#nachim

I'm so sorry to disappoint you by being boring but none of the pirates I write are! Unless you count sleeping in there while scared, then Haru is a big time regular.

Nachim and Ataxia have slept together a couple of times, but that was pure curiosity. None of the others have slept with him even once. And nobody plans or any desire to in either direction.

@mournus

No one would dare say Itsuki was not a wolf of his word. Even if it might take some time for promises to be fulfilled. He didn’t really like to hold a debt if it could be helped, but sometimes life didn’t give the perfect repayment on a decent time table. A treasure thought lost to time. Buried before even his grandmother had been born. A map reemerged after all these centuries. He’d gotten it for a steal. There’d been no real deceit on his part. The treasure hunting world had simply gotten frustrated with these pieces of parchment. Its words were in a language fewer knew each year. Especially the old dialect it was in. Even if that had it was all in code. A puzzle that had to be figured out. Made harder by the missing pieces. Well missing to this world. The map had been painstakingly crafted. Torn into 5 parts. Each piece holding a different code to it. Probably an attempt to keep the original crew honest. The ancient wolf could read much of it. Deciphering it a little tougher, but not an impossible task. Though some of that code lay out of even his reach...but not his pup’s. She could not fully grasp it yet, but she’d recognized all. Some from his teachings. Some from that of her maternal line. And some from friendships she had struck he’d rather not think about. It had been a long talk discussing it with her. She’d been nervous about the family, but had been eager to help him get rid of this debt. Even if there wasn’t a pressing need, she understood him enough to know how valuable it was for him to keep his words.

He had to track for months. Finding when the man would be in a close port. When the time was right they made their way there. His pups all eager to help. They liked to work puzzles together. Wanted some interesting adventure. Though he knew a part of them were worried about allowing the alpha to vanish on a ship alone for a month or more. They wanted to be there in case anything happened. They got to the dock early. Waiting until he caught that familiar scent on the wind. All quick to follow, the ancient taking the lead. Keeping the three behind him. He had some basic trust of the man. But he needed to see if his temperament had changed.

Their main language is English, it's what most people speak at least a little bit of; however, there are so many people from all over the world on his ship that even if someone has no English there will be someone to translate/teach/help.

"I have always believed I am smart enough to know when I'm not smart enough. Yes, I've always known... but no, at the same time. I've known and understood partial truths about you, about us. I've known and understood the words, without truly... taking to heart the meaning. In all my life I have never... you are the first..."

He didn't have to finish that sentence, right?

The captain was soon blinking, sitting up straighter. "What are you saying? That was a selfish wish of mine. You accept so easily?"

Ninety-eight years together, separated by the same length of time. He now belonging to a coterie, to a life of Kindred politics, wars, and a stint of peace. He was, sometimes, the coterie's negotiator, as he had once been for Nachim. He was the enforcer, when those in Manhattan's white tower overstepped boundaries. His only reprieve had been these moments, when he could sneak away to the ship that he had once called home.

And for all these years, he had kept a secret tucked close to his body. This knowledge hadn't run their destiny aground. He had forced himself to almost forget the words of a stitched oracle, just to keep it safe. Two hundred years of sharing beds with others, of saying 'mi amor' too casually, and yet their hearts... their hearts remained steady, quiet, and patient.

Rhys offered his lips as gently as their first kiss. Trust in Nachim had become natural, unspoken and unquestioned. He could demand his tongue to bite, his teeth to drink, or fingernails deep into his skin, and the vampire he cradled wouldn’t hesitate.

There was no sense in arguing what was a matter of opinion; neither of them had the gift of sight. Neither of them was as perceptive as Sang, or Raeni, or even Rune. What Nachim offered was a generous, optimistic perspective. Arguing would be for the sake of arguing, which was simply not his way.

“Ninety-eight years.” The number was soft in his mouth. “I was your faithful servant for ninety-eight years. I was your right and left hand. I was your friend. I was your lover. But first and foremost, I was yours. Were you aware, ever?”

Nachim’s hand was flattened over his unbeating heart. How long had he expected this request? How long had Nachim silenced his desire, or was this his moment of realization? Either way, if only his heart could skip a beat for his companion to feel.

The reaper hadn't been expecting that, at all. He thought Rhys might have some deep, secret wish he'd always been too frightened to share. His question hadn't come with the promise of fulfilment, though he might have been willing to, depending on what it had been. He was almost disappointed!

"If you think I might one day want you to die for me, you don't know me at all, mi amor," a cheeky smile settled on his mouth, a tilt of the head, yet his eyes did not shine with mischief, "I don't want you to die for me..." a hand reached for Rhys' jaw, leaning closer, their noses almost touching, "I want you to live for me."

"Have you forgotten who I am? My absence was brief, this time."

It had been a century of reminding others his priesthood was long behind him. The man cradling him, now, had never known the human in liturgical vestments, cradling his Bible and spreading the Good Word. Yet it was this man who asked for no jewels, no crown, despite the determination of some of the crew to give him one. The only gold he possessed he wore this very moment. Reminders of adventures, and a tinge of vanity.

It wasn't wealth the former priest sought, but for those he loved to have everything they desired, and deserved. None more so than his captain, his friend, his lover.

Rhys sank deeper into the water, allowing Nachim to burden more of his weight.

Rhys was some such train, stopping Nachim from reaching the other side, deterring his road.

I've loved you. Love? The word had him dissipating. The word had layers. He loved his pirates, adored them all! But that was not the same love Rhys meant. What he meant was something deeper, stronger, and more all-encompassing. It rose goosebumps all around his body, prominent enough for the vampire to feel against his arm.

"If you were to ask something of me, ignoring the sea and my pirates, totally selfishly, what would you ask?"

Every word may as well have been scripture. To Rhys, his confession was absolute. To then be asked to erase his vow of silence, to instead ask for reciprocation, required a moment of reflection. Even this request would be honored as command.

"It would hurt me more than you realize, to know you changed because of me. If you altered the course of your purpose because you believed I needed it. I say I ask nothing, because I ask nothing. Because I want your dream fulfilled. Selfishly, I want your fruition. One of us should have everything we have ever wanted. It should be you. That is what I ask. To live vicariously."

Gently, he squeezed his lover's arm.