people are rude as hell and I'm not going to take it.' He has no problem in interacting with people of different classes at all, however, "it is people without class that I do not tolerate."

The retort comes out before he can even process it. As does the furious, white knuckled fist that is hurled at his face

"MY NOSE!"

"Jongdae!"

"Say that again, you ! You think you're so high and mighty- WHY I 'OUGHTA-"

"Junmyeon, hold him back!"

Chanyeol can't see much from his fetal position down on the ground. Can't hear much besides the sound of his own pained groaning either. , being punched hurts like a . He writhes with every agonising throb that racks through his nose as Kyungsoo and - the man he now identifies as - Junmyeon create an impromptu barrier with their bodies with which to hold back their fellow crew mate who menacingly swings his fists in the hostage's direction.

Chanyeol thinks it's too soon for another punch. Chanyeol thinks someone should call a timeout. And a medic.

Jongdae's incessant raging and verbal assault is nothing but high pitched screeching to Chanyeol's ears, words bleeding into one long, vexatious jumble of white noise. It's a good thing too, otherwise the amount of rude words being thrown around would have Chanyeol gasping and crying out to Jesus, this time not in agony.

The man cradling his nose pulls his hands away when he feels the telltale drips of liquid against his palms. They come away stained crimson. "My nose-"

Jongdae's howl of, "I'll break your ing jaw next 'ya !" drowns out the opening and closing slams of a door.

"What is going on?" a new voice bellows, simultaneously joining the chaos whilst ending it all at once. Jongdae finally falls silent, though the glare he throws Chanyeol's way screeches volumes. Kyungsoo and Junmyeon's hands go to rest by their sides when their comrade finally calms and their heads bow, eyes gluing themselves to the floor in the presence of the louring man who stalks his way over to them.

Polished, black leather combat boots halt directly in front of the fallen naval captain. Chanyeol's heartbeat stops with it. In the reflection of the shiny surface, he can see a fresh stream of blood gushing from the cavities of his nose.

He sniffles just a little.

"I asked, what the is going on," the man repeats, clearly incensed by the lack of response he'd recieved. The atmosphere thickens; the heavy silence that follows screams out in decibels even higher than the enraged roaring. It suffocates its victims.

When no one dares speak up, a single snarl breaks the spell. "Why is this oaf crying like a baby and why is he bleeding when I clearly ordered for there not to be a single scratch on him? Is anyone going to answer me?"

The voice is strikingly familiar, it's the voice that's been playing on repeat in Chanyeol's mind ever since the first listen: raspy, cold, livid. The absolute fury radiating off - who he can only guess is - the Captain of the Exodus chills even him to the bone. He can't even imagine what it's like to be on the receiving end of such a murderous tone.

( They're all shaking in their boots. Well, apart from Kyungsoo. )

"I lost my cool, Captain," Jongdae finally works up the courage to say, though it comes out as nothing but a quiet mumble while he worries his bottom lip between his teeth. "I apologise."

The apology is misdirected, Chanyeol reckons indignantly as he listens out for the furious outburst that's sure to follow, maybe even the sound of the Captain's own knuckles against beautifully crafted cheekbones - God, he really hopes Jongdae is made to walk the plank after this. But nothing of the sort happens. The Captain towering above him merely runs his svelte hands across the hard lines of his face, expression unreadable as ever, his eyes fluttering closed as a harrowing sigh is ripped from his throat.

"I've told you time and time again to control your actions, Jongdae. We have no tolerance for violence aboard my ship."

Chanyeol would feel robbed of his justice if he weren't in a state of shock at the sound of the Captain's voice; tired and on the verge of exasperation.

The male being reprimanded stoops into a low bow, apologising once again with shaky fingers clasped together over his lap, miles away from the sneering miscreant he was a few moments ago. His comrades squirm ever so slightly by his sides, unable to stand the sight of their Captain softening. They are used to screaming and death stares, not the sight of a shrunken man who looks utterly disappointed and slightly - maybe even - worried for his crew member. He is usually all smirks and blank stares, impassive features concealing his true inner turmoil, never giving away his thoughts or feelings - not a haggard shell of a man who speaks softly as if a whisper is all his body has the strength to release.

They decide that disappointment is not a look that sits right on their Captain's face.

The crew members are not permitted to dwell on it for too long, however, for the man of highest authority soon begins to harden his exterior again, as if catching his slipping mask. He makes quick work of shooing away his three teammates, suddenly all business as he barks out orders and schools his features back into his usual, unfeeling facade. "Junmyeon take Jongdae to Yixing, see if he needs any patching up. Kyungsoo, bring me a medical aid kit," he anchors his indecipherable gaze down onto Chanyeol, still lying on the floor, the tip of his boot nudging against the red head's arm. "This one definitely needs patching up."

The injured man makes the mistake of looking up and locking eyes with the Captain. They have him pinned to the floor, unable to move, paralysed. A shiver ripples throughout his entire body.

All of a sudden he is overwhelmed by the intensity swimming within a pair of dark oceans rimmed by black.

All of a sudden he realises you can drown in much more than just water.

//

"Stop ing twitching."

Chanyeol tries his best to comply but the way the other male - "Captain Byun Baekhyun," he'd gruffly introduced himself as - is jabbing mercilessly at the dried blood clotting around his sore nose has the backs of his eyes prickling. He doesn't know what on Earth his new acquaintance is using on him but it stings like hell and could he please just stop soon?

It seems like the dark haired male is feeling kind enough to answer his prayers for just before Chanyeol can start to bawl his lungs out, Baekhyun is retracting the bloodied cloth and setting it down beside him, only to move in closer to inspect his captive's face.

The way his cold, indifferent gaze roams around Chanyeol's face has the latter fighting the urge to flinch away but the slender fingers that hold a firm grip on his chin and his own pride have him staying put. Baekhyun is silent as he manoeuvres his captive's head in all different angles, attempting to detect and uncover any other hidden bruises or wounds the squirming male could have been gifted by his men.

The man adorned by chains is currently positioned between Chanyeol's legs, leaning into the squirming male's personal space in a small, dining room. His nose is inches away from brushing against Chanyeol's - who seems to be the only one bothered by the awkward proximity - and the latter really has to wonder if Baekhyun is purposely dragging on the time, looking around for invisible cuts, or if he's just being thorough. He seems like the type to enjoy making others feel uncomfortable. Any which way, he is far too close for the red head's liking. With every shaky inhale, Chanyeol's senses become more and more overpowered with Baekhyun's heady scent. The other male's fragrance infiltrates his lungs, engulfing him in the aroma of sleepless nights and burnt out stars.

When the man finally concludes that there are no more bumps and scrapes secretly tainting even an inch of alabaster skin, he pulls back, looking quite pleased with himself. He moves to pack away the box of medical supplies laid out on the dining table - by the food that has been left to cool - when his gaze flickers down to the fiery haired man's hands, folded neatly in his lap for lack of anywhere else to put them.

Chanyeol is suddenly ten times more uncomfortable than he ever was before when Baekhyun's slender digits feather across his knuckles, scarlet blood smearing beneath the smooth pads of his fingers. "This happened in the brawl with Jongdae?" He speaks in a low murmur, a shock to the prisoner who has only ever heard the man's distinctive bellow. The snarky comment poised on the tip of his tongue about how noblemen don't brawl is suddenly forgotten.

It's a shame, Chanyeol thinks, because the sounds he makes when angered do no justice to the honey dulcet notes currently dripping from his lips.

The seated one looks up in confusion. This is not the same dangerous man he had encountered when he'd first got on the ship, boiling rage with a glare that cuts like a thousand knives, nor is he the man from a few minutes ago, the one who had reprimanded his men yet shown them a mercy that Chanyeol thought he could never be capable of possessing. Chanyeol doesn't know how to approach him, how to view him other than the man who'd kidnapped him; the man who is more than he lets on yet is also all that he lets on.

"This actually happened when I was so unceremoniously thrown into that horrid cell-"

His captor looks down at him, dark eyes flashing with something that has his blood curling. He takes Chanyeol's hand in his, none too gently when compared to the fleeting touch he had laid upon him just a second ago. He's changing again. Without another word, he reaches for the soaked, bloodied cloth that reeks of rusted metal.

Chanyeol hisses as the male tending to his wounds presses down against his open scabs, a silent warning that he hears loud and clear and has no choice but to adhere to. He says no more and grits his teeth, unwilling to let any pained sounds or worse, curses seep through. Noble men do not curse.

"Ah, what a shame. Sometimes Jongdae needs a good knocking or two to put him in his place," Baekhyun shrugs nonchalantly, acting as if he hadn't just revealed a sneak peek of the dark interior residing under his soft features, before promptly dropping Chanyeol's hand back in his lap. The latter is thankful when the other male finally takes a step back, putting some much needed distance between their bodies.

The version of the man in front of him combs his deft fingers through his raven black locks, heavy gaze quietly observing his captive. Chanyeol feels as though he's prey to a predator. But this isn't the type of predator who will eagerly sink his claws and fangs into him to dig into a well earned dinner, no, this is the type to play with his catch, to pick and prod and push until Chanyeol has reached his limits and is crying out for mercy.

He has a feeling he will not be given such a privilege.

After a lengthy stare down on Captain Byun's part - Chanyeol mostly just squirmed - the palpable silence is finally shattered. "So Park Chanyeol of the Merida," his lips slant into his own twisted interpretation of a smile, "I'm going to cut to the chase; you aren't the man I was looking to capture when I had my team raid your ship."

Despite already knowing this fact, Chanyeol still quirks an eyebrow. "So you're going to let me go?" It's wishful thinking really. "I don't need much, just drop me off at the nearest island and I can make do. You might want a head start in sailing away, though, I'll be sure to alert the authorities that I was kidnapped by a bunch of pirates-"

"We prefer the term rebels, Park. And I'm afraid we'll be doing nothing of the sort." The Captain's eyes flash with amusement before it is quickly snuffed out and replaced with the same indifference that never seems to leave him.

Chanyeol's eyebrows move again, this time drawing together. "That's Captain Park, if you please."

Within the span of a single second, Baekhyun's demeanour blackens, his face remains as icy and expressionless as before however the slightest downward twitch at the corners of his lips forces Chanyeol's hairs to stand on end. "Oh, I don't think so," he grits out. "You are hereby stripped of your rank and title. I am the only Captain aboard this ship."

Chanyeol has never heard anything so ridiculous. This stranger, who had accidentally abducted him, has the audacity to act as though he possesses the authority needed to lower his status and is crazy enough to believe that his captive would take such a ludicrous decision sitting down. He can't help the scoff that leaves his lips at the man's arrogance, eyes rolling in disbelief.

Baekhyun's jaw clenches but Chanyeol doesn't care. He will not be belittled like this and refuses to be tyrannised by a man he is easily a head taller than.

"On what grounds? With what authority?" He stands up now, towering over the smaller male who doesn't even bat an eyelash. His captor's eyes swim with suppressed rage, simmering and threatening to spill over the brim, pressure building up under the surface, waiting for an opportunity to blow. Chanyeol, though a usually carefree man, has faced his share of arrogant men who think they can walk all over him. He was raised to not take any of their derision and taught how to put those who stray back in their place without resorting to the usage of violence, but with a mere lash of his tongue which he finds is all the more powerful. "You're a mere pirate," he spits out the word with such disgust he almost deludes himself to thinking he sees Baekhyun flinch, "You have hardly even earned your title."

He expects the second set of knuckles today to pummel into his face, knows Baekhyun is desperately thinking about doing such a thing by the way his pretty fingers twitch. He doubts such a small fist would make much of an impact. But the blow never comes, instead, those orbs of steel close for a second whilst their owner lets out a low chuckle. A ing laugh. Chanyeol has never felt so insulted in his life. The laugh is not one of mirth, but of cold, lifeless mocking.

"You don't know yet, do you?" Chanyeol now concludes the warm, saccharine quality that had laced the shorter's voice earlier was nothing but a trick of the ear. There is nothing warm about this man. He chooses not to reply and instead schools an impassive look of his own across his features; two can play this game.

Captain Byun turns on his heel ever so gracefully, making the mere act of walking over to the drawn, velvet curtains an art form. He looks over his shoulder, lips settled in the most unsettling of smirks as he pulls back the magenta fabric in one fluid motion. Outside the uncovered window is nothing but a stretch of darkness that Chanyeol fails to see the significance in. He crosses his arms across his chest, foot tapping impatiently against the ground as his gaze flickers between the window and the male leaning against it, hips cocked and eyebrows arched.

"So? It's night. Is this all you wanted to show me?" Chanyeol tries to suppress the shiver that runs down every vertebra of his spine when that same dry laugh spills from the pirate's lips.

"Come closer, why don't you, Park?" Baekhyun doesn't motion for him to move, his eyes compel him to instead while his arms cross in a much more relaxed mirror of Chanyeol's own defensive stance. The taller male tries to keep his expressions blank and unimpressed as he takes slow steps towards the window. With every move he makes, he sees nothing change in the view outside the glass other than the sight of inky darkness and a few stars that twinkle in the distance. And that is what unsettles him. There are no jagged outlines of any clouds painted dark in the night nor is there a moon, glowing pale in the sky, its twin manifested in the reflection of rippling waters below. It is a sight that he has grown accustomed to viewing every night from the Meridia, it is a sight that he knows should be visible from every corner of the seven seas, however it is not here. No; all Park Chanyeol sees is a large stretch of nothingness.

The awareness hits the taller male like a thunder bolt. He now finally begins to understand why he hadn't been feeling those familiar pangs of seasickness or the gentle lull of the waves rocking the ship from beneath the hull, both a menace and a comfort. Chanyeol's eyes widen in progression with the realisation that slowly dawns upon him. And then all of a sudden his bravado crumbles and he feels the need to double over, not caused by the feeling of the ship's movement but rather by the feeling of the ship's stillness. You don't feel any movement when you're gliding through the cosmos.

"We are in space now, Park," Baekhyun hisses, seeing the way the man slowly registers the truth of his situation. "This is my territory. I have all the authority in the universe out here."

//

Sometimes Baekhyun misses it. The life he used to have, I mean.

When he slides into his bed after a long day, muscles unwinding and thoughts ceasing, sometimes he will stare up at the ceiling and the darkness will merge and morph and manifest into scenes, pictures, images under the influence of fatigue and insanity. Sometimes he will think of home, sometimes he will imagine himself back on Meridia, back out sailing the high seas where he belongs. Sometimes he finds himself unable to forage any sense out of the unilluminated nothingness and succumbs to it instead, entering a fitful sleep plagued with dead eyes, wrong decisions and the fading smell of the sea.

Tonight, as he looks up above him into the familiar stretch of pitch black, all he sees are a round pair of eyes blinking down at him. They're not his own, soulless ones. They're his father's eyes: kind, caring, bright. Alive. He'd seen those eyes replicated today. In Chanyeol. In his captive, whose eyes had glared at him, questioned him, tried to figure him out. In those eyes that were so expressive that Baekhyun could decipher his every thought and feeling.

He misses it. He misses feeling, being overwhelmed with emotion and hope and happiness and everything that once made him human. He misses how he used to be before life had thrown its obstacles at him, each blow delivered molding him into a hollow shell of the boy he once was. Now all he feels is resentment and emptiness. It consumes him, you see, he has no time to feel anything else.

In a way, he is almost jealous of Chanyeol. Chanyeol breathes in air and breathes out life. Chanyeol lives while Baekhyun is suffocated from the inside out by the monsters that feed off what's left of his soul.

//

Chanyeol doesn't remember him, he concludes in a half asleep haze. It's ok, because sometimes Baekhyun can't remember himself either.

//

Kyungsoo drops by his cell the next morning. Or maybe it's night, you can never be too sure when you're out in space.

He is startled awake by the sound of a door crashing against the wall as it is almost ripped off its hinges. "Rise and shine, sleeping ugly," the raven haired man sing songs, tearing the thin blanket off Chanyeol's stirring figure. He'd finally given sleeping on the metal framed bed a try as a way to comfort himself from the events of yesterday. The man groans at the sudden loss of what little warmth he had been able to salvage during the night. "Captain says you're to no longer be confined in your little cell. Said it wasn't good for the health."

The prisoner perks up at this, suddenly fully awake. He immediately sits upright, staring incredulously at the beady eyed male whose presence in the already stuffy room makes it seem acres smaller. "You mean he's letting me go?" Chanyeol asks with a raised eyebrow, cautiously accepting the pile of neatly folded clothes that Kyungsoo s under his nose. A plain white linen shirt and some black slacks.

Great - now he's trying to get him to dress like a pirate.

"I can go home?"

The corners of Kyungsoo's lips quirk up ever so slightly and Chanyeol deflates. He's got his answer.

"You know we can't let you go so easily, sea legs. Captain has, however, allowed you to walk around and roam the Exodus as you please so long as you don't cause no trouble." The shorter male informs him with a simple shrug of his shoulders before breezing past him, busying himself with stripping the bed bare. Chanyeol doesn't try to stop him, choosing to stare at the pirate in bewilderment instead.

"And why would they expect me not to cause any trouble? I am a wrongly kidnapped captive thirsty for revenge after all." He is almost offended at the scoff Kyungsoo supplies him.

"Well, you're effectively a fish out of water here in space. You've hardly got anywhere to run." The man motions for the displaced Captain to follow him as he promptly leaves the cell, bundle of sheets cuddled up in his arms. "You've also barely got any guts to even throw or take a single punch, so no one particularly sees you as a threat."

Ok. Now Chanyeol's offended. That fight with Jongdae was a one time thing. He'd been distracted by the man's awesome cheekbones. People should let it go. He can't relay any of this vital information to the owl eyed miscreant, unfortunately, as he is almost several paces ahead despite being substantially shorter in height in comparison to Chanyeol. Only a few short wheezes leave the latter's lips as he makes an effort to keep up.

"And besides, sea legs," Kyungsoo adds, his eyes tingeing violet. "You're the Captain's last hope." Chanyeol tries to convince himself it was just a trick of the light.

"Last hope?" The taller male's eyebrows jump up to his hairline. "What makes you say that?"

They walk up the same flight of stairs from yesterday into the main body of the ship, turning left down a corridor before they stop by a pair of large double doors. "The Captain's been trying to track your father down for quite some time now. He thinks you might be able to lead us to him. Or bring him to us."

"And what exactly does he want from my father?" Kyungsoo doesn't answer him, instead fishing out a bunch of shining keys attached to a keyring of a childish penguin character before using a copper one to unlock the door, inserting it into the keyhole. The door soundlessly swings open to reveal a decent sized bedroom with the entire far wall made up of glass and furnished with a double bed, a dresser and a desk.

"The Captain has asked for this to be your new room, since it looks like you may be staying with us for a while because we are unable to get in contact with your father-"

"Kyungsoo," Chanyeol levels a glowering look at the said man, spare clothes clutched in his tight grip. He is met with an unwavering gaze that once again flashes violet. It was no trick of the light. "What does your Captain want with my father?"

Kyungsoo counters his authoritative and steady tone with a coquettish smirk.

"Well, that, you're going to have to ask the Captain yourself."

//

Growing up, Chanyeol had always idolised his father. He looked up to the man who, in his eyes, was strong, successful, brave; everything Chanyeol had ever wanted to be. Everything he was told he would become. His father had roamed the seven seas his entire life, garnered wealth and status beyond imagination and yet always made it known that his son was his top priority. He'd taught him how to sail a boat, how to woo the ladies and how to keep all the men beneath him in their places. He had moulded Chanyeol into the man he is today.

( Chanyeol had never met his mother, he was said to have been the product of a one night stand but only having one parental figure never bothered him much. He didn't need anyone else. )

The navy Captain lets out a wistful sigh as he draws the curtains over the windows that look out into bleak emptiness, still unable to get used to his new surroundings. In space, there is no morning, only night. The once beautiful sun that washed the skies in its twilight hues to symbolise the start of a new day back on Earth is seen as nothing but a ball of burning gas.

Similarly, the hero he has always looked up to, the one who had always protected and loved him, is seen as nothing but an antagonist on this ship, a dim, tainted reflection of the noble image Chanyeol associates him with. And he is determined to find out why.

//

Captain Byun is hunched over a large desk when Chanyeol pokes his head in, freshly dressed in a new set of clean linens. The piece of furniture is pressed against the glass windows that take over the expanse of an entire wall, similar to Chanyeol's own layout though much grander. Caliginous eyes trace over the lines and labels of a large map that stretches all the way across the wooden desk; studying, searching, calculating. His lower lip colours sorely from its place between his teeth in an act of concentration and anxiety.

"Baekhyun?" the visitor calls out, deep voice cutting through palpable silence. His tongue fumbles awkwardly around the name but he cannot bring himself to address the male as anything more respectful. 'Captain' sounds wrong. 'Captor' sounds like a death wish. The sudden noise must have taken the man aback for he whips his head around to shoot the intruder a disgruntled look. After spending all day cooped up in his room with nothing but the sound of his own heartbeat for his ears to occupy themselves with, he must find the sound of another human unfamiliar. His expression quickly settles back into one of irritation at being disturbed when Chanyeol fully invites himself into his room, sealing the door closed with a soft click.

The new presence within the Captain's chambers leans the expanse of his body back against the shut entrance. "May I have a word?" he asks, lips pulling into a small smile though he's not really giving the other much of a choice on the matter.

Baekhyun does not think to return the gesture and instead continues to leer at him. "Make it quick, scallywag, I'm busy."

Chanyeol quirks an eyebrow at the term, thinking that the Captain could have definitely mustered up a more potent insult than that. "Scallywag?" he scoffs, before shooting back, "If anyone's a scallywag here it should be you, considering the organisation you and your pirate friends are running here."

Baekhyun's glare darkens, this time spinning his entire body around to face him before leaning back against his desk, arms crossing over his chest. "Did you just come in here to insult me?" It doesn't sound very much like a question when he spits it out like that, Chanyeol thinks. "You're lucky we haven't just killed you off by now, you're a useless piece of scum to us anyways. A complete waste of space."

The taller's lashes sweep up as he blinks at the male situated across the room from him, a smirk settling on his features despite being subjected to Baekhyun's brutal words. The space between them seems to stretch light years. "Useless? That's not what I've been hearing. Quite the opposite in fact."

Baekhyun takes a second to reply, unrelenting gaze probing at the other male. Chanyeol would normally find himself fighting the urge to look away from those deep orbs, emptiness illuminated by the fire within him, but today he almost feels at ease under his gaze.

"What is it you want to say, Park? Spit it out. I'm busy."

"The name's Captain Park, thank you very much, Baekhyun. Or just Chanyeol if you must. This is the last time I will repeat myself."

Last night, when the two Captains had to suffer through each other's company, butting heads for longer than they'd sit down and pick away at their food, Chanyeol had felt as if he were cornered prey, however it seems they are currently experiencing a pleasant role reversal. He almost lets himself believe that he has the upper hand.

( But he can never have the upper hand. Baekhyun will always have it, always wrench it from his grasp, always have him guessing, wondering. )

"Chanyeol," the dark haired pirate rasps out, eyes narrowing dangerously. Said man still allows his heart to stutter at the sound of his name being called. "What do you want?"

No more games now, he tells himself, he fears if he leaves it too late he will never get his answer. "You were looking for my father, right? Still are, I presume." He registers a million different thoughts flashing through Baekhyun eyes as another silence stretches out between them, though his face remains stoic. This is the first time Chanyeol has ever been able to read the man. The first time he's ever let his guard slip. "Why?"

Chanyeol's voice seems to jolt him out of his thoughts and within a second flat, his walls are back up. His lips part, preparing to let out the single reply that was selected out of a million different possible responses.

"I have a debt to repay him."

It is an unsatisfying answer that has Chanyeol's expression hardening, his brows furrowing and mouth turning grim.

"A debt? Didn't think that pirates were the type of people to go hunting others down just to pay them back money-"

Baekhyun scoffs loudly. He wasn't aware that the man he had abducted was such an imbecile. "I'm not going through all this trouble just to pay him back for any money he might have lent me." His teeth grit and his hands come down to grip onto the edge of the desk, knuckles blanching. "I'm paying him back for everything that he has taken from me."

"Taken from you? What could he have possibly taken from you-"

"You don't remember me do you, Park Chanyeol?" Baekhyun asks, his head tilting a little to the side. He knows the answer, they both know, judging by the way Chanyeol starts to rack his brain, every nook and cranny of his memory, in order to recall even a trace of the boy.

'Byun Baekhyun...Byun Baekhyun...Byun Baekhyun...'

He seems to give up after a few minutes, youthful features forming a clueless expression. "Should I?"

Baekhyun almost seems disappointed, Chanyeol notes, eyeing the way the former's lips press together in a tight, hard line. He is too. How could ever have forgotten such a troubled gaze?

"No, I don't suppose you should. Don't suppose you would've even known about my existence. Why would the Captain's precious son have noticed a poor old swab boy?"

"What are you talking about?" Confusion is the only thing that's running through the fiery haired man's mind.

He inhales deeply before reciting his story. "My father and I worked on the Meridia. It was our home. I grew up there just as you did, only we co-existed under different circumstances and definitely didn't run around in the same circles." The taller's brows join together in bewilderment yet his mouth stays firmly closed, unable to even process this new information, let alone speak. Baekhyun forces out a bone chilling laugh in his expense. "Do you know how your father treated us, Chanyeol? Like vermin."

Chanyeol knew, of course he knew, but his father had always told him that it was the way things should be done to keep everyone in their places so nothing were to disrupt the natural order of hierarchy between the upper and lower classes. He'd never particularly agreed with it, of course, and took to treating his own workers with as much respect as possible so long as they treated him in the same way when he himself had become a Captain.

"But Baekhyun, that isn't really a good enough reason to be seeking revenge-'

"Do you think I don't know that? I am not a petty man, Park. My motives are deeply rooted," Baekhyun's gaze shoot daggers that pierce right through him. The hatred in his voice cuts even deeper. "Now get out of my room. Why don't you try to make yourself useful and get in contact with that of a father of yours-"

"Byun Baekhyun, you watch your tongue, that's my father you're talking about," Chanyeol growls out, the look in his eyes ablaze, matching Baekhyun's own as the two bodies take synchronised, menacing steps closer. Two comets sharing a single collision course. In their meeting, only chaos and disaster could ensue.

"Oh right, your hero of a father," his tone is nothing but derisive. He locks his jaw tightly, teeth grinding together as he tries to keep the unwanted memories at bay. "You were always a daddy's boy, Chanyeol." The latter's nostrils flare and that is all the warning Baekhyun gets before his captive is closing the distance between them with a few quick strides and grabbing a fistful of his shirt. As he pulls him up onto his tiptoes to glare down at him, Baekhyun hardly even flinches, too distracted by the red clouding over his vision and resentment pounding through his veins.

"You've no right to be speaking ill of the man who gave you a place to stay, gave you a reason to live, gave you an opportunity to escape your wretched life on the mainland. That's why you and your father came on the expedition, right? Because your lives were so before that you needed an escape, " the son roars, sticking up for his father's defamed honor, trying to teach the insolent, ungrateful man in his grasp a lesson. Baekhyun merely rolls his eyes skywards at his efforts.

"I'm so ing thankful," his tone screams sarcasm, perfectly timing a verbal jab at the same time as a physical one against the other's chest. "That man also ruined my life."

Tightening his grip on the man's shirt, Chanyeol implores him to speak in a way in which he can understand, searching into those bottomless eyes for some sort of explanation. All he sees are more and more secrets and repressed words. "Baekhyun," it almost sounds like a plea. Their noses bump against each other but neither recoil. Fire meets fire in an intense battle of locked gazes, merging into one raging inferno that envelops them both in a fervent heat. "What are you talking about-"

This is where Baekhyun seems to snap. All of a sudden, a million and one emotions unravel in his eyes, too fast and too many for Chanyeol to decrypt. It's as if every single little thing the smaller has ever kept bottled up inside is being unleashed all at once, exploding under the pressure. In this moment he resents Chanyeol more than anyone. He does not get to find bliss in ignorance, he does not get sing someone's praises without knowing all the evil they have committed, he does not get to invalidate Baekhyun's suffering. As if a dam has broken under a doting son's blindness, Baekhyun's inner turmoil floods and drowns everything within reach. Neither party know how to react when such strong barriers come crumbling down.

"The night of the first alien invasions on Earth, your father saved you, right?"

Chanyeol's throat closes up as his gaze scans the elder's face who is looking more and more like a lost boy by the second. "Yes, he'd thought up a plan for us to escape. Unfortunately only we were able to slip away. How did you know-" He is cut off mid sentence by Baekhyun's bitter exhale of dark amusement.

"How can you not know?"

Pure frustration courses through Chanyeol. The inability to get a straight sentence from the man in front of him has him snapping, shaking the shorter's body as if it'll get an answer out of him. "Don't know what, Baekhyun? What aren't you telling me?"

But the man encompassed by physical and mental chains pays him no heed, words now spewing from his lips constantly. Chanyeol had wanted him to talk, but not so meaninglessly. He'd wanted answers yet all he gets is Baekhyun's rambling that's directed more towards himself than anyone else. "Of course he wouldn't tell his own son, otherwise he'd have no one worshipping the ground he walks on. That coward."

"Byun Baekhyun-" The venomous tone in Chanyeol's voice would have taken the elder back if he had even a single scrap of sanity left in him, if he wasn't already on the way to spiralling down a deep pit of self-destruction.

Chanyeol was wrong before; this is when Baekhyun snaps.

The shorter forces him off with such strength that he has the taller reeling backwards from where he came. A slender hand snakes itself around his throat as he stumbles and finds himself once against pressed up against the door, only this time another human body is keeping him in place. One that trembles with fury and pain.

Chanyeol has no right to think he has the upper hand, has no right to be telling Baekhyun what to do, what to think and that what he's doing is wrong when he has lived his entire life being fed from a silver spoon. He has no right to try and understand Baekhyun. Baekhyun already knows what he's doing is wrong, but this is all he can do for his fallen father, all that he can make of his life now that everything he's ever known has fallen apart.

The man with hair the colour of bleak, boundless space is now leaning into Chanyeol, eyes blown wide and voice plagued with the agony of his sullied memories. That same intoxicating scent that invades Chanyeol's body in addition to the shorter man's deranged expression has his breath come out harsh and ragged.

"Your father traded his entire crew in order for your own safety," Baekhyun snarls, fingers digging into the skin of his neck, ripping a hiss from his victim's lips whose eyes tremble. When the new revelation sinks in, it feels as though his entire life has been flipped upside down, a complete 180 turn. "Your father willingly gave away the men who slaved away for him for years. He let those aliens take us away to some dark, dingy space prison where we were to rot for all eternity."

"I-" Chanyeol is unable to say anything so long as Baekhyun's digits continue to cut off circulation. He claws at the man's arm, wheezing and pleading him with his desperate stare to relinquish his hold but Baekhyun is beyond reasoning and only tightens his grip, strengthens his resolve. Pretty lips contort into a scowl while Suffering personifies itself in human form.

"I could kill you right here, right now, Park," he grates out. "A life for life. That's the principle your father seemed to have followed back then. A dozen lives traded for yours and your father's. Seems fair, right? A couple ordinary people sacrificed to sustain the life of one, special little boy and his hero."

Every word is a knife in Chanyeol's chest, bullets launched by the gun that is his captor's mouth. His tongue is a whip that lashes at him and leaves fresh open wounds across his soul. Fear poisons his blood. This deranged man could kill him in a heartbeat. And a part of Chanyeol almost accepts it. He'd always been so thankful towards his father, so in awe of the man who had managed to save him from such a dire situation. His saviour. But he hadn't known at what cost. Now he knows the price of his life and the blood on his hands, it makes his stomach churn as his lungs cry out for breath.

"Your father's actions caused the death of my own," it's the final blow, the arrow that hits home, curving in the air before striking bullseye and implanting itself in the centre of his heart. His words are punctuated by the quiet, yet unmistakable sound of a tired voice cracking. Baekhyun only carries on despite sporting a throat hoarse from constant shouting, eyes red from sleepless nights that plague him and soul exhausted from a lifetime of living whilst only half alive. "Do you not know how that feels? Of course you wouldn't. You have a father. Alive. One who would do anything to ensure your safety. Anything. And I'm going to take advantage of it."

Baekhyun lets him go when black begins to spot his vision and the backs of his own eyes start to prickle. He spins on his heel, turning his back to the man whom he leaves gasping for sweet oxygen that does nothing to soothe his bitter insides.

Seconds go by in sickening silence before Baekhyun staggers back over to his desk, hands clutching onto the edge of it. He looks smaller like this, in Chanyeol's eyes, with his shoulders shaking and the harsh lighting illuminating all the cracks against a porcelain mask. He finally speaks once Chanyeol has calmed his breathing, voice starting off sounding like a feather, soft and quivering as it is shaken by the wind before quickly strengthening until it is pure, fire at his insides. "I will find your father and, so help me Lord, I will get my revenge. I will make him atone for his sins and I will do it without a slither of guilt. Now get the out my room."

He doesn't have to be told twice. Without keeping his eyes off the smaller man's shoulders that slope downwards as if carrying the weight of a thousand planets, Chanyeol hurriedly feels around before finally grasping onto the door handle and stumbling out of the room.

"I'm sorry Baekhyun," he whispers before he leaves. The quiet sound ricochets off the walls and resounds in the man's ears. It is left to linger.

Baekhyun doesn't know why hearing such simple words have his heart feeling lighter than ever, finally allowing him to block out everything else and just breathe. He thinks it's absurd that after years of being consumed by his own demons, it's a simple apology that can make him feel at ease, yet welcomes the feeling anyways.

The door slams shut, leaving the Captain to drown in his own consciousness. He is left alone, knuckles turning white and fingers being crushed under the pressure he exerts upon them as liquid forms of emotion cling to his eyelashes and a storm rages in his heart.

At least he now knows that he's still capable of feeling.

a/n - 

Can I just say how much i love writing thug!jongdae and omg this is 8K

Anyways pls comment, subscribe, upvote and all that good stuff if you enjoyed!