#hopefully this isn't too late now that you're into faeu

[imtrashraccoon]

This took me longer than I wanted but, not to beat a dead horse, I blame writer's block. It works out though because someone just reached two hundred followers! I hear she has a whiteboard up if any of you feel like participating...

@superbfirnacho Consider this a gift; thanks for being a good friend! (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ

Ivymare: Pirate Edition

Laughter and music echoed from the deck but Captain Nightmare was holed up in the bridge, pouring over a series of maps. He wasn't one to engage in partying but he wouldn't keep his crew from doing the same. Besides, they deserved to have some fun after how successful the last raid went.

The riotous party seemed to grow louder for a moment before once again fading into the background as the door was opened and softly closed. Nightmare barely glanced up from his desk as the intruder padded over to his side, after all, there was only one person on his ship who would so boldly approach him like this.

He was suddenly enveloped in a hug from behind. Although the action came as a surprise, he managed to stay calm and only stiffened up a little bit. Coming from anyone else and he would've pinned them to the table with his bare hands for even daring to touch him without permission but he'd grown softer lately.

"What do you want?" he growled quietly. He was a little annoyed at the prospect of being interrupted but it was hard to actually be angry with her.

"I want to know why you're hiding away while everyone's out there celebrating."

Nightmare sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Ivy..."

"Come on... Come dance with me, Nighty," she begged as she leaned heavily against his shoulders.

He huffed and half-heartedly attempted to push her off. "You wouldn't want to see me dance..."

Ivy's arms remained firmly wrapped around him and if anything her grip only tightened, allowing her to press her body up against his back. Nightmare silently cursed whatever gods had decided to vex him with such a bewitching woman.

Ivy was unlike any other being he'd encountered while sailing the Seven Seas. She was as beautiful as she was clever and she was also quick on her feet, unlike most people he'd had the displeasure of meeting. Her skin was as smooth as porcelain and softer than fine satin. Her hair was on the shorter side with a natural wave and perfectly framed the pair of stubby horns resting on the crown of her head. The only aspect of her that wasn't seemingly perfect were her eyes. Indeed, her left was a warm brown while her right was a brilliant green that reminded him of the first Spring shoots, but he found them beautiful regardless of their uniformity.

"Please?" she asked. "How about if I give you a kiss, hm~?"

"I... Damn it, woman. You can't just-" His protests were interrupted when she planted a soft kiss on his cheekbone.

"There, now you have to come dance with me~" she whispered.

He felt a strange warmth flood his cheekbones and his soul did a little flip at the gesture. He fought to keep a straight face and get his magic under control since he'd never hear the end of it if she realized that her charms had this much of an effect on him.

He hated to admit it but he liked it whenever she touched him. Since joining his crew, the icy shell around his soul had cracked, letting the warmth of her affections steadily seep in. A part of him feared the day when she'd inevitably shatter the defenses he'd built up over the years, but maybe she was different from everyone else?

Nightmare hummed softly and cupped the side of her face. He had to be mindful of his claws so as to not mar her delicate skin but he wouldn't dream of intentionally hurting her. He felt her smile widen beneath his phalanges and he'd be lying if he said touching her like this wasn't enjoyable.

Maybe he would humour her, just this once. It wasn't as if he didn't know how to dance since he'd had the opportunity to learn many of the classics growing up. He just didn't like the thought of dancing in front of people, let alone his rowdy crew.

He turned his face to nuzzle against the side of her neck. She always smelled so sweet, like a rare blossom from a far off land, even amid the scent of the ocean's salty spray. He hummed again before pulling back to look at her.

Before he could respond, his eyelight fell on a series of faint lines along her neck. She didn't have very many scars and the ones she did have, she'd mostly received from scuffles since joining his crew. The weird thing was that these lines were much too straight and clean to just be scars.

So then, what were they?

He didn't want to believe what he was seeing but he knew there was no mistaking it.

She'd deceived him.

She was no better than any other woman he'd encountered.

"Nighty? Is something wrong?"

His eyelight snapped to her face and he frowned. She was giving him a concerned look, which normally was enough to make him melt, but not this time.

He pushed her off, somewhat roughly, and turned back to his desk. "No means no, woman. I'm not coming to dance tonight," he growled through clenched teeth.

"Oh..." Ivy started to reach for him but stopped herself, letting her hand drop back to her side. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to upset you..."

He clenched his fists, barely keeping his anger contained. He knew she was probably upset at how harsh he'd been but he didn't care. He just wanted her to leave him alone so that he could think.

She seemed hurt and confused but didn't thankfully, was smart enough not to try pressing further. With a disappointed sigh, she turned and left the bridge.

He should've known this would happen.

He smacked his skull against the desk and let out a frustrated growl.

He remembered the day he'd found her. The crew had stopped at a small inlet to rest when she stepped out of the forest wearing nothing but rags. He'd kept his crew from hurting her, although only after she'd knocked Killer to the ground for getting in her face.

She claimed that she'd run away from an arranged marriage but the ship she was on had wrecked, leaving her stranded on the island. She hadn't wanted to talk about where she was from or who her betrothed had been but this wasn't really that unusual considering how many of his crew also had unfortunate backstories.

Nightmare was almost immediately smitten by her. Not only was she strong but she had courage to stand up for herself. She was also gorgeous in his opinion and seemed to have a sort of wisdom about her. He liked that. There were very few women that acted in this manner, so he'd allowed her to come aboard the ship and eventually he'd even let her join his crew when she'd more than proven that she could hold her own in a fight.

But it had all been a lie.

She was a siren. A pathetic parasite of the sea who only deceived and hurt the desperate.

He was just starting to think that she might be special, maybe even the one person who truely understood him.

He wouldn't do anything right away, not while a celebration was going on anyways. Instead, he would do what he needed to do quietly. It would be best, just in case she had gotten her claws into any of his crew as well.

Standing from his desk, he readjusted his coat and made his way to the door. His soul was heavy but his mind was writhing with anger. One way or another, he would find out the truth.

He stepped out of the bridge and scanned the crowd of revelers until his eyelight fell on the one person he needed right now. Thankfully, his first mate was quick to notice and soon made his way from the party to his side.

"something the matter, captain?"

Nightmare narrowed his good eye socket at Killer's jovial tone. "I need you to do something but not right this moment..."

~~~

"it's done."

Nightmare looked up as Killer entered the bridge. "Did anyone else see you?" he asked.

"nah, i convinced her to help me find something and then locked her in the brig. she was so mad..." Killer chuckled. "she probably just thinks i'm messing with her and will let her out later."

"And what if she convinces someone else to do so?"

Killer grinned and produced a key from his pocket. "unless they want to make a lot of noise by destroying the cage, they'll need to talk to you or myself."

Nightmare nodded before growing more serious. "You didn't hurt her, right?" he asked in a quieter tone.

"just her pride, captain."

"Good. Not a word of this to anyone until I talk to her or I'll make sure you won't speak again, got it?"

Killer nodded and mimed sealing his non-existent lips. "yeah yeah, loose lips sink ships and all that."

"I mean it," Nightmare growled.

~~~

Nightmare didn't venture into the hold until late in the afternoon. It was partially because he wanted to be alone when he confronted her but also because he felt conflicted about what he should do.

Ivy had been sitting on the floor but she quickly scrambled to her feet when he approached. Her ears twitched each time he took a step and by the way her eyes scanned his face he knew that she was anxious. Then, she smiled at him. It was the same cheery smile she always wore but he noticed it was a slightly strained this time.

"If this is your idea of fun, I'm not sure I like it. Cause I'm pretty sure this isn't how bondage usually works~" she teased.

Nightmare felt his cheekbones grow slightly warm but managed to get control of himself. How could she make such a joke now? Surely, she knew what was going on, right?

"Why would you hide something so important from me?" he asked quietly.

"Huh? I've never hidden anything from you, Nighty..."

He narrowed his eye socket at her and let out a low growl. "Do I need to throw you over the side to prove my point?"

Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply, but at least she didn't try to lie again.

"Why did you deceive me?" he reiterated his previous question.

She lowered her gaze and said nothing for what felt like several minutes. "I didn't have much of a choice but to deceive you... Not if I wanted to live anyways..." she finally whispered.

It was true that he had a ruthless reputation. He never hesitated to kill during raids and he didn't stop his crew from doing so either. At the very least no one could accuse him of discrimination since he killed men, women, humans, monsters, mermaids, and sirens alike.

"I hated being a siren. I just, I wanted to experience the world like everyone else." She hesitated for a moment before making eye contact again. "Think what you want, but my feelings for you were never a lie."

She spoke with conviction and as the seconds dragged on, refused to look away. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, threatening to overflow, and yet her determination held firm.

Nightmare broke first and looked away with a frown. He'd killed hundreds for less and yet he couldn't bear to do the same to her. Why was it so hard to hate her for what she did?

He moved closer to the bars and when Ivy didn't back away, he reached out to cup her cheek with his hand. He carefully wiped away her tears with his thumb as he scanned her face.

"My feelings for you were never been a lie..." he repeated.