todokanu

dystychiphobia (and a fear of falling) - part 3
也许明天

"His name is Ryeowook," Henry announced, the moment Zhou Mi stepped into the room. "He's sleeping."

Zhou Mi nodded, pulling out the chair from the desk, dropping into it almost heavily. "We'll be docking near the capital tonight, we can drop him off at a hospital then," he said.

Unexpectedly, Henry frowned. "Can we keep him?" he asked. "I like him."

Zhou Mi stared. Henry turned pink, quickly realising the words that had come out of his mouth. "Not like that, ge! It's just—" he trailed off suddenly, at a loss for words.

"I doubt he wants to stay on a ship with pirates," Zhou Mi pointed out.

Henry frowned again, a slight pout forming at his lips. "We're not bad people," he said quietly. "I don't want him to think we are." It was Zhou Mi's turn to frown, because he knew exactly what Henry meant. "Besides, wouldn't it be troublesome to bring him somewhere? He still has a fever, and we probably shouldn't move him. Think about it, gege."

"I'll consider it," Zhou Mi answered. Henry was right that dropping him off would be troublesome, but Zhou Mi was reluctant to drag in someone who probably wanted nothing to do with this whole thing. Zhou Mi leaned over and pulled out a chart, spreading it across the table and pinning it down at the edges. He'd been tracking the movements of the Revenge for some time—out of some filial sense when he was young, then out of habit, and more recently with a purpose.

"How do you plan on finding them?" Henry spoke up.

"We won't," Zhou Mi said. "We'll let them find us."

"No offense ge, but that doesn't sound like a great plan." Henry stared at the charts thoughtfully, mouth open to say more when the room to the door burst open, Eunhyuk running in. Zhou Mi stood, anxiety building in his chest.

"The Medea?" he asked quickly.

He shook his head. "No," he said breathlessly. "The Acheron. Estimating two minutes before we're in range."

Zhou Mi swore lightly, nodding at the man. "Stay here," he said to Henry, following the other out the door. When he looked back, Henry was tight on their heels as well. "Stay," Zhou Mi commanded. "And that's an order." He saw Henry hesitate, and hoped that Henry would obey as the two of them bolted on deck.

"Situation?" he asked, grabbing the nearest person.

"Captain! Guns are moored, tether lines are in place in case they're needed, and, um, I took the liberty of retuning the wings. The crew is ready to go, though."

Not really, Zhou Mi thought, eyeing the bandage wrapped around his head, but nodded instead. "Thank you," he said crisply, before rushing forward to the helm.

"I can take it from here," he told the person at the controls. Someone he didn't recognise well, one of the Hawk's former crew, he thought. It was strange how quickly allegiances could change, but Zhou Mi knew that if it were him, he'd do the same. If the ship fell, they would all fall with it. He ran his hands across the levers, banking the ship to the right. He hoped that Donghae had taken the time to familiarise himself with the artillery in what little time they'd had: it would make the difference here.

The ship echoed hollowly as a shell sprang towards the Acheron, falling short. Zhou Mi brought the Koala further abreast, still inching carefully away. Henry hadn't had a chance to retool the guns yet; he didn't want to risk the Acheron's range. He had tangled with the Acheron some years ago with the Spitfire, but just as the Spitfire had changed, it was likely the Acheron had as well.

Sometimes, Zhou Mi hated being proved right. A flash of gunfire from the Acheron was echoed by a muted scream just behind him. Zhou Mi turned. Blanched. "Henry," he mouthed under his breath, torn between running to the boy and staying at the controls.

"I've got him," the kid who Zhou Mi had grabbed earlier said, already kneeling by Henry's side, pressing his hands to where red was already blossoming across his torso. Zhou Mi nodded tersely, turning back to the controls.

"What's the plan?" Someone spoke from behind Zhou Mi—he didn't want to turn around and risk losing sight of the Acheron.

"We're pulling back. We're not prepared, and the crew's tired." The last drew a sound of protest, but Zhou Mi shook his head, cutting him off. "We're pulling back, and that's an order. Tell the crew to stay low, we don't want a repeat. Get Donghae to cover fire from port and rear—he'll be at the main guns."

He heard footsteps retreating, and moments later, a response of gunfire came from the interior of the Koala, echoed by those on the deck. Zhou Mi quickly pulled the ship into an upwards flight pattern, slipping into a northern airstream. The Hawk had been aptly named: it took full advantage of the wind, effectively increasing its speed by half again. It wasn't until the Acheron was a mere speck in the distance that Zhou Mi gestured for someone to hold a steady course, dashing inside.

"How is he?" he asked frantically, the moment he was in range.

"I don't know," the kid answered. Name, what was his name, Zhou Mi thought. It was Central—Onew. That was it. "We all learn some first aid at the Academy, but I wasn't in a medicine stream."

"We don't have a surgeon," Zhou Mi said. Henry's face was paler than usual, his breathing shallow. The shell had shattered on impact, and Zhou Mi winced when he saw the pieces embedded in his side. "We'll have to remove those," he said, nodding at the wound.

Onew frowned. "If we do, he could bleed to death," he said. "It's dangerous to do it if you're not trained."

"He's right." A shaky voice from behind them caught Zhou Mi's attention, his head snapping around like it'd been jerked on a string.

"You have a fever, you shouldn't be here." Zhou Mi rushed to his side, as if he would topple over at any moment.

Ryeowook shook his head. "I'm a medical officer," he said. "I can't just stand by and do nothing." He straightened, walking the few steps to Henry's prone form. Zhou Mi followed, hands hovering to catch him. "Needle, string, water, clean cloths, and a candle," Ryeowook said, kneeling down to inspect the area.

Zhou Mi looked at Onew who nodded back, disappearing from the room. He looked back at Ryeowook, who still looked far too pale to be up. "We're pirates," he reminded Ryeowook quietly.

Ryeowook shook his head again, sitting back on his heels. "You're still people," he pointed out. "Whether you're bad people or not."

"We're not," Zhou Mi said. He swallowed—he could feel the dampness at the corner of his eyes, not exactly fitting behaviour for the captain of a pirate ship. "Thank you."

"I haven't done anything yet." Ryeowook sounded genuinely surprised.

It was Zhou Mi's turn to shake his head, the tension of the moment seeping out of his body. "Please just do your best," he said.

Onew returned with the requested items, handing Ryeowook a bag, and placing a basin of water on the floor next to him. Ryeowook looked up at him and gave him a tired smile. "I'll try," he said.

"Thank you."

-

Kyuhyun felt slightly better, having badly mangled a pirate ship on their return trip, in the name of escorting the luxury liner to safety. He hadn't bothered looking at the name, maybe because that was one of the first things they'd destroyed. The Medea itself was docked as well, Siwon returning to the Headquarters to give a (supposedly) quick report, a repair crew swarming over the wings in the meantime. Kyuhyun suspected it would take a few days. He was, in theory, in charge of the Medea at the moment, but Kyuhyun had never been one for command.

So he let the next person in the line of command take over. As a gesture of good-will. Of course.

And then proceeded to jump ship - figuratively. "I think it would be a good idea to pay my mother a visit," Kyuhyun explained blankly when Hankyung asked him where he was going, dressed in civilian's clothes. "It seemed like she missed me."

Hankyung had raised a few questioning looks at the explanation, but hadn't said anything further. As it was, Kyuhyun found himself at the door of Sungmin's inn, hesitating at the threshold when the door opened.

Fate, Kyuhyun was finding, had a strange way of bringing people together.

"Lieutenant," the last person Kyuhyun wanted to see said slowly.

"Zhou Mi," Kyuhyun said, echoing his tone.

Zhou Mi smiled at him nervously, Kyuhyun's heart traitorously skipping a beat at the movement. "What are you doing here," he said with a slight scowl.

"Passing by," Zhou Mi said, stepping aside to let Kyuhyun pass through the door. Kyuhyun hesitated, before stepping inside. He could see Sungmin at the back—he was watching the whole affair, no doubt perfectly aware of what was going on. Kyuhyun wasn't particularly surprised when Zhou Mi shut the door, following Kyuhyun as he sat down.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing Zhou Mi said. He was aware of Zhou Mi standing behind him awkwardly, as if unsure of what to do with his lanky, equally awkward, self. Kyuhyun didn't respond, waving Sungmin over instead. He saw Sungmin hesitate, and Kyuhyun repeated the gesture, until the other man walked over slowly.

"This is a surprise," Sungmin said, automatically pouring Kyuhyun a drink. "I didn't think you would be back so soon."

"Something came up," Kyuhyun answered blandly, meeting Sungmin's eyes. Sungmin quirked his lips, and then looked away. "You knew," Kyuhyun said. Behind him, Zhou Mi made a choking sound.

Sungmin nodded. "I did," he said. "But you never asked."

"You knew about the Spitfire," Kyuhyun pointed out. Zhou Mi shifted uncomfortably, the sounds of his boots sliding softly against the wooden floor.

"I might have lied about that," Sungmin admitted. "But I didn't lie about Mi."

Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Sungmin pressed his lips into a thin line, looking behind Kyuhyun's to where Zhou Mi was still standing. "I told you he was good person, didn't I? And he is."

"He's a pirate," Kyuhyun hissed, voice low. A man four stools down shot him a strange look. Zhou Mi remained strangely still and silent.

"So?" Sungmin shrugged. "You don't have to be a pirate to be a bad person. And sit down, Mi, you're too tall to stand," he joked lightly.

Kyuhyun heard Zhou Mi step around him, caught him out of the corner of his eye as he slipped into the stool beside him, eyes still downcast. Kyuhyun looked away. "Pirate," Kyuhyun repeated to Sungmin.

"Why," Zhou Mi spoke up, hesitated, glanced at Kyuhyun before continuing, "are all pirates bad?"

Kyuhyun turned to stare at him blankly, dimly aware that Sungmin had coughed at him awkwardly, leaning towards them on the bar. "Because they are," he said. "Because they disturb law and order. Because they steal and pillage and destroy. Because they kill. Because you're murderers."

"Ah." Zhou Mi smiled. Kyuhyun felt a little blinded, and hated himself for the deja-vue. "You're right, I am. But, Kui Xian ah, aren't you too?"

Kyuhyun stared at him wordlessly. "It's for the good of the country," he said eventually, giving the rote textbook answer that Kyuhyun had never thought was good enough, but had forgotten just as quickly.

"What makes your killing right, and our killing wrong?" Zhou Mi wanted to know. Sungmin was still standing there, an attentive expression on his face, but with no apparent intention to interrupt.

"Because you kill innocent people," Kyuhyun answered as evenly as he could, knowing what Zhou Mi's answer was going to be even before he shook his head.

"But I don't," Zhou Mi said. "I don't enjoy killing people. But sometimes, it can't be helped. It's the same for you, isn't it, Kui Xian?"

"Don't call me that," Kyuhyun snapped, downing his drink in one go, the liquor burning against his throat as it slid down. Sungmin was staring at him disapprovingly, and Kyuhyun wanted to snap at him too, but Sungmin walked off before he got the chance, leaving the two of them alone.

"I'm sorry," Zhou Mi said again. "I meant to tell you eventually, but I guess I wanted to wait until I was sure you wouldn't kill me." He laughed nervously at his own words.

Kyuhyun ignored him, but was still acutely aware of Zhou Mi's presence next to him. He debated standing up and leaving, but there were things he had wanted to discuss with Sungmin. And—and nothing. Zhou Mi fidgeted, his fingers curling around each other, straightening until they bent backwards, thumbs folding in and out. Kyuhyun should have figured it out: he had the obvious callouses of gripping a blade, the ones that came from overpractice with a gun. Zhou Mi's hands splayed out flat against the counter, his stool scraping backwards as he stood.

"I'm sorry," Zhou Mi said for the third time that day. He stood there for a moment, and Kyuhyun willed him to just leave. "I heard from Sungmin - you're chasing the Revenge." Kyuhyun started, how much had Sungmin told him? "I just wanted to let you know that if all goes well, you won't have to."

The sound of Zhou Mi's footsteps retreated, and when Kyuhyun looked up again, Sungmin was standing in front of him. "I don't know whose side I'm on," Sungmin said quietly, pulling up a stool on his side of the counter. "You're my friend, Kyuhyun, but he is too."

"He's a pirate," Kyuhyun repeated, his voice a mumble.

"But why are all pirates bad?" Sungmin questioned, echoing Zhou Mi. "Anyway, you came here for something, right?"

Kyuhyun shrugged, and shook his head lightly. "I was going to ask you about the Spitfire, but there's no point now."

"Be careful, Kyuhyun," Sungmin warned, but didn't stop him when he stood up to leave as well.

-

He took a breath. He knew what they were waiting for. His knees felt weak, his voice seemed caught in his throat. A wave of doubt washed over him, and he wondered if this was really worth it. An urge to turn back, to run, to quit this all. It wasn't too late, he could still do it. No doubt Heechul would roll his eyes and say that it was about time he came to his senses, and a good thing and that. The Koala was a good ship; there was nothing wrong with plain old piracy. But that wasn't what he had left the Spitfire for.

So Zhou Mi smiled. "I'm sure you all know what we're here for," he began, his voice far more confident than he felt. "And I'm sure you've all heard of the Revenge. First of all, I'd like to tell you that I'm glad you're here—I don't think I'm the only one who's been told this is insane," he said with a slight laugh, murmurs and similar chuckles running through the assembled crew. "As of right now, we'll be going after the Revenge. Maybe for some of you it's the money and treasure they're supposed to have, or maybe it's for the glory and fame of besting the most notorious ship in the skies, but I don't think any of you would be here if it wasn't for our honour as pirates." He paused, aware of the stillness despite the wind rushing through the air. "As people."

Zhou Mi finished awkwardly, his usual eloquence conspicuously absent today. He was met with a wave of silence, and a sea of eyes on him. "How will we find them?" someone asked.

"We'll definitely be able to meet them," Zhou Mi said. "I'm sure of that."

A few cheers trickled into the space left behind by his words, until they broke out in a flood, excitement palpable in the air. And fear, Zhou Mi noticed, but to not be afraid would be stupid, and Zhou Mi knew stupidity could be fatal. He stepped down from the bridge, and was met with a smile.

"Ge."

"You brat. I still haven't forgiven you for disobeying orders."

Henry shrugged. "Speak slower, I can't understand you," he teased, although Zhou Mi knew that he'd understood perfectly, if not from the words, then from the tone and context. "What should I do?"

Zhou Mi frowned, eyes flickering down to Henry's side, Henry bringing up a hand against it self-consciously. "You should be resting," he said.

"I didn't join the Koala for nothing," he said. "Besides, Ryeowook is really good."

As if summoned, the other man stepped up behind Henry almost hesitantly, a light flush on his cheeks as he shook his head. "Henry recovers quickly," he explained. "I didn't do anything."

"It's all thanks to you," Zhou Mi said gratefully. "But do you think it's okay for him to be up?"

Ryeowook shrugged, and then nodded. "If he takes it easy," he agreed.

Henry grinned, and squeezed Ryeowook's shoulder in thanks. "So, what should I do?"

Zhou Mi nodded—to be honest, Henry being out of commission would have been a major blow. "If you and Onew could retune the guns and engines, that would be very helpful. Half of them for increased range, the other half for precision. Although," Zhou Mi mused, "it probably won't come to that."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked curiously.

"You'll see," Zhou Mi said. "I think you'll see."

-

The moment Siwon had returned to the Medea and was free, Kyuhyun pulled him aside before he'd even boarded the ship. "Change of plans," he announced casually.

"What do you mean?" Siwon frowned.

Kyuhyun shrugged, wondering if his heart was loud to others as it was to him. "The Revenge. I've changed our plans."

Siwon nodded. "You never told me your plans in the first place," he pointed out.

Oh, Kyuhyun thought. "I thought I'd let you know anyway," he said.

"How did the visit with your family go?" Siwon asked casually, removing his gloves and tucking them into the pocket of his jacket.

Kyuhyun stared at him until Siwon nodded at some point behind him; Kyuhyun turned and wasn't surprised to find Hankyung watching them with a light smirk. "Fine," Kyuhyun said. If awkward, stilted, and uncomfortable translated to 'fine' in any way.

Siwon sighed; he had been telling Kyuhyun to fix his relationship with his family for as long as Kyuhyun could remember, as if it was something that could be fixed at all. Hankyung hopped over the railing and swung down onto the dock to join them, Kyuhyun shooting Hankyung a pointed look. Siwon looked like he was about to say something, when he frowned at something to his right. Kyuhyun followed his gaze to see a boy running towards them, waving.

"I've a letter for someone on the HMS Medea," he said, slowing to a walk as he approached.

"Who is it from?" Siwon asked.

The boy shrugged. "Dunno. Tall, paid me good and said I should hurry or I'd miss ya." Kyuhyun's heart skipped a beat. "It's for a Lieutenant. Kyuhyun, I think." And another.

"That'd be me," Kyuhyun said, holding out his hand. The moment the envelope came in contact with it, he stuffed it into a pocket. "You can go now."

The boy nodded, and dashed off the same way he came. "Probably from Sungmin," Kyuhyun said by way of explanation. Siwon pursed his lips at him—Sungmin was by no stretch of the imagination, tall. "They introduced me to a girl. She's pretty."

"Have you set a date?" Siwon wanted to know.

Kyuhyun gaped at him. "I don't even remember her name," he said, and then regretted it instantly, Hankyung swallowing a round of laughter, Siwon not bothering to hide his chuckle. "Okay, so maybe it went less than fine, but it wasn't a disaster. I took her home and everything."

"Her parents approve," Siwon asked, except the way he said it, the question had disappeared.

"Yeah," Kyuhyun agreed, knowing that was the answer Siwon expected.

Hankyung's eyes narrowed briefly, the set of his jaw tightening as he considered Kyuhyun. "Are you sure that's what you want?" he asked.

Kyuhyun suddenly thought of a different Western man, and wondered if Hankyung knew. "It doesn't matter what I want," he said slowly. In his pocket, his fingers brushed against paper, and he thought of someone tall.

-

There was a flurry of wingbeats, and then a startled yelp. Zhou Mi looked over to the source of the commotion, laughing when he saw Eunhyuk batting at a bird that had decided to make his head its perch. His throat felt suddenly constricted, and it became hard to breathe, his smile faltering at the familiar pattern on the bird's wings. He made his way over, smile plastered firmly back on, only to find Donghae doubled over from laughter as well. "It was on my head," Eunhyuk whined, when Zhou Mi gently cupped it into his own hands.

"Maybe," Donghae said as he caught his breath, "it thought it was a nest."

"Maybe," Zhou Mi agreed, before wandering back to where he he'd been before. The pigeon cooed softly in his grasp, Zhou Mi running his hands down its legs just for confirmation—no note was attached. "I guess you can go home now," he said to the pigeon, bringing it to the railing. He tossed it into the air, watching it tumble in the crosswinds for a brief moment before finding its wings, making a beeline for the capital.

"We have a meeting with the Revenge," Zhou Mi said quietly to Henry. Henry started—he thought he'd been quiet. "Some of the older pigeons were still trained to home to the Revenge," he explained. “And to an extent, me.”

"I don't understand." Henry stepped up to the rail, watching the disappearing bird.

"'We'll let the Revenge find us', I told you. This is what I meant," Zhou Mi said, nodding at the distance. "The captain of the Revenge... I doubted that he would let go of a chance to kill the son of Zhou Zhu, even if he's only heard my name in passing." Zhou Mi smiled wryly, shrugging at Henry.

"So... this is for revenge?" Henry asked hesitantly. He tripped unintentionally over the last word, a bitter reminder of what was omnipresent.

Zhou Mi shook his head. "I don't think I have that much patience, even if it were for revenge," he said. "It's just a useful family connection. But this way, we choose the time and place."

Henry nodded, not replying immediately. Wind rushed against the back of his head, Zhou Mi revelling in the sensation of flight, the ground rushing by far below, the trees with the same appearance as match sticks. "So what now?" Henry wanted to know.

"We change course," Zhou Mi said. "And then we wait."

-

As it turned out, they did have to wait.

Zhou Mi paced anxiously, from stern to bow, bow to stern, and stern to bow again. The Koala cruised slowly midair in a near hover over the treetops, kept easily afloat in a major crosswind. "If you don't calm down, you'll upset everyone," Donghae pointed out, latching onto Zhou Mi as he walked past. Zhou Mi stopped suddenly, Donghae crashing awkwardly into his back.

"Sorry," he apologised, as Donghae stepped aside. "Has there been news from the crows nest?" he asked.

Donghae appeared to consider this for a moment, when a shout got both of their attentions. "Speak of the devil," Donghae said, pointing at the crow's nest. The watch waved, gesturing wildly to the north east. Zhou Mi looked at Donghae, before they both dashed to the starboard.

"Wow," Donghae breathed almost reverently, peering through a spyglass.

Zhou Mi stared at the looming black shape in the distance, knowing that before long, its trademark figurehead would be visible, the sharpened shape of its wings, the spurs fitted to its underside used for the very purpose of gutting ships. He heard a quiet "shit," beside him, and wasn't too surprised to see Jonghyun staring as well, a spyglass pressed to his eye. "It's impressive, isn't it," Zhou Mi said quietly.

Jonghyun nodded, unable to take his eyes off the Revenge's form. "It's different seeing it than just hearing about it," he said. "You kind of forget about things when they don't bother you, y'know?"

"I know," Zhou Mi said with a laugh. "You might want to get ready," he suggested softly. Jonghyun brought the spyglass down and collapsed it, tucking it into his pocket. He looked at Zhou Mi, eyes hard and expression grim, and nodded, walking away.

"Five minutes," he estimated, and Donghae looked at him with a start. "There's a reason why the Navy's never been able to catch it," he said.

"That's... really fast," was all Donghae had to say about the matter, before disappearing below deck, no doubt gathering the crew to operate the guns as soon as they were within range. Zhou Mi stayed where he stood, eyes trained on the distance. It felt almost anti-climatic, how calm he was right now. A smile flickered across his face, refusing to stay put despite his best efforts. Maybe he should have said it was for revenge—it might raise the tension a little. They would have to finish quickly, Zhou Mi knew. Finish quickly, or things would fall apart under his fingers, and Zhou Mi didn't think he could bear to see that happen. Not because of himself—whether or not he survived this, Zhou Mi didn't mind as long as the outcome was positive—but because the others had endless lives in front of them. Not Donghae, Donghae was like him, stuck and with nowhere else to go. But Henry, Henry could still find a life outside of piracy, Ryeowook could convince him. He liked Taemin too, the boy was too sweet for this, despite the surprising ruthlessness he'd shown during the raid on the Hawk. Onew reminded him of Henry; maybe it was because they were the same age, or their shared interest in mechs, or maybe because they both seemed too gentle to be around so much death. But him, Zhou Mi, was a pirate born, bred, and raised.

Although, he thought with a tinge of regret, as the Revenge closed in, a test shot falling just short of the Koala prompting Zhou Mi to jog to the controls, he would've liked to see Kui Xian again, if this was going to be the end.

"All hands on deck," he yelled, banking the Koala so its starboard guns were directed straight at the Revenge. A wave of gunfire echoed through the ship, one barely clipping the wing. The Revenge pulled closer, returning fire. Zhou Mi frowned when a shell sailed overhead, crashing into the deck behind him, but too focused on bringing the Koala within range to check for the damage. A second sally from the Koala did more damage this time, a fire-shell exploding at the stern, the two ships now close enough that Zhou Mi could see the people on the Revenge. Donghae seemed to take this as a cue to switch the guns, aiming for the Revenge's crew instead. Zhou Mi smiled grimly—if there was one thing the Revenge had never depended on, it was specialised weaponry, the ship always preferring to ram their way through obstacles instead.

The Revenge swung closer, a mere wingspans apart. Close enough. He let out a yell, lifting the Koala upwards into a holding pattern. The mooring lines sailed across the space between the two ships, pulling them closer until their wings overlapped. Zhou Mi saw the captain of the Revenge curse, staring overhead at the Koala. The Koala's crew swung down, cries from both sides filling the air. Zhou Mi ran to the rail to join them, looking back once to make sure that Henry was crouched at the controls like he'd been instructed—he'd need to pull the ship downwards when the time came.

Zhou Mi landed in the middle of the Revenge, bringing his blade up to block a swift downcut. The sounds of the contact were lost in the melee, Zhou Mi gritting his teeth as he ducked, attempting to feint from below. He was met with a knee upwards, Zhou Mi jerking away to avoid it, rolling to the side instead. The man he'd been trading blows with smiled at him grimly, waiting for Zhou Mi to get to his feet before stabbing forward. Zhou Mi stepped backwards, parrying the blow, and stepped backwards again, before jerking forward a half step, a sharp wrist flick disarming the other man. The moment of confusion was enough for him to finish him off.

He glanced around him, familiar faces contorted in the midst of battle. But that wasn't what he was looking for. No, what he was looking for was near the bow, engaged on the bridge. Zhou Mi ran forward, dodging between clusters of pirates. "Not so fast," someone said - or he thought someone said - stepping in front of him.

Zhou Mi balked, swinging his blade in a narrow arc, his attempt parried away. "Zhou Zhu's son, was it?" the man said, smirked. "Come to take your old man's ship?"

Zhou Mi grunted a 'no', preferring to save his breath for more important things. Like a swift uppercut, followed by a side-step. Sweat was starting to bead on his forehead, Zhou Mi blinking it away as it trickled against his eyes.

"You know, I'm the one who killed him," the man said. "Not the cap'n. Me." He laughed, as if it was an uproariously furious joke. Zhou Mi stepped back, blocking and blocking and blocking. Something caught at his leg—Zhou Mi slipped, automatically swinging his blade up to parry, but it was too late, the burn of steel through flesh slicing through his left shoulder. Zhou Mi winced as he regained his footing, clambering over a body before lunging forward. His attack was blocked again, Zhou Mi rolling with the blow this time. His arm seared with pain as he jarred it against the deck, but he didn't have time to pay it mind, left hand going to his holster instead. The man's eyes went wide as his hands both clutched at his chest, sword still in hand. Zhou Mi didn't wait to see him die.

The captain of the Revenge had seen him now, Zhou Mi was sure. He saw him toss a limp body over the railing—Minho, Zhou Mi realised with a lurch and with no time to discern anymore—and make his way determinedly towards Zhou Mi. Zhou Mi ran forward, blade still drawn. He leaped onto the bridge, left arm hanging limply at his side.

"So you're Zhou Mi," the captain said, leering at him. "Do you regret this now?" He gestured at the deck behind Zhou Mi. Zhou Mi didn't turn to look.

"Not really, but I think you might," he quipped easily.

The captain of the Revenge snorted. "Unlikely," he said. "I didn't think Zhou Zhu's son would look like such a weakling."

"I'd rather not take after my father in so many ways," Zhou Mi said with a smile. A smile, before it faltered, as he saw someone come up from behind the captain. "For one," he said, lunging forward in a split-second decision because he didn't have more time than that to spare, "I don't mean to die here."

It would have to be enough, Zhou Mi hoped desperately, biting back a whimper as the other's blade slid down the edge of his own, cutting deep into his side. When he managed to bite down the scream enough to straighten, he realised it had been enough.

"That was for my parents." Henry stood still as he regarded the captain's body, his words soft, the blade in his hand dripping red with blood. His eyes scared Zhou Mi, the usual kindness replaced with brutality Zhou Mi would have known well had it been from anyone else. "And my town."

"I should've known," Zhou Mi said quietly, hand pressed against his side. "You seemed to know your way around."

Henry stared at him for a moment, before looking down the length of the blade, the hardness fading away. "I'm sorry, gege," he said just as quietly. "I should have told you."

"Don't apologise, I was depending on you for my life there," Zhou Mi said.

Henry looked back up at him, the apology still clear in his eyes. "I showed Ryeowook the controls," he said by way of explanation, before Zhou Mi could ask.

Zhou Mi nodded, and then turned. "Your captain is dead!" he yelled across the meelee. "The Revenge is ours!"

The sounds of fighting died down slowly, as they turned one by one to look at him. Zhou Mi stared back evenly, and steeled his heart as he kicked the limp body of the captain of the Revenge forward. Silence lingered for a heavy moment, Zhou Mi's breath unevenly loud in his ears. But silence rarely lingered for long, always broken sooner or later.

Sooner rather than later, as it turned out. "The Revenge doesn't surrender!" someone called, at the same time Henry tapped at his shoulder, pointing at something in the distance.

"The Medea," Zhou Mi said simply. They had taken too long. The Revenge had arrived too late. He looked back to where the fighting had broke out again, and then up at the Koala. Ryeowook peeked over the railing, and Zhou Mi made a sharp gesture downwards, Ryeowook nodding in understanding before retreating out of view. "Koala, back to the ship," he ordered, hoping beyond hope that they would listen and obey. What he saw instead was hesitation. "Now!"

As one, he saw the crew of the Koala fight their way to the starboard side, just as the Koala dropped downwards, extended spurs crashing through the deck of the Revenge. Zhou Mi watched with grim satisfaction: they'd chosen the Hawk to capture for good reason. He dashed to the side of the ship, rallying the others towards him. The crew of the Revenge who had been lucky enough to avoid the assault began to recover from their confusion, and surged forward as well, determined to cut them down before they could escape. Zhou Mi saw Henry still standing where he'd been, and ran towards him. "Go," he insisted, pulling Henry along. "Ryeowook can't fight!" he reminded, giving him a push forward.

The mention of his friend seemed to jerk Henry out of his thoughts, and he nodded, running towards the mooring lines. "What about you?" he yelled over his shoulder.

Zhou Mi waved back. "I'll hold them off, don't worry, I'll be fine!"

Henry stopped halfway up the line, staring at Zhou Mi. "You planned this, didn't you?"

"Not entirely," Zhou Mi said with a laugh he didn't mean. "Now go!"

The Medea was drawing closer, and Zhou Mi knew that time was running short. He pressed his free hand against his side, trying to staunch the blood flow with little result. His breath was growing shorter, even as he tried to keep the press of Revenge crew members away from the Koala. He was vaguely aware of people fighting alongside him, but didn't spare the energy to look—couldn't spare the energy to look. A wave of relief washed over him as the Koala jerked free of the Revenge and flew free. His vision began to tunnel, until Zhou Mi's knees gave way under him entirely.

-

"The Revenge!" Kyuhyun yelled out in reminder, as the other ship broke away. "Our priority is the Revenge!"

The guns fired once, twice. Enough to cripple the rudder, but not enough to render it unairworthy. The Medea pulled closer, the advance guard leaping across the distance with rifles drawn along the mooring lines while ramps were thrown across empty space. In the face of numbers and far superior firepower, Kyuhyun wasn't surprised when they threw down their weapons. Cowards.

The Revenge was a mess. The other pirates—Zhou Mi, Kyuhyun thought—had done a thorough job. Kyuhyun reached into his pocket, fingers brushing against the slip of paper with nothing written on it but a coordinate, a date, and a time. He wandered the deck, leaving Siwon to oversee the procedures, the crew of the Medea rounding up the prisoners. This wasn't how he'd imagined capturing the Revenge, all clean up crew and no real fighting involved. So much for strategy, he thought bitterly, bending down to inspect the crushed deck.

When he straightened, his eyes met with a young pirate's. The pirate's eyes flickered away first, looking at his feet. There were three of them, clustered around something—or someone, Kyuhyun realised. He approached slowly, making sure that his drawn handgun was clearly visible.

"Zhou Mi." He couldn't help the name that slipped out on the exhale, his heart lurching involuntarily. The pirate's eyes found his again, and Kyuhyun wondered how loudly he'd spoken.

"He's still alive," someone said quietly, and Kyuhyun looked down to see a fourth, his shirt tied around Zhou Mi's waist. Kyuhyun forced his eyes away from the dark stain, travelling upwards to his face instead.

He looked away.

He was used to seeing smiles, laughter, shock once, apology more than once. Although, Kyuhyun supposed, getting stabbed in the side probably really fucking hurt, and he couldn't blame Zhou Mi for the pain painted across his face.

"Take that one too," Kyuhyun ordered the crew members who were finishing with the round up of the pirates.

"What for? He's almost gone," one of them said dismissively, aiming a kick at Zhou Mi's prone form. Kyuhyun tensed as Zhou Mi let out a groan, stirring slightly.

"One more pirate to hang," he said instead. "Always good for morale."

The crew member shrugged, grabbed Zhou Mi by the wrists, and pulled him away along with the others.

Kyuhyun swallowed the urge to retch.

-

Zhou Mi came to to a dull throb in his head, and a sharp pain along his side. Alive, was his first thought. Grounded was his second.

"Awake, captain?"

He forced open his eyes, turning towards the voice. His vision swam, and Zhou Mi had to shut them again. "You shouldn't be here," he murmured. When he opened his eyes again, Onew was leaning over him, a smile on his face. Zhou Mi's eyes slid shut again, too heavy to keep open.

"We couldn't just leave you there," Onew explained.

"We?" Zhou Mi said to himself, blinking his eyes open again. With a jolt, he realised that Key and Jonghyun were sitting side by side across from him, Taemin curled up in a corner by himself. Somehow mostly unscathed, he realised with a burst of misplaced relief, although their friend was conspiciously missing. "I'm sorry," he apologised, eyes drifting shut again.

"What for?" Onew spoke frankly, sitting back down next to Zhou Mi. "It's not like you did anything bad."

Zhou Mi laughed—a mistake, as pain ripped through his torso. "I shouldn't have agreed to sign the five of you aboard in the first place," he said.

"Four now," Jonghyun spoke up, his voice scratchy. Taemin bit his lip; he looked like he was trying not to cry, although his eyes were puffy in any place.

Zhou Mi pressed his lips together. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Just shut up." Zhou Mi looked up at Key in surprise—the other man's voice was sharp. His eyes looked red too, although that could have just been the lighting. "You don't even know why we were there in the first place. It's not like you're responsible for us. We chose to do this, and Minho did too, so there's nothing for you to apologise for."

"Besides," Jonghyun said, "if anyone should apologise, it's me. This is all my fault really." Jonghyun shrugged, a smile quirking at his lips. Key punched him on the shoulder, but it lacked any real power. "You weren't the only one with a beef against the Revenge."

"But, the Navy—"

"You can't really stick around the Academy after you've broken someone out of jail," Onew said, cracking a wan smile.

"Oh," was all Zhou Mi had to say, his mind still foggy.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, and they silenced immediately. "Kui Xian," Zhou Mi breathed, when a familiar figure appeared through the bars.

"You're awake," Kyuhyun said. He stood awkwardly, one hand reaching out to grab at a bar. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," Zhou Mi answered honestly. Judging from the looks the boys were giving Kyuhyun, Zhou Mi realised that this wasn't the first time Kyuhyun had dropped by. "How long has it been?"

Kyuhyun shrugged. "Two days. You woke up just in time for the exeuction." Kyuhyun forced a smile onto his face, but it fell flat before it had a chance to take root.

"Lucky me," Zhou Mi said. His own attempted grin ended as a grimace instead.

"You shouldn't be here," Kyuhyun said, his face falling into a frown.

Zhou Mi offered him a one-shouldered shrug, the one that didn't hurt. "Not everything goes as planned," he said simply.

"No. I mean. As a pirate."

"Oh," Zhou Mi said, Kyuhyun's meaning finally clicking into place. He wanted to laugh, maybe, but it would hurt. He settled for an amused smile instead. "Oh Kui Xian. But I am a pirate. My father was a pirate. Even if I wasn't a pirate, I would be a pirate's son."

"But then wouldn't your son—"

"I wasn't going to have a son." Zhou Mi stared back at him, eyes saying far more than what his words already did. "Besides, it doesn't seem like I'll have the chance now, anyway," he said lightly.

Kyuhyun's grip on the bars tightened. "You can," he said. "I have the keys."

Zhou Mi shook his head. "You'd get in trouble, I can't do that." He looked at Kyuhyun, and was surprised at the desperation he saw in his eyes. "Can you let them go, though?" he asked, nodding at the others. They stared at him. Zhou Mi smiled back.

"I can pretend to attack you, and then you can stop me, but they'll be gone already. That way you won't get in trouble." Already, he could feel tiredness slip back into his mind. One of the downsides of blood loss. "Think of it as one last favour."

He could see Kyuhyun hesitating. "They've already announced that the Medea is the one that took down the Revenge. They wouldn't smear my name. It'd be bad for morale."

"That's great," Zhou Mi said with a smile. "But please, Kui Xian?"

Kyuhyun's free hand was already wrapped around a key. Without breaking eye contact, Kyuhyun unlocked the door of the cell. "Zhou Mi," he said, slowly, unsteadily, the door creaking open. "I can get you out. Somehow."

Zhou Mi shook his head, getting unsteadily to his feet. Beside him, Onew hastened to help him up, and he was more than thankful for the support. "I wouldn't be able to get far," he said—and lunged forward, throwing his entire weight towards Kyuhyun, the two of them tumbling to the ground. "Run!" he yelled, a haze of pain settling around his mind. He saw them obey, run past him one by one, Taemin hesitating at the tail end before Key reached back and pulled him along.

"You're an idiot," Kyuhyun said from below him, making no effort to push him off.

"I know," Zhou Mi said, and let his head drop forward. Their lips brushed for the briefest instant before he rolled to the side, just as he heard the crash of guards through the door. "I'm glad..." he murmured by Kyuhyun's ear, before he blacked out entirely again.

-

There was an execution. Kyuhyun had never been fond of executions.

"I think Zhou Mi gege really liked you."

Kyuhyun looked beside him, the formerly empty space occupied by two youths—he recognised the one who spoke as the boy who'd killed the Revenge's captain. The other was familiar too, but not in a way Kyuhyun could place. He'd never been good with names. "I'm sorry," he said, not knowing what else to say when the person in question was about to die.

"He told you where we would be, didn't he?"

Kyuhyun nodded, watching as cheers rose again, bodies swinging from the gallows. He looked beside him, gauging their reactions—the boy who spoke didn't flinch, the other looked away in haste.

"Kyuhyun." Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see Sungmin. Sungmin offered him a wan smile, stepping up to stand on his other side.

"Hyung," Kyuhyun greeted, but Sungmin ignored him momentarily to peer at the two pirates.

"Henry, Ryeowook, right?" Sungmin asked, and was rewarded with a surprised nod. "Zhou Mi mentioned you two, the last time. Sorry, I overheard you a little—you're Western, aren't you?"

"Just me," the one who must have been Henry said quickly. "Ryeowook has nothing to do with it."

Sungmin laughed, returning his attention to the front. "You don't need to be so defensive; I don't really care."

"Why are you here?" Kyuhyun asked Sungmin.

Sungmin shrugged, his expression falling. "A few someones dropped by and told me that Mi wasn't going to make it. No," he said quickly, when Kyuhyun craned to look around, "I left them at the inn. It's never nice to see someone you know die, you know. And hanging isn't a particularly nice way to die."

Kyuhyun saw Henry stiffen beside him, a distressed sound coming from Ryeowook. "I suppose so," Kyuhyun said. "I wouldn't know."

"I told him not to hurt you," Sungmin said quietly. He could see Henry inch closer, in an attempt to listen. "Looks like it backfired anyway."

It was Kyuhyun's turn to stiffen. "He let the Medea take the credit," he said.

"I know," Sungmin replied. "He meant to do that. I shouldn't have told him you were going after the Revenge."

"He's an idiot."

"Probably," Sungmin said. He took a step back, speaking around Kyuhyun to the other two again. "Go and find Donghae, I have things to talk about with Kyuhyun."

Henry frowned at the two of them. "We do too," he said.

"Later," Sungmin said. "This is urgent."

Henry seemed to hesitate, before Ryeowook reached over and pulled Henry away by the wrist.

"What's so urgent?"

Sungmin shrugged. "Nothing, really. The Devil's Gale is here too, you know. I think their captain might want to kill you if he knew. Those two should distract him for now."

"I'm surprised they didn't want to kill me too," Kyuhyun said weakly.

"'Zhou Mi wouldn't want that', is probably what they're thinking. They actually liked him."

Another cheer rose from the crowd, as the next three were led onto the platform. Zhou Mi was at the end, Kyuhyun knew. The last one. He wondered if he'd last that long.

"That'd be for the best," Sungmin agreed, and Kyuhyun realised he'd said the last part aloud. "It's a more dignified death."

"You're taking this really well."

"Not really, I've just seen more people come and go. I can't say I wasn't expecting this eventually when I saw the two of you together. I just didn't think it'd be this soon."

"I didn't either."

The two of them fell silent, Kyuhyun watching as the twitching feet finally grew still, the bodies tossed aside.

"He was Han Geng's cousin," Sungmin said suddenly. "Hankyung, I mean. Second cousin, from the mother's side. I don't think Zhou Mi knew though. Siwon told me."

So he had known, Kyuhyun thought, and wondered what Hankyung had thought when they'd dragged Zhou Mi's body in, broken and bloody as it had been.

Another three—and then Zhou Mi would be next.

"Last chance for a rescue," Sungmin said quietly.

Kyuhyun simply looked at him. "I tried to," he said. "He wouldn't."

"Probably out of responsibility. They lost Minho, and it must have hit him pretty hard. He would've held them back, if he'd gone with them."

"I could've done it, got them all out."

"In all honesty?" Sungmin shot him a look.

"I could've," Kyuhyun repeated.

"No, you couldn't have," Sungmin countered evenly. Something at the front caught his attention, and Sungmin straightened, craning his neck upwards to peer forward, his eyes narrowing. "Oh," he said softly, tension suddenly draining out of his body. "It looks like you got your wish after all."

Kyuhyun turned away. There was no more reason to stick around.

After all, he'd never been fond of executions. This one was no exception.

additional notes:
oh. my. god. this is done. it was technically started three months ago, but most of the writing was done between may 4-9, and most of the editing was done june 2-3 because i'm lame like that. but then again, my writing process is always 90% bitching, 10% writing haha ;; maybe 95:5? this was the first time i sat down and said 'i'm going to write this story', and wrote a story - usually i just sit down and write whatever crap comes to mind haphazardly and hopes an ending comes together. my original goal was 15k words...and i think you can see what happened. honestly, if nothing else, i feel like i've learned a lot through this story, and it's definitely been a 'fun' experience. the way our class mech assignments are fun. speaking of which—

and um i have so many 'thank yous' to make:

1) tlist, i love you guys so, so, so much and i'm so sorry for subjecting you to my constant whining over this and probably driving you all insane

2) kiyumi, thank you for offering to hand-hold me through this and being so supportive all the time and offering to stay with me and everything, and thank you for hand-holding me and staying with me and encouraging me and everything!

3) cal, i love you for helping me with this even if you know absolutely nothing about the characters and giving me a starting point and actually reading this and fixing my atrocious, horrible grammar, even staying up late with me and sfjdslk and i am pretty sure this fic would be 100x worse without you

4) yun—what can i say, you're a life saver, and you're my life saver. can you be the kyuhyun to my zhou mi for like, ever. (because i'm taller okay). idek what to say to you at this point, except i really could not have done this without you, and i think you know i wouldn't even be here without you lmao and fffffff i'm sorry for being terrible on your birthday and i wish i could promise to make it up to you but i could never and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that is all

5) you! if you've somehow managed to crawl through 26.7k of my stilted words and terrible story telling skills, thank you for reading. i would like to say this has been my baby for the past 3 months or something... but in reality, it's just been a source of heart-ache, frustration, and sleep-deprivation, but if you've somehow read to here, thank you, thank you, and thank you, because that makes all those hours worth it. thank you for bearing with my quriks, with my inability to write (/sob i still haven't shed those roleplaying tendencies and it's been months), with my inability to paint my world, with my world, with me. and so, thank you for reading♥

...also sorry my fail chinese. lmao. IF YOU COULD READ IT i hoped it amused you and didn't make you want to kill me. my explanation is that the Western spoken in Central has been segregated for so many generations so it's...awkward. like me.

yeah so i think i've rambled enough andddddddd it's 4AM so /disappears~~~~