Insoo leaned hard against the edge of the table as he peered across the surface to eye the young man opposite him.  He propped his chin in one palm and grabbed the flagon of ale in his other hand, drawing it close to rest the mug in front of him.  “No one ever tells you what it’s really like,” he sighed, tilting the mug so he could peer inside to inspect the contents.  Frothy head still covered the first layer but he could see the amber liquid beneath, peeking around the edges.

                “What what’s really like?” his companion asked, dark eyes flickering between Insoo’s face and the flagon quickly.

                He was too polite to ask but Insoo knew he was trying to see just how far gone he was.  The thought made him chuckle.  It would take a lot more than the three already downed drinks to make him anywhere near too drunk to notice such a look.  “And the books have it all wrong too,” he added, leveling the mug and meeting the other boy’s gaze.

                “Books?” the other asked, leaning forward on his elbows as he reached to slide the flagon in his direction, clearly curious.  “Don’t you mean the stories?”

                Insoo let him have the drink and shook his head with a dismissive wave.  “None of the books ever tell you how things really are.  Or the you have to crawl through sometimes to get where you want to end up.”  A smile pulled the edges of his mouth up when the youngster tasted a sip and made a particularly hilarious face: revolt was easy enough to recognize.

                “How can you drink that stuff?” he practically gagged, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand while he pushed the mug away.

                That more than anything gave his age away.  A mere babe just out of his mother’s arms it would appear.  “This?” Insoo asked with one quirked brow, retrieving his drink to take a long pull from it before setting it back down without the slightest reaction.  It was worth the look of astonishment on the kid’s face, even if it did taste like swill.  Better than most but swill all the same.  “It’s an… acquired taste,” he promised with a wink, one dark eye closing with practiced ease.

                Clearly, the boy didn’t believe him if the vehement head shake was any indication.  That didn’t stop him from sidestepping the debate entirely.  “But what about what they don’t tell you?  Or what the stories leave out,” he pried, leaning against the surface again, pale face tinged red from the heat in the bar and the taste of the alcohol. 

                He was probably ten and three summers.  Maybe four on a good day, and the sound of adventure still appealed to a poor, peasant boy.  Especially when the slightly well off scoundrel was willing to entertain him, if only for a short time.  “As for the first,” Insoo began, running slender fingers through the mass of medium length, black locks atop his head.  “Being a useless son,” he explained, picking at a speck under his index fingernail.

                “Eh?” the boy blinked, not at all expecting the answer.

                “Ah.  My apologies,” Insoo nodded, nearly bumping his cup with his head.  Maybe he had drank a bit much already…  But then again, he could still recall that all sons were useful in a poor family.  Many hands made for light work.  “In a kingdom at peace, the third son of a minor noble has little value,” he shrugged, stating a fact that automatically made the boy nervous, as told by the widening of his eyes.

                “Yer a noble?” he asked in horrified awe, his expression obviously wondering if he’d somehow offended the ‘lord’ whose company he was sharing.

                A flash of blue caught Insoo’s eyes and his smile widened.  “Aye!” the newcomer announced, clapping the young boy on the shoulder with both large hands, eliciting a startled yelp and an amusing jump where he sat.  “The Captain here is the son of a noble,” Joonkyu chuckled as he sat down next to the boy, folding his lanky frame onto the bench with a modicum of grace.  He was still getting used to his recent growth spurt after all.

                “Captain?” the boy squeaked, voice cracking on the word.

                “Oh yes,” Insoo laughed outright.  “Did I forget to mention that?” he teased, waving for another flagon of ale to join the one he had almost finished.  At the dumbfounded nod he got in response, Insoo grinned sheepishly.  “My apologies.”

                “And what stories are you telling the younglings this time?” Joonkyu rolled his eyes, tossing the dark blue bangs out of his face with an impatient gesture.

                “What none of the books ever tell you,” he pointed out firmly, speaking each word with perfect pronunciation.

                “And,” Joonkyu held out the first letter for a couple heartbeats with a knowing look at the boy.  “That’s how you know he’s in his cups again.”

                “I’ll have you know I’ve only had three,” Insoo snorted, holding four fingers up instead.

                “Captain,” Joonkyu smiled wryly with a shake of his head.

                With a broad smile, Insoo folded his pinky finger down and leaned towards the boy, “He doesn’t know I was counting the one on its way.”

                “So who’s the kid?” the blue haired young man asked, beaming when his own cup arrived with Insoo’s in tow.

                “This is Minhyuk, a wheat farmers son with two older brothers and a wee baby sister back at home,” the Captain explained matter of factly.  “Oh, don’t look so surprised,” he chuckled at Minhyuk’s wide eyed expression.  “A pirate needs to remember all sorts of information,” Insoo explained with his finger in front of the boy’s face.

                “Pirate?”  Another squeaky, single word and both young men had to laugh at the reaction.

                “Aye, Minhyuk,” Joonkyu clapped him on the back, the difference in height amusing if only because he was nearly a head taller than the kid while seated.

                “And that’s what no one ever tells you about at first,” Insoo came full circle at last, clasping his cup in both hands to sip from the top.

                “How being a pirate is the best?” Joonkyu snorted, taking a deep breath as he wrapped one arm across his waist, closing himself off just a touch.

                Insoo didn’t miss the gesture and he met the other man’s gaze evenly for a moment, taking note of the dark brown eyes with their introspective glimmer and the tense posture.  Not all good memories there.  And he would have cause to know.  “Exactly,” he murmured with a sage nod.  “Don’t believe what the books tell you.  They’re filled with lies and empty promises,” the pirate scrunched up his face.  “You don’t just get to be a Captain because you want to.  And you don’t just get to be a pirate because you find their ship.  You hardly ever get treasure.  At least not without a lot of trouble.  And female companionship can be hard to come by at times,” he laughed, gesturing to the filled bar with low end patrons, a smattering of well worked women, and a large number of spilled food and drink spots all over the place.

                It was nothing special to be sure, but these were usually the safest spots where no one asked questions and you occasionally ran into little, scrawny youngsters like the one he was currently entertaining.  “Okay,” he simply nodded at the instructions, very obviously nervous at being in their presence.  He kept looking around like he was going to get in trouble or something and it was starting to bother Insoo.

                “Relax, Minhyuk,” he urged, reaching into his money purse to give him a silver penny before he waved him off.  “Go buy yourself a bit of food or something.  On me,” he winked and leaned back, one hand wrapped around the mug.

                “Thank ya, sir!” Minhyuk nodded energetically and scampered off, removing himself with all due haste as he fled their company.

                “Cute kid,” Joonkyu muttered, one sidelong look following the boy before he turned his attention to his drink instead, focusing on the contents exclusively.

                “Just a curious boy,” Insoo shrugged, resting his chin in his palm once more.  He let the din of the establishment fill the void between them for a couple minutes more, sipping at the contents of his mug in quiet, forced enjoyment.  “Do you regret it?” he finally asked when Joonkyu had yet to relax and return to his normal demeanor.  Apparently, he’d been drinking too.

                Dark eyes jumped up to meet his, the question unexpected.  “No,” he shook his head, straight blue strands flaring out around his head.

                “Good.”

                “I mean, it wasn’t the best start but I met you and all and here I am,” he shrugged, offering a weak smile, his complexion a bit paler than usual despite his words.

                “Aye.  An interesting meeting that,” the Captain agreed, scratching at a line on the table with his fingernail.

                “Do you?” Joonkyu inquired a few heartbeats later, his gaze intent as he waited.

                “Do I what?” Insoo blinked, momentarily lost.

                “Regret it.”

                Insoo snorted at the clarification, his face impassive in spite of the sound.  At last though, one corner of his mouth pulled up into a partial smile and he answered, “Never.”

                It was all well and good to read about the adventures of pirates on the open water when he was a boy.  It was even great to speculate where he would go and what he would do when he got there.  But it wasn’t like the stories said when he left his father’s house for parts unknown.  The money didn’t last half as long as it should have.  None of the servants would come with him anyway and his horse foundered in the first moon.  People weren’t willing to help him like he thought and he’d very nearly had to resort to selling himself before he was able to find his footing anywhere.

                And even then, working in a port city was busy, hard work.  The pay was , the bosses were , the jobs were , and it was hard enough to find a place where one could with any degree of privacy.  Worse than that, sleeping with one eye open at all times got incredibly tiresome and he learned you couldn’t have friends half as often as one was used to because they could sell you out at a moment’s notice.  Ironically, that was how he’d ended up on a pirate ship in the first place.

                “Remember that arsehole I told you about?” he prompted with a thoughtful frown.

                “Which one?” Joonkyu chuckled, loosening up a touch at the comment.

                “The one that tried to sell me,” Insoo grumbled, raising his hand as if he was going to smack his companion, though the smile on his lips assured him he was playing.

                “Oh.  That one,” he laughed outright, nodding in agreement.

                “The books don’t tell you how pirates often do deals either and Captain Dauntless had him sinking to the bottom of the bay in no time.  But not until after he’d had me on board,” Insoo huffed at the memory, scratching at his hair.

                “That old bastard,” Joonkyu muttered, his mood turning dark in a heartbeat.

                “Don’t I know it?” Insoo slapped the table with his palm, startling his companion.  “And you didn’t even have to deal with him all that long.”

                “Long enough.”  A pall of tense energy settled around the younger male’s shoulders and the Captain sighed.

                “You were such a scrawny thing then,” he his lips and shifted on the bench, settling in.  Though Joonkyu didn’t look at him, the hint of a smile pulled at his lips.  “You hadn’t hit your growth yet and your hands and feet were freakishly large in comparison to the rest of you.”

                “No they weren’t,” Joonkyu defended himself with weak amusement.

                “Nor had you started coloring your hair that pansy shade of blue,” Insoo teased, leaning back out of range when Joonkyu looked up as if to try and smack him in return.

                “I like it, okay?”

                “Of course!  It suits you,” the Captain grinned, raising his glass in toast.  “As does your presence at my side, First Mate,” he reminded pointedly.

                Brief silence fell until Joonkyu finally took a breath and agreed.  “That’s all thanks to you.”

                “Not if you hadn’t been there in the first place,” Insoo proposed with a shrug.  At the words, Joonkyu looked thoughtful before he started chewing on his bottom lip.

                “Not if I hadn’t been caught in the first place,” he mused, arm coming across his midsection again.

                “Aye.”

                Bruised flesh through the ripped shirt was the first thing he noticed.  A blossoming black eye and the bloody split lip were second when the boy looked up from the deck of the rocking ship, fear and pain warring to win.  He tried to crawl backwards to get away from the looming figure in front of him, a tall, weathered pirate by the name of Captain Dauntless.  Dark eyes peered down at the kid with his face clear of his lengthy black hair, the majority hidden under a dark green bandana tied around his head.

                “I’m sorry,” Joonkyu whimpered, ducking his matted head and cowering from the blows that had yet to continue falling.  His passage was blocked by the other crew members of the Maiden’s Head, a crude joke the Captain thought funny at the time.

                “And what’s sorry gonna do fer me?” the Captain drawled, pressing the toe of his boot atop the boy’s fingers and leaning his weight forward.

                Insoo winced at the scream that followed, his hands balling into fists at his side while the sun beat down on them all from above.  It was a warm day which was probably what had driven the kid out of hiding below.  Most of the men were certainly not wearing their shirts, himself included, but Joonkyu was soaked through and cowering while Dauntless cackled at his misery.

                “Please stop!” the boy howled, trying to free his hand in vain.

                “But I ‘aven’t even started,” Dauntless gloated, removing his foot only so he could land a solid kick in his ribs instead, knocking the breath from his lungs.  “I’ve no interest in rats aboard my ship,” he growled through clenched teeth, suddenly fierce and no longer amused.

                “I just needed-” he rasped.

                “Needed what?” the Captain scowled, prowling around the boy like a great cat.  “To steal from me?  To get a free ride?”

                “To… to…”

                “To what?” the Captain prompted once more, leaning close to hear better just in case.  “I see,” he nodded to himself, reaching down to grab Joonkyu by the hair.  The boy screamed again when his head was wrenched back until they were nearly face to face; the position had to be terribly painful.

                “Captain,” Insoo murmured with a step forward before he even knew what he was doing.  Silence reigned as soon as he stopped and he was acutely aware of every eye focused on him.  None of the other crew were inclined to step forward and by the looks they were giving him, he was beginning to suspect he shouldn’t have either.

                Dauntless let the boy’s hair go and stood up to turn the full weight of his attention on Insoo with a dark glower.  “Yes Insusie?”

                He hated that nickname…  Insoo had to grit his teeth to ignore it, but it was to the men’s credit that none of them snickered as usual.  “He’s just a kid, sir.  He hasn’t caused any harm,” he trailed off, his lips uncertainly.

                “Oh?” the Captain murmured, taking a step towards the shorter male.  “And how would you know that?”

                e.  Now he’d done it.  He should have been the first to say something about there being a stowaway on board since he’d been the first to see him after all.  But he didn’t have the heart to call the kid out when he was little more than skin and bones and reminded Insoo of himself not that many moons ago.

                “Are you friends with the boy?” Dauntless asked, booted feet clicking on the hard wood as he got closer.

                Insoo’s eyes flickered up and back down as he saw the elder male standing directly in front of him.  “No sir.”

                “Do you know the boy at all?” he went on, picking Insoo’s chin up with his fingers so he would meet his gaze.

                “No sir,” Insoo responded with a shake of his head.

                Dauntless leaned into his personal space and stopped just short of actually touching him.  “Then I suggest ya shut yer damn mouth and step back.”

                Insoo winced at the bite in the Captain’s tone and flinched, but he held his ground.  Whether it was stubbornness that kept him in place or sheer stupidity, he wasn’t sure, but when he didn’t move, he saw fire flicker in Dauntless’ eyes.  Fast as an adder, the elder male moved and pain exploded in Insoo’s jaw as he crumpled to the deck amidst a roar of shouts and cries.

                A river of blood rushing in his ears drowned them out for a moment and Insoo had to blink hard to focus so he could regain his wits from the punch he’d just been dealt.  His jaw ached something fierce and he tasted blood on his tongue.  For an old man, the pirate still packed a punch.

                “Get ‘im up,” Dauntless dismissed as he turned his attention back to the boy on the deck.  “Come on little rat,” he chuckled, reaching down to tangle his fingers in the matted locks once more.  “Let’s ‘ave a chat.”

                The boy cried out when he was dragged to his feet and Insoo tried to shake off the hands that reached for him, callused palms and fingers scraping against his bare skin when he pulled away.  “No,” he growled through clenched teeth, angry with everyone at that moment.  All of them were a bunch of stupid fools cowed by a very capable but deplorable captain.  He’d only seen one other stowaway in his time on board in the several moons he’d been with them, and that man had been treated poorly too, but his death had been swifter than what awaited the kid.

                He’d also seen the Captain’s tastes when they docked at port and the lecher didn’t discriminate; he liked them young...  He didn’t touch his crew for the old man knew better than that, but Insoo had felt his eyes on him more than once.  And for some reason, today, it was just too much.  “Don’t,” someone whispered in his ear and he could have swore it was the calm voice of Mika, First Mate to the Captain.  Rumor had it, he had replaced the older First Mate when he started to get too uppity by the Captain’s standards and normally, he was inclined to listen to the reasonable, young man, but not today.

                “Dauntless!” Insoo snarled as he ripped himself free from their hands, feeling split nails and rough skin snag on his bare skin.  “Leave him alone!”

                “Oh?” the Captain chuckled dangerously, stopping at the edge of the parting circle with his captive still held tight, both hands clinging to the fingers lodged in his hair.  Unceremoniously, he kicked the boy’s feet out from under him and let him drop to the deck in a boneless heap.  “Stay,” he commanded with his finger pointing at him like a dog before he turned his attention back to Insoo.  “Tryin ta play a hero now?”

                Insoo clenched his hands into fists and remained silent, body quivering with tense energy.  That hadn’t been his intention but he didn’t know what he was doing anymore.

                “My ship, my rules.  Remember?” the Captain reminded him as he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for a response, gaze glancing around the group of sailors top side.  Not a one of them said a word.

                “You have ty rules,” Insoo finally muttered, feeling his heart race beneath his skin, pounding against his chest like it wanted to escape.  That certainly made two of them.

                His comment made Dauntless chuckle before his arms unfolded and one hand drifted down to trace against the pommel of the dagger at his belt.  “So I take it you wanna be Captain then?”

                Again, silence was Insoo’s response.  He hadn’t thought that far ahead and really, if Dauntless was the result, then no.  But another quick glance at the crumpled boy behind the Captain, body shaking with quiet sobs and face hidden from what was going on around him, gave him reason enough to be standing there when no one else would.  Even if he knew it was damn foolish.

                “Alright, boy.  Let’s see if you’ve got what it takes ta be Captain,” Dauntless smirked, tossing the dagger from his belt to Insoo’s feet before he reached for his short sword in turn.

                e.  Quiet murmuring picked up around them and Insoo glanced at the dagger, then the circle of men around them – their faces were the uncertain masks of spectators and he didn’t know which side they were on.  He focused on Dauntless again and without taking his eyes off him, he bent down to retrieve the dagger.  It was all that saved him when the Captain leapt across the distance to bring his short sword down with lightning like speed.

                “Yah!” Insoo yelped, his voice nearly lost in the uproar that rose around them, feeling the shock of the blades in his bones as he hastily defended with both hands gripping the dagger.  Metal keened when Dauntless pulled back, sending sparks flying in his haste.

                “Not bad, Insusie,” he taunted, practically dancing in place while Insoo panted over the exchange.

                He swallowed hard and bided his time.  Master Shin had always counseled patience when one opponent had a longer weapon than the other.  Pity he hadn’t usually listened in the past…  He feinted to try and draw his opponent in but found himself backpedaling swiftly when his mock blow was rammed aside, nearly costing him the blade in the process.  His grip shifted and he fumbled to get a guard up before the tip of the short sword could snake into range.

                As it was, only a panicked twist kept him from being spitted like a pig.  With his blade on the wrong side of the weapon though, it didn’t save him from the inside slash that followed.  Steel parted his flesh even as he tried to wrench himself out of the way, creating a bleeding, red wound from his belly button to his side.  Insoo inhaled sharply and wrapped his left arm over it, right hand trembling slightly at the current state of affairs.

                “No.  You’re no captain, boy,” Dauntless shook his head, on his teeth with a laugh as he gave permission for the rest of the crew to join in.  They did so hesitantly, almost as if concerned they would be the next to join the circle.  The Captain was no fool and he was deft with a blade.

                “I never said I wanted to be,” Insoo whispered, shoulders rising and falling with each breath.

                “Ya sure as ‘ell acted like it,” the Captain gestured with his sword, smiling when Insoo followed it unerringly with his eyes.  “Try and follow this,” he grinned, tracing his blade through the air as he drew a picture between them, hiding the fact that he was getting ready to move again.

                Insoo realized what he was doing a hair too late and had to overcompensate with his body to knock the dangerous weapon aside, leaving him off balance and exposed.  Dauntless elbowed him in the head when he was still trying to recover and Insoo saw stars for a moment.  The pirates roared at the attack and he was nearly deafened by it while he stumbled back.  Hands grabbed at him from behind, steadying him so he could be ready for the next strike.

                “Watch out,” they hissed quietly, just a passing warning before he was shoved to the side enough to give him momentum so he could avoid the next strike that nearly kissed his shoulder.  He heard the blade slice through the air near him, a thin hiss of sound, and swallowed his fear.

                Planting one foot, Insoo rounded on Dauntless, catching the short sword against his blade as they stalled, braced against each other.  Blood trickled down Insoo’s smeared torso and his right arm trembled with the strength needed to match the older male.

                “Stupid boy,” Dauntless frowned, using his greater size to shove him back, offsetting Insoo’s balance again.

                He tried to catch himself, grabbing at Dauntless’ shirt, but the space between them grew and his head snapped back when another punch caught him in the face.  White light burst behind his eyes, blinding him when his nose was hit; more coppery liquid hit his lips and the back of his throat, but it was nothing in comparison to the feel of steel driving through bone as it pierced his shoulder.

                Insoo screamed and dropped his dagger as he grabbed the blade with his hand, his left clawing at Dauntless’ arm.  With a twist of the blade, Insoo’s knees buckled; an agonized cry escaped him and he fell to the deck with the weapon still buried in his flesh.

                “All yer fancy trainin and this is the best ya can do?” Dauntless scoffed with irritation.  “Waste of my-” His next word was lost to a pained gurgle and a wet thunk as he jerked and stood upright stiffly.  “What?” he rasped, letting go of the short sword to turn around so Insoo could see the dagger jutting from his back.  “Mi… ka?” Dauntless questioned uncertainly.

                Hard blue eyes peered at the Captain without blinking.  “Never again,” he shook his head slightly, allowing his gaze to slide down to the boy on the deck before coming back to meet the dying man’s eyes.

                “But…” the Captain tried to speak, brows twitching and mouth working to get the words out.

                “No,” Mika stated simply as he stood like a statue and watched the life slowly fade from Dauntless’ eyes.  No one questioned him, though Injun and Karam turned to stand watch in case anyone had any ideas to the contrary.

                “Insoo,” a rich voice at his side called to him and the injured man looked to his left where Husky, one of their two relative “healers” knelt beside him.  “Brace yourself,” he warned, yanking the short sword free with a terrible wet, grating sound.

                Insoo lurched with the motion and the last thing he heard was his own voice echoing in his ears before darkness claimed him.

                “Gods I was stupid back then,” Insoo laughed at himself, downing his tankard once more.  “How did I ever make it this far?”

                “Luck?” Joonkyu smiled with flushed cheeks, both hands wrapped around his empty mug in turn.

                “Some,” the Captain conceded.  “It wasn’t lucky that Mika kicked me off his ship then and left us both at the next port.  Or that yours was the face I woke up to in that healer’s bed.”

                “It was for me,” the younger boy promised earnestly, a genuine grin gracing his boyish features.  “You saved my life.”

                “Oh, now I’m a hero,” Insoo rolled his eyes.  “The Great Pirate Captain Hero!” he gestured with one hand rising into the air.

                “Now,” Joonkyu laughed in agreement.

                “Right.  I did have to find a ship and a crew later.  Kind of hard to man one with just two people,” he sighed, scratching at his head with a puzzled frown while he glanced around.  “Speaking of the crew… where are they?”

                “I don’t know, sir,” his companion blinked as he followed suit.

                They were both answered by an irritated outcry and a panicked shout as several figures came bowling through the front doors.  The three figures in the lead included two young men and one woman who were then followed by some of his men, all of whom looked annoyed.

                “Oh bugger,” Insoo groaned as he shoved his tankard away and stood up with a scrape of wood against wood.  “What have the boys gotten into this time?” he grumbled with a hand roughing his hair while he watched on from afar.  Joonkyu stood up as well and shrugged.

                “Give it back, you little thief!” one of his men cried, pointing at the scrawnier of the two men hiding in the rear.

                “Seyong?” the male in the front growled in warning over his shoulder as he kept one arm in front of the woman, keeping her behind him.

                “I didn’t steal anything!” Seyong held his hands up as if that would clear his name.

                “Bloody hells,” Insoo sighed with a weary laugh.  “Let’s go get this sorted out, aye?” he prompted while he slung an arm over Joonkyu’s shoulders awkwardly.  Sometimes he forgot how tall the kid had gotten since he’d first met him.

                “Aye, Captain,” Joonkyu laughed as the pair made their way through the throng.