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daceydeath · 2 months ago

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Crashing Waves (Part 1)

Pairing: Pirate San x Reader Word Count: 5k Genre: Fantasy AU, Slow Burn Romance Warnings: 18+, MDNI, Swearing, Alcohol

I thought that I knew love. But it was just the waves crashing over us ~ Waves by The Dear Hunter

You sat quietly on the dock watching the last of the dusk's light sink beneath the horizon, you often came to the ocean at night. You never really understood the sway it had over you but it gave you a sense of calm and peace to listen to it to watch the waves rise and fall the soft whispers it gave to you each time you were near it. Although you had been warned a hundred different times by your father and friends to stay away from the docks it was the only place you could go tonight, the king tide making it far too difficult to get to the small rocky cove you often visited.

Come home child, come home to me.

The sailors and merchants all ignored you, having slipped out of your corset and hiding your hair beneath a hat you didn’t look like a lady of the night and there was no way you looked wealthy enough to bother so most, probably, assumed you were an urchin scrounging for anything you could to get by. There had been chaos within the town that day swelling and frothing like the seas during a storm which had left the streets empty and most of the ships with their gangways stowed to prevent anyone untoward coming aboard. Only one colossal ship that sat docked on the furthest berth away from the other vessels but again you didn’t really care you just made your way past it and sat with your feet dangling above the water your pants hiked up to your knees to prevent them getting wet.

Earlier you had been sitting in the tavern listening to your friends prattle on about pirates stealing women away to sell to foreign lands or taking them as prizes to spend the rest of their lives at sea but you were yet to hear a single shred of actual evidence of this. Pirates, mercenaries and soldiers were often the same thing; it just depended on who was paying them. If they worked for themselves they were pirates, if they could be bought they were mercenaries and if they could become loyal they were soldiers. The line between was pretty damn thin in your mind. Each drink had made you more uninterested in their stories and increased the longing you felt to be alone so while they continued to dance and drink you slipped away to find solitude beside the waves of the highest tide this year.

“What are you doing here?” a stern voice asked from behind you making you jump slightly then frown deeply in disappointment.

“I’m watching the waves” you replied honestly annoyance clear in your voice, not even looking back at the man who had interrupted your peace.

“Sounds like a ruse to spy on us” he muttered bitterly, his footfalls getting closer to you, his boots clunking against each of the old boards that had been worn smooth with time and salt as he moved.

“I don’t know or care who you are sir, please just leave me alone” you continued, turning your body to sit against one of the large dock posts so you could see both him and the ocean. His face was still half in shadow but you could tell he was someone important. The gold chain that hung across his chest and the glittering rings on his fingers showed wealth but the sword on his belt warned of potential danger.

“Then why are you so close to my ship?” he demanded coldly, his scrutiny obvious as the waves began picking up and started to bob his ship slightly in its mooring, the breeze fluttering the sails on the boats docked.

“Because your ship is docked where I sit, you decided that not me” already being tired from a long day and probably one too many drinks. You had little emotional strength left to even pretend you care if he was offended or angry. His presence was irritating you when he could have just ignored you. He remained silent studying you as you turned back to the sea watching the waves even out once more.

“You're not curious who I am? Not afraid of me either?” he queried, seeming perplexed about his whole encounter with you, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword although you still didn’t flinch.

“No, I’m not” you admitted quietly, closing your eyes and leaning your head back against the old wooden post. After a few more minutes of nothingness he left presumably to his ship which loomed between you and the shore blocking the view of the town you lived in. Once the darkness finally fell you stood and wandered back towards your family’s home fully aware that a different man was following you, his feet moving almost silently as he remained shrouded in shadow everytime you passed by a street lamp that bathed the ground with an eerie amber gold light.

“I know you are there” you breathed stepping into a dim alleyway beside the apothecary. You heard the steps pause and then a quiet sigh as he stepped into the dim light only a few feet from you “Did your friend ask you to follow me?”.

“He didn’t understand why you didn’t care about the danger you were in, or whether you did and you really are a spy” he replied in his musical voice the only thing you could discern since he was covered head to toe in black, his raised hood covering most of his face.

“He’s either paranoid or he thinks that your reputation precedes you so much that a small town woman knows who you are” you challenged leaning against the dirty bricks as you accepted that perhaps you should have listened to just about everyone and not visited the docks.

“Did you not see the logo on our ship? Do you not know what it means?” He asked a touch softer as if he suddenly noticed how you were dressed and how you looked he stepped forward and you realized how tall he was, although his lithe frame made him seem young.

“I saw it but I don’t know it” you admitted tilting your head “my family work on land we don’t know anything about pirates”.

“How do you know we are pirates then?” he asked but you could hear the smile that was likely gracing his face.

“Big ship, paranoid captain who wears expensive looking jewels, tall assassin looking man who follows his orders. Do I need to keep listing things off?” you smiled right back daring him to deny any of the things you mentioned.

“Alright you are clever I’ll give you that. Why do you spend time at the docks if you work in the town?” He pressed lowering his hood to allow you to see him. Even in the low light you couldn’t help the way your eyes widened. He was beautiful, longish dark hair framed his sharp featured face like a gilded frame making it almost impossible to look away from.

“The ocean has always called to me, I sit beside it every night it calms me especially when I have a little too much to drink” you whispered, still staring at him unashamedly you could see the cogs turning in his head deciding how he would proceed with you.

“I’m Seonghwa” he bowed his head respectfully, seeming pleased that you were so openly staring at him.

“Well Seonghwa nice to meet you” you offered your hand for him to shake noticing the grace with which he moved.

“Come by the ship tomorrow before noon I want to show you something” his eyes twinkled as he smirked at you before turning away and disappearing from sight. Still dazed from meeting Seonghwa, you continued home knowing that he was no longer following you.

“Why would I want to do that?” you mused thinking that he was already gone disappeating into the inky darkness.

“Because now you’re curious” he laughed softly his voice fainter than before.

“Fucking cloak and dagger bullshit” you muttered stepping back out of the allyway and into the street to continue towards home.

“So was she spying?” Wooyoung nonchalantly asked his feet up on one of the chairs in the galley.

“Nope she’s just a normal girl” Seonghwa chuckled watching Hongjoong frown deeply “Had one drink too many and needed some air”.

“She can’t be just a ‘normal girl” Hwa, when I spoke to her she got annoyed and the waves started when I left her alone and she calmed down. The waves stopped, that isn’t normal” Hongjoong insisted irritation in his tone.

“True but either way she wasn’t spying” Hwa smiled crookedly before moving towards the doorway “Oh I invited her to the ship tomorrow so you could always ask her yourself”.

“Who’s coming tomorrow?” San piped up entering the galley from the other end plopping himself down beside Wooyoung to begin eating.

“Mystery girl” Wooyoung cackled, watching as Hongjoong’s frown intensified, staring at the place the Seonghwa had just been filling.

“I don’t get what’s so special about her” Mingi mumbled from the spot he had been sitting in watching the discussion before him.

“Hongjoong thinks she's one of those sea imps but she can’t be, she lives on land” Yeosang whispered back in between mouthfuls of dinner.

“Dipshits” Hongjoong rolled his eyes stabbing at his food viciously.

“Were you at the docks?” your roommate Mara narrowed her eyes at you looking you over for filth or injury.

“No, I went to the cliffs above the cove. The tide was too high tonight to get down to the rocks” you lied shamelessly ripping the bread she had saved for you into pieces before popping it in your mouth.

“Well you still smell like salt” you nodded slowly going back to the book she had been reading her eyes skimming the rest of the page in silence.

“I have smelt of worse things. I heard there were pirates that docked today” you started your words half garbled by the bread filling your mouth “The whole tavern was talking about them”.

“That’s why I told you to stay away from the docks” Mara sighed defeated before looking over at you unimpressed. “You never pay attention to anything do you? There was a notice put up just about everywhere that there were pirates seen just past the headland and they were probably headed here and you didn’t even see them did you?”.

“Sorry Mara” you bowed your head unwittingly, annoying her by just being yourself again, you couldn’t help that you didn’t pay attention to every stupid thing that happened in town.

“Finish your bread and go to sleep” she grumbled putting down her book and turning out the lamps.

When you woke up, Mara was already gone, probably having left for the market for work. It gave you a chance to clean up and change before venturing to the docks to see if Seonghwa had meant what he had said about showing you something. Donning a simple pair of dark jeans and a green tunic you slipped from the house unnoticed, taking only an apple, some bread and some biscuits to last you until you could return home again. You wanted to take your bicycle to make the trip quicker but you knew that would lead to you being recognized and you didn’t want to be stopped. You were too curious about this thing that the beautiful Seonghwa wanted to show you even if you were unsure you could trust him.

It was close to noon by the time you slipped yourself through the docks and approached the ship, the ostentatious decorations on the hull making it much more noticeable in the daylight, the solid brass and copper engines that sat just above water level were something you had never seen before and the gigantic red A that was stitched into each sail and painted on the hull gave little doubt of the owners intentions. Walking up the gangway you stopped one step before you would be considered onboard the ship waiting until one of the men on the deck noticed you.

“Uh who are you?” a pretty man who looked far too etherial to be a pirate asked you his broom halting mid sweep when he saw you.

“Where did you even come from?” a broad man with a striking face asked moving to step in front of his shipmate waiting to see what you would say his hand hovering near his waist.

“Seonghwa asked me to come” you smiled nervously looking at him. He looked like he could intimidate anyone he chose to but there was something in his actions that made you feel safe instead of fear.

“Ah you came!, welcome to my home, well our home” Seonghwa’s sothing honey laughter made itself known before he gracefully stepped into view.

“Hello again Seonghwa” you bowed your head but didn’t move. You knew you had to be expressly invited in before you assumed anything with pirates; it was only polite.

“Come I will give you the tour” he beckoned you onto the boat which you gingerly stepped onto the once moving vessel now standing completely still which made the two crew members look at each other subtly, something crossing between them that you didn’t understand.

“Lead the way then” you stepped towards him as he moved back through the darkened doorway into the belly on the ship.

“They were Yeosang and San. The others we will probably find along the way” he hummed showing you the galley, the armory and the crew quarters finally walking you past the cannons on your way towards what you could only assume was the captain's quarters.

“So should I assume that what you wanted to show me is probably the captain” you mused looking at a cannon with interest. The gleam of the silver barrels showing that they had seen little action.

“Yes and no” Seonghwa conceded with a sly smile tugging on his lips.

“Shall we get this over with I’m getting hungry and I left my lunch on the dock” you sigh knowing that although it is unlikely a trap you will probably have to talk to the annoying man again.

“Captain” Seonghwa knocked sharply on the door to the quarters waiting for a sign to enter.

“Come” a loud voice called letting you know that it probably was the same man from the night before.

“This is the one I was talking about” Seonghwa announced, swinging open the door and carefully pushing you through the opening, stepping in behind you and almost blocking your exit. Despite the large windows the room remained dim, large heavy curtains blocking out most of the light that was trying to illuminate the room. Three men occupied the space, a tall man who looked you over with slight confusion, a serious looking man with floppy dark hair and a smaller man who you recognized as being the jerk from the dock the night before. He sat at the desk, his hands holding a large looking glass and a necklace which he had been by the looks of it appraising, because pirates you guessed.

“Hwa said you aren’t a spy” he started placing the necklace down on the dark wooden table.

“I told you that already” you interrupted tilting your head and narrowing your eyes at him. “Last night when you interrupted me”.

“He also tells me you are brazen, stubborn and headstrong but that the sea calls to you” he continued unfazed by your words.

“Well he must be quite the spy himself if he gleaned all that from one conversation and followed me most of the way home” you conceded, shrugging indifferently as you looked around the room. A large bed sat against the windows, its canopy made up of more dark heavy fabric that probably helped to muffle the sound of the waves at night, papers and books littered all the other flat surfaces and large paintings of sea creatures covered the walls. One painting on the wall lit up with its own lamp caught your attention, not just for the overly ornate gilt frame but because it was something you were sure you had seen before perhaps in a dream or in a book. It was of a woman, her face hidden in her reddish hair in a simple white gown that had been painted as though she was simply suspended underwater.

“He should have said infuriating” the captain clapped back bringing your attention to him once more.

“You haven’t even introduced yourself why would I owe you anything more than what I am giving you, Seonghwa at least has manners” you mutter looking up at the large ornate ceiling that is decorated with vivid images of sea monsters. A kraken looming ominously above the desk.

“I’m Captain Hongjoong, this is my navigator navigator Jongho and my medic Yunho” he nodded to the two men in turn “I apologize for my poor manners would you grant me the grace to start the conversation again” his voice was resigned but held an air of annoyance.

"Do you like my ship?" he asked, tilting his head as he scrutinized you for the second time in 24 hours.

"She's very impressive, but I still do understand why I'm here Captain Hongjoong" you tilted your head in return not letting your eyes drop from his.

"Seonghwa says you are called to be the sea, is that true?" he continued narrowing his eyes slightly, the others who you had seen and a couple who you hadn't had managed to all make their way into the room sitting or leaning in various places but all looking at you. You stood silently mirroring his posture unconsciously as you weighed up your answer.

"Has this got anything to do with that?" you pointed your thumb in the direction of one of the paintings hung on the wall with scraps of paper pinned around it. "Because I find peace by the ocean but I am no sea nymph".

Hongjoong glared at the painting on the wall, not answering you immediately. The silence strained and became more intense as the seconds passed by. His crew looked almost nervous as they looked between each other and then back to their captain.

"But yes the sea calls to me" you added quietly, making Hongjoong's eyes widen as they snapped back to your face, the frustration in his expression melting away to reveal a look of awe.

"What does it say?" he breathed almost inaudibly.

"Home" you murmured, feeling Seonghwa's hand find your back as you swayed slightly, the ship beginning to rock beneath your feet.

"We will not hurt you" Hongjoong instantly stood his chair scraping noisily against the wooden floor "No one on this ship would ever cause you harm you have my word I know it must be telling you otherwise".

Danger child, he is a danger

"Why would you ever harm me? I'm no one, not even worth a ransom" you looked up again meeting his eyes, your head suddenly swimming like you had been drinking absinthe again. The words circling your brain continuously. "How do you know what she says?".

"Hwa" Hongjoong yelled but you had closed your eyes, or maybe the lights had gone out but either way you felt something hard and warm crash into your front before your face hit the floor. The room was not only spinning but raising and falling the sensation making your queasy.

"Thanks San" Seonghwa's faint voice echoed in your head before you could no longer hear.

"The fuck just happened? Is she dead?" Mingi blurted, looking bewildered as San scooped you into his arms and moved you towards the captain's bed as carefully as he could as the ship rocked violently.

"Does she need a doctor or do you think you can manage?" San whispered to Yunho who was already checking your pulse in your wrist.

"She's breathing and her heart rate is normal, if she doesn't wake up in an hour maybe" Yunho hummed, placing the back of his hand on your forehead "Can someone bring me some water?". Jongho dashed from the room as quickly as he could trying not to trip on anything that had fallen from the captain's desk as the sound of books falling to the floor thudded behind him.

"I can't be the only one confused about her knowledge of the painting though right? You said that it was a one off original, that it was incredibly unknown which is why it had to be stolen" Wooyoung sounding more hysterical than he probably wanted to. "How would she know about it! and why is it so fucking rough right now?".

"She could be mistaken but she knew it was about sea nymphs" Yeonsang added, squeezing Wooyoung's shoulder to keep him calm while pressing themselves against the wall so they had something to hold onto while the turbulent movements of the ship unsteadied them.

"The diary said it had been hidden for more than 150 years, that no one had laid eyes on it in almost 100 of those years. She looks like she's not even 25". Seonghwa furrowed his eyebrows confused by the whole thing, the swinging overhead lamp throwing bazaar flashes of light over them all.

"She's going to wake up in a second stop being so loud" Hongjoong grunted holding the edge of his desk knowing that the rest of the ship would probably be a complete mess from the short burst of waves.

"There you are" San smiled softly, his eyes creasing up as your eyes fluttered open.

"You had us worried for a second there" Yunho joked, his voice soft as he placed a wet cloth against your forehead Jongho still holding the bowl of water so it wouldn't spill everywhere.

"I'm sorry?" you mumbled your voice sounding far away even to your own ears.

Safe keep you safe

"You fainted" Yunho smiled, his voice still soft as he continued pressing the cloth against your skin he watched your breathing for a moment before dipping the cloth back in the water "Can you sit up or would you rather roll on your side? I need to put this on the back of your neck".

"Are you a doctor?" you blinked slowly trying to lift yourself from the soft thing you were laying on "Did I hurt anything when I fell?".

"San caught you so no you have no injuries" Yunho nodded to San who took hold of each of your wrists slowly pulling you into a sitting position while Yunho placed the cloth on your neck.

"Thank you San" you murmured weakly, noticing a pink flush dust his cheekbones.

"What happened? Did you hear anything before you fainted?" Hongjoong asked from his desk where he remained leaning against the shiny dark wood. You continued blinking slowly, registering that you were lying on his bed in the same room as they were all in with you moments ago.

"That's none of your business" you swallowed shakily, turning to look back at San who looked openly worried at the way your arms trembled in his hands. "I would like to go home now".

"Not until we know you won't faint the moment you stand up" Yunho soothed wetting the cloth again "can you hold this against your chest please? I can close the curtain so no one can see you".

"Please" you whimpered watching San lean across to pull on the fabric for Yunho.

"Do you want me to leave?" San whispered his voice was soft watching you fumble with the lacing at the top of your tunic.

"No it's alright" you half smiled, feeling your face heat up as Yunho moved your hands away, his long fingers deftly untying the knot and loosening them enough to slip the cloth under without exposing you.

"I need to get off this ship" you mumbled meekly looking up at Yunho then to San tears beginning to prick at your eyes.

"I will carry you off myself if I have to" San continued whispering to make sure only you heard him. "But you need to feel less overheated and look less pale first".

"Woo, can you get me some candy? Sweets might help her feel better" Yunho called through the thick dark burgundy fabric causing shuffling and noise to erupt on the other side after another few minutes of silence a hand thrust through the fabric holding a bag of what looked like marshmallows.

"Eat a few please, the sugar should help" Yunho hummed.

"Thank you mystery candy baring hand" you called hearing a loud bark of laughter follow your words. After half a dozen marshmallows Yunho placed his hand back against your forehead nodding to San who pulled open the curtains for you.

"Try standing slowly" Yunho instructed, standing in front of you as San remained behind you. Your legs felt a little shaky but nothing too bad as you placed your weight on them bouncing on your toes softly. "Good I think you will be alright now".

"Thank you for your help Yunho" you smiled, relieved that you would be able to get as far away from their captain as you could.

"I'll take you back up to the deck if you want" San looked hopeful as you turned your head to look at him.

Safe be safe

"Please San" you murmured ignoring the others as questions started being thrown in your direction.

"Will you come again?" Seonghwa's honey voice poured into your ear.

"I don't know" you looked at him keeping your voice as level as you could "I was nice to meet you all".

San led you towards the deck with Yunho following you both just to be safe as you slowly descended the gangway you felt a surge of relief come over you like water pouring from a bucket over your head. Picking up your pack which you had stowed behind some creates you fished out your apple biting into it before looking back up at the ship. San and Yunho were still there although now the others had joined them looking almost ominous as their silhouettes stood tall against the light behind them. Nodding once you walked back along the dock the salty air blowing your messy hair around you.

"Well that went shockingly bad" Seonghwa sighed leaning against the railing as they watched you disappear between the other ships.

"Oh yeah the only thing that would have been worse was if we kidnapped her" Mingi rolled his eyes.

"She will never set foot here again" Jongho laughed, nudging San who looked slightly confused.

"I've never seen you that soft before what happened?" Wooyoung quizzed rounding on San who just shrugged before leaving to return to his cabin knowing damn well it would be a mess from earlier.

"You had to see that the waves came and went depending on her though right?" Hongjoong insisted.

"Yeah but I don't think it will be easy to convince her to come with us. She seems desperate to be away from us, well some of us" Seonghwa conceded watching San's retreating figure.

"Well we will just have to convince her then" Wooyoung bounced cheekily smirking at them before scampering away after San.

You decided on the walk back you would stop into the apocathary to see if Salvia had anything that could quell the unease that you were still feeling. The bell rang loudly as you stepped inside the calming scent of dried herbs and lavendar filling your lungs as you walked towards the counter.

“Via?” you called stepping around the counter and towards the back room. “It’s me”.

“Little possum what are you doing here? You aren’t working today” Salvia blinked looking at you through the steam of the large pot she was boiling.

“I know, I’m just feeling really weird so I wanted something to make it go away” you continued peering into the large brass pot to find an interesting combination of plants and muslin bags tied with string.

“Hair tonic” Via explained as she stepped towards you her hand outstretched to feel your face “What are your symptoms?”.

“I feel nervous, queasy, and hot” you listed as she scrutinised you “Oh and my legs have been shaking like I’ve been running for hours.

“Hmmmm” Salvia hummed looking puzzled for a moment before going over to one of her store cupboards and pulling out a box marked with large red letters. “Take two bags in a cup of tea now, then before bed. It’s probably your moon time that’s causing it”.

“But I’m not having that right now” you swallowed as she bustled to the stove to lace the kettle on the heat and get you a mug.

“No but it will probably start soon and this is common before it in a lot of women” she smiled softly picking up the teabags and placing two in a bag for you and two in the waiting mug.

“You are a life saver Via” you smiled crookedly “You should put that on the sign Salvia the Savior”.

“That might get us more customers” he nodded sagely before pouting the water from the now whistling kettle into you cup to let it seep.

“So what’s with the pirates at the dock?” you asked as casually as you could “That ship is gigantic”.

“I would steer clear of the docks for the time being” Salvia warned seriously “That crew is infamous for their cruelty and violence”.

“Hold on why would pirates like that be in our town?” you frowned “what could they want with anyone here?”.

“Could be just suppliess, could be looking for a place it hide. It’s not important. They are murderers for hire who have no humanity” Salvia almost spat as she glared at the brewing tonic.

“It’s alright Via, I’m not planning to run away with the pirates I just didn’t even know they were there until I saw the massiv ship” you blurted quickly hoping that she would calm back down and let you finish your tea without a full lecture.

“I know you’re a good girl” Salvia conceeded smiling at you in a very motherly fashion “now take your tea and I’ll see you tomorrow”.

a/n: Thank you for reading my lovelies. I have recently struggled to find any motivation to write and it has been hard but hopefully after Christmas and a proper rest period I will be back to my normal self. As always your likes, reblogs, comments and encouragement mean so much to me xx

Taglist (open): @christopher-bangnaldoskzz @armystay89 @damnyouficc @roamingpolar

@tara-skyhold @bakedlilgoonie @krishastumblernow @mrsseals16 @fawnpeaks

@leeknowinggg @tanzen-ist-gold @uno7 @ocean-dreamer-sky-chaser @skersey33

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daceydeath · 28 days ago

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Crashing Waves (Part 2)

Pairing: Pirate San x Reader Word Count: 4.4K Genre: Fantasy Au, Slow Burn Romance Warnings: 18+, MDNI, Swearing, Past Criminal Behavior, Mentions of Abuse

Masterlist - here

I thought that I knew love. But it was just the waves crashing over us. - Waves by The Dear Hunter

You smiled widely at Salvia as you stepped back into the apothecary the following morning, once again she had been right the tea had calmed you completely making your trip to the cove much easier and you slept peacefully.

“It worked I see, my little possum” Salvia smiled slyly as you pulled your apron over your head and redid your messy bun at the back of your head.

“Of course it did, you made it” you rolled your eyes playfully making her chuckle as she returned to placing the tonic from the day before onto the shelves in the window display.

“I have more tonic bottles that I need you to dip in wax this morning” she hummed moving the sign on the door to say open.

“I can do that Via” you nodded, moving around the counter and out the back so you could begin melting the beeswax you would need and find the bottle of blue dye you would need to make it the correct shade of azure that Salvia required it to be. You heard the bell ring but didn’t bother moving as you knew Salvia was in the shop, dropping small amounts of the dye and swirling it until it was just right.

“She is not here pirate, now leave” Salvia snapped viciously making you start almost dropping the dye bottle you were holding onto the floor. You hadn’t closed the door so the voices from the shop floated through to you now that the pisces were louder.

“We are not here to harm her, she fainted yesterday. I wanted to see if she was alright” the voice almost pleaded, the familiar timbre catching you off guard.

“How do you know she fainted? How do I know you are not telling me lies to steal another girl from under my nose to sell to the highest bidder?” Salvia was almost shouting the venom in her words enough to chill your blood.

“We don’t steal women and sell them” a second voice snapped “What kind of fucking monsters do you think we are?”.

“Are you not Ateez? Do you not sail with that wretched Hongjoong?” Salvia continued not answering his questions “You are not welcome in my shop, leave”.

The silence that followed was filled with heavy tension that pressed against your chest only when the bell rang again as they left the shop did you let go of the breath you were holding. Swallowing hard, you began dipping the tonic bottles to seal the corks, hoping that Salvia would not notice that you had overheard everything that had been said or the fact that you did not tell her you had fainted, you managed almost two dozen bottles before she stepped into the back room.

“Did you faint yesterday?” Salvia asked softly, her voice now sounding hoarse.

“Yes” you murmured ashamedly.

“Did those pirates help you?” she asked again.

“I didn’t know they were pirates” you muttered lying to her again hoping she wouldn’t press you further. “They helped me and asked for my name. I didn't think that they would look for me”.

“You need to go home little possum, it won't be safe here until they leave and return to the ocean” Salvia sighed softly, taking your hand and squeezing it. “If they want you to leave with them do not, If they try to persuade you, do not listen. You need to be wary of Captain Hongjoong, he is not a good man”.

“I will Via I will go home once I finish the rest of these bottles hopefully they won't still be in the street then” you nodded taking in her words. You didn’t know who Hongjoong was other than a man that you had met by accident but he hadn’t hurt you nor had the others so there was something that you did not know about, something dark and scary you needed to discover. You wiped the last of the wax from your fingers and took your apron off. Salvia had given you her shawl to wear over your hair to make you less easy to see but you were unsure it would help given how easy it seemed to be to find you. Leaving from the back door you made your way to the kitchen of the tavern to ask the only person who loved to tell stories even if they were gruesome and horrid. Leaf the barman.

“The woman said she wasn’t there but I’m pretty sure she was” Yunho explained tersely “But she refused to let us near her because we are part of this crew, not because we are pirates because we sail with you Captain”.

“Accusing us of kidnapping women and selling them into slavery” San added, sounding offended by the idea of it.

"She was utterly disgusted by us" Yuhno finished frowning deeply as he looked towards his Captain for answers. Hongjoong sighed tiredly, his hand moving to wipe down his face as he contemplated what past truths to reveal and whether Seonghwa was happy to do the same.

"She has every right to be," Seonghwa answered gently, the slight tremor in his voice going unnoticed by most of the others. "There was a time when I was very different to now, when I had no choice but to follow the orders of those that held my leash".

"Leash? What the fuck does that mean?" Jongho's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"When I met Hongjoong I was part of a team of people like me, spies and assassins really, all of us were under a sort of captive service. My sister had refused the advances of our local Duke and to get back at our family I was arrested and told that my services would be used until I was deemed 'fit to be freed' which meant either my sister married him or I remained in service. I did just that for five years until my sister and parents were killed when our home was burnt down in a fire which meant I could escape" Seonghwa explained softly but thoroughly pointedly ignoring the looks of pity from San and Yeosang.

"How old were you?" Yeosang asked knowingly, his face mirroring the pain that was etched into Seonghwa's words.

"When did they take me? 14" Seonghwa smiled sadly "I could blend in when I wanted to and disappear when needed. That was useful to them".

"Was that what happened to you too, Captain?" Wooyoung probed not wanting to open too many old wounds.

"No, but when Seonghwa was almost ready to flee we met so we were both very young. I was already on a ship then under a different banner but still Seonghwa joined up and came with me it wasn't until a couple of years later that we left that crew to look into starting our own that we could work with for the long term" Hongjoong conceded not really wanting to admit more than he needed to yet.

"So that crew earned you a bad reputation then?" Jongho still eyed both of them suspiciously knowing full well that neither were revealing the whole truth to them yet.

"My previous captain was far more cruel than I am, he would take prisoners for ransom, burn down homes fuck once he killed a merchant's wife in front of him because he wouldn't give him the key to his safe" Hongjoong sighed deeply again turning his back to the others before exiting to his quarters.

"That would be why she thinks we kidnap people" San groaned irritably "She is never going to let us near her".

"That doesn't mean you can't check up on her through other means" Seonghwa shrugged before leaving to follow Hongjoong.

"So what are they still hiding?" Jongho asked no one in particular.

"Like nearly the whole fucking story" Mingi laughed mirthlessly.

"There is probably a really good reason though, I for one trust our captain" Yeosang interjected looking between them all with a stern glance.

“No one doubts our Captain” Wooyoung patted Yeosang’s shoulder.

Sitting at the bar at barely 10 o'clock in the morning was not something you ever did but you were pleasantly surprised how quiet it was as Leaf set about cleaning the beer spigots and changing the barrels. He had looked surprised to see you until you had told him Salvia had chucked you out the shop and he had laughed at the idea of you fucking up so bad that she had to get rid of you to clean up. You weren't going to correct him, you wanted him in a good mood and talking.

"Did you want more tea?" he glanced up, suddenly hearing your mug hit the wooden bar top.

"Nah I'm good" you grinned as he went back to working on wiping up sticky port wine from below the counter. "What's the latest gossip Leaf? Any new couples I need to know about?".

"Ah lass there is so much going on right now" he grinned broadly dropping the soiled rag onto the bar and leaning closer to you "Have you heard that Pansy has been shacking up with Birch? Caused quite the scandal that he dropped Violet for her" he waggled his eyebrows comically.

"No! you're kidding? When did that happen?" you cried dramatically feeding into his need to provide all the juicy details.

"Just this week, can you believe it? Him and Violet were meant to get married in the spring" he continued, pleased with your reaction. "Then there was that ship full of dangerous rogues who arrived in the night on Friday. Been here for all of one week and two of them have passed young Rose between them. Such a pity I thought she was a good girl".

"Hold on, dangerous rogues? Here?" you spluttered theatrically playing into his words.

"Yes I'm sure even you spotted their enormous ship moored down at the docks!" He chuckled, rolling his eyes at you.

"Well yes, I saw the ship but I didn't know they were mysterious rogues here to corrupt the towns girls" you tried to look scandalized as you could to keep him going knowing how to keep him talking.

"Pirates! led by a particularly nasty one called Hongjoong, he and his first mate have quite the history of murder and mayhem behind them" he nodded seriously.

"If they are so dangerous, Leaf, how come I have no idea who they are?". You raised your eyebrows at him "Famous pirates who no one has heard of?".

"You're probably just not paying enough attention! You wander around in your own head half the time" he roared laughing and you scrunch your nose at him huffing in faux offence. "Hongjoong their captain used to sail with The Black Sails. Their captain was a mean bastard always after blood and coin, burnt Saliva's village to the ground and took three of their prettiest girls to sell off to lords or slavers or something. Horrid scum they were. Hongjoong was one of their best fighters, he probably still is, he has killed hundreds of men despite how young he looks".

"My gods" you gasped actually shocked that the men you had met were such monsters. You had heard tales of The Black Sails when you were a child, the stories always feeling more like a fairy tale of the boogeyman than reality.

"I don't think that this Ateez crew behaves like that to be honest they seem happy to just plunder other pirates not towns but you never know" Leaf continued his voice lowering as he tapped the side of his nose "Besides his first mate was an assassin for the Crown Court at one point and those men are the most dangerous men alive". You felt your head spin as the color drained from your face Seonghwa was an assassin? How many people had the two of them killed? How many lives had they destroyed? and you just followed him around their ship.

"What about the others? Are they all cruel and horrific monsters like that?" you whispered leaning in closer to Leaf, your eyes wide.

"I don't know but you never can really know can you" he tapped the bar a few times and you jumped and whipped your head around when the door of the tavern opened and San and Yunho stepped inside their eyes both locking onto you before you could even turn away from them.

"Sorry gentlemen, we aren't open yet, come back in a few hours" Leaf called gruffly not failing to notice how they both looked at you.

"Of course innkeep" San bowed his head respectfully as his eyes stayed locked onto you. Yunho opened the door again and they both stepped back out onto the street trying to hide their obvious interest in you.

"I think you better leave the way you came lass, safety and all that" Leaf muttered keeping his eyes on them through the smokey glass of the windows.

"Thanks Leaf" you murmured, scampering back through the kitchen and out into the alleyway making your way back towards Salvia's so that you could hide out there again now that they had seen you in the tavern they wouldn't return to her shop, at least you hoped that they wouldn't.

You crept back into the storeroom of the apothecary waiting to hear if you could hear any customers in the shop before you could get Saliva's attention.

"Via?" you called cautiously hearing some clinking and shuffling from the shop. "Via?" Salvia popped her head through the backroom door looking suspiciously around the room until she spotted you standing in the doorway of the storeroom where you could remain hidden from any windows.

"What are you doing back here?" she hissed, shutting the door behind her.

"They saw me outside the tavern so I came back here" you replied sheepishly looking at your feet.

"That's actually a good idea" Salvia muttered the scolding she had been preparing for leaving her as she made her way to the stove to pop the kettle on it and began unwrapping cloth covered items in her basket. "Here eat this I made them yesterday so they are still fresh" she smiled kindly handing you a currant berry scone.

"Thanks Via" you sighed in relief, biting into the sweet treat.

"The tavern is the opposite way to your home, little possum, how did they see you there?" Salvia asked whilst she prepared a mug of hot cocoa for the pair of you.

"I went to see Leaf" you admitted guiltily "I wanted to know more about why you hated them so much for just being around Hongjoong".

"You could have just asked me, little possum" she shook her head resignedly, a lingering sadness in her eyes.

“I didn’t need all the details and I didn’t want to upset you” you shrugged sheepishly taking a deep fortifying breath you met Salvia’s eyes. “I met Captain Hongjoong at the docks the night of the king tide, I didn’t speak to him politely and he left after a few words so I just kept to myself and left to go home. Seonghwa followed me and spoke to me just outside at the entrance to the alleyway. He invited me to the ship and stupidly I agreed. I met them all at the ship and then something happened. I got dizzy, my head felt like it was going to split open and I fainted. The two who came into the shop, Yunho and San, helped me, Yunho is a medic so he treated me until I was well enough to get back off the ship and San well he promised he would get me off the ship if it was the last thing he ever did”. You couldn’t stop the words from spilling from your lips keenly aware that Salvia might just hit you with one of her copper pans.

“You are a foolish woman” Salvia snapped acidically before conceding “but you are your mother daughter. She too was too curious and too trusting”.

“Don’t talk about her like she’s dead Via” you sighed “just because she moved to King’s Isle to set up shop”. It had long been a thing that the towns folk spoke about those who moved away as though they were dead perhaps to encourage the children to stay and keep the town alive.

“She is as good as” Salvia muttered under her breath just loud enough for you to hear and choose to ignore. “What happened before you got dizzy, before your head pain began?”.

“I met Hongjoong again in his quarters along with a couple of other members of his crew. I was mostly ignoring him, looking at the paintings he had on the walls and ceiling then I saw a portrait of a sea nymph and when I asked about it he got all defensive then the pain started”. You recalled thinking hard to remember who was near you or talking to you when you felt it start. “No one was talking to me directly and Seonghwa’s hand brushed my clothes but not actually me, then I fell and San caught me”. Intentionally leaving out any mention of the woman’s voice you had heard or what she had said you didn’t need Saliva to think you had lost your mind.

“Perhaps it was just your intuition trying to protect you” Salvia pondered looking almost through you “They wouldn’t want to explain away a stricken local girl on board their cursed ship, it was a good way to get yourself back onto land”.

“Or perhaps they weren’t actually going to hurt me? ” You offered tiredly, feeling like you would prefer to talk about anything that wasn't Hongjoong for at least the next ten years of your life. The hours passed slowly as Salvia went in and out of the shop front and back room dealing with customers as they came and went.

“Twilight's hitting us, little possum, you should head home but keep to the backstreets if you can” Salvia guided you towards the rear entrance that you had snuck out of the first time you had attempted to escape without notice. Nodding you agreed, letting her quietly shove you from the premises and into the cooling air. You begrudgingly realized you should have brought a jacket but you hadn't expected that you would be playing hide and seek with a collection of pirates when you got ready that morning so you would just have to deal with the goosebumps until you got home.

The first few alleyways were empty aside from a stray cat and a small child playing hopscotch, it started to sweep away the tension about how normal it was, how utterly ordinary the trip was going to be until you had to cross into the thin road beside the empty tea salon.

“So you have been avoiding us?” A musical voice asked sadly from the top of the salon’s wall.

“Shit” you squealed loudly holding your chest as your heart thundered against your ribs “Are you trying to kill me here?”.

“Absolutely not, it's pretty much rule one in medicine ‘dont kill your patient's’ I try to follow at least that one” A tentative looking Yunho stepped out from the arch in the bricks.

“We just wanted to make sure you were well and there was nothing still making you sick” San pouted looking around Yunho’s shoulder to meet your eyes making your breath hitch in your throat.

“Well as you can see I'm fine” you smiled tightly, stepping back from them so you were technically in a more open area.

“We would never hurt you, I promise. Just like I promised I would get you off the ship” San frowned, hurt flashing in his warm eyes.

“You have been told things then?” Seonghwa tutted leaping from his high point to the ground gracefully like a cat, his landing almost silent.

“You forgot to mention you were mass murderers and assassins either times you've spoken to me” you swallowed hard not wanting to show weakness as footsteps sounded to your right on the open road.

“Because we aren't” Yunho emphatically answered his eyes not leaving your face

“You might not be, San might not be but he is and so is your captain” you used your chin to gesture at Seonghwa not willing to look at him instead keeping your eyes on San’s face. Silence fell over the four of you until a voice rang out nearby in the fading light.

“Lass, you alright?” The gruffness was not directed at you but to the unseen people that he could see you were talking to albeit from a distance.

“Actually, would you mind walking me home? I heard there were pirates around and I don't want to get into trouble” you smiled meekly at the docker that was walking towards you, his lady wife two steps behind him.

“Of course child” she answered loudly waving you over to her side “ we always keep our own safe” her warm smile as you quickly went to her side soothed your nerves a touch.

“You stay with us lass, we'll get you home in one piece” he nodded sharply stepping into the crossroad you had been standing in before ushering both you and his wife forward. When you passed him you noticed the three men were nowhere to be seen. “You made the right decision there last, can never be too careful”.

“Thank you, it's never not been safe before” you murmured keeping your voice low as you noticed Seonghwa’s shadow move across the roofline following your every step.

A sleepless night followed and you were glad that you were alone in your room, Mara had been called to the farm to help prepare for the harvest, which meant that at least if Seonghwa tried to get to you she wouldn't be hurt. Not that you really thought he would, the house was full and he was not going to risk it for a simple thing as telling you what you heard was either nonsense or truth. But your insides were screaming at you, the voice in your head wouldn't stop calling out and you were getting more uncomfortable. Finally you dragged yourself from your bed and looked out your window staring into the darkness you strained to see if any shape was out of the ordinary, if anything moved the way it shouldn't when you saw nothing you sighed and moved to the next window. You had made your way around the whole house looking out bathroom windows, lounge windows and the study window but you saw nothing, felt nothing untoward was lurking out there in the darkness. Determined to get your mind to calm you pulled on your uncle's coat and silently crept from the house making your way towards the cove that you frequented. You hadn't mentioned the cove you were sure of that, so you knew you would be safe there you half done up boots scuffing against the uneven cobblestones as you reached the edge of town. You were still alone as far as you could tell so slipping your boots off you stepped into the soft sand and walked towards the gentle lapping at the water's edge.

“You are pretty stealthy for someone with no training” Seonghwa stated softly making you bristle.

“Why are you here Seonghwa? Was I not obvious enough about not wanting to be near you?” You muttered bitterly his presence ruining your quest for calm

“To explain and apologize” he sighed earnestly, not moving from where he stood eight feet away from you.

“Then explain” you huffed feeling the water that was lapping at your toes now coming up to your ankles.

“I was both of the things you heard, but it was years ago and not who I am now. I had no choice then, not that it changes what I did but it's still a fact that I didn't do it willingly” his voice remained low but you could feel the emotion and regret that was hidden in his words. You nodded for him to continue hoping he would give you a little more of a crumb of context.

“The ruling Duke was going to kill my family, my sister if I didn't comply. So I did until he broke his word and killed her anyway then I ran and I found Hongjoong. We started our crew and we don't do things like that, we attack pirates, merchant navy and any ship with lords colors. We don't kill unless we need to and we give half our hauls to villages in exchange for shelter” he continued his voice remaining even.

“How old were you?” You finally looked at him hoping he wasn't lying to you.

“I was taken at 14, I was small and good at being ignored. They trained me in fighting, stealth and weapons and held my leash tightly, threatening to kill my family constantly to keep me compliant, and as a foolish boy I believed them. I was only allowed to see them a few times in the years I worked for the Crown court each time my sister was more and more terrified and I didn't ever know why. Until just before my 19th birthday I heard whispers in another royal court I was collecting information in that things were being hidden about the spies that my the Duke had, I wanted to know what and after I convinced some people to talk I discovered that me and the others were all trapped into service the same way, I returned to the Duke’s garrison and found letters from my parents and sister dozens of them. My parents begging for my help with the abuse my sister was suffering through and my sister pleading for me to forgive her for what she was going to do. One night after years of being systematically abused by the Duke she fought back and he set my home alight leaving my family to burn alive” Seonghwa’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“My god Seonghwa I am so sorry” you whispered horror plastered across your face. “I know sorry can't fix anything but…. Fuck”.

“Hongjoong’s story is not too different really neither of us had happy starts, neither of us made good decisions while we were still essentially children” Seonghwa lamented as he moved closer to you until he could have touched his arm against yours. “Please don't hold it against San he didn't even know until today, neither did Yunho”.

“I sort of figured since they were both shocked when Salvia told them to leave” you admitted heavily and the sea water soothed you.

“Come visit again. Please” Seonghwa smiled softly before retreating back into the darkness.

Safe now

The voice whispered quietly, making you hum in contentment.

a/n: Thank you for reading and for your patience my lovely loves. As always your likes, reblogs, comments and love give me a light in the darkness xx

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