Young and Wild || seongjoong || ATEEZ

Chapter Eighteen : The Lie, the Traitor, and the Broken Promise

Chapter warnings: some gore

The black sails of the Destiny blended into the night sky perfectly. There were no seams, no beginnings or ends. To some, the sails disappeared completely. To the pirates who sailed under them day after day, the dark sails that their beloved ship carried, it became the night sky.

The black sails were what made the Destiny who she was. There had been others who had tried to recreate the dark sails, but there were none who were ever able to capture the presence and the pure power that the Destiny possessed. Those who knew of the black sails knew all of the stories that came along with them- the fear and the terror of the crew who sailed under them.

But as Seonghwa sat out on the deck as the darkest part of the night was upon them, looking upon all the others who had decided to stay up and drink ale as well as bring out a white sheet of cloth that could be tied between two of the masts and then used many bright lanterns to shine brightly on one side so that when one walked by, their body would cast a large shadow on the cloth, Seonghwa couldn't help but shake his head about all the tales of terror and fear.

He watched them play, all grown and big men dancing around the deck of the ship with mugs of ale in their hands slipping with every move while some of the others created stories with their bodies on one side of the white sheet for those on the other side to watch. Seonghwa couldn't help but smile softly as the wind washed over his face when the Destiny caught a strong breeze. He sat farther away from all the noise- the music and the poor singing from his fellow crewmates as they moved around drunkenly- so he could take it all in and watch them interact with each other as they often did.

Nights like these weren't exactly rare, but it had been so long since Seonghwa was able to sit back with one leg crossed over the other as he leaned back against the shrouds of the ship, and watched the others join in a song about treasure finding and maidens in the taverns. Seonghwa listened to the songs, smiling gently when some of them fumbled over their words and tripped over their own two feet. Those who moved behind the white sheet created their own stories in shadows- speaking of some faraway treasure that was more of a myth than anything else. It was the myth that kept hope for a better life ahead.

As the night moved on and on, Seonghwa found himself entranced with the story illuminated with the golden shine of the lanterns. There was so much happening around him, so many noises filling the dark ocean and night sky- but Seonghwa found his eyes locked onto the story in front of him. Distantly he could hear the deep voices of the pirates singing and stomping their feet on the wooden deck, but it was so quiet in his mind that he found that each pound of a boot against the deck fell in line with the movements of the story being told with bodies and hands behind that white screen.

A ship, one with dark sails. Pirates of all different sizes and shapes, all different backgrounds, and all different goals. A treasure, one that shined from the brightest lantern- but a treasure that was only a myth.

Seonghwa watched with hazy eyes, his body relaxed and peaceful as he watched out of the corner of his eye how Wooyoung was hanging off of San as they moved around. Bright smiles were molded onto their faces as the mug in Wooyoung's hand spilled everywhere before Jongho grabbed it with little protest from the young spy who could then use two arms to wrap around San's neck. Both Jongho and Yeosang were sat together on two crates that had been pulled to the center of the deck among many others. They were quieter but even they joined in on the songs that Yunho and Wooyoung led loudly into the night as they tried to perform with far too much ale in their bodies.