pirate king (pirate!au) ➵ ateez ✔️

confession

You hold your breath unconsciously, gazing deep into the inky depths of the sea as the waves roll beneath your feet. Your mind begins to count each heartbeat, one, two, three, four... and that's when you see it move again.

Goosebumps creep over your skin, and you're ready to run when it emerges, rippling against the sea, and that's when you realise that it looks exactly like you.

A pair of vibrant blue eyes lock onto yours - and you feel its gaze deep within your soul.

You know those eyes.

Your lips part of their own volition. "You're m-"

"Chin Hae?"

"Captain!" Your words come out more of a startled squeak and instinctively, you whirl around and shove the coat behind your back the fastest you can, schooling your face into the most innocent expression you can muster as your captain approaches you with a mildly exasperated, but amused smile from his cabin. "You scared me!"

"Only those with something to hide would wear such a guilty look on their face." Hongjoong raises a meaningful eyebrow at you, settling in front of you on the bulwarks, one knee drawn up to his chest and completely at ease on his perch. There's a twinkle in his eye as he regards you, and you laugh, a little embarrassed yet set at ease.

"Well, I've been caught red handed. I promise I'll confess my crimes, but not right now. Don't peek!" You scold when he tries to glance surreptitiously around you and your captain grins mischievously at you, drawing back. "Why did you need to see me?"

At your words, Hongjoong's previously content expression darkens slightly, worry shadowing his face with its heavy weight. A sigh leaves his lips, tired and drawn out,

"Do you know who the head commander of the Royal Navy is?"

You frown, a little surprised by such an unexpected question. "No...?"

Hongjoong's smile is bitter, lost as he looks out to the black sea, watching as dark clouds roll in beneath the half moon.

The signs of an approaching storm.

"He's my father."

Your eyes widen in shock.

When he sees your speechless expression, he laughs, the sound tight in his chest. "Surprising, isn't it? That the son of the head commander of the Royal Navy would turn out to become one of the most wanted pirates sailing the seas." One of his hands come up to touch the eye-patch over his eye, and his expression is so forlorn you feel your own eyes sting. "Captain..."

He holds up a hand before you can say any more, smile sad. You wonder if he even knows what kind of expression he is making, that makes you want to take him into your arms and hide him from all the pain in this world. "Don't feel sad for me. My ties with that man have been severed ever since the day he did this to me. He is nothing but an enemy to me now. What I am worried about is that the only one with the authority to approve such a ridiculous bounty would be the head commander himself, which is why I've been trying to think about the reason why he would possibly do such a thing."

"Maybe he's insane." The words slip out before you can think them through, and immediately clap your hands over your mouth in horror. Hongjoong looks shocked for a moment, before his lips split into a smile and he laughs brightly, amused. The urge to start insulting his father suddenly wells up in your chest just to hear that sound again.

"Oh, he definitely is." Hongjoong's chuckles fade into a warmer smile, and you can't help but think it much better suits his features than that bitter expression on his face earlier. "But an insane man makes a dangerous opponent, and with what's at stake here," his eye lingers on you and one of his hands come up to cup your cheek, an emotion far too deep to be fondness flitting across his face. "I cannot afford to take any chances."