Hongjoong was checking over everything in storage, double checking that there would be enough food to last until they made it back to Port Arland. Some of it had been messed up during the storm and they were already a day or two behind schedule but he was pretty sure they could make it last until they get to the port. He was interrupted from his thoughts when the door suddenly swung open and slammed closed. He jumped in shock and spun around, seeing Seonghwa leant back against the door panting. Hongjoong rose an eyebrow in confusion and went to ask if he was ok when Seonghwa suddenly moved forwards and starting pacing up and down. Hongjoong snapped his mouth closed in confusion, watching as Seonghwa continued pacing up and down.
"Um, are you ok? Is the tattoo hurting or something," he spoke up finally. It's only been like an hour since he tattooed him. Seonghwa continued pacing but shook his head quickly.
"Ok, so what's wrong," Hongjoong asked slowly.
"I thought you guys hated me. I thought you hated me," Seonghwa said. Hongjoong blinked in shock and shook his head. This is what he was getting worked up over?
"Seonghwa, I've already told you I don't hate you," Hongjoong said quickly.
"Yeah, no, I know that. I just, it hasn't been long since I stopped thinking that. Everyone seemed so surprised to see my tattoo and I thought maybe nobody wanted me to have it, that they didn't want on the crew so I hid up at the crow's nest to cry," Seonghwa rushed out. Hongjoong instantly felt like a jerk and he held back a groan. Of course Seonghwa would go show everyone straight away and he would have no idea why they seemed so confused.
"Oh Seongie, I'm so sorry," Hongjoong whispered, walking over and wrapping his arms around him tightly. Seonghwa stopped in place and practically melted into Hongjoong's arms and hugging him tightly.
"Why," Seonghwa whispered, testing his luck and tucking his head into Hongjoong's neck. Hongjoong frowned in confusion and moved his hand to brush over the hair on the back of Seonghwa's head.
"Why what," he asked in confusion.
"San told me what it means. To have the same tattoo in the same place," Seonghwa said quietly. Hongjoong tensed at his words and he was filled with dread. Part of him had hoped Seonghwa wouldn't show anyone, or no one would tell him anything. He doesn't know why but since he stopped being wary of Seonghwa, he's felt like they have a deep connection, like they had known each other before. Which, he guesses is true because they knew each other when they were kids.
"I'm sorry," Hongjoong whispered, not pulling away as he didn't want to see the anger in the others eyes. He should've asked first, told him the meaning so he knew, but he didn't.
"You regret giving it to me," Seonghwa asked sadly. He was caught off-guard, sure, but it felt nice that someone cared about him enough to do something like that with him. He would feel horrible if Hongjoong regretted giving it to him. All it would be is a reminder that he was a mistake. Hongjoong thought about it quietly for a few seconds, already knowing the answer but wondering how he should reply. He didn't want to make Seonghwa more uncomfortable, but he couldn't lie.
"I do not," he replied quietly. Seonghwa let out a breath of relief and clung to him tighter.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"Thank you," Hongjoong questioned in confusion.
"For caring enough to do that for me, with me. I don't really get how you could know you want that when it's been like 2 weeks since you actually started to like me," Seonghwa said with a sigh, his fingers fiddling with the back of Hongjoong's shirt.
"I feel like I always didn't mind you, I always felt a kind of pull to you, I just put up a front and stayed back to make sure it was safe for the boys," Hongjoong admitted.
"I was scared of you at first, but you really are just a sweet marshmallow," Seonghwa said with a soft giggle. Hongjoong frowned at that but let it go.
"I um, I agree. With the meaning as well, I wanna have it," Seonghwa said.
"You wanna protect me," Hongjoong asked softly. Seonghwa whined in embarrassment, tucking his face further into Hongjoong's shoulder before nodding his head.
"That's sweet, but I'm pretty sure I can protect myself better than you can," Hongjoong said with a light chuckle. Seonghwa frowned but huddled closer and clutched Hongjoong tighter.
"I appreciate it though Seonghwa. I apologise for not consulting you first before doing this, I should've done that," Hongjoong said.
"It's ok," Seonghwa whispered quietly. Hongjoong nodded and they remained hugging each other tightly, their heads pressed against each other's. Hongjoong turned his head slightly his cheek brushing against Seonghwa's and Seonghwa's breath caught in his throat slightly. They both remained quiet, just breathing together, their faces pressed against each other. Seonghwa's heart was pounding and he slowly turned his head a little more, his nose lightly pressing against the others and their breaths intermingling. Hongjoong's breathing hitched but he moved his hand up to gently cup Seonghwa's neck. Seonghwa's hands moved lower and they rested against Hongjoong's hips as they continued to stand there, centimetres apart from each other. Hongjoong's eyes flicked up and they met the soft, sparkling ones in front of him. He doesn't know what possessed him, but something did because before he could stop himself, he was moving forwards and pressing his lips against the olders. Seonghwa froze for a second before leaning into the kiss. It lasted all of 3 seconds before they both pulled back quickly with wide eyes. Seonghwa's heart pounded and he panicked.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," he whimpered before bolting out of the room quickly. Hongjoong was too shocked from what just happened to react so he remained frozen in place where he was, his mind reeling over what just happened.
Seonghwa ran quickly, going up the steps to the top of the deck. He cursed himself and his breathing picked up as he begun to panic. Why would he do that? They've only been getting along for a week or two and he's already messed it up. Why would he go and kiss him like that? Hongjoong was giving him a hug an he just went and did that. God, he's awful. He is an awful person.
"Seonghwa, you ok?" Seonghwa spun around quickly to see Mingi walking over. Mingi was concerned as he saw the rapid rise and fall of Seonghwa's chest and the panicked look on his face.
"What's wrong," he asked quickly, walking over and reaching out for him. Seonghwa flinched back, still jittery from what happened earlier as his eyes watered and Mingi's eyes widened. Seonghwa hadn't flinched since the first week after he had become more comfortable. Seonghwa felt safe around them, they didn't ever hurt them. Unless they did? Unless one of them did. Seonghwa had rushed past everyone, going down to storage to talk to Hongjoong. Did Hongjoong do something. But he just gave him that tattoo, he just claimed to care. Did he do that to lull Seonghwa into a false sense of security. But it's Hongjoong, he isn't a bad person. Is he? Mingi frowned and his eyes narrowed.
"Did Hongjoong do something? Did he hurt you," Mingi asked quickly.
"Wh-What," Seonghwa asked in shock. Where the hell did that come from? Mingi gasped and his stomach dropped. Seonghwa's words were practically a confirmation. Why would Hongjoong do that?
"I'm gonna kill him," Mingi growled as he spun around. Seonghwa yelped and lunged forwards, grabbing Mingi's arm quickly to stop him. He doesn't know where Mingi got the idea that Hongjoong hurt him when he knows him so well. Hongjoong isn't the one in the wrong, he is.
"Mingi wait," he said quickly.
"No. If he hurt you, then I'm going to deal with it. I don't care if he's the Captain," Mingi said angrily. Seonghwa's heart was racing and the tears started to fall before he could stop them. Mingi thinks Hongjoong hurt him when he's the one that may have hurt the other, disgusted him.
"He didn't hurt me," Seonghwa said quickly.
"Bullshit. You flinched and you're crying. I'll deal wi-."
"I kissed him," Seonghwa sobbed out, making Mingi stop struggling and his eyes go wide once again. Ok, that is not what he was expecting. Yet again he's been blindsided by the two of them. He can't dwell on it now though because Seonghwa was openly sobbing. Mingi moved forwards quickly and wrapped his arms around Seonghwa, hugging him tightly.
"It's ok Hwa, you're ok," he said softly, rubbing his back gently. Seonghwa continued to sob, embracing Mingi tightly, and tucking his face into his chest. Mingi heard a noise and he looked up.
Hongjoong had rushed up to the deck once he recovered from his shock but he froze on the stairwell when he saw Seonghwa sobbing in Mingi's embrace. His heart broke and he felt like the biggest jerk in the sea. He literally just promised Seonghwa he would protect him and keep him safe and yet not even hours later he's made him cry. He shouldn't have kissed him without asking. He doesn't even know why he did in the first place, but that's no excuse. Seonghwa clearly didn't like it and that makes him the biggest arsehole there is. Consent is always needed and he didn't get it beforehand, he just took a cue that may not have been what he thought it was. His eyes met Mingi's and he saw slight anger in them before it disappeared and he just looked sympathetic. Mingi slowly shook his head to signal that Hongjoong should go and his heart broke even more. He spun around quickly and went to the other end of the ship as his eyes welled up with tears, wanting to give them some space so Seonghwa could calm down. He swiped the tears from his eyes before they could fall, he doesn't deserve to cry right now. He walked up to the helm, seeing San just standing there and watching the water peacefully. He took a deep breath before walking up behind San and wrapping his arms around him. San didn't even flinch, already knowing the other was walking up behind him. He glanced to the side in worry however, when Hongjoong's head rested on his shoulder without speaking.
"You ok," he asked the older quietly.
"I did something stupid," Hongjoong whispered.
"What did you do," San asked with a sigh.
"I don't want to talk about it right now, not until I fix it or give it some time," Hongjoong said quietly.
"Ok. We'll just wait here then, watch the water," San said quietly. Hongjoong let out a breath and nodded, knowing he made the right decision in coming to San.
Once Hongjoong was finally gone, Mingi gently guided Seonghwa down below deck and pulled him into his room. He dragged the older over to his bed and laid them both down, pulling Seonghwa into his arms and allowing him to cry. Seonghwa clung to him tightly, his head buried in his chest as he continued to cry, his shoulders shaking on every sob.
"You're ok," Mingi said softly, tugging him closer so he was half laying on top of him. Seonghwa just continued to hold on to him but gave a small nod. It took about 5 minutes for Seonghwa to finally calm down and be just laying in Mingi's arms.
"Do you wanna talk about it," Mingi asked quietly.
"I messed up," Seonghwa whimpered.
"Because you kissed Hongjoong," Mingi questioned softly. Seonghwa sniffled but nodded.
"There's nothing wrong with doing that Seonghwa. I'm pretty sure every single one of us on this ship has kissed another at some point, except Jongho," Mingi said. Seonghwa lifted his head in surprise.
"Really," he asked.
"Yeah. Come on, we're a bunch of guys stuck on a ship together for months on end. Some people have kissed to just test things out, even if nothing has come for it. And if nothing comes from it, then that's not an issue because nothing has ever come from it before and we're all still really good friends. I'm pretty sure San, Wooyoung and Yeosang have all kissed each other before but they're still really good friends," Mingi said quickly.
"So, you think Hongjoong will just let it go, he won't stay mad at me," Seonghwa asked nervously.
"I definitely don't think he'll be mad Seonghwa, he isn't that kind of person. But if you say you don't want anything to come from it, he will respect that," Mingi assured him.
"Are you sure," Seonghwa asked.
"Yeah, positive. Despite my earlier conclusion drawn, Hongjoong's a good person. He gave you that tattoo for a reason and given that you know, he didn't hurt you, he really means it. Go talk to him and figure it out, it's best not to let these things stew, otherwise there will be misunderstandings," Mingi said softly, running his fingers through his hair.
"Ok, do you know where he is," Seonghwa asked quietly.
"I'm pretty sure he's with San at the helm," Mingi said. Seonghwa took a deep breath before nodding and slowly slipping off the bed. No matter how daunting it is, he needs to apologise and tell Hongjoong to forget what happened. He crossed a line and he doesn't want that to impact his stay on the ship. He can't let it.
"You'll be fine," Mingi encouraged him gently. Seonghwa left the room and went back above deck, walking over towards the helm. He paused when he saw Hongjoong cuddled up to San's back as the two of them looked out across the water. Part of him didn't want to interrupt them, wanted to hide for a little longer but he knew he needed to talk to Hongjoong.
"Um, sorry if I'm interrupting," he said quietly, making the other two immediately turn to face him. San's eyes flicked between Hongjoong and Seonghwa before he put the pieces together. Seonghwa probably has something to do with why Hongjoong seemed so upset.
"Y-You aren't," Hongjoong said quickly, his heart racing. It was obvious that Seonghwa had been crying, given the tear tracks on his cheeks. Hongjoong didn't expect him to come near him, let alone want to talk to him about anything so soon but he was thankful he came.
"Can we talk please," Seonghwa asked, nibbling on his bottom lip.
"Of course. Do you wanna go somewhere private, or..." Hongjoong trailed off, unsure what the other was comfortable with. Seonghwa held out his hand nervously and Hongjoong stepped forwards quickly, slipping his hand into the others and pulling him away from the helm gently and over to his quarters where they could talk. Seonghwa let go of Hongjoong's hand and moved over, sitting down on the bed. Hongjoong glanced at the other and ultimately decided to sit on the chair beside his desk, so as to not make him uncomfortable. Seonghwa's eyes flicked over the other, taking note of how Hongjoong refused to sit beside him, most likely feeling uncomfortable after what happened and his face fell slightly.
"Can we forget about earlier please. Just forget it ever happened," Seonghwa rushed out. He doesn't want to ruin their friendship already.
"Y-Yeah, of course, of course," Hongjoong replied quickly. It was clear that Seonghwa wanted to forget about what happened and who is Hongjoong to deny him when he's the one that crossed that boundary. Seonghwa let out a breath of relief and Hongjoong smiled softly at him.
"We're ok though right," he asked gently. Seonghwa glanced up and smiled before nodding. Hongjoong was relieved and breathed out in relief, thankful that he hadn't completely messed everything up.
~~~~~
"Duck!" Seonghwa ducked quickly as the wooden pole swiped over the top of his head.
"You realise you aren't supposed to be telling me what to do right," Seonghwa said, deflecting the next swing that Hongjoong made.
"And I don't want to give you a concussion because you're too slow, so I'm telling you my moves," Hongjoong replied jabbing towards Seonghwa's stomach but the other was able to dodge. It had taken less than a day for the two of them to put the past behind them and get comfortable with each other again and as promised, Hongjoong was helping Seonghwa with his sword fighting. The older had taken a few hours to get back into the hang of it, but now, on the third day of them practicing, he was almost able to match the captain. Hongjoong was surprised at Seonghwa's skill, not at all expecting him to be that good but he was happy to know that Seonghwa would be able to protect himself when they get attacked.
"What makes you think I would lose that easily," Seonghwa asked, blocking another swipe. Hongjoong raised an eyebrow and his face broke out into one of his famous smirks. He swung his stick around, taking out Seonghwa's legs and sending him sprawling to the deck on his back. Seonghwa may be good, but no one is better than Hongjoong. Seonghwa groaned as he hit the deck and Hongjoong giggled, his smirk in place. Seonghwa flushed red in embarrassment and decided to play a joke on Hongjoong instead. He let out another groan and slowly rolled over, moving his hand back to rest on his spine, curling up slightly and letting out a whimper. Hongjoong's smirk immediately slipped from his face and was replaced with a frown, worry shooting through him as he saw Seonghwa curling up in pain. Oh god, he didn't think that would be painful, did he just hurt Seonghwa.
"Seongie. Oh god, I'm so sorry," he said, running over and dropping to his knees beside the older, gently placing his hand on the small of Seonghwa's back, rubbing it to try and alleviate the pain. Seonghwa's shoulders started shaking, quiet noises slipping through his lips that were muffled with his other hand.
"No, please don't cry. Shit, what did I do," Hongjoong whimpered, moving closer and leaning over the hurt boy. As he leaned over, he noticed something was odd in Seonghwa's posture.
"Seonghwa," he asked worriedly. Seonghwa finally broke and moved his hand, letting out his giggles as he rolled over and looked up at Hongjoong.
"Seriously Seonghwa!? You're faking," Hongjoong said with a groan, holding his hand against his heart as he tried to slow it down. Seonghwa just laughed harder, his hand reaching over to clutch at the one Hongjoong had on his back.
"You should've seen your face," Seonghwa laughed.
"That's not funny Seonghwa, I thought I hurt you," Hongjoong said with a sigh.
"Oh come on, I'm not that fragile," Seonghwa said as he sat up, drawing one knee up to rest his arm on. Hongjoong just remained silent, frowning at the other.
"Did I really scare you," Seonghwa asked worriedly.
"Yeah, you did. I don't like hurting my crew, I swore an oath not to. The reason I didn't want to train you is because I didn't want something like that to happen," Hongjoong said quietly. Seonghwa instantly felt a little guilty for scaring the other.
"I'm sorry Joong," he apologised.
"It's ok. It would've been funny if it wasn't something I always worry about," Hongjoong said, giving him a small smile.
"Can we continue," Seonghwa asked. Hongjoong hesitated, glancing at the discarded sticks.
"I promise I won't joke around like that again and I know you won't hurt me," Seonghwa said reassuringly. Hongjoong sighed but nodded standing up before pulling Seonghwa up with him.
"For the record, I still kicked your ass," Hongjoong said, kicking his stick up with his foot, catching it with ease. Seonghwa smirked and picked up his stick as well.
"No, you aren't doing it right," Hongjoong said shaking his head.
"Doing what right," Seonghwa asked in confusion.
"The smirk, do it again," Hongjoong said, walking closer. Seonghwa raised an eyebrow before slipping the smirk back onto his face.
"Good, now lower your head a little and give it a slight tilt to the right, it makes you look more patronizing," Hongjoong explained. Seonghwa did as he said and Hongjoong nodded.
"Perfect. Now narrow your eyes a little bit. Not too much because it will look weird but just a little bit will make you look intimidating. Seonghwa did as asked and Hongjoong grinned.
"Awesome. I just taught you my signature smirk, use it wisely. Also if you ever want to look a little crazy, you drag you tongue over you top lip. It really creeps people out," Hongjoong said. Seonghwa straightened out and smiled happily.
"Cool, now let me kick your ass," he said, twirling the stick slightly. Hongjoong grinned and got into position. They were quiet for a few seconds before Hongjoong lunged forwards. Seonghwa immediately blocked his swing before countering with his own but Hongjoong was quick. It was truly a sight, watching Hongjoong fight, even if he was going easy. He moved with such ease, practically gliding across the deck, a born fighter. Seonghwa lasted a few minutes before Hongjoong took him down. The minute his back hit the deck, Hongjoong was beside him and gently helping him up, rubbing his back worriedly. His concern was touching and Seonghwa felt even worse about his actions earlier and he pat Hongjoong's shoulder softly.
"I'm fine, it didn't hurt at all," he promised. Hongjoong let out a breath and nodded, rubbing his back one last time before stepping back.
"You need to protect your left side better. You defend well but the second you attack, you lunge with your right and leave your left side entirely exposed. You need to either get quicker, or turn your body a little more like this to protect yourself," Hongjoong said, demonstrating the action for the other.
"Ok, I got it," Seonghwa nodded.
"Good, let's go again," Hongjoong said, getting back into a fighting stance. Seonghwa prepared himself and then they begun fighting again. They were trading swing for swing and Seonghwa did his best to do what Hongjoong told him, this time managing to last longer. He smiled happily, letting out a small giggle as he managed to block every blow Hongjoong threw at him, trying his own attempts to attack. Hongjoong let a fond smile slip onto his face, watching proudly as Seonghwa was managing to hold his own a lot better than before. Sure, he wasn't going his hardest, but even going a little easier is better than most peoples hardest. After around 7 minutes of constant back and forth, Seonghwa seemed to be getting tired and Hongjoong finally added more strength to his blows, catching Seonghwa in the side. Seonghwa leaned over, bracing his hands on his knees and panted heavily.
"You good," Hongjoong asked, moving over and rubbing between his shoulder blades lightly to help him straighten a little to get more air.
"Yeah, just not as fit as I used to be. It was hard to exercise there," Seonghwa said with a shrug. Hongjoong frowned but nodded, rubbing his back a bit more.
"I think we're done for today, you're doing really well Seonghwa," Hongjoong said. Seonghwa smiled and nodded, standing up and moving into Hongjoong, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his head on his shoulder, letting out deep breaths. Hongjoong wrapped an arm around his waist and used his other one to pat his back for a few seconds before they pulled away.
"Thanks," Seonghwa said happily.
"Damn Hwa, I reckon you could probably kick my ass in sword fighting," Wooyoung said as he walked over, seeing as the other two had finished their training for the day.
"Yeah, but I've seen you training with those daggers. You're fast and smooth, I don't think I would stand a chance," Seonghwa said.
"Yeah, you wouldn't," Wooyoung said with a cheeky grin, making Hongjoong and Seonghwa chuckle.
"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence you little brat," Seonghwa said, ruffling the youngers hair roughly. Wooyoung whined and swatted his hand away, taking a step back.
"I didn't say you were bad, just I'm better," Wooyoung said before running off cackling.
"He's a special one," Seonghwa said. Hongjoong laughed and nodded his head.
"He is, but I wouldn't change him for anything. I wouldn't change any of you," Hongjoong said thoughtfully.
"You really are quite sentimental, you know that right," Seonghwa said softly. Hongjoong scoffed and rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. He isn't a soft person by any means, but he cares about his boys and he always will. He would do anything to protect them. He glanced to the boy standing beside him, glancing down at the tattoo on his wrist. He made a promise, not just to Seonghwa, but to all of them. He will protect them with all he has!
A/N
Here is Chapter 12 everyone. This story is quickly drawing to a close, only a few more chapters left!
So the main thing that happened this chapter is of course the kiss. What were your thoughts when it happened?
Also Seongjoong suck at communication. Both think they initiated the kiss and the other hated it so they're upset at what they did (yes, Hongjoong was the first to lean in but you know, they both kissed)
Mingi's very protective over Hwa, even when it comes to Hongjoong
Seonghwa playing the fake hurt joke on Hongjoong and completely backfiring when Hongjoong got worried. Protective Joong is fun
Anyway, what did you guys think of this chapter? I'd love to hear your thoughts!