Somewhere Between the Sea and the Sky.

Episode 0: Chapter 3

The situation was complicated but, after a tug of war with the White Army, the Aurora managed to escape their follow-up without serious injuries or losses. Any minor wound from the fight was easy to treat and the ship was also alright, they really got lucky... No. It wasn't just luck, they owed a lot to whoever sabotaged the ship of the army.

The fucking army.

The White Army was the biggest military force in the world, and thew were well known for kissing the nobles' ass and chasing pirates like hungry beasts. It was complicated job since numerous captains and their crews took control of the seas during the decade but, honestly, who cared? Those dogs served whoever paid the better, not those who needed. At least, that was all Hongjoong knew about them, no one proved him wrong yet. Surviving in such a world as a pirate wasn't easy, everyone was an enemy if you weren't careful enough, but Hongjoong felt that it was the only life that could please him.

It had been a long time since he first entered the Aurora, shortly after two young men went out to the sea in search of freedom and fortune.

And once again they got away with it.

But not as expected.

Their flight had led them to an island the captain knew well, they had been there numerous times to get some business done. The island hosted a town called Crowhost, a discreet but efficient town. Despite its proximity to the capital, it wasn't strange that the Aurora's crew chose it to take a break.

The Aurora docked in a remote and hidden area of the island, avoiding exposing itself in the main port. Hongjoong gave himself a moment and went to his cabin, thinking about what they could do next and the consequences of the huge mistake they made. That would probably give the White Army an excuse to increase the reward for them, which meant that they not only had to worry about soldiers and other pirates but also bounty hunters.

What a mess.

It took him a while, but in the end he chose to go out to the deck. As soon as he crossed his cabin's door, he ran into Seonghwa getting rid of the remains of blood on it. It wasn't normal for a lieutenant to be in charge of the cleaning but the blond's hobbies saved the others from work, they didn't have that much people to give the heavy work.

Oh, people.

"Where's the boy?"

"Wooyoung? A moment ago he was—"

"No idiot. The other boy, the new one."

"Oh." It took the blond a moment to react, as if he had forgot the prince stayed with them after the confrontation. "He threw himself overboard, I suppose. He's probably swimming to safety or— You know, drowning."

Drowning.

Then, Hongjoong remembered.

Hongjoong remembered asking the prince to follow his orders and the other agreed, probably due to the tension of the moment, but at some point he lost sight of him. It was logical that he would escape as soon as he had the chance.

He glanced at the deck floor looking for a clean area to sit. It wasn't because the dirt bothered him, no, it was to avoid Seonghwa making him move once he was comfortable. He finally found a clean corner, seeing the impeccable wood after the deaths that had occurred in it made him question the other's mental health. Killing soldiers was a normal thing, for them but that level of neatness was beyond Hongjoong's understanding. Also, how did he do it in such a short time? The blond was certainly skillful.

He looked up at his partner, who was trying to remove stains from another area of the deck, his body tense and defined under the strength he was using for it. For a moment Hongjoong fixed his gaze on the blond, who had his back to him, wondering what else he would be skilled at.