𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑰𝑪𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑺」ateez au

𝐍𝐨. 𝟎𝟕

With San by his side and Yeosang standing directly behind him, Seonghwa was sure he would be a lot more brave than he was during their first encounter. That obviously was not the case.

The three of them were the last to arrive, being greeted by five different pairs of eyes that differed in emotions. Of course, Yunho's cold stare had forced Seonghwa to react defensively, falling a step behind San so that the young pirate would act as a human shield of sorts. Putting as much distance between himself and the only person that seemed to greatly dislike him as possible appeared to be Seonghwa's best option if he wanted to avoid any and all confrontations, and he certainly wanted to avoid any and all confrontations. The others, on the other hand, were showing more positive expressions, welcoming and excited ones that urged Seonghwa to open up more to them.

It was Wooyoung who had greeted him first as he was busy setting the table with large platters of food, a massive grin stretched across his face the moment he laid eyes on the young siren. "Ah! Seonghwa, look at ye! As healthy as a fox! Come sit wherever ye like." He exclaimed just as loudly as he usually was, Seonghwa could always hear Wooyoung, even in the confines of the infirmary.

"An ox, Young-ah. As healthy as an ox." Yeosang sighed, shaking his head in mock disappointment as he was the first of the three to help himself to a seat at the table with the others just like last time.

Wooyoung scoffed. "That's what I said! Hurry and join the table while the food's still steamin'."

Seonghwa didn't understand what the words even meant but he couldn't help but feel a little amused by the interaction, enough so that he had to resist the urge to smile because he feared that it would somehow offend the quartermaster. He hadn't torn his eyes from Seonghwa yet which was a first, Seonghwa couldn't help but make unpleasant assumptions about his icy stare. Was he plotting to harm Seonghwa? Would he lash out at him right there in front of everyone? Perhaps there was a chance that he would strike Seonghwa without warning like his previous quartermaster enjoyed doing. The young siren suddenly didn't feel like he wanted to be in the same room as him, like maybe agreeing to share a meal with the entire crew was a mistake and he should have stayed far away if only to please Yunho.

Out of fear, Seonghwa's head lowered submissively and he couldn't bring himself to utter a single word in response to Wooyoung's friendly greeting even though he truly wanted to. He wasn't given permission to speak, how dare he even think about acting on his own when he was just a mere prisoner. The quartermaster had every right to discipline him whenever and however he pleased so long as the captain allowed it and Seonghwa saw no reason for the captain not to when it came to someone like Seonghwa who wasn't even a member of his crew so he didn't want to do anything that would anger Yunho, he needed to be good, to do better.

Seonghwa hadn't even realized that he was still standing there behind San until the young pirate quietly whispered to him. "Is it too much? I'll take ye back to the infirmary." But Seonghwa wasn't ready to give up just yet. Aside from Yunho, everyone else had only shown him kindness and he really did want to grow closer to them, even if it was only until they decided to dispose of him.

The young siren gave a frantic shake of his head, braving a look at San who looked back at him, concern evident in his striking stare. "I- I'm okay. . . I can do it. . . " He whispered back, even going so far as to take a small step forward to convey that he was determined to at least try. He couldn't go back knowing that he was too much of a coward to face them. If he wanted to stay with San, he needed to become stronger, braver, he couldn't hide behind the young pirate forever.

Although San appeared a bit reluctant and seemed to want to take the time to make sure Seonghwa was willing to do this, he must've decided against it, giving Seonghwa's hand a gentle squeeze before guiding him towards the table with the others. At the head of the table, Captain Hongjoong sat patiently waiting with a warm smile on his face, though he looked to be a bit tired and pale for some reason. It might not have been his place but Seonghwa took a quick mental note of the captain's appearance as he sat down, tucking it at the back of his mind to think about later.