Disclaimer: I don't own Dr. STONE. I just like it a whole hell of a lot.

Authoress' Note: SO THAT FINALE, RIGHT? I'm excited for Season 3, as well as that sneak preview of Ryusui right at the end. Love that man. But this fic won't have anything to do with him. Nope, this one is all based off of that pirate AU they did at the end. Please enjoy!

Lonely Nights

Sailing the open seas can be quite a lonely task, even among a crew such as what was aboard the Perseus. There were two ways one could remedy it, although both solutions were nothing more than temporary. The first was drinking. One could just drink themselves into a sleepy stupor and not worry about such frivolities. It helped that the Perseus had a fantastic bar aboard, ran by the master of many talents, Francois. It was easy to lose one's self in the bottom of a bottle, especially when that bottle was filled with the tastiest of alcohol.

The second was finding comfort in another. Of course, all aboard were friends – one way or the other – and were all united under one flag, and spending long nights by the light of a lantern discussing tales from their time on land was a way to keep one's mind off of the long and lonely nights.

However, it wasn't the only way one could find comfort... something that Kohaku knew all too well.

Her body quivered as foreign hands made work at untying the strings on her bodice, becoming too good at the task after multiple nightly rendezvous. Her blades were already discarded, tossed haphazardly near the door frame of the room along with her boots, leaving her with the barest minimum for her partner to remove. Just as he liked it; he was as impatient as she was when it came to their carnal desires.

It wasn't as though she was the only one being worked over, as violent lips assaulted his to match the flurry in her hands to remove him from his coat, the silky fabric falling to the ground, the pair knowing exactly how to step around it as to not trip on any of their discarded clothes. The cloth made trails as they inched closer and closer to the bed. Tunics, trousers, shorts... all became a guide that led straight to their sinful nest.

"You're desperate."

As if she didn't know that already. But the truth was that she was addicted. Addicted to that warmth that filled her belly, the fog that filled her head, the fulfillment in her loins, the tightness in her lungs. When this started, it was only a means to settle a problem that united them. A problem they only learned from private conversation. Her partner was not entirely an open person. He was not completely stoic or devoid of human sentiment, not by any stretch, but he kept his emotions and desires close to his chest. He was not like their captain Ryusui, whom was way too open about his carnal exploits with both sexes, or some of the others on the ship that were general perverts or too loose with their lips. He only would let himself go with a few certain people that have earned the entirety of his trust, and she was one of those few.

She understood this, as she also only kept a few closest to her for safety's sake. They were pirates, a crew of miscreants, in a world filled with other lawbreakers and lawbringers that wanted their journey to come to an end. If something was to happen to her that could cause those she loved the most to suffer... It's why she kept so few like that. Her sister, Ruri, was certainly one, and so was the youngest member of the crew, a peculiar melon-hatted child named Suika. Her father, Kokuyo, she supposed was one as well, despite the strained relationship they had. And then... there was him.

"You are too."

He scoffed, and she could feel how hot his palm was against her cheek as he stroked her skin. "I suppose that I am."

She smirked as she pushed him onto the bed, climbing on top and straddling his waist once he had finally removed her blouse, leaving her in only her undergarments. As she liked to be when she was in the confines of his room. He liked it too, seeing his buxom partner in her second most beautiful state.

The first being when he has her entirely naked and crying out his name in the throws of their passion.

Her sharpened claws made their way down his pale chest. He used to seethe at the feel of her nails against his skin, but now he craved it. Hands made deft work at the bandanna that held back her wild blonde locks, the strands falling around her face and shoulders, leaving her looking almost like a completely different woman. His woman. His lioness.

"Senku... you have that look again."

"What look?"

"The "you're calling me a lioness again" look."

He scoffed again, flashing a brief glimpse of his canines. "It's hard not to think of it when you have me trapped like your prey. As you always do," he sultry replied, and while she mildly puffed up her cheeks in a pout over knowing that he was using that ridiculous nickname, she shivered at his tone.

He only ever used that tone with her. And she loved that.

"Well then... if you're prey, that means I get to do whatever I want to you," she replied with just as much lust in her voice, making it his turn to shiver.

He may be a captain of the Perseus, second only to Ryusui, as well as the leader of the overall kingdom they all hailed from... but in this room, on these lonely night encounters, she was the queen. And he lived to serve her needs.

The remaining bits of cloth were removed, leaving them both entirely bared to one another. They have done this so many times now that they had every part of the other memorized, but yet at the same time the touches always felt like they were new. She slid herself down upon him, wasting no time in satisfying that building desire in her loins. She always gasped as he filled her entirely, taking a few seconds to enjoy how deep she could feel him inside. He groaned in tandem, always taking delight at how slick and wet she was, strong hands grasping at her hips.

She moved slowly at first, tastefully enjoying the friction. Her head fell back slightly, brows furrowed, lapis eyes half-lidded and staring down at her partner with a mix of lust and love, delighted when his ruby orbs met hers with the same emotion. They've been wanting this so badly, they knew it. But only at night could they meet like this. They couldn't let anyone else know or see them in anything but as comrades, as leader and subordinate. It would cause a scandal on ship and back home, and they couldn't allow that. Not when they had an entire world of discoveries to find, make, and claim. That was their mission. And that mission had no time for a real romance.

And so, they relied on this. On steamy sex on moonless nights when they couldn't handle the true solitude of the open seas any longer.

Her pace picked up a bit as she started to near her climax. He tried to keep up with her pace, and she could see how he bit his bottom lip trying. Poor Senku always struggled to match her stamina, both inside and outside of the bedroom. But she never once held such a thing against him. Because in the end, what she loved most was being with him. And even if she were to draw close to another climax after he came to his, he was the most attentive to her to draw forth that delicious feeling. And she loved that just as much as she would from the feeling of his cock inside of her.

"Kohaku... I..."

She smiled through her moans. She knew what he wanted to say. He never says it, but she knows.

"I as well... Senku..."

They won't say it. Not yet. They'll leave it as ambiguous like this, as they always have. But they know.

Kohaku's lips quivered as her head fell with the arch of her back, the coils and walls inside of her breaking with the power of her orgasm, Senku following no more than a few seconds afterward with one of his own, harshly filling her to the brim with his twitching member, the two of them echoing a litany of moans and whispers of names. After a few seconds of perfect bliss, she pulled herself away, lamenting the loss of fulfillment, collapsing to his right side in a heap of sweat and exhaustion.

Lapis and scarlet met as well as the knowing smirks of what they had done, turning to cuddle up against one another, clinging to one another in their form of aftercare, lips occasionally touching in feather-soft kisses.

Now that the act was done, Kohaku knew that she would have to leave soon. She had to make her way back to her own bed, before anyone could catch her and question her wheres and whats. As much as she wanted to stay like this, she knew better. So she kept herself awake and aware, counting seconds in her head before she would have to unravel herself from his arms until the next time.

Senku knew this, counting the seconds with her, and growling to himself when he felt her start to pull away. The time frame was always too short. He knew why they had to cut it short – he even agreed to it when they had discussed this after their first encounter – but he still hated it when she pulled her warmth away. He was a man that usually hated any sort of intimate physical contact, bristling whenever it would happen, but on nights like this and with her... he craved it as much as any discovery they would make, perhaps even a bit more so.

She began to pull away, but this time he wouldn't let her go. Arms tightened, and she froze, jeweled irises widening as she silently questioned why.

"Stay."

Swollen lips fell agape, before frowning, vision becoming watery as she looked away from the boldness reflected in the bloody orbs. "I want to. But we..." she started to say, and he growled again.

"I don't care. Stay."

Gazes met again, and the hands at his bare chest began to shake. He brought one of his hands to them to hold them steady.

"Please. Stay here, lioness."

A lone tear fell down her cheek, reflective by the moonlight shining through the porthole window. She smiled brightly as she nodded, returning her arms to around his torso and nuzzling her face into his collarbone.

"... I am not a lioness."

He scoffed, disagreeing with her assessment, closing his eyes as his chin settled against the top of her messy locks, breathing a sigh of relief as he felt her relax entirely against him. They didn't say another word, sleep coming over them like the most comfortable of blankets. But they didn't have to say anything. They knew. And soon everyone else would know too. Whether that will be a good thing or not, they couldn't say, but in the moment, they didn't give it much care.

What they knew was, from this point forward, that their lonely nights will no longer be lonely.

- end -