Somehow this fragrance captures the scent of snow and smoke. It floods the senses and you feel as if you’re on a sunny mountain top and like the Finnish soldier Aimo Koivunen you could inadvertently pop an overdose of army-issued meth and traverse over 400 km on a pair of skis. The top notes of Bergamot and Immortelle are beautiful blended, producing the fresh, heady scent of wild flowers. The middle notes of pine and fig leaf give it all a spiciness made lighter by the ozonic notes. The finish is sugary and smoky, the malt clinging to all scents at once. This is a truly delightful fragrance.
Mistpouffer (n.) - a mysterious sound heard over the ocean in quiet, foggy weather
Pairing: Kim Hongjoong (Ateez) x GN!Reader, OT8 x GN!Reader later on; Genre: Pirate AU, Angst, Enemies to Acquaintances; Rating: sfw, PG-15; Warnings: heavy flirting, alcohol, pirates, mentions of treason and possible consequences, mentions of sinking a whole navy fleet; Wordcount: 3.090
Summary: All over the seven seas the group of pirates called Ateez was well known. Not only for their wit and strength but also for their incredible adventures. Some more fantastic than others but all just as interesting.
A/N: Initially this was a request from @mingsolo but it got out of hand and turned into the prologue of mistpouffer.
You sneered and adjusted the cuff of your uniform as you walked into the tavern. Your pristine white uniform from the royal navy stood out like a thorn on a rose in the midst of the rundown tavern. “This place reeks of pirates”, you muttered and looked around, seeing a bunch of dubious figures lurking around the corners.
Mingi chuckled nervously behind you. “This port is famous for its pirates after all, commander.”
You glanced at the tall man behind you. He stood out just as much as you did. Maybe even more with his large build. He grinned boyish-ly, letting his eyes disappear into crescent moons. If you didn’t know better you wouldn’t assume him to be a high ranking official of the navy. He just looked too sweet most of the time to be a second in command.
“I still don’t like coming here.” You wrinkled your nose in disgust - not just from the intense smell inside this tavern but also from the dirty interior.
“We can’t help it.”
You sighed deeply. Mingi was right after all. Pirates weren’t allowed near the navy bases or in navy bars. Even if they worked under the name of the emperor. They were still pirates. Sadly enough, you got assigned to oversee the activities of said pirates. All your protests had fallen on deaf ears and that’s how you found yourself standing in the middle of this shit hole.
“Let’s get over this quickly”, you ordered Mingi and pointed at an empty table at the back of the tavern. “I don’t want to stay here any longer than necessary.”
Mingi’s smile immediately dropped from his face. He looked intimidating flanking your side like this. Exactly what you needed during occasions like these. You appreciated how quickly he could switch his aura - the biggest reason you made him your second in command.
You sneered again, seeing how grimy the stools and table appeared to be. You were sure you’d get stains on your uniform just from looking at it. With a deep sigh you unbuttoned your cape and folded it, placing it on top of the stool before sitting on it.
You sat away from the table, crossing one leg over the other and your arms over your chest, refusing to get in touch with any of the things around you. “Are any of them here already?”
Mingi looked around, scanning the people within the tavern. “I’m not sure.”
You sighed again. “I’m gonna behead them myself if they make me wait any longer”, you grumbled and stared with narrowed eyes around the tavern as well. Your gaze landed on a man leaning against the bar, playing with the rim of the glass that stood in front of him. The confidence oozed off of him - you could tell immediately. He had black hair with a few strands falling into his eyes. His beige peasant top hid most of his upper body, if it weren’t for the plunging neckline showcasing half of his well built chest and the cummerbund belt highlighting his slim waist. Your gaze wandered lower to the tight black pants snuck around his thighs. You’d be evenly as confident with a body like this you mused and looked back up at his face.
Your breath caught in your lungs and your eyes widened when your gazes met. Like a predator on a hunt he observed you, his eyes flicking all over your form as if they collected every intel on you they could get. You swallowed harshly before you composed yourself again, narrowing your eyes once more.
You saw the corner of his lips rise in a hint of a smirk. He shortly - almost unnoticeable - nodded towards you before he turned his attention to the bartender, saying a few words and tapping his own glass with a heavy ringed finger.
“Hey, hey, hey! Name’s Wooyoung”, a boisterous voice interrupted your attention.
You slowly turned your head towards the voice, rolling your eyes when you saw a half drunk pirate, leaning on the table in front of you.
“‘think we’ve never seen each other before.”
“I am not surprised by that.” You raised your chin and looked down on the pirate in front of you. “Do you have any business with the royal navy?”
“Nah”, he snickered and slided over the table closer to you, “but we could have business together.”
“Mingi!” Your voice wasn’t loud at all, it resembled more a hiss than anything else. Still, Mingi, who had been standing to your left the whole time, reacted immediately. He grabbed this Wooyoung by the neck and pulled him away from you.
“I’ll be back in a minute, commander”, he growled and pulled a squirming pirate behind him.
You watched them leave the tavern, knowing Mingi was more than capable to deal with that drunkard.
“Who would have guessed I would find a treasure right at home after I sailed the seven seas.”
Those pirates were testing your patience today. You closed your eyes, sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of your nose with your thumb and index finger. “Listen”, you started and turned to the new voice, about to lecture him. But when you opened your eyes, everything you were about to say just vanished into thin air.
The pirate from the bar now sat on the empty stool right beside you. He watched you intently with a smirk adorning his lips. When you still didn’t say anything he raised his eyebrow teasingly. “I am listening.”
You quickly shook your head and growled lowly. “I’m here for business. Don’t try anything funny, pirate.”
He placed a hand over his chest, gasping deeply. “You say it like you mean it as an insult.”
“I do.”
“And yet you’re here surrounded by pirates. Are you sure it’s a wise decision to act up like that?” He tilted his head to one side, waiting patiently for your response.
Again, you felt like prey in front of him. Like a mouse between the paws of a cat. No matter what the mouse would do, one paw would push it back, not letting it escape. This was a game to him and he only waited for your next move.
“What’s your name then?”
“Oh?” His eyebrows shot up in surprise for a millisecond before he smirked triumphantly.
“So I can say that as an insult.”
He chuckled lowly. “Feisty. My name is Hongjoong. Captain of the Atiny with my crew Ateez.” He leaned his elbow on the table and held his chin up, watching you with the same smirk. “So, let me hear it. Say my name.”
You scowled. Kim Hongjoong. You were finally able to add a face to that legendary name. So he was the pirate you were supposed to meet. You pressed your lips into a thin line and stared at the man in front of you, seeing him in a somewhat new light.
Kim Hongjoong had worked under the name of the emperor for a long time. Even when you started your training with the royal navy you had heard the stories about him - the pirate king of the seven seas. Stories how he fought a kraken with nothing but a dagger, stories of his conquests, stories of almost heroic praise.
You shook your head again. Kim Hongjoong wasn’t a hero. No, he was a pirate and not to be trusted. “I was sent to talk to you”, you gritted through your teeth, “your last actions weren’t quite acceptable.”
Hongjoong clicked his tongue. “You’re so stiff. Maybe you should relax a little.” He raised a hand and made a turning motion, glancing over his shoulder to the bartender.
A few minutes later the man placed two jugs of beer on the table, nodding shortly towards you two before leaving again.
Hongjoong pushed one of the jugs towards your end of the table, grabbing the other for himself. He placed it on his lips and drank several large gulps of it.
You watched his Adam's apple bop every time he swallowed. Unconsciously you licked over your lips, your mouth suddenly dry.
“You should try it. This tavern serves the best beer there is.” Hongjoong told you, lowering his jug again and watching you with a teasing smirk.
“Whatever”, you sneered and grabbed the jug from the table. As if you needed to prove yourself, you quickly emptied the whole thing and slammed it on the table, gasping loudly in satisfaction.
Hongjoong poked his tongue against the inside of his cheek while grinning at you. “Told you so”, he chuckled and emptied his own jug, waving for another round of beer. “So, who thinks my actions aren’t acceptable?” He leaned forward, staring at you through half lidded eyes.
“The emperor, some higher ups”, you shrugged with your shoulders, “I don’t know.”
“You came here even though you don’t know?” He raised an eyebrow questioningly.
“Compared to the achievements in the past, your recent conquests were almost lame.” You couldn’t help yourself but to smirk at him, thinking you hit a weak spot.
“Ah.” Hongjoong closed his eyes shortly and waved a hand dismissively in front of his face. “I’m not getting younger. There is no way I can keep my grand presence from my youth.” The new jugs of beer got placed on the table and Hongjoong pushed one to you again, before he drank from his own.
“You’re kidding me”, you scoffed and took a few gulps as well. “Just admit it. You got lazy under the protection of the emperor.”
“Protection of the emperor. Hm.” Hongjoong hummed lowly and looked around. He then scooted closer to you with his stool, sitting now right beside you. “Let me tell you something”, he whispered lowly, “there is no such thing as protection of the emperor.”
“Excuse me?!”
“Lower your voice, commander”, he gritted through his teeth, making you shut up immediately. “The Atiny still gets attacked. From other pirates, from the navy who is too dumb to remember a ship and from other countries' forces as well. My crew still fights for their lives. We constantly need to repair our ship, we need income to survive on our own and on top of that the emperor demands a horrendous amount of gold from us while doing nothing. Have you seen them lift a finger and protect anyone but themself?”
“I could imprison you for speaking ill of the emperor”, you whispered in a harsh tone, leaning automatically closer to Hongjoong so nobody else would hear your conversation.
Hongjoong chuckled. He moved until his lips graced your ear. “You’re on pirate territory. You have no power here.”
A shiver ran down your spine and you tensed up, pressing your thighs against each other. You tried to sound as uncaring as possible, but you still heard the waver in your own voice. “Are you still willing to work as a free pirate or do I have to submit a form saying you’re committing treason and free to kill?”
“You’re still offering me a choice?” Hongjoong leaned back again, emptying his beer and observing you once more. “Are you sure I even have that choice anymore?”
At that moment you heard a loud commotion outside. You jumped up, about to run to the door, knowing Mingi was still outside the tavern. Before you could even round the table, Hongjoong grabbed your upper arm and pulled you into the opposite direction.
“What are you doing? Let go of me!”
“Saving your cute little ass.” Hongjoong pulled you further away from the entrance. He turned into a narrow hallway with a backdoor at its end.
The moment you rounded the corner, you saw several navy soldiers burst into the tavern. Mingi wasn’t with them. You turned back to Hongjoong, picking up your own pace to walk next to him. “What is happening? Why is the royal navy here?”
Hongjoong glanced at you with a grim expression. “Whoever sent you here, set you up.”
You frowned. “What?” You tried pulling yourself out of Hongjoong’s hold, refusing to follow him any further without a proper explanation. “What about Mingi? I need to get back there!”
“They will execute you on the spot. For treason.”
“What?”
“Because you’re working with a pirate.”
“I am not working with a pirate! I was told to come here”, you shouted.
Hongjoong picked up the pace, making you stumble shortly. He ran through the backdoor and closed it quickly behind you two, before he hurried through several alleys.
“Let go of me!”
Within a split second Hongjoong slammed you against a wall and pressed his hand over your mouth. “If you could?” He stared at you pointedly, shortly glancing at your covered mouth and back up to your eyes. “Apparently you haven’t heard the news. Ateez sank a whole navy fleet last week. Which basically was a declaration of war. They are no longer associated with the royal navy or the emperor and top priority on every wanted list.”
Your eyes widened with his hissed words. If he spoke the truth and his crew did that last week. There wouldn’t have been a need for your order this morning. “What about Mingi?” You mumbled against Hongjoong’s hand, worried your second commander got captured because he tagged along with you.
Even though you were fairly sure your words were a blabbered mess and incomprehensible against Hongjoong’s hand, he understood what you said. “Don’t worry about Mingi. He’s fine.”
“How would you know?”
Hongjoong smirked and looked down at you. “He isn’t my second in command for nothing.”
“Your?” You gasped in realisation after Hongjoong gave you another teasing look. All that time Mingi had worked with you crumbled like a broken illusion. If the royal navy were to catch you now, their accusations would at least be true.
“We have to wait until twilight before we can head to the Atiny”, Hongjoong whispered and stepped closer to you, looking around him to make sure nobody was around. “I’m sure with the mist rising around the port it won’t be a problem for us to sneak around and leave the town on a good wave.”
“Why should I go with you?” You scoffed, pushing Hongjoong’s hand away from your mouth.
Hongjoong leaned his elbow against the wall behind you, standing incredibly close to you. His breath fanned across your face. “I am not forcing you to come with me but without me you won’t be able to leave the port alive.”
“If you”, you hesitated, trying to find a good counter argument but coming up empty handed. “Fine, whatever. Have it your way.”
“My way”, Hongjoong chuckled, “you say it as if it was something bad.”
“Working with a pirate is bad.” You crossed your arms in front of your chest, bringing some distance between your bodies. “I swore to be loyal and now? I’m following a pirate to save my own life.”
“And yet you worked years with Mingi.”
“Because I didn’t know he was a pirate!”
Hongjoong sighed and pushed himself away from you. “You’re still so stiff. Sadly we didn’t have the time to drink some more. I must say”, he eyed you up and down with a smirk on his lips, “you hold your liquor quite well.” He walked around the alley, careful not to make any sound as if he was waiting for a sign.
“Why did you sink a whole navy fleet?” You asked after a while, not standing the silence between you two.
Hongjoong looked up into the sky, watching how the colours slowly changed from the setting sun. “If I had known it would come to that, I wouldn’t have agreed to work under the name of the emperor back then. I might have gotten blinded by the utopia they promised me. Promised us. I truly thought we would be able to sail across the seven seas, watch the sunrise on deck, sail underneath the stars and reach for the horizon.”
“But you did, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but always with a lurking danger following us wherever we went. Of course we tried to live as carefree as possible, joking around and simply having a blast.” Hongjoong snickered, remembering some of the moments. He turned back to look at you, the remaining sunlight sparkling in his eyes.
“Those memories must be precious to you.” You avoided looking at him, refusing to see him as anything else but a pirate.
Hongjoong nodded, walking slowly towards you again. “To answer your initial question. If I get attacked and am forced to fight. I won’t back down until I win.” He caged you against the wall once more, eyeing you through half lidded eyes. “I decided to create my own utopia by bringing down the royal navy.”
Your jaw tensed and you stared straight at him. How could he be so blunt with you? You were still part of the royal navy. You could easily tell them his desire, hoping it would be enough to clear you from your charges. You closed your eyes, trying to think clearly despite Hongjoong being way too close.
Even if you told the royal navy about it, you probably wouldn’t be set free if they intentionally sent you today, so they could get rid of you. If Hongjoong saw that coming, he probably thought you wouldn’t run back and tell them as well.
You opened your eyes again. There was a reason this man was called the pirate king. He was calculating, intelligent - your eyes wandered over his body - and truly handsome. You sighed deeply. You never thought you would associate yourself with a pirate in your life. “Thank you”, you muttered and turned your head away, looking somewhere else. “Even though I don’t take the word of a pirate but promise me you won’t leave me behind.”
Hongjoong grinned knowingly. “My pleasure.” He stepped into a ray of light and closed his eyes, listening intently to his surroundings. You watched him silently, intrigued by his hot and cold behaviour towards you.
All of a sudden he opened his eyes again, looking straight at you with a stern expression. “Let’s go! We have a long journey ahead of us!” He held a hand out for you, waiting until you took it.
You hesitated one last time, not sure whether this was the beginning of your end or the end of your beginning. The only thing you were sure about was the fact the second you took his hand you wouldn’t be a royal navy commander anymore.
