The Fires of Summer (first draft)

For a while Haley doesn't see anything out at sea. He wonders if he's done the right thing turning off course. The air is warm and in their sails, and the water's sapphire expanse stretches out in every direction like a thick blanket over the world. He thinks to turn around after a while, until a shape begins to emerge on the horizon. It starts small, then grows bigger and bigger as they approach, revealing small hill peaks and rocky cliffsides. It's covered in a forest of palm trees apart from a small beach that sits between two sharp cliffs. Haley aims to dock there.

The crew gets to work as they approach, furling the sails and throwing down the anchor when they reach the shore. They can't come in too close lest they run the ship aground, so Haley leaves his overcoat behind and tries to prepare himself for a short swim. The rest of the crew does the same, one by one jumping from the side of the ship, attempting various tricks as they go down. Haley watches impressed as Ophelia nails a flip. Some of the better-healed guards are joining them, too.

Haley takes a deep breath when it's just him and Axel left. He's not sure if he can willingly send himself down there, especially after being thrown in last time by the Kraken. Axel seems to understand and grabs his hand. "Come down with me."

"I don't know if I can, Ax," Haley looks over to the water. It's clear where he needs to jump, so he can see all the little fish and the plants beneath. It's still quite deep even if he can see the floor, and the idea gives him the chills.

"Sure you can. Just hold onto me and I'll go slowly," Axel opens his arms. Haley gulps but takes up his offer, turning to the man's chest and holding onto him. Axel sits on the edge of the ship where the rails are broken. He wraps one arm around Haley's waist and uses the other to lower himself over the side as far as he can go. "I'm going to let go now."

Haley holds his breath. There's a brief sensation of falling, then they hit the water. With nothing to distract his mind from the feeling of it, Haley feels himself losing it. When his head breaches the water he opens his eyes to see Axel right in front of him, holding one of his hands.

"You're okay," the changeling soothes him, rubbing his back. Haley looks him in the eye, taking deep breaths until he starts to calm. As long as my head is above water, I'm okay, he tells himself, looking to the shoreline. It won't take that long to get there.

"Let's go," Haley summons the shred of courage within him and pushes himself to move. It's been a long time since he swam anywhere, so it takes him a minute to adjust to the movement. Axel follows behind.

When they approach the shore, Haley is relieved to feel sand under his shoes. He wades until the water gets shallower and shallower, then plants his feet on solid ground with a breath of relief. There are some crates washed up, probably from sunken merchant ships, that the others are prying open with their cutlasses. Grey throws her hands in the air at one of them, shouting, "Wine!"

Haley isn't keen on spending too much time at the island, but he supposes some wine won't harm them too much. "Before we get to drinking we need to scavenge some wood for repairs. We won't be able to make planks, but it might help patch some parts up."

"How's this?" Kallisto gestures to some washed up pieces of ship, mostly incomplete. It's better than nothing.

"Perfect. Collect a pile and we'll figure out some way to get them aboard," Haley instructs, going to help out. It's clear that cannons have torn apart some ship nearby. Seven years ago he might have been up for a shipwreck dive with Ellamia, but now the thought makes him queasy. They used to find all sorts of treasures down there, but all sorts of skeletons too, picked apart by the fish until they're nothing but bone. He'd never feel sorry for the Sanguis wrecks, but now he's not so sure if he'd have the same reaction.

The wood begins to stack quickly until they have a sizeable portion, enough to put together some decent repairs on the ship. Once it's all collected from the shore, Haley gives in and shares wine with the crew. They pass around the bottle for a while, happy under the warm summer sun. Even the guards participate, seeming at home with the upbeat bunch.

"I used to work at the palace, and I used to have to deliver tiny food to the King," one of the guards tells them. He's a tall human with brown eyes and blonde hair, his face youthful but scarred. "I don't know how the chefs managed it, they would make tiny versions of everything for him. And the King has this garden that's just full of peacocks, which always seemed a little self-centered to me, since he looks like one."

"He has a peacock garden?" Grey laughs. "That's priceless! Go on, tell me more."

"He takes hours to prepare in the morning, and he has this personal servant with these little fluffy wings for ears who tends to his every need. The poor man looks absolutely sick of it all," the guard goes on. "He used to get real grumpy in mornings, but then again he's always kind of grumpy. You should oversee that time when he gets questions from the commonfolk, he's insufferable."

"I know that all too well," Keaberos chuckles to the side of them. As per usual, he's going around checking on everyone's injuries, treating them as needed. Haley wouldn't be able to imagine him doing anything else if not for their first meeting.

"His father, the Emperor, is a terrifying man though. You wouldn't expect it with his, ehem... stature, but everyone listens when he speaks, and even the most egotistical of rulers have bowed before him. They say he's been here since the land came to be, that he's the oldest person to walk on Aldelis. They say the land listens to him, that he made the very stars we see above," the guard says, voice hushed as though sharing a secret. It's no secret that Regus rules above everything in Aldelis. He was once a hero to the people until he rose in great and unrivalled status, making Gore into the city it is now and building the palace. Nobody has ever even tried to stand against him.

"Have you seen that guy Lucifer though? He's totally fucking Regus," another guard, a young half-high elf woman with green eyes and black hair, says. "He gets to walk around and do whatever he wants, he even groped the Emperor in public once and got away with it, 'cos he's still alive."

"He's got to be the Archangel Lucifer," an older man says. He's a human with a stern face and an intelligent expression, his eyes brown and his hair brown too. There's a single grey streak running through it.

"Don't be stupid Kyle," the blonde man says.

Haley decides to give away some valuable information. "What if I told you he is the Archangel Lucifer?"

"No way, that's crazy. How would you know that?" the blonde guard laughs, but all of Axel's original crew knows what's coming.

"He's the Archangel of death, so he'd be Lucifer's brother," Grey exposes him before he can possibly say anything himself. "Isn't that right?"

The others nod in agreement, and with a sigh Haley does too. The guards look astonished. The older one just shrugs. "I told you so."

"It's why they called me Captain Undying - my Archangel body simply couldn't be killed by regular means," Haley explains, figuring his face must be all over posters now he's known to be alive again, but it seems these guards aren't in the know from their startled expressions.

"You're telling me Captain Undying is not only an Archangel but is also Regus' boyfriend's brother?" the black-haired woman blinks.

"I guess I am," Haley agrees sheepishly. "Anyway, I don't know your names. I'm Haley, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

He shakes each of their hands as they introduce themselves. The blonde is called Adrian, the black-haired guard Amalia, and the older man Kyle. They seem more friendly to everyone than Haley had been expecting from recently-captured Sanguis guards, but he recalls the young man that had spoken to him curtly and figures only the friendly ones must have come out. He doesn't blame anyone for being upset - nobody would be pleased with this situation.

After a while of chatting about the royalty, everyone decides to go take a dip in the water. Haley stays on the beach, drinking with Axel, until the other grabs his hand. "We should go relax with them. It might help you to get used to the water again."

At first, he doesn't like the sound of it at all, but after all that's happened and all the times he's found himself submerged, he figures Axel is right. He abandons his shirt and boots on top of a crate and decides to try going on his own as Axel takes off his clothes too. Haley feels the water on his feet and eases into the sensation, slowly stepping further and further until he's submerged to his upper back. Feeling much calmer than usual, he casts a glance over his shoulder to Axel. The man seems to be coming in, then he looks at Haley and pauses.

"I'll be over in a minute. I think I uh, lost something looking for wood in the forest," he shouts over before rushing off towards the treeline. Haley watches him go speechlessly, then he sighs and lets himself relax in the water. Axel's right - it is helping. He's in control of what happens now, and the shore isn't very far away if he wants to get out.

Kallisto wades over, staring back at the beach. "What's up with Axel?"

"He said he lost something," Haley shrugs.

"That's strange," Kallisto hums but pays little mind to it, instead turning his eyes to Haley. "Are you doing alright? The past few times you've been in the water you've come out looking shaken."

"I'm okay," he answers with a smile, appreciating the concern. "I just... when my ship went down, I sank to the bottom of the ocean. That's where I was for seven years, but I can't seem to forget how it felt to hit the waves and see it all burning above me."

"You could speak to Keaberos about it. He knows everything about those kinds of memories," Kallisto suggests, his voice quiet and kind.

"I'll have to bring it up to him. Thanks, Kallisto," Haley feels the rush of a small school of fish passing next to his leg. He looks down to see them, little creatures shaped like arrowheads. Thinking about Keaberos, he remembers the news he'd received, and he looks at himself. To think he's not the only one inhabiting this body is strange.

"What should we expect from Pirate Island?" Kallisto asks, watching the fish and trying to catch them in his hands as they swim by.

"Noise," Haley answers with a laugh. "And general chaos. It's not the same as the mainland at all. You might get a lot of people trying to get your attention, especially when it gets late, but on the most part everyone's really nice."

"Do you think Axel going to get into a bar fight?" Kallisto's question is light-hearted, but Haley has a feeling it's going to be more relevant than they would like.

"Probably. Axel being around drunk pirates is a disaster waiting to happen," Haley says. He can already picture the changeling getting into trouble with some poor man who's had one too many.

"That's going to be fun," sarcasm drips from his words.

"I'm sure things will be okay in the end," Haley reassures him, turning around to see if Axel is back yet.

Kallisto suddenly gasps, and Haley turns his head to see the werewolf staring at his back. Haley furrows his brows, trying to look at his own back to figure out what the surprise is about. He can't see anything - he needs a mirror. Kallisto's voice is quiet as he speaks. "I didn't know you had a tattoo on your back!"

"I don't," Haley reaches back to feel his skin. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean? The snake tattoo, it's right there," Kallisto points.

"The snake tattoo?" Haley hisses, but suddenly it comes to him. When a bond is made to an Archangel, a mark is formed to signify some sort of ownership. It hadn't even crossed Haley's mind to check for a new one. "It's the bond."

"The what now?" Kallisto frowns.

"Never mind. Thank you for telling me," Haley sighs.

"No problem?" Kallisto says, confused.

Haley gets the feeling he knows why Axel had left in such a hurry.

Later, after Axel returns, the group start to get their things together and begin to transport the wood back to the ship. Haley helps them, but they're not ready to take off yet once it's done. There's just one thing remaining.

Kallisto carries the body of the Kraken's victim down and back to the shore. It's hard to dig without a shovel, but together they manage to make a grave deep enough to cover him over. Kallisto lowers his body into the grave and one of the guards sets a full bottle of wine in there with him. Everyone is solemn, heads dipped in respect, and they stay there for a while, until the tide begins to come in and they can't stand around any longer. Haley silently wishes the guard safe passage to the other side.

When they all turn to leave, there's a ship settled beside Axel's, a huge galleon. Haley recognises it immediately: Queen Lazuli's Revenge.

As soon as he's back on the ship, he rushes to the wheel and leans over the rails, looking up at the captain of the other ship. The great lion stands just two inches over eight feet, with a huge black mane that makes his body look much bigger than it is. He has fierce black eyes and he wears a black coat that splits at the back to make way for a tail. He turns to face Haley and he smiles, his huge arms coming to rest on his tall rails. "Haley Smit."

"Uncle Blackbeard," Haley grins. "What's brought you here?"

"I saw a beat-up pirate ship that looked like it needed some repairs and I thought I'd lend a hand," Blackbeard's hat looks recently singed. He has a habit of setting it and his mane on fire. "What's got you in this mess?"

"The Kraken," Haley says with his voice low. Blackbeard is no stranger to his feud with the great beast.

"That damn monster," Blackbeard shakes his head. "Let us come down and help you patch her up."

Haley turns to the crew, who seem positively baffled by the interaction, and the guards slightly terrified. "Throw out the ropes, we've got help!"

Having the bigger ship, Blackbeard sets down the steps and his crew starts to filter down. There are all sorts of people on his crew, big and small and of all kinds of races, even the lizardfolk that Aldelis tends to look down on. Blackbeard joins them and immediately comes to squeeze Haley in his big, furry arms. "Seven damn years and I never gave up hope that you were alive."

"You've always believed in me, Uncle Thatch," Haley beams, feeling like a little kid again. Blackbeard gives the best hugs.

"Of course, kid," Blackbeard lets go of him and ruffles his hair. "How did your run-in with the Kraken go? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No, I'm okay. We lost one man to the Kraken, and we buried him here, but apart from that we managed to fight it off. I did a number to the bastard's eye," Haley responds, remembering how it felt to be in the water with the beast. The great blue had expanded in all directions, screaming in his ears, 'you are not in control'.

"That's my nephew!" Blackbeard shakes his shoulder gently, careful despite his unrivalled strength. "How did you end up with Sanguis guards on your crew?"

"When we left the port of Wolf's Rest, we were chased by two Sanguis ships. They left their wounded to die, so we took in those that were still alive. Some of them are friendly, but those below deck are either too injured to come up or seem to be in a bitter mood with their situation," Haley answers with a sigh. All he can hope is that they ease up.

"You've got a kind heart, lad," Blackbeard smiles. "Your dads might not have had such mercy."

"Well I'm not like them in that sense - I'd rather not take a life if I have a choice," Haley looks to the men as they help out with the ship. He'd have been cruel to take their lives, and he'd have been down some helpful hands too.

"Just like your uncle," Blackbeard bumps his shoulder affectionately. "Anyway, let's not watch while everyone else works."

Haley follows him to help with repairs. He stays up top, replacing broken planks on the floor. The wood of the new planks doesn't quite match the original wood, so the ship ends up looking a little strange, but it's nothing that can't be taken care of at Pirate Island. With Blackbeard's crew, they get the job done in no time.

Blackbeard approaches Haley again when they're finished, dusting his hands - or paws? - off. "Where are you headed?"

"Pirate Island," Haley tells him.

"Let's sail together then, I'm headed that way too," Blackbeard says, turning his dark eyes to the sky. "I reckon we'll be there in a day or two. Not long from here."

"You know this island?" Haley asks.

"I know the whole sea like the back of my hand," Blackbeard grins, shaking out his mane. A piece of splintered wood flies out onto the deck. It's a wonder that it managed to escape that thick mane at all.

"I'll let you lead the way then," Haley takes to the wheel. Blackbeard nods and heads back to his own ship, where he waits for his crew before taking to the sea.

Haley follows shortly after him. He's accompanied by Axel, who first sweeps the floor and then comes to stand beside him.

"You seem to know him well," Axel comments.

"He's my uncle," Haley says, "he helped to raise me with my dads."

"Your uncle? You've got a complicated family tree," Axel chuckles. "Having one of the most notorious pirates for an uncle must have been great as a kid. Nobody would've messed with you."

"I wouldn't say that... the kids of Pirate Island are bold ones. Or they used to be, when I was there. When I fell, I came down in the form of a teenager, and some of the kids would be mean to me. I didn't really realise it was mean until I went back to Gray and Vimmie and they told me. I've never really known when someone's making fun of me," Haley reminisces. Picking up on context clues and social cues has never been his strong suit. On one hand, it meant that it never really hurt when people were cruel, but sometimes having to be told made him feel like an idiot, and then the hurt would kick in.

"Didn't they get into trouble with the Pirate Lords? Surely they wouldn't take kindly to their kid being picked on," Axel frowns.

"I'm sure they wouldn't have, but I didn't speak back then. Or, at least, it took a lot to get me to speak. And I definitely didn't want to admit something happened when I was so ashamed of myself for it," Haley explains, recalling days on end when he wouldn't say a single word. Adjusting to a mortal body and a mortal world hadn't been easy for him.

Axel hums thoughtfully, tilting his head towards the sea. "I can't imagine how unfair it must have been to be picked on like that when you can't even speak up for yourself."

"It's alright. Like I said, I didn't really know I was being picked on anyway. Ignorance is bliss," Haley shrugs. "Were you ever bullied as a kid?"

"Oh yeah, a lot," Axel's ears angle downwards. "I was raised in a big gang when I was little, and it was brutal. If you weren't good enough you were worthless, so you had to make sure you could do whatever was asked of you without hesitation, but the older kids that were there - teenagers and all - were just cruel. Most of them were just mean, but some of them would take out their anger on me physically."

"I'm sorry, Ax, that sounds horrible," Haley reaches a hand out to rub the other's back. "That must have been hard for a little kid."

"Yeah, I guess so, but it was just life for me, I guess - all I was used to," Axel shrugs. "I had anger issues when I was younger, so I kind of deserved it at times."

"Deserved it? You were a kid, even if you had anger issues it was the responsibility of everyone else to be decent and - I don't know - not harm a child?" Haley argues, gripping the handles of the wheel. "It's really not your fault, Axel."

Axel pauses, his eye wandering along the horizon. "...I appreciate that, Haley."

Haley looks to him, trying and failing to dissect his expression. "I mean it."

Finally Axel meets his gaze. "I know you do."

They follow Blackbeard for a while before the sun begins to go down. They throw down the anchor next to Queen Lazuli's Revenge and Haley takes the captain's quarters for the night. He doesn't go to sleep. His body refuses to grow drowsy and he tosses and turns for a while, tucking the sheets into his body and between his legs, nuzzling his face into the fabric.

There are footsteps outside the room. They stop just outside the doors, then pace away and back again slowly. A knock thrums against the wood.

"Come in," Haley says, sitting up in bed. When Axel comes through, ears drooping, a wave of relief washes over Haley - he hadn't realised just how much he'd been wanting to see the changeling. He's only wearing underwear, his lightly toned body on show, gently accented by the faintest glow of moonlight. Haley traces the line that runs from the middle of his chest to his navel. "Can't sleep?"

"As per usual," Axel nods, shutting the door very quietly behind him. "I'm sorry to bother you."

"You don't bother me," Haley smiles. He pats the spot next to him on the bed and Axel walks over, climbing under the sheets.

He settles in right away, wriggling until he's up against Haley, who slides back into the bed, facing Axel. A warm arm wraps around Haley's waist, pulling him close. Their faces are so close that they can feel each others breath, the Archangel's cold and the changeling's warm, intermingling. Axel's hitches in his throat and Haley thinks to ask him what's wrong, but instead his lips are caught up in a deep kiss. Haley's eyes flutter shut as his lips move, both of them in unison. Axel's hands slither down the curve of his back to grab at his ass. Haley coos into his mouth, pressing against the touch. He can't help himself as he sinks into Axel, pressing his chest to him, relishing in his heat. The changeling's hands grasp hard, drawing gentle noises from Haley's throat.

When they part, one of Axel's hands trails back up to his waist, fingers rubbing circles into the skin. Haley opens his eyes. They flit across Axel's pretty face and he lifts a hand to ghost over his white lashes, feeling their gentle tickle on his thumb. Haley cups the changeling's face, feeling his scar. Without meaning to, words slip from his lips, "You're beautiful."

Axel kisses him again so gently. This time his hands are on Haley's front, fingers running faintly from the jut of his hip to the slightest curve of his chest, sliding over his collar. Haley feels Axel in return, feeling his slim waist up to his wider shoulders, tracing the dip of his scar. It splits through the middle of each abdominal muscle on his left, breaking them into two pieces. Its texture is rough where the rest of Axel's skin is soft, yet Haley can't take his fingers off it. As he feels his way down the man's body, he feels the gentle bump of small flowers, their petals silky, and he can't help but admire the unique makeup of the man's body. Every little part of his body holds a new surprise, something he wouldn't find on anyone else. It's perfect.

They pull apart again, and this time Axel leans in to press his lips to Haley's neck. At first he enjoys it, Axel's lips soft and tender, but then one of those slender hands winds down lower and lower, breaching the band of Haley's trousers. Haley catches the other's wrist. Kissing had felt fine, but this...

It's too soon, he takes a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut, unable to face Axel. "Not tonight. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Axel's voice is gentle. Immediately his hand is lifted, removing itself entirely from Haley's figure. "Are you okay?"

Haley hesitates. Someone flickers into his mind but he desperately pushes her away. "Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?"

"Of course," Axel reaches up to cup Haley's face, thumbs brushing under his eyes as though checking for tears.

"You can hold me," Haley says quietly.

Axel's arms come to wrap around him again, the two of them still chest-to-chest. Haley presses his face into the other's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. He wonders what it's like to have one. Do you always feel it in there, thrumming away? What happens if it misses a beat? Would his be strong like Axel's or would it have a quiet rhythm to it?

Slowly but surely his restlessness begins to fade away and his eyes become heavy. He gets comfortable in Axel's arms, appreciating his warmth, and sinks into sleep.

In the morning he doesn't want to get up. It's much too comfortable being held in bed, and being so close to Axel makes him feel satisfied. Still, he can't lounge around all day, especially if they're out sailing. He shakes Axel awake and they snuggle for a while, drowsy, until they finally manage to pull away from each other. Haley looks in the mirror for a long time, feeling wrong, until an understanding washes over him, and he realises today it's not him but her.

"Axel, can you refer to me as a woman for now?" Haley asks.

"Of course I can, angel," Axel yawns, stretching his arms out.

"Wanna see something cool?" she asks, taking a deep breath and feeling for her Archangel magic. All Archangels are given the gift of changing their forms. They have a beastlike form, an ethereal one, and then their more mortal forms, which they often choose for convenience and as to not scare their worshippers. The ability to transform can also be used to make small alterations. Her siblings don't often make use of it, but she is no stranger to changing her body. Now she uses her magic to give her form the features of a woman. She feels her jaw, now smooth instead of rough with stubble, remembering this form fondly.

Axel stares with his eye wide. "Oh..."

"Do you not like it?" Haley turns to him, still bare-chested. His face is bright red.

"I like it," he responds hurriedly, turning away and working on getting dressed.

Haley laughs and does the same. She makes no change to her shirt, opened at the front to the midsection of her ribs, sighing with satisfaction now that her head and body align. She waits for Axel to dress, admiring how he looks in that jacket that suits him so well, and catches his hand as he walks past, smiling with warmth at him. She places a gentle kiss on his lips, their fingers entwining. He moves to kiss her again, his other hand catching her waist, then again, and again, before finally they part and make their way outside.