ㅤㅤㅤit's not hubris that consistently leads pax into the jaws of the beast. it's not some self-assured knowledge that he'd be fine. it has only been a matter of love — of the fact that he could now be with kuzan, as freely as they could anyway, without the pirate's morals getting in the way. it didn't matter that he waltzed into one of the most dangerous places in the world every time he wanted to see his lover. it did not matter that as the streets of hachinosu coiled with his unnatural mist, the soft colors reflective in the too-bright sunlight, he received unending and hungry stares. it didn't matter either, that on the few occasions he had crossed paths with the rest of blackbeard's crew, he'd felt hunted. pax would do a million things for his love, and this? this was just one of many.
ㅤㅤㅤperhaps he had also grown too comfortable.
ㅤㅤㅤthey'd struck before pax had even made it to kuzan's room, the island working against him as the mist had shrouded his steps. it was intended to be a surprise — pax materializing on a phantom wind in the elder's bed and offering him the warmth and softness of his embrace. kuzan would greet him with a smile — a lingering kiss, and they'd fall into each other's bodies for a few days, lost in another reunion and the whispered words of affection that trailed between them. of course blackbeard's crew would think to put a stop to what would have been a very pleasant few days.
ㅤㅤㅤhe wasn't entirely helpless. pax's observation haki had kept him from being truly overwhelmed or shackled in seastone and dragged along. seconds before the sword had swung for him — he'd twisted to the side, and the mist had lashed out in warning. but pax was not built for front-facing conflict — he was not built to brawl. it's not really a surprise when a hand closes around his throat, squeezing tightly, and a fist connects with his beautiful face. blood blooms on his lips, and the last thing he remembers is his glasses shattered, falling to the ground, before things go black.
ㅤㅤㅤhe's not sure how long he lays there. he's not sure he knows where he is when he opens his eyes. all he knows is they're outside — illuminated by torchlight. before him, he sees large feet — and as pax's gaze travels upwards, he finds dark eyes staring back at him. gleeful. greedy. wide mouth split in a grin — golden tooth gleaming. ❝ well, we finally got our hands on you, didn't we? ❞ it's another lilting voice that speaks next — melodious and serene: ❝ best be quick about it, commodore. you hardly want him to discover what's happened. ❞ pax's mist writhes. it snaps like angry snakes as the mistbinder grunts, dragging himself to his hands and knees, and glancing around. shiryu of the rain, laffitte, burgess... all men he knows. all men in his files.
ㅤㅤㅤpax bares his teeth when the darkness encroaches.
ㅤㅤㅤ ❝ he'll make your death more painful than i ever could. ❞
ㅤㅤㅤhe swears all he hears is malicious laughter, as things go black.
ㅤㅤㅤwhen pax wakes, it's with frosted breath.
ㅤㅤㅤthe air is freezing, but not for him. his mist seems to thrive in it, the element wreathing around his body as if checking for further wounds in worry. he's sluggish, mind slow. his bare hand finds an icy floor. he looks up to see frost encrusting teach's boots, burgess half frozen. laffitte is gone, shiryu is shivering, and the rest...
ㅤㅤㅤhe meets kuzan's shaded gaze upon request, amber eyes finally focusing on his handsome face. he's terribly tired, snowflakes falling lightly upon his flesh, as he peers up at kuzan with curious reverence. ❝ you're here. ❞ he seems to sag with relief. the mist does too, clinging to kuzan's body like he might disappear. kuzan lifts him easily, and pax curls into the coolness of his body with little thought. his eyes can barely see the way crew members and pirates alike are frosted over — still statues that many would die from. he wonders if the other captains would survive. probably, but that doesn't stop pax from looking out of the corner of his eye — gaze tired but sharp, and meeting teach's gaze.
ㅤㅤㅤand then, he looks away.
ㅤㅤㅤpax shivers, and not from the cold. he can still feel it — that encroaching darkness, the way it rooted at the heart of him, the way it tried to smother is mist. the countless writhing souls, the screams and din of the dying — of tintalim's sacred fruit, of the power that came with what he wielded. pax had tried to drown him, to kill him. he'd kicked and he'd screamed and he'd-
ㅤㅤㅤif kuzan hadn't appeared when he did...
ㅤㅤㅤpax takes a deep breath. he looks up to kuzan again, and offers him half a wan smile, trying to avoid the blood on his lip. ❝ i'll be okay. ❞