Chapter Text
Though a pirate’s livelihood depends on whatever poor ship they’ve managed to loot that week (ethically, of course— if you consider intimidation and empty threats because the captain doesn't actually like dying the sea red) the waters have their own way of evening things out. Some days it’s generous, however, most days it's not.
Still, it's better than rotting on land doing odd jobs, and barely surviving in a place that was never built to include you.
Riki wants to dream. Keep that little spark aflame that he would be free, like Captain Lee promised him when he welcomed him aboard. The Noxstar, his ship, promises freedom for whoever is in it.
Until then, he'd accompany his captain in his search for a magical compass that he lost a few years ago (Which is kind of unusual on its own because where exactly do they start looking for it?) When he asked, no one seemed to know either. But like all treasures who were once just a myth, it can actually be found. This one wouldn't be different. Everyone had their reasons for sailing in the Noxstar. But the one thing they all have in common is trusting its captain.
Captain Lee— the man who can lead this rowdy bunch and sail these stormy seas is almost never sober. Rumor has it that he's immortal. Sailing the seas for a thousand years. A good bounty on his head, apparently there were searches lasting for generations. However, not everyone believes it because it sounds ridiculous.
He may be a bit slow but he's a good guy, Riki thinks. Unless you're punching holes on his ship then you're as good as dead. Surprisingly, he values a good work environment too. He could only shudder at the thought of the one guy who bullied the newer pirates and well… he got keelhauled.
(It was a morbid sight and safe to say, no one dared to cross any lines ever since.)
Out here, at least, survival feels honest. Nights blur into each other— salt air, loud laughter, and too much booze sloshing from bottle to mouth. Someone’s always singing off-key, someone’s always starting a fight they won’t remember come morning, and there’s always fish. Enough that Riki would rather wrestle the sea itself, than scraping the scales of the day's haul at dawn. He likes fishing even if he's not the most patient man in existence.
So he does what any self-preserving man would do.
He tries to catch something big.
Something impressive enough that no one would dare stick him with cleanup duty. Heh, take that Jungwon-hyung— The thought was abruptly cut off as the net tugs hard.
“Finally,” he said, bracing his feet against the slick wood, gripping with more stubbornness than strength. Whatever’s caught on the other end fights back like it has a grudge, thrashing, dragging the net taut. It’s heavy. Heavier than anything he’s reeled in before.
For a moment, he thinks the sea might actually be rewarding him. It takes everything in him to drag it over the deck.
Riki blinks.
The world tilts unpleasantly, his vision swimming from the alcohol still clinging to his senses, but no amount of drunken haze can quite blur what’s writhing in the net.
It’s… not a fish.
The thing— no, the person— clutches the ropes with pale, webbed hands, chest heaving as its eyes snap up to meet his, with pupils slicing thin like a predator’s.
It is shaped like a person.
And yet— there’s a tail.
Long and sleek, glinting under the warm lamp light in shades that shift like oil on water. It coils against the net, its weight looking heavy enough that Riki suddenly understands why hauling it up felt like dragging half of the ocean's water with him.
“…What,” he murmurs.
The sensible thing would be to throw it back immediately. No questions asked, and to pretend this never happened. Pray to whatever God listens to pirates that they don’t take offense. If anyone were to question it, he was drunk and "accidentally" let the big catch go.
Alright, that should work.
But Riki is disastrously drunk. His thoughts slip through his fingers before he can grab hold of them, logic dissolving into a sluggish mess. Then, what he actually hauled up finally clicked in his hazy mind.
Fuck, I think I caught a mermaid.
Fuck, fuck, I need to let it go. It's looking at me like it wants to kill me, shit, what do I do—
“Oh, that’s a big fish, Riki.”
The heavy arm that slung around his shoulders nearly sends him tipping over. The smell of rum hits before the voice does, warm and slurred and far too close.
Of course, the captain is here. Riki doesn’t even need to look to know he’s swaying, barely upright, his grip more of a suggestion than actual support. Still, the older man squints down at the tangled figure in the net with exaggerated focus, as if sheer effort might force the image into something more reasonable.
“Hmmm,” he hums, leaning in. “That’s a long fish…”
Another squint, deeper this time, like that might help.
“A really... pretty fish?”
Riki opens his mouth to say anything really, but nothing comes out. He doesn't even know how to inform his very drunk captain that he caught a mermaid.
He caught a creature that shouldn’t exist, his captain thinks it’s a midnight snack, and the world is spinning just enough that this might all be a particularly vivid hallucination.
That thought was comforting.
And then Riki promptly passes out.
The captain, still draped over him, follows suit without much resistance. Together, they collapse in an undignified heap beside the net— pirate and captain alike knocked out cold, leaving behind a very real, very awake, and very not-a-fish problem tangled on the deck.
Riki was startled awake by the water splashing on his face. He's still on the ship which is great, since he can feel the wooden floor he slept on countless times. After all, he aways got so drunk that he's awfully familiar with it. Well, not as much as Captain Lee, though.
Forcing his eyes open, he realized that the merman was gone. There, right beside him, was his captain who looked hazed, typical for someone who fell off his ass the night before. Riki would need more than his hands and feet to count the amount of times Heeseung was not sober.
“Riki, don't worry about the fish last night. It won't come back anymore. Heh, not like it has a good reason to.”
“It doesn't?”
“Yep.”
“Captain, I don't mean to be rude but you were aware I caught—”
“It was a long fish but I don't think it's safe to eat. Anyway, I tossed it back to the sea so it should be fine.”
Huh.
But Riki was never really the type to question the things his captain does. He's eccentric at times and he got used to it.
Then scratching noises were heard and it seemed to be around the hull of the ship. Like barnacles being scraped off when they brush against rocks.
“Riki, you hear that?”
The young pirate sighed. Captain Lee is still drunk, well, when was he ever sober? Riki could only stare as the latter's eyes were closed, his figure slumped on a pile of ropes.
“Something's climbing the ship.”
“Mhm.”
“Captain.”
“Mhm?”
“It might be dangerous.”
The captain cracked one eye open.
“If it were dangerous,” he slurred, “we'd already be dead.”
Before anyone could answer, something slammed against the side of the ship with enough force to rattle them beneath their boots.
A great surge burst over the railing, drenching half the crew where they stood. Men shouted curses as a slick shape crashed onto the deck in a violent tangle of limbs and scales.
The creature thrashed furiously across the wood, silver-blue tail battering barrels aside while water streamed from dark hair plastered over sharp features. Webbed claws scraped against the planks as he struggled upright.
That very “fish” from the night before was now flopping on the floor, sending water everywhere.
The crew was silent at the sight. They haven't encountered a creature of the myths before. From where the captain lounged against the helm, he frowned as if inconvenienced. His eyes narrowed.
“…Ah.”
“You dare call me a long fish?!”
The voice blared as the mermaid? merman? pointed a pointy and webbed finger at the captain.
“Captain, you know him?”
“The face is familiar.” He paused. “Have I threatened you before?”
The merman’s expression twisted into pure outrage.
“LEE HEESEUNG.”
Riki had never seen a merman before. Let alone a merman turning red. It was more surprising than finding out his captain's full government name.
“Aye, I heard you, Jongseong.”
The merman looked moments away from strangling him with a look of how Heeseung should recognize him.
Of course he did.
Five years.
Five bloody years crossing cursed waters and chasing rumors because a compass— he had to find his compass.
His treasure had always pointed toward what he wanted the most.
Be it another treasure, to safety, to the horizon, or to freedom. Yet, there was a time where it refused to point anywhere but the merman.
The problem is, Jongseong had stolen the damned thing and disappeared beneath the sea.
And after all of that—
The merman had the audacity to stare at him like this. When all Heeseung did during his disappearance was listen to stories told by sailors and old fishermen swearing they'd seen a silver tail in moonlit waters. Braved through storms and dead ends and maps the captain nearly worn holes through.
It was five years of never staying sober.
(Fortunately, he didn't have liver problems because of that.)
But those were the captain's inner grievances that Riki wasn't privy to. Heeseung almost felt guilty at the clueless look of the younger and the rest of them that were present who are now attempting to mop the water as discreetly as possible.
Riki whispered a small, “Captain, why does the merman look like he's about to cry?”
Heeseung has to admit that it was mean and petty of him to disgracefully throw Jongseong back to the high tide after five long years but he's quite impulsive when drunk. At the time, he hurled the merman overboard while declaring "return to sea, strange fish" had seemed deeply satisfying.
Though it's too late to blame the rum, now he's witnessing the consequences of his actions. Indeed, the merman is about to cry, clenching his jaw as a telltale sign.
“I owe you no apology, Jongseong.”
Riki winced at the cold statement and looked away. One of the pirates, Jaeyun, had been wiping the barrel during the whole altercation and seemed to wipe it harder just as Sunghoon was aggressively mopping the same spot.
Everyone was listening.
And everyone had the same thought.
This is so awkward.
Heeseung then approached the merman, heaved him up over his shoulder as the latter struggled (it's an understatement, the merman was thrashing and scratching him) then threw Jongseong in the air and into the water.
“Weigh the anchor! We're heading north!”
Years under Captain Lee had conditioned them to obey first and question things several hours later.
“Move, move! Why are you all standing around lookin' stupid?” Jungwon barked, immediately taking command of the chaos despite very obviously also wanting to know what in God's oceans was going on.
But as the youngest pirate blinked, he saw pale webbed hands at the edge of the ship and the captain stomping on said hands that just came into view. Riki pointed weakly toward the side of the ship where Captain Lee had just stomped a vengeful merman back into the ocean.
“Hyung.”
Jaeyun looked up from aggressively cleaning the same perfectly clean barrel.
“Yes?”
“Did the captain just... stomp on him?”
Jaeyun paused.
“Unfortunately.”
Riki stared and slowly, “Should we stop him?”
Jaeyun looked toward the helm where Captain Lee stood with one foot on the rail dramatically, coat fluttering despite there being almost no wind.
"...Do you want to stop him?"
Riki immediately looked away.
Good point.
Across the deck, Captain Lee looked entirely unbothered by the fact he has a long standing feud with the creature.
He looked at Heeseung the way people who had been wronged by him for say, a stolen boat, a stolen treasure, and probably more (honestly Riki can't keep count.) Sure, he's a good man but he's undoubtedly a pirate.
“Raise the mainsail!” the captain called.
Then— THUD!
The ship lurched and several pirates lost their footing.
After another thud, Sunghoon spoke.
“Captain, something's hitting the ship!”
“Oh for the love of—”
The same hand slapped over the side.
Then another.
And with terrifying upper body strength, Jongseong hauled himself halfway up the deck, hair soaked and obviously seething.
“Go back to the water! You live there!”
“That is not the point! Listen to me!”
“I am listening!”
With a boot planted squarely against the merman’s cheek, preventing him from actually getting on the ship, no, you're absolutely not, Riki thought.
The scene before him felt very unreal.
Somehow Captain Lee had ended up half-sprawled over the ship's side, one hand lazily gripping wood while the other held a bottle dangling dangerously over the ocean. His expression remained entirely blank, as if this wasn't a situation requiring urgency.
Below him, Jongseong clung stubbornly to the hull with both hands.
Well, one hand.
The other kept trying to pry Heeseung's boot off his face.
When the merman finally managed to shove the boot away with an outraged noise and immediately brought himself up another inch upward. Captain Lee simply sighed— genuinely sighed— like he was the one being inconvenienced here before pressing his palm directly against Jongseong's forehead. Despite looking like he's halfway asleep and approximately seventy percent alcohol, the captain doesn't look like he was straining himself.
He was just holding him there, like an aggressive cat.
“Speak.”
“Fine, I know where your damn compass is! And no, I did not steal it so why are you still mad at me!”
Everyone was surprised but Captain Lee barely flinched. This is what they're looking for. What he's looking for. Was he telling the truth? They didn't find any leads for the past few years, yet, this merman who knew the captain well just appeared and gave them a lead.
“Alright.” Heeseung said as the bottle he was holding was placed on the ground. Then he hauled the merman on the ship, his tail letting out a thwack on the wooden floor, and face scrunched at the sudden impact.
“No funny business.”
The captain might as well be holding a dagger on Jongseong's neck with the sharp look that he gave him. He stood over the merman.
Riki realized, distantly, that this was the first time he’d ever seen the captain fully still while awake, and that alone felt wrong.
“Will you not demand me for answers?”
“I was just told you know where it is.”
“I do.”
“Good.”
Then casually, “Where is it?”
Jongseong let out a short humorless laugh.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Heeseung shrugged. “So, I’ve been told.”
The captain finally took a sip, but he never broke his gaze from the merman who was still soaking the space. Riki shifted slightly where he stood. No one else moved, but he could feel it— the crew holding their breath in that collective way they did when things stopped being funny and started becoming something serious. Like the time when they dealt with a treasure that almost cursed them for eternity.
“Bring him to my quarters.”
Taking it as a sign that the conversation will be held privately, Jaeyun and Sunghoon hesitantly held up the merman to bring him in the cabin.
“Oh, and bring him lots of water, lest he dry out like dead coral.”
Behind him, Jongseong muttered, “I hate all of you.”
Then Heeseung, without missing a beat. “You’ll fit in well, then.”