Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The dark belly of a ship cruised over the sea, its body large and recognizable for any sea creature. It was especially recognizable for a certain teal-haired siren. The creature, face plain with apathy, swam upwards, as quick as a dart.

It took its place amongst the shallow waters and sharp-edged rocks by the cliffside. Fog danced along the surface of the water playfully, as if waiting for an entertaining show, despite how dark and gloomy the sky was.

Nimbly, the siren perched upon a slanted, smooth rock, a backdrop of sharp edges behind him, waiting until the ship was as close as it possibly could.

It was still very far away, but he held confidence in the strength and volume of his call. With the blank face of a worker with years of experience, he opened his mouth, and he sang.

Lloyd stood over his desk, a maniacal smile stretched upon his face, leering down at a map that would’ve shivered if it had the parts.

“Almost there!” He practically cackled, dancing around his quarters.

He hadn’t noticed the man standing out the door until he’d done a full turn. He froze, mid pose, hands clearly spread out and clearly off balance. With a dead-pan look, he dropped his arms and walked towards him, snatching the map off the desk.

With a very exaggerated motion – no more exaggerated than the scowl that dragged his lips downward in a way that shouldn’t be humanly possible – he signaled, WHAT?

The crew member, powerfully gestured, coiling back and then whipping forward with hands like knives, signaling towards the exit, then bringing his hands to the sides of his face and puffing up his cheeks.

Lloyd brought up a hand, wearing a weary face with blank eyes, shaking his head. SORRY NOT MY TYPE.

The crew member stood in shock, jaw hanging agape, before giving up and turning out the door with a heavy head.

[ Something tells me that wasn’t what he was asking, stupid. ] The blue screen of text popped up right in front of his face, like the rude little system it was.

“Shut up!” Lloyd huffed, stepping out of the door and being met with frosty air. His brown bangs tussled with the wind and slapped his face. “Could’ve given me a warning or a translation at least, you useless system.”

[ Where’s the fun in that? ] The system said, before disappearing quickly again.

The crew member from earlier was peering over the deck with wide eyes. Lloyd made his way in a few long strides, large brown boots clacking the floor.

“WHAT ISsss it…” He'd started, before sealing his mouth shut. Partly because of the fact that he wouldn't hear him anyway, and second because…

There was a siren out there. Gorgeous turquoise waves that ended at the nape of its neck, sparkling like stardust, light like the morning sun on the sea. Its top half went from pale skin to teal- blue scales, continuing to a tail. Its fins were like silk, shimmering and thin. They were beautiful.

Its mouth was open, lips moving, clearly doing something. You could see the sharp teeth that could impale and crush a rock, and yet…

Lloyd smiled with wicked glee, all his teeth bared.

The siren seemed to startle, catching Lloyd’s gaze. Its sapphire eyes squinted at him in suspicion, but still communicating something, until, as though testing a theory, it stopped.

Lloyd’s smile only grew wider, as he laughed. He was sure it was loud, except, he didn't know. Because…

“The earplugs work! We’ll be safe until the ports!” He cheered, pumping his fist in the air. The rest of the crew who were outside copied the motion, cheering too. 

However, when he looked back, the male siren was looking at him with eyes wide, eyebrows drawn down. He looked downright offended.

Lloyd waved, an innocent smile plastered, then pointed at the siren, and then that very smile stretched wickedly and proceeded to laugh at him.

Even from there, you could hear something snap. The siren bared his teeth, glaring with fury, only growing Lloyd’s satisfaction with himself.

As quick as a flash, the siren dove smoothly back into the water, and with a last flip of a turquoise tail he was gone.

“Man, sirens, huh. Could you imagine if that guy was human? He'd be a total lady killer,” Lloyd said, and then proceeded to shudder from his own words. He stuck out a tongue and faked a gag. “Eugh.”

[ Well… ]

“What?” He asked. He knew he probably looked crazy talking to himself, but it's not like they'd hear him anyways.

[ Nothing… ] The system disappeared without another word. Really, really suspicious. What was the system hiding? 

Evil bastard.

***

Evil bastard! Javier thought, swimming at an extremely high speed through the sea, blinded by red. Fish looked to their left and saw a torpedo cutting through, quickly flailing out of his way before he ran them over.

Annoying, despicable – The brown-haired man, long brown ponytail and wild bangs hidden underneath a sharp black pirate hat, red lapels flapping in the wind, had made direct eye contact with him. He had smiled, and Javier thought it was time for lunch, thought he was about to jump in, and then– and then! –

He'd laughed at him!

As though he was the one doing the trickery! As if he’d won a game that was never supposed to be a game in the first place!

He clenched his jaw. His teeth would grind into dust at this rate. By the time he reached the shallower beach floor, he’d come to a conclusion.

He would get to that brown haired man, and he would laugh in his face, before getting rid of him. After all, pirates abhorred anything that wasn't human. They hunted and stole and mercilessly tore through the seas. He knew his kind well, with their hooks and their nets. Their endless harpoons and weapons. 

With a goal in mind, Javier went back up, mentally preparing for the encounter. He swam by the boat, watching from a distance, trying to find out the mystery to why his call didn't affect him. Come to think of it, all the other crew members were immune to his song too.

How could that be?

Hiding by the side of the boat and lurking in the shadows, he opened his mouth, and tried his call again. He could hear his own song, the one he’d used many a time to lure those unsuspecting into the depths. And yet, there was no splashes, no shouting, nothing.

Javier gripped the side of the boat, claws piercing its wood.

His claws…

His eyes widened with recognition.

It would be dangerous… maybe even stupid…

However…

Nobody had ever made him this angry in his entire life.

With a steel determination, he made his way up the boat, grabbing onto the sides of the boat and stabbing through it, climbing and climbing. For any other creature it would’ve been a terrible endeavor, but his arms were toned and strong from swimming. He made his way up to the side of the boat, hand gripping the edge from the other side as he heaved himself up to see.

The coast was clear.

Still hanging from the side, he took a deep breath, and he sang, louder than he'd ever had to sing before.

***

“Do you think we can take these off now?” One of the crew members, dirty blonde hair and a little bit of stubble shouted, turning towards the older crew member named Bayern. The man turned and, as gruffly as one could shake their head.

“Come on, the siren is gone!” He complained. This time Bayern couldn’t tell what he was saying, forehead creasing in confusion.

The member, without much thought at all, took out his own earplugs and said, “The siren is gone!” Finally, he could hear the waves of the ocean and the rock of the boat again.

Another guy who had been lounging around with a mop in his hands, saw this and took out his own. “Oh, we can take them off now?” he asked.

Sir Bayern's eyes widened, horrified. “Put those back in!” 

It was then, a beautiful melody was heard. It was unlike anything the two had ever heard, and they raced up the stairs, leaving behind a very confused and very panicked Sir Bayern.

“Captain Lloyd has specifically said not to take those off!” He exclaimed, running after them.

***

Javier could hear bounding footsteps, the floorboards creaking and rattling, and he bared his teeth in a smile.

Could it be? Was it truly the distance after all?

To his dismay, only two came towards his general direction. Their faces turned bright and joyous, seeing… whatever they wanted to see. And yet, the captain wasn’t one of them.

“Where is your captain?” he asked, in a dreamy, song-like voice

‘Captain Lloyd…” they answered, in unison, a little breathlessly. “Is somewhere on the ship.” Javier resisted the urge to slap them.

“Why didn’t the song work for you before?” he sang.

“The wax.” “Earplugs.” They said, proceeding to make their way to him once more.

“Stop,” the siren sang, “Get him to take it off, and then bring him here.”

They looked at him blankly, then smiled like drones. “Yes, of course…”

Bayern stood behind the corner of the quarters, looking at the sight in front of him. It was a man – no, look at those claws, and those scales that stretched across their hands, not a mermaid, it was a siren, just like Captain Lloyd had said. They seemed to be conversing. He needed to report this as soon as possible! In long, quiet strides he bounded towards Lloyd’s office, hoping he’d be able to make it in time.

--

“A siren? Someone took off their earbuds?!” Lloyd screeched, face warping into one of mass annoyance. He practically sprinted out the door, almost slipping by the speed he was going.

What was the plan? How do you ward off a siren? His sword… Could he fight it? A bead of sweat dropped down his forehead. He… he could slay it… He rounded the corner, and came face to face with the siren and his victims. Except… they seemed to be alright? They were just standing there, looking kind of dazed, but they hadn’t jumped. Was he hanging from the ledge? His hand lingered on the hilt of his blade.

He made eye contact with the siren, hair fluttering in the wind, pale like a painting. Piercing cerulean eyes bore into him. For a siren he didn’t look monstrous at all. His lips parted, most likely still singing.

Oh! A lightbulb went off in his head. If they’re under some sort of spell because of that… 

He grinned.

I just have to break it!

He opened his mouth, and started singing.

Immediately, the crew members without their earplugs recoiled forward, hands going to their ears.

“What is that awful grating noise?!” they cried. “Like nails on a cha…” They turned, palms still at their ears, and turned to look at Lloyd.

He was glad he still had his earplugs at least. He didn't want to hear what they were saying anyway. They were probably calling him ridiculously tone-deaf.

But it worked! The two glanced at the deck and stumbled back, taking their places by Lloyd’s side.

“A siren!”

“Quick, get the harpoon!”

One of them raced toward the armory, a conversation none of the others were privy to.

The siren stared at him with wide eyes, right at Lloyd, like, there was something on his face. Lloyd’s song drifted off into a murmur, looking down at himself and scratching his face a little subconsciously. He was still looking at him with surprise like he’d grown two heads.

“What?” he blurted, gruffly.

The siren stared at him, and then looked to the two crew members who were able to get away safely. He looked puzzled, underneath that silky mop of hair. 

And suddenly, his face whipped to the side, and his whole face squinted and startled up with fear. His hands pushed at the boat and he dove back into the water. He barely had time to process when Lloyd saw his crew, holding harpoons in their hands!

“No! No!” he screeched, floundering in between them, hands shooting up at his sides like webs could come out of them. Damn it, damn it– he took the plugs out of his ears in a last minute quick decision. “Don’t shoot!” he bellowed.

“But– the siren–” said Greg.

Lloyd brought a hand to rub his temples, “He didn’t kill you! You didn’t jump.”

“That’s because you saved us, Captain Lloyd,” the other chimed in.

“Still, he was harmless, he had the chance to get you, and he didn’t. You guys were just standing there, so just don’t… don’t shoot.” He murmured, silently wondering if he made the right call. They lowered their weapons. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as the last splash and the last bit of bubbles got further and further away.

“Just… keep it on you. And keep those earplugs in!”

“Aye aye cap’n!”

***

They didn’t shoot. He was swimming, still in the shooting range, and there were no shots fired. Right before he’d pushed off, he saw the realization flicker upon the man’s face as he turned. He’d heard the words before. “Shoot,” and “kill,” but this time, the words uttered with them were “No,” and “Don’t.” 

Had he… protected him?

It would make sense, staying true with his song. His song. Melody was a part of a siren's entire life, they could hear a person's heart from their song. His song was like a shield. It waved and waned from low tones to high, but it formed something strong, and almost golden. His heart sang to protect. Protecting his crew. He had shined like rays of light in the darkness. 

It was the most noble song of all.

That's how he'd saved his people. And, on top of that, somehow he was still alive, despite being so close to death. And it was all thanks to that irritating –

Sharp eyes that glowed golden in the light, a confident gaze, chin up, eyebrows drawn in, ready to overpower him. Ready to save.

Ready to kill–

 He carried a blade. He could’ve removed his head in one fell swipe.

 But he didn’t.

And what did this mean? 

He’d never come across a selfless human like him.

Javier shook his head in disbelief, and made his way deeper into the water. He’d have to find another meal, then.

It was later in the day when the waters started getting darker and rougher. The waves were strong and hazardous at the surface. A storm was coming. Javier shrugged it off, digging into his fish, and then paused, mid bite.

The ship.

He’d seen many shipwrecks caused by storms. Wreckages on those rocky shores, flags torn and floorboards ripped open. Rarely did he see any survivors or anybody stranded. He looked up towards the surface, dark and dooming.

His resolve was already made.

A life for a life.

Taking his fish to go, he shot up to the surface, tail flapping like mad. Five words kept playing in his head. A life for a life, a life for a life. He remembered Lloyd’s song, and was compelled by a need to protect. His head popped out of the water, and his eyes scanned for the large vessel. There it was, rocking along with the waves, going perilously sideways and more. At least it was lit up, glowing a warm orange. He could hear screams– or no, wait…

They were cheering.

javier kept his splashes quiet as he made his way to the side of the boat. He could hear them singing. They sang with joy, but this time, their notes glowed green. They were excited for riches, for treasure, not singing for the safety of others anymore. They were painted by greed. And in the center was…

The captain?

“Yo-ho yo-ho a pirate’s life for me!” he was singing, loud and unabashedly.

He was painted by greed too. Javier’s heart sank, but he shook it off. No, he was still a good man, not an evil one.

The other crew members danced around him like maniacs cheering and surrounding him in a circle while dancing. What a bunch of weirdos…

Javier watched as the brown-haired man–

“Captain Lloyd! Captain Lloyd!” The crew cheered.

Lloyd stood above a barrel and continued to sing loudly, throwing his arms out and spinning precariously, coat whipping around him. The thunder rumbled above him…

And then it struck.

As quick as a flash, a blinding light enveloped his sight, followed by a loud boom. Followed by everyone running, screaming, the warm light had started spreading. He watched as Lloyd looked around, brows furrowed and dazed, jaw locked. His eyes scanned the territory before shouting, “Get the buckets!”

There was smoke coming out of the ship now, and thumping boots across the border. Lloyd took his coat off, sweating and carrying buckets of water.

“The gunpowder sir! There’s gunpowder!”

A shadow crossed Lloyd’s face as he remained still, breathing heavily.

“Captain!”

“Get to the boats!” he shouted with urgency, propelling himself forward, despite the way his hands were trembling. “Everyone evacuate right now!”

“Sir, the summons!” one of them cried out. The fire was spreading. The summons were in his quarters. The waves made the entire boat unsteady, and the thunder struck again, lighting his body in a flash, illuminating his fear as he ran to save them.

Javier watched as rowboats crashed onto the sea, people piled in. The waves were going onto their ship, flooding at the surface. Their sail was now on fire. This ship was definitely going down.

“Ppodong, Bangul, Hamang, Bibeong!” Lloyd cried out the names of each of his summons, the furious, blazing fire feet away from him and spreading uncontrollably. He carried each of them out in his arms, cradling them, and with wide eyes he screamed as he ran as fast as humanly possible. The boat swayed, trying to overpower him, but he could make it, the ledge was there, the rowboats would be just feet away from the edge–

His foot sank into a broken floorboard, and his summons flew out of his arms and into the water. He tugged at his leg, stuck in the hole. “AAAAARGHH!!” He used all his strength and all his fury– who could’ve predicted this damn storm?! – he yanked his leg out and tumbled backward, feeling the heat from the searing fire–

The barrels.

…

Oh shi—

BOOOOOOOOM!!!!! 

***

The ship had exploded, orange light streaking across the sky and the ocean. Floorboards and other kinds of debris erupted from the mast and flew across the sky. Javier swam around the ship, bolting through the hard current, hair flurrying in the wind as his eyes searched the waters for a familiar figure, he'd stayed on the ship to save those creatures. What was the point of it all if it took his own life? How could he be so careless-- so thoughtless--

There, on the floorboard!

He powered his heart to go as fast as possible, feeling helpless as he watched Lloyd’s limpless body wade into the water, the rest of his body slowly going under. He dove in, getting closer and closer to the figure – face relaxed, peaceful – there were less and less bubbles rising.

He linked his arms around his, and used his strength to pull him up. His muscles were burning, heaving them both toward the surface, forcing his tail to push through. He rose above the surface, pulling Lloyd’s lifeless body next to him, under the crook of his arm as he navigated with the other hand. 

We need to find land, I won’t be able to carry him for long, Javier thought, gritting his teeth.

Eventually they made their way to the shores, the sandy area behind the edged rocks. He rolled him onto the sandy beach, leaving him facing the sky. His eyes were still shut, and he barely looked alive. He put an ear to his chest, and heart the low and comforting thump of a heart beat.

Javier let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

A breath, that’s right, he needed air! Javier brought a hand to cup Lloyd’s jaw, features now gentle in comparison to the sharp, malicious grin he’d had in their first encounter and the other hand tucked into the strands of his brown hair. With an intense determination, he dove in, connected their lips, and gave his breath to him. 

He was aware what this would mean for them, but he’d already made up his mind.

“Live,” he whispered, breathed, in the language only sirens and merfolk knew, and he sucked in a breath and dove in again; his lips were soft.

And then Lloyd’s eyes shot open, startling Javier so much he dropped his head back on the sand and almost hit him. He rose, like a vampire getting out of a coffin.

“Eh?”

He looked confused, staring at him with blown-out eyes, taking him in. He seemed perfectly fine, so giving him his breath worked. So that means…

‘ Hello. ’

“WHAT?!”

***

For sirens, there was a custom practiced by those who were deeply in love. Since sirens could breathe underwater and on land as well, to share breath was something not necessary but an act of true love. It meant giving your all to them. Sharing your breath allowed for a magical connection between the two, not technically mind-reading, but the ability to send messages that transcends space and language. It was like a magical echolocation, seemingly having something to do with the sharing of mana, which was strongly connected to the heart.

So, Javier was able to jump start Lloyd’s heart; it also meant that they could now communicate, allowing Javier the opportunity to ask:

‘ Why did you save me? ’

Bewildered, Lloyd opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, like a fish. “Hey… you’re lips aren’t even moving… how…” he gulped, “No, before that, what happened to my crew?”

Through their shared bond, he could understand his words clearly. Javier smiled. ‘ Thinking of others first. Yes, I thought you were a good human. ’

Lloyd's face scrunched up like he was repulsed to the idea, “No, I just… well, I needed my crew, how else am I supposed to get my treasure?”

The shimmering siren leaned in closer, hands digging into the sand to keep him above, their noses almost touching. Those piercing eyes locked in on him again, filled with unbridled intensity. ‘ Then why didn’t you use your blade? ’ He asked.

“Too close! Geez!” Lloyd shuffled backward, avoiding his gaze awkwardly. “Obviously I would’ve, if you made them jump overboard.” 

‘I see.’ Javier smiled at him, warmly. It was small, but it creased his eyes into pleased crescents. ‘That is fair.’

He turned his gaze back on him, accusingly, pointing at him, “Why didn't you point your, er, fangs at them?"

‘ I was waiting for you. ’

 “You… were waiting… because you wanted to eat ME?” he said, hesitantly, jaw agape.

This time, Javier looked away, clearly guilty. ‘...That's all in the past. ‘

“What?!” shouted Lloyd. Javier only stared at him with a frown, and they just stared at each other for two… three… four seconds… “Well? C'mon, go on. I think I deserve an explanation too.” He said, pursing his lips , into a frown. “Why did you save me?”

‘ To protect you. You saved my life. ’

Lloyd’s eyes widened even more. And then, he drew back, crossing his arms over his chest. After a moment's contemplation, he shook his head vigorously. His hair shook with him, shaking droplets from his head.

“I didn't save you, you hear me? So don't get all high and mighty about it. We're even now, aren't we?”

For some reason, it seemed he was reluctant to be in debt.

It seemed they had a bit in common after all.

‘ Yes, we would be even now. ’ He watched as the man in front of him visibly perked up, his face relaxing just a bit.

‘ Except, it's still a little imbalanced. ’ Javier looked at him, underneath his long light curls, with the exact, precise focus of an archer. ‘ I've given you something I cannot take back. ’

“What?!!” He hissed, throwing his arms in the air in dramatics. “What is it? I didn't take anything from you.”

Javier's hand reached up to touch his lips, held it there, and then brought his scaly hand to lightly tap Lloyd’s lips. A small, bold smile stretched across Javier’s face, under the light it could even be labeled as a smirk. He looked annoyingly proud, while also fluttering his long lashes like a maiden who lost her innocence.

He watched as Lloyd's face turned from downturned confusion to realization; his eyes went wide and round again, his cheeks flushing a brilliant scarlet.

“You–” he stared, paused, gathered his words, opened his mouth, closed it again. Looking like a fish out of water, amusingly enough. Javier waited patiently. Finally, he regained his composure. “So you… you ki…. You gave me CPR?” He murmured, fiddling with his hands, hesitantly, before rolling his head and steeling his expression. “So what? Is that why you can talk without talking? We’re connected now?” Lloyd whispered in disbelief.

Oh my god. Can he read my mind? Look at him, standing over him with his wavy turquoise locks all sun-lit, still sopping wet. His chest looked so firm, were all mermaids this muscular? Can he hear me right now? It doesn’t look like he can–

‘ Yes, ’ echoed Javier’s low voice in his mind; Lloyd froze. Completely. His heart dropped, and took its time burying itself six feet under. He could feel the steam rising from his ears already from mortification. ‘ I can send you my thoughts, but since you’re not very… adept at controlling your mana, I don’t get messages from you. Unless you figure out how to do so. ’ 

At this, all the tension in him relaxed. “Well, that’s a relief…” Lloyd trailed off. Before his eyes, he watched as the siren before him started sparkling like the ocean during a sunset, reflecting pure white light, his scales shining brighter and brighter to the point it was blinding. They looked at each other, and both of them looked surprised. “What’s going on?”

‘ I don’t know, ’ said Javier, looking slightly panicked. His whole tail was becoming absorbed in light. There was fear in his eyes, this really had never happened before.

“AAH!” screamed Lloyd, squinting now, “We have to get you back in the water!” He propelled himself forward to hook his arms under Javier’s and tried to get him over his shoulder, but the weight instantaneously pulled the both of them back downward. He hit the ground hard, and the weight of Javier's tail flopped on top of him. “You’re so heavy!” he screeched, settling on dragging him backwards, closer towards the waves. Javier patted his, now glowing, tail on the sand miserably. Lloyd glanced behind him, the ocean was right there–

And then he heard it. Snap, crackle, pop! Like a million of those tiny snap pops they gave kids on the fourth of july, and it was coming from Javier’s tail.

“AAAHHHH!!!!” They both screamed out loud, grabbing at each other's arms tightly like they'd just disappear into thin air. Javier’s scream was like the highnote of a song, to which, in one quick millisecond, Lloyd deadpanned and looked to the side, like there was an invisible TV. What kind of unfair stupid siren logic is that? And in another quick millisecond, a blinding light spread, and then, when their visions finally adjusted, the white was replaced with… a pale… skin color…

‘ Legs! ’ gasped Javier.

“LEGS?!” Lloyd’s hands shot up to cover his eyes, and Javier’s arms slipped out from his grasp. His head hit the sandy ground hard.

He would've been absolutely pissed, but that expression on his face and the way Lloyd blushed even up to his hands simmered it away, and, so he let it go. Also, legs! He pushed up from the sand, and moved his two legs. Completely void of scales! 

“Captain Lloyd.”

“What?”

“Captain Lloyd.”

His eye twitched. “What is it I can hear you perfectly fi…ine…” He risked a glance to his side, only because Javier was now standing behind him. He could feel his breath on the back of his neck as he spoke. “You can talk.”

‘ I have legs now, Captain Lloyd. ’

“Yes, I know. Do you only know how to say my name?” He asked, locking his eyes up to his, making sure not to let them drop downwards. The siren was keeping steady on his feet, thank goodness. He was a fast learner.

‘ I was watching, but there are still many words I do not know. ’

“Well, what’s your name?”

‘ Javier Asrahan. ’

“Sounds like a song,” Lloyd murmured. “Anyway, Javier, you don’t have to call me captain. Just Lloyd is fine now. I can’t be a captain without a ship after all.”

It had been ages since someone said his name.

Javier nodded in agreement, with a single, “Lloyd” escaping his lips once more. He liked the sound of it on his tongue, Lloyd; it was like its own song. It felt natural for him to say.

Lloyd’s eyes drew back to the ocean, scanning the area for any signs of life, or his crew. It was barren. He turned around, very carefully avoiding Javier’s presence, and scanned the sandy beach. Several feet away from him were a few pieces of broken wood, amongst a white sail.

Perfect! He beamed, bounding toward the piece, leaving Javier in the dust. He unwrapped its ties and gathered the soft fabric of the sail and a piece of rope. He jogged back to Javier, eyes trained on the ground. He waved him over, “Come here,” he commanded. Javier walked toward him without even a wobble. How was it possible for him to learn this fast? “Turn around.”

He did, and stayed silent as Lloyd’s rough and calloused hands brushed against his skin, carefully wrapping the sail around him. So gentle, for a human. And yet his hands showed that he put work and effort, like a strong hunter with great control and aim of his spear. 

 Once it wrapped around completely, he secured it with the rope around and gave it a good tug.

“There, for your modesty,” Lloyd said, grimacing, the corners of his lips curling downward.

Javier looked down, observing the form, and playing with the cover. His eyes shot back up at Lloyd, who’s hand was rubbing the back of his neck, which was blushing brilliantly. He quite loved the sight of it. Of all of his Lloyd's expressions, this shy one was right above his relaxed, tranquil expression, and over all of his other ones.

 “Now, I'm thinking we head over there, see if there's a town we could crash in until I find a way to get another ship,” Lloyd said, putting a finger up in the air as a way to declare the fact. And then, like he was melting, his face began to drop again, eyes welling up with tears. “My shipppp…” he bemoaned, falling to his knees and punching the sand with his fists like he'd just heard the world was ending.

 Javier walked towards him and, with no warning whatsoever, placed his hands underneath his thighs and his chest. His hand placed flat across his plane, and although he was covered, he could tell that his hand was large, covering the expanse quite successfully. The other hand hooked around the sides of his thighs, and Javier's forearm supported the other one. And just as he registered the contact, he was lifted up with ease. 

He watched as the sand underneath him was pushed further away, and suddenly his feet were no longer touching the ground. He was embarrassingly aware of how he must look, butt in the air. 

“Put me down! Put me down!” He screeched, mortified.

 Javier frowned, and then started walking. With him. In his arms. ‘ Then we'll never leave, Captain Lloyd. ’ If there were a telepathic version of a sigh, he'd have heard it, it would've been there times ten. No, times a thousand.

As much as Lloyd flailed, Javier would not budge, stupid mermaids and their stupid muscles. Or sirens. Whatever!

“I can walk… this position is so embarrassing,” his voice was muffled by the hands covering his face.

Javier took this into consideration, nodded, and then flipped him over.

Now this…

This was just bridal style carrying now!

What an image they must be, Javier in all his glory his shining flowy hair glimmering like a sapphire in the light, and bright captivating diamond eyes carrying a damsel in distress in his toned arms. Except, except…

I'm the damsel!!!?!!! He screeched, internally. 

While yes, his grown brown hair was still somehow in a ponytail, and his garments were still very drenched and sticking to him, and maybe he looked somewhat in distress– but that was only because of the situation!

And now he was forced to look up at that image, and the piece of art that was now looking down at him with the stupid sun as a stupid halo, and it was just downright unfair. He attempted to send some foul cuss words into Javier’s mind, but his expression didn't even falter, so he guessed he had no such luck.

He scowled. “I'm serious, Javier, let me go.” 

Javier's eye twitched in annoyance, who has the right to be annoyed here? He was doing him a favor.

“Javier.”

With clear reluctance, he bent down so he could finally plant his feet on the floor. He hit the sand with a forceful thump of his boots.

‘ So stubborn. ’ He (mind?) muttered, as subtly as an elephant stomping through a china shop, frowning underneath that mop of raggedy hair. He wasn't even attempting to cover it up.

“I heard that!”

Lloyd stalked off, in the weirdest way possible, with his arms crossed and his knees bending too much, muttering to himself.

It was quite funny. Like a crab. Clicking his claws angrily. Javier rushed to his side once more.

‘ You're too light. Do you eat enough? ’

“Shut up or I’ll really leave you behind!”

Javier stared at him, affronted.

'You can't leave me behind. You stole my breath. '

Lloyd winced with his teeth bared, still walking forward. “That was an awful line. And your timing's all off!” 

‘ My timing? ’

“Yes, it should be like…” He spun around on his heels, smiling at him, eyes glowing. “You… took my breath away.” He said, all whispery and breathless. He blinked twice, and then his expression dropped flat, act completely erased. “Not that you would know.”

The siren sucked in a breath, and then, he uttered, all sweet and saccharine, “You… took my breath away.” Javier copied him, and his timing, in his real voice. It was low and resonant. If a voice could sound handsome, that was the definition of it. He radiated honesty. If he wasn't just mimicking him, anybody, man or woman, would believe it and fly into his arms in a second.

Lloyd morphed his surprise into a scowl, turning his head back to the front. “Needs work.” He continued his pace, kicking at the sand underneath him.

Javier ran up in front of him, blocking his path with his arms stretched out. “Captain Lloyd stole my breath. Siren. Treasure. Shared. Not… you leave.” He said, in his own melodic, low voice, looking dire. Clearly, he wanted to convey something deeper.

“The CPR, the… mana… from you, is that what you're talking about? The breath?”

‘ Yes. ’ Javier was looking at him really seriously now, with an intensity that could've rivaled the burning sun.

“I didn't steal treasure though, so what's wrong?” He asked, waving his hands in front of him. Javier grit his teeth, slapping a hand over his forehead. 

‘ Not human treasure. Siren treasure. ’

He was clearly missing something, Javier wanted to communicate something, but he couldn't explain it and he couldn't understand it.

“I don't understa–” he was cut off my a swift movement, cutting off his sound, at the lips. It was quick to hit him, pressing intently and toward, like magnets crashing or waves on the rocks of a shore it pressed with forces undeniable. His hand was on the back of his head and his lips were on his until the fact became absolutely entirely comprehensible and clear.

Javier was kissing him.

His lips were on his.

“Holdonholdonholdo-” he said, stammering after a gasp of breath before he was pulled in yet again, this time taken even more off guard. “Mmf-” his eyes squeezed shut, warm spreading everywhere, before he felt cool air– Javier's breath– being blown on the surface of his lips, fluttering like snowflakes and melting on his skin.

‘ You understand now? ’

He looked eerily calm, after giving him a heart attack. That was his first kiss in years. Lloyd felt like he’d just went down just passed through a tumultuous storm and came out absolutely wrecked while Javier came out looking pristine and perfect. Rumbling storms and rocking waves and thunder striking, then cut to Javier in clear skies and calm waters. Why did he get to be all calm about this?

Lloyd gawked at him, heaving breaths. 

No. No. I'm not gonna give him the satisfaction.

He sucked in a breath. “Bleurgh,” he said, making a face and sticking out his tongue.

It was nothing, not to him, not to me. Either of us! It was just him proving a point.

“You can't just do something like that without asking, part of the human code.”

A shadow crossed over Javier's face, his silence telling.

“Don't worry, I get what you were trying to say,” Lloyd cut in, putting his hands on his hips as he summarized. “You gave me your siren treasure when you resuscitated me, and that is meaningful." He paused, looked up at Javier for a quick second, and added, "To sirens.”

Javier's eye twitched. The implication made him want to press into him further and really show him what meaningful meant.

He paused at his own thoughts. What? He shook his head, burying it away.

'…It was a crude explanation for a soulful statement and tradition, but yes. ’

"So you'll stick with me until I repay you, somehow."

' Yes. ' said Javier. If the human was in his debt, he'd have to remain by his side, after all. And then, when the debt was repaid, he would leave.

Of course.

***

Where the sand ended, they were able to find a town. It was pretty busy. Lots of humans… Javier scanned the area, searching for danger. It didn't look like any were carrying weapons, but… they were outsiders, after all. He spared a glance at Lloyd. His eyes were sparkling.

Not a care in the world, his human.

“Look! A town!” Lloyd exclaimed, jumping up and down with glee, clicking his boots. “Great, now we just have to…” He patted his pockets, turning more frantic each time. His expression did an entire 180, his mouth stretching downwards comically. “Waaah! My money! My coins! My treasure!” He recognized this. In three seconds, he would collapse to the floor again.

Javier grabbed his face with both hands, cupping his cheeks, and forced him to look at him. His golden eyes blinked in surprise, lips jutting out like a pufferfish.

‘ What do you need? ’ 

“Twesur” Lloyd said, muffled, still stuffed in his hands. Javier gazed at him seriously, eyebrows drawn in, looking at him really closely as though he were a sample under a microscope.

And then he nodded, as though he were receiving grave but expected news.

‘ I will ensure your survival, Captain Lloyd. So, use me. ‘

At those words, Lloyd looked surprised. Wide eyes and an innocent look, unable to process such a random act of kindness. “Oh…” he sputtered, his gaze flickering across his face, eyebrows furrowed, puzzled. “Why?”

Javier tilted his head, and gazed into his soul, still holding his face. ‘ Because…’ he communicated, leaning in closer as though he were really whispering. ‘ You’re my soul mate now. ’

Lloyd's golden eyes grew impossibly larger, and his hands flew to cover Javier's mouth immediately, without thinking. “You can't say things like that!”

‘ But it's already done. ’ 

Oh, right. Telepathy. Damn it.

They stood there for a while, Lloyd unusually speechless. Javier was also not budging. Well, until Lloyd reached for his hands and brought them down, avoiding his gaze the whole time. Javier let him do it, albeit, unwillingly and slowly.

‘ And your face when you’re sad is my least favorite expression. ’

Under Javier's hands, Lloyd’s face morphed into a huge scowl, teeth bared and everything. Javier only squeezed him tighter in his hands.

Who was he kidding, he was an idiot for being moved by a siren's words.

Like a rubber band brought back full force, Lloyd snapped back to his usual self.

“You little– fffuuu… fine. Fine. Be like that!” He shouted. A few moments paused, before his anger faded and in turn was replaced with a devilish smile. The contrast was… alarming. “I've got the best plan, with you right in the center!” He shouted, now smiling sharply, rubbing his hands together like a fly. A scheme was forming in his mind.

Javier couldn't help but be a little bit nervous.

"Operation Idol starts now!"

Chapter Text

"Javier Ashrahan with his beautiful voice has come to grace our shores!” 

Javier didn't need the magical disappearing of the language barrier to feel mortified.

With gritted teeth, he continued to walk by Lloyd, who was shouting at the top of his lungs.

“For a meager fee, you can see a once in a lifetime event!” Lloyd turned his head, hiding his mouth behind his hands as he whispered intently, “Okay, now flex your muscles.”

Javier squeezed his eyes shut, his jaw locking. ‘ I will not degrade myself to such notions. ’ 

Lloyd's face looked just as appalled as he felt. “You're already shirtless! Do it for the press.”

‘ The what? ’

He slapped his forehead and then proceeded to slowly drag his fingers down his face. “Real world reference. You wouldn't understand. Look, do it for me, alright? I'm starving.” Lloyd said, pouting frowning.

At this, Javier sighed, surrendering. ‘ Then shall I order them to give you your treasure? ’

Lloyd shook his head wildly. His bangs flapped back and forth across his head as he did so. “No, no, no, they have to pay to see you. You can't just order them like that to give you their treasure!” He whisper-shouted, shocked to his core.

Javier watched intently as he refused the idea profusely. ‘ So… even though you’re starving, you still don’t want to take advantage of them. ‘  

Lloyd whipped around to stare at him like he'd just grown two heads. “Haah? Course not. It's just easier to have them all in one place.” 

Javier's slight smile wouldn't go unnoticed.

“I'm telling you. I'm doing this for me.”

‘ Of course, Captain Lloyd. ’

“Stop acting like you can read my mind!” He seethed, pointing at him accusingly with crossed brows.

‘ You're a good human. ‘

He looked like he was going to rip his hair out of his skull. “Now you just sound like you're calling me a dog!”

‘ What's a dog? ’

“Oh. Well. It's a–” He stopped and glared. “Hey. Quit distracting me. Come see Javier Asrahan, famous for his music~!” He cupped his hands by his mouth to be even impossibly louder as people passed on by. “A show will be on when the sunsets!”

They both looked to the sky. It was still bright and blue. It took time for word to spread, after all. And more time meant more money.

Javier's eyes found Lloyd's again, still bright and golden. ‘ Will you be able to last that long? ’

Lloyd shrugged. “Yeah, of course. Not the first time I missed a meal.” He thought back to when his ship, his hard-earned, beautifully crafted ship, and the longer voyages when they ended up running low on food. Sometimes, they were longer. But they always ended up getting their fill of treasure, in the end. Enough for a feast when they docked. Those were good times. He sniffled, glumly, to himself.

Suddenly, Javier surged forward, striding with determination in his gait as he went towards the buildings. And then, he literally began climbing up. His back muscles boldly flexed as he did so, digging his fingers in the smallest of ledges, and barely using his legs to propel him. It was terrifyingly impressive.

Once he reached the top, he stood up, and then, he opened his mouth, and he sang.

‘ Everyone gather towards me. ’ Lloyd could understand him clearly, but it seemed everyone else could too, as hordes of people began to congregate around him. 

Once it seemed like everyone who could hear was already there and stopped moving, he stopped singing or even humming, and just went dead silent.

Loyd watched as people began to blink the dreariness away, and look at each other confusedly, as if they had just gotten out of a slumber. This time it was broken on Javier's own accord, so it seemed this was what a more natural awakening looked like. They weren't immediately shocked or put on their guard, unlike the other time.

Lloyd could only stare with them as their gazes turned to look up towards Javier, illuminated by the glowing sun, standing in front of them like a hero. Cheering and waving to catch his eye.

 But he was only looking at him; meeting his gaze with endless intensity. 

‘ Well? ’ Oh, he was in his head again now. The change in his singing to that low, resonant voice of his gave him whiplash. It tickled his ears, even though the very notion should be impossible, considering.‘ Continue with your plan, Captain Lloyd. ’

Upon registering these words, his stomach did a weird swoopy thing, and he felt a little floaty, like somehow the tension in his shoulders had shifted slightly. He blinked, and blinked a couple more times, until he felt steady on his feet again, touching the solid earth.

Okay… weird.

He cleared his throat. “If any of you would like to listen to Javier’s entrancing singing, please remain here. You will have to pay a small fee for such a beauty, but I promise you it'll be worthwhile! Place your offerings on the stairs here. Thank you!”

“He is quite the beauty, it's almost ethereal…”

“I feel like I was in a trance while he was singing, don't you?”

“Yes, yes, and it's not everyday we get a singer in town.”

The murmurs of the crowd continued to ripple, until finally they came to a halt and people began to file forward towards the stairs, fishing out some coins out of their pockets.

‘ You're making a really devious face right now, Captain Lloyd. ‘

From below, Lloyd flipped him off. He probably didn't even know what it meant, but it's the thought that counts.

The stack piled up, and once the people went back to the crowd, he went back to singing. This time, no words went along with it, just beautiful harmonies lilting and fluctuating and being carried through the breeze.

It truly was hypnotizing.

Lloyd gave no signal for him to stop as he filled an empty wooden box he found with the coins, sliding them over the stairs and hearing each one clink together. Once he was done, he went back to the clearing and sat on it. “Alright, Javier. You went on for a bit, I think that was about the length of an entire song already, you can stop now!” he exclaimed, grinning unabashedly.

Javier nodded, and it went quiet and the people just looked at him, and they cheered, stomped their feet, and applauded. 

Guess that meant his song did register after all. Which means… More money!

On his box, he stood up and cried out, “Thank you for being a perfect audience! Now, our star will need more time to rest. Bye-bye!” he said, smiling innocently at them as he waved, watching as they trickled out, enthusiastically whispering and murmuring. Now that they'd gotten a taste of a concert, they'd be easy pickings. He'd have to raise the prices up gradually for entry.

 He hadn't noticed Javier already standing next to him until he turned around, and he yelped, hopping off the box in a fright. “Gah! Geez, warn a guy, will ya?” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a frown.

He made no comment, and only bent down to lift the box from the floor. He made it look like it was a sack of pillows.

‘ Is this enough? ‘ He asked. If he didn't know any better, he'd say he sounded worried.

Lloyd nodded vigorously. “Oh yeah, it's chump change but we got a good amount. It'll keep us sated for a while. Good job with the crowd, there.” His smile shaped his eyes into happy crescents, glowing as bright like the setting sun.

‘ Then go get food. ‘

“Ah,” he murmured, his smile now turning sheepish. “I was actually planning to get a room first, stash our gold and start building my…” he trailed off, finding himself under the scrutiny of the siren's harsh glare. "Boat."

‘ You haven't eaten since the shipwreck. ’

He chuckled, sheepishly. “Okay, yeah,” he admitted, “...But there's still stuff I should be doing first and–”

‘ No. You need to eat. Your energy reserves are drained from everything that's happened to you. Don't push yourself. ’ Javier interrupted, firmly.

They proceeded to have a stare-off, neither one of them budging. Lloyd crossed his arms, with a scowl, feeling a little exposed. It was like he had the ability to see through his soul. Like, he was an egg, and Javier had the spoon to just crack him open. One swift movement and there tumbles all his yolky insides.

…

What were they talking about again?

He tapped his foot on the ground in rapid succession, with his eyes closed and face twisted, clearly debating to himself, weighing the pros and cons.

‘ Lloyd, please. ’ The words send a shiver down his spine, and his hand flies up to his ear, helplessly and uselessly.

He was looking at him so seriously, just to get him to eat. Why’d he care that much anyway?

“You’re… seriously weird, you know that?” He grumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning away from him, kicking the dirt along the dirt path as he began to walk.

“You’re seriously weird.” Javier replied back, full-heartedly, following him at an even stride. ‘ And stubborn. And– ’

“Keep talking and I’m turning around.”

He made a mistake, glancing to the side to look at him at that moment.

Javier was smiling at him, lips quirked upwards just enough you could call it a smile. It was soft and gentle, like he didn't even know he was smiling, like it just happened to be that way. It wasn't forced or anything like that. Just… gentle. He didn't know any other word to describe it.

It was overwhelming.

He dragged his eyes downward. It felt illegal to bask in it; it felt illegal to look away.

And yet, he could still feel his gaze on him, and he used the hand closest to Javier to tilt his face away, just lightly pushing with the pads of his fingers, just enough so that his head would keep straight ahead.

Worst of all, he couldn't even say blurgh.

“Eyes ahead, siren.” 

‘ Aye aye captain. ‘ 

He could still hear the smile, even in his thoughts.

***

“Oh, mmh, this is so good! Wow. Gonna need to ask for more of that!” Lloyd groaned, sensually, speaking in between bites as he stuffed his face.

It should've been disgusting, or even embarrassing, but the buried, instinctual part of Javier was just happy to see his mate eating and being treated well.

He shook his head, trying to get himself to snap out of it. It was just his instincts reacting to the connection, the mana that lingered in him, that was all.

“Your fish, sir,” said the lady, bringing a plate right in front of him.

As soon as it touched the table, he grabbed it with his hands and absolutely devoured it.

Lloyd stared at him with wide eyes. “Did you just inhale that?”

‘ Are you still not done? ’ Javier asked, with good humor. He was already licking his fingers, a bit too obscenely for an open restaurant establishment, which they were in.

“Your teeth must be really sharp, huh?” Lloyd commented offhandedly, casually leaning forward over the table to get a better look. “To be able to eat that fast… and also eat humans.”

He tilted his head, also leaning in. ‘ No, they're not. ’ He said, adamantly, dragging Lloyd's outstretched hand towards him (he hadn't even realized he'd reached out–) thumb pressing on his wrist, guiding the pad of his finger to press on pearly white fangs.

They weren't as sharp as he'd expected, but they were fine at the edges like blades, like beautifully crafted weapons. He felt the slight edge along the pad of his finger as he pressed harder, just out of a stupid, burning curiosity, and he felt Javier's eyes on him again before he even had to look.

But when he finally did, raised his eyes away from his mouth, his eyes looked darker. 

They seemed dangerous.

Like he could eat him alive.

The very fact hit him like a bullet train. He was putting his damn hand in the mouth of a human eating carnivore. (Was he a carnivore? He had to be, right? Or did sirens eat seaweed? He'd have to ask, later.) It was like he was waving a flag that said Dumb Ways To Die 101!

He pulled his hand away in a flash, standing up so fast the chair scratched loud along the floor. “Be back.” He rushed out the words and practically raced toward the bathrooms.

“Hey, isn't that…”

“You're right, it is him.” 

He slammed the door behind him with both hands and pressed his back against the wall. God, he wished he had the internet at times like these. Hey Google, how long before a carnivore stops wanting to eat you?

[ He doesn't want to eat you anymore, idiot. ] The blue screen of text popped up right in front of him, scaring the life out of him. Once he finished reading it, he let out a sigh of relief, stepping in front of the mirror instead.

“First of all, rude. Second of all, where have you been?”

[ There's not much time. There's some dangerous fellows right outside the door, so– ] He doesn't get to finish reading, because the door slams open, hitting the wall with force.

“You're Lloyd Fontera, aren't you?” There's two guys, tall in stature, black beards, and very clearly wearing sharp pirate hats. They had nice coats and well-worn shabby boots. They were the real deal.

“I'm not Lloyd Fontera, I'm just Kim Suho, I live here. What do you want from me?” He asked, putting up his best innocent act as he backed away from them, slowly. He still had his sword, strapped in. He could fight them here, but he'd never be let in again if he caused a scene, and that would affect his profits as a manager, which would mean building his ship would be postponed for even longer, which meant–

The guy unraveled a poster of his face, which okay, wow. Whoever drew that should be fired as soon as possible. They got his nose all wrong! And his smile was not that malicious.

“That's you, alright. Come on, boss'll be really happy if we get him.” And now they had ropes in their hands. Who the hell carries rope?!

He unsheathed his sword, falling into stance, letting out a steady exhale. “If you want it to be that way, fine, but don't complain later."

They unsheathed their swords as well, blocking the only exit, and they rushed out at him and swung. He parried the guy on the right with his sword and simultaneously ducked right below the other guy's swing, sliding in between them. He got up like a spring and scrambled to the door, when–

It was another guy. He practically took up the entire space of the door and more, looking down at him with dead eyes.

Oh. Well. He recognized this guy.

His head swerved to look behind him, and they were already surrounding him, he was trapped. “JAVI–”

A punch to his temple cuts him off, knocking him off his feet. Vaguely, he realizes he's hit the floor. And even more vaguely, he can't find the strength in him to stand up. His head was rattling in his brain. Or was it the other way around? He winced, his vision going dark as he attempted to reach for his sword again.

Javier. He thought, hazily, losing focus; there were now three swords in his view, and they kept moving; don’t... he squeezed his eyes shut, to stop the ringing and the spinning. He needed to tell him… tell him… 

Don’t forget to stash the gold…

And then, it really went dark.

***

'…the gold…' Javier was already on his feet, his eyes scanning the area vehemently. His message was muddy, wavering, unclear, his thoughts barely filtering through. He had a terrible feeling in his gut, swirling inside of him a sense of distress, something wasn’t right. 

His human was a lot of things, but he was not quiet.

He was bold, and loud, and bright, and brilliant, again, as uproarious as the crashes of an ocean. Quiet was not a word in his vocabulary. But right now, he was silent. The world continued to chatter, but he did not hear Lloyd, not even the slightest trace of his voice.

‘ Lloyd. Captain Lloyd. Captain Lloyd? ‘ He tried calling out in his head as he raced towards the way he’d seen him last, his breathing becoming uneven. No answer. Not a single one, audible or not. His agitation was only building, rising in his chest. He pushed at the grainy walls around him, trying to gather balance and propel himself forward. No, this was not agitation. Far from it. It was fear. That was fear, clawing its way up his throat.

He’d made his way to the very end of the place, until he came to a long corridor. In front was a large burly human, standing in front of an open door. He walked closer, until the angle opened up and…

A glimpse of dark brown hair, spread out on the floor.

Eyes closed shut.

He moved before he could even think.

The guy was being held against the wall by the throat, by his hand. The whirlwind of anxiety fled to his hands, and they transformed, they now trembled with the need to tear their throats apart. Rip him–

There were more, two of them. Standing over his mate’s body. His hold on the man’s neck before him only grew tighter. His boots were lifted off the ground, but his arms were free. He moved his arm, reaching for the sword by his belt. He slammed his head into the side of the wall and threw him backwards, the way a professional pitched a baseball. He slid down the wall, head hanging. He whipped around and started approaching the other two, waving their swords.

He’d been so consumed with anger, he’d almost forgotten.

He opened his mouth and sang a couple notes, and they fell to their knees. Whatever they saw him as now, either way they would meet death. He kicked their swords away and grabbed them by the collar, dragging long, razor-sharp nails along their throat.

“How dare you touch my mate?” He seethed, baring his teeth. He’d be excused, wouldn’t he? For slaying such a disgusting thing. But his mate was human, just as he was, would he be alright if?--

“Ughfgg…” groaned a voice. His voice. 

“Lloyd,” he murmured, reached for the two guy's heads and simultaneously slammed them into the floor. As quick as he did it, he stumbled forward, kneeling down towards Lloyd, knees crashing onto the floor. “Lloyd.” His hand wrapped around the back of his head, and he repositioned him onto his lap.

He blinked blearily, looking dazed as he squinted to the sky. Hurt.

“Urk… wha…t happened…?” 

‘ They hurt you. ‘ His hold around him tightened, fingers brushing against the temple where he'd been hit. His adrenaline and his instinct still burned with fury. ‘May I kill them? Tear their throats out? ‘

Lloyd sobered up fast at that. “Oh. No, um. Let's not commit murder.” He tried to get up, but the room started spinning when he did so. 

Javier noticed, and pushed him back down again, gently. ‘ You need mana, energy. ’ He whispered, tender and recognizable in his mind. The way his eyes bore into him, it seemed there was an unspoken question being asked.

‘ May I give it to you? ’

“Give wha… Oh. The mana?” Lloyd's eyes grew in recognition.

‘I asked, like you said. Now, can I give it to you already?’ 

“Demanding, much?” He huffed. But, as it was, his head was still hurting, and his limbs were still aching in tune with a pounding headache. “Will it really help?” he asked, cheeks gaining a slight rosy color.

Javier nodded. ‘Of course. Mana is deeply connected to our energies and well-being–’

Lloyd placed a finger on his lips, shushing him. “Okay, I don't need the impromptu magic lesson, thanks.” He propped himself up on his elbow and shifted on his knees so that he was facing Javier on an equal level. The finger on his lips turned slightly, and slid underneath Javier’s chin, holding his face in place between his fingers. “No surprise attacks this time, got it?”

Javier raised a brow in question, as unrelenting as usual. ‘ Surprise attacks? How am I attacking you? ‘

He scowled, feeling oddly embarrassed for some reason. “Since you don't warn me, it counts as a surprise.”

He could feel Javier's huff of laughter brush against his wrist.

‘ You need a warning? ‘ Javier said, his lips curving into a smile. The way he said it, it felt like they were teetering on the edge of something. ‘ What more of a warning is there besides leaning in? ‘ He leaned in closer, slowly, demonstrating the motion. Even though Lloyd was the one with his hands on him, it still felt like he was only going with the flow, helpless against the tide.

This is dangerous. 

As much as sailors and pirates adored the ocean, every experienced one knew not to underestimate its power.

Still, they overcame it time and time again. Just as sails captured the wind and ships harnessed the seas, they were capable of challenging it, shifting that force in their favor.

And so, Lloyd drew in, murmuring a “Shut up,” before he closed the gap.

It felt different, in some way, now that he was the one initiating it. He felt it in the way everything tingled and the way his skin buzzed, like he was drunk on something. That had to be the effects of the mana, right? 

Javier wrapped his hands on the back of his neck, the tide trying to drag him under.

In retaliation, he dragged both his hands to cup Javier's chin, trying to drag back to shore. 

He could feel the mana making him feel lighter, the pounding headache losing its force little by little. He’d pull away to take a breath and then go back in, and they continued until his head finally stopped ringing, and he felt right-side up again.

He pulled back, breathless. “Okay tha–” Javier pulled his neck in again. He could feel his tongue run along his teeth, which shocked him at first, and maybe felt a little good, and then– Nope! With his head cupped he made them break away, shouting “I’m good! I’m good!”

‘ Good. ’

“Good.”

… God that was… that felt really intimate. It was a good thing nobody had walked in, what a huge misunderstanding that'd be. Lloyd’s hand left Javier’s face, and he pulled and loosened the shirt collar wrapped around his neck, feeling warm. His eyes follow the movements, dark, holding the depths of the ocean.

“I actually do feel a lot better now.” Lloyd said, grinning broadly, jumping back on his feet with enthusiasm. Wow. He felt like he could sprint a mile. That mana was like a fresh cup of coffee. Coffee… He really missed coffee.

Javier followed his motion in tandem. So quick, you could almost say he was chasing his lips. ‘ I told you so. ’ Well, only an idiot would say that.

“Haha. That’s cute.” He said, rolling his eyes to the moon. “Didn’t know sirens had that phrase in their vocabulary.”

‘ I think every species does, given the sentiment. There isn’t anyone in the world who hasn’t had that moment before. ’ Javier replied matter-of-factly. It was a slight change, a tensing of posture, a clenching of fists, but his demeanor shifted. ‘ Speaking of idiots… ‘ He whipped around and walked right to the men who were sufficiently dazed and, or, knocked out. ‘ May I slit their throats? ’

“We can’t have murder charges Javier, I’m powerless enough as it is. We have no ship! We have no quarters! I cannot be wanted in this town.” He exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands.

‘ Captain Lloyd, they dared to harm you. They could do it again. ‘ He seemed desperate, even angry, which was strange, because he wasn’t even the one who was attacked. ‘ Think of yourself a little more. ’

Lloyd stared at him, slack jawed, bewildered, befuddled. He looked squirmish, almost, the way he avoided his gaze as he processed it, rubbing the back of his neck. Fiddling seemed to be a nervous tick of his, when he was vulnerable.

“Please.” He whispered. Why did he care so much? What did Lloyd do for him? He couldn't think if any reason, any cause, for him to be so concerned on his behalf. There was simply no reason in it.

Lloyd audibly groaned, covering his face with both hands and dragging it down dramatically down his face. Finally, he spun around and threw his arms out, “You can do whatever you want, just don’t kill them. Punch them, hit them, I don’t care! Make ‘em dance in the yard, I don’t care!”  

The siren seemed to wilt in relief, at the news or his antics, possibly both. ‘ I’m glad you are your usual self. ‘ Then, he clutched Lloyd’s arm, and placed a featherlight kiss on his lips.

It was a surprise, but it didn't make his heart jump out of his chest. If the tension bled out of him, if he caught himself before melting into it, if his eyes fluttered shut at the contact, if his heart de-stressed, well. That was between him and his own cardiovascular system. Symptoms of the mana distribution, he supposed.

‘ Who’d deny a man his coffee, anyway? ’ He thought, distantly. It was only a tap of lips before Javier began singing, and the three men took themselves and walked out. Who knows what he asked of them? Sometimes obliviousness was for the best.

‘ Captain Lloyd, what is this coffee you speak of? ’ Javier asked.

“Huh? I didn’t realize I was speaking out loud, sorry. It's a drink.”

‘ Haven’t you noticed, Lloyd? ‘ He was smiling. Why was he smiling?

“What?” He asked, suspicious.

‘ You’ve figured out how to send me messages. It’s how I knew you were in danger. ’

Lloyd blinked. “Wait. I didn’t even know I was doing that. I just wanted to…” He swallowed. ‘ I wanted to tell you something important, before I knocked out. I didn’t want to leave you worried. You could've just done what I asked and left. It's not like it's your responsibility to save me. '

Javier looked him dead-on, and out of nowhere, said, ' It is my responsibility. ' But he didn't have time to linger on that because immediately, he added,‘ Am I dreaming, or did you just say you’re worrying about me, Captain? ’ He was practically glowing. His eyes, his skin, everything was shining brightly. His smile had grown to an uncharacteristic degree.

Something’s happened. Something very, very bad. Something was broken here, yes, the lines have been crossed. He’d gotten comfortable. He’d gotten used to Javier. As if he hadn’t been able to read him like a book even before the connection!

“It’s not like I care. I’m only here because I owe you.” He hissed, trying hard to get the point across.

“Of course.” He could hear the laughter in his voice, damn it, said aloud just to spite him.

“Don’t get it twisted.” 

“Yes, Lloyd.”

…

‘ Wouldn’t want to leave me worried. ’

That’s it. He threw a flurry of punches to the man, and of course, just his damned luck, none of them hit his pretty face. He’d laughed, with a hand to his heart as he dodged and parried all his attacks. A real laugh, a loud one first of its kind.

“Was that a laugh I heard, Javier? Did I make the stone cold siren laugh out loud?” Lloyd asked, a sharp, cunning smile, baring all his teeth.

His face dropped immediately, like it never happened. ‘ You don’t know what you’re talking about. ’ He dead-panned. Lloyd poked at his stomach, which only furthered Javier’s frown, which in turn, made Lloyd’s smile grow even wider. Small victories.

After a few bouts of snickers he turned toward the exit, saying, “Anyway, you better have stashed my gold.” Javier avoided his gaze, recalling the fact that he did not, in fact, stash the gold. He’d been too panicked, in the moment, to even care about something silly like that. Lines appeared on his face as he glared. “Oh. I’ll really kill you if it’s gone, Javier. Mark my words.”

‘ You won’t. ’ Javier said, knowingly, factually, like it wasn’t even up to question anymore.

For a moment, he didn’t know if it was him who thought that or Javier in his head, and that very thought left a lot to entangle, threads that would take time to unravel and make sense of. 

So instead, Lloyd simply shrugged. The nice, short, wrapped up answer of: Well, technically, maybe, perhaps, yes. Or, technically, maybe, perhaps not. I'm not telling you what's in your mind, it's up to you to decide what I mean.

They arrived at the table, very much cleared out. The box was gone. They must have cheered, taking it as a huge box of tips.

Javier could hear him turn slowly, neck creaking as he turned to face him.

‘ ...I'll make it up to you. ’ He said, a haunted, solumn look on his face.

"You better." 

Standing by his side, Javier's eyes flicked up to his, seeing those bright golden orbs deep in serious thought, and tried to casually sneak in a kiss, and was met with the palm of Lloyd's hand pushing him.

"Don't even think about it."

' It's good for your heart. ' Javier insisted. ' It makes you happier. Less serious. ' So It's a distraction, huh?

"You know what's good for the heart?" Shouted Lloyd, now shaking him with a fierce, burning glare. "Gold. Money. Currency. Cha-ching!" 

A rattle of coins sounded by the door, and Lloyd perked up, leaning toward the noise cartoonishly.

' It took them long enough. ' murmured Javier in the folds of his mind, but he was too ecstatic to even hear him as he saw the men carrying treasure chests. Huge, heavy, loaded treasure chests in their hands, heading straight for them. They looked beat up as heck, and looked downright miserable, but here they were, each carrying a load of gold in their hands, overflowing.

"Javier... Javier you didn't." Lloyd did not squeal, he did not, but he was practically shaking in his boots with excitement as he figured it out. His hands still clasped Javier's shoulders, and shook him with even more fervor. "You didn't!" His eyes were sparkling as much as the jewelry dripping out of the chests.

' After they bring it all, I'm dumping them in the ocean and letting the waves take care of them. '

It didn't look like he cared about that anymore, by the way he was still shaking him back and forth enthusiastically, eyes glued to their incoming presence. He raced towards them, opening each of the chests, jaw agape. Were those tears in his eyes?

Javier squinted. Yes. Those were tears in his eyes.

Lloyd rushed towards him, running, and Javier barely had the time to stick his arms out before Lloyd had thrown himself onto him, wrapping around him like a squid and pressing his lips against his passionately and audibly. Mwah! "You are amazing," He'd said, with the biggest, most beautiful, smile on his face, looking at him with pure joy, eyes glowing brighter than any gold that exists.

And just as quickly as he came, he jumped back off of him and danced towards his gold like nothing had happened, leaving Javier dazed, still sticking out his arms like a statue frozen in place.

I... have to... find more gold. Javier thought deliriously, his throat dry, heart pounding. Lots more.

Chapter Text

Something was off.

Yes, maybe it had something to do with the fact that his personal space was no longer his.

“Javier. What are you doing?” Lloyd asked, spinning around and casting a scrutinizing glare, finding Javier inches away from him.

‘ Apparently the second you leave my sight you become endangered. ’

“That doesn't mean you have to follow me into the bathroom!” Lloyd cried, trying to slam the door on him. Pale hands hit the door, pushing against him with just as much force. He glared right back at him.

‘ Happened once, could happen again. ’

He groaned, loudly; “It's fine. I'll call you if anything happens, okay? I'm not some maiden in need of saving, so drop it!” With a word of finality he shoved himself against the door with his shoulder and in one quick motion and locked it. 

First, he needed time to think for a bit. They'd made some definitive progress here. What was the next step here? He had the funds to build a new ship, but that would only bring him broke again. He'd have to hire a new crew. Strangers to him, and he'd have to look through their skills and applications and… 

I'm getting tired just thinking about it. He ran a hand over his face with dread and closed his eyes in thought. All I want is a nice retirement, with enough gold I could sleep in it. Is that so much to ask for?

The treasure chests were wonderful, but it wouldn't hold him over long enough. He needed more. It would be so much easier if ships and crews could just come in one… package…

His eyes flew open, a smile spreading wickedly across his face.

That's it!

He quickly finished up and then proceeded to swing the door open, narrowly missing Javier by a thread.

“Javier!” he exclaimed, brown locks of hair fluttering behind him, following his motions. His smile was wide, his motions overly exaggerated in enthusiasm.

That look in his eyes could only mean one thing.

‘ What now? ’ He asked, raising a quirked brow, his lips instinctively curling into a frown. Mentally, he braced himself.

“Let's get kidnapped!”

A pause. Javier staring at him like he'd grown two heads, until he finally unfroze. ‘…What?! Are you crazy?! ’Javier shouted. He looked seriously angry, his eyes trained on him, wearing an uncharacteristic scowl. His voice in his mind rattled and echoed.

Lloyd's hands raised in front of him, trying to placate him, “I know how it sounds, but look, if we overtake some pirate's ship and their captain from the inside, we can overtake the whole thing, crew included!”

‘ Endangering yourself? ‘ He stepped forward, eyes narrowing at him, his hands clenching into fists at his side. Lloyd took a hesitant step backward, the heel of his shoe clicking against the wall behind him.

‘ Captain Lloyd, must you threaten your life so much? ’ His back hit the wall, the heels of his palms flattening against the rough surface. He looked up at Javier, still frowning at him, cornering him in place.

“How is it my fault I got jumped?” Lloyd grumbled, pushing him away by the shoulder with force; the siren barely budged.

He saw the uncertainty in those turquoise eyes, and watched as the intensity simmered. Javier ran a hand through rustled hair, closing his eyes in frustration. ‘ No, it wasn't your fault. I'm talking about you wanting to get kidnapped. Those pirates are violent. Ruthless, cutthroat. ‘ He answered, calmer this time.

At this, Lloyd frowned, golden eyes squinting in scrutiny. “I'm a pirate, moron.”

‘ You're not violent. ‘ Javier argued, like he knew him at all.

"You've known me for a day." He countered.

' A violent pirate draws their sword at a siren, they don't sing at it. ' The siren said, tilting their head rebelliously.

“I can be violent if I need to.” 

He looked straight at Javier, smile wiped clean off his face. His words held weight, the determination in his eyes a quiet, truthful, declaration. It was born like a warning. They held a silent showdown for a moment, before Lloyd spoke up again.

“And I know that's not something you signed up for. So you can go home, Javier.”

...

Go… home?

“Thanks for saving me, I mean it, but I feel like I've been… taking advantage of you.” He said, scratching the side of his head casually as if he hadn't just turned the world entirely off- kilter. “I don’t have anything to give you in return,” he continued, blabbering, “As a siren, you must feel obligated to stay, right? Because of your customs? I’m telling you you don't have to feel that way.”

It was like he was being barraged by hits, everything too fast and too much to comprehend at once. He interrupted his sentence, trying to stop what felt like the impending collapse of something very important. ‘ Is this because I overstepped?’ Javier probed, cerulean eyes wide with uncertainty, mind running over scene after scene. ‘ Or did I scare you? ’

“Scare me?” Lloyd questioned, incredulously. Because that was just the kind of soul he was; all he saw was who you were, not all that useless stuff. Siren, monster; now singer, protector. He'd changed the narrative of who Javier was. “Of course not, your power is great.” He sighed wistfully, eyes glancing to the sky as if wishing for it.

It's yours. I'll give it to you.

The sentiment left his eyes as quickly as it came, his expression hardening, again. “I just… I'm telling you that you're free to leave.”

The thought of leaving filled him with undeniable dread. What would he do? What would he go back to… It left him feeling lost, as though he were swimming through some kind of darkness, a void coming to swallow him whole.

‘ But you like my power. ’ He said, trying to grasp his words in his favor, attempt to change the tides. Quickly swallowing his pride, his fists clenched at his sides, he barreled through, ‘ I have no reason to leave. ‘

The man in front of him looked at him as though he'd said something unbelievable.

“But you don't gain anything by being here. It's not your job.” He said bluntly, like he was explaining something to a child. He was so clever, how could he not understand something so simple?

‘ I'm not with you because I want something from you. ' Javier insisted with gritted teeth. He wanted to say more, but he couldn't find the words.

Whether on instinct or thought, Lloyd immediately shook his head, as if it was an impossible idea, and his face twisted, like he’d eaten something sour. It was almost like he just couldn't believe it.

“I’m going to get us a place to stay in… you can sleep it off, and leave in the morning,” he turned away, back towards him, and Javier wanted to grab him, shake him until he came to his senses and looked at him properly. He'd completely tossed aside the conversation, avoiding it.

‘ I’m not going to leave. ’ He communicated, resolute, but it fell on deaf ears. Lloyd continued walking. Clearly, he wouldn't have any luck proving his point. Not now, when his stupid, stubborn mate was so determined to not listen to him.

No. He had to wait, be patient, until he had nowhere to run, when he could get through that thick skull of his. When he could answer that silent question. Why do you want to be with me? He had to clear his thoughts, answer that terrible question; why?

Not just for Lloyd, but for himself.

***

“I missed you so much!” He watched as Lloyd dove deeper into the blankets, burying himself under and sinking further into the bed. “I will never never never take you for granted ever again,” he cried, muffled by the pillows.

It was the happiest he'd seen him, aside from his face when he saw the treasure chests and kissed him. He stood there, motionless, as the other seemed to completely forget his existence. 

“Lloyd.” He murmured, his voice low and irritated, finally catching his attention again.

“Hm?” under the blankets, shuffling ensued, until Lloyd’s head popped out from under the blankets again, like a turtle peeking out of his shell, and he turned on his side to look at him. “What is it?”

‘ Where am I going to sleep? ’ The two both glanced around the room in unison. It was small, only with a bed, a desk, and a door to the bathroom. 

“Well…” He trailed off, sliding out the bed, already looking disheveled. His hair stood up on multiple ends, but the tension in his shoulders were gone. He looked like he'd be more recipient now that he'd been given time to cool off. “There’s this.” He opened the door to the bathroom to gesture towards a long bathtub. “...A waterbed. If you wanted to sleep in your original form, in the water. You can just slide in here like that, and then I'll put some pillows on the side here,” he said, turning the faucet so that the water began to pour out and fill the tub, rattling on and on like somebody advertising a product.

Finally, Javier interrupted. ‘ That's fine. ’ He was just satisfied that they were speaking again. The whole way to the place they were staying in, which was a humble little inn, he wouldn't even talk to him. It drove him mad, irritating him like nothing else had ever done before. He had been this close to destroying many a wall.

Lloyd clapped his hands together, smiling wide, the image like an oasis in a desert. “Great, now, shout if you need anything!” And with a flick of the wrist, he was gone, out the door in a second. Probably to lose himself in that bed again.

Javier put a hand into the tub, and watched as his pale skin became decorated with scales again. The water was just the right temperature of warm, curated with consideration. He slid the towel off and carefully lowered himself into the water, watching as pale skin became absorbed in blinding light, and scales rippled down his body, until his tail formed. He tried stretching it, but the tail hit the wall with a slap, now twice the size of the tub. It was practically curling over, and it was too cramped to try and tuck it under him.

‘ Lloyd, I don't think this is going to work… ’

He could hear grumbles coming from the other side of the door, getting louder after every stomp; “What?” He blurted, door swinging open. He quickly took in the situation, and his features contorted into something more gentle. “Oh, geez.”

Lloyd walked over to him, bending low so that they were on eye level. Inquisitive golden eyes took in the situation, and Javier looked to the side, slightly embarrassed.

“Sorry, I didn't think that through, of course you wouldn't be able to be fully comfortable here,” he said with a frown, his hands resting on the rim of the tub. Javier could remain like this for however long if it meant he continued looking this worried. Almost made him forget he'd asked him to leave. 

Almost.

‘ I… ‘ He started, stopped. Was this the right time to bring it up again? If I insist long enough, will it work? He might start avoiding him again. The walk to the room, the captain he knew felt distant, like there was a wall being kept in between them. Despite Lloyd's casual mask, he could feel him, still on guard the whole way there. 

Now though, it was just them, sitting in a room together. A tub of water, acting as a replacement of the home he'd always known, and the man he'd known for little more than a day, waiting for him to finish his words. Waiting to banish him back to a world without wind, without the breeze in his hair, without the feeling of freedom he brought with him.

At last, the words flowed out.

‘ I don't know if I can leave. ‘

There it was. 

The plain and simple truth. 

The words he had festering in him constantly like a vice in his stomach.

He dragged his eyes away from the tub, ready to come face to face with disapproving, annoyed eyes, asking what was wrong with him. 

Instead, he came face to face with Lloyd, still crouched on the floor, looking at him with wide eyes. Not shame, not hatred, not embarrassment, just surprise.

“I'm not forcing you to leave,” he murmured, sounding unusually unsure of himself, scratching the back of his head nervously. “You don't have to go back, I just wanted to give you an option. I'm putting you through this without a reward at the end of the day, it's practically you being taken advantage of– ”

‘ Then give me a reward. ’ Javier blurted, halting his train of thought. ‘ If it'll make you feel better, give me a reward every time you use me. Then, it'll be fair, and you'll be satisfied, right? ’

Ah, he'd hit the nail on the head. Lloyd's transformation was immediate, like a puppy hearing the word treat, a comparison Javier would make if he actually had seen a puppy before, his eyes going from cautious to blindingly bright.

It wouldn't be taking advantage of him anymore, it would be a tangible, justified transaction! In a flash, he leaned forward, hair brushing along the side of his face, inches away from Javier, who was feeling an odd mix of fear and relief at the same time.

“I'll write you a contract!” He exclaimed, already biting his lip, smiling with his ideas of endeavors, “To use your powers for me! The reward will be grand for more life-threatening situations, as all things should be. But you'll be mine to command, as long as you sign!"

His long brown hair, still tied in that ponytail, had dipped into the tub, the ends touching into the water. Javier raised a scaly hand, lifting the soft strands up from the water, clipping it in between his forefinger and thumb, and he brought it to his lips. 

‘ If that's what it takes. ’ He said, staring into him with a single focus. His scales glimmered like the dazzling moon.

All he did was hold on to his hair, and Lloyd felt weak, like he'd just held his soul captive underneath his gaze.

 There was no doubt he was a siren.

What a jackpot!

And just like that, he slowly lowered his hand and tucked it back behind Lloyd, his hand just grazing his neck, making him shiver. He leaned back into the tub, the water sloshing around him as he moved. You could see his figure completely, sharp, and defined ridges of trained muscle.

“Let’s get you out of this tub.” Lloyd muttered with a twitchy frown, turning away from him to press the drain.

Javier watched as he did so, his red ears saying what he hadn’t. He let out a breathy chuckle. ‘ Are you planning to carry me? ‘

“Walk on your own!” Lloyd shouted, grabbing a towel from the counter and throwing it at him.

With surprisingly quick reflexes, Javier caught it, staring at the fluffy object quizzically. He brought it to his face to sniff it.

“You use it to dry yourself…” Lloyd shook his head with a sigh, dragging his hand through his hair; “Never mind, I'll do it.” He patted the tile wall surrounding the tub. “Put your tail around here…” Javier lifted his tail obediently and Lloyd grabbed it, swinging it over the side, and then lifting his top half so he could sit over the edge.

He took the towel in his hands, crouched, and silently wiped the drops off the siren's skin. 

‘ It was dull, before you came. ‘ Javier’s thoughts were low, like a whisper, but Lloyd was made to hear it all the same. ‘ It was all about survival. ‘

Lloyd didn't stop, but his movements slowed. ‘ I know how that feels. ’ He said, speaking through that telepathic connection, silent but sharing. A pause. He blinked and cleared his throat, then continued, “...just pushing and pushing, like some machine, still going with the belief you can reach the end point.” His voice had turned gravelly, like it was just barely making it out of him, dragging on the lowest points and rocks just to escape his lips.

The silence grew again, and worry began to cloud Javier's judgement. Staring at the back of his head, he wondered if he'd struck a bad memory. He was about to reach for him when he spoke up again.

“But in this world I will reach it.” He murmured, resolute, serious, with the determination of a thousand suns; his voice overflowing with unbridled intensity. “Here, it's possible, I'll reach the end. A beautiful retirement. One where I don't have to worry about working to live or dying.” His head raised, and he wasn't staring at his back anymore, but at a brilliant man with a confident gaze, looking past him into a future he could not yet see.

But, under a gaze such as that, Javier felt like anything could be possible.

He leaned forward, pale hands cradling his hands and drawing them near; they are worn from hard work, proof of his labor. ‘ If anyone can do that, it's you, Lloyd. I will help get you the life you dream of. ‘

Lloyd's body shook with laughter, the sound rough as though he'd barked it, but it was comforting all the same. “You make it sound so easy,” he said with a ghost of a smile, lowering his head to the point where his forehead touched Lloyd's tail. It was just a tap, but it was equivalent to him showing that he was comforted too.

Javier's body moved on his own, his hands leaving Lloyd's and instead wrapping around his figure, which was leaning forward already as he knelt.

Javier was a born hunter of the seas. He knew he had to be careful. Slow. Considerate. Squeeze too hard, move too fast, and his mate would come to his “proper” senses and jump away. So he slid his arms around him, gently, simply placing his weight around him and holding him close.

Any other time, any other place, and Lloyd would have avoided it, jumped back like the plague itself. But right here, right now, he was tired. He'd lost his hard-earned ship and crew, he'd been up for hours. So, maybe it was okay. Maybe, it would be fine to rest his mind for a couple of hours.

"It'll be dangerous." He warned, stating the terms and conditions. 

' Alright, ' Javier said, with alarming casualness, like it had been decided already. 

"You're stupid," said Lloyd, eloquently. "This could lead to your ruin, you know." Turquoise eyes met him, turning upwards like the moon's crescents as he smiled.

' And it could lead to yours. ' he grinned as though it was amusing. It was his unconditional disregard of logic that was laughable. He couldn't fathom what was funny being in his shoes.

He looked up at him, wanting to get a very important point across. "I'll make all the right precautions, I won't just send you into danger without preparation." For some reason, he kept wanting to dissuade him, wanted to test the trust he placed on him so eagerly, for no reason at all.

' I won't leave even if you threaten me.'

Lloyd paused, his countenance morphing into a frown. Well, then. What could he say to that?

He let himself sink further into the depths of the ocean, wrapping his arms around the siren's lower half comfortably. He lay his head on Javier’s lap, adjusting himself like a cat finding the perfect position.

It was cute, too cute. Thought Javier, eyes boring into Lloyd, barely blinking once as he drilled holes into the back of his head.

Unfortunately, it only lasted a few moments, but it was longer than Javier thought it would last. Eventually, Lloyd’s head flicked back up, narrowly missing Javier’s nose in the process. His eyes were wide like he’d just snapped out of a spell.

Without a word, he wiped Javier clean with the almost forgotten towel like he was on a timer, until his scales shined and he was back to legs. Without hesitation, he then proceeded to toss some clothes at him. Javier complied, putting each limb in each hole as it seemed to fit on Lloyd.

When he was done, he gestured to the door. “Move out. We’re sleeping on the bed, I’m not paying extra for another room,” and he turned away, the hands he'd held now tucked into his pockets.

Javier stared at him, opening his mouth to say something, but stayed silent, and eventually started walking out the door, following his captain.

He wasn't running away. Javier realized, with glee. That command, it was an invitation to stay, was it not? He could really stay.

His chest felt lighter than ever, heart racing with a glowing sense of joy.

Lloyd had sunk into the bed already, covering himself with blankets. The lights were already off, and he fumbled towards the bed in the darkness, until his hand brushed against a plump cushion. He climbed in, taking the empty side and shifting as close as possible to the center, the bed shifting with his weight.

It was silent, and dark, but his eyes gradually became accustomed to the lighting, until he could make out the outline of Lloyd, who was facing the opposite side, his hair spreading out over the pillows.

He tried closing his eyes, but there was one thing still weighing on his mind.

‘ Lloyd? ’ He tried, gently tugging on that connection he’d created with their mana.

There was no sound, no shift. He was about to let it go, when he felt the message enter.

‘ What? ’ He asked.

‘ Why do you think I have to be gaining something to want to be with you? ’ 

Javier closed his eyes tight, eyebrows furrowed, afraid he misstepped by asking. But he wanted to know, so badly. Why can't I just want to be with you, to be with you?

It was so silent he could hear crickets chirping outside, the steps of others still away in the halls outside their room. It was as if he’d been transported to somewhere far away, before he finally replied.

‘ Because that’s how it is. It’s how I am, and it’s how people are, even if they don't know it. We are all greedy for something at our core. ’

It’s how I am.

Something about that didn't sit right with Javier. With the facts presented to him, yes, Lloyd was a greedy person. He adored treasure, gold, money, riches, the typical definition of greed. This is what he perceived himself as.

But Javier had also learned and began to know him as someone who tried saving people as well. Even though it would cost him. Even when there was an opportunity for profit, if it wasn't truly justified, he did not take it.

So, which kind of person was his mate?

Faintly, he could hear Lloyd’s even breath, and he watched his chest rise and fall with measured time. He was finally resting.

Well. Maybe it didn’t matter, because, in the end, this greedy pirate saved him from a lonely death and existence. This money-hungry man had taken care of him, and his crew, his people.

‘ Now it’s my turn to save your soul. ’ He pressed his thoughts forward one last time, wrapping his arm around Lloyd protectively, before drifting off to sleep.

' I will protect you with my life. '

The promise echoed through the night and into soft and gentle dreams, for the both of them.

Chapter Text

It was warm. The really cozy, comfortable kind, the one you feel like you could sink into and never come out of. The weight of the arm over his hip keeping him pinned, allowing him to safely drift off into sleep.

…An arm?

He patted what was wrapped around him with his hand. That wasn't his arm.

Then whose arm was it?

His eyes flew open, his head whipping around to determine the culprit.

Ah. It was no stranger, it was the siren who'd found him. A pale face, pink lips, long lashes. Inherently gorgeous, it was terribly unfair, laying beside him looking like some sort of sleeping beauty. What happened yesterday?

He blinked away the sludge of sleep, squinting at the siren as he recollected his memory. The bathtub couldn't fit him, so they went to bed, and… oh, yeah. That was it.

They should probably get up, now. It was morning, and the longer they waited they waited the more likely his treasure would be gone, and then his retirement, and then–

A low grumble came from the side of him, snapping him out of his spiral. The arm around his waist grew tighter, drawing him in closer. Lloyd let out what could only be called a squeak of surprise.

“Sleep.” Javier muttered, cold breath tickling his neck, his eyes were still closed.

“What? I wasn't even moving that much,” Lloyd murmured, lips pursing into a frown.

‘ Your breath was uneven. You sounded anxious. Go back to sleep. ’ 

Javier felt more than he heard Lloyd chuckle, shaking with soft huffed breaths of amusement. It made him want to wrap around him even tighter, just to feel more. “What are you, Spiderman? Crazy senses you've got there.”

‘ A spider man…? ‘ He questioned, but then shook his head, ruling it out as another one of his mate’s unrecognizable references. ‘ Your shuffling already woke me up, I was just paying attention to you. ‘ He said, a small grin upon his lips, his hand beginning to rub Lloyd's hip in circles repeatedly.

He couldn't remember the last time he was held like that.

The weight of the embrace really was nice, and he felt comfortable, so comfortable in fact he felt like he could sink further in it like quicksand and never come back up…

… but sleep was a comfort for the wealthy.

Groggily, he whispered, staring up at the ceiling, “I have to draft the contract, make plans, find out who'll be docking on the island or arriving.”

Javier looked as if he would object again, face hardening the way he did when it mentioned some unbelievable nonsense of how he wasn't taking care of himself or things like that.

He spoke up again before Javier could interject. “I'm gonna get up, what do you want for breakfast?”

Javier glared at him harshly, before reluctantly saying, ‘ Any fish is fine. ‘

Lloyd nodded, and shuffled toward the edge of the bed, Javier's hand sliding off his hip. He bent down to slip on his boots and when he came back up, Javier was already standing.

“Oh, you're going?” He asked, walking toward him. The siren nodded, though his face was looking more glum than usual.

 ' Of course I am. ’ He said, tilting his head, communicating the obvious fact, which he should know by now. 

“Why do I bother asking at this rate?” Lloyd sighed, his hand coming up to his forehead dramatically as he shook his head. “Ah, well. If you’re awake, start getting ready now, we’ll head out today and buy ink and paper for the contract. Oh, and get breakfast.”

Javier slipped into the shoes Lloyd had got him early on with the funds they bought from the concert. I can't have you get an infection, walking barefoot, he said. He'd tried on many, not because he was unsatisfied with them, no, he was fine with any. It was Lloyd who spent the time trying to find him a comfortable one. He had gone on his knees to slip them on each time, inspecting them like an experienced salesman.

There was a reason he stayed silent the entire time, it had been much to intimate to let him know about, felt like the fins of his tail was being brushed by his hands. Of course, he wouldn't know, and he didn't dare tell him.

All in all, Javier enjoyed shopping for the most part; he had no objections.

He watched as Lloyd threw on his jacket and proceeded to stuff a few handfuls of gold coins in the inside pockets of his jacket with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Do you know the best way to get information? Showing off. I'm sure those no-good merchants know a thing or two about the nearby pirates in the area.”

‘ Wouldn't the best way be using me? ‘ Javier was now leaning on the door, watching Lloyd observantly. 

A bright neon sign of “USE ME!” appeared on the heads, and the chime of celebratory bells sounded in Lloyd's mind. He beamed, biting his lip underneath a smile, his face flushed as if his mind had just run through a thousand different scenarios; it made Javier sweat. “Yes, yes! That would be the best idea! It would be so easy to round them up…” 

He'd gotten lost in his thoughts again, staring blissfully into space. Truly, what had he gotten into? Javier shook his head with a small, disbelieving smile, and he got up from the wall he was leaning on and clasped Lloyd's hand entirely, dragging him toward the door.

“Oh, if only megaphones existed in this world…” Lloyd said, sighing, letting himself be whisked away because his mind was still coming up with new ideas.

‘ I genuinely have no idea what you are talking about, ’ said Javier, entwining their hands even further, to bring him closer, just to make sure he didn't trip. ‘ But I'm sure you will be able to find it. ’

“I like the sound of that!” he laughed, fully, entirely, beautifully, his teeth bared, smiling wide, his cheeks still seemingly flushed. Javier found he liked the sound of it too, then. He sped up his pace, to get rid of whatever was coursing through his veins, the thrill, the adrenaline, the rush which he’d only recently begun to feel, and Lloyd matched his eagerly. Side by side, their footsteps bounded across the hall, echoing, bouncing off the walls.

He wondered if the man felt that same rush when he was with him. Unlikely, since he was a pirate after all, someone who knew the land already. It was him who was just experiencing freedom, where Lloyd was… well, he was different.

He'd best get rid of the feeling while he still could.

***

Lloyd was dying. 

Heaving breaths, he leaned on the wall like his life depended on it. “Do you…” he huffed, caught his breath, started again, “Not get tired?”

Javier shrugged, which was already infuriating enough, but then further amplified by how Lloyd's legs felt like they'd fall off any minute now. His stomach was cramping on the left. He thought he was dying.

‘ I never got tired swimming. Perhaps it's the same. ’ He inquired, leaning on the same wall and glancing towards Lloyd. At least he had the conscience to look a little guilty. ‘ Sorry. ’

The two of them had ran the way here like it was a marathon, and he hadn't noticed he was strapped in until it was too late like a rollercoaster speeding up he gradually got faster. All because of absolutely no reason.

Maybe Lloyd had indulged at first, excited to spend his gold, he'd even used a power up during it, but that last stretch was torture. Treasonous torture.

“I'm docking this off your pay.” Lloyd wheezed. 

‘ …I don't have a pay, yet, Captain Lloyd. ’ He had the audacity to look even more worried about him, like the sweat had gone to his head or something. Lloyd pushed him away with a hand to his face.

“Ah, shut up.” He said, as eloquent as ever. He rested his head on his shoulder, feeling like death. “Just shut up, let me take a breather.”

‘ I really am sorry. ’ All he had to do was turn his head a little and he'd be touching his forehead. So, that's what he did. He let his lips brush against Lloyd's forehead as he spoke, wrapping his other arm behind his back to secure him, give him some more standing support. ‘I wasn't thinking. ’

In his arms, Lloyd stiffened, freezing in place, like time had paused right in front of his eyes, his back as straight as a pencil. He turned slowly, eyes round and wide, looking at Javier as if he'd just been slapped in the face. His hands moved toward his forehead in slow-motion, and little by little, he began to thaw, turning less and less rigid, his muscles finally loosening up. “Mm. You're cold. That's nice.” He muttered, golden eyes glancing to the opposite side, so quiet that anyone even a few inches farther wouldn't be able to hear.

‘ Is that so? ’ It struck Javier like lightning upon his skin, a way to help. ‘ I can make it up to you then. ’ His face revealed nothing, as unreadable as ever, until he continued. 

‘ Come here. ’ Javier commanded, using his hand to tilt Lloyd's forward and up. The man gazed at him with furrowed brows, face scrunched up the way it did which resembled a pufferfish, yes, exactly like a pufferfish, before his face dropped. He shrugged.

“Ah, what the hell. Yeah, you're right." And, with that, Lloyd closed the distance, Javier closed his eyes and took the opportunity like it was a feast after skipping a meal. 

He felt a sharp pinch on the back of his arm. ‘ Calm down, you crazy siren. ’ 

Javier felt his eye twitch. The nerve -- he was the one who leaned into it, for goodness sake.

…But the idea that he had to rely on their connection because of the contact he'd created– not because of some maniacal fools attempting to harm him, take him away– sent shivers down his spine.

"Yeah, I think that helped." And just like that, like nothing at all had occured, like it was strictly business, Lloyd's head went back on his shoulder. Javier hummed, silently taking his weight, the hair on his head brushing against his cheek. He found Lloyd’s eyes fluttering shut, his chest rising and falling in tandem with his breaths as he let the mana flow through him. He looked all too defenseless. 

Without thinking, Javier raised his hand to cover his face, just above him, as though he was shielding him from the sun. He glared at those passing by with eyes as cold as a thousand blizzards. That face, it was a side only he alone could see.

 Those humans, no, nobody at all would get the chance to endanger him again. 

He wouldn't allow it.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “What're you doing?” he asked, features still soft from exhaustion, now gazing up at his hand quizzically.

‘ Hiding you. ’ Javier said, confirmed by the suspicious look he casted upon everyone passing by. 

He watched as golden eyes narrowed at him. “Okay then…” Without any sort of warning, Lloyd dettatched himself from his shoulder, and then he shook his head rapidly, like a wet dog, his long hair slapping Javier in the face. Before he could even begin to react, Lloyd jumped back into action with a resurgence of energy, as he always seemed to do after too much time has passed. Sometimes it felt like he was scared of what would happen if he spent too long not doing something, 

Despite Javier already being so close to his ear, he shouted; “Time is wasting! Let's move!”

The siren's hands flew to Lloyd's mouth, moving his head away as he winced. “Lloyd.” 

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, muffled underneath him, and Javier could feel his sheepish grin, a brush of soft lips on his palm. “Come on, I saw what I needed on the left side, past the fountain.”

Javier shook his head, letting out a sigh. He said, letting his hands drop from his face.

Lloyd walked a few steps forward, shoes clacking amongst the cobblestone. He spun around, hands on his hips. “And you're still here, so who's impossible now?” he snarked back, staring at him underneath a flurry of loose strands of hair, with a waggle of eyebrows and an obnoxious downturned expression.

Ah, well. He had a point.

Javier rolled his eyes, unable to stop the small smile on his face as he caught up to him, maintaining his pace to walk by his side.

“That's what I thought.” Lloyd grinned as he bit his lip with victory, and he couldn't be more insufferable, more annoying, more hypnotizing.

He pushed the door open into the shop slowly, with enough grace that the bell above didn't ring. It was filled with large and intricate artifacts in its shelves. The man at the counter was old, donning a mustache, graying curls and an irritated expression. His clothes were dignified, and he had wary, shifty eyes.

‘ This is our guy,’ said Lloyd, without looking back at him or moving his mouth. His eyes were focused, analyzing, like a predator trained in on a kill. ‘ He's a hog. He’ll definitely have paper with him, considering how valuable it is right now, to show a sign of his status and skill as a merchant. When I say go, I want you to sing him this command; "bring out the paper to organize." Got it? ’

‘ I got it. ’ Javier replied, nodding. He knew a hunt when he saw one.

They crept behind the tall shelves placed around the center, angled so that he couldn’t see him, but he could simply walk a few steps and be right in front of the man whenever he wanted.

‘ Now. ’

Javier sang the command, instantly, the man’s eyes went blank, like he was zoned out. He walked backwards into his office, and out he came with a stack of paper. Different colored parchments. Jackpot!

After the command was completed, the man snapped out of his stupor, staring quizzically in front of him, feeling as though he'd just woken from a nap.

“Oh, is that paper for sale?” Lloyd stepped from behind the shelf, emitting the happy-go-lucky, casually pleasant customer, smiling innocently, so much so that you could just barely see his eyes.

To Javier, it was a terrifying image. 

The man owning the shop, stared at him bizarrely, and then dragged his eyes back to the desk. In a flash, he absorbed the situation, hands slamming over the materials.

“Oh, no, no! This isn't for sale!” He exclaimed, laughing awkwardly, beads of sweat dropping from his forehead.

Lloyd's smile dropped, eyes lowering to the floor as he shuffled on the boots of his feet. He looked genuinely apologetic. “Ah, I see. Sorry to ask, mister…?”

“Lacona.” The old man huffed, through gritted, smiling teeth. (A terrible, see-through customer service smile, thought Lloyd. Part of him wanted to tell him to do it better.)

“Well, Lacona…” golden eyes raised from the floor, maintaining direct eye contact as he spoke, still maintaining that same smile, “I’m sure you could consider selling it, considering this whole store is filled with fakes.” 

The hand over the papers trembled as he sneered, his face turning more red by the minute. “Why, you– you can't make upthings just for discounts! Get out of my store!”

“Make things up?” He placed a hand to his chest, gasping dramatically, feigning surprise. “I'm hurt. I'm hurt that you would choose to scam like this. I'm sure your customers would be hurt too.” He nodded to himself in self-sympathy.

Lacona's patience ran out. “NOTHING IN MY STORE IS FAKE!” He screeched, like an ancient, stuck-up pterodactyl.

Expecting this answer, Lloyd strode toward the shelves, running a finger along the many treasures he sold. “Not authentic, it doesn't have the signature pattern at the bottom of the base,” he said, proceeding to move his finger onto the next one, “not real, this material,” he tapped it with his nail, lightly.

When he turned, his eyes were merciless, teeth bared in a wicked smile, a shark in the sea. In for the kill.

“Any real specialist could come in here and declare all your treasure which you sell as fakes. I know a great one. Ever heard of Sir Bayern?”

The man stumbled back with recognition in his eyes, realizing the danger he was in.

“One of the most renowned treasure analysts in the world, his talent refined for the craft, there’s no way a poor nobody like you could have any connection to the man!”

Javier laughed, just a little bit, and he immediately covered his mouth with his fist, but Lloyd noticed anyway and threw him a lethal glare. It only made him laugh harder, breathlessly and in multiple short bursts.

“Ever heard of the pirate, Fontera?”

“...Yes,” Lacona said, his eyebrows crossed, “They call him the demon of the seas, because he beats many to their own treasure and lays intricate traps for those who follow.”

Lloyd nodded slowly.

‘ Demon of the seas? Really? ’ He couldn't help but smile behind his hand, still snickering through his nose.

‘ It's not like I asked for that title! ’ The demon of the seas replied, in a hurry, now scowling at him. His anger did little to cover up the pretty flush painting his ears. He didn't know demons got embarrassed, he thought, his grin only growing.

He whipped his head back to the man, through his smile was more strained. His upper hand lowered as he bowed, his hand coming in front of him in an over the top, flourish of a gesture, tipping an imaginary, lost in the sea, pirate hat.

“I'm Captain Fontera.”

With disbelief, Lacona laughed at him. Javier didn’t even think as he stepped forward, poising into position to cross in front of Lloyd from the left side, his hand twitching at his side like a predator preparing to strike. At the same moment, Lloyd drew his sword in front of him, the sharp, thin blade of the sword swung mere centimeters from the old man’s neck.

“I said,” he emphasized, tilting his head, his bangs fluttering across his forehead, the gold of his eyes still visible. His eyes were wide but his smile was wider, a stark contrast to the performance he put on earlier. “I’m Captain Lloyd Fontera.”

He was missing the hat, his large, beautiful dark pirate hat, and his old boots had to be replaced due to the damage and the grime, but he held a very real sword, and he looked as though he’d conquered the world and was about to do it again.

He didn't need to sing to have someone follow him, that was for sure.

“No… It can't be…” The man's eyes scanned Lloyd, but he must have seen the same thing Javier did, because he shoved the papers toward Lloyd and bowed his head down, his eyes squeezed shut like the very motion pained him. “I'm sorry, okay?! Please, don't kill me!”

“I won't kill you! I'm not looking to be wanted as a murderer, that's for sure. However, I'll have you know, Sir Bayern is on my crew. So, about those papers… “ the blade twirled around the musache of a wide-eyed statue of a human. “I can be a merciful pirate, with a fair price, or I can bring Sir Bayern and tell him to bring his sword.” Lloyd leaned in, as though he were telling a secret, feigning pity. “And I think he would be just as mad as I am to find out about the treasures you are impersonating," he whispered.

The siren felt the slightest twinge of guilt. He was the one who gave him the idea to make the so-called contract, and they probably wouldn’t even eat him.

Lacona was on the verge of tears, his face completely pale. “This is blackmail!”

“There’s no blackmail if you haven't done anything bad!” the captain hummed merrily. “But if the accusations are true, and your whole identity and status is based off a load of lies, then my man might drive himself into a fit of rage and destroy your beloved shop! And who would bat an eye once the news has traveled…” It was a huge exaggeration. A bluff, really, but he’d planted it in his head, the tension had been built, amd now he had the choice. Would he stake his image or not?

‘ Your man? ’ Javier interjected, almost missing it by how casually he spoke the words.

Lacona sunk into himself, a shell of the aggravating, angry person he was just a minute ago. It was an unfortunate future to see, but it could be avoided, if he just let go of his pride. 

“...name your price, demon.”

The hunt was over.

But Lloyd didn't let the sword fall, not yet. Stubborn men needed as much incentive as possible, to make good deals, after all. “And one more thing.”

“Which pirate crew is coming here to give you the objects and information?”

***

Lloyd was humming happily, hair swishing behind him as he walked with a pep in his step, crisp paper in hand and a quill placed on top so it wouldn't fly away.

‘ How did you know he was talking with a pirate crew? ’ asked Javier, later. It had played out so smoothly, he'd briefly questioned if he had powers too. All he had were questions and afterthoughts, replaying the part over and over again, where he'd drawn his sword, saw it part from its hilt, and yet he felt no fear. There was no malice nor bloodlust intent, and still, with only that, he was capable of moving the man to his bidding.

“They may not have been the original pieces, but their details were really close to accuracy. And that man is no sailor, never seen rough or tumble in his life. He kept everything absolutely spotless, even in spots that wouldn't be seen. Did you see that crown by the window of his gallery?”

It seemed his mate was talented beyond compare, did they even have the same eyes? How could he get a feel of a person just like that? 

It felt as though he lived in a whole other world.

‘ Yes, what of it? ’ 

Lloyd put a hand on his chest and his nose stuck up in the air as he boasted, “That's not the real deal, I have it.”

‘ You have it… in the ship that sunk? ’

“No! Well, some of my treasures did…” he winced, hand clenching where his heart was, physically in pain at the knowledge of profit loss. His pace slowing. “...But I had it hidden for investment. I'll sell it a lot later so that it's values go up.”

Javier nodded, though he didn't understand a word of what he just said.

“But anyway, he had it forged so well that I thought for a second he'd stolen it from me! But it can't be, so anyway, if he could forge that, anything in his building could be forged as well. I just took a bet on what I did know.” He finished explaining, waving his hand in the air like it was the simplest thing.

They arrived at their room, and Lloyd settled into the chair behind the desk, setting the quill in hand. Javier took his place behind him, calmly looking over his shoulder.

“It's time!” he sang, and Javier could hear the joy in his voice, his song filled with dreams. He tilted his head as he looked up directly at Javier, so that he had a clear view of his face and the stupid smile that stretched to his eyes.

He wanted to melt in their radiance.

“So, I get to use your power in exchange for a reward, any idea of what you want it to be I could give you gold once I get my ship back…” he trailed off, staring back at Javier with his eyebrows furrowed, touching the feather to his chin as he pondered.

The siren shook his head. ‘ I have no need for gold. Just let me stay by your side. ’

Lloyd's head dropped back down so that he leamed over his paper. His quill scribbled along the paper in messy scratches. “So, I'll pay for your boarding so that I can continue using your power at any time. But still, you're not recieving anything then…”

‘ I'll work for free. ’ Javier suggested, point-blank.

Lloyd's head turned in minimal amounts, so rigidly you could almost hear his neck creaking, like a cog on a screw. His jaw was dropped, and his eyes bulged out of his sockets as his hand held onto the back of the chair. “What?”

‘ You're already doing a lot for me. I don't mind– ’ Javier insisted; he had no use for materialistic objects.

Lloyd cut him off, incessantly jabbing at his chest with his index finger. “If there's one thing I never trust, it’s someone who does something for someone else,” he hissed. He'd completely turned in his chair now, his knees now touching the sides of Javier's legs. He looked very cross, scowling to the point it wrinkled his nose.

 It was such a terrible expression on him that it made him want to tease hjm, just to see how morphed it could get.

Instead, he grabbed his finger, and slid his hand into his clenched fist, pressing the fingers out one by one until his palm was flat across his chest. Javier put his hand over it, his hand almost completely covering Lloyd’s.

‘ Then let me be the first. ‘

He leaned in, holding Lloyd's hand, keeping himself in his field of view so that he couldn't avoid his gaze.

He stared at him, eyes big and round as he processed his words, a tiny wedge by his eyebrow as he comprehended his words. He blinked, and then lowered his head, his lips pressed together as he shuffled in his seat. 

How could somebody answer something like that?

‘ It’s not something you can just give… ’ Lloyd frowned, closing his eyes as he shook his head. “...If you really don't want our currency, I’ll offer you one thing of your choice to give to you every day. And then, since you are working for me, I’ll cover your lodging, and your food, if that’s what you really want,” he said, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he looked to the side. “For your power.”

‘ I’m yours to command, my captain. ’ Javier’s turquoise eyes stared at him and him only, an intense, silent promise, a reminder of previous conversations. I will help you get the life you dream of.

A chill ran up Lloyd’s spine.

Wasn’t this… totally OP? He’d just gained an extremely overpowered ability. It was like getting a level 999 item in a video game. He couldn't even dream of anything remotely close to this in the real world! He'd be unstoppable!

That blue screen of text blocked his view. [ Someone's on a power trip. ] That system was just mad that he beat them! Work smarter not harder!

Like a madman, he cackled to himself, shaking with glee as he wrote. With a flick of the wrist, he finished scribbling the contract, it was messy and he’d smudged it here and there, but it was all in writing.

“Sign here then!” he smiled as he bit his lip, enthusiastically handing the quill to Javier. 

With a tense hand, he pressed down hard on the paper, with the force and form of how you would inscribe letters on a stone, as he wrote his name, in ancient writing Lloyd could not decipher.

“Perfect,” said Lloyd, his hand holding up his head, elbow propped up on the desk, now sitting in the chair the right and proper way. “Now we just have to get kidnapped!”

‘ Aren’t you too excited? ‘ Javier asked, already feeling a headache coming on.

"It’s going to be fine, now that I have you!” His captain said, grinning. Javier blinked staring st him with wonder, then frowned, feeling oddly conflicted.

‘ My song can't stop blades, or cannons or bullets. The things that could really hurt you. ’ If possible, he would've just wanted them to stay away from danger entirely. 

Apparently, that wasn't possible for his mate, who still looked absolutely delighted despite the clear warning.

He sighed, leaning forward so that his arms crossed over Lloyd's chest, and he dropped his head down onto his flurry of brown hair.

‘ I'll just stay by your side. ’ 

“Do you remember the name of the pirate he named? He mentioned the emerald crew… I’m kinda bad with names though…” He'd completely ignored him. His arms were right there, maybe he'd just strangle him instead.

“That's it!” He exclaimed, snapping his fingers. “Her name! It was Siluria! Captain Siluria of the Emerald pirates!”

‘ Siluria? That means dark-haired in our language. Interesting to think about how some things still pass into–’

Lloyd raised Javier's hands over his head as he escaped from his chair, practically throwing them off, much to Javier's irritation.

“There's no time to waste! We have to bury those treasure chests! And find a rowboat!” He leapt to action, scrambling through the room, leaving Javier in the dust, still standing behind the chair with his arms in the air from how’d they’d been thrown.

‘ …I’ll bury the chests. ’ Javier said, giving in. He was so, very annoying, but it was impossible to say no to him. Not when he looked at him like that. ‘ Or I could just take it underwater, hide it in my cave. ’

“And nobody could take it!” Practically skipping, he came rushing back in, lugging one of the treasure chests in his hands. “That's perfect! You're perfect, grab the other one and let's go!”

Javier felt his stomach swoop out from under him, but he didn’t even have time to form any sort of reply before Lloyd was out the door.

His mate really just might be the death of him.

***

With the second treasure chest closed shut in his hands, he swam down to the bottom, past the coral reefs and into the little cave he had resided in. It didn’t have much; lots of time in solitude didn't bring many mementos.

He plopped the treasure chest down on the seafloor, the insides rattling on impact, a few gold coins popping out. Their brilliance could be seen even in the cool shadows of the cave.

He liked seeing it decorate what he’d once, just barely, called his home. It had a happy memory engraved in its shine.

He'd always been more of a wanderer. Despite the sirens he did meet, which were surprisingly many, his soul had never felt sparked before, until he'd experienced Lloyd, and the way he seemed to live with his. An ever burning spark.

He shook off his sentiments, right now, Lloyd was still waiting above for him to come back. He pushed the treasure chest to the side, and then, he spotted, under its other counterparts, a gem, the color of turquoise. It matched perfectly with his tail, like the ocean.

He held it up, letting it reflect on the light of the sun's rays. It was a beautiful, shiny piece of treasure, just the kind he loved.

It would be shame for Lloyd to have to part with his treasure so soon. From the treasure he gave him. 

He clasped the gem in his hands. He'd seen necklaces, down in the market, gems hanging from string. They could make it into something, couldn't they? Those humans were crafty, after all.

He swam up, coming up to the shore. Lloyd was already there, being painted by the sunset. He knelt down close the waves, feet buried in the sand. He was playing with the coins in the chest, sticking out his tongue in concentration as he attempted to toss them in. He pumped his hands in the air when he landed it, and ended up falling sideways into the sand.

Violent pirate, right. And whales could fly.

‘ Having fun? ’ Javier asked, startling Lloyd in his position in the sand. He meant it as a genuine, curious question.

 “I'm just playing around,” he muttered, frowning, tossing another coin into the treasure chest. He missed. It was… something along the lines of helplessly endearing and terribly lame.

Javier crawled up forward, sliding the gem, and the fallen gold coin slipped into the pocket of his clothes, neatly folded atop the sand, for later.

“We have to go near the port to get a rowboat,” said Lloyd, using his momentum to sit up. “...Once you're dry,” he added. As if it wasn't already obvious.

Javier lifted his tail up obediently, so Lloyd could pat him completely dry– he looked so focused doing it, doing it quickly but still so gently and carefully like he was afraid a scale would fall off his tail if he did it rough– and then they slipped on their clothes and began walking to the area of business.

Along the path already there, Javier tugged on the sleeve of Lloyd's jacket, stopping them in their tracks.‘ I have something to do before we go. ’ His eyes narrowed. ‘ Do not leave without me. Stay away from danger and anybidy strong in particular. ’

Lloyd waved his hands in the air, visibly brushing his concerns off. “I'll be fine, don't worry about me.”

‘ Like it's so easy. ’ He replied, eyebrows furrowed. ‘ If it were up to me, I'd just stay by you, but… ’

Lloyd's expression softened, blushing lightly under the summer sun.

‘ I'll be right back. ’ He said seriously, grazing his finger inside Lloyd's sleeve, brushing against his skin. ‘ Just be careful. ’

Gold eyes flicked up to his, a lopsided, incredulous smile crossing his face. “I will.”

They looked at each other, for one, two moments longer, and then he let go of his sleeve. Without another word, Lloyd turned, hair swishing behind him as he walked away, holding a hand up in goodbye.

Did parting always feel this arduous? 

Javier was able to find a small jewelry shop, each piece donning gems like his. He scanned the display attentively. There were earrings and bracelets, none of which were noticeable enough. A necklace, though, that was one people could see easily. It was his treasure he’d be wearing, and everyone would see that.

“…then my man might drive himself into a fit of rage and destroy your beloved shop!”

His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging.

No, it didn't matter. Even if he belonged to someone else, it didn’t matter. He was his mate, but he wasn't… Javier wasn't his. It never applied to their situation, it was only a method to save him, and they were far too different. It would never be like that.

He'd be content just being around him.

Right.

It didn't matter at all.

After singing the owner into a trance, and leaving the gold coin for their labor, he ended up with an intricate, crescent shaped turquoise pendant, a simple structure. It shimmered brightly in the sun. In his reflection, the shade was one in the same with his own features.

...Not that it mattered.

Javier found Lloyd standing by the shore, the waves crashing along the rocks, seagulls crying in the air. He'd retrieved a small boat, still near the shore. There was a smaller treasure chest on it, but at least it smelled like food. Well, even if he hadn't brought food, he could help, swim down and catch a meal for them any time.

He walked until he was an arm's reach from Lloyd, grabbing his hand and turning it palm up, casually placing the necklace. “Here.”

His eyes dropped to his hand, staring at him quizzically. “Huh? Wait, wait, what's this?” He pulled it closer to him, hands still cupped like it might slip out somehow.

Quietly, Javier spoke, “It's yours.” 

Lloyd picked it up with his index finger and thumb, analyzing the content with wide, round eyes, raising it up to the sun. “It's the turquoise jewel from the treasure chest.” He said, thoughtfully. “You made it into a necklace?”

Did it concern Javier that he'd obsessed over the contents of the treasure long enough to tell that it was his? Yes. Did it fill him with a weird, tingly sense of pride? Also yes.

Lloyd kept staring at it, and Javier was beginning to think he hated it from his lack of reaction, until his face… changed. Changed wasn’t the right word for it, but something dropped. His lip curled into something in between the lines of a smile and a frown, like he didn't know which emotion to feel, what face to wear.

Lloyd spun around, turning his face away, so that Javier couldn't see his eyes, the sharp line of his jaw trembling.

‘ Don't do that. ’ Immediately, he reached out with his hand without even thinking, following that same line and making him face him, his sun-kissed skin warm from being out too long. ‘Lloyd. Do you like it or not? ’

“I'm not– I–” Lloyd sputtered, at a lost for words. When did they get that close? He swallowed, eyes darting all over him. “I like it. Okay? It’s really nice and I like it.”

“Okay.” Javier mimicked, picking the necklace up and putting it around his bare neck. The pendant dangled above his chest, the color of his scales. It brought out the glow in his eyes, like the sun and the moon dancing. 

Sir Bayern could try and do better than that.

“You… really want the employee benefits, huh? Even I've never given my boss anything before.”

Not this again.

The siren sighed, his hands fiddling with the pendant under the guise of fixing it. A part of him just wanted to see it a bit longer on him. ' My reward will be you not making excuses for this, alright? Stop being annoying and just accept it. ’ 

“Rude,” Lloyd huffed, with no fight in it. “But... thank you." He murmured, flustered again. Javier liked this side of him too, though. "Well, daylight is wasting, so, you’ll win for now,” he mimed the motion of zipping his lips. Javier got the message and let go of the necklace, the two heading for the boat, ready to venture towards the endless sea, with one goal.

To get kidnapped, of course.

Chapter Text

“We've been rowing for hourrrsss…” Lloyd groaned, tilting his head back, against the back of the boat.

‘ Don't you mean I've been rowing for hours? ‘ Javier retorted with a click of his tongue. The accused paddles in his pale hands.

Lloyd brought his head back up, staring at Javier with pursed lips. “ They should be here by now. I swear, if they end up being no-shows I–” He paused, visibly perking up as he tried to see something past Javier.

Unease settled in his heart as he slowly turned his head to follow his gaze. 

In the distance, they could see a boat floating along the surface of the ocean, and it was getting bigger, and bigger, very quickly.

Lloyd’s hands gripped the sides of the boat, his eyes widening. “Oh god, they’re really coming.”

‘ Wasn’t this your plan? ’ asked Javier, staring at Lloyd, his evident nervousness spreading to him.

“Yes, it was,” the captain confirmed, sinking in his seat and proceeding to curl up, laying down on the floor of the boat. “Now, quick, play dead. Or sick. Or something, just hurry!” He shouted, gesturing frantically with his hands.

Javier placed the oars along the side and slid down, lower and lower until his head was also touching the bottom, staring back at Lloyd with questioning eyes. ‘ If we want to be picked up, shouldn’t we call for help? ’

“That’s the second part. When they get close enough, we’ll have to be loud, so I hope you can act,” his lips curved upward into a sharp grin, “We have to sell it, we’ve gotta be so desperate for help, all awareness goes out the drain.”

‘ And if they decide to harpoon us down? ’ Javier asked, his face grave from unforgotten danger. Lloyd’s smile dropped, and he looked away like he was anxious of that option too.

“They wouldn’t harpoon us… but they could shoot at us.” He brought his arm forward and nudged at Javier’s shoulder with his knuckles. “But, if they tell them to fire, at least I’ve got you, right? We’ll jump in the water then you, mister super swimmer, you could take us back to shore. ” His smile was sheepish this time, wider as he bared more teeth.

He gazed at him so hopefully, what else could he do?

He grabbed Lloyd’s wrist as he pulled back, sliding his thumb over the heel of his palm and clasping over his fingers to guide them, so that they brushed lightly against the lines of his throat.

‘ I can render them so that they don’t even think about shooting. ’

Lloyd frowned, sulkingly. “Of course I thought about it.” He drew back his hand, and it rested along the floor, between the distance. “We need them in their right mind, your power could mess with their memory and if we did get in, they might come to and think we’re intruders, then…” He shaped his hand into a little gun, closing one eye and pretending to aim, “Bam!” he mimed the shooting motion, “Gone.”

Javier found himself laughing to himself under his breath, though he was right in Lloyd’s sight, so it didn’t matter how quiet he was. Not that he cared, particularly, about hiding it.

“What?” His eyes narrowed in scrutiny, his brows furrowing as he demanded an answer.

‘ It’s just a little amusing, ‘ his lips quirked upward into a small grin. “Bam,” he mimicked, his grin only stretching wider as though he had no control over it, annunciating it all the more.

“Oh, so you’re mocking me.”

‘ I bet you’ve never even held a gun before. ’

Lloyd frowned, like he wanted to protest, but ultimately said nothing. He had so many different expressions, one subtle change of his said so much.

‘ It’s nothing to be ashamed of, it only makes me want to– ’

‘ They’re nearing us now. ‘ Lloyd’s voice echoed through his head, cutting him off with urgency as he gazed upwards towards the sky and the incoming ship. ‘ When I say go, we jump up, and we scream our lungs out. ’

He had laughed again, lowering his gaze, when he saw it. Lloyd’s hand was trembling. He wouldn’t have even noticed he was feeling anxious had he not chanced upon where his gaze fell.

So he did get scared of things after all.

He flicked the side of his hand, grabbing his attention. ‘ I bet I could act better than you. ’

“Haah?” His captain questioned aloud, an obnoxious noise, golden eyes focused on him again. His hand slid forward along the boat as he propped himself up on his elbow, no longer shaking. “No way. Impossible. You? No. That’s a terrible bet.”

Javier’s eyebrow twitched, feeling more and more offended as his words sank in. Though it was his idea to distract him with a challenge, he was starting to feel spurred on as well.

‘ I could do it. I could act, and lie as well as you, Lloyd. ’ He propped himself on his elbow as well, to meet his eyes at the same level.

“I’d like to see you try!” Lloyd tilted his head, looking at him as though he were gloating, like he’d already won. He wanted to take his chin and wipe that cocky smile on his face away with the pad of his thumb, see his lips part away firsthand, watch it fall, and morph into that look of surprise that showed up whenever he got the better of him and did something he didn’t expect.

‘ Just count down, ’ Javier said, seriously, clenching his fists tight beside him. His self control was weakening by the days.

The shadowed side of the ship was now beginning to tower over them, the waves rocking against the boat in warning. Lloyd nodded, making eye contact again as he began to count.

‘ Three… two… one! ’

They both jumped up, rocking the boat as he threw his hands in the air, Lloyd's ponytail swinging behind him as he waved about, and he shouted, “HELP! PLEASE! WE NEED HELP!” he cried, his voice desperate, sounding dry from the sheer intensity he spoke. “OUR RESOURCES ARE RUNNING LOW! WE'VE BEEN OUT HERE FOR DAYS!”

Javier sucked in a large breath, and then he shouted, as loud as he possibly could– and he sang a lot, so his voice carried onwards, clear and strong-- “WE NEED YOUR HELP!” 

The way he spoke, no, the way he pleaded. It was a call to action, one nobody could possibly ignore. It was filled with emotion, it was a demand, but this time without a song. 

‘ That part doesn’t count as acting, it’s your voice. ’ Lloyd argued accusingly. Damn it. If he was up there, he would’ve already thrown the rope.

‘ I think it does. ’ The siren retorted, not missing a beat.

Faint chants from above sounded, and before they knew it, a rope was being cast down, because of course they did. Only a true villain could ignore such an earnest call. Was he really about to lose to a guy who lived underwater for years? 

Yeah, right.

As soon as he got up, he flashed whoever was in front of him with a blinding smile. “Thank you so much, I don’t know what we would’ve done if you guys hadn’t picked us up,” he fell to his knees and bowed his head until he was touching the floor, his hands sliding over wood. “How can we ever repay you?”

Just try and do better than that, Javier. He was probably silent because he couldn’t outdo him. Well, as long as he was being believable; he didn’t have to speak if he didn’t want to.

He heard boots stepping right toward him, what few murmurs he heard now quieting. “You can work for us.” Her voice was stern, but gentle at the same time. “Or you can go back to your raft, and paddle for days until you run out of rations or get thrown by a storm.”

He raised his gaze, peeking up from under his bangs. It was Captain Silluria, all right, just like her wanted posters, under her sharp captain’s hat she had long dark hair tied in an intricately woven braid, and emerald eyes that watched him carefully. She was brought into piracy from a young age due to her father, known to lead wisely, and kindly, to the extent of which her people weren’t brought to harm. They would be fine, as long as they made the right choices. “We would be grateful for the opportunity.”

Her gaze caught something else, and the slight smile on her face dropped. There was a thud behind him, and Lloyd spun around to look. It was their chest, he packed enough rations for a few days, but there wasn’t anything valuable in there, so what was she so concerned abou–

“Were you really stranded?” she asked, slowly looking back at him, now standing tense.

“Yes, we were,” Lloyd insisted, swallowing to quench his dry throat. What did she know? Was it the chest? Had he missed something? A signature of where they came from?

“Then how—”

“It was terrible.” A low, grave voice spoke, and Lloyd picked his head up, still kneeling on the floor. Aquamarine eyes were wide, staring into the distance, distraught like he was seeing a vision in front of him, like he was in another place, another time. Like… some kind of forlorn prophet who'd seen great tragedy. “They attacked us, took everything we had that was valuable, and then they set our boat on fire. ” His eyes glistened, the sun reflecting in his eyes like the light on the ocean surface. His long lashes fluttered as he closed his eyes, a pale hand placed above his heart, he turned his head to the side, and the wind blew through his hair softly. “We don't even know if the others were able to get away.”

The boat was silent. All except for the quiet brushing of the waves.

“It was… all… we had.” His misty eyes met Lloyd's, and he froze. He looked so… genuine, his heart panged. But it was acting. Wasn't it? But, oh, he was stating directly at him. What he said, those thoughts weren't foreign to him. He tried to ignore it, the feelings of how he missed the crew he built, the ship he'd worked for. In a world where everything was new, he'd gotten used to what he had.

He’d voiced the anxieties and fears he had in barely a few breaths.

Silluria took a step forward, and without a word her hand raised, and then it fell upon his shoulder. Reassuringly, she squeezed his shoulder, an understanding smile crossing her face.

“You're welcome here with us. The both of you. We've all been there before.” Around them, murmurs of agreement arose from the crew, and there were even comments of comfort towards them. “Don't lose hope, you can rebuild.” The shift was noticeable, her green eyes were no longer wary.

The fear practically lifted off of Lloyd's shoulders as soon as he heard the words, and he let out a sigh of relief. Their attention had completely been driven away from whatever they were onto. Lloyd made his way to Javier's side.

“Thank you so much.” Lloyd said, the back of his hand grazing Javier's knuckle. “We're very grateful. How can we be of use to you?”

“Rest for today. I'll tell you your duties tomorrow. If you'd like, we could drop you off at our next stop.”

Lloyd shook his head disappointedly; “Aah, I don't think we have any funds for that though. I think we'll stay a while. Just until we have enough to stay somewhere.” 

She smiled and turned around, waving them over, “Sounds good. Follow me, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping. It's a little cramped down there.”

“That's no problem at all.” He followed her with a wide smile, Javier right behind him as they traveled lower in the ship, immersed in the cool dim shadows beneath.

Eventually they came to a room filled with hammocks hanging, and it was terrifyingly clean. There wasn't even a misplaced rag, not a single piece of clutter. With a crew as full as hers, it was very impressive. He almost wanted to ask how she got them to be so tidy, but he'd sound too much like a captain if he did.

“Now, come tomorrow you'll rise up with the rest of us, and I'll give you orders. Today, you're off the hook. The lantern’s there, and our food's in that barrel. That's it…” she trailed off, looking at them both with round eyes like she was waiting for something.

“Oh, I'm Lloyd,” he replied, politely. He glanced at Javier, who was just watching him with no expression, or rather, his usual faint frown that rested on his face. He didn't look like he was very inclined to reply, so he gestured toward him. “That's Javier.”

“It's nice to meet you both. Honestly, you seem a little… familiar to me, Lloyd. Have we seen each other before?” His blood ran cold. 

“I don't think so, Captain. I think I'd remember if I did.”

She stared at him for a while, before she shrugged her shoulders subtly. “Ah, well. As long as you listen, there's a place for you on our crew.” Then she turned on the heel of her boot, went up the stairs, and just like that she was gone. No sliced heads necessary. It wasn't accurate to say they were complete alone now, the other pirates who weren't on their shifts sleeping in hammocks, spread out throughout the room. But at least they'd avoided any death flags for now.

“Haaaah….” Lloyd let out a long sigh, moving towards the corner of the room to sit on top one of the hammocks tucked right near the wall, curling over his knees and letting his hands curl over his neck. “That was so stressful.” He said, in a hushed voice.

Javier sat down next to him, blue eyes ever observing. Lloyd glanced over at him from behind the brown strands of his hair, and when they locked eyes, Javier smiled.

‘ I guess I won the bet, then? ’

Oh, it was a smug smile. The nerve. “You just stole the spotlight,” he retorted, dropping his hands and leaning backwards. “You barely let me get a word in, anyway.”

‘ Stop you from getting a word in? Impossible. You always want to have the last word.’ His blue eyes were practically alight with satisfaction, all too pleased with himself.

“That doesn't–” Javier’s smile grew wider, his eyebrows raising. See? He said, with his eyes.

Lloyd frowned, wrinkling his nose. Well, now he was just in a losing battle either way. “How’d you do that anyway?” he grumbled, crossing his arms, his eyes narrowed at the other.

‘ Do what? ’

Lloyd gestured vaguely to him, waving his hand about. “Y’know. Do that thing, with your face. And your speech.”

‘ You mean… ‘ the siren blinked. ‘ Act? ’ He grinned, baring his teeth like he was about to snicker at him any second now. ‘ Are you admitting I won? ’

He buried his head in his hands, his fingers running over his eyes as he closed them. “Ugh, I don’t know. I guess… yeah. You had me thinking you really went through all that when you were up there. Which was stupid. Cause I know what the plan was, and I know you weren’t there, but it felt real.”

The hammock shifted, and before he knew it, his hands were being peeled off and away.

He looked directly at him, and he thought he might really drown in his eyes. ‘ I'm sorry. ’ 

There it was again. That damn sympathy. Did he have to look so genuinely sad?

“What the heck are you sorry for…” Lloyd looked away, for his own safety, staring at the corner of his eye enough to avoid the other's gaze.

Suddenly, his head was being grabbed at the side, and brought to Javier's chest. His hand slid across to hold the back of his head, pressing him close enough so that his forehead was touching him.

‘ It's real. I know that… so… ’

Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a bit like he was about to keel over. The only thing stopping him was Javier's arms wrapping tighter around him, just barely keeping him together.

‘ Please don't make that face. ’

“Cuz it's ugly, right?” His voice was muffled, but he tried voicing a laugh anyway. It was half-hearted.

‘ Yeah, I hate it. And I hate that I was the one who put it there. ‘ Javier's fingers ran through his hair, the part pulled into a ponytail, and he could feel the movement tickling lightly.

They were silent for a while. Lloyd trying to keep his volume as low as possible, as to not wake the others in the room with them. In his hold, with Javier's presence washing over him in waves, not becoming distant nor moving away, he felt... safe. Eventually, Lloyd finally got the words leave his mouth, as weighted and dreaded as they were, tasting like bile in his throat.

“It was all I had.” His fists clenched as he held the lapels of the back of Javier's jacket, clutching them tightly. His voice was barely above a whisper. Barely louder than the creaking ship.

‘ I know. ’ 

“I don't even know if they're okay. They weren't anywhere in town, so they must've gone the other way. What if that route was longer? We barely had time to get rations. They could be–” his voice cracked with the fervor he was speaking with as it all just began spilling out, like he'd poked a hole in something that couldn't be stopped or repaired. He choked back a sob. “I was supposed to protect them, they were my people.”

It haunted his dreams, in the distance. A raging fire, the crash of lightning, rowboats that had completely gone still. And then, at the very end, it all completely disappeared. Like it had never existed.

He sniffled. He was probably getting snot all over him, being like this. Ugh, he had to get himself together. He just had to stop thinking about it again. Hide it away in the far back of his mind, not to be opened again.

Hesitantly, Javier entered his mind again, to say what he needed to say.‘ I tried acting like you. I thought if I could do that, I could convince them that way. Because then, if I acted more like you, they'd believe me. Believe in me. ‘

Act like him? But why would– 

Javier leaned in closer, and he could feel the weight of him placed above his head. ‘ Just as I believe in you. ‘ 

….Haah?

‘ What? ’ He ended up asking, consciously or unconsciously, he didn't know. His brain was feeling kinda fizzy, like soda, fizzling and dissipating. He popped up, his hands pushing on his chest as he tried to get a good look at Javier's face to see if he was messing with him. ‘ What? ’ He asked again, his eyes totally narrowed, like he'd said the world was going to blow up in five seconds or something.

Javier just stood straighter, his face inches away from him, and very clearly serious.

‘ I believe in you. Your character, your skill, your voice, your self. You, Lloyd. ‘

‘ What. ’ He asked again, like a parrot. That was the only word that made sense right now.

Javier raised a brow. ‘ How many times do I have to say it? I know you're capable. You'll find your crew again. Or they'll come to find you. You can do it, I sincerely believe tha--’

Lloyd shoved him forward, his fingers splayed out across his front, and Javier let him push him backwards, flopping onto the hammock the way it should be, his hair falling around him like a halo. Lloyd leaned over him, agitated, trying to find a hint of a devilish smile, a clue that would lead him to the eventual conclusion that he was just playing him for a fool, using him for his own selfish desire.

“Friends” often wanted to feel better about themselves, happy to help if it feeds their own ego. Everyone did things for favors that benefitted them. People were selfish, because that was what they had to be. And he could understand that. Better than anything, really.

So why couldn’t he see any of it inside of Javier?

He didn’t fit in any category.

And that scared him.

At least with transactions, people motivated by the profit, you could learn and know what to expect.

“Why do you have so much faith in me? I'm a terrible Captain, ‘m just a fraud, I don't even know what I'm doing half the time,” he rushed out, voice quivering without his permission. What was he saying? He waited for Javier to falter, a crack in his mask to form at his words.

Instead, instead, his hand reached up to cup his face, and his thumb brushed at the crook right under his eyes. 

‘ You're stupid, ’ He started, the words leaving all too quick, ‘ And reckless, and careless…– ‘

His heart, which has stilled on its own in the suspense, began to thaw again.‘ Oh, great, that really makes me feel better. ’ Lloyd cut in, albeit purposefully this time.

Javier gave him an unimpressed look, and he raised his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine. continue, This definitely feeds my ego. Yay.” His tone dripped with sarcasm, dragging out each word as low as possible.

Now that Lloyd’s hands were no longer stopping him, he took the opportunity in that brief moment to lean forward, coming to meet him in the middle. “Listen.” He murmured, close to his ear, his low voice had a certain rasp in it, frustrated, almost. A chill ran down LLoyd’s spine, his cold breath startling. He quieted.

‘ And you’ve got a heart that aches to help others when you can, to protect your people. You bury it, but it’s there, I see that now. ’ 

‘ That’s not me. ‘ He seethed, like the words burned him, ‘ You don’t know me. ’

Javier looked pained, almost, as soon as he said that. But he wanted to burn him with his words too. ‘ I know you. I know the tune you make when you’re happy, the face you make when you’re anxious. I know you hate showing your weak side, and play games when you’re alone. ‘ Lloyd swallowed, his throat feeling ridiculously dry. ‘ You prefer contracts over promises… and you do your best to take care of those who are yours. ’ He could hear his heart in his ears, the way it beat, faintly he wondered how people remembered to breathe. Was he even breathing right now?

 His gaze was intense, all encapsulating, burning, burning. His words like poison in his veins. ‘ Tell me, am I wrong, Lloyd?’

‘ Well? ’ He leaned forward, inching closer and closer to his face, as Lloyd reclined to the best of his ability. ‘ Am I wrong? ’ He continued to advance and Lloyd continued to distance himself, his face feeling like it was lit on fire, when he realized the hammock wasn’t beside his head anymore, and he was leaning on air. Instantaneously, he slid off of the hammock, Javier following in suit as he lost his momentum, and they both fell onto the floor with a crash.

When he opened his eyes, Javier was standing right above him, cradling the back of his head so that it didn’t hit the floor. And still, his face showed worry, worry for him. It was visible in the way his brows scrunched up, how wide his eyes were, his parted lips, his flushed face. He could see it in the way he leaned over him, the way his hand was clasped around his head.

Oh god, did they wake up the others? His head flicked to the sides, looking up at all the other weighted hammocks frantically. Luckily enough, everything seemed fine, there were no unhappy stomps, shouts, or stares from those who were still trying to catch up on their sleep, just the routine sway.

Unluckily enough, Javier was still boring holes into his head with his stare. That rascal, was he still waiting for a reply? 

Lloyd placed both of his hands over his face, and he wanted to scream.

“I don’t… make a specific tune when I’m happy.” He murmured finally, his voice hushed.

‘ Yes you do. After you’ve done a good job, you hum to yourself when you’re not talking. It goes…’ He proceeded to hum a few cheery notes, and then he stopped, Lloyd peeked out from a small gap in his fingers, and saw as he smiled sharply, devilishly, with all his teeth. ‘ So I’m right about the rest, aren’t I? ‘

Shit.

Lloyd tucked his knees and planted his boots on his chest and pushed him away, the force throwing Javier back enough so that his arms flew backward to support him as he landed on his behind, and he was able to escape.

He scrambled upwards, practically leaping to get back on solid ground. On his feet at once, he pointed at him, in a stance like he was about to fight. “I was just acting, and clearly you believed me, so I won!” he spluttered, keeping his voice in between a whisper and a shout, a last-ditch effort to preserve himself, rewrite his reasoning, his mortifying actions. His face was still flushed pink to his ears. He walked speedily through the stairs, and then whipped back around to face Javier, who was still on the floor. “Don’t follow me!” he exclaimed, and then he rushed quickly up the stairs like he was being chased.

"Oi, keep it quiet!" A voice coming from in front of him hissed, leaning up in his hammock with a scowl. "Some people's trying to sleep in 'ere, makin' a racket of all sorts..." He tossed and turned to face the other way, his grumbles no longer comprehensible.

 Javier stared up at the stairs, and looked at his hands, then he groaned, dragging his hands into his hair in defeat. He’d gotten too passionate, too impulsive. But at the time, it didn’t feel like there was a way for him to stop, like being stuck in an unstoppable ocean current, having no control of himself, his emotion dragging him by the head and leading him on with no way to slow down.

If it were up to him, he’d already be following him out, but he’d specifically said not to. He didn’t want him to grow angrier. Slowly, he brought his hands back down. Really though, he didn’t regret what he’d told him. Not one bit.

His face slowly lost its expression, the resting apathy settling on it once again as he remained in the darkness. The room felt dimmer, like his eyes were adjusting to a place where the light had suddenly been stolen away.

The only thing he could do now was wait.

***

The refreshing sea breeze did little to cool his face, his heart still pounding like a jackhammer in his chest. He gripped the rail and sucked in a few deep breaths, until he finally felt less off balance. He crossed his arms over the rail, leaning forward as he rustled his hair and murmured to himself. “Haah, that crazy… Ugh, why’d he have to go and say that? So embarrassing... How am I going to face him now?”

“Have you two had a quarrel already?”

Lloyd spun around so fast his hair slapped the side of his face, his mouth open wide as he gasped, his hands flitting over the rail for a solid grip. “Oh my g– I’m sorry, Captain, I wasn’t expecting to see you.” His face quickly shaped itself into a calm one, reigning in his surprise so naturally it was like it was never there, his demeanor completely changing as he lowered his head a little.

“I’m sure, a man muttering to himself doesn’t normally expect someone,” Silluria replied, smiling with good humor. She made her way beside Lloyd on the railing, gently placing her arms over the railing as she redirected her gaze to the clouds. “You look agitated. I only left you two for a moment, and here you are. All stormy,” she commented, her expression and voice serene, as if to say she wasn’t demanding an answer.

Lloyd scratched at his ear. “We didn’t have a quarrel.”

“So why are you out here without him?” She asked, voice lilting as if she knew something he didn’t. What the hell, why was everyone acting like they knew him? She sure didn’t, and Javier–

“He’s!–” he shouted, then faltered, his words losing themselves on the tip of his tongue. He turned away again, looking down at the ocean waves. “He’s deluded, is what he is.”

“Ah,” she said, amicably, “So, you’re overwhelmed.”

“Yes!” Lloyd exclaimed, facing her with wide eyes, his hands splayed out in front of him with open palms, looking at her as if she’d proclaimed him a king. “That’s it!” That was the word for how he was feeling, the emotion coursing through his veins. “I’m overwhelmed.” He said, quietly. But then, after a few moments of silence, his eyebrows drew in. “I’ve been overwhelmed before. It was never like this.”

“Affection can heighten even the simplest of emotions.” 

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

Silluria turned her head and stared at him strangely, as if he’d grown a second head, before she relented with a shake. “Oh dear. You’re not very good with feelings, are you?”

“I guess not.” Lloyd said with a frown.

She placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “Be gentle with yourself, and Javier,” with a sigh, she continued, “I am… slightly jealous.” Lloyd’s eyes widened. “He never takes his eyes off you. He looks to you as if you’ve hung all the stars in the sky.”

“Oh,” he replied, ever so eloquently. “Wait, so you’re...”

Upon listening to him, she laughed, bringing her hand to her face. “Oh don’t worry, I’m not interested in him or anything. It’s not like I could even attempt it, not when he looks at you like that.”

Not when he looks at you like that.  

The image of his worried, tender, eyes– for him–flashed in his mind again, imprinted and burned inside his head. The way they always seemed to find him.

 “He looks at me like any other person,” Lloyd argued, gripping the railing, “I’m sure you have a chance–”

“You’ve got a necklace the exact color and shine of his hair, he doesn’t have one so I can only assume he gifted it to you. That's practically a declaration! He follows you around like a puppy, Lloyd,” she said, matter-of-factly, like the sage full of wisdom she was, “You’re the only chance he wants.”

He stood, frozen, shell-shocked. Feeling atomically, emotionally, physically, as if his brain had just shut down. Completely fried. The only thing happening was the sentence being replayed over and over in his head, as though he were analyzing it for some hidden message, an indecipherable line of code. You’re the only chance he wants. The only… She leaned away from the railing. “Wait!” he called out, looking at her with dismay, his hair billowing in the wind. “I don’t know what to do,” he murmured, fearfully, earnestly.

At this she smiled fully, emerald eyes glimmering with delight. “You apologize first. Then, you two can figure it out together.” With this, she strided away, her jacket billowing behind her dramatically, an effect all great captains had. 

...In all honesty, she would’ve stayed longer to converse with Lloyd, he was entertaining and enlightening, but she’d started to feel like she was being watched, and was feeling guiltier by the second, so she made for a swift exit. A glance by the stairs was all she needed to confirm her suspicions. A silly puppy dog glared at her with daggers in his eyes. Yeah, that mind was settled. There was no chance.

Lloyd looked up at the sky.

Apologize.

Yeah, he could do that.

Damn it, he was Captain Lloyd Frontera! He could handle a small, meager, measly little–

***

What the hell was he thinking? He felt so stupid, standing there with a plate and a fish and a nonsense script. He couldn’t do this.

He’d spent the last– he didn’t even know how many minutes– coming up with a plan, a sort of formula to work around the apology in question. Whether Silluria was right about… Javier… wanting… a chance, or not, the important first step was the apology. That way, both parties would be satisfied. Despite all his talk, and his actions, he did, essentially, want to be in Javier’s favor. He wanted to be treated kindly, as much as he was afraid of it. He liked his presence; it had come to be a comfort, so sue him.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Silluria could be wrong though. Javier never really spoke about what he wanted. Just what he thought. To want was a different thing altogether.

No, he really should go down. Just think of it as offering a nice meal. He must be hungry. Focus on that. He proceeded to creep quietly down the stairs into the lower chambers, still far more dim than above. The loud, disgruntled snores of pirates tirelessly worked during their shifts filled the room.

“Javier?” he whispered. “Are you still there?”

‘ Where would I go? ‘ The plate rattled as Lloyd startled, his eyes still adjusting to the darker room. He felt a tug on his pant leg, and looked down. There was his siren, crouched down with his knees tucked in, sitting on the side right where the stairs ended. ‘ You told me not to follow you. ’ Even telepathically, he sounded angry. Lloyd sat down, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see the uncharacteristic pout on his face as he looked to the side avoiding his gaze, and he almost barked out a laugh, but he held it in.

“I’m sorry. I was rash. I didn’t mean to push you away– or kick you– like that, but I wasn’t… I was feeling all sorts of things and I ended up running. So, I’m sorry. Don’t hate me.” He said, smiling sheepishly, looking up from under his lashes.

‘ You run away so much. It’s not like I’m going to eat you. ’ His siren said, still frowning, looking off to the side, his eyebrows knitted together.

“I know that,” said Lloyd, chuckling under his breath. 

‘ Prove it. ’

“Huh?”

Javier leaned backward, his head tapping on the wall, gazing at him from underneath the locks of his hair as he parted his lips, tilting his chin up as he breathed. ‘ Prove you won’t run away again. ’

Lloyd swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down, but he stood his ground, his hands sliding across the wooden floor, and then over the other’s knees, which were still in front of him, an attempt to lower them for a clearer view.

He leaned in, tilted his head, and...

“Do you… want me?” Lloyd blurted out, immediately wanting to take it back. His eyes went wide as soon as he said it, a part of him wanting to ask what? Who said that? Wasn’t me. Even though it’d been his own voice that spoke it. He bit the inside of his cheek, anxiously. Backtrack, backtrack– “That was a mistake, I meant–”

“I want you.” 

Javier’s voice was clear, simple, translucent. The three words sounding loud like a gunshot, ringing his ears. Lloyd’s gaze shot back up, and Javier looked just as surprised as he was to hear it. They stared at each other owlishly, before he blinked, and he nodded, the surprise slowly and only slightly fading from his features. Lloyd watched as Javier visibly came to terms with the fact right in front of him.

“You don’t have to say it. I’m not making you.” He murmured to the other, scrunching up his face.

‘ I want you. I think… I want you all the time. ’ He said, Javier’s eyes were practically glowing now, staring at him directly, his eyes still a little wide from the revelation.

“You think?” Lloyd echoed, his hands now gripping tighter on Javier’s knees as he clenched his jaw, a forced smile making his eyes squint too much.

Javier sucked in a breath, as if to prepare himself for a long speech. A pretty flush gracefully painted his cheeks as he began. ‘ I do want you. I want to see all your expressions, I want to make you laugh, and I want to tease you, and be the only one who gets to make fun of you. I want you by my side all the time.. And when it’s someone else, I wish I was that person instead. ’ The words tumbled out like they were the most natural thing, once the chain was tugged, all of it came flowing out. He added on, ‘ Speaking of which, why were you talking to Silluria? What did she offer you? ’ 

“Wait, wait, wait, slow down. I’m… I’m still processing.” He brought his fist to his mouth and pressed it on his lips, his eyes darting this way and that, hoping to contain and hide the way his heart was absolutely pounding right now, taking in every one of his words, sucking in every last drop. It was like he was having an out of body experience. Was he that easy?

But he had to make sure.

Hesitantly, he asked. “You’re not lying?”

Immediately, he answered. ‘ Never. Not to you. ’ Javier wrapped his fingers around his hand, bringing it toward him, kissing the lines where palm met wrist. 

Lloyd’s face burned again, but this time, it simmered into something that could be considered… warm. More comfortable. Never, huh? Ever so honest, his siren. He’d have to accept that Javier was just a good, genuine person. And that he really… thought all those things about him, however embarrassing they might be. He meant them.

‘ I could continue. I could talk about how I want to take you and press my lips against yours. ’ Lloyd pressed his knuckles on his lips with even more pressure. ‘ How I want everyone to see this necklace of yours… ’ The spoken necklace around his neck was currently out swinging in the distance between them, and he tugged at it, rubbing his thumb along the gem noticeably in a way that was far too sensual. ‘ And be reminded of me instead, as a warning. ’ He said, in a way that should’ve been frightening in its danger, the almost instinctual desire that rang out, but it made Lloyd’s heart flutter delightedly all the same – though, it would be more fitting to say it was added wind and storm to the tornado whipping in his heart at the moment.

“O…kay.” He said, his voice crackling as he spoke. He cleared his throat. “Great, Um. Do you think you can give me some time to reply?” he asked, wincing inwardly at his own incompetence, and awkwardness.

‘ Of course, Lloyd. ’ Javier looked even more beautiful when he smiled. ‘ I’ll wait. ’

Lloyd lowered his fist and smiled back, blindingly happy. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Javier echoed, the corners of his lips quirked up.

…

‘ Can I still get that kiss though? ’

Lloyd shook his head, body shaking with laughter as he bit his lip trying to stop, only to start laughing even more. It escaped him all too easily.

‘ You were about to already, don’t deny it. C’mon, the day’s almost over, don’t I get a reward? ’ Javier insisted, stubbornly.

Mid-laugh, Lloyd drew in and placed a kiss on his lips, still smiling. “You’re funny. Look, I got you some fish to eat.”

Javier pulled him back in, hands wrapping around his neck. ‘ Don’t care. ’

He cared, and the very fact was like a drug. Lloyd was on cloud nine, floating in some kind of dream.

He’d get the facts in order later.

For now, maybe he’d just bask in it a little longer...

...this happiness.

Chapter Text

Lloyd’s romantic encounters were very few in between, maintaining balance in his work and life situations, it didn’t leave much free time at all. Not to mention he was broke, and the fact that he wasn’t very good with people. Or people weren't very good with him, anyway. He had enough to worry about as is, to survive! He physically couldn’t focus on those things, like they were files automatically moved into the trash, the back of the mind.

Now though?

Well, he wished he’d saved at least a few files of that information, because he was, most definitely, done for. He wasn’t able to sleep when he could, running over just a few hours prior over and over in his mind, the way he used to cram study back in his old world, and he’d get what felt like a sudden shock, a jolt, a feeling which could only described to being similar to a heart attack whenever he let his mind drift and the words repeated in his mind, and the scene replayed. It was terrible, not only because of that but because the cause of his symptoms was laying down no more than two feet away from him.

But Lloyd was no fool. Javier’s affection was much more detailed, and stronger too. Their affections, if they could be called that, were different. He couldn't do it. He only appreciated his company, and keeping him like that while Javier was ready to give himself up in a different context, even if it made him happy, well, it was wrong… wasn’t it? He didn’t know what it meant, to want someone like that. Offering a reciprocation he couldn’t actually match, it was a complete scam.

Javier shouldn't have to go through that; he deserves better.

With his mind made up, and a heavy heart, he made his way to Javier, who was lying back in his hammock. 

They’d already docked at the port of the island where they had first ended up on, waiting until Captain Silluria and her most trusted few got back with supplies. Around them, there were both men and women scattered in their separate areas, a soft and pleasant chatter going on between them. Which was good, because breaking bad news in total silence was not ideal.

He stood above him, glancing down at Javier. You would never guess he came from underwater, away from society with how dignified he looked. Turquoise locks having the gall to fall in perfect position across his forehead. It didn't make sense, how he could just laze around, not do anything, and still look that nice.

Sensing his presence, Javier's gaze flicked up, making direct eye contact with him.

Lloyd gulped, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down, throat dry. He bit the inside of his cheek in contemplation, trying to push past that icky, slimy feeling that didn’t want to let him go. It was his own sick selfishness. He couldn’t allow himself to trap Javier like that. He deserved better than his own half formed, foggy affections he barely understood.

Javier deserved a… lover… who actually knew how to love.

“I don’t feel the same way you do.” He blurted out, quick like the words burned his tongue. He crossed his arms, holding himself tight with shame.

He almost dragged his eyes away, but it was his fault. It would be cheating to look away. So he kept his eyes on him, tense. He waited, expecting his expression to fall, expecting to see the disappointment clouding his face.

But, his expression never fell, his eyes never clouded. Instead, he kept his blue eyes on him, and after a slow blink, he said, “Okay.”

“Okay?” Lloyd repeated, staring at him with wide eyes, dumbfounded. “...You understand what I'm saying right? You know what that means?” He asked, his shoulders rising up as he craned his neck forward as if there was something he was missing, some detail he wasn't seeing.

Javier continued to look up at him, as if he'd just revealed something as simple as the sky was blue. ‘ I understand. ‘ 

So it wasn't a language or culture barrier. Well. That's great. That's just great. 

Lloyd wrung his hands out at his side, and impatiently, uncomfortably, he shoved his hands into his pockets again. He shuffled on the tops of his feet, clearly having something to say. Finally, unable to stop himself, like a firecracker finally bursting, he surged forward bringing his face right in front of Javier's in one swift movement.

 “Aren’t you a little too casual about this?” Lloyd asked, never one to keep his mouth shut when he'd gotten a cruddy deal. He was frowning, the degree of it wrinkling his chin.

 Javier raised an eyebrow. ‘ Is there a reason why I shouldn't be? ’

Lloyd flushed, ears turning a bright red. “Well, I thought you li–.... I thought you'd be at least a little upset.” He grumbled, feeling a mix of terrible things. Embarrassment, shame, mortification, just throw it all in there, why don't ‘cha? He was acting like he didn’t care. He'd been totally played for a fool. Right into his hands. Had he been lying? This whole time? Was he–

Suddenly, Javier's fist was wrapped around his collar, grabbing a handful of the material and pulling him even closer than he already was, so that all he could really see were his eyes. Losing his balance, his hands flying out to stop him on instinct, meeting Javier’s chest, feeling the rolls of fabric underneath him. He leaned over him, precariously.

‘ You're still my mate, aren't you? ’ Javier asked, still gazing up at him. 

Heat ran up Lloyd’s neck as his eyes darted between the space between them, and the knuckles brushing against his chest. “Well, yes,” he croaked. “Er, no. I’m saying that I don’t feel the same–”

Leaving one hand gripping his shirt, Javier grabbed his chin with the other, pinching him between his thumb and index finger, and looked at him closely, as if he were examining a piece of treasure. Finally, finding the answer on his face and coming to a conclusion, he said, ‘ But you do feel something for me. You want me by your side, yes? '

Lloyd could feel his cheeks warm. ‘ If only it were that simple. ’ He replied, pulling on that telepathic string like second nature. Oops. He blinked, then cleared his throat again. “That’s not what’s important, what’s important is that I don’t feel the same way. It’d be cheating you.” He urged, expression full of worry, desperately wanting to get the message across. The quicker he understood, the less it would hurt.

Not that it hurt, because he didn’t love him, he just wanted to get it over with. That’s all.

Javier audibly sighed, and it wasn’t a sad sigh, or even a regretful sigh. It was an exasperated sigh. Exasperated. What the hell did he have to be exasperated about? Lloyd was sure a vein popped up in his forehead. “What? What’s your problem?” He snarked, pushing up on his chest, gaining distance but unable to pull away from Javier’s grip on him.

‘ You’re my problem. ’ He looked like he was going to headbutt him, and so Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut, but instead, he felt a soft press of lips onto his forehead. His golden eyes fluttered open, looking like a deer in headlights. Javier tapped their foreheads together, so that they were leaning on each other, as if he were sharing his thoughts through the contact. ‘ So complicated. Don’t think so much. We both enjoy each other’s company, simple as that. You don’t have to rush anything. We could just be… us. ’ His expression was something in between soft and dead serious, a face only Javier could achieve.

“But isn’t it normal to reply to a confession? It’s either a rejection or another confession. And I don’t have anything poetic or words to worship you.” He argued, his eyebrows furrowing, creasing his forehead as he lost himself in his soliloquy. “I don’t know how to, and that’s not fair to you.”

The siren gave this some thought. His parents had never left any instructions for him, and what he’d learned about love was only bits and pieces he’d gathered throughout his life. All he knew was that he’d never felt this strongly about anyone, ever. This sort of loyalty, it was foreign to him, and at the same time, the most natural thing in the world.

He’d do whatever it took, just to guarantee Lloyd would be by his side for just another day.

‘ Who says I know how to do it either? ’ Javier asked, the other raised a brow.

Lloyd huffed, his shoulders tense. “Liar. You definitely know how to court. I’m sure all the other sirens were just dying to throw themselves on you.” Funnily enough, he was practically all over him already, his body bearing right above him, centimeters away from contact, he might as well throw himself on him too. Wouldn’t be much of a difference anyway.

Javier smiled. ‘ So you think I’m attractive. ’

Lloyd’s mouth opened, jaw dropped in shock like it was the absolute last thing he expected him to say. “You cocky ba... You’re not serious. You’re a siren. Doesn’t it come with the package?” He shook his head, hair flipping this way and that, and he groaned, his hand burying itself in his hair. “I don’t even know what I was going to say anymore, you’ve completely missed the point! How did we even get here?” 

 He chuckled to himself, a smile gracing his lips the way it always did when Lloyd got worked up like this. ‘ The point is, you’re my first too. So don’t push me away. We’ll figure it out together. ’ He said, finally.

From this angle, he could see Lloyd turn completely red, the pretty flush decorating his skin as he took in his words. He loved having that effect on him so much. One of life's greatest joys. Alongside making fun of him and getting him worked up.

Lloyd's hand went up to cover his eyes, running up his forehead into his hair as he grumbled, “That’s not… You’re not supposed to say that.”

‘ We’ll figure it out together? ’

“No…”

‘ Don’t push me away? ’

“Never mind. Just forget about it.”

‘ Oh. You’re my first? ‘ Lloyd turned impossibly redder, now covering his entire face with his hand.

“That…” he murmured, muffled.“You aren’t supposed to say that. People will think you mean something else.” He knew that much, at least. He wasn’t a total fool when it came to romance.

Javier inhaled, sharply, immediately. Cute. His hand grazed his neck, moving to the back, gingerly slipping his fingers underneath Lloyd’s collar. “Yeah?” he whispered. This side of him, the pure, defenseless side he kept hidden under layers of gruff exterior, thorns and toughness, felt like the sun upon his skin, like he was being let into his world, just a bit more. ‘ Well, I think they think that anyway. ’ With his hand guiding him, he moved Lloyd’s gaze to the side.

The other pirates were still. Then, as soon as they noticed his gaze, in the blink of an eye, they came back to life, continuing on with their business, turning away and acting normal, moving animatedly and talking again, but he saw; saw them look away, heard their chatter rise back up again. They’d seen the whole thing! 

Lloyd brought his gaze back in, to his position atop of Javier, to the placement of his hands, and squeaked, "Gah!" leaping backwards in a flash like he was on fire, slipping out of his grasp. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” he hissed, with gritted teeth, practically grinding them to dust. One of his buttons had come undone when he pulled away, revealing a snippet of tan skin. Still hiding so much more.

 Javier shrugged.‘ We were talking about something important. Besides, I didn’t think you worried about that. ’ His eyes flicked up to meet Lloyd’s again, a mischievous glint in his eye. He got up from the hammock, rising to his feet and gaining the height advantage again. He leaned forward as his pale fingers took the button, knuckles featherlight on his skin, pressing it back into the hole of his shirt. ‘ It’s not like they’re wrong. ’

Lloyd leaned back and away, tilting his head up to adjust to his touch, his shaky breaths not going unnoticed. “But…”

‘ Sirens become mates after devoting themselves to each other and sealing it with a kiss. You’re my mate. Who says things have to change? ’ His hand hooked around the string of his necklace and placed it over his shirt, lingering on the pendant.

Lloyd was silent for a bit, worrying his lip, before he finally nodded in acceptance. “Okay. So. Nothing changes.” He murmured, voice low and careful, like he was testing the water. His gaze full of suspicion, clearly apprehensive of the fact.

His poor, cynical mate. Greedy and selfless.

“Nothing,” Javier whispered, echoing, leaning in. ‘ If it makes you feel better. ’

They both knew it wasn’t true anyway. Just sweeter words to avoid the fact that something serious was there, lying right below the surface they’d created.

“Yeah…”

They were so close already, if he just closed the distance a little bit more, then…

“We've got the supplies! Prepare to sail!” Captain Silluria's voice rang out from the doorway, and Lloyd shoved Javier back like he'd just got caught. Even then, the siren barely budged. He’d forgotten again, dammit.

“Aye aye Captain!” He shouted, with the crowd. The whole bunch of them got ready and started walking up the stairs at the command. He redirected his attention to Javier, crossing his arms as he spoke, “It's your choice. I warned you. So don't get mad at me for a cruddy deal.”

Javier stepped forward, tilting his head, inquisitive, pretty eyes staring back at him. It was seriously unfair. “I told you, I want you. I can wait as long as you need.”

Yeah, right. Lloyd barely contained his scoff. He couldn't help but think. Feelings were fleeting. But, if he really meant it, if he didn't mind waiting… Then, maybe, he could make it.

“I'm holding you to that, Javier.” He whispered, a lopsided grin on his lips. He turned to the stairs, glancing back to make sure he was following him. “Come on.”

“Aye, aye captain,” the siren replied, walking behind him, lips pursing into a small smile.

“Not your captain right now.” He reminded, his tone lighthearted as the light filtered through the gap, and they met the bright sun again. Now at the top, on the flat surface, he whipped around. The sun shined brilliantly on his hair, illuminating his skin and his smile even brighter, crinkling his eyes with flecks of gold.

Like the slight wave brushing against his ankles, the magnetic pull, like bubbles pressing lightly against his skin, rising from his heart, he felt it.

‘ It’ll always be you. ’

An oath, a promise, a truth.

“Hm?” Lloyd hummed in confusion, staring at him with curious round eyes.

‘ You– ’

“You two!” Silluria shouted, pointing at them. “Get to the knots!”

“Aye!” Exclaimed Lloyd. The siren tried not to let his irritation show, but it was short lived as he reached for Javier's sleeve and tugged him forward so that he followed from behind, towards the center of the ship. The ship was bustling with life now. “Look, just follow my lead and you'll be fine.” He whispered, as he leaned down and took some rope into his hand, strong hands masterfully weaving strands together.

‘ Who taught you all this? ’ Javier asked, eyes curiously following his movements.

“You could say I… got it engrained in my brain.” He tapped his finger on his head. “Just came to me as soon as I inherited this bo…” his words trailed off, lips sealing shut. His eyes went darting around, like he almost said something he shouldn't have. “This boat!” He finished, that fake, plastered customer smile resurfacing. “My boat. Which I inherited from uh, family. Yeah. Big pirate people, my family…” The shift was small, kept tightly hidden, but all of a sudden, he looked distant. The light in his eyes dimmed like he was seeing something far away, like with a sudden wisp of wind, he’d be gone.

It seemed that, for some reason, there were things he still couldn't say to him.

Javier took the rope, if only to do something with his hands, and ventured further, cautiously. ‘ Is your family…? '

“They’ve passed.” He tugged on the rope so tight that his knuckles were as pale as ice, and then the knot was done, completely secure, still held together in his palms, unmoving. He didn’t let go and, for a moment, Javier thought that rope was the only thing holding him together.

And then, like a flicker of light, as though it never happened, his eyes focused back in, and he smiled. It didn’t quite reach his eyes. “They’re in a better place now.”

Javier squeezed his shoulder in a way he hoped was comforting.

The silence was brief. Lloyd pushed himself up, immediately steering the conversation away. “Let’s get some work done.”

As much as he wanted to know more, he let it go. He'd try again, another day. He had patience in spades. (A requirement for being near Lloyd, it seemed.)

It’s not like he was going anywhere.

***

A few hours had passed, in the unforgiving sun over the sea, heading north from their island supply stop, when a panic stricken voice from high above called out. “Boat approaching us at 12 o clock! Captain, it's the Marines!”

Everyone's head whipped around, squinting at the sea. Sure enough, a hunk of a boat was sailing towards them, fast, white and blue flags of disaster waving. In an instant, everyone got serious, shouting and yelling coming from passing crew mates, running around to the sides in a frenzy.

“We’ve got to move!”

“They’ll shoot us down if we keep heading their way!”

“Load the cannons!”

Lloyd was ready to shout a command, instinct kicking in, when all of a sudden, someone shoved him while trying to get to the other side, he paused, and instead, Silluria’s voice beckoned.

“Enough!” she shouted, the intensity of it making everyone’s steps falter. “Gather around.”

“What’s going on?” Lloyd whispered to one of the crew members that was standing beside him. It was a woman with a long braid that fell down her back, tan skin and dark rimmed glaring brown eyes. A large sheathed sword hung prominently from her hip, and she looked like she was ready to kill. He pretended not to notice her, very obvious, irritated expression.

“Shut up.” She growled, as if the very notion of him speaking were terrible to her. “Silluria’s speaking.” She crossed her arms and turned her head – her hair almost smacking him – to face upwards, to where their captain was standing, her chin up high as she stood at the helm.

Her face was unopposing, polite but determined. As sure as a captain should be, she waited until everyone settled, eyes roving over them with an unwavering confidence.

“My crew!” She called out, “Do not panic. I will make sure all of you are protected, I guarantee it. But, first, we must go closer.”

Closer?! Lloyd’s jaw dropped. Apparently no one else knew what to say either. The whole crowd in front of him looked surprised too, sending concerned glancing amongst themselves. 

Glancing, schmancing, were they really not going to say something? Those marine boats had trained personnel and firepower for each man. It was a losing battle, what was the point if they could just turn the other way? Every second spent talking was a second of getaway lost. He wasn’t about to die just for boarding this stupid boat! 

Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the crowd, until he was to the front, face to face. “We can’t go closer. They’re not like merchant ships, they’ve got firepower and an even larger crew. We can’t beat them!” he shouted desperately, gesturing wildly with his hands. “We have to go! They’re approaching us at the very second!”

Silluria’s eyes found him, and then they glimmered sadly, a forlorn expression across her face, “I see you guys are wary… don’t worry. As soon as we are near, I can guarantee our safety and give us the needed supplies–”

“What supplies are worth a risk as big as this? We could be captured.” The tales of captured pirates were often too gruesome to imagine. Prison was ideal, compared to the other options. He shivered. Silluria was sharp, so what could be driving her to make such drastic decisions?

Silluria looked up, to the approaching pirate ship, down to the crowd, and then to her hat, as she took it from her head and brought it to her hands, looking down at it like a prized possession. With a shaky exhale, she addressed them once again. “My father. He needs medicine. His disease is bad, and he needs it as soon as possible, but the port towns don’t have it. We need remedies made by someone specialized.” She pointed to the horizon, looking like she was about to cry. “We've tried everything but one from them.”

Lloyd’s heart sank into his stomach. Even in a world like this, no, especially in a world like this, disease was a killer, a mass murderer. It was the best bet to get him the help he needed…

But he wouldn’t help them walk into a death trap. An eye for an eye left the world blind, how could he sit by and watch them sacrifice their lives for one that wasn’t even guaranteed?

“I’m sorry.” Lloyd spun around on his heel and turned away, heading to the boats, pushing through the crowd. After he’d gotten past enough people, he could see Javier again. He hooked his arm around him and tugged him away, heading in the opposite direction of all of them.

“No, I’m sorry.”

Before Lloyd could look back, a piercing voice struck through the air, she was singing… a… beautiful melody…

Get to your positions.

He stepped forward, eyes dazed, expression slack, an invisible force tugging at his shoes, pulling him towards the sides, all he wanted to do was continue listening. Did anything else matter? All he had to do was follow the notes, and everything else just drifted away, fading, fading...

He could hear something faint, a shout from near him, and yet, from somewhere far away.

And then it all grew muffled.

The shouts began to feel closer. No, they weren’t shouts, they were notes. 

He recognized that voice.

Like a lifeline, like a string of blinding light, reeling him from out of the depths, he followed it out, pulling at it one hand in front of the other. Slowly but surely, the world began to wrap around him again, and he could feel again. Feel his feet on the ground, feel the hands around his ears, cradling his head, holding him in place. The arms wrapped around him protectively, his back pressing against another. The richness of his voice. Javier was fighting for him. Tentatively, his hands rose, clasping the hands already over his ears, as he turned to look behind him.

His heart stuttered in his chest.

Javier looked so angry. Angry for him. His eyes were practically blazing, holding him slightly to the side to protect his ears. He looked like he was in a ferocious argument, except his mouth never closed, pushing a powerful song past his lips, all teeth bared.

Lloyd tapped his fingers on his hand like some kind of surrender, and he watched as his gaze fell on him, eyes immediately going wide, and worried sick. 

Both voices had stopped, and hesitantly, he dropped his hands and peeled Javier’s hands off, though instead, they simply moved to the back of his neck, his fingers gently clasping around the back in a way that was almost protective. He glanced at Silluria, who was staring at them with even wider eyes.

Lloyd sucked in a breath, and then he let it out. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!! TRYING TO HAVE ME KILLED?!” He screeched, pointing a finger at Silluria like he’d just called an objection on Ace Attorney.

Silluria actually looked remorseful as she placed her Captain’s hat back on, hair billowing behind her. “I wasn’t going to have you jump. I was just having all of them go to their positions.” 

“You can’t just do that, messing with our minds,” he shivered, his blood boiling. None of them had signed up for a mission like that. Making them walk into death, depriving them of the information of real harm, without their consent was as bad as making them slaves, no matter the intention. “You can’t just do that, take our free will away, and steer us to death!”

The others around them were still dazed, the effect and commands having sunk into their minds further than Lloyd had, thanks to Javier. All of this was starting to look too similar, overlapping with his past life.

He’d decided to take charge in this life, so why was he starting to feel powerless, again?

“I swear, I’ve looked everywhere, tried everything,” she cried out, still logical. Clutching her fists, she said, “I can’t let this opportunity go!”

Opportunity.

Yes, that’s it. He didn’t need mind control to seize as much as possible. He knew what she wanted, and he knew what he wanted.

“That doesn’t mean you can bring him into this,” Javier argued, icily. He was glaring daggers at her. “Or anyone else.” Javier with the perfect support, as always.

That’s right. He had a siren on his side who, literally and figuratively, had his back. There were two sirens on this boat. The problem was range, having them go closer would mean getting shot at. How did he not see it earlier? Their problem was so simple.

“You’ve got to sing together,” he tilted his head to look back at Javier who was at his side, their shoulders touching as he turned, eyes glowing with epiphany. “Of course!”

He’d be more offended by the way he’d looked at him, just then, if they weren’t on a time crunch. “Lloyd.”

With a sharp, devious smile, he turned back to look up at Silluria. He raised his hand, “I know how to solve your problems, but our participation will have to come up with a little… hazard pay.”

"You’re joking,” said Javier, deadpan.

“Nope.” Lloyd deadpanned back.

“Yes, yes, that’s fine, but if you have a plan, please do it now!” She urged.

“Fine, we'll discuss the payment later. Javier, get on the helm and get ready to sing.” Lloyd stuffed his hands into his pockets and pulled out two tiny earplugs from a tied bag. He noticed Javier staring at sighed. “Don't take it personally, sweetheart. I had to have some, knowing sirens exist.”

He turned and ran up to the hull, unaware of the siren, staring blankly at the spot where he stood, steam coming out of his ears.

“Plan is, you and Javier sing your hearts out, I plug these bad boys in, and then you put up a plank so I can breach their ship.”

“Ear plugs?” Silluria murmured, finger on her chin, as if she’d never even heard of the word. “That’ll really stop you from falling for the call?”

“Yup, it’s been proven, and since Javier’s song doesn’t control me I’d just have to block out yours. So, plank?” The words left his lips at a thousand miles per hour, and he proceeded to make some grabby hands at her, his ponytail whisking back and forth as he looked to the ship approaching them and back at Silluria.

She raised an eyebrow. “A plank? Who just carries around a plank?” She looked at him like he was crazy. 

Lloyd blinked. “You’re a pirate. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase walk the plank?”

Her face cracked into a smile, and then laughter came pouring out as she clinched her stomach. “Walk–” She snickered, biting her lip and still failing to stop herself from laughing. “The plank?”

Exasperated, he threw his hands up. “Yes! It’s a scare tactic!” He always made sure there was a plank in the storage of their ship in case of an emergency. “It’s in every–”

“Captain! What’s going o–”

“HOLD ON!” All three of them shouted in unison from the helm, not even bothering to look.

“Decide on one message first, you guys have to be in sync. Tell them, whoever is the captain get closer using the wheel, and everyone else don’t move. They have to be close enough for me to board.” Lloyd sprinted away, leaving Silluria and Javier at the helm.

The next thing they knew, he was high up on the crow’s nest, a rope in his hand, coat fluttering in the sea breeze. All Javier could do was stare.

“You heard him.” He said in his native tongue, a small smile on his lips. “Let’s do this.”

He looked down, everyone was all just tiny figures below him. Speaking of figures, how many figures could he earn from this job? Medicine was extremely valuable, he could collect his earnings in chests full. How much worth do you think your father’s life has? That’ll get her–

[ You can’t possibly think you’re going to make that. ] That blue screen of text popped up again, now, of all times. Rude as ever. Lloyd waved the air in front of him, trying to get rid of the box.

“I’m going to use a power-up, of course. I don’t have a death wish.” He stuck one earplug in his ear, and leaned on the wooden railing of the crow’s nest, until the faintest of notes could be heard from below.

Now! 

He activated all his power-ups, speed and jump-height, and he brought himself onto the mast of the sails, the ones that stuck out, and he tied his rope around the wood, went to the very end, and then, with his hands clutching the rope like a lifeline, he leapt.

***

“Damnit! Where do they keep the damn medicine!” He ruffled through their treasure chests, throwing this and that around with urgency. It’d barely been a minute since he’d landed and searched the rooms, but they couldn’t keep singing forever. Even siren voices had to rest.

He walked around the numerous people-zombies that littered the ship, the strength of their two voices combined had worked, and had allowed them to reach them even over the distance. Their soulless faces... he was going to have nightmares about that, tomorrow. He flung open the cabinets, until finally, finally, they revealed themselves. Little bottles of liquids, and herbs. It was a whole treasure trove.

He opened his inventory system, stuffing it all into invisible compartments, and once everything was taken, he sprinted to the mast as fast as he could, sweat running down his forehead as he huffed and puffed through his mouth. 

Javier was there, singing, so it’d be fine, it’d be fine, they wouldn’t wake up. Please don’t wake up, please don’t wake up. He raced past the crowds of them until he could climb on up, and swung back to the ship. With no damage done!

When he landed onto the deck, everyone’s gaze fell on him, but something was… off. The mood had shifted entirely. They all looked tense, staring at him menacingly. He observed the swords drawn, ready at their sides. The siren’s songs stopped, so that the only sounds were the crashes of the waves and the groan of the boat. Silluria was already at the wheel, turning them away from the Marines.

He stopped, abruptly, just feet away from the rest of the crew. “Were you guys talking about me?” He sang, grinning sharply, his right hand subtly moving from his hip to under the lapel of his jacket, feeling the cold sheath of his sword.

One of them stepped forward, boots thumping hard on wood, with short-cut blonde hair and a poster in hand. It was a wanted poster. With a flair for dramatics, they held it up high, the undeniable proof of his existence.

“It was you who brought them here, Lloyd Frontera, demon of the seas!”

His face, printed devilishly, his eyes and smile much too sharp and his nose too big, stared back at him, crinkled slightly in his fist. It rippled through them, each of them growing more tense, more wary, more dangerous, like sharks in the sea. They began to get closer towards him, began to surround him.

Not taking his eyes off them, he moved backwards, slowly. This was bad. They had the numbers, the weapons, the motive. His blood ran cold, and the world seemed to freeze before his eyes with fear.

Javier. 

For a second, his eyes flicked to the side, searching for any sign of blue. All he could see was black, the colors of their jackets, their angry eyes. No sign of a single blue curl. For a moment, he was relieved. 

At least Javier was smart enough to get away.

He felt his heart compress itself in its chest, like hands were wrapped around it, squeezing it tight. That was relief, was it not?

He was relieved.

And then, in a flash, the very person he’d been searching for, hoping he got away, was standing in front of him, looking ready to fight.

Relief had never changed into frustration so fast. He reached out, surging forward on instinct, like second nature. ‘ You don’t even have a weapon, you dork. ’ Lloyd pulled his arm, tugging him backwards and behind him, a flurry of turquoise locks crossing his view before he too stepped in front, blocking him with his arm. ‘ Stay behind me. ’

‘ I can– ’ Javier started, worry entwined with his voice.

Lloyd cut him off, ‘ You can't sing forever, Javier. We're stuck with these guys, we need an actual ship. Not a rowboat. We're going to have to figure this out with them. ’

The siren grabbed his shoulder, making him glance back, cerulean eyes looking at him with distress. ‘ They want to harm you. ’

Lloyd took the hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, looking back and gazing at him with a grin, baring his teeth. “Do you trust me?” He asked instead, whispering under his breath like it was a secret made just for them.

With furrowed brows, Javier swallowed down his words and his strained expression faded into a softer one. “...Yes.”

Lloyd's smile grew at his answer, genuine in its entirety, it even seemed his eyes had dilated, just a bit, but he quickly refocused on the situation at hand, turning away and drawing out his sword to face their awaiting audience.

“Yeah, that's me.” He said, with flourish, gesturing flippantly to the poster, sword still in hand. “Except, you've got one thing wrong. I didn't call the Marines over.”

He didn't, but they probably did come here for him. Anyone could've seen him. Maybe the pirates Javier beat up at the restaurant called them in. Or maybe it was Laconna after all. Either way, a white lie never hurt anybody.

The blonde man scoffed. “We know about the little traps you set, demon. If you think you're going to get away with this you are sorely mistaken.” He took the wanted poster and crumpled it into a ball, dropping it to the floor, crushing it under his foot. “We can’t collect your bounty, unfortunately, maybe we'll throw you overboard as a present for them."

Lloyd’s eyes flicked from the crumpled paper, and then flicked back up. “That’s a bit extra, isn’t it?” He murmured, looking bored. “Anyway, I think you guys are forgetting something.” From his inventory system, he took out a bottle of medicine, and then flipped his closed hand, a bottle in his palm glimmering in the sunlight. “I’ve got what the Captain wants. Throw me out, and she loses her lifeline. You don’t want her father to die, do you?” In mock shock, he drew his hands to his mouth, putting the potion back into his inventory system, and then turned his hands; like a magic trick, it was gone.

This seemed to only make them angrier, more so than disbelieving. Their spokesman’s smile morphing into an ugly scowl. “What makes you think we won’t just search you?”

“Hmmmm?” Lloyd hummed, coyly, lips curving upwards into what could only be described as a face you wanted to punch. “Well, you could try.” He put his sword back in its sheath for a moment and, with ease, he let his brown coat fall from his shoulders and into his arms. He tossed the bundle to the blonde. “I’m afraid you won’t find anything.”

“Your pockets!” They shouted. “Empty them!” He shrugged, turning his pant pockets inside out. They looked at him so dumbfounded, it tickled him.

Outraged, the blonde man pointed his sword at him. With Lloyd’s reflexes, his was back, unsheathed in the blink of an eye. “Then we’ll just hit you until you give it up.” He sneered, voice dripping with hostility.

“STOP!” Silluria’s voice finally bellowed, the crew members reluctantly turning their heads as she walked down the stairs, blazing emerald eyes boring holes into their heads. “You’re not to touch him. Or his mate.”

Lloyd whipped around to face Javier, hands thrown out at his sides, “What? Did you tell her?!” He spluttered like a broken engine, his face burning at the implication.

Javier shrugged, looking completely unbothered. Actually. On second thought, he looked serene. ‘ I didn’t tell her. But it’s not like it’s hard to figure out, anyway. ’

“Haah… what the heck is going on?” he ran his fingers through his hair, exhaling harshly before he turned back to the crowd. “He’s my first mate, she means.” He chuckled nervously, putting his hands in the air in surrender.

If he looked back, he’d see Javier’s wide eyes and raised brows. “I should hope so.” He murmured.

Lloyd turned impossibly redder, taking the image of a bird fluffing up, ruffling his feathers. “Shut up, shut up.” He hissed with gritted teeth. 

Javier leaned forward until he was over his shoulder, and he tilted his head. ‘ You have a second mate I don’t know about? ’ He teased, not out of curiosity anymore, but just to see the blush spread a little further. A flicker of a grin on his lips; subtle, as his expressions always were.

He pushed away his face with a palm to his lips, to which Javier barely budged. “Har, har, har. Can we listen to the lady speak please?– Did you just lick me?” He wheezed, horrified. Aghast. His palms were wet, now.

“Here's the thing.” Silluria cut in, freezing their current push-and-pull tug of war with Lloyd pushing away his face and Javier pushing forward. “You came onto our boat with the intent to take from us. I can't just let that slide.” Immediately, the tension rose again.

Lloyd blinked, and carefully pulled each of his limbs away from the tangle they’d ended up being in, his boot had found Javier's stomach during their battle. “What about the medicine?”

She crossed her arms, looking up at him from under dark lashes. “It’s got to be on your body. The real question is if we let you stay or not.”

“Oh, so sirens can exist and magic can’t?” Lloyd sneered, the extent of it wrinkling his nose. She seemed to find this amusing, giggling under her breath. “That’s funny to you?” He reached into the air, into the inventory system nobody else could see, and pulled out a rope from thin air, unravelling it like one of those kid magicians who pulled cloth from their mouths. Should’ve done that, actually, he thought, a little disappointed.

She actually looked surprised this time, eyes wide, like the rest of her dumbfounded crew. “...How did you do that?”

Lloyd, petty as he was, just stuck out his tongue.

Shaking her head, she tossed her braid over her shoulder, and proceeded to tap her index finger on her chin for a few moments until she looked up and smiled. “I don’t hate you Frontera, I really don’t. If you defeat Neuuman in a duel. Not to the death. Knock his sword out of his hand and I’ll let you stay on this ship, to get to where you want to go. I’ll trade you for the medicine. If you lose, you give me the medicine and we let you go with a rowboat. What do you say?”

Really favorable terms if I win, and if I lose it’s not like I’ll die, he thought. Plus, the rowboat is way better than getting thrown overboard. He scanned the blonde man, Neumann, who was beaming with self-assured confidence. Big and burly, but still, all he had to do was remove the sword from his hand. No other rules. And, once he won, he could use his leverage over her to pick out a prize from her loot!

He smiled and walked up to Silluria, putting out his hand in the distance between them.

“Deal."

“Take your places!”

They had a good distance to move around, but you could still feel the sense of being trapped, the crowd surrounding them like the ropes of a boxing ring. And just outside of the arena, his siren was there, not taking his eyes off of him.

It made him a little anxious, not the man he had to fight, not the glinting sword, nor the crowd, but having someone worried for him on the sidelines. He felt… nervous. Which was weird, since he was completely unrelated to the situation at hand, not included in the conditions at all. Pursing his lips, he fidgetted with the bangs that had escaped his tied hair.

‘ Show them how it’s done, Lloyd. ’ His voice rang out in his head, and he felt his face grow warm. Someone wanted him to win. Someone was cheering for him. He brought his hand over his mouth, and over his cheek, though he wished he could cover his whole face.

‘ Yeah, will do. ’ He dragged his eyes away and took his stance, lowering his sword in front of him. The original Lloyd had sword skills engrained in him, but it didn’t mean he could beat a seasoned pirate easily.

But he also didn’t want to destroy that faith Javier had in him.

“Three…” Neuuman was ready too, eyes glinting with excitement. 

“Two…” All he had to do was knock his sword out.

“Come at me with all you got.” 

“One!” Bang! The gunshot pointed at the sky echoed in their ears and in a flash, Neuuman charged. 

Lloyd’s sword swung up and blocked, their silver scratching each other sharply. He tried to plant his feet, bending his knees as Neuuman pushed forward, leaning in and trying to draw his sword closer to his neck.

Under his breath, just enough for Lloyd to hear him, he whispered. “I may win if I knock out your sword, but there’s no rule saying I can’t kill you.” 

For a moment, everything went quiet with fear. His foot skid across the floor as he pushed forward, the sword’s edge inching towards his neck.

He could actually die here. He would do it.

As if I'd let that happen! Not after everything he's done here. All that he'd found.

He brought his leg up and kicked him square in the stomach, just barely (unfortunately) missing his nuts. Neumann coughed air, but his grip on his sword remained tight as he stumbled back. Lloyd surged forward, dashing toward him, he quickly regained his guard, but all of a sudden Lloyd side-stepped across from him, and he caught a glimpse of terrifying, serpentine gold eyes before all of a sudden, he was falling, Lloyd kicking out the back of both his legs, and he met the floor with his face. He didn’t allow him the time to get up, stomping on his back with his ginormous boots. He hissed a few mumbled cursed words underneath him. 

In self defense, he swiped as best he could behind him, and Lloyd jumped back, the sword’s blade narrowly missing his shin. Like a human spring, he bounced back up, and swung, Lloyd stepped back just enough, but his rebound he blocked. He couldn’t spin it around enough to snatch it. The swords proceeded to clash and clang, until Neuuman got the fast one and opened his guard, Lloyd’s arm too far, too outstretched. He caught it too late, the opening was right there. 

It happened in slow motion, almost. His impending doom coming straight toward him, the duck and bob he did as he went under the sword, the way his hand went to grab where Neuuman was holding the sword, and how the other arm held the juncture after his shoulder in place, trapping his arm so he could move him however he liked, twisting it so the top half of him bent over.

Like a shadow leaning over, a demon whispering in your ear, he whispered. “Drop the sword.” He refused, his grip growing tighter. Lloyd tried to pry his fingers off, but no luck. He sighed.

The cold blade of the sword touched Neumann's neck. “There’s no rule saying I can’t kill you either.”

“She won’t give you anything if you do that.” He spat.

“No,” Lloyd grabbed a fistful of hair from the back of his head and pulled it so he could look him in the eye, the other arm and leg coiling around him, still restricting his movement. With his eyes low-lidded, his gold eyes glinted, dangerous and sharp. “But my hand just might slip if you don’t drop it right now.”

“Go to he–” Lloyd kneed him in the stomach, then threw him back on the ground, a distant scream coming from him as he pulled his hair, and this time he leaned down, his knees pressing on his arms and his hands moving to press his wrists down.

“Sorry, you made this a little harder than this was supposed to be.” Finally, he wiggled the sword out of his grasp and, without looking, tossed it to Silluria’s feet.

Both of them lay, panting, sweating through their shirts, until Lloyd finally got up and lent his hand out. Neumann smacked it as he got up, proceeding to rub his wrists as he walked away. 

Without looking back he said; “You’re a sick, cheating snake.”

“What, because I kicked you a little?” Lloyd couldn't help but laugh. “I'm a pirate, not a knight. What did you think I was?” 

Looking at him pitifully, the smile on his face was completely involuntary; he'd even say it was automatic. “Nobody ever said pirates played fair.”

The blonde seethed as he picked up his sword and parted through the crowd. 

“As Lloyd has beaten Neumann, he may stay on our ship. He’s earned his spot on this ship, as long as he doesn’t make another mistake.” Silluria announced, looking oddly cheery as she looked his way. It made the threat all the more threatening.

Still, he'd done it! He'd secured transportation! The stealing the ship plan was definitely crossed out since, well, the Captain was a siren and could very well decide to kill him at any side. But, considering the speed of this ship, they could get to any of the islands on the other side in no time at all.

He resisted the urge to pump his fist up in the air, and kept his cool, locking his celebrations inside for the moment as he walked to the side, shifting through the crowd of people, eyes scanning faces he didn’t know. All of them there, but still unable to find the one face he was looking for.

“Where’d that blue-headed dork go?–”

He received his answer almost immediately, once he was tackled, that is.

He saw a flurry of turquoise-blue locks flash before his eyes before the impact before he was literally scooped up entirely. Strong arms squeezed around his chest, crushing his lungs and– his feet were no longer on the floor. Why were his feet no longer on the floor?

“Javier, I can barely breathe.” He squeaked. He hadn’t imagined he’d be squished to death, of all things.

Javier didn’t answer, his grip on him not budging. It was a little awkward, like their limbs had found something almost unnatural to be in position, neither of them had ever been very affectionate people, but at the same time it felt natural, like a structure that fit together, rigid, but in all the right ways.

Was he upset? Scared, even? Aww, how sweet. Guess he would care about whether or not he died there.

‘ You were amazing. ’

Lloyd’s heart sputtered back to life in his chest, despite being compressed, it did nothing to quell or still the rattle of his heart. “Hey.” He grabbed both sides of Javier’s face to make him look at him, still being held up by his arms, he had the height on him, looking down directly into his eyes. “Say that again.”

Javier blinked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “...You scared me almost to death too times too many, the blade was this close to your neck… I opened my mouth to sing you out multiple times, but still, you were amazi–”

Lloyd sprang forward and with his hands on the collar of Javier’s lapels, kissed him smack on the lips, aggressively almost, like a punch as he pulled him towards him. 

It was Javier’s fault, really. For looking at him like that, and for saying things like that. 

He tasted like the salty ocean, like victory. Like the sweetness of having someone on your side, rooting for you. He pulled back and pressed forward again, Javier’s eyes wide with surprise, almost fumbling backwards; he kept his balance and, after propping Lloyd a little higher, his hand sliding down to wrap around his thigh– to get a better grip on him-- he reciprocated, tilting upwards again, and again, every kiss felt like another word, softer and unsaid. 

Until Lloyd suddenly pulled away, huffing breaths. Even as Javier drew in for another, he didn’t close the distance. It took all his willpower not to pull him back in, hands at the sides of his jaw. Golden eyes looked down at him, chest rising and falling. He was smiling so brightly, it made Javier want to swallow him whole.

“Adrenaline.” He said simply, as if it explained everything, as if everything was solved the second he downplayed an event a little. His lips were shiny, all because of him. With his hands now running over Javier’s shoulders, all Javier could do was nod. “Now, put me down.”

‘ I could carry you back, just like this. ’

And then, like the sun hiding behind the ocean, Lloyd’s teeth hid behind his lips, and it morphed into his more familiar, pissed off, “shut it” smile, the one that had his eyes squinting with fake amusement. “Put me down.” He repeated; that one was serious. And so, he did, he put him back down. It always ended far too soon.

Lloyd’s feet touched the floor, and like a bad habit, he reached for the top of his head to tilt down a Captain’s hat that was no longer there. When his hands met air, he put his hands back in his pockets. “Well. We did it. We got the ship, technically. We could just get dropped off at the nearest island to look for my crew. You’re sure you can find your way back to our treasure?”

Javier nodded, staring at the lightness of his eyes. ‘ I always find my way back home. ’ 

This caught Lloyd’s attention, he seemed to garner the weight of his words, his eyes flicking back up to him, pupils dilating in on him. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They rocked in their spots, lingering in a charged silence, before Lloyd spoke again.

“You could’ve swam away, you know, when they turned on me. You didn’t know what they’d do, and you didn’t even have a weapon.”

‘ You think I’d do that? ’ Javier’s eyes widened, his eyebrows curling in, stepping forward like something on his face would change the words he’d already said. He couldn’t even deny it, he felt hurt. The fact that he thought of him that way stung like something more bitter than anything he’d ever tasted.

“I think that was the smart thing to do. But you came back. You really must be the stupidest person on the planet. Don’t ever do that again.”

Javier wanted to pull his hair out of frustration. ‘ Of course I’d come back to help you. ‘ He said, his teeth bared. His hands shot out to grab Lloyd’s shoulders as if to pull him from the tides. ‘ You can’t ask me not to protect you. ’

“Can’t I?” Lloyd shouted, his voice cracking with emotion as he slapped away his hands. Javier watched his mask slip, and, for what felt like the first time, he looked genuinely afraid. He’d be happier, in any other circumstance, to see him reveal himself like this. “Do you know how it felt? When I realized you could be in danger, that they could’ve gotten to you while I was away?” He pleaded, urged. The anger had seeped into his voice. He had to make him understand. “You were defenseless. If they got to you as my accomplice, if I was a bit slower, they could’ve targeted you and–”

“You were in danger!” Javier argued, his voice coming out as he tried to get his own message across. He knew Lloyd wouldn’t listen to him in his head, his thoughts would overlap with his own. He had to be the only one in the world, human or siren, to get angry at someone trying to protect them. “What was I to do, Lloyd?” He insisted, stepping forward. “Tell me.”

“I don’t know, I don’t know, but it was stupid!” Lloyd hissed, clearly stressed, standing his ground, getting up in his face.

Javier sucked in a breath, and exhaled, trying to reign in his own emotions. Lloyd was the only one who made him feel like this. Like a mess, questioning everything. “I was afraid too.”

“All the more reason for you to have left–”

Before he knew it, Javier’s hand flew out, pinching his cheeks together and making him look like a stupid pufferfish. His lips jutted out into a ridiculous o-shape, he couldn’t make out any comprehensive words even if he tried. ‘ If you don’t let me finish, I’m seriously going to hit you. ’

Lloyd stuck up his middle finger. 

‘ I don’t even know what that means. ’ He replied, raising his eyebrows, admittedly a little smug.

‘ It means fu— ’ 

Javier pulled him in immediately, catching him off guard again, interrupting his train of thought, which he knew only held curses. “Don’t cheat, Lloyd.”

He pouted, but he listened.

‘ Good job. ’ Lloyd wrinkled his nose in response, but his ears tinted red. Javier noted, folding a little note and tucking it in the back of his mind, among the collection of little things he had learned about his mate.

“As I was saying, I was afraid for you. During your sword-fight. But I didn’t stop you, did I?” He didn’t allow Lloyd to answer, else he would butt in with another argument. He barreled through, “I didn’t because I trust you. In that same way, I need you to trust me.” He urged and, slowly, he let Lloyd’s face go, his eyes roaming his face for a sign. It had gone back to something neutral, as though he were processing something very big. A quiet sort of realization.

Just a little while ago, he’d gone on a tangent about how if there was one thing he’d never trust, it was someone who does something for someone else. It was something he’d learned, something he vowed to live by. So how could he…

But Javier… He proved himself, time and time again. He crushed all of his beliefs, all his rules. And, despite all of his reluctance, he did.

He trusted him.

It was the reason he got on that damn marine ship in the first place, because he knew, even if Silluria decided to just leave him there to die, Javier would keep singing. He knew the truth, deep down. That was why he wanted to convince Javier instead. What a wreck that turned out to be.

“Yeah. I do.” He murmured, running his hand down his face in frustration, looking up at the sky in defeat. He watched as his walls came tumbling down, his face scrunching up like he was trying to hold back a well of tears that never came. Javier just stared at him, like he was shocked by his response. Which was stupid, because no rational person acted the way he did when he was with him. “Haah. Dammit. This is so stupid. You’re so–”

“Stupid, I know.” Javier said, speeding through his words, his lips still parted in surprise. “So, you…”

“Yes! I trust you!” Lloyd exclaimed, harshly, throwing his hands up in the air, spinning on his heel only to face him again. His face was desperate, urgent, angry, scared, like the longer it was out in the open, the more likely it was to shatter. As though the very admittance put him at risk. He wanted to ask why, what made him feel so terrible, but he knew that was another separate conversation, for a separate time. “Do I have to say it again?”

Yes. He wanted to say. Again, and again. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs. Lloyd trusted him. “Maybe. I have to make sure you’re not brainwashed. So Lloyd, you…”

“I do! I do! Okay? Geez.” His face was turning scarlet with embarrassment. He shook his head, crossing his arms and looking away with a scowl. “You should be honored.” He muttered, curtly.

A part of him wanted to whisk him off his feet and take him far away. An embarrassed Lloyd was too perfect for anyone else to see.

“I am.”

“Good.” 

“I trust you too, Lloyd.” Lloyd’s eyes flicked up to him, scatteredly, and, maybe he was imagining it, but he looked a little teary-eyed. He must have sensed the weight of it. He knew what it meant, to have Lloyd’s trust in him.

He was the same way. 

Then, an idea popped up into his head.

‘ Can you add not getting mad at me for protecting you into our contract? ’

He watched as Lloyd’s face immediately dropped, all the emotion fading out of him as quick as a snap. Guess that was a no. He looked at him, raising a brow, and he grinned, as obnoxiously as ever.

“No promises.”

Dammit. Something told him this wouldn’t be the last time they had this argument.

“...Cause you care about me too much.” He added.

“As all-knowing as ever, aren’t you.” Lloyd rolled his eyes, turning around and walking to the Captain’s quarters, his long tied hair swinging low behind him. He wanted to run his fingers through it, see how he looked with his hair down. “Come on, let’s go pick out things from Silluria’s treasure trove. You can get anything you want.”

Javier followed, coming to walk at his side. He could only wait for the day he admitted it. Without fear, without rhetoric, without reservation, without walls. ‘ I don’t have any use for treasure. ’

He was greedy in other ways, apparently.

Lloyd turned his head to look at him, and winked. “I’m thinking something gold.”

Oh?

“Would you like a necklace? Or a ring?”

Javier gulped. To receive something that precious from Lloyd? The same person who loved his treasure in an amount that was almost concerning? “A… necklace.” And, the cherry on top. Gold was his color. The thought of it was almost too much, his mind running wild. It was practically him offering a scale– No, he didn’t know that, but still. 

It was a symbol of something akin to devotion.