pirate king (pirate!au) ➵ ateez ✔️

tension

You're not dead.

That's the only thought that drifts in your mind as you lie face up on the forecastle deck, eagle spread like a dead starfish. You watch the sun as it rises over the horizon absentmindedly, even as activity rages beneath you on the main deck.

The gun crews are busy cleaning out the cannons, preparing them for another battle as fast as possible. You don't see Seonghwa, but you know he's below decks, leading a team of pirates in checking up on the shot plugs that they used during battle to stop water from gushing in when the ship was hit by cannon fire. You would have been helping San treat the wounded, but one look at your blank, white face and he instructed you to calm down on the forecastle deck instead.

So that's what you're doing.

You watch white puffs of clouds drifting past in the clear blue sky. It's so calm, so peaceful, you find it difficult to believe that you had just been in a sea battle the day before. Only the slight acrid smell of gunpowder that lingers in the air and the occasional holes in the ground from cannon fire reminds you that yesterday was nothing but a dream.

You could have died yesterday.

You've just come into this world, with no memories of your previous self, barely at the beginning of the road to recovering your past, so many questions still unanswered, and it could have all ended for you in that one battle.

The erratic beating of your heart pulls you out of your dazed panic.

You try to suck in deep breaths, forcing yourself to calm down as you grip the necklace under your shirt tightly. The cuts on your body from the splinters sting and you're aching from the bruises, but you know other pirates had it far worse.

Then you remember what you did to Jongho's arm and you wince.

"He's going to kill me." You groan, burying your face in your hands. Even after the battle had been won, the young battlemaster had given you a dark glare before storming off to clear the decks of the remaining soldiers.

"Who's going to kill you?"

You jerk up in shock, spinning around only to see a dark shape dangling upside down from the foremast's rigging like some sort of giant spider, scaring the living daylights out of you. You yelp in terror and jump back, your foot slipping straight into one of the holes caused by the enemy cannons.

"Ow!" A howl of pain leaves your lips as the sharp edges leave scratches on your calf.

"Woah, careful there!" The dark shape drops from the rigging and hurries over to help you out from your mess. It's Yunho, you realise, covered from head to toe in soot and to your horror, dried blood.

"Yunho-hyung, you need to get to Master San right away! You're going to bleed out-"

He laughs easily, waving your concern away. "No worries! It's not my blood! You should watch out for the holes in the deck till Seonghwa-hyung repairs them."

You nod, eyes darkening slightly as they rake over the state of the ship. "The Treasure took quite a beating, didn't she?"

The tall man eyes you curiously as he coils up the rope he was using earlier. "Maybe it's because you're new, but these kind of things are pretty common, actually. No worries, Hongjoong-hyung said we're getting to Tortuga in little less than an hour. We'll be docking there to finish repairs and replenish stocks."

At that, you purse your lips. You're going to reach Tortuga soon, the second time you're stepping on land after having been on the sea for most of your life since your awakening. The last time didn't exactly go well for you. "Won't the Royal Navy be there?"