Seonghwa paced up and down in the cabin. When Hongjoong came to, he first laid eyes on his agitated husband. The pad of his bare feet was gentle, clean of the prior gore. He wore some golden anklets Hongjoong had gifted him, but his thunderous expression contrasted with their delicate charm.

Pain throbbed in the back of Hongjoong's head. He ignored it as he sat up with a rustle. Seonghwa had made the effort to clean him, even disentangled the feathers and pearls from his hair. In damp waves, the dirty blond strands reached his chest.

Seonghwa whipped around when he caught his movement from the corner of his eye. For a moment, their gazes met. Both were fearful, but for different reasons.

"What 'appened?" Hongjoong croaked. He remembered passing out, but why? Was he hit? When he glanced down at his bare chest and low-riding pants, he found no injuries. Seonghwa must have searched meticulously, as well.

"That be what I be askin'," Seonghwa exhaled. He rushed over to sit by Hongjoong's side. A warm hand felt over his forehead. It was soothing to Hongjoong's stress, but Seonghwa's frown didn't ease.

"No fever, no wounds. What be goin' on with ye, Hongjoong? Ye be scarin' me."

Hongjoong's face fell. He cradled Seonghwa's jaw in his hands, searching those expressive eyes. They were haunted by dark shadows, distressed by all the fear that had accumulated.

"Sorry," Hongjoong breathed as he leaned their foreheads together. "I be sorry, sugar. I did nay want to 'urt ye."

Seonghwa cradled his hands to his face, relishing their heat. When he turned his head to kiss Hongjoong's ring, his lashes fluttered. So dear, so trusting in his grip. Hongjoong's heart gave a painful pull.

"Ye said ye would be jolly. That I did nay need to worry. But then ye collapsed an' I-" His lips trembled.

So afraid to lose Hongjoong. Again.

Last time they got ripped apart so abruptly, so cruelly. This time, misfortune tormented them slowly, yet it was just as unstoppable. Was this their inevitable fate? To be torn apart by the waves time and time again?

"Tell me 'ow ye be feelin'. What be goin' on? What do ye need? Do nay 'ide away an' burden this alone. We can brin' ye any medicine, no matter 'ow far." He pleaded; begged as if Hongjoong was doing this on purpose.

As if stabbed by a hot knife, Hongjoong pulled him in for a kiss. Seonghwa's lips were stiff under his.

"I swear I would tell ye if I could. I be as confused as ye. Me 'ealth be 'ornswogglin' me an' I feel weak without knowin' why. I drank Yongguk's teas. I rested an' ate. What else be there to do?"

Afraid, Seonghwa studied him once more. No poison entered his system, and he had no symptoms aside from his lethargy.

"Maybe Yunho can 'elp," Seonghwa uttered. "Maybe if 'e relaxes ye with 'is needles..." He let the sentence hang in the air because both knew it was a desperate last resort. At this point, they just wanted any explanation.

Hongjoong didn't feel like he was dying, but something odd was happening. Was this his age catching up with him, after all?

"We must sail fer the mainland. We can get ye to the best surgeons; they will know what to do. Blackmail 'em if we must. But I will nay watch as ye waste away."

Troubled, Hongjoong held on to him. Refusing Seonghwa meant disputing the evident problem once more. Now that he passed out, he couldn't brush it off any longer. This became harmful, and if he didn't tend to his needs, he might end up falling into an enemy's blade. Or into Seonghwa's, once his frightening husband left him no other choice anymore but to comply.

Yet, he didn't want to endanger his crew in return for his health. What worth was his healing if they might get captured in return?

Since he hesitated, Seonghwa decided for him.

"Tell me whenever ye wane from now on. Every strain, every oddity. An' tell me while ye be awake. Ye babbled in yer sleep an' though I 'oped fer some truth, I could nay make out yer words."

Embarrassed, Hongjoong ducked his head. He had no other choice. If this unknown fever haunted him any longer with no signs of stopping, he needed to lay his cards on the deck. If necessary, they could take a break at the Buried Lagoon.

"Me deadlights often blur an' I 'ear a constant ringin' noise. 'Eadaches plague me an' I got nauseous from drinkin'. When we shared a bed I been so drained, I could nay love ye as I promised I would," Hongjoong confessed. Dizzy spells, Yongguk called them. That sounded fitting. But neither did he lack any nutrients, nor rest.

Upset at all the secrets, Seonghwa fought the wetness in his eyes. He kissed Hongjoong again, slowly and patiently, to remind both they were doing this together.

"Be that everythin'?"

Hongjoong nodded sheepishly.

"As much as I felt been off."

Seonghwa exhaled, then he nodded.

"Once we be back at the Buried Lagoon, we will tell Yongguk. He might know more. An' if he says to find a better doctor, we will."

"Way to jab at Yunho," Hongjoong uttered with a weak smile. Seonghwa copied the gesture.

"'E be jolly but there be better. Let us take care o' ye. Ye always do the same fer us, so trust us this time," he pleaded.

With no other choice left, Hongjoong conceded. Relieved, Seonghwa kissed him. This time was less anxious. At least as long as they knew the truth, they knew how to expect his weakness.

They got interrupted by a call outside the door.

"Princess Swab? We anchored at our destination," Mingi informed them.

Seonghwa grumbled when Hongjoong snickered at the nickname. His lips pushed him back down into the pillows until the pirate lay sprawled in the furs. After parting from him, Seonghwa covered him with his treasured baby blanket.

"Stay while we dig out the booty. We will be aft as soon as possible an' return to the Buried Lagoon. If ye need somethin', Mingi be outside."

Not one to argue with his husband after getting berated, Hongjoong shut his mouth and nodded. He remained behind while the others left, irritated by his frailty. More than ever, he wanted to spoil Seonghwa and show his gratitude, but he was too damned wimpy.

Even if that were his sole reason to get better, he was fired up to stomp that cursed sickness to dust.

Hongjoong grumbled to himself, but he didn't dispute Seonghwa. As he promised, he stayed in bed and hugged the blanket to his lean chest, trying to find some sleep. He only remembered hazes of the mayhem that broke out when he fainted, but he was sure he slept plenty if they arrived in the meantime.

When Mingi knocked on his door, a sigh of relief escaped him. Busy with survival at sea every day, Hongjoong was terrible at being bored.

"Enter," he called, not bothering to make himself look any grander than he was. They all saw him collapse. They all saw him hanging in Seonghwa's arms as he rushed him to their cabin from the enemy ship.

"Ahoy, Captain," Mingi greeted as he stepped inside. He closed the door behind him to give them some privacy from the bustling boys, who repaired the minor damage from the battle. Jongho's powerful voice dictated in the distance. It was strained compared to the day he narrated their play.

Mingi's ruffled red hair was gathered into a ponytail, but some strands had escaped to hang into his eye. His tall form seemed hunched; cautious when he approached the bed with the resting captain.

"Do nay lurk in the corners. Come 'ere." Hongjoong impatiently patted the bed by his side. He wasn't dying. Just because Seonghwa banished him to bed rest, he was more than capable of conversing with his crew.

Mingi's brow smoothed out. He gladly came over and kicked off his boots before he stretched out by Hongjoong's side. Thankful for the pillow, Hongjoong put his head on his chest and listened to his first mate's heartbeat. Mingi's arms cradled him carefully, as if he were made of glass.

"It ain't the first time I took a spontaneous caulk. Why be everyone overreactin'?" Hongjoong huffed. Mingi wore a sleeveless vest today and his arms exuded the heat from the sun. Perfect for Hongjoong to smush his face against and pretend he was outside.

"Usually ye 'ave injuries we can tend to. E'er since the umbra situation we been... Touchy on unexplained phenomena," Mingi defended himself. When Hongjoong looked up at him and studied his black patch and his good eye, the loyalty that reflected at him only wanted his best.

He sighed.

"Whatever." His head plummeted back down on Mingi's chest, making him cough.

"The others went to dig out the treasure, then we will sail aft to the lagoon. Hwa said all other resources can wait until ye feel better."

"If he plans to ditch me there while ye sail the seven seas, we gotta 'ave a talk."

Mingi's hand came up to thread into Hongjoong's hair. He made the captain look at him, studied his sulk with that sharp eye full of compassion.

"I will stay with ye if there be a need fer that. But knowin' ye safe be our priority. Ye be the captain, but we get a vote. We lost ye once."

"If I stay aft we might lose someone else," Hongjoong growled, pushing himself up on his elbows so he could look down on Mingi. Unperturbed, his first mate held his hips. They had known each other for so long; the longest even, since Youjin and Hanbyeol got cleaved at the brisket. Mingi knew best how bad Hongjoong was at taking care of himself and how he preferred to fight pain with pain.

"Ye were nay in that prison, Cap'n. Ye did nay cry every day, thinkin' we lost our most treasured mate. Let us cherish yer life. I doubt ye get another."

Upset since Mingi was right and Hongjoong couldn't make light of their agony, Hongjoong dropped to his side. His hands came up to braid some loose strands of Mingi's hair into two tiny braids framing his features. Mingi's eye shut, trusting his hands.

"Seonghwa been up all night frettin' fer ye. I do nay know what will 'appen to 'im if 'e loses ye again, but I fear we can nay catch the fallout. This blow might be the last."

"'E will nay lose me," Hongjoong barked. He would make sure of that. He would fight death personally if he had to. It didn't get to rip him away from his people twice. "An' neither will ye. So stop with the whinin'."

Mingi did. His plush lips closed as he left himself to his captain's touch. Just being there with him and knowing him alive and kicking assured him.

Their gentle pacifist didn't want to fight, especially not with those he considered his family. He just wanted to cradle them all safe.

Hongjoong understood, and usually, he would do everything to accommodate that. But he hated the attention, the fearful gazes. Instead of pity, he wanted to mean strength to them, always.

But alas, he left once. His priority should be not to do it again.

They cuddled for the entire time the others were gone. Hongjoong dozed on and off and when he woke to voices outside, he lay with his back pressed to Mingi's broad chest and with his arms slung around Hongjoong's smaller body. The blanket was twisted around them, haphazardly pulled to cover most of him, only to slip during their snuggles.

Hongjoong huffed a smile. When the door opened, he lifted his head.

Seonghwa stood there, his frame unmistakable against the light of the moon. He took off his boots as he came in, leaving the sand in its designated corner.

Positive they got their booty as intended and the course was set without him getting another opportunity to voice himself, Hongjoong said nothing. He stayed in place as Seonghwa undressed and washed off, quiet so he wouldn't wake Mingi. In sleep, their friendly giant softened until his face seemed so youthful and innocent.

When he was done, Seonghwa blew out the candles and crawled into bed with them. He covered Hongjoong from the other side, squeezing close to relish his warmth.

Trapped between those who never wanted to let him go, Hongjoong felt safe.

But his migraine throbbed behind his eyes all the way back over the swaying sea to the Buried Lagoon.