Archive of Our Own ^beta

Boring. It really couldn’t be more boring.  

He’d been picking at the same piece of bread for well over an hour and he hardly had any crust left. Which was a shame, because that was the most exciting part of his night. 

His wife to be was three seats down, his mother and hers sandwiched between them and Wooyoung really wanted to upend the table and throw a world class tantrum - But he was better than that, well behaved, well mannered. 

The king-to-be couldn’t be caught acting like that.

He was second in line, behind his brother. However- His brother had been able to convince his father by some strange miracle that he would do best as King if he could travel the world, first. Bounce from kingdom to kingdom, do whatever the fuck it was he pleased with whoever he was so inclined to fuck and lose contact completely with the family. It had been four years and he’d not returned. 

He made the right call, apparently. 

Three months ago they’d finally bestowed the title of heir upon Wooyoung. His guards were upgraded and the pale, sickly looking princess that was supposed to have wed his brother, was now his bride to be. A horrific fate for the both of them, honestly. And really, he had wanted to inherit the crown, once upon a time. He liked living the way he did, couldn’t imagine living on some farm in some mud pit with pigs and cows and - 

He shuddered, at the thought. 

“Are you alright, dear?” His mother saw his shiver and bent her head to speak to him, and Wooyoung sat up straighter, accidentally gifting himself a way out because of his daydreaming. 

“No- Actually, I feel a little feverish.” He pushed his palm to his head before his mother could, knocking the gold curled around his forehead sideways and his mother nodded hurriedly. 

“Oh, go lie down- We’re practically finished here.” She smiled and patted his shoulder, gesturing for his guards to come meet him at the table's edge. “Straight to his room, all three of you on watch.” She snapped her fingers and Wooyoung sighed, slowly rising to his feet to really play up the oh gods I’ve got the plague facade. One by his side, one at his front, and one at his back, his guards walked him through a side door toward his quarters. The hallways wound, cold and gray, red fabrics strung up haphazardly along its walls. And finally, when they reached his room, Wooyoung was led inside by one of his three guardsmen and the door was locked behind them. 

The sound of steel clattering to the floor would have scared him, had that been the first time he’d heard it, if he’d not been expecting it. The noise of leather thumping, swords plopping onto carpeted marble- Wooyoung simply made his way forward into his room and moved toward his fireplace, long cold as it hadn’t been lit since the night before. He felt fingers on his jacket and shrugged out of it, letting that fall to the floor as well. Then he growled, kicking the bright red fabric into the fire pit before looking around for a match, something he could use to light the fire. 

“You liked that one, though.” 

“Yeah, well, it’s fucking ugly to me, now.” Wooyoung hissed and tried to strike his match, getting more and more frustrated with each failed attempt. “Everything I wear around that wretch becomes ugly. I know it’s not her decision either, but- Fuck!” Heavy arms circled him, calloused hands taking over for him to strike and light the match in one go, then handed the lit flame back to the irritated prince. Wooyoung stared at it for a second before tossing it onto his jacket. And then he turned, forehead plopping onto golden threads, his own gold knocking off his head, landing behind him on the floor. 

“It must be so hard to sit around on your ass all day and be bored .” 

“ When are you getting me out of here?”

The hands on his waist got tighter and Wooyoung’s own hands slipped into San’s front pockets, gripping black velvet and he sighed, turning his face up a little to kiss the freckles over his throat. 

“Soon, love. He’ll be here very soon.”  

°˖✧

San’s life as a member of the royal guard had started completely as a ruse, which Wooyoung knew very well, now. He’d snuck in to try and gather whatever information on their military plans as he could so he could relay it and sell it to the highest bidder. He ended up being stuck as the crown prince’s main guard about three months ago and he’d been up his ass ever since. Figuratively- And literally. 

He followed Wooyoung wherever he went, wherever he traveled, whatever boring meetings he’d needed to attend. And he’d never shut the fuck up about how much he hated it , either. How it was so unfair that his elder brother had skipped out and managed to escape, somehow. That now he had to learn twenty-five years worth of royal jargon in the span of three months. He was struggling, he was tired , and he never stopped whining. San had tired of it rather quickly, ignoring him most of the time- He knew Wooyoung didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, and San hated the idea of being trapped, like that- But he also knew how cushy a life Wooyoung was living, so he felt a little less bad about his situation. Every complaint sounded like prissy, entitled whining. 

But once he met the boy's father- All the complaining, bitching, and moaning made a whole lot more sense. 

He was a piece of shit that treated his family like pawns, spoke to Wooyoung like he was less than and hit him more times than San could count. But Wooyoung never whined about that. It was the little, boring things he’d complain about. Not the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. San wasn’t sure when it started, but he’d started to comfort him, once he’d had to return to his quarters and slipped in behind him. The other two members of his close guard had come in with San, part of his little undercover operation, so he wasn’t caught. 

They weren’t caught. 

°˖✧

“I just can’t marry her- I need to leave before then. If we have to go hide in the fucking woods somewhere, I will-”

“It won’t be more than a couple of days until he gets here. You won’t have to marry her, Youngah.”

“How can you even be sure?”

“I’ll make it so.” 

San had all of Wooyoung’s clothes on the floor, his own body stripped down to his shirt, and Wooyoung sighed, thumbing over the worn ties at the middle of his collar. San bent down, looping a finger under his crown to lift it from the floor, then settled it back on his lover's head, smiling as it settled over thick brown waves. 

“You would not want to go hide in the woods, by the way.” San smiled and watched Wooyoung’s face fall more than it already had, his arms crossed over his chest, gripping his bare biceps. The prince could somehow manage to look so small , sometimes.

“Yeah, well, I’d rather do that than marry some woman .” Wooyoung let San pull his hips forward, then pry his arms apart, hands sliding over his chest. 

“Mm? Why’s that?” San cocked his head  and watched Wooyoung cave instantly, his sad little pout melting away once San’s rough palms slid over his nipples and around his sides, splaying over his back. 

“Bec- Because- ” Wooyoung stammered and shuffled forward, tugging the little chain out from under San’s collar, threaded through a thick golden band. The twin to the one Wooyoung was wearing, on his own chain, around his own neck. “ I want to marry you. You said we could.” Wooyoung pouted again and San smiled wider, bumping his nose against Wooyoung’s to get him to look up and kiss him before he got too into his own head. 

“And I stand by that.” San murmured against plush pink, bitten raw from a day of anxiety and wedding planning and Wooyoung melted further, wrapping his arms around San’s neck before they both slipped to the floor, kneeling together and Wooyoung started to undo the threads holding San’s shirt together. “ Ah- ” San snatched his wrist and pushed it down, back into his own lap and Wooyoung huffed, leaning back to sit on his ass. 

“Why won’t you just take the damn thing off, hm?” Wooyoung flailed his hand at him, annoyed because San had never removed his shirt in the two months they’d been sleeping together and Wooyoung was sick of being the only naked one, every time. He was also curious as to what he was hiding, because San hadn’t hid the fact that there was something there, possibly something that brought him shame.

Wooyoung could never look down on him, no matter what was hidden under the cloth. 

“I’ve told you, you won’t want to see it, love.” San leaned back, kicking his legs out before trying to pull Wooyoung closer to him. 

“And I’ve told you , I do want to see it. Love. ” Wooyoung hissed the last part like an insult but San just smiled, tucking his head against his neck. 

“I’ll let you undress me when we leave, how about that?” San asked, and Wooyoung just pouted, so intensely that San couldn’t hide his chuckle. 

“I bet you’ll leave without me.” Wooyoung grumbled, and San shook his head, reaching to take Wooyoung’s chin and hold it firmly between his fingers. Then he kissed the pout off of him, roughly, tongue jamming between his lips to get Wooyoung to focus on him and not the what if’s. It worked, soft hands wrapping around his wrist before he pulled his mouth away. 

“I will not leave you behind.”  

San had drowned him in affection, that night. Wooyoung was suffocated, almost, by the intensity San’s love was capable of. And it was just that, love , be it two months or two centuries, it didn’t matter how long they’d felt it for, been in each other's lives for. 

The prince felt a kind of love for his guard that spanned centuries, he could feel it. And the other could feel it, too. Just how deep under each other's skin they’d gotten, in such a short time. Anybody else would have been scared. But not them. Not Choi San. 

In any universe, he’d have fallen for this spoiled brat of a man. And he’d do it again and again, every time, happily.

°˖✧

But Wooyoung didn’t see him, after that. His guards had suddenly rotated without his knowledge or approval and San didn’t come back to his room. The other guards he knew as Mingi and Jongho hadn’t returned, either. Wooyoung was inconsolable, and nobody else knew why. He’d trashed his room more than once, shattered dishes in the kitchen, knocked the table down off the ledge in front of the entire court and his father had beaten him blue for that one. 

The blue on his face contrasted the red of his coat, fitted to his body so he’d look his best on his wedding day. He’d still tucked his ring under his collar, even if he’d not seen San in a fortnight and was certain he’d left him, that he’d never see him again. He wanted to hope he’d see him. He’d leave at the drop of a hat, even if he was married- He’d really just wanted to skip out entirely and save the idea of marriage for Choi San. The man that appeared in his life out of thin air and seemed to have disappeared right back into it after upending everything he’d ever thought he wanted. Ever thought he’d needed.

San had been the only man- only person - to ever make him feel seen . Like he mattered past his money, or status. San didn’t care about any of that, genuinely. And that made Wooyoung stop caring, too. 

Coat on, hair done, court full, Wooyoung was escorted to the altar and he stood there like a husk because he couldn’t stop it, now. His bride was making her way up to the altar with her father on her arm, old and decrepit as he was. He watched her, gloves on, face covered by her veil and Wooyoung couldn’t even look at her for more than a few seconds. He felt bad, marrying this woman and they both knew damn well they couldn’t stomach one another. He bent his head to her when she stepped up in front of him but he kept his head down, listening to the priest say whatever it was he had to say to legally bind them. He looked up at her to say his I do , wondering suddenly if she’d always been as tall as him but he supposed he’d only ever seen her hunched, sick, or sitting. 

And then it came time for her to say her I do’s , and she sounded a little hoarse- So she was still sick. Figures . Wooyoung reached forward to lift her veil like he’d been instructed, but stopped just at her nose, because he realized very quickly that that was not his bride.  

“...what, too shy to kiss me on our wedding day?” San smiled, and Wooyoung tried not to melt into the floor, tearing his veil the rest of the way up to expose his face. Wooyoung’s emotions shattered all around from excited, worried, confused, nervous, scared - 

“How-”  

But, he never finished his question, because a lot of things happened, very quickly, all at once. San pulled the ribbon on the bouquet he’d been holding, yanking away crimson red to expose gunmetal. He tore at the side of his dress and ripped the bottom half of the gown away, tossing it back to cover the guards rushing him. 

“Secure prince Jung!” 

Two of his own guards rushed Wooyoung, but he was too stunned to even move, feeling himself get yanked backwards while San turned his gun on his father . San had always said he’d maim him, for the way he treated Wooyoung. He supposed he was finally making good on that promise.

He realized how intricate this entire situation must have been when the skylight crashed in and shattered glass over his entire wedding party. Two ropes hit the ground with heavy thud ’s from above and Wooyoung stared, two other men sliding down the ropes to stop halfway down and start firing.  

“This was really boring.” Jongho leaned to speak into Wooyoung’s ear and he grinned, ecstatic to see his familiar guards back with him. 

“It really couldn’t be more boring.” Mingi spoke up from the other side and Wooyoung turned to follow wherever they were leading him. 

“No women, no children! Just the old bastards that look like they might have a little too much money and blood on their hands.” 

He didn’t recognize the voice, and he tried to look over his shoulder to see who was speaking, but he just watched San put a bullet in his fathers right arm and he grinned . He was yanked around a corner before he could see any more, but Mingi and Jongho started moving with haste so he had no choice but to run with them. 

“Is there anything you need from your room?” Jongho asked, the three of them making their way toward a back exit. 

“No! Just get me out of here .” Wooyoung rushed past his bedroom door and followed Mingi, rushing around a corner through the kitchen. They burst through the back door, into the sunlight, onto a poorly cobbled walkway and there was a carriage pulled hastily up to the back door. 

“Up you go-” Jongho practically threw him into the back and Wooyoung held on tight to wooden rails, watching his guards leap into the front seat and crack the reins of the carriage, setting the horses off at top speed. 

When he looked back, all he could see was smoke billowing from the hole that had been blown through the skylight. 

“Will they be okay?” 

“They’ve got the captain with them. They’ll be fine.” Mingi smiled back at him and Wooyoung stared, watching his home disappear over a hill. 

°˖✧

The journey toward the ocean really wasn’t a long one. It was only about an hours walk from the castle, so it was about twenty minutes or so by carriage, and his horses were well trained, powerful. Wooyoung worried the entire time, about whether or not San would make it out, if he’d be safe, if the rest of his crew would be safe. Who the rest of his crew was. When they got to the docks, Jongho handed the reins off to some poor dock boy and hopped out, hurrying to the back to help Wooyoung down. 

“You’re sure you want to do this?” He asked, and Wooyoung nodded, gripping his useless crown in his fist as he followed behind Mingi, Jongho at his back. 

“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything.” Wooyoung looked up as they passed by a large ship, one that rivaled his navy ships in size and design. Somebody peeked over the side, hair snow while, wide grin on his face when he saw them approaching. 

“Did you bring me the dinner rolls I asked for?” The man called, throwing a ladder over the side, rope and wood unfurling to splash into the water. Mingi looked at Jongho, and Jongho looked back at him, both of them holding up their hands, empty . “Oh, come on!” 

“Sorry, Hwa! I’m sure Joong grabbed you some!” Mingi smiled up at him but this Hwa disappeared over the side again and Jongho gestured for Wooyoung to start climbing. 

“You can leave that, probably.” Mingi pointed to the crown as he stuck his arm through it so he could climb, and Wooyoung shook his head. 

“You know how much I could sell this for?” Wooyoung scoffed, and Jongho raised a brow, watching the prince hoist himself up wobbly rope- He was surprised he was able to do so without assistance.

“He makes a good point.” Jongho smiled and hauled himself up next, followed by Mingi when he had enough space to do so. Wooyoung made his way to the top of their ship and hauled himself onto the deck, looking around to find that nobody else was aboard. Just the white-haired man waiting by the side excitedly. Wooyoung did notice he was dressed a bit extravagantly, more so than even he had been for his wedding. He noted lace, pearls, a tightly cinched waistline that Wooyoung was envious of. 

“This is the boy?” The man asked, and Mingi nodded, huffing and puffing while Jongho helped pull him up. “Hm… bigger than I’d assumed. San made him sound so tiny.” He hummed, looking Wooyoung over as he stood there like an idiot, crown hooked around his elbow. 

“Uh. I’m Wooyoung. San’s only told me about Mingi, and Jongho, and your captain.” Wooyoung nodded and the beautifully dressed man turned, heading up toward the ships wheel. Wooyoung realized then that his dress was flowing. Not in the way of being long, but in the way of it looked like it was underwater , fluttering behind him in slow motion, blues and white hues billowing as he moved up the steps. Wooyoung had only ever seen healing magic from the court mage, but he had to guess that witchcraft had something to do with the ethereal way he moved. 

“I’m Seonghwa! I captain the captain. Keep him in line.” Seonghwa smiled and spun the wheel around, leaning up to look over the side of the ship. Wooyoung watched him sway with the rhythm of the ocean, almost like he was leading its lapping tides.

“What he means is he’s the captain’s lover and they never shut up about that fact.” Jongho piped up, moving quickly over to the anchor to start hoisting. Wooyoung hurried to the back of the ship, letting Mingi follow him. 

“Are we leaving? What about San?” Wooyoung gripped the rear railing and panicked, watching the ship start to move. Then a wave came from the direction of the shoreline and scared the shit out of him, making him grip the railing when the boat was pushed quickly from the docks. 

“They’ll catch up. We have to get you out of here, or they’ll find you.” Mingi reassured him, patting his shoulder while he looked out over the expanse of hilly land leading up to the docks. 

“But- Haven’t you seen these tides? Even in a dingy-” Wooyoung watched ocean water crash up in front of him, pushing the ship further. It was like there was a storm, right here, only here. 

“Hongjoong knows better than anybody how to ride the tides. Don’t think them so incompetent.” Seognhwa was smiling over his shoulder at him, sending the wheel flying to one side before he leaned again and sent it back. It was like he was dancing with the damn thing and Wooyoung felt doubt itching at the back of his mind, anxiety swelling in his chest, fear that he was now being taken by some kind of madman. 

“Hey, you’re alright.” Jongho had at some point made his way over to them again, landing on his other side to put a steady hand on Wooyoung’s lower back. The lilt in his voice made Wooyoung feel worlds better. Jongho was familiar. This cool-toned lunatic was not .

“Yeah, I just-” Wooyoung turned again, watching the ship move away at a speed he thought impossible, but with how large this ship was, he supposed maybe it was the size? Change in perspective? It felt like it had only been a few minutes, but he could hardly make out their horse carriage anymore. “-I need him to make it.” Wooyoung sighed, the last of his worry seeming to leave his body when Jongho started to hum some song he’d never heard. 

“And they will.” Seonghwa’s voice carried over the wind and drifted back to him. Wooyoung watched his land slip into nothing but a green blur, fading smoke on the horizon signaling the siege on his castle may very well be over.

“If you come with us, we can show you your room. Well- San’s room. I suppose you’ll be sleeping with him.” Jongho hummed, and Wooyoung nodded, dreamy, following behind Jongho with all the trust in the world. 

“Not like you haven’t for the last two months, but-” 

“Mingiyah.” Jongho seemed irritated and Wooyoung felt it, just for a moment.

“Sorry.” Mingi huffed as he trailed behind them. 

༄ 

Wooyoung didn’t do very much investigation once he got to San’s room. It was large, it was warm, it smelled so much like San that he had to sit down. He still felt like his head was in the clouds even after the two men left him to decompress while they waited for the others to return.

Wooyoung ended up flopped on his side, thin blankets bunched up tightly to his face just to let himself breathe. Down here, the sway of the ocean felt much less significant, almost like there was no movement at all. He buried his fingers into the threads of the bedding, eyes half lidded when he thought about finally being with San. He’d been without him for well over a week, and now he felt the most impatient he had for the entirety of his disappearance. He stayed laid out on San’s bed for a while, listening to the sounds of water but not feeling its weight. Not until he jostled and heard voices rise in pitch from above. 

“...appened to him?”

Wooyoung could hear the tension in Mingi’s voice, followed by a few other speakers he didn’t recognize, but something felt wrong . He popped up from the bed, coherency back, the magic spell that was being on this boat broken for just a moment. Long enough for him to follow the voices and make his way back up to the deck.

“I can’t do anything with these… scars , I’ve told you I don’t know how to get past them.” Seonghwa sounded distressed, and Wooyoung finally made his way to them. Jongho was knelt down, and a few other faces he didn’t recognize were gathered around a lump on the deck. Wooyoung made his way closer, creeping as if he weren’t allowed to be there. “I don’t even know what these sigils mean, and that’s a first for me. And I know everything .” Seonghwa sighed heavily, then looked up at Wooyoung and did a double take. 

“We know you do, dear. But that doesn’t help us, right now.” A man with indigo hair was crouched beside red and Wooyoung’s vision was blocked by white and blue lace. 

“Hey! You can go back to San’s room.” Seonghwa spoke, putting a hand on his shoulder but Wooyoung shrugged him off, and Seonghwa looked like he’d been struck. His charm had rarely ever been deflected like that, before. “W- Hold on-” The only other person to deflect his magic like that was San . 

“What happened ?” Wooyoung breathed, watching San lay motionless over the oak boards of the deck. And there was so much blood . He received no answer, not one sound to give him any indication as to what had happened to his partner. “What happened?!” Wooyoung croaked, body stiff before plopping to his knees hurrying to reach out and pull San up off the wood, gathering him into his arms as best he could. 

“He- Your father had reinforcements we didn’t know about.” The man in blue spoke up and got to his feet, nodding at someone but Wooyoung didn’t bother to look at who. 

“Why only him?” Wooyoung’s tone was nothing but anger , a low, calm irritation as he glanced up at the rest of them, all unharmed, while San was bleeding from so many places that Wooyoung couldn’t even decide where pressure needed to be applied first. And his question, why only him , was meant to be as rude as it sounded. Why is San injured and not a single one of you?  

“Because he’s an idiot and went right for your father.” The man spoke up again and Mingi arrived with some supplies in his arms. 

“Where do you want these, captain? I don’t do first aid, either…” Mingi huffed, and Wooyoung finally looked up, glaring at the man he had known as captain but never had a face for. 

“Give it to me.” Wooyoung hissed, displeased with the hustle everybody seemed to lack, half of them just standing there staring, not doing a damn thing to help his boyfriend not die . 

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” The captain knelt down with him and watched Wooyoung shift, laying San back down to tear at his clothes. 

“Do you?” Wooyoung didn’t spare him another glance. He was in full medic mode, thankful he’d been trained in that specific field a few weeks ago, some of the only royal instruction he’d received and actually found useful. “What kind of a captain lets his crew be mangled like this?” Wooyoung started blotting wounds and trying not to cry , pressing a cloth down over San’s stomach, where a larger gash seemed to be. 

“The kind that trusts his men a little too much.” He leaned forward to wipe some of the blood from San’s chest, over some kind of marking etched into his skin and Wooyoung stopped, staring down over his torso. “I trusted him not to fall in love with a spoiled prince, and now look what’s happened to him.” The captain sighed and reached to put pressure on a hole through his shoulder. Wooyoung didn’t pay enough attention to his backhanded comment to even be angry that the captain had just tried to put the blame for this on him.

“What is this?” Wooyoung’s vision had zeroed in on wounds right away, trying to see past the blood for whatever needed to be sealed up. He’d only then leaned back, eyes wide and confused when he saw the marks all over San’s torso. Concentric circles littered with alchemic symbols so tiny they shouldn’t even be physically able to be carved into him, but they were, almost as if they were printed on his skin. He’d seen tattoo’s before- This wasn’t that. His skin was raised in tiny patterns and Wooyoung held his breath. He pushed his thumb over one of the seals, watching it shift under his touch. Creepy.

“What are you doing to him?” Seonghwa had looked over his shoulder and watched Wooyoung’s touch cause movement in San’s markings. Not the stretching of skin, but movement , pulsating, thudding movement.

“Trying to fix him .” Wooyoung stopped his hands and reached for the sewing kit, thankful when the captain made himself useful and held the pressure on the wound for him.

“No, I mean, what magic is that?” Seonghwa sounded frantic, watching the runes move whenever Wooyoung brushed against them. 

“...First aid? What the fuck are you on about-”  

“Fuck!”  

Wooyoung stopped when San’s body arched out and he lost the grip on his needle, managing to grab it again quickly. San’s rousing brought hands from all over, Jongho and two other men helping to keep him secure. Mingi made a worried noise behind him but moved forward with a few rags and a basin filled with water.

“Thank you, Mingi.” Wooyoung sighed out his appreciation and tried to hold it together, having to fight his own hands to get them to continue their work. He watched San’s muscles tense where he stabbed him and he felt his own throat tighten at the noise of pain he made. “I’m so sorry .” He hissed, but it seemed like San hardly heard him. They had a grip on his hands and his fingernails were digging into the oak below him.

“Yeosang-”

“I know.”

Wooyoung wasn’t quite sure why singing is what settled San, but it did, one voice high, Jongho’s , the other voice low, and Wooyoung suspected him to be Yeosang. 

“Told you having sirens on board would be helpful.” Seonghwa huffed down at them in some cocky tone and Wooyoung tried not to question that statement. Sirens ? Like the man-killing sea creatures that lulled people into a false sense of security before eating them whole?

“And I never said they wouldn’t be- Honey, if you’re going to be jealous, take it elsewhere.” 

“Hongjoong, there’s something weird going on with him and I need to watch him to find out what it is! He could be dangerous !” Seonghwa was pointing at Wooyoung but the prince continued his work, moving onto the gash in his shoulder. 

“Go and steer us back to the cape so we can find him a proper doctor. One that’s not crying all over his wounds.” Hongjoong was still helping, even if he was irritated by the questioning of his leadership skills by some child that was born with a silver spoon up his ass. 

“If he dies I will burn this entire fucking ship down.” Wooyoung snarled, teeth grit while San’s body flinched but he was hardly moving under the lull of the ominous harmony that emanated from on either side of him. Hongjoong had no fucking clue why San liked this man, let alone loved him. But he was arguably the only one with any kind of first aid skill that wasn’t San, so he supposed he had no choice but to sit there and listen to him sniffle and cry and threaten.

…He supposed he’d have acted the same way, had it been his own lover bleeding out on the floorboards. 

༄ 

Wooyoung could not scrub the blood out from under his nails. He’d finished cleaning San up as best he could, his wounds sterilized and wrapped to the best of his ability. Seonghwa had steered them in some random direction and Wooyoung hadn’t even asked where, focusing more on helping Mingi, Jongho, Yeosang, and another man by the name of Yunho carry his boyfriend below deck so he could rest comfortably in his bed. 

“...it’s much more calm, down here. It’s dizzying up there.” Wooyoung murmured, watching San sleep soundly while the others hung around in his room. It was a larger area than Wooyoung first realized, a set of emerald green velvet couches bolted in one corner, a large, heavy desk set nicely in another. His bed was the centerpiece, large and wide and Wooyoung realized it was one stolen from his own castle, and that bit made him smile. 

“It’s Seonghwa’s magic. Makes the waves feel much less prominent when we can’t see them.” Yunho spoke up, nodding over to the entire reason they risked their lives earlier that day. For the man San had begged their captain on his knees, forehead to the floorboards for Hongjoong to let him come with them. He’d never seen San so desperate as he had a few days ago.

“That man is… strange.” Wooyoung mumbled, looking down at San’s hand laid loosely in his, no motion behind it but Wooyoung was keeping his fingers pressed to his wrist to keep up with his pulse. He was terrified it’d stop, his body so tense from the anxiety he felt sick, exhausted. 

“Most sea witches are like that.” Yeosang piped up, laid out on the couch hoping for San to rouse so they could all feel a little more at ease. 

“A sea witch?” Wooyoung murmured, watching Yeosang nod. Yeosang, a siren, apparently.  

“Controls the tides, speaks to the creatures, he’s a healer as well but it doesn’t work with San because of the marks all over him.” Yeosang looked over, San’s body covered by the blankets. “S’why we don’t know what to do, to help him. San usually patches himself up, and we all just… we’re lucky we have Seonghwa.” Yeosang sighed and rolled up to his feet, and Wooyoung took that chance to look him over. He really didn’t have a scratch on him- None of them did. Their clothes were torn, ripped, bloodied, but their bodies were in perfect condition and Wooyoung felt regret wash over him. The way he’d yelled at San’s captain… When in reality, they’d probably all gotten roughed up. San was just unlucky… Wooyoung pushed his blanket down. 

“...can any of you tell me who these are from?” Wooyoung smoothed his palm over a large, intricate circular pattern over one side of his chest. The markings were haphazardly placed, without any kind of care or arrangement. He watched the marks wiggle , or something. Like heat waves over stone in the middle of the summer. 

“We don’t… know. Seonghwa doesn’t even know, and he’s like, really old.” Mingi looked down over his friend, sliding a hand over Wooyoung’s back in some attempt at comfort. Mingi was one of the only other men Wooyoung felt safe with, at the moment. Not that the others gave him much reason to fear them, San had spoken endlessly of his love for his crew, but- It was unfamiliar territory. “So, if anyone would know, it’d be him…” Mingi hummed, watching San twitch in his sleep, but nothing more. 

“...why would a witch know anything about alchemy? Unless he’s studied that separately, but… that’s what this is.” Wooyoung moved to another marking, another sick carving into San’s skin. 

“You’re saying it’s not witchcraft?” Yunho piped up, brow knit together.

“Does San not even know where he got these?” Wooyoung scoffed, and he was met with silence. “...I’ll take that as a no, then.” He heard rushing footsteps, then glanced over his shoulder, noting Yunho had gone. Wooyoung sighed and moved to lay beside him, brows knit together as he pushed on marks over his shoulder. “I wish I could read any of this…” Wooyoung sighed, recognizing it from his studies but pseudo-chemistry had been low on the list of things he thought important. He was starting to regret that, now. 

“It’s readable?” Mingi was leaning over him, watching Wooyoung’s fingers press to San’s wrist again before he nodded. San’s door burst back open and Yunho had returned, a few books gripped in one hand but he brought them over to the bed. 

“Do these help?” Yunho huffed, watching Wooyoung sit up and look over the books he’d brought him. They were water damaged and burned, but they were texts Wooyoung had seen before. 

“...if they’re still readable, yes.” Wooyoung furrowed his brows and opened the first book, grimacing at the mold between its pages. Yunho sighed and took it back, trying for the second. The ink was runny, and Wooyoung really tried to decipher something out of it, but without some kind of training wheel guide he was not of any use, reading this. The third book was small, notes in another language that Wooyoung once again regretted not paying attention to while he was learning. “Well, they are useful, but- I personally can’t do anything with them. Seonghwa doesn’t know anything about alchemy? Really?” Wooyoung watched Yunho shake his head. 

“No, I asked, but- He said it was boring , so he never learned it.” Yunho sighed and took his books, wandering back out to go return them. 

“That man does whatever he wants and only that. I buy him not knowing the first thing about alchemy.” Jongho sighed, getting to his feet to pat Mingi’s back and head toward the door himself. “Once we get to the port, we search for an alchemist. There has to be some old hag doing work like that at the cape.” Jongho nodded and Wooyoung watched him go, then felt Mingi’s hand slip away. He followed, ducking out of the door with a worried smile, sending Wooyoung a wave before he disappeared around the corner. Only Yeosang remained, but he left silently soon after, creeping away from San’s mangled body. 

“...I’ll get you some help, Sannah. Promise.” Wooyoung whispered, smoothing his hand over San’s forehead, the sweat and humidity matting his hair down.

“...thank you.” San’s voice was ragged and Wooyoung sucked in a breath, watching his eyes peek open just barely.

“You’re awake?” Wooyoung worried over him before pushing the blankets back up to cover him. 

“Been awake, love.” San smiled and it was small but it was there, it made Wooyoung’s heart race and he watched San try and push the blankets back down. “Come under here.” San whispered, and Wooyoung shook his head, brows knit tight together. 

“I might bump your wounds-” 

“Please .” San cut him, off and Wooyoung hesitated, then got up to go shut his door. “Lock it. I don’t need Mingi coming in here making fun of me.” San grumbled, and Wooyoung did as he was told. 

“Why on earth would he do that?” Wooyoung huffed, but when he turned back around he noted the pain all over his face and the tears on his cheeks. “San-” That lump of a man hardly ever cried.

“It just hurts, I’m alright-” Wooyoung hurried back and tore his jacket off, tossing it away so he could lie beside him. 

“I’m so sorry this happened .” Wooyoung kept his voice down and let San lift his head so he could push his arm underneath it, propping him up and keeping him tucked into his side. 

“I’m not.” San smiled, groaning when he moved wrong and Wooyoung hushed him. “I’m happy I found you. I got us this-” San moved around and pushed his fingers into the bag on the bed beside him, a brown leather satchel splashed with blood. But, he looked like he was having trouble. 

“Let me-” Wooyoung leaned to open it for him and San stuck his hand inside, tugging out a piece of rolled up paper, blood soaking parts of it but he handed it off to Wooyoung anyway. The prince took it cautiously, but unfurled it, looking over its contents carefully. “...what is wrong with you?” Wooyoung felt tears prick his eyes. 

“We can’t very well be married without the proper paperwork, right?” San smiled, watching Wooyoung stare at the page. San had, at some point during the fight, taken the time to locate his marriage certificate, then scratch out the other woman's name and print his own above it. The writing was haphazard, childlike letters spelling ‘S A N’ just above the scribble of ink over the bride's name. “Now, I’m your wife .” San smiled and Wooyoung put the page down, trying not to sob over how absolutely fucking adorable that was. 

“Are you? You did walk down the aisle to me.” Wooyoung chuckled, turning to lean over his poor, injured husband . Their gold bands hit together, Wooyoung’s necklace dangling onto San’s own, and the prince was so happy he’d not lost that in the fray, at least. 

“Mm, I did. I wasn’t I pretty?” 

“So pretty.”

༄ 

Wooyoung was thankful that the port was so close, San’s pain only worsened the longer he waited. Wooyoung did everything to numb his pain, Jongho bringing rum to try and get the poor man drunk so he wouldn’t feel it. If anything, it helped him get to sleep and stay asleep, even if Wooyoung was up all night staring, like some kind of obsessive mother. 

“I really don’t think this is necessary…” San grumbled, laid out on a gurney of sorts, a wooden platform with wheels and handles and Mingi was hauling it, Wooyoung following nervously behind. 

“Well, if you walk and rip something, your boyfriend will never let me hear the end of it.” Hongjoong huffed, walking beside him to keep an eye on him, making sure he didn’t move too much. San just made a face at his comment, no real idea what had actually gone on between them, just that he could tell Hongjoong didn’t enjoy Wooyoung, very much. 

“...I’m sorry, for the way I treated you before.” Wooyoung stepped a little closer to the captain, gaining himself a little side eye. “I didn’t know he had all those… marks. I didn’t know he was immune to magic like that. Yeosang explained it to me- It made more sense why all of you were perfectly fine and he was the only one injured.” Wooyoung bent his head to him and looked back up when he felt a ruffle in his hair. 

“If I’d have been in your shoes, I’d have threatened to burn the ship down, too.” Hongjoong smiled and San almost sat up at that, but Yeosang pushed him back down. 

“You threatened to burn the ship?!” San croaked, brows knit together because he’d promised Wooyoung wouldn’t make any trouble and he’d apparently already threatened to burn the place down. 

“ If you died! Which, look! You didn’t! So, the ship will remain unburned by me.” Wooyoung smiled nervously and looked over his shoulder, Seonghwa resting his head on the railing to watch them make their way into town. 

“Youngah, don’t threaten things like that.” San huffed and Wooyoung rolled his eyes, following the cart when Mingi turned it down a small side street. 

“I’ll threaten whatever I want.” He grumbled, and San rose a brow, waiting for Wooyoung’s resolve to crumble. “...I won’t threaten to burn the ship again, though.” He pouted and his expression made San smile, and Hongjoong broke into a hearty laugh, moving on ahead to open the door to the infirmary for them. 

“You two sound like Seonghwa and I.” Hongjoong grinned at them as they passed by and every other member of the crew groaned. “You know, when we first started courting-” 

“Don’t-”

“Please spare us-”

“...tough crowd.” Hongjoong huffed and watched Mingi hand San over to the medics, the rest of them all waiting by the doors. The staff took him, and Wooyoung panicked, wanting to follow them, but he was stopped by another member of the staff. 

“Can’t I go with him?” Wooyoung worried, no idea what went on in a place like this. This was much more unclean than the royal doctors, sick people lining its walls, one man half dead in the corner and Wooyoung felt even worse. 

“Unfortunately-” 

“I’d like to go with him.” Wooyoung yanked his family crest from his pocket, a small gold emblem on a chain and the man stopped, then blinked at him, taking a step to the side. Wooyoung shouldered past him, irritated he’d even had to pull a move like that. But he needed to be sure San would be well taken care of. He’d use his status- well, what he had left of it - if he had to. It seemed like word hadn’t spread of what had happened, not all this way, yet. He was still safe, for now. 

“...nepo babies are the worst, aren’t they?” Hongjoong smiled at the staff member and the poor guy just stood there, glancing around at his full lobby before turning away from the crew to get back to work. “Well- Seems his majesty has it from here, so, let’s get what we need. Seonghwa will be livid if I don’t get the ingredients he’s asked of me, so I’ll be doing that.” Hongjoong was worried, of course, but with how intense Wooyoung was about San’s wellbeing… he didn’t see much of a reason for them to stick around for too long.

“I’m going to look for the alchemist.” Yunho seemed to be a man on a mission, and Jongho followed him, shouldering his way out the doors and into the busy streets of the port town at which they’d landed. 

“Why are you all over this alchemy thing, anyway?” Jongho wondered, rushing after him. Yunho was tall, his legs longer than the youngers and he struggled to keep up, but managed. Yunho’s pace was all too quick, rushing to peek into every shop window as they passed. 

“I’ve read about it, before. It’s a branch of magic that’s not as widely practiced. Royals use it a lot- That’s probably why Wooyoung recognized it when he saw it.” Yunho explained, and Jongho still didn’t quite understand. He’d only been mingling with humans and the surface world for a few years, when Seonghwa reeled his injured body up from the water and did his best to heal him. He’d only stayed because there was another siren aboard, and he seemed… happy, there. He’d never seen another siren enjoying their life on land as much as Yeosang had been. All warm smiles and belly laughs and full, hearty meals and Jongho had to stay, just to see what had made him so happy. 

He was very glad he had chosen to stay aboard. Yeosang linked their fingers when he caught up, jogging along behind them once he broke from Mingi and Hongjoong. 

“Why do only royals use it?” Jongho asked, turning quickly down an alley when Yunho rushed to the side. 

“The materials are expensive . They’ve also made it illegal under the guise of ‘corrupting the currency’ since it’s said they can produce mass amounts of gold from cheaper elements.” Yunho knew a lot about this because he had worked in a castle, once upon a time. His king was obsessed with the idea of alchemy. Yunho had never seen it himself, only heard about it through heavy doors and closed off meetings. The alchemist had been under tight watch and guard, so Yunho never got to see what the alchemy looked like. He had no idea that was what was all over San’s body.

“...If it’s illegal, why do they do it?” Yeosang asked, and Yunho ducked into a window to peek inside. 

“Because they’re above the law. Obviously. If common folk were alchemising gold and silver, how could royals maintain their power?” Yunho sighed heavily when the shop was empty, turning on his heel to keep searching. 

“...and why is San covered in those markings, then?” Yeosang asked another question and Jongho didn’t want to think about why . He had a feeling nothing good could be behind the marks all over their friend. 

“...I think he’s some kind of experiment. Or was used in them, but he doesn’t remember a damn thing and if he does- ” Yunho almost tripped over himself just thinking about San in some kind of lab, getting poked and prodded- “-he probably doesn’t ever want to talk about it.” He finished, stopping in his tracks in front of a small stone building. “ There .” He nodded and moved toward the door, Jongho and Yeosang keeping a bit of a distance from the building. “I’ll be right back, stay here.” 

They watched Yunho duck into the building, a strangely familiar pattern of circles and runes etched into its door. 

༄ 

“Man, you feel better?” Mingi was pleased when San was able to walk out of the infirmary, hobbling a bit but Mingi and Wooyoung had their arms on him for balance. 

“Worlds better.” San sighed, fully drugged for the pain and his escorts decided it best to just bring him back to the ship rather than let him go to the nearest tavern like he’d been begging to since they stepped outside. They made their way back to Seonghwa pacing the deck excitedly, looking down at them like an eager puppy as they made their way up the ramp. 

“Up and about, I see!” Seonghwa clapped his hands together as he met them halfway down the ramp, helping to spot San’s shoddy footwork as they hauled him up and finally made it onto the deck. 

“Milk of the poppy does wonders, really.” San huffed, grunting when they let him take a seat on the steps and rest. 

“Eugh. They still use that stuff?” Seonghwa hardly understood the need for such barbaric painkillers. If witches and healers were appreciated and not feared , the world would be a much healthier place. 

“Mm, for common folk like me.” San grinned up at him and Seonghwa softened, bending down to kiss the top of his head before making his way up the steps. 

“I took extras.” Wooyoung pulled a small vial from his pocket, and San mirrored his smile, reaching up to brush a knuckle over his face. 

“Deft fingers for a crown prince.” San praised, and Mingi rolled his eyes, turning on his heel to head back to the ramp. 

“I’m going to find the others. You two stay here and make out or whatever it is you do.” Mingi grumbled, tromping down the deck to head back into town. 

“What about Seonghwa? He looks like the type to enjoy a little shopping.” Wooyoung noted the snowy-haired man had stayed behind, wandering around aimlessly, watching the crowds as they passed. 

“He can’t set foot on land. He stays on the ship, the majority of the time.” San explained, and Wooyoung felt bad, watching him stare over the land with such interest. 

“...what happens if he does? Set foot on land, I mean?” Wooyoung felt San pull him close so he moved, directing his attention back down to his injured lover. 

“He mostly just gets very ill- He’s not been on land for more than a few minutes, before.” San hummed, hands sliding over Wooyoung’s hips, fingers digging into the soft skin of his waist. “Ended the fight he and Hongjoong were having rather quickly, though.” San chuckled, sighing happily when Wooyoung traced his fingers over his face. 

“A fight?” Wooyoung chuckled, keeping his voice low so they didn’t disturb the sea witch and his oogling. 

“Something stupid, but Hongjoong went on land, since he knew he couldn’t be followed. But, Hwa followed after him anyway.” San recalled the memory with fondness, mostly because he got to see the soft underbelly of his captain when that used to be quite a rare thing. “Hongjoong hauled him all the way back and didn’t leave his side for a week.” Wooyoung realized he was slowly sliding into San’s lap, so he popped himself back up, reaching a hand out for San to take.

“C’mon. You’re getting handsy and I’m sure he won't want to see all that.” Wooyoung teased him and watched San close his eyes and sigh, getting up to his feet with a pained grunt. “Easy.” Wooyoung cooed, leading him over to the stairs that led below deck to their quarters. It took a while, but those eight stairs they had to take to get down below were menacing to San, in his state. He clung to Wooyoung an embarrassing amount, even if the prince was so happy he could be of some real assistance. 

“You can go shop, you know. I know you probably didn’t bring much-” San offered, flinching when Wooyoung helped him sit. 

“Let’s get these clothes off you.” Wooyoung hushed, reaching to pull the loose shirt up over his head and expose his wounds, watching San’s body twist uncomfortably until it was off. “I’m not going anywhere, right now. Pants, too. I saw those slashes on your legs.” Wooyoung nodded, ignoring San’s grumbling when he undid his drawstrings. He knelt down to take his boots off first, unlatching buckles and ties to toss the heavy shoes away, then tugged on his pant legs. “Oh, honey...” Wooyoung pouted, hand running under a particularly deep gash, not touching it but just… acknowledging it. He felt so guilty, like this was all his fault and in a way it was, but he knew San would never blame him. He’d wanted him free just as badly as Wooyoung had wanted to be. 

“Young-ah.” San huffed, and Wooyoung’s eyes widened when he felt fingers slip through his bangs and hold his hair. His grip was harsh and it lit a fire in Wooyoung’s belly.

“Now?” Wooyoung scoffed, letting San pull on his face and just watched his poor partner nod, cheeks so red he looked feverish. It had been well over a week, since they’d lain together. Going from being all over each other every single night to not having each other at all was worse than any wound he had, at the moment. “You’re not even hard-” Wooyoung tried to convince him not to try and strain himself with intercourse , but San was adamant, apparently. 

“Then make it so.” San’s tone made Wooyoung dissolve, slumping a little as his face was dragged between San’s thighs and he finally laid an open mouthed kiss to his shaft. 

“Let me go, then. I’ll do it properly .” Wooyoung eyed him and San let his hair go, letting Wooyoung leave him and get back up to his feet. “So impatient. What if you tear something?” Wooyoung scolded, but he was undoing the buttons on his jacket, then the ties on his shirt, undoing the entire outfit he’d borrowed from San’s closet. 

“I won’t… tear anything.” San mumbled. He wiggled out of the pants, losing his shoes, then turned around in a huff, watching San put a hand over his cock like he was indecent- which he was , but that was the entire point of intimacy and having a lock on his door. 

“Well lay back .” Wooyoung waved his hand at him and San moved back as best he could propped on the pillows as Wooyoung climbed over his lap. San pushed a palm over his waist, thumbs sliding over a bruise under his rib. 

“Did he do that?” San whispered, and Wooyoung nodded, leaning to spit into his hand and San shuddered. “I blasted his right arm off.” San spoke plainly and Wooyoung stalled his movements momentarily, then moved again, taking both of them together in his fist. “I tried to take his left, but I didn’t get that far.” San whispered, looking down with a grunt when Wooyoung’s fist squeezed the both of them tight together. San was bigger than him, thicker than him, but Wooyoung’s cock was undeniably pretty, or so San had insisted. “Nn…” The way it curved when he was stiff, the way it bounced when San was fucking him from behind, the way it looked covered in pearly white when San brought him to his peak. “Did it for you… took revenge for you, Young-ah.” San’s head was full of cotton, having Wooyoung this close again. Having Wooyoung in his room. Having Wooyoung’s pretty hands on his cock.

“Are you looking for praise?” Wooyoung asked, looking up at San through long, dark bangs. San hesitated, then watched Wooyoung lean down, bumping their noses together. “Because you can have it, all the praise from me you want.” He whispered, and San let out a shuddering breath, a tiny whine at its peak and Wooyoung rocked his hips forward, fucking his cock through his fist and against San’s. San couldn’t really move his hips very well, not when he had a hole in his abdomen he had to worry about. 

But Wooyoung was taking good care of him, jerking the two of them together while he whispered nonsense praises over his lips. San felt pain in his gut when he tried to move, panting against Wooyoung’s kisses as his hand’s pace quickened and San reached down to grab his wrists, arms shaking. He was much weaker than he’d originally thought, and he was starting to feel it in every muscle of his body. 

“Wait-” 

“I told you this was too much, Sannah.” Wooyoung whispered, and San made a sad little sound, disappointed when Wooyoung climbed back off of him. 

“No, I want to- ” San argued, trying to sit himself up but he really was sore. Wooyoung rummaged around in his coat pocket before returning, flicking the cap off of one of the vials of opium he’d snatched from the infirmary. “If I take more of that-”

“You’re only getting a little bit, Sannah. You’re still not to push yourself, or I stop and use my hand on you which I know isn’t what your manhood wants.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes and threw his head back, letting the drug roll over his tongue and down his throat, then climbed back over his partner, back to his earlier position. Wooyoung pushed their mouths together and San’s fingers dug harshly into his waist, plush, tanned skin pliant under his heavy hands. 

“ Mnn -” There was bitterness on his tongue, but Wooyoung’s mouth itself was a distraction, feeding him a tiny bit more of the painkiller as his tongue fucked against San’s. There was an obscene amount of drool between them, the opiate making the both of them salivate for a moment before San swallowed what he was given and Wooyoung pulled back, a silvery strand of spit and milk of the poppy keeping them linked until it broke and fell away. “Where did you learn a trick like that, you little fox?” San scoffed, eyelids fluttering when he watched Wooyoung lick his lips and scoot back, settling himself on the bed between San’s thighs. “Beautiful.” San sighed, looking down at the prince as he pushed another kiss to his shaft, then took the head of his cock between his lips. “Take- Take it all the way back… I wanna feel your throat, again…” San felt goosebumps rise over his skin when Wooyoung groaned around him, simply teasing the tip with tight lips and a talented tongue. 

“You’ll take what I give you. You can’t get too excited, you’ll hurt yourself.” Wooyoung teased him, then slipped back down, letting San into his mouth another inch or so but that was all he gave. 

He could feel the drug taking effect, slowly but surely, his head a little clouded, but he’d used milk of the poppy before, so he was well aware of what to expect. San had, too, the painkiller more common in San’s daily life than he cared to admit. But, his aches and pains weren’t fixable by the witch on board, so he’d resorted to drugs, unfortunately. He moaned around his cock and felt him bump the back of his throat, letting San jerk his hips a few times before he pulled off all the way, sliding up over his lap again. 

“ Oh , but your throat feels so nice, Youngah… ” San whined, eyes a little glassy and Wooyoung smiled, bending down to kiss his nose and bump their foreheads together. 

“So you don’t want me to sit on it, then? Just get you off with my throat and call it a day?” Wooyoung asked, and San blinked at him, but shook his head, tugging impatiently on his hips. 

“I just need you.” San hummed, grinning when Wooyoung’s questioning look turned to a sweet smile. 

“Is this us consummating the marriage?” Wooyoung giggled, leaning back to spit on his palm and wrap it around San’s base, not bothering to do any prep work for himself. San grunted and rolled his hips, making Wooyoung giggle when he pulled down on his hips impatiently. “Horny little beast, you are.” Wooyoung leaned forward again, teasing him, his bangs tickling San’s forehead as he pushed the tip of San’s cock against his hole. 

“Don’t hurt yourself, honey…” San mumbled, reaching to pull on the meat of Wooyoung’s ass and pull him apart, groaning loudly when he felt himself slip inside. 

“I should say the same thing to you, tough guy.” Wooyoung smiled through the dull ache of being stretched, not letting San control the pace because he knew for a fact the man would take it too quickly and hurt himself. He was also far too weak and injured to force Wooyoung’s hips down like he could feel him attempting to do, so Wooyoung giggled and rocked his hips, watching San’s eyes roll in his head. “Maybe you’re not so tough, hm?” Wooyoung whispered, finally getting San to look at him again. He slipped down further and San choked on a breath, his hips twitching. “Get yourself a pretty hole to fuck and you turn to a whiny, slobbering mess. You are just a man, after all.” Wooyoung pushed his thumb over San’s lip, swiping a bit of drool away and he giggled, watching his brows knit and his eyes get a little bleary. 

“I like your pretty hole…” San whimpered, and Wooyoung snickered, biting his lip at how adorable his new husband was being. He knew San got whiny, needy when he got high. He’d been by his side more than once, when he was under the influence. He’d always beg for cuddles and kisses and cling to his torso until he fell asleep. Wooyoung found himself enjoying those times. When San would let go of his gruffness and turn soft, show Wooyoung his belly and let him care for him.

“I know you do, that’s why I’m giving it to you.” Wooyoung cooed, leaning back to finally sit fully on his cock, groaning a little at the pain but the drugs in his system numbed it just enough. San took his opportunity to jerk him, hand circling Wooyoung’s cock to tug on it and make the prince whine, his hands gripping San’s wrists just for something to hold. 

“Put those pretty thighs to work, love.” San breathed, watching Wooyoung’s head roll back before he moved his hips, rising up before plopping right back down, stuffing himself impossibly full with cock. He’d be lying if he said San’s cock didn’t ruin him, on more than one occasion including now. Even after he stopped stroking him to get him through the stretch, he felt incredible. Nobody had ever managed to please him like San did.

“ Nngh - Sannah, so big-” Wooyoung whimpered, keeping a grip on San’s wrists to help himself keep his balance. San was bruising his waist with his grip and Wooyoung had no intentions of asking him to loosen his grip, praying those thick fingers would leave marks all along his skin he could show off, later. He thought about the marks for a few seconds before his eyes widened and he leaned down, wrapping San’s head in his arms, throat bared to him. “Bruise me.”

“Huh? Why-”

“I’ve got nobody to hide from, anymore.” Wooyoung breathed, giddy, body buzzing as he struggled to keep an even pace. “You can mark wherever you want, now- Not just the places we can easily cover.” Wooyoung rushed out, only waiting a few seconds before he felt teeth on his throat, tongue pushing hot against his jugular and Wooyoung shuddered, slamming his hips down when San devoured him like he’d always wanted to. 

San could feel the slight pain in his stomach when his abdomen tensed, but he ignored it in favor of his mouth, sucking dark, full sized marks along Wooyoung’s throat, right up under his jaw. He’d hardly realized he’d started fucking his hips up until Wooyoung stopped his own movements, face buried beside San’s head as he moaned into the pillows. His pleasured groans made San’s cock throb, just wishing he could keep railing him like he was- But he was also still injured, and he knew that.

“ Ah ah , making the injured man do all the work for you?” San teased him and heard Wooyoung gasp, then choke out a whine before he sat up. His throat was red all along one side, and San made a mental note to go back and devour the other half when he got the chance 

“I j- I like being a hole for you to fuck-” Wooyoung sniffed, taking San’s hands in his for leverage when the pirate held them out for him. 

“Oh, I know you do. And I’ll make up for it when my body’s better, promise .” San huffed, watching Wooyoung’s pretty thighs shake as he lifted himself again, going back to the riding he’d been doing previously. 

“I know you will.” He’d never been as good, as quick, as harsh as San could be when he fucked him. He had to take his time to keep himself steady, but San had an obsession with watching Wooyoung fall apart on his cock. Watching his pretty prince get more and more impatient, watching him tear up as his cock beaded pretty white at the tip, so close as he tried his very hardest to get the both of them where they needed to be. 

“Oh, don’t start the crocodile tears now, honey.” San teased, watching Wooyoung’s pout get more noticeable, wet shining on his lashes as he bounced prettily on his cock. Then he planted his ass down, and San groaned, curling in on himself when Wooyoung rocked his hips and their noises echoed each other. “ Oh f- Love it when you move like that -” San panted, his head plopping back on the pillows to let out a deep, growling groan from his chest. 

Wooyoung could hardly speak, feeling San inside him so deeply he had to push a hand over his belly, hips swaying perfectly to make San’s cock rub all along his walls. When he did try and speak, he just moaned out to him, eyelids fluttering when San pushed his fist over his pretty little cock and jerked him again. 

“Come on, pretty boy, get there .” San breathed, watching Wooyoung slide his own hand over his chest and pinch his nipple, only for San to bat his hand away and take that over, too. He changed his movements again, raising his hips just slightly to bounce off his cock while he swayed himself and everything felt ten times more intense for the both of them. San stared as Wooyoung threw his head back, his chest heaving as his noises rose in pitch before cutting off all together. “Good boy.”

Wooyoung spasmed, cum streaking San’s stomach and chest and he didn’t even have the mind to think about if any of his mess would get on San’s bandages. He slammed his hips down roughly over and over, struggling to ride it out but he managed, pleasure shooting from his gut to the tip of his cock where San’s fist worked over it quickly. As soon as he thought maybe he was coming down, he felt San’s hips buck up a few times before flooding his insides with sticky, messy heat, making Wooyoung groan and double over. He landed a messy kiss on San’s cheek and listened to him pant, letting San grip his ass and force his body down over his cock, his strength returning for a fraction of a second just to ride his orgasm to the fullest. 

“Use me all you want, Sannah.” Wooyoung whispered, voice shaky as San took and took, stuffing him full with his seed before he felt it pooling around the base of his cock, matting down the hair there. “Gods, so good to me, aren’t you…” Wooyoung’s fingers knotted in San’s hair and San grunted, forcing himself inside roughly a few more times before pulling out. “Nnn-”

Wooyoung had to take a moment, before he could climb off. 

His whole body was buzzing and the drugs were still making his head feel all floaty, but he knew he needed to clean San up and check on his wounds, so he stumbled off of him and moved to the basin in the corner of the room. His legs were shaking horribly but he returned with a damp rag and plopped back down beside his husband, looking him over nervously. 

“ Slow down. Relax.” San smirked, watching Wooyoung slow blink at him before pushing the rag over his chest, swiping away the cum he’d splattered all over him- It wasn’t on a single bandage which was kind of a miracle, so he was able to clean him up quite easily. 

“So impatient…” Wooyoung mumbled, looking over San’s bandages to see that one had a tiny dot of blood seeping through, but compared to all the moving he did, that was probably best case scenario, really. 

“I’ve missed you. How could I not want to fuck you as soon as possible? You said it yourself, I’m just a man. ” San huffed, and that of all things made Wooyoung turn pink, rose dusting his cheeks as he got back up to return the rag to the basin and clean himself up. 

“You could have waited .” Wooyoung pouted, moving back over to the bed to hurry under the blankets. He was shivering, just a little, but San’s body heat quelled it, an arm wrapping around Wooyoung’s torso as he laid beside him. 

“I’ve waited long enough. I had to leave you for a week . Do you know how much that hurt?” San sighed, nuzzling Wooyoung’s hair. The younger nodded, reaching up to cup San’s face, brushing over the slight stubble there. 

“I was hurt, too.” Wooyoung whispered, and San heard the sadness in his voice, knowing damn well Wooyoung must have assumed he’d abandoned him. 

“I know, I wish I’d have gotten the chance to tell you, but…” San trailed off, since his only excuse was he’d had to beg Hongjoong for a week to let him bring Wooyoung aboard. Having another mouth to feed was one thing- Having a royal mouth to feed was a completely different issue. 

“It’s okay, you had your reasons, love.” Wooyoung hummed, and San placed a kiss on his hair again. Then Wooyoung heard a pop and saw San had yanked the necklace from his neck, tossing the chain away to take the ring off. 

“We haven’t even swapped rings, Youngah.” San whispered, and Wooyoung hurried to take his own chain off, popping his as well when the latch gave him even the tiniest bit of trouble. “Do I, Choi San , take this very handsome prince to be my wife?” San grinned and heard Wooyoung giggle. 

“Husband!” 

“Husband! Husband , sorry.” San waited for Wooyoung to lift his hand, which he did, letting San slip his ring over his pointer finger. “I do. By the way.” San chuckled, gave Wooyoung a moment to look over his ring, thumb sliding over the scratched, dull gold. They’d worn them for so long, they’d been knocked around so much. But, Wooyoung was obsessed with it all the same. “And do you, Jung Wooyoung , heir to the Higher Kingdoms, lost prince of Aurelia, take me to be your wife?” San smirked when he heard Wooyoung giggle again, turning a little to prop himself up on his elbow and look down at his poor husband. 

“ Husband.” Wooyoung snickered, brushing a thumb over San’s cheek. “And, I do. By the way.” Wooyoung looked so radiant . Bright was his smile and his eyes, his skin glowing in a way San had never seen, before. Maybe it was the drugs. Maybe it was some post orgasm haze, or maybe his lover was just that beautiful . San thought it was the latter of the three. He held his hand up for Wooyoung to slide his ring over, settling it snugly at the base of San’s pointer finger so they matched. The ring sizes had been a little off, since San had stolen them off a jeweler in town and wasn’t really aware that rings had sizes . Wooyoung had laughed so hard at him, for that one. And San was happy to let him. 

“I’m so happy you came with me.” San breathed, reaching to tuck Wooyoung’s wavy bangs back, clearing his face so he could see him better. Wooyoung’s smile softened from giddy to emotional, head cocking to the side before bending down to push their lips together. Chaste, gentle, nothing too deep. He pulled back to smile again, then laid down, arm wrapping carefully across San’s chest. 

“I’m just happy you’d have me.”

“Of course I would. Always.”

༄ 

Wooyoung was not pleased when his sleep was interrupted by the frantic speaking of Yunho, who had busted into San’s room to rant about the books he’d found and the alchemist he’d spoken to. Wooyoung just blinked at him a few times before sitting up, squinting at the books he’d gathered. 

“Yunho, I’m not an alchemist. Sure, I can decode this in enough time, but-” 

“Something in you is reacting to something in him. You are the key to whatever is wrong with him. That’s what the alchemist told me.” Yunho insisted, and San made a face, completely in the dark about almost everything that was going on. 

“How would they even know that? ” Wooyoung huffed, flopping back down to try and go back to sleep. Maybe if he ignored him for long enough he’d go away. 

“Because his markings react to you! How did you two not notice? Mingi said you fucked every damn day.” Yunho grumbled, and San moved to sit up, looking at a book when Yunho handed it to him. 

“...I hadn’t let him see. They’re freaky, I didn’t want to scare him off.” San mumbled, and Wooyoung sat up to stare at him, looking over all the marks on his back. He had a large circle in the center of his back, and Wooyoung placed a hand over it, watching the marks ripple under his touch. 

“What does this even mean?” Wooyoung muttered, and Yunho shrugged, pointing to the books. 

“Everything she knew about it is in those books.” Yunho nodded and Wooyoung rested his cheek on San’s shoulder. 

“And she just gave these to you? They look expensive.” Wooyoung looked down at the gold on their cover and felt the ship jerk, surprising because they weren’t supposed to feel that, down here. Then he heard yelling, and figured he had some idea of what was going on.

“...I took em.” Yunho mumbled, and Wooyoung looked up at him, then felt the ship jerk again. Seonghwa was trying to get them away from whoever was tailing Yunho, if he had to guess.

“Yunho-” Wooyoung huffed, but San put an arm around him, flipping through the book to look at the pictures, since he couldn’t read very well. 

“He’s a pirate, Wooyoung. It’s what we do.” The older man smiled, and Wooyoung looked up at him with a sigh, but really, it was the truth.

“...I suppose you’re right. That makes me a pirate, now?” 

“You’re more like pirate’s booty-”  

“San!” 

༄