Young and Wild || seongjoong || ATEEZ

Chapter Sixteen: Stars That Shine Like Jewels

Chapter warnings: 18+, and uhhh... emotions?

"I finally found ye, Seonghwa."

His words were like the dawn. A bright and comforting light that crawls across the darkness to chase away what entities were not supposed to be there. The dawn would show its face after hours of pure darkness, where there was no hope and nowhere to go. His words were like a straight path, guiding him only where his heart truly wished to lead him.

Like this, with those words whispered on the dawn of a new day where the next step was blurry and unknown, Seonghwa found that he knew there truly was no other path that his feet were supposed to take him.

In the corner of his eye, he could see the flame from the torch grow even as it lay on the temple's golden brick, forgotten but not cold.

His skin burned just as hot as the fire burning before him where Hongjoong had pressed his forehead against Seonghwa's in the light of the moon. Seonghwa couldn't help but let out a breath, his body relaxing and nearly giving out at Hongjoong's warm touch. He could feel each tremble of his captain's body against his own, he could feel the desperation and even the relief that was flowing through the younger pirate's body.

It was a connection he never thought he would feel again from the pirate ever since that one day that had darkened everything.

Seonghwa didn't realize just how tight Hongjoong was holding onto him until the pirate pulled away from him to look down at Seonghwa with those fiery eyes that had sparkles of gold dancing in the middle. The pain in his shoulders where Hongjoong was holding him with a grip that would bruise easily was a feeling that Seonghwa welcomed. It was the kind of embrace that spoke of the emotion that Hongjoong would never utter from his mouth.

The emotion that said he was scared Seonghwa would disappear if he dared to let go.

Seonghwa knew that even though Hongjoong was looking down at him with those eyes that spoke of horrors Seonghwa didn't even know of, he would never admit such a thing. It was just who his captain was. But Seonghwa pressed forward, taking a step further in the water without looking anywhere else than Hongjoong's eyes. Seonghwa didn't care that Hongjoong would never mutter those words that his heart craved to hear because his eyes were screaming it as Seonghwa moved closer and closer to him like Hongjoong was the moon pulling in the tide.

"You found me," Seonghwa whispered back, his voice trembling as he couldn't even believe his own eyes. Slowly, he used what strength he could muster up and reached his arms up to wrap them around Hongjoong's neck. Only then did the captain move his hands from Seonghwa's shoulders to cup both of his cheeks to hold him steady. "How did you find me?"

Hongjoong tilted his head a little as he took in the question. It was like the sound of Seonghwa's voice awoke something deep inside of him, a sound he hadn't heard for the long time they had been split apart. Seonghwa felt how Hongjoong pressed the tips of his fingers into Seonghwa's cheeks and pulled him even closer so that Seonghwa could see the golden flakes of Hongjoong's eyes even better.

"Say that again," Hongjoong spoke as his lips parted open and as he moved his thumb to gently graze over the swell of Seonghwa's bottom lip.

Seonghwa could only open his mouth a little as his eyes fluttered shut at the electrifying touch.

"Please," his captain whispered as Seonghwa opened his eyes to see how Hongjoong's jaw clenched under the shining moonlight above them. "I need to hear yer voice again."