I promise there will be more frequent updates

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Two more weeks have passed by now and Taehyung has become an unofficial part of the crew. Unofficial because he still was their captive but the crew at least treated him like a human being again, not being able to resist the cute puppy who often complained about being called a kitten or a puppy.

They were teasing him about it and Taehyung was actually surprised by the way he acted, feeling suddenly comfortable surrounded by pirates. But now that he got to know them better, he saw through their rough and mean appearance. 

All of them were somehow abandoned or kicked out by society, looked down at and helpless anger has been what has driven them to leave the land and find their peace on the sea. Taehyung understood the need to be free more than anyone else so he felt actually bonded to this part of the pirates.

He did not agree with the cursing, being mean and robbing parts of course, still trying to convince them and especially his main captor Jeongguk, to return him back to his father yet the other man stayed adamant in keeping Taehyung for now until they formed a plan in how to make money.

Jeongguk did say that he wasn't going to harm Taehyung yet the way he held onto his plan brought tears to the little prince's eyes. He was doing so well, finally receiving some respect from the pirates but his role on the ship was still as clear as day one: he was their prisoner.

But Taehyung really tried to not let this get to him, not being confused by the way the tall pirate captain was behaving, especially not when Jeongguk would apologize to him in private. The pirate kept showing Taehyung mixed signals, being cold and mean around the crew but somewhat sweet when they were alone. 

He almost behaved friendly despite calling Taehyung pet names and flirting with him but the small prince didn't mind that much than before, actually enjoying the affection secretly since the sea was rough and the life on the pirate ship even more. 

They didn't really make him do tasks, all of them silently agreeing that the prince was far too cute for that so they only gave him light missions to fulfill that were so easy that Taehyung could finish them within the day.

So when he then returned to Jeongguk, Hoseok or San, the third Mate, to inform them he has finished his tasks, they were praising him and ruffling Taehyung's long black hair. No one really wanted to admit the fact that they got whipped for the young royal who was so refreshingly different from the rest of the snobby blue bloods.

Something about him was simply endearing that the grumpy and over all suspicious crew members started to hate the beautiful male less and less. Because unlike any outsiders, Taehyung still treated them with somewhat respect. He was raised to be polite, bowed when he ran into someone, apologized sweetly to them and kept his distance without asking further questions.

Taehyung at first only wanted to survive on the ship but as the days passed, he started to adapt to the ship's daily life, seeing how the crew interacted with each other and it left him surprised. Despite being considered the scum of humanity, the pirates were treating each other with respect and care, all in some sort of way attached to one another.

It was a colorful pack but they all managed to fit right into every spot. Taehyung liked that about the pirates, they may have a rough nature and a not so friendly reputation but they weren't completely bad people. There were still a few exceptions, of course but they worked together perfectly.

This life was entirely different from what Taehyung knew, the palace life was as organized as the pirates were messy, drilled to perfection and taught to never disobey the royals. The pirates were different, they did what they wanted, they argued with Jeongguk and the pirate captain let them.

It was all about freedom, a side of life Taehyung has never experienced before and now that he got a taste, he was eager to find out more about this refreshing feeling. Here on the sea, nothing of his old worries mattered, that he was about to be sold off to Prince Seokjin, uncaring that none of them had feelings for each other. Taehyung wondered if Seokjin has announced his marriage to a commoner to his parents.

He has met Kim Namjoon, Seokjin's gentle husband and he knew that his heart was made out of gold so Taehyung wished the couple the best. And hoped that he was not going to be used as tool to separate them.

"TaeTae!", the call of Wooyoung caused Taehyung to lift his head. The grumpy pirate has been the first one to warm up to Taehyung after Taehyung proved himself over and over again. Wooyoung has apologized for his behavior towards Taehyung and the little prince has forgiven him because he saw how loyal Wooyoung was to the ones he considered friends.

It was a personality trait that made him mostly a good person. "Did you sort the ropes already?", Wooyoung asked, crouching down next to Taehyung's position on the ground since the pretty male was busy getting an old rusty nail out of a plank. "Yes, I did. Is San satisfied with it?", Taehyung asked, mewling in protest when he felt how Wooyoung ruffled his hair.

"Very much, you do it so prettily", Wooyoung praised him and Taehyung beamed by the words, smiling widely up to Wooyoung. "You definitely got yourself a treat, you wanna come and steal some cookies with me?", Wooyoung asked teasingly and Taehyung nodded excitedly.

"Yes, just let me get this nail out and then I'm comi- ouch!", because Taehyung has been distracted, his hand slipped, the nail slicing through his finger and creating a wound. He gasped in pain when blood oozed out of the wound, quickly snapping away from the nail and Wooyoung on the other side cursed.

"Tae, get back from the railing!", he yelled but it was already too late.

Because when Taehyung looked up with teary eyes, he came face to face with a hungry looking Jimin, the siren's slit like eyes fixed on his bloody finger with hunger.

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Oh no:0 Jimin, don't hurt TaeTae! Also heh, sorry for the long wait

Ela_koo