In an exceptionally good mood, Hongjoong met up with Wooyoung. The navigator had got comfortable in the crow's nest and sent Youjin to bother the crew while he couldn't. When he heard the captain deftly scale the rigging, the man peeked over the top edge of the round place.

"Ahoy, captain. What 'as ye grinnin' like that?"

"Cabezon be gettin' more amusin' every day. What did ye need me fer, matey?" Hongjoong dropped onto the ground next to Wooyoung. Both of them had to angle their legs so they fit in the narrow space. Back when Hongjoong had been younger and used often as a lookout for his trained eyes, he had sometimes curled up in the crow's nest like a cat. Wrapped around the mast protruding from the middle, he had slumbered under the open stars and he had loved it more than anything. Even if it came with a sharp reminder of the quartermaster not to slack off most of the times.

Wooyoung pointed up at the stars. He had a little lantern and a book with the celestial bodies in his lap. As Hongjoong scanned the vast skies that had not a single cloud covering them, every star in existence seemed to blink at him.

"We been usin' Saturn as our route planner so far. But since we switched, the water signs be comin' in strong."

Humming, Hongjoong grabbed his spyglass and searched the sky for anything that looked familiar to him. From time to time, he glanced at Wooyoung's book.

"Be the long one Draco?"

"That one?" Hongjoong leaned further into Wooyoung to follow the point of his finger. His hands shifted to wrap his body in the blanket bunched around Wooyoung's shoulders. Huddled together, their warmth beat the cold of the night.

"Nay, that one be Hydra. Goin' after Hydra might be our best bet. An' the next island?"

Wooyoung busily shifted through his book. His fingers found the coordinates with practised ease. In the dim light of their flickering lantern, Hongjoong squinted at his compass. A pretty thing, lined with ornate designs in the brass shell. He had stolen it from a naval captain a while ago. Cabezon would faint if he heard that.

"South. Strayin' from our course just slightly."

"So, sailin' to the island, I use Sirius. An' then Hydra." Wooyoung scribbled the words down in his hasty handwriting. Hongjoong had no idea if he wrote them correctly, but it didn't matter. As long as they found their path, it would be fine.

"Aye. Let's take our time. I do nay want to take Yeosang in a battle as long as 'e still feels bad."

Wooyoung leaned against his captain's shoulder. His hands retreated beneath the blankets to keep both themselves and his precious accounts warm.

"Will ye take Cabezon, though?"

Right. Cabezon also had no reason to join their battle. If anything, he would most likely become a hindrance. While the pirates were busy fighting the Enemy of the Depths, they wouldn't need a snotty commander nearby who ruined their chances additionally.

And yet, Hongjoong didn't want to let him go. The man still didn't remember. He still hadn't submitted. The fire in his eyes made Hongjoong look forward to seeing and arguing with him each day.

But he knew they might as well fail their mission to kill the tentacled creature. Hongjoong shouldn't mourn an aspect of his life that might not be relevant in the future anymore either way.

"Or did ye consider 'im as the sacrifice?"

Hongjoong had thought about that less than he wished. Seonghwa had successfully distracted him from such thoughts. But now that Wooyoung mentioned it again, Hongjoong pondered.

Killing Seonghwa would be the safest thing to do. Ultimately, it was the punishment he deserved, all the more so by forgetting what he did as if it were yesterday's meal. While Hongjoong found it cruel to have prolonged his life only to end the man with the prior fate still, he doubted it would surprise Seonghwa.

If he didn't kill Seonghwa, he would likely come after him. To take revenge once more and throw them in a never-ending spiral of rivalry. If Hongjoong survived the meeting with the dwelling one.

"I'll think about it."

Now that the time for their parting drew near, Hongjoong was lost. Cabezon hadn't been on the ship for long, but he had never been meant to be there in the first place. Hongjoong's attachment to him as his personal plaything would only last so long. Seonghwa had already tried to flee him once.

Hongjoong sat for a while longer in peaceful silence with Wooyoung. They stared out over the oceans that reflected the skies so brilliantly that it was difficult to tell the line between them apart. Somewhere beneath them, a monster lurked, hungry and unsuspecting. Unseen until its deadly strike. Between death and the beauty of life, it was easy to get lost in the passing of time.

When a long yawn brought tears to Hongjoong's eyes, he remembered his exhaustion. Upon sitting on Seonghwa's lap and tasting his sun-kissed skin with his lips, Hongjoong had forgotten all of that. But now, it gnawed on him like a demon sucking his life force out of him.

"I'll take a caulk. Will ye stay out 'ere?" Hongjoong sorted the blanket off of his body. When Wooyoung nodded, Hongjoong tucked it in neatly around the man. The air cooled rapidly, and while the high railing of the nest protected Wooyoung from the wind, Hongjoong wanted to take no chances at finding his companion's body frozen in the morning.

"Sleep jolly, Capt'n. I'll spy ye in the mornin'." Wooyoung gave a soft smile that was framed by his long hair. Hongjoong ran his hand through it before he left.

The deck laid silent and bare. The waves that licked at the Grief were shallow and muted, as if waiting for the pirates to rest until they could continue their endless duel against each other. Hongjoong regarded them with fondness as he left for his cabin. On his way, he checked on Yeosang, but the surgeon slumbered deeply in his bed already. When Hongjoong saw nothing to worry about, he continued up to the helm.

As he pulled the door to his quarters shut behind him, he spotted a body in the rigging. A person who scaled the ropes with agile and expert movements. No doubt, San would spend another night with Wooyoung. The two had had their eyes on each other since forever.

Cabezon was already asleep when Hongjoong entered the cabin. His hair was in a disarray of greyish-blond strands that wildly fell around his head. They contrasted with his tanned skin and the darkness of the sheets.

Hongjoong quietly kicked off his boots and clothes. Compared to Cabezon, who preferred to wear both his shirts and pants to bed, Hongjoong made simple work by just stripping entirely. Less salt in his bed and fewer clothes he used.

The bed was big enough that Hongjoong could lie down without touching Seonghwa. He knew he twisted and turned a lot in his sleep. Especially if he had nightmares.

Albeit, if the commander had a problem with him being near, he would likely just push Hongjoong off. Yunho had likely provided the option to stay in a hammock with the other crew members. Since Cabezon had accepted this bed instead, he knew what he was getting himself into.

This time, Hongjoong fell into a dreamless sleep. A thick and black sleep, deep like the ocean. To restore as much energy as he could after his long day.

-

Hongjoong was awoken roughly by a weight on his chest. His reflexes kicked in before his eyes even opened. Both legs came up to ram into his attacker's back, and his hands shot out to grasp at the person in the dark.

For a moment, his thoughts jumped into overdrive.

Was Seonghwa trying to murder him in his sleep? There was probably no better timing than this. But he had got a warning already, or not?

The grunt above him sounded suspiciously like the commander. Hongjoong threw them around so he was on top of the lean man. Seonghwa scrambled away from his naked body, and through his still blurry sight, Hongjoong detected scorn on his face. A blush contradicted with his angry eyebrows as if while trying to get away from Hongjoong, he also liked what he saw too much to concentrate.

Hongjoong wrestled the gun from Seonghwa's grip and pushed his hands on the pillows above his head. Hopelessly, Seonghwa squirmed beneath him. He tried to train his eyes on Hongjoong's face, but they kept trailing downward. Ultimately, he snapped his head away to the side to stare into the room.

The first light of day filtered through the windows and lit the ground. The frames of the windows shaped them.

Hongjoong chuckled at the commander. He looked no more awake than Hongjoong, and his skin was still marked by the wrinkles of the pillows they had rested on.

"Got startled, Cabezon? What 'as ye so lively in the early morning'?"

Stubborn, Seonghwa kept his eyes away from him. Hongjoong wondered if he would have had the guts to kill Hongjoong. He had failed at that for a second time now. By now, Hongjoong suspected Seonghwa wanted him suffering, but alive. It was mutual.

"Did ye 'ug me in yer sleep? Scared o' developin' feelings?"

That got Seonghwa's attention. With pure hatred in his eyes, he glared up at Hongjoong as if he was a wriggling centipede.

"You wish."

The commander's voice was rough from the long night. It rumbled in his chest and had Hongjoong's lips quirk into a grin.

"Then what 'as ye so scared?"

When Seonghwa refused an answer and just clenched his jaw, Hongjoong leaned over him. He knelt over the man's hips, pinning him down with his entire body weight. When their chests brushed, Seonghwa stiffened. His posture kept him stretched taut, allowing Hongjoong to wrap an arm around his waist to pull him in with no issues. The man's back curved prettily, and his waist fit in one of Hongjoong's arms.

Seonghwa jerked when his shirt slipped up the barest bit and his naked skin pressed against unclothed parts of Hongjoong he likely didn't want to feel. Hongjoong didn't care as he lowered his hot mouth on the man's neck.

The blossoming bites from the day prior still decorated his skin beautifully. Cabezon had likely not noticed them. Hongjoong brushed his lips over them with reverent gentleness. The touch had Seonghwa shudder in his hold.

"Cabezon... Let me ask ye a question."

The commander swallowed a sound that threatened on slipping his lips. His denial of liking this amused Hongjoong. He had let go of the man's hands already to undo the laces of Cabezon's shirt, so he had more space to work. And yet, Seonghwa stayed in that position as if he were forced to submit.

"If I say no, will you shut up? You could put that mouth to better use than blabbering nonsense all day."

Laughter tumbled from Hongjoong's lips. Seonghwa jerked to glare at him when it brushed his sensitive ears. In apology, Hongjoong ran his tongue over the shell. Trembling, Seonghwa settled.

"Oh, ye would like that, would ye nay? Do ye 'ave yer own cabin on yer ship?"

"I do. And you bet I would haul you there by your neck to have you sit under my table and keep your comments away while you're busy sucking something else."

Hongjoong left a trail of fervent kisses on his jaw. Finally, Seonghwa moved his twitching hands to grab onto Hongjoong's hips. He held him punishingly close, probably leaving possessive marks.

"I like that. None o' yer subordinates would know that ye 'ave a dirty pirate under there, grindin' against yer boot."

When Hongjoong found the sensitive spot on Seonghwa's jugular, the man dropped his head back with a low moan. Their bodies were wrapped in what could have been a deadly embrace any second. Both were perfectly able to snap each other's necks. And yet, Seonghwa held him close, running his hot palms over Hongjoong's back and grabbing onto his hips.

"What is your question?" Seonghwa gritted it out between his teeth, distracted. When he found his pretty collarbone, Hongjoong left another bite there. Seonghwa was his. His enemy. His to mark.

"Did ye e'er receive a brainwashin' through yer rigid church rules? Did they e'er take the time to make ye forget that ye liked men?"

Hongjoong had a rough idea of what was going on. Why Seonghwa didn't remember him. He had mentioned the church quite a lot now, and Hongjoong had crucified his fair share of missionaries in his life as a pirate. Their influence could be intense.

"We have disciplinary training when the suspicion arises that we may have trouble following the rules. Apart from those, only our regular lessons."

When Seonghwa had enough of the teasing sensations on his collarbone, he turned them around. Naturally, Hongjoong's legs wrapped around the man's hips. The naval commander's weight on him wasn't a thing that Hongjoong had ever known he desired.

"What do they do if ye go against the rules?"

"Torture as punishment, I presume. Most men get pulled from their ranks if they create conflict like that. But I heard of several soldiers that got locked up for a while and came back as changed men."

Hongjoong's hand ran through Seonghwa's hair. The man dipped down to mark up Hongjoong, too. His bites were vicious and had the pirate swear under his breath. Yet, he loved the heat behind every single one of them.

"Where? Where do they lock ye up?" Breathy, Hongjoong pulled the other man closer. His throat bared to give more access to the hungry lips of the man that glided plush over his skin.

"The oubliette. Forgotten and lonely until their minds are broken. And then, they repeat their rules to ingrain them instead."

Hongjoong wrapped his arms around Cabezon's shoulders to pull him in. Surprised by the sudden shift, Seonghwa rose his face to him.

"What?"

"That sounds 'orrible." Hongjoong pouted around the words. Instantly, Seonghwa's eyes dropped to his lips.

"You want me to kiss you so bad, don't you?"

The cheeky grin that snuck on Hongjoong's lips was an unstoppable force.

"Be ye opposed?"

When Seonghwa just cocked his brow at him, Hongjoong grinned broader. A second passed before a crooked grin pulled on the commander's lips, too.

"You are a scoundrel. Fine, you get what you want."

Hongjoong sighed when the other man's lips met his. His mouth was warm, his tongue rigid against Hongjoong's playful luring. When Seonghwa bit him, his teeth were sharp, but Hongjoong pulled him further in, anyway.