#or 10

You finally hit Marco’s room, tired and sweaty. Thankfully you were wearing your normal soft suit that sort of cleaned you while you wore it so you didn’t smell too bad. You ran a hand up and down your stomach – you’d miss this baby suit when you were back on Lafftale. But sacrifices had to be made and if your suit was one of them, so be it. Thinking of Lafftale had you wondering about Sol and how she was faring. 

Your jaw tensed as you thought of Sol and her health. Only her lower leg had been paralyzed when you left, but Oro’s Virus had surely progressed since then. You gnawed on your lip in thought, your foot bouncing as you worried. Was she still able to walk? To use her arms? To chew and swallow? Oro’s progressed more quickly in women than in men since it traveled on the X chromosome. Once a woman got it, both chromosomes were affected and she deteriorated rapidly, and Lafftale didn’t have anything near the medical equipment that Marco did. 

Your breathing was rapid again, and this time not from walking. You wished you could contact her somehow, but there was no way to know what was happening there. Suddenly, you felt completely pent up again despite all your previous exercise. And what helped your restlessness? Masturbation, you thought sagely, nodding to yourself. Not only did the pirates underestimate you, but they also didn’t understand how brilliant you were. 

You hiked yourself off the bed and started for the small container that Marco had given you for your belongings. Rifling through the myriad bows that kept accumulating, you found the little rose that brought you so much pleasure. You smiled at it – maybe you could convince Marco that since your heart rate climbed as you used it, it should count as exercise. Your head turned as you heard the snick of the door, only to see Marco leaning against the wall.

“Going to have some fun yoi?” he asked with a mild raise of his eyebrows.

“Yes. I’m going to relax by myself,” you said acerbically. You were still mad about the walking thing, and besides, masturbation was a solo activity. There was little hope in your mind that Marco would actually listen to you, but you felt like being bratty all the same. 

Whenever sex was involved, Marco was always a pest, and you didn’t think now would be any different. Sure, he’d left you alone the one time, but you didn’t think it was going to be a recurring pattern. Honestly, you thought that Marco was going to demand to stay with some flimsy excuse about making sure you weren’t ill or going to faint or something. Then he’d probably make you use it in front of him, sitting himself in front of your open legs. Or maybe pry your legs open and use it on you himself, making sure you knew how to operate the machine properly. 

Actually, he would probably want to punish you for mouthing off. He would hold you down, spread your legs apart and tease you with the toy, turning it off when you came close to coming. Marco would do that until you cried from frustration, licking the tears off your face. Or maybe instead he would use it on the highest setting, making you writhe in his hold but not stopping as he overstimulated you. Maybe he’d make you come over and over, since you had the impetus to start masturbating yourself. It was impossible to know what Marco would do, and if your nipples were puckering with your thoughts, well…that wasn’t on you.

Marco considered you for a moment, his mouth opening briefly before closing again. He swallowed and took a deep breath, his teal eyes flashing. Oh boy, here it comes…

“Very well yoi. I’ll bring you a beverage after you’re done. This much exertion means you’ll need more electrolytes,” Marco replied, pushing off the wall. Your eyebrows hitched as your hand curled around the rose.

“You’re not going to stay?” you asked, trying to make sense of what was happening. Marco shook his head.

“You specified that you wanted to be alone. I’m honoring your wishes,” he replied, crossing his arms. He was gripping each opposing arm tightly, but other than that he looked like the same Marco you had always known. The same perverted, lecherous, seductive, and deviant Marco….who wasn’t going to be with you.

“Oh. I - uh. Thank you,” you said, forcing down your shock. Maybe he really was changing, you thought as the door closed behind him. You kept watching the closed door, sure that it would open again in an instant. But nothing happened other than the sounds of Marco’s feet treading down the hall. You had gotten what you asked for – Marco had left you alone to your own devices.

So why did some part of you wish he had stayed?

It was actually insulting to see just how stupid the Whitebeard Commanders thought you were. Either that, or these infamous pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions (and sometimes billions) were the worst bunch of actors you’d ever met. Because they were clearly pushing you to escape. 

And it wasn’t like they were subtle about it. If you had to rank them, Izou was the best at hinting at potential methods and strategies for you to escape, followed by Marco. Ace was alright only because he couldn’t focus on more than one thing at once and thus constantly forgot that he was supposed to be getting you to escape. Thatch, however, couldn’t keep the ruse up for longer than a minute. You felt like if you gave him your best puppy eyes, he’d tell you their whole plan in under a minute. 

It wasn’t a particularly difficult plan to decipher, either. It took you about three minutes to figure out that they wanted you to escape so that they could follow you to Lafftale. According to their plans, you were going to lead them to the human colony where they would then kidnap all the humans and take them aboard the Moby, like Marco had done to you. It would be the end of all human freedom for the rest of time, and they were going to use you to accomplish their goals.

Or so they thought. 

For now, you were going to play their game. If they wanted to make it easier for you to escape, you’d take all the help you could get. They would be patting themselves on the back, pleased they tricked the idiotic human right up until you slipped away from under their noses. They still underestimated you, and you were going to use that to your advantage.

And you really had no time to lose. Despite having no contact with Lafftale, you had the unshakable feeling that you were running out of time, and that you needed to leave the Moby immediately. Nothing good had been happening when you left and you were sure they were in greater dire straights than last you saw everyone. 

So a few days later, and you were about as ready as you could be to escape. Between your work and the Commanders helping you, things were falling into place rapidly. You had to keep pretending you weren’t planning anything, they had to keep pretending they weren’t trying to help, it was all a lot of emotional labor you wouldn’t miss once you made your way back to Lafftale. 

To that end, Marco had brought you to the infirmary and showed you where things you would want were. He did it under the guise of showing you where things were so you didn’t injure yourself, an excuse so flimsy you nearly stopped him halfway through his explanation.There were vaccines and cures ready to go in vials, as well as some electrolyte mixes that would be added to water, and some more advanced bandages and braces. You feigned general disinterest, though of course you noted where everything was for your needs.

Beyond that, you had also convinced Marco that you didn’t need to go into the stupid wheel again. It had been beyond humiliating walking on that thing. Not only that but you didn’t want to hear grown beings hundreds of times stronger than you saying versions of ‘you go girl’ when you were walking. Of all the tortures Marco had foisted upon you, that one was surely the worst. So instead you had talked him into walking the ship with you, which was beneficial in a few ways.

For one, unfortunately Marco was correct that your cardiovascular health was poor. He had told you that humans were long distance runners on Eurt, and that some humans could run for hours on end. You didn’t think that would ever be you, but you should be at least able to walk for a while without having to stop for breaks. You needed to be able to run for short distances without feeling like you were dying for your escape, and this was helping a little. But more than the increase in your stamina, your walks around the ship were yielding critical information.

Marco allowed you to set the route of your walks, ambling alongside you slowly as you huffed and puffed. Sometimes you talked a little bit, but he mostly left you to your own devices. That was fine by you, you were trying to memorize different pathways on the ship. You wanted to be able to get around without your digital map, so it was imperative you could navigate the ship on foot. You had also walked with Marco back towards the hangar that contained those old pods you had seen briefly before that freak threatened to eat you. Just being in the area had your pulse quickening, but you doubted that homicidal weirdo would do anything when you were with Marco. 

“What’s in there?” you asked, stopping in front of a set of doors. It still wasn’t on your map, but you wanted to see what Marco would say.

“Nothing interesting. Second Division storage yoi,” Marco lied easily. If you hadn’t been in there already, you would have believed him completely. 

“Like old ships and pods?” you prompted, trying to keep your tone neutral. It was a reasonable question, everyone knew that the Second Division was in charge of the smaller ships.

“Hmm. I don’t think so, I think they dispose of older equipment regularly. Do you want me to ask Ace yoi?” Marco asked, turning to look at you. You shook your head, aware that this was some kind of trap.

“No, I believe you. Doesn’t sound interesting,” you replied with a shrug as you continued walking.

“I would agree,” Marco agreed with a smile before tapping a message on his Controller.

The next day, Ace miraculously offered to teach you how to fly one of the new escape pods. He said it was “in case of extreme emergency.” You were barely able to control your eye roll before nodding and accepting his offer. 

“See? Isn’t this better? These new escape pods are great,” Ace said, taking the sim goggles off you. 

You licked your lips – the newer pods were easier to maneuver, sure. But you’d been trained on the old kind, that was your comfort zone. Not only that, but older pods seemed to be more modifiable, more able to act as autonomous small ships rather than just escape pods. These new ones couldn’t even send custom distress signals, they only used canned ones. Ace said it was so pirates wouldn’t be obliterated on sight by the Galactic Government with a distress signal.

“It’s different,” you concurred, standing up to walk back with Ace to the pod dock.

“These newer pods are awesome. They can contact other pods of the same variety, they can cloak, they have so many new features. You’ll love it,” Ace said, smiling broadly. His eyes looked to the side, like he was remembering something last minute. 

“Haha! Of course not that you’ll be flying! You’ll always be with Marco! Or me! And we would help you! And we never have to evacuate the ship!” Ace said, his tail flicking. God, they needed acting lessons. Maybe humans were the only natural actors in the universe. Or maybe all these pirates sucked at it. Either way, you pretended you didn’t notice anything amiss in Ace’s comment.

“By the way, where’s my old pod?” you asked, shifting the conversation. If possible, you were going to fly that one back since you knew it the best and you had quite a ways to go. Obviously you didn’t believe Marco that there was only storage in that pod hangar, you wanted to know if yours was still there somewhere. 

Ace’s brow furrowed as he pushed his orange hat off his head. His fuzzy ears popped up, making you want to rub them between your fingers. Based on some books you’d read on Lafftale, Ace looked like a giant Eurt cat. Apparently, cats had been companions and pets of humans, enjoying a life of leisure and luxury. You didn’t know if it was something innate in your human DNA, but you wanted to rub and scratch his ears so badly whenever you saw them peeking out of his hair. Ace frowned at your question.

“Oh, we destroyed it a few days after we recovered it. It was too old and worn to use even for spare parts,” he explained, scratching his chin. To your surprise, tears pricked at your eyes with the sudden news. You blinked rapidly to make them stop, but something in you had cracked with Ace’s statement.

And really, it was stupid. You didn’t care all that much about the pod itself. It was Terra’s originally, from back when she had first made contact with Lafftale years prior. You knew it was a hunk of junk and that it was old and difficult to work, that didn’t hurt your feelings exactly. Hell, you had shouted the very same statements at it while you were flying it. But hearing how easily they disposed of something so valuable to you and the others had you kind of messed up. 

They didn’t know how hard everyone had to work, how much effort it was to make it through every single day. Living cost so much on Lafftale – endless hours of sweat and blood and tears for life to continue. For these rich pirates, it was just a useless old pod. But for you and the other humans, it had been the only lifeline left in the universe to save everyone from dying. And they threw it away like trash.

“Hey, are you ok? Did I say something bad? You’re not hurt, are you?” Ace asked quickly, pulling you closer to the wall and away from other Second Division crew in the area. It wasn’t Ace’s fault, he hadn’t meant to upset you. You shook your head, wiping away a tear that fell down your cheek. Your face burned with the added humiliation of not being able to stop yourself from crying, but Ace had seen that before too. 

“ ‘M not hurt,” you said, trying to quell your tears. If you cried too much, Marco might come and interrupt your lesson with Ace. Though, given how disinterested he had been in you lately, that might not be true anymore. Even so, you didn’t want to take the risk. 

“I’m sorry, Luna. I didn’t know you would care so much. We can build you one that looks the same on the outside. I know humans care a lot about how stuff looks,” Ace offered. You shook your head again, ignoring the annoying human comment. 

“No. It’s fine. I’m fine,” you reiterated, crossing your arms. 

“But really, Luna, if you ever need to fly an escape pod, fly the new ones. The modules I used to train you were based on pod 10-5, so if at all possible, use that one. It’s safer and more reliable than anything you’ve flown before. The kind you flew before are prone to malfunction,” Ace said seriously, giving you a small nod. Right, back to the charade. You sniffled and dried your eyes, shifting back into the role you needed to play. After all, there would be endless time to cry once you got back to your home. 

“Will do. But I hope that never happens,” you agreed with a watery smile. 

Marco wasn’t the only liar on board.

Marco POV

Everything had been working out for the most part. You were planning your escape with their help, and were nearly complete in your preparation. The Commanders had thought about everything you needed and guided you to be able to acquire all your goals without being overly obvious. You hadn’t suspected a thing, much to Marco’s delight, and were nearly ready to make your “escape.” 

Just the thought of you leaving the ship was filling Marco with anxiety, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Even now he was pretending to work while remaining in your presence. Since he couldn’t touch you without your initiation, he settled for anything he could get. He tried to hang around you without being obvious, lingered a little closer than he should at times, and even “forgot” to warn you about a change in flooring on the ship so you’d stumble and he could right you. Everything about you called to him, but he had to keep himself on course in order to help save the humans. 

The small amount of comfort he received from your presence wasn’t enough. You were so weak and vulnerable and space was a brutal place for delicate things like you. Marco wished you would just tell him where Lafftale was and how to help you, but that ship had set sail long ago. And yes, they would be able to track and control the pod remotely from the Moby but the idea of you navigating those tiny pods had him spending his nights awake, yearning to touch you from his side of the bed. 

Marco sighed as he discreetly watched you lying on his bed on your stomach, kicking your legs up in the air. Based on what Izou believed, you were likely going to try escaping tomorrow after your big sleep. Marco frowned at the thought – you didn’t appear to be distressed about anything, not even escaping an Emperor’s crew. Instead, you were chewing on your lip as you reviewed a Common lesson, your eyes narrowing as you considered the information in front of you.

“Wait, Marco. This says - hold on,” you said, sitting upright on the bed. You hopped off and walked over to him, your Controller displaying information from your lesson. Marco pretended to break his concentration – he’d been looking over the same report for half an hour and didn’t even know which patient it was about. You walked over to him, your brows knitted together.

“This lesson says that this is the word for ‘Prince,’ you said, pointing to a word on your screen. Marco looked over and nodded. Marco supposed you were doing a module on addressing beings with hierarchical societies and learning vocabulary related to that.

“Yes, that’s correct yoi,” he agreed, unsure where you were going with this. 

“But – I thought it meant  – when I was calling you Master, that’s– that’s what I was using,” you said, bringing up one of your old messages. “See? Here I used this word, but doesn’t it mean master?”

“No, it means ‘prince,’ like your lessons show. In retrospect I should have corrected you at the time, but I found it endearing yoi,” Marco said with a mild smile. In truth, he had saved every single message and reread at them when you weren’t around.

“Oh my fucking –”

“Luna,” Marco warned as your face flamed.

“I’VE BEEN CALLING YOU PRINCE THIS WHOLE TIME?! THAT’S SO EMBARRASSING! IT’S WORSE THAN MASTER!” you yelled, throwing your hands out to the side. Marco chuckled, he would miss your antics for the short time you were gone from his side. 

“Not the whole time. Now you call me by my given name,” Marco explained calmly. “Is there anything else yoi?” he asked, though he was loath to end the conversation. Every minute with you was precious and the closer you came to making your getaway made Marco want to embrace you all the more.  Who knew how long it would take to retrieve you from your mission? They were going to have to follow you to Lafftale, and since no one knew where it was, it was impossible to determine how long he would be without you in his arms. Once he got you back, he was never letting you out of his sight again. 

“Whatever. I’m going to bed,” you said flippantly, as if it could cover the evidence of your still hot face. Marco looked at the time – it was early for him to sleep but he wanted to spend as much time in proximity to you as possible.

“I think I will as well yoi,” Marco said, turning off his computer screen. “That is, if you don’t mind.” You frowned at him and Marco’s heart clenched. He hoped you weren’t going to ask him to leave. Of course he would, he had to continue the plan, but it hurt like tearing a limb away every time you asked for private time. You were lucky he wasn’t keeping count of the times you rejected him so that he could make up for it later once he had you permanently in his care.

“I don’t mind,” you said in a stilted tone. Marco kept calm but felt like sagging with relief. A few moments later and the two of you were in bed, laying side by side, each on your own backs. Marco ensured that none of his body was touching yours, even as he yearned to pull you to him and kiss you once again. 

The room was silent as you laid there, though your eyes were open and your breathing wasn’t evening out. If Marco had to guess, you were thinking about your escape plans. He couldn’t bear the secret keeping between you, after this he would have to ensure that you never lied to one another again. You were already trusting him more, surely that meant that you could promise never to lie to him again. Could mates even lie to one another? Marco pondered the subject as you fidgeted next to him in the bed. 

After a few minutes, Marco turned on his side away from you. You needed to sleep well and get intense rest for your upcoming trip, so if his presence was disturbing you, he’d try to keep it to a minimum. He was selfishly staying when he didn’t need to rest just to be near you, so the least he could do was to allow you some relaxation. A moment later, he felt your fingers lightly pressing on his back before receding immediately.

“Marco, do you…do you not like me anymore?”

Your POV

Maybe Marco wasn’t acting.

Maybe Marco didn’t care if you got away.

Well, you were sure he generally cared in some kind of clinical way. He still made you walk and drink water and eat and rest like he always had. And you were still valuable, so it wasn’t like he could get rid of you completely. But he no longer doted on you, or watched you doing mundane things, or told you little facts he thought you might find interesting. When you walked the ship, he mostly kept his thoughts to himself unless you asked him a question – and even then he didn’t seem keen to keep the conversation flowing.

But ever since you asked Marco for space, it seemed like something had shifted in him. Maybe you requesting autonomy had made Marco realize that you weren’t just some mindless pet, and he wasn’t interested in being your friend anymore. Not that you were friends, but…well, you didn’t know what you and Marco were but he seemed disinterested in you as a whole. You weren’t his pet and you weren’t his friend, not crew, not a subordinate, and certainly not his equal… any way you sliced it, Marco didn’t seem to care much about you any longer.

When Marco turned his back to you in bed, you felt your heart break apart. Surely it was just your ego, but still, how could he treat you so coldly when he used to pull you close to his chest every night? Was this really the same being who had forced you to sit on his lap at every turn and wanted to preen you himself? The one who had fished for you and brought you rare Eurt items because he thought you might enjoy them? The one who flustered you for fun and turned humanoid for you? 

Maybe your novelty had run its course and Marco was ready to move on. Before you could stop yourself, you touched his broad back with your fingers, wanting to feel his warm, muscled, soft back one more time.

“Marco, do you…do you not like me anymore?” you asked, pulling your fingers away just as quickly. You wished you could take your words back as soon as they left your mouth, shame washing over you. There had been times when you sincerely wished Marco dead, and now you were practically begging him for attention. Maybe you really were the stupid, emotional creature that Marco thought you to be.

“What?” Marco asked, turning immediately to face you. “What are you talking about yoi?” His face was drawn in concern, looking into your eyes like he did when trying to determine if you were injured. Now you really wished you could unsay it as you shifted uncomfortably in the bed.

“I, um…you don’t have to like me, of course. It’s not like that, I get it. But, um, no – no, it’s ok,” you stammered, holding up a hand in front of you to try and show you didn’t mean what you had said.

“How could – why would you think that?” Marco asked, reaching for your face. But his fingers never made contact, fluttering back down to the empty space between you. You shrugged and looked away from him, unwilling to verbalize the competing feelings within you. It was pathetic to admit that you felt his absence, that you wanted more of his attention. You didn’t want all of the old Marco to return, but the way he was treating you now didn’t feel great either.

“”Do you really think I don’t like you anymore yoi?” he repeated, his eyes softening. You didn’t reply, which was answer enough. Silence dragged on between you for a single moment before he sighed.

“Oh, Luna,” Marco cooed sadly. He looked down for a moment, before pressing a button on the top of his controller. He then pushed his talon into the bottom, making it pop open. Marco removed it completely and tossed it off the bed, like it was a weight dragging him down. 

Marco’s focus returned back to you, his hand reaching for you once more. “May I?” he whispered, his hand so close you could feel the warmth. You nodded weakly, unsure where this was going. Maybe this was going to be the final letdown where he told you that you overestimated your worth or value to him or that someone else was going to be your master now. He finally made contact, cupping your cheek gently and turning your face to his.

“Luna, I cannot describe how much I yearn for you,” Marco said quietly. “I have heeded your words and have been attempting to give you the independence you seek, and it has been an unbelievable challenge for me. Nothing could make me not lo– like you. I want your time, your attention, your laughter, your conversation, everything you are. I want it all yoi.” Your mouth hung open with Marco’s words. You swallowed thickly, unsure of how to answer Marco’s confession. 

“I’m trying to be better for you, to give you what you asked for. I haven’t been touching you unless you touch me first, or without your express permission. I’m trying to give you space for your own thoughts and experiences,” he continued. “Is that why you felt that I no longer liked you? You missed my attention?” he pressed, the pad of his hallux rubbing your cheek. 

“I don’t feel ignored,” you mumbled, even as your heart skipped a beat. Marco definitely didn’t need to know that you felt that way. Marco smiled indulgently, his eyes dancing with mirth. 

“I am glad. I would never want you to feel that way. You are the most special, wonderful, interesting being on this ship yoi,” Marco continued, his words making you flush down to your chest. You almost felt like you did on the wheel, his compliments making you want to slink away. 

“Because I’m human?” you groused, trying to stymy your emotions.

“Because you’re you. Even if I had been on Eurt and met all the humans there, I would still like you the most yoi,” Marco assured you, his hallux rubbing over your bottom lip. You didn’t really know what to say to all that – you had assumed Marco only cared about you for your fertility or for your humanity, or novelty, but never because of who you were as a person. Maybe you had misjudged him a little. And truthfully, you were feeling giddy now that you knew he did still want you. 

“You’re just saying that. You’ve only met one human,” you said, giving him a sly smile. Marco shook his head.

“No. I know it for a fact,” he said with complete certainty. OK, he was really making you feel wanted with all his talk about enjoying your company.

“So…out of curiosity, what would you do if you could touch me again?” you asked, trying to shift the conversation a little. Sure, that rose thing was fucking great, but it was different than the touch of another living being. And once you got back to Lafftale, it wasn’t like any of the men were interesting to you there so you’d be back to the celibate life. Marco laughed, his fingers lightly pinching your cheek.

“Mmh. Naughty little human tempting me, knowing I cannot act on my urges,” Marco purred. 

“You can tell me, it’s ok,” you assured him, eager to hear what he would do. Marco shifted slightly closer to you, his body nearly touching your own. 

“I will be honest. There is something I have always wanted to do together that we have not yet attempted yoi,” he said, his gaze boring into your own. You felt like you couldn’t tear your eyes away as he began painting a scene in your mind.

“I would love to train your throat to accept my cock,” Marco husked, his hold on your face shifted so his hallux was now pressing lightly on the front of your throat. Your breathing picked up as Marco continued talking, the rest of his fingers loosely circling your neck.

“H-how?” you breathed out. You’d heard of oral sex before, people did it on Lafftale all the time. You never personally felt compelled to try it yourself, but you weren’t completely unaware of what it entailed. Still, you wanted to hear Marco’s take on the situation. 

“It wouldn’t be all at once, of course. I would not overwhelm you, I am not a cruel master to you yoi.  I would guide you, telling you exactly how to please me. I would have you naked between my legs, your body still shivering from the orgasm I would have already given you on my own tongue. First, I would have you licking my cock like the treat that it is, your warm, pink tongue flicking out of your mouth all over my shaft. You would be hesitant at first, unsure if you were doing it correctly, but I would assure you that you were. You are always a good little human for me,” Marco purred, his fingers gripping the column of your neck a little more strongly.

“Next, you would wrap your warm little mouth around the tip of my cock, swirling your tongue around me. Your hands would rest on my thighs, your fingers curling as the tip of my cock hit the back of your throat for the first time. You would take me deeper and deeper into your mouth, the sounds of my pleasure increasing your own desire yoi,” he rasped, his words creating a hypnotic effect over you. 

“I would praise you as you took me down your throat, acclimating yourself slowly to my large cock. It would be a challenge for you, tears leaking down your sweet face and drool down your chin. I would wipe your tears away as my hands wrapped around your head, guiding you up and down my shaft as I shallowly bucked my hips. It would be at your pace, but I would not be able to stop myself from enjoying the sensations yoi.”

“Soon, I would come undone under your ministrations, keeping your head in place as I came down your throat. Afterwards I would pull you off my cock and into my lap, ready to repay you handsomely for a job well done,” Marco said, his eyes flashing. You nodded mutely, unable to summon a single word as a reply.

“But, that would only be if I could touch you. Which I cannot. Not without your permission,” Marco said easily, removing his hand from you entirely and shrugging. He rolled over onto his back, resting his hands behind his head and sighed, as if he was ready to go to sleep. You narrowed your eyes – he knew exactly what he was doing.

Meanwhile, you could feel your own slick between your thighs. Marco’s words had something to you, something wicked. You licked your lips, weighing your options. Really, you should go to sleep and get rested for your escape the following day. It would be long, challenging, and anxiety producing. There were many moving parts in play and everything needed to line up exactly right in order for you to actually get away from the Whitebeard Pirates and not just lead them to Lafftale. 

On the other hand, when you succeeded you would once again be stuck on Lafftale. No one would think you were unique or interesting or sexy or smart, or any of the things that Marco saw in you. You would go from being someone special back to regular old Luna. And there would be no one who would want to pleasure you like Marco did, that was for sure….Oh what the hell. You might as well get some while there was a hot being who wanted you and thought you were the greatest thing in the universe.

“I guess we could try it. If you think it would be fun,” you said as indifferently as you could. Marco’s eyes snapped to yours, his grin widening. He rolled onto his side, holding his head up on his palm. 

“I would ensure it would be fun yoi,” Marco said, his fingers creeping on the bed towards you.

“You said I would get to come first, though,” you pointed out, thinking about the fantasy he had woven for you. Marco’s fingers stopped their approach as he leaned over to whisper in your ear.

“So I did. Do you give me permission to push my tongue so deep into your sweet cunt that you scream?”

Sol POV

Sol looked at the sky, just about the only thing she could now do from her bed bound position. She was thankful that at least the pain had stopped, the paralysis now up to her shoulders. Once Oro’s virus ate through enough of the nervous system, the numbness and sudden pins-and-needles feelings gave way to nothing. Frankly it was a relief after living with the debilitating pain Sol had been in for months even if it meant that death was near. 

There was no denying that Sol was in the final stages of Oro’s virus – she had seen it happen to so many on Lafftale by this point. There was nothing to do other than accept what was coming for her. In her heart, Sol had held out a shred of hope that Luna would return. In her dreams, she sometimes saw Luna running to her, a syringe with a cure in hand. Luna would save her in her last moments, snatching Sol away from death’s door. They’d cry and laugh as Luna held Sol, the feeling returning to Sol’s limbs so she could feel her sister’s touch once more.

But that was never going to happen. Luna wasn't coming back, and Sol would never feel Luna hugging her or brushing her hair. They would never meet again in this life, never travel to Eurt, never eat chocolate, never go swimming in water. 

Sol smiled to herself, hoping Luna was faring well wherever she was. Since no one knew what became of Luna after her escape, Sol liked to imagine Luna met someone who loved her and was taking care of her. Someone who protected her, gave her water, food, love and anything else Luna could ever want. 

But that was merely another childish fantasy. Sol didn't dare think of what actually happened to Luna, this time preferring to keep her delusions.

Sol closed her eyes, ready to sleep once again. She was so tired nowadays, so tired. But at least Luna was with her in her dreams.