Treasure | Ateez

| 12 |

"A mari usque ad mare"

- From the sea to the sea

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Aeris stared at the ceiling of her room. 

Technically it was not her room, the boys had told her to move into the medical room for the night. Ignoring her cries that she didn't mind rooming with someone due to maintaining decency. The bed was far too small, the rocking of the ship made it impossible for her to sleep as did the stillness of her mind. It should be impossible. 

So she headed to the deck, feet making no noise as she made her way to the hull once again. The carved figure of the lady chained to the head glowing in the moonlight. The iridescent light casting a halo as her eyes glowed a low silver. The night was both a curse and a gift.  

Tonight, she wasn't alone. 

Aeris saw the figure of the captain by the hull, one had draped over the edge while he dangled dangerously close to the edge. She hesitated, hiding in the shadows as she decided whether to bother him or to go back. The ship tilted to one side, she gave a groan as her stomach turned at the motion.

 The captains ears catching the noise as he slid his sword out of its scabbard, walking towards the bent figure by the doorway with catlike footsteps, keeping to the darkness before positioning himself right behind the stooped figure. 

Aeris felt the tip of her the sword at her throat. 

She stiffened, letting him push against her skin before she grabbed his arm with a twist, pulling the weapon away from her as she twisted the hand behind her back, hearing a groan. 

He retaliated, the darkness obscuring each others faces as they both believed the other to be a castaway. Aeris reached for her dagger as he kicked at her palm causing it to clatter to the ground as she swung at his face, causing him to doge and swipe his feet below her knees as she crumbled to the floor. 

She rolled away from his sword, the tip sinking into the place her abdomen had been seconds ago and grabbing her dagger and swiping at his feet causing him to jump, uttering a low curse to which she froze. 

"Captain?" 

"Aeris?" 

He stepped into the light, shock over his face as she followed suite. Placing the dagger back into her scabbard as he gaped open mouth before masking it with a smirk. "What are you doing out right now? I could have killed you, silver."

"I doubt it" she scoffed, adjusting her clothes as he mimicked her "I was about to knock you out right now"

"Impossible"

"Should I show you?" 

The two walked away from the shadows, breeze hitting her face as she looked up at the stars. Aeris had taken astronomy lessons since she was young, having found solace in the stars that hung over the sky like the streetlights at night. Glowing pale white and yellow, twinkling in and out of sight while the planets positioned themselves so accurately everywhere. Stars scattered over the sky, pinpricks of light cutting through sky. 

"The stars are much clearer here than in Kingshaven" 

She did not know why she said it, the captain following her gaze as she pointed to a patch spread over a distance in an angle. 

"That is the sign Aquarius, of offbeat sensibilities, tending to his sheeps. And that arrow with its tail like extension? that is scorpio, the sign of intelligence" 

"Really?" Hongjoong watched as a smile touched her lips as she pointed out more, cleary caring about the topic as he listened, interested in the way she explained each sign and its meaning. Glaring in annoyance as a lone crow made its way across the empty sky, flying past the wind and banking towards the left with a caw and disappearing from view.

He already knew all of them, he had seen them for the past ten years of his life. He didn't know why he was bothering to listen. 

If she messes up I'll have the honours of correcting her.

"Anything else?" 

"No" Aeris looked down, rolling her neck to remove the pain she felt form looking up for so long. "Thats it"

"Thats good" He hummed, eyes catching at the glow of her skin as she stood in the moonlight. Her hands wore no gloves, lender fingers shivering as they held onto the railing.

 It was not cold, yet she shivered. 

He didn't know why he noticed, not like he had been paying attention to her anyways.

He looked at her face in confusion, hair plastered to his forehead from the heat as her gaze became unfocused, freezing into some point in the distance as her fingers curled into balls. Hongjoong noticed the tapering ends of her powers seeping out of her palms, the break of her breath as she struggled to stay in control. 

"Aeris?" he began, reaching out to hold her shoulders when she stumbled backwards. Deja vu hit him hard, remembering the way she had been that night by the docks. 

The way she had disappeared into the entity, the way she had lost control. The crow was back again, this time flying the opposite direction.

She was close to the edge now, one more step and she would fall right off. 

Hongjoong was torn. On one hand maybe he should not bother, she would snap out of it.Even if she didn't, good riddance to him. 

On the other hand, he was the captain of the Treasure. She was a part of his crew, willing or unwilling, he could not let his crew fall of a ship just like that. 

He should be the one pushing them off. 

"Aeris?" He asked again, not getting a response as the girl nodded her head instead, seeming to have recovered
Taking a deep breath before smiling at him once again. But this one was forced, he could tell. It did not reach her eyes.

"I'm fine" her voice quivered as she repeated the words, "I'm fine" This time they were strong that he would have almost believed her. 

"Would you like to talk about it?" 

"No"

"Alright" 

He did not push, something for which she was grateful. Somethings took time for people to open up about, this was something Hongjoong was well aware of. He was worried, yes, of course he was. 

This was not normal, it would never be normal. 

Never had he seen someone struggle to control their powers. Magic was something you called upon, it existed when you wanted it to. It did not control you, it was not supposed to be a tussle over a body. It was mutually beneficial. 

It was not what he had just seen. 

☾ ☾ ☾ 

The next morning was not peaceful.

Aeris woke up to the ring of the horn and the clatter of the crew as they rushed around the deck. She quickly pulled on her shoes, grabbing the dagger from the bedside table and running up the stairs to see what was going on. Seonghwa was hoisting the sails, San was busy pushing the wind in their direction as Hongjoong stood where they had been yesterday, eyes closed as his forehead scrunched in concentration. 

"Aeris! Here!" She ran towards Jongho, grabbing the spyglass from his eyes and focusing them towards the reason for the chaos. 

They were approaching land.

☾ ☾ ☾