Ashore (2/5)
pairing: chanbaek
rating: pg-13
summary: Chanyeol is saved by a man from the sea.
warnings: romance, fluff, slight!angst, siren!au, pirate!au
Baekhyun lets out a gasping breath as his head surfaces the water, puffing out large breaths as he struggles to drag the human towards the shore. It’s drizzling now, nothing like the downpour moments before. Eventually the water becomes too shallow for the siren’s tail, and he’s forced to pause and change into his human form. A slick black tail is replaced by two naked and pale legs, and his toes dig into the mixture of broken up shells and sand as he stands and drags the human by its arms up the shore, grunting until the water is just lapping at their feet.
Dropping the human’s arms on the ground with a huff, Baekhyun wastes no time in getting down on his knees next to the man. His slender fingers rip at the white shirt clothing the human’s chest, the weird coat and hat he was wearing long gone. Gingerly, he leans down to place his ear at the space where his heart should be, and luckily the human’s heart is still beating faintly.
Thinking nothing of his next action, Baekhyun lays a hand to the captain’s chest and bends down to press his lips against the human’s, activating a spell that evaporates the water in his lungs. Sure enough, when he pulls away, the human coughs, still unconscious, and water vapor spews from his mouth like smoke. The siren watches, interested, and admires how handsome this particular human is and how soft his lips felt. He’s intrigued Baekhyun since the siren spotted him aboard that rocking ship. He’s drowned many men from those two ships, but never has he seen this one before. He certainly wasn’t the one who called this man into the water, but Baekhyun wrenched him instantly out of Yoona and Yuri’s hands.
He is immensely curious, though he isn't sure why. Something about this human makes the two hearts in his chest flutter. Baekhyun hums as he traces the line of the captain’s lips and smooths out his eyebrows with the lightest of touches. The human’s hair is the oddest shade between red and brown, an amber-like color, and Baekhyun can see it slightly curling as it dries now that the rain has stopped and he’s out of the water. He can't even imagine what this man must look like during the day with the sun’s rays kissing him. He would very much like to see him in the light.
Which then reminds him that he can't stay for much longer. The others will soon find out he's elsewhere, or the human will wake up. Neither of those are favorable events.
Baekhyun stands up, reluctant to leave the pirate here on some random coast, and he catches something in his peripheral vision, something white peeking out of the wet sand that the water kisses with every wave. Stepping over, he picks it up to recognize it as a sand dollar’s shell. The humans fancy these tiny creatures, not many knowing that they were once fuzzy marine life and not a random pretty shell. Turning around, he looks back at the sleeping pirate before returning just once to tuck the sand dollar into the pocket of his trousers. Maybe this human will appreciate it.
When Chanyeol opens his eyes, he squints at the early morning sun brightening his vision harshly. He lifts a sand-dusted hand to rub at his eyelids, and that’s when he notices he’s completely wet and the morning tide is lapping up to his waist.
“Ugh! What the hell?” he scrambles and slides up the beach, sitting up. All he can remember is falling into the ocean after that terrible storm and into the arms of the sirens. How did he end up washed up on some beach and, more importantly, alive? Chanyeol can distinctly remember the strong grip the sirens had on him and the feeling of drowning. He couldn’t have miraculously started breathing again and have drifted towards the coast on his own.
With no other options, he stands up and starts to walk in a random direction. It’s just pure forest where he is, but he knows he’ll reach some sort of port if he walks long enough. And soon enough, he starts to recognize a few things and realizes he’s in the same little port city they stopped at some days ago after Luhan’s passing.
Luhan really was drowned to death, along with all the other men he’s lost. The sirens are real, and Chanyeol should have believed in his crew. His pride is a little wounded with the fact that he was wrong, but there’s no reason to fret over it now. At least he’s alive, but he isn’t so sure of the fate of his beautiful ship or how many of his crew survived the rough night.
Crossing the beach and up into the cobblestone roads of the city, Chanyeol makes his way towards the harbor. If anything, someone might have some information on his crew’s livelihood and whereabouts. He tries not to attract any attention, not that anyone really recognizes him when he’s only in his trousers with one boot and a torn shirt. But he never knows how clever the police are, especially considering they caused a bit of trouble the last time they were here.
He reaches the harbor with luck and is surprised as he finds his very own ship resting there. In perfect condition with a few of his men dragging supplies onboard. Relief warms his chest, and Chanyeol dashes up the ramp and onto his ship. He looks around for Junmyeon or whoever’s running the ship currently.
“Captain!” There's a shout behind him, and Chanyeol turns to see just the man carrying a barrel with a wide smile. “You're alive!”
“Somehow,” he sighs in response with a grin that is just as joyous.
Junmyeon puts down the barrel, allowing another crew member to pick it up and store it away properly. “We thought you were dead. Kyungsoo’s crew kicked the bucket. We were lucky to have regained ourselves just shortly after you fell overboard and got back on our ship here. How did you make it back, Captain?”
“That's just the thing,” Chanyeol smooths his damp bangs back. “I don't really know. I felt the sirens drowning me, and I thought I was dead, but next thing I knew I was waking up on the beach a mile or two from here with no one in sight.”
“Hmm, I’d take it as the goddess of the sea’s blessing,” Junmyeon winks, obviously not too curious about the situation as Chanyeol is. He lets out a sigh and places his hands on his hips. “About a third of our crew is gone, including Yifan. Minseok said he saw him jump over last night like you.”
“I didn’t jump. I fell,” the captain clarifies with a frown.
“Uh-huh,” Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “Anyways, the storm also tore up our old girl here,” he pats the railing of The Phoenix, “so we’ve docked here to get supplies and give ourselves a bit of rest. We were afraid we were gonna have to get a new captain too.”
“Good call. Let’s rest here for a bit, and we can sail around the coast for a bit and try and get ourselves’ a new crew,” Chanyeol speaks as he makes his way towards the door to his captain’s quarters, intending on putting on some proper clothes. Fei swoops in from somewhere and lands on his shoulder, and he’s thankful that she survived the storm as well. “Drinks and a feast will be served tonight. Tell Jongdae to get started in the kitchen.”
“Aye-aye, Captain!”
The sunlight hits his naked back in a hot caress, soon relieved by the swift breeze from the sea and the strong wave that occasionally crashes against the rock Baekhyun is lying on. He hums a random tune beneath his breath as his inky black tail slaps against the jagged stone. No humans ever venture out here as the rocks are much too dangerous for their soft-padded feet.
“Aw, don’t act so shy. You know you love it,” he giggles as he toys with the dark blue starfish in his hands, playing with his tube feet that feel like tiny kisses as they suction onto his fingers. It slowly tries to curl its arms in and turn itself back over and to the water, but Baekhyun lets it hydrate from the water slicking his skin.
He presses a kiss to its porous and spiny skin, feeling the sea star curl up and squeal happily from his touch. Every sea creature adores a kiss from a siren. The raven-haired man moves the sea star to suction to the skin of his shoulder, looking to his left as he hears a sound, a loud splash announcing Sehun’s arrival. The young siren still doesn’t know how to approach silently when surfacing above the water.
“I was wondering where you went,” Sehun says as he moves up to rest on an obsidian rock beside Baekhyun. He doesn't blend in as well as the older man, considering his tail is a bright aquamarine blue with large scales that shimmer in the sun. “Everyone has been talking about how you pushed Yoona and Yuri away to take a human for yourself.”
Baekhyun looks over to see Sehun raising his eyebrows suggestively. The older siren scoffs and folds his arms before resting his head on them; the sea star slowly moves towards his shoulder blade instead.
“I'm not like Jongin, idiot,” Baekhyun replies, knowing Sehun is thinking that he's like another siren, Jongin, who's known for keeping his humans for a while to toy with them before drowning them a day or two later. He wouldn't be surprised if he finally drowned the captain he took a few days ago.
“Taemin said he saw you dragging that human off somewhere,” he points out, smirking like he's caught Baekhyun red-handed. “What did you do with him?”
The raven-haired man smiles into the crook of his elbow. “I saved him - for next time. I want to sing to him myself.”
It's a lie. He has no ideas of killing that captain anytime soon.
And that is how Baekhyun finds himself swimming in the waters around the captain’s ship a day later. He knows it's the right one because of the bird carving on the front. He wonders why the captain chose such an animal when they are on the sea and not in the air. He wonders what his name is, what his voice sounds like, what color his eyes are.
It's night time now, and the moon shines beautifully on the calm waves. Baekhyun blends in easily, and it's why he's favored by their queen. His camouflage in the evening is unbeatable and makes him the primary hunter - before he gave up that position. Baekhyun doesn't like harming the marine life anymore.
He tries to see if he can spot the captain on the deck, but he can only see the usual men. There is an open porthole window that he spots as he swims around. A candle light illuminates from somewhere in the room, even though Baekhyun’s eyes can easily adjust in the dark.
For some reason, his instinct is to wait, and Baekhyun swims freely for a while, eyes trained on that one window in hopes of a glimpse of the one he wishes to see.
After what seems like hours, the light waivers for a moment, and Baekhyun ducks beneath the water until only his eyes are visible and watches as a hand appears before the captain does. He looks much different with his hair dry and his eyes open. Baekhyun stays still and just admires as the captain seems to admire the moon. Something about him captivates Baekhyun in a way he can’t really explain to himself or others. Of course, the captain is handsome; there’s no denying that. But he’s more interested in figuring him out rather than having that pretty face to himself.
The human sighs before withdrawing from the window and closing it, leaving Baekhyun alone. He surfaces fully, silently listening to the rushing of the ocean and the sounds of the singing crew on the deck. It’d be ridiculous for him to ever get close to the ship and its captain, especially in his siren form. All he can do is just swim and watch from afar.
But in his human form, he could do more.
A smile slowly spreads onto Baekhyun’s pink lips, and he dives beneath the water, an idea already brewing in his mind.
Part 3
rating: pg-13
summary: Chanyeol is saved by a man from the sea.
warnings: romance, fluff, slight!angst, siren!au, pirate!au
Baekhyun lets out a gasping breath as his head surfaces the water, puffing out large breaths as he struggles to drag the human towards the shore. It’s drizzling now, nothing like the downpour moments before. Eventually the water becomes too shallow for the siren’s tail, and he’s forced to pause and change into his human form. A slick black tail is replaced by two naked and pale legs, and his toes dig into the mixture of broken up shells and sand as he stands and drags the human by its arms up the shore, grunting until the water is just lapping at their feet.
Dropping the human’s arms on the ground with a huff, Baekhyun wastes no time in getting down on his knees next to the man. His slender fingers rip at the white shirt clothing the human’s chest, the weird coat and hat he was wearing long gone. Gingerly, he leans down to place his ear at the space where his heart should be, and luckily the human’s heart is still beating faintly.
Thinking nothing of his next action, Baekhyun lays a hand to the captain’s chest and bends down to press his lips against the human’s, activating a spell that evaporates the water in his lungs. Sure enough, when he pulls away, the human coughs, still unconscious, and water vapor spews from his mouth like smoke. The siren watches, interested, and admires how handsome this particular human is and how soft his lips felt. He’s intrigued Baekhyun since the siren spotted him aboard that rocking ship. He’s drowned many men from those two ships, but never has he seen this one before. He certainly wasn’t the one who called this man into the water, but Baekhyun wrenched him instantly out of Yoona and Yuri’s hands.
He is immensely curious, though he isn't sure why. Something about this human makes the two hearts in his chest flutter. Baekhyun hums as he traces the line of the captain’s lips and smooths out his eyebrows with the lightest of touches. The human’s hair is the oddest shade between red and brown, an amber-like color, and Baekhyun can see it slightly curling as it dries now that the rain has stopped and he’s out of the water. He can't even imagine what this man must look like during the day with the sun’s rays kissing him. He would very much like to see him in the light.
Which then reminds him that he can't stay for much longer. The others will soon find out he's elsewhere, or the human will wake up. Neither of those are favorable events.
Baekhyun stands up, reluctant to leave the pirate here on some random coast, and he catches something in his peripheral vision, something white peeking out of the wet sand that the water kisses with every wave. Stepping over, he picks it up to recognize it as a sand dollar’s shell. The humans fancy these tiny creatures, not many knowing that they were once fuzzy marine life and not a random pretty shell. Turning around, he looks back at the sleeping pirate before returning just once to tuck the sand dollar into the pocket of his trousers. Maybe this human will appreciate it.
When Chanyeol opens his eyes, he squints at the early morning sun brightening his vision harshly. He lifts a sand-dusted hand to rub at his eyelids, and that’s when he notices he’s completely wet and the morning tide is lapping up to his waist.
“Ugh! What the hell?” he scrambles and slides up the beach, sitting up. All he can remember is falling into the ocean after that terrible storm and into the arms of the sirens. How did he end up washed up on some beach and, more importantly, alive? Chanyeol can distinctly remember the strong grip the sirens had on him and the feeling of drowning. He couldn’t have miraculously started breathing again and have drifted towards the coast on his own.
With no other options, he stands up and starts to walk in a random direction. It’s just pure forest where he is, but he knows he’ll reach some sort of port if he walks long enough. And soon enough, he starts to recognize a few things and realizes he’s in the same little port city they stopped at some days ago after Luhan’s passing.
Luhan really was drowned to death, along with all the other men he’s lost. The sirens are real, and Chanyeol should have believed in his crew. His pride is a little wounded with the fact that he was wrong, but there’s no reason to fret over it now. At least he’s alive, but he isn’t so sure of the fate of his beautiful ship or how many of his crew survived the rough night.
Crossing the beach and up into the cobblestone roads of the city, Chanyeol makes his way towards the harbor. If anything, someone might have some information on his crew’s livelihood and whereabouts. He tries not to attract any attention, not that anyone really recognizes him when he’s only in his trousers with one boot and a torn shirt. But he never knows how clever the police are, especially considering they caused a bit of trouble the last time they were here.
He reaches the harbor with luck and is surprised as he finds his very own ship resting there. In perfect condition with a few of his men dragging supplies onboard. Relief warms his chest, and Chanyeol dashes up the ramp and onto his ship. He looks around for Junmyeon or whoever’s running the ship currently.
“Captain!” There's a shout behind him, and Chanyeol turns to see just the man carrying a barrel with a wide smile. “You're alive!”
“Somehow,” he sighs in response with a grin that is just as joyous.
Junmyeon puts down the barrel, allowing another crew member to pick it up and store it away properly. “We thought you were dead. Kyungsoo’s crew kicked the bucket. We were lucky to have regained ourselves just shortly after you fell overboard and got back on our ship here. How did you make it back, Captain?”
“That's just the thing,” Chanyeol smooths his damp bangs back. “I don't really know. I felt the sirens drowning me, and I thought I was dead, but next thing I knew I was waking up on the beach a mile or two from here with no one in sight.”
“Hmm, I’d take it as the goddess of the sea’s blessing,” Junmyeon winks, obviously not too curious about the situation as Chanyeol is. He lets out a sigh and places his hands on his hips. “About a third of our crew is gone, including Yifan. Minseok said he saw him jump over last night like you.”
“I didn’t jump. I fell,” the captain clarifies with a frown.
“Uh-huh,” Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “Anyways, the storm also tore up our old girl here,” he pats the railing of The Phoenix, “so we’ve docked here to get supplies and give ourselves a bit of rest. We were afraid we were gonna have to get a new captain too.”
“Good call. Let’s rest here for a bit, and we can sail around the coast for a bit and try and get ourselves’ a new crew,” Chanyeol speaks as he makes his way towards the door to his captain’s quarters, intending on putting on some proper clothes. Fei swoops in from somewhere and lands on his shoulder, and he’s thankful that she survived the storm as well. “Drinks and a feast will be served tonight. Tell Jongdae to get started in the kitchen.”
“Aye-aye, Captain!”
The sunlight hits his naked back in a hot caress, soon relieved by the swift breeze from the sea and the strong wave that occasionally crashes against the rock Baekhyun is lying on. He hums a random tune beneath his breath as his inky black tail slaps against the jagged stone. No humans ever venture out here as the rocks are much too dangerous for their soft-padded feet.
“Aw, don’t act so shy. You know you love it,” he giggles as he toys with the dark blue starfish in his hands, playing with his tube feet that feel like tiny kisses as they suction onto his fingers. It slowly tries to curl its arms in and turn itself back over and to the water, but Baekhyun lets it hydrate from the water slicking his skin.
He presses a kiss to its porous and spiny skin, feeling the sea star curl up and squeal happily from his touch. Every sea creature adores a kiss from a siren. The raven-haired man moves the sea star to suction to the skin of his shoulder, looking to his left as he hears a sound, a loud splash announcing Sehun’s arrival. The young siren still doesn’t know how to approach silently when surfacing above the water.
“I was wondering where you went,” Sehun says as he moves up to rest on an obsidian rock beside Baekhyun. He doesn't blend in as well as the older man, considering his tail is a bright aquamarine blue with large scales that shimmer in the sun. “Everyone has been talking about how you pushed Yoona and Yuri away to take a human for yourself.”
Baekhyun looks over to see Sehun raising his eyebrows suggestively. The older siren scoffs and folds his arms before resting his head on them; the sea star slowly moves towards his shoulder blade instead.
“I'm not like Jongin, idiot,” Baekhyun replies, knowing Sehun is thinking that he's like another siren, Jongin, who's known for keeping his humans for a while to toy with them before drowning them a day or two later. He wouldn't be surprised if he finally drowned the captain he took a few days ago.
“Taemin said he saw you dragging that human off somewhere,” he points out, smirking like he's caught Baekhyun red-handed. “What did you do with him?”
The raven-haired man smiles into the crook of his elbow. “I saved him - for next time. I want to sing to him myself.”
It's a lie. He has no ideas of killing that captain anytime soon.
And that is how Baekhyun finds himself swimming in the waters around the captain’s ship a day later. He knows it's the right one because of the bird carving on the front. He wonders why the captain chose such an animal when they are on the sea and not in the air. He wonders what his name is, what his voice sounds like, what color his eyes are.
It's night time now, and the moon shines beautifully on the calm waves. Baekhyun blends in easily, and it's why he's favored by their queen. His camouflage in the evening is unbeatable and makes him the primary hunter - before he gave up that position. Baekhyun doesn't like harming the marine life anymore.
He tries to see if he can spot the captain on the deck, but he can only see the usual men. There is an open porthole window that he spots as he swims around. A candle light illuminates from somewhere in the room, even though Baekhyun’s eyes can easily adjust in the dark.
For some reason, his instinct is to wait, and Baekhyun swims freely for a while, eyes trained on that one window in hopes of a glimpse of the one he wishes to see.
After what seems like hours, the light waivers for a moment, and Baekhyun ducks beneath the water until only his eyes are visible and watches as a hand appears before the captain does. He looks much different with his hair dry and his eyes open. Baekhyun stays still and just admires as the captain seems to admire the moon. Something about him captivates Baekhyun in a way he can’t really explain to himself or others. Of course, the captain is handsome; there’s no denying that. But he’s more interested in figuring him out rather than having that pretty face to himself.
The human sighs before withdrawing from the window and closing it, leaving Baekhyun alone. He surfaces fully, silently listening to the rushing of the ocean and the sounds of the singing crew on the deck. It’d be ridiculous for him to ever get close to the ship and its captain, especially in his siren form. All he can do is just swim and watch from afar.
But in his human form, he could do more.
A smile slowly spreads onto Baekhyun’s pink lips, and he dives beneath the water, an idea already brewing in his mind.
Part 3