▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

CHAN doesn't have anything relatively close to an idea about why he was carrying a whole crate of yellow rubber ducks through the streets of Seoul at 1 am – but that's what he was doing, and now it was all he could do to hope he didn't get caught.

Ahaha, he spoke too soon.

"The fuck is that?"

The figure of a small, lean boy jumped out at him from behind the bushes, startling Chan. One of the ducks fell to the asphalt, letting out a hearty squeak.

"Um." Chan grasped at any word he could find. "You know. Those. Birds. That uh, hatch from eggs."

"As far as I've been told, Mr 1 am drunk, all birds hatch from eggs so you're not much of a help – motherfucking ducks?" The boy's eyes widened as his eyes landed on the yellow toy at Chan's feet.

"Ah, yes," Chan agreed quickly, trying to ignore the fact that his face was beet red. "Ducks. Yellow ducks. I don't know why I have these, actually," Chan suddenly frowns, recapping to the dark hooded figure who'd handed him the crate. And then had left with a laugh that pronounced every last syllable in 'HAHAHA'.

"Set them all loose into the fucking sea, I guess," he shrugs, nonchalantly.

"My man," the unnamed boy claps a hand on Chan's shoulder, making him almost lose grip on the crate of rubber ducks.

"I think you'll fit in well with us."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Today was a perfect day. The sun was shining, skies clear, people out and about, the whole package. And MINHO was definitely feeling it.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out the jar of mayonnaise and the Toblerone bar he'd taken out of the fridge. Oh, boy, he was definitely gonna give people a scare.

He sat down in front of the Starbucks café, opening the jar of mayonnaise and taking a whiff of the banana pudding he'd put inside two hours ago. Heaven.

Now it was just time to think if others thought the same way.

He broke several bars off the Toblerone, dropping it into the jar and then rummaging his backpack for his spoon. Before he could even find it, he felt someone breathing down his neck, then whisper – "Interesting combination."

Minho snapped around, startled by the sudden breathy voice and coming face-to-face with a ridiculously handsome boy (oh my god, he looked like Jinyoung from his favourite band, GOT7 – maybe Minho felt queasy). Shaken but determined to stick to his initial plan, he stuck the spoon in the jar and shoved it at his face.

"Wanna try?"

"Why the fuck not," the godly boy sat down next to Minho and took the jar, leaving Minho in shock. Shoot, I hadn't expected anyone to actually try it. I didn't plan up to here. ABORT MISSION. 

The boy exchanged looks with Minho, swallowing a spoonful of his so-called 'mayonnaise and Toblerone'. "Oh," he breathed, almost wanting to laugh at the anticipating look on Minho's face.

"Banana pudding?" He snickered. "I see how it is."

"Gosh, sorry! I was trying to seem like an idiot," Minho exclaimed.

"It's okay. I think you'll like the group I'm from, then."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"Jisung, how many times have I told you I'm not interested in joining your bloody pirate club or some shit," CHANGBIN hissed, turning his lamp on and making Jisung squirm at the sudden brightness.

"It's fucking 3 am, let me sleep." He murmured, reaching out to turn the lamp off again.

"No, you cannot tempt me with a Big Mac," he added drowsily, seeing Jisung open his mouth to object. The latter fell silent.

"Okay, first of all, we're the Backbiters, be respectful," Jisung raised one finger in the air, finally deciding to speak. Changbin groaned, turning over and burying his face in the pillow.

"Two – you're the only one I know who actually buys decent apple juice, please be our supplier."

"Gosh, go ask Sunquick to sponsor your club or something."

"We're not a club!" Jisung exclaimed. "Bon Voyage's starting this year and we're short of crew members! I've only got myself and Hyunjin, I told him to join as our sailing master because I'm desperate."

"Didn't he borderline fail geography in high school?"

"Do I look like I give two shits?"

"Fine, but I'm joining with a price," Changbin sat up reluctantly, rubbing his eyes. Jisung tried ignoring the fact that Changbin's current outfit was sleeveless.

"Whatever you say," Jisung nodded. "Even if it's a Big Mac," he added hopefully.

"Buy me a plushie from every country we visit. I'm going to start a collection," he grinned widely at the look of bewilderment on Jisung's face.

"Let's get this . . . plushie, I guess?"

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"I can't meet you, I'm sorry, I have a swim meet at four –"

"I don't care, Hyunjin, this is important!"

"B-But my coach will probably throw me into the ocean if I don't show up!"

"LISTEN, HYUNJIN, I SAID IT'S IMPORTANT."

"If this is another time you want to meet me to talk about the new episode of A-Teen or something –"

"Idiot, that was you!"

"Fine, fine, meet me near the pool at four, then."

HYUNJIN groaned, hanging up and stuffing his phone into his coat's pocket. It would be okay to leave his wetsuit on – he didn't know if his coach would throw him into the pool or the ocean – yet.

Around ten minutes passed, and Hyunjin saw Jisung's small figure running up the street, carrying what looked like a textbook under his arm. Hyunjin froze. If he's asking for a group study, not now, not now, not now, not now please not now –

"Hey, yep, just wanted to hand you this," Jisung panted, shoving the book at Hyunjin.

"GCSE Geography?" Hyunjin stared at the book in revulsion.

"Jisung, we graduated last year!"

"I KNOW!" Jisung exclaimed, his voice cracking. "That's not all!"

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a rolled-up map and a compass.

"What the fuck – oh, my god, you're asking me to join the pirate thingy you've been endlessly nagging Changbin about?"

"So what? He'll join, watch me," Jisung handed Hyunjin the map and compass. "Now I really need to find a crate of rubber ducks so I can randomly recruit members for the crew."

Silence.

"I'll call it the rubber duckie test."

"I – but I suck at Geography, ask Seungmin or someone!" Hyunjin went on, ignoring Jisung's previous sentence.

"No, what the fuck, he's joining Bon Voyage this year and we're messing them up so bad," Jisung spat out, his voice toned with overdramatic betrayal.

"Fuck it, I'm in, then."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

 If anything, JISUNG felt nervous as he walked into the living room that night. His great-grandfather, grandfather, father, mother and younger brother were all there – and oh, there was the contract – gosh, he felt dizzy now.

I'm becoming a captain.

"Okay, Jisung sweetie," his father invited him to sit down at the table. "Just sign it and the ship is yours. You can go through the rules in your own time, my flight's in one more hour."

"Oh," Jisung whispered, gripping the pen. He quickly scribbled his signature at the bottom of the page, trying to ignore the tears pricking at his eyes. There was a polite smattering of applause.

"May I have a word, dear?" Jisung's father asked, and he looked up, surprised. He followed his father out into the hallway, and wanted to cry again as his father laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I know I'm leaving you," the man began. "But I know you'll make a great captain. You're in ownership of a huge family heirloom. I believe in you, son. And we will meet one day. I know it."

Rubbing away the tears trickling down his son's cheek, he ruffled Jisung's hair. "Until then, sweetie. Use the ship well. I know you'll find out what to do with it. Love you."

As his father went back into the living room to say his last farewells, Jisung took in a shaky breath. He still couldn't get over the fact that his father was no longer the owner, he'd no longer be in Korea, he'd no longer be at home every night to play rounds of FIFA with.

Maybe that was why he was given the ship in the first place. His father wanted Jisung to replace his empty spot with his own crew and continue with his life.

Well, then. Let's make Changbin our first target.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"What do I even do this year?" FELIX whined, blowing at the surface of his hot chocolate.

"If I'm going to take a gap year, then I need to at least have a slight idea on what to do, right?"

"Call it a year and hop back into college," his sister suggested, earning a slap on her knee from an aggravated Felix.

"What? It's gonna help you. Load that empty brain of yours." Rachel piped in helpfully.

"Rachel, I swear, utter one more word and you'll find yourself back in the college dorm."

"Ew, Felix, shut up. I hated college dorms."

"Exactly."

"God." Rachel reached for the remote control, turning the TV on.

"Oh, goodie. Switch to Nat Geo Wild or something, I'm bored." Felix kept his mug down on the table.

"Um, excuse you? I took the remote," his sister retorted, turning on KBS.

"I don't care, I'm younger!" 

"I'm older, so fucking respect –"

They fell silent as a random channel turned on. It was a bright, flashy video advertising Bon Voyage 2020. The two siblings watched it in silence, and when it finished, Rachel looked back at Felix.

"You thinking what  I'm thinking, bro?"

"Yeah, I think I found out how I'll spend this gap year."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"So, what do you think you'll do this year, then? I heard Felix-hyung is taking a gap year or something?" JEONGIN asked tentatively, resisting the urge to poke SEUNGMIN's arm with his fork.

"I don't know. I can tutor you? I heard you failed calculus," Seungmin raised an eyebrow, taking a big bite of the roast steak in front of him.

"Ew, no thanks," Jeongin gagged. "I'd rather not."

"Then what are you going to do?" Seungmin asked, feeling concerned. "You're literally on the verge of not graduating because you're failing calculus and god knows what else!"

"I don't care, I'll just study for college or something."

"But you can't get into college if you don't graduate, idiot."

"Stop turning the topic around like some wheel, hyung." Jeongin sighed, poking at his seafood spaghetti.

"What will you do this year?"

"I don't know, join Bon Voyage?" Seungmin replied, halfway through a mouthful of steak. Jeongin's eyes widened.

"Yo, you'll actually try? Can I too?"

"Yeah, I mean, you're of age," Seungmin shrugged.

"I'll go for it," Jeongin's eyes sparkled, and for a moment it was like he'd forgotten all about his seafood spaghetti.

"Skipping 380 days of school! Imagine that."

"You'll be going to summer school."

"I don't care. You're my only friend, anyways."

"I'll call you when I get around to taking some forms. Drop by my apartment, I'll hand you one." Seungmin took a sip of the blue lemonade next to him. Jeongin nodded.

"Deal."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"You stink," Hongjoong stuck his tongue out at Seonghwa, opening the door of his car and helping the latter in. "Be thankful I'm letting you in while you smell like frat party and cheap beer."

"Your car smells good," Seonghwa settled down in his seat hazily, eyes already drooping. Hongjoong inserted the keys into the ignition, already starting the car up. He'd gotten (very drunken) texts from Seonghwa right after the party ended at 2:30 AM, and he'd had to drive over to pick him up, since God knows where Seonghwa would end up if he'd decided to walk home alone.

"Yeah, but you don't." Hongjoong sighed, pulling out of the driveway and turning onto the main road, heading towards the apartment they both shared. 

"Why didn't you come out?" Seonghwa murmured, his words draggy and slurred. Hongjoong tapped his nails against the steering wheel. 

"You know I don't like partying," he countered, "I'm just a nice best friend to you and I know you're going to wake up hurling with a headache tomorrow morning, so one of us needs to stay sane to take care of each other, right?"

"Ye," Seonghwa leaned his head against the window. Hongjoong chuckled.

"You really need a break." Hongjoong muttered, half to himself, his heart heavy at the sight of his wasted best friend who he'd seen having breakdowns over their finals not even two days ago.

Seonghwa cared too much about his grades, and he'd nearly destroyed himself because of it.

"Your car smells good, Joongie," Seonghwa said again, a woozy smile appearing on his face. Hongjoong shot a glance at the lavender diffuser sitting on the dashboard.

"You bought it for me, Seonghwa," Hongjoong squinted. "You're really drunk as shit."

Hongjoong thought for a moment about ways he could offer Seonghwa his well-deserved break. He could go visit his family in Jinju but he'd already done that a few weeks ago. Or he could go to a resort. There was also the Bon Voyage competition . . .

"Hey, Hwa," Hongjoong asked, "what if I dare you to join Bon Voyage?"

"I'd do it," Seonghwa said instantly. Hongjoong grinned, knowing that answer wouldn't have come out as easily if he were sober.

"Okay, I'll ask Yunho to pick up some forms," he hummed happily.

Hongjoong just hoped he made it out alive the next morning.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

what did you guys think of this prologue :0 it's just a small intro to how the boys became pirates/competitors! as you can see, i was clearly very high writing some of these, and it turned out longer than i wanted, but i hope you liked it nevertheless uwuwu

i love you all !! <33