pirate king (pirate!au) ➵ ateez ✔️

answer

You've been working hard on the jacket for the last few days.

Too much time, actually. You don't need anyone to tell you that, you know from the way your eyes hurt upon seeing sunlight, the way your back aches when you straighten up. You've spent too long cooped up in the darkness of the storage hold, the needle and fur in your hands only illuminated by the dim light of the oil lamp that hangs from the supporting beams that run overhead. The movements are mind-numbingly repetitive, you know that, but you figure you need something to distract you from the impending reality of having your nose bleed for the umpteenth time when you're hunched over the fox fur in your hands.

You only notice the red stains starting to blossom over the fox fur after a good couple of seconds and startle in surprise, jerking away and reaching for the rag that you keep at your side to wipe carelessly at your nose, before tossing it out of sight behind a stack of barrels beside you. The main shape is coming together nicely, you think, but you still need to pad the inside before resewing the seams to make sure it's nice and secure. Running a hand gently over the soft fur calms you too.

You're trying to escape.

Anyone can tell from the way you spend your days hiding away in the bowels of the ship, brushing off everyone's vaguely concerned "are you alright" with a casual laugh and nod and a "of course I'm fine!" You repeat it so many times you almost believe it to be truth at some point, the smile seeming to be permanently etched onto your face now. You'll be fine, you'll be fine, you keep telling yourself and sometimes, you wonder who exactly you're trying to convince.

It's the third day after the Treasure has left the little seaside town when someone comes down to find you.

To your surprise, it's Seonghwa standing there at the bottom of the cargo stairs, kitchen knife in hand as he smiles at you. "Mind helping me out with dinner today?" He asks warmly and you shift subtly, hoping that the bloody rag is well hidden and out of sight.

"I'm a little busy though." You say, raising the fox fur in your hand and Seonghwa frowns slightly.

"You've been working on that so long, I think you need a break." Seonghwa tells you, stepping over to look at what you're doing. In a rush to hide the bloody rag behind you, you get to your feet as fast as you can, shaking your head. "Oh, I'm fine, honestly! But I, uh, wouldn't mind helping with dinner at all."

"That's great!" Seonghwa chirps cheerily, tugging at your arm gently. "Come on, let's go then! I'm sure you haven't lost any of your cooking skills, have you? I'd hate to see my only protege forget everything I've taught."

With a reluctant sigh, you put down the fox fur and follow Seonghwa out of the cargo hold. Your eyes water slightly at the bright sunlight, raising a hand to shield them, glancing about. A few crew members wave excitedly to you upon seeing you out and about for the first time in a few days, and you wave awkwardly back, not entirely sure how to respond. When Seonghwa leads you down the stairs to the galley, you pinch and pull at your cheeks, hoping that your smile is enough to convince them.

When the two of you step into the galley, Seonghwa closes the door behind him. To your surprise, Jongho is sitting at the table in the galley, fidgeting uncomfortably with a small paring knife in his hand. Frowning a little in confusion, you tilt your head to look at the younger battlemaster. "Are you going to help us with dinner, Jongho?"

"Well, yeah." Jongho says a little too quickly. You manage a small smile, reach over to pinch his cheek and he bats it away, cheeks colouring. Seonghwa laughs at the little display as he reaches over to grab a heavy iron skillet hanging from wall. "Jongho came into the kitchen today and asked if he could cook."