Prince of Bones

28. The Clock is ticking

"Ahoy captain, show a leg."

Hongjoong groaned, throwing one of his bare legs out from under the soft blanket, wriggling his toes in the air. He felt warm and sweaty, just a bit too much heat around him buttering him up. The leg thing was actually not a bad idea.

He was kicked against his shin with the person having woken him snorting unamusedly. It sounded like his favorite killjoy. Choi San.

"Come on. We wanna see Seonghwa too oftentimes before 'e leaves yar know? We'll be at 'is 'ome in two days."

Hongjoong blinked his eyes open at that, feeling a heavy stone settle in his stomach at the mention. Right. Seonghwa was going to leave soon.

The pirate slowly sat up, his mood ruined. San was at least kind enough to step into the sun bearing down on them so that his shadow blocked their faces. Seonghwa grumbled unintelligibly behind Hongjoong.

San's eyes flicked down to Hongjoong's body and then he whistled wolfishly. He had one brow lifted, checking his naked captain out shamelessly.

"He mauled ye, 'uh? What a view." He crouched down low to scrape at the dried blood on Hongjoong's neck, blowing it off then as it got stuck beneath his nails. Hongjoong rolled his eyes, slapping the man's hand away. San gave up with a laugh.

"What do ye want with 'im? We be not up fer festivities as we speak an' I don't want 'im to spend the day away from me." Hongjoong stretched his neck muscles, rolling his stiff shoulders. Sleeping out there might not have been the best of all ideas.

"Nothin' like that. Yunho cooked up a meal an' we just wanna eat together. Ye can guard 'im all the time, no worries." San huffed as if he was any better, then noticing an item next to his foot. It must have rolled out of the blanket and he now picked it up with careful fingers, looking it over.

It was the blood- and oil-smeared glass toy that was in dire need of some cleaning. San's lips curled in an impish smirk as he turned it in his hand. Hongjoong tried not to look too disgusted, clearly spending too much time with Seonghwa. His sense of hygiene had heightened.

"Will ye need this here again soon?"

Hongjoong shook his head, shooing him off.

"I don't. Ye can 'ave it."

San made a little triumphant noise, standing up then to go jump down to the deck.

"Get movin' already! We even got 'im a cake!", he yelled again in the distance and Hongjoong snorted at him, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes then. He was just turning to search for his pants when he felt warm arms wrap around his hips from behind. A head settled against his lower back, leaning in comfortably.

"Are you in pain?"

He was not. Sure there was an ache in his lower back and his shoulder stung but no, he was not in pain. He just felt as if he was committing a huge mistake and riding right into his certain doom. He felt empty already and Seonghwa was still here.

Hongjoong tried to smile, reaching back to run his fingers through Seonghwa's greasy hair gently.

"I'm not. Thank ye fer yesterday. I know I asked too much."

Seonghwa's arms tightened around him, a faint kiss being brushed against his skin. Hongjoong relaxed in his hold, basking in his closeness and the warm sun shining down on them.

"No. It was needed for you to calm down, I get that. I just hate the thought of it happening again when I'm not there.", he whispered timidly and Hongjoong extended his pats to the man's shoulders, caressing him affectionately.