Cutlass | Jeno x Reader | Completed

01

On normal days, the house you considered yourself trapped in was quiet, with the only sounds coming from the kitchen caused by the chefs when mealtimes came around. But today was an exception of the calm atmosphere the house usually withheld.

"I refuse to have a daughter who will not follow the rules I have laid upon under my roof." Your father claims, red-faced and eyes angrily set upon your defiant figure.

"And I refuse to marry a man whom I have never spoken to," you argue in return, "or met, for that matter."

Your mother's eyes widen at your words, clearly taken aback by how out of order you were acting. Her hand was placed delicately over her stomach, a nervous habit she picked up on not long ago.

"Then leave."

The words hit you like a train, your own expression showing off just how shocked you were by your father's words. The sudden calmness in his tone and the way he leaned back into his wooden desk chair showed how smug he was with his statement.

"Darling, that's out of proportion." Your mother softly says, hand placing itself on his thin shoulder.

"If she so badly wants to defy me, then I may as well be childless." He explains, his eyes unwavering as he meets your uncertain gaze. "But if Y/N comes back to her senses and agrees to quietly go about this, we can go back to how things were before this silly scene came about."

"What I feel and think is not silly nor something to take light of." You irritably spit out, hands wrinkling the skirt of your dress. "I should have the free will of decision when it comes to picking a betroth."

"Stop spouting such nonsense. While you are under my roof, there is no such thing as having your own 'free will'." He sneers, motioning for his personal butler to come forth. "Bring lady Y/N back to her chambers. When she is feeling right in the head, she may come out."

Baffled by his order, you fight against the hold his employee has on you but end up getting dragged to your bedroom instead.

"Let go of me!" You demand, tearing your arm free from his unrelenting grip. "Is that how you handle a lady? What manners have you been taught?"

He only stands still, stoic expression with a sealed mouth. He positions himself outside of your door, silently informing you he will be standing guard outside. You mutter to yourself as you slam the door shut, hand lingering against the wooden surface as you thought of the future events.

You had done many things to uphold your father's pride and happiness with you, many things that included being as feminine, rigid, and submissive as possible. Despite not wanting to do many of these things, you did it for the sake of being able to do your own personal hobbies like reading and cooking. Two things women of your status were not allowed to do openly.

But this. This had been the last straw that pushed you over the edge to finally say 'no'. It wasn't fair, to you or whomever your father wanted to hand you off to, that you were to be forced to spend the rest of your lives together. You had dreamt of meeting someone who would understand and care for the you that was hidden from the public eye. But in this case, you would have to keep your perfect image on full display for the remainder of your life.

It wasn't something you looked forward to. So with this in mind and the newfound courage, you decide to run. With a small luggage filled with a day's worth of clothing and other small necessities, including a good amount of money, you planned your escape.

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The hoots and hollers that were coming from the main deck could be heard from his private quarters, much to Jeno's dismay. He had been hoping for some peace in order to catch a wink of sleep but because his crew was obnoxious and loud with everything, it didn't seem like he was going to be obtaining any this afternoon.

He groans momentarily, not wanting to rise from the comfortableness of his bunk. The sway of the ship being moved by the waves was a constant companion of his, one he grew accustomed to after a week's worth of sailing. Years later, Jeno grew fond of the comforting feeling the swaying gave him, never once growing sick of it.

Upon stepping foot onto the main deck, Jeno scans the open area, watching his crew leaning over the right side of the ship.

"What's the ruckus all about?" He questions, stomping over to them as he took upon his authoritative attitude.

Mark, his trusted helmsman, turns to face him. "Jisung and Chenle were in the midst of fishing when they started yelling."

"Over?"

It was Donghyuk who answers this time, his attention turning to their captain. "Well, they say there was a girl in the net."

"A what?" Jeno asks in disbelief. They were practically in the middle of the ocean so how could anyone be drifted out this far?

"Yeah, we had the same reaction." Mark shrugs before pointing over his shoulder, towards the water. "Until we took a look for ourselves."

Beginning to think his crew was finally losing it, Jeno pushed past his members to look over the rails, wanting to get a glimpse for himself.

Sure enough, there was a girl. One who was determinedly holding onto the ropes of the fishing net, her eyes skewered shut as she was raised with the boys' efforts.

Jeno found himself helping with lugging the net upward, an unknown feeling cursing through him with every pull. They were able to reel in the net back on deck, with you clumsily falling down with it.

As if staring at a foreign subject, the captain and his crew circled around you, wondering why the hell you were out in the ocean.

"Do you think it's a siren?" Chenle questions, eyes full of curiosity as he looked around at his crewmates.

"Sirens aren't in these parts. How many times do we have to tell you?" Renjun sighs with a shake of his head.

"I am not whatever you just said." You retort, staggeringly standing up in the process. "I am Y/N Y/L/N, from the Y/L/N household and I am thankful for your rescue."

Jeno, who was momentarily distracted with the sudden female voice, comes back to his senses and steps forward, almost directly facing you. He puts on his captain persona, using the same tone he would with an enemy. "This was no rescue. You trespassed."

"You pulled me in." You reply, leveling your gaze with his.

Jeno sizes you up for a moment, taking in the one diamond earring and pearl necklace you adorn. "You come from wealth, I see."

"Why should that be of any concern to you?"

"I wonder how much your family would be willing to pay if we took you as hostage."

"You know what?" You say, stepping away from this devilishly handsome guy and off of the pile of fish you had been standing on. Gross, you internally shrieked. "Just put me back."

"Into the water?" Mark asks which you nod in response. "What the fu-"

Jeno's eyes gleam with amusement at her words. "You want to swim with the fishes that badly?"

"Better than being an useless hostage." You reply. The last few days had been rough and you were in no mood for unwanted inquiries.

His eyebrows raise at this but makes no comment on the matter. "What were you doing out in the middle of the ocean?"

"Running away, obviously."

Amusement flashes in his eyes as he stares down at you, wondering how you had managed to get this far without getting into some sort of trouble. "From?"

"Listen here, Mister," you point a finger his way, hearing the sudden hush fall across the boys on the ship. "I didn't climb onto this boat to be questioned."

"It's a ship." Chenle chimes in, but clamps up after one glance from Jeno.

"Listen here, Miss," Jeno mocks, "you're on my ship, therefore you'll have to show just a tad bit of respect, yeah?"

"Your ship? We look to be about the same age. How could you own something like this?" You remark.

"Well, when you're a pirate, almost anything's possible, wouldn't you think so?"