Blackbird - ATEEZ Pirate!AU

The Nightingale and The Kingfisher

Every once in a while something changes,
And she's changing me.
It's too late for me now, I am altered,
There is something beneath.

She's not acid nor alkaline,
Caught between black and white.
Not quite either day or night,
She's perfectly misaligned.
I'm caught up in her design,
And how it connects to mine,
I see in a different light,
The objects of my desire.

Ooh, let's talk about chemistry,
Cause I'm dying to melt through,
To the heart of her molecules,
Til the particles part like holy water.
If anything, she's an undiscovered element,
Either born in hell or heaven-sent,
But either way I'm into it.

"Alkaline" - Sleep Token

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"You may call me The Nightingale."

I held my head high as I announced to my companions the title Hongjoong had bestowed upon me. The feeling of pride and hope it hung around my shoulders was an incredible boost to my morale, second only to the way each pirate reacted to my naming. I let my gaze fall on each one of them for a moment to revel in their reactions.

Seonghwa sat tall and proud, hands neatly folded in his lap. Nodding to me with a warm smile, he tilted his head back to send me a look of encouragement. Knowing that he already knew my name, his perceptive and muted reaction did not surprise me.

'You're still my little dove, Nightingale.' I heard him speak to me alone, that pillow soft voice of his resounding in my head. Feeling my face flush fully, I looked elsewhere, but not before seeing him cover his mouth to stifle a chuckle.

Beside him, San's eyes crested into tight crescent moons as he grinned my way, those deep dimples hollowing his cheeks. Truly, I hadn't seen The Starling look so blithe until now, his full top row of teeth glinting like pearls. He clapped his hands exuberantly, stopping only to whistle through his fingers causing me to laugh brightly. "Yeah! Miss Nightingale!"

Yeosang's radiant beaming was sunny as ever, his cheeks puffing out while he applauded. Honeyed locks swayed askew as he moved to stand respectfully, slightly bowing in my direction. Once he righted himself, those cool green eyes slid easily over me, halting my breathing for a moment while I took in their brilliance. "A charming title befitting a charming woman."

Yunho and Jongho, though not exactly a rays of sunshine themselves, clapped politely for me. The shorter of which even looked me in the eyes while doing so, offering a tight-lipped smile. I chewed my bottom lip absentmindedly, wondering if Yunho was still upset with me. What had I done to make him so irritated already? We'd barely spoken to each other...

My attention was torn from The Cardinal as Mingi stood out of his seat and applauded fiercely, a goofy but captivating grin splitting his face. "Hell yeah! Nightingale sounds so badass!" His positivity was infectious, and I found myself smiling widely in return. "It's way cooler than Goldfinch. I'm jealous!"

My focus fell on The Cormorant then, who leered at me with an unreadable expression. He neither smiled, nor frowned. Still, the neutrality he normally wore wasn't entirely present, and I failed to read the emotion underlying it. I watched as he clapped slowly, that intense charcoal gaze locked in on me as if there was no one else to look at. I offered him a soft simper, my lips curling on their own as I lingered on him. To my surprise he returned the gesture, though it was brief.

Finally, I turned my attention to Hongjoong, who had stood beside me through the entire process. I found his eyes on mine already, two deep black oceans swimming with an emotion I couldn't fully comprehend. There was a near affection there that caught me off guard, leaving my heart reaching for my throat. The soothing way he took me in, the gentle smile that pulled at his mouth, the way he seemed to glow even in the dim light of the cabin... it was all so overwhelming.