Jae-ha's nostrils flared as he saw your still form crumpled on the deck. "I'm not virtuous enough to go easy on the men who have hurt her."
His eyes darkened as they landed on your iron cuffs and he saw red. Jae-ha sprang at the mercenaries, kicking three of them back several feet and most definitely injuring them beyond repair. Jae-ha had picked you up tenderly, jaw locking in rage as you barely moved.
Whatever you had gone through, you had reached your limit.
But then, he felt it.
The feathery light brush of your finger against his wrist.
One finger.
Jae-ha's eyes turned pitch black, and he grinned manically at the mercenaries who approached you.
He was going to kill all of them.
You stirred, right eye refusing to open, swelled shut and blinked the other lazily at him as he slowly came into focus.
"Jae-ha?" You couldn't believe he was really here. His leg delivered a roundhouse kick, tearing apart anyone who dared get within a three foot radius of you.
"Jae-ha!" Your throat felt like sandpaper, but he somehow managed to hear you. "My feet..."
He knew what you meant and set you down, bringing his dragon leg down viciously, breaking the chain that bound the cuffs together, which finally enabled you to move your feet freely. Jae-ha motioned for you to place your hands down so he could do the same to those set of bonds, but you shook your head adamantly.
You didn't have time to explain.
A mercenary appeared behind Jae-ha and you darted forward, pushing him out of the way. You brought up your hands to block his strike from hitting you, the chain halting his sword in mid-air.
You stepped back and twisted your arms, using the chain to dislodge the deadly weapon from his grasp. Then, you kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Hard.
Panting heavily, you rested your hands on your knees. Jae-ha had grown occupied with several other mercenaries whose numbers were rapidly increasing, but he kept looking over his shoulder to see if you were alright, causing him to nearly get stabbed several times due to the distraction. Your eyes widened as they found the beaten princess and a bloody boy on the other side of the ship.
Yona had freed Yoon from the rope, but mercenaries were converging on them from all sides. You opened your mouth in a soundless scream as you reached out for them, too far away to do anything.
"Yona! Kid!" Jae-ha shouted, gritting his teeth in exertion as he struggled to push past the numbers that were overwhelming him.
Then, suddenly they were cut down. Out of nowhere, a familiar blue dragon landed, white fur streaming out behind him.
"Shin-ah!" Yona cried out, relieved to see her companion.
Jae-ha ushered Yoon and Yona to a blind spot away from the fighting, and you followed, positioning yourself beside them as Shin-ah moved to clear the fighters who had started coming over from the next ship.
A metallic green sheen caught Jae-ha's eye and he felt a sliver of pride shiver down his spine as his eyes landed on the mast of the ship next to them.
You pulled it off, huh? Pretty impressive, Y/N... He thought, trying to conceal just how truly terrified he was for you. You were shaking with exhaustion, blood trickling down your forehead and he could not stand the sight of those damn cuffs on you.
His lips curled back in a feral snarl, a burst of adrenaline coursing through him as he joined the swordsman's side, and jumped back into the fray.
You'd better not die on me, Y/N.
You stood up, legs trembling as you assessed the dire situation around you. Your pirate brothers were scattered around the other ships, laying waste to them everywhere they went, but you were still outnumbered on this ship. Yang Kum-ji had an extraordinary number of mercenaries guarding his ship and they were all flooding over to yours.
"Stay here." You instructed Yoon who nodded, placing a protective arm in front of Yona. You missed the merciless rage in her eyes as you readied your stance. Your restrained hands and exhaustion would slow you down, but hopefully with what little strength you had left, it would be enough to keep the mercenaries at bay until Jae-ha found Kum-ji.
You dove into the fight, avoiding the strikes aimed for you as you went, but you were too slow, causing numerous cuts to appear on your arms and legs in seconds. You managed to deflect all of the lethal blows, using the cuffs as a shield to block their attacks.
One by one, the mercenaries were defeated on your ship, and you ushered Shin-ah across to the other ship before kicking the ladder into the water. No one else could get through.
Now, it was up to Jae-ha to end it.
The torrent of mercenaries was thick on the other ship, and the green dragon gritted his teeth when he failed to push through them all. Shin-ah was by his side in a second, striking down anyone that got in his way and Jae-ha gave him a nod of thanks.
Yang Kum-ji was on this ship, and Jae-ha was going to murder him. He was going to make sure that man felt every ounce of pain he had inflicted on you and those other girls before watching him stick a knife through his brain.
But when he reached the hidden room at the back, there was no one there.
Yang Kum-ji was gone.
Jae-ha rushed back on deck, which had been cleared of the rest of the mercenaries thanks to Shin-ah, and saw that Kum-ji was trying to escape by boat.
"Using a subordinate to escape, that's not very pretty, is it?" He declared, leaping off of the rail, and soared directly towards the man who had a cunning smirk on his face as Jae-ha descended upon him.
You gasped, leaning over the railing desperately, he was going to shoot Jae-ha down!
"JAE-HA!!!" You screamed, and he faltered at the anguish in your voice.
He threw his knives at Kum-ji the same time the lord released an arrow. Kum-ji ducked his head to the side, and Jae-ha's knives missed, but the arrow didn't.
It tore clean through Jae-ha's shoulder, sending him tumbling down into the ocean.
You didn't think, jumping clear over the side of the ship and desperately swimming towards him.
Jae-ha was panting, clutching his bleeding shoulder as he bobbed in the water, and Kum-ji nocked another arrow. You swum around Jae-ha, moving in between them to shield your dragon. Your eyes blazed with fury and Kum-ji grinned maliciously at you, aiming directly at your chest. Your raised your head daringly, mouth pressed in a hard line. You weren't there for long, though, as Jae-ha shoved you behind him, blocking Kum-ji from your vision.
"No!" You yelled, trying and failing to push past him as he held you by your wrists; legs frantically churning in the water to keep you afloat and somehow propel you forward at the same time.
Jae-ha wrapped his arms tight around you, covering you from Kum-ji's line of sight. He knew the lord had an arrow trained on his back. "What the hell are you doing?! I almost lost you once, you really think I'm going to let you die now?!" You saw in the depths of his violet eyes just how much he was hurting, how much he believed he failed you.
Then, Kum-ji stopped, releasing the tension on the bowstring without firing it. It clattered to the bottom of the boat with a resounding 'thud'. He grabbed at his chest, eyes wide with undeniable fear.
Yona's ruthless gaze locked on him, eyes burning with ferocious fire. You watched in amazement as she released her arrow, hitting Kum-ji dead in the heart. He fell backwards, into the ocean, and the water rippled where he had fallen only moments before.
As the adrenaline faded, you stopped treading water and the waves almost swallowing you. Jae-ha barely grabbed onto you in time.
"Y/N?!" You faintly heard him shouting at you to stay awake. "Focus on me! No, no, don't close your eyes! Y/N!!"
Your lips parted slightly. "Ah...sorry, Jae-ha, looks like I won't be able to be there by you anymore..."
///
You opened your eyes with a groan, the sun peeking in through the window momentarily blinding you.
You were... back on the ship?
Your hands immediately went to your wrists, blinking when you didn't feel iron. Instead, you felt soft cotton wrapped around your wrists. Bringing an arm up, you inspected the handiwork.
"I thought about what I wanted to say to you once you finally woke up." Came a quiet voice beside you, and you turned your head, startled. Jae-ha had his arms crossed over his chest, and you noticed blood seeping through his robes by the shoulder.
"If you woke up." He articulated, hurt underlying his tone.
You stared down at your hands folded in your lap. "What did you decide on?" You asked tentatively, not really wanting to know.
"This."
He crushed you in a hug, being mindful of your multiple injuries. You squeaked, arms automatically going up to wrap around the back of his neck, but you brought them back down abruptly as your body screamed in protest at the movement. His face was buried in the crook of your neck and his heavy breath tickled your skin, causing your body to flush.
"Jae-ha," You gripped him as tightly as you could, as tears started to fall down your face. "I am so sorry!! I never wanted to hurt you, but I had to go!! I had to!! I know I made my choice and that I probably lost you because of it, but I'm selfish and I don't want you to leave!! What can I do to earn your forgiveness? I'll do anything, Jae-ha, please-!"
He brushed the hair away from your eyes, as he pulled back. Then, his lips collided with yours, stopping you mid-rant. Jae-ha maneuvered himself above you, not breaking the kiss, careful not to crush you under his weight, stumbling when he felt you try to pull him closer.
"Jae-ha," You panted as you broke the kiss, coming up for air, and a low growl emitted from the back of his throat. Smashing his lips to yours again, his arms rested on either side of you, propping him up. You squeezed your eyes shut when he pulled away from your lips, trailing kisses along your jaw and down your neck. The only sounds that filled the room was your heavy breathing and his mouth smacking against your skin.
"Wait, J-Jae-ha...you're hurt." You tried pushing him back by the shoulders, only to pull back in horror as he winced and your hand came away bloody. "Let me treat you."
There was an excessive amount of medical supplies in your room and you suspected that it had something to do with Yoon. Jae-ha took a seat on the bed after taking off his robe, knee bouncing as he watched you slowly collect what you needed. "You need to rest, Y/N, you're in no position to be moving around." He scolded you, lightly.
You sighed, heart filled with guilt as he tried acting like everything was fine between the two of you, blushing as you turned around to see his upper body bare.
You finally reached him after a moment to gather yourself at the sight, setting down the bandages and antiseptic beside him slowly pressing two fingers to the inside of his wrist, leaning down to rest your forehead on his.
You situated yourself on his lap, legs on either side of him and you swore he blushed, but it was impossible to tell for sure in the dimly lit room. Jae-ha curved his uninjured arm around your waist, steadying you as you set to work. You cleaned his would, murmuring apologies as he flinched from the sting. You furrowed your brow, it looked pretty deep, you didn't know if it needed stitches or not, but you would ask Yoon as soon as you got out of the cabin. For now, you packed the wound to stop the bleeding. Carefully, you began to bandage it in soft cotton when it was sufficiently clear of blood.
Jae-ha studied you closely as you worked, noticing you had your bottom lip tucked in between your teeth, making him want to kiss you again. Instead, his head fell to your chest, and he pulled back as you sputtered in surprise.
"Sorry, sorry..."
He was so tired, his eyes could barely stay open and it didn't help that your touch was so calming. It felt like it was lighting him on fire and sending him under all at the same time. You finished wrapping his shoulder, tucking the end underneath to secure it.
"Jae-ha-" You gathered your courage as you regarded him sadly.
"Are you going to leave me again?" He interrupted and you jolted up, almost hitting his chin.
"No!!"
"Then you don't need to explain." He mumbled into your ear, pulling you to him again.
You sighed, "Yes, I do." He peered at you curiously as you pushed yourself away from him, maintaining a small amount of distance between the two of you.
You fiddled with your fingers, taking notice of your bandaged knuckles for the first time. "I owe you an explanation, a real one."
Jae-ha stared at you, waiting for you to continue.
You took a deep breath, and he drew small circles into your sides. "I've always felt so ashamed of my past, I felt weak, like nothing I could ever do would ever be enough. That it wouldn't change anything. You helped me conquer that mindset long ago, but lately, it's almost been as though I rely on you too much and it sort of came back."
You exhaled shakily. "I got too caught up in it, and I didn't know how to stop it on my own. I wanted to help them because of what I went through. I wanted to be there to protect Yoon and Yona if things went south. But I also wanted to finally face Kum-ji, the man who had me chained in that alleyway for probably over a year."
His grip tightened on your waist at that and you clutched his arms. "I wanted to be able to do something to help in a way that only I could. I wanted to face my demons." You finished.
Seconds ticked by, and you grew increasingly nervous as Jae-ha stayed silent.
"Jae-ha?" You prompted nervously.
"You think I wouldn't have let you go?" You froze at that, but he carried on, "You're probably right, I wouldn't have wanted you to. I didn't want you to. But you're also wrong. I do want you to rely on me. I want to be the only person that you rely on like that, because of how intimate it feels to me, how close I feel to you when you choose me over everyone else to keep you grounded and safe."
He leaned his forehead against yours and you swore your heart was beating out of your chest at his reassuring words. "I don't know what I would've done if you told me. Probably kept you here so you couldn't go, but that's not right either, no matter how hard it was for me to admit it."
Jae-ha took a deep breath. "I want to see you grow, to face your demons and win, but I want to be there. Please," His head dropped, "Let me be there for you next time."
You sniffled and embraced him cautiously. "Do you have any idea how terrifying it was for me to find you chained? Just like when I first found you?" The pain was unmistakable in his voice.
Jae-ha didn't stop. "Bleeding from your head with bruises all over you body. I thought you were dead. I thought I lost you, and then just when I thought I was going to die, you came in to try and save me again."
"I want to be the one to save you. I want to be the one to keep you safe, away from harm so that nothing ever hurts you again. Haven't you endured more than enough pain for one lifetime?" His voice broke and you swallowed thickly.
"Please," He pleaded, "Just tell me next time, I swear I'll keep distance if that's what you want, but how can I pull you out if it gets to be too much if I'm not there? Please, I love you too much to let you go stubbornly headfirst into trouble without a damn good fight."
Your heart stopped.
He... loved you...
Pain dulled into the background as you connected your lips to his, pouring all of your passion, your regret, and your love into it. Everything that you couldn't say. He moaned into your mouth, returning it wholeheartedly. You arched into his touch as his hands wandered, one coming up to cup your jaw as he fell backwards into the bed, the other splayed firmly on your hip. His body was hot underneath you, lighting you on fire.
"Jae-ha...please forgive me." You begged from above him and he kissed you over and over again. You fell limp in his arms as the stimulation overwhelmed your senses.
"Always will..." He groaned as you keened into his hands as he kneaded your flesh. "Always will for you. I forgive you. I love you."
The proclamation made your head spin wildly. "Jae-ha..." You breathed, "I love you."
He felt his heart fly higher than he ever could with his dragon leg. He peppered light kisses all over your face, any inch of skin he could reach and you giggled. Your mouth parted in a gasp and your eyes closed blissfully as he sucked your neck harshly, before laving over the mark with his tongue lovingly.
He looked at you with adoration as you opened your eyes. "Mine." He growled playfully, arm tightening around your back.
You nudged his jaw with your nose. "Yours." You whispered and he shivered at that. He pressed one last kiss to your lips before sitting up, chuckling as you yelped, hands scrambling to find purchase, landing on his bare chest to steady yourself.
"Jae-ha!" You grinned widely.
"I could listen to you say my name forever," He admitted lowly. "Though, those other sounds you make don't sound half bad either."
It wasn't long ago that those words might've made you flinch, so he was surprised when you laughed easily, eyes sparkling with joy and Jae-ha felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of you being so carefree and relaxed, despite the numerous injuries you suffered from.
All he could focus on was you, in his arms, finally back by his side, right where you belonged.
It is March! Meaning it’s women’s history month!!!! It’s time to start continuous yona, Lili, and gigan appreciation hours. On top of that, anyone who brings these lovely ladies stress, harm, or disrespect is immediately cancelled and sent to the gallows. Happy March
i feel like minsoo is gonna request to travel to Awa and get the senjusou for soowon ;-; because he might not know the way there, (since the place is very secretive bcos of how rare it is), jaeha would be the one accompanying him, since he’s familiar with Awa more than anyone.
are we gonna see captain gigan again cos i really miss her and i wanna see her again ;A;
