For the past two weeks San had noticed Hongjoong keeping a relatively close eye on him, checking in constantly to make sure he was getting enough sleep. It was a bit annoying but also nice that the Captain was looking after him. He finally let up a few days ago when his attention was drawn elsewhere, to mapping out which island they'd be anchoring down at. Now that he's focusing on other stuff however, he seems to have forgotten about the change in shifts which means San has been navigating for close to 30 hours. He sighed and yawned slightly, his head dipping down slightly before he caught himself. He shook his head quickly and looked out across the ocean.

"You should really take a break soon Sannie." San turned his head and glanced back to see Wooyoung walking over with a plate in his hand.

"I'm fine Youngie, I had a nap last night," San lied. The others are quite busy at the moment so he doesn't want to interrupt them, especially when the only thing he can help with is navigating.

"You hungry? I bought you some food," Wooyoung said. San had missed dinner and now it was dark out so Wooyoung decided to bring the food over for him so he wouldn't get too hungry throughout the night.

"Yeah, I can't stop navigating though," San said.

"That's ok, I can feed you," Wooyoung said with a grin. San chuckled lightly but nodded. Wooyoung moved forwards and scooped up some of the mashed potato before moving it in front of San's mouth. San opened his mouth and ate what was on the spoon.

"That's really good Woo, amazing," San said immediately. Wooyoung preened happily and bounced slightly on the balls of his feet.

"You think so? I tried adding more of the milk we have stored up to see if that would make it taste better," Wooyoung said. San knows how much Wooyoung likes to be praised for his cooking.

"Yeah, it's great Wooyoung. Give me some more," San said. Wooyoung grinned and continued to feed San, enjoying his over exaggerated reactions to every bite. It took a few minutes before the food was finally finished.

"Are you still hungry? I can go grab some more food if you need," Wooyoung said quickly.

"No need, I'm already full," San said quickly.

"You sure? I can just go down to the kitchens," Wooyoung said.

"It's fine Wooyoung, I have to focus on navigating anyway," San said.

"Can we navigate for a bit," Wooyoung asked quietly. Ever since San first became the navigator about seven years ago, he and Wooyoung have had a tradition every once in a while where San will help Wooyoung steering the ship.

"Come here," San said with a nod. Wooyoung quickly put the plate and fork down before moving over to where San was. San moved one arm from the wheel and beckoned Wooyoung over, allowing him to slide in between him and the wheel. San then placed his hand back on the wheel, pressing his chest to Wooyoung's back.

"Ok grab the wheel," San said. Wooyoung giggled and quickly grabbed the wheel, his hands just a little bit higher than San's.

"The ocean is so calm at night, it's so beautiful," Wooyoung whispered, watching the moonlight reflecting off the water.

"Yeah it's calm now, just wait until there's another storm," San said with a light chuckle.

"It still looks beautiful. Just more of a raging beautiful," Wooyoung said with a shrug.

"I agree," San said with a nod.

"I'm glad Hongjoong saved us that day. Our lives would've been so different if he didn't have a kind heart and dropped everything to get us out of a bad situation," Wooyoung whispered. San sighed and nodded, resting his chin down on Wooyoung's shoulder.

"We owe our lives to Hongjoong but more importantly, we owe him Yeosang's life," San said quietly.

"He's been a bit sad lately, a bit down," Wooyoung said with a sigh.

"He has," San questioned in confusion as he turned the wheel slightly, Wooyoung's arms moving along with it.

"Yeah, he's been quieter than usual," Wooyoung said.

"We should check in on him tomorrow, make sure he's doing ok," San said.

"Yeah, after you get some sleep, you're practically falling asleep on my shoulder," Wooyoung said. San quickly snapped his head up and stood up straight, realising he had been leaning heavily against Wooyoung with his head on his shoulder.

"I'll be alright until the morning Wooyoung, I'm just comfortable so it made me a bit sleepy," San said quickly.

"Are you sure? I can go get Hongjoong to relieve you so you can have some sleep if you're getting too tired," Wooyoung said.

"I'm fine Woo; I already told you I had a bit of a sleep yesterday. You should head off to bed alright," San said. Wooyoung went to protest but San gently moved him away from the helm before he continued steering.

"Are you positive Sannie, I can get Hongjoong," Wooyoung said softly.

"I'm sure Woo, he's got enough on his plate and I'm fine," San said. Wooyoung sighed but nodded, knowing there was no way to change San's mind once he's had it set. Plus he slept yesterday and he's more than capable of lasting this long.

"Goodnight then, I'll check in on you tomorrow," Wooyoung said. San nodded and Wooyoung quickly grabbed the plate and fork before walking down the steps and heading back to the kitchen. He put the dishes away in the cleaning bucket before letting out a yawn. He stretched out and shook his body before leaving the kitchen and heading below deck. Rather than going to his room, he decided to duck into Yeosang's room. Wooyoung smiled softly in the doorway as he watched Yeosang trying to brush through his hair. His hair was no longer blond, his hair closer to white and it had grown out a bit, becoming longer down the bottom.

"You want some help Sangie," Wooyoung asked. Yeosang jumped and spun around, smiling softly as he saw Wooyoung in the doorway.

"You scared me, don't do that," he said softly. Wooyoung chuckled and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

"Sorry, I just wanted to come in and check on you. I get worried for you, you know," Wooyoung said, walking over and sitting down beside him with a sigh. Yeosang frowned, noticing Wooyoung seemed troubled. Ever since they were kids Wooyoung has always looked out for him, been the protective one of the friendship.

"I know but nothing's wrong," Yeosang said softly, slipping his hand into Wooyoung's.

"Can I brush your hair for you," Wooyoung asked. Yeosang nodded and held out the comb he had in his hand. Wooyoung grabbed it and motioned for Yeosang to turn around before he gently began running it through Yeosang's hair.

"Do you mind if I sleep in here with you tonight," Wooyoung asked softly.

"Sure, I don't mind," Yeosang said with a shrug.

"Remember when you were a little 9 year old and I would brush your hair before we'd go out," Wooyoung said.

"Yeah. You always said I had to look good so we could get more money from people," Yeosang said with a soft chuckle.

"I'm glad those days are over. Now you can just be our pretty medic," Wooyoung whispered, putting down the comb and slipping his arm around Yeosang's waist, tugging him closer. Yeosang smiled softly and shuffled back, dropping his head down on Wooyoung's shoulder, nuzzling his nose into his neck. Wooyoung is very protective and often has a pretty intimidating and angry persona when around others. It's nice when they're alone and get to be close, just like when they were younger.

"I love you Youngie," Yeosang said softly. Wooyoung smiled and dropped his head down on top of Yeosang's, hugging him tighter.

"I love you too," Wooyoung replied. Yeosang tucked his legs up on the bed, pulling them close to his chest and resting them near Wooyoung's lap. Wooyoung glanced down and smiled, lowering his free hand down to rest on Yeosang's ankle, brushing over the tattoo gently. Yeosang smiled and cuddled closer.

"How's San," he asked quietly.

"He's alright, being stubborn as usual," Wooyoung said with a sigh.

"Why? What happened," Yeosang asked.

"Nothing really, he's just navigating at the moment. I tried to tell him to take a break and get Hongjoong to take over but he didn't want to," Wooyoung explained.

"Of course not. You and San always seem to think it's up to yourselves to take on as much as you can," Yeosang said.

"Hey, how did I come into this," Wooyoung asked indignantly.

"Because you and San are the same. Come on, you can't say that you wouldn't do the same thing as San to try to lessen the workload for Hongjoong, or for me," Yeosang pointed out.

"Come on that's different," Wooyoung complained with a huff. The truth is that Yeosang is completely right; he would do the exact same thing as San if it came down to it.

"Uh huh, definitely," Yeosang said with a chuckle.

"Shut up, let's get to bed," Wooyoung said, slapping Yeosang's head gently. Yeosang giggled but pulled away and moved to lie down on the bed. Wooyoung quickly removed his shoes, socks and jacket before lying down beside Yeosang, allowing him to cuddle up to his side.

"Do you know when we might be stopping next," Yeosang asked quietly.

"I think Hongjoong has planned for us to stop at this deserted island in a week or two but the next proper stop is probably in about a month," Wooyoung replied.

"Sounds fun," Yeosang said with a yawn. Wooyoung glanced down at the boy who had his head resting on his chest.

"Get some sleep Yeo," Wooyoung said, kissing the top of his head softly. Yeosang yawned again before cuddling down and closing his eyes. Wooyoung smiled softly and closed his eyes as well, the two drifting off to sleep with a candle burning softly in the corner.

~~~~~

The entire ship was silent as everyone was sleeping; the only sound that could be heard was the quiet whirring from the propeller and the sound from the waves gently bumping into the ship. It was well and truly into the night, coming closer to sunrise and San was concentrating on navigating but he was exhausted. It's definitely been well over 40 hours and San could feel his eyes slipping closed but he kept snapping them back open, pinching his arm every once in a while to perk back up. He winced slightly as he felt his head beginning to pound. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to get rid of the pain in his head. That only served to make matters worse as the pain intensified and he got dizzy all of a sudden, stumbling slightly and almost turning the ship. He recovered quickly however and managed to straighten out, keeping the ship on course. He clenched his hands around the wheel, wincing at the pain intensifying in his head. He groaned and stumbled as his legs gave out slightly. He managed to stop himself from hitting the deck by keeping a tight grip on the wheel and managing to slowly pull himself back up. He sniffled slightly and realised tears were beginning to run down his cheeks but he quickly wiped them away. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down. He just needs to wait another hour or two before the sun comes up and the others wake, then he can see if Yunho can take over for him. He doesn't want to bother them but he knows he won't last much longer and he needs to be relieved from duty. He focused his mind back on navigating, making sure he was sticking to the route they needed to take, glancing at the stars every so often to make sure he was steering in the right direction.

He lasted another hour, seeing the sun begin to rise slightly before the pain came back tenfold. His head was pounding, his vision blurring and chest beginning to feel tight. He wheezed slightly, letting go of the wheel with one hand to place it on his chest. He pushed against his chest, trying to get rid of the pain in it but it got worse, making him cry out slightly. His legs gave out and he fell forwards into the wheel, clinging to it to try and remain upright. His vision blurred even more and there was another sharp pain. He felt himself fall before his vision went black.

~~~~~

Hongjoong jolted awake as the ship lurched violently, flinging him to the other side of the bed as he heard a thump. He sprung from the bed in an instant, dropping to the ground and scooping up the disorientated Seonghwa as his heart pounded. He was on full alert, his Captain mode turned on in an instant.

"Joong, what's going on," Seonghwa asked tiredly, trying to wake up from the sudden fall.

"Something's wrong, I'm going to go check it out but you stay here ok. Keep your sword on you and be prepared just in case something happens. I'll call out if there's another ship around," Hongjoong said quickly. Seonghwa was still disorientated and confused but he understood the urgency of Hongjoong's tone and nodded. If they're getting attacked then it's best to stay out of sight and try to get the jump on them. They're all in their rooms anyway, except...

"What about San," Seonghwa asked quickly. Hongjoong froze and his eyes went wide. San hasn't said anything, didn't raise any alarm or warn them, that means something is wrong with San.

"Stay here," Hongjoong order firmly. He jumped up and grabbed his sword from beside the bed, opening the door and slipping outside. He remained quiet, staying close to the walls of his quarters as he scanned around the ship, looking across the water for any signs of other ships. The sun was rising so it wasn't too difficult to see. Despite that, there wasn't a single other ship in sight. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, continuing to look around. He heard a noise and spun around immediately to see Wooyoung by the entrance to the stairs below deck, dagger in hand. They locked eyes and Hongjoong put a finger to his lips. Wooyoung nodded and remained quiet and hunched down where he was. He glanced around the ship, scanning for any sort of danger but he couldn't find anything. He stayed on guard however and quickly looked towards the helm in search for San. If anyone will know where the danger is it would be him, perhaps he had to try and steer clear of something in the water. San wasn't there however and Wooyoung felt panic shoot through him. He didn't even realise he was standing up, too busy searching for any sign of San.

"Wooyoung," Hongjoong gasped out as he saw the younger standing up. He hasn't seen any danger yet but that doesn't mean that there isn't anything there. Wooyoung didn't respond to Hongjoong, still searching for San. He almost gave up when he looked down and noticed a hand sticking out behind one some of the wood decking.

"SAN," he cried out, rushing forwards. Hongjoong jumped up immediately as well, running after Wooyoung. San was obviously in trouble and nothing is going to stop Wooyoung from going to him so Hongjoong will make sure to protect them. There was no threat however, just an unconscious San beside the helm. Wooyoung and Hongjoong both dropped down together, discarding their weapons to the ground. Wooyoung gasped as he saw San's state.

"I think he hit his head," Wooyoung said worriedly. Hongjoong nodded, noticing how close San's head was to the corner of the planks holding the helm in place. Hongjoong gently lifted San's head and placed it in Wooyoung's lap as he crossed his legs.

"Hongjoong what's going on?" Hongjoong turned around to see Seonghwa glancing around the side of his quarters.

"San hit his head," Hongjoong called out. Seonghwa quickly hurried over, dropping beside them. He pressed his fingers against San's neck to check for a pulse and found that it was strong but slow. He then gently grabbed San's head, checking it out and feeling around to find there wasn't any bump.

"He should be fine," Seonghwa said quietly.

"Fine? He's unconscious Seonghwa," Wooyoung said, reaching down to hold San's hand gently.

"I don't think the fall made him unconscious, I think being unconscious is what caused the fall," Seonghwa said. Their conversation was cut off by a whistle and Hongjoong's head snapped up.

"WE AREN'T BEING ATTACKED, SAN IS UNCONSCIOUS," he yelled out. There was instantly hurried footsteps and the rest of the crew rushed over.

"What do you mean Sannie is unconscious, what happened," Yeosang asked quickly as he knelt beside Wooyoung and started checking San over.

"Has San been eating enough," Seonghwa asked.

"Yeah, we've been bringing him food whenever he missed meals because of navigating," Mingi replied.

"Has he been sleeping properly," Seonghwa asked.

"I mean not a lot but he never usually sleeps much anyway. Last time he slept was last night when he had a quick nap," Wooyoung said. Hongjoong frowned and glanced down at the unconscious boy.

"How long did he sleep for? How long did you relieve him for Yunho," he asked quickly. Yunho furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and glanced around.

"What do you mean? I didn't relieve him at all, I though you did," Yunho replied. Hongjoong's head snapped up and his mouth dropped open.

"Yunho, when was the last time you took over from San," Hongjoong asked quickly.

"Uh, about 2 days ago I think," Yunho replied slowly. Everyone went silent at that and looked down at San.

"I think we've found the issue then. He passed out from exhaustion, he should be fine," Seonghwa said.

"You sure," Wooyoung asked worriedly.

"Yeah, he'll be ok Woo. He just needs some rest and a good scolding," Yeosang assured him. Wooyoung let out a breath of relief and squeezed San's hand.

"Why did the ship jolt? I thought we were being attacked or something," Jongho said.

"When San passed out he must've still been holding the wheel and tugged it as he fell," Hongjoong said.

"Scared the shit out of me," Mingi said.

"It made me fall out of bed," Wooyoung said with a pout.

"Me too," Seonghwa said with a chuckle.

"I had no idea what even happened and then Hongjoong was suddenly in his Captain mode telling me to stay inside," Seonghwa said.

"See this is why he is the Captain, because he can respond quickly to situations," Mingi said with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah we know. Now everyone start getting ready. We're already awake anyway so we may as well stay up. Yunho I'm going to need you to take over navigating and get us back on route if that's ok," Hongjoong said.

"Yeah, I've got it," Yunho said with a nod, stepping up to the wheel.

"Great. Everyone else I need you doing your duties. Wooyoung please getting cooking some food, Jongho go over our weapons and clean them again and Mingi go over the rigging, figure out how that frayed rope is. Yeosang and Seonghwa, can you guys start cleaning the deck. The others can help whenever they're finished," Hongjoong said. Everyone nodded quickly in reply.

"Are you going to look after San," Wooyoung asked.

"I'm going to lay down with him in my quarters. I need to talk to him when he wakes up but I want him to get a proper rest," Hongjoong said.

"Is there anything I need to know? Anything I should make sure I don't do in case it hurts him," Hongjoong asked, turning to Yeosang.

"No he'll be fine, he just needs rest," Yeosang said quickly.

"Alright, everyone get going and I'll look after Sannie," Hongjoong said. Everyone nodded and got up, going over to do what they were asked. Hongjoong gently pulled San into his arms and stood, allowing Wooyoung to go to go and start cooking. Hongjoong carried San into his quarters and gently laid him down on the bed before slipping in beside him, tugging him into his arms and letting him rest the youngers head on his shoulder. There was a knock on his door before it slowly opened to show Yeosang poking his head inside.

"I have your sword," Yeosang said quietly.

"Thank you, just put it down on the desk," Hongjoong said quietly. Yeosang did so before leaving quickly. Hongjoong sighed and settled back down, wrapping his arms around San and holding him close, allowing his eyes to slip closed.

~~~~~

Hongjoong awoke to something shifting beside him. He opened his eyes in an instant, on full alert but calmed down when he noticed it was just San stirring and waking up. San had been sleeping for over 16 hours and Hongjoong had stayed for most of it, only leaving a few times to eat and see how the others were. He was just waiting for San to wake up so they could have a chat. He rubbed San's back gently, smiling softly as the other whined and snuggled closer to him.

"Sannie, wake up for me please," Hongjoong said softly. San yawned and his eyes slipped open. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, glancing around to figure out what was going on as he most definitely wasn't by the helm. He sat up quickly in panic but relaxed when he felt arms wrap around his waist, squeezing gently. He turned his head to see the Captain watching him with a frown.

"Hongjoong. What happened," he asked in confusion.

"You wanna tell me how long you were navigating for without a break and without any sleep," Hongjoong asked, raising an eyebrow. San bit his lip nervously, knowing he was caught and was most likely in trouble.

"It wasn't that bad," he said quickly.

"San you passed out and scared the entire crew," Hongjoong said.

"I'm sorry," San whispered.

"Why didn't you come and ask me to take over you? I would've done it in an instant to make sure you were safe and got some rest," Hongjoong said.

"I know I just didn't want to bother you. You were so busy mapping out where we would be going and stuff," San said quietly.

"Oh San," Hongjoong whispered, hugging San softly. San didn't even realise he was crying before he sniffled and felt the tears slide down his cheeks. He quickly buried his face into Hongjoong's shoulder. Hongjoong hates seeing his boys hurt or crying, it's one of the only things that can bring out his more affectionate side. He pulled San fully into his lap and hugged him tightly, kissing the top of his head delicately.

"I didn't mean to cause more trouble, I'm sorry," San whimpered.

"Sannie it's fine. It's ok," Hongjoong said quickly. San continued to cry into his shoulder and Hongjoong just rubbed his back.

"You thought you were doing the right thing but I need you to promise me to never go over 24 hours without coming to Yunho or I for a break ok," Hongjoong said.

"And I need you to really promise ok, and mean it," Hongjoong said firmly. San sniffled but nodded.

"I promise," he whispered.

"Good. Now let's get you some more rest please," Hongjoong said.

"Don't you have some stuff to do," San asked quietly as he pulled back and wiped his eyes.

"Nothing more important than making sure my crew is ok, that you're alright," Hongjoong said firmly.

"You promise there isn't anything important," San asked.

"I promise, now sleep," Hongjoong said.

"I-Is it ok if Woo and Yeo come sleep with me," San asked nervously. He knows Hongjoong will definitely have stuff to do, plus he knows the other two will be worried about him.

"Of course San, I'll go get them now," Hongjoong said quickly. He just wants to make sure that San sleeps properly and those two will definitely do that as well. He quickly left the quarters and San just sat there nervously, waiting. A few minutes later the door opened and Wooyoung and Yeosang walked in. San locked eyes with Wooyoung before looking down.

"I'm sorry for lying to you," he said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. You just need some sleep right now," Wooyoung said. He and Yeosang were quick to remove their shoes and climb onto the bed with San. The bed had thankfully been made bigger once Seonghwa moved in to the quarters with Hongjoong so there was enough room for all three of them. They naturally moved into order together, Yeosang in the middle while Wooyoung and San cuddled up on either side of him with their hands linked together, San beside the wall.

"You feeling ok," Yeosang asked San worriedly.

"Yeah, just a bit tired still," San replied.

"You made the entire ship turn and Wooyoung fell out of bed. He squealed like a child, it was hilarious," Yeosang said, making San chuckle softly.

"That would've been pretty funny," San whispered. He yawned softly, feeling his eyelids get heavier as he tried to keep them open.

"You can sleep Sannie, you look exhausted," Wooyoung said softly. San nodded and tucked his head into Yeosang's neck, letting his eyes slip closed.

"I love you Sannie, have a good sleep," Wooyoung whispered.

"Love you too, love you both," San whispered.

"I love you too Sannie. We'll both be here whenyou wake up," Yeosang said, smiling softly at how cuddly and relaxed San was.It was with those words that San finally drifted back asleep. 

A/N

Here is chapter 2 everyone, I hope you enjoyed it

Let me know your favourite parts in this chapter, what you liked and disliked

Thank you for reading everyone