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It wasn’t a huge ship, but with only four actual crew members to man it, it was just enough. Perhaps he had been caught up in the excitement of everyone making plans in the palace while they waited for their chance, perhaps he didn’t really think things through, but Ideo was still of the opinion that they had done the right thing. Who cared whether they hadn’t secured a real ship or enough crew to man it? Who cared that they didn’t technically have a navigator, carpenter, doctor, or even cook? They were a crew of their own now, fourth of seven beholden to Straw Hat, so whatever they had was good enough, damn it. At least, that was what he told himself on the first day out from Dressrosa. By day two, he had to admit that they needed to work on a few things.
At least Jeet was pretty handy in the kitchen, even if he liked to make things way too spicy for anyone else’s taste. All four of them were vaguely competent in first aid thanks to the number of injuries all had sustained in their respective lifestyles as fighters and bounty hunters. But that was about all they had, so for now, the small ship followed in the wake of the Yonta Maria, keeping its distance so long as the massive fleet galleon stayed within view. Orlumbus had genuinely offered assistance to any of his fellow fleet members just before they all split up, even if that assistance was limited to advice or just guidance to another island with a port where ships could be stocked and crew could be recruited. They had the commodore’s assurance that their limited supplies could get them to the next port even if they didn’t want to rely on the Yonta fleet for anything, but in the New World, there was no telling what “the next port” even meant. The odds were against it being another nice resort like Dressrosa. Still, as he stood at the bow squinting at the Yonta Maria’s sails on the horizon, Ideo had no real worries. They had just come out of hell, was there anything that could really shake them anymore?
He heard the tap of light shoes on the decking and realized he could already tell Bluegilly’s tread from the others – measured, longer spacing between steps, strangely light considering his size. He glanced back past his extended shoulder to see the Longleg coming up on him, that usual cocky smile still on his face. “We haven’t lost ‘em yet, have we?” he asked casually as he came.
“Nah, they’re still well in sight,” Ideo assured, tipping his head to gesture to the ship ahead. “I’m not letting us fall behind, I can’t let that jerk keep thinking that we’re gonna steer in circles or just roll over and sink just because we’re a bunch of rookies.”
“Hey, if Bartolomeo’s crew full of dumbshits can get all the way to the New World alive, we’ll be just fine,” Bluegilly said with a toss of his head. “It doesn’t matter that none of us have been ship’s crew before, we’re smarter than that.”
Ideo tipped back his head and laughed brazenly; they had gotten enough of the Barto Club at the big party on the flagship, they really were a bunch of idiots. “Seriously, how did they not end up dead five times over before even reaching Sabaody?” he wondered. “Ah, well. We’re already in the New World, so we gotta step it up right from the start. No pack of wannabe mafia kids is gonna outshine the Triple-X Gym.”
Bluegilly slouched against the gunwale near the bowsprit, stretching out his extra-long legs. Despite his natural height he was only about a head taller than Ideo, but hanging out meant taking it easy, sitting rather than standing around. The two bounty hunters were at the other end of the ship keeping an eye on the wheel, leaving the two crew founders the chance to just sit and chat. Folding his arms, Bluegilly eyed Ideo up and down. “I see you already can’t be bothered with bandages or anything, even after that shitty brat gored you.”
Ideo waved a gloved hand dismissively. “I’m fine, I swear. The Tontatta Princess made sure of that.” His hand drifted across his stomach, where just a few days ago he had a huge hole from Dellinger’s horns. The cut of his jacket showed everything off nicely, including the lack of blemish in the region where he’d taken the worst hits, though there were still holes from the fishman’s teeth in the fabric near his neck. “What’s the matter,” he added with a taunting lilt, “are you worried about me or something?”
Bluegilly tossed his hair again and looked away with an annoyed huff. “Me, worried? Hardly. But you’re a captain, now, so you can’t expect to get away with being a reckless idiot yourself.”
The cocky grin vanished off Ideo’s face in an instant. True, he had taken the responsibility for his crew, both in terms of making the vow of alliance and in practical matters since, but no one had called him captain until now. The weight of it settled on his shoulders, turning him serious for the moment. “I suppose I am,” he said gruffly. “Unless you had designs to fight me for it.”
“Nah.” Bluegilly shrugged easily. “Being a pirate captain is a lot of trouble, you can have it. But don’t go getting a swelled head about it or anything. Remember – you and I formed this crew together.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget.” It was unusual, a Longleg and a Longarm getting along so well, given that their tribes were carrying on a thousand-year war of sorts against one another. They’d fight if they met but usually simply kept their distance from another, treating the other’s existence with cool indifference despite old stories among both tribes that way back in history they were like brothers, assisting one another to survive and thrive. Hence the surprise that the two of them hit it off so well. Once the fighting was truly over and the injured taken into the palace to be tended, Bluegilly and Ideo had found themselves preferring one another’s company, since both had experience on the world fighting tournament circuit and had gotten caught up in the insanity of Dressrosa through no fault of their own. They had similar views on things, and sat together during those long hours of resting and hiding, comparing notes about what was more important in life now that they had seen the true depths of both hope and despair. Straw Hat Luffy had left his mark on both of them, his mere existence challenged them to seek a greatness and a level of strength they could never reach in fighting rings. Somehow, tournament prizes no longer held their luster. So, while the others were busy talking about their armies and navies and fleets, Ideo and Bluegilly talked each other into forgetting about the fighting circuit and setting out to sea as pirates, to aim higher and reach for a much bigger prize. It was clear just watching the pirates from several crews all around them take out Doflamingo’s executives that if they were both serious about becoming stronger fighters, the real challenge was outside the ring – pirates, even those without a title like warlord or emperor, were far more powerful than your average martial artists. It was a lure they couldn’t resist, and if they also got to defy some monster-level Marines along the way, so much the better. The friendship between the two fighters had been sealed before any of the other crews even mentioned the idea of forming a grand fleet to support the Straw Hats. Even now, in the broad light of day with a fine sea breeze pushing their ship to chase their allies in front of them, any mocking was only out of respect, a way to relate to one another without getting sappy. Ideo smirked lazily, setting his hands on his hips. “Guess that makes you my second, huh?”
“Sure, why not.” Bluegilly grinned back and then glanced up to the top of the single mast. “Next step is gonna have to be a flag, isn’t it?”
“Eh?” Ideo followed his gaze; they were currently sailing under a solid black flag, giving in to someone’s insistence that they couldn’t call themselves pirates let alone enter into a pirate alliance with the future Pirate King if they didn’t have a black flag. But, since neither of them had even considered a life of piracy before this week, they were woefully behind on all the traditions and expectations and had no idea what to even design for a flag. Some variety of death’s-head seemed to be the norm, but what kind of death’s head would say “XXX Gym Martial Arts Alliance” at a single glance? It would require thought, maybe the bounty hunters had seen enough flags to have some ideas. “Oh, right, that. Meh, we’ll figure that out later. I’m more interested in having a ship that’ll survive these deadly waters and maybe a navigator to make sure we don’t prove Orlumbus right.”
“Good point.” Bluegilly stretched out one of his long legs and nudged Ideo in the thigh with his toe. “See, you’re already thinking like a captain.”
Ideo swung an arm down and batted that foot away. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere, man.”
The grin didn’t leave the Longleg’s face, and the way he held the captain’s gaze suggested that flattery was totally going to get him somewhere if he had anything to say about it. Ideo decided to ignore it for now and turned his gaze back to the horizon. As long as the wind held and nobody messed around with the wheel or the sails, they would stay on course just fine, rookies or not. Orlumbus could take his fleet and shove it somewhere painful.
When the winds died at sunset, the Yonta fleet tended to drop anchor to keep themselves from drifting too far apart. It allowed the tiny ship behind them to catch up and fall in a little closer, just in case some unknown Grand Line danger erupted in the middle of the night, before they too lowered anchor and settled in. After a quick dinner, there was some argument about setting a watch, at the end of which Jeet sighed and took it on himself so the others could sleep. There was only one cabin on the tiny sloop, but with only the four of them sharing it, there was room enough for all. Yet, Abdullah didn’t like close quarters and chose to sleep out on deck so he could relieve his partner on watch halfway through the night. The other two didn’t mind at all, though they still had some arrangements to make to be comfortable. Hammocks were hard on their unusual bodies – Bluegilly’s long legs didn’t fit in one, and Ideo liked to let his double-jointed arms rest at night after being tucked up inside the shoulders of his jacket all day, which would have meant leaving them hanging out of a hammock, dragging on the floor. Both would have preferred a berth or bunk, but there was only one in the cabin for now, and it was just barely Ideo’s size. Bluegilly made a nest of blankets on the floor, but not without a healthy dose of grumbling first. Ideo laughed at him as he tugged off his gloves and made to wriggle out of his jacket. “Aw, not used to roughing it?”
“Don’t give me that shit,” Bluegilly snorted, “you’d be down here too if you weren’t so short.”
“Oi, I’m not short.” Ideo eyed him as he wrestled one arm loose from a sleeve and stretched it out to its full length, at which point he sighed happily. “That’s more like it.”
The Longleg eyed him right back, particularly after this stretching ritual. “How come you tuck your arms up like that, anyway? To keep ‘em a secret or something?”
Ideo sobered a shade and didn’t look his way, concentrating on disrobing and then gathering up the jacket and gloves to set aside next to the bunk where he sat. “I guess you could say that,” he answered after a moment. “Most people in and out of the ring don’t know the secret to my Destruction Cannon. It’s not illegal, it’s just a surprise when opponents face it for real, and I’d rather keep that surprise as long as possible. It’s not like I go out of my way to keep it a secret, but I also don’t go around showing off my arms.”
Bluegilly laced his fingers together behind his head as he got comfortable in his nest. “Some might say it looked like you were ashamed to be a Longarm.”
“Some might want a punch in the damn mouth,” Ideo growled.
“I didn’t say I thought that,” the other assured. A wry half-smirk curved his lips. “Your logic makes perfect sense. It’s every bit as smart as not bragging about your haki in front of your opponent, or letting on that you’re a Devil Fruit user until you have to show it. And lucky for you, arms are much easier to hide than legs.” He lifted one foot and waggled it to indicate his own obvious advantage.
Ideo huffed and then looked away again, resting his hands in his lap so that his extra arm-joints draped along the berth on either side of him. “Yeah, well. Maybe the other bit isn’t so off the mark. You don’t see a ton of Longarms leaving the island and out in the world among normal humans. Sometimes it’s just not worth the stares. At least I can pass for a regular human most of the time, as long as I keep my jacket on.” His gaze drifted toward Bluegilly, wondering if the Longleg had to deal with those same curious stares. At least their tribes didn’t endure the same level of fear and prejudice as fishmen and giants, but he’d seen enough of it to be content passing for “normal.”
Bluegilly met his look as if knowing exactly what was running through his head. “Like I say,” he murmured, “you’re lucky.” After a moment, though, his cool smile returned. “But being a famed martial artist on top of popular with the ladies really helps.”
Ideo had to snort at that. “Too bad you’re a pirate now, your popularity might take a hit.”
“Not likely,” Bluegilly grinned. “Look at Cavendish. Ladies love a rogue.”
“Ugh, no thanks.” Ideo pushed himself back and made to lie down on his bunk. “You and Mr. Sparkles can get together and talk about your fame and pretty faces all you want. I’ve got more important things to worry about.”
There came another low chuckle from Bluegilly’s nest, and then, even as Ideo worked to position his arms so he could sleep comfortably, a curious comment followed in a low, almost secretive tone. “I’m not worried. They’re just ogling me, anyway, it doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Ideo looked his way, peering a bit. “So you’re not going to go all Cavendish on me and whine because you’re not getting attention from women? Good. I didn’t want to have to punch you.”
“Like I’d let you,” Bluegilly said dryly. “No, I don’t care. It’s nice to be appreciated but let’s be honest, they wouldn’t care so much if I wasn’t handsome. Same goes for you, I’m sure.”
“What?” Ideo looked more sharply at him. “I don’t get that kind of attention.”
“No?” Bluegilly made a thoughtful face. “And here I thought that’s what the tattoos and eyeliner were for. Maybe you do and you just don’t notice?”
Ideo barked a quick, sarcastic laugh and settled back down. “Not even close. You’re the Triple-X league’s pretty boy, not me. I’m just a fighter, the rest doesn’t mean anything.”
He flopped his long arms around, trying to find the best position for them in the narrow bunk, but after a few tries it was clear that it wasn’t the ideal bed for him, either. One arm still would have to be folded up along the wall in order to fit, while the other would drape on the floor. He shifted around, trying to get comfortable, and then gave up and sat up again, snatching the pillow and tossing it into the midst of the nest of blankets on the floor. Bluegilly had watched him the whole time, and bit back a smirk at the result. “There’s plenty of room down here.”
“When we get to a port,” Ideo vowed, “we’re finding someone to retrofit this damn ship so both you and I can sleep in normal bunks. The floor sucks.” He pushed himself up and prowled over to make a spot for himself next to the Longleg, where there was all the room in the world to stretch his arms in any direction. He could feel eyes still on him but ignored them until he was good and nestled down, lying on his back with the freedom to fold his double joints in any fashion he wished in order to rest his hands on his stomach. He glanced up to find Bluegilly propped up on one elbow with his chin resting on his hand so he could watch all of this like it was the best show on earth. “What?”
“Nothing,” Bluegilly smirked. “You know, I’ve never really been this up-close and personal with a Longarm.”
“The hell are you talking about? You’ve been up-close and personal with me the past few days.”
“Mm, but you had your jacket on, and you were all bandaged up,” Bluegilly pointed out. “And last night I was on watch so I didn’t get to see your little bedtime show. But, here we are.”
Ideo peered warily at him for a long moment, one eyebrow lifting. “Seriously, never?”
“Nope.” Bluegilly didn’t have far to reach in order to poke at the center segment of Ideo’s extra-long arm flopped nearest to him. “When I was a kid, I thought Longarms were like us Longlegs, they just had really long arms but the same number of joints and bones as regular humans. Imagine my surprise when I learned the truth.” Whatever he discovered in his poking made him extra curious, and bolder for that matter, sliding his whole hand along Ideo’s arm. “I thought the middle part would be just like a forearm, not as muscled, but it’s totally the opposite.”
Most people would not have been allowed such a familiar touch, but Ideo found he didn’t mind it at all. Bluegilly didn’t treat him like a freak, he was genuinely interested in how the center-arm compared to expectations. “No, see,” Ideo murmured, demonstrating by flexing and raising just his forearm like he was doing curls with a weight, “there’s a duplicate set of muscles there, because they have to be able to lift and move and stuff. Mine are really built up,” he bragged, “because of the way I keep my upper arm inside my sleeve. It’s like this part of my arm is in a constant state of flex.”
“No wonder the Destruction Cannon is so powerful,” Bluegilly said, genuinely impressed. “All that potential energy just coiled up inside your sleeve, waiting to strike.”
For a moment, Ideo grinned widely, preening under the attention, and then that exploring hand moved over to his bare chest instead. His opposite hand shot over with the speed of a striking snake to grab Bluegilly’s wrist and arrest his movement there. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked gruffly.
“Admiring,” the Longleg replied nonchalantly, head still lolling on his propped-up hand. “Not that I didn’t get an eyeful during the tournament. I know you didn’t leave so much of your vitals exposed because of the weight restriction, that’s your normal boxing outfit. I’ve seen it before.”
The completely flippant way he didn’t even deny it took Ideo back for a moment, leaving him blinking in surprise. He wasn’t used to that sort of attention, and even though the two of them had become fast friends in a matter of mere days, there was still a lot they didn’t know about each other. He didn’t push Bluegilly’s hand away, for now he simply prevented it from roaming while he searched his thoughts for a proper reaction. “Yeah, it is,” he admitted. “Most boxers don’t wear any shirt at all, you know.” For some reason, his eyes drifted over to the other man’s chest in turn, since Bluegilly seemed to be indifferent about buttoning up his shirt.
“What’s with the tattoos, then?” Bluegilly nodded to indicate the line of crosses over his comrade’s pecs, since he still wasn’t being allowed to touch them.
“They’re cool.” Ideo shrugged and then loosened his grip, letting him take his hand back. “Same reason my ears are pierced, same reason you’ve got a tattoo, it’s not some kind of great big meaningful secret.” He laced his fingers together and rested them on his stomach, turning his gaze toward Bluegilly and studying him in turn, which only made the Longleg grin even more impishly. He was enjoying this, clearly, which only perplexed Ideo all the more. “What, how come you’re so interested in me all of a sudden? What do you want?”
“It’s not that sudden,” Bluegilly replied with the slightest pout, “I’ve been interested in you since we sized each other up backstage at the coliseum. But maybe you’re right, it’s kind of a different sort of interested, now.” He managed to restrain himself to simply admiring that long arm lying beside him for the moment, trailing his fingers idly over the shapes of extra muscles. “How do you not have girls hanging off these arms all the time? I have a hard enough time fending them off, and here you’re telling me you get no action at all?”
Ideo surprised himself by faintly blushing at that. It was pretty clear his comrade was hitting on him, but he didn’t stop that line of conversation any more than he stopped the touch wandering up his arm. “I just don’t really think about it,” he admitted, grumbling a little. “I’m only focused on training and fighting, I don’t care about anything else.” He shot Bluegilly a quick, small glare. “I’m not you.”
Bluegilly was not at all put off by that look, and only smirked back at it. “You don’t know half as much as you think you know about me if you think the fame and women are what I’m all about. It’s a nice perk, but I’m in it for the thrill of the fight every bit as much as you are.”
“Yeah, you’re not trying to goad me into a fight, here, though,” Ideo said smartly. “I’m not into playing games, Bluegilly, so if you want something, just say so.”
“Oh?” The smirk stretched even wider. “I was trying to go about it the subtle way, but I should have guessed subtlety would be lost on you.”
Ideo deadpanned at him. “You are not subtle. Not in the least.”
“It was worth a try.” Bluegilly arched an eyebrow. “Interested? Not interested?”
“Don’t know.” Ideo sat up enough to crane his neck toward the door of the cabin, guessing whether or not their other two crewmates were alert, asleep, or somewhere in between. “Not the best place for any sort of privacy.” He settled back down and peered up at the face still hovering over him with that catlike grin. “So you’re into guys, then.”
“I’m into attractive people,” Bluegilly corrected with a superior sniff. “Men, women, doesn’t matter. Fishmen…well,” he quickly backtracked, “in theory, but I have yet to meet an attractive fishman so it hasn’t been tested. And you, Ideo, are very easy on the eyes.”
It was hard to keep his cool in the face of such a straightforward declaration, Ideo startled and flushed a bit again, his brown eyes widening before he shifted them away to stare at the ceiling instead. “Will you just settle down and go to sleep?” he groused, trying to deflect everything away from him. “It’s late and I’m tired.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I did too.”
“It’s not a real answer,” Bluegilly pouted. “If you’re not interested, then say so and you won’t have to hear another word about it.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t.” But that was all Ideo would say about it, abruptly rolling over and giving Bluegilly the sight of his broad, bare back. The Longleg peered at him for a moment before easing off with a knowing grin and flopping down onto his back, tucking his hands behind his head. No sooner had he settled down and one of those extra-long arms stretched out to reach the lantern hanging from a brace in the center of the room and snuff it out so they could genuinely get some sleep, putting an end to their conversation and his ogling for now.
There were a few islands in easy reach of Dressrosa which shared its level of civilization, all of which had received the video signal broadcast by the Marines at the close of the fight to bring down Donquixote Doflamingo. Orlumbus appeared to be making his way toward one of them in order to safely resupply, though as they approached the seas turned rough and the air colder, and before too long a pall of gray, snow-laden clouds closed in over them and a few flakes drifted down. No one on the Triple-X ship had enough clothing along in their packs to truly deal with a winter island, though Bluegilly’s long-sleeved jacket and Jeet’s caftan were better than nothing, like the other two tended to wear. The Yonta fleet stood off at a distance since they were too large to land at Applenine Island’s small harbor en masse and that many ships could appear as a threat to most innocent citizens. The little sloop now belonging to Triple-X, however, received clearance to dock, and before they officially did so, the four crewmen sat together and pooled what money they still had on their persons from either bounties taken in or tournament prizes won. It wasn’t enough to really retrofit the ship to their liking, but they could definitely get food and water, clothing, and a log pose. Since none of them had ever lived at sea before but only traveled from place to place, the idea of staying on land for as long as they were in town appealed greatly, though the price of inns would cut into their supply money. “We’re gonna have to find a new way to make some cash,” Bluegilly said ruefully as they tied the ship up at the pier and battened down the sails. “We won’t get far on what we’ve got.”
“We’re pirates now, I guess,” Ideo sighed, “maybe we should start acting like it.”
“What, like pillage and loot and stuff?” Bluegilly’s face showed what he thought of that idea. “I mean, I’m no upstanding citizen or anything but I don’t know how easy it’ll be to just. Start stealing from people.”
“There’s gotta be more to it than that,” Ideo reasoned. “Look at the Straw Hats. They definitely had enough to get by but you could just tell they’re not robbing people blind left and right. Straw Hat Luffy doesn’t seem the type at all.”
Abdullah had overheard them while fastening the mooring rope and turned to them, rubbing his arms against the chill. “There’s always bounty hunting in a pinch,” he suggested, “but that would require traveling aimlessly here and there to actually find the bounties. If you want to set a straight course toward the end of the Grand Line, that won’t help.”
“Is that what you guys do?” Ideo rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, I don’t know what course we should take, yet. I won’t rule it out but you’ve got a point. All of us have to step up our game if we’re gonna be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the fleet – we’ve already been outclassed by all the actual pirates we fought alongside. I want to reach their level, so if it takes criss-crossing the New World hunting bigger bounties, so be it. We’ll have to go up against enemies just as strong or stronger than the Donquixote Family in the future, and if any of ‘em can wipe the floor with us without breaking a sweat, that won’t do at all. I’ve had enough of being beaten down, I intend to win every fight from here on out.”
Bluegilly gave him a subtle smile of admiration. “Same here. Getting my ass kicked by that little Dellinger shit was a wake-up call. The life of pirates isn’t at all like losing in the ring.”
“One thing at a time,” Abdullah wisely assured. “For now, we’re at an island where we can probably resupply. And get some damn warm clothes!”
All of them could easily agree with that plan, and with their money safe in Bluegilly’s jacket pockets, they disembarked and wandered into the little town at the edge of the water to see what they could find. First they needed appropriate clothes, before anything else; for the last few hours as they sailed into the winter island’s sphere of influence, Ideo had a blanket thrown over his shoulders like a cloak and wrapped around his exposed middle, while Bluegilly kept one tied around his waist like a kilt. It wasn’t nearly enough to cut the wind and cold, and they very well couldn’t walk around the island like that. At the first clothing shop they found along the wharf they all took great pleasure in supplying themselves with excellent winter coats, and lingered to peruse the other offerings. The shopkeeper there was welcoming enough, even though a couple of his other clients slinked warily out of the shop when strangers walked in. “You’ll have to excuse us,” he said contritely. “It’s been a strange week. But I don’t suppose you’ve heard the news…”
All four men gave the shopkeeper suspicious looks, one after the other. “News?” Bluegilly prompted.
“About a week ago, the nearby island of Dressrosa was practically destroyed,” the man reported, clasping his hands tightly together to keep from fidgeting. “There was a surprise broadcast in the square of every village on Applenine, the Marines showed the destruction and the aftermath. Since then it’s been a constant stream of outrageous news in the papers – the admiral’s open apology to the people of Dressrosa, then the fleet transporting ex-warlord Doflamingo gets attacked by pirates trying to free him, and in the ensuing battle, the man with the highest bounty in the world was killed by the Marines. It’s a shock, and most of the people around here are still reeling from it…” He looked furtively around, though the foursome were the only ones left in the shop, now. “More than one is afraid Applenine might be next. Who knows where the trouble will hit next, or if it’ll ever end?”
Ideo huffed and shrugged. “You can relax, your island won’t be next,” he assured. “Doflamingo is on his way to Impel Down, you don’t have to be afraid of him any longer.”
“It’s not him,” the shopkeeper countered, “it’s the pirates who defeated him. We saw it, on the broadcast – the Marines openly admitted it was pirates, not them.”
“You don’t gotta worry about them either,” Bluegilly said confidently, starting to grin. “They’re not interested in this island, they’re already on to more important things.”
The local man peered at him. “How do you know?”
“We were there,” Jeet said with a wild grin. “We’re the very pirates who helped to take him down.”
If he meant to frighten the shopkeeper, his words had the complete opposite effect. The man stared at them, sizing them up as they picked through his selection of fine long-coats, and then gasped in excitement. “You’re with Straw Hat Luffy?!”
Ideo glanced at his crew. “You could say that,” he answered idly. “It’s true, we had a part to play in that battle on Dressrosa. It’s no lie.”
The shopkeeper rushed to him and grabbed him eagerly by the arm. “You have to tell us what really happened!” he begged, looking from him to Bluegilly. “We only know what we saw in the broadcast, and what was in the papers after that. There’s so much information missing, the World Government probably wants to keep it all quiet. If you were there, you can tell us what you saw!”
Ideo glanced at his nearby companion, and both shared an interested look. “Relax, old man,” Bluegilly said lazily, “you don’t think we’d actually keep that secret, do you? But, you know, information comes at a price.”
“You’ll want for nothing on Applenine if you’d only tell us the full story!” the man vowed. “There’s a tavern, right on the town square just a few blocks from here. Applejack’s Pub. I swear to you, if you can tell us what we want to know, you won’t have to pay for a single drink or a meal for as long as you’re here.”
All four crewmates perked up and began to grin widely. “Now that sounds like a deal I can accept,” Ideo said brashly. “You got it. First, though, I’m gonna need a specially-tailored coat…”
A short time later they left the clothing shop clad in new, warm outfits, though the only way to get the Longarm and Longleg into something that fit was to jury-rig the sleeves and trouser legs for the time being. Even the longest pair of pants for the tallest possible man didn’t quite fit Bluegilly’s muscular thighs, so he settled for something that only came down to his knees and a tall pair of boots for now. It was still better than waddling around with a blanket wrapped around his waist. Likewise, Ideo’s arms couldn’t be wedged up into normal coat sleeves, so he had the shopkeeper cut holes in the shoulders to let his regular jacket poke through, with a promise that he could have a new coat properly tailored for a Longarm in a day or two. It would do, and they were all more than grateful as they strode through the little port town, looking around at the light frosting of ice and snow on the apple-shaped rooftops. “Applenine, huh?” Abdullah grunted as they went. “Think I can see why they call it that.”
“What, the giant apple in the distance didn’t give it away?” Bluegilly laughed. He pointed, then, spotting their destination before the others. “That must be it. Let’s go, I’m hungry and the idea of free food and drinks really appeals to me.”
The other members of the new Straw Hat Fleet had been aware of the Marine broadcast, it was hot news around the palace where they had been taken to rest and recover since many of the palace guard under Tank had been near King Riku when Admiral Fujitora approached. But they had not seen the incident for themselves, so all they knew was what the weary but joyful citizens of Dressrosa were able to tell them. If this was one of the islands to receive the broadcast, no wonder they had questions. Ideo edged ahead of his crew as they reached Applejack’s Pub and pushed the door open, mindful of the suggestions made by the helpful shopkeeper. Many of the denizens already inside sat hunched over their tankards, still wary of strangers just dropping in on their favorite booze haunt, but Ideo smartly paid them no mind as he strode to the bar and set down a gloved fist. “Your best beer. What do you want?”
His query was for his crewmates, who eased up on either side of him. “Doesn’t look like the place to know much about cocktails,” Bluegilly sniffed, “so scotch, I guess.”
“Wine for us,” Abdullah said. “We’ll split a bottle.”
The bartender eyed them all, but the last two in particular. “We have a cider wine, is that enough?”
“Sounds interesting,” Jeet replied. “Lay it on us.”
Ideo played along well, waiting until they had their drinks before tipping his fist to reveal a small slip of paper tucked between his glove’s thick fingers. “Oh, and I’m supposed to give you this.”
He timed it just right, before the bartender could ask for payment, and was pleased to see the man curiously take the note. He skimmed it quickly, his eyes widening, and then shot Ideo a flabbergasted look. “Is this true? You were on Dressrosa during the fighting?”
Several of the local barflies around him heard his exclamation and looked up sharply. “What? Dressrosa? These guys were there?”
Ideo took his tankard of beer and had a good drink before beaming proudly at the bartender. “That’s right. We heard you folks might want to know the real story.”
There was a moment of heavy silence as every last person in the tavern stopped to think about what they were hearing, and then from across the room, an older man piped up. “It’s true, then? The broadcast wasn’t a lie? Donquixote Doflamingo is gone?”
“Smashed down off the throne and carted off to Impel Down,” Bluegilly said smugly. “Yep.”
There was an instant flurry of activity, as some from the darkest corners of the tavern rushed in closer and more than one called out to the bartender that they were paying for these men’s drinks. Ideo turned and leaned his lower elbows on the bar behind him as he found himself thronged by an eager audience. “Tell us!” a woman pleaded. “What really happened?”
“Yeah, how did the island get ripped up like that?” a man shouted.
“Was it really Straw Hat Luffy and Trafalgar Law, like they say?” another called out.
Abdullah and Jeet took their bottle of cider wine and edged to the side, willing to let their captain tell the tale, though they were there on hand to add in pertinent details when they had some. Ideo started with the prize fight in the coliseum, since it served as the background reason why all those pirates and fighters were on Dressrosa in the first place, and since he had fought Luffy himself, he could add in that little detail to spice up the story. Now and then Bluegilly also interjected, but for the most part he leaned on the bar nursing his tumbler of scotch and listening with glee as his captain poured out all the gory details of the survival fight. As he spun the tale, Ideo became aware that the tavern was growing warmer as more and more people crowded in – the shopkeeper had apparently run to all his friends to tell them to go to the tavern and hear it for themselves, and before long it seemed like the entire town was pressed in on them, leaning through the open doorway and shoving open the frost-covered windows to fit even more listening ears in. The promise held true, people kept offering to buy another round for them so long as they kept talking. Given that none of the four had been anywhere near the palace at the top of the plateau during the most crucial part of the fight, and spent the last part of it shoving against the barrier wall to try to stop the Birdcage rather than assisting Luffy, there were some parts they could only relate by hearsay, but it was more than enough. Ideo had the whole crowd in the palm of his hand, they gasped and wibbled and hissed at all the right moments and stayed deathly still and quiet when they needed to. He even pulled back the lapel of his new coat to show the teeth-marks in his fighting jacket to everyone’s awe. The day had waned and the windows were darkening by the time they finished, at which point the whole tavern erupted in a din of babble, repeating bits of the tale to each other and remarking on how incredible it all was. Some ran out to go find their friends and family who couldn’t fit into the tavern to hear it firsthand and repeat it all to them. Ideo had downed three full beers by this time and was feeling supremely awesome, and Bluegilly was giggling into his scotch, as the bartender gestured to get their attention. “How long are you guys planning to stay on Applenine? I’m willing to bet there’s tons more people who want to hear this story from you.”
“Couple days, really,” Ideo answered. “We gotta stock up our ship and look into finding a navigator, or at least a log pose if nothing else.”
“Don’t know if there’s anyone around ready to head to sea,” the bartender mused, “but at least you’ll get good service and supplies here. Need a place to stay? I’m friends with an innkeeper, I’m sure he’ll put you up at no charge for bringing us this news.”
Bluegilly openly boggled at him. “You’re willing to give us all this free stuff just for telling you about Dressrosa?”
“You don’t get it,” the bartender said strongly, rapping a finger on the bar. “King Doflamingo’s mere existence scared the shit out of nearly everyone on Applenine. He might have left us alone, but there were always unsavory ships going to and from the island, and a lot of them stopped by here on the way. We saw a lot of ruthless pirates and troublesome military types in our harbor and on the streets, so whatever was going on there, it obviously attracted a bad crowd. Now you’re telling us it was all an underground black market weapons factory, and it all makes sense.”
Both men sobered considerably, remembering the handful of hours spent as toys slaving away in the underground port. “That’s exactly what it was,” Bluegilly said with venom, “we saw it with our own eyes and laid our own hands on their crates of guns and swords.”
“Then it’s a damn good thing you were there to put an end to it,” the bartender insisted, “or at least help out to that end. You’re heroes, like it or not. Applenine can breathe a sigh of relief that we won’t see those kind of ruffians around anymore, if they’ve got no more black market to visit there.”
“Pirates as heroes,” Ideo snorted into his tankard. “What is this world coming to?”
“What’s more,” the bartender went on, “there was always that threat looming over us, that maybe someday he wouldn’t be content with just one kingdom and go looking to annex the nearby islands. Or, that being a warlord, he’d piss off the wrong people and they’d come storming in here and Applenine would get caught in the crossfire. No one here has ever slept easy knowing he was king in Dressrosa. With him gone and the Riku family back in charge, this whole area will be at peace again.” He wagged a finger at Bluegilly. “And that’s why we’d be happy to put you up for a few days. Mind you, if you guys cause trouble, too, that offer’s rescinded, but for now…”
“No worries,” Bluegilly said, waving a hand. “We’d be stupid to jeopardize a free room and board like that.”
“Hang out as long as you like, order some dinner and it’s on the house. I’ll call my friend up and make the arrangements.”
He drifted off to do so, leaving Ideo and Bluegilly with a moment to look at each other and wonder at their ridiculously good luck. “This can’t be real,” the latter murmured. “We’re like, instant celebrities, with all the perks!”
“Yeah, maybe you’ll catch a few more ladies’ eyes,” Ideo teased him, laughing loudly. “It’s weird being famous for getting our asses kicked, though.”
“Nah, you see,” Bluegilly reasoned, “people like that. It’s like, they can tell we struggled and fought the good fight and even though we were beaten down, we got back up and kept going. They crave that stuff, it makes us more down to earth and all.”
“Oh, is that what it is.” Ideo shrugged off the thought, though he did have to admit to himself that he was feeling pretty good about sharing his tale with these humble civilians, and that wasn’t just the beer talking. It wasn’t some grand adventure story that happened somewhere in another ocean half a world away to people long ago, it took place right in their backyard to an island they knew well and less than a week ago. It was important that they understand, and they even seemed to sympathize with him and his companions, being knocked out and losing fights and staring certain annihilation in the face. No wonder they were being seen as heroes. He decided he was going to enjoy the special treatment while he could get it, and wholeheartedly agreed with free booze, free food, and a free bed.
A second round of locals tumbled into the tavern and demanded a repeat telling of the story, which the Triple-X pirates were willing to entertain after they had a good, hearty dinner. By now Jeet and Abdullah were also tipsy enough that their own storytelling became rather animated, but it only enhanced the whole show. At the end of this go-around, Ideo assured his audience that they had nothing more to fear from the pirates who had been on Dressrosa, most of the black market ones had fled or been arrested and the high-level ones had bigger fish to fry elsewhere. He had first-hand evidence, after all, he had been there to know that the Straw Hat-Heart alliance had a different destination in mind. He’d stopped drinking somewhere halfway through the second round, needing his wits and memory about him in order not to screw up the order of events, and waved down any offers to buy him more beer for tonight. He wanted to see this inn being given to them, and the night outside was cold and snowy. Bluegilly dragged Abdullah off his stool and together the four of them headed down the street to the place indicated, and were quite pleased to find themselves set up with two small but comfortable rooms. The four of them could not have squeezed into a single room even if they wanted to, but the innkeeper was so glad to have his business rescued from any future threat of ruffian pirates crashing there en route to Dressrosa and trashing his nice rooms that he did not at all mind giving up two of them for the duration of his guests’ stay. The four crewmen split along the most logical lines, and Bluegilly didn’t even wait until Ideo had closed the door to throw himself onto a bed and writhe around in glee that he’d be able to fit in it just fine and not have to spend another night sleeping on a hard deck floor. “Don’t get me wrong,” he clarified after Ideo barked a mocking laugh at his antics, “if that’s what it comes to for the rest of our journey, so be it. I would just appreciate a gradual introduction to the harsh realities of the pirate life, rather than being thrown into the sea and told to swim or die on day one. Metaphorically speaking.”
“Good thing none of us are Devil Fruit users, eh?” Ideo locked the door with some satisfaction, doffed his gloves and jackets, and then strode up along the narrow gap between the two beds to inspect everything. “Nah, I get ya. It’s hard to go from luxury hotels and passenger digs on nice ships to sleeping on the floor, keeping watch, and taking care of our own food literally overnight.”
“You had it that good, huh?” Bluegilly teased him, folding his arms under his head on the pillow. The bed wasn’t exactly five-star hotel quality but it was still quite nice, for a homespun sort of place. “Must be nice being the ranked champion.”
“C’mon,” Ideo teased back, “it’s not like you had it all that much worse.”
“Hm, true.” Bluegilly turned his gaze idly up toward the ceiling. “Man, having to give all that up…”
“It was your choice. Mine too,” Ideo reminded him.
“I know, I know…” The Longleg shifted his gaze to appraise his captain where he stood, shirtless and in all his Longarm glory, though a serious expression remained on his face. They had made this choice together, to give up a life of relative ease in order to become pirates. Both had their own reasons, some of which they had shared with one another, some of which still remained private. The overall urge to truly become stronger, to succeed and excel in the real world rather than on the entertainment circuit, ran so powerfully through both of them that they spoke of putting their days of luxury behind them so easily. Bluegilly stretched his legs out fully on the bed and heaved a sigh. “At least this little place isn’t so bad. The curtains are tacky and I’m already over the whole apple-theme but it’s nice. Snug and warm…and private.”
“Damn right it is.” With absolutely no warning and no preface whatsoever, Ideo turned toward him and threw a leg over his hips, settling astride him like it had been their plan all along. Bluegilly barely flinched, he only arched an eyebrow curiously but otherwise permitted it, moving to rest his hands on Ideo’s thighs. “Warm’s good. Private is better.”
“Now who’s getting ahead of himself?” Bluegilly smirked, though, and gleefully squeezed the massively muscular thighs in his reach. “Gave it some thought, did you?”
“Thinking just gets in the way,” Ideo shrugged. With his long arms free, he could reach all the way to the headboard without leaning down, though for now settled for resting his hands flat on either side of his comrade’s head. “Who knows when there’s gonna be another chance like this. Might as well have some fun just in case the next few weeks or months are pure hell.”
“Fun, huh? I can get behind fun.” Bluegilly hooked a couple fingers in his waistband and tugged forward, not to get fresh but to suggest Ideo should scoot closer. Just a couple of inches was enough to free his legs so he could bend them, resting his feet on the bed and drawing his knees up in order to turn his long legs into a decent back rest for the man sitting on him. Ideo noticed and then leaned back, getting comfortable as if in a fleshy chair. “This isn’t just because you’re drunk, now, is it?”
“I’m not drunk,” Ideo lazily assured with a wave of a hand. “I cut myself off hours ago, I’m good. As long as you weren’t jerking me around the other night.”
“Course I wasn’t. We’re friends enough, right?” Bluegilly’s expression softened, his blue eyes turning serious. “I don’t bullshit my friends.”
“Yeah, but do you fuck ‘em?” Ideo likewise sobered, moving one hand to thread his fingers into his companion’s hair. He could do it without having to move from where he was contentedly sitting. “I don’t wanna make things weird around the ship if it comes to that.”
“I’ve been known to, now and then,” the Longleg admitted, thin lips curling in a knowing smile. “But I also know when to take a step back. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work and I got no problem cooling it down.” His eyes followed the long arms draped over his shoulders all the way up to Ideo’s broad chest and the line of tattoos. “You know if I’ve never been this close to a Longarm, it means I’ve never fucked one, either,” he added teasingly.
Ideo laughed softly under his breath. He was still a bit tipsy but not enough to affect his desires or his performance. “So if I let you, that’ll be another notch in your prize belt?”
Bluegilly’s smirk intensified for a moment, but then it faded away. The longer it took him to answer, the more Ideo wondered. “I wouldn’t think of it like that,” he replied after a bit, shifting his eyes away. “A new kind of first-time, maybe, but not like that.”
The sincerity of his answer, and the touch of shyness behind it, was enough to draw Ideo in completely. All his masculine bluster and coarse words were meant to cover his own uncertainty, but it was starting to look like he wouldn’t need them. He didn’t have many friends at all, thanks to being so focused on training and winning on the fighting circuit, but the connection he had formed with Bluegilly already made him crave more. He truly didn’t want to ruin their friendship, but there was a spark running just beneath the surface and if both were willing to chase it, maybe it wouldn’t ruin anything at all. He moved both hands back to the bed and leaned onto them, shifting his weight forward. “All right, then,” he decided, meeting that serious look with a matching one of his own. “I’m trusting you on this, you know. If things get weird, I’m punching you in the face.”
Bluegilly’s laugh was gentle and came easily, and he gave the legs resting on either side of his hips another caress. “Fair enough,” he conceded. “But if you’re the one who makes it weird and goes slouching around the ship making faces at me, I’m kicking you in the head.”
“Deal.” Ideo bent his arms enough to let him lean down a little further, shortening his reach to that of a normal human, but that was as far as he knew how to go. He had a feeling he was far less experienced than Bluegilly, and really didn’t know how to get started. Fortunately, the Longleg took care of that, bending one leg up until it pressed into Ideo’s back and encouraged him to drop down even more. He stopped when his lower elbows braced on the bed, blinking a bit at the closeness, and blushed furiously when Bluegilly lifted a hand and stroked from his bearded jawline down his neck and all the way to the tattoos below his collarbones. “Shit,” the boxer grunted, dropping his eyes.
“What?” Bluegilly looked concerned. “Not what you like?”
“It’s not that…” Ideo huffed and tried to force the heat out of his face with sheer willpower, and failed utterly. “Just. Promise you won’t laugh?”
One blue eyebrow arched warily. “That depends.”
“Shut up! Just…” Ideo did not extract himself from the situation, at least, he remained hovering over his comrade with their bodies just inches away from completely touching. He kept his eyes averted, chewed on his lip, and then grumbled, “I kinda don’t really know what I’m doing.”
To his credit, Bluegilly did not laugh. His bright eyes twinkled with amusement, though. “Have you ever even…?”
“Yes!” Ideo hurriedly interrupted, perhaps a bit more loudly than he needed to. “Of course I have, it’s just. Been a while. And not with a guy,” he added under his breath. “Or a Longleg.”
Bluegilly made a contemplative face, lips pursed cutely. “You know, I never really did think too hard about the logistics of that. It could be awkward if we’re not careful.” His eyes lowered to take in the sight of the brawny figure poised over him and then nodded to himself. “This should work fine. Oi, relax, Ideo.” That hand went to the Longarm’s neck again and this time rested comfortably there, at the right distance to allow him to run his fingers over the earring studs gracing his earlobe. “You said it yourself, thinking gets in the way. Don’t overthink it, just do whatever feels right.”
The advice helped, though Ideo still blinked a few more times as if it would help him get used to the lack of distance between them. He did admire Bluegilly as a fighter, and could see why the audience and the media always lauded him for his looks – all that chatter about him being the pretty one was actually true. Yet, despite their bond of friendship, he wasn’t in love with the guy or anything, so he felt weird about closing the distance and kissing him. As if sensing his hesitations, Bluegilly took the lead again, dragging his hand down to trace each tattoo with his fingertips while the other hand snuck up around to try to find a way to thread into his hair. Ideo’s long ponytail was tight, though, there was barely any give in it for fingers to comb into that thick, violet-black hair. Bluegilly rubbed the back of his neck instead, content to at least get his expression to change back from unsure to accepting, and when Ideo smiled again, so did he. The ponytail had his complete attention, now, he dragged it over Ideo’s shoulder and curled fingers into it, and then hooked one into one of the multiple ties as if to tug it loose. Ideo stopped him right there, deflecting the hand with one of his. “What’re you doing, don’t touch that…”
“I want to see what you look like with your hair down,” Bluegilly pouted.
“Don’t! It doesn’t go down, it frizzes up,” Ideo complained. “Leave it.”
“Ohhh?” Bluegilly could not stop the shit-eating grin that spread across his face at the mental image. He counted the number of ties restraining Ideo’s hair and took a wild guess. “What, do you end up with a three-foot wide afro or something? Now I have to see this…”
Ideo grimaced and batted his hands away with just one arm, fending him off like a boxer’s punches in the ring. “I swear to god, if you touch my hair then tonight is over!”
“Aww…” Bluegilly relented, pulling back and then finding something else to touch, settling on his comrade’s chest and his other arm where it rested beside him. “Fine, fine. I’ll just have to find something else to hang onto, then.” Both hands made their way independently to Ideo’s shoulders and then squeezed, gently admiring their strength. It went a long way toward placating Ideo, he settled back down and finally lowered himself to lie fully on top of Bluegilly, his long arms flopping all across the bed on either side. It was a good start, but they really needed to stop playing around if they wanted to get anywhere with each other. Bluegilly liked to tease, and drew one finger down along Ideo’s jaw, following his beard to his chin, keeping his attention focused straight on him the way he liked it. His touch played along Ideo’s lips, and he grinned as the Longarm finally found his courage and teased back, tipping his head to run his lips loosely across Bluegilly’s palm. He decided he liked that so much that he ducked his head and let Bluegilly touch him anywhere, everywhere, even his hair, growling happily under his breath at the warm hand circling his earlobe, playing with his earrings, then pressing against his jaw and stroking his neck. Thanks to his long arms Ideo could reach almost anywhere, but settled for bracing his weight on his lower elbows and threading both hands into that shock of tousled blue hair. The response was unmistakable, Bluegilly hummed in delight and closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of being petted so thoroughly. He breathed a quick gasp and then pushed at Ideo’s chest to beg for a little room, so he could find the zipper of his jacket and draw it down. Ideo was pretty proud of himself for being able to push himself up enough to allow this while not moving his hands from where they were at all, but then he forgot all about what he was doing as he looked down and watched the zipper part to reveal Bluegilly’s muscled abs. There was a show being put on just for him, and he had better not miss it. The jacket came open with a little click of the zipper, and then Ideo was on him, pushing the fabric aside and bending his head to run his lips and teeth along each taut muscle in turn. All hesitation was thrown completely aside, he fell to leaving wet trails across Bluegilly’s chest and stomach and scraping his teeth along the same path, tasting the warmth of his skin, all while one hand still combed roughly through his hair. The Longleg eagerly encouraged him with soft moans and roaming hands all across the bare skin of Ideo’s back and shoulders. There was so much about their chiseled fighter’s physiques to worship and they fell to it, somehow managing to keep Ideo’s long arms from getting in the way – for now.
They progressed fairly rapidly from casually feeling their way around each other to fully pawing each other up and down, and though their lips never met, they found plenty of bare skin to taste and nibble instead. Before he could even stop to plan it, Ideo found himself licking along Bluegilly’s collarbone while the Longleg bit his earlobe and mouthed wet kisses along his neck. He shifted to encourage more of that, sliding fully against Bluegilly, and only then felt what effect all their eager mauling was having on his comrade. It took him aback for a moment, and then with a rush of that’s my fault, I got him like that, Ideo gave in and went with it. It was good to be wanted, and there was nothing standing in the way of having a good time just like both of them had agreed. One thing was becoming painfully clear, though, if he wanted to make the most of that hardness: pants were in the way. Doubly so. Since he was still on top, Ideo dragged himself away long enough to sit up and attack Bluegilly’s waistband, yanking the button open and finding that he was still wearing his too-tiny fighting shorts under the long pants they had bought at the shop. The extra obstacle made him groan to himself, but he wasn’t deterred. Seeing what he was aiming for, Bluegilly propped himself on an elbow as if to sit up and take care of it, but Ideo smacked a palm to his chest and pushed him easily back down with his long reach. “I got this,” he assured smugly, snaking his other arm around beneath a thigh and pushing that long leg straight up into the air.
Bluegilly startled at first, but seeing that move brought a matching wicked grin to his lips. “This is why it pays to get a Longarm in bed, huh?”
“You ain’t even seen half of it, yet.” It still took cooperation between them to wrestle the pants off one leg at a time, but long arms compensated for long legs and made relatively quick work of it. The shorts, though, those were going to be a problem. One step at a time, Ideo reminded himself, settling onto his knees in that position while Bluegilly wrapped his legs around his waist, effectively trapping him there. Ideo ogled him up and down, one hand raking down his abs to rest on the bulge straining the shorts. One thing was fairly clear to him, then. “You’re not wearing anything under these, are you?”
“Nope,” Bluegilly replied with a feral grin.
Ideo didn’t question himself, why the sound of that made his own arousal swell in response, he was on a roll and not about to slow down. The heel of his hand pressed against Bluegilly, eliciting a gasp and then a long groan out of him. It made him bolder, and after a few good squeezes through the shorts, Ideo tugged them down enough to free the growing erection and lay hands directly on it. Like Bluegilly himself, his cock was long and lean, and Ideo fondled him in appreciation, stroking easily up the length. Watching his thick, strong hand curled around him like that thrilled Bluegilly more than the touch itself, he hummed happily at the progression of events and stretched his arms over his head, making himself comfortable. He was getting stroked off by an attractive and powerful man, what was there to complain about? His easy time didn’t last long, though, because Ideo wasn’t going to let him get away with all take and no give. Even with Bluegilly’s legs locked around him he had room to rise up on his knees, find the buckle of his huge belt, and yank it completely off. His own boxing pants were doing a poor job of hiding his need, so he hooked his thumbs in the waistband and nearly yanked them straight down when he considered he could make a game of it, and with a randy grin for his comrade, slowly tugged them down bit by bit, down over his hips, maneuvering the stretchy fabric so that it still restrained the best part until he was good and ready to show it. Bluegilly almost couldn’t hold back his eager whimpers at the teasing show, squirming a bit and raking his heels along Ideo’s back to try to encourage him to hurry up. At last with one final tug his erection popped free of his pants, and Bluegilly groaned in appreciation for the sight – thick, hot, and hard, standing up in plain view just for him. Without the benefit of long arms, he had to sit up a bit in order to reach for it, closing a hand around him as Ideo prowled forward and made to climb back into his previous position. As he did, he found he rather liked being where he was, and then Bluegilly stretched up to finally kiss him, delicately and with considerable restraint. It took Ideo aback for only a moment, but then he saw how perfect it was, how well they fit together, and his grin returned. The hand squeezing his cock at the same time helped. They tangled a bit, long arms looking for a more comfortable position, until Ideo pressed forward with knees right up against the backs of Bluegilly’s muscled thighs and hands prowling the bed on either side of him. Hips tilted with the movement and both noticed at the same time that their cocks were poised right alongside one another. Letting out another hum of pleased interest, Bluegilly moved his fingers to grasp both of them together in a loose grip and stroked both at the same time.
Ideo almost forgot to hold himself up on his hands at the jolt of sensation, gasping and grunting, but he managed to somehow not collapse in surprise and delight. The velvet heat of both together, rubbing against one another like that, was incredible! His hips surged almost involuntarily, seeking more of Bluegilly’s grip and lazy strokes, and both of them gasped together at the extra friction. He leaned in as far as he could, stretching arms out along the bed, and long legs shifted again to draw him in, and in no time at all they had fallen into a rhythm, Ideo gently thrusting against him while Bluegilly curled his fist just tight enough for both of them to slide into. He held mostly still, though Ideo banging against his hips moved him as well, and focused on matching the pace with occasional jerks of his hand. The view of the muscled Longarm boxer poised over him, fully committed to the act with shoulders flexing and hips pumping, almost took his breath away. The thick ponytail fell over Ideo’s shoulder again, and Bluegilly reached to grab it with his free hand, tugging him down closer. There was only so far Ideo could go, though, he was just short enough that no matter how much he yearned to meet his partner, the best he could do was drag his lips over the center of his chest. Pressing in like that crushed Bluegilly’s arm between their bodies, he could no longer move it, but that gave him an idea. He let go and slid his hand out from between them, and then snaked it up over Ideo’s flank to his back and pushed him all the way down. Fortunately, Ideo caught on quickly and stretched fully out, finding fresh purchase for his knees in order to keep thrusting and molding their bare chests and stomachs together. Both were already sweating and panting with the exertion and the wrestling, and now they were pressed fully together, erections still side-by-side and trapped between them. All it took was one little thrust and both let out embarrassing noises at the flare of pleasure – it was even better that way. In an instant Ideo resumed thrusting at an even faster pace, and his long arms writhed around the bed until he could get his hands up to Bluegilly’s shoulders and neck, almost scooping him up in his extra-long embrace. Bluegilly in turn hooked one arm around his shoulders and the other dragged down so he could dig fingertips into the small of the Longarm’s back, demanding that he throw his full weight and power into the motion. That was exactly what he did, too, his whole body taut and flexing, one long arm gripping around Bluegilly’s shoulders, the other raking all the way down his body, skidding along sweat-damp skin, down to his hip and then thigh. Only a Longarm could bend his elbows the way he did in order to clench his hand into Bluegilly’s thigh and demand that that long leg shift up and then out to the side, spreading him wider and tipping his hips even further so that their bodies could fit even more perfectly together. Bluegilly’s panting breaths became light cries, and then he lost control of his mouth and started babbling excitedly the further along they pushed one another. “Yes, god yes, just like that, come on…c’mon, Ideo, more…right there, oh right there! Harder! Shit, you’re so hot…nngh, yes, there!”
The mindless chatter only made Ideo grin to himself, the thrill rippling down his spine and nestling in his groin. He never slackened pace even for a second, especially when he heard right there because it meant he was doing something good and should keep it up. His head drooped all the way to Bluegilly’s chest, his breath hot against his skin as he gasped, and the closer he drew to climax, the more his arms tightened where they were, one clutched around a long leg and the other beneath his comrade’s shoulders. He could even shift his lower arm and get a handful of blue hair, which only made Bluegilly yelp louder and add all sorts of new expletives to his never-ending ramble of delight. Ideo could feel it building in the tension of hips and shoulders, he was getting close, but he was determined not to lose control first. He pressed his forehead into the center of Bluegilly’s chest and growled against his skin, baring his teeth and even biting him once before simply letting his lips rest there, riding along with the motion of their bodies. He was so hard it ached, but the sensations of their cocks against one another and tight abs forming the best surface against which to grind were combining in an upward spiral of desire that was about to explode. He tipped his head in order to look down the length of their bodies, but they were still melded together so closely that he couldn’t have slid a hand in between to help things along. Bluegilly’s tirade had momentarily faded to a murmur, but now and then he let out a gasping cry at a particularly good twitch. His long legs were no longer wrapped around his partner, one was still splayed wide under Ideo’s power and the other slid down to find a place to brace against the bed. Ideo practically slammed into him, then, holding him down and grinding against him in desperation. As much as he was trying to hold off, he couldn’t any longer, he seethed huge, growling gasps against Bluegilly’s chest as his hips surged even faster. There was a hand in his hair again, yanking on his ponytail, and the feel of it spiked his pleasure past the point of no return. A few more good thrusts and he was coming – hard – and roared it out against the chest beneath his cheek. The heat between their bodies raged higher, and Ideo found himself suddenly caught in a Longleg lock before he could escape. One leg curled back around him to assist the hand already on his back, and the other had the leverage needed for Bluegilly to push up and take over, jerking his hips up against Ideo in order to finish. Ideo let him, it stretched his orgasm to the limits and left him gasping for air. It only took a minute more and then Bluegilly joined him, yelping a shrill cry that mimicked one of his fighting kiais and practically folding Ideo into himself to keep him pressed there until his hips stopped twitching on their own. At last, Ideo felt like he could let go and dropped completely onto him, limp and exhausted, extra-long arms flopped every which way. As he slumped onto Bluegilly’s chest, he felt the press of a zipper against his cheek and only then realized that they’d never gotten the Longleg’s jacket off. Then again, he was still half-dressed, too, his pants shucked down only past his ass. The sheer haphazardness of it all made him chuckle to himself, a low, rumbly, pleasant tone interrupting their gasps for breath.
Bluegilly took the quiet laughter as a good sign as he stretched out fully, toes all the way to the end of the bed, and then reached down to completely pull off his tight fighting shorts. They had been bunched just under his balls, pressing on a spot that helped prolong that wonderful session, but now it was uncomfortable and unpleasant and things were much better with them just gone. Ideo slid off his hips but stayed more or less draped against him, since the bed wasn’t big enough for him to really roll over and sprawl like he wanted to. All of Bluegilly’s squirming dislodged him completely, and he looked up to find his comrade sitting up in order to throw off his jacket as well, leaving him fully naked except for his leg wraps. He laid back down on his side, leaving Ideo more room for himself, and rested his head on his arm to fix the Longarm with a fond little smirk. Ideo flushed a little under the attention. “What?”
“That was fun,” Bluegilly replied, breathless and content. “For a guy who claims not to know what he’s doing, you did everything right.”
Ideo huffed another laugh under his breath. “I was just making it up as I went along.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” A few strands of hair had come loose from Ideo’s ponytail from all the excitement, and drooped over the side of his face. Bluegilly reached out and brushed them back, noticing as he did that they were indeed a little wavy. Maybe his afro comment wasn’t too far off the mark. “Maybe sometime I’ll get to see what else you can do.”
The gesture made Ideo blush in spite of himself, shifting his brown eyes shyly. “Maybe you’ll get that chance,” he murmured, half to himself.
Bluegilly grinned widely, beaming like he had just been informed he had won the lottery, and then abruptly shifted to get up. For half a moment Ideo had been concerned he’d want to cuddle, but thankfully it looked like that wasn’t on the agenda. He watched in keen interest as Bluegilly stood to his full height, stretched again, and headed for the little corner bathroom to wash up, perhaps sashaying a little to show off his naked ass as he went. He was clearly enjoying himself, which made Ideo snort in amusement before rolling over to relax and give himself a moment to think. He tucked himself away, cinched up his pants, and then dragged fingertips along the mess splattered up the length of his abs as if to inspect it. He’d have to wash, too, but seeing the results of their fooling around brought it all into sharp relief. It was true, he had fun too. Maybe it was too early to tell whether this could be a long-term sort of thing, but as long as the Longleg didn’t start chasing him around the ship trying to get him into bed again when there were more important things to be done, it was the sort of thing Ideo was definitely interested in trying again. It really was nice to be wanted, even if he had no interest in relationships or romance. That was all the further he got in his contemplation before Bluegilly returned, a towel around his waist. “I was thinking. Tomorrow, let’s get the supply run out of the way and then see what we have left – maybe we do have enough to refit the ship’s cabin, since we’re not spending it on this room.”
Ideo sat up sharply as if embarrassed to be caught relaxing on his comrade’s bed. “Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. That’ll be a good idea.” He arched an eyebrow suspiciously. “You were thinking about that shit?”
“While I was washing up,” Bluegilly said smugly. “I sure as hell wasn’t thinking it before that.” He bent down to find his cast-off pants and change into them, and then stood ruffling a hand through his tousled hair, looking rather content with himself and everything around him. His eyes followed Ideo as he got up and came around the end of the bed to go and have a shower or something, and he smirked knowingly as the Longarm’s gaze darted over to meet his. They didn’t even need to say anything, it was pretty clear that there were no regrets lying around the room between them. Ideo gave him a quick smile of reassurance before disappearing into the bathroom, at which point Bluegilly allowed himself a moment of giddy glee. He punched the air in victory and then threw himself onto the bed, nestling down into the mussed-up blankets and breathing deep of the lingering scent of sweat and sex trapped in their folds. He was inclined to think of himself as one extremely lucky man, embarking on this new life with a new best friend who also happened to be fantastic in bed. By the time Ideo came out, his thick hair safely swaddled in a towel-turban to keep it tamed until it dried, Bluegilly was already dozing, a faint smile remaining on his lips. Ideo smirked to himself at the sight, wondering how it came to this but not complaining one bit. It looked like they were on the first step of a interesting life together. There was no way to know what lay ahead of them in their journey, how they would be tested, what foes they would face alone and together, but at least they were both certain, in their own way, that anything going on between them would not get in the way. But epic fights against insurmountable foes lay well in their future, for now their new life as pirates required a completely mundane mission of buying supplies and looking to see if any crew could be recruited on Applenine. Maybe that would include a meetup with Orlumbus, maybe they’d get to tell their story again in exchange for more free drinks, maybe they would even get another chance to play on another night alone in this common little inn room. Anything was possible. First, though, a good night’s sleep. Ideo tossed himself down in the other bed and the long day of heavy drinking and strenuous activity finally caught up to him; he was snoring within minutes, long arms stretched out naturally.