Young and Wild || seongjoong || ATEEZ

Chapter Twelve : The Heart of the Storm

Chapter warnings: brief and minor violence

Seonghwa stood at the front of the ship looking out over the edge to where the water would soon be split in half by the keel. His arms were crossed over his chest as the wind rushed past him, whispering words that spoke of comfort and encouragement. It was times like these when Seonghwa found that if he was quiet enough and truly opened his ears to what the world had to say to him, there would always be words that would make his heart feel at peace.

The wind was majestic as it always was as they sailed rather peacefully for the first time in many days. The brightness of the tropical day bore down on them hotly, sweat sticking to their skin in an almost pleasant way. Despite Seonghwa's longing for the far North place he had fallen in love with, he certainly did not miss the tundra and coldness that almost took his limbs from him. The tropical heat and humidity were always welcome, even if it made them uncomfortable. The heat is where they thrived, even after long hours of pulling ropes and cleaning the ship's deck as the captain requested for five days in a row.

Seonghwa knew they were tropical pirates after all, and it amazed him just how active the pirates around him got when the weather finally turned hot enough that all extra layers were shed and lots of bare skin made an appearance. It had been a while since Seonghwa had seen the many tattoos and even scars on his fellow pirates, and he had almost forgotten how much he really enjoyed them.

There was a time when he found himself sitting next to the master gunman of the ship in the dead of night as the crew decided to light the lanterns hanging on the masts and drink the ale they had stored below deck until the dawn broke. Seonghwa only remembered how he stared at Mingi's tattoos that were scattered on his arms and up his neck, and how he studied the little details of them and how beautiful they were under the very dim light of the soft glow of the lanterns. He had sat there with his mug of ale untouched as he breathed quietly, his eyes ghosting over the skin he dared not to touch, wondering when the tall pirate had gotten each one. Knowing Mingi, Seonghwa knew that each one held a grand story and a heavy meaning. He desperately wanted to know each one.

There were many other pirates who had tattoos and even brands on their skin as well, but none of them were quite as interesting as Mingi's were.

The crew in general were all much more lively as the days passed. The continuation of their adventure was a piece of the puzzle they needed to be able to start acting more normally again. The difference in the first mate's demeanor was almost instant after he had emerged from the captain's quarters when he and Hongjoong had decided to continue the adventure even after everything that had happened. Yunho had been in there for the remainder of the day and even well into the night before he came out and delivered the news that in the morning they would set for the course that San had somehow been able to figure out.

Seonghwa knew that there were some on the ship that disagreed with continuing the journey. He couldn't blame them, especially with the captain losing a significant amount of his memories. It was a huge hit to all of them, some more than others, but ultimately Seonghwa knew that even if Hongjoong had lost a lot of his memories, he had not lost his desire to conquer the greatest adventure of their time. It was clear to all of them that even if their captain couldn't remember what they had accomplished so far, there was still that burning passion to fight in his eyes.

The first mate and the captain talked about it for so long that Seonghwa was sure they covered all bases and Yunho had somehow managed to convince Hongjoong that he didn't need to go chasing after a dead man and instead should finish the adventure he swore he would. Seonghwa had stayed close to try and hear what they were talking about, but their voices were hushed and controlled, so he wasn't able to understand anything they were saying besides occasional mumbles and rough movements around the room.