Trigger Warning

Mentions of drowning

"Seonghwa, I wanna teach you how to do something, but I'm not sure how keen you'll be to do it," Hongjoong said as he ate his cereal. Seonghwa glanced up from the further end of the table where he was eating as well.

"But you're teaching me sword-fighting," Seonghwa pointed out.

"No, I'm helping you brush up on your skills. As I said yesterday, you're doing really well so I don't need to help you anymore," Hongjoong said with a shrug.

"Oh, ok. So, what else do you want to teach me," Seonghwa asked. Hongjoong bit his lip nervously, glancing around the table before looking back to Seonghwa who was watching him expectantly.

"You're a pirate, you're going to be on this ship for a long time, in the middle of the sea," Hongjoong said slowly. Seonghwa gasped and whimpered as he registered what Hongjoong was implying.

"No. No, no, no. Please no," he cried, shaking his head quickly. Yunho shot up from where he was seated beside Seonghwa and wrapped his arms around him tightly, rubbing his back. Seonghwa clutched to him desperately, curling in on himself slightly, his head beginning to go fuzzy.

The waves were crashing around him, a big one slamming on top of him, forcing him back down under the raging sea, water entering his lungs. He coughed and spluttered but he was underwater so it didn't make a difference. Just as he thought it was going to be finally over, there was a tug around his mid-section and he was dragged back above water, his back smashing again-.

"Hey, Seongie, look at me darling." Seonghwa's vision came back into focus slowly and he realised he was on the floor, curled up tightly in Hongjoong's arms, practically sitting in his lap.

"Hey, there you are," Hongjoong said softly, giving Seonghwa a gentle smile. He had panicked when Seonghwa completely shut down and just started whimpering continuously so he dragged him to the floor and hugged him tightly, trying to bring him back to himself. Seonghwa sniffled and moved his head to snuggle into Hongjoong's neck.

"I've got you, you're safe," Hongjoong whispered. Seonghwa nodded into his neck and took a deep breath to begin calming himself down.

"M'safe," Seonghwa whispered. Hongjoong let out a sad smile and ran his fingers through Seonghwa's hair gently. The other were all gathered around, just sitting on the floor and waiting.

"Joong," Seonghwa whispered, pulling back a little. His hand was shaking as he gripped Hongjoong's shirt tightly and Hongjoong took notice of it.

"It's ok Seonghwa, I won't bring you near the water," Hongjoong promised, not wanting to stress the other out more.

"N-No. No, I need to do this," Seonghwa said quietly. Hongjoong frowned in confusion, raising an eyebrow.

"You want to go into the water? Seongie, you just panicked at the mere mention," Hongjoong pointed out quietly.

"I know," Seonghwa whispered. It's the fact that he's panicking so much that he wants to do it. He needs good memories with the water, needs to be able to swim so he doesn't have to rely on the others to save his life whenever he ends up in the ocean.

"I need to," Seonghwa whispered.

"Ok," Hongjoong nodded, pulling Seonghwa close again.

"Here's what we're going to do alright. Mingi, I want you to grab some of the sheets from my quarters, cut them up and form a rope with them," Hongjoong said.

"Why," Mingi asked in confusion.

"Because we're going to wrap it around Seonghwa as a safety mechanism in case something goes wrong, just to pull him up a little so he isn't under water. It's softer than normal rope so it won't hurt him," Hongjoong said.

"I'm on it," Mingi said with a nod, getting up and leaving quickly.

"Jongho, I want you to anchor us in. I know we're behind schedule a litt-."

"It's fine. We're more worried about keeping Seonghwa safe so we can wait an hour or two," Jongho cut him off. Hongjoong nodded and Jongho left quickly to get the ship anchored in.

"Alright Yunho, I want you to be up the top with Yeosang with the rope. Your jobs are to watch and be prepared toss it down in case something happens and he can't climb the ladder. Yeosang is Seonghwa needs to get out of the water, you'll jump in and wait by the ladder to help him up if he can get there or to help tie the rope around him," Hongjoong said. Yunho and Yeosang nodded quickly in understanding.

"What will Sannie and I be doing," Wooyoung asked.

"You two will be down in the water with Seongie and I. You can muck around together but I want you there in case he panics to help me get him to Yeosang," Hongjoong said.

"We can do that," San said with a nod.

"Good," Hongjoong said. There was a sudden jolt as they anchored and Seonghwa shifted slightly but was held steady by Hongjoong.

"Do you want to do it now or do you want to wait until later," Hongjoong asked.

"I'm scared. I have to do it now or I'll back out," Seonghwa said quietly.

"Ok, come on, let's go," Hongjoong said softly. He slowly helped Seonghwa to his feet and grabbed his hand before they all went out onto the deck.

"San, Woo, get into the water first," Hongjoong said. The two of them immediately slipped their shoes, socks and shirts off before running and jumping into the water.

"Do you want to climb down the ladder, or do you want to jump in," Hongjoong asked Seonghwa. Seonghwa still held his hand tightly and glanced over the side of the deck, jolting back instantly and huddling close to Hongjoong.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to Seonghwa, you know that right. If it's too much, you can take a step back," Hongjoong said.

"No, I've got this. You said you'd protect me, and I trust you. Plus if I start to drown, I have all of you to save my life. It's sunny and nice, it's a good time to try," Seonghwa said quietly. Hongjoong nodded and stepped back, pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the side before taking off his shoes and socks and dropping them down as well. Seonghwa's eyes slowly raked down his torso, seeing a couple of scars against his tanned, toned skin. Seonghwa blinked and quickly looked away before discarding his clothes like the others did. Hongjoong checked over Seonghwa's skin, pleased to see that the bruises and cuts were healing well over time with the ointment they had.

"So how do you want to get down into the water," Hongjoong asked gently. Seonghwa's hand started shaking again and he shakily reached out to Hongjoong, his hand grasping for his shirt that was no longer there. He ended up just grasping his shoulder tightly, his hand clenching tightly. Hongjoong winced slightly as he felt Seonghwa's nails dig into the back of his shoulder. He quickly reached up and slipped his hand into the olders, gently prying it off his shoulder.

"Seonghwa. You can ba-."

"Can you jump with me," Seonghwa asked quickly, cutting him off.

"Of course I can," Hongjoong said instantly.

"I just, I wanna close my eyes and jump with you," Seonghwa said quietly.

"We can do that if you want," Hongjoong said softly, rubbing his thumb on the back of Seonghwa's hand. Seonghwa nodded so Hongjoong quickly pulled him over to edge of the ship. Seonghwa felt panic bubble up in his throat as he saw the water, but he quickly turned to look at Hongjoong. He stepped closer to the Captain and squeezed his hand tightly, drawing his attention. Hongjoong quickly lifted his hand to cup Seonghwa's cheek, rubbing his thumb over it comfortingly.

"I've got you Seonghwa, I promise. We'll stay close to the edge of the ship where the hooks are and I'll keep him above water if something happens," Hongjoong said firmly.

"Ok," Seonghwa said, his voice small. Hongjoong quickly stepped up and balanced on the railing.

"I've got you," he assured the other. Seonghwa mustered up all of his confidence and climbed up the railing beside Hongjoong. He kept his eyes on the smaller boy, off the water.

"You ready," Hongjoong whispered. Seonghwa took a deep breath and swallowed before nodding. Hongjoong wrapped his arms around him tightly before stepping off the edge and sending them plunging into the water below. Seonghwa screamed as the fell, panic building in them as he went underwater. It didn't last long though as strong arms were tugging him up and his head was almost instantly above the water. Seonghwa whimpered and clung tightly to Hongjoong as the Captain tugged them over to the side of the ship. Hongjoong reached up and grabbed a loop, allowing Seonghwa to wrap his arms around his neck and hold on tightly, almost perfectly mimicking how they were in the storm. At least this time Seonghwa was conscious.

"See, I told you I've got you," Hongjoong said softly. Seonghwa sniffled and nodded, trying to calm himself down as his entire body was shaking with fear.

"Take deep breaths for me Seonghwa. You're safe, I won't let you get hurt," Hongjoong assured him, flexing his arm and adjusting his grip slightly so he wouldn't slip. Seonghwa closed his eyes and tucked himself closer to Hongjoong, taking deep breaths to calm himself back down.

"Tell me when you're ready and I'll let go," Hongjoong said and Seonghwa nodded. San and Wooyoung were watching closely from where they floating a few metres away, ready to jump in if anything happened.

"We can let go," Seonghwa said quietly.

"Ok, what I want you to do is hold onto me and kick your legs out like how I'm doing now," Hongjoong said, nodding his head down. Seonghwa bit his lip nervously but looked down as asked, watching the what Hongjoong was doing before trying it out himself. Hongjoong slowly let go of the loop and they sunk down slightly. Seonghwa whimpered and latched onto him tighter, stopping his previous movements but Hongjoong kicked harder and managed to keep them afloat.

"Keep kicking Seonghwa, keep kicking," Hongjoong said quickly. Seonghwa whined again but did as asked, beginning to kick his legs how Hongjoong showed him. Hongjoong let out a breath, able to spend less energy kicking as Seonghwa was able to support more of his weight.

"See, you're doing it," Hongjoong said in encouragement. Seonghwa was quite tense but he nodded stiffly at Hongjoong's words.

"Doing this helps keep you above water. Now I'm going to let you go and I want you to move your hands inwards and outwards continuously, half in the water and half out. It's called treading water and it will help you float without me helping," Hongjoong said.

"No. No, don't let go," Seonghwa cried, tears springing to his eyes as he looked across the water.

"No, Seongie, just look at me," Hongjoong said quickly. Seonghwa turned his head back to Hongjoong and sniffled slightly.

"I have you. I promise I have you Seonghwa. Just trust me and do what I said," Hongjoong said. Seonghwa took a deep breath before slowly pulling back from Hongjoong, letting his hands slip from his body. He started sinking but quickly kicked his legs and to his surprise, he rose above water again.

"Good, that's perfect. Now do what I said with your hands, like this," Hongjoong said, demonstrating. Seonghwa followed along with what Hongjoong was doing, managing to tread water as he wanted.

"That amazing Seonghwa, you're doing so well," Hongjoong said encouragingly. Seonghwa was gnawing his bottom lip anxiously, but he managed a tiny smile.

"See, it's not so bad is it," Hongjoong said lightly, swimming around Seonghwa. Seonghwa whimpered when Hongjoong went out of sight but Hongjoong was quick to swim back around in front of him so Seonghwa could see him.

"I-I'm floating," Seonghwa said happily.

"You are. You're doing really well Seongie," Hongjoong said softly.

"Am I swimming," Seonghwa asked hopefully, making Hongjoong giggle slightly.

"No, you're just floating. Do you want me to show you how to swim though," Hongjoong asked. Seonghwa nibbled his lip, before nodding slowly. He isn't dead yet and he's somehow managing to float so maybe he can learn to swim.

"Awesome. First, I want you to try laying on your back," Hongjoong said, swimming over and resting his hand on Seonghwa's back. Seonghwa drew in a shaky breath before slowly leaning back.

"Spread your legs apart a little and your arms out Seonghwa, to help keep you stable and afloat," Hongjoong instructed. Seonghwa laid entirely on his back, his heart pounding but he did as asked. Hongjoong kept his hand on Seonghwa's back just in case before slowly lowering it as Seonghwa was floating fine.

"Hongjoong, Joongie," Seonghwa cried out, panicking slightly.

"I'm here, I'm still here," Hongjoong said quickly, patting the top of his head lightly.

"Now, I want you to kick your feet up and down," Hongjoong said. Seonghwa was confused but did as asked, surprised to find he moved a little.

"Perfect. Now swing your arms back like this, one at a time. Take it in terms," Hongjoong said, grabbing Seonghwa's wrists and doing the motion for him. He let go after a few times and Seonghwa continued. Seonghwa giggled happily when he felt himself gliding through the water slightly. It felt weird, a little unnatural but it seemed to be working well.

"Omg Hwa, you're doing it," Wooyoung shouted excitedly, watching as the oldest swum around slowly on his back.

"YES HWA," Yeosang yelled down from where he was watching from the deck, Yunho hooting and hollering along as well. Seonghwa blushed and stopped swimming, managing to go back to treading water. He glanced at Hongjoong to see him a few metres away from him. His hair was wet and plastered against his forehead, his head tiled slightly and there was an odd smile on his face. Hongjoong just watched fondly, proud to see the grin on Seonghwa's face.

"You good," Seonghwa asked. Hongjoong quickly snapped out of it, blinking and focusing again.

"Yeah, you're doing great," Hongjoong said, giving him a soft smile.

"I can't believe I'm actually swimming. Whenever I've been in the water, I've always been drowning," Seonghwa said happily. Hongjoong's heart broke as the smile slowly slipped from Seonghwa's face, his eyes welling up with tears before he started sobbing. Hongjoong, Wooyoung and San immediately swam to the crying boy, pulling him into their arms while continuing to stay afloat.

"It's ok Hwa, just let it out," San said softly. Seonghwa clung to Hongjoong, feeling the other two plastered to his back as he continued to sob. It's about time he lets it out, come to terms with some of the trauma.

"Keep him up, don't let his head go under water," Hongjoong said quietly. San and Wooyoung nodded, continuing to rub Seonghwa's back. He sobbed for at least a few minutes before he finally calmed down. He felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder and he felt relieved.

"We've got you Hwa," Wooyoung said softly.

"I know," Seonghwa whispered, giving them a small smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry like that," Seonghwa apologised.

"Don't be sorry Seonghwa. You've gone through hell and back, you have the right to cry as much as you'd like," Hongjoong said, squeezing his waist. Seonghwa chuckled wetly and dropped his head onto Hongjoong's shoulder, tucking his face against his neck. Hongjoong rested a hand on the back of his head, rubbing it gently before instinctively leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on the side of his head. He's so used to doing it whenever the other boys need comfort, it's only natural to do now. He held his breath, hoping Seonghwa wouldn't react badly but the older just snuggled closer so he didn't say anything.

"Do you want to continue or do you want to finish here. There's just one last thing I want to show you," Hongjoong said.

"I wanna learn it," Seonghwa said, pulling back quickly.

"Ok. I'm going to teach you the normal stroke we all use. Sannie, demonstrate please," Hongjoong said. San leaned forwards and kicked his legs his arms rotating like Seonghwa's were earlier, only they were going forwards, not backwards. Seonghwa watched curiously, analysing how he moved so he could copy it.

"I think I can do that," he said quietly.

"Ok, you try it out. I'll be right beside you the entire time," Hongjoong said. He pulled away from Seonghwa, letting him go as the other started treading water again.

"You pick up on things really quick Seongie, you can do this," Hongjoong said. Seonghwa nibbled his lip nervously before leaning forwards and copying how San laid. A bit of water got into his mouth, making him let out a small cough but he didn't panic. He took a small breath before beginning to kick his legs, moving his arms as San did. He struggled to get the movement right at first but after a few seconds he finally got it and started moving. He was going well, apart from the fact his face was in the water and it was hard to breath so he stopped quickly.

"Very good but turn your head to the side to take a breath, other wise you won't be able to breathe," Hongjoong said. Ah, that makes a lot more sense.

"Ok," Seonghwa said before doing as Hongjoong instructed. He started swimming through the water, tilting his head to the side to breathe in air when he needed it. It was shocking, just how easy it was to swim when all these years he's been suffering because he couldn't. He felt a little stupid that he went through all of that when he could've just easily learnt to swim when he was younger.

"YOU'RE DOING GREAT HWA," Mingi yelled, bouncing up and down happily on the deck. Seonghwa stopped swimming, just treading water again and he spun around to face Hongjoong with a grin.

"You wanna try jumping off the ship properly," Hongjoong asked. Seonghwa's eyes lit up and he nodded, swimming quickly to the ladder to climb up.

"He's smart. Really smart," San whispered to Hongjoong.

"And resilient," Hongjoong nodded before swimming off to get to the ladder. He climbed up quickly, going over to where Seonghwa was standing by the edge of the ship.

"Can we all jump in together," Seonghwa asked quickly, turning to look at Hongjoong.

"SANNIE, WOO, GET UP HERE SO WE CAN JUMP WITH SEONGHWA," Hongjoong yelled down. San and Wooyoung immediately swam and climbed up ladder, running to them. Wooyoung slipped as he ran, falling back and crashing against the deck with a whimper.

"WOOYOUNG," Hongjoong yelled out, rushing to the youngers side and pulling him into his arms.

"I'm fine Hongjoong, just caught me off-guard," Wooyoung chuckled. He wrapped his arms around Hongjoong's neck and the older stood, bringing him up with him.

"How many times have I told you boys not to run on the deck when you're wet. It's slippery and you might fall and get hurt," Hongjoong said with a frown.

"Sorry dad. I'll do my best to listen next time," Wooyoung giggled, slipping out of Hongjoong's hold before the Captain could react.

"Come on, it's Seonghwa's first jump overboard," Jongho said, beckoning the two bickering ones over. Wooyoung and Hongjoong walked over, the eight of them all standing by the rails in a line.

"Hold hands guys," Yunho said. Seonghwa smiled and slipped his right hand into Hongjoong's, moving his left to slip into Mingi's hand.

"You nervous," Hongjoong asked gently.

"Oh definitely, but I trust you guys," Seonghwa said, giving him a small smile. He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts before nodding to the others.

"I'm ready, let's go," Seonghwa said firmly.

"ATEEZ, let's jump in this water. Together, as a crew," Hongjoong said. The all climbed on the railing, giggling as they tried to stay balanced and not fall.

"ATEEZ," Hongjoong yelled out.

"PRESENT," Yunho screamed and together they all stepped off the ship. Seonghwa didn't have time to panic because when they jumped, he did, plunging down into the water below. He sunk down before he realised he didn't learn how to swim to the surface but one glance to the side and he saw Hongjoong swimming to the surface so he mimicked his actions, breaking to the surface quickly. He coughed slightly and quickly swum to Hongjoong, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"You alright," Hongjoong asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm good," Seonghwa nodded. Hongjoong hummed and slipped an arm around his waist, holding him close as they continued to kick their legs to stay above water.

"Thank you," Seonghwa said softly, moving his head to rest gently against Hongjoong. Hongjoong smiled softly and squeezed his waist gently.

"Don't thank me. You're the one who pushed through your fear," Hongjoong whispered. Seonghwa clenched his hands anxiously before pushing away his worry and placing a gentle kiss to Hongjoong's forehead. Hongjoong's heart fluttered and he decided to be bold for once, given that Seonghwa seemed quite comfortable. He turned his head and kissed Seonghwa's neck lightly. Seonghwa let out a hum of satisfaction, cuddling closer to Hongjoong, resting his head on his shoulder. Hongjoong quickly kicked his legs, paddling back so he was against the ship and lifting his hand up to hold onto a loop.

Yeosang glanced over, noticing the two cuddled up beside the ship and smiled softly. He turned and swam over to San, tapping his shoulder.

"Hey, what's up," San asked softly.

"Hwa and Joong have been getting along really well," Yeosang pointed out. San glanced over to the two of them who were hugging tightly and talking quietly to each other.

"There's something different about how Hongjoong is acting though. He's never acted like that with any of us, never been that comfortable with skinship with us," San said with a nod.

"He likes him, doesn't he," Yeosang said.

"I don't know, it's hard to tell. None of us have ever had relationships, never really been in love. Whatever happens with them, they'll be fine. They're soulmates, like you, me and Youngie. But there can be different types of soulmates, only time can tell which one," San said with a sigh.

"Just leave it to the two of them to figure it out," he added. Yeosang nodded and turned back to the other boys that were splashing around.

~~~~~

Four days went by and everything was amazing. Everyone was getting along, having fun, doing what needed to be done as they continued to sail through the sea. Life was almost perfect but all good things eventually come to halt as the bad hits full force.

San was standing by the helm, watching the skies and the waters with a content smile on his face. For years they were seven and now that they're eight, it's odd, they kind of feel, whole now. As he was watching the water, he noticed something a little way off in the distant. There was a shape, a dark silhouette of something big. Uneasiness churned in his gut and he moved forwards, leaving the helm to stand at the very front of the ship, eyeing the shape in the distance. It looked like it was coming towards the Illusion, still a way off but definitely getting closer. He wasn't sure what it was, but he could take a pretty good guess. His heart started to pound as he spun around quickly and sprinted from the helm, running below deck and over to the room Seonghwa and Hongjoong were staying in. He doesn't know when Hongjoong went from sleeping on the mattress on the floor to sleeping on the bed, cuddled up with Seonghwa but he didn't question it. They have far more important things to get to, and quickly.

"Captain. Captain, wake up," San said quickly, shaking Hongjoong's shoulder. Hongjoong yawned and opened his eyes blearily, arousing slowly as he felt something shake him.

"Captain," San said anxiously. Hongjoong's eyes snapped open quickly and he sat up immediately, the use of Captain setting alarm bells ringing in his head.

"San, what's wrong," he asked as he grabbed his shoes and quickly begun slipping them on.

"I think there's a ship on the horizon, heading straight for us," San said quickly. Hongjoong blood ran cold and he jumped up, sprinting from the room and above deck, San following behind him. He went into his quarters and grabbed the telescope, hurrying to the front of the ship.

"It's hard for me to tell because it's so far away and it's pretty dark," San said anxiously. Hongjoong lifted the telescope and looked through it across the water. It was definitely a ship and he was able to make out the marking on it despite the darkness and his blood ran cold.

"San, I need you to do something for me. Go wake everyone up and bring them here. Don't sound any alarms and don't turn on anymore lights," Hongjoong said quickly.

"Ok," San whispered before running off. As he ran, he brushed past Seonghwa who was walking across the deck but he didn't have time to stop and talk.

Seonghwa had woken up when Hongjoong moved around quickly, been shaken and then hearing running. He put on his shoes and walked above deck, bumping into San as he ran past him but the younger didn't stop. Something was wrong, that he could tell. He hurried quickly to the helm where Hongjoong was standing, his head in his hands.

"Joong, what's wrong," he questioned softly. Hongjoong's head snapped up and he quickly hurried to Seonghwa, hugging him tightly and kissing his neck softly. Seonghwa hugged him back tightly, hearing the quickened breaths coming from him.

"It's gonna be ok," he whispered. Hongjoong shook his head and pulled away.

"I can't promise that Seonghwa, not right now," Hongjoong said shaking his head.

"It's something bad," Seonghwa whispered and Hongjoong nodded.

"I promised I'd protect you until I die and I intend to keep that promise but there's nothing I can do to stop danger coming," Hongjoong said with a sigh. Seonghwa let out a deep breath before nodding. A few seconds later, the others came running up above deck.

"How bad is it," Jongho asked immediately.

"I won't lie, it's pretty bad," Hongjoong said with a groan.

"There's a ship on the horizon, heading for us. It's obvious that they're coming for us which means they're here for a fight. I checked the markings on the ship and it's the Crusaders," Hongjoong said.

"Shit," Wooyoung said as the others gasped. Seonghwa however, was confused.

"Aren't crusaders supposed to be against evil? You guys aren't evil," Seonghwa said.

"No, these guys don't fight evil, they are the evil," Yunho said with a frown.

"How evil," Seonghwa asked.

"They're a crew of 14 men and they're known for attacking towns and slaughtering everyone without remorse. They've been doing it for so long that they don't even need any of the loot in the towns, they just do it for fun," Yeosang whispered.

"They're our treasure. Our prize that we've been building up to. We've taken down so many crews, trying to get better to be able to take down the Crusaders," Hongjoong said. Seonghwa clenched his hands anxiously. What they're saying is not very comforting at all.

"You guys can fight them though right? We can beat them," Seonghwa said.

"We can, but it's going to be hard and we're going to get hurt in the process," Hongjoong said. Seonghwa swallowed nervously but nodded. If they're going to fight, he will fight beside them.

"I want you all to listen closely because a mistake can be the difference between us getting through this and us not seeing the light of day tomorrow," Hongjoong said. It was a bit harsh but it needed to be said because it was true.

"Whatever you say, we do," San said with a nod.

"Good, now listen closely..."

A/N

Here is Chapter 13, I hope you like it

Let me know what you thought of this, what you enjoyed and what were your favourite parts