Hongjoong kept his head low as the pair walked the muddy streets of the town. Commonly, his presence would instil terror and intimidate any passersby out of their way, but this was Seonghwa's home. The people recognised the Pirate Prince even when his face was scarred and he bore the seal of the sea. They could guess who accompanied him as his story got told far and wide, but no one dared utter his name.

Though this territory was protected by the royal navy, pirate sightings were rare. Glad for the shared truce in which no one alerted the soldiers and Hongjoong didn't have to kill civilians, he trailed behind Seonghwa through the streets. Even after many years away, he knew them like the back of his hand. Soon, his favourite sneak paths through narrow alleys became ended in a grand marketplace. No booths populated the cobblestone today, but a good deal of townspeople met for their daily gossip.

Everyone turned their heads when the pirates passed. They didn't fit in; stood out with their heavy weapons and their aura of menace. Seonghwa's gaze was that of a madman, and Hongjoong was the most dangerous monster of the sea.

When they made straight for the butcher, the group of chattering women nearby scurried away like a flock of birds. With their baskets clutched close to humble dresses, they watched the pair from a distance with gigantic eyes.

No one knew their story of shadows and blood. No one knew the fate tied to their fingers.

Seonghwa didn't knock before he entered. He ducked through the narrow shop door and Hongjoong kept his sharp gaze to himself, not calling for attention as he shut the entrance behind them.

Before he had to prove their identities or threaten the owner into compliance, the woman behind the wooden counter perked up. It was stained with the blood of many years and the pungent smell of meat hung in the air.

Hongjoong's eyes trailed over the slaps of meat dangling from their hooks, used to the sight. Perhaps his crew would enjoy a reward for their patience. He leaned against the wall, waiting as the gasping lady gathered her wits and hastened around the corner.

"Seonghwa, is it you? Is it truly you?" Her hands reached for his face, hovering but not daring to touch. When she met Hongjoong's warning stare over Seonghwa's shoulder, she clasped her trembling palms to her chest instead.

"You grew up so much! How long has it been, five years?"

His charming, crooked smile tugged on Seonghwa's lips. It reminded of the sweet baker boy he had once been.

"Thank you for waiting for me. Truly, the tides changed."

"So they have," she agreed with an unnerved glance at Hongjoong, armed to the teeth, in his corner. When she remembered what they were here for, her face fell. Their sorrow mirrored each other.

"Ah... My condolences about your mother, love. Her navy admiral told me she couldn't battle the fever any longer. He said you would come for the little one."

"Is she here?" Seonghwa asked, searching eyes desperate to find the piece that remained.

"Yes, she's upstairs with the cats. But... Seonghwa, I-" She glanced at Hongjoong again and flinched back when he pushed off the wall. The heavy clicks of his heels brought him to Seonghwa's flank.

The lady curled into her lush bosom, hands lifted in a placating gesture.

"I wasn't about to say anything improper. I just noticed a few... Extraordinary aspects about her," she stuttered out an explanation.

About as tall as Seonghwa, Hongjoong halted by his side and put one hand on his belt, where the coiled whip was tied around his hips.

"She be me blood. Blabber what ye spied," he grunted.

Startled, she looked from Seonghwa to Hongjoong and back to Seonghwa. She was pale around the nose but didn't stall with more questions. Since no threat came from him, she spluttered to appease the captain.

"Understood! I- When she arrived, the child was disturbed, as one would expect from the circumstances. She was grieved by the death of her caretaker and upset to be left with a stranger. When I tried to engage with her, she clutched her stuffed doll and refused to speak. It took her a few days to warm up to me, but she liked the cats. Soon, we could eat dinner together." Her nervous eyes flickered over Hongjoong's features, recognising Tikki in him. Panic stifled her voice, but when the Pirate King made no move to attack, she rambled on.

"But I saw... things. Bizarre things. Once, I came in to see her talking to her bunny. I thought nothing of it, but I swear I saw it twitch even when she didn't touch it. I passed it off as a trick of the light, but a few days ago, I smelled something burning and when I rushed to her room, the curtains were ablaze! Believe me, I would never keep fire near a child." Fleshy hands wrung out her apron before her body. Hongjoong's brows knitted together.

"I don't know what to do with her. Though I would love to tend to her for you, Hwa, I believe I am going mad. I fear what I might do if I ever overreact."

Seonghwa caught her shoulders before she could become delirious in her frenzy. Somehow, he looked soothing despite what he had become. As Hongjoong cherished it, others recognised the same pure core.

"Fear not, my old friend. I am thankful you tended to her while I couldn't, but we will take over from here. Can you fetch her?"

"Yes! Of course, just a moment!" She hurried away, bumping her hip on the counter before she disappeared up the stairs.

The two pirates were left alone between the dangling meat. Seonghwa was the first to search Hongjoong's face with worried eyes.

"Did you hear? Joong..." With a glance through the empty shop, Seonghwa lowered his voice further. "Can it be? Can magic be inherited?"

Hongjoong tapped his fingers on his hip. His expression had darkened, but he didn't want to think the worst of Tikki. Though animating an object was a feat for a young girl, she didn't need to stray on the path of the dark arts.

"I expected as much. But she be me first brat from a magic user so I would nay know lots. Though I reckon Yongguk 'as an answer. If 'er magic be showin', she needs to learn 'ow to control it. An' 'ow to set a different course than 'er mother."

Seonghwa nodded, troubled about the untamed power in Tikki's blood. Liv had been a mighty witch, cursing them even beyond her death. Though Tikki inherited only half of that, who knew what might happen to one born of a powerful witch and the ruler of the seas?

If they didn't tend to her well, solitude might turn Tikki into an abominable monster.

When steps trampled down the stairs, Hongjoong's eyes caught on her. Though she was old enough now not to carry her plush doll everywhere, he kept the dirtied bunny clutched under her arm. It was squished from affection, but the blurry lines she drew to the corners of its mouth and across its nose still identified it.

In a whirl of red locks barely contained by a blue headscarf, she threw herself into Seonghwa's arms.

"Finally," she breathed as if she had been suffocating for a long time. "I thought you wouldn't come back."

Awed how much she had grown, Seonghwa rubbed her back. How old was she now? Eleven? Liv's freckles dotted her cheeks and big, green eyes stared back at him over a replica of Hongjoong's nose.

"As if we would leave you alone," Seonghwa smiled, coddling her as she hugged her face to his chest. "Forgive me for being late. I wished I had known. Are you alright?" They parted, so Tikki could look at her father. As usual, their mutual stubbornness clashed, and the two glared at each other. Possessive, she clung to Seonghwa's arm.

Hongjoong arched an elegant brow at her.

"Set 'im on fire an' I'll send ye to the briney deep. We 'eard o' yer recent rigs."

"Joong," Seonghwa protested softly. "She's happy to see us; don't fight." He petted Tikki's hair, not forcing Hongjoong to take a side between him and his daughter. To some, the answer should be obvious, but others might find his pick appalling.

"Have you been well? Our friend here told us you were struggling with your magic. How long has this been going on?"

Smothered by his care, Tikki pulled away. She leaned against the table with a bony shoulder, playing down her personal troubles. Dirty fingers played with the apron of her dress. It looked small on her, only fitting since she was so lanky.

That had to be Seonghwa's side of her genes. She was fed like a queen in his home.

"I always had it. Never enough to bother much, but granny soothed me whenever I startled myself. Now that she is also gone... I don't know how it works. Sometimes I get angry and then I just- It feels as if a dark shadow overcomes my mind. It does evil things."

Anxious, Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong. The captain sighed.

"Do you remember Yongguk? He helped us out occasionally."

Though hesitant, Tikki nodded. The name tickled an old memory in her brain.

Seonghwa kept a hand on her back, feeling he had to soothe her for the scare and the loss she dealt with months ago. Perhaps he was the one who needed soothing, and Tikki's resilience as she interacted with her father distracted him. For Tikki and Hongjoong, he could do anything. Proud of his endurance, Hongjoong faced his devil of an offspring.

"'E be a magic user o' the better kind. If ye want, we can take ye to 'im. 'E ain't a jolly parent, but ye be grown up now an' can learn. An' we will check on ye often from now on."

Tikki glanced up the stairs where the butcher lady rustled about to leave them to their privacy. Though a sense of longing for this place persisted in her eyes, she knew.

If she stayed, she would endanger the people tending to her and the entire town.

She knew of her cursed heritage. And the fire in her eyes matched that of Hongjoong's gaze.

"He can't be any worse than what I had so far. Bring me to him." Brave, she tipped her chin up, the starfish bracelet jingling on her wrist as she held onto Seonghwa. Relieved, the pirate pressed a kiss to her curls.

"Yongguk is a good man. If anyone can help you on a healing path of magic, it's him. You don't have to be afraid."

With a fond huff, she glared up at him. For Seonghwa, her eyes always softened. Though they spent such little time together, the tender man grew on her the same way Hongjoong could never resist the sparkle in his eyes.

Hongjoong and Tikki squabbled a lot because they were so similar, but if they agreed on one thing, it was their obsession with Seonghwa.

"I'm no child anymore, brobro. Let me say my goodbyes first. Though I scared her, she took me in." She patted Seonghwa with a hand far too mature for her age and a fond snicker passed Seonghwa's lips. He sent her off, leaving her to gather her few belongings for their journey. Their last trip with Tikki hadn't been so long ago, but her pirate's soul already befriended the ocean like an old lover.

"Truly, she's your daughter. How fearless," Seonghwa commented as he stepped into Hongjoong's arms. With a possessive growl, Hongjoong nosed at his neck, fingers settling over the tattoo on Seonghwa's ribs that was hidden by his clothes.

"She better behave. If she e'er wants to go on account, she needs to learn to control 'er magic. I adore 'er, but I expect she exceeds Liv."

"Those are high demands, Pirate King," Seonghwa hummed. His fingers brushed some hair from Hongjoong's eyes before they smoothly glided to his chin to pull him in.

"Bein' me brat comes at a great price," Hongjoong whispered, but the hard line of his brow smoothed out when Seonghwa's lips ghosted over his. They were still tense, still hard from their sadness, but for Hongjoong, his kisses were like the touch of the sun's rays.

Hongjoong cradled him carefully, not demanding, not shoving. Healing came slowly, but Seonghwa was good at concentrating on those who needed him. For now, Tikki needed him. Later, the Black Bay and ATEEZ would need him.

As Hongjoong rested his weary bones in his lover's embrace, they waited for their daughter to return to the Precious together and set sail into another future of change.