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It had been a close call, the incident on the ship. For a moment they thought they might be visiting the Fathomking for the first time. But, blessedly, the false stars shone bright enough to reflect upon the zee and gave them just enough of a gap to slip through.
Yet still they were left rattled by the incident. They had been in plenty of tight spots before, and they were no stranger to the Boatman. However, the Bejeweled Captain, the leader of the pirates that had kidnapped them, had reopened something deep within them. His peligin and apocyan eyes, as beautiful as the gemstones that adorned his mask, had looked upon them with sadness mixed with longing affection, how his calloused hands brushed against their skin as he had tried to interrogate them. The memories made something warm build up inside of them to the point it felt like they were burning.
It wasn’t their first encounter with the Captain, the man had a habit of becoming involved in situations at the worst possible time, but they had never been properly caught by him, or anyone, before. They were left bound and disarmed, at the complete mercy of the pirate, and… They did not like not being in control and in charge of a situation, and though they did not enjoy it anymore with the Captain, the incident had filled them with an utterly confusing feeling, comfort and familiarity that was utterly out of place. It baffled them, even scared them, but still they felt drawn to that feeling, wanting to chase after it in the hope that they might be able to articulate whatever thing that was on the tip of their tongue.
They were pulled out of their drifting thoughts by more memories hitting them as if lightning. Running along the ship’s deck as the Captain fired bullets that trailed only shortly behind them. How he had cornered and pinned them, the sharp edge of his sword hovering mere inches from their throat. If they hadn’t been so lucky - nay, if their lords hadn’t shown them a path of escape - they would surely be dead. Whether permanently or until they awoke again, still in the Captain’s clutches, was unknown, as well as which fate would have been worse.
Sighing, they pushed those thoughts away to a corner of their mind. Best not to linger on what could have been, but rather focus on what could be. They glanced up at the mirror above their bed and were unsurprised to see their reflection looking right back, casually lying on its stomach.
“We should have stayed with him, I doubt he was going to kill us, at least not permanently. You saw that look in his eyes, saw how long he hesitated. Besides, he couldn’t have done anything worse to us than what these damn snakes already have.” The reflection, Jessie’s, voice was slightly muffled as she spoke, as if the physical glass was the only thing keeping the two separated.
They frowned at the comment about their lords, but quickly brushed it off. Jessie had a nasty habit of saying such things, and after a time they had become mostly numb to his snide remarks.
The two remained in silence for some time as they unsuccessfully tried to fall asleep. For how easily they slipped in and out of the dream world through mirrors, they struggled to reach through the way most Londoners did. Prisoner’s Honey helped in the process, but their lords had a distaste for the devilish and unnatural product. They tried their best to do without it, but whenever they closed their eyes they were plagued with images of the Bejeweled Captain to go alongside the persistent thoughts of him that plagued them.
Sparing a look up at their reflection, and it down at them, they could tell that it was having similar thoughts. Still, they tried to resist the temptation, closing their eyes and trying to will themself to sleep. Like always, it did not work.
After some time of hiding in the darkness behind their eyelids, they felt a wave of relaxation and comfort wash over them. Confused, they let their eyes open again, this time focusing their gaze upon one of the many mirrors that covered their walls. Their unasked question was met with a sudden feeling of calmness. Everything was all right, their lords assured, they simply wished to grant the assassin permission to indulge, just a bit. They had just gone through so much, having to deal with the cruelty of that brutish excuse for a man, but they had handled it all so well. They deserved this little thing, a reward for getting through it all.
They smiled softly to themself, greatly appreciative of the kindness of their lords. Oh how lucky they were to be their servant. Sitting up, they opened the drawer of their bedside table and pulled out a small jar of honey and a silver sipping spoon, polished to reflective perfection.
Allowing a spoonful of the sweet substance past their lips, they let out a pleased sigh as they leaned back, already beginning to feel the effects setting in. Above them, Jessie refrained from making any snide comments or other unnecessary babble, likely due to copious amounts of honey now flowing out of its mouth, choking and suffocating it. Served it right for saying such horrible things about their glorious and gracious lords.
Eyelids growing heavier by the moment, they let themself slip into the familiar viric jungle of Parabola. Once they had fully materialized into the realm of glass they felt a sudden urging desire in their mind to head southwards, a clear message from their lords. Trusting their masters, they let their feet carry them forward, moving through and avoiding the thick brush with ease, the plant life almost seeming to move out of their way.
Though it felt as if the journey only took a few moments, they had traveled some distance, as they now stood before a small lake in a clearing. Its surface was perfectly still and they could see a little island placed directly within its certain. Only then did they register the small dock nearby, a rowboat waiting patiently for them tied to it.
In only a few strides they were at the dock, and in a blink, they had undone the rope anchoring the vessel and were beginning to row toward the island. It all felt like second nature, and they quickly fell into a rhythm as if they had been doing this their whole life. They had no memory of doing such a thing before, but they reasoned it was simply just another blessing bestowed upon them by their lieges.
They cruised across the lake smoothly, the water remaining undisturbed no matter how many times the oars dipped in and out of it. As they approached the island they recognized the trees that dotted the patch of land, birches and cedars that struck them as familiar. They must have previously seen them in a painting of the Surface.
As they arrived at the island's dock they tied their vessel to it to keep it from floating away. The knot they made was a thick and sturdy one, the same they had seen tied countless times by sailors. Or rather, the same they had seen already tied at Wolfstack Docks. It was a simple matter of having reverse-engineered the method, nothing more.
Once again upon solid land, they casually kicked their boots off, relishing in the feeling of the cool grass. They moved forward slowly, enjoying the feeling of dappled sunlight on their skin and how light breezes made all the leaves dance around them. Surface-dwellers didn't know what luck they had, experiencing these things every day, taking for granted what some had forever been torn away from.
It was all fleeting, however, as soon they arrived at their final destination. A picnic blanket was laid out beneath a willow tree, its long branches and leaves covering it in a comfortable shade. Though there was no food, a feast was still laid out before them - the Bejeweled Captain, bound by his wrists and ankles, gagged, and body bare save for the studded skull mask that always covered his face.
Unclasping their cloak and casting it aside, they casually examined the man before them. His warm golden-brown skin was decorated with dark brown hair that curled and trailed across it, left to move across his body in whatever pattern it pleased. He was further adorned with various scars across his muscles, a collection of trophies from the various battles he had fought throughout his many years at zee. They gently traced one along his side with a finger, their pale flesh seeming lacre-colored next to his. He was warm too, as if he was living his life under the Sun as opposed to in a dark, damp cavern.
Swallowing hard, they looked towards his face. Though most of it remained hidden, his eyes were clear to see, the rings of apocyan bright lights inside deep shadows. Full of emotions too, so many that they had to pause for a moment, analyzing. Beneath a glaze of drowsiness, confusion and surprise with a pinch of wrath for flavor. More importantly, there was desire, deep and consuming as his peligin scleras, accented with hope and... Something else that they couldn't quite find a word for. They had seen it before, in the eyes of young couples walking in the park who tentatively wrapped their fingers together as they watched from the shadows, waiting for their target to pass by. It was in countless gazes across London, all glimpsed as they passed by mirrors in Parabola, though they had never been able to properly name it. Something like adoration, something like joy, it was-
It was unimportant, they decided, brushing away the thread that their thoughts had been following. What mattered now was the man before them and themself, and the fact that they were very, very hungry.
They ran their fingers through the captain's hair idly and for a moment considered simply doing that and nothing more, but the sensation of the soft texture ignited something primal within them. Gripping his hair with one hand and hooking the other under his arm, they half carried, half dragged the man forward. It was an awkward movement, the man making a surprised, slightly pained noise that was muffled by his gag. Thankfully the willow tree wasn't far and he let the man lean on its trunk as they scrambled to undo the buttons on their trousers. They shoved it and their pants down to their ankles, revealing their already half-hard cock.
It was then that they realized they weren't quite sure what they were doing. This wasn't a subject they were particularly experienced in - at best they had observed similar activities from behind the glass as they waited for the perfect moment to strike at a target. Specific details of how things were done wasn't their focus.
They looked at the Captain and his wonderfully emotional eyes. The confusion and surprise were still there, but the desire had grown tenfold. It seemed that they weren't the only one that was hungry.
Lucky, then, that they were a quick learner, and good at improvising on the fly.
They pulled out the man's gag and he let out a small gasp at the freedom returned to his airways. He paused for a moment before opening his mouth to say something, but they didn't give him a chance. They pushed their way into the opening, relishing in how delicious the startled noise he made was, and how good the sound felt around them. Slowly they began to slide themself in deeper, pulling out a bit before pushing in more each time. The Captain soon settled into the movement as well, the occasional moan escaping from his sweet lips as his tongue swirled around their cock, seemingly determined to taste every last part given to him.
They used a hand to steady themself against the tree as groans and breathy curses tumbled out of them. Eventually, their other hand returned to his hair, simply resting gently in it at first, before he grabbed ahold of it once more, using it to increase the pace at which the two of them moved, the need growing hotter by the second. They needed more, more of him and everything that he could do, and they needed it now. Lords forgive them for their blasphemy but damn those snakes, all they wanted now, all they needed now, was him.
Suddenly they were struck with a great wave of heat across their body, and for a moment they feared their lords were punishing them for their treacherous thoughts. That idea did not last long as the warmth soon pooled within them and exploded into a sensation of dizzying pleasure. Their vision went white and fuzzy, parts of their body involuntarily twitching as their knees tried to buckle, only saved from collapsing to the ground by the tree and the man beneath him. As their vision began to clear and they steadied themself, they noticed that the Captain seemed to have gone through a similar experience himself. Fluid now pooled onto the grass between his legs as he panted around them, eyes half-lidded as his throat worked to swallow down what had been given to him.
They stood there for a few moments, letting themself recover before finally pulling out, though they already missed the warmth it had brought. Idly, they considered putting their clothes back on, or at least their pants, but quickly decided that it would be too much effort. A fog of blissful exhaustion seemed to hang over them now, and without thinking they gently shifted the Captain until the two of them lay together in the grass, cuddled close and content. If the man had any objections to this he didn’t say anything, and they wondered if he even realized his mouth wasn’t gagged by one thing or another.
As dappled sunlight fell upon them, they let their eyes close and settled into the moment of contentment. Breathing in deeply, they caught the distinct salty scent of the sea being carried to them by the wind. They could picture the docks now, busy on a bright day like this, sailors carrying crates on and off ships, people walking and shopping at the market while children quickly weaved their way through the crowds, laughing all the while. They knew they should open their eyes and see how early or late in the afternoon it was, lest their families notice the pair gone, but they were tired and didn’t even bother to try forcing their eyelids open again.
They pulled their companion closer, nestling their face into the crook of his neck. They didn’t want to leave him. How they wished he could come with them, that his family was small enough to mourn his absence, and that their family was too large to. They had promised to send him a telegram as soon as they reached shore, but the journey would be a long one and the two had barely been apart since the day they met. They didn’t know what their life would be like without ______ by their side. Who would they even be if they weren’t with ______?
Wait. They were forgetting something, weren’t they? Something very, very important, something they should have been impossible to forget and yet- And yet- And- A-
With a small jolt, they felt themself awake from the honey dream, vision still blurry. Already the memory of what the dream had been about was fading from their mind, meaningless grains of sand slipping through their fingers. They remembered the feelings though- Passion and pleasure and pleasantness, a wonderful warm feeling that made their lips curl upward at the thought. Their eyes began to close again, and as they drifted off into a dreamless slumber, they thanked their lords for their most generous gift.
*
Somewhere at zee, a pirate captain awakens from a dream, his mind racing and his heart aching.