definitely not true for everyone, but anyways.

readers:

Where Geno gets to slightly fix his thinking towards Reaper, leading the 2 to come back in a positive enough mood.

No one's POV:
-

Until the moment Geno emerged to the deck he hadn't realise just how much he had missed the Ocean breeze. Him and Alter closed eyesockets and let it hit them gently, inhaling slowly to enjoy, then sitting down near the main mast of the ship.

They hanged out silently, the smaller leaned against the taller thoughtful. It was now just the small waves hitting the bottom of the ship and the priest's prayer rope as the beads rattled with each other and against their holder's fingers. Only some time later the beads stopped being heard too.

"... What's troublin' ya?" Alter asked quietly then.

Geno kept his silence for many minutes before scoffing and turning to look up to him.

"You lied to me."

Alter didn't reply immediately. A few seconds later he huffed.

"For 2 nights ago?" He asked smiling gently.

"Yes."

"I didn't. I did tell Yalin and Michael to come supervise you while I was looking after Doctor Ramirez alongside Aldo. I just didn't mention that Reaps asked me to stay away from the hermitage when I was done helpin' Aldo." Alter looked down to Geno raising brow. "Didn't you ask Yalin and Michael? Surely if you asked they would tell ya they were on their way to look after ya for the night."

"And they were also told by your Captain to get away from the hermitage so he would annoy me?"

"Yep."

"What about last night?" Geno daggered his eyesocket at the priest. "That 2 nights ago you went to look after dogface sounds like a valid enough reason to get away from the hermitage and keep stayin' away from it after your Captain told you so. Was it the same as last night? What was the reason this time to leave?"

"None. Reaper told me himself to leave and he took my place."

"And with what logic you allowed him to interfere???"

Alter kept staring at Geno while smiling in that way that was making him seem gentle and wise, experienced yet difficult to read.

"'Cause I knew Reaps wasn't gonna hurt you."

"And why would you believe that?!"

"I said it. I know it, I don't simply believe it."

"Fine, how do you know it?!"

"He has given me plenty of reasons to trust him in the past and to know he always keeps his word."

Alter's chill was bewildering and little by little annoying Geno, sensing also the certaincy with which he was talking. His expression was screaming hows and whys, but before he could express them out loud too, Alter gently held and put the smaller skeleton sit on his lap.

"Wh-..." Geno almost did as the other kept staring down at his confused expression, his smile now turning to a small grin. Though still difficult to read, at the same time Geno somewhat understood what was kind of coming just by that.

He was going to be asked rhetorical questions in which he was going to answer in that way where Alter would further prove the point he would make to convince Geno. Then the questions were possibly going to turn towards the small skeleton's actions.

For finale, it would lead the smaller skeleton to hear some convicing arguement that would make him change his mind about something he was stubbornly believing until the moment he listened to the priest, seeing things in a new light.

But considering the subject of the conversation was about how trusted Captain Reaper was, that arguement needed to be extremely mind-blowing probably.

"Is trust given or earned first?" Alter asked the first question. Geno looked at him suspicious, then looked to his right to think.

"... Earned."

"And what one must do to earn it from another in your opinion?"

"... Prove it with actions."

Alter's grin grew bigger as he looked up to the night sky.

"... Remember the day we all first discovered you have siren nature in you? What was that question ya asked me after wakin' up from that nightmare of yours? When we were back to the hermitage."

Geno thought for a while.

"If I can really trust you." Alter nodded.

"Yeah. I remember that too..." He paused for a few seconds. "... Did I prove during all this time we've been interactin' I was worthy of your trust through nicely-put words together or through actions?" He asked then.

"With a mix of both..." Geno started, causing himself and Alter to gently chuckle. "... kinda. But mainly actions. The words were mainly to teach me somethin' new. You would also act while talkin', proving right there and then the point you wanted to make."

"... When was the moment you started trusting me freely?" The priest asked then.

"... Hmmm... I think... I stopped feelin' completely distrustful towards you after Lisbon." Geno's expression slightly softened. "... Mainly with what happened near the end of the mission, then when those caravels started hunting us down, that's when I felt..." He looked away slightly awkward. "... Guess I realised I didn't want any more harm to be caused upon you..."

Much to the small skeleton's susprise he saw Alter's pupils inside his eyesockets slightly dilating, even of the scorched one, now his whole face literally saying aaaw, this happy and calmly surprised he was.

"The prince wantin' to protect the guardian huh?" The priest asked as he pinched gently Geno's cheek, who became blushy.

"Al!" He yelped shaking his head left and right so the other's hand would stop pinching his cheek filled in red and light blue hues.

"I'm just really glad you express all that with me." Alter said, laughing lowly with how red and light blue Geno's face was.

"I-I mean, you did earn my trust, s-so you deserved to be protected in return." Geno said quietly, still not facing Alter. The taller didn't reply, just stared at the smol blushy skeleton for a few seconds in silence. Then he hummed as he tried to adjust himself to sit more comfortably on the wooden floor.

"So, did my actions prove my reliability?" He asked.

"Well... yes."

"Just like that, with more actions than with empty words Reaps got each and every single man of the crew to trust him, feel devoted and stay loyal..." Geno's expression there became sour for a moment but didn't interrupt. "Even though I eventually agreed by myself to join his crew, I was still uncertain of what kind of character he really was. Who was the man I had to follow and obey. But with time he showed me. He showed anyone who joined him, before and after me. And of course, as pirate Captain, there are times where he comes to face his enemies and opponents in horrific ways. Towards whoever is against him his ruthlessness can prove unappealing and highly destructive. And while that's how he is in the face of the rest of the world, towards whoever is part of this ship, this crew, he's fair. He has that great sense of justice, wantin' to make sure there's peace amongst us. I was told and I concluded, he used to be extremely judicial, mainly when he was still formin' the crew and there were many monsters who were constantly causing trouble, being nuisances. And whoever would cause havoc and mess with the order the ship follows, was met with slow death, at best a quick one."

"Brrr..." Geno did and shivered.

"He has that incredible insight that allows him to know who's lyin' or who has messed up and not admittin' it, helpin' him distinguish whoever he considers worth keepin' on his side. Currently the relationships amongst the crewmembers are stable, so, he ain't as strict, both because he has gotten rid off the troublemakers and because we have learned on how to act and be to not become the reason he gets pissed off. Even in his worst moments or mood, Reaps wants nothin' but to make sure this crew works in harmony. He wants us united. And everyone in here gets rewarded so long as they're devoted to him, don't mess around and are man enough to be honest, even if they mess up badly."

"Honesty... Why is it so important for a monster like him, where he currently is?" Geno asked raising brow. Having already heard the first few things from Ramirez, he wanted to hear Alter too, who would definitely elaborate better, if he knew.

"What's it you've heard about a necromancer's sense of Veracity?" Alter asked letting his smile grow slightly longer.

"... Little." Geno limited himself to say. Alter hummed.

"If I had to tell ya in summary but satisfiyingly enough to help answer the question you did before mine, I know that necromancers and the ones followin' the beliefs of Death are very strict, having a code of as absolute as possible honesty, no matter how brutal it might sound or seem. That code is followed since the appearance of the first necromancers, unknown just how many millenia ago really. Verocity ain't just about stating the truth of something or someone, it means for the one who follows that virtue to speak their mind out, exactly what they're thinkin', doin' it without hesitation and fear, but also be ready to support their opinion and truth if others don't agree right away. They always mean what they say. Necromancers and their followers though don't just want themselves to follow Veracity, they demand it from others. They become persuasive until they get to hear truth when they sense they're faced with Falsity, the opposite of Veracity. And in order to find truth for anythin' or anyone, their followers at the temples of Death teach it's members to succesfully detect lies, even from a mile away."

"Sheesh."

Pause befell for a few seconds.

"... Geno. Didja say you trust me before?" Alter asked. Obviously he sounded like he clearly remembered Geno admitting such, but he did ask anyways to make the smaller confirm.

"Yes." Geno nodded staring stably at the other.

"If there's another reason as to how you ended up trustin' me, that is not only because of how I acted, but because you allowed me to prove it. Ya gave me the benefit of the doubt, 'till you got convinced I am who my actions first, then my words, tell I am. And in case I didn't say it before, thanks."

"You're... welcome. Where do ya wanna end up though?" Geno asked slightly suspiciously then.

"... Somethin' went wrong last night between you and Reaps. Somethin' that has been causing ya to be upset and more tired the whole day."

Aaand he brought the conversation to that exact thing!

"O-Oh..." Geno did awkwardly and annoyed, slowly lowering head. "So?"

"Could you tell me what happened?"

"... Didn't he tell you already?" Geno asked abruptly crossing his arms.

"When I saw him leavin' so soon and asked what happened, he simply told me that he got you upest and decided to give you space."

"... Nothin' else?" The small skeleton asked. Alter shook head left and right. "Ah, great." Geno scoffed and hissed. "Fair that you're askin' me, takin' the weight of having to explain what happened since he didn't."

"Then again, since you're the one who gets to explain the situation, you also get to say things from your perspective, how didja comprehend your interaction with his." Geno looked away still annoyed and upset. "I'd like to help perhaps. Free yourself off what upsets you to me. It won't make you the bad guy not holdin' back. What is it Reaps did?"

"Annoy me." Geno growled.

"In what way?" Alter asked, patiently smiling. Geno opened his mouth, only to close it next. He shut his eyesocket tightly and hugged himself, struggling to speak.

"... I DON'T KNOW!"

Alter flinched by the other yelling. He looked at him as he clenched his teeth and pressed his hands on the sides of his skull. He got off the priest and walked a few steps away.

"Geno?"

"Until you and I came back from Lisbon, he barely payed attention to what I did! Now?! Suddenly he... he's just-! He suddenly decided to be open with me by narratin' to me his life story before becomin' a pirate, he acts all calm and cheerful around me, damnit! Just 2 nights ago he was takin' care of me, somehow makin' me feel better with little effort unlike what you or anyone did, no offense Alter!"

After the first surprise the tall skeleton listened to Geno with hand on his chin, smiling calmly.

"And all that, is that what upsets you?" He asked.

"No?! Yes?!" Geno paused and lowered head. "What hit him to suddenly pretend to care checkin' up on me, while chewin' my ear hole off with sweet words outta nowhere???"

"Pretend?" Alter asked raising brow. "What is it he pretends about?"

Geno revealed to the other of what he heard Reaper saying, especially of 2 nights ago, upset and confused.

"And it ain't even like I haven't heard such before, from ya Al! Except when he did say all that, it didn't feel as reassuring or nice at all! Him? The MiGhTy Captain of the Reapers mesmerised and fascinated by me? HUH?!"

"So you thought he was lyin'?"

"Well yes?!"

Alter made a hissing sound while inhaling and covered his mouth as he looked away.

"Thank the Lord Reaps ain't a necromancer of the ancient eras." He thought. From agitated his expression took a discreet sadness as he looked again at Geno.

"What?" The smaller did confused by the other's reaction.

"Didja call him out immediately that he's lyin'?" The priest asked.

"Well... No? Though... Kinda?" Geno said confused. Alter huffed quietly.

"That was a stab on the soul. No wonder I saw behind his expression agitation last night."

"Why?"

"It insults heavily a necromancer to be called or implied as a liar. Somethin' that is almost an inherited behavior amongst their kind. In the old eras, when necromancers used to be a roaming race and not stayin' in one place, if somebody called or implied one as a liar, they had doomed themselves and the area in which they lived. Old necromancers were more unhinged in power, more angry, resentful and vengeful for the littlest of things." Alter inhaled quietly as he looked at Geno. "Good thing today's necromancers are more in control."

"Wait..." Geno did as he stared at Alter with perked up eyesocket. "So... He was being serious?" The priest went from sitting with criss-crossed legs to sitting on his knees.

"Geno, son, come here." He called calmly, streching his left arm out. Slowly and still surprised-confused, the smaller skeleton walked and stopped in front of Alter, who rested his streched out hand on the other's shoulder. He looked at him with a sad smile. "It's alright bein' in doubt. In no case I will blame ya for your reactions towards Reaper. His approach and boldness probably caught you off guard. But as a friend towards friend, I wanna reassure you, as somebody who has spend more time around here, that you don't have to be on guard around him. You told me that he revealed to ya how he lived before piracy. Who he was..." Both Alter's hands went and gently cupped Geno's squishy face, who kept staring at him with perked up eyesocket. "... And that is so incredibly important."

"... How so?" The half-siren asked.

"Everybody in this crew knows more or less that he used to be of noble class. Rather everyone guessed right away, it's an almost common fact on every land that a necromancer is never a random nobody, havin' an important place and position in a community. But details of his family, before he was born, what was his parents' story, he haven't go around to share such. It's just me, Ramirez and now you knowin' his past detailed. And whoever gets to know these details, with whoever Reaps has gotten so open about himself, he wants 'em to know. He wants to be open and more accustomed with these exact faces." Geno would simply look at Alter more and more surprised. Then he looked down and away confused.

"Why someone like me too?"

"'Cause he has stopped thinkin' of ya as the treasure key a long time ago. You ain't just that for him. In fact I doubt he ever actually thought of ya as such. Again, he knows what more is there you must do at the end of this journey. If he didn't believe in you any more than I do, he wouldn't even bother talkin' to ya about his family's past. He wouldn't be so eager to help ya feel better off your fever, kindly kickin' me out of the hermitage. Can't ya see son?" Alter asked gently.

"See what?" Geno asked in return.

"He's smitten with you." Alter thought as he closed eyesockets. "He likes you and only wishes you get used to him. He doesn't wanna make you feel at ease with 'empty' words, he's genuine."

Having gotten out of the way the doubt, for the biggest part at least, Geno comprehended Reaper's actions and words again the past 2 nights. Which caused him to look away from Alter with warm cheeks.

"Sh*t..." He thought, then felt annoyed as he turned to almost glare at the taller skeleton. "As a friend towards friend, I will trust your words and that I thought wrong about your Captain's intentions towards me. And since ya seem so chill about his behavior and all... But if things ain't as you try to assure me they are, I'll punch you even if I get hurt back." He declared pointing forward with a pouty face.

"Deal son." Alter nodded certainly, smiling widely. "Wanna go back to the hermitage?" He asked then. Geno rolled his eyesocket but nodded, only to yelp the very next moment as he was getting picked up.

"I can walk, ya know." He said awkwardly and still pouty.

"Apologies. Want me to get you down then?" Alter asked with a gentle grin. Geno looked away crossing his arms.

"No, don't put the effort just to get me back on the floor, you've already picked me up." He prevented to say as his cheeks were getting a little more colorful.

"Sure, son." Alter said fighting to not chuckle. As they passed from the darkness of the night sky to that of the bottom of the deck and as Geno had leaned his head on the priest's shoulder while hugging him like a baby koala, Alter's expression became more thoughtful. "I did help Reaper's chances with Geno without him tellin' me to, but will it really be worth it?"

~

Very early in the morning, before the sun had even prevailed from the sea, Geno felt his body able to wake up without suffering. He stared around and at Alter sitting on the stool, arms crossed and head lowered, sleeping quietly.

The small skeleton got off the bed, stood still for a moment to control his dizinness which didn't last long, turned around to properly fix the blanket on the bed and walked out of the hermitage. He went to the upper deck, walked close to the gunwale of the ship and rested his arms.

Like that he would wait for the sunrise. He thought of all that had been happening these past few days, mainly about the situation with Reaper. Soon however one and only concerning thought prevailed in his mind.

His dad.

He had seen him for just a minute or so before that dark figure appear out of nowhere, the punch it had thrown at him in the chest before attacking Stephan's essence... It all was so fast.

...

He needed to come back to the afterlife.

He needed a way to get ALMOST killed again and search for his dad. Learn his fate. Had he escaped the figure, that 'Mister Wraith'? For what it had done Geno was upset, yet the puppy, Alejandro seemed to be calm around it, in fact happy-. No, after what it did by clearly threatening Stephan's essence, Geno didn't care.

It didn't matter if all times the figure had kept him company when he would die until he was back to the living he hadn't caused him harm. If it had helped him in the past so many times, what he had done by clearly having intentions of hurting his dad was unforgetable and unforgivable.

"Think fast Geno." He thought as he huffed quietly.

"Watchin' ya doing it, I gave it a try to watch a sunrise too."

Geno almost screamed hearing that familiar annoying voice being heard. He turned around and scanned the area. No one was there.

"Where the f-?"

"After 4 times or so I have finally come to realise how satisfying it really is."

Geno looked up. Finally, up to the mast's middle yard he saw the Captain sitting, his legs hanging and kicking in the air. A few seconds later the half-siren huffed and turned to face the horizon, where he could see the light of the sun slowly becoming stronger.

His mind stopped thinking about his dad for a while. Though, a few seconds later he turned to look again at Reaper, who turned to look at him at the same time as him. He opened his mouth, then looked away thoughtful. Finally, he looked at the necromancer more stably.

"... Is there anythin' ya didn't mean when you came the first time to see me?" He asked, moving only his mouth.

He saw the other's eyesockets clearly perking up on that question. Many seconds later, Reaper suddenly got off the yard, free-falling as he was surrounded by darkness. Despite it did seem he fell fast and hard on the floor, when the darkness stopped covering him he seemed alright.

No broken knees. He walked closer to Geno and stood next to him a few steps away. Then he turned his back on the horizon, taking a chill and comfortable posture by supporting himself against the gunwale. His grin grew bigger as he stared at Geno.

"... Just one thing." He started. Geno raised brow at him. Oh, so there was something from all he had said those few nights ago that he actually wasn't honest about?

"Al I swear to God, remember that you agreed on what would happen if-."

"I didn't mean to upset ya." Geno froze as he slowly turned to look at Reaper surprised. The other grinned. "Maybe bein' so straightforward with ya was too much. Plus you were sick. Heh..." He leaned his head back not sure if he was staring at Geno since the smaller was from the side of the pirate's empty eyesocket. "So if there's any apology I must deliver for how I acted, say the word." He said calmly.

Geno stared at him still silently surprised for many seconds before huffing and looking again forward calmer.

"I don't wanna hear this." He said quietly.

"Then?" Reaper asked.

"Didja really mean all that you've told me?" The smaller asked hesitantly. Reaper looked at him with a fond smile before turning it to a grin.

"Every word." He nodded. "Just like how I meant it when I said you may call me by name when alone."

Geno could have sworn he felt as if his soul giggled from the strange satisfaction this reassurement brought him, for the fact especially because Reaper sounded completely honest. And this time Geno was more certain the other really meant his words. But he managed to keep calm and thoughtful as he kept staring to the horizon.

"And... what more reasons do you have to go as far as to share your life story with someone like me and even get outta your way to take care of me?" He heard the Captain humming as he thought of his answer.

"It ain't somethin' that's explained with words. It's more of a sensation. A feeling." Geno looked at the other confused.

"What sensation? What feeling?"

Reaper huffed, still smiling. Oh, how he wanted to say everything exactly as he knew and felt. He had slightly done it the first night of taking care of Geno. But was his angelfish ready to really hear everything? Would he handle the whole truth?

"... A sensation and feeling which simply makes me fascinated with ya. Interested." His head turned to face Geno, still chill and comfortable. "Like I had said that night, there's somethin' about you. Your physiognomy itches my skull about how much more special you really are than you seem. And for me that itch doesn't leave me alone, cause I keep askin' myself if I've seen ya before. Long before this journey began."

"How can you have that feeling, have the possible hallucination that you've seen me? When and where?" Geno asked. Reaper shrugged his shoulders.

"The only explanation I can think of as to why I'm feelin' that, could be that perhaps I've seen you even for a fleeing moment amongst the dead, in one of my many wanderings in the afterlife of the monsters. Maybe I hadn't payed attention to ya then, but ever since you stepped foot on my ship... my mind teases me. And while at first I was content to simply observe ya from a distance, just recently I started swarmin' you." Geno scoffed as he rolled eyesocket and looked again forward, his expression slightly turning sad.

"... So... Are there any other reasons as to why you just act... like you've acted towards me the past few days and mainly nights?"

"Yup and ya ain't ready to hear 'em angelfish." Reaper thought, then nodded at Geno smiling.

Despite that, the half-siren didn't ask him. He simply focused to look forward. From the corner of his eyesocket he saw Reaper turning to look in the same direction as him. The 2 simply observed as the sun was slowly rising. And perhaps, there was no need for any more words to be spoken.

There was no need for things to be explained in more detail. For this time, after having his mind a little rearranged, Geno felt against his will that strange satisfaction, knowing and being reassured that all he had hear the skeleton standing next to him saying was truth.

4490 words.

f*cking hell. and i told myself to keep this chapter short🤦🏽‍♀️

well, hopefully by the time you reach the end you have left a fair amount of comments to decorate these paragraphs (i love comments).

and more over *grabs (Y/N) and bottlefeeds them* hopefully you vote and show you support even more like that. bye bye sweet humans *pet pet*