TRP: Goro and Hansel (Drunkish)

**LINA**

[Setting: Night 261, the Sanctuary port.]

Goro sat at the end of the pier, knees hugged to his chest,
turning his new ring around and around on his finger. Hunched over, safe from
prying eyes, assuming anyone even approached.

It was cold as hell being out over the water, but he had no
drive to get up and return to the Sanctuary, or even retreat to the shore. He
liked the sound of the waves lapping against the pilings, and he loved the
smell of the harbor here. Less fetid than in Skyport. Just fresh, and clean,
and salty, like being out at sea.

Gold was a pretty soft metal, all things considered. He
wondered if it was really made to withstand decades of being fiddled with.

Decades. Fuckin'... fuck.

**IZZY**

Hansel had wandered all over the place and he couldn't find
his fuckin' fiance. (Fiance. Fuckin' amazing.) He kept thinking maybe he'd just
overlooked Goro somehow, 'cause he was drunk enough that was probably a
concern, but what if something had happened. What if Goro fuckin' ... fell off
the Sanctuary wall, or in the harbor, or some shit, or there were fuckin'
Gruuman scouts skulking around and they'd captured him.

He found Luci and shook her -- gently -- and asked if she
knew where Goro was, and she didn't, but she reminded him he had a Sending Bead
before patting his arm awkwardly and moving on. So smart. All of his family was
so smart. God.

He Sent, Goro. Goro, where are you. I miss you. I love you.
We're gonna get married. Where are you. I miss --

Shit, maybe that was too many words.

**LINA**

Goro smiled at the message, his fingertips still on the
ring. It faded, and he curled into a tighter ball.

At the docks. I'll be back soon.

Ah, jeez, he fucking missed Hansel, too. Felt like an idiot,
sitting out here alone and cold. Still didn't have the will to get up and move.

**IZZY**

Nah. Nah, that didn't work. Fuck that. Pssshh. Hansel headed
for the docks.

Goro was a small shape at the end of the pier, visible in
the light of the dim oil lamp that hung there. And he did just look ... very
small out there, all alone. That didn't fuckin' work for Hansel either, nah --
he crept along the boards as lightly as he could until he got close, then
dropped down next to Goro, grabbing onto him immediately as he realized it
might spook Goro into falling into the fuckin' ocean.

Ah, shit, he had that spell, though, too. The teleporting
one. Also knives. Eh, that was fine.

**LINA**

Goro had his springblade out and was jamming it toward the
gut of whoever was grabbing him before he realized--that was his motherfucking
fiance, and how the hell--

Well, that goddamn Mask charm, probably. Hah, Mask. Very
funny.

Luckily, the blade didn't do shit against the mithril.
"Sorry, sorry, fuck," Goro said anyway, retracting the blade and throwing
his arms around Hansel. Then he started fuckin' crying. Didn't even have enough
warning to try and fight it off, there were just tears coming out of his eyes
all the sudden. He whimpered.

**IZZY**

"Oh, shit," Hansel remarked, and laughed before he
realized Goro was crying. That changed his tune pretty fuckin' quick. He
wrapped Goro up in his arms, hurriedly saying, "Nah, nah, hey, I'm okay,
s'okay, Goro, shh, shh."

**LINA**

Goro groaned in disagreement, but then nodded. If Hansel
thought that was why he was crying, so much the better. Less to explain.
"Love you," he said, hiccupping a little. "You still wanna marry
me?"

**IZZY**

Hansel cuddled him aggressively. "Yeah, you bet I
fuckin' do. I fuckin' wanna marry you more now," he insisted. "Look
at you. Fuckin' badass, stabbin' people and shit. God. I love you so
much."

**LINA**

Goro whimpered again. "You sure?" Fuckin'
pathetic.

**IZZY**

"Uh-huh." Hansel kept cuddling him, then realized
Goro was probably more upset than it made sense to be. He pulled back just
enough to kiss Goro's face and stroke the tears away, and frowned at him a
little. "Hey. S'wrong? I love you. It's okay."

**LINA**

Goro shook his head, bringing his arms up to shield his
face. Couldn't stand the feeling of being looked at. Sometimes, when he got that
way, thinking about Hansel helped--Hansel thinks I'm handsome. Lovely. Deific.
Chatich. But not this time. He didn't even fucking deserve to have Hansel
sitting here with him. He just wanted to fucking shrink and disappear. Stop...
getting himself all over everything.

"Sorry," he muttered, voice hitching. He knew he
was acting like a freak. 'Cause that's what he was.

**IZZY**

"Nooo," Hansel crooned, and tucked Goro into his
chest. That was better. He'd like that. Hansel even plucked at his coat to wrap
Goro up inside the bearskin. There. "S'okay." He kissed Goro's hair a
few times. "Hey. Hey. I love you. S'okay."

**LINA**

Goro still felt some urge to squirm away, run, maybe jump
off the fucking dock... but damn, it was so warm in Hansel's coat, and Hansel
was too strong to make getting away easy, and he'd probably just jump in the
water after Goro, anyway.

Sometimes, Goro swore Hansel's love was a palpable thing,
and he could feel it seeping into his muscles and bones. Soothing him better
than warm water or medicine or a calming spell.

Slowly, Goro moved his arms from covering himself to
clutching Hansel. His breaths got easier, more even.

"Sorry," he said again, sniffling.
"I..." God, just the thought of explaining made his throat tighten up
again. He needed a little more time, then. More time to just let himself be
held. It'd been a long fucking day, he guessed.

**IZZY**

Hansel shushed him again. He shifted to cross his legs and
settled Goro in his lap, rubbing his beard against Goro's hair contentedly.
"Hey. I mean it. It's okay." It'd be okay if he didn't wanna talk,
too. They'd still be there together. They were gonna get fucking married. See
anyone try to fucking keep them apart.

**LINA**

"It's not," Goro insisted weakly. "You
don't... god, Hansel." He wasn't sure what he could say to make Hansel
understand. Really understand. "You don't know the way people look at me.
All those clerics?" He sniffed and rubbed impatiently at his nose. "I
thought... I thought, when you first gave me the ring, well, this'll prove everyone
wrong. 'Cause it means... it means someone loves me, so damn much he wants to
marry me. Like... I'm worth that much. It'd change what people think when they
look at me.

"But I'm still a fucking bastard. I did awful fucking
things today, and I could see it in their faces, what they thought. Like I'm a
fucking disease. And I always fucking worry what they think of Amari 'cause of
me. Not just clerics, everyone. The whole world. And I just... I don't know why
you'd want to claim me. Why you'd want people to know."

His eyes flooded with fresh tears and he hid his face
against Hansel. An invisible ring, that only him and Hansel could see. There
was probably a spell for that.

**IZZY**

"Goro." Hansel rubbed his back. "Goro. Ahuv.
Hey. Dumbass. My love. Hey." He kissed Goro's head. "God. Y'know what
was fuckin' bad about today? I didn't get to see you fuckin' doing that amazing
shit you do on the south wall, huh? Fuckin' missed it. Bullshit. Had t'fuckin'
throw axes into people and stab'em and shit instead. Hey, y'know what? Used
that fuckin' viney thing I can do, though, thoughta you."

Shit, he was getting distracted. That wasn't the point. He
had a point. Actually, maybe that kinda was it. "I want people t'know
you're mine 'cause I think you're fuckin' fantastic, chatichi. You fuckin'
helped save Sanctuary t'day, is what fuckin' happened. Dumbfuck clerics -- I
mean, uh, Eldath's a'right an' all, but goddamn, Goro, them clerics don't
understand shit. They'd all be fuckin' dead or fuckin' slaves if it weren't for
people like me an' you, 'kay? You're not fuckin' awful."

**LINA**

Goro listened patiently to Hansel talk, but groaned in
discontent when he was done. "You don't know," he said. "You
didn't see them." He was making himself feel fucking stupid, though,
getting all worked up over this. But god, fifteen years of brushing it off,
trying to ignore it, the way people judged him--he was just so fucking tired.

**IZZY**

"I see'em," Hansel insisted. "I fuckin'
see'em, ahuv, I see'em lookin' at me 'cause I got tusks and scars, and I see'em
lookin' at me when I'm with Mishka, or hangin' out with Raef, or I'm with you,
and I see'em lookin' at you 'cause you ain't a fuckin' Helmite or Eldathyn,
'cause you get shit done, 'cause you ain't a fuckin' pacifist or what the fuck
ever those fuckin' fake Helm fuckers are about, anyway."

He held onto Goro more tightly.

"I fuckin' see'em. It's their fuckin' problem, not
ours. Not yours. I'll fuckin' take their eyes out for you," he said
fiercely, pulling back again to hold Goro's face, make sure Goro meant he knew
it. "See how they fuckin' look then, all of'em, every last goddamn one.
That make me a person you don't wanna claim? Huh?"

**LINA**

Goro gazed into Hansel's face. He wasn't fucking kidding.
Goro shook his head, tearing up again. He wanted to hide, but instead he
squeezed his eyes shut.

He couldn't really argue with what Hansel was saying, but...
still felt lousy, being himself. Fuck everyone who gave dirty looks to Hansel
and Mishka and Raef, but in his case? Eh. They felt earned. He'd given himself
dirty looks before, too, when he caught his reflection sometimes. Saw that
ever-present scowl, and just wanted to punch himself.

Whenever Hansel saw Goro unexpectedly, it seemed like his
face lit up. Fuckin' nuts. Boy wasn't right in the head. But it gave Goro's
heart a squeeze when it happened. He knew he lit up, too, when he saw Hansel.
And for the first time, he wondered what his face looked like then. He'd never
thought to check a goddamn mirror when it happened.

He opened his eyes to look at Hansel, and let Hansel look at
him.

**IZZY**

Hansel didn't know if he was helping or not. He thought
maybe it wasn't the kinda thing that could be talked out, anyway. People had
been shitty to Goro for his whole life -- wasn't like a few words out of Hansel
were gonna fix that.

He was more a doer, anyway, so he leaned in to kiss Goro --
gently, gently, because he deserved to be treated kindly and sweetly, he
deserved to have someone slaughter anyone who looked at him wrong, he deserved
so much.

**LINA**

Goro gave a relaxed sigh against Hansel's lips. "You
taste like moonshine, ahuv."

**IZZY**

"Mmhm." Hansel kissed him again, a little harder,
then made himself stop because this probably wasn't the place or the time to
keep showing Goro just exactly what he deserved to feel. He leaned his forehead
against Goro's instead. "Want some?"

**LINA**

"Iuno." Might help him relax and feel a little
better, in theory, but bad shit always seemed to happen when he was drunk.
"Maybe. Nah. Well..."

**IZZY**

He snorted quietly. It occurred to him to take a shot and
kiss the aftertaste into Goro's mouth -- this shit was strong enough that might
be enough for him. God, it was so cute when he got drunk, though. "Y'know
what, maybe not. Maybe start with somethin' a little gentler if you wanna get
drunk."

**LINA**

"Pfff. Gentler. I look like a gentle guy to you?"
He reached for Hansel's flask.

**IZZY**

Amused, Hansel let him. "A'right. Warned you."

**LINA**

Goro unscrewed the cap and raised his eyebrows at Hansel as
he took a swig.

Jeez, fuck. He spat half of what had made it into his mouth
straight back into the flask, but the rest had made it into his throat, and was
choking him. He gagged and coughed, holding the flask at arm's length to try
and not spill it. "The--fuck--" he managed, between coughs.

**IZZY**

Snickering, Hansel took the flask and downed some before
tucking it away inside his coat again. He offered Goro his waterskin instead,
to wash it down, and teased, "Shepherd Hills' finest blackberry shine,
ahuv. What, you don't like it? That's my fuckin' heritage you're spittin'
out."

**LINA**

"Fuck Shepherd Hills," he said hoarsely, before
gulping down some water. Just made him hack worse.

**IZZY**

Hansel kept grinning. "I mean, fuckin' agreed, yeah,
but I'll miss this part."

**LINA**

Goro swiped the back of his hand over his mouth, shaking his
head. He didn't think he'd gotten much, if any, down his gullet, but he was
already getting that warm feeling that spread through him whenever he drank.
Fuckin' nuts. "How the hell do you drink this shit like it's juice? Don't
answer that." He gave Hansel a quick kiss, and sighed. "You sure
you... I mean, do you even want... a ring from me, really?" Granted,
wasn't like it was gonna fucking say GORO on it in huge letters. It'd be
anonymous to most onlookers.

**IZZY**

"Yeah, I fuckin' do," Hansel said firmly, wrapping
Goro up securely again and cuddling him. "Shit, normally I'd think you were
tryin' to get out of it, 'cause why the fuck wouldn't I want that," he
mumbled, "but I'm fuckin' drunk so I'm just gonna hug you and keep sayin'
yeah." He kissed Goro's head. "Many times as you gotta hear it. More.
Love you so much."

**LINA**

"Why wouldn't you? 'S fuckin' embarrassing, is why. Oh
yeah, I'm Hansel Bell, and these're my two husbands--the gorgeous golden pirate
captain, and that little fuckin' gremlin over there." Goro curled his lip
and jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

**IZZY**

Hansel squeezed him tighter. "Hey. Hey. Fuck you. S'my
fiance you're fuckin' talkin' about. I'll fight you."

There were better arguments he could make, there, but that
was the one that came out of his mouth first.

**LINA**

"You'll... fight me," Goro repeated, trying not to
laugh.

**IZZY**

Hansel made an mmf sound against Goro's hair that attempted
to be reassuring and threatening at the same time. "Yeah. With ... love,
and shit. Fuck you." He rallied, straightening up to insist, "You're
not fuckin' embarrassing. You're fuckin' gorgeous, for one, so shut the fuck up
with that, and you're smart and brave, and fuckin' sweet and kind, and fuckin'
unstoppable, and I fucking love you, so fuck off. I love you."

Yes. That was a better argument, maybe.

**LINA**

"God." It was nigh impossible to hang on to a dark
mood when he had drunk Hansel to deal with. He started giggling. "You're
so full of shit, but it's fucking adorable. I love you so much."

**IZZY**

"I am not fulla shit," Hansel argued, then
immediately allowed, "I mean, I fuckin' am, but not about this."

**LINA**

"Alright, alright," Goro conceded, resting his
head on Hansel's shoulder. Not like it'd fucking sunk in for him, but he could
at least buy that Hansel believed his own words. Hansel was a bad liar, and
drunk off his ass, to boot. That was the unadulterated fuckin' truth coming out
of his mouth.

"I'm getting you a ring. I really fucking want to.
Just..." He closed his eyes. "Still... still can't believe it. That
anyone would want one from me. Sorry, I'm... fuckin' slow to catch on."

**IZZY**

"Pssshh." It didn't sound like he'd really won,
but he'd take it anyway. Hansel was a competitive bastard, but even he could
acknowledge that maybe some fights took a lot of rounds to win. Had to win the
war, was all, not just the battle. He settled his head against Goro's.
"You think you're fuckin' slow. Took me about three fuckin' months
t'realize I loved you. How about that shit, huh. You got time."

**LINA**

Goro frowned and tried to do some math in his head.
"Took you three months to realize? The hell d'you mean by that?"

**IZZY**

Hansel scoffed again. "Y'know, 'cause." Oh. Huh.
Shit. Now he was embarrassed again. Fuckin' Goro, doing this shit to him.
"'Cause, psshh. Told you I liked you straight off, didn't I? Just took me
'til that fuckin' island to notice I did."

**LINA**

"When I was all covered in drider spit." Goro
smiled. "Loving someone's different from thinking they're hot,
though."

**IZZY**

He scoffed again. Man, he had to quit doing that. "I
fuckin' know what I said. Thought you were great from the start."

**LINA**

"Psh. Well, fine. I'm glad you figured it out,
anyway." He chewed viciously at his lip for a second. "So, you want a
ring."

**IZZY**

"If you wanna give me one." That wasn't right. He
wasn't drunk enough -- the neediness was coming back. He stopped cuddling Goro
just long enough to slip his flask out and down another swallow, then set it
aside and curled his arms around Goro contentedly again.

**LINA**

"But..." But nothing. He asked a question, and he
got an answer. He started fiddling with his ring again, but felt weird about
it, and made himself stop. Just wiggled and fidgeted aimlessly instead.

**IZZY**

Hansel did his best to squeeze the fidgets out of Goro.
"But what, huh, krishi."

**LINA**

"You don't... you don't gotta wear one just
'cause..." He balled his hands into fists and used them to hide his face.
This was fuckin' dumb. "Just say it, alright? If you don't really want
one, just say it. I'd rather know."

**IZZY**

"Goro. Goro. Hey." He wanted to hold Goro out and
shake him and make him look Hansel in the face, but he also wanted to hold him
close and rock him gently, and he was already halfway to that second one, so
that's what he did -- curled around Goro as much as he could, smothering him in
his coat.

He whispered, like it was a secret. "I want a ring. You
hear me? I fuckin' -- I want something on me all the time that makes me think
of you, so when I miss you I can spin it around my finger and miss you a little
less, and a little more, too. I wanna always have you with me."

**LINA**

Goro whimpered a little, trying not to tear up again.
Alright, alright. God, he felt fucking dumb. Making a whole deal over the ring,
like it was some kind of huge burden and not a normal thing people did when
they got engaged.

He guessed he knew what was really going on. He still
couldn't quite believe the engagement--still seemed too good to be true--and
bringing up rings over and over again was a way of testing it out. Jumping up
and down on a weak spot, to see if it would give.

It didn't give. Wasn't really a weak spot.

"Sorry," he blurted. "I'm just... sorry.
Scared. Always."

**IZZY**

"S'okay," Hansel said easily, still content.
"Me too. S'okay."

**LINA**

Goro closed his eyes and just let Hansel hold him, rocking
him a little. Tried to shush up that part of his mind that kept ragging on
him--stupid reason to need comfort, it said. He bet Hansel didn't think it was
stupid. He bet Hansel would be happy to hold him like this any time, for any
reason.

He let the sound of the lapping waves and the smell of the
saltwater calm him some, too. Made him wonder how Hansel was doing with it,
though. He cracked one eye to look up at him. "You alright out here, by
the water?"

**IZZY**

"Mm." He nodded. "Not as bad 's it used to
be. Helps not bein' alone." The sky was clear, too, with all the stars
out, and the sea was calm. He was calm.

**LINA**

"I love being out here." He reached up to touch
Hansel's face, just running his fingers over his cheek. "Sometimes, I
think about us going back to that fuckin' island, with the driders." He
snorted. "You know. 'Cause of that little cove. Dunno if it'd be worth the
trouble to get there, though."

**IZZY**

A grin crept across Hansel's face. "Ain't that hard to
get there." He was positive he could find it again. And he could deal with
some fuckin' throwing up and panicking to make it happen, if he had to. Shorter
trip if they teleported to Calimport and sailed out, instead of going from
Skyport, too. "Oughta fuckin' have our wedding there. Eh?"

**LINA**

"Ahh." Goro grinned, feeling himself turn warm.
"Or honeymoon. I believe you said something once about how there were
certain things you wanted to do to me on that beach, but didn't get to. We
oughta go set it right."

**IZZY**

"Mm. Mmhm. Sure did." Hansel slipped a hand up to
curl in Goro's hair and kissed his forehead. "Have the wedding, then kick
everyone off. Make the island ours."

**LINA**

"Mm." Goro leaned into the kiss, feeling as warm
as he'd be lying under the Calish sun. He wasn't sure how serious Hansel was
being about having a wedding there, but just in case, he figured he should
mention something. "Was thinking maybe we'd actually get married in
Calimport. 'Cause Father Shadow's there, at the Maskarran temple, and he could
officiate. Or I guess we could bring him back over this way through the circle,
but I dunno if he could make a sea voyage. He's pretty old."

**IZZY**

"Oh. Huh." He hadn't really thought about that
part. He played with Goro's hair idly. It wasn't silky like Mishka's -- had an
entirely different texture to run between his fingers and get distracted by --
and it was soft, and Goro was growing it out a bit, it seemed like. He liked
it. "Kinda figured Amari'd do it. Luci, maybe."

**LINA**

Goro's eyes drifted half closed as he enjoyed the chills he
got when Hansel played with his hair. He'd been thinking about letting it get a
little longer, weird as that was. It had always been short, his whole life.

"Eh, I wasn't gonna ask Amari. She'd probably do an
Eldathyn ceremony, or some shit. Dunno how flexible Luci is. Father's great,
though. You'd like him. Well... actually, I don't know if you'd like him. He's
all calm and wise and shit. You seem to like people with a little more of an
edge." Goro poked Hansel in the side, teasingly.

**IZZY**

Hansel scoffed gently, giving Goro's hair a little tug for
payback before he went back to petting it. He really hadn't thought about this
shit, had he. "Yeah. Huh. Guess you'd ... want a Maskarran ceremony,
yeah," he said awkwardly. Seemed like a real fuckin' obvious thing to have
not even briefly considered. "Huh."

**LINA**

Goro opened his eyes all the way. "Uh. Yeah. Is that...
is that alright?" His heart started beating quicker. He was nervous all
the sudden, having to ask, but he also felt like a jackass for assuming. But...
wasn't like Hansel was a real religious guy. Goro had figured he wouldn't give
a shit.

**IZZY**

"Uh, yeah," he said quickly, automatically, then
hesitated a little. "I mean, uh. Huh. I dunno. Hadn't thought about it,
honest. Just figured, y'know, Amari, 'cause she's your mom, and she's an
Eldathyn now or whatever, and I like Eldath fine, so ... I dunno." Ah,
shit, now he was rambling. "Dunno. Just, uh. Ehn. Kinda jackass marries a
Maskarran cleric and doesn't think about havin' a Maskarran wedding,
y'know," he mumbled.

**LINA**

Goro frowned, trying to track everything Hansel had just
said. Thinking about the way he'd agreed immediately, then backed off a bit.

Goro sat up straighter, linked his arms around Hansel's
neck, and kissed him hard on the cheek. He opened his mouth to say something
about how the important part was just being married, so it didn't matter,
but... well, he'd already decided the wedding was also important to him. He
couldn't just brush it off. He was a fucking cleric. It was Hansel's wedding,
too, though.

"Well, uh. Hypothetically. If you weren't marrying a
Maskarran cleric. What kinda wedding would you want?" He was nervous about
what the answer might be, but he kept holding onto Hansel tight, since they
were in this shit together.

**IZZY**

"Uhh." Shit, this seemed, uh ... seemed like a trick.
Goro wouldn't try to trick him, he knew, he just felt like he was going to say
the wrong thing. So he said what he knew was the wrong thing, which was,
"Uh, I mean, prob'ly Selune, but uh. I get how you feel about
Selune." And quickly, he added, "Guess that's why I thought, y'know,
Eldath. Kinda ... neutral ground?" That was probably the wrong wording.
Ah, shit.

**LINA**

Goro kissed Hansel's cheek again, then rested his forehead
there, thinking.

Neutral ground? What the fuck would even be the point? Goro didn't
have anything against Eldath, but an Eldathyn ceremony wouldn't mean shit to
him. Might as well have no ceremony at all, just a party. That wasn't gonna
work.

Goro felt like he needed to explain some shit, but... he was
worried, suddenly. "Uh, does it bother you? That I follow Mask?"

**IZZY**

"Nah, nah," Hansel said quickly. "S'part of
who you are. And, y'know, cleric and all, I mean -- probably wouldn't even be
to same person if you didn't, right? Wouldn't change a fucking thing,
ahuv." He kissed Goro's head and considered for a moment. "S'just not
... dunno. For me. Mask, 'n all. Grew up with Silvanus, kinda favored Valkur or
Selune when I was a pirate -- dunno, Hunter an' Corven followed Mask too, an'
they were pirates, just, uh. Dunno."

It was weird to try to put into words. It wasn't even
something he thought about that much, not even since the whole thing with
Selune maybe giving him druidic powers, or whatever the fuck. "Gods never
seemed to have much anything to do with my life, is all, 'cept for fuckin'
Gruumsh, I guess, and ... well, Selune, now, yeah," he finished awkwardly.

**LINA**

Goro felt almost shaky with relief--he'd been bracing
himself to start explaining, Mask is a part of me, an integral part, I don't
think most people really understand what it means to be a cleric, it's not just
about saying a few prayers here and there, it's--

But it sounded like Hansel already knew.

"I can't... just... not have my damn marriage
consecrated by Mask." Goro chewed his lip and fiddled with the collar of
Hansel's coat. "'S not something I can meet in the middle on. No neutral
ground. But I don't think you should have to give up your end, either. Selune's
a part of you, like Mask's a part of me." He glanced nervously at the
crescent moon. "I think... we should do both, if we can. There's probably
a way."

**IZZY**

Hansel brightened a bit. "Yeah, you think? That's a
thing? Bet Luci'd know, all that research and shit she's done about gods or
whatever."

For someone who liked being married and weddings, he didn't
know fuck-all about them. The whole religious aspect always kinda passed him by
-- he just got emotional about love and family and all. That was the important
part. Just felt weird to him, getting married solely in the name of a god he
didn't give a shit about.

Well, he guessed he kinda gave a shit, considering it was
Goro's god, and all. But that was just because of Goro. He should say that --
something about how he loved Goro so much it made him care about Mask a little.
He lost his train of thought, though.

"M'okay with the Father Shadow guy, y'know, doin' it
right, or whatever." That was probably a thing. It sounded like it was
important to Goro, anyway. "Just don't even fuckin' know the guy. I wanna
meet him first."

**LINA**

"Yeah. For sure. He's great. Picture, I don't know...
someone like Amari, but an old human guy." Goro thought for a second, and
figured he should explain the main reason Father was important to him. "He
helped me a lot, when I was in Calimport, recovering from Diva."

**IZZY**

"Oh. Huh." Hansel went back to playing with Goro's
hair, thinking. Was probably a cleric thing. He'd been fucking worried about
Goro, trying to run off as soon as Diva was dead, then going off to Calimport.
When the Gruumsh shit happened, Hansel just wanted to be with his family, not
in a different country from them, that was for fuckin' sure.

He'd worried Goro wouldn't come back. Might just fucking
vanish. And it was bad enough to lose a member of your crew, but then he
would've lost the little spark of potential, the thing that'd become what they
had now. Hadn't been for this priest helping Goro, maybe that would've happened
after all.

He curled his hand in Goro's hair and held him tighter, not
sure what to say. He should ... get more drunk. Nah, he shouldn't, 'cause then
he'd just get weepy, and that might happen anyway.

**LINA**

"Oh, and--don't let his title throw you. We're all
Brother or Sister Shadow, in the Maskarran clergy. 'Cause Mask is the god of
shadows, and all. People started calling this guy Father just 'cause they
respected him so much."

Goro eyed the moon again. "That's why Selune hates
Mask's guts, if you didn't know. The shadows. People doing dishonorable shit in
the moonlight."

**IZZY**

Hansel tried to make his brief sniffle seem natural. He was
fine. Completely fine. He distracted himself away from it. "Yeah, that's,
uh. Fuckin'. The fuck is it. Shar. Her whole thing too, why her and Selune
don't get along." He shrugged. "Dunno, people do shady shit all the
time. Maybe it ain't that big of a deal, yeah?"

**LINA**

"Are you crying?"

**IZZY**

"Nah."

**LINA**

"Hansel, what the hell's wrong?" Goro cupped his
cheek and frowned, giving him a quick kiss.

**IZZY**

"Nothing," he insisted. "S'fine.
M'fine."

**LINA**

"Hansel." Goro scooted away a little, not all the
way, just enough to look at him really sternly. "The fuck are you crying
for? Is it something I said?"

**IZZY**

"No," he said forcefully, because he was such a
great fucking liar. God. Why did he even try. Like he had any fuckin' pride
left at this point. He tugged Goro back in against his chest, muttering,
"Was just fuckin' ... thinking about the Diva shit, and you fuckin' off to
Calimport, and how I didn't know if you were gonna come back, and ..." He
sniffled, for real this time. "I wanted to help and I didn't know how, but
I'm just real glad someone did, and you came home. S'all."

**LINA**

Goro grunted when Hansel pulled him back in. He was crushed
against Hansel's chest (good--always good), but he managed to squeeze out,
"God. You dummy. I love you so much. I wanted to help and I didn't know
how. Aw, fuckin', come on. You changed my life, jackass. You changed
everything. 'Course you helped. Pfff."

Goro hadn't realized Hansel wasn't sure if he'd come back
from Calimport, though. He wondered if everyone else had felt that way, too.

**IZZY**

Hansel grumbled. He couldn't stop fuckin' thinking about it
now. He kissed Goro's hair and sniffled again, mumbling, "Just fuckin' ...
real glad I get to have you, at all." Shit, fuck, he was gonna cry.
"An' I get t'be fuckin' marryin' you, even. Fuckin' ... ridiculous.
God."

**LINA**

Goro bit down on his knuckle to keep from laughing. He
didn't want Hansel to think he was making fun. It was real fucking sweet.
"I'm glad I get to have you too, love. You don't gotta cry about it. I'm
not going anywhere." He almost added I was always going to come back, but
he'd have been lying if he said the thought of staying in Calimport had never
crossed his mind. Things were a hell of a lot different now, though.

**IZZY**

"I'll fuckin' cry about whatever I wanna cry
about," Hansel mumbled defiantly.

**LINA**

"Well, uh. Yup. Yup, I suppose you will." Goro
kissed both of Hansel's cheeks. He guessed if it was more of a relieved, happy
cry, that wasn't so bad. "You think you'll cry at our wedding?"

**IZZY**

He scoffed like that was ridiculous, but then hid his face
in the crook of Goro's neck. "Fuckin' ... probably."

**LINA**

The corner of Goro's mouth twitched. "Y'fucking cried
at the last two weddings I saw you at. You big sap."

Like he could talk. Just imagining a wedding ceremony was
making Goro's throat feel tight again. God, what if he fucking bawled? In front
of everybody? Horrifying. Shit.

**IZZY**

"I like weddings," Hansel muttered. God, he sure fuckin'
had, hadn't he. Probably still been all teary-eyed when that fucker showed up
and crash it. No wonder he hadn't been intimidated. Real good job, commander.

**LINA**

"I know." Goro swallowed, but that goddamn lump
wouldn't go away. He kissed Hansel's head as best he could reach with Hansel
hiding against his neck, and wove his fingers into Hansel's hair. "I was
thinking, you know... maybe I'll like 'em too, after ours, 'cause... you know,
they always used to make me feel lonely, but I won't be alone anymore."

Yeah, that made him lose it. He grabbed onto Hansel with renewed
urgency, burying his face in Hansel's shoulder and letting out a sob.

**IZZY**

Hansel sniffled and let out a pathetic, "Noo," and
clung to Goro harder. "No. Don't cry. You don't get to cry. No." He
cradled Goro's head against his shoulder, rubbing their cheeks together because
that was about all he could manage. "Noo. You're already not alone, ahuv.
Shh."

**LINA**

"But I--you don't--" He was hyperventilating,
almost, couldn't get enough air in for a complete thought. "'S different.
Gettin' married."

**IZZY**

"I know," Hansel cried, immediately losing shit
about trying to be comforting. "So fuckin' good. Gonna be fuckin' great.
Gonna love it." He cuddled Goro aggressively and mumbled,
"Ishi."

**LINA**

Goro opened his mouth like he was gonna say something else,
but instead, he just sobbed louder.

Ishi. Ishi. God. He wondered if Hansel was saying that
'cause of the letter Goro gave him, or if it had just popped out. He seemed too
drunk to be calculating anything.

Goro just kept fucking crying. Wasn't anything he could say,
even if he wanted to.

**IZZY**

Hansel kept sniffling, trying and failing to not just cry
too, and kept cuddling Goro, making tiny attempts at shushing him that were
mostly lost in his own blubbering.

**LINA**

Goro got a hold of himself eventually. He pressed his face
against Hansel's coat to dry his tears, then used his own sleeves to dry
Hansel's face. He gave him a long kiss.

"I was thinking." He sniffed. "Mask and
Selune are gonna have to get along, because of us. They're just gonna have to.
Blessing our union and all."

**IZZY**

Hansel snorted wetly, going for disdain but kind of just
sounding pathetic. "Good," he said weakly. "Fuck'em. I mean.
They're fine, but fuck'em. Better fuckin' get along."

**LINA**

Goro scoffed, rested his forehead against Hansel's shoulder,
and shook his head. "Hansel. My love. My treasure. My beautiful boy. What
have I told you about profaning my deity?" He kissed Hansel's cheek.
"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Mask, y'know. He's saved my ass more
times'n I can count."

**IZZY**

"Yeah, yeah." Hansel sighed and grumbled. Probably
oughta get outta the habit of giving a blanket fuck-you to every deity,
including the ones he didn't mind. Cleric boyfriend. Fiance. He kissed Goro's
hair. "All right. Thank Mask for you then. Everything else, he's on thin
fuckin' ice."

**LINA**

Goro snorted. He nuzzled Hansel's neck. This fuckin' guy.
Goro was so goddamn in love with him.

Don't mind him, he prayed, but Mask probably didn't fuckin' care.
Goro knew he had a sense of humor, and he still firmly believed that if Mask
didn't want them together, his life would've turned out real differently.

He fingered the charm on Hansel's wrist. Hide him for me.
Cast shadows so Gruumsh can't see. Don't let him be stolen. Please. I love him
so much.

Hadn't worked the last thousand goddamn times he'd prayed,
but you never knew, maybe a thousand-and-one would do the trick. Maybe Goro
should take to praying to fuckin' Selune, too, if she was looking out for
Hansel already. Maybe she and Mask could work together, this once.

He was gonna make himself all gloomy again if he kept
thinking about that, though. Had to focus on the good shit. "So, you know
any clerics of Selune who can help marry us?"

**IZZY**

"Sure fuckin' don't," Hansel said. Only one he'd
known was Serena. Maybe she'd put in another fuckin' spectral appearance, he
thought, almost scoffing at the idea but keeping it contained. Shame, though.
"Guess they got'em in Calimport. Have to fuckin' interview a few and find
one I don't hate, s'pose," he grumbled. He liked exactly two fucking
clerics. Nah, three -- he liked Amari, too.

**LINA**

"Pfff. That a challenge for you, not hating random
clerics?"

**IZZY**

"Hmm." Hansel nuzzled against Goro's hair,
breathing in salt air and incense. He saw an opening for dumb flirting and went
for it, snuggling Goro harder. "S'pose so. Only one cleric for me and I
already got'im."

**LINA**

"Hah. That'd be like if I hated every new pirate I ran
into." He scowled. "Maybe I do. Some of 'em stole my brother."

**IZZY**

"Psh. They just bought'im. Still fuck'em, buyin' a kid,
but fuck Jasmilia more." He squeezed Goro contentedly. "Don't worry.
I'll kill'em all for you. Whoever you want "

Ah, yeah, he was drunk. Meant it, though.

**LINA**

"Mm. Good. I got the two best pirates in the world,
yeah. Fuck all the rest of 'em."

**IZZY**

"Mm," Hansel agreed, drowsy from contentedness.
"Tried. Got pretty far."

**LINA**

Goro snickered. "Tried fucking them all, you
mean?"

**IZZY**

"Mm."

**LINA**

"Gosh. How many'd you get under your belt, ahuv?"

**IZZY**

"Rude t'count," Hansel admonished, then grinned to
himself smugly. "Lot, though."

**LINA**

"Psh." Goro hid against Hansel's shoulder, face
warming. "And I got my whopping two. Er, three."

**IZZY**

"You got the best, though," Hansel said, still
extremely smug.

**LINA**

"True." Goro pulled back slowly to look at Hansel,
thought about asking something else, then hastily hid again.

**IZZY**

"Hey. Hey. What?"

**LINA**

"Nothin'," he mumbled, barely coherent against
Hansel's shoulder.

**IZZY**

Hansel jostled him. "Nah. Hey. You gotta tell me. I'm
your fuckin' fiance now, hahah."

**LINA**

"Mm. Yeah." Goro lifted his face so he could smile
sweetly at Hansel and give him a kiss. "Ain't it great? Hey, how long you
been holding on to that ring? You surprised me real good."

**IZZY**

Hansel snickered. "Since about me an' Mishka's wedding.
Larkin helped me get the gold for it, gamblin' that night we all hung
out." Still smug as fuck. Then he realized: "Hey. Hey, don't change
the fuckin' topic, I ain't fuckin' stupid." He gave Goro a wounded look

**LINA**

"You sure ain't, but you are real fucking drunk."
Goro kissed him again.

**IZZY**

Hansel sulked.

**LINA**

"Hey, let me try another sip of that moonshine. That
tiny bit I inhaled wore off too fast." He grabbed at Hansel's flask again.

**IZZY**

Hansel grumbled and didn't stop him.

**LINA**

Goro took a tiny sip this time--hardly more than licking off
the rim of the flask. Still made him gag. He offered it to Hansel before
screwing the lid back on.

**IZZY**

Hansel grunted and took it from him, tucking it away without
drinking. "F'you don't wanna talk t'me, will you 'least tell me why?"
he mumbled.

**LINA**

Goro groaned. "I wanna talk to you. I always wanna talk
to you."

**IZZY**

Hansel sulked more and clung to Goro.

**LINA**

Goro clung back and kissed the side of Hansel's face a few
times. "Doesn't mean you gotta know every sad little thought that runs
through my weasel brain, does it?"

**IZZY**

"I do if it's gotta do with me," Hansel mumbled.

**LINA**

"Pfff. What if it's just, 'Hansel's real fucking great
and I don't deserve him'?"

**IZZY**

"Yeah, 'cause then I gotta argue with you 'bout
it," Hansel insisted, and squeezed him. "Hug it outta you "

**LINA**

Goro grumbled, discontent. "Can't be hugged out. Too
fuckin' deep." Too fuckin' true.

**IZZY**

Hansel hugged him real hard anyway.

**LINA**

"Ah, huh. So the message I'm getting is, if I let on
how fucked up things are in my head, I get hugged. Not seeing a downside, to be
honest. Should we test it out?"

**IZZY**

Hansel nodded silently and continued to cuddle Goro at full
force.

**LINA**

"Alright. I think--" God, he'd meant for this to
be a joke, but the first thing that popped into his head was real and fuckin'
awful. "You're gonna realize, sooner or later, that it was a mistake to
ask me to marry you. I ain't husband material."

**IZZY**

"Nah," Hansel said simply, rubbing his face
against Goro happily. "S'fuckin' silly. 'Course not. The fuck is husband
material, any-fuckin'-how?"

**LINA**

"Iuno," Goro said, his voice so small it was
practically a whimper. "Somebody who's... not such a fucking mess, maybe.
Someone who actually planned to have a family and fuckin' prepared for it, or
something."

**IZZY**

"Goro. Goro. Ahuv, chatich krishi, my sun. You under
some kinda impression I ain't a fuckin' mess, too?" He settled his face in
the crook of Goro's neck, nibbling him gently to taste the salt that clung to
his skin, then butting against him again. "Nah. Fuckin' nah."

**LINA**

"Yeah but--" Wait, no. "No, you're not a
fucking mess, not like I am. You've fuckin' got kids. A husband. And yeah,
yeah, I know that marriage has had its bumps. All worked out for the fuckin'
best, though. That's how good you are at having a family. Hansel, I can't
even--" His voice broke, but he wasn't gonna fucking cry again. "I
can't even sit through a fucking Candlenight party without freaking out about
how I don't belong. I wasn't sure if I could even handle a wedding without
panicking and running off. And who runs from their own fucking wedding? Not
husband material. Fuck's sake."

**IZZY**

"S'okay, motek. You wanna run off, I'll go with
you," Hansel said placidly. "S'okay." He rallied a bit. He was
too drunk and pleased about cuddling with Goro and feeling safe by the ocean.
He should focus up -- pulled away to hold Goro's face and stroke his cheeks
with his thumbs for moment, then blurted, "Ah. Forgot what I was gonna
fuckin' say. Love you too much."

**LINA**

Goro's mouth twitched. Not quite a smile. "You love me
so much, looking at me made you forget what you were gonna say? That your
story?"

**IZZY**

"Uh-huh." Hansel kept stroking his face and
staring at him dreamily. "What were we talkin' about, eineiyami?"

**LINA**

"Well, I was gonna say shit about what was in my head,
and you were gonna hug me for it."

**IZZY**

"Ah, yeah." That jostled something in his head.
"Yeah. Yeah. Was gonna say. Hey." He pulled Goro in to kiss his forehead.
"You're fuckin' great at having a family, ahuv. Fuckin' great. Not like
fuckin' Jasmilia didn't try to fuck you up about it, but lookit you, all
provin' her wrong and shit." He shifted to kiss Goro's hair for every name
he came up with. "Got Amari. Got Joan. Got Larkin. Got me an' Mishka. Got
Roddy, too, and Raef, and Luci, and uh, Jonn probably, if you want'im." He
paused. "An' Ombre, and fuckin' Wyn maybe, I guess? Iuno. And Theo, and
gonna get Bakir back. You got so many people, ahuv. Got such a good family
a'ready. Did it all by yourself, too. So good."

**LINA**

"I got too many, too fast," Goro countered.
"Probably gonna drop 'em all, or something."

**IZZY**

"Nah, nah, ain't how it works." Hansel dropped his
chin onto Goro's shoulder comfortably. "They'd all have t'drop you, too,
and that ain't gonna happen. S'a fuckin' ... net. All connected and shit."
He gestured vaguely. "Ain't a rope you just fuckin' drop, s'a buncha ropes
all holdin' on together. Yeah."

**LINA**

"Pff. I guess." Goro didn't really have anything
to say to that. It did sound unlikely you could lose that many people all at
once, least through your own doing. Hansel seemed to be on a roll, so Goro gave
in and threw something else at him. "You're gonna fuckin' get bored with
me."

**IZZY**

Hansel gave him a return pfff. "Goro fuckin' Voronin
ain't goddamn boring. You never been boring a day since I known you.
Dumbass." He started playing with Goro's hair again. "'Sides,
boring's nice sometimes too. Fuck, Goro, I'm fuckin' ... thirty-seven, soon. Gonna
get real fuckin' boring. Old and shit."

Ah, shit, he was gonna make himself sad.

**LINA**

"Thought we were gonna get old together," Goro
muttered. "That lifespan magic thing. You'll outlive me, probably."

**IZZY**

"Noo." Hansel petted Goro's hair more fiercely. He
had too many objections to voice'em all -- nah, nah, Goro was gonna do the
fuckin' lifespan thing, too, and they were all gonna get old together, except
that Hansel didn't want to get old and feeble, he wanted to die gloriously in
battle, except he didn't want to leave Goro and Mishka behind like that, except
he didn't want to see them die, either.

He just wrapped his arms around Goro more tightly and held
on, softly complaining, "Noo."

**LINA**

"S'alright." He tried to pat Hansel on the arm,
but Hansel had him wrapped up too tight. "If I play my cards right, I got
a sweet gig in the afterlife. I'll save a place for you. Mishka too. Hell,
everybody."

**IZZY**

"I don't wanna fuckin' afterlife, I want you t'not
fuckin' die," Hansel mumbled. "I wanna not fuckin' die. And not get
old." He sniffled. "Not have t'watch everyone else get old 'n get ...
get killed or ... Don't wanna have to see my kids die and don't want'em to have
to fuckin' take care of me in my old age and shit, either." He made a
miserable sound.

**LINA**

Oh. Shit. Hansel was really upset now. "Hey, uh. It's
okay, ahuv. It's gonna be okay."

**IZZY**

"Fuckin' ain't." He hid his face against Goro's
neck. "Just ain't gonna think about it."

That was the good thing about being drunk. He'd forget he
was sad, here in a minute. He fumbled on the dock for his flask and couldn't
find it, and gave up and went back to holding Goro instead. That'd help, too.

**LINA**

"Okay," Goro said uncertainly. "Uh.
Good." He bit his tongue for a second, then blurted, "See, I just
made you sad. Not fuckin' marriage material."

**IZZY**

"Goro, Mishka fuckin' stole all my money an' broke my
heart an' about made me kill myself an' I don't fuckin' regret a bit marryin'
him," Hansel said firmly. Trying to make Goro feel better made him feel
better. Yeah, that was good. "People fuckin' ... get sad."

**LINA**

"Alright, well. Agree to disagree on the marriage
material thing."

**IZZY**

"No," Hansel insisted. "You're wrong, I'm
right."

**LINA**

"Sure thing." Goro settled against him, closing
his eyes and smiling.

**IZZY**

Hansel narrowed his eyes but took the apparent victory.

**LINA**

"Hey. Hansel?"

**IZZY**

"Mmhm?"

**LINA**

"You believe in all that soul mate shit, or whatever?
Reincarnation, and shit?"

**IZZY**

"Iuno. Maybe."

**LINA**

"Just wondering, if, uh..." He trailed off into a
mumble and hid his face again.

**IZZY**

Hansel grinned a little and nuzzled against Goro, teasing,
"Wonderin' if we're soul mates?" He dragged the last two words out,
then more softly, sincerely added, "I dunno if it's real or not. I think if
we all get fuckin' reincarnated I'm gonna find you again, though. First
thing." He settled his chin back on Goro's shoulder. "Gonna make sure
shit goes better for us both next time 'round."

**LINA**

Keeping his face hidden as much as possible, Goro shifted to
rearrange Hansel's coat, pushing inside and tugging it over his shoulders as
far as he could get it. He snaked his arms around Hansel's waist. Psh. Sounded
too good to be true, but Goro wasn't gonna argue. It was nice.

**IZZY**

Hansel sighed happily, squeezing Goro in against him as much
as possible. Shame about the clothes. Was always comfiest when they were
skin-to-skin. That was when Goro really relaxed, and Hansel felt so fucking
special that Goro would relax with him.

"Hey," he said, after a moment, grinning again.
"Y'wanna go skinnydipping?"

**LINA**

Goro started a pfff that turned into a laugh. "Fuckin',
here? Right now?"

**IZZY**

"Yeah." He kept grinning, kissing Goro's hair.
"What, you a fuckin' coward?"

**LINA**

"Pfff. No." He paused a second, then jabbed Hansel
in the ribs. "You first."

**IZZY**

"Okay." Hansel started pulling off his coat.

**LINA**

Goro started snickering again, and covered his face with his
hands. "You fuckin' kidding me?" He checked, nervously, over his
shoulder.

**IZZY**

He shrugged the coat the rest of the way off, then pulled
Goro's hands away to cup his face himself, and kissed his forehead.
"Y'don't have to. Won't make fun of you if you really don't wanna."
Then he sweetly added, "I'll carve the eyes outta anyone that sees you, though.
Promise. I got you."

**LINA**

Goro grinned. "And what's your plan for making sure I
don't freeze to death? God, I'm already cold."

**IZZY**

"Body heat, ahuv." Hansel grinned again, toothily.

**LINA**

Slowly, Goro reached for his belt, not taking his eyes off
Hansel. Still not sure Hansel wasn't fucking joking.

**IZZY**

Hansel ducked out of his bandolier, then pulled his shirt
off and tossed it onto his coat. He bounced his eyebrows at Goro.

**LINA**

"Pssssh." Goro hastily started taking off his
clothes, keeping his eyes peeled for interlopers all the while. Might not even
need any body heat besides his own, with how hard he was blushing.

**IZZY**

Snickering, Hansel kicked off his boots and tugged off his
pants. Sure fuckin' was cold. Goddamn. Was gonna be even colder in the ocean,
too -- he bet it'd fucking sober him up real quick.

He was more concerned with Goro looking all nervous, though,
and reached to hold Goro's wrists and keep him from going any further before
any skin was actually out. "Hey. Hey. I mean it, if y'don't want to. Don't
want you to fuckin' ... feel pressured, an' shit. S'okay."

**LINA**

Goro looked back over his shoulder again. He wasn't sure
what it was, exactly--the lingering flush of battle victory, or the new ring on
his finger, or just the guy in front of him promising everything would be
alright--but he really felt like saying fuck it. "Nah. I want to.
Really."

**IZZY**

Hansel eyeballed him. "S'long as you're sure."

Then he gave Goro a quick kiss and leapt off the end of the
dock, sinking like an anchor and enjoying the crushing cold for a beat before
lunging back for the surface to break it with a splash. He shook the water out
of his hair and off his face, then reeled back and lobbed his underwear at
Goro's face.

**LINA**

Goro dodged out of the way and let the underwear land on the
dock. He snorted and shook his head, then squirmed out of the rest of his
clothes and stayed crouched in a ball as he made his way to the edge. He eyed
the dark water warily, goosebumps already breaking out all over his skin.

**IZZY**

Hansel spread his arms, holding them out. His teeth were
chattering and he was grinning anyway. "C'mon! I'll catch you."

**LINA**

"Pff," Goro said weakly. He rose up from his
crouch just far enough to jump, and then he did.

**IZZY**

Hansel caught him, and proceeded to fucking sink from the
impact, laughing out all of his air as he went and kicking back up right away,
pushing Goro to the surface ahead of him. He came up coughing a little and
still grinning, and wrapped around Goro. Fuckin' freezing. Fuckin' great, though.

**LINA**

Holy fuck, the cold. When he broke the surface, Goro started
howling. He scrabbled to keep hold of Hansel, instinctively trying to get as
much contact between their bodies as possible.

"Fuckin'--" He couldn't even get the rest of his
curse out. Gasping for air and teeth chattering too hard. "This is--what
the--are you fuckin'--"

**IZZY**

Hansel snickered and spun them around in the water,
stammering out, "Fuckin' great, yeah? Goddamn bracing."

**LINA**

"Bracing. Pfff." The sound turned into a wet splutter.
"You're just tryna get me naked. But I ain't getting shit up in this
water, I tell you what." His teeth kept chattering and he clung to Hansel
even harder.

**IZZY**

"Me fuckin' either. Sober as hell now, though, at
least." Hansel laughed again. Not completely sober. Good enough, though.

**LINA**

"Hey." Goro swished his legs tentatively, starting
to get used to the temperature. "Can you use your magic dealie to heat
this water up?"

**IZZY**

"Huh. Dunno." He glanced around. Usually that shit
just kinda happened, when he wanted it to, and he sure the fuck wanted it to
now. Nothing, though. "Don't think so. Who fuckin' knows, right?"

**LINA**

"Maybe it's best not to try too hard. Could wind up
boiling us, or some shit."

**IZZY**

Hansel snorted. "Yeah, sure, I can't do shapeshifty
shit 'cause apparently I'm a baby, but I'm just gonna boil th'fuckin' ice cold
ocean." He kissed Goro's forehead and dropped down a little further in the
water, grinning at him. "You're the one with the fuckin' amazing magical
powers in this relationship, ahuv, not me."

**LINA**

"Psh. Quit fuckin' flattering me." Goro kissed his
forehead right back. "I gotta work at my magic, y'know. With you, it's
like, poof. Just happens. Bet you could do some real impressive shit if you
worked at it."

**IZZY**

"Pfft." Hansel dipped down to get a mouthful of
water and sprayed it at Goro -- at his throat rather than his face, though.

**LINA**

"That your new spell?"

**IZZY**

"Yup." He did it again.

**LINA**

"Fuckin' brutal. Our enemies don't stand a
chance." Goro pushed in to kiss him before he could do it again.

**IZZY**

"Uh-huh." Hansel grinned against his lips,
thinking about the cove back on that island, thinking about pushing Goro under.
Too fucking cold, though. They should get out and get warmed up, soon.

Not quite yet, though.

He wrapped his arms around Goro's waist instead and leaned
back, floating there with Goro on his chest, just holding him -- all of him,
all of the both of them, together.

**LINA**

Goro managed to enjoy it for a few seconds before he was
shivering and hissing. Felt colder out of the water than in it, at this point.
"Hey. When're you gonna take me to a hot spring, or a bathhouse, or some
shit?"

**IZZY**

"Psshh." Hansel rolled back upright and started
back for the dock. "You got money. Take me somewhere nice. This is the
fuckin' budget package, krishi."

**LINA**

"Fine. Maybe I will. Or maybe--maybe I'll just leave
you an envelope full of money, so you can surprise me. The envelope'll say,
Warm Goro Up Fund. I'm half Calishami, y'know. Ain't built for cold shit."

**IZZY**

"Uh-huh. Okay." Amused, he helped Goro up onto the
dock, then climbed up himself and grabbed his coat to wrap it around Goro,
kneeling in front of him on the end of the dock. "Noted. So I burn the
envelope for warmth, yeah?"

**LINA**

"God." Goro shoved him, acting like he was trying
to push him back into the water. "You gotta work on the romance side of
things. You think just 'cause you put a ring on my finger, you're done? All
finished wooing Goro Voronin? Nice try."

**IZZY**

"Nah, ahuv." Hansel kissed him quickly and
snatched up his bandolier to grab Taavit's trident, where he'd wrapped the
blackberry sprig. He sidled close to Goro, wrapping an arm around his waist
under the coat, and wished them dry. Luci had taught him how to -- damn
convenient. Didn't warm them up, but it helped. What helped more was tugging
Goro back into his lap to keep holding him chest-to-chest, skin-to-skin,
feeling Goro's heart erratic against his.

They always matched up, after a bit, when you held someone
this close.

"Gonna take you somewhere warm," he promised,
kissing Goro's hair. It still had the taste of salt. "Sailing in the
southern seas. Show you all the hidden pirate ports."

**LINA**

"Mm." Goro melted against him, still covered in
goosebumps but feeling a lot better already. Having Hansel to cuddle up to was
like having his own personal furnace to warm up with. A soft furnace, that
smelled good and had strong arms to put around him, and who loved him--alright,
it was kind of a shitty metaphor.

Goro shook his head. "Sure you're up for that? Don't
want you to have to fuckin'... suck it up on a ship for a few weeks, just for
my sake."

**IZZY**

"Eh, just short li'l trips. Between islands and shit.
Besides, you'll be there -- Mishka too, probably. Be fine." He loved the
way Goro leaned into him, like a cat arching its back into a hand. A cat that
scratched most other people. Handsome, street-savvy cat.

He was quiet a second. "Gotta, y'know ... try. The
ocean was my life for twenty years. Can't just ... give it up."

**LINA**

Goro straightened up a little so he could see Hansel's face.
He put a hand on his cheek and stroked his thumb back and forth.
"Yeah," he agreed. "We'll do it, then. I'll help you. Whatever
you need. You're safer, now."

He wasn't quite sure what he meant by that last part. That
he was pretty good at scaring off Gruumsh, maybe--although that sure wasn't a
goddamn guarantee. Maybe he just meant Hansel would be even better off now,
with both Mishka and Goro looking out for him. Goro didn't know if Hansel felt
safer with him around, though. Goro was so fucking scrawny and reckless, needed
saving more than he could offer it, or at least that was probably what it
seemed like to other people. Goro thought he was fiercer than anyone gave him
credit for, sometimes.

Eh. Any case. Cleric magic was useful to have on a journey,
if nothing else.

**IZZY**

"Yeah." Hansel leaned into Goro's touch a bit. He
thought about making some crack about how he was safe because fuckin' Gruumsh
was afraid of his fiance, but god fuckin' knew Goro would take it seriously and
just flip off the sky again or some shit.

Maybe Mask was keeping him hidden when he pulled that shit.
Thanks, Mask, Hansel thought grudgingly. Keep doing it. He's one of yours but
he acts like he's a fucking war cleric, y'know?

"Safer, yeah," he said softly. Somehow safer now
than he'd been with the entire crew of the Red Blade at his back. It felt true,
though. "I believe you."

**LINA**

Goro hugged Hansel's head to his shoulder and kissed his
hair, still a little coarse with salt after the water had been wicked away. He
ran his hands slowly over Hansel's back--god, he really did have such soft
skin, even if Goro never would've guessed it.

Some-fuckin'-how, he was warmer now than he had been before
getting naked and jumping in the frigid water.

"You think you'll like showing me new places? Sometimes
I... pff. Dunno. Just a dumb city boy."

**IZZY**

"'Course I will." Hansel felt himself relaxing,
same way Goro did when Hansel touched him. "Always liked seeing new
places. S'why I started sailing. Only thing better is showin'em to other
people." He leaned his forehead against Goro's. "S'okay, there's
other cities we can see apart from Skyport," he added, teasingly.

**LINA**

"Naaah. Y'know, the more time I spend out of the city,
the more I think... maybe it's not all that great." He shrugged.
"It's nice, being quiet places with you. Just feel, y'know, fucking
clueless sometimes. Worried it'll get old for you, having to show me the ropes
everywhere. Can't much return the favor unless you wanna learn how to pick
pockets and shit."

**IZZY**

Hansel snickered. "Yeah, I can see it now, all six and
a half fuckin' feet of half-orc pirate, janglin' with tridents, sneakin' up and
fitting these hands into some fucker's pocket. It'd be a bigger fuckin'
challenge than killing Gruumsh." He kissed Goro's hair, idly adding,
"So I reckon you could do it, ahuv."

**LINA**

"Psh. Missing the goddamn point." Goro dug his
fingers into the ticklish spots on Hansel's sides.

**IZZY**

Snorting, Hansel shoved his hands away to pin them behind
his back. "Nah, I get the fuckin' point. Just ain't true, that's
all." He kissed Goro's hair again. "I ain't gonna get tired of
showing you stuff. It's fuckin' great. I love it."

**LINA**

"You say so," Goro said glumly. "'Til you get
annoyed I can't keep up with you, and shit. Hey, do you think I use the
safeword too much?"

**IZZY**

"Eh?" Hansel frowned. "Nah." He pulled
back to look Goro in the face. "No, chatichi. Fuck, I'd be happy if you
used it more. Just want you to have a good time. You know that," he
reminded gently, leaning back in to kiss his forehead, cupping his cheeks.
"Not gonna get annoyed with you."

**LINA**

Goro debated leaving it at that. Wasn't like Hansel had
fucking hesitated, or anything. He meant what he said.

There was that deal, though. Say the dumb sad shit running
through his brain, get hugs. Was a pretty good deal.

"Bet all those pirates you got to fuck were up for
whatever," he mumbled. "Pretty sure I'm a downgrade."

**IZZY**

"No, ahuv." He kissed Goro's forehead again.
"I mean, for one fuckin' thing, I love you, and I love spending time with
you no matter what the fuck we're doing. Swear to god, we could just sit in a
room together and even if we weren't talkin' or touching or anything, I'd be
happier. Got it?" He didn't wait for confirmation. He knew what it was
like -- sometimes you just had to fucking overpower the discontent mutter,
drown it the fuck out.

"And second off, fuck no, they weren't up for anything,
'cause they didn't fucking know me and I didn't fucking know them." He
didn't want to make fun, but he couldn't help being a little amused by the
mental image. "Y'think random fucking drunk strangers I met in a port let
me tie'em up and leave'em there and fuck with'em all night, and put collars
on'em and call'em good boys for choking on my cock? Nah. They'd think I was
gonna fucking murder'em and they'd fuckin' bite my dick off. 'Sides." He
pulled Goro back in close to squeeze him. "Doesn't fuckin' mean shit with
the wrong person. You're the right fucking person, shemeshi."

**LINA**

Ooh, yeah, that was a good hug. Good words, too, maybe.
Goro's mind scrambled to find something to argue with, but it was pretty
fucking straightforward. And Hansel sounded confident, clear. Knew what he was
talking about.

The results were good enough that Goro decided he'd just
keep talking shit about himself. Get more squeezing. "You sure I'm the
right person? I'm a fucking jerk."

**IZZY**

"Mmhm." Hansel kept cuddling him, kissing his hair
this time. "Can feel these things. Trust me."

**LINA**

"Yeah, alright. Bummer for you. Got Goro Voronin for
one of your soul mates. Creepy asshole of a guy, you know."

Hah, soul mates. That was dumb. Kinda.

**IZZY**

"Hey. I love that creepy asshole. Fuckin' watch
it."

**LINA**

"You sure? He's kinda... weird-looking. Chatich, my
ass."

**IZZY**

"It is chatich," Hansel agreed solemnly.

**LINA**

Goro puzzled over that for a second, then snorted.
"Hey. Fuckin'... god damn it." He started tickling Hansel again, for
revenge.

**IZZY**

Hansel snickered and twitched, batting his hands away.
"You fuckin' walked right into that shit. You knew what you were
doin'."

**LINA**

"I didn't! I was just trying to get more hugs."

**IZZY**

"All you gotta do is ask." He wrapped Goro up and
squeezed the air out of him, then whispered, "Nicely," in his ear.

**LINA**

Goro snorted, but it was more of a wheeze thanks to the
squeezing. "What, like, please hug me, sir?"

**IZZY**

All right, it did sound fuckin' silly when he said it out
loud. Hansel snickered and let up, just to shift and squeeze him again.
"Yeah, that's it. Good boy."

**LINA**

"Alright, I got a theory though. I think if I
say--" Goro squirmed until Hansel let him go, so they could test it.
"I think if I say, hey asshole, gimme a fucking hug right now, I bet
you'll do it. Bet you can't resist. Hey asshole, gimme a fucking hug, right
now."

**IZZY**

Hansel narrowed his eyes. Trickery. He couldn't just fuckin'
not hug Goro. He didn't have an out here that'd let him keep acting tough and
also cuddle his fiance.

So he gave up on it and just grinned and pulled Goro back in
to cuddle him as fucking roughly and ferociously as possible.

**LINA**

Goro grinned from ear to ear as he was assaulted with
cuddles. Ah, yeah, that was fucking heavenly. Hansel knew what he liked.

Goro fought back just enough that he could get his arms over
Hansel's shoulders and pepper his face with kisses. "And I bet--I bet if I
say, hey beautiful, I need a hug, that'd do the trick, too. You think?"

**IZZY**

"What if I wanna get hugged sometimes, huh?"
Hansel fake sulked.

**LINA**

"Hmm. What if. You wanna test it out?" Goro leaned
back, outside of the shelter of the coat, putting his arms out to the side so
they weren't touching Hansel. "You could try asking, see what
happens."

**IZZY**

Hansel gave him a sad look.

**LINA**

Goro looked around. "Gee, I have this funny feeling
there's someone around here who wants a hug. Dunno, though. Can't read minds.
Huh."

**IZZY**

Hansel kept just looking at him, widening his eyes a little.

**LINA**

"Weird. Coulda sworn someone would go asking for a hug.
Ah, well. Guess these arms are gonna go unused."

**IZZY**

Hansel hung his head and slumped his shoulders.

**LINA**

"Ah--oh--shit. Was it you? Are you the one who wanted a
hug?" Goro snickered, and couldn't keep it up any longer. He dove back in,
wrapping his arms around Hansel and squeezing him as tight as he could.

**IZZY**

Hansel snorted and laughed, hugging him back, knocked a
little off-balance by the force. That was the good shit. He scratched his beard
against Goro's face. Bet Goro would good with some stubble. It was hard to picture,
though.

**LINA**

"How's that?" Goro asked, nuzzling him right back.
"I'll hug you as much as you want, anytime you want. Including right now.
Never let go of you, until you want me to."

**IZZY**

"Hmm." Hansel locked his arms around Goro and
propped his chin on Goro's shoulder. "Shame. Guess we just live like this
now, then."

**LINA**

"Guess so. We'll figure out a way to make it work,
somehow." He tugged Hansel's coat around them more snugly. "How the
hell do you get dressed when you can't stop hugging? Guess we live naked, now,
too."

**IZZY**

"Gotta get special clothes made," Hansel decided.
"Or your idea works too, s'pose." He leaned back to give Goro an
appreciative look. "Sounds great to me."

**LINA**

Goro flushed, and pushed forward so he could burrow against
Hansel again. "No one else gets to see me, though. You're gonna have to
carve out a lot of eyes. Hope you're prepared."

**IZZY**

"I'll blind the entire fucking world for you,"
Hansel promised, kissing Goro's head.

**LINA**

"Hmm. A world where nobody can see me, except Hansel."
He grinned. "Sounds great, and horribly inconvenient. Much like our new
arrangement here, period. Damn, who knew endless hugging would be so
complicated?"

**IZZY**

"Guess this is just where we fuckin' die," Hansel
intoned. "S'too bad. Gonna miss our own wedding and shit."

**LINA**

"Nooo." Goro clung tighter. "That's not gonna
work. You can't let me die before my first wedding, Hans. How could you?"

**IZZY**

"S'fine, we'll just Send to someone to have'em come
marry us right here. Then I'll fuckin' put their eyes out once it's done,"
he added, lightly.

**LINA**

"Mm." Goro settled against Hansel more
comfortably, resting his eyes. "New problem. I'm getting cold again. You
gotta get me inside, somehow."

**IZZY**

Hansel grumbled, amused. "Gotta do everything around
here." He kissed Goro's head. "How about this. You get yourself
dressed --" kissed him again -- "I'll carry you inside --" again
-- "find a nice empty room with a lock in the door --" one more time
-- "and then I'll warm you up right. Eh?"

He pulled back just enough to grin at Goro.

**LINA**

Goro grinned back--couldn't fucking help it. Couldn't help
leaning in to kiss him, either.

"Deal," he said against Hansel's lips.

[end]

**IZZY**

Title: Drunkish. Summary: Drunk Hansel finds Goro on the docks
outside Sanctuary, and they talk about their prospective wedding, among other
things. Cuddling Occurs, shockingly.