An unpublished footnote in the history of Henry Jekyll.
He Xuan had been ready to leave the desert well before Shi Qingxuan had finished her little investigation. It wasn’t the sun, or the sand, though both were unpleasant, but Crimson Rain’s stupid voice on the private communication array: « Oh, sorry, are we walking in on something? If I knew there was a dress code I would have gotten done up. » And if it wasn’t that, it was the tinkling of jewelry in Shi Qingxuan’s hair as she moved, or the meaningless asides that were disorienting in…
He Xuan had been ready to leave the desert well before Shi Qingxuan had finished her little investigation. It wasn’t the sun, or the sand, though both were unpleasant, but Crimson Rain’s stupid voice on the private communication array: « Oh, sorry, are we walking in on something? If I knew there was a dress code I would have gotten done up. » And if it wasn’t that, it was the tinkling of jewelry in Shi Qingxuan’s hair as she moved, or the meaningless asides that were disorienting in the scale of their inanity: “Isn’t this fun? I love having fun with you.”
The possibility that keeps him up at night is that Meng Yao came into his service an honest man, and over time changed into what he sees before him now. That, as his ambitions rose and his world grew grander, he reshaped himself and discovered the things he was capable of, all the while looking like his familiar self, but transforming under his skin into something Nie Mingjue could hardly recognize.
Mikey meets Pete and Alicia, who are a couple. Cue awkward fumbling-toward-a-threesome shenanigans. Thanks to handsomespeck at LJ for the beta.
Mipha would go out with the Guard and take stock of the Domain. She would eat fish fresh from the river and feel the sun on her skin. And when the sun began to set, she would be ushered back to her rooms and told to stay the night, safely in the center of the Domain. Nobody noticed when she slipped out, dressed in armor meant for a man who did not exist, exploring the world around her.
One night only — this is the only way they meet, with her bruises on his body, with his old name at the back of her throat, choked. He's broken away from what he used to be, but what he is now, there's no name for — just a warm shape in the dark.
A little breaking-and-entering never hurt nobody, right? Especially if they're rich pirates who deserve it.
(For the Star Wars Rare Ships Challenge over on Pillowfort!)
The Brides have their hooks in Jonathan, less pleasurably than before. Written for Elise, prompt "naked".