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Of course he wasn't in the better place to be at that moment. He was thinking that, if he was floating inside a shark's mouth, he clearly would be so much luckier. But Jongin always had bad luck. Oh, jesus christ, he hated pirates!
His hands were sweating and his hair was plastered to his forehead. All of this, coupled with his heart pounding against his chest (he could even hear his own beats exactly), made him inert. He was actually thinking it would be better to have jumped into the water when it was time. Jongin didn't know pirates could be so cheesy that they actually had planks waiting for their next victims. Or curved swords and clothes with skulls and bones etched into their curves, the black fabric making the engraving blend with the white ink, grimy with time. He was looking at one in that very second as he took it to himself and curled it in his hands, wiping away the blood and fishy smell that had built up below his belly.
It was the second time he had been there, on Jongin's favorite pirate ship, according to one of his bosses. But of course, as he smelled the stench and his stomach twisted in pain, he wished he could change his plans.
He stood up and ran his hands through his hair, running the patterned black fabric over his face. The knock on the door made him smile crookedly, almost maliciously.
" I was thinking that you're going to let me alone here. Until I became some kind of fish food. " He rolled his eyes and pointed a finger right at the man's face.
Chanyeol looked him in the eyes and planted a kiss right into his forehead, calmly.
Okay, their relationship wasn't always that way, and Jongin could point out without a doubt that the first time he saw Chanyeol, he knew he was going to kill him soon. He thought he would kill him the same morning he saw him.
"You know I would never do that, sweetheart." He stroked his hair and twirled one of the brown strands around his finger, wiping the clean cloth over her face and looking up the stairs that took them upstairs to the ship, making sure none of her crew were surrounding them.
"I highly doubt it. But if the king knew that Captain Chanyeol isn't that bad…" Jongin joked, smirking.
"Oh, that's it, then? Are you going to rat me out to your boss, sweetie?" He chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets and motioning for Jongin to go up the steps. "You're a bad spy, did you know that?"
"I'm great at what I do. If I was bad, I wouldn't have won your heart."
And it was true, Chanyeol knew it well. He brushed his red hair back, hurrying up the stairs until they were near his private room, where maps were piled on top of the table and bottles full of whiskey piled up on the shelves. Jongin always took one at the end of the day.
"What are we gonna do today?" Jongin questioned him, sitting in the red velvet armchair. He arranged the light clothes on his body, in a conspicuous contrast to the dark robes that Chanyeol wore. On the left of his cheek was a scar. Chanyeol once said that he won it in a fight against a fierce tiger on dry land. Jongin thought it was all a lie, and that he had fought and lost badly in a bar fight.
Chanyeol pondered for a moment, taking a deep breath. He scratched his left eyebrow and straightened his shirt, half of his skin was exposed and reddened.
"What happened?" Jongin approached, even though Chanyeol kept a distance from him, his neck and ears red. "Don't be afraid of me, captain. I swear if I bite, I'll let you know."
Chanyeol's smile crossed the side of his face, mischievous. Jongin's fingers ran over his skin like fire, and he was sure, for a moment, that every time he went to bed with the spy, he felt something different. He didn't know if it was like that for Jongin too, who let out bashful moans below him, squirming all over and totally contrary to the bossy, everyday posture he had.
You're such a thing, Nini. Chanyeol once told him.
"I saw you talking to that nobleman yesterday. What were you talking about? The king wants to arrest me, eh? I want to see you try." Chanyeol teased, trying to disguise the slight possessive jealousy he had. Jongin, who knew well how to deal with the captain's arrogance, left his chest to one side, tucking his robes up and lifting his face to smell the masculine scent that exhaled from him.
"You're so… Suspicious, honey." He played with the nickname on his tongue, running it over his dry lips. "Don't you think that if I had the opportunity, I wouldn't have already ratted out your entire crew?" He raised an eyebrow, and Chanyeol coughed, hiding it. Or, trying.
"I know you would never do that to me, Jongin."
"Really know?" Chanyeol's jaw clenched, and his face lines curved. He looked angry.
"I love you, Jongin. And you love me too. Otherwise you wouldn't be with me here. You wouldn't be beneath me last night." He smiled again, and the gold tooth at the end of his dental arch showed against the light.
Jongin sighed, letting out a nasal laugh. Chanyeol seemed to forget the first time they met, when Jongin, the king's spy, had been sent to kill or betray the crew of Park Chanyeol, who had lived years after years as one of the greatest pirates alive. He had the dexterity not only to plunder the banks of wealthy and influential cities, he not only killed those who opposed him; he had the support of those who needed it (the weak, the downtrodden), Park Chanyeol also made a point of hanging out with the wives of kings and nobles. He teased them to the last drop of sweat, and drank atop their fancy tables, humming. Jongin hated him when he met his eyes for the first time.
Jongin remembered how Chanyeol's tattooed arms looked slick against the sunlight that hit the ship. Especially when he came to him, asking what a city boy was doing on his ship, serving as "people's messenger," with a bag full of fake letters and fish in a barrel. He threatened him, but with charm, sensing how the perfume of that foreign boy seemed different from the smell of the poor who sent letters to themselves, with unbeatable entreaties. Jongin won her heart.
"You say 'I love you' too easily, honey. Be careful who you say that to." He laughed, sitting back in the red armchair. The maps scattered on the table were tossed aside as Chanyeol selected one of his drinks, placing the bottle in the center and opening it without difficulty.
He laughed, and Jongin did the same, as if he'd just told a silly joke. Chanyeol poured both small glasses with the strong drink and let Jongin take the cold glass. They toasted, and slurped the liquid down their throats. Jongin seemed to forget the real reason he was there. In fact, he forgot every time he sat on Chanyeol's lap, listening to him mutter about how good he was to him. Chanyeol was definitely not a good person. All the deaths - indirect and direct - caused by himself, all the greed that built his empire, all that revealed who he really was. But, of course, Jongin preferred to ignore it all and kiss her lips hard while he listened to her hoarse moans in his ear.
"The best thing I ever did was find you, Chanyeol. It was a great time to be a spy." He said, amused.
Chanyeol nodded, sighing deeply. He took another sip, adjusting his arms on the chair. The way Jongin was gesticulating, his graceful hands going up in the air as if Chanyeol was part of his audience, had him turned on. He didn't react, especially when he was close like that, half exposed and vulnerable to himself.
"Do you think? I don't know. I barely hear you say you love me."
"And love matters that much to you, captain?" The brief venom in his mouth caused something to feel in Chanyeol's stomach, which he shrugged, laughing awkwardly. Chanyeol was no romantic, but Jongin's clumsy speech sparked something in him.
"It matters when it's about you, cutie." He winked with one eye, leaving Jongin embarrassed. Jongin hated to be embarrassed, but it was impossible next to Chanyeol, with all that posture, the bent arms and prominent veins tracing the black designs made with rudimentary ink.
…
When Jongin finished his drink, on the captain's lap, he could hear his heartbeat with his warm ear pressed to his chest. Of course, he still smelled bad from the fish that had landed on his body, but the feeling of being in Chanyeol's arms would never, ever make him regret it. This is when he forgot who Chanyeol really was.
I had once asked him if he remembered all those he killed in cold blood. Chanyeol laughed and said "Of course not, Nini", and clapped his thick hands in his lap. Jongin swallowed and walked over, sitting down. But his mind went from zero to a hundred, in seconds, thinking about each one of the people he had murdered, innocent, often times, that had nothing to do with political disputes or power games he played.
But the kisses had already started, at the tip of his neck, and Chanyeol's dark, husky voice hit his ear.
"I really wanted to kiss you all over, but you smell like stinky fish."
"Chanyeol!" He patted his chest, lifting his face and glaring at him. Chanyeol chuckled at the expression he made, but pinched his nose in response, amused by his slightly reddened cheeks.
"It's not a lie, but… You're still beautiful."
Jongin bit his lower lip and groaned in disgust. It was getting harder and harder to really dislike Chanyeol, with his velvety touch and otherworldly fingers. He looked up, taking a closer look at his scar.
He ran his fingers over it, leaving a kiss on her lips, which absorbed the whiskey's taste and merged with his natural taste. Chanyeol had bad breath, if Jongin could speak well and properly about it, after all, he was a damn pirate.
And pirates should die.
Pirates weren't good for others. They looted them, killed them, without mercy or mercy.
"Why didn't you kill me, Chanyeol? You already knew I was a spy, right dear?" He let the digit rest on the other's scar, pulling away and breaking the kiss.
Chanyeol didn't ponder it, but took a deep breath, absorbing the others' expressions. How he loved that face.
"Because you're beautiful, Nini." Chanyeol wished he had laughed. But Jongin raised his eyebrows, to say the least, surprised.
"What do you mean? If I were like someone else, would you have killed me?"
"Killing is a strong word, Jongin…" he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. He let the last sip of the drink go down his throat and set the glass down on the table.
"Not when it's about someone else."
"But about you, yes." He shrugged, still amused.
"Would you have killed me if I were a poor peasant?"
"No. Only if you were a noble. A stuck-up noble, quite different from what you are." He traced her chin, but his finger stopped midway.
Jongin glanced at him, as if he were someone else. There was a venom in his gaze, and the brown hair falling against his slightly damp forehead showed the effort he made to distance himself from her.
"What's up, baby? I just told the truth…" The captain's fingers tried to capture Jongin's shoulders cautiously, but he was faster.
Jongin stood up reluctantly. His chest felt heavy and the confirmation that Chanyeol was indeed no good left him frustrated. And angry. very angry.
"And do you remember the ones you killed?"
Chanyeol was silent, tapping his fingers on the table surface.
"I have no idea."
And Jongin's heart beat faster. He knew, from the moment he began to study the maps diligently, to go from bar to bar looking for rumors of famous pirates and especially when he realized that the purpose of his life was to take revenge on the one who had killed his parents.
Seduction and espionage were part of his plan, and the moment Chanyeol tried to suspect something, Jongin placed his hand on his chest.
"It got hard, you know? Hiding my real feelings for you." Chanyeol smirked, but his heart was starting to break every second.
"You…"
"You killed my family, Captain Park Chanyeol." He dug his thick nails into his chest, pushing him to the ground.
"Would you dare to kill me, Nini?" He breathed the nickname between his lips.
"I'm not that brave. But they are." He looked up, bending his face back.
One by one, the King's Guard entered Captain Park's personal office. The ship rocked from side to side, as did Chanyeol's head, who smiled bitterly as he looked at Jongin. The taste of melancholy and betrayal hanging in the air.
"I never thought anyone would outsmart me, in all these seas…" he chuckled, hoarse and depressed. Frustrated.
Jongin got off his body, turning around. He wasn't proud, but the feeling of knowing that the one who had ended his family's lives was gone made it all worth it.