pirate king (pirate!au) ➵ ateez ✔️

conflict

You stand at the bow of the ship silently, lost in thought as the sea eddies and swirls beneath you.

Your fingers run over the stump that had once used to be your hand, tracing nonsensical patterns and words absentmindedly over the bandage done there. There's nothing you can do. Nothing to be done.

That's just the way it is.

Losing your hand was, surprisingly, the least of your concerns over the last few days. There were no fits of rage induced fury as San had used to describe to you, no depressed episodes of tears and screaming, just a silent, persisting emptiness that scares you more than anything else.

Is this what it feels like? Knowing that your days are numbered? Knowing that you're going to die?

You're so absorbed in the simple task of winding and rewinding your bandages around your fingers that you don't hear the creak of the boards, the clicking of boots until he's standing by your side.

"Hey." When there's no response, he tries again. "Chin Hae. Chin Hae?"

"Oh! Yeosang-oppa." You greet, but there's an unfocused light to your eyes, you're still out of it. His heart clenches, but he doesn't know what to say – because no words are enough. He's afraid for you, uncertainty dances on the brink of their future, the tip of his tongue. "Have the rest of the crew been informed of what happened?"

Yeosang nods slowly, leaning on the railing next to you. The ship rocks steadily on the waves, tranquil and painfully peaceful, as if the sea beneath you isn't strewn with corpses, as if the water hasn't run red with blood. It's beguiling, really, how the sea swallows all, indiscriminate, and all that's left is sea, sea and sea, and nothing more.

"What about Captain?" You ask hollowly, but the words feel heavy on your lips.

"He's in the sickbay, getting tended to by San." Fear seizes your chest for a second – what if he tells? – but emptiness relinquishes its hold on you. Your master, by far, is too kind, too pure. He wouldn't want to burden your captain any more than he already is now, what with Yunho's antidote and finding Captain Kang. San is like a puppet, manipulating him playing with marionette strings dangling from that fragile little heart of his.

He'll listen.

Yeosang's throat tightens. "Hey, Chin Hae, are you really alrig-"

Before he can finish his question, there's a furious thudding of boots up the forecastle decks stairs, rushed and frantic, and you turn around to frown at the noise when you catch sight of him.

Well, you barely do, because he's already standing before you before you can blink, and one hand shoots out to grab yours. You don't even have time to process what's he's doing, a near bewildered "Wooyoung...?" slipping from your lips when he tugs what's left of your hand more closely to his face.

His expression as he studies your bandaged hand is stony, frightening intensity burning like white flames behind his eyes. Even Yeosang seems to pick up on it, because he approaches Wooyoung cautiously, as if nearing a wild animal, and calls his name softly.

"Wooyoung-ah?"

Wooyoung's jaw clenches, a muscle in his cheek twitches, but his expression doesn't change. Then suddenly, he whirls around and storms back towards the forecastle stairs, pure wrath practically rolling off his skin.

Yeosang panics a little, runs forward to intercept Wooyoung with a hand on his arm. "Wooyoung-ah-"

To your shock, the gunner rips his arm ferociously from his friend's grip, nearly baring his teeth at the navigator. "Don't. Touch. Me."