Work Text:
The boat rocks gently at the push of the waves so close to shore from where they’re docked at the port. Hongjoong helps Seonghwa walk across the small bridge attaching their ship to the dock, hand delicately holding the mers. It was a small town that Hongjoong and his crew visited often, since the navy rarely checks this town because of the size and lack of large amounts of resources. Which means this is the ideal location for the pirates, no suspicious looks and constant apprehension.
This is one of the rare times Seonghwa is visiting with them though, the mer normally stays on the boat, or in the waters surrounding the ship, chasing fish and basking in the afternoon sun. He didn’t like land. It made his skin itch. At least on the ship when he took his human form, the water would lap up the sides and spray the crew, he was never far away and could leap into the welcoming waves at any time.
Yet on land? Not a chance, he’d be lucky to find a lake big enough for him to comfortably swim in. Which is why it came as a huge surprise to Hongjoong when the mer asked to join him, Yunho and Jongho as they visited the village.
Of course the captain indulged his lover. And so they go, climbing up the path to where the village sat on a cliff-side facing the ocean, the merman watching with every step how the ship shrinks below. The path itself isn’t steep, but it is a long path winding back and forth up the cliff face.
It was a gorgeous day, the sun occasionally hiding behind big fluffy clouds, and a breeze brushed the pink wisps of Seonghwa’s hair away from his face. Although his pace was slower than the humans, his skin buzzing the farther he ventured from the water with the sun beating down on them, no shade from the ship’s sails or under deck quarters to hide in.
Hongjoong hung back with his lover, casting wary glances every time the merman stumbled over a rock. “My pearl, are you sure you want to come? Yunho and Jongho are help enough, we’re just stopping to restock on food.” The captain spoke, eyebrows furrowed in concern for the creature.
“Hongjoong please, I’ve never been to a human village before I’m curious! And you said so yourself, this is the safest one for me to see.” Seonghwa spoke, looking over at the dark-haired male as he shifted his fur coat at a particularly large gust of wind. The mer was worried for his human, the wind could bring up the cold from the ocean below, but the black fur along with the sun must make him too warm. Although he never saw Hongjoong move to take it off as they continued their trek.
Finally, they reached the top of the cliff, where the village sat a mile or so away. Yunho and Jongho were far ahead of them by now, as Hongjoong made Seonghwa take breaks to sit down in the shade of Hongjoong's shadow. The pink-haired male felt bad for slowing their trip down, but Hongjoong was having none of it. His safety came first, no matter how much he whined and pointed to the retreating figures of the First Mate and Gunner.
Seonghwa perked up at the houses that could be seen poking up on the skyline, clouds of smoke floating out from the tops of their chimneys. Hongjoong loved the more ‘animal’ side Seonghwa had, since the merman rarely interacted with humans outside of Hongjoong and his crew.
When he first joined Aurora, he couldn't stop stealing and hiding all the shiny things on the ship, stashing them under his cot in the crew's shared bedroom. He wouldn't eat any meat outside of fish because it ‘tasted too grain-y’, whatever that meant. And Hongjoong's favorite thing, was when he showed interest in something, he’d stand straighter and tilt his head, almost like a puppy. The pirate adored it.
He adored Seonghwa, truly. He was so thankful for the day they met, and even more thankful for the day Seonghwa decided to board the boat instead of continuing to circle it in the waters below. He cherished every moment he could reach out and touch the ethereal man, instead of yearning from the deck as his pink tail barely breached the surface.
“You’re going to love the market Hwa, the villagers make all sorts of trinkets for travelers to buy when coming on land for food. Like how you like to collect pretty shells, humans love to collect things they find pretty. You actually might find seashells in the market! I think an old lady runs that stall.” Hongjoong rambled, knowing Seonghwa was listening attentively.
Since the pink-haired male was a merman raised in the ocean, he wasn’t used to anything regarding Human society. So the captain brought it upon himself to indulge and teach the mer as often as possible. It did help that Seonghwa was eager to learn, doe eyes sparkling like the night sky whenever Hongjoong rambled on about something.
The duo was just entering the village, small brick walls started from the houses on the outskirts, acting as fences, with small flowers and weeds sprouting at the bottom. Yet before Hongjoong could begin another info dump-ramble, Seonghwa let out a loud, deep hiss. The merman then proceeded to bare his pointed teeth, moving to hide behind Hongjoong’s fur coat, sharp nails digging into his shoulders.
Hongjoong stood stunned as his lover continued to hiss, blinking quickly and trying to spot what spooked the merman. When he came up with a whole lot of nothing, he blinked again before turning to the merman. “My love, what’s got you so worked up?”
Seonghwa didn't respond, only tightening his grip and moving more to the left of Hongjoong, eyes downcast. So naturally, the pirate followed the direction of the tallers eyes and let out a laugh.
A cat.
A black cat stood a few feet to Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s left, sat on one of those brick fences, tail flicking in annoyance. It seemed to size Seonghwa up, moving closer slowly, front shoulders hunched, almost as if it was stalking its prey.
Hongjoong let out another sharp, confused laugh. No way was a cat sizing up his merman lover. No way. This couldn't be happening.
The cat seemed smug as it gracefully leaped off of the wall and slinked over to the duo, rubbing against Hongjoong legs. Seonghwa shrieked, another hiss came from deep in his throat, and this time, the cat hissed back, body arching, tail slightly puffed at the base.
Seonghwa visibly shrunk at the gesture coming from the tiny creature, clinging even tighter to the back of Hongjoong as the cat finally sauntered away, jumping back onto the wall and then disappearing over the other side.
“It’s gone Hwa, the cat left, you can let go now,” Hongjoong spoke, humor evident as the mer released a sigh, breath ticking the back of the pirate’s neck.
“A...cat? I don't like cats.” Seonghwa murmured after a few beats, brows furrowed and hands still on his shoulders. Hongjoong snorted at his words. He turned to grab one of Seonghwa's hands, pressing a kiss to the top of it before continuing their walk.
Hongjoong was correct, Seonghwa did enjoy the market stalls, stopping every few to ogle some shiny object before another one at a different stall caught his eye. Although the only things he asked the captain to buy were large shells and human objects that had obviously been lost at sea before being retrieved in fishing nets. Hongjoong always agreed, Seonghwa was his pearl after all.
They did encounter a few more cats on their way back, and there was one that even followed them a good few blocks. The black cat they had encountered earlier also joined again, rubbing against all three pirates before turning to swipe at Seonghwa’s feet. At one point Seonghwa straight up bolted, hissing behind him holding his new trinkets to his chest as another cat chased after him.
Hongjoong sent Jongho to scare off the cat that was now stalking the mer, after giggling with his crew members first. Yet this one, in particular, refused to leave, slowly trailing them all the way back to where the path started heading back down the cliff face.
The pink-haired Mer seemed to realize this, and handed his things to a giggling Jongho before crouching down and hissing back. His nose scrunched up, and his hands curled to mimic claws, his naturally sharp nails adding to the effect.
The white and orange cat hissed back before they both went silent, seeming to be staring into each other's souls.
Yunho leaned down to whisper to the captain as the yall stopped to watch the frozen mer and feline. “Did we pick up a weird merman sir? Or is it because the cat can tell he’s part fish?”
Hongjoong couldn’t stop the snort that came out before slapping a hand over his mouth. He lightly pushed the crew member away from him and shook his head.
“Quit it, unless you want to be stuck up in the crows nest with Wooyoung tomorrow.” The pirate responded, and Yunho recoiled slightly. The crows nest itself was fine, the view of the open ocean gorgeous. But sitting up in a tiny place with the most rambunctious crew member? Yunho would rather clean out all their canons by himself.
Finally, after a few minutes of low growling coming from both Seonghwa and the cat, the cat hissed once more before scrambling away, leaving the humans visibly confused.
“What just happened?” Jongho asked as Seonghwa retrieved his trinkets from the pirate’s hands, not responding to the younger. The other two exchanged a look with raised eyebrows before they continued back down the cliffside, Seonghwa sticking himself to Hongjoong and wrapping an arm around his waist under the captain's coat.
The rest of their journey back was quiet, only the murmurs of the crew members ahead of them were heard. Seonghwa refused to part from Hongjoong’s side until they had finished stocking the food in the kitchen reserves. The mer also avoided San and Wooyoung, causing the cuddly pair to pout and look at their captain for an explanation. Yunho smirked, opening his mouth to speak before Hongjoong kicked his first mate in the shin.
“He’s had a rough day, I’m sure he’ll be fine tomorrow.” At the captain's words, the cook visibly perked up, and dragged the sailing master away to help him prepare their supper. Although much to Wooyoungs disappointment, once he and San had finished cooking, Hongjoong told him that his lover had jumped off to take a swim in the deep waters for a few hours.
They didn’t worry too much, even without the whole cat drama, Seonghwa tended to take long swims in the ocean after being away from it for a few hours. The adventure itself was one of the longest times he’d been away from the familiar waves. His skin was starting to feel too tight for his body, or at least that’s what he said to Hongjoong before leaping into the oceans embrace.
Seonghwa didn’t return until the moon hung high in the sky, climbing into the captain's bed with damp hair and slotting himself against the human’s back. Knowing the pirate wouldn’t sleep unless he was safe in his quarters.
“I don’t like cats,” Seonghwa whispered into the pirate's bare shoulder, nose moving to the crook of his neck and inhaling deeply before sighing. He felt Hongjoong also sigh and shift to give him more access to nuzzle his neck.
“I know, my precious pearl. You won't have to see any more cats.” Hongjoong grumbled back, hand moving under the duvet to grasp the mer’s and give it a reassuring squeeze.
“Wooyoung is not going to leave me alone, is he?” The pink-haired boy asked, and he felt his lover shake in small laughter.
“No, my love, he is not.”