First published on 2013-08-27.

First of all, I'd like to apologize for taking down this fanfiction for so long. I originally intended to correct some mistakes, but then I decided that, since The Adventures of Sinbad was, and still is, being continued, I would wait for the official account of the SinJa relationship before adding in my two cents (more like a thousand million).

Second, I didn't intend to write lemony goodness so early into the story, but I reasoned that it'd work better if Sinbad and Ja'far were lovers before meeting my OC. As you will be able to read, Ja'far's age gave me quite a lot of discomfort, but I read "How Old Are You Anyway?" by CapeVerdeGiantSkink /users/CapeVerdeGiantSkink/pseuds/CapeVerdeGiantSkink. This made me realise that really, Ja'far's job as an assassin would most likely demand him to engage in sexual intercourse. Also if they're old enough to run a Trading Company and be taken seriously, then why not be old enough to understand what it really means to be in love with somebody?

Third, I have become appalled at the fandom and their tendency to turn Sinbad into a drunkard, incompetent, promiscuous, idiot and Ja'far into his nagging, workaholic, babysitter. I'd done that too, initially. As I was reading The Adventures of Sinbad I realised that there is so much more to them that what we could see in Magi (though I expect their depth to improve with the recent developments in the series). Yes, Sinbad is indeed a womanizer who goes to brothels and the likes, but up to the point in which my story takes place, there is no reason why I should believe he's got any experience with ladies, the one time he goes to a brothel being in Artemyra and we all (who read the Manga) know how that goes. If anything, Hinahoho is the one who seems to never stop, taking his prole into consideration. Sinbad has nothing but his dream in his head. He regards his Company higher than even himself, to the point where he becomes a salve in order to save it and the people in it. What we see as the "Lady Killer" is a confident young man with the right libido who knows exactly what his looks can do. And he wastes no time in taking advantage of that. Ja'far on the other hand, has become reserved when following Sinbad. He also regards Sindria Trading Company very high, but he regards Sinbad higher. He puts the Company at risk to save the young man who made it possible. He is a child with his head on his shoulders and who knows what must be done, even if that means getting his hands dirty. What we see of Ja'far's "nagging" is him scolding Sinbad for being a reckless man who lets his luck take care of things too much, not telling him how to do his job as a king. In fact, Ja'far has so little screen time that it makes me almost disappointed, Sinbad always saving the day somehow. Also, Ja'far is a very kind man with a soft heart, spoiling Alibaba and Aladdin rotten with food until they can barely touch their own belly buttons

Magi and The Adventures of Sinbad are underlined with incredibly dark themes such as assassination, slavery, torture, military service, war, witchcraft, etc. It isn't implicit but common sense will make the older readers ponder on the implications of these, i.e.: Besides assassinations, was Ja'far sent to other types of missions? What kind of torture was Sinbad subjected to when he was a slave? What about Masrur and the other children? There is actually a panel in Adventures of Sinbad, chapter 71, where Maader is bathing with her blushing slaves, all naked body contact- this is only one that comes to mind at the moment.

I have fallen in love with SinJa before writing this story and I have fallen hard, but after I was done editing Ties of a Heart, SinJaOC has become an almost delusion of canon for me. I will be fangirling over this for my entire life!

I have searched the internet for many themes on piracy in the 18th century to base myself on when writing this piece and for Judi's role in the Company I quite literally copy pasted Wikipedia's definition of East India Trading Company's "writers". The whole article on financial troubles made appreciate Ja'far a LOT more. You can go check it out, if you'd like!

I hope that, having read this, you can still enjoy my fanfiction. Please let me know if you like it or if you don't!


Sinbad: 16 (AoS, chapters 84-85)

Ja'far: 12 (AoS, chapters 84-85)

Judi: 11

Masrur: 7 (AoS, chapters 84-85)


'If you don't have a place you belong to, I'll give you one. I'll become your way of life. So don't lie to yourself anymore. Therefore, become my subordinate!'

The moment those words were spoken, Ja'far's heart stopped and restarted. The hand on his shoulder felt warm and safe and so unlike anything else his young mind had ever known that he didn't quite know what to do. It was from that moment onward that he, unconsciously at first, fell in love with Sinbad.

He didn't quite know what to do with all the shaking his normally firm and dexterous hands were doing, nor how to get rid of the butterflies in his stomach, he definitely didn't know what the hell he kept blushing around Sinbad for and seriously wondered where all the jealousy of the women Sinbad kept promising himself to was coming from. So while Sinbad and Mistoras decided to spend the night at the red light district, and with no small amount of stuttering, dancing around the question, "what ifs" and "hypothetically" and just pure mortifying embarrassment, he had asked Hinahoho about it.

The words 'You're in love!' made him seriously believe the blue haired Imuchakk had been drinking some strange Artemyra wine made from the venom of the snakes or something, but as the man explained himself further, also stuttering some when Ja'far seemed to be confused about the part feelings like love and respect played during sex, everything seemed to make sense.

'So, if I tell Sinbad about this, will my symptoms disappear?'

The fond look and the light pat on the head Hinahoho gave him were a very accurate answer for him.

Shit.

Ja'far stored all the knowledge he acquired from Hinahoho in his head and pondered it over during their trip back to Narpolia, weighing the Pros and Cons of confessing and deciding that there really was no reason for him to hide such a thing. It concerned Sinbad after all.

Upon their return to Sindria Trading Company after the events with Drakon and the princess, Ja'far felt an unbearable uneasiness that made him unable to sleep. He decided to go for a walk when he noticed Sinbad's light was on. He was quickly granted access when he knocked and was invited to sit and have some tea. He wasn't surprised when Sinbad noticed his discomfort. He rather welcomed Sinbad's worry about him, somehow.

'What's got you like this Ja'far?'

'I'm not sure. I just can't seem to calm down.' Ja'far told Sinbad, racking a hand through his hair. 'The situation with Drakon and the princess doesn't bode very well. I mean, I don't think you're wrong to shelter them, you are that sort of person, after all, but I wonder if it will be okay.'

Sinbad smiled at Ja'far a fond smile that had a direct effect on the smaller one's heart rate, leading to an obvious blush appearing on his face. Now that he knew the truth about his symptoms, he couldn't ignore them at all.

'Is that really all that's bothering you, Ja'far?'

'T-There's…something else, actually.' He mumbled, half hoping Sinbad wouldn't hear it and he looked down at his cup of tea, steaming a delicious scented cloud.

'Huh? What is it?' Asked Sinbad, bending down to try and see Ja'far's face, his purple hair falling like silk down his shoulder.

'Do you remember when we met and you pulled me out of that "black monster thing"?' The "black monster thing" being the only description of what really happened in the dungeon that Ja'far was given by Sinbad.

'Yeah…'

'Well, I have been feeling quite…odd since then…' Ja'far felt his blush deepen and looked to the side in embarrassment.

'What do you mean odd?' Ja'far could tell Sinbad was getting truly worried about him by the tone of his voice and that caused him to get annoyed at his inability to confess his feelings towards Sinbad. After a few seconds of consideration, Ja'far decided to treat this like a band aid: do it fast and painless.

'I think I…no, I love you.' He said, finally, looking at the teenager in front of him with what he could feel was the biggest blush he'd ever donned.

Sinbad couldn't have looked more confused if he tried.

Ja'far didn't blame him for it at all. He knew he'd have to explain himself if he wanted to be taken seriously so he put his teacup back on the table and donned his "serious" posture.

'I know I'm a kid and all that, but I know I love you because I have never felt like this before. I feel tingles in my skin whenever you touch me…' at this Sinbad's hand retreated from his shoulder and Ja'far pretended not to feel the stinging pain in his chest at the involuntary gesture. 'I get weird "butterflies" in my stomach, they feel more like writhing snakes, really, whenever you are close to me; I feel as if I never want to be away from you and I would do anything to see you smile all the time; I want to protect your stupid ass from all the reckless shit you do; I get jealous when you're looking at women because I want all your attention to be always on me…'

The silence that followed was pregnant with the sort of tension that deafens one's ears and turns paranoid the most analytical of brains. Ja'far watched in growing trepidation as Sinbad sighed into the palm of his hands and massaged his temples with closed eyes.

'Ja'far, you're an eleven year old ex-assassin who knew nothing about family, friendship, camaraderie, affection of even kindness. Surely you're mistaking your love towards me as romantic interest, but it's not. We're family, right?' The dungeon capturer finished his hypothesis with the friendliest of smiles he could have spared. A smile Ja'far could tell was forced even if Sinbad was standing on the eastern coast of Kou and he was standing on the western shore of Reim.

'This is different form my feelings for Hinahoho, Rurumu, Kikiriku or anyone else I have ever met, Sinbad. I don't imagine kissing anyone else on the mouth like Hinahoho and Rurumu do.' Then he added in a small voice, shy to admit. 'I researched all of my symptoms…and I talked to Hinahoho…too…'

The hearty laughter that fell easily from Sinbad's mouth startled Ja'far and made him look at the older boy. An open and sincere laughter on a face with eyes squeezed shut, tears collecting on their corners and eyelashes and a hand on a stomach. Ja'far could not have stopped the thought that Sinbad was truly handsome if he wanted. He put up an annoyed façade instead.

'Sorry, I can't stop myself from imagining you as you researched medical books and scrolls for the symptoms of love!'

Ja'far wanted to him. And kiss him. Hit him then kiss him. So he did. He punched Sinbad very lightly on the abdomen before his hands grabbed the front of his cotton shirt and pulled him down to close the distance between their faces, deliberate and conscious, yet nervous and clueless. His heart was drumming in his ears and in his throat, completely drowning all sound in his bloodstream and making him totally unable to breathe. All he could do was freeze with his lips tightly pressed to Sinbad's, not really knowing what to do next while he stared at the wide amber eyes right in front of him.

It took Ja'far a couple of (years) seconds to start panicking internally and finally release a completely shell shocked Sinbad while he sat back and fidgeted with his hands, waiting patiently for the other to regain his composure.

It took Sinbad a (century) minute to gather his bearings and his voice to be able to talk.

'Ja'far, what was that?' his brain was still far away, it seems.

'A kiss?' Ja'far supplied, not knowing what else to say as fears assaulted his mind and how I could I be so stupid?! 'Do you hate it?' he scoffed at his own stupid question. 'Of course you do…this whole conversation is just causing you discomfort.'

'No! I mean…I…YOU'RE A KID!' Sinbad exclaimed loudly with a wide gesture of his arms, body language Ja'far had learned to associate with agitation.

'Yeah…physically I am. I am a child who works for the president of Sindria Trading Company who also happens to be a child, albeit older than me.' Ja'far argued, but finished his proclamation with a resigned sigh. He stood up and clasped his shaking hands together in a salute with a bow that hid his eyes under his bangs. 'I am sorry I caused you displeasure, but as an involved party, I assumed you would like to be informed. I guarantee this matter will not bring you any more trouble in the future, neither to any other comrades nor the Company. Have a good night, Sin.'

He did not expect this to hurt so much. A band aid never hurt him before! But the words he spoke to put his most important person at ease and the motion of his muscles as his brain commanded them to turn away and walk towards the door caused him pain unlike any wound or torture known to him. Each step seemed to lace unbearably tight knots around his heart and his throat felt raw as he forced himself not to sob, not yet. The tears scorched his face as they rolled down and he would have been proud of not just running out of the room to heed his desire to disintegrate out of the face of the earth had he not been concentrated in attempting to look at least composed enough to be left alone.

'Ja'far, wait!' Called Sinbad, the sound of his steps was rushed behind Ja'far and the smaller of the two felt the grip of the oldest on his arm pulling him to turn around. The white haired boy found no strength to resist the motion, but he kept his face down, his eyes squeezed shut under pure white bangs of hair, yet his shameful tears would not stop nor disappear and the sight of them provoked an exhaled "shit" from Sinbad followed by a tight hug.

In his Lord's embrace Ja'far gave up the herculean hold on his sobs, gripping with his hands the clothes on the strong chest instead.

'Shit, Ja'far. I'm sorry, please don't cry!' Sinbad begged. There was a sort of desperation to the elder's voice. 'What am I supposed to do, now? I…I don't…shit!'

'Y-You d-don't have to do anything, S-Sin.' Ja'far managed to answer between sobs, uselessly trying to clean his tears away. 'I t-told you I'll b-be the same ag-gain tomorrow.'

'Fuck, Ja'far that's not it at all.' Sinbad professed pulling Ja'far at arms' length by his shoulders and looking at him straight in the eyes. 'I mean…you're eleven! That's five whole years younger than me, you're technically still a child who should be out there playing with other children and I am…instead you're working for me. You're so…I mean, I…I shouldn't feel…the way I do…about you…at all.'

Ja'far felt his heart beat painfully strong against its painful bindings, his hold of Sinbad's clothes tightening further for lack of anything else to hold himself upwards with.

'Sin…'

'I am also in love with you Ja'far.' Sinbad confessed pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead with eyes squeezed shut. 'I'm sorry I can't stop myself from saying it. Not when not saying it is causing you to look like this. I wanted to give you a proper childhood, but I need you here. I need you so much…'

'Sinbad, I swear I will truly kill you if you're saying this out of pity.' Ja'far threatened but his face, far from angry and scary, portrayed the same kind of hope like the time Sinbad pulled Ja'far out of his misery.

Sinbad smiled that same fond smile he always smiled at him and just him, and he realised this for the first time at that moment. The smile that shone in his own face came undeterred and Ja'far hid his face, hot with a blush and the remnants of his tears, on Sinbad's chest, but the older teen gently grasped his chin and made him look at him.

'I promise, Ja'far, that I will devote myself to you.'

'That promise is hollow with how much you use it.' The younger one deadpanned, yet he felt the bindings of his heart release him and it beat so, so strongly now.

'I'm scared, Ja'far.' Sinbad confessed. 'I'm sure this is so wrong in so many ways and I'm taking away your freedom…'

Ja'far cupped Sinbad's face in his smaller, more calloused hands admiring the strong jaw, the brilliant amber eyes, the long dark eyelashes, the plump lips, the alluring blush across the high cheekbones and knowing that his own face must look like a mess with his puffy red eyes and a prominent blush. 'The only freedom I want is the freedom to walk besides you, wherever you may go.'

Sinbad almost didn't let Ja'far finish his sentence as he grabbed his head on both sides and kissed him. This kiss was sloppy, inexperienced and all lips. Their teeth clashed painfully a couple of times and Sinbad pressed too hard. But then Ja'far backed away and took control of the kiss. This time he gently massaged Sinbad's lips with his own, keeping touches faint. Sinbad was a fast learner and he quickly got the idea, imitating the pleasant actions, exploring what other things would make them feel good. He nipped at Ja'far's bottom lip while his hands snaked around the small waist.

When they separated, breathing hard in small pants, they touched their foreheads together, looking into each other's eyes and twin smiles spread across their sensitive swollen lips.

'We should probably get some sleep…' Sinbad muttered, brushing a white lock of hair behind Ja'far's ear.

The ex-assassin nodded with a hum, but neither of the two moved.

'Sleep here?' Sinbad asked with a small hopeful tone to his voice and Ja'far could easily pick up the almost nervous lining to the request. He answered with another nod and a hum.

Sinbad smiled. His hands traced a path up Ja'far's arms, to the back of his neck, sneaking under the hem of the light robe Ja'far wore on top of his sleeping garments and slowly pushing it down and off the lithe shoulders. In the same movement, the teenager held both Ja'far's hands in his, blew out the light and stood up, pulling the smaller male as he walked backwards towards his bed. They both stumbled a couple of times with the rug, but they laughed it off and they landed unceremoniously on top of the cotton bedspread.

'Only you would think walking backwards before your sight adjusted to the dark is a good idea, Sin.' Ja'far commented with a soft laugh.

But their eyes were adjusted to the moonlight that filtered through the white curtains of the open window now and they lay under the thin bed sheet, looking at each other's face, watching sleep slowly claim the other onto its calm and relaxing realm.

The next morning spelled disaster in bold, capital letters. All of a sudden the uneasy feeling Ja'far forgot all about in the arms of his lover seemed to suffocate him, gripping at him from all sides and seeping into his mind, urging him to do something.

Throwing a dagger at Vitel, possibly killing him for his mistake, sounded like a wonderful idea.

'Investment? Debt? Just what the hell did you go and do, ya bastard!?' The young about-to-become-ex-ex-assassin's temper rose, opening a hole in the wall that would cost money to repair and making him even more pissed off. 'It was for the Company? Ain't got nothin' to do with that…the problem is how're we gonna pay off this debt? A bastard like you…'

Sinbad and Hinahoho sighed as they witnessed Ja'far changing back to his assassin mode.

'…SHOULD PAY WITH HIS LIFE, SHOULDN'T HE?! I'll kill you damnit!'

Vitel screamed for his life and Hinahoho quickly held the smallest of them to avoid a comrade's demise at his hands. The memory of Ja'far, boss of the assassins caused the Vitel to faint and Sinbad immediately tended to him, while Ja'far calmed down in Hinahoho's strong grip.

They were all worried, they were all anxious and none of them could come up with a viable plan. They should all calm down first and think later.

Except they didn't. Sinbad with, all his strength and dumb luck, managed to save the company, but failed to ensure his way out of the pickle…and the jar…and the whole cupboard…

It was with a heavy heart that Ja'far watched his most beloved person fly away to save the dream they'd all been building from the ground up. He endured watching Sinbad being taken away after losing (ridiculously fast might he add) the fight against Masrur in the arena. He endured the horror of seeing the proud and free Sinbad collared and chained. He endured the difficult time it took to bring him back. He endured the bile that rose to his mouth every time he thought about what exactly it is they were all doing.

Ja'far buried himself in his studies and his work to try and distract himself from the ever present anxiety that set up residence in his heart. He tried not to think about the outcome of their plan should it fail. Everyone around him was determined to make this work, they were confident Rurumu and he could do it, but the risk was real and they could all pay dearly for their foolishness if their scheme backfired.

When they succeeded and freed the slaves with Sinbad's help, he really did punch him. With as much strength as he could muster this time. And not only once, but twice. He poured out all the frustration and fear that plagued him the entire time, feeling the saturated anxiety leave him with each word of reprimand like poison. He was aware since the very beginning that such a grand dream could not be accomplished with small amounts of blood and underhanded methods, but it was time Sinbad was made to understand his position too.

'…because the next time you whine and give up…I won't hold back. I'll kill you.'

And he knew, without a shadow of doubt, as Sinbad took the hand he offered that he would never have to go to such extent again. Sinbad took the slaves in and Hinahoho helped Masrur find his place in the Company. Everything fell into place just fine.

All that was left to do was to move Headquarters to Balbadd. What promised to be a heavy task that could certainly spam the course of months, turned out to be an enjoyable reform and decoration for everyone involved and, since "everyone" meant the whole Sindria family, they managed to complete the move in less than one month.

Sinbad was particularly proud that his sleeping quarters were located right next to Ja'far's. Not that they were initially, but Sinbad's family soon became aware of the night terrors left behind by the long weeks of torture their Lord had undergone and, as one who'd received and delivered torture himself, Ja'far decided that the view from the room next to Sinbad's was better than his. The comforting feeling of being next to his most precious person was an added bonus the ex-assassin didn't think he'd ever be ready to mention.

One of such occasions when Sinbad's voice was carried over next door by the relative silence of night, found Ja'far walking barefoot to the elder's bed. He climbed on, shook him awake and cradled his head to his smaller chest, making sure that his heart could be heard and stayed like that for a while, until he could no longer feel the sobs from the other male. Then, he started humming. He didn't know the name of the song, but he remembered a woman's voice singing it as a lullaby for him. He believed it could have been his mother.

'I am sorry, Ja'far. That you have to comfort me like this.' Sinbad muttered in a hoarse voice. 'You are the bravest person I know.'

Ja'far didn't answer. He could feel the immense tension in the muscles of Sinbad's shoulders and neck as his hands caressed them. He leaned down over Sinbad, making him lay back down on the bed and kissed his lips softly.

'Don't you worry about a single thing now, Sin. I am going to take care of you.' He purred to his loved one's ear, he blew and nipped gently at it while his hand travelled a languid path south through Sinbad's chest and abdomen, sneaking underneath the waistband of his trousers…

'What are you doing?!' Sinbad hissed in panic, grabbing Ja'far's hands and pulling them away from his groin as he readily sat up again.

'What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking care of you.' Ja'far answered as a matter of fact, staring at Sinbad and truly believing this was a good enough explanation.

It clearly wasn't for Sinbad.

'Ja'far I don't need you to do this!' the purple haired ex-slave tried to explain as he sat up without releasing the ex-assassin's hands. 'This is not something an eleven year old child should do!'

'But you need to relax!' Ja'far argued. 'I have done this countless times before! And we are lovers, just in case you haven't realised, Sinbad. Do you intend to kiss me your whole life without having sex?'

'Wha-WHAT?!' Sinbad shouted. 'What do you mean you've done this before?! You're eleven!'

'So you've said before…twice.' Ja'far pouted, withdrawing his hands and looking off to the side.

'Because you are! You're not supposed to do this kind of thing yet!' Sinbad refuted.

'We've been over this, Sin! I'm not supposed to do many things, yet I do, but so do you!' Ja'far defended, pulling at his hands half-heartedly. 'I want to do this with you and unless you tell me you don't want it, I don't see why I shouldn't and don't you dare tell me I'm eleven years old again. I know my age.'

There was a silent minute during which Sinbad pondered the information he had and reached his own conclusions.

'Was it a mission…?'

The right conclusions, albeit not the subject Ja'far wanted to talk about.

'We often were requested to take care of "customers" or our superiors.' He told Sinbad, looking at his hands, choosing his words. 'I only want to do it with you, Sin. From now on, only you. And if it's numbers you're so worried about, then you surely must remember that I am almost twelve and you only just turned sixteen!'

'I've never done anything like this…' Sinbad confessed. 'I mean, I only know how to please a woman, but I am otherwise clueless.'

'Well that's where being the same gender comes in handy.' Ja'far explained as he cupped Sinbad's face in his hands and touched their foreheads together. 'We don't have to do anything tonight, though.'

Sinbad pondered over the subject for a minute, looking Ja'far in the face. The younger male putting on airs to reassure him, but Sinbad had come to know Ja'far better than he knew himself and he could see the signs of nervousness in the very slight twitching of Ja'far's eyebrow. He decided a long time ago that doing this sort of thing with Ja'far did not make him uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, he'd touched himself with the white haired boy in his fantasies a couple of times before. Or his speculation of what the other would look when he grew up. This had just been unexpected, not unwanted and he demonstrated this by hugging Ja'far's waist and pulling him onto his lap.

'I would not be able to wait. Not after you've made this a possibility.'

They stopped talking in favour of kissing and Ja'far wasted no time to invade Sinbad's mouth with his tongue, tracing the teeth before leading the mutual seductive dance of their tongues, drool leaking down the sides of their lips, ignored.

Ja'far's hands traced a path to Sinbad's ears, teasing them. His fingers tangled into soft purple locks. His thighs straddled the older teen's and he aligned their bodies flush, undulating his hips softly against Sinbad's pelvis and earning himself a throaty moan.

He was more than satisfied to be able to feel his lover was as aroused as he was. He'd been worried that being with another male would freak Sinbad out.

Sinbad wasn't idle either. He eagerly followed Ja'far's breath taking lead, intent on learning as much as possible as quick as possible. He sneaked his hands under Ja'far's shirt and traced patterns around his muscles and scars, delighted at the pleasure hiss Ja'far let out when his nails raked a particularly large bump. His scars are sensitive…noted!

'Sin…' Ja'far called in the lewdest voice Sinbad had ever heard his whole life. He moaned out loud as hot shivers ran up his spine and heat started to pool in his groin.

Their breaths accelerated quickly, mingling between their tender lips, intercalating sloppy kisses. The movement of their hips hastened in the impending approach of their orgasms.

Ja'far snaked a hand down between them, keeping eye contact with Sinbad to be able to gauge his reactions. He ceased his hips long enough to pull the waistband of his trousers down and press his now naked erection to Sinbad's clothed one. Slowly and deliberately he pulled at the purple haired male's waistband with an inquisitive look. There was no hesitation in Sinbad's nod and it was all the permission Ja'far needed to grasp both their leaking penises in both hands and restart rolling his hips vigorously. Sinbad wrapped one of his own hands around Ja'far's with a deep needy moan.

They were positively mesmerized at each other's eroticism, in their flushed cheeks; in the sleekness of their skin; in the panting breaths; in the yearning moans and hissed versions of each other's names coming from parted lips. Their voices rose in volume and their movements became desperate and erratic. Sinbad grabbed a fistful of Ja'far's bottom in an irrational attempt to bring him even closer still.

'J-Ja'far, I'm gonna…' moaned Sinbad, resting his forehead on Ja'far's shoulder where his panting breath blew over the younger's ear, creating havoc inside him.

'Mm-yeah! Me too. Sin, cum with me.' He moaned.

Their movements ceased when all their muscles tensed as they came together with broken versions of each other's names stumbling from their lips. Ja'far stroked their pricks a few languid times more, his hands sleek with cum, their bodies twitching lightly from their oversensitivity.

Once finished, the pair kissed each other in lazy, messy lip nips and tongue sweeps. They wordlessly discarded their soiled clothes and lay under the thin bed sheet, facing each other, tracing patters on each other's hands until sleep claimed their consciousness and granted them a dreamless relaxing night.

Nights gradually became terror free for Sinbad after that, thanks not only to his lover's sexual aid, but also the unconditional love from his new family. He knew he'd never be completely rid of nightmares of his time in torture. Ja'far also had them from time to time, but as long as they had each other, everything would be more than fine.


There was one more trip from Narpolia to Balbadd to be made. Sinbad, Ja'far, Rurumu and Hinahoho (who left the babies with Pipirika) stayed behind after everyone finished moving the merchandise to finalise the contract with the merchant guild in Reim. The group, minus the lady, had spent the day loading cargo to the ship to help out the crew and to make departure faster. The crew was all too happy to let them help and even offered them to join them for dinner.

Dinner was absolute merrymaking, complete with roasted meat and wine.

'Sin, we're children. We shouldn't…' Ja´far started, but Sinbad easily silenced him by shoving a chalice of wine to his hand.

'C'mon Ja´far, let's not offend the charitable hospitality of our crew!' He draped an arm over the younger one's shoulders and held his own chalice with the other. The look he sent Ja'far clearly stated that if he agreed to not treat him as a child in bed, then Ja'far could not use his age as an excuse for anything.

Ja'far sighed and smiled. He was not really opposed to the idea of partying with his family anyway. He thought they all deserved some private merrymaking after all that had happened and, after a glance Rurumu's way to make sure the giant woman wouldn't oppose, he toasted with his Lord Sinbad and drank the chalice dry. Rurumu must have made an exception this time in light of celebrating that they were all safe. Both Imuchakk easily downed (one more refined than the other) two very large chalices of whine (water for Rurumu) to make up for the heat they experienced during the day.

A few drinks and lots of jokes later had everyone sated and ready for bed. A slightly tipsy Hinahoho left with his lovely wife to their quarters, but not without instructing the children to also go to bed early.

Ja'far and Sinbad watched them go with twin smiles on their faces. When they left, Ja'far finished his (third?) chalice of whine and returned it to the table with a sigh.

'You sure can drink, for such a small guy!' a crew member commented, earning himself the laughter of many others, including Sinbad. Ja'far didn't like the "small" comment.

'Don't be so sour! I'm sure you'll grow up soon!' Another male voice commented and all around laughter and noises of agreement filled the space.

'Time to go, you lot!' A crew member announced from the entrance to the cabin signalling the time to stop their festivities. 'Who's on watch?'

The crew left the cabin in high spirits, chatting animatedly amongst themselves, the ones on cooking duty taking the dishes with them, but leaving the wine and chalices on Sinbad's request.

'I'm going to bed too.' Ja'far declared when the last of the crew left the cabin, looking at Sinbad expectantly.

Sinbad smiled and grabbed his hand gently, tracing small circles on his pulse with his thumb. Ja'far didn't look away.

The purple haired teen closed the distance between their lips eager to feel the pleasure of the soft and wet skin rubbing so sensually against his. Making out for minutes on end, with mischievous hands all over the other's body, was one of their favourite ways of showing their young love to each other and quell the ever present need to be as impossibly close as they could. When they finally parted, a thin string of saliva still connected them, making them both lick their tender lips, their breaths mingling in puffs of wine scented, invisible clouds.

'I think I'm gonna clear my head a bit before I join you guys.' Sinbad declared as he caressed Ja'far's cheeks and ran his fingers through pale locks of hair. Ja'far found himself unable to speak, resorting to nodding slightly.

With one (million) last kiss, Ja'far left the cabin to lie down and sleep as Sinbad climbed the steps to the main deck.

The wine on board the ship was delicious, but also strangely strong. He hadn't had that much to drink, if he was honest, but he was already feeling the effects on his body. He leaned against the gunwall and looked up at the sky. Out here in the sea, the stars were unrivalled in their shining beauty.

Out here in the sea, Sinbad felt the closer to his father and his thoughts….

'PIRATES!' Until someone screamed that.

The pirates came, not only from the sides of the ship, to which they obviously moored smaller boats, but also from the inside of it, where the alert originated from, clearly having infiltrated the crew. There was no sign of a ship nearby, meaning that the pirates had been trailing the this one for quite a while. A look at the crow's nest confirmed this: a pirate was climbing down from it dextrously with a cutlass between his teeth.

In truth, the Sindria Trading group would have been more than enough to overkill the under-skilled sea men, but the pirates threw smokes bombs with a sweet smell that effectively hindered Sinbad's attacks. Not only that, but he started to feel dizzy. His movements turned sluggish and slow and his depth perception was that tiny little bit distorted. He was sure the smoke combined with whatever poison those infiltrated pirates slipped in the drinks were the cause.

'Sin!' Ja'far's voice called from the general direction of the stairs.

'Here!' Sinbad responded, but with the sounds of battle coming right after Ja'far's voice Sinbad deduced the white haired male was occupied. 'Shit.' The Imuchakk couple must have been thoroughly knocked out, then.

Just how much did they drink?

Ja'far's body was used to a very wide range of poisons and was immune to most, but this particular one seemed to act on a different level than anything he'd encountered before. Even so, his resistance was good enough to allow him to sense the pirates all around him in the smoke and attack with precision. Sinbad was able to evade and deflect all the attacks directed his way so far, his body growing accustomed to the differences between his perception and reality and the pair thought they could easily hold the pirates off.

Maybe they could defeat them?

The thought caused Sinbad to shudder. Wasn't it this overconfidence of his that landed him a slave before? Didn't he still have a large bruise on his neck to prove his naivety? And in his moment of slight panic, a small pirate ambushed him from behind; their face so close Sinbad could spot a pair of angry green eyes with a look he hadn't seen since he first met Ja'far: maniac bloodlust over a sea of lost emptiness and despair.

The person was clearly a child, wearing an old green cloak around their shoulders and brandishing a golden dagger with black and red gems on the hilt. A long braid of white hair flowed under the restrictions of cloth as they swung their arm and successfully knocked Sinbad out by dealing a clean hit to the side of his neck. They grabbed Sinbad before he hit the ground, and tossed him to one of their comrades, a large, blond, bulky man, who secured the prisoner with one arm before jumping off the ship.

The child then turned to Ja´far, their dagger ready to defend against the younger opponent. Ja'far, on the other hand, was getting tired of knocking small fries out of the way only for them to return. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that had nothing to do with the wine or the smoke and felt all too familiar to the eve of Sinbad's capture.

But they were a serious pain in the ass, in the ex-assassin's opinion. Especially when he was barely able to deflect an attack from someone who was clearly not a small fry.

'Sin?' he called and that bad feeling intensified as the seconds of silence passed. 'Sin!'

The non-small fry snickered, revealing to Ja'far that he was dealing with a girl, probably the same age as him. He faced the direction where her voice came, but his eyes followed her aura as she circled him, hiding in the smoke.

'You're good…' She hissed from his left. Ja'far turned his head towards her voice just in time to receive a very strong kick that sent him rolling across the deck and right into the gunwall. He heaved himself from the floor, spitting blood and noticed that the red wires attached to his daggers were unwrapped from his arms. Instead they were stretched across the floor to a point inside the smoke he couldn't see. With an angry grunt he violently tugged on the wires from his end to pull the enemy towards himself, ready to deliver the worse punch he could. His eyes widened however and he hesitated at the sight of the small person flying towards him with a large sack in their hands. The next second he was struggling to get out of said sack as he was tossed around from person to person and carried away. He didn't realise until much later that in the process, he had been relieved of his household vessel.

The image of two bloodlust filled green eyes and white hair was embedded in his mind.