#johnny;

JOHNNY’S COMMUNICATION CENTER (icons)  

(☆´3｀)  1st attempt !

The rest of the Fire Pirates slept all around them, Johnny’s eyes all darted to where the crew slept. Jai was the current pillow of the night with Pierre, Roisin, and Shevon all curled around him. Dahlia curled her body around Roisin, her petal arms almost a light blanket for her. Even in her sleep, Dahlia will always find some way to keep Roisin protected from any troubles of the world. 

“You always say that about my fires, Asha,” Johnny teased with a quiet laugh but the light reflected off her face, a frown painted on. Her ears dropped down as she looked straight at him.

“There is a difference between a regular fire and your own fire. Fires that you make always have your smell to them.”

“My smell?”

“Mhm,” Asha nodded and shifted so her body was fully facing him. “I think the crystal gives you a smoky scent, something that is similar to a pepper. Maybe not a pepper, exactly. But kind of spicy.”

Johnny hummed contently, a giddy, fluttering feeling spreading through him as she babbled to him. Her alto voice was euphonic, music to his ears. There was a level of excitement at being able to experience all the fascinating thoughts and proclamations of Asha. Her ears periodically twitch along with her tail, with her tongue poking out periodically. 

“The crystal wasn’t spicy to me. But I grew up on spicy foods so I’m not the best judge,” Johnny giggled, scooting closer to Asha. The two of them were knee to knee with each other and Asha slowly wrapped her fluffy tail around him. He rested his head on her shoulder and Asha rested her head on top of his. 

Nights like these, bluish and purple but too cloudy for any stars to be seen, her mind would roam. To dark places, darker than the sky above her head. Flashes of grief would pass through her head, making her throat tighten with each memory. Her eyes would water as the mean voices in her head would get clouder. All the awful things she thought of herself clawing its ways through the wall that she built up over the years. Roisin gripped the railing of the ship, trying to steady the shaking through her body.

She was a lying, money stealing bitch, right? A traitor to her own village. Why would she deserve any shred of kindness? 

“Rosie, why’re you crying?” A warm voice would break her thoughts and she looked behind her to find Johnny walking over to stand beside her. Roisin would always be able to forgive the silly nickname when it came from him. She always wondered if her mind would play tricks as she would always see Johnny glow around her. Maybe that was just him and who he was. 

“I…I’m just tired.”

“No you’re not,” Johnny said softly, Roisin irritated at him being able to see right through. The two of them sat in silence and Johnny slung an arm over her shoulder. Roisin glanced over at him and her entire body relaxed as he rested the side of her head on top of hers.

“You were trying to save your family. It wasn’t your fault.”

From his spot, his eyes zeroed in on Johnny. His stomach curled in on itself as the reality of everything finally hit him. He almost died because of this man. Jai was going to be sacrificial bait for a woman that was driven mad trying to find her stolen son. And in all of this, somehow Johnny didn’t think he was strong or smart enough to come with him to find the spider boy? Or even trusted enough to defend him? Jai’s body began to tense up as he gripped the bottle of alcohol he was holding in his hand, his hand straining to break it. 

Take a deep breath. In and out. In and out. Nothing was worth Jai breaking his hand with some glass. He closed his eyes and set the bottle beside him, rubbing his temples with both of his hands. Jai wasn’t in the right headset to be drinking right now.  In his brooding, a warm presence hit his left side where the bottle was placed. A crisp scent. Jai clenched one fist and rubbed his knuckles with the other hand, trying to untighten his jaw.

“Why aren’t you out celebrating with everyone, Captain?” Jai gritted out, his attempt at hiding his brooding turning out to be futile. He felt Johnny frowning down at him and moved to sit beside him. Just what he needed.

“Well, you’re upset,” Johnny pointed out ever so obviously and Jai gritted his teeth at the unaffected tone. 

“Yeah, well, being sent off as a potential sacrifice tends to piss me off.”

Johnny hummed, Jai knowing that it wasn’t dismissive. A realization at what the problem was. In these moments, Johnny would have a simple yet obvious solution to whatever said problem may be. Saying something so quickly and almost without thought. But Johnny was silent for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face.His lips tightened into a frown as Jai realized how deep he was thinking about this.

“Have you ever heard the stories of how Akeno killed people?” Johnny asked him and Jai raised an eyebrow at the question, shaking his head.

“I just knew that she did it and that it was painful,” Jai told him and Johnny hummed in agreement.

“The stories said that a captain who’s people weren’t chosen died a quick, painful death. Sliced and decapitated quickly, different versions. But they died instantly. Akeno, however, would make a Captain look their two people in the eye as she found a slow yet painful way to kill them,” Johnny explained, his lips tightening as he recalled the stories in his head. Jai took in all this information and he frowned, trying to process what he was being told. He leaned over, finally looking at his Captain during their exchange.

“So you were okay with Shevon and Dahlia dying painfully?” Jai asked and Johnny scowled at the question, Jai flinching as soon as the words left his mouth.

“No and it hurts me that you would think of me like that,” Johnny said, his face dropping down into a frown at Jai’s words. “I wasn’t okay with anybody dying. I just…didn’t want to watch you die especially. I knew I didn’t want to watch you die.”

Jai especially straightened up at Johnny’s shaky voice and in the light, he watched Johnny’s eyes water up. In a daze, he scooted closer to Johnny, alcohol be damned and he wrapped an arm around his shoulders. His head rested on Jai’s shoulder and Jai could feel his body shaking in his hold. Johnny began to sniffle and he reached his hand up to wipe his face. Jai gently leaned his cheek down to the top of Johnny’s head.

“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry, Johnny,” Jai said softly and Johnny cuddled closer into the contact. He reached down and brought Jai’s hand to his chest, to his heart. Jai felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, a familiar rhythm that had a way to ground him.

Two for one special, Shevon supposed. 

“Thanks, little starfish,” Shevon teased with a light laugh at Johnny’s position of having one leg draped off of the couch. “You and Bruno both seem to really like it.” “Yeah, we’ve never really had a couch or real beds as kids,” Johnny explained, his face way too neutral for telling such an upsetting fact to Shevon. “We had blankets though.”

“Well. I’m glad you guys at least had blankets,” Shevon frowned, the image of a little baby Johnny curled up on a pile of blankets. Probably with only hard floors to cushion them. Johnny shifted from his starfish position to sit upright against the cushions. 

“Don’t be so sad. It’s something that we had to do before, but not anymore,” Johnny explained to him with a large grin and Shevon felt his whole body warm at seeing him smile like that. That grin was something Shevon could never get used to. He never understood how one person smiling could change him so instantly but Shevon would never have it any other way. “Besides, I have a sniper who can also make so much cool stuff!”

“Well, making a couch isn’t that difficult so it’s not a lot really,” Shevon brushed off with a deep flush and Johnny shook his head with a laugh. He pulled him into a tug, keeping his arms wrapped around his neck but never choking him. 

“You’re so cool, Shevon, don’t doubt yourself! Captain’s orders!”

Compared to everyone else though, Jai could’ve sworn that Johnny was more snugglier with him. His arms were wrapped around Jai’s neck along with his legs wrapped around his waist the best that they could. Maybe it was the intimacy of the two of them being in Jai’s bed that might’ve been heightening his own feelings. His stomach fluttered at the possibility of the two of them cuddling but he swallowed his own childish feelings. 

“Your heart is beating really fast,” Johnny pointed out because of course he would notice. Jai could never hide anything from him. He was just too known by his captain to ever be hidden. In his trance, Jai fell even deeper into it as Johnny’s fingers threaded through his hair. Johnny laughed lightly as Jai’s head leaned into the touch and he began to massage the sides of his head.

“I’m not…used to this, Captain,” Jai pointed out and Johnny hummed thoughtfully at his stammered out response. It wasn’t a lie, really. But how could he think clearly when his pretty, pretty captain is petting him so gently and cuddling him?

“I should do it more for you, then.”

“Captain, I couldn’t force you-”

“You’re not forcing me, Jai. I want to,” Johnny stated straightforwardly and Jai nodded slowly, nuzzling closer to Johnny. The two of them laid together in silence while Jai’s fingers traced up and down Johnny’s spine. Neither of them knew how long they laid together but Jai realized he fell asleep when he woke up in the middle of the night still laying with Johnny. Even when he was snoring so quietly, Johnny would always shine ever so bright.

Compared to that small, frail figure Jai saw that very night he tried to forget, this was the Akeno that was known to the rest of them. A 10 feet tall, beastly woman with thorn-like legs that stuck out against her spider web swing. Her black hair was done up into three separate buns like a crown. Red eyes glowed down at his two crewmates and the flower chick, plump lips formed into a smirk. A black widow waiting to trap her prey.

“I see you all lived up to one part of the bargain. Well done,” Akeno cooed out and stepped out of her little web swing. She kneeled down but still had to look down at all three of them.

Johnny and Akeno stared into each other’s eyes, the air in the cave thickening all around them. While Johnny’s face never left its seemingly empty, simple smile, Akeno’s eyes searched through all of Johnny. She straightened up, once again looming over the three of them to regain her power.

“I found him, Miss Akeno. I found Masahi”

“Did you now?” “Mhm.”

“So where is he?”

“He is with his crew, but we all have some regulations of our own,” Johnny began and Akeno raised her eyebrows at his statement, intrigue and curiosity filling all of her eyes. Jai didn’t know where he was in any position to be making negotiations but he waited to hear him out. “Masahi’s captain said that their whole crew wants to be there with him. They will keep their distance, but they wanna be nearby.”

“So what if they tried to attack? That’s gonna get your entire crew killed,” Akeno pointed out with a pair of crossed arms. Jai knew she was right and one of her eyes twitched, worry twinkling in one of them. He looked down at Johnny, waiting for whatever the hell he had to say in response to that. Johnny cupped his palm, a flicker of flames sparking from his hands.

“If they attack you, I’ll burn every one of them.”

“Except for my baby?”

“You got it.”

Out of the corner of Jai’s eyes, Pierre and Asha both nodded compliantly, all too calm by the situation. How could any of them be this trusting, especially with a potential rival crew? Jai maintained his breathing, closing his eyes as he eased his rapidly beating heart. All they could do was wait.

Footsteps that sounded nothing like he heard before echoed through the cave and Jai tensed up as the sound got closer. Akeno’s jaw slackened a little bit, something close to her eyebrows rising up at the noise. Before their very eyes, a gray looking boy with multiple arms and legs appeared in front of him. Multiple black-brown eyes, splitting image of the very same eyes Jai saw crying that night. Short curly black hair that draped his face with round cheeks. 

Just a kid, and he’s sailing the seas.

Akeno’s face softened at the boy below her and her multiple eyes welled up with tears, for the first time smiling so wide.