Fandom One-shots (REQUESTS OPEN)

A Pirate's Life For Me (Jae-Ha x Gender Neutral!Reader)

Requested by GloryMidNight

Original published September, 2019
Word Count: 2126

“Come on Jae-ha!” [Y/N] yelled across the ship at the unsuspecting green-haired male before full on sprinting off the side of the ship. 
 
Jae-ha heard their body making impact with the water below the ship and sprang over to the side of the ship in one fluid movement. “[Y/N]!” He yelled as he leaned over watching the water closely. He was just about to jump in after them when he saw a head of [H/C] hair surface. He left out a sigh of relief as he unconsciously grabbed the clothes above his heart. “You know, one of these days you are going to cause me to have a heart attack, or worse, gray hairs.” He said, now sitting on the edge watching them. His heart was still racing as he slowly came down.  
 
[Y/N] laughed as they bobbed up and down in the water. The sound was light and playful. “Jae-ha, if I wasn’t like this, you might get bored of me and cast me aside. I have to keep you on your toes.” They said swimming about a meter out. “Instead of being such a worry wart, why don’t you get in the water and relax?!” 
 
Jae-ha hid the pain from their comment about him getting bored of them with a smirk as he shook his head. “If I did, you might not be able to keep your hands to yourself. Besides, I am enjoying the view I have from here.” He said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he grabbed a rope. “Now let’s get you back on the ship and warmed up.” 
 
[Y/N] rolled their eyes but smiled at him none-the-less. “Sorry Pervert. I am going to swim to port and look around. We could use some more supplies. I will be back before sundown so try not to panic.”  
 
Jae-ha looked a bit apprehensive but didn’t say anything as he watched his lovers delicate frame disappear into the dark water. He didn’t like the thought of letting them go off alone, especially not with all the abductions that had been happening lately. “I will just wait a few minutes and then pop in to check on them. There is no harm in that.” He said as he sat continuing to stare at the port.  
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Jae-ha felt a sense of dread fill him and his heart stop when he saw the flames and smoke coming from Awa. “[Y/N]!” He cried, not ever telling the captain before using his right legs power to rocket himself to the small town. He didn’t have any time to waste if he was going to make sure that [Y/N] was okay. As soon as he was in the air, he could see the smoke and flames pouring from a small tavern, keeping everyone at a distance. He landed nearby and sprinted towards the blaze, “[Y/N]!? [Y/N], where are you?!?” He yelled over the crowd; he was utterly terrified as he looked between all the faces in the crowd. Everyone was afraid and panicked, some had cuts and bruise, minor burns, and all of them were covered from head to toe in ash. It looked like a war zone and Jae-ha had to remind himself that with everything that had already been happening these poor people couldn’t catch a break. Someone had probably set this fire because they follow the lord of the port and knew they could get away with it.  
 
“Someone please! Help me!” A terrified woman screamed as she fought against the two men trying to keep her from running inside the blaze. “Let me go! If you won’t help, I will do it myself!” 
 
Jae-ha felt a sense of relief wash over him. He hadn’t seen [Y/N] among the crowd so they probably hadn’t come here specifically. With them being safe somewhere other than here, he turned his attention to the distraught woman as he approached her. “What’s wrong my lady?” He asked gently. He couldn’t let her go running in there.  
 
“My baby! He is still in there! I thought he was right behind me.” She was in hysterics as tears rolled down her face. She had left her child in the blaze and didn’t know if he was alive at this point.  
 
Jae-ha frowned as he looked back at the burning building. Anyone running in there would be suicidal, but it was possible he could use his curse and get in and out before he got hurt. “Just try to stay calm, we will try to get him -” 
 
“Wait!!” Someone in the crowd screamed trying to stop someone. Jae-ha felt his heart drop knowing someone that would be insane enough to ignore their own life to try to save another.  
 
Jae-ha turned just in time to see a familiar [H/C] haired figure crash through the door and into the blaze. “[Y/N]!” He yelled as loud as he could before making a move to follow them. As he tried to push off the ground with his right leg, nearby men grabbed his arm attempting to keep him immobilized, and for the most part it worked. They weighed him down enough he would never be able to get in an out fast enough. He struggled against them as hard as he could. “Let go of me!” He roared, his leg itching to move. “I have to get to -” He heard coughing a child crying and stopped speaking. His eyes darted to the door where his lover tumbled out of the fire, cradling the child in their arms.  
 
“Get a doctor! And some water!” The men let go of Jae-ha as a stranger started calling out orders and when the child wiggled free of [Y/N]’s grasp and ran to his mother, Jae-ha ran to them.  
 
“What the hell were you thinking!” Jae-ha demanded as he fell to the ground next to [Y/N], grabbing them up in his arms. He hadn’t noticed that he was crying and shaking. They could have died going in there. At the pained cry that escaped their chapped lips, he let them go and looked over their body. They had gotten burned, not terribly but it was bad enough to cause pain and they would be down for a while recovering. “Damnit [Y/N], what were you thinking?? You could have gotten yourself killed!”  
 
“I would do it again.” They said, their voice raspy from breathing in the smoke. “I will not leave a child alone to die, not ever.” They were firm with their stance on this even if their words were broken.  
 
The sobbing woman came over, clutching her child in her arms as she calmed down. “Bless you. Bless you and whatever being compelled you!” She said staring into [Y/N]’s eyes, as though she was looking deep into their soul. “Go things will come to you after what you have done. You will be greatly rewarded.” It felt to Jae-ha that they knew something, and it made him a bit anxious.  
 
[Y/N] gave the best smile they could muster but shook their head. “I didn’t do this for any reward. I did it because it was the right thing to do and if no one else was going to do it, it had to be me.” There wasn’t time for much more to be said before Jae-ha had carefully picked them up in his arms and jumped back to the ship trying not to jostle them too much. He felt better with the thought of keeping them close and letting the captain care for their wounds.  
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“You idiot.” Captain Gi-Gan said standing outside of her private quarters staring at Jae-ha like he was a nescience. “Give ‘em some space, would ya? They have been through a lot and you mother henning them isn’t going to help. They need rest so that their body can heal.” 
 
Jae-ha frowned; he knew the captain was right of course, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He blamed himself. If he hadn’t let them go alone or if he had just been more vigilant, they would have never been put in the position to get hurt. “Captain please, I won’t go in there and bother them but... let me sit out here. I just want to be close if they need me.” The way he looked at the captain caught her off guard and she stood there silently.  
 
The door behind them opened and [Y/N] was leaning against the frame in just their under garments. “It’s alright Captain. I did this to myself when I scared him. If it means that he hangs around me while I heal it is a small price to pay.”  
 
Jae-ha frowned, and carefully covered them with his robe. “You should be resting love.” He urged, earning an eye roll from both the Captain and [Y/N]. He was doing the only thing he really could to help her but even he knew he wasn’t being very helpful.  
 
“Jae-ha, please don’t coddle me. I have no interest in behaving like I am a frail child and lying in bed until I heal is going to do just that. I know that I am just a human, I don’t have a special ability bestowed upon me by the ancient dragon gods, but I am still rather resilient.” They said as they got properly dressed in Jae-ha's robe. “I will have to replace my cloths in the morning after I get some rest.” They said rather calmly. They would have happily snuck out while Jae-ha was sleeping but they couldn’t swim with the burns, that would just put salt in an open wound.  
 
Jae-ha frowned knowing damn well that would mean another trip to the port, something he was not a fan of anymore, but he appreciated that they had announced it and weren’t trying to hide their plan from him. “Fine...” He said begrudgingly as he straightened up. “But I am coming with you and you aren’t allowed out of my sight.” 
 
[Y/N] sighed but nodded in agreement, they didn’t have the energy to fight about this. If it made him feel better and got him to shut up, they were all for it. They had known him for years and knew there was no humanly way it would be possible to get him to back off. He was that bull headed when his mind was made up. “Alright Jae-ha. If it makes you feel better than you can play tag-a-long, even if I don’t understand it.” They said as they slowly made their wat down the hall to a special room set up away from all the men. They kept their hand on the wall to keep balanced but let their hand fall away when Jae-ha wrapped his arm around their waist keeping them on their feet. “Thank you, Jae-ha.” They whispered softly.  
 
Jae-ha was far from an idiot, he could tell they were pushing their body past it’s limit all for the sake of trying to look strong. “You know, it is okay to ask for help when you need it. I am here for you.” He said softly. “You don’t have to do things alone.” 
 
“I could say the same thing to you.” They said softly as they watched the ground passing under their feet. “Jae-ha, you always help me, you are always looking after me and it make me feel useless. I want to prove that I don’t always need help and that I can manage alright on my own.” They said softly as they looked up at him. “I know you don’t mean to make me feel this way, I know it is just a result of the fact that I can be while and act on impulse sometimes but, you make me feel like you are looking after a child not helping  the person you are in love with.” 
 
Jae-ha was shocked and caught completely off guard. [Y/N] had always been so bold and adventurous. They did things that were dangerous for the thrill of it, like the time he caught them jumping from the cliff after gathering several samples of the Cheonsu plant for the Captain just so they could get to the ship faster. He wanted to keep them safe, even if they were their own cause for injury. He hadn’t realized that he had been treating them like a child to keep them safe. “I am sorry. I will try to give you a bit more space.” He said honestly. 
 
[Y/N] nodded accepting that answer. “In return, I will think more before I act. That should be a fair enough trade.” They smiled at him when they reached the room. “You can come inside, it will probably make you feel better to be closer to me while I recover.”