#( ;; but i’m very firm in my portrayal and won’t budge from it. )

[penddraig]

me seeing ppl making hmc muses after being lonely for so long: :)

[springday-aus]

Untold Mermaid Tales: Sunmi’s Story

Fic Piece Written By: Admin Grandma of @springday-aus​

Moodboard Link Created By: Admin Grandpa

Main Character: Lee Sunmi (formally known from Wonder Girls)

Additional Characters: (in order of mention) Kim Yubin, Park Jonghyun, Yoon Junyoung

Genre: historical, fantasy, mermaid!au, revenge story

Type: one-shot writing piece 

Word Count: approx. 6.3k

Plot Summary: Sunmi dreams of leaving home to be a sailor. Her opportunity comes when her brother is sick and she’s sent to care for him overseas. However, the journey goes sour as the real implications of her presence are revealed and feelings get hurt. 

Warnings: [lots of sexism] - sexual harassment, rape is implied, murder mentions. 

For centuries, humans have believed that mermaids are nothing more than mythical creatures of the sea. It started from folklore and fairytales, like The Little Mermaid leading to their current portrayals in the media, such as Aquamarine or Ocean Girl. This is what essentially feeds humans the illusion of mermaids as beautiful beings who do nothing more than sing and swim, leading sailors astray from their paths. 

While it’s true that these creatures are magical, in no way are they as enchanting as they seem. Mermaids may seem to be carefree and gentle because they don’t have a human life on land to worry about. However, they are beings filled with spite, fueled by revenge and bitterness. To understand why is too complex to explain, but they have one goal: to avenge themselves by dragging down the men who dared to have them thrown overboard. 

Along the pier on the edge of Busan sits a young woman closely observing the sea. The waves crash lightly underneath her, the small mists of water spritzed itself into the air, splashing her every once in a while. The salty sea shimmers as it sways from a distance, sparkling against the limited light the sun provides. Just where the horizon starts to fully set lies the clothes of faded pinks, blending within the mix of pale yellows and light scarlet-orange. Despite the darkening sky, incoming ships continue to arrive in the docks, just a couple of blocks short from the pier.

Sumni sits upright and cross-legged, staring out into the never-ending waters—watching the fluttering sails continuously cut through the sunset with its’ shapes getting gradually bigger as time passes. Each one seems the same for everyone else, but to her, each is just as mesmerizing as the next. 

As her thoughts lost themselves within the sea, another’s footsteps lightly taps on the pier’s wood, getting closer to her with each step. She doesn’t budge. 

“Take a seat, Yubin.” She taps the empty spot next to her. “You and I both know I’m not going anywhere for a while.” 

With a shake of her head, Yubin chuckles but takes the seat regardless. “At this point, you should sleep here,” she says. “You practically live on this pier.” 

“There’s no point if I’m leaving tomorrow.” 

“Are you excited? You’re going to be an official sailor.” 

“Of course, I’m excited—slightly nervous, but I’ve been waiting for this since I was ten.” Sunmi leans back on her hands, taking in the scene once more. “I need to see more than just what I’ve read. I can’t just stay here for all of my life.” 

Yubin hums in response, nodding along to Sunmi’s words. 

“Don’t be mistaken,” Sumni says. “I’ll miss you and my family.” 

“But?” 

“Something tells me this is my one chance—another opportunity like this won’t come.” 

Yubin smiles fondly at her, before giving her a small nudge. “Well, at least you’re taking it. You’re lucky. You get to be more than just a housewife or school teacher. Nothing’s wrong with it, but…” She pauses, looking down at her lap. “You got a chance to do more.” 

Sunmi huffs in response. Glancing around, she continues to speak, but with a lowered tone. “I have to confess though. It doesn’t feel right.” 

“What are you talking about?” Yubin asks. “You’ll get to achieve your dreams to see the world beyond Busan, and who knows? Maybe, even meet a nice man, like your captain!” 

“That’s just it though,” Sunmi says. “Captain Park... something feels off about him.” 

Speak of the devil and he shall appear—as if on cue, Park Jonghyun makes his way over from his ship on the docks and along the pier. He jumps onto the sandy shore, breathing in the fresh, foreign air, since he and his crew just arrived from Japan. They’re on their way to Montréal to meet up with St. Laurent, but made a pit stop in the south for additional supplies and shipmates. 

With his black boots thudding against the ground below him, his tall silhouette moves swiftly to gather some equipment to prepare themselves for their journey tomorrow morning. However, he stops in his tracks once he spots the two women nearby. Without a word to his crew, he heads over towards them in long strides. 

His presence doesn’t go unnoticed. The ladies take notice of the man in uniform with the broad shoulders and firm thighs heading their way. The wind picks up, sweeping his dark hair back with grace—his eyes never wavering from them. Dear lord, he’s attractive, but it would’ve been better if he wasn’t aware of it. 

“Ladies.” He bows his head down as if he’s tipping an imaginary hat. “Are you lost?” 

Yubin looks enchanted. Whereas, Sunmi easily get sup from her spot, dusting off her pants. Straightening her shoulders back, she looks up to him with crossed arms. “No, but we were just about to head back.” 

“It’s getting a bit dark, ladies—seems dangerous to be walking alone. Would you like an escort back?” 

“No, thank you…” She quickly scans him from head to toe. “It’s more dangerous to get strangers involved.” 

He simply smiles at her. “Captain Park Jonghyun.” He bows his head once more. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.” 

Yubin visibly perks up, suddenly realizing who he is. “You’re Captain Park?”

“Yes, miss. You are?” 

“Kim Yubin, but you would be much more interest in my friend.” 

Sunmi resists the urge to roll her eyes at Yubin’s side comment. “Lee Sunmi. I’ll be part of your crew as of tomorrow. It’s a pleasure to properly meet you.” 

“The Sunmi?” 

“Yes.” 

“Ah,” he says. He looks off into the distance, brushing his hair out of the way. “I knew you were familiar. You’ve got a face that can’t be forgotten.” 

It’s really amazing what connections can do for a woman in the ‘60s. When Sunmi’s older brother, Junho, fell ill, her father nearly collapsed from the news and her mother cried for days. Both parents feared the worst illness imaginable. Both parents were, and still are, always far more concerned for their son than their daughter. Granted, Junho was drafted into the war, but, in Sunmi’s defense, he came back in one piece. When he permanently moved to California, their parents acted as if he was off to war all over again. 

Anyways, their parents insisted on having someone go to care for him and Sunmi was set to leave. It’s not like she has any complaints—she’ll get to see Junho and the beautiful places she’s only read about in her books. Once it was decided Sunmi would leave, her father pulled a couple of strings and called in favor to arrange for her departure. 

Turns out, her father’s coworker’s cousin knew someone who happened to work for the Park’s family estate—a very high-profiled family with an incredible lineage of sailors who knew their way around the seas. Fortunately, Jonghyun was generous enough to let Sunmi come along. 

“It’d be good for a woman to see the world,” he had said. 

Since Jonghyun’s decision, her father had been directly contacted, which resulted with many letters from Mr. Lee to thank the Park family for letting his irrepressible daughter along Jonghyun’s trip. 

Sunmi had also made contact with him, once he’d accepted her to be part of his crew. (Thank God for those English books.) They exchanged letters and pictures to keep one another updated as to how long the journey would take, where they would be stopping, when they would arrive, etc. Between the letter exchanges, she couldn’t help but feel a bit thrown off from Jonghyun’s manners. Even though she hasn’t met him before, there was a growing suspicion towards him—she couldn’t pinpoint what it is about him that makes him so... odd. Maybe it was how quick he’d accepted her onboard, or the way he complimented her on having a classy chassis when he’d first gotten her first photo—something was just off... 

But, despite her apprehension towards him, she’s grateful for him—she’s had nothing else to look forward to until the past year, fearing that she would be stuck as some sexist’s wife. The 20th century has been progressive so far, but it’s not progressive enough for women to stop being passed as someone’s wife or sister—she isn’t getting much younger and her father would not stop stressing it. She knows had it not been for Jonghyun, she wouldn’t be allowed on a ship until another’s century passed. 

“You’ve gotten by photographs,” Sunmi says. 

“They don’t do you justice.” He takes her hand and kisses the back of it. “Lovely to meet you, little miss. I look forward to working with you. What brings you to the pier?” 

“I’m always here—” 

“And I’ve forgotten that you’re always here.” Jonghyun lowers himself to really look at her. “I was told by your father that you can be found in two places: an ocean or the river. Always drawn to the water, huh?” 

She gives him a tight-lipped smile, feeling slightly put-off from the close proximity of his face. “That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?” 

“That’ll certainly be handy when you’re actually out on the seas. It’s a dangerous journey, do you think you’re ready?” 

“Of course I am, Captain.” 

“Sorry to interrupt.” Yubin glances between them, before turning her full attention to Jonghyun. “But we should be heading back. Dinner’s ready and we all need some time to say goodbye to her.” 

“Of course.” Jonghyun raises an eyebrow at the both of them. “Are you sure you don’t need a man to take you back?” 

“No, thank you,” Sunmi says. “We’ll get back just fine.” She turns away from him, without waiting for a reply, and promptly yanks on Yubin’s arm to drag her along. 

As the distance between them grows, she shouts back to him. “See you tomorrow morning, Captain!” 

“He seems nice,” Yubin says. 

“I guess,” Sunmi mumbles. It’s more towards herself than Yubin, who continues to babble on about what a dreamboat he is, but nothing seems to settle the nerves in Sunmi’s stomach. 

Within a span of eleven hours, Sunmi’s dreams are finally going somewhere. At first, it doesn’t really settle in—even with her parents’ tearful goodbyes, as well as their stern warnings to not cause any trouble, and Yubin’s bone-crushing hug. It doesn’t set in until she stands at the edge of the pier at the break of dawn, with nothing more than her bag in hand, in front of the vessel known as ‘SUNRISE’. The adrenaline rushes through her veins. She can’t feel anything else but her heartbeat that continuously pounds in her chest with anxiety and excitement.

“Excuse me?” 

She turns around, facing an unfamiliar man in uniform—almost the same as Jonghyun’s. However, she notes, he doesn’t have the captain’s tags and carries fewer metals. He stands nearly a head taller than her and his brown hair is haphazardly brushed away from his face with eyes that give her an almost-bored look. 

Sunmi snaps herself out of her thoughts and manages to respond in time. “Yes?” 

“You can’t be here, we’re just about to leave.” He waves his hand away, dismissing her as if he’s swatting away a fly. “Go back to your husband.” 

She smiles at him, the brightest and fakest she can muster, despite the anger bubbling inside her chest. “Actually, I’m here with Captain Park. I’m supposed to meet him here at five.” 

He scans her appearance, before returning the fake smile with his own. “I’m sure you were.” 

A sudden arm wraps around the young man’s shoulder stops him from saying more. Jonghyun arrives in full uniform—unnoticeably breaking the brawl about to occur. Sunmi lets out a small sigh of relief from his presence; for once, she’s thankful for a man’s help. 

“Junyoung,” Jonghyun says. “That’s how we treat ladies.” He turns back to look at Sunmi. “My apologies, he tends to be a bit rude to everyone.” He gives her a wink. 

She gives another tight smile. “I understand.” 

Without a response, Junyoung removes himself from Jonghyun’s hold and trudges back to the boat, mumbling curses under his breath. Sunmi secretly glares at his retreating back and asks Jonghyun. “Who’s he?” 

“Co-captain Yoon—he’s a bit rough on the edges, but he knows how to handle a ship.” 

She almost growls, holding back as much as she can, yet her irritation is dismissed. Jonghyun smiles at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Now, why don’t you let me show you the way around the ship,” he says. “Just to be sure you don’t get lost.” 

Sunmi gives him a weird look, startled from the sudden touch, but he doesn’t seem to notice as he guides her towards the ship and make their way up to the bow. 

“So there’s all sorts of different ships. Sunrise, here, is a vessel, which operates differently from a sailing ship. It’s essentially built for cargo, as well as passenger transportation. It might be smaller, but it’s equally as powerful as the others.” He winks at her once more. “Now, we are currently on the bow, which means the front of the vessel. The opposite end—right over there—is called the stern…” 

Sunmi can only sigh, hoping he realizes she knows more than he thinks, as Jonghyun continues to talk. Oh, this is going to be an interesting month. 

A week in and Sunrise has had nothing but smooth sailing—for the ship itself at least. Throughout the week and into the following week, the waters remain calm, the wind continue to steer them, and no damages have occurred. Unfortunately, Sunmi has had no such luck with the crew. It’s hard enough for her to adjust as the only woman onboard; she has gotten used to life on the sea, but the other shipmates still haven’t gotten used to her. 

On top of all this, she still hasn’t learned anything on actually handling the ship, like Jonghyun promised she would be able to do—which is why she finds herself a couple of feet away from Junyoung, practically peaking over his shoulder, in hopes of getting a glimpse as to what he’s doing. Despite how openly sexist he is towards her, she oddly prefers him over Jonghyun because Junyoung just ignores her (for the most part). On the other hand, while Jonghyun’s clearly nicer, he has a certain aura that alludes whenever she gets close—it’s all smiles with him and his hand always finds a place on her body, whether it’s grabbing her hand or placing an arm around her shoulders. It’s disturbing. 

Sunmi shudders at the thought of him and his behavior for the past few days. No, she needs to focus. Right now, Junyoung is readjusting some of the ropes tied to the lookout point. She takes a couple of notes into her notebook, from his movements to the aftermath of his actions. 

Junyoung might not explain to her what he’s doing or why he does it, but she knows she’s smart enough to figure it out—she’s red enough books to figure it out on her own. The other sailors often laugh at her—telling her all those little notes are nothing more than useless memos and there’s no point in recording such mundane tasks. She doesn’t bother listening to their little jabs at her because, who knows, maybe later in her life, she’ll be able to use this information on one of her own future expeditions. 

At least, that’s what she hopes. 

Junyoung has already moved to something else, chatting away with another sailor—Eddy. Sunmi makes herself busy and double-checks her notes, not noticing the shadow that lures behind her. 

“What’s this, doll?” Jonghyun asks. 

She flinches, clutching a hand over her chest. “You scared me!” 

He ignores her and takes the notebook out of her hands. He asks again. “What’s this?” 

“My notes.” 

“Why have notes when you have me?” 

She lets out a long sigh, already drained from his presence and this conversation. She grabs the notebook from his hand. “Captain, you haven’t taught me anything new.” 

He takes it right back and taps it on her head, as if she’s a puppy. “I teach you new things all the time.” 

“With all due respect, sir, I would much prefer it if you would just let me—” 

“A-okay, it’s set. If you have anymore questions, you can ask me directly.” He smiles at her once again, placing the notebook into his inner jacket pocket. “If you want this back, you come to me.” 

She gives up quickly, knowing he’ll just continue to push himself onto her like this—as he has been for the entire week. “Of course, Captain.” 

He smiles down at her. “How many times have I told you?” 

She lets out another long sigh, but Jonghyun ignores it. 

“Call me Jonghyun.” He places an arm on her shoulder. “We’re closer than that.” 

She gives him a short, forced smile and removes herself from Jonghyun’s hold. She walks off to cool down by finding something else to reoccupy herself with. He’s the captain and she knows better than to walk into uncharted territory with him. 

Just as Sunmi walks off, Junyoung comes back around, swigging an arm around Jonghyun’s shoulders. “Oh, Jong, Jong, Jong,” he says with a singing tone. “Just what are you planning?” 

Jonghyun smirks. “Don’t be such a wet rag, Jun. I’m just having some fun.” His eyes easily find Sunmi’s figure from a distance. “She’s not easy…” His eyes roam her curves once more. “And I like a challenge.” 

“And how do you plan on conquering this one?” 

“With this,” Jonghyun says. He takes out Sunmi’s notebook with a tight grip, but lightly waves it in Junyoung’s face. “She’ll come for it sooner or later.”

Unfortunately for Sunmi, she comes sooner rather than later. It’s been about two days after, when Sunmi is in Jonghyun’s cabins, but she’s not alone. Junyoung stands next to her, clearly agitated from the whole situation. Jonghyun stands in front of them, slightly amused from Sunmi. According to the other shipmates, an incident happened—resulting with a handprint on Junyoung’s face from Sunmi. 

“Okay,” Jonghyun says. “What happened?” 

“Your crew is led by a big. That’s what happened.” 

“That is not what happened,” Junyoung says. 

Sunmi scoffs at his remark. “What a nosebleed,” she mutters. 

“What did you call me?” 

“Okay!” Jonghyun says. He steps between the two of them, patting Junyoung’s shoulder. “Yoon, you can leave. I’ll talk to Sunmi.” 

“What?!” 

Junyoung smirks at her, making her feel like smacking him up once more. He heads to the door and, before he closes it, he mouths to Jonghyun: “I’ll be back.” 

Jonghyun nods at him, then turns to Sunmi once the door’s shut. He lets out a little laugh, then turns back to what he was originally doing. He stands over to a table, where a large map of the Atlantic lies. 

Sunmi stays rooted in her spot, watching Jonghyun move around. “Captain? Can I explain?” 

He finally looks at her, nodding to himself, then takes a seat. “Sure.” 

She lets out a small breath of relief. “Thank you, Captain. Now, as I was going to explain—” 

“Why don’t you grab a seat?” 

She looks around, spotting a nearby stool and sits herself a couple of feet away from him. She takes a deep breath, trying to collect herself. There’s so much that had unfolded in so little time that she hasn’t had a moment to herself. 

Jonghyun still hasn’t taught her anything throughout the time span that she has been here. How is she supposed to understand what should be tied to which knots and where? How is she supposed to know which direction they’re going in? What the hell did “jibe” mean? There’s so much she’s read to learn about, yet it doesn’t matter if she’s not actually getting the hands-on experience she wants—but trust Sunmi to know she wasn’t about to stay put and do nothing. 

She made it a mission for herself to learn, since no one was willing to teach her how to actually operate the ship. That resulted with her to floating around, observing each sailor and the tasks they were assigned to do—to make mental notes as to what they were doing. Since Henry took away her notebook, she’s been trying to remember purely through memory rather than record. It’s the only notebook she brought with her. 

On the other hand, the other shipmates originally thought she was there to care for them. For a while, she did—until she realized they were just ordering her around as if she was the maid. When she asked for an explanation as to why, Junyoung merely shrugged. “Boys will be boys,” he said. 

She was originally planning on just ignoring him, knowing he was going to say something among those lines. But then, she’d heard him say to another sailor. “She needs to work from the bottom first. She’s already on her knees for the captain.” 

Before she knew it, her anger had gotten the best of her and she slapped him. She doesn’t regret it. Enough is enough; it’s time for her to step up. 

She’s taking this opportunity to bring up one of her bigger concerns. She doesn’t need to explain herself to some man who probably thinks she’s just being temperamental. 

She sits straight with her arms crossed over her chest. She stares at Jonghyun, trying to figure him out before saying anything else. Eventually, after a few moments of silence, she finally speaks. “Captain, I am having trouble understanding something.” 

He isn’t even looking at her. His eyes remain trained on the map in front of him. “What exactly are you referring to?” 

“Sir, I’m here to learn. I want to learn how to sail, but I can’t do that if you aren’t teaching me anything.” 

She’s gotten his attention now. He looks up to her, before straightening up to look down at her. “I teach you new things all the time. Remember when I let you ring the bell? That was a big responsibility.” 

“I haven’t learned anything new, sir. I want to sail. I can’t just watch everyone on the sidelines. If you would let me pair up with Hyunsuk to help lookout, or even with Roy in the engine room—” 

Jonghyun shakes his head at her. “If you get too involved, it could get messy and things would get harder—” 

“Captain, please just let me—” 

“—just stay put for now. Once we’ve settled, we’ll show you around on how things work, okay?” He gives her another pearly white smile, but her frustration is overpowering. She finds herself more annoyed than when she originally came in. If one complaint is going to be filed as trash, might as well add in another. Her shoulders loosen up and her arms are released to her sides—the displeasure from over the past week has officially caught up to her. 

“What about Junyoung?” She asks. 

“What’s wrong with Co-captain Yoon?” 

Sunmi almost laughs. “He’s been spreading rumors about me for the entire past week and the other shipmates are just egging him on. I think something should be done about him.” 

“He’s just joking. He does it to everyone—he doesn’t mean any harm.” 

“Then what are you going to do about the rumors? Or about how the way the rest of the crew is treating me? They all think I’m some easy gal you got fast with.” 

At this, Jonghyun walks over to him, causing Sunmi to follow as well. He stands close, but far enough to lower himself to her eye level, grabbing her shoulders lightly. “Doll, don’t worry about it.” His hand slowly trails along her arm and plays with her fingers, without breaking eye contact. “We can take care of those rumors right now, if you’d like. We can make a bit more true than false.” 

She untangles her hand from him and smacks him away. “Forget it, I’ll deal with them myself.” 

He reaches out to her once more. “Baby, I can take care of you.” 

She shakes her head and steps back further from him. “I don’t need you to take care of me. I don’t need you closer to me.” 

He grabs her wrist once more, except it’s a rougher touch than before. “Doll, you said you wanted to sail.” 

“I do.” She yanks her wrist out of his hand once more. “But not like this. I don’t need you closer.” 

Jonghyun goes silent for a while—his shiny pearls starting to shine a little less. “Now, Sunmi,” he says slowly. “Don’t get so emotional. I’ll give you some time to cool it. But…” 

He scans her once more, his eyes lingering a bit longer on her body a it more than she would’ve liked and chooses to ignore. “You know where I’ll be if you change your mind.” He gives her another wink, insinuating exactly what she fears. 

She blinks at him, not believing what she just heard,  trying to shake his words out of her system. Turning around on her heel, she heads for the door at a leisurely pace. “Don’t get your hopes up, Captain. This over-emotional lady will be in her cabin. I want to be clear. That is not an invitation.” She looks to the side. “I need to be alone.” 

She slams the door shut and he stands for a while, staring at nothing, before chuckling at her antics. Oh, her father’s wrong—she’s more than just a troublemaker. She’s pretty, which is worth bringing on the trip, but it’s not worth the inconvenience she’s bringing. 

He walks towards his previous set up. His jacket is tossed somewhere in the room and his hair is messily tousled. He sits on his chair, resting his feet on the table. A couple of knocks on his door breaks his train of thought. 

Junyoung enters a fresh case of glass bottled beers in hand. “I have returned.” He sets a bottle on the table. “I figured you would need this after talking to the ship’s mooncalf.” 

Without hesitation, Jonghyun grabs a bottle and takes a swig. “And this is why you’re the co-captain.” 

The two sit back and chat, figuring out some additional notes for the journey ahead—sorting out the food supply, the stop in California (and possibly a couple of islands), and all the other little details that can be worked out later. Eventually, they do address the source of their headaches. However, it was only after drowning down all the beers and a couple of bottles from Jonghyun’s oh-so special liquor cabinet. 

“If she keeps this up for the rest of the month,” Junyoung says. “I might just toss her to the sharks.” 

Jonghyun squints at him, trying to realign his vision to somewhat focus on the other man. “She’s really something man. She just—just… just insults me on my own god—goddamned ship.” 

“She should consider herself lucky to even be here.” 

“You see,” Jonghyun says. “That—I thought the same thing.” 

Junyoung huffs. “She needs to be reminded where her place is.” 

Jonghyun silently thinks for a moment. The gears start to shift, but with a sudden familiar gleam in his eyes and another shiny smile, he speaks again. “Say, Yoon. What shall we do if she does just fall off the ship?” 

Sunmi tosses and turns in her small mattress as the boat continues to rock through the night. Granted, the smooth sailing wasn’t going to continue forever, as they continue on with the journey, but it shouldn’t be this bad. It’s the third sleepless night in a row, a couple of nights after being in Jonghyun’s cabin making it worse for her sleep needs. 

Since the conversation, she’s been avoiding him like the plague, but he always seems to find her. She knows she can’t avoid him on a ship, but she just needs her space from him. With the lack of sleep, it’s clear she’s becoming more and more fed-up—at both the captains and the crew. It’s almost as if their behavior has gotten worse: something she did not think was possible. Jonghyun’s smiles have got slimier and Junyoung’s scowls are becoming a more permanent fixture on his face. 

She groans loudly, not bothering to hide her annoyance, and attempts to calm herself down from her thoughts. Something that was supposed to be so beautiful has gone downhill so fast; she’s never missed home as much as now. Maybe instead, once she gets home, she’ll read up some more about sailing, study more on shipbuilding, and she’ll be able to construct her own boat with an all-female crew. 

Oh, how she longs to be on her own—but, for now, she’ll keep these men on their toes with her rebellion and, what Henry calls, emotional outbursts. 

In order to get some decent amount of rest, she closes her eyes, listening closely to the waters. She can see the pier once more, with its beautiful horizon and Asta by her side. She sees the ocean and its never-ending waves—she sees the opportunity to explore. And with that, she finally sleeps. 

On the other side of the ship, a small bash for the captains is taking place. Jonghyun and Junyoung wanted to celebrate a full successful week of sailing. So, they gathered some of their most trusted crew members for a couple of drinks. They all came together at the stern near the starboard; the captains figured the open air would be better than one of the stuffy cabins. 

The stars are out, light wind blew, and the waters rocks the boat at a calm pace. There are chairs set up for them to rest their aching feet and a bunch of drinks spread out for them to grab. It’s relatively calm, each chatting away about this and that. However, one sailor from the group spots the thunder clouds rolling in from the distance; it’s coming slowly, but surely. 

“Oh, shit,” Roy says. “That storm’s comin’ in soon.” 

“How bad is it?” Jonghyun manages to ask, feeling a bit tipsy from the drinks. 

Junyoung waves it off, clearly drunk. “Let it come, it’s Sunmi’s goddamn fault anyways.” 

“Yeah,” Hyunsuk says. “Who the hell let her on anyways? That girl isn’t good for anything but bashing ears.” 

Eddy laughs, then speaks. “Capt’n here probably wanted a quick route.” He takes another sip of his whiskey. “He’s fast, but she ain’t easy.” 

Jonghyun frowns, nearly throwing an empty bottle at him, feeling the sting of being rejected once more. Who knew this woman would cause so much trouble for them? 

Junyoung laughs along with Eddy. “He isn’t wrong.” He looks over at Jonghyun. “This is what happens when a woman gets involved. Everything goes wrong.” 

“Don’t remind me,” Jonghyun says, with a groan. “Jesus, this is harder than I thought.” 

“You talking about her or your dick?” 

Everyone laughs and this time Henry does throw something, but it’s an empty beer can that can do no physical harm. Jonghyun misses entirely, the can is flung into the ocean with a soft plop. Junyoung finishes his drink at that time, tossing it into the water as well. 

The other guys start to toss their empty glasses and cans into the water as well, laughing as if it’s the most hilarious thing they’ve ever seen. However, their laughter is cut short as they spot the storm rolling closer, lightning flashing against the dark sky and harsh thunder claps following afterwards. 

“We’re fucked,” Roy says. 

The rest of the boys sigh, but it’s Jonghyun who speaks up. “This is all her fault.” 

Junyoung’s eyebrows furrow. “You’re right.” 

“It’s because we have a woman on board,” Roy says. “The seas are upset.”

“We were fine before,” Eddy says. “Now, she causes a ruckus and now, a storm’s coming.” 

Junyoung turns to Jonghyun. “So, Captain. What are you going to do about it?” 

Captain Park smirks.

Not long after, Junyoung sneaks into Sunmi’s room with a few shipmates. They move in a quick-paced manner at his order. 

“Tape her damned mouth shut, then get her legs,” Junyoung whisper-shouts. “We need her out of here.” 

Hyunsuk wraps the rope around her ankles, tugging it harshly against her skin. Roy grabs her wrists, tying them together as well as her elbows. As the rope begins to burn against her skin, she wakes up at once. Started at the intruders, she tries to shout, only to be muffled by the duct tape wrapped securely around her mouth. She isn’t able to make out who was who due to the dark, but she is able to recognize the asswipe who’s been after her since day one. 

Getting closer to her face, Junyoung smirks at her. “Sorry sweetheart. Captain’s orders.” 

With her eyes growing wide, she finally realizes how much of a candy ass Jonghyun is, getting others to do his dirty work. She attempts to fight them off, but seeing as they’ve decided to gang up against her, she starts to tear up. She thinks about her family, Yubin, and the dreams that’ll never be accomplished—all because of some stupid men and their stupid pride and their misogynistic, androcentricism views. 

Even with her struggling against them, they successfully move her from her cabin to the edge of the ship. The waters got rougher, splashing harshly against Sunrise—the winds blow more viciously, dark clouds roll closer as each moment passes and the lightning flashes behind them. 

Junyoung steps back as the man of the house has finally arrived. With those black boots thudding against the wood, Jonghyun stands proud and tall, with another shiny, slimy smile as he looks down at her. 

“Sunmi,” he says. “You should have just stayed in your place. Maybe then, neither of us would have to be put in this situation.” 

She holds her head high, refusing to show an ounce of fear for this coward. She would have given him a couple of choice words if it weren’t for the tape. 

He shifts his weight, placing his hands on his belt loops, before moving uncomfortably close to her. “Oh, doll. Such a waste of a pretty face.” He looks up to the other shipmates and nods at them. “You know what to do.” 

He and Junyoung walk off without another word and they throw her off. She hits the water immediately, her body breaking through the top layer with the sound of a smack. As she sinks further into the depths of the Atlantic, she wiggles in an attempt to get the ropes off. But no such luck occurs as she moves her body along, trying to fight the current. She continues to struggle; the ropes continuing to burn against her skin and the current pushing her left and right. She wants to scream and cry for help that she knows won’t come. 

She begins to give up; her body feels tired from the fight—her eyes begin to close and her lungs quickly fill up with water. She can no longer breathe; she can feel her heart beginning to slow down and she accepts her death, praying it’s as painless as possible. She has suffered enough. 

Just when all hope seems lost, a bright light shines down on her. The water around her swirls, as if she’s the eye of a hurricane. From her peripheral vision, she can see different colors spinning around her—as if it’s protecting her. Her arms are freed, but aqua-purple blended colored scales shimmer against her skin to replace the rope burns. 

Her eyes widen from the sudden colors appearing onto her skin. Her ankles remain locked together, but newfound finds replace her feet and her legs glow with that same bright light, as her skin becomes layered with the same colored scales from her arms. Her neck lines split, allowing her to breathe easily in the water. Her nails grow quickly and are sharpened to a point, whereas more teeth grows in, as if to feed on flesh. 

Even as she fully transforms, the water continues to circle around her and the hurricane only grows stronger. 

She’s confused. She doesn’t understand what’s happening to her own body—it feels new and foreign, yet it feels so right. Everything becomes clear; the water continues the ongoing storm, but the colors have stopped and she can see the figures of others. Her eyes grow even wider: there are others who are just like her. The mermaids surrounding her don’t say anything; they’re perfectly still. She locks her eyes on the one in front of her. That’s when she hears it—a voice that isn’t her own telling her: you must go. 

Amidst all of this, Sunrise isn’t far off from where they dropped her, evidently getting caught in the tropical cyclone—moving gradually closer to the center. Some shipmates have been tossed off from the winds, while others have drowned from trying to escape. With a dozen already dead men, Jonghyun and Junyoung remain alive, but not for long. Both are still onboard with a death grip on the ship and screaming out of desperation for some god to help them. 

Sunmi arises from the water, cackling as she sees the ship hurtling towards her direction—with her teeth bared, nails ready to stab, and her revenge as encouragement. Even with the storm, she couldn’t see anything but the rage that blinds her. The fire in her eyes say it all: they are going to pay. 

[steelfeather]

Stowaway - Part Two (A Tom Holland x Reader Imagine)

Word Count: 1.8k

Summary: You start to learn what your future on Captain Holland’s ship may look like.

Ships: Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings: Portrayal of an episode which I will loosely call a panic attack, and reference to past abuse.

*A/N: Enjoy. :)

Part One

You feel light on your eyelids and groan, your entire body hurting from yet another night spent on wooden planks. You miss your feather bed in your parents’ home. Perhaps when the ship docks, you can earn enough coin somehow to sleep in a real bed for one night…

“Finally awake, are we, sleeping beauty?” a sardonic voice greets you. You bolt upright, realization flooding you with an awful suddenness. Captain Holland, as he introduced himself, is sitting in a leisurely manner in his chair, his eyes fixed on you as he lounges.

You watch him wordlessly, fighting the urge to shrink in on yourself. When he leans forward, you notice a tray by his elbow with bread, hard cheese, and a pitcher of water on it. Nothing fancy, certainly nothing like the feasts you’ve attended in the past, but you haven’t eaten or drank in nearly three days, so the sight of it almost causes you to faint.

He notices your eyes fixed on the tray and gestures to it. “Would you care for some breakfast?” he asks, tone perfectly civil. You don’t trust it.

“How do I know you’re not going to drug me?” you ask, voice higher than you wish it was. “Or poison me?” At this, he throws his head back and actually laughs, a sound that bubbles up from deep inside him. After a moment, he meets your eyes again, face morphing back to a serious expression.

“Love,” he says, “I wouldn’t have to work that hard if I wanted to kill you, or” his gaze sweeps over you dismissively, “take advantage of you.”

You flush at the implied slight, but stand on unsteady legs and walk very cautiously to the desk, snatching the pitcher and drinking deeply from it as your eyes stay trained on the pirate captain, ready to bolt at the first sign of motion from him. When you’ve drunk as much as you think you should, you grab a slice of bread and a large piece of cheese and walk away backwards before sitting cross-legged to eat. You have to force yourself to chew slowly, breaking up the coarse bread and cheese before it hits your mostly-empty stomach. The captain watches you steadily, a finger to his temple as he considers you.

When the last morsel has passed your lips, he stands and extends a hand to you. “Come on, then,” he says, and you’re considering trusting him when you see the rope in his hand.

You scramble away, back hitting the wall, and shake your head repeatedly. “You’re not tying me up,” you tell him, trying to sound firm.

A tense moment passes before he says, “Have it your way.” His face is shuttered when he turns on his heel and leaves, closing the door behind him.

It isn’t until you hear the click of the padlock and his retreating footsteps that you realize he’s locked you in.

“No,” you breathe in horror, trying desperately to restrain the memories. “No, no, no…”

You shake your head from side to side rapidly, terrified to try the door. If you don’t check, maybe it won’t be true… but you can’t help yourself. You lurch over to the door and yank on the knob, but it doesn’t budge at all. For a moment, you alternate pushing and pulling without success, and then you back up blindly, landing on the bed in a heap as your breathing speeds.

The memories crowd in, and you have nothing to distract yourself with.

Father’s scowling face at the dinner table. A barked order to the housekeeper. Maids bustling in and out of your room, carrying your beloved books and toys and baubles. They shoot pitying glances sidelong at you when Father isn’t looking. Your room, empty of nearly all but the furniture and your clothes and a hairbrush. A key, turned in a lock, followed by days or weeks without a single human face. Food left just inside the door in the dead of night. Loneliness and isolation until you break and beg for forgiveness, followed by a few more days for good measure.

A choked sob bubbles up in your throat, and you bolt to the door, pounding your fists on it helplessly. Quiet whimpers escape as you hit the solid oak harder and harder, distantly registering your hands beginning to throb.

After what seems like an eternity, you stumble back and collapse on the bed, muffling your cries into your hands. You realize numbly that they’re bleeding, but that doesn’t matter. Father is angry.

You’ve been bad and Father is angry.

You back yourself into the corner of the bed, wrapping your arms around your knees and rocking back and forth, and it’s then that you quietly and completely break down, crying almost silently. Sometimes you beg in a whisper, even knowing that no one hears you.

Hours pass as you try desperately to hold on. Father will open the door again. He will.

As if from a distance, you hear the muffled click of a door opening, but your eyes are screwed shut, and you’re too far gone in your own head to react beyond whimpering, “Please, Father, I won’t do it again, I swear.”

There’s a pause, and then you think you hear furious whispers being exchanged.

“Tom, what’s wrong with her? What did you do?”

The next voice sounds horrified. “I don’t know. All I did was leave her…” Then, with a little more volume and decisiveness: “Make my excuses to the crew, Haz. Let them draw their own conclusions.”

Another soft click, followed by hesitant footsteps drawing near, and a hand laid on your arm gently. You lay your cheek against it and say, in a broken voice rough with tears: “Please, Father…”

He gathers you into his arms, making soft shushing noises, and you freeze for an instant before relaxing into it because you can’t remember Father ever embracing you before.

“I’m sorry,” you breathe, “so, so sorry…”

“It’s all right, love,” he soothes, “I’m here now, it’s going to be all right.”

But something isn’t right. His voice is not so deep as Father’s. He smells better, and he’s smaller and more solid. Your eyes blink open, and you see wavy brown hair in front of your face as you feel his face buried in the crook of your neck, his lips resting stationary against your throat.

Everything comes flooding back. You’re not at home, and Father is far away. Instead, you are a prisoner on a pirate ship, and the captain appears to have you securely in his arms.

Your breathing picks up as you shudder; Captain Holland instantly lets go of you and draws back slightly to give you space. This close, his face looks quite young, and much softer than you would expect a killer and a criminal to look. In fact, he looks almost… concerned for you. It’s all very confusing.

“Are you alright, love?” he asks.

You school your features into composure and answer him in a ragged but calm voice. “I’m fine.”

A long, awkward pause follows.

“I think we should have a discussion,” he finally says, and you brace yourself at the sound of those words, so ominous in the present context.

“Perhaps we should.”

“It’s obvious you’re running from something,” he tells you, and you have to look down swiftly, afraid he will see too much in your eyes. “You’ve picked a very dangerous ship to stow away on, my lady.”

“I’m not a lady,” you insist, almost desperately. “I’m not anyone.”

He looks at you in a way intended to communicate his utter lack of belief in your words. “That’s irrelevant,” he says. “If you want to make it off this ship safely, I need you to trust me, and I need you to do as I say.”

You glance at him sharply, not expecting the turn the conversation has taken. “I’m listening, Sir.”

“We’re a month away from our next port,” he continues. “If you cooperate, I should be able to get you there safely and leave you. At that point, you’re free to be no one to your heart’s content.”

You bristle at the implied mockery. “And what, exactly, constitutes cooperation, Sir?” you ask venomously, for you have seen enough of the world to suspect what a man might want from a woman.

His face twists briefly in realization, followed by a smirk that seems just a touch calculated. “I’m not after a romp in the sheets with you, my lady,” he says, teeth flashing sharply. You get the oddest feeling that you’ve insulted his honor. “I simply need you to play a part. I have a certain reputation with my crew.” You stare him down until he speaks again.

“The men have to believe you’re a prisoner, and that I’m…” now he hesitates, “taking advantage of you.”

You blink. “I don’t understand.”

He huffs out a frustrated breath. “When I take you on deck with me, I need to tie your hands. I need you to walk by my side, and I need you to act subdued, like I’ve been having my way with you.”

“Why?” you ask incredulously. You think you hear him growl under his breath.

“Because some of my men think that a woman can only have one purpose on a ship,” he bites out, tone heavy with his intended meaning. “And while they’ll label you off-limits so long as I appear to have a claim to you, it would make my life quite difficult if they were to learn the truth. I would really prefer not to deal with certain crew members attempting an uprising because they want to be up your skirts.”

Your eyes are wide as you comprehend the situation, a bit shell-shocked. “I’m not wearing skirts,” you reply dumbly, and his lips tick upwards at the corners.

“Love, I need to know if we have a deal,” he insists.

Hesitantly, you stick out your hand. “We have a deal, Captain Holland.” He shakes it firmly, then raises your knuckles to his lips, giving them a delicate kiss. Your stomach drops and your mouth turns dry.

“Just call me Tom when we’re alone,” he says casually. “It’s easier than all this Captain Holland formality.”

“Tom?”

“Hmm?”

“Why…” you swallow. “Why are you doing this? Why help me?”

His expression turns flinty. He crowds you against the wall and leans down to whisper in your ear as your breathing turns shallow. “Did you imagine a pirate could have no common decency, my lady?” he asks. “Perhaps you don’t know as much as you think.” With that, he turns away, and you’re left feeling inexplicably cold.

A whole month, you think. This is bound to be interesting. And incredibly risky.

Taglist: @spocksandsandals, @mc-universe, @cmonspiderling, @twiceinabluemoon, @mrshollandparker, @middlefingermichelle, @peterr-parqerr, @spideychelle-romanogers, @quacksonss, @friendlyneighborhoodgf, @dangerousluv1, @spideythewebsitter, @curly-haired-holland, @stanbroughing, @tomrannosaurusholland, @kaciidubs, @tomhstories, @thelovelyoldscentofabookshop, @lionfart, @johnmurphys-sass, @imwithyoutilltheendofthecredits, & @moonythewerwolf