#Endeavor as a pirate captain because why not? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

anonymousewrites · 3 months ago

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Pearl of the Sea Chapter Nineteen

Found Family! PoTC Cast x Teen! Reader

Platonic! Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Jack Sparrow, Tia Dalma x Reader

Chapter Nineteen: Journeying to the Locker

Summary: (Y/N) finally finds their way to Davy Jones's Locker and Jack.

“Our new friend in Singapore was very specific,” said Mercer. He stood in Beckett’s cabin on his ship, the HMS Endeavor. After the fight on Singapore, he had returned to report on the intel they’d recovered. “Nine pieces of eight.”

“What’s the significance of that, I wonder,” remarked Beckett.

“Nothing can hold against the armada,” said Mercer. “Not with the Flying Dutchman at the lead.”

“Did your friend figure mention where the Brethren Court are meeting?” said Beckett.

“He was mum on that, sir,” said Mercer distastefully.

Beckett hummed thoughtfully. “Then he knows the value of information. Better keep this between ourselves. We don’t want anyone running off to Singapore, do we?”

Mercer and Beckett looked at former Governor Swann. He was stuck at his desk, always under a watchful eye, only a face to provide comfort to those that weren’t sure about Beckett. He was useful to have around.

“And (Y/N) Swann?” said Beckett.

“They escaped,” said Mercer.

Beckett tsked. “How troublesome.” The door to the cabin opened, and Beckett glanced up. “Ah, Admiral.”

“You summoned me, Lord Beckett,” said Norrington.

“Yes. Something for you there,” said Beckett. He looked at a box, and Norrington faced it in confusion. “Your new station deserves an old friend.”

Norrington opened the box. He found the sword crafted by Will staring up at him. He lifted it reverently.

“The Brethren know they face extinction,” said Beckett. “All that remains is for them to decide where they make their final stand.”

The freezing cold air swirled around (Y/N) and the other pirates. Frost had long since settled over the ship as they sailed as north as they could go.

“No one said anything about cold,” groaned Pintel.

“I’m sure there must be a good reason for our suffering,” stammered Ragetti through the chill.

“Why didn’t that witch woman bring Jack back the same way she brought back Barbossa?” grumbled Pintel.

“Because Barbossa was only dead,” said Tia Dalma.

Pintel and Ragetti jumped as she appeared.

“Jack Sparrow is taken, body and soul, to a place not of death but of punishment,” said Tia Dalma, gaze dark. “The worst fate a person can bring upon himself…stretching on forever. That’s what awaits at Davy Jones’s Locker.”

She strolled by.

Ragetti swallowed. “Yeah. I knew there was a good reason.”

(Y/N) sat and watched Will figure out the strange, rotational charts. Slowly but surely, they were finding their way to Jack. He lifted the charts and handed them to Barbossa. (Y/N) stood and looked at them over his shoulder.

The disks of the charts had been moved to spell out several words. “Over the edge over again. Sunrise sets. Flash of green.”

“Do you care to interpret, Captain Barbossa?” said Will.

“Ever gazed upon the green flash, laddie?” said Barbossa, grinning at (Y/N).

“No. I’ve read about them. Are they real?” said (Y/N).

“Aye,” said Barbossa. “Mr. Gibbs, seen them?”

“I’ve seen my fair share. The last glimpse of sunset, a green flash shoots up into the sky,” said Gibbs. “Some go their whole lives without ever seeing it. Some claim to have seen it who ain’t. And some say…”

“It signals when a soul comes back to this world from the dead,” said Pintel eagerly. Gibbs glared. “Sorry.”

“Trust me, young Master Turner,” said Barbossa. “It’s not getting to the land of the dead that’s the problem.” He turned the ship violently. “It’s getting back.”

They sailed into a large cavern. (Y/N) closed their eyes as they felt an energy sweep in with the water. It just felt…different. A shiver ran down their spine, and they nearly reached into the freezing water.

Tia Dalma watched their expression change, and she glanced down at their arms. The wind rippled over their shirt, and there was a slight shine on their arms. It was gone as soon as it came, but Tia Dalma narrowed her eyes. She had seen it. Of course she had. Every part of the sea was clear to her.

Beckett and Mercer stood on the Endeavour’s deck and looked at the destruction the Flying Dutchman had wrought on another ship.

“Bloody hell. There’s nothing left,” said Beckett, frustration lacing his words.

“Jones is a loose cannon, sir,” said Mercer.

“Fetch the chest,” said Beckett.

“And the governor? He’s been asking questions about the heart,” reported Mercer.

“Does he know?” questioned Beckett. Mercer looked at him with narrowed eyes, and Beckett raised a brow. “Then perhaps his usefulness has run its course.” He turned to Mercer. “You may be inclined to bring him with you for a little visit to Jones.”

“Yes, my Lord,” said Mercer.

A few minutes later, platoon of sailors rowed towards the Dutchman. The burning remains of a pirate ship floated around them, and corpses bobbed in the water. There were no sounds in the air save the organ playing on board the Dutchman, and that sound held no joy or life. It was as dark and empty-hearted as the player.

However, despite his men’s fear at boarding the ship of monsters, Mercer was as efficient as ever. He ordered them aboard with muskets and gazed out at the servants of Jones without a care in the world. The monsters looked around at the guns trained on them, and the soldiers swallowed at the strange, sea-creature faces looking back at them.

“Steady, men,” said Norrington, also keeping a strong face.

Jones barged to the front of the crowd and glared as the chest with his heart was carried towards him.

“Go. All of you,” he snapped. “And take that infernal thing with you. I will not have it on my ship!”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that…because I will.” Beckett stepped forward with his usual condescending tone. “Because it seems to be the only way to ensure that this ship do as expected by the company.” He flicked his cane, and Norrington brought the guards with the chest into the hull. “We need prisoners to interrogate,” continued Beckett while Jones bristled. “Which tends to work best when they’re alive.”

“The Dutchman sails as its captain commands,” snapped Jones.

“And its captain is to sail as commanded,” said Beckett. He stepped forward. “I would have thought you’d learned that when I ordered you to kill your pet.” He took immense pleasure in the way Jones’s shoulders fell at the reminder of the kraken’s fate. “This is no longer your world, Jones. The immaterial has become…immaterial.” He turned away before pausing. He cast a careless glance behind him. “And should you come across any of the former crew of the Black Pearl…” He narrowed his eyes. “I want all but the child killed. Bring them to me, if you’d please.” It wasn’t a request, and they all knew it.

(Y/N) stared in amazement at the sea of stars they sailed on. They were reflected in the water, but the surface was so mirror-like that they seemed to be flying through the night sky. Millions of stars shone around them, and (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile. It was a magical sight that they would treasure for the rest of their life.

Then a wind swept by and blew the slight mist away from the water. (Y/N) frowned and peered out into the darkness. Other forms floated across the sky in small boats, but they were too far away to be properly made out.

“Barbossa, ahead!” Will shouted.

“Aye, we’re good and lost now,” said Barbossa, pleased with himself as he steered.

“Lost?” That got everyone’s attention.

“For certain you have to be lost to find a place that can’t be found!” said Barbossa. “Elseways, everyone would know where it was.”

Everyone stared.

“Well, that makes as much sense as anything else we do,” said (Y/N), accepting the situation.

“We’re gaining speed!” warned Gibbs.

“Aye,” said Barbossa with another grin.

“To stations!” said Will. “Rudder full. Hard aport! Gather way!”

“Nay! Belay that,” said Barbossa. “Let her run straight and true!”

“Blimey,” gasped Ragetti, and everyone turned to see what he was staring at.

A waterfall was approaching. They were about to drop over the side of a void into a further nothingness (which somehow had made sense).

“You’ve doomed us all!” said Elizabeth.

“Don’t be so unkind,” said Barbossa. “You may not survive to pass this way again, and these be the last friendly words you’ll hear.”

“So we’re touring our afterlife, how wonderful,” said (Y/N), holding on to the side of the ship as the group ran around in a panic. “At least it’s pretty!”

They plunged over the edge.

Jack paced around the stranded Pearl. It sat on a pure white, flat land that extended out forever was far as he could see. He hated it there, in the Locker. He was losing his mind with only himself to talk to, no wind, no sea.

No (Y/N).

After returning to help them, he hadn’t forgotten them. He missed them. They had become like family, and the moment he realized that was the moment he was ripped away from them.

Jack kicked a rock in frustration. If he got back to them, he swore that there would be no more lying, no more double-crossing, no more betrayals—aimed at them. (Y/N) was his kid, his Pearl.

He froze as a skittering sound echoed in the silence around him. He turned and looked down to find the exact same rock lying next to him. Jack frowned.

“Now we’re being followed by rocks,” he said. “Never had that before.”

He turned away and tried to make himself useful by grabbing a rope and dragging the Black Pearl with him. Obviously, that didn’t work.

Another skitter. He hesitatingly turned to find a crab, not a rock, staring at him. A field of rocks stood behind it. One by one, they shook and popped open to reveal crabs. They marched forward and picked up the Pearl.

Jack watched in shock as the ship sailed with the crabs. It was among the most surreal sights he had ever seen. He stood frozen for a good long moment before straightening. He wanted wind? He got crabs.

Jack would take what he could get. He ran like a madman after the ship.

(Y/N) pulled themself out of the sea and into the sun. They had fallen for who knew how long, splashed into water, and were somehow alive on a beach (they didn’t question where they’d fallen from, the sky they guessed, it was the Locker). (Y/N) stretched as everyone else straggled out of the water. The ship had been destroyed, and very little supplies had washed up with them. The other pirates were exhausted and struggling, but (Y/N) just watched.

“This truly is a godforsaken place,” said Gibbs. He spoke the first words as he surveyed the empty desert that was the Locker. The air was still, and the sun beat down. No life was present.

“I don’t see Jack,” said (Y/N), bouncing on the balls of their feet.

“I don’t see anyone,” said Elizabeth.

“He’s here,” said Barbossa confidently. “Davy Jones never once gave up what he took.”

“And does it matter?” snapped Will. “We’re trapped here by your doing. No different than Jack.”

“Witty Jack is closer than you think,” said Tia Dalma. She held a rock-like crab in her hand and petted its carapace. She looked at the dunes, and (Y/N) followed her gaze. Their eyes widened.

The Black Pearl was cresting a wave of sand with crabs at its base. In the crow’s nest, Jack perched and looked out at them. Everyone just stared as the Pearl slid down the dune, over the beach, and neatly into the water.

“Boat,” said Ragetti, dumb with shock.

“Slap me thrice and hand me to me mama,” said Gibbs. “It’s—”

“Jack!”

(Y/N) ran over the beach towards the Pearl. Jack had already descended from the boat and was wading back towards the group. He looked at them warily as they ran towards them. If this was another trick of the Locker, a new form of torture of his mind to drive him mad by the nonexistence presence of his friends and family, Jack couldn’t handle.

“Jack!” (Y/N) nearly tackled him in a hug.

It was real. Jack grinned and hugged him back. “I’m glad to see you,” he said quietly. “Pearl.”

(Y/N)’s head jerked up at the word, a question in their eyes, but the others ran up behind them before they could respond.

“It’s the captain!” said Gibbs. “A sight for sore eyes.”

(Y/N) and Jack stepped back from one another.

“Mr. Gibbs,” said Jack.

“Jack Sparrow.” Barbossa stepped forward.

Jack turned to him. “Oh, Hector. It’s been too long. Hasn’t it?”

“Aye. Isla de Muerta, remember? You shot me,” said Barbossa.

“No, I didn’t,” said Jack brightly. It was a bald-faced lie, but what did he care?

“Tia Dalma, out and about, eh?” said Jack to her. “You add an agreeable sense of the macabre to any delirium.”

Tia Dalma smiled unpleasantly.

“He thinks we’re a hallucination,” said Will.

“Nope! I know the laddie is real,” said Jack, grinning. “No one else has their sense of…” He waved a hand. “Sea-ness?”

“Thank you?” said (Y/N).

“Now, William, tell me: have you come because you need my help to save a certain distressing damsel, or rather, damsel in distress?” said Jack. “Either one.”

“No,” said Will curtly.

“Well, then, you wouldn’t be here, would you?” said Jack. “So you can’t be here. QED, you’re not really here.”

“Jack, we’re real,” said (Y/N). “Not just me.”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “You might be losing your mind, too. You seem like the type.”

“Trust me,” said (Y/N).

Jack stared at them. It felt like the truth. They had faith in him; he’d have faith in them.

“Jack.” Elizabeth urged him to listen to them.

Jack looked at her and stepped back. He preferred not to see her, especially in the flesh after what had happened.

“We’ve come to rescue you,” said Elizabeth.

“Have you, now? That’s very kind of you,” said Jack. “But it would seem that as I possess a ship and you don’t, you’re the ones in need of rescuing, and I’m not sure as I’m in the mood.” He spun and faced (Y/N). “You’re welcome to come, laddie.”

“I would prefer for everyone to come,” said (Y/N), shrugging.

“I see my ship. Right there.” Barbossa gestured to the Black Pearl.

“Can’t spot it,” said Jack. “Must be a tiny little thing hiding somewhere behind the Pearl.”

“Jack, Cutler Beckett has the heart of Davy Jones,” said Will. “He controls the Flying Dutchman.”

“He’s taking over the seas,” said Elizabeth.

“The song has been sung. The Brethren Court is called,” said Tia Dalma.

“Leave you alone for a minute, look what happens. Everything’s gone to pot,” said Jack.

“Aye, the world needs you back something fierce,” said Gibbs.

“And you need a crew,” said Will.

Jack faced them all. “Why should I sail with any of you other than (Y/N)? Four of you have tried to kill me in the past. One of you succeeded.” He pointed at Elizabeth.

“What?” (Y/N) whirled on her.

“Oh. She’s not told you,” said Jack. Elizabeth shifted guiltily and avoided (Y/N)’s devastated expression. “You’ll have loads to talk about while you’re here.” He looked at the crew. “Now, (Y/N)’s in.” He looked at Tia Dalma. “As for you…”

“Now don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it at the time,” she said, smirking.

“Fair enough. Alright, you’re in,” said Jack. “Don’t need you.” Ragetti. “You scare me.” Barbossa. “Gibbs, you can come. Marty.” He cast a distasteful look at Pintel. “Cotton.” He nodded approvingly, and the parrot squawked (it has survived miraculously). “Cotton’s parrot, I’m a little iffy, but at least I’ll have someone to talk to.” He faced the Singaporean pirates and frowned. “Who are you?”

“Tai Huang. These are my men,” said Tai.

“Where do your allegiances lie?” said Jack.

“With the highest bidder,” said Tai.

“I have a ship,” said Jack cheerfully.

“That makes you the highest bidder,” said Tai practically.

“Good man. Weigh anchor, all hands!” said Jack. “Prepare to make sail.”

“Jack,” said (Y/N), looking pointedly away from Elizabeth. “You have to take everyone.”

Jack groaned.

“They have the charts to get out of here,” pointed out (Y/N). “And I won’t leave them behind.” They crossed their arms, and their stormy eyes pierced Jack’s.

Jack sighed. His soft spot for his kid was going to grow frustrating.

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crimsonrae · 5 months ago

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Vexation

I have missed you all! It has been a minute since I've posted here, but I feel like Tumblr is the place to put this piece - for now. I haven't had much time recently to do as much writing as I would like, but I was perusing old outlines and ideas and stumbled upon one from ages ago for Pirates of the Caribbean. Suddenly, my muse woke up and I wrote close to twenty pages in three days.

Premise: Basically, this is a what-if for Captain Jack Sparrow. What if during the first three movies he had someone that vexed him. His version of a wife because he can't do anything normal.

The scene written below is set during Dead Man's Chest, after the Brethren Court convened. Be advised it's long.

I would like to know what you all think. I have four other scenes for this all waiting to be flushed out and would welcome any thoughts or critiques.

Mildly horrified and entirely exasperated, Jack wasn’t even sure grief could sink into his measly guts as he watched Teague tuck the shrunken head of his mother away. Mostly because he wasn’t even sure that was his mother and that his father hadn’t completely lost his marbles. He wouldn’t put it past his mother to have such a thing delivered to Teague if the two were on the outs again.

And people wondered why he was so mad, look at what he sprang from...Christ’s Blood.

It was almost like another Tuesday; this is what being back on the Cove did to him... No, that wasn’t quite right, this is what being near any of his family did to him.

Dull amusement began to seep in as the lingering implications of Teague carrying that head around began to settle.

Jack smiled as he gestured awkwardly to his father’s coat, “Not a bad way to startle the grandkids.”

Teague smirked as he quietly admitted, “Already have. Your woman only let me do it once to little Rosie. Done it a few to the boy - I think Rosie handled it better.”

Jack snorted unsurprised by his family antics. Rose more than likely took the shrunken head to be a new strange doll. Jonah was old enough to know better. He did wonder when Teague had made the time to stop in on them.

“They’re here. Up in the Alley.” Teague murmured lightly as if sensing his son’s thoughts, fingers strumming gently at his guitar.

“What!” A sharp flash of surprise lit Jack’s dark eyes before he masked it behind something that Teague couldn’t quite read. Worry if he had to guess and confirmed as Jack quietly growled, “You brought ‘em here?”

Teague bit back a sigh as he gave his son a pointed look, “Wasn’t intending on it... Honestly, still puzzlin’ out how Quinn talked me into their passage aboard. I had told her no.”

“She likely just ignored you.” It's what she did when they had been children. Jack rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath about devious strumpets. He felt sick. They weren’t to be here; he never would have made that deal with Beckett otherwise.

He needed to see to preparations for his ship before Barbossa got too far in his ego thinking he was captain of the Pearl again, but he would make time to see his children and he had a bone to pick with his woman. His hearted lifted a bit...she was here.

It was only as he lurched away from his father that Teague called out to him, “Go easy on her, Jackie. She’s been through the gamut.”

Jack nearly scoffed.

He hadn’t?

He had been swallowed by a bloody gigantic cephalopod and trapped in Davy’s Locker with stony crabs and far – far too much time with his thoughts. Besides he didn’t bloody remember her being present to save him.

Admittedly, Jack knew that last uncharitable thought was unfair – he would not have been happy to see her in the Locker. Not when they had their two little treasures to protect, and he was well aware that the onus of that responsibility fell to her.

Which was why he wasn’t terribly happy on her being here now.

Despite being a fortress, Shipwreck Cove, the city, and its inhabitants would be raided should the Pirate Lords fail in their endeavor to stop Beckett and Jones. It was the last place he wanted Quinn and the children to be.

It was with clear intent and purpose that Jack made his way back to the Pearl. Gibbs and Marty would have a head for what was already on board, and they would have to make do with what supplies they could get in the city. Jack could only hope that word had spread already of what was afoot and that the shopkeepers would keep any wily haggling to a minimum – of course, a few would see the coming battle as a golden opportunity to gouge their prices.

Barbossa was already issuing orders when Jack stepped aboard, but he paid his former first mate and current rival little mind. The brunt of the crew was paying him more attention anyway as he asked a few carefully plotted questions before heading to his cabin for parchment and quill. Barbossa hadn’t spent near as much time on the Cove as Jack had... none of his crew had really, but there were a couple that were familiar with the city’s workings. It would have to be enough.

Jack tagged a few more orders onto Barbossa’s before snagging a handful of the crew to head into the city. A list of merchants and an inventory of necessities in hand, he passed instructions onto his little group and watched as they dispersed to follow orders. They would be back on ship by the time he was done with his own errands.

-----

He was stepping out of Doc Nessa’s shop when he felt the familiar glance of a small body skimming his hip. He didn’t even think as his fingers grasped the back of a well-loved shirt and tugged the body inside around. A pair of familiar dark eyes far too intelligent to belong to a child, but in fact did, regarded him.

A wild thrill of amusement coursed through his gut, though Jack was careful not to show it as he returned his son’s indifferent regard, “Need to be quicker than that, lad. Hand it over.”

Jonah scowled as he held out his father’s compass. Well, a compass. One that Jack had pilfered from Barbossa.

Jack took it with gentle care before he arched a brow, “The rest?”

Jonah slumped and pulled a coin purse and a ring from his pockets.

Jack blinked in surprise at the ring before casting a glance to his right hand where indeed one of his rings was missing. He hadn’t even noticed that one, that was impressive.

In return Jack held up a French silver medallion and grinned as Jonah blanched and checked his pockets.

Jonah reached out to snag it, but Jack yanked it back, “Da!”

“Pay attention to your possessions next time, eh?” Jack said as he tucked the medallion in his pocket, “Want it back? Best figure out a way to get it. Savvy?”

A churlish pout curled his boy’s mouth, but he nodded before mumbling a quiet, “Savvy.”

“Good lad.” Jack murmured before he crouched down, “Now come ‘ere and give your old man a proper greetin’.”

Jonah hesitated much to Jack’s consternation. He had never known his boy to be leery with him and he didn’t care for it starting now. He refused to have the same relationship with his son that he had with Teague. As if summoned from the depths, Teague’s words about Quinn having a difficult time came floating back to him... What had gone on in his absence?

He didn’t have time to ask before he had his arms filled with a seven-year-old. He relaxed and wrapped a tight arm around his boy as he felt Jonah turn into a limpet. That was more like it.

Grinning, he pressed a kiss to Jonah’s ear as he murmured, “Missed ya, lil’ scallywag. You causin’ trouble for your mother?”

“Aye.” Jonah answered against Jack’s chest.

“You watchin’ out for your sister?”

“Aye.”

“Rosie tormentin’ you?”

“Aye.”

“You been getting revenge on her?”

There was a pause before Jonah uttered, “No.”

Jack nearly snorted in disbelief, but quite seriously asked, “And why not?”

“Mum would tan me hide.” Jonah stated as if it were obvious. He wasn’t dumb enough to admit to any wrongdoing he hadn't been caught at – especially not to his parents.

Jack chuckled and gently pushed his son to stand back, “Depends on what you did and if you get caught. ‘Sides you probably deserve a good tanning every once in a while.”

“Daaaa.” Jonah whined, making Jack snicker further before he was attacked by another small body.

He leaned sideways and he grunted under the sudden impact, but the lilting giggle gave away his accoster long before he caught sight of her face. This was another one that could use a tanning or two.

“Oi! Careful, darlin’. You gonna break this old man.” Jack cried as he lifted Rose to perch on his hip. He couldn’t stay crouched any longer, “Miss me?”

“Aye.” Rose chirped as she grinned widely at her father.

Jack’s heart melted under that smile and damn if his little girl didn’t know the power that she had over him. Just like her mother. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before she snuggled further into his hold.

Seven bells rang in the distance, and he suddenly realized the hour. It was a bit late for his two wildings to be running amuck. Yet as he peered down the alley Rosie had flown from he saw the familiar shape of Quinn’s guard lingering.

Poor blighter must have been put on watch.

“Why are you two not with your mother?”

“Mummy said youse be here and um- we wanted to find you, but we – uh – we made new friends and we’s got to playin’.” Rosie explained excitedly, “And then Morris came to get us and then Jony disappeared, and we’ve been lookin’ for ‘im.”

“Is that so?” Jack murmured as he sent a speculative glanced to his son.

Jonah stared unperturbed back at him, and Jack was reminded that this was very much his son. Stubborn and underhanded.

As if to reinforce Rose’s words a faint cry from the opposite street caught the children’s attention. A few of the wharf rats were lingering and Jack took them to be the new friends. Jonah had a longing glint in his eye, and he sighed reluctantly, “Back to the quarters by first bell or I’ll put you over me knee meself, savvy?”

Jonah didn’t wait and went skittering off before Jack had a chance to change his mind, “Savvy!”

“I wanna go too!” Rosie cried, wriggling to get out of father’s hold.

Jack held tight, “Ah, ah, no. I don’t think so, luv. You are gonna keep your old man safe as he goes and finds your mum.”

“Nooo!” Rosie howled.

“No?” Jack cried back, nodding to Morris as he passed him in the alley, “No? So, you want your dear dad to be savagely attacked? How cruel you be, little Rose. However, will I be able to find your fair mother all be me onesies, I wonder. Be a good lass and help your da out, eh?”

His attempt at guilt did little to persuade the five-year-old as she stared at him mutinously. She was developing a fine glare to stop a man cold. It was obvious that Rosie had been spending far too much time with her mother. He barely dodged her little hands as she reached to pull his chin braids. Jack had almost forgotten that she needed no instruction to fight dirty.

And it was a fight...all the way back to the quarters which only ended as he began to regale her with stories from the past. He pitied any man who dared to woo his daughter once she was older.

It was a thought that vanished as he swept into the old family quarters only to find Quinn nowhere in sight. It was odd to suddenly be standing in a place that he had done everything he could to run away from – an all too familiar unease began to twist in his gut, and he had to bite his tongue to not become lost to ghosts that still haunted him. He tilted his head down the hall and saw a barely perceptible glow emanating from the slap shod parceling of lumber that was to act as a staircase.

Jack nearly groaned. She was in Grandmama’s old quarters... Quinn was trying to punish him.

Lovely.

“Daddy?” Rosie cried softly as she watched her father’s countenance turn sour. Childish worry peered at him through eyes that were so like his.

Jack forced a small smile to his lips before he tapped her nose, “Let’s get you to bed, eh? You’ll need your energy to go torment your brother come mornin.”

Surprisingly, Rosie merely pouted a little at the bid for bed. Either she was more tired than she wanted to admit, or she still sensed the poor mood possessing her father. Jack didn’t want to explore either option, but he would take the opportunity her current submissiveness was giving him.

----

He dawdled.

He would never admit it, but he loitered in his old bedroom watching his daughter curl around a pillow as she fell into an easy slumber. He itched with the desire to haul her out and bring her to his cabin on the Pearl. Too many memories haunted this decrepit place and only a handful were counted as anything happy or good. He wanted none of it to touch his children.

Jack couldn’t understand why he was here – Why Quinn had chosen to come back here. Even if it was to check in on him. She held as little love for this place as he did... less in some regards. But he wouldn’t get any answers by hiding away.

He came out just as Jonah crept through the front door. Jack arched a brow as he heard first bell in the distance, “Cuttin’ it close, lad.”

Jonah fidgeted under his father’s stare before uttering, “Still ‘afore the bell.”

“Aye, so you were.” Jack hummed and nodded to him to get to the bed with his sister, “Go on. To bed wit ya. Don’t let me catch you out of it.”

“Da?”

Jonah called as Jack ambled towards the stairs. He turned to find a churlish frown pinching his boy’s features.

Jonah swallowed tightly as he stuttered out, “Ar- are you leavin’ us again?”

Again.

The quiet resignation in his son’s voice fair broke Jack’s heart, but he was unsurprised by it. In a perfect world he would keep his family aboard the Pearl with him. In a perfect world he wouldn’t miss months of his children’s lives. But a pirate ship was no place for a child and Jack had been a pirate for too long to stop now.... The world wasn’t perfect, and reality was a far more painful place as his son was beginning to learn. Jack just wished he wasn’t the one teaching that lesson already.

He crouched down before Jonah again, this time tilting his boy’s chin up as he answered honestly – because his son deserved honesty, “Aye. I am, but I hope to be with you again soon.”

“I don’t want you to go.” A suspicious sheen had come to decorate Jonah’s dark eyes. A wobble to his lips.

It dawned on Jack then that Jonah must have just heard about the coming battle. Word had been slower than he had anticipated reaching the shops, but it would have spread through the city fully by now and his boy wasn’t stupid enough not to listen.

Jack winced as he murmured soothingly, “Now none of that, lad.”

“Please.” Jonah choked out, unable to hold back his tears. He was suddenly folded into his father’s embrace as he broke into a sob. Rum, sea salt, and gunpowder invaded the little boy’s senses – it was a unique combination of scents that he would forever associate with his father. It was home and it was safe, and he lost it every time his father disappeared to the sea.

Jonah burrowed into him in a way that made Jack think he was trying to hide in his pocket. Jack closed his eyes sadly and tightened his hold as he let his boy cry it out, “Wants and needs, Jony. Very rarely do those two ever line up. I would love nothing more than to keep you and your sister and your mother with me always, but it's just not possible. So, we must steal what time we can with each other and not give any of it back.”

Jonah sniffled, “Be a pirate.”

“Aye.” Jack murmured, “Be a pirate.”

They sat together soaking in what comfort they could before Jonah pushed back and wiped at his nose. His eyes were swollen still with his tears, and it hurt something deep in Jack to watch his son try and be brave. He was too young for that skill yet.

A glint of silver caught his eye, and Jonah gave a watery smile as he held up his medallion, freshly stolen back into his care.

Jack huffed a faint laugh, “Well done, lad. I’ll make a pirate out of you yet. Or at the very least, a very competent thief.”

Ruddy cheeks still damp were softly soothed by Jack’s rough hands before he prodded Jonah to the bedroom his sister was in, “Go on. Give your face a wash and get to bed.”

Jack stood in the doorway as he watched Jonah reluctantly follow his orders. The dry sink holding the washing bowl made his boy seem incredibly small and too grown all at once. He made a mess of washing his face, but it was more of a cover to hide fresh tears and soft hitched breaths.

Jack pretended not to notice, no sense in embarrassing the boy. Finally, he shucked his clothes and grabbed a large shirt Quinn had left out. Jack recognized it as an old one of his and that brought on an entire new swell of bittersweet emotion to drown his heart.

It was only as Jonah began to settle next to his sister that Jack meander back to tuck him in. He smiled faintly under his son’s doleful gaze before giving into the temptation to press a kiss to his temple, “Sleep, lad. Tomorrow’s a new day with new adventures.”

“Take what you can.” Jonah whispered.

“And give nothin’ back.” Jack whispered back solemnly. He gave a light squeeze to his boy’s shoulder in silent good night.

-----

A heavenly sight greeted Jack when he finally made his way upstairs. The bare expanse of Quinn’s back was on display as her shift hung loosely around her waist. His gaze drifted up from her shapely legs to the delicious curve of her bottom over the dark lines that inked her spine to the thin wispy curls that had found freedom from the mishappened updo she had imprisoned the rest of her mane in. Steam rose from the tub residing beside her and for a moment Jack quite forgot his irritation with her.

For a moment, anyway. The tense set of her shoulders was his first clue that he wasn’t the only one out of sorts.

“Now, there’s a sight for sore eyes.” Jack murmured as he leaned against the doorframe. Her lukewarm welcome was his second clue.

Green eyes peeked over a slim shoulder at him as Quinn place a bottle of some concoction down, “Wondered if you’d actually come up here.”

Jack wasn’t sure if here was the quarters or Grandmama’s room in specific and he didn’t care to ask. He ignored the subtle prompting in her comment with a gesture that said, ‘well, here he stood’. It didn’t surprise him when Quinn rolled her eyes and turned back to her ablutions.

“Are the children sorted?”

“Aye.” Jack answered with a frown. He hated talking to her back – even if it was a glorious view. It made it a mite difficult to ascertain what was going on in her head, “As you well know. Surprised you didn’t step in while Jony was cryin’.”

“He needed you, not me.” She said with a slight shrug, but he felt the truth in her words. Jonah had wanted his papa. There be no denying that.

“Shall I wash your back, luv? Get those hard-to-reach places.” Jack offered as he sauntered closer, “Nice and squeaky clean, eh?”

Quinn snorted, “Your dirty hands are not to touch me, Jack. When was the last time you had a washin’, you filthy pirate?”

Jack paused, slightly offended and unwillingly amused as he pondered that query. He didn’t think that he as that dirty – he had definitely been worse, “I took a dip not too long ago, I’ll have you know.”

Surely hanging upside down in the ocean counted.

“You can take another now. Waters for you. I’ve already bathed.” Quinn said, her hands moving to pull up her shift when his came to stop her.

“Now don’t do that, luv.” Jack whispered against her ear as he pressed against her. He bit back a smile as he felt a faint shudder wrack her body, “I’m quite enjoyin’ you half dressed. Course it’d be even better if you were completely undressed.”

“Jack...”

His lips brushed over the curve of her neck as his hands slid over her hips to hold her more firmly...except, there was more of her than he expected. Jack paused as his grip flexed over the small swell of her belly. Only just slightly bigger than a bump. His heart leapt into his throat in realization before his dark gaze snapped up to find her watching him warily.

“Thought I told you not to touch me with those dirty hands.” Quinn rasped, trying for a light – indifferent tone and failing.

“I’ll touch you however much I want, woman.” Jack said thickly, “Is that why you came here? To tell me?”

“Thought you should know... You’ll have one more to be comin’ back to.” She mumbled, “You need to stop gettin’ me with child.”

Jack grinned, fierce joy and pride batting back his outright terror for the moment, “Whatever for? I quite enjoy gettin’ you fat with my child.”

He grunted a moment later as her elbow collided with his side and she growled calmly, “Fat? I’ll show you fat, Jack Sparrow.”

Despite the playful glint in her eye, Jack chuckling, quickly grasped both her wrists before she could do something decidedly unpleasant to his person. Now, he understood why Teague had let her come. A pregnant Quinn was an impossible Quinn to reason with, “Come ‘ere.”

He tugged her around and stole the kiss he had been angling for since he had stepped inside. It felt good to have her with him again. It was downright beautiful actually. There had been a few dark moments when he wondered if he’d make it back to her and the kids. And he had – they were here.

At least for the moment and he’d take it.

He’d steal this time like he had told Jonah to do.

Jack broke the kiss, reveling in her mewl of protest as he leant his head against hers, “Another one, eh?”

“Aye.” Quinn murmured back, “You upset?”

“Have I ever been upset over being made a father?” He asked blithely, “Or given you cause to think I’d be?”

“Jack...” She sighed, “It’s different this time and you know it.”

Tendrils of the terror he had been pushing back were starting to grasp, but he refuse to let it hold. The memory of her last pregnancy was clearer than air for him. The babe they had lost - How he had nearly lost her as well... Damn her for alluding to it. His hold on her tightened almost imperceptibly.

Jack shrugged, pressing his lips to her crown, “So, we’re a little older – a little more damaged, a little more weary. Still wouldn’t change a thing.” He pushed back and nudged her to do the same as he did a quick calculation in his head, “Let’s have a look at ya. Be about five months, that right?”

Quinn hesitated, making Jack frown. She had never been shy with him before and he didn’t understand her reluctance now. Jonah had done the same. It was on the tip of his tongue to say something until his appraising gaze found the crest of her bosom or more specifically the top of her left breast and what should have resided there.

His mark...

“What’s this?” He breathed.

The dark lines of the sparrow over the horizon that normally decorated her skin had faded. It wasn’t the type of blanching that would come from the sun, but it was as if the ink had eroded to a thin sketch. His fingers traced the mark bewildered before he yanked the sleeve of his shirt up to view his matching bird.

It had burned something fierce while he had been in the Locker. A hallucination. Or at least... Had that pain been real? He had thought - taken it to mean really that his soul saying he was too far from his other half... but now?

It had changed.

The dull bluish black lines had become more a sickly grey. He hadn’t noticed...it’d had stop hurting once he had left the Locker and he had all but put the odd experience from his mind.

It was then Jack truly took stock of his woman. Faint circles lined her usually lively emerald eyes, her cheeks a little hollower than he would like... She was pale. Sallow really. Despite that he knew for a fact, that she tended to spend a fair bit of time out in the sun.

“It may not have been just the babe that brought me here. I guess that bonding ceremony we did wasn’t as much of a lark as we thought.” Quinn uttered quietly. She bit her lip and stepped away as she pulled her shift into place, “Get your bath. I wanna check on the little ones.”

Jack watched her go with gaping worry.

Go easy on her, Jackie. She’s been through the gamut.

What the blood hell had happened in his absence?

-----

Quinn was mildly astonished to see that Jack had followed her decree to bathe when she returned to the room. Of course, he was already reaching for a towel...

She hadn’t been gone more than a few minutes, “You’ve only made the dirt on you muddy, at least scrape it off.”

“You want me clean, luv, you best get over here and give me a hand.” Jack grumbled as he sent her a sly glance, “Get those hard-to-reach places.”

Quinn scoffed at him, “For someone who loves bein’ on the water, you have a peculiar resistance to gettin’ in it.”

“It’s not the same though is it.” Jack replied as he washed his arms a bit better. He wanted to see the full extent of the change to his mark, “Of course, there be a list of interestin’ questions you’d be good to answer if you want me to sit in this water longer.”

“I have a feelin’ I’ll be answerin’ those questions regardless.” She muttered, but she snagged a washrag and poked him to sit forward so she could sit on the lip of the tub behind him, her dainty feet brushed his hips. It wouldn’t be too much longer before her belly would make such a feat impossible.

Jack fairly purred as she worked the rag across his back, lightly massaging as she went, “Aye, you would...What’s happened, Quinn?”

“Let’s see... You left.” She supplied unhelpfully, but she sensed his unimpressed glare long before he opened his mouth, “I had business in New Orleans – its changed since we’ve last been. Kids caught the measles. That was a miserable few weeks. I missed two of my courses before realizin’ I was increasin’. Oh, and then suddenly, I was struck by the most debilitatin’ pain – bit like takin’ a hot poker to the chest I reckon. Scared poor Jonah half to death with the way I screamed, ended up passin’ out thankfully, but I was sure I had lost the babe. Bloody miracle, I hadn’t. That was when I received word of your demise and then Teague stopped by on his way to here and I figure it best to hear what was goin’ on.”

Jack hummed as he was once again dropped into a pool of horrified and exasperated. Only Quinn could utter all of that like was the most casual thing in the world. Just afternoon tea, really. It should have clued him in really. That sort of passivity from her only meant that she was brimming with fire beneath the surface.

It didn’t for his ire with her was definitely rearing its head once more. He didn’t even know where to begin with all of that, so he waspishly muttered, “Oh is that all? Just another bloody Tuesday, is it?”

“It’s Wednesday actually.”

“Quinn.” Jack rebuked, losing his patience.

He needed to see her.

He twisted, grabbing her wrist, and yanked her around so suddenly that water sloshed out of the tub. She fell haphazardly into his lap. Her shift was soaked within seconds.

“Oh!” She growled, livid.

She became even more so when she caught his agitation with her. As far as she was concerned, he didn’t have the bloody right. It was as if a bubble had burst within her. Everything that she had kept bottled up for last half year came flowing out at him.

The tub wasn’t big enough to accommodate two people, but she somehow maneuvered herself to straddle him before she began raining blows, “You are –Such -A – Bastard!”

“Ow! Woman!” Jack wouldn’t admit it aloud, but he would rather endure this rage from her than the barbed flippancy she had been spewing behind his head. Though the way she was wriggling in his lap wasn’t helping matters on another end. A particularly hard blow to his stomach had him restraining her wrists again as they both labored for breath.

Quinn glared at him, hot tears stinging her eyes as she wrathfully muttered, “You died! You died! You -”

And there was the heart of the matter... at least for her. The anguish in her emerald eyes startled Jack. It had been a long time since he had seen her this upset. A rush of guilt tore through him like a riptide and she saw it too.

She tried to yank her hands free to strike him again, but Jack held firm, “I know, luv, I know. But I’m here now. I’m back.”

“Oh, codswallop!” Quinn swore a blue streak, “You’re here? For how long? Or are you not chargin’ out into that bloody massacre that’s set for tomorrow? Shall I plan the eulogy now?”

Jack’s face darkened and it took some not inconsiderable control for him not lash out the way he wanted to – they had both been through hell. He could recognize that, even with the bare bones accounting that Quinn had given him. Like the sun rose in the east, he knew that she hadn’t told him everything. He also knew he had scared her and if the tables had been turned, he would be just as furious.

Lord, he didn’t want to fight with her. He really didn’t, but a thought had occurred that he wanted answered, “Quinn - Quinn, stop wrigglin’!”

She didn’t and he muttered a quick oath before he shifted his grasp on both her wrists to one hand before he delved his other between their bodies.

Quinn jerked in shock as his fingers grazed over her slit, searching for evidence of arousal as much as desiring a way of stilling her. She didn’t even notice when he let her go, only that she was suddenly bracing herself on his shoulders as he caught her startled gaze and a sank a finger into her.

She emitted a strangled, “Jack!”

“Told you to stop wrigglin’.” Jack murmured smugly as he tried not to lose the thread of thought he had been chasing before he decided it’d be a good idea to reexplore tempting territory to get her attention. Throwing her down and ravishing her was fast becoming an overwhelming desire – especially as she made no attempt to stand up and leave. Maybe they needed to fuck this one out, “Now, before you resume abusin’ my person, luv, do us a favor and tell me... when you made the fundamentally stupid decision to come back to the Cove -”

Her nails dug into his shoulder, and he hissed before adding another finger to his play, “That’s not nice, luv... When you made the decision, did you know I was alive?”

Quinn frowned at him, wondering why this was so important. Of all the things that she had said to him this was the last line of inquiry she had expected... and really wasn’t that just like him.

Impatience seemed to get the best of him again at her prolonged silence as he very purposefully curled his fingers inside of her. Quinn suppressed a moan as he grazed that spot that brought such exquisite pleasure. A mordant liquid began to seep to her loins, “...Yes.”

“Sorry, was that yes to my question or are you beggin’ me for more, darlin’?” Jack asked grinning wickedly. She swore at him which only made him giddy, “Pirate.”

“Jack, I can’t focus when you’re doin’ that.” She said, trying to tug his arm up, but he didn’t budge.

“Good, I don’t want you focusin’ too hard.” He murmured back, quite forgetting what he was about as he leaned in and nipped at the skin exposed by her collar. The faded lines of his mark glared up at him. That would be fixed... Had to be.

“Yes.” Quinn said, “Yes, to your question.”

“How did you know?”

“Your bloody mark.” Quinn murmured, “It stopped feeling like it was going to burn me from the inside out.”

Jack went silent. A deep frown marring his features and she could only wait for him to verbalize his thoughts. He fell back, allowing her the freedom to get up if she so chose. She didn’t.

“Not as much of a lark, eh?” Jack finally said, but there was no hiding the anguish behind his words.

Just a bunch of words that ceremony. Neither of them had been keen on a proper marriage but their own promises? A blood pact that was meant to twine their souls? That added a touch of mystery, and romance, and fun – well that had been right up their alley, now hadn’t it.

What bloody fools they had been...

Quinn found that she unwillingly softened in the face of his horror, and she sighed, “I think the babe is what kept me from joinin’ you... wherever you were.”

Jack peered at her quizzically, not following her line of thought.

“A bit of you is in me, isn’t it? It’s how we’re creatin’ this little life.” Quinn whispered, not willing to tell him that she also suspected that was why she had been in such horrible pain. The bond didn’t know where to pull her too – so it tore at her, “An entwining of essences to be forever one.”

Jack swallowed as she recited the words from the ceremony, “Doesn’t sound quite as sensual anymore, does it?”

“No...” Quinn agreed, it sounded downright terrifying now. She drew a fortifying breath, “How long? How long before you have to go?”

“We’re to leave at daybreak.”

“Right.” Jack froze as she leveled a cold glare on him that made his heart cringe in anticipation of her wrath, “Don’t you dare die on me again, Jack Sparrow.”

She swiftly removed herself from the tub before he could respond. Her back to him once more as she hid a rush of tears. She shed her wet shift with little care as he murmured, “I wouldn’t dream of it, Quinnie.”

Though she was better at hiding her tears than their son, Jack still noticed, and he wasn’t about to pretend he hadn’t otherwise.

The sloshing of water was her only warning before he was on her. His fingers grasped her elbow and spun her around before she could think. Her mouth found his first. Harsh, angry, biting as she unleased her distress upon him and... claimed him. Jack took it all, silently relishing in the rare show of possessiveness from her. Anything to make her tears stop. He couldn’t stand her crying for him, never could.

His arms became bands around her waist as he pulled her tight. For the first time in months the world seemed to still and feel right. A strange peace fell over them both. Their kiss broke when the need for air became too great, but that didn’t stop her from nuzzling into him, trailing biting kisses along his jaw as he walked them back to the bed.

Jack hummed as her attentions fell to his neck and he realized she was truly laying claim to him with a mark of her own, “You’re not normally one for love bites, what’s brought this on?”

“Just a reminder.” Quinn murmured as she let him push her onto the mattress. Her hands traced the panes of his body as if she was trying to commit it to memory.

Jack crawled over her, nipping her lip, but he couldn’t help but ask, “Reminder? It’s unlikely I’ll be attractin’ a strumpet to me tomorrow for you to chase off with a reminder.”

“Reminder’s for you.” Quinn said drolly even as she spread her legs for him. She wanted him close – needed it really and he was moving too slow when they had only a few hours before he’d leave again...

“Woman, you’re not makin’ a lick of sense.” Jack stated stoutly, firmly ignoring her overtures for a quick fuck.

This wasn’t Tortuga and he wasn’t taking her against an alley wall. Though... A faint smile tugged at his lips at the few good memories they had against said walls. He wanted to see her. He took in the fullness of her breasts and smoothed his palms lovingly over her growing belly. He had always been fascinated by the change pregnancy wrought on her body.

Quinn tugged on the end of one of his dreads as he leaned down to place a kiss to her stomach, “It’s just to make you think twice before you do something incredibly stupid – Like become so distracted by a kiss as to get yourself shackled to a ship and then killed.”

Jack reared up to find Quinn staring at him with an indifference that scared him more than her anger, “I haven’t the foggiest of what you’re on about.”

“Mmhmm.”

He couldn't stop himself from playing with fire though, “But if I did... How much groveling would one have to do to be forgiven for such an infraction? Pray tell.”

Quinn was silently amused as she watched him try to puzzle out how much trouble he was in exactly – Never mind that he had her completely naked and willing at the moment, “Alot, more if I have to throw myself at you to get any kind of satisfaction tonight. You’re doin’ a very poor job of making me feel desirous right now.”

Jack had the gall to look affronted at her critique, “I’ve been harder than a bloody hammer since I’ve stepped into this room, luv. Let’s not pretend you don’t know the effect your utterly delectable and sinful body has on my person or that you intentionally kept yourself half-dressed to lull me into forgetting’ where exactly we are right now. Which well-played by the way.”

“I haven’t the foggiest of what you’re on about.” Quinn uttered back at him, shrieking with laughter a moment later as he pounced on her. Her laughter was dissolved by a rather thorough kiss that left her with no doubts of Jack’s desire for her.

A slow heat swept through her as she fell into his touch. The familiarity of him was a comfort that she had been lacking for too long. His scent, his strength, his warmth surrounded her, and she basked in it, just as Jack basked in her. He was almost... reverential. As if he was not entirely sure that she was real as he took his time rediscovering her body.

Calloused fingers hooked under her knee and pulled her wider as he entered her...slowly... so slowly. As if he were afraid of her hurting her. To be fair, her muscles strained a bit from being split, but it was a welcome discomfort that disappeared with the relief of being fulfilled.

Quinn emitted a pleased sigh as he bottomed out and Jack moaned, enjoying the way her lurid cavern suckled him so sweetly.

His lips danced over hers in a gossamer caress as he watched her, “Alright?”

“Hmmm.” Quinn hummed contently. She drew a finger across his cheek, marveling at his gentleness for not the first time, “I missed you.”

Jack smiled warmly at her, as his arms came to rest on either side of her head. He stole a true kiss then, “And I, you, luv.”

“Then you should ravish me, Pirate.” She teased, arching against him in silent demand.

“Aye. I should.” Jack chuckled as he began to thrust languidly.

He was intent on drawing their union out for a multitude of reasons. A petty one being that he knew it would drive her mad and he was still stinging over where their fortuitous reunion was occurring. More significantly, Quinn had successfully lit the fuse on every one of his concern canons with her wan appearance and he didn’t trust her to tell him if she was feeling unwell. Stubborn bint that she was.

Amusedly, he could practically feel Quinn’s frustration build as she shifted, matching his movement, but also trying to get enough purchase to change the pace to something faster.

“Jack!”

He shook with laughter but stilled – knowing she had reached the limit of his teasing, “I should have gotten you off before playin’, luv. I’m sorry. I’d forgotten how insatiable this state makes you.”

“Insufferable.” She grumbled, pinching his side as he reached for a pillow to put under her hips. He jumped, swatting lightly at her as he resituated them, “You’re treating me like I’m made of glass.”

Jack realized then that Quinn didn’t know how fragile she looked to him, like a good gust of wind would knock her down. He sighed and rubbed a soothing trail up her thigh as he murmured, “I haven’t been around to take care of you, Quinnie. Your body’s no longer used to it. Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you winced when I breeched you or the way you tensed when I was touchin’ that fair chest of yours. You’re tender, ain’t ya?”

“Only a little.” Quinn sulked, “I can handle more, luv.”

Jack arched a brow at her.

“I’m not gonna break. Promise. Please” She wheedled, reaching for him, “You know I don’t say please often.”

There was a long moment of silence as he studied her before suddenly, he bucked. It was heavenly, just the right amount of friction they both needed. Jack stifled a groan, but Quinn hadn’t been prepared and failed to hide another wince as a twang of discomfort rippled with the pleasure he brought to her body.

“You gonna follow my lead now?” Jack demanded.

“Is your lead gonna go any faster?”

“Woman...” Jack swore, shaking his head, “You are -”

“Yours?” Quinn smiled cheekily and Jack couldn’t help but laugh.

“Aye, that you are.” Despite being charmed, he didn’t give into her whims. If they had time for another round he would, but for now she’d have to deal with slow and gentle. He sure as hell was... not that it was much of a trial.

Her faint moans and whispered mewls were music to his ears after coming uncomfortably close to not being able to hear this ever again. No, he had no problem taking his time to swim her depths.

-----

Jack fell next to her sweaty and sated as Quinn labor for breath next to him. She lazily squeezed his arm as she murmured, “Alright... I’ll be more willin’ to follow your lead next time.”

Jack grinned smugly, pulling her against his chest as he recovered from their crush of bliss, “Feel like I’ve heard that ‘afore, luv.”

Quinn suppressed a smile and entangled their legs as he drew circles over her belly with curious fingers. A wistful grimace painted his vintage that Quinn understood all too clearly... It was different his time around, whether Jack wanted to admit it aloud or not. She placed her hand over his, catching his weary regard.

“I’m glad you’re here.” He murmured after a moment, gaze drifting to her mark. It may have been a trick of the light, but the lines seemed to have thickened – at least a tad. It pained him to think he may have almost caused her demise.

“No, you’re not.” She arched a knowing brow at him.

“No, I am not.” Jack agreed dryly, aware she thought he was speaking about being back in the Cove. And aye, that he was not pleased with, “You’re incredibly lucky to be with child right now or else I’d have you over my knee for comin’ back to this hell hole– especially now, luv.”

Quinn’s emerald eyes glimmered dangerously at the threat as she murmured, “Liked to see you try.”

“I’ve done it before, haven’t I? Don’t tempt me.”

It was how unusually serious he was as he uttered those words that let Quinn know how upset she had made him. Coming back to the Cove had never been on her agenda and she wouldn’t have if every bone in her body hadn’t been screaming at her to return. She had learned to trust her instincts ages ago.

She forced a bland retort, “Hardly think it counts when it's just a lead up to more pleasurable pursuits.”

Jack sent her a warning look but took the opportunity their turn in mood presented to address the elephant neither wanted to acknowledge, “Should the worst happen tomorrow, I want you to find Teague. Grab the children and go with him. Shipwreck Island won’t be safe. As Keeper of the Code, he’ll be the last to depart which will make him the quickest to get back here.”

A spark of undo terror tightened Quinn’s throat and she withdrew her hand from his as she protested, “Don’t. Don’t talk like this -”

“I want you to go with him to Madagascar. You'll be safe there.” Jack pressed, otherwise he’d never get the words out.

Dropping an explosive would have been a kinder shock. Her eyes widened in quiet outrage, “Mada - you want me to go to your family? Jack, there’s a reason you don’t visit them.”

“Aye! They’re barmy and insufferable, but harmless for the most part. - Well, now that Grandmama is dead, they’re mostly harmless. You're more than capable of handlin’ Quick Draw and her ilk. The house in Madagascar is nye impossible to get to unless you’ve been before. Beckett has a grudge against me, and you know it. Should he discover I have a family...” Jack shuddered, refusing to travel down that rabbit hole. He was one of the few who knew just what a cruel and cold bastard Beckett to be, “Promise me, you’ll go.”

“...” Quinn bit her tongue, feeling positively sick from what he was demanding of her.

“Promise me, Quinn.”

She glowered at him, scowling faintly as she said, “I will always do what needs to be done to keep our children safe, you know this.”

He did, he did know that “I’m not just worried about our children now, am I? Promise me.”

A strangled note of desperation burst free on that last command and Quinn felt her ire quite blown out to sea at the sound of it. Jack wasn’t playing fair.

She swallowed tightly before she whispered, “...I promise to find Teague.”

Jack didn’t miss the way she had worded that oath. She’d find him, didn’t necessarily mean she’d go with him. He cursed quietly but acknowledge it was probably the best he would get from her, “Thank you.”

“...Jack?” Quinn breathed, letting her worry come to the surface as she made her own demand, “Come back to me. Just come back.”

She didn’t care when he did it or how’ just as long as he came back.

Jack softened in the face of her concern. Cupping her cheek, he placed as much flippant bravado in his words as possible, “I’ve defied death once and come back to you – think I won’t do it again?”

His cockiness did the trick of making her relax and roll her eyes at him, “I swear by all that’s holy, if you say that you’re Captain Jack Sparrow and that’s why it won’t happen again, you can go sleep on your bloody ship.”

“Well, I am...” Jack murmured.

He knew she didn’t buy it when he acted like this, she was one of the few people in the world that could remind him that he wasn’t as indestructible as he liked to pretend.

“I think you wouldn’t have had to do it once if you hadn’t been so stupid...” Quinn intoned, leaning into his touch before lightly continuing, “And then you followed up that stupid by making it the Pirate King with your vote and now you’re goin’ to battle.”

Jack’s mouth moved soundlessly for a moment before he uttered, “You are...annoyingly well informed.”

Quinn shrugged, “I was in the room when the vote happened. Not my fault you didn’t notice.”

His dark eyes narrowed at her, “And the kiss?”

“Oh, so you do know what I was speaking of then.” She murmured a little caustically.

“Aye, well, it seems that Karma’s fine tone sense of retribution for my brief moment of disloyalty was to have me eaten and spat out in a fish captain’s purgatory. Surely even you must agree that I’ve been sufficiently punished for my crime, eh?” Jack smiled as charmingly as he could, making her snort.

“It wasn’t the kiss that bothered me, Jack. It was you dying...Miss. Swann may have mentioned it to me in a moment of unburdening.” She answered vaguely, misinterpreting his dubious glare as disbelief when merely he was trying to puzzle out when the two women had met, “She didn’t know who she was confessin’ to.”

“And you left her unharmed?” Jack asked genuinely surprised.

While jealousy made a rare appearance in his Quinn, protective did not. There were a few pirates – and maybe one or two of his relatives - residing at the bottom of the ocean for far lesser offenses than killing him.

Hell, he wasn’t entirely sure Grandmama had died of natural causes as Teague had claimed. He remembered that Quinn had been in their part of the world at the time, and she hated the old bitch almost more than he did.

“If I had been in her place, I would have done the same.” Quinn said with a shrug. For a moment Jack thought her possessed before she continued, “Sides, I knew Tia had talked her into helping get you back from the Locker, if she happened to get maimed or died in the process I wouldn’t have shed a tear.”

There it was - that was his Quinn. He relaxed back into his pillow as he sent her another suspicious look, “And how were you privy to what Tia Dalma’s plans were?”

“...Didn’t I mention?”

“No, no, you did not mention, luv.” Jack said pointedly, irritation flashed in his dark eyes at her, “It seems you’ve left quite a bit out of your recounting of our time apart.”

Quinn smiled sweetly, “And you can get the rest of it when you come back. You should have your own version of events well thought out by then.”

Jack pursed his lips, debating if he wanted to press the issue. At this point, the only thing he would have edited out of his account, she already knew...

Deciding it wasn’t worth the headache, he changed the gambit, “Sri Sumbhajee, you heard him speak tonight then, do you know -”

“He’s a eunuch.”

“...Is he not married?” Jack asked, perplexed and he faintly pitied the woman if it true.

“He is.” Quinn said quietly, resting her head over his heart, “On his second wife, if I heard correctly.”

“I wonder how that works then.” Jack grimaced curiously.

“For him or her?”

“Both?”

-----

The utterly disconcerting feeling of being watched woke Jack sometime later – at least that’s what he would tell Quinn. Confusion briefly descended when he didn’t feel the soft shifting of waves. Then it all came screaming back – he barely muffled a curse. Drowsily, his head tilted toward the doorway to see Teague pulling his fist back from the door.

Must have knocked.

Christ, but that was off putting. For a moment, he thought he was thirteen again.

“It’s time, boy.” Teague growled lowly once he saw Jack was conscious before disappearing from sight like a ghost.

Very off putting.

Jack could only grunt before he moved to get up, only to find a weight pressing against his stomach. He thought it Quinn’s leg as he slipped his arm from beneath her head, but a quick peek, showed him a messy curly mane belonging to his daughter. He wasn’t sure how he slept through her clambering into bed with them, but not his father’s knock.

Sense of self-preservation perhaps. He didn’t need to defend himself against his little girl.

Gently, he eased her over before he reached for his trousers. He moved with more grace than he typically displayed in public, donning his clothes and wresting his boots into place before he moved back to sort his girls.

Luckily, Rose’s propensity for sleeping like the dead hadn’t changed in his time away as he slid her up the bed to lay within her mother’s protective reach.

He was pulling the sheets around their little one when he heard Quinn whisper, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Glittering emerald worry peered at him, but Jack met her stare unflinchingly, “As long as you swear to do the same.”

“When am I ever stupid?”

“I’ll not answer that.” He said wisely, smiling when she glared at him, “I’ll be back before you know it, luv.”

“Better be.” Quinn said tightly, fighting back tears as she watched him kiss Rose in farewell, “I love you.”

Jack stilled as those three words escaped her lips. Rarely did they ever acknowledge it – they never needed to because it was just a fact. He loved Quinn and she loved him and that was it. To hear her say it now felt incredibly wrong – too much like a permanent farewell. His heart thundered loudly in his ears.

“I thought only heedless fools ever said those words.” Jack said quietly, reminding her of the first time he had ever said it to her.

“Aye, and you’re the biggest heedless fool I know and maybe I am too. So, I'm saying it.” Quinn stated softly.

He nodded, suddenly understanding just how frightened she was for him before leaning over and catching her lips in his. His kiss was bruising, almost angry as he took his fill. A wetness splashed his cheeks as Quinn lost the battle with her tears.

He pulled back and found himself soothing her in much the same way he had Jonah earlier, “None of that now, Quinnie. Don’t you dare cry.”

Wants and needs, he had told their son. He wanted to stay. Quinn needed him to stay even if she wouldn’t say it, but he also needed to go. His hand had been deep in the pot that caused the current climate with Beckett and Jones, so it would be his hand that helped clear it and kept his family safe.

He stole one last kiss before he whispered, “I love you too, Little Sprite.”

Jack turned from her then, knowing he wouldn’t be able to leave if he didn’t. He didn’t dare look back at her, her distress would simply break him. Instead, he snagged his sword and gun from the chair by the door and strode from the room and down the stairs to where Teague waited.

His father didn’t comment on his grim expression, merely watched as Jack pointedly ignored him in favor of finding his coat, “Is she alright?”

“No.” Jack said stoutly, but raised his chin as he met Teague’s stare, “But she will be if I have anything to say about it.”

#potc #pirates of the caribbean #captain jack sparrow #fanfiction #fanfic #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #Captain Jack Sparrow/OFC #Original Characters

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irlkisukeurahara · 1 year ago

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Because I have brainrot I have been making a crossover thing of my BLEACH AU (HATY) with One Piece (even though I'm not even 100 episodes in yet lol) and no surprise I've made a big bit of Kuchiki lore. Why not post it just if anyone is entertained hearing other people's AUs lol.

Byakuya, Sen, and Muramasa are the triplet sons of Sojun and Aratani Kuchiki. Sojun's sister, Nanami, married a man named Koga. Little did they know, Koga was a pirate captain after Kuchiki riches. He manipulated the youngest of the triplets, Muramasa, to join him. When the triplets were ten years old, Koga and Muramasa made a plan to steal billions of berries from the Kuchikis, but Sen and Byakuya caught wind of it. As such, Koga kidnapped the two boys as well. He made off with the Kuchikis in the middle of the night, taking them all to his ship. Koga demanded the two work on his ship, but Byakuya vehemently refused. As such, Koga threatened to send him overboard with no hesitation. Byakuya and Sen both begged for his life, before the middle triplet hesitantly conceited. They now became members of the Zanpakuto Pirates. The boys learned a lot. Sen learned to cook, Byakuya learned navigation and better leadership skills, etc. Fourteen years later, the Marines spotted the Kuchikis on the boat. Muramasa refused to come in favor of staying with Koga. Sen tried to plead for him to leave, but he couldn't convince him, and Sen and Byakuya were rescued and taken back to their kingdom. Despite being older, Sen rescinded his opportunity for the throne in favor of letting Byakuya become king. They agreed Byakuya had better leadership qualities. A year later, Byakuya was married with a child.

That was thirty years ago. In the modern day, Byakuya had fallen extremely ill. The kingdom was in shambles. Byakuya's sons, Sojun-ko and Yoshi, tried to maintain order. But Sojun-ko's mind was fractured from the potential of losing his father, struggling to take his place to lead. Coming back from the sea one day was Sojun-ko's uncle, Renji Abarai, who married Rukia Kuchiki. They spent a year on the sea as pirates, despite the metaphorical spitting in the face they received from the rest of the family. Sojun-ko, despite caring a lot for Renji, was angry at his return. Sojun-ko mentioned that Byakuya was deathly ill, and Renji suggested that he take them on the sea with him. He could take Byakuya to see Seinosuke Yamada across the ocean, that man's healing is known to be magical. After many arguments, they agreed to this idea.

The Kuchiki family stepped foot on Renji's ship. The main members of his crew were him, his wife, their daughter, their son, a man named Sentaro, and a father and a daughter named Yumichika and Akari respectively. (Mixing HATY's squad 6, 11, and 13 into one boat) The immobile Byakuya was hauled to his own separate quarters. Byakuya passed his navigation skills and history knowledge onto Sojun-ko, who helped him in this endeavor, much to Sojun-ko's annoyance. ("How did you survive a whole year on the sea without a fucking navigator?") As they travelled on the sea, Rukia and Renji's son, Kaien, abandoned the ship in favor of another group of pirates. They left so quickly and mysteriously that nobody knew who they were. But Sen seemed to recognize their Jolly Rodger...

They finally made it to Seinosuke Yamada. Byakuya was taken in, and after several weeks, was miraculously healed. His mind was still fractured, with a struggle to form new memories, and he still suffered joint pain, but he could walk. He could talk without crying. He could cough without there being blood. He could act for himself. The family cried with joy that Byakuya was alright. When they went to go back on the sea, Byakuya shoved Renji a little, figuratively and literally. They got into an argument. Renji demanded to know what makes Byakuya think he'll lead the ship better, to which Byakuya answers that he has fourteen years of experience as a pirate, when Renji only has one. When he drops the name "Zanpakuto Pirates," Renji is shocked. That crew was known for being ruthless and dangerous. And Byakuya of all men, apart of a filthy blood soaked pirate crew? For fourteen whole years? Renji didn't let Byakuya entirely take the reins, but he did listen more to his demands input. They started taking the trip back to the kingdom, when one day...

They were attacked by another boat. The boat Kaien left them for. And as they finally saw the crew, it became obvious who they were. The Zanpakuto Pirates. A colorful crew, consisting of the now elderly Koga, Muramasa, Kaien, two boys his age named Kikuo and Jushiro, older members of the Zanpakuto Pirates, such as Nozarashi Zaraki, Katen and Kyokotsu Kyoraku, Jizō Kurotsuchi, and dozens of others. As fighting progressed between the crews, Koga dumped Muramasa for suddenly hesitating against his brothers. Sen jumped in the water to rescue his brother, while Byakuya fought and defeated Koga. Sojun-ko found himself having to kill Kaien. As the Zanpakuto Pirates wrecked their boat and left them to die, filled with a sudden grief and rage at Sojun-ko for killing his son, he, without thinking, pushed Sojun-ko into the water. He expected the boy to swim up to the surface, but did no such thing. Byakuya shoved him to the deck, screaming at him for being an idiot as he went after his son. The injured boat barely made it to dry land. Once they were safe, Renji initiated a conversation.

Renji and Rukia were both angry as Sojun-ko for killing their son, and Byakuya shut them down. ("Trying to kill my son won't bring back yours!") Byakuya explains that Sojun-ko has Devil Fruit Powers, and thus couldn't swim, something Renji was also unaware of. He watched Sojun-ko using his Chi Chi no Mi to heal everyone's slash wounds, including the Abarais and Muramasa. As he did that, Sen forced the conversation to change to his aforementioned brother. When Renji questioned Sen and Byakuya's motivations for wanting to keep Muramasa safe, the two simultaneously replied "Because he's my brother." Muramasa started to realize just how awful Koga has been to him. Koga was family too, and he treated him like an object when he was useful, and dirt when he wasn't. Has he made an awful mistake these past thirty years? He thinks to himself. Sen asks him to stay to make things right between them all as brothers, and Muramasa agrees. He apologizes for everything he put Sen and Byakuya through. Byakuya replies "It's all Koga's fault." as a dismissal and roundabout way of saying he forgave him. Now, with high tensions still in the air, they have to find their way home.

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tortoisesshells · 2 years ago

Note

for the fic ask game: E, F, K, and S! :D

E: If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it be about?

There IS not a sequel but a follow-up to Customs and Duties where the political upheaval in British North America following the end of the Seven Years' War leads to some fascinating pillow talk between James and Nellie (to the tune, I suppose, of a lot of "I told you so!" from Nellie, who will need to be a lot older to outgrow being petty about being right.)

More to the point, I keep toying with a sequel to the vain title take Of lord of thee, and arbiter of war - , but I'm not sure exactly to what end - what about Elizabeth's choices at the end of CotBP, or in DMC, or in AWE might change (if anything).

[also! i have a follow-up idea to the 1899 aus fic that is burning a hole in my pocket, but I cannot explain it to you, kind friend who puts up with so much bullshit from me, without spoiling some of the plot twists of 1899 itself.]

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

Answered here and here, but I am vain and it's good for me to remind myself I enjoy writing every now and again:

“All this aside, Captain Sparrow – why did Norrington let you go?”

Lizzie, Captain Sparrow, and Mr. Gibbs shared a speaking glance, which Nellie found enormously interesting.

“Number of reasons,” said the captain, after that silent congress, “Saved his fiancée’s life –”

“You never did!” interrupted Lizzie, with the degree of indignity that might have come from a repeated argument on the subject –

“ – though she let the poor soul down in front of all the good people of Port Royal who’d come out to see me hanged. I’m sure that story’s sailed its way to Boston.”

Nellie shrugged. “The details escaped us.”

“Rumor’s more entertaining – pink-cheeked young Boston misses, eager to mend a handsome man’s broken heart, no doubt.”

From Ch. 20 of Customs and Duties, and I love it because: 1. yet more Jack Sparrow which does not make me want to die. 2. the whole conversation revolves around dramatic irony: Nellie doesn't know that Lizzie is Elizabeth Swann, none of the Pearls know exactly the shape of what's been going on in Boston, Jack suspects something's up between Nellie and Norrington and is pushing buttons until some admission - verbal or otherwise - comes out.

K: What's the angstiest idea you've ever come up with?

There's a variant of the Customs AU in which Nellie loses her who family to the fever outbreak & becomes a pirate - instead, Nellie goes to Nassau initially and ends up running a tavern in Tortuga, marries Hendricks so he has some cover and she gets to control her own property, sort of befriends James Norrington while he's in his DMC crater, and takes it very personally against Norrington when she gets caught up in Beckett's mass-hangings, or:

There was a dead woman in the great cabin of the Endeavor, sitting more primly than her rags ought to have allowed. He knew her, of course: he'd scrubbed the floors of Mrs. Hendricks's tavern when he was at his lowest, in Tortuga; just a day before, she'd caught his eye with the noose around her neck, and spat at him. It was the last thing she'd done in this life.

S: Any fandom tropes you can't resist?

Missing scenes from canon as the premise for fic, hurt/comfort, chronically sleep-deprived characters getting a good night's sleep, whenever a somewhat frivolous conversation is in fact painting the walls regarding Themes and Character Development and the Thesis of the whole narrative ...

Fic Ask Game!

#thank you so much kind friend!#ask meme #polkaknox talks #honestly the bad timeline au of customs does have a lot to recommend it. nellie's a GREAT ghost. 0/10 would not want her to haunt me.#i don't know how it ends but it's not looking good for James Norrington

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terielle · 8 months ago

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Heal the Scars 13/?

Full Story on AO3 or in my mother tongue on Fanfiktion.de

Finally, I get to do what I planned to do long ago. My self-made carrier background for drake. I figured that it took Koby only 2 years to captain, so I think I should make up some backstory as to why Sengokus protege currently is only captain, even if he is longer in the marines.

We are in the world of one piece, fracture don’t need weeks and months to heal, there are other laws of nature. And in Wano we got introduced to the very fast healing potion of the Minks. Well, let’s just act as if there is something in between.

Sunfishes are apparently dumb. Giant but dumb.

The next evening Elizabeth was still at the med bay. But at least on board of the ship and not in the local hospital.

The headboard of her bed was in a sitting position, and she stared at the opposed wall. The doctor confirmed Amber‘s assumption, she truly had two broken ribs. He pointed out that she was not allowed to train the next time or worse - get in a real fight. Even if she felt better and was able to get through her day without pain. How was that supposed to work out? Pirates and other criminals wouldn’t respect that. And the imagination of sitting here idly and do nothing while her comrades risked their lives was unbearable.

A knock shook her from her thoughts.

„Captain Drake“ surprised she saluted and tried to straighten up, when she saw her superior on the threshold.

„That’s not necessary“ he dismissed while stepping closer.

„Are those for me?“ Elizabeth’s gaze dropped to the bouquet of blue flowers in his hands.

„I heard that is supposed to help with recovery“ he put them on. The bedside table

„Do we have vases on board?“

„No“

„Will the cool lynch me if I take a common glass?“

He seemed to consider it. „He could try it“

„Do you think he will forgive me, if I volunteer for kitchen duty?“

„For now, you're not reporting to any kind of duty“

„Oh, so the doctor talked to you? Is there no professional discretion anymore?“ she crossed her arms and pouted. She had hoped she may be able to declare that she only had to eat for one or two days.

„Of course, but he asked me to ensure you’re taking it slow“

„But how is this supposed to work? If we‘re at sea and pirates-“

„Then we‘ll have to manage without you“

„But due to the medication I‘m much better! In one or two days-“

„No“

„But-“

„No. The medication may speed up the recovery but it will need time.“

„I feel a lot better“ she tried again.

„Don’t waste your breath. You’re in this situation because I agreed to your wish despite my concerns“ he didn’t look like he would budge this time.

„You wanted me to stand my ground, even against you“ it was a last attempt to sway him.

„Stop pouting. If you take it slow you‘ll be up and about again much sooner“

„Are you sure you didn’t talk longer with the doctor?“ she shot him a skeptical look. It was exactly what the doctor had said. And Amber. And Moose. And Wombat. And common sense.

„If you behave, I will have you released from the sick bay. But no physical endeavors. Have I made myself clear?“ he added with a stern look.

„Yes, Captain, Sir“ she admitted defeated. Actually, that concession was rather accommodating, especially compared to the recommended three days bed rest.

After a few minutes of silence Drake addressed the reason of his visit „How are you really ?“.

„Better, I can breathe without pain, it only hurts if I move. But I am very exhausted. But apparently that is a side effect of the accelerated healing“ she confessed honestly. It was unnecessary to sugarcoat anything now, and he already allowed her to return to her cabin tomorrow. Not that she minded sleeping late and having breakfast in bed - but it made a difference if she had a chance to relax of free will or if she was forced to do it.

„Thats good to hear“ his expression had a hint of guilt „I thought you would dodge“

„Yes…“ she avoided his gaze „I didn’t think of your tail“

Again, a pleasant silence stretched between them. but since their dinner, or more the shared passion for Sora, silence was no longer tense or awkward.

„Captain Drake, may I ask you something?“ nervous she rung her hands.

„What?“ he sounded skeptical, but she couldn’t resent him for that, if she announced it like that.

„Is now another time?“

„What?“

„You said, you‘ll tell my why my post was open for so long another time“

„Oh. That“ the corners of his mouth turned downwards a bit.

„And, will you tell my why?“

She looked at him expectant.

„Sooner or later I‘ll have to“ he crossed his arms „To put it short: Since I don’t appreciate the with of another officer on board, I was denied a new one“

She blinked confused. “What? How?“ she shook her head to order her thoughts „I have questions. What do you mean by don‘t appreciate ? What happened? Then why Am I here anyways?“ and after a short pause she added carefully „Do I have to be worried?“

„I threw your predecessor over Board, a combination of opportunity and haste, and I don’t think so“ he answered her questions curtly.

Elizabeth lifted her hands in protest and let them drop back on the bedding. That may have been an answer but at the same time not. She already got the impression, he didn’t want to talk about it, but since it could affect her as-well she was entitled to know, at least in her opinion. „Captain, Sir, why did you abandon your first officer?“

„You‘re not dropping it, do you?“ when she. Shook her head he continued „A long story. But it got easier to command my ship after he was gone. Even if it got me more work, many statements and a demotion“

„Wait wait wait“ she interrupted „How is this possible? the first officer’s task is to support you; how can it be harder than without one?“

„Well, by handing me wrong intel, not passing my orders correctly or not at all and by challenging every single decision and ruining the crews trust in my and my leadership“

„Why?“ she was absolutely shocked „Why would anyone do something like that? It is hard to believe, that someone purposely sabotages their own superior“

Drake visible struggled with his answer, but when he did, he sounded cold „My father was dishonorable discharged from the Marines“

„Oh. I‘m sorry. I didn’t knew that. But that isn’t your fault“ now she understood, why he didn’t want to talk about it. At least she didn’t have to worry if this could happen again - if he would abandon her as-well. But she regretted to rub salt in the wound by asking so much. Then she turned her head sideways, it almost got lost in the shuffle „You said something about a demotion?“

„I was Commodore before“ he confirmed.

„Huh. That explains a lot“

She was honestly impressed.

„What do you mean?“ he frowned.

Elizabeth shrugged „I was wondering why Rhino emphasized your rank the way he did. Usually that tone is reserved for subordinate who don’t know their place“ it was the most fitting description she could muster, and it was the first thing that came to her mind back then. The she buried her face in her hands „And I am such a sunfish, for sure it is not better if I continuously call you Captain.“

„I didn’t see much resemblance to a sunfish. And it is my current rank“ he sounded almost amused but returned to his serious attitude“ I just hope my penalty won't affect your career“

„Maybe you sat it out by now, afterglow, I am here“ she wanted to sound reassuring, even if she could grasp how his emotion could affect her. After all, she didn’t know, he was passed over for promotions the last two years despite his achievements.

„That was more of a ploy. I was closely, heard that there is someone who was about to get transferred to a fitting position after a promotion and contacted Albatross, there they didn’t knew about my situation and since I wasn’t the one who sent the request….“

#diez drake #one piece #x drake #x drake x oc #no beta we die like men #one piece marines

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followmybones · 3 years ago

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Obey me pirate AU

This idea was done in association with @godlyaffection if you're a male reader, you should totally go check out this post he made about pirate Lucifer

MC is mentioned, nothing about them is specified

includes all characters and minor spoilers about some characters (i don't think there's any spoilers for the main story)

This post is a little messier than what I usually post, sorry, I hope you all like it! It's super messy but I'm so in love with this idea.

Lucifer

would be the captain of the ship- and I know what you’re probably thinking “but what about Diavolo?” just wait before you yell at me.

The brothers were royalty before being exiled because of their stance during a religious war. Years later they find themselves becoming pirates, and Lucifer becomes their captain.

Typically makes the decisions (often influenced by Diavolo) and then distributes orders, oversees everyone's work, and tries to minimize the amount of fighting between his brothers.

He oversees the antics of his brothers and tries to keep them all on the same page.

Sometimes Diavolo and Barbatos will clean Lucifer up and take him with them on Diavolo’s official business saying Lucifer is head of his personal navy, no one questions it because there are too many fake stories out there to know what the brothers really look like (read Asmodeus’s last hc to understand why this also passes).

Mammon

would find their new jobs and journeys, he wouldn’t have a “specific” or traditional job, he’s in charge of finding ways to buy/find food and all the necessities.

He’s the one who catches wind of treasure and then tells Lucifer and his brothers about it, he's greedy so of course he's going to want to find as much treasure as possible, you know what I mean?

Can and will magically come across a treasures map, it’s happened multiple times, don't be surprised when it happens again

Probably in charge of keeping track of which kingdoms and territories the boys are HEAVILY wanted in.

Leaves the boat most often out of all the brothers, but also gets in the most trouble.

Leviathan

Would be a pilot’s mate, he would help satan, and technically works under Satan

In this world, Leviathan wouldn't necessarily have something to obsess over, but considering how many references his character makes and has to the ocean, I think his interest in the ocean would really shine here.

Loved the ocean as a kid and wanted to be a sailor so he learned a lot about the ocean, sailing, and a little bit of map reading.

Is the best at reading the sea, he makes all the decisions on if the waters are safe enough and whatnot.

Leviathan views his relationship with satan as a student/teacher dynamic while satan views them as equals who just have different skillsets and strengths.

Satan

is the pilot and navigator, he kept the daily log, ensured they stayed on course, and oversaw the actions of Leviathan.

He happened to be the most educated of the bothers and took the reins when it came to research and navigation, it would probably be something that he was interested in

Probably trades and bargains for books he has yet to read. Definitely has tricked his brothers into going on a treasure hunt that was actually just an endeavor to find a rare book satan wanted to read (Lucifer made satan sell the book after he wrote himself a copy and read the book)

Probably has a personal journal where he talks about the events that happen on the boat that don’t make it into the logs (all the antics of the brothers and others on the ship).

Is the least likely out of all the brothers to be turned in into the authorities, he’ll never be turned in by any common folk and most nobles, he charms most people he meets, they know him as a seeker of knowledge, and not the 'bad pirate' sailors portray him as.

Asmodeus

Would be the Boatswain, prettyboy doesn’t mind positions of power and I think he’d be good at keeping the boat up to par.

Asmodeus likes taking care of himself and his things, the ship he lives on would not be any different, thus the brothers decided he would be responsible for the ship.

Asmodeus will yell at his brothers if he feels they did a poor job on maintenance, and to be fair, he does make them do a lot more maintenance than what's necessary.

Came up with his own organizing system, and refuses to teach it to any of the other brothers. But he swears it’d make sense if they would just try to understand it.

When the ship is docked, and Asmodeus gets bored, he'll go sit in taverns telling tales of him and his brothers that are entirely fabricated and false, even the way he described his brothers are completely off base. Everyone believes him though, he says he was once a hostage on a ship, and he didn't sound like the men he described in his stories, or any of the pirates they've been told about.

Beelzebub

Would be the Master at Arms, he’s a strong boy, he wouldn’t like killing, but he’d still be the best fighter on the ship.

I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory, Beelzebub would be the one who trained the most physically before pirate life, so he would be in charge of training new crew members, and he would lead boarding parties.

He tries to train with all his brothers so he can feel confident that they can protect themselves. Probably tries to work with Leviathan the most.

Beelzebub is usually in charge of captives and low-profile hostages, he’s least likely to let them go or be bribed.

Does a lot of the (literal) heavy lifting on the boat. A cannon needs to be moved? He’s got it. A barrel filled with pickled vegetables? He’s got it, just don’t leave him alone with it for too long!

Belphegor

Wouldn’t really have a job, he would just help wherever, if he wasn’t asleep anyway, and because this feels lazy to say, I decided to write extra headcanons to explain what I mean

I can't really imagine him having a very physical job, he'd help where ever obviously, but he'd mostly be sleeping and just hanging around Beelzebub while he did both of their workloads.

At nights Leviathan navigates and Belphegor will stay on deck to help, Belphegor likes astronomy and knows how to navigate using the stars. He’d probably help Satan on occasion as well.

He helps Asmodeus keep things organized, especially the food, he doesn’t know specifically how Asmodeus’s origination system works, but he knows where everything is kept.

Despite usually sleeping, he’s the second-best fighter on the ship, he lacks technic, but he does a lot of damage.

Belphegor probably takes care of the sick and takes over the jobs of the sick, he can manage any job he’s given, but typically doesn’t work.

He’s the least known brother, not to say he’s not to fear the other brothers just happen to have more presence with people, not that he particularly minds.

Probably works with Satan on fighting and attacking strategies, Beelzebub may be the best fighter, but he’s not the best with strategies and Belphegor makes up for that.

Diavolo

would be a prince who lowkey blackmailed Lucifer into letting him and his personal servant join in on their adventures.

Is absolutely fascinated with the life the brothers have and wants to observe it.

Has saved the brothers from being arrested countless times and has pretended they were his prisoners to keep them out of trouble

Still keeps up his royal appearance, despite traveling with wanted pirates, it's his duty as a prince with foreign relationships.

Takes an interest in learning everything he can about literally everything, was insistent that the brothers teach him to do some of the physical labor they do.

Barbatos

would be Diavolo servant (not much different from canon).

Was a pirate when he was younger but Diavolo only found out after they started traveling with the brothers.

Probably a trained fighter, his techniques have been built from his time as a pirate as well as training Diavolo’s father put him through

Sometimes teaches Luke fighting techniques so that he could protect himself.

Rarely sleeps, and it absolutely terrifies Mammon because he will see Barbatos awake on deck in the middle of the night for absolutely no reason.

is the prince/princess the brothers kidnapped as a hostage only to get along with them and invited them to join their crew as their quartermaster.

The boys came across MC's royal ship when a royal naval ship attacked them. They ended up taking you hostage because they hoped they might be able to negotiate for some gold, and Lucifer really didn’t want your kingdom coming after him for killing royalty.

Diavolo also was very curious to get to know MC, as their kingdoms didn’t often associate or negotiate with each other. He wanted to strengthen the bonds to extend trade between the two kingdoms if it was possible.

Everyone ended up getting along really well with MC, and MC ended up liking them and their adventures and proved to be really helpful around the ship, so they invited MC to join their adventures.

MC ends up having a way with everyone on the ship, which encourages Lucifer to give them the position of quartermaster, he believes you are the best fit for the job, and it's been ages since someone sensible stepped onto the ship.

Solomon

is an alchemist who somehow bargained his way onto the ship (only he and Diavolo know).

He tried bargaining with Lucifer originally, only to realize the person with the most influence was actually Diavolo and managed to bargain his way onto the ship.

Does tasks and favors for Diavolo fairly often, and no one is sure if it’s out of mutual interest or because it was a part of the terms of their negotiation.

He practices alchemy (seems obvious, but originally I wrote him as a traveler), and on occasion, Lucifer bans alchemy on the boat, and then later unbans it because Diavolo wants him to do some alchemy thing for him.

Sometimes randomly disappears for days without saying anything about where he’s going or how he’s going (he just… disappears???).

Simeon

Is a writer who wishes to observe the truth behind the pirate's way of life, so that he can write about their history and stories.

This is just a nod at a Simeon being a writer, and I felt like it really fits the narrative in the AU

Comes from the same kingdom the brothers were originally from, works as a scribe and writer back home (hopes to write about them for his next collection of works).

The descriptions of pirates and the brothers in the kingdoms are absolutely awful and he was curious to see if the rumors were true.

He hopes he’ll be able to write a book that shows the truth of the life the brothers and pirates lead.

Luke

would be an apprentice of Simeon and works under the scribes of the kingdom

In the canon story, Luke is a cherub, and I feel like all the cherubs would be apprentices who work under someone who works within the official government of the Celestial Kingdom.

Luke was an orphan taken in by the scribes of the celestial kingdom, who now travels with Simeon as a sort of apprentice.

The scribes educated and taught Luke many different things, which helped him and Simeon prove his worth to the brothers. (They really didn't want a kid on the ship, especially one who thought they couldn't be kind and civil in their personal lives, just because they were pirates.)

Times on the boat could get very boring, and Luke would help pass the time by playing music for everyone or sometimes reciting poetry and stories.

(some of the historical things don't line up so please ignore that if you notice it)

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bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher · 4 years ago

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under pressure

(hey guys, welcome to another installment of the swashbuckler au. Geralt’s gonna get very very Protective in this 'chapter'.

warnings for this chapter include: a very brief mention of blood, being threatened with a knife, and mild peril)

Why? Jaskier wondered. His back was pressed tightly against the rough brick of an unfamiliar alley wall and the man who had demanded his nonexistent coin-purse was pressing the tip of a very sharp dagger just below his navel. Why am I always the one getting into these kinds of situations?

“I told you, good sir, that I have no money on my person.”

“Everyone around here keeps gold ‘im. What kind of idiot goes around a port town full of pirates without some kind of insurance against coming to harm?”

“Are you saying that because I have no money you are going to do me harm?”

“Somethin’ like that,” the man leered. The dagger pushed in again and Jaskier knew that it had ripped through the fabric of his shirt when the tip suddenly bumped against the skin of his stomach. “Since you don’t have any money you’ll just have to come back and explain this misunderstanding to my captain yourself.”

“Excuse m-”

The man yanked Geralt’s lucky red bandanna down and tugged it backwards, sliding it between his teeth and effectively gagging the ex-nobleman. He spun Jaskier around and shoved his chest up tightly to the brick. The brigand roughly yanked his hands behind his back and tied them with a length of rope that appeared from seemingly nowhere. The newly minted pirate struggled violently, kicking out his legs and wiggling his torso in an effort to dislodge or disrupt his attacker. Maybe his struggling would get someone’s attention (although it was highly unlikely in a town such as this). Unfortunately the mugger was practiced and nothing Jaskier tried seemed to bother or slow him down at all.

Starkey and Lambert were only a few feet away! He could hear the rise and fall of their voices as they bartered for supplies with the hardtack merchant around the corner. The anxious brunette whined, trying to make the sound high enough to reach his friends and crewmates. If only he could get the kerchief out of his mouth for a split second, then he could whistle or shout…

He felt the surface of the wall scratching his skin through the hole in his shirt and he frowned. That would leave an unpleasant mark for the next few days and make wearing his sword-belt an absolute nightmare. If he was still part of the Kaer Morhen’s crew by nightfall, that was. If this man didn’t succeed in his current mission of pressing Jaskier into service aboard some other pirate vessel. Jaskier’s blue eyes widened even further as a real sense of panic set in. They might not be able to find me in time. We might head out to sea before Geralt even knows I’m missing if they don’t turn around and noti-

“Hey, where’s Jaskier?” he heard Starkey ask. Oh, thank gods.

“Shit.”

“We’d better find him quickly because I can see Geralt from here,” Starkey added. “I don’t want to be the one to tell him that we lost his precious little siren while we were busy bickering with a shopkeeper.”

“Fucking hells,” Lambert groaned. C’mon, Jaskier pleaded silently. Just around the corner, lads. Please, Starkey. You guys know I’m too annoying to stay quiet for this long.

The man with the dagger had already started yanking him backwards down the alley towards a questionable-looking wagon. Jaskier’s attacker kept one hand fisted into the back of the kerchief and used it to maneuver his head around, much like one would control the reins of a horse. The ex-noble made a loud, wordless noise from behind the cloth. Muffled as he was, he was praying that any one of his crewmates heard it and felt the need to investigate.

Another stranger in dark clothing appeared around the corner and helped the first man lift Jaskier onto the back of the wagon. The newcomer reached for Jaskier’s wildly flailing legs and pulled them together. He tied the brunette’s ankles with another piece of strong hemp rope and tested the knots with his fingers for any slack or give. There was none. The young man screamed and grunted, trying with every ounce of strength he possessed to free himself from their twin grips. It was a fruitless endeavor; they were strong and clearly practiced in the art of stealing other people’s crewmembers.

“Jaskier! Oh, fuck! Hey you there, let go of him!” Lambert was running down the alley towards them, hand on the hilt of his cutlass. The man keeping the gag cinched tight pulled his dagger out again, holding it up against the column of Jaskier’s throat. The second kidnapper released Jaskier’s tied ankles and made his way towards the front of the wagon. Lambert slid to a stop, eyes narrowed threateningly. “Captain! Starkey! I found ‘im. He’s in danger!”

Had Jaskier not been scared witless by the threat of having his life ended rather abruptly via blood-loss, he probably would have smirked. These men, regardless of who their scurvy-ridden captain was, were about to get their asses handed to them by one of the most wanted pirates to ever sail the seven seas. Certainly one of the most renowned and fearsome.

The blade of the knife pressed even more tightly against the skin of his Adam's apple and Jaskier flinched. Maybe, if I even live long enough to see Geralt kick their asses. At least my death will be avenged quickly, otherwise.

As if summoned by his lover’s thoughts the handsome, white-haired Captain appeared at the opposite end of the alley. Jaskier thought he might cry from the mere sight of him. He definitely wanted to let out a relieved sob when Geralt growled out, “It’ll go easier for both of you if you just put the dagger down and release the boy now.”

The ex-noble felt his captor’s muscles twitching nervously as he released a humorless chuckle. Don’t slip up now, Jaskier prayed. Not while you’ve got a knife against my neck.

“Why should we do that?” his captor questioned. The man tugged at the already taut bandanna and Jaskier whined in pain when the damp material bit into the skin of his cheeks. The fury written across Geralt’s features was absolutely terrifying; he looked like an avenging angel, his strong stature defined by the light of the square behind him and his silvery hair wild around his face.

Jaskier didn’t want to die, not in the slightest, but this wouldn’t be the worst last sight to see, all things considered. The man tugged the material again and Jaskier’s eyes widened when his neck scraped against the edge of the dagger’s sharp blade. “He’d fetch a fair price from our captain. He’d probably fetch a very hefty bit of gold if we took him down the coast a-ways, actually. Your threats aren’t going to lose me a nice bag of coin.”

Geralt took one slow, measured step forward and drew his cutlass with an effortless extension of his arm. “I’ll give you one last chance to let him go peacefully before I start slitting throats,” he snarled. The scowl on his face would make any ordinary person soil their knickers on sight, but the man holding Jaskier had probably seen something like this before. He was experienced. He teasingly nicked the young man’s tanned skin with the dagger and Jaskier hissed. The sound had Geralt’s eyes going wide with rage. His nostrils flared and his hand twitched. The kidnapper smirked confidently as a thin line of blood beaded on the brunette's skin, “Oops.”

There was a blur of movement from Geralt’s end of the alley, a whooshing sound, and then a wet thud. The man keeping Jaskier captive fell back, dropping his dagger to the ground below as he did. Jaskier wriggled forward in an attempt to reach Geralt and ended up toppling heavily off the back of the wagon and onto the cobblestone street. Lambert dashed to his side and pulled the kerchief out from between his teeth. The younger man was panting, blue eyes wild and confused. “Did Geralt just hit that guy with a knife!?”

“Yeah.”

The ex-noble gave a short, hysterical laugh. His eyes took on a glazed, unfocused quality and Lambert looked to Geralt for help. “Neat,” he muttered.

Jaskier wasn’t sure if it was the shock of having his life legitimately threatened, the smell of his own blood invading his nose, or the impact from hitting the stone walkway, but just as Geralt knelt down at his side, he passed out.

----------

When his eyelids finally fluttered open again, Jaskier had to squint. The late-afternoon sun slanted in through the porthole of Geralt’s cabin, surrounding the grim-faced Captain with a halo of golden light. “My hero,” Jaskier sighed. He was a lucky man to have a lover so attentive, protective, and also incredibly sexy.

“Jaskier!” the pirate pulled him into a sitting position and wrapped him in a hug, crushing the slightly smaller man against his broad chest. “I was so worried that he’d gotten your vein or hurt you some other way that we couldn’t see. Are you alright, little nymph?”

“I’m alright,” he blushed. Geralt’s nose was buried stubbornly in his hair, breathing in repeatedly as if he’d been afraid he’d never see Jaskier awake again. “Really, darling, I’m just a little shaken. That’s all. I thought we were running errands today. I wasn’t expecting to be taken captive and threatened with a life of piracy.”

“You’re - Jask, you’re living a life of piracy.”

“It was a joke,” the ex-noble teased. Geralt relaxed his grip slightly and leaned back. His amber eyes searched Jaskier’s blue ones for any sign of dishonesty or hidden pain and found none. His siren was telling the truth. The Captain took a seat on the edge of his small bed and dragged his lover onto his lap. Jaskier noticed with a sly smile that he was draped in one of the White Wolf’s overly-large burgundy shirts. One he didn’t wear very often but that Jaskier found him endlessly attractive in nonetheless. “Geralt, did you change my shirt for me?”

“Your other one was ripped. It had blood on it. We also had to bandage your wounds.”

“Oh. Thank you for letting me borrow it,” Jaskier flapped his arms a little, letting the sleeves roll down over his hands. “I love roomy shirts to sleep in.”

“You can just ask to borrow them,” the Captain relented. “You don’t always need a scheme to get what you want, little nymph.”

“Hmm,” Jaskier sighed, cuddling close again. “I absolutely did not think up the idea of coming to bodily harm in order to borrow your shirts, as likely as that sounds. Thank you for rescuing me, Geralt.”

“I am not an easy man to scare,” the pirate intoned seriously. His grip on Jaskier tightened and his voice grew scratchy with emotion as he continued. “But seeing you like that today had me more frightened than I’ve ever been before in my life. I’ve faced down bigger ships with better guns and more men than mine. I was briefly incarcerated by the mayor of Novigrad and sentenced to hang. I’ve seen my fair share of scary things, my sweet siren, but I would never be able to live with myself if you came to harm. That’s the most terrifying thought of all.”

“Geralt,” the young man gasped. He wrapped his arms around his Captain’s shoulders and moved to straddle the larger man’s wide lap. He pressed a brief but bracing kiss to the White Wolf’s saltwater-chapped lips. “The thought of never seeing you again is the worst thought in the world. Let us never be parted.”

“Hmm.” Geralt’s left hand moved to grip Jaskier’s corresponding hip while his right arm went around the back of his nymph’s slender shoulders. He gently pulled their chests together and nibbled his way up the uninjured side of his little nymph’s neck, reveling in every soft, yielding noise the brunette made. He pressed a rough, wet kiss to the soft skin behind Jaskier’s ear and growled possessively, “Never.”

(of course 1/2 of all my swashbuckling au credit goes to @limrx)

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karlyfr13s · 4 years ago

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“Oathkeeper” a Captain Swan Ficlet

Huge thanks to @veryverynotgood for being my first ever beta! Also, bless the CSMM discord gang for the encouragement--it was NEEDED.

Be gentle, I haven’t written anything creative in over 7 years.

Takes place immediately post-Neverland while the gang is aboard the Jolly Roger. Also on my brand-new ao3.

***

Killian lingered on deck, watching the moonlight bounce off the dark waters--or at least that was what he told himself. He assured himself it was the quiet lap of the placid waters and the seemingly endless shimmer of starlight that called him here. It certainly couldn’t be the woman leaning against the rails at the aft of his Jolly. It was this brief peaceful moment that drew him on deck long past the hours he should be abed, not the woman whose usual golden waves were cast in silver tonight as the full moon revealed her features in sharp relief, making her more ethereal than he’d ever seen her.

No, he shook his head, pulling himself from the trance she’d unknowingly put him in. You swore to give Bae--Neal, he corrected himself, a chance.

This oath was one Killian was quickly coming to regret, and though honor bid him see it through, the fact was whoever this Neal might be, he most certainly wasn’t the Baelfire who Killian once knew. The boy he knew had an air of sadness about him, that was unmistakable, but his heart had held none of the bitterness nor entitlement he’d seen displayed in Neal over the past few days. Baelfire had real spirit--the lad had a knack for navigation, a love for adventure, and Killian had hoped...but none of that mattered now.

His young apprentice had been reforged into something harder and far meaner, and it was this above all else that held Killian to his oath and kept him frozen in place in the shadows now. While his heart pulled toward the woman whose sigh reached him as though carried on the warm night’s breeze, and he watched as her fingertips brushed across the lips he’d felt against his own only days before, Killian knew he would uphold his end of the bargain with Neal--he would give them this chance. Already he had separated a mother and child, although he had not known that truth at first, and now he could see the result in every derisive sneer Neal cast his way.

He refused to give into selfishness and desire at the risk of turning young Henry into another embittered man, one who held within his heart the same loathing and venom that corrupted Baelfire. To risk Henry’s relationship with his mother was simply too high a price. To see the lad turned from one so spirited and genuine to something as dark as his father would be an unforgivable act. And so he dropped his gaze, which is why his heart nearly leapt from his body when her voice spoke suddenly from his left.

“Does the captain always lurk in the shadows, or is this a special occasion?”

Killian cleared his throat to hide the startled curse he’d half-spit through his teeth, adjusting as nonchalantly as he could. He granted himself the brief luxury of sweeping his gaze up her form, taking in her boot-clad legs, the curve of her hip as she stood, arms akimbo and hair fluttering in the late night’s breeze. She was glorious, Emma Swan. All pearl and silver in the shimmering starlight.

“A captain never lurks,” he smirked at her then, settling in this game of theirs as he shook himself from his reverie. “Were you seeking me out, Swan? Away from all and sundry below, just the two of us here with only Aquila and Cygnus to bear witness to our tryst?” She rolled her eyes at this, as he’d expected, crossing her arms over her chest and returning to the rail, her pace slow. She cast a glance back and nodded in a silent invitation to follow.

“It’s just...too close down there--know what I mean?” She looked up at the stars as he stepped up beside her.

“Life aboard is always an adjustment, Swan--so many people in such close quarters can be a challenge even on the best of days. My offer still stands; my cabin is yours. Is Henry--”

“Fast asleep,” a soft smile played at the corners of her mouth, “and I’m sure the kid is having some wild adventures in his dreams. It took me forty-five minutes to get him to settle down because he’s staying on the freaking Jolly Roger and in the company of Captain Hook. Apparently, you’re cool.” Her laugh was gentle, a sound he’d never heard from her and one Killian knew he’d endeavor to inspire again, even if it was only through Henry’s vision of his less than noble career.

“Not that kind of close,” she continued, turning to face him, “it’s more that everyone below deck has...all these expectations of me now. Regina is waiting for me to slip up enough that she can deny me visitation, meanwhile Henry sees me as some...hero, I guess?” She shrugged at that and Killian saw her brow furrow as she thought through the rest of the Jolly’s guests. “Don’t get me started on my paren--on David and Mary Margaret. And Neal…” she trailed off for several seconds, frown deepening as Killian waited in silence. She’d never spoken her mind quite like this--gods knew she’d spoken her mind around Killian, often and loudly, but it had never been something so open and unbidden. “Neal seems to think the last eleven years don’t matter, that what he did to me and to Henry can just be undone, and that’s not fair. He has no idea what he--” she cut herself off with a growl and searched Killian’s eyes. He waited, biting back his own comments about Neal, and stifling the urge to reach out and take her hand.

“You’re the only one who actually listens,” she chimed, and his eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

“Was that a compliment, Swan?” He cocked his head, genuinely curious where the observation had originated from, but of course she took the moment to retreat setting her shoulders and huffing a sigh,

“Don’t push it, pirate,” she smirked before turning and walking back to the hatch--to his quarters--pulling it open and disappearing below.

It wasn’t much as far as grand revelations or open dialogue went, but Killian turned back to the starry sky with something that felt a lot like hope.

#cs fanfic #stahlop #kmomof4 #captain swan #in which i try to write

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birdhaslostit · 4 years ago

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🦇💀🕷🕸 What the Lupin Gang would do/wear for Halloween! 🕸🕷🍬🍭

This may be OOC, but it’s Halloween, and nobody is themselves on Halloween. That’s the whole point. It’s time to let loose babey

🎃 Lupin:

Lupin would wear something suave yet spooky. (A vampire is a tried-and-true option.) Whatever it is, it has to leave some of his face showing- how else is he supposed to woo the ladies at the party? Other costume choices include a pirate captain, Jack Skellington, and a joint costume with Fujiko as Victor and Emily from Corpse Bride.

Lupin has ABSOLUTELY dressed up as Dr. Frank N Furter from Rocky Horror Picture show. Definitely more than once.

Lupin would definitely get WAAAAAAY into Halloween. Like, the first of October, BAM. Orange jacket with a black shirt and an orange tie. He makes all of his October heists Halloween-themed, but he doesn’t steal on Halloween because that’s when he goes ALL. OUT.

Each year he picks a different city to celebrate in. He spaces out wherever he goes so he doesn’t get caught, but rumors about Lupin spread, so each year people make a guessing game of where he’s gonna go for Halloween. Each year, he picks a hideout in the most popular trick-or-treating area of that city and decks it OUT with Halloween decorations. A large chunk of the decor expenses was probably taken from the Halloween Jacket heists from that year.

Lupin never sends invitations for it though- this is the one time he won’t do it. He insists that it adds to the “illusion of mystique.” He leaves it up to the trick-or-treaters to spread the word. News quickly gets around that the cool house down the street might be Lupin, and without fail, it turns into a block party within the first 2 hours or less.

On Halloween, he gives out candy to literally everyone. He spoils the little kids with king-size candy bars. He encourages the teens to go egg/TP houses of rude people in the area (he staked them out in advance specifically to do this.) He hypes up the costumed adults and hands out Halloween-themed drinks.

The day after Halloween, the hideout looks deserted, like nobody was ever there. Nobody can ever figure out how he packs it all up so quickly, without anyone noticing. The only thing he leaves, every single time, is a jack-o-lantern with his face on it.

🎃 Jigen:

Something classic and/or low-effort. First thing that comes to mind is a werewolf.

Lupin might bug him about stealing his trademark, but Jigen fits the image better. He’s gruff and hairy and may perhaps shoot you if you make fun of his costume.

Jigen might also go for a classic Dracula if Lupin isn’t a vampire that year. He’s also been a cowboy several times.

He doesn’t really interact with the crowd unless they come up to him first (which is rare because he doesn’t exactly exude “friendly,” and it’s usually a little kid, because they don’t really notice.)

If it’s a little kid though, Jigen’s always nice to them. Especially little boys who like his cowboy costume. (He wears that one the most as an excuse to carry his magnum around without people getting suspicious.) He’ll put on the southern drawl and everything. He doesn’t want to break the illusion for a kid, especially not on Halloween.

One time a little boy called him Woody, Lupin overheard, and teased him about it the whole night because he thought it would bug Jigen. Jigen secretly thought it was the funniest/sweetest thing ever, and snuck the kid extra candy in his bucket before he left with his mom.

Jigen won’t take any crap from teenage trick-or-treaters who are rude. You know, the ones who take too much from the bucket so there’s none left for the little kids. He’ll turn them away at the door. It’s never come down to him having to pull out the Magnum, because his glare alone is enough to scare the crap out of them so they’ll leave. Same goes for tipsy adults who’ve had one too many Halloween-themed drinks and get too rowdy.

One year Lupin made a joke about how Jigen should give some candy cigarettes out to kids for Halloween, and Jigen shut it down FAST. He doesn’t want to encourage kids to start his bad habit, so he doesn’t smoke around other people at the party, and makes extra sure that kids aren’t around when he does.

One year, Jigen gave out out tiny water pistols with the candy. Lupin got some for him to hand out because they reminded him of Jigen at the store, and even though Jigen brushed it off at the time, he appreciated it.

🎃 Goemon:

Goemon secretly loves Halloween, but will literally die before admitting it to anyone. It took him a while to warm up to it, though.

He still sticks to tradition- his costumes all have something to do with Japan. Kabuki Ishikawa Goemon is a classic that he returns to often. He’s dressed up as various oni/yōkai/yūrei before, and several figures from Japanese folklore.

Goemon has also been a samurai for Halloween, even though it’s just his regular clothes. It’s for the kids, really- he secretly enjoys the attention.

He will make jack-o-lanterns with Zantetsuken, but only for little kids that he thinks are especially polite. Lupin whines every time because Goemon won’t make him one too.

He always insists on getting Japanese candies for the candy bowl, like Pocky and the various flavored Kit Kats they have in Japan. At first he insisted on more traditional treats, then he realized they might not keep well and opted for these. Plus, it’s for the kids.

He does keep things like konpeitō and wagashi for himself to snack on throughout the night. He’ll share, but the same rule applies as the jack-o-lanterns- only for the super polite kids.

One time Lupin made a bet with Goemon, and if he lost, he had to be a geisha for Halloween.

He lost.

He doesn’t like to talk about it.

Everyone else does, every single year, without fail.

Goemon has also become the de facto Guardian of the Punch Bowls. Lupin keeps them out for both the trick-or-treaters and the partygoers. One bowl for the kids, and an alcoholic one for the adults. The adult punch is clearly labeled. Now, you should never drink the punch at a party because you don’t know what’s in it, but Lupin is the exception in this regard. No funny business is happening with that punch bowl. And Goemon will make damn sure of that.

Nobody ever assigned him the position of Punch Bowl Guardian, he just picked it up himself. Before Halloween one year, Lupin was (rightfully) worried at first that someone would try to put something dangerous in it, and was about to opt out of having a communal punch bowl. Then, Goemon spoke up that he had it covered, and thus, he was made the Punch Bowl Guardian.

Nobody has ever tried to spike it with anything, and nobody ever will. Lupin gets to mingle instead of guarding the bowl, and Goemon gets to relax away from the crowd. Everybody wins.

🎃 Fujiko:

If you don’t think Fujiko hasn’t been a Playboy bunny at least once, you’re lying to yourself. She has also been a mouse, à la Mean Girls, and basically a sexy version of anything you can think of. Except for a cop. She wouldn’t stoop that low.

Occasionally, it wasn’t originally supposed to be a sexy version of the outfit/character. Lupin sometimes replaces the original with a raunchier outfit the night before, and waits to see if she notices.

She always does.

Sometimes she likes that version better and sticks with it, and if Lupin ever asks about it on Halloween, she denies it all. If she doesn’t like it, she knows that Lupin kept the original and will put it back before she wakes up on Halloween. They’ve been playing this game for years, and there’s never any malice behind it. It’s just their customary brand of Halloween trickery.

One time she planned to dress up as Lupin, purely to see if he’d replace his outfit with a risqué version the night before.

Of course he did, why would you expect anything less???

She laughed so hard at it that she tripped and fell, and he rushed in to see if she was okay and also to see if she was wearing it because he wanted a peek

She then made HIM wear it on Halloween, while she wore his regular clothes. He was cool with it, had a blast, got blasted on too many cups of adult punch, and then got a little too into the outfit, so Jigen had to bribe him to take it off at the end of night.

Her favorite costume that wasn’t ‘edited’ by Lupin is from the year she dressed up as Pops. She swiped it from his disguise collection, and hid it where he wouldn’t find it before he could notice it was gone. Her decoy costume was a bumblebee. She’s just as good at disguises as Lupin is, so when she showed up as Zenigata, Lupin nearly shit a brick.

Goemon will never let him forget it.

🎃 Zenigata:

Zenigata probably dresses up as an old-school detective or Sherlock Holmes, which isn’t really too different from his normal attire, but it makes him happy regardless.

He will not arrest Lupin on Halloween.

Zenigata knows about the parties, but turns a blind eye to them at this point, because it’s a fruitless endeavor trying to catch a master of disguise on Halloween. He has tried in the past, but only once. When Zenigata first discovered that Lupin threw these parties, he found out where Lupin was on Halloween and came to arrest him.

He walked up to the hideout and saw Lupin handing out candy to a pair of kids. He couldn’t go through with it, because wouldn’t you know it, their costumes were tiny versions of him and Lupin.

He immediately did a 180 and started to leave, since Lupin wasn’t technically breaking the law at the time, and he’s a sucker for kids. (He got a little misty-eyed at the sight of a tiny little girl drowning in a trenchcoat that looked just like his, with a pair of cheap plastic handcuffs in the pocket. He’d hate to show it in front of Lupin though.)

Lupin, of course, knew Zenigata was coming before he even arrived, grabbed his shoulder, and stopped him from walking away. The girls were too young to see past Lupin’s costume and had no idea that it was him, and they had assumed that Zenigata was also in costume. Zenigata told them it was really him, and, of course, they are THRILLED.

They ask him about his adventures with Lupin, and he tells them the G-rated versions of the stories. Lupin joins in, after leaving for a ‘bathroom break’ and coming back as himself. The two spend the night answering their questions, telling stories, and doing party tricks. Zenigata shows how quickly he can handcuff Lupin while blindfolded, and Lupin shows how he can dislocate his joints to get out/pick the lock.

When the girls’ parents show up, they see their kids sitting next to these two adults in the same ‘costumes.’ They seem to be good people, so the parents compliment their costumes and go home with their kids. The girls insist that the two men were the real Lupin and Pops, but the parents brush it off.

Every year since, Lupin leaves another jack-o-lantern with his face on it besides the one he leaves at the hideout once he’s gone. No matter where the party is, or how far it is from where Zenigata is staying, Pops always gets one too. Usually with a piece of candy next to it, and a calling card for his next, non-Halloween-themed heist.

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inprometheanfire · 2 years ago

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starter for @ofprevioustimes | vane & eleanor

That’s the hard part, isn’t it? To choose between what’s right or wrong when the heart’s going to do what it wants anyway. There are only two things in a man’s life that he will not relent from: for the woman he loves and for his life’s true course. Yet Vane always finds himself thrust in the middle of other people’s wars and never standing at the helm where he belongs. Like a true leader. The kind of leader Teach knows he can be. Isn’t that why he took Vane on as his protege and son? Like Teach sees something in him that he can’t, someone better and stronger who only needs to lay claim to those very wants burrowed within that same heart. Or maybe that strength was always inside of him and Teach had seen it all along. He doesn’t know. But that’s what happens to one’s self-assurance when beaten so hard and so many times by their task master. Confidence is shaken, doubt is bred. And all they’re left with is a hollow shell of who they used to be. But not anymore. Vane slips out of bed, though he doesn’t try very hard not to wake the nameless woman beside him. Another prostitute, which is but one of the many riches afforded to the pirates on this island. Even if they do not always bring in a large profit, they’re still allowed this one form of amusement. Among many others, of course. In Nassau, anything goes. There are hardly any limitations on what one may do unless it conflicts with another’s claim. He throws the expensive blanket aside to swing his feet over the edge of the mattress, lowering his head into his hand as he reflects on what to do now. The best course of action. The truest course of action. On how to convince Miss Guthrie that he is worth the investment, if she’s willing to make it. It’s still early in the day. A curtain of light weaves through the swaying branches of trees outside, filling the room with a subtle warmth reminiscent of a childhood summer that never belonged to him. Through the opened window, he can hear the bustle of people as they gather through the town and begin their work. Voices fill the air and commingle with the cacophony of exotic birds found only in the tropics. And, in the distance, the faint roar of the ocean’s waves fade into a mere whisper when it finally reaches this part of the island. There’s a stark contrast between the quiet of this room and the noise outside. It reminds him of the inner turmoil from within. The way it’s festered over the course of time and turned into something that cannot be silenced. Not anymore. Just as soon as he’s out of bed, he dresses and then leaves the room to make his way downstairs of the brothel. From there, he heads to the tavern where he knows Eleanor Guthrie awaits so that he may speak with her about their future plans. To rid New Providence Island of Edward Teach whose intentions are to take it over for himself. And what about him? What’ll be left over for Vane who has remained by his side? Because Vane, the protege and son, will always play second to Teach. For all of his father’s bolstering claims of his strength and fearsomeness, Teach means to prevent him from advancing ahead as if afraid that Vane will overtake him. It is for this reason that Charles desires an unbreakable connection with an ally who will support him in this endeavor. They both want the same thing, after all. With the removal of Teach, Miss Guthrie will have procured full ownership of the island. And Vane will, in turn, step in as captain of his own ship. That’s where Miss Guthrie comes in. He’ll explain as much to her when they finally get to talking. He’s allowed entrance into her office, so he saunters in and then sits on the provided chair across the desk. “Miss Guthrie, before we begin, I should remind you that this is going to cost you. But I can guarantee the price will be worth it.”

#eleanor ; ofprevioustimes #interaction ; vane & eleanor #char ; charles vane #verse ; no choice but to be my end #ofprevioustimes

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amysgiantbees · 3 years ago

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MHA Pro Heroes/Nice Adults in DND

Othanzia (Northern Faerun)

King Enji Todoroki (Endeavor) is a bitch. But he’s also a human noble sorcerer with a red dragon bloodline. He has the Gift of the Chromatic Dragon and Weapon Master. He follows Sirrion, neutral god of fire and change. He’s a quarter dragon born which is why his family line has visible elements of their powers on their body, like their hair. He’s king of Othanzia, home to Pyrah and the Fire Ashari, it’s on the continent of Issylra. He definitely doesn’t have his wife locked up in a tower... He also might eventually decide to multi class into warlock and make a deal with a servant of, or even Mephistopheles himself, for true Hellfire, depending where his story goes. He uses a terrifying great-axe.

Queen Rei Todoroki (Himura maiden name) is a winter Eladrin elf white Draconic bloodline sorcerer. She uses a staff, well she would if she wasn’t currently imprisoned in a very lavish tower. She’s a follower of Corellon Larethian, elf deity of art and magic, Sehanine Moonbow, elf goddess of the moon, the Undying Court and The Spirits of the Past, both elven ancestors. And she has always felt a draw to Auril, nuetral evil goddess of winter which she tries to resist, but it’s harder to resist the colder, more isolated she feels. She has the feats Greater Dragonmark and Gift of the Chromatic Dragon.

Keigo Takami (Hawks) is a half Hawk Aven half human Swashbuckler rogue. He has the Sentinel and Silver-Tongued feats. He uses a rapier and daggers. He’s not a follower but makes sure to pray to The Mockery, god of violence and treachery before a spy mission. He’s the spy master in King Enji’s court. He rose through the ranks very quickly and has kept his job secret so most people just think he’s a mouthy guard or spy.

Ryuko Tatsuma is a dragonborn. Eldritch Knight fighter is her class. She follows Bahamut, dragon god of good. She is a adventurer for Othanzia‘s lead adventuring guild The Eternal Flame.

Rumi Usagiyama (Mirko) is a Rabbitfolk Way of the Open Hand monk. She has the tavern brawler and tough feats. She’s a follower of Trithereon, war god of liberty and retribution. She is a free lance mercenary who sometimes works for the army.

Musutafu (Western Faerun)

Tsunagu Hakamada (Best Jeanist) is a human armourer artificer. He uses a net and spear. He has the Dual Wielder and Weapon Master feats. He follows Sune and gods of knowledge like Oghma. He is the head knight for the King and Queen of Musutafu.

Taishiro Toyomitsu (Fat Gum) is a Changeling life domain cleric for Helm, god of protection. He also follows The Silver Flame, deity of protection and good. He works at the city’s temple to Helm as well as being an adventurer.

Crimson Riot is a fire genasi Path of the Bear Totem Barbarian warrior. Follower of Torm, god of courage and self-sacrifice. He’s currently an adventurer but is likely soon to retire.

Uwabami is a Yuan-Ti College of Glamour bard. She is a devout follower of Sune. She has the actor feat. She is a traveler and nomad who works as both an adventurer and a bard for Musutafu’s bardic college spreading their name and deeds all over the world.

Musutafu’s lead adventuring guild The Heroes Commission

Gunhead is a human Champion fighter with the gunner and dual wielder feats. He uses either two revolvers or two swords. he’s a follower of St. Cuthbert, god of common sense and zeal.

Ken Takagi (Rock Lock) is a human Eldritch Knight. Follower of Tyr, god of justice. He’s a solo adventurer.

Paladins like Chainmail because it’s Holey Armour

Mirai Sasaki (Sir Nighteye) a human School of Divination wizard. Follower of Lliira, One for All, and Savras, god of divination and fate. He’s the leader of the adventuring party.

Kaoruko Awata (Bubble Girl) is a triton storm scorer. Follower of Savras and Lliira. She is a key member of the PLCBIHAs.

The Lurkers of Musutafu

Yu Takeyama (Mt. Lady) is a goliath multi classer. She’s a transmutation wizard whose favourite spell is Enlarge Reduce and a path of the berserker barbarian. She has the tavern brawler and silver-tongued feats. Her top stats are strength and charisma. A big follower of Sune.

Shinya Kamihara (Edgeshot) is a human Blood Hunter: Order of the Ghostslayer. Follower of Tyr god of justice.

Shinji Nishiya (Kamui Woods) is an earth genasi Circle of the Land druid. He follows Meilikki, goddess of forests and Malar, god of the hunt.

Musutafu city guard

Kenji Tsuragamae is a Khenra battle master fighter. He’s the head of the Musutafu city guard. He is a devout follower of Tyr, god of justice.

Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi is a human battle master fighter.

Officer Sansa Tamakawa is a ginger Tabaxi human battle master fighter.

The Sacred Forest (Eastern Faerun)

David Shield is a human Armorer artificer. Follower of Heironeous and One for All. he lives near the woods that One for All is located, steers people clear of him and occasionally keeps him company and brings him direct offerings.

The Orca’s Crew - Ocean Protectors of the Sea of Swords

Captain Kugo Sakamata (Gang/Pirate Tortle) is a tortle Echo Knight fighter. He has the menacing and crusher features. he likes to wear well tailored pirate attire. He uses a cutless sword.

First mate Wash is a Warforged Nature domain cleric of Habbakuk, god of animal life and the sea. He carries a big, round shield and short-sword.

The Pussycats - Protectors of The Beast's Forest (Mid/Eastern Faerun)

Shino Sosaki (Mandalay) is a Himalayan Tabaxi Wizard: School of Divination. Devout follower of good nature deities and Helm, god of protection.

Ryuko Tsuchikawa (Pixie-Bob) is a Scottish Fold Tabaxi nature domain cleric for Mielikki, goddess of forests. Devout follower of good nature deities and Helm, god of protection.

Tomoko Shiretoko (Ragdoll) is a Ragdoll like Tabaxi Swarm-keeper ranger. Devout follower of good nature deities and Helm, god of protection.

Yawara Chatora (Tiger) is a tiger like Tabaxi Monk: Way of Mercy. Devout follower of good nature deities and Helm, god of protection.

The country of Ketsubutsu)

Emi Fukukado/Ms. Joke is of course a bard! She is a human College of Glamour bard who has studied under the funniest fey. She has the performer and diplomat feats. She follows Lliira, goddess of joy. She is the principle at Ketsubutsu Academy.

#myanalysis #dndmha #my hero academia

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mightydragoon · 5 years ago

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Pray for Piett

@silvereddaye

Piett isn’t paid enough for the skywalker family drama bullshit.

(comprised in no particular order, some stories are more explicit than others with Pray for Piett)

1. Compromising -samvelg

5 + 1 Five times Admiral Piett misunderstands the nature of Luke and Vader's relationship, and the one time he doesn't.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11539302/chapters/25908651

2. For Want of a Skywalker--- acuteneurosis

After the miracle of having survived Bespin, Piett does not ask why they are stopping on Tatooine. Or why Lord Vader suddenly has acquired a small child. Or why this child's name is Luke. Or how long they are going to keep him.

He probably should have.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22044874/chapters/52612567

( Note* Part 1 of the Through the Eyes of the Beholder)

3. The kidnappings of a Sith Lord - maedre13

How a certain Sith Lord may or may not kidnap his rebel son. One-shots. Strongly inspired by sparklight´s “Where Our Intrepid Hero Doesn´t Get Away”.

Current chapter: In which Vader tries to arrange a marriage

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10606992/chapters/23453241

4. Living Relics-- planningconquest

Poe Dameron, on a routine flight, stumbles across an entirely new mess for the New Republic to deal with. Finding Imperial relics that can help with the galaxy's most pressing questions and problems.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23113807/chapters/55303762

5. Luke Skywalker Is Altogether Too Likable - Mokulule

A bounty hunter claims to have caught the empire's most wanted rebel, unfortunately for Admiral Piett, Lord Vader is not in attendence, so he will have to take the call.

Alternatively; the Piett POV story I have amused myself with for several months and that I hope others will also enjoy.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14477958/chapters/33444051

(Note* Part of the Likability Conundrum series )

6. Firmus Piett Is Altogether Too Likable- Mokulule

This is a companion piece to Luke Skywalker Is Altogether Too Likable, it is basically the first chapter from Luke's POV with more background and angst.

Luke has been captured by the nasty bounty hunter Bossc Blackscale along with small Twilek child Nia, who was used as a hostage.

Now he's about to enter Imperial custody and he meets the most peculiar Imperial.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18065363

(Note Complete Series below)

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1300493

7. Some Assembly Required - Mokulule

Luke desperately call out for help in the force. Darth Vader finally gets his hands on his elusive son, but he doesn't quite get what he expected.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17394782/chapters/40941173

8. One Dream, One Vision- severnlight

After the disastrous duel on Bespin, more than mere words transpire over the newly forged bond between father and son. And this time, R2 is not so lucky with the hyperdrive. Darth Vader is beyond pleased to finally have his son in custody, but the Force keeps whispering something about the terrorist Princess as well. With the identity of Lord Vader's long lost son revealed, every being of some consequence from Core to Outer Rim is busy plotting their own schemes for Luke Skywalker. The young rebel is trying his best to navigate the new relationship with his father, and scramble a plan or two of his own. Admiral Piett and various unsuspecting Imperial citizens are entangled in the drama. Vader acts completely unpredictable, the threads of destiny are tossed up in the air, and the Galaxy holds its breath.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9817640/chapters/22044329

9. Darth Vader Goes to School - LadyVader23

Darth Vader gets bored with killing people and decides to get a degree in Engineering. He develops an interest in his classmate, Luke Lars. Poor Piett becomes the awkward middle man.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23905714/chapters/57477952

(Note* Vader essentially commits identity fraud on Piett to do a few online classes and Piett roles with it because what you want to say no to Vader, and gets tangled in the fuck up that is Vader’s life)

10. LIBERO per fidem, or How Piett Accidentally Hastened the War Because He Kinda Cared About Vader--ThreadSketchier

It's the Admiral's job to overthink things. This time, however, it's going to be both the best AND worst decision he's ever made.

(note* this is not technically a fic and it’s a private story but it’s still worth checking)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22535980/chapters/53852038

11.. How (not) to cope with Skywalker family drama - prayforpiett

In which the admiral of the Executor tries to find ways to manage his stress. Like any sensible person, he tries to turn his frustrations into creative endeavors. And he also drinks. A lot.

Of course, it all gets worse when he starts to have stress dreams about a certain Luke Skywalker...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24320452/chapters/58632580

( Note* From the appropriately titled author PrayforPiett. )

12. A Life Day Miracle - Mokulule

A few months after the Death Star was destroyed, Darth Vader gets an early Life Day present in the form of the child he'd thought he'd lost, now if only events wouldn't keep conspiring against him he would actually get to tell his son of their relation.

Luke and Wedge are very confused, this is not how they expected being captured by Imperials would go.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17646887/chapters/41613821

(Note* Mokulule again)

13. In Loco Pirates - izzythehutt

A down-on-his-luck Hondo Ohnaka manages to capture the unicorn of all bounties--Luke Skywalker, which sends Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, on a painfully familiar trip to the planet Florrum to collect his prize. The failed negotiations leave Vader in the awkward position of being stuck in a besieged pirate bunker, trying to balance keeping his wayward child safe (and in his custody) with controlling the tongue of a loose-lipped pirate who--to the surprise of no one--has a bad habit of telling 'amusing' anecdotes from the Clone Wars.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3841744/chapters/8574070

(Part 1 of In Loco Pirates-Verse https://archiveofourown.org/series/324137)

14. Palpatine Ad Portas - izzythehutt

When the Emperor Palpatine moves the Empire Day Celebration to Naboo, Darth Vader is forced to confront a past he had thought better buried and forgotten. Admiral Piett becomes the reluctant confidante of the monarch, caught in the middle of a deadly Sith cat-and-mouse mind game. Meanwhile, the young Rebel who blew up the Death Star returns to his mother's home world to pay his respects on the anniversary of her death--unaware of his father and the Emperor's presence on the planet and the very grave danger he is in.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4819292/chapters/11034437

(Part 2 of In Loco Pirates-Verse https://archiveofourown.org/series/324137)

15. Meet the Skywalkers - frodogenic

Newly returned from the Unknown Regions with Darth Vader, Admiral Piett doesn't expect much of a welcome from the New Republic. And not in a million lifetimes would he have predicted that their very first guest would be Luke Skywalker. After all, Skywalker and Vader are still mortal enemies...right?

Multichapter prequel to Lord Vader's Limpet and Driving Lord Vader.

Chapter 14: The Lady’s 25-year sojourn enters the final risky stretch.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8158216/chapters/18696025

(Note* Part 3 of the Limpet AU, see more here https://archiveofourown.org/series/554200)

16. in an endless universe----loosingletters

Chapter 8 , 9 and 10 : Grandfather Vader AU

Luke has a kid to raise and the Empire might not care much about its personnel, but at least it pays its mechanics well. Enter Darth Vader.

Part 1:https://archiveofourown.org/works/22955416/chapters/55002466

Part 2: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22955416/chapters/55067716#workskin

Part 3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22955416/chapters/56968354#workskin

(Note* Link to full series :

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22955416/chapters/57641386)

17. Allegiance - KaelinaLovesLomaris

Luke is captured by Imperials while on a mission and ends up needing his father's help getting out of a tricky situation. What follows is shameless Luke and Vader father-son bonding, with plenty of action, angst, and fluff, as Vader finally has his son at his side and plots to destroy the Emperor. Everyone's favorite Imperial, Admiral Piett, plays a large role, as does Luke's fellow pilot, Wedge Antilles, and Boba Fett will probably make an appearance.

Post ESB AU, with canon divergence. This is not Dark!Luke. It is eventual Vader redemption.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6745156/chapters/16127191

(note* Allegiance-verse series)

18 . Interview with a Sith Lord--- KaelinaLovesLomaris

Before Piett was the Admiral of Death Squadron, he was captain of the Accuser. And once Darth Vader learned of his son and realized he would someday need to take the Emperor down, he began looking for an admiral he could trust... Or how Piett got the job of captain of the Executor and eventually became admiral of the Death Squadron. This is in my Allegiance-verse, but it's not necessary to read Allegiance to understand this.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8747338

( Note* Allegiance-verse series)

19. Twin Suns - EagleInFlight

ROTJ AU: Vader reached out into the Force, eager to teach this trooper a lesson when suddenly the old him woke from his slumber and an Anakin quip slipped out of his mouth: “Have the Empire become so desperate that they’re recruiting below the height requirement?” A wave of amusement splashed through the Force from the trooper. That signature... The trooper took off his helmet, jerked his blonde hair back from his eyes and stared up at him. “Explains why I can’t see out of this helmet.” Darth Vader was left utterly speechless. His son stood before him. His son was here of his own free accord. Luke flashed a smile that warmed Vader’s heart. “I’m here to rescue you.”

OR: Luke Skywalker sneaks on-board the Executor to rescue his father, Darth Vader.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14289804

20. Skywalker Family Values - Ariel_Sojourner

Camp Chippewa is proud to be the Empire’s foremost camp resort for privileged young adults. Located on the picturesque forest moon of Endor, your child will have the opportunity to participate in wholesome outdoor activities and socialize appropriately with their peers. We invite your offspring to join us for the experience of a lifetime and a bright future in service of the greater glory of the Empire.

On opposite sides of the galaxy, on opposite sides of a civil war, Darth Vader and Padme Amidala unwittingly send Luke and Leia to the same camp during school break. Chaos naturally ensues.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14258124/chapters/32883750

(Note* Piett doesn’t feature in this as much compared to the others but dear lord still, pray for this poor man)

21. Two and a Half Men (with a baby)- orphan_account

After a long day of bargaining with Hutts and attempting to ignore his past, Darth Vader is nearing the end of his rope. When he discovers his two-year-old son, it's the straw that breaks the semi-rational Sith Lord's back; in a rash act worthy of the Skywalker name, he scoops his son into his arms, steals a shuttle from his own fleet, and punches in random hyperspace coordinates to a destination on the other side of the galaxy.

Unfortunately, father and son are not the only ones on the ship.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7420057/chapters/16853212

TAGS

Firmus Piett

Firmus Piett & Darth Vader

Feel free to add any more to the mix .

#prayforpiett #star wars #pray for piett #sw #fanfic recs #dragoon's fanfic recs #ah shit here we go again #skywalkers #skywalker family drama #fanfiction #fanfic #recomendations #firmus piett #darth vader #luke skywalker #leia organa #skywalker #star wars fanfiction

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themarauderstheoutsidersandpeggy · 4 years ago

Note

Stark!reader coming out to the avengers (like accidentally, they walk in on her with her girlfriend or something)

Masterlist

Join my Taglist

Prompt lists

Ship Request Guidelines

The lesbian in me got excited at this wow

Like Tony is overbearing okay

So you’d have had to work to keep it a secret

He’d be like oh ur going out?

Where are you going

Who are you going with

Do I have their number

Do I have their parent’s number

Do I have their great aunt’s number

Do I have their dog’s number

Do I have their license plate number

What time will you be home

What are you gonna be wearing

What shops are you gonna go into

He really does The Most

So you manage to answer all of these questions and you’re like okay ffs I’m leaving goodbye father

He’s like :/ You’d better be home by curfew

This happens a lot and you always just say you’re going out with your girlfriends

Now he does not realize that one of these girlfriends is you girlfriend

One night when you’re out

There is a minor security threat

Very very minor, just someone sneaking around that shouldn’t have been there

But they’re apprehended and taken away

But Tony is really not feelin great about it

So he asks Steve to go and get you and bring you home

Steve drives over to the movie theater where you said you’d be with your friends

friends

And he manages to weasel his way into your theater (no one is gonna say no to captain america)

And he’s looking around for you like ????

And he sees someone that kinda looks like you out of the corner of his eye so he turns to go towards them

And he has to pass this couple making out in the aisle

He’s like :/ really in the movies wow

You feel someone move past you and you break apart to let them go by and you look up and it’s gd Steve Rogers

He looks down at you like ;-; um

And you’re :’)

Your poor girlfriend is like um okay I’m missing something here, yes?

You’re like Steve,,, plz,,, plz,,, do not tell,,, plz,,,

And he’s like but,,, but why not

“Because I’m scared???”

“But?? Of what??”

“Of my f a t h e r??”

“Do you think he’d kick you out or something?”

You just kinda .-. pls sir pls no tell

Steve is like fine fine but u gotta come home

You part ways with your girlfriend and dude the car ride home is weird

He’s just kinda looking over at you every once in a while and you’re :/

“So you like girls?”

“yes,”

“Okay. Well, when are you going to tell your dad?”

“.... Um”

“You are going to tell your dad, right?”

“Steve...”

“You know you’re safe with us, right? Hell, he’d understand the most out of all of us an attraction to women”

“Okay maybe that isn’t necessary to bring up-”

“My point is that you’re not gonna get ridiculed or anything. Do you want me to be there with you when you do it?”

God bless Steve

Such a precious boi

“He’s just intimidating.”

“Y/N he’s like 3′2″

Steve really out here dissing Tony huh

You finally agree to telling him that night but only if Steve is with you

He’s like yes will be there :)

You and Steve sit Tony down and he’s like oh my god who was she kissing

Steve is like whAt nO kiSsInG wHo??

You’re like ffs dad I can tell what you did on a night out when you were my age smh

He was like who was it

You’re like :’)))

“My girlfriend.”

There’s like a minute of silence and Tony is like o,, okay?

“Well is your girlfriend like,,, a supervillain or...”

“No but she’s?? A girl??”

“That’s?? The point??”

“You’re not weirded out?”

“No, are you kidding? Women are a worthy endeavor.”

“fAthER pLeasE”

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#tony stark #tony stark fic #tony stark fanfic #tony stark angst #Tony Stark fanfiction #stark!reader #stark!daughter #tony stark x daughter!reader #tony stark x reader #Tony Stark headcanons #tony stark headcanon #Tony Stark HC #tony stark hcs #marvel #marvel headcanon #marvel hc #Iron Man

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whattodowithkpop · 4 years ago

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My love and the sea (Seongwha)

Title: My love and the sea

Paring: OC; Seongwha POV

Genre: Siren/Pirate AU; Spice

Word count: 1751

Writer: Kpopmadness (Ju)

Warnings: Mentions of blood

Summary: Seongwha has grown up on the sea. In many ways its the love of his life. But when he wakes up with The Black Spot, he feels his life turn upside down.

Waves lap against the ships sides, causing salt water to spray up into the boat and graze against a young captains face. His eyes holding love for the large ocean that lay before him.

He had spent most of his life at sea, and there were few things he loved more than the way the ocean rolled gently as it carried his ship. How its color went from a dark blue to a black color with the changing positions of the sun and moon.

"Are you looking for something, Captain?" A voice from behind him said.

Seongwha turned from his gazing and smiled at his first mate, "I was just getting some air. It gets stuffy down in the cabin."

His first mate nodded his head in understanding and joined him, standing at his side as they both looked out over the vast ocean

"You really love the seas, don't you?" Mingi said. Smiling at his captain.

Seongwha smiled sheepishly, looking down at his black leather boots as he contemplated how best to answer the question.

"I dreamed of owning my own ship and sailing the world since I was a mere boy." He explained. "I saved up for years to get the money and the respect to be where I am today. Even though I've been a captain for some three years, I never get tired of waking up to this kind of a view."

Mingi let out a quiet chuckle. Admiring his captains love for his ship and his hard work. Just as all his crewmates did.

The pair stood in silence for a few more minutes. Seongwha had forgotten Mingi was standing beside him until he cleared his throat nervously.

"I hate to bother you, Captain." Mingi said, turning to face him. "But there are some things inside that need your attention."

Seongwha let out a small sigh but let a smile fan across his lips. "Lead the way."

`````

Seongwha rubbed his tired eyes as he let out a sigh. He had poured over papers and maps for the past several hours. He was so distracted he had forgotten all about dinner and Mingi had to bring him his food.

Now he sat back in his desk chair and let the tense muscles in his shoulders relax one by one. His eyes growing heavy with exhaustion.

He was so tired that he was hardly even aware of his seemingly mechanical movements as he wandered down the halls to his bedroom. His eyelids growing even more heavy as he took his boots off and peeled off his shirt to climb into bed.

His mind drifted into a dream state, his body felt as though it were drifting, time being lost as the hour seemed to wash by him in a swirl.

But his dreams did not stay pleasant. They were filled with terrors that he had never seen before. The intensity of the nightmares making him breathe heavy and sweat roll down his spine. Making him feel chilled.

Then, there was nothing. Nothing except the soft sound of a lullaby being echoed through his head. He had never heard the song before. It was dark and strange, but beautiful.

Still in a dream state that he could not seem to break free of, Seongwha felt a gentle touch on his cheek as the lullaby continued, but softer. His body seemed to relax instantly to the touch, relishing it, craving it.

Then, it was gone; The song stopped, and sleep conquered him.

``````

The next morning was one of shock, and horror to Seongwha. He awoke feeling chilled, his hair sticking to his forehead in clumps. But it was when he raised to right hand to run his fingers through his sweaty hair that terror seized him.

There, on his palm, was a black and purple spot. All the sailors knew it to be known as The Black Spot. A call to judgement and a time of repentance before justice was delivered.

The morning only got worse when Mingi saw it. Seongwha, in a fearful endeavor, had tried to hide it by wrapping the spot with a bandage. To play it off as a minor injury. But when Mingi saw it his face drained of color and his eyes glazed over as if he were about to pass out. The panic had only spread to the rest of the crew by mid-afternoon.

By later that night Seongwha was exhausted. He was tired of looking over his shoulder and having others take several steps away from him in fear. The black spot had caused him more grief than he wanted. So he went to the one place that always cleared his head.

As he stood on the deck of his ship he felt his heartbeat come down several beats. The salt air and the full view of the stars soothing him.

Seongwha hadn't been on the deck long when his ears pricked up to the sound of singing. It was the same soft tune he heard the night before. It had left his brain in a sort of fog ever since. Never leaving him mind fully.

"Hello sailor." A gentle voice said from behind him.

Seongwha turned to see one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her long dark hair cascading down in silky locks. Her white dress shining in the moonlight.

"I... I know you." Seongwha said, his voice seeming distant in his own mind. "You were in my cabin. You sang to me."

The girl smiles devilishly and lets out a small laugh. "Yes, I suppose I was there. And I think you know why."

Seongwha gulps nervously and unties the bandage from around his palm, letting the black and purple spot on his hand shine in the moonlight.

"Because of this." He assumes.

She smiles at him. It was a crooked, odd smile. But somehow it was so loving and almost contagious. It made Seongwha's lips tug up slightly, though he wasn't sure why.

"Yes, that." She says.

"Does that mean you've come to kill me?" Seongwha asks. Feeling puzzled at the way his own heart skips a beat at the thought of dying by the hands of this beautiful creature.

It wasn't that he didn't know who, or what she was. His father had taught him about the dangers of a siren since he was young. How they lived in the seas but some had the ability to change and walk on land effortlessly. But seeing one in person, hearing their song and seeing their beauty, made him forget everything his father had ever warned him about.

She laughs at him, stepping a little closer. Her white gown fluttering behind her as she walked.

"It's not like that at all." She says, still smiling at him.

"It's not?" Seongwha says, feeling his own feet move toward her.

"Of course not." She coos softly. "Think of it as, a calling. You love the ocean, don't you?"

By now Seongwha was close enough to her to feel her breath on his neck. The pads of her fingers tracing along the buttons of his shirt. Making his heart race. He nods in response, his voice refusing to come to him.

"Have you ever wondered what lies beneath the surface of the ocean?" She asked, smiling up at him. "You've traveled the surface for most of your life. Don't you think it's time you saw what lies beneath?"

Seongwha managed to look away from her captivating eyes and across the dark ocean that stretched in front of them. He had swam in the ocean before, but this pull was different. It was stronger. A desire to breath in the salt water. To feel it fill every part of his lungs and body until no more of it could fill him.

She took his face in her hands, her touch sending a thrill up his spine. And when her lips met his Seongwha couldn't help but lean down slightly to deepen the kiss greedily. Every part of his body seemed to catch on fire, lust overpowering him.

She tugs at his lips roughly with her teeth before pulling away from him, a smirk lining her lips. She takes his hands in hers and sits down on the railing of the boat. The water surging beneath her

Seongwha leans back in to kiss her, only to have her put a finger to his lips. "We can continue that after we get in the water."

Seongwha looks down at the waves beneath him, suddenly feeling a wave of nervousness hit him. Seeming to sense it, she runs her fingers through his hair as she softly hums the same tune had heard the night before. Making his heart immediately calm down and his eyes close.

She swings her legs over the side of the boat, looking behind her to see him staring at her.

"Coming?" She asks, her eyes shining with glee in the moonlight.

Seongwha grips the rail tightly, looking down at the ocean below. He starts to swing his leg over the rail to join her when a loud bang echos through the night. Making him jump back and land on the deck.

He watches as the siren falls off the edge of the boat's railing. Her eyes closing as red soaks the back of her white gown and a fresh spot begins to coat her chest. Her body disappearing into the depths of the sea

"Captain, are you hurt?" Mingi says, putting his gun away to help Seongwha up. His legs shaky and his head foggy.

Seongwha can't answer for a few seconds. His mind spinning and his thoughts jumbled. He looks down at his palm to see the black spot gone. The skin of his palm normal.

"I went to check on you in your cabin and came looking for you when you weren't there." Mingi explains. "It didn't occur to me until a moment ago that we had entered the Siren's territory. That's why you got the black spot. It was a sign that a siren would be coming for you."

Seongwha lets out a nervous laugh, feeling relief wash through him, but also a bit of fear. "If you hadn't figured that out, I would have been dead."

Mingi smiles, "Isn't that the job of a first mate? To have his captain's back."

Seongwha smiles, letting his eyes go back to the ocean. A chuckle escaping his chest. "I suppose it is."

#ateez #ateez seonghwa #ateez mingi #ateez spice #ateez oc #ateez fanfiction #ateez x reader #kpop ateez #kpop oc #kpop fanfic #kpop x reader #kpop spice #kpop fanfiction #kpopmadness writings #ju admin

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teaplease1717 · 4 years ago

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Story: Ashes of Love and War

Chapter: 14 / ?

Couple: Todoroki Shouto / Yaoyorozu Momo (TodoMomo)

Rating: M (for language and violence)

Betas: @flourchildwrites (Link) & C’s Melody (Link)

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21638800/chapters/73273167Shouto laid the unconscious pirate face-down on the makeshift cot.

Thank you everyone who follows and supports!

XXXXXX

The flames burning in the bronze tripods flickered, casting long shadows across the man’s pale, sticky skin. Shouto sat back on his heels and tilted the man’s head to the side to make sure the pirate didn’t choke if he got sick.

The man stirred as Shouto adjusted him. His eyes fluttered open, and he moaned as he stared unseeing at Shouto for a moment before his eyelids closed again — hopefully not for the last time — and he shivered.

Shouto leaned down to the edge of the cot to grab the blanket but paused, hesitating. He stared down at the pirate, studying the gashes running across his back.

The skin had been shredded by the stympahlian’s talons. The veins streaking out from around the wounds had turned green and purple from poison. And on the man’s arm was a nasty cut from one of the stymphalian’s feathers. It had sliced along his forearm, exposing bone.

The man shivered again, and Shouto wavered on whether he should cover him.

He decided not to. It wouldn’t be safe to have anything touching either wound until they had been properly cleaned. The pirate would be lucky enough if he didn’t lose his arm; he didn’t need an infection on top of that.

Shouto folded the blanket back up and stood. The rest of the room was filled with the other gravely wounded. Pallets were stacked almost on top of each other in what had once been the dining room. Yet, the space wasn’t big enough; only a third of those who were injured fit. The tents the pirates had brought with them were tattered. Men without life-threatening injuries were set up on cots in the courtyard or crowded in the hallway.

It was uncomfortable. Despair and pain hung over the house, sliding down Shouto’s back like cold claws as it dredged up memories of the war. Of his comrades writhing in agony from incurable wounds, begging the gods for mercy — which they would never grant. And the civilians of Troy, the soldiers and innocents he’d killed, their screams and pleas as he tore Endeavor through them.

Shouto’s fingers twitched, and he turned and walked outside.

The warm night air met him. During the dark, a heavy fog had crept out over the mountain, covering everything in a thick veil. It was denser than normal mist and most likely influenced by the dark magic lingering in the air.

Shouto walked until he got to the edge of the cliffs. The scent of burning stymphalian corpses from the courtyard stung his nose.

He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the smell. There was a hollow sensation in his chest as he thought back on the attack. The timing. The coordination. Was it the patron’s doing?

It had to be.

Shouto flexed his fingers and brought his hand to rest on Endeavor’s hilt. The uptick in stymphalian activity had started a month ago, right around the time his brother had attacked their ship. Were the incidents related?

It was hard to say with the evidence they had. Dabi was certainly sadistic enough and petty enough that Shouto wouldn’t put it past him to use monsters to accomplish his goals. But, Dabi hadn’t known he was going to lose when they had fought. And even if he had, Shouto found it hard to believe his brother would have been smart enough to plan something like this himself.

Besides, Aizawa said it was a bird with purple and green plumage that had come to the island…

That didn’t sound like Dabi. His brother’s colors were purple and blue.

So who was the patron?

Shouto’s lips thinned, and he tapped his finger against Endeavor’s hilt. The only god he knew with purple and green as their banner colors was Overhaul — or Phobetor as mortals knew him — the god of nightmares. He had heard rumors that the god had some sort of relations with Dabi, but from what Shouto knew, the god hated monsters and considered them filthy beasts. So, there was no apparent reason he’d be involved with the stymphalian.

A headache was building in the back of his skull. There were too many questions without any answers. Shouto sighed and opened his eyes to stare up at the silvery moon waning in the brightening sky.

At the end of the day, it didn’t matter who the stymphalian’s benefactor was. Shouto would just have to do what he always did. He’d fight, and he’d win because he was–

His throat closed abruptly, and he gripped Endeavor tighter as his hands began to tremble. Heat burned across Shouto’s chest.

Strong.

Was he really strong? After everything that had happened, did he really get to call himself that?

Yaoyorozu had been injured because he hadn’t been able to protect her. And Haimawari and Rin had been kidnapped due to his negligence.

How many countless others had been hurt because of him? Sero. The sailors tasked with bringing them back to Sparta. A flurry of other nameless faces flashed through Shouto’s mind — all the men injured because of his mistakes.

Shouto reached up, and his fingers traced the marred skin around his left eye.

It was the way of life: the strong lived, and the weak died. He had accepted that. It was the motto of Greece. And Shouto had always been strong, or at least he thought he had. But, ever since the injury....or even before….

He dropped his hand and drew in a sharp breath through his teeth.

He had become careless. He had let these fake emotions for Yaoyorozu cloud his mind. And after last night, when he had cracked the stymphalian’s neck with his bare hands to save her, it became abundantly clear the curse wasn’t going away.

The thought made anger bubble in his chest, and Shouto forced his mind away from that line of thinking. It wouldn’t do any good. He didn’t know how to break it.

A voice in the back of his mind wondered if he should finally tell Yaoyorozu.

Shouto gritted his teeth.

The right thing — the honorable thing — would be to tell Yaoyorozu about a curse that was tied to her. Especially on the eve of the operation, it was even more important for any loose strings that could affect or influence the mission be addressed. He didn’t want any more innocent people to be hurt because of the spell.

So why was he hesitating?

His fingers twitched. This wasn't like him at all. Shouto wasn't known for overthinking or being indecisive. If anything, he had been accused of being too rash. But anytime he thought about admitting his failure to Yaoyorozu, somehow, he couldn't get the words to form.

What was wrong with him?

At first, he had thought it was his ego and the notion of telling civilians from a former enemy nation about his weakness, but now he didn’t know. Yaoyorozu was smart and could help him deal with the side effects. It was almost like he didn't want to...like he was nervous.

Could it be...was he afraid of Yaoyorozu’s reaction?

Shouto felt something in his heart twist, and he sighed deeply and tried to focus on something else to calm his temper. It felt like all the thoughts he had been pushing down for the last month had exploded within his chest like magic.

That’s right.

Shouto lifted his left hand and stared down at his palm. His fingers were shaking, but Shouto ignored the tremors as he focused on the slight pulse under his skin.

His magic had come back. Not fully, but he could feel it shifting in his veins again. Dormant but there. Like a dam with cracks beginning to form. He just needed to find a way to unleash.

And by tomorrow.

Before they went on the offensive against the stymphalian.

A noise behind him caught his attention. Shouto dropped his hand and looked up as Fukukado approached. She slid up next to him and stared out over the mountain. The long shadows of the night had grown shorter, and he could see the captain’s face clearly in the morning glow. She looked tired, but some of the distress and unease from earlier was gone.

After a moment, Fukukado asked. “How are you and the girl—Yaoyorozu, was it?” Shouto stilled at her name, his stomach knotting as Fukukado continued. “How are you two fairing?”

To the south, the pirate ship’s sails were barely visible through the fog.

Shouto forced himself to shrug faintly as she turned to look at him. “Fine. I wasn’t hurt. Yaoyorozu sprained her shoulder, but after some rest, she should be okay.”

Fukukado mouthed quirked faintly. “I didn’t mean like that.” Some of her color returned. And, for a moment, she looked like how she had yesterday when he had first met her. Then her playful expression fell. “We haven’t been here for long, but I’ve noticed that you keep to yourself. You’re always alone.”

Shouto shifted, and he brought his hand up to rest upon Endeavor. “Sometimes it's better that way,” he said stiffly.

Fukukado shook her head. “Sometimes. But not like you.” She stared at him pensively for a moment before saying, “As a captain, I have to pay attention to my men. See who they work well with and who I need them to avoid. I need to know how to read people to stay alive. And I’ve been watching you. You don’t socialize with anyone. You purposefully stand apart from others, like you don’t trust anyone. You seem partial to Yaoyorozu, but even with her, you seem hesitant. It’s like you’re a house, and you don’t want to let anyone in.”

Shouto’s grip on Endeavor tightened. He didn’t want to have this conversation right now.

Fukukado seemed to read something in his expression because she continued quickly. “The reason I’m bringing this up now is because tomorrow will be difficult, especially if a god is involved. We are going to need to put our best effort into defeating the stymphalian, and the best way to win any fight is by having something to fight for.”

Fukukado’s expression tightened, and she looked away. “It took ten years to defeat the Trojans not because they were wonderful fighters or because they had an impenetrable city, but because they had things they were fighting for.”

Shouto didn’t say anything.

She sighed. “We aren’t meant to be alone, Todoroki.” Her voice was soft. “Humans, I mean. Whether that's a lover or children or friends. We all need someone. I have my men. They’ll get me through this, but who do you have? Yaoyorozu?”

Shouto’s hand tightened on Endeavor. His throat felt tight. “Yaoyorozu doesn’t want anything to do with me. I’m respecting her wishes,” he said stiffly.

Fukukado was quiet for a moment.

“I think she relies on you more than you think.”

Shouto tried to ignore the way his heart rose at the comment.

“I’ll do what I need to. Is that all?” he finally asked.

Fukukado sighed. “Yes, that’s all I wanted to say. Anyways, enough lecturing. I guess I’m more tired than I thought.” She stretched. “Get some sleep too, Aizawa told me you’ve been up for the last two days.”

She returned inside, leaving Shouto to stare at the rising sun.

Did he really need someone?

Shouto turned and headed back into the house.

He had people back in Sparta, thousands of miles away—Sero, Bakugo, and Midoriya. He liked to think of them as friends (or had thought of them as his friends), but he had frozen Sero. Bakugo had sent him away and everything that had happened with Midoriya before he left…did he really have anyone anymore?

His heart pounded in his chest.

He blinked and realized belatedly that he was in front of the kitchen. Yaoyorozu was inside, busily cutting bandages out of extra sheets.

Shouto paused in the doorway. He had been so lost in thought he hadn’t even been paying attention as he walked, and his feet had brought him back to her.

No.

It was the curse, he reminded himself.

Shouto scowled. Everything stemmed from Kaminari’s arrow. He curled his hand into a fist at his side and was about to walk away when Yaoyorozu looked up.

“Todoroki?”

His feet paused, and he felt the curse pull at him. Shouto sighed. It wasn’t like he was tired anyway. “I can help you, if you need it.”

Yaoyorozu wiped at her forehead with the back of her forearm. She nodded, and Shouto moved closer, ignoring the way his heartbeat stuttered.

“Thank you.” She gave him a thin smile as she handed him a pair of scissors and one of the blankets. “If you can just cut these into long, thin sheets. I’m making them into bandages. Try to make them even, if you can.”

Shouto hummed as he took the scissors from her. From up-close, underneath the exhaustion and despair that they all wore, he could see that Yaoyorozu’s eyes were red-tinged and the thin skin under them slightly puffy.

Realization dawned on him like a kick in the gut.

“You've been crying.”

“Oh,” she twisted away. Reaching up, she self-consciously wiped at her face. “It's nothing.”

A lump formed in his throat. “Are you okay?”

She sighed but didn’t meet his eyes. “Is anyone okay right now?” she asked softly.

“But I mean-”

“It's fine,” she cut him off sternly. Her expression flickered, and she swallowed, dropping her head to stare at the table. “We can’t be infighting right now.”

The anger in Shouto’s chest stirred, but he pushed it down and forced himself to get to work. The logical side of him understood.

He couldn’t make Yaoyorozu talk. Forcing her when she wasn’t ready to speak would only upset her further. And besides, he’d promised only yesterday that he’d be better and more considerate of her feelings. He couldn’t fail, not even a full day after he had made that vow, just because of a stupid curse making him impatient. Shouto gripped the scissors tighter as he sheared them along the sheet.

She’d tell him when she was ready.

But he couldn’t help to wonder what had happened.

Shouto knew she had been angry with Aizawa’s decision. However, when he had left the kitchen, she hadn’t looked so upset that she’d cry over it.

There had been an angry resignation in her expression, but not sadness. But now, she looked sad. And lonely. It felt like something had occurred after the meeting, something more painful.

‘We can’t be infighting right now.’

Shouto’s lips thinned. What did she mean by that?

“Todoroki.”

Yaoyorozu’s voice snapped Shouto out of his thoughts. He jerked his head up to find Yaoyorozu staring pointedly at his hands.

“You’re cutting the sheet too small.”

Shouto followed her gaze down to the table. The makeshift bandages he was cutting were frayed at the edges and definitely not meeting Yaoyorozu’s request for evenly cut strips. He looked back up at her and felt his ears turn red. “Sorry.”

Yaoyorozu shook her head faintly, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “You’ve never used scissors before, have you?”

Shouto shifted, and he looked away. "No."

In fact, Bakugo had explicitly barred Shouto from ever helping with what he called ��household chores.” According to the prince, any time Shouto was around, work only seemed to double. Shouto thought the judgment was unfair, but looking at his poorly cut bandages, maybe Bakugo wasn’t wrong.

Yaoyorozu made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like suppressed laughter as if she could read Shouto’s thoughts. "Here. I'll show you a trick to cutting straight."

She moved closer. Shouto tensed as the heat of her body leaned into his, and she took his bedsheet, her fingers skimming against his.

"First, take your fabric, and hang some off the table.”

Warmth curled in Shouto’s chest as he watched Yaoyorozu work. She seemed calmer now. Her shoulders were not as tense, and there was a faint smile on her lips.

'I think she relies on you more than you think.'

Shouto inhaled slowly through his nose. Fukukado couldn’t be right. There was no way that Yaoyorozu would rely on him, especially if she ever learned about the curse. She'd never trust him.

“Then cut along the edge of the table to get an even strip," Yaoyorozu continued demonstrating, unaware of Shouto’s thoughts. She sliced an even line along the bedsheet, and then looked back up at him. Her smile dropped slightly as she blinked, scanning his face. "Todoroki? What is it?"

Shouto shook his head and then stared down at the perfectly even fabric she had cut. “Nothing.” He exhaled slowly. Then wavered for a moment before adding, “I’m just glad you don’t seem as sad anymore.”

Yaoyorozu opened her mouth and then closed it. Her shoulders dropped. “Is that so,” she said slowly. Her eyes grew glassy. She pressed her lips into a thin line and ducked her head.

Shouto froze.

Fuck.

Did he mess up?

His heart rate quickened. He didn’t understand what he did wrong, but when Shouto opened his mouth to apologize, Yaoyorozu looked up at him from below her long dark eyelashes. Her eyes were still red but a small genuine smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. “Thank you,” she whispered.

It felt like all the air in the room had suddenly vanished. His heart rose in his chest.

Shouto swallowed thickly. Unconsciously, his fingers moved towards her hand when footsteps against the flooring drew Shouto’s attention. He looked up as Tokoyami stepped into the doorway and hesitated.

“Yaoyorozu, I wanted to talk…” The bird half-monster trailed off as he froze and looked between them. His expression hardened. “Todoroki.”

Yaoyrozu stepped back. “If you’ll excuse me,” she said quickly. She dropped her head, her long hair hiding her face as she turned away. “I have to go tend to the wounded,” she said, picking up the makeshift bandages and hurrying quickly towards the door.

Tokoyami visibly wavered as she drew closer. “Yaoyorozu, may I have a word in private?”

Yaoyorozu paused. Her back was to Shouto, so he couldn’t see her face, but when she spoke, there was a faint tremble in her voice. “After. I have to go finish up first.” She straightened and walked out the door leaving Shouto and Tokoyami alone.

Shouto looked back at Tokoyami. The half-monster shifted. His hands curled into fists at his side.

Then it hit Shouto; the reason Yaoyorozu was upset was because of Tokoyami. He had done something to hurt her.

Fury welled up in Shouto's chest, and he pressed his lips into a thin, hard line. His fingers twitched.

‘We can’t be infighting right now.'

Shouto exhaled slowly. That was Yaoyorozu's decision. He needed to respect her wishes. He swallowed the anger back as he waited for Tokoyami to leave.

Except he didn't. Tokoyami straightened and met Shouto's gaze. "What were you doing in here?" He asked finally.

Shouto inhaled deeply to try and pace his rage. He could feel the curse pulsating in his veins. “I was helping make bandages,” he said, holding up his pile of poorly cut sheets.

Tokoyami hesitated. It was hard to read his bird-like expression. After a moment, he inhaled deeply. “I thank you for saving her earlier," he said in a strained tone. His expression rippled. "But please…you should leave Yaoyorozu alone."

“Just like you’re leaving her?”

Shit. Shouto meant to keep his anger in check, but now that the words tumbled out, he could feel how angry he was for Yaoyorozu.

Tokoyami's eyes widened. "I’m not leaving her!" He shifted as he met Shouto’s gaze. “But she needs to stay behind; it is for the best. She’s human and our only healer outside of Aizawa.”

“You made her cry.”

Tokoyami’s yellow bird-like eyes flickered momentarily before they hardened in anger. “Yaoyorozu knows it’s the right thing to do. She’s a healer, not a fighter.”

“Then why did you teach her to fight?” Shouto growled.

Tokoyami clicked his tongue. “We were at war. Of course, she needed to know.”

“But you doubt her now?” Shouto asked, his voice low as he stepped around the table.

“It’s not about doubting or not. It’s about not having another healer and the fact that she is human. Her body won't last fighting the stymphalian or a god…not like ours.”

“She doesn’t need your protection. She’s strong.”

“I never said she wasn’t strong. But I’m not risking her. I don't know what you see her as, but she's like a sister to me,” Tokoyami said, eyes flashing in challenge. “I won't lose any more people I care about because of you.” His voice was hard and tight. “But she’s your slave. If you want her to fight, then order her.”

“I’m not going to order her,” Shouto hissed indignantly. "Never. If I made decisions for her, I'd be no better than you."

Unconsciously, his hand moved to Endeavor.

Tokoyami’s eyes flickered down for a moment, then back up to his face. His eyes grew hard. “You say that, but as soon as we leave this island, you’ll hurt her. If you really cared about her, you’d use your powers and end this, but you haven’t.”

The accusation hit him like an arrow in the gut, poisoning him with the truth of the situation.

If only he had access to his power...if only he wasn’t so weak...

Shouto’s tongue twisted with all the anger and frustration he had been feeling since arriving on the island. He wanted to pour out his rage on Tokoyami, but that wouldn’t do any good.

His fingers shook, and he curled them tighter around Endeavor’s hilt as he forced himself to swallow his fury. “I won’t hurt her. Ever. That’s a promise. We’re on the same side now. You're the only one hurting her.”

A shadow appeared in the doorway behind Tokoyami, but Shouto ignored them as he stepped closer.

Tokoyami’s yellow eyes flashed, a hint of regret flickered in their depths before hardening in defiance. “I only said what was necessary.”

“Enough,” Aizawa’s gravelly voice snapped.

Shouto rolled his jaw but didn’t look away as Aizawa approached and stepped in between them. The older man pushed Shouto away. Reluctantly, Shouto took a half a step back.

“That’s enough, both of you. I know everyone is tense, but we can’t be fighting before tomorrow’s operation.” Aizawa’s eyes flashed as he looked between them. His lips thinned, then he turned towards Tokoaymi. “You two can’t seem to comprehend the situation, so I’ll split you up. Tokoyami will take my place for the morning patrol. Everyone else will stay here and prepare.”

Tokoyami’s expression hardened. “No complaints,” he muttered darkly.

Notes: Deimos – is the god of terror and one of the banner men of Ares. In this story, Dabi is Deimos. Phobetor – is the god of nightmares. In dreams he takes the form of animals or monsters.

#ashes of love and war #todomomo #todoroki x yaoyorozu #My writing #My Story

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