Calling dyslexicrukio up to bat.
A fastball for: dyslexicrukio
Pitching done by: A ninja turtle.
Title: Chasing Fairytales
Pairing: Kame/Junno
Wordcount: 9,330
Rating: NC-17
Genre/Warning: AU/Adventure/Romance
Notes: Dear dyslexicrukio, one thing in particular stood out to me in your sign-up. (You’ll figure it out as soon as you start reading.) I hope I did it justice. ☺ Also, thank you to my wonderful beta, who is always so very helpful and awesome. Enjoy reading! ♥
Summary: Captain Kamenashi of the Queen gets more than he bargained for when he attempts to steal a treasure map from the royal family.
Captain Kamenashi of the Queen was infamous for his ruthlessness and his willingness to do anything to achieve his goals. And right now, as he stared at the cowering passengers gathered on deck, he was not happy.
“This doesn’t look like a special guard to me,” he snapped.
“Now, now, Captain,” his companion replied, watching as half the crew searched through all the nooks and crannies of the ship, and the other half kept a close eye on the ship passengers and crew. “My sources are never wrong. This is the Bluebell and we’ll find what we’re looking for here.”
“Go help the men search, Kitamura,” Kame said, impatient. His First Mate grinned in that placating way, but when Kame intensified his glare, Kitamura inclined his head and went to do as bid.
If the map was here, there was no way Kame was letting it slip through his fingers.
“Captain!”
Kame turned to find his Master Gunner pushing someone on deck. He nudged the man forward with a gun, hard enough that he stumbled and fell to his knees.
Kame glanced at the black-haired man at his feet with only mild interest. Tanaka had tied his hands behind his back. “What have we here?”
“Found him heading for the passenger cabins,” Tanaka said. “The coward.” He gave the man a kick for good measure.
The stranger stiffened - Kame couldn’t see his face, but he guessed out of outrage; nobles were stuffy like that. And he could tell the man was a noble from his newly shined black shoes, his pristine white breeches, and - the man stood - the clean cut of his deep blue coat over a gold embroidered waistcoat. His hair was tied back at the nape of his neck.
To his annoyance, Kame also discovered the man was quite a bit taller than him. Hell, he looked to be taller than the rest of his crew. There was also something about him that prickled the back of his mind.
Kame hated him on sight.
“It’s not in the captain’s stateroom, sir,” Keito reported nervously. The youngest on his crew was still highly intimidated by him.
By contrast, his Navigator was unafraid to look him in the eye. “Not below decks either,” Ueda drawled, leaning against the wooden railing with a yawn.
The man standing in front of him looked down, but not before Kame caught the slight twitch of his lips, as if he had to fight a smile. Kame took another look at him, at his expensive clothes, at the way he stood straight, shoulders back. Almost like he could feel his eyes on him, the stranger slumped a little and deliberately kept his gaze downcast.
Kame narrowed his eyes, thought about where he had been heading.
“Check the passenger cabins again. And be thorough.” He knew he was on the right track when the man twitched.
It was a demonstration of his power that his crew did as he asked without question. They knew not to challenge him in plain view of their captives. His eyes returned to the black-haired man.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
The man didn’t move.
Kame used one of his gloved hands to lift the man’s chin. Ignoring the fact that he had to look up at him, his voice dropped a few degrees. “Your name.”
The man had no qualms about meeting his eyes, and still he kept silent, face expressionless. Kame kept his gaze steady and hard, and the man didn’t even flinch. In fact, Kame could have sworn he saw a spark of amusement in the stranger’s brown eyes. What could be humorous about this situation, he had no idea.
“A chest, sir!” Yamada said, scrambling from the cabin door. “We found a chest beneath the floorboards in one of the cabins.” He brought the rectangular box forward. “But it’s locked up tight.”
Kame stepped away from the man to examine the metal box. “I suppose you couldn’t find the key.”
“No, sir.”
“Where is it?” Kame directed his question at the stranger, who was side-eying them, failing to disguise his interest.
Silence.
“I’m beginning to think you’re a mute,” Kame said casually. He withdrew his sword from its sheath and held the point at the man’s throat. His captive lifted his chin and angled his head away, revealing the long column of his neck. “Tell me where it is or we kill everyone on board this vessel.”
A few of the passengers burst into sobs at his pronouncement while others huddled closer together in fear. The man met his eyes again and ignored the blade.
“I don’t make idle threats.” Kame pressed down; the man hissed as he drew blood.
Unexpectedly, that roused a reaction from the Bluebell’s crew as they yelled in protest and leapt into action, lunging at his men- no, heading for him.
“Stop!”
The command came out like the crack of a whip and not from Kame. What Kame found intriguing was the immediate obedience from the crew. An irritated Nishikido moved towards them, but the stranger spoke again.
“Don’t touch them.” His brown eyes were hard. “I’ll give you what you want.” He lifted a leather necklace hidden underneath his shirt. A metal key dangled at the end.
With a swift movement that had the man flinching, Kame cut the necklace off him and the key dropped onto his palm. It fit into the hole neatly and there was a click as he turned it. A thrill ran down his spine, the same kind of adrenaline rush that let him know he was on the verge of success.
Kame lifted the lid of the box and unfurled the single scroll inside a second later.
“Well?” Kitamura asked.
Kame secured the scroll back in its box before he smirked. “Tonight, we celebrate.”
The men of the Queen cheered and hooted.
“All right, back to the ship. Let the good people of the Bluebell get on their way.” He tapped the flat side of his blade on the man’s shoulder. “You’re coming with us.”
Kame had the distinct impression the man was measuring him with a simple look. “You have what you want,” he said.
Kame smiled, showing all his teeth. “I need a hostage to ensure that no one follows us.”
One of the passengers, who until that moment had been perfectly quiet, spoke up. “You take him and that’s the one thing guaranteed to happen.” He moved forward with his hands held out in surrender. “Take me instead.”
“Shige.” The man shook his head. “I’ll go.” He turned to Kame. “But you must swear to leave the Bluebell and all her occupants unharmed, supplies intact. You only get the box and me.”
Kame gave a mock bow, taking off his hat with a flourish. “As you wish.”
The man’s companion squawked, “But y-”
“I’ll send word when I can, Shige,” the stranger cut him off. He reiterated his request. “You swear not to harm them?”
Kame nodded curtly.
Amazingly, the man smiled and it transformed his whole face. “Then I’m all yours.”
And Kame realized with a start why he seemed so familiar.
-
“What exactly do you plan on doing with him?”
Kame stared out the stateroom window, wondering again what had possessed him to take aboard their hostage even after figuring out his identity. “We’ll ransom him,” he said, as if it were that simple.
“The whole navy will be after us,” Kitamura stated, hanging back by the doors with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Good thing the Queen is the fastest ship throughout the seven seas,” Kame replied. “Plus the navy is a joke.” He took the scroll out from its metal box and laid it out on his large desk, revealing that it wasn’t a scroll at all, but a map. “Once we find the treasure, we can go anywhere we want. They can’t touch us on the other end of the world.”
“Then we don’t need him.”
“It never hurts to have a back-up plan.” Kame didn’t have to pretend to be engrossed in the treasure map, though he knew if he looked up, Kitamura would have an eyebrow raised in that speculating way of his.
“Whatever you say, Cap’n.”
-
The next morning, Kame was at the helm when Tanaka and Nishikido led his prisoner up the steps and not so innocently tripped him so that he fell to his knees again. His clothes were dirtier, which was to be expected, and he looked like he didn’t get much sleep, but there was not a word of complaint.
“Now boys, not so rough,” Kame said blithely, though there was a hint of steel in his tone. “We have royalty in our midst.”
His flippant announcement had a stream of exclamations and shouts breaking out through his crew as the message spread. Kame didn’t bother with them. He was too busy smiling in response to one questioning gaze.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” He gestured to the bright sun and clear blue sky. “I hope your night wasn’t too rough.”
The man smiled, and Kame was disconcerted by the fact that it didn’t seem fake in the slightest. “Not at all,” he replied. The unspoken phrase hung in the air.
I’ve had worse.
Kame didn’t want to be intrigued. He motioned for the man to stand. “You were transporting something very valuable. It was your job to see it safely to their majesties.” He regarded him carefully. “Though I didn’t know just how important this was to the crown, until I realized the king had sent one of his own sons to retrieve it.”
A flicker of surprise. “Not many people recognize me,” he said.
Curiouser and curiouser. “I make it my business to know anyone and everyone there is to know, but I’m afraid your name still escapes me,” he said. “There are six of you after all.”
Another smile played along the prince’s lips, and Kame was starting to grasp that his expressionless demeanor on the Bluebell had been rare and he was seeing the prince as he usually was. “I’ll fight you for it,” he said.
The absurdity of the request startled a laugh out of Kame. “For your name?” he asked, just to be sure.
“A duel,” the man said, nodding towards Kame’s sword. “You win, I tell you my name. I win, you drop me off at the next port. It’ll be like I was never here.”
He hadn’t been this amused in a long time. “All right, your highness,” he said. He held out his hand to the side. “Tanaka, a sword.”
“But Captain -”
“Koki.”
The blond Gunner shot to attention and disappeared to the storage where he was in charge of cataloguing and maintaining all the weapons on board the Queen. He returned with one of the better blades from their stock, though he was visibly disgruntled as held it out, handle first.
The prince looked to Kame for permission first. Pleased, he nodded, and the prince took the sword, testing its weight in his hand. He swung the blade a bit clumsily.
It looked like this wasn’t going to be much of a challenge. Though disappointed, Kame resolved to draw out the duel to give his crew something to watch. Already he could hear them getting rowdy, calling out bets to one another.
“Five gold coins on the cap’n!” Fujigaya’s exclamation caused a round of similar shouts.
“Five on His Highness.” Kitamura’s voice wasn’t nearly as loud as the younger sailors, but was heard all the same.
“Are you kidding?” Nishikido scoffed. “Kamenashi’s gonna wipe the floor with this namby-pamby!” Kame’s Carpenter hated all things to do with the monarchy and his distaste for their captive was clear. “Just look at him.”
Kitamura grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “I am.”
The prince chuckled - chuckled! - when Kitamura sent a lascivious wink his way.
Kame scowled and unsheathed his sword. When he was in the right mood, outrageous flirting was something he and his first mate had in common, to both the delight and consternation of the Queen’s crew and the patrons at their regular haunts. However, at the moment, Kame was finding that one trait particularly galling.
Kitamura paid him no mind; instead, he raised his hand and let out a piercing whistle to silence the crew. He looked to be having a great deal of fun and it hadn’t even started yet. “Try not to kill each other,” he said without further ado. He dropped his hand, the signal to begin.
Neither Kame nor the prince burst into action. He carefully schooled his expression as they studied each other. The prince had no such qualms. In fact, the longer they stayed in a stalemate, the more his smile grew.
Kame prided himself on his patience, but he didn’t like his time to be wasted either. He darted forward, sunlight glinting off his silver blade, intending to slash at the prince’s sleeve. The prince’s reaction was a touch slow; regardless, he managed to deflect the blow. But the strength behind his counter was nothing to dismiss, and Kame adjusted his own power accordingly.
That opening set off the rest of the duel. Kame found himself mostly on the offensive as the prince seemed determined to be a passive party.
“Weren’t you the one who proposed this?” Kame asked. He took an experimental jab, only for the prince to slip past his guard and slash his sleeve, achieving what Kame had aimed for earlier. Kame jumped back and fingered the frayed material.
The prince tilted his head to the side, mirth dancing in his eyes. “Don’t count me out yet.”
Kame bit back a grin and attacked anew. Steel clashed with steel, the clang of exchanging blows mixing in with the shouts of the crew.
Thrust. Parry. Thrust. Parry.
Despite the prince’s declaration, Kame inevitably pushed him back towards the railing. Kame always learned from his mistakes and instead of allowing the prince past his defense, he pushed harder. Then with one of his signature tricks, he flicked his wrist at a certain angle and knocked the prince’s sword away.
The prince didn’t even turn around to see where it landed. He backed up slowly as Kame advanced until his hands found purchase on the railing.
Kame held up his blade to the level of the prince’s heart. “It seems you don’t want your freedom after all.”
In response, the prince hopped up and backward so that he was crouching on the wooden railing. He flashed a quick smile at Kame before he used the power in his legs to execute a perfect backward flip, landing gracefully next to his borrowed weapon on the lower deck.
A few of the men whistled and hooted while Kame tried not to be impressed. “Neat trick,” he said.
“We royals don’t just sit around,” the prince replied cheekily. He plucked his sword from where it was embedded in the wooden floor.
Kame vaulted over the railing with just as agile a landing. “Could’ve fooled me,” he retorted.
The prince gave his blade a few more practice swings, clearly more in control than he had been the first time around. “I think I’ve gotten used to the weight now,” he said absentmindedly.
“I don’t like being played with.” Kame held out his blade again, reassessing him, calculating the odds again in his head.
The prince crossed his sword with his. “I don’t like being kidnapped.”
And just like that, Kame suddenly found himself on the defensive, evading and blocking the prince’s attacks. It then became painfully obvious that the prince had been holding back considerable strength. That more than anything sparked Kame’s ire. It had been a long time since he underestimated someone.
They became more aggressive in their attacks, progressively trying to one up each other. Soon, they were both perspiring. Kame had tossed aside his tri-cornered hat while the prince’s hair had come out of its ribbon.
Enough.
The prince was skilled and had obviously learned from a master, but Kame didn’t make it to where he was without picking up a few tricks. He aimed the next slash for the lower half of the body. The prince reacted, the clang of their blades ringing out as he blocked the blow at the same moment the hilt of Kame’s dagger dropped onto his palm.
Kame pushed down their swords and reached up with his left hand to press the tip of the dagger against the prince’s throat.
The prince released the pressure from his sword. “Cheater,” he said, panting from the exertion of their fight.
“Pirate,” Kame corrected, equally breathless. He eyed the bare skin of the prince’s neck. “Déjà vu, no?”
“At least you maintained proper distance last time,” the prince replied.
For the first time, Kame noted he was pressed against the side of the prince’s body. The heat was surely a result from all the sparring. Kame stepped back, still with the dagger at the prince’s throat. “Do you yield?” he asked.
The clatter of the prince’s borrowed sword as it fell to the ground was his answer. His men cheered and whistled, though a select few grumbled as several coins changed hands.
Kame sheathed his sword and tucked the dagger back into his coat sleeve. “My prize, if you please,” he said.
The prince straightened, no sign of disappointment or displeasure lingering on his face. “Junnosuke,” he said clearly, in that pompous way only the wealthy could achieve. “My name is Junnosuke.”
“Junnosuke.” Kame tested it out and found that he liked the way it rolled over his tongue.
“You know who I am now. But you will address me appropriately,” Junnosuke replied, for the first time revealing true disapproval. In other words, he had not given Kame leave to use his name.
Kame inclined his head. “As you wish, my prince,” he said. His tone hardened. “But you are on my ship and you will follow my rules. The Queen is your home until I say otherwise. I humored you today. Do not expect the same treatment in the days to come.”
“Are you saying that if I had won, you would not have kept your end of the bargain?”
Kame smiled faintly, without warmth. “It doesn’t matter now, does it?”
-
The next week revealed that the prince - no, Junnosuke - was no stranger to life at sea. Kame had figured as much, but a pirate ship was leagues away from a comfy passenger one. However, Junnosuke adjusted to life on the Queen smoothly enough, much to Kame’s chagrin.
It also became abundantly clear that it was not in his nature to be isolated. From his position by the helm, Kame had a perfect view of the comings and goings of the prince as he mingled and somehow, integrated himself with the crew.
Keito, one of the deckhands, warmed up to him first. He helped the prince store his fancy clothes in a safe place so he could wear ones of not-so-fine quality. Kame had to do a double take the first time he noticed; Junnosuke blended in with the other men, with his faded breeches and unbuttoned green waistcoat over a white shirt. Even his shiny buckled shoes had been replaced with a pair of boots from Yamada, another deckhand whose specialty was foraging.
When the boys had free time, they could be found casting a line out for fish, which they enthusiastically demonstrated for the prince when he asked how they went about it. The amount the three of them caught in one sitting had been enough for the entire crew for dinner one night.
Even his Master Gunner had succumbed. While Nakamaru was technically in charge of the sails as the Sailmaker, Tanaka had a talent for sewing, which meant he could usually be found mending when he wasn’t cleaning weapons. Junnosuke had tried his hand at it but after Tanaka had yelled at him for being of no help at all, the prince took to improving his languages by conversing with Tanaka in Spanish only. This won Tanaka over almost right away, though the Gunner would never admit it.
When not with the sails, Nakamaru was often in the chart room with Ueda as they plotted the best course to stay hidden from the navy. The prince showed a healthy interest in that, and while they concealed the Queen’s stealth tactics from him, they indulged him by answering almost all the questions he asked. Nakamaru was thrilled to pass on his knowledge, even about the smallest things, and Ueda found the prince an amusing distraction from boredom.
Nishikido was generally rather grumpy around him, but Junnosuke still managed to draw out a chuckle or two with his sense of humor, however lame it was. By that time, the other members of the crew didn’t stand a chance. Even if they were still distrustful of the prince, they respected a man who could pull his own weight.
If Kame had wanted to make him uncomfortable by assigning him duties around the ship, Junnosuke thwarted him by being the exact opposite. Hell, he even seemed to be enjoying it.
At the moment, Masuda was teaching the prince all about the rigging. He had Junnosuke’s undivided attention as he explained the system of ropes and cables supporting the ship’s masts.
“He’s fascinating, isn’t he?” Kitamura voiced what Kame himself had been avoiding in his head.
Kame gave him a narrow-eyed look. Kitamura waved it away and leaned forward on the railing as they watched Junnosuke from the upper deck. “Try talking to him,” Kitamura said at last. “Maybe you’ll get over what intrigues you.”
“I’m not intrigued.” Even before the words came out of his mouth, he winced at how false they sounded. “So he knows his way around a ship. That just proves he’s not as spoiled as he appeared to be.”
“He never looked spoiled. He looked… delectable.”
Kame gritted his teeth.
Kitamura didn’t have to look at him to guess his mood. “The monarchy may be ridiculous sometimes, but theirs is a handsome line. The most recent generation especially.” He turned around, leaning back on his elbows. “Did you send the ransom note yet?”
“I haven’t had time,” Kame said, which was a half-truth at least. When he wasn’t watching Junnosuke, he spent his time deciphering the treasure map. And he didn’t trust that the prince had made no mention of it since his capture.
“I don’t see why you would put it off,” Kitamura replied, “unless there’s some reason you like having His Highness on board.”
“Go swab the decks or something,” Kame said, pointing towards a mop and bucket on the lower deck.
“With pleasure,” Kitamura said. Though instead of heading for the cleaning supplies, he went straight to the prince. He had him laughing right away - which, admittedly, wasn’t a very hard thing to do; the prince loved to laugh - and Kame’s hands clenched the railing.
This wouldn’t do at all.
-
Getting the prince alone turned out to be extremely difficult; Kame hadn’t realized just how much the crew had taken to him. It wasn’t until night had fallen that the prince was allowed some private time strolling around on deck. Kame approached him when he stopped at the foredeck to gaze up at the sky.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I love looking at stars,” Junnosuke said. He looked away from those beautiful stars to grace him with an equally enchanting smile. “Is it strange to feel like they watch over me?”
Kame stared at him. “Why do you do that?”
“What?”
He touched Junnosuke’s lips and the prince instantly went still. “You smile like you mean it,” he said. He traced the edge of his smile, felt as it wavered under his touch.
“I do mean it,” Junnosuke replied.
Even when you smile at me?
Kame removed his hand and the prince relaxed. “You’re trapped on this ship. I didn’t expect you to be so… agreeable,” Kame admitted.
“The crew is quite accommodating.” Junnosuke licked his chapped lips and Kame determinedly looked away. “You… they… are not bad men.”
Kame laughed. “We’re pirates.”
“Do you have to be one to be the other?” he asked. “You are not without honor. I knew it even as you held a sword at my throat.”
Mention of his throat just dragged Kame’s eyes to it, to his secret thoughts of claiming him for his own.
When Kame didn’t reply, Junnosuke continued, “If I had refused to give you the key, would you have killed the other passengers?”
“… No.” It was amazing how far he’d come on bluffs alone, his reputation doing most of the work for him. Kame walked to the railing, cast his eyes on the moonlight’s path reflected on the dark surface of the sea. He had no desire to delve into the sins of his past. But he hadn’t clawed himself up from the darkness only to spiral even further.
“You’re not as ruthless as your reputation would lead others to believe. I’ve watched you. I know how you are with the crew. You know duty and responsibility,” he said, “just as I do.”
“Duty and responsibility? You make my life sound dull,” Kame replied flippantly, though inside, his relief at the prince’s conclusion unsettled him.
He heard the prince move, knew when he was a mere few steps behind him. “How would you characterize your life then?” Junnosuke asked.
“Free.”
“Ah. The one luxury I cannot afford,” the prince replied. He sounded almost wistful. A pause. “When will you send me home?”
“So eager to go then?”
“My life isn’t here,” Junnosuke said simply. “Good night, Captain.”
Kame didn’t bother to look. He had no desire to watch him walk away.
-
Junnosuke distanced himself after that night, something Kame found extremely frustrating since he had finally decided to spend more time with him to find out why he intrigued him so much. He had to make do with watching him and making polite conversation when all he wanted to do was tug him close and devour him.
“Careful. You might set him on fire with your eyes.”
Kame blinked and found that his Navigator had joined him at the helm. Ueda took hold of the wheel just because he could.
“What are you talking about?”
“Lying to me doesn’t work,” Ueda said airily. “You want him.”
“Leave it alone.” When hearing that tone, the crew recognized the cue to back off.
Ueda, however, was fearless and thus Kame’s threats had no effect. “But it’s more than that, isn’t it?” he continued. He leaned one elbow on the wheel, propping his chin with his hand. “Because you would’ve fucked him by now and that would’ve been that. He’d be out of your system.”
Ueda had a way of cutting straight through the bullshit.
“Or you just need to get laid. Shall I head for Tortuga?”
Or not. Kame placed his hand on the helm before Ueda could change course. “You’re quite the busybody, do you know that?”
“Actually, I’m rather lazy,” Ueda retorted without shame. “I have no time for your conflicted desires. Either do something or let him go.” He waved his fingers as he headed down one of the curving stairs. “I hate to see you so pathetic.”
Temper flaring, Kame spotted Junnosuke going to the galley. “Take over,” he barked to a puzzled Tanaka, jerking his head towards the helm as he passed him on the stairs.
When he entered the galley, he barely glanced at Masuda and pointed towards the door. “Out.”
The prince made to leave as well, but Kame stopped him with a shake of his head. He ran his finger along the edge of the table that stood between them, found dust as he rubbed two fingers together.
“I thought I told you to make yourself useful, your highness.” He tossed a rag his way, and hated that the prince still had the gall to smile at him. “You can’t handle this; it’s a wonder you’re given any tasks at all. The kingdom must be in a pretty sad state.”
“My fami- I do just fine, thank you,” he replied in that calm, unaffected way of his.
“I took the map from you, didn’t I?” Kame taunted him because he could, because he was so vexed by this prince who haunted him day and night, knowing the whole time he had brought it upon himself.
The prince started wiping the table. “That map won’t lead you anywhere.”
Kame slowly stalked around the perimeter of the table, and the prince took his silence as a prompt to continue.
“It’s a fool’s errand. My father wants to fill coffers that are already full, funding an expedition that will lead nowhere. You’re chasing children’s fairytales.”
“I go after what I want,” Kame corrected, stopping directly in front of him.
“Even by trying to start a petty squabble?” The prince reminded him that smiles could taunt too. “Don’t think you can ruffle my feathers, Capt-”
Kame reached up and crushed his lips to his, effectively silencing him and giving in to desires long kept at bay. If he expected resistance, Junnosuke surprised him by yielding. And after a moment of startled surprise, the prince responded just as fiercely, revealing that he was not as immune to him as he seemed.
His fingers raked through the prince’s hair, and he felt the brush of satin against his fingertips as the tied ribbon came undone. With fire rushing through his veins, he inhaled all of him, couldn’t get enough as he took and took and took.
Gasping, Kame dragged his mouth away from addictive lips, felt a surge of triumph when he heard Junnosuke try to catch his breath. He held the prince in his arms, pulled him even closer.
If he thought this would be enough to quench his thirst, Kame found himself sorely mistaken.
-
Kame slammed the door to the chart room, glared at Kitamura from across the room.
“I sent the damn note.”
-
Even with one of Ueda’s fastest pigeons, the note would not reach the capital for a few days. But Kame knew they would pay it. Who wouldn’t pay any price to see Junnosuke safe?
The Queen was sailing for Viridescent to make the exchange. But they would have to pass Tortuga first and, since enough of the men clamored for it, Kame granted his crew a full day and night to spend on land in whatever way they chose. He knew how most of them would use their time; he just hoped the bordellos would be ready.
Kitamura, however, would show the prince more innocent forms of entertainment. Kame preferred that Junnosuke not leave the Queen at all, but Tortuga’s once irresistible charms now held no sway over him so Kame planned to remain behind on the ship. And if he was staying behind, that meant the prince had to go, which was his other reason for granting the men leave.
Kame needed to breath, needed to get away. He and the prince walked on eggshells around each other, barely speaking. Or rather, Kame didn’t give him any opportunity to. Because when he talked to him, he thought of running his hand down his back, leaning in and tasting what was his.
Except he’s not mine.
Despite what a few of the more colorful rumors said, Kame was no masochist. And having the prince around was proving too dangerous a risk.
-
“Hiding away, I see.”
Kame downed the rest of the rum from his glass and closed his eyes, leaning back in his comfortable over-sized armchair. “You should be ashore with the others,” he said.
He heard Junnosuke’s footsteps come closer, then stop. There was a screech of stool legs and he knew the prince now sat across from him. He thought maybe Junnosuke would ask him to explain himself, but again he surprised him.
“How did you recognize me?”
At first, he didn’t know what the prince was going on about, but then his first conversation with him aboard the Queen came back to him.
“Not many people recognize me.”
Kame peered at him through a half-lidded gaze, puzzled by the odd question but decided to humor him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was amused by the prince’s perfect posture. “You’re a prince aren’t you? The question is - who wouldn’t recognize you?”
“I haven’t been in the public eye for over seven years. Society knows of the king and queen’s sixth son, but unless you live in the Capital and recall my appearances then…” Junnosuke shook his head. “I’m curious as to how you remembered me.”
Kame read the truth of it in his expression, knew that this was important to him for some reason. He sat up and ran his left hand through his hair as his right poured more rum into his glass. He held the jug up as an offering; the prince declined.
His head was all fuzzy and warm from drinking. He drifted in the pleasant haze. “I saw you… years ago.” He took another sip of rum, lifted his eyes to meet Junnosuke’s. “I was still a deckhand at the time and after a particularly difficult voyage, we were finally back on land. We happened to arrive in time for the royal family to grace Viridescent with their presence.”
He remembered the banners and the flags, crowds of people cheering as flowers rained down on two open carriages rolling down the street. At the time, Kame had pretended the hubbub was for him, a lowly deckhand from just another ship at port.
“You were all waving and smiling at the masses, but there was something different about you,” Kame said. “I remember you. Your smile. You meant it.”
Kame had climbed onto the back of a cart to see what the fuss was about, only to see guards on horseback and a polite, pleasant - boring - royal family greeting the crowds. But there had been a boy his own age in the second carriage, and while his wave was not as refined as his siblings’ or parents’, it had ten times more sincerity. His smile had been bright and warm, his gaze kind as he called out to the crowd, responding to their shouts and cheers, and even laughing when he heard a few witty comments.
And for one moment, the prince had turned towards him and nodded as if he saw him past all the dozens of others who were clamoring for his attention. He smiled that lovely smile and there was no stopping the warmth it evoked.
Kame stared at Junnosuke from over the rim of his glass. The liquor loosened his tongue. “It was like you were welcoming me home,” he admitted.
Junnosuke said nothing, only tilted his head to the side as if trying to figure him out. Kame wondered what he saw. A pirate with messy hair, an overall untidy appearance with his shirt untucked and waistcoat unbuttoned, his trousers rolled up mid-calf with his bare feet propped up. Or someone who couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Kame took in the sight of his captive, this handsome prince who couldn’t be mistaken for anything else even under the garb of a pirate. “All I do is chase fairytales,” he murmured.
The thought sobered him up. He groaned and collapsed back into his chair. Moments later, there was a soft touch on his forehead; he tensed.
“Are you all right?”
He opened his eyes to discover the prince hovering over him, one hand pressed to his forehead while the other was propped against the right arm of his chair. Too close, too close. He stared until the prince’s eyes met his and then, he couldn’t hope to look away.
Junnosuke broke their mindless staring first, closed the distance between them to place a brief, sweet kiss on his lips.
When he made to move away, Kame caught his wrist, pulled him down until their foreheads touched. Junnosuke closed his eyes, moved to whisper the confession against his neck. “I am out of my depth with you,” he said.
Kame felt something in his chest jump at that; if he didn’t know better, he would have thought it was his heart. Tamping down the momentary panic, he pulled the prince back up to him and claimed his mouth, taking what he had denied himself after that one glorious taste days ago.
He moaned when Junnosuke slid a hand inside his open shirt, palm branding his chest. The prince undid the rest of the buttons before his second hand joined the first in the exploration of his body. It was like he was lighting him up from the inside out by mere touch.
“I won’t be able to stop,” Kame said, and he didn’t mean this time. If their first kiss had been any indication, a taste of something more would leave Kame wanting him for far longer. One time would never be enough.
Junnosuke pulled back, his hands skimming along Kame’s neck before they gripped his hair. He was still bent over him, dark locks falling over his eyes. “Capt… Kamenashi…” he trailed off, wetting his lips. “… your first name?”
Kame let out a low laugh, loved when he felt the prince shiver under his fingertips. “Does this mean I can call you Junnosuke?” he asked first. He sat up and scooted forward until he was almost halfway off the seat, closing the distance between them.
“I suppose,” the prince replied, thoughtful. He straightened, though his hands still played with strands of Kame’s hair. “I am fond of ‘your highness’ though.”
“Hmm… your highness,” he murmured. Thankful for his preference of large, cushioned armchairs, he tugged the prince onto his lap and reached up for another kiss, divesting him of his green waistcoat. Those long, gorgeous legs wrapped around his waist, and Kame pushed his palms under his white shirt, stroking down his back, then over the curve of his ass. And because he could, he squeezed, laughing when the prince jumped.
“You are incorrigible, Captain,” Junnosuke said, chuckling.
Kame made quick work of the prince’s shirt and tossed it somewhere amidst his things. “Kazuya,” he said. He suddenly wanted to hear his name falling from the prince’s lips, imagined him gasping it when he entered him. “My name is Kazuya.”
The prince nipped his throat, grinded down with his hips. “Kazuya,” he said, voice breathy with lust.
At the same time he gripped the prince’s hips, Kame jerked up at the sound of his first name - it had been so, so long since someone called him that, it was a wonder he even remembered - said with such want. He leaned forward and kissed Junnosuke’s chest, hands memorizing every line of his body, the muscles that trembled under his caresses. His touch trailed down, down, down - it was the prince’s turn to lurch in his arms.
“God,” Junnosuke hissed, rubbing into the strokes of his hand. He picked up the grinding that Kame had tried to slow down. Junnosuke stared at him with dark eyes half-lidded with pleasure.
A thread of want strung tight, being pulled from both sides, snapped. Desire that had been a steadily growing flame blazed to life inside him. This wasn’t going to be nice. Nice could be done later; they both wanted something else now. Kame surged up, caught Junnosuke’s surprised gasp with his mouth, and still he stroked him, felt him grow as hard as he was.
In the time that he devoured his lips, Kame managed to rid Junnosuke of his breeches and then he had one naked, beautiful prince in his lap. A prince who was beginning to get desperate as he massaged Kame through his now unbuttoned trousers. Kame choked when Junnosuke reached in and squeezed, his palms newly calloused and rough from his time on the Queen.
He batted the prince’s hands away, not willing to take the risk of it all ending too soon. Kame seized both wrists with one hand, used the other to grip one thigh. “Behave,” he muttered.
Junnosuke’s smile turned all too suggestive, eyes lit with craving and mirth. With a small tug, he freed his hands from Kame’s grip. Junnosuke reached behind him and placed his hands on the back of his chair, using it as support to squirm on his lap, his intention clear. He leaned forward until they were cheek to cheek. “O-oil…” he said, folding his legs on either side of Kame’s thighs.
Kame narrowed his eyes, wondered how the prince knew, displeased at the thought of him having other lovers. With the convenient vial of oil he kept around for such occasions, he slicked himself first before prepping Junnosuke. He pressed one finger inside, the prince going rigid as he explored the heat by adding another finger.
He pressed down even further, kneading him from the inside, not stopping until he found the spot that had the prince crying out, made it so he collapsed against him. Kame kissed him hard, growled against his mouth, “You’re mine.”
Junnosuke’s breath hitched and he tightened his hold on Kame reflexively. His limbs wrapped around him, as if pressing closer would give him what he wanted, what he craved. “Kazuya,” he pleaded.
Kame kissed the corner of his lips, too unsteady to give him a proper one as he gripped himself, almost painfully hard now. He inhaled sharply as he lined the head of his cock with the prince’s opening. He slipped inside a fraction.
A jolt of lust, of pleasure, of pure electricity sizzled through his entire body, all sensation honing in on the man in his embrace. He thrust up into delicious heat at the same moment Junnosuke pushed down. He groaned, stilling, biting into that long, elegant neck of his. There was a lingering regret in the back of his mind that they were not fully skin to skin.
The thought was immediately dashed as the prince lifted himself until he was almost free of his body, but then sank down again with a swift thrust. Fuck, he was so tight and hot, he had to- their lips found each other in a desperate kiss.
Junnosuke broke away, his forehead sweaty, breath choking as he tried to move, needed Kame to move with him. “Please, please…”
Kame couldn’t deny him, and answered his prince’s pleas with deep, piercing thrusts, each one sending him spiraling towards a higher peak. He might as well be drowning, because that was what it felt like, like he was drowning in him, in his suffocating heat, in his laughing eyes, nearly black with pleasure. There was no hope of letting him go now, not when molten desire was spreading, spreading, scorching his insides.
Kame tried to breathe him in, one second to the next, taking all of him. His fingers clenched Junnosuke’s bare sides, needing to touch him, to be even closer.
Mineminemineminemine…
He buried himself again and again, harder, faster, whatever Junnosuke wanted as he gasped fragmented words frantically in his ear. His already tremulous grasp on control wavered as he felt his prince tighten around him, impossibly hot, and then his release slicked the space between them.
As Junnosuke shuddered against him, Kame used whatever strength he had left to flip them over and somehow, miraculously, it worked. With the prince all laid out on the cushions, he pulled out and pushed in sharply, chasing the last of that addictive high, swallowing Junnosuke’s moans with his lips and teeth and tongue.
And finally, finally, as Junnosuke murmured his name beneath him, all sated and gorgeous and his, with one, two rough, deep thrusts… his world blacked out.
Kame came to when he was lightly slapped in the face. “Save that for next time,” he said with a moan. He was exhausted and achy, but in all the right places.
He felt the rumble under his ear when Junnosuke laughed. “Next time, Kazuya -” - Kame twitched, pleased - “- I won’t be the only one without clothes.”
Kame grinned, felt around and pinched one of the prince’s butt-cheeks. Junnosuke let out a very un-princely like yelp. Kame chuckled, then groaned as their uncomfortable position sprawled in his favorite armchair could no longer be ignored.
“Next time,” he said, standing up with a wince, “we’ll be in a bed.” When he looked down, he felt a pulse of arousal again as his gaze wandered over his naked lover.
Junnosuke smiled up at him, that same lovely smile, except this one was just for him. An entirely different kind of warmth filled his insides, made him feel whole, anchored him to earth. Kame hauled him up into his arms.
“You’re mine,” he repeated, drawing his head down for a kiss, “savvy?”
-
The next day, they watched side by side as the crew of the Queen came walking up the docks. Kame squeezed Junnosuke’s side before letting him go as the first members crossed the gangplank. Junnosuke ran over to greet them, his bright mood immediately infectious as Keito and the others crowded around him.
When Kitamura’s laughing, knowing eyes caught his, Kame ordered him to swab the deck. Twice.
-
Kame woke up to shouts and the alarm bell pealing. He shot out of bed, pulling up his trousers and shoving his face through his crumpled white shirt. He didn’t bother with anything else.
Junnosuke was slower to respond, trying to shake away the last tendrils of sleep and not quite aware of what was going on. “What is that?” he asked.
“We’re under attack,” he hissed, pulling on his boots. Where was his sword? He tucked his shirt in his pants, threw on his waistcoat and caught his hat that Junnosuke tossed his way. The prince had scrambled out of bed to get ready too, and Kame knew better than to expect him to hide away. Finding his sword, he tucked the sheath into his belt.
“There’s another sword around here somewhere,” he told the prince. “Find it.” He spun him around, pressed a hard kiss against his lips. “Try not to get yourself killed.”
Kame dashed out of the stateroom, found his crew yelling at each other as a familiar ship came alongside the Queen. He gritted his teeth and ran for the railing. “Tegoshi! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he shouted at the captain of the Sweet Melody.
Tegoshi brandished his sword, the three large feathers in his hat fluttering in the wind. The hat did nothing to disguise hair so blond it was almost white. “A little birdie told me about your good fortune.” His voice carried over the large gap between their ships. “I’ve come to steal it from you.”
For one crazy moment, Kame thought he meant Junnosuke. “I’ll kill you first,” he said coldly.
Tegoshi waved away his threat, not the least bit concerned. “You might as well hand over the treasure map now!” he declared. Kame relaxed only marginally as he realized his adversary’s true motive. “I don’t intend to leave without it.”
Kame glanced over his shoulder, met Kitamura’s eyes and gave a sharp nod. Bracing his arms against the railing, he turned back to Tegoshi. “Leave and I’ll spare your ship,” he said.
Tegoshi scoffed. He signaled to his men who readied their weapons - swords, guns and grappling hooks on hand.
Kame lifted his hand and behind him, Kitamura let out two high-pitched whistles. In the next moment, chaos reigned as cannon blasts erupted from the lower half of the Queen. Explosions shook both sides as the Sweet Melody responded in turn, though the Queen was relentless. This was why having Tanaka around was a particular boon. He knew how to take full advantage of every offensive tool on board.
The blasts heralded the beginning of the fight as the men from both sides unleashed their weapons. Shouts and heated cries echoed everywhere as men swung from the deck of the Sweet Melody to the Queen. It was complete mayhem as his crew fended off Tegoshi’s. Kame followed the path of one lackey as he dropped from overhead. He cut into him just as he unsheathed his sword.
“Pathetic.”
Narrowing his eyes, Kame made his way through his ship, combating with anyone who dared challenge him. In the midst of fighting pirates, he spotted Junnosuke taking on his own opponents while wielding a sword in each hand. Kame spared enough time to admire his lover for his surprising ambidextrous skills.
Then, instincts screaming, he ducked just in time as a dagger flew over his head and embedded itself in the pillar of the mast behind him. With his sword, he blocked another blow from behind and whirled around to confront his attacker.
Tegoshi sneered. “You shouldn’t have stopped at Tortuga! You let us catch your scent.” Their swords met in the middle and he leaned in, whispering in his saccharine tone, “You’ve gone soft, Kamenashi.”
Kame shoved him and their blades screeched. He went on the offensive, striking at his opponent’s openings, only to be thwarted. His brows furrowed in frustration and Tegoshi must have noticed because he smirked.
“I’ve improved - admit it,” he said over the clash of their swords.
Kame gave a wide slash and cut into his coat, making the younger captain gasp. He was peculiarly obsessed with his clothes. “Chasing after me like some puppy is unbecoming,” he said.
A dark look crossed Tegoshi’s face. “This isn’t about you, it’s about what you have,” he shot back.
“The treasure is mine,” he said. He backed Tegoshi against the mast, unrelenting in his assault. “And for the record, Nishikido and Masuda came to me.”
Kame had the satisfaction of seeing Tegoshi’s outraged expression just as an exceptionally large explosion rocked the Queen, throwing Kame off balance and with it, his advantage. His world tilted and he lost sight of his opponent for a split second. And in that minuscule amount of time, someone yelled from far away before he was tackled to the side.
Dazed, Kame struggled under the burden, but then the familiarity of the weight on top of him registered. Dread gathered at the pit of his stomach as he fought to sit up. The weight shifted and he caught it in his arms, a familiar head of black hair lolling back, revealing features he now had carved into his memory.
“Junnosuke.” He touched his cheeks, his forehead, shaking him gently.
Kame adjusted him in his lap, and when his hands moved down his back, he felt something warm and sticky. He lifted his fingertips, and his dread surged to full-blown fear as his gaze honed in on the red staining his skin. He looked up, saw Tegoshi backed into a corner with Kitamura’s sword at his throat, saw the end of Tegoshi’s blade covered in blood.
Kitamura glanced at him.
Junnosuke’s pulse was faint beneath his palm. “Kill him.”
“Wait!” Tegoshi said, turning his head as far away as he could from the blade at his neck. “This is how the game is played, Kamenashi. You know that.”
“I could say the same thing,” Kame snarled.
Junnosuke moaned, unconsciously turning into Kame’s touch. The vengeful haze around his head lifting, Kame touched his forehead to the prince’s and closed his eyes. I did this. “Get me Nakamaru! Now!” he ordered. Yamada went running and Kame pointed at Keito. “Take him.” Carefully, he transferred his prince into Keito’s hold. He stood, his shirt tainted in red.
“Captain?” Kitamura asked, his blade at the ready. “Are you sure?”
The ruthless side of him demanded blood, demanded that his initial command be carried out. But concern for his lover far outweighed any desire for immediate retribution.
“Never say I don’t show mercy,” he said, voice raw from the effort it took to choke back his emotions. He shook his head and Kitamura stepped back.
Tegoshi gripped his neck where the tip of Kitamura’s blade had cut into him. Kame stepped forward, close enough that he felt Tegoshi’s flinch.
“I don’t believe in executions. But if I see you again, I will kill you. Now,” he murmured ever so softly, “get the hell off my ship.”
-
“We’re leaving him?”
Kame didn’t have to look at Kitamura’s face to hear the blatant disapproval in his tone. “He’s where he belongs,” he said.
Kitamura shook his head. “He’s going to be furious.”
“He was never mine to take.”
Kame supposed it was because of all his past sins that he dared to fall in love with royalty. He deserved pain, suspected it was only fitting that his last memory of Junnosuke be tainted by blood.
But he could still feel him under his palms, could remember the sweet taste of his lips as he drank him in.
As the Queen sailed further and further away, the port of Viridescent got tinier and tinier. And finally, when it was only a speck on the horizon, Kame looked away.
Even fairytales end.
-
Over the next few weeks, the crew of the Queen knew to steer far away from the Captain’s stateroom. Only Kitamura, Tanaka and Nakamaru had the nerve to enter. The treasure map had been moved to his quarters and he obsessively attempted to crack the code, thinking of nothing else. He left decisions for the ship repairs up to Kitamura. When they dropped anchor at Tortuga for supplies, he stayed behind again while most of his crew enjoyed the port’s entertainment.
“A stowaway, Captain!”
Kame massaged his temples and wondered what kind of fool would try to board a pirate’s ship and at night, no less. He went out to the deck to respond to Kitamura’s call. Froze.
“What the fuck did you do to your hair?”
The light from the lanterns flickered over Junnosuke’s handsome face, his smile ever present. His black hair was now short enough to be spiked at the top, the sides almost completely cropped. He wore a different version of the clothes he had adorned the last time he had been on the Queen. A regular citizen would have seen all pirate and no prince, but for Kame, the prince was undeniable no matter what he wore.
Junnosuke laughed and the sound warmed Kame from the inside out, thawing the pieces inside of him that had frozen over. “I was trying to blend in,” he said, looking down at himself.
Kitamura left them alone, though Kame didn’t miss the satisfied grin on his face. He walked over to Junnosuke, slowly coming to a stop in front of him. “You’re here,” he said. He lifted a hand to his face.
Junnosuke placed his hand over Kame’s, kept his touch on him. “You left,” he accused, though there was no heat in his words.
“You almost died.” The words still threatened to suffocate him, even now. His eyes darted to where the prince had been wounded, but couldn’t see anything in the feeble light. His fingers almost curled in, but Junnosuke clasped them tightly. Kame continued, “And you said your life wasn’t here.”
“That was before.”
Something suspiciously like hope was sprouting in his chest. “Won’t they be looking for you?”
“I’m a sixth son. I’m not inheriting the crown,” was all he said and that was enough for now. Kame was too preoccupied with the fact that Junnosuke was very real, real and saying things, and he had come after him.
“Besides. Don’t we have some treasure to find?” the prince added.
Kame used his free hand to feel Junnosuke’s heart beating steadily underneath his fingertips. “I thought you didn’t believe in fairytales,” he said.
“They were all I read while I was recovering.” Junnosuke leaned down to kiss him, smiled against his lips. “Have you ever heard the one about the prince and the pirate?”
Pitching done by: A ninja turtle.
Title: Chasing Fairytales
Pairing: Kame/Junno
Wordcount: 9,330
Rating: NC-17
Genre/Warning: AU/Adventure/Romance
Notes: Dear dyslexicrukio, one thing in particular stood out to me in your sign-up. (You’ll figure it out as soon as you start reading.) I hope I did it justice. ☺ Also, thank you to my wonderful beta, who is always so very helpful and awesome. Enjoy reading! ♥
Summary: Captain Kamenashi of the Queen gets more than he bargained for when he attempts to steal a treasure map from the royal family.
Captain Kamenashi of the Queen was infamous for his ruthlessness and his willingness to do anything to achieve his goals. And right now, as he stared at the cowering passengers gathered on deck, he was not happy.
“This doesn’t look like a special guard to me,” he snapped.
“Now, now, Captain,” his companion replied, watching as half the crew searched through all the nooks and crannies of the ship, and the other half kept a close eye on the ship passengers and crew. “My sources are never wrong. This is the Bluebell and we’ll find what we’re looking for here.”
“Go help the men search, Kitamura,” Kame said, impatient. His First Mate grinned in that placating way, but when Kame intensified his glare, Kitamura inclined his head and went to do as bid.
If the map was here, there was no way Kame was letting it slip through his fingers.
“Captain!”
Kame turned to find his Master Gunner pushing someone on deck. He nudged the man forward with a gun, hard enough that he stumbled and fell to his knees.
Kame glanced at the black-haired man at his feet with only mild interest. Tanaka had tied his hands behind his back. “What have we here?”
“Found him heading for the passenger cabins,” Tanaka said. “The coward.” He gave the man a kick for good measure.
The stranger stiffened - Kame couldn’t see his face, but he guessed out of outrage; nobles were stuffy like that. And he could tell the man was a noble from his newly shined black shoes, his pristine white breeches, and - the man stood - the clean cut of his deep blue coat over a gold embroidered waistcoat. His hair was tied back at the nape of his neck.
To his annoyance, Kame also discovered the man was quite a bit taller than him. Hell, he looked to be taller than the rest of his crew. There was also something about him that prickled the back of his mind.
Kame hated him on sight.
“It’s not in the captain’s stateroom, sir,” Keito reported nervously. The youngest on his crew was still highly intimidated by him.
By contrast, his Navigator was unafraid to look him in the eye. “Not below decks either,” Ueda drawled, leaning against the wooden railing with a yawn.
The man standing in front of him looked down, but not before Kame caught the slight twitch of his lips, as if he had to fight a smile. Kame took another look at him, at his expensive clothes, at the way he stood straight, shoulders back. Almost like he could feel his eyes on him, the stranger slumped a little and deliberately kept his gaze downcast.
Kame narrowed his eyes, thought about where he had been heading.
“Check the passenger cabins again. And be thorough.” He knew he was on the right track when the man twitched.
It was a demonstration of his power that his crew did as he asked without question. They knew not to challenge him in plain view of their captives. His eyes returned to the black-haired man.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
The man didn’t move.
Kame used one of his gloved hands to lift the man’s chin. Ignoring the fact that he had to look up at him, his voice dropped a few degrees. “Your name.”
The man had no qualms about meeting his eyes, and still he kept silent, face expressionless. Kame kept his gaze steady and hard, and the man didn’t even flinch. In fact, Kame could have sworn he saw a spark of amusement in the stranger’s brown eyes. What could be humorous about this situation, he had no idea.
“A chest, sir!” Yamada said, scrambling from the cabin door. “We found a chest beneath the floorboards in one of the cabins.” He brought the rectangular box forward. “But it’s locked up tight.”
Kame stepped away from the man to examine the metal box. “I suppose you couldn’t find the key.”
“No, sir.”
“Where is it?” Kame directed his question at the stranger, who was side-eying them, failing to disguise his interest.
Silence.
“I’m beginning to think you’re a mute,” Kame said casually. He withdrew his sword from its sheath and held the point at the man’s throat. His captive lifted his chin and angled his head away, revealing the long column of his neck. “Tell me where it is or we kill everyone on board this vessel.”
A few of the passengers burst into sobs at his pronouncement while others huddled closer together in fear. The man met his eyes again and ignored the blade.
“I don’t make idle threats.” Kame pressed down; the man hissed as he drew blood.
Unexpectedly, that roused a reaction from the Bluebell’s crew as they yelled in protest and leapt into action, lunging at his men- no, heading for him.
“Stop!”
The command came out like the crack of a whip and not from Kame. What Kame found intriguing was the immediate obedience from the crew. An irritated Nishikido moved towards them, but the stranger spoke again.
“Don’t touch them.” His brown eyes were hard. “I’ll give you what you want.” He lifted a leather necklace hidden underneath his shirt. A metal key dangled at the end.
With a swift movement that had the man flinching, Kame cut the necklace off him and the key dropped onto his palm. It fit into the hole neatly and there was a click as he turned it. A thrill ran down his spine, the same kind of adrenaline rush that let him know he was on the verge of success.
Kame lifted the lid of the box and unfurled the single scroll inside a second later.
“Well?” Kitamura asked.
Kame secured the scroll back in its box before he smirked. “Tonight, we celebrate.”
The men of the Queen cheered and hooted.
“All right, back to the ship. Let the good people of the Bluebell get on their way.” He tapped the flat side of his blade on the man’s shoulder. “You’re coming with us.”
Kame had the distinct impression the man was measuring him with a simple look. “You have what you want,” he said.
Kame smiled, showing all his teeth. “I need a hostage to ensure that no one follows us.”
One of the passengers, who until that moment had been perfectly quiet, spoke up. “You take him and that’s the one thing guaranteed to happen.” He moved forward with his hands held out in surrender. “Take me instead.”
“Shige.” The man shook his head. “I’ll go.” He turned to Kame. “But you must swear to leave the Bluebell and all her occupants unharmed, supplies intact. You only get the box and me.”
Kame gave a mock bow, taking off his hat with a flourish. “As you wish.”
The man’s companion squawked, “But y-”
“I’ll send word when I can, Shige,” the stranger cut him off. He reiterated his request. “You swear not to harm them?”
Kame nodded curtly.
Amazingly, the man smiled and it transformed his whole face. “Then I’m all yours.”
And Kame realized with a start why he seemed so familiar.
-
“What exactly do you plan on doing with him?”
Kame stared out the stateroom window, wondering again what had possessed him to take aboard their hostage even after figuring out his identity. “We’ll ransom him,” he said, as if it were that simple.
“The whole navy will be after us,” Kitamura stated, hanging back by the doors with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Good thing the Queen is the fastest ship throughout the seven seas,” Kame replied. “Plus the navy is a joke.” He took the scroll out from its metal box and laid it out on his large desk, revealing that it wasn’t a scroll at all, but a map. “Once we find the treasure, we can go anywhere we want. They can’t touch us on the other end of the world.”
“Then we don’t need him.”
“It never hurts to have a back-up plan.” Kame didn’t have to pretend to be engrossed in the treasure map, though he knew if he looked up, Kitamura would have an eyebrow raised in that speculating way of his.
“Whatever you say, Cap’n.”
-
The next morning, Kame was at the helm when Tanaka and Nishikido led his prisoner up the steps and not so innocently tripped him so that he fell to his knees again. His clothes were dirtier, which was to be expected, and he looked like he didn’t get much sleep, but there was not a word of complaint.
“Now boys, not so rough,” Kame said blithely, though there was a hint of steel in his tone. “We have royalty in our midst.”
His flippant announcement had a stream of exclamations and shouts breaking out through his crew as the message spread. Kame didn’t bother with them. He was too busy smiling in response to one questioning gaze.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” He gestured to the bright sun and clear blue sky. “I hope your night wasn’t too rough.”
The man smiled, and Kame was disconcerted by the fact that it didn’t seem fake in the slightest. “Not at all,” he replied. The unspoken phrase hung in the air.
I’ve had worse.
Kame didn’t want to be intrigued. He motioned for the man to stand. “You were transporting something very valuable. It was your job to see it safely to their majesties.” He regarded him carefully. “Though I didn’t know just how important this was to the crown, until I realized the king had sent one of his own sons to retrieve it.”
A flicker of surprise. “Not many people recognize me,” he said.
Curiouser and curiouser. “I make it my business to know anyone and everyone there is to know, but I’m afraid your name still escapes me,” he said. “There are six of you after all.”
Another smile played along the prince’s lips, and Kame was starting to grasp that his expressionless demeanor on the Bluebell had been rare and he was seeing the prince as he usually was. “I’ll fight you for it,” he said.
The absurdity of the request startled a laugh out of Kame. “For your name?” he asked, just to be sure.
“A duel,” the man said, nodding towards Kame’s sword. “You win, I tell you my name. I win, you drop me off at the next port. It’ll be like I was never here.”
He hadn’t been this amused in a long time. “All right, your highness,” he said. He held out his hand to the side. “Tanaka, a sword.”
“But Captain -”
“Koki.”
The blond Gunner shot to attention and disappeared to the storage where he was in charge of cataloguing and maintaining all the weapons on board the Queen. He returned with one of the better blades from their stock, though he was visibly disgruntled as held it out, handle first.
The prince looked to Kame for permission first. Pleased, he nodded, and the prince took the sword, testing its weight in his hand. He swung the blade a bit clumsily.
It looked like this wasn’t going to be much of a challenge. Though disappointed, Kame resolved to draw out the duel to give his crew something to watch. Already he could hear them getting rowdy, calling out bets to one another.
“Five gold coins on the cap’n!” Fujigaya’s exclamation caused a round of similar shouts.
“Five on His Highness.” Kitamura’s voice wasn’t nearly as loud as the younger sailors, but was heard all the same.
“Are you kidding?” Nishikido scoffed. “Kamenashi’s gonna wipe the floor with this namby-pamby!” Kame’s Carpenter hated all things to do with the monarchy and his distaste for their captive was clear. “Just look at him.”
Kitamura grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “I am.”
The prince chuckled - chuckled! - when Kitamura sent a lascivious wink his way.
Kame scowled and unsheathed his sword. When he was in the right mood, outrageous flirting was something he and his first mate had in common, to both the delight and consternation of the Queen’s crew and the patrons at their regular haunts. However, at the moment, Kame was finding that one trait particularly galling.
Kitamura paid him no mind; instead, he raised his hand and let out a piercing whistle to silence the crew. He looked to be having a great deal of fun and it hadn’t even started yet. “Try not to kill each other,” he said without further ado. He dropped his hand, the signal to begin.
Neither Kame nor the prince burst into action. He carefully schooled his expression as they studied each other. The prince had no such qualms. In fact, the longer they stayed in a stalemate, the more his smile grew.
Kame prided himself on his patience, but he didn’t like his time to be wasted either. He darted forward, sunlight glinting off his silver blade, intending to slash at the prince’s sleeve. The prince’s reaction was a touch slow; regardless, he managed to deflect the blow. But the strength behind his counter was nothing to dismiss, and Kame adjusted his own power accordingly.
That opening set off the rest of the duel. Kame found himself mostly on the offensive as the prince seemed determined to be a passive party.
“Weren’t you the one who proposed this?” Kame asked. He took an experimental jab, only for the prince to slip past his guard and slash his sleeve, achieving what Kame had aimed for earlier. Kame jumped back and fingered the frayed material.
The prince tilted his head to the side, mirth dancing in his eyes. “Don’t count me out yet.”
Kame bit back a grin and attacked anew. Steel clashed with steel, the clang of exchanging blows mixing in with the shouts of the crew.
Thrust. Parry. Thrust. Parry.
Despite the prince’s declaration, Kame inevitably pushed him back towards the railing. Kame always learned from his mistakes and instead of allowing the prince past his defense, he pushed harder. Then with one of his signature tricks, he flicked his wrist at a certain angle and knocked the prince’s sword away.
The prince didn’t even turn around to see where it landed. He backed up slowly as Kame advanced until his hands found purchase on the railing.
Kame held up his blade to the level of the prince’s heart. “It seems you don’t want your freedom after all.”
In response, the prince hopped up and backward so that he was crouching on the wooden railing. He flashed a quick smile at Kame before he used the power in his legs to execute a perfect backward flip, landing gracefully next to his borrowed weapon on the lower deck.
A few of the men whistled and hooted while Kame tried not to be impressed. “Neat trick,” he said.
“We royals don’t just sit around,” the prince replied cheekily. He plucked his sword from where it was embedded in the wooden floor.
Kame vaulted over the railing with just as agile a landing. “Could’ve fooled me,” he retorted.
The prince gave his blade a few more practice swings, clearly more in control than he had been the first time around. “I think I’ve gotten used to the weight now,” he said absentmindedly.
“I don’t like being played with.” Kame held out his blade again, reassessing him, calculating the odds again in his head.
The prince crossed his sword with his. “I don’t like being kidnapped.”
And just like that, Kame suddenly found himself on the defensive, evading and blocking the prince’s attacks. It then became painfully obvious that the prince had been holding back considerable strength. That more than anything sparked Kame’s ire. It had been a long time since he underestimated someone.
They became more aggressive in their attacks, progressively trying to one up each other. Soon, they were both perspiring. Kame had tossed aside his tri-cornered hat while the prince’s hair had come out of its ribbon.
Enough.
The prince was skilled and had obviously learned from a master, but Kame didn’t make it to where he was without picking up a few tricks. He aimed the next slash for the lower half of the body. The prince reacted, the clang of their blades ringing out as he blocked the blow at the same moment the hilt of Kame’s dagger dropped onto his palm.
Kame pushed down their swords and reached up with his left hand to press the tip of the dagger against the prince’s throat.
The prince released the pressure from his sword. “Cheater,” he said, panting from the exertion of their fight.
“Pirate,” Kame corrected, equally breathless. He eyed the bare skin of the prince’s neck. “Déjà vu, no?”
“At least you maintained proper distance last time,” the prince replied.
For the first time, Kame noted he was pressed against the side of the prince’s body. The heat was surely a result from all the sparring. Kame stepped back, still with the dagger at the prince’s throat. “Do you yield?” he asked.
The clatter of the prince’s borrowed sword as it fell to the ground was his answer. His men cheered and whistled, though a select few grumbled as several coins changed hands.
Kame sheathed his sword and tucked the dagger back into his coat sleeve. “My prize, if you please,” he said.
The prince straightened, no sign of disappointment or displeasure lingering on his face. “Junnosuke,” he said clearly, in that pompous way only the wealthy could achieve. “My name is Junnosuke.”
“Junnosuke.” Kame tested it out and found that he liked the way it rolled over his tongue.
“You know who I am now. But you will address me appropriately,” Junnosuke replied, for the first time revealing true disapproval. In other words, he had not given Kame leave to use his name.
Kame inclined his head. “As you wish, my prince,” he said. His tone hardened. “But you are on my ship and you will follow my rules. The Queen is your home until I say otherwise. I humored you today. Do not expect the same treatment in the days to come.”
“Are you saying that if I had won, you would not have kept your end of the bargain?”
Kame smiled faintly, without warmth. “It doesn’t matter now, does it?”
-
The next week revealed that the prince - no, Junnosuke - was no stranger to life at sea. Kame had figured as much, but a pirate ship was leagues away from a comfy passenger one. However, Junnosuke adjusted to life on the Queen smoothly enough, much to Kame’s chagrin.
It also became abundantly clear that it was not in his nature to be isolated. From his position by the helm, Kame had a perfect view of the comings and goings of the prince as he mingled and somehow, integrated himself with the crew.
Keito, one of the deckhands, warmed up to him first. He helped the prince store his fancy clothes in a safe place so he could wear ones of not-so-fine quality. Kame had to do a double take the first time he noticed; Junnosuke blended in with the other men, with his faded breeches and unbuttoned green waistcoat over a white shirt. Even his shiny buckled shoes had been replaced with a pair of boots from Yamada, another deckhand whose specialty was foraging.
When the boys had free time, they could be found casting a line out for fish, which they enthusiastically demonstrated for the prince when he asked how they went about it. The amount the three of them caught in one sitting had been enough for the entire crew for dinner one night.
Even his Master Gunner had succumbed. While Nakamaru was technically in charge of the sails as the Sailmaker, Tanaka had a talent for sewing, which meant he could usually be found mending when he wasn’t cleaning weapons. Junnosuke had tried his hand at it but after Tanaka had yelled at him for being of no help at all, the prince took to improving his languages by conversing with Tanaka in Spanish only. This won Tanaka over almost right away, though the Gunner would never admit it.
When not with the sails, Nakamaru was often in the chart room with Ueda as they plotted the best course to stay hidden from the navy. The prince showed a healthy interest in that, and while they concealed the Queen’s stealth tactics from him, they indulged him by answering almost all the questions he asked. Nakamaru was thrilled to pass on his knowledge, even about the smallest things, and Ueda found the prince an amusing distraction from boredom.
Nishikido was generally rather grumpy around him, but Junnosuke still managed to draw out a chuckle or two with his sense of humor, however lame it was. By that time, the other members of the crew didn’t stand a chance. Even if they were still distrustful of the prince, they respected a man who could pull his own weight.
If Kame had wanted to make him uncomfortable by assigning him duties around the ship, Junnosuke thwarted him by being the exact opposite. Hell, he even seemed to be enjoying it.
At the moment, Masuda was teaching the prince all about the rigging. He had Junnosuke’s undivided attention as he explained the system of ropes and cables supporting the ship’s masts.
“He’s fascinating, isn’t he?” Kitamura voiced what Kame himself had been avoiding in his head.
Kame gave him a narrow-eyed look. Kitamura waved it away and leaned forward on the railing as they watched Junnosuke from the upper deck. “Try talking to him,” Kitamura said at last. “Maybe you’ll get over what intrigues you.”
“I’m not intrigued.” Even before the words came out of his mouth, he winced at how false they sounded. “So he knows his way around a ship. That just proves he’s not as spoiled as he appeared to be.”
“He never looked spoiled. He looked… delectable.”
Kame gritted his teeth.
Kitamura didn’t have to look at him to guess his mood. “The monarchy may be ridiculous sometimes, but theirs is a handsome line. The most recent generation especially.” He turned around, leaning back on his elbows. “Did you send the ransom note yet?”
“I haven’t had time,” Kame said, which was a half-truth at least. When he wasn’t watching Junnosuke, he spent his time deciphering the treasure map. And he didn’t trust that the prince had made no mention of it since his capture.
“I don’t see why you would put it off,” Kitamura replied, “unless there’s some reason you like having His Highness on board.”
“Go swab the decks or something,” Kame said, pointing towards a mop and bucket on the lower deck.
“With pleasure,” Kitamura said. Though instead of heading for the cleaning supplies, he went straight to the prince. He had him laughing right away - which, admittedly, wasn’t a very hard thing to do; the prince loved to laugh - and Kame’s hands clenched the railing.
This wouldn’t do at all.
-
Getting the prince alone turned out to be extremely difficult; Kame hadn’t realized just how much the crew had taken to him. It wasn’t until night had fallen that the prince was allowed some private time strolling around on deck. Kame approached him when he stopped at the foredeck to gaze up at the sky.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I love looking at stars,” Junnosuke said. He looked away from those beautiful stars to grace him with an equally enchanting smile. “Is it strange to feel like they watch over me?”
Kame stared at him. “Why do you do that?”
“What?”
He touched Junnosuke’s lips and the prince instantly went still. “You smile like you mean it,” he said. He traced the edge of his smile, felt as it wavered under his touch.
“I do mean it,” Junnosuke replied.
Even when you smile at me?
Kame removed his hand and the prince relaxed. “You’re trapped on this ship. I didn’t expect you to be so… agreeable,” Kame admitted.
“The crew is quite accommodating.” Junnosuke licked his chapped lips and Kame determinedly looked away. “You… they… are not bad men.”
Kame laughed. “We’re pirates.”
“Do you have to be one to be the other?” he asked. “You are not without honor. I knew it even as you held a sword at my throat.”
Mention of his throat just dragged Kame’s eyes to it, to his secret thoughts of claiming him for his own.
When Kame didn’t reply, Junnosuke continued, “If I had refused to give you the key, would you have killed the other passengers?”
“… No.” It was amazing how far he’d come on bluffs alone, his reputation doing most of the work for him. Kame walked to the railing, cast his eyes on the moonlight’s path reflected on the dark surface of the sea. He had no desire to delve into the sins of his past. But he hadn’t clawed himself up from the darkness only to spiral even further.
“You’re not as ruthless as your reputation would lead others to believe. I’ve watched you. I know how you are with the crew. You know duty and responsibility,” he said, “just as I do.”
“Duty and responsibility? You make my life sound dull,” Kame replied flippantly, though inside, his relief at the prince’s conclusion unsettled him.
He heard the prince move, knew when he was a mere few steps behind him. “How would you characterize your life then?” Junnosuke asked.
“Free.”
“Ah. The one luxury I cannot afford,” the prince replied. He sounded almost wistful. A pause. “When will you send me home?”
“So eager to go then?”
“My life isn’t here,” Junnosuke said simply. “Good night, Captain.”
Kame didn’t bother to look. He had no desire to watch him walk away.
-
Junnosuke distanced himself after that night, something Kame found extremely frustrating since he had finally decided to spend more time with him to find out why he intrigued him so much. He had to make do with watching him and making polite conversation when all he wanted to do was tug him close and devour him.
“Careful. You might set him on fire with your eyes.”
Kame blinked and found that his Navigator had joined him at the helm. Ueda took hold of the wheel just because he could.
“What are you talking about?”
“Lying to me doesn’t work,” Ueda said airily. “You want him.”
“Leave it alone.” When hearing that tone, the crew recognized the cue to back off.
Ueda, however, was fearless and thus Kame’s threats had no effect. “But it’s more than that, isn’t it?” he continued. He leaned one elbow on the wheel, propping his chin with his hand. “Because you would’ve fucked him by now and that would’ve been that. He’d be out of your system.”
Ueda had a way of cutting straight through the bullshit.
“Or you just need to get laid. Shall I head for Tortuga?”
Or not. Kame placed his hand on the helm before Ueda could change course. “You’re quite the busybody, do you know that?”
“Actually, I’m rather lazy,” Ueda retorted without shame. “I have no time for your conflicted desires. Either do something or let him go.” He waved his fingers as he headed down one of the curving stairs. “I hate to see you so pathetic.”
Temper flaring, Kame spotted Junnosuke going to the galley. “Take over,” he barked to a puzzled Tanaka, jerking his head towards the helm as he passed him on the stairs.
When he entered the galley, he barely glanced at Masuda and pointed towards the door. “Out.”
The prince made to leave as well, but Kame stopped him with a shake of his head. He ran his finger along the edge of the table that stood between them, found dust as he rubbed two fingers together.
“I thought I told you to make yourself useful, your highness.” He tossed a rag his way, and hated that the prince still had the gall to smile at him. “You can’t handle this; it’s a wonder you’re given any tasks at all. The kingdom must be in a pretty sad state.”
“My fami- I do just fine, thank you,” he replied in that calm, unaffected way of his.
“I took the map from you, didn’t I?” Kame taunted him because he could, because he was so vexed by this prince who haunted him day and night, knowing the whole time he had brought it upon himself.
The prince started wiping the table. “That map won’t lead you anywhere.”
Kame slowly stalked around the perimeter of the table, and the prince took his silence as a prompt to continue.
“It’s a fool’s errand. My father wants to fill coffers that are already full, funding an expedition that will lead nowhere. You’re chasing children’s fairytales.”
“I go after what I want,” Kame corrected, stopping directly in front of him.
“Even by trying to start a petty squabble?” The prince reminded him that smiles could taunt too. “Don’t think you can ruffle my feathers, Capt-”
Kame reached up and crushed his lips to his, effectively silencing him and giving in to desires long kept at bay. If he expected resistance, Junnosuke surprised him by yielding. And after a moment of startled surprise, the prince responded just as fiercely, revealing that he was not as immune to him as he seemed.
His fingers raked through the prince’s hair, and he felt the brush of satin against his fingertips as the tied ribbon came undone. With fire rushing through his veins, he inhaled all of him, couldn’t get enough as he took and took and took.
Gasping, Kame dragged his mouth away from addictive lips, felt a surge of triumph when he heard Junnosuke try to catch his breath. He held the prince in his arms, pulled him even closer.
If he thought this would be enough to quench his thirst, Kame found himself sorely mistaken.
-
Kame slammed the door to the chart room, glared at Kitamura from across the room.
“I sent the damn note.”
-
Even with one of Ueda’s fastest pigeons, the note would not reach the capital for a few days. But Kame knew they would pay it. Who wouldn’t pay any price to see Junnosuke safe?
The Queen was sailing for Viridescent to make the exchange. But they would have to pass Tortuga first and, since enough of the men clamored for it, Kame granted his crew a full day and night to spend on land in whatever way they chose. He knew how most of them would use their time; he just hoped the bordellos would be ready.
Kitamura, however, would show the prince more innocent forms of entertainment. Kame preferred that Junnosuke not leave the Queen at all, but Tortuga’s once irresistible charms now held no sway over him so Kame planned to remain behind on the ship. And if he was staying behind, that meant the prince had to go, which was his other reason for granting the men leave.
Kame needed to breath, needed to get away. He and the prince walked on eggshells around each other, barely speaking. Or rather, Kame didn’t give him any opportunity to. Because when he talked to him, he thought of running his hand down his back, leaning in and tasting what was his.
Except he’s not mine.
Despite what a few of the more colorful rumors said, Kame was no masochist. And having the prince around was proving too dangerous a risk.
-
“Hiding away, I see.”
Kame downed the rest of the rum from his glass and closed his eyes, leaning back in his comfortable over-sized armchair. “You should be ashore with the others,” he said.
He heard Junnosuke’s footsteps come closer, then stop. There was a screech of stool legs and he knew the prince now sat across from him. He thought maybe Junnosuke would ask him to explain himself, but again he surprised him.
“How did you recognize me?”
At first, he didn’t know what the prince was going on about, but then his first conversation with him aboard the Queen came back to him.
“Not many people recognize me.”
Kame peered at him through a half-lidded gaze, puzzled by the odd question but decided to humor him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was amused by the prince’s perfect posture. “You’re a prince aren’t you? The question is - who wouldn’t recognize you?”
“I haven’t been in the public eye for over seven years. Society knows of the king and queen’s sixth son, but unless you live in the Capital and recall my appearances then…” Junnosuke shook his head. “I’m curious as to how you remembered me.”
Kame read the truth of it in his expression, knew that this was important to him for some reason. He sat up and ran his left hand through his hair as his right poured more rum into his glass. He held the jug up as an offering; the prince declined.
His head was all fuzzy and warm from drinking. He drifted in the pleasant haze. “I saw you… years ago.” He took another sip of rum, lifted his eyes to meet Junnosuke’s. “I was still a deckhand at the time and after a particularly difficult voyage, we were finally back on land. We happened to arrive in time for the royal family to grace Viridescent with their presence.”
He remembered the banners and the flags, crowds of people cheering as flowers rained down on two open carriages rolling down the street. At the time, Kame had pretended the hubbub was for him, a lowly deckhand from just another ship at port.
“You were all waving and smiling at the masses, but there was something different about you,” Kame said. “I remember you. Your smile. You meant it.”
Kame had climbed onto the back of a cart to see what the fuss was about, only to see guards on horseback and a polite, pleasant - boring - royal family greeting the crowds. But there had been a boy his own age in the second carriage, and while his wave was not as refined as his siblings’ or parents’, it had ten times more sincerity. His smile had been bright and warm, his gaze kind as he called out to the crowd, responding to their shouts and cheers, and even laughing when he heard a few witty comments.
And for one moment, the prince had turned towards him and nodded as if he saw him past all the dozens of others who were clamoring for his attention. He smiled that lovely smile and there was no stopping the warmth it evoked.
Kame stared at Junnosuke from over the rim of his glass. The liquor loosened his tongue. “It was like you were welcoming me home,” he admitted.
Junnosuke said nothing, only tilted his head to the side as if trying to figure him out. Kame wondered what he saw. A pirate with messy hair, an overall untidy appearance with his shirt untucked and waistcoat unbuttoned, his trousers rolled up mid-calf with his bare feet propped up. Or someone who couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Kame took in the sight of his captive, this handsome prince who couldn’t be mistaken for anything else even under the garb of a pirate. “All I do is chase fairytales,” he murmured.
The thought sobered him up. He groaned and collapsed back into his chair. Moments later, there was a soft touch on his forehead; he tensed.
“Are you all right?”
He opened his eyes to discover the prince hovering over him, one hand pressed to his forehead while the other was propped against the right arm of his chair. Too close, too close. He stared until the prince’s eyes met his and then, he couldn’t hope to look away.
Junnosuke broke their mindless staring first, closed the distance between them to place a brief, sweet kiss on his lips.
When he made to move away, Kame caught his wrist, pulled him down until their foreheads touched. Junnosuke closed his eyes, moved to whisper the confession against his neck. “I am out of my depth with you,” he said.
Kame felt something in his chest jump at that; if he didn’t know better, he would have thought it was his heart. Tamping down the momentary panic, he pulled the prince back up to him and claimed his mouth, taking what he had denied himself after that one glorious taste days ago.
He moaned when Junnosuke slid a hand inside his open shirt, palm branding his chest. The prince undid the rest of the buttons before his second hand joined the first in the exploration of his body. It was like he was lighting him up from the inside out by mere touch.
“I won’t be able to stop,” Kame said, and he didn’t mean this time. If their first kiss had been any indication, a taste of something more would leave Kame wanting him for far longer. One time would never be enough.
Junnosuke pulled back, his hands skimming along Kame’s neck before they gripped his hair. He was still bent over him, dark locks falling over his eyes. “Capt… Kamenashi…” he trailed off, wetting his lips. “… your first name?”
Kame let out a low laugh, loved when he felt the prince shiver under his fingertips. “Does this mean I can call you Junnosuke?” he asked first. He sat up and scooted forward until he was almost halfway off the seat, closing the distance between them.
“I suppose,” the prince replied, thoughtful. He straightened, though his hands still played with strands of Kame’s hair. “I am fond of ‘your highness’ though.”
“Hmm… your highness,” he murmured. Thankful for his preference of large, cushioned armchairs, he tugged the prince onto his lap and reached up for another kiss, divesting him of his green waistcoat. Those long, gorgeous legs wrapped around his waist, and Kame pushed his palms under his white shirt, stroking down his back, then over the curve of his ass. And because he could, he squeezed, laughing when the prince jumped.
“You are incorrigible, Captain,” Junnosuke said, chuckling.
Kame made quick work of the prince’s shirt and tossed it somewhere amidst his things. “Kazuya,” he said. He suddenly wanted to hear his name falling from the prince’s lips, imagined him gasping it when he entered him. “My name is Kazuya.”
The prince nipped his throat, grinded down with his hips. “Kazuya,” he said, voice breathy with lust.
At the same time he gripped the prince’s hips, Kame jerked up at the sound of his first name - it had been so, so long since someone called him that, it was a wonder he even remembered - said with such want. He leaned forward and kissed Junnosuke’s chest, hands memorizing every line of his body, the muscles that trembled under his caresses. His touch trailed down, down, down - it was the prince’s turn to lurch in his arms.
“God,” Junnosuke hissed, rubbing into the strokes of his hand. He picked up the grinding that Kame had tried to slow down. Junnosuke stared at him with dark eyes half-lidded with pleasure.
A thread of want strung tight, being pulled from both sides, snapped. Desire that had been a steadily growing flame blazed to life inside him. This wasn’t going to be nice. Nice could be done later; they both wanted something else now. Kame surged up, caught Junnosuke’s surprised gasp with his mouth, and still he stroked him, felt him grow as hard as he was.
In the time that he devoured his lips, Kame managed to rid Junnosuke of his breeches and then he had one naked, beautiful prince in his lap. A prince who was beginning to get desperate as he massaged Kame through his now unbuttoned trousers. Kame choked when Junnosuke reached in and squeezed, his palms newly calloused and rough from his time on the Queen.
He batted the prince’s hands away, not willing to take the risk of it all ending too soon. Kame seized both wrists with one hand, used the other to grip one thigh. “Behave,” he muttered.
Junnosuke’s smile turned all too suggestive, eyes lit with craving and mirth. With a small tug, he freed his hands from Kame’s grip. Junnosuke reached behind him and placed his hands on the back of his chair, using it as support to squirm on his lap, his intention clear. He leaned forward until they were cheek to cheek. “O-oil…” he said, folding his legs on either side of Kame’s thighs.
Kame narrowed his eyes, wondered how the prince knew, displeased at the thought of him having other lovers. With the convenient vial of oil he kept around for such occasions, he slicked himself first before prepping Junnosuke. He pressed one finger inside, the prince going rigid as he explored the heat by adding another finger.
He pressed down even further, kneading him from the inside, not stopping until he found the spot that had the prince crying out, made it so he collapsed against him. Kame kissed him hard, growled against his mouth, “You’re mine.”
Junnosuke’s breath hitched and he tightened his hold on Kame reflexively. His limbs wrapped around him, as if pressing closer would give him what he wanted, what he craved. “Kazuya,” he pleaded.
Kame kissed the corner of his lips, too unsteady to give him a proper one as he gripped himself, almost painfully hard now. He inhaled sharply as he lined the head of his cock with the prince’s opening. He slipped inside a fraction.
A jolt of lust, of pleasure, of pure electricity sizzled through his entire body, all sensation honing in on the man in his embrace. He thrust up into delicious heat at the same moment Junnosuke pushed down. He groaned, stilling, biting into that long, elegant neck of his. There was a lingering regret in the back of his mind that they were not fully skin to skin.
The thought was immediately dashed as the prince lifted himself until he was almost free of his body, but then sank down again with a swift thrust. Fuck, he was so tight and hot, he had to- their lips found each other in a desperate kiss.
Junnosuke broke away, his forehead sweaty, breath choking as he tried to move, needed Kame to move with him. “Please, please…”
Kame couldn’t deny him, and answered his prince’s pleas with deep, piercing thrusts, each one sending him spiraling towards a higher peak. He might as well be drowning, because that was what it felt like, like he was drowning in him, in his suffocating heat, in his laughing eyes, nearly black with pleasure. There was no hope of letting him go now, not when molten desire was spreading, spreading, scorching his insides.
Kame tried to breathe him in, one second to the next, taking all of him. His fingers clenched Junnosuke’s bare sides, needing to touch him, to be even closer.
Mineminemineminemine…
He buried himself again and again, harder, faster, whatever Junnosuke wanted as he gasped fragmented words frantically in his ear. His already tremulous grasp on control wavered as he felt his prince tighten around him, impossibly hot, and then his release slicked the space between them.
As Junnosuke shuddered against him, Kame used whatever strength he had left to flip them over and somehow, miraculously, it worked. With the prince all laid out on the cushions, he pulled out and pushed in sharply, chasing the last of that addictive high, swallowing Junnosuke’s moans with his lips and teeth and tongue.
And finally, finally, as Junnosuke murmured his name beneath him, all sated and gorgeous and his, with one, two rough, deep thrusts… his world blacked out.
Kame came to when he was lightly slapped in the face. “Save that for next time,” he said with a moan. He was exhausted and achy, but in all the right places.
He felt the rumble under his ear when Junnosuke laughed. “Next time, Kazuya -” - Kame twitched, pleased - “- I won’t be the only one without clothes.”
Kame grinned, felt around and pinched one of the prince’s butt-cheeks. Junnosuke let out a very un-princely like yelp. Kame chuckled, then groaned as their uncomfortable position sprawled in his favorite armchair could no longer be ignored.
“Next time,” he said, standing up with a wince, “we’ll be in a bed.” When he looked down, he felt a pulse of arousal again as his gaze wandered over his naked lover.
Junnosuke smiled up at him, that same lovely smile, except this one was just for him. An entirely different kind of warmth filled his insides, made him feel whole, anchored him to earth. Kame hauled him up into his arms.
“You’re mine,” he repeated, drawing his head down for a kiss, “savvy?”
-
The next day, they watched side by side as the crew of the Queen came walking up the docks. Kame squeezed Junnosuke’s side before letting him go as the first members crossed the gangplank. Junnosuke ran over to greet them, his bright mood immediately infectious as Keito and the others crowded around him.
When Kitamura’s laughing, knowing eyes caught his, Kame ordered him to swab the deck. Twice.
-
Kame woke up to shouts and the alarm bell pealing. He shot out of bed, pulling up his trousers and shoving his face through his crumpled white shirt. He didn’t bother with anything else.
Junnosuke was slower to respond, trying to shake away the last tendrils of sleep and not quite aware of what was going on. “What is that?” he asked.
“We’re under attack,” he hissed, pulling on his boots. Where was his sword? He tucked his shirt in his pants, threw on his waistcoat and caught his hat that Junnosuke tossed his way. The prince had scrambled out of bed to get ready too, and Kame knew better than to expect him to hide away. Finding his sword, he tucked the sheath into his belt.
“There’s another sword around here somewhere,” he told the prince. “Find it.” He spun him around, pressed a hard kiss against his lips. “Try not to get yourself killed.”
Kame dashed out of the stateroom, found his crew yelling at each other as a familiar ship came alongside the Queen. He gritted his teeth and ran for the railing. “Tegoshi! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he shouted at the captain of the Sweet Melody.
Tegoshi brandished his sword, the three large feathers in his hat fluttering in the wind. The hat did nothing to disguise hair so blond it was almost white. “A little birdie told me about your good fortune.” His voice carried over the large gap between their ships. “I’ve come to steal it from you.”
For one crazy moment, Kame thought he meant Junnosuke. “I’ll kill you first,” he said coldly.
Tegoshi waved away his threat, not the least bit concerned. “You might as well hand over the treasure map now!” he declared. Kame relaxed only marginally as he realized his adversary’s true motive. “I don’t intend to leave without it.”
Kame glanced over his shoulder, met Kitamura’s eyes and gave a sharp nod. Bracing his arms against the railing, he turned back to Tegoshi. “Leave and I’ll spare your ship,” he said.
Tegoshi scoffed. He signaled to his men who readied their weapons - swords, guns and grappling hooks on hand.
Kame lifted his hand and behind him, Kitamura let out two high-pitched whistles. In the next moment, chaos reigned as cannon blasts erupted from the lower half of the Queen. Explosions shook both sides as the Sweet Melody responded in turn, though the Queen was relentless. This was why having Tanaka around was a particular boon. He knew how to take full advantage of every offensive tool on board.
The blasts heralded the beginning of the fight as the men from both sides unleashed their weapons. Shouts and heated cries echoed everywhere as men swung from the deck of the Sweet Melody to the Queen. It was complete mayhem as his crew fended off Tegoshi’s. Kame followed the path of one lackey as he dropped from overhead. He cut into him just as he unsheathed his sword.
“Pathetic.”
Narrowing his eyes, Kame made his way through his ship, combating with anyone who dared challenge him. In the midst of fighting pirates, he spotted Junnosuke taking on his own opponents while wielding a sword in each hand. Kame spared enough time to admire his lover for his surprising ambidextrous skills.
Then, instincts screaming, he ducked just in time as a dagger flew over his head and embedded itself in the pillar of the mast behind him. With his sword, he blocked another blow from behind and whirled around to confront his attacker.
Tegoshi sneered. “You shouldn’t have stopped at Tortuga! You let us catch your scent.” Their swords met in the middle and he leaned in, whispering in his saccharine tone, “You’ve gone soft, Kamenashi.”
Kame shoved him and their blades screeched. He went on the offensive, striking at his opponent’s openings, only to be thwarted. His brows furrowed in frustration and Tegoshi must have noticed because he smirked.
“I’ve improved - admit it,” he said over the clash of their swords.
Kame gave a wide slash and cut into his coat, making the younger captain gasp. He was peculiarly obsessed with his clothes. “Chasing after me like some puppy is unbecoming,” he said.
A dark look crossed Tegoshi’s face. “This isn’t about you, it’s about what you have,” he shot back.
“The treasure is mine,” he said. He backed Tegoshi against the mast, unrelenting in his assault. “And for the record, Nishikido and Masuda came to me.”
Kame had the satisfaction of seeing Tegoshi’s outraged expression just as an exceptionally large explosion rocked the Queen, throwing Kame off balance and with it, his advantage. His world tilted and he lost sight of his opponent for a split second. And in that minuscule amount of time, someone yelled from far away before he was tackled to the side.
Dazed, Kame struggled under the burden, but then the familiarity of the weight on top of him registered. Dread gathered at the pit of his stomach as he fought to sit up. The weight shifted and he caught it in his arms, a familiar head of black hair lolling back, revealing features he now had carved into his memory.
“Junnosuke.” He touched his cheeks, his forehead, shaking him gently.
Kame adjusted him in his lap, and when his hands moved down his back, he felt something warm and sticky. He lifted his fingertips, and his dread surged to full-blown fear as his gaze honed in on the red staining his skin. He looked up, saw Tegoshi backed into a corner with Kitamura’s sword at his throat, saw the end of Tegoshi’s blade covered in blood.
Kitamura glanced at him.
Junnosuke’s pulse was faint beneath his palm. “Kill him.”
“Wait!” Tegoshi said, turning his head as far away as he could from the blade at his neck. “This is how the game is played, Kamenashi. You know that.”
“I could say the same thing,” Kame snarled.
Junnosuke moaned, unconsciously turning into Kame’s touch. The vengeful haze around his head lifting, Kame touched his forehead to the prince’s and closed his eyes. I did this. “Get me Nakamaru! Now!” he ordered. Yamada went running and Kame pointed at Keito. “Take him.” Carefully, he transferred his prince into Keito’s hold. He stood, his shirt tainted in red.
“Captain?” Kitamura asked, his blade at the ready. “Are you sure?”
The ruthless side of him demanded blood, demanded that his initial command be carried out. But concern for his lover far outweighed any desire for immediate retribution.
“Never say I don’t show mercy,” he said, voice raw from the effort it took to choke back his emotions. He shook his head and Kitamura stepped back.
Tegoshi gripped his neck where the tip of Kitamura’s blade had cut into him. Kame stepped forward, close enough that he felt Tegoshi’s flinch.
“I don’t believe in executions. But if I see you again, I will kill you. Now,” he murmured ever so softly, “get the hell off my ship.”
-
“We’re leaving him?”
Kame didn’t have to look at Kitamura’s face to hear the blatant disapproval in his tone. “He’s where he belongs,” he said.
Kitamura shook his head. “He’s going to be furious.”
“He was never mine to take.”
Kame supposed it was because of all his past sins that he dared to fall in love with royalty. He deserved pain, suspected it was only fitting that his last memory of Junnosuke be tainted by blood.
But he could still feel him under his palms, could remember the sweet taste of his lips as he drank him in.
As the Queen sailed further and further away, the port of Viridescent got tinier and tinier. And finally, when it was only a speck on the horizon, Kame looked away.
Even fairytales end.
-
Over the next few weeks, the crew of the Queen knew to steer far away from the Captain’s stateroom. Only Kitamura, Tanaka and Nakamaru had the nerve to enter. The treasure map had been moved to his quarters and he obsessively attempted to crack the code, thinking of nothing else. He left decisions for the ship repairs up to Kitamura. When they dropped anchor at Tortuga for supplies, he stayed behind again while most of his crew enjoyed the port’s entertainment.
“A stowaway, Captain!”
Kame massaged his temples and wondered what kind of fool would try to board a pirate’s ship and at night, no less. He went out to the deck to respond to Kitamura’s call. Froze.
“What the fuck did you do to your hair?”
The light from the lanterns flickered over Junnosuke’s handsome face, his smile ever present. His black hair was now short enough to be spiked at the top, the sides almost completely cropped. He wore a different version of the clothes he had adorned the last time he had been on the Queen. A regular citizen would have seen all pirate and no prince, but for Kame, the prince was undeniable no matter what he wore.
Junnosuke laughed and the sound warmed Kame from the inside out, thawing the pieces inside of him that had frozen over. “I was trying to blend in,” he said, looking down at himself.
Kitamura left them alone, though Kame didn’t miss the satisfied grin on his face. He walked over to Junnosuke, slowly coming to a stop in front of him. “You’re here,” he said. He lifted a hand to his face.
Junnosuke placed his hand over Kame’s, kept his touch on him. “You left,” he accused, though there was no heat in his words.
“You almost died.” The words still threatened to suffocate him, even now. His eyes darted to where the prince had been wounded, but couldn’t see anything in the feeble light. His fingers almost curled in, but Junnosuke clasped them tightly. Kame continued, “And you said your life wasn’t here.”
“That was before.”
Something suspiciously like hope was sprouting in his chest. “Won’t they be looking for you?”
“I’m a sixth son. I’m not inheriting the crown,” was all he said and that was enough for now. Kame was too preoccupied with the fact that Junnosuke was very real, real and saying things, and he had come after him.
“Besides. Don’t we have some treasure to find?” the prince added.
Kame used his free hand to feel Junnosuke’s heart beating steadily underneath his fingertips. “I thought you didn’t believe in fairytales,” he said.
“They were all I read while I was recovering.” Junnosuke leaned down to kiss him, smiled against his lips. “Have you ever heard the one about the prince and the pirate?”