“Minho? Come see me”

Those few words were enough to leave him scared and breathless. He had been talking with a few of his crewmates when the captain gave him a nod and pointed towards the door to his office. He and Taemin were so careful, not letting themselves come too close to each other or look at each other in a way that could be interpreted differently.

When Minho entered the office the captain was looking out the window at the busy pirates working on the deck. He seemed like he didn’t even acknowledge Minho’s arrival at first but soon he started speaking without moving his gaze away from the window.

“You and Taemin…” he started, the long pause killing Minho internally. So he noticed. He was ready to talk back, ready to fight if he had to but when the captain turned around to face him, his face was long and eyes seemed… worried? Minho pressed his lips in a tight line and simply waited for the captain to continue. “I don’t think anyone else noticed, don’t worry. But Taemin… He is so much brighter now. He finally smiles honestly and I’ve never seen him like that…” the captain smiled fondly but there was still a tinge of worry and sadness in the tone of his voice. He sat down at his desk and moved his hand to tell Minho to do the same. They sat in silence for a while that felt like eternity when in fact it lasted barely a few minutes.

“You need to understand, Minho, that Taemin is different than the others. He is almost like a son to me. He was still so young when I took him in and I dearly care about him” the captain explained finally, his chubby fingers tapping the desk in a nervous manner. No captain nor pirate found it easy to speak about emotions. They were avoiding them like black holes. “What I meant to say though… Take care of him”

Minho was shocked and his eyes widened in disbelief. He supposed, hell, he knew that the captain would tell him to cut off all relationships with Taemin if he was in a good mood. Otherwise he would just kick him out to the endless vacuum to freeze to death within seconds. But telling him to look after Taemin?

“I’m sorry, what?” he had to make sure.

“I am asking you to protect Taemin. He is strong on the outside and acts like he knows everything but… He is something else” the captain hummed, one of his big pointy ears twitching slightly. It was the first time that Minho saw the captain so vulnerable in the short time that he had stayed on the ship. He was always calm, stern but understanding, a very good captain in Minho’s opinion. But right now Minho was facing something else – not a captain, but a living creature with its feelings and worries.

Minho gave him a short nod, a mutual pact between two captains signed with a deep gaze. “Yes, sir” Minho added before standing up and leaving the office. Taemin was already waiting outside for him, throwing his pocket knife up and down in the air like he always did when bored or when he didn’t know what to do with his fingers. Something twinkled in his eyes when he noticed Minho coming out of the room before they got nervous and his smile faltered a bit.

“Everything alright?” Taemin asked and threw his knife up not too high while waiting for Minho to speak. But his hands shook so much that Minho should have predicted what happened next – the knife missed his fingers and instead cut the inside of his palm with the sharp blade. Taemin let out a silent hiss of pain and took a hold of his wrist, watching the deep red blood dripping one drop after the other onto the floor.

“Come” Minho acted quickly, not letting his own worry come to surface. It was just a cut, but it wasn’t what his mind was wrapped up around in that moment. Taemin stayed silent all the way to Minho’s cabin, simply squeezing his wrist to try and stop the bleeding. “You should be more careful, knives are not toys you know?” Minho kneeled down in front of Taemin after seating him down on his bed. The man sent him a small playful smile but Taemin still seemed like he was deeply thinking about something else. Minho didn’t press though and instead focused on the cut, wrapping the bandage one loop after the other. He could hae used any of the medical supplies that they had that were much more sufficient than plain bandage but there was something about it and the whole process of wrapping it around carefully that he found fascinating and calming.

“I wanted to ask you something for a long time” Minho decided to change the topic, his eyes still focused on his task, taking his time. “Are you human? I mean, you look like one but those lines…” Minho motioned to the boy’s face, noticing a slight twitch of the corner of his lips as if it was a touchy topic. It could have been, so Minho quickly added that Taemin didn’t have to answer the question.

“No, it’s alright…”

Minho tied a knot, careful not to hurt Taemin even more. Maybe it was silly but he raised the hand and kissed the covered cut gently, hoping that it would heal better like this. That simple gesture seemed to awaken Taemin from his thoughts.

“I am not fully human… My father was a human, but my mother…”

Taemin was speaking with a constricted throat so Minho rubbed his thumb over the boy’s wrist to give him a little bit of comfort. Taemin stood up then and took off his shirt and at first Minho found himself getting warmer and excited but later on his eyes got as wide as half of his face and he fell backwards from his kneeling position.

Right behind Taemin a set of two huge wings spread out and moved a few times before gently lowering themselves to his sides. They looked like made of feathers but more silky, reflecting the artificial light of the room. Their pearly white colour was as pure as the colour of his hair. Minho couldn’t utter even one word, couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing right in front of himself.

“My mother was a Valkyrie” Taemin explained, touching his right wing. Just now Minho noticed that the lines covering the right half of Taemin’s face continued down to his neck and then back, spreading across the right wing. It was a simple yet complicated pattern, like a maze of sort and Minho couldn’t stop staring.

“A Valkyrie?” Minho finally stuttered out, not even able to blink once. His eyes were glued to the beauty in front of him; Taemin seemed to be glowing with the white hair and wings and paleness of his skin. Minho finally understood what Taemin had just told him and he furrowed his brows in confusion. “Aren’t they like… Some mythical creatures?” he whispered softly, still in a daze. Taemin let out some kind of a mad grunt before hiding the wings behind himself, away from Minho’s curious eyes.

“I knew you would say that. That’s what humans like to think”

Minho kept looking at Taemin deep in thought as he tried to remember what he knew about the Valkyries. His father always told him all those stories, myths and whatnot and that’s where most of Minho’s knowledge came from.

“I’m sorry I thought…” Minho focused even harder with his brow furrowed when trying to recollect all of his memories into one solid story. “I’ve been told they were mounting winged horses… Beautiful female warriors…” Minho found himself mumbling when Taemin’s stare nearly bore a hole in his skull.

“Well, they had wings of their own.”

The room got silent but the air was stuffy, with the unwind anger and untold apologies. Taemin focused on his wing, gently caressing it’s feathers back in place to calm down. He wasn’t completely sure why he was feeling like this in the first place but it always hurt him when someone thought of him as something ‘mythical’. He decided Minho deserved an explanation anyway so he sat down in front of him, covering his own upper body with the huge wings.

“They died because of humans. That’s why they created those silly stories and called them mythical – to get rid of the guilt. If a mythical creature dies, no one feels bad about it, right?” Taemin chuckled dryly but didn’t push Minho’s hand away when he reached out to hold his wrist, egging him to continue the story. “There are not many Valkyries left. That’s why I keep it a secret”

Minho could only imagine how Taemin must have felt, especially with ignorant people like him still around. Living a secret, as huge as this one must have been so difficult and exhausting and Minho felt even more guilty for not noticing it so far. He decided to keep his eyes glued to the pale skin of Taemin’s wrist, drawing soothing circles on top of it because he could feel there was more that the boy wanted to share but just needed some reassurance.

“The pirates found my family. We were trying to be careful for my mother’s sake but got caught anyway. I don’t know what happened to her, probably got sold off for millions. Father was desperate enough to cut off my wings just to save me from the same misery but he didn’t get a chance” Taemin’s voice grew more and more silent and it looked like he had to spit the words out because they were stuck in his throat. "I was shanghaied aboard the ship because I was small and could fly - they used me for stealth. They treated me like a dog, with a collar and zapping. I was ready to kill myself but our captain arrived” a soft smile appeared on Taemin’s face and after his talk with the captain Minho could understand why the boy was so fond of him. It was almost like a father-son relationship. He let Taemin continue with his story anyway, not wanting him to find out about the topic of their talk.

“At first I was sure my torture will continue, just on a different ship, but the captain freed me from the collar. You shouldn't wear it either” Taemin finally looked up at Minho before scooting closer and reaching out to unclasp the collar from around his neck. He was in charge of guarding Minho anyway and in their current relationship he thought he already had enough power over the man even without this device. Minho showed  him a sympathetic smile when running his fingers gently over the purple and redish lines circling around Taemin's neck. He hoped that those were only scars and they didn't hurt Taemin anymore but he knew it was wishful thinking. Scars like those never healed.

“I’m glad you shared it with me” Minho moved his gaze from the bruises to Taemin’s shining, scared eyes. It was a huge token of trust, the fact that he shared his biggest secret, a precious one that could literally cost his life if Minho decided to share it. He still couldn’t fathom how the boy could trust him so deeply after all he’d been through but one thing was certain - he wasn't going to betray his trust.

After he grew closer to Taemin, Minho noticed even more details about Kibum and Jonghyun. They would let their fingers linger for a millisecond too long when passing documents to each other. Jonghyun would leave the deck first before Kibum followed him after taking a cautious look around. Minho wondered if he and Taemin were as obvious or maybe no one else noticed a thing. He took a glance over his glass of alcohol at Taemin who chatted with the captain at the other side of the long table. It was a day off and the whole crew got drunk and merry, dancing around in a mix of songs sung in foreign languages. With the help of alcohol though everyone seemed to understand each other just fine.

It’s been a few weeks since Minho had found out about Taemin’s origins. He tried to educate himself about the topic but Taemin didn’t seem too eager to answer his questions and the data on their computers on the Valkyries had been wiped out probably by the captain himself. All he knew was that everything he’d been told earlier was bull.

Minho was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Taemin sauntering closer to him and leaning against the table right at his side.

“Aye, captain” he grinned at him, a few loose strands of white hair covering his face as he tilted his head. He wasn’t drunk; Minho had seen enough drunktards in his life to know it. “Can I join you?”

“Can you?” Minho smiled because Taemin’s question was rhetorical. He would sit with him no matter the answer. As predicted, Taemin slipped into a seat at Minho’s side and glanced at him after taking a sip.

“Our captain really likes you. He keeps praising you”

“Too bad I’m still a mere deckie” Minho acted offended when taking another gulp of the alcohol and Taemin only chuckled. They sat in silence, listening to the mix of voices and languages and brushing hands under the table, away from the curious eyes that were now too busy following the lyrics racing through the big screen. Minho didn’t really mind spending the rest of his life like this. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t a captain anymore. He didn’t even need his own spaceship as long as he could be with Taemin, hiding or not. It was the first time that he felt this serene and calm yet worried at the same time and this constant mix of contraries made him feel alive like nothing else.

“Hey” Minho whispered in Taemin’s ear when the captain joined the rest of the crew in the ‘who-can-sing-louder’ game and everyone forgot about their existence. The boy hummed in reply, letting their fingers lock under the table. “How about we disappear?”

Taemin shot him a very quick glance before standing up and pulling Minho behind himself, laughing when they ran along the empty metal hallways. The emergency red lights were on to conserve the power which only added to the atmosphere, making it look like they were the only two souls on this huge spaceship. Minho gently pressed Taemin to the cold glass that separated them from the millions of stars before he kissed him like there was no tomorrow. They took their time, with Taemin’s fingers in between Minho’s hair and Minho’s hand resting on the other’s hip. The languid kiss ended faster than any of them wished but the need of air was stronger. Minho looked at his lover carefully, taking in every detail of his face in the dim red light and the cold glim of stars: the patterns on the right side of his face seemed to be lazily moving, like a queue of geometrical emblems following one another, his eyes stared right back at him, so clear yet distant, as if Minho was the only one able to see right through them and no one else.

“You’re beautiful” Minho whispered, moving his fingers along the lines, one of his favourite things to do when they were alone.

“Wait until you see me ” the glint in Taemin’s eye held so many promises and Minho thought that the blur right after it was him dreaming but when he held onto Taemin’s hips tightly as he moved on top of him with his wings shaking in pleasure, Minho knew that it was real and Taemin was right. He was the most beautiful .

There were many times when Minho was afraid that it was too good to be true and their bubble of happiness was going to be popped sooner or later. After his night with Taemin he finally realised how very important and precious the boy was to him and, although he was happy to have found someone like that, he was also afraid that he would lose him if he wasn’t careful enough.

Their cruise was mainly eventless, with a few raids here and there when Minho could see Taemin in action. He was really good at being stealthy and many times they were able to steal without even getting noticed. Some may say that it wasn’t how the pirates worked, but did they see the full pockets of diamonds that Taemin brought back?

Minho paid more attention to the other crew members, even tried to learn a few basic phrases in the languages that would probably sound like broken cassettes or chalk on board for ordinary humans. He also paid attention to the way Jonghyun looked at Taemin, but he never confronted him about it. He decided he and Jonghyun were already risking a lot with romantic relationships aboard the ship and they didn’t need more than that. How wrong was he though.

Taemin and Minho were busy in the server and maintenance room as always, passing computer parts and stealing innocent pecks from time to time when the alarm went off with a loud signal. They looked at each other confused before reaching for the guns and blades that were useful in a close combat. As they ran upstairs, many other members joined them before they got to the main deck and saw that they had been in fact attacked. Pirates from a different ship quickly aimed their guns at them as they surfaced from under the deck and Minho noticed something that drained all the blood from his face - Kibum was held captive with a gun pressed to his temple, with a distressed Jonghyun just a few steps away. Everyone seemed confused but to Minho, who already noticed their relationship, everything was clear.

Jonghyun looked around at the circle of his fellows before his eyes laid on Taemin and he quickly shook his head with tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry Taemin, I had to!”

The guy who held Kibum only pressed the gun harder to his temple, blinking his huge lizard-like eyes and his lips as if getting ready to devour his prey. Minho quickly connected the puzzles and so seemed the captain when he screamed ‘run!’ before disarming one of the enemies. Soon a fired gun echoed against the metal walls and Kibum fell down dead, with Jonghyun holding onto his body desperately in the fits of sobbed “you promised not to kill him!”. Minho didn’t have time to think how Jonghyun found out that Taemin was a half-Valkyrie or if he spilled the secret only to save Kibum or to get money. He didn’t have time to care about the captain or another crew members when the guns fired from everywhere around them. He only had time to pull Taemin behind himself under the deck, shooting occasionally at the foes who went in after them.

“What the hell was that?!” Taemin screamed, facing Minho and shooting at the huge one-eyed pirate behind his back. “How does he know?!”

“Does it matter now?!”

Taemin set his jaw and turned around, pressing his back to Minho’s and killing one enemy after the other. Not so many followed them to begin with and within the narrow hallways it was much easier to aim and corner the enemies but at the same time they were closeted away as well. They had been backing up further and further down the hallway, passing one room after the other when Minho got an idea. He wasn’t ready to risk everything like Kibun and Jonghyun and he definitely didn’t want to be put in Jonghyun’s place or, even worse, having Taemin to choose between him and himself. There was only one way to avoid that and no matter how painful it was, it had to be done.

“Get in!” Minho screamed, following Taemin inside the room before blocking the door from the inside. There was no use of the computer now, as the whole ship was in an emergency mode so he had to use a more traditional way and barricade it.

“What are you doing? That’s your plan?” Taemin was sceptical, panicked when the spectre of getting captured and sold kept ringing in his head. He looked around the room, his vision all blurry now when the gravity of the situation downed on him altogether but he noticed a few familiar devices and finally realised in what type of a room they were in.

“Don’t you dare-!” he was ready to fight Minho when the other held onto his both wrists and pushed him against another door leading to the escape capsule. He was getting feisty, trashing himself around but Minho was stronger and held his grip. Minho opened the door with his elbow before pushing Taemin inside and closing the door before the latter could get up and run out.

“Open the door! Minho!” Taemin screamed, hitting the thick glass that separated the capsule from the rest of the ship. Minho hesitated with his hand hovering over the launch button, staring at the boy that he would give his life for. He didn’t know what he would do on Jonghyun’s place and he didn’t want to dwell on it when he heard the enemies barging against the door from the other side but he knew he would die for Taemin if he had to. That wasn’t a thought a pirate should be proud of but he didn’t care in that moment. Taemin kept banging against the glass, screaming and shouting to let him out when Minho took a deep breath and made his decision.

“I love you” he said for the first and probably last time to his lover.

“Open that ing door! Minho! Open it!” Taemin’s voice sounded more like a whine than anything with his throat closed off with tears. To Minho though it was more like a dull whisper behind a set of walls when he smashed the button in eventually. He could only stare as the force of launch threw Taemin back in the capsule as it grew smaller and smaller, disappearing in the blackness.

If Minho could, he would stare at that vast darkness and let it consume him but the enemies got in and he had to fight back. He opted for the swords this time, short but sharp and perfect for close combat. Fighting one against a few, he was ready to face death, not that it was the first time that he was close to one. But his crewmates ran to the rescue from the other side and killed them off, finally reaching their friend.

“They are gone, but the captain…”

Minho followed everyone to the deck, passing by many dead bodies but what he saw on the deck was much worse. He was used to the sight of blood and death and luckily most of the faces didn’t seem familiar to him but still he lost many mates that day. He walked slowly between the corpses, noticing Kibum and Jonghyun too, holding hands even in the arms of death. He hoped that whatever was waiting on the other side they could be together there freely without any obstacles.

“Minho…” the captain croaked out weakly and Minho was at his side in a trice, nodding gently.

“Yes, captain”

“Where is… Taemin?” even in a moment like this the captain cared about his boy. Minho could only smile, feeling a bittersweet mix of emotions.

“He is safe, captain” Minho assured, glancing briefly at the others that gathered around.

“Good… Thank you for taking care of him. I want you to take care of the ship now too. You are the captain”

Minho widened his eyes when the captain pressed a little badge into his palm, nothing special but a symbol of power on this spaceship. Minho looked down at the small circle emblem before saluting to the captain that he had grown fond of for the last time.

“Yes, captain!”

Minho then proceeded to order his people to collect the bodies of enemies first before they threw them out to the void. They weren’t worth any kind of farewell, on the contrary to their dead crewmates that they prepared well before incinerating the bodies and letting them free. The rest of the pirates watched from the inside as the shimmering tail of ash curled itself beautifully right behind the glass window. It brought Minho’s thoughts back to Taemin that was somewhere out there as well. He hoped that his capsule had already found the nearest ship or planet and he was safe there. Other way he would never forgive himself for letting Taemin go.

“Captain?”

Minho turned around, seeing a group of different creatures and races, tired and upset after the battle but giving him a salute nonetheless. Minho showed them a smile and a sure nod before taking care of the ship like a captain he could finally be once more.

“Captain? We received a signal”

Minho turned around from the big window in the command headquarters and walked closer to one of the crewmembers, looking at the screen from above his shoulder.

“A signal?”

“Yes, someone wants to dock at our ship. Looks like a lost capsule of sort”

Minho felt his heart stopping for a second but he didn’t want to give himself hope too early. He had to take a few deep breaths before turning to the guy that looked a bit lost when his captain took so long to make a decision.

“Did they leave any message with the signal?” Minho did his best to sound indifferent but his heart was racing like crazy. The possibility was so unlikely, there was no way that-

“Umm…”

The new captain looked at the computer again and let out a relieved, honest laughter when reading ‘YOU’RE DEAD MINHO’ blaring on the screen.

i hope you enjoyed reading this story! i had a lot of fun writing it :) i can't wait to read your comments, they are always welcome! love you ♥