On Track

Siren Song

They drew into the Emerald Bay on an early morning, when Jongin was stirred from his sleep by the prickling sensations of uncomfortable heat. The bed sheets, usually so comforting and warm, were heavy and oppressive now, and it took all of Jongin’s energy to wriggle out from under them.

Captain Kyungsoo, back to Jongin, still slept deeply. His face was scrunched a little bit, like he was in an unpleasant dream or just not enjoying the heat, and he probably wasn’t going to be very well rested no matter how long he stayed asleep for. His shirt was neatly buttoned, but twisted around his body as he tossed and turned in the night. White fabric lay soft against the captain’s skin, and Jongin lightly ran his fingers over the sleeves, over the collar, up to Kyungsoo’s face.

Jongin felt a bit strange, touching Kyungsoo’s face while he was asleep. He decided to go outside and find the others before he got the urge to do anything more embarrassing.

(Maybe he did steal a quick kiss to the captain’s forehead, just before he left.)

The weather was no better on deck, the sunrise dim and the sky hazy with a thick, stifling heat washing over him like the bed sheets but worse. The kinds of muggy summers Jongin was used to from his childhood, rather than the free, breezy warmth of the Opal Coast. It made Jongin wonder just how far from Sapphire Country the Emerald Bay actually was.

“Morning.” Sehun waved to him, and Luhan ran to press an apple into his hand. “How’s the captain?”

“Alright.” He bit into his apple, the sharp juice waking him up instantly. Sehun just laughed at Jongin as his face twisted at the sourness. “He was asleep when I woke up.”

“Good to know. We’re landing soon, and we decided Yifan is going to stay behind on the ship while we look around and get the medicines we need.”

Jongin was about to open his mouth, but Luhan interrupted, draping himself over the younger boy from behind. It was uncomfortable in the sticky weather. “Someone needs to protect the captain, after all. Yifan is the most capable in a fight, and he’s armed, so he was the best choice. We can look around!”

He didn’t know if he’d actually feel like looking around in weather like this, the humidity so thick it felt practically like it was raining without a single drop falling from the sky. Jongin clambered up to the lookout, cringing a little as his shirt brushed up against damp skin, and settled down to wait until they arrived at their destination.

Luhan came to fetch him when the time came, and Jongin had found himself sprawled uncomfortably on the floor. Apparently he’d dozed off.

“We’re going to have to be honest men, today.” Minseok held up a small pouch as the landing group – Minseok, Luhan, Jongin, Sehun and Zitao – prepared to leave the ship and set foot on dry land once again. “They don’t take well to pirates here.”

“It’s just as I remember it.” Zitao was smiling calmly for the first time, almost resembling a sleepy cat with his eyes closed the way they were. “Minseok, will you come to buy medicine with me?”

“Sure. Everyone else, just…get acquainted with the area. We may need to land here again in future.”

And the group split up, with Zitao and Minseok vanishing with their treasure pouch to exchange for supplies, Luhan disappearing instantly and Sehun sidling up to a fresh-faced young man to innocently ask if he had the time.

Hands in his pockets, Jongin decided to go exploring.

 

The Emerald Bay was…kind of eerie, the longer Jongin walked around. The heavy, muggy morning shifted to a quiet, but still damp and hazy, summer’s day with little breeze. The townspeople, from what Jongin could see, were few in number and careful in nature, congregating in different parts of the town as the day went on. Outside cafés, in the markets or by the docks.

Even then, the crowds were quiet, their murmurs swallowed by the humidity as if they were speaking directly into water. They stared at Jongin, the cuts on his face beginning to scar a deep red by now, and the only way to stop them eyeing him like some kind of criminal was to make up an excuse (‘I’m a traveller, and on my last journey I was attacked by a wild animal! Like no beast you’ve ever seen!’ generally worked.)
As Jongin idly took bites from the bread roll he had obtained from a market seller by smiling handsomely at her, he realised that he hadn’t seen a single child on the streets. A couple of children, shoes on their feet, could be seen walking hand in hand with their parents, but no stragglers, no strays. There were no poor folk on the street corners either, nor in the alleyways or nestled behind crates by the docks. Everything was…pristine.

It was later, with a heavy heart, that Jongin found a large building further in from the docks, where the caws and flaps of the seagulls were nowhere to be heard. Chalk drawings, half washed away, lined the lower walls.

An orphanage.

Jongin found himself drawn to sit on the steps of that building, so large and imposing with its grey bricks and black roof. It stood out among the red brick buildings of the rest of the town, and it took Jongin back a long, long way. He felt so small on those steps, running his hands over the stones where so many tiny feet must have come and gone day by day. Perhaps, unlike in Sapphire Country, they were very good at rounding up street kids in the Emerald territories, keeping them in buildings just like the one before Jongin now. Hiding them away from the rest of the land, with its famous doctors and wondrous medicines.

Jongin left the steps, following the walls until they turned into a high iron gate, pointed at the top and thickly barred. Beyond the gate, Jongin could see what he assumed to be a recreation area, just like the orphanage he used to live in. It was pretty bare, save for a few more drawings on the ground used for playing games or running races.

A door into the playground opened, from the large grey building.

“If you’re going to be disruptive, you will finish your lunch outside, with the insects.”

“But-”

The door slammed shut, making Jongin wince along with the small child who had been pushed out into the playground, half-eaten grey roll in hand. The boy sat down on the floor with a sigh, rubbed at his eyes, and continued to eat his food as he was told. His eyes were sad, and his knees dusty.

Jongin frowned, and unwound his piece of wire from around his little finger.

It took a while, waiting for the child to be well and truly focused on eating his lunch and not risking being noticed, but it was worth it when the lock gave a glorious click, and the gate opened just the tiniest bit, with a squeak.

Jongin had just about managed to conceal himself around the corner when the gate was given its first tentative push, and it was barely within his power not to laugh when a tiny figure ran excitedly down the street and out of sight.

At least now one person in the strange, clockwork town had a taste of freedom.

 

It seemed that Jongin was quite a novelty in the bay, with women whispering to each other about the handsome sailor with the cuts on his face, and wasn’t he awfully brave?  He wove between the clusters of gossiping women and curious men to find Minseok and Zitao, who were on their way back to the Siren with boxes full of curious medicines in Zitao’s arms. They were absolutely laden down, with all manner of concoctions, creams and oils in bottles large and small. Jongin hadn’t a clue what any of them were for, but the medic seemed happy.

“I’ll go back and see to the captain now – we’ve got more than enough.” Zitao was grinning, eyes bright with anticipation of getting back to the job he was supposed to do. Minseok was smiling back, more relaxed than Jongin had seen him for a long time.

“You do that, Zitao. While we’re here, I may as well stock up on supplies. Are you having fun, Jongin?”

Children were starting to appear in the marketplace crowds, too, babbling excitedly and playing games around the stalls and carts. Of course, Jongin didn’t want to admit it was his doing, but the way he the wire around his little finger, smiling as a pair of youngsters scurried past, gave him away to the quartermaster.

“I suppose so.”

“Well, we’re leaving at sundown, so make the most of it.” Minseok chuckled and nudged his two companions. “Sehun certainly is.”

As it turned out, Sehun was only a short way away from them, on a bench by the stall selling candied fruit sweets. He didn’t notice his crewmates watching him, however. Instead he was running his fingers through the long, blonde hair of the man he had approached moments after disembarking, the two sharing whispered words and candied fruits. As Sehun brought his lips against his companion’s, Jongin had the sudden vision of himself and Captain Kyungsoo in the same scene – a gentle touch through his hair and the sweetness of candied fruits on his lips. It sent him reeling, though he did his best to disguise it and rolled his eyes.

“He’s terrible.”

“He might as well enjoy himself.” Minseok’s words were met with a retching sound from, surprisingly, Zitao as the medic took his boxes of supplies and left for the Siren, clearly not interested in seeing or hearing anything more. A couple more children, giggling and making kissy sounds, seemed to share the sentiment. “Well, I’ll be going. Have fun.”

And Jongin did his best. Exploring the market, between different stalls pedalling miracle potions and cures for everything under the sun (Jongin wondered whether they really worked, or whether they were just playing on the region’s medical reputation to make easy money) he found very little of interest, his mind instead wandering back to the captain.

He must have been bored, back on the ship. It was even hotter and stickier than it had been earlier in the morning now, and it was difficult to even breathe. Confined to his quarters on a day like this…

Jongin’s train of thought was abruptly halted as he passed by a gorgeous fruit stall, as if the train had literally exploded from the burst of bright colours decorating the table. His interest must have been evident on his face, as the young woman running the stall leaned over the table with a smile, fixing a flower in her hair.

“Interested in anything, sir?” She accentuated the sir, giggling a little bit and gesturing to the side of her face. “You’ve got to eat well, for a healing injury.”

“What? Oh, uh, this?” Jongin brought his hand up to his own cheek, grimacing a little as his fingertips brushed the wound. “It’s uh, nothing important. I’m a sailor, you see. Attacked by a wild animal back in our last port.”

“Oh, you’re so brave.” It honestly made Jongin feel a little awkward, the way the woman smiled at him, a little wider with every word he spoke. He couldn’t argue when she gathered up a few of the brighter pieces of produce on her table, however. “If you’d like to buy something, sailor, I’m sure I could slip in a couple of extras for a brave explorer like yourself.”

“Ah…maybe a few things…” He thought back to Captain Kyungsoo, in the stifling heat of his quarters. Perhaps some fruit would cheer him up? A little different to the usual stocks of apples and oranges they would eat by the barrel after a raid. The speckled green pears and soft, fuzzy peaches caught Jongin’s eye the most, particularly the pinkest peaches, shaped like hearts.

The woman placed some of the fruits Jongin’s gaze lingered on into a small basket, giggling again as she listened to Jongin quietly muttering to himself in indecision. “I was going to ask if you’d come far, sailor, but listening to you, I don’t think I have to. How long have you been out of Sapphire Country?”

Jongin froze. “I…you can tell?”

“That you’re from Sapphire Country? Of course! From the minute you opened your mouth.” That left an uncomfortable tightening sensation in Jongin’s throat – he never realised he had an accent. Did he really have an accent? “It’s so close by, you get used to hearing it pretty quickly when you work with people, like I do.” She held up the basket so that Jongin could get a good look at the contents. They looked delicious, but all of a sudden Jongin wasn’t really feeling it. “How about this?”

“Uh…they look nice, yeah.” His words were strained, but the fruit seller didn’t seem troubled. Jongin rummaged in his pocket for his own small pouch of gems and jewellery; a small portion of his cut of the spoils from their last raid. As he dug through the contents, the woman stopped him with a beam.

“Oh, did you know I’m just a little magpie? I do adore my shiny things. That necklace will do me just fine for your fruit, if you let me do a little something.”

Jongin handed her the necklace without question, which she promptly fastened around her neck. It was very lovely on her, and brought out the colour of her eyes, but Jongin felt as though he was supposed to be feeling…more than he did when he looked at her. She looked nice, but…just nice.

She left her place behind the stall to pass the small basket of fruit to Jongin, and before he could say a word, the fruit seller lightly kissed her hand and touched it to Jongin’s wounded cheek. He did his best not to recoil.

“There we go, all better.” She smiled, toying with her new necklace gleefully. It was a simple piece, with glittering green gems on a thin chain. “Pleasure doing business with you, sailor. Ah, now I might have to go and buy some matching earrings…!”

Jongin paused. “You can buy earrings here?”

“Absolutely! There’s a little place near the bakery that sells jewellery, over that way.”

“Okay…thank you.”

 

“Whoa, Jongin!”

“Did you get those today?”

Now you’re a pirate!”

Jongin could only smile proudly as the rest of the crew fussed over his new earrings. They were only simple silver loops, and very small, but they weren’t so small to the others, who hailed them as the final step in Jongin’s transition to full pirate-hood. Only Kyungsoo was absent, eating in his quarters.

“I was right, you know.” Luhan grinned, twirling his noodles (they so rarely ate noodles on the ocean, so it was a treat for everyone) “with those earrings and those scars, you definitely look y.”

“You’ll be breaking hearts like Sehun, soon enough.” Sehun frowned at Minseok for that, though had it been anyone else (except the captain) they would have received a swift kick under the table.

Not that anyone could be blamed for teasing him, since everyone was present to witness Sehun parting ways with his latest paramour. Everyone was present to witness Sehun slipping a jewelled bracelet onto the young man’s wrist, the two of them murmuring their goodbyes and loose promises to meet again before sharing a last kiss, with surprising passion for two people who had met that very morning.

“You’re eating slowly, Yifan.” Zitao prodded the blonde with his chopsticks. Yifan certainly did look a little out of sorts, but he continued eating quietly and determinedly so as not to waste food.

“I had the pleasure of watching you treating the captain earlier. The real question is, how are you eating so fast?”

Zitao just shrugged, up a particularly long noodle by the end of which he was looking rather impatient. “I suppose you get used to these kinds of things…it was unpleasant, though. I had to reopen the whole thing and flush it out with disinfectants. It was…nasty.”

“It was disgusting.”

“And now it’s not all sat there in the captain’s chest poisoning him anymore! So we can all be happy.”

And for the most part, the rest of the crew were happy. But Jongin still had a bad feeling, somewhere in his stomach, from talking to the fruit seller earlier in the day.

If he really had a noticeable Sapphire accent…how would that make Kyungsoo feel?

Kyungsoo was, to Jongin’s surprise, on the deck as the sun began to set. He was alone up there, as the rest of the crew were busy making preparations to set sail and Luhan and Sehun eagerly waited for the first stars to appear in the sky so they could consult their charts.

“Captain?” Jongin kicked his own foot a little nervously, holding the basket of fruit from the marketplace close to his chest. When the captain turned to look at him, he smiled gently, gesturing for Jongin to sit down beside him. He didn't comment on the fruit, if he'd even noticed it at all. Jongin set the basket down beside him as he sat by Kyungsoo. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, but not quite…myself.” He sighed, the look in his eyes distant, almost lost. “How about yo-oh, well then.”

Jongin tilted his head a little in confusion, before remembering his new earrings. “Oh! Do you like them?”

“You look like a pirate.” Jongin just raised an eyebrow. “Which means yes, yes I do like them. They look like mine, actually.”

Small, plain silver loops. Of course, they were exactly like Kyungsoo’s – why hadn’t Jongin thought of that? No wonder he’d been so drawn to them in the jeweller’s shop for no apparent reason. His face burned when the captain reached to lightly touch Jongin’s earrings, then his cheek.

“Healing well?”

“Very well. Healing well?”

He gestured to Kyungsoo’s chest, which was more exposed than usual with his button shirt completely open to combat the heat. The captain’s wound proper, however, was covered by bandages that wrapped around his torso.

“Well enough. It hurts…but it’s been cleaned out now, and Zitao has more potent medicines for me to take. While the cut will take a while, I should be back to my usual self very soon.”

Jongin shuffled a little closer, but not so close as to look suspicious; after all, they were on the deck where any of the crew could see them. “You know, I don’t really know the real you.”

Kyungsoo quirked a brow. “I told you back on the Opal Coast.”

“No, you told me your story. You didn’t tell me all the little things, like…” He looked around for something to start with, eyes resting on the fruit basket to his side. Kyungsoo hadn’t even seen it yet. “…what’s your favourite fruit?”

Both eyebrows raised this time, Kyungsoo’s eyes widened just a little in curiosity. “Fruit? I suppose mother’s favourite was always pears, so I have a lot of memories of those.”

It was difficult for Jongin to contain himself when he produced the small basket of fruit, taking out a pear. “That’s good. I bought this today because I thought it would be good in this heat. And fruit is good for you, when you’re healing.” Something in Kyungsoo’s expression softened when he took the pear from Jongin’s hands, skin touching skin a lot more than really necessary. “Mine is peaches. I used to steal them from the markets when I was younger, because the owner was horrible to me, and they were his most expensive stock. I got a taste for them.”

No laughter, but a gentle smile between them that said so much more. It was still warm, but slightly more comfortable now as the sun began to set and the haze began to clear. The two of them watched the sun disappear into an orange glow, munching their fruit. Jongin continued to ask the captain – his captain – the most mundane questions he could think of.

“Favourite colour?”

“Blue.”

“Purple. Favourite time of year?”

“I find the springtime very tranquil.”

“Really? Summer for me, though not like this. Can you play an instrument?”

“I was fairly good at the harmonica as a boy.”

“Me too! I stole that as well.”

“It seems like you were made for the pirate life.”

“I was made for-” Jongin didn’t know what he was actually going to say after that, but the uncomfortable lurch in his stomach meant it was probably going to be you. “Yeah. I guess I was.”

Silence, and they sat with their shoulders pressed together until the sun had completely vanished from the sky. The first couple of stars began twinkling above their heads, to guide their way.

“Captain..?” Jongin chewed his lip anxiously. “Do I…have a Sapphire accent?”

“Yes.” Kyungsoo replied without hesitation.

“Doesn’t that bother you? I mean, you know…”

“It used to, but not anymore. Things have changed.”

“Like since we…this?” Jongin placed his hand on his chest, and reached out to do the same to Kyungsoo’s, before quickly pulling his hand away from the bandages. “Ah, sorry.”

The captain took Jongin’s wrist, holding his hand a little way from the bandages. “Since this. Just…don’t touch now.”

“Does that mean touch later?” Jongin said without thinking, and promptly covered his mouth, flushing a deep red that probably glowed brighter than the sunset had. Wide eyed, Kyungsoo looked to be doing the same, his smile embarrassed.

“Maybe.”

“Hey! Getting some fresh air? Glad to see you looking better, captain.” Jongin and Kyungsoo froze and looked around, eventually met by Luhan beaming in the light of the lamps he was carrying. Behind him, Sehun held more lamps and several rolled up pieces of paper. “We’re about to start getting ourselves back on track.”

Back on track.

Jongin liked the sound of that.

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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