"here, if something happens, use this, okay?"

wooyoung gripped onto the handle of the sword as if it was his lifeline, anxiously watching as san rushed off to join the other lost boys in their fight against the pirates.

it was then that he realized that his view from the sky from yesterday totally did not justify how graceful of a fighter san was. sure, when he was up in the clouds, he saw how skillful san was in battle, yet up close he could see the more smaller and interesting details on his pretty fighting style.

the pink-haired boy looked like he was dancing as he swung his dagger, his light steps and controlled dodges perfectly choreographed to the icy music of the battle cries and clashing steel. concentration was etched onto his face, his moves intentful yet feathery. his movements reminded wooyoung of a pretty butterfly fluttering through the clouds.

it was so mesmerizing that wooyoung momentarily forgot that san was literally killing people.

san's fighting style was certainly unique and that's what made him stand out and attractive to the eye. while sparring he could be described as elegant and refined as opposed to others like jongho, who fights cleanly and lax, or yeosang, who fights more or less messy and aggressive.

the dark-haired boy really could watch him all day without getting bored.

but sadly, all good performances must come to an end.

san fought through the crowds of pirates until he was there at the feet of none other than captain hookjoong. he gripped his dagger until his knuckles turned white, his eyes gleaming as he stared straight up the captain's face. "you-"

the captain laughed mockingly. "oh, peter san, how does it feel to be so pathetic?"

san growled. "what does-"

the captain suddenly swung his cutlass, not even giving the magical boy any time to speak. the swing barely grazed san's heaving chest, causing him to counter with a swing himself. his grace was starting to dwindle, captain hookjoong's fighting style being so erratic and unpredictable that san could not find a proper rhythm.

the pink-haired boy tried desperately to keep up to the heavy sparring, but soon enough everything fell apart. his fatigue and wavering spirit unfortunately found him with a clean sword to the throat.

one wrong move and his head would be cut clean off.

captain hookjoong laughed menacingly, staring down at his gleaming blade. "any last words, peter san?"

fear suddenly flashed in the pink-haired boy's teary eyes, his shaking hands immediately dropping his trusty dagger to the ground before putting them up in a defensive manner. "wait..."

as soon as wooyoung saw this happen, anger coursed through his own fiery veins, his hands clenching onto his own sword. before even thinking, his body shot out towards the pair, his thoughts blazing as he ran.

he needed to save san.

once he was within meters of the pair, wooyoung let out a loud irate yell, his sword outstretched in front of him. due to the force from his speed and the wet wooden planks, he slid, his sword going cleanly straight through the captain's torso.

captain hookjoong gasped, his own sword clattering to the floor as he clutched his chest with frantic hands, his eyes wide as he stared at his attacker. "y-you-"

san, who was initially frozen from shock, approached the dark-haired boy and immediately took his hand delicately in his own, the two boys watching as the captain fell to his knees. the captain let out a shaky breath, pain flickering across his malicious face. "p-peter... you'll pay for this."

san turned him and wooyoung away as the captain's blood began to stain his clothes. he gave wooyoung a warm smile, speaking softly as if he were talking to a baby. "let's get out of here, yeah? it seems you just finished my work for me."

wooyoung nodded shakily, his adrenaline from doing such a bold act slowly dissipating. "okay."

the pair, soon followed by the lost boys, left the ship, returning to the sands of the beach as the angry clouds blew away to reveal the bright sky and shining sun.

---

smeengi felt like a knife went through his own heart when he saw that a sword went through his own captain's chest.

that was the moment that everything fell apart.

smeengi rushed towards the captain, who was now on his knees. he almost tripped and fell into the assailants as he rushed by them, but he managed to push through and make it to the captain himself. "captain! c-captain!"

and then there he was, on his knees also as he stared into his captain's broken eyes. the captain laughed lightly, which was immediately followed by a couple of painful-sounding coughs. "s-smeengi."

smeengi felt his eyes get blurry as he stared down at the blade that was dug deep into the flesh. his breathing became erratic and quick as he felt his shaky hands cover his mouth. "no, n-no. you'll b-be, okay, sir... you'll be- we c-can get you help, we h-have to, i'm... no, no, no-"

suddenly, smeengi felt a hand grab onto his shoulder, immediately breaking through his panic. "hey, s-smeengi, look at me."

the first mate slowly looked up to his leader's eyes, confused as to why he was suddenly smiling. he was smiling in a way that he doesn't think he's ever seen before on his face. in fact, he was even speaking in a way he doesn't think he's ever heard before. the captain spoke softly, trying to calm him down. "smeengi, it's going to be alright... i knew this time would have come eventually-"

smeengi shook his head frantically. "no, no, this is all my fault, this is all my fault, i'm so sorry-"

the captain was acting strangely. he's never been this kind before. smeengi doesn't know whether or not it was because he was on the brink of death or something, but this side of captain made him, even if it's for a few seconds, validated as more than just a first mate.

it was something he wanted more of, and now it seems he may never get more.

"don't apologize. i wanted to fight that pest anyways and... he's just too s-strong for me... take care of my ship for me, okay?"

smeengi blinked, tears streaming down his cheeks as he grabbed the captain's body desperately. "w-what?"

the captain removed his hand from his first mate's shoulder, shakily bringing it up to his head and removing his captain's hat from his head. he held it out, tears now falling out of his own eyes. "because it's yours now."

"no-"

and at that, the captain fell down to the planks as the final pieces of his life flowed out of his eyes, his hat-holding hand still outstretched softly.

smeengi sobbed as he also fell to the ground, gripping the one person he looked up to in his life as he screamed at him to wake up. the air felt cold and tense as his tears flowed like rivers. this couldn't be happening right now.

he failed his job as a first mate, to protect his captain.

seeing the person you cared about the most hurts so much more than you could ever think. it felt as if someone ripped the sun out of the sky and stepped on it with no regret. it felt so, so cold and empty and that it seemed like nothing could ever bring you up from the ground. it feels as if a sledgehammer hit you in the skull, cracking everything you once knew to pieces because now it's all different and you could never go back. it feels as if you're trapped in the dark with no escape because the one bright candle that showed you the way is now gone.

it hurts.

everything hurts.

but smeengi knew he had to keep going. his cracked heart was broken, but not gone.

after what felt like hours of crying over his captain's now cold body, he slowly sat up, grabbing the hat that was intended to be his.

the captain wouldn't want him to cry like this, would he?

so after wiping off the last tears from his cheeks, he gripped the hat and put it on his head, the crown that he once knew to be his king's feeling heavy, yet familiar on his head.

a/n bruh this chapter is literally probably one of the saddest things i've ever written in my whole life oh my god :(

unedited