Chapter 4: Life of Agust

When Jimin opened his eyes next time, it was to someone excitedly jostling him awake, the playful touch accompanied by the strong scent of the sea and something sour he couldn’t quite identify. “It’s morning, Chim,” a chipper voice told him, and reluctantly, he cracked his eyes open, squinting even against the dim light of the brig.

Taehyung was sitting next to him on the floor of his cell, two plates perched in his lap as he poked at Jimin, his smile blindingly bright. “Sun’s up,” the pirate informed him cheerfully, and Jimin dimly thought that he was quite correct. “I brought you breakfast. Thought you’d rather eat here than with everyone else, so Jin gave me two portions. Jin’s the cook,” he added as an afterthought. “I’ll take you to meet him later.”

Clumsily, Jimin pushed himself up from the floor, blinking hard against the heavy sensation in his head. He knew it was an effect of the medicine Hoseok had given him during the night, but he felt like one might after an evening of excessive drinking, so even the simple act of sitting up took more energy than it should’ve. He reached up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before peering at Taehyung, and he was about to greet him when he froze, his eyes widening at the sight of the collar of dark bruises framing the pirate’s neck.

“We don’t have that much aboard the ship right now,” Taehyung hummed and moved one of the plates to Jimin’s lap, completely unaware of the alarmed look he was receiving. “That’s why we were at your village, to get food, but it’s fine, really, Jin’s got plenty of herring and pickled cabbage in storage, and hard bread and dried meat, and…” His voice slowly trailed off when he finally noticed the look on Jimin’s face. “What’s wrong, Chim?” he asked, leaning forward. “Is your cheek hurting again? Should I go get Hoseok?”

“N-no, I…” Jimin’s concern surprised even himself, but he couldn’t fight it; the bruises looked quite painful, and he was hit by a rush of guilt at the thought of Taehyung receiving them as punishment on his behalf. “Are you alright?” he asked carefully and gestured towards the pirate’s throat. “I… those aren’t… they’re not because of me, are they?”

For a moment, Taehyung looked utterly bewildered, as if he didn’t have a single clue as to what Jimin is speaking of. “What…” he started and reached up to touch his neck, and then his eyes widened comically and he burst out laughing, so hysterically Jimin had to snatch his plate out of his lap for fear he’d spill it.

“Wha-what’s so funny?” Jimin demanded, beyond alarmed by the pirate’s reaction. “Did they do that to you? Did that bas- did Min Yoongi do that to you?”

That prompted Taehyung to instantly sober up, a pinched expression screwing up his face. “What, no,” he managed breathlessly, looking like the mere thought was repulsive. “God, no, it wasn’t Yoongi. Shit, what would ever make you think it was…” Again, he trailed off mid-sentence, but this time, his lips spread slowly into a grin, rectangular as always, but with an unfamiliarly smug undertone. “Chim,” he asked, sounding as if he teetered on the verge of laughter, “do you know what these are?”

Jimin frowned at that. Of course he knew what a bruise was, and he told the pirate as much. “They’re bruises,” he said, a hint of irritation prickling the back of his mind when Taehyung descended into another fit of cackling. “What?”

“You really are cute, Chim,” the pirate chortled, clutching his stomach with one hand while the other dabbed tears from the corners of his eyes. “There aren’t punishments, if that’s what you’re thinking. Actually, they’re the complete opposite.” There was something almost salacious in his grin when he finally sat up straight, and Jimin promptly decided he didn’t want to know the truth behind his words. “You’ll meet the man who gave them to me in a bit.”

I’d rather not, Jimin thought half-heartedly, but he chose not to say anything. Instead, he turned his attention to the plate he’d been given and found a big piece of hard bread topped with two slices of herring and pickled cabbage, and half a lime. The fish smelled strongly of the sea, but Jimin’s stomach rumbled all the same, and he carefully lifted the bread to his mouth and took a bite.

His eyes widened in surprise at the taste; the flavor of the fish mingled with the sour cabbage in perfect balance, and he found his mouth watering. Eagerly, he squeezed the lime’s juices over his breakfast before devouring it with gusto, making a conscious effort to not groan contentedly at the taste. Even the pain in his jaw and cheek seemed less prominent.

“Jin’s a really good cook,” Taehyung said amusedly around his own mouthful of food. “Us pirates sometimes spend weeks at sea without a sight of land, so there’s not much of a supply of fresh ingredients, but Jin always manages to make us something delicious.” He scarfed down his breakfast just as eagerly as Jimin and produced a flagon of water from behind his back, uncorking it before handing it to Jimin. “Drink up,” he said, grinning as he rocked to his feet. “Then it’s up to the deck. You gotta meet the crew, and then you’ll be put to work.”

Jimin took deliberately slow sips of water in a feeble attempt to stall what was to come. Meeting the crew was the last thing he wanted to do; the thought of walking out amongst a group of malicious, bloodthirsty murderers aboard an inescapable ship made his chest tighten in alarm. Deplorable as it was, he’d rather remain in the brig, safe from the grasp of pirates, and safe from the wrath of Min Yoongi.

As if Taehyung could’ve read his thoughts, he reached down and put a calloused but gentle hand on Jimin’s shoulder. “They’re really nice,” he said reassuringly, something Jimin was hardly inclined to believe. “They won’t do anything weird.”

Jimin nodded slowly, although he was far from convinced. With a trembling hand, he passed the flagon back to the blonde pirate before rising to his feet, gripping onto the iron bars of his cell to steady himself. “Alright,” he mumbled after taking a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

“Let’s,” Taehyung agreed brightly, a skip in his step as he threw open the cell door and led Jimin out of the brig. “They’re all really excited to meet you, you know. Joon said you have really pretty hair, and Jin wants to see it – he likes pretty things – and Jeongguk wasn’t on deck yesterday when you boarded Agust, so he hasn’t seen you either. Xiao also said you’re pretty, but I think that old bear meant it to be teasing. He’s really nice, though it can be hard to see when you first meet him.”

Just like during the night, Jimin let him prattle on as they made their way to the deck, too busy chewing the inside of his bottom lip absolutely raw in his fretting. They passed the bunks, where he vaguely registered some of the bunks were occupied, a muffled chorus of snores rising from around him. The sounds were drowned out by the ruckus that flowed in through the open companionway, however, a lively bustle of voices, both loud and regular, and there was laughter, lots of it, and in Jimin’s ears, it sounded like the cackle of the devil.

“We’ve got full sunshine today,” Taehyung announced as he made his way up the ladder, turning to send Jimin a wink from over his shoulder. “You’ll fit right in.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, so he kept his lips pressed firmly together as he followed the pirate up the steps, squinting hard against the strong sunlight that flowed in through the companionway. I can do this, he told himself as he climbed, his heart beating in his throat and making him nauseous. I won’t let them see my fear.

He broke that promise the very second he stepped up on deck.

The Agust was filled with life even though the sun had barely risen fully from the horizon. People were moving back and forth over the deck, shouting and bickering amongst each other as they worked, carrying crates and barrels from the quarterdeck to the forecastle, testing the secureness of the shrouds and the fores. Several younger boys were on their knees on deck, diligently scrubbing the wooden surface, and they seemed perfectly in tune with the bustle of the ship, somehow managing to effortlessly stay out of everyone’s way.

The ship was impressive, Jimin realized; he hadn’t had time to drink in its appearance during the night, but now he took in as much as he could, his eyes wide in amazement. The main body of the ship was made of painted wood, so dark it seemed almost black even in the light of the morning sun. The rails matched the color, as did the three masts, each rising over ten meters high and hanging sea-stained black sails from their gallants. The deck was spacious enough to allow free movement, if not for a few stacks of wooden crates and folded cloth.

Some meters behind the companionway were two doors, one closed and one open, both beautifully carved with winding engravings. Pirates were coming and going through the open door, carrying either empty plates or ones with food, and Jimin realized it had to be the galley. Both doors were flanked by the set of stairs that led to the quarterdeck, a rail separating the two stories, and behind it stood the helm, positioned right in front of the base of the main mast. A familiar man was leaning against the wheel, a smile on his lips as he looked down at Jimin, who instantly stiffened as their eyes met.

“Joon!” Taehyung’s voice startled him to the point he almost staggered back, but the pirate grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the quarterdeck, waving enthusiastically at the first mate. “This is Chim, or Jimin,” Taehyung chirped happily when they reached the helm, his smile as bright as the sun as he gestured at a pale Jimin. “Chim, this is Namjoon, Yoongi’s right hand man and first mate aboard the Agust.”

“Nice to, ah, properly meet you, Jimin,” Namjoon said, a hint of something apologetic in his voice as he nodded in greeting. His eyes strayed to Jimin’s cheek. “How are you feeling?”

All Jimin could do was nod in return, his neck suddenly unbearably stiff. “I-I’m fine,” he managed, but his voice was so quiet it wouldn’t have surprised him if the pirate hadn’t heard. He couldn’t bring himself to reciprocate Namjoon’s politeness, however, but the first mate either didn’t notice, or then he didn’t mind.

“So it’s your first day on a pirate ship,” he mused, glancing out over the deck. “Do you have any ideas about what you’d like your role to be? I’ll be making the final decision on your tasks, but if you have something you’re particularly good at, let me know.” His smile widened, digging dimples into his cheeks. “Might save you the role as a swabbie.”

“We’ll have time to do that later,” Taehyung stated before Jimin could even begin to conjure an answer. “I’m showing him around first, introducing him to the crew.” He looked around. “Where’s Yoongi?”

The tension in Jimin grew tenfold and he hoped it didn’t show, but judging by the way Namjoon looked at him, he couldn’t have been very successful in his attempt to hide his thoughts. “He’s in the captain’s cabin with Jeongguk,” the first mate said. “They’re going over close harbors where we could restock our supplies. There won’t be much food to get in Shanghai, at least not anything that fresh.” There was amusement in his voice now, along with something Jimin couldn’t quite identify. “The crew doesn’t mind it much,” he crooned lightly, “but you know Jin loses his mind every time he has to go too long without fresh ingredients or other vegetables than cabbage and potatoes.”

Taehyung chortled at that, but Jimin was too caught up in what he’d just heard to see the fun in the first mate’s words. Shanghai, he repeated to himself, his hands turning clammy. He’d heard of Shanghai before; a pirate’s port, infamous for its ever shifting population of outlaws of all kinds, a vast community even the most seasoned of mariners were hesitant to approach. An absolute hell for anyone who wasn’t already on the wrong side of the law.

“Shouldn’t be more than two days’ delay,” Namjoon went on, breaking Jimin out of his fearful thoughts. “We’ll most likely stop by some of Japan’s southern islands.”

Taehyung nodded enthusiastically at that before turning to Jimin and hooking an arm around his. “That means you’ll have plenty of time to get to know the ship, Chim,” he beamed, and without wasting any more seconds where they stood, he took off towards the aft, dragging a stumbling Jimin along with him. “I’ll give you a thorough introduction of our precious Agust.”

They began on the poop deck, where Taehyung showed him just about every single rope supporting the spanker and mizzen sails, naming every single one of them in a rapidfire succession that Jimin would surely forget. The blonde pirate also pointed out and named every single crewman they passed, all of whom seemed too busy to stop and talk, but they did pin Jimin under either a suspicious or smug look, both of which made his skin crawl unpleasantly.

Taehyung also beckoned him to the rail at the very back of Agust, dramatically shushing Jimin before leaning out to look straight down. “You can see the windows of Yoongi’s cabin from here,” he whispered, even though the chances of anyone hearing him over the racket of the crew and the sound of the sea were nonexistent. “They’re really fancy, look.”

Reluctantly, Jimin walked up next to him and braced both hands securely against the rail before he leaned out to look. True enough, the curved windows were pristine, a series of glass lined neatly in frames of black wood with twisting decorations, as if the timber was alive and aiming to swallow the clear glass. The light of the morning was too bright to allow them to see through the windows, the sun’s rays reflected on the glass, and Jimin half-heartedly wished the sun would blind the man who occupied the captain’s cabin.

“Let’s continue,” Taehyung said cheerfully, seemingly completely immune to Jimin’s frown. He turned around and motioned for Jimin to follow him back down to the quarterdeck, but paused halfway there, his eyes rising to the fighting top halfway up the main sails. A grin split his face and he cupped a hand around his mouth to call out to the pirate who stood there, waving excitedly when the woman leaned over the rail to look at him.

Jimin’s eyes widened in surprise as he watched her make her way down the mizzen mast’s side; he hadn’t expected there to be a woman on board, especially not one who looked quite the way this one did. She was tall and voluptuous and dressed in tight leather pants and an even tighter shirt, and she’d tied some sort of fur-lined coat around her waist as a makeshift skirt, the fabric smooth and speckled. Her hair was the color of cream, pale and glistening in the sun, falling over her shoulders and down her back, not a single strand out of line.

When she walked over to them, Jimin noticed her eyes were of the most piercingly blue shade he’d ever seen in his life. “This is our current lookout,” Taehyung told him happily, making a point of gesturing to her and then to the top of the main mast, where the crow’s nest was located. “She’s from Russia, and she has a long, complicated Russian name, but we call her Lucya. It sounds almost like Russia, which is funny, but it’s actually a shortened version of her real name. She seems to like it well enough.”

While he all but beamed at her, her face remained impassive, her eyes trained on Jimin, who resisted the urge to squirm; he felt as if she was staring straight into his soul. “Oh, and she doesn’t speak any Korean,” Taehyung said almost as an afterthought. “She hasn’t had time to learn yet and Yoongi’s the only one on this ship who speaks russian, but communicating is really not that hard if you just try.” He raised a hand at her and waved, his rectangular smile out in full force. “Good morning, Lucya!”

She spared him a glance and nodded, the faintest of smiles on her lips before she turned back to Jimin and said something in a language he didn’t understand, her voice soft and deep. Very cautiously, Jimin tipped his head in greeting, and when he looked back up, she was still smiling, content.

“She’s really nice,” Taehyung hummed, observing their exchange with amusement. “Though I feel like I should tell you she’s wanted across Russia for killing some four hundred people, including several key characters in their government.” He emitted a bark of laughter when Jimin’s eyes widened, swimming with alarm. “They named her the White Death, a name the mariners stuck to after she joined our crew and became a pirate three months ago,” the blonde pirate said with something painfully close to respect in his voice. “She’s a sniper, and she works every possible weapon in that area. Crossbow, actual bow and arrows, even the rifle. She’s got eyes of a hawk, this one.”

It was all Jimin could do to keep very still when the woman said something and reached out a hand to let her fingers ghost over the bruise on his cheek, her touch light as a feather, before she turned on the heel and strode back towards the mizzen mast to climb it effortlessly. When a gust of wind caught the coat around her waist and made it flutter, Jimin saw the crossbow she’d strapped to her right thigh, and his throat tightened uncomfortably.

“She put a bolt through Xiao’s hand on her first day on Agust,” Taehyung told him in a much too chipper tone. “He thought she was someone to have fun with, but the instant he put a hand on her arse, she drew her crossbow and buried a bolt right through the middle of it. She took her punishment without complaining, and no one’s dared lay a hand on her since.” The way he was talking, one would’ve thought he was relaying a fond memory of a pleasant family supper. “She and Xiao get along great now, don’t worry,” he assured Jimin, as if that was the part that had made him turn ashen pale. “Lucya’s closest with him out of everyone else in the crew, so it’s all good.”

It was as far from good as it possibly could be, Jimin reflected, but again, he held his tongue, quickly averting his eyes when the sniper turned to glance down at the two of them. The death of four hundred people at the hand of one woman was a terrifying thought; Jeju Village itself was home to five hundred. He wondered how devoid of mercy someone had to be to commit the worst crime of all so many times over, yet still be able to smile the way she had, almost kindly.

He watched Taehyung wave at her again before the blonde pirate steered his steps back towards the stairs leading down from the quarterdeck. He paused at the top of them and turned to look at Jimin, a sweet smile on his lips. “You wanna go see Hoseok’s infirmary?” he asked, as if he knew what was going through Jimin’s head and wanted to ease his dread by showing him a familiar face. “It’s the door next to the galley. I’m sure he wants to see how you’re feeling.”

Jimin nodded gratefully and hurried after Taehyung, offering Namjoon a quick little nod when they passed the helm. He moved close to the blonde pirate, barely resisting the urge to grab onto his shirt as he once again found himself moving through the majority of Agust’s population, dodging around the crew as best he could. He barely managed to avoid being run into by a mountain of a man in the process of hauling an iron cannon out of the companionway, and when the pirate turned an annoyed glare on him, it was all he could do not to cower.

“Ignore Sungsin,” Taehyung told him with a snort. “He works directly under the master gunner, Raji, and has to carry the heaviest stuff according to the gunner’s whims.” He grinned toothily at the tall man. “Need any help, Sung?”

“I need you to fuck outta my face, sir,” the pirate said gruffly, and Taehyung emitted a bark of laughter.

“Touchy,” the blonde man sing-songed before taking Jimin’s arm and leading him the rest of the way. “Don’t let their tough words scare you, Chim. They might sound like they’re angry, but they’re really not. They’re just used to speaking a certain way, so they’d curse even if they were telling you they love you.”

That hardly eased Jimin’s alarm, but thankfully, they reached the infirmary door before anything worse could happen. Taehyung forewent any and all thoughts of knocking and unceremoniously threw the door open with a cheery greeting of, “Rise and shine, Hoseokkie!”

Jimin scurried in after him, eager to shut out the bustle of the deck, but he froze when he found an extremely chiselled man seated on the infirmary bed with no shirt, looking incredibly bored as he pressed a wet piece of cloth to his ribs, the rag stained with a color horrifyingly similar to that of blood. He was aging and bald, but with an impressive moustache and beard of black, and when he turned his face to look at them, Jimin recognized him from the raid on Jeju Village.

“You say that as if you don’t know I’ve been up all night, Taehyung.” Hoseok emerged from a door at the back of the sickroom with a fresh cloth and a jar of salve in his hands, the exasperation fading from his smile when his eyes found Jimin. “Good morning,” he said with a nod before taking a seat on a wheeled stool and sliding it up in front of the large man. “How are you feeling, Jimin?”

“Oi, ‘m the one yer treatin’ right now,” the man on the bed complained in a heavily accented voice before Jimin could do more than part his lips. “Ya should be askin’ me that.”

“But I already know how you’re feeling, Xiao,” the doctor stated, unimpressed, “since you choose to remind me every other minute.” He rolled his eyes and batted the pirate’s hand away from his ribs, and Jimin was quick to turn away when he caught sight of the bleeding gash in his side. “Would you like to tell Jimin how you got this? I’m sure he’d be interested in hearing how ridiculously dumb our carpenter is.”

The pirate was big enough to be able to snap Hoseok in two if he chose, but rather than anger, his face contorted into a sullen frown. “Now that’s mean of ya, doc,” he muttered, to which Hoseok responded with a dry chuckle.

“Let me guess,” Taehyung said with a grin before walking over next to the big pirate and observing the wound over Hoseok’s shoulder. Jimin wondered how on earth they could be so calm about it; the big man, Xiao, didn’t even seem to feel any pain when Hoseok dabbed at the wound with the clean rag. “Don’t tell me you actually forgot to move your axe from your bed after cleaning it again.”

Jimin’s brows knitted into a disbelieving frown at the ridiculous suggestion, but then Xiao chortled sheepishly, lips stretching wide over yellow teeth. “Rolled over on the blade,” he said with a leisure shrug. “But ya should see my iron lady, she shines like new again.”

“I hope it was worth it,” Hoseok scoffed with another roll of his eyes as he smeared a white salve around the gash, sending a glance at Jimin and grinning at his dubious expression. “Jimin, this is Yong Xiao, our shipwright,” the doctor told him, and Jimin tried his best not to squirm when the big man quirked a brow at him. “We’ve been stuck with him since before we set sail for the first time. He’s got as much etiquette as a bear and he smells worse than one, but he’s harmless.”

“I don’t smell,” the carpenter protested loudly and turned to look at Jimin when Hoseok only hummed in response. “Ya tell me, pretty bird, do I smell?”

A nervous little sound was the best answer Jimin could conjure, a response that seemed to amuse Xiao, although the grin vanished off his lips when Hoseok none too gently smacked him over the shoulder. “Retract your fangs, stupid bear,” the doctor chided promptly. “Don’t scare him.”

“I’m not scared,” Jimin said instantly, clenching his hands at his sides when all three turned to look at him in curiosity. “There’s a difference between being scared and fearing for your life, and I am not scared.”

That gave the pirates pause for a good several beats, silence stretching heavy in the infirmary, and then Xiao emitted a booming laughter, so loud and so sudden it made Jimin jump in surprise. “The pretty bird sings a pretty song,” he guffawed, his massive frame racking with his laughter. Next to him, Taehyung nodded enthusiastically, his eyes brimming with something akin to awe as he looked at Jimin. “Then ya got nothin’ to be so tense about. No one here’s gon’ lay a hand on the quartermaster’s friend.”

Except the captain, Jimin thought bitterly, but nodded all the same.

Content, Taehyung danced his way back to Jimin’s side and looped an arm around his again. “Well, we just wanted to stop by and say hello,” he chirped, going for the door. “There’s still a lot to show Chim and then I have to find work for him, so we’ll be going now.”

“Have fun,” Hoseok said while Xiao raised his hand in a leisure gesture of farewell. Jimin could see a round scar in the center of his palm and tried his best to push away the image of a crossbow’s bolt sitting buried in his hand. “And come see me if you start feeling sick again.”

Again, Jimin nodded, and as he followed Taehyung outside, he wondered briefly why he was making a conscious effort to remain as silent as possible. He was nervous, yes; as he had told Xiao, he feared for his life, no matter how reassuring anyone tried to be, but even so, his silence was strange to him.

Taehyung showed him around Agust’s fore, everything from the bowsprit to the forecastle, which, to Jimin’s immense surprise, contained shelves full of books. The blonde pirate told him it was Namjoon’s favorite place on the entire ship, that the first mate would spend hours reading about history and philosophy, as well as warfare, both on land and at sea. He was, after all, first mate, which meant he had to have a vast knowledge of strategic combat to keep the crew safe and ensure victory in battle.

After that, Taehyung showed him the figurehead. They had to balance out onto the bowsprit to be able to see it, something Jimin easily complied with; even with the rolling of the sea, he was surefooted as he stepped out after the blonde pirate, having no need to hold onto the many ropes of the jib sails to stay upright.

The figurehead was not what Jimin had expected. He’d seen plenty of ships before at the harbor of Jeju Village, and they all seemed to follow the same fashion; either a beautiful mermaid or a weeping woman, figures to represent the names of the ships to those who couldn’t read. Or that had been the original thought behind the figureheads, but at some point, Jimin had begun to wonder if it wasn’t simply customary to nail the image of a pretty lady to the front of your ship.

While Agust’s figurehead was also a woman, she was nothing like the ones Jimin had seen. She was wild, fierce, arching out of the ship’s hull to point a wooden sword up along the underside of the bowsprit. She had wings like an angel, painted black as the rest of the ship, and in her free hand she held a bird, clutching it to her chest as if to protect it from whatever it was her furious eyes saw.

“That’s the Life of Agust,” Taehyung told him in a voice full of reverence. “Yoongi designed her and had her made, saying she’s the spirit of this ship, the one that protects us all from the perils of the sea.”

“I see,” Jimin said quietly, his eyes trained on the bird wrapped safely in the woman’s embrace, and he found himself oddly at peace. “She’s beautiful.”

“She really is,” Taehyung agreed happily, looking absolutely overjoyed. “I love how she looks like she’d do anything to protect her friend, no matter who or what she faces.”

Somewhere in the back of Jimin’s mind, he remembered hearing about the time Min Yoongi had engaged in a naval battle with some ten mariner warships and triumphed, and he wondered if the Life of Agust had kept him and his crew safe from what should’ve been their deaths.

They sat on the bowsprit for a little longer before Taehyung made his way past Jimin and back towards the deck, easily sidestepping him even on the narrow jib by holding onto one of the ropes and swinging himself out over the sea. “We should start thinking about what your job on the ship should be,” he stated, lips stretched into a grin as he watched Jimin easily make his way back down. “You seem to have pretty good balance. How’s your climbing skills?”

For the first time since the night, Jimin felt a genuine smile grace his lips. “I’ve climbed trees all my life,” he said and tipped his head back to look to the top of the foremast mast. “That should be no different.”

Taehyung emitted a bark of laughter and clapped his hands together. “Then show me what you’ve got, Chim,” he mused and bowed his back in an ironic gesture of respect, as one would before someone of royal blood.

With a chuckle, Jimin rounded the mast until he found the rungs to help him climb. They weren’t very impressive and would surely only provide a fraction of stability, but for him, they were more than enough; after all, he’d grown used to climbing even the most naked of trees, the ones that barely had any branches to grab onto. Thus his smile widened and he rolled his shoulders once before reaching out and curling his fingers over the first one.

The steady rocking of the sea did little to perturb his ascent. Jimin’s movements were swift and deft, his bare feet finding easy support on the narrow rungs, and his weight seemed almost nonexistent as he climbed, rising higher and higher above the horizon. He could hear Taehyung’s excited cheering from somewhere next to him and turned around to find the blonde pirate climbing the shrouds, taking the easier way up alongside him. “The foremast is twelve meters tall,” he said, loudly to be heard over the sound of the wind and sea. “Only seven more to go, Chim!”

Jimin laughed before he could stop himself, and he took a hand off the mast to wave at the pirate before resuming his ascent. He felt like it’d been an eternity since his last climb, his senses tingling with adrenaline as he moved, pulling and pushing himself higher into the sky, closer towards the blinding sun. He passed the first and second sail yards, and by the time he reached the topgallant, he was out of breath, his heart beating strongly in his chest. With a huff, he heaved himself up onto the topgallant and crouched on top of it, one hand gripping the very top of the foremast while the other brushed his hair out of his eyes.

Nothing in the world could’ve prepared him for the overwhelming beauty of his scenery.

The ocean spread out around him as far as his eyes could see, blue and shimmering in the light of the sun, a deeper hue than that of the sky, the horizon a stunning clash of contrasts. It was so vast , so apparently endless, as if Jimin stood at the very center of the world. There was not a cloud in the sky, not a bird in sight, only the sun, warm and comforting on his skin, and for a moment, Jimin forgot where he was, his heart humming with a familiar urge in his chest.

He parted his lips and drew a breath, the song’s words already on the tip of his tongue, but then a voice tore him out of his momentary illusion.

“You’re positively insane, Chim!” Taehyung exclaimed as he pulled himself up next to Jimin, out of breath and smiling as brightly as the sun. “You climb like you were born to do it, and you don’t hesitate at all!”

“Like I said, I’ve climbed trees all my life,” he said. “And my blessing is that of a bird’s, so I think it’s an instinctive thing to not hesitate and to seek high places.” He straightened his back and closed his eyes, feeling the soft breeze ruffle his hair. “I love this feeling.”

“Good.” Jimin blinked and looked at Taehyung, who was nodding thoughtfully to himself. “You should be our new lookout,” he mused. “You don’t seem to mind the rocking of the ship, and you climb much better than Lucya.”

Jimin felt a thrill of dread at the suggestion; he didn’t want the sniper to think he’d gone after her job. “Uh, a-are you sure?” he asked meekly, suddenly feeling like he was being watched. “You, you already have one. I don’t want to, uh, replace anyone against their will.”

Taehyung shook his head at that, beaming. “You wouldn’t be,” he assured Jimin. “Lucya’s only a temporary lookout because she’s got really good eyesight. Our previous lookout, Rodel, had to step down several months ago, after the mariners caught him and cut out his tongue. You can’t really warn the crew of approaching without the ability to speak.” He said the words so casually, it took Jimin several seconds to actually process what he’d said. “Rodel’s our rigger now. He used to work for a circus when he was younger, so he moves around the sails and masts like a monkey.”

Jimin struggled with what to say for almost a full sixty seconds before he gave up and slumped down on the topgallant, heaving a deep sigh as he decided to just ignore the horrifying fact he’d just learned. He wondered briefly if being so severely injured was part of a pirate’s daily life, what with Xiao cutting himself open on his axe and the fact that the captain of the ship had a prosthetic hand, but he was quick to dismiss those thoughts, choosing instead to enjoy the pleasant warmth of the sun.

His peace was quite short lived. Not five minutes later, the ruckus of the crew below them escalated, and Jimin didn’t even have time to turn around and see what the fuss was all about before Taehyung emitted an almost deafening shout from right next to him, more delight in his voice than Jimin could’ve imagined possible. “Jeongguk!”

Without a shred of hesitation, Taehyung jumped right off the topgallant.

Horrorstruck, Jimin felt his heart leap to his throat in shock. “Oh my- Taehyung!” he exclaimed and hurried to turn around and look down, his heart hammering in his chest as he watched the blonde pirate land effortlessly on the fighting top, as if his legs couldn’t feel the effects of the three meter drop. He launched himself into the shrouds, descending faster than what should be possible, and when he reached the deck, he instantly threw himself into a run, crossing towards the quarterdeck and almost knocking one of his crewmates over on the way.

Jimin climbed down to the deck just in time to watch Taehyung all but pounce on a young man with hair the color of red wine, almost tackling him to the floor where he stood next to Namjoon at the helm. Jimin heard the man laugh even as he was all but suffocated by the blonde pirate, and then, right in the middle of the busy ship, he brought a hand up to the back of Taehyung’s head and pulled him into a fiercely passionate kiss.

Heat flooded Jimin’s cheeks and he turned his head away so fast it made his neck throb in protest, an incoherent, meek sound falling from his lips. He couldn’t believe what he’d just seen, the two acting as if they were the only two people in the world, completely ignoring the rest of the crew. The crew who didn’t seem to mind it in the slightest, Jimin realized when he chanced a peek at the others; they either ignored the two, or whistled and shouted something teasing.

They didn’t break apart until someone elbowed the young man in the ribs, hard, and Jimin felt his entire body stiffen at the sight of Min Yoongi.

The captain said something to the two, and while the red-haired man was quick to dip his head in apology, Taehyung merely laughed, the sound carrying across the deck. Next to them, Namjoon seemed to snort in amusement, shaking his head at whatever it was Yoongi had said. Jimin watched the captain roll his eyes in frustration and snap something at his brother, and all of a sudden, the blonde pirate turned around and pointed directly at him.

On cue, Jimin was pinned under three pairs of eyes, but the only gaze he returned was Yoongi’s. His was impassive as he looked at Jimin from across the deck, holding nothing but irritated contempt, something Jimin didn’t hesitate to respond in like with. He felt the skin of his neck contract in tension, but he pretended not to notice, refusing to be the first one to look away, no matter how strong the urge to turn was.

In the end, Taehyung was the one who broke them out of their murderous glare, by taking the red-haired man by the hand and loudly declaring that he was going to introduce him to Jimin. The captain had different plans, however, reaching out to grab his brother by the arm and pull him back to ask something of him. They seemed to bicker for a moment or two before they fell into conversation, and Jimin watched Namjoon heave a light sigh before making his way down from the quarterdeck, motioning for the younger man to follow him as he walked towards Jimin.

“They had to discuss something,” the first mate told him matter-of-factly when he came within earshot, “but introductions should be made either way. Jimin, this is Jeongguk, our sailing master. And Taehyung’s paramour, if that wasn’t painfully obvious already.”

The man looked as embarrassed as Jimin felt, but he reached out a gloved hand either way, which surprised Jimin; none of the other pirates had greeted him so formally. “Hi, Jimin,” he said in a tone that was almost shy. “It’s, uh, nice to meet you. Tae’s already talked about you a lot.”

Jimin nodded slowly as they shook, taking his time to study the navigator. He was taller than Jimin, with broad shoulders and arms corded with muscle. He wore an open shirt that displayed the raw strength of his chest and abdomen, and Jimin could see several lines of ink trace along his hipbone and disappearing beneath the waistband on his trousers.

He wondered if this was the man who’d given Taehyung the bruises around his neck.

“What were you saying before Tae interrupted?” Namjoon asked as soon as they let go, distracting Jimin from his thoughts. “We’re stopping by Japan?”

Jeongguk nodded in confirmation. “We’re not well enough prepared for our visit to Shanghai,” he said. “We need fresh food and water, and Hoseok’s running low on Sleeper’s Drought as well as fabric for bandages.” He gestured vaguely in the direction they were sailing. “There’s a small port on Fukue Island that should have everything we need. It’s a bit of a risk; there’s an active mariner base on the island, so we’ll have to anchor Agust somewhere out of sight and go with a small party to not raise any alarm. We’ll pay for everything we need in gold.”

Jimin’s eyes were trained on the deck as he listened intently to their conversation, his heartbeat loud in his ears as he processed the navigator’s words. An island with mariners, he thought, his mind alight with the possibilities of this piece of information. If I can somehow get in contact with them, I can-

“You look like you’re plotting your escape.”

His head snapped up in alarm, all air leaving his lungs as he found both Namjoon and Jeongguk observing him, the former with a brow arched in question. His gaze felt heavy, as if it weighed down on Jimin’s shoulders, and when Jimin raised his voice to deny their suspicion, his voice was of a higher pitch than before. “N-no, I wasn’t,” he pressed out, internally cursing how meek he sounded. “I wasn’t, I swear, I… I’ve never been to Japan, so I just-”

“If the songbird wants to leave,” a voice drawled from directly behind him, and Jimin felt his blood run cold, “all he needs to do is flap his little wings and fly back home to the people who threw him away.”

He whirled around and recoiled from the captain, an unwelcome shiver ripping up his spine as their eyes met; the intensity of Yoongi’s glare was much stronger up close. Jimin swallowed thickly and clenched his hands by his sides, digging his nails into the palms of his hand to keep himself grounded. “What are you talking about?” he snapped, feeling a crack in his brave facade simply by noticing the slight twitch in the captain’s jaw. “I can’t fly.”

Yoongi arched a brow at that, disdain seeping into his expression. “Of course you can,” he stated coldly, his voice rough. “You have the canary’s blessing. Canaries are birds. Birds can fly, and so can you.”

All Jimin could do was stare at him in absolute disbelief, too trapped in his incredulity to notice Taehyung had sauntered over to them and wrapped his arms around Jeongguk’s waist, pressing his face in between the navigator’s shoulder blades. “Uh,” was the first thing that made its way past Jimin’s lips, quickly followed by, “no, I can’t. I can sing, but that’s it.”

Now it was the captain’s turn to adapt an expression of disbelief. “You’re telling me you’re not only just a songbird,” he said, his voice thick with venom, “but you’re the most useless fucking songbird there is. You refuse to sing, and you don’t even know you can fly.” He heaved an exasperated sigh and crossed his arms over his chest, and Jimin vaguely registered the metal of his prosthetic hand stretched past his wrist and in under the sleeve of his shirt, possibly reaching as far as his elbow. “Yours is a blessing of Nature,” Yoongi told him in a tone that indicated just how ignorant he thought Jimin was, “and the nature of it is an animalistic one. That means you can take the shape of the animal your blessing represents.”

This was the first time Jimin had ever heard anything about such traits of his blessing. Granted, all he knew about his abilities was what he’d learned from his mother, and the way the captain spoke made it sound as if there were several different categories of blessings. And that there was more to his own blessing than he’d thought.

His silence didn’t seem to sit well with Yoongi, whose irritation seemed to only escalate at Jimin’s apparent lack of knowledge. “For fuck’s sake,” he hissed before turning around, his eyes scanning over the deck until he found who he was looking for. “Xiao!”

The carpenter had just stepped out of the infirmary, and he almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of his captain’s harsh voice. Had the situation been any different, it would’ve been almost comical to watch him hurry over to where they were standing, tall and broad and built with muscle and cowering under the short pirate’s gaze. “Ya called fer me, cap’n,” he said tentatively, as if worried he was facing a punishment of sorts.

“I did,” Yoongi said, a bite to his voice when he turned back to Jimin. “The songbird doesn’t believe in the skinchanging of those carrying blessings of Nature, so show the songbird what he should already know.”

A look of genuine surprise crossed Xiao’s face as he looked at Jimin before his lips stretched into a sharp grin. “Aye, cap’n,” he said and took a deep breath, his eyes falling shut.

And then his body began to change.

Jimin watched in terror as the carpenter’s already muscular frame began to grow in size, his shoulders broadening and the biceps of his arms filling out and becoming even heavier. His posture hulked and he leaned forward, and when strands of dark fur blossomed from the skin of his arms and chest and neck, Jimin staggered back and almost lost his balance, a meek sound of dread escaping his parted lips.

Rather than a man, what stood before him now was a cross between a human being and a black bear. The structures of his face were still that of a man’s, but his beard had shifted into rough fur, the same fur that sprouted from his cheeks and temples, reaching across his neck and shoulders and over his chest. His arms had grown longer and thicker, and instead of fingers, five long, sharp claws were braced against the deck, supporting the heavy increase of his weight.

“The Rune of the Black Bear,” Yoongi said curtly, his eyes trained on Jimin’s shellshocked face. “Also a blessing of Nature, which allows him to take on either a hybrid or a complete form of a bear.”

“‘M not gonna do a full shift now,” Xiao rumbled, his voice almost a growl. “Don’t wanna tear through my pants again.” He grinned at Jimin, showing a row full of razor-sharp fangs. “Ya scared yet, pretty bird?”

“I-I, you, you’re a…” he squeaked, his voice quivering like a leaf in a storm. He felt faint, his hands instinctively searching for something to hold onto, something that could stabilize him. The ship’s rocking suddenly felt that much stronger. “I’ve never… I-I had no idea you…” He wasn’t even certain what it was he wanted to say, and the fact that no one else seemed even a little surprised by this phenomenon only made it worse.

It was Yoongi’s voice that broke him out of his almost paralyzed state, the sheer amount of scorn in his voice triggering that same anger in Jimin that he had felt during the night. “You know absolutely nothing of the world, do you?” he spat, and even though they were of the same height, he easily managed to look down on him. “Remind me again why the fuck you took this boy instead of razing the village, Taehyung?”

“Who do you think you are?” The words were out of Jimin’s mouth before he could stop to think twice; there was something in the way the captain spoke that he couldn’t bear, the feeling of being treated as if he was worth less than the dirt underneath Yoongi’s shoes. “You’re acting as if I asked to be here,” he said loudly, ignoring the warning hand he felt on his shoulder. “As if I should consider it some damned  privilege to be allowed on this ship!”

It was almost startling how quickly the captain could don so much rage in his expression, and his voice was more feral than Xiao’s when he spoke. “You’re too mouthy for your own good,” he snarled and reached out to grab hold of Jimin’s arm when he tried to back away, the fingers of his right hand curling tight around Jimin’s wrist. “It’ll get you killed before long, if not by me, then by somebody else. You should be grateful you’re still breathing.”

“Don’t touch me, pirate!” Jimin barked and pried his fingers away, this time successful due to the lack of his artificial strength. “I’m not some plaything for you to do with as you please!” He took a step back and held his ground there, keen on maintaining a safe distance while still refusing to run away. “You’ve given me nothing to be thankful for!”

“I’ve spared your life!” Yoongi said loudly, looking just about ready to close his hands around Jimin’s throat and squeeze until all life was gone from him, but Jimin didn’t care. Not anymore.

“That is not something I should have to be grateful for!” he almost screamed, his anger now accompanied by a hollow anguish, tears burning behind his eyes. “It’s my life, I’m allowed to keep it for myself, and just because you’re not taking it away from me does not mean I owe you anything!” He turned on the heel and surged towards Taehyung, ignoring the pirate’s surprise in favor of digging the brig’s key out of his pocket, and once he found it, he sent Yoongi one final, scathing glare. “If there’s anything I owe you, it’s a swollen cheek!”

Without lingering for another second, he took off, reaching up to angrily rub at his eyes as he stormed towards the companionway, eager to just lock himself up and never resurface. Whatever small amount of joy he’d felt up on the sails was gone now, leaving nothing but bitter sorrow behind.

Jimin had almost reached the companionway when he felt something shoot past his right ear, a sharp sting of pain flaring up the lobe, and as if time had slowed down, he watched a knife embed itself in the wall right in front of him, sinking in all the way to the hilt.

The shocked sound that tore up his throat was just shy of a scream, his heart stopping dead in his chest for all of two seconds before starting a wild pace. His hand flew up to his ear and he turned on the heel, and no matter how hard he fought against it, the overwhelming amount of terror that arose in him as he watched the captain walk towards him was too strong, clutching an identical knife in his left hand.

“Don’t tempt me, songbird,” he snarled almost softly as he came to a halt right in front of Jimin, the quietness of his voice causing every last cell of Jimin’s body to cry out in fear. “There’s only one reason I haven’t ripped your throat open, and every single fucking time you open your mouth, that reason starts to weigh less and less.” Yoongi leaned in close, so close Jimin could feel his breath against his cheek as the captain pulled the knife out of the wall behind him. “Next time, I’ll make sure this lands in your skull.”

It was all Jimin could do to breathe, the air traveling past his lips high-pitched and trembling. His heart thundering against his ribs, beating so hard and so fast he feared his bones might crack, yet for all the horror, all the dread, all the fear that stormed inside him and threatened to almost consume him, when he found his voice, however weak it was, the whispered words that left his lips were, “Go to hell.”

He could almost feel the ripple of anger that went through Yoongi’s body and he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the consequences of his words. He could feel the change in the captain’s breath against his skin, he could hear the sound of his prosthetic hand gripping the knife tighter, the leather handle creaking in protest.

Forgive me, Jihyun, Jimin thought.

An eternity seemed to pass before someone finally broke the crushing silence. “Even a songbird has talons, Yoongi,” Namjoon said solemnly.

The furious sound the captain emitted made Jimin recoil on instinct, a wet whimper spilling from his lips as Yoongi jerked away from him, the ringing of the knives sending a violent shudder down his spine. “Don’t you fucking lecture me, Namjoon!” Yoongi shouted, his voice echoing across the sea. “He brought this on himself! I don’t give a fuck who he is, he’s responsible for his own words!”

Jimin felt the captain shift in front of him, and then his world came to a crashing halt when he felt hard, cold fingers close around his throat.

He briefly wondered who, if anyone, would mourn his death.

The harsh touch was there only for a fraction of a second, however, gone before he could do more than emit a sharp, quivering exhale. Next thing he knew, he was falling backwards, and his eyes snapped open just before he crashed painfully against the floor at the bottom of the companionway ladder, the impact shoving all air out of his lungs. He gasped, tears springing to his eyes, but even through the wet blur, he could see the captain’s silhouette towering over him at the top of the ladder, and the sight jarred his body into action before he could even catch his breath.

He rolled over and pushed himself up from the floor, running before he’d even properly regained his balance. He’d never moved as fast in his life as he did then, darting past the bunks and all but flying down the second set of ladders, not pausing for long enough to see if the captain was even coming after him.

“Please,” he wheezed as he reached the brig, his hands shaking so bad he struggled to fit the key into its hole. “Please, please, please..!”

He cried when he finally managed to open it, and the very instant he stepped inside the brig, he pulled the door shut and scrambled to lock it from the inside. Only once he heard the secure click of the lock did he finally allow himself to breathe, sinking onto his knees on the floor and heaving, the sheer amount of fear making his stomach roil.

He gagged on the burning sourness that was left in his mouth once he’d vomited, and every single breath was accompanied by pain. Jimin could still feel the cold touch on his throat. He could hear the captain’s threats, could feel the sting in his ear, which he barely registered was bleeding lightly, but throughout all of this, he forced himself to keep breathing the way Hoseok had taught him, deep and slow.

When he thought he heard something, Jimin flinched away from the door and fled to his cell, making sure to lock that as well, doing all he could to guard himself from the man who wanted his life. I have to escape, he thought as he clutched onto the bars of his cell, the only source of security left for him in this world. When we reach land, I have to escape.