#also I drew a bad mermaid on the board too

[tooth317]

Shout out to this drawing I saw the aquarium a little bit ago

[elizabeethan]

I’ll Be Your Light

A follow-up to On This Night

Also on Ao3

Inspired by this prompt 

Killian and Emma travel the realms together happily, but when they’re drawn back to Misthaven, they must avoid the thing that sent them away in the first place.

A/N: All of the warning that applied to the first story are mentioned very briefly here, although no details are given. Very mild descriptions of violence and gore

Rated: a hard T, soft M, somewhere in there?

Tagging the usuals but if you want me to remove you (or add you) please tell me!! I will never not feel annoying doing this

@courtorderedcake @kmomof4 @stahlop @klynn-stormz @laschatzi @emelizabeth88 @lfh1226-linda @kday426 @profdanglaisstuff @elisethewritingbeast @timeless-love-story @captain-emmajones @gingerpolyglot @ebcaver @ilovemesomekillianjones @teamhook @superchocovian @itsfabianadocarmo @tiganasummertree @gingerchangeling @jrob64 @onceratheart18 @xhookswenchx @winterbaby89 @swampmedusa @ultraluckycatnd @dancingnancyy @love-with-you-i-have-everything @shireness-says @snowbellewells @hollyethecurious @ouatpost @daxx04 @the-darkdragonfly @donteattheappleshook​

Captain Killian Jones has led a tortured life. He watched his mother die, was sold by his own father, and held his brother in his arms as he drew his last breath. He’s lost countless crewmen at sea. He’s seen the horrors of war. But one of the worst nights of his life was seeing Emma Swan bleeding and delirious, nearly raped on the streets outside of the seedy tavern. He couldn’t have told her then, but he had been in love with her from the moment he met her. When he saw her crumpled on the ground, he couldn't stop himself. He knew he probably should have taken her back to Granny’s tavern for her medical attention, should have insisted when she refused, but he was a weak man. A man with a code, a man of honor, but a weak one, all the same.

He could have tried harder to insist that she find her way into the tavern to sleep, rather than offering her a place in his bed. But she had been abused and battered and attacked all in one night and she needed someone to be there for her. She needed reminding that the whole world isn’t out to get her. He hated himself the next morning, feeling as though he’d coerced her, but he still couldn't help but to check in on her at the tavern later that evening.

When she told him she wanted to leave, he jumped at the opportunity to help her. If nothing else, he could at least ensure that she was safely away from her beast of a husband. If she chose to stay with him, that would be an added bonus of which he would happily reap the benefits. When he told her, foolishly, that he would drop her off wherever she wanted, thinking he was being helpful in not pressuring her to stay, she became so saddened that he knew immediately how badly he’d befouled. He thought that she would surely leave him, and he would let her. But when she called him a dullard and said that she loved him, he knew he would be content for the rest of his days.

She loved him. He loved her too. And so they ran away together.

They find themselves lounging in the sand, just two years after leaving port and never looking back. He continues traveling the realms and obtaining treasures, but she’s changed him in that he no longer feels the need to take out his anger and acrimony through pillaging and plundering. Instead, she encourages him to use his skills in bartering to make a living, and he must say, they’re doing quite well for themselves. Some of the men disliked the changes they saw in their captain and abandoned the crew, but many stayed behind and now continue to earn an honest living through trading exotic spices and jewels.

Emma liked Agrabah quite a lot, but she says her favorite location thus far is the tropical island they find themselves on now. He likes it too; he especially likes the little dresses she wears as she traipses along the beach and the fact that she takes them off when she wants to go swimming, and insists that he remove his trousers as well.

This afternoon was the only occasion during which they ended up in the warm waves with their clothes still on. They had been on a walk at high noon when the sun was at its brightest, enjoying the bright blue skies and the scorching white sand against their bare feet, when he knelt before her and presented her with a diamond he procured in Agrabah. She shouted excitedly, squealing and laughing and saying yes, yes, yes! before knocking him to the ground into the water and kissing the holy hell out of him. He thought they may have drowned if she’d held him under the water any longer, but he probably wouldn’t have minded.

“I can’t stop looking at it,” she says happily, grinning as she holds her hand out in front of her.

He hums and smiles back at her, rolling to his side to press a kiss to her temple. “I can’t stop looking at you.”

She blushes, just as she does every time he speaks to her this way, but he can’t help it. He has so much love for her in his heart that it hurts.

“I’d like to be married straight away, I think,” she says.

“Is that so?”

“Aye, it’s so,” she says with a laugh. “Who does the officiating when it’s the captain who wants to get married?”

He hums again thoughtfully , leaning closer so that he can press her into the sand and roll on top of her. He kisses her soft lips gently once, twice, three times, before saying, “I suppose I’ll have to make Mr. Smee do it.”

“Make him? He’ll do it for me,” she says sweetly, kissing him again.

He laughs. “That’s only because he’s afraid of you.”

She gasps in genuine outrage and pushes his shoulders until she can roll over and sit atop his hips. “He is not afraid of me!”

“My love, the entire crew is terrified of you.”

“Take that back!”

“Having a woman on board a ship is considered bad luck. They shiver at the thought of upsetting you and causing torrential weather, or a run in with a mermaid, or—”

She cuts him off with her mouth, kissing him fiercely to shut him up and only further proving his point that she is a cunning and unforgiving fire of a woman. He loves her so damn much.

“Your crew loves me, and they would do anything for me,” she insists, giving him a look that says he had best agree with her.

He smiles up lovingly at her and tilts his head to the side, completely in awe of his fiancé, then says, “of course, my darling. Whatever you say.”

She rolls her eyes, likely in annoyance at how easily he backed down, then presses on his shoulders so that she can stand before him and give him an expectant look. “Come now, then,” she says as he stands as well. “I need to marry you now.”

“Now?” he asks, raising a brow and taking her hand in his so he can lead her back to where the ship is anchored.

“Yes. Despite your rudeness, I find I can’t stand to spend another moment not being your wife.”

He laughs aloud, releasing her hand in favor of wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Do you not want to discuss your marital needs first?”

She pauses, pursing her lips in thought, then says, “I have but one need.”

“And what’s that?”

“You.”

~~~~

They’re married at sunset on the helm of the Jolly Roger, the entirety of the crew looking on as they exchange words of love and promises to grow old beside each other. She’s a vision in red, her extravagant gown one that he procured for her in Camelot last summer. When he asked why she wasn’t wearing one of her cream colored dresses, she told him that she’s far from a virtuous and unsullied virgin; he couldn’t agree more, and he couldn’t be happier for it.

They have a view of the endless sea on one side of them, and the lush jungle on the other. The sky is pink and the crew cheers raucously as they seal their vows with a kiss, and they watch as the sun sneaks just below the horizon before some of the crew begin playing their instruments.

He holds her close as they drift in the shallow water, her head resting against his collarbone and his against her soft hair. The salty sea air has done wonders for her tresses�� they’ve become longer and thicker in the two years since they’ve left, as if the happiness she’s felt has done more than nourish her soul alone. She has them styled hastily in billowing loose curls, surrounded by some flowers that the chef, Will, found for her on the island while he was foraging for dinner.

“Are you happy, my darling?” Killian asks against her hair, and she sighs into his skin and nods softly.

“Happier than I’ve ever been, I’d say.” Her breath tickles the hair on his chest and he squeezes her closer to him.

“I have to agree,” he whispers as the sky darkens and the lanterns provide a soft and comforting light around them. When the music swells, he pulls away from her just slightly and asks, “dance with me?”

She grins up at him and allows him to guide her from the rail to the center of the deck and sway her to the beat of the melodic sounds coming from beside them. He spins her, dips her, and lifts her until she’s giggling away and turning the same shade of red as her gown.

Will emerges from the galley carrying a small pastry meant to be their wedding cake and calls them over. They each enjoy it enthusiastically, and he kisses the powdery sugar from her lips and tastes the remnants of honey on her tongue.

When the twilight turns to night and the crew start dropping off one by one, drunkenly finding their way to their hammocks, she leads him to their bed to make love to him fervidly. She starts off on top, grinding against him as her eyes meet his, until he can no longer stand to not be holding her and flips them over so that she’s enveloped in his arms as they fall apart the same way they do everything: together.

When they’re finally sated, though still not content to be separated from one another, she lays her head against his chest and runs her long fingers through the dark hair she seems to like so much. His hands enjoy the feel of her soft skin as he runs them up and down her spine and occasionally cup and squeeze and blithely slap her backside, drawing playful giggles from her.

“You’re my wife,” he whispers into the darkness, and he feels her arms tighten around his torso.

“You’re my husband,” she breathes out. “Bit better than the last model.”

He snorts, taking another opportunity to squeeze her flesh, and kisses the top of her head. “I should hope so.”

She lies contentedly atop him for quite a while, breathing evenly as her skin is illuminated only by the dim flame of the lantern. He isn’t even sure she’s awake anymore when he speaks into the shadows and says, “there’s something we haven’t discussed.”

She hums to question him and shifts languidly so that she can nestle her nose into the crook of his neck. “What’s that?”

“Only the expectancy that generally comes with being a wedded couple,” he says nervously.

He isn’t sure how she may respond. He was certain that he’d never want to have a child until he met and fell in love with her. Truthfully, it was something they should have discussed before they wed, but it’s also something he never dares to bring up to her after her arduous experience baring a child.

“Are you referring to your carnal need to sire an heir to your empire?” Emma asks playfully, although he can sense the tension forming in her back as he continues to stroke along her skin.

“No, I’m referring to the natural desire to have a child that some people have after marrying the love of their life.”

She nods and sighs, seemingly more awake as she presses onto her elbows so that she can look at his eyes. “Perhaps we should have talked about this before we exchanged vows,” she remarks with a sad smile.

He moves his hand from her waist to her cheek and says, “it’s alright that we didn’t. Any decision that you make is one that I’ll happily agree with, I simply wanted to know your thoughts on the matter.”

“It shouldn’t be my decision alone,” she rationalizes. He can almost see the likeness to the Emma he met years ago, timid and frightened of stepping out of line in her marriage, so he does what he can to draw her away from that place and those thoughts.

She smiles sadly at him as he sits up slightly and rolls both of them on their sides.  “It’s ultimately your choice to make, my love. This is your body, not mine, and you have the right to not want to carry children after your last experience in doing so.” Her fingers run along his cheek, tracing the scar under his eye before kissing it.

“You’re very good at being a husband,” she whispers and he chuckles. “It’s a topic I need to consider further.”

“Take all the time you need, my darling. I’ll be here for whatever you decide.”

“Promise?”

He rolls on top of her and moves her hair away from her eyes so that he can kiss all along her face. “I did mention in my vows that I’d be by your side for the rest of my days. Your decision regarding children won’t change that.”

“Don’t you want them?”

He shrugs. “Truthfully, I think the two of us are parents already. We have about 12 children that we care for regularly.” she snorts and nods before he moves on. “I didn’t before, but when I met the love of my life, I realized why people crave having children so badly.”

She takes a deep breath and sighs out heavily, wrapping her arms around him and linking them just under his shoulder blades so that she can pull him close and feel his weight on her. “I love you,” she whispers. Each time she says it, his heart still races.

“I love you, too. I love you whether you choose to have a child with me or to spend the rest of our days just the two of us. I love you more than the consequences of whatever decision you make.”

She kisses his neck and squeezes harder. “You're a good husband.”

“I’ve only been a husband for six hours,” he argues happily.

“I know a good husband when I see one.”

“Aye, I suppose you do.”

He rolls to his side so that he isn’t crushing her any longer and she follows, pushing him to his back and hitching her knee up onto his hip and resting her head at his shoulder. “Sleep now, my love, and in the morning we’ll plan the honeymoon of our dreams.”

~~~~

They venture away from the secluded part of the island and make landfall just outside of the small village. As Killian goes off to do some business, Emma takes the chef, Will Scarlet, with her to walk through the streets and browse the small shops. The two of them became fast friends when she’d first arrived on board, and their closeness blossomed into the very friendship that Killian wanted for his wife. It started with Will helping her with her training in swordsmanship, or swordswomanship as she often corrected him, when Killian couldn't, and they’re now inseparable and always get into mischief together.

They spend almost a month longer in the tropics before Emma suggests that they try something new one night after dinner. “Perhaps we could visit somewhere snowy,” she’d said longingly. “I’ve hardly ever seen snow before.”

While he’ll miss her small dresses on the secluded beach and swimming naked with her in the warm water, he could never deny her of anything for which she wished so fancifully, so he began charting the course to Arendelle, the only place he knows of that will be seeing snow this time of year.

As they get closer, the seas get rougher, but she enjoys her days larking about with Will and sitting in her soft Agrabahan chair as she watches the snow fall onto the choppy waves. When the bird lands on the wheel as he takes the helm, he becomes curious, but it’s addressed to Emma and he dare not violate her privacy. So when the weather gets particularly bad, he chooses to take advantage of his first mate and relax with her in his quarters.

Her face is alight when she reads that her closest friend is to be married in six months time. Ruby shall wed a lad named August, whom Emma seems to know, in the small church outside of her hometown. Killian tries not to think about the fact that he now needs to take her back to the place he’d promised to help her escape.

They make landfall in Arendelle two days later, Emma’s face so joyous at the sight of the fresh snowfall that he knows immediately that the somewhat difficult journey was worth it. He trades jewels and some more exotic spices he procured on the small island, then spends as much time as he can with his wife.

There are only so many wintery activities they can participate in, the joys of sledding and ice skating and snowman building only taking them so far before the cold wins out and they choose to start their charts back to Misthaven.

He wants nothing more than to say, to hell with the wedding, let’s just go somewhere else so you're safe, but he knows that would crush her. Ruby has been her best friend for years, she and Granny taking Emma in when she had nowhere else to go, and he couldn’t possibly deny her the joy of seeing her married off to one of their mutual friends. Also, she’s been away from them for two anda half years now, and he’s certain that she misses them dearly.

He just can’t move past the dread he feels at the thought of bringing her back to the place that caused her so much pain. She was maimed, accosted, and struck, all in the span of a few hours. She’d dealt with verbal abuse for years. She’d conceived a child, only to lose that child and be stuck with an absolute demon of a husband. She’d lost her parents at birth and grown up as an orphan. And through it all, she was the most exuberant person he’d ever met. The idea of bringing her back to that place, where her former husband could still be lurking, made him sick to his stomach.

But he does it for her. And when they land in the small port town she called home for years and years, she has tears in her eyes. She brushes them away with a smile and looks up at him, hugging her arms around his waist. “I’m nervous,” she whispers, and he wonders if it’s for the same reasons he is. He thinks it must be.

“Me too,” he admits, hugging her back and kissing her temple.

“But you’ll keep me safe, won't you?” she asks with a soft and loving smile as she looks into his eyes.

“If it’s the last thing I do, my love.”

“It won’t come to that,” she insists.

Ruby’s wedding is far more put-together than their own. She has a decorated venue, middlemist flowers ordaining the aisle and wrapped through her hair, and after they exchange vows before a priest, as perhaps Emma and Killian should consider doing, the party is moved to the tavern where he fell in love with his wife. They dance the night away together, enjoying the ability to be in each other’s company here without fear of being noticed. Killian offers to buy her an ale as he wasn’t ever able to do when she worked here, but she turns him down and says she’s too tired. He can’t blame her, what with their endless travel and their long night spent dancing and laughing with friends, so he promises to take her home to the ship shortly.

A thought strikes him, and he wonders for how long she’ll tolerate living with him on a ship. They’ve been at this for two and a half years, and they’re now married and at least casually considering parenthood. Should he buy her a house? Where would she even want to live? He thinks she would like that, but wonders if she’s ready to leave her life of travel and wanderlust.

As the ale continues to flow through him, his love for her grows, and he thinks she must be glowing more than usual as she sits under candlelight  in the corner with Ruby, laughing and catching up on all that they’ve missed of each other. Granny must agree, because when she sits beside him on a stool and bumps his shoulder with hers, she grins. “She looks good,” she tells him, nudging her head towards his wife.

“Aye, she does.”

“I gotta tell you, I wasn't thrilled when Ruby told me she’d run off with a pirate.” He lifts his hand off of his mug and scratches behind his ear. “But she needed to get away from that bastard husband of hers. And you’ve loved her for quite a while.”

He laughs in surprise, eyes widening and brows raised as he looks at her before responding, “You knew, then?”

“‘Course I knew, I'm no fool. And I know a fool in love when I see one.” He chuckles and nods at the same time as his wife throws her head back and laughs boisterously at something Ruby said. “And I know Emma Swan. She’s loved you since the moment she met you.”

He smiles at her, the woman who has known Emma longer than nearly anyone else, and nods again. “That’s nice to hear, thank you.”

She grunts out an acknowledgement and sips some more ale. “Heard you gave up the pirate’s life,” she says, and he nods once more.

“Felt unnecessary once we’d left. Truthfully, I hadn't done much pillaging since I met her.”

“That so?”

“Aye.”

“So Captain Jones has gone soft?”

He laughs at her, and he thinks that if he hadn’t had so much ale, he likely wouldn’t be telling her so much, but continues anyway. “I’ve always been soft. Losing my brother just made me lose my mind a bit. But meeting Emma helped me find it again.”

She hums thoughtfully, then bumps her shoulder into his once more and says, “huh, who knew the infamous and treacherous Captain Jones was such a sap?”

“Emma, certainly,” he jokes.

“Yes, my love?” she asks from behind him, and he turns happily, surprised that he missed her getting up from her seat.

“Hello,” he says with a smile, and she leans in to press a soft, chaste kiss to his lips.

“Hm, someone’s been enjoying their ale,” she remarks at the taste of his mouth, drawing a chuckle from him.

“Aye, it’s been a while since I’ve tasted this backwash and watched the beautiful blonde from across the tavern.”

He feels a whack at the backside of his head and exclaims, reaching up and turning to see Granny’s irritated face chastising him. “Need I remind you, I let you sit in that corner and watch my barmaid for years before you stole her away from me? You know how hard it is to find good help these days?”

“She’s right, my love, one cannot abase Granny’s ale in Granny’s tavern, never mind with Granny sitting right beside you.”

He stands from his stool, apologizing to Granny and tipping just slightly to the left until Emma presses herself against him, and wraps an arm around her shoulder. “Care to turn in, milady?”

“Definitely,” she says, yawning with perfect timing. “I’m done for.”

They wish their friends a pleasant evening, Emma promising that they won't be leaving port just yet and will surely say goodbye in person rather than leaving a sad letter. Ruby informs them that she and August will be leaving for their honeymoon in the mountains in three days, and asks that they stay that long so that they can spend some more time together.

“That was lovely,” Emma says as they fall into bed together. It’s been some time since he’s drank himself to this extent, but figures it was grounds for celebration.

“It was. A bit more put-together than ours, but a nice time indeed.”

“Ours was fairly well put-together considering we were only engaged for about six hours.”

“Too right, love,” he chuckles, pulling her into his arms. “You miss being here?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess. I miss Ruby and Granny, but we can’t exactly stay around long, so it’s alright.”

He sighs as he holds her, letting her drift off to sleep quickly as he considers how he can fix this for her.

~~~~

The following evening, Killian receives an invitation from August to go to a tavern that isn’t owned by his mother-in-law. He asks Emma to come, but it would seem that Ruby wants to spend time with her, and he can hardly deny her such a pleasure, so they head to Ruby’s new home while the lads spend the evening at the pub. He likes August well enough, but he can’t help but miss the image of his wife winding her way through the tavern with her blonde hair following her.

He learns that August grew up with Ruby and Emma, and once had feelings for Emma when they were much younger. He feels childish at the jealousy that arises, but must remind himself that the two of them are both happily married. He chuckles at the man’s words, joking that he also had feelings for Emma quite a few years ago.

“I knew it was you, pirate,” he hears from behind him, and he cocks his head to the side as he takes another swig from his mug.

When he turns around, he sees a man he doesn’t recognize, but somehow knows all the same. He’s angry with Killian, that much is clear by the heat in his face and the tone of his voice as he spits, “How long were you fornicating with my wife before you finally had the stones to take her away?”

He nods in understanding, practically feeling sorry for the man who is still so clearly hung up on a woman he abused and chased away. “I suppose you must be Baelfire,” he says, putting his mug down on the bar and holding out a hand for a shake. It gets slapped away.

“Yeah, I am. I’m also Emma’s husband, and I’d like to know where she is.” He’s clearly drunk, having had at least three too-many ales. Killian is most certainly not going to be giving this man any information about her.

He smirks. “Who?”

Baelfire scoffs, spitting on Killian's cheek as he does so. “Maybe a few whacks to the head will remind you.”

“She’s dead,” he says, trying to come up with the fastest way to get Baelfire to leave. “Died a long time ago.”

“Dead?”

“Aye, dead. Now what do you want?”

He’s starting to get irritated, as having to repeatedly call his wife dead is less than ideal.

“So you stole my wife, and then you killed her?” He pulls out a stool beside Killian and takes a seat, staring in what he assumes is an attempt to be leering, although it seems as though his eyes may be going in two different directions.

“I didn’t kill her, mate, and I certainly didn’t steal her.”

“Well, I think you did.”

“Tell me something, then,” he says, clearing his throat and turning as the anger at this man begins to fester. “If a woman comes to you and begs you to take her away... is that theft?”

Baelfire lunges for Killian but he’s able to stand and dodge him quite easily, sending him falling onto the stool that Killian had abandoned. “Bastard pirate, you don’t deserve to live.”

He laughs. “I’ve heard it all before, mate. Why don’t you get back to whatever gutter you crawled out of and leave me in peace.”

“No,” he says as he stands. He’s shorter than Killian by several inches and decidedly not threatening. “I want a duel.”

Killian scoffs. “A duel? Why?”

“For my honor. You stole my whore of a wife and then murdered her in cold blood, I must assume, so I want to duel for my honor.”

The look Killian shoots at him is one of confused disgust at Baelfire’s obvious oblivion. He wonders how someone can be so foolish as to assume that his wife being murdered is any reflection on his honor. He wonders how he can let the man go after saying such things about his wife. “If it’s a duel you want, then a duel you shall have. Though I must inform you that I'm a master swordsman and will more than likely win.”

“A fight to the death, then.”

Killian laughs now, throwing his head back. “Very well, gutter rat, have it your way. We fight to the death at dawn.”

~~~~

When he arrives back to the ship, a bit drunker than he should be, Emma's laying in bed with a candle lit beside her, wide awake despite the late hour. “My darling wife, what are you still doing up?”

She smiles as she sits up just slightly turning to him and intaking a deep breath. “I’m seasick,” she tells him.

He cocks his head and moves to sit beside her. “You’re never seasick. Is it nerves?”

“Hmm, must be,” she agrees, laying back down when his hand finds her scalp.

“Well, worry not. You needn’t worry about Baelfire again after tomorrow, and then we can stay here as long as you like.”

She sits up abruptly, glaring at him in concern as she hisses, “what?”

“Aye,” he smiles and caresses her cheek, “Baelfire found me at the tavern and has requested a duel. One that I shall surely win.”

“Killian, no. Don’t go.”

He shakes his head. “What do you mean, my love? I must go and eradicate any threats against you. I know a part of you wants to stay here, and once I win, we can do just that.”

“I’m serious, don’t go! He isn’t worth it!”

“Darling, don’t worry. He’s nothing but a drunken fool, and once we’re rid of him you won’t have to fear ever running into him again.”

He thinks she may have tears in her eyes as they shine in the flicker flame of the candle. “I don’t want you to do this, Killian,” she says seriously. “You’ve left the pirate’s life. There’s no need to fall back into dueling.”

“Alright, I hear you,” he says, stroking her hair soothingly. He feels her relaxing against his touch instantly.

As much as he wants to promise her that he won’t go, that he won’t leave at dawn to duel this man who has caused her such anguish, he simply can’t.

~~~~

The air has a thickness to it that makes Killian uneasy. He hasn’t been in Misthaven in quite some time, but he doesn’t think he remembers feeling such sticky humidity when he was here last.

He knows he’s being foolish. Emma told him not to come, begged him not to, but there was something in the way that Baelfire spoke of her last night that set him off. He thought it may have been the ale he was drinking that made him so excessively angry, but hearing this man who vowed to love her call her a white and talk of her death so callously had him seeing red.

“I see you decided to honor our agreement, then, pirate. I must say I’m surprised.”

He rolls his eyes at the man’s cloying voice. “I am a man of honor, Baelfire, unlike you. Of course you’re surprised.”

He scoffs, drawing his sword from the scabbard and pointing it towards him. “How do you come to the conclusion that I’m not a man of honor?”

Killian draws his sword as well. “No honorable man would strike his wife.”

He guffaws, tossing his head back, and says, “you can’t say that until you marry a slag, mate.”

Killian snaps, lunging forward and clashing his sword against Baelfire’s. He fights back rather well, meeting each swing with a defensive block, but he’s no match for Killian’s decades of training. They spend a few moments gamboling around each other as they swing their blades. He’s making it too simple, his slow swipes easy to avoid and his weak blocks easy to break through. Killian becomes hard-headed when he thinks Baelfire may be tiring, letting his guard down and deciding to have a bit of fun with him, until the demon lunges at him with such violent enthusiasm that he falls to his knees.

Killian had made a foolish mistake, thinking that Baelfire was a poorer swordsman than he. He is, of course, but Killian shouldn't have let his guard down, as he’s now allowed Baelfire to place his blade at his throat and kick his sword out of his grasp. “Do you know what it’s like to have your wife stolen from you? It’s like getting a sword through your heart,” he spits out, trailing the steel from his neck to his chest and drawing just a bit of blood along the way.

“She wasn’t stolen from you, mate,” Killian breathes out, and he isn’t sure why he’s still acting so foolish as to instigate the man holding a sword to his heart.

“Let me show you how that feels, pirate—” he says, drawing back just slightly as he rears himself to plunge his sword through Killian’s chest.

He isn’t sure how the hell he got himself into this position. One minute he was confidently parrying with this fool, beating him easily, and the next, his cockiness has gotten the better of him and sees him on his knees about to be run through. He tries to think quickly, about to duck out of his way and roll towards his own sword, when he hears her.

“Stop!” she shouts, and his heart hurts more now than it did when he thought he was going to be stabbed. She stands before the both of them looking fierce and scared all at once, her fists clenched tightly at her side and her eyes the size of saucers.

“Emma,” Baelfire says, dropping his sword and turning to her with a sinister smile. “Well, this is a turn of events.”

“Bae, don't hurt him.”

“Emma, get out of here.”

“No!” she shouts at Killian. “You fool, I told you not to come!”

“Enough!” Baelfire asserts, pointing the sword back at Killian. “This is a story I wasn’t expecting. My wife has fallen in love with the pirate, is that it?”

“Bae, please just leave us be. Let him go now and you won't see us again.”

He laughs condescendingly, dropping his sword once more, then gesturing for Killian to stand. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you Ems? You want me to leave you be so you can whore around with your pirate?”

The anger is back, flowing through Killian’s veins the same as blood. He gets to his feet and clamours towards Emma, facing her with his hands on her cheeks so that he can ensure that she’s alright despite the tears that are falling from her eyes.

“Bae,” she continues, choking the word out as she looks down from his eyes. “If you won't let us go willingly, perhaps an exchange will do.”

He laughs and Killian draws his brows together in confusion at her words. “I’d love to hear what you have in mind, strumpet.”

He turns towards Baelfire again but Emma grabs his upper arm, grounding him. She holds out her other hand and lets something fall from it: a ring dangling from a silver chain. “You can have this back.”

“Well,” he laughs. “Come then, hand it over.”

She steps to the left, releasing Killian’s arm, and takes one stride towards Baelfire before it all goes wrong. She’s holding the chain in her left hand, and moves to pass it to him, but rather than accept it, he raises his heavy sword towards her and swings it downwards.

He doesn't think, throwing himself in front of her and her to the ground out of harm’s way. He feels the sharp burn in his left arm immediately, but isn’t able to focus on that very well over the sound of Emma's screams. He’s on the ground, and she falls to his side, touching his face and weeping so forcefully that her tears fall onto his own face. She’s completely hysterical, but in his dazed mind he isn't sure why. He hears laughter above him and sees her face shift from fear and sadness to all-consuming fury as she reaches to Killian’s side and he hears the shrill swipe of iron against the cobblestone ground.

He turns just slightly as she pushes herself up, hoping to stop her from injuring herself, but when he finally sees her through his blurred vision, he’s met with the sight of her sword plunging deep into Baelfire’s middle, as if he was moving towards her and she stopped him with the blade.

She’s back at his side in an instant, breathing more heavily than he’s ever seen her, then she’s screaming for help and running her warm, wet hands along his face and his arm, and he wishes he could tell her that he’s alright and that she shouldn’t worry, but the icy heat that’s radiating from his hand is becoming too much, and his vision blurs into blackness.

~~~~

He sleeps through cloudy delirium for what feels like eons. He hears faint whispers beside him from time to time, whenever he wakes, but the scorching pain of his arm makes it impossible to stay conscious, and he screams in agony until he feels sweet sleep taking him again.

He isn’t sure how much time goes by before he finally starts to hear the things that people say around him. They toss out words like infection and loss and stump, but he isn’t quite sure what those things have to do with one another. He hears Emma weeping beside him more than anything else, constantly whispering into his ears although he hardly comprehends her words.

Too much time has passed, and he thinks he must be dying. That must be why he’s still in such great pain and numbness and why Emma remains at his bedside in tears, always whispering her thoughts into his ears and resting her head on his chest. She’s a strong lass, and would be fine without him, he’s sure, so her ongoing emotional outpouring tells him that something awful must be happening.

More time passes before he’s able to comprehend what she says to him in the night when she must be unable to sleep. He’s discovered that he’s been in their bed, probably all this time, and she keeps a candle lit despite the darkness of the sky outside the window. He only keeps his eyes open long enough to take in the shadows of the room they share and the gold of her hair before they fall closed again. She must notice the change in his breathing as he wakes slightly, lifting her head from his chest and pressing a lingering kiss to his lips, though he can hardly respond. She moves her mouth to his ear and whispers, “come back to me, my love. We need you here now. I can’t do this without you. Please come back to me.”

He’s sure she can do anything without him; she’s the strongest person he knows. She could become the captain himself and sail the crew across realms if she truly wanted to.

His attempt to lift his hand and place it on her head in comfort fails, as he finds he’s still unable to move much, so he rolls his head towards her just slightly to tell her that he hears her now. He feels her whimper and cry in response, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheeks as she repeats, “I love you, I love you, I love you,” like a mantra.

He uses it as a mantra himself as he falls back to sleep. He loves her.

~~~~

“Are we sure he’s even still alive under there?” he hears someone say, and he screws his brows together. Of course he’s alive.

“Of course he’s alive!” Emma says, and he smiles just slightly at the fierceness in her voice.

He tries to say something, anything, to give the fools an indication that she’s right, but all that comes out is a pathetic grunt.

She gasps so loudly that he jumps. “Killian!” she shouts, and he feels the mattress shifting under her weight as she bounds towards him. “Are you there? Killian, can you hear me?”

When he opens his eyes, he’s met with the perfect view: her cleavage is directly in his line of vision as she fusses with his hair and face. He smirks, breathing out a soft laugh, reflecting internally on how long it must have been since he’s been met by such a sight. He hums out in satisfaction, causing her to draw back and glance down at her own chest. “You brute,” she says with tears in her eyes when she realizes to what he’s reacting, then reaches for a cup of water.

“Hi,” he chokes out, finding his voice barely working despite his throat being less dry now. The door closes beside him as the men must've left them alone.

She’s on him in an instant, kissing along his face relentlessly and getting tears on his skin. He laughs, finally able to lift his arms to try and hold her, but when he reaches both hands to her cheeks, only one makes it.

Her face falls in response to his confusion, more tears falling as she sits up to straddle his hips and takes his left arm. When she raises it between the two of them and presses a kiss to the bandaged stump, his face must show how confused he remains.

‘Baelfire,” she tries, holding back a sob. “He, he swung at me and you…” she can’t seem to finish her thought. “You’re such a fool,” she laughs and cries and shakes her head.

“He… my hand?” He glances back down at the blunted arm but can't quite understand.

“We couldn’t save it; it became very severely infected. I’m so sorry, Killian.”

He chances another look, hoping it would be restored magically somehow and becoming disappointed when it doesn’t. “It’s gone?” he asks, as if the visual confirmation wasn’t enough

How is he to care for his wife with only one hand? How will he protect her, provide for her? “Yes,” she whispers.

“But… how…” It’s as if he can’t get it straight in his mind. What sort of husband could he possibly be to her?

“He swung,” she repeats, but he cuts her off before she has to recount the story again.

“No. How will I… with just…”

“Killian, no,” she says, taking his face in her hands once more. “You're capable of anything you attempt. This isn’t going to hold you back.”

He feels himself slipping, his anger and resentment consuming him all at once as his thoughts spiral into ones of hatred for Baelfire and of the inevitability of his own failure. She’ll leave him, surely, as she deserves to be with a man who can provide for her and meet her needs. His face is falling along with his mood, and he drops his hand, no, his stump, down onto his lap and lets his head fall back against his pillow.

“Stop,” she says firmly. “Stop right now. I know exactly what you're thinking and you’d best stop it now, or so help me, Killian Jones, I’ll, I’ll,” she trails off, finishing, “I’ll skewer you like I did Bae.”

That catches his attention. He looks up at her in awe and confusion and says, “you did what?”

“Ran him right through. The bastard tried to attack my husband? I think not.”

He feels the corners of his face twitching upward at the visual she’s given him. He likely shouldn't be proud of his wife for murdering someone in cold blood, but that’s exactly what he is. “You ran him through?”

She nods, giving him a shy smile, and gets off of his hips to sit beside him. “He swung at me and you jumped in line of his blade. He maimed your hand badly and there was blood everywhere when you fell to the ground, and I was just so upset. I couldn't even think. I grabbed your sword as he was coming back around to finish the job and I just…” she uses both arms to demonstrate the motions she must've made to stab through her ex-husband. Killian glows with pride.

“So you used those skills I taught you, then?”

She laughs lightly, lying down next to him and hitching her knee up over his hips. “I’m not sure you're the one who taught me how to stab, I think it was more of a gut reaction to my husband being attacked.”

“Likely true, but I don't mind a bit of credit.”

She laughs through some more sniffles, hugging him closely to herself before saying, “oh, I’ve missed you so. I thought for sure I would lose you and the…”

She freezes, her arms clinging to him and her body stiffening. “The what?” Inhaling deeply, Emma nuzzles her nose against his neck and presses a soft kiss there before sniffling once more, as if she’s started to cry again. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s something else you must know.”

He yawns inadvertently; apparently the few moments he’s spent awake have exhausted him. “What’s that, my love?”

She clears her throat, not moving otherwise, and says, “I’m pregnant.”

He thought he was losing his mind before, but with this admission, he’s truly dumbfounded. “You’re… what?”

“Pregnant, Killian. With a baby.”

“With a baby,” he repeats, tasting the words on his lips before letting them curl into a smile. “My baby?”

She snorts, sitting up to look at him. “I should hope so.”

“Our baby.”

She smiles at him sweetly, then it’s as if something has shifted for her internally and she stares him down seriously. “You went off to duel with someone, you dullard, and I want you to know how angry that makes me, because it’s not just about you and me anymore. Got it?”

He realizes now that there was a deeper reason for her being so firmly against his plans to fight Baelfire, and this was it. The babe in her belly, growing happily in the home she’s creating for it. And he nearly put that in jeopardy. “I’m sorry,” he says, and she shakes her head.

“It’s alright, everything is fine now. You’re okay, baby’s okay… we’re all fine.”

He’s fighting sleep now, but staves it off a bit more to ask, “in your stress, you thought… you thought you may lose him?”

“Or her,” she corrects softly. “But it’s been nearly three weeks since then and so far… everything seems normal.”

Bloody hell, the thought of him being nearly unconscious for three weeks straight is mind boggling. He can’t believe he left her alone for that long. “Are you alright?”

She tips her head to one side in question and then nods. “Of course I am, now that you’re awake.”

“With the babe, I mean. I know you were hesitant…”

She smiles sweetly, brushing her fingers through his hair as she answers. “Once I found out, that feeling went away. I suppose it’s different, having a child with a man I love.”

He smiles back up at her and kisses the inside of her wrist. With the caressing of her fingers along his scalp, he’s trying hard not to let his eyes drift shut. “How am I to care for a babe with one hand?”

She hums, leaning back down so that she’s on her back beside him, and takes his remaining hand in hers to place it upon her belly so he can feel the slight swell. “Perhaps we can fashion you a new apparatus. Maybe a nice frightening hook so you can keep up your fearsome pirate persona.”

He laughs as he drifts away, rubbing his fingertips gently over her stomach, over their baby, and says, “you’re funny,” as he falls asleep.

~~~~

He does get a hook, but only for operating the ship— he finds it easier to tie knots and manage the wheel. He recovers quite well from his three week flirtation at death’s door, once he’s able to keep solid food down and stand on his own. Emma’s helpful in his adapting to life without a left hand, but she never once coddles him and always assures him that he can still do anything he did before.

He’s nervous for when the baby comes, assuming it’ll be difficult to properly care for them on his own with only one working hand, but Emma comforts him by reminding him that she’ll always be there for him, and if she isn’t, there are 12 crewmen who can lend a hand. He doesn't find her pun very funny, but he’s willing to let it slide, for her.

[mx-3nglish]

Pirates Treasure (Pirate AU) Part 8

~ Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~

Summary: A young pirate captain by the name of Anthony Lockwood manages to stumble across a mermaid. After a while, he starts to get attached to the enchanting creature against his best friend - George Cubbins- advice. As if that wasn’t problem enough, rival pirates want the glory of finding a mermaid all for their own. What is Captain Lockwood going to have to go through to keep the mermaid he calls “Lucy”?

~

A little boy, about nine, just narrowly escaped death at the jaws of a Leviathan. But now he has no home, no family. And likely won’t live on this piece of the ship that was destroyed. It was probably the size of a door and was made completely out of wood. When the boy finally did come to his senses, the first thing he felt was the heat of the sun beating down on him with the mixture of the cold salt water of the ocean gently nipping at his body. And only one thought ran though his head.

He was alone now. He maneuvered himself to sit up on the driftwood and looked out over the expanse of the ocean. The blue of the sky touching the different blue of the ocean was all he could see for miles around. Behind him, he heard the splashing of water. He assumed it was a fish and didn’t turn to look. After all, what did it matter now? His only living family was dead and there was no way he’d ever get to land before he starved to death. There was no land around anywhere. When he felt the board he was on move, jerkily, that’s when he turned to look at what was behind him.

He could see a creature climbing up on the board while trying to keep it afloat. It looked to be human excepting the fins that accented its body. Once it was on the board with him, it looked up. Amber eyes with gold accents met with his own dark orbs. The creature had pail skin and was obviously female. Her short brown hair didn’t cover her developing chest. What mesmerized him the most was the tail it possessed. The elegant tail with blue and purple accents looked much like any fish tail. It - She looked at the boy in awe once she sat comfortably on the board. And he gazed back with just as much curiosity.

A mermaid...

He was left without words. Surely, he had to be dreaming. He had just escaped being killed by a mythical creature, and now he was sitting right in front of another!

She sat, gazing at him, wondering just what he was. She had never seen a creature like this before, Then again, she had never gone to the surface before, Her sisters did warn her about things called “humans”. Was this boy a human? He didn’t seem bad... After all, she had just saved him from a leviathan. How dangerous could he really be? Maybe not all of the legends about humans were true. After all, this one seemed to be in danger.

The board rocked along with the subtle waves. She hadn’t realized that she was hungry until the pain became prominent. Maybe he was hungry too? She hummed a quick “be right back” before slipping into the water.

He watched her, dazzled and amazed. His eyes trying to search for her in the murky depths to see why she had left. When he did find her, she was emerging from deeper in the ocean, and was carrying a fish in her mouth. He backed up on the board to let her climb on.

The fish in her mouth began to fight spasticly in a last attempt to get free. Her jaw closed in on it hard, squeezing the life out of it. She spit it into her hands and offered it to the boy.

He looked at her startled, and a tinny bit discussed, but took it from her gratefully. She then slipped back into the water to get herself food. She reemerged soon after she left with another fish in her mouth to see the boy having trouble tearing the meat from the fish to eat.

She took the fish and tore some of the meat from the body and gave it to him. He muttered something she didn’t understand before eating the meat she helped him get. She began eating her meal too.

~

Anthony Lockwood was a light sleeper. Even with strange rare memories of the past, he was easily woken up.

And the sudden explosions from outside certainly woke him up. And of course, that could only mean one thing; they were under attack. This was a normal occurrence as a pirate, constantly under attack by the Spanish armada, the British armada, or other pirates. And there was one pirate who Captain Lockwood was constantly running into...

Lockwood snatched his weapons of choice as well as his coat. He wouldn’t be caught dead without his coat in a battle. Not only did it distinguish him, it added a bit of style to the fight. He might not always win a battle, but he could always out dazzle his opponent.

He ran out of his quarters into the fight, already knowing who he was fighting. He looked for his opponent. Finding the enemy had already boarded his ship and was fighting his crew. Running through the crowds, he found who he was looking for quickly.

He was shorter, yet older than Lockwood by a few years. He had fiery red hair, olive green eyes, and was also a captain of a ship. This man was Quill Kipps, Irish subordinate to the pirate queen, Penelope Fitties. Lockwood and Kipps never did get along, even before becoming rivals.

After killing the man he was currently fighting, he turned to Lockwood and smirked.

“Well, well, well. Look who I ran into.” Kipps drew his weapon to Lockwood, who drew his weapon to his opponent.

“You know, it is quite rude to attack someone this early in this morning. It would be a little nicer if you gave us a sporting chance.” Lockwood chuckled.

“Sorry, Tony.” Kipps used one of Lockwood’s nicknames, which he hated. “But you looked like you had some good loot on your ship.”

Kipps advanced Lockwood, beginning their battle. Iron swords clashed together in a delicate barrage of attempted attacks, misses and blocks.

“What gave you that idea?” Lockwood tested.

Kipps twirled his sword in complex patterns, some of them, Lockwood had never seen despite being experienced with wielding one. All deadly blows were blocked and dodged. As Lockwood tried to retaliate, Kipps blocked and dodged.

“Just someone I spotted out of the corner of my eye.” He teased. Lockwood didn’t like having to guess what his enemy ment while they were fighting. It was just rude!

“Someone?” Lockwood closed his movements in on Kipps, preforming dangerous moves that required close proximity between the two fighters.

“Riddle me this, Tony,” Kipps taunted, “Who is she?”

Lockwood backed off - not by choice, Kipps had fully pushed him off, knocking him off balance.

“And don’t play dumb.” Kipps looked away from Lockwood for just a moment to find who interested him. “She’s right there.” Lockwood regained his balance to lunge himself back at his enemy, understanding who he was talking about.

“Tony, I didn’t know you had a mistress.” Kipps edged. And did this make Lockwood angry. Mistress?! He was a gentleman!! And Lucy was his friend! Colleague! She was most certainly not a sex object!

“Though, you do have a decent taste. That one is pretty cute.” Kipps continued.

Lockwood was angry before, sure. But now he was livid. Cute? Did he just call Lucy ‘cute’?! Not only assuming she was just a common whore, but calling her a cute one at that!!

“It’s none of your damn business who or what she is!!” He barked. For some reason, hearing Kipps talk so rudely about Lucy really did set him off.

“Woah, I didn’t realize she was that important!” Kipps snickered. “Maybe she’d be something to bribe you with at some point...”

“Ha! See if you can even handle her! She’s a feisty one.” And it was true. No one told Lucy what to do. And anyone who challenged her were sure to get more than they expected from her.

“Is that why you chose her?” Kipps checked.

“I most certainly did not choose Lucy.” Lockwood hadn’t realized that that did sound quite rude given the lack of context in the conversation. “Though you don’t understand just how special she is. After all, someone like her makes those choices.”

He got oddly daydreamy for a minute, recalling the times he spent teaching her how to walk, talk, fight, ect. Somehow, he found a certain charm in just how independent she was. She certainly was special.

“Oooooh, I see how it is.” He laughed. “Never thought I’d see you of all people drooling over a woman, but times do change!”

“What?” Lockwood actually didn’t register what he said in his mind.

Kipps laughed. “Oh, this will be so fun to mess with you later on. But anyway, I think I’ll pass on stealing her from you right now. You can enjoy her for a little longer.” His men had begun to pull back and leave for their own ship. Kipps made a point to always be the last one off an enemy ship, just to be sure he wasn’t leaving any member of his crew behind.

“Hey! You can’t leave yet! I’m not done with you!” Lockwood hissed as Kipps fled his opponents ship to his own. Lucy and George came up to follow him. George had a natural hatred for Kipps, and Lucy was curious as to why they boys were so bent out of shape from this guy.

“Don’t worry, Tony. I’ll be back for your lady soon enough.” He teased one final time. Cannons stopped firing, men stopped shooting as both ships began to part paths. Kippss’ ship was much faster than Lockwoods’ enabling it to hit and run quickly.

Lockwood hissed, gritting his teeth and glaring at his rival as the ships parted courses. Now more than ever did they need to get to a town. Briskly, Lockwood ordered a count of dead, wounded, and missing as well as supplies. Lucy followed her captain while George monitored the men carrying out the captains orders.

“Who was that?” She asked quickly.

“Quill Kipps. My rival and probably the biggest pain in the arse in the world.” Lockwood growled.

“What were you two talking about?” She continued questioning.

“We weren’t talking.” He quickly noted.

“Yes you were. I saw you.” She corrected. “And he was looking at me a lot. Does he know...?”

“No, he doesn’t.” He sighed. “He was just trying to get on my nerves by calling you names. And believe me, it worked.”

She slowed to a stop and let her captain walk off. He certainly did seem angry and she had all the information she wanted. It was probably best to let him blow off some steam before talking again.

Lockwood still couldn’t get something out of his mind. “I’ll be back for your lady”... Your lady... Why did that make him feel strange? Lucy wasn’t his lady. She didn’t belong to anyone! And even more so, she had stated before that she had no magic. She didn’t know what it was.

But still hearing Kipps call her his lady. Hearing him call her cute. He felt almost threatened. And he had no clue why! Lucy could defend herself, and there was absolutely no reason as to why Kipps would want to have her on his ship or even keep her hostage. He gets payed by the people he killed, not by who he took as prisoner. Not who he blackmailed.

And why did Lockwood care so much?! What did it matter? Lucy was safe, he was safe. So why was it causing him so much delema? Why was she always on his mind? Why did his thoughts always go back to her?

 He sighed, too tired to deal with the stress those thoughts caused. It was going to be a long day for him.

[nickyxlloyd]

Post-Pool Party Spin the Bottle Recap

LOCATION: Keaton's room after the pool party CHARACTERS: @ezragreenn , @hollandstxrling , @damnkeaton , @hey-juda , @jameshardesty , @nickyxlloyd , @carmenstrcde . SUMMARY: these nerds play spin the bottle, eat pizza, and watch pokemon.  TRIGGERS: kissing and joking mentions of homophobia. (idk man to be safe) PS: we did this on discord, so here it’s lengthy. if you decided to read, bless you. also if you would rather read the interactions on discord, you can hit me up and i’ll add you to the server. <3

Keaton: Keaton had proposed the idea of those who were still going strong toward the end of the party to return to his hotel when someone next door began complaining about how much noise they had been making, and the others bailed back to their respective rooms (or the rooms of others). Keaton was leaning against the entertainment center, half blocking the tv with another drink in his hand. He took the last swig from the bottle, set it down, then shifted aside to grab yet another. "I don't know, I guess I get that she probably had to work early tomorrow, or maybe she has kids. I just thought it was a bit of an exaggeration. A please would've been nice, you know?"

Holland: "It's her fault for deciding to live in a Motel 8. What does she expect, complete serenity at all times? That's ridiculous. I hope someone has really loud, really obnoxious sex in the room next to hers." Holland didn't like to be ordered around. That much, she had to guess, was clear. She took another drink from her water bottle with an exaggerated eye roll. "I need someone to take my mind off of door 4B before I go and start yelling."

Nicky: Nicky kicked back on the couch, "We weren't even being that loud. She's just annoyed that we're young and having fun while she's living in a Motel 8 and going to bed before 11 o'clock at night." She took a sip from her third capri sun of the party, "It's tragic, really, but it doesn't give her the right to be a killjoy."

Ezra: Ezra rolled his eyes from the window, drunk to the point of being happy and the jokester that he was. "Do you guys want me to go to her room and cause a scene?" He was being completely serious and he hoped that others knew.  Ezra was also a little high so he was standing on the wall of the room as still as the people from that Blair witch movie.

 Jamie: Jamie tended to give people a break, usually trying to see their point of view but she was tipsy and slightly bugged. It’s not like they’d been screaming outside or her door or something but maybe Keaton was right. Maybe she did have work or kids sleeping or it could have just been a bad day and she wanted peace. Whatever the situation Jamie felt a little less annoyed with every passing second. “Um.. something tells me she’d call the cops? So.. um.. distraction.” She looked around like it’d pop up. “How about we.. get in touch with our teenage selves?” Did that even make sense? James scrunched her nose. “We should play spin the bottle I can’t remember the last time we did that and it’s a good distraction..”

Juda: Juda sat, cross-legged, at the foot of one of the beds. He was grasping a spiked seltzer in his hands. "I mean we were screaming and it is a Tuesday night." Juda knew the burden of having to get up for an early commute so he empathized with the woman.  "At least we can keep the party going in here!"

Ezra: Ezra nodded his head at Jamie's idea. "You know, as high school as that idea is - I'm totally in." Ezra took an unopened bottle from the 6-pack he just purchased and managed to chug the bottle as quickly as he could before reaching out with the hand the bottle was in. "Who else is in?" He looked over at Juda. "Also, babe - it's a fucking motel people probably get murdered here and fuck hookers. She should be happy that the noise is different for a change." Ezra realized his words were harsh. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry...it's escorts now."

Jamie: Jamie popped a few of the alcoholic gummies she had left in her mouth, glad someone liked the idea, waiting to see if others would too. She was totally not just drunk and wanting to make out with someone or anything.

Holland: "Is that really the only thing you found wrong with that sentence, Ezra?"

Nicky: Nicky rolled her eyes at Ezra's comment but she was also on board with spin the bottle so she moved from the couch onto the floor near where Juda sat, "I'm in."

Jamie: “Yay!” She joined them on the floor.

Keaton: Keaton opened what would possibly be his final bottle of the night. "Maybe we should've invited her to hang out instead." he shrugged it off, then, as he sat down on the floor with his back to the entertainment center he had just been leaning against. "Flashback to fifteen. I'm in for old times sake."

Juda: "Okay that's fair but still I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt." He huffed before taking another sip of his seltzer. At the mention of spin the bottle Juda tensed up. He used to hate that game in high school. Before he was out he would always have to find some way to excuse himself from the party so as to not get roped into playing. He decided to see how it would play out. After all, they were a long way past high school and Juda was much more comfortable with himself now.

Carmen: Carmen's brows furrowed at the suggestion. "Is it really necessary to play just to relive our teenage years?" She stood reluctantly off to the side, not sure if it was the smartest idea to play.

Nicky: "C'mon Carmen, we're all friends here. I'm sure it'll be fun." Nicky said encouragingly, patting the ground next to her.

Keaton: "Don't act like you don't want to jump at the opportunity to kiss me, Carm. You're not fooling me." Keaton offered a playful wink, to make it clear that he was joking and held a second drink out to her. "Come on."

Jamie:“Necessary? Probably not but I think it could be fun.” She shrugged.

Holland: Holland had already made the floor her home, so all she did was crawl until she was next to Nicky, collapsing on the other girl's shoulder with a long-suffering sigh. "I swam too much. So I'm at 15% right now. I need one of you to give me a good reason to stay conscious."

Juda: "I'm down to play but maybe for only one or two rounds." He said softly. Trying to make eye contact with Carmen for reassurance.

Carmen: Carmen rolled her eyes at the comments, folding her arms over her chest. Glancing at them all for a second, she ended up caving. "Fine," she sighed. "Maybe a round or two."

Ezra: Ezra put the bottle in the middle of everyone that was placing. "Alright. Someone, please put on some music and I swear to god if someone plays anything with Cardi B I will automatically use my magic to get the bottle to spin on you because I'd want to kiss you now." He loved Cardi B when he was drunk for some reason and knew every word to Bodak Yellow. "I vote that Carmen goes first!"

Nicky: Nicky smiled as Carmen decided to join, "Yes, everybody plays!" She said as Holland leaned on her shoulder, "I'm sure someone here will energize you."

Carmen: She shot a quick glare at Ezra. "Can't we start with someone else?"

Keaton: Keaton drew his knees up toward his chest with one arm while the other held his drink. "I can confidently say I don't have any songs by Cardi B on any of my playlists. Sorry, man."

Jamie: “If no one wants to volunteer to go first we could spin the bottle and pick it that way?”

Holland: "Smart, smart. This is why you're tonight's ringleader, J."

Juda: Juda remained quiet. He was already beginning to stress out about all of the random outcomes that could happen.

Holland: "Okay, whatever, since I don't see anyone else manning up." Holland sighed before she reached into the center of the circle, took hold of the bottle, and spun it. "This is to decide who's goin--" before she could finish, the bottle had come to a halt. And it was aimed at her. "The gods have spoken." She readied herself with a shake of her hands before she spun again, watching and waiting as it slowly came to a halt. "Awe, Juda!"

Juda: When the bottle creeped its way towards him, his nerves were validated. He rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm first...nothing against you Holland, I just knew it would land on me right away." He paused for a moment, "So want me to come over to you or-." The logistics passed the bottle stopped escaped him

Keaton: Keaton immediately broke out in a rendition of Kiss the Girl from the Little Mermaid, albeit slightly under his breath as he held the beer bottle to his lips with a small smile(edited)

Holland: "We meet in the middle." Holland laughed as she got to her knees and made her way to the center of their misshapen circle. "Lay one on me, baby boy." Even as she spoke, she rose a hand to flip Keaton off, her smile remaining in Juda's direction. "Don't worry, I won't make you act like you mean it."

Keaton: Keaton put a hand over his chest, as if genuinely insulted by the finger she raised in his direction. "Listen, the Little Mermaid is a legendary fucking movie, alright?"

Juda: Juda gave Keaton a fierce side eye before making his way to the middle as well. "Who knows maybe we will fall in love." With that, he leaned in, closed his eyes and kissed Holland. As expected it was painfully platonic but still, he remained for a few seconds. When he pulled back he surveyed the circle, "I- I wasn't sure how long we were supposed to kiss. Was that good?"

Ezra: Ezra chuckled. "That was the most polite round I've ever seen."

Holland: Holland had to keep herself from laughing (or cringing, she couldn't tell) as the kiss endured. It felt like kissing a brother she didn't have. "I think we can call it."

Juda: "Did you expect anything else from me in this game" Juda sat back down nudging Ezra playfully

Nicky: "Jude, it's your turn now, babe." Nicky said when she realized he wasn't aware of the rules.

Juda: "You mean I have to go again?" He was already overwhelmed that the spotlight had been turned so quickly on him. "Okay okay." He grabbed the bottle and twirled it, maybe a little too aggressively. When it stopped it faced Nicky.

Nicky: "Okay, c'mon we have to allow a re-spin here right?" Nicky protested on both of their behalfs, "We're both too gay for this."

Holland: "Don't be homophobic Nicky."

Ezra: "Wow...it's 2018, Nicky." Ezra followed Holland's words.

Juda: "I think it's homophobic to not let me spin again." He piped in.

Carmen: "I mean, they shouldn't have to kiss if they don't want to..."

Jamie: “Best cheek kiss ever time?”

Keaton:"Honestly, it doesn't matter to me. do whatever your hearts desire. Are kisses on the cheek allowed, for the record?"

Holland: "I think it's homophobic for you two to not nut up or shut up." She balled a fist and slapped it against her open palm as to create a dramatic punctuation for her words.

Ezra: "Just allow the cheek kiss." Ezra agreed, Getting up quickly to grab another drink.

Nicky: "Listen, Holland. you're the one forcing a man to kiss a woman when he doesn't want to, sounds pretty homophobic to me." she said jokingly, but she moved into the center of the circle. "Fine, come kiss my cheek, Juda.”

Juda: "I feel like that is lame though." He loved Nicky but if kissing Holland was like kissing his sister Nicky was somehow a level above that. 'I'm fine with that though."Juda leaned over and pecked her on the cheek, "There is everyone happy?" He passed the bottle off to Nicky

Holland: "No, I'm not." Holland huffed, then stuck out her tongue at the two of them. It was still good-natured, but that didn't mean she had to act it.

Ezra: Ezra moved back to his seat. "As long as you're happy, I'm always happy." He smiled with his teeth right before a bottle followed. He quickly moved to whisper to Juda. "Sorry about that. I was totally not being as serious as I sounded."

Juda: Juda leaned in while smiling, "It's really fine. I'm not as upset as I sounded. Just...my luck you know."

Jamie: Jamie felt bad her suggestion now seemed to be making others uncomfortable but didn’t know whether to apologize so she busied herself with a drink.

Nicky: "Alright, now that we're all satisfied other than Holland, let's move on," Nicky said as she spun the bottle in the middle, watching as it landed on Jamie who was just taking a drink, "Alright, Jamie we're up," she said, pointing at Jamie.

Ezra: Ezra pat him on the back. "Well, just know that you can always play with me later."

Jamie: Jamie nearly dropped her drink when she realized. “Ooh me!” She smiled a little and moved towards the middle.

Nicky: Nicky smiled as Jamie made her way into the middle, "Yes, you. Let's do this," she said as she put a hand on Jamie's cheek and leaned in to kiss her. She pressed her lips against Jamie's for a bit before pulling back.

Holland: "This is much more boring than I'd anticipated."

Nicky: "Get fucked, Holland," Nicky shot back playfully, "The game's just starting."

Jamie: She smiled again when they broke apart. “Boring? Is it because no ones kissed the other to the floor yet? Lack of tongue?” She was kidding.

Juda: "To be fair this group is pretty poorly balanced."

Ezra: "This is why you should have pre-gamed with Sonny and I. I'm staring at the wall and having a great time."

Keaton: "Shit, you guys pre-gamed without me? That's alright, Nicky and I... half-gamed? " He was sure there was a word for it, but he had been drinking just enough to forget it. "We smoked too, at some point."

Juda: "Haven't most of us been 'pre-gaming' all day?" Juda had maintained a consistent buzz for hours. He honestly was shocked he hadn't crashed yet

Jamie: “And to think all I did was eat a ho ho standing by the sink,” She moved to spin the bottle.

Holland: "Same, Jamie, same."

Ezra: "Half-gamed?" Ezra just started chuckling, taking another drink. "We literally walked out why everyone was talking? That's always the "we are going to smoke because why the fuck were we talking about ghosts on the bus."

Jamie: “I got me... alas, not today because I’m not in the mood.” Making out with herself would probably be super boring so she spun again. “Hello, Carmen.” She winked playfully in her direction bc and moved to the middle. 

Ezra: "Wait...Keaton for some reason I had no idea that you smoked."

Keaton: "You guys have been hanging out with Dev too much, there are no fucking ghosts on the bus." Maybe Keaton just didn't want to believe in such a thing. Keaton had smoked for pretty much as long as he could remember, so he just shrugged. "Guess you haven't been paying enough attention to me."

Carmen: Carmen had been half watching up until the bottle pointed in her direction. Eyes widening slightly, she felt the slightest bit of panic. "Um... Hi?"

Jamie: Was she nervous? Everything was slightly blurred so it was hard to tell for sure. “Cheek kisses are an option?” Just in case.

Holland: "Only in valid cases of two gays. You two aren't two gays."

Carmen: This would've been a lot easier if she had had a little more to drink. "No, it's, uh fine." She put on a brave face, though probably looked half-terrified, and moved to the center.

Jamie: Jamie smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner as she moved to the middle. She didn’t want to spook anyone so she was careful as she leaned in to press her lips against Carmen’s.

Carmen: Carmen tried to smile back, but her nerves were getting the best of her. She let Jamie take the lead, otherwise frozen to her spot in the center. The kiss was quick, Carmen pulling away after a second, but she let out a breath now that it was over. She shot Jamie an awkward smile before going back to her spot.

Keaton: Keaton glanced at Carmen, noting an uneasiness that was pretty unusual for her. he didn't want to draw too much attention, so he moved as much as he had to talk to her quietly. "You okay?

Ezra: Ezra looked over at Juda hoping only he saw, and his eyes were widened.

Jamie: It was over before she could blink but she didn’t mind as she flashed her a smile. Now to find where she’d set her drink as she moved back to her spot.

Juda: Juda shot Ezra a look telling him to knock it off.

Carmen: She gave a quick glance over to Keaton. "I'm good," she murmured, shifting her gaze to the bottle. "It's my turn right?" Quick to grab the bottle, she gave it a spin. Was it bad that she let out a sigh of relief when it landed on Juda? Because that's exactly what she did. "Sorry, Jude. Cheek kiss?"

Juda: Juda bit his lower lip realizing that it was back on him. He took another sip of his drink and shrugged, "No it's okay. I think the cheek kiss rule only applies to Nicky and me because we are Nicky and me." He readjusted and leaned over to Carmen.

Carmen: Nodding her head, she leaned in to meet him. It was easier this time around, pressing her lips to his for a second.

Juda: It was easier for him too. The initials nerves were off and he was comfortable with Carmen to let it happen. "Sorry Holland, still nothing too exciting for you..." He grabbed the bottle and spun it once again. This time landing on Ezra, "..but who knows."

Holland: "Oh, whatever. I've given up hope."

Keaton: Quietly, again, Keaton begins singing. This time High Hopes by Panic! and the Disco as he discards another bottle in favor of a cold one from the cooler nearby.

Holland: "Keaton, not to be weird, but you should sing me to sleep tonight. But only death metal songs in a lullaby voice. I want it to be a challenge."

Nicky: Nicky swatted Holland on the arm playfully, "Lighten up, Holly. Not every kiss is going to be x-rated."

Keaton: "Ah, that's hardly a challenge. I'll accept it anyway, though. Just have to wrack my brain for some songs."

Holland: "Ow. Not only is my arm bruised, Nicky, but my heart is too."

Nicky: "I'm sure Keaton's lullaby will distract you from the pain," Nicky said.

Holland: "Here's hoping. Meet me in my room, Keat."

Ezra: Ezra teased. "I'm not gay, I don't kiss dudes." He quickly got on his knees, turning towards Juda and smiling at his ex-boyfriend. "I know you'll enjoy this." He put his lips to Juda's, kissing for a fair amount of time and it was on the verge of turning into a make-out before he pulled away and moving back down to his seat.  "Gets better every time." He winked at Juda before his hand moved to spin the bottle. He knew that it would land on a girl and it landed on Holland. "Hmmmmmmmmmm."

Juda: After their kiss, Juda sat back down. Ezra had grabbed and kissed him so quickly that his mind hadn't even fully caught up. "There's your fun kiss Holland. But I'll gladly share the wealth." Juda jumped on Ezra's playful hmmm

Holland: "Is this homophobic, too?" After watching Ezra with Juda, Holland had only just finished laughing when she noticed and commented on the bottle pointing in her direction. "What're we doing here, E?" At Juda's comment, she rolled her eyes with a quiet laugh. "Shut up, J. Or I'll make you kiss Nicky again."

Ezra:  Ezra lightly nudged Juda and looked at Holland.  "Well, I can't give you as good of a show as that but I come pretty close. " Ezra didn't mind kissing someone on the mouth, there was a time when he thought he was possibly bisexual and hooked up with a girl (worst memory of his life he had to imagine it was Ryan Gosling).

Holland: "Okay, your funeral. I'm going to turn you straight." She joked, flashing a smile at Juda. She found her way to the middle of the circle yet again, holding her arms out until Ezra was close enough to pull in, her hands planted firmly on each side of his face as she pressed a kiss to his lips. Obviously, there was still nothing attractive about it, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to have fun with it. Her hands ran wildly across his hair as she forced down a laugh, finally breaking away with a dramatized gasp for air, fanning herself off. "Dunno how Juda survived."

Juda: "I didn't." He said deadpan. "I'm actually rather dead right now. You've been hanging out with a ghost ever since the first time we kissed."

Holland: "So Devon was right all along."

Ezra: "Am I going to have to get one of those fucking pottery wheels and sing unchained melody?" Ezra said, quickly walking to his backpack to put on a hat after his hair was messed with. He was very serious about his appearance. "Listen, at least now I can wear my new black hat."

Keaton: Keaton sat back down with a fresh bottle of beer, among the last that they had left, and silently flipped on the TV. Of course, there were only a handful of channels that weren't just static. One of which was an episode of the newest season of pokemon. Keaton quietly tried to follow what was happening with low volume, but was visibly perplexed with his mouth agape and eyebrows furrowed.

Holland: "I was going to apologize, before I remembered that I don't care and that I'm not sorry."

Juda: Juda bopped Ezra on the brim of the hat, "I'd love to do couples pottery babe." He chuckled and then turned his attention to the TV. "Is that suppose to be Ash?  The art style is so different."

Carmen: "What is this show?"

Ezra: Ezra totally forgot that he ordered pizza moments before the game, and a knock on the door is what made him remember. "Guys. It's the police..." He joked before walking to the door, grabbing the pizza, and walking back in where Keaton was watching Pokemon. "What the fuck happened to Rock and the one girl who hated men?"

Keaton: Keaton glanced at Juda, then focused back on the screen. "Is he seriously still a kid? Hasn't it been like... twenty-years?"

Holland: It was about that time, chaps, so she looked back to the bottle on the floor with a sigh. She reached out and gripped it with a look of concentration, whipping her wrist so that the bottle went faster than the time before. Although it didn't seem like many people cared, at that point. "AHEM. Keaton, if you wouldn't mind. You're needed elsewhere."

Nicky: "The girl who hated men is right here, Ez." Nicky joked.

Juda: Juda fell for Ezra's joke and whipped his head around thinking the police were there.

Holland: "Juda why are you even nervous? We're legal now." She paused, "Oh, wait. People smoked bud. I retract my previous statement."

Juda:"I'm not about to get into the complexities of why I would be nervous about cops knocking on our motel door after we had already gotten noise complaints...now go kiss Keaton. That should be fun!"

Ezra: "It's illegal to have drugs, not do them I think we are fine." He lightly leaned against Juda. "My hair is iconic!"

Keaton: "Misty? Togepi was pretty cool." He commented absentmindedly, only half paying attention to the game they were still in the middle of playing. He hadn't actually had his chance to spin so far, but it seemed his misses had run out. "I thought my job was just to sit here and look pretty, not actually play." he joked, with a small smile

Juda: "Don't forget sing. Your job is to sing too." He said finishing his drink.

Holland: "You were failing that job the moment you started watching Pokemon. But whatever, I could always spin again."

Keaton: "I can't sing, kiss someone and watch pokemon." he sighed, tossing the remote onto one of the beds. "Alright, come on Princess." Keaton said as he sat up on his knees and leaned across to meet her.

Holland: Holland hated that she actually laughed at what Keaton said, but once she was in the middle to meet him, she wiped away her smile. This was the first potential kiss of the night that could possibly even be something other than awkward. Her nose scrunched as she got closer, a joking attempt to ease the tension growing inside of her. She wasn't sure why she was nervous, but she was. After a moment of not doing anything, she merely rested her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward to press her lips to his.

Keaton: Keaton paused when she did, his voice low now that they were mere inches from one another. "Never thought you were the type to hold back, Holland." he teased in a whisper, leaning his weight on one hand and holding the side of her face in the other as they kissed.

Holland: Holland couldn't keep herself from smiling mid-kiss, her arm instinctively wrapping around his neck. For a second, she nearly forgot where they were or why they were kissing at all, until a loud I CHOOSE YOU erupted from the screen behind them, making her jump away. She released a shaky laugh as she moved back to her place in the group, eyes on the ground as she hid her grin with her fist. "Okay, welp. Your turn."

Ezra: Ezra looked at Juda again, giving the same wide-eyed look with a mouthful of pizza.

Nicky: Nicky looked down at her hands as Keaton and Holland kissed, suddenly very interested in her cuticles.

Juda: Juda raised his eyebrow at Ezra, rolled his eyes and got up. He moved over to grab a slice of pizza but muted the tv first.

Keaton: Keaton wasn't necessarily opposed to kissing anyone in the group, aside from Nicky (or Avocado as he tended to call her). Perhaps he made the kiss last a bit longer, and a bit deeper than he normally would've though. Just for the sake of getting Holland to stop complaining for a while. At the sound of the TV, Keaton couldn't help but to pull away from her and start laughing. "Alright." He leaned back again, and spun the bottle which landed pointing directly toward him twice, before finally stopping on Juda. "You up for one more kiss, Romeo?"

Juda: Juda turned around having just taken a bite of his pizza. He was now mentally kicking himself for deciding to take a slice. It wasn't hard to tell that he was a little more excited to hear his name get called this time around. "I think I can manage...just uh sorry if I have pizza breath." He mentally kicked himself again (just shut up Juda).

Nicky: Nicky sighed and leaned back on her palms a bit before pushing herself up and heading over to the pizza once Juda headed back to the circle. She picked up a piece and sat on the bed for a minute. "Juda's got all the luck tonight," she joked. 

Holland: Holland watched Nicky leave her spot, expecting her to return once she'd gotten food. When the space next to her wasn't filled again, her eyes found the girl as she sat on the bed. Her eyebrows furrowed just slightly with her confusion, although she chose not to say anything about it. Instead she turned her attention back to the two boys she'd already had two very different experiences with, put her fingers in her mouth, and used them to whistle.

Keaton: "It's alright, I was going to grab a slice anyway." Keaton reassured him, with a smile as he stood up to meet Juda half way. "We could always kiss Lady and the Tramp style." he joked as he drew closer, one hand at Juda's waist to pull him closer while the other lightly touched the side of his neck. "You good?" he paused for a yes before finally closing the last few inches to kiss him.

Juda: "I think I'll pass on the spaghetti bit." He let out a quick laugh while still looking down. When Keaton grabbed his waist and neck Juda's body fully reacted in some combination of goosebumps and butterflies in his stomach. He softly responded, "Yeah...I'm good," and then tilted his head and kissed Keaton.

Nicky: Nicky finished her piece of pizza and got up before heading back to sit down next to Holly and Carmen. "I feel like the boys are having way better luck tonight," she commented to them with a laugh.

Ezra: Ezra's eyes went another direction. "There's a mean girls quote for this." He mumbled under his breath.

Keaton: It was strange how much they'd all changed since high school, wasn't it? Keaton had never had the chance to kiss Juda back then, by the fates of the Spin the Bottle Gods. Or perhaps the bottle had landed the right way, but back then neither of them were brave enough to step up. Now, he closed his eyes and held onto the kiss for a little while longer. It was different than the kiss with Holland, in some way. More... gentle and slow he supposed. Still, undoubtedly pleasant.

Juda: Juda smiled through the kiss. It was intensely satisfying and very comforting. Especially with how he was being held by Keaton. As they began to pull back Juda's racing mind began to regain control. He didn't want the moment to be over. He wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling. If his excitement was that of his past self's question finally being answered, even if it was in a semi-forced way, or if the excitement was new and in the present. All he knew was that he was glad it happened and with that, his game time was over

Ezra: Ezra stood up, deciding it was time for him to go. "Well, I'd love to stay but I'm tired as fuck." And a little jealous? It had to just be him being tired. "Keep the pizza."  Ezra nodded to Juda’s words and walked out with him. He said as he grabbed his bag and began walking out of the room. “I’m big spoon tonight. You’re also hot as fuck and since I like you so much I’d like to see you shirtless” he said while moving to lightly grip Juda's hand.

Juda: He leaned back on Ezra, "Okay and with that, I think it's time to call it. No? Yeah?" He kept talking unprovoked.

Keaton: As they parted, Keaton kept just a small amount of space between them for just a moment. The smile on Juda's face made him smile as well. He let go, his fingers falling from their positions and to Keaton's side, as Juda addressed Ezra, and took a step backward. "Honestly, I'm glad we made my room the venue. That means I get to keep the pizza, right?"

Nicky: Nicky turned to Carmen, "Do you want pizza? I think I'm going to grab a slice before I try to track down Sonny to make sure he's not dead and head to my room."

Carmen: At some point during the rounds, Carmen got up to get herself a drink. It had been the only thing keeping her from bolting after her turns. She was just glad she hadn't been picked again, but once Ezra had gotten up to leave, she was quick to use that as an excuse to follow. Or she was until Nicky spoke to her. "Oh, uh.. No, that's okay. I don't think I'm feeling that hungry."

Nicky: "Okay cool," Nicky said as she stood up, "I'm not letting Kiwi here have an entire cheese pizza to himself, especially since he got to kiss like so many more people than I did," she exaggerated as she grabbed another piece of pizza. 

Keaton: "I kissed two people, Avocado." He rolled his eyes as he fell backward onto his hotel bed with a mouthful of pizza. "It isn't our fault that your one true love isn't here. Do people put avocado on pizza? Probably, right?"

Nicky: "I bet they do in California, seems like something they'd do." Nicky said as she headed towards the door, "Anyone wanna walk back to the rooms together? Power in numbers," she asked the remaining members of the game, half joking since the rooms weren't far.

Keaton: "Goodnight everyone!" Keaton called out as he stood back up, planning to at least watch them walk back to their room from the doorway of his.

Holland: "I'll walk you, Nicky." Holland offered, dusting herself off after standing up. "Keaton, don't forget that you owe me a goodnight song."

Carmen: With everyone getting up to go, Carmen felt like she could make her exit. "Good night," she uttered before heading back to her room.

[seddm]

Daron’s Q&A at Creativa Fest

I transcribed the questions Daron answered to during a panel at the Creativa Fest 2017. Below, a summary of what she said; after that, a complete transcription. Thanks to Alfrely on YouTube for having provided the video!

Continues after the Keep Reading

RECAP

- Daron has an idea for the series' finale.

- The original plan was for Marco not to have any friends: "Star and Marco are kinda like these only children, and they connect together, and they have like this special bond", but Disney executives wanted him to have male friends as well, and they came up with Alfonzo and Ferguson. Since they didn't really know what to do with them, they have been absent from S2. They are going to "come back a little" in S3.

- Daron has no real reason for Marco being Mexican, she just wanted him to be the average angelino.

- Daron originally pitched the show, when she was still a CalArts student, to Cartoon Network (to Craig McCracken and Rob Renzetti) for a project called “The Cartoonstitute”. They didn’t want to make anything out of it, but later Renzetti introduced her to Nickelodeon,where a one minute short was created, without them wanting to tale it any further, though. She eventually pitched it to Disney, where a pilot episode was and then greenlit into a full show (the whole process took about a year).

- In Blood Moon Ball, when Marco heard a voice talking to him, seagulls sounds were supposed to play, making it immediatly obvious how the one speaking was the Sea Captain in the frame, but the sound was forgotten during the episode's mixing. What or who he is might be “a bit” relevant in the future.

- There will probably be more "Tomco moments". “I am a fan of Tomco myself” said Daron, laughing.

- Daron couldn't say if we're going to learn something about Star and Tom's past, but there will be more on them.

- According to Daron all the dimensions seen in the show are “in the same space”, as if they were always “on the same planet”, but in different dimensions [imagine it as a stack of papers, the scissors allowing to go from one to another]. But, at the end of the day, “It’s fantasy. I think we are always like trying to make it logical, but I also think that at a certain point if you overthink it nothing probably actually makes sense”.

- Daron is happy to see the fandom being so excited about shipping, but also believes that fans likes to be “upset”, and that a show has to keep things interesting, no one would watch a show that were to be just “"Star and Marco get together and they will be like so happy, the end”. She also specified that they don’t let the fandom influence their writing, and that it’s understandably impossible to make everyone happy.

- Jackie is not a mermaid, nor magical. She sees her as a typical Venice Beach girl who is into skateboards and the ocean. And Janna is not a witch.

- Daron sometimes sees a fan theory and thinks "Oh that was really good!" (in relation to the show being written so much in advance compared to what airs). She also mentions liking a theory about Moon having been an exchange student in Toffee's dimension [specifying that's not what they actually did.]

- Adam had to audition to be cast as adult Marco in Running With Scissors, since Daron initially think his voice would have been too young sounding.

- Since Star has been a thing for Daron years before the show's production began, she doesn't really feel like she's "talking to Star" when she talks to Eden -while several of the crew members do feel that way, same with Adam.

- There's some shared background to Moon and Toffee's story.

- Writing is Daron's favorite part of making an episode, and she doesn't impose her ideas, but goes with the best one, discussing it with her crew. She also feels like, while the original idea for the show is hers, it would have never become as big as it is now without all the people working on it.

- There's going to be more about Eclipsa.

- Daron has ideas for other shows, but hasn’t really had time to develop them so far, being busy on Star.

- Star is her favorite character, as she is "close to her heart".

- StarFan13 was originally a one-time gag in Brittney's Party (boarded by Ian Wasseluk), but they then liked and kept using her.

- What Star did in Storm the Castle is a "precursor" to dipping down, she was channeling magic through her.

- Daron wanted to do some kind of "cameo crossover" with Rick & Morty and Gravity Falls, placing a common object in a scene, but while they ended up doing it, she didn't manage to. Talking about the idea of an actual crossover, she “feel like it could be... maybe Gravity Falls, maybe...?”.

- While some might have saved themselves, most of Ludo's old monsters died in the explosion in Storm the Castle.

- Daron doesn't know yet what she's going to do once the series is over, she might take a break, or eventually make a new show.

- Daron wishes Disney would do SVTFOE toys, and suggest fans to bother them to do it [Disney apparently values a lot people asking for products at their stores, when it comes to choose what merchandise to make]

- While talking about the show's animation, Daron said that they "had some troubles-", but then got interrupted and didn't pick up the question again. This might be related to the " number of difficulties producing the first season" she mentioned in this interview.

- While drawing a Marco on a fan’s book, Daron accidentally gave him heart cheeks, thus making the first official (?) Marar cosplay. If you want to hear Daron almost saying “Oh shit”, click here.

- Daron sometimes gets surprised by seeing fans liking episodes or scenes that she felt like were bad. "I think people connect with different parts of the show". She chose not to say if she has least favorite episodes, as not to lessen all the hard work everyone puts into the show, but said that first season was a little rough, since they still had to figure out things.

- Mewberty, Blood Moon Ball, Storm the Castle, Into the Wand and Face the Music are (among) her favorite episodes, and she was very excited about Ludo in the Wild.

- Most of the tapestries in Into the Wand were designed by one of the storyboarders, Jushtin Lee, and then got turned into the final designs seen in the episodes by background and layout artists.

- There are going to be songs in future episodes as well.

- There are probably going to be more guest stars in S3, but that's something for Disney to announce.

- We might see Star's "mewberty form" again [related post by show’s producer Hammersley].

- Daron designed Star and Marco, but for most of the other characters she just gives rough sketches or ideas to the designers. She described Hekapoo to Becky Dreistadt, the artist who designed her, as "a kinda fiery elf thing".

- Daron is not familiar with drawing Tom, since she didn't design him. It kinda shows.

- We might get to know what Lekmet's role in the Magic High Commission was, and Daron answered to a question about him being really dead or not with "Well he's gone to ashes, so...".

- Daron wants her characters, and villains, to have a perspective, and she feels like they did that with Toffee, comparing him to a Magneto-like character, who is not wrong, but is going about things the wrong way. He has "his own perspective" about how Mewmans treat monsters.

- Daron and Cheyenne Curtis (S1 designer) drew "like 100 dresses", since the executives at Disney were very concerned about it, not wanting them to be too girly or to have puffy sleeves (but Daron managed to put them in S2).

- The livechats, which were Disney's idea, are not “totally canon”, but they had an outline.

- The Star and Marco Guide To Mastering Every Dimension was supposed to be published after the first 14 episodes in S2, and the events into it are a little bit after Bon Bon The Birthday Clown and before the episodes that aired in February.

- As seen in Crystal Clear, Eclipsa, frozen in Rhombulus’ crystals, moved her arm, and the glove remained stuck in place just like Star's socks.

- Daron can't tell where Toffee's finger ended up when Star's room disappeared from Marco's house, nor if the color coding of dimensions in Heinous' metallurgy book in St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses has a connection to the wand/magic.

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTION

Q- Do you have a finale planned for the show? A- Yeah, I kinda got an idea.

Q- What happened to Al & Ferg A- It's funny like you know pitching a show for a network and stuff, so... and Disney is so awesome, they just let me do so many cool things in the show and they've been like so awesome, they really are trying to do amazing things in animation. But one of the things they really wanted for the first season with Marco, is that they were like "He doesn't have male friends. And we want him to have male friends 'cause we want him to be more... male, I guess? I don't know." So I didn't know... my original plan was for, you know it's like Star and Marco are kinda like these only children, and they connect together, and they have like this special bond. And I didn't really see Marco as having like friends. So I had to came up with some friends, so I created Ferguson and Alfonzo. I have to say that I didn't feel like I was getting a lot out of them. Like I really didn't know what to do with them. They are - they do come back a little in the 3rd season, I can tell you that. They are not gone forever, but honestly, I really didn't know what to do with them, they were kinda hard for me to write. But I'm glad that you like them. It was almost becoming a joke, we were like "Oh, we don't like them". They are in the comic, though.

Q- Why is Marco Mexican? A- Well so, you know, I grew up in Los Angeles, and I just wanted Marco to be your average angelino, so he's mexican, makes sense, you know? So no real reason other than that, you know. Asker: he looks a lot like you husband Daron: yeah a little bit, there's my husband, everybody look at him. I'm just embarrassing him a little bit

Q- In the Blood Moon Ball chapter there was this voice that talked to Marco, will we get to know who it was? A- Ok, that's a funny story too. So the voice is supposed to be the Sea Captain in the frame. And when we were doing the animatic. You know when we do the animatics, it's all the storyboard drawings, and they are all timed to be animated, we had the sound effect of seagulls, right? So that when you saw the picture you heard the seagulls, you'd knew that it was the sea captain. But when we did the final mix of the episode, the mix is like... we put all the final music and sounds and dialogues together, and check the levels and make sure that all- it's what you see on TV, for some reason the seagulls dropped down. We forgot, we didn't notice the seagulls were gone. And then when it was on tv there were all these people like "Who was talking to Marco? Was it the moon? Was it-" and I was like "Ah damnit we forgot the seagulls!". So it's the sea captain. Who does actually... maybe tie a little bit later. You'll see.

Q- How was it to pitch the series? A- I was kinda lucky, I went to school at CalArts in Los Angeles, and a lot of our teachers are actually coming from the studios to teach. You know so they are coming from CN, Nickelodeon, Disney... to each class, and you have the opportunity to know the teachers. And somewhere I heard that cartoon network, actually, they were taking pitches, they were taking pitches from students, from anybody. You just had to sign up, and it was called "Cartoonstitute". So I signed up for that, and I had been drawing Star for a little bit, and when I got the opportunity to pitch for Cartoonstitute I came up with a plot and some of the characters, and I actually pitched it to Craig McCracken and Rob Renzetti, which was amazing, I was like twenty. You know, Star is like ten years old, I created Star like ten years ago. My original pitch to them... and you know, CN ultimately didn't want to do the project, but I made a connection with Rob and Craig. So when I was in my fourth year at school Rob recommended me to Nickelodeon, so I brought it to Nickelodeon, they liked Star, so we did a one minute short that we produced, and they ultimately didn't want to take it any further, so... and I was like out of school, trying to find a job was very hard, it took me like a year to find a job, I was very broke, and then I brought it to Disney, eventually, and they wanted to try it! So then we made a pilot, which is a long process, right? It was very exciting just to get the pilot, and then I... I don't know how many pilots a year they do. I mean I feel like if I had to guess, maybe Disney they hear like a hundred pitches, and then they take like 10 pilots- probably less, probably more like five pilots, and then maybe they pick one to make a show. So it's very exciting to get to the pilot phase. And that took about a year, just to make the pilot, and then they tested it on kids and- you know there's a whole process for that, and in the meanwhile I was working at different studios, I was working at Warner Brothers doing a little bit of animation, I did storyboard revisions at Nickelodeon. Which is actually a really good- if anybody, like you know, wants to work in animation like at places like CN or Disney and stuff. Storyboard revision is a really good step in the door, you are basically cleaning up storyboards and stuff like that. And they were eventually like "Ok we want to make it into a show", and I was like "Aaah!", very exciting. But yeah, so... I think the thing I'm happy about with Star is that it really... I pitched a lot of other things too, but I feel like Star was close to my heart, like it was important to me, and I think that came through, you know? Like I think that if you are coming up with the ideas there has to be like a personal connection, or it's just not- or else you are just making something to sell them I guess, and it's never going to feel authentic, you know?

Q- I really love Tomco, so are we going to see more Tomco moments or episodes like Friendenemies? A- Oh, ehm- I can say... probably yes? There will some more Tomco happenings. I am a fan of Tomco myself.

Q- Will we know more about Star and Tom's past relationship in the future? A- There will be more on Star and Tom. I can say that. There will be more on them. I like Tom, Tom's fun.

Q- There's a theory about Jackie, that she's a mermaid, that she's half Mewman A- I like the theory that she's a mermaid, but... she's not a mermaid. She is, she's- I feel like she is like a Venice Beach girl, she likes skateboard, she's into the ocean... but she is not magical. Although I do like the theory, like you know she is a mermaid, and Janna is a witch, you know, it's cool... but not real.

Q- What's your favourite fan theory A- There are so many that are really cool. It's funny because you know sometimes- we are writing the show so far ahead, like right now we are writing the fourth season, since it takes so much to produce the episode, so we are like so ahead, sometimes I see fans came up with some things and I'm like "Oh, that was really good". But you know I- god, there was this whole one that people had that was like that Moon was an exchange student in Toffee's dimension, kinda like Star is to Marco. I was like "Oh that's a cool idea". We never did that, but that's a cool idea [inaudible part about her looking at theories on Reddit?] sometimes they say something and I'm like "Oh they already know, they already guessed!"  Like I know people are excited about Eclipsa, so that's cool.

Q- How is it working with Adam McArthur like in Running With Scissors A- He's great. I mean, Adam has has such- all the actors, Adam and Eden and... Ryder Strong, who is Tom, everybody, the cast is so good. Alan Tudyk is Ludo, everyone is really great. Oh my god, I got to work with Jeffrey Tambor, who is Glossaryck. It's so cool. But yeah, Adam is like he is so- what's cool about Adam is like he, you know, as opposed to like Eden, she is on, this television show she is very busy, Adam is busy too, he does lot of acting, but he makes time to really interact with all the fans and stuff. "Running With Scissors", I got a story about that. So I was gonna cast- since he sounds so young, Adam, I wanted to cast, like, a manly man to do adult Marco, I was gonna cast somebody else, 'cause I didn't know Adam could do it, but he was all like "Let's try" and he did a great voice and I was like "Ok, you're good". He was like "I had to do try outs to be myself". Sorry.

Q- When you talk to Eden Sher, since she's the voice of Star, do you ever feel like "Oh my god I'm talking to Star"? A- Well, I mean I know someone of the crew, like sometimes Eden comes around, to say hi to the crew and stuff. Or you know, we do a party for the crew and she'll be there. And other people from the crew would come up to me and be like "Oh my god she sounds just like Star". For me, I mean, we had try outs, so Star was kinda real before Eden, I guess. [inaudible] but I guess Star was a character already. So for me maybe not, does it make sense? And people tell me the same about Adam too, "Oh my gosh he is Marco". Actually Marco has a funny story, he was like at a comic convention thing, he got snubbed by a Star fan. He saw a girl in a Star costume and he was like "Can we take a picture together?" and she's like "No!" and she walked away. And I told Adam he should have called after her, you should have been like "Staaar!". You gotta be careful not to snob people at comic conventions.

Q- Some theories say that Moon and Toffee had a relationship, not necessarily romantic... A- Well you saw the scroll (tapestry?) right? You saw "Into the Wand". So yeah, there's, there's... there is a background to them

Q- In the episode Mathmagic it was revealed that there is this multiverse. We saw multiple realities of Mewni, the Earth. So I was kind of confused, does it mean that Mewni and Earth exist in like one universe. For example, you can build a, I don't know, a spaceship or something to travel from Earth to Mewni? A- Well, I was like- I always liked the idea of other dimensions, I always thought that was cool. So I guess everything is in the same space. That's why they use scissors and they kind of cut into different realities, so they can kinda go through, but they are all on the same planet, I guess. I know sometimes it feels like it's other planets- I don't know. It's supposed to be- it's all like a dimension, that you can kinda travel through with the scissors. I think it- it's fantasy. It's always like- I think we are always like trying to make it logical, but I also think that at a certain point if you overthink it nothing probably actually makes sense. I like the idea of different dimensions, that's cool. So they are all in the same space, and uh- they are connected, you know?

Q- How do you feel about the fandom making all... weird relationships and... do you feel pressured by some people going "We want Tomco, we want Moonfee, we want everything"? A- That's so funny. I mean, you know- I'm very excited that the fans can be excited for whatever they want, you know? I mean, any "-co" they like, that's great. We don't really let that affect the writing in the show. Like I don't look at that when I'm writing the show. You can never make everybody happy, there will always be people- but I also think people like to be upset, you know? If you think about what's the show, what is like- what show would it be if it were just "We're gonna have Star and Marco get together and they will be like so happy", the end. There's no show, what is that show? No one would watch that show. So you have to keep it exciting.

Q- When you are working on an episode  what part do you like the most? A- I like the writing, I guess... yeah, I like the writing and I like working with the team, like, it's amazing- you know, I've been on the show, I don't even know how long, I feel like I've been working on the show forever, I think it's been four years, I think? And some of my crew have been with me since the very beginning and I see them everyday and I really love my crew and they are really really cool, and I think the most fun part for me is- yeah, it would be, you know, the pitch of a boarder, there would be the boarders, the director, me, the writers, and we'd be going "Oh why isn't this working" or "How can we make this better", if someone has an idea it's like "Yes let's do that" and it's so cool that- like I love working collaboratively and it's amazing to see... I don't know it's just like- I came up with this one idea, you know, the idea was this big, but then it got this big this big this big, bigger and bigger, and I feel like I could have never made it this big, but then with all these great people who really care, you know, and it only gets better 'cause they care. I think the worst thing like anybody like a boss or like a show runner, I think the worst thing you could do is just go like "No this is my show, it's my idea. It's all about me, it has to be my idea, maybe you got a good idea, but let's use only my idea" cause I think it's, I mean, A) it's not fun for anybody, and B) I don't think you're going to get the best thing. My theory is always like- the best idea wins. You know if there are like three people with different ideas on how to do something I always try to go "Ok what's interesting let's do this idea", you know. So it's- it's good, I like it.

Q- Are we going to see in the season something about Eclipsa? A- Yes I think you're going to see more Eclipsa

Q- Do you have any ideas for other series? A- I do! You know, sometimes I come up with ideas, but I don't really have time to develop them ,as the show is really... consuming, you know?

Q- Who is your favorite character in the show? A- Star. Star is close to my heart (asker asks about Starfan13) I like Starfan13. You know I think who came up with Starfan13 was Ian Wasselik, he was a storyboarder during the first season. He just had her in that episode, you know with the locker? It's like "I filled my locker with pictures of you!" and I liked it, you know, so we kept using her.

Q- Did Star dip down in Storm the Castle? A- Yes. She did dip down, like a precursor to dip down, she was definitely like channeling, you know?

Q- Would you do a crossover? A- You know, I really want say I know... I know Alex Hirsch, I know Justin Royland, and I was like "I want-" 'cause they all go into dimensions, and I was like could we place an item, and they kind of did, and then I- didn't get to do it. It's just that's hard to coordinate that stuff, but... like if it were like a real crossover? I feel like it could be... maybe Gravity Falls, maybe...? (someone says "Mabel and Star would be really good friends") I think so. Yes, they are very- very positive people. (someone says "Why not Rick and Morty?") I do like Rick & Morty too, although I feel like Star and Marco would get in trouble, it'd be really bad for them to hang out with Rick and Morty.

Q- What happened to the monsters who were in the castle when it exploded [in Storm the Castle]? A- I think they might be dead. Maybe not all of them, some of them probably got out, but I think some of them are dead.

Q- What do you plan to do after the end of the series? A- After the end of Star? I don't know! I hope the series can go for a long time, you know? But you never know... So after Star I'll maybe just do another show, eventually, maybe take a break. But uh- 'cause it takes so long, you know? I've been on Star for maybe four years already, so...

Q- Is the show classic animation, or does it use puppets? A- Ok so it's like a bunch of things- we had some troubles with- oh shi- [Daron realizes that she was drawing, while signing for the fans, heart cheeks on Marco, interrupts herself and doesn't continue with the answer later]

Q-  Do you think Disney is going to make a Princess Marco action figure? A- I wish they'd do toys! Everybody should keep bothering them to do the toys... but I... yeah, princess Marco, he's- he's fun

Q- Is there any episode or character you don't like? A- Oh! I- I don't know, you know it's funny 'cause there are certain episodes you are just "Oh this is terrible" and then it goes on TV and people like it, you know? Or some people like part of it, and it makes me feel better, I think people connect with different parts of the show. First season was a little rough, you know? 'Cause you are figuring stuff, but... I mean, I could say- I don't know, I don't wanna diss any of them, 'cause everybody works hard on them you know. I can tell you some of my favorites, first season definitely I loved Blood Moon Ball, Mewberty, Storm the Castle... Into the Wand is very nice- I really loved Ludo in the Wild, I was really excited.

Q- Did you design the tapestries in Into the Wand? A- No, they were actually- so the storyboarder who did that, Jushtin (Lee), he had those in the storyboards and they were really cool, and then our painters and layout people followed up on them and made them really awesome. And uh, our characters have designers too, you know, fleshed out from the board, but Jushtin originally came up with a lot of those.

Q- How was working with Patrick Stump? A- Oh my god, that was really cool. That was one of my favorite episodes too. That was cool, that was like so... our casting- we have like a casting person it was her idea to hire Patrick, and like oh man, it was awesome, and he was so nice. And each time someone has to sing in the show- something about singing just gets to you, you know? Like when Adam sang in Friendenemies, our supervising producer Dominic Bisignano tried it.

Q- Will we get more songs in the future? A- I- yeah, I think so. Songs... well yeah, there are some songs. God, they're like so all over the show, that I'm trying to remember like where- where they are.

Q- Are they going to be more special guests in the future? A- I- probably, I can't tell you that. That's one of those things like Disney castings, you know they want like to "get the story".

Q- Are we going to see Star in her mewberty form? A- Maybeee.

Q- Will we see new villains? A- I can't give spoilers guys!

Q- Did you design all the characters on the show? A- Uh- well I designed Star and Marco, and I have the ideas, like a rough sketch. You know what's awesome? Like, running a show is like- I have like Becky Cheyenne Stephanie- I have like characters designers who are really good, so I can just do some crappy thing and give it to them and it's like "woooa" it's like amazing, and that's really fun. Like I remember that with Hekapoo, Becky designed her, and I was like "Ok she gotta be like this kinda firey elf thing" and Becky did like this whole page full of things and I was like "That one!" and that's exactly what she is. And that's very lucky for me. But like- like with Tom, for instance, I didn't design him, I think it was Cheyenne? Someone asked me to draw Tom earlier and I was like "Uuh no sorry!" 'cause I don't know him as well, you know? But Star and Marco, I designed them.

Q- What inspired you, or how did you come up with Toffee? A- So Toffee kinda came from like- you know Ludo started as a villain, right? But he was not a scary villain, he's a goofy villain, which is fun too, but I wanted somebody who is a real nemesis, some really evil foe to fight. And I've never been really like- all the characters in the show, everyone has a perspective, you know. I really don't those kind of over the top villains who are just "Hahahah I'm evil I'm going to take over the world!". You know, it's not very interesting. So I always wanted the villain to have a perspective, and definitely with Toffee, I always thought of him more like a Magneto character. You know, like he is not wrong, but he's going about things the wrong way, you know? So I think it's more interesting. 'Cause I think you guys noticed, but we hinted to it- we begin to hint to it, but, you know the Mewmans are not maybe treating the monsters the best, and that's something Star is really learning about, and Toffee of course has his own perspective about it.

Q- Did you design all of Star dresses? A- Ok so the dresses were the funniest thing. It was like, you know- there are the executives, at Disney, you know, this guy, he was very concerned about the dresses. Like me and Cheyenne, I think we drew like a hundred dresses. And I wanted her to have different dresses, but he was like "We don't want puffy sleeves, we don't want it to be too girly" and I was like "Oh my gosh we drew so many dresses". But I think the one she ended up with are cool. And in the second season I got the puffy sleeves.

Q- What's going on with Eclipsa's arm in Crystal Clear? A- I can't tell you what's up with that- I can tell you her arm it's not missing, and it just looks like that. But uh- well, I want you to know that this is not a spoiler or anything, but, like, you know how Star was trying to get her foot out of there? So Eclipsa she just got her glove kinda in there

Q- Is Lekmet really dead? A- He's kinda gone to ashes, so... I love Lekmet, he's so sweet too. And poor Rhombulus, right? They are so- they are so close

Q- Are we going to know what was Lekmet's job? A- Yeah I think so, yeah.

Q- (talking about livechats) A- They are fun like, this was Disney's idea, these livechats- we got to have a good time. I wouldn’t say they’re, like, totally canon, just because it's... we try to like, ya know, make it in—we got like the outline.

Q- (talking about the Star and Marco Guide To Mastering Every Dimension) A- The book was actually written- season 2, it was written- it was supposed to come out after the first fourteen. So it's a little bit after the first fourteen and before the ones that aired in February, you know? So it's not quite... to the ending, you know?

Q- In Running With Scissors was actually there something between Hekapoo and Marco? A- I don't know, Marco went a long time- on his own...

Q- (talking about Marco being mentally 30) A- You know he's always been an old soul, I feel like, and I think that, uh, just, he's an old soul, still. But he has his memories.

Q- At the end of the season we see Star's room disappearing from the Diaz's house. I was wondering what happened to Toffee's finger- A- I can't tell you that!

Q- In Miss Heinous' metallurgy book there were colors for the many dimensions, and Earth was color green, which was also the color of the wand. Is there a connection or- A- I can't tell you!

Q- What is Starfan13 going to do now without Star? A- I don't know-

[yourkeeperoftherunners]

I’ll be Your Merman

Summary: AU He’s a merman who is being pushed by his parents to find a suitable mate. You were enjoying a day at the pier skateboarding when you met. “I’ll play Ariel if you’ll be my Princess.”

Rating: PG-13

Characters: Reader x Merman! Baekhyun, Merman! Chanyeol (cameo)

Notes: Slightly inspired by a friend’s fictional mermaid drabble and an idea I came up with. Happy Birthday Baekhyun! (5/6 in the US now)

Shoutout to @listenthemoose and @byun--baekbunny – thank you for the likes and for reading the recent drabbles for my Seven First Kisses prompt.

“Not this again!” he groaned as he covered his ears with his hands, turning his back on them.

“It’s time you thought about marrying a nice mermaid,” his mother sighed as she wrung her hands. “I was thinking about Emera? You know the –”

“She spends too much time in the mirror,” he said, scrunching his nose up. “I think she hates me too Umma. Ugh, why do we have to talk about this now?”

“If not Emera, then maybe –” his father started to say, “Hey! Baekhyun you come back here!”

He was already swimming far away from them, ignoring their pleas to come back, ears burning and heart racing. He was almost 26 and most of his friends were either married or starting to mate. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to find one – actually, his problem was finding a girl whom he’d actually have a connection with.

Most of the mergirls he met were spoiled, silly beauties who valued their looks only and some didn’t like that he wasn’t this overly aggressive, stern merman that they desired. He wanted to have shared interests with his mate, wanted her to have fun with him...

“Hyung, wait up!” a deep voice called out.

Baekhyun slowed down and looked over his shoulder to see it was his friend Chanyeol, who was also mateless. Unlike his parents, Chanyeol’s believed in soulmates who would eventually find one another when the time came. Frankly, their philosophy worked as they found each other that way and same for Chan’s older sister.

“They pushed ‘The Talk’ I’m guessing?” Chanyeol prompted as he reached Baekhyun.

“Yeah...again...” he grumbled as he swam over to their favorite drop off ledge. He sat down and picked up a broken piece of coral to chuck off the ledge.

Chanyeol nodded as he threw his own shard of coral off the side. Baek puffed his cheeks out and sighed.

“Are we the only two who don’t have mates?” he sighed.

“Ah...D.O.’s single and um, Chen too I think,” Chanyeol said as he ticked off their friends on his fingers. “I think Xiumin’s mate actually left him, so he’s single again. But to answer you, no.”

Baekhyun snickered – D.O. was a good guy but he didn’t want a dimwitted goddess as his mate. Some of the mermaids admitted that while he had a beautiful singing voice, they couldn’t look past his intense stare. Some wondered if he would end up being a hermit who practiced dark magic, but that was laughable in Baekhyun’s eyes; simply put, their friend was very selective and guarded, which infuriated his family to no end.

“Hey, you wanna go to the surface and check out the humans?” Chanyeol proposed as he pushed himself up. “It’s summertime which means the human girls are going to be showing more skin.”

“Pervert,” Baek teased his friend with a nudge to the arm. He started to sit up, dusting his hands off.

“Ah, we’re both pervs – you’re not sitting anymore,” Chanyeol shot back with a smirk. “Besides, I’m not the one who stole that one girl’s top!”

Baekhyun blushed and shut his eyes at the memory. He, Kai, and Chen were checking out a group of toned, golden-skinned girls who were splashing and jumping around in the waves one time. Chen noticed one of the girls had her top tied loosely and over time, the bow at her neck was starting to slip.

“You’re not gonna do it!” Chen taunted as he leaned on a rock. “You’d feel bad taking her swim top and your face would be all red!”

“Aish, why don’t you do it Big Mouth?” Baekhyun shot back, wiggling his brows.

Chen flushed pink and stammered that he couldn’t do that, especially since the girl looked older than him. “That would be disrespecting a noona,” he said.

Kai was watching the waves and bit his lip as he tried to find a pattern. “Hyungs, you need to do it when it’s a big wave,” he concluded. “Plus you need to be fast – don’t wanna get caught, right?” He drew himself up as he predicted a large one to come rolling in after a smaller one and he looked over at the girls. “That one in the purple, right?”

Baekhyun had followed Kai’s gaze and suddenly, he felt jealous. Kai was handsome and suave around everyone – he didn’t need to be sneaky. Hell, he could practically sweet talk the girl into giving up her top without needing to swim away! He tore a glance at the next wave that was building and decided that he was done watching.

“Aish! Hyung get back here!” Chen hissed as Baekhyun slipped under the surface, swimming rapidly and quietly over to the girl in the purple bikini. He hung back a little as he watched the sand rise up with the power of the wave that was headed towards them. On the surface, he heard the girl and her friends scream as the wave crashed over their heads and he swam closer, fingers reaching for her top that was floating away from her chest. He gave it a gentle tug and the top tie came undone from her neck.

“They’re going to see him!” Chen panicked as he ducked behind the rocks, holding his head in his hands.

“Relax hyung, maybe Baekhyun was just messing with us,” Kai reasoned. “He probably is going to come back without it.”

Baekhyun rose up next to his friends and he smugly held up the purple bikini top. “You were saying?” he asked the two stunned mermen. “Don’t worry, I slipped her a little kiss on her back. She lost her top but she got a kiss from a merman.”

Chen gaped as he stared at the top and tore a glance over at the girls, quickly covering his eyes as he sank behind the rock. Kai chuckled as he heard the girls shriek and the one in purple yelled, asking who kissed her.

“Girl, what are you talking about? Just hang on – I’ll give you my rash guard!” one of them said to her.

“No seriously! Someone kissed my back – who the Hell was that?!” the girl demanded as she cupped her breasts in an attempt to cover them.

“You don’t have that top anymore, do you?” Chanyeol asked as they swam up.

Baekhyun shook his head and mumbled that he let it float back to shore after Xiumin found out what he'd done. Chen and Kai were yelled at by the older merman and all of them were lectured by Suho for risking exposure. The yelling was tolerable, as it earned him some points with the other mermen for being gutsy.

Chanyeol pointed to the rocks under the boardwalk and they swam faster before breaking the surface. Baekhyun gulped for air as he used the rock to steady himself. Chanyeol leaned against the rocks as he scanned the area, smirking when his eyes settled on a busty brunette who was slipping off her sundress to reveal her cutout swimsuit. Baekhyun squinted as he watched some of the humans whiz by each other on the boardwalk, some on roller skates, others on bikes.

“Not now Mom,” you muttered as you ignored a call from her, shoving your phone back into your pocket. She was probably calling to ask if you had studied for your exams and finished your homework – you had to chalk it up to her short term memory that this was summer and you were long done with college for the semester.

You swerved around a couple on your skateboard, keeping your eyes ahead to find your best guy friend, who was supposed to meet you there any moment. You had grown up a few blocks away from one another and were quite close as kids. Now that you were older and finishing up college, it was hard to keep in touch as often, given the fact that you both attended different schools. But today, it was going to be like old times – just the two of you skateboarding through town and being dorks together.

“Excuse me, pardon me!” you called out to people as you maneuvered your way around them. You squinted to see if you could spot him and grinned when you saw a familiar shirt he’d wear. The smile, however, began to fade when you neared, noticing another girl clad in a pretty dress beside him.

“Sam! How you’ve been?” you called out as you stopped your skateboard. You picked it up and walked the rest of the way over to him.

Sam looked up from talking to the girl and raised a hand. “Oh hey Y/N,” he began, “ah...what are you...what are you doing here?”

You held up your skateboard and shot him a knowing smile. “You said we were going to have a skateboarding reunion, just like the old times.”

Sam snapped his fingers and slapped his forehead. “Ah no! I completely spazzed Y/N! Sorry, I’m actually on a date with my soon-to-be fiance – she’s in town to meet my parents. Oh that reminds me – Y/N this is Fiona and Fi, this is Y/N, my childhood friend.”

Fiona relaxed when Sam introduced you and you forced yourself to smile as you shook her hand. You noticed that she extended the hand with her sparkling diamond ring and you tried to keep your tone polite.

“It’s nice to meet you Fiona,” you said. “Sam, congratulations! Wow, time sure does fly!”

Sam nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen, I’m sorry that I messed up the dates Y/N, but let’s reschedule, okay?”

You nodded and gestured to one of the food stands on the boardwalk. “I’m going to um, probably grab a bite now,” you said as you put your skateboard down. “Unless you guys want to come with?”

“Sorry Y/N, but we actually have reservations for Jewel of the Sea at 1,” Fiona apologized as she clutched onto Sam’s arm. She checked her phone. “Oh that’s in a few minutes – we really should get going Sam.”

Sam checked his watch and jumped when he saw the time. “Yeah, you’re right. Hey, Y/N it was awesome seeing you again! Stay cool, okay?”

You nodded before stepping onto your skateboard again and pushing off, refusing to look back.

“What is that?” Baekhyun asked as he pointed to a girl whizzing down the boardwalk on a two wheeled board.

Chanyeol tore his gaze from the girl and craned his neck up. “Ah that’s a skateboard – another thing humans use to get around. It looks so cool – wish I had legs so I could do that!”

Baekhyun was focused on the rider more than the board, his eyes never leaving you. You sucked up a sharp breath of air as you reached the end of the walkway, stopping your board and pulling it up before taking a seat at the end. You dangled your legs off the edge and sighed as you removed your helmet.

You didn’t like Sam romantically but seeing him with his fiance made your heart ache for those old days when you two were inseparable. He was the 12th person in your circle of friends to recently announce a marriage or kids on the way, which made you feel alone and out of place. Sure you had dated people but nothing lasted very long. Plus you had declared that you were still young and not looking to settle down right away, especially since you were trying to wrap up college and figure out your life.

“Hyung, I want to get her attention,” Baekhyun said as he nudged Chanyeol. “What should I do?”

Chanyeol bit his lip as he looked over at you and tried to rack his brain. “Throw something? Well don’t hit her of course, but maybe it might get her attention? Sing? Wait, that might be a little –”

“Hello, you came to me/Giving me your shy scent/In my hazy dream/You were shining, dazzling,” Baekhyun sang, eyes focused on you seated overhead.

“...cliche but ah...that might work?” Chanyeol finished as he watched Baekhyun sing while looking at you.

You looked out at the water straight ahead, closing your eyes as a gentle breeze blew across your face. You strained your ears as you heard a male voice singing and smiled. It was soothing, pleasant to listen to, and sweet.

“Hmmm...okay Google, what song is this?” you murmured as you pulled up your phone to look it up.

“Ah you need to try something else hyung, she got distracted with her phone,” Chanyeol sighed as he watched you.

Baekhyun straightened up and grinned widely. “That’s it!”

“Huh, you must be an indie singer or new,” you sighed as Google concluded that the song you heard wasn’t found. You turned off your phone and put it down on the deck.

“WHOA – HEY!!” you yelled as something came flying up, barely missing your face. You held your arms up to shield your face and heard something land on your skateboard.

“You almost hit her!” Chanyeol groaned as he held his head in his hands.

“Sorry! I was trying to make sure it got up there!” Baekhyun whined. He nervously looked up at you and prayed that it didn’t hit you.

You pried your eyes open after hearing the item on your skateboard and glanced over to see it was a purple shell. Huh?

You looked out over the water to see if anyone was out there before hearing someone call out underneath. You looked down and saw a young man with warm brown hair waiving to you, a sheepish look on his face.

“Sorry! I tried to aim it at your hand but maybe I angled it wrong!” he called out. “Are you okay?”

You nodded and held up the shell. “It landed on my skateboard – did you want it back?”

He shook his head no and swam out so he get a clearer view of you. “I just wanted to say that I think your skateboard’s cool and that you seem really good at riding it,” he said with a smile.

“Oh thanks,” you replied with a grin. “How’s the water today?”

He shrugged before shooting you a small sly grin. “I think it’s great but don’t take my word for it – why don’t you come in?”

You laughed and gestured to your outfit. “I can’t – didn’t bring a swimsuit and I can’t abandon my skateboard – someone will steal it! How about you come meet me up here?”

He hung his head and felt his cheeks flush. Crap, how was he going to do this now? 

“I um...” he trailed off. “I’m not ready to call it quits, swimming-wise, you know?” It was a weak excuse, but maybe...?

“I guess we can talk just like this then,” you said with a shrug. You drew a knee up to your chest and hugged it. “So, you got a name I can call you by?”

“Baekhyun,” he said. “How about yours?”

“Y/N,” you replied. “You swimming by yourself today or with friends?”

Baekhyun looked around for Chanyeol and sighed when the other was nowhere to be found. “Well, my friend was here with me, but I think he abandoned me for a pretty girl!”

“Join the club,” you said with a shake of your head. “Was supposed to go skateboarding with a friend and he mixed up the dates. Now I’ve just learned he’s getting married.” You sighed as you rested your chin on your knee.

“Have you ever felt like you’re the weirdo when everyone else is –”

“Growing up and getting married while you’re not?” he finished. He nodded as he brushed a strand of hair out of his face. “Tell me about it! I just want to enjoy being free but my parents and friends keep pushing me to find someone!”

“Yeah! I mean, I want to do stupid things like skateboard through town with friends now instead of trying to relive my youth when I’m like, I don’t know? 50 or something?” you added, sitting up straighter.

“Guess we have a lot in common,” Baekhyun murmured. He felt Chanyeol tugging his tail under the surface, a signal that they needed to head back before everyone else started lecturing them. He sighed as he looked around, making sure no one on the beach could see him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and looked up at your eyes.

“Can you keep a secret?” he asked.

You nodded as you leaned closer, fingers gripping the edge of the pier.

He nudged Chanyeol off and flicked his tail up to show it to you. The scales shone brilliantly in the sunlight and you blinked as the tail disappeared under the surface. No way...

“Hyung, what are you doing?” Chanyeol groaned under the water.

“Whoa,” you breathed, “it’s...beautiful. Am I the first human that you’ve shared this with?”

Baekhyun nodded and he tilted his head. “I’ll be your Ariel if you be my Prince Eric?” he joked with a smile.

You laughed at his silly analogy to the Disney movie and nodded. “You have my word that I won’t tell anyone,” you promised. “So...I guess that makes you my little merman?”

Baekhyun pouted, jutting his lip out. “Hey! I’m not that little – I’m almost 26!”

“Just teasing,” you said with a wink. “Hey, how can we keep in touch? I’d like to talk again, if that’s cool.”

Baekhyun pointed to the shell on your board and grinned. “Turn it over,” he said. “Ugh, I have to go now – my friend’s nagging me. See you soon?”

You frowned as you picked up the shell and turned it over in your palm. Scratched into the glossy, iridescent surface were a string of numbers and dashes – his shell phone number.

[alexandralyman]

Hi alex! I dont know if you take prompts and if you dont thats ok. If you do can you write a scene in your bth verse where emma tells killian about her ability to spot lies please? Thank you and dont worry if you dont have time to write it i understand.

So, this is one of those things where it’s clear that at some point in Beyond the Horizon, Killian finds out about Emma’s superpower, but I never wrote the actual scene where she tells him. Then I got carried away and wrote 4,000 words once I started thinking about how it would have come out. Unlike the other BtH extras, this isn’t a single scene, this is some missing bits and pieces that take place over several chapters of the main fic.

Also on ff.net here as part of my Interlude at Sea series.

(and yes, there’s smut)

                                                   …..

Something was nagging at him.

It was a faint but insistent tug at the back of his mind, a lurking shadow in the corner of his eye.

“Women on ships are bad luck.”

Killian Jones was superstitious - all sailors were, to some extent. He wore charms around his neck to guard against the cold grasp of Davy Jones (no relation) and never dared to challenge the wind by absent-mindedly whistling on deck. He steered well clear of the flocks of albatrosses soaring about overhead in search of dinner and avoided the sleek schools of mermaids below - treacherous, untrustworthy creatures they were, but he’d never held much stock in the old belief that a woman aboard a ship was bad luck. He certainly didn’t think that his golden-haired treasure had brought him any ill since he’d stolen her away for his own, the single storm (that they’d forded with no casualties and no cost save a lost day or two on repairs) aside, he’d had nothing but astonishingly good luck with Princess Emma by his side.

In his arms.

In his bed.

But still, there was something about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Some mysterious quality about her that had nothing to do with her more obvious, feminine charms, like the tilt of her lips that practically begged for his kisses or the curve of her waist that seemed to have been made for his hands to circle and pull her close, lovely and dreadfully distracting whenever he tried and failed to get to the bottom of exactly what was bothering him.

So he watched,

And waited.

He’d spent days tracking ships, keeping them in view through his spyglass as he bided his time until just the right opportunity arose to strike. Killian knew the value of patience, and it was hardly a hardship when they were tangled together in the sheets at night with the sweat of their lovemaking cooling on their skin and her fingers playing with the charms around his neck until she fell asleep with her nose pressed to his neck and a pale curtain of gold hiding her face like a swan with its head tucked under its wing. This thing between them was so new and fragile and he scarcely dared to breathe at times for fear of it slipping away and leaving him alone and empty once more, so he didn’t pry and he didn’t push his luck any farther than he already had, quieting the persistent little voice in his head that whispered old tales of ill fortune and following her easily into slumber.

                                                      ….

The princess was a shrewd negotiator. Killian had seen it first hand the day they met, when she’d held him and his entire crew at bay with nothing but sheer cunning until he’d conceded and agreed to her terms. Privately, he’d thought he got the better part of that bargain in the end, but he was a greedy man (pirate, it came with the territory) and it was rare for him to give any quarter or make the smallest concession. She’d also bested him at cards, much to his shock, calling every last bluff with unerring accuracy and taking his coin with a smile that disarmed him as easily as if she’d also taken his sword. He heard the murmurs from the men around the gaming table when the final hand was shown and the queen of diamonds trumped the eight of hearts, “Beginner’s luck.”

That word again, luck. The deck hadn’t been stacked and he was certain there were no aces hidden up her sleeves, but he couldn’t figure out exactly how he’d lost the upper hand in that particular encounter, not when he’d been playing cards since he was a lad of thirteen against the saltiest of old sea dogs who knew every trick and seemed to invent new ways to cheat during each game, but beginner’s luck was as good an explanation as any.

Perhaps.

Or perhaps not.

While the Jolly sat in port and he visited the local suppliers to procure what was needed for the long voyage ahead to the uncharted isles in the west, Emma accompanied him to the warehouses that lined the docks, ringed hand resting delicately on his sleeve and finely gowned as befitted her new status as his wife. The merchants took one look at her pretty face and fluttering eyelashes and practically fell over themselves to both flatter her and fleece him. Killian could practically see the wheels turning in their greedy little minds, if the captain of the Jolly Roger could afford such a lovely and useless ornament as a richly-dressed wife then surely he could also afford to pay grossly inflated prices for basic staples like salt beef and flour. He’d made the same mistake of underestimating her once, but now he watched Emma’s eyes narrow and her lips purse at each oh so magnanimous offer from the oily men who sat across from them and swore up and down with insincere smiles that the ridiculous sums scribbled on bits of scrap parchment were the best they could do. Curiosity seized him and he held back, pretended to mull the prices over while she lulled the merchants with her charm and drew them in with her smile, a beautiful siren singing them right to their doom.

They never saw the rocks coming until it was too late.

Prices were slashed to the bone over their blustering protests, Emma seemed to know the precise moment she’d bargained them down to the absolute lowest they’d accept, right to the penny. When the wagons rumbled down the docks to the ship laden with goods even the normally unflappable quartermaster was impressed, noting the better quality meat and finer ground flour with a slight raise of his brow as he examined the barrels and sacks, all for less coin than usual that left higher profits all around. Profit that Killian partially spent on buying her a pair of silk stockings, as delicate as cobwebs and as light as air, and that he took great pleasure in peeling back down her legs when she first tried them on, hearing the hitch in her breath and seeing the heave of her bosom as he propped a bare ankle on his shoulder and pressed his face into the heart of the sea. With the briny taste of her thick on his tongue and the rolling waves of her hips carrying him off into the storm of unbridled lust where his world shrank down to nought but the join of his body to hers and jewel-bright eyes that looked into his and pierced him down to the depths of his very soul, he forgot about everything else for a while. Word quickly spread through the taverns that he had taken a wife and that the winds had clearly blown in his favour, none of the men dared to protest their captain’s new orders and when they finally departed port a fortnight later she was even more firmly enconsed on board, undisputed mistress of all who called him master.

                                                    ….

It was the encounter with the so-called Captain Charles Blount and his pathetic excuse for a ship that really gave Killian pause. With the heat of battle still firing his blood and flush with his victory he’d almost missed it, but after the interrogation was over and Blount had spilled his guts (figuratively, not literally, although Killian would not wager on the disgraced captain surviving the night once his crew was released from their confinement) he’d recalled Emma’s strange turns of phrase.

“You know who he is, you say you don’t but you’re lying….probably because that’s not even his real name. That was a lie too.”

“Women don’t belong on ships. Bad luck.”

His attention was drawn back as Blount – or whatever the hell his real name was – spat a glob of bloody phlegm onto the floor of the stifling cabin and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Bleeding gums, Killian noted absently, a sure sign of scurvy.

“Bad luck for you, mate, but not for me. She’s brought me nothing but good fortune.”

He smiled, showing his own healthy white teeth.

“A woman’s only good for lying on her back,” Blount mumbled, his rheumy eyes fogged over with both drink and defeat, “But that one, she’s more than just a damp quim to swive, she’s a bloody witch, isn’t she? Does she call the winds to your favour and turn the tides for you before she parts her legs, Captain Jones? But women are feckless, disloyal cunts and you can’t trust a witch, best to toss her overboard in the night before she turns on you.”

Blount said no more after that, his impertinent mouth left even more broken and bloody once Killian had let loose the furious pirate in a rage and paid him back for the insult to his lady, but the words burrowed incessantly under his skin as he worried his thumb over the hilt of the blade at his side. She’s a witch, isn’t she? He’d thought it himself, more than once. She could swim like a mermaid and enchant like a siren, and she could see right through him. Every weakness he kept well-hidden from the men, every secret locked carefully away, every piece of him had all been laid neatly at her feet for her perusal and he’d even given her his one bit of magic, his sea diamond, without so much as a second thought. In truth, Emma was more dangerous to him now than an ambitious first mate, the knife in the night he’d never see coming.

Sirens lured sailors to their doom, but when she held him to her breast that night and sang away the nightmare that kept following him across the ocean, the shackles he could never escape as if he had crashed against the rocks and silently slipped down to Davy Jones’s locker, he simply closed his eyes and listened until dawn broke over the Jolly at last and the ghosts that haunted him receded silently into the ether once more. Witch or wife, princess or prisoner, salvation and destruction both in the form of a nineteen year old slip of a woman who held his scarred heart in her small hands. Was it bad luck, or good fortune?

Did it even matter?

                                                      ….

“Lies.”

Emma looked up when he stepped into the cabin and closed the door behind him, locking it with a flick of the latch that echoed loud in the small room.

“You can tell when someone’s lying.”

Her eyes darted away and he could tell that he’d struck home, the pieces all finally clicking into place at last. Haggling over provisions in port, driving harder bargains than the most tight-fisted quartermaster. Teasing out the truth from Blount. The way she’d called every single one of his bluffs as if she knew exactly which cards he was holding…he was a pirate, and he’d fallen in love with a woman impervious to all his tricks.

Somewhere, somehow, Killian swore he could hear Liam laughing at him.

Serves you right, little brother.

Emma peeked up at him from beneath lowered lashes, both demure and coquettish and the contrast never failed to make him want to court her like a gentleman and to ravish her until he forgot his own name between her thighs, but he was well-versed in her tricks and he pulled the other chair back to sit down, sprawling back and giving her an expectant look. The stalemate went on for several long moments until he saw her slump down and concede defeat with a whispered, “Yes. Yes, I can.”

“Princess….”

“I’m sorry.”

She stood up, putting distance between them as she went over to the window and ran a finger along the ledge. It was a familiar action, whenever she got overwhelmed she’d always pull away from him and withdraw into herself. It was a bitter draught to swallow, to know that her first instinct was still to flee. He drummed his own fingers against the table, wondering if he was always destined to lose the ones he loved.

“How long have you been able to…..?” he asked, his head still reeling from the implications.

“For as long as I can remember,” she answered, still staring at the panes of glass instead of meeting his gaze, her face a smudged reflection that he couldn’t read, “It’s hard to describe…I always had this feeling when I thought someone was lying, but I didn’t know it for sure until I was twelve. Some of my mother’s jewellery went missing and a footman was caught in her chambers the next day with a key to the door in his pocket. He swore up and down on his own life that he’d never steal from his queen, but he wouldn’t drink the truth potion to prove it and couldn’t explain how he got the key, so everyone believed he was guilty.”

“Except you, I take it?”

Emma turned just enough for him to see her profile, giving a single nod with downcast eyes, “I don’t know how, but I could hear that he wasn’t lying and I just knew there had to be some other explanation. I even snuck down into the dungeons that night with extra bread and meat from the kitchens for him.”

Killian suppressed a snort at that, thinking of all the food that she not so secretly slipped to Fergus from her own plate. He pretended not to notice, remembering when Liam used to do the same for him under the table in the galley while they hunched protectively over the meagre rations dished out by the one-eyed cook. She had a tender heart, his princess, one that he needed to guard against the many evils in the world that would delight in crushing it.

“It turned out that he was having an affair with a lady-in-waiting. That’s why he wouldn’t drink the potion, he was protecting her because she stole the key for him so they could meet in secret. The dwarves came back from the mines a few days later and they were the ones who had taken the jewellery, sneaking it out of the castle to make a matching tiara for Mother’s birthday.”

The memories flickered over her face like the light from a candle as she recounted the tale of forbidden love and missing gems. Killian felt a shiver run down his spine, she spoke of power that many men he knew would kill to possess. The ability to spot a lie, to see through an opponent across the gaming table in port or during a parlay with a rival captain…it was more valuable than gold.

It was his now.

Good fortune.

He could keep no secret from her, speak no falsehood or hide behind flattery or charm. He couldn’t lie or cheat to get what he wanted…he had to be honest.

Bad luck.

He pulled the flask from a pocket of his coat and took a long swallow. Good or bad, he couldn’t turn this particular tide, and he rolled the silver between his palms, listening to the faint slosh of the rum inside. He also knew men who would slit her throat without a second thought, paranoid and fearful that she’d turn on them one day. Blount’s warning echoed in his ear, “Can’t trust a witch.”

“Well,” he said at last, setting the flask down on the table, “In light of this revelation, it seems that you owe me a forfeit.”

She turned to face him fully, clearly surprised by that, “What?”

“Do you remember the night we played cards? I believe I was quite clear about the stakes, if I won, you’d owe me a forfeit, and you agreed to my terms. But now I know how you were able to call all of my bluffs, you were cheating. That’s very bad form, my love.”

He slowly rose to his feet, peeling his coat off and hanging it up on the peg. Emma’s eyes followed his movements, a faint flush painting her cheeks.

“You were the one who said it wasn’t cheating, it was merely changing the rules of the game.”

The belt was next, unbuckled and set aside with the sword still attached. He wouldn’t need a blade for this, at least, not the one he wore at his side.

“I always knew there was a little pirate in you, Princess. You may have changed the rules, but the wager still stands. If you won, I’d give you a prize. Which I did, I kept my end of the bargain. And if I won-”

“-I’d owe you a kiss,” Emma finished, her blush deepening to a dark rose, “And even though I won, I think I’ve paid you back in spades by now, Captain.”

“Hmm,” he mused, tapping a finger against his lips while he pretended to think it over. Of course they’d kissed dozens of times since that night, perhaps hundreds, he knew exactly how well her mouth fitted to his and it was very well indeed. He’d kissed the beauty mark on her breast more times than he could count and trailed his lips along the curve of her spine, traced the outline of her navel with his tongue and left love bites on the inside of her pale thighs. He might have lost the battle that night at the gaming table, but he’d certainly won the war.

And to the victor goes the spoils.

“Come here.”

He turned his palm and crooked his finger, beckoning her towards him. In the tales it was always the sirens who lured the sailors and not the other way round, but she came to him without hesitation, heedless of the danger that lurked below.

Or maybe…because of it.

“Kiss me.”

An order, a command, a plea breathed against her lips while he stroked his thumb along the curve of her jaw and cupped her cheek, a strand of golden hair wrapped around his finger. Emma tilted her chin up and her hips pressed flush to his, swaying slightly with the rock of the ship underneath them. He’d captured the siren and carried her off, keeping the sweetness of her song for his very own. It thrummed low in his blood like the pull of the tides, forever seeking to make its way home and kiss the welcoming shore in greeting. She kissed him, stealing the breath from his lungs and his heart from his chest and whatever else she wanted, it was hers, all of it. His back hit the ladder and leather met velvet, soft and yielding under his exploring hands. Her own fingers tangled in the chain around his neck, she could strangle him and he’d die with a smile on his lips, but then his head was tugged down again and the last of the spiced rum on his tongue dissolved into nothing but Emma.

She must be a witch, to drown out the taste of his favourite spirit.

His waistcoat hit the floor with a muffled thump from the small knife hidden inside it, another weapon falling by the wayside as they frantically undressed each other while his kiss turned rougher, warning of the storm that awaited her should she venture into the sea of linen sheets that beckoned from across the planks. But every storm had an eye, a moment of calm and when he was fully bare with his cock standing thick and proud and ready to make port in the welcoming harbour between her legs he stilled, brushing his thumb over the swell of her breast in his palm and bending down to press a gentle kiss to the spot where her heart (and his) lay nestled under skin and muscle and bone. So delicate and fragile she was, and a pirate’s life was a merciless one. Kill or be killed, strike or be stricken down, there was no room for sentiment or space for love. A woman could make a man hard and he was, hard and throbbing with lust in his veins and filling his loins with desire. A woman could make a man soft, tamed and complacent, a laughingstock and a fool. Emma was more dangerous than any rival, he’d lied for her, killed for her-

Killian knew in that moment that he would die for her.

She flipped him onto his back and rose above him like a goddess of the sea, born of spray and foam with eyes the colour of the changing tides and skin like pearls, breasts tipped in coral and hair more gold than any doubloon. Her lips found the hollow of his throat and his head tilted back, sinking into the pillow while she traced his scars with more gentleness than he deserved and nipped at the skin along his hip. Emma followed the groove of his groin and lashed at him in a sweet torture that slowly drove him mad with need and want until her mouth closed around him at last in the most intimate of ways. A deep groan rumbled from his chest and his hand fisted in the sheets while he fought madly for control that quickly slipped away like sand through his fingers. Killian wondered dimly if this was what it felt like to drown, lungs fit to burst and heart racing as he could do nothing but give into the pleasure that pulled him deeper and deeper until the blood pounded in his ears and he was a gasping, quivering mess. She could ask for anything and he’d give it to her gladly, his princess, his lady, his lover, his. Satisfaction was so close, he could feel it tug sharply as his balls and belly drew tight and he was on the verge of giving in and letting her draw him under…but he didn’t want it to be over so soon.

“Not yet,” he muttered, rolling Emma onto her back and pinning her wrists above her head. The pirate within him relished the sight of her lips, pink and swollen and twin to what else was pink and swollen lower down.

“Kiss me.”

The point where sea met sky was called the horizon. It was always there, and yet it was forever beyond a sailor’s reach. He anchored himself in the plant of his knees on the bed and she met him in the tilt of her hips, lifting to allow him safe passage. Sea-green eyes met his, sky blue, and he was swept away on the tide that was Emma. Her thighs cradled him and her kiss set him aflame, warming places he hadn’t even realized were cold. Sweat trickled between his shoulder blades and pooled at the small of his back, slick under her hands that wore his ring while the rest of her was gloriously nude, his siren of the rocks.

“I love you.”

Killian isn’t dashed to pieces, but he falls apart in her arms anyway.

                                                 …..

Emma scratched a nail through the hair on his chest, her head on his shoulder and her leg thrown over his. Night had fallen as the hours had passed, shadows dancing over their skin like the moonlight on the water in reverse.

“Are you angry? That I didn’t tell you sooner?”

Her voice was muffled by the press of her face to his neck and he sighed, reaching to catch her fingers in his own.

“I don’t begrudge you your secrets, but I do wish I’d have known that a bit earlier. I’d thought…hoped, that you trusted me.”

It was odd, how loud and deafening complete silence could be.

“Of course I trust you!”

Emma pulled back, breath escaping in an exasperated huff, “Killian, no one else has ever believed me about that except you, they think I just guessed or, I don’t know, got lucky.”

The words ran through his mind, old superstition fed to him alongside hardtack and grog, “A woman on a ship is bad luck.” But then he was struck by what she’d just said, the confession wrenched loose like a dagger in the dark.

I trust you.

No one else.

Whatever else she was going to say was lost in the press of his lips to hers, another stolen kiss while she stiffened briefly in surprise and then went pliant and relaxed beneath him. He kissed a path to her ear, slipping a hand down to tease out more secrets with the press of his thumb just below the damp curls and feeling her shiver. His siren sang only for him.

“The next time we play cards, Princess, you’ll be the ace up my sleeve.”

Good fortune or bad, Killian Jones made his own luck.

[ttaikattalvi-blog]

[rules:  repost.  always post the rules. answer the questions asked, then write 11 new ones. tag 11 people to answer your questions, as well as the person who tagged you]

Tagged by @thedalishbloodmage. Tagging everyone because I just chugged half a bottle of wine. 1) What was the last movie you saw? Was it any good? The last movie I saw in cinema was Wonder Woman. I went to go and see it with my mom, which was sort of odd—my mom and I don’t typically agree on movies and that sort of thing so we don’t often go and see them together. However, I did enjoy it. It was awfully nice to see David Thewlis in a big role again. Even though there were some flaws (nothing is perfect or exempt from analysis!), I’ll definitely watch it again and may even purchase a physical copy.

2) Is there a genre of books you like the most? What about when it comes to video games? This is an interesting question. For me, at least, it really depends on what an author is trying to accomplish. I’ve always been a voracious reader and will read nearly anything I can get my hands on. What it really boils down to whether or not the book or video game is an effective medium for whatever literature is being composed. For me, satire and world-building is incredibly ineffective when placed in a book only format. It takes a while for me to get into it, if I can manage to at all. As far as videogames go, I’m down for almost anything. My undergrad program treated their undergrads as if they were grad students and we had to essentially write thesis arguments and pick thesis projects. Mine was videogames as ultimate forms of literature and my big end project was over the original Mass Effect trilogy. My main downfall with videogames is that I’m pretty cock-eyed so I don’t have the best depth perception and I get motion sick super easy. As long as I don’t get sick, I’ll usually give any game a chance. 3) Is there something that everyone hates that you love, like a book or a movie that bombed? There are definitely movie and book and videogame characters and pairings that Tumblr seems to truly hate that I really like. However, I tend not to take Tumblr seriously on some things because I think that any and all sorts of social media sites are the worst kind of echo chambers. I mean, it doesn’t keep me from having them or using them for my own means but I’m still aware of it. I can’t really think of any books or movies off the top of my head, but what I can think of is food. I absolutely adore black licorice—-especially strong black licorice—-and salted black licorice. Some of this is likely a cultural thing, but some of it definitely isn’t. I don’t have too much of a sweet tooth, but I will down an entire package of salmiakki faster than you can blink. 4) Do you have a special hobby? If so, what is it? I tend to always need something creative to do with my hands, or I’ll get bored and get myself into trouble. Anything artistic, I probably do. I sew, crochet, draw, cosplay, paint, and so on. Lately I’ve been coloring in adult coloring books, but before I did summer school for work, I was on a drawing and colored pencil kick. 5) Outside of BioWare games, what are some of your favorites? I’ll always have a soft spot for BioWare. The first game with a campaign that I ever remember “beating” (really, my uncle beat it and handed me a mouse that wasn’t plugged in while he played because I was about four) was Bauldur’s Gate. I also love Bethesda games. Morrowind was the first big RPG that I ever really got into. I like a lot of tabletop RPGs too, but I haven’t played them in ages and likely wouldn’t remember anything. I like card and board games. As a kid, I played a lot of Reader Rabbit and Jump Start games. They were educational and since both my parents are teachers, I’m fairly certain they got them from their schools. I also played a lot of Zoo Tycoon and turn-based civilization building games, like 1602 AD and Pharoah. 6) When roleplaying, is there anything else you do like listening to music or drinking something in particular? Not particularly, no. I’ve always been more of an opportunistic writer—doing things quickly or in-between tasks. The most that can be said is that I have to be entirely comfortable and sort of in a mode where my brain is refreshing and not actually trying to work. That being said, the majority of my writing tends to come out when I’m watching something stupid on Netflix or when I’m in bed and trying to fall asleep. 7) If you could choose between mind reading and teleportation, which would you choose and why? Teleportation, definitely. I could go see friends and travel for no cost and when it was time for bed I could just go home. Also, I would have absolutely no qualms about teleporting into a bank vault and getting enough cash to pay off my student loan debt, tuition for grad school, my sister’s and parents’ student loan debt, replace my car with a decent used one, and move out or even to a different city. I would literally be a world class thief in order to pay off debt, keep myself mildly comfortable, and then likely to donate money to no-kill animal shelters and charities. 8) Do you like ancient mythology? If so, what culture is your favorite? I think it would be more appropriate to ask what I don’t like. In general, I’ve never been incredibly fond of ancient Roman or Greek mythology. I find it to be far too overdone. My favorites overall are likely Egyptian, Norse, and Slavic. There are several kinds of myths that I have an overall fondness for. I especially like mermaid and siren myths. Most kinds of mythologies have some variation on fae or elven courts, and I enjoy those as well. And, as should surprise absolutely no one, I have a huge soft spot for tricksters. 9) If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why? That’s a damn good question, and I nearly always change my mind each time I’m asked it. There are so many interesting historical figures that I would love to meet, good and bad, that I’m not sure I could choose just one. The top of the list includes more historical figures (Thoreau, Whitman, Poe, Hatshepsut, Elizabeth I, Lovecraft, Tesla, Jefferson) than live people (Rowling, Jennifer Hale). The people who I would like to meet generally are people that I would like to actually sit down and spend time with. They're people I've admired or found fascinating since I was young. There are, of course, two people who have passed in my personal life who I would give anything to see one last time. I would like to see my great grandma, who passed when I was in eighth grade, and tell her that I managed to get through college and that I have a decent job---she was so, so fond of all her grandkids and great-grandkids and she wanted to see us all go to college so badly. She was older when she went and I'm okay with that now, but she was such a nice lady and I think she'd be just so pleased. The other person I'd like to see would be my second momma who passed away from leukemia not even a year ago---I had known her since I was five and she was such a tough woman and never put up with my shit and pushed me to do my best and she was such a good, proud person. The job I had at the time wouldn't give me time off when I finally got word that she was in hospice care or when she passed and I asked to go to the funeral. She did get a college graduation invite and even though she didn't get to actually see me in person, she did get to see the live stream. I never really got to say goodbye or give her a hug or anything, and I know she basically considered me her kid. 

10) What about your blog is your favorite thing you've done?

I have a lot of headcanon that I haven't published yet. I need to get on that. There's one in particular, about elves and elvhen and footwear, that I really like.

Roleplay on Tumblr is a lot different than on other sites, which is interesting. 

I like the friends I've made on here most of all. I know that is awfully altruistic, but I do value them immensely.

11) What drew you into roleplay? What made you stay?

Honestly? I was bored.

I've been roleplaying off and on since Xanga and GaiaOnline, which is hella sad. 

As for what drew me to Solas? Honestly, when I started I hadn't even finished a playthrough where I had romanced him yet. A friend jokingly said that he and I have quite a bit in common so I started sort of as a laugh.

Joke was on me, I suppose. They were right---Solas and I do have a lot in common, which has made writing for him a deliciously difficult challenge---and I'm still here two years later. 

Don't get me wrong, I've learned a lot about myself while writing for Solas. It is immensely relaxing to write as him. Which has helped me stick around, too.

Questions:

1) who?

2) what? 

3) when?

4) where?

5) why?

6) how?

7) Lannisters or Starks?

8) Who did 9/11?

9) Tell me about it, stud.

10) How would you do it?

11) Who was phone?