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The inn at Spearecliffe was dimly lit and stank of alcohol and vomit. Hizashi wrinkled his nose as he stepped inside, tugging the hood of his cloak further down to make sure it covered his face. So far no-one had taken any notice of how he wore fine velvet instead of linen, or how he carried himself straight and upright instead of with the usual hunch of the working class. Hopefully things would stay that way. If anyone realised he who he was then he'd end up back at the royal palace- the exact opposite of where he wanted to be. The journey from the capital down to the docks in the neighbouring city hadn't been an easy one and now he was here the last thing he wanted was to get caught, not when his freedom was so close.
He made his way up to the bar, where a middle-aged man stood cleaning a glass. "Excuse me," he said, pulling at his hood again when the man turned to face him.
"You're new," he observed, "What can I get for you?"
Hizashi looked around to make sure everyone else was out of earshot before leaning forwards and lowering his voice as he said, "I need to leave the kingdom undetected. I was told that this is where I'd be able to find someone who offers those services." He spoke confidently, just like he'd been taught to- though somehow he didn't think that his parents intended for him to use his public speaking classes as a way of escaping his life as a prince.
The man behind the bar gave a soft chuckle. "The guy you want is Aizawa Shouta," he told him, "He takes people out of the country all the time. As long as you can pay him, you'll have no problem."
"And where can I find this Aizawa Shouta?"
"You're in luck. He's due to dock here in about an hour," he explained, "He and his quarter-mistress usually come in here to have a drink before they leave. Sit over there-" he pointed to a table in the corner of the inn next to a foggy window, "That's his usual table. Wait for him there. And don't freak out if he threatens to kill you."
"Wait, what?"
"If you want more information, it'll cost you," the bar tender laughed as Hizashi scowled. He needed as much money as possible, especially if he was going to have to pay to leave. He made his way over to the table he'd been directed to and sat down, pulling his cloak tighter around him to keep warm. Time passed slowly- people can in and out of the bar, buying drinks and occasionally threatening to beat the shit out of each other. No-one noticed him though, so he allowed himself to close his eyes and relax, just for a bit...
--
Hizashi woke up to cold metal being pressed against his throat. He opened his eyes to see a woman standing over him, her eyes narrowed and lips set into a frown as she held her cutlass up to his neck. He inhaled sharply in surprise, biting back a cry for help as he remembered what the bartender had told him. Shakily, he sat up, forcing himself to look the woman in the eye.
"You're in my seat," she told him, using the tip of the blade to push his hair out of his face so she could see him properly. "Get out."
Hizashi shook his head, trying to ignore her icy glare as he folded his arms defiantly, changing the subject. "Do you know an Aizawa Shouta?" he asked her, "I was told I could find him here."
"I'm his quarter mistress," she said, looking him up and down before sheathing her cutlass by her hip and taking a seat opposite him. "What do you want?" She said, still staring him down.
"I need to get out of here undetected," Hizashi explained, "As soon as possible. Can you help me with that?"
"That depends. Can you pay?"
"Of course, let me just..." Hizashi reached inside his cloak and took out the bag of coins he'd prepared, holding it out for the woman to take. She stared at his hand for a moment, her eyes widening a little.
"That ring..." she said slowly, almost carefully, "Where did you get it?" Hizashi looked down at his hand and realised that she was talking about the emerald signet on his fourth finger- a ring signifying his royal heritage. So far no-one had seen it, so he hadn't really thought much of it. Now, however, he didn't have that luxury. He had to think of a lie, and fast.
"I stole it," Hizashi was surprised at how calm he sounded- hell, he almost fooled himself into thinking he wasn't terrified about messing up, "That's why I need to get out of here." The woman lifted up his hand, turning it over and running her finger over the emerald in the ring. She seemed mesmerized, and something told him that this was going to be what got him out of here. He was right.
"Give me this ring," she said, "And I'll make sure Aizawa agrees to let you on board. Deal?"
Hizashi nodded, pulling the ring off his finger almost immediately and giving it to her. Who knew his royal heritage would actually help him in his escape? He allowed himself to smile as she admired the jewellery in her hand. "So," he said, watching as she pocketed the ring and stood up, "When do we leave?"
--
The quarter mistress lead Hizashi through the streets of Spearecliffe towards the docks, keeping her head down as to not be recognised- apparently he wasn't the only one trying to avoid authority. Now they were out of the inn and in daylight, he could take a good look at her- she wore clothes made of fine cloth and leather (which he could only assume were stolen) and kept her hair out of her face with a red scarf. She was extremely pretty and if Hizashi wasn't gay he'd probably find himself attracted to her.
It didn't take long to get down to the docks- the inn was in alleyway not too far from where most of the illegal docking happened ("We'll have to move quickly," she'd explained, "To get back to the ship before we get arrested for docking without permission.") and the vessel wasn't exact hard to spot.
It towered over the top of all the other boats, with crew members scattered across the rigging, preparing the ship for departure. The quarter mistress cursed when she noticed this, grabbing Hizashi's wrist and dragging him faster as they made their along the wooden pier and boarded the boat. She was about to say something when someone cleared their throat behind them and then spoke, the annoyance in their voice all too clear. "Nemuri?"
The quarter mistress turned to see who it was, suddenly standing up straight and letting go of Hizashi's wrist. The man who had spoken was tall and broad, with dark hair falling over his shoulders, a sharp jawline lined with stubble and a small scar across his cheek. Like Nemuri, he wore clothes that were mostly likely stolen- a fine linen shirt and brown leather jacket that looked far too expensive for... Well, a criminal. Nemuri made eye contact with him as she gave her answer. "Yes, Aizawa?"
"You're late. We were meant to leave three minutes ago."
"Sorry, I-"
"And don't use my name when we're docked, we've been over this before." The captain- who could only be Aizawa Shouta himself- looked from his quarter mistress to Hizashi and his narrowed his eyes a little. "... Who's that?"
He opened his mouth to introduce himself but Nemuri cute him off before he could speak.
"He wants to be taken elsewhere, Ai- Captain," she explained, taking the ring out of her pocket and showing it to him, "He's paying with this."
Aizawa took the ring out of her hand before looking to Hizashi. "Who are you and how did you get this?" He asked.
"I stole it." Hizashi regretted what he'd said almost instantly- not because it was a lie, but because he said it too fast, so fast that there wasn't any way that it couldn't sound suspicious. "I stole it," he repeated again, "My name's Hizashi and I need to leave the country before I'm caught." He wondered for a second if giving away his given name had been a bad idea, but it didn't seem like Aizawa had any idea who he was.
He regarded him with an unreadable expression for a moment- somewhere between a smirk and a frown- before slipping the ring over his finger and turning on his heels to leave. "Come to my cabin at dinner so we can discuss where we're dropping you off," he said, "Nemuri, make sure he has somewhere to sleep."
"Yes, Captain."
Nemuri turned to Hizashi and directed him below decks to the sleeping quarters. The place was virtually empty, with the odd crew member sat on their bed rolls but no-one else. It was a huge change to what he was used to, but he didn't complain, politely thanking Nemuri before putting what few belongings he had at the end of the blanket laid out on the wooden floor. Other than the clothes on him that he'd borrowed for a servant, he had his cloak and ceremonial dagger along with a bag of money that hung at his hips. It was certainly a huge change in lifestyle from lavish palaces and being waited on 24/7, but he would adjust quickly. The bobbing of the ship was the only thing that really bothered him and he was sure that he'd get used to it. In fact, it was quite relaxing, and for the second time that day he felt his eyelids droop as he slowly fell asleep.
--
Hizashi had no idea how long he'd been asleep for when someone was nudging him awake. He opened his eyes and groaned as he was shaken, pushing whoever it was trying to get him up away from him.
"You the newbie?"
"Huh?" Hizashi rubbed his eyes and looked at the person crouched beside him- a man not much older than him with dark hair and a warm smile- in confusion. "What's going on...?"
"Captain wants all hands on deck," he said, "Even if you just make sure the deck is clear and the cargo is hidden away properly, you gotta do something." He stood up and held out his hand, helping Hizashi to his feet and leading him onto the deck. "I'm Iida by the way," he said, "Iida Tensei. Nice to meet you."
It was raining- not just a light bit of drizzle, but the start of a full storm. The wooden floor was slippery and the boat rocked a little more than Hizashi was used to on procession boats. Iida was about to leave but Hizashi held him back grabbing his wrist to stop him as he felt his stomach lurch. He hadn't eaten much that day but he felt like everything that had ever entered his mouth was about to come back out of it, and no matter how deeply he breathed he couldn't seem to stop it. Iida seemed to notice this, looking behind him to make sure no-one was watching him before leading him over to the side of the ship. Hizashi looked down at the choppy water below, feeling his head going light as he opened his mouth and puked, gripping the varnished wood until his knuckles turned white.
"First time on a ship?" he heard Iida say, and he could barely manage a nod before he threw up again, now only bringing up bile, the acidic taste filling his mouth as tears started forming in his eyes at the tight pain in his stomach. Iida pulled his hair out of face as he sobbed, now unable to do anything but stand next to him with his own vomit drying around his mouth. It was embarrassing- he hadn't even spent twenty-four hours here and he was already making a fool of himself in front of a bunch of criminals who did this every day. The rain was still hammering against his back, soaking through his shirt and making him shiver, only adding to his discomfort as Iida wrapped an arm around him in an attempt to comfort him. "Hey, it's okay," he said softly, his voice only just audible over the lighting and shouting on board, "I was like this on my first day, and my second day. It's totally normal, especially when there's a-"
"Iida."
Hizashi felt Iida pull away from him as he heard the captain's voice come from behind them, wiping his eyes and forcing himself to turn to face him. Just like before, his expression was almost unreadable, his hair now pulled back from his face in a half-bun, the piercings in his ear reflecting the flashes of lightning overhead. "Get back to work, Iida," he said, watching as he nodded and hurried over to one of the masts, looking down at his feet. Hizashi tightened his grip on the side of the boat, teeth chattering as he bought a hand up to wipe the vomit from the corners of his lips. Aizawa sighed, looking him in the eye. "To my cabin," he said, "Now."
Hizashi watched as he turned around to leave, but couldn't bring himself to follow, still holding onto the side of the ship as it rocking violently to one side. If he wasn't careful he'd end up being sick all over again- and somehow he didn't think that Aizawa would be as forgiving as Iida had been. When the captain worked out that he wasn't following, he rolled his eyes, going back to him and taking his hand. "Never been on a boat in a storm, huh?" he said, just a hint of mocking in his voice as he lead Hizashi along the side of the boat towards the entrance to his cabin, allowing to keep his grip on the ledge that he'd been holding. When they got to the cabin he sat him down on the bed in the corner, dragging a chair over to sit beside him. He lay there silently for a few moments, trying to stop his head from spinning at the feeling of the boat still rocking in the storm.
"Let me know when you're okay," he heard Aizawa say, and he forced himself to open his eyes and look up at him.
"I... I'm fine..." the croakiness of his voice said otherwise, but he shakily sat up anyway, bringing a hand up to his forehead and rubbing his temple, "I'll be okay, don't worry about it."
"If you're going to be like this every time there's a storm," Aizawa told him, "I'll have to drop you off when we dock at Kruns Landing in a few days’ time, regardless of where you want to go."
Kruns Landing? There was no way Hizashi could go there- he'd be recognised instantly and sent back home. He shook his head, unable to help the pout that formed on his lips. "I can't go there," he said, to which Aizawa raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And why's that?"
"I'm uh... quite well known there," he explained, "If I'm spotted I'll just be sent back to Spearecliffe by the authorities." It wasn't exactly a lie, yet he still couldn't help but relax when the Captain seemed to buy what he was saying.
"So you're an experienced thief..." he said, more to himself than to Hizashi. He stood up from his seat, going over to the desk by the window of his cabin and looking at what must've been a map laid out on top of it. Now that Hizashi was starting to get used to the see-saw movement of the boat, he could sit up without support and watch him as he leaned over his desk. He didn't want to admit it, but Aizawa was surprisingly attractive, even though his hair was still wet and straggly from the rain outside. It was a rugged kind of handsomeness, Hizashi thought, the kind his parents would disapprove of regardless of how sexy it was. He wondered momentarily if the captain was single before realising that these thoughts were running through his mind and silently scolding himself for them. He barely knew Aizawa, there was no way he could find him attractive. He busied himself with a strand of his tangled blond hair, wrapping it around his finger to try and distract himself from the fact that he'd just been thinking about the captain of the ship.
There was silence for a while, broken by Aizawa calling him over to his desk. Hizashi's legs were still a little shaky but other than that he was able to make his way over to the desk without any trouble, leaning against it to support himself. Once he was stood over the map, he pointed to a dotted line that had been drawn onto it. "That's our route," he explained, before moving his finger to a point in the middle of the ocean, between Spearecliffe and Kruns Landing, "And that's where we are now." Hizashi looked along the dotted line to the next few docks they'd be stopping off after Kruns Landing: King's Bay, Ironpoint, Plumwolf and Marblerock. All places where he knew he would be sent straight back to Spearecliffe if he was spotted.
"Is there really nowhere else you can drop me off?" He asked, earning him a glare from the captain.
"At Marblerock we finish our current job- deliver the cargo and get paid," he said, "From there on it's looking for either a job or a merchant's ship to steal from."
"If it's paying me for this job that you're worried about, I promise it's not a problem, I-"
"It could get messy," Aizawa said, not caring that he'd interrupted him, "I don't want you in the way if that happens."
"... In the way?" Hizashi narrowed his eyes a little, "I can fight."
"Yet you can't get through a storm on a ship without throwing up."
He folded his arms as the captain stepped away from the desk and looked out if the window, sighing when he saw that the storm was still going on.
"I'm going out there," he said, making his way over to the exit of his cabin, "Stay here. And don't get in any trouble."
Hizashi didn't say anything as he went out into the storm, slamming the door shut behind him. He went back over to the bed and sat down, looking around the cabin properly. It was nicely furnished but he could tell that everything had been stolen- nothing quite matched exactly and the desk, cabinet, wardrobe and bedframe were all a different kind of wood. There was a map on the wall as well as the one on the desk, and the rest of the cabin was decorated with other trinkets and stolen items- most notably a painting of the palace at Ironport- the exact one that had apparently been stolen a few years ago.
He shivered in his wet shirt, hesitating before taking it off and pulling the blanket on the captain's bed around his shoulders to keep warm. It was surprisingly soft and he lay back on the mattress, pulling one of the pillows over his head to try and block the sound of the thunder outside. It didn't work and no matter how many times he closed his eyes or told himself that he wasn't in the middle of the ocean during a thunderstorm he was unable to go to sleep. Perhaps his two naps that day hadn't been such a good idea after all.
Minutes turned to hours and Hizashi found himself getting bored. He wasn't dry, but he had managed to soak Aizawa's sheets through completely, so he stood up, running his hands through his damp hair in an attempt to detangle it. The storm seemed to have calmed down and he could now walk across the cabin at a normal speed without stumbling, so he guessed that the captain would be back soon. He was right.
He was looking at the ornate liquor cabinet that Aizawa had to one side of the room (totally not trying to work out how to open it) when the door opened and he came back in with Nemuri behind him. When she spotted Hizashi she raised an eyebrow and let out a low chuckle. "Already inviting our guest into your cabin?" she said, "You must really like him."
" Nemuri! "
Hizashi muffled a giggle behind his hand, quickly looking down at the floor as the captain looks over at him, looking somewhere between annoyed and tired. "You're not wearing a shirt," he commented, and Hizashi felt his face god red with embarrassment.
"Oh... I can explain," he said, "I was still wet and I, uh..." His voice trailed off and he swallowed down the lump that was forming in his throat. There was silence for a while, during which he swore he could hear the quarter mistress snigger to herself. Finally, Aizawa broke the silence. "Get dressed," he told him, chucking him a shirt. Hizashi did as he asked, trying his best to avoid eye contact with either of them. The shirt fit a little weirdly- their body types were different and it seemed to be custom made. He tugged at it a little, still looking away from them as Aizawa walked over to him.
"It doesn't fit," he told him, blinking in surprise when Aizawa stepped closer to him. "Captain, I..." he looked down as he undid the first two buttons of his shirt before slapping his hand away. The captain's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before it returned to its usual, unreadable expression. Hizashi frowned. "What was that for?"
"Sorry, you just looked... strange with your shirt done all the way up," he explained, his voice monotonous as usual, "You looked like you were trying to be posh. Don't do that."
Hizashi felt a lump rise in his throat, realising that he'd done the shirt all the way up out of habit- if he slipped up like that too much, the crew might start to notice who he really was. He needed to avoid that- there was a huge amount of money on offer for anyone with information on his whereabouts. Before he could stop himself, he sat back down his bed and folded one leg over the other.
"Wanna hear about the time I stole from the queen of Larona?"
At this Nemuri laughed and rolled her eyes. "Is that really-?"
Aizawa waved his hand to shush her, but he seemed to be sceptical, eyes a little narrowed as he asked, "When did you do that?"
"Remember when all her jewellery went missing?"
"That was you?"
Hizashi nodded. It hadn't actually been him, of course. It had been a small band of thieves that had broken into her room by posing as servants. They'd been caught but never revealed to the public, and the jewellery had never been recovered. It was one hell of a lie, but he was sure that he could work with what he knew about the true nature of the crime.
"I snuck into the palace dressed as a servant," he said, "Had to kill a few guards to get in, but other than them, no-one saw me." Aizawa sat down opposite him again, clearly interested, and Nemuri left his cabin, muttering something about waiting until the ship was empty as she shut the door behind her.
"Were you ever caught?" The captain asked, and Hizashi just grinned and winked, before standing up.
"I'd best be going now, captain," he said, "Nice talk, though. We should do this again some time." He started to make his way towards the door, hoping that leaving would mean not having to continue lying through his teeth for the next twenty minutes. Before he could, however, Aizawa cleared his throat behind him and he turned back round to face him, his hand still resting on the doorknob.
"Hizashi?" The captain said, leaning back on his desk, "Is there a family name to go with that?"
Hizashi swallowed down the lump in his throat, forcing a smile as he winked at him, quickly leaving the cabin and slamming the door shut behind him before any more questions could be asked.
The rest of the journey to Kruns Landing was relatively uneventful; the weather calmed down and Hizashi started to familiarize himself with how things worked on board. He spent a considerable amount of time with Iida, who was more than happy to help him on the many occasions when he was unsure of what he was doing. The adjustment between his life as a prince and life on the run took a while, and he did all he could to avoid speaking, just in case something slipped out that gave away his identity. It was hard at first, but after a day or so he was almost completely used to it.
The captain didn't speak to him much, nor did he pay any particular attention to him, and every time his eyes were off of him, Hizashi found himself admiring how he looked, wondering what it would be like to run his hands through his tangled black hair and if his lips were as soft as he imagined. Something told him that making this... Infatuation known wasn't a good idea, so he made a point of ignoring the captain whenever he could, hoping that this would counteract all the staring he did.
When they docked at Kruns Landing, roles were given out- some people went to buy supplies, some to trade items that they'd stolen in Spearecliffe, and some remained on the ship to clean and inspect it, making sure it was ready for its voyage on to King's Bay. Hizashi was told to buy supplies much to his relief, but before he could leave the ship, he heard Nemuri say his name. He stiffened and turned, clenching his fist as he watched the rest of the group leave the ship to go to the market in the town centre of King's Bay. "Is... something wrong?" he asked, and Nemuri shrugged, leaning against the side of the cabin.
"No idea," she answered, "Captain wants to see you. I'm gonna go get a drink." She started to make her way off the ship, but paused just as she came to Hizashi, leaning into his ear, "Don't be fooled by how he acts as captain, babe" her voice was low, sultry even, as she spoke, "He's a total bottom."
Hizashi felt his face heat up and he opened his mouth to talk, but before any sound could come out the quartermistress was already out of earshot. He stood there for a few moments on the deck before deciding to make his way over to the captain's cabin, knocking on the door hesitantly.
"Come in," came the voice from inside, low and rough. Hizashi did as he was told, shutting the door behind him and sitting in a chair as Aizawa motioned for him to do so. He sat there awkwardly for a few moments, wringing his hands in his lap. Then, unable to keep quiet any longer, he said, "Nemuri told me that-"
Aizawa stopped him before he could finish. "Don't believe any of what she says. It's all bullshit," he told him, perhaps a little too firmly for it to be the truth. He sat down on his desk, agitatedly running a hand through his hair. "Hizashi, I need to talk to you about something."
"...okay?"
There was silence and Hizashi shuffled awkwardly under his gaze. "Am I... in trouble?"
Aizawa stood up, motioning for him to do the same. "Well, in short..." He sighed. Then, he pulled his cutlass out of its sheath and pointed the end of the blade to his throat, "Yes."
"Captain-!"
"Who the hell are you?"
Hizashi froze up, biting back a cry of shock as he looked down at the blade pressed against his neck and then back up at the captain. His hands shook by his side as he managed to choke out a soft, "What?"
"Who are you?" Aizawa's eyes narrowed, "I know the people who stole from the queen of Larona because I was the one who busted them out of prison. On top of that you won't give me your family name and somehow you've managed to escape capture in Kruns Landing of all places. So either you're trying desperately to impress me or you're hiding something that I can't find out. Which is it, Hizashi?"
"I..."
"If I don't like what I hear, I will not hesitate to throw you off this ship."
Hizashi took a few moments to compose himself, swallowing down the lump in his throat. At this point, there was no use in lying, he realised, Aizawa had figured out that he hadn't been telling the truth before and if he continued to keep his identity a secret it would probably happen again.
He took a deep, shaky breath before looking the captain in the eye and speaking as firmly as he could. "My full name is Yamada Hizashi," he said, "And I'm the prince of Tillia."
Aizawa blinked a few times before lowering his cutlass. "Holy shit..." he spoke softly, but his shock was unmistakable, "Why are you here?" his grip on the hilt of his blade tightened, and Hizashi could tell that he was still more than ready to behead him if need's be.
"I, uh... I'm escaping."
"Escaping?"
"Yeah. I hate being a prince," he did all he could to ignore Aizawa's stony glare as he explained, "I wanted to leave but I knew if I did it legally I'd eventually be reported and sent home. So I was told to find you and... Well, here I am."
There was silence for a while before the captain sheathed his cutlass, letting out a sigh of relief as he sat down on his desk. "Thank god," he said, "I was worried that you were working for someone to get us taken in." He crossed a leg over the other, running a hand through his hair as Hizashi watched, frowning.
"Who told you that?"
"A few people on board. Not everyone takes too kindly to newbies," he waved his hand to dismiss him, but he didn't move. Instead, he sat back down in his chair, leaning back and smiling. Now that it was apparent that his incredibly attractive captain didn't want him dead, he was going to take this opportunity to ask him about what the ship's quartermistress had said before she'd left.
"So..." he said, "About what Nemuri said earlier..."
At this, Aizawa looked away, his face reddening a little as he folded his arms and tutted. "I told you, it's all bullshit."
"Oh really?" he grinned, leaning further forward, "If it's all bullshit, why are you so embarrassed by it?"
Aizawa didn't grace this with an answer, waving his hand in front of his face to dismiss him. "Go clean out your sleeping area or something," he said, "I'm sure there'll be a dead rat in your blankets or something."
"Oh, come on, Captain, I-"
Before he could finish, the captain narrowed his eyes and raised his voice, his fists clenched by his side. "Out!" he demanded, and Hizashi froze up in surprise, "Out of my cabin. Now!"
Not wanting to irritate him anymore, Hizashi nodded, standing up and quickly leaving his cabin, making his way to his own sleeping area below decks. What Nemuri had said to him was on his mind for the rest of the afternoon, and the captain's reaction made him think that it wasn't too far from the truth.
--
To avoid the radar of any authorities, the route to King's Bay was out into an unclaimed part of the ocean, a part that no-one wanted because it was so damn hot all the time. Iida had told him that criminals usually took advantage of this route, and they kept an eye out for any merchants coming their way, since they'd be pretty much helpless if they were attacked.
Naturally, the heat got to all of them. Despite their cargo being due to arrive at King's Bay in a week, work on board came to almost a complete standstill. Everyone, including Hizashi, found it nearly impossible to function in the heat, and this was only made worse when a meeting was called on the top deck. Hizashi stood beside Iida, sweating in the tropical air as they waited for Aizawa to leave his cabin and talk to them, wishing that they could get into the shade or even just have a drink. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long.
"Do you have any idea what this is about?" Iida asked him, and he shrugged.
"Why would I know?" He said, "I wouldn't be surprised if Nemuri didn't know what this is about, to be honest." Iida looked at him with raised brows, letting out a soft chuckle.
"I mean, you've got to have something to do with all... This," he gestured to how the entire crew was gathered around the top deck of the ship, "The captain invited you into his cabin earlier, right? He doesn't let just anyone in there, you know. Either he tried to kill you or he's attracted to you."
"Or both," Hizashi quickly said, earning him another laugh from Iida, "It could be both." He smiled to himself as the door to the captain's cabin opened and Aizawa came out, his hair pulled out of his face in a messy ponytail. The warmth seemed to have gotten to him too; his shirt stuck to his chest and his skin glistened with sweat- in all honesty, Hizashi should've found it gross, and on anyone else he probably would have. But there was something about him that was so undeniably sexy and while what he'd said to Iida had been a joke, there was definitely a (rather large) part of him that wondered if it could possibly be true.
There was silence as Aizawa stood in front of all of them, wiping his forehead with his sleeve before speaking in his usual bored-sounding voice. "I'm not sure how many of you are aware," he said, "But we have someone who needs protecting on this ship. I'm not going to give any names, but I'm sure most of you know who I'm talking about anyway. If he's found by any authorities, he will be taken away and therefore if I find out that anyone," he raised his voice a little, pausing to look at a few faces in the crowd, "And I mean anyone, has spoken of his presence on this ship, I will not hesitate to throw you off." There was a nervous murmur throughout the crowd, and Hizashi turned to Iida with a frown.
"He does know we're in the middle of the ocean, right?" He asked. Iida just nodded.
After that it wasn't long before Aizawa dismissed the crew, ordering them to get back to the little work they had been doing before the meeting had started. Hizashi told Iida that he'd catch up with him in a bit before hurrying over to the captain, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention just before he disappeared into his cabin. He turned around and visibly tensed up when he saw him. "Yes, Hizashi?"
"I hope you don't mind me saying this," he told the captain carefully, pausing as he picked out his words, "But... I don't think I need 'protecting'. I'm not technically a member of your crew, so I don't see why I'm your responsibility."
"You're cargo," Aizawa quickly said, "Nothing more than something we're shipping from one place to another."
Hizashi frowned at this statement, opening his mouth argue but closing it again when he realised that he was exactly right. Instead of trying to come up with any kind of witty comeback, he decided to stay focussed on what he originally meant to talk about anyway. "Listen," he said firmly, "I don't need you or your crew to look after me. I'm trained in self-defence, I can-"
"Can't be that well trained," Aizawa interrupted, "You freaked out as soon as I held a blade to your throat."
"Anyone would freak out if someone was doing that!"
"Would they? Most of my crew are fine with that sort of thing, your majesty ."
"Actually, it's your highness. I'm a prince, not a king. If you're going to mock me, get it right." He grinned as Aizawa frowned, seeming to have run out of arguments. "Not so confident now, are you, honey?"
There was silence as what Hizashi had just said dawned on them both. Aizawa's eyes widened a little as his face went red and he looked down at the floor, playing nervously with a strand of his blond hair. "... What did you just call me?"
"I... ah... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"Is this how you addressed your superiors in the palace?" he asked, to which Hizashi shook his head, stumbling over his words as he spoke.
"N-no! No, of course not, I... I just... it was an accident, I promise, I uh..." He swallowed and looked back up at Aizawa, who stood with his arms folded as he watched him stutter and blush.
"It's not a problem," he finally said, which seemed to shut Hizashi up, "As long as you don't call me that when others are around." Hizashi's eyes widened in surprise as he turned back around and opened the door to his cabin.
"Captain!"
"Hm?"
"You can't just..."
"Can't just what, Hizashi?" Aizawa said, "I don't care what you call me as long as it doesn't affect how your work on board the ship."
Hizashi stared at him for a few moments, his line of sight dropping from his eyes down to his mouth. He suddenly found himself overcome with the urge to do something that a part of him knew was a terrible idea- but another part of him knew he wouldn't be satisfied until he did. He quickly made sure that nobody on board was watching them, before grabbing the captain by the shirt, pulling him in and pressing their mouths together.
For a moment, Aizawa stiffened up, his eyes widening and a muffled noise of surprise leaving his mouth. Then, he tore away from him, bringing his hand up to touch his mouth as if double checking that what he thought had just happened really did. Instantly, Hizashi regretted the kiss. The captain didn't make eye contact as he spoke to him, his voice soft and wavering, as if he was unsure of what he was saying.
"Hizashi?"
"Y-yes, captain?"
"In my cabin. Now."
Hizashi swallowed as he followed Aizawa inside, staring down at the floor in shame. He wasn't exactly disgusted by himself, more just disappointed. Why did he force himself onto him like that? Why would he attempt such a thing even though Aizawa had made it clear in the past that he was uncomfortable with such things? Why did he-?
"Hizashi. You look scared." His voice came from beside him and he looked up, pushing his blond hair out of his voice as he chewed nervously on his bottom lip.
"Sorry, captain," he said, trying to keep his voice level, "I just... I wasn't sure if you... if I should... I..." His voice trailed off and he looked down to see that aizawa had taken his hand, squeezing it gently and running his thumb over his knuckles.
"You're cute," he said bluntly, "And I'm not sure if my feelings for you could quite be classed as love yet, but..." he sighed, sitting him down on his bed before doing the same beside him, "I think it's enough to want to kiss you properly this time." It took Hizashi a moment or two to process what he'd just told him- he had feelings for him. He thought he was attractive. Holy shit. He blinked in surprise for a few moments before nodding.
"I... Yeah..." he said, "I'd... like that, captain, I-"
"If you call me captain one more time I'll send you straight back out there to do work with all the others," Aizawa told him, then before he could reply, he leaned in and reconnected their lips, one hand coming to rest on his cheek and the other wrapping around his waist to pull him closer. Hizashi closed his eyes and kissed him back, gently running his fingers through his hair, savouring the feeling of his chapped lips under his own.
Aizawa pulled away a little too soon for his liking, but it was only to take a breath and admire his face. Moments later their kiss had resumed and Hizashi was pushing himself closer into the captain's chest, embracing him tightly as he slid his tongue into his mouth. Aizawa hesitated before sucking lightly on his tongue, hands sliding down the blond's body as he slowly started to stumble backwards towards his desk, pulling Hizashi with him. This time when he pulled away, he opened his eyes completely and stroked his face with his thumb. There was a look in his eyes, Hizashi thought, that was somewhere between love and lust- neither one nor the other yet both at the same time.
"Aizawa...?"
"Yes, your highness?"
"Can I... stay on the ship?"
"What, not happy with being labelled as 'cargo?" he gave him a lopsided grin and Hizashi shoving him playfully onto the desk before leaning in for another kiss to shut up him. Before he could, however, Aizawa pushed him away and sighed. "You really want to be a criminal?" he asked, "You'll spend your entire life with your face on wanted posters."
"Better than having to stand still for paintings for three hours."
Hizashi could sense the captain about to try and argue with him again, so before he could even open his mouth he pulled him into another kiss, curling a strand of his dark hair around his finger.
He could definitely adjust to life as a pirate if it meant he got to do this.