The Irony Of Isayama Saying He’s Not Good At Writing Romantic Relationships Is That He’s Created

The irony of Isayama saying he’s not good at writing romantic relationships is that he’s created a story where SO MANY ships are validated.

I think this makes total sense though. In having very few canon relationships, there’s a lot of room to be vague. And with such a dynamic cast of characters, so many possible pairings are possible.

Also having so many characters die opens up many more options for individual characters who have outlived many partners.

Like the fact that “technically” Levi could have canonically had relationships with Furlan, Petra, Erwin, AND Hange is so hilarious to me. Like yeah it would be a total mess of a story line and Levi would be oh so exhausted it’s also not TECHNICALLY impossible.

Cause you know, they all died.

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1 year ago

one of the few fics i recommend to read if u’re tired from those sad ending tiktok aus

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»
«Protect Me, My Aurora.»
«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

― pairing : Hongjoong x Seonghwa ― content warnings : angst, smut, fluff, pirate au, royals au, slowburn, unprotected sex, fantasy au // mentions of Jongdae and Baekhyun because they're my beta's faves // yes, yes "The Bitter Dahlia" is exactly the one mentioned in «it’s high tide, baby.» ― word count : 28k

― notes : this fic looks familiar? it is! I’m reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is open and feedbacks are always welcome 💌

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

― summary :

«You’re a pirate aren’t you? Then steal me! Is that so much to ask?» Seonghwa concluded, lightly squeezing Hongjoong’s arm, his voice full of hope. He was talking a bit too loudly for his standard, but now, convincing Hongjoong to take him with them was more important than respecting the label of the peaceful sovereign. «What do you have that I would want?» Hongjoong curiously challenged him, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer to the King.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

Seonghwa sighed while tightly fixing on his head the hood hiding his identity, as bittersweet memories of the past flashing through his mind.

He was crowned King when he was in his twenties, reigned over a wide Kingdom and his country loved him for he was a caring and humble man. Seonghwa also dearly loved his wife, which was a rare thing to happen during an arranged marriage whose only purpose was to unify reigns who were in prior conflict. However, the Queen had been seriously ill.

Seonghwa absently played with the familiar rings on his finger, as he reminded how quickly his wife’s life slipped away, murder caused by a group of conspirators leaded by the Governor himself. They made it appear as if it was in fact the King’s will to poison his own wife, so that he could get married once again and furtherly extend his Kingdom without recurring to wars.

“Things change fast.” Seonghwa thought with a dejected sigh. The originally small group of conspirators quickly gained members, and Seonghwa was forced to leave everything and hide. The Governor was now occupying the King’s throne, exactly as he planned.

As the former King, well, he was now part of the Resistance.

«Come on,» Jongdae, the Resistance’s leader interrupted the whirlwind of his thoughts, «they’re probably waiting.» Seonghwa absently nodded at him as they walked towards a familiar inn, their footsteps echoing in the dark of the night.

“The Bitter Dahlia” was the inn that had been hosting their secret meetings for months; Seonghwa knew that Jongdae and Baekhyun - the innkeeper, were brothers and therefore, he quickly understood how their group was constantly informed about any kind of news going around town. The strong smell of alcohol mixed with loud chatters and laughters filled their noses and ears as they quickly got in and closed the door behind themselves, before quickly taking place in front of the counter and ordering something to drink. 

«There are big, unexpected news tonight,» Baekhyun nodded at his brother and at the young King, as he finished filling their chalices, «Pirates.» he whispered, slightly nodding towards their directions with his head; Seonghwa’s eyes drifted to the group of young men talking and laughing loudly, not minding whether they were disturbing other people around them.

There were six of them, he noticed. Only one of them was particularly tall - probably the same height as him, currently busy discussing with his crew mates while partially comfortably sitting on the wooden table.

The King studied them for another minute, trying to remember as much as he could about their appearance and their faces, in case he ever happened to run into them in the future.

However, only one of them caught his eyes; he didn’t look particularly tall, and for what Seonghwa could notice in the mostly dark environment of the inn, his hair seemed to be dark blonde, styled in a mullet. He was the one who was talking less, always looking at the others with a smug grin, sometimes admonishing them with a “stop fucking screaming”, and Seonghwa assumed that he was probably the Captain.

«Come back to us unworthy peasants, your Majesty King Seonghwa.» Jongdae joked as he drew Seonghwa’s attention back on the original topic while gently nudging against his elbow. 

«I told you not to call me that in front of other people.» The former King hissed, harshly placing his chalice on the counter; Jongdae murmured a quiet apology and Seonghwa nodded with a sigh, before he eventually got up and bumped shoulders with a tall boy, his hair bright red and a black eyepatch on his left eye.

«Sorry, buddy!» the boy cheerfully apologized «I drank too much and I lost my balance for a moment.» he chuckled, absently checking how much of the drinks he was carrying he actually spilled; Seonghwa smiled as he politely answered not to worry, before immediately following the Resistance’s leader through the back door, disappearing behind it.

Seonghwa obviously could not see how the young boy’s expression instantly turned serious as he headed straight to the Pirates’ table, referring the small dialogue he just overheard to his Captain.

The meeting proceeded steadily; Jongdae announced that unexpectedly many people from other villages joined the Resistance, dejected, frustrated and unhappy with the Governor’s laws and too strict politics.

Months had passed since Seonghwa had to leave everything he had in order to run away, and during these months, he learned that there were many groups of rebels all around the Kingdom who firmly believed that the former King was still alive. Moreover, the rebels’ main goal was to wait for the perfect occasion in order to get rid of the unfair and selfish Governor in favour of another magnanimous King, just like Seonghwa was.

Hearing those words, a dejected sigh escaped from the young King’s lips. The Governor reduced the Kingdom on the verge of war and hunger, erasing years of efforts made by both him and his father in order to keep the people in his country as peaceful and satisfied as possible.

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun knew about Seonghwa’s real identity, but they swore to keep it a secret, and if needed, to refer to him by a fake name.

Once the meeting came to an end it was already late at night, and there were barely any costumers in the front of the inn, and Seonghwa decided to get straight back home. His right hand reached to play nervously with both his and his wife’s wedding rings on his left hand; he locked himself inside the small room he was renting and sat on the small table opposite the bed, studying the familiar map speeded on the wooden surface.

There was only one thing that could prove he was King Seonghwa, and unfortunately, part of it was still safely hidden in the depths of the Castle. However, he highly doubted the Governor managed to find out the location of the small labyrinth hidden in the middle of the dungeons that for years hid the documents who contained the proofs of the royal lineage, especially because this information had been secretly passed from a King to another, since anyone who was in possess of these documents could claim the position of King.

Seonghwa was honestly scared of this option, and his feelings only urged him to proceed faster on his lone mission that he meticulously kept hidden from the only friends he had; even though he tried to tell them about it few times, they always dismissed the idea.

«It’s too dangerous!» Jongdae would immediately cut his sentence with a stern grin.

«He’s right, what would we do if you got caught?» Baekhyun would add, his eyebrows furrowed in evident worry.

Anyways, Seonghwa knew what he had to do, and as he folded the small map and hid it under the mattress, he definitely made up his mind: the following night he would have paid a visit to the Castle.

However, as Seonghwa comfortably fell asleep few minutes later on the comfortable mattress of his small room, he was absolutely unaware of the two men who had followed him from a safe distance, well hidden in the dark night.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

The next day passed in a blur, since Seonghwa was too busy preparing for his secret mission to leave his room in the first place; he was lucky that the old lady which was renting him the room was gentle enough to deliver him some food for breakfast and lunch, otherwise Seonghwa wouldn’t have eaten at all.

As he carefully got dressed, he made sure to keep a knife well hidden in his boot, just in case he had to fight and his sword was snatched away; although he spent years training and learning sword fight, he wasn’t as skilled nor as strong as the men which were recruited as Royal soldiers, but thanks to the many lessons he took when he was a Prince, he learnt how to fight to defend himself. Being part of the Resistance meant constant sword training but still, Seonghwa wasn’t sure he’d be an actual challenge for a group of skilled soldiers, even thought he was very agile.

At sunset, he secured his hood on his head as he quietly left towards the Castle, the long dark cloak hiding his identity from curious eyes. Seonghwa didn’t have any trouble in finding a way to enter the Castle without being caught, he has never been a troublemaker, but when he was younger he loved sneaking out to spend some days with commoners, in order to feel closer to them. Ordinary life had always fascinated him, and his father always told him that in order to be a good King you would need to see directly your people’s lifestyle without them knowing you were around.

As silent as the snow falling on the ground on a winter night, Seonghwa quickly walked through the numerous corridors illuminated by the dim light of the moon and some torches, trying not to mind all the things that the Governor changed in what once was his home, fists clenching every time he saw a painting of the wicked man hanging on the walls.

Occasionally hiding from the guards on their night patrol, Seonghwa made his way through the labyrinth; the more he got close to it, the more he was sure that the Governor had never took actual interest in it, merely paying attention to its cold stone walls.

The thing was, it was more than a bunch of assembled walls, there was a secret chamber containing few of the most important treasures of the Kingdom, and the documents he was looking for.

Whoever owned it and exhibited it would have been recognized as the rightful King; in case someone were to unfairly occupy the position of sovereign, the King in need to prove his identity could find official documents in this labyrinth, and also a map that would lead him to a place where to find an object only the King could recognize, due to the secrecy of this information.

“Left, right, left, left-” he thought as he swiftly moved between the corridors, remembering his father’s words. “You’ll find your destination next to the black stone,” his step slowly led him into another corridor; from what he has been told, he had to look for a black stone in a wall covered with pebbles of various shades of grey.

“It could be anywhere,” he thought, dejected by this unexpected turn of events; he grabbed a fire torch from the wall, and started meticulously looking for said stone while trying not to make any noise.

Minutes passed, and Seonghwa was increasingly growing both frustrated and impatient; as he was about to give up, he found a small different stone – perfectly round shaped, as he was crouched on the floor.

His father never told him what he had to do once he found it, so he tentatively tried pressing on it, sharpening his ears in case anything happened; he pressed on it again, but nothing changed.

Seonghwa sighed, impatiently placing the palm on his hand flat on the stone while trying to rotate it, hoping that this would actually work because he didn’t have any other idea on what to try with a stone, and hoping for the last time that no one else found out about this labyrinth.

When all the hope he had was about to vanish, something clicked behind him, and Seonghwa immediately turned around to check the opposite wall. Some of the cold stones moved towards the inside, indicating there was the secret room his father once told him about, and Seonghwa only needed to push on it to get inside.

With a tight grip on the torch, Seonghwa pressed against the wall, the newfound door opening with a brief creak; the room was small, humid and full of dust; the ceiling was not too high either, he could have touched it if he raised an arm, and there were big and heavy coffers full of treasures arranged along the sides of the walls.

What actually caught Seonghwa’s attention was the simple wooden table exactly in the middle of the room, looking too ordinary compared to the jewels and gold that partially filled the small room. Seonghwa’s steps warily reached the table, where he found exactly what his father told him: the royal documents and the map.

“Isn’t it too easy?” Seonghwa thought while furrowing his eyebrows in doubt, as he placed the torch in a metal ring hanging on the wall next to him. He cautiously reached for the papers, his movements slow and calculated, fearing to remain trapped inside that small space as soon as he touched anything.

As soon as he realized that nothing was going to happen if he touched and lifted the documents from the table, he quickly folded both the map and the documents, safely tucking them in the inner pocket of his jacket.

Pleased with the outcome and seeing that he wasn’t going to get trapped inside the small room if he decided to touch anything, Seonghwa took few minutes in order to curiously look around the room, since he has never been there and moreover, he had always been curious about what could the many treasures safely hidden from indiscreet eyes be.

A coffer on the right side of the room caught Seonghwa’s attention, and he curiously approached it: it was the only one containing only gold coins, and on top of them, there was a bright brooch studded with diamonds and colourful precious stones.

As he was about to reach out in order to take a closer look to the brooch, a low whistle made him stop in his tracks.

«Well, who would have guessed?» an unfamiliar voice chanted, and Seonghwa immediately turned to face the intruder, fearing for the worst.

Leaning against the door frame there was a man dressed totally in black, from his hat, to his gloves, to the mask covering his face, to his clothes.

Seonghwa instantly understood who was standing in front of him, and a shiver froze him in place; he recognized those clothes, since the only Pirates who actually dressed like that were the crew called “ATEEZ”, a group of infamous, cruel Pirates that took no side in political matters but only lived following their morals, not minding if they had to shed blood on the way to get what they wanted. They hid their identity only during assaults and robberies, so that the majority of people would not mind about them during every day’s life.

“This is why no one paid attention to them at the inn,” Seonghwa thought, even if he could have never imagines that the loud Pirates he saw were in fact one of the most dangerous Pirates crew in the world: Seonghwa’s hand instinctively placed on the hilt of his sword, but however, he did not intend to unsheathe it, not yet.

«I came to rob this place, but…» the slim man started walking towards him, due to the space being limited, he almost immediately stopped in front of him, «I never thought I’d find out that the former King became a thief.» although the Pirate was wearing a mask, it was as if Seonghwa could feel the smug grin on the other’s lips as he pronounced those words, and before he even managed to think about unsheathing his sword, he found a short blade pressed against his throat.

The cold metal made Seonghwa fear for his life, and since Pirates were generically unpredictable, he decided to not fight back, his arms going limp on his sides in a clear sign of surrender.

«How do you know that?» Seonghwa asked, as he tried to identify the eyes - the only thing he could see, of the man standing in front of him; although he was shorter than him, his threatening aura made the young King settle for the decision of not to move.

«You never know who might overhear your secrets, your Highness.» the Pirate’s voice exuded superiority, and Seonghwa clenched his jaw. He could not be the man he bumped into at the inn; he was taller than the one standing in front of him.

Unless, that man might have reported what he heard to his crew mates, and if luck was on his worst side, the one threatening him was the Captain of the loud group he saw the night before.

«What do you want from me? I’m not in the position to-» Seonghwa’s words were harshly cut off as the Pirate chuckled and removed the blade from his neck.

«Relax, I’m only interested in stealing some of these.» he said, curiously walking around from a coffer to another, examining coins and various jewellery, while Seonghwa still did not dare to move from his spot.

Since the door was still open, Seonghwa realized that he could run away if he wanted, he could even lock the Pirate inside the room if he wanted to, but truth was he was petrified in fear; he studied as the other put the most interesting jewels or those that seemed to be more expensive in a leather bag attached to the belt he had tied at his waist over his refined jacket.

“Didn’t Pirates dress in a scruffy way?” Seonghwa absently thought as he stared at the other’s clothes that seemed to be made of an unexpectedly good fabric.

«What were you doing here, anyway?» the Pirate asked without paying too much attention to the young King, as he was focused on checking another diamond.

«It’s no one of your business.» Seonghwa answered firmly, clenching his fists; truth was, he wasn’t sure how to feel about this whole situation. He was in the middle of what once has been his Castle, his home, looking at a pirate stealing a treasure that he couldn’t call his own anymore, so he didn’t have any right to scold him; especially, because in this very moment he was technically stealing the Governor’s assets, and not his.

«Well, true, but-» the Pirate’s sentence was abruptly interrupted by a series of distant screams followed by the sound of numerous bells ringing frequently and following the same familiar rhythm, and both men exchanged confused looks before staring at the door.

«Intruders.» Seonghwa briefly stated, frowning.

«We have to go, and quickly.» the Captain mumbled as he closed his leather bag and grabbed the other’s elbow, urging him towards the door.

They both rushed out, Seonghwa hastily closing the secret room’s door and running towards the Pirate, who was slightly leaning out from the wall, peaking at their surroundings while making sure the way was clear; from what they heard, the guards were still far from them, but it was better not to risk making avoidable mistakes.

«Did your men get caught?» Seonghwa whispered, lowering the hood if his cape further on his forehead as he started feeling distressed, since if anyone were to see him in the Castle, he sincerely doubted he could actually survive.

«No,» the Pirate mumbled quietly, shaking his head as he started walking, gesturing to the young King with his fingers to follow him, «each one of us was robbing a different place tonight, and they’d never betray me. It’s can’t be us, either.» he finished explaining as they both got out from the labyrinth and almost reached the entrance of the dungeons, an unexpected comfortable silence between them.

Seonghwa knew the Pirate couldn’t have possibly memorized the way out so, sometimes he’d find himself stopping the Captain’s quick steps by tugging on his sleeve, leading him to the opposite way.

«I knew that, I wanted to see if you were still paying attention.» the Pirate would answer every time, obviously lying.

They cautiously retraced every corridor, the noise created by the soldiers and the bells’ ringing getting louder as they stepped closer to the gate that separated the dungeons from the stairs leading back into the castle.

Seonghwa’s steps halted in the middle of the wide circular room surrounded by metal cells, anxiety getting the best of him, and the Pirate stopped few steps further, noticing he was now walking alone. He quickly spun on his heels, turning towards the taller man, a silent question hanging from his lips as he walked back to place a hand on Seonghwa’s elbow.

«Why did you stop?!» he hissed, «The worst part starts now!»

«What if we get caught? They’ll hang me – they’ll hang us, if we get caught!» Seonghwa muttered as he forced his breath to come out as even; despite part of the young King’s face was hidden, the Pirate managed to catch a glimpse of the panic in the other’s eyes staring at the floor.

The Pirate sighed, his hand leaving Seonghwa’s left arm; the young Captain reached behind his ears in order to untie the mask that covered the lower part of his face, and then he tugged Seonghwa’s hood to remove it.

The King’s gaze locked with the Pirate’s, confirming his assumptions about the previous evening: the boy who admonished his loud companions, the same handsome boy who had caught his eyes, was precisely the Captain.

Seonghwa’s eyes were filled with confusion and hidden curiosity as the Pirate’s fingers secured his own mask behind the young King’s nape, before quickly lifting the hood back on his head.

«It’s okay now, we can go.» the Pirate’s unexpected gentle voice seemed to unexplainably soothe Seonghwa’s distressed soul, and the Captain’s hand returned on the King’s elbow but this time, he noticed, the touch was a little bit gentler. Although he was still urging him around, at least he wasn’t squeezing his arm as tightly as before; they began to run, taking advantage of the unexpectedly empty hallway they found, as they sprinted towards the door that would lead them in the garden.

If Seonghwa hadn’t been so scared of something possibly go wrong, he would have thought this situation was paradoxical; he was running almost hand in hand with a Pirate who first pointed a blade to his neck and a few minutes later tranquillized him by lending him his mask.

He genuinely started to doubt the veridicity of the rumours about them, since not only they were helping each other, but the Pirate was also being nice.

They opened the heavy Castle’s door enough to sneak out, not bothering to close it behind them; outside the door that connected the Castle to the Royal garden, there were two rows made up of three wide white columns on each side, meant to support the large balcony above their heads. Quickly, they took shelter behind one of the pillars, their back pressed against each other, carefully examining the situation; there were at least ten groups of soldiers, which meticulously sought in every part of the garden, meaning that it wouldn’t take long before they were found and therefore, they had to act quickly.

The Pirate scoffed, shaking his head and slightly turning around in order to glance at Seonghwa.

«I came from over there…» he whispered, not finishing his own sentence as he pointed towards the canopy on top of the bushes the soldiers were meticulously examinating; Seonghwa immediately nodded, understanding what the Pirate was trying to say.

That part of the garden was way too crowded with enemies and way too distant to reach without alarming everyone in the garden.

«Come with me.» Seonghwa mindlessly took the other man’s hand as he led him towards a familiar oak tree; he briefly explained there was a hole in the wall safely hidden between its leaves and branches, and he always used that as an exit when he sneaked outside the Castle to go to town. Easily climbing on the oak tree and through the hole in the wall, they left the Castle, climbing down the identical oak tree that they found on the other side of the wall.

The young King let out a loud relieved sigh as he let himself slide down the wall in order to sit on the ground, and the Pirate chuckled in response to the young King’s action.

However, the loud screams of the soldiers and the noisy bell kept signalling them that they didn’t catch the intruder, yet.

«I suppose I should thank you?» Seonghwa tried as he untied the mask, handing it back to the Pirate.

«Captain Hongjoong, at your service,» he playfully winked and did a small hint of a bow, as he gently took his mask from the King’s gloved hands, without bothering to wear it again, «and no problem, I feared I had to drag you out of there myself and well, our body proportions aren’t exactly on my side.» Seonghwa gladly took the hand that Hongjoong stretched towards him in order to help him get back on his feet; they had just escaped a rather dangerous situation, it’s true, but they were standing right in front the Castle’s walls in the middle of the night while soldiers were looking everywhere for intruders, so they had better start walking away.

The pale moonlight illuminated their path as they stared walking through the sleeping town, leaving the Castle behind their shoulders; much to his surprise, Seonghwa noticed the other man was indeed a friendly person, and not as ruthless as the rumours said.

“That’s probably because I’m not on his bad side,” Seonghwa deduced as they were busy making small conversation; they began to part ways in front of the inn, Hongjoong heading towards the port, and Seonghwa heading towards his room.

«Oh, by the way!» Hongjoong abruptly stopped and Seonghwa instinctively turned around, noticing that they weren’t particularly distant one from the other.

«Here, catch this!» the Pirate cheerfully said as he threw something at Seonghwa, and the young King frowned as soon as he felt the angular consistency of what he had just caught in mid-air. Slowly and curiously opening his hand, his eyes widened at the sight of the brooch he was staring at in the dungeon was now shining brightly in his palm, illuminated by the pale moonlight.

Seonghwa’s head snapped towards Hongjoong, who was staring at him with a wide knowing grin.

«I owed you one, I could never imagine there were so many hidden treasures in there.» he answered the King’s silent question, eyes not faltering from his confused expression.

«How did you know-»

«I’m a Pirate!» Hongjoong immediately interrupted him, as he was stating the obvious.

With a final wave, the Captain turned around, disappearing in the dark of the night.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

Seonghwa woke up in the middle of the morning, and for the first time in a while he slept soundly, satisfied to have stolen the biggest treasure of the Castle right under the Governor’s nose.

Memories of Hongjoong’s gaze flashed through his mind and he sighed, wondering which one was the truth about him: was he really a ruthless and heartless man or was those only exaggerated rumours? Not that he was that interested, of course.

«He can’t be that cold hearted,» he quietly mumbled to himself as he sleepily rubbed his eyes, «and I should stop thinking so much about it.» Seonghwa got up with a sigh, easily getting rid of his own thoughts as he walked to the small bathroom attached to his room.

After taking a warm bath and wearing a clean change of clothes, he sat at his room’s desk and took his time to study the map he found the night before.

The map was made up of well-defined contours of explored territories and of curious drawings of mermaids and sea monsters. Seonghwa traced with his fingers the outline of what was once his Kingdom, a feeling of rage slowly made space within his heart; he was determined to take back his throne, he was determined to end the continuing injustices that common people had to suffer.

Towards a corner of the map, surrounded by boundless sea and curious drawings of apparent dangers, there was a solitary island circled with a bold mark made with black ink. As Seonghwa spreaded the sheet in order to try to get rid of the wrinkles that covered the name below the drawing of the island surrounded with fog, and that name instantly triggered his memories: The Mist.

Seonghwa remembered that when he was younger, his father used to tell him about a mysterious island full of treasures that no one dared to approach, but for all they know, the entire existence of the island was shrouded in mystery.

According to the legends, on that remote island there was an ancient cave, containing the greatest treasures of all the Kings who had ever reigned on his kingdom. However, the thick fog has always prevented adventurers - Pirates and onlookers, from approaching; although many souls blinded by greed had challenged their fate in order to find that incredible amount of accumulated wealth, no one had ever returned.

The more time passed, the more that island became a simple legend passed from generation to generation. Apparently, like every legend it hid a fund of truth.

«The Aurora shard…» Seonghwa whispered, knitting his brows in confusion. Could it be his father was unconsciously pointing him the way to redeem himself?

His father’s stories spoke of a cave; a huge hidden cave full of all kinds of treasures, coins, weapons, precious jewels, diamonds. In the midst of all this, only the true King would have been able to recognize the true and most important treasure of all: the Aurora shard.

«I can’t tell you what shape or what colour it is, since I don’t know myself,» his father’s authoritative but gentle voice had said, «all I know, is that it takes a King to recognize it.»

Seonghwa sank back into his chair, feeling dejected, what if it was really only a legend? Moreover, even if it was real, would he really be able to recognize the Aurora shard? In addition, the most important thing: how was he supposed to get there?

A familiar face followed by a dangerous plan popped into his mind, and he shook his head as if the gesture could have made the idea disappear.

Seonghwa left his room in the late afternoon, quickly heading towards the inn; beside the Resistance’s meeting, he knew he had to face both his only friends about his decision.

The familiar chatter accompanied his short journey to the inn which, being earlier than usual, still did not have much clientele; although some tables were occupied, it was still very quiet.

«Look who decided to show up!» Baekhyun lively greeted him from behind the counter with a bright smile, «I was starting to believe you ran away!» he added, faking to be offended.

Seonghwa nervously swallowed, looking away; he politely greeted him, as always, as he made his way to the counter. «Where’s Jongdae?» he asked, looking around and finding himself looking for someone else’s presence as well.

«He’ll be here soon…» he started, and gradually leaned closer to the King over the counter. «Have you heard about the Pirates?» Baekhyun smiled, satisfied to have finally obtained the interest of his interlocutor; Seonghwa pretended not to know by quickly shaking his head.

«Apparently yesterday night, seven rich residences were robbed,» Baekhyun stated in a low voice, «and one of them was your beloved Castle.» he finished, studying Seonghwa’s facial expression.

«That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I was-» Seonghwa sighed, but before he could finish his sentence, a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders.

«Here’s our favourite King!» Jongdae joked, not loud enough to be heard by anyone else beside them, since they were the only three people standing at the counter.

«Oh, Jongdae! You have the worst timing!» Baekhyun playfully hit the other with one of the rags he used to dry the caliches he had just washed up.

«As I was saying,» Seonghwa urged «I know it was Hon-ATEEZ, because I met one of them in the Castle.» he said, closing his eyes, his heartbeat quickening as he was waiting for the worst. However, he was met with utter silence and Jongdae’s arm tensing and tightening around Seonghwa’s shoulders.

«YOU?! WHAT?!» Both brothers shouted at the same time, drawing attention of the few costumers towards them; however, they quickly lost interest as soon as they saw it was them, since they were used to see both brothers loudly playing around.

Seonghwa sighed and told them everything as he nervously played with the wedding rings which adorned his finger; he told them about the night before, about his meeting with Hongjoong - even tho he didn’t confess them his name, he told them that the Pirate actually helped him get out of the Castle, and most importantly, he told them about the map.

They both listened carefully to every word with attentive eyes and furrowed eyebrows; however, neither of them did anything to hide their disapproval on their friend’s dangerous and irresponsible decision.

«So, you’re going with them?» Jongdae inquired.

«He didn’t ask them yet, why don’t you listen?» Baekhyun immediately answered his brother with an exasperated sigh, the rag was using before long forgotten on the counter and Jongdae shook his head; Seonghwa simply settled for watching them, since he already knew that they would react this way, not that he could blame them.

Seonghwa averted his gaze as Jongdae sighed in what the King would call disappointment, and he headed towards the back door; he silently followed the young Leader, waiting for the others to show up at the Resistance’s meeting.

As soon as the meeting finished, they all walked back into the main hall of the inn, instantly surrounded by the loud familiar laughter and chatters that filled the place; by that time, the inn was finally crowded, so that no one actually would notice a group of people casually walking out from a back door.

Not that they would mind, actually the Resistance’s group who lived in the city knew very well that the citizens would defend and hide them, in case of danger.

Seonghwa’s glance moved towards a familiar table in the corner of the room, who was once again occupied by seven familiar faces. They were laughing about something while one of them looking particularly flustered; Seonghwa deduced that they were probably celebrating the success of the previous night since, after all, no one apart from him knew their real identity.

Hongjoong was sitting facing the back door and exactly like the first time he saw him, he was looking at the others and laughing along with them, sometimes admonishing their too loud voices; instinctively, Seonghwa softly smiled looking at them, the conviction that after all they couldn’t be so evil was inexplicably growing inside of his mind.

Still, he could swear that as he passed by their table to reach the counter, he saw the Captain winking at him; he instantly averted his gaze, ignoring the faint blush that covered his cheeks, and hoping that no one would notice but as his eyes locked with Baekhyun, he knew it was already too late, since the boy was looking at him with a smug smirk and malice in his eyes.

«Don’t.» Seonghwa mumbled, interrupting and preventing any kind of commentary from his friend as he sat on his favourite stool.

Even if the room was crowded, the rectangular-shaped counter remained empty; people always opted to sit comfortably at one of the many tables, rather than alternate between standing and sitting on high and not too comfortable stools, Seonghwa noticed.

However, he has always preferred to occupy one of the side spaces of the counter, distant from prying eyes and without being in the way of those who approached to order drinks.

Seonghwa sat in his usual place, his back facing Hongjoong’s table; with an amused smile, Baekhyun placed a small glass of rum in front of Seonghwa, who politely declined with a flustered expression.

«I didn’t say anything, yet.» Baekhyun chanted, playfully winking while faking innocence, «Jongdae will come around,» Baekhyun softly added, reaching forward to gently pat the other’s shoulder, «we both knew this day would come but,» as he interrupted himself again with a sigh, Seonghwa curiously looked at him, «King or not, you’re a brother to us!»

Seonghwa nodded at Baekhyun, who squeezed his arm one last time before going back to a customer who called him on the other side of the counter; he couldn’t do anything else but look at the other man as he efficiently worked, feeling his emotions turn into a mix of joy, and a hint of sadness.

Seonghwa was undoubtedly glad that his only two friends loved him as if he was a part of their own family, and he was sad about the idea of leaving them behind, although there was always that small hint of loneliness in Seonghwa’s heart since his wife passed away that he still didn’t understand how to fill.

Although he loved them both, in that very moment, Seonghwa believed that he had to make the mission of finding the Aurora shard his own only priority.

«We meet again, thief.» a familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts; Seonghwa’s head turned to his left, meeting Hongjoong’s sharp gaze. The Pirate had leaned on the counter with his back, resting his elbows on the surface; everything in his body language told him how confident and carefree that man felt, even despite the bounty hanging on his head.

For a second, the shadow of a thought flashed through Seonghwa’s mind: “How would it feel to live like that?”

«I’m not a thief, Pirate.» Seonghwa sighed and Hongjoong instinctively chuckled, tilting his head towards the King.

«Well… Technically speaking, you-»

«Take me with you.» Seonghwa interrupted the other’s sentence; Hongjoong’s smile disappeared, replaced by a confused frown. The young Captain completely turned towards Seonghwa, his head still tilted to the side, one of his long earring tinkling, wondering how such a question could have come out of nowhere. The Pirate raised an eyebrow, as if to ask Seonghwa to explain himself and the young King tried again.

«Take me with you, next time you sail.» Seonghwa’s determined expression didn’t falter for a second from Hongjoong’s eyes. The boy had the feeling that in that very moment, the Pirate’s attitude towards him had changed completely; the threatening and superior aura was back, and Seonghwa nervously bit his tongue as he waited for an answer.

«I’m sure you’re confused, your Majesty,» Hongjoong answered, a fake grin adorning his face. «We do not sail on a cruise ship.»

Seonghwa scoffed in disbelief, «I know, but I need to go to a place… I’m sure you could reach there.» he answered, mumbling the last part.

Of course, Hongjoong was taken back from that answer, how dangerous was his destination to ask to a group of Pirates to help him?

«Let’s suppose I’m curious,» Hongjoong said, slowly inching closer to Seonghwa; now, he was fully seated and his knee right was touching the other’s left leg, «where would you need to go?» He curiously asked, placing his chin on the palm of his hand.

Seonghwa turned towards him as well, so that now they were facing each other; the young King looked around, in order to make sure they were completely alone in that corner. He briefly noticed that some of Hongjoong’s crew members were looking at them, but he didn’t notice that they were occasionally elbowing each other and pointing at their Captain with curious and amused smiles.

«The Mist.» Seonghwa revealed, and Hongjoong’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.

«Nice one, your Majesty. I’m leaving you here.» Hongjoong sternly answered as he was about to get up from the stool and lead back to his companions.

«You can’t!» Seonghwa loudly stopped him, his hand reaching out to hold his forearm, refraining him from standing up. Seonghwa was sure he heard one of the Captain’s friends whistle right after his sudden move, but he might as well be wrong, since his gaze didn’t falter from Hongjoong’s eyes.

«Trust me, you’d better off staying here.» Hongjoong retorted; his posture returned to being relaxed, but the stern gaze didn’t disappear. Back in the previous position, Seonghwa’s legs were now in the middle of Hongjoong’s spreaded legs, everything in their posture indicated how different they were.

«Suppose you kidnaped me instead?» Seonghwa pleaded. «You’re a pirate aren’t you? Then steal me! Is that so much to ask?» he concluded, lightly squeezing Hongjoong’s arm, his voice full of hope. He was talking a bit too loudly for his standard, but now, convincing Hongjoong to take him with them was more important than respecting the label of the peaceful King; on top of that, he was sure no one was interested in their conversation, judging by the constant loud chatter that could be heard all around the room.

«What do you have that I would want?» Hongjoong curiously challenged him, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer to the King.

«The Mist’s treasure. The Aurora shard is only one of the treasures that lie waiting in that cave.» Seonghwa answered immediately; he had studied the map long enough, and he knew about Pirates being after The Mist’s treasure well enough to understand that this was an interesting yet dangerous offer.

Hongjoong whistled, surprised.

«The Mist’s treasure you said?» Hongjoong’s interest was suddenly tickled, and he leaned forward towards Seonghwa’s face.

«Kidnapping royalty is a serious offense. It won’t do much to lower the bounty on your head.» a boy from his crew suddenly interrupted them, appearing right beside them; he wasn’t particularly tall, but, Seonghwa noticed, his face looked handsome, like he just came out of a fairy tale. How long has he been overhearing their conversation? Was that a habit of this crew?

«Yeosang.» Hongjoong greeted the other, but neither his posture changed nor his gaze faltered from Seonghwa’s face, who was now looking at the boy interrupting him, «How much is the price on your head these days, I wonder?» he added with an amused sigh, as his attention was caught by the precious rings on the hand that still gripped his forearm.

«Will you be joining us?» another boy shyly asked. He was shorter than Yeosang, Seonghwa noticed, but as handsome as well; his hair was jet black apart of a white strand on his fringe.

«Slow down, San,» Hongjoong called out, «we’re pirates, but we’re not fools.» immediately, Seonghwa looked back at the Captain, confused; the Pirate was looking at him with a challenging smirk on his face.

«Compensation. How about the ring?» he asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning back from the King’s personal space.

«Isn’t there something else?» Seonghwa’s reply was immediate, as he instinctively brought his hand to his chest.

“He can’t possibly ask for something like that!”, he thought, frowning. Both Yeosang and San - who was still clinging on the other Pirate’s arm, watched them with curiosity, but neither dared to say anything.

Hongjoong’s smirk turned into a sly grin, as he reassumed his previous position of resting his chin on his hand; his right arm, who was now free from Seonghwa’s tight hold, was now outstretched towards the young King, the palm of his hand turned upward, waiting.

«No one’s forcing you.» he added, pleased by the other’s reaction. Seonghwa sat there, under the strong gaze of three Pirates as he considered on what to do; although he didn’t want to separate himself from something that important, he realized that judging by his reaction, the Pirate found out how to provoke him. Seonghwa sighed, briefly closing his eyes.

“He probably thinks I will run away” he thought; his fingers weakly gripped his wife’s wedding ring as he gazed back to the Pirate’s outstretched hand, gently placing the ring in the middle of it, and Hongjoong’s hand instantly closed around the small treasure.

«I’ll give it back once I’ll find something more valuable.» Hongjoong said, pleased by the outcome of the events; Seonghwa nodded, looking everywhere but at the Hongjoong’s face.

«We sail in two days, your Majesty. Make sure you have everything you need.» Hongjoong’s absently added, now playing with the ring in his hands; again, Seonghwa nodded, and left.

«What do you mean “something more valuable”?» San curiously asked his Captain.

«Hard to say. I’ll know when I find it.» Hongjoong briefly stated.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

Seonghwa handed back the keys to his room to Baekhyun, who accepted them with a sad smile on his face; even if the moon was still shining in the sky, it was almost time for him to leave.

«You can come back anytime you want.» Baekhyun mumbled as he hugged him tightly, and Seonghwa didn’t hesitate to return the hug just as tightly.

«This is your home, after all.» Jongdae added, joining the hug; they stayed like that for few seconds, hoping to be able to recall that moment in their hearts if they missed each other. Eventually, with a sigh, Seonghwa released himself from his friends, his hands still wrapped in theirs.

«Take care, both of you.» he forced himself to smile as he nodded at them.

«Good luck, Seonghwa.» Jongdae said; rarely the latter called him by his first name and therefore, Seonghwa learned to cherish all of those little moments.

Seonghwa sighed again, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders; with a final wave, he turned around and started walking in direction of the harbour. He didn’t have much to take with him, other than a few change of clothes the only things he had were respectively two swords and a map.

«You’re here!» a familiar boy suddenly exclaimed, jumping out of nowhere, «The Captain told us to come look for you but we were kinda getting lost.» the boy Seonghwa recognized as San chuckled, and he smiled in return.

«I’m San, by the way, and he is Wooyoung!» Seonghwa’s eyes moved to the boy with dark blonde hair standing next to San who, exactly like his friend, was looking at him with a bright smile, waving his hand as the other pirate introduced him; the trio hurried back to the harbour, which wasn’t too far from where they met.

«Do we have to refer to you as “Your Majesty”?» Wooyoung timidly asked as they reached their destination; Seonghwa chuckled before quickly shaking his head.

«There’s no need to respect any etiquette, Seonghwa is enough.» he politely answered with a smile and with hurried steps, they headed towards the only largest ship among all those moored in the port. Aside from the size of the ship, Seonghwa noticed curiously that there was not only a flag on the mast, but two; under the common Jolly Roger, another flag with their name written on it was proudly waving in the wind.

“I guess they’re not that interested on keeping a low profile…”  Seonghwa thought, briefly glancing around.

«Your Majesty has finally decided to join us!» Hongjoong friendly said, walking out from what he guessed were the Captain’s quarters, «Welcome on the Illusion.» he said; Seonghwa noticed that although there were some men busy completing preparations for departure only four boys approached them, and after the introductions, Hongjoong explained they were his most trusted men.

«San and Wooyoung will show you around.» the Captain absently said and without giving him the opportunity to reply, he returned exactly where he had come from.

«Don’t mind him,» San commented his Captain’s behaviour.

«He’s always nervous when we’re about to sail.» Wooyoung finished the other’s sentence, and they started to show Seonghwa around the ship.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

Few weeks passed quickly, and Seonghwa quickly got used to living surrounded by pirates, especially because – at least among them, there were actually nice people.

San and Wooyoung – respectively the boatswain and the doctor, were the most outgoing, not to mention that the two were practically inseparable. They would hug a minute, and the next they could be chasing each other all around the ship; Seonghwa thought they were too chaotic not to love them.

Yeosang was probably one of the quietest among them all; the only thing Seonghwa knew for sure was that if you needed him, you’d find him on the crow’s nest, with his peaceful gaze lost towards the horizon and his hair gently dishevelled by the breeze. «It’s relaxing,» he told Seonghwa, a shy smile adorning his lips, «the sea is so boundless, it gives me peace.».

Mingi was a loud one, and probably the clumsiest; Seonghwa was puzzled when he told him he was the master gunner, wondering how could a boy both be able to trip on his feet and almost fall off the ship also and be the one in charge of something as dangerous as cannons and gunpowder.

Jongho was probably the most serious one, despite being the youngest. Since he was the head of the powder monkeys due to his great strength, he spent a lot of time with Mingi; Seonghwa often noticed how the younger would roll his eyes and then laugh at the other’s clumsiness. Something he really enjoyed about Jongho was his voice. Sometimes, the young man would sing or simply hum as he was doing chores and Seonghwa was always more than happy to listen to him, even for few minutes.

Yunho was the least friendly. The young quartermaster made it clear since the beginning that he was not happy about his presence on the ship; however, to Seonghwa’s stupor, he never treated him badly. Although he behaved in a polite way towards him, he always opted to talk to him as little as possible, always preferring to joke around with the others.

Hongjoong was, first of all, his roommate. Apparently, the Captain decided that Seonghwa would sleep in his quarters since there was not a cabin for him and moreover, it would have been easier to keep an eye on him, although Seonghwa ended up falling asleep every night wondering where the other would actually sleep, since he never slept in the same bed with him.

However, Seonghwa casually found out the answer to this mystery when he woke up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare; the first thing he noticed was the figure of the Pirate asleep on the heavy chair of his desk, dimly illuminated by the light of the moon coming through the window and by a candle that was about to go out. Quickly, Seonghwa got out of the bed and instinctively covered him with a blanket; it became a silent routine between them, although neither ever said anything about it.

Among all of them, he was the one he spent most time with, discussing about their journey, or simply sharing stories about Hongjoong’s travels and Seonghwa’s life in the Castle; the young King always preferred to listen to the other’s tales, there was something endearing in the way his eyes lit up every time he talked about the adventures he had with his friends, and the many place they had seen together.

«I could take you there, next time! You should definitely see that!» the Pirate would say sometimes, and Seonghwa found himself nodding, utterly blinded by curiosity and forgetting about the fact that once he regained his position as King, it would be impossible to go anywhere without a small group of soldiers following him everywhere.

The first thing that caught Seonghwa’s eyes about his new room was without a doubt, the ceiling; the King’s eyes travelled in awe over a planisphere that occupied the whole wall above them. However, it was still incomplete; Hongjoong told him about it being a project he made with Yeosang’s help, it proceeded slowly and concerned the whole known world.

Bright colours illustrated a map very similar to the one Seonghwa possessed and the similarity intrigued him, since that map was a legacy of his father.

From what he learned, the young Captain loved drawing, Seonghwa remembered seeing him few times with a notebook and a pen in his hand; at first he thought it was a simple diary board, but in the end, he eventually understood that it wasn’t.

Hongjoong was a severe Captain, but cherished his members deeply.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

They set foot on land on a rather small island, so that they could restock the ship before leaving again. Seonghwa couldn’t help but looking around in awe since after all, he had never crossed the borders of his Kingdom before.

«Be careful not to get too far from me or the others,» Hongjoong recommended, «and take this.» he said, as he handed him a short dagger; Seonghwa frowned in response, his confused eyes darting to Hongjoong’s.

«Just in case.» the Captain added; the young King nodded in response, and safely hid the blade in his right boot.

As Hongjoong excused himself saying he had business to take care of, Seonghwa realized that the others were already gone and he had to spend his day with Yunho; although the Pirate wasn’t happy about it either, he did nothing to show it.

«The town’s market district is really nice,» Yunho spoke suddenly, slightly startling Seonghwa, since they had been walking around in silence for most of the afternoon, «Would you like to go there?»

«I’d love to, if it’s not a problem.» Seonghwa nodded with a smile, the other scoffed in response.

«I figured you’d be curious after living locked up.» Yunho briefly stated, now heading towards a different part of town.

The market district was rather small, but it was definitely lively; the streets were full of people, potential buyers surrounded the stalls that were selling different varieties of fabrics, jewellery and food.

Seonghwa’s attention was drawn to a particular fabric, decorated with intricate patterns and while observing it he noticed that Yunho had silently stopped beside him.

They shared a brief glance as they unintentionally overheard a small discussion happening between a seller and a customer next to them, which was making up excuses in order to buy something with a lower price; what caught their attention, however, was the man who had hidden a large piece of fabric in his bag, taking advantage of the seller’s distraction. Seonghwa was about to intervene, but Yunho acted faster: he tightly grabbed a hold of the thief’s wrist which looked up caught by surprise.

«Now, how about you return what you haven’t paid, for?» he said loudly enough to catch the attention of both men who were still arguing, «I’m in a bad mood, don’t make me stain all of these pretty fabrics.» as the thief denied, Yunho tightened his hold on his grip. Seonghwa watched the smaller man tried to punch the Pirate, which was a really poor attempt considering Yunho was twice as tall; Seonghwa quickly understood that the thief and the other man were accomplices, and as a small fight started between Yunho and the thief, Seonghwa managed to cut the shoulder belt of the bag hiding the stolen fabric.

He quickly returned it to the old man who incredulously watched the scene happening, and managed to turn around in time to see that the other thief was sneaking behind Yunho’s back holding a small knife. Seonghwa’s hand acted before his brain could process what was happening; he reached for his dagger and quickly stopped the thief pressing the blade against his throat, not enough to cut his skin, but enough to sting.

«That’s not very loyal, thief.» Seonghwa stated, catching Yunho’s attention.

«Woah! Thanks, buddy!» Yunho flashed him a surprised smile, which Seonghwa immediately returned; however, that small fight gathered a small group of people who started screaming and looking for guards.

«Calling the guards?!» Yunho’s gaze returned on Seonghwa’s, «Time to leave.» they quickly let go of the thieves and headed back from the direction where they came from, breaking into a run; judging from the screams, nobody was following them but people were indeed preventing the two thieves from running away.

Yunho and Seonghwa stopped far enough to not be recognized, both boys panting and crouched down with both their hands on their knees.

«I was wrong, you’re not that bad!» Yunho kindly offered him, and Seonghwa started laughing in response.

«I owe you a big one, your Majesty.» Yunho chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the other’s hair with a bright smile on his face. Seonghwa’s smile widened as soon as he felt Yunho’s gentle touch; he always noticed that he used to do that to younger members, so he felt like the other was slowly accepting him into the crew.

«I would have helped him but,» Seonghwa inhaled, trying to catch his breath after the long and sudden run «why did you? The crew doesn’t exactly have a magnanimous reputation.»

«Let’s say we do some “selective stealing” for a living,» Yunho nodded, smiling, «and with “selective” I mean it’s almost always rich people.» Seonghwa nodded, patiently listening to him, «we all come from different Reigns.

Before joining Hongjoong, some of us were in some really bad situation.» Yunho straightened up, stretching his arms over his head, «We’re Pirates, and we constantly live on the verge of being arrested or to kill someone but… We still have morals.»

Seonghwa deeply inhaled again, feeling his breath steadying and his heart gradually returning to a normal pace; glancing up and seeing the colours of the sky, pink and orange, thanks to the sunset that transform it into a painting, he realized that he hadn’t feel so alive in a while.

That night at the tavern, Hongjoong thought he was hallucinating. He was sitting with Jongho, Yeosang and Mingi while he waited for the others to join them, and the next thing he saw were Seonghwa and Yunho entering the bar-room chattering and laughing together

«Captain, I think… I’m drunk?» Hongjoong knew Mingi was referring to the same thing he’s just seen.

«Finally, Yunho snapped out of it.» Yeosang briefly answered, and Jongho agreed with him.

San and Wooyoung arrived few moments later; both with messy hair and a visible blush on their cheeks.

Later that night, taking advantage of the confusion of the crowded tavern and the others busy playing a random game Seonghwa didn’t understand the rules of, Hongjoong reached out to take a hold of one of the two thin white cords hanging off the collar of Seonghwa’s shirt in order to bring him closer.

«So,» Hongjoong smirked, slowly rolling the thin fabric around his index finger; Seonghwa’s cheeks slightly reddened due of their sudden proximity, «you’re officially one of us, now.» the King noticed how the pirate’s intense glance quickly drifted from his eyes, to his lips and then back to his eyes, before releasing his hold on the fabric.

Hongjoong got back to his original position, his attention caught once again by the game the others were playing; Seonghwa, on the other hand, was confused on why that warm sensation he felt on his cheeks wouldn’t disappear.

He involuntarily locked eyes with Yeosang, who was silently questioning him from the other side of the table with a hint of an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

Seonghwa realized how much his permanence on the ship changed since Yunho started treating him better.

First of all, the air on the ship seemed much more cheerful; the rest of the crew stopped definitively referring to him as “Your Majesty” and started addressing him as “Seonghwa”, which he was very grateful for.

In addition, it was even more fun to chat when they eight of them stayed in the dining room after dinner; much like at the tavern, there were nights where they’d play games, other nights they’d share fun stories and sometimes, Seonghwa could hear about how the others joined Hongjoong’s crew, since they all came from different Kingdoms.

«Wait, you were married?!» San cut him off, slightly rising his head from his forearms resting on the table, as it was his turn to tell something about himself; Seonghwa nodded in response, a gentle smile on his lips as he shortly remembered about her.

«Was she cute?» Wooyoung curiously wondered and Seonghwa kindly smiled, watching him lean comfortably against San’s head, thinking how sometimes they both were like two curious kids.

«She was! We also loved each other but,» he sighed before continuing «sadly, people firmly believed we got along only because of mutual political benefits.» Seonghwa stared at the table, a sad smile adorning his lips, and the others fell silent.

«Is… Is this why we’re going to The Mist?» Jongho asked, implying the matter revolved around her death.

Seonghwa quickly shook his head and explained everything, remembering how he only told Hongjoong the full story, and how the pirate sincerely answered that they don’t take sides in political matters so they’re not interested in them, either. He spent some time talking about Jongdae and Baekhyun, too; about how they welcomed him in their house and treated him like a family member.

«We should visit them again, sometimes!» Seonghwa unconsciously added, resulting in Hongjoong – as always sitting next to him, looking at the King with a confused raised eyebrow. As he finished explaining, they all agreed it was a risky mission, but it was worth a try.

«We trust the Captain.» Yunho explained.

«Yeah!» Mingi quickly added, «He’s gonna guide us right in and out of there!»

Seonghwa turned his head as he felt Hongjoong’s hand ruffle his hair.

«We’re gonna make it.» He simply told him with a gentle smile and truthful eyes.

That night, Seonghwa couldn’t sleep. No matter how much he tossed and turned in his bed, he just couldn’t sleep. He pushed off the covers with a heavy sigh and got up from the bed; he picked up the blanket which Hongjoong usually used and decided to join him on the quarter deck.

«Hey, Hongjoong!» he whispered as he greeted him, stopping to sit on the wooden stairs that connected the deck to the quarter deck.

«Seonghwa?» Hongjoong narrowed his eyes to see the other’s shape tightly wrapped up in a blanket. «Why are you here? Did you miss me?» he teased.

Seonghwa rolled his eyes at him, knowing that he couldn’t see him well due to the only source of illumination being the full moon in the sky.

«I can’t sleep.» he simply answered.

«It happens, you’ll get used to it.» he smiled, «Are you sure you don’t want to go back inside? It should be around… One, two in the morning.» he added, frowning. Seonghwa knew he probably said that because of the cold night breeze, but a sincere «I want to stay here with you.» escaped his lips before he could process it.

Hongjoong nodded, and they spent some time in a comfortable silence, the cold night breeze softly caressed his face and the sound of the waves made him relax a little bit.

«When will we arrive?» Seonghwa mumbled, breaking the silence.

«Oh! You already want to get rid of us?!» Hongjoong dramatically answered, placing on his heart the hand that wasn’t holding the helm and Seonghwa laughed, shaking his head.

«I think… Two months, maximum.» the pirate answered him, turning serious. «Do you know what does the Aurora shard look like?» he questioned few moments later.

Seonghwa shook his head, and sighed, «I have no idea. I’m supposed to find it and then I’m supposed to reclaim the position as King.»

«Supposed to?» Hongjoong inquired. Seonghwa simply nodded, as they fell in another silence.

«Hongjoong?» Seonghwa called out few minutes later, and the Pirate hummed in response, «Tell me about some other adventure of yours.» he demanded, his gaze lost in the dark sea.

Seonghwa always lost track of time during these moments, and tonight wasn’t any different. He thought to be a rather annoying listener since he always asked a lot of things and clarifications as Hongjoong went on but, the Pirate always smiled and answered him with as many details the King asked for.

Seonghwa was so lost immersing himself in the Captain’s story that he didn’t realise the sky was starting to slowly paint itself with warm colours. It was almost sunrise, he realized, so that meant they talked all night.

«Hongjoong?» Seonghwa asked again and the pirate hummed again in response, this time the King could clearly see the gentle smile on his lips as he did. «Why do you sail?»

Hongjoong gently answered to come stand next to him and Seonghwa complied, the blanket long forgotten on the stairs; once they were close enough, Hongjoong kept holding the helm with his left hand and guided Seonghwa’s right hand above his.

«Freedom.» he simply stated, «We’re never “supposed to” do something. We do things because we want to.» Hongjoong explained further, quoting the King’s previous words, as he noticed Seonghwa’s confused frown. Seonghwa absently nodded and turned his head to stare towards the horizon, at the sun rising right in front of them.

«Seonghwa, let me ask you one thing,» Hongjoong’s eyes stared at Seonghwa’s face as he hummed in answer, too distracted by the sunset to notice, «Do you want to resume your position as King because you want to, or because you’re supposed to?»

Seonghwa didn’t answer; he slightly turned his head to look at Hongjoong, who briefly exchanged his gaze before going back looking at the horizon with a relaxed expression.

As he watched how the other’s hair was gently dishevelled by the breeze and the sun momentarily painted his face with various shades of red, he thought that maybe he didn’t have an answer to the pirate’s question.

As his eyes drifted to look at their intertwined fingers around the helm, he thought that maybe he did. He did not realize who initiated the action first, but he found the warmth of Hongjoong’s hand quite reassuring.

«Well, I can come back later, if you want to.» both boys quickly turned towards a smiling Mingi, who was looking at them leaning on the railway.

Seonghwa felt his cheeks burn; he mumbled a weak and embarrassed «It’s okay.» and quickly left, recovering the sheet still forgotten on the stairs.

«So… Pirate King?» Mingi joked further, wrapping an arm around his Captain’s shoulders.

«Mingi, do you perhaps have a death wish?» Hongjoong asked back, annoyed.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

As other long days went by, Seonghwa found himself lost in thoughts more than he actually wanted to; not only last night’s events kept coming back into his mind, but Hongjoong’s words kept on repeating. In addition to that, he noticed how often he found himself staring at the Captain or, sometimes, glancing towards him to see what was he was up to.

Sometimes Hongjoong would notice Seonghwa looking at him and would offer him a cheeky smile, some other time a playful wink; either way, Seonghwa always diverted his gaze as quickly as possible, a faint blush on his cheeks. And so, another silent routine was slowly crafting itself: at night, especially when he couldn’t sleep, he would join Hongjoong on the quarterback. The infinite number of topics they could find to talk for whole nights was surprising, however, the Captain never mentioned that particular question again.

They’d spend most of the morning sleeping, Seonghwa always feeling a little guilty to see Hongjoong sleeping on his desk chair, even if he never complained about his body being aching and sore, not even once.

One sunny afternoon, Seonghwa decided to climb up the crow’s nest, to see if Yeosang’s method to clear his mind worked on him too.

«Well, hello there.» Yeosang kindly greeted him, a warm smile on his face. «I didn’t expect visitors, today.» he joked; the place was wide enough for both boys to sit.

«I needed a quiet place to think.» Seonghwa mumbled, and Yeosang quietly nodded in response.

The young King sat next to the pirate, his back pressed against the wooden railway; neither of them spoke, and Seonghwa understood why the other loved this place so much. The others’ voices were distant, almost a background noise coming up from below them. Wherever he looked, his eyes were lost in the vastness of the ocean, especially that thin line where the sky and the sea seemed to merge together. Seonghwa found it relaxing, to say the least.

«Why am I doing this?» Seonghwa asked out loud few minutes later, rubbing his eyes with an exasperated sigh.

«Like, why are you up here?» Yeosang questioned, a bit confused; the King shook his head and told the Pirate about the conversation he had with Hongjoong; he didn’t need to mention the part where Mingi interrupted them, the fact that they were holding hands at sunset had been the hot topic on the ship for at least three days.

«Well, I believe that everyone by now noticed that you’re pretty comfortable with us,» Yeosang said, «and I also believe that the Captain is trying to make you realize that you can always choose your own destiny.» Seonghwa felt his eyes on him, so he turned his head towards the younger Pirate, «He’s.. Quite fond of you.» Yeosang smiled sweetly, «I see a lot things from here, you know?» the Pirate’s  smile widened as he saw Seonghwa blushing.

«L-like what?» Seonghwa adverted his gaze, suddenly pretending to be focused on the fabric of the sleeve of his cotton shirt.

«That you may not realize it, your Majesty, but you’re kinda fond of him too.» Seonghwa’s eyes widened, and he blushed violently.

«I-I’m not-» he stuttered, and the pirate softly chuckled.

«I told you, I see a lot of things from up here!» he laughed, and Seonghwa didn’t answer; his gaze went back to the sea, a whirlwind of confused thoughts in his head, as they fell in another comfortable silence.

A few hours later, the young King felt Yeosang gently calling his attention by lightly shaking his shoulder, and he excused himself as he didn’t realize dozing off.

«I told you it was relaxing,» the pirate smiled. «However, we’d better get back on deck, a storm is coming.» Seonghwa nodded, as he complied.

Yeosang’s accuracy was admirable, not even an hour later it started raining and what started as a light drizzle, turned into a real storm.

«Stay in the quarters, I can’t risk you falling off.» Hongjoong ordered him, hastily grabbing his forearm.

«I want to help!» Seonghwa shook his head, both boys were already soaked wet as they both clinged to the ship’s ropes. Hongjoong sighed and nodded, not having enough time to fight with the stubborn young King and went back giving the crew various orders; with difficulty, Seonghwa helped the others and together they managed to secure all the sails without falling overboard.

The feeling of facing a storm in the dark, in the middle of the ocean, was terrifying, and he low-key regretted not having followed the captain’s advice. In addition to feeling his stomach upside down due to the violent and redundant movements of the ship, he was also wet and cold.

However, as quickly as the storm arrived, it passed; it lasted few hours and naturally calmed down. Seonghwa looked around trying to catch his breath, the others were in various parts of the ship, reduced to his own state, happy not to have capsized at sea.

The sun was brightly shining on their head as Seonghwa met Hongjoong’s gaze, and both of them erupted into a wide smile; Hongjoong quickly winked at him, and Seonghwa adverted his gaze with a content smile and blushing cheeks.

Back in the Captain’s quarters, even if they had managed to change clothes, neither of them could get rid of the feeling of cold; Seonghwa was as already in bed peeking at the Pirate, wrapped up in few blankets and obviously sitting uncomfortably at his desk chair.

«Hongjoong,» the young King whispered, and the other boy wordlessly glanced at him, «sleep with me tonight.» he said, realizing too late how ambiguous his sentence sounded; Hongjoong’s face was so confused by that sudden request that Seonghwa couldn’t help but blush and hurriedly explain himself.

«I meant,» Seonghwa hurriedly added, hiding himself further into the mattress, «I’m cold, and you must be cold as well, so I thought that we could share the bed.»

Few moments later, as he felt some weight partially drop onto the bed, Seonghwa peeked out from his hideout, just to see that the Pirate was still rolled up in at least two thick blankets, but now was unsurely looking at him.

«Are you sure you’re comfortable enough?» the Pirate asked further, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but blush further as he reminded Yeosang’s words from that afternoon; he simply nodded in a silent answer, rolling towards the wall to create enough space for the pirate to get in.

Before sliding under the covers, Hongjoong spreaded on the bed the blankets with which he was wrapped so that they could feel a little more warmth.

«Oh, wow,» Hongjoong sighed as he stretched under the covers, «I missed so much sleeping on a real bed.» Seonghwa silently admired his satisfied face from the other side of the mattress; eventually, the young King propped on his right elbow, an embarrassed blush on his face.

«Do you see the line between the cushions?» he asked, and Hongjoong nodded, holding back a smile.

«This is my space,» he patted the mattress next to himself, «and that’s yours.» he said, pointing towards a chuckling Hongjoong. Seonghwa’s blush deepened due to the sudden intimacy of the situation; he had been close to the Captain but it was never like this - even if a small part of himself had to admit that he didn’t dislike the thought so much.

The Pirate simply rolled his eyes as he laughed, shifting on his side so that his back was facing Seonghwa.

«Sleep well, Seonghwa.» the Captain whispered.

«You too, Hongjoong.» he immediately murmured back, wondering if he could fall asleep when his heart was beating so loud and so rapidly that he started to believe it wanted to run away from him.

Seonghwa slept soundly and coincidentally, without having nightmares; as he regained consciousness, he slowly blinked himself awake just to find Hongjoong’s face few millimetres from his.

Seonghwa’s heart probably skipped a beat seeing the other so close to him first thing in the morning; the pirate was still deeply asleep, his lips slightly parted and breathing softly. Apparently, during the night they both shifted and they slept with their forehead leaning against each other; Seonghwa wandered through his thoughts for a bit, trying to label that familiar feeling of warmth and sense of security he felt anytime the other was close to him.

By now, they’d already spent a lot of days together. As he admired his face, his fingers absent-mindedly brushed Hongjoong’s cheekbones, his nose, and the curve of his lips, trying to be as careful as he could not to wake him up.

However, these actions must have tickled the other boy since he slightly scrunched his nose, shaking his head and mumbling incomprehensible things, earning a soft smile from Seonghwa.

«Seonghwa,» Hongjoong groaned, his voice hoarse from sleep «go back to sleep, it’s still early.» he said, not bothering to open his eyes.

«It’s your fault,» Seonghwa mumbled back as a faint blush covered his cheeks, as he hurriedly made up an excuse, «you were on my side of the bed.» Hongjoong hummed back, and the young King shifted his position until his back was facing the Captain, his heart racing for being caught caressing the other’s face.

However, his blush deepened as he noticed that between the two of them, someone indeed had crossed the invisible border outlined by the cushions, but it was not Hongjoong.

His thoughts immediately came to a halt as he felt the other’s forehead gently pressing against his back, and one of his arms tentatively circling his waist.

«Go back to sleep.» the Pirate mumbled again, and the King gradually felt himself drifting back to sleep, his hand unconsciously reaching on top of Hongjoong’s and intertwining their fingers.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

The next time they set foot on land, everyone immediately got excited as soon as they heard that the village was holding a big festival.

Seonghwa decided to follow around Mingi and Jongho for the day. Both boys took time to patiently explain to him everything they purchased, and the young King mentally admitted to himself he didn’t care much about gunpowder but he was glad to be helpful carrying around few things.

The day passed quickly, and before he knew it, they were dining together. Yunho placed eight fox masks with different colours on the table, accompanied by as many identical pins. The masks covered half of their faces, Seonghwa noticed, and they all had different colour patterns and were painted with different and precise details.

«These were the best one I could find,» he said pointing to the masks, «and these are for recognizing each other.» he added, pointing at the small golden pins.

«They’re heart shaped… Aren’t they cute?» San commented in a small voice, smiling as he reached out to take one pin and stick in in front of his jacket; the others agreed and imitated his actions, and then the masks were distributed.

“Are they really pirates?” the King thought as he watched them getting excited over heart shaped pins and fox-masks. Seonghwa took the black mask which was adorned with precise gold and white details which resembled small flowers. Instinctively, he glanced up and noticed Hongjoong had chosen the mask which was white and it was coloured with black and red details.

They finished dining together, and headed towards the main streets of the village.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa eventually drifted away from the others; after all, with so many people crowding the streets, it was normal to eventually get separated. Lanterns and colourful garlands decorated the streets of the village, and music, laughs and chatters could be heard everywhere.

Seonghwa didn’t exactly know when and how it happened but, somehow during the evening, both him and Hongjoong got dragged by few people who were dancing in order to join them. The young King held balls since he could remember, so it was not difficult to mimic his various companion’s steps. With the corner of an eye, Seonghwa noticed that the pirate wasn’t having too many problems, either. Finally reunited with his friend, they held hands as they followed the other people’s movements and spun around one more time, and the music momentarily stopped to restart again with another rhythm. They stood there, facing one another and happily smiling, slightly panting as people resumed the dance.

Hongjoong suddenly grabbed Seonghwa’s hand and started walking away from the crowded square, suddenly too noisy for his taste; the King trusted the Pirate and let him lead them away through crowded alleys, until both boys turned into one which was less busy. The lanterns located all around town provided to make everything a bit more romantic and suggestive; Seonghwa started feeling nervous, wondering why the other decided to drag him away all of a sudden.

«I’m glad you were having fun!» Hongjoong exclaimed, letting go of his hand and Seonghwa nodded in response, a bit confused.

«I actually wanted to ask you something,» the Pirate said, stepping in front of him as he took off his own mask. Seonghwa didn’t understand why something in that small gesture seemed so casual and yet so intimate; Hongjoong’s cheeks were flushed, probably due to all the dance they did earlier. The Captain took a big breath, «don’t go back, Seonghwa. Stay with us. Stay with me.» he said, murmuring the last part.

Seonghwa immediately realized why that gesture seemed so intimate to him: he was asking that not as his Captain, but simply as Hongjoong.

A Captain’s request was absolute, and Hongjoong was not only exposing his feelings hopelessly, but he was also giving him the opportunity to say no.

Seonghwa was completely taken aback from that; his eyes widened, glad he was still wearing the mask so that the other couldn’t see his reaction. He feared that as the Pirate closed the space between them with another step, he could have heard his quick heartbeat.

Seonghwa knew better than anyone that someone had to overthrow the Governor and complete his task but, during the last weeks, he slowly came to the realization that spending his days with Hongjoong and the others could be what his heart truly longed for.

He spent so many days locked up in the Castle’s library reading adventures books, he spent so many days feeling in a cage – even if he felt cherished and respected, that now that he tasted what freedom could mean he wasn’t sure he wanted to give it up.

Hongjoong interrupted the other’s train of thoughts as he tentatively reached up to take off the King’s mask, throwing it on the ground; they were looking in each other’s eyes, now and therefore, Seonghwa couldn’t hide nor himself nor his feelings behind a fox mask any more.

Hongjoong’s stare was fierce and intense, and neither this time hid sign of lie; Seonghwa couldn’t help but wonder, what did the pirate see in his eyes? He also wondered if his gaze was eloquent enough for the other to understand his answer.

The Pirate raised his left hand and started playing with the cotton string hanging from Seonghwa’s shirt, just like he did in the tavern; they stared in each other’s eyes in silence, Hongjoong was looking at him with nothing but pure and sincere tenderness, his smile matching his feelings.

Hongjoong’s right hand brushed against Seonghwa’s cheek, and he leaned into his touch. It felt so familiar to him, yet completely foreign and new; the Pirate’s eyes dropped to the other’s lips, however he didn’t do anything. He gazed back into the King’s eyes, looking for any trace of discomfort.

Seonghwa understood how once again the Pirate was bravely baring his soul but yet again, he was giving the King another opportunity to step away anytime he wanted.

They were staring in each other’s eyes, no words needed to be exchanged; Seonghwa wanted to kiss him – like two distant lovers reuniting after lives of waiting, for that was the other made him feel. The young King’s arms had been loose on his sides for all this time; he briefly glanced at Hongjoong’s smiling lips while his right hand rested gently on the Pirate’s cheek.

“I want to stay,” he thought.

As if he heard Seonghwa’s thoughts, Hongjoong tugged the strings of his shirt, and their lips met halfway.

The Pirate kissed him slowly, nothing more than pecks exchanged between soft smiles; everything in that first kiss made Seonghwa understand the sincerity of Hongjoong’s feelings, and he made sure to reciprocate the tenderness in them.

The King will never know, but the Pirate had been thinking about this moment for weeks. He had spent so many lonely nights on the quarterdeck wondering about his growing feelings, that now he was making sure any and every kiss held the confessions of his emotions.

Their lips moulded together at some point; Hongjoong tried to nip at the other’s lower lip and Seonghwa exhaled deeply through his nose. His left arm snaked around the other’s hips to close the distance between them, the unexpected need to feel Hongjoong as close as possible as their kiss got more passionate.

The Pirate’s breath hitched at that sudden move, the hand which was previously resting on his cheek was now entangled in the other’s soft hair; as he felt the other’s firm body against his, his tongue wandered towards the other’s lips, silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss even more.

Seonghwa tilted his head, one of his hands reaching to the other’s nape and his right arm still supporting the Pirate who was standing on his tiptoes; a soft moan escaped both boys as they enjoyed the warmth of each other’s mouth, when a loud, distant and sudden series of noises startled them.

Both boys quickly separated from each other, fearing the worst as their heads turned towards the source of it; however, Hongjoong sighed, and started laughing.

«Fireworks? Really?!» he asked, dumbfounded.

«Look at yourself,» Seonghwa laughed, his arms finding their way back around Hongjoong’s shoulders, «a dangerous and ruthless pirate getting startled by fireworks!» he joked, emphasising the last part.

«Don’t get smart with me, I saw you got startled too.» Hongjoong placed the top of his head against Seonghwa’s chest as he was still chuckling, and the King placed a tender kiss on his hair.

This time, Seonghwa was well aware that the other could hear loud and clear the pace of his quick heartbeat; he blushed and smiled softly at the thought, the other’s arms encircling his slim waist.

«Let’s go back.» smiled Hongjoong, lifting his head to look at Seonghwa, which nodded at him.

As the night passed, they managed to reunite with Yunho, Yeosang and Jongho at some point, and even though the three of them had noticed their suddenly swollen lips and their dishevelled hair, no one had mentioned it.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

Days seemed to fly and the crew seemed to get a little more tense and restless each day the ship entered an increasingly foggy area.

“Finally ”, Seonghwa thought, mentally praising both Yeosang’s and Hongjoong’s skills to identify and proceed towards the right route after meticulously studying the map and the stars every day since they left Seonghwa’s kingdom.

The situation worsened day by day: for the purpose of being able to see each other once they stepped on deck, they hanged small lanterns almost everywhere, in order to prevent anyone from falling off the ship; often and willingly the crew kept their spirits up by joking about how more than pirates, they looked like a haunted ship. Things between Seonghwa and Hongjoong did not change much, except the kissing part, of course.

Since the journey started and during the time they spent together, it slowly became a natural habit to exchange innocent and gentle touches; Hongjoong would ruffle his hair or eventually, Seonghwa would caress the other’s face as they woke up facing each other and consequently, it became equally natural for them to become further intimate.

Despite everything, they tried to remain as discreet as possible every time they were around the others, but the crew did not fail to notice some affectionate gestures between the two – whether they were kisses or caresses.

Some would ignore them, some would playfully tease them. The young King often took time to reflect on how things had changed drastically for him; he never thought he could develop romantic feelings for someone since his wife died, let alone a Pirate, yet there he was. It was as if the mere presence of Hongjoong made him feel at ease; even if they weren’t standing close or even if the Pirate wasn’t paying attention to him, Seonghwa somehow felt protected. He was happy; he felt safe again, after a long time.

Still, there was a part of him that felt incredibly guilty.

“Do you want to resume your position as King because you want to, or because you’re supposed to?” Hongjoong’s words managed to breach his soul and now, he didn’t know how to deal with his duties. Which one did he had to follow? His heart or his mind? Which one was the right path for him?

The pirate’s presence made him feel incredibly happy, it was undeniable; however, sometimes he felt like that if he decided to follow his heart, he would betray his Kingdom. Otherwise, if he decided to follow his duties, he knew there was a high probability that he wouldn’t see Hongjoong ever again.

Was it what he really wanted?

The moment his title was restored, he would immediately be covered with responsibilities and duties; he would go back to do what he had always done but this time, he would have been alone. Seonghwa had never made a secret of how essential the presence of his wife was for him; since she passed away he had feel so terribly alone and since his journey started, he slowly came to the realization that every time he was around either Hongjoong or the others, he wouldn’t feel so alone anymore. He wanted to have a family again, he wanted to feel loved again, and it was the exact feeling the Pirate’s company was giving him.

Seonghwa’s eyes wandered over the painted ceiling, travelling back to the small portrait of his Kingdom. He had no idea how things were going back there, but he knew it would be wrong to turn his back on his people. They needed a King after all.

“Whoever could claim the position.” he thought, a familiar face flashing in his brain for a second; he sighed loudly in frustration and he shook his head, realizing that even if him and Hongjoong kissed, he never actually replied to him.

Deep down, Seonghwa knew exactly what he really longed for; he wanted to stay with the Pirate, to sail with him until the end of the world.

However, was it the right thing to do? Could he give up his duties for love?

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

«San, help me. I think I’m hallucinating!» Wooyoung commented one evening at dinner, gripping San’s elbow as he saw Hongjoong sitting on Seonghwa’s lap and placing his plate in front of him.

«But you are the doctor, Wooyoung!» answered San, holding in return the other’s arm and trying not to drop his fork. Seonghwa laughed, sure as hell his red cheeks gave away his embarrassment; he timidly circled Hongjoong’s waist with his left arm while his right one rested on the other’s thigh.

Hongjoong looked at both San and Wooyoung with an amused expression and a raised eyebrow as to say “why are you even surprised?”, and Seonghwa tried to hide his blushing face behind Hongjoong’s shoulder.

«So… Lovers?» Mingi asked, with a hopeful and happy smile on his face, indicating between them with his fork.

«It’s up to his Majesty to decide that, I’m still an outlaw.» Hongjoong shrugged and nodded towards Seonghwa, while continuing to eat.

Hongjoong didn’t turn his head in time to see that, but everyone else at the table noticed how Seonghwa’s smile softened as he looked at him, and the King delicately traced random patterns against the Pirate’s back with this fingers.

Later that night, Hongjoong led Seonghwa to his quarters while holding his hand, between loud cheers and whistles from the crew.

«So, lover…» Hongjoong began, joining the other boy under the covers; Seonghwa chuckled in response, covering both of them with a blanket.

«Don’t get smart with me!» Seonghwa laughed, «It’s not like I can’t hear Mingi calling you “Pirate King” all the time!»

They laid in bed facing each other, the soft moonlight providing the light that illuminated the Captain’s quarters; as they intertwined their fingers, Hongjoong brought their hands in front of his lips.

«You know,» he said, slowly kissing the other’s knuckles, his gaze lost and enchanted in an undefined point between the two of them, «I never thought I’d catch feelings for royalty.»

Seonghwa smiled, softly «You tell me?» he sighed, «I went from being in love with a docile and peaceful Queen to develop feelings for a man with a bounty on his head!» the King affectionately joked; Hongjoong scoffed a laugh, letting go of the other’s hand, pretending to be deeply offended by Seonghwa’s words.

«What if the bounty on  your head ends up getting higher than mine?» the Pirate leaned closer to the King, pressing on his chest so that now Hongjoong was slightly laying on top of him; the Captain shifted, so that he was lifted on his right elbow, his chin resting on the palm of his hand.

«I highly doubt so, short people can be evil.» Seonghwa remarked, a sly smile adorning his lips. The pirate silently raised an eyebrow at him, as his fingers slowly traced random patterns on the King’s chest, from his neck towards his waist; Seonghwa slightly shivered, feeling the other’s cold digits through the thin fabric of his shirt.

«Yet, here you are.» Hongjoong mumbled, his position didn’t falter except for his right leg which was now positioned between Seonghwa’s.

The King shifted his position too, faintly widening his legs so that the pirate could be more comfortable and slightly bent his right knee, which wasn’t the one between Hongjoong’s legs. Seonghwa reached out, circling the other’s waist with his left arm and softly tracing the outline of Hongjoong’s soft lips with the other.

The King’s eyes focused on his thumb pressing on the Pirate’s lips, the room suddenly feeling too hot; Hongjoong was still casually laying in his original position, attentive to the other boy’s movements. He slowly parted his lips and let his tongue dart out to gently lick at the boy’s finger, and Seonghwa’s breath hitched and instinctively, he ran his tongue over his lips.

Hongjoong dared a bold move as he swirled his tongue around the King’s fingertip, smirking as he felt the grip on his waist slightly tighten; Seonghwa pulled his finger back as his hand quickly reached over Hongjoong’s nape and connected their lips and Hongjoong sighed, content finally feeling the contact he had been yearning for.

Hongjoong immediately returned the kiss with equal fervour, his left hand gripping tightly at the other’s waist as the other one was entangled in the King’s black hair; Seonghwa let his tongue slip out to swipe at the Pirate’s lips, who wasted no time to comply that silent request. Seonghwa’s hand rested on the Pirate’s hip as he held him close, letting him set the pace and the Pirate lifted his leg over Seonghwa’s hip, which let out a shaky breath as he felt the other’s thigh grazing against his crotch. The boy pressed against the Pirate’s hip, so that he could completely straddle him.

Hongjoong put his weight on his knees, hovering over Seonghwa’s body; he stopped kissing the King’s lips to gently nibble at the other’s neck with his teeth, Seonghwa’s breath hitching as the other bit him a little harder while sucking on the skin. His hand tightened in the Pirate’s hair, giving it a soft tug. Hongjoong looked up at him, eyes hooded and lips slightly parted; the King’s hands were still in his hair, and when he gave it a harder tug again, the pirate closed his eyes and leaned back into his touch, a soft moan escaping his lips. Seonghwa’s hand – which had been holding Hongjoong’s waist, grabbed on the other’s thigh and squeezed it before giving it a harsh tug, causing the pirate to close the small space remaining between their bodies.

Both boys moaned loudly at the sudden contact of their crotches, and Seonghwa let go of the other’s hair as he gripped Hongjoong’s thighs, refraining him to move away. Hongjoong’s hands were resting on the cushion behind Seonghwa’s head, their lips hovering few millimetres one from the other.

The Pirate kissed him again, gently biting sucking on the King’s lower lips as he grinded his hips against the other’s, resulting on Seonghwa’s hands to reach to the pirate’s butt to make him repeat the action. Hongjoong breathy chuckled, complying and feeling the other boy gradually getting hard underneath him.

The kisses were messy, playful bites were exchanged along with soft moans and Seonghwa was loving every minute of it; he was about to roll them over but then he felt the Pirate’s hands holding his wrists and placing them against the pillow. He tried to see as much as he could of Hongjoong’s face but he knew him enough to know that, if the room were less dark, the Pirate would have winked at him; Seonghwa’s mind momentarily went blank as he felt Hongjoong lifting himself off his lap to get rid of his shirt and place one of his hands back on Seonghwa’s bulge.

They kissed again as the Pirate started to tease him with light touches, sliding his palm over his still clothed length, or applying a frustrating amount of pressure on the head with slow, circular motions. Either way, Seonghwa would moan and Hongjoong’s lips would be there to unintentionally muffle the sounds.

«Off.» Hongjoong’s hoarse voice ordered between kisses, tugging at Seonghwa’s shirt. The King chuckled at the other’s impatience as he complied, lifting himself enough to let the other boy take off his shirt.

Hongjoong’s lips immediately reattached to Seonghwa’s before starting to travel down his chest, showering it with kisses and soft bites. Hongjoong’s lips marked the other’s hipbones sucking on his skin before biting it again, before stopping altogether.

«Are you sure?» the pirate asked, breathing heavily and kissing once again that small fraction of his skin.

«Is that even a question?» Seonghwa groaned back, slightly lifting his hips trying to urge the other to proceed. It wasn’t his first time with a boy, he had some experience from before his wedding; experiences which clearly, he had to kept hidden from anyone in the Castle. Still, he had to admit that a young Prince Seonghwa sneaking out to enjoy the company of the son of an in fluent merchant would have been quite the talk around town.

«Seonghwa.» Hongjoong warned, his hands roughly pushed on the other’s waist, so that he was pressed against the mattress.

«Hongjoong.» Seonghwa mimicked his tone, running a hand between his damp hair, «If you stop again, there’s really gonna be a bounty on my head.» Hongjoong chuckled at the harsh reply, humming in approval, as he helped himself and his lover to get rid of the last layers of clothes they wore. Seonghwa sighed at the feeling of cold air against his sensitive member, which was probably already leaking with precome.

Hongjoong sat between his legs and attached his lips to Seonghwa’s length. The King already figured out that the other boy loved to tease probably a bit too much. He would alternate kitten licks to going from the base to the tip with his tongue flat, and occasionally harshly sucking and swirling his tongue over the tip, releasing it with loud pops. Seonghwa’s moans deepened at the feeling of the other’s tongue teasing him so perfectly.

As he felt Hongjoong’s tongue once again around the tip of his length, one of his hands immediately reached to the pirate’s hair to keep him in place. Hongjoong got the hint and decided to leave the teasing for some other time, swallowing Seonghwa’s member as much as he could with a soft moan. The pirate did his best to relax his throat as he started bobbing his head up and down, helping himself with his hand where his mouth couldn’t reach.

It was messy, sometimes Seonghwa would unintentionally push his hips upwards lost in arousal, and the pirate’s hand would immediately stop him by pressing on his hips. Hongjoong moaned around the other’s member as the King tugged harshly on his hair, feeling the pirate’s mouth perfect around him. Interpreting Seonghwa’s increasingly moans as him being close, Hongjoong swallowed his member as deep as his throat allowed him, feeling Seonghwa’s length twitch and warm fluid coating his tongue, as a broken moan of his name left the other’s lips.

Hongjoong swallowed, detaching completely from the other boy, and climbing back on top of him while wiping his mouth and his chin with the back of his hand. Seonghwa let out a content sigh, and reached out to gently kiss the pirate again, faintly tasting himself on the other’s tongue. Hongjoong lifted up, reaching over to the small nightstand next to their bed and taking out a small round jar.

«San and Wooyoung recommended this… aloe, I think it was called.» Hongjoong briefly explained, coating his fingers with its content.

«I don’t know how to-» Seonghwa timidly tensed up a bit, running a hand through his dampened hair and trying to calm down his panting breaths.

«Don’t worry, you can do this next time.» Hongjoong cut his sentence short, as his hand reached behind himself to begin to stretch himself. Seonghwa shifted so that he could sit, caressing Hongjoong’s thighs and showering his face and neck with soft kisses, somehow trying to ease the momentary pain the other felt.

Hongjoong’s uncomfortable hisses turned into soft, breathy moans, which were swallowed by Seonghwa’s mouth, as the pirate gradually got accommodated to the stretch. Seonghwa’s hand caressed the other’s hip as he reached behind the pirate to join the other’s hand.

As Hongjoong was focused adjusting to the stretch, Seonghwa carefully coated one of his fingers with the aloe in excess, and he slowly pushed over the other’s rim, adding his digit to Hongjoong’s two fingers.

The pirate dropped his face in the crook of Seonghwa’s neck with a loud moan, biting on his shoulder due to the sudden stretch.

«Please,» Hongjoong whined, and Seonghwa felt himself getting hard again, as Hongjoong’s fingers – and consequently his, started to move in order to stretch him. His other hand reached out to slowly pump and twist around Hongjoong’s neglected member, carefully smearing precum all over it, carefully avoiding the sensitive tip.

The pirate’s head remained tugged in the other’s shoulders as Seonghwa did his best to remain focused on matching Hongjoong’s pace with his fingers. The King kissed as much of the other’s skin as he could without changing their position, completely enamoured with Hongjoong’s moans and whimpers so close to his ear.

Seonghwa’s hand travelled upwards, from Hongjoong’s member to linger on the other’s neck and the pirate moaned as he felt the King faintly tightening his grip before harshly grasping his chin to kiss him again.

«I want you so much,» Seonghwa whispered between their kisses, feeling almost shy about how hoarse his voice had turned from arousal. He felt Hongjoong’s smile against his lips, as he stopped both their hands from stretching him further.

Seonghwa slightly leaned back, supporting his weight on his hands as Hongjoong guided the other boy’s pulsing member past his rim. Gradually, he slowly inched down on the other’s length as Seonghwa did his best to not move his hips every time he felt the other clench around him, letting him totally adjust before moving at all.

Hongjoong bottomed out stilling his hips, completely sitting on top of Seonghwa, which by now had his head thrown back and lips parted with soft moans. As the pirate opened his eyes and made out Seonghwa’s shape, he was thankful to be partially enveloped by darkness otherwise he was pretty sure he would have come on the spot by that sight alone.

Hongjoong pulled up himself on Seonghwa’s shoulders as he grinded his hips, both boys moaning overwhelmed one by the stretch inside him and the other from the tightness around him. The pirate’s hips moved in circles few times before tentatively lifting his hips to sink back down, clenching around Seonghwa.

Repeating the action, Hongjoong’s hips slowly and passionately started to move on Seonghwa’s as they kissed again, tongues lapping at each others and teeth nibbling each other’s swollen and smiling lips.

The King’s left hand gripped Hongjoong’s waist, his thumb pressing on his hipbone as the thrusted upwards to meet the other’s movements as he was bouncing on him, alternating the motion to grinding on the other’s lap by moving his hips in circles. Hongjoong locked his arms around Seonghwa’s neck, the other threw his head back and the pirate took this opportunity to leave love bites on his neck where he felt the fast beating of his heart.

The only sound in the room were their moans and their bodies colliding, their movements getting sloppier as they approached their release.

Seonghwa felt Hongjoong starting to clench around him more and he swiftly flipped them over, feeling the pirate’s thigh surrounding him and holding him close. The King immediately resumed their previous actions, feeling Hongjoong’s short nails dug lines in his back as he kissed the pirate’s neck while his deep thrusts were bringing both of them over the edge, Hongjoong’s member being stimulated while being trapped between them.

Hongjoong’s legs closed around Seonghwa’s hips and refrained him to pull out, reaching his climax with a loud moan as he felt the other harshly bottoming out inside of him. Seonghwa came too, feeling the other clench impossibly tight around him, suffocating a moan against the other’s skin.

«I’m sorry.» Seonghwa panted few moments later, his head still buried in the pirate’s neck.

«What for?» Hongjoong quickly mumbled in answer, feeling his stomach drop and fearing the worst.

«I didn’t pull out in time.» Seonghwa sighed, lifting on his elbows to place a soft kiss on the pirate’s eyebrow, who immediately relaxed under his touch.

«It’s okay if you want to do that, silly.» Hongjoong chuckled, flinching as Seonghwa slowly pulled out and rolled on his back.

«Are you sure?» Seonghwa asked, timidly.

«Positive. Captain’s orders.» Hongjoong reached out to take one of their shirts and clean them as best as he could, before tossing it on the floor and lie back, embraced by Seonghwa’s welcoming and opened arms.

They fell asleep together not much later, exchanging sweet words accompanied by sweet and content kisses, cuddling under the blankets and in each other’s warmth.

Next morning, Seonghwa realized the whole crew was perfectly updated about their relationship; their friends happily and teasingly called out to both Hongjoong and Seonghwa after seeing various bite marks and hickeys on both their necks and as they got random glimpse of the marks on their chests from their low-cut shirts anytime they moved.

«Damn, Captain! Was there a storm last night?» San asked with his voice purposely loud, faking innocence as he walked towards Hongjoong, Yunho and Seonghwa which were talking on the quarter deck.

«Wasn’t the ship rocking a bit too much?» Wooyoung added with a cheeky smile, appearing right behind his lover.

Yunho almost choked on the water he was drinking, having to walk away from them due to his muffled laughters.

«I could ask you the same thing, you two.» Hongjoong replied with a smirk, narrowing his eyes and hinting at the few hickeys that adorned Wooyoung’s neck; Seonghwa felt lightly embarrassed, but still found funny to watch them playfully bickering.

«So,» San walked towards Seonghwa, linking their arms together. «Who is the top?» he asked, winking at him.

«Oh, my!» Seonghwa laughed, immediately escaping the other’s grip «Hongjoong! Tell your friends to mind their own business!» he added, blushing faintly.

The Pirate laughed in response. «Well, technically-»

«-We’re your friends as well!» Wooyoung added, faking offence.

As they had fun together, Seonghwa knew he would love for this to be his daily life.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

«Land! Ahead!» Yeosang’s loud voice rang out from the crow’s nest, catching everyone’s attention. «Actually, you know what? I’m not sure, I can’t see anything.» He added, carefully climbing down and walking towards Hongjoong. «Captain, someone should take the shallop and check ahead.»

Hongjoong nodded at him, «By now we should be close to the Mist. Take some men with you and go check.»

Seonghwa watched as their friends meticulously prepared a rope to attach to both the mast and to the small ship, in case they happened lost sense of direction. It didn’t take much time to see his friends disappear in the thick wall of fog.

Seonghwa spent the morning asking around the ship if he could help, resulting in the crew politely declining his offer.

«We already took care of everything, there’s nothing much to do beside waiting.» they told him.

Dejected, he settled for sitting on the familiar spot he occupied almost every night on the stairs leading on the quarterdeck, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands.

He felt a loud sigh, followed by approaching footsteps; within seconds, someone sat behind him and he felt a familiar hand gently ruffling his hair in a familiar and affectionate manner.

«Calm down, Seonghwa.» Hongjoong mumbled, pulling the other boy to his chest; the Pirate’s arms gently snaked around the King’s waist, and he rested his chin on Seonghwa’s shoulder.

«But, what if-»

«No but!» Hongjoong immediately interrupted him; he placed a soft kiss on his shoulder, before gently rocking their bodies, «Yeosang was a cartographer in the Navy. There is no one more suited than him for this task»

«The Navy? Seriously?» Seonghwa asked, thinking about how Yeosang’s behaviour – calm, reserved and composed, actually perfectly matched a Navy’s soldier.

«Both him and Mingi, actually. Yeosang’s father was a Commander, so he grew up on a ship, just like me.» Seonghwa nodded, remembering the time Hongjoong had told him that he had lived on a pirate ship since childhood, having been his father a pirate Captain as well. Illusion, he added, was actually a legacy of his father.

The King furrowed his brow, «Mingi was in the Navy?!» he slightly turned his hand in disbelief, to see Hongjoong chuckling with his intense eyes fixed on the crew restlessly working on the deck.

«He was a powder monkey back in the Navy. I stole them both, just like I did with you.» Hongjoong said with a smug smile, tightening his grip.

Seonghwa scoffed at that. «Oh come on, Hongjoong. I literally had to beg you to take me with you!»

«I would have done that myself, eventually.» He pecked Seonghwa’s parted lips, smiling softly at how the other blushed in return, shyly adverting his gaze.

«Hey, lovebirds!» they turned towards Yunho, who was smiling at them from the deck. «Yeosang has returned. We found it.»

From that moment, everything happened in a blur: a group would have gone first, while the rest of the crew would remain on board to monitor the ship. Seonghwa took a seat on the small boat, watching the rope that connected him and his friends to the ship slowly build up tension, not that he could see much more. There was a torch in front of the boat; a dim light that somehow tried to break the wall of fog around them. Exactly as Yeosang predicted, they touched land few hours later.

Their boots sank in the wet, soft sand and, after each of them had lightened up their wooden torch, they went on together, advancing slowly, staying as close as possible. The absence of any kind of noise besides the wind, the waves and the sound of their footsteps made them inexplicably even more nervous; Seonghwa and his friends were sure that they would not find anyone waiting for them, but they were still in an unknown place and never visited by other people – if not desperate ones like himself.

As far as they knew, they could have found traps along their way. The island did not seem to be large: as they continued, the fog in front of them slowly began to dissolve, until it completely disappeared.

«Oh, now we can see clearly?» Wooyoung mumbled, nervously tightening his grip around the torch «It’s…»

«… It’s creeping me out.» San finished his lover’s sentence; they looked behind their shoulders to see that the thick wall of fog behind them was still present.

«For the first time in the history of our friendship, I won’t order to separate.» Hongjoong said, and Seonghwa’s hand nervously reached out to intertwine their fingers.

«Like hell I would have gone around by myself.» Mingi muttered behind them, making Yeosang giggle. In front of them, rocks began to sprout, gaining in size as they progressed.

«Do you know anything else beside the cave part?» Jongho asked Seonghwa, as they cautiously made their way through sand and pebbles.

Seonghwa shook his head, «I absolutely don’t. I’m sorry.»

They came to a stop in front of a high and unstable rock wall: unable to see its end, they deduced it was a mountain. They agreed on walking around it until they eventually found the entrance; in any case, they gave up on splitting up.

The aura surrounding the Island was terrifying, Seonghwa thought. Despite being in a group and everyone proceeding close enough their arms were constantly touching, he could not help but feel pervaded by constant anxiety, and a vague feeling of being almost observed.

However, from what?Seonghwa was certain that in his father’s stories there was no mention of entities protecting nor the island nor its treasures. Nonetheless, Hongjoong and the others told him about meeting sea monsters somewhere and somehow during their previous trips, so he did not dare to exclude anything.

It seemed to them that they were walking for hours. The fact that everywhere they looked they would see only rocks, sand and fog did nothing to strengthen their spirits. Hongjoong kept holding Seonghwa’s hand firmly, as to silently reassure him.

«Watch out, ahead.» Yeosang mumbled, loud enough for them to hear. They hummed in response, coming to a stop in front a small and narrow downhill consisting of a sharp and rocky staircase.

«Should some of us keep guard outside?» Yunho asked Hongjoong, which shook his head in answer.

«It’s probably foolish but I think we shouldn’t separate.» he said, reaching out the arm that held the torch towards the entrance of the cave.

«Well,» Mingi sighed «After you, your Majesty.» Seonghwa nodded at him, exchanging a small, encouraging smile with the pirate.

The King had not spoken about how he felt, despite that strange feeling of being observed steadily increased with each step.

Carefully they went down the stairs, trying to talk as less as possible, their footsteps echoing against the damp and unexplored walls. The narrow corridor began to widen until they saw a stone arch – engraved with what Seonghwa recognized as runes, waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

At the exact moment they crossed the threshold, the environment suddenly lit up: fire torches lit up consequently, one by one, startling them.

«Okay now, what – and I can’t stress this enough, the hell just happened?» Mingi asked, dumbfounded. His question, however, met no answer.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on analysing in awe their surroundings. Before them, there was a huge hall confined by stones, but most importantly there was an abnormal amount of treasures deposited there: jewellery, coins, weapons and all kinds of wealth laid all around them.

Seonghwa looked around, hoping in vain to find immediately what he was looking for, until his eyes met a small path leading to an isolated casket. He squeezed Hongjoong’s hand, earning his attention. He detached his hand from the other boy, as he carefully walked towards it.

«Isn’t it too easy?» the pirate mumbled suspicious, but followed Seonghwa nonetheless. Seonghwa’s uneasiness worsened.

In addition to all this, he believed to have heard an amused chuckle coming from somewhere near him. With shaky hands, he took the small casket and opened it; inside, a perfectly shaped sphere was laying on soft dark blue velvet.

“It’s completely transparent,” Seonghwa thought. “it could be glass, or crystal.”

Seonghwa had no idea about how the Aurora shard looked like but, between all the ideas he had, it was definitely not a transparent sphere.

However, his curiosity had the better of him and he touched it anyway; as soon as the sphere was in his hands, a faint glow erupted from the centre, becoming gradually brighter and brighter. Seonghwa was enchanted to see various shapes of green, red and blue dance harmoniously in his hands: the aurora’s colours. He was about to turn around to tell Hongjoong he found what he had been looking for when he heard said boy shout his name, his voice full of worry.

«And so, the King has come.» an unfamiliar female voice said from behind him.

Seonghwa turned immediately, almost dropping the shard on the floor in amazement. In front of him there was a female figure who materialized out from nowhere, her consistency almost ethereal. Seonghwa wasn’t sure how he could see her, when it looked like she was made of air itself, but he was certain his friend were able to see her, too.

«I don’t want to repeat myself,» Mingi’s hushed tone came from behind a small mountain of coins «but, what the hell?»

The creature, or spirit, was floating in mid-air looking at Seonghwa with peaceful eyes, eyes which held the same colours that had erupted from the shard few moments earlier. Nobody dared to move, they simply stared at her floating around Seonghwa before coming to a stop, assuming a sitting position in mid-air.

«Why is she not attacking us?» Jongho mumbled, frowning.

«I have no reason to do that,» She addressed him with a smile, although her eyes were still locked on Seonghwa. «the King has come to claim the Aurora shard and the treasures hidden on this island, and I have nor reason nor authority to object.»

«Are you…?» Seonghwa stopped in mid-sentence, wondering how to continue his question, and the ethereal creature smiled softly at him, nodding. The King raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if somehow, she managed to read his mind.

«I am the Aurora shard.» her soft voice echoed in the hall. «I’m also the guardian of this place. But most of all, I am connected to the Kings’ souls.»

Seonghwa nodded, his eyes carefully looking at the sphere in his hand and letting the information sink in.

“If she’s really connected to me,” Seonghwa thought, “This means she could already know what I really desire, doesn’t she?”

«I have a really big favour to ask you. Can you grant my wish?» Seonghwa’s determined eyes found hers, which grinned at him in return; she simply answered with a nod, somehow confirming to the King that she already knew.

«I will, your Majesty.» with a bow, she softly disappeared in thin air, reabsorbed by the shard in Seonghwa’s hand.

He closed his eyes, holding to his chest the sphere for a moment.

“And please protect me, my Aurora.” Seonghwa thought, before placing it back into the casket.

He immediately looked at Hongjoong, which visibly relaxed, the young King walked towards him with hurried steps and quickly placed a soft peck on his lips, pleased at how he caught the Pirate blushing before lightly coughing and averting his gaze.

«Now… What?» asked Yeosang.

«I found what I was looking for,» Seonghwa said, turning towards them. «You can take anything you want.»

He laughed as his friends erupted with a loud cheer, parting ways to collect as many valuable and different things as they could manage.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

Seonghwa comfortably sat on the chair next to Hongjoong; their fingers were intertwined in the pirate’s lap, and they were participating in the animated and cheerful conversation of his friends.

«I’m sad Seonghwa didn’t have the chance to see you in action.» Mingi said to Jongho. Seonghwa smiled, remembering how a few days before, when they were coming out of the Mist’s cave, his friend managed to carry a much heavier load than the others.

«I was a baker before joining the crew.» Jongho answered Seonghwa’s silent question. «I basically did a lot of workout carrying bags of flour around. It came pretty handy.» he shrugged, smiling.

«You should have seen him during his first assault,» Hongjoong added, «We knew he was strong, but he carried gunpowder around so effortlessly, we were shocked for a solid minute.»

«I even asked Yeosang if he trained with us!» Mingi said.

«I was surprised you asked me, since you were the powder monkey back then. You should have, at least, noticed him.» Yeosang answered, and they all laughed together.

Jongho winked, «You should have worked for my boss, back in my town.» he answered Mingi, tapping his bicep.

«Were both of you training in the Navy?» Seonghwa asked Yeosang and Mingi, pretending not to know what Hongjoong told him. They nodded, unintentionally coordinated.

«My father was a Commander, I always had a passion for cartography and so I grew up with-»

«A natural talent to get us out of trouble.» Yunho interrupted Yeosang’s sentence.

The pirate blushed, adverting his gaze «You have to admit that the Captain’s sense of direction is really good.» he mumbled.

«Like he said before, I was a powder monkey back then!» Mingi took a sip of his drink, before continuing «Probably the worst experience of our life, right Yeosang?» he mumbled, elbowing the boy next to him, which simply raised his eyebrows and nodded.

«Let’s just say we craved freedom at some point, and caught the opportunity.» Yunho said, «I was a servant for a very rich family. Long story short: the night I met the crew, I guided them to their safety vault after they promised to take me with them.» Seonghwa nodded, feeling happy about the fact that they shared their past stories with him, and about how everyone was more relaxed on their way back.

He also couldn’t help feeling a different kind of warmth within himself. By now, months had passed since he left his kingdom. The more days passed, the more he felt he belonged exactly there, with them.

«How about you?» he asked San, which smiled brightly at him.

«Well, I was a thief… One day I was running away from a small group of guards and… Let’s just say I hid on the wrong ship.» he laughed. Hongjoong scoffed, amused. «It doesn’t look like you’re regretting staying!»

San hid himself behind Wooyoung’s shoulders before sticking out his tongue at the Captain, earning soft laughters from the others. Hongjoong rolled his eyes, and returned playing with Seonghwa’s fingers.

«We deliberately left Wooyoung’s story last.» Jongho commented, chuckling.

«Was he the last one to join before me?» Seonghwa asked.

Hongjoong nodded at him, delicately caressing his knuckles with his thumb, slightly taken aback by the King’s question; he was sure they never properly talked about him definitely staying with them. However, it was needless to say that if Seonghwa had decided to stay with him, the pirate would have been more than happy to sail towards countless new adventures with him.

«Yeah well you need to hear this, Seonghwa.» Wooyoung said, looking at him in a serious way. «I got kidnapped. A poor, abandoned hostage after a battle.» Seonghwa’s eyes widened, and he heard the others muffled laughters. Wooyoung continued immediately, intentionally increasing the drama in his tone of voice.

«Let’s just say that after few hours tied on the mast, I noticed how there were few injured people due to that fight, and no one was treating them. So I-»

San’s loud laughter interrupted him, «He convinced one of the crew members’ to set him free by saying he felt “terribly sick”, and then started pacing around the deck screaming at anyone of us: “Are you freaking serious?! A pirate ship without a doctor?! What kind of poor imitation of pirates are you?"» San said, imitating his lover.

«And you just let him?» Seonghwa asked his friends, giggling. «We just let him be, he randomly choose a room and claimed it as the infirmary.» Yunho added.

«He literally threw everything and everyone out from there.» Jongho said.

«Well, you forgot to mention that San was his first patient…» Yeosang said, watching the both of them with malice. Wooyoung answered by kissing San on the cheek. The latter’s cheeks turned pink and they all laughed together.

«Seriously? No doctor?» Seonghwa asked quietly to Hongjoong. The pirate shrugged, «We actually had a doctor, but he got… shot.» Seonghwa nodded, understanding what the pirate was hinting.

«But hey, Wooyoung is no longer the only one which decided to stay for love!» Mingi stated intentionally emphasizing the last words, placing his hand on his chin and blinking his eyes innocently; Seonghwa’s cheeks flamed up, and Hongjoong choked on his drink.

«Look at them being all shy!» Yunho chimed in with a loud voice, pointing at them.

«It’s not like we can’t see them exchanging soft kisses basically everywhere on the ship!» Mingi continued, snaking an arm around his friend’s shoulders, «Hongjoong!» he said shyly, playfully mimicking Seonghwa’s voice.

«Seonghwa!» Yunho dramatically mimicked the Captain’s voice, immediately returning his friend’s embrace, and they proceeded making kissing noises in rapid succession.

The King laughed, trying to hide his face behind the hand that the Pirate wasn’t holding.

«Are we really like that?» Seonghwa asked a blushing Hongjoong, which replied with a bright smile and a confident shrug.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

The newfound serenity of those days soon came to an end.

«A ship is approaching! Pirates!» Yeosang’s shout interrupted the quiet morning. In no time, the ship was populated with masked men running around and getting ready to fight, the same uniforms for which they had become famous in popular stories all around the Kingdoms.

All the crew was on deck, ready to follow Hongjoong’s orders.

«We don’t take prisoners, and for the love of Mazu, Mingi,» the Captain looked at the tall pirate «This time, don’t sink them until I say so.» the red head answered with a nod and a devilish smile.

«Mazu?» Seonghwa whispered to Yunho, standing on his right.

«The Chinese Goddess of the sea.» he explained with the same hushed voice «she protects sailors, fishermen and sea travellers.» Seonghwa nodded.

«I know you can look out for yourself,» Hongjoong told the King loud enough for him to hear, «Just… Be careful, please.»

He nodded, briefly holding the other’s gloved hand, «You too.»

The enemy ship was approaching them fast, and by the time it reached them, everyone was ready to fight. Their opponents did not hesitate to fire their cannons which fortunately missed the Illusion, even if only slightly.

«They fired from so far away,» Yeosang commented as he climbed down from the crew’s nest «They must be idiots.» With quick steps, the boy informed his Captain that there were no other ships in sight.

Hongjoong clenched his jaw, answering with a simple «Good.» If Seonghwa said he wasn’t nervous, it would have been a lie. He happened to participate in some assaults when he was still part of the Resistance and he had already killed people in the past but, despite everything, he could not prevent his throat feeling dry and his heart nervously pumping in his chest. He breathed deeply, waiting.

He glanced around the deck to see that unlike him, the ones who stayed upstairs to fight in the first lines were a mixture of relaxed and thrilled. Loud cheers and chants raised upon them, and the change of behaviour reminded Seonghwa that, after all, there was a reason if they gained a reputation of ruthless and blood thirsty pirates.

«Fire!» as soon as the other ship was close enough, Hongjoong’s command had been repeated by few other crew members. Even if there were holes on the other ship’s side, they didn’t stop inching towards them.

The King watched as the pirates docked on the Illusion, and prepared to fight the men who were charging. He did not find it too difficult to defend himself: the pirates were physically strong but they lacked technique, so it was not difficult for Seonghwa to get the better of them and be helpful. He had always trained to fight with two swords, so he easily managed to juggle his opponents.

The shouts of the people fighting and falling overboard and the noise of the cannons was deafening, but he got used to that quickly. Chance wanted that he turned his head towards the direction of the Captain’s quarters at the exact moment a man not belonging to their crew headed in that direction.

Seonghwa followed his instinct, springing to the corridor that leaded to their chamber.

“I saw someone, I’m sure of it.” , he walked cautiously with his back facing the wall. It was impossible to hear too faint sounds because of the battle going on behind him, but he did his best.

However, he stopped in his track as soon as he felt a blade pressing against his neck.

«I believe you value your life.» an unfamiliar rough voice spat from behind him. Seonghwa didn’t move. «Take me to the treasury.» the pirate urged, and the King didn’t waver. He shut his eyes close as he felt a faint sting where the blade pressed against his neck. He suddenly struck his opponent with his elbow, detaching himself and taking the opportunity to draw one of his swords as he turned around. Instead of unleashing the second sword, he opted for using the dagger Hongjoong gave him months ago.

The pirate obviously didn’t appreciate the action and pounced at him, but Seonghwa was ready to block his attack with the sword in his right hand and stabbing his leg with his left hand. Seonghwa hoped that the pirate’s scream of pain would be enough to draw someone’s attention on the deck, even though being in the middle of a battle, he doubted someone heard.

The pirate was not taller than him, but he certainly had twice his strength. He managed to kick him in the stomach, taking advantage of his groan of pain to disarm him from his sword. Seonghwa noticed how they had been moving closer to the deck instead of the Captain’s chambers and he only needed few more steps to get noticed by his friends.

With a quick movement, the King managed to get his pistol and shoot the other in the leg, instantly getting up from the floor and leaping towards the deck as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, something in his plan had gone wrong, he realized. He managed to get back on deck but as soon as he heard a loud shot, he felt an atrocious pain on the side of his thigh.

Seonghwa knelt down in reflex, gritting his teeth and turning around, pointing his gun to the pirate’s head which was limping towards him. His opponent did the same. He was aiming his gun to Seonghwa’s head, and before the King’s reflexes to pull the trigger kicked in, he heard a shot. He watched as the lifeless body fell in front of him, in a pool of his own blood.

“I didn’t shoot him, who was it?” he thought as he glanced on his side, trying to ignore the sudden urge to throw up, and he was met with Yunho’s wide eyes, staring at him with worry.

«Thanks, Yunho!» Seonghwa shouted, in order to be heard over the loud noises.

«No problem, buddy! I told you I owed you a big one!» He gave him a wide grin, walking towards him and picking up a sword from one of the fallen men on the deck, handing it to him.

«Can you still fight?» He asked; now that they were up close Seonghwa noticed he had multiple cuts on his sleeve. Seonghwa nodded, his leg was hurting badly, but everyone was fighting to defend the Illusion and therefore, even if the battle was almost over, he couldn’t abandon them. Seonghwa took his friend’s outstretched hand and got up.

«Go on the quarterdeck,» Yunho ordered, noticing that Seonghwa had instinctively shut his eyes in discomfort as soon as he moved his weight on his right leg, «Hongjoong and San need a hand.»

The King complied, trying to hurry up the stairs without causing his injury to bleed even further. San and other men were fighting around Hongjoong, which occasionally left the helm to help the others; the Captain glanced towards the stairs, feeling a mixture of anger and worry fill his veins as soon as Seonghwa appeared.

«San!» he called out to his friend, which after following his gaze acknowledged his silent order and took the helm. Hongjoong reached Seonghwa with quick steps, holding the King’s elbow a little harsher than he originally planned.

«What the hell happened to you?» Hongjoong inquired, his eyes shifting from his neck, to his leg and to his eyes.

«Nothing, really, I’m fine! » Seonghwa shrugged, trying not to make the pain in his voice too obvious.

«Mingi!» the pirate shouted, evident rage in his voice, «Sink them!» the command was repeated few times by the crew members, and the cannons fired few moments later.

He obeyed Hongjoong and sat right next to him until everyone had cleared the area. During the fight, they all had followed Hongjoong’s orders and scattered on the ship, busy fighting for both their life and to defend Illusion; if Mingi and Jongho were busy downstairs handling the cannons with a small part of the crew, Yeosang, San and Hongjoong were steering the ship and fighting on the quarterdeck. Yunho, Seonghwa and Wooyoung were fighting on deck with the rest of the crew.

The King lost track of time, Hongjoong was standing next to him, steering them away from the other sinking ship and nervously glancing at him, his eyes evidently full of worry.

They both had took their masks and hats off, so anytime Hongjoong looked at him, Seonghwa answered with a silent, sincere and pained smile. Eventually, Wooyoung rushed up the stairs of the quarter deck.

«Can you stand?» He asked Seonghwa with his voice full of concern as he knelt next to him and taking off his own hat; he reached down to tore the fabric around his wound, trying to have a better look without touching it. Wooyoung sighed, and helped him up and into the infirmary.

Seonghwa didn’t see Hongjoong until afternoon. Wooyoung treated him and the others who got injured, luckily no one was in serious conditions.

«I’ve seen Hongjoong that angry reaaaaaaally only few times.» San commented, empathizing his words as he was sitting on Wooyoung’s chair.

«And it was scary. Please, don’t get hurt ever again.» the Doctor agreed with his lover.

«I’ll try.» Seonghwa smiled, nodding. Wooyoung returned the smile and finished disinfecting the cut on Seonghwa’s neck. Fortunately, neither the cut on the neck nor the injury to the leg was serious.

The bullet had gone out on its own, decreasing the risk of infection, but walking on it hadn’t been the wisest choice. Wooyoung wrapped a bandage around his thigh, and as soon as he finished, he pointed his finger at him.

«You need to rest a lot, Seonghwa» Wooyoung said with a stern voice «And I’m serious. If I see you walking around or even worse, trying to climb up the crow’s nest with Yeosang before I allow you to do that, I’ll shoot you down myself.» Seonghwa giggled, adverting his gaze.

«Now please, go calm down your boyfriend.» San sighed, and the three of them laughed together.

Back in the Captain’s quarters, Seonghwa watched Hongjoong closing the door behind himself, before silently starting to undress; he was about to get up from the bed in order to help him, when Hongjoong stopped him, with an unexpectedly cold voice.

«I don’t want you to get all dirty again. Plus, you’re not supposed to get up.» he explained shortly after as he was discarding is gloves.

«Are you okay?» Seonghwa tentatively asked, as the pirate took off his shirt. The King looked at the scars scattered on the other’s back, and manoeuvred until he was sitting on the bed’s edge. Hongjoong slouched on his chair, nodding briefly.

They spent few minutes in a slightly uncomfortable and tense silence. Seonghwa was looking at the pirate, and the latter was staring at an undefined spot in the wooden wall.

«I’m just glad,» he sighed, interrupting the quietness. Hongjoong wordlessly got up from the chair, and walked towards Seonghwa, kneeling between his spreaded legs, «I’m glad Yunho noticed him in time.» Seonghwa felt the Captain’s gaze burning its way into his soul.

They stared at each other for a while with shiny eyes who hid a universe of unspoken words, yet they still managed to understand every emotion hid in those soft gazes.

It could have gone worse, they both knew it.

Seonghwa was the first one to lean down, resting his forehead against the Pirate’s and closing his eyes.

Hongjoong was the first one to break the contact, reaching out to lock his arms around the King’s shoulders, hugging him tightly and burying his face into the other’s neck, and Seonghwa returned the hug just as desperately.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

«Seonghwa, wake up.» Hongjoong softly shook Seonghwa’s shoulders, and the boy woke up with a soft groan.

«What is it? Is it a storm? Do you need my help?» Seonghwa mumbled, lifting himself on his elbow, without actually opening his eyes.

Hongjoong chuckled at the other’s appearance: eyes closed tightly in a frown and his lips in a cute pout. The Pirate reached out to ruffle the King’s already dishevelled hair, a gesture he did quite often.

«You can’t get off the bed, silly. Wooyoung’s orders were clear.» he said, caressing Seonghwa’s bare shoulder, «I’m here to change your bandages. And to stay with you, I have the day off.»

Seonghwa chuckled at that, «Wooyoung hired an assistant?» he chuckled, leaning back into the mattress, making space for his lover.

«You’d be surprised.» Hongjoong smiled softly at him, helping the other lowering his pants until they were resting around his thighs.

Trying to be as delicate as possible, he removed the bandage almost soaked in blood. Hongjoong disinfected the wound slowly and carefully, as he so often had to do on himself. Based on Seonghwa’s flinches and noises of discomforts he knew when to stop, or to continue.

«I’m sorry.» Hongjoong admitted.

«It’s okay, it will heal.» Seonghwa sighed softly, keeping his eyes closed.

«Not about this, but… We should have fled.» The pirate mumbled. Seonghwa’s eyes snapped open, looking at Hongjoong which gave him a sad smile in return.

«Don’t even think about it.» he started, «we’re pirates, we don’t flee from one single ship chasing us. I just got hurt, like an idiot.» Seonghwa fatiguely sat up, «Give me some time, I’ll be as terrifying as San out there during a battle.» he confidently winked at his lover which smiled in return.

«Why San?» Hongjoong chuckled.

«Have you seen him?!» Seonghwa’s eyes widened «I was trained since childhood using two swords, but him? He’s like some battle God or something.» The Pirate laughed in response, nodding.

«Just don’t get hurt, we’ll handle the rest.» Hongjoong reached out to peck at Seonghwa’s smiling lips, who immediately laid back as he felt Hongjoong tying up a new bandage around his thigh.

As soon as Hongjoong got back from the infirmary, he undressed himself and joined Seonghwa under the covers, his pants hanging loose on his hips.

They shifted position until they were both laying comfortably facing each other; the King slowly blinked himself awake again, to find the other relaxing with his eyes closed. Instinctively, he inched closer until their noses were touching, softly rubbing them together a couple of times before snaking his arms around the Pirate’s waist and pulling him to his chest.

«Oh, now you want to cuddle?» Hongjoong giggled. Seonghwa could easily feel the tiredness in the other’s voice, due to sleepless nights spent guiding the ship through the dark sea.

«I always do.» Seonghwa mumbled, kissing Hongjoong’s forehead as he glanced at him with an enamoured gaze.

The Pirate propped himself up, balancing his weight on his elbows, his chin resting on the palm of his hand; Seonghwa’s eyes slowly opened again, to find the other smiling at him. Instinctively, the young King shifted, laying on his back, giggling and mumbling a confused «What is it?» as his left hand reached around the Pirate’s hip and travelled on his back. His touch was gentle and feather like, but he could still feel the other shiver when his fingers gently caressed some of the scars on his back.

Hongjoong shook his head, holding the King’s gaze without answering. Seonghwa gently manoeuvred them until he managed to gently roll them around, so that he was partially hovering over the Pirate, his right leg leaning over the Captain’s so the wound wouldn’t re-open.

He admired the other’s features until he met the other’s gaze looking at him with tenderness, finding it hard to believe that he was the same man capable of killing people and commit several other crimes. Nevertheless, Seonghwa’s feeling for him didn’t waver.

They spent months together by now, living side by side every single day. The King’s thoughts wandered back to how since the beginning, Hongjoong’s behaviour had always been friendly to him and always made him feel as he was one of them, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but feeling strangely and inexplicably safe around him since the beginning.

«As long as you sail with us, you’re one of us.» He explained as they all dined together the second week after they sailed.

«Hopefully, you’re gonna stick with us.» Wooyoung had commented right after his Captain.

Seonghwa wasn’t sure he could pinpoint the exact moment when he started warming out to him, they probably acted a little bit differently from the beginning. Sometimes he felt like every single choice he made in life had the purpose to lead him exactly where he was now.

The King smiled at the thought about him being formally a Royal and the other being an outlaw – trying to count how many rules he broke since he had to run away, and yet he felt their souls were somehow so similar, compatible and inexplicably connected with each other.

They spent nights together making love, sharing secrets, stories, feelings and comfortable silences. All those moments helped to shape their feelings based on mutual trust and mutual respect.

Hongjoong never looked down on him – he actually never did with anyone in his crew, and the King never looked down on the pirate. Seonghwa had loved before. He had loved and he had lost. If his wife taught him about the innocence of a timid and pure first love, Hongjoong taught him that love could be as unpredictable and as overwhelming as the sea.

The Pirate’s love and adoration for the King was so evident that he didn’t need to say anything about it, Seonghwa – and everyone else, just knew; and he was sure that Hongjoong knew that this feeling was completely reciprocated, too.

Seonghwa reached down, kissing the other’s forehead, then his nose, his left cheek. Hongjoong’s smile widened and he settled for closing his eyes and enjoying his lover’s sudden affectionate gestures, Trying to move his leg as little as possible, Seonghwa’s kisses trailed a path until he reached the first one of the scars the pirate had on his chest: it was on his left shoulder and, Seonghwa thought, looked very painful.

He took his time to kiss every and each mark the other had on his chest, silently praising him with his lips.

«I… Think I really love you.» Hongjoong quietly mumbled. Seonghwa looked up from the other’s waist, finding the other looking at the ceiling, making him doubt that the pirate actually wanted to say that out loud.

The King slowly kissed his way back to the pirate’s side to his lips, catching his attention. Hongjoong’s piercing gaze was locked on him, and Seonghwa knew that he could have searched for hours in those eyes, and all he would be able to find would be love. The King felt his heart swell.

«I love you, too.» Seonghwa mumbled back, reaching down to connect their lips. They kissed like they had all the time in the world, taking their time to savour the other’s lips. Hongjoong would playfully lick the other’s bottom lip, and Seonghwa would gently bite on the other’s smiling lips in return.

The kiss was full of tenderness and love, even if they occasionally teased each other; they detached with their hearts racing, plump lips and cheeks flushed red.

Hongjoong sighed, his eyes still close. «Yes, I’m sure of it.» he hummed.

Seonghwa smiled, kissing the other’s chest one more time before resting his head on it. Hongjoong’s arms caged him into a warm hug, and Seonghwa fell asleep listening to the other’s rapid heartbeat.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

Sadly, Seonghwa had to realize that time didn’t pass so fast when you were confined to bed.

«But Wooyoung, it’s been weeks!» Seonghwa whined and Wooyoung sighed, brushing his hair off his eyes using his wrist.

«It’s not gonna heal if you walk around by yourself, idiot.» the Doctor replied, intentionally pressing a bit more roughly on the wound on the other’s thigh while disinfecting it, earning a hiss from the boy.

«Hongjoong will help me!» Seonghwa’s pleading eyes shifted to the Captain which was busy writing on his journal.

«Uh, no? I absolutely won’t.» He looked up from the papers with a frown. Seonghwa’s shoulders lowered in defeat and he laid back on the bed.

«See? He’s clever, this is why he’s the Captain.» Wooyoung commented and kept tying up the bandage around Seonghwa’s thigh.

His eyes wandered on the ceiling. If there was one thing Seonghwa loved to do, it was to spend time admiring the giant map that the pirate had drawn there. Hongjoong had promised him that since he had to stay in bed, they would have continued the project. In the past weeks, his friends organized so that they would take turns to both work on the drawing and spend time with Seonghwa.

Hongjoong always handed him few papers that he kept on his desk with the map’s sketches, to guide the one who was painting on the ceiling so they won’t make mistakes. Essentially, Seonghwa’s role was to oversee his friend’s work. He still had a lot of fun; he loved spending time with his friends and most of all, he loved seeing Hongjoong focused on painting while sitting on top of a wooden ladder. He loved it so much that sometimes, he would zone out while looking at him and the pirate had to snap the King out of his thoughts.

«Could you please pay attention to what we are doing?» Hongjoong commented once, amused by the Seonghwa’s startled face after he threw a clean brush at his chest.

«A brush, seriously? You just threw you lover a brush?» he muttered raising an eyebrow, placing the brush next to himself. «Will you ever show me your drawings?» he added suddenly and the pirate nodded dismissively.

«Now be helpful, love. Otherwise,» he slightly readjusted his position on top of the wooden ladder and pointed to the other side of the ceiling, «I’m gonna doodle you right on top of your Castle, wearing princess clothes.»

«You wouldn’t dare.» Seonghwa narrowed his eyes.

«Try me.» the pirate answered with a cheeky grin, and Seonghwa clicked his tongue in response with a smile.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

Almost a month has passed and their journey was about to end. Seonghwa still had some difficulties on standing by himself but at least, his wound was healing. The thought reassured him, since he didn’t have the courage to face Jongdae after all the months spent fighting side by side. He would have surely mocked him about how he managed to get hurt like a rookie.

«Hey there Your Highness!» Yunho chimed in the quarters, closing the door behind himself and Yeosang. «You’re stuck with us today.»

«Are you feeling better?» Yeosang asked. Seonghwa smiled at them, nodding in response at the pirate’s question. Yunho manoeuvred the wooden ladder until it was placed exactly under the still blank spot on the ceiling and Yeosang took his time to carefully look through the papers neatly placed on the desk, before handing them to Seonghwa with a sly smirk.

As his friends finished setting up – Yeosang would have been the first one to draw and Yunho would hand him the necessary tools he needed, Seonghwa managed to adjust his position on the bed, comfortably resting his back against the soft pillows.

«Keep an eye on us,» Yunho told Seonghwa «If we mess up Hongjoong’s pretty ceiling…»

«… Let’s not think about it.» Yeosang cut him off, waving a pencil in front of the other’s face, while sitting on the top of the ladder. Even if his friends paid enough attention to not mess up the ceiling, both Yeosang and Yunho managed to get dirty with paint.

«Here,» Yeosang said as he painted a long stripe of blue paint on Yunho’s hair «You look like a mermaid, now.» he giggled.

«Do that again and I’ll throw you overboard.» Yunho sighed, slightly waving the wooden ladder and almost making Yeosang fall with a loud yelp. Work progressed slowly but smoothly, the three of them occasionally joking around.

The fact that his friends willingly re-arranged their days so that Seonghwa was less lonely made him truly happy; he was glad to finally feel like he was one of them. Not only was he able to see how his friends prioritised him, with each passing day he felt like his soul was growing a little bit less restless. That feeling of finally having found a home steadily growing inside his heart.

Seonghwa’s eyes shifted towards Hongjoong’s desk, to the box containing the Aurora shard. Deep inside, he knew exactly what he had to to do as soon as he saw both Baekhyun and Jongdae and hopefully, they would agree. The young King had made up his mind long time ago, and Aurora granting his wish was a further motivation to hold on to his decision to definitely step down from his position as King. After all, he knew the young Resistance Leader was perfectly suited for the role.

Lost in thoughts, his fingers mindlessly started to play with the papers laying on his lap. Seonghwa couldn’t help but absently notice the fact that the papers that Yeosang handed him were, maybe, a bit too many. Hongjoong handed him drawings of the map every day but he was absolutely sure they weren’t as many as today.

Curiously, his fingers browsed through the pages, wondering what the pirate could have added this time. The map was almost finished so, maybe, Yeosang picked few pages from his journal as well.

His fingers incredulously leafed through the pages again and again, and everything Seonghwa could recognize was one thing: himself.

All the sketches had one thing in common: every time the Captain drew him, it was because he was far away from him. One of the first things he noticed was that only the King would be an actual detailed figure, leaving the person next to him to a mere sketch.

However, Seonghwa remembered every moment the other portrayed: in one sketch he was finishing tying up the ropes with San, the sun was high in the sky and it was really windy. In another he was chattering with Jongho leaning against the railways, the younger telling him about bow he really valued his friends as his family. In another drawing he was standing on the crow’s nest with Yeosang. Then again, again and again; Seonghwa smiled softly, seeing himself being captured by the other’s eyes. At the bottom of that envelope of sheets, there was the only drawing that captured the King’s face from up close: the pirate portrayed his face while sleeping.

Seonghwa smiled as a tear of happiness unconsciously escaped his eye, his fingers softly grazing over the pencil lines and admiring all the small details that the Captain captured.

«Illusion to Seonghwa!» Yunho’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Both pirates were looking at his face, puzzled.

«Seonghwa?» Yeosang asked, narrowing his eyes and focusing on the papers on the King’s lap, a smug smile appeared on his face as soon as he recognized the drawing he saw earlier.

«Why are you crying over a map-Oh. Wow.» Yunho said with a hand on his mouth, trying to cover the wide smile on his face. «I have to tell Mingi.» He mumbled excitedly, storming off. By that time, Yeosang was ready sitting at the bed’s feet, smiling at his friend.

«I caught him few times. He made me swear to not say anything.» he chuckled.

Seonghwa blushed, «I don’t know what to say,» he mumbled «It’s such a small thing but I feel so happy.» His eyes wandered on the drawings and Yeosang nodded.

«Ah! Young love!» the pirate sighed dramatically while getting up from the bed. «I’ll go get Yunho, otherwise we’re never gonna finish this map.»

Later that night, Seonghwa made sure to hold Hongjoong a little bit tighter as they were falling asleep; the Pirate returned the other’s embrace, resting his head on the King’s chest.

Once again – like all the other times where there was no need for words between them to understand each other, Seonghwa knew that there was no need to tell him about the drawings. After all, with Yunho running around the ship in order to find Mingi, he was sure he – and everyone on the his way towards Mingi, already knew.

«Hongjoong?» he whispered, and the other hummed against his neck in response. «Where are we going when we’ll sail next time?»

«Anywhere you want, love.» the Pirate mumbled, half asleep.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

It was a sunny day, around noon; Illusion was docked in a very familiar port. Seonghwa inhaled deeply, incredulously looking at his surroundings in awe.

After months, he was back in his former Kingdom; the first thing he noticed was the few people walking around, the opposite situation during the days when he still lived there. Although it was not a predominantly port town, it had always been lively and full of people roaming the streets, and now it seemed half deserted. Seonghwa suspected what the reason might be, but he settled for thinking it was still too early for people to crowd the streets.

«We’re gonna sail again in four days!» Hongjoong’s voice commanded the crew, before telling his friends they’d meet for dinner at Baekhyun’s inn.

«Do you want me to come with you?» Hongjoong nervously asked Seonghwa, which was hugging close to his chest the leather strap of the bag containing everything he had to give Jongdae.

«I know you have things to do, as well. I will see you tonight.» Seonghwa shook his head and reached out to intertwine his fingers with his lover, before briefly kissing him on the lips. Hongjoong nodded before mumbling a quiet “I love you”, and they parted ways.

The young King didn’t know what to expect; almost five months had passed since he left, anything could have happened to both his friends. A sudden sense of nervousness pervaded him as he walked through the sunny alleys illuminated by the early afternoon sun.

”Please, don’t be burnt down, please be okay-“ his thoughts repeated like a mantra until he turned around the corner to see that apparently, nothing changed. The inn was there, the old wooden signboard was slightly waving in the wind. Instinctively, his steps increasingly quickened until he found himself running towards the entrance, taking a deep breath before opening the heavy, wooden door.

«Honestly? What people don’t understand about the fact that we’re open from-» Baekhyun scoffed, annoyed; he was standing with his back facing the door, cleaning the counter in front of him.

«It’s been five months and you still didn’t learn how to lock yourself inside?» Seonghwa’s soft voice made Baekhyun turn around so quickly he almost felt his head spinning; the boy immediately ran towards Seonghwa to hug him close, and the King returned the hug just as tightly, as his heart was hammering in his chest in a mixture of happiness and relief.

«You’re okay… I was so worried!» Baekhyun’s loud voice echoed between the empty hall; he let go from Seonghwa, just to keep holding his hand.

«You have so many things to tell me, young boy. Let’s go get Jongdae, he has gone full Resistance’s Leader mood.» Baekhyun quickly walked towards the inn’s door, locking them inside.

«Hasn’t he always been?» Seonghwa joked as he followed Baekhyun, which was leading to the backdoor.

«He got worse!» Baekhyun laughed.

Jongdae hugged Seonghwa with the same strength Baekhyun did earlier, a hint of incredulity remaining in his eyes as he looked at the younger boy.

«You really made it!» the Leader would affectionately squeeze his cheeks. «Safe and sound!»

Seonghwa nodded, and they sat down to tell each other everything happened during those months. His friends told him about how the situation got worse since he sailed, his Kingdom was on the verge of a civil war.

The Governor kept adding taxes and the people were getting poorer day by day. The Resistance tried to help civilians as much as they could but, it was almost impossible to see a positive end to this situation. Seonghwa listened carefully, feeling guilty that it took them so long to come back. However, while listening to Jongdae, he was furtherly sure about his decision.

«This is why you have to reclaim the throne as soon as possible.» Jongdae finished his explanation. Seonghwa shook his head in response and his friends frowned, confused.

«I will not, Jongdae. I’m officially stepping down from my title,» he said, taking a hold of Jongdae’s hands. «In your favour.»

«What?!» both brothers asked, unintentionally synchronised.

«I’ve had a lot of time to think about this and Jongdae, trust me. You’d make a great King.» Seonghwa explained. He told them everything: the Mist, the friends he travelled with, Hongjoong. He told them about his feelings, opening their hearts to them. He told them about how he realized that there was no one more suited than Jongdae for this.

Despite his confidence while talking, it had not been an easy decision to make. Seonghwa was definitively giving up his old life: his habits, the luxuries, spending days studying, he was giving up a life that somehow he had always loved.

However, in his heart there was the strong certainty that staying with Hongjoong was the right path for him.

«Seonghwa, I can’t do it.» Jongdae answered dumbfounded, «You are the King, people had always loved you.»

«Why are you talking like there aren’t hundreds people out there ready to blindly follow you because they trust you?» Seonghwa asked back with a kind smile, squeezing the other’s hands.

«He’s right,» Baekhyun chimed in «You’ve been the Leader of the Resistance for years. There are a lot of people loyal to you.»

Jongdae’s eyes found his brother’s, «and also, we can’t force this on him when his heart is now clearly somewhere else.» They remained silent for few minutes, Jongdae seriously pondering the idea before nodding and mumbling a quiet, «I will do it» Seonghwa erupted into a wide smile, and emptied the bag’s contents on the table.

«First of all, promise me you won’t freak out.» his fingers played with the casket’s lock and his friends looked at him, puzzled.

«Aurora, please, show yourself.» he mumbled, opening revealing a large transparent sphere laying on velvet. Just like happened at the Mist’s cave, as soon as Seonghwa touched the sphere, a faint glow began to erupt from the centre of it.

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun looked at it, almost hypnotized by the beauty of the colours alternating inside the sphere. Once again, Aurora materialized as gracefully as the first time.

«W-what the hell just happened?» Baekhyun’s incredulously whispered, and Jongdae remained silent, watching in awe as the woman which seemed made of air itself took a standing position next to Seonghwa. Her robes were gracefully moving as if dancing in the wind, except all windows were closed.

«So, she is the Aurora shard I’ve been looking for.» Seonghwa explained his friends.

«Is this about your wish, Your Majesty?» she looked at Seonghwa with her soft and colourful eyes, pretending to not know already; Seonghwa nodded, exchanging a look with Jongdae.

«Why are you looking at me? What do I have to do?» Jongdae asked; noticing Seonghwa’s eyes glancing at the crystal sphere, he tentatively reached out to touch it with his index finger, right next to Seonghwa’s.

«As I promised, I will grant your wish. I recognise you, Jongdae, as the rightful King.» Aurora smiled softly at him, explaining that as soon as Jongdae would have claimed the throne, the shard would disappear to go back to the Mist Island. «It’s not the first time I helped this Kingdom.» she said, «The rules of time don’t apply to me. I will always be there, until the end of time.» then, she disappeared into the shard after the hint of a polite bow.

«I can’t believe this,» Baekhyun commented, an excited smile on his face. «but wait, you’re officially a pirate now?» Seonghwa nodded in response. Baekhyun scoffed, lightly hitting Jongdae on his chest «Well, brother. You might as well be a King now, but I can see the future.» he said, referring to the first night he saw Seonghwa and Hongjoong together at the inn.

Time passed quickly, they talked and laughed together about everything came to their mind about the long months spent apart and before they realized, it was time for dinner.

Hongjoong was the first one to arrive at the inn; both boys sat together facing the counter where Baekhyun was working, as they were waiting for their friends. Looking around the hall, Seonghwa sadly had to acknowledge what his friend told him earlier; the change was undeniable, instead of the crowded hall, now there were at least half of the people.

«So… What did you do today?» Hongjoong asked, inching closer to Seonghwa.

«Nothing interesting, really. I abdicated.» he answered inching closer as well; their noses were almost touching and he tried not to laugh at Hongjoong’s suddenly confused face.

«What do you mean?» the pirate frowned, confusion clearly written on his face.

«I already told you, I’m coming with you!» Seonghwa giggled, softly bumping his forehead against his lover.

«And who’s going to-»

«Jongdae.» Seonghwa answered, telling him about everything that had happened between them.

«Seonghwa,» Hongjoong’s said with a soft voice, his hands reaching to hold his lover’s under the table, «are you really sure about this? Spending five months on a pirate ship is quite different from-»

«Hongjoong, I don’t think I could spend my days without you,» Seonghwa interrupted him, tightening his grip, adverting his gaze towards the inn’s entrance, «or without them.» he added, nodding at their friends which were now walking towards their table, as always talking loudly.

Sometimes Seonghwa’s gaze met Baekhyun’s and the older would playfully wink at him, nodding towards Hongjoong with his head.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

They were sitting in an inn in a distant city near Jongho’s home town, two months had passed since he last saw Jongdae and Baekhyun.

Needless to say, his friends and the crew were all happy with Seonghwa’s decision to stay with them. Eventually, his role became helping Yeosang with the navigation on the crow’s nest. Yeosang was more than happy with this decision: the two had became close friends, so he didn’t mind spending more time with Seonghwa, and the pirate needed someone who would change place with him every now and then.

The relationship between Hongjoong and Seonghwa was pretty much official, so both boys kept on sharing the Captain’s quarters.

Yunho suddenly made them a hurried sign to keep quiet, stealthily pointing to the table behind them, and they all curiously complied.

«I told you it’s the truth!» a rough man’s voice exclaimed, excited. Seonghwa slightly leaned closer to Hongjoong, in order to hear better. «The Kingdom of the West has a new King!» the man proceeded, telling his friends about what happened the day after Seonghwa returned to his former Kingdom. A young man – which some had recognized as the Leader of the Resistance, asked for a meeting with the Governor and then he proceeded to summon a furious female spirit from a sphere which started glowing in various colours, angered by the fact that someone was unfairly occupying the King’s throne.

The man continued, adding that the Governor and his followers had all been executed because of the outrages and wrongdoing done to the people; needless to say, the citizens were more than happy with this decision. As the man continued talking with his friends, Seonghwa felt both happy and relieved to hear those words, even though he never doubted Jongdae. He was happy to know people loved him, and relieved to hear about how slowly he was fixing everything.

The Kingdom was no longer on the verge of a civil war, nor on the verge of a war with neighbouring Reigns.

«You heard that? I created a hero.» Seonghwa boldly whispered to Hongjoong.

After discussing a bit further, the man and his friend changed the topic of their conversations, and the pirates went back to eating. Seonghwa chewed on his food and chuckled at Mingi and San friendly bickering over a plate of food, and at Yeosang and Jongho were pretending nothing was happening even thought they were in between the two boys playfully screaming at each other.

The boy’s heart suddenly felt overwhelmed, and his mind started wandering through everything that had happened to that day; he glanced at his friends, feeling his soul at ease, a content sigh left his lips. A familiar hand softly ruffled his hair.

«You okay?» Hongjoong gently whispered in his ear, probably noticing that he had stopped eating all of a sudden.

«Yeah, I was just thinking,» Seonghwa said, before answering to Hongjoong’s silent question with a smile, «I’m home.» he simply said with a shrug.

Hongjoong’s eyes widened in surprise, before erupting into a wide smile as well.

«You are.» Hongjoong’s voice was gentle, like every other time the other would speak to him.

«Hey, lovebirds! We’re having dinner over here!» Yunho loudly called out to his friends.

«I swear to the Goddess Mazu, Wooyoung and San are more subtle than you two!» Mingi added, an exaggerated exasperated sigh left his lips.

«San, you heard them?» Wooyoung asked his lover, noisily placing his chalice back on the table.

«Is it a challenge?» San finished for him, smirking and raising an eyebrow in mischief.

«No, it’s not.» Yeosang immediately said, politely placing his fork on the plate to rub his temples.

«Yeah please, don’t.» Jongho echoed his friend, still quietly chewing on his food.

Wooyoung erupted into a contagious laughter, and Seonghwa’s hand reached out to Hongjoong’s one and he intertwined their fingers under the table. He knew that he made the right choice. He was exactly where he was supposed to be.

Later that night, after Hongjoong gave the wedding ring back to Seonghwa – who wore it immediately, they made love. Hongjoong’s nails drew red lines on Seonghwa’s back and their fingers lingered on the other’s skin a bit more desperately, in stark contrast to their kisses, which were soft, gentle and caring. They whispered each other’s name almost like a prayer, mumbling quiet “I love you’s” as they came down from their bliss.

With a content smile, Seonghwa played with both the rings on his left hand using his thumb, his right arm was resting comfortably around Hongjoong’s waist, which was laying on his side with his head on his lover’s chest, hugging the other’s hip which were partially covered by the blanket.

«Does it mean you found a better treasure?» Seonghwa’s smug question eventually broke the comfortable silence of the room, as he was referring to the other’s words back at the tavern when the Pirate choose his wedding ring as a compensation: “I’ll give it back once I’ll find something more valuable”, he had said.

The King heard the Pirate’s breathless laugh, before he propped himself on his left elbow in order not to not place his whole weight on Seonghwa.

«As if you didn’t know already.» Hongjoong answered with a wide smile, affectionately kissing Seonghwa’s lips.

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

all works © lettersfromaphrodite

Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories. I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.

↳ BACK TO NAVIGATION 💫 ↳ BACK TO MASTERLIST 🔮

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»
2 years ago
𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐑; 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆 — Teaser
𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐑; 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆 — Teaser
𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐑; 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆 — Teaser

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐑; 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆 — teaser

pairing: ceo!park jongseong x brother's best friend!fem!reader

genre: arranged/forced marriage, slow burn au, accidental pregnancy, brother's best friend, slight age gap (reader's 22 and jay's 24), angst, fluff and second chance love.

teaser word count: 807

estimated word count: 15k to 17k

release date: late october or early november

summary: Just a year ago, you were forced to marry Park Jongseong, CEO of the Southern Branch, part of the vary famous Park Enterprises. It was all for the sake of your family, a marriage for the benefit of gaining more traction as a company. Jongseong was attentive, caring, sometimes even sweet, but your relationship was more about sex than it was about the marriage itself. At some point, everything got bad, and it was just mere sexual intimacy that anything else, and just when you were close to ending things...you found out you were pregnant.

1st installment for CEOs & ARRANGEMENTS with enha 02z

taglist (open): @iloveoceaneyess @abdiitcryy @chimajeyn @sjakewrld @loves0ft @duolingofanaccount @ufoundme @sunghoons-mole @tobiosbbyghorl @dasa3040 @monkeybabyzz @snowysung @wonyofanclub @prdxinvade @yenqa

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐑; 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆 — Teaser

Bellie, Belle.

Those were the nicknames that the family gave you, well… Jay gave you that nickname. It started when you started dressing up as Belle from 'The Beauty and The Beast' every single halloween. Jay kept the name to joke around with you, but it soon became a way that they called you to express how dearly they loved you.

"Have you thought about what your grandfather told Sunghoon?" The inquiry you made had caused Jay to get out of his trance. He looked at you with strange eyes, as if he was thinking about what he wanted to answer.

His grandfather had always been skeptical, also a little bit stressful. When the boys were just little kids, he kept talking about how they had to continue the family business. They were just five at the moment, and they didn't understand what he meant. But as they grew older they soon got a hold of the situation.

'Park Enterprises' has been a family business since 1962, exactly founded by Mr. Park, it started as a small office, a business to start technological advancements. Soon, the company grew to be huge, having three different branches in South Korea.

The enterprise had become an empire that had spread around the world. With different sucursals in Italy, U.S, even some countries of Latin America. It was clear that it was a very successful business, a well known name that was stuck to the public's mouth.

No matter what happened, the brothers saw this business as their future responsibility. They wanted to make their family proud, and they were ready for whatever they had to do for the family business, even if it was not what they wanted.

"If my family thinks that it's for the best, then I'll do whatever they want me to do." You looked at him, raising your eyebrows with curiosity and surprise. You always say Jay as a man that was stubborn and obstinate, if he didn't like something he would say it, and he wasn't someone to give in easily.

So, you scoffed. "That sounds so weird coming from you." He raised his head looking at you. Jay knew that somehow you were right. He didn't want to be brainwashed by his family, but that business was his family's pride and joy. He wasn't ready to let them down.

"What do you mean?" Jongseong pretended to be clueless. A sigh escaped your lips.

"Jay, you can't have kids when you are just 17." You stated calmly. "You also can't get married at your age, you are too young."

"They didn't say when they plan to engage me with someone." He muttered under his breath.

You slightly shook your head in disappointment, trying your best to alleviate the bad energy that you had just provoked.

"Also, do you even have an idea of who you want to marry? What exactly do you look for in a girl?"

Jay, then raised his head to look at you. He parted his lips getting ready to start talking, as if he already planned what to say even before you asked the question.

"I'm looking for a girl that is sweet, a girl that looks like an exact representation of the moon, but that her personality is just like the very rays of the sun falling into the ocean waves." He proceeded to stare at you, looking deeply into your eyes, as if he could read your soul. Jay's cat eyes shone from enchantment, anticipation, almost as if he was under a spell.

A spell that you might have put on him, his gaze was enough to make your heart race, and to make your fingers tingle from excitement.

"I want a girl who is intelligent and has a passion for learning. A girl that smells like cinnamon spice and vanilla. I'm looking for a girl whose lips will taste just like an exquisite dessert. And lastly, her eyes have to shine like the moon reflects itself on the water when she looks at what she loves and desires… Just like you, right now."

His last words made you blink in shock, you hadn't noticed how hard you were staring at him. But it seemed that at some point you might have been under the spell that he had been just a few seconds before.

"Sorry, it's just that your description sounded so poetic, I didn't know you could be so romantic." "There are some things that you don't know about me." He smiled.

You cleared your throat before proceeding. "Where have you seen a girl like that, anyway?"

You saw the boy get closer to you, moving his seat right beside you. Then, he moved his hand close to your locks, moving them away from your face.

"It might surprise you, but I'm staring at her right now."

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐑; 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆 — Teaser

a work by heecyon.

3 years ago

okay but can you see younghoon forcing you to wear only the things he’d pick for you for an entire week and then on weekends or days you wouldn’t go out, he’d only pick a pair of thigh highs, choker, and one of his shirts on you. nothing else but those. then on, days that you’d go outside he’d make sure that you have a vibrator (token,egg-shaped, or bullet) in you just to make sure you won’t misbehave. 

~acting bratty~

notes | hyung line, yandere au, slightly nsfw

requested? | yes

~acting Bratty~

sangyeon~

~acting Bratty~

sangyeon is shocked at your behavior change

normally you’re his sweet baby who does no wrong, but now you break rules left and right

sangyeon knows that it’s not for no reason, so he sat you down in his lap and asked you

“baby, why are you being a brat today? hm?” he tucked hair behind your ear

“you’re not paying attention to me..” you mumbled, looking down at your lap

sangyeon just chuckled and slipped his hand up your shirt, “then let’s fix that.”

jacob~

~acting Bratty~

jacob is also shocked, but more than sangyeon

he had no clue why his precious little angel was being so mean and rude

“angel? what’s wrong?” he asked, turning your head towards him

you mumbled incoherence and crossed your arms, turning away

“baby, don’t make me have to spank you. do you want that?” jacob tried (tried) to threaten

he didn’t expect you to give him a nod of approval, but he continued anyways

younghoon~

~acting Bratty~

younghoon doesn’t really know what to do at first, he hasn’t dealt with this kind of irate attitude before

“baby, can you please behave?” he tried to gently bribe you with a treat

eventually, he realizes he can’t be the nice guy anymore

so when you get home, younghoon grabs you by your arms and pins you against the wall

“do you like acting like a little brat?” he growled in your ear, digging his thigh between your legs

let’s just say that after that night, you didn’t disobey for quite a while 😉

hyunjae~

~acting Bratty~

hyunjae is having none of it, not at all

he’ll spank you and bend you over a table in public, he doesn’t care

they should know you’re his anyways, punishing you for being a brat would be a good way to do that

he grabbed the back of your thigh tightly when you smacked his chest, “cut that shit out or you won’t cum for the rest of the month.”

hyunjae smirked and almost laughed out loud when you instantly went back to normal

“that’s what i thought..” he kissed your cheek


Tags
2 years ago

Au revoir

image

CHARACTERS |  Levi, Erwin, Hange, Mike, Nanaba, Petra, Kuchel

RELATIONSHIPS | Erwin x Levi, Mike x Nanaba, Petra x Hange

GENRE | Reincarnation, Smut, Romance

IV | Alternate Universe- Reincarnation. Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Romance, Smut, Angst and fluff and smut, French Levi, Student Levi, Writer Erwin, Light angst, Alternate Universe - Coffee shops.

Summary | “Puis-je vous aider ?” That voice, the familiar voice. It rang through his head and brought back memories of the man he had tried to find for so long. He lifted his gaze and was met with the sight of no one other than Levi freaking Ackerman, cleaning a cup, completely oblivious to him.“

Levi.” 

Erwin and Levi meet again in the modern world.Series

Keep reading

1 year ago
Wannabe ♡ Idol! Sunghoon X Stan! Reader
Wannabe ♡ Idol! Sunghoon X Stan! Reader

wannabe ♡ idol! sunghoon x stan! reader

SYNOPSIS ‎⇔ sunghoon is a famous artist who decides to go undercover in a fan account to get to know his fans better. he comes across y/n, a fan who writes popular fanfiction/social media aus about themselves and sunghoon. ☆

GENRE ‎⇔ fluff, crack, humour, angst? find out lol ☆

WARNINGS ⇔ profanity, my corny humour lmfao ☆

STATUS ⇔ STARTED: 13/08/2022 ☆

SCHEDULE ⇔ Updates when uni isn’t kicking my ass ☆

TAGLIST ⇔ Applications open ☆

MASTERLIST: profile 1: enha ; profile 2: stan girls

girl what…?

bro chill

wait a minute

hello.

be serious

talk that talk

trouble

bond

call me holmes, yn holmes

the jig is up?

oh God he’s hot

omegaverse

alpha

who are you

damn

after like

bozo

your honour, yn is a dumbass

may the odds be ever in your favour

oh dear

chocolate? chocolate?!

nonono

he sucks

where’s the class?!

doctor…?

be gone

oh no here we go again

heeseung please

maniac

they’re cute

what da dog doin

betrayal?

troubled waters

officer jake

irresistible

orange is the new black

confrontation

oops

what goes on

you ruined my dream journal

silly and goofy

it’s awkward

scamming ring

unserious

time

dismantling the miscommunication trope

mistakes we all make them

deal

lecchugo

TO FREEDOM

Wannabe ♡ Idol! Sunghoon X Stan! Reader

wanna see another story ♡ idol! enha x wannabe! side characters

1. Boys Planet GC takes over

Wannabe ♡ Idol! Sunghoon X Stan! Reader

Comprehensive meme list :)

4 months ago

violet crazy | jyh

pairing: psycho!jeong yunho x wife!reader AU: yandere au, modern au word count: 14.5k warnings: yandere themes, violence, sexual assault, strong language mentions of: alcohol, substance abuse, paranoid schizophrenia, abuse, neglect. (mc and side characters are referred to by their surname, not forename, apologies for any grammar errors)

masterlist

Violet Crazy | Jyh
Violet Crazy | Jyh
Violet Crazy | Jyh

There must have been a divine current in the air that subdued her to fall in love with Jeong Yunho. An ethereal essence that led her to sway into the forsaken lands, a push that had lured her into the forbidden depths of his insanity. For he was a deceitful soul, born with an angel's face wrought with the heart of a devil. It should have not surprised her, when had men ever been purely good beings?

Despite his obviously charismatic demeanour, affirmed by the long bridge of his nose, the smooth curve of his plump cheeks, his pink lips and wide-brown eyes feigning curiosity and innocence. Or his evidently tall stature, and pleasant airs, attractive smile: he was very much a deceitful man. So much so that when Jue first glanced her eyes in his direction; as his wife she found herself reminiscing ignorance and dismissal. If only she had not given into his toxic wiles. If only she had not succumbed to him.

He's a thing of beauty, a being crafted from the essence of light; an angel drawn from the depths of heaven. It was enough to get drunk on his illustrious beauty, falling in love was a sin. What ghastly misdeed had she committed that she had been conserved to such punishment? What crime of her past life was she now paying penance for? It must have been something bleeding with horror that Jeong Yunho had chosen her to be his dutiful subject.

They stand outside the library, the cool wind tousling his soft hair as he pushes the thin-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. Her arms wrap around herself to keep herself warm, her jacket is too thin and worn to do the job anymore. Myeong stands with her, his classmate from law school, whilst he's standing with San and Yeosang. Yunho is supposed to be arguing with Yeosang about how Psychology is a science, he's almost tempted to give up with his eyes tightly fixed on her.

"Jue would agree with me." Yeosang pompously declares, huffing as he shoves his stethoscope into his bag. Typical STEM student narcissism, though he stares at his best friend in confusion. He's heard that name before but can't help but think where he's heard it. "The girl you've been staring at like a weirdo for the past five minutes, did you think we didn't notice?" San and Yeosang snicker at him, shaking their heads as they call for Myeong. Myeong sends San a look of disgust as she ambles over with her friend he's only caught a few times in passing. He thinks she's gorgeous but Yunho's too bashful to pluck up the courage to talk to her.

Her heart flutters at the sight of him clad in a formal blue shirt and tailored black trousers that completely juxtaposed San’s casual wear. Though right now, Jue is not sure if she is supposed to hate him as Myeong hates San to the core right now. It's something like he's her academic rival and for the past semester San has been scoring higher than her.

“Fuck you, and fuck your 89%.” Myeong scolded, she's not even sure why she bothers with him anymore. It's Yeosang, the middle-man, who's practically stuck, choosing between the two of his friends.

“Myeong, it’s one percent, goddam it. It’s not the end of the world.” But nobody could understand how succeeding was exhausting. Pouring herself over textbooks and questions on late nights, eating less so there would be more time to study, spending hours in the library and feeling terrible for time not spent revising. In all fairness, it was the end of the world for Myeong. Baring her teeth, the law student is dragged away by San, conversing in a heated argument. Yeosang disappears in less than a minute too, claiming he's late to Clinical Skills, but not before quickly embracing her. In the end it was just herself and Yunho who, tentatively, follows after as she sits under the large oak tree.

"Hi, I-uh." Yunho stuttered over his words as her doe eyes stared up at him. "Can I sit next to you?" He asked hopefully, heart palpitating violently in his chest. After nodding her head, dubiously, he slumped to the ground next to her as if there wasn't enough grass, or enough benches stretching out for miles awaiting for his graceful figure to bless the earth beneath his feet. It was silent between them as they intently stared at their respective friends fighting.

“I feel like I’m watching a K-Drama." She stated, breaking through the abrupt air as they both pulled out their lunches from their bags. Flickering her eyes towards him, she sought a delightful grin form across his beautiful features.

“Sponsored by Subway.” He joked presenting his subway sandwich as if it was a trophy. Giggling, she shook her head huffing as Myeong looked at San disinterestedly. "It's honestly so stupid, both of them. They both think they're better than everyone else." Humming in agreement, Jue subtly directed her gaze to him again tired of the occasional chirping of crickets rattled in her ears.

"Would you agree Psychology is a science?" Her head snaps towards his, mirroring the leaning in of his own head. A smirk falls on her lips, she loves this question.

"No." He's stunned, scowling as he realised it's two against one and San refuses to give his opinion on the topic; he left science a long time ago. "Science is a study of the natural world. Psychology is composed of biology but is not raw science it itself." He ponders her argument for a second. Her look reads one of a victory, happily munching away at her sandwich, as Yunho is rendered completely silent. Though he can't tell if he has just given up with arguing altogether, there was a figment within him that told him to bow to her every word, follow her every lead as if she was the beacon of light guiding his way through the darkest of tunnels.

There was also something so celestial about Jue that stemmed deeper than her quick wit. It roots were deeper than her undeniable beauty, there was a fragment of her which magnetised Yunho’s frenzied soul. Every remnant of him desired her in a way he had never desired for anything before. Faithfully, he believed she was born to be plastered by his side so as he sunk to his knees in Mass he prayed for his omnipotent God for her and her alone. She admired him too, though she didn't fail to notice how the smile on his face would falter when she laughed with San or playfully ballroom danced with Yeosang.

Jealousy, perhaps. Maybe he likes me.

After all, a little delusion didn't hurt anyone.

In the dull autumn evening, the streetlights began to flicker as the days became shorter. The laughter of children could be heard down the street as they escaped from the shackles of hell (school), dashing towards their homes. Studying in the autumn and winter months was particularly exhausting. With the sky losing its colour too quickly, no one wanted nothing more than to crawl home to their beds and slip under the covers. A false irritability roamed through her, as Yunho dragged her to the derelict convenience store off-campus as a big man like him needed as much food as he could get his hands on. There's an assignment due in two days, an exam in about two weeks with so much content and dealing with a demanding six-year-old and fifty-something-year-old is difficult.

Yunho also wants to know why all the kids at the local infant school think that she’s the mother of their favourite classmate.

"Oh, probably because it's just me, my younger brother and my dad. Mum left a while back, she has two boys now. I think?" She explained to him, as he couldn’t help but let his inquisition get the best of him.

"Why did she leave?" He asked softly, staring down at her under the dim lights of the convenience store. The delicate hum permeated into the solemn air, replaced by a sense of dismissal; Jue shaking her shoulders with disinterest.

"I don't know, she just didn't like us. I still see her around, Mum lives close to the university, actually." He wanted to follow her to ends of the earth as she aimlessly traipsed along the length of the aisle. "I still talk to her, help her around the house, steal her concealer." A sad smile painted across his features, the urge to just enamour her in his arms. God knew she deserved to be held in such a sincere way, that for the first time in her life she wanted to be held in a way that didn't feel like her skin was on fire.

“You’re really pretty.” Yunho blurted out.

Oh.

A faint blush tickled her cheeks as his ears heated red with embarrassment, the sudden proclamation instigating her to suppress a fit of laughter.

“Ok Yunho, what do you want? Help with statistics?” Her fingers danced across the aisle of packaged goods, each too expensive for her to buy. In a desperate attempt to avoid his stern gaze, she searched for the cheapest price tag.

“I’m being serious, you are very pretty.”

“I’m not Myeong pretty.”

“No you’re not.” She had no reason to be offended at that, it was a cold, hard fact that she had just accepted growing up. Myeong had always been the one boys wanted to talk to, be friends with, take out on dates and invite to parties. Jue had just been her quiet shadow that one would occasionally acknowledge. 'Oh, you're here too' as her friend tries to instigate them to include her. “You’re prettier. Smarter, yes she works hard but you work harder and at times I feel like it’s selfish that she overlooks that. You care a lot, maybe even too much, about other people more than yourself. So, you don’t have the right to stand there and say that you’re beneath her when you’re not. You’re on another plane that even she can’t reach.” His words had stunned her to the core, a quietude fell amongst them as his literature sunk into her skin her gaze tore away from the price tags to him. Her eyes brimmed with a sense of validation and adoration. Yunho stood firmly opposite her, his words were like a sworn oath he would take with him to the grave.

“Thank you. Nobody has ever said that to me before.” Her gratitude was sincere, bestowed from the depths of her heart and laid at his feet as if he was an emperor of ambitious lands and she was his follower.

“Well then they must have been blind. Because heaven knows how gorgeous you are.” With a breath lodged in her throat, she held tightly onto the shelves to stop herself from falling straight into his arms. To stop herself from pressing her lips tightly against his, to stop herself from devoting her life to him.

A weak soul she was, for she did it anyway. His touch softened the symphony of yearning trembling through her bones. The yearning that stemmed from years of neglect, all of the pent up love but nowhere to project it. Her knight, her lover, had arrived from distant lands to soothe the persisting ache of her vulnerable soul. When he went down on his knees, it took her less than a second to say 'yes', for she had already granted him every fibre of her being and became his dutiful supplicant upon a single sight of him.

Mr Jeong, a respectable criminal defence lawyer spent a majority of his time either in the office, or in the court of law, came home always around half five in the evening. Whereas his wife, Mrs Jeong (née Jue), worked as an engineer designing and processing equipment for manufacturing chemical products. She'd arrive an hour earlier on his command. The couple were a diligent pair, preceding their reputations as the best workers in their industries. After a long day of living up to their employer's expectations, Mrs Jeong came home to dreary night of living up to her husband's expectations.

Mrs Jeong couldn’t believe it took her to marry Yunho to realise how suffocating he really was. It took her too long to realise, his innocent face was a mask; beneath it lay a vicious, malformed creature who was self-conceited, rude and dissatisfied with those around him. Though it was particularly hard to prove, especially to herself at times. There came a period of love woven in between his callousness in such a subtle way that had her believing she was deserving of his aloof behaviour. Nights where he'd kiss away her tears, hold her hand and make promises to never lash out at her again. Now, three years into their marriage the fine line between his anger and love became so blurred that each pernicious trait went overlooked. There was also the notion of children suspended in the air, that she had tried her hardest to avoid, which her husband was constantly earnest to bring into a conversation.

They both slumped onto the sofa, the whirring of the television emptied into the room as he ran his slender fingers through her. Soft sighs and sweet hums permeated the restraint of their married home, despite its air of suffocation there was a paradoxical sense of amenity in the idea that they were there for each other.

“What do you think about a few children?” Yunho inquired, staring intently as she gradually shifts the position of her body to face him. Holding back a weary sigh, her fingers trace over the bridge of his nose, the smooth curvature of the soft cheeks and his sharp jawline.

“Define ‘few’.” She teased; he pursed his lips, in thought, as if he had never spent an endless number of nights thinking about it.

“Like two, three? Hell, we’re stable enough to have as many as we want. It’s up to you of course, you’ll be carrying them for nine months at a time.” His fingers drew to her stomach, gliding up and down the surface of the silk fabric, like there was a child settled in there waiting to meet its father.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for children yet.”

“What are you so afraid of?” Resting her forehead on his shoulder, his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her deeper into him; his larger frame enveloping her.

“I don’t know—what if I’m not a good mother? I was barely raised by my parents, and I didn’t do a good job of taking care of my brother, either.” Her reason was valid, yet Yunho’s persistence had made her feel that she wasn’t mature enough to understand his wants. It was ruthless, in its own sense, for she understood him in profound ways that even she couldn’t understand herself.

“That wasn’t your choice. This is your choice.” He was wrong. This wasn’t exactly her choice either, if it was up to her, they would wait a little while longer—even if it was just a day to herself to truly think about their future together. Mrs Jeong hummed to fill the empty space, her thoughts flooding with memories of her brother and their childhood. Sure she fed him, clothed him, took him to school, helped him with his homework but at the end of the day, he still did not become the man she hoped he would be. It was if that was a testament to how poor of a mother she would be. “Do you know how much it hurts, seeing everyone live the life I’ve always wanted, while I’m questioning if my wife still has feelings for me?”

“Is this not the life you wanted, with me? There’s more to life than being fucking parents.” Reaching for the cushion beside her, she threw it against his head. “You’re not even mentally stable enough to treat me like a human being, god knows what a child means to you.” Wrangling away from his grip, his wife stalked out of the room, the slam of the bedroom door reverberating off the narrow hallways of their home.

The afternoon light had dimmed, significantly, the sun dropping into the sky to be replaced by the moon. Her eyes had wavered, opening and shutting, occasionally, as an obscure sense of guilt tugged at her. Perhaps she should have not been so crude, there were many more sincere ways to reason with Yunho however- at times- he seemed heedless to her concerns. It was always what Jeong Yunho wanted and never his wife. She couldn't really put her finger on how, or why he changed, it just happened so drastically. The door creaked open, her wide eyes fixing shut as he sauntered in the room. With the bed dipping beside her, he lifted up the covers to shuffle by her side; pink lips moving closer to her ears.

He knew she wasn't asleep.

“Don’t hit me again, even if it’s with pillow.”

“It’s not like it hurt you.” She grumbled, dragging the comforter over her shoulders, a surge of warmth glissaded over her body. A discontented sigh escaped from his lips, snaking his arms around her waist he nestled closely against her, the heat from his body radiating onto her. On instinct, her entire figure shifted to embrace him closely within her arms.

“Oh, are we friends now?” He teased, gently lifting her chin so she could bore her eyes into his.

“You’re my personal radiator. Nothing else." He grinned, as her fingers nimbly ran through his hair.

“I love you so much, darling. I just wish you tried to understand me.” Humming into his chest, her eyes fluttered to a close falling deep into a peaceful slumber within her lover’s arms.

Once again, she’s met by the voicemail machine, huffing to herself as the crisp autumn air comes to grace her again. Standing outside her office building Mrs Jeong waits for her husband to pick her up; phone in hand trying desperately to reach out to Yeosang, their psychiatrist friend. He had become a lot more reserved upon beginning his new job as a doctor after completing five difficult years at medical school. Such was expected, they knew his hours would be long and exhausting though with psychiatry being his chosen speciality, they expected him to slightly return back to his sociable ways. Mrs Jeong hadn’t spoken to Yeosang in about three months and she was worried now.

After seven 'o'clock in the evening, she's settling their ironed clothes in the wardrobe, her husband in the living room on the gaming console. Momentarily, his grunts of agitation and loud groaning annoys her but Mrs Jeong is so used to his borderline childish behaviour that she dismisses the actions over her shoulder and persists with the house chores. The buzzing of her phone, immediately, tears her away from her duties in a hope that her childhood friend has returned to her call.

"Jue?" His voice is so timid and wrought with fear, her heart lurches in her chest. Rattling with anxiety, she settles the phone putting it on speaker.

"Yeo, what's wrong?" It's all so sudden. The way he erupts into a fit of sobs which empties out into the derelict bedroom, a sound she thought she would ever hear in her life. "Yeo, talk to me dear." She urges, her soft tone gently easing him out of his melancholia.

“I love you, Jue. I love you so much, I don't know how to stop." The beating of her heart had ceased, any moment now she'll be taking the Angel of Death's hand, joining her brother in a land far away from this world. "I spent so many years wishing that you wanted me too, but I’m no one in comparison to Yunho. He’s taller, more handsome than I-,” His words all bled together, body rattling as his wailing fails to stop. Yeosang sits in his bedroom, curtains draw and the lights off ready to sink into another world.

“Yeo, you are perfect in your own way. You're funny, clever. I have nothing but adoration for you." Her reassurances are menial, sycophantic, her friend thinks.

“I am a fool. A broken, drunken fool to think you’d want me.” She can't even get a word in before he continues to ramble, he just wants to speak. She just needs to listen. “Of course, there’s this girl at work that really likes me. But she’s exactly like you, I talk to her and all I can hear is the sound of your voice. She looks like you, thinks like you. Perhaps it’s the version of you that would have been mine if you’d never met Yunho.” Her eyes well up with tears, realising why Yeosang had become so withdrawn from everyone. A small piece of her imagination flickers to what her life would have been like if she never met Yunho or even married him. It's still a pretty dream but one she finds hard to fully forge and it breaks him. Her body shifts around finding Yunho paralysed by the doorway, full tears pool in his eyes.

"One last time, I love you Jue. I always have and maybe I always will until my last breath." Large tears slip down Yunho's cheek, his palm slaps to his mouth holding back the grieving dissonance of pitiful sobs. The line cuts, her phone is discarded somewhere as she reaches out for her husband but he ignores her grasp moving towards his bed. At the foot of the bed, his body racks in agony as he bawls his heart out to the moon.

“So this is why you don’t want children. You really don’t love me anymore, you’re going to leave me for Yeosang.” Crawling on the bed to him, her arms wrap around his neck rocking him back and forth.

“No, Yunho. You misheard, he said he loved me, but I didn’t say I loved him. My heart only belongs for you, dummy.” His wails are distressing, prolonging over a vast period of time, her heart waves in anticipation that he’ll never see her the same again. “There’s no me without Jeong Yunho, baby. Come on, stop crying.” His cries falter for a few seconds, collecting himself whilst he nuzzles deeper into her hold.

“You still don’t want my children though, do you?” He peers up at her through his long, wet lashes, cooing at his pouty face. Her lips travel down his face to ease him of his pain, before her arms circulate around his neck.

“Of course I do, I just want there to be you and I for now.” Tugging him under the covers with her, his hands mildly roam over the surface of her skin, lips a tease as he pecks so slightly. Their mouths move in sync, the sanctified synchronisation proves their understanding of each other. He knows her in such a way, he plans a response to her next movement as he pushes his body so he is hovering over her. His lips plaster chaste kisses down her neck, fingers playing with the hem of her shirt; her soft moan consumes him. With a growl, he snakes his hand under her shirt as a ripple of goosebumps litter her skin. His wife is oblivious to his next move, he’s done this before and retracted later. It’s only when he’s moving closer to her cleavage, a breath hitches in her throat at his unfaithfulness.

“Yunho.” She squirmed under his touch, feeling trapped under his body. “I don’t want to.” She breathed out, the cold circulating over her as the hem of her shirt hitched up.

“Please. For me.” He presses his lips to hers once again. As if that was any consolation for his indecency, any justification for him throwing his body over hers leaving her captured under the emblem of his own desire.

The stars scape across the night in the landscape of the dead, a fragile soul awakens in the aftermath of his despotism. Her heart lurches out of her chest, feeling the aches of his vulgarity inflicted upon her.

It must all be a sick joke.

It’s a joke, the way the moonlight streams in through their velvet curtains forging a halo around his slender body.

Reeling away from him, she slipped out from under the covers, picking up remnants of her modesty from the ground beneath her. A demeaning silence fulfilled the sombre atmosphere as she trudged to the bathroom, the light shattering the fabric of her dignity.

Hot water spurted from the shower head, as she weakly slathered the soap over her body before grabbing the loofah from the stand. Violently, she rubbed the sponge over her skin, scrubbing hastily in all the places where his touch had lingered upon hers. Scrubbing in all the places where she had felt like a clay pot indented by fingerprints before it could be hardened; moulded by his barbarity. But no matter how much she cleaned her skin, even until it littered red and flakes began to peel off her arms, even when it lacerated—blood boiling as she itched and plucked her neck; it wouldn’t remove feeling of his tender touches burning her. The water could dissolve the soap off her body, the sponge could be rinsed clean, the room could be scrubbed, windows opened, but the memory could not be eradicated. The memory of her begging him to stop and under his reticent command she was rendered subservient. His toy to play with, his doll to admire. Sinking to her knees, her hand slapped against the cool marble; figure convulsing as pained teardrops slid down her cheeks.

A woman’s body belonged to her own, it was to be forged from the roots of her femininity, whether it was to express her sexuality freely or maintain a figure of modesty. It was a not a man’s to hold or to control. Here, he had torn it ruthlessly from her grip, claiming that it was his, all his, as if when she had been bound to him in matrimony it was her body she was giving to him and not herself. Those vows. Those wretched vows he’d spoken at the altar, they were just bewitched lies glossed over by his insatiable beauty.

‘But you belong to your husband, he is entitled to each and every part of you.’ The old wives would say. Yet, a woman’s words are weak, a single plea, a cry, a laughter can so quickly be obscured by his own.

Just this once, hear me, my love.

I just wanted you to hear me say: No.

Mr and Mrs Choi were accounted as distinguished lawyers in the court of law. Whilst Mr Choi worked as a criminal defence lawyer, alongside his closest friend, Mrs Choi laboured in prosecution much to the surprise of her peers who had concluded that she'd been chasing and competing with San in his own field. Again, Yunho had been the one to prove to be much more reputable and the best dignitary in law. When they weren't advocates for justice, they came home to their beautiful daughter Choi Soo-Ah, who inherited her mother's beauty and her father's intellect.

Mr and Mrs Jeong stand outside the terraced home, constructed from red-bricks. They surpass up the staircase, the bow windows outcast over the front lawn, showing San play gently with his daughter alongside his old plushie, Shiber. Her hands raise to provoke the door knocker, where her husband leans closer to her ear.

“Just think baby, that will be us soon.” Placing a chaste kiss on the top of her head, they patiently awaited for the door to swing open. She had thrown herself into Myeong’s hold, the childhood friends squeaking and giggling like little school girls upon their reunion. Until Choi Soo-Ah comes to join them, jumping up and down herself as if she is too an old childhood friend. The old wives do say that you are carrying your child and your child is carrying hers even before they are conceived. In a comical way, little Soo-Ah has been with them for so long.

“Ach, Yunho, what’s this?” Yunho is carrying a heavy chicken dish in his hands and there’s dessert in the car that he’s careful about passing over to San who silently thanks him for saving their dinner party. Myeong’s cooking skills are pitiful, to say the least.

When they finally sat down to eat, Mrs Jeong draws herself out of conversation, reserving her attention solely to her food. For the first time in her life, she wants to scream. She wants to break down into a fit of sobs, howling until the midnight escapes from the sky, convulsing until her body begins to deteriorate and all that’s left is her husband burying her six feet under. She can’t tolerate the way his touch pierces her skin, her clothes feel too tight on her back, hair sticks to the back of her neck as beads of sweat form. Those wretched memories and lies she told him are creeping back. Walls shimmer, the shape of the spoon has somehow distorted, the food all bleeds together to form some sort of mush.

“My, you’re quiet today, brainbox.” A sheepish smile rests on her lips, at San’s comment, her eyes almost flutter close in the midst of her burdening exhaustion.

“Parenthood seems to have taken a bigger toll on you than your wife, San.” She goads, leaning back in her seat. Yunho’s hands draw closer to her own. Her eyes flicker, but they are dams holding back a flood of emotions that are threatening to fall. San laughs, it’s so natural that she envies him for it. She hates how in love he is with Myeong and would never force her to anything she doesn’t want to.

“Soo-Ah is a daddy’s girl.” His fingers raise to tickle his daughter’s cheek who giggles, revealing a dimple on her left cheek. Yunho has dimples too but they’re only really prominent when stress overtakes him and he loses too much weight.

"Has anyone spoken to Yeo? It's honestly almost like he's dead." Myeong jokes, a breath is lodged in her throat calculating what the next best word to say is. But her mind is spiralling out of control, because it was that tragic day when Yunho depravedly ripped her apart.

"I spoke to him the other day, he's doing ok. I've been meaning to get back to him but I haven't had the time." In truth, she's been calling Yeosang at least four to five times a day, spamming him with messages. Sometimes she even pounds on his front door when she knows he will be at home. Heaven knows, a flicker of a shadow has crawled across the floor, receiving her presence but he ignores her like she did to his feelings. They sit there, knowing its incomplete without all five of them.

Stood by the Choi family household's doorway, Yunho slips on his shoes his wife loitering behind him.

"Are you sure you want to stay here for so long? I'll miss you." His pout no longer makes her heart throb with reverence. The sight of him repulses her, the tsunami is rising high above the waves, there is no longer a fragment of her that would breathe at his will. “I love you.” His declaration reverberated of the walls in the foyer, the beating of her heart paused momentarily. It felt too quiet, as San’s dimpled smile behind them, Soo-Ah’s wide eyes and Yunho’s longing gaze rested heavy on her figure. As if they were all awaiting for her to say the words back to him. Her face heated with the pressure, which one would have mistaken for a love-sick blush.

“I love you too.” Love. A word that didn’t hold any meaning anymore, what even was it? She once thought she knew what love meant, after all, love was Jeong Yunho. Love was waking up beside him every morning to his groggy voice and a fit of kisses. Love was dancing to songs in the kitchen, chasing him through the park but failing because of his long legs. Love was discussing remnants of the future together, not forcing it to happen within a single beat. Love was him. Was. Past tense, something long gone to the wind and would never return.

"I don't know if something has happened to you, but it's almost as if you've completely shut down." They sit on Myeong's bed as both her husband and daughter have skipped down to the park. Her eyes outcast from the window, the bare branches of the trees sway with the billow of the window, the leaves drift across the pavement as a few pedestrians stalk down the street in their work attire. The Choi's neighbourhood is so full of sophistication, its enough to make her domestic village seem inferior. Her head turns to meet her friend's concerned eyes, prevailing as if she is so eager to make her way through the labyrinth of struggle Mrs Jeong has been plunged through. "Did Yunho say, or do, something to you?"

Tears well up at the front of her eyes, the pace of her breathing quickens, everything has blurred so suddenly. A malicious monster has plunged his hands to her lungs, suffocating her airways so much that she cannot breathe and is denied the pleasures of living. His slender fingers lodge in the lumen of her airpipe, mouth locked in place all that escapes her are muffled cries. Chains ensnare around her legs too, tightened she cannot even as so much move her leg a single inch. A voice is attenuated at her ear drums, the tumultuous tides have rushed into the shore, sweeping her body into the vast expanse of the cerulean sea. Her anguished roar saturates the room, much like the water filling into her lungs.

"He-he-" Her voice stammers so pathetically, her arms wrap around herself because a touch of another will just kill her. "He hurt me. I said no but he wouldn't stop, he just kept on going. I said, please but he wouldn't stop." Her head falls onto the pillow and she just gives up allowing Myeong, and Myeong alone, to embrace her. The cry is no longer so silent, no longer expressed in the loneliness of her married home when he is not there to hear her. It is spoke in a house where the notions of absolutism do not exist. It speaks to Myeong's soul, watching her cry is a nightmare for she had never seen any other emotion other than happiness on her face.

"I can't go back. Please don't make me go back to him." She wails, gripping onto her forearms as if any moment now, he would tear through the walls and yield her back into prison.

Slumped on the leather sofa of Myeong's office in her home, as the lawyer ardently works through reads of paperwork and emails. Little Soo-Ah’s body is draped over her own, her small chest rises up and down, soft snores escaping her. On maternal instinct, her arms wrap around, holding her closer. There’s a poignancy in the idea that this is what she could have had, had he not forced it upon her.

"We have TRO-temporary restraining order for up to two weeks until a full trial is scheduled. The judge needs more information. You are aware that Yunho can make an appeal to get his restraining order revoked, right?" Chewing down on her lip, she nods, knowing that things will only get much worse from here.

The Magistrate’s court is where all court cases begin, even sexual assault cases. It’s when the suspect pleads “not guilty” that things get messy, and it’s established as “indictable only” that cases are handed over to the Crown Prosecution Services. Jue is even surprised that it’s taken a few weeks to reach the trial; normally cases like hers take months upon months. Yet what hurts the most is that for the second time she reads out aloud her statement and it’s almost like she’s begging to the judge for mercy. As if they are the ones who can cure of her this ailment.

The court room is cold, is really all she can think about as she avoids her husbands deceived gaze across the room. Jue knows that if she looks into his eyes, even once, she might feel pried to take back all that she has set against him. She doesn’t live with him anymore, she moved as quick as she could to a women’s hostel—the feeling of living alone terrifies her.

“A work convention? So soon?” His eyebrows furrow in confusion, he doesn’t quite believe her but there is nothing from the tone of her voice or body language that suggests she is lying.

“Yes, dear. About a week?” He snakes his arms around her waist, inhaling in her scent.

“You’ll take the pregnancy test, won’t you? God knows how much I want that baby.” Ignoring the pounding of her heart, she nods eagerly, cautiously pressing her lips to his soft cheek. “Fuck, I love you so much.”

There’s a number of officials, including a circuit judge and a jury of twelve members of the public all awaiting for the case to start. The defence lawyer is yet to walk in.

The wooden doors swing open, following a gust of air as a pair of shoes click against the floor. The prosecution follow their eyes across their shoulders, Myeong’s heart stops beating for a second.

Her husband stands there in all his glory, their eyes meet in a quick second before he dips his head sitting next to Yunho. She cannot her believe her eyes, yet the same way she would protect her friend with her life, San would fight Yunho’s case for as long the blood ran through his veins.

The war begins.

Mr and Mrs Choi both prepare succinct, detailed opening speeches for the court. In cases like sexual assault, there needs to be a sufficient amount of evidence for the perpetrator to be punished. In marital rape, it’s a lot more difficult and is categorised under domestic assault. It’s her word against the court, and god was it difficult for Myeong to pull something together.

It seems like this wasn’t the case for San and Yunho, for when he presents his opening speech deeming his client isn’t guilty and his argument begins, he has the physical evidence Myeong was scrounging for.

"The defence argues that Mrs Jeong’s appeal extends from her ongoing paranoid schizophrenia. Here, we have a letter of diagnosis issued on the 12th September, three years ago, by Dr Park Taeo, working for the Light Goeul Medical Foundation." San dropped a folder in front of the judge, a copy handed to Myeong who flips through the folder at a rapid pace.

“The defence would like to call Dr Park Taeo to the stand.” A man of average height with jet black hair ascends to the stand. He is clad in a smart suit, but Jue furrows her brows. She had never seen or met this man before. Granted, at one point Yunho had her meet a counsellor for her 'feelings' (an old woman who retired and had just passed away last year), yet there was no 'Dr Park Taeo' she had ever spoken to. Her lips move closer to Myeong, whispering words of defence.

"I have never met this man before. I don't even know who he is." Taeo is sworn in by the bible, pledging to the tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“Could you inform the court of when you had first met Mrs Jeong, and what exactly had led you to believe she had paranoid schizophrenia?” San interrogates, he musters all the courage he can to avoid his wife’s gaze for he feels her stare burning holes in his back.

“Mrs Jeong came into my office on the 22nd of February, three years ago. She told me her husband had requested her see someone as she was particularly suffering from hallucinations, so seeing things that weren’t there. Hearing things. Delusions, withdrawing herself away from her family and friends. I also recognised a particularly disorganised train of thought, she stumbled over her speech.” Her heart stops in her chest.

22nd February. The same date she first saw her counsellor.

“And these are all symptoms of schizophrenia?” San provokes, to which Taeo nods followed quickly by a verbal confirmation. “Could you tell the court of her delusions?” The doctor sucks in a deep sigh, typically there’s ‘patient-confidentiality’ at play which is inherently discredited in the court of law.

“She perceived people were trying to hurt her. Usually it was people she was working with, sometimes it was her husband.” Jue squeezes her eyes shut.

That fucker.

“Can you elaborate?”

“Mrs Jeong stated, and I remember this so boldly: ‘Sometimes I feel that he doesn’t love me for any other reason other than to use me, or that I am of some value to him. Sometimes I feel he may hurt me, or is the wrong person to protect me from danger.’” A hand slaps to her mouth, her fingers squeezing her lips. Her heart palpitates in her chest, hastened breaths escaping her.

It’s exactly what she said, three years ago, to her therapist.

“What makes you say that?” Mrs Go’s soft voice is a dream, a melody dropped from the banner of a celestial plane. Her attitude eases the incessant pulsation of her heart.

“I wonder when he sees my scars if he loves me. Or when he hears of my past, that I am still the same woman he is in love with.”

“Why would any of that stop him from loving you?” Mrs Go never took notes. That woman had an impeccable memory, she wrote things down after the session, claiming her clients required her undivided attention.

“Men don’t like broken things.”

“Was there anything you believe could have been the cause of her condition?” Her ears have mellowed out San’s voice, she cannot bear it and it’s hard to avoid Yunho’s gaze now. She stares at him, though there’s no longer a betrayed look that settles in his eyes. A glimmer of triumph, a paint of melancholy.

“Yes, particularly her childhood is the main factor. Her father was a raging alcoholic who engaged in substance abuse. Her mother left him for that reason. His erratic behaviour eventually transgressed into acts of physical violence which he inflicted on his daughter and son. I believe Mrs Jeong’s brother—,” Her chair scrapes across the floor, she stumbles her line of sight blurring. There’s a mixture of voices and faces, they all wanting something to do with her. She wants nothing to do with them. Before she knows it, a spread of darkness fulfils her vision.

“I must look like a fool for fainting in court. That screams guilty straight away.” She breaks the silence in Myeong’s office, her body draped across the plush sofa. Her friend simply hums tightening her gaze across the spread of sheets littered upon her desk. Darting her eyes across the room, Myeong looks as deceived as Yunho did. After all, it’s her first time hearing any of this and despite her friend’s pleas that the diagnosis was never true—Myeong doesn’t know what to believe. For the first time since law school, there are dark circles under her eyes as she hasn’t gone home to sleep in a long time. Soo-Ah is with her grandparents and she doesn’t have the strength to face San. “I-my father did beat me.” Jue confesses, but the words splutter from her mouth. Disorganised, as Taeo would state. Passively, she gets up from the sofa, taking off her jacket revealing the t-shirt underneath.

Her arms are scarred, several indentations seem like streaks of white paint over her skin. None have faded, and they’re all relics of her past which seem like trophies of wars she has fought. Myeong has seen similar bruises, scars and wounds on victims of domestic violence; she may have never gone through it herself but seeing it in others is what prompted her to be a lawyer. Knowing that her friend was suffering whilst she was training to be an advocate is like a blow to the heart.

“How did we never notice?”

“Lots and lots of my mother’s concealer. Long shirts and jackets even in the summer…” She trails off feeling herself want to collapse. “I just—never expected him to use it against me. I confided in him, and he creates this lie that’s enough to close this case.”

“It’s absolutely boiling out there and you’re wearing a hoodie?” Yunho scolds as he rifles through their wardrobe, hands running through the hung fabric. They’re all long sleeve shirts, turtlenecks, jumpers and nothing with cropped sleeves. “I’ll have to give you one of mine.” He takes out the white shirt, slipping off the hanger before handing it to her. Her hands reach out, slowly, a fear striking through her heart. What if he sees those scars and doesn’t love her anymore? Muttering her thanks, the hoodie is replaced by the t-shirt. Yunho has noticed straight away, within an instance he’s on his knees whilst she bawls under his inquisition.

“We’re going to fight this, I’ve got evidence to prove he’s a fraud and this whole thing is fake. Second, I’ve called Yeosang in. We’re proving to the court you’re sane.” Jue just hopes there’s no bitter feelings amongst them; not after she completely disregarded his feelings in light of her husband’s.

The shatter of glass against the wall sent a jolt through her; the fragments bounced off the surface splitting into all corners of the living room. The black, leather sofa is pushed forward so she can squeeze her body through the tight spot. If she stays here long enough, he’ll eventually give up and leave. But she’s as wrong as she’ll ever be because when Mr Jue is drunk, he is the most persistent man on earth.

“If you come here now, then I won’t hit you.” Lie. He was stood by the doorway, blocking the exit to her bedroom. His body swayed from side to side, heavily intoxicated; having spent two weeks worth of food on a shit ton of alcohol and drugs in one night. “I can wait all day.” His low voice sending a wave of fear over her. Taking in a deep breath, she darted towards the space between his body and the doorway, wrangling away from the harsh grip of his greasy hands before scrambling up the steps. He pounded up the staircase behind her, hands outstretched for her legs, jerking her down, forearms slamming into the piercing edges. A cry escaped her lips as his elbow pummelled down on her head, his iron fists gripping her hair sending a violent punch through her head, the pain rattling at her core.

“That’s what we’ve got to do to clever bastards like you, go straight for the fucking head.” He snarled, throwing her body against the staircase. Where’s your brother?” He questioned, darting up to the stairs. Plastering her hands over her ears to drown out the sounds of his screams, tears soundlessly poured down her cheeks until the shrieks reverberated mercilessly through her head and she darted up to his bedroom.

“That’s enough, stop!” Her bellow carried over the expanse of the bedroom, her younger brother on the floor cradling his face in his arms.

“My own fucking children are ganging up on me now.” He cackles, mercilessly and she’s on the lookout for the Grim Reaper. But she doesn’t see him and she’s disappointed. The sight of him is better than the sight of her father. “Your mother was a dirty whore! She wanted fucking kids and then left me to deal with them. I didn’t even want you!”

“Tell me something I haven’t heard before.” He scowled, deprived of the energy to lash out again at her stumbling out of the door; slamming it behind them. Sinking onto the floor, her arms outstretched to encircle her brother into her—his body crawled in. Rocking him back and forth she ran her fingers through his hair as he sobbed pitifully into her chest.

The Jue siblings have been physically abused for as long as they’ve lived. Every morning the eldest child wakes up her brother, washes him, and applies a layer of concealer over his bruised skin. Then he wears long sleeve shirts, or a short-sleeve with a jumper on top, before being fed breakfast and taken to school. He is eight years old and doesn’t understand why he’s thrown against the floor like a rag doll. Often when he sees the father of his classmates hug them after school, he’s confused. So he asks his sister who’s only rendered silent as they eat dinner in her room behind a locked door.

Jue can’t tell him it’s his way of loving, because she doesn’t want to prepare her brother for a lifelong relationship of abuse. He deserves to know what love feels like, he just knows a bit of love is his sister staying hungry so he can have the last slice of oven pizza. He knows that a bit of love is her sneaking chocolate cake out of events so he can get a treat after dinner. Or her saving up from her measly wages so she can buy him a toy he’ll treasure forever. But he’ll never know what paternal love is.

Nobody knows of their secret. It’s something she’s forced her brother to not open his mouth on. If the teacher asks where the bruise came from, say you fell over. If the teacher asks where daddy is, say he’s at work. What about mummy? The truth. Mummy doesn’t live with us anymore.

(Mummy doesn’t love us.)

Myeong never knew, nor did San or Yeosang. No matter how deeply rooted Yunho’s infatuation was: he never knew either. Not until after they had married and he’d seen the scars on her body.

Having no maternal figure was awful for her, especially on days where she needed to rest and she physically couldn’t move her body from the bed. Her father storms into the room, he’s in his work attire but she knows he’s had one too many drinks from the pub on his way home from work. It’s a wonder how he’s never been sacked yet.

“Get up.” He roars. “What are you laying down for? Lazy bitch.”

“I can’t get up.” She croaked out.

“Get the fuck up.”

“I can’t.” She whined, groaning loudly as she pushed up her body from the bed. A scream erupted from her lips as he gripped her by the hair to drag her out of her room, her lower abdomen pummelling a wave of agony through her. He hauls her down the stairs, launching her body into the kitchen. Her figure slaps against the floor, a breath lodged in her throat as tears well up in her eyes.

“One of the men at the pub has told me you’ve been with a man. Not the doctor or specky-four-eyes.” She holds back the urge to roll her eyes, he’s only ever seen San with glasses on, she doesn’t bother to correct him that Yeosang is a medical student. “The lanky one. He’s supposed to be tall as fuck, I’m told. Who is he? Whose dick are you sucking now?”

“I’m not. He’s a friend, Yeosang’s friend. His name is Yunho.” She sits a little properly on the kitchen floor, but not up. Jue knows better than to shun her father’s superiority complex.

“What does he study?”

“Law and psychology.” He simply hums, she wonders what he’s thinking.

“Well don’t whore around with him, otherwise you’ll end up pregnant and he’ll leave you.” A breath of relief escapes her as he disappears from the first floor and enters his bedroom. She’s surprised. There is at least five objects in the kitchen that he can harm her with, she anticipates his arrival for the next fifteen minutes preparing herself to be battered by him. When he doesn’t reappear, she takes the opportunity to trudge back to her bedroom.

It was funny. Perhaps her father should have warned Yunho to not chase after her. After all, he was the one who ‘whored around’ with her and she was the one leaving him. But that’s all her past feels to her now: irony. Something to laugh and laugh like a crazed man. Perhaps her husband is right, she is insane.

Here she is, sitting opposite Yeosang in the clinic he works at. Unlike Mrs Go, he scribbles down her words as if he’s transcribing them across the page furiously with his fountain pen. When she stops speaking and a distasteful quietude fills the air, Jue knows exactly what he’s thinking and doesn’t have it in her to meet his scrutiny.

“I can’t believe you went through all of this, and never told us.” Those words she expected. “What happened to that bastard afterwards? I remember him at the wedding but what happened to him?”

“He just left of the face of the earth. I don’t know if he’s dead, or in jail or just shit faced in another city. Doesn’t matter, I won’t forgive him for what he did to my brother.” Wiping her nose, the scrunched up tissue is shoved back into her pocket; she peers at him through her lashes as Yeosang stares at his sheet.

"Well, the good news it that you're sane. It is normal to suffer as you have done and still be 'sane'. You've created a somewhat healthy coping mechanism to be relatively unaffected. Any history of mental illness in the family?" She shakes her head. There's just a history of abuse after abuse but somehow they've all managed to be escape the grasp of mental illness. For a minute she wonders if she ever had a child and if they would be the one to break. "Good. I'll pass this along to Myeong and I'm more than happy to testify."

"Thank you, Yeo. Are you ok? You didn't respond to my calls." He takes off his glasses and throws them to the side, his face falling into his palms as a long groan emits from his lips.

"I'm fine, I'm sorry I burdened you with what I said the other day. It was merely a moment of weakness." But it wasn't. It took him all the strength that laid within him for every moment it roamed within, it felt like his organs were being toxified.

"But did you mean what you said?"

"Yes. Without doubt."

In the middle of the biting winter, she shoves her fists into the deep pockets of her trench coat; as her heels click against the steps up to the court. Thank goodness the building is warm, she makes her way down to the room, the security guards are familiar with her now—after all her case seems to never end. Meeting Myeong outside, Jue gives San a curt nod as the couple engage in a private conversation.

A figure clears his throat from behind her, her head turns to find her husband loitering awkwardly by the double doors. His eyes are slightly tired, face sunken. He’s lost weight, so much so she can see the dimple his healthy face hides.

“Have you been eating?” She confesses, the words escape her before she can suppress them.

“Yes, my mother has been taking care of that. You?” She nods, though it is false nonetheless. Eating, sleeping, living is a luxury. All she can do is breathe and sometimes even that comes at a price. "You look like you've lost weight." She shrugs, perhaps she has. She's never neglected herself this much in her life, there's nothing to live but for freedom now. A spectral silence is suspended in the air before the door swings open and they are allowed into the court room. Myeong hooks her arm around her own, they walk in leaving their husbands behind.

There’s a quiet chatter as the prosecution lawyer discusses a few matters with her assistant. It’s tense at the moment, their witness has not arrived yet and session is about to start.

“Counsellor?” The judge prompts, all the eyes fall on her. Jue quickly texts Yeosang underneath the table but the message isn't received on his end.

There is no Yeosang.

Myeong's heart flutters with dejection, her face heating up as she feels the burning stares of tens upon tens. Her fists ball at her sides, her sharp eyes digging Yunho's grave.

"The prosecution would like to call the defendant, Jeong Yunho, to the stand." Ignoring the small murmur, Yunho is sworn in by the bible before he seats himself to be questioned. San narrows his eyes, flickering his gaze to Jue. The prosecution only speaks up after a few beats of silence.

“How long have you known Mrs Jue and how long have you been married for?” He pauses. Mrs Jue. As if she didn’t tear her father’s name away from her own the second she married him.

“I have known her for five years, and we’ve been married for three.”

“At what point did she begin to display manic behaviour?”

“Four months after we married. I suggested she went to see a psychiatrist.”

Lie.

“That’s funny, Yunho. Here, it states. She went to see Mrs Go, a psychotherapist—not a psychiatrist—on the 22nd February.” She picks up her folder, holding the receipts Jue managed to find in her folder. “You do know there’s a significant difference between a psychotherapist and psychiatrist, right?” He snickers, cocking his head to the side. It’s the small flickers of his egotism that roams within him, infiltrating into the cold, court room. It’s there and gone, as if it only belongs for his wife to see.

“I’m a psychologist by background, I think I know better than most people, Mrs Choi.” Myeong’s chilling laughter reverberates through the room, his eyebrows crease. A sentiment of annoyance.

“So then tell me the truth, Yunho. Who did she see on the 22nd February. Was it Mrs Go or Dr Park Taeo?”

“Dr Park Taeo. We didn’t need to see a therapist when it was a diagnosis she was seeking.” The folder is thrown onto the table, her hands rest on her hips, digging into the crevice of her cinched waist. A long, deep sigh.

“Seeing as though you’re a psychologist by background, what are some of the treatments available for schizophrenia?”

“Medication, cognitive behavioural therapy, there are care plans in place as well.” Yunho’s brown eyes move to his wife, her eyes tear away from his as quickly as she can.

“There are no medical records, not even on her past medical history that states she was ever on medication, such an Olanzapine. It doesn’t even state that she is schizophrenic, but for arguments sake: she is. If she was really was batshit crazy, wouldn’t you as a loving husband ensure she is under the correct medication? Wouldn’t she have made these allegations before but in order for her to make such a statement: wouldn’t you have had to have done something to prompt her?” Myeong sucked her a deep breath, her chest heaving in anger. “There’s nothing from her childhood that can even do so much as enable her to conjure such a thought. Yet you, her husband, a man who has continually emotionally blackmailed her throughout your marriage— is the man she deems has hurt her the most. Tell me, Jeong Yunho, what did you do to her? Tell the court what a vile man you are.” His bottom lip quivers, pearl tears welling up in her eyes.

“I would never hurt her. I love her too much. She didn’t go on medication because she refused to.”

“Bullshit! She was never offered medication from that fraud.” There's a slight warning from the judge on her language but Myeong will say all the profanities in the world if it means provoking her enemy.

“I never touched her without her say, even if it was to hold her hand. If she said no, I backed away within a second. You can’t force someone to go on medication, Mrs Choi and she is not ‘batshit crazy’ she is ill. All I ever wanted was for her to get better.”

“There is no illness, Yunho. Look.” Waving a piece of paper in front of his face. Before handing a clean folder to the judge. “Dr Park Taeo isn’t real, your honour. There was no illness to begin with, other than a surmountable amount of childhood trauma—which in several cases doesn’t always resolve to mental illness. I have a report from Dr Kang who carried out her psychological examination, proving this statement. Unfortunately he could not make it here today. Might I add, you, Mr Jeong was her her anchor in the entirety of your marriage. And you, had ruined that by assaulting her, a man who, may I also say, is a man of the law.” Her shaking hands run through her hair, San knows she is on the brink of collapsing. Her face has thinned significantly, Myeong hasn’t eaten; it’s why she’s reached this far in the case.

A pearly tear slips down Yunho’s face, glossing the curvature of his plump cheek. His body wracks with prevalent cries and the court is stunned by his vulnerability. His wife sucks in a painful breath, God he knows where it hurts her the most.

“Why did you do it, Yunho? Hm? To feel powerful?”

“I object, your honour. Question leads to speculation.” San rises from his seat, raising a questioning brow at his wife.

“Objection is upheld.” The judge agrees, yet Myeong has exhausted all that she has to say. She knows that if Yeosang was here with them, her argument could have been made stronger.

The homes on her street have stood still, like a broken clock whose hands don’t move as time steals by. It seems the very essence of the wind has defied the laws of nature—the leaves do not bustle in the winter air. Myeong sits alongside Jue, in her kitchen, Soo-Ah plastered on her hip as she stirs the steaming pot of food under her friend’s careful instruction. San is at his parents’ home, unwilling to stay in his house as he ferociously fights the case against his wife.

Mrs Jeong is at her table, the computer screen blaring at her. Too tired to continue, she gathers all of the diagrams compiling them into a neat stack before packing everything up. Everything feels too normal, it’s as if she isn’t fighting a brutal case against her husband. The TRO has ‘expired’ and she never bothered to get it extended knowing that at the end of the day, it will be a divorce she gets from her husband.

“I try to reach out for him, in my dreams, before I realise that he’s not the same man I fell in love with.” She blurts, the attention of the women in front immediately moves to her. Myeong watches her friend stuff food into her mouth at the kitchen table; her eyes glistening with tears, body wrought with exhaustion spending sleepless nights roaming the hostel and long days at work staring into the dull screen. Days at court, days at Myeong’s home, avoiding the ghost town where their home used to be. “I realise that I want him to hold me again, and pretend he didn’t ruin me the way he did. Sometimes I wish I never said anything, then at least I would have had someone.” Her friend’s eyes litter with empathy, though it feels so sadistic in an other-worldly sense. How can a woman in a secure marriage understand her? Biting down on her quivering lip, she refrains from letting out the sobs that have clogged up her throat. Painful sounds are released, her teeth grind against each other as her body lurches forward.

"J--," Her hand is held up to censor her friends movements, she has done this before on several occasions at the hostel. Nights curled up on the floor, suppressing a fit of miserable emotions. She doesn't need any of this, not now when her lover is long gone.

Kang Yeosang is officially missing; the local community searches for him when they get a chance. Though his best friend has spent the last few weeks trying to track down his location. After he psychoanalysed Jue, he remained in his clinic until 1700 hours in the evening. He arrived at his home at 1738 hours, information given by the courtesy of his neighbour. Nobody knows anything after that.

She can't help but go back to his house, maybe there's something there that can tell them where he's gone. The old neighbour walks outside to throw away the bins, when she catches Jue, Myeong and Soo-Ah roaming in his front yard.

"Excuse me!" Jue calls out. "I don't know if I remember me, but I asked about Yeosang a while back." Gesticulating to the front door as if she might remember, the old lady does. Nodding, she gravitates to the garden wall.

"Yes. I do. The poor boy hasn't been found yet, has he?" They shake their heads. "I think I forgot to mention, there was a man that passed by his home a few times. I think they may have been friends." Myeong meets her friend's eyes, urging the woman to continue talking.

"Ah, he was very tall, wore glasses and a suit almost every time he was here. He was here the same day he went missing." She pulls out her phone, rushing to her camera roll.

Pressing her phone to the older woman's face, "Was this the man, by any chance?" The neighbour nods, profusely. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?" She snaps before grabbing Myeong's hand leaving from his lawn.

It was Yunho.

She is sure of it. There is no one else in the world that would possibly want to hurt Yeosang more than him, for what reason: she can only speculate but pieces of her mind refuses to jump to those forbidden thoughts. Mrs Jeong is once again stood in Myeong's kitchen as the lawyer paces up and down her kitchen aisle.

"Well San says he left his house a while back, he's not at your in-laws." She doesn't even want to reach out to her mother-in-law, they know of the court case and probably hate their daughter with every fibre of their being. "Maybe he's at that summer home you have?" Myeong suggests. That's exactly where he is, but with no substantial proof they can't exactly storm in with the police or a search warrant. Besides Yunho is incredibly intelligent and resourceful, as if the court case isn't a testament to that already.

"Don't do something stupid like walk into his house. He's fucking dangerous at this point." She scolds knowing Myeong's stubbornness holds no bounds. The lawyer holds back a scowl, not long before she redirects the words back at her. "He won't hurt me, if he wanted to this fiasco would have been over a long time ago."

Yunho is mirror image of Mr Jue, his father-in-law. She has become her mother, running away from him except she has not left him with two young children.

"Amma, where are you going?" The younger version of herself stands by the doorway of her parents' bedroom as Mrs Jue profusely shoves the clothes into her bag discarding the hangers onto the floor.

"Baby, pick up the hangers from the floor will you?" Her mother orders, and obedient-her listens earnestly, placing the hangers inside the small ironing basket. She repeats the questions, to which her mother pauses in her actions to look at her daughter. "I'm just going to my mother's. Alone. So don't pack your bags. You'll be ok taking care of your brother, won't you?" She's still so eager to attain her mother's validation so she nods as if handling a young child is the easiest thing one can do.

How could she have not realised that her mother was leaving for good? It's not until her younger brother passes away that, at the funeral, her mother's wild cries boil her blood. There's something like a spurt of anger brewing within her as the jarring dissonance cripples her ears. Yunho is stalking after her as she saunters over to her mother.

Her hand raises, striking a harsh blow against her mother's cheek; there's a pin drop silence in the room. "How fucking dare you. As if you were his mother, you cry? You left us." Her voice cracks, Yunho's hand rests on her shoulder pulling her back towards him. "You left us and you're crying as if you raised him? You may have given birth to him, but I was more of his mother than you have ever been!"

Soo-Ah will be raised with lots of love, she knows that much. Mr and Mrs Choi's love is too strong to be torn apart by Yunho, no less. There's no need to be envious, a poor love is hereditary something that the Jue's are undeserving off. That's ok with her, she is last of them. There will be no more of them.

The front door blasts open, her grip on the handle of the knife tightens as a figure charges down the hallways through to the kitchen. San's clothes fit loose on him, hair dishevelled and with a flushed face he meets her stare.

"Where is she?" He demands, lifting his daughter off the high chair, holding her smaller frame closely against his body. As if she is anything like her husband and will harm her too.

Myeong left her home at 0900 on Tuesday morning, entrusting the care of her child with her friend. Jue has been taking care of Soo-Ah, taking a few days off work but when she doesn't arrive home by 1730; something is deeply wrong. She called everywhere including her office, San and his parents and in-laws.

Like Yeosang, Myeong is nowhere to be found.

"Do you know where she may have gone?" Jue slumps down on the chair, sucking in a deep breath.

"Yunho's. The summer home we have." He gives a look of pure confusion, that his friend cannot help but feel sorry for him. As intelligent as he may be, he is also incredibly oblivious. "Open your eyes now San, Yunho is not who you think he is. He's a goddam psycho."

"But why would she drive two and a half hours away from here, to your holiday home?"

"We believe he's the reason Yeo is missing. His neighbour said she saw Yunho on the same day Yeosang went missing." Pieces of the puzzle have now been put into place, San can envision the big picture now; he just wishes he listened to his wife when she scolded him for taking on the case. His heart palpitates within his chest, cursing himself for endangering his family.

"I'm going to go pay him a visit and you're going to listen to every word I say."

Their summer home is just of the coast, maybe two miles away from the beach. Regardless it stands in all its glory, with a large porch circulating around the home-it's antique salmun doors had been replaced for contemporary ones, panelled windows outcast the front lawn. In itself the driveway is a massive field with a pavement large enough to carry a vehicle up and down it. It's serene, at any time of the year yet its a 'summer' home because Yunho always drags her down there when the sun peaks at its highest. A low grunt and she rolls of the drivers seat, eyes scanning over San's message before she makes her way to his front door.

Yunho has already noticed her, settling down the book on the coffee table before dashing to the door to swing it open.

"Jagiya." He breathes out, it feels silent before she ambles in staring at him before taking of her shoes. Mrs Jeong knew she had to face him but she doesn't really know what to say now that she's here. Yunho seats himself on the sofa, motioning for her to do the same. "Why are you here?" He doesn't bother to ask how she knew he was here, his wife isn't unintelligible.

"I wanted to talk to you. But now that I am here, I don't know what to say." Her profession stuns him a little. Mrs Jeong always knows what to say. It's one of the things he loves about her.

“I always imagined you and I and a little toddler. Just the three of us." His eyes squeeze shut, she feels the urge to wrap her hands around his slender neck and wrangle him until he drops dead. How is her body the only thing he cares about?

“I could never give you that, Yunho. I believe that there is another woman who can give you the family you want.” Yet the plain truth is that he doesn't deserve to remarry and have children. He will just hurt them. He will suffocate them, the same way her father suffocated her.

“No but you could have. You’ll give another man exactly what I wanted.” Oh god. The incongruity. He took away Yeosang and Myeong, she wonders who is next. He will take away the next man that even so much as blinks in her direction.

“There won’t be another man after you, because it took me to fall in love with you to realise that I wasn’t brought on this earth to be a wife or a mother.”

“If you weren’t born to be by my side then God would not have listened to my prayers. He wouldn’t have listened to me when I went down on my knees and begged for you.” Gulping the lump in her throat she blinked back the tears holding in her eyes. "I really do love you, it just hurts me that you made this false allegation against me-," Raising from her seat she rushes towards him, glaring down at him in fury.

"Let's not begin with false allegations when all you did was lie in court. I fucking said no. God is my witness. I loved you more than you ever loved me, and you broke that by treating me as if I was your doll." Tears well up in his own eyes, he simply says nothing slouching further in his seat. With tiredness, Jue leaves the room, analysing the setting before her eyes fall on the basement door. "I'm going to the bathroom." He hums, picking his book back up as she carefully slips down to the cellar.

The lurid scent of damp perfuses the atmosphere, gentle steps descend the staircase where a dim light floods into the room. Her heart is heavy in her chest as she makes her way down, a warning sign that she is not going to see something she likes. The basement is small, with a low ceiling that she knows has her husband crouching down as he enters, its concrete floors and grey walls are unsettling.

Gripping her lips with her fingers, she sinks to the floor holding back an ear-splitting scream as two limp figures sprawl over the floor in a puddle of dried scarlet blood. Tears flood down her cheeks, a low hiss escapes her as she crawls towards the masculine figure. His face is almost unrecognisable, beaten to a pulp with a split lip and swollen eyes. His long hair is rumpled, his own saliva and blood sticking the oily strands to his neck.

"Yeo." She chokes out, his unresponsiveness deconstructs her. Resting his head on her lap, her tears drop onto his face bleeding into his own; he can just about make out her face through his weak vision. Her howls increase by an octave, but his hitched breaths diminish her by the second. "Please. Say something so I know you're here." He says nothing. Yeosang just breathes.

Until he stops. There's a beat of silence. Then another. She waits with some false delusion that he will breathe again, but he does not. A shriek, and the cellar door erupts open Yunho pounding down the steps. Her head whips around, launching of the floor she swings her body at him but he holds down her fists with an iron grip.

"You monster! You bastard! How could you?"

"You said you loved me more than I ever loved you, how could that be true when I killed someone for you?" His voice is so mellow it disgusts her. He speaks as if he did not take another life. "Nobody is allowed to love you but me." Shaking her head, she parries against his strident grip, launching a brutal punch against him. An annoyed look floods his face, he holds his ground stalking towards Myeong's limp figure.

"Let her go. This is between you and I." She orders. Yunho simply scoffs, grabbing a water bottle-draining its contents across her face. Myeong squawks for air, as she jolts away from her unconsciousness, drops of water dribble from her lips as she tries to strengthen herself.

"And this one. This witty, little bitch." He grips her hair, yielding her closer to him ignoring Myeong's cries. "She really tried to fuck me over. It's a shame that she's never been better than me at any point in her life." He bends down to Myeong's level, drawing his lips to her ear.

"You're good. But you're not better than me." His taunts irritate her, and she squirms, ferociously, in his hold yet it pains when all he seems to do is rip her hair from its roots. His wife's howls fall deaf at his ears, a look of pleasure fills his features. A cruel blade departs from his pocket, holding it close to Myeong's neck. "What do you say, baby, get rid of her too? All she's doing is separating us."

“YUNHO. PLEASE.” His knife draws close to Myeong’s throat dancing on the surface of her skin. “I’m pregnant!” His head snaps up, his grip on the knife almost falters. It's a long shot, but she knows how to hurt him.

“What?”

“Yes.” She chokes on her sobs. “I’m having our baby, so please don’t hurt Myeong. Then our baby won’t have an auntie and Soo-Ah won’t have her mother.” He drops the knife, stalking towards her in a few single strides. His pale hands rest on her cheeks, tilting her face so she is looking at him.

“How long have you known?”

“It’s been a week since I’ve known, but I’m 8 weeks along.” He holds back a cry, he’s a fucking monster. A second ago he was ready to take Myeong’s life. Her face is tightly fixed in the palm of his hands as he peppers kisses on her forehead, down the bridge of her nose and finally on her lips. She allows him, just this once, to roam his hands around her body. “Just leave Myeong.” Yunho is so sure that there’s a patter of footsteps behind him, yet his wife’s hands drag him down her neck deeper. His soul is completely intoxicated by her essence, there is some figment that has him so utterly devoted to her.

Her heart pounds, incessantly, against her chest as she storms down the hospital hallways ignoring the burning stare of the clinicians and nurses. It’s not long before she skids into the emergency ward—pummelling towards the end of the room.

Her brother is lying on the bed, so weak and helpless she cannot help but cry out for his ruptured soul. He does not deserve this. He did not deserve every minute of torture he was subjected for every second he was alive. His small lips form her name as he barely sees through the slits of his eyes.

It’s her baby, after all.

His body is cradled in her arms, repressing tears. There is something so inhumane about the way his body is butchered, the depth of the lacerations astound her—as if they were trying to cut down to his bone. His staggered breaths send a wave of fear through her heart.

“Who did this to you?” Her whisper, low enough for him to hear.

Dad.

A silver blade ruptures tissues, indenting the skin. Blood bursts from its banks like a scarlet river flooding through the ghost town, he grunts; breath hitched in his throat.

“Before you, there was my father. Before him, was me.”

“My darling daughter! What brings you here?” He slurs, sliding down the wall. Her hand shakes as she screams at him, her ears are deaf. Jue doesn't really know what she's saying to him other than a plethora of vulgar words that she deeply despises.

"How could you hurt him, you fucking bastard!" Her bellow carried over the humid atmosphere, her father barely snickers. It is a gift from god that he is intoxicated. But a curse from hell that his daughter has been brought to his doorstep, in a fit of frenzy. "You have lived to hurt us long enough."

The knife in her hand is not unfamiliar. The way it has dragged under supple skin is not new. She has done it in a time before, Yunho is unbeknownst to this as he sinks to his knees clutching his abdomen, a roar erupting from his lips. His wheezes infiltrate the atmosphere, but his wife is quick on her feet as her arms outstretch for Myeong—eyes widened in shock. Is she an accomplice to this crime?

"Come on!" She shouts, panicked their footsteps launch up the basement staircase, an attempt to escape onto the upper floor in a haste. The door handle rattled, profusely, in her harsh grip yet the door won’t budge.

Fuck.

Their hastened breaths quicken in a deep panic, before a quick thought rushes to mind. There's a hidden tunnel that leads out. They run past Yunho's frail body, ignoring his threats she summons all of the adrenaline she has before pushing past the massive wooden door covering the exit. An ache grinds at her muscle but as her husband raises from the floor she flocks out of the basement in a frenzy.

The smell of the hallways is enough to make them nauseous, but the magnetic force of apprehension is stronger that all they can do is run whilst he chases after them. The end is in sight, the door at the end is always open; seeing as though Yunho could never find a builder to fix it shut. All of a sudden, something sharp drills through her leg, a distressing yelp escaping from her. Groaning she falls to the floor, a metal rod from the unattended copper pipes has obstructed her path.

“Run, Myeong! RUN!” She screams, cradling her leg; a torturous wave of pain lays within her; enough to render her paralysed. His pounding footsteps quicken behind them, grunting heavily as he limps down the hallways to them. Myeong’s movements falter slightly but she dashes through the door leaving it open as she darts through the open field.

A cool gust air blesses her bruised skin, she has never ran this fast before in her life. A sense of guilt resides as she ponders if her friend will make it, yet the car in the distances rips away that thought. It’s San’s car and she clamours his name as loud as she can.

The coolness floods into the narrow passageway, grappling onto the copper pipes for support she staggers feebly towards the exit, the metal rod inserted in her leg weighs her down. Each step is like walking on a million shards of glass, it’s as if coal sizzles under her skin. Was she born just to be in pain?

“Nae sarang, come back. You’re only going to hurt the baby.” The tears draw in her eyes, tickling the edge of her jawline before they clink onto the earth below. The sound of his voice lingers too close to her ears, beckoning all her might she stumbles faster towards the exit breaking out into a run.

Screams expend from her, she doesn’t care to refrain them as she bolts down the fields where Myeong is in San’s arms. There are shackles tied to her feet, the force of gravity is strong.

“Come back here right now!” Yunho roars into the wind, as if they bow to him they stop to let his voice circulate the atmosphere. She will not return to him, she would rather die. Her heart savagely crushes against her chest—phlegm clogs her throat. Pain gnaws at her. Why does the distance to San’s car seem longer than it should be? She shrieks his name while Yunho calls after her.

I’m so tired.

Her knees drop down to the earth beneath her feet, chest hurling with exhaustion. The vast fields are met by an excruciating howl; enough to shatter her voice box. With fingers gripping around the locks of her hair, tears endlessly cascade from her eyes—she’s begging for the Angel of Death to take her away. So much so as her head hits the earth, she speaks to its entity.

“Amma! I can’t do this anymore.” Because what does a child in pain do when the world turns against them? Nothing more than call out for their mother. There’s nothing more left for her to do. She can run to San with a metal rod prodded through her leg. Chances are: she won’t make it when Yunho can easily outrun her. She can stop here and allow her husband to consume her, force her to give birth to a child she does not want.

Or she can turn the weapon against herself. What can go through the leg can go through the heart, right?

Her head whips around to meet Yunho’s stare. There’s no anger, there never is any when he’s looking at her. He’s slowed down in his path, arms nimbly outstretched for her.

“Come back to me, baby.”

In the valley they run, the grass tickling her feet as she dashes across the landscape. A melodic laughter escapes him, like a chorus sung by angels. She’s always been fast at running but it’s never been a chore; it’s a joy to skip through the meadow at lightning speed. The sun illuminates their figures, nobody but them for miles and miles.

Perhaps this is what death feels like.

Or this is what death should be, for now she knows how her fate should resume.

Violet Crazy | Jyh

All Right Reserved © the-midnight-blooms

DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, REPURPOSE, OR PLAGISRISE ANY OF THE WORK HERE

'Jue' of chinese origin, stems from 'zhou' 'Soo-Ah' meaning butterfly 'Myeong' meaning bright or clear

A/N: please do NOT romanticise this piece of work, it addresses heavy issues. if you have ever been sexually harassed/assaulted by your s/o (or ANYONE), please report it!!! just because they’re your husband/boyfriend e.t.c doesn’t mean that they’re allowed to be let off the hook! I wanted to write this fic because I’ve-first hand- seen the exploitation of female bodies to establish male superiority. take care of yourself and know your worth, I know it’s difficult to speak out against someone who you’re supposed to love but you’re worth much more than that. i hope you enjoyed reading this, it was a little difficult to write but I believe it’s a fic that’s been worth writing.

big thank you to @poartz-writes for hyping me up during this writing process

let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list for any future fics I post!

tag list: @n0v4t33z @potatos-on-clouds @jjongwho @barbielibra

9 months ago

Desperate | P.SH

Desperate | P.SH
Desperate | P.SH
Desperate | P.SH
Desperate | P.SH
Desperate | P.SH

pairing: bf!hoon x fem!reader

genre: established relationship au, explicit content (mdni)

warnings: lots of fluff in the beginning, making out, smut, dubcon/noncon, unprotected sex (a big no), pulling out (please just use protection instead), nicknames (baby, doll, slut, etc.), bondage (handcuffs), oral (f!rec), clit biting, fingering, oversensitiveness, multiple orgasms, cum eating, creampie, clit pinching, pussy slapping, backshots, doggy (yes backshots and doggy aren't the same), reverse cowgirl, mating press, breeding kink, mentions of pregnancy, breeding kink, passing out, basic aftercare, mentions of further aftercare, let me know if i missed any!

word count: 4.3k

Desperate | P.SH

The benefits of having Sunghoon as a bf were many, the most prominent one being that he wasn’t very demanding.

Most of your previous boyfriends always wanted something or the other. Whether it be sex or simply your attention, they needed it. All the time.

Sunghoon on the other hand? He didn’t pester you for either. At least not often.

Desperate | P.SH

The two of you first met at a party that had been hosted by a mutual friend of you both. Both of you had been drinking in a random corner by yourselves, before he struck up conversation. Under the influence of alcohol, the simple conversation had escalated to something more, a passionate night filled with the interlocking of hands and lips, sweat and saliva mixing together, your bodies intertwining with each other’s. He had asked for your number the next day, asking you to hang out sometime. You agreed.

The hangout soon turned into a date, one date turning to two, and so on. Soon both of you were out of college, looking for jobs. The plus point of being excellent at academics was that it didn’t take both of you much time to land one.

Your jobs required you both to work nine to five, which neither of you minded since it was something both of you enjoyed doing.

The only problem? Both of you barely had time for each other.

Desperate | P.SH

Fights weren’t uncommon during the first month of both of your jobs, leading you both to sleep in separate rooms way too often. It was only after your boyfriend randomly surprised you with a date night on a weekend, both of you stopped fighting. Needless to say, that night was once again filled with the raw passion that was present when you guys first met. So yea, a big ‘fuck you’ to whoever said make up sex wasn’t good.

Desperate | P.SH

Sunghoon was a good boyfriend, really. He hardly ever bothered you, except for the occasional sex. Which, by the way, was valid, given that neither of you got to spend much time with each other, other than the times when you both got intimate. What is the problem then?

Well, there isn’t much of a problem exactly– other than the fact that you feel extremely fucking guilty.

Desperate | P.SH

It wasn’t exactly your fault that you couldn’t give your boyfriend enough of your time and attention. Your job required you to work overtime now-a-days, sometimes even having you work on weekends. You barely got time for yourself, always coming home late, too tired to even walk properly. It wasn’t your fault that you barely had any energy left in you, your simple ‘no’s always coming out breathy, that’s how tired you usually were.

Initially, he accepted it. He was super sweet about it too, massaging your shoulders and the expanse of your back, rubbing softly to loosen the knots in it. He would prepare a warm bath for you, filled to the brim with bubbles. He would cuddle you to sleep, pressing gentle kisses all over your face. He would even prepare breakfast for you, serving it in bed. 

Now? Now the situation is extremely different.

You see, despite being understanding of your tiredness, a man also has his needs. One can only hold out for so long. Any man is bound to get tired of the constant rejection of intimacy with their lover. And Sunghoon is also a man at the end of the day.

If the same thing continued, he would have no choice but to seek intimacy elsewhere.

But Sunghoon loved you too much for that.

Desperate | P.SH

It was around 12:51 am on a Wednesday, you had just arrived home. The house was– extremely quiet. That’s strange. Sunghoon usually came to greet you when you came home, taking your bag out of your hand and slipping the coat off your shoulder. Where was he?

As if hearing your thoughts, your boyfriend came out of the direction of your shared bedroom. He smiled at you, quickly walking over and grabbing the bag out of your hand. He kissed the top of your head, slipping the coat off your shoulders and helping you take off your shoes. He held your waist, guiding you towards the bathroom. “I’m sorry for not greeting you immediately baby, I was preparing something for you.”

You looked at him with surprise, your tiredness momentarily forgotten. “A surprise?”

Sunghoon smiled at you. “Yes doll, a surprise. Go take a shower, then I’ll show it to you.”

You gave a small smile to him, nodding, entering the bathroom, having failed to notice the subtle smirk on his face.

Desperate | P.SH

You took your sweet time showering, making sure to feel as relaxed as possible, before going to bed. Once you were done, you wrapped a bathrobe around yourself, using a towel to dry your hair as much as possible, before walking out of the bathroom.

Surprisingly, Sunghoon was waiting for you outside. He smiled at you, before extending his arm towards you. Although you were a little confused by his actions, you extended your arm towards him as well, holding his hand. He pulled you towards him, wrapping his arms around your waist, before kissing your forehead. He then kissed your nose, your cheeks, and finally your lips. You smiled into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck, before breaking the kiss gently. You stared at his eyes, smiling softly. “What’s with the sudden affection?”

Your boyfriend nudged your nose with his own. “Nothing, I just missed you.”

You laughed softly. “Missed me? But you saw me this morning itself.”

He pouted slightly. “That isn’t enough. I need you by my side 24/7 darling.”

You smiled, pecking his lips. “Well, you have me now, all to yourself, don’t you?”

He nodded, smiling. “That I do. Come to our bedroom baby, let me show you the surprise I told you about.”

Desperate | P.SH

Your breath caught in your throat, once Sunghoon took his hands off your eyes. You had never seen your bedroom look anything like– like this.

There were rose petals randomly strewn all across the floor, the lights turned off. The only source of light being the innumerous scented candles all around the room. Your shared bed had a large heart of rose petals in the middle of it, with petals of white roses spelling out ‘I love you’ inside the heart. It was the most romantic gesture your boyfriend had ever done.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing his lips next to your ear. “Do you like it baby?”

You turned your face to the side, quickly pecking him on the lips. “I love it. So very much.”

He smiled, nuzzling his face into your neck, before planting soft kisses all over it. “Let me take care of you baby.”

You bit your lip. It's not that you don't appreciate his efforts to have an intimate time with you, it's just that you didn't have the energy for that. You could already feel your eyelids starting to droop from the tiredness, your legs were sore from walking. All you wanted right now was to cuddle in your lover’s arms and fall asleep. “I'm sorry baby, I'm really tired right now. Can we just cuddle instead?”

For the second time this night, Sunghoon surprised you. Usually, when you denied him, he would immediately relent and take you to bed, spooning you and cuddling with you, making sure that you get a good night's sleep. Today however, he simply wrapped his arms around your waist tighter, his soft kisses on your neck becoming wetter and hotter, open mouthed kisses, ones that had you stifling a moan. “You say that everyday baby.”

You gulped, trying hard to swallow down the moans that were induced by his unrelenting assault on your neck, barely able to utter a word. “I– I know babe– but I'm just r– really tired–”

He ignored your words, biting down on your neck and sucking it harshly, trying to leave as many hickies as possible. You were unbelievably tired, but that didn't mean his actions weren't making you feel good. But you couldn’t let him know that, or he would take it as a sign to continue.

“H– Hoonie please, I’m so tired–”

With one swift motion, your boyfriend undid your bathrobe, quickly spinning you around and smashing his lips on yours, muffling your gasp. He ignored the way you tried to hit his shoulders to push him off, holding the back of your head in one hand to push your face towards him, trying to deepen the kiss. He held your waist tightly in the other, his thumb kneading the flesh there.

Sunghoon brought both of his hands down to your hips, lifting you, forcing you to wrap both your arms and legs around him. He quickly carried you to the bed, setting you down on it. Without breaking the kiss, he leaned your body back slightly, using one hand to roughly shove the beautiful heart that he had spent hours making, using a bunch of red and white roses, away, out of the way. He pushed you down onto the bed, quickly using his hands to tightly pin your own protesting ones above your head. He used his knees to shove your legs apart, settling down in between them.

You continued to protest weakly, your body too tired to handle him. It was starting to frustrate him with how much you were struggling against his hold. He briefly broke the kiss to glare down at you. “Why won’t you keep still? I told you I would take care of you, didn’t I? Why are you making this difficult for the both of us?”

Your eyes were glazed with unshed tears, your entire body sore from how hard you had been working the entire day, and how much you had been struggling against him for the past few minutes. “I’m too tired for this baby– can’t we please do it some other time?”

He rolled his eyes, before snapping at you. “Too tired? Isn’t that what you have been saying for the past two months? I have waited a long time for you, haven’t I? How long do you plan on leaving me like this? Do I not have needs? If you won’t satisfy them, who else will?”

Your lower lip trembled from his harsh tone, trying your hardest to not break down. You replied in a shaky voice. “Baby, you have to understand that my job has been extremely demanding for the past two months– it’s hard for me to not be tired, my love–”

Your boyfriend had enough of your excuses, quickly leaning towards the nightstand, fumbling about in the drawer. He produced a pair of handcuffs from it, causing your eyes to widen, your struggle against him increasing.

But tonight there was no escape for you. Sunghoon was desperate to be close with you today, causing him to quickly cuff your hands to the bed posts. Your tears had broken free, as you desperately tried to break free from the cuffs, pleading with him desperately to spare you for the night.

Your boyfriend held your hips down tightly, preventing you from moving too much. He once again smashed his lips on yours, silencing your pleas.

His kisses traveled south, leaving hickeys all over your jaw, neck, shoulders– trailing down to your chest and stomach. His lips ghosted over your pussy, blowing air on it, causing you to whimper and clench around nothing.

Your struggle against him increased two-fold, causing him to hold your hips down with both hands. He kissed your inner thighs, before biting them, harshly sucking the bitten area to leave more hickeys, before finally deciding to give attention to your pussy. Even if he desperately wanted to fuck you into the next week, he still loved and cared about you, and wanted to make you feel better, despite his actions suggesting otherwise.

He kissed your folds, before licking a stripe upwards, causing a whine to escape you. He smirked, before repeating his actions. “I thought you didn't want this, princess? Why are you so wet?”

More slick gushed out of your exposed hole at his words, your pussy clenching around nothing. You gave up on fighting back, realizing it was of no use right now. Sunghoon chuckled, realizing your resignation, the sound vibrating through your cunt. He circled your clit with his tongue, causing you to whine, trying to close your legs. He held your legs down tightly with both hands, preventing you from moving too much.

Without warning, he harshly bit your clit, causing a choked scream to escape you. The scream turned into whimpers and moans, as he flattened his tongue over your clit, before sucking it. He gave your clit a kiss, before sucking over your slit, slurping down the slick like his favorite drink. You whined at the loud, wet, lewd slurping noises that were filling up the room, your boyfriend paying no attention to your sounds.

Abruptly, he thrust his tongue inside, causing you to cry out. He kept thrusting his tongue as deep inside as he could reach, causing loud moans to escape you, filling up the entire room.

He kept alternating between sucking your clit and thrusting his tongue inside your hole, as if unable to decide which one to give more attention to. His dilemma however, was quickly solved, once he shoved two digits inside your cunt, his long and slender fingers dragging across your walls, giving attention to every nook and cranny of your pussy. Your moans increased, spurring him on greatly.

You could feel the band in your stomach tighten, signaling your impending orgasm. Sunghoon could tell you were close, judging by the change of pitch of your voice. The speed of his movements increased two-fold, his fingers curling up every time to hit your spot, causing you to see stars.

With one final cry of his name, you came undone, cumming all over his fingers and the lower half of his face. He came up, giving you the perfect view of his drenched face, causing heat to creep up your neck. He leaned upwards to engage you in a messy lip lock, exchanging saliva with you, the taste of your slick prominent in his mouth. He broke the kiss. “Feel any better, doll?”

You exhaled, your chest rising up and down as you took slow and steady breaths. Even if you were tired beyond comprehension, you couldn't deny that he made you extremely good, way better than how you usually felt at night. “I do. Thanks to you.”

Now, don't get him wrong, your boyfriend was extremely happy he could make you feel slightly better. But clearly, he could do way better, since you were still able to form a comprehensive sentence. Which is why, he immediately got to work to make you feel even better.

Sunghoon went down again, once again attaching his lips on your pussy. You cried out, whimpering and thrashing around from the oversensitiveness. Once again, he held you down by your legs to prevent you from moving too much. He harshly sucked on your clit, quickly thrusting three fingers deep inside your pussy. He slowly, deliberately dragged his fingers across your walls, making you whimper and thrash in his hold, the sensations starting to completely fog your brain.

He flicked your clit with his tongue, before swirling it around the bundle of nerves. He curled his fingers, hitting your spot, causing you to cry out. He increased his pace, thrusting his fingers in and out quickly, curling them every time to hit your g-spot. The band in your stomach tightened once again, your vision starting to blur. The band finally snapped, causing you to arch your back, your head thrown back, mouth open in a silent scream. Your orgasm crashed over you, your boyfriend quickly slurping up everything, not letting a single drop go to waste.

He leaned up, looking at your face. Your pupils were blown out, eyes hooded, your chest heaving slightly, as you tried to catch your breath. The sight of you lying there in that state was his last straw, as he quickly leaned down to engage you in a messy lip lock. Without breaking the kiss, he made quick work of his shirt, unbuttoning it and throwing it somewhere in the room. He did the same with his pants, before breaking the kiss.

Your boyfriend reached out above your head, uncuffing your hands. Sensing no struggle from your side, he placed a small peck on your lips, before manhandling you onto your stomach. You could barely balance yourself, your entire body, especially your legs feeling extremely sore. Sunghoon grabbed your hips, pulling your ass up. He spread your legs apart, holding your hips tightly. He aligned himself with your entrance, his cock standing tall and angry, his tip a violent red, leaking with precum. He slowly pushed his tip inside, both of you moaning in unison, before he buried his entire length to the hilt, bottoming out.

Sunghoon swore that he was in heaven. A month without your pussy was pure torture, his hand was nothing compared to your beautiful cunt. The way your pussy was sucking him in right now? He was damn sure you missed him the same way he missed you, or at least your pussy did.

He pulled out almost completely, leaving only the tip inside, before slamming his entire length inside, his balls slapping against your clit. You whimpered at the sensation, your head buried into the pillows, the sound coming out muffled. He kept repeating the same process, making sure to drag his cock against your walls, the tip repeatedly hitting your cervix. Your whines turned into mewls, as you tried to fuck yourself back onto his length. Your boyfriend chuckled at the sight, giving your ass a nice slap, watching it jiggle. He repeatedly smacked your ass, watching it jiggle and turn red. His spanking turned you on even more if possible, your back arching, slick starting to seep around his cock and make a wet puddle underneath them, onto the sheets. He gave your ass one last spank, before leaning towards you, his chest almost pressed to your back. He whispered in your ear. “Getting wet from a few spanks, baby? Didn't know you were this much of a whore. Making such a big mess on the sheets…”

You whined, your sweet little cunt clenching around his length deliciously, causing a groan to escape him. He gritted his teeth, before leaning back up. He gripped your hips tightly, before pistoning his hips into yours without mercy, giving you barely anytime to adjust properly. Not that you needed it, he thought, with the amount of slick that was gushing around his length.

His heavy balls continued to smack against your clit with every thrust, stimulating it. You whined, pushing your ass towards him slightly, trying to get more pressure on your clit. He noticed what you were trying to do, bringing a hand down to your clit, harshly rubbing it. You let out a choked gasp at the sudden pleasure, your mind starting to cloud from the overwhelming sensation. The way his cock kept drilling into your pussy, hitting your cervix every time, along with the way he was rubbing your clit, your orgasm wasn't going to take very long.

For the third time that night, a familiar sensation built up in your stomach, causing you to clench around him tightly. Before you could warn him, you had already come all around his length, causing a white ring to form around his base. Your boyfriend groaned at the sight, fastening his pace. Once he felt his orgasm starting to near, he spoke hurriedly. “I'm near baby– Where do you want it?”

Your mind was starting to go into overdrive, but you still heard him somehow. In a shaky voice, you answered. “I-Inside–”

He groaned, before quickly pulling out, causing you to cry out at the empty feeling. He ignored you, using his hand to jerk off, before spilling his load all over your ass cheeks. He put both hands on the side of your hips, using his thumbs to spread his cum over all your ass, admiring it. He landed a slap on it. “Stupid slut, did you really think your pussy deserves my cum? After you made me wait for two whole months?”

You whimpered, the degradation going straight to your cunt, causing you to clench around nothing, a sight that did not go unnoticed by him. He landed another slap on your ass. “Such a whore, of course you get turned on by this.”

You let out a muffled whine, clenching your thighs. He bit back a groan, his cock still very much hard and leaking. He grabbed your hips, pulling your ass up again, once again aligning himself with your entrance. He pushed inside, immediately bottoming out. He gave you no time to adjust, immediately slamming his hips into yours, cockhead repeatedly brushing against your cervix. His grip on your hips was so tight, it was surely going to leave bruises, but neither of you cared about that. Not when he felt so good inside you, repeatedly hitting that spongy part of your walls, bringing you closer and closer to the edge.

He suddenly wrapped a hand around your waist, pulling your body upright, your back flush against his chest. The new position gave him a better angle, cock almost bruising your cervix with the amount of force that he was using to drill into your pussy. His other hand reached down to your clit, pinching and rubbing it, rolling the hardened nub in his fingers. Your moans turned into pleasure filled screams, as he slapped your pussy multiple times. With one last slap, you spilled all over him once again, a white ring forming on the base of his cock.

Your orgasm triggered his own, as he sheathed himself deep inside you, shooting rope after rope of hot cum inside your awaiting pussy, making you moan at the sensation. He kept chanting curses, before he finally stopped cumming.

Your boyfriend slowly pulled out, watching the mixture of both of your cums dripping out of your pussy, into the sheets. He groaned at the sight. “Look at you baby, such a pretty little cum dump for me.”

Your face was shoved into the pillows, your brain not registering his words, as you tried to catch your breath. He slowly turned you around, looking at your fucked out face. He scooped the cum that was dripping out of your pussy, pushing it back in, causing a weak whine of protest coming from you, as you felt too sensitive.

He ignored you, focusing on trying to keep the cum inside. It was useless, the sticky amalgamation continuing to drip out. Frustrated, he grabbed your hips, pulling you closer to him. He once again aligned himself with your entrance, using his cock to try and fuck the cum back inside. Your legs twitched a bit in protest, but it soon died down because of how firmly he held your legs down.

He increased his pace, balls smacking against your ass with each thrust, his mind solely focused on pushing the cum back in. He picked up your leg, throwing it over his shoulder, before doing the same with the other. The new angle allowed him to hit deeper, his cock drilling deep inside your pussy, fucking the cum inside. He nearly folded your body in half, cockhead almost piercing through your cervix, pushing the cum impossibly inside, into your womb. You whimpered at the feeling, both your body and voice too sore to protest.

He groaned at your state, picking up his pace. He felt a little too good, no longer caring about your comfort anymore. He kept blabbering to you, his words ranging from sweet nothings to the most vulgar nonsense.

“Looking so cute like this, taking me like a good little slut–”

“My personal cocksleeve, made to be mine and mine only–”

“God you're so beautiful– taking me so well–”

“Gonna knock this slutty pussy up, gonna make sure everyone knows you're mine–”

“Would look so pretty carrying my babies– gonna wife you up too–”

His words caused your brain to short circuit. Your back arched, your mouth open in a silent moan. Your mind turned foggy, vision going white, ears ringing loudly, as a familiar, yet unfamiliar sensation built up in your stomach. Your orgasm crashed over you in tidal waves. You didn't stop cumming, your squirt splashing all over his thighs and abdomen.

He groaned at the sight, his own orgasm getting triggered by yours. He sheathed himself deep inside your pussy, head thrown back, jaw going lax. He kept on shooting load after load of cum inside you. He didn't think he ever came that much, your pussy milking him for all he was worth.

He kept coming till he was spent. He pulled out, his cock starting to physically hurt from how sensitive it was. He laid down beside you, chest heaving in exertion.

Your mind kept flickering between being conscious and then unconscious. In your hazy state, you felt Sunghoon wipe your pussy and the rest of your body with wet tissues, before you felt him whisper a faint ‘We should take a bath.’

You felt him pick you up, bridal style, before your vision went completely black.

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zhangyi-johee - Jixie / Joi
Jixie / Joi

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