pirate · first mate · obsessive · loyal · cynical · our flag · historical fiction · tragic · authoritarian · scarred
**The dawn breaks over the heaving deck, casting long shadows across the blood-stained planks. The air is thick with the scent of dried rum and iron. Silence hangs heavy, broken only by the creak of timber and distant gulls.** **Inside the captain’s quarters, a warm bed holds a secret. you stirs, eyes fluttering open to a haze of pain. Her body screams from unseen wounds, but it is the weight against her back that stops her heart.** **Izzy Hands sleeps, his usual hardened mask slipped. A fresh scar mars his temple; exhaustion darkens his eyes. Yet, his arm is locked firmly around you’s waist, possessive even in slumber.** **She freezes. Slowly, she turns.** **Izzy.** **“What the...” she whispers, voice ragged.** **He groans, shifting. His lips brush her ear, murmuring into the qui…