#me and the bro sailing in the ao3 sea with a pirate ship | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kilannad · 1 year ago

Text

As the Stars Burn On Chapter 25

Masterlist. Ao3.

Rocketman

“Lucy!” Gajeel skidding to a stop on his knees, pressing his hands against her face and tilting her this way and that. “I thought you said you were fine.”

“I am.”

Laxus dropped down next to her, burying his face into her shoulder. Even muffled, she could hear his worry. “Then why the fuck can we smell your blood?”

She cringed, looking away. The absolute smack down they'd received at the hands of CP9 still smarted; she didn't care much for the pain outside of how it might slow her down in the coming fight, but the fact that she hadn't even managed to get a hit in ate at her. Surely after how far she'd come, she should be able to do better.

“Chopper's already patched me up,” she promised. She ran her hand through Gajeel's hair, coming back soot covered. Laxus, now that she looked, was similarly disastrous. “What the hell happened to you two?!”

“We helped evacuate the docks,” Laxus explained. His face shuttered, something haunted in his eyes. “It...wasn't pretty.”

She swallowed, closing her eyes. She prayed whatever souls had passed would find their way to peace. Next to them, the train roared to life with a rumble that echoed her own rage. Likely hundreds dead, all so CP9 could leave without being seen.

Kokoro had directed them all towards another underground storage area. Unlike Franky's base, this one was filled, though not with a ship. Instead, a short, gleaming silver sea train with a pointed shark figurehead awaited them. Rocketman had been a prototype to Puffing Tom but Kokoro got it up and running and was certain she could get them through Aqua Laguna and to Enies Lobby. Chopper had patched everyone up best he could, and Nami had sourced food and booze for them all to refuel on. All that was left was for Luffy to give the order.

“Oi, wait!” Zambei, Franky's right hand, stumbled in with the twins right behind him. “Straw Hat, is it true? Was big bro really taken?”

“Yes,” Lucy answered, Luffy busy stuffing his face. “But we're going after our crewmate anyway, so we'll bring him back.”

“We can't let you do that alone,” Kiwi argued.

“He's our big bro!” Mozu agreed.

“Let us come with you,” Zambei added. “We just need to hook are King Yagara's to you and the Franky Family will have your back.”

Pursing her lips, Lucy considered the offer. It would be undeniably helpful to have more people, yet she didn't think the Franky Family had the high level fighters the Straw Hats boasted. Enies Lobby wasn't any marine base; it was one of the three pillars of the World Government, a fortress of fighters and tactitians. In short—the Straw Hats were going into a death trap.

“Eh, sure,” Luffy said. “Why not?” The three dismantlers took off before Lucy could argue the point, but in the end it wouldn't matter. What Luffy said, Luffy got. With a contented sigh, Luffy stood with a stretch. “Yoish! Let's go.”

“Before you go,” Paulie announced, stepping down the staircase. He tossed something over to Luffy. “Give that to Lucci. And tell him he's fired.”

“You aren't going to insist on coming?” Zoro asked.

“Normally I would. But Water 7 is a mess and we need all the help we can. As Vice President, I have to stay.” He bit down hard on his cigar. “But make no mistake. You make it clear that Galley-La will kill any of those CP9 assholes that show their faces again.”

“Noted,” Laxus said. “Good luck.”

“Says the man sailing straight towards hell.”

With all the interuptions taken care of, the remaining Straw Hats loaded onto Rocketman, Kokoro settling into the conductors room. “Alright, pirates! Rocketman is taking off, final destination the Judicial Island, Enies Lobby! When I get us on the tracks, we'll be set. Until then, hold on to your everything.”

“Here,” Nami announced as the doors closed. “I got everyone a change of clothes.”

Rocketman began moving, steam building and releasing with a loud whistle. Laxus and Gajeel both downed the pills Chopper gave them like two men dying as they went flying out of the warehouse and down into the ocean itself. Rocketman traveled above the water, Kokoro masterfully handling him as she guided him towards the rails that floated just under the water. The storm was a full living thing now, filled with wrath and hatred as they went straight into the heart of it. The Franky Family, with two massive, sea king-sized yagara's, attached themselves to the rear of the train.

Laxus and Gajeel changed into the clothes they'd warn to meet Franky in, while Lucy switched into a black skirt and purple sweetheart cut shirt with a white shawl over it. Zoro had taken off the shirt he usually wore under his haramaki and thrown on a tan leather jacket he wore open; Nami had switched to a crop top and jean jacket with a skirt and Luffy, in true Luffy fashion, had only another version of his usual shorts and shirt. Usopp and Chopper, similarly, had stuck to their old comfort clothes, adding only a cape and pink vest, respectfully.

After everyone had changed, Lucy realized that Usopp had retreated to a back corner, face buried in his hands as he trembled all over. She took a step, only to have Laxus hold her back, shaking his head as he approached Usopp himself. Trusting him to have it in hand, she checked on the rest of the crew. Zoro and Luffy had gone outside to deal with an incoming wave, just as Rocketman landed on the rails, speed quatrupling easily. Kokoro joined them in the main cart, easily revealing they were now on a runaway train with no chance to stop. Lily was comforting Chopper while Nami checked her Climatact.

With nothing else to do, Lucy started prepping her own arsenal.

☉

Sanji hissed a breath between his teeth, cracking his spine. Cipher Pole agents were no joke, and these idiots weren't even the big wigs. The boxer, shitty as he was, had gotten a few too many good hits in, leaving Sanji aching and bruised. Puffing Tom pierced through the storm easily, sending them all closer and closer to Enies Lobby and Robin's execution. Lucy had dropped contact with him, opting to save as much of her magic as possible; it meant he was going in blind, the calvary charge to rescue a lady in need.

Six seas, he hoped she was okay. And if she wasn't? Not even the fire of hell would stop him from exacting vengence.

☉

Jonathan was glad that he was taken to one of the upper offices in the Tower of Law. It was well known among the upper ranks that if you were called to judgement by Judge Baskerville, the decision had already been made. Instead though, he sat down with a very severe looking but pleasant CP1 agent. While CP1 was likely the weakest in terms of strength, they were especially hated by marines for one simple reason; they conducted internal affairs.

“Vice Admiral 'Chessmaster' Jonathan,” Agent Linna began, serving tea. “Why don't you start by telling me how you managed to let not one, but two captured POI escape your prison?”

Ah. Perhaps not as pleasant as he hoped.

☉

Sanji slammed into the wall, groaning. The smell of ramen was nearly overwhelming, second only to the offence he felt at this CP7 idiot daring to use food as a weapon. He'd had a fairly good feeling after he'd managed to free Franky and the two of them had disconnected the last two cars; of course, then he'd walked in to someone who'd dare to call himself both a cook and a fighter.

Needlessly to say, he'd sent Franky ahead via the top of the train car. This idiot was his.

☉

“Is that the sea train?”

“No way,” Nami countered. “It's way too soon.”

Laxus tilted his head, focusing his hearing in. He could make out two floating train cars, but as he sorted through the noise they were making, it quickly became clear it wasn't any of their people. “Only marines.”

“Okay,” Luffy hummed. “Zoro, cut it.”

“Sure.”

It probably said a lot about their life that no one even blinked at the order—

or the following destruction.

“Hold on,” Gajeel called, pulling his head back in the car. “There's someone walking up ahead on the tracks.”

“Huh,” Laxus grunted, listening to the truly empassioned rant of someone who announced himself as Captain T-Bone. “I didn't realize there was such a thing as a marine that actually cared about civilians.”

Above, standing on the tip of the train, Zoro tied his bandana on. “Too bad he's standing in our way.”

☉

Franky grunted at the slash of razor air to his chest. The weasel looking freak—Nero, some rookie CP9 ass—was too fast for him to hit but too weak to do any real damage. It left them in an awful standstill, neither able to get something over on the other, but equally unwilling to back down. Franky was doing his best to conserve cola, but there was only so much he could do.

☉

“Nico Robin is still unsconscious in the first car,” Corgy announced. Kaku didn't say anything, only watched as Lucci dismissed him. With Nico still sedated and them closing in on Enies Lobby every second, it was only a matter of time before this mission was over. He'd be assigned another soon enough.

He closed his eyes, only to have blood flash behind his eyelids. Kaku had killed and been witness to enough death that few things haunted him anymore. (A lie he told himself to get through the day.) Iceburg...Iceburg might be the only one he regreted. He hadn't spoken against Lucci when he'd decided to kill the man—they had a mission and they would complete it at any cost. He just wished things had turned out differently.

He hoped his next assignment had something to do with ships. He'd enjoyed being a shipwright more than he probably should have. It was dangerous, they'd always been lectured, to get attached to a cover. They were just faces and weapons on which any story could be told. Getting attached to somewhere meant getting attached to someone and that meant weakness. Weapons with weaknesses broke and the World Government didn't waste resources fixing them.

Across the isle, Kalifa caught his eye. They'd grown up together, had gone on so many missions that they could talk without a single word passing between them. Lucci trusted Kaku as his second but Kalifa was probably the closest thing to a friend Kaku had.

This is our job, her eyebrow said.

This mission is shit, his rolled shoulder pointed out.

Our lives are shit, her pressed lips shouted. He had to conceed the point. Kalifa was a legacy CP9 agent going back three generations; the second she was conceived, her life had been chosen for her. Kaku, as the bastard result of a CP7 agent disobeying orders and going AWAL, had been paying for his father's sins since he was dropped on River Island at five. They'd been forged for the sake of justice and, as Lucci was so fond of reminding them, Justice was what the Government decided.

He tilted his head, the barely there movement conveying more than he could ever bring himself to say. Kalifa looked away, recrossing her legs. It was the only response she could give.

Do you ever wonder if we could be free?

Dreams don't come true for monsters.

☉

Lucy rerolled her whip, as ready as she'd ever be. She'd learned the extent of Hóu's abilities when she'd brought Shé out earlier; Gemini knew their job should the worst happen; she'd rested and conserved as much of her magic as possible; and Chopper had stuffed her full of more pain pills than he'd wanted, knowing as he did that her sitting out wasn't an option.

There was still a miniscule chance of Sanji managing to grab Franky and Robin both before they caught up with the sea train, but they all knew how likely that was. The sheer power of CP9 couldn't be overstated; they were stronger than anyone she had ever seen before, except Gildarts and Gramps. She trusted that they would win, though. A second failure wasn't an option.

☉

Kuzan pulled his sleeping mask down, ignoring the saluting marine at his door. The marine—one of Garp's newest protogees—didn't seem to care.

“Admiral Aokiji, sir! Fleet Admiral Sengoku would like you to report to his office.”

“Tell him I'm doing paperwork.”

The kid, admirably, did not point out how this was a bold-faced lie. “He says it has to do with Nico Robin, sir.” Kuzan went very still. When it was clear he still wasn't going to get up, the kid added, “He, uh, also told you to say, quote 'He can either help bring Nico Robin in or he can take her place in Impel Down' end quote.”

Kuzan considered the likelihood of that being an exageration compared to Sengoku's tendencies to be a hardass.

With a sigh, he got up.

☉

Sanji slammed into a wall; he was honestly getting sick of the feeling. He and Franky had managed to defeat their opponents and get to the second car, where all of CP9 was stationed. The only problem? When wonderful Lucy had warned him that CP9 was strong, she had undersold them. They were downright monsters and there was no way he and Franky could get through four of them. Franky seemed to have the same idea.

“Your crew is on the way right?”

“Yeah. We're not letting them keep Robin.”

“Alright. Then this probably won't kill you.” Before Sanji could react, Franky had picked him and tossed him out of the train, straight onto the tracks. Unable to stop, Sanji landed in the ocean, coming up sputtering, just in time to see Kaku restrain Franky as the Puffing Tom sped away.

Cursing, he found the train tracks and held on desperately, fighting against the storming ocean. Luckily for him, it didn't take long for the Rocketman to become visible and for Luffy to offer him a hand up.

Getting in was easy, but facing the reality that he'd failed? That was harder.

“I just don't get it,” Usopp spit out. “Why take Robin specifically? Or Franky?”

“Pluton,” Lucy murmured. “They...They asked Franky where the blueprints for Pluton were.”

“What's Pluton?” Zambai asked.

“It's a battleship,” Nami explained. “But not just any battleship. One of three ancient weapons from the Void Century said to be able to destroy the world.”

“Did Robin tell you?” Lucy said.

Nami nodded, sitting down heavily. “Yeah. Her nightmare that I saw it...it was horrifying. She told me, the next night when she woke up screaming, what the story was.” Tearing up, she shook her head. “There is nothing that scares Robin more than the World Government hurting us. Especially CP9.”

“But why?” Sanji demanded. “She has to know we'll always come for her.”

“Because she's already dealt with CP9 before,” Nami told them. “When they destroyed her home island with a buster call.”

☉

When Nico Robin was two years old, her mother left. If she ever had a father, she didn't remember him. Professor Clover took care of her sometimes, but he was old and more of a crazy uncle than a true dad, so her mom left Robin with her aunt and uncle. Uncle Oak was kind, and gentle, but he let Aunt Roji take control and Roji hated Robin. It was not a nice childhood and when she ate her Devil Fruit it got even worse.

Ohara was a beautiful island in the West Blue with an easy going mayor and scholars that stayed cloistered within the five thousand year old Tree of Knowledge. None of the civilians knew what a Devil Fruit was and the other children called her a freak for her powers. She spent all her days at the Tree, learning to be a scholar and archiologists just like her mother in hopes that, one day, she would go out to sea with her. But Ohara had a secret and it was a deadly one.

The scholars studied all history but what they studied most of all was the Void Century using the Poneglyph they'd hidden away beneath the tree. Robin, being curious and with her powers, had long since learned of the stone and taught herself to read to secret language in hopes of impressing her professors. It didn't work out so well.

Professor Clover was furious and terrified when he'd learned what Robin had done, just after she'd officially been declared a scholar of Ohara. He and the rest of the professors stopped letting her in the tree or encouraging her curiousity. She was truly and deeply alone.

Which is when she met Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul.

Saul was a giant and a marine that had gone AWAL in objection to the execution of Nico Olvia's entire crew and her own arrest. But when he met Robin he didn't call her a devil or freak or any other nasty thing. He was her friend and he taught her to laugh even when times were hard.

There was one problem though; CP9, led by an awful man named Spandine, had discovered what the scholars were researching and had come to put a stop to it. In pursuit of that, they called a buster call; a marine attack featuring ten battleships and five Vice Admirals with the soul purpose of annihalating everything in their way. Usually, only Admirals and above had the power to order one using special golden den-den but just that once, CP9 had been given permission. Every man, woman and child on that island was killed, Olvia, having just returned, included. Saul was frozen by then Vice Admiral Kuzan but, in keeping with Saul's final wishes, let Robin escape.

Eight years old, having watched her mother and everyone she had ever cared about killed by the so-called Justice of the world, Nico Robin ran. And for the last twenty years, she hadn't been able to stop.

☉

Nami paused, wiping at her eyes. “That's the story. That's why they want her so bad. She's the only survivor of a genocide they commited and they're set on finishing the job.”

The entire train wobbled with the force of Luffy's punch. His face was cast in a dark shadow by his hat, visibly steaming in anger. “They're taking her to Enies Lobby?”

Lucy nodded sharply, pulling her hair back into a high pony tail. She felt raw and exposed, like someone had peeled back her skin. There were few things she hated more in this world than slavery but she decided that the World Government just went to the top of her shit list. “Two gates block the way into the central island, where 10,000 soldiers are stationed; beyond that, we need to access the courthouse to drop down the bridge to the Tower of Justice which guards the way to the Bridge of Hesitation. From there, the Gates of Justice from which there are only two destinations; the underwater gallows, Impel Down, and Marine HQ, Marineford. Either is a death sentence.”

“Do you all get that?” Nami asked sharply. “If Robin crosses the Gates of Justice, it's over. She'll be out of our reach.”

“Got it,” Luffy announced. “Laxus?”

“Right. Lucy managed to get her hands on a map of Enies back on Navarone, and it llookssomething like this.” Nami offered up the loose sketch of an island for Laxus to spread on the floor before them all. Of course, what Nami declared mediocure sketch, Marine cartographers declared their magnum opus. Laxus dragged his finger across as he talked. “The island is floating above a giant hole in the ocean, nd is made of two parts. But step one is crashing to a stop.”

“We're crashing?!” Chopper shreeked.

“There aren't any breaks,” Zoro pointed out. “Besides, best way to do it.”

“Sure, except it's not that easy. There's a seastone fence that surrounds the entire entryway. Lily will fly himself and Gajeel over and pull it down.”

“Hate to say it, but I can't break seastone, and it'll take too long to eat it.”

“You don't have to take it down all the way. Just angle it.”

“So we can use it as a ramp,” Sanji concluded. “Smart.”

“That should get us past the island gate. While Luffy goes ahead—beccause we all know he's not waiting around—we'll help the Franky Family clear the inner gate. Half of their numbers will stay behind to hold the exit with one of their yagaras. The rest will move forward through the island to take the courthouse. The Straw Hats will spread through the streets and rendevou there, so we aren't a sitting target. We're not sure what the mechanic for dropping the bridge is, but we'll need to find it so we can get over to the Tower of Law. This is probably where CP9 will be holding Robin—and Franky—until the escort from Marine HQ arives and opens the Gates. We spread out and take them down, one by one.”

“The pigeon guy is mine,” Luffy snarled.

“I have dips on Discount-Usopp,” Zoro added. At the various raised brows, he said, “He's a swordsman.”

Lucy didn't know how Zoro knew that, but she wasn't about to argue with him. The same way they all knew Luffy always got the strongest oopponent, Zoro got the swordsman.

Laxus nodded. “So be it. Lucy will gather what information she can as we move through while Usopp moves to the top of the Tower. You're our lookout; if they get Robin on that bridge, you use a mini-den den to call Lucy, and she contacts the rest of the crew. Buy us as much time as you can, Usopp.”

Swallowing heavily, he nodded. “I'll do what I need to.”

“What happens when we get Robin and big bro?” Kiwi asked.

“We retreat,” Laxus said immediately. “We aren't reavers—our objective is to save Robin and Franky and get out alive. This isn't like G-8, where there's only a single high-ranking officer. There is no telling who or what is on that island outside of CP9. We take one of the ships and circle around to pick up the Franky Family before getting out of dodge.” Pulling back, he looked up at Luffy, deadly serious. The tension spiked. “Before this, we've been pests in their ears, just another crew of pirate rookies. But this?” He waved his hand at the map, the crew, the invasion they'd planned. “This might as well be a declaration of war.”

Luffy didn't flinch. “They took Robin.”

It was as simple as that. The Marines had taken one of theirs, and they weren't leaving until they got her back.

“I'm glad that's all settled,” Kokoro declared with a laugh. “Because we've reached our final destination. Welcome to the Judicial Island, Enies Lobby!”

“Whoa, it looks really cool!”

“Meow!”

“Chimney! Gombei! What are you two doing here?!”

#as the stars burn on #one piece fanfic #laxus dreyar #lucy heartfilia #fairy tail fanfic #gajeel redfox #laxus x lucy x gajeel

1 note · View note

valleydean · 2 years ago

Photo

Raise the Black

coming to ao3 september 2022 a deancas pirate au by valleydean (emmbrancsxx0) playlist | ko-fi

SUMMARY: Nassau, 1717. Captain Dean Winchester of the Impala is a born and raised pirate, committed to disrupting commerce and civility on a global scale. After a battle at sea with the Royal Navy, Dean discovers a stowaway on his ship: Castiel Novak, an officer from Carolina with a secret. As their relationship grows, so does England’s determination to end piracy in the New World. This is the story of how men can become legends and how love can ignite a revolution.

PREVIEW:

“Because,” Balthazar said with a shrug, “you’re the most luminous captain—or, should I say, commodore—on this island. The highest earner, the highest success rate. You’re practically a myth. Even in the short time I’ve been here, I’ve heard the stories about you and your family.”

A muscle in Dean’s jaw jumped, his entire body coiling. He knew the stories. He didn’t need them recounted, but Balthazar did it for him anyway, as if it was a tale on par with Odysseus and Hercules.

“How does it go? That Poseidon fashioned your father from reef and seafoam—his agent on the land, tasked with defending the god’s kingdom by feeding as many of its adversaries to the water as he could? But he needed a weapon, so the king of the ocean sent him a woman, and that’s how you came about. Half-man, half-sea.”

Airily, he continued, “It’s quite charming, isn’t it? The belief the others have in you, the so-called Sword of the High Seas.”

Dean hated the fairytale. He was just a regular guy, nothing more. But pirates would believe anything, and Sam always said it was good to let them spread the story. That they could use it as a shield against their enemies—but Dean wasn’t a shield.

That was the second half of the story, the one that Balthazar hadn’t seemed to have heard about yet.

That one day there’d come another, a protector; and that together, the two of them would unite the Pirate’s Republic. That no one would ever have to worry about empires or shackles or colonial rule ever again. Some people even said this newcomer would be Poseidon himself, raised from the water.

It was a bunch of bullshit. Dean was no savior, and he certainly would never fight in the service of a god or a king.

“Yeah, and what does that make Sam, huh?” Dean answered dryly. “A musket ball?”

/////

TAGGED: @lovercas @donestiel @wanderingcas @thetiredstuff @skella-bro @casthegrumpy @celestialcastiel @bluefirecas @jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets @that-one-fandom-chick @haru-park96 @alejandriaiqq @no-aesthetic-all-aethetic @amirosebooks @epple-benene @agus-likes @the-ship-haz-sailed @justkissalreadyforfucksake @madimoo31 @an-angel-in-love-with-a-hunter @gracelesstars @bazghetti @wayward-waffles @theojaxons @jenmishrob @all-or-nothing-baby @auttownblue @leftistdean @sargafust @wannabe-loser @jessalrynn @splicedthoughts @castielss @that-dumbass-on-a-horse @passionfruixts @fabreagab @princesswinchester100 @superduckbatrebel @hopefuldreamers-world@theangelwiththewormstache @casandeans @mylovelydame21 @confusedisaster @superduckbatrebel @destielwentcanonomg @highest-brightness @i-put-the-ayyy-in-asexual @darkacademiagay @imthedoctorlove @freckledean @youcanteverknowenough @chicken-kebabs @myguardianangelisatrickster @hotactiongirlcoded @wingsandimpalas @casandhumanity @tploz @dontsgotalifee389 @on-a-bender @castiel-mybeloved @siriusseverusdeservedbetter @doctorprofessorsong @castielshotgirlsummer @toomuchheartcas @paintdriesfaster @lesbiancowboyy @angelinthefire @transdeantruther @fluffy-alpacaness @rogue-cas-whore @winchester-derangement-syndrome @lizzybennettdarcy @kineticpassion @i-love-books-and-so-do-you @dascean @llamasdumpsterfire @psychicbouquetblaze-stuff @im-some-lionheart @charlie-bradburi @bunnymcbunnister @demonicwhitewolf @gothanna @afeelingsosweet @sinnabonka @artsymoth @cassandrablah @sweetpeaalena @savingpeopleshippingthings @goiwantamuffin @rauko-is-a-free-elf

Please let me know if you’d like to be tagged in chapters or if you’d like to be taken off the list.

651 notes · View notes

malecacidd · 4 years ago

Note

#1 benji perhaps sea monster ben and pirate jill?? haha jkjk i mean whaaaat lol

I ended up going a little overboard with this one. Haha.

Actually thought it's three thousand words I'm so sorry

"Don't tell me what to do! It's my curse."

Ao3

Whenever his siblings had decided that they wanted to be pirates, sail the world and never look back to their childhoods, Ben couldn't really say no.

It was six against one, so he had no other choice but to go with them on a seemingly never ending adventure. He had known it was a bad idea, leaving everything they knew behind, but he definitely didn't anticipate the fact that they were going to get cursed by a magical siren that had basically been waiting for years for a ship to pass by her just so she could curse the people on it.

Unknowingly, Ben, on his turn steering the boat, had just brushed by the rock that had been the sirens home. Apparently, that was just enough to wake her and make her angry enough to curse them all.

Ben had known it was a bad idea. He wasn't sure he would ever be able to let his siblings live it down. If they lived through it.

The siren had made an angry face, waved her hand around, and suddenly their ship had a massive hole in it and was quickly sinking.

Like the idiots they were, they didn't plan well enough to have lifeboats, and they all ended up drowning.

They drowned, but they didn't die. As they were being consumed by the deep dark waters of the ocean, the siren had sighed, waved her hand again, and they were breathing once again. Only this time, they were underwater.

Each of their bodies started to change slowly and painfully. Allison grew webs between her fingers and toes, Luther's eyes moved to the sides of his head, Diego's teeth grew sharp, Vanya had fins pop out of the top of her head and back, Klaus grew gills on his neck, Five's legs molded together, and Ben…

Ben grew tentacles that remained permanently on his stomach. Fantastic.

The siren has said something about prophecies, and mermaids, and monsters to all of them, but Ben didn't really listen until she moved towards him, an evil smile on her face as she swirled her hand around dramatically in the water.

"You will have to steal the heart of someone who was just like you." She said, her smile growing into a harsh grin filled with sharp teeth. "Once your prophecy is complete, you will become a mermaid and no longer be such a hideous beast. You will never go back to the life you once had."

Ben stayed there staring straight forward as she moved on to Klaus, saying something about his prophecy that Ben didn't care enough to pay attention to. He was too horrified by his own that the siren had given to him.

He didn't want to steal someone's heart. He didn't want to hurt anyone.

When later heard what his siblings' prophecies were, he felt pretty cheated.

"All you have to do is find a comb thing?" Ben asked Allison incredulously. "I have to literally rip a pirate's heart out. What did I do to piss off that siren."

"Well," Klaus started, moving to be next to Ben. "You were the one driving the boat."

"Your task is easy too!" He said, deflecting. "Find some rare sea frog. Why do I have to hurt someone?"

"I think you're taking this a bit too literally bro." Diego cut in, swimming up to them with the knife that ended his curse in his hand.

Ben rolled his eyes. "What do you know. Your curse ended the day it started."

"Yeah," He responded, flipping the knife in the water. "That's because it was easy."

Ben groaned. "Why. Why did I agree to do that stupid pirate journey-"

"Oh come on." Vanya cut him off, swimming into view. "You know it was fun, and look," She swam around in a circle. "If you fulfill your prophecy, you get to be a mermaid. I still really don't think things ended up being too shity."

"You had to kill a fish." Ben said, voice flat. "I have to rip a heart out of a person's chest. We are not the same."

"Well, if you'd stop complaining and actually go to the surface to find a pirate-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Ben quickly cut Klaus off, and he rolled his eyes. "It's my curse. Get rid of your own first."

"Well I'm tired of looking like a monster. I want to be a hot mermaid like these two over here," Klaus said, gesturing between Diego and Vanya who shared looks of disgust. "I'm going to the surface tomorrow to look for the sea frog thing. And you, mi hermano," He continued, wrapping an arm around Ben's shoulders. "Are coming with me."

After thinking about it for a moment, Ben relented. "Fine. But don't expect anything to happen. I'm nowhere near the point of being willing to kill someone. It hasn't even been three days yet."

Klaus rolled his eyes again. "I think you might be surprised by how easy your curse will be to break."

Ben hummed disbelievingly, but didn't say anything else.

He figured that he should save his voice to use it to complain all day tomorrow instead.

When Klaus eventually was able to get Ben up and moving, Ben found that he actually didn't really want to complain.

He wanted to end the curse. He didn't want to be an ugly monster anymore, and the tentacles that stuck out from his stomach were always annoyingly getting in the way of everything.

That didn't mean he was ready to do what he thought was needed to be done, though. He didn't want to steal someone's heart. He didn't want to reach into their chest and pull it out and make their blood spill, didn't want to kill them.

It didn't take too long for them to get to the surface, and Klaus pulled Ben to sit up on the first available rock. It was the first time that they had been out of the ocean since they had been cursed, and Ben couldn't say that he liked it.

"So," Klaus started after only a minute of sitting on the rock, jumping back into the water, "I'm gonna go look for this frog thing. I think that siren bitch said it was green, or maybe orange. No! It was purple! Yeah, purple. Anyways I'll be back in, like, an hour, if I find the frog-" He shook his head with a smile. "Well, if I find the frog you'll be able to tell. Bye Benny, have fun stealing hearts."

Before Ben could say anything in response to that, Klaus dove under the water, and he sighed, turning his head to look up to the sky. It was dark, but filled with thousands of stars. Ben couldn't remember the last time he had seen stars.

What had only felt like a split second must have been an hour, because suddenly Klaus popped up from under the water, splashing Ben in the face with his new tail. Ben tried not to look too disappointed at the sight.

"What color was it then?" Ben asked, a small smile on his face.

Klaus moved to sit on the rock next to him, elbowing his side. "Yellow, actually."

He laughed quietly before going completely silent, looking back up to the stars.

"You know," Klaus started, and Ben sighed, looking down at the water, already knowing what he was going to say. "It might be a while until anyone passes by-"

"You can go back." He said, cutting him off. "If you want, considering you already got rid of your curse."

Klaus leaned back suddenly, almost as if he was surprised by what he said, and Ben tilted his head in confusion. "That's… not what I was going to say." He said, and Ben let out a quiet "oh."

"I was just going to ask how long you wanted to stay for? Because we can always come back." Klaus asked, and Ben shrugged.

They ended up agreeing on coming once a week for a few hours at a time, but, of course, that plan fell apart as time went on.

Eventually, Klaus stopped coming with him and stayed with their siblings and his new mermaid boyfriend instead.

All of Ben's siblings had fulfilled their prophecies and gotten rid of their curses within a month of getting them, and yet, here Ben still was, going up to the surface for hours at a time, and still had not even seen a pirate that he might be able to try and steal the heart of.

Every once in a while, a ship would pass by a few miles away from the rock Ben always stayed on, but he never had the courage to swim out towards it. None of the ships ever came close enough to notice the tentacle monster, glued to his rock.

Within a year, Ben had stopped swimming back down to be with his siblings. He stayed on the rock constantly, waiting and watching.

Every once in a while, his siblings would come to visit him, bringing their partners and new friends, and Ben still sat. Waiting.

He loved Claire, Allison's daughter, and he adored Diego's girlfriends, Eudora and Lila, but not even they could convince him to come back down into the depths of the ocean.

Another year had passed, and there had only been one instance when a ship passed close by enough for the people on it to see him, and he had blown his first chance to actually break his curse.

The ship had turned his way while he sat on the rock, but before anyone could see him, he jumped off of it and hid behind the larger side.

As the ship came closer, he heard someone say something about seeing a person in the water, and he immediately started swimming downwards, watching the ship move away from a mile below before glumly swimming back up to his rock.

Even if he had stayed, what would he have said? Was he supposed to just grab one of them and kill them before ripping their heart out of their chest? What if the others on the ship killed him in return?

Either way, he still didn't think that he would be able to do that. What was he supposed to do after he took the heart anyways? Was he supposed to keep it? If he got rid of it would his curse come back?

He really didn't want to do this.

He really, <i>really</i> didn't want to sit on this rock for the rest of his monstrous life.

He didn't know what to do.

Not too long after the first incident, another much smaller and much less populated ship started to come by.

It wasn't even a ship, really. It was more of a lifeboat with only one person on it, sitting in the center and floating around aimlessly.

Just as Ben had the first time, when he saw the ship turn towards him, he jumped off of the highest point of the rock and moved to hide himself behind it, only sticking his head up enough to watch as the person got closer.

The person on the ship was beautiful. She had dark skin and big bright eyes full of life, despite the circumstance she was in. She had on blue clothes and a large captains hat, her glasses sitting high on her nose.

He must've been too distracted with his staring to notice the way her ship only drifted closer, and by the time he actually did notice, it was far too late for him to swim away.

The second she saw him, her face lit up with a grin, and he couldn't help but smile back and pull himself up further on the rock, still shielding the lower half of his body with it.

"Hey!" She called out, using her hands to propel herself closer. And he tried to ignore the way his stomach dropped when she pulled her boat close enough to the rock to hop out of it, making it secure enough to come sit close to him. He pressed himself harder into the rock, hoping that none of his tentacles were showing.

"H-hey," He managed to get out, and she tilted her head, a small smile on her face.

"So," She started, looking around the expanse of nothingness. "I'm assuming you're stranded too?" He nodded. "Yeah, why else would you be out on a rock in the middle of the ocean."

"Yeah, yeah. There's no other reason. I'm definitely stranded."

She laughed a little bit before sticking her hand out. "I'm Jill."

He reached out with a shaky hand and shook hers before quickly pulling it back. She looked at him oddly, but didn't say anything. She was kind, he could tell.

"Yeah, me and my crew got shipwrecked, hit a bunch of rocks. This was the only boat left," She put a hand on the small wooden boat, "And by the time the ship had gone down, all of the guys were gone. They probably think I'm dead or something."

She tilted her head down, and Ben couldn't help but notice the way her eyes watered slightly. He didn't know what to say, so he moved his hand from where he was holding himself up on the rock to pat her knee in what he hoped was a reassuring way. She looked back up at him and smiled.

"So, what happened to you?" She asked, discreetly wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

Ben froze. "What."

"How did you get here, I mean." She said, moving to lay on her back and look up at the sky. The sun was already starting to set, and her eyes shined in the light.

"I uh," He started, shifting slightly in the water, unsure of what he could say. "I went sailing with my siblings."

"Oh?" She said, turning on her side to face him. "Are they okay?"

"Yeah. They're okay, I think." He said, and she gave him a slightly sympathetic look.

"Do they know you're here?" She questioned, and he paused, unsure of what to say.

"Yes? Probably. No." He answered before wincing at his stupidity. He couldn't tell her about the curse, she would run away even if he wasn't planning on taking her heart. He would've run away too.

She gave a small laugh. "What?"

"Well," He started, trying to think of something to save himself with. "I think they know I'm alive, but not that I'm like, in this certain place." He was pretty sure that he saved it, and it wasn't even really a lie.

"That makes sense." She said, turning back on her back, and he sighed quietly in relief. "My crew knows I'm in the ocean, just doesn't know whether I'm still above or under the water."

He hummed, and moved his legs back and forth in the water as a fairly comfortable silence fell between them. Ben didn't know any silence could be comfortable, let alone a silence with someone he'd just met.

He didn't really know where to go from there. He didn't want to rip anyone's heart out, especially not Jill's. He had only known her for a few minutes, but he knew he couldn't do it. He could barely handle just the thought of it.

The silence between them only lasted a moment more before Jill spoke up. "What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know."

They talked on the rock for what must've been hours, slowly getting to know each other. Ben could've sworn that at each smile Jill gave him one of his tentacles disappeared, but it was probably just him focusing on her rather the uncomfortable-ness of them.

When enough time for the sun to start to rise again had passed, Jill yawned from across from him before giving him a small and sad smile.

"I think… I think I have to go." She said, and Ben felt his heart drop. "I can't stay on this rock forever, but…" She trailed off, looking at him hopefully. "Would it be too crazy if I asked you to come with me?"

He couldn't hold back his grin, despite the fact that he already knew his answer would be something that would disappoint her. The fact that she asked at all made his heart flutter in his chest. "I… I can't." He said, shaking his head.

She looked sad, but nodded. "Okay."

He closed his eyes, but instead of seeing her climbing back into her boat like he had expected when he opened them again, she was right in front of his face and moving forward, kissing him on his cheek quickly and lightly.

She pulled back, and Ben stared at her in surprise, the tips of his ears flushing slightly.

In the face of his silent reaction, she shifted awkwardly. "I hope that was okay, because I figured that's where this was going-?'

"Yeah! No, yeah, it was fine. It was great." Ben said, effectively cutting her off and embarrassing himself.

She laughed a little before actually climbing into her boat, pushing it off of the rock, and giving him a small wave while she started to drift off.

He waved back, trying not to feel too sad as he watched her disappear into the horizon.

When she had completely left his vision, he sighed, head tilting down.

Ben had, once again, screwed up another chance to get rid of his curse. If this was what would happen any time a pirate passed by, how could he ever even start to hope to look less monstrous?

He sighed again, jumping up completely onto the rock now that she was gone and looking up to the sky. It shined almost as bright as Jill's eyes had.

When he went to look back down to his lap to sulk some more, he fully expected to see several tentacles poking out of his stomach.

What he didn't expect to see, but what he did see, was a flat stomach, clear of any ugly sticky tentacles, and a blue mermaid tail where his legs once were.

Which was… weird. He didn't know what had changed, but he definitely did know that he hadn't ripped anyone's heart out.

Oh well. He would take what he could get.

And when Jill eventually found her crew again and they went back out on the seas, she couldn't help but try and search for a boy with dark hair hiding his body behind a rock.

#tua #the umbrella academy #ask #asks #malecacidd fic #em writes

2 notes · View notes

odderancyart · 7 years ago

Text

On a Never Resting Sea

Chapter III: The Cabin

First Last Next

AO3

Summary: Razz, the heir of the Beobyrian Empire, is on his way home from a diplomatic mission as his ship gets attacked by pirates. Suddenly he finds himself taken as hostage, and it doesn’t seem like the pirates are planning to exchange him for a ransom anytime soon. How annoying.

Warnings: violence, death, blood, hostage holding, kidnapping

The dinner room was loud and jolly. Laughter echoed between the wooden walls as the crew of Sarynthia ate breakfast. Scraping the last of his eggs – their last eggs – off his plate Red grinned widely at Grillby, the ship cook, who was sitting next to him.

“great as always, grillbz,” he said, chewing loudly. He downed half of his mug with tea as he swallowed. “tho’ it could’ve been even better with some more salt.”

The fire elemental stared at him as his purple flames flickered. Despite hardly having a face, he looked unimpressed, and Red’s grin grew wider.

“jus’ some constructive critique, buddy.”

For that, he received a slap on his head, and he let out an “ow”. The human who sat on his other side chuckled.

“STOP ANNOYING GRILLBY, BROTHER,” his brother called from the opposite side of the table. Fell sounded irritated, but there was an obvious edge of amusement in his voice. Turning to him, Red scratched the back of his head as he smiled at the other.

“aw, boss,” he whined jokingly, picking up his plate to lick it off. None of the rare egg and bacon would be left behind. “dontcha think my yolks are egg-ceptional?”

“I CERTAINLY DO NOT. THEY ARE TRULY AWFUL.”

Pouting, he waved to one of the cabin kids to come take his plate. The kid, a wyvern not yet old enough for wings and therefore armless, did so by having Red putting it on a plate he held in his mouth. The crew members sitting close roared in laughter as they spoke. The skeleton brothers’ conversations were a favourite every day. Even those days they weren’t that special, like today.

“don’ egg-saggregate, bro,” Red told the taller, and stood up. “welp. time fer work, i guess.”

“Right!” Sigrid, the Sailing Master and Sarynthia’s third highest officer, said. She downed the last of her drink before standing. “Red, I need you to take a look at the cannons on larboard side.”

“ugh,” he replied, smirking as he walked toward the door. “why y’all have got ta give me so much t’ do i’ll never know.” He sent his superior a lazy salute. “aye, aye, ma’am. in a soulbeat.”

The light that came through the window wasn’t enough. Therefore, there were a couple lit oil lamps on the working desk even in the middle of the day. This job required great amounts of care or the results could be disastrous. Red moved the magnifying glass even closer to the gun he was putting together, as he used a tweezer to put the last parts into place. A normal gun wasn’t hard to make. Any idiot could and it’d work relatively well. The reason he made the crew’s firearms was that his was simply much better. Which also meant they were more dangerous if they went wrong. He’d almost blown his arm off once.

Focusing intently, he put the last piece in place before snapping the gun closed with a triumphant smile on his face. Red put it down on the desk before stretching. After sitting hunched for hours he was quite stiff. Yawning, he stood up and blew out the lamps before leaving his working cabin.

The fresh wind hit his face hard, and he breathed in the smell of salt. Red’s smile softened as he locked the cabin door behind him. The ocean was lovely, and so much better than the city backstreets they grew up on. Big, wild and free. Blinking, he shook himself quickly. No such sentimental thoughts in his head, thank you very much. He threw a glance at Zanã, blinking against the bright light. According to the position, it was afternoon already.

“Hey, Red,” a voice yelled from the mainmast. Looking up, he saw Fuku, Grillby’s younger sister, hanging upside down in one of the top sail yards. He smirked, and waved back at her. “Watch me!”

“careful, pal.” He chuckled as she frowned. If there was one thing the blue elemental disliked, it was being told to be careful. “grillby would skin me alive if somethin’ happened to ya when i was ‘ere.”

Sticking out her tongue, she let go of the yard. Red gaped in horror as she fell toward the deck, faster and faster. His soul pounded violently. Fuku’s flames flickered in the wind. His hand flew out of his pocket to grab her soul, but before he had the chance, she passed the lower sail yard. Her arms flew out, and she grabbed it. After swinging around a couple turns, she simply sat on it. Still gaping, Red stared at her as she grinned at him.

“Awesome, right?” she called out. There were a few beats of silence before Red blinked, and began to chuckle. Soon he was clutching his ribs in laughter.

“yeah, ya lil’ brat,” he agreed. “tha’ was incredible, and ya scared me shitless.”

Fuku grinned widely at him. It looked triumphant – the little terror loved to do this. Shaking his head and still chuckling, Red made his way toward the kitchens. He had a princess to feed.

When Razz had woken up that morning, he had been very surprised to find himself curled into a ball, still dressed and covered by a plaid. Slightly disgusted with himself too, for losing control like that. Then even more as he realized he had nowhere to wash himself off in the cabin. His body felt slow and his mind was hazy after crying himself asleep the night before. Nevertheless, he had forced himself out of bed. After changing clothes, because there was no way he’d wear the same thing two days in a row, especially not after sleeping in it, he began to look through his chests again. There was still a couple of his things he hadn’t checked on.

While he did so, he hummed a familiar melody. It had always calmed him down, ever since he was a babybones and his parents sang it for him. As he reached down into the chest, to the very bottom, his soul beat nervously. He hadn’t thought about it yesterday, somehow, with all the stir and trauma, but now Razz couldn’t help but worry it wouldn’t be there. There was no reason for the pirates to take it: It didn’t look expensive and they wouldn’t know how much it was worth, yet…

He sighed in relief as he grabbed the bundle of fabrics. Lifting it up and carefully starting to unwrap it Razz hummed louder. He smiled as the lacked, carved wood appeared beneath the fabric. His soul felt a little lighter as he opened it, and the very same melody began to play. He studied the intricate patterns on the ancient music box, tracing them with a phalange. The wood was steady but soft. As the melody soothed him, Razz felt his shoulders sink. Breathing suddenly seemed easier. He put it on the desk without closing it.

His smile broadened as he picked up the two objects which had been lying on the bottom of the chest without documents. Quickly unpacking them, Razz grinned. Thank fuck. Perhaps he wouldn’t be that bored. He pulled slightly on the violin’s strings. Seemed like the pirates hadn’t been on them. Neither did his flute seem harmed in any way.

Later that day, Razz was standing in the middle of the cabin and playing the violin. As music flowed from his fingers, he frowned in concentration. The strings dug into his phalanges as he pressed. The bow flew over them. Without notes, he had to play from memory, and this was a very quick, complicated piece. The melody flowed through the room. Razz’s soul beat quickly. Adrenaline was rushing through his bones as the melody sped up. Some sweat was running down his brow and he held his breath as he did the final sweep with the bow. And… stop. With a twist of his wrist, the bow lifted from the strings. His breathing was strained, but he grinned.

A clapping noise was heard, and Razz startled. He twisted his head to see Red standing in the door opening, clapping loudly. The pirate was smiling.

“well done!” Red said, continuing with his applause. “’t was beautiful, princess. yer real good.”

Razz stared at him in shock. How hadn’t he noticed him coming in? He hadn’t even heard the clattering of the keyhole. As Red commented on his music, though, he grinned and nodded.

“I WOULD CERTAINLY HOPE SO,” he replied, carefully putting down the violin on the bed. If there was one thing he rarely could resist it was a genuine compliment. “I BEGAN TAKING LESSONS AT FOUR AFTER ALL. BUT THANK YOU.”

The other blinked, surprised. If Razz was being honest, he looked slightly aghast even.

“four?!” he exclaimed. “what? tha’s… who’d make a four-year-old play violin?”

“I CAN ALSO PLAY THE PIANO AND THE FLUTE. AND FOUR IS NOT THAT YOUNG. MY EDUCATION STARTED WHEN I WAS TWO.”

Red’s eye sockets grew wide as he listened, and Razz couldn’t help but smirk. The other was almost gaping.

“well,” Red eventually said. “suddenly bein’ royal doesn’t sound all tha’ great. no offence.”

Razz snorted and shook his head. He smirked at the other, tilting his head upwards to stare smugly into Red’s sockets.

“PFA. I’M NOT SURPRISED. FEW ARE MAGNIFICENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE MY LIFE.”

The following days, Razz reluctantly admitted to himself that he was looking forward to Red’s visits. Being alone in the cabin was making him slightly stir-crazy. There wasn’t much to do, and Red wasn’t quite as awful as he had thought. At the very least, he was quick with the compliments, and they somehow didn’t feel quite as calculating as most of the ones he got at court. More genuine. Like the pirate truly was impressed with his skills.

Plus, whenever Red left, he got this empty, heavy feeling in his stomach. He didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t like it. It was like the room closed in on him. Multiple times Razz caught himself looking for guards and servants, only to remember where he was. It was… strange. To be alone. He couldn’t remember ever being it for more than an hour or two. There were always castle staff members or courtiers around. Always.

The lock rattled again, and his soul skipped a beat. Then it sank once he realized it wasn’t Red, because Red always knocked. Therefore, it had to be someone else from the crew. Which meant that he’d most likely receive the same blatant disrespect as the last time he’d met crewmembers.

With a sigh Razz put down his book and stared blankly at the door as it opened. As soon as a body showed up, his expression changed to an indifferent yet wry mask. He had long ago perfected the art of displaying exactly what he wanted on his face and nothing more.

“YES?” he asked before they could utter a word. The human – a male this time – grinned at him and held up a tray.

“Red’s busy, Yer Highness” he said, stepping inside. “I’ve got yer dinner.”

While gesturing toward the desk, where he ate all his meals, Razz clenched his other fist. Preparing for the inevitable mocking.

“THANK YOU,” he forced out as the human put it down. “WHO ARE YOU? AND WHERE IS RED?”

“The name’s Septimus Benoit, Yer Highness,” the man said cheerfully. He saluted playfully. “Boatswain and fourth in command on this fine ship. Red’s sifting the blackpowder and won’t be finished yet for a couple hours, poor guy. He hates this part o’ his job but it needs to be done.”

“THAT SOUNDS AWFUL.”

“It is,” Septimus agreed with a smile. “I’m glad I don’t have to do it. Well, I too have duties, Yer Highness. Enjoy your meal.”

“NOT VERY LIKELY IF IT IS LIKE THE OTHERS,” Razz muttered, but nodded. He had been here a week and was already infinitely tired of the ship’s cuisine. The pirate shrugged, and headed toward the door.

“’T was nice meeting ya, Yer Highness,” he said before closing the door behind. “Have a good afternoon.”

And Razz was alone again. His soul sank as he realized this. Not yet hungry, he hummed the old melody as he went to unpack his flute. He really needed something to do.

His bones felt itchy, he smelled and he could just feel the dirt crawl down his spine. Razz hadn’t washed or bathed for almost two weeks and it was driving him mad. It was so disgusting, not even half a bottle of perfume could make it feel better by this stage.

The cabin was also getting messy. There was dust and mud on the floor and the desk was a mess. He couldn’t fucking stand it. Why was it so untidy? His rooms in the castle had never been in this bad condition.

While Razz was spraying perfume all of the room, grateful for the small relief, it knocked on his door. After he’d called “COME IN” Red appeared, only to freeze and throw his hands for his nose. Razz frowned at him.

“wha’… what th’ hell? are ya tryin’ to poison me?” Red wheezed, waving one of his hands before his noose. Huffing, Razz put the perfume bottle down on a chest.

“NO. I AM TRYING TO MAKE IT SMELL DECENT. THIS CABIN IS REVOLTING.”

“well, tha’ might be ‘cause ya haven’t cleaned it, princess,” Red pointed out. Razz blinked at him. Wiping his hands of on his trousers, since there was no towels here, he kept staring at the other with narrowed sockest. “ya… know wha’ cleanin’ is, right?”

Huffing, Razz wrinkled his nose.

“OF COURSE I DO. IT’S SOMETHING THE SERVANTS DO WHEN NO ONE OF IMPORTANCE IS IN THE ROOM,” he replied, feeling slightly offended. The feeling grew as Red snorted, and a smirk took place on his face as he continued to fan his face.

“stars, highness. no offence, but ya wouldn’ survive a week on yer own. i’ll send a kid down t’ clean yer cabin.”

“I WANT TO BATHE,” Razz exclaimed. “I HAVEN’T BEEN THIS FILTHY IN MY LIFE. I HATE IT.”

“alright, princess,” Red nodded. “i’ll see what i can do fer ya.”

Razz had to fight himself to keep a grateful smile of his face. He nodded shortly, and Red grinned in reply.

For the first time since his kidnapping, Razz could leave his cabin. Only a short walk, a couple cabins away to a bathroom where some cabin kids had filled a bathtub with sea water. He saw nothing but wooden walls and doors. Despite that, and that he didn’t meet anyone but a rabbit kid, it felt absolutely wonderful to see something else but the same small cabin. The bath was cold. He didn’t have any of his soaps as they’d been in the maids’ bag. The salt stuck on his bones. Razz didn’t care. It felt lovely to get relatively clean again.

As he against his will returned to his cabin he could breathe a sigh of relief when he entered. The rabbit kid from earlier was just about to fold a couple of his dresses and shirts. They nodded slightly as he entered. It was the closest thing to a bow Razz had received on this ship.

Swept into his silk bathrobe he waited until they left. Grinning, he put on one of his cosiest dresses as soon as he was alone. He hadn’t wanted to dirty it. Sighing happily, he lied down on the bed and gazed out the window.

Huh. Didn’t the sky look very dark? Was it going to rain? The waves were hitting his window, leaving salt trails on it. Above him the footsteps were growing louder, Razz realized. Sounded like people were running. He frowned in worry. In the same moment, the keyhole rattled again and the door was thrown open. Red stopped in the doorway. The pirate’s sockets were wide, and he looked stressed.

“ya might wanna buckle up with some rope or somethin’ princess,” he said. His voice was strained and he kept glancing out the window. “there’s a storm comin’. and ‘t’s big.”

14 notes · View notes