infringe: (Bare)
Alecto Crabtree ([personal profile] infringe) wrote2022-04-05 01:19 pm

Prompt - Something Lost, Something Found


SONG OF THE SEA
( joshua, alecto )

A selkie far from home, searching for his coat. He meets a kind, lonely, young fisherman who tends the lighthouse near the sea.
singinthestorm: (JA Huh how 'bout that)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-07 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
He's observing the house with a very different eye, even if his heart aches with this visible evidence of Alecto's level of desperation, his yearning for the sea and the life that had been taken away from him.

"Alecto," he says, quiet, assured. "If we knew exactly where your coat was, where Nathaniel hid it, none of this would matter. But you've overturned the whole house, and we still need to be able to investigate, to see where else he might have hid it, if it's not here. Perhaps it's hidden in his office by the shipyards, or some other place. But -" It wasn't going to be easy to figure out where it was, and then to gain access to it. And there was still the problem of how Alecto - now widowed twice over, first from the sea and then the man who had taken it from him - would manage to support himself.

He is thinking furiously, wondering what could be done. "You'll have to stay here, then call the constable, summon him, before the storm clears. Tell him that some strangers broke in, and ransacked the whole house, that you have no idea what he could be looking for, that you have no family to turn to, that perhaps they were taking advantage of you being alone with your husband missing." Best to get ahead of the narrative, to take the existing evidence and link it more closely to plausible events. At least the town, never the warmest towards Alecto, could be trusted to be sympathetic to the plight of a recent widow whose last refuge had been violated by unknown criminals. Where those criminals were going to come from was another story, but the thought of Alecto deliberately causing this damage was going to be a farfetched one for most people.

"That will at least spur some investigation. It might be possible to - understand what Nathaniel left behind, to get an accounting, some kind of inventory." And once news had spread, who knew what family members or hangers-on or other business partners might come out of the woodwork, whether or not a will or testament was actually discovered.

He reaches for Alecto, raises one hand to brush back the hair at his temple. "And... you'll... have to play the grieving widow, at least for a little while." This wasn't high society, where widows could expect support from families and an estate for an appropriate amount of time. The town would quickly resign itself to Alecto seeking out a provider, or at least some other occupation to support himself; the alternative did not really bear thinking about. But at least if he played the part, any kind of investigation would have to pay lip service to Nathaniel's widow, would have to at least report back to her what was found in the way of financial arrangements.

And perhaps they'd find Alecto's coat on their own, and quickly, and all this would be moot; Alecto could return to the sea and his true home and Joshua could go entirely back to his isolated life at the lighthouse.

They do not find it quickly.

Fortunately, most of the rest of Joshua's plan seems to work. The town is sympathetic as word gets out and some kind-hearted souls even come to help replace or piece together the belongings destroyed as Alecto tries to settle back into the house to some degree again; he wears widow's weeds (at Joshua's urging) when outside and otherwise keeps mostly to himself. But for all its recent financial success, this was a small seaside town; almost everyone was working or occupied in making a living to some degree. Nathaniel may have wanted to keep his wife in comfort, but Alecto had still kept house, done the chores, and all else that was expected of a spouse in such a position.

And if there were suitors in town were willing to pay court - well - that was Alecto's business, with no family of his own to look askance upon him, and no possibility of support from what remained of Nathaniel's family, fighting publicly and greedily over the shipbuilding business.

Joshua stays closely in touch with both the ongoing inheritance battle and Alecto, every moment he could spare away from the lighthouse. They become a familiar sight - Joshua escorting a pale-faced (black really wasn't his color, when it came to clothing) Alecto between the constabulary and the bank and the shipyard, inquiring as to news. Nathaniel's family fights mainly by correspondence; not one of them traveling to such a small town to take stock of what they wanted possession of. But while the fight is ongoing, the company offices are sealed completely shut.

Other than these things, life settles into a new equilibrium.

singinthestorm: (JA chuckles)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
Clear, full moon nights like this one were ideal; the moon hanging bright over the water, illuminating the darkness almost as bright as day to the trained eye, rendering even ships' lights almost meaningless. Not a hint of fog or cloud, the stars glittering like diamonds set in a sky lit a lustrous dark gray around the luminous pearl of the moon. With the lamps set for the rest of the night, all fastidiously tended to, and his logs of the local conditions done for the evening, there was little to distract him from enjoying what had become a home.

He can't help his own answering smile as he shrugs off his coat, unable to quite tear his eyes away from the slim figure sitting by the hearth, glowing with cool moonlight on one side and warm firelight on the other, looking even more like something out of a fairy story than what he already was.

It's hard to remember, sometimes, that he'd come back here more or less intending to be alone, until the growing duties outstripped his ability to maintain them on his own.

"I'm home," he murmurs, and walks over to Alecto, gently removing his slacks and the needle and thread from his hands, setting the needle neatly into the worn cloth and folding it to set it aside. "It's a lovely night," he notes, staring at his face, dark hair, pale skin, eyes bright with an otherworldly night. "Did you want to go for a walk together after we finish eating?"

The last few weeks had been difficult, the weather always just a bit challenging, always another errand to run or another duty to fulfill. But he remembers, deeply, intrinsically, that there was another side of Alecto, lithe quicksilver and darting movements. He feels his failure to find his coat again, to return the sea to him (and him to the sea), very keenly, even as the life they're starting to build together settles around his soul, an unexpected and un-looked-for comfort that he fears he's growing too attached to.

He could do this much, if nothing else.
singinthestorm: (JA looking up)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
The song surprises him, a strangely familiar glide of notes - not quite human, but still like something he'd heard before. It feels like anything could happen, really, on a night like this, and when he sees a seal in the water, he stifles a gasp of delight.

For all that he'd utterly believed Alecto's story, believed he was who he said he was, this is still the first time he's ever seen that transformation before, and he startles, his hand briefly tightening on Alecto's hand before he lets him go forward to the water. To his sister.

He barely hears her words, still in awe of this small evidence of magic, the seamless way that the seal shifts form into a young woman. He can see the family resemblance in their faces next to each other; he can't help wondering if he'd met her too, at some point in those long-ago summers of childhood.

"A pleasure to meet you, Pippa," he murmurs with a slight bow, polite and courteous. "I'm Joshua."

He can't think of anything more to say. This was an enormity, a confirmation of what exactly had been taken away from Alecto, a home, a family, a place - another world - where he truly belonged. He doesn't quite realize his eyes are a little wet until the wind blows a gentle chill, and he turns his face away.
singinthestorm: (JA looking down)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
He blinks, the tears dislodging in the lanternlight and falling away into the wind and water, and then nods, tilting his head to return the gesture from Alecto. "No, it's..." He doesn't have words to articulate what he means, and he just smiles instead, looking down at the little seal pup, holding the lantern up slightly. "May I?" He asks, glancing over at Pippa, holding up his free hand and wiggling his fingers.
singinthestorm: (JA Oh I see)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
He cradles the seal pup as carefully as he can, mimicking Alecto's earlier movement; he was familiar enough with human babies, but this was obviously wholly new, and he had no idea what would be reassuring to a baby selkie. He smiles, hoping this was at least similar, and hums quietly, rocking her back and forth in a gentle imitation of the ocean waves. He realizes belatedly that it was the same song he'd heard Alecto humming, that day they'd met (again) in the market; luckily, it seems to work and the little seal pup's eyes flutter in something resembling contentment.

Joshua looks up again, searching for Alecto, for reassurance.
singinthestorm: (JA sidelong)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 04:07 am (UTC)(link)
He is quiet as they walk back to the house, something in Alecto's mood stilling him. He can't help turning the events of the evening over in his head, the conversation between Alecto and his sister, the moment when Alecto had been standing right by his side, pressed up against him as he held Alecto's niece in his arms, living, breathing proof of magic and the cost of a fairytale for those caught within its bounds and rules.

It's still early in the evening, even if he feels a little wrung dry. As he closes the door behind them and locks it, he searches for something to say. Everything feels so inadequate to address - what had been forced on Alecto, the obvious longing in his gaze. And Joshua had his hands tied; there is only so much within his power, though there were more and more moments these days where he contemplated the necessity of committing a crime, thinking it would be worth it if only he could give the sea back to Alecto.

Even if it meant losing him in the giving.

Well, if he couldn't find words of his own, there was always -

"Alecto?" He asks, soft, curious. "It's still early. Would you like to read with me?"
singinthestorm: (JA Oh I see)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 11:01 am (UTC)(link)
Reading aloud to Alecto is an unexpected pleasure upon an accumulation of pleasures, the ways they'd started to fit around each other in their shared lives. His salary as lighthouse keeper kept them in necessities and supplies, but it was Alecto's earnest efforts and hard work that made the best use of what they had. It was painfully enticing, coming home to a warm hearth and food and a welcoming smile, the comfort of another person's presence and company.

It made it so easy to forget that it was something coerced.

He finishes the next chapter, and slips a piece of paper between the pages to mark their place. Though they slept in the same bed - for reasons of practicality, of course - they had done nothing other than sleep, with perhaps a little more contact to share warmth on chilly nights. Alecto's reputation had already been strange in town, but Joshua's own standing, the formal code of conduct he was expected to abide by, kept the rumors to whispers rather an open roar. As long as the beacon was lit to guide ships to safety, as long as a storm didn't equate loss of life, as long as none of his duties were neglected, they had that cover of respectability, at least, whatever the townsfolk might make of the appearance.

It would all be moot, anyway, once (if) they found Alecto's stolen coat, and he disappeared back beneath the waves, where he belonged, leaving Joshua and the rest of the human world behind.

...Perhaps there was one more thing he could try.

He looks at Alecto, curled up under their shared quilts, and leans in to press his nose against his cheek, the little unique intimacy that had developed between them, that Joshua had started to come to treasure more than any other form of contact they shared.

"Thank you," he murmurs, soft and quiet. "For everything."
Edited 2022-04-08 11:06 (UTC)
singinthestorm: (JA summer sunshine)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 12:03 pm (UTC)(link)
His heart contracts, painful and pounding in his chest as he meets Alecto's eyes, as he stays utterly, perfectly still beneath his seemingly exploratory touch. Alecto is temptation in physical form, inhabiting his life, his house, his bed. There is so much he could say - so much more he wants, his body and his heart yearning for further intimacies, for a promise of a future together.

But whatever Alecto's gratefulness for what little Joshua had been able to provide him, Joshua is deeply aware of that gaping wound, that past betrayal that had made this moment possible. It didn't matter that he hadn't been the original perpetrator. Every moment when Alecto didn't have true freedom, wasn't able to actually make a choice, was an extension of that initial violation.

But in moments like this, however much he hated it, he feels a deep fellow feeling with Nathaniel, for holding so tight to Alecto, for wanting to keep this for as long as possible, for ignoring the toll.

It was easy to count the cost cheap, when you weren't the one paying.

"You've given me so much," he says, a little helplessly. "I... don't think I can ask for more."
singinthestorm: (JA Oh I see)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 12:50 pm (UTC)(link)
He twitches slightly, his head turning, his lips brushing lightly over Alecto's before he stops himself. But he doesn't pull away, almost trembling with the effort, a feeling that would be clearly palpable to Alecto, as closely as they are sitting.

"You've already made me happier than I ever dreamed I could be," he says, soft, genuine, with a hint of wistfulness. But Alecto's words give him pause. How happy could he really be, trapped here on land? And even if Joshua was less possessive, less controlling than Nathaniel seemed to have been...
singinthestorm: (JA looking down)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 01:52 pm (UTC)(link)
He bites back a groan, low and deep in his chest, muffled by the press of Alecto's mouth against his. He shivers bodily, losing his balance and falling a little against him. His fingers flex, automatically, pressing more firmly against Alecto's body, helpless to do anything other than accept the wordless, insistent invitation.

"Alecto," he gasps out, and then he hisses, shifting on the bed so he is kneeling between Alecto's legs, and pushes Alecto down on his back, reaching for the scraps of clothing he is wearing.
singinthestorm: (Default)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
He reaches his hands up and rests them lightly on Alecto's chest, sliding them down along his sides firmly, to avoid tickling him, exploring the expanse of pale, smooth skin before hooking his fingers in his undergarments and tugging them off his long legs.

"Oh -" he gasps, a little bit in awe at having Alecto bared for his gaze. He shifts up, hands fluttering gently up along his thighs to curve with gentle pressure against his hips, holding him down and still before pressing a series of gentle kisses against his chest and stomach, working steadily downwards.

"You're beautiful," he murmurs, breath warm against moonlit skin.
singinthestorm: (JA let's be friends)

[personal profile] singinthestorm 2022-04-08 03:09 pm (UTC)(link)
He leans infinitesimally against Alecto's fingers in his hair, but then he ducks his head down, fingers stroking along the crease between his spread wide-thighs, feeling the dampness slowly gathering there. His palms press - gentle but firm - against Alecto's skin, holding him open, supporting him as he arches up, and then he leans in with a quickly muffled groan of pleasure, tongue sliding over Alecto, savoring the taste of him here at his core, the sea-salt warmth of his body with every indication of delight at being allowed to take this liberty.

(no subject)

[personal profile] singinthestorm - 2022-04-08 15:35 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] singinthestorm - 2022-04-08 16:25 (UTC) - Expand