Zero to One || Ep. 2 of the Treasure Series || ATEEZ Pirate AU

Chapter 1: The Ghost Ship

The water sparkled turquoise, reflecting the bright noontime sun. Seagulls cawed overhead loudly, but Eden was focused on pushing a boat off the shallow beach. He turned around and beckoned with a wave. "Come on! There's nothing to be afraid of!"

Hongjoong hesitated, digging his feet into the sand. He kept a cautious eye on the clouds in the sky, searching for any sign of bad weather. Eden followed his gaze and shook his head. "The seas are calm. Nothing to worry about."

Chewing his lip, he remembered a day in the past that had been clear at first, and disastrous later. "Not this time," he whispered. "I trust Eden." Sand shifting between his toes, he took a step forward and then a second and then a third. The water was up to his waist by the time he reached the sailboat.

"Alright," Eden grunted softly as he hoisted the boy up and into a seat. "I'll take the tiller, you're going to tack." Hongjoong said nothing but gave his hyung a pleading face. "Just let your body remember," Eden encouraged with a soft smile.

Grasping the ropes for the sail, something reawakened inside Hongjoong. It was a sensation he hadn't experienced since he was much younger in a time of innocence and unregulated discovery. Waves of nostalgia washed over him as he crested the ocean waves in his little boat and thought about the exploration that had been the centre of his childhood. A childhood that was snatched away too early, but it seemed was being offered to him again. "You've got so much potential, Hongjoong," Eden sighed from behind.

Hongjoong turned to face him, resolved. "Would you teach me?"

...

"Captain? Captain!" Yeosang's voice seemed to part the heavens and descend to him. "How is the deciphering coming along?" Hongjoong blinked until his eyes could fully open.

Asleep again, this time at the bowsprit, where he had hoped the brisk winds bearing on them would keep him awake. He sighed. "Yes, I'll do it now, I promise."

With Yeosang's eyes on him, Hongjoong positioned the magnifying glass over Eden's map splayed in front of him, and traced it over the blank areas of sea. As he gazed into it, the glass revealed markings of islands, which he traced over with pen to make them readable without the glass.

"There's a port two points northeast, that's the closest stop." Yeosang looked over his captain's shoulder, trying not to intrude but longing to witness the navigational magic for himself.

Hongjoong nodded. "In all honesty, the ATEEZ desperately needs repairs and we need some recovery time. Assuming the port is neutral, let's dock there. Since we have this now, I won't mind waiting a few days to get on course in earnest."

Yeosang couldn't argue with that logic, and with permission to take the map, retreated to his cabin to update his own charts.

Hongjoong's eyes lingered on the sea before him. It sparkled the same way it had in his dream. The dream was really a memory, and one Hongjoong thought back to frequently.

There was such a yearning in his heart to be reunited with Eden, assured of his safety, and told that he did well. But next to that yearning had grown a new desire over time, one for protecting his own crew. He was their Eden now, and he wanted to do what he could for them, putting their well-being first and helping them reinvent themselves from their own troubled pasts.

He watched his men cheerfully go about their work, a secret smile on his face, before succumbing to his ever-present fatigue and retiring to his cabin.

...

Wooyoung had loosened up astronomically in the week or so that had passed as the ATEEZ made its way to the harbour. So much so that he was, in fact, among the troublemakers onboard. When Mingi went to fetch him, he need only follow the sound of his extremely squeaky high pitched laugh to find his location.