Eight makes one crew

Signing our lives away to pirates

"Careful there" Hongjoong smirked down at the lord in front of him. Hongjoong wasn't actually sure of this guy's rank but he had a good idea that it was pretty high so he was making an assumption.

"Sorry" The other kid climbed to his feet, looking embarrassed. He bent down and picked up a crown from the ground, looking over it as if unsure if he should put it back on or not. Hongjoong dropped his head respectfully.

"Your majesty, I had no idea" Hongjoong normally did not care for royals but he could see that this one was different.

"Please, don't. I don't like that kind of stuff. Besides, I'm sure my mother is doing everything in her power to strip me of all titles and rights to the kingdom right about now" The man assured Hongjoong, motioning for him to stand so he did. 

"Why would she be doing that?" Hongjoong didn't mean to ask, and he wish that he hadn't. It was none of his business what happened with the royal family. 

"I ran away" That was possibly the simplest answer that could be given. Hongjoong nodded once, unsure what else to say.

"You're a pirate" The man stated, looking Hongjoong over.

"That obvious huh? I'm Hongjoong, Captain of the Ateez" Hongjoong answered. He wasn't usually in the habit of giving away his occupation; pirates were sadly frowned upon. But something inside him was telling him to trust this kid. 

"Seongwha. Prince of...uh, former Prince of-well you know?" Seongwha laughed a little and Hongjoong flet his heart melt. He held a hand out for Seongwha.

"Well, Seongwha, former Prince of -well you know- would you like to run away?" Hongjoong offered. Seongwha stared at his hand and then slowly took it. Hongjoong smiled and ran with him down the street, Seongwha's crown falling from his hand and clattering onto the cobblestone tiles. 

He shouldn't trust a pirate captain; Seongwha's whole life was spent being warned against pirates and filled with stories of how dangerous and ruthless they were. The stories were right. But only to outside individuals and over time, Seongwha was no longer just an outsider. He was part of the crew. And he wasn't the only one. At the same time that Hongjoong indirectly kidnapped the future king, three more members of the Ateez crew were pretty much doing the same thing. 

"I can walk" Yeosang huffed. It had been just his luck that he tripped and sprained his ankle while he was running out of the castle from the guards that were pursuing him. Now he was in the arms of a, unadmittedly handsome, stranger. 

"Of course you can, your majesty. But it's my job as your faithful servant to ensure that you stay unharmed" The smaller man commented, a small smirk tugging at his lips. Yeosang huffed and let himself be carried onto a somewhat large ship and set down on a small bench off to the side. 

"I'm not a prince anymore. And you are under no obligation to serve me. In fact, I'd appreciate it if you didn't" Yeosang muttered. The other man tugged on a strand of Yeosang's hair. 

"Okay. Now sit still" He ordered. Yeosang's mouth dropped open but he obeyed. No one had ever commanded him. A light blushed lit up his features when the smaller kid knelt down in front of Yeosang and started feeling around his ankle to check for broken bones. 

"Careful!" Yeosang hissed when the other man hit a particularly sore spot.

"Sorry. Good news, nothings broken. But you still should rest" The man commented. As if Yeosang didn't know that already. 

"Okay" Yeosang shrugged and looked around. This was the farthest he had ever been from the castle. The sky was bluer than he had thought and the ocean breeze wafted through his hair, pushing it into his eyes and the smell of salt clouded his senses. Yeosang closed his eyes and let himself imagine being out on the ocean, free. He wouldn't mind having that for the rest of his life. 

"Yeosang?" His eyes flew open again and Yeosang looked to the side.

"Hyung!" Yeosang stood up too quickly, losing his balance once he put pressure on his ankle. The one who had carried him onto the ship caught him, setting Yeosang back down on the bench. 

"What are you doing on here?" Yeosang wondered. Seongwha glanced at the man beside him, who was still holding his hand. Yeosang noticed and his eyebrows rose. 

"Umm, long story. You?" Seongwha blushed a little, pulling his hand away from the man next to him. 

"I tripped. He brought me here. Nothings broken though" Yeosang reported. Seongwha gave an appreciative nod to Yeosang's savior, who returned the gesture.

"Speaking of, I don't know your name? You know mine now" Yeosang pointed out. 

"Jongho, your majesty" Jongho answered.

"Please don't call me that" Yeosang groaned. Jongho agreed, though a little reluctantly. He had been raised to always respect the royal family and there was no doubt that included Yeosang.

"Of course, your majesty" Jongho replied on instinct.

"Bah! You heard him, Jongho. Don't call him that. Now come on, handsome" Two new guys boarded the ship, one of them leading the other by the sleeve of his shirt. 

"San!?" Yeosang and Seongwha were both shocked to see their cousin and brother there. 

"How many of you are there?" Hongjoong wondered, throwing his hands up. Yeosang couldn't exactly blame him for that. It was a fair response. 

"Four. And there's the last. With one of yours, I'm assuming" Seongwha pointed over the side of the ship to the dock below.

"Yep. That's Yunho with your..." Hongjoong stopped, looking to Seongwha for an answer.

"Cousin. Yeosang and Yunho are my cousins and San is my brother" Seongwha explained.

"Cool" Hongjoong shrugged. He didn't really care. Once Yunho and Mingi had boarded, the topic of where the four royals were going came up. Seongwha insisted that him, his brother and cousins get out of the way, but Hongjoong shot that suggestion down by wrapping a dominant arm around Seongwha's waist and drawing him close. Seeing as how Wooyoung, the flirty one, was still holding on tightly to San and Jongho was hovering, at what could be an uncomfortable closeness, over Yeosang as if scared that the smaller would get hurt if Jongho moved too far, the decision was made for them. Seongwha had already pretty much signed away his life to the crew and wasn't going to back away, not that he had a choice with the way Hongjoong was eyeing him like a piece of rare treasure. And once Yeosang, San and Mingi knew that the oldest of the four princes had unintentionally become a pirate, there was no choice but for them to do the same. They were not going to abandon Seongwha, no matter what. Besides, maybe it wouldn't be so bad; being a pirate. Despite the stories they had heard of the 'no good, filthy, traitorous thieves'.