Six years ago...

Captain Lee Hyukjae surveyed the bunch of misfits hankering to join his crew this year. He was down at the wharf, looking over the possible recruits that Minguk cobbled in a short time. It was an annual tradition, the necessary crew changes.

Hyukjae reached the last of the bunch, a short boy with a timid air. While Hyukjae himself wasn't very tall, the boy was shorter than him by a few centimeters, and the timid air around him wasn't helping. But despite that, the boy was striking for being handsomely beautiful - the trace of dirt on his face and shirt and the unkempt dyed red hair didn't hide the fact that the boy had beautiful features.

"What's your name, boy?" he asked in his naturally gruff tone. Hyukjae marveled at the way the boy flinched before forcing himself to squeak out, "Ai-Aiden, sir!"

"Well, AiAiden," Hyukjae uncharacteristically teased. "What brings you to the Silver Jewel?"

Aiden blushed, particularly since he wasn't told the ship's blond captain was this charismatic. And that his nervousness was making him appear foolish. "I'm here to join your crew, sir!" He enthusiastically yelled, to Hyukjae's surprise.

"Wow, you actually have a sturdy set of lungs there."

"Stop teasing the guy, Hyukjae," Minguk said as he spat and threw the toothpick into the water. "Besides, he's the same age as you."

"What?! This guy?" Hyukjae further scrutinized the guy, looking him up and down, even went around him while Aiden's gaze nervously followed in his direction. The smaller guy flinched when Hyukjae just reached out and grabbed him on the upper arm.

"He's too timid and soft," Hyukjae declared. "He'll only be good as a scrub - even the other monkeys are sturdier than him."

"I-I work hard! And I'm not lazy - not choosy about the work! I have no problem riding in the air or water."

Hyukjae had to begrudgingly admit the guy had a point - in their world of oceans and sky cities, there are a number of those who are either seasick or acrophobic or both.

But.

"So why are you prowling the less-than-favorable corners of this waterlogged world in search for a job, huh?" Hyukjae may have asked that lightly but as a pirate captain, he has a lot of things to be careful about, not the least of which are new recruits, never mind if he can't really afford to be choosy.

He was intrigued, though, at the look of consternation on Aiden's face. "Got thrown out the last ship not knowing the difference between a wing and a sail."

Aiden did say that in a low voice, just meant for the captain's ears, but as the wind would have it, carried the sound to all that could possibly hear it. Hyukjae, Minguk, the nearest crew and recruits all laughed. Of course, each man turned to the next guy and relayed Aiden's answer.

Aiden was still red in the ears and face as Hyukjae sobered, being the only one to hear Aiden mutter, "Sail away, fly away, what's the difference?"

"And pray tell who's the good captain who threw you out? Just for reference, mind you, in case you managed to sink his ship..."

"Lee Donghae."

Fast as Aiden gave him a good laugh, that name was equally fast in darkening Hyukjae's mood. Aiden's eyes widened in fear as he found himself getting hauled up by the front of his ratty shirt, the captain's lanky frame belying a strength that easily lifted Aiden a few inches off the ground.

"Don't think me too simple, boy," Hyukjae's hot breath seared Aiden's neck and ear. "Mention that name again and I'll cut your tongue out." And as if inspecting an interesting specimen, Hyukjae cocked his head to the side, according Aiden a searing look from head to toe. Of course, Aiden wasn't even dimly aware, still choking in Hyukjae's hold.

Hyukjae dropped him the next instant, leaving the boy sprawled and gasping for air on the planks. "I'd be a terrible captain if I believed all the tall tales I hear. What makes you think a mercenary captain would take on a fool in the first place?"

Then he pointed up the side of the Silver Jewel, a stretch of black on bent metal that any sailor worth his salt would recognize as a ballistics scar. "That is courtesy of the Silver Wings, not even two weeks ago. Think I appreciate hearing that merc's name at this time?"

Aiden flinched at the steely anger in Hyukjae's voice, still nursing his abused throat. He was also mentally beating himself up for botching his chance to join Hyukjae's crew. So he was surprised at Hyukjae's next words.

"Alright, welcome aboard. Minguk will see to your assignment."

--------

Hyukjae left the main cabin to find Aiden standing at an intersection, his back towards Hyukjae, looking lost. Hyukjae scowled, since this area was restricted, and for a supposedly experienced shipman, Aiden has a tendency to get lost anywhere in the ship.

"What're you doing here?" he gruffly asked.

Aiden whirled around so suddenly, almost giving Hyukjae a heart attack seeing his favorite pot of hot choco wobbling dangerously on the tray Aiden was holding. The scrub recovered beautifully, to Hyukjae's relief.

"Captain! Graces I found you!" The flustered crewman was ing a piece of note onto him. "Galley told me to deliver to the Captain's cabin but the guards won't let me through nor take the pot, saying I'm to take it to the main cabin."

Aiden looked about to cry, knowing full well he wasn't allowed in this area but there were surprisingly no guards, and he couldn't go back to Galley without delivering the drink as he has been told the Captain needs it at all costs.

"Aish, buckle up." Hyukjae could spot a hazing, and it was this runt's misfortune to be it this week, being one of the new guys. Last week it was that gangly Danubian who was made to run all over the place, now it was Aiden's.

"Main cabin's there," he jerked a thumb towards his back. "Captain's cabin is through starboard aft that way." But he could tell Aiden wasn't even absorbing the instruction, the way his head swiveled every which way opposite where Hyukjae was pointing. How much an airhead is this guy?

Aiden got a knock on the head for wrongly answering the direction of the galley when Hyukjae spot-quizzed him about it, making Hyukjae wonder how Aiden even made it to this part of the ship. The guy just made a face at being hit, but surprisingly didn't react more violently. Everyone else fought back when Hyukjae did so, him being the captain notwithstanding.

"Sorry, Captain," Aiden just rubbed where he was hit, following Hyukjae back to the Captain's cabin, still carrying the pot of hot choco. "I mean, I haven't been in a ship this big - memorizing where everywhere is... is taking a bit more time," he added faintly, placing the tray on Hyukjae's table, before he stepped back and smartly saluted, then stood in attention for Hyukjae's orders.

While Hyukjae's eyebrows were still raised from that answer, he refrained from voicing his thoughts. It had come up that Aiden previously served aboard a trawler ship, so Hyukjae could understand how that ship's layout was way simpler than the Silver Jewel's.

He was sitting on his chair behind the captain's table, silently serving himself a cup of hot choco and noting with amusement Aiden's distracted look at the view behind him. Hyukjae's crew had the same look one time or another whenever they got to step into Hyukjae's quarters.

He chose his quarters to be situated at the back of the ship, taking advantage of open views on three sides of the ship. The current deck is where his office is, the upper deck his living quarters. He pretty much knew what Aiden is seeing at the view behind him, and precisely why he chose these quarters, never mind how least defensible it was. After the daily grind in captaining a ship of a hundred or so crew, the solitude and panoramic views from his quarters afforded him a much-needed recharge.

"Find Commander Seo for me, will you, before you head back to galley," Hyukjae ordered Aiden after he was sure Aiden had sufficiently loitered enough admiring the view from Hyukjae's office.

"Aye, Captain!" Aiden executed that cadet-smart salute again, clipping his heels together as he stood in attention before raising his right hand to his brows and bringing it down before turning and striding out of Hyukjae's cabin.

Hyukjae just shook his head, recalling how Minguk had taken to teasing him about Aiden's tendency to salute at every officer he came across, never mind if he is now serving aboard a pirate ship where officer protocol tend to be a bit loose. But they all could see how that habit was ingrained in Aiden, never mind the unkempt recruit they saw down the wharf less than a week ago.

Nobody saw the sure steps Aiden took once he was out of Hyukjae's cabin, not even getting lost on his way to the forward top deck, where he knew the brash Minguk, aka Commander Seo, would be manning the bridge if the Captain is somewhere else on the ship.

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