#hook boat anchor

[fanaticsnail]

Sweet Baby Boy

Masterlist Here

Word count: 1,200+

Synopsis: Your spouse ripped the arm off a young, enemy captain. You feel sympathy for the baby boy, and ensure to tell him as such.

Themes: Spouse!Benn Beckman x gn!reader, platonic!Eustass Kid x gn!reader, Kid has a praise kink, Kid enjoys being babied, fluff, swearing.

Notes: this is just a silly, crack one-shot based on a follow up to the "You Shot A Baby" dialogue post. It's funny, when I write for Eustass Kid, I always seem to want to write for Benn Beckman.

Tag list: @sordidmusings @since-im-already-here @feral-artistry @writingmysanity @gingernut1314 @vespidphoenix @cinnbar-bun @carrotsunshine

Shanks elevated his spyglass with his right hand, attempting to maneuver it to get the best angle to glance at the deck of the Victoria Punk from his position on the Red-Force. He elevates his right knee, balancing his elbow atop it to anchor his elbow against it.

“What did you say they were doing, again?” The redhead called to his first-mate over his shoulder, “Where were they going?”

Beckman, who remained stoic in silence as he stamped out his twelfth cigarette in the span of twenty minutes with his boot heel, huffed and exasperated breath as he sauntered over beside Shanks.

“Go on, big guy,” Shanks encouraged him with a small nudge, “What did they say, hm?”

“They said-...” Beckman bit back a snarl through his grimace, “...-that Captain Eustass Kid is a baby, and needs to be coddled and treated as such after I shot him.”

“They said, what?” Shanks' shock had him drop his spyglass, lunging forward to hastily catch the item in his hand, “Don't they know how dangerous he is? How violent and unpredictable he is? How he nearly took apart our crew with his bare hands before you blew the damn thing off-.”

“-I let 'em know,” he growled in fury, “And they simply would not listen to reason.”

A booming voice erupted from the Victoria Punk, prompting Shanks to elevate his spyglass to his face further and seek out its source. There was nothing on the seas that could have prepared him for the sight he was met with.

Dropping his hand from his face, he wordlessly handed over the metal eye-piece to his first mate with a shake of his head. Beckman snatched the object and raised it to his eye, his own shock evident on his face.

There you were, Benn Beckman's spouse and long-time lover, sitting on Eustass Kid’s topdeck throne atop his knee: cradling the large Captain’s head against your chest, with your lips curved upwards in a pout. Beckman was not an avid lip-reader, but he could just imagine the praises and soothing words you were cooing down at the violent captain.

“You've gotta be shittin’ me, Darlin’.” Beckman whispered to himself, noticing the way you were stroking Kid’s right cheek with the back of your hand, pressing your lips in gentle kisses against the sensitive, scarred flesh of his left cheek.

As if sensing a presence, you turned your head to glance down the barrel-end of the augmentative glass within the metal cylinder, promptly extending a crude gesture with your middle finger at your long-time partner.

Beckman rumbled a growl within his chest, handing back the spyglass to his captain before digging in his pocket for another cigarette.

“Still not a baby-,” he grunted, igniting the tip of his cigarettes.

-

“-Such a big, brave boy,” you cooed at the enemy captain, stroking his hair and pressing another chaste kiss against his scarred temple, “Taking on a legendary captain of incredible caliber, only to have such violence be your welcome.”

Eustass Kid was eating up every ounce of affection you were presenting to him, nuzzling into your chest and embracing you with his right arm hooked firmly around your waist.

“So, so strong. Such a beautiful, brave baby boy,” you continued to affirm into him, a small hiccup fleeing from the red-head tinkerer’s lips.

When you showed up on a dinky row boat and bound it to the hull of the Victoria Punk, he had half a mind to order Massacre Soldier Killer to cleave your left arm off. He knew you were the spouse of Shanks' first mate. ‘An eye for an eye, an arm for an arm,’ he rationalized.

What he didn't expect was for you to immediately begin treating him with the worshipful doting praises a parent would give to an injured child.

And he didn't expect to like it.

“What the fuck?” was the first thing uttered from his lips as you began cradling him against yourself with praises of his bravery and skillful hands. As he felt each small touch granted against his skin, his secondary reaction was, “Oh, what the fuck…?”

He was reveling in the warmth presented to him by your hands, the love and soothing motions you were treating him with. He had no idea how to behave himself beneath such a beautiful expression of sympathetic empathy - especially at the hands of someone he assumed was his enemy.

“He will never come near you again, sweet boy,” you whispered to him, soothing circles from the pads of your thumbs drew patterns against his shoulders, “Not mean, old, naughty, violent Benn Beckman. Not any of the Red-Hair Pirates-.”

“-Aren’t you a Red-Hair Pirate?” Killer spoke over your shoulder, prompting Kid to shoot him a look.

“Shut up, Kil. Let me have this,” he growled at his First-Mate, leaning into your arms with a broad grin, “T-Tell me again? Tell me what I am, again?”

“Oh, you poor, sweet baby boy,” you cooed down at him, witnessing as his eyes softened as he looked up at you from his position cradled into your chest, “So brave, so strong.”

“And my arm? What about my arm?” Kid prompted you, basking under the radiance of your unbridled compliments.

“Such a clever boy, too. Using your abilities to create a masterpiece of violent art, which doubles as an artificial limb,” your pouted lips depicted a soft and melodic tone while uttering your praise.

Eustass Kid hummed in thought, squeezing your hip within his right hand that was woven around your waist. He bounced you a little atop his knee, noticing the way you smiled down at him with a small shake of your head.

“You sure you want to go back to your Captain?” he arched his brow up at you, “I'm a red-head with a missing left arm. Wouldn't be that much of a stretch if I were to captain you.”

“Unfortunately, no, sweet baby boy,” you smiled, giving his cheek a gentle tap, “As much as I want to keep giving you praises and sweet gentle kisses-.” You attempted to stand from the young captain's lap, laughing as his hand grasped at your hip to hold you close.

“-I really should be getting back to my wonderful, very angry-.” you began, Eustass Kid's voice covering your own with his gruff tone.

“-Very violent, masochistic, sadistic, terrible spouse who hurt me by ripping my fuckin’ arm off,” he growled, turning his lips to mirror your prior pouted expression, “Me. Your poor, defenseless, sweet-,” he kisses your cheek in an uncharacteristic peck, “-innocent, baby boy.”

He relinquished his hold on your waist, rising with you to your feet and taking your left hand within his right. He ushered you to the small dingy, aiding you as you placed your feet into the boat. Before he allowed you the luxury of leaving the Victoria Punk, he drew you in one final time and whispered in your ear.

“Now, out of respect to you and your doting and worshipful words you offered me,” he raised his right hand, hooking your hair over your ear, “I'm going to allow you the luxury of a twenty minute head start.”

Your eyes widened, glancing at his whisky-tanned gaze which held such playful amusement. Lips opening and closing and flustered, he chuckled at your flabbergasted expression.

“Get paddling, Sunshine.”

[moondirti]

cock warming sailor price..

docking the boat when gunmetal clouds start to froth with an approaching storm, watching from a porthole as his favourite girl runs across the pier, towards him. you’ve grown familiar with the cut of his sails, the idiosyncratic barnacles crusting the hull, and have since kept sight of the horizon, waiting for it to come into view like an apparition. a phantasm of the sea, here to teach you about pleasures shunned on land.

you’re wound up, he can tell. in the cabin, his calloused hands smooth the dress off your skin to find knots beneath flesh. your spine quivers under the appraising graze of a knuckle, fingers hooking into his belt desperately. tiny, tugging. he catches your wrists until you’re naked, leading backwards into his armchair, where he sits and spreads you over his lap, either knee anchoring by a still-clothed thigh.

you already feel rashed by his presence, raw and dominated while he hardly does anything at all. fog encroaches on your consciousness, much like the fog that slowly eats away at the sea. it’s gotten choppier since you arrived, waves curling and cresting into high peaks around the keel. you find it hard to maintain your balance — but then again, you don’t need to. he keeps a steady grip on your hips, fingers bruising when you teeter a little too far.

“please.” you whine, pawing idiotically over your glistening cunt. gossamer webs of arousal link your fingers together, make it hard to do much other than rub your hand over your clit.

“shh. be a good girl f’me now, mm?” he unbuckles his belt. the pants don’t come off, rather he unsheathes his thick cock from above the waistband, wrapping around it to work it up to its full potential. if it was big before, it grows to a monstrous size, more fat that it is long, particularly around its middle which blushes in a angry shade of red. almost conditionally, you salivate. he hunts the look in your eyes, clamping a palm over your mouth as if to admonish you. “none of tha’, girl. suck.” he says, two salty fingers pushing past teeth to press over your tongue.

not to sate your oral fixation, you find, but to wet enough that it doesn’t hurt when he works them into your cunt. they’re brutish still, finding home in shelter that can’t house them, stretching you out but not enough to take his breadth without struggle.

credit to you, you certainly try. price runs the uncut tip along your vulva, smearing prespend onto the fluttering folds, and you don’t wait before planting yourself over it. the progress stops about halfway down, too tight to take him to the root. tears bead, spoiling your precious eyes.

“w-wanna– wanna take… it all!”

“i know, little one. you will. jus’ need to get used to it, mm, we have time.” he hums, thumb working over your ripe bud to ease the effort. slowly, with the rocking of the boat or else your determination, you start to sink lower, cock battering a path to your guts. “makes me happy to think you’ve kept chaste in my time away. no one amounts to me, eh?”

“no, no, no– no one! no one daddy. no one.” you pant, sweat glossing your skin. he nips at plump breasts, beard skinning you until you’re flayed all over. your nipples darken with the attention he assigns, crackling into raw centres of activity, painfully acquiescing to the bite of his teeth. he kneads your ass simultaneously, working both doughy globes apart to expose your sphincter to the cold air. it works as intended; you press closer to him for warmth, burying your face into his neck.

at the first whip of lightning, the waters guide the boat nearly sideways, and you slip onto the rest of his length like its never really left.

you both find the same satisfaction in it, groaning low and in tandem, burrowing under one another’s skin. he’s glad you’re on the same page when you don’t move and he suggests you stay that way; allowing the rough sea to piece you together, movements of the boat grinding him into you, never quite reaching the eye of the storm but revelling in the rage all the same.

you’ll find your peace eventually. for now, he’s content to wind you tighter into yourself, imprinting an indelible mark into your insides with every push of the waves.

[baurbiediv]

capsize

PAIRING ➔ jj maybank x pogue!reader

WARNINGS ➔ drowning/ near drowning experience, mention(s) of blood & death, swearing, jj telling reader he’s in love with her, pogues just being pogues

SYNOPSIS ➔ boat adventures with the friend group are never normal, but when an accident happens, all hell breaks loose and it sends the group into a frenzy.

A/N: i told you guys this would be my personality from now on & not proofread, because y’all know i can’t spell, this is a reoccurring issue

BASED OFF THE SONG capsize

-

being up at the chateau was an everyday thing. when you weren’t home, you’d be lying around the chateau.

there wasn’t anything wrong with your parents, you just preferred to be around your friends all the time. the five of you were inseparable and quite frankly, from the day they first met you, you considered them family.

boat days were always fun whether it would be an adventure or just an actual boat day.

you could never turn them down, you were already with the people you loved, so being out on the water drinking a couple beers and partying on ‘hms pogue’ was your guys thing and it was almost the only thing you guys did (besides coming to the near brink of death most of the time.)

you sat on the porch along with kie waiting for jj, pope, and john b to finish cleaning up the house after last nights fiasco.

“look pope, all i’m saying is that you should’ve just played beer pong with us, you might’ve liked it.” jj said as he walked out the door with pope, flipping his hat backwards with a shit eating grin on his face.

and you sure did love it.

“j, you were damn near butt naked dancing around the backyard with a duck floatie on your head, while threatening to rub your ass on john b.” you said as kie laughed right next to you.

“hey, y/n, loved the show so i don’t know why you’re complaining.” jj said before he tapped his finger on his tongue before putting it on the side of his ass and making a sizzle sound.

you laughed before playfully punching his arm.

you all trailed off the porch and all boarded hms pogue. “so pope, you gonna have fun today and live a little?” you said nudging his arm while wiggling your eyebrows.

pope whipped his head towards you, “y/n i always have fun so i don’t know what you’re talking about.” john b snorted and shook his head. “you haven’t done anything fun since your pants got hooked onto the railing, that was almost two weeks ago.”

you & jj both slapped your hands against your mouths before giggling like little kids. “what’s so funny?” pope questioned, this caused you two to pretend to wipe your mouths and clear your throats and sitting up properly.

“i’m sorry sir, i apologize for my immature reaction, it won’t happen again sir!” jj said as you both saluted him while laughing. this caused pope to roll his eyes and look away from you both.

kie took a seat next to pope as she sat back next to him, “here”, she said before handing him a beer. he smiled at her before accepting the beer and opening it.

meanwhile, you & jj had already beat him to it and were seeing who could shotgun faster than the other.

you had kie cheering you on while john b & pope cheered on jj. before the other three knew it, you slammed the small aluminum can on the bottom of the boat floor and threw up your arms in the air cheering. “take that jj!” you said while laughing.

for a moment jj swore he felt his heart beating a mile a minute, it was a little cliche of him to feel something like this during this moment.

he held his hands up and got on one knee, “i surrender, your highness!” he said laughing.

now you were the one who was feeling something in your heart, something like butterflies.

“get up you dork.” you said laughing.

-

john b had figured that this was the perfect time to lower the small anchor from the boat so you all could settle down and finally get the party started.

“hold on john b, i think there’s something in the water.” pope said before standing up and moving to the bow of the boat.

“very funny pope, john b just keep going.” kie said, there was a hint of worry in her voice, that went unnoticed by you, but you said nothing and decided to make nothing of it.

you stood at the back of the boat standing with your arms crossed along with jj sitting right next to you. everything was still for a moment.

but before you knew it you were sent flying backwards which caused you to fall and hit your head, in which the hit had enough force to ultimately send you flying off the boat.

everything was a mess, clothes, phones, & bags were all scattered on the boat. it took everyone a minute to recuperate and snap back into reality.

“everyone okay?” john b croaked as he held his shoulder. it didn’t take jj long to figure out that you were missing. “y/n. where’s y/n?!” he said frantically looking everywhere for you.

kie was nearly on the brink of tears before she spotted you. “jj she’s over there!” she said as she pointed to your limp body that was face down. jj wasted no time, jumping into the water and swimming over to you.

approaching you, he noticed a streak of blood, “no, no, no.” was all that he muttered to you before flipping you over on your back.

his mind was racing a mile a minute, seeing that you had a small gash in the side of your forehead. he quickly swam his way back to boat, “jj are you okay?” pope asked him frantically, “don’t worry about me! worry about y/n!” he said before john b and kie carefully pulled you back into the boat.

jj hopped back onto the boat before pope took control of the boat and turning it back around in hopes to find help quickly before making it close enough to the chateau in case things really took a turn for the worse.

he quickly made his way over to you and was panicking, to be honest he was losing his mind. he didn’t know how he could live in a world without you.

he wouldn’t admit it, but he was in love with you. he tried to make it so obvious, but you never caught onto the clues. almost everyday, he wished he could pull you to the side and tell you how badly he was in love in with you. he never knew what was holding him back.

“cmon y/n, don’t leave us now. not you.” he brought one of his hands to cup the side of your face and without thinking, he ran his thumb across your cheek.

he wasn’t gonna lose you not here and not now.

without thinking he leaned closer towards your face, hoping to hear that you were breathing. he sat back up and rolled you over onto your side.

kie was now in full on tears, she was watched her friend as the life was slipping away from her, pope had his palms resting on the top of his head, john b witnessing everything in disbelief. this wasn’t the way they wanted this day to go, not to witness their best friend dying.

before you knew it your eyes shot open and you were overwhelmed with the feeling of coughing up water. “there you go y/n. we’ve got you. i got you.” jj said as he held you closer to him.

your arms reluctantly wrapped around him as hot tears spilled from your eyes and down your cheeks. kie, john b, and pope all immediately came to over to you and jj and hugged the two of you.

-

you sat in the living room curled into jj’s side, your head resting on his shoulder. the sole thing comforting you now was the feeling of jj’s fingertips running up and down the sensitive skin of your arm. you stared into a empty space, not even beginning to find anything.

“i thought i lost you for good y/n.” jj quietly spoke up.

his words snapped you back into reality, and you looked at him. “i really did, i don’t know what i would’ve done with myself if i did lose you. you’re such an important girl that’s been part of my life. for a long time i’ve been falling in love with you y/n, i couldn’t bring myself to confess it then, but this was too much of a close call. i love you y/n.”

“i love you y/n.”

those were the only 4 words that somehow brought a ringing sensation to your ears. without thinking twice, you brought your hands up to his face and quickly pressed your lips against his. jj pulled you closer to him as if you’d slip out his grasp at any moment.

pope opened the door, he almost opened his mouth to say something but he caught a glimpse of you & jj. he smiled and silently cheered on jj for finally doing what he said he’d do one day.

pope quietly closed the door and went back to the porch with kie & john b.

you pulled away from the kiss and you looked him in his baby blue eyes. they were filled with so much love and hope.

“i love you too jj.”

he placed his lips on your forehead, you were his girl. he kept an oath to himself, he was always going to keep you save no matter the circumstances.

[dovesdreaming]

Lost in the tide

Summary: You and Harry were best friends til you took your chance at a new beginning on the isle. When reunited he finds his forgiveness in a passionate kiss.

Request

Masterlist

-

The Isle of the Lost had always been your home. It was dark, gritty, and full of danger, but you never cared about any of that, not when you had Harry Hook by your side. Harry had been your best friend for as long as you could remember. From sneaking around the Isle, plotting mischief and laughing at the chaos you caused, to watching the waves crash against the shore in rare, quiet moments, he had been your anchor in a world that didn’t offer much comfort. Being the daughter of Maleficent and sister to Mal came with its own set of challenges. Expectations weighed heavily on you, and while Mal embraced her role as a leader on the Isle, you had always felt a different pull, something that made you long for more than what the Isle could give. You and Harry had often talked about escaping, about breaking free from the chains that bound you to this place. But when the time came for one of you to leave, when Auradon came calling, you took your chance. And Harry had never forgiven you.

Now, years later, your heart pounded as you stepped off the boat, the familiar sights and smells of the Isle hitting you all at once. The air was thick with the scent of salt and grime, the streets bustling with the same chaos you had left behind. It was as if time hadn’t moved at all. Yet, everything had changed. Especially you. You were back on the Isle for one reason: to save Ben from Uma and her crew. But despite the mission’s urgency, your mind was consumed with only one thought, Harry. The boy who had once been your best friend, the one who had stood by your side through it all. The boy you left behind. The one whose anger still haunted you. “You alright?” Mal asked from beside you, sensing your unease. “Yeah, I’m fine” you lied, giving her a quick nod. “Let’s get this over with”. But as your group made its way toward the docks where Ben was being held, your heart raced faster with each step. And then, as if summoned by your thoughts, there he was.

Harry Hook stood near the edge of the dock, leaning casually against a post, his ever-present hook twirling in his hand. His eyes, sharp and glinting like shards of ice, were locked on you the moment you came into view. He hadn’t moved, but the intensity in his gaze was enough to make your heart skip a beat. The years apart had changed him, he was taller, broader, his features sharper and his demeanor even more dangerous but those familiar blue eyes, filled with a mix of anger and something else, were the same. And just like that, it felt like no time had passed at all.

“Well, well” Harry drawled, pushing off from where he’d been standing and taking a step toward you. His lips curled into a smirk, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Look who decided to grace us with her presence. The prodigal daughter returns”. You swallowed, trying to keep your composure. “Harry...” “Don’t” he snapped, his voice cold as he cut you off. “Ye don’t get to say my name like that anymore. Not after ye left”. His words hit harder than you expected, a sharp pang in your chest. You’d known he would be angry, but hearing it, feeling the bitterness in his voice, was worse than you imagined. “I didn’t have a choice” you said softly, meeting his gaze.

Harry’s eyes darkened, and he took another step closer, the space between you shrinking. “There’s always a choice, lass. Ye just didn’t choose me”. The hurt in his voice was undeniable, and you flinched at the rawness of it. He’d always been so strong, so confident, but now, standing in front of you, there was vulnerability there, a crack in the armor. You glanced down, your fingers curling into fists at your sides. “I didn’t want to leave you, Harry. But Auradon… it was an opportunity, a chance for something different. You know that”. “Auradon” Harry spat, his voice filled with venom as he stepped even closer. He was right in front of you now, his breath hot against your skin as he stared down at you with an intensity that made your knees weak. “Ye got your perfect life, didn’t ye? While I was stuck here, rotting on this godforsaken Isle”.

“I didn’t have a choice” you repeated, your voice cracking. “I had to go, Harry. You don’t know how hard it was-“ “Ye left me” he interrupted again, this time his voice softer but no less fierce. His hand came up, the metal of his hook gleaming in the dim light as he pointed it at you. “Ye left me here alone”. You bit your lip, your heart aching at the pain in his voice. You wanted to reach out to him, to touch him, to tell him everything you had never been able to say. “I never wanted to leave you behind” you whispered, your voice trembling. “You were all I thought about”. Something flickered in his eyes at that. Surprise, maybe, or disbelief, but he didn’t move, his body still rigid with anger. For a long, agonizing moment, neither of you spoke, the silence heavy with everything that had been left unsaid over the years. “I didn’t hate ye, ye know” Harry finally said, his voice rough with emotion. His eyes softened slightly as he studied your face, and he let out a harsh breath. “I thought I did, but..I was just jealous. Jealous ye got out. That ye left me”.

You reached out tentatively, your hand brushing lightly against his chest. “I never stopped thinking about you, Harry. Never”. His breath hitched at your touch, his body tensing beneath your fingers. His free hand, the one not gripping his hook, came up to catch your wrist, holding it in place as his eyes bore into yours. “Do ye mean that?” he asked, his voice low and raw. You nodded, your heart pounding in your chest. “I mean it”.

For a moment, neither of you moved. You could feel the warmth of his hand on your skin, the way his chest rose and fell with each shaky breath. And then, with a growl of frustration, Harry closed the distance between you, crashing his lips against yours in a kiss that was as desperate as it was fierce. You gasped into the kiss, your hands flying up to tangle in his hair as you kissed him back just as eagerly. Years of pent-up emotion and unresolved tension poured into that kiss, the heat between you building with every second. Harry’s arms wrapped tightly around you, pulling you flush against his body, and you could feel the rapid thrum of his heartbeat as his lips moved against yours, hungry and demanding.

He backed you up against one of the wooden posts of the dock, pressing his body into yours as his lips trailed down the side of your neck, nipping at your skin with a wicked grin. “Ye don’t get to leave again” he murmured against your throat, his breath hot and teasing. “Not without me”. You shivered, your fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as you tugged him closer. “I’m not going anywhere”. “Good” he growled, his lips finding yours again in a searing kiss that left you breathless. His hook brushed lightly against your side, the cold metal sending a thrill through you as he tilted your chin up with his free hand. “Because I’ve spent too long thinkin’ about this, about ye”.

Your pulse raced as his lips hovered just above yours, his voice dropping to a low, seductive whisper. “And now that I’ve got ye… I’m not lettin’ go”. The mission to save Ben could wait, just for a little longer. For now, all that mattered was the heat of Harry’s touch and the way he made you feel like you had finally come home. And this time, you weren’t going to let him go.

-

Thank you for reading!

[captain-price-unofficially]

An RAAF Short Sunderland anchored at Rose Bay, Sydney Harbour, Australia, circa 1944. A mooring compartment nestled in the nose of the Sunderland housed essential gear such as anchors, winches, boat-hooks, and ladders.

[skellseerwriting]

Pirates and Prejudice (and Dragons)

James Hook x GN! Dragon Rider!Reader Part 4

Part 1

Reader is disabled (prosthetic foot) and I am not disabled, so if anyone who’s reading this is please let me know if anything is written weirdly or wrongly

Word Count: 2,970

Warnings: mentions of different prosthetics, mention of scars, reader is momentarily self deprecating about their face, Hook (consensually) takes off reader’s prosthetic, brief panic from others, romantic tension

Summary: Hook gives reader a look into his life as a pirate

What do you mean you’re ‘going to take me on an adventure?!’”

Hook let out a free laugh as you approached him at the gate. His eyes glittered something mischievous.

“That’s something you’ll have wait for.” He teased.

You made a fake annoyed face, hoping to have gotten some answers after mulling over all day what he could have possibly meant. He lifted his head in laughter again, eyes closed and elbows up with the back of his hand to his face; an open gesture of being comfortable with you. How could he be so annoying, yet so endearing?

“Well,” He wiped a tear from his eye, gesturing to the path in front of the both of you. “Care to find out?”

You didn’t know whether to be surprised or not at “finding out” that the adventure was at Auradon’s main harbor.

Merlin’s Academy was built extremely close, thank goodness, otherwise you would have never made the trek. The whole time, Hook pulled you along by your hand, barely allowing you to keep up with him. He seemed way too excited to take you on this “adventure”, so you couldn’t help but let his eagerness infect you. It wasn’t until you actually tripped that he slowed down enough for you to pace along next to him.

He didn’t let go of your hand, however.

You tried not to think on that too much.

Arriving at the edge of the busy town, you stood on higher hills and took in the sight.

Yellow houses with blue-tiled roofs were irregularly placed in the area, slowly descending into the the docks that spread along the coast, the widest part of it all. Birds that you presumed to be seagulls called out in the skies, accompanied by the dings of bells far away. A distance farther in the water that sparkled in the sun sat a decent-sized island. It all smelled like fish, you realized with a smile. It smelled like home.

When you deal with giant lizards with even larger appetites, it can be hard hunting enough meat. Due to the land’s lakes, fish was an easier sustenance to obtain. The whole place didn’t smell like this, but the dragon pens and the area during mealtimes certainly did.

Making your way through the bustling town, you dodged and weaved through people trying to make their way somewhere. At one point your hands got pulled apart, so with a giggled “no!” you both instantly tried to reattach them.

The stench of fish got even stronger once you arrived at the docks. Some of it looked brand new, while the particular boards you stood on creaked and groaned.

Placing his hands hands on your shoulders from behind, he finally gave you a splinter of an answer.

“My ship is here today.” He had a boat?

“Which one is it?” You asked, turning your head to look at him behind you. He made a funny look.

“Guess.”

Bringing your hand to your chin in thought, you browsed the large array of boats. Some were new, some were old, some small and some ginormous. You pointed at a tiny dingy.

“Is it that one?”

Shaking his head, he exasperatedly went “Do you really think I’d be caught dead in that? Try again.”

Deciding to continue messing with him, you brought your finger to one covered head to toe in mildew, seaweed, and rot. It looked like it had been anchored there longer than you’d been alive.

Getting a bit fed up, Hook reached his arm over yours to grab you hand and swivel it somewhere else. It landed in front of what could only be described as a very grand, very beautiful ship.

The sides of it gleamed of a dark, rich wood, with rails at the top highlighted in red; Mahogany? Windows near the back sported inlaid, diamond-shaped glass of a spectrum of colors that dazzled, leaving you to wonder how it looked inside when the light shined through. Multiple mast poles held up cream sails that flowed slowly in the wind, promising freedom. To top everything off was a small, dark flag with what appeared to be a skull on it, set high in the sky.

You were in awe.

Hook sucked in a worried breath through his teeth.

“Well, what do you think?”

You turned to look at him, struggling to even think of what to say about the absolute piece of art you had just witnessed.

“It’s beautiful.” You managed to get out.

“Really?” He beamed.

“Yeah!” You nodded.

“Well all right then. Let’s go meet the crew!”

“‘The crew’?”

After he led you to the massive boat, your confusion was quickly dispersed. Once he helped you climb up the rope ladder (you were well experienced with ropes, you told him, so it was no struggle), cheers instantly erupted on the deck. It was packed with men of all ages; some as young as you, to some old enough to be your grandfather. All appeared to have a variety of backgrounds; no two men looked alike. The one thing tying them all together was their shared lifestyle as pirates. They swarmed Hook, clapping him on the back and barking out all sorts of questions of well-being.

“What new treasure have you’ve gotten in my absence lads?” He asked them, before being bombarded with various tales of chases and running from authorities. As they all essentially shouted over each other for his attention, you could just see in his eyes how happy he was to be with them.

It was kind of shocking, if you were being honest. How did a boy like that come to relationships like these?

Once things died down a tad -Hook’s grin still splitting his face, along with those little crow’s feet- he gestured towards you.

“Men! This is my classmate and friend! Make sure you’re kind and welcoming!”

Right after that, many of them started to surround you. You began to feel a little overwhelmed, only more so by the fact that Hook had called you his friend. Looking at these men who started prodding you with questions, you noticed a similarity.

The balding one in front of you wore a black eyepatch on his left. The young one next to you had a simple, small hook on his right hand. Behind him, another man stood on a wooden peg-leg. And to your delight, one with beautiful features proudly wore nicks and scars all over his face and arms.

These people, you realized. These people are like me. James doesn’t pity me, he understands me.

Before even attempting to answer anything they had asked, Hook pulled you away with a “that’s enough questions” and brought you to a barrel to sit on. Next to him stood a jolly-looking man with white hair covered by a red bandana.

“This is Mr. Smee.” He explained. “Smee is my first mate.”

You looked at the middle-aged man before looking back to the young man in front of you.

“…You’re the captain?”

Hook nodded.

“But how? You’re one of the youngest people here?”

He must have found something about your confusion amusing, because he let the expression on his face show without restraint. Then, it faded into something more solemn.

“Smee used to be first mate to my father; former captain of the Jolly Roger.” He said slowly. “Then I took on the title a couple years ago when…” he trailed off.

Oh.

You reached for his arm.

“James, I’m sorry for your loss.”

His glum countenance immediately turned into one of amusement, eyebrows high and lips pursed.

“Oh, he’s not dead. He’s retired, in Fiji.”

You gawked a little. “Oh.”

“I inherited the title from him, but the crew’s been without me this past year while I’ve attended Merlin Academy. Smee here’s been keeping them in check for me.

“Oh! Before I forget…” Hook’s eyes lit up before bringing his attention to one of the many containers that were strewn about the place. He pried open a crate lid with his hook before lifting something out of it in his other hand. After approaching you closely and sitting in front of your feet, he held out a wooden peg leg.

“May I?” Was all he said, and you noticed his eyes held that secret feeling you were coming closer and closer to putting a name on.

“Yes. Please.”

Leaning forward, Hook began a slow, yet warm and soothing process. He cuffed your pant leg up enough to uncover the base of your prosthetic, followed by touching the piece with his hands. He froze, looking into your eyes with a silent question. After you nodded, he proceeded again, gently undoing the straps and slowly taking it off before handing your foot -with the shoe still on- to Smee.

You felt slightly uneasy having a piece of yourself with someone you didn’t know, but since Hook trusted him so much, you decided to do so as well. After that, Hook was very swift with the rest of the job, finishing it moments later.

“Now you’re a real pirate.” He stood up, offering his hand out to you.

“I like the sound of that.” You responded, taking his offer and getting up off of the barrel.

The second you put weight on your left foot, your footing gave out and you tripped right into Hook. He instantly caught you, arms wrapped around you securely, promising safety.

“Easy there.” He cooed. “Can’t have you ruining that pretty face of yours.”

You blinked at him, trying to will the blood not to rush to your face at his compliment. “But my face is already ruined.”

Gingerly, he brought a thumb to your cheek, rubbing it against a rather thick scar.

“No,” he hummed, his eyes anywhere but yours. “The lines that adorn your face are a beautiful map, telling me of your journey in life and who you are as a person. Except I don’t need to follow it to find a buried treasure.”

Pulling away from him a bit -and totally not out of embarrassment- you said you wanted to get some walking practice in. With an “of course”, Hook took your hand once again and led you around the deck; providing little tips and tricks on how to handle the narrow point of the wooden leg. It was even harder with the slight rocking of the boat, but to your delight, you got the hang of it right away. And hey, if you stumbled a few more times, needing Hook to grab you by the waist to hold you steady, who’s to say it was intentional?

For a little while you both hung out on the deck, spending time with the other men there and listening to new and interesting stories they had to tell; real adventures. You were positive that everything Hook had done with you today was nowhere half as interesting as the things he had probably done, but you considered it an adventure nonetheless since it was something exciting you had never experienced before.

Everything was lively and jolly as the wind carried up your spirits and your hair, gifting you the scent of salt. While continuing to hear with eager interest to the impossibly outlandish tales the oldest men had to offer about their travels, Hook eventually nudged you and motioned with his head towards the set of doors beneath the higher deck.

Following him, he led you to a room filled with wonders and things of otherworldly beauty. Silk cloth strung from the ceiling, many with little beads that could cling against each other. The walls were covered with extravagant paintings and mounted heads of mythical creatures. Filling up the room were different kinds of furniture that had gems, jewelry, and apparel sitting on or hanging from every visible inch. Near the back wall sat a garnished heavy desk in front of what you recognized to be one of those beautiful colored windows. The sun had neared dusk and sent the perfect warm rays through it, setting many things in the office alight and glittering like a dragon’s den. Tiny pieces of rainbow blipped around the room, coming from the dangling necklaces that moved to the sway of the boat.

“This is beautiful, James.” You told him for the second time that day, carefully reaching out and touching a necklace chain made out of what you could only presume to be gold. “I don’t see how you could ever leave this room. All the artwork in the world couldn’t compare. It must have taken a lifetime to acquire it all.”

“You’re right, it is hard to leave.” He told you, grabbing something near him out of the corner of your eye. Then, he grinned, adding “But then I’d never get to feel the ocean breeze on my face or the sun on my skin. The rush of adrenaline as I make yet another daring escape. That’s what I live for. Freedom.“

“That’s what I live for too.” You said absentmindedly as you meandered and ran your fingers through various goods. “That’s why I fly.”

“We’re the same in that way. Although, most of this was acquired by my father. But steadily, I’m making it my own.” He moved in front of you and revealed the item he snatched. It was a necklace with a leather string; not nearly as dazzling as everything else in the glittery and shimmery room. At the end, however, laid a single, dark pearl encased in twisted silver wire.

“This was my first addition.” He began, forehead nearly touching yours as you both looked down at it. “I was eight. Nearly drowned getting that oyster.”

You moved your palm under his so you could feel the pearl with your thumb. Your breaths started to mix together.

“It must be really special to you.”

“It is.” He said honestly, then slowly tilts his hand so the necklace landed in your palm. “Which is why I want you to have it.”

You quickly scanned his eyes but found no hints of guilt or regret. You wanted to refuse, but you knew he would never take no for an answer. Instead, you let yourself feel honored at such a gift.

“Thank you.”

You wanted to return the favor, but you didn’t have anything to give him. On the other hand… your brain thought dangerously, and before you could take a second to question the idea, you leaned forward to reward him with a tender kiss on the cheek. His skin felt so soft, and it smelt like the ocean.

Hook gasped.

He gripped your arm tightly, and before you could wonder if it was for a good or bad reason, he tilted his head towards you; aiming for your lips.

A loud thud, along with what sounded like wood splintering, occurred above you. Shouting arrived after it. Hook pulled away, and with a look of annoyance and fear, ran out of the room to figure out what it was. You followed right after, trying to ignore the flustered feelings welling up in your stomach.

As soon as you reached the deck, it was instantly clear what had caused those sounds. The wood splintering came from several crates that seemed (thankfully) empty, and what so happened to make those sounds was a giant, winged lizard.

“Beastie!” You cried, launching yourself towards her. She was snarling and growling at the pirates around her pointing weapons at her, who were terrified out of their wits at seeing a dragon for the first time.

She near instantly calmed down upon feeling your hands on her snout and neck. Mouth closed and heckles lowered, she made a deep purring sound.

“It’s okay,” you told her reassuringly. “It’s okay.” Then, you turned around to the others. “It’s okay,” you declared loudly. “Beastie’s my dragon. She must’ve tracked me here, and likely thought I was in danger. Please put down your weapons; I promise she won’t harm you!”

This seemed to put the mean at ease a bit, but they mostly only lowered their weapons.

“Do it!” Hook shouted, although not unkindly. “Or are you going to question a trained dragon rider?”

Hearing the command straight from their captain seemed to put them into motion, as they followed suit right after that.

“Is this her?” Hook asked, slowly approaching with his arms up. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful creature.” He added in awe.

Beastie prickled a bit, but with Hook’s behavior and compliment, she allowed him to come closer. You took his wrist and placed it against the warm scales.

“Wow.” He breathed.

“Yeah.” You said. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

He nodded absentmindedly. You sucked in a breath, still reeling internally over what had just happened -or didn’t happen- in Hook’s office.

“I have to head back now, James.” He looked at you with sorrowful eyes. “It’s getting late.”

“Right.” He said sadly, glancing down at the floor.

He had Smee bring your foot over as you hopped on Beastie. While your brain screamed at you all the reasons you should stay, he took off the (your?) peg leg and replaced it with its true counterpart. He looked at you like he was about to beg you to not go, to beg you to be with him just a little bit longer. But you knew it was getting late, and he knew that too.

Bringing the pearl necklace quickly over your head to rest at your collar bone, you gave Hook one last look of that secret feeling before flying back to Merlin’s Academy; way too far from the boy you fell in love with.

James hook was like you in too many ways to be healthy. So, you decided then and there that you were going to give him a taste of your freedom.

Part 5

Taglist

@lesbpotmurdocklokistan

[mama2bears]

No Christmas Vacation Part 2 (Final)

Warning: suggestive, talk of sex, injury, 18+ only

A/N: So sorry for such a long time between updates. I had major writer's block on this one. I wrote and rewrote a few different ideas trying to find one that I could write the best.

Catch up with Part 1

Part 2

You stood next to Tyler as the boat sped across the water, a light mist spraying up. He had one hand on the wheel and another wrapped around your waist as he looked over at you laughing, “Isn't this great, Darling.”

“It is.” you stand up on your tiptoes brushing your lips against his.

“This looks like a good spot.” he flashed you his world famous grin as the boat slowed. The sun was just starting to set over the lake. Clouds were rolling in, but the lake was still calm with only a cool breeze blowing.

Tyler hopped up to the bow of the boat and dropped the anchor down before slowly making his way back to you, his eyes never leaving you and a devilish grin that he just couldn't hold back.

“What is that look for?” you asked, a small smile tugging at your lips.

“You're so beautiful.” he whispered, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you to his chest, “And I love you, Y/N...with all my heart. You are my life. You're my everything. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you.”

“I know.” you whispered, leaning your head against his chest, before looking up at him, locking your eyes with his, “I couldn't imagine my life without you.” you whisper. “I have never felt so loved and protected. I just...I don't know....I feel like we were meant to be or were lovers in another lifetime or something.”

“Maybe we were, Darling.” he kissed your neck softly. “You are all I'll ever need...all I'll ever want. You are my shelter in the storm.” and with that Tyler dropped to one knee and was holding a box with a ring up to you. The golden band held a single diamond that seemed to sparkle in the light of the setting sun. “Y/N...all I want for Christmas...and all I want for the rest of my life is for you to be by my side. I love you with everything I have. Will you marry me?”

Tears filled your eyes and Tyler's heart beat faster. Were those tears of joy?

“Yes Tyler...Yes I will marry you.” You smiled and left out a scream of delight when he stood and lifted you in the air, twirling you around.

“I love you.” he whispered, slipping the ring on your figure and capturing your lips in a deep passionate kiss.

“Shall we have a glass of wine to celebrate?” you offer, picking up the two wine glasses.

“Of course.” Tyler smiled softly at you, opening the cork on the wine and pouring some in each glass. He sat the wine bottle down and raised his glass to a toast, “To the first day of the rest of our lives together.” he leaned over and kissed you softly as you clicked the glasses together.

You leaned against Tyler's chest as he draped one arm around you, sipping wine and almost being lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the boat.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, causing both of you to sit up and take notice of the approaching weather. Dark clouds were building back towards the cabin, despite the last rays of sunlight still sinking down over the horizon to the front of you.

“We better head back.” you reluctantly stood up.

Tyler reached for his phone with a concerned look on his face. He didn't like the looks of the clouds or the sudden drop he felt in the pressure.

“We gotta go...but not to the cabin.” he stood quickly, dropping the phone.

“What's wrong?” you ask.

“Looks like a super cell...from the hook I am seeing there could be a tornado on the ground or soon to be on the ground near the cabin. We can't go back there right now. Get the life jackets and put one on, just in case.” he instructed, as he hurried to pull up the anchor.

You scramble to grab the life jackets from one of the seat storage areas, but after searching all the seating areas, you only found one. “Aren't there suppose to be life jackets for everyone? I'm just seeing one life jacket and the four blankets we brought.” you begin to panic. “How many are there suppose to be on here?”

“I don't know. I should have checked before we went out. I assumed they had several.” Tyler looked at you, “Put that on.”

“What about you?”

“Y/N...just do it. I'll be okay. I am not leaving your side anyhow.” his voice was stern.

You slipped the jacket on and held on, knowing it was pointless to argue right now.

“Look for a little cove or cave or a house...anything that we can shelter in.” he called.

Scanning the lake, you wiped the tears away that started falling. Why did it seem that if you and Tyler weren't chasing a storm, then the storm was chasing you.

“It'll be okay.” Tyler's heart broke at the tears he saw streaming down your face. He pulled you close to him and kissed the top of your head, “We've got this, it's going to be okay.” he promised. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” you whisper, hugging him. “Hey...there. It looks like a little cave or something.” you point to a little cove to the right that looked like it might open up to a cave.

Tyler turned the boat and ran it as close to shore as possible, jumping up to the bow he tossed down the anchor.

“Come on.” he took your hand and led you to the rear of the boat. “Stay here, let me get in and see how deep it is.” with that he jumped from the back, landing in about waist deep water.

“Take your shoes off, roll up your pants and come here. I am going to carry you to shore then I'll come back for the blankets.”

“I am perfectly fine to walk.” you protest.

“Listen to me, Darling. It's going to get cold tonight. It's suppose to snow. We will freeze to death out here if both of us have soaking wet clothes on. ONE of us has to get to wet, but we both don't. Now come here.”

“This is ridiculous.” you mutter, holding your shoes in one hand and pulling your pants up to the knees. You make your way to the the back of the boat and Tyler scoops you up in his arms, holding you as high above the water as possible, only your feet dipped into the cold water. Carefully he sets you down once you reach shore and takes your hand, leading you towards the cave.

“Think there's animals in there?” you asked concerned.

“Let's hope not.” Tyler enters first peering into the darkness. “HEY!” he yells and listens...not hearing any movement. “I can't see any father back.” he says, looking at the ground, “But I am not seeing tracks or any signs of an animal being here. Just wait right here for me. I am going to go get the blankets, then we'll go in.”

You nod, watching him hurry back into the freezing water. Suddenly he yelps out in pain and falls into the water, his head disappearing under the surface for a moment.

“TYLER!” you take off towards the water.

“I am okay...I am okay.” he calls, stumbling to his feet. “Stay by the cave. This storm is moving in quick!” he yells, masking the sharp pain that was running up his leg. He made his way as quickly as he could to the boat, hoisting himself up and grabbing the blankets and his cell phone.

You watched him carefully, concern etched on your face, seeing him favoring his right leg, seeing how he stumbled though the water, and was now limping back to you. Thunder cracked overhead and the rain began to pour down.

“You okay?” you ask, wrapping your arms around him.

“Yeah, fine.” he offered you a smile and wrapped his arm around your shoulder, “Let's move back into the cave a little more away from the wind and the rain.” He checked the phone for signal, not expecting to find any, but thankful the flashlight worked. Using the flashlight on his phone, Tyler shined a light around the small cave opening. It wasn't a very deep cave, but there also wasn't any animals. “This should give us enough shelter from the storm.” he said as the winds suddenly roared outside.

“Get down!” Tyler screamed, hearing the all too familiar freight train sound. He pushed you to the ground, and covered your body with is, using one hand to cover your head and the other to wrap around you. He was thankful you still had the life jacket on, hoping it would offer you more protection from any flying debris.

You felt small rocks and dirt rain down then a sudden rumble. Tyler tightened his grip on you and pressed his body closer to yours, trying to shield you from the falling rocks. Total blackness took over the cave as rocks fell in front of the opening, blocking it off.

Larger rocks started falling around you and you felt one of them land directly on your ankle and you let out a scream as pain shot though your leg. “You okay? What happened?” Tyler asked, his voice full of worry. You started to answer when something slammed into your head. You thought you heard Tyler yelp out in pain just before you passed out.

The large rock had smashed into Tyler's hand and he was sure it was broken, but right now he didn't care. “Y/N? Darling answer me!” he yelled, feeling you go limp under him. He was cursing himself for not doing a better job at shielding you. He should have had your head covered more. “Baby please I need you.” tears were streaming down his face. It was pitch dark in there, he couldn't tell what was wrong or how badly you were hurt.

As quickly as it started, it stopped. The roaring winds were gone, the rocks had stopped falling. All Tyler heard now was the distant rumble of thunder. Quickly he rolled off of you and checked for a pulse and breathing, sighing in relief finding a steady heartbeat and normal breathing. Running his hand across your face and down your body, he tried to determine where the injuries were. “Hang on baby.” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on your lips. “We're going to be okay. I promise.”

The cold damp air of the cave chilled him to the bone, and he knew with the falling temperatures and with snow in the forecast for tonight, it was only going to get worse. He quickly removed his wet clothes and then carefully worked to remove the life jacket and then got you undressed, using the life jacket as a pillow.

“Y/N, darling, wake up. Please.” he pleaded, gently brushing the hair out of your face. “I am going to find the blankets, then I'll be right back.”

It only took a moment to find the blankets a few feet away. Tyler didn't waste time looking for the cell phone. Right now, it was more important that he get you covered up and that you both stay as warm as possible. Tucking one blanket under you, he laid against you and wrapped the other three blankets around the both of you, then held you tightly against his chest, his chin resting on top of your head. “I love you baby. Please be okay. I need you.” he whispered, tears coming to his eyes.

Tyler drifted off to sleep, only be be awoken by the unmistakable howl of a wolf, right outside of the cave entrance.

“Ty?” you muttered.

“Y/N? I am right here, sweetheart.” he held you closer, brushing his hand against your cheek. “Where are you hurt?” he asked, his voice cracking, “I am sorry, I tried to shield you. I should have had your head covered more.”

“I am okay.” you assured him, “My head and ankle are hurting, but it's okay. I am okay.” you repeated, wrapping your arms around him. “Because of you...I am okay.” you kissed him softly...”But why are we naked?” you asked.

“Body heat. It's best for body to body heat to prevent hypothermia.” he explained.

Another howl filled the cave and you shivered in fear.

“I don't think they can get in.” Tyler said, “but let's move back against the cave wall. With our backs against the wall we could fend off any attack from the front.”

You nod, but the cave was so dark, you knew that neither of you could see the wolves if they got into the cave. There could be a pack right next to you now and you wouldn't know it. That thought, of something stalking you in the darkness filled you with fear. Tyler felt you trembling next to him and pulled you closer to him. “It's going to be okay.” he whispered.

You both stumbled across the cave floor. Tyler with his hurt leg and you with what you thought was a broken ankle made quite a pair, you were certain.

Once you reach the wall, Tyler lays a blanket across the ground. “You lay on the that, press your back against the wall..” he instructed.

“You okay?” you asked, “I noticed the limp in your step.”

“It's fine. My leg is just a little sore from where I fell in the lake.” Tyler brushed it off and positioned himself in front of you, pressing you between him and the cave wall then wrapped the blankets back around the both of you again. You wrapped your arms around his waist and rested your head against his back as he faced outward, ready to defend you against any danger that might enter the cave.

“I love you.” he whispered, wrapping his arms around yours and moving his body as close to yours as possible.

“I love you too.” you kiss the back of his neck softly and snuggle into him.

Within a few moments, you fell asleep.

* * * *

“Hello? Hello? Anyone in there?” You and Tyler both were startled awake by voices calling.

“Yes. In here. We're trapped.” you call.

“Hang on, we're working to get to you. How many? Anyone injured?”

“Two. My fiancee has a bad cut on his leg. I think I might have a broken ankle.”

Tyler turned to you, “you're ankle in broken? Y/N, why didn't you tell me when I asked you?”

“I didn't want to worry you. It's no big deal, really.” you say.

“She was knocked unconscious last night by a rock slide. She might also have a head injury.” Tyler informed them.

You could hear workers on the outside moving rocks away, “We're almost to you. Get back, as far against the cave wall as possible, just in case these rocks start falling when we move them.”

Tyler presses his body against yours as the rocks are pushed away and crumble to the ground, making a small opening on the top.

Lights fill the cave as a man climbs in, “Ready to get out of here?” he asks with a smile.

“Sure are.” Tyler stands and helps you to your feet, making sure the blanket stays wrapped around you. He scoops you up in his arms, buckling a little as the pain shot up his leg. His hand sent waves of pain though his arm so he supported you with his arm instead.

“Ty, put me down. I can walk.” you protested.

“I got ya. I don't want you hurting your ankle worse.” he held you close to his chest and then handled you up to the rescue workers. Tyler tried to climb the uneven rocks, once you were out, but he couldn't get a good footing with his hurt leg and broken hand.

The bright sunlight hurt your eyes at first. Finally as your eyes adjusted, you took in the scene around you. The boat you were on was crushed and pushed ashore, trees were down everywhere, and about six inches of snow was on the ground. You shivered against the cold and rescue workers were there, wrapping a warm blanket around you, offering you hot chocolate and bringing a stretcher over for you to lay on.

“Tyler?” you stood and waited for him to come out of the same area as you did. “What's taking so long?” you ask, fear building.

“The rocks are unsteady. He's having trouble climbing up. His leg is weak and I think his hand is broken, so he's not able to get a good grip. We're putting down a rope for him to tie himself onto, but we gotta move slow as to not cause the rocks to collapse and bury him.” A rescue worker explained to you.

“TYLER!” you yell, trying to make your way back up the rock slide.

“Y/N, It's okay. I am going to be okay. It's just going to take a minute.” he called. “I love you. Go on with them. Go to the hospital. I'll be there soon.”

“I am not leaving without him.” you glared at the rescue worker who tried to help you back to the stretcher.

“At least have a seat so your bare feet aren't in the snow.” he tried to reason. “We'll let you stay here until we get him out.”

You nod, sitting down on the stretcher and covering your feet with the warm blanket.

“Can't you give Tyler a warm blanket too and some coco to help keep him warm?” you ask.

“We're going to have him out in just a moment.” the rescuer said and walked away.

Suddenly, there was a rumble and the rescuers were yelling. “Sir, can you hear me?” they were calling down into the hole that they pulled you out of.

You stand up and hobble over to the entrance to the cave, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around you and still holding the hot coco mug. “What happened?” you ask.

“Part of the wall inside collapsed.” one of them tell you.

“Tyler? You okay?” you call, your heart racing when you didn't receive a response. You scramble up the rocks ignoring the pain in your ankle.

“Miss, you can't be up here. The whole thing can collapse.” a rescuer tried to push you away but you shoved against him. “I am going back in there to help him.” you seethed, “Get out of my way!”

“Ty?” you call into the hole, still not getting a response. You slide down yelping out in pain as you land hard on your ankle.

You instantly spot him, face down in the dirt, partly covered by the rocks and dirt. “Tyler..” you rush to his side, brushing the dirt away from his face and cradling his head in your lap. He takes a deep breath and starts coughing. “Y/N?” he forces his eyes open and looks at you in confusion. “What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice weak and raspy.

“Are you two okay?” one of the rescuers yelled.

“I came back for you. They said there was a rock slide.” you felt the tears rolling down you cheeks. “If I didn't....you would...Ty, you were buried under the dirt..I..” you broke down in sobs, realizing just how close you came to losing him.

“It's okay. I am okay.” he slowly sits up and wraps his strong arms around you, holding you close. “I wish you didn't come back in. You were safe.” he muttered.

“If I didn't come back in you would have died, Tyler. You were going to suffocated in that dirt before they ever got to you.” you cried. “How could you say you wish I didn't come back in. Do you know what it would do to me if I lost you?”

“I am sorry, Darling. You saved my life and I am so thankful and grateful for that, but I don't ever want you putting yourself in danger for me. It would kill me if something happened to you, especially if you got hurt on my account.” he kissed you gently and you saw the tears in his own eyes. “I love you, Y/N. With all of my heart. Please though, please don't risk your life for me.”

“Hello? Is everyone okay?” The rescuer yelled again.

“Just figure out how to get us out of here!” you snap at the rescuer, then turned back to Tyler. “I wasn't leavening you alone in here and hurt.” tears rolled down you cheeks, “When they couldn't get an answer from you...no one was going to keep me out of here. You are always putting yourself in danger for me. I will always do the same for you.”

Tyler hugged you close to him, tears in his own eyes. “I love having you next to me, but I wish you had stayed where it was safe.”

“But then, you wouldn't be here now.” you whispered, resting your head against his chest, “and that in itself would have killed me.”

He held you tightly to his chest, thanking the God above that you two were together, and safe. “How much longer up there?” he called to the rescuers.

“We're going to be digging this whole slide out. Move as far back as possible and stay there. It's going to be a lot of noise and falling rocks.” the rescuer yelled.

Tyler stood and helped you to your feet and you both hobbled best you could to the far wall. He covered your body with his and pressed you against the wall as the wall blocking the entrance crumbled.

After several moments, the rescuers were running to you, having cleared the entrance enough to walk out of. “You guys okay?” he asked.

Tyler looked at you and smiled, taking your hand in his. “We're okay.” he smiled, keeping you close as you both walked out of the cave and to the waiting ambulances.

“I love you.” he whispered, kissing you softly,

“I love you too.” you whisper against his lips, “Once we get released from the hospital, wanna build a snow man?”

He grinned, “Of course I do. Then, I think we should head home and give everyone the good news.” he said, kissing the ring on your figure.

**** THE END****

[screamingseeker]

DARK WATERS

merformer megatron x marine biologist!reader

If you knew what was waiting for you when you went into the water that day, you would've stayed in and start packing to go home.

But there were only a few weeks left of your summer research trip left and the Troian Isles were home to the one of the most unique ecosystems in the world. It would be a crime not to spend as much time in the water as possible.

So, armed with your trusty underwater camera, you hopped into the old speedboat tied to the dock and sped away from shore.

You slowed down just before you were out of swimming distance from the docks. You had learned the hard way to keep close to land.

You tossed the anchor overboard and while it made it's way to the ocean floor, you suited up in your fullbody swimsuit and oxygen tank, complete with goggles. You sat on the edge of the boat and let yourself fall backwards, quickly descending with the extra weight of the tank.

You reached the ocean floor. The coral reefs glittered in the sun and colorful fish swam around you in every direction, but you paid special attention to a small octopus that moved towards you on the ocean floor.

It was curious, but kept it's distance and you didn't try to get closer to it. You took several photos and lost your in your favorite place in the world.

You didn't even notice how much time had passed until the water became darker around you and you looked up to see a purple sky.

There were no sharks anywhere near the Troian Isles, but as a rule of thumb, it wasn't a good idea to be in the water at night. So you put your camera's strap around your neck and swam up towards the surface.

By the time you pulled yourself back onto your boat, the sun was dipping below the horizon and you took a moment to just admire the view. Purple and orange hues painted the sky, slowly being overtaken by a deep blue.

You really were lucky to have gotten the chance to spend your summer here.

You grabbed the steering wheel and turned the boat towards the docks, speeding away as the sun set behind you.

The boat reached the dock just as night fell. You securely tied the boat to the dock and were just about to get off when you noticed something in the water.

Below the dock, something gray and shiny shape was thrashing around.

It must be a dolphin, you realized in horror.

You immediately shrugged off the oxygen tank and dove into the water before it even hit the floor. Swimming blind, you followed the warped sound of the dolphin moving until you felt sleek skin beneath your outstretched hand. You also felt the netting holding it down.

You reached for the knife strapped to your hip and the dolphin thrashed harder, which made it that much harder to make sure you didn't hurt it as you cut away at the net.

You could barely see in the dark, but you felt the net give way and you gave it some space so it could swm away.

But it stayed where it was.

You realized much too late it was too large to be a dolphin.

It looked at you and red eyes glowed in the dark water.

You gasped and water filled your mouth and nose, immediately making you scream in your mind. You needed air. Kicking your legs, you fought your way to the surface and away from the creature, but you were already lightheaded and black spots were filling your vision.

You were going to die with water in your lungs and no one knowing where you were.

Claws suddenly hooked into your arms and you screamed as you sped upwards, exploding out of the water and landing hard on the dock.

Sea water burned as it rushed out of you, nearly making you throw up from gagging so much. You just laid there, grateful for every breath and once you had the strength, you lifted your head to look back at the ocean.

Unblinking red eyes stared up at you, the rest of the creature's face hidden in the water.

You stared at each other for several moments, your heart pounding in your ears.

It spoke.

"I am in your debt." It said in a low, rumbling voice.

Before you could get a word out, it's head dipped below the water, disappearing into the dark. Like it had never even been there.

You should've just stayed home.

[knight-elkwarden]

Carpet Drakes are a group of mostly aquatic ambush hunting hexapods found throughout the rivers and lakes of Har Fang. They are believed to be physiologically very similar to the first hexapods of millions of years ago.

While more common and diverse to the west of the continent, some species are still found in modest numbers to the east.

Giant Carpet Drake

Giant Carpet Drakes are found exclusively in the Musonese river basin, where the wide, murky, slow moving water offers them the best environment for their ambush hunting lifestyle. Despite their size and rather clumsy looking body, these giants are capable of surprising bursts of speed and have been known to capsize boats.

They readily see humans as prey, though they tend to back off if they realize their cover has been blown. Sometimes hunted by dragons.

Stubby Carpet Drake

A relatively small species. These drakes live in fast flowing rivers and streams, where they can easily anchor themselves to the riverbed with their long hooked claws. They are most often seen at higher elevations and in colder water, though they are very hardy and can survive a wide range of temperatures.

Not particularly dangerous to humans, but they will bite and scratch if they feel threatened.

Common Carpet Drake

The most widespread of the carpet drake species, hence the name. It is believed that it has either multiple subspecies or is multiple closely related species. These animals are found in almost any freshwater habitat and are extremely hardy creatures.

Not domesticated, but certain riverside communities have managed to tame some individuals. Caution should still be exercised when handling them since their bite is strong enough to sever fingers.

Musonese Carpet Drake

Despite the name, these creatures can be found outside of the Musonese river basin, though they are most common within it. They have a narrower body to help them navigate their often flooded and dense with foliage homes. They live only in warm and wet habitats on the western side of the continent.

Naturally skittish, but can be tamed pretty easily with enough patience.

Nyrian Carpet Drake

These carpet drakes inhabit the dry savannas and deserts of Har Fang, particularly Nyr, but neighboring regions also have populations of these creatures. The only known carpet drake species to aestivate, cocooning themselves in clay and water to stave off desiccation until the rains return and fill the watering holes.

Aggressive and will attack careless humans.

Kelp Stalker

Found wherever kelp forests exist. These derived drakes are the only known carpet drakes that lives exclusively in salt water. These ambush predators hide in the kelp to catch passing fish and other small prey. Closely related to the River Stalker and other free swimming carpet drakes.

Curious about humans and will follow them around sometimes, but tends to avoid dragons.

River Stalker

Fast swimming drakes native to the eastern side of the continent. Only known carpet drake that isn't an ambush predator. Highly social creatures, they are known to hunt in bands consisting of a dozen individuals. They can tolerate brackish waters, but are most comfortable in fresh waters.

Tends to avoid humans and dragons whenever possible.

Dwarf Carpet Drake

Found almost anywhere with fresh water. Thought of as something of a pest in cities, where they infest wells and crawl along roads during heavy rains. In the wild they feed mostly on small fish, insects, insect larvae and generally anything else they can fit in their mouths.

City dwelling dwarf carpet drakes are somewhat bold and will bite if provoked, but in the wild they are extremely skittish. Sometimes harvested by humans and dragons for their magical properties and general abundance.

Jewel Drake

Small tree dwelling carpet drakes from the Musonese river basin. A large number of jewel drake species are known, but they all have a few things in common: Vividly colored and highly poisonous. Their toxins come from their diet, and so people have figured out how to keep them as pets without the high risk of poisoning.

The species pictured here is known as the Ultramarine Jewel Drake. All species posses a sharp claw on their front two pairs of limbs, which can easily puncture skin and cause the poison on their skin to seep into the body. Caution is heavily advised when handling these creatures.

Root Serpent

Originally thought to be a serpent due to it's elongated body, it was eventually figured out that it was instead a carpet drake, though the name stuck. These creatures are found mostly in Musonee, where they hide among the mangroves, looking like roots to fool their prey.

A relatively popular pet and familiar in Musonee due to their elongated shape and gentle temperament.

[sephirthoughts]

Vincent's New Kid Just Dropped CH 11: Present Day With Short Deepground Flashback

NOTE: It's not a time skip in the Deepground section, it's just to frame Nero's physical trauma more. All that story is still going to be told!

Rating: Mature

WARNINGS: torture, captivity, phantom pain, PTSD

NOW WITH @siringadev's beautiful father-son art!

⚰️🕷️

father and son trying to out-edgelord each other but who is winning

it's vincent

After the Restrictor came, and they implanted those chips in everyone, they sedated Nero and carried him to a dark, cavernous place, in the lowest sub-level of Deepground. Industrial power tools whirred and shrieked. He awoke feeling the vibrations in his skull. 

Men were locking heavy shackles onto his wings, at six points. The shackles, they attached to the type of chains that are used for boat anchors; made of iron and as thick as a man’s arm. The chains were hung through huge, steel rings, bolted to a massive support pillar, and hooked up to a construction winch, on the other side. 

The Restrictor turned the winch and drew the chains tighter and tighter, laughing while the teenaged boy screamed in agony, pulling Nero’s wings higher and spreading them wider apart, till his shoulder blades felt like they were about to be dislocated, and his feet couldn’t properly rest on the ground. 

That was the position he was locked in. Splayed against the gigantic support pillar, like a butterfly pinned to a display board. Muzzled and bound in a straitjacket. Chained by his wings, to the literal foundation of Deepground. 

The only way to relieve the pain of bearing his weight on his wings, was to push himself up on tip-toe. He could only do that for so long, before his legs began to tremble with fatigue. Try as he might, his strength would eventually fail, and his legs give out. Then his wings would catch his full weight, and he would scream in agony again. 

The Restrictor often lingered nearby, watching him go through this process, drinking in the boy’s tormented groans and cries of distress, with lascivious glee. But he also observed the boy growing stronger and stronger…and more dangerous.

Nero curled up, as the lightning bolts of pain racked his body again, mouth hanging open, a clear stream drool running out onto the floor. Where was his muzzle? Where was his straitjacket? He’d had some kind of cotton jersey shirt on his top half, but he had clawed and torn it to shreds, and it now lay in a purple pile on the floor.

He heard a noise behind him, but he didn’t have time to work out what it was, before he felt the darkness react to something, like a dog jumping in excitement, when its master walks in the door. Weiss! It must be Weiss! he thought, deliriously. Tears of joy leaked from the sides of his eyes, even as they were squeezed shut against the pain. 

“W—Weiss…” he rasped, as the darkness reached out toward his beloved. His only one.

He was hauled up to a sitting position, and strong arms wrapped around him from behind, like bands of iron, compressing his crossed arms on his chest, in that familiar position. He was pressed tight against a stone-hard body and lifted to his feet, but…something was wrong. The darkness was curling happily around the person, but making no connection. Not Weiss! his mind screamed.

Enraged, Nero gave his lithe torso a sudden twist, like a snake, trying to wrench himself free, but the arms held him fast. “What the fuck!”

“Calm down,” a smooth, deep voice said, right in his ear. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

“Fuck you! Let me go!” he snarled, thrashing harder, still to no observable effect.

Vincent sighed. “Nero, I know you’re in pain. Let me help—”

“I don’t need your help you bastard!” he roared, kicking his legs, trying to throw this human monolith off balance. He may as well have struggled against the planet itself, for all the man moved. Panting and shaking with fatigue, from even that brief effort, he gave up and hung limply in Vincent’s arms. “I h—I hate you. Fucking die.”

“I can’t.”  

As Vincent said this, the room exploded into a whirling, crimson blur, and suddenly, they were atop the roof of the house. Nero’s bare feet stood on the sandy grit of the roof tiles, and blowing wind brought the scent of rain, from the rolling, grey storm clouds, that were obscuring the moon. 

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, in real bewilderment. 

“I think I can help, with your pain,” a rasping, resonant, entirely demonic voice answered. “But I can’t try it inside the house. My wings are too big.”

Chaos. The demon’s familiar aura sent shivers of elation up Nero’s spine and made him sick to his stomach, at the same time. He felt bloodthirsty, resentful, filled with rage and grief and underneath it all, a deep, hollow ache. A longing as fathomless as the abyss.

“How do you know I’m in pain?” 

“Sephiroth explained, after you went upstairs.”

“Can he ever mind his own business?” Nero grumbled, under his breath.

Acting entirely without his input, Nero’s darkness tendrils suddenly burst out of the black markings all over his body and plunged directly into Chaos, connecting them, like it was plugging him into a power source. 

Horrified, Nero tried to make them come back, but his knees buckled and his vision went blank, just then, his brain shorted out by the sudden exposure to unfiltered Chaos energy. 

When his vision returned, the demon was still holding him, the same way—Nero’s arms restrained in straitjacket position, and his bare back pressed to its midsection—steadying him on his feet, so he didn’t fall off the roof. 

He was trying work out what the hell Chaos was playing at, when he felt it. A dizzying rush of relief, pouring in through the wing brackets on his shoulder blades and coursing through his body. Lack of pain so potent, it was ten times more intoxicating than the headiest pleasure. 

Involuntarily, Nero’s head dropped back onto Chaos’ chest and he gave a shuddering moan, as he began to unfurl the demon’s huge, membranous wings, slowly and stiffly, spreading them as wide as they could go. 

Tears poured unchecked down his ashen face, weeping openly, as he stretched and folded the wings on the demon’s back, savoring every movement, feeling the contorted phantom segments straightening out, the excruciating knots loosening, the throbbing tautness unwinding. 

Nero’s body now felt relaxed and comfortable, being held tightly in Chaos’ arms. Actually, he hadn’t felt this good since…well, in a long time. Now that they believed everything was back as it was supposed to be, the formerly tormented nerves were humming with vitality. Suddenly, the urge to use the wings he’d missed so sorely, was so strong he could taste it.

Nero’s own wings had nothing to do with his ability to defy gravity, so it was something of a shock to him, when he gave Chaos’ wings an exploratory flap, and the two rocketed into the air. 

He jolted and cried out in alarm, as the ground fell away and the rooftop shrank below them at a dizzying speed. Chaos, however, appeared patently unconcerned, only taking control to give his wings a few beats (to stop them plummeting directly back out of the sky, and to gain some height for safety reasons), then returning control to Nero. 

Nero wasn’t afraid of heights in the least, but he didn’t particularly want to smack into the earth like a meteor, so he scrambled to flap the massive wings. With an effort, he got them under good enough control to keep aloft, then gingerly began to try changing direction. 

He was uncoordinated, and kept going awkwardly off kilter. They tumbled and veered multiple times, before he actually began to get the hang of it. But by the time half an hour had passed, Nero was able to fly in relatively steady circles, above the Valentine-Highwind property.  

All this time, not a single word passed between himself and the ancient demon, whose body he was essentially sharing, at the moment, but at times he could feel its wordless intent, guiding him. Spread. Glide. Tuck. Bank left. More thrust on the right. 

It occurred to him, with a series of complicated emotions, that his father was teaching him to fly. Just like a real father teaching his real son to ride a bicycle. Patiently and calmly, ready to catch him, if he fell. He felt something deep inside him, begin to crack. 

Nero, being Nero, bridled and balked. Furious with himself, for being so soft and stupid, and letting himself be taken in so easily, he sullenly withdrew his control from the wings and let them fall, till Chaos lazily caught them and swooped back upward, with effortless elegance, as if it were no more difficult than breathing. 

That drew Nero right back out of his morose ruminations. He had thought he’d been doing well, but he clearly had no idea what flying even was. Chaos used far fewer wing beats to achieve the same height and speed, and seemed to be exerting ten times less effort. What the hell? How was it that much different to what he’d been doing?

Spinning like a corkscrew, the demon rapidly ascended, higher and higher, till they emerged from the storm cover in the clear, black sky, where the air became thin and icy-cold, and the the moon shone pure and bright over the sea of clouds. 

Nero was staring in undisguised awe at the tens of thousands of glittering stars, when Chaos tucked his wings tightly against his body and dropped abruptly into a freefall. Nero’s stomach flipped and he had to choke down a cry. They fell faster and faster, the wind beating furiously at his face, making his eyes tear up, as they plunged back into the grey clouds, plummeting earthward at terminal velocity.

Just above the treeline, Chaos extended his wings partway and used the downward momentum to shoot forward like a bullet, speeding over the blurred tops of the trees. 

As if on cue, thunder rolled and lighting crackled, as the heavy clouds burst, at last. The cold water droplets lashed Nero’s face and his bare torso, as they flew at that logic-defying speed, but he was actually rather thrilled by it. He wasn’t bothered by cold, and he’d never felt rain before. 

Apparently sensing that the weather didn’t trouble his passenger, Chaos kept going, soaring nonchalantly through blinding sheets of rain, doing spectacular loops and dizzying barrel rolls, throwing off spirals of water as they went. 

Nero had to force down the swell of mirth, that bubbled up in his chest, at the idea of this apocalyptic demon playing around in the rain, to amuse itself. Chaos was having fun, and it showed. If he could have admitted it, without gagging to death, so was Nero.

More than two hours evaporated, and soon they were circling back around toward home—er…toward the Valentine-Highwind house. When they got in close, rather than landing, Chaos did that teleportation thing with the whirling crimson, and they were simply standing in Nero’s room. 

Nero hadn’t got his sea legs yet, and turned around unsteadily to blink up at Chaos, who was Vincent again, in his slashed up black jeans and crimson henley, with that stupid headband, as usual. He was also perfectly dry, as opposed to Nero, who was soaking wet, from head to toe, black hair pasted to his white forehead, and quickly creating a puddle, on the wood floor. 

Conveniently, Sephiroth (because the world had gone thoroughly insane, and the hero of Wutai was now some kind of super-housewife) had left folded bath towels on the dresser, and put the fresh linens on the bed, while they were out.

Before Nero could say anything, Vincent picked up an oversized bath towel and spread it open, holding it up between them, like a privacy screen. Not quite understanding the prudishness of the gesture, Nero peeled off his soaking wet jeans and underwear, then let Vincent wrap the plushy towel around him. 

He still had no idea how to process what happened, tonight. No idea what it meant, or how to react. So he just stood there, dazed, while his father carefully rubbed his long hair, with the other towel. 

Fatigue settled on him, with the warmth and the weight of the gentle touch. Now that the pain was alleviated, he was exhausted, down to his bones. Without realizing it, his eyes drooped shut, and his head began to tip forward, by degrees, till it was resting against Vincent’s chest. 

Darkness tendrils slithered out of the black markings, all over his naked body, and coiled themselves around Vincent’s arms and waist and neck, like affectionate boa constrictors. If they could purr, they would have, fucking embarrassing things.

“Nero.”

“Mm?”

“The next time you’re in pain, don’t wait for it to become unbearable. Come to me, and I’ll help you.”

…

“Mn.”

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY:

nero the wet cat: *HISSSS GRRR HISSSSS* cat dad vincent: *pats dry with towel* nero the dry cat: …. *purr*

LINK TO NEXT CHAPTER:

[dem-obscure-imagines]

New Year's Eve Kisses 2023

Note: Well, here we are again, my four year drabble streak. I’m really excited about the group this year! As a heads-up, I have not seen any of the One Piece Anime, just the live action, so I’ll be using that information for Zoro. Also, I am writing quite a few of these characters for the first time, so let me know how I did hahaha. Also, I believe reader is gender neutral in all of these <3

Fandoms: One Piece (Live Action), The Barbie Movie, DCEU, X-Men, Ghosts US

Total Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: Some violence, lots of smooches, mentions of death bc ghosts lol

Roronoa Zoro

Word Count: 1.1k

Luffy had insisted the crew dock the ship in the nearest port for the night. Your small, noble, six-man crew. You were the newest member, still learning your place and doing your best to earn your keep. Not that that mattered to the captain. Luffy believed in every person he met. He was perhaps the most hopeful, optimistic person you’d ever come across in your life. It was endearing.

You were a writer, a researcher, an inventor by some meanings of the word. You didn’t have a lot of fighting skills, but you made up for it with your knowledge and trading skills. The other pirates you came across were always low on fruit, but due to your skills in botany, the ship now had a garden with several fruit trees, herb shrubs, and some vegetable plants. You filtered water for drinking and for watering them, and therefore, you always had fresh food to eat, and plenty of surplus to trade with other crews.

You’d earned them a small fortune in other words.

At the moment, you were hunched over your desk, screwing a piece into place for a weapon you were making for Usopp, an automatic rock launcher. You hoped it would be a nice alternative to his slingshot.

Someone cleared their throat and you whipped around, pulling your goggles onto your head to find Zoro standing there, a hand resting on his belt, where his three swords were nestled. “We’re headed ashore. Captain’s orders.”

“Oh! Okay.” You took off your work gloves and hung your goggles on their hook, moving carefully in rhythm with the boat rocking. Sea legs were still something you were working on, but you liked to think you were getting better at it. “Any reason in particular?”

“The new year.”

“Right, right. Guess I forgot how long I was cooped up in here. I’ll uh…” you glanced down at your attire, your overalls covered in dirt and oil. Probably not acceptable attire for a New Year’s Eve bash. “I’ll get changed.”

“Great.” Zoro nodded and left and you stared at the empty doorway. Of all your crewmates, he was the one you hadn’t gotten a read on. He was fiercely loyal, but pretty quiet most of the time. He did have a bit of snark in him, though. He often found himself at odds with Sanji, which you found endlessly amusing.

You flipped through your closet and found something a little nicer, a gift from Kaya, Usopp’s best friend. The crew visited her every so often, and you’d gifted her a kaleidoscope. In return, she’d given you several gifts, the outfit you were wearing currently included.

Satisfied, you turned and walked up onto the deck, where the others stood, dressed in their finest. When you looked off the deck, you were anchored, sure enough, at the Baratie. Sanji looked happy to be there.

“Wow! You look great, (Y/N)!” Luffy complimented, smiling warmly.

“Thanks! So do you.” You replied, looking at the others. You caught the way Zoro’s eyes lingered on you as you passed, following the others off of the ship and out to the bar of the restaurant, which was absolutely bustling with visitors from all over the East Blue.

“What do you want to drink?” Zoro asked, closer to you than you’d realized.

“Champagne is on the house, tonight.” Sanji piped up with a wink.

“I’m down for some champagne.” You said with a nod.

“I’ll be right back.” Zoro turned, flagging the nearest waiter and coming back with two flutes of champagne.

You took a long first sip of the sweet, sparkling drink. “Thanks, Zoro.”

“Of course.” He replied. It was surprising. You were pretty sure these were the most words you’d ever exchanged with him, but…it was a welcome change.

One glass of champagne snowballed into two or three, and before you knew it, you were dancing to the music the band was playing, bobbing along to the beat beside Usopp and Nami. In the corner of the room, Zoro was nursing a glass of something stronger than champagne. When the song ended, you walked over to him.

He met your eyes, but didn’t shoo you away. Instead, he moved over so you could lean against the wall beside him. “You look like you’re having fun.”

“I am having fun.” You grinned, cheeks flushed, breaths shortened. “Are you?”

“I’m having fun watching you have fun.”

“What, you don’t dance?”

“Not usually.” He grinned, sipping his beer. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m…glad we stopped on Butterfly Island that day.”

“You mean it?”

Zoro nodded. “I know we don’t talk a lot, but…I’d like to change that next year.”

“I’m your resolution?”

He chuckled. “Something like that.”

“Well, I’d like that, too.” You smiled.

A few hours and another glass of champagne later, the countdown to midnight had begun, and you found yourself dangerously close to a pirate from another ship, who was looking at you like a meal.

“Ahoy there, haven’t seen you around, before.” He eyed you up and down with his one good eye, the other covered with a patch.

“Haven’t been paying enough attention to the bulletin boards, then.” You commented, trying to sneak past. “If you’ll excuse me—”

He grabbed your arm. “Ye don’t happen to have someone you’re looking for, do ye? I’d hate for you to spend midnight alone…”

“I’m fine, thank you.” You tugged your arm away, or tried to, but his grip tightened.

You heard the sound of metal and looked up to find Zoro, sword unsheathed, eyes the darkest you’d ever seen them.

“Let go of them or lose your hand. Up to you.” Zoro growled.

The pirate let go of you and scurried away, murmuring something about Zoro’s green hair.

You exhaled a sigh and took a step closer to him, the tension rolling out of your shoulders. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me for the bare minimum. That guy was a creep.” He said, eyes lingering on the vile man’s figure as he retreated to the far corner of the room.

As the countdown narrowed, Zoro took a step closer, eyes fluttering shut as he looked at you. And there he froze, waiting for you to do something. And so when midnight hit, you did, carefully reaching for his jaw and pulling him closer.

Fireworks hit as he kissed you, lips confident and sure. When you pulled apart, the energy between you swirled, his nose lingering against yours, eyes searching yours for some hint that this was real, that it wasn’t just a fleeting moment.

So, to be sure, he leaned in and kissed you again.

Barbara “Barbie” Handler

Word Count: 0.5k

To say that Barbie was nervous was the understatement of the century. She hadn’t been nervous when she set out for the human world. She had the encouragement of her fellow Barbies then. But walking into the New Year’s Eve party she was currently attending with Gloria and her husband, she was so nervous. She found herself adjusting her hair, constantly checking her dress.

If there was anything she had learned in her time living in California, it was that being a human woman was harder than it looked.

“It’ll be fun, Barbie. I promise.” Gloria said, eyes warm, truthfilled. She knew her friend was right. It would be fun.

They got out of the car and walked into the large house together. The music was loud, there were refreshments and drinks on nearly every surface, and all over the walls, there were silver and gold decorations.

She wandered in further, taking a glass of champagne from Gloria and sipping it cautiously. It was sweet, bubbling, with a sharp edge of something she didn’t recognize. Alcohol, probably, she deduced. Barbie sampled a few of the treats and then her eyes fell on a pretty stranger in the corner of the room, all alone.

She walked over, armed with a smile. “Hi, Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year!” You replied, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “I’m (Y/N).”

“Barbara.” She introduced, offering a polite hand that you shook with a smile. “I’m new around here, so Gloria brought me.”

“Oh, Gloria! I used to babysit her daughter before I went off to college. And now she’s all grown up.”

“Do you babysit often?”

You laughed. “Oh, no, it’s been a while. I work at a law firm now.”

“That is so incredible! Do you like it there?”

“It’s great, yeah.” You nodded. “What do you do?”

“I’m between jobs, right now.” Barbie shrugged. “But I think I might go back to school, try to figure things out.”

“That’s great, Barbara, I hope that goes well for you.” You smiled.

She paused, hesitating before saying, “You can call be Barbie, if you’d like.”

“Alright, Barbie.” You grinned. “You know, I loved Barbies as a kid.”

“You did? Which ones?” She asked, smiling brighter than the sun.

The two of you settled onto a couch together, side by side, talking and talking and talking until midnight. And when the ball dropped, the rest of the party guests paired up, partaking in the yearly tradition of the New Year’s Eve Kiss.

“Woah, what are they doing?” Barbie asked, looking around.

“Oh, it’s a New Year’s Eve kiss. People believe kissing someone at midnight will bring them good luck in the new year.”

“Oh!” Barbie nodded. She looked at you for a moment, blue eyes wide before asking, politely, “Can I kiss you?”

You smiled and nodded. “Absolutely.”

You knew you had just met her, but you could tell then and there that there was something special about Barbie. And when her soft, pink lips finally met yours, it was nothing short of magic.

Jaime Reyes

Word Count: 0.7k

You straightened out your clothes, tugging the wrinkles out of the fabric. You did a once-over in your phone camera, making sure everything looked just right. Someone whistled, drawing your attention. Jaime. Of course. Your flirtatious teammate and fellow Justice League member. You and him had a will-they-won’t-they going on that had started the first day you joined the team. He was determined to win you over and you were determined to not let him in.

But hey, it was New Year’s Eve. Anything can happen on New Year’s Eve. Maybe that was the reason Bruce had insisted the entire team attend his yearly charity gala. He’d even sent you the clothes and everything.

“What, Reyes?”

“Nothing. You…clean up nice.”

“Thanks. So do you.”

It was true. He was dressed up in a crisp black suit, the royal blue tie hanging from his neck, untied. He offered the ends to you. “Do you mind?”

“Come here.” You motioned him closer, taking the ends of the tie and carefully twisting it into the proper shape, gently tightening the knot.

His eyes fell on you, soft and warm, the end of his lip quirked up into a smile. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Literally don’t. I don’t think Arthur would let you hear the end of it if he knew you didn’t know how to tie a tie.”

“Who says I don’t?” He winked, turning on his heel and exiting the room, to leave you with your thoughts and flushed cheeks.

***

At the party, you stood beside Victor at the edge of the room. He had a projector going, projecting a human form onto his body. It was pretty convincing, you had to admit, so long as no one touched him and felt the metal, that was. Arthur was already about twelve drinks deep, tearing up the dance floor. Diana was mingling, looking graceful and beautiful, as always.

Clark was there, talking to the guests as well, no doubt getting the inside scoop for his next article. Bruce floated around, entertaining and playing up the billionaire façade. Well, the money part wasn’t a façade. The attitude was, however.

And then there was you, sipping from a glass of champagne, surrendering to the fuzzy feeling at the edge of your mind.

“Incoming, ten o’clock.” Victor murmured, patting your shoulder and promptly bailing.

Great. Figured.

Jaime strolled up, looking as confident as ever. He offered his arm, tilting his head towards the dancefloor. You rolled your eyes, downing the rest of your champagne before taking his hand and letting him whisk you into the crowd of dancing guests.

It was familiar, in a way. It felt right, despite the way you protested. Maybe you were just afraid of getting hurt. But you knew the way he looked at you, the way he protected you in fights and went out of his way to make you happy when you were feeling down…he was the real deal. He always had been.

Now it was up to you to let him in.

Jaime spun you around, pulling you close to him. Your hand rested on his chest and you could feel the way his heart was absolutely hammering in his chest.

“Do I make you nervous?” You whispered, relishing in the way his eyes flashed when you did.

“Of course you do, looking like that, looking at me with those eyes.”

“What eyes?” You asked innocently, batting your eyelashes at him.

He chuckled. “You know what I’m talking about.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

“Do you think…after the holidays, maybe you’d want to…go see a movie together or something?” He asked, waiting in anticipation.

“Yeah, I’d really like that, Jaime. I never thought you’d ask.”

“I never thought you’d say yes.” He admitted.

“Well, I’m just full of surprises, aren’t I?”

He grinned. “Seems like it.”

The party came to a crescendo as the clock neared midnight, and you didn’t leave Jaime’s side, arm looped through his. He kept looking down at you like he expected it to be a vision, a trick of the mind from one of Bruce’s many adversaries. But it was real. You were real. You were into him, and, it had taken you long enough to realize it, but…maybe, just maybe, you two could make it work.

Time would tell, but you had more pressing matters at hand. Namely, Jaime pressing his lips to yours as midnight struck and both of your lives changed for the better.

Hank McCoy

Word Count: 1.1k

There was nothing quite like a mission the day before New Year’s Eve. You were suited up, leg bouncing as the jet neared your target, the facility where you were pretty sure they had taken Hank. “They” being the US government, of course. Figured. You didn’t know the details, but you were sure it had something to do with his true form.

Most of them saw Hank as some monster. A Beast. But he wasn’t, not to you. He was perfect to you, whether he saw that or not, blue or otherwise.

“You alright there, Professor (L/N)?” Peter asked, watching as orange light danced around your fingertips.

“I will be once he’s safe.”

“He’ll be fine.” Jean insisted, pressing a pair of fingers to her temples. She was, as Charles insisted, your brightest student. And you hoped she was right this time, like she had been every other time. “I’m picking him up. That building down there.” Jean pointed at a large, metal warehouse that looked empty. Looked being the keyword.

Moira landed the jet and Peter rushed out first, running straight to the doors and unlocking them with a flurry of fingers. The rest of you followed, and as soon as he got the doors open, you sprinted inside, power radiating around your fingers as you looked around. There were several scientists in lab coats and goggles, tables and tables with mutants strapped to them, and on the wall, several of them held in place with cuffs.

You could spot Hank’s blue fur a mile away. There were two scientists near him, discussing a plan between them.

“He’s a monster, just do what you have to do.” One scientist said, making your blood boil while the other prepared a syringe.

You made a beeline straight to him, using your power to lift the scientist about to prod him with a needle, tossing her against the nearest wall with a loud clang. You faced the other one, fire in your eyes. “He’s not the monster. You are.”

A blast of power shot from the palm of your hand, sending the second scientist after the other one.

“(Y/N)…” Hank murmured, eyelids heavy. “You came. I…I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Of course I did.” You whispered, walking closer and using your power to unlock the cuffs holding his ankles and wrists. It sickened you to see him strung up like that, like some dangerous animal.

As soon as he was free, he slumped into your arms, barely able to keep himself upright. You supported his weight, pulling his arm around you and using your free arm to blast anyone who got too close. You watched as one by one, Peter freed the rest of the room. Jean fought off some scientists as you helped Hank to the exit and onto the jet.

You all but collapsed into the seat next to his, dozens of newly rescued mutants murmuring amongst themselves as Peter sped inside, raising his goggles up onto the top of his head.

He ran a quick head count. “That’s everyone, Moira.”

“Alright, hang on everyone.” Moira warned as she pulled the thrusters, sending the jet into motion back towards the Academy.

Hank tiredly reached a clawed hand for yours, fur thick and blue and soft. You took his hand gladly, meeting his exhausted eyes.

“Are you okay?” You asked softly, worried. You had no idea what he’d been through in the few days they’d had him there.

“I am now.” He nodded and rested his head against your shoulder, his eyes drifting shut.

***

The next day, you were in the kitchen around noon, making yourself a London Fog. You hopped up onto the counter, sipping on it and scanning over the news. Hank wandered in, not long after, looking uncharacteristically blue. Usually, he always took his “medication” as he called it, the chemical he made to keep him, well, not blue.

It was a welcome change, though. You liked him like this. You liked him, period, no matter what he looked like.

“Hey.” You grinned, setting down the news.

“Morning.” He murmured, voice deeper than usual. He glanced at the clock. “Afternoon, I guess.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m still so wiped out.”

“I bet.” You pouted, tilting your head. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay, I guess. Decided not to take my meds for a while, try to flush out everything they gave me out of my system.”

“Smart.” You nodded. “You going to Charles’ party tonight.”

“Maybe. I’m not sure.” Hank chuckled sheepishly. “I’m not sure I have any suits that fit when I’m…like this.”

“Mmm.” You nodded. “Well, if you don’t want to go, we could just watch a movie or something. I can smuggle us food.”

“I appreciate it.” He grinned a fanged grin. “Hey, um…thanks. For yesterday. I owe you one.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Hank. I’m sure at some point you’ll be rescuing me from the government.”

He shook his head, eyes sincere. “I wouldn’t let them touch you.”

Your heart raced as he took a few steps closer, a blue hand settling beside your leg on the counter, the other raising to graze the edge of your cheek. He stared into your eyes like they were star-filled skies and he was searching for constellations.

You reached forward, pulling him into a hug that he quickly reciprocated, holding you close. “I-I was so scared, Hank. I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“I’m alright. I’m right here.” His paw stroking your hair gently. “Let’s…watch a movie tonight. You can pick. I’ll order a pizza and bring the drinks.”

You nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck, thriving in his warmth. He was so warm like this. You loved it even more than you remembered. “Sounds good to me.”

***

It was around ten that Hank knocked on the door of your room. You opened the door and let him in, a stack of VHS tapes sitting on the coffee table. He saw them and chuckled. “I thought I said you could pick.”

“Yeah, well, I’m indecisive so would you like Back to the Future or Rudolph’s Shiny New Year?”

“I think I’ll have to go with Rudolph, personally. Seems festive.”

“That’s what I thought, too.” You nodded, popping in the tape and settling down on the couch just as he did, a bottle of wine and two empty glasses set on the coffee table alongside a box of pizza.

You curled your legs against his, resting your head on his shoulder as he rested his head on yours, exhaling a long sigh. You were so relieved that he was okay, that he was with you.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“Funny, I was going to say the same about you.” You murmured, leaning further into his hold.

The two of you watched the movie together, wrapped in each others’ arms. And when midnight hit, it only made sense that the only person you were kissing was him.

Sasappis

Word Count: 1.0k

Sasappis remembered the first words you had said to them like you’d said them yesterday. You were Sam’s niece, the black sheep of the family due to your more spiritual path. Well, that was, until Sam started seeing literal spirits. You had the same gift. Of course, yours wasn’t due to a freak accident, but rather, something you were born with, an extra sense that made most people look at you like you were crazy.

That first day in the mansion, you’d gotten your bag to your room, started unpacking, and then slowly turned to face the corner he was lingering in and said, “So are you just gonna stand there and stare at me or…?”

His eyes had widened, staring at you even more intensely. He was caught off guard. You weren’t a ghost, you couldn’t be. Jay could see you, after all, but still, you were making eye contact with him, waiting for a response.

“Hello?”

“You can see me?”

“Obviously. Did Sam tell you guys nothing about me? You guys are the reason I’m here, after all.” You chuckled.

“We are?”

“Yeah, my aunt starts seeing ghosts her husband can’t…she needed some confirmation that she wasn’t losing her marbles. I’m the confirmation. Besides, I needed somewhere quiet to come write my novel.”

Oh that piqued his interest. “You’re a writer?”

“Yeah, I guess our sixth sense isn’t the only thing Sam and I have in common. She’s more of a journalist, though. I write fiction.”

He walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, beyond ready to learn more. “What genre?”

And you had gotten along perfectly ever since. The other ghosts in the house enjoyed having you around, too. It was nice having yet another human that could see them. You introduced them to all kinds of shows, helped with their tasks and physical limitations, and, most importantly, made quite a bit of frozen pizza when Jay and Sam went out for date night.

When the holidays rolled around, Sasappis expected you to leave, but he was relieved that you stuck around. He couldn’t imagine celebrating without you there. And when New Year’s Eve rolled around, all he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss you. But he couldn’t. Obviously. That was what he got for falling in love with someone who was still alive.

“Sasappis!” You called into the house, and he came running towards your room, Trevor just behind him. “I said Sasappis, not Trevor.”

Trevor cursed and then shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

“What’s going on? Everything alright? You need help with another spider?”

You chuckled and shook your head. “No, it’s not that. You remember how I said I didn’t have time to get Christmas presents this year?”

“Yeah, and we all understood because you’re really busy and have your own things to do?”

“Yeah, of course, thank you. Well, I kind of lied. I got a present, but…it’s just for you and it’s kind of experimental…”

His eyebrows knit together, watching you. “What are you talking about?”

“So…” You watched the time on your watch, waiting for exactly nine thirty. As soon as it hit, you reached out your hand for him, a small thing clutched in your hand. It took him a second, but he reached out for it, holding open his hand, but expecting whatever it was to fall right through his hand, as everything did.

But when you let go of it, it landed in his hand, a small necklace, a metal locket on a silver chain. He stared at it for a long time before making eye contact with you.

“What is it?”

“It’s a visitation charm. In theory, it allows a spirit to visit the world of the living for three hours. And I didn’t think it would work…until now.”

“You mean…” He stared at you, waiting for you to say it.

“Put it on.” You encouraged, and he lifted the chain over his head, letting it settle against his clothes. You held out your hand and he put his in yours, skin on skin, warm on warm.

“Woah…” He murmured, feeling the skin of your palm.

“HOLY SHIT DID (Y/N) DIE?” Trevor shouted from the doorway, sending Sam running down the hall to see what was going on, Jay right behind her.

“Who are you?” Jay asked, locking eyes with Sasappis. “Wait, Sass? Is that you? Oh my god!”

“You can see him?” Sam asked. “What did you do?”

“I can explain, but he’s got three hours before it’ll wear off.” You told her.

Sasappis slipped his hand into yours, intertwining your fingers. Now that he could touch you finally, he never wanted to stop.

***

Midnight approached. The ghosts were all excitedly asking when you would have more charms available while Sasappis was enjoying a slice of pepperoni pizza, followed by every modern beverage he could get his hands on in such short notice.

When the countdown came to an end, Sass didn’t hesitate to kiss you, lips soft and sweet, if not a little inexperienced. You didn’t care. You looped an arm around his neck, holding him close as you kissed him back. It was an odd experience, tickling the Veil in such a way, but you didn’t care. You didn’t care that he had been dead for five centuries. You didn’t care that this second life was temporary. For that moment, he was yours and nothing else mattered.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that.” Sasappis whispered, forehead resting against yours.

“I don’t know, I’ve been working on that for like a month just so we could do this, so…” You shrugged. “It’s reciprocated.”

His gaze softened. “Do you think this will ever happen again, or…or is this the last time this will work?”

“I’m not sure, but…I’ll make you another one and we can go from there.”

He nodded. “That’s a good plan. But whether or not we’re on the same plane of existence…I really like you (Y/N). I’m glad you came here and…I hope you’ll stay a while.”

You kissed him again, a hand framing his cheek. “Believe me, Sass, I don’t have plans to leave anytime soon.”

[abarbaricyalp]

Either 🛥️ or 🐦 for the SamBucky romance asks!

Sambucky staples! From this list

🛥️ Meanwhile, on the Boat...

Bucky's phone rang for the fourth time.

"You should get that," Sam panted, though he didn't let go of Bucky's hair to facilitate that happening.

It didn't matter. "Not for half a million dollars," Bucky rejected instantly. He put his mouth back against Sam's neck, working a bruise up to the surface just to prove some point that they'd both forgotten about at that point.

"It could be important," Sam said, half of the thought getting lost in a gasp.

Bucky settled his weight against Sam more firmly, hips pressing into Sam's, thighs holding Sam's apart, even thought he little sleeper couch in the cabin was definitely not big enough for this. "I don't care. Not as important as you."

So true, Sam agreed to himself. If it wasn't for the fact that Bucky's phone was on the floor, so it was vibrating half the ship with each ring, he'd be more than happy to let Bucky ignore it.

It began to ring for a fifth time.

Sam sighed and pushed Bucky back, which wasn't super successful, but he managed to free an arm and could grab the phone. If it meant he strained up against Bucky's flushed body to use him as an anchor, so be it.

"Cass texted you a bunch of nonsense about a countdown. Sarah called you three times. The last two were Cass. Oh, he just texted again to say that... 'Mom's on her way. SOS.' What's that mean? Why are you two in trouble with Sarah?"

"Oh, shit," Bucky acknowledged for the first time in a while. He scrabbled to get off of Sam and only managed to fall flat on his face in the process when his hand slipped off the edge of the cot.

Like some kind of stage cue, Sarah walked into the cabin just as Bucky was extricating his face from Sam's chest. Her mouth curled to one side, completely unimpressed, and she crossed her arms.

"I said distract him. Not steal him away for the whole afternoon."

"That's not my fault," Bucky said. "He's too distractible."

"You're too distractible," she accused. "People have been waiting for half an hour."

"Waiting on what?" Sam asked, shoving Bucky back so they could both sit up. "Distract me from--- Oh."

Sarah threw her hands up in the air and Bucky had the decency to look sheepish. "Can you pretend to be surprised?" he asked.

"I knew I shoulda just brought everyone out here. Given you a real surprise," Sarah added.

"Y'all planned a whole party for me?" Sam asked, feeling deeply touched even while Bucky was getting the Sarah Wilson Special as far as eye daggers went. Sam hadn't seen some of these looks since high school.

"Well, Sarah did most of the planning," Bucky admitted.

"He had one job this whole time!"

"I did my job!" Bucky defended. He threw an arm around Sam's shoulders and grinned in a way that would get him out of a lot of trouble, but not this trouble. "I kept him distracted."

"Just get your thick heads to the house. Please and thank you. And I'm not leaving this boat until you two stand up."

Pointedly, Sam stood up. Reluctantly, Bucky followed.

"A whole surprise party, huh?" Sam asked, hooking his fingers in Bucky's belt loops to tug him forward.

"My job was also to make sure you weren't out of state when it was happening," Bucky added with a pleased little grin. "I kept you home for three whole days."

"Yeah, I bet you were just out there single handedly defeating aliens," Sam agreed. He leaned in for a series of short kisses and had to duck out of the way when Bucky went for his neck again.

"Wait a minute," he said, letting go of Bucky to bring his fingers up to his neck. Judging by the way Bucky was already creeping to the door, he knew the answer. "Did you just put a hickey on my neck before I go see everyone?"

"No one will be able to tell!" Bucky called as he dashed out of the cabin and across the deck to the pier.

Sam was quickly after him, the boat rocking behind them.

[evilmageclub]

false rings chapter 7

ive finished my longest (also just the longest) samsam fic lol, only took me 2 years. its 65k words, rated E, postcanon, and follows samot and samothes through cycles of grief and violence and reconciliation past and present. with a focus on the natural world of aubade

ao3 link

this chapter samsam forge new rings, make a vow, go on a boat trip, and fail to talk about fatherhood. while having lots of sex, because that's what this is all about

sfw excerpt under the cut:

The first day is quiet, wavelets slapping at the hull and vistas of coral branching shoreward until they pass beyond the lagoon. On the second day they lose sight of the island, and with it the final swaying tendrils of Spring growth. They anchor up that night and dive down, down into the dark through shoals of luminescent jellyfish, just to be certain the Spring is not still crawling across the seabed; but Samot would be able to feel it if it were, and the seabed, if indeed the waters out here follow the logic of Hieron in having one, is out of reach. Samot takes hold of Samothes and urges him back up to the surface, surprising himself by being the one to curtail their dive.

It really does seem to extend forever, this dyad of inky sea and darker sky. Samot thinks he sees a shadow pass beneath them as they rise, but such is the illusion of the night. Once they surface, he hooks his wiry arms over Samothes’ shoulders from behind and presses his chest to Samothes’ back, forcing Samothes to tread water a little harder to keep them both afloat.

“It doesn’t unnerve you?”

“This?” The subliminal radiance of Samothes’ gaze comes to rest on the grey lack of a horizon; despite the glimmer of the starshield, Samothes himself and their boat’s enchanted lanterns are the only sources of light. “Of course it does. You’re going to call me naive for thinking there’s a great deal of beauty to be found in the way we persist despite it. I told Hadrian...”

“Hm?”

“Nothing. I told him something similar, once.”

Detaching Samot from himself just enough to hold him by the shoulders, Samothes rolls onto his back and kicks off towards the boat, carrying Samot halfway with him. Age notwithstanding, he has become a much stronger swimmer through his time in Aubade. Samot wonders if he and Hadrian spent much time on the water together before the blade was sealed, and wishes not for the first time that he had found the words to ask Hadrian what it was like to meet his god.

Seeing Samot pause by the hull and misreading his stillness for exhaustion or cramp, Samothes scoops him up and scales the ladder to the deck one-handed… a gesture that makes Samot laugh at the time, but as they lie together in the warmth of the cabin afterward, the sight of his own hands numb and bloodless with chill makes him wonder if perhaps he did need the rescue, not because he lacked the strength to climb but because he was forgetting corporeality, leaching away into the Dark.

[thegodthief]

"You know, we're in quite a shit situation here. We should get out of here."

"Nonsense, the last broadcast said to be ready to be picked up and to wait at the shelters."

"The underground garage is not a shelter."

"It is, there's a sign on the wall facing the street. They'll check here when they look for us."

"Dude. They're not looking for us. The last broadcast was yesterday. I have heard no engine, be it ground vehicle, helicopter, plane, or drone since dawn. Our stomachs are making more noise than the outside world, and in case you haven't noticed, the water is still rising."

We looked over to the ramp leading down into the lower levels of the garage under the apartment building. The water level was plainly visible meaning every parking level below us was flooded. We looked at the entrance to the garage where more water was flowing in but at a rate far too slow to have been responsible for the lower flooding. I knew there were drains in the bottom levels to take advantage of this neighborhood being built on a hill.

If the lower levels were submerged, then the bulk of the city was submerged. Our apartment building was on a ridge notoriously difficult to get to because of steep and winding streets. The rich people lived closer to downtown, closer to the river. They didn't live in the [prison] blocks on the edge of town. They lived in scenic backdrops and communities that were difficult to get to because of all the gates.

"Dude. We need to go. Now."

"Go where? The rescuers won't find us if we're not where we're supposed to be."

"The only rescuers we are going to find are already attached to our own hands. By all rights, I should have left your ass for dead this morning when I realized we had been abandoned by the others."

"I'm sure it was a small mistake, a slight oversight."

"AS THE BUILDING SUPER GOT ON THE TRUCK I HEARD HIM TELL THE OTHERS THAT HE WAS THE LAST ONE OUT! HOW MUCH OF AN ACCIDENTAL MISTAKE IS IT THAT THE ONE PERSON WHO DECLARED FAGS SHOULD BE SHOT LIKE DOGS FUCKING FORGOT ABOUT YOU, A PUBLICLY OUT FAG! NOW YOU ARE GOING TO GO BACK TO THE STREET IF I HAVE TO HOOK YOUR BUTTPLUG AND DRAG YOU LIKE AN ANCHOR!"

He whirled around with full intent to take a swing at me, as I expected him to. But that meant taking a step backwards to brace himself. He stepped into the water that I had watched creep up to us. The sudden slosh behind him made him stop and look down.

The water level was now halfway up the first garage level. The trickle coming in from the street was no longer a trickle. The water was rising much faster now.

He looked up to the concrete partitions in the roof of the garage. "As the water rises, those will create air pockets that we could... HEY!"

"NOPE. NOT DOING THAT. THIS WILL NOT BE MY TOMB!" I had grabbed him by the shoulder of his shirt and was half dragging, half escorting him up the pedestrian ramp to the street. He profusely complained until he looked at our feet and saw the rising water level was matching our ascent inch for inch.

Once out on the street, we were up to our ankles in the new lake that was forming and continuing to deepen. From our vantage point, we should be able to see down the street descending to the hill, see downtown far below us, and just beyond that, see the harbor and the riverside entertainments and condos.

Water.

All we saw was water.

Everything below our hill-top street was now at the bottom of an unimaginable lake that we could not see the far shore of.

But between us and the impossible shore were the floating carcasses of rescue trucks and overturned boats. The submerged buildings had created eddies and whirls that the nascent current had caught on, forcing surface debris to collect in very unsettling ways.

I turned to look at the cliffs above us, and saw that no small number of mudslides had already happened. The rain had long stopped, but the hillsides were waterlogged and severely weakened. If the flood didn't drown us from below, then we were at risk of being buried from above.

"... Fuck... fuck... There's no one... How?" I could hear the last cognitive wheel in his head break from his attempt to comprehend the devastation. He sank to his knees and was immediately in water up to his waist.

"No. Get up. GET THE FUCK UP! We're not dead yet, goddammit!" I forced him to stand and measured the water level against my body. Fortunately, there was almost no flow here, or the knee-level river would have taken us both out the moment we emerged. But something was off about the water.

I looked at the downtown lake and tried to match the features I was seeing against the features I was remembering, but there was no match. I looked uphill at the cliffs and ridges above us and tried to reason why would these buildings be considered the "poor" part of town against every homestead history I had ever read or toured. Traditionally, the "heights" were where the rich people created their retreats. It didn't line up.

Everything was surreal and hyper realistic as if...

Oh.

So that's the way of things, is it.

Very well.

"Come on, we gotta get some things before we bail." I dragged him up the stairs to the interior of the apartment building as he protested the futility of it all. Why bother trying to do anything when there's nothing any of us can do. The world is ending.

"No, your world is ending. I'm just here to be a little shit." He looked at me funny as I waved my hand over the entry door lock of his apartment. To his surprise, the lock not only unlatched, but the door opened and swung clear to permit us entry.

"How did...?"

I pulled him inside and heard squishy plops in my footsteps. I looked down and saw that the water level had followed us up the stairs.

"Listen. I need you to hold on to hope. I don't care how impossible it might be, how crazy of an idea you have for rescue, or if it even makes sense. I don't give a shit. If we are going to get out of here, if you are going to survive, you need to keep one thought in your head no matter what: YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE."

The cold water made the sides of my feet tickle.

"But how?"

"YOU WILL FIND THAT OUT WHEN YOU WRITE YOUR FUCKING MEMOIRS! BUT RIGHT NOW, YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE IF I HAVE TO BEAT HOPE INTO YOU!" I clenched my fist and a series of brass rings materialized on my fingers. "Please give me an excuse to start."

He stared at the metal. "Uh... okay... what do you want me to do?"

It was hard to hide my smile and my bluff, but I did. "Get a bag, no larger than a grocery bag. If you don't have any bags, use a hat or a sweater with tied off arms. Collect only those things that you can carry with you. Don't worry about anything perishable. You're looking for memories, anchors to past times that meant something to you, things that are representative of who you are as a person. But we don't have time to be fussy about it."

He grabbed a large bucket hat. "A souvenir from the waterfront, from the last time I was truly happy with life." He filled the hat with some pictures ripped from a wall frame, a couple of pens (but he threw the journals to the waiting waters), a small figurine (he lingered over the large one but conceded it was too big), a smartphone, and charging cords.

I asked if that was enough to start a new life with.

"My life is over. You are the only person I know that's still alive, and I don't even know your name."

We felt a sudden surge in the waters. A second later, a shattering BOOM rattled the windows.

"OKAY WE GO UP NOW."

"Up? Not out? Shouldn't we go up the hill? Didn't you say that the building was a deathtrap?"

"I did before I realized the nature of the situation. The hills will not be our sanctuary." The waist high waters were mercifully not running with a current. The fool actually turned towards the elevators but I caught him and pulled him towards the outside staircase.

"LOOK UP! I KNOW YOU DON'T LIKE WOMEN, SO I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT YOU PERVING ON ME, BUT FOR FUCK'S SAKE, DO NOT LOOK OUT OR DOWN!"

Of course, he chooses to look out across the street, just in time to watch the waters undo the foundation of that apartment building and pull it into the devouring lake around us. He whimpered in fear and gripped the iron staircase as if his hand was welded to it.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, if I have to cut your hand off to save your life, I WILL DO IT. Change of plan. YOU FIRST. That way, if you decide to stop again, I get to taze you in the taint!"

The threat shook his attention free. "You would do what?"

"I SAID, BITCH, THAT I WOULD TAZE YOU IN THE TAINT ASSUMING I DON'T PUNCH THAT BUTTPLUG A LITTLE HIGHER! GET MOVING BEFORE I MAKE A SOPRANO OUT OF YOU! UP!"

He started scrambling up the staircase, giggling despite all his efforts not to indulge in humor. Halfway up the fifth floor, he finally found his words again. "I should take offense to all of your threats and implications. But I appreciate that you're only trying to help me."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't thank me yet. There is still a hard decision that has to be made once we're out of here."

"Yeah, about that, how are we going to get out of here?"

"Don't worry about that. You just keep hope that we will." I kept one eye on the water level that continued to rise just behind us, and one eye on the looming hillsides that were starting to crumble with soccer size clods tumbling haphazardly down previous slide scars. It was like the water was eroding the hills from the inside.

We made it to the roof over the tenth floor without further happenings. From here, we would have been able to see the observatory further up the hills, and the far side of the river and the town beyond it. But now the water was to the ninth floor of the building we were standing on. Many of the surrounding buildings had already collapsed and it is a wonder that the adjacent building didn't fall into ours when it went down.

It was also very clear that the water was undercutting the hills looming above us. We would never have made it to the hills on foot. If the rising water levels hadn't caught us first, the many mudslides that fell on or through the road leading up the hill would have buried us. We were truly alone, with apparently no one else in the world to call out to, or for.

He looked around. I could tell he was trying very hard not to cry. He started to sink to his knees but I pulled him back on his feet. "You're still alive, bitch. You're not allowed to give up just yet."

"Yes, I'm still alive... but for how long? You said not to worry about how we're going to escape, but now I have to ask, HOW?! Did you bring me up here just to die in peace?"

I could not help the insufferable smugness in my reply. "Hey. Riddle me this. It's daytime, right?"

"... Yea."

"And it's a clear day, right?"

"... Yea. What of it?"

"Where's the fucking sun?"

He stopped crying and looked around. The water level was now halfway through the tenth floor and the building had a slight sway under us. Nowhere was light reflected off that water.

He looked down at his feet, but no shadow was present to point the way. He looked up in fear and desperation. All overhead was the persistent intense blue of an indifferent summer sky and nowhere was its warden, the sun.

"There is no light in your world. You depend on the light cast by others to determine who you are. You brought your pen, which is a sign of creativity, but you also brought your phone, which could be construed as a sign of dependency on others to define your world and your limits. Not to mention, you brought charging cords, as if you could plug into your old life to power you through what is to come."

"But, you're neither hopeless nor lost. I know this because you chose your hat as the carrier for all this. The symbol of the one time you felt legitimately happy. Everything inside of that hat can be discarded into the waters around us, but you will still have that happiness and the capacity to be that happy again. And honestly, I suggest you do just that. Throw it all over the edge into the waters and put the hat on. You're gonna need your hands free for the next part."

He looked at the contents of the hat and held up the figurine. "So, what does this represent?"

"It is the trophy of an achievement. Something you went through a personal crisis to achieve. Some folk will say it's an expensive toy for boys that refuse to grow up. But that means something to you, some feat of tenacity or strength that you have been wanting to emulate. Perhaps you already do. Perhaps you feel that you can't. Don't limit yourself to other people's definitions of heroes and icons. The meaning of that figurine is more important than the plastic is it molded from."

He threw the figurine off the edge of the roof. "It's an anime figma. I wanted to take the larger official version of it, but it wouldn't fit in my hat. It's a cheap knockoff that all of my friends used to tease me about, but the character that it represents is someone that I have wanted to be for a long time. That I thought I wanted to be. But, gay men can only be heroic if they die. And I don't want to die."

He threw the pens off the edge as well. "I can always get more pens. I mean, fuck, I left a huge collection behind of pens that I never used because I was afraid I'd fuck them up. But I can always start over again, even if it's with a piece of charcoal."

He turned on the phone screen. Somehow, he had new messages waiting for him in various apps. "I know you were making threats to get my attention, to keep me from panicking. Make a soprano out of me... heh, that one actually made me laugh. But you didn't mention my orientation otherwise. I'm not a joke or a meme to you. You dragged me up here to save my life because I'm a person. You saw me ugly and afraid and... real. And you didn't let it stop you." The phone and the charging cords went over the edge.

He put the hat on. "I was in a relationship at the time. I didn't know who I was yet. We were at the faire, and I had just gotten a haircut, and the sun was so hot. A performer on stilts was working through the crowd and stopped in front of me. They said if I didn't do anything I was going to wear the Pride flag on my scalp. I said I didn't know what to do or what to buy. They took off their hat and dropped it on me. They told me to keep it and not to worry about the price. That our kind needed to look out for each other. My girlfriend, at the time, was a little miffed about it and wanted me to take it off because it was embarrassing her, until she realized that I kept getting discounts and extra stuff from the carnies because of the hat. It was still one of the best days of my life, because at the end of the day, when I realized what the performer had really said and why the carnies were so kind to me and what my then-girlfriend was expecting me to become, I came out to myself. Coming out to others, wasn't as pleasant. And I think that is when the sun left my life, when I started looking to others to tell me how I am supposed to be."

He looked at me as if for the first time. Tears started to stream down his face. "Tell me, am I already dead?"

"No. You still have hope, so you're still alive. If you didn't, the waters would have overwhelmed us by now. Your hope is the only thing holding them back."

"Thank you." He lowered his head as if in prayer. I watched the waters linger on the edge of the roof.

"Don't thank me yet. You can't stay and there's only one place I can take you."

"Where's that?"

"Witch Island."

"... What?"

I held out my left hand. "Take my hand and hold on with both of yours. This is going to be one helluva ride." Almost against his will, he came to me and did just that by firmly grasping my left hand with his left, and then grabbing my left wrist with his right hand.

I raised my right hand and called upon [a certain star]. It appeared in the sky above us, daytime be damned, and shone a single beam of starlight into the palm of my raised hand. I grabbed the beam even as the beam wound around my hand and arm. He looked on in amazement as the beam lifted me from the roof, and then by the strength of our grip, lifted him from the roof as well.

Scarcely had his feet left the tarmac, did the waters rush over the roof from all directions. As the apartment building was undone below us, we saw that nothing else had remained in this world. Even the hills that loomed over the buildings had been dissolved and devoured by the flood waters that remained the only thing present.

And still we ascended, rising higher into the sky until the persistent blue of summer yielded to the infinite darkness of space. More stars became visible as we left his old world behind. He looked out at all of them in wonder but I kept my gaze fixed on [the certain star] I had called out to.

And then suddenly, we were descending, from the overwhelming sea of stars into a different land. The island appeared small at first, so far in the distance that it was only distinguishable as something other than water, but as we approached, it increased in our awareness until it was less an island and more a small continent. Some folks were waiting for us, and helped guide the last few feet of descent onto the solid, grass-covered ground.

"Hey, you made it!" "Woo!" "You brought a friend? Or a new initiate?" "It's Witch Island, everyone is an initiate here, sooner or later."

"Not always." I had pulled him behind me to keep the self-appointed welcoming committee from swarming him. "For one, not all witches are initiated into something, and not all initiates are witches. Come on now, y'all know better. He just came out of a bad situation and this was the only place I could get him to on the first stop. He might not even stay."

"But Witch Island is so much fun! We just need to find a witch hat that suits him!" "Yeah, once he loosens up a little, he'll be fine. Stop being so stuck up about it."

I was second-guessing hard the need to bring him here.

"If you want to act like children, then I will get my official witch broom tee emm and smack you all with it vigorously!" An elder witch, dressed in street clothes and completely devoid of any stereotypical garb, came from the nearby forest with a stern look that sent the so-called welcoming committee scattering in all directions. "Sorry about that. They just got their first taste of shared experiences but they forgot that not everything is about them. Welcome back, [Weaver]. Anything I can help you with?"

He pulled on my arm. "I'm sorry, what did she call you?"

"What did you hear?"

"Ah... um..." He scratched his face as if to uncover something important under a streak of dried tears. "I don't know."

"Then don't worry about it." I faced the elder witch. "His world just got rocked and I'm looking to find a new shore for him to get settled again. This was the only place I could bring him for a first stop, but I don't think this will be his destination."

"Rocked, eh? Hard facts coming down too fast and hard?" She looked him over the same way one would look over a commissioned sculpture.

"No. Flooded, actually. Too many emotional concerns came up all at once. Nearly drowned him. What are you looking for?"

"Well, that explains why his feet smell like salt-water. And I'm looking to see how many cuts and bruises did you leave for me to patch up before he moves on to the next thing. You are not soft-handed when it comes to encouraging others."

"HEY!" My attempt to sound insulted was drowned out by his open laughter. The laughter waned into crying that was barely muffled by the hat he had pulled over his face.

"For the record, I didn't lay a hand on him, though I did have to get crude with the encouragement." We waited for him to work through the emotion and stand back up.

"So, what happens now? Do I become a witch and do witchy shit?"

"If you think you'll have to become like the out witches that you know, no, you do not. Some witches are quite vocal about their choices, and some witches are quite secretive about their choices. But, that's assuming that you are going to be a witch in the first place."

He looked at us. "Don't I have to? I mean, that's why you brought me here. You said it was the only place you could take me."

"It was, but that doesn't mean you have to stay. Let's get some hospitality into you first, and then we can lay out your options."

The elder took him to a nearby cabin and served him biscuits, ham, fruit, and milk. I didn't realize how dangerously thin he was until I watched him plump up from the bounty of food. The elder noticed this too and kept feeding him until he said he was full.

As he was eating, a stream of representatives from various witch covens, paths, groups, and collections kept trying to call upon him. The elder kept them all outside the cabin, but the sound carried easily inside. After he finished eating, he asked if he was required to undergo initiation into witchcraft.

The elder reminded him that he was not required to become a witch at all, much less follow any particular pathway to becoming a witch. She noted that there have been many people that make their way to Witch Island, but ultimately, not many people actually stay, much less become a witch that stays. It is her personal work to greet those that make their way to Witch Island and to give them the tools to sort out their lives for themselves.

We left the cabin and made our way to a clearing marked by large stones. Many witchy group representatives had already gone ahead of us and were eager for us to approach. The moment he was in sight, they began calling out for him to join their coven, gathering, or other collections of peoples.

"Well, I suppose... I can always change my mind, right?" He glanced up at the elder who nodded approvingly. But some of the groups in the clearing disagreed and declared their way to be the only true way for true witches. "Oh. So it's like all the other social groups I've been in. Your value is determined by how much you are willing to sacrifice."

It's the first self-reflection I have heard out of him since the dream started. It hurt my heart to hear it. "No. Some are. Some are predatory. Some are indifferent. But some are mutually supportive. And some encourage individual growth and progression. If anything, they are like all the other social groups you've been in, in that they are crafted by other human beings. Your mileage will vary. Part of growing as a person is learning how to vet these groups, and how to extricate yourself if you find yourself in a bad situation. There will never be One True Social Group that is perfect and harmless and happy-ever-after. You're setting yourself up for another flood, or a rockfall that way. Life is a labyrinth. Sometimes you wind up in dead ends, so you work your way back and try a different way. Sometimes you find yourself in a good thing that sours over time, but you are too busy holding on to the sweet nostalgia to notice the rot until it's too late. Witch Island is just one of many destinations. If none of these will work for you, it's okay to ask for help to find something that does."

He pulled his hat tighter onto his head and began to walk into the clearing. A breeze stirred and I heard something whisper over my shoulder. I glanced to the side but saw nothing. He entered the clearing and began talking to the first group he encountered. The breeze brushed against my shoulder a little harder and I heard a stronger whisper.

I looked to the elder who looked back at me. "Did you say anything?" She shook her head. The breeze moved stiffly against the hairs of the back of my neck but nothing else moved around me. The whisper was just behind my right ear and very clear.

"He needs to find his [static]."

Oh? I looked at the clearing and at the groups assembled here. Oh. Oh dear. He won't find that here. If anything, joining any of these groups may preclude him from finding it ever.

"Hey!" I called out to him. "Hang on, I don't want you rushing into anything. Come here, before I can cut you loose to the maddening horde, lemme ask someone for some help."

Some of the representatives argued that since he was in the clearing, I had no right to call him back. Some others argued that since I wasn't their type of witch, I had no right to call upon him at all. However, he came back out of the clearing anyway. As he approached me, the breeze shoved hard against my back as the whisper all but shouted that he needed to find his [static].

I wanted to shout back that I'm getting there, but since no one felt the breeze but me, I thought it better to remain silent. Instead, he, the elder, and I left the clearing and went to a cliff facing east. It was night at Witch Island, and though no moon was present, all the stars in all the skies were patiently sparkling overhead. Just as we needed no sun to see in the world I found him in, we could all see each other clearly in this eternal night.

"Elder, I'mma do something that some of yours might find offensive. May I take this space to do it?"

The elder witch's stern face broke into a conspiratorial grin. "Depends. What are you going to do?"

"I'mma call on an old connection. There is something he needs to find and he won't find it here. I need to find out if this connection is his link to finding it."

The elder crossed her arms and leaned back a bit. "Sure. On one condition. Your 'connection' doesn't set foot on this island."

Okay... that's... doable.

Some of the groups' representatives had followed us from the clearing. A few immediately talked loudly about improper witch conduct. The elder turned to challenge them, stating that when they become elders of their own Witch Island, then they can make the rules according to their feelings. But unless they wanted to challenge her for the seat of elder right here and now, they needed to abide by her rules, or leave.

He and I noted a few did leave. He muttered that maybe this witchcraft thing isn't as isolationist as he thought. I said nothing.

Instead, I moved to stand on the very edge of the cliff facing east. So much so on the edge, that there was not even room for a fly to land in front of my feet. In my left hand, I summoned a shallow candle-holder with a small tea-light candle. In my right hand, I summoned a stick of incense. Holding myself still, I focused my thoughts on a particular entity. When I began to detect their faint scent on the air, I blew on the incense and the candle, lighting both from the heat of my breath.

(Behind me, I heard him exclaim what a neat trick it was I just pulled off, but obviously it was just a trick... right?)

"To you I offer the warmth of this light and the sweetness of this scent. To you, I dare to address my words. To you, I ask that you make yourself visible, for to you, I give my attention."

On the far edge of the eastern horizon, the sun began to rise. It moved a few degrees into the horizon, then stopped before rising even halfway. But from that ingress, a beam of sunlight shot towards us, stopping only just before the cliff before expanding to take the form of a massive person wielding an axe even greater than they. From my vantage point, I could tell that they were standing on the surface of the ocean far below me with the same ease as I was standing on the edge of the cliff.

They took their axe and pointed at my toes with the top of the shaft.

"Your attention I have when I will, but must you be so greedy as to not even permit me a smidge of land to stand upon? Is this how you treat your betters?" Their voice boomed over us all like so many shockwaves.

Many behind us winced and ducked, including the very person I was summoning this giant for. A very few others, the elder, and myself did not so much as flinch.

"I hear the dare, o great one, and choose to hold peace between us. This is not my land to grant access to, and I must uphold the rule of hospitality that governs me while I am here."

They laughed with deep sincerity. "And here I thought I could test myself against a witch god today. But you have chosen the better action, I agree. You give me your attention, and I eat it greedily, but for what do you give me your attention?"

I looked over my shoulder at the poor guy barely standing in fright next to the elder. "For him." I called out to him. "Hey, come over here, they're not going to take your head off just for standing beside me. Come here, let them take a good look at you."

He trembled to approach, so the elder witch pinched him on his elbow and nudged him forward, chuckling. He did approach then, taking off his hat in respect as he stood slightly behind me, more afraid of falling off the cliff than anything else.

I addressed the giant. "So, as I was hanging out around here, not involving myself in anything, a breeze made it clear that this Seeker needs to find something. It is a something that he will not find here on Witch Island. It is something that I have heard in reference to you. And so, to you I call for help on his behalf."

The giant's mirth faded as they rested their axe on their shoulder in a completely not threatening manner whatsoever. "What something, Little Bird?"

Little Bird? Ah, shit. All birds are little in comparison to them, and their refusal to name a species in the moniker is as much of a tell as any species they could have referenced.

"A thing I am not supposed to know about, O Great One. But we both know how I wind up in the middle of many things I'm not supposed to be involved in."

They took a breath and I braced for a strike, wondering if I would be able to shield the man beside me. I was not so naive to think that the laws of hospitality would protect me, since the giant was not on the island itself.

"Speak clearly, Little Bird. What something caused you to seek me of all my kind?"

At least they were being polite about it.

"His [static], O Great One. I heard the air move and from beyond I was told that he need to find his [static]. But if he binds himself here, on Witch Island, there are very few groups that you and yours would permit him to take comfort in, and very few groups that would allow him to seek you and yours after. So, I am asking now on his behalf, before those paths are sealed."

"Hmm." The giant's rumination rumbled my bones and cause wee pebbles to fall from under my toes. The rescued man trembled but moved shiver directly behind me as if I were a tower he could take shelter in. "That answers only part of my question, Little Bird. If that is the something, then why did you seek me when there is another that is closer to you?"

Another? Closer? But... oh. They're right. There is. Oh boy. Not gonna be able to razzle-dazzle my way out of this one.

"Because, O Great One, I do not know how to approach them. I am afraid to. The penalty for rudeness is quite high, and I am already sliced quite thin. I know they are there for me, but I do not know the protocol I should have with them, whereas I know the protocol I should have with you."

The giant laughed again with deep peals that rang out over all of the island to the ocean waters beyond.

"You know nothing, Little Bird. But you are so cute in your error and so sincere in your desire, that I will permit this to be the protocol between us. Still brazen, to a fault, I see. Such fierce fire that burns within you. Challenge them, as you have challenged me, and you will be pleased by the results, I am sure. But of the one that you have called me for, yes, he does need to seek his [static], and you are correct that many here will prevent him from doing so without some personal sacrifice that he is ill-equipped to pay. But you are not his guide into my world. Only the one who holds the door between us. Will you stand aside and let him come through on his own?"

I turned around very carefully as to keep my feet on the edge of the cliff. He backed up just enough to give me room. "Here. Take them. Take the candle-holder and the incense stick. They won't burn you."

He looked at the pieces and then looked up at the giant. "Who... who is that?"

"Nah, can't tell you that. If you didn't recognize them by what they brought with them, then any name I give you here will not make sense. You're still dreaming, after all."

He snapped his attention to my face. "I am? I'm dreaming?"

I wanted to laugh in his face, but thought that might be too much. "It was your hope that kept the flood waters at bay. It was your desire for escape that permitted me to bring you to Witch Island. It is your desire for something more to your life that called the witch groups and served as the beacon for my call to this entity. This is your dream, and I am just a little bird being a little shit in the middle of it. I could tell you all of their names, and chances are, you won't remember a damn thing when you wake up. But the actions you take here do have consequences. If you take up the candle and the incense, if you go through the pathway I have opened up for you, then in the waking world, that connection will be made and you will find your [static]. I'm envious, really. And happy for you. Your ancestors have been calling from the start, but it will take you time to hear them. This is the beginning of your call back."

"But... I'm gay."

"What happened to proudly proclaiming yourself a fag?"

He glanced nervously at the giant behind me. "That seems... impolite at the moment."

"Oh, I may know nothing, but you have quite a lot to learn. Just be yourself. Don't worry about trying to fit into someone else's label or ideal. Be a little bird if that makes you happy. Has worked out mostly well for me. But decide quickly, because I don't want to overstep the elder's good graces in permitting me to summon them here."

He looked up at the giant behind me, all glowing like sunshine and fire. He looked at the elder witch behind him who suddenly looked a lot less elder and a lot more eldritch. He looked at me and at the items I held out, and then took them.

"Okay, what do I do now?"

The giant lowered their axe so that it was almost touching the cliff edge, but not quite. They held it low and even, so that the seeker could step off the cliff and onto the broad face of the weapon. "Now, you come with me. If you declare yourself a fag, with all the violence that the word contains, then you know what it is to fight. And I will fight with you. There are others that you must know, and they will take the length and breadth of you, such that we will find you, no matter where in the worlds you are."

He stepped off the cliff and onto the weapon with ease. For the first time since encountering him in the underground garage, he looked at ease and at peace. As the giant lifted the axe, I felt the rush of many breezes flowing past me to circle the giant and their care. Some of them whispered gratitude in my ear as they passed.

"Now that I have him, there is nothing here to anchor my attention. Farewell, Little Bird." They turned to address the elder witch. "Farewell, Old One." The elder witch just nodded with satisfaction. The giant turned, and strode across the sunbeam back into the rising sun with one step, taking the seeker with them on their axe.

The rising sun, now having concluded its business, unwound itself and slipped back under the eastern horizon, causing the night to stretch across the sky again as was its due here at Witch Island.

I waited for my night vision to return before trying to step away from the cliff edge. The moment I shifted my foot, the elder witch had taken my arm and guided me to safety.

"You know, quite a few folks are quite disappointed in you. They tell me you are not behaving as a proper witch, and that this event is proof that I should exile you, or worse."

I had to laugh. "Elder, I have no home from which to be exiled from! What's the worse?"

"The worse is to strip you of everything that is not witch-bound so that you become the dedicated witch that other people seem to think you should be."

The elder said such in very low and threatening tones that caused the eavesdroppers to quiver in anticipation. I, however, could do no such thing and almost fell over from laughing so hard.

The elder expertly feigned offense poorly. "Excuse you. I would have you to know that I am the god of this island, and that any who step foot here does so by my whims. You dare to challenge my authority over you with laughter?"

I did sit down then, as the laughter was overwhelming. Finally, she relented and joined in, sitting on the ground beside me. "Anyone who believes that is doing their witchcraft very unwell and will be the cause of their correction. Little Bird, is it? How many names are you going to collect?"

"How many languages are there to confuse? No, they were being very kind to me in reminding me of an obligation in that way." I laid out on the soft ground. It reminded me of other things, but this was not the place for that rumination. Looking at the night sky gave me an excuse to change the subject. "Elder, there is no moon in your sky."

"No, there isn't."

"But, something something witchcraft something."

"That is not for you to consider but for those who will read your words to ponder."

I said nothing but stared at the Elder whose chuckling did turn low and threatening.

"I'm sorry, did you really think that you had put up your pens for good? Heh. No, Little Bird, you will sing of this. It may not have been your dream, but there are lessons within it just the same. Let those with eyes to see, see, and those with ears to hear, listen, and those with minds to consider, understand. Now, be off with you, before something else comes looking for you and trespasses upon my home and my humor."

The elder witch nudged me ever so gently. It was enough to shatter my body and awareness from the dream.

Make of that, what you may.

[celianity]

we go down together - jj.m.

After being abandoned by JJ in a jail cell, you are not really on speaking terms. The chaos becomes perfect when three uninvited guests crash your little beach party.

disclaimer: just tapping back into writing - might turn this into a little story project (if anyone's interested)

warnings: slight swearing, fighting, mentions of underaged drinking, english not being my first language

His eyes are more unfathomable than the depths of the ocean as he watches me across the campfire. The flames draw sharp shadows on his face, and I avert my gaze, afraid to cut myself on its edges.

It wouldn't be the first time I've stained my hands with blood trying to resist his almost magnetic pull. But by now I have become a serious opponent myself.

The hand on my lower back increases its pressure, pulling me closer to the side of the tourist whose name I'm going to scream tonight with such conviction that JJ’s ears will bleed even on the opposite side of town.

Am I getting tired of this cat-and-mouse game? Yes. Will I conciliatory hold out my hand and admit defeat? Of course not.

The beer in my red plastic cup is stale, warmed slightly by the fire and the still-comfortable temperatures, just right to make the fingers wandering along my hip more bearable. JJ gulps and brings his own cup to his lips to mask the disgusted tug around his mouth.

I know all too well how that sight can burn into your retinas, how cruelly it can keep you awake at night while you ruffle your hair and curse yourself for your own stubbornness.

Rough fingertips against the bare skin of my thigh bring me back to the present and I find myself wishing they belonged to someone else. The conversations of my friends crash over me like a mighty wave, their laughter carried away by the wind along with the music playing quietly in the background. A strand of hair flies across my eyes, veiling the scenery around me for a split second, before it’s carefully being tucked behind my ear by the boy next to me.

Kiara's gaze is razor sharp, slashing my ribcage open with a clean cut down the middle, baring the scars on my heart. Under her scrutiny, I feel weirdly naked. Not the kind I would prefer under any other circumstances.

I give her a carefree smile and turn back to my companion, whom I met on the beach while surfing this afternoon.

I didn't tell Kie about the last fight between JJ and me for fear she might finally be forced to choose a side. That it most likely wouldn't be mine makes the corners of my eyes sting suspiciously.

Each rash word is just another mark on JJ and mine's score. Gentle touches, breathless sweet nothings, secret revelations, nullified by accusations that etched our throats with every syllable. A lame maneuver to hide the real depth of our feelings.

As if JJ didn't relive each of the fears in my head through the stories, I used to tell him late at night. As if I didn't anchor each ounce of his guilty feelings inside the pit of my stomach to relieve him of this burden at least a little.

The familiar outline of his clenched jaw almost makes me forget why we're at loggerheads. My fingers twitch and I claw them into the hem of my dress. He's not getting off the hook so easily this time, no matter how much I miss the weight of his arms around my waist when lying in my bed.

The idea of sinking Topper's boat may have been my doing, but the finer points of the exercise came from JJ's imagination.

I suppress a shudder at the memory of the musty dampness of the puny jail cell where I spent last night. Alone, mind you. That traitorous asshole tucked tail when the going got tough and Shoupe showed up at the chateau’s door. And yet, with each passing minute, I find it harder to keep stoking my rage.

I swallow hard and sway the half-empty plastic cup in my hand before emptying it.

In a household with unstable foundations, news of an arrest is like an all-consuming earthquake that leaves no survivors. Not to mention the sizable bail, which for my parents was more onerous bureaucracy than serious problem. A metaphorical slap on the wrist and they turned back to more interesting things.

I endured my friends’ taunts this morning with a gracefully raised chin and indulgent laughter, because I have solid ground under my feet while JJ balances on a tightrope.

Still, his betrayal hurts more than I care to admit.

Before my mind starts spinning again, I focus on the banter between John B and Pope, who are about to use absurd comparisons to fight out who would stay alive longer in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

A winner can no longer be declared, because at that moment three shadowy figures approach from one side of the beach. Their quick steps sink into the sand, making their strides look rather stodgily. This impression fades relatively quickly when I identify the figure in the middle as Rafe.

“Hey, ex-con,” he calls out, the echo of his voice reverberating in my bones. Topper and Kelce flank him on either side, as if clinging to their mom’s skirt.

The realization makes me laugh in surprise and I quickly slap my hand over my mouth. John B gives me an alarmed look before stepping around the campfire to face our uninvited guests.

JJ lowers his cup to the ground and rises as well, arms folded defensively in front of his chest. I can almost feel the tension in his shoulders and unintentionally take a step toward him until cold fingers snake around my wrist to hold me back.

A broad back slides into my field of vision and my patience snaps. Roughly, I yank my wrist free and circle the fireplace, stopping next to John B, ready to face the inevitable melee with my head held high. Somewhere behind me I hear JJ’s knuckles crack.

“Have they now robbed you of the last vestige of your already deficient manners?” Rafe taunts and the hostile undertone in his voice makes me shudder. “So, a little refresher of the natural hierarchy should be just right, don't you think? It’s always tit for tat.”

“Since when do you let Mommy fight your battles, Top?” I ask challengingly, studiously ignoring Rafe. “We’re even, you dickheads. You had your fun with Pope, and in return we had ours with the Malibu. You should have heard her heartbreaking screams as she sank.” My choice of words hit the mark.

Rafe marches directly toward me with sweeping strides and I brace myself for his outburst of volcanic proportions, already seeing myself covered in ash kneeling amid the lava-covered landscape. He should really learn to get his temper under control. My jibes would be far less fun if they were met with an impenetrable countenance.

He has almost reached me when a blond shadow tackles him to the ground, causing sand to spurt up in all directions.

For a second of shock, we are all frozen before Kiara’s shouts and Pope’s groans tear the night apart. Topper has knocked the latter to all fours with a well-aimed punch to the stomach. Kie lunges for Kelce’s back, who gets a hold of John B’s shirt collar at that moment.

It's a chaotic mess of flailing limbs and strained groans.

And I stand at the edge of the scenery, squinting at the fast moving body shapes dimly lit by the fire like a fish out of water.

My tourist companion secretly sneaks away behind my back, but I couldn’t care less.

Taking a deep breath, I snap out of my stupor and grab Rafe’s lunging arm around the bicep before it can smash down on JJ’s face like a sledgehammer. The momentum of his movement makes me stumble, and I claw my fingers harder into his heated skin.

He whirls around, an animalistic glint in his eyes, ready to get back at me even though we’re not on direct war terms with each other. Shining blood wets his split lip, forming a thin trickle down his chin.

A spark of fear settles in the pit of my stomach. But he's not the only one willing to take a slap in the face for his friend.

“Don't even think about it", JJ presses through clenched teeth, kicking Rafe’s legs out from under him. He collapses like a blown up building and JJ manages to put him in a relentless headlock. “We’re even, you bastard.”

Finally, he pushes Rafe off of him as the latter's complexion turns an unhealthy dark red in the fire’s glow. Rafe lands on his stomach, unable to soften the fall with his hands, growling faintly.

My warning catches in my throat as JJ turns to face me, gifting Rafe with a moment of inattention for his next attack.

JJ’s fingertips slip from my outstretched palm.

Rafe pins him to the ground with both knees, fingers curled into claws around his neck, squeezing relentlessly, while JJ wriggles under his weight to get free again.

Feverishly, my eyes search for a way out, but the others are too busy trying to prevent various body parts from being broken. Pope and John B keep Kelce and Topper at bay, while Kie tries in vain to settle the fights.

That’s when I spot JJ’s backpack leaning against a log by the campfire and rush toward it, desperately hoping to find the gun inside that he rarely leaves the house without lately. He has an unfortunate habit of not having it at hand in dicey situations.

Half blinded by my rising panic, I rummage through the contents of the bag, gracing the coldness of his motorcycle keys and a bag of weed before my fingers close around the handle of the gun.

Two shots rip through the night, interrupting the melee for a few seconds. Steadying my hand with the other, I aim the barrel at Topper's sweaty face, wandering further over Kelce until I reach Rafe.

“The next shot is a hit.” I warn, taking a few steps forward to reinforce my words.

Breathing heavily, JJ shoves Rafe off of him and struggles to his feet. My friends slowly drag themselves behind me until Kooks and Pogues are facing each other, waiting with baited breath. Kie has an arm wrapped around Pope’s waist in support. John B, panting slightly, brushes his tousled curls from his forehead.

“You heard her.” Kiara snaps. “I wouldn't tempt fate if I were you.”

Rafe spits disdainfully at our feet before shooing his entourage in the opposite direction with a nod of his head. Apparently, a spark of his sanity has managed to save itself from JJ’s blows.

“Holy shit.” Pope moans, slipping from Kiara's grasp to slump against a tree trunk, his face contorted in pain.

“Now would you please put that away?” JJ asks, hesitantly closing a blood crusted hand around the barrel of the gun.

I glare at him. My heart is pounding, adrenaline flooding my veins, and for a split second I'm afraid my finger might slip on the trigger. I release my tense grip and drop the gun to the ground in front of him.

“Careful, Maybank. I may have just saved your ass, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten about my little jail holiday.”

His gaze becomes veiled again and it’s like sitting in this damn cell anew, hands clasping the bars, waiting to be released. But this time I turn around and throw away the key.

For now, I don’t crave the sweet taste of freedom.

[abliafina-18782]

Mr & Mr Kazansky

Pairing: Iceman X Maverick

Author's Note: @ghostlydarknight sent me on a complete brainrot imagining IceMav as Mr & Mrs Smith so I had to write it😌👀 this is a work in progress, I'll update it when I can.

ALSO I'm not claiming I own the rights to the movie, credit goes to the scriptwriter Simon Kinberg. I've just rewritten it so it works as a story and with the Icemav pairing.

Warnings: Depictions of violence, like fighting, altercations, guns and explosions. Spoilers for the movie Mr & Mrs Smith

Word count: 6k

Iceman and Maverick are secret agents that get tasked with killing each other, inspired by the movie Mr & Mrs Smith

Marriage is about trust. Period. You can have attraction, shared interests, if you don’t have trust it’s like you got an anchor, an eighty-foot sail, and no boat. You sink like a stone.

Those were the words that Tom Kazansky had built his marriage upon. For nearly ten years, he thought he’d lived a picture-perfect life. He had a successful career and lived in a two-story house mortgage-free together with his darling husband, Pete Kazansky, formerly Mitchell.

They’d met in a bar in San Diego, during karaoke night, and Tom had fallen head over heels for Pete almost the minute he saw him. The short, dark-haired man, with a grin still so boyish, had dared him into singing a duet of “You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling” and since then Tom had been hooked.

So where did it all go wrong?

Tom pondered this as he pulled into the driveway of his house, fingers drumming against the steering wheel. He narrowed his eyes and did a once-over of the house he’d once called home. No sign of Pete in any of the kitchen windows.

He parked in the garage and made his way into the house through the garage’s side door. The corridors were empty and the only indication someone might be home was the turned-on lamps. Tom slipped on his wedding band, he never wore it at work, as he passed their kitchen that looked like something straight out of an IKEA catalog.

Suddenly, Pete stood in front of him, a vodka martini in each hand.

“Perfect timing.” Pete smiled, except it didn’t reach his eyes.

For the first time in years, Tom really looked at his husband. His eyes wandered across the body he knew every nook and cranny of and checked for any sort of clue. Pete, who usually looked so ruffled from his “job” in his car shop, didn’t have as much as a strand of hair out of place.

His left hand was angled perfectly so you could see his wedding ring. He’d swapped the regular white T-shirt and jeans he usually wore for a black button-down shirt and navy blue slacks. An apron was tied around his waist and his hair had been neatly combed back. Tom thought he smelled cologne too. There wasn’t a single crease on Pete’s clothes and the perfection was suspicious.

“As always.” Tom approached his husband and took the martini from Pete’s hands, forcing a smile on his lips, “This is a nice surprise.”

“I hope so.” Pete’s gaze lingered on the martini, “You’re home early”

“I missed you.”

Tom shot his husband a smile and shifted sideways, scanning a mirror in case they would reveal something hidden, never fully turning his back against Pete. They were both on the edge, Pete craned his neck to follow Tom’s movements, their eyes equally wide open. A bottle of bleach was left out on the kitchen counter.

“I missed you too.” Pete’s lips curled into a tight smile. He motioned towards the dining room. “Shall we?”

“Yes.”

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