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schrijverr · 3 years ago

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Promises You Made to Me

Chapter 2 out 3

Aragorn falls for Boromir on their journey. When they realize they share their affection, they also know that the time is not now to act upon them. Both promise to share love once they see the quest done, a promise that long seems a broken oath. Still, the horn was heard in more lands and the Elves have not yet forsaken this world

A Boromir lives AU where they fall in love before Boromir falls at Amon Hen, but Aragorn only learns of his survival after the defeat of Sauron.

On AO3.

Ships: Aragorn x Boromir

Warnings: mourning and Aragorn's bad coping

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Chapter 2: Can’t Promise You Kind Road Below

Aragorn did not want to think about the dying face of Boromir, how he had clutched to his clothes in desperate regret, nor how he had looked as if their doom was impending and there was no stopping it.

He hated how when he recalled the image of Boromir, he could only see that Boromir, chocking on his own blood, confessing his sins. He wanted to see Boromir in the flickering light of the fire, his eyes when he talked, but he could not.

Through Rohan, he ran himself ragged trying to find the little ones Boromir had died to protect and when even that task was his no longer, he worked to ensure that the world of men would not fail.

As they rode to Helm’s Deep, he was aware of Éowyn’s eyes on him, but he knew it was not love, for he knew what love looked like. She loved him for the things he could bring her, not for his tales of mischief or his tracking in the wild, just war and valor.

He would not engage with her meaningful looks hoping that they would go away, before he had to deal with them. His soul was smarting still and the affection in her eyes instead of his, hurt more than he could have thought.

When he went over the cliff edge, a small part of him hoped that he would see Boromir again, but instead he saw but an image of him, kissing his forehead as Aragorn had done on Amon Hen, before pulling him up, urging him to fulfill the oath he had made.

Brego trotted slow enough to not jostle him, but it would not have mattered for his mind was consumed by his empty arm and the shadow a smile long gone.

Arriving he heard Gimli through the crowd: “Where is he? Where is he? Get out of the way! I’m gonna kill him!” Then he saw him and hugged him close. “You are the luckiest, the canniest and the most reckless man I ever knew!”

Aragorn hugged back, but he did not have the time for this. His mind had been made up, he needed to save Rohan and then Gondor, for Boromir. It was a truth he had already known, but seeing Boromir in his mind’s eye, pleading with him again, made it a reality once more. He could not give up now. “Gimli, where is the King?”

Legolas also stopped him before he could reach Théoden King, however. “Le ab-dollen,” he frowned and scanned him over. “You look terrible.”

It was a relief, somehow, to have Legolas there, insulting him as of old. The Elf with his long life had more familiarity with grief than most and he tried his best to keep Aragorn on his two legs. A smile broke out on his face.

Then something leathery was pushed into his hands. Boromir’s bracer. It had been torn off during the fight with the Orc and he had felt its absence ever since, holding it in his hands once more made swallowing harder than it needed to be.

“Hannon le.” It was not enough to express all the thanks he had to his friend for saving and protecting this object while he could, even if he did not know whether Aragorn had made it and even if there was no one to return it to. Yet, he hoped his face showed all the gratitude his soul held.

After that he walked on to the King and so he stood and fought for Helm’s Deep, for mankind.

It was a pity that the Elves send to their aid were from the Western border of Lothlórien, instead of the Eastern, which had collected Boromir, since now neither knew that Boromir lived still.

Gandalf prevented him from marching directly through to the White City once the battle was over and the warning had to be brought, while Aragorn’s heartwas eager to march on.

Waiting was more agonizing than Aragorn had expected. When there were no longer marches that lasted days on which the silence was oppressively present or battles that went through the night, the emotions he had tried to hide from crept into his mind once more.

There was no description in any of the tongues he knew for the way his heart hurt. No words for the way it was hollow yet so heavy, nor for the way his mind replayed that day and all the things he could have done differently, if he had only seen.

He spend days sitting alone with his pipe.

Legolas understood. The Elf would sit next to him in silence, watching over the plains for someone, who would not appear on the horizon. Gimli, as well, would hold him company, on the long nights wherein sleep seemed the enemy more so than the darkness.

This night he was alone, however, gracing the halls of Edoras with his drunken mumbling filled with grief. His mind had called upon him to write a song for the loss and glory of Boromir, something he had been turning in his mind for many days.

There were reproaches to himself also for not giving him some sort of ritual send off that he had deemed as too time-consuming, if he was to fulfill his promises, and had regretted ever since. He should have bore Boromir to one of their boats and let the Anduin take him home, yet he had not.

Softly he swished the ale in his mug, looking into his reflection that looked more pitiful than a King should look. But he was no King here, just a broken man and quietly he murmured:

“Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grass grows The West Wind comes walking, and about the walls it goes "What news from the West, O wandering wind, do you bring to me tonight? Have you seen Boromir the Tall by moon or by starlight?" "I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wide and grey I saw him walk in empty lands until he passed away Into the shadows of the North, I saw him then no more The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son of Denethor" "O Boromir! From the high walls westward I looked afar But you came not from the empty lands where no men are" . From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies, from the sandhills and the stones The wailing of the gulls it bears, and at the gate it moans "What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bring to me at eve? Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve" "Ask not of me where he doth dwell – so many bones there lie On the white shores, on the dark shores under the stormy sky So many have passed down Anduin to find the flowing Sea Ask of the North Wind news of them the North Wind sends to me" "O Boromir! Beyond the gate the seaward road runs south But you came not with the wailing gulls from the grey sea’s mouth" . From the Gate of Kings the North Wind rides, and past the roaring falls And clear and cold about the tower its loud horn calls "What news from the North, O mighty wind, do you bring to me today? What news of Boromir the Bold? For he is long away" "'Neath Amon Hen I heard his cry. There many foes he fought His cloven shield, his broken sword, they to the water brought His head so proud, his face so fair, his limbs they laid to rest And Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, bore him upon its breast" "O Boromir! The Tower of Guard shall ever northward gaze To Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, until the end of days"”

“That was beautiful, my Lord. I knew not that a lament had been written for the grievous loss of Lord Boromir.” His private sorrow was interrupted by Éowyn, who could not know how deep the grief ran in Aragorn’s heart.

“It is not,” said he. “I wrote it.”

“Did he go down the Anduin, my Lord?” she asked. “We heard fairly little of the demise of our trusted ally of many years, only that it had happened.”

Aragorn’s teeth clenched, a steady breath leaving his nose at her innocent question. “He did not. We had not the time and I have regretted it ever since I turned my back to the place where he fell. He deserved more honor.”

Éowyn fell silent, then gently sat beside him. He knew not whether to be grateful for her company or upset at the intrusion, which it could hardly be called inside the public halls of her home.

She laid her hand on his arm. “You cared for him,” she observed. “He was not just your brother in arms, I can feel the grief in your voice and I see the bracers of Gondor upon your arms. Though it might not be a comparison, Théodred is a soul dearly missed by me. He rode into battle with Éomer, but it was me he comforted in the night when the nightmares got too strong. He was my brother more than my cousin.”

He heard the pain in her voice and while it was not a lover she had lost, it had been a loved one. She had not looked at him before with the compassion born of something other than love and in that moment, he appreciated the understanding she brought him.

“I promised I’d protect him, that we both might live to see the end of our quest.” His gaze wandered to a far off place that was unseen to other eyes. “I found him too late and save him, I could not. For all the Elven healing I have learned, I was not enough. I failed him.”

“You have not failed him, for if Boromir was to be failed, he would be failed by no one but his own,” Éowyn spoke fiercely. “I knew Boromir for many winters passed and he was proud and bold. He knew his sword better than his body, leading the charge and ending every fight he fought. He was a great warrior and I will not have his name tarried by your claim that he needed your protection. If he fell, he fell with the honor of a Soldier and a noble man, fighting until he could do so no more to protect what he held dear.”

Aragorn fell silent.

While Legolas and Gimli had many times told him to not carry the weight of Boromir’s death on his shoulders, it was Éowyn that defended Boromir in removing his guilt.

Boromir valued his honor and he had told him that he had kept it. It would not do to take those words back in his mind, to carry the guilt of Boromir’s death that was more Saruman’s fault than his own. Still it was easier to speak the words than to take the message to heart, yet it eased his mind, for he had felt he could not grieve that which he had caused, allowing himself to only feel the pain when colored by blame.

“You are not responsible for Théodred either, my Lady. Saruman’s magic lies in his voice and his arm reached far, do not blame yourself for there is not blame to be laid,” he said, not knowing how else to respond to the kindness she had shown him.

There was the same shock of the confirmation that it was okay to rest that had been upon his face moments before. She swallowed, then stared ahead: “I still have to atone for not doing more, for taking one of our greatest Captains in times of war when he could have been saved.”

“You do not have to replace him, my Lady. Dying in honor is not worth it to repay a debt that isn’t owed. Why should you atone for Gríma’s and Saruman’s crimes? Who will be here to protect the home that Théodred died for? If we fail, who else will hold steady here?” He knew her urge to fight, but he hoped she would see that times of peace were more valuable and that everyone had their own part to play in getting there.

She did not take kindly to his comfort, nor his advice. For all her wisdom to Aragorn, she had little for her own heart, little to soften the blows she dealt herself. Her lips pulled into a thin line and her hands clenched, before she swept out of the room, leaving Aragorn once more with a mug of ale as his only company.

Aragorn was still churning their words in his head the morning after. Both trying to find the right words for the ones that had been misplaced by her mind the day before as well as trying to come to terms with hers.

On the horizon a light flickered.

He rushed up many stairs and through the town he flew into the great hall of Edoras, where he panted:“The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!”

The hall fell silent in awaiting Théoden’s answer and while Aragorn had already decided that no matter the word of the King, he would ride, taking whoever was willing with him, he still longed to know the King’s answer.

“And Rohan shall answer,” the King decided. “Gather to Rohirrim.” The words loosened the weight inside Aragorn’s chest. An army would do more for Gondor than a lone man.

He would come to Gondor’s aid, he would not abandon Boromir nor his home. There was a little hope for Gondor now and Aragorn found himself eagerly awaiting the return to his Kingdom, even if there was a chance he would find it in ruins.

In the end his return alongside Rohan would not come to pass. Seeing Elrond was a respite he did not know he needed, but when the older man shed his hood, Aragorn’s knees nearly buckled as a sense of safety and home consumed him.

“Estel?” he questioned when he saw Aragorn. “You are not the man that left Rivendell. You have lost something, a part of yourself. Where is the Evenstar brooch?”

“I- I gave it away,” Aragorn confessed, voice less steady than a hut during an earth quake.

“To whom?” Elrond wore the face that he often did when the human character of Aragorn managed to baffle him, even after all the millennia he had walked this earth.

Aragorn knew not whether he wanted to confess to the man, who had been like his father, to whom he had given the star of his daughter, but it felt unfair to keep it from him and yet it was hard to speak the name. “Boromir.”

“The brooch was not all you gave to Boromir.” The statement was an inquiry, but it might as well have been a knife. There was no judgment in Elrond’s voice, just a quiet understanding that came with all the losses he’d had.

He nodded in reply, for there was no more he could say to Elrond, save: “I swore to him that I would not see Gondor fail, Ada. Yet, my heart tells me Rohan will not be enough.”

“Your heart speaks truth, you ride to war not victory. Sauron’s armies ride on Minas Tirith, this you know, but in secret he sends another force, which will attack from the river. A fleet of Corsair ships sails from the South. They will be in the city in two days. You’re outnumbered, Estel. You need more men.”

At Elrond’s words, Aragorn’s heart sank. He had known this was a futile attempt to stem the tide of the darkness, thatthey would need even more men, men that did not exist or could not be spared. The promise he made to Boromir, was an oath he could not keep. “There are none,” it was a desolate fate to realize there in the night.

“There are those, who dwell in the mountain,” Elrond’s suggestion was one they could not count on and he wondered when the counsel of the Elves had turned to hopeless last efforts that would not be fruitful.

“Murderers, traitors. You would call upon them to fight? They believe in nothing, they answer to no one.” Did Elrond not see that it would be his end?

“They will answer to the King of Gondor. I am here on behalf of someone that I love, Arwen begged me to bring this to you healed before she left to the Grey Havens,” said Elrond, revealing a sword that had been concealed in his coat. “Andúril, the Flame of the West, forged from the shards of Narsil.”

With near reverence Aragorn took the sword, by whose shards he had first seen Boromir so many nights ago. The rhyme that foretold his duty came to fruition as a tale from old.

It seemed poetic that it came to his hands now that he marched on the City he had sworn to protect in name of the man, he had met next to that very same sword. How it came to him healed, only after Boromir had named him King and he had proven himself in battle.

“The blade that was broken shall return to Minas Tirith.”

While he knew his duty, he could not easily do so without the entire encampment knowing. He made his goal clear, but all thought it a foolish quest that would rob them of a leader in the battle that was to come. “Why are you doing this? The war lies to the East. You cannot leave on the eve of battle, you cannot abandon the men.”

“Éowyn,” for that was who had spoken and Aragorn hoped that his tone would convey all that he tried to say to her, knowing that she was not susceptible to listening.

“We need you here.” Everyone seemed to need him, but he knew where he was needed and it was not here, it was with a deadly army marching on Minas Tirith from the South.

“Why have you come?” he asked instead of all he wanted to say to her. He knew her reasons, but he needed her to understand that what she wished could not come to pass, for he did not think he could ever fully heal from the grief of Boromir. He was not right for her.

“Do you not know?”

“It is but a shadow and a thought that you love. I cannot give you what you seek.” The glance she send to his bracers told him she understood, yet she did not want to believe and the blunt rejection still hurt her as she backed away.

Aragorn knew that he should have felt more guilt about hurting the maiden, but he could not find it in him, for he was hurting too, yet there was no one right for him either, except the dead. He would find company there.

He also found company in Legolas and Gimli, glad for his friends that had been a steadfast presence by his side.

There were no finer companions to march with, for they had been there through it all, not once leaving his side and trusting him with their life, even when his judgment had cost them one of the Fellowship’s. They had not blamed him and stood by his side with more understanding of his conviction than he could have hoped for.

A dark path later, he finally gazed upon the White City. It stood high and mighty still, yet the magic with which Boromir had described it fell flat as the lower levels burned and the streets were overrun by Orcs and Trolls.

Boromir’s words in Lothlórien echoed through his mind: ‘Still, my heart tells me that I will not see my home as it is now ever again and my fears would have me believe that the next time I see it, it will be in ruin.’

Had he known then the omen of which those words spoke, he would not have thought so lightly of them.

Yet those were demons for after the war was won, for the end was only staved off and the Houses of Healing were filled with people, who did have a chance to see their home restored, should they live through this.

Aragorn worked tirelessly, remembering Boromir telling him off the time he had ended up here with a broken arm after he had fallen of a horse as a youngster. Boromir had recalled how the nurses had more resembled a beehive and how the busy hands had distracted him from the pain.

It was strange how his memories came alive amidst the dying soldiers of his City. He tried to work through it and many citizens saw him there, working so tirelessly as to be the hive Boromir had told him off by himself.

His people spoke, rumors of his deeds in the Houses of Healing spread through the City. Yet, no one spoke of the King that had wept at the sick bed of Faramir, Son of Gondor, now herCaptain and Steward, who resembled his so brother closely.

For days he found himself beside Faramir, looking at the man with an aching guilt. He wondered if he knew his brother was dead, if Pippin had told him, if he knew that Boromir would never again hear the silver trumpets call him home.

He knew not how Boromir had carried so much upon his shoulders for the many years he dwelt here and he felt deeply how the burdens he had seen in the eyes of Boromir, were the burdens meant for him. So, he set to work again, trying not to think of it more.

And it was in the Houses of Healing that Legolas found him, gently washing Faramir’s wounds with athelas water. He laid a hand on Aragorn’s shoulder. “You need to stop, Aragorn. You will not save Boromir by saving his brother. He is in safe hands here, you can do no more but rest.”

Aragorn tried to ignore him and went back to what he was doing, but his hands were shaking and his eyes were drooping. He knew Legolas to be right, yet it was hard to tear himself away from caring for the family of the man that held his heart.

“We have a counsel about our next move come morning. You cannot protect Minas Tirith if you’re exhausted. Please, sleep.”

The fact that Legolas spoke truth made it all the more frustrating. Faramir looked so much like his brother that it was sometimes easy to pretend that he had been on time to save him. But he had not. Every time he glimpsed features that were not Boromir’s that revelation came to him again.

Still, he knew that Boromir had cared for his brother, with many tales of their adventures both as young lads and soldiers proved that. Aragorn would never forgive himself if Faramir died under his care. He would do anything to protect Minas Tirith.

Slowly he stood up, vision going black for a moment as Legolas steadied him. Gratefully, he leaned on the Elf and let himself be led to a bed. He could not remember falling asleep, but it was the first full sleep he had in weeks, through virtue of pure exhaustion.

The debate for their next move had gathered in the Citadel and Aragorn walked the halls where he was meant to rule and where Boromir had grown up. He should have been there as well, to decide the fate of his City and people, but he was not and Aragorn would try his best in his stead.

He deeply understood Gandalf’s fear and blame of himself, when he talked about Frodo and the heavy shadow in the East, as he stated: “I have send him to his death.”

“No.” Aragorn would not let Gandalf fall into his own mistakes, he would not let the Wizard give up when he had just hardened his resolve to do what he must. “There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time and safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that.”

“How?” asked Gimli and Aragorn explained the plan that had been growing in his mind: “Draw out Sauron’s armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate.”

“We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms,” Éomer rightfully critiqued, but he did not yet see the full picture. The real goal.

“Not for ourselves,” Aragorn agreed, “but we can give Frodo a chance if we keep Sauron’s eyes fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves.”

“A diversion.” It clicked for Legolas and he saw in the Elf’s eyes that he thought him mad and genius at once. He knew then that he would have Legolas by his side.

“Certainty of death, small chance of success,” Gimli summarized and Aragorn hoped the Dwarf would be on his side as well. The three of them had journeyed so far and it would hurt to see his friend abandon ship at the end. Yet, his heart knew that Gimli was more stouthearted and loyal than that, which was confirmed by the Dwarf himself: “What are we waiting for?”

“Sauron will suspect a trap. He will not take the bait,” Gandalf voiced what Arargorn had also realized, but he had an idea. He grinned and said: “Oh, I think he will,” before explaining what he meant to do.

Before he could do so however, Pippin stopped him. He looked at the Hobbit curiously, it was not the same Hobbit whom he had left Rivendell with. There was a weight on his shoulders and a wisdom in his eyes.

“Promise me I can come with you to the Black Gate,” he asked. “Boromir gave his life for me and Faramir has shown me great compassion despite my involvement in his brother’s death. I would be ashamed to not protect their home.”

“It is not up to me to decide who goes,” he said and he saw Pippin’s face fall, so he added, “It is up to the heart of every man. I will not force anyone to come with me, but every man is welcome. Still, you should not feel like a debt is owed, because you were the bringer of the news of Boromir’s death to his kin.”

He knew how Boromir cared for the Hobbits – Merry and Pippin especially, since they reminded him of the youth untouched by war and he had hoped to save them of the harsh, dark hands of violence. Another place where Aragorn had failed him. Boromir would not want them to unnecessarily endanger themselves.

“That is not why I want to fight, Aragorn. I want to help Frodo and Sam, I hope to see my friends again and I wish to fight for their good fortune,” Pippin said. “And it was not me, who brought the news.”

“It was not?” Aragorn frowned. He did not know how else the news could have come to the White City.

“No, it was his cloven horn that was found in the river, which told the people that Boromir would not return, I merely confirmed the loss already felt,” Pippin explained.

A cold hand gripped Aragorn’s heart. How had the horn ended up in the river when last he had seen, it had been next to it’s bearer far from the water of the Anduin, lying on the forest ground? Who had moved the horn from it’s resting place?

“Aragorn?” He had been quiet fortoo long and Pippin’s brows formed a concerned look. He failed to smile reassuringly as he said: “I’m sorry, Pippin. I was distracted. It is a noble cause to fight for your friends and your blade will be welcome.” Then he quickly left.

The fear and guilt in his heart was a familiar mix and he had not the time to examine the revelation too closely, for there was something he had to do. Though his mind kept straying.

Looking into the Palantír, he saw the dreadful eye that had haunted them through their journey across Middle Earth. It writhed and hissed in Black speech, things he could not understand. He unsheathed his sword and told Him: “Long have you hunted me. Long have I eluded you. No more! Behold, the Sword of Elendil!”

Immediate was the reaction of the Dark Lord, who showed him the body of Boromir, defiled and dismembered by a pack of Orcs. His fair face was no more, his horn tossed into the river with all that was left of him. The Evenstar trampled and left in the dirt.

Aragorn felt sick as he dropped the Palantír.

He knew not whether the stone spoke truth or if the Dark Lord had looked into his heart to confirm his deepest fears. Yet a part of his mind could not help but think that it had come to pass and that his actions had led to Boromir being desecrated like that after death.

When he had decided to leave Boromir there, it had been purely selfish. He wanted Boromir to be given the chance to be buried as the Kings of old as he had deserved. He had not wanted to dishonor Boromir as well as giving himselfthe chance to be buried alongside him. But the had not been the time to dig a grave with the trail of Merry and Pippin growing cold every second, he could not fail what Boromir had started.

So the body had been left and now he had a broken horn that should not have been in the river and an all seeing eye that confirmed what he had feared.

The bile rising in his throat felt almost as bitter as the taste of regret that coated his tongue. It seemed like he was only failing Boromir. His city lay in ruin, he would march her last soldiers to their death by the Black Gates and now the decisions about the death of Boromir felt foolish and was causing an anguish and doubt in his heart when Gondor needed it least.

He could not let this stop him, however. Boromir had turned his back on helping Frodo for a moment and it had led him onto a road of ruin and Aragorn had swore to do better by him. He could not abandon Frodo, not now. No matter if his heart wanted him to hide and cry.

Thus it came to pass that he marched steadily on the Black Gate with too small an army and a sun rising in the sky that he might never see setting again.

Aragorn spoke to his troops, to the brave men that had followed him in spite of knowing the foolish quest that it was. “Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers. I see it in your eyes, the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and all bonds of Fellowship.”

Even as he spoke the image of Boromir haunted his words. His attempt to take the Ring colored his mind, yet Boromir had the courage to turn back, to not forsake his friends and neither would the men in front of him. “But it is not this day! An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight!”

He saw encouragement in the eyes that looked up at him as he heard the voice of Boromir: ‘I have not yet seen you in a proper battle, nor with men under your command,’ and he hoped that if Boromir could see him, he would be proud. That he would have provenhimself worthy of the throne that lay waiting for him, should he return.

“By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand! Men of the West!” Around him weapons were unsheathed as men readied themselves to fight with Aragorn joining them on his horse.

No one could stop him, he had to fight. Fight for Frodo, for Gondor, for Boromir and the promises he had made to him. He would fight for the memory of the Elves and the legacy of men in the new age. He might perish on the field of battle, but he would do so with honor. For if he fell, he wanted to join there were Boromir dwelt.

A/N:

Shout out to me for using a bazillion (9k) words for FOTR only to breeze past the rest of the franchise in record speed (5k). Well, maybe not record speed, but pretty fast if u compare.

Also I adore the Lament for Boromir (and I cry every time, very hard and long, lets not talk about it, anyways), but that does not just come to you and I wanted to explore writing it for Aragorn, so it had to be included and is straight from the books. I am quite sad that Legolas didn’t get to sing his part though :/

In the movies more so than the books, I feel (which is up for interpretation), Aragorn’s journey is shadowed by the death of Boromir. It is Boromir that convinced him of the courage of men and how Gondor needs him, who accepts him as King first and shows Aragorn what his absence has caused. So, I really wanted to explore all the places where Aragorn would meet Boromir’s shadow when he thought him dead and was mourning.

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crazy4myself · 5 years ago

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No Harm List Pt.2

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: Violence or threats of violence, explicit language, charicter death, implications of murder, mentions of blood, mentions of nudity, blow job jokes,

Summary: You live in a city where crime runs rampant. One day, you save a young boy’s life, not knowing that he is the most powerful crime lord's heir. And you have just been put on the no harm list.

a/n: sorry for the tragic backstory I didn’t mean for Hobi to get that dark, but whoop here we aree

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To both your relife and dismay, your life immediately returned to normal after receiving the shoes. While you were a bit wearier about walking home from work, you found no reason to hang on to the adventures of that night or the three charming men you encountered, so you told yourself to forget about it and put it behind you. And you did.

Until a few days later, when you met your best friend Hoseok for lunch.

"What the hell happened to your face" he demanded in the way of greeting.

You sighed, knowing you were going to have to tell him sooner or later, but in defense of your face, it was only peppered with a few scratches and a small yellowing bruise from when you fell. It was otherwise fine.

"You should have seen the other guy," you teased as you set your backpack down in the spare seat. Hoseok already ordered your usual for you like the angel he was, and you immediately shoved a bite of the sandwich in your mouth.

"No," he snapped, swiping the plate from you, "explain first, eat second."

"Hobi, please, I've been in class all day I'm starving," You whined in protest, reaching for your plate, but he set his lip in a firm pout, his dimples framing his upper lip and you lost the battle before it began. With a sigh, you caved, giving him a thorough retelling of the night with all the details you dare give him without, in turn, giving him a heart attack.

"He called you Cinderella and bought you new shoes," he asked with a smile brighter than the sun stretching across his face.

You groaned, "Please don't romanticize this. I'm never going to see him again, and can we mourn the fact that I have to find a new dealer. Mid Terms are around the corner, and Organic Chem is kicking my ass."

"I'm not mourning any of your bad habits."

"Oh my gosh, you're the one who told me about it," you defended in disbelief.

"At the time, I didn't think your ass was dumb enough to go for it. I had a high opinion of you back then," he huffed before handing you back your plate.

Your argument died on your lips as you stuffed your lunch in your mouth and ravaged it. Hobi watched you eat an expression of disgust and mild fascination on his face as you near deep throated a 6-inch sub.

"Stop acting like a hoe in Subway. I think the cashier is about to pop a boner," he chastised.

You looked up to see the man was, in fact, staring at you as you ate. You shot him a flirtatious wink as spinach fell out your mouth. "Let him."

"Why do I hang out with you?"

"Because I make a great company and have hot friends," you responded cooly as you licked your fingers clean.

Both were very true, but not the reason for your friendship. You were roommates with Hoseok's little sister, your freshman year of college. She took you under her wing since you were an international student, and you met Hobi that way.

Your weekends were often filled with the smiles of the Jung siblings and mischief that always came with it. You and Dawon grew incredibly close, she even offered to let you stay with her and Hobi over the summer while you were still apartment hunting come the end of the spring term.

Dawon's friendship was that one in a lifetime bond you can only get from enduring college together. The two of you were going to watch each other grow into badass boss bitches after graduation, stand in each other's weddings, be the godmother to each other's children. It was a friendship written in the stars, so you were devastated when she passed before the spring semester even ended.

The authorities claimed that Dawon was shot in a robbery gone wrong. A loss of life over something as petty as a chunk of change in her wallet. The murder wasn't caught the night of the attack, and for a time, the lack of closure ripped you apart.

You didn't even know the first day after it happened. She was shot during finals week, you were nearly camped out in the library the whole week. When she stopped responding to your texts, you just assumed she was buckling down on studying like you were. You were so caught up in your own life that you didn't get worried enough to reach out to Hobi until 18 hours after her death.

You don't remember what happened after ending the phone call or what you did, you went into shock and next thing you knew you RA was letting Hoseok into your dorm room after she received the news.

What you didn’t know what that the call never ended.

Hoseok never hung up.

Hobi stayed on the phone with you the whole time, murmuring gentle reassurances, not knowing if you could hear him or not, but knowing he could only hear your shallow breaths. He stayed on the phone with you even as he arrived on campus and entered your dorm, asking for the person on duty to find someone to let him in.

He stayed on the phone with you as he explained to your RA what happened, and watched her shed tears over his sister and struggled to give her condolences. He didn't hang up until he was in your room and wrapping his arms around you. Gently removing the phone from your ear as you stood frozen in place, before he sat you on the carpet.

The dam of emotions had burst at his touch, the feeling of comfort confirming the reality that your best friend was gone. He rocked you like a child until you nearly exhausted yourself and stayed with you through that night.

You don't remember much about the days following. You were a ghost of yourself as you finished your last two finals and packed up your belongings along with Dawon's to move out of your dorm.

There was a small service you attended that was filled with mostly strangers. Which only reminded you that you were only in her life for 10 months, a small fraction of the time she blessed this world. It only took a week for her to become one of the most important people to you, but to everyone else that ever knew her, you were just her roommate.

You do remember that summer, though. Hoseok honored his sister's wish and allowed you to stay with him while you looked for a place to live. You were a comfort to each other. The first two weeks you spent most nights sitting out on his balcony and letting him tell stories of him to his sister. On occasion, you exchanged one of your own; each seemed to paint the picture and make it seem like she might have been there sitting with the two of you.

Then something changed in Hoseok, the authorities got a lead on the identity of the murderer, a member of the notorious gang the Razor Gulls. After that, Hobi started going out at night and not coming back until early in the morning. You didn't know what he was up to, you never asked.

You got worried when his boss reached out to you because he stopped going to work for a week, you covered for him and told him that Hobi needed some time off to mourn. After that, you started to insist you eat dinner together each night before he went out. You prepared a decent meal and sat at the table and talked about mundane things. He smiled for you, but you could see the light dimming in his eyes. You could see the mask he put on for his family and friends who came to mourn her weeks ago, who still called on the occasion to check in on him, start to crack.

You began to put off your apartment hunting to prolong your time with him simply so he wouldn't be alone. Simply, to make sure someone knew he came home safe each night. What you should have done for Dawon. The only thing you could do for her now.

You don't know what happened that night on June 13th, you never asked, but you had a good idea. It was a hot and humid night, like most summer nights in the port town, but this one was especially miserable.

You couldn't keep the sticky feeling of the sweat off your palms, no matter how many times you wiped them dry. You were sitting in the living room watching shitty TV, hoping maybe this would be one of the nights that Hobi would come home early when he stumbled through the front door. At first, you thought he was drunk, but as you got closer, as you saw the blood on his clothes, you knew it was something different.

You called his name repeatedly before you got any kind of response. When he looked up at you, his eyes were vacant. There was no joy, no smiles. It made your chest tight how he seemed to look past you. It stirred up memories of the night he came to the dorm to check on you.

"Hobi, wha-" you took a look at the blood on his clothing to make sure it wasn't his own before leading him to the bathroom. You started the shower for him and stripped him of his shirt and pants leaving him in his boxers with small but firm orders to get cleaned up. You put the soiled clothing in a full trash bag shuffling around the take out containers and to shift it closer to the middle of the bag before taking the trash out to the apartment complex's dumpster.

When you got back inside, you went to his room and grabbed some boxers, sweats, and the first t-shirt you could find before heading back in the bathroom.

Through the marbled glass door of the shower, you could see that he somewhat followed your directions. He was standing under the running water of the shower, still dazed. The drained water was still tinged a slight rust color from the filth on his hands.

With a sigh, you pushed back the door and crawled in the shower with him, your shirt immediately sticking to your back as it went under the jets stream. If Hoseok was aware of his company, he remained unphased as you soaped up a loofa and began scrubbing down his back and arms and squatting down to get his legs. This was not the first time seeing the man naked, you skinny-dipped with him in the hot springs outside of town more than a few times this past winter.

Still, you kept your eyes high as you turned him to get his chest and neck as well as gently rub at the flecks of blood dried on his cheek. The toned muscle of his body showed that dancing used to be more than just a hobby for him. And you admired the careful strength wrapped in his unblemished golden skin.

It wasn't until you lathered your hands with shampoo and reached your arms up to wash his hair that a broken sob escaped his chest.

"I know," you murmured to him as you massaged his scalp with your fingers, his entire body rocking with his tears. You didn't know, you didn't have a clue, but Hoseok felt himself clinging to confidence in your words. You weren't dismissing his cries you saw and felt each one.

He tilted his head back at your gentle guidance and focused on breathing as the warm water washed through his hair.

He nearly composed himself as you conditioned his hair, quickly only letting out soft whimpers by the time you turned off the water. You toweled the two of you off quickly, dressing him in his sweats before deciding you needed the shirt more than him and traded your soaked tee for his. It fell just above your knee, and you wore shorter things in the club, so you deemed it an appropriate nightgown for the night before leading Hoseok to his room where you joined him in bed.

The silence was only broken by small sniffles as he hugged you before you finally asked in the darkness, "Do you want to talk about it?"

His body shuttered with another sob as he let out a broken no in response. You didn't push after that; you only began stroking your fingers in his hair, pushing it back from his face, like he once said his mother used to.

"Do you want me to go?" you asked softly, he shook his head buried in your shoulder, and that was that. You stayed with him, letting him mourn and process and slowly reel himself back together again as he desperately tried to fill the void in his chest. You held him as his sobs became sniffles and slowly drifted into soft snores, and even when your own eyes drooped, you held him through the night.

The next morning you woke up alone in Hobi's empty bed to the smell of bacon. When you wandered out of the room, you saw him dressed and smiling as he placed a plate of food on the table.

"I thought we could eat breakfast before I head into work," he offered as an explanation pulling the juice out of the fridge.

You tried not to be too thrown by his sudden change in mood and instead basked in the glow of his smile, as you joined him for the quiet meal. You insisted on doing the dishes so he wouldn't be late, and he thanked you before hurrying out the door.

You turned on the TV as you scraped the grease from the pan and into the trash, hearing the morning news drone on until something caught your attention. The reporter went on explaining how Kim Martin, the robber responsible for Jung Dawon's murder, was found dead in an alley in the 7th ward last night.

---

"So when is your next day off?" Hoseok asked as he stole a kettle chip from your bag, pursing his lips at the salt and vinegar. It was his least favorite flavor, but the fucker insisted on eating your food.

"Umm today might be the only day for a while, I'm scheduled for like every day this week, why?"

"You didn't take off for a while to lie low?" he questioned in disbelief.

"No, why would I? They aren't after me or anything they're after Bambie," you said, choosing to stick with the code name you gave Jungkook.

If he wasn't going to reveal your identity to his friends, you wouldn't tell yours, besides you were fairly certain Hoseok was involved in some gang shit and you were not about to give him the motive to dig into anything deep. Especially when people were getting assaulted for it.

"Y/N, you don't know how guys like this work they hold grudges," he warned.

"Look, this was nearly 5 days ago, I technically did lie low. And besides, I'm trying to take off for Mid Terms next month, I need to be able to pay my rent to do so,"

His face fell immediately "Y/N, you know if you ever need help you could always-"

"Hobi, what is rule number one of living in Alcor?"

"Don't eat the chili fries at Dax's."

You gave him a knowing look, and he slumped in his chair with a sigh, "Don't borrow money from anyone."

"Exactly, those were the exact orders you gave me my first week of living here, and I intend to stick to it,"

"Yeah, but I would like to think I'm different, that you could trust me to not hold that against you,"

You turned away from the hurt in his eyes with a sigh, "Look, I'll be extra careful, and besides, I should be done with the night shifts by the end of the month if the scholarship for med school goes through," you said with a smile. At the reminder, Hoseok immediately lit up.

"We need to plan your graduation party."

"Hobi, I don't want a-"

"I was thinking I could maybe rent a private room at the new club in BP" he continued ignoring your protest.

You graduate undergrad in 56 days. Then the two weeks later, you immediately start summer classes for Medical School. Alcor University's medical program was intensive, and one of the best in the world. And while the tuition for your bachelors was covered entirely by scholarship, you were still scrambling to afford the cost of living in the city.

Medical School was a whole different story, you just got your acceptance letter for the fast-tracked program last month. This program took your four years of schooling before residency and shoved it in about two and a half years of non-stop classes, no summer or winter breaks the only school.

You can't imagine having to work while going through such intensive studies, so you have been applying for scholarships and grants non-stop since your acceptance. Hoping you can scramble enough money to meet your living needs, so you only have to work weekends at 929. You even debated on moving into an apartment with a few more roommates just to lower your rent a little more.

Hobi continued to lay out his plans for your graduation party, it started sounding like a 3-day event. Still, maybe you were in need of a little fun before you entered your academic hell.

---

Min Yoongi parked his bike on a side road, securing the helmet to its lock before making his way down one of the main streets in the 6th ward. After reviewing some of the footage on the few surveillance cameras in the area, he found that the two thugs who snuck up on Jungkook that night were members of the Black Tips, a gritty gang from the 6th ward itching to expand their territory.

It was likely the thugs just saw Jungkook and decided to act out on their own to help pull them up the ranks, but to be safe, Yoongi has Jin, their best spider after Taehyung, keeping an ear out to make sure it wasn't a direct order from their higher-ups.

The city of Alcor was the large and filthy port city that served as the capital of Kros, a small merchant nation that was ruled by capitalism. In Kros, the market was more powerful than any politics making the two interchangeable when it came to state affairs.

Alcor is formally split into 11 wards, but most would say the city is clearly divided in two, the East and the West. The scumball that is the West was made up of Wards 4-9. The 4th and 5th warehouse districts make for a slow gradient through the ghettos and underdeveloped, impoverished areas, until you reach the 9th ward. The Pleasure Ward. A place of gambling halls, raunchy street vendors, and brothels.

No single gang owns the massive tumor that is the 9th ward, but neighborhoods and territories could be claimed. While BTS's stronghold lay firmly in the 7th ward, they had a handful of investments in the 9th, the most prominent being The Bulletproof Casino, the largest and most successful gambling hall in the Westside.

Bulletproof had undergone three expansions since its opening seven years ago. And thanks to the smart guidance of the founder and the gang's leader RM, it has quickly put a handful of half-assed lesser halls out of business. One of them being the Golden Drop, the Black Tips old club. Things have been tense since they sold their business to a Mr.Kim Namjoon two years ago, only to find the businessman had turned around and immediately sold the plot of land to BTS. The poor bastards didn't have a clue that the whole transaction was done by RM the entire time. He's done well to keep up his alias in his upcoming years.

Suga wished that Jungkook would do the same.

It sure would keep him out of a hell of a lot more trouble, incidents like the other night wouldn't have happened if the runt knew how to keep his head down, but the younger generations were not fond of street names.

Only Taehyung, who went by V, kept his because RM required that dealers have them to make it harder to get busted by cops in case some doped up idiot ever gets caught. But Taehyung has nearly grown out of the name as he's proved himself to be much more than a dealer.

The boy was cut from the same cloth as his cousin Jin and proved himself to be an excellent spider. A position not too far from being a spy, a collector of secrets and information from any person around the city. Possibly an even better one as Jin continues to slowly become the public face of The Bulletproof Casino, dealing with investors and stockbrokers of higher society has made it harder for him to blend in with the lowlifes of the West Side. Taehyung, however, has found himself able to worm his way in and out of the upper and lower class seamlessly and always dug up the dirt BTS needed.

What sets RM apart from the other scum of the lower West was he had an eye for all the currencies in life and invested in each of them; coin, knowledge, talent, and secrets. It was the secrets he held on nearly every big name in the city that slowly made BTS untouchable. Helping them live to their claim of being bulletproof.

Maintaining the dignity of the gang was how they ensured they lived up to that claim. That was why Suga was here to track down the two punks that tried to take out one of their own.

A member of their inner circle no less. BTS's civilian network was massive, every employee at every business they owned or invested in was loyal to BTS either willingly or out of obligation.

RM was known for helping relieve people from their debts, give them a second chance at life and allow them to pay him back at a much reasonable pace than any collector would allow. And they could do it financially, through their labor, or their services. Taking small jobs offered by a darker clientele. Slipping poison in a cup, being a lockpick in a heist, cutting the breaks in someone's car. These risks helped clear a large portion of the debt they may owe.

BTS also had members, their Army, people who would take the tattoo on their arm knowing it acted as both a shield and a target, but it gave them a place and a family to belong to when they lacked either. Being an Army of BTS ensured you a job, shelter, and a full stomach all luxuries on the west side.

Finally, within the members was their inner circle, people with titles who sat at RM's round table, because the corny bastard actually had a round dining table for family dinner which was scheduled to take place once a week, but happened most nights organically because his brothers liked to stay together.

Suga has been part of the inner circle since BTS was born from a gang raid gone wrong. He and Namjoon were just two bastards who came out of the rubble fighting and built the empire they had now over the past 7 years. He served as Namjoon's second before there was even an option for a third.

And if the day ever comes when Namjoon is ready to step down and hand JK the reigns, a thought he entertains with Yoongi and Jin on quiet nights at the Den, Yoongi supposes he will serve as Jungkook’s second too. If the little brat would have him. He can't imagine himself walking away from the life he lives now.

He holds nothing against Jin and Namjoon for wanting to leave. Holds nothing against them for wanting to live a quiet life with their partner, where they don't have to put their life, or someone else's on the line. Yoongi just can't imagine himself doing the same. BTS has always been his purpose; he loves his brothers and the world he's built for himself. He even likes it on days he has to clean up after snotty-nosed bunny teethed brats.

Jon Waters was such a mundane name. Suga had to believe that the man covered himself in tattoo's to compensate for it. Especially as he entered the rundown pawnshop with bars on its windows and door to see how tacky they were in person.

"You got a lotta nerve comin' into my shop," Jon growled the moment the bell alerted him of Suga's presence.

"You have a lot of nerve coming after my kid in the middle of the night. Tell me did you cry when you got your ass handed to you by some college girl," he mocked

Jon's eyes narrowed as his hand reached under the cabinet for his gun, "I'll kill you."

"1421 Lilac Drive" was his Dull response. Jon's eyes widened in shock.

"That's your sister's address, right? I gotta say you did well when your mom ditched you guys, joining a gang to provide for her. Quite noble. Sending her off to university, she didn't graduate, though," he sent a taunting smile. "Who needs your masters when you can get your Mrs. I'm sure it was easy for her to marry rich with an ass like that."

"Watch it," he snapped.

"Oh, it's hard not to. But not for long I hear she is carrying, things tend to sag after having a baby." Suga mused lazily.

"What's your point, you think knowing who my sister is, is going to scare me?"

"It should. Especially since I have someone stationed outside her house right now, and if I don't walk out of here. Hell, if I come out with my hair a little ruffled, they have orders to shoot."

"You're fucking bluffing."

"Do you really want to test me?" Jon's lips became a thin line as he made a point to take the magazine out of his gun and set them both on the counter between them.

"Goodman," Suga taunted as he locked the door of the shop and flipped the sign to close. "Now let's talk,"

---

Your day was much less interesting after your lunch with Hobi, you had one more lab before you dragged yourself to the library to get some studying done.

You were returning to your mundane struggling college student mindset as you stepped onto the elevator to take you to the fifth floor, the quietest and therefore, your favorite floor, in the library.

You were so caught up in responding to a friend about going to see her art exhibit in a few weeks that you almost didn't notice someone standing in front of the elevator doors as it stopped on the third floor.

You glanced up mindlessly and locked eyes with a familiar set of brown, doe eyes.

Which was fitting since Jungkook very much looked like a deer caught in headlights. He stood in front of you, wearing all black, which led you to think that was his usual attire. His backpack was slung over one shoulder, and you noticed the hand that gripped it was bound in a black brace.

You were his mirror as you both gaped at each other, for an unreasonably long amount of time, not knowing what to do.

You opened your mouth to break the silence when the doors began to slide shut, seeming to break Jungkook from his trance as he backed away from the elevators and sped towards the stairs deciding he could use the cardio anyways.

Jungkook felt a myriad of confusing emotions as he descended the stairs to the library. But he knew he sure did feel stupid.

He felt stupid for trying to board an elevator with the up arrow lit up when he wanted to go down to the first floor. He figured his lazy ass would ride it up and back down a few minutes and save himself the effort.

He also felt stupid for walking away. Getting in the elevator with you would have been awkward, but now that he walked away, he probably made himself seem like a creep. You seemed a little suspicious of him the night you met, but now you were definitely going to think he was in some sketchy gang shit.

And of course, he was, but he didn't want you to know that.

Jungkook also felt stupid for being worried about what you might think of him. While he was now charged with making sure your life was never at risk in the 7th ward, he wasn't supposed to ever really see you or talk to you again.

On a campus of 15,000+ students, he was certain he has never seen you in his life, but of course, he sees you now. In the library of all places.

But most of all, Jungkook felt stupid for being excited to see you. To see that the bruise on your cheek had faded to a healthy yellow and that your leggings were tucked comfortably in the black boots, he got you.

Either you didn't have a lot of shoes, or you actually liked his gift. He smiled to himself at the second thought.

Jungkook's thoughts were filled with you as he made his way back to the Den. He wondered if he might happen upon seeing you on campus regularly, or if he blew his one time chance.

He would like to think that he would say hi next time he stumbled across you. He wondered if you were graduating soon and leaving town or if you would be in the city for a while longer. The part of Alcor you were in wasn't the nicest, but he liked the thought of you getting to move uptown some after you graduate and maybe seeing you in your favorite coffee shop.

You were kind and funny and didn't completely freak out at the fact that Jungkook was mugged, and that they tried to chase you and possibly kill you for helping him escape. He liked the thought of having a friend outside of BTS who didn't care about what he did like you might.

Jungkook was thinking about you even as his phone buzzed with a text from RM with orders for a family dinner tonight.

a/n: So this isn’t quite what I wanted to be, but I really wanted to get something out for you guys to read. I already started pt.3 and have BIG plans. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Please comment and let me know if you want to see more. and what you liked, loved, or hated about it. I can only learn from feedback :)

-> pt. 3

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maple-writes · 4 years ago

Text

[Image ID: Banner image reading: The City of Eventide, Chapter 34, Maple-writes. End ID]

This is it! The last chapter! It still feels so strange to think that this really is the last one.

###

Each day grew longer than the last and the sun shone a little stronger, burning off morning spring clouds. Dylan made good on his promise to visit unannounced one afternoon. He showed up with a firm knock on the door and a greeting loud enough to wake me the rest of the way up. For hours he lingered in the kitchen, half occupied with putting the finishing touches on the egg salad sandwiches Fallon sent him along with but more occupied with filling me in on everything and anything. Tea in hand I barely spoke as the sun made its way down the sky, casting long shadows across the street outside and dimming the light through the windows all while Dylan replaced the usual quiet of the day. It was nice though, hearing someone else’s voice even if I did end up forgetting details and names in his stories.

The vitamins weren’t so bad aside from remembering to take them, and once I got used to the taste neither were the other supplements the doctor suggested. Even now Ginger stopped by sometimes to check on me and deliver updates on the goings-on back at the college, letting me know I could come see her there anytime. She’d smiled, assuring me that if I ever wanted to return to work with her we’d take it as easy as I needed.

Ember’s attempts to get me out of the house came fewer and farther between, dropping down from every night to maybe once or twice a week. Every time my heart skipped but two nights ago we made it to the 24 hour gas station store. Under the too-bright lights the night vanished outside and I had to remember to take every breath deep enough to keep my head from spinning and there were too many choices and items lining every shelf and fridge and nowhere to hide but Ember kept by my side. She walked me through and let me rest my hand on her forearm, letting some of the warmth and calm seep from her skin through mine.

We bought drinks and the lights and hum of refrigerators disappeared as the door closed behind us. Stepping between shadows cast by vacant gas pumps we didn’t make it much farther than the store that night, but for the first time some of the tension melted under quiet streetlights. Chill air cooled my lungs and settled my head. The two of us talked all the way back home and together in the living room until far too late. She really shouldn’t have been staying up that late with her job interview tomorrow, though she was quick to reminded me it was only in the afternoon.

Her interview went well, and by the end of the week she’d been called back for a second and a week after that they offered her the job as a deckhand on a fishing vessel. From what she told us it sounded hard, and she’d be gone for long stretches during the season, but her excitement was contagious. Striker ordered take out to celebrate and we ended up only going to bed long after the sun had set.

Yawning, I pulled my shirt off, crawled into bed and drew the blanket snug around my shoulders. After all the excitement and celebration I sunk all the way down into the pillows and sheets.

A rattle came from my window, then another and I sat up, squinting in the dark. Grey-blue in the evening dark, a wing flashed into view then a beak tapping at the glass as a seagull fluttered by. Cirrus. It had to be. Otherwise some poor bird was very, very lost.

I hopped out of bed and opened up the window just as he glided back around. He landed on the windowsill in a blur of feathers, tucking his wings neatly to the side and shaking out his tail as he came to a stop. His head tilted left and right, pupils dilating a moment before finding the right focus.

“Hey Cirrus.” I leaned over, resting my elbows against the windowsill. “It is you, right?”

The gull ruffled his feathers, puffing up and laying them flat again in one smooth wave. He raised his beak and stuck out his chest as he watched me sideways. I smiled, warmth spreading from deep in my chest. Of course this was Cirrus. Hard to believe the last time I’d seen him was back at the cabin. How long ago was that now? I’d lost track.

Cirrus turned, webbed feet tapping against the wood of the windowsill in the quiet of the dark. He faced the street, dark and empty, glancing back at me over his grey shoulder. I frowned. Did he want…

“You want me to go with you?”

He gave a quick nod, holding his head sideways to lock me in one of his little eyes. I swallowed and wrung my hands together. How far would he want me to go? What if something happened? I hunched my shoulder, hair falling in front of my face as I stared down at my arms.

“I, I don’t know Cirrus.” How was I supposed to tell him? How was I supposed to tell him I hadn’t gone much further than a few blocks from home on my own since I got back. “I don’t know.”

A weight landed on my shoulder, webbed feet against my skin. Cirrus pushed his beak through my hair to poke at my cheek. He settled down, feathers of his belly soft against my skin. I sighed and turned my neck to see him through the corners of my eyes.

Even if we hadn’t gone far nothing horrible happened whenever I went out with Ember. I held Cirrus’ stare for a moment, watching him blink and turn his head. If something did go wrong Cirrus would have seen it before, right? He didn’t know what Ginger did but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d helped. I could handle this. If I could handle the cemetery in the middle of the day I could handle a walk in the middle of the night.

I sighed again, straightening up slowly to give Cirrus the chance to hop down. “Alright. Let me get dressed first.”

Cirrus waited outside, perched on a nearby streetlight and watching as I finally stepped out into the night. I shut and locked the door as softly as I could behind me, trying to keep the nerves already wrapping around my throat in check. A flurry of feathers made me look up a second before Cirrus landed softly on my shoulder. Webbed feet tapped quiet on my jacket and grey wing-tips tickled my ear as he turned. He stuck his head out a second, caught my eye and flew down the street.

“Hey!”

I took off running after him. My feet fell loud and echoing in the quiet side streets and alleyways, chasing flashes of white feathers under spaced-out streetlights until I staggered to a breathless stop. Hands on my knees and hunched over on the sidewalk, my heart struggled to keep up with my lungs and my legs burned. Shit. How long had it been since I moved this much? Cold air scraped at the back of my throat. I coughed and tried to catch my breath. By the time I looked up Cirrus was gone.

I grit my teeth. “Damn it.”

A seagull’s call pierced through the quiet, shrill and laugh-like. Sounded like he wasn’t too far, towards the waterfront. Of course he’d want me to meet him there. I pulled myself back upright. He’d have to wait though because I wasn’t about to run the whole way there.

I’d almost caught my breath by the time the gentle lapping of the waves caught my ear, soft and rhythmic against the deserted shore. A full moon hung bright over the ocean casting liquid silver over the dark water and the white crests of incoming waves. I slowed as I stepped out onto the beach. Full moon. Cirrus, he hadn’t waited for me here after I’d gone home, had he? Waited and hoped I’d show up for him only to leave disappointed like he had so many times hoping his mother would come around.

He’d understand why I hadn’t come, if he’d waited here for me at all. I bunched my shoulders against the wind and shook the thought from my head, picking my way across the dark beach to the usual place. Tiny creatures, insects, arthropods, they scurried away from my path with every step. Moment by moment the lights of the city faded to a faint glow at my back to give way to blue-dark night.

A figure sat on a washed-up log, turning when I rounded the bend. A woman in an ink-black evening gown that billowed around her ankles when she stood and faced me with a polite smile.

“Well, you’ve sure perked up since I last saw you.” She paused, waiting, but I only squinted in attempts to place where we might have met. “Ah, you don’t recognize me.” She gestured to herself with a black-gloved hand. “Cirrus’ sister. Call me Hadley.”

We had met, hadn’t we. I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to remember back but couldn’t see much more than a blur, a haze of feathers and loud voices that seemed to rumble through the air and into my own lungs.

Hadley though either hadn’t noticed or didn’t mind, catching me with a nod as she settled back down on the log. “Cirrus should be here soon.” She shot me a smirk, raising her head high. “I have been instructing him on how to shift his form but it can be hit or miss. He wanted to see you though, so I agreed to help him out tonight.”

She leaned back resting her hands behind her and facing the shimmering sea. Her head tilted just a moment as I sat beside her. This close she had the same barely contained power Cirrus did, cold and powerful like a harsh wind biting through my clothes. She kept quiet, watching as wave after wave lapped at the rocky shore. Slowly, I ran my hand over the worn bark of the log, tracing over ridges and bits where the wood had torn and weathered away.

“Ah,” Hadley stood, smoothing down her dress in the breeze. “Sounds like he’s done.”

The bushes growing beside the beach rustled, and a moment later Cirrus stuck his head out, one hand covering half his face and casting a sheepish look at Hadley.

She half chuckled to herself with a short glance back at me. “One moment.”

Without waiting for any kind of response, she stepped out of sight behind the foliage and the night dark. She said something, mumbling and chiding but too low for me to make out, Cirrus responding with something indignant and defensive but without any teeth behind his words. I smiled, leaning forward on the log to try and peek around the bushes and shadows. That was Cirrus alright.

The leaves rustled again, branches snapped, and Cirrus swore as he stumbled out onto the beach. He found his balance and shook himself out, looking just like I remembered. Same hair, same eyes… I jumped up from the log and throwing my arms around him. He balked a moment, surprised, before returning the embrace. His clothes were warm and smelled like storm-bearing winds, familiar and new at the same time. I leaned against him, pressing my forehead against his shoulder a moment before standing up again, throat tight.

“Miss me?” Cirrus grinned, already knowing the answer.

I nodded. “Its different, with you gone.” Maybe not quieter now that Ember was around, but different. I swallowed and turned away, a hand to the back of my neck as I glanced out to the ocean. “I don’t know if you were waiting for me here, but I’m sorry if you were.” My voice dragged along. “Things haven’t been easy.”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know, I haven’t been around here either. It’s been a whirlwind.” Cirrus huffed and crossed his arms, shaking his head to the dark pebbles.

“Oh come on Cirrus!” Hadley scolded, coming up around behind him and messing up his hair. She snickered as he tried and failed to duck out of the way. “You had a great time. Do you think I missed you flirting with that pretty noble lady?”

Cirrus flustered, uncrossing his arms and stumbling over his tongue. “She started it!” He shook himself out with another huff, crossing his arms tighter than before. “But yeah, alright. It wasn’t all bad.” He watched his sister as she retuned to her perch on the log, a half smile on his face, before turning back to me. “You’re looking better than last time I saw you. At least like you’re not about to get blown over by the wind.” Cirrus paused a moment, just standing, watching me as the breeze slipped silent between us. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with so much colour in your face.

Even at in the dark? I looked away a moment, watching the moon hang bright over the gentle swells. Maybe he had better night vision than I did because Striker had said the same thing.

“I uh,” I faced him again, tucking my hands in my pockets and out of the chill. “I’ve been seeing some doctors since I got back for a while now. I guess it’s working.” The wind picked up again and I hunched my shoulders until Cirrus stepped to my side, blocking out some of the gale. “Ginger was saying the other day she’d be alright with me coming back to the college.”

“You going to do it?”

I shrugged, pushing rounded stones from side to side with the toe of my shoe. “I… I hope so. It’s been a while.” A smile played at my lips. “I kind of miss it actually.

Cirrus snorted. “Bored at home already?”

This time I grinned, full and toothy. “Maybe.”

He rolled his eyes but kept quiet, attention drifting up from me to the lights of the city down the beach. I glanced back over my shoulder to follow his gaze only a moment before focusing back on Cirrus. In the dark he looked just like I remembered, like nothing changed. Like he hadn’t been gone for months now and he’d never returned to life as a dragon. Like Ember hadn’t moved into his bedroom and he was going to be in the kitchen tomorrow morning when I got out of bed.

A deep ache spread sharp through my throat, all the way up to the floor of my mouth and I looked away. He had his own life now. His own life somewhere far away. Somewhere I couldn’t go and find him like I used to. He’d come to see me this time tonight but how long would that last? I swallowed. He wouldn’t forget about me now that what he’d hoped to happen for years and years finally came about, right?

“Do you remember back then when I couldn’t speak my name?” Cirrus spoke low, eyes still drifting over my head to the city. “That day you found me?”

I don’t think I would ever forget, he must have known that but I nodded all the same.

He paused, hesitating before speaking again. “It hurt for a long time. I used to dream of hearing it again, to be who I was again. But then…” Cirrus finally tore his gaze from Eventide. He looked down at me, the faintest of the distant light reflecting in his eyes. “It didn’t feel the same anymore. I’m keeping Cirrus. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Really?” My voice came out smaller than I expected, thinned and brittle. “You don’t miss the other?”

Cirrus shrugged. “I can’t say I don’t, but I don’t know, I couldn’t bring myself to part with this name yet.” He half smiled. “My mother wasn’t exactly thrilled but she’ll get over it.”

From what I’d heard of her, I wasn’t surprised. “You’re still going to come and visit, right?”

“Of course.” Cirrus casted a sidelong glance at his sister still seated on the log and gazing out to sea. “Though it might be a while yet before I get the hang of shape shifting alone.” He paused a moment before turning back to me. “I’ll be around. I’ve got at least a couple more centuries of watching over Eventide’s storms after all.”

That long? I guess it made sense. He was a dragon after all. I smiled but broke halfway by a surprise yawn. What time was it?

A warm hand rested on my shoulder as Cirrus’ laugh drifted over the crashing waves. “Keeping you up?” He grinned down at me as he turned towards the city. “I’ll take you home.”

We walked along the beach towards the soft city lights. At this time of night we had the sidewalks to ourselves, only the occasional car passing by the empty roads. My arm brushed his, contented warmth easing from him to me. I quickly ran out of things to update him on since coming back to Eventide and he took over most of the way home telling me all about his sisters and the trouble they’d get into. Even in the low light I could see how he flushed talking about the woman Hadley had brought up on the beach. I smiled, struggling to keep my eyes open and half leaning against his shoulder as we walked.

He sounded happy.

Sun sinking low in the sky relief pooled in my chest seeing how quiet Eventide College was this time of day. A handful of people milled and wandered around the front stairs, some chatting and laughing in the gold-tinged light. Inside the front lobby soft echoes of conversation drifted through the still air and the little coffee shop sat nearly empty with the last few customers before closing time rolled around.

My footsteps echoed through the empty halls, clicking against the stone stairs spiralling down towards Ginger’s basement. I hadn’t told her I was coming but surely she wouldn’t be unhappy to see me all the way out here.

The air chilled and a familiar presence brushed against my arm. I slowed, letting Cynthia gently press up against my shoulder as her relief and excitement slipped through my skin. A smile spread on my face and I held out a hand. She knew me. She knew how to be gentle, how to contain herself unlike the panicked, desperate spirits who needed my help.

She slid though my palm, passing cold up the veins of my arm all the way up where they joined together in the subclavian. Good to see you again. It’s been a while.

I nodded along, continuing down the stairs as she settled in deeper tucked under my first rib. Been a while was an understatement. I swallowed. Had anyone told her what happened? It must have seemed like I’d just vanished one day, Ginger too. Charlotte filled me in. We were all worried about you for a while there. Glad to see you back on your feet. Thanks.

The stairs opened up to the little underground hallway, my footsteps booming in the quiet. I tucked my hands in my pockets and shifted as Cynthia nestled herself more comfortably towards my chest. Here to see Ginger? I nodded. If she’s here. She is. Saw her come in a few hours ago. Good. Good. Does this mean you’re going to stick around? I turned the last corner, slowing to a shuffle. Had I even considered not coming back here? Even if Ginger had told me I’d never be able to come back here would I really be able to just… Stop?

Even if you change you mind, her grin crossed my face, you should still stop by. You’re the easiest living person to chat with to come through those doors.Really? Faster than hijacking Charlotte’s computer. Fair enough.

I paused in front of Ginger’s office, the door slightly ajar. Cynthia stilled under my skin, cold and fluid. Could you give us a minute? Right. Was good to see you again Asher. She shifted a moment before breathing out through the thin skin at the top of my chest and vanishing somewhere through the walls of the college. Alone I stood another moment in front of the door. I took a deep breath, rested my hand on the door handle and opened it up just enough to poke my head into Ginger’s office.

She looked up from her computer as soon as she saw me. For a moment surprise seemed to flash across her face but in a heartbeat it shifted to a wide, fang-filled smile.

“Asher! Welcome back.”

#the city of eventide #chapter 34 #last chapter #my writing #it's just #wow #i've been working on this since like #late 2018 i think #i'll have to write up a real post to get my thoughts out sometime

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second-chance-stray · 3 years ago

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(Split Ends) RP Log: Cravs, Riylli, and Rising’s friendship is tested.

(Cravendy Hound) It's not easy, but the three of them manage to hike back out of the Sylphlands without getting noticed, with Rising being dragged along on Crav's back. The trio finds their way to a Sylphic house and, with Rising's body laid out on the floor, are figuring out what to do next.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli had done the talking, likely the only one here with any experience with the sylphs, and it had not been long before they had identified the plant responsible and secured the antidote. Now that it had been applied, there was nothing left to do but wait. In awkward silence. For a terribly long time.

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs taps her foot impatiently and, upon reaching the limits of the patience, whispers loudly to Riylli. "When's she gonna wake up?"

(Rising Lotus) Rising had still felt the world spin around her, even laid out on the floor with her eyes shut tight. Thing started to slow down however once the antidote was applied, eventually cracking one of her eyes open, the right amount of colors in front of her instead of every one of the rainbow. "Ugh..." she brought her hand to her forehead, rubbing it as she sat up.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli had been leaning against the tree with her arms crossed, nervously picking at the dried paint on her arm. "...Should be- now, yes." The Miqo'te hopped up, stepping over to look down at Rising. "Good morning, how are you feeling?"

(Cravendy Hound) "Right. Ye think ye can stand?" Cravs fusses in the distance, keeping herself an arm's length from Rising.

(Rising Lotus) "Ngh... the dreams were the worst part..." she blinked a few times as everything seemed to be set in place instead of spinning now, wobbling a bit as she rose to her feet but otherwise looking stable. "Ngh... that's worse than when I went in that moldy city..."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli pats the Roegadyn on the back. "This is why we don't mess around in Sylph territory... You're lucky they just like to mess with people for the most part."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs tilts her head at the mention of a city, though there was plenty more she was curious about. "They're just dreams, they ain't real. But if ye've got a 'abit of stickin' yer nose in moldy places, then I've got a problem with that."

(Rising Lotus) "I 'spose so, saw some pretty neat colors though." she glanced to Cravs. "Well that was before I joined up with Heartwood, an' I ain't gonna go there any time soon, was kinda neat though." she glanced to Riylli. "Where did we leave off before I started losin' it now?"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli hesitated before letting out a sigh. "We were ABOUT to force Cravs to tell us what mess she's gotten herself into so we can help her. So... Hope you're feeling clear headed"

(Cravendy Hound) "Ye were about to do several backflips in a row." Cravs jokes. ".......don't listen to Riylli."

(Rising Lotus) Rising clenched her hands a few times as she watched them. "Honestly I feel more focused than normal, it's weird." At least the medicine didn't SEEM to have any adverse side effects. "Anyway yeah! You gotta tell us 'bout your mess!" she jabbed a finger in Crav's direction.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli gives Cravs a rather unamused look. "...Y'better not try to run this time. Just gotta rip the bandage off, get it over with an' all that..."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs lets out a tired sigh, head hung low. "Either I tell ye, or I don't and ye both'll still butt yer 'eads in my business, potentially messin' everythin' up." She sucks in air between her teeth, headache incoming. "Fuck."

(Cravendy Hound) "Last chance. Seriously, I won't care if ye leave me to my shit. There's...a lot, and I'm..." She trails off. "I'm sure ye don't see me in a positive light, but trust me, it can get worse."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli lets out an annoyed huff. "Oh just out with it already! You know we ain't gonna leave you behind when you're in trouble, and unless you went on a killin' spree through an orphanage or somethin' I doubt we'll change our minds about bein' friends"

(Rising Lotus) "I ain't gonna talk to a loan shark with jus' Riylli, then get knocked out by some weird bandit, THEN get super blazed out of my mind in the Sylphwoods to back out now!" she said, almost a tinge of pride to this strange journey. "But yeah! You're my friend, our friend...and uh.." she starts to lose her steam a bit ".. I jus' want to help ya, an' don't want ya to leave, or have somethin' happen to ya.."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs is taken aback by Riylli's earnestness, barbed as it may be. She looks between the miqo'te and Rising, frown trembling. How, and where, to start? Cravs is certain that if she speaks now, it'll come out all wrong. Instead, she reaches into her pocket and shows an empty tranquilizer cartridge to her friends.

(Cravendy Hound) The unique design of the ammunition leaves not an ilm of doubt. Either Cravs buys the same stuff as the bandit, or...she's saying without words, that they're one and the same.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli just stares at the cartridge for a long moment, the hamster wheel in her head taking it's time to work out what it meant. Recognition eventually shone through in her eyes, and without a word the girl steps forward and slugs Cravs in the arm. "You ass! Y'know how long my head was achin' 'cuz of those things!? You better start explainin' or I'm gonna hit you again!"

(Rising Lotus) Rising clenches her fists as she sees the ammunition, her whole upper body starting to shake. She was gritting her teeth as she closed her eyes tightly. "Y-Y-You..." she said softly before her eyes shot open and stomped forward. "FUCKING ARSE" There were starting to get look at the tower they were in. "D-do you know how close I was to..." as she stared Cravs down her eyes were watering up as she looked to the side where her spear had hit Cravs. She turned away with a scowl as she started wiping eyes, streams of curses coming from her mouth about how stupid Cravs was.

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs instinctively moves her hand up to catch Riylli's punch. Worry flickers in her eyes as she forces her body to go slack, to let whatever hits that come next follow through. Hits, she can take. Rising crying in front of her, she can't. Worry turns to panic. "S-stop yer sobbin', alright?! Look, I can take a beatin'! Come on, show me what ye got."

(Cravendy Hound) "If it 'elps, I didn't expect any of you to be there. If I knew, I wouldn't 'ave attacked." She mutters.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli changed it up upon gaining permission, kicking Cravs in the shin. "Rising almost killed you y'know! If I wasn't so busy takin' care of that kid you were supposed to be babysittin' you'd be dead right now!"

Rising Lotus seemed a bit more rattled if anything. "It would've of mattered if I got you where I was aiming!" she snapped back, sniffing hard as she kept her her gaze away from the two. "An' Riylli could've bashed your head in with a rock!" she brought her hands to her face, holding them there for a few moments to try and deal with this angry sobbing.

(Cravendy Hound) "Ow! Shit, 'ow do ye kick so 'ard with sandals?" She groans. Eyes downcast and pain radiating from her leg, she talks to the floor. "...Pah, I would've hung on. I won't die. Not until I've exposed Mindred for the bitch that she is."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs straights back up, ready to take another hit if it's coming. "Mindred's the one hasslin' Baldur, and I won't rest till I see 'er suffer."

(Riylli Aliapoh) "'Cuz I practice!" Riylli states, quite confidently. "Wait, that's not the point! Why didn't you just tell us? We coulda all jumped her durin' our meeting if you had actually came with us and just explained she was the one behind it!"

(Rising Lotus) "Cause we would've been put to the gallow if we did that." she sniffled a bit more as she turned around, eyes still looking a bit teary but most of her crying under control. "Those types of folk have strong connections, there's a reason why they can keep gougin' people with out gettin' caught."

(Cravendy Hound) "What, without evidence?! 'ave ye two on 'er bad side too? I thought if I wasn't with ye two, she'd get the idea that I ditched ye." Cravs growls back. "She knows who 'Singing Gull' is, alright? Shits gonna spiral, and I didn't want ye both involved anymore."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli crossed her arms. "Plenty of ways to get around that... Like, for starters, not givin' her our real names!" The Miqo'te shifted her glare back to Cravs. "And that still doesn't explain why you were tryin' to rob her caravan, or collecting drugs out in the Sylphlands."

(Rising Lotus) "Well we're past that..." she sighed. "Which means trouble might be comin' our way anyway if she thinks we're connected someway.." she takes a deep breath, grumbling afterwards. "So like it or not we're involved whether you like it or not. You planned this horribly." she rubbed her eyes a bit more to get hopefully the last tears out.

(Rising Lotus) Not one but TWO chances to like it or not! Look I'm tired xD))

(Cravendy Hound) "I attacked cause I needed to find some dirt on 'er, and I did...but I found the worst kind." Cravs looks to the side. "I'm friends with some bandits that get their goods illegally, and Mindred trades with 'em. So I'm was tryin' to find a way to prove 'er criminal ties -without- gettin' the bandit friends caught too."

(Cravendy Hound) "So I'm 'ere to find somethin' she can't resist. I guess ye can say I'm plannin' on plantin' evidence."

(Cravendy Hound) "There's always a bad apple in the bunch, but that don't mean the rest is spoiled. I figured...she'd think that way about 'eartwood. Shit, I didn't think this through, okay?!"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli stares at Cravs for a moment, then tilts her head. "...You're friends with bandits? What kind of banditry are we talking..."

(Rising Lotus) Rising groans. "We need to figure out where to go from here.. otherwise we're jus' gonna run into more trouble... I jus' don't know what the in the hells to do, everything seems like it's in such a damn mess."

(Cravendy Hound) "Not just friends." Cravs turns away, hair obscuring her face as she crosses her arms tightly over her chest. "Ye could call me their.....organizer. Leader. Fuck, it was a mistake, okay? But when piratin' became outlawed, I was mad as 'ell!"

(Cravendy Hound) "It /is/ a mess. Oy, I warned ye." Cravs quips. She combs her bangs back with her hand and then groans into the sky.

(Riylli Aliapoh) "A bandit LEADER?" Riylli's eyes widen, though she seems more surprised than upset. She brings a hand to her head. "Alright, hold on, one thing at a time... What kind of banditry. Stealing? Killing? Kidnapping?"

(Rising Lotus) "So we got these bandits that we need to protect, while provin' that Rot is doin' somethin' bad, all while also helpin' Baldur out." she rubbed her temple "What was your plan than with this toad goo?"

(Cravendy Hound) "It's more like a loose coalition of salt-eatin' pirates who want to relive the good ol' days. So, uh.......w-well." She puts a hand over her mouth. "What matters is that I 'aven't 'ung out with 'em since joinin' 'eartwood."

(Cravendy Hound) "The toad goo's like gold to a spice trader. So, after plantin' some kind of tracker in it...I was gonna give the goo to Dirtpatch, tell my bandit friends bout it, and wait till it got traded back to Mindred. Then, Dirtpatch could use it as proof that she gets 'er shit illegally."

(Cravendy Hound) "I was gonna take precautions to make sure Dirtpatch doesn't get raided or anythin'!"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli kept her arms crossed, now tapping her finger impatiently. "You're avoiding my question... Are these really people you should consider friends..?"

(Cravendy Hound) "They're angry, they're stupid, but yeah, they're my friends. Look Riylli, I was one of them! Maybe I still am." Cravs spits out, self-loathing dripping from her words. "And if ye put two and two together, maybe ye'd know why Baldur 'ates me so much."

(Rising Lotus) "..Oh..." she looked away. "...It was in the back of my mind, from the little I knew about Wyda...but I thought it was jus' a coincidence." she let out another sigh, this day was full of long sighs. "So that's your interest in him then? Makin' up for killin' his pa?"

(Cravendy Hound) "Yeah. I set this all off. So I gotta make it better."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli continued tapping her finger for a long time, indecision clear on her face as she tried to come to some sort of conclusion. "You don't... have to be one of them. Not if you don't want to be..." She offered, letting out a sigh and rubbing the back of her neck. "I know it aint that easy... Just... Don't think of yourself as a lost cause, okay?"

(Rising Lotus) Between the strange substance she had inhaled, the cure, and now all of this, Rising was looking particularly exhausted. "I don't know if it's a good idea to involve Dirtpatch, I'm sure they'd find a connection to Heartwood, an' I'm sure by now they figured out we have ties there. I don't really got any better ideas though. At least not right now."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs blinks, touched by Riylli's sentiment, and then sends her a worn out smile. "I /am/ a lost cause. But that won't stop me from tryin' to make use outta the life I've got."

(Cravendy Hound) "Mindred already knows I'm at 'eartwood, but I'll do everythin' in my power to make sure that I'm the only one to face the music." She looks to Rising now, for the first time making direct eye contact with her. Then, to Riylli. "I'm doing my best, but it might not be enough. Might grow outta this, might not. Even still, would ye watch over me?"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli frowns, then proceeds to kick her in the shin yet again. "Idiot! You're my friend, and I don't let anyone talk like that about my friends!" She shoots Cravs an annoyed glare, then pulled back to plant her hands on her hips. "Of course we'll watch over you! We'll figure this out together and get you out of this mess."

Rising Lotus broke eye contact with Cravs fairly quickly after their gazes met. " Yeah, I mean I'm involved an' all. We should probably think of a better plan, or work it out or somethin' though." she shrugs weakly, keeping her distance from the duo. "Sleep on it or somethin' I dunno... I kinda jus' wanna be alone for a bit."

(Cravendy Hound) "OW! Damnit, the same shin too?" Cravs jumps up and hugs her leg into her chest. But, despite the physical pain, she mostly feels relieved. While she wasn't off the hook yet, the fact that her friends didn't immediately disown her despite knowing about all this baggage...it was nice. It was really nice.

(Riylli Aliapoh) "You better get used to it, I'm gonna keep kickin' you 'till you learn to trust us!" Riylli said, grinning at the threat. She turned to Rising, looking her up and down. "...Yeah, you probably deserve a rest after that Sylph cocktail. I'll talk to Ava, see if she can come up with anythin' to help. I'll leave your names out of it though, don't worry!"

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs sends Rising a worried look and wants desperately to comfort her. But maybe she's the cause for Rising's discomfort? Unwilling to take chances, she just sort of stares longingly at the other woman.

(Cravendy Hound) "Bugger me, I better buy some proper leg guards then..." Cravs shoots back at Riylli. "And yeah, ye do that. No more bad dreams though, ye 'ear?"

(Rising Lotus) Rising weakly shrugged again, turning to start to leave the Sylph tower. "We can meet again soon an'd plan things out, figure out a way to get her an' everything." she sounded quite drained, but nonetheless hurried on her way off without so much as a wave.

(Cravendy Hound) Though Cravs had thought otherwise, the trio’s friendship has survived the truth. Burdens shared and a chance given - one that Cravs was determined not to squander. The three of them would eventually leave the woods with much to muse over on their own.

#ff14 rp logs #Split Ends #Cravendy Hound #Rising Lotus #Riylli Aliapoh #the truth be out there now #cravs doesn't think any of her plans through lmao

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whitherliliesbloom · 3 years ago

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beyond lulled waters

[ ffxivwrite2021 ] ★ [ masterlist ] ★ [ prompt #27 - benthos ]

[ alphinaud/illya ] ★ [ 1,452 words ] ★ [ nagi no asukara au ]

benthos- a community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea with marine or freshwater sedimentary environments

where the sea meets the land, a promise is made between a boy and a girl who come from radically different worlds

In hindsight, perhaps buying a sea salt popsicle for a sea dweller was a bad idea - Alphinaud realizes a little too late as he watches bright violet eyes narrow in confusion, pink lips glistening as she purses them after taking a small cursory lick of the popsicle.

“T-This.... tastes like air.” -or rather... seawater, as the popsicle name would suggest. It tastes familiar, perhaps a tad more sweet than the salty ocean waters she was so acclimatized to, but not what she’d associate with a dessert - at least not for someone like her. She doesn’t quite understand the peculiarity of the bright blue frozen treat in her hands, and she furrows her eyebrows in deep thought until the boy beside her bends down, offering her the delightfully pastel pink popsicle in his hand instead.

“Try this one, perhaps you would like it better.”

With a cautious yet hopeful tilt of her head, the girl exchanges the blue popsicle for the pink and takes a careful lick, before her eyes widen in pleasant surprise, more enthusiastic swipes of her tongue following soon after.

“T-This one tastes wonderful!” her voice rings out like a bell chime with delight, sending Alphinaud’s heart into a flip-flop that has his lips curling into a smile by instinct.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s strawberry flavored.” The boy notes, taking a single glance down at the blue popsicle in his hand in thought before biting into it quickly. He tries not to let thought of the girl’s lips freeze his head over with a grimace and a scrunch of his face.

She doesn’t seem to notice however, merely peering down at the already half-eaten dessert in her hand, clearly far more used to the chilling cold than he is. Even with the summer heat warming the waters far more than it would during the frigid winters, living beneath the surface meant sea dwellers had to adapt without many of the luxuries one would find the land dwellers enjoying.

Strawberries being one of them, Illya notes with a pleasant hum, biting off the last of the popsicle before throwing the stick into a bin by the side of the boardwalk. She’s far more used to kelp, urchins and all manners of salty seafoods that gets frankly old over time - and she decides that she enjoys strawberries and the other warm, hearty food of the land she’s tried throughout the day.

By the time the pair have reached the pier, the sun has already begun to set, lowering steadily towards the distant horizon where the warm twilight skies meet the sparkling surface of the lulled waters. There are only a handful of small boats docked by the pier, and the fishing vessel from earlier in the morning is nowhere to be found - much to the girl’s relief.

Though she had already expected this, knew full well that the day, like many other things, will end as it had begun - the sensation of melancholy still wells deep in her chest as she sits herself down on the side of the pier, allowing the push and pull of the waters beneath her feet to splash loudly just a few feet beneath her soles.

Alphinaud sits himself down next to her, eyes transfixed upon the radiant sunset as he allows only the sounds of the tides and calling of the sea gulls retreating home to fill the silence.

“I suppose.. you’ll have to go back now.” He parts his lips to speak first, but he doesn’t take his eyes off the rays of sunlight reflecting against the iridescent waters. “How are you going to return? Do you need a boat?” He hears Illya let out a small, quiet giggle beside him at his question, and heat rises up to burn his cheeks when he hears her answer.

“I could just swim back.”

“Oh-” he responds, a hand raising up to rub the back of his neck. “That makes sense.”

Of course she would swim back home - and it’d be easy for her too, unlike he who could barely swim a lap around an Olympic sized pool without feeling like he’s on the verge of drowning. They could not be any more different - both in their personalities and their biological make up.

There’s a reason why the sea dwellers have hidden themselves away upon the seafloor for as long as they have - why the land dwellers are bound by law to not dive down beyond a certain depth to the corals where they are... and why there was a cruel, yet undeniably profitable black market for sea dwellers who have been illegally abducted.

Alphinaud feared to imagine just what would have happened if those poachers truly did succeed in taking Illya away. It would also explain why the girl had been so frightened up until she calmed down enough to let her curiosity about the land get the better of her. The beach town he lived and grew up in was his home, but to Illya it was an entirely different, foreign world.

Despite being so close together, with only the waves and the sandy shores separating their worlds, sea and land were never meant to intermingle. Their worlds should never interact - they should never even have met.

But by chance of fate, they did. She drifted to him upon the back of the waves - and here where the water met the land, he allows his overwhelmingly selfish desires take over his own rationality, and the boy turns his head to look down at the girl beside him.

“If it’s not too much to ask...could we perhaps meet again?”

The girl takes a second to think, closing her eyes before turning her head up to look back at the boy. The rays of the sun are harsh against the backdrop of the skies and ocean, and yet they glow with a comforting hue against her pure white hair - like woven starlight that reflected upon still waters, now fluttering like scattered dandelions against the cool sea breeze.

And in a sea of lavender and ocean blue corals that sparkled with the light of a gleaming pearl, he saw hope and optimism twinkle in her eyes, as the fair complexion of her cheeks are warmed by the kiss of the orange sunset.

“Of course.” she answers, as if she already knew the answer before he’d even asked the question. “I’ll visit you where the waters meet the land again.”

“Then it’s a promise.” he grins with a dip of his head, if only to affirm his own wishes, one that the girl of the sea repeats with her own nod.

“A promise.”

She doesn’t say goodbye, has no intention to as she gets up onto her feet. And with a light curtsy, she takes a step off the pier and dives into the tranquil cool waters.

Alphinaud watches as the spindrift of white hair descends deeper and deeper, intermingling with the seafoam until it disappears out of sight, and he calls down to the waters in a loud voice that echoed in tandem of the splashing tides.

“I’ll buy you another strawberry popsicle next time!”

She can just barely hear his voice - distant and muffled by the sounds of the water as it fills her ears, her legs kicking effortlessly against the current as she swims, allowing her body to sink deeper and deeper towards the sea bed.

Illya can see familiar, distant fluorescent lamp lights, rainbow coral reef and the white of the mossy cobblestone buildings as the overhead scenery of the underwater city came into view. A school of tropical fish of all colors circle just directly beneath as if in wait for her - as if to greet her home. The groan of a blue whale from miles away rumbles in her ear, signaling the befalling of the night as the light from the sun grows fainter and is overtaken by the bioluminescent glow of the sea stars that hung over the city.

She takes a deep breath in, exhaling as a flurry of bubbles leave her nostrils and past her flowing silken hair. It smells familiar, it smells like home and has the faint taste of melted sea salt. This is where she belongs, this is where she was born.

And yet, when a translucent blue jellyfish swims past her head, tickling her cheeks lightly with its tendrils as it rises up further and further, the girl could not help but to turn her head to look back up towards the surface, where the land she thought was beyond her reach beckons her to return another day with a promise.

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2021 #ffxivwrite #kiwisffxivwrite2021 #alphinaud leveilleur #alphinaud #illya skawi #we've come so far #nagi no asukara au #fanfic #mine #LONG TIME NO THINK ABOUT NAGI NO ASUKARA #BRAINWORMS GO BRRRRRR

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agirlneedsgoals · 3 years ago

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State of the Me

* tw for me being irreverent about my health and dying

1. I can tell I'm not going to sleep tonight. 😕 Mom's been down in the Valley for a week so I've been alone and it's throwing me off. I was not meant to be alone. I was meant to read in a room containing at least one (1) person I like while ignoring them.

2. At first, the new heart medication helped a lot but it's not doing as much anymore. I can't get up and walk anywhere without feeling like I'm going to pass out. Anywhere. Like from the couch to the kitchen. I get lightheaded, then my ears feel heavy (that's the only way I can explain it) and then my hearing starts to go (always has been the first sense to leave), then my arms feel heavy, then my legs, then I start getting black clouds on the edges of my vision with little tracers sneaking across it. It honestly looks like when you're dangerously low on health in a video game.

Someday, I will just flop down like a dead fish and break my nose and mom will come home to me drowning in a puddle of my own blood. It's my ~*destiny*~.

3. No, but really. I'm scared what this getting progressively worse means for me. WHY is this happening? It's obviously my BP dropping but why? Why all of a sudden is it this bad? And why is my ICD not alerting anybody? I feel like it should somehow. I know it monitors my HEART not my BP but I feel like I have to be having some kind of arrhythmia. I didn't feel like this before I became a cyborg so I'm kind of blaming it right now. Idk. I'm just really upset? I feel trapped and I feel...hunted. Like my time is limited. (I'm being so dramatic. ...Please let it just be my anxiety triggering paranoia and I'm not really gonna drop dead soon, kthnxbai.)

4. I love Micina but, oh, my God. I finally got my way and she's an indoor cat now. The HOA here doesn't allow cats outside, anyway. But she is not having it. It's not that she's acting out or trying to escape. She just wants attention. All. the. time. Night and day. She pestered me for love last night from 1030 pm until 230 am when I finally gave up and got out of bed. I need to build that catio, stat.

5. Mom's supposedly coming home tomorrow. She better be, they're talking possession of the Tempe house then. I hope she really did get all of our things out. She had to rent a second storage locker and also filled that one to capacity. I am...not surprised. I have trouble letting go of things. This is mostly my fault. I have so much stuff but I can't seem to let go of most of it, even when I don't need or use things. I cannot look for things that spark joy. The inside of my head is just a colony of the Finding Nemo gulls chanting, "MINE," over and over at top volume.

6. I miss my friends. I miss my coworkers. I even miss my boss and my job. ☹️ I used to be much better at this being alone thing, I'm almost certain. I get sad when my friends don't answer texts, even though it's just dumb stuff like links or something. I'm overly sensitive right now because I miss everybody.

7. I am applying for jobs. S l o w l y. I'm looking for remote positions but I never really thought about how much research you have to do when looking at these job postings. So many of them look legit but then you dig a little and, woops, scam. And it's been a long time since I had to deal with RSD because some company didn't respond to my application. Can't I save my clingy mental health for friends and family? Goddamn.

8. I have some bathroom stuff coming to help me organize. Only a few of the baskets and shelves I need for the shower because I want to try them out first. The furniture I wanted was not available for pickup, even though the website said they still had some at that Ikea. Sulky sulk sulk sulk. Now I have to figure out something else but I don't WANT anything else, I want THAT. I also need to do something about the mirror. I chose not to get a medicine cabinet because the one the home builder offered was ugly and expensive. But now I have an oversized mirror to replace. Ikea is my bestie right now because, jfc, moving and getting into a new house is expensive. And how did I not notice I have no storage in my bathroom??? I had to put 95% of my bathroom stuff in the storage lockers.

8a. In cleaning out the bathroom for the move, I determined that I may, possibly have an eensy, weensy problem with buying masks. This didn't stop me from buying more with the gift card to Ulta that I got, though. I didn't even realize until they were delivered. Oops.

9. Korean street food is the best and I've been playing with making the simpler stuff at home. I'm...trying to follow the ingredients but they just...they love mayonnaise so much and I...do not. But otherwise, delicious. I'm also following an Italian channel where she does recipes, doesn't speak, and everything is written in Italian, it's great. And then another channel where she's actually a chef instructor but she's Russian and her accent is so soothing??? And a German lady who definitely steals some recipes from street food videos because I recognize them.

10. So that's the state of the me. If you made it this far, you deserve a cookie. 💕💖😊

#i'm sad lately #and grumpy #i feel incredibly isolated #i need to make friends up here #hard to do when leaving the house #feels like moving a mountain #state of the me #mine

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rina-writes · 4 years ago

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Calm Waters Part 4

Part 3: x

A/N: I am v aware that there are probably like three people reading this haha However, I find it a joy to write because it’s a different style for me. (saying this for this specific part makes me feel a bit like a sociopath, but hopefully you understand that I enjoyed the experience of writing not the content itself) So, the few of you going along for the ride as well, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Grayson continues to spoil you after your date, but that night turns out to be an experiment day. What you don’t know is that among the usual attendees, Ethan and Ryan are there as well hoping to expose your story.

Warnings: Mentions of captivity, torture by electrocution, dehumanization (nothing graphic because I’m not the best writer, but still there)

When you were much younger, your mother told you about the story of water. It was your first time at the beach that you could vividly recall. Everything about that day was glorious to your six year old self: the squawking of the sea gulls, the deep, stench of the sea water, the salty taste of your dried lips from the sea spray and, of course, the cool ripple of water beneath your toes.

With her fingers raking through your hair, your mother hummed, her eyes locked on both of your feet. Her skin patched in a deep purple with flecks of silver, almost like amethyst. You found it to be much more attractive than your blue green speckles.

“Every body of water that has encountered life can tell a story.” Your mother told you. “A leaf falling in a pool to a dog jumping in a lake can all be traced in the ripples of water. Only we can listen and understand it.”

“Can you hear everything in the ocean?” You asked, staring out at the vast, deep blue waters. “Wouldn’t it be noisy?”

Your mother laughed. “It is very noisy. Not for your ears but for your skin. It’s like like tickles running up your arms and legs.” She tickled your arms making you giggle. “But those tickles tell the story of who was here, who is here and who has yet to come. Sometimes you have to block out the sounds and focus on something important.”

“Like sharks?” You asked, trembling.

As much as your mother explained that a bad shark was like a bad pit bull, a matter of circumstance and previous ownership (and also just bad PR), you were still afraid.

“Sure!” Your mother laughed. “Or a lovesick fisherman.”

Your mother gestured to your father who was behind you both setting up your spot for the day. He gave you a dorky smile and a wave before continuing to struggle with the beach umbrella.

“How do you learn to hear the water? Is it like signing?” You asked, signing as you spoke for emphasis.

“It’s a little different. It requires training, focus, and deep understanding of our culture.” Your mother smiled turning you around squatting to your eye level. “When you come of age, I’ll show you everything...”

For your “people” coming of age was 13, but that’s when your life literally went up in flames. It meant you never learned how to listen to water. Like your mother warned, it was always overwhelming, as if you were sitting in a room with a thousand people talking at once. At the same time, it was also strangely energizing.

You realized this with Grayson the previous night. With your toes dipped in the water, your body trembled with the force of emotion coursing through your body. It was like going to a live performance of an orchestra and hearing a classical symphony come to life before you. You could feel joy, regret, pain, there was a lot of pain, but also hope. You wondered if the ocean was also capturing the affection that was swelling in your heart as Grayson kissed you as well. You realized you loved the rowdiness of the sea’s voice because it showed you how much life was contained in the water outside of your cell.

Despite only getting a couple of hours of sleep, you felt the most wake and excited to start the day than you could ever remember. As you slipped on your uniform, you smiled softly thinking about the clothes that Cameron lent you that were now in Grayson’s trunk. You decided that hiding your toothbrush was hard enough without an entire outfit. Grayson had put it in a large reusable bag and packed it with care. He promised to fill it with all the clothes you would need for future dates.

At first, your heart flipped with excitement before sinking to the pit of your stomach with dread. While this was a dream come true, the stroke of midnight reminded you that it was a fantasy that was going to come to an end. You definitely couldn’t do this every day, and you hoped it wouldn’t disappoint Grayson when you rejected his next few date suggestions. To not ruin your perfect night, you gave him a tight lipped smile and nodded. It seemed to be enough for him. Your last memory of Grayson of your first date was his lips pressed to yours and the soft whisper of “Good night.” in your ear.

Even thinking about it now, you wanted to jump for joy. You looked in the broken glass that you used as a mirror and tilted your head from side to side. The scrunchie on your wrist was still soaking wet. You thought about putting your hair up, but decided against it and put your hat on. The fantasy was over, you were back to being the weird girl Aurora at Pete’s Ocean Land.

You walked past the dolphins tank,almost skipping with excitement You swirled your hand in the water, something you only did when you really wanted their attention. Doris head came up to receive a pet and you obliged. You smiled at her squeaks of joy, reluctantly pulling your hand away to sign.

As you moved your arms around in circles, you realized how limiting it was to speak in your sign language. There were many words you didn’t know how to say, namely, “date”, “clothes” and “kiss”. However, Doris got the gist as she kept tapping her tail fin up and down. It didn’t take much of a genius to figure out what Doris’ was signalling. You rolled your eyes, dolphins were such sexual creatures.

You rubbed your stomach before tapping your chin and tracing a circle with your middle and index finger in the air.

I’ll bring you good food to eat next time.

Doris flipped on her back and turned in a circle. She flipped back over and spun counter clockwise. You sputtered out a laugh beside yourself.

Bring me your pup next time.

You rolled your eyes at the sexual prowess of your dolphin friend, but also couldn’t hide your amusement. What a feeling it was to fall in love!

Your performance that day felt the best yet. You knew it was because you felt confident and that made the dolphins in the show feel confident too. Even without the fancy clothes and makeup that Cameron had given you, you felt human again. It was only made better when you saw a familiar lifeguard waiting for you after the arena area closed.

Grayson waved at you, his white shirt looped around his neck so his metal whistle was hitting his bare chest. He was wearing his bright red shorts that hung a bit lower on his waist than they should for a uniform. He had on dark sunglasses and the biggest grin as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall of the entrance.

You found yourself running over to him like a little kid, but Grayson welcomed it. Grayson leaned down to give you a kiss and your eyes darted from side to side.

“We’re at work...” You whispered.

“I don’t care...” Grayson whispered back with a smirk. In one quick motion, he unfolded his arms and let his right hand grab the back of your neck at its base. He massaged his lips into yours and you let out a sigh. He took the opportunity to welcome his tongue into your mouth, deepening the kiss.

Without much thought, your hands were entangled in his hair and your body was pressed against his. You both panted to get air without breaking the kiss, the sounds only arousing you more. Grayson broke the kiss almost reluctantly, pressing his forehead to yours.

“I have another date idea.” He said, his lips red and swollen. “I even got you something to wear.”

You blushed. “I don’t think I can go out so soon again.” You bit down on your lower lip nervously.

Grayson’s eyes locked on your lip and he used his thumb to release it from your teeth. He leaned in to kiss you again. As you tiptoed to push against him, he grabbed your chin and pulled you away. His eyes were intense as he looked at you, still keeping you close, but clearly trying to stop himself from getting distracted.

“Alright...” Grayson said, dejectedly. “At least let me give you the surprise.”

You frowned a bit. Grayson took your hand and started to lead you out of the arena. Once you were going into the open park, you let go of Grayson’s hand. He looked back at you a little hurt, but seeing the terrified look on your face discouraged him from protesting. Grayson didn’t want to make anymore trouble for you that he already caused.

You arrived at your first destination: the staff locker room. You never went inside as you didn’t have anything stored in there. You waited outside and it felt strangely invigorating. After all, every employee stored their stuff there and you often saw people waiting outside for their friends or significant others. For once, you were one of the cool kids waiting for someone.

Grayson emerged with a medium sized gift bag. You blushed, realizing how conspicuous this was, but took it anyway. Grayson led the way to your second destination: the “secret” eating spot above the cafeteria where you could open it without prying eyes.

The moment you sat down at one of the umbrella covered tables, you opened the bag. Your jaw dropped as you pulled out a black and white one piece swim suit. It had a low scoop back with a print that was white on one side and black on the other.

“There’s more.” Grayson said, even more excited than you were.

There was a strapless, hot pink one piece that was cut quite high in the crotch. You wondered if it would be uncomfortable. You had seen a few girls wearing around the park, there were water rides on the other side, and so you knew it was quite trendy. You just weren’t sure if you could pull it off.

Finally, the last item was a red bikini. You remembered hearing string bikini in movies and tv shows, but this really lived up to the name. Still, it was quite a modest fit with round bra cups and a wider cut bikini bottom.

You stared at Grayson misty eyed. “Grayson, this is too much.”

“No, it isn’t!’ Grayson insisted. “I hate thinking of you floating naked in that stupid tank. While I can’t bust you out, I’m not going to let him treat you like an animal.”

‘But aren’t I?’ The bitter thought crept into your mind, but you did your best to silence.

“Still...” You placed the last swimsuit back in the bag. “If I were to wear this, he would know I had a contact with the outside. The ramifications of this...”

“Humor me...” Grayson practically begged.

He was leaning forward and stripes of sun brought out the gold specks in his eyes. It was unfair that he was so handsome in addition to be so kind. It made it difficult to say no to him. You also knew deep down that when you couldn’t say no, it was because you didn’t want to say no to him. It was easy to blame him, but the fact of the matter was that you wanted to wear the clothes that he bought you.

“Alright...” You sighed. “I don’t have anywhere to hide all of these though...so I can only take one. The rest will have to go in my clothing bag.”

Grayson grinned. Most couples, if he was so bold as to call you two a couple, had a drawer at the other person’s place. You had a bag in his trunk filled with outfits for your dates. Yet, it gave him the same euphoria as having a drawer for you because in his mind it represented the same thing: that you were a part of his life.

“Which one do you like the most?” Grayson asked, expectantly.

You dug into the bag and pulled out the black and white one. Grayson pouted teasingly.

“Of course you would choose the most conservative one.” Grayson complained, folding his arms. He leaned back in his chair, tossing his head toward the base of his neck. “There goes my fantasies of you in a bikini.”

You blushed. “Grayson, you already saw topless.”

Grayson’s eyes widened as he sat up suddenly, straight as an arrow. “I didn’t see anything, I swear!” He put his hands up in defense, shaking his head side to side. “Well, I saw your skin, but I didn’t look past your feet...or your arms...or your legs.”

You laughed. “You’re not really helping your case, you know?”

You watched as Grayson’s face turned red from his ears to his forehead, down the bridge of nose and fully on the apples of his cheeks.

He reached out and grabbed your wrist, still avoiding your eyes until he pulled you out of your seat. His eyes looked almost completely gold in the direct silent and he stared at you with this sad, innocent look. He continued to pull you toward him until the skin exposed by your shorts was touching his. You sat on his lap, something telling you that’s what he wanted. He responded by cupping your chin and pulling you into the kiss. Time was fleeting in that moment, the only thing breaking you apart was the sound of Grayson’s alarm going off to alert him he was already missing his shift.

When you got ready for “bed” that night, you were ecstatic. It reminded you of when you were younger and your mother would buy you new pajamas. You would rush through your shower, halfheartedly go through your nightly routine, but take your time putting on your new sleep clothes.

Today, you relished in the whole experience. With a bit of daylight you were able to prep your hair and brush your teeth while staring in the shattered glass you used for a mirror. In the corner of your “closet” you had tucked away your swimsuit to see if it would blend in. There were a few cloths and towels used to keep the deck dry when the dolphins occasionally wet the top of the roof from splashing around. If you placed your new clothing under it strategically, no one would notice. You hoped.

You put on the swimsuit slowly, relishing the smooth fabric. You remembered hating swimsuit shopping as a teen. It felt like a spotlight to all your friends: who was developing too fast and who wasn’t developing fast enough. You only went once. Once your mother found out, you were banned from swimming trips for obvious reasons. However, that one shopping experience made you grateful that for once your “condition” was working in your favor.

In contrast, this felt like a second skin. You didn’t know much about swimsuits, but you could tell this was a decent quality. You slipped your arm through the straps and adjusted the suit to your body. Your turned to look at the scoop neck in the back. It looked so good! It hugged you in the right places and made you feel like a model. You smiled to yourself wondering if Cameron helped him to pick it out.

The sound of your cell closing snapped you to attention. You jumped inside the tank as fast as you could, sinking to the bottom. You hugged yourself on the way down, hoping to cover the white part of your swimsuit. Your eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and you opened them to watch the top of your cell close completely. The sun was still up higher than usual, but which made you a little worried. When you didn’t hear any footsteps on the roof, your heart started to pound.

While the experiments thrived on the element of surprise, there were signs you picked up over the years. There was going to be an experiment tonight and Pete was going to know that someone else knew your secret.

Ethan scratched the back of his head as he looked in the mirror. He looked at Ryan with a quirked eyebrow before looking back at himself.

“Ryan, there is no way anyone is going to fall for this.” Ethan said, gesturing at the blonde wig on his head.

Ethan spent the last ten minutes adjusting the wig, but it was hard to deny the unnatural part between his wispy bangs and the bowl cut that made his head look circular. He was wearing a tan suit that clearly didn’t fit him because they got it at a thrift store. He was also still wearing his sneakers that were beat up from skating and biking everywhere. The only thing that made him look a little better were his glasses and backpack. Even with that, Ethan was sure he looked more like a gigolo than a lab assistant.

Ryan, who had his disguise tailor made from previous expose series, actually looked like a scientist. He had a sleek dark haired wig that made him look like Dracula’s sunkissed cousin, in a good way. He was wearing a properly fitted gray suit with a white button down, opened at the top two buttons.

“You will be surprised.” Ryan grinned. “Scientists don’t dress much better than this.”

“I feel like that was just rude to scientists everywhere.” Ethan shook his head.

“Perhaps.” Ryan agreed. “But they will thank us when we reveal this to the world. A true scientist would never let whatever Pete is doing continue, even in the name of science. This was a great catch, E.”

Ethan nodded, but he couldn’t speak. The costume he was wearing distracted Ethan from what was really bothering him, the truth. With a bit of digging, it wasn’t super hard to find an underground community of “intellectuals” that liked to find and view exotic animals in captivity. Among the listings of tigers, bears, and rare snakes, there was a posting with an address nearby to Pete’s Ocean Land. It advertised an exclusive viewing of a rare species you had to see to believe. Up front, it cost $10,000 to view, a deterrent for most people on the site. It shocked Ethan that Ryan easily coughed up $20,000 for their attendance.

“If this is what we think it is, we will get our return, ten fold.” Ryan explained with a shrug.

Still, that was as much as Ethan and Grayson had left to raise to get to Los Angeles. With Grayson splurging on swimsuits for you, even Ethan was starting to have dark thoughts on how to make money using your unique gifts. He shook the thoughts out of his head. Not only would exploiting you hurt you, but it would hurt both of his siblings who had taken a liking to you. There was, of course, the fact that Ethan himself enjoyed the fact that you made Grayson happy and he was certain he would be good friends with you too if he hadn’t been spending all his time trying to save you.

When Pete took the money and sent them the meeting location, Ethan wasn’t surprised. He was sure that Pete would have asked for more if he could reveal what the “exotic creature” was, but using the term “mermaid” would ruin all chances of keeping this under wraps.

With their luck, Pete happened to have a showing planned that night. It made Ethan grateful that you and Grayson had your date the night before. Ethan worried what would have happened if Pete revealed his “monster” and you were nowhere to be found. In his humiliation, Pete could do unthinkable things to you upon your return.

“You ready?” Ryan asked, adjusting his suit jacket more out of habit than necessity.

“Let’s go, boss.” Ethan said, trying to rehearse his character.

“It’s doctor, assistant.” Ryan corrected with a smirk. “Now remember, the eye glasses are going to capture everything you see and maybe even better than you see it. The pen in your lapel will capture audio as well. I will also have the same equipment, so don’t worry if something malfunctions. The tech is pretty advanced, so don’t feel like you have to move closer to capture anything better. Act natural.”

“Got it, doctor.” Ethan said, teasingly.

Ryan nodded and they locked up the shop. They got into a rental car they got for the occasion and drove to the meet up location, a cafe near to Pete’s Ocean Land. Ethan could hear his heart thundering in his ears. He debated telling Grayson what was going on, but he didn’t want to worry his twin without a guarantee of relief. Keeping this secret from Grayson and keeping the truth from Ryan at the same time made Ethan’s head want to explode. He steadied himself by holding his knees as they drove in the car. In a few minutes, it would all be revealed.

You pressed your hands against the bottom of your cell. The water felt extremely heavy today, like it was actually trying to crush you. You knew that you were actually feeling your own fear in the water. It was surging out of you and stinging your nerves. This was the life story of your water: pain, fear, coldness and...

His warmth

You felt it. It was a little tremor of softness in the water. Almost every part of your body felt like it was being strangled, but right in the center of your chest was a softness. It was the moment when you and he realized the other wasn’t a threat. It was the warmth of happiness.

Just as the water started to lighten up, a bright light stung your eyes. You didn’t scream, as that would have caused you to fill with water. After all, you still had lungs, just a breathing capacity greater than the average human. You laid still on the bottom of the tank, still under the pressure of the water. You couldn’t see or hear anything. You assumed it was for the better. How disgusting would it be to hear how your uncle sold you to others as a monster?

You wondered if the person who brought you toothpaste was there. They figured out how to access the roof and would often leave it at the side of your tank. They would whisper apologies to you that you never accepted, with words nor with your heart. After all, they were as much to blame as anyone else.

The hate in your heart made the water unbearable and it only caused the light to sting your head even more. You did your best to keep your eyes shut. A happy place no longer existed during times like these. Instead you counted from 1 to 1000. Like clockwork, the pain would start around 50.

Pete met Ethan and Ryan at the cafe looking nothing like himself. He too was wearing a disguise, but Ethan found it foolish. Pete looked ridiculous with a fake bald head cap, a prosthetic potbelly and a few false moles on his cheek and chin. Ethan resisted adjusting his glasses to ensure that the future audience got a better look.

Pete looked at them before his face split in half with a smile. “You boys chose a great time to reach out. These showings are usually varied for security reasons.”

“We understand.” Ryan confirmed, his voice sounding raspier than usual. If you didn’t know it was Ryan, however, the voice sounded natural. “We know how difficult things in our business can be.”

“You said it best doctor!” Pete commended him. “Now, what sorts of research are you interested in?”

“Oh, I am looking for unknown species.” Ryan said, a tip from Ethan who said that he believed whatever Pete was hiding was something no one had ever imagined. “Or at least extremely rare.”

Even with the disguise, it was easy to see Pete’s face light up. He licked his lips as he started walking, gesturing for the two men to follow.

“Then you are in the right place Dr. Schwartz.” Pete said, using the undercover name Ryan chose with ease.

Ethan did his best to figure out his surroundings. While it looked like they were going into a facility concealed by trees and protected by industrial fences, Ethan recognized it easily as the back of Pete’s Ocean Land. It was far from where neighborhood kids would sneak in, and a lot more secure. There were no gaps in fences and the actual entrance required a key to get in. When they entered through the large, opaque gray gate, they were immediately met with a back door. More locks and typing into keypads ensued as Ethan and Ryan trailed Pete behind long hallways.

They finally saw a room with light at the end of the hall and walked into to see a few more people sitting in chairs. Some were holding cups of water or coffee, while others seemed to be more preoccupied with their phone. Ethan looked around, smiling softly to look friendly while also making sure to capture everyone’s faces. There were about six people including Ryan and Ethan that were at this viewing and Ethan didn’t recognize any of them. He wondered how far people came to see this “mysterious, rare creature.”

“Thank you for coming here today, honored guests.” Pete said, jovially. He was putting on an accent, but Ethan couldn’t place it. It was like watching a terrible school play where the teacher takes on the lead role and butchers it. “I will not bore you with semantics, but we have newcomers so I must tell you the rules.”

Pete walked to the center of the room where all eyes were on him. In the lighting, his disguise looked every more fake, but so did everyone else. It made sense. If there were real scientists in here, no one would want to be associated with something like this.

“Number one, no pictures or video. It ensures the safety of the animal during testing.”

‘Animal?’ Ethan thought, his stomach curdling. He controlled his rage, trying to relax his eyebrows and jaw from their current tense state. Under no circumstances would he ruin this operation before they saw their mission through.

“Number two, this is a closed community. All leads to potential viewers must be put through me.” Pete gestured with open hands around the room. “Please don’t ruin this experience for your fellow enthusiasts by potentially letting in a mole.”

Ethan was glad there wasn’t a lie detector because even he was aware at how much he was sweating. His throat was getting dry, but he dared not cough at such a terrible time.

“Number three, no speaking of this in writing on any forum outside of messages to me. You may speak to each other, in person, but avoid phone calls. Anything can be traced and will ruin the opportunity for future viewings.”

Pete clapped his hands together. “I know the rules are boring, but are there any questions before we get started?”

“What about private viewings?” Someone from the back asked.

Pete’s smile morphed into something so twisted and evil that Ethan could only describe it as his face splitting in two. Ethan knew that there was going to be very few things that could scare him more than the sick look on Pete’s face.

“Yes, those are available on request at $20,000 for half an hour.” Pete explained matter-of-factly.

“Isn’t that quite steep?” Ryan asked, putting up his hand.

Pete gestured to Ryan with his thumb, looking at the rest of the group. “Newcomers, am I right?”

There was light laughter, but it was forced and most likely laced with guilt. Without any other questions, Pete led the group down more twisting and turning hallways. It looked so much like Pete’s Ocean Land to Ethan and, he was sure, anyone from his area would agree when the video came out.

Finally, the stopped at a dark tank. The anticipation was building. For Ethan it was like coming into a movie theater and waiting for the previews to start. Pete walked to the back and hit a switch. A light from the bottom of the tank, a gasp leaving both Ryan and Ethan’s lips simultaneously.

When Grayson told Ethan how you looked that night, Ethan wasn’t sure what to make of it. Now that he saw it in person, he understood why Grayson’s description was all over the place.

How could someone describe something so beautiful?

If Ethan were to attempt it, he would equate it to looking for gems in rocks. He watched a few videos online of people searching canyons for amethyst. They would feel the thickness of a rock and inspect closely. Then with a hammer, the would hit and chip away at the thick gray block until in broke open. The viewers’ eyes were instantly flooded by gorgeous, sparkling purple that dazzled the mind.

That was the only way Ethan could describe your skin.

In uneven patches, there were turquoise colored gem-like patches all over your body. Your hair looked dark blue in the lighting, swirling around as you remained in your tight, curled up position. In the darkness of the deep water, it was easy to imagine how you would blend in from above, however, under this harsh light there was nowhere to hide.

“Our newcomers, I present to you a real life mermaid.” Pete announced with a chuckle. “Very little is known about them. How many there are, how they came to be, how dangerous..., but I can tell you what we know.”

Ethan glanced at Ryan who was stone cold. Sure, it was obvious that the thing they were staring at did not look like anyone else in this room. However, it was clear that it had legs and other human limbs. It was a young girl, and the tightness in Ryan’s face showed that he knew that.

Pete continued as he walked to the side of the tank. He squinted at the hunched over figure as if noticing something strange, but he didn’t address. Instead, he stood in front of a control center. There were four levers, multiple buttons in different colors and absolutely no labels.

“What we do know is that, they have legs like us and when dry, they blend in with the rest of us. However, in water, they are magnificent. While we haven’t had the joy of cutting one open...”

Ethan quelled a gasp at that remark.

“...we do have reason to believe that they have lungs. They grow the capacity to survive underwater. The specimen you see here could only last underwater for eight hours without drowning when she was first rescued. Now, she can go for as long as 27 hours.”

Tears stung Ethan’s eyes. Rescued? What a load of bull. He couldn’t help, but feel sorry for you. How long were you trapped in there when you couldn’t breathe? Did you scream? Did he watch you suffer?

“They are also incredible swimmers. We will see that in the next few tests.” Pete paused, as if he was getting ahead of himself. “In fact, let me just show you now...”

tw: mentions of abuse, panic attacks, electrocution

Ethan could feel himself sweating again as the sound of his heartbeat became deafening. His head felt like it was going to split open at his forehead with a warm heat settling at the center of it. He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking and he glanced around to see everyone else’s reactions. It was stone cold. It was like they were waiting for the bus or sitting through the intermission of their kids game. Ryan was the only one as terrified as Ethan, but Ethan knew that only he could tell.

Pete hit a button on his control panel, his eyes locked on the crowd. Behind him, your body twitched violently, almost involuntary. You released yourself from your crunched position your legs flailing. Your arms soon followed suit and you were rushing toward the top of the tank.

“If you come closer...” Pete said, gesturing with his hands for people to come forward, without looking back at you. “You can see how it naturally glides through the water. Almost like flippers.”

“But those are feet...” Ryan asked, as he moved closer along with the rest of the group. “Feet of a girl?”

Pete scoffed. “We try not to anthropomorphize the creature.”

Ethan’s eyes bulged out of his head. Well, someone clearly swallowed a dictionary in an effort to justify his bigotry. What an asshole.

“Besides, a human can not do what I am about to show you.” Pete hit another button and Ethan watched in horror as you slowly started to fall to the bottom of your cell.

Hot. Hot. Hot.

That’s what it felt like, but all over your skin. You assumed it was little bits of electricity, which was already damaging to anything in water. However, for you those little bursts was like getting pricked with a thousand thorns. Even at the lowest of voltages it was like getting pins and needles after your foot fell asleep. The pain came from the bottom of your cell, so you always swam upward to get some relief.

This time, you were determined to free yourself. You were attempting to go through the crack at the top of your cell. Your fingers even felt a bit of the cool air. Hope quelled in your heart as Grayson’s face flashed in your mind.

Then suddenly another large shock ripped through your cell.

This one you could see. It was a white flash that went diagonally across the opening of your cell. You could feel it, splitting your arm that was extended out toward your freedom. You didn’t want to lose air, so you focused on holding your breath, falling down like leaf to the bottom of your cell, cradling you arm.

You couldn’t see anything with the bright lights flashing into your cell, but you could see your blood, a very dark red color mixing with the water. Through your squinted eyes, you could see your skin covering itself with it’s turquoise patterned scales, trying to rebuild. It wasn’t something you could control and it only happened when you were in water. You shivered thinking about how you learned these two facts about yourself. The knives jammed into your thighs and dragged down to your legs, while your screams were silenced with the help of a balled up towel shoved between your lips.

As the memories of private experiments on the viewing table flooded your mind, you were almost grateful to be inside of your cell. In comparison this stuff was a cake walk and the show had just begun.

“What human do you know that can heal like that?” Pete asked Ryan. “That’s what I thought.” Pete didn’t leave Ryan any room to even respond before he added in that jab.

“Think about how many lives it could save...” Pete said to the rest of the crowd. “Soldiers, burn victims, skin cancer survivors...the best technology we could ask for.”

Another button was pushed, another electric shock. This one was so painful, your eyes opened wide as slashes appeared on your legs and upper arms. Ethan closed his eyes, but didn’t turn away in an effort to allow the viewers to see the horror. He would never be able to get your eyes out of his mind. Under water, your eyeballs were a dark blue with no sign of pupils, with little streaks of gold striping through it. It was almost like looking at a Greek statue where you couldn’t actually see the details of your eyes.

And yet, he could see so much pain.

tw end

The moment the “show” was over, Ethan was secretly texting Grayson on his phone. It wasn’t easy. He was alternating from angling his body to different sides, using the shadows of the room to conceal his behavior.

Ethan knew that if he were caught by Pete, this would ruin everything. However, there was no time. The last few tests left you unresponsive. Ethan was sure that Pete was not done with you. Pete had to see his guests off to prevent any wandering, but once people were gone, you were going to experience hell.

With a final few taps, Ethan slipped his phone into his pocket as casually as he could.

“Can I ask you more about the private showing?” Ethan asked, and Pete smiled, greedily.

“I’ll give you all the options and their prices...” Pete agreed.

This was the worst part. When the lights turned off and you realized you were all alone. Your body was trying to rebuild itself while your mind did its best to keep you under water. It was hard to hold your breath when you were in so much pain, but you needed to heal in order to escape and you couldn’t heal if you were drowning.

The sound of the top of tank being slowly cranked open caused a gasp to rip from you, taking your last bits of oxygen. As you swam to the top to get air, you realized that this would put you face-to-face with Pete, the first time in years since actually truly seen your uncle. Everything was coming back to you: the pain, the torture, the abandonment, and it only made you angrier.

You decided this was it. You were going to finally fight back.

#dolan twins fanfic #dolan twins #dolan twins imagine #dolan twins x reader #grayson dolan #grayson dolan imagine #grayson x you #grayson dolan fic #r-writes-fic

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marjiandco · 4 years ago

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beach day

Raiku shakes off the teleportation spell, waiting until the nausea dies down. He clutches his basket close to his body, standing on tiptoes to keep the blanket wedged on top from dragging in the sand. His sandals land in in muffled thuds as he flips his head back to keep his sunglasses from falling off his nose. Sweat was already beading down his neck, the rising sun warmer still than yesterday’s. Salty wafts of wind tickle his nose, and he closes his eyes for a moment. Waves push and pull to his right, the sounds of people either in the water or talking along the pier mix in with the whistle of air. He sighs in contentment.

For the first time in a long time he fees like his old self again. Before he ever knew of Zenos, of Garlean invasion plans or seven hells even the Ascians have been a royal thorn in his side. That didn’t matter now; what matters is finding his friends so he can put on some sun lotion asap. Gulls caw above him as he traverses his way through beach goers, scanning the area when he spots his best friend. He chuckles to himself. She’s lounging beneath an umbrella, a large sunhat dousing her in even more shadow, with a pair of sunglasses for good measure. Seems she’s feeling about the same as him.

“Hey Marj!” he shouts.

She jerks her head towards him, her frown turning into a quirked grin. She dusts her feet, as if she wasn’t about to walk through more sand as she rushes to scoop the basket out of his hands. He gives a breathy thanks as they walk side by side to their shady spot. He eyes her bathing suit, feeling a strange sense of pride. She’s not wearing socks or pants to cover up the spider webbed scar on her leg; a long ways away from where she was close to a year ago. She was even wearing a two piece bathing suit, her scars near glowing white in the sun.

“I see you’ve upgraded your beachwear. Don’t feel like wading in wet socks this time?” he tries to frown through a smirk building on his cheeks. “It was a fashion choice.” She said matter of factly. “It didn’t catch on as much as I’d hoped.”

He laughs as she sets the basket down, and together they pull the new blanket down next to hers, creating a wider space. As it settles he takes his guitar out from the basket, placing it at the top of the blanket, exaggerating his carefulness. He plops down, legs spread wide and slouches forward as he takes a deep inhaling stretch. He faces the sun and closes his eyes, drinking in the peace. He opens his eyes after a few minutes, catching her staring at him.

“You know you could use a tan.” He leans back on his palms, fingers brushing his instrument.

She snorts, stretching one arm overhead and resting another on her stomach. “I don’t tan I burn. Besides they say you can still feel the sun even in the shade.”

“Who said?”

“You know” she waves a hand. “They.”

Right. "Think the other's will be here soon? I want to go swimming sometime today."

She points to the left of them. The twins seem to have roped themselves into a game of volleyball. Alisae of course was taking it very seriously, snapping at Alphinaud when he makes a bad call or misses a hit. Hard pass.

“They’re the only one’s here besides us.” Marji said “Thancred and Urianger went shell collecting with Ryne, and Y’shtola went to go get some more water and oranges. I thought Tataru was coming with you?”

“Nah, she’s busy convincing Estinien to show up.” Raiku shrugs “I guess I’ll just have to sit here with you.” He falls dramatically, digging his toes into the sand as he takes his guitar in hand to strum a few notes.

-----

adding this to my ao3 drabble collection I’m starting, and just wanted to get excited about beach weather/actually being able to go to the beach this year!

Thanks for reading.

#marji writes #raiku #marji #ffxiv #some beachy lofi would be good for this piece.

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doing-all-write · 5 years ago

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star light, star bright

Joe and Ben take a trip on a boat for a ice relaxing Guys Weekend. What Ben doesn’t expect is to fall in love with the owner of the boat. Or to drunkenly sing karaoke with her.

Pairings: Ben x O.C.

Rating: E (18+, PLEASE do not interact if younger than 18)

Warnings: S M U T. Dom!Ben, but mainly Soft!Ben, bad karaoke and lots of boat and ocean puns (I’m a monster)

Word Count: 14K

Inspired by this iconic photo:

A/N: HELLO. IT’S ME. BACK FROM THE DEAD (Or I had three events in a row at work and wanted to D I E) but to make up for it, have a nice thiccc 14K, smutty fic!! This is my first time writing smut so PLEASE don’t judge me too harshly on it!

But as always, feedback, reblogs and comments are always appreciated! I hope you love it!

ALSO!!! In my most favorite turn of events EVER, I have someone who wants me to tag them! So: @itsabenthing, you’re a real one. (If anyone wants to be tagged in future fics let me know!!)

The sun beat down, scattering nets of diamonds across the water. The slow roll of Jimmy Buffet's guitar mingled with the waves slapping against the hull of the boat. The gulls screeching as they whirled through the air, diving down when they spotted dinner swimming underneath the surface. The wind fluttered the pages of the book held in her hand as she adjusted the sunglasses on her face.

The pole she was leaning against warmed her back. She laid the book down and turned her face toward the sun. It warmed her bones and she took a deep breath in, letting the sea, salt and wind fill her lungs.

She checked her phone, made note of the time and stretched her legs and arms out, almost purring as she uncurled from her reading position. She tipped her head back, closing her eyes to soak up this moment as she patted the deck of her boat.

She had grown up around boats. Her parents owned the Nereid marina and her earliest memories were of sitting on her mom's lap putting her small hands on top of her moms soft ones, feeling the wheel turn smoothly as she memorized the movements. Pretty soon, she had been the one steering the boat and "learning the ropes" as she loved to tell people and thrived off of their pained groans.

She worked at the Nereid every day, learning from the people who came into the port. Incessantly asking questions. Asking about their boats, their lives, where they had come from, where they were going. Her parents had teased her for being so inquisitive but she was in awe of the people who came to the Nereid.

In her mind, they were great adventurers, living a free wheeling life on the sea that she wanted for herself. She would watch people leave and the pull in her stomach to follow them was so strong she could feel her legs tensing, as if getting ready to jump into the ocean to swim to their boat, desperate to join them in whatever adventure they had planned next.

Her parents had expanded the Nereid so several of them littered the coast of California but the original one had passed into her care after she had graduated college. Her parents still helped out and offered guidance when she asked but overall, the original marina was hers to make the calls. It had a charming appeal to it, and between word of mouth and the incredibly Instagrammable mural she had added to one wall, people flocked to it.

As she sat there, soaking up the warmth, she was grateful she had gotten out of bed before the sun had risen. She had woken up early, the last of the stars in the sky fading as the horizon turned from inky black to lilac as the sun began its ascent from the horizon.

Her dad had always told her that each sunrise was different. And that each one had details that would tell her how her day would go. It wasn't until she was much older and in the habit of waking up early that her father would confess he had made it up to coax her out of bed that early.

Some people had their horoscopes, she had sunrises. Whenever she could, she would haul herself out of bed, and clutching a thermos of coffee, watch the sun rise and predict how her day would go. This morning she had a feeling in her gut that today, the sun rise would be incredible. So she slipped out of her apartment above the marina, jammed her feet into flip-flops, crammed a hat on her head and set out.

The sun rise this particular morning had been various shades of pink. The colors closest to the sun a deep red. She had thought to herself that those colors must be what it's like to be in love. She felt a tug in her heart as she contemplated how long it had been since she had been with, well, anyone since she had broken up with her last boyfriend. She quickly shook herself from her melancholy thought and cracked open her book as the sun's rays grew stronger.

Now, the sun was beating down, making sure to fry away every last bit of the chill there had been that morning. She decided she should head back to the Nereid and check in, see how things were going and if she needed to put out any fires. She chuckled as she murmured to herself and one gull that had landed next to her boat, bobbing with the waves, "Well if there WERE any fires to put out, thank god we're by a ocean."

The gull squaked and flew away.

She shook her head ruefully as she stood up and raised her arms above her head, the crochet tank top she had put on over her bikini rising up above her denim shorts.

The sea unfolded before her, reminding her constantly how wide the world was. How many people there were to meet, so many stories to hear and places to see. Her body shivered involuntarily as she contemplated the vastness of it all.

~~~

Somewhere close by to where her boat had just been anchored, another boat was getting ready to pull into the Nereid marina.

"BEN! HOIST THE BOOM AND GET 'ER READY TO COME STARBOARD."

"Do you know anything about boats, mate?" Ben scratched his head as he contemplated Joe's Captain Morgan pose.

"No, not a damn thing. But it sounded convincing right?"

"Yeah, it's the confidence, ya know?"

"It's all about confidence Benny boy." Joe said, slapping Ben's shoulder as he joined Ben at the rail.

Ben offered him a beer which Joe accepted with a quick thanks, the sharp crack of the tab opening piercing though the air.

Ben held his can aloft in a silent cheers and Joe brought his over to gently tap the rim of Ben's. They nodded to each other and raised the drink to their lips as they took a sip.

The sun beat down on them, warming the tops of their heads as the ocean stretched out in front of them.

Joe took another sip as Ben asked, "So, are we getting to port soon? What's the plan?"

Joe considered it, "Well, we plunder first,"

"Obviously."

"Then we do some light pillaging,"

"Of course,"

"Then have a nice meal together because you're my friend"

"That's lovely buddy thank you." Ben leaned into Joe as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder, giving him an awkward side hug.

"Anything for you, Ben."

"Hate to interrupt this touching display of male friendship but we're almost to port" Rich, the actual captain, called down to them as he deftly steered the craft towards land.

Joe peered up at Rich from under the brim of his baseball cap, "Shouldn't I be the one making those announcements? I am the captain after all."

Ben snorted, "Correctly identifying the starboard and port side does not a captain make."

"You're just jealous my nautical knowledge is so much better than yours."

Rich barked out a laugh as he shook his head, "The amount of nautical knowledge you have wouldn't even fill a Post-It note."

Joe pointed a thumb back at Rich, "I'm not sure we should trust this guy with our safety out in the open sea."

"I feel much safer in his hands than yours." Ben chuckled.

Joe gasped and brought a hand up to his chest, "I'm being attacked! My character is being demolished by my best friend and Rich!"

"What? We aren't best friends?" Rich deadpanned.

"Not with those insults you keep hurling my way, buddy." Joe wheeled around and pointed an accusing finger at Rich.

Ben laughed and stared back out at the horizon. He obviously knew the world was round but he could almost understand why people thought the world was flat for so long. He felt like if he stared at the horizon long enough, he could fall right over the edge and into the swirls of a galaxy.

Joe sidled up to his friend, eyeing him as he watched Ben's shoulders loosen up.

"You enjoying being in the cold grasp of that fickle mistress, the ocean, Benny?" Joe broke the silence as he clapped a hand down onto Ben's shoulder.

Ben snorted, "Absolutely. A pirate's life is a wonderful live and all that."

"It sure is." There was a. pause as Joe contemplated how he wanted to best introduce the next topic.

Finally settling on, "Speaking of she's and fickle mistresses and all that, how have you been doing since the breakup?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders, "It comes and goes in waves, ha." Joe let out a snort at his friends unintentional ocean pun.

"No, but, some days I think I'm okay and then something happens to remind me of her or our time together and I feel a twinge but," here Ben paused and cocked his head to the side, "I think that's just normal."

Joe nodded sagely, "Yeah. give yourself time, man. That was a long relationship. You're not going to get over it right away."

Ben nodded as he brought the beer can back up to his mouth to take a sip and surveyed the horizon. He could see the brightly painted mural getting larger by the second.

Rich sighed as he deftly steered the boat toward the Nereid. He had worked with Az and her family since he was young. He and Az were basically siblings, which is why, when he saw her standing on the deck of her boat tying it up, he laid on the horn.

Az jumped a foot in the air, dropping the rope she had been holding and managing to hit her head on the boom all at once.

"Fucking hell..." her voice drifted off as she turned around to see what asshole was responsible for taking ten years off of her life.

When she saw Rich pulling into the port with their most expensive boat she extended both middle fingers in a salute, complete with huge grin.

Rich laughed as he saw Az's two-fingered salute but the horn blaring had caused both Ben and Joe to jump and spill some of their beer.

"What the hell, man?" Ben shouted as he stared up at Rich.

"Yo, Rich, what was that about? Did someone cut us off?" Joe asked

Rich shook his head, "Sorry guys, I saw Az and wanted to fuck with her."

Ben and Joe looked at each. Joe cocked an eyebrow and Ben shrugged. They wandered over to the front of the boat to see what was going on.

Ben's first glimpse was of the sun reflecting off of her hair, causing it to look like gold. Then the two middle fingers raised high.

Joe noticed the shit-eating grin before he realized that she was directing her two prominent fingers at the man standing near the top of their boat.

Az noticed the other two figures on the boat about a second too late and lowered her hands, feeling bad that they may have thought she was flipping them off. She raised one hand in a sheepish wave as they pulled closer.

She laughed ruefully to herself as she turned back to securing her boat, Figures, she thought, the one time Rich actually has two cute guys in the boat I'm flipping them off. She took one final sweep of the deck as she shoved her book into her backpack and swung it over her shoulder.

She leapt from the deck of her boat onto the dock, landing with her arms raised triumphantly, waiting for Rich to cast judgement on her landing.

"And Az sticks the landing! The crowd goes wild! The judges give her all 10's!!" Rich imitated the screams of an energetic crowd as she waved and gave an exaggerated bow to her audience of...three now.

She came out of her bow and saw the two guys she had accidentally flipped off standing behind Rich, clapping along with him.

"Thank you, thank you. Please, no, c'mon, it was nothing." She said with mock modesty as she laid a hand across her heart and pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.

"How's your head doing?" Rich asked as he engulfed her in a hug.

"Well, I DID hit it on a large piece of wood so...not great."

"Ahh, c'mon. We were just having a good time."

"Were we?" She shot back as she stepped back and looked over his shoulder, "Hi, I'm Az, I definitely wasn't flipping you two off. I felt bad when I realized he had you guys on board."

"Oh no, I'm used to pretty girls flipping me off, it's fine." Joe said as he stepped forward with a hand extended.

Az let out a bark of laughter as she slipped her hand into his as they exchanged pleasantries.

Az turned to the blonde standing next to Joe and was barely able to keep the "Jesus FUCK you're gorgeous" from falling out of her mouth.

But he WAS. From a distance she could tell he was going to be cute but up close? Az was eternally grateful that someone as beautiful as this man could exist and be right in front of her.

He was checking all her boxes too; blond hair, dazzling smile, beautiful body (God she should ask who his trainer was and send them a fruit basket and a thank you note) the only thing that would really make him perfect was-

"You alrigh'?"

A fucking British accent.

Her eyes widened and Rich smirked. They both knew that she was well and truly fucked.

~~~

"Hey, Sal, how's it going?"

"Great, Az, the fish are biting and the sun is shining. Can't ask for more, eh?"

"Got that right. You stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Back at ya, sweetheart."

She waved at him as she continued down the marina. The sound of her flip-flops thwacking against the wood alerting her arrival to both regulars and newcomers at the Nereid alike.

Joe, Ben and Rich were sitting on the edge of the dock, feet dangling over the clear blue, watching her make her way down the boardwalk. After introductions had been made, Az had parted apologetically, saying she needed to do a lap but she would love to properly show them around once she came back.

"Does she talk to everyone?" Joe asked as he saw her stop at the dock next to Sal's and start talking animatedly to the woman there.

"Pretty much. I mean, she does own this marina so it would be kind of shitty if she didn't." Rich shrugged and readjusted his sunglasses.

Ben shoved his hands into the pocket of his jacket, "She OWNS this marina?"

"Yeah, her parents opened it and she took it over when they started branching out to other locations. This one's the most popular though, mainly because of her," Rich inclined his head to her retreating back. "And it's because she talks to everyone. Everyone loves Az."

"I've been meaning to ask, is her real name Az? Like, A Z?" Joe asked.

Rich snorted, "No, her real name is Azure which is a sick name but she thinks it's pretentious so she shortened it."

Joe nodded while Ben kept his gaze glued on Az as a little boy ran up and tugged on her shorts. She laid a hand over her heart as the child handed her a seashell with a huge grin on his face. Ben felt a smile growing on his face as she bent down to accept the gift, handling the shell with extreme delicacy, listening to the little boy as he told her everything he went through to get it.

Ben was entranced by her. When they had pulled into the Nereid he could tell she was cute. But when he had seen her up close, felt the full effect of her smile, how her eyes sparkled in the sun, the freckles dusted across her cheeks, he felt his breath hitch.

He could vaguely tell that Joe and Rich were talking about other things but he kept his eyes trained on Az. On her hair falling down her back, the way her hips swayed as she walked, the way it caused her ass to move-

"BEN. Come back to us buddy."

Ben jolted as he almost lost his grip on the edge of the dock, catching himself before he landed in the water, "What?"

"Rich said Az knows some good places for us to grab dinner and they'd love to take us out, does that sound good to you?" Joe asked as he furrowed his brow, reaching a hand out to steady Ben.

Ben cleared his throat, "Uh, yeah, that sounds great, thanks man." He inclined his head at Rich who just stared back at him, eyes inscrutable behind black Ray-Bans. Ben's gut suddenly dropped to the bottom of the ocean as he had the horrifying thought that maybe Rich and Az were dating.

Ben quickly dropped his gaze to the blue depths underneath his feet, wondering if it would be worth it to just jump in, start swimming and never look back.

Suddenly, Rich sprang up from the dock, "I'm gonna go check on Az, see what her ETA is to be done. I'll be right back." And with that announcement, strode off.

Joe's brow furrowed as he stared at Rich's back. "I don't know what just happened but I would say that we pissed off our captain."

Ben grunted as he kept his gaze laser focused on the fish cutting swiftly through the waves.

Joe tapped his foot against Ben's, "Hey, man, you know, you can communicate with me through more than monosyllabic sounds."

Ben huffed as he ran a hand through his hair, "I know. Sorry. I got myself all turned 'round but I'm okay now."

Joe's eyes cut over to Ben and as casually as he could, asked, "Was it about Az?"

"Uh-I mean-Not, like, explicitly but-"

"Well the way you were checking out her ass was pretty explicit I gotta say, Benny boy."

Ben's cheeks immediately turned red as he raked his brain for something witty to say. He finally sighed and dropped his head into his hands, "It was pretty obvious wasn't it?"

"You looked like one of those cartoon characters when they see a pretty lady and their eyes bug out of their head."

Ben groaned into his hands, "Dammit! She's just so hot and I don't know, maybe it's the ocean air doing something to me but I couldn't stop staring at her and then I saw Rich staring at me staring at her and now I'm worried that she and Rich are dating and I fucked up."

Joe slowly nodded his head as he contemplated Ben's predicament, "Well, it's good that we're by the ocean. If that's true you can always just drown yourself."

~~~

"He was drooling over you."

Az made an indelicate "OOF" noise as Rich grabbed her arm, doing a do-si-do move so she was facing him.

"Who? The Springer's dog? Because they just told me they tried some new medication to help with that-"

"No. What?" Rich furrowed his brow, "Is that really a thing you can do for dogs?"

Az shrugged, "I guess so. I'm not a vet, nor do I own a dog so my knowledge of cutting edge veterinary practices is sketchy to say the least."

Rich glanced over his shoulder to stare at the basset hound that was, indeed, sporting no less than three uninterrupted strands of drool which was three less than what he normally had.

He shook his head as he turned back to Az, "Okay, that's BESIDES the point. Though I do want to talk to them about that, I'm intrigued...ANYWAY. No. BEN was."

Az stared at Rich for three full seconds before bursting out laughing. Rich sighed and crossed his arms, waiting for the hysterics to die down.

Az dabbed her finger under her eye, "God Rich, that's hysterical. But seriously, why did you come over here."

"His eyes were so laser focused on your ass that I'm surprised there's not a hole in the back of your shorts."

Az's hands instinctively went to the back of her shorts, "Thank god I wore my cute bikini bottoms then."

"You fool. You absolute buffoon. One of the most attractive men I've ever seen in my LIFE was so absorbed by your ass that he almost fell off the dock when Joe yelled at him. I may be ace but that doesn't mean that I can't tell when someone is so thirsty for you that he would willingly drown for it."

Az stood there, staring over Rich's shoulder taking all this information in. The horizon spread out before her, various shades of blue.

"The title of my memoir should be called '50 Shades of Blue'" She finally muttered under her breath.

"AZ."

"Sorry, sorry! I heard you. I just-"

"It's always 'just' with you. You just can't because of the marina. You just can't because you're focusing on yourself. You just can't because of a million other reasons. You know what it JUST is with you?"

Az winced with each accusation hurled at her, "Jesus, just tell me so this can be done."

Rich took a deep breath and gripped her shoulders as he leveled his gaze at her, "You just don't believe you deserve this. You just are scared that someone will leave and you'll be left hurting like you were when your ex left you. But you know something? Even if this perfect replica of Michelangelo's David doesn't work out, you'll a) have a great story and TWO-"

Az's lips quirked into a half smile at Rich's lame attempt at humor.

"Is that you'll at least have given it a try. And I'll always be here for you to sing-scream 'thank u, next' with if he turns out to be a dick."

A laugh bubbled its way out of Az's throat, "Okay but like, we've already done that so often they threatened to call the Coast Guard on us."

A steely look settled over Rich's face, "And Barb from port five can still eat my entire ass. MY POINT though," at this, Rich ducked his head down to look right into Az's eyes, "just go for it, Az. Please."

Az's eyes flickered down at the water lapping underneath the boardwalk. The sun filtered through the cracks of the woodwork causing small sparks to light up as it hit the water flowing underneath.

She heaved a sigh, "Alright, FINE. Besides, if he's truly as into me as you say he is, this should be easy."

Rich clapped his hands, "Oh sweetheart, it's going to be easier than getting the Springer's dog to stop drooling."

~~~

To lighten the mood, Joe had started throwing rocks and bits of wood into the water yelling, "she loves Ben, she loves him not" with each plop while Ben kept threatening to push Joe into the water.

"You almost hit a fish with that one." Ben said, in a desperate attempt to distract Joe.

"He looked at me funny."

"They're fish. They look at everything funny."

"Fair point."

"Oh fuck, there's one swimming right at me."

"GET HIM, BEN. SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS." Joe yelled.

Ben squinted one eye and gently tossed the piece of wood into the water near the fish.

"I'm going to call the cops." Came Az's voice in a sing song from behind them.

Ben turned around to find Rich and Az strolling back towards them. Az's arm hooked through Rich's which caused Ben's stomach to plummet.

She slipped her arm out from Rich's and dug her phone out of her pocket, "Hello? 9-1-1? Yes, this man here is abusing fish."

"Fuck, dude, we gotta get out of here. I can't go back to the slammer again." Joe laughed as he hauled himself up.

Ben smiled as he swung his legs up onto the dock. His feet fell next to Az's, encased in flip-flops, toenails painted bright pink as he traced the line of her legs up to meet her eyes.

Az's hand trembled a little as she offered it to Ben, "Need a hand?" A soft smile grew across her face as his blue eyes met her own.

The blue of the ocean was nothing compared to how blue Ben's eyes were, Az decided.

The green of Az's eyes were the most beautiful color he had ever seen, Ben decided.

The silence stretching between Ben and Az had gone on long enough, Joe decided.

"SO. Rich. What restaurant are we going to?" Joe loudly asked as he clapped his hands together, breaking the spell.

Az blinked and giggled nervously as she helped haul Ben to his feet. He smiled down at her and thanked her.

"No worries, you're lighter than expected."

"These are fake muscles. A pain in the ass to inflate every morning but so worth it."

The burst of laughter that erupted from Az made Ben smile wider.

She reached a hand out and wrapped it around his bicep, "So, if I squeeze too hard it'll pop?"

"Like a balloon."

She kept her eyes trained on Ben's face as she squeezed his arm and holy god she was not prepared for how solid it would feel. It took all of her will power not to get on her knees and beg him to choke her right there in front of God and everyone.

She cleared her throat, "Haven't heard anything pop yet."

"Well, clearly, your hand strength needs to be built up."

"I think there are some guys who would argue my hand strength is just fine." Az said without thinking. Her eyes widened as she realized the words that had fallen out of her mouth. Ben's breath caught in his throat as the image of Az's hand wrapped around his cock infiltrated his senses.

Rich's mouth dropped open as Joe made a noise that sounded vaguely like a hamster getting strangled.

Az ripped her hand from Ben's bicep "Well, I don't know what we're doing standing around here for, I promised you guys a tour so let's get started." She sped away down the pier, mentally chastising herself for coming on way too strong.

Rich stared at Ben, standing stock still, then at Joe who looked like he'd been hit on the back of the head with a two by four, and muttered, "Well, this is going to be easier than I thought."

~~~

"And this is the mural I commissioned from a local street artist. I actually caught her tagging a wall and I loved her work so much I hired her on the spot."

Ben and Joe stepped closer to take a closer look at the mural that depicted the ocean in a psychedelic fashion. Brightly colored fish, seaweed, shells, sea nymphs ("mermaids are overrated, it's all about sea nymphs now." Az had declared when Joe made a Little Mermaid joke) dolphins, sharks, even an octopus, in neon colors adorned the side of the building.

"It's really popular with Influencers and such. Tourists come to take pictures of it, it's been nothing but an incredible draw." Az said as she trailed her fingers over it as she walked down the wall. Her finger tips landed on the shark and she turned to look over her shoulder, "This guy is my favorite."

Ben meandered closer to get a better look at it, "Why is that?"

Az shrugged as she moved to stand beside Ben, "I've always liked sharks. I think they're fascinating and get a bad rep. We're the ones infiltrating their home. If someone tried to come into my home and polluted it at the same time, I'd probably consider eating them too."

Ben nodded slowly as his gaze drifted over the mural. "I like the octopus."

"Yeah? Why's that."

"He has a chill vibe about him."

"I can respect that."

Watching Ben and Az joke about the killer weed the octopus had, Joe hesitantly asked the million dollar question,"So, Rich, how long have you and Az been together?"

Rich snorted, "Too long." Hearing the squeak that came from Joe, hastily realized what he meant, "Oh, like, romantically? You think Az and I are, like, together together?"

"Um, yeah dude. You seem pretty comfortable around each other and I just assumed..." Joe's voice trailed off as a bemused grin melted over Rich's face.

"Are Az and I close? Yes. Do I love her? Absolutely. Is she a giant pain in my ass? Since day one when she told me I give off too much of a 'Jimmy Buffet' vibe. Am I also ace so therefore have no desire to date her or anyone? Oh you bet your sweet ass."

"So...Ben's clear to shoot his shot?"

"Ben's so clear to shoot his shot the whole fucking playing field is barren."

"You don't know the first thing about sports do you?"

"Not a thing my man." Rich confirmed cheerfully.

~~~

The sun had begun to make it's descent and the first whispers of orange and pink began to crawl their way up into the sky.

Seeing how small the gap between the sun and the horizon had gotten, Az clapped her hands together as she turned to the group, "So, if you guys are interested, there's a great bar nearby that I can get us either free or deeply discounted drinks. You in?"

Joe stared at Az for a beat then threw an arm around her shoulder, "I've never loved anyone more."

Az laughed as she rested her head onto Joe's shoulder, "And I'm sure it was me flipping you off that won you over and not the promise of free drinks."

"I've never been so into anything in my life." Ben muttered as he stared at Az. The words came out more intense than he intended. Az felt a warmth spreading through her stomach as she lifted her head from Joe's shoulder.

Ben blinked at his own intensity but didn't break his gaze from Az's as he stepped closer to her. The movement of her throat as she swallowed was the only thing that broke his gaze.

Rich's eyes were ping-ponging back and forth, relishing in the sexual tension.

Joe slowly slid his arm off of Az's shoulders and hesitantly stepped back.

Az could feel the heat building in her belly, a flush spread across her cheeks as she blinked up at Ben. The voice in her head finally snapped to attention and reminded her to say something, anything.

Her tongue poked out to swipe across her bottom lip. Ben shifted as his eyes darted down to track its journey, using his willpower not to capture her lips with his.

"Good, because the night's just getting started." Az said thickly as she slide her hands into the pockets of her shorts.

Only Rich caught her trying to wipe off her palms in her shorts and rolled his eyes.

He knew from personal experience that Az's palms always got extra sweaty whenever she flirted, clearly even a target as easy as Ben couldn't escape her clammy palms.

He just prayed that he wouldn't try to hold her hand in the next 20 minutes.

~~~

Az jiggled the worn handle on the innocuous wood door. She turned her head to glance back at Ben, "Don't worry, this is usually what happens."

"Good, because sketchy unmarked door? In an alleyway? I figured you had just lured us back here to murder us and wear our skins."

"Fucked up that you thought that. I would never wear your skins. I'd preserve them, stuff them and then use them as tasteful decor."

"JESUS Az." Rich declared as he stared at her, slack-jawed. Joe's face was caught in between amusement and horror.

Az winced as she finally got the doorknob to turn, "Too much?"

Ben waltzed through the open door, "Don't think there's ever 'too much' of you, love."

Az's cheeks flushed and she squirmed as he aimed a wink in her direction before stopping in the doorway to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting.

There were Christmas lights strung all around the perimeter of the bar. Tables haphazardly littered the floor with chairs floating in between tables like so much debris. The back of the room was taken up by the actual bar. To the right, a small, hastily constructed stage with a karaoke machine looked to be the only thing that hadn't been there since the 70's.

Vintage concert posters promoting The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Carol King, Fleetwood Mac, Queen and more were wallpapered in a collage. The jukebox standing guard to the side of the front door was playing Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. There was a low rumble as patrons and bartenders talked to each other.

When the door opened and Ben stepped in, most of them turned to peer curiously at who had just entered but didn't paid him, or Joe, any mind. A few hands went up and some greetings were called out in response to Rich's greeting as he waltzed into the establishment.

Then Az walked in.

"AZ!"

The bar exploded in a flurry of sound and movement as chairs were abandoned and tables shoved as a crowd foamed up around Az. Ben, Joe and Rich were forced to shuffle to the side as hands and bodies crowded around her. Most of them offering to buy her a drink or updating her on events that had transcribed since they had last seen her. Az took it all in stride. She smiled and laughed and nodded and let herself be carried by the crowd to the bar.

When she reached the bar she turned her head and Ben saw her eyes flitting from corner to corner, trying to locate them after the crowd had bum rushed her.

Ben raised a hand and her eyes locked onto the gesture at once. She smiled and he saw her shoulders relax. She turned back to the grizzled fisherman that was either greatly exaggerating the size of a personal body part or talking about a fish he had caught earlier in the day.

He desperately hoped it was the latter.

A sharp jab to his kidney brought him back to the present, "What are the odds she's getting drinks for all of us?" Joe asked as he surveyed the crowd that was three deep by the bar. Ben shrugged as Rich weaved his way to a table that was right in front of the karaoke stage.

Ben and Joe followed Rich and sat down as if this was another normal Saturday night for him. Joe kept staring at the bar when he finally broke, "So, is that a normal occurrence? Or did you tell everyone to pull that stunt so we'd think she's cool?"

Rich snorted, "God, I wish we were that coordinated. No. This is Az's favorite bar. And again, she grew up here so a lot of those people have known Az since she was just a wee tot."

He shrugged, "Everyone loves Az, I don't know what to tell you."

Ben felt his head nodding in agreement, then without thinking, asked, "Do you love Az?"

Rich's head snapped up so quickly he felt something pop in his neck and Joe's eyes widened a comical amount at Ben's boldness.

Rich coughed as he tried to find the right words, "Yeah, but like a sister. I'm ace, so, romantic feelings? Not my thing."

Ben felt like he was going to pass out. Joe could see the gears turning in his friends head and decided to help drive the point home and asked Rich point blank, "So, you and Az are not dating?"

"Nope." Rich popped the 'p' with extra verve, keeping his eyes trained on Ben.

Ben coughed into his hand, "So, uh, is she-uh-dating anyone, then?" He slouched down in his chair, hoping to offset how nervous he sounded with some laid back posturing.

Rich watched the full grown man in front of him sink so low into his chair he almost fell off of it and thought, Jesus, they're both such idiots. I hope they bone all night.

"No. And there hasn't been anyone in a while." Then realizing how that sounded tried to make it better, "Not that there's anything wrong with her! She's amazing, she just puts all of her energy and focus into the marina. Not saying that she wouldn't do the same in a relationship, it's just-AZ! Thank GOD you're back!" Rich flung his arms into the air as Az approached their table with a tray full of drinks.

Did you say something that didn't sound great then to make up for it you talked more which made it sound worse?"

"We've known each other too long haven't we?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll be right back." She turned and went back to the bar to return the tray Penelope had given her to transport the drinks.

Penelope managed the bar and was always willing to let Az pick up some shifts bartending when she needed some extra cash. When summer time got to be particularly heady, Penelope would entice Az to work with promises of free shots and unlimited baskets of deep-fried mac and cheese.

"So, Az. Your new friends are, how do I want to say this? Absolutely stunning."

Az kept her eyes down as she slipped the tray on top of the stack behind the bar, "Yeah, I guess. I don't know if I would describe Rich as stunning but-"

A sharp sting landed on her hip causing her to yelp, "What was that for?"

Penelope stood with the towel already rewound and ready to strike again, "You know damn well I'm not talking about Rich and if you don't tell me why blondie can't keep his eyes off your ass I'm gonna smack you again."

She pulled her arm back to show she was serious and Az scampered to the other side of the bar with hands held up, "OKAY! Okay! I'll tell you, just-be cool man. Put the towel down."

Penelope stared at her.

Az rolled her eyes, "If I sleep with 'blondie' tonight do you really want me to be covered with tiny red marks and he's so disgusted by my disfigurement he jumps into the ocean to get away from me?"

Penelope's eyes narrowed as she considered, "Alright, fine." The towel lowered as she tucked it into her back pocket, "But I still want answers. No one that beautiful has come into this bar since last time you came in."

"Lop, you flatter me."

"I know. It's a tactic to get more information from you."

"I should be mad but I'm just so honored you think I'm beautiful I'll tell you anything."

"Alright, what's your social security number?"

"Not that flattered."

"SPILL. NOW." Penelope ordered, slamming her hands on the bar.

Az rolled her eyes, "ALRIGHT, GOD. I went out on my boat this morning and as I pulled back in so was Rich with-"

"I so wish you had said pulling out."

"Will you let me FINISH?"

"Bet you won't be saying that later tonight. Blondie looks like he knows how to eat pussy."

Az threw up her hands, "You know what? No. You don't get to know ANYTHING now because you can't behave yourself. Are you HAPPY?"

Penelope shrugged, "Not as happy as I would have been if you'd said you'd pulled out."

"You're impossible."

"So I'll see you in the morning for coffee and a recap of your sexual escapades?"

"Of course. Love you."

"Love you too," Penelope said to Az's retreating back.

~~~

As she slid into her chair, Az lifted her glass in a toast, "Cheers, I'm glad Rich picked your guys' sorry asses up."

Her eyes met Ben's in the gloom and he saw the Christmas lights reflected in her eyes like so many stars.

"I'm glad that he picked us up too." Ben smiled at Az and let his gaze linger with hers as he took a long pull from the glass.

Az couldn't stop herself from staring at his lips. How full they were. How good they looked wrapped around that glass. How good they would look wrapped around certain parts of her anatomy.

Rich and Joe exchanged glances as Ben and Az fell into a loaded silence. Rich took a gulp from his glass and slammed it onto the table, "WELL. I, for one, am not going to let this night go to waste. It's karaoke time."

Az's eyes lit up as she whipped her head, "You're so right. It absolutely is."

Joe was bouncing up and down in his seat, "Thank GOD someone else brought it up because I was about to ask if I could get dibs on first round."

Ben groaned, "Do we really have to do this? I'm not much of a karaoke guy."

Az turned to him, "You will be after you have about five more of those," indicating the half finished beer in front of him, "so drink up. Because I have a feeling Turn Around Bright Eyes is going to be our big duet."

Ben's mouth fell open in shock as Joe cheered and Rich rolled his eyes, "God, Az. I fucking hate that song. Even when they covered it on Glee it was still a trash heap."

"Everyone hates that song but by god is it the perfect karaoke number."

Rich opened his mouth to argue, mulled over Az's statement and shrugged his shoulders in defeat, "I can't argue with that logic."

"Oh real help you are." Ben shot to Rich.

"Sorry Benny Boy. We all gotta pay the piper for free drinks somehow. In this case, it's total humiliation in front of an audience." .

Ben rolled his eyes and downed the rest of his drink as Az, Joe and Rich cheered. "Let's get this fucking over with."

~~~

"CAUSE I'M MISTER BRIGHTSIIIIIDEEEEE! GUITAR SOLO!" Ben launched into an epic air guitar solo, complete with white man overbite, as Rich gawked.

"Holy shit, he's such a dork, I can't believe you want to sleep with him, Az. Az?" Rich looked over to see Az flailing as she air drummed along, threatening to hit anyone within a five foot radius.

Joe was blissfully jamming to the air bass guitar, eyes closed, not a care in the world.

Rich shook his head in amazement as he finished the last of his drink.

The table was littered with pint glasses, most empty, a couple filled with a sliver of amber liquid. They had worked their way through most of the karaoke classics. Joe's rendition of Livin' On a Prayer brought the bar down and Az's version of I Wanna Dance With Somebody definitely had Ben feeling some type of way.

They were well into hour three of karaoke, with most of the patrons clearing out after hour one. Penelope had gotten several incriminating videos of Az that she could barely wait to show her in the morning.

Lop was currently wiping down the counter, eyeing the plug of the karaoke machine as the final notes of Mr. Brightside died out as Ben looked up, surprised to find himself on his knees after his impassioned performance.

Az, Rich and Joe were on their feet, whopping and clapping wildly as Penelope gave Ben a nod, the most encouragement she had given him all night.

Ben stood up and gave a bow then stumbled as a whirlwind of laughter and cheering enveloped him in her arms, carrying the scent of coconut and salt with it. Az was laughing in his ear as she hugged him and pulled back to reveal her smile, making the whole room seem to glow. He stared at it, committing it to memory.

"C'mon Benny boy, it's last call." Az was saying as she wrapped an arm around his waist, "and Lop does not like it when we push our welcome."

"Some of us have things to do Az!" Lop called from the bar where she was stacking glasses.

Az rolled her eyes as Ben slung a heavy arm around her shoulders. Joe and Rich were by the door holding it open for the two of them as they sauntered through, the alcohol leaving them warm and loose but coherent.

"So, have you seen the boat we arrived on?"

Az snorted, "You mean the one that belongs to my marina? Yeah, I may have seen it once or twice." She pinched his waist as he protested, "Alrigh'! It was a conversation starter. You know? One of those things were I say something, then you say something else?"

"I know how conversation works, Ben."

"Are ya sure? Because you've been pretty quite."

Az's mouth dropped open in shock as she stuttered a response and Ben chuckled warmly as he pulled her in closer to his side, "'M jokin' love. Don't worry."

Az's head lolled into his chest, trying to hide her grin at being called love, as she groaned, "Have I told you you're a giant pain in my ass, Hardy?"

"A few times, maybe." Ben smirked as his hand slid down her back to rest on the curve of her back that sloped down to her ass.

Az inhaled sharply as she felt his hand move lower. Ben tried to act like he hadn't heard her but his widening smirk gave him away.

They rounded the corner and saw the marina rise up before them. The sound of the ocean softly lapping against the hull of the boats bobbing up and down momentarily bringing a sense of serenity to Az.

Ben was transfixed by the change that came over her when she stared out at the ocean. The wind picked up her hair, like the wind was trying to pick her up and take her where she needed to go. Her eyes were fixed on a spot out on the horizon and Ben wanted to follow those eyes wherever they went. He inhaled the scent of the sea and knew that he would always think of Az whenever he smelled the ocean from now on.

"Sing us a SONG on the PIANO man! Sing us a SONG TONIGHT!" Ben turned to see Rich and Joe stumbling up the dock, arms wrapped around each other and he couldn't figure out who was helping who continue to be upright more.

"Are they both managing to hold themselves upright? On each other?" Az had turned in Ben's arms when she heard the singing. She had drapped her arms around his neck, peering over his shoulder and could feel his chest vibrate as he laughed.

"We shouldn't judge too much, we're kind of doing the same thing." He murmured into her ear.

"Yeah but, we're not THAT intoxicated. I can stand up perfectly fine on my own, see?" Az extricated herself from Ben's hold and he immediately shivered at the loss of contact. Az stood before him and over-exaggeratedly stamped her feet into the ground and put her fists on her hips as she beamed at Ben.

Ben couldn't help the smile that broke over his face and Az's own smile grew wider as she contemplated the beautiful boy before her. His eyes reminded her so strongly of the ocean, always changing color but still feeling like home. He was charming, kind and funny. She was smitten. And she was fairly sure he was as well.

But she didn't want to assume. It would rip her from the inside out if she made a move and he gently let her down with that accent and those eyes looking at her with pity. She couldn't handle that.

Ben watched as a conflict raged behind Az's eyes, causing her posture to deflate. He tilted his head, trying to decipher what had happened but was jolted forward as Joe rammed the full force of his body mass into Ben's back.

Ben had a height and muscle advantage on Joe but when Joe had alcohol and the love he had for his friends coursing through his veins, no one stood a chance.

"BENNY BOOOY THE PIPES THE PIPES" Joe belted into Ben's ear, causing him to flinch,

"Hey buddy, you doing okay?"

"Ben, I am better than you have ever been or ever will be." Joe's eyes were going in two different directions as he tried to rest a hand on Ben's shoulder but missed by a mile.

Az laughed at Joe as Rich tucked his head into the crook of her neck and started whining about how he just wanted some french fries.

"I uh, seem to have done more damage than I anticipated doing." She sheepishly.

Ben shook his head, "Nah, karaoke brings out the worst in others. It was inevitable."

"Or the best." She said softly and looked at Ben with wide eyes and bit her lip. Ben shifted as he tried to come up with a response but it was challenging with Az staring at him like that and Joe trying to climb Ben's body so he could get a piggy back ride back to their boat.

"AAAAAZZZZZ. Please, I just want some fries!"

Az rolled her eyes and the moment ended as she turned to face Rich and grabbed the sides of his face, "Then by GOD man we are going to get you some fries."

Joe's face lit up, "FRIES? I also want those!"

Az giggled as Rich planted a sloppy kiss to the side of her face, "You're worse than the Springer's dog but c'mon gang let's get some starch."

Joe and Rich cheered as they stumbled down the pier towards fries and Az tried to herd them away from the sides so they wouldn't fall into the water. Ben watched them leave and shoved his hands into his pockets. He needed time to think. To be alone. So he made his way on board the boat they had come in on.

He climbed the ladder all the way to the top deck and laid out on his back. His arms crossed behind his head to offer some cushion as he gazed up at the stars.

He wondered what had made Az lose confidence in herself. He assumed he had made it clear he wanted her. Maybe she didn't want him? Maybe that glimmer in her eye was her way of realizing that she just wasn't as into him as he was into her?

He didn't think he could stand watching those eyes fill with pity as they tried to let him down gently.

He sighed, picked out the brightest star and sent up a desperate wish.

star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...

~~~

"I love fries. Almost as much as I love you Az."

"Thanks Richy that's very sweet. And after watching you eat a whole basket of cheese fries in under two minutes that really means something."

Rich mumbled something about how potatoes were his one true love as he drifted off to sleep, curled up on the recliner in Az's living room while Joe had taken up more space on the couch than a man that size should have. Checking to make sure both were asleep and not in danger of choking on their own vomit, she exhaled and scanned her apartment for her phone. The soft glow of it alerted her to its presence on her kitchen counter.

She crept over to pick it up only to be greeted by a text from Lop,

Can't wait to see all the hickies you have tomorrow at breakfast.

She rolled her eyes and wiggled her thumbs over the keyboard as she tried to formulate a proper response. Should she tell Lop the truth? That she was so terrified of being rejected by Ben that she wouldn't even take a chance? Or should she just ignore her text and go to bed?

She groaned, letting the weight of her head fall forward until it. thunked against her phone as she contemplated what to do.

She lifted her head, locked her phone and slide open the balcony door. The ocean air filled her with calm as she surveyed the boats bobbing in the waves.

She looked up and found the brightest star she could. She closed her eyes and with her whole heart started to wish.

star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...

~~~

30 minutes had crept by and her eyes refused to close. She did everything she could think of to relax and fall asleep. She had counted sheep. She had focused on her breathing. She had pulled up an ASMR YouTube channel.

(She quickly exited out once she realized she was only clicking on videos that had ocean sounds in them and realized how idiotic that was.)

In a moment of pure frustration she threw a temper tantrum, flinging her limbs, beating the mattress with her fists. She cursed her body and brain for failing her when she needed peace the most.

She took three deep breaths and wondered where Ben was for the 500th time that night. After leading the Drunk Brigade to get cheesy fries and when she asked him if he wanted anything and didn't receive a response, that's when she realized he wasn't with them.

When she tried to get Joe to give her Ben's number so she could check on him, he had pulled up Spotify and started blaring "Boss Ass Bitch" which meant Az had to wrestle it from him and put a stop to it before the other drunk individuals standing in line started a mosh pit.

After making peace with the fact that she definitely wasn't going to sleep any time soon, or even at all, she got up and hoped a walk would clear her head. Walking along the dock always put her at ease.

As the wind whipped around her, she pulled the sweatshirt she had thrown on over her shorts closer to her to combat the chill. She had planned to walk to her boat but something pulled her towards the boat that Rich, Ben and Joe had sailed in on. She liked going to the very top of it, it gave her the best view of the stars. When she was younger she liked to spend nights up there, reaching her hand up and pretending she could pluck the stars out of the sky.

She got to the top and froze as she saw a figure laying on the ground. Immediately her heart sped up and she thought through all the possibilities.

It could be some homeless person. They wandered the boardwalk sometimes. Maybe I could just leave and deal with it in the morning?

Oh god, what if it's a dead body? Was her next immediate thought, Then I'll somehow be blamed for the murder and go to jail and my whole life will be ruined.

When the body stirred, the relief she felt was short lived as she realized she would have to deal with a very LIVE body.

Direct action is the best action. Catch them off guard, knock them out, then call the cops. She slowly slid her phone out of her pocket and dialed 9 1. She nodded to herself, took a deep breath in and raced onto the deck waving her phone over her head,

"YOU BETTER TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE COPS GET HERE ASSHOLE"

Ben jolted awake, not even realizing he had fallen asleep, and tried to sit up only for his head to collide with something solid, causing him to fall down on his back groaning.

Az rubbed the spot where her head had made contact with the mystery perp and wondered briefly if she was out of her depth if this person was willing to stoop so low as to headbutt her.

Ben carefully opened his eyes as the voice said, "Okay, headbutting someone is low ESPECIALLY when you're the one who broke onto MY boat and besides, NO ONE wins in a headbutt."

He recognized that voice.

He knew that voice.

"Az! Az. Az, look at me. Look! It's me! It's Ben! And I didn't mean to headbutt you, but, christ, you have a dense skull."

Ben? Az lowered her arm as the words cut through her adrenaline fueled rampage. She looked down at the figure below her and fully understood what had happened when her eyes met the blue ones staring up at her.

"Jesus, woman. You know how to give a wake up call."

Az breathed a sigh of relief, "Well you know how to scare someone! Why didn't you tell me you were up here?"

Ben looked down as he shuffled his feet and muttered, "Needed some time by myself." Az cocked an eyebrow in disbelief as she chewed over what he had just admitted to her.

Why did he need time to think? Was he worrying about her? That unspoken moment on the pier that was ruined by Az's overthinking and Rich's need for potato products after a night of drinking?

"Wait, why are you up here? Shouldn't you be holding Rich's hair back as he vomits into a toilet or something?" Ben shot back at her accusingly.

It was Az's turn to become sheepish and she rubbed the back of her neck, "I, um, I couldn't sleep."

Ben looked at her for a loaded moment before scooting over and patting the spot next to him, "Well, you're welcome to join me. I don't think I'll be going back to sleep anytime soon. Too much adrenaline coursing through my body."

Az whacked him on the shoulder as she settled next to him and the smirk on Ben's face grew as he turned his face up to the night sky.

"You come out here a lot when you can't sleep?"

Az hummed, "It's peaceful. Helps me put things into perspective."

Ben nodded, "Wish I lived near water. But I've forests near me which helps. Something calming abou' trees ya know?

"Yeah. Forests. Oceans. Mountains. Anything in nature that's bigger than you that reminds you of how small you are and how big the universe is. And how lucky we are to even be here at all."

"Oh, we're jumping right into the Deep Thoughts, huh?"

Az smirked, "I'm quite quick Hardy, ya gotta keep up."

Ben knocked his elbow against hers, "Well if we're jumping into deep thought territory, every time I look at the night sky I find the brightest star and wish on it. Helps me realize what I want to focus on in my life."

Az's eyes grew wide, "Wait, for real?"

"Yeah. Been doin' it since I was a kid. Why?"

"I do the same thing."

"You're joking."

"I swear on my LIFE."

Ben chuckled, "Well, I don't think we have to go that extreme, I believe you but, wow. Huh. Guess the universe is trying to tell us something."

"Guess so." Az smiled back at Ben and when he didn't drop his gaze, dropped hers first.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she drew her knees into her chest, still feeling the intensity of Ben's gaze on her.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? Not allowed to look at you?"

"You are but it just, I don't know, makes me nervous?" She flinched at the uptick that ended her remark and mentally chided herself for not sounding more confident.

"I make you nervous?" Ben could hear the smugness in his voice and knew he should tone it down but couldn't find it in himself to do so.

"Oh my god, I'm going to regret telling you this, but, yeah. I mean, obviously."

Ben leaned back on his hands as he studied Az's profile, "Why do I make you nervous? Not like I'm intimidating."

"You kind of are though?" When Ben made a shocked noise Az straightened up to face him, "No! No, no. Not in like, a bad way? Just in like, a, ah, you're very attractive?" She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and pulled her hands into the sleeves of her sweatshirt and balled them up, "And, uh, for someone like me, that's very intimidating."

"You're intimidated by me because I'm...attractive?"

"Yes, Ben! I think you're hot! Smoking! A total smoke show! You happy? And I know that you think I'm just some dorky girl who likes cheesy 80's ballads but," she flung her hands towards the heavens as if to illustrate how fruitless it would be for him to like her, "here we are."

Ben could barely contain the smile that threatened to break his face in two. "Alrigh' well, first of all, thank you for sharing your real feelings." Az clambered up, muttering about how she had embarrassed herself enough when Ben hoisted himself up and grabbed her wrist, "but don't assume you know what I'm thinking."

Az's body stilled and Ben knew she was listening despite her not meeting his gaze, "You just thought I felt one way abou' you? That's a little short sighted. You ever assume you know everything about the universe? I've got whole universes inside me too!"

Az peeked at Ben through her eyelashes, "You get that line from the last John Green novel you read?"

Ben gently grasped her chin with his thumb, angling her head up so she would fully look at him, "Maybe I did. There's a reason he's so popular. But don't interrupt me." Az pouted and Ben traced the outline of her lip with his thumb.

She shuddered at the contact and Ben stared into her eyes, "I've wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw your hair shining in the sun and your two middle fingers greeting us as we pulled into port. I couldn't believe someone as beautiful as you wanted to hang out with someone like me. I mean, fuck, Az," he wheezed out a laugh, "I've been losing my mind trying to find ways to be closer to you. Make you laugh. Make you smile. I sang fuckin' Turn Around Bright Eyes just because you asked."

"And you were the best duet partner I've ever had for that song."

"While I take great pride in that, I'm on a role here."

"Sorry. Please continue."

Ben took a deep breath in, "Az, I've wanted you ever since I saw you. But then I got to know you and, fuck, that feeling has just increased. So please," his voice dropped to a whisper as he ducked his head and his lips brushed over Az's as he asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Az's breath came out in shaky bursts and she didn't trust herself to move. She nodded and Ben's lips melted against hers as he cradled the back of her head and wrapped an arm around her waist.

It felt like everything in Az was aflame. The fire that had been building in her ever since she laid eyes on Ben had reached a fever pitch.

His lips moved against hers and he groaned. Her lips were just as soft as he expected them to be.

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He grasped her waist with both of his hands, fingers digging into her sides to ground her to him. As if he needed to make sure that she was real and she wasn't going anywhere.

Az had no plans of leaving anytime soon. She stroked the short hairs that grew at the nape of his neck, causing Ben to grip her waist tighter and she let out a moan.

Ben almost came as she moaned into his mouth. He could feel his cock growing harder and when Az pressed herself closer to him she could feel it as well.

She pulled back from his mouth with reluctance and let out a shaky breath, "Someone's excited." Ben threw all delicacies to the wind, "My cock has been hard since we started hanging out." Az's eyes grew wide and Ben could clearly see how blown out her pupils were.

The wind blew a few strands of hair across her flushed cheeks and with a glance down, Ben could see her chest rising and falling rapidly. With that thought, he traced his hands slowly up her sides as Az's breath hitched in her throat.

"Is this okay?" Ben whispered as his hands crept up her sides, agonizingly slow, leaving a trail of fire in their wake as Az nodded. She could barely keep herself upright, there was no way she could form words.

Ben smirked down at her as his thumbs grazed the sides of her breasts and Az jumped. "Easy, it's okay" he whispered as he leaned down to capture her lips with his once again.

"I know but, fuck, Ben. I've wanted you all day." Az whined and Ben was certain in that moment there was nothing more attractive than the sound Az breathlessly telling him how badly she wanted him.

"Well, you don't have to wait anymore." He whispered against her lips and Az pressed her lips to his as she gripped his shoulders.

Ben's hands continued their agonizingly slow pace to the front of Az's chest where he realized she wasn't wearing a bra and he let out a groan, "Fuck, Az, I need you."

"Who's the impatient one now?" Az smirked as she nipped at his bottom lip and Ben whined.

"Is there anywhere we can go? Preferably with a bed?"

"Inside, there's a room at the end of the hall."

Ben planted a deep kiss on Az and pulled her down the hall. Az's head was still reeling with how he had just kissed her and was only slightly aware of Ben leading her through the door and down the hall of the boat to one of the bedroom's that was located on board.

Ben turned the knob and let the door swing open as he pressed another kiss to Az's lips. Her hands were clawing at his back and he registered distantly that he might have scratches on there that he would have to explain to Joe.

Not that he cared.

Az fumbled behind her as she kicked the door, briefly hoping it was closed enough. Ben had moved down to kissing her neck and she couldn't think about anything else.

She bent her head back to allow him more access as he nipped at the column of her throat, causing her to release little moans every time that were sending Ben's head spinning.

Az yelped as Ben picked her up, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist instinctively, and he deposited her on the bed where he stared down at her as she pushed herself up to her elbows and stared back. She cocked an eyebrow at him, "What?"

"Nothing, you're just...fuck. You're beautiful."

Az's smile was bashful and she suddenly found it extremely hard to look Ben right in the eye at that moment.

Ben, sensing her shyness leaned down so he was hovering over her body and whispered, "Now's the time when you tell me I'm beautiful."

Az laughed, and remembered this was Ben. Sweet, caring Ben who she had spent all day pining over. She wasn't going to waste another moment getting caught up in her own head.

Ben went back to sucking and licking at Az's neck as one hand reached up underneath her sweatshirt and traced the outline of her breast, causing Az to arch her back.

She whined, "Ben...please."

Ben smirked against her neck, "Please, what?"

"Touch me. Please. I've wanted this all day."

"Hmm, I don't know..."

"Please, sir. I'll do anything." Az breathed out before she could stop herself.

Ben pulled back and stared with wide eyes. Her own eyes were half-lidded as she stared up at him, pupils blown out, cheeks flushed, chest heaving, hips bucking.

Ben cleared his throat, "What-uh-what did you just say?"

A look of worry washed over Az, "Uhm, sir?"

"That's what I thought." he growled.

He leaned down so his lips were right against her ear, "And since my good girl asked so nicely...I guess I'll give her what she wants."

He traced a circle that got smaller and smaller until he was tracing around her nipple as he swung his other leg around so he was straddling her and started to grind his clothed cock into her cunt. Az was only briefly embarrassed thinking about how she could cum from grinding against Ben fully clothed like some pre-pubescent 13-year old.

She babbled. "Please, sir. Yes. Oh my god. Fuck. Ben. Please, I need more."

Ben chuckled, "I've barely touched you. If this is how you're reacting now I can't wait till I tease your little cunt with my fingers, tongue and cock."

"Oh my GOD Ben, please. I need more. Please, I'm begging you."

Ben smirked as he started tweaking her nipple with deft fingers. He brought his other hand up to stroke her throat, testing the waters, "How do you feel about me touching your throat? Do you like that baby girl?"

Az whimpered and nodded as she desperately tried to grind her pussy against Ben's aching cock even more. He hadn't even registered how hard he was. He was so focused on Az and how needy she was, his own needs almost escaped him.

He gently laid a hand over her throat and squeezed the smallest amount which caused Az to throw her head back and let out a moan so loud that Ben was sure every boat in the marina would hear it.

It made his cock twitch.

"That's my good girl." he cooed as he continued to tease her nipple. Az whimpered and reached her hands up in a grabbing motion,

"What is it sweetheart? Use your words."

"Kiss me. Please."

Ben smiled and moved his hand from around her throat to cradle her cheek, "Of course sweetheart." The kiss he gave her was sweet, gentle and deep which caused Az's head to spin even more at the difference between this kiss and his filthy actions. Az wrapped her legs around his waist to bring him as close to her as possible.

Ben chuckled, "You're already so needy."

Az rolled her eyes, "Shut up." and went back in for another kiss.

Their lips moved together as Ben reached his hands down to the edge of Az's sweatshirt and gave it a little tug.

Az pulled away and ripped the sweatshirt off in record time. Ben sat up and stared down at Az's body, finally exposed to him.

"Holy shit."

Az fidgeted under his gaze, "What? Not what you thought?" bracing herself for him to tell her he had changed his mind.

"Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined you having a body as amazing as the one you have."

He leaned down to wrap his lips around her nipple as his other hand came to play with the one his mouth wasn't currently occupying. Az groaned but couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she reached a hand up to tug at his hair.

Ben switched from one nipple to the other as he glanced up at Az, "Couldn't let the other one feel left out."

"God forbid" Az breathed out as she arched her back after he gave a particularly hard nip.

He chuckled as he came up to plant another kiss on her lips, "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

Her eyes snapped open as she felt his hands travel down her body, past her breast, where he gave her nipple one more tweak, down her waist, down to the top of her thigh as he danced his fingers up her inner thigh. Teasing her as he brought his fingers close to where she most wanted him.

"Ben..."

His fingers stilled, "What did you call me?"

She whimpered, "Sir..."

"Better." His fingers danced closer to her cunt.

"Sir...please. I need you." Her hips were bucking desperately and Ben looked down at the beautiful woman underneath him and couldn't believe he had gotten so lucky.

He fiddled with the edge of her shorts, as she whined. He smirked and moved to trace the outline of her pussy through her underwear, he took in a sharp intake of air, "Fuck, baby girl. You're soaking wet for me."

Az whined, "That's what you do to me. That's all for you, sir. Please."

Ben groaned as he bent his head down to capture her lips with his as he dipped a finger into her panties and teased the lips of her pussy open.

Her thighs fell open easily as she bucked her hips to get more of his finger inside her. Ben slowly dipped one finger inside of her, when he felt how wet she was, he added a second, and then a third.

Then removed them entirely.

"Baby girl, flip over onto your stomach for me."

Az looked at him curiously but did as she was told, "Like this?" she asked as she looked back at him and bit her lip. Ben groaned and palmed himself through his pants as she looked up at him with her big eyes.

She glanced down at his bulge, "Can I suck your cock?"

Ben almost choked. "Holy fuck sweetheart. You're gonna make me cum if you keep talking like that."

Az giggled and then moaned as Ben thrust his fingers back into her, "I would love for you to suck my cock but first, I really want you to cum for me." He said as he kept thrusting his fingers in and out of her dripping core.

The angle had his fingers hitting her sweet spot right away. He kept palming himself through his jeans. He pumped his fingers slowly into Az's cunt, feeling her walls clench around his fingers, her ass moving up and down as she fucked his fingers, trying to fill herself up more. She whined when Ben ripped his fingers out of her.

"Ben..." She looked behind her and saw that his shirt was off and was making equally quick work of his jeans and boxer briefs. "Take off your pants. Now." he growled as he stepped out of his own, letting his cock spring free. Az was transfixed by it. It was huge. She licked her lips as she saw the pink tip, leaking pre-cum. She groaned as she imagined wrapping her lips around it, making Ben cum down her throat. Swallowing every single drop of his cum as he moaned.

"Baby girl?" Ben's voice broke Az out of her reprieve and she quickly reached her hands down and shimmied out of her panties and shorts and threw them into the room.

She pushed herself up to her hands and knees and stared at Ben over her shoulder, "Well?"

Ben licked his palm and stroked his cock a few times as he admired the view of Az's ass in front of him, her pussy glistening with her wetness.

He licked the fingers that had been in Az's cunt and tasted how sweet she was as he walked forward. He inserted his fingers back into her cunt making her hang her head and groan.

He pumped them in and out a few times and smacked Az's ass, "Lie down on your back."

She yelped but did as she was told. Ben looked into her eyes as she laid down, "I'm so sorry, I should have asked before I spanked you, I'm so sorry-"

Az cut him off with a kiss, "No! No. It was so hot. Sir." She added as she smirked up at him. Ben chuckled as he kissed her lips and moved to kiss down her body.

Az's breath got shallower the closer he got to her pussy. He nipped at the inside of her thighs as he just barely brushed her clit with the tip of his tongue.

Az almost levitated off the bed, "FUCK. BEN. Please!"

Ben chuckled and inserted two fingers into her cunt and started making obscene sucking noises as he sucked on her clit. Az always used to say she didn't understand why people made so much noise during sex but now? With Ben working his magic on her with his fingers and tongue? She didn't know how she could be quiet.

All too soon, she felt the familiar burning sensation in her stomach as she reached her edge, "Ben..Sir.."

He hummed against her clit which made her throw her head back and let loose a new wave of moans, "FUCK. If you do that again, I'm going to cum."

"Cum on my face then. Please." Ben said as he hummed against her clit and made a come hither motion with his fingers causing Az to completely unravel. The heat that had been building inside of her all day consumed her body as her vision went white.

Ben kept lapping until she whimpered and tried to move away, even then he kept slowly pumping his fingers in and out of her.

"Ben, please..." her voice came out as a whisper as she tugged on his hair to indict she wanted him to move up. Ben placed a final sweet kiss on her clit before slowly kissing his way back up her body.

Az let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes and let the few remaining pulses of pleasure wash over her, relishing in the attention he was bestowing upon her.

Ben paused as he took in Az's body, stretched out below him and whined in the back of his throat.

The green of Az's eyes were revealed as she smirked at the needy sounds that escaped Ben.

She quickly pushed Ben off of her and before he could protest too much she straddled him and bent her head down to nip at the line of his throat which caused him to cry out.

Az giggled, "Does that feel good sir?"

Ben's eyes were rolling into the back of his head as Az's core ground against his exposed cock, he could feel the wetness as he bucked his hips up into her, "God, yes, sweetheart, please that feels amazing, don't stop..."

Ben's voice trailed off as Az started kissing his collarbone, then his chest, then his stomach, when he finally registered what her intentions were, he moaned as his eyes fluttered closed.

Az peered up at him through her lashes and couldn't stop herself from admiring how beautiful he looked. Eyelashes resting on his cheeks, chest heaving, cheeks the color of an English rose and his eyes...were staring right at her as she placed a soft kiss onto his cock.

He whined and Az's hips bucked involuntarily at the noise. She smiled up at him and he reached a hand down to caress her cheek.

She hummed and pressed a kiss into his palm. She turned her head back to the more important, and pressing, task at hand.

She kissed Ben's thighs as he threw his head back and sighed in ecstasy.

In between kisses, Az teased "I've barely touched you and you're already this needy."

Only a sliver of blue could be seen as she looked up at Ben, "If I wasn't so desperate for you to suck my cock, I would have a much better comeback" he breathed out in between moans.

Az smirked and curled her fingers around his cock as she licked her lips in anticipation.

Ben was huge. She shouldn't have been surprised, Lop had even said he carried himself with an energy that seemed to imply he was hung, but god.

She wrapped one hand loosely around his cock and licked a wide stripe from his balls to the tip where she placed a gentle kiss on it.

The groan Ben let out had her swinging a leg around so she could grind her core into Ben's thigh as she continued licking his cock.

She finally, agonizingly slowly, wrapped her lips around the head of Ben's cock and started to bob her head up and down.

Ben reached his hands down to grasp her hair and move it out of her face.

Az spit on his cock and started working her hands up and down as she peered up at Ben, "Thanks for the hair tie."

Ben bucked his hips up into her hands as he gasped, "Not so much for you, mainly wanted to see your lips wrapped around my cock. Been thinking about that all day."

Az laughed and kept one hand pumping the length that she couldn't fit into her mouth. She looked up at Ben through her eyelashes and heard him mutter, "Fuck. Having your lips around me is even hotter than I imagined."

Az hummed and Ben screamed, "FUCK" and pulled her off of his cock, mashing his lips against hers in a frenzy, "If I don't fuck you now I'm going to hate myself forever."

Az laughed gently against his lips, "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"

Ben nipped at her bottom lip as he brought a hand up to lightly smack her ass, "Someone seems to have forgotten their place, baby girl."

Az whimpered as she felt the sting, "I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."

"Damn right," Ben said and stilled as his eyes met Az's with concern, "I don't have any condoms on me. Are there any on this boat?"

Az pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I have an IUD. It's fine. Just, please fuck me right now. Please? I'm begging you."

Ben exhaled and grabbed Az's hips with such strength that Az knew for certain there'd be bruises the next day.

Az clambered on top of him and lined up her entrance to the tip of Ben's cock, she slowly lowered down and the feel of her walls being stretched by his girth had her letting loose a string of curses that were almost drowned out by Ben's.

"Fuck, Ben, you're so big, god." Az squeezed her eyes shut as she bottomed out.

Ben squeezed her hips as he took every ounce of willpower not to buck up into her and fuck her until all she could say was his name, "Jesus, sweetheart, you feel incredible. This is so much more amazing than I ever could have imagined."

Az let out a shaky laugh as she started to roll her hips forward and back. Getting used to Ben's length, working it over. Ben couldn't take his eyes off her as Az's hips started rocking harder and harder against his cock.

He reached his hands up and grasped her breasts, rolling her nipples in between his fingers as Az threw her head back and let out a moan. Ben didn't think there was a better view in the entire world than this one.

Az reached a hand down to rub her clit as she rocked her hips back and forth and Ben's hips snapped up into her as his hands worked on her nipples. She felt her core tightening and that familiar warmth start building inside her for the second time.

She gasped, "Ben...sir...Ben..I'm so close, fuck, please don't stop, please"

Ben growled, "I don't plan on stopping any time soon, sweetheart."

Az moaned as she rubbed her clit harder and finally with a tweak of her nipples, Az felt herself coming undone around Ben's cock.

As she came out of her haze she could hear Ben babbling about how good she was, how tight she was, how he wanted to cum so badly. Az slowly leaned down and pressed a kiss to Ben's lips, causing him to pause in his actions.

She pulled back and smiled at him and he smiled at her. He gently stroked her sides, then grabbed on to her waist and flipped them over so Az's back hit the bed with a "OOF" and Ben ended up on top, hands on either side of her head.

He grinned down at her as she rubbed her hands up and down his arms, "Think you're so special huh?"

Ben's grin grew wider as he snapped his hips into her and Az broke down into moans and strained to get more of his cock inside of her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Yeah, I like to think so."

"Please. Just fuck me."

Ben breathed out a laugh, "You don't have to ask twice." And started thrusting into Az as she grasped onto his shoulders, arching her back.

Ben could feel his thrusts getting sloppy and knew he was close. He reached a hand down and rubbed Az's clit, "Baby girl, think you got one more in you? I want you to cum with me."

Az nodded as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, "Uh-huh, yes sir, please, I want to cum again so badly, please please please please..." the last please fell on deaf ears as Az reached her climax for the third time. Her walls clenched around Ben's cock, pulling the best orgasm he'd ever had in his life out of him shooting thick, hot ropes of cum into her pussy as they both moaned and held onto each other as if they were life rafts keeping each other afloat.

Ben opened his eyes as he and Az caught their breath. They looked at each other and burst into laughter as they came down from their highs.

"Wow, uh, that was-"

"Amazing?" Ben asked, shyly.

Az's eyes grew warm as she brought a hand up to caress his cheek, "Yeah. Definitely worth the wait."

"Well, sorry. I didn't want to assume you wanted this as badly as I did." Ben whispered as he gazed down at Az with a soft look in his eyes

"Hmm, yes. Because a man who looks like a Greek god and can also make me cum THREE TIMES is clearly someone I don't want anything to do with." Az joked as she pulled Ben's face down to give him a gentle kiss.

Ben rolled his eyes as Az giggled. Which turned into a whimper as he pulled his cock out of her and he chuckled when he saw her pout, "Alright love. None of that. I'll be right back."

Az sighed and stretched out on the bed. She heard water running in the bathroom and Ben emerged with a warm washcloth.

He sat on the bed next to her and gently pulled her knees apart as he cleaned her up. Az smiled her thanks as Ben returned to the bathroom to clean himself up.

He walked out and saw Az had gotten underneath the covers, as he pulled back the covers he smiled, "Is this spot taken?"

A slow grin split her her face as she shook her head and patted the spot next to her.

Ben clambered into bed beside her and when he opened his arms wide, Az snuggled right into them. She sighed contentedly as Ben placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

As they both drifted off to sleep, they both thanked the star they had wished on for making their dream come true.

High above, the star they had both wished on, seemed to shine a little brighter as it hung right above the sleeping couple.

~~~

Rich woke up the next morning with a headache, the feeling that he had fuzz all over his tongue and the need to never consumer alcohol ever again. He groaned as he sat up and saw Joe, who was snoring louder than a man that size should, was still sleeping.

Rich stretched and slowly made his way to the bathroom. As he finished up and walked back out to the living room, he peered into Az's bedroom and saw her bed was empty. He shrugged, Az usually got up early so he figured she was already out on her boat.

After making coffee and taking it out onto Az's porch, he saw her boat still in the port with no sign of activity. He cocked his head, mentally going through a list of places she could be at.

His feet were heavy as he meandered down he dock. When he got closer to the large boat, he had arrived on the other day, he saw that the door on the uppermost floor wasn't closed all the way. Grumbling about how Joe would make a terrible captain, he lumbered aboard to take care of it.

After closing the first door, Rich did a quick sweep of the other areas to make sure everything was good to go to take Joe and Ben back out on the boat today. If Joe could stomach being on a boat after drinking so much. As he reached the floor by the uppermost deck he saw the bedroom door open at the end of the floor with light coming through it.

He crept closer and peered through the crack. He saw Az and Ben, both sound asleep, Az curled up into Ben's chest, Ben's arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

Rich slapped a hand over his mouth and sprinted back to Az's apartment, pumping his fist the whole way.

He quickly dug his phone out of the recliner cushions and texted Lop a million exclamation points, peach emojis and eggplant emojis.

Almost immediately Lop texted back, "I fucking knew it."

Rich laughed as he crept back downstairs, leaving the lovers to wake up in each others arms and to thank their lucky star.

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