#brody and marlon just got back from the supply run and have to break the news 💔

[ozonegrrrl]

liar.

[ericsonclan]

A Day Away From the Sea

Summary: The Ericson Pirates finally reach a port town again giving them a break from the open seas.

Read on A03:

It had been weeks since their last stop at a port town, so as soon as the ship was docked most of the crew was already making their way into town. Prisha had grabbed Violet’s hand, whispering something about how it was finally nice to be on land again before disappearing into the marketplace. Ruby and Aasim offered to do the supply run for the day and after double checking to make sure they had everything they needed along with enough money they headed out.

“We can stay with ship.” Clementine offered, gesturing to her and Louis, her eyes looking at the remaining crew. It was clear that everyone wanted - no - needed a break from the ship.

“You sure?” Marlon looked over his shoulder as he tried to slow down the boys who were already pulling on his arms, begging for him to hurry up.

“Yeah. You guys should go into town and have some fun.” Louis smiled at Clementine. She returned his smile.

“Alright.” Omar mumbled, reluctantly getting pushed by Willy and AJ. “We’ll see you later then.”

Mitch looked over and paused when he saw that Brody hadn’t moved yet. “Hey, Brody! You wanna go into town with us? It’s gonna be a kickass time!”

“No, I’m okay. I’m just going to stay behind on the ship.” She replied before going back to her book.

“Alright, suit yourself! Let’s go, guys!” Mitch exclaimed as the group scrambled off the ship together, pulling Omar along with them.

Brody let out a sigh as she kept reading until the sound of giggles coming from the crow’s nest drew her attention. Her eyes widened in shock. How did they get up there so fast? As the giggles continued Brody decided that it would be better if she wasn’t there. Quickly slamming her book closed, she sprinted after the boys. “Hey guys, wait up!”

Prisha and Violet walked into the town square side by side while they talked about this and that. Violet looked at Prisha’s smile as she talked; it was really great to be back on land together. The ship was nice and all, but after being stuck on it for a couple weeks it felt amazing to just spend time alone with her, walking down a street side by side without a care in the world.

“So I figured the best way we can improve-” Prisha suddenly stopped mid-sentence as she looked at a nearby stand. “I’ll be right back.” she whispered before running forward towards a small stand.

Violet looked on with confusion as she watched her talk with the seller before returning back. Her hand was hidden behind her back. “So what did you get?”

“Well, I saw this flower,” Prisha’s hand came from behind her back, revealing a small light blue flower. “And I wanted to get it for you.” Prisha’s hand brushed back Violet’s hair, gently placing the flower by her ear. Violet felt her face grow warm when she looked at Prisha who smiled at her with such a loving gaze. Violet’s hand reached up to touch the flower in her hair.

“Thank you.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah. I really do.” A warm light seemed to dance in Violet’s eyes. The two smiled at each other before Violet reached out, her hand intertwining with Prisha’s. The couple continued their stroll through the market square. When they had reached the center of the square, Violet noticed another flower stall. This one had a multitude of different flowers. She glanced over at Prisha who had gotten distracted by another stall that seemed to be selling different trinkets that shone in the sunlight. This is my chance. Violet silently made her way over to the flower stall, returning after a couple minutes to Prisha with arms full of flowers.

Prisha looked shocked when she turned around to see Violet standing with all the flowers.

“Your hair would look beautiful with flowers too. So… I thought maybe I could help you put them in your braid.” Violet awkwardly rubbed the side of her arm, causing a few petals to fall off from the array of flowers in her arms.

“I would love that.” Prisha said with a warm smile.

The two searched around the area for a few minutes before finding a place to sit down. Violet slowly began to place the flowers in Prisha’s braid, cursing silently here and there whenever her fingers slipped up. After a few minutes it was done.

Prisha stood up to display her flower-adorned braid, spinning around slowly on her feet as her braid swayed behind her. “So, how is it?” She stopped to show off her braid.

“It’s beautiful.” Violet whispered with a shy smile on her face.

Prisha’s eyes lit up at her girlfriend’s compliment when the sound of music drew her attention. Around the center of the square, people had begun to gather, their feet kicking around as a dance started to the tune of lively music.

“Come on,” Prisha leaned over and grabbed Violet’s hand. Violet seemed a bit unsure at first but when she saw how excited Prisha was, she couldn’t help but feel the same.

----

“Alright, so we should get some more thread.” Aasim instructed, his attention focused on the list in his hand.

“I bet there’s some in that shop,” Ruby pointed towards a small store.

“We should head there first then.” Aasim placed away the list while he walked with Ruby, their hands interlocked.

Ruby looked at him and smiled. “It’s really nice to be spending some time together in town.”

“Yeah, it's always nice to see a new port town. We should go for a walk tomorrow and see all that it has to offer.” His eyes were pulled away from Ruby when he noticed something. “Oh! We need more of those too. I’ll be right back, my treasure.” He leaned forward, kissing her cheek before sprinting off. Aasim shortly returned, quickly intertwining his fingers with Ruby’s before entering the shop.

It took a few hours to get all the supplies that they needed. After spending a few weeks on the ship it was no surprise that they needed to resupply, especially with this crew. They always seemed to be getting into trouble even when they had the most well-meant intentions. Ruby and Aasim didn’t seem to mind the long shopping trip though as they slowly made from location to location. They appreciated every second that they got to spend together, simply enjoying each other's company. The sky quickly changed from blue to orange as they wrapped up at the last shop.

“Well, it’s getting a bit late but how about we grab a bite to eat first?” Ruby smiled warmly at Aasim.

“Sure, I saw this place that looks like it would be delicious.” Aasim answered as he guided her through the streets. Soon they had made their way to the tavern. As they sat down to eat they were greeted by a server who quickly brought them their meal. The two laughed and smiled as they talked. Each had split up their meal, giving it to the other to try. Everything was delicious.

Thanking the server for their meal, they exited the tavern and made their way back to the ship. Before they got on board, Ruby stopped, causing Aasim to pause as well. They looked at each other, staring into the other’s eyes before Ruby got up on her tiptoes and captured Aasim’s lips in a gentle, warm kiss. Aasim’s hands went to cup Ruby’s face as the kiss deepened before they pulled away.

“Alright, we should probably head back now.” Ruby had a light blush on her face as she looked up at him.

Aasim’s face was rather red as well, a kind smile appearing on his lips. “Let’s,” His hand grasped Ruby’s, their fingers intertwining once again as the two continued to walk towards Ol’ Kickass.

----

“I got you, Louis.” Clementine grunted, grasping onto Louis’ pants as she helped him up to the crow’s nest.

Louis let out a deep breath, groaning when his butt hit the crow’s nest before he shuffled to sit beside her. “Thanks.”

The two smiled at each other, a giddy euphoria taking over their stomachs when they realized they had the whole day to themselves. They had barely waited for the others to leave before climbing up here. It seemed that the fact that they were alone was so exhilarating that they’d begun to giggle as soon as they climbed towards the crow’s nest. Louis loved his crew, but it was so hard to find some alone time without someone interrupting them. Whenever the two of them had a moment alone, Willy would show up begging for help in getting Garbage down from somewhere or Aasim would ask if he could get their opinion on the ship’s next destination.

Clementine looked out towards the town, leaning her head against his shoulder, humming softly at his warmth. Louis glanced at her and smiled before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

“It’s such a nice day.” Clementine commented, looking at the sky.

“Yeah, it really is. It’s always cool to see a new place too. We should go to town tomorrow and explore!” His eyes danced with excitement, looking over at his girlfriend with a happy grin.

Clementine looked up at him, her eyes getting lost in his freckled face before placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. “That sounds great.”

Louis felt his cheeks get warm, his voice disappearing in his euphoria. He cleared his throat in hopes it would help him speak.“So where would you like to go?”

Clementine thought for a minute before responding. “The marketplace would be fun. It’s always exciting to see what they have to offer.”

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow will be our marketplace adventure!”

Suddenly Clementine sat up and leaned forward, her face becoming serious.

“What’s wrong?” Louis leaned forward as well, a look of concern on his face.

“Someone just got on our ship. It looks like they’re trying to steal it.”

“What?!?”

“But they won’t succeed.” A confident smile played on Clementine’s lips. Without another word Clementine grabbed a nearby rope, swinging down. Her body spun around before she jumped off and landed near the thief. Unsheathing her rapier, Clementine lunged forward, her blade trapping the thief’s dagger and disarming him. His dagger fell into the sea with a soft thunk. The thief looked over at Clementine with a sheepish smile. Clementine returned a smile mockingly before shooting her leg out and kicking him overboard.

“That was so badass, Clem!” Louis shouted from atop the crow’s nest. A proud smile played on his lips.

“Just give me a minute and I’ll be back up there.” She shouted back to him with a smile, climbing up the mast and landing beside him once again. As soon as she was back in the crow’s nest, Clementine snuggled next to him and the couple continued to talk about their plans for the next day. Even though hours had passed by, to the two it only seemed like minutes before the rest of the crew began to return.

Everyone seemed to have a good time in town. Willy and AJ told their adventure with the boys and Brody. Tenn quietly threw in a word or two as the story was told, fixing the errors that AJ said and the exaggerated tales that Willy spun. As the night went on, the crew’s energy slowly started to die down. Each of them lazily moved along to head to bed, happy that they’d had a great day away from the sea.

[maybemitch]

WHAT IT MEANS TO LOVE [2/3]

Description: “The love between a mother and daughter is forever”

Warning: brief events of episode 1&2. (I changed up the timing for episode one events. Clementine and AJ were at Ericson for around 2 weeks before Y/N and Beth showed up and the events played out from then) and swearing.

Word Count: 3,493

————

“the love between...”

The new location which the duo now held a residence had almost instantaneously became a sort of home to them. Neither of the two didn’t really mind the fact that the other students didn’t exactly trust them 100%, they both knew - Y/N more than Beth - if it was them in this situation, they would be feeling the same exact way. The main reason the other teenagers were taking a long time adjusting to the two of them was because they were practically strangers, who could potentially kill them in their sleeps.

Yet, Marlon was very persuasive when it come to reasoning with the rest of the group. He had used the examples about if it was one of them out there with the child, they would want to be let in. Therefore, everyone eventually came to terms with it and just got on with their horror filled lives.

On the night of their arrival, Brody had been the one to guide them to their room which would now be their’s permanently, after dinner. As soon as the brunette approached the door and swung it open, revealing the two bunk beds, she swivelled on her heels and left the two, though Y/N and Beth didn’t really care.

The main reason they didn’t really care, was because before they stepped inside, AJ came sprinting around the corner and into the door besides them, notifying the two new comers that they were one of their neighbouring rooms, the other still unknown. Though, with this information of them being neighbours, Clementine smiled while Y/N mirrored it, the same thought in their heads; the two children can play in the hallway until late.

Over the course of the next few days, the girls dormitory began to look more homey, from the decorations hanging around; all down to Y/N. Beth did help with them, she sorted out the desk which was in the room and covered it with stickers which she found in one of the abandoned rooms, which Marlon let them go too for a few things.

Y/N was the happiest she had been in a long while, she could have a break from being a parental figure all day long. She could either watch Beth draw on the courtyard steps or benches with Tenn and AJ, with a small smile on her lips or help Omar with cooking the meals, when he wanted help.

Yet, paradise doesn’t stay paradise for long, because everything has a downfall. No matter how you try for it not to happen.

On the night of Marlon and Brody’s murder, Y/N and Beth had only been at Ericson for a week. They had been woken up alongside Clementine and AJ, the two older girls meeting in the hallway, yet the girl in the ‘D’ hat advised her to stay in her room. So she listened.

However, things were taking too long for her liking. Therefore, she grabbed ahold of her gun, tucking it behind her in the waist band and pulled her shirt down over it. Y/N held out her hand, Beth timidly taking it while she held tightly to the small blanket she held onto ever since she was a baby.

The two walked into the courtyard together, Beth hiding behind her mother figure. The group of Ericson teenagers stood in the rain, listening back and forth between Clementine and Marlon who were equally bloody. Y/N tightened her hand which was holding Beth’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

The moment Marlon backed down, Beth rounded her mother figure and stood besides her. Y/N took the opportunity to kneel down, pulling her daughter into a side hug, but froze the moment a gun echoed around the area.

Beth gasped, pointing out at the sight before her. Y/N’s hand flew up, shielding her eyes, while whispering reassurance in her ears.

That was the night that Ericson changed.

————

A FEW WEEK LATER

“a mother and daughter...”

Y/N tapped her foot against the floor, nervous, cold, bored. She constantly rubbed her hands together, trying to use the flames from the fire to warm it. She shivered, Omar - the chef - passing a cardigan which was draped across the back of a chair.

Omar stirred the contents in the bowl, shaking his head as he witnessed the girl wrap the overly big cardigan around her small figure in his peripheral vision. His mouth twitched up into a smile, “You know, if you’re just going to stand there and shiver, is much rather have Louis here. Least he says words rather than mumbles and chatters his teeth”

Y/N chuckled, Omar was only joking, he would always seemed annoyed when she would accompany him cooking; it was their unique friendship. “Oh, we all know how you would love to hear more jokes about stew with Lou”

The sound of the front gate creaked open, Y/N peering over her shoulder seeking the noise. She smiled widely when she saw the supply runners slip into the premises; Mitch, Louis, Clementine, AJ and Beth.

Louis ruffled the young girls hair, making her frown and pout her lip out. She shoved his legs slightly, Louis acting as if it was hard enough to topple him over as he took a step back. Y/N giggled at the interaction, until she saw Louis crouch down and point into her direction. The dreadlocked boy laughed the moment Beth bounced up and down in her place and than ran leaving Louis with nothing but a daisy she pulled out her hair.

Beth reached the two which were cooking, Omar holding out an arm to protect the girl from running into the hot cooking material. Beth apologised but Omar let it side, as he pinched her cheeks.

“What’s for dinner, mar?” Beth asked using the nickname she had for the chef. The male looking around the court yard, before fishing out a small spoon for her and took the contents of the pot onto it and cooled it down before handing it over. Beth hastily took the spoon, spilling a small bit before putting the rest into her mouth and smiled, “Whats this? It’s nice”

Y/N bit her lip awaiting his response. Omar also ruffled her hair, pinching out one of the daisies which was slipping from her head, “That little lady was rabbit stew. And you said you didn’t like that”

Beth coughed, acting as if she didn’t like it. She stuck out her tongue, pointing at it and pulled down on Y/N’s sleeve. “Water. It’s taste vile”

“You’re contradicting yourself,” Omar pointed out, resulting in a baffled look from the small girl, “It means you said something but then said something else. So you said you liked it and then you didn’t. You’re contradicting yourself”

“Con-tra... contra... what?” Beth asked as she laced her hands with Y/N.

The older girl squeeze her daughters hand, “Omar is just being an nerd. Saying fancy words to confuse you. Okay?” Beth nodded before cuddling into Y/N legs so the cardigan wrapped around her slightly, “So you gonna tell me what happen outside and who put these daisies in your hair?”

“Louis did them,” Beth said instantly, picking at the fray edges of the cardigan, “We did our area, so i wondered around. I held onto his belt on that coat”.

“What’s he say to that?” Omar questioned, causing Beth to glare at him, “Only asking. He hates people touching his jacket”

Beth continued to glare at him until Y/N nudged her causing her to continue, “He was alright with it, thank you very much” she sassed to Omar, causing him to hold up his spoon in defensive, “I found a patch of daisies and begged him to put them in hair. He enjoyed doing it but Clem told us off”

“Why?” Omar asked and Y/N nodded wanting an answer.

“I think she’s stressed. With everything happening. The preparation?” Beth ended her turn of speech with a question. The older two teenagers hiding their head in shame, “Preparation for what?”

“You know Beth, ive told you” Y/N muttered, showing a small smile to Omar and took her daughter for a small walk to the benches located by the dorm. “When Clementine left almost two weeks ago she ran into people which wanted the school. They’re coming, so she wants to keep us safe”

Beth slumped down a bit, her shoulders shaking slightly, she was crying. Not because she didn’t like being told something but because she was scared. Everyone was, heck, Y/N was scared. She knew how to fight, but against people which didn’t know she was there or the dead.

Y/N pulled Beth into a close hug but removed her arm so she could tugged off the cardigan from her shoulders and drape it over the younger girls shoulders, “Bethany, are you okay?”

“I’m scared Y/N,” Beth muttered, lifting up her head showing the tears which stained her pale face, “What if something happens?”

“Like what?”

“Like you leave me. Something happens to you,” Beth cried harder. Y/N’s heart was breaking piece by piece. Y/N’s eyes brushed upon the courtyard, Omar locked eyes with her, pointing to the small girl but she shook her head not wanting him to worry. Omar had been the one which looked after Beth a lot of the time, he had been the one which taught her things which Y/N couldn’t, the older girl had been really thankful for him. Beth looked up to Y/N once again, her lip wobbling, “What if something happens to you like my Dad?”

Y/N held back a sob, her throat aching as she held it, “Nothing is going to me. I promise alright. I’m not leaving you, we’ve made it this far together haven’t we?”

“I’d miss you if you weren’t with me,” Beth mumbled. Her hand clicking lacing with Y/N’s, “I love you Y/N”

“And I love you too, Beth”

————

“is forever”

The night finally came of the next downfall of Ericson. They had been playing cards earlier, asking questions which were suitable for all ages. Y/N had never laughed as much as she did at that game, she totally had forgotten about the raiders which were coming to attack the school. She felt like a normal teenager for a split moment.

However, that all came to an end the moment Clementine and AJ jumped down from the watch tower, meeting up Louis to walk with the rest of the group. Y/N was nervous her nails were bleeding with the constant picking at them. Her hands were shaking and that was noticeable when she was putting up Beth’s hair into pigtails to prevent it from being grabbed. Beth held onto Y/N’s hand, preventing her from joining the rest of the group. Beth opened her mouth to speak, “What shall i do?”

“You. Stay with me. Alright.” Y/N demanded, Beth smiling with a small nod, “Good now let’s join the oth-“

Omar was shot. He fell back, cradling her leg in the process. Beth gasped, her little feet trying to take her to Omar but Y/N instantaneous grabbed ahold of Beth’s hand. She shot Omar a painful glance but the male nodded and the two female went to cover. Y/N placed Beth in the corner away from the action. Y/N was greeted by Violet and Louis who were joining her at the side. Her hands were shaking around the bow, the arrows lay besides Beth, her small hands holding them in place.

Violet almost noticed her heavy breathing straight away, giving her a side eye, “You okay?” she whispered, Louis also looking at her while Lilly and Clementine were shouting at one another.

“I’m fine. It’s just,” Y/N discreetly jagged her thumb backwards, indicating Beth, “She’s a kid”

Louis held out his hand, gently pushing Y/N, “Listen, when they run to the admin building, hop over the wall and follow. Vi and I will have your back alright? Clem will understand”

“Alright”.

Then everything happened slowly in the world. Mitch and Willy had placed the bomb which soon exploded, Mitch being the good friend ran to protect Tenn which lead to him being slashed in the throat. Y/N gasped the sight was something she knew she wouldn’t be able to get out of her head now. Eventually, Clementine shot an arrow, as a group of people fled to the admin building. Y/N hopped over the wall, lifting Beth up over also and ran. Bullets were being shot at the pair but Louis kept his promise and protected them, shooting arrows — even if they missed most of the time. Y/N shoved open the door, Clementine quickly rushing them up the stairs to the very top.

“Come on,” Beth guided her into a room which was not in use anymore. They pushed the door open revealing a small office which had a small desk which a broken computer monitor and a swivel chair.

The girls hid behind the desk in time for the door to be swung open, causing the pictures in the walls to dance slightly. Y/N clamped a hand over the young girls mouth, the person didn’t miss it though. They stalked over to the desk, sliding everything off the desk in one angry motion. There dirt hands gripped in the part where the gap was, Y/N trying to hide more into the corner with Beth close in her chest.

The unknown person yanked the desk backwards, Y/N’s back hitting the floor at the sudden loss of support. Beth screamed loud the moment she was torn from her mother’s grasp. A gun place to her temple, the unknown person smirked.

“You,” the barked, the gun pushed to Beth’s head, the cold metal making the small girl shiver, “Whats your name?”

“Beth,” she cried out. The gun making her uncomfortable. The person pointed down to Y/N which was starting to push herself up, “She’s Y/N”

The person shoved back Beth, the girls back hitting the wall at an impact causing her to sink down to the floor. Y/N witnessed it all, a yell admitting from her lips as her foot connected with the person knee, causing them to sink to the floor, losing the grip of their gun.

Y/N pushed herself up, her feet slipping in the floor as she rushed over to Beth’s side. She placed her fingers where her pulse should be, sighing in relief when she felt it. The unknown person got back up, holding the gun in their hands pointing it to the two somewhat defeated girls.

“Hand Beth over,” the person ordered, finger twitching on the gun. Y/N raised an eyebrow but did nothing, “Now”

Y/N removed Beth from her body and stood up slowly using the wall as support. The person took a step back letting a gap between them. Y/N’s lip twitched up, “Don’t touch my fucking daughter, you bitch”

The person was startled at the sudden outburst, the gun lowering for a split second. Y/N took the opportunity to lunge herself forwards, knocking the gun from the persons hand and onto the floor near the door. Y/N ripped out her knife from her boot, an pushing it up against the raiders throat. The raider squirmed underneath the the blade, causing it to cut themselves slightly.

“You don’t have the guts,” the raider spat, their hands patting down the floor in urge to find something to defend themselves. Y/N pushed the blade closer, the raider chuckling, “Do it. Lilly will take you before you could say shit”

Y/N grunted, her hand flying up to grab the hand the raider through and slammed it down to the floor, “Don’t you underestimate me. I’ll do it you know”

The raider struggled, the blade now becoming a pain to them. Coughing they spoke, “Lilly will take either of you. She doesn’t care about the fucking age. It’s you or the toddler”

Y/N pushed the blade again, this time blood started to puss it from the neck at a dribble. The raider closed their eyes at the pain and Y/N just smiled and laugh, “Hurts doesn’t it?” she pushed it closer, a cry of pain emitting from the raiders lips, “You’re not taking my daughter and your not taki-“

The sentence didn’t get finished because the door swung open, Y/N peered over her shoulder, another raider - male - stood with their gun held high. The raider beneath Y/N once again, lifted up their hand and collided it with the girls jaw, sending her down to the ground in pain. The male raider held out his hand, helping the other up and turned to receive the small girl.

“Wait,” the original raider ordered. The males did as told and turned facing them, his eyes locked onto the blood which acted like a necklace around their neck and the cut on their eyebrow which resembled an eyebrow piercing, they were going to speak up but didn’t want to face the consequences of it. The original raider pointed down to the unconscious Y/N, “She’s a fighter. She would do anything to get back to her. Its obviously she loves her dearly”

The male scoop up the girl, throwing her over his shoulder as he handed his gun to the other. The other held the gun high, shooting the silhouettes of the other teenagers running.

“How’d you know?” The male raider asked as he tightened his grip on Y/N.

The original raider peeked out the door, noticing everyone in a battle and dipped out the door, running to the cage which already had in 2 teenagers. Their lips curled, “She risked her life for her. Y/N loved her so much, she did what we more a less wanted. To give herself up willingly”

The raiders walked out of the gates, meeting up with the others which were hanging back while the rest fought the Ericson. The male pulled out a cigar from his pocket, handed it over to the other and lit it up, “Wouldn’t really call it willingly, would ya?”

Sniggering the other raider shrugged, “Willingly, forced. Sounds the same to me”.

Eventually, Lilly ordered everyone out. The horse with the cage running away down the woodland path. Lilly threw a molotov, fire engulfing the front of the school, preventing the remainders from following them.

Beth came stumbling out of the admin building, dropping to her knees. A hand placed itself on her shoulder, the sound of knees clicking made her shiver but the familiar scent made her relax; Louis.

“You okay, Kiddo?” He asked, his eyes glancing down to her and then out to look for Y/N or Clementine. Beth shook her head, her pigtails wobbling at the base of her hair. Louis gave her a squeeze and pulled her close, “Talk to me, Beth”

“They took her,” Beth cried. Louis held as she cried into his shoulder. He didn’t mind the that this would stain his jacket for a moment, the small girl was hurt, he knows how it is to lose someone, someone close to him. Beth sniffed as she pulled back. The look on her face made Louis heart break, the tear ran down her face, her eyes were puff and nose runny. Louis ran his thumb pad over a tear, as he pulled a face to make the girl chuckle slightly, “Is she going to die?”

“What?” Louis instantly replied his face twisted in confusion. Then it soften as he processed what she asked and shook his head, dreadlocks shaking, “No. Y/N won’t die. We’ll get them back. Vi, Aasim, Omar and Y/N. Especially Y/N for your sake, okay?”

Beth stuck out her lip and then pushed her pinkie out, “Promise?”

Louis hooked his pinkie with the girl, nodding “Promise”.

Louis knew that Beth loved Y/N and Y/N loved Beth. And that their love was strong, like anyone else’s love. Louis knew that Y/N would do anything to get back to her daughter, he knew that Y/N would rebel - even in the short time they knew one another - he knew that Y/N wouldn’t give in and convert herself to a member of Delta.

Beth also knew that Y/N would do anything to get back. Beth understood that Y/N went through hell to get them to where they were, to a place which they could call home, a place which could be their safety blanket. Beth knew that Y/N would go to them ends of the earths to make her way back to her, because at the end of the day, that’s what it means to love.

————

i’m not saying that i prefer the clouis route over the violetine. the reason i allowed violet to be captured is because this way no one is harmed (you guys know what i mean if you’ve played/watched epsiode 3)

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ALIVE (this can be read separately, but if you want more backstory with this Y/N then read it and if you want more Beth content, read this)

[gciltyascharged]

HEADCANON. mitch’s relationships w/ others (one-sided) evaluations -- sans Willy.

Most of these are so rough because my mind is about ten years away. I like writing up things to really get the juices flowing when I’m having my characters interact with other muses, so this is mostly just how I view Mitch’s opinion / stance on others (most of it is just subjective until bonds are formed in character and will change over time as they develop and I have AH HA moments of clarity on the psychology)! Some are longer based on me reading some things that kmudle stated in some asks ; others are short because Omar got so few moments ; I didn’t include Minnie or Sophie due to them really not being around him enough to have a clear opinion formed. 

Anyway, they’ll probably change so much over the course of my portrayal! I’m a very development friendly mun when it comes to my muses.

Marlon: As we can clearly see by episode one, Mitch’s calm was completely given throughout the entire time spent there. When returning from the hunting trip, he immediately went back inside without so much as staying behind to help out like Aasim did or to watch over like Brody had. Marlon didn’t seem to show any care about him taking off, leaving it easy to speculate that Marlon lets Mitch wander off to do his own thing without batting his lashes.

Toward the end of the episode, however, there’s a shift where Mitch is the first one to call notice to the blood on Marlon’s face and to step forward when he started waving his gun around to shout his name -- as if surprised by these sudden acts of aggression. Mitch clearly never seemed to take in any of Marlon’s antics, moments of anger, or anything of that nature as something to worry over ; yet the fact he had to sit there and watch him wave a gun, with blood of either himself or their friend on his face, he froze up and clearly showed conflict over believing he was capable of killing his friend. It took Marlon admitting it HIMSELF that led him to finally break form his internal conflict to suddenly realize that the guy he knew was broken.

However, he didn’t have much time to process this broken reality before AJ shot him. Marlon kept them alive, he did something stupid, but he was willing to be kicked out of the community completely to make up for it ; he was willing to LEAVE if the others told him to. The actions taken there led him to decide to take up a more dominant role temporarily to do exactly what he thought Marlon would do if this had been an actual case, which was: have everyone decide for themselves if they deserved to stay or not. While he didn’t think he was justified to trade off the twins or try to trade off the others (or kill Brody), he clearly held respect for him and hated the concept of a dead man being put on trial.

Louis: While still a friend of his, Mitch doesn’t seem to have many moments with him. Outside of berating him over Louis telling him not to start up name calling during the funeral, Mitch and Louis’s moments are slim to none ; however, Mitch and Louis feel as though they’d vibe well because of their laid back look on life, but only inside the walls. While in a terrain where there’s danger or threats around them, Mitch would more than likely be more focused on finishing up the tasks to get back inside the gates rather than swinging a chair leg named Chairles at a hanging walker -- more than once...   

Violet: While in the headmaster’s office, a clear distinction in their relationship is how he backed away from her when she was clearly throwing her finger at him to demand he go with Clementine to the greenhouse. Unlike a majority of the others, Violet is shown to be “difficult” and willing to stand up with a protective aura about her, whether he views it as right or not, her willingness to pull out her cleaver or throw a punch means that she’s one of the FEW who can put down his temper and stubborn actions. The two of them are EXTREMELY alike, willing to step in and get revved up for a fight, if necessary, but this obviously means that they’d bump heads quite a bit because of it -- especially over Marlon.

While Mitch is willing to not put a dead man on trial due to the actions taken by AJ, Violet despises what he did to their two friends. It’s a flaw in the two of them, because Mitch is willing to put aside the intensity of the actions of Marlon with brevity to chalk it up to “imperfect” and Violet will give a stance of throwing Marlon away as an unforgivable person to the group. If left in a room alone together to discuss this, it’d likely turn into a match of anger bubbling over the edge until one of them either snaps or storms away. If not for the betrayal, they don’t seem to have many qualms outside of the fact both of them can be a tad intense in personality at times.

Brody: The most disappointing thing about these two is how little you see of them near to each other. The only time you see them nearby is when they return from their supply run, though they don’t talk ; the most feasible reason the three (her, him, and Aasim) were put together in the first episode was to give the perspective of their differing opinions: Brody was worried about the safe zone because of the raiders, Aasim was worried about the safe zone because it was starving them, and Mitch didn’t have any opinion at all. While he holds himself to a more chill attitude in regard to Marlon’s leadership, Brody’s stress would be something so palpable to the group.

Outside of the stress and anxiety, she’s not someone he’d have any genuine disdain toward, likely seeing her as more of a second-in-command when Marlon’s not around. It’s when she has any sort of anxiety spikes that he has issue and it’s usually because he doesn’t know what to do during those moments, leaving him to stand by and just watch in silence as she tries to pull herself together ; otherwise, they’re pretty chill.

Tenn: Seeing Lilly so willing to put a knife to Tenn’s throat before the bomb went off definitely would have elicited some reaction of anger within him ; seeing Tenn still so near her after it knocked them apart meant war. In his moment of rushing out into the battlefield, he took a stance of offense, willing to take out the biggest threat in a moment of revenge -- a product of him likely not wanting to lose another person. Just like with Willy, he exudes a protective mindset over him because of his age, but, because he didn’t have much say in how he was raised, Tenn’s softness isn’t something he blames on him.

Aasim: There’s some respect between them, not much but it’s there that pulls Mitch out of his angriest moments to yank him back to the surface. If not for Aasim a couple of times stepping in to stop him, Mitch could have caused a situation to spiral further out of control than it did. The difference between the duo is, from what I can gather, is their amount of effort put into their lives. Comparing their ethic in the first episode, Mitch completely left the party right after he got close to the gate while Aasim stayed behind to help with clean up -- despite them both likely disliking it.

In terms of what is stated by a creator of the game, Aasim and Mitch have Willy as a link between them that keeps them as friends or closer company ; without Willy, they might not have any reason to see eye-to-eye about anything or really speak to one another (although I find that a little lackadaisical since humans communicate with even their fingernails sometimes). I think they’re building blocks for Willy, because one side teaches Willy how to be strong, to be a kid, and to never let anyone walk all over him ; the other side teaches Willy what it means to learn from your mistakes, to grow a little each day, and to think before rushing into situations ; they’re both protective over him but I see Mitch possessing care for Aasim as well -- why else would he even bother mentioning his name when interrogating Clementine after Marlon’s death?

Also, apparently Aasim maybe likes their dumb jokes more than he lets on. 

Ruby: When she was a child, it’s confirmed that she once chased a teacher with a barbecue fork, which Mitch can respect her for ; that’s what is between the two of them is a semblance of respect that is hilariously done with Ruby being one of the few who knows she can keep the peace between someone else and an upset Mitch. When giving out the demand for a vote, Ruby declared that it seemed fair to have the group decide if they should have to keep the duo of AJ and Clementine within their home. While Aasim and Violet declared it messed up, Ruby and Omar agreed it was the best way to give them a chance. Although Mitch might have a hotheaded personality behind him, his choices in situations clearly do resonate a fair minded approach...

Then there’s times when he’s absolutely unreasonable. Just like Aasim, Ruby’s voice can pull him from his moment of anger to regard her ; however, unlike Aasim, she doesn’t seem to hold as much power to make him shut his mouth completely or stop until she steps up with her actions after he gets too rambunctious (ie when he’s stepping up to Clementine if she says, “Fuck you” to him). 

Omar: It’s messed up how little Omar gets any screen time with the others ; however, Mitch respects the fact that Omar is willing to take a stance that is more neutral to let them take a vote, clearly. Through the entirety of his time alive, Mitch showed no animosity toward the guy, so there’s some respect to him and his ability to use his mind to evaluate any situation.

Rosie: Dog!

Everyone: Mitch might cause tension quite a bit within the group when he lets his emotions control him, but his opinion of them all is that they’re his friends -- worth dying for even if some of them piss him off.

[ericsonclan]

Who's The Hottest of Them All

Summary: When Ruby, Clementine and Brody get into an argument over which of their guys is the hottest they realize there is only one way to solve it: a dueling tournament!

Read on A03:

“Clearly Louis is the hottest guy!” Clementine exclaimed, crossing her arms.

“Aww Sug, he’s nice and all but he’s got nothing on Aasim.” Ruby smirked as she stood in front of Clementine.

“Mitch is the hottest.” Brody mumbled when she walked by the pair carrying a few supplies in her arms.

“He isn’t the hottest.” Clementine’s statement caused Brody to stop in her tracks.

“Have you seen Mitch’s abs?” Brody looked back at Clem and Ruby “His biceps? Louis and Aasim are fine, but face it, they have noodles for arms!”

“Excuse me?” Ruby raised her voice; it was clear she was getting upset.

“Louis is toned. Plus his freckles alone make him the hottest.” Clementine glared over at Brody. Brody scoffed, causing Ruby and Clementine to get even more invested in the argument. The three girls continued to argue, never agreeing as they continued to defend their significant others.

“There’s only one way to settle this then!” Clementine strode forward.“We duel and whichever one wins gets to declare their guy is the hottest.”

“That’s fine with me.” Ruby put her hands on her hips. Brody nodded in agreement.

The three of them set out to get the weapon barrel and anything else they may need for the competition. After a few minutes of getting the equipment ready the three girls gathered around, ready to fight. Each of them continued to smack talk the others, their voices ringing out along the deck. Prisha’s and Sophie’s attention fell on them as they were carrying a waterlogged chest across the deck.

“What are you guys doing?” Sophie looked over with a curious expression, placing the item down so that she and Prisha could take a break.

“We’re dueling for the right to claim who’s the hottest guy on the ship.” Brody glanced over at them as she stretched her legs to get ready for the fight.

Prisha seemed intrigued by the answer “Alright. Then I’m joining in.” She grabbed a practice sword.

“What?!?” Brody looked up in confusion. “But you don’t have a guy to fight for.”

“No, but I'm going to fight to prove that Violet’s the hottest.” Prisha twirled the wooden sword in her hand.

“She’s not a guy, Prisha.” Clementine’s eyes wandered over towards Prisha, crossing her arms. “So you can’t join in. The title we’re fighting to win is Hottest Guy.”

“I think you’re just scared that I’m going to win.” Prisha smirked.

“We’ll see about that!” Ruby declared, a confident smile on her face.

By the time the girls figured out the order of the duels, the rest of the crew had come out to see what it was all about.

“They’re fighting to see who the hottest guy is?” Louis’ voice cracked, a blush slowly taking over his face.

“Why is Prisha dueling?” Aasim asked in confusion.

“To prove that Violet’s the hottest!” Prisha replied with a proud smile.

Violet looked shocked before glancing away, overwhelmed by the statement.

“But she’s not a guy!” Mitch huffed in annoyance.

Prisha glared daggers at Mitch. “I’m going to win.”

“Heh. We’ll see about that. Get ready, losers, cause you’re all about to lose.” Clementine declared with a smug expression, striding forward.

“That’s some bold words.” Ruby’s smile mirrored Clementine’s .

“Nuh uh. True words.” Clementine pointed her wooden sword towards the others.

“Oh Sophie, do you want to join the tournament?” Brody looked at Sophie.

“Umm, I don’t have any stake in this since I don’t have a person to fight for.” Sophie leaned against the mast.

“You could fight for Marlon.” Ruby suggested.

“I don’t know. With his hair I can’t truly say he’s the hottest.” Sophie shook her head in mock sadness.

“What?” Marlon looked shocked by her answer before his face fell with a frown. “My hair is cool.”

“Sorry, Marlon, but it’s not.” Sophie gave a playful smile.

“You take that back!” Marlon demanded, making his way over to Sophie.

“Sorry, but I can’t take back the truth.” Sophie gave a shrug.

Marlon let out an annoyed sound before storming off. Sophie felt her stomach turn; she really felt bad about that. She’d definitely have to apologize later.

“Come on. It’ll be fun!” Brody pushed, hoping that her friend would agree.

“Fine. I’ll join in.” Sophie kicked her feet off the mast. She was always down for a duel. Plus it seemed like the others wanted her to join.

With that the duels were chosen, the first being between Brody and Ruby. It was a fairly even match with both sides defending well against their opponent’s attacks, biding their time before seeing an opening to strike. It was only a few well-timed strikes that made Brody win, causing Aasim to be pulled out of the running.

Ruby stood by his side, upset to be the first one out.

“It’s okay, Ruby.” Aasim whispered with a gentle smile, rubbing her back to help calm her down. Mitch let out a victory cheer and immediately moved over to give Brody a hug from behind. “That’s right! My girl just kicked ass!” he declared proudly. “How does it feel, Aasim, to be the ugliest guy?”

“Shut up, Mitch.” Aasim glared at him, a look of annoyance on his face.

It took a couple minutes to cool down the tension between Aasim and Mitch before moving on to the second round. Sophie stood in front of Clementine, her swords at the ready. Even if she was invested in the tournament, this would be a tough match. Clementine was the first to attack, causing Sophie to backstep from the impact before going on the offensive. Her swings were blocked by Clementine who seemed to always be one step ahead of her opponent. Sophie waited patiently for an opening, blocking the barrage of hits. When Sophie saw one she took it, swinging her blade towards Clementine’s side only for it to turn out to be a trap. With one fluid movement Clementine disarmed Sophie, kicking her legs out. Clem had won.

“Whoa that was awesome, Clem!” Louis exclaimed with a huge grin. Clementine beamed at Louis then proceeded to help Sophie back up.

Before the semifinal could happen, Sophie, Ruby and Prisha had to duel for a chance to make it into the finals. It was a fierce battle; all three tried to outsmart the others. Ruby was the first to get out, swiftly disarmed by Sophie’s blade. She gave a sad groan when she got out while Sophie let out a sigh of relief, happy to get one step closer to victory. Prisha took the opportunity to try and take out Sophie before she had a chance to focus back on the duel. Sophie’s face twisted in pain, a small, shaky gasp escaping her lips as Prisha’s blade connected with her rib cage.

Sophie immediately doubled over, her hands clutching onto her knees as her head spun. She knew she had lost. “I forfeit.” Sophie wheezed, collapsing against the side of the ship. “I didn’t even want to join.”

Prisha let out a happy cry, jumping in the air at the news of her victory.

“See that, Violet!” Prisha looked over at Violet with happiness “We’re in the finals!”

“You went too far, Prisha.” Violet motioned over to the side of the ship where Ruby had walked over to check on Sophie.

Prisha's face fell in concern, realizing just how brutal her attack had been.

“Don’t worry,” Ruby looked over at Prisha. “Sophie is going to be just fine.” Ruby’s confirmation seemed to help the whole crew feel more at ease.

“Sorry, Sophie. I just got really caught up in the duel. I didn’t mean for something like this to happen again.” Prisha had an apologetic look while she stood by Sophie.

“It’s okay. It was all in good fun.” Sophie gave a reassuring smile that disappeared when she winced while adjusting her weight.

The crew decided it would be best for Sophie to lie down so they took a quick break while Marlon helped Sophie down belowdecks to get some rest. After Marlon had returned and let them know that Sophie was okay, they resumed the tournament, moving on to the semifinals.

It didn’t last very long at all. Brody's anxiety easily got the best of her and with a few attacks Clementine had won. Only one more competitor stood in her way.

Clementine and Prisha walked towards each other with competitive smiles on their faces.

“May the best man win.” Clementine said, shaking Prisha’s hand.

Prisha looked at her with a smirk. “I’ve already won.”

Clementine met her smirk with one of her own. “We’ll see about that.”

The two stood at the ready. The tension in the air was thick with excitement as the two battled it out. Each played to their strengths. Prisha’s defense was near impossible to break. Her blade deflected each of Clementine’s attacks as she took her time to find an opening.

But there were none. Clementine weaved an impressive balance between defense and offense. It was only thanks to Prisha’s endurance that she had gotten an attack in after many excruciating minutes of dueling. Prisha dashed to the right side, feigning an attack before sliding to the left and hitting Clementine with a devastating blow, causing Clementine to lose her edge and fall over.

“Yes!” Prisha yelled, a bright smile on her face as she pumped her fist.

The crew looked on in disbelief. Violet, the only non-male contender, had won the title of Hottest Guy.

Louis gave a big smile before running towards the ship wheel. Jumping onto the railing in front of it, he flipped his coat dramatically. “Let it be known from this day forth that Violet is the hottest guy of the Ericson Pirates!”

Violet looked away, a mixture of pride and embarrassment within her.

“Ha! Take that, Mitch!” Prisha stood by Violet with a proud grin on her face.

“But!” Louis’ voice drew back the crew’s attention. “There’s still a burning question on everyone’s mind: Who’s the hottest girl?” Louis playfully wiggled his eyebrows. “I guess we’ll have to see in the next tournament.”

His words rang out across the ship as the crew stood silently, taking in the challenge Louis had just declared. Everyone was curious who would win.

[ericsonclan]

A Feast Fit for Kings

Summary: The Ericson Pirates must sneak into a fancy party to steal food when their own supplies run low.

Read on A03:

The crew gathered around the deck, confused by what Louis would have called them up for. They talked amongst themselves when Louis dramatically threw back his coat, standing on top of the ship’s edge and causing the crew to quiet down.

“Alrighty, crew! I’ve called you here today to tell you of the great adventure I have in store!” Louis exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. The youngest boys gasped with excitement as they began hopping up and down.

“What’s the adventure this time, Lou?” Marlon looked up at Louis while Rosie hit her paw against his leg, demanding that his attention be on her.

“We are going to a ball!” Louis shouted, lifting up his hands in hopes to raise up everyone’s enthusiasm.

Ruby and Brody seemed excited, talking amongst themselves about it, but Violet definitely wasn’t. Her eyes focused on the deck with a grumpy expression, her arms crossed. “I’ll pass.” she mumbled, turning to leave when Louis spoke up once again.

“Wait!” Louis shouted, reaching out his hand. “We’re going to the ball to steal food!”

“We’re broke again, aren’t we?” Aasim’s eyes shot up at Louis, the annoyance clear in his voice. “Yes.” Louis mumbled, taking off his pirate hat and twirling it in his hands. “But!” he held out a hand, “With this plan we will feast like kings!”

“Food!” Willy screamed, grasping the sides of his head and high-fiving Tenn with so much passion that it nearly knocked him over. Sophie also seemed really excited about the prospect of food, beaming with an excited smile. After a lengthy description of the plan that was far too long considering that it boiled down to the crew stealing food and hiding it in their clothes, Louis stood impatiently waiting for the crew’s vote.

“It sounds like a pretty shitty plan.” Violet grumbled, still not willing to go to a ball on such a loose plan.

“I don’t know.” Sophie smiled over at Violet. “From what I’ve heard this crew has done crazier plans and succeeded.” She hoped that the crew would go with the plan. Sophie was down for it if it meant getting some good food. “I say aye!”

There was silence for a few seconds before one by one the crew agreed.

Louis jumped down graciously, landing on his tail coat and tripping before turning towards Aasim and Mitch. “Okay, lads! If you’d follow me, we can prepare for the evening.”

“Why the fuck are you calling us lads?” Mitch snapped, walking forward to follow Louis who led the guys to one of the sleeping quarters.

The girls followed Clementine who led them to the other sleeping quarters. Before beginning, each group went to their hammocks and opened the chests below to grab the right outfits to begin their transformation. The girls quickly began to change, putting on outfits that had the most pockets and hiding places for food.

Sophie casually threw off her shirt and went down to reach for her new one when she heard Brody gasp. Sophie felt her stomach drop. For just a moment she had lost herself in the thrill of a fun evening and had forgotten about the scars.

“Soph, your back...” Violet whispered in horror at the sight before her. Her voice cracked with emotion from seeing the overlaying scars that plagued her friend’s back.

Sophie’s body tensed at the comment. Every muscle in her body felt tight, an overwhelming fear filled her stomach. Reliving the day that she got the scars. An awkward tension filled the room before Sophie answered. “There’s no great story behind it.” Sophie tried to force a smile, hoping to play it off, but it was clear they weren’t buying it. Sophie felt her throat tighten at her next words. “I disobeyed this captain’s order and paid the price.”

The room fell silent. The mood had changed from what was once a giddy, bubbly excitement at the prospect of the ball to the tense reality of Sophie’s scars. Each girl tried to come up with some way to change the subject but failed to find the right words. Suddenly they heard someone from across the hall scatting.

“Do be do ba, do bee da doo...”

“Mitch, you can’t wear that!” Louis’ voice broke the tune.

“Why the fuck not?” Mitch shouted back.

“Because it has no pockets for one thing and the cut of the shirt is so low you’d be dropping more food than carrying!”

“It’s just not practical, Mitch.” Aasim’s voice rang out.

“What? Like your fancy outfit with the handkerchief?”

“It’s cravat!” Aasim snapped back, taking a huffy breath “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Ok. Ok. Guys, let’s calm down.” Marlon’s voice was level as he tried to deescalate the situation. “Mitch, we have to get food for this to work, so can you please just change?”

A few seconds passed before Mitch responded. “Fine.”

---

After 20 minutes had passed everyone stood on deck ready for the evening. Prisha and Aasim quickly went over the strategy that they had made even though they knew that probably half of the crew wouldn’t even follow it. The crew talked excitedly on the way to the ball. Sophie talked with Willy, each of them dreaming about which food they hoped they’d find at the ball. Tenn added his own favorite foods here and there when a break in the conversation appeared.Mitch and Brody were talking about something that had to do with the argument he’d had with the other guys and Aasim also seemed to be getting drawn into it.

When they arrived at the location the crew carefully made their way through the front, sneaking into the ball with ease. Their eyes widened in awe when they realized Louis wasn’t kidding when he called it a feast. Platters of meats and cheese filled the tables. Breads of all shapes and sizes covered each and every inch of open space. Bowls upon bowls of fruits were laid out around the room while servers walked by with fancy drinks. It really was quite the spread.

Mitch snagged a drink when a server went by, downing it in a single swig. Letting out a satisfied sigh, he turned to the rest of the crew. “Alright! Let’s get to work!” he announced before making his way to the nearest table with the younger boys. Willy and Tenn were busy sneaking food into AJ’s afro as Mitch stored some in his upper pockets, his eyes scanning the room to make sure no one was watching them.

Prisha and Aasim immediately put their plan into motion, methodically taking the food that would be the easiest to steal and store. Violet turned to the nearest food at the table before her and grabbed a few items only to drop them on the floor. “Shit.” Violet angrily whispered under her breath. Depth perception really was her worst enemy at times.

Ruby made her way to the fruit bowl that stood next to Aasim, glancing around before grabbing the side of the bowl and tossing the entirety of its contents down her shirt. She spent a few seconds shifting the fruit around in her shirt until it was hard to tell if she had stored anything in there at all. “No one would dare to check here!” Ruby winked playfully at Aasim. Aasim felt his face overheat. This situation was far too overwhelming for him.

Clementine, Brody and Sophie were by the meat and cheese taking turns snagging different cuts while the other two watched their backs. Brody frantically searched the table, panicking and throwing pieces of cheese in her pant pockets when Sophie gave the signal to stop; someone was nearing the table. Brody slammed hard against the table before she leaned her back against Sophie’s. The pair tried to smile normally in hopes that the man wouldn’t notice them. Clementine leaned on the table, snatching a roll and tucking it away while they waited for the man to leave. When he did so, Sophie turned around, grabbing up a whole platter of meat and hiding it away in her outfit. Giving a thumbs up to the other two, they made their way over to another table where they took turns swiping bread and other baked goods.

After a half hour the crew regrouped, checking to make sure they had snagged enough. Everyone looked pretty normal with the food safely stored inside their outfits except a few. Willy’s was especially bad; it looked like his pants were bursting at the seams in some places.

Prisha looked over at Mitch whose shirt was bulging with food. It seemed to prominently be around his chest area. Prisha snorted. “Nice moobs, Mitch.”

Mitch mockingly repeated the sentence then snapped back, “Shut up, Prisha! I bet I got more food than you anyway.”

Before she could respond, Violet let out a frustrated growl, cussing angrily under her breath as she took out her stash. “What kind of fucking idiot am I? I grabbed a bunch of wax fruit!” she groaned as she tossed a wax apple aside. It bounced on the floor, stopping at Mitch’s feet.

“Stupid assholes and their fancy fake fruit.” Mitch grumbled in agreement.

Suddenly a few guards walked by, causing Louis to panic. “Quick, everyone! Act normal!” He whispered, proceeding to lean aesthetically against a wall, his hat tipping slightly from the weight of the food hidden inside it. The rest followed suit, all striking unusual poses.

Willy instantly sat down, gasping in horror as he grasped his butt. “My buns!”

“Which ones?” Louis looked over with a mixture of concern and confusion.

Immediately Willy sat up to reveal two large dark colored splotches on each of his cheeks. The crew didn’t have time to react, however, as the guards had taken notice of them thanks to Willy’s exclamation. Their faces squinted in concentration before changing in recognition as they realized who they were. “You there! Hold it!” A guard shouted while he unsheathed his blade.

“Holy shit! Run!” Louis shouted, picking up the nearest of the younger boys and sprinting off in the direction of Ol’ Kickass. The rest followed close behind. Violet passed out the wax fruit to Sophie and Mitch who immediately started throwing it to distract the guards. Violet’s aim wasn’t the best. Most of her hits were connecting with the ground rather than the guards, but Mitch and Sophie were able to get a few good hits in.

“Eat it!” Sophie grunted, tossing a plastic banana that whacked one of the guard’s directly in the face. Mitch gave a proud smile and high fived her before pelting another guard with more wax apples.

As they scrambled back onto the ship they quickly got ready to set sail, but not before two of the guards jumped on deck. Aasim and Marlon fought them back while the others tried to get the anchor pulled up and the sail put down. Marlon and Aasim shared a look and smiled at each other. They tag teamed one guard, sending him off the side of the ship. Before the other guard had a chance to react, they kicked him over into the sea to join his fellow guard.

Only when they had gotten a good distance between them and the town did the crew stop to celebrate. They really did steal a meal worthy of kings. Each member continuously dug into the meal. Multiple hands snagged the different assortments of meats and cheeses. Marlon and Omar had even managed to steal a few drinks. Bottles clinked together as the crew celebrated another successful adventure.

“Here’s to many more to come!” Louis announced, standing up proudly in front of the crew who cheered in agreement, laughing and talking until the night turned to morning.

[ericsonclan]

Walking a Knife’s Edge

Summary: Marlon considers his friendship with Sophie and if it could ever be something more.

Read on A03:

Notes: Wrote this for @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale ‘s TWDG One Shot prompt for May. Was able to get all the points and still make it sound natural, so I’m super happy with it :D

Marlon sat on the bannister of the deck on Ol’ Kickass, his expression somber as he looked out at the calm sea. He was thinking back on the scars Sophie had inadvertently shown him when they’d gone to that cave for a swimming lesson. To think that she’d been beaten so badly in her time on that other ship that her scars would never truly heal… the thought sickened Marlon. He wished there was something he could do for her, some way to ease at least a small part of the internal pain she carried, but he was coming up empty. All he could do was be there for Sophie as a listening ear or a supportive sounding board whenever she wanted to talk. It wasn’t enough, but it was all he had.

“Hey, Marlon,” Brody’s voice was cheerful as she approached him. “Mind if I sit with you while I have my lunch?” Her face fell when she saw the look on his. “Shit, am I invading your privacy? I know that’s hard to come by on a ship. I’ll just leave-”

“You don’t have to go. I’d actually like the company,”

“Well, alright then,” Brody plopped down beside him, pulling an apple out of her pocket. A dagger was in her other hand. Carefully she began to peel the apple. The curling peel fell in pieces under the waves beneath their feet from time to time as she worked.

Marlon smirked at her as she took her first bite. “Really? All you’re having for lunch is an apple?”

Brody shrugged. “We’re running low on supplies. And my stomach can’t handle another stew right now. Omar’s been making them really rich lately,”

“Still, no meat to supplement it? Not even a roll?”

“They’re full of weevils,” Brody responding, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

“Ok, that’s fair,”

They sat in silence for a few moments, legs dangling off the edge as the waves crashed against the gently rocking ship. Brody wasn’t saying anything, but Marlon could tell that she wanted to.

“You’ve got a question?”

“It’s just… you’ve seemed awful quiet these last couple days. It isn’t like you,”

“Just had a lot on my mind,”

“Was it something that happened when you and Soph went swimming?”

Marlon looked over at Brody, studying her eyes. What did she suspect? “It’s not my place to say,”

“Oh, OK,” Brody returned to kicking her legs, looking out at the endless expanse of sea. “Y’know, for what it’s worth I think the two of you are cute together,”

“What?!” Marlon’s shocked expression was mirrored by Brody’s.

“Damn it, did I misread things? I’m sorry!” Brody looked down in shame. “I just thought with how close the two of you have been lately that maybe there was something more there. That’s how it started with Mitch and I. Though I guess it was a lot more teasing and bantering on our end. The affection came later. You and Sophie seem to get along so easily. I’m glad she has someone she feels she can trust,”

Marlon shrugged. “I don’t know how much help I’m being. Sophie’s been through so much… being lost at sea for all those years just to wake up and find out what Minnie’s become, what she did to her own friends? I don’t think having a friend is going to fix it all,”

“Well, it certainly can’t hurt,” Brody glanced over at Marlon uncertainly. “And feel free to disregard what I say next if it’s not true, but if there are feelings there with Sophie, I’d just give it time. Not every romance has to be expeditious,”

“Expeditious?” Marlon’s brow quirked in confusion. “Where did that come from?”

“Did I not use it right?” Brody blushed in embarrassment. “Prisha said it the other day when she was talking about some sort of strategy with Clem. I figured I understood what it meant so I thought I’d give it a whirl,”

“I mean, I think you used it right. It was just a bit unexpected,”

“What I’m trying to say is every couple’s different. For Louis and Clem it only took a few months before they knew they wanted to be together while it took me years to figure out why Mitch was so special to me. All I’m saying is you don’t have to get everything sorted out all at once,”

“All this assumes Sophie even likes me,” Marlon responded, his boot dully thumping against the side of the ship.

Brody’s eyes widened at his tacit acknowledgement of his own feelings, but she quickly contained herself. “No matter what I know you mean a hell of a lot to Sophie. Don’t sell yourself short on how important that friendship is,”

Suddenly the door that connected the lower and upper decks burst open. Mitch strode out, his arms cradling something wooden. His eyes brightened when he saw his girlfriend. “Holy shit Brody, you gotta see this!” He ran over, holding out the item excitedly. “You know how Willy and I have been working on alternate peg legs for Clem? Check it out!” Suddenly he unsheathed the peg leg, showing a hidden blade within. “Knife leg! If anyone every tries to disarm Clem, she can just whip out this baby and do some serious damage!”

Brody smiled at Mitch’s excitement. “That’s great! Are you going to be able to convince Clem to wear it though?”

“Willy’s trying to convince her now. We were thinking maybe if we had support from someone besides the two of us she might be willing to give it a try,” Mitch looked at his girlfriend, his eyes silently pleading.

“You want me to convince Clem to try out the knife leg?”

Mitch nodding silently, clutching his creation.

Brody let out a good-natured sigh. “Well, it’s worth a shot. I’ll see you later, Marlon,”

“See you,” Marlon watched as Brody walked away with Mitch, her expression warm as he chattered excitedly about the new leg. He couldn’t deny that he was jealous of what they had. He knew Brody meant well with her encouragement that things between him and Sophie might develop into something more, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. It would be selfish of him to do so. Sophie was trying to navigate a brand-new life right now, struggling to reclaim the freedom that had been torn away from her when she and Minnie were captured. She didn’t have the time or energy to worry about things like his silly crush right now. That would only get in the way of the long road to healing that she had begun.

There was only one right thing to do. He would tamp these feelings down. Squash them before they got in the way. Brody was right about one thing: the best thing he could be to Sophie right now was a friend. Everything else was irrelevant. Marlon got up from his place on the bannister, shaking the numbness out of his legs. He should find Louis, figure out if there was anything that needed doing. Maybe that would finally distract him from the dull, nagging ache in his chest.