"So how is it a trade, then?" Kid asked, and Killer seconded with a nod of his head. The person they'd met outside the bar clearly hadn't cared if they'd had money or not, and he hadn't seen any sort of exchange between the people on the street.
Law gave his answer in brief spurts, interrupting his speech with laughs and hiccups. They were back on the street now, headed towards Kid's ship but moving slowly. Law had an arm around each of their waists, and they held him up together as if he were too intoxicated to walk on his own.
His movements were sloppy, his arms waving and eyes half-closed, but his words were clear when he spoke. "You pay to be allowed to roam on the island at night. They give you a colored band, depending on what you buy. The natives are all drugged. For the lowest level, you can have whoever'll take you. For the middle level, you pick out who you want and they'll drug them up for you. For the highest level...you can do anything, to anyone. They'll either them drug enough to forget what happened, or dispose of the bodies in the morning."
On the other side of Law, Killer saw his captain stiffen. This was pretty deep into the territory that Kid refused to venture into, and for the sake of both of them Killer was glad he hadn't accepted the person's offer outside the bar. "The drug," he asked, to distract Law from zeroing in on Kid's discomfort. "It's an aphrodisiac, right?"
Law swung his head around to look at Killer with lazy eyes. His mouth opened wide in a loose grin, and he let out a high-pitched giggle. "Close enough to one that the effect is the same, yes. Very popular in the black market."
"Your band," Kid said, his voice strained. "What...level did you buy?"
"The lowest," Law answered blandly, but Killer knew the man had to have picked up on Kid's distress. "Just enough to walk the streets without them bothering me."
That seemed to satisfy Kid, as he visibly relaxed. Walking with Law seemed to be working; they were almost to the docks now, and no one had approached them again with more packets. Kid seemed to move faster the closer they got, his steps quickening until Killer almost had to jog to keep up.
"Slow down, you brute," Law hissed from his side, struggling to match the pace and maintain his facade.
Killer noted the familiar eagerness in his captain's manner. It wasn't the normal buzz Killer was all-too wary of, the one that meant he was strung out and ready to blow at any moment, but rather the thin tingling in the air Killer remembered from before Kid had even had his devil's fruit.
It was the same little tingling he'd felt every time they faced off against a couple of junkrats who'd dared to challenge them; Kid was excited.
Now that the danger had passed, Killer was starting to share Kid's eagerness. The sheer pink silks covering Law's body didn't do much to hide his lithe shape, and seeing crimson light reflect off the little beads of sweat on his neck and shoulders was sending hot blood down below Killer's belt. He began speeding up as well, causing Law to stumble before he caught himself.
"I said slow down, damnit!" the man bit out.
"You're late," Killer stated, unapologetic. They'd already been waiting in bars for hours even before running into the island's operators, and Law owed them for that.
"No, you're late! I've been here two days already, and it isn't my fault that you chose a bar halfway across the island-"
Kid finally lost patience with Law dragging along, leaning down to pick him up and throw him over his shoulder.
Law balked at the treatment, hissing, but since he was the one so interested in keeping up their facade, there was nothing he could do. Killer enjoyed his sideways death glares all the way to the ship.
"Why pink?" Kid asked.
Law stared at him blankly. "Excuse me?"
"The men wore red, and the women had on pink. Why'd you wear pink?"
It was an odd time to ask; the clothing in question was currently in shreds on the floor somewhere, and the man in question had three fingers up his ass.
"Mmm," Killer said, thinking it over. He hadn't noticed the difference, as all the colors had started to blur together for him near the end, but that was a pretty good point. He scissored his fingers inside Law when the man took a little too long to answer.
"Ah, shit," Law hissed. "That's...ah...close, Eustass, but not quite. The red...mmm...is for those who prefer the dominant position and...hah...the pink is for those who-"
He cut himself off, half-coughing as air caught in his throat. Killer had cinched a hand tight around the base of his cock, choking it. He'd anticipated the end of Law's sentence, and the thought of Law walking around in pink, showing everyone on the island that he wanted to be fucked, to be owned, to be used like a fucking slut was the hottest goddamn thing.
"Let...let go," Law gasped out, but Killer wasn't listening. Why the hell had they gotten rid of the silk so soon? He wished they'd left it on, so they could paint it with their cum and send Law to walk back around the town like the slut he was. They could follow him around, make sure that everyone knew he belonged to them, and if anyone tried to approach him they could pin him up against a wall and take him right there with everyone watching...
Killer had to bite back the noise rising in his throat, a kind of keening whine that would have embarrassed him to no end had it escaped. His jeans felt all at once too tight, and he had to slide his fingers out of Law's ass to undo the zipper. Law was squirming between him and the wall now, palms pushing at Killer's hand on his cock to lessen the pressure.
Killer freed himself and leaned in close, close enough to fit his cock between the cheeks of Law's ass. He didn't take the man, knowing he wouldn't last long, but he let his head tease at the edges of Law's hole.
Law bucked his hips, grinding down with as much force as he could muster, still trying to free himself from Killer's grip. Frustrated as Killer moved away and held strong, he narrowed his eyes.
"Eustass," Law said, almost sullenly. "You said I'd be fucked."
When Kid didn't answer, Killer turned his head to look over his shoulder. The captain was leaning back against the headboard, one hand gripping the bedframe tight and the other moving fast over his length. His eyes were fixed on a spot just next to Killer's head, and after a moment he realized that he was staring at Law.
Law's eyes had a gleam to them, the gold abnormally bright as a smirk spread over his face. He stopped fighting Killer to bring his hands up to his mouth, licking a finger, and then another, and another, until four fingers were sliding in and out as he mimed sucking cock.
Kid's breathing picked up from behind him, growing heavy, and Killer just fucking knew that playtime was up.
"Kil." Kid's voice came out low and husky. "Bring 'im over here."
Damnit.
Law's grin was blinding as Killer untangled the man's legs from around his waist, pulling him back off the wall to carry him to the bed. He let him ago after another hard squeeze on his shaft, refusing to acknowledge that Law had won yet another round.
Law twisted around, hands immediately going to Kid's cock, but Kid surprised them both by tugging Law up for a kiss. it was the kind of thing Kid didn't do often, or at all really, but he seemed to enjoy it now. He rolled over to pin the man beneath him, one hand moving up to hold Law's face against his and the other sliding down to tease his hole.
Killer kneeled on the bed and sat back on his heels, palming his cock. He brought back the fantasy from before, of fucking Law in the middle of the crowded square at night, and slowly slid his hand up and down.
Law had looked good in the red light, and Killer bet he'd look even better with sweat just dripping off him. Other people would come to watch; there'd probably be a circle around them, one that Kid would make sure stayed in place. People would look, and watch, and get themselves off seeing Law fucked into the pavement, but they couldn't touch, because he was theirs...
He was drawn out of his mind by the bed shifting as Kid made to enter Law, Killer's attention focusing on the coupling. It was an odd angle to watch at, with Kid covering Law's smaller body, but it worked for him. Kid held Law stretched with two fingers forcing open his entrance, only releasing after the head of his cock had breached the tight muscles.
Spread to either side, Law's legs shook, toes curling into the sheets as Kid worked his way into the man. He made the most beautiful sounds whenever Kid rolled his hips to sink deeper, and to Killer, those sounds alone would be worth going slow the next time he fucked him.
His hand worked faster over his cock, watching Law take inch after inch until his hole was stuffed and Kid bottomed out. His captain didn't move for a while, and Killer realized that he was kissing Law again, sliding his palms up and down the undersides of Law's thighs.
Something was whispered between them, too quiet for him to hear, and Law convulsed, his flesh tightening around where Kid filled him. Killer felt oddly left out, even though he'd had Law all to himself for a good ten minutes. What had passed between the two men had seemed almost...intimate, a word he'd never used with Kid in mind before.
That feeling evaporated as soon as Kid started moving. It was the rough, brutal fucking Killer expected from his captain, the kind that left their partners wrecked and unable to walk the next morning. He'd never unleashed it on Law before, probably out of some misguided fear that the man couldn't handle it, but he had shown himself to be remarkably resilient... and seeing Law shiver and convulse with every thrust had Killer leaning forward on one arm, jerking himself faster as he neared climax.
Kid abruptly switched position, sitting up on his knees and pulling Law with him, all without breaking their pace. He shifted so that he could face Killer, resting his chin over Law's shoulder to grin at him.
Law struggled to turn around, to see Killer behind him, but Kid distracted the man by guiding his legs to wrap around his waist and his arms to loop over his shoulders. He let go of Law's thighs, letting the man hold himself up as he pounded into him, and slid his hands down to grope Law's ass. He experimented with it for a minute or so, forcing Law down on himself until the man writhed and gasped, before pushing his ass together to form a place for Killer to grind on.
Another black-lipped grin over Law's shoulder, and Killer was moving, guiding himself to fit against Law's back.
Law shuddered between them, a full-body shiver that made Kid bite out a curse and nuzzle his face against Law's neck. Killer held on to Law's hips and fucked into the channel Kid had made for him, enjoying the sweat-slick skin and the way Law trembled every time Kid's cock slid home. There were quiet noises between Kid and Law that might have been whispered words, but they were so indistinct that they could have just come from the sheets sliding beneath them.
Killer didn't know how long they stayed that way, Law's body moving up and down in noticeable increments from the sheer force of the fucking, driving him crazy with the friction. It seemed like it had already been an eternity when Law's hand closed over one of his. He didn't note it at first, too focused on the gorgeous tattoo Law had been hiding on his back. He'd been considering sliding his mask up again to taste it when Law guided his hand down across his hip and thigh to where Kid's dick was pushing into him.
Killer instinctively jerked back when he sensed Kid's cock so close, but Law held firm and directed a finger closer to his hole. The rim was wet with lube, and he could feel how the flesh there strained with each thrust. Killer had a sudden, stabbing urge to look, to push Law on his side so he could lean down and see the man's hole getting fucked open, but he quickly dismissed it.
He had a moment to wonder what Law was trying to accomplish by this, before the man gently pressed his fingertip against the swollen muscles.
He wants it in him, Killer realized, half with arousal and half with disgust. He had no interest in shoving his fingers in there next to his captain's cock, but that fact that Law wanted him too...
Law seemed to be irritated by his slowness, insistently prodding at his rim. Killer hesitated for another few seconds, shying away from the thought of touching Kid, before Law lost patience and simply pushed him in.
Killer's hips stuttered to a stop, all of his attention immediately drawn to the pressure around his fingers. Law had stretched to fit him, somehow, though Killer had watched him strain to take all of Kid; even now it felt like there was no room left.
It was an odd feeling. He pressed around for a moment, seeing if Law could stretch any more, before he realized that he was touching Kid's dick.
Killer jerked his hand away, repulsed. He'd never really been this close to his captain before, not during sex. They were usually on opposite sides of the bed, with whoever they'd managed to snare for the night between them. It was only with Law that they'd dared to push the boundaries
He didn't mind brushing up against Kid's arm or leg every once in a while, unavoidable contact with Law sandwiched so close between them, but anything more was dangerous ground. It didn't matter how much Law pushed, and how much Killer liked the idea of fucking someone already full of cock; he wanted nothing to do with Kid that way.
Fortunately, Law didn't reach for him again.
Killer left Law to Kid after the first few rounds. He hadn't had another chance to get inside the man, as Kid hadn't paused between one climax and the next, but he'd kindly flipped Law over on his hands and knees so Killer could have his mouth.
Law took control the moment he laid hands on his cock, and Killer didn't even bother to fight him for it. He was starting to get used to the quick, uncontrollable climaxes that the man drew out of him, even though each chipped off another sliver of his ego.
As usual, he passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.
Low murmurs were what woke him in the middle of the night, drawing him out of sleep into a drowsy wakefulness. The lights were low in the cabin, with only the oil lantern on Kid's desk still burning. He could barely make out a couple of shapes on the bed next to him, the thin layers of sweat on their skin reflecting the light.
There was barely any movement between them, just a few shifting shadows and creaks from the bed, but two distinct voices were clearly heard even if their words weren't. Killer registered Law's deep tones, so much more pleasing than his faked drunken whine, and Kid's even deeper rumbling laugh.
It was obvious that there was some kind of conversation going on between them, but Killer's half-asleep brain didn't care to think of the implications of that. He rolled over so the desk light no longer shone in his eyes and welcomed the darkness sliding back over him.
It was sunlight that woke him this time, streaming through the window. Killer sat up, blinking away the hazy remnants of a particularly satisfying dream to find the focus of it watching him with open eyes and a half-turned grin.
"Thinking of me?" Law offered, eyebrows raised. Killer didn't need context; he was well aware of how obvious the state of his body was underneath the thin sheets. It didn't matter, anyway; what mattered was that Law had found a scrap of his pink silk dressing from the night before and wrapped it loosely around his own neck.
The man seemed to know that Killer's gaze had zeroed in on the piece of cloth even behind his mask, and slid a hand up to toy with it. He slipped an edge of the scrap in his mouth, lightly tugging with his teeth.
Killer didn't want to take the bait, just to deny him one of the little victories he's so good at getting. It would feel great to see a scowl replace that smirk he always has on, to watch that grinning face darken as the man realized that Killer was a player in this game, too. It looked so good in his head that he almost didn't do it.
Almost.
Twenty minutes later, when Law's removing all traces of his release with that expert tongue, Killer can focus on the white spatter staining the pink silk and still feel good about himself for almost not doing it.
"It'd be best if you acquired bands as well," Law mentions over breakfast. Once Kid had woken up, he'd insisted heavily on food, and even more so on Law joining them. They'd all ended up in the mess hall, taking up one rickety corner table with a tray full of fruit and dinner leftovers.
Kid grimaces at that, but Law's quick to add, "Just so you aren't bothered again. They only drug the place up at night, anyways, but if you buy their bands they'll leave you alone."
It's not a bad idea. They'll be stuck on the island for a few days more waiting for the log pose to set, and while they could stock the ship well enough in the day, the shadier arms dealers only opened their doors after sunset. "How much do they cost?"
"Ten thousand for the lowest. The price rises exponentially for the others, but they're not necessary."
His captain scoffs, but Killer elbows him under the table, and after a moment he gives in. "Okay, where can I get 'em?"
Law gives them detailed directions to a stall in the marketplace bazaar that sells 'visitor passes to the nightly Festival of the Rose,' and also to another stall that will fit them with the natives' red silks. He passes off a warning to not drink the water after dark, as well. "The booze is fine, and so is whatever they'll serve you in bars, as far as I can tell. Basically, whatever the natives drink, don't."
Killer thanks him for the advice, and they head out.
His log pose set sometime during the night, but Law isn't in any rush. His crew needs the time to relax after the harrowing current that had them in its grasp for nearly ten hours, cutting days off their travel time but years off their lives. Besides, if they left now they'd be ahead of Eustass again at Bengal Swamps, the next island on their path, and he'd rather wait here than in that island's brutal heat.
On the other hand, Hauterderry wasn't a bad place to be, if one ignored what went on in the night. The wine was actually quite nice, and Law was currently enjoying it in the waterfront tavern he'd camped out in on the night Eustass and his crew had arrived.
Really, it was quite lucky that they'd showed up only a minute after he'd stepped out to get a breath of fresh air; he didn't fancy their chances otherwise. The island's grunts weren't particularly strong, but any kind of fighting would be made ten times for difficult with that poison in the air, and Law hadn't yet managed to get his hands on whatever anaphrodisiac the suited men used to keep their minds clear.
It had been relatively easy to gain information about the island, as several long-time 'customers' were happy enough to share it after a few drinks. Law had managed to acquire a band from the first men in suits he'd come across and had been able to wander the island relatively unhindered, though he'd had to learn about the drugged water by himself.
He'd easily identified the compound as a modification of bremelanotide back on the sub, half from the simple knowledge of what it felt like to be under its influence and half from a clipping on the origin of the drug 'mah-ree'. The powder in the packets seemed to be mixed with sugar, in some attempt to cover the vaguely repulsive taste of the natural drug.
Law kept a few samples just for the sake of having them, considering how the drug was of little use to him.
Having taken from the island what he'd came to take, and having used Eustass (and what wonderful use it had been) to clear his mind for the next few weeks, Law's thoughts turned to possible plans for expanding the sub's water storage system. Their crew was gaining members, slowly but steadily, and while the living quarters were certainly large enough to contain upwards of thirty, their live support systems certainly weren't. Perhaps he could have one of the storage rooms refitted...
"I'm sorry, sir, but that person is a valued guest on this island."
"And I'm not?" The man scowled from the other side of the counter, leaning over so that his gold band slid out of his shirt and hung in the air. "What's theirs? Blue?"
The attendant once more referred to the listing sheet, complete with pictures, names, and band tiers for all of the island's 'valued guests'. "I believe this person has decided on black, sir."
"Black?" The man frowned, pudgy chins crumpling as he crossed his arms. "I've got gold! Don't that mean anything, here?"
"Sir, I assure you, you are very welcome to enjoy any and every part of the Festival tonight as well as for the duration of your stay."
The man grumbled at that, frown deepening as he eyed a figure sitting at the bar. His gaze was lewd, greedy; the attendant was used to such things in their line of work. While still rare, it was surprisingly often that one customer had their eye on another and invoked the influence on their band. The policy was quite strong in its stance that customers were strictly off limits, but the man propositioning him now had been known to shell out beli to get what he wanted.
And the attendant hadn't gotten a job with the real powers on the island by passing up prime opportunities.
"Perhaps, sir, in the dim light, it would be easy to mistake one with such a dark-colored band as one not having any at all."
The man squinted, taking an extra moment to figure out what the attendant meant by that before his thick lips stretched into a smile. "Hey, how much do I gotta pay to turn the lights down in here?"
A few seconds later, cash discreetly tucked into a pocket in their suit jacket, the attendant waved the bartender over. "I believe that our good friend over there could be enjoying himself more," they said, pointing.
The bartender followed their gaze, nodded, and reached under the counter for several little pink sleeves.