Hearts in Glass Jinyoung x Pirates Mark

Jinyoung tilted his head back, enjoying the tickle of sea breeze on his face. It was only his second week working in the portside market in Loranje, and now that he’d gotten over the newness of being in a foreign country, he was beginning to enjoy the change of scenery. Loranje was a country with a vast appreciation for the arts, and there were no shortage of customers, but when there were lulls in foot traffic to his stall of glassworks he could at least enjoy the lovely surroundings, from the pretty sea birds flitting in and out of the market to the gorgeous deep blue waters of the ocean gently bringing the merchant ships to the docks.

He had just been idly watching such a ship dock in the port when someone stepped up to his booth. Jinyoung glanced up, eyes immediately widening at the impressive look of this prospective customer. He had a shock of flame red hair partially hidden beneath a black bicorn hat with golden plumage, and was wearing deep black velvet justacorps, high leather boots, and an excess of jewelry from the hoops in his ears to the collection of precious gems on his fingers.

A pirate, Jinyoung immediately realized. A pirate is about to raid my booth.

“Enchantée, monsieur,” the pirate said in badly accented Loranch. Clearly it wasn’t his native language—he looked Yaziyan, except for the hair, if Jinyoung had to guess. “Puis-je…ah…”

“You may speak in the common tongue, if you like,” Jinyoung said guardedly, wondering if he should instead call the port authorities to remove the potential threat from his presence.

“What a relief,” the pirate said, sighing. “Most of my Loranch amounts to ‘surrender your goods’ or ‘lay down your weapons,’ and I didn’t want you to think I was robbing you. I’ve only come to browse your delightful glassworks, Master…?”

“Jinyoung,” Jinyoung responded, belatedly reflecting on the wisdom of providing his real name to this pirate. “And…I will warn you, you will be expected to pay for everything you want.”

“Everything I want?” the pirate grinned wolfishly. “Aye, I don’t mind it. I have plenty of gold, and the art here is unusually sublime.” His eyes were fixed on Jinyoung as he said this rather than the art itself, giving Jinyoung a somewhat ominous feeling. “In fact, I’m in the market for your finest piece available.” He pulled a gem out of his pocket and showed it to Jinyoung. Jinyoung’s jaw nearly hit the floor—it was a large and seemingly flawless diamond. “Will this cover the price?”

“T-That is for more than everything here is worth!” Jinyoung stammered. He was not so money hungry that he would allow a customer to overpay for his works to that extent, even if the offer was willingly made.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to sell yourself short, Master Jinyoung,” the pirate said. “I think you’re far worth any diamond, and that’s coming from one who has quite a taste for diamonds.”

“Me?” Jinyoung echoed.

“Aye, you. I would like to purchase your company for the evening in exchange for this diamond.”

“My company?” Jinyoung repeated again, even more flabbergasted.

“Aye, your company. Just your company, mind, so never fear that I’m intending to take your innocence.” He paused. “Well, I wouldn’t mind taking your innocence, but only with your permission of course. But for this bargain, I’m only asking for your company for the evening. You see, my father happened to betroth me to a local tavern lassie a few years back, and she’s discovered I’m in port. I’ve tried to convince her of my lack of interest, but she remains unmoved and insists I’m only spinning a yarn to protect her from the dangerous life at sea or what have you. I thought perhaps bringing a lover to her tavern—a decidedly male lover—might do the trick of getting her off my back.”

“And you’re asking me?” Jinyoung was beginning to sound like a parrot, but he simply could not wrap his mind around the situation.

“Aye, I am. I’ve an eye for beauty and a strong sense of greed which will only accept the best, and here you stand, my dear Master Jinyoung, by far and away the best this capital has to offer.” He reached out, took Jinyoung’s hand, and lifted it to his lips. “Now that I’ve seen you, I must have you. And I will gladly spend the next hours here at your booth convincing you to accompany me, if need be.”

Jinyoung glanced around, noticing suddenly how many passersby were deliberating avoiding his booth and paling in fear when they laid eyes on the pirate standing there. Clearly, if the pirate truly did spend the next hours at his booth, Jinyoung would not only lose customers and sales, but gossip would probably reach far and wide that his booth was the target of pirates, and he’d probably be ordered to leave Loranje lest he cause a raid on the harbor.

Still, the last thing he wanted to do was spend the evening in the company of a bloodthirsty pirate, particularly if he had to pretend to be said pirate’s lover. It was not impossible, especially if he was to receive a diamond that would keep him fed, sheltered, and in good supply for likely the rest of his life, but it was still unappealing. If it wasn’t for the security that diamond promised, he would have surely said no and taken the losses to his finances.

As it was, he did not live the kind of life where he could afford to say no to the prospect of a fortune that would support his artistry into the future. “I will accompany you,” Jinyoung said slowly, returning the pirate’s unnerving gaze. “As long as you keep your promise and not take anything from me that is not yours.”

“Aye, I promise I will not take anything you do not permit me to take. You have my word.” In spite of his words, he was now grinning quite wickedly. “There are plenty of other ways for a pirate to have fun other than stealing, besides. Now come—let’s enjoy a lovely evening together, shall we?”

Jinyoung grimaced, but closed his booth, keeping his mind on the diamond. He could buy at an eternity worth of glass with it…a larger workshop…more assistants…he could expand his renown even more across the continents…he could focus less on commissions and more on the art itself…wasn’t that worth a few hours in the presence of this sly scalawag?

When the booth was safely secure, the pirate took Jinyoung’s arm and led him out of the harbor and into the capital proper. On their way out of the market, they were stopped briefly by a guard, up until he laid eyes on the pirate and stammered “Y-Your Majesty!” and nervously took a step back.

“Your Majesty?” Jinyoung repeated, his ominous feeling getting worse.

“Aye,” the pirate said, his grin widening. “His Majesty Captain Mark Tuan of The Sea Bird, they call me. Better known as the Dread Pirate King of the Seven Seas, king of all pirates. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my dear Master Jinyoung.”

Jinyoung was still reeling with shock and fear by time they made it to the tavern. The Dread Pirate King. He had been bought as the companion of the Dread Pirate King, the one he’d been hearing stories of endlessly for the past years, the same Dread Pirate who was a demon with a sword and robbed nobles with the same frequency other people might blink their eyes.

He should have most likely been quaking in fear, but Jinyoung was almost too numb to. He simply couldn’t believe it. How was something like this happening to someone as simple and unobtrusive as him? What was a mere artisan doing at the side of the most feared terror of the seas?

Mark, who apparently enjoyed pretending he was a gentleman, pulled out a chair for Jinyoung so he could take a seat at the table. “We’ve arrived before my very persistent Jacqui returns from her supper break,” he said, taking a seat across from Jinyoung. “I worried she might grow suspicious if I was too showy in bringing you here. This way, it will be as if she stumbled across us in the middle of our little outing together.” He turned to one of the barmaids. “We’ll take as much of your finest ale as you can spare over here, lass.”

“What am I supposed to do here with you?” Jinyoung asked in a numb, soulless voice.

“Well, I thought we might enjoy a little chat and get acquainted, but it seems you may be a little nervous for that at present. Shall we play a little game instead? I am afraid we won’t be a very convincing pair of lovers if you’re all rigid and look at me as if you expect me to stick a sword in your gut at any moment.” He slid a mug of ale to Jinyoung when the bar maid brought it. “A drinking game might loosen us both up a bit. Here.” He pulled out a sharp knife from his belt, and Jinyoung winced back. “Ever heard of five-finger fillet? I spread out my fingers like this and stab in between them with a knife as so.” He demonstrated. “I have to do it a little faster each round. Every time I do it without nicking myself, you take a drink. Every time I nick myself, I take a drink. Sound fun?”

“Are you crazy?” Jinyoung asked, losing some of his anxiety in favor of his bewilderment. “You’ll chop off all your fingers, doing that!”

“Aye, and missing limbs and appendages if a trademark of piracy,” Mark said brightly. “Never you worry, my dear, I’m a good hand at this particular game. Shall I show you?”

He finished the first three, slower-paced rounds without nicking himself, making Jinyoung take a deep gulp of ale after every success. Jinyoung thought there was no way he could possibly go any faster without starting to hurt himself, but Mark shocked all of his expectations by stabbing the knife so quickly that it looked like his hand was flying and still not nicking himself in the slightest over the next few rounds. By time Mark had gone nine rounds, Jinyoung had already drunk enough ale to where his head was beginning to feel fuzzy and Mark still didn’t have a drop of blood on either of his hands.

“Incredible,” Jinyoung slurred, tossing back another gulp of ale. “I heard you knew your way around a blade, but still…are you even human?”

“My parents sure seemed to think so,” Mark said, gleefully twirling his knife between his fingers. “Still, I haven’t had a drop of ale yet, so would you mind if I stopped here and joined you in your cups?”

“Drink up!” Jinyoung said, feeling strangely jovial. He couldn’t remember why exactly he’d been so nervous of this man. He was really quite an artisan in his own right, wasn’t he? Sure, the stealing and raiding was all less than civilized, but anyone who could wield a knife like that had a gift comparable to Jinyoung’s own with his glassworks.

Mark chugged down his mug of ale in one go, then slammed it down on the table. “Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself more now, my dear,” he said. “Shall I provide you more entertainment? I’ve got more stories of adventure on the seven seas than any man has the right to have, and if it’ll make you smile all pretty like you are right now, I don’t mind sharing them. Have you ever heard of the ship The Silver Snake?”

Jinyoung hadn’t, but Mark painted a glorious picture of it with the tale he told about his capture of The Silver Snake’s murderous captain, complete with all the antics of his wild crew, the charming but savage Wildman, the bratty but good natured Eye Patch, and the foolish but lethal War Hammer. That story led into another about the lost treasure of Honolet Mark discovered on a continent-spanning treasure hunt, and by time that tale was over, Jinyoung was just about drunk enough to eagerly tell Mark about his own adventures as a traveling artisan as if they were anywhere near as exciting.

At one point, a pretty Loranch girl with full brunette hair and a lovely figure approached the table, trying to demand Mark’s attention, but Mark waved her off saying, “Don’t bother me now, Jacqui. My dear lover would take offense if I paid mind to my ex-betrothed when I swore to devote myself only to him.”

“Aye, you stay away from him!” Jinyoung had roared drunkenly. “He gave me a diamond! I’m the one who gets it, not you! Away with you!”

The girl had erupted into tears and accusations of betrayal after that, but Jinyoung had been in no fit state to listen to her. He found it much more fascinating to look at Mark—he really was a handsome one for someone who lived on a ship and probably got a proper bath only once or twice a year. His face swam in Jinyoung’s hazy eyes, feeling oddly distant. Jinyoung wanted to get closer and take a clearer look, so he stumbled to his feet and plopped down onto Mark’s lap, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

“Oi,” he said, forgetting his mannerly speech in his drunkenness. “I’m a treasure hunter, too, and I just found a good one.”

“Aye?” Mark asked, looking amused.

“Aye! Your face! Your face is the treasure!” Jinyoung laughed hysterically. “I win!”

“You certainly do. Are you of a mind to claim your treasure, my dear?” He bounced Jinyoung on his lap playfully. “It’s eager to be stolen.”

“Is it? Which part do I get to keep?” He pinched Mark’s nose between his fingers. “Huh, it’s not coming off! Gimme!”

“Maybe if you try the lips…?”

 “Lips?” Jinyoung touched Mark’s lips with his fingers. “Can I keep?”

“Aye, I wouldn’t mind if you did.” He kissed Jinyoung’s fingertips. “They’d be happy to be had by you.”

“Really? Maybe I’ll give ‘em a try!” He leaned in and pecked Mark quite sloppily. He tasted of alcohol (everything tasted of alcohol to Jinyoung at the moment), but he was also quite soft and yielding, too. Jinyoung was just about to pull away when Mark gently pressed a hand against his cheek and drew him back, kissing him deeply. Jinyoung hadn’t done a lot of kissing in the past, but it felt rather nice, he thought. Mark was just as much of a talent at this as he was at presumably everything, and it wasn’t long before Jinyoung was thoroughly enjoying the experience of kissing him. He wrapped his arms around him tighter and started kissing him back just as enthusiastically. Distantly, he could hear some other patrons hooting and hollering in the background (and one shrill female voice throwing a tantrum), but it all felt as if it belonged to a different world than the one he and the Dread King were inhabiting.

At length, Jinyoung pulled away, gazing at Mark, who looked back at him with adoring yet mischievous eyes. “Aye,” the Dread King said in a low, alluring voice. “I simply must have you, my dear Jinyoung.”

Jinyoung awoke with a pounding headache, unsure of where he was. He vaguely remembered going out to the tavern the night before, and the game of five-finger fillet, but everything else felt fuzzy. He’d gotten drunk, clearly, but what exactly had happened during the course of the evening? Had Mark—the Dread Pirate King—had to take him home in his sloppy, drunken stupor? Jinyoung shuddered in embarrassment at the thought. He usually had much better control over himself than that.

The door to the room he was in opened, and Mark stepped in, smiling upon seeing Jinyoung awake. “How are you feeling? Your head must hurt something awful after all the ale you had.”

“Quite,” Jinyoung said a bit stiffly, still feeling embarrassed. “I am sorry if I troubled you last evening.”

“Not in the slightest. In fact, I could not have asked for a more enjoyable companion. You were quite intriguing from start to finish.” He grinned. “I’d stay in bed a little longer though, if I were you. With that headache and the weather today, you might be a bit unsteady on your feet.”

All of a sudden, Jinyoung noticed something he’d been too disoriented to before. The ground was tilting somewhat beneath him, and then suddenly it shifted, and he felt a slight sensation of rising, as if the room were being carried on a wave—but it couldn’t, could it?

The ominous feeling that had begun upon seeing Mark the first time deepened, practically opening up a pit in his stomach.

“Mark,” he said in a careful voice. “Where are we?”

“The sea,” Mark said brightly. “I have several more diamonds aboard The Sea Bird to pay you for your company while I’m taking the time to convince you to be my Queen, if you’d like.”​