Empty Bottle

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

And at the end of it, the fire finally blinks out, those stretching flames no longer bolstered by wild, untamed, swirling emotions and thoughts.

Milo's hands found her face, too, where he gently pushed away the strands and enveloped his fingers in her hair. She let him guide them both into a more comfortable position. Simultaneously, she pulled the blankets up to cover them; the air around them was cold in the absence of fire, and the blankets were much more inviting, where they could huddle under their shared heat.

Her cheek found the relaxed lines of his shoulder, resting there. She tilted her face so she could eye the angles of his again, at the glowing darkness of his heavy eyes, at the grin that builds across his appetizing mouth, at the criss-crossing strands of his own hair.

"'m sure it can," she teased quietly, mocking his accent with a grin of her own. She pecked a kiss to his shoulder and withdrew her fingers from his face to let her hand lay on his chest. There was foreshadowing of absence in her touch, though, as her hand hovered for a moment, hesitated.

Her smile faded. Green eyes moved toward the distant sky, where large green palm leaves silhouetted the horizon and bright stars blinked above them. For a moment, she thought she might stay up. Let Milo fall asleep so she could take her silent leave, so she might not have to deal with the personal consequences of this act (hers just as much as his). Now that her emotions were no longer in a state of euphoric need, her pushing, distancing instincts seemed to come creeping back in.

As she looked back up at Milo's face, she remembered the words they'd said to each other. If they were strangers before, there was no going back to that - especially not now. And no running. She dismissed the idea of leaving entirely and pulled herself to him. Nestled, her body found a comfortable position against and around his. Sleep would follow soon after.

****

Aurelia woke up first, tangled in the blankets and untangled from Milo, having readjusted in their sleep. And she would absolutely use this to her advantage. The sun was hardly even up, a mere beam of orange light, and she could not believe how little sleep she'd gotten. Probably attribute that to sleeping on sand...

Milo had drank a considerable amount more alcohol than her - which was going to work in her favor. Unless, of course, that meant he forgot everything that happened - which would mean trouble for him. Trouble being spelled like 'A S S - K I C K I N G' in this case. Forget a night like that? Well, you'll remember something.

In any case, Aurelia was counting on him not having a shitty memory. She got dressed and, promptly, disappeared (okay, she just went to the Ark) - but not before she brought the blankets back up to more fully cover Milo.

When she returned, it was a little past dawn and she had a burlap sack with her this time - and in it was a ton of fruit. Like, way too much. But she had no idea what kind Milo liked... so she grabbed one of every kind she could get her hands on. Where she got it? Uh.. don't mention it to Jack - or Saiden. She earned it. Probably.

The morning was still early and semi-dark but, the beach glowed softly with sunlight; a splash of warmth to melt away the cold of the night. Aurelia was sitting on the edge of the blankets, a fresh canteen of water and the bag of fruit beside her, staring out at the sea thoughtfully. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The only other difference now was that she seemed much less stressed out about what had been bothering her.

For now, she would ride that wave - even if her mind seemed to always go to those things that were out of her reach. Her gaze and her thoughts, slowly but surely, ended up back on Milo, or his bulk, anyway. He was very well-hidden in his bundle of blankets. Smirking, she laid back and stretched across to him, gentle hands searching until she found his sleeping face.

"Hey," her voice was soft and quiet and she pressed a kiss to the side of his head. And then suddenly she was quite serious, "I'm gonna dunk you in the ocean if you don't wake up soon."

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

“Oy!” He chimes with a quiet huff of laughter at her mocking of his tones, but he settles easily enough, with her head on his shoulder, his own angled toward the sky as he readjusts so his back is to the sand, something a bit more comfortable, especially with her nestled in close as she is. He wouldn’t trade it for anything, not as the exhaustion slips over him, no attention granted toward whether she hesitates or seems distant, not in the daze that he’s in. He does have half a mind to wonder if she’ll be there in the morning, but it’s gone about as fast as it’s come as well.

---

In the morning, however, the smuggler is still passed out, the light of the morning filtering over and igniting the red in his hair in its own soft orange and red glow. He doesn’t wake when she moves, when she gets up and tucks the blankets back in, if nothing else just the slightest clenching of his jaw, the slight shifting of his head to a bit more of a more comfortable position.

But by the time Aurelia returns, he’s nestled himself in quite comfortably in the blankets, so much so that she has to search for him – her hands bringing him a smaller amount out of the deep slumber he’d found himself in. The hey has him stirring, has a deep breath drawn in, the kiss to the side of his head only adds to bringing him out more.

But the little threat of getting dunked in the ocean? Ah, well, he’s been there before. That’s what growing up with a few too many brothers is for, especially when it comes to being the youngest boy in his family. His eyes don’t open just yet, instead, the slightest smile quirking up the corner of his lip. “Mmm, are ya now?” He manages through a voice filled with groggy sleep, head turning to face the location of her voice, one eye popping open to see just how early it was, to see her face encased in those hues of different morning lights.

It’s clear confusion that crosses his face for a brief second, an elbow used to prop himself up a bit more to peer at her and what she’d brought, to glance around the beach for anything that could’ve happened while he’d been out. But the one thought that he reverts to has his gaze flickering back to Aurelia, a  hand reaching out to tap her on her chin as a slightly hungover smile crosses his face. “Where’ve you been?”

Because of course he hasn’t quite spied the food just yet, the hollow feeling of a hangover coursing through him too much of a distraction, as well as the fact that she was still here, even if she’d gone and returned, evident in the way she’s all dressed and relatively put together in comparison to him, having literally just woke up.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

As he stirred against her touch, waking up without opening his eyes, challenging her threat, a fond expression softened her surface. "Aye," she smirked, poking fun at his accent again. It was then that he turned to face her, one groggy eye opening, and she leaned back a bit to look down at his shining hair, at the dawn light that illuminated the depth of his one, open eye. His dazed question makes her smile grow into a playful grin, because she does have an answer. And it's a good one.

But she's a little embarrassed at the same time, so she turned away from his touch - much as she liked it - and sat back up. Only able to see him through her peripheral, she said, "Nowhere..." She plopped the canteen in front of him without facing him still. She figured he'd need some water. Aurelia hadn't been much of a drinker before Caido but, after it... well, she'd found out pretty quick that alcohol was very dehydrating.

"I got you something," she admitted, shoulders relaxing as she grabbed the small burlap bag and turned back towards him. She set it in her lap and prefaced opening it with a cautionary statement, "I didn't know what kind of fruit you liked the best," she plucked an orange from inside the bag, examining it. Next came a papaya, and then grapefruit, and a whole other assortment of fruits - all of which were sent rolling over towards him before he could tell her to stop, wait, hold on a second. "So..."

Aurelia stopped at the grapes, though, plucking one off the vine for herself, "I got you all of them. Well, I think, anyway..." The grape ascended up to her lips and was quickly eaten, and then she raised her brows to look over at him. A mischievous look was all that held back her laughter.

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

Oh, the tease of his accent again, Milo too tired and still quite in a daze of his hangover to comment on it, though the urge to open his eyes literally just to roll them is there. He swallows it down instead, an eye popping open to peer at her, curiously as she turns away from him and his touch, Milo perking up a bit more as he blinks a few times to give her his full attention, sitting up a bit more fully when the water is offered, the blanket falling from his chest into his lap.

He vaguely remembers he’s not exactly wearing anything at all, but pays it little mind to give her his full attention – however distracted it is by the water and the bag she sets in her lap. He reaches for the water, taking a deep swig of it, relishing in the chill of the water despite keeping his eyes glued to her, the way the dawn ignites her silhouette as she peers at him while she pauses with the bag.

Red brows raise as she tells him she got him something, surprise clear in the ochre eyes that watch her. But the response has his lips quirking into an amused grin, leaning forward to try and spy a bit into the bag as an orange comes rolling at him, followed by a papaya, followed by a grapefruit, followed by so many more. “Gods,” he begins, huffing a laugh, “I think y’did.” He agrees, picking up all the other fruits and dumping them into his lap like he might eat them all.

Instead, he chooses the orange as well as a rather spiky, red fruit, tearing into the orange first. “Mm, ‘m not real sure which I like best.” He pauses to consider it, tearing the rind of the orange off before he’s plucking a piece of it out and popping it into his mouth, glancing back at her as she digs into the grapes.

“’ave ya ever had one’a these?” He asks, after he’s swallowed the bite of orange, lifting the spiky red fruit and holding it up for her to see.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

Aurelia let out a chuckle, knowing that it was a bit overkill. Still, though, she was quite pleased with herself. The night had been long, and then when it got to the good part... it seemed to all happen so fast. She brought up one of her knees to prop her arm up on it, giving Milo a thoughtful stare as he started on the orange. She didn't really want it to end at all, in spite of the lingering doubts that shadowed her eyes.

She could see the way the fruit woke him from his sleep and tried to free him from the hangover, could see the flush return to his skin and the color lighten his eyes as he turned and showed her...

"What is that?! I didn't even notice it." She quirked one of her brows and leaned in on one hand, another grape popped out against the side of her cheek. She examined it for a second, completely puzzled by how it was edible. Swallowing the grape, she smirked up at Milo, "It looks kinda like you. Cute, red hair."

"How do you eat it?" she raised her brows and nodded at him to show her.

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

A brighter huff of laughter leaves him at her surprise. “Prolly jus’ stuck t’somethin’ else, came along fer the ride?” He questions, amusement clear in his voice as he pops another wedge of the orange into his mouth. His gaze snaps to her face, away from the fruit, when she says it looks like him — only her words smoothing it over with a snort. “It’s a rambutan.” He informs her, chin lifting in a bit of childish amusement. “’n I think I take better care’a m’hair.” Reaching up to brush back the red locks, he finds it is rather spiky and tangled, not at all a good argument against her.

Still, he tries to tame it anyway, and when that’s accomplished, he reaches over to his pile of clothes for his boots, one that kept a small knife in it, before settling back and drawing the rambutan back to his palm, the orange set carefully with the others in his lap. “Y’gotta cut it. Then ya eat the insides.” He murmurs, slicing it open and in half in a circle like one might do an avocado, before the flesh is open and he tosses the top part into his discard pile with the orange rind.

He pulls out the inside now, cutting into it to give half of it to her, pulling out the seed within it. “’ts good, ‘n sweet.” He murmurs, flashing her a grin. “Like you.” Pair the compliment with a wink, a return for her own compliment back at him, before he takes a bite of it.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

Aurelia smirked at his humorous question but, she grew more skeptical when he pointed out the name. "Rambooten." She echoed, trying to pronounce it herself. She smiled as he struggled to prove that his hair was much better, attempting to tame it down with his fingers. "Mmhmm, sure." She watched him carefully open the hairy shell of the fruit to reveal its white flesh, though, and that distracted her.

He offered half of it to her and, curiously, she took it, pressed it into her mouth, and chewed it. Her eyes widened with surprise. It was sweet and soft, with a floral note that intrigued her tastebuds - a fruit that definitely suited Milo. At his comment, though, she started, furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. A glimmer of mischief reflected in her eyes. She leaned forward on her hands and knees, reaching her hand up and pretending as if she was going to be good and sweet. Then, she tousled her hand through his hair, messing it up even worse than before.

"Yeah, I am," she said, laughing softly. She leaned back to sit beside him, her leg brushing his. "Rambutan's your favorite, huh? I'll have to remember that."

Reaching forward to roll a golden honeydew melon out of the bag, she said, quite proudly, "This is my favorite."

She unsheathed her hunter's knife, using it to cut through the skin. The words scrawled across it were a stark contrast against the morning light that shined on the steel. Fear not, my love, for I am with you. She sighed, frowning, reminded of her lost family, reminded of her epiphany, of the gears in the back of her mind that were still turning about it.

Once the melon's seeds were scooped out and tossed into the sand, she cut out a slice and used the knife to offer it to him. "Do you think you'll ever tell your family? About what you do?"

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

A crooked grin spreads on his face as she echoes the word, amusement spreading through him as she elongates things in a different way than he would, given their separate accents. But he tries to prove it isn’t like him, fingers tearing through red locks in a terrible attempt to smooth it down. It fails, for the most part, but the look he gives her after is both part amused and feigning hurt that she’d say such a thing.

It doesn’t last long, as he’s opening up the fruit and halving the flesh inside it, handing her part of it while he devours the other piece, an edge of a smirk crossing his face at her surprise for the returned banter. And of course he falls for what she does, remaining in place as she nears, a bark of laughter leaving him when she messes his hair up again. “Halfa that was already you y’know.” He protests by means of why his hair was so fucked up in the first place.

But he settles, that smile remaining on his face as he goes to lean back on one arm, head tilting toward her. “’ts one’a my fav’rites.” He admits, unsure if it was entirely his favorite but it was definitely up there. But he focuses on her favorite instead, watching as she tears into it with her hunters knife – a memory of her unhooking it from her belt and always keeping it close. And now, he can spy the etching on the side, not entirely to see what it says, but knowing that it had to have been something personal regardless.

He doesn’t question it, instead Milo’s red brows furrow in a shift of surprise as she hands him the slice. He takes it, holding it in both hands as he sits forward a bit more, his honeyed stare focused right at her as he contemplates the answer.

“I dunno.” He admits, letting his gaze drop to the melon, fingers tightening on the rind. “It’s not like they don’ know ‘bout smugglin’ in general. Mom ‘n my sister have’a shop in Kaiholo.” They often did a lot of their business with smuggled goods, but they didn’t exactly know that the one that lived among them helped supply it all. “Dad ‘n my brothers ‘r fish’rmen. So…” A bit more respectable jobs, he supposes. “Doubt it’s what they wan’ one’a their young’st kid t’be doin’, y’know?” He pauses, his tongue running along his lower lip as he considers it. “’n my sister sorta found out ‘bout it a few years ago. Tried t’get me on a productive path. I just got more secretive.” He shrugs, lifting the melon to his lips to take a bite out of it.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

Aurelia lifted her green gaze up from the words on the knife as he took the fruit, leveling his stare with her own. A neutral, unreadable expression was on her face. She knew it was a bit early in the morning to be asking these kind of questions but, something was amiss in her own mind. Something about her father keeping things from his own family. Was that why he'd died? Because he'd shouldered the weight of something far too heavy? And the rest of the Murleu's had been so ignorant to it, none the wiser. Aurelia felt like she was getting close to an answer...

Her strained, mulling, hypocritical thoughts (because she kept her own past a secret from Milo) took a pause to let him speak for himself. Absently, she suddenly looked away while she listened and diced up a few pieces of the honeydew. She slowly chewed on them, consuming his words and his reasonings and his sentiments.

When he was finished, a line of hard thought was pressed between her brows. "I understand, but..." she paused in her eating and casually jabbed the hunter's knife into the melon before she turned to more fully face Milo, extending one of her legs out in front of him. She reached up and began stroking his messy hair back down, saying, "Your family cares about you, from the sounds of it. I'm sure they'll learn how to live with it. If you never tell them, you'll never know for sure. What if something happens to you? What if you get hurt? Do you think it's better if they're left in the dark?" Her distant gaze traveled down from his hair to his golden-brown eyes, letting her hand slip onto his covered lap and rest there, leaning in closer to him. "Don't you feel alone?"

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

He doesn’t expect that this is how the conversation will go, not as he’s taking a bite of the melon and she’s shuffling a bit closer, a hand running through his red hair to tame it down from the spikes it holds within it right now, his gaze following the leg that extends near him, following the line of it up until he meets her face again.

There’s another moment of pause as he considers her, the words that leave her lips, how he could respond to them with any number of deflection or frustration. But she’s right, in the end, even if it’s something Milo still doesn’t plan on doing. Her hand falls into his lap and he discards the rind of the melon he’d eaten, reaching down for her hand to run his fingers along the skin of her palm. “Yeah, I think so.” He rumbles quietly. “M’Parents make it clear ev’ry day how they feel ‘bout the smugglers, ev’n if it’s how we get most’a our livin’.” A muscle feathers in his jaw, red brows furrowing and pinching together in his admission.

As for being alone? Well, yes and no. He focuses on her hand instead of her face. “Zeph’s more like’a dad t’me than m’own. ‘N I got the smugglers ‘n the dock kids I help take care’ve. So no… Not really alone, more alone at home, I guess.” His fingers still in their soft exploration of her palm and her own fingers for his golden gaze in the sunrise to lift to her face.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

Aurelia was disappointed by his answer, a bit evident in the way her shoulders slumped and her nostrils flared, not that it was any of her choice what he does or doesn't reveal to his family. But it's a reflection of a deeper worry she has in her heart; that her father lied to her mother, lied to his daughters, lied to her in the name of... keeping them safe. And perhaps keeping himself safe from their judgement, their worry, their... lack of understanding. Aurelia's fingers squeezed around Milo's for a moment, What did he do that was so bad he couldn't tell us? But she let go and let Milo run his rough hand over hers. She looked away with pursed lips, mentally cursing herself for taking her own pain out on him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, voice croaking involuntarily. She eyed him from her peripheral, spotting the tension in his jaw. But she let him finish explaining how Zephyr was like a father to him, how he had made his own kind of family with the smugglers and the kids that played on the docks.

Sighing, she met his gaze as it shined with bright, yellowish light in the sunrise. She took his fingers in her own and intertwined them, smiling softly and shaking her head. "You know, I've met Zeph'. On the Ark, when I first got here." She chuckled softly at the words that followed, "I got the deck so sudsy that I slipped and fell right into all of it. Got absolutely covered in soapy water. Great first impression..." She rolled her eyes. "But he seems like a good guy. He barely even laughed at me when he helped me up."

Shifting, she let go of his hand and retrieved the box of cigarettes in her pocket. She grabbed two and offered him one, lighting a match to hold it out for him. The silence that followed the lighting of her cigarette was and felt deep, as she let her mind wander across the beach toward the ocean. She breathed out, exhaling a plume of smoke and swiveling a more serious gaze over at Milo. "I'm sorry for.. uh, asking you all that. You don't have to explain yourself to me - or anyone else, if you don't want to. It's not my place to tell you what you should do. I just..." She shook her head again and pressed the cigarette back to her lips, taking a drag and using it as an excuse to cut herself off.

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

Milo knows that it isn’t the answer she seeks from him. But he doesn’t know the implications of his answer for her, instead watching with a small part of confusion as her shoulders slump, as her hand squeezes his. Her apology is met with a shake of his head, the bluntness surprising but the rest of it he can only imagine might seem confusing, given that she’d just landed here without any of her family around, without a father in general now. And here Milo was with two, one that knew his ins and outs, the other his blood related father, on course to know next to nothing about him because he didn’t follow the boating and fishing footsteps.

So he falls silent instead, his gaze searching her face as her fingers thread through his, his hand giving her a squeeze as she recollects her own Zeph story. Still, he snorts lightly at first, pausing before a quiet laugh leaves him. “Mm, it’sa slick job.” He agrees, flashing her a playful wince of sympathy. “He’s good, though. Been through a lot but still good ‘n spite a it all.” He murmurs, glancing past her and over her shoulder to the waves behind her, before his gaze slips back to her as her hand withdraws from his.

He spends a moment fixing the blankets again, the chill suddenly evident against his skin. He snags one to drape around himself, the other still wrapped up along his lower half. And he reaches out to take the cigarette, to lean in for the light of the match, and when the smoke begins to curl around his nose and lips, he exhaled a plume of it with a softer smile. “Nobody’s asked me stuff like that before.” He offers honestly, pulling the cigarette from his lips to reach out for her, to pull her into him, her back against his chest, so they might watch the sunrise. “Most’a everyone jus’ knows ‘r guesses.” Shoulders rise and fall in a shrug beneath the blanket.  “Fer what it’s worth, I ‘spose in our line’a work, we aren’t alone fer long.” He pulls the cigarette up to take a drag off of it, head tilting a bit to glance at her face.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

AURELIA

and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be

Aurelia lifted her chin up in surprise when he pulled her onto him, feeling a surge of bubbly warmth at the gesture. She didn't resist it, settling herself against his torso and leaning her head back on his shoulder. She stayed like that for a bit, letting her cigarette smolder as she listened to the sound of his voice humming through her ears, as she watched the shining surface of the ocean as the sun spread more light across it. A sigh heaved through her body, bringing her back to the present.

She lifted her head and her eyes glanced back up at him as she saw him tilt his head. She met his gaze, searching it, leaning up as if she might go to kiss him. Suddenly she looked away, awkwardly drawing another puff from her own cigarette.

"Yeah.." she mumbled, still holding the cigarette between her lips. She took it back into her hands, letting out another breath of smoke, the aroma wafting around them. "So... how come you don't get a place of your own? It might... make things easier."

but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

She doesn’t shy away as he reaches out to pull her in, and he manages to slip one arm under her own, wrapping it easily around her torso while the other holds the cigarette – lifting it periodically to his lips to drag from. His gaze finds her again, however, when his comment reaches her – watching with the sunrise filled eyes of his of all different hues as she searches his face and leans up while Milo remains in place, watching, waiting to see what she’d do.

When she awkwardly drags from the smoke again and looks away, he listens, head lowering a bit so his chin might rest on her shoulder – his eyes drifting back out to the ocean. “Thought ‘bout it. But then I’d really be alone, huh?” He rumbles. “Least keepin’ it a secret’s easier than goin’ home to nothin’ but more’a jus’ myself.” Shoulders rise and fall before his head is lifting so he might drag from the cigarette again.

“I do have a place, though. Lived there fer a lil bit with ‘em before he moved back t’the Grounds ‘cause he evidently attacked the last governor.” But he never quite found out what Sam had done that was so drastic to drop everything and leave. At least the attic space was his – but again, it was lonely, he could only summon so many mindless creatures to keep him company, dull the time and the quiet with drinking and making nets or random other things to occupy his time.

But he releases a heavy sigh full of smoke, staring at the ocean and the way the sunrise glints off each crashing wave. “But like I said las’ night. ‘M not much’ve a fan’a bein’ alone fer a long time.”

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more