Archive of Our Own

Date: Unknown.

Place: A bar on Rose Island: Moonlit Haven.

The chatter of the Moonlit Haven bar was hushed, customers talking quietly amongst themselves as they sipped drinks of various color and alcohol level, the atmosphere seemingly light as the bartender tended to empty glasses, drying them off with a simple circular swipe of a cloth, whistling quietly. Bars down by Rose Island’s docks tended to get quite a few peculiar visitors from all over the seas and beyond— fishermen who boast of the sea beasts they take on, sailors who live to tell the tale of sirens, mermaids, and witches that live under the waves, the Navy soldiers who serve without complaint, but abandon that mindset the second they walk into a bar with their fellow soldiers.

And of course, pirates visited too. It was always... different when pirates visited.

As if on cue, the door swung open and hit the wall with a definitive slam, heavy footsteps following as four figures stepped through the doorframe and into the bar. By then, everyone had paused what they were doing to turn towards the entrance and gaze upon the future customers who had just entered— they all went silent, completely silent, numerous pairs of eyes widening when everyone in the room realized just who they were.

Of course everyone in the room knew Captain Huang Renjun of the Moonlight Sonata and his crew. Together, they plundered the seas and held an iron fist over seemingly all that stretched over the horizon of the Pacific Ocean. If you hadn’t heard of the Moonlight Sonata, you were sure to encounter their ship in the coming weeks after hearing their name. Just like the moon, they kept a careful watch over the calm seas, the turbulent seas, and the shores.

Said captain made confident strides over to the bar, hoisting himself onto one of the barstools, his crew closely following behind him as they all took their seats.

First mate and quartermaster Lee Jeno sat next to Renjun himself, a smile softening what you would think would be hard, serious features, but was in fact an intrigued and piqued gaze. Lee Jeno was known for his bulky, muscular build, carrying some of the heavier weight around the Moonlight Sonata, but had a puppy face and a personality that completely contrasted nearly all of his physical appearance. Jeno took one look at Renjun as he sat, then directed his gaze at Huang Xuxi, who was seating himself at one of the tables near the bar.

Huang Xuxi, boatswain and the other half of the brawn on the Moonlight Sonata, was the type of man you’d imagine to have crowds of fangirls waiting at the docks for him, squealing and wishing him well on his sailing as he winked at all of them and pulled the ropes to raise the mast. It wasn’t far from the truth, but all the rumors that had spread of him being a womanizer had very much twisted strangers’ perspectives of him, to most of the crew’s unfortunate displeasure. He was as strong as he was kind and caring, and there was no doubt that he was hard working enough to earn himself a spot on Renjun’s crew.

Across from Xuxi sat Zhong Chenle, youngest member of Renjun’s crew and navigator of the Moonlight Sonata, face as excitable as ever, lavender hair framing his pale features, eyes sparkling with mischievousness, like he was planning his next prank on one of the unsuspecting bar goers in the room. It was common knowledge that Chenle was one of the smartest, brightest minds out at sea, with an array of talents tucked under his arm at his own expense. His singing could rival that of a siren’s, so say the sailors who consider themselves lucky enough to hear it, and his piano playing in taverns was rumored to have dropped the jaws of even the toughest and burliest of seaside travelers.

And then there was Huang Renjun himself. He had earned the name Silver Fox at sea for his calculated, cunning attacks on others’ ships and his silver hair that glowed dimly like the moon itself at night across the sea. He was confident, albeit his small stature, he was determined, and he had resolve like no other. He believed in his tactics and stuck to them, formulating every plan carefully and thoughtfully and executing them with tactics that he knew would always keep the odds in his favor. There was no room for failure on Huang Renjun’s agenda, and he made that clear with each ship he took power over at sea.

It was for this reason that the Moonlight Sonata was both admired and feared amongst those who dared to sail the same seas as them.

“A mug of beer, please.” Renjun broke the silence that had settled through the bar due to the entrance of his crew with casually spoken words, fingers tapping on the wooden surface of the bar table. The bartender, who had momentarily been dumbfounded by the sheer intimidation, shook himself out of his stupor and nodded at Renjun, scrambling to pour a cup of beer for the fearless pirate in front of him.

Slowly, the bar began to return to its normal state, patrons continuing their paused conversations, the room once again filling with chatter. Even Jeno and Renjun had begun talking quietly amongst themselves when Renjun got his beer, sipping it in small quantities as he listened intently to Jeno’s conversation about the stray cat he’d found near the docks.

It was all going well in the bar until another slam of the door announced the presence of a new group at the entrance.

Once again, every head in the bar turned in the direction of the door to the bar. Only this time, hushed gasps and whispers of shock rippled through the air as wide eyes followed the gazes of the four new pirates that had entered. However, they weren’t from Moonlight Sonata’s crew. Quite the opposite, in fact.

At the entrance of the bar stood Captain Lee Donghyuck of the Phoenix’s Wing, his crew right on his tail as they all filled in, one by one. If the Moonlight Sonata was the moon that watched over the seas, then the Phoenix’s Wing was the sun, shining blindingly over all that dared to come close, plundering ship after ship, wreaking chaos and havoc wherever the crew went with their tactics. They were direct rivals to the Moonlight Sonata in every aspect possible, and everyone who sailed these seas knew that both crews had held a long-standing rivalry for as long as any gossiping townsperson could remember.

To Donghyuck’s left stood his first mate Na Jaemin, whose charming looks could kill, quite literally. With a radiant smile that had everyone swooning and blue hair as bright as a clear sky, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he had the cunning, clever skills to back up his stunning looks. There was also a mysterious air to him, like you could never figure out what he was thinking, any thoughts you could try and attempt to read always masked by a wink of his eye and a tip of his hat. Even now, he smiled brightly as ever, hand on his hip as his gaze swept over the inside of the bar.

Just behind Jaemin, crouching behind him to try and hide from the onlooking crowd (with futile efforts), stood Park Jisung, the tall and lanky boatswain of the Phoenix’s Wing. Despite being the youngest member on the ship, he towered over the rest of the crew, and though he had a habit of being somewhat jumpy and skittish around strangers, he had a quick-thinking mind and a nimble set of limbs to match, always thinking of the quickest solutions to sudden problems that arose. Jisung was also sweet despite his clumsiness, and often the subject of the crew’s coddling affections due to his age, much to his dismay.

Holding up the end behind everyone was Mark Lee, navigator of the Phoenix’s Wing, known overseas for being a skilled cartographer and author who recorded all of his adventures in a single, leather-bound journal that he kept somewhere on his person at all times. With thin-framed, round glasses and a calm composure, one would think that he had a more soft-spoken, timid personality, but most ended up being wrong, as Mark was quite the lively person to be around, and always managed to keep his cool, even in the most pressuring of situations, which definitely came in handy whenever he needed to placate his hot-headed captain.

Infamous for his bright orange hair, bold and bright like the wings of a phoenix, and a snarky mouth that could either talk himself out of sticky situations or throw him into one, Lee Donghyuck was arguably one of the most terrifying men out at sea: a skilled fighter with well-sharpened reflexes and instincts that kept him alive on the treacherous waters. No one knew how long he’d been out terrorizing seas with his crew and his ship, but whispered rumors reported that he’d taken the name Fullsun for himself the first time he successfully pillaged another ship, brightly colored hair accompanying a lopsided smile and a raised blade.

There was only one thing that could dare to stand in Lee Donghyuck’s path.

That, of course, was Huang Renjun, who was currently looking straight at Donghyuck with an expressionless gaze, remaining cool under the tension that had begun to spread throughout the bar. Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths in unison— it wasn’t too often that the two ships dropped anchor on the same island at the same time, and finding themselves in the same bar? Quite uncommon, for the most part, especially in a bar that was set right in what was known to be Moonlight Sonata’s unofficial territory.

What seemed to practically be a historical moment finally progressed when Donghyuck scanned the faces of everyone in the bar before his gaze landed on Renjun once again, who was staring him down as he took a long sip of beer, never breaking eye contact. It was completely silent when Donghyuck strode over to the bar, hoisting himself up onto the other seat right next to Renjun and raising his hand for a beer. Renjun narrowed his eyes as he turned in his seat, glare now clearly evident under the dim glow of the lightbulbs hung above the bar.

Anyone could hear a pin drop in the silence. The rest of Donghyuck’s crew took their own seats as the bartender, visibly nervous, delivered Donghyuck’s beer before returning to organizing the shelves to appear busy so that he wouldn’t have to deal with the suffocating air of tension that had settled just 5 feet away from him.

“Fancy seeing you here, Captain Huang.” Donghyuck had finally broken the silence, accompanying his comment with a sip of beer as he looked ahead of him. Renjun bit on his lip before exhaling quietly, glare as sharp as the blade strapped to his waist.

“Cut the shit, Lee. You know this Moonlight Sonata’s territory you’re stepping on. You’re on our turf. You don’t have any of your little minions to help you here.”

“Is that so? Oh yeah, it completely slipped my mind that we were in Sonata territory. You really don’t have a lot of your minions enforcing that idea here, do you?”

“That’s because I don’t need to. Everyone knows this is our soil,” Renjun bit back, chin tilted high, tone carrying an edge of confidence as he raised an eyebrow at the other pirate just feet away from his. Donghyuck scoffed and turned to face the table, the hints of a mischievous smile visible as he sipped on his beer.

“You should really be enforcing the idea harder, honestly! It’s like you’re just waiting for me to waltz into one of your little hangouts and claim it as Phoenix territory.”

Everyone in the bar jumped as Renjun slammed his glass down. “You’ll have to beat me for it first,” he snapped as he glared a hole through Donghyuck, eyebrows furrowing.

“Is that a challenge, Huang?”

“Do you want it to be, Lee?” Renjun rolled his neck, hand scarily close to wrapping around the hilt of the blade at his waist.

Donghyuck shrugged, tapping the side of his glass of beer absentmindedly, his head resting on the other hand as though he were bored. “A fight’s a fight. I’ll win it either way. New territory is definitely a plus, though.”

Renjun closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as though he were calming himself. After a short few seconds, he opened his eyes and peered over at the bartender who was desperately trying to mind his own business, then at the rest of the bar that were doing a fairly bad job of pretending not to stare at the two pirate captains at the bar seats.

He sighed, knowing he’d drawn too much attention to himself. “Whatever. You’re not worth my time, Lee,” he said before chugging down the rest of his beer and setting the empty glass back down on the table, pulling out a couple of coins from his pants pocket and handing it over to the bartender, who simply took it with wide eyes. “Let’s go,” he called over to the rest of his crew, who had been busying themselves with a card game using the deck of cards Chenle had on him. They all quickly turned and got up from their seats, with Chenle sweeping up all of his cards into a stack, stuffing them in his pocket as the three of them followed Renjun out the door, the sound of footsteps quickly fading as the door to the bar shut behind them.

Donghyuck, who had simply watched the Moonlight Sonata crew exit, shrugged again. “Lame. You guys wanna go too? I have some shopping to do.” His tone was nonchalant as he gulped down the rest of his beer and left a hefty pile of coins at the table as he sat up. “Jisung, I know you were eyeing the restaurant a block away on the way here,” he commented, to which Jisung perked up from where he was sitting in his seat and nodded at.

“Alright, let’s head out, phoenixes.” Donghyuck smiled when he heard the entire bar exhale a sigh of relief, finally free of the tension that had wrapped around them when the door to the bar slammed shut.

In a marketplace located not far from the bar, Renjun grumbled to himself as he shoved eight oranges into a small sack. The rest of the crew was not far off, looking for items of their own as they wandered the various stands, seeing if anything caught their eye. Xuxi, however, followed Renjun closely, watching as he put an assortment of fruits in the sack.

“You know, you’re surprisingly civilized for a pirate, shopping and paying for your stuff like this,” Xuxi commented as he watched Renjun drop a pouch of coins into the outstretched hands of the vendor.

“We’re not barbarians, Xuxi. Besides, we’re on Rose Island, don’t you remember? They’re okay with pirates here.”

“Sorry, this place looks kinda like Sunlost Island. You know what happened last time we docked there…”

Renjun winced, then nodded, eyes set on the delicious-looking bread set out on one of the neighboring stands to the fruit one. “That’ll mold quickly, don’t you think?”

Xuxi stared at the bread contemplatively. “Yeah, it probably will... But I think we can just get enough for tonight and tomorrow? I’m kind of tired of eating cold biscuits and beef jerky, no offense.” Without waiting for confirmation from Renjun, he picked out a piece of coffee cake from one of the trays with a set of tongs and put it in one of the paper bags set on the table, quickly paying the vendor with his own money.

“Sure. I’ll get some for Jen and Chenle too. Let’s see… Fruits for vitamins, bread for our stomachs… Anything else you think we need before we leave tomorrow?” Renjun looked up at Xuxi, who was currently popping a piece of coffee cake in his mouth.

“We’re sleeping on the ship then leaving first thing, right?” Xuxi asked, mouth spewing crumbs, to which Renjun grimaced, but nodded in confirmation, quickly exchanging more coins for wrapped pieces of bread, which he placed in the sack that was growing heavier by the minute. “I think we need some oil for our lamps.”

Renjun snapped his fingers as the suggestion hit the right spot in his mind. “We do. Thanks for reminding me.” He continued down the endless maze of vendor stands, searching for a stand that sold oils, incense, and the likes. A certain stand filled with glass vials and bottles caught his eye, the scent of incense faintly wafting in his direction as he made his way over to it, wandering among the rows of wooden shelves filled with glass vials in order to find some oil for the ship’s lamps.

“Excuse me, do you sell oil for lanterns or lamps here?” Renjun asked the vendor, who had been sitting in a chair fiddling with the cork of one of the bottles on the table. He jumped when he noticed Renjun in front of him, nearly dropping the bottle he had.

“Ah, y-yes… They should be the big green bottles on that shelf over there.”

“Wonderful! Xuxi, could you get 4 or 5 of them?” Renjun asked, to which Xuxi quickly shuffled over to the shelf to grab there. “Will this be enough?” He dropped a small bag of coins onto the table, the coins clinking together as the bag hit the table. The vendor peered inside the bag, his eyes quickly widening as he nodded, eyes glancing up at Renjun.

“This is… Of course, yes.”

Renjun smiled. “We’ll be on our way then. Thank you for your business!” He waved at the vendor, who seemed dumbfounded by how much he’d paid, and then once again continued down the path of the busy marketplace.

+

Renjun and his crew were out until the sun dipped below the waves on the horizon, and by the time they were boarding the Moonlight Sonata, the sky had been dipped in hues of orange, red, and purple, all mixing together in a pool of sky paint.

“Hey, Renjun,” Xuxi called out to him before he could disappear into the captain’s quarters. Renjun turned back to look at him with a questioning look, shouldering off his coat as he prepared to get some rest. “Don’t go out at night, okay? Rose Island may be the safest island for us pirates, but you never know who’s gonna be lurking in the shadows at night. Just… be careful, alright?” He leaned against the door to his cabin, crossing his arms as he gave Renjun a sleepy look, trying his hardest to blink the sleepiness out of his gaze.

Renjun nodded and rested a hand on the doorknob, managing a small smile at Xuxi, who was already yawning as he opened the door to his cabin.

“When am I ever so careless as to ever let myself get caught by some bounty hunter, Xuxi? Don’t worry about me, I don’t go out at night.”

With that, Renjun and Xuxi disappeared into their respective cabins for the night.

When the moon rose high over the waves, and all was quiet aboard the Moonlight Sonata at last, Renjun awoke from his half-slumber, flinging the blanket off of himself as he slipped his boots on and quietly opened the door to his quarters, exiting as silently as he possibly could before closing the door and creeping down the hall and up onto the deck. He was well-versed in the art of keeping his normally heavy footsteps quiet at night, having done this numerous times before. It was like second nature to Renjun, sneaking out at night and disappearing the instant he knew that everyone else on the ship was asleep.

He easily hoisted himself up onto the Moonlight Sonata’s railing and leaped the short distance onto the docks, landing as quietly as possible before navigating the wooden platforms for a ship that had slowly become commonplace for him to visit at night whenever he docked on Rose Island.

He turned the corner, and there it was— the Phoenix’s Wing, standing tall and proud among the rest of the ships along that particular part of the dock. He rolled his eyes upon seeing that the gangplank was down, reminding himself to make a smug comment about it later when he had the chance. He boarded the Phoenix’s Wing, making sure to be even more careful about how loud he was, knowing better than anyone that many pirates were light sleepers, the Phoenix crew being no exception whatsoever.

He turned the doorknob of the door to the captain’s quarters slowly, so slow that eventually, when Renjun had turned it as far as he could, the door was suddenly pulled all the way open, and a hand reached out to grab Renjun’s collar and pull him in. He could only smile as he was pulled in, disappearing into the captain’s quarters as the door quietly shut behind him.

The rustling of fabric was all that was heard in the captain’s quarters of the Phoenix’s Wing as Donghyuck pulled Renjun onto his bed. Renjun responded to the sudden action by connecting their lips as they both tumbled onto the bed, pulling back momentarily to kick off his boots as he pushed Donghyuck onto his back, hovering over him as he stared down at the other, placing his lips on the other’s again.

There was something desperate in both of their actions, pure want and need seeping into each of their movements as Renjun kissed Donghyuck a bit too hard, eliciting a gasp from the other as Renjun pushed his tongue into his mouth.

They pulled away for breath, and Renjun took to trailing soft kisses down his jaw as Donghyuck caught his breath, a hand reaching to run through silver locks as he planted a kiss on the side of his jaw, then the crook of his neck.

“I saw that you left the gangplank down again,” Renjun commented quietly as he latched his lips onto the side of Donghyuck’s neck, sucking a spot onto the sun-kissed skin. Donghyuck responded with a gasp and pulled back Renjun by his hair, looking at him with an incredulous look and flushed cheeks.

“Couldn’t risk you missing the jump and falling on your ass into the sea or some shit like that,” he finally said with an eyeroll, loosening his grip on Renjun’s hair as the other left gentle kisses along Donghyuck’s collarbone. “Also, can you calm down with the marks?! I have a ship to run, you know!” His whisper shouts went unheard as Renjun sucked another mark just under his collarbone, having pulled aside the collar of his shirt.

“I have a ship to run too. You’re not special,” Renjun mumbled, shrugging nonchalantly as his hands worked to unbutton Donghyuck’s shirt for more access to the bare skin, running a cold hand across the other’s smoothed torso.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about hickeys, asshol—” His words were interrupted as he gasped, biting his lip to muffle the moan that nearly slipped past his throat when Renjun dipped down and sucked a spot onto his chest. Donghyuck’s hands held a steady grip on the fabric of Renjun’s shirt, then slid to the front as he fiddled with the buttons.

“Someone’s needy,” Renjun said coolly as he pulled back and let Donghyuck take care of the rest of the buttons, slipping his shirt off and not minding the cool air that crept up his back as the other captain stared up at his bare torso illuminated by the dim moonlight that shone through the small window at the top of the room. Renjun only smiled at Donghyuck’s silent gaze, whose eyes trailed over him for a few more moments before he shook his head and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, pulling Renjun closer.

“Just shut up and kiss me, it’s been three weeks.” Donghyuck’s words accompanied by the flustered huff he let out afterwards were all the affirmations Renjun needed, and he hummed with a slight satisfaction before leaning down to capture his lips in a liplock once again.

Renjun sat at the edge of the bed as he collected his articles of clothing that he’d haphazardly thrown across the room during his Donghyuck-induced haze, slipping his shirt back on and buttoning it as Donghyuck shifted under the bedsheets, rolling onto his side and grabbing a small tricket of his off the desk— a small mirror about the size of his palm, usually used to reflect light when a situation called for it. For now, though, it was simply a mirror, that Donghyuck used to examine the purple-reddish bruises littered all over his torso.

“You must have really missed me, Huang.” Donghyuck commented as he rolled his eyes and set the mirror back down on the desk near his bed, already devising a master plan on how to cover the marks on his skin. Luckily, most of them were below the neck, and he wouldn’t have to go too much out of his way to cover them up.

“Like you said, it’s been three weeks. Thought you’d want to have something to remember me by before we both sail off again,” Renjun replied as he finished buttoning his shirt up, reaching for his boots as he stepped into them, tying the laces loosely so he wouldn’t have to worry about them when he got back onto his own ship. “I don’t plan on docking here for another two weeks or so, give or take.”

“Mhm, and what was that about me not being worth your time again?”

Renjun rolled his eyes and picked up the pillow near the foot of his bed, throwing it in Donghyuck’s direction instead of replying. Donghyuck simply caught the pillow in his arms and laughed quietly, placing it next to him and settling under the bedsheets again as he watched Renjun dress himself back up. The Moonlight Sonata captain stood up from where he had been seated on the bed, smoothing out his clothes and looking back at Donghyuck once more.

“I don’t suppose you’ll still be on Rose Island tomorrow night?” Renjun asked, slipping his coat on as he walked across the room to the door, hand resting on the doorknob as he looked back at Donghyuck.

“Don’t count on it. We’re leaving this afternoon.” Donghyuck sent a crooked smile his way, watching Renjun move in the near darkness. “Another few weeks?”

“Another few weeks, I suppose. Try not to miss me too much, Lee.” Renjun’s words were hushed, and he glanced back at Donghyuck once more, the orange-haired boy sending him a wink when he noticed that he’d caught Renjun’s gaze again. All he could do was roll his eyes once again and shut the door behind him, making quiet and quick steps back over to the gangplank and onto the docks, where he quickly found the Moonlight Sonata and leaped back onto the ship, disappearing into his own quarters to rest for the night.

When Renjun and Donghyuck met face to face again, it wasn’t on the Phoenix’s Wing in the dead quiet of the night, tangled in the bedsheets of the captain’s quarters.

This time, they were both a little bit more in their element.

It had been a week or two into another of the Moonlight Sonata’s voyages when Jeno suddenly called out to Renjun from the top deck. Renjun sighed, quickly finishing the rest of his orange, throwing the peel in the ship’s garbage disposal and making his way up to the wheel, where Jeno was peering through his spyglass.

“There’s a ship a little ways ahead of us, and, uh… Well, look for yourself,” Jeno reported hesitantly, handing the spyglass to Renjun. Renjun took it, sharply inhaling when he saw the familiar hull of the Phoenix’s Wing out on the horizon, their orange flag with a phoenix emblazoned on the front furling proudly from the top of the mast.

“Set a course for the Phoenix’s Wing. I suppose it was about time we met out at sea again.” Renjun handed the spyglass back to Jeno, who quickly pocketed it and returned to the wheel, slowly steering the ship in the direction of the other ship.

+

The crews came face to face as the two ships came to a stop side by side, dangerously close as they lowered the sails. Only the sound of water sloshing and the breeze could be heard as Renjun and Donghyuck stood by the railing of their respective ships, Renjun with his arms crossed and head tilted up, and Donghyuck with a hand on his hip and an amused smile painted on his face.

“Been a while since we’ve ran into each other at sea, Captain Huang,” Donghyuck said, projecting his voice so that it’d reach Renjun across the distance between their ships.

“A while is too short of a time,” Renjun bit back, rolling his eyes. The crews watched the exchange with slight wonder, aware of the mutual peaceful truce that both captains had silently agreed on years ago, when they had both decided that trying to bring each other down would never benefit either ship in the long run. Though a truce was set in place, it didn’t stop the captains from enforcing the strong rivalry they’d maintained since their first run-in at sea, a competitive flame burning true in both Huang Renjun and Lee Donghyuck’s hearts.

“You do the honors?” Donghyuck asked, his crew moving to sit on various boxes, barrels, and seats as Jisung set the gangplank down so it connected the two ships. Renjun crossed over with ease, the gangplank wobbling under him as he hopped onto the Phoenix’s Wing, landing on the wooden deck with a hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword, cool gaze set only on Donghyuck, chin tilted up.

It was tradition for the captains to duel every time they encountered each other at sea, since the first time they had done such, numerous years ago, when the two were still young, dumb, and naive, hardly qualified to run a ship, and running only on adrenaline and confidence.

The Moonlight Sonata’s crew remained watching from the distance as Renjun and Donghyuck circled each other, hand resting at the side of their waists, where their blades were strapped. Renjun was the first to draw his sword, the blade that curved at the end glimmering from the sunlight that reflected off of its surface. The hilt was made of gold, and the plate over the top had the symbol of a crescent moon engraved into it.

“Still using the same blade, I see…” Donghyuck trailed off as he unsheathed his own blade— a black sabre that Renjun hadn’t seen before now, the color directly contrasting his brightly colored hair, the golden sun plated in on the handle serving as a symbol of the Phoenix’s Wing, and a reminder of the nickname that he’d taken for himself.

“It’s always served its purpose,” came the simple reply from Renjun as he pointed his blade, undeviating in Donghyuck’s direction.

One foot in front of the other, the two stared each other down for a few long moments, their gazes boring into the other— one playful and beckoning, the other cold and focused. Both held the same fiery resolve and drive to win that they’d carried with them for years on end, blazing brightly with power and determination. After a few moments spent slowly circling around each other, Donghyuck lunged forward, and thus began their little scuffle.

Renjun easily sidestepped the jab and swung his sword in Donghyuck’s direction, the clang of metal against metal ringing definitively through the air as the two clashed blades, Donghyuck’s crew scattering from where they had been leaning or sitting near the mast when Renjun backed him up against the post, swinging his blade from above as Donghyuck moved to block it, pressing his back against the wooden mast as he gritted his teeth.

Renjun’s frigid gaze could’ve frozen anyone solid if they were anyone but Donghyuck, whose own red-hot glare bore back into the Moonlight Sonata captain, as if to burn a hole through his head with his stare.

“I see you haven’t lost your fighting spirit yet. That’s good!” Donghyuck grinned at Renjun, who was currently trying to overpower the other’s block as he tightened his grip on his sword, eyebrow twitching as Donghyuck stepped forward off the mast and sent Renjun stumbling backwards. He recovered quickly, parrying Donghyuck’s sword and blocking every single one of his swings, the others on the ship only seeing a flurry of arms and blades and hearing the sound of their blades striking each other.

“I won last time, don’t think you’ll even get close to winning this time,” Renjun grumbled between gritted teeth, concentrating hard as he jabbed at Donghyuck’s shoulder, the other jumping to the side, the two completely oblivious to the fact that they’d almost backed into or jumped into Jaemin, Mark, and Jisung multiple times, who had all been watching from a reasonable distance— though they should have expected that the two would use every inch of the main deck for their sword fight. It always happened, after all, and every member on both crews remember well that they should not cross their captains’ path, nor interrupt them, lest they face getting accidentally sliced in the face when they lose balance and break their focus.

The fight continued on with Donghyuck flourishing his blade as he backed up from Renjun, smirking as he beckoned over the other with his free hand. Renjun could only mutter curses under his breath as he rushed after him, ready to lunge forward and strike him once again, only to yelp as Donghyuck swiftly ducked and landed a foot sweep on Renjun, the other quickly losing his balance as he hit the wooden floor of the deck with a grunt.

Renjun quickly moved to try and sit up and jump to his feet, but was stopped by Donghyuck’s blade, the dark metal resting just under his chin as he tilted Renjun’s chin upwards, the sharp tip pressing gently into the bottom of his chin. The action only earned Donghyuck a glare as Renjun set the blade in his hand down on the ground, silently accepting his defeat. Donghyuck smiled, sickeningly sweet, the smug expression undeniable on his face as he pulled his blade away, sheathing it.

“So what was that about ‘not even getting close’?”

“Be quiet before I slice you in the stomach,” Renjun spat, clearly not pleased by his loss as he rose from the floor and sheathed his own blade, eyebrows furrowed, as though he were dissatisfied with his own fighting performance.

“Someone’s a poor sport~” Donghyuck pretended to be sad, pouting as he watched Renjun cross over to his own ship, leaping back onto his home turf and watching Donghyuck’s crew retract the gangplank that connected the two ships.

“Whatever,” Renjun said, rolling his neck and shoulders. “Next time, I won’t lose, and that’s a promise I intend to keep.”

“Glad you have a next time in mind!”

Renjun could only roll his eyes as the rest of the crew ran across the deck to prepare to sail once again, both ships eventually drifting away from each other, guided by the wind that pulled them along into the distant horizon.

Xuxi and Chenle made whooping noises as their boots thumped across the docks of Rose Island, the taller out of the bunch picking up Chenle and carrying him on his back, giving him a piggyback ride with ease as they ventured into town. Jeno and Renjun followed closely behind, their footsteps in sync as the wood of the pier turned into the cobblestone roads of the seaside town that the four had grown so familiar with over the years.

“Another successful plunder at sea, I guess!” Jeno bobbed his head from side to side, patting Renjun gently on the shoulder as he watched Xuxi spin Chenle in a circle, the both of them chanting for alcohol as they made their merry way to the liquor store.

“Mhm,” Renjun responded distractedly, kicking a stray pebble at his feet as he stared at the floor, glancing behind him at the pier one more time, as though he were searching for a certain ship among the docks…

Jeno noticed this, tilting his head as he watched Renjun’s gaze alternate between the floor and the pier behind them for a while. “Hey, you look like you have that “I’m thinking about a lot” face on right now. Look, I know some of us got a little hurt, but we have so many riches back at the ship for us to sell! It was all worth it in the end.” Renjun was silent, but looked at Jeno as he listened to him talk. Jeno smiled, then motioned over to Xuxi and Chenle, who were entering the liquor store just ahead of them.

“C’mon, let’s catch up with them. We can’t let Xuxi spend all of our funds on beer.”

After a lifetime of wandering through the liquor shelves, Renjun arguing with Xuxi on how beer was not the only good alcoholic drink near the sea, and Jeno holding Chenle back from accidentally knocking over half of the Whiskey bottles like dominos, they exited the liquor store with two large brown paper bags.

“Woooohooooo! God, it’s been so long since I’ve had a nice couple of beers. This is the only way to celebrate our successes out at sea, I’m convinced.” Xuxi had a bit of skip in his step, both of the bags of liquor tucked under his arms, as the Moonlight Sonata crew made their way back over to the pier.

“We should have drunk karaoke!” Chenle declared as he kept up with Xuxi’s pace, his eyes sparkling as he spun around on the cobblestone paving.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that… Didn’t most of our music sheets get ruined anyway?” Renjun asked, having to jog to keep up with both of the balls of energy on his crew.

“Huang Renjun. Do you really think that I, Zhong Chenle of the Moonlight Sonata, would ever let our music sheets ever get ruined? I’m disappointed.” Chenle clicked his tongue, crossing his arms as he looked back at Renjun, who gave him a ridiculing glance.

“Is that any way to talk to your captain, Chenle?” Renjun said without any real hostility in his tone, crossing his arms back at the younger. Chenle simply responded by sticking his tongue out and breaking out into a run, and Xuxi and Jeno could only watch as Renjun chased Chenle all the way back to the piers.

+

After some amount of tackling, hair ruffling, and tickling, the Moonlight Sonata crew had popped open a few bottles of beer to start their night of celebration, Xuxi laughing heartily as he downed his entire bottle in one go. Chenle’s giggling quickly followed as he watched Xuxi with a gaze of wonder, getting ready to chug his beer the same way the taller had.

Jeno tried to advise the two against drinking too fast as Renjun slowly sipped his bear, leaning against the railing of the ship as he stared out across the sea, watching the distorted, wavy reflection of the moon on the water. He had noticed the familiar build and obnoxious orange flag of the Phoenix’s Wing on their way back from the liquor store, but didn’t know the status of the captain or their crew, nor could he slip away to check in on the ship. He sighed, tipping his beer bottle up as he took a large swig, looking back out to the horizon.

“What’s got you so sulky, Junnie~?” Jeno asked, wrapping a reassuring arm around Renjun’s shoulder, rubbing his back. He had always been good at comforting Renjun— as the member on the Moonlight Sonata who had known Renjun the longest, he was always good at figuring out what exactly their captain was thinking.

“Oh… It’s nothing, I promise. I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” Renjun turned towards Jeno and sent him a reassuring smile. “It’s silly, don’t worry.”

“Okay, I won’t bother you about it. It’s drinking night, after all! C’mon, we need to go make sure Lele and Xuxi don’t accidentally break anything in the process of their two man dance.” Jeno pushed himself off from where he had been leaning against the railing, Renjun soon following as he sighed, shaking his head as he watched Jeno gleefully skip towards the other two.

Stop thinking about him, Renjun. It was a small whisper of a thought in the back of his mind, but there nonetheless as he abandoned all thoughts of Donghyuck, taking another swig of his beer before walking over to the rest of his crew, amused by Chenle’s drunken accordion playing and Xuxi’s wonderful karaoke skills accompanying it.

“Let’s get this party started. Bring me another beer!” Renjun raised his empty bottle as high as he could in the air, and Xuxi laughed when he noticed that his arm barely stretched above his own head, which caused the rest of the crew to also erupt into laughter as Jeno grabbed another bottle of beer for Renjun.

Renjun could only sigh deeply as he tossed the empty bottle somewhere he could pick it up later, grabbing the new bottle from Jeno and popping it open, tipping the bottom up and chugging as much as he could, the rest of the crew watching and cheering as he downed its contents. Chenle cheered when Renjun pulled away from the bottle after drinking half of it and exhaled loudly, and Xuxi, of course, had to step up to the challenge, flipping off the cap of another beer bottle with his thumb.

Renjun sighed, but wiped his mouth with his sleeve and smiled. It was definitely going to be a long night for the crew.

The next day, right as dawn broke, painting the sky a beautiful lavender shade, Renjun awakened with a splitting headache and an ache in his back, rising with a start as he ran a hand through his hair and quietly groaned in pain. The warmth of another body startled him to full awakeness, and he sprang up from the layer of blankets and pillows that had been thrown on the floor, because that was apparently where he’d decided on sleeping in his drunken stupor. He glanced around him, laying eyes on Jeno, who currently had his arms and legs wrapped around Chenle, whose legs were entangled within Xuxi’s.

His gaze softened, and he got up off the floor of… was this Jeno’s cabin? Or was it Chenle’s? He took note of the spyglass on the desk, as well as the golden frame spectacles placed next to the desk, concluding that it was Jeno’s room. He peered at his reflection in the mirror at his desk, grimacing when he saw how much of a mess his hair was, the locks sticking out in many different directions.

He opted to get himself dressed and venture into town to find somewhere to wash himself up, vaguely remembering where the bathhouse was located as he also figured out what he’d need to get for the others to help deal with the hangover they’d all be sporting by the time the sun came up.

Renjun whistled quietly as he walked through the quiet, slumbering town, the only noise being his footsteps against the smooth concrete paths, the wind rushing past his cheeks, and the sounds of bakeries preparing to sell their goods in the early morning. He passed the liquor store they’d been to last night, then the Moonlit Haven bar, then ventured past the “border” of Moonlight Sonata territory into the streets of what was considered to be “unclaimed.”

He looked up at the buildings tall and short, double-storied and ten-storied, craning his neck to try and see the top of the tallest building, noticing the ladder and staircases on the side of the building that led up to the top. He hummed and noted the location down before going back on his merry way to the bathhouse, thinking about the full moon that would shine bright in the sky by the time night fell.

There were thankfully only a few people inside the bathhouse, so Renjun was able to wash himself up and relax inside without interference from the outside world, wrapping a towel around himself when he was done. He dried himself off and slipped back into his clothes, making his way back onto the streets feeling fresh and awake enough to start his morning.

Though the killer headache still made the back of his head throb with each step he took, he managed to make it to a general store to buy a large jug of fresh water, and a box of saltines for the rest of his crew to have to get through all of their hangovers. He tucked his purchases under both arms, throwing a few coins on the counter of the store to pay before leaving to go back to the piers.

As he made his way back, the town came to life, with more people populating the sidewalks and opening doors. Vendor stands were beginning to set up on the streets, with newsboys pedaling bicycles down the cobbled roads and the smells of baked goods and pastries wafting out from cracked-open doors in the air, creating a warm, lively atmosphere in the early morning. Watching a town slowly become alive was one of Renjun’s favorite parts about the morning, the liveliness filling him with more energy and confidence for the day.

He made his way back to the ship without any interference, checking in on his crew in Jeno’s room. Jeno sat at his bed, quietly rubbing his head as he changed into a fresher set of clothes and cleaned the numerous empty bottles of liquor off of the floor of his cabin, looking up when he heard Renjun at the door.

“Hey, I was wondering where you went,” Jeno whispered as he approached Renjun, signaling for them to go outside as to not disturb Xuxi and Chenle, who were still out cold, Xuxi’s snores echoing throughout the cabin with Chenle’s face buried in a pillow. The two walked up to the main deck, sighing when they saw the mess of things scattered all over the place.

“Here, I got us some fresh water,” Renjun mumbled as he sat down on one of the crates, shoving the jug into Jeno’s arms and sighing as he laid back against the mast, closing his eyes and furrowing his eyebrows, as though that would make his headache go away.

“It’ll be a rough morning for those two… Well, afternoon at this point,” Jeno said with a chuckle as he gulped down a large amount of water, making sure to leave enough for Xuxi and Chenle as he set it down on a crate of tea that they’d stolen from a ship some time ago.

“Mm, we can stay docked for a couple of days before we go out again. I have some business in Linway Island to attend to, but it’s not urgent. We can afford to stay on Rose Island for maybe the week or so. What do you think?” Renjun found it easy to lean on Jeno for simple decisions, and Jeno was always happy to help shoulder some of the weight that his captain carried on his shoulders.

“For the week?” Jeno laughed, leaning against the mast as his eyes curled into crescents, an almost knowing glint in the moons of his eye smile. “You planning on seeing someone or something?” The question came out as lighthearted and hardly serious, but it still made Renjun’s heart nearly stop in its tracks.

“Don’t be silly. I just want to give Xuxi and Chenle enough time on land to recover from whatever hangover symptoms came out of our little celebration night,” Renjun replied coolly, thinking up an excuse on the spot as he grabbed the jug of water and took a sip. “We don’t have to constantly let ourselves be on sea.”

Jeno shrugged, raising his hands up as a show of innocence. “I’m not complaining. I joke, but really, you’ve been… a little less tense lately. So good on you if you’re seeing someone!”

Renjun could only take another sip of water in response as he looked across the shore.

The Moonlight Sonata was quiet by the time night fell, save for the way Renjun exhaled when he pulled away from Donghyuck’s lips, his breaths heavy across his face as he rested his forehead against the other’s, finally able to recall a distant thought he’d kept stored at the back of his head, a thought he’d specifically kept for Donghyuck.

“Hey,” Renjun whispered after the two had taken a few moments to catch their breath, “You okay with going out? We still have plenty of time before sunrise,” He rolled off of where he’d been straddling Donghyuck’s hips and settled next to him on his own bed. Donghyuck looked at him with a raised brow, running a hand through his tousled orange hair and tried to come to his senses to form a coherent response.

“Like… outside the ship? The docks?” Donghyuck questioned, still unsure of the intention behind it. Renjun nodded in response, smoothing down Donghyuck’s hair so that it didn’t look so unruly. “But… why? Are you finally going to murder me like you said you would three years ago?”

“Just trust me and put your clothes on,” Renjun rolled his eyes and slipped out of bed, buttoning his shirt back up as he stepped into his boots and tied the laces. Donghyuck sighed and collected his clothes, quickly throwing everything on as he rushed to quietly follow Renjun out of his quarters, sneaking back up onto the deck.

+

“So where are you taking me again?” Donghyuck asked when they had taken to the empty streets of the seaside town of Rose Island, the familiar cobble-paved road now void of any townspeople, the stores and buildings dark, no sign of any light save for the lanterns that illuminated the streets with a dim, eerie glow. He stopped when Renjun did, watching as the Moonlight Sonata captain craned his neck to look up at one of the tallest buildings on the street they were walking down. “Yeah, we get it, you’re short.”

“Shut up.” Renjun gave Donghyuck a glare before walking to the side of the building, where there was a ladder staircase that ascended upwards. He placed a boot on the first rung, using the railing as support as he climbed the staircase, then looked back at Donghyuck. “We don’t have all night now, come on.”

“Jeez, okay…” Donghyuck let out a huff of air before stepping up onto the ladder, closely following Renjun as they ascended the flights of stairs, eventually hoisting themselves right up onto the rooftop, to which Renjun dusted off his coat and looked around at the otherwise empty area. “I’m just saying, this looks like a perfect murder spot. Are you sure you’re not here to kill me?” He gave Renjun a wary look, hand drifting to the inside of his coat as he backed up.

“Will you stop asking me if I’m going to kill you? Just sit.” Renjun walked over to one of the concrete protrusions, patting the spot next to him. Donghyuck relaxed his posture and took a seat next to Renjun, following his gaze, which was trained on the full moon that shone brightly in the night sky, stars dotting the areas all around it.

“I used to climb up rooftops like these when I was little, actually,” Renjun admitted, quite suddenly, as he shifted in his seat, neck still craned to look up at the moon. “I really liked looking at the stars, and I’d go to the library to look at the astronomy chart there all the time.”

“Yes, thank you for the completely unnecessary piece of information,” Donghyuck commented airily, looking up at the moon with Renjun. “Why did you really bring me up here, seriously?”

If Renjun held any offense to his reply, he didn’t show it whatsoever. “Well, aren’t you tired of the looming prospect of getting caught by either of our crewmates?” It was more of a curious question than anything, as Renjun didn’t have much of a problem with doing their… intimate activities on their ships. He ran a hand over Donghyuck’s thigh, turning to look at him as he directed a somewhat deadpan gaze over at him.

Donghyuck scoffed at the question. “We’re pirates. We face risky shit at sea all the time, but the thing you’re worried about is Jaemin or Jeno or whoever walking in on us fucking?” He laughed at the mere thought, his smile amused as he gave Renjun a taunting look. “That doesn’t scare me at all. I don’t even think it’d happen in a million years.”

“Are you sure about that?” Renjun asked, beginning to mirror Donghyuck’s amused smirk as his hand crept further and further up the other’s thigh. “You’re pretty loud in bed. You’re not worried at all?”

“I’m not even loud!” Donghyuck protested, crossing his arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking ab—” His words were interrupted by a whine, Renjun’s hand having found its way past the waistband of his pants.

“Case in point,” Renjun said smoothly, retracting his hand and swinging a leg over Donghyuck so he could sit in his lap. “I’m tired of having to muffle your pretty sounds— let’s kiss here every now and then, yeah?”

“Fine, whatever.” With a smidge of impatience in his tone, Donghyuck’s hands came up to rest on Renjun’s waist, hands drifting up his sides every now and then as Renjun leaned in to connect their lips together. They kissed under the sea of stars that twinkled above them, with only the moon to gaze upon their urgent intimacy.

It had only been a few weeks since the Phoenix’s Wing had set sail to attend to whatever business went on in the Pacific Ocean, but they were soon approaching Rose Island once again, with Donghyuck standing right at the bow, scoping out the land with his spyglass. His watchful eye took in the docks to the left, the buildings of the town that popped up above the trees in the middle, and the shores of the beach to the right, where the tide was low, waves gently lapping across the sand as a few townsfolk walked along the coast.

His gaze remained on the beach for a few more moments before Donghyuck lowered the spyglass and returned to the main deck, where Jaemin was looking to their left through a pair of binoculars.

“Captain, the Moonlight Sonata’s also coming in from the North. Wanna see?” Jaemin held out the pair of binoculars to Donghyuck, who quickly grabbed them and peered through. Sure enough, the lavender flag with a bright white crescent moon was at full mast, furling around with the sea breeze.

“Okay, cool.” Donghyuck handed the binoculars back to Jaemin, who took them back and looked through them once more. “And why exactly should I be caring about this again?”

Jaemin shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he lowered the binoculars. “Dunno. Thought you’d want to see their sexy captain or something.”

It took everything for Donghyuck’s face to not flare up with an unknown emotion as he frowned at Jaemin. “He’s not even sexy, what the fuck? I’m like, 100 times sexier.”

“Relax, you know I was kidding. And you say that, but the look you give him when you guys have those weird tense “traditional” sword fights really says something else,” Jaemin said in a matter-of-factly tone, twirling his sea-blue hair with a finger as he dodged the punch to the arm that Donghyuck had aimed at him. “You gonna give him bedroom eyes when we dock and you guys fight again?”

Donghyuck stomped off in the direction of the wheel, turning once to throw a single retort back at Jaemin. “No! And I’m not giving him bedroom eyes, shut up!”

“Oh, you keep telling yourself that, dear Hyuckie…” Jaemin mumbled quietly to himself as he smiled and held back a laugh, leaning forward against the railing as he watched the Phoenix’s Wing grow closer and closer to shore.

“Hey, let’s go somewhere else this time.” Donghyuck was the first to speak when he saw Renjun heading in his direction. He was sitting cross-legged on the docks in front of the Phoenix’s Wing, waving when he saw the other turn the corner. Renjun crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow in question.

“Is it your turn to murder me?” Renjun asked, the corner of his lip curling, intending to poke a bit of fun at Donghyuck’s paranoid comments from just a few weeks earlier.

“No, it’s my turn to show you a place.” Donghyuck stood up and walked over to where Renjun was standing, brushing shoulders with him. “Follow me this time.”

“Hmm… Fine. I suppose it’s only fair,” Renjun said as he side-glanced Donghyuck, who only looked at him before taking off for the exit to the pier. Renjun closely followed, having to jog to catch up with the other as he ran off.

Renjun followed Donghyuck to the end of the docks, where he took a hard right turn and walked along the dirt path that stretched out all the way to where the beach was located, the stretch of sand and waves lapping along soon coming into view as Donghyuck slowed to a walking pace, Renjun also slowing down.

“So,” Renjun began when the hard dirt path became soft sand, pausing for a moment to place his hands on his knees and catch his breath. “Why’d you bring me here? To… the beach?” He pried his boots off and held them with one hand as he let his feet sink into the softening ground. Donghyuck did the same, then walked a few more meters or so down the shore, finally sitting down, knees propped up as he held them close to his chest and listened to the gentle splashing of the waves against the wet sand.

“You showed me a place where you wanted to make out with me, which for some reason was the rooftop of a random building on an uncomfortable concrete bench,” Donghyuck watched as Renjun sat in the sand next to him, burying his toes in the softness. “So I’m showing you a place of my own. A.K.A, the beach.”

“Why the beach, though?”

“Because I like the beach. Listen, do I need to go in depth? You took me to a random ass building, let me have this.”

Renjun shrugged, knowing he didn’t really have any room to argue about where he really wanted to kiss Donghyuck. “Okay,” came the simple reply as they sat in silence for a few short moments, watching the waning crescent moon in the night sky, which was the only source of light on the beach, save for the lantern that was perched atop the fence that marked the beginning of the beach.

It was in this dim moonlight that Donghyuck slid into Renjun’s lap, blocking his line of vision as he took his face in his hands, gazing deeply into his eyes for just a couple of moments before deciding that if he looked at his face any longer, he probably wouldn’t stop looking. So he placed his lips on his and shut his eyes, kissing him hard as he ran his hand through the other’s silver locks, a low hum resounding in the back of Renjun’s throat as he leaned back and buried his hands behind him in the sand.

They stayed like that for a while, the two only growing hungrier and hungrier the more their lips stayed locked together, with Renjun sitting up and grabbing Donghyuck’s hips, his tongue exploring every corner of the other’s mouth. There was something desperate in their actions, as if a feeling of intuition had begun to creep up both of their backs— an unmistakable feeling that they may not see each other for a long while once they pull away and bring themselves back to their ships.

Or maybe they just wanted to lose themselves in each other, once again— to forget what being captain meant, to abandon all responsibility, for just one night.

Or maybe they just wanted to savor the taste of each other’s lips. For just one night.

At that moment, both Renjun and Donghyuck definitely planned on it.

Renjun was beginning to think that the universe had a grudge against him.

Two months out at sea and counting, with no sign of him returning to Rose Island anytime soon. It wasn’t because he was avoiding it, that wasn’t the case at all. It was simply a matter of business matters that required him to sail from island to island, from pirate-hating islands to pirate-loving islands alike. Jeno had been his only source of sanity in the weeks they were at sea, since they’d gotten a little more blood on their hands than they’d wanted to.

“It’s okay Renjun, those stupid loons refused to step down, you did what you had to!” Jeno reasoned with Renjun as he cleaned the blood off of his blade with a rag. “You guys had struck a deal, and in the end they didn’t comply and tried to sabotage our supply line.”

“Those damn fools,” Renjun mumbled with a sigh, sheathing his sword once it was clean. “They should’ve known it was futile to mess with me.” He stood up and patted Jeno’s shoulder, a silent message that he was okay, then descended into the lower deck to the captain’s quarters.

Renjun tossed and turned that night, staring at the walls of his room like they were confining him. The captain’s quarters felt a bit too empty for his liking, as though there was something important absent. Renjun had racked through his mind and rummaged through every inch of the room to try and fill the odd emptiness in the room, in order to quell the heaviness that weighed down on his heart.

The absence seemed to bother him deeply, even when he shut his eyes to try and sleep.

He didn’t plan on considering the possibility that had appeared in his mind around the first week since they’d left Rose Island, not in a million years. There was no way he was letting his mind get the better of him like that. He flung the sheets off of himself and grabbed one of the blankets on the bed, stumbling outside and climbing his way up to the crow’s nest. The air was cooler, and the gentle breeze helped to clear Renjun’s mind as he held his knees close to his chest, staring up at the night sky as though it would help him find the answer to his woes.

For the first time in forever, Renjun felt the rocking of the Moonlight Sonata, a feeling he’d long since gotten used to since the first time he’d ventured out on the seas. On his first voyage, the rocking of the boat had made him nauseous, almost making him hurl right into the sea below him. Now, it only served to soothe his nerves, the rhythmic swaying of Renjun’s world slowly lulling him to sleep, allowing him to dream of peaceful, orange skies.

+

Donghyuck was almost certain that fate was toying with him, laughing from above.

It had been four months since he’d even seen a hint of the coastline of Rose Island, the days spent on sea and land blurring in Donghyuck’s head, everything seeming so mundane and humdrum. The main attraction of the voyage and probably the only thing that had kept him lively and sane had been having to travel over to an island far away from the area that the Phoenix’s Wing held influence over, one that Jaemin considered home, in order to attend to a more personal affair, something that would likely affect the entire crew if not dealt with.

Jaemin smiled when they dropped the anchor at the port, looking back at Mark, who simply pushed his round-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose and took the other’s hand in his, sending a reassuring smile and hand-squeeze back at him. Donghyuck suppressed the urge to throw up from the sweetness that it radiated, instead preparing to leave the ship.

“So, you’re only here to ask your mom for her blessing to get married to Mark, when you haven’t even proposed to him? How do you know he’ll say yes like that?” Donghyuck asked the question lingering on his mind as Jaemin showed them through town, furrowing his brow as he came to a conclusion on his own. “Well, I mean… I guess he would say yes, honestly.”

“Yeah, I was getting concerned there. You’ve known both of us for years, and we’ve been together for at least maybe two of those years, so why do you think Mark would say no to his dear Nana~?” Jaemin leaned in Donghyuck’s direction as he looked at the other with a ridiculous pouting expression, to which Donghyuck placed a hand on his face to push him away.

“Well yeah, duh, but where the hell are you gonna get a ring?”

“I’ll figure something out. Rose Island has that jewelry shop, doesn’t it?”

“Oh yeah, it does.” Donghyuck quieted at the mention of Rose Island, thoughts drifting to the place he hadn’t visited in forever. “Well, let’s go there soon and find some kind of subtle way to get Mark’s ring size or something,” he commented, looking over at Mark, who was currently showing his journal to Jisung, whose eyes were wide with wonder. Mark read out the page with a small smile on his face as they walked, looking up at Jisung with excitement brightening his eyes at every step they took and every page they turned.

“Eager to go back, hm? Even when there’s only a slight chance you’ll find your little captain there… Very interesting.”

“We’re going there for the ring, Jaemin. I don’t even know why Huang Renjun is living so rent free in your head anyway.”

“Yes, yes, of course! It’s only because he’s living rent free in your head, no? Even if you tell me I’m wrong, I know you, Hyuck! We’ve known each other for 5 years!”

“Yeah, has anyone ever told you that you’re too nosy and intuitive for your own good? Also, you should know I’m going to make you walk the plank if you mention this to anyone, right?”

“Right!” Jaemin winked at Donghyuck with a knowing smile, then returned to looking around at the scenery of the seaside town, breathing in the smell of sea salt in the air, with just a slight tinge of nostalgia to go with it.

The process of Jaemin introducing Mark, Jisung, and Donghyuck to his mother went smoothly enough, and when Mark went to help cook dinner in the kitchen, Jaemin admitted to his mother that he was nearly ready to propose to Mark, to which his mother was barely surprised to hear.

“Any man who can cook is truly a keeper,” was all she had said before going to join Mark in the kitchen. Jaemin high-fived both Donghyuck and Jisung and silently cheered to themselves before also lending a helping hand with dinner. The five of them had sat and ate, talked and played board games that Jaemin’s mother had kept in Jaemin’s old room, looked (and laughed) at old journals filled with little Jaemin’s scribbling, enjoying themselves in a somewhat domestic setting for just a bit until the sun went down, and they were all spread across the couch, tuckered out and ready to call it a day.

“Sometimes I think about the fact that my first dye job was a shoddy pink one that I did myself,” Jaemin said with a chuckle, looking up at the ceiling from where he was sitting down on the couch. “God, it was so bad. I should try dyeing my hair pink again, but better this time.”

“I think you’d look good in it,” Mark replied without hesitation, scribbling down words in his journal as he sat on the recliner seat across the living room.

“You say that because he’d look good in anything,” Donghyuck replied with a roll of his eyes, leaning against the wall and watching the moon rise high in the sky through the window.

“And I’m not wrong, Hyuck.” Mark’s eyes sparkled as he looked up at him, then looked at Jaemin, who blew a kiss in his direction. He returned to his journal writing with a smile just barely curling at the corner of his lips, not doing much to mask the evident shyness. Donghyuck did his best to simply continue staring out the window at the moon, placing an arm on the windowsill, taking care not to knock over the small plant atop it.

“You guys are so in love it’s kind of disgusting.” There was no ill will detected in Donghyuck’s tone, only the hint of a smile on his face.

They head out in the dead of night after camping out and falling asleep on Jaemin’s mother’s couches, with many apologies and thank yous exchanged and enough money to keep her afloat for probably many years to come. The moon remained shining brightly in the sky, as if to wish the crew of the Phoenix’s Wing well on their voyage.

Donghyuck could only stare back at the island that slowly grew more distant as they took off, his heart also distant, longing to see the only place he could even think to consider home.

… And perhaps, someone else too.

Renjun could nearly cry with relief when he saw the familiar coastline of Rose Island through Jeno’s spyglass, exhaling heavily as he made his way back over to the wheel, where Xuxi was busy steering the ship in the direction of the pier, which seemed so small from the distance, but growing closer, bit by bit.

It had been six months. Six long months away from Rose Island. Six months since he’d stepped foot on the familiar wooden docks, since he’d taken an early morning stroll through the town, since he’d walked inside of Moonlit Haven.

Six months since he’d seen Lee Donghyuck, or caught sight of the familiar, bright orange flag that signified the Phoenix’s Wing.

His heart practically soared when they dropped anchor, pacing around as the rest of the crew prepared to step again on land. He hadn’t realized how much time had passed until he’d glanced inside the journal sitting atop his desk, noting the date of the night he’d written about him and Donghyuck’s rendezvous on the beach and then the current date.

As much as Renjun wanted to deny it, Donghyuck had plagued his mind for a good portion of those six months, the odd absence he’d noticed in the first few months away at sea coming from the fact that his heart longed for the desperate touches, silent kisses, and taste of his lips that lingered for hours after the act.

It was strange to want Donghyuck specifically, Renjun thought as they walked down the gangplank onto the docks. There were a million people out at sea he could hook up with, a million people who probably would kill to sleep with him or even hope to lay a finger on him. But the mere thought of engaging in something intimate with anyone other than Donghyuck didn’t sit right with him, and imagining the opposite made him feel a sting of what could only be envy in his chest.

He nearly stumbled as he walked right into Jeno’s back, startled as he backed up and Jeno turned to look back at him.

“You alright? I know it’s been a while since we’ve been on Rose Island,” Jeno slowed his pace so that he could walk side-by-side with Renjun as he watched Xuxi and Chenle continue to goof off, the pair having decided that they were going to race to the end of the docks. Though there was a clear lead once the two took off, it didn’t stop Chenle from yelling loudly, running after Xuxi as their footsteps made the wooden boards creak.

“Yeah… I suppose I’ve missed it.” Renjun took one look at the pair ahead of him and Jeno, shaking his head and sighing, before turning to look at Jeno. “Do you think they’ll mind if we stay docked here a little longer than usual? I’m still thinking about it, but… I want to stay for a few days, at least.” He hoped the question was as subtle as he made it out to be.

“I’m sure they won’t mind! I certainly don’t,” Jeno broke into a small jog, Renjun following closely after him as they attempted to catch up with Xuxi and Chenle, who were mere figures in the distance as they reached the streets of the town. “I feel like we need a break from all the stuff we’ve had to do at sea.”

“You can say that again,” Renjun mumbled, relieved that there were other reasons that would be able to mask the longing, or whatever it was (he sure hoped it wasn’t longing) that Renjun had been feeling. He couldn’t afford to let whatever thoughts had been plaguing his mind get in the way of his duties as a pirate, but he also couldn’t help the way he glanced down at the rows of ships lined up at the pier, trying to spot the familiar annoyingly bright orange flag of the Phoenix’s Wing and its captain.

While there had already been some form of forbidden aura around Donghyuck and Renjun’s intimacy despite their rivalry, that feeling only grew when he tried to think about harboring any sort of emotions for the other captain, and he decided that it simply was not worth putting too much thought into as he continued down the usual cobblestone roads that had paved their way into a spot in Renjun’s mind that brought him some form of nostalgia. He could only close his eyes and breathe in the seaside air, a tang of sea salt reaching his nose, and let himself go as he and Jeno caught up with Chenle and Xuxi.

He’d have to wait until tonight to think once again.

Nor Renjun or Donghyuck could describe the pulling feeling in their hearts when they had seen each other, steps quiet as they wandered the docks, gaze falling upon the other under the moonlight that illuminated the waters.

Donghyuck couldn’t describe the way his heart soared as Renjun tugged him in the direction of the Moonlight Sonata, quietly leaping onto the ship and following Renjun into his cabin.

Renjun couldn’t describe the odd happiness he felt when he kicked off his boots and joined Donghyuck in his bed, eyes never leaving the other as he leans in close and takes a moment to lay his gaze upon him, eyes constantly searching Donghyuck’s expression, his hands wandering above his clothed torso. Donghyuck looked back at him, almost starstruck by the sight of Renjun above him, his eyes wide with wonder, as though he were a kid looking through the window of a store.

Actions infinitely spoke louder than words, Renjun concluded as Donghyuck wrapped his hands around the back of his neck and pulled him in, but that wasn’t going to stop him from saying what the both of them wanted to say the most, tired of expending all of his thinking energy on figuring out whether his mind wanted Donghyuck or not. What he felt in his heart was undeniable in that moment, after all.

It was Renjun who said it first, lips pressed against the skin on Donghyuck’s neck, just below his ear, hand dipping under his shirt to roam over the bare skin, having painfully yearned for this same touch for months on end.

“I missed you,” he barely whispered, afraid that the wind would steal the words he’d reluctantly, secretly wanted to say since the thought had first crossed his mind. He pulled back, looking once again at Donghyuck, who for once didn’t have a single snarky retort prepared as he gazed back at Renjun, the two getting seemingly lost in each other’s eyes.

“I missed you too,” Donghyuck mumbled as a reply when he came back to his senses, sighing softly when Renjun shifted above him and connected their lips. There was an undertone of unspoken fervor that hung in the air, yet the simple seven words spoken had made their feelings so undeniably real. Renjun felt dizzy from the plethora of emotions that overwhelmed his mind, pushing his tongue past Donghyuck’s lips, the familiar taste bringing him back to the last time they’d kissed on the beach, the desperate feeling he’d felt back then almost identical to now.

They’d kissed for what seemed like hours, the moon high in the sky and just barely illuminating the room as they spent the night wordlessly satisfying the ache in their hearts, the craving for the taste of each other’s lips, and the urge to only feel the other and nothing else.

Renjun ran his hand across Donghyuck’s bare chest as he laid next to him, their legs tangled in the bedsheet as they savored each other’s warmth, an empty space in both of their hearts restored as they sat in silence, the rhythmic rise and fall of each other’s chests relaxing, so tranquil compared to the mess of things that Renjun had gone through the past six months.

Donghyuck shifted onto his side and pulled Renjun close to him, burying his face in his silver hair, his hair black at the roots due to not having dyed it in a while. Renjun expressed no complaints, turning on his side and shutting his eyes for just a few moments. Meeting Donghyuck again for the first time in six months had been more than satisfying, the turmoil in his mind temporarily subdued as he basked in the other’s touch. He felt Donghyuck’s lips on the back of his neck, softly sighing as the two indulged in lazy touches.

They stayed like that for a bit, mindlessly wallowing in the warmth of their embrace, until faint rays of sunlight began to peek through the small window inside Renjun’s quarters, shrouding the room in a dim orange. Renjun groaned as he shook himself awake out of his Donghyuck-induced haze, sitting up and peering outside the window, his eyes quickly widening as he turned to Donghyuck.

“The sun is rising,” Renjun said, which caused Donghyuck to immediately shoot up in bed, mumbling curses to himself as he flung himself out of bed and scrambled to slip his clothes back on.

“Shit, I didn’t realize the time...” Donghyuck mumbled as he threw his shirt over his head, trying his best to overcome the daze he’d put himself in the minute he’d put his lips on Renjun’s. “Don’t leave tomorrow. We’re going to be docked on Rose Island for a week, so…”

“We’ll be docked for a week too.” Renjun had already planned on it, confirming the thought in his mind without a moment of hesitation. “We can meet on the docks again.”

“... Okay.” Donghyuck stepped into his boots and rushed over to the door, looking back one more time at Renjun, who was still laying down in his bed, his hair a mess with just a few bruises lining his bare shoulder, where no one would (likely) see it. He willed himself to turn away and open the door to leave Renjun’s room, then close it behind him as he practically flew across the Moonlight Sonata and leaped back onto the docks, quickly disappearing behind a row of ships floating silently in the water.

Renjun sighed and flopped back in his bed, staring at the wooden ceiling to try and process everything that had happened within the past few hours. His mind felt murky from lack of sleep, and Renjun was sure that rather than sleeping, he’d merely basked in Donghyuck’s warmth, not even stopping to think about how unlike him that was. To take a moment and simply let himself indulge in whatever his heart desired felt like a breath of fresh air after months upon months of the same, mundane sort of business that Renjun threw himself into.

Renjun waited until dawn fully broke, when there was a gap between the horizon and the sun to slip out of bed and put his clothes back on, already planning his trek into town to find a store that sold freshly brewed coffee. He jumped when a cabin door down the hall flew open, watching as Xuxi emerged from his cabin with a loud yawn, stretching his arms turning to look down at Renjun with a surprised glance.

“Mornin’, Junnie!” Xuxi called out as quietly as he could from across the hall, jogging over and following Renjun up to the main deck. He looked his captain up and down, a concerned expression quickly replacing the sleepy look on his face as he raised an eyebrow. “You look like you got zero sleep. Are you okay…?”

Renjun merely responded with a yawn, covering his mouth with his hand and patting Xuxi on the arm with his free one, walking towards the gangplank to leave the ship. When they both left the docks, he turned to face Xuxi as the two walked side-by-side, the town already slightly bustling with life when the two turned into the cobble streets.

“I just… need coffee. Also, we’re staying for a week. Just so we can… get our bearings, get everything in order before we set sail again. Yeah.” He nodded over at Xuxi, hoping he wouldn’t have to use his brain in the early morning to formulate words to better explain himself. He wasn’t sure if he knew the explanation himself either, really. Was Donghyuck truly so important that he was willing to stay docked for longer than normal?

No, maybe not, Renjun thought to himself. Maybe he just needed to get his mind off of things. Maybe he needed to not let his mind wander.

And maybe he didn’t have feelings. Maybe he just needed to spend more time with Donghyuck to figure out if the feelings were real, or if the distance between each other as self-proclaimed rivals would always be there, and these feelings were the simple product of small flings that just so happened to occur at a constant.

As the day slowly crawled by, he made a silent decision and promised himself that he’d visit Donghyuck every night. Every night, just until he figured whatever this was out.

Renjun hoped he would figure it out.

When night fell again, Renjun snuck his way off the Moonlight Sonata and immediately ran over to where he saw Donghyuck standing, a little ways down.

“Hey, I have something to show you. It’s a little ways from here, is that okay?” Renjun looked up at Donghyuck, who stared back at him with slight surprise, blinking before nodding.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Donghyuck made no additional comments, and closely followed Renjun as they quietly strolled into the empty, quiet town.

There was something about the seaside town that was different at night. It was different from the early morning, when there was at least some sign of human life and a bit of natural light illuminating the pathways and buildings around them. In the hours upon eventide, there wasn’t a single human to be seen, every door closed and light turned off as the town slept, with only the far-flung sound of waves crashing against the shore heard as Renjun and Donghyuck walked further and further away from sea and deeper into the land, even the sound of the beach growing more distant as they ventured into the heart of the town.

They walked in silence for a while, both of them occupying themselves with the moon and stars above them, the distant celestial objects in question providing the most comfort they could as they traveled deep into the night, deeper into the town.

Renjun finally stopped when he reached the front of a small gate, a black metal fence with swirly posts enclosing a fairly large space, and upon a further look in, you could see trees and flowers galore, flora and fauna in full bloom in the cool spring night. On a small sign right next to the entrance gate, read Seaside Rose Garden.

“I think I’ve been here one or two times before,” Donghyuck commented as Renjun easily climbed over the locked gate and jumped the fence, and he himself followed suit once he heard the sound of Renjun dropping to the other side. The fence clearly wasn’t built to keep out intruders, as it barely stood a foot taller than the both of them, and a brick path had been paved through the grass that made up most of the garden. Ahead of them, the path continued into a grove of trees that bloomed pink blossoms, the green leaves swaying gently under the cool breeze that lazily blew past them, taking pale pink petals with it.

“Is that so?” Renjun replied as they continued down the path, stepping over piles of cherry blossoms as they walked through the grove. “I used to visit this garden all the time… When I first came here, I was clueless of the life that lay ahead of me. Just a clueless, naive child sitting under a bunch of cherry trees… I laugh thinking of it, really.”

“Hah, well… We’ve all been there,” Donghyuck said, listening to Renjun closely as he looked up at the trees above them, attempting to catch a cherry blossom petal with his hand. The cherry blossom path came to an end as they’re reintroduced to the moonlight, the path giving way to an abundance of rose bushes, red and green stretching ahead of them in neat little rows on either side of them. “I guess this place really isn’t called Rose Island for nothing.”

“The roses that they grow here are beautiful…” Renjun trailed off, pausing to crouch by a bush of pink roses, fingers gently tracing over the petals of one in bloom. “I have always loved flowers, but evidently, they don’t survive for very long out at sea. My favorites are lilies and tulips.”

“Lilies and tulips… I guess I’m kind of basic with my taste in roses. I’m not much of a flower connoisseur, honestly, so.” Donghyuck watched Renjun’s squatting figure examine the blossom, fingers carefully avoiding the thorns on the stem as he pulled out a dagger from the inside of his jacket and sliced the rose off of the stem. “Have you… always had that on you?” He asked, watching as the other repockets the knife and holds the flower in the palm of his hand.

“You know I’m not planning to kill you, right? I always keep this on me.” Renjun had not even a hint of snarkiness in his tone as he took out the dagger once again, delicately removing all of the thorns from its stem, running a finger over it once he was done to make sure there were no sharp ends left.

“Yeah, I get it. I always bring one with me when I’m going alone anywhere. Subconscious habit,” Donghyuck admitted, pulling out a dagger of his own from one of the inner pockets of his jacket. “Did you always just steal from the rose bushes like that?”

“Not always,” Renjun hummed, holding up the rose to his nose, breathing in the floral fragrance, closing his eyes momentarily as he stood up and continued walking down the path. Donghyuck followed suit, the two passing under a pergola with wisteria entangled and wrapped around the wood, decorating it with green vines and beautiful wisteria blossoms that drooped down to meet the pair below the pergola. “Sometimes I’d, y’know, actually buy them. There’s one really close to here called Seaside Star Blossom. They’re the ones that own this garden.”

“Seaside Star Blossom… And did you work there or something?”

“For a bit,” Renjun said, spotting a small bench ahead of them and heading over to it. “Just until I had enough money to start that life out at sea.”

Donghyuck sat on the bench, looking over at Renjun, who set the rose down next to him as he also seated himself, the rose being the only thing separating the two in that moment, its pink petals a bright contrast to the black metal bench. Renjun looked over at Donghyuck, arms crossing before looking up at the moon that hung high in the sky, stars sprinkled across the expanse of deep blue and violet.

“Have you ever regretted the… life?” Donghyuck asked suddenly, his hand reaching up to brush away a stray bang that had fallen into the other’s eyes. Renjun caught his hand before it could reach his face, gently grasping his wrist as he turned to look at him, examining Donghyuck’s expressions closely as his gaze flickered from his eyes, down to his lips.

“Mm…” Renjun decided to put some thought into it, looking to the side as he pondered the question for a moment, Donghyuck’s wrist remaining in his grip as he fixed his gaze on the grass, the question taking more thought than he had initially expected. After a few moments of silence, he turned back to Donghyuck.

“I don’t.” Those two words were all he said before releasing his grip on Donghyuck’s wrist, his hand sliding up to intertwine their fingers as he finally, finally got to what they had probably both been wanting since they’d met up at the docks— Renjun hopped right into Donghyuck’s lap, the other’s free hand immediately moving to hover over his waist as Renjun took his chin in his hand and leaned in close, sending him a momentary glance filled with unreadable emotions before closing the gap between them. They kissed until the night came to an end, the moonlight and their fiery passion providing them the only light they needed in the darkness of the garden.

“It’s my turn today,” was the immediate first thing that Donghyuck said to Renjun when they met on the docks for the third night in a row that week, holding his hand out to the Moonlight Sonata captain as he raised an eyebrow with piqued curiosity, taking his hand and following Donghyuck, the two breaking into a jog as they ran down the docks quietly.

“Where are we going tonight?” Renjun asked out of pure curiosity before they turned onto the familiar path that led to the beach. “Ahh, you want to go to the beach again?”

“Yeah, but we’re actually going somewhere on the beach this time, not just fooling around on the sand.” Donghyuck replied with a small smile, the thought of their destination bringing him an odd feeling of nostalgia as they walked across the sand, the low tide allowing them to walk a little closer to the edge of the shore as they walked and walked.

“I’m a bit surprised,” Renjun began, not having the emotional strength to break free from Donghyuck’s hold, a sly smile making its way onto his face. “Last time we came to the beach…”

“Oh my God.” Donghyuck groaned and buried his head in his free hand for a moment, a tinge of red dusting his cheeks as he rolled his eyes without any real malice intended in the action. “Would you shush about that? You’re gonna be meeting someone in a bit. Unrelated to any of the phoenixes. Well, they know my crew too, but don’t regularly talk to them. They met these two because of me, actually.”

“And who exactly are these two?”

“You’ll see,” Donghyuck replied, eyes set on the horizon as he looked ahead of him, directing his gaze to what seemed to be a dock built across the water, leading up to what looked like a fishing shack, hanging just over the waters. Renjun could just barely make out light streaming out from the window that he could see as they grew closer and closer to the house in the distance. Soon enough, they had walked across the dock and were now standing in front of the door to the fishing shack, and Donghyuck finally had let go of Renjun’s hand in order to knock on the door.

“Channie, Shosho! Open up, it’s me!” Donghyuck shouted as he continued to knock on the door, until a flurry of footsteps followed by the door opening caused him to back up. Through the door that had been opened just a crack, Renjun could see a pair of eyes that lit up when he laid eyes on Donghyuck. The unknown figure opened the door wider, revealing himself to be around as tall as Donghyuck, with floppy grey hair and a sweet smile to match the sparkling eyes he’d seen moments ago. Renjun could swear that the boy was familiar, a vague aura of deja vu in the air as the boy in front of him stepped aside to let the two in.

“Hyuck! And his honored guest! Come in, come in!” Renjun and Donghyuck stepped inside upon the boy’s command, with Donghyuck giving him a more than enthusiastic pat on the shoulder, causing the boy to jump a bit.

“Shosho, nice to see you again!” Donghyuck chuckled, wrapping an arm around the boy as he turned to look at Renjun. “Renjun, this is Shotaro. I’ve known him for a super long time, since we were kids! Shotaro, this is Captain Huang Renjun of the Moonlight Sonata.”

Shotaro’s eyes widened with slight wonder, looking between Donghyuck and Renjun before pulling away from Donghyuck to shake Renjun’s hand. “Well, of course I know who Renjun is… It’s very nice to meet you.” He paused, as if hesitating to say his next words. “We actually have met before… Months ago, at the marketplace. We used to sell oils and incense there… You gave us more than enough gold needed, which we were so grateful for! Business hadn’t been great then, so… Thank you very much!” Shotaro ended his confession with a deep bow, to which Renjun’s eyes lit up with recognition.

“Ah, yes! I do vaguely remember that moment. I’m glad to be of help,” Renjun smiled, looking over at Donghyuck, who seemed to be a bit surprised by the fact that the two had previously met before.

“Yes, you did wonders for me and Sungchan. I could never thank you enough, Renjun!” Shotaro’s smile only grew wider and wider as he led the two further into the shack. “We’d like to give you a potion or two for your next trip, if possible.”

“Potion?” Renjun raised an eyebrow, tilting his head as they walked down the hall.

“Potion!” Shotaro replied, stepping into a room, the two quickly following. Inside the room were an array of vials and beakers of various shapes and colors lining wooden shelves that took up all of the wall space on the far side of the room. To Renjun and Donghyuck’s right was a large cauldron and a table filled with more bottles filled with mysterious liquids, as well as various jars filled with different leaves, plants, and miscellaneous objects. “Sungchan here is a witch.”

The very tall boy standing next to the cauldron turned around from where he had been looking at one of the shelves upon hearing his name, staring at the other three in the room before waving excitedly, a smile brightening his face as he set the bottle in his hand, presumably a potion, down on the table next to him and ran over to look down at Renjun excitedly.

“Hey! Renjun, right? It’s an honor to finally meet you! I’m Sungchan. Our marketplace stand is kind of a front that lets us sell potions and stuff,” Sungchan shook Renjun’s hand with so much vigor that it nearly shook his entire form, leaving Renjun seemingly overwhelmed, but flattered all the same as Sungchan returned to his table of potions.

“I used to help Shosho and Channie sell their stuff in the marketplace,” Donghyuck said in a quiet voice to Renjun as he watched Shotaro join Sungchan’s side, watching as he poured a vial of green liquid into a bottle of purple liquid, watching a sparkling pink cloud float up from the bottle. “I’ve been friends with them since before I became a pirate.”

“Ah… So that’s why you brought me here,” Renjun mumbled in a somewhat understanding tone, watching the other pair giggle over the way the substance in the bottle bubbled for a bit, then changed into a translucent pink color.

“Mhm,” Donghyuck confirmed, smiling at Renjun’s intuition. “I thought it was only fair. Things are never really “fair” in our line of work, really, so I thought… Hey, why not just make things fair for once in our lives?”

“Fair… I suppose things can be fair.” Renjun’s expression seemed to wander from a small smile for a bit, gaze losing focus as he found himself thinking about Donghyuck’s words. He regained his focus when Donghyuck nudged his side, and he looked up to see Sungchan walking towards Renjun, two small bottles in hand.

“As thanks for helping us so long ago, I grabbed two of our most expensive potions for you to take with you!” Sungchan held the translucent pink potion out to Renjun, which he took and examined closely, rotating the bottle. “That one is… in more simpler terms, a healing potion. It’ll cure any common sicknesses you may catch on land or sea, and is a pretty typical solution to fatigue and the like!” He grabbed another bottle, this time filled with an opaque blue-violet solution that seemed like the night sky if it were paled. “This one gives you strength, invigorates you and your fighting spirit. I recommend using it before fighting someone who you think may be a worthy opponent for you.”

Renjun listened closely to the explanations, noting which colors represented what potion and slipping the two bottles into his jacket with a nod and a grateful smile.

“Thank you for letting us meet Renjun, Hyuck. I had no idea he’d helped us out so much when you talked about him to us earlier today!” Shotaro’s words earned Donghyuck a confused gaze from Renjun with slightly narrowed eyes, that of which Donghyuck simply waved off with his hand.

“It’s nothing, really. I didn’t even know you guys knew each other. The world just kinda works in mysterious ways, I guess.”

“Indeed it does! Anyways, I’m wishing you two good luck!” Sungchan winked and patted Donghyuck on the shoulder, looking down at the two who now looked back at him with befuddled expressions and raised eyebrows. He elaborated no more on the matter as he and Shotaro walked the pair of captains back up to the entrance to the little humble abode.

“Please do come see us again sometime!” Shotaro piped up from where he’d been standing behind Sungchan, who held the door open for Renjun and Donghyuck.

“I’ll make sure to bring Renjun down here again sometime,” Donghyuck replied with a laugh, bumping shoulders affectionately with the both of them before walking out the doorway, Renjun quickly following after he gave the two a bow and a small wave of his hand.

“It’s a promise, then! Bye bye, Hyuck! Bye bye, Jun!” Sungchan and Shotaro waved at Donghyuck and Renjun, who waved back until their figures were small and tiny in the distance, watching the door to the fisherman shack close behind them.

“Those two were quite nice,” Renjun commented as they headed back down the shore, the moon still high in the sky as they walked through the sand.

“Well, they seemed to really like you. I told you, I’ve known them since I was a teenager. All three of us grew up here on Rose Island, this place is basically like home to me. Well, as close as I can get to a home.”

“You were born here? On Rose Island?” Renjun’s eyes were wide with interest, the sudden piece of information new to him as he looked over at Donghyuck.

“Yeah,” Donghyuck said with a nod, “I’ve lived here all my life, pretty much, up until I decided to take to the seas and build my way up to the Phoenix’s Wing.”

“I only came here in my late teens, I believe… Perhaps I was already in the young adult phase. That was nearly 7 years ago, however, so my memory isn’t the best. I didn’t keep a journal back then either...” Renjun glanced at Donghyuck, a smile gracing his features in just the slightest. “Thank you… for showing me this part of you.” The statement was oddly intimate, a bit too sweet for Renjun’s liking, but where was the harm in indulging a sweet tooth from time to time? He was simply thanking Donghyuck for taking him to meet his friends, nothing serious about that.

“You’re welcome,” Donghyuck grinned, then looked down at his boots, kicking up sand as he walked. “So I guess we still have some time to get to our usual business, don’t we?”

Renjun chuckled, shaking his head with an undeniable smile curling at his lips. “Of course that was all you were thinking about.”

“Can’t deny myself a good time on the beach.”

“Right, right… Okay, Lee.”

Renjun pulled Donghyuck closer to him by the collar, stopping him in his tracks as he pulled him down to eye-level, with Donghyuck nearly losing his balance as Renjun connected their lips, and soon enough, the two were too lost in each other to really care that they were standing, or that the sky had begun to shift from a deep purple to just a tinge of blue and a bit of orange out on the horizon, the moon remaining watchful as ever.

The rustle of bedsheets and the rhythmic creak of the old motel bed had became static in Renjun’s ears as he sighed, a hand placed on Donghyuck’s chest to keep himself upright and steady as the creaking slowly came to a stop, and he flopped over from where he’d been atop Donghyuck to lay right next to the other, exhaustion overwhelming his senses as he came down from the dizzying high of his climax.

“Fuck, that was…” Renjun trailed off as he stared at the ceiling, pulling the sheets over his bare body and turning onto his side as Donghyuck simply groaned and rolled over, running a hand through Renjun’s silver hair. “That was so good. God, Donghyuck…”

“Don’t wear my name out now,” Donghyuck mumbled sleepily into the back of Renjun’s neck, wrapping an arm around his waist as he pressed his bare body against the other’s, the sweaty warmth making Renjun slightly grimace.

“Yeah, I really won’t be referring to you at all again if we don’t clean up right now. That was amazing, but now I’m all gross and you are too.” Renjun attempted to pry Donghyuck’s arms away, but the other refused to budge, nuzzling into Renjun’s neck as he placed gentle kisses on the soft skin. Renjun fought off the giddy feeling in his chest, feeling his heart beat a bit faster as he sighed, relaxing his head on the pillow again.

“Just for a few minutes, then we can clean up, mkay,” Donghyuck murmured gently, and Renjun could practically feel the other’s breath ghost over his ear as he placed a soft kiss across his lobe. “Don’t wanna get up…”

“Ugh, fine… But just for a few minutes,” Renjun replied, letting himself go slack in Donghyuck’s arms, no longer tensed up as he shut his eyes momentarily, letting the exhaustion carry him along into sleepiness, which quickly carried him into the realm of unconsciousness.

+

When Renjun awoke and regained his senses, it was when the sunlight of the early morning began to peek through the curtains of the motel room’s window. Renjun sat up with a quiet groan, detaching the arm that had been wrapped around his waist, sleepily rubbing his eyes as he looked around, quickly realizing that this was indeed not the Moonlight Sonata, and that Donghyuck was still attached to his side.

“...Shit shit shit, fuck. Donghyuck, get up,” Renjun was quick to shake Donghyuck awake, the other sleepily grumbling in protest as he waved his hand at him, burying his face in the pillow. “Donghyuck, it’s morning!” He finally yelled, yanking the bedsheets off of his sleeping figure.

“Huh… Wha?” Donghyuck's voice still held the hoarseness of being half-awake as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair, first looking at Renjun with half-opened eyes, then at the window, where orange skies and gentle rays of sunlight flooded vision. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun, and that was when it dawned on him.

"Oh, shit, it's morning!" Donghyuck immediately leaped out of bed and ran across the room to the shower, running the water and washing himself as fast as humanly possible as Renjun gathered their haphazardly thrown clothes onto the floor, quickly taking Donghyuck's place when he rushed out of the shower. He emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, grabbing his shirt and pants and throwing them on. Donghyuck was already dressed, tying the laces of his boots as he looked over one more time at Renjun.

"I think we can still make it back to the ships before they wake up if we're fast enough," Renjun said as they turned their motel keys back into the front desk, the rumble of footsteps quiet as they ran across the cobblestone, watching the town slowly come back to life as they ran past stores beginning to open up for business, and townspeople opening their windows to let the fresh cool, early morning air in.

"Yeah, considering the fact that the town is waking up, we’d better get there fast." Donghyuck picked up his pace, leaving Renjun in the dust as he fought to catch up with the nimble captain of the Phoenix's Wing.

When they arrived back at the docks, Donghyuck ran even farther ahead of him, a fair distance away from Renjun so not to raise suspicion if anyone too curious had caught sight of the two together. Renjun slowed his pace to a walk, looking around at the ships raising the sails and leaving the dock, panic rising in his heart as he returned to the Moonlight Sonata, leaping and grabbing onto the railing of his ship, hoisting himself onto the main deck and landing without any problem.

He practically crashed into Jeno when he turned the corner to enter the crew's cabins, nearly getting a face full of chest as the other grabbed his shoulders to help stabilize his captain.

"You okay, Jun? Where were you going so early in the morning?" Jeno quirked an eyebrow up with curiosity at Renjun's frankly frazzled state, watching as he processed his question and blinked up at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine... Just had to get some fresh air, y'know?" Renjun quickly fibbed, running a hand through his slightly wet hair as he looked up at Jeno. "Were you planning to go up to the main deck?"

"Yeah... I kinda wanted some fresh air, too. Plus it's around the time we're supposed to get up anyway, so..." He trailed off as the two walked back up to the main deck, the cool breeze welcoming the two as the sun just barely rose above the horizon, though there was now a fair bit of space between the two, the sky now colored with tinges of blue, rather than simply painted hues of orange and purple. The sky seemed to be as clear, as far as the eye could see as Renjun leaned against the railing of the ship, Jeno eventually following as the two watched the sun slowly rise higher and higher in the sky in a comfortable silence.

"Hey, Junnie. You... trust me, right?" Jeno asked with a cheerful tone in his voice, his eyes curling into his signature crescents as he smiled at the bright sunlight ahead of him.

"Yeah, of course, Jen," Renjun replied almost immediately, lifting his hands to rub the sleep out of his eyes, a yawn quickly following.

"Are you seeing someone?"

Renjun nearly slipped and fell on nothing as he looked at Jeno with an almost incredulous stare, blinking for a few moments.

“What… makes you think that?”

“I’m not going to judge you if you are, of course! We all have had our fair share of relationships while at sea,” Jeno said with a wink, only making Renjun’s face twist into an even more confused expression, the implications of the sentence giving him too much room to speculate. “It’s just that sometimes you look like you barely got any sleep the night before. And sometimes I… hear rustling coming from your room, but that could just be you moving around at night, I dunno. The point is, good on you and that lucky person! You always seem to be pretty lively and less tense on those nights, even though you get less sleep.”

“I… suppose you could call it that,” was all he could muster with a small groan, doing his best to mask the uneasiness and embarrassment that came from knowing he hadn’t done a perfect job of hiding his… relationship with Donghyuck. It relieved him to know that Jeno had nearly no way of finding out exactly who he was seeing. He buried his face in his hands and sighed. “Just… don’t go talking about this to anyone on the crew, okay?”

“My lips are zipped, Captain!” Jeno pretended to zip his mouth with his fingers and made a thumbs-up at Renjun, eyes remaining curled into crescents.

“Good. Let’s go get some bread for the others to eat when they wake up.”

And so, Renjun and Jeno made the trek into town, thankfully without Jeno prodding further into his “relationship”, but not without Renjun pondering deeply on the feeling that tugged at his heartstrings when he thought about the captain of the Phoenix’s Wing, the vague feeling only plaguing his thoughts even more as he went about his morning in the marketplace.

That evening, Renjun sat up on the crow’s nest to clear his mind, watching the sun go down while sipping on a beer that he and Jeno had bought at the liquor store in town. They’d bought one for each of the crew, and Renjun had enjoyed Xuxi and Chenle’s faces lighting up as they each grabbed their own bottle, thankfully taking their time with drinking the alcohol as all four of them had sat together on the main deck and talked about their plans for when they set sail once again at the end of the week.

He sighed and watched the sun dip below the horizon, as the clouds in the sky were painted with streaks of orange, grey, and blue, with tinges of red lining the sky where it met the sea. The sight was peaceful, compared to the somewhat hectic week it had been, what with the mess of feelings and thoughts that he had to deal with, along with the fact that it was getting increasingly harder to hide his feelings from the rest of his crew.

It was beginning to become harder for Renjun himself to deny his feelings too.

He shook himself out of his thoughts when he felt the crow’s nest sway, bringing Renjun’s attention to the ladder below him. Xuxi’s face soon popped up from the entrance to the small space, his eyes holding that same sparkle he always had, and his smile containing the same easygoingness that the taller always seemed to carry himself with.

“There room for one more?” Xuxi asked, volume miraculously lowered. Renjun nodded, scooting over to make room for the other as he smiled wider and plopped down next to him. The two sat in silence for a bit, watching the sky color itself a gradient of blue, beginning to set into the deep blue of the night sky.

“Xuxi,” Renjun said quietly amidst the quiet of the night that had settled between them, catching the other’s attention as he turned back to look at him. “How… do you know if you have feelings for someone?” He furrowed his eyebrows, not even knowing if Xuxi had that type of experience. It felt almost desperate to ask his crewmate like this, to leave himself vulnerable without really knowing what could lie ahead once he spoke. He opted to stare at the blue-grey expanse of sea ahead of them, gaze trailing to the beach as his eyes pinpointed a lighthouse in the far, far distance from above.

Xuxi hummed and paused to think, the toe of his boot tapping against the floor of the crow’s nest as he contemplated the question for a few moments before looking over at Renjun.

“It’s hard to really say when… There’s always a million reasons to deny what you feel, you know? But I think the moment you realize that you’d abandon anything for them in a heartbeat, when you know they’re so important and prevalent in your life that you can’t stand the fact of them abandoning you, that’s when you really know.” He furrowed his brow as he looked up at the sky, arms crossed as he stared up at the late evening sky. “Super poetic coming from me, probably, but I’ve had my fair share of feelings before! Not too sure about you, but hey. I won’t pry.”

“I see…” Renjun responded simply, gaze remaining distant as he tilted his head up to look at the stars that were beginning to appear, one by one, bright and dim.

“Don’t think too hard about it, Jun. Your head might explode if you do!” Xuxi chuckled and patted Renjun’s shoulder, carefully sitting up as he walked back over to the entrance of the crow’s nest, resting the toe of his boot on the first rung of the ladder. “Try and get some sleep, alright? You look like you’ve aged 5 years in the past week.”

“I’ll try, Xuxi. Thank you.” Renjun smiled gratefully over at Xuxi, who beamed at him and sent him a thumbs up before beginning to descend back down to the main deck. Renjun returned to staring up at the night sky, as though it held all of the answers that he sought to know.

He continued to think about it as he visited Donghyuck for the fifth time in a row that week, desiring nothing more than to hold him close as he placed his lips on his. There were no desperate feelings, no blazing flames of competitiveness or sexual desire, only a small, gentle flame of pure want that burned slowly within his heart, like the warm, flickering flames of a fireplace in a home that he could call his own.

“Hey, bring your sword with you,” Donghyuck called out to Renjun when was about to hop off of the ship to meet him, watching as he blinked in surprise, not expecting the other to have waited so close to his ship. “I have an idea, kinda.”

Renjun raised an eyebrow at him, but held back from asking any questions as he went to grab his sheathed sword from his quarters, creeping back across the deck and leaping onto the docks, landing next to Donghyuck and rolling his neck.

“What’s your idea?” Renjun asked as they walked down the docks, exiting them and heading in the direction of the bath to the beach instead of crossing the pier over to the Phoenix’s Wing. They walked down the familiar path, the wood creaking under their boots until their feet were eventually stepping into sand, the sound of waves accompanying the quiet night.

“I thought I’d challenge you to a sword fight,” Donghyuck finally replied, shimmying his coat off and throwing it on the sand as he pushed up his sleeves so that they were above his elbows, unsheathing his sword and casually holding it in front of him. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? You haven’t lost your touch during those six months, have you, Renjun~?” The tone of his voice was teasing as he grinned over at Renjun, who simply rolled his eyes and slipped his own coat off, the piece of clothing landing in the sand.

“I don’t suppose you think I’ve been lazing around in some beach during all those months?” Renjun rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, hand gripping the handle of his sword tightly as he unsheathed it, its curved blade glowing true in the moonlight. “You underestimate me, Donghyuck.”

“Just saying, it has been a while!” Donghyuck teased while the two circled each other, their gazes set only on the other, the only sounds in the air being their footsteps, soft against the sand, and the waves that crashed against the shore in the near distance. “You don’t know whether or not I’ve cooked up any new tricks with my blade.”

“You don’t know what I’ve been up to either,” Renjun easily replied, adjusting his grip momentarily as his gaze bored into the other, so intense that Renjun could count the amount of times Donghyuck blinked before he spoke again. “You’ll just have to see, won’t you?”

“We will, I guess.”Donghyuck’s grin was crooked as he smiled over at Renjun, one foot in front of the other as the tip of his blade pointed directly at the other. The two continued to circle each other until Renjun lunged across the sand in a flash, swinging his blade as Donghyuck swiftly parried, backing up and countering with his own swing from above. They exchange sword swings, back and forth as one swings and the other blocks, both captains fixated on the other as they exchange sword blows.

Time seemed to slow as the two continued without pause, the sound of the waves on the beach no longer heard by Renjun and Donghyuck— only the sound of metal clashing against metal as they moved in sync, Renjun stepping back the second that Donghyuck jabbed his blade in his direction, and Donghyuck sidestepping when Renjun lunged forward.

Renjun could swear that he was able to see the reflection of the moon in Donghyuck’s eyes as they fought to gain the upper hand on the other, and at some point he was practically inches from Donghyuck’s face, only their crossed blades dividing them as they backed away from each other, their breaths heavy in the night.

Renjun stared at Donghyuck for what seemed to be a long time, noting the way his lips parted ever so slightly as he caught his breath, the messy orange hair that had grown black at its roots, implying that he hadn’t gotten it dyed in a bit. He also noted the three prevalent moles on his sun-kissed face, like a constellation that belonged in the night sky, and the tiny little scar just below on his cheek, probably obtained from fighting out at sea.

There were so many subtleties to Donghyuck that Renjun had never noticed before, and he slowly realized that there were many more little details he’d kept note of about Donghyuck over the year or so that they’d been… seeing each other in an intimate manner— the way he liked it most when Renjun kissed his collarbone, the way he instinctively placed gentle hands on Renjun’s waist every time he climbed into his lap, the way his touch had always lingered over his cheek… Donghyuck had always plagued his thoughts— every inch of him, every part of him, Renjun wanted it all. And he was willing to sacrifice a lot to have it.

Xuxi was right, Renjun thought to himself. I am willing to abandon a lot for Donghyuck.

Renjun was quite literally knocked out of his thoughts when Donghyuck launched himself forward and kneed him in the stomach, knocking his sword out of his hands, the blade and Renjun landing in the sand as Donghyuck pointed his black as void sword straight at him.

He looked up at Donghyuck with wide eyes, heart beating erratically not because of the sudden move to knock him down, but because of the epiphany that had struck his mind in that exact moment— the realization that he was very much in love with Captain Lee Donghyuck of the Phoenix’s Wing.

Donghyuck finally exhaled one more puff of air, retracting his sword with a breathy chuckle as he sheathed his sword with one hand and held the other out to Renjun, who shook himself out of his stupor and grabbed his hand, hoisting himself up with the help of the other’s support. Renjun dusted himself off and picked up his blade, sheathing it with a huff and averting his gaze from Donghyuck’s self-satisfied grin.

“That’s two times in a row that I’ve won,” Donghyuck began, sitting down in the sand and staring out at the waves that crashed just a few feet away from them. “You really have lost your touch, Huang. I will admit it was close, though.”

“Whatever,” Renjun said with a grumble, rolling his eyes as he took a seat next to Donghyuck, casually leaning against him as he located the moon a fair distance above the water, its light reflected across the water, a distorted white orb in the blackened sea. He hadn’t quite processed the fact that he truly did have feelings for the other, the thought still lingering in his head as he stared across the horizon.

“I mean, you’re right. It is whatever,” Donghyuck replied, looking over at Renjun, then following where his gaze was pointed until he was also looking at the moon. “Dueling with you is fun, I guess.”

“You think so?” Renjun pulled away from Donghyuck’s shoulder to look at his side profile, beautifully illuminated in the moonlight. Donghyuck turned to him, nodding with the hint of a genuine smile on his face.

“Don’t let it get to your head. I’ve still won more fights than you have now.”

Renjun laughed, his heart fluttering with a flurry of lighthearted emotions that he couldn’t quite name just yet. The jab at his sword fighting skills didn’t affect him whatsoever, and it was evident in Donghyuck’s tone that he hadn’t been serious. Renjun’s hand reached to trace over the buttons on the other’s shirt.

“I won’t, don’t you worry,” was all Renjun whispered before he leaned in to close the gap between their lips.

On the evening that would soon become the seventh night this week that Renjun had stayed docked on Rose Island, the seventh night in a row that he’d gone to meet Donghyuck and forget about all of his worries as a captain, he resolved the growing issue that had become how he would deal with his feelings while watching the sun set and dive below the horizon once again from the view of the crow’s nest.

Tonight, he’d tell Donghyuck how he felt. However disastrous it may go, however much he would stumble over his words, he’d tell him. Whatever the outcome— Renjun tried not to think about that part too much— he would walk away with the satisfaction that he was able to convey his emotions and feelings to Donghyuck and properly communicate how he felt.

When he saw no traces of the sun in the sky, he descended from the crow’s nest and quietly slipped off of the Moonlight Sonata, heading over to where he knew Donghyuck would be awaiting.

He felt a flurry of excitement in his chest when he turned the corner and saw a figure in the distance standing next to the Phoenix’s Wing, but narrowed his eyes when he saw the head of bright blue hair, the other man turning around when he heard the sound of footsteps against the dock, eyes widening in recognition when he saw Renjun.

“Ah, Captain Huang! You’ve arrived, hello~” The man who Renjun knew as Na Jaemin, Donghyuck’s first mate on the Phoenix’s Wing, waved as he approached him, looking down at him with one of his signature smiles, a warm grin accompanied by bright eyes despite the hour.

“Hello… Where is your captain, if I may ask?” Renjun looked around at the dock and up on the deck of Donghyuck’s ship, but saw no one.

“Ah, no need to hide what’s going on with you two from me, Donghyuck told me about you two earlier this week, and rest be assured, your secret is safe with me until you two decide what you want to do with it.” He held a finger up to his lips as if to confirm his statement. “Anyway, the reason he told me this in the first place was because he wanted me to take you somewhere. If you don’t trust me… Well, just know that Donghyuck will kill me if I don’t get you there safely.”

“Ooookay... I’ll trust you, I suppose.” Renjun crossed his arms to protect himself from the cold breeze that had rushed past as Jaemin smiled and began walking towards the exit of the docks, leading him into town, where it was quiet as usual for the late night, only the lanterns illuminating the way as the wind whistled quietly, the rustling of fallen leaves and blossoms heard as they spiraled up into the air, carried up by the wind.

The path was familiar, Renjun thought to himself as they turned down familiar streets and walked down familiar cobblestone paths, passing by the Seaside Star Blossom flower shop, its doors closed and interior shrouded in darkness, the bright flower displays only lit by the dim light from the streets. He confirmed his suspicions when the two stopped in front of the Seaside Rose Garden, the place that he and Donghyuck had visited just earlier that week.

“Need help getting up?” Jaemin asked, to which Renjun simply gave him a look and jumped the fence with two simple moves, leaping down on the other side and turning to look at Donghyuck’s first mate through the bars of the fence. “I suppose you don’t, then… I’ll see you around! Hyuck is somewhere in there waiting for you, so good luck!” With a wink and a wave of his hand, Jaemin ran back in the direction the two had come from, likely going back to the ship to catch some shut-eye.

Renjun watched him leave, then turned back to the brick path ahead of him, walking through the blossoming grove of trees that made it snow pale pink petals, past the array of rose bushes that spotted the path when the cherry blossom trees ended, all the way to the bench that they’d sat on just a few days ago, looking up at the moonlight, tenderly kissing each other under it. Renjun thought about the rose he had tucked into Donghyuck’s pocket that night, wondering where he’d kept it.

He spotted Donghyuck at that same bench, standing just next to it with one hand behind his back, the other fidgeting nervously with something in his inner pocket as he shifted from foot to foot, looking up when he heard the sound of footsteps on the brick path.

“Renjun, hey,” Donghyuck’s voice came out quiet at first, before pulling his hand out of his coat and clearing his throat as Renjun approached. “Did Jaemin escort you here safely and all that jazz?”

“I’m not going to die if I go on a walk by myself, you know that, right?” Renjun chuckled, a little bit nervous for what was to come. He had planned to confess to Donghyuck after all, and that was what he was going to do before the night ended. “Why did you have Jaemin bring me here, Donghyuck?” The curiosity was evident in his voice, and Renjun couldn’t help but want to satisfy it before he told Donghyuck how he felt.

“Because,” Donghyuck began, awkwardly shifting on his feet once again as he kept his arm behind his back. “I, uh, needed to prepare a thing.”

“Oh?” Renjun raised an eyebrow. “And what is that?”

Donghyuck took a deep breath and closed his eyes before shoving the hand that had been behind his back forward in Renjun’s direction. Renjun looked down when he saw a flash of bright colors enter his line of vision— Donghyuck was currently holding out a bouquet of fresh, colorful tulips out to him, averting his gaze from the Moonlight Sonata captain and making an attempt to look anywhere else as Renjun stared at the bouquet, shocked almost as he took the bouquet in his hands and held it up to his face, breathing in the fresh floral fragrance.

“You… got tulips, one of my favorite flowers, for me?”

“Ugh… Uh, yeah,” Donghyuck looked like he was going into cardiac arrest as he shook his head and reached into the pocket of his inner jacket again, pulling out a small box around the size of his hand and dropping it in Renjun’s outstretched free hand. “That’s also for you…”

Renjun tucked the bouquet under his arm and pried the box that suspiciously looked like a box that held jewelry open, revealing a golden necklace with a charm of a lily right at the end. His eyes widened, lips parting in what could only be wonder and surprise as he looked down at the gift, looking between the necklace and up at Donghyuck, whose face seemed to be getting redder by the minute.

“You...?”

“Me. Look… I know we’re supposed to hate each other or whatever we decided however long ago, I don’t know how long ago, but this past week made me realize that fuck, I really like you, Huang Renjun.” Donghyuck was as blunt as ever as he blurted out the statement within one breath, and it was evident in the way that he closed his eyes and took another deep breath that he was trying his best to stay composed, his cheeks tinted bright pink.

“You… like me?” Renjun asked, pointing at himself, as if it weren’t obvious enough.

“Yeah, I like you.” Donghyuck sighed and ran a hand through his hair, turning around and pacing back and forth momentarily before turning to Renjun again. “Look, if you want, we can just pretend this never happened and we can—”

His words were cut off by Renjun, who had promptly placed the bouquet and the box on the bench next to him when he’d started talking, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him in for a kiss, one that made Donghyuck want to melt right there on the spot, the feeling lingering even as Renjun pulled away with a smile.

“I like you too,” Renjun said, his chest deflating as he let out a sigh of relief— relief that he didn’t have to be the one to confess, and relief that his feelings were reciprocated, and he was not alone in feeling more intimate feelings for the other.

“Oh,” came Donghyuck’s eloquent response. “Oh shit… I… wasn’t really expecting that, to be honest. Was it the bouquet and the necklace?”

“Did you really think that gifts would woo me and make me like you or something?” Renjun rolled his eyes with a small smile on his lips. “You didn’t need to do that. You made me want you more than anything by just… being you, Donghyuck. Took me a while to realize that I wanted you like that, but I guess we got there just fine. I do love the flowers and the necklace though, they’re very lovely.”

“I guess we did,” Donghyuck spoke with a somewhat excited lilt in his voice, smiling down at Renjun as he took his hand. “And you’re welcome! I had your favorite flowers in mind all week, and Jaemin helped me pick out the necklace at the jewelry shop.”

“Still hanging out with other boys, I see.” Renjun said with no real malice in his tone, hand slipping under Donghyuck’s coat to pull him closer by the waist.

“We were literally at the jewelry shop to pick out a ring for his soon-to-be fiancée, don’t be silly.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes and lifted a hand to brush the messy silver bangs out of Renjun’s face, hand caressing his cheek.

“Mm, I’ll make you forget about every other boy you knew right now.” Renjun mumbled, pulling him even closer as he grabbed his collar.

“I have a ship to run, Renjun! We have to interact with boys, it’s a part of our job!”

“So do I. Speaking of, how are we going to tell our crews about this?” Renjun pulled back momentarily to ponder on the question, the hand gripping Donghyuck’s collar noticeably loosening as he realized that now that the two were aware of each other’s feelings, they’d now have to convey this to the rest of their crews.

“...Can you just kiss me and we can think about those details later?”

“...Yeah, I can get behind that,” was all Renjun said before leaning in to capture Donghyuck’s lips in his own, the moon dutifully shining over them as they kissed late into the night, with no other worries or cares plaguing their minds in the moment.

Date: Unknown, 4 years later.

Place: Moonlit Haven

The chatter of the Moonlit Haven bar was lively, customers talking animatedly amongst themselves as they sipped at their drinks and cheered lightheartedly for the performers in the small stage they’d set up near the center of the bar. The atmosphere seemed joyful and cheery as the bartender moved from customer to customer with almost a skip in his step, sliding drinks in their direction and sending a smile to anyone who entered.

Seaside bars always tended to pull together the most peculiar of groups— fisherman cheerily boasting of their biggest catches, with washed-up Navy soldiers telling their engaging stories from their days out at sea. There were also the regular bar goers who were simple townspeople, and the employees who worked at the flower shop just down the block, and there were the bakers who had closed shift and decided to stop by to immerse themselves in the constant lively environment that was Moonlit Haven.

It was always a little different when pirates visited, though.

Almost as if on cue, a bang at the door drew everyone in the bar’s attention to the entrance, their eyes widening as they recognized the nine or ten people who had just walked in.

Of course everyone knew Huang Xuxi and Wong Kunhang, one of the workers at the liquor store down the street as well as Xuxi’s boyfriend of 6 months. And certainly everyone knew Mark Lee and Na Jaemin, who boasted their engagement rings— bands made of silver with their initials engraved on the inside— and they definitely knew Park Jisung and Zhong Chenle, who walked in side by side with Jung Sungchan and Osaki Shotaro. Closely following the quartet were Lee Jeno and Liu Yangyang, a peppy townsperson who had decided one day that he’d board a pirate ship and never return to his previous life as a news boy.

And of course, everyone in the room knew Huang Renjun and Lee Donghyuck, who held up the back line of the group entering, hand-in-hand as they entered the bar. Together, they were the co-captains of the Moonlight Phoenix, the new, bigger ship that the two had bought around a year after their decision to dissolve their long-held rivalry and combine their crews.

The Moonlight Phoenix had as prevalent of a presence on sea as they did on land, the sheer power from every crew member combined to create a presence of collected chaos so terrifying that no ship ever dared to cross paths with them, and some even prayed that they’d never be unfortunate enough to see their ship at sea, lest they find themselves at the mercy of its crew.

However, on Rose Island, everyone knew and loved the crew of the Moonlight Phoenix, and absolutely respected the two captains. The crew docking at Rose Island had become commonplace, as a lot of the crew had homes within the island, and the townspeople always seemed to welcome them with open arms. Even now, inside Moonlit Haven, the crowd of customers in the bar cheered happily upon the entrance of the crew, some making way to let them sit at various tables, with Chenle heading over to the small stage to take a seat at the piano placed just at the corner, smiling as the previous performers patted him on the shoulder and headed off the stage.

Chenle smiled and waved at the crowd of people in the bar watching him, fingers hovering over the keys as the crowd held their breath with an anticipated silence. When he began to play, his fingers practically danced over the keys, beginning a lively waltz piece that made everyone in the room begin to tap their feet against the floor, nodding to the tune. People who knew how to play other instruments soon walked up onto the stage

As people rose from their seats to find a partner to waltz to the music with, Renjun and Donghyuck looked at each other with an amused glance, their eyes sparkling with the sort of shine that reflected off of the waves of the ocean, seemingly holding a conversation with just their eyes. Renjun placed his hand in Donghyuck’s outstretched one, letting the other take the lead and pull him to a clearing in the bar, giggling softly as he spun him around and placed a steady hand on his waist, the other hand placed right by Renjun’s shoulder. There was a passionate fire held in their gazes as they stared intensely into the other’s eyes, stepping in time with the music and waltzing along with instruments.

And it was correct to say that Lee Donghyuck was the sun that shined brightly in the sky, while Huang Renjun was the calm, watchful moon that guided others in the dark. Both kept each other balanced in every way, and to fight alongside each other was everything that the two could ask for as they continued their ventures out at sea, their love for each other only growing deeper as they voyaged further into the great blue Pacific.