Prince of Bones

3. Puzzle Pieces

Seonghwa's mother had easily let them go, provided them with the maximum of provisions she could spare and calmly waved after their retreating bodies until they were out of sight. Tikki had been a bit more sassy, telling Hongjoong to bring some fancy souvenir and take good care of Seonghwa or so help her. She was adorable. Hongjoong had told her he was glad such a strong little dwarf protected Seonghwa.

So it was only a few hours later that Hongjoong found himself walking next to Seonghwa on his useless land legs, looking out over the flat meadows with the little houses strewn all about. Further down the way some forest was showing, the trees looking old and menacing. Hongjoong was not used to trees.

The captain constantly wondered if his crew was here somewhere or if some of them had managed to be captured somehow. If they had luck they also may have found someone who was not out for their heads, instead taking mercy on their stranded souls. Hongjoong for sure hoped nobody uselessly drew attention to himself.

"Tell me what happened?"

Hongjoong looked up at Seonghwa, completely detesting the height the other had on him and just sighed deeply, thinking back to that day a week ago.

"We got into that storm. It's nothing unusual, there are often storms out at sea. Yeosang normally takes us around them but somehow we managed to get caught up in it. We were being followed already." Hongjoong lifted one arm to settle around Seonghwa's waist, enjoying its tiny size underneath his fingers. Seonghwa got the invitation, leaning more into his side while they were walking.

"We sailed right in with the hopes of losing them there. Well we did not. Instead there was basically another pirate ship doing the same and everything came together and we sunk. It's not the first time it happened to me so it's not that tragic but... we need a new ship now and my hands are all over the place."

Seonghwa nodded slowly and Hongjoong could see the gears working behind his pretty face, his eyes unsure.

"Are you even sure everybody survived? I don't seek to worry you, but..."

Hongjoong playfully squeezed his waist, seeing the man blush all over again. How was he so shy as if they had just met again? He was literally taking care of Hongjoong's kid for him by now!

"They got an ace up their sleeves, remember? Speaking of that, how did you deal with it? I will search for another poison if he annoys you." He was quite sure that his incompetent crew had managed. They were much too stubborn to die of being sunken.

Seonghwa straightened up a bit, a peculiar glint appearing in his eyes. Hongjoong slowed his steps a bit to better watch him grin manically to himself, feeling a gleeful grin spread on his own lips. His hand slipped down lower to settle on the hilt of the sword the other man was wearing quite comfortably around his hip. It suited him.

"I discovered a few things about them. I'll be happy to teach them to you." He giggled to himself just a bit evilly and Hongjoong had to laugh too, pulling him in close. Seonghwa had always had these weird little habits.

"Sure, teach me anythin'. I can teach ye some new thin's too." He made sure to drop his voice a bit in order to see Seonghwa shudder, have an excuse to pull him even closer. The man was pliant under his touch, oh so trusting and Hongjoong again asked himself how he did not die of boredom in these past two years.

"What did you do all this time? Swabbing the whole town?"

Seonghwa merely rolled his eyes at him, kicking some pebbles away in that badass way of his. And right after he looked as if he wanted to apologize to the grass they had landed in.

"Doing what I always did. Baking bread, caring for mom. Now also caring for Tikki. Meeting with mom's new lover, reading some books he lent me... Practicing how to fight- Actually I did a lot of things I normally don't do."