Chapter Text
The weekends at Hala bay were the best part of the week. The markets would always be lively, people would meet up with others... The weather happened to be wonderful most of the time, and for people like Seonghwa, it was the prime time for him to get his stock for the week. He was what everyone called a ‘street rat’, a swift thief that would steal from clueless individuals. He’s only been caught, maybe, twice in his whole ten years he has done this. He always managed to get away.
The sun was starting to set as he stared down at the market from the roof he had seated himself on. There was a mix in the crowd. People who lived there normally and people who didn’t. He recognized a few faces, some of them were also beggars or as some people would call them, street rats like himself. Some of them were rich nobles just trying to get a feel of how the more needy lived.
Then there were the rare few pirates who docked Hala every now and then. They rarely showed their faces there, avoiding the risk of being caught by the royal guards of the kingdom, but when they did, people would immediately stand out of their way.
He noticed a pirate ship that docked that morning and it caused him to grow curious. He recognized it only from legends. The very ship that held the Kim Hongjoong. Infamous pirate captain for a reason. He’s escaped the palace guards from Hala various times. Something intrigued Seonghwa about him, it was the challenge that brewed deep within him. If a pirate captain could escape the palace guards could a lonely street rat manage to steal from him? He always wondered how far he could go.
He stood up then and got a good stretch in before he looked around as he moved to hop down the buildings. He needed to get started, the crowd was busiest around this time. The more people the more he was able to snag things. He stopped at the side of the building, where an empty abandoned spot sat. It was his home, only having the blankets and worn down pillows as well as some of the other of his personal items. His most cherished item was a locket which his mother had left him when she died. He slid it around his neck then, and he squeezed it gently. He felt his mom even when she wasn’t there, he missed her deeply every day.
He grabbed his empty crossbody bag he placed over his head. He smoothed out his worn clothes before he made his way out to the town with the hood of his jacket up to hide his face. His main goal was to find the pirate captain, but of course, he would make sure to grab a good haul along the way. He couldn’t make it that obvious that that was the only goal he had.
The town square was loud with vendors and patrons all talking. Vendors shouting out their deals and prices were mixed with the chaos of the crowd. Seonghwa kept his eyes focused and forward as he scanned his area. The best place to steal was the busier vendor, he had one he commonly stole from, a fruit stand run by an older man, who always looked as if he was glowering at everyone. He was as mean as he looked, so when he would snatch fruits off his stand, he would make sure he was quick. He was one that caught him, just once though.
He saw him bickering and arguing with a customer, the man was tall and looked as if he was clueless. Wide puppy-like eyes stared back at him as he tried to discuss the price of the fruit he held in his hand. His movements were quick as he grabbed a couple of bright red apples and an orange. He was out of there before he could even be caught or acknowledged.
People who came to these foolishly, had their pouches of coins and valuables in their back pocket, and Seonghwa was an expert at snatching them from the pockets in the back. The ones in the front were an issue but he still managed. However, when the pouch was so carelessly tied to a belt where he could easily snatch it, he was baffled to see who had made that mistake.
The coat, the outfit, the stance and walk from the other told Seonghwa that it was none other than Kim Hongjoong himself. He’s never seen the man but he’s heard enough about him to know. The patch on his coat told him exactly all he needed. So with a careful prowl his way, Seonghwa locked on his target.
He was looking through furs the first time he got close. He watched as the other’s hand ran through the materials. When he was focused on one he stepped closer in a silent move, as he was about to snatch it right there Hongjoong moved quickly to the next booth. Seonghwa quickly recovered and moved to not lose him.
The second time, the pirate was standing in the middle of the road, looking both ways trying to see where to go next. He stayed there long enough that Seonghwa swore he was just trying to bait him. He couldn’t tell if the other knew he was following him though. He seemed oblivious so he hoped maybe he was doing a good job.
The third time, he knew he had to be on top of it, the more he followed this guy the more the risk of him getting caught raised. He noticed he returned to the fruit stand he was just at. He groaned knowing he would risk the vendor he hated the most seeing him. He kept his distance for a minute calculating how he could do this. As the captain seemed distracted enough by the mango in his hand, he moved to attack. That was it, the pouch was in his line of sight, and the second he was just about to touch it, he never got the chance.
A swift hand grabbed his wrist and he was pushed against the nearest wall. The crowd gasping around them, some dispersing not wanting to see what was happening and some standing to the side. His hood had fallen back exposing his face. He came face to face with the pirate captain, Kim Hongjoong himself. A devious grin came on his face as he stared up at the other, a firm grip still on his wrist. “Well, well, well… the petty thief didn’t give up after the first two tries, huh?”
Seonghwa stared at him in shock, but he tried to stay strong. Especially when the fruit vendor recognized him and called for the guards. Of course he had to recognize him then, out of all the times. He didn’t have time to stick around for a chat. As he saw the guards running over, he was quick to knee the pirate captain in the crotch, it was so quick the pirate captain didn’t expect it and let go. He then ran to avoid the screaming guards.
He glanced back to see the pirate captain looking at him in a way that made his stomach twist. He didn’t want to think much about the feeling as his goal right now was to get away from the guards. They were on his tail as he tried to get through the crowd and at least get through the busiest part. As soon as the crowd began to disperse and he had an opening, he knew he could easily slip away without bumping into people.
He knew the town of Hala like the back of his hand, every turn, every alley, and every escape route. He would just need to wear the guards out long enough and hide in an alley. He was always good at escaping, and he was surprised they haven’t managed to catch him yet.
Eventually, he could tell the guards were getting tired and as he ran he looked around for the perfect alley to do his final move. He spotted one he recognized was a shorter one with a hidden nook in it, if he was fast enough, he could hide with no problem and they would just run past him. So, with that plan in mind, he moved quickly, losing them enough to turn a couple times and as soon as he got to his final spot, he hid exactly where he planned to. He did what he could to keep quiet, his lungs struggling to catch his breath, his heart pounding out of his chest. The second he heard the guards running past for a moment it was quiet.
He had lost them again.
He smirked as he pulled the apple he snatched earlier out of his bag and carefully walked to the opening of the alley. He looked to the direction where they ran and chuckled. “Fooled again…” He said as he went to take a bite of his apple but before he could, he felt strong hands grab him and he was suddenly pushed against the nearest wall. He was about to fight off any guard who may have gotten him, but he immediately recognized the hands from earlier and when his eyes met with the pirate captain’s from before he blinked in surprise.
“I would say the one who is fooled is you… thief.” He said, smirking a little. Seonghwa tried to get out of his grasp but he was pushed back against the wall again, harder this time. A sharp blade at his throat caused Seonghwa to remain still. “Not only did you think you could steal from a pirate captain, but also escape from one? That’s pretty foolish to me…darling.”
Seonghwa cringed at the nickname. “I’d rather you call me a thief.” He grumbled.
“Darling fits you better.” He said, it was then that the pirate’s eyes caught onto something on Seonghwa. His eyes moved to where his mother’s locket was and when his knife moved in that area he panicked. He moved to push him away but Hongjoong pressed him hard against the brick. “Stop moving.”
“Please, that's the only thing I have left of my mother…” He begged.
Hongjoong furrowed his eyebrows before he moved to see the locket around his neck. “Don’t worry I won’t steal like you.” He said before moving his knife to push aside the collar of his shirt. “My eyes are on a bigger prize…”
His eyes looked at the birthmark on Seonghwa’s collarbone. That was when Seonghwa grew confused, why was that so important. “My birthmark? What, are you going to cut it out of my skin?”
Hongjoong looked at him with a dull look. “I may be a pirate, but I’m not cruel.” He then took his one hand and showed something that took Seonghwa by surprise. A birth mark on the opposite collar bone. It wasn’t the same as his own but it almost resembled it. Almost like it was supposed to match his. His hand moved from his shirt and it fell back and covered his mark. “It matches mine, and I’ve been looking for that mark for the past year…”
“Not sure what that’s supposed to do with me.” He said.
“You’ll find out soon enough, darling.” He taunted him again, before Seonghwa could look at a way to escape or push the shorter man away, someone approached them. Seonghwa looked immediately over and he recognized the boy from the market. The tall puppy dog boy who was discussing prices with the fruit vendor. “Took ya long enough Yunho-ya…”
“Sorry, I had to make sure the royal guards wouldn’t find us.” He said before he looked at Seonghwa for a moment. He may have looked all puppy dog eyes earlier but when he looked at him now it was nothing but a more sharp and intense glance.
“Good… let’s get going, I found my treasure today.” Hongjoong said, looking towards Seonghwa. “Take him to the ship. Leave him in my quarters… I’ll catch up with the rest of the crew.”
Before he could even argue and try to fight back he was immediately picked up and thrown over Yunho’s shoulder. He knew he was tall but the way he immediately threw him over his shoulder like he weighed nothing, showed him he was also muscular, that didn’t stop him from fighting back. He kicked and threw punches at the other’s back as he walked effortlessly away. “Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!” He yelled at him.
However, it did nothing, Yunho ignored him the whole way. Even with all the flailing around, they eventually made it to the ship. Seonghwa’s heart sank, his home, he would never see it again. Not that it was a luxurious life, but he lived there. He watched the city he grew up in until they went into a separate room in the boat. Yunho had let him down then.
Seonghwa stared up at him with a glare full of hatred. “I lived there, it was my home and you just took me away from it.” He cried out. He moved to run past him but Yunho stopped him and he threw him to the ground. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt him, just to stop him.
“You really wanted to enjoy being a street rat for the rest of your life?” Yunho asked, crossing his arms.
Seonghwa scowled at him. “Better than being kidnapped by pirates.”
”I think Hongjoong definitely started on the wrong foot with you, I promise we aren’t as cruel as legends state.” He said. Seonghwa tried to run past him again and Yunho was quick to stop him once again. “You should really just stay put.” He tried to reason.
Seonghwa didn’t, there were many other attempts after that. Yunho continued to block him each and every one of them. He had ended up on his butt again and panting as he tried the seventh time it seemed. The glare still prominent on his face. “I told you to stop.” Yunho said, shrugging simply. He sounded more tired than upset. “You’re wasting your energy.”
“I’ll keep going… you can’t stop me. You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve been through.” He argued with the other. He’s been in trickier situations, this was a new one though for sure. Never did he think he’d be stuck in a pirate ship. Growing up, Hala was all he knew.
“I know what I see. I see a boy who has been running his whole life and living off stolen goods from the market. I see a boy who is tired, and hasn’t had a break in years. It’s not a new sight to me.” He said to the other. Seonghwa wondered what he meant by that. He was a pirate. What would he know? Minus the truth he just spit at him making it hurt just a little. It kind of pissed him off being read as easily like that.
That urged him to hop up again and before he could even try anything, the door opened. Both their attention went to Hongjoong as he walked in then. The pirate captain eyed them for a moment before he smirked. “Giving you trouble, is he?” He asked Yunho.
“He’s just got plenty of energy.” Yunho huffed.
Hongjoong hummed before he removed his jacket. “Leave us.” He instructed. He watched in horror as the other left him alone with the pirate captain. Hongjoong had placed his jacket down on the bed before he turned to the other. “You’re going to waste your energy trying to run away.”
“You’re going to waste your energy by trying to stop me.” He countered.
Hongjoong let out a huff as he approached the other. “Don’t you understand the importance behind that mark.” He said as he reached out and jabbed his collarbone. Seonghwa swatted him away and kept his guard up, he never had any importance behind it. It was just a birthmark. A birthmark his mom told him not to worry about. A birthmark he would look at his whole life and think nothing of it.
“It’s just a birthmark.” He replied stubbornly.
“Even if it matches mine?” He asked. He pulled his shirt down to expose his again, this time though, his eyes widened noticing how they glowed in unison. Before, when he saw the matching mark, they looked normal, not what it looked like now. He shook his head and stepped away.
“No. I’m just a street rat. I’m not meant for something special like this…” He said stepping away from the other.
The pirate captain tilted his head at the other. Curiosity laced through his eyes, as he observed him. “You are part of something more than what you think. You are the key to finding something lost for decades. Yet, you are stuck wanting to live as a street rat and stealing from the vendors and running from the Hala guards? I can’t understand that stubborn head of yours.”
“You're kidnapping me! I was comfortable, I was at home, and you are changing everything because of some weird marks that for some reason glow.” He said, still unsure by that.
The pirate captain looked very worn out and tired at that point, Seonghwa was stubborn and it was obvious. So he moved to his desk and plopped down on his chair. He propped his feet up and as he did, the movement of the ship told them both they were leaving the port. Seonghwa’s panicked eyes met Hongjoong’s nonchalant ones then. “Well, all I can tell you is that you will understand eventually. You could run but you’d either drown before you reach a port and become fish food or get caught by royal guards. I know already that is why they were chasing you earlier, was it not?”
Seonghwa merely stared at Hongjoong, a look of agitation and defiance clear on his face. Hongjoong only smirked at him. “I will take that as a yes… Yunho-ah!” He shouted. Seonghwa turned his head to the door opening right after he shouted, he must have been lingering by the door waiting for something to happen. Hongjoong removed his boots off the desk and leaned in. “Why don’t you show our hostile little friend here around his new home. Introduce him to the rest of the crew, show him how homey we are.”
Yunho nodded and Seonghwa fully expected him to throw him over his shoulder. He anticipated it but when nothing happened he looked at Yunho who was waiting expectantly. “Follow me.”
“I will see you around, thief.” Hongjoong chimed as he followed him out. The door closed to the captain’s quarters as they walked out to the main deck of the ship. Right then, Seonghwa looked to the side and sure enough, the town of Hala had begun to grow smaller and smaller as the ship was leaving. His heart sank and he knew one thing at that moment, his life was truly changing and he would no longer be the street rat who survived off stealing at the Saturday markets.