This is a commission for CallforHope on Ao3! Thanks a lot for letting me post and share! Happy birthday~

Smut warning for the second half

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Mingi's head thumped against the rough stone of his cell. Shuffling to rub the sting off, he directed narrow eyes at the cast-iron bars separating him from the corridor leading outside. The scent of the sea and cooked food travelled from upstairs, luring with a promise of freedom. Taunting since the locked-up pirate couldn't get access.

In here, Mingi saw neither the sun nor his beloved sea. The cells left and right of him were empty apart from leftover bloodied fabrics and stains of urine.

This side of the prison rarely kept its inhabitants for long. Easy come, easy go. They all danced the hempen's jig as soon as the prior bodies had been carted off to make space for more. No fool kept the pirates alive for longer than necessary.

Iron shackles bound Mingi's wrists before his body. They clicked against his many bracelets and rings, none of which had helped him break them open.

Mingi sighed. The solid rock behind him was cool against the heat of the tropical islands beyond. Mingi still wore his headband and his belt, only stripped of his weapons when he had been thrown in here after his trial.

If that could even be called a trial. He had his rights read to him by some young lad, barely a proper man of the law. After convicting him without allowing a word in response, he had been sentenced to hang. Ever since, Mingi wasted away here. Alone. Living on mouldy bread and stale water shoved into his cell with crude laughter.

Today, as well, Mingi was unattended. And while it hadn't been that long, it gnawed on his sanity. This place was harrowing, and he often listened to the wails of pain down in that 'investigation chamber'. Whenever they dragged the poor bastards outside after having their way with them, their broken limbs towed behind unconscious bodies.

What was the point of executing them if they wished for death?

No, Mingi wanted to be free. Wanted to get out of this grisly place no pirate would subject their prisoners to. Wanted to return to the sea and breathe its salty breeze.

Mingi stood and peered through the iron bars, trying to glimpse down the shadows in the corridor. He was in some kind of naval fortress and countless guards in orderly uniforms and bayonets patrolled all exits. Even if he broke out of his cell, an escape would end murderous.

But Mingi rather died fighting than going mad here because of a parched throat and a lack of light.

"Oi!" He yelled down the corridor, rattling his chains to get anyone to step close enough to hit him. The sickening joy these guards had with their prisoners deserved them to get their brains smeared over the iron bars. One step too far and Mingi could access their keys or weapons.

But nobody was around. They left with the keys, uncaring of Mingi's noise. However he raged, he wouldn't get out of this cell.

Grumbling, Mingi leaned his head against the bars. He had been pondering how to flee for days and it became harder to think. By now, his brain probably got mouldy like anything else in this rancid hell.

After clanging his bindings against the cell bars for a few more times, Mingi gave it up. He rolled up in his corner where countless other bodies had smoothened the stone as they sat in wait, praying for a liberation that would never come. In his sleep, Mingi was free. Sailed the seven seas with its salt on his tongue and the sun in his hair. Oh, how good that rum had tasted. How he should have appreciated every game of dice.

Fitful since his body felt too hot and yet too cold in this foreign place, the pirate waited out yet another day, unsure when the noose directed its eye at him.

-

The next day, Mingi awoke to a headache. His neck was stiff after his uncomfortable sleeping position and the cup of water he got barely helped him. Groaning, he relieved himself into the corridor, hoping some bastard longcoat would step in it and slip to get a faceful of piss.

A voice behind him had him startle, almost squishing his rod between the cell bars.

"You could use the bucket, you know?"

Bewildered, Mingi sorted his clothes to spin around. His senses must have dulled a lot, so he overlooked the glaring difference from the days prior. A second person was in the cell with him, huddled into a corner and tucked into such a small bundle that Mingi hadn't noticed him in his haze.

"As if. I ain't swabbin' the cell fer those landlubbers." Addled since the cell door had opened and he didn't hear it, Mingi sat down warily to study his new companion. Compared to the rugged pirate with the scar on his brow, this lad looked freshly hatched.

Dark hair curled around his ears to tie into a short ponytail in his nape, oddly swept for their gritty surroundings and the dry, salty air. His brows were strong and his features handsome. Good breeding, Mingi supposed.

Weirder yet, were the clothes he donned. His white jacket was embroidered with golden thread and expensive pearls. A matching shirt tucked around his neck in a fashionable cravat and his high-waisted pants looked measured to his long legs. He wore polished leather shoes and if his getup wouldn't have told his story, the snobby tilt of his chin would.

Mingi scoffed at him.

"What did ye do to land down 'ere? They must 'arbour some spirited 'atred to put ye in a cell with a criminal eager to dig 'is blade into somethin'."

Though a shudder of fear trembled through the man, he unfurled to sit properly. Didn't lower his gaze as his appraising look studied Mingi's salt-patterned cotton clothes and the stolen jewellery on his neck, wrists and fingers. A blatant loathing carried with the typical noble arrogance. Veiling the dread in his eyes.

"On the contrary, they have nothing on me. I suppose they hoped you would tear me apart like the rabid dog you look like. Leaving nothing for them to apologise for."

"Ye reckon? Why did they throw ye in 'ere without proof? Ye look to 'ave enough booty to buy yerself out."

The other man intertwined his fingers, ashamed by the unsightly confession of his circumstances.

"I was wrongfully convicted," he announced. "I did nothing yet have been locked up for apparent tax evasions."

Giggling, Mingi folded his legs on the ground. His new playmate entertained him and while drinking his blood would be the most fun, he was amused to uphold the exchange.

"Aye, aye, me too, matey. Wrongfully convicted," the pirate cackled. When he earned a dignified glare, he threw his head back with laughter.

"Ye do nay 'ave to 'ornswoggle me. I can nay do anythin' worse to ye than a quicker end. Did ye scuttle the daughter o' some jack tar? The wife?"

A mortified blush took over the noble's features. He hid away, repelled by the accusation and the pirate's crude words.

"Scuttle- I would never do such a thing! I am the honourable son of a textile manufactory owner. Though I have a fiancée to woo, I would never do such a thing to her or the family of another."

Mingi caressed his chin. His stubble was growing in so it had been more than a week already.

Perhaps the poor bastard was wrongfully convicted. Mingi wouldn't put it past those scoundrels from the government to lock up their own at the slightest displeasure.

"What about you? Murder? Slavery?" The man asked back when the broad pirate hovered in contemplation. At Mingi's gaze, he huddled back up, so slender and delicate in comparison. While Mingi hauled sails and anchors, this noble could hide away in his mansion at leisure. Though he seemed awed by the thick muscle of Mingi's form, he was smartly terrified.

Not so stupid, after all.

Mingi's headache was forgotten as he entertained the indignation of his cellmate.

"Regular ol' privateering. Nothin' o' grand 'arm," he hummed in his grumbling voice, which only got deeper from the rare use in recent days.

"Nothing of harm!" That blue-blooded parrot gasped. "Such a scourge of the sea, you plunderers are! You and your foul bunch! You murder and steal and rape and-"

"Ye be in a cell with such a plunderer, bucko. Keep talking and I will show ye 'ow I plunder and rape." When Mingi made to move over with a sinister grin, the noble scrambled into his corner. Feeble hands stretched out in a useless defence. He wasn't chained up. Probably since he was in no danger.

"None of such! You best keep me unharmed, so I may consider doing you a favour once my father gets me out of here. He must merely meet the governor, you see. No one can trial me without proof."

Mingi scoffed. As if he was any safer. If they wanted proof, they would find some, real or not.

"What be yer name, landlubber? I will remember ye once they drag ye off fer torture."

The noble paled in his fancy clothes. Suddenly aware of how his social position gave him no advantage here. If the pirate wanted, he could kill him without using his hands.

"S-Seonghwa. I'm Park Seonghwa, of Park Textiles."

"Seonghwa," Mingi grumbled. "I be Mingi. Gunner o' the Bluebirds."

"The Bluebirds," Seonghwa echoed. He pondered the name, but how would a noble ever get to visit a dim inn with wanted posters outside? He grew up sheltered. "Are you of name?"

"We been. Me captain went against Bang Yongguk an' got scuttled. Unlucky decision."

"Bang Yongguk!" Now Seonghwa properly reacted. His eyes lit up with a brazen glow as he clapped careless hands.

"The admiral himself! Another win for the crown, oh, that makes me happy. Then your crew is dead? A few curses less?"

Mingi loomed over threateningly and Seonghwa shut his mouth, realising his mistake.

"Doubt it. Me captain be a stubborn one. Who knows? Maybe they break me out first. I could take ye to be me cabin boy," Mingi grinned crudely. Seonghwa adjusted his tie with nervous fingers.

"What's... What's a cabin boy for?" Clueless eyes never saw the world outside of his limited surroundings. Oh, Mingi was having fun.

Mingi leaned even closer, breathing down on the other. Though the cell was spacious, Seonghwa didn't dare flee. Frozen in dread, he listened to the pirate's rough voice.

"Fer lookin' pretty an' scuttlin'. Bein' an open 'ole to plunder on long nights."

Mortified, Seonghwa dashed away from him. Disgust distorted his features as he scowled down at the laughing pirate from the opposite end of the cell.

"Sodomy!" He accused with a pointing finger. "You pirates are the worst! I can't wait until they hang you."

"Aye, aye, mate. Now buckle down. Ye do nay wanna give me a 'eadache."

Instantly quiet, Seonghwa huddled into his corner once more. He watched Mingi with suspicious eyes, never missing a movement as the pirate sprawled out.

He guessed more commotion would liven up this cell block soon. And from how this fellow yapped, he wouldn't be quiet until he was free. Already, Mingi didn't want to hear the sobbing towards his family and guards to let him out.

But it was better than loneliness.

Keeping him around for entertainment until Mingi got sick of him, the pirate rested his energy to figure out if this noble might become his key to escaping.

-

Early the next day, they received their next meal. The amount of water and bread was the same, and the guard didn't even glance at them as he carelessly threw them in, forcing Mingi to scramble to catch the cup before it toppled over. He scowled at the little rations. They wore him down and depleted his strength. Made sure he couldn't fight anymore once they dragged him out to meet Jack Ketch.

Still, Mingi turned to Seonghwa and offered him half of the hard bread.

Surprised, Seonghwa glanced between the item and Mingi's features. His hesitation didn't think a pirate would share his meal.

But Mingi wasn't one of those government bastards with their snotty noses held high. He knew to befriend those in the same boat as him.

When the noble shook his head, Mingi's brow furrowed. He knelt before his scrawny form, hesitant to eat by himself. Seonghwa would starve first.

"Ye ain't 'ungry?"

"Oddly not, no. I will eat tomorrow," Seonghwa offered with the faintest of smiles. It looked handsome on his features, equal parts shy and unexpectedly pretty.

Mingi grunted. He didn't see such beauties out on the sea often. In pleasure houses, sure. But the jennies were worn down and bleak from the many pipes they smoked. This was different. Exciting.

"'ave it yer way," Mingi replied as he huddled over his meal to relish it to the fullest.

Refreshed after wolfing down his bread, Mingi also offered to share his water, but Seonghwa shook his head anew.

"Did ye give up? Or be ye just so stubborn to wait fer salvation?" Mingi asked, put off by the lack of survival instinct. He supposed a noble was used to getting what he wanted, not fighting for his life every day. But could they afford stubbornness right now?

Seonghwa hugged his knees. He always looked as if he was feeling so cold. Mingi couldn't offer him his grimy clothes, but he scooted closer, offering some body heat. The corridors remained silent aside from the distant clanging of metal chains.

"I'm used to it, I suppose. I forgot how many days drew past since I was thrown in there."

Befuddled, Mingi squinted out into the corridor. No daylight helped their cause, but this was the first meal they received together. Those came once per day.

"What do ye blabber? Ye joined me yesterday; this be our first grub."

Seonghwa looked at the bleak grey walls. For being fresh in here, he submitted to his face quickly. No grand talk about his status and about how it would free them. He looked resigned, as if he knew no one was coming.

And no one was coming for Mingi either. But that didn't mean he would submit to the bounds of the law.

Before Seonghwa had to doubt himself, Mingi leaned into his space. At first, the noble flinched back from his stench and the danger exuding off the murderous pirate, but he realised they needed to be quiet, so he moved back in.

"Let's escape," Mingi whispered to him, keeping his senses on their surroundings in case someone checked on them. "We be two mates now, so we 'ave twice the chance. We can steal a ship at the port an' brin' ye aft to yer family."

Seonghwa paused. Fear crossed his gaze as he dreaded nothing more than going against the government he felt safe with.

Not that some unarmed pretty noble was of much use to Mingi. But he was good bait and even better ransom.

The pirate smirked as he placed his hands behind Seonghwa on the ground, leaning close enough that their heat mingled through their clothes. Seonghwa cast his face away with a blush, but he didn't shove Mingi off.

Giddiness spread in Mingi's chest. So he was one of those.

"Think smartly. We can work together an' sail our routes afterwards. Ye only profit. If we part timely, ye do nay get caught up in piracy either."

Despite the wet cell they cowered in, Seonghwa smelled of expensive perfumes. Exotic, floral, sweet like one of his status would. Mingi breathed it in eagerly, so close to burying his face in that pale neck.

"I... I don't know. You are scary and they will shoot once they see you."

Mingi nudged their shoulders into each other. They were comrades in their dilemma.

"Do ye nay want freedom?"

This time, Seonghwa hesitated for longer. Gathered the hope in his eyes, dreamt of a life far away, of seafaring perhaps. He subconsciously leaned into the pirate as if searching for safety with him, and Mingi sneakily hooked his bound arms around his waist to pull him close.

In the face of death, even the most arrogant longcoats submitted to their instincts. Seonghwa sought warmth and though he trembled under Mingi's touch like one who had never been embraced before, the excitement flushing his ears kept him in place. The pirate tilted his head to speak at his ear, splaying his fingers over Seonghwa's side until the noble realised their height difference and the strength of his grip.

"We could avast without anyone noticin'. Workin' together where the other lacks. I can brin' ye to a different island if ye want. Can show ye us gentlemen o' fortune ain't so foul as ye reckon," Mingi purred. Pleased by Seonghwa's squirming, he almost forgot his purpose of getting the noble involved in his plans at flight. His shyness was much more enticing.

Among pirates, there was no use for such reluctance. They took, and they pillaged and they were bold about their desires.

Poor nobles and their strict regulations. Too scared to get condemned, so all fantasies were hidden in private.

Now that they burst out of Seonghwa all at once, Mingi figured he stumbled upon a treasure in the most unlikely of places.

"If ye want to learn about the freedom o' the briney deep, I could e'en keep ye in me cabin fer a while. If I be captain, me bed be big," Mingi lured, lowering his voice until it shuddered through the noble's body.

Seonghwa ducked away, not daring to look at him. His dark hair fell into his eyes, despite his sleep orderly. Nervous teeth dug into his lip.

Pressing them closely together to feel each other's bodies, Mingi was about to tug him into his lap and let his hands wander while Seonghwa pondered his promises. But the man in his arms found his words and squeaked them out like a mouse.

"I think... I think it's too late for me..."

Invested by not getting refused outright, Mingi craned his head to look at him. His unruly red hair fell over his features, tangled with colourful wooden pearls. The noble was tucked into his side, almost cosy in the pirate's heat. Yet, his breathing was ragged.

"Why?"

Seonghwa massaged his neck. He seemed short of breath, eyes glazing over. It was not a reaction Mingi had seen before, so he tilted Seonghwa's chin to face him, studying the pale of his features.

"Ye jolly?" He made sure, worried the other was put off by the sudden closeness to the pirate. Mingi didn't intend to scare him. Only to play a little.

But Seonghwa was gagged for words. He gasped, as if something had lodged in his throat and Mingi packed him hastily, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Oi! What be ye doin'?! Ye posessed?!" Without wavering, the pirate hit his back to help him with the choking. The noble's pretty eyes were wet with tears and bulged from his gasping features. He coughed and clawed at his neck until Mingi yanked his hands off. Helpless, he pressed him close, keeping the flailing at bay.

Was he going mad? He hadn't eaten anything and didn't seem sick, either.

Before Mingi could pry Seonghwa's mouth open to find out if he choked on a hair, his shudders suddenly eased. He took a big gulp of air and wiped at his eyes. Though he trembled, he calmed from the sudden attack. Long fingers held onto his neck.

As soon as it had come, it was over.

Wary, Mingi watched him. He was no quack, so he had little idea of illnesses on land. Though he had seen drowning men. Seonghwa just looked as if he drowned in air.

"Lad?" Mingi asked, and Seonghwa found his words. Unseeing eyes stared into a distance Mingi couldn't perceive. His eerie peace was almost more haunting that the symptom without cause.

"I'm already dead," he whispered. Almost soundless in the cold cell.

A shudder crawled over Mingi's spine. He was superstitious, and he didn't appreciate the sudden possession and mutters of a madman. Enough myths came to life at sea that Mingi didn't want to get involved with a wrathful spirit.

Wasn't Seonghwa normal until earlier?

"Ye ain't. I offered ye flight. If ye work with me-"

Seonghwa couldn't hear him. He only held his unmarred throat and a deep sadness pooled fresh tears in his eyes.

"I already got executed. I feel the noose's embrace around my neck."

Frozen in terror, Mingi tried to make sense of him. Could one have a nightmare while awake?

"What be ye blabberin'?" Then, shaking off the chill, Mingi wrung his hand through his hair.

"Nay. It does nay matter. I see an' feel ye. Ye be alive." He squeezed Seonghwa's waist to show him, and a wistful smile turned in his direction. So ghostly and strangely beautiful.

He didn't speak, but Mingi couldn't bear looking at him any longer. Was uncomfortable under that look in his eyes that seemed to know something he didn't.

No more fun with this one. Whether he was mad or a ghost - none of which mattered to Mingi in this hellhole, it was equally crazy - their moment evaporated.

"Shiver me timbers. Even the ghosts 'aunt me now," Mingi sighed, if just to entertain Seonghwa. Saying it made it less scary, even when Mingi's hands also shook now.

As if the realisation had been needed for Seonghwa to recover, he unwound. He sunk back into Mingi's side to share this warmth which was so lively. How could he be dead? How could Mingi see him?

He had heard of shamans and the occult magic of the southern islands, but he never thought he had this ability. Had something happened to him during his imprisonment? Opened another eye?

Blimey, holding Seonghwa suddenly became so unsettling.

Still, Mingi leeched off that heat. He was soothed when Seonghwa's smile returned. For thinking he was dead, he accepted his fate of torment quickly.

Most likely, he just went mad in this cell. Nobles were weak of body and mind.

"You would want to take me along? If I... were still there?" Seonghwa picked up their conversation as if nothing had happened. Mingi shrugged.

"Aye. Ye would make an 'andsome swab on me new ship."

Mingi meant it. Without the infuriating drip of water and wails of other prisoners, Seonghwa's mind might clear. Mingi had seen men mad from the sun. So long as they didn't attack each other, they served their purpose.

Flattered, Seonghwa cast his gaze away with a blush. When Mingi hooked his chin over his shoulder to breathe his sweet scent and read his reactions, he was pushed into the chest with a hand, which didn't mean it. When Seonghwa's fingers caught onto his halfway-open shirt and touched the tanned skin underneath, he flinched away. Mingi chuckled throatily.

Seonghwa was already trapped in his embrace. It was easy to nuzzle into the short hair behind his ear, to breathe in his floral scent that lingered even in the cell. A lone flower among bleak rocks.

Shivering, Seonghwa leaned closer as Mingi trailed his nose over the curve of his ear.

"We do nay 'ave to rush with our escape. Let's make a jolly plan first," Mingi suggested and Seonghwa's lashes fluttered, mind far from any such plans at flight.

Still, he squirmed, trying to resist the undeniable attraction tugging them towards each other.

"N-No... I can't leave."

Exasperated, Mingi tugged Seonghwa around until he straddled his lap. Surprised, the noble's unbound hands shot out to cling to Mingi's sides. He blushed brightly at the vision of Mingi's collarbone and chest in plain view. More scars marred him all over, but he wore them as badges of the battles he fought. His dazed ghost seemed invested. His eyes kept dashing back over until Mingi's smirk turned smug.

"Ye can touch 'em," he offered, and this time, Seonghwa wasn't too shy. He traced his fingers over Mingi's skin lightly, in awe at the contrast of their hues. Then, after another insecure peek at Mingi's face, he flattened his palm to slip it inside of Mingi's shirt.

Mingi hadn't been touched in so long that he sighed in relief as he was cautiously explored. Though Seonghwa tormented his patience, his innocence made up for it. He flinched away when his fingers skimmed a hard nipple, apologising, but went right back to it, too invested to care about the religious abstinence he learned.

Pleased with his curiosity, Mingi leaned in to nose at his neck. He placed plush lips there and Seonghwa made a questioning sound, which soon died down when warm kisses spread over his neck. Mingi knew how to make his bites the right balance between painful and pleasurable, and he tugged at Seonghwa's skin gently to leave his mark there.

Confused as to why he liked it, Seonghwa pressed closer. His breath quickened again, for different reasons this time. As his fingers roamed Mingi's abdomen and his lean shape, he sighed in bliss.

The pirate's fingers pressed into the narrow waist before him. Slowly creeping their way down as he gauged Seonghwa's reactions. He didn't appear to feel unsafe in the pirate's embrace and, though his posture was stiff, his body crowded closer on instinct.

Mingi wondered if he should be doing this with a person who thought he was a ghost. Or what if he was truly a ghost? Did he come to haunt Mingi? Or would pleasing him give him the rest he sought after his death?

Blimey, Mingi had no idea. And he didn't care. To him, Seonghwa felt warm. Lively. And the blush of his cheeks was adorable when Mingi pulled back from him. Shy fingers stilled on Mingi's abdomen.

"Ye e'er been kissed, landlubber?"

"N-Not by a man. Only a few polite greetings on the cheek by ladies of the court," Seonghwa stuttered. He hid behind the hair curling around his features and Mingi drew closer with a smirk. The untouched ones were the most delicious.

"Open yer mouth," Mingi hummed into the narrow space between them, and Seonghwa hesitantly did. Insecure eyes flicked up at the pirate, so dear in their innocence.

Mingi surged in to catch those lips with his. Oddly, they didn't feel parched of light and water. They were pillowy soft, offering so much to play with. Mingi sunk his teeth into the plush flesh and Seonghwa gasped a moan into his mouth, not understanding the heat that sparked between them.

Mingi kissed him languidly, enjoying every little taste of the trembling noble. He liked how Seonghwa stiffened at the touch of his tongue at first, but soon eagerly pushed back, obsessed with the slick feeling. He was no longer repelled by Mingi's rugged appearance, enjoying the roughness of his hands and the broad spread of his shoulders.

By the time Mingi mustered the boldness to splay his hands over the noble's behind and cover it with his bound palms, Seonghwa spasmed against him. He was hard in his breeches and his eyes were hazy to their caresses. Mingi felt too hot in his clothes and when he shifted Seonghwa closer to ease the strain on their backs, he gritted back a curse when their middles brushed.

Mingi dragged his lips off Seonghwa's and licked up the spit tangling between them. His oh-so arrogant cellmate looked debauched, spots lining his neck and his topmost button undone by Mingi's teeth.

The pirate gave him a roguish grin.

"Enough o' this. Ye'll commit a crime otherwise. What if yer family shows up an' they 'ang ye fer sodomy?"

Seonghwa cast his gaze away, ashamed of doing this and enjoying himself. But his hands didn't leave Mingi's body, fiddling with his shirt. With the yearning of their bodies so close to fulfilment at their proximity, his desires kept him in place.

"I... I would like to continue. If you don't mind," he muttered with those kiss-reddened lips. Mingi stared at them with heavy eyes. Clutched ringed fingers to Seonghwa's backside until he ducked away with a blush.

"I thought ye loathed buccaneers? Ain't ye scared o' this?" He trembled like a jolly roger in the ocean breeze. Was this all excitement? Or was this a mischievous side of him that wanted to play around while no eye of order lasted on him?

Mingi was honourable in his debauchery. If a clueless noble lad wanted to be rogered for the feeling of it, Mingi would never refuse.

Wavering, Seonghwa traced his fingers down the edge of Mingi's shirt, brushing his skin in a taunting caress.

"You aren't so bad. I want to... I want to have this with you." The spark of doing something forbidden brightened his eyes. It was very familiar to Mingi, and a grin spread on his lips. He pulled Seonghwa back in and relished his sigh when their middles pressed into each other. Their bodies knew what they sought, unabashed about admitting their need.

"Ye would make a great gentleman o' fortune," Mingi smirked as he dipped back down to Seonghwa's neck to lap at the sweet-tasting skin there.

"I can nay do much with me 'ands bound, so ye 'ave to undo our pants," Mingi suggested in a dark chuckle and though Seonghwa's body stuttered at every zap of pleasure that travelled through him, he complied. He fiddled with the drawstrings of Mingi's pants, undoing his sash and the leather cord he wore as a belt. By the time he finally shoved the pirate's breeches out of the way, he huffed with impatience.

Mingi's rod stood tall and proud, leaking at the tip from all the teasing without action. While Seonghwa stared at it with blown eyes, spooked by the weapon a man could pack, Mingi curled his fingers around the globes of him. He teased at Seonghwa's entrance through his pants, making him lurch at the unexpected touch.

"Not... there. That's odd," Seonghwa babbled, disoriented about himself and what he wanted.

A shame that Mingi's hands were bound, and they had no proper lubrication here. But if the guards left them alone for many more days, Mingi would have his fun eating at Seonghwa until he begged to be entered by the pirate. This prison gifted the corsair with his very own cabin boy. He should thank them on the occasion. Perhaps put on a little show of the once pure noble winding himself on Mingi's lap.

"Take yers out, too," Mingi panted, already close. He imagined pushing Seonghwa's head down next time, having him put his mouth on that musky part of the dirty pirate. Imagined taking his throat and beautiful lips until Seonghwa didn't understand anymore why he was squirming for touch.

Trembling, Seonghwa complied. He shyly untucked his pristine shirt and unbuttoned his pants. They were damp from his leaking and the tip that sprung forth was red and angry from a lack of touch. Lovely, like the rest of him. And so slender compared to Mingi's.

The pirate groaned gutturally when they brushed, aligning those sensitive parts of them to rock into each other. Every time Seonghwa bucked his hips in a jerky instinct, they created more friction.

"Aye, just like that," Mingi praised, and his muscles bulged in his arms as he tugged Seonghwa closer. His hands showed his hips how to move, guiding each roll of them. Soon, Seonghwa understood and clutched to Mingi's shoulders with helpless arms as they rocked into each other.

The noble's moans were whimpery and high-pitched, so cute. When Mingi caught him in another kiss, they sweetly filled his mouth.

Their bodies spoke their own language when Mingi fell backwards, lying down so he had more leverage to thrust his hips. Seonghwa startled the first time he did it, scared of the power behind the movement. Then, he allowed Mingi to drag his weight along, to nudge his tip into his stomach.

"Ye like this? Feelin' jolly to be ridin' on a pirate?" Mingi purred in his ear, feeling Seonghwa leak like crazy. He was holding back against the clenching of his abdomen and his fingers pinched on to Mingi's shirt like a lifeline.

"I feel hot," he panted in response. His eyes had closed as the sound of a hammering heart took over their senses. Mingi felt alive as his blood rushed in his ears and all that heat gathered to overflow.

When he twitched against Seonghwa, the noble peered down between them, grinding so dirtily between their clothes and the lock of Mingi's heavy arms. The pirate's spill coated their slide and ruined the noble's clothing.

Fascinated by the sight, Seonghwa bucked into him and Mingi helped him out, squeezing his hands into his behind until Seonghwa dropped his head into his shoulder with a groan. He twitched all over as he emptied himself into their mess.

When he slumped, exhausted after all that, Mingi snickered at him. He imagined Seonghwa's legs were weak, so he let him rest as he lifted his hands to weave into the dark of his hair. The eyes that met him were hazy from his peak. A spark had ignited in them as Seonghwa understood the joy of coupling, with a man no less.

Smug, Mingi licked up a trace of drool on the corner of Seonghwa's mouth.

"Welcome in the world o' pirates, lad. Let's escape soon so I can show ye much more o' this out under a gorgeous blue sky."

Seonghwa nodded, enraptured by the pirate's lure. Slowly, he picked himself up and Mingi released him from his arms to stretch. Awed eyes trailed over his scarred body and his unabashed nudity.

Since Seonghwa was embarrassed, he wiped up as much as he could, using his hands. To tease him, Mingi pretended he was utterly unable to sort his clothing, resting his chained wrists over his head. Blushing, Seonghwa tucked him away and tied his clothes back shut. When he laid back down after, he received a kiss in gratitude.

Mingi was tired, so he curled up around the warm man, sharing this delightful heat between two people. With his nose buried in Seonghwa's hair, he indulged his raunchy thoughts as his hazy mind drifted off for more sleep, no longer caring what time of day it was.

After all, he had more than enough entertainment in his cell to keep him busy for a long while.

"Let's do more tomorrow. I 'ave so many jolly ideas I reckon ye would like to try," he rumbled. He expected Seonghwa to huff and turn away to hide his blush, but his voice was oddly sober.

"It's late, Mingi. You shouldn't strain anymore."

Mingi scoffed, his eyes closed.

"We will strain our bodies as I show ye the jolly parts o' life, an' once we flee, I can show ye e'en more. Ye can be a buccaneer with me. Ye ain't fit fer the noble rules after ye tasted sin."

Yes, Mingi was convinced to take him along. On his own ship. Seonghwa as his crew.

The words trickling on his brain reached him as if through a thick fog.

"Let the past rest. You lived your life well."

What was he babbling about now?

Mingi's lids were so heavy he couldn't bother wondering about the madman's quizzes anymore. He pressed up against Seonghwa's back, relishing the heat of their bodies, the lively movement against his chest. Left a sleepy kiss on Seonghwa's nape as a silent goodnight.

No pulse throbbed under Seonghwa's skin as Mingi fell into a deep sleep.

-

Mingi roused from his slumber with a groan. He shook off the lingering grogginess and ruffled a hand through his hair. The body he expected curled up against his side wasn't there. The prison cell was cold.

"Seonghwa?" Mingi yawned as he tugged his shirt tighter around his frame, still crooked from last night. He peered around the room and found his usual rations on the floor.

No dark-haired noble.

Confused, Mingi lifted to step to the door. He hadn't heard it open and close, but the pirate peered down the corridor anyway, thinking Seonghwa might have been moved to a different cell. No noise sounded but the rats squeaking in their corners.

"Seonghwa?" The pirate called again, louder this time. The navy couldn't have dragged him off so soon, right? When he hadn't done anything? What about a trial?

Worried, Mingi glanced back, but no trace remained. The cell was empty, as if Seonghwa had never been there.

No, perhaps his family came to buy him out. Which he waited for all along.

Didn't he want to help Mingi at all? Didn't they get somewhat close last night? Surely, the pirate could fulfil some function in Seonghwa's life to warrant mercy.

Mingi ruffled through his hair again as he perched down to eat. Seonghwa's heat no longer lingered, so he had been gone for a while. His words haunted Mingi's mind, but he brushed them off as babbles of madness.

Maybe today was his trial and they would throw him back into the cell once he spoke his truth. He was innocent, and even a fool could see it.

Frowning against the wall, Mingi wondered if someone tried to get rid of Seonghwa on purpose. If he had been condemned from the very beginning, guiltless yet in the way of someone else's sinister plans. Perhaps in the way of his very own family.

Oddly concerned about that foolish lad when Mingi should be plotting his own escape, the pirate waited. And waited. And waited. He had enough time for Seonghwa to show back up and in the meantime thought of an escape route, his path to the port, and taking the longcoat along to show him life out at sea as he had promised.

But Seonghwa never returned. Not a trace of him or anyone else. No letter. No guard who mentioned him.

He was gone and every day, his face became more hazy in Mingi's memory.

As if he had never been there in the first place.

The guards supposed to hang Mingi never came. He waited for days and weeks and months. His hair never grew, and he never got hungrier than what the bread and water provided for him. The mould in the corners became his project of study and he befriended rats and insects in his boring, killed a few, ate a few.

No one came to fetch him. No other prisoner emerged to be his company on lonely nights.

Seonghwa was not there anymore, and he didn't return. As he spent ages in that forgotten prison, the pirate mulled often whether the noble named Park Seonghwa ever existed.