Captain's Will

8. Crashing Thunder

Smut warning starting at the middle of the chapter

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The thunderstorm caught up with the Grief in the late hours of the night, the day after they had departed from the town. Hongjoong got woken by thunder rolling above the ship and lightning flashed in the next moment, bathing his cabin in an eerie glow.

The agitated waves sloshed high toward the window behind his bed as if battling with the Grief whose height resisted longer. As Hongjoong scrambled to put on his boots, the ship swayed under his ship as it tried to throw him off. He hummed at her soothingly before he forewent his coat to burst outside.

Rain slapped his face like a solid wall. It took his breath away for a moment as he reoriented himself on the slippery deck.

Yeosang was up already and wrestled with the wheel until Hongjoong took it over. Mingi and Wooyoung - who hadn't got an easy reintroduction into pirate life - yanked on the ropes to draw the sails tight so they wouldn't rip in the storm.

Most cargo was secure from their prior preparations, so only a few barrels of gunpowder hastily got hauled downstairs before water could seep through the wood.

In his element, Hongjoong steered the Grief to ride the angry waves. On days like these, the raging sea pushed and shoved at their vessel, trying to burst the creaking wood with aggressive punches. As Hongjoong flanked the wind, the waves plunged harmlessly along their slender keel.

Hongjoong was drenched within seconds and his shirt clung to his body as he stared into the night. No one had managed to light more than the single lamp in the middle of the ship and no moon dared to expose its face to the angry elements.

The captain pushed his hair out of his face as he steered them through the storm. He knew Yeosang was uneasy, being trapped in such limited space while the vast ocean tried to swallow them. He also knew that the swaying and shoving reminded the crew of the horrors the kraken had induced. With pale faces and clammy fingers, they battled their way through the storm.

By the time the rain eased and the thunder disappeared in the distance, the sun dawned on the horizon. Exhausted, Hongjoong uncramped his fingers from the wheel. Wooyoung pressed a bottle of rum into his hands and the captain took a hearty sip.

"I think it's safe to sleep now, Captain," the navigator sighed in relief. Shadows painted his haunted eyes.

Hongjoong nodded.

"Jolly work, me hearties," he called over the deck. San leaned against a cannon with his wooden leg detached from his body. The slippery deck and his disability hadn't gone well with each other. The last thing Hongjoong saw before he hustled into his cabin was how Wooyoung hesitantly knelt next to the helmsman and offered him his shoulder to lean on while he took him downstairs.

Accomplished with everyone's survival, Hongjoong retreated into this cabin to take a caulk. However, he had barely peeled his soaked boots off by the time his door flew open.

Without a care in the world, Mingi strode in and locked the door behind him. His fiery eyes didn't match the general fatigue.

Hongjoong groaned while he wrung out his boots that sloshed with water. His wrinkly feet seemed more fish than human.

"Can ye do this later? Play with Yunho until I show a leg."

Petulant, Hongjoong sat on the ground. He uncorked his bottle and drowned his frustration with alcohol.

Mingi hoisted him up from the floor by his shirt. Hongjoong finished the bottle just in time, so it didn't spill precious liquor when it dropped onto the ground and rolled off.