#Not lying I have nothing else in me rn I'm back to my 27289393002 typis now

[your-favourite-yapper]

The first one goes overboard at dawn kicking and thrashing and screaming before the waves pull him under before the sea opens up and takes him whole., and james doesn’t see it but he hears it the splash the silence the gurgling choke of something swallowing something else the way the wind dies for just a second like the ocean itself is holding its breath, like the sky is watching, like it knows something james doesn’t.

The second one goes after sundown, dragged down with a hand around his ankle a hand with too many fingers a hand that isn’t a hand at all and james sees this one sees the pale shape breaking the surface for a split second sees the too-wide grin the sharp glint of something that isn’t human and should not be beautiful but is james is supposed to be horrified but all he can think is that the Thing has nice cheekbones all sharp edges and shadows all cut-glass and cold fire.

"Sirius", he calls him later after the crew won’t speak of it after they throw salt over their shoulders and whisper prayers to whatever listens from the dark under the water "Sirius", like calling him something familiar something safe will make it true, like taming a thing with teeth is as easy as giving it a name.

"Sirius" lounges on a rock a few days later all smug grin and long limbs that end in something that isn’t quite hands isn’t quite claws isn’t quite anything that belongs on a man but the way he looks at james is almost human the way he tilts his head the way his black eyes glint the way his sharp smile lingers when james speaks "you’re not afraid", he says, and james shrugs leans against the railing of the ship and watches, him watches the way the moonlight slides over the water watches the way the dark waves lap hungrily at the stone he perches on "should i be", james asks and sirius just laughs., all teeth all hunger all something else that james can’t name but wants to.

There’s something like tension between them something like a game, like a dance, like a storm building on the horizon., james tells himself it’s not attraction tells himself it’s not fascination tells himself it’s not desire because you don’t want the thing that can end you you don’t crave the thing that is designed to pull you under but Sirius grins at him like he knows something james doesn’t like he can hear the lie in his heartbeat and james knows he should leave knows he should turn the ship and go knows he should never look back but he doesn’t he won’t

The third one disappears the next night and this time james doesn’t even pretend to care., it’s just him and sirius outside now, the rest of the crew too scared to spend more time outside than necessary., the water is too still, the air too thick, the stars too bright and james is too close to the edge leaning too far forward and Sirius is just below him all dark curls and shining skin and that same grin that same hunger that same promise of Something james doesn’t understand but wants anyway

"You trust too easily", Sirius murmurs and james feels the pull feels the tide shifting beneath him feels the weight of something unseen something waiting something inevitable

"Do i?" he asks and Sirius only smiles wider only reaches up slow and careful a hand outstretched palm up an invitation a warning a promise

The wind howls the ship creaks the waves rise (and the next morning the crew will wake to an empty captain’s quarters and no sign of a struggle)

but the sea is calm and the sky is clear and far off on the horizon something dark slips beneath the waves