"Oh my god, oh my god. Shit. No, no, no," San gasped as he threw clothes around. He rushed over to the chest beside his bed and threw it open, yanking everything out and searching through them quickly.

"Damnit," he groaned, turning back to the clothes on his bed. He grabbed them one by and pat them up and down before discarding them to the floor. The door to the room suddenly opened and San's head snapped up, his eyes going wide.

"Yikes, what happened in here? I thought you already decided on what clothes you want to wear," Seonghwa asked as his eyes swept over the messy room. He was hit by the strong urge to grab everything and clean it up, but there was much to do and he didn't have the time.

"Hwa. Hwa, I'm so sorry. I had them last night and I thought I put them on my nightstand but they weren't there. I've, I've looked everywhere but I can't find them," San said, grabbing his hair in frustration. Seonghwa frowned and quickly moved over, grabbing San's hand and prying it from his hair so he couldn't hurt himself.

"Breathe Sannie. What are you talking about," he asked gently, trying to coax the younger to calm down.

"The rings Seonghwa, the fucken rings," he cried, shaking his head. Seonghwa's eyes widened and he straightened out slightly, making San panic.

"I'm so sorry Seonghwa. I swear I was keeping them safe, I don't know where they went. I'll keep looking, I promise I will find them. I won't ruin it, I swear," San rushed out.

"Sannie, it's ok. Let's just take a deep breath and relax," Seonghwa said softly, moving his hand to gently rub up and down San's arm. It was clear the younger was freaking out and that was the last thing anyone wanted.

"Seonghwa I lost the rings. How do you have a wedding without rings," San said.

"Easy, we can use the bread ties. Just make a ring with them and it'll be fine," Seonghwa said with a shrug. San's mouth opened in incredulous.

"Seonghwa, you can't use bread ties as a substitute of the rings. Those rings are customised and-."

"Sannie the only thing that matters to us is that we're there and we've got the six of you with us. Rings don't matter. We will find them eventually but they don't matter right now," Seonghwa said firmly.

"Are you sure," San asked worriedly.

"Positive. So take a breath, everything is ok," Seonghwa said, cupping San's cheek delicately. San let out a breath of relief, his eyes slipping closed as he leaned into Seonghwa's touch. Seonghwa chuckled, noting how much San reminded him of a cat. He stepped closer and cupped the other side of San's face with his other hand, squeezing his cheeks softly with a giggle.

"You're so cute Sannie," he said. San slipped his eyes open again and smiled softly. He leant forwards and kiss Seonghwa's cheek before hugging him tightly, nuzzling his head into his neck. Seonghwa hugged him back and let out a breath.

"I'm so excited for you," San whispered.

"So am I Sannie, so am I," Seonghwa said happily.

"I feel like we've been waiting for this day forever," San said with a sigh.

"I mean we kind of have. We waited quite a while to get the wedding prepared and then that didn't work out and it's been another what, four or five months," Seonghwa said and San nodded.

"Well it doesn't matter now. All that matters is we're going to get married, no matter what," Seonghwa said with a smile.

"Exactly," San said with a nod as he stepped back.

"Clean this up and get changed ok. If the rings pop back up, we'll use them but if not, it isn't the end of the world Sannie," Seonghwa said softly and San nodded.

"Also go pop in and check up on Hongjoong, make sure he isn't freaking out too much," Seonghwa added, making San chuckle.

"He will definitely be freaking out but I'll calm him down," San with a nod.

"Good, go hurry up," Seonghwa said, patting San's head before he turned to leave the room. San quickly turned back to the clothes and continued searching. Seonghwa may have said the rings don't matter but there's no way he's letting his parents get married without their special rings with them.

~~~~~

"I can't believe this is actually happening. For real this time," Hongjoong said as he finished tying up the string to keep the front of his shirt laced.

"I feel like I'm getting déjà vu here. Is that insensitive to say at the moment," San said, backtracking quickly.

"No, it's ok San. I'm just happy we get to do this again. I'm happy everyone is here to witness it, that we didn't lose anyone," Hongjoong said with a sigh.

"Yeah. I was scared for a while there," San said quietly. Hongjoong glanced over to see the younger staring down at the floor, shifting his feet slightly.

"I think we all were but it's over now. We're all safe and next time we will be prepared," Hongjoong said as he walked over to the younger.

"Yeosang still refuses to let Wooyoung and I talk about what he did," San said as Hongjoong gently started to run a comb through his hair.

"Does Wooyoung know what happened," Hongjoong asked.

"Yeah, I told him what you told me," San said with a nod.

"Yeosang will open up eventually. The important thing is that you're there for him and he's ok," Hongjoong said.

"We are, and we always will be," San said with a nod.

"Good. If anything changes or you have any worries with him, just let me know and I'll have a chat with him," Hongjoong said.

"We will. But right now we shouldn't be focusing on my relationship, we should be focusing on yours. You're getting married Joongie," San said happily, watching as a grin broke out across Hongjoong's face.

"I know right. Ah, I'm so excited. I think if my heart was racing any faster, it would beat right out of my chest," Hongjoong said with a grin.

"How do I look," he added.

"Very handsome Joong," San said with a nod.

"Perfect."

~~~~~

"Hey Gigi, can you help me with something." Mingi paused where he was buttoning up his shirt and glanced over to the doorway where Jongho was standing.

"Sure. What do you need me to help you with," he asked.

"So, we never really get dressed up. You know, considering we're pirates, it's not really our thing," Jongho said.

"Yeah, I get that," Mingi said with a nod.

"Well, before I came here I was with the other crew. I've been a pirate since I was 14 so I've never really gotten dressed up," Jongho said nervously.

"Tell me what you need Jjongie and I'll help," Mingi reassured him. Jongho may be the youngest but it's rare for him to ask them for help with anything.

"I don't know how to tie a tie but I want to look good for mum and dad," Jongho said as he held out the black tie in his hand. Mingi smiled softly, finding it cute how despite almost being 25, Jongho can still remind him of the young boy he first met all those years ago.

"Come here," he said, waving the younger over. Jongho hurried over and handed Mingi his tie. Mingi wrapped it around the youngers neck before pausing.

"Here, watch me," he said before slowly going through the steps, the youngest watching with rapt attention.

"And there we are, all done," Mingi said with a smile as he tightened the tie and made sure it was sitting properly.

"Thanks," Jongho mumbled quietly.

"No problem kiddo," Mingi said with a grin. Jongho scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"And there you go, ruining the moment," he said.

"Eh, I'll take what I got," Mingi said with a shrug.

"Anything else you need help with," he added. Jongho rolled his eyes but thought about it.

"Uh yeah, could you fix my hair please," Jongho asked.

"Of course," Mingi said with a nod. He grabbed some gel from his nightstand and lathered it up in his hand before turning back to Jongho. He gently ran his fingers through the gunners hair, styling it into a neat hairdo.

"Thank you, for always helping me when I ask," Jongho said quietly.

"Of course. I'll always be here to help you. If you asked me, I'd give you my heart," Mingi said with a chuckle. Jongho glanced up, his eyes widening before his face lit up in a gummy smile. He threw his arms around Mingi's neck and hugged him tightly.

"I appreciate that but let's not go taking out organs like it's a black market. Thank you though," Jongho said.

"I love you," Mingi said, patting the youngers back softly.

"I love you too," Jongho said happily, tightening his grip.

~~~~~

"Are you kidding me! You've had those this whole time," San exclaimed.

"What? You gave them to me to look at last night remember? Before we went to bed after, you know," Wooyoung said, raising an eyebrow.

"I was half asleep then, I didn't even realise. Youngie, I have been looking for those for like 3 hours," San said with a groan as he grabbed the rings from the youngers hand. Wooyoung giggled before giving an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew," he chuckled as he stepped closer and lightly pecked San's lips. He went to pull back but San quickly caught him by the waist and tugged him back. He cupped the youngers cheeks softly and bent down kissing Wooyoung delicately. Wooyoung smiled and pushed back into the kiss, tilting his head slightly to deepen it.

"Oh ah, sorry, I can come back later." The kiss broke and they both turned to the door with frowns on their faces.

"No, you can come here and join us," Wooyoung said, holding out his hand.

"You are just as much apart of this relationship as we are. We are equ-."

"Ok, ok. I was joking. Jeez," Yeosang chuckled as he grabbed Wooyoung's hand and allowed him to tug him closer. Both Wooyoung and San latched onto Yeosang on either side, the oldest of the trio, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders.

"It's hard to tell with you sometimes. You do stupid things without thinking and you act like you're disposable not just in this relationship, but in general," Wooyoung said. Yeosang frowned before pulling away and taking a step back, the others doing the same.

"Is this about what happened with Jonghoon? You seriously want to do this now," Yeosang asked with a frown.

"Well you never want to talk about it, so why not now," Wooyoung said with a shrug.

"Look, I'm not proud of it ok. But I was hurting and I was scared. They could have killed you Wooyoung, they almost paralysed you. I wanted to get revenge but I lack the skills to do that. I can't fight like you guys so I thought, why not use my body to get closer," Yeosang said.

"You shouldn't have to do that Sangie. I don't care if someone actually killed me, I would never want you put in that position," Wooyoung said in frustration.

"It wasn't just about you Wooyoung. They hurt Seonghwa as well. I wanted to help. I am basically useless like 80% of the time," Yeosang said.

"You aren't useless Yeosang. Not to us and not to the others. Sure, you can't fight but without you we would all be dead and that is a guarantee. But if not being able to fight is such and issue for you, we can teach you," San said gently. He hated hearing either of the boys talking about themselves in a negative way.

"I know you guys are pissed at how I handled the situation but I didn't know what else to do. I am well aware that I was stupid to do what I did but what's done is done. I wasn't thinking when I did it, I was just emotional and didn't have anything else to do ok. Woo, you were dying, you had blood all over you and I didn't, I didn't know what to do to help you," Yeosang said sadly. Wooyoung sighed and moved forwards, hugging Yeosang tightly.

"I'm sorry if I seemed angry, you just worry me sometimes. You're too sweet, I just want to hide you from the world," Wooyoung said quietly. Yeosang softened at that and hugged him back.

"And I appreciate that, even if I don't always show it," he said quietly. San padded over and joined the hug, sandwiching Yeosang between the two of them and resting his head on the medics shoulder.

"I love you. Both of you," he whispered.

"Love you both so much," Wooyoung said, kissing Yeosang's cheek.

"Yeah, yeah, love you too," Yeosang said, letting out a breath of relief. The three of them remained how they were, hugging for a while before San spoke up.

"Hey guys, Seonghwa and Hongjoong are getting married in a couple of hours so we should probably you know, go and finish getting ready," he said.

"Right, that would help. Sangie, wanna help me get dressed," Wooyoung said with a grin.

"I would love to," Yeosang replied with a giggle.

~~~~~

Yunho walked into the room Hongjoong was getting ready in, finding him just standing and looking at a framed photo.

"Knock, knock," Yunho said quietly, gaining Hongjoong's attention.

"Hey," Hongjoong said, quickly putting the photo down on the desk.

"How're you feeling," Yunho asked.

"Nervous but happy. I really hope nothing goes wrong this time," Hongjoong said, making Yunho chuckle.

"Nothing will go wrong Joong, we'll make sure of it," Yunho said.

"I know. You know I kind of prefer it this way. Just the eight of us. A nice intimate wedding on the sea," Hongjoong said.

"Yeah. San's navigating again, we should be there quite soon," Yunho said.

"Good, good," Hongjoong said with a nod.

"Have you told Seonghwa where we're going yet," Yunho asked.

"No, I want it to be a surprise," Hongjoong replied, shaking his head.

"I think he'll love it," Yunho said and Hongjoong smiled softly.

"I hope so. It's not as pretty as what we were planning but it's sentimental so hopefully he will love it," Hongjoong said.

"He will. I know for sure that he will," Yunho said firmly. Hongjoong chuckled and leaned up to ruffle Yunho's hair gently.

"Thank you for always making sure I see reason," he said, making Yunho chuckle.

"You're welcome. Lord knows you need the reality check sometimes," Yunho said with a nod.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Hongjoong said with a frown.

"Eh, I beg to differ," Yunho said, dodging as Hongjoong tried to whack him.

"Hey, don't mess me up before the wedding. I am the most important person today other than you and Seonghwa. Remember I spent hours studying for that stupid test to be able to officiate your wedding," Yunho pointed out.

"Right, good point," Hongjoong said with a nod. There was three knocks at the door before there was the sound of hurried footsteps running away along with giggles.

"I think that's Youngie's way of saying it's almost time," Yunho said. Hongjoong chuckled and shook his head.

"God I love that kid."

"Me too, I'm glad he ended up ok," Yunho said with a side.

"I don't know who it would have killed more if he was paralysed. Him, or us."

~~~~~

"Stop fidgeting," Yunho said quietly, failing to hide the fondness in his voice. Hongjoong was standing beside him at the helm of the ship. He kept shifting on his feet and fidgeting with his fingers while he waited.

"It's cute Yunho, leave him be," Mingi said with a chuckle. Hongjoong glanced at him and flashed him a small smile.

"When is he coming? It's been a few minutes already," Hongjoong said nervously.

"Yeosang will bring him up soon, just be patient," Jongho said. Hongjoong sighed but nodded, straightening up and fixing his clothes.

"Do I look good? W-Will he thin-."

"He will think you're gorgeous Hongjoong, just as he usually does. You have nothing to worry about ok, nothing will go wrong. We're in open water right now and we're keeping vigilant. If something happens, we will be ready and we will fight back," San said firmly.

"Are you sure," Hongjoong asked.

"Positive. This is your special day, it's going to be perfect," San said with a nod. Hongjoong nodded as well, going to reply but stopping as there was movement. He glanced across the deck and his breath caught in his throat as he saw Seonghwa being led along the ship towards them by Yeosang. His eyes were covered by a blindfold as discussed and he was holding onto Yeosang's hand for guidance. His original wedding outfit had been destroyed so instead he was wearing a white shirt and pants with a gold blazer like jacket.

"God he's beautiful," Hongjoong gasped quietly. He was hit with strong emotions of relief and happiness. Overwhelming emotions so he quickly reached out and grasped San's arm, drawing in deep breaths.

"It's ok, you're allowed to be emotional right now Joongie," San said softly. Hongjoong drew in a deep breath and nodded, allowing the emotions but steadying himself.

"Here's the steps Hwa," Yeosang said quietly as he slowly guided Seonghwa up them until he was standing beside Hongjoong, facing him. Yeosang quickly stepped back, moving over to where the others were waiting a few steps down, San doing the same. Hongjoong waited a few seconds before lifting his hand and gently removing the blindfold. Seonghwa blinked quickly, his eyes immediately zeroing in on Hongjoong.

"You look beautiful Joongie," he whispered.

"You too Seongie, you're gorgeous," Hongjoong said, smiling softly as his eyes got a little misty.

"Please don't cry again, you'll make me cry and Wooyoung did my makeup," Seonghwa said making Hongjoong chuckle. The Captain let out a breath and nodded.

"I won't, I promise," he said.

"Yunho get on with the ceremony so we don't get interrupted this time," Wooyoung said quickly.

"Sweetheart, you're the one that always interrupts them. Let them have their moment," San said, slapping a hand over the youngers mouth.

"Thanks Sannie. He's kind of right though, can we get this going," Hongjoong said, glancing to Yunho.

"We are gathered here today to properly celebrate a magnificent moment in life, the union of our two awesome parents, Kim Hongjoong and Park Seonghwa," Yunho said. Despite promising not to, Hongjoong's eyes teared up, a tear managing to slip out but he noticed Seonghwa's doing the same. It felt so surreal to be doing this with his just his family. It felt more intimate, more heartfelt and it had their own spin to it.

"I'm going to skip the next part cos it's boring. We all know how much these two love each other and even without marriage, they would always love, trust and honour each other for the rest of their lives," Yunho said, making everyone chuckle.

"No matter what, you two will always be each other. You will continue to grow together as individuals, as partners and as the loving parents for you six adoptive children of which your favourite is the eldest." Yunho's words were cut off by protests from the others but Seonghwa and Hongjoong just laughed. It wasn't exactly in the official script but it was a nice edition.

"Your vows come now," he added quickly.

"I'll go first again, is that ok," Hongjoong asked and Seonghwa nodded.

"It's coming up to four or five years since we first officially met but it's feels like I've known you for years. Probably because we met as kids but lost contact for years. We actually met in this very spot. We intercepted that ship and took everyone out except for you because the boys insisted you were worth saving. Which they were right, for once. I know this isn't exactly the beautiful island we were first wanting-."

"It's perfect Hongjoong," Seonghwa cut in softly, knowing Hongjoong would start to panic. Hongjoong let out a breath of relief and nodded.

"You are everything to me Park Seonghwa, you are my life now. Without you in my life, it would look bleak. You're already my husband, this is purely for formalities but I cannot wait to make it official," Hongjoong said softly.

"Seonghwa, your turn," Yunho said.

"I've never really been good with words but I will do my best. I grew up without a purpose, life always seemed so dull. As a kid the only excitement I ever had in life was when I would meet ever few months with a little pirate boy and hear about his journeys. When I was old enough, I left in search of a life like that. There were some bumps along the way but I eventually found you, even if neither of us realised. I like to think of it as fate that we came together. You're the best thing that has happened to me Hongjoong, you and the boys, you gave me a family I didn't know I was worthy of having. I am with you until the end of the line Kim Hongjoong, you're it for me," Seonghwa said gently. He glanced over at the boys and smiled fondly as he saw all of them were at the very least sniffling, except Wooyoung and Jongho who were crying and clinging on to each other. His little cry-babies.

"Kim Hongjoong, do you take Park Seonghwa to be your wife slash husband, whichever one you prefer to use, to live together in holy matrimony, to love him, to honour him, to comfort him, in sickness and in health, til death do you part," Yunho asked.

"I do," Hongjoong said firmly.

"Park Seonghwa, do you take Kim Hongjoong to be your husband, to live together in holy matrimony, to love him, to honour him, to comfort him, in sickness and in health, til death do you part," Yunho said.

"I do," Seonghwa said with a nod.

"Oh wait, shit. I think you were supposed to give each other the rings," Yunho said as he whipped out the little notebook he had. Seonghwa giggled and Hongjoong rolled his eyes.

"Who cares the order. Sannie, the rings please," Hongjoong said. San stepped up quickly and handed each of them the rings.

"You found them," Seonghwa said quietly.

"Yeah, turns out I gave them to Youngie without realising and the dipshit forgot to tell me," San replied.

"Hey," Wooyoung whined quietly but he continued hugging Jongho.

"Uh, you can place the rings on each other," Yunho said. Hongjoong stepped up first, gently slipping the ring onto Seonghwa's finger before Seonghwa did the same back to him.

"Duh, duh, duh, blah, blah. I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride," Yunho said, shutting the book with a snap. Hongjoong rolled his eyes yet again but at least Yunho got the job down. He stepped forwards and cupped Seonghwa's face, leaning forwards and kissing him softly. Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong's waist and leant down slightly to kiss him back. They kissed for a few seconds before pulling away and the others all cheered happily. Wooyoung rushed forwards and jumped at the newlyweds hugging them both tightly and Jongho was quick to follow, hugging them tightly.

"Come on guys, you can join," Hongjoong said and everyone immediately rushed forwards.

"I guess this is a good time to say the ceremony is finished. Yay, you guys are married now. The marriage licence is in your quarters to sign later," Yunho said as he joined the hug.

"Fucken final, they've been trying to get married for ages," Yeosang said with a sigh, making everyone's attention shift to him in shock.

"What, I swear. I'm a pirate," he said with a shrug, making the others giggle.

"I'm so happy for both of you," Jongho said quietly.

"Thanks Jjong. You're looking very sharp today, I appreciate you getting dressed up," Seonghwa said, reaching out across the bodies to ruffle Jongho's hair. Jongho's cheeks turned pink but he smiled happily.

"God I can't believe you're finally married guys, this is awesome," Mingi said happily.

"It is. We're married and everyone is ok, no one is hurt. Things are looked up for us once again," Seonghwa said softly.

"Yeah, so what's next. We gonna go find the next biggest fish in the sea and take them out," San asked with a grin.

"Hold your horses, lets just enjoy this happiness for now before we go out risking our lives again. I think we've had enough excitement for the time being," Hongjoong said.

"I agree. I want to go to a nice island with a town by the beach where we can relax, drink cocktails and enjoy the sun," Yeosang said, making the others chuckle.

"You know, I really do like that idea," Wooyoung said.

"Same. What do you think Captain," Yunho asked, everyone turning to look at Hongjoong.

"Wow, way to put me on the spot there," Hongjoong said.

"So, cocktails by the beach," Jongho said slowly.

"Fine, cocktails by the beach," Hongjoong agreed with a sigh. Everyone cheered happily as they pulled apart and Hongjoong smiled. This was how things should be, his family safe and happy, just enjoying life. This is what they all deserved.

"Oh by the way Seonghwa, you still have to do my dishes for a month. Hongjoong cried both times, what a loser."

A/N

Well here you have it everyone, Chapter 22, the final chapter of the book and the series and I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading this chapter, it was fun to write. Let me know your favourite parts. 

Let me know your top three favourite bits of this book if you have the time, I would love to hear.

END OF THE SERIES

Thank you to everyone for reading this series, it's been a really fun one to write. When I started the series back in October of 2022, I didn't expect to make a sequel and I certainly didn't expect it to turn into a trilogy but well, now we have it. I've loved reading all of your comments on each of the chapters throughout the books, I've loved your suggestions/requests and your thoughts into everything. 

Thank you so much to everyone for reading all three books and especially those of you who have been here from the very beginning, I'm honoured you enjoyed my stories enough to follow through to the end. 

If you have the time, I would love for you to answer these questions, as like a little survey of the series:

Who were your top 3 characters throughout the series and why?

Which book was your favourite?

If there was one thing you could see that wasn't in the books, what would it have been?

Who was your least favourite character?

Who was your favourite villain throughout the series?

If you were a pirate, what role do you think you would have and what weapon would you love to have as your signature weapon?