This chapter's title takes its name from a soundtrack called "A Star To Sail By" from Sea of Thieves. I really recommend listening to it while reading this chapter!

Jisung is cute. Minho is reserved. Chan is sly. Changbin is his homie. And Seungmin is hot.

If you asked Jeongin to describe the five crew mates, that's how he would summarize them to a stranger. They all had their quirks, their faults and their positives, and more than anything else Jeongin was glad to be around to be with them. The crew went from five. To six with him added.

To seven.

Felix was a whole separate case on his own.

He was quiet. Gentle. In the first two weeks or so of him being with the crew on the open ocean, he took the time to slowly adjust. First getting to know the crew, learning each of them by their first names before he'd follow them around, watching what they did or trying to talk with them while they were doing chores around the galleon. Helping here and there, but mainly watching. Then, purposefully seeking them out for what he needed, if he ever needed anything, which was few and far between that he admitted he needed help. At the end of the day, somehow always finding himself going back to stand beside Chan. Always lingering around Chan. The Fae didn't know what to make of it, but he described Felix 'sort of like, a cat'. A cat that kept his words silent, usually only nodded, shook his head, or smiled weakly. If he did need to speak, doing so incredibly softly.

And possessive. Holy shit, that was something they had to work on. Chan mentioned to Jeongin that leviathans were territorial beasts, but he didn't think that translated over to humans who are cursed to be leviathans either. Felix had his things. He had a few belongings that Chan gifted him. He had a few extra clothes that Jisung slipped to him while no one was watching. He had his meals. As soon as you tried to touch anything he owned, war was brought upon you. He wouldn't outright attack you, but the wrath that burned from his body when he thought the crew was taking something away from him was easily felt. Whether that was a bracelet, a shirt, his compass, or the food he was eating. What Felix owned what his and he'd gladly argue over it.

Jeongin had the theory too, after a particular conversation him and Felix had when the Prince couldn't get to sleep, that he never had things to call his own before. He didn't have possession over his own belongings. Now that he did, he probably had the fear that what he was given would be taken away from him again. At least, that's what Jeongin thought, of course. Because he didn't have the guts nor was he close enough to Felix to pry into that part of his psyche.

That one took a while and admittedly threw the dynamics of the crew off for about a week or so. Minho would accidental pick up his shirt to wash, Felix would panic and think the naga was trying to take it away, he'd get angry, he'd go to Chan. Changbin would try to take his plate to refill it, Felix would hunch over the empty plate to keep anyone from touching it, he'd get angry, he'd go to Chan. That cycle repeating itself a few times, until, funnily enough Jisung took a part of Felix's sweet roll Chan gave him, and the cycle had been broken. The selkie sat and ate with him happily, and Felix gladly shared with him too.

Whatever Jisung said to him then immediately mellowing out what they liked to call the 'leviathan side' of Felix. He grew more gentle. More quiet. Less possessive, and if he thought they were taking what was his away from him, he'd ask. Though Jeongin always had the theory he likes to stare at Chan from afar because of those more "territorial habits" (He thinks Felix likes Chan, there was something about being saved by a hot person that makes you more attracted to them), even if he didn't explicitly act on them.

So, overall those weeks were a mess. A turmoil of figuring out where Felix fit in with the rest of the crew, and eventually finding his spot pleasantly. He liked helping Minho scrub his scales when he was full naga, and he quietly napped in Changbin's lap while the warlock poured over texts of grimoires. He liked to chat with Seungmin on the bow of the ship, and Jeongin came to find him as a trusty confidant for his shenanigans. Most of all, if Jeongin thought Changbin and Minho were his besties, Jisung and Felix were inseparable. While Chan seemed to become his little spot of comfort whenever he needed the safety. But he found his place amongst them, and suddenly their lives had brightened up with the new addition.

Jisung unrolled Jeongin's hoodie, lifting it up by the shoulders for Felix to see, "And this is called a hoodie!"

Felix's eyes sparkled with wonder, "A hoodie....!"

From where he was sat on the railings of the forecastle deck, his legs kicked out over the beak and the bow sprint jutted out over the glass waters of the open sea, Jeongin watched the two playing together on the main deck from over his shoulder The soft smile he couldn't suppress tugging up on his lips while the twin rays of sunshine fussed over his hoodie; Jisung's amazement, Felix readily listening to his every word eagerly, and then immediately trying to squeeze himself into the oversized shirt as the midnight strands became dwarfed in the fabric. Jeongin had long resigned his rights to his hoodie. Giving them up to Jisung who seemed to adore sleeping with the extra layer of fuzz wrapped around his body, and now apparently to Felix too.

"Keep smiling like that and they'll think a daemon possessed you."

"Huh?" Jeongin responded, cleverly. Like an absolute genius. Flipping his gaze to his other shoulder, where the voice of that infuriatingly beautiful someone approached him with relaxed steps. Calmed with the slightly cross in the sauntering of those leather boots, the fitted trousers he seemed to love wearing and the sash he kept tied around his waist trailing behind, a sheer canvas of a coat that tied across the chest of his poet's blouse catching the wind, that auburn hair, those reckless yet elegant eyes that gazed into him as if he knew how his heart thundered when he saw him. Instead, he just turned his grin to Seungmin, "Oh. Sorry."

"Don't be. You have a pleasant smile," The First Mate allowed the corner of his lips to twitch up to him too. A gentle greeting more than the same smile that Jeongin gave him. But tender in its own regard, tranquil as he set the sheathed sword in his grip against the railing beside them and leaned back on the wooden beam. His elbows supporting him as his back kissed into the rails. While Jeongin could see as far as the horizon would allow him, Seungmin took care to watch the crew mates wandering behind them in the evening sun.

Warmth tickled his nose. A brushing silversong from the misting seas that trailing over his skin, reminding him of the passing seconds dancing along the peaks of the waves.

Like twinkling in his ears, the gentle breeze rustled the ropes around him, whispering their own quiet conversations upon ancient secrets buried within the sacred legends beneath the oceans. A cozy heat fluttered around him like the comforting aroma of crisp dew smudged with the perfume of sea foam . Rustling of the sail and rigging canopies mixed with their symphony. The silhouettes caressed his face into a deeper slumber; A motherly thumb wiping away nostalgic tears. A loved one crumbling his tunneling anxieties to sand. A deity easing him into the crashing waves as Seungmin stood beside him. Shoulders touching to shoulders.

The brisk chill of the setting sun swamped his clammy skin and flooded the tips of his nerves, the gentle breeze fluttered the linen shirt he wore and knotted the few strands of hair. But as he listened to the wind moving through the sails, he thought of the one beside him. He thought of him, how he was kind, caring, how he appeared thoughtful in all he did. How in such a short span of time, he managed to charm Jeongin into feeling the way he did about him. Confused, a little bit scared, but knowing. This was the type of feeling that grew. This was the type of feeling that would take him, quickly. As Seungmin, the First Mate in a world he didn't know.

But he still felt his pounding heartbeat. He could hear how it's rushed beat turned to content drumming throbbing through his veins. He could feel the pumping in his chest and in the ears he silenced to his head, it's sound standing out against the white noise of rushing water his eardrums tried to fill the quiet against. Hearing the sound isolated from the rest of the turmoiling noises usually creating a mess of undecipherable clutter in his day, Jeongin was finally able to focus on how it raced. How it squirmed, how it seemed to flutter when their shoulders touched together, how it skipped when he wanted to lean back into its reassurance.

He could see the ocean, stretching in front of him.

And how the sails that sway in the wind seemed to move with the rhythm of his heart.

Jeongin turned his attention back to Seungmin, off of the setting sun reflecting from the cresting waves and the endless mist that blurred the end of the horizon waiting for him in the distance to something so concrete beside him. Something as permanent as the stars in the night sky. Yet burned out like a thin string of wax nearing the last moments of its life. Something as beautiful as the breeze that caught in the fond corners of his heart, something as strong as the riptides that wait underneath the coastline waters. Somehow, Jeongin thought he loved the grace of tempests more and more, "This is a strange life."

"How so?" Seungmin turned to Jeongin, abandoning keeping eye on whatever the seashell twins were doing as they bounded off. Like a pair of puppies, Jeongin would dare to compare them to. Though, with the lack of proximity between them, within the closeness of their eyes that tied together with a red ribbon he couldn't break away from (A feeling like tangling up in thread inside of his heart that didn't dare to pull away), he had never realized the spray of colors inside of his eyes. The hidden hues of chestnut, hazel tinted autumn leaves in the corners, golden pricks of an effervescent world, and what stories had laid beyond what he could see.

"You cast off from the shore, pick up the winds in the sails, and leave to the open seas. With people you hardly know, but knowing in your mind you have the same goal," Still, he couldn't dare himself to tug away. He couldn't. He didn't want to. Remaining within the serenity their proximity eased into the rhythm of his soft spoken heart, what cracks were repaired in the mending of a warm scent that filled his nostrils. Speaking down to the First Mate in uttered words that didn't challenge the fragile peace they held between them, "Pitching along at dangerous speeds for... What? For fun?"

Seungmin quirked a soft smile up to him, "Adventure, some people call it."

"What do you call it?"

"Home. What do you call it?"

Drowning. Almost drowning. Getting seasick (By the way, yes it did take a few days for him to get used to the ocean again when they left the docks, but not nearly as long as the first time. He figured eventually he would get accustomed to it). Almost being burned by a dragon.  Knocked off balance. Stepped on. Kicked in the chest. Intimidating a King while guards watched them. Almost crushed and eaten whole by a leviathan. Nearly stabbed. Threatening said King again. What was the best way to summarize these last few months that passed?

His shoulders deflated, settling a conclusion as he sighed, "Terrifying. But. Eh... It's... It's growing on me. I'm starting to get use to this life."

"Changbin says magic was banned in University," Seungmin nodded along, his head bobbing softly as he glanced back to the main deck. Where Jeongin could hear the soft voices of the others chatting behind his back, their conversations that flung from the tops of the masts to the ones rooted on the floors bracing the sails, the comfort those simple words filled against an endless world. Against an endless ocean. Where they all drifted, somewhere, to the edge, together, but never alone. Jeongin couldn't help but lean ever so gently closer to Seungmin when he concluded, "He wants to teach you how to use some."

"I don't think it's going to work," He tried to suppress a snort. University. Magic. Right... Like he, some dweeb from another world entirely would be able to use magic of this world.

"Give it a try, who knows what will happen? Changbin has good judgement about magic. It's his thing, after all. When you study it your whole life, you tend to be accurate about those sorts of things."

"But..."

"Banned. That doesn't mean it never existed," Seungmin interrupted him before he could finish his thought (Not that he would, exposing himself as being from another universe wasn't on his priority list on this particular day, and honestly at this point he didn't see much difference if he did or didn't bring it up). He sent Jeongin another one of those oddly fond smiles. Peaceful, serene and soft with a crackling warm that burned inside of his eyes that made Jeongin want to melt apart whenever he saw him, reassuring him of something he wasn't sure he needed to be reassured of. But Seungmin didn't know that, so, he continued on, "And before I forget, I have something for you."

Jeongin quirked a silent eyebrow at him, the gesture earning him a sweet chuckle from the First Mate before he reached down. Grabbing the sword he had propped against the rail a moment before, following by unsheathing the polished blade. Pure silver alloy of a sharpened edge that sliced through the air with a dancing elegance, the hilt inside of his hand of a pitched black leather while the hand guard was crafted of steel strings encrusted with archaic words he couldn't decipher. An ancient language, he supposed. A prayer, or a legend to give the sword's bearer strength in battle. Either way, Seungmin laid the sword in his hands, and presented the hilt to Jeongin.

"It's called a carrack sword. I found it in the fortress's armory, but it took me a while to repair it into useable condition. I thought you might want something for protection from now on," He began as Jeongin hesitantly took the sword from his hands, the sudden weight inside of his palm causing the length of his arm to turn achy. Yet he had to admit, the weapon was stunning in its own right. Not to mention the fact Seungmin cleaned it up for him? He was about to either cry or kiss him despite being seen by everyone, and he wasn't sure if he cared now that the swordsman shared something so treasured with him. As he looked over the blade, the First Mate leaned forward over the railings to watch him, "It's heavy, but it's balanced well at the hilt. It'll be a good start for you."

Seriously, he was going to cry. Seungmin was a swordsman. Someone who loved swords, battling with them, dueling, blades were as much part of him as his lungs or his heart. So, for Seungmin to gift him this? Something that must mean more than he could ever know and begin to fathom, something that he poured what must have been weeks on weeks of time to fix up for him to use? How could he describe how wonderful he felt? Like he was alleviated of his worries and anxiety, like sparks inside of his body were trying to erupt tidal waves of a familiar feeling he wasn't supposed to indulge in, like he... like he was gifted Seungmin's lungs. Like he was given his heart.

Then, he had to promise himself: He would protect his gift with his life.

Jeongin took the sheath from him, carefully sliding the sword into the guard until the blade was hidden away. As he set the sheathed sword down in his lap, keeping a steady hand wrapped to ensure it wouldn't tumble to the ground, he found Seungmin's hand with his other. Though he had to lean down at a strange angle with the First Mate hunched over, he figured it was worth it to engulf and squeeze the back of his hand, "Thank you."

Just like the first time.

Seungmin's smile didn't falter away. He simply turned his hand over, welcoming Jeongin to interlace their fingers together. Becoming intertwined once more. The calm of the ocean as their witness. And the setting sun welcoming them home.

He wasn't supposed to feel like this. Yet, why did it feel so different? Strange, and dangerous, but his everlasting feelings didn't change. He was supposed to kill his emotions off, suffocate them inside of his chest, but why did they seem to come back stronger? For the daring twinge in Seungmin's smile that invited him to follow after him. For the gentleness of his hands that tugged him after, always made to fit inside of his yet fitting more snug than they ever had before. For a feeling within his heart, that binded them within invisible chains that tightened them together. A part of him was always in Seungmin's hands.

And, no, regardless of what Chan said to him he knew that would never change.

A voice sung behind them, "Oh lovebirds~!"

They broke away at the familiar voice. Snapping far from one another to return to their own worlds at the footsteps approaching behind them. From the corner of his eye, he saw Seungmin hang his head low over the railing as he grunted an irritated, "Yes, Captain?"

"What are we talking about?" Chan chirped as he wandered over to them. His hands clasped in front of him as he offered them both his typical cheeky smile when they shifted to stare at him. With their own various degrees of annoyance with the fae. For Seungmin, the pure irritation on his pinched lips and his narrowed eyes as he scrutinized who was supposed to be his captain. While Jeongin had to scoot over to allow Chan to stand between them once more.

Seungmin grumbled underneath his breath, "About how annoying it is you have a habit of interrupting pleasant conversation."

"Such a dragon's tongue you have," The Captain clicked his tongue a few times, his hand then coming to plop on top of Seungmin's head. Manipulating the First Mate to stare up at the fae in a playful manner, the tongue Seungmin stuck out at Chan being met with the reciprocation of the fae sticking his tongue out right back and the protest of, "It wouldn't do you any harm to be kinder and more lenient with your Captain."

"Something tells me it would."

"It wouldn't."

"Would."

"Wouldn't."

"Would!"

Chan suddenly let go of Seungmin's head. His hand cascading down by his side as he seemed to pause. Troubled by a realization of, "No... I think I'm forgetting something."

"Morals, probably," He sighed in turn.

"No, no, silly boy," The Captain waved him off, turning over his shoulder as he left them behind, "Something important."

As soon as the Captain paraded off, slipping back into his quarters on the far side of the galleon, Seungmin stood up from the railing. Though his hand lingered on the barrier, he turned fully to Jeongin with the apology of, "I'm sorry. He... He means well. He's a strange guy but, I owe everything to him. He's like my father. That man is older than anything else I know and he acts like he's still an uncontrollable young child."

"How old is he?" Jeongin had to wonder. Seriously. In the months he's spent here. Not once has anyone told him how old the fae actually was. Just "old".

"413 years, as of nine months ago."

"OH! He looks... Good... For his age."

Another one of those melodic chuckles left Seungmin, that same sound that was candy within his ears sinking deeply into his heart once more. Sinking, anchoring, finding its place that it belonged, where he knew he would never be able to uproot the feeling from his soul ever again. He gave in and allowed it to settle amongst him. Growing softly within the depths of the oceans as Seungmin stepped a bit closer to him, where his chin tipped up to look at Jeongin perched on the railing, "I'm glad you're a part of this strange life of ours."

And Jeongin,

He always had a soft spot for storms.

"It's growing on me."

Like that,

Three months had slipped away from him.

𓇼༝ ˚ ｡⋆ 𖠳 ᐝ ꕀ ⋆｡ ˚ ༝𓇼

This is the only story I've written that "timeline" is genuine and not abstract. I've never actually said how much time has passed in any of my stories, this is the first to keep track