C0ncept: C0urtin' th' Tenebr0us S0rt Pitch-thick air trapped bet\/\/\/\/een them in the lo\/\/\/\/ belly of the ship, hot \/\/\/\/ith cigar sm0ke and the scent of brine dragged in fr0m the storm 0utside. His laughter cuts through the cabin first, cruel and b0oming, only to break apart \/\/\/\/hen her h0rns crack hard against his in open challenge. Hea\/\/y rings scrape against her \/\/\/\/rists as he catches her hands bef0re she can sh0\/\/e him again, though neither of them pretends the struggle is meant to end. The \/\/\/\/alls gr0an \/\/\/\/ith the sea beneath them \/\/\/\/hile their \/\/oices rise louder still, argument f0lding seamlessly int0 something intimate and \/\/enomous. A shattered bottle leaks dark liquor across the flo0rb0ards beside discarded coats and a rifle carelessly kicked beneath the table. She spits insults \/\/\/\/ith en0ugh force to dra\/\/\/\/ blood from her 0\/\/\/\/n bitten lip, and he \/\/\/\/ipes the streak of \/\/iolet a\/\/\/\/ay \/\/\/\/ith his thumb like a treasured thing. E\/\/ery touch bet\/\/\/\/een them feels half a second a\/\/\/\/ay fr0m \/\/iolence. E\/\/ery glare lingers to0 long to truly be hatred. He cr0\/\/\/\/ds her back\/\/\/\/ard against the edge 0f the na\/\/igati0n table, en0rmous hands braced 0n either side of her \/\/\/\/hile she stares up at him \/\/\/\/ith open contempt sharpened int0 hunger. The g0ld in his eyes burns bright beneath the dim cabin lights. Her cla\/\/\/\/s drag sl0\/\/\/\/ly do\/\/\/\/n the front of his chest, catching 0n fabric, medals, and skin. He grins at the damage like a man being decorated f0r \/\/\/\/ar. "You ruin e\/\/ery room you enter," she gr0\/\/\/\/ls. "And yet you foll0\/\/\/\/ me into e\/\/ery single one," he replies. 0utside, thunder rolls acr0ss black \/\/\/\/ater. Inside, identical laughter rises bet\/\/\/\/een them again, ugly and adoring all at once. (Tags: The Dualscar/Rankmaid, #rankbait, #pitchfilled, blackr0m, \/\/iolent de\/\/0tion, hatred as intimacy, sead\/\/\/\/eller r0mance, st0rmb0und yearning, archi\/\/e rating: M)


