pirate king (pirate!au) ➵ ateez ✔️

battlemaster

"So, you're saying you heard the voice of the sea monster."

"Yes..." You say hesitantly, Seonghwa nodding encouragingly at you as you spill the beans to San. The healer's face is unreadable, inscrutable as he eyes you silently, fingers drumming over the side of his mug of tea.

"I can vouch for him." Seonghwa speaks up but San shakes his head, setting down his drink with a thunk.

"It's not that I don't believe you, apprentice." San's eyes are unnaturally sharp for such a soft person. He straightens his back, before giving you a pensive glance. "But for you to be able to hear the voice of a sea monster... what could it possibly mean?"

"Perhaps he is blessed similarly to Hongjoong?" Seonghwa suggests. The healer nods thoughtfully.

"That could be the case. We don't know who you were before you lost your memories, so that could well be the answer." San explains, and you frown. You, blessed by a sea god?

"But I can't do that thing captain can... like making the ship move faster." You try to get your point across. Apart from having heard the monstrous beast once, you're not much special anyway else. You have no voodoo magic thing about you, or any control over the wind. Hell, you can barely use a kitchen knife the right side up.

The cook ponders this thoughtfully. "Different people may be blessed different ways. It's always a possibility you can consider-"

"Stowaway?" You jerk to your feet as a new voice comes from the door. There are two men standing in the doorway, much to your surprise. One you recognize, the lookout, Yunho, and the other seems vaguely familiar.

He's at least half a head taller than you, with a rounded face and serious, deep brown eyes. He can't be very old, but the way he carries himself is endearing, like a young boy trying to match up to his older peers.

"Are we interrupting anything, hyungs?" He asks, so seriously that you're almost impressed for a moment. His face is stoic, waiting for a reply so earnestly you immediately feel an almost irrepressible urge to wrap him up in a massive hug and squish his cheeks. He's dressed simply in a sky blue shirt with white strips over a white tee, tucked into black trousers. This seems to be standard clothing for most of the crew.

Ah, you remember where you've seen him before.

When you had been tied up on deck, you'd seen seen him working out on deck, doing an insane number of push ups, lifts, running back and forth the bow and stern until you had gotten tired just from watching him. He didn't seem to exist within normal human limitations, doing sit ups with entire tree trunks or squats with other members of the crew twice his size on his back.

But it was his voice that left an impact on you the most. You had been battling a raging fever, agonizing pain and a terrible loneliness. One night, you had been in despair once again, wondering if you were going to be thrown to the sharks the next day or whether the captain would simply shoot you dead, when you had heard a voice singing.

"Born on the wrong side of the ocean
With all the tides against you
You never thought you'd be much good for anyone
But that's so far from the truth

I know there's pain in your heart
And you're covered in scars
Wish you could see what I do..."

Until now, you still don't know what song it was, but it had lulled you out of your self pity and that night you had slept with a calm mind. Of course, the apple breaking had also helped to amuse you greatly, but the way he had sung, so soulful and with so much emotion, was something you couldn't forget.

You wanted to thank him, but how?

"No, we were just chatting about how our stowaway's cooking is getting better." San smiles, and you whip around to stare at your master in shock so fast it almost gives you whiplash.