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Yeosang eyed the newcomer with interest. The merman seemed to realize something was off with him, but was too oblivious or distracted to determine what it was. Apparently, this was Yeosang’s lucky day. He wasn’t too fond of the idea of having to explain to the crew that yes, he was a siren, but no, he wasn’t going to drown anyone. That was a complete myth, thank you very much, due to a few murderous sirens years ago. Stories, however, spread fast, especially those concerning non-humans. The entire species was now stereotyped as murderous fiends, and Yeosang would really rather not deal with all of that. Funnily enough, the stereotype of a siren was how he’d ended up as part of the ATEEZ crew.
~~~~~~~~~
“Mom!” Yeosang screamed, just as the dagger stabbed his mother.
She fell to the ground. “Run! Go!” The mob was momentarily distracted by their goal: the capture of the siren. Yeosang ran in the opposite direction, boots pounding against the ground as he pushed his body to the limits. He tripped over a loose rock and went sprawling. He scrambled to get up, only to crash into someone and fall to the ground again.
“Are you alright?” The boy asked, helping him up.
“Yes, I need to go!” Yeosang exclaimed.
“Who are you running from?” The boy, who looked about Yeosang’s age asked, his grip on Yeosang’s arm still too tight to break.
“They killed my mother and they’re going to kill me,” he snarled, trying desperately to free himself.
The boy’s curious expression changed immediately. “Our ship is leaving the port right now. Are you in?”
Yeosang observed the medallion around the boy’s neck. “You’re a pirate.”
“Is that a no?”
Yeosang saw the beginnings of the mob catching up. He’d have to take his chances with the pirates. “Take me with you. But what’s your name?”
They started walking towards the docks at a brisk pace, fast but not too much so as to draw unwanted attention. “Jongho. Yours?”
“Yeosang.”
~~~~~~~~
Yeosang hadn’t ever really believed in fate, but after meeting Jongho and boarding the pirate ship, he was reconsidering his position on the matter. Especially after meeting WooSan (did they even count as two separate entities at this point?) and witnessing Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s bumbling start to romance. Honestly, at this point, he might even almost believe in soulmates. Not for himself, but that was a whole other matter.
Yeosang’s gaze was drawn across the bar by Mingi’s nervous laugh, the one Yeosang liked to secretly call his panicked-gay laugh. To his surprise, the cause of it was a small, petite man with a sharp yet genuine grin. Wait- was he? Yeosang squinted at him for a moment as the pieces fell together. Oh . A fellow siren was chatting up his crewmate. At least judging from the sparkle in the other siren’s eye, he was being sincere in this attempted seduction. And, from the way Mingi stared at his ass as he sauntered off to get them more drinks, it was working.
Yeosang rolled his eyes, but ultimately decided to leave Mingi to his own devices. He’d be fine, hopefully, as long as he didn’t have a heart attack from a boy blatantly flirting with him. Yeosang turned his attention instead to Jongho, who was laughing with WooSan and, as always, entertaining the entire bar with his apple-breaking talent. He glanced up and locked eyes with Yeosang. Jongho brightened and waved him over, so Yeosang took his glass and began to make his way over. Before he even made it a few steps, he felt an unwelcome hand groping his ass. He grit his teeth and, lightning-fast, grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted it harshly. The man yelped, and Yeosang turned to face him. “Don’t touch me,” he said forcefully.
The man leered at him. “Maybe don’t wear such tight pants then.”
Yeosang felt his anger bubbling up, but was interrupted by an arm being slung around him. “Is there a problem here?” Jongho inquired.
“He broke my wrist!” The man snarled.
“He groped me,” Yeosang grit out. “And I took care of it. Let’s go.” He made to exit the bar, and Jongho followed, but the man just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“Keep your bitch on a tighter leash or someone might just take him away.”
Jongho’s grip around Yeosang tightened momentarily, then loosened. “Sangie,” he said quietly. “Go find Yunho. I’ll be there soon.”
“No, don’t do any-” Jongho was already gone. “-anything stupid.” Yeosang whirled around just in time to watch Jongho slam a no-holds-barred punch into the guy’s face. “Okay, it’s time to leave.” He hurried over to the bar and grabbed Yunho. “Jongho started a fight. Let’s go.”
~~~~~~~~
“Can’t believe you did that,” Yeosang scolded as he dabbed alcohol on Jongho’s split lip.
“He disrespected you. I couldn’t just let it go.” Jongho winced.
“I was taking care of it. I can fight my own battles, I don’t need you to do it for me. I’m not weak.”
“I know. I’m sorry, but I was just so angry. You don’t deserve any of it, you know.”
Yeosang smirked sadly. “It can’t be helped.” As a part of his siren heritage, he apparently attracted more creeps than normal. Which, if he was the murderous type, would make getting victims much easier. As it was, it was merely an annoyance and hassle. He couldn’t even count how many times Jongho had started a brawl to defend his honor.
Jongho laid his hand over Yeosang’s, stopping him from continuing to put away the medical supplies from Yunho. “Hey. You should only be respected. You deserve nice things and a nice person. Don’t doubt that, okay?”
Yeosang blinked away the tears that sprang to his eyes at Jongho’s words. “That sounds fake, but okay,” he tried to tease.
“I mean it,” Jongho said earnestly. “I know that for some reason you have trouble believing it when I say that you deserve nice things, but you do. And I’ll do my best to give them to you until you realize it for yourself.”
Before Yeosang realized his actions, he threw his arms around Jongho and hugged him tightly. “I don’t deserve how nice you all are to me,” he sobbed. “I’m lying to you.”
Jongho’s arms around him didn’t waver. “I’m sure you have your reasons.”
“You’d hate me if I told you. Might even kill me.”
Jongho pulled back, and Yeosang felt his heart hollow out. This was it.
Jongho took Yeosang’s face in his hands. “Nothing could make me hate you. And I’ll protect you from anyone who tries to hurt you.”
Yeosang swallowed nervously. “Promise?” he breathed.
“I swear.”
Yeosang closed his eyes tightly. “I’m a siren.” He waited for the inevitable shove away, maybe even pain. Instead, Jongho huffed out a laugh.
“Well, I always thought you were inhumanly beautiful.”
Wait- “Was that a joke?” Yeosang cracked open an eye to see Jongho looking at him tenderly.
“Yeosang, I’ve been in love with you practically since I met you. Finding out you aren’t human can’t erase knowing you for years. I’ve seen you get drunk and cry over a kitten.”
“It was just so tiny!” Yeosang protested, face burning.
Jongho laughed. “My point is, you being a siren doesn’t change a thing about the man I know. Except explaining why you’re so unattainably gorgeous.”
“Hold on- did you confess to me?” Yeosang knew he sounded stupid, but he was still trying to process the last few minutes.
“I did, and now’s the time to tell me off, or maybe acknowledge it somehow, because I’m feeling a little awkward.”
Yeosang studied the man before him, nervous yet confident simultaneously. “Hmm. I’m still not registering. You may need to kiss me,” he teased.
Jongho grinned. “That I can do.” He leaned in and captured Yeosang’s lips in a kiss, before pulling back with a grimace. “Kissing with a split lip isn’t recommended.”
Yeosang laughed at him. “Well, you’d better heal quickly.” He pressed a kiss to Jongho’s cheek. “So that you can kiss me some more.” A peck to his temple. “And who knows? A few hickeys might mean random men at bars will stop thinking I’m free real estate.”
Jongho just about chokes on his own tongue. “Yeosang!”