The crew had been working hard all day long and at nightfall all of their bothers finally paid off. They had erected that pseudo stage of theirs again, Jongho was handed the exact same script like last time and the actors had hid to prepare. Seonghwa was with them, hurrying around to get into his damned dress in time. Outside of their screen there could already be heard the excited hoots from the merry crew.

Seonghwa had to laugh when Wooyoung stumbled over a boot, sending him flying on deck and his pretentious wig flop off. He was the judge for today.

They waited until he had collected himself off the ground, then stepping out. The usual hollering was being heard again, Hongjoong was sitting in the middle of the front row and giving Seonghwa a lazy smirk when their eyes met. With casual fingers the captain beckoned him over.

Seonghwa gingerly lifted the laces of his skirt, hearing the crew yell louder when a peek of hairy ankle was to be seen. Hongjoong gently slid his hand around it when he was close enough, hiding his naked skin from view.

They were getting booed.

Seonghwa chuckled, trying not to squirm when Hongjoong's ticklish fingers slid up his leg, denting the fabric of the skirt. He blushed deeply when they skitted between his thighs, gently pressing against his soft skin. It was dotted with red marks again, well hidden beneath the skirt but Seonghwa knew what he hinted at.

"Get a room!"

"Who was making out with San right now, shut up!"

"Nobody wants to see this!"

"There be children here!"

Eyerybody was yelling all over, some voices screeching louder than the rest and Wooyoung and Yunho were seen holding each other by the collar with murderous eyes. The size difference was cute.

Seonghwa nearly missed it how Hongjoong suddenly slipped his head under his skirt too, giving a scandalized squawk immediately.

"Yah, Kim Hongjoong!", he whisper yelled frantically, looking around and catching Youjin's smirk. He lifted his mug in greeting.

Seonghwa located Hongjoong's head, feeling his smooth tongue lap somewhere on the inside of his thigh and he tried pushing him away, clenching his legs together like a virgin maiden.

"Love those around my head."

Seonghwa actually hit him, trying to move away from him when more of the men already took notice, starting to whistle again. Seonghwa's face felt hotter than the sun.

"Man if I was not hurt I might actually join him down there.", San sighed dreamily, immediately getting the evil eye from Wooyoung.

San had been exempted from fighting earlier, instead resting his injured body a bit more and helping Seonghwa with the deck after. The rest of the crew had only suffered light injuries (except for the heart attack Seonghwa had when Jongho had sweeped into the captain's cabin with blood-stained gauntlets and face.)

"Where the hell be our main protagonist how am I supposed to do me job as an artist when there be no support at all?! Seonghwa get ye pretty butt over here or so help me!", Jongho yelled from behind the screen, making Seonghwa laugh and Hongjoong actually stop nibbling on his sensitive skin and resurfacing with wild hair.

"You mean my butt?"

Seonghwa let him grab him by his backside roughly, protectively pulling him in closer against Hongjoong's body.

"I don't care whose it be get it here before I rip it in two!"

Youjin looked mildly alarmed.

"That might be a good moment to go, dear princess."

Seonghwa nodded, finally shoving Hongjoong's greedy hands off him to go join Jongho again. The man looked pretty peaceful compared to what his threats had sounded like so Seonghwa just formed a tight circle with the others, quietly discussing the plot.

When they had decided they moved out again, everybody assuming their positions. Seonghwa was winking coquettishly at the audience behind a frilly fan, grinning to himself when Hongjoong did not miss the moment to declare that Seonghwa was his immediately.

"One day a beautiful lady charmed a pirate while he was on land.", Jongho pretended to read, his omnious voice quickly weaving everybody's attention into the story.

Seonghwa stepped around Yeosang slowly, letting one hand slide over the other man's chest. Yeosang immediately gave him the lovestruck idiot face, clumsily groping at his hips. Seonghwa elegantly leaned over him, pressing their cheeks against each other while he held the fan as a protection in front of their faces.

The crew approved.

"He really wanted to take her with him but the sea was too harsh for a beauty as fragile as hers and they had to part again."

"I will come back for ye!", Yeosang yelled dramatically, falling to his knees while pressing a hand to his chest.

Seonghwa reached out a hand to him, letting his other wrist rest against his forehead in a swooning gesture.

"I will wait for you, my love. Forever and ever. I will think about you with every star on the sky and for every ship that passes I shall wish you are aboard it!"

"And so they parted.", Jongho said dryly, making all of them laugh when Yeosang disappeared behind the screen with a pout.

"The lady waited and waited and he never came back for her but she had his child."

Seonghwa pulled out one of the potatoes they used as fake boobs and cradled it in his hands, cooing to it softly. Yunho nearly cried with laughter.

"It grew up really fast."

Seonghwa quickly put the potato back, catching Hanbyeol who threw himself in his lap like some huge puppy, contently suckling on his thumb. Seonghwa gently petted his hair. Both of them were silently trembling with laughter but they had to concentrate on their impromptu plot.

"The son became a pirate and started to search for his father one day. He became a famous captain on the way."

Hanbyeol jumped up at that, quickly getting some hat and walking around arrogantly. He even tried to mimick Hongjoong's grin and was nearly hit with a dagger for that.

"He found his father after much searching but he had grown quite old. Really fast." Jongho gave a serious nod and Seonghwa switched places with Yeosang who was wearing a long beard now and walking on a cane. Hanbyeol dragged him out from behind the screen and started discussing wildly.

"He could persuade him to come back home to his loving woman. But she unfortunately had died already."

Seonghwa threw himself at the ground at that, letting his limp hand fall out from behind the screen.

The audience broke out in protests.

"No, no, she can't die yet!", Hongjoong cried in despair, making Seonghwa's lips twitch and Youjin was quick to support him.

"They have to meet again!"

"Aye, got it. So she did not die indeed. She also just grew very old."

Seonghwa jumped up at that, bending down to hold his back in mock pain while he stepped out with another beard. Everybody was roaring in laughter again.

"So they met again as a whole family and were all really happy."

They hugged at that, Hanbyeol having to bend down pretty far to reach.

"But then" Jongho made a dramatic pause. "the navy attacked."

Everybody groaned at that, cursing the navy under their breath. Why was it that when everybody was happy finally, that they had to part again?

"The navy officer who restrained the son let his parents go as they were old and useless already."

Mingi stepped up to lead Hanbyeol away, the bloodied naval uniform tight on his shoulders. Yeosang and Seonghwa dropped down in some corner, holding each other's hands and shaking scaredly.

"However, after the captain was verdicted" Wooyoung hit his hammer on the planks hard. "the naval officer fell for him!"

Now that was a plottwist! Seonghwa grabbed Yeosangs fingers tighter against their chests when Mingi fell down to his knees in front of the 'cell' (Hanbyeol was holding two wooden bars).

"And he was actually a woman!"

Mingi suddenly ripped his shirt open at that, getting loud cheers from the crew. He had not cared for potatoes himself and while his pecks might not have been as impressive as San's or Jongho's were he still got a round of applause out of it.

"The Captain immediately fell for her beauty."

Hanbyeol crashed into Mingi's lap hard, nosed at his groin with a smirk while Mingi laughed loudly. Jongho rolled his eyes before he continued.

"He brought her home to his parents as soon as he could, her helping him to break out of prison and running away together."

They skipped about the deck while holding hands and fake-laughing stupidly while the younger boys fell all over each other with their laughter.

"When he brought her home his old parents were surprised of how similar they were to them, but how they had still managed to be together." He brushed away an invisible tear from his eyes.

Hanbyeol and Mingi were sitting in front of them now, Yeosang and Seonghwa sobbing into each other's necks emotionally.

"He decided to let her stay on his ship and actually let her join his group. And they became the most powerful couple out there and his parents were so proud because they never managed to do that. However they could die happily knowing they had fulfilled their dream."

Yeosang and Seonghwa fell backwards at that, playing dead while still in the warm embrace of each other (those potatoes were really uncomfortable.) Hanbyeol and Mingi celebrated their win with outstretched hands.

"End.", Jongho abruptly said, making everybody cheer and praise them. The main actors were bowing, someone threw Jongho a raw potato for a rose and he easily broke it in half with his hands.

Seonghwa and Yeosang were giggling to each other but stayed where they were, those smelly and rancid beards oddly comfortable.

Everybody was complimenting the magnificent acting and story telling, Hongjoong even going as far as saying he wanted to copy the script for future reference.

"Let's go, those things are scratchy as hell."

Apparently Yeosang did not share his opinion on the beards.

They rolled away with their arms and legs intertwined, sneakily getting behind the screen again. Seonghwa was itching to get out of that dress again, wanting to stomp on it just out of spite.

So he did exactly that, Yeosang already going out again with a chuckle.

Seonghwa moved quickly, wanting to join his laughing friends soon and he idly looked at his shadow at his feet, that seemed to stare at him with its hat. He hated it, this illusion. He feared it when he was alone in a room, the shadow seeming to come to life again.

He was so disracted by it he barely heard the crew turn silent on the other side of the screen. However when his ears did pick up on their uncharacteristic calm and the soft rushing of the waves around them, he stepped back out confusedly.

They looked... somber. And also way too sober for all of the drinking and laughing that had been going on. They were all huddled behind Hongjoong, their eyes distantly set on Seonghwa while Hongjoong was kneeling, having settled on his heels.

"What's going on here, everything alright?", Seonghwa picked up on the mood immediately worried, stepping closer to search for the source of unrest. His eyes scanned the dark waters too, trying to think of a reason why this crew would go so quiet. They did not even exchange glances.

Seonghwa felt himself shiver at their attention, almost backing out again but those were his friends still and he was quick to fall to his knees in front of Hongjoong, carefully cradling the pirate's face with one hand.

"What is it, what's going on?"

"We decided on something, Hwa."

Seonghwa bit his lip anxiously, not liking the other's grave tone at all.

"Are you alright?"

Hongjoong damn near rolled his eyes at him and Seonghwa just saw his eyebrow twitch but his stomach eased up a bit. It seemed like everything was orderly after all.

When Hongjoong offered his hand out in his lap, Seonghwa looked between it and his eyes searchingly, trying to understand.

But when he did he saw the message as clear as day.

'Will you join us?'

"Will you stay with us?"

And Seonghwa actually teared up at that.

Somebody in the crowd cursed loudly, protests becoming shrill again.

"I told you it was too soon!"

"Damn it Yeosang that was your idea!"

"I will personally kill you with that needle for this stupid timing!"

"Why did you all agree on it?!"

Hongjoong was holding his face now too, wiping his tears away and searching for an answer clearly nervous.

And all Seonghwa could give was a tiny nod that went undetected by the crew but made a bright smile bloom on Hongjoong's face.