Chapter Text
Their new passenger had become a bit of an issue.
Ignoring the fact that he appeared out of nowhere and didn't speak their language, he was violent and didn't seem to care that they hadn't done anything to hurt him. Hongjoong was covered in open wounds, marks raked over his face, neck, and hands that he was certain would scar. Yeosang worried about them getting infected, but there was no way for him to access their medical chest where he kept a variety of tonics, elixirs, balms, and salves as it was tucked away inside the sick bay, guarded by the unruly stranger.
Hongjoong didn't care too much about himself. He had pulled through worse in less ideal conditions before, so he felt assured that he could do it again. He let Yeosang clean and dress his wounds as best he could with clean water and strips of cloth from his old shirts, and that was fine enough for him. It had been brought to his attention, however, that one of the powder monkeys misstepped during a sword fighting lesson with San, and the injury needed tending to as soon as possible. This time, when Hongjoong disappeared back into the darkness of the sick bay to try and reason with the stranger again, it was with a little more urgency.
"Ahoy there, matey. Just me again, no need to get up," Hongjoong said as he entered the sickbay, a lit lantern in one hand and the other held up to show that it was empty of all weapons. In the far corner, the passenger's eyes reflected the dull orange light of the lamp eerily, glowing like a cat's; it was the only way Hongjoong knew that he'd moved.
A hissing sound resonated from the passenger's throat—a warning not to come closer, though that's exactly what Hongjoong intended to do.
Behind him, the main crew gathered, Wooyoung at the front of the pack with a plate held for the captain to take. Hongjoong did so, glancing back and into the worried gazes of each of his crew members. "Be safe in there, Cap. We'll be right out here if anythin' happens."
Hongjoong thanked Wooyoung with a silent nod, turning back into the room and shutting the door at his back. The passenger hissed again, but it was noticeably weaker than it was just yesterday when they'd had this same interaction. He must have been succumbing to his injuries, Hongjoong thought, shifting the lantern as he crept closer, trying to see if he could spot any difference in the wound on his thigh.
The passenger was laying on the floor on his side, the wound facing upward in the open air, so despite the lack of light, it was easy enough to find. It was swollen, red and irritated, packed with lint that should have been changed days ago. Not far off, Hongjoong spotted his plate of food from yesterday, the dried meat and hardtack arranged on it untouched, the same as it had been every other day the pirate captain had ventured in here to check on their guest. It made sense that the man was weakened, his arms shaking as he tried to sit upright to make himself seem more intimidating.
Hongjoong saw right through him. "Ye be pushin' yerself too hard, matey. Calm down. I only be here to help ye, savvy?" He set the lantern on a table nearby, moving carefully to light another so that he could see what he was doing, making sure that his hands were within the passenger's view at all times. He could feel the man's eyes on him, watching him like a predator would his prey, ready to strike at any moment. Hongjoong didn't doubt that, either. He'd spent enough time in here to know what this man was like.
Movements slow and careful, Hongjoong took the plate of fresh food, lowering himself to the floor in a crouch before he moved closer, just out of arms reach. The passenger had managed to get himself into a sitting position, his injured leg shaking with the stress it was put under and his whole body swaying. His eyelids fluttered, eyes unfocused for a moment. He had to reach out for the cabinet behind him to keep himself from falling over, even though they were on calm seas at the moment. It must have been worse than Hongjoong initially thought.
"Can I look?" he asked, holding his position. The passenger didn't respond, and Hongjoong tried again. This time he used his free hand to motion to what he meant. First himself, then his eyes, then the guest's injury. "Can I look at yer leg?"
The passenger didn't respond. He watched Hongjoong's hand. There was an intelligence about him that Hongjoong could see, his brain working to decipher what Hongjoong was trying to convey; the words were unknown to him, but he must have understood the gestures, because as Hongjoong leaned in a little closer, he hissed, teeth bared as he took a swipe at the captain with fingernails so long and sharp, they could only be described as claws. He drew his leg in closer. He didn't want Hongjoong near it.
He was panting now, though, pain obviously coursing through him; Hongjoong could tell from the way he sucked in his breath and bit at his lip. His hand hovered over the wound like he wanted to do something, but knew touching it would only make it worse.
"Alright then, don't worry about it. I won't touch it," he assured, but the passenger didn't relax. In fact, he did the opposite, becoming irate at the sound of Hongjoong's voice and reaching out to strike at him. There was little power behind it, but there was enough momentum in the swing of his arm to throw him off balance; more out of reflex than anything, Hongjoong reached for him, grabbing his wrist with one hand and discarding the plate in the other so he could hold the man's body up. "Easy now. Careful. You're—"
The man let out a sound, inhuman but still identifiable as fearful and panicked. He struggled against Hongjoong's hold, reached for him, dug his nails into his skin. Before Hongjoong could even react, he was leaning over to bite the exposed skin at the captain's forearm, but Hongjoong didn't let go. This was far from the worst attack he'd received from the feral stranger. The bite didn't even hurt that much, though he was sure he could feel the man's teeth break skin.
He felt the weakness under his hands, tightened his grip while the man continued to struggle. When the passenger finally retracted his teeth from Hongjoong's skin, his eyes looked noticeably glassier, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. He must have truly been afraid for his life.
"Hush now. Easy. I am not here to hurt ye. It's okay." The soft tone of his voice didn't help, just as nothing else had. The passenger continued to writhe in attempt to get away, and Hongjoong kept holding him until he sagged, his whole body heaving while he tried to draw breath. He gave up eventually, lowering himself to the floor, Hongjoong's hands on him keeping him steady so he didn't land too hard. The captain watched the man cover his eyes with his arm, listened to him cry pitifully, finally at his breaking point. It felt safe to come closer now, so Hongjoong did, reaching out to run his hand up and down the man's bare back. Truly, he felt for the stranger; he'd lost everything, he was trapped in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by people he didn't understand and didn't know if he could trust. It must've been terrifying.
He brushed the man's hair back, a tangled, knotted mess of black that hung nearly to his waist, with mats so thick that Hongjoong knew they were going to have to cut it to get them out. They would worry about trying to get a pair of shears near his head later, though. Right now, the thing he was worried most about was the heat radiating from his skin. Still cautious, he placed his fingertips against the sliver of bare forehead he could find, both of them flinching at the same time. The man was burning up, the sickness caused by infection likely taking hold. "Stay here, matey. I'll be right back," Hongjoong soothed as he lifted himself to go back to the door, cracking it open to peer out. As promised, his crew was still standing in wait. "I need Yeosang in here, handsomely if he can. Our guest's not lookin' so good."
The procedures it took to clean up the passenger's wounds were painful, and it didn't help that Yeosang cussed at him the whole time, his bedside manner sorely lacking when he was usually so soft-spoken around the crew. It must have been something about the way their guest used Hongjoong as a way to distract from the immense pain, biting and scratching, holding on tightly and not letting the captain back away when there was blood running from the places where sharp nails dug into his skin. Yeosang only stopped when Hongjoong called him off, insisting that he be kinder. There was palpable confusion in Yeosang's features while he took the medical kit after the guest was patched up to go and work on the injured powder monkey, but he let it go—Captain's orders, after all.
After all was said and done, the passenger's leg finally dressed properly, Hongjoong stayed sitting with him, helping him drink when he could barely sit up, and spoon-feeding him a porridge made of hardtack softened into mush with warm rum and some choice spices. The regular stuff was just too much for the passenger to chew through in his weakened state, and now that he had decided to let Hongjoong in, Hongjoong took full advantage of that to nurse him back to health.