Feeling

Siren Song

They managed to raid a small ship from the Diamond Isles before the storms began anew, while morale was high. Though the ship’s hold was by no means large, it had been tightly packed with wondrous treasures from the floor all the way up to the ceiling.

“Diamond ships are a rare sight – they don’t trade much, do they? The isles are mostly self-sufficient,” Kyungsoo mused as they dug through the crates they had seized, after transporting them to the hold of the Calling Siren. Nobody really heard him, though, as the rest of the crew were preoccupied with picking their share of the sparkling gems and jewellery the humble crates and barrels held.

Jongin held a shining necklace against his skin, glancing to the captain for an opinion.

“I like your other one better.” So did Jongin, but he put the new necklace to one side anyway, where Sehun wouldn’t dive in to stake his own claim (though for now, he had been distracted by some earrings, which was a relief.)

As the treasures in the Siren’s hold twinkled and shone, the waves outside began to dull and the sky overhead clouded over, the wind picking up and rocking the ship.

It was decided that they should head back to the Opal Coast at last, their hold filled to the brim with trinkets and curiosities that would have a far better home safe at Joonmyun’s house than rolling around on the ocean. And roll they did, as the days went by and the storms began to pick up at a startling pace.

Mere days after their last raid, the crew of the Siren were rendered unable to go outside at all, even onto the top deck. The rain hammered down in heavy sheets, striking the ship from above, or even from the sides when the wind began to rage around them. Most of their days were spent reorganising the hold again, to prevent their spoils from getting damaged, or eating dinner together with conversations shouted over the wailing of the wind. Luhan often asked Jongin and Kyungsoo to give him the details of what had happened in the hold of the Oberon, despite him having heard the story dozens of times by now.

“I still can’t believe you met the princess of my kingdom.” The navigator would grin into his meal night on night, as though it were still news to him. Today just like every other day. “I’ve only met her once, myself. My family were invited to the palace for a celebration around her fifth birthday. No surprise that she was kept under lock and key.”

“Good thing we didn’t need a key, eh?” Yifan nudged Jongin with a wide grin, though it momentarily faltered when he realised he’d hit the younger boy right in his sore shoulder. “All thanks to Jongin being handy with a piece of wire.”

Jongin flushed a little, mumbling into his dinner about the very real possibility of having smashed the door in if he hadn’t been able to open it, but Minseok interrupted him from across the table.

“Come on now, Jongin; accept a little credit for once. Look at how far you’ve come! You’re a real pirate now; the others will be so surprised to see you when we get back to the coast.”

There was a hum of agreement from around the table, and Jongin sank to hide better behind his meal. He could feel the captain looking at him, but said nothing about it – he was a little too embarrassed for eye contact right now.

“Joonmyun will be proud of you.” Kyungsoo’s tone was surprisingly gentle. “You’ve proven yourself more than capable with the sword he gave you.”

“Please.” Luhan grinned. “If anyone is proud of Jongin, it’s you, captain. No harm in admitting that.”

When Jongin glanced up at the captain again, it was Kyungsoo who had suddenly taken to hiding behind his food, stirring it quietly.

 

The storm was a fickle one – just as it seemed to be dying down, a sudden gale took hold, battering the Siren for all it was worth as a last stand of nature versus man.

It made it difficult for Jongin and Kyungsoo to talk much at night, their only private moments in the captain’s quarters. The captain was hesitant to speak in anything louder than a whisper, in case they were overheard or their precious privacy was interrupted. The wind howling outside and the waves crashing against the ship made it almost impossible to hear, so some nights all hopes of conversation would be forgotten, in favour of kisses finally given and taken without hesitation, without fear.

Tonight was one of those nights; at least, it was intended to be. The rocking of the Siren didn’t make it easy, though, and it wasn’t long before Jongin tumbled away to the foot of the bed for the sixth or seventh time that evening. Kyungsoo reached out to take Jongin’s hand before the younger boy fell off the bed completely.

“This isn’t working.” Jongin smiled shyly in the dark, settling beside Kyungsoo rather than attempting to take his intended place above him yet again. The captain leaned over to kiss Jongin lightly, the two of them sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the bed. “This is nice though.”

“It is.” Another kiss, and a comfortable silence settled over the pair. It really was nice, Jongin thought, to be able to kiss Kyungsoo this way, but Kyungsoo seemed a little bit…not hesitant, no, he was the one with a gentle hold on Jongin’s shirt after all, but perhaps somewhat distant.

“Captain?” he whispered against Kyungsoo’s lips. He was answered with a light peck.

“Look what you’ve done to me,” the captain murmured, “you’ve made me soft. I’ve lost my touch.”

“That’s just me being a good influence on you, like you’ve been a terrible, terrible influence on me.” Jongin chuckled, taking Kyungsoo’s hand and touching it lightly against the scars on his face, finally healed into a set of deep, red lines.

Kyungsoo’s lack of response made Jongin realise that the other was actually concerned about it.

“I’ve changed since you came along…I’ve let my guard down, lost my focus, even foolishly allowed myself to become wounded…how am I supposed to maintain my hold over the Jewel Seas if I lose my reputation as a fearsome pirate captain?”

“You’re still a fearsome pirate captain.” Jongin didn’t miss a beat, pressing a little closer and pushing some of Kyungsoo’s hair from his face. It felt so good to be close to him like this now. “Just one with a good, loving heart.” Kyungsoo didn’t have a response to that, so Jongin just continued. “You are! And when the day comes that we’ve found what you’re looking for, your good heart will serve you a lot better on land than being a scary pirate.”

The wind wailed, and Kyungsoo trailed feather-light kisses down Jongin’s neck for a little while, in lieu of a reply. A tiny shiver ran up Jongin’s spine, in time with the whistling gale.

“You have a lot of faith in my virtue.” A low chuckle against Jongin’s throat that had him practically purring. “I’ve killed men, you know.”

“True.” He ran his hands over Kyungsoo’s shoulders, squeezing a little bit at the captain’s upper arms. “But in whose name?”

Kyungsoo quietened again. He glanced over at a dark corner of the room which Jongin knew housed the portrait of the captain’s mother.

The wind whistled low, mournful.

“You do what you do for vengeance, captain, not for leisure. Lives have only been lost at your hands to protect the rest of us, and your cause.”

The captain laughed quietly, running a hand down Jongin’s chest gently as he did so. “You’re so eager to protest my honour.”

“Can’t I do that for the man I love?” It was a whisper, only a whisper, but it was loud enough. Kyungsoo moved up to press his lips to Jongin’s again, and the younger couldn’t hold back a smile when he felt the heat from his captain’s cheeks. It was funny, Jongin thought, how such a rough and imposing man, so often cold, could be so sweet around Jongin and Jongin alone, like sugar slipping through his fingertips.

“Jongin, about what I-”

Kyungsoo was interrupted by an almighty crash, mixed with a sort of splash and followed by the unmistakable sounds of sea spray spattering against the side of the ship. All at once, Jongin found himself out of Kyungsoo’s arms, out of the bed, toppling to the wooden floor all too hard. The Siren steadied again quietly, rolling with the tide, but Jongin was a little distracted by the fact that captain Kyungsoo, too, had been tossed from the bed.

Right on top of Jongin, actually, pressed so, so close that Jongin’s mind was reeling and he was quite unable to remember whether the impact had even hurt.

Their chests rose and fell in unison for a while, in silence. A flash of lightning from outside illuminated the captain’s quarters for a brief moment, Kyungsoo’s wide eyes and flushed cheeks sending Jongin’s chest aflutter.

With an embarrassed cough, Kyungsoo quickly returned to the bed, then held out a hand to Jongin.

Captain Kyungsoo, Jongin thought with a smile as he slipped his hand into Kyungsoo’s, really is rather wonderful.

 

The seas were calm after that last hurrah, and barely after the dawn, Jongin was with the rest of the crew of the Calling Siren, putting things back in their rightful places on the deck. At least, Jongin was putting things back. Some of the others were a bit distracted.

“We’ve attacked a lot of Sapphire ships in the past years; we have to be close to the Titania now! What if it’s really all over soon…do you have any plans?”

“Not really.” Minseok helped Luhan replace the weighted ropes. “Return to the Opal Coast for good, maybe see about getting my old job back, or something similar. But what of you? You can’t exactly go back to Amethyst Kingdom, can you?”

Luhan was laughing. “Of course not! Maybe I’ll stay in Opal Coast with you, and bother you forever. Sehun, I don’t suppose you’ll be running off to Emerald Bay at the first opportunity to be with your prince charming?”

A disgruntled whine from the lookout. “Shut up! Do you think I can show my face there again when it’s crawling with Sapphire sailors?”

Jongin kept quiet as the discussion went on, concentrating on his work for now, and the rising sun glowing a comforting orange over the deck. It was still warm, very warm, but not like the sweltering heat from before. Jongin could only wonder if autumn was coming soon.

He’d left Sapphire Country in the springtime, what a thought.

“Captain! Captain come here!” Zitao was on telescope duty as the others worked, and his cries quickly brought the captain to his side.

“What is it? Is there a ship?”

“I think it was a ship, at some point. Look!”

Drawn by the fuss the medic was making, Jongin – along with the rest of the crew on the deck - craned their necks over the side of the ship to get a look at what he was pointing at. True to Zitao’s word, there was certainly something in the water ahead of them, but it didn’t look ship-shaped. In all honestly, it looked a bit of a mess, just a large floating…chunk of something in the water.

Four or five figures were on the mysterious thing, waving their arms above their heads.

“The storm.” Minseok frowned. “Probably destroyed their ship. Shall we approach them, captain?”

“Approach them,” Kyungsoo confirmed flatly, before disappearing below deck. On the way across the deck, he stopped to say something to Yifan before vanishing. Minseok rushed with some of the others to control the ship and adjust the sails until slowly, slowly, they approached the floating debris that apparently used to be a ship. It was small, like a wooden island almost, and the five figures on it waved even more frantically.

Kyungsoo emerged from the lower decks again, coat buttoned and sword in hand. “Get the ladders.” And Sehun did so. He turned to Jongin.

“There are extra ropes below deck.” Kyungsoo bit his lip in thought. “Fetch them, in case the ladders fail us.”

And Jongin ran, he ran to the lower decks and hunted for the ropes as best he could. He searched in the hold, he searched in the store cupboards, he searched in the kitchen and the crew’s quarters and even the captain’s quarters, just in case. But he found no ropes, only panic that began to build inside his chest. The ruckus on the upper decks grew more and more urgent in Jongin’s ears.

He couldn’t find the ropes. What could he do? What if something did go wrong with the ladders? What were they even going to do with the ladders? Jongin suddenly had an awful vision of captain Kyungsoo climbing down a ladder before it broke, sending the captain into the waters below.

Feeling sick, and forgetting about the ropes entirely, he sped back to the upper decks as quickly as his legs would carry him. His heart thudded in his chest. Captain captain captain captain captain captain.

“Captain?”

“Ah, Jongin.” Kyungsoo nodded in acknowledgement when Jongin returned to the deck. “We didn’t need the ropes in the end – it was a smooth operation, though we did almost lose one.”

He gestured to a small group of unfamiliar men now seated on the wooden floor. A group of five, fairly young looking and all with varying degrees of panic etched into their features. One seemed significantly more fearful than the others, like he had just witnessed his whole life flashing before him. Perhaps, Jongin thought, he was the one they almost lost.

“Pirates.” One of the group, the tallest man, muttered as he kept his gaze trained firmly on the planks beneath him. Kyungsoo only nodded in response, arms folded across his chest. He certainly looked very piratey at the moment, as did Yifan, familiar pouch tied around his waist in case, Jongin assumed, the five sailors had…bad intentions.

“We were on a fishing boat.” Another man, cat-like eyes not leaving Kyungsoo for even a moment, began. “Working around the Pearl Peninsula before the storm hit. We were swept out here, and then last night, our boat was torn apart.”

“Have mercy on us. Please, take us back to land with you!” Red haired and white faced, the third man caught Jongin’s attention. He looked more like a boy than a man, honestly, and somehow Jongin couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity with this one. Perhaps not right now, though, with his voice pitchy and panicked. “We can’t give you anything in return, but…”

“Give up.” A fourth, the last of the group who seemed to be in a fit state to speak, spat bitterly. He hunched over in a ball as he sat, making him appear even shorter than he already was. “We’re on a pirate vessel. We’d have stood a better chance of survival back on the water. We’ll be shark food within hours – what do pirates know about mercy?”

A strange expression played across Kyungsoo’s features then, unlike any Jongin had ever seen. The closest he could think of was from the night the pair of them had argued in Yixing’s surgery, the shock and hurt evident on Kyungsoo’s face then visible even now. But this one was different, more offended, but also somewhat distant.

It was a bit like Kyungsoo’s face wasn’t sure how to catch up with whatever the captain was feeling at that moment. It was a bit like he was feeling everything at once.

Kyungsoo’s grip tightened around his sword. His face settled into a frown, lips pressed tightly together, unbetraying.

“We are on course for the Opal Coast.” He turned away from the sailors, from the crew. “I believe there are at least five spare beds below deck.”

Without another word, Kyungsoo made for the lower decks, leaving the rest of the crew alone with their new passengers. The fivesome all immediately seemed to shrink in size; shoulders relaxed but shock still clear as day on their faces in the early morning light. Half of the Siren’s crew left to set the ship back on her way at full speed, while Minseok and Zitao helped the shaky sailors to their feet with promises of food and directions to a place to sleep.

Jongin didn’t watch them, though, instead staring blankly at the space where captain Kyungsoo had just been.

If only the fishermen had known of the plea for mercy on these same seas, all those years ago. The plea for mercy which went ignored, and bloodily silenced the siren’s song.

Kyungsoo could do a great many things, but refuse mercy to the innocent was clearly not one of them.

A good heart, indeed.

 

The rest of the journey to the Opal Coast was a strange, surreal one. The Siren was bustling now, more than Jongin could ever remember it, with a total of twelve men on board. While in the beginning the five passengers had made themselves scarce, as time went on they began to venture out from the bunks set up for them in the lower decks to explore the ship, and even lend a hand in maintenance and other tasks. The additional manpower was useful, for certain, especially as the fishermen proved to show aptitude in areas from repairs to cookery.

As they got to know the ship (but not her name, under Kyungsoo’s little privacy rule) the passengers each found places they preferred to be. It wasn’t long before Jongin knew where to go if he wanted to find any one of them, save for the redheaded boy, who wandered about seemingly at random. He did tend towards the lookout, however, or if not there, the hold.

And the hold was exactly where Jongin found him one day, when the pirate went in search of a crate of fruit candies seized from the Diamond ship before the storm. The boy was climbing over crates but not actually opening any, finding a comfortable spot close to the ceiling in a far corner to lie down. The boxes he lay on, Jongin recalled, held ornamental daggers and other weapons. He wondered what the boy would be like with a sword in hand.

“Hello.” The redhead grinned widely, sending that strange sense of familiarity through Jongin again. He wasn’t sure why, but he’d gotten a funny feeling from the boy since the day the fishermen were first brought aboard. It seemed the other returned the sentiment, too, giving Jongin especially bright smiles whenever they crossed paths, as if he knew something.

Taking a box of fruit candies from the crate he sought, Jongin scrambled up the crates to join the other boy.

“Hello.” It was the first he’d actually spoken to the redhead, and from the moment he opened his mouth, he realised part of what the feeling had been. The hello that left his lips had sounded almost identical to the one his companion had uttered moments before.

A Sapphire accent, clear as the Opal skies on a summer’s day.

“May I?” Another dazzling smile, and the boy’s hand was in the box of candies before Jongin could give him the yes that he was obviously going to give.

They sat there in an amiable silence for a while, sharing fruit sweets in the warm, wooden comforts of the hold. The gentle splashing sounds of waves against the Siren reminded Jongin of rainy nights on land, if he closed his eyes. Sweet sharpness of orange candies on his tongue, chuckling redheaded boy by his side, a sudden merry laugh that yanked something in Jongin’s chest because it was just so familiar, so familiar.

“You’re making a face.” The boy waggled his eyebrows. “Sour?”

“So are you. And yeah.” And then, before Jongin really knew it, it left his mouth. “You seem familiar. Like you remind me of someone.”

“Oh, do I?” More eyebrow waggling, as though the boy had expected it.

“Yeah, you remind me a little….a little of a kid I used to know.” Rainy summer nights spent in the abandoned wine cellars, sharing sweets stolen from the market stalls, to be exact. “But no, you’ve got all your teeth. He was missing a bunch of teeth.”

Those teeth were on show all of a sudden, as the boy beside Jongin shot him a cheeky grin. “Really now? You remind me of a kid I used to know, too, but he didn’t have any shoes on, and you do.” He gestured to the simple work boots on Jongin’s feet. “You know, aside from the earrings and uh, giant scratches down your face; you don’t seem like much of a pirate. How did you even get here?”

“I was abducted.” There was a moment of silence. “Okay, that makes it sound worse than it was. I was taken from the cargo ship I worked on, but they treat me well here. I stayed willingly.”

The redhead gave a low whistle. “So now you’re on the other side of the law.”

“Yeah…but I like it here, and it’s probably not going to last much longer.” The boy quirked a brow. “Our captain is…looking for something, and we think he might find it soon. I’m wondering how much longer this ship is even going to be on water.”

It was a thought that made Jongin sick to his stomach, in all honesty. Ever since the name of the Titania had been discovered, the crew began talking at great length about what they wanted to do once they were no longer part of the crew of the Calling Siren. Jongin didn’t know what to do at all – he’d left Sapphire Country for the ocean because the land held nothing for him, and found his way onto the Siren by fate, but there was nothing left for him in Sapphire Country now. It wasn’t like he could ever go back..! As Luhan chattered merrily about settling down on the Opal Coast and Zitao contemplated seeking employment at the hospital Yixing’s father ran further inland, Jongin could only pretend, pretend it wasn’t going to happen and he could live out the rest of his days like this.

Not exactly due to a deep connection to the ocean, but more of the sense of belonging he felt on the Siren now, be it working below deck, watching the stars with the navigators at night, or sleeping pressed close to captain Kyungsoo’s chest.

He didn’t know what to do.

“Ahh, really? I ended up in the whole fishing business because my father was in it, but I came to love it in the end. It’s not as exciting as your story, but…” He smiled warmly. “Well, if you ever feel like returning to the right side of the law, you’re always welcome to join us? We’re probably going to be in the Opal Coast for a while until we can find a way back to Pearl; you can always look out for us.”

Jongin hummed in lieu of a thanks, and popped another fruit sweet into his mouth.

It didn’t taste of much.

 

The night Opal Coast came into view was clear and warm, not stifling, but comfortably balmy as though the air itself was caressing Jongin’s skin so tenderly. The sun was just setting, and the first lights of the port town in the evening twinkled in the distance. Sitting in the lookout with Sehun, Jongin felt a lump forming in his throat as the Calling Siren drew closer to the land he never realised he had missed so much.

“It always looks beautiful like this.” Sehun sighed wistfully, Jongin unsure of whether the statement was directed to him or not. “I never realised how amazing Opal Coast was until I joined the Siren, you know? I’d lived there my whole life, but I never really…appreciated it.”

Jongin thought back to the muggy, industrial town he’d left behind in Sapphire Country a long, long time ago. No matter how he pictured it, it couldn’t quite measure up to the sparkling vision before him now, glittering on the horizon. Something about the Opal Coast held hope for Jongin, somehow.

“Captain says we’re going to Joonmyun’s first, to empty the ship out.” Large hands appeared in the corner of Jongin’s vision, and Yifan pulled himself up into the lookout to join them.  “If the wind keeps up, we might be able to drop into the surgery before everyone’s asleep, too.”

“And of the passengers?”

“Just letting them go once we disembark. We don’t need to keep them around or anything, and they have places to be!” Apparently they’d been talking loudly enough for Luhan, who was down on the deck lighting lamps, to hear them perfectly.

“Maybe we’ll have time to see a show. I’d like to see one again, they’re always fun.”

“Do you think the night market will be open?”

“I’m so excited to see Joonmyun again!”

“And all the others!”

Jongin didn’t join in with the conversation, but when the captain too clambered into the lookout to sit by his side, he hoped nobody would notice those twinkling Opal lights reflecting, falling from his eyes.

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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