Not The Most Enthralling Story

Siren Song

“I don’t know where to start.”

“The beginning is usually a good place.”

The only proof Jongin’s words had been heard at all was a soft sigh, lost in the darkness of the room around them. After it had become apparent that sitting in the lit room, face to face, wasn’t going to make it any easier for Kyungsoo to start talking, they had switched off the lights and ended up in the odd position they were in now – laying on the bed side-by-side, staring blankly up at the ceiling which was entirely masked by black.

The weight on the bed beside Jongin moved a little bit.

“It’s not the most…enthralling story.” The captain’s voice was blank, though his words held a thinly veiled anxiousness. “You may not feel that it justifies a thing.”

“Captain.” Jongin reached for his captain’s hand in the dark beside him. It took a few tries and occasionally resulted in patting him on the leg (oops) but he got there eventually. “You could tell me now that your mother is fine and you do all of this for the fun of it. I…wouldn’t mind.”

A thick silence hung in the air, heavy and pushing down on Jongin’s hand, over the captain’s. Hesitantly he moved it away, but not completely, just to the side of Kyungsoo’s hand instead of on top of it. Their fingertips brushed faintly.

Kyungsoo’s words didn’t cut through the silence; more pushed through it slowly, like oil separating itself from water. “…I’m going a ways back. Don’t fall asleep.”

“I won’t.”

The captain cleared his throat quietly, and after a few more moments, he began to speak again.

“Do you know of the Onyx Isles? My mother was born on them.” Jongin shook his head despite Kyungsoo being unable to see him. “Quite far from here, very warm and beautiful. From a young age, she came to live on a ship.”

“Was she a pirate?” Jongin found himself asking without really thinking.

“No, not a pirate. Not really an explorer, either. She and her crew would just go wherever the wind in their sails would take them, spend a while in whatever shore they landed on, before returning to the ocean. But the odd thing about my mother’s crew was that they were all men.” Jongin made a confused sort of sound, encouraging Kyungsoo to explain. “In the Onyx Isles, there is a culture that men and women never sail together. No one would bat an eyelid at a ship of woman pirates or sailors, but men and women never mixed on the ocean. Mother…Mother felt her calling was on the men’s ship, however.”

“At first they tried to push her down, send her onto a women’s ship, but she refused. She was a strong woman, in command wherever she went. Eventually her whole crew came to respect her orders, even if they somewhat resented her. She was the fiercest leader I ever knew, known as the Siren across many oceans for her voice, her beauty and her strength.”

He knew he should have just shut up and listened, but Jongin had too many questions. “Was your father a sailor on the ship, too?”

A slight movement from Jongin’s side made it clear that Kyungsoo was shaking his head.

“My father was a jeweller she met whenever she returned to the southernmost Isles. I never met him, myself, but Mother told me often of his virtues. I was born on the ship itself, on the waters very close to the Onyx Isles, and after I was born my parents never saw one another again. I’m not sure if my father even knew about me.” He laughed quietly. “Not that my mother ever let it bother her – she had too much to do, a child to raise, a ship to run. She would be found on the deck giving orders while I was strapped to her back, even. And she already had a memento of my father to treasure.”

The curious noise from Jongin again.

“As I told you, he was a jeweller, and the two were very much…very much in love. The last time they met, though I’m not sure if they knew it would be the last, he gave her a beautiful pendant to keep with her, as a part of him to bring onto the ocean with her.” Kyungsoo brought his hands above him as if to draw out a shape in the air. “A heart-cut gem that shone in every colour of the rainbow, held by a thin golden chain…”

“The gem from her portrait.” Jongin gasped softly.

“The Siren’s Soul, the very one. As her connection to my father, Mother treasured it greatly. I don’t think I ever saw her take it off, even to sleep. It was her prized possession, as if her very soul itself was kept within it, which is how it earned its name. It was almost as well-known as everything else about her by one point, but aside from my mother only I could get close to it. She would let me hold it sometimes, just the gem as she wore the chain around her neck, while she would sing to me.”

“That’s very lovely.”

“It wasn’t to last.” Kyungsoo’s tone darkened. “A few years ago now, we came to the waters close to Sapphire Country. Our supplies had been dangerously low for a long time, so low we feared we were unable to make it to land before someone fell dangerously ill. It was decided to engage the next ship we saw to appeal for their help; after all, we weren’t a pirate vessel, so we weren’t criminals to be hunted.”

“But…when we engaged with the ship, they weren’t at all hospitable. It was a Sapphire Country ship with the blue sails, with the uniforms on their officers. Their captain mocked us, and told us he would scour the ship for whatever he wanted in exchange for possibly giving us some supplies.” Kyungsoo’s hand closest to Jongin clutched the sheets tightly then, relaxing only a little when Jongin awkwardly patted the back of his hand. “Searching most of the ship, he found nothing of interest, until he came to my mother’s quarters.”

“Oh no…”

The captain gripped the sheet again, tighter now and twisting it in his fingers. “He wanted the very worst from her, what she wasn’t willing to give. Of course, she refused him, but he didn’t take that well…he became violent with her, and the last I saw of my mother was when she pushed me out of the door of her quarters, telling me she loved me and to hide. I didn’t hide, though; all I could do was stay out there and listen. Listen as she fought him with all she had, drew her sword, did everything she could to protect herself and her ship.”

Jongin could only lightly pat Kyungsoo’s hand, to show he was still listening. The captain’s voice had become somewhat strained by now.

“But the lack of supplies had weakened her, and she fell to his sword. He killed her.” He spat bitterly. “He killed her in cold blood, because she said no.”

“I want to kiss you, Jongin. I give you to the count of ten to refuse me.”
 “Is this because you fear me? What I might do to you if you refuse?”
“You have the right to refuse. Now, I will give you until fifty to say no to me.”

Jongin swallowed hard as suddenly every night began to make a little more sense; the way the captain hesitated before drawing him close every time, searching his eyes for something akin to either permission or refusal, giving Jongin time to push him away. How after months of this now, Kyungsoo would still pause, wait, as though every time were the first time he would touch his lips to Jongin’s.

He was waiting for a ‘no’. One that Jongin never gave.

Jongin lightly touched the captain’s hand with his little finger. “Captain…”

“He didn’t show even an ounce of regret for what he did, either. He walked out of that room leaving my mother on the floor, the Siren’s Soul in his bloodied hands, saying something about it being a pity.  I chased him then, to the top deck, but he barely even saw me. I only saw him telling his quartermaster that since he regrettably ‘killed one of theirs’ we should be given supplies in compensation, and that he had found something of equal value to take with him anyway. Three sacks of hardtack and a box of carrots for my mother’s life and everything she held dear.” Jongin continued to gently touch Kyungsoo’s hand, quite unsure of how to respond. So he didn’t. “He took everything from me that day.”

“My biggest regret is not catching the name of the ship. I have the man’s face, though, forever burned in my mind in that sickening laugh of his. The way he smiled and talked with his quartermaster so casually after murdering my mother in the rooms below deck. I’m going to find him, Jongin. I won’t stop until I’ve turned every Sapphire ship upside down in my search for him. I’m going to take back everything he stole from me.”

“The Siren’s Soul,” Jongin murmured, rolling onto his side to face the captain even though he couldn’t actually see him, “and his life, right? You’re going to kill him yourself.”

“That’s why nobody is allowed to kill during an engagement unless I’ve seen them. Why I round up the whole crew. I have to be the one to do it, I have to see the light leave his eyes.” He sighed. “Perhaps you think I’m a monster? For the ultimate goal in my mission to be taking a life when the whole thing began with much the same?”

The younger placed his hand over Kyungsoo’s properly again, and smiled lightly. “…You kill him, Captain. Give him all the pain he gave you, sevenfold. For every night you’ve spent on the ocean hunting him down, give him another hole in the chest.”

Silence returned, before Kyungsoo gave a low hum of what sounded almost like amusement. “My god, you really are turning into a pirate, aren’t you?”

Jongin only made a little affirmative noise in return, and Kyungsoo went on.

“We didn’t land in Sapphire Country, not after that. Instead we turned back and headed for the Onyx Isles, where Mother was born. We bid farewell to her in the waters just off the Isles, and were going to land there. But shortly after we left my mother a storm began to rage, preventing us from drawing any closer to the shore. Instead, we headed for the next nearest shores that we had heard of, though never landed in ourselves.”

“The Opal Coast?”

“Exactly. I was a shell of the boy I was before when they left me here, telling me that without my mother a child like myself shouldn’t be on that ship, and I wandered aimlessly around the town until Joonmyun sheltered me. I told him everything, and he gave me a place to stay until the plan formed in my head. I won the Siren in a bet; I gathered the first workings of a crew and years on…” For the first time since he had started talking, Kyungsoo turned his hand so his palm faced upwards, pressing against Jongin’s hand in a strangely intimate way. “Here we are. I’m Kyungsoo, but who are you?”

Looking up at the ceiling again, Jongin told the captain his own story. It wasn’t long or dramatic like Kyungsoo’s was, but it was time to share even if it wasn’t particularly worth sharing. He told Kyungsoo of his mother’s death in childbirth, of his father succumbing to sickness, of his years on the streets, of the stealing to survive, of the orphanage. Kyungsoo listened with what Jongin assumed was interest, though he couldn’t be sure if the captain was actually awake still or not until he had finished, and Kyungsoo made a noncommittal sound of understanding.

“We should sleep soon, Jongin. Tomorrow will be an early start – we must resume our usual routine before getting back on the Siren, and once Zitao has been taught some basic combat, we will be returning to the ocean as soon as possible.”

Jongin nodded, and as was always the case with bedtime, Kyungsoo leaned close, pausing a little in front of Jongin. He was waiting, as usual, silently asking the same yes or no that he did every night.

“Why?” Jongin breathed quietly, just about able to make out the surprise on the captain’s face in the darkness. “Why…this.”

Kyungsoo stilled. “…I don’t know. I just…wanted it. From when I first saw you.” Jongin’s mind rushed back to their first meeting in the lower decks of his old ship; wooden hallways, bloodied blades, held gazes and a hand slowly his cheek. It was like yesterday. “When I had you alone I just…thought I would ask, and you didn’t refuse, so…”

He moved to pull away, but Jongin still had a firm hold on Kyungsoo’s hand and lightly tugged him close again. “It’s good. We’re good.”

Kyungsoo’s kiss was still light and hesitant, but something about it felt significantly less burdened that night.

-

It was later that week that Jongin was summoned to the study (which study?! he had panicked) by Joonmyun. After a long time wandering around the house trying to locate which study the older man had meant, he finally came across him in the one on the ground floor, where their treasures were being kept.

Joonmyun held a handsome short sword in his hands, and it sent a shock through Jongin’s system.

“Is this where I die?” He laughed nervously, hanging around in the doorway rather than entering the room proper. Joonmyun only smiled and beckoned him over.

“This is for you, Jongin.”

“So I am dying?”

“No, as in I’m giving this to you.” His smile brightened when Jongin looked at him in utter confusion, the man pushing the sword into Jongin’s hands. “I’m assuming you made Kyungsoo see things your way, at least?” Brighter still when Jongin nodded. “Then you’re going to need a weapon of your own. A proper one. Do you have experience with swords at all?”

He shook his head. “Not formally…but I don’t think I need it. I mean, all you have to do is hurt them so they can’t hurt you, right? No finesse about it.”

Joonmyun laughed loudly and clapped Jongin on the back, almost sending him falling to the floor (which, when holding a sword, wouldn’t have been the best thing to do.) “You sound like a pirate! Perhaps ask Yifan to let you practice with him, so you’re used to the feel and weight of it in your hands.”

And Jongin did. Several mornings in a row he rose with the dawn, a habit his captain was also trying to get back into (and it touched Jongin’s heart in a strange way on those mornings when Kyungsoo didn’t quite manage it, hidden under the sheets even as Jongin left the room and looking almost like an innocent young boy instead of the pirate he really was) and made his way through the town before emerging into the fields further inland, to the place Yifan and Zitao had christened their training ground.

He quickly felt like a third wheel, entering the routine so obviously established for two, but Yifan treated him well, anyway. Helping Jongin become acquainted with his sword, until the blade no longer felt heavy in his hold and instead like a natural extension of his arm. Perhaps he wasn’t quite there yet, but he was certainly making progress.

“I use a stick.” Zitao waved the stick he was holding proudly. Jongin raised his eyebrows at it – just an innocent looking stick? Surely he couldn’t cause much damage with that.

It was as if Yifan was reading his mind. “Don’t be fooled – it’s a lot heavier than it looks and Zitao has a lot of power behind him. A good whack in the head with that thing and Zitao’s strength could easily knock a man unconscious.”

Bloodless carnage seemed to be what Zitao was going for. Naturally, being a medic and all, the fewer actual wounds caused the better. He was clearly as skilled a martial artist as Yixing had said, but with ever-growing confidence in using his abilities defensively, he was just about ready to get onto the ocean. They all were.

 

The whole crew spent their final day on land in the town, saying goodbye to friends (or in Sehun’s case, many, many lovers) on land while Joonmyun and Minseok busied themselves with purchasing supplies for the galley. Zitao finished training with Yifan, the crew members old and new gathered together. The weather was warm and comfortable, as if to say ‘come back soon’ as Jongin gradually, perhaps almost intentionally, lagged behind the group until the other pirates were completely out of sight, and he made his way onto the beach by the docks instead, a small smile growing on his face as his boots sank into warm sand.

Despite it only being noon, a small fire crackled by the rocks.

“I’m leaving today.” He said as he sat on the sand, cross-legged as he accepted a small baked fish from the little girl in charge of the fire. Except she appeared to be quite a big girl in comparison to some of the little ones gathered around the fire, eating their fish. Not all of them were familiar to Jongin, but most of them were, beaming at him brightly. “When the sun sets, so our navigators can set us on the right track with the stars.”

“Well, that’s no good.” The girl scooped some more fish out of the bucket beside her, setting them on the fire. Of course she hadn’t returned the bucket. “How am I gonna marry you if you’re not here?”

“I told you; go for a man with shoes and a house. Dream big.”

“You’ll come back, right?” Her question brought on a chorus of ‘yeah, will you?’ and ‘we’re gonna miss you!’ from the other children, and something in Jongin’s chest tightened. In his old hometown, it had been every kid for themselves. The camaraderie felt by the children here…they were going to be just fine. Just as long as the girl didn’t plan on returning her fish bucket any time soon as it was clearly doing them good.

“Sure I will.”

 

Jongin joined the others at Joonmyun’s home just as the sky began to turn orange, assisting in carrying their food supplies to the Calling Siren’s galley. It felt strange, but also comforting climbing onto the ship again, like he’d missed her somehow. Of course, everyone was strictly calling her ‘the ship’ right now, as Kyungsoo operated under a policy of new crew only learning her name when they were on water.

After that they were due to go to the surgery, to say their last goodbyes and also pick up medical supplies for the journey ahead. They weren’t expecting to find the little house empty, however.

Nor were they expecting a small crowd to have gathered on the docks by the Siren, including one man sat quite oddly in a chair that had four times as many legs as him.

“Thought we’d see you off.” Baekhyun grinned, squeezing the seated Chanyeol’s shoulders. “Only seems right.”

Jongdae nodded. “We loaded all the medicines on already, so you’re all ready to go, so long as you haven’t forgotten anything.”

“Is she safe?” Joonmyun whispered to Kyungsoo, to which the captain nodded. His mother’s portrait had been the last item to be brought from Joonmyun’s to the Siren, safely hung above the desk in Kyungsoo’s quarters once more. The small box containing Jongin’s necklace, however, remained on land to keep it safe.

Jongin fiddled with the little piece of wire that he had retied around his little finger, not wanting to stare as the three medics on land said their goodbyes – and gave their good wishes – to Zitao.

“Hey, kid.” A deep voice caught Jongin’s attention, and he soon found himself in odd eye contact with Chanyeol. He looked brighter now, though still on one leg, and held out a hand to slap his palm against Jongin’s. “Take care out there. And don’t let that Yifan guy ruin the ship with his repairs – I’ve spent years keeping her beautiful.”

“My repairs are just fine!”

It was weird, getting onto the ship but seeing Jongdae, Baekhyun and Chanyeol still there on the docks with Yixing and Joonmyun. Jongin felt it; it was in the air, on all their faces, and on Kyungsoo’s, too. Despite their sharing session from before, Kyungsoo was still oddly closed off to Jongin, but perhaps no more than he was to the rest of the crew.

Maybe now, what Jongin was seeing was Kyungsoo’s normal personality. Still guarded, but not as closely as before.

There was a tiny, tiny smile on the captain’s face, but it was bittersweet. To be back on the ocean again in such glorious weather, with a fully stocked ship, but to leave good friends behind. Yixing had told them just before they got on that Chanyeol would probably be fitted with his wooden leg soon. There would be something to look forward to for next time they returned to the coast.

Jongin waved to the group on shore sadly as the Siren left the docks, but before he left his spot, leaning over the side, something caught his eye.

A flurry of movement on the beach; an ocean of waving little arms from all around a glowing orange fire.

His arm felt heavy as he lifted it up to wave to them, too, with big, exaggerated movements. He waved to the beach and to the docks until both were out of sight and the first stars began twinkling in the sky above them.

Luhan set a lamp down by Jongin’s feet, while Sehun followed behind with a map.

“Are you crying?”

“Um. No.”

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LalaLuhanne
Chapter 22 and Epilogue UP!! SS is COMPLETE

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lilthsua #1
Chapter 23: Hello can I translate it?
lilthsua #2
Chapter 23: Hello can I translate it?
ryujinsnose #3
Chapter 11: insane
ryujinsnose #4
Chapter 2: AAAAAAAAAA
givemebiscuits #5
Chapter 23: Re-reading this masterpiece in this trying times 🍪❤
shonwanigop
#6
💙
INFTJazm
#7
Chapter 23: WAAAAAAAHHHHHH
INFTJazm
#8
who was the red haired boy is it taemin :((((
INFTJazm
#9
Chapter 16: damn for a moment i forgot this might actually be a romantic story HAHAHAHAHA GOOD PLOT I SWEAR
ByunDal #10
Chapter 23: I hope to see more of your writing