todokanu

dystychiphobia (and a fear of falling) - part 2
也许明天

Zhou Mi woke with a blinding headache, and a far too clear recollection of the events from the night before.

Don't do anything stupid, Sungmin had said. Too late for that, Zhou Mi thought. There was a knock at the door—it must have been what woke him up in the first place. "Zhou Mi?" Sungmin's voice called through the door.

"Come in," he called back, wincing at the way his own voice grated at his nerves. The lock clicked open, and Sungmin stepped through the doorway, shutting the door behind him. Zhou Mi struggled into a sitting position, massaging his temples. He hadn't drunk so much in a while.

"I'll get you some coffee," Sungmin offered automatically, and then: "Does Kyuhyun know?"

Zhou Mi smiled wanly, shaking his head—he instantly regretted it when the movement sent a fresh wave of spikes against the inside of his skull. "No," he said.

"Are you going to tell him?" Sungmin asked.

"No," Zhou Mi said, keeping his head still this time.

Sungmin sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "Don't hurt him," he said bluntly. "Now about last night, before we were interrupted. Or maybe coffee first?"

"Yes please," Zhou Mi agreed, sounding little less miserable than he felt, despite his attempts at cheerfulness. It wasn't a good time for cheerfulness. He flopped back down on the bed and shut his eyes as Sungmin left the room. It was because Kyuhyun showing up had been unexpected, he decided. He'd been off his guard. And the uniform, as much as Zhou Mi didn't like the Navy, had looked good on him. Yes, that was it. He'd just stay away from him for a little while, and it'd be alright again. Besides, if things worked out, he would be very busy soon. You might run into him even more, a voice nagged him. Zhou Mi pushed it weakly away. Third time's the charm, Kyuhyun had said, hadn't he? Zhou Mi didn't have the heart to tell him it was actually the fifth.

Zhou Mi sat up at the sound of the door opening again, gratefully cradling the mug of coffee to his chest. "Thank you," he said, sipping at the hot beverage.

"No problem," Sungmin said. "So I asked around, about what you...asked." He spoke cautiously, glancing at the door. Zhou Mi nodded; it would be a bad idea if the wrong person heard this discussion. He leaned forward, eager to hear what Sungmin had to say. "I found a handful. One of them's an Academy dropout, I didn't ask about the reason, but he has a good head on his shoulders. They're all good kids, though."

"Kids?" Zhou Mi asked hesitantly.

Sungmin shrugged. "That shouldn't be a problem. Especially from you."

Zhou Mi hesitated. "That's different," he said. "I didn't exactly have a choice."

"If you don't take them on, they'll just find another ship to fly with," Sungmin pointed out. "And they all have to start from somewhere."

"I thought I told you why we're parting ways," Zhou Mi said with a slight frown.

"The Revenge, right?"

"Which is apparently a suicide mission, as I've been told. I don't want to be responsible for that."

Sungmin regarded him steadily, leaning back in the chair. "If it were you, would you want me to say no?" he asked.

Zhou Mi laughed ruefully, a second's consideration in the making. "That's different," he repeated. "We don't think about these things when we're young. Sorry for the trouble Sungmin, but could you ask around again?"

"I could," Sungmin said slowly, "but I don't think it'll be any different. No offense, but the only people who'd be interested are the young or the stupid, and you don't want the stupid ones."

Zhou Mi's face fell, although it was the answer he'd been expecting. He'd asked Sungmin, because Sungmin knew people, and Sungmin knew Zhou Mi. And since Zhou Mi needed a crew, it had been the logical answer. He needed a ship as well, but if all went as planned, that would be the easy part. But he knew that if he didn't choose the people carefully, everything would fall apart before it even began. But - and there were too many buts already - he was hesitant that Sungmin had described them as 'kids'. Kids deserved second chances, and Zhou Mi didn't think he was qualified to give them that.

"You know, I heard the Devil's Gale's due to show up soon," Sungmin said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Devil's Gale?" Zhou Mi brightened visibly, grinning. "Of course, if we're talking about who knows people..."

"There's no one better," Sungmin confirmed. "And he likes you. That's a plus. They're scheduled to dock in tomorrow night. It's up to you if you want to meet mid-air or on the ground. I'll send a pigeon ahead and tell him you're in the area."

"Air, probably. Safer that way," Zhou Mi mused. With luck, it'd go well enough that he wouldn't have to sign on the kids Sungmin had found. They'd be disappointed, Zhou Mi was sure, but better disappointed than dead.

"That's settled then." Sungmin sounded pleased as well, an easy smile on his face before it abruptly faltered. He opened his mouth to speak, but Zhou Mi beat him to it.

"This is about Kui—Kyuhyun, isn't it?" he asked.

Sungmin nodded mutely, face drawn into an expression of severity.

Zhou Mi ran a tongue across dry lips, nodding in return. "Please don't tell him," he said quietly. He took a deep breath before speaking, admitting to himself that he may have looked forward to their meetings a little more than he let on, and that the fluttering in his chest wasn't all normal after all. That maybe his smiles had been a little brighter than necessary, that it might have been smarter to have avoided him altogether, that he'd been a little too drawn to him every time. That he had a hard time looking away. "I think I like him," he all but whispered.

Sungmin just gave him a hard look. "Don't hurt him," he repeated.

"I would never," Zhou Mi responded.

"I know," Sungmin said, and then sighed. "That's what I'm worried about."

-

"Is he gone?" Kyuhyun asked without looking up when the lock clicked open and the door swung inwards, Sungmin stepping through the doorway.

"Just now," Sungmin said. "What happened last night?"

Kyuhyun grimaced; it hadn't exactly been the proudest moment of his life. "I'd rather not talk about it," he said shortly. They had, he had—no, not something he wanted to remember.

"Zhou Mi is a good kisser, isn't he?" Sungmin said conversationally.

Kyuhyun stared. "How did you know?" he asked, before burying his face in his hands. "Did you see?" The possibilities ran through his head - could someone else have seen too? But no, he was pretty sure nothing had happened in the hallway. But heard? Maybe.

"No, guessed," Sungmin said, tugging Kyuhyun's hands away. "Now tell me what happened."

"Whose side are you even on? Anyways, I don't want to talk about it." Kyuhyun turned away. "He's...he's a man. And a Westerner."

"He's also a good person. And you, Cho Kyuhyun, are being a narrow-minded, Academy trained idiot." Sungmin sighed, rolling his eyes. "I just want to know what happened."

Kyuhyun shrugged. "Don't really remember," he mumbled, which was only a half truth. He remembered all the important parts, and those were too many already.

Sungmin sighed again, kicking Kyuhyun lightly in the shins. "Tell me truthfully, did you hate it?"

No, his mind supplied. "Yes," Kyuhyun said. Sungmin frowned at him. Kyuhyun frowned back. No, his mind insisted a little harder. "No," he admitted a little quietly, and wondered if it was possible to disappear.

To his surprise, Sungmin only nodded, his expression softening into neutrality. "I thought so," he said.

"You're not creeped out?" Kyuhyun asked a little hesitantly.

"Why would I be?" Sungmin shrugged. He stood, pacing across the room. "Look, Kyuhyun. I've known you for what, eight—"

"Nine."

"—nine years, now," Sungmin amended. "And Zhou Mi is a good person. He wouldn't have pushed it if you didn't want to, you know. But it won't work out."

"What won't work out?"

It was Sungmin's turn to stare at him, and Kyuhyun broke eye contact and looked away. "If you don't know, you'll figure it out," he said, and then sighed again, turning to leave. "You can have someone pick up your uniform, or stay here again tonight, I don't really mind."

Kyuhyun nodded blankly, trying not to think too hard, or at all, really. He didn't want to know where his thoughts would go. Not Zhou Mi, he thought. A safer topic, he decided. Like work. Navy. The Revenge. A thought dawned on him suddenly, and he wondered why he hadn't thought about it before. "What do you know about the Spitfire?" he asked casually.

Sungmin stopped suddenly and turned slowly. "Why do you ask?" he asked.

"They got away," he explained. "I don't like leaving loose ends." Amongst other things.

"That's rare," Sungmin commented. "I've heard of them, and that the ship lives up to its name, but that's about it."

Kyuhyun shrugged. It was worth a try. Sungmin, he'd found, tended to run into a lot of people on the job. "I'll go back today," he said. "Thanks."

"No problem. It's good to see you every now and then," Sungmin said. He paused right before he was about to shut the door again. "I'll tell you if I hear anything about that ship," he added, before leaving Kyuhyun to wallow in his thoughts by himself.

-

He held his breath. Or it was better to say, that there was a collective holding of breaths, in which the collective consisted of one person. But it was enough of a collective for the atmosphere to dampen significantly, Zhou Mi's fingers smoothing down the hem of his shirt, eyes staring straight ahead. He had a good idea what the response would be.

He wasn't disappointed.

"Are you insane?" Heechul asked quietly. "Who put you up to this? Don't worry, you can tell me, I won't tell anyone."

Zhou Mi laughed nervously, uncrossing and crossing his legs in the other direction. "No one," he said. "If anything, they tried to stop me."

"With good reason," Heechul muttered, scraping his chair back to rummage through his locked drawers.

They were aboard the Devil's Gale, Zhou Mi having 'borrowed' a personal hovercraft to meet them midair as agreed. Heechul had been glad enough to see him, but Zhou Mi wondered if he wasn't regretting it now. He smiled nervously, steepling his fingers, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. Heechul came back with a well worn flask and two glasses, pushing one over at Zhou Mi. Zhou Mi accepted it wordlessly, idly tapping at the rim. "You have a plan, so spill," Heechul said, pouring them both a drink.

Zhou Mi nodded, pressing his lips together briefly before speaking, brisk and business-like. "A luxury liner will be passing over line A3N45 five days from now. The Golden Hawk will be making a pass, unless our source is mistaken, and they've never been mistaken. The visibility should be low that day—we'll be ambushing them after they've gutted the liner. And then I'll captain the Golden Hawk."

"The easy part," Heechul said dismissively. "We can help with that. But do you have the crew to man it?"

Zhou Mi hesitated before shaking his head reluctantly. "Not yet," he said. "Some of the Spitfire's crew will be signing on with me, the Spitfire's signing on new crew as well, but I'm still short some. A contact said he'd got in touch with a couple of kids, but I was hoping—"

"—that I could find you people," Heechul finished for him. It was his turn to sigh, knocking back his drink. "Look, Seasoning. I like you, but this is insane."

"I've been told," Zhou Mi laughed mirthlessly. "But I have to."

Heechul gave him a hard look, eyes narrowing briefly. "I can find you people," Heechul said eventually. "But I can't promise how many. People I can trust with you are hard to come by, and this sounds like a suicide mission to me."

"I've been told," Zhou Mi repeated with a slight smile. "But I think we might be able to do it."

"Optimistic," Heechul scoffed. And then he leaned forward, an easy grin on his face. "So how's your captain? I heard you picked up some kid, how is he?" A definite leer was on Heechul's face as he said the last.

Zhou Mi looked scandalised. "Henry's not like that!" he protested, but laughed anyway, letting the conversation dissolve into the usual small talk and banter. With luck, Heechul would find him enough of a crew that he wouldn't have to sign on the kids Sungmin had gotten in touch with. With luck.

-

"You're here again."

Zhou Mi looked up from where he was sitting at the bar, only to find Kyuhyun staring at him, a few handspans away. His heart gave a definite kick, a smile creeping onto his face so determinedly, he couldn't have stopped it even if he'd wanted to. "Kui Xian," he greeted—and then their last meeting crept just as determinedly into his forethoughts and the smile dropped off his face faster than it had appeared. "I, um."

"Don't mention it," Kyuhyun said warningly, sliding into the stool one over from Zhou Mi's, leaving a space between them.

Zhou Mi nodded, sneaking a glance at the other man. Kyuhyun was dressed casually today, his uniform traded for a simple vest over the shirt, brown trousers held up by a belt. He felt his throat tighten when Kyuhyun looked his way, their eyes meeting for a split second before Zhou Mi looked away hurriedly, burying his face in his beer. "I'm sorry," he said quietly when he felt like his face was composed enough to resurface again. "About last time, I mean. I hope you don't hate me, although I guess it's too late for that."

"Shut up," Kyuhyun said tightly, waving the barkeep over. Zhou Mi was a little relieved that Sungmin wasn't here today, overseeing some transactions and leaving the overall operation to one of the workers. Zhou Mi waited until he was gone before he spoke up again.

"I know you don't like me, especially because I'm Western and all that—"

"Will you shut up?" Kyuhyun hissed at him, turning to glare. On one hand, Zhou Mi had to admit it was a little intimidating. On the other, Zhou Mi swallowed, and felt his face heat up again. He nodded wordlessly, and quickly turned away. Don't do anything stupid, don't hurt him, Zhou Mi thought.

Kyuhyun coughed awkwardly, catching Zhou Mi's attention. "You're not all bad," Kyuhyun admitted. He looked like he'd swallowed something extremely unpleasant, Zhou Mi thought, but smiled anyway.

"Thank you," he said simply. You too, Zhou Mi thought, especially for Navy.

They fell silent for some time, Zhou Mi nursing his drink, and Kyuhyun his. He was going to meet with the kids Sungmin had found later today. Sungmin had said they'd insisted, and he should really reconsider. Maybe they could sign on with the Spitfire instead, he'd suggested. Some fresh blood. Zhou Mi wondered what Kyuhyun would say if he knew what he was thinking of. The thought of it sent a thrill through Zhou Mi, both good and bad. It was always like this, before a planned raid. A smile quirked at Zhou Mi's lips. If Navy got a whiff of this though, he'd rather it not be Kyuhyun's ship again. He'd nearly panicked that time, honestly. He could only be thankful that the captain hadn't recognised Kyuhyun from that meeting, and had decided against a prolonged airfight after all. Zhou Mi shuddered; he didn't want to imagine what would have happened if he'd ended up crossing swords with Kyuhyun.

"The Thirty Six Strategems," Kyuhyun broke the silence in stilted words. "They're from the West."

Zhou Mi glanced at him, surprised. "Are they? I didn't know."

Kyuhyun stared back at him. "Aren't you Western?" he asked curiously.

"I am," Zhou Mi shrugged. "But I was born in Central, and we don't exactly have history lessons." Or lessons of any kind, really. Zhou Mi was just lucky that the captain of the Spitfire had taken him on when he was old enough, and that Zhou Mi had always been tall for his age.

"Oh." Kyuhyun looked away again, and Zhou Mi felt an odd twinge of regret. He liked Kyuhyun's eyes. Don't do anything stupid, rang through his head, and Zhou Mi looked resolutely away as well.

"I don't really know much about the West," Zhou Mi admitted. "The Central textbooks don't exactly give the most unbiased picture."

"No, they don't," Kyuhyun agreed slowly, Hankyung's words echoing through his mind. "What about your parents?" From as long as he could remember, Kyuhyun's father had drilled him in the past and customs of Old Central, intent on passing down what was universally declared as a noble heritage.

Zhou Mi stiffened, unable to stop the frown that dominated his face, however briefly. "They died," he said simply. "I never knew my mother."

"I'm sorry," Kyuhyun said. "Your father?"

Zhou Mi shrugged. "We weren't close," he said. He could count the number of times they'd talked on one hand. "He was killed," he added after a moment. "By pirates." He watched Kyuhyun out of the corner of his eye, unsure himself of what he wanted to accomplish by mentioning this fact. He'd never really talked to anyone about his father, as omnipresent as his memory tended to be in Zhou Mi's life.

"Oh," was all Kyuhyun said.

Zhou Mi laughed. "It was a long time ago," he said. "I've gotten over it. If you're not busy, would you like to come somewhere with me afterwards?"

Kyuhyun looked at him, brows furrowing. Probably considering if Zhou Mi was going to drag him into an alley and kill him or something, Zhou Mi mused. He opened his mouth, hesitating. Zhou Mi smiled a little wider, his heart suddenly making its presence all too well known. Kyuhyun looked away, and Zhou Mi's heart fell just a tiny, tiny, tiny bit.

"I'm not busy," Kyuhyun said.

"It's fine if you're busy, you probably are," Zhou Mi said, and then stopped and listened to what exactly Kyuhyun had said. "Really?"

"I'm on shore leave." Kyuhyun shrugged, downed the rest of his drink. "Let's go."

Zhou Mi beamed at him, finishing his own drink and hopping off the stool. "It's not far," he promised, leading them out the door.

The walk was silent, Kyuhyun not initiating conversation, and Zhou Mi swimming too deep in his own thoughts to be much of a conversational partner at the moment. It had been a while since someone had brought up either of his parents. When he was a child, people would say that Zhou Mi had his mother's eyes and her smile, and Zhou Mi assumed that it was a compliment, and had smiled wider. She'd either left, or died—no one ever said, and Zhou Mi had never asked. Zhou Mi had his father's skill, they would say as he grew. Had his way with words, had his voice. The last, Zhou Mi had never understood, until someone had told him that when his father was young, he'd been quite popular in the bars, and a looker to boot, the way Zhou Mi was sure to turn out. Zhou Mi had stopped singing, after that. He'd already been signed with the Spitfire then, and the captain had shaken his head, but hadn't said anything about the whole matter.

"Where are we going?" Kyuhyun eventually asked.

Zhou Mi looked up, and simply smiled. "You'll see," he said, turning down a side street, dim in the lighting the near evening sun. He saw Kyuhyun hesitate before following him. "Don't worry, it's safe," he reassured him.

The streets were familiar - to Zhou Mi. Beside him, he could see Kyuhyun's growing confusion at the increasing squalor. Or maybe it was disgust. Zhou Mi didn't mind. He had eyes as well, he could see the difference. He stood out a little, Kyuhyun as well. An old lady sitting outside a door eyed him suspiciously until he greeted her respectfully in careful Western. He saw realisation begin to dawn on Kyuhyun's face.

"This is the Western quarter, Kui Xian," he explained, although he was sure Kyuhyun knew by now already.

"Why are we here?"

Zhou Mi shrugged, led them in deeper. "I wanted to show you," he said, meandering down the street. "That we're not bad people." A child darted out from a doorway tucked away in an alcove, nearly bowling Zhou Mi over from the side. "Be careful," Zhou Mi said laughing, setting the boy on his way after he'd regained his own balance. "Thank you," he said to Kyuhyun, the only reason he hadn't toppled over entirely.

Kyuhyun shrugged, and Zhou Mi beamed. Kyuhyun looked uncomfortable. "Come on," he said, reaching out to tug at Kyuhyun's wrist. Kyuhyun didn't flinch away this time, although Zhou Mi felt him stiffen. Kyuhyun's wrist was warm, and Zhou Mi resisted the urge to slide his hand down towards where Kyuhyun's fingers were. Kyuhyun shook off his grip a few steps later, but Zhou Mi knew he couldn't complain.

"These people, they're all Western?" Kyuhyun sounded surprised. Zhou Mi looked at him, and then looked around, wondering what it was that Kyuhyun saw. Zhou Mi saw children playing, the older brother keeping an eye on the younger siblings while their parents were at work, saw a man who'd given up on life to smoke forgetfulness instead, saw a mother doing the laundry, her mother mending a shirt. (Kyuhyun only saw too many people crammed into too small a space.)

"They are," Zhou Mi confirmed. "They're not barbarians, or ignorant, or whores." He saw Kyuhyun flinch at the words; he knew Kyuhyun remembered. "Although, I can't promise that you don't need to keep an eye on your wallet," he said with a slight laugh, "but that's the same no matter where you go."

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Kyuhyun asked.

Zhou Mi nodded. "I'm sorry, it's just that—"

"Stop apologising," Kyuhyun snapped. When Zhou Mi looked over at him, an unreadable look had clouded his eyes. His breath hitched unaccountably, and Zhou Mi swallowed.

"Sor—I mean—" He laughed weakly. "I'm not very good at this am I?"

"No, you're not," Kyuhyun said. "And, before. You didn't have to apologise. It's not like you did anything wrong."

Zhou Mi pressed his lips together. If only you knew, he thought wryly, but didn't say anything. And then Kyuhyun's words clicked. "I didn't do anything wrong?" His words were slow; he eyed Kyuhyun carefully.

Kyuhyun looked away, tongue flicking out across his lips. "No," he said shortly. "You didn't."

The staccato in Zhou Mi's chest increased, as he reached out hesitantly to grab at Kyuhyun's wrist again. When Kyuhyun didn't pull away, Zhou Mi's fingers tightened. He pulled the other man along at a brisk place until they were in an alleyway deserted enough that even Zhou Mi had never explored as a child. "I didn't do anything wrong?" he confirmed. He was slightly breathless, and it had nothing to do with the walk. Kyuhyun didn't meet his eyes, but there was an imperceptible shake of the head.

Zhou Mi swallowed, anxiety making it hard to breathe as he leaned forward. They weren't drunk this time, Zhou Mi knew. Kyuhyun knew. He hesitated, leaving the smallest space between them, breaths mingling until Kyuhyun made an impatient noise, tugging him closer. The last few milimeters disappeared until their lips collided. Zhou Mi squeaked in surprise. He pulled away hastily, still watching Kyuhyun carefully. Navy, remember? he reminded himself. "Is this okay?" he asked Kyuhyun.

"You talk too much," Kyuhyun grumbled.

"Kui Xian," Zhou Mi breathed. And kissed him again.

-

Kyuhyun strode through the halls of the ship, barging through the door of the captain's quarters with little ceremony. Zhou Mi had left to find his crew earlier that day, and Kyuhyun had found no more reason to stay grounded.

"I have an idea," Kyuhyun said simply, dropping into the seat across from Siwon.

Siwon looked up curiously, his pen replaced quietly on the table. "Oh? And you weren't due back for two days."

"I don't like being grounded. I thought you'd be more excited," Kyuhyun grumbled, unrolling a map across the desk. "It's about the Revenge." Siwon sat up abruptly, taking notice. Kyuhyun gave himself a mental pat on the back of approval. "I think I've got something. It's not foolproof, but I'd give it seventy percent, which is pretty good, considering who we're dealing with."

"Show me," Siwon said, leaning forward excitedly.

Kyuhyun was glad to oblige. "Here, here, and here. Red marks where the Revenge was last seen. Blue marks where they've attacked. Green is where other pirates were drawn to the scene afterward, in other words, were in the area or knew of the attack in advance."

Siwon frowned. Kyuhyun grinned. "How does that help?"

"It doesn't." Kyuhyun smirked when Siwon shot him a confused look. "By itself. But black marks where the Revenge was involved in an airfight. There's never been a recorded airfight with a Navy ship, but they've tangled with other pirates enough. A lot of in-fighting. And I don't know if they've noticed the pattern, but I have."

Siwon sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers idly against the map. "So what does that mean?"

"It means," Kyuhyun said, "that we can find the Revenge, and on our terms."

"How?" Siwon asked, exasperated by the circles Kyuhyun knew he was drawing around the topic.

"With a borrowed knife. Bait."

-

Zhou Mi paced nervously on the deck, peering over the edge every now and then, although there was nothing below. No, what was interesting would be above them. He glanced around the Spitfire, checking one last time that things were in order. Henry caught his eye from the other end of the ship and gave him a quick thumbs up from where he was going over the long range handguns with Donghae. Their heavy artillery would be useless today, if Zhou Mi wanted a ship to fly with after. It was a mere speck even through the spyglass, but Zhou Mi could just see the Devil's Gale in the distance, Heechul keeping his promise of assistance if it was required. Zhou Mi didn't think it would be.

"Nervous?"

Zhou Mi didn't have to look behind him to know it was the captain. "A little," he admitted. The captain joined him at the rail, although they were skimming low over the surface of the water right now. "Thank you," Zhou Mi said quickly, taking a step back and giving him a deep bow. "For everything."

The captain laughed. patting Zhou Mi's shoulder. "You can thank me after you come out of this alive—and I don't mean capturing the Hawk."

"I might not get a chance," Zhou Mi said honestly, straightening. "You were like a father to me."

"Then you had poor luck in fathers," the captain said. "That is what this is about, isn't it?"

Zhou Mi shifted uncomfortably, a nervous laugh at the corners of his lips. "Not entirely," he said.

"But partially."

Zhou Mi nodded, fingers curling around the railing of the deck.

"He wasn't a bad man, your father."

Zhou Mi laughed bitterly. "It doesn't sound like it."

The captain shot him a look, and Zhou Mi looked away. "There have been much worse men, and far worse pirates."

"And far better," Zhou Mi said quietly.

"Like you?"

Zhou Mi shrugged, and shook his head. "If I were better, I would have found another way."

"Sometimes, there only is one way," the captain said, and Zhou Mi knew that he was right. But that didn't mean he had to admit it. "You'll be taking Henry with you?"

Zhou Mi was glad for the change of topic, nodding, even though they'd discussed this before. "He seemed adamant about it," he said, hesitating before continuing. "The kids—"

"Give them a chance." The captain cut Zhou Mi off before he could continue. Zhou Mi stared at him, eyes wide. "They remind me a little of you, and they know what they're getting into."

"But it's an adult's responsibility—"

"They're not much younger than you are, Mi. And far older than when you first signed on with the Spitfire. You can tell, this isn't their first ship." The captain nodded towards the crows nest, where one of them was currently perched, scanning the sky above them for the movement they should be seeing at any moment. And he could tell. They had settled into the rhythm of the ship far faster than he could've expected.

Zhou Mi nodded mutely, settling back into a thoughtful silence. But not for long, the captain interrupting his thoughts again.

"Will you continue the legacy?"

The question caught him by surprise, although he supposed he should have expected it. "No," he said after a moment's hesitation. "I think it's time for it to end."

The captain nodded approvingly, clapping Zhou Mi on the shoulder. "The Revenge may have been your father's ship, but it wouldn't suit you," he agreed. He nodded once more, before turning his steps away without another word.

Zhou Mi debated chasing after him, but the signal bell caught his attention and he darted to the com tube instead. "Taemin?"

"The Hawk is preparing to release the boarding lines." His was scratchy across the distance, but clear and understandable. "Um. That's all."

And that was all. "Thank you," Zhou Mi replied. "You should probably come down now."

"Okay!" he heard, and when he looked up, the kid was already clambering down the lines easily. Definitely not his first ship, Zhou Mi thought.

Zhou Mi jogged towards the captain, already taken over the helm again. "They're preparing to release the boarding lines," Zhou Mi said, glancing upwards at where the two ships hoverd far enough above that the Spitfire should have been of no consequence. "It's time."

The captain nodded grimly, bringing the airship around until its nose was pointed straight in the direction of the Hawk. "Alright crew!" he yelled, the Spitfire's crew turning as one. "We're going up!"

A muted cheer rose, and Zhou Mi's heart swelled. This would be his last raid with the Spitfire, if all went well. He ran his eyes across the crew, across the moorings, the familiar wings. The Spitfire's crew had changed over the years, but he could pick out a few faces that'd been with the ship nearly as long as he had. And then the ship lurched, and Zhou Mi automatically looped a line of mooring around his waist, clinging to one of the many handholds installed for that purpose. Donghae gave him a cheerful wave, before dropping into the hull of the ship with most of the others, a far safer place to be on a steep ascent like this. He saw one of the kids hanging resolutely on deck as well, watching the way the ship manoeuvred with eyes wide. Minho, Zhou Mi sort of remembered, he was a little quieter than the others.

The Hawk didn't seem to have noticed them yet, but Zhou Mi didn't rule out the possibility, keeping a careful watch. The distance between them closed in a flash, until the Spitfire was entirely under the Hawk's shadow. They cruised along like that for a few moments, putting some space between them and the liner. The captain caught Zhou Mi's eye and nodded once. He slowed the Spitfire, pulling it back, and raised their altitude imperceptibly. Zhou Mi signalled the crew, and was somehow relieved to see them reappear, popping out from the deck. He checked his own blade, a perfunctory measure, and pulled the gun out of the holster, to turn the reassurance of its weight in his hands. The wind whipped his hair into his face, as short as he tended to keep it. A glint of metal above told him that the Hawk had finally noticed them - a glance at the captain told him that he had seen too - but it was too late. They were in the Hawk's blind spot, and unless they carried the same sort of guns the Spitfire did, they were out of luck. And sources told him that they didn't.

Their gunner took it as their cue as well, him and Donghae setting up the new long-range precision guns with ease. Their efforts were rewarded with splashes of red. Zhou Mi smiled grimly.

The Spitfire pulled level with the Hawk, and eased higher until they were almost directly on top of the other ship. Within moments, the deck of the Spitfire was teeming with activity, the crew swinging over the railing and dropping onto the Hawk, cries in the air. Zhou Mi pulled back a moment, keeping an eye on any last minute incidents before nodding briskly to the captain and running to the edge of the Spitfire, swinging down easily. The Spitfire would be at its most vulnerable now, with only a skeleton crew to keep it afloat. They would have to be quick.

Zhou Mi grunted, his boot coming into contact with someone's head with a sharp crack before he jumped down. He pulled his blade free and stabbed the unfortunate soul for good measure, whirling around just in time to counter another with a sharp clang of metal on metal, adding to the already noisy din. Zhou Mi feinted to the left, ducking and rolling behind the man, dispatching him with not his blade, but a well placed bullet from the gun in his other hand. He didn't wait to see the look of surprise as the man fell to his knees, preferring to holster his gun and move on. He caught sight of Minho hacking his way determinedly against three and made his way to his side, easily taking care of two of them before the third realised what was going on, leaving him to Minho.

The element of surprise worn through, the Hawk's crew began their own assault. It was with a pang of regret that Zhou Mi watched one of the Spitfire's crew cut down, but it was a brief one. The shriek of metal sliding against its own resounded in his ears, Zhou Mi's mouth pressed into a thin line as he held the other man's blade back. To his surprise, the man slumped suddenly against his will, and someone Zhou Mi recognised as one of the new members pulled out a bloodied blade with a smile. Key his mind supplied after a moment, but Zhou Mi had already moved on.

"Come with me!" he yelled over the noise at Donghae, picking him out from a distance and making his cautious way over. Donghae glanced at him and nodded, dancing away from the Hawk crew member he'd been duking it out with, fluidly enough that he wouldn't be able to follow. Zhou Mi glanced back once to check that Donghae was close on his heels, before making his way pell-mell to where the captain of the Hawk was holding his own against Spitfire crew members. The two of them arrived in time to see one of them go down, but Zhou Mi didn't flinch, stepping forward to take his place instead.

In the end, it was surprisingly simple. The captain of the Hawk slipped, Zhou Mi took a step forward, his blade jabbing sharply downward, took another step forward, and then took a hold of the wheel. Donghae whooped, and Zhou Mi pulled the Hawk into a sharp ascent. The crew of the Hawk were caught off guard, and easily unbalanced. Zhou Mi listened grimly as screams pierced the air. The scent of blood was starting to become all-pervasive. "Surrender," he heard his—no, the Spitfire's captain yell from above. Zhou Mi risked a glance behind him, and saw the hesitation in the faces of the crew of the Hawk. He hoped they would surrender. The Spitfire had made a point.

They did, and Zhou Mi let out a sigh of relief. So far, things were going well. Although, he reminded himself, this had been the easy part.

-

"Distress call from coordinates A3N45, seven-eight. Medea has been requested for backup." Kyuhyun walked briskly towards the helm, where Hankyung was flying the Medea on its routine patrol. Hankyung snapped to attention when Kyuhyun approached, and Kyuhyun could see him mentally calculating their relative positions. "How long will it take?"

Hankyung shrugged, pulling out a chart book and a pencil, quickly sketching in the wind patterns he'd obtained earlier in the day. "Give or take an hour," he said. "More take than give."

Kyuhyun nodded. "Good enough. I suspect the pirates will take the tenth line, so we can account for that too and head them off."

"An hour tops," Hankyung decided, quickly changing the course of the ship. Kyuhyun left him to his work, jogging back towards the cabin where Siwon was already issuing orders to the crew. He had the decency to wait until Siwon finished talking before knocking on the door, the military protocol knocked into him during the Academy finally taking effect. "Less than an hour," he reported. Siwon nodded crisply at him. Kyuhyun took it as a signal to make himself scarce.

Kyuhyun paced the deck, wind pushing his hair away from his face. Hankyung was busy keeping the Medea in the updraft, and the crew were busy making the ship battle ready, tying down the guns and preparing the ammunition. Kyuhyun was busy doing much of nothing.

There was a possibility it had been the Revenge, Kyuhyun thought. In which case this entire exercise would be futile, the ship gone long before the Medea arrived. He doubted it though, it was probably just routine piracy, but the possibility still made Kyuhyun's heart race.

For some reason, he suddenly thought of fingers around his wrist, the soft brush of lips against his, legs a mile long, and his heart pounding in his ears.

Kyuhyun firmly pushed that thought away.

That, he knew, could wait.

First, they had some pirates to dispose of. Everything else came after.

-

"So this is where we part." Zhou Mi smiled at the captain of the Spitfire, his own things already moved to the cabin of the former Golden Hawk, and much of the loot from the Hawk transferred to the Spitfire's hold. The crew of the Devil's Gale had dropped by to get things ship shape, before departing with best wishes of luck and a reminder that Zhou Mi was insane. "Thank you for everything."

The captain shook his head, frowning. "I still think this is a mistake, but you're old enough to make your own choices. But there will always be a place for you on the Spitfire, if you ever grow tired of captaining the Hawk. Speaking of which, what will you name her?"

Zhou Mi glanced over the railing to where the Hawk was still tethered to the Spitfire below, the two ships cruising through the air in an easy tandem. "Koala," he decided with a smile.

The captain sputtered. "The what?"

"Golden Koala. I've always liked koalas. They're kind of cute." Zhou Mi grinned at the captain's nonplussed expression, until he shook his head resignedly.

"The Koala it is." The captain sighed, and then reached forward to clasp Zhou Mi's hand in his. "Fair winds and good flight to you, my son," he said, shaking Zhou Mi's hand.

"Thank you, captain," Zhou Mi said, and then frowned, a ship bearing in towards them clearly visible in the distance.

The captain turned to see what he was looking at, and swore lightly. "Alright. Get going, boy. We'll take care of this."

Zhou Mi shook his head, quickly unfolding a spyglass. The ship looked familiar. Was familiar, in fact. "Kui Xian," he breathed lightly, when he realised with a start that it was the Medea. He inched the scope upwards, and then nearly dropped it as if he'd been burnt.

Kyuhyun had seen him. He knew for sure.

Zhou Mi's heart sank, but there would be time for that later. "Captain!" he called after the man's retreating back. "Could you do me one last favour?"

The captain of the Spitfire stopped and turned, waiting.

"Please don't engage them," he said, swallowing nervously.

The captain gave him an inscrutable look, before nodding. "Your friend?" he asked, and didn't wait for Zhou Mi's response before continuing. "We'll see," he said grimly, and Zhou Mi knew that was the best they could manage.

He swung down the last tether line and onto the Koala, just as the first sounds of gunfire rung out.

-

"Fuck."

Kyuhyun let the spyglass drop limply from his hand, dimly registering that it clattered onto the deck and not through the expanse below. He pressed a hand to his face, as if an attempt to block out what he couldn't deny having seen. With nothing else to do, he simply swore again, and it was with mixed feelings that he heard the sounds of gunfire ring out.

-

Zhou Mi ran up the bridge, relieving Donghae at the controls. "You're our main gunner now," he said. "Get your friend and the new kid, the tall one, to help, I think he said he's worked with them before, but don't sink them!"

Donghae nodded, if a little quizzically at Zhou Mi's last order. "Aye captain," he said, darting off to moor the guns. Zhou Mi glanced around the ship, its unfamiliarity hitting him like a punch in the gut. He wondered where Henry was, and then remembered that they'd found some poor wretch in the brig, and Henry had taken it upon himself to nurse him back to some semblance of health. The former crew of the Hawk mingled with the former crew of the Spitfire, united in a singular effort agains a common foe. Zhou Mi turned his attention back to the controls, fingers ghosting over the unfamiliar layout. He chanced a look upwards to see the Spitfire break away, firing warning shots at the Medea, still approaching. Zhou Mi set his jaw, pulling the Koala into as sharp a turn it could manage, hoping that the ship's wings could take the strain. It should; they had chosen the Hawk to take for a reason.

He could see the Medea wavering between the two pirate ships, and it was with both a feeling of relief and one of regret that he saw it break towards the Spitfire. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Donghae release the guns; one round broke solidly through one of the Medea's wings, crippling the ship for moments before it compensated for the reduced lift, lurching back into commission. It would have to do.

With both the Spitfire and the Medea disappearing into the distance, Zhou Mi let the Koala ease into its own course. This was where he should give some sort of rallying speech, a thank you, an ultimatum, a challenge. As the last echo of gunfire faded into the air, Zhou Mi turned, facing his crew as captain for the first time. His knees felt suddenly weak—he offered them a smile.

-

He was a pirate.

Zhou Mi, Joomyuk, whatever. Was a sky pirate.

He should've known. Kyuhyun should've known. It made sense, of course. Zhou Mi was Western. Simple as that. He'd lied, and Kyuhyun had stupidly believed him. Stupid of him. He felt disgusted with himself. A pirate. Aboard the Spitfire too, and Kyuhyun couldn't help the brittle laugh that escaped with that thought.

Sungmin knew, Kyuhyun realised suddenly. He knew about Zhou Mi, knew about the Spitfire. The frowns clicked into place, the way he'd hesitated even though he was usually eagerly glad to provide Kyuhyun with information from his extensive networks. The bastard, Kyuhyun thought viciously. Whose side was he even on?

Maybe he was a pirate too, Kyuhyun mused, except that made no sense in the slightest.

A knock at the door jerked him out of his thoughts. Kyuhyun ignored it—if it was urgent, they could find someone else to bother, he wasn't the only one on this ship. A second set of knocks was accompanied by a quiet "Kyuhyun, I know you're there." Kyuhyun stood with a sigh, unlocking the door.

"What is it?" he asked, words clipped short. Siwon stood there with a severe expression, until Kyuhyun stepped aside to let him in, shutting the door behind him.

"Something's wrong," Siwon said quietly, the moment the door clicked shut.

Kyuhyun shrugged. "No, nothing's wrong," he said as offhandedly as he could.

Siwon stared at him, disbelieving. "I've known you all your life, Kyuhyun, I can tell when something's wrong."

"Well, this time you're the only thing who's wrong," Kyuhyun said steadily, staring back at Siwon. "How soon do you think we can go after the Revenge?" A quick change of topic.

Siwon looked like he wanted to argue, but let it slip by anyway. "That's the priority mission," Siwon answered. "So once we've escorted this ship to dock, as soon as you see fit."

Kyuhyun nodded, arms crossed, fingers tapping lightly against one arm. "Then let's get this over with," he said grimly. Two birds with one stone—he'd meant to use the Spitfire as bait anyway. Now he just had another reason to do so.

-

"How is he?" Zhou Mi asked quietly, shutting the door of the captain's room behind him. Henry looked up from where he sat beside the bed, giving him a shrug.

"I can't really tell," he said. "But I don't think he likes pirates very much."

Zhou Mi laughed mirthlessly at this, drawing up a chair. "I don't think most people do," he said, leaning forward to place a hand on the man's forehead. He had a slight fever, but it didn't seem serious. His brows were furrowed even in sleep, face drawn and cheeks hollow, a small cough racking his body every few moments. "I asked the Hawk's crew about him—apparently he's a Navy medical officer who they took along because they'd lost their own surgeon a few months ago, but it seemed like he was reluctant to treat pirates. He did, eventually, but then the man died anyway, and they said it's because he did it on purpose."

"Do you think so?" Henry asked with a frown. "He doesn't look like he would."

Zhou Mi shrugged. "Some people hate pirates a lot," he said simply.

"Because...you kill people..." The man cracked his eyes open, his voice scratchy. Henry quickly reached behind him for a cup of water, offering it to the man who pushed it away with a shake of his head. "I didn't kill him," he added; desperately, Zhou Mi thought.

"We don't think you did," Zhou Mi reassured him. "What's your name?"

"I'm...not telling pirates," the man said defiantly, before breaking down into a coughing fit. Henry leaned over him worriedly, holding the cup of water to his lips, helping him into a sitting position.

Zhou Mi sighed. In the end, they were still pirates. "We won't hurt you," he promised. "I'll leave it to you," he whispered to Henry, before leaving the room.

He sank down against the door in the empty hallway, massaging the bridge of his nose with one hand. Well, the cat really was out of the bag now. He would've told Kyuhyun eventually, maybe. He should apologise - but Kyuhyun was more likely to kill him right now than listen. Don't hurt him, Sungmin had said, and Zhou Mi had done just that. He hadn't meant to, after all, he liked Kyuhyun, but—

"Captain?"

"You don't have to call me that, Donghae," Zhou Mi said tiredly, pulling out his best smile.

Donghae shrugged, and sat down next to him. "You're the captain now," he said. "I heard from Henry, by the way. About that guy in the Navy. He was aboard the Medea, wasn't he?"

Zhou Mi nodded, resigned. "Who else knows?" he asked.

"No one aboard the Koala. Jin Mo, but he's dead now," Donghae answered, a casual shrug at odds with his frown. "I liked him," he said simply by way of explanation.

"Me too," Zhou Mi agreed. The Spitfire's crew had gotten off lightly, but not unscathed. Zhou Mi knew that the fewer people knew, the better it was for him—but he hated that this piece of luck came at the expense of someone's life.

"So. What's the next step, captain?" Donghae asked cheerfully, extra emphasis on the last word.

Zhou Mi smiled back, forcing the other thoughts into the back of his mind as he stood. Captain, he thought. "Chart a course for the capital. We let off those who don't want to serve with the Koala. Put up a watch, pay particular attention to ships approaching from the East. Pull down the colours, with luck we'll dock tonight. And then we go after the Revenge."

"Aye, captain," Donghae said, and dashed off to carry out the orders.

Captain.

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