Fully Human, Chapter 5 (Sci Fi AU, Marco x Reader, dark, dead dove, non con, humans as pets)
18+ MDNI | on Ao3 | the other chapters
Thank you to @tryingandfailingtowrite and @moldychefboyardeecan for their help in keeping me on track <3
I'm not sure if I did a good job explaining what WB looks like but imagine the rock titan from Hercules (Lythos) but with only one head. Kinda like that.
YES I'm writing other things too.
Your POV
You pounded on the bubble and yelled Marco’s name as you watched him leave the room. He didn’t even give you so much as a backwards glance, just turned on his talons and left. You had been scared shitless when the bubble appeared. You didn’t know that such a thing existed, much less that he’d be trapping you inside of one. It was darkening rapidly, your ability to see what was outside the bubble diminishing by the second. Not only that but it wasn’t letting much light in, either. Artificial night descended on you rapidly and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Your breaths came in short pants as black dots swam in your vision. This was ok, you’d be ok, you’d be ok. You just needed to pop it somehow and the light would return.
You tried everything you could think of – pounding your fists against it, trying to pop it with your fingernails, pushing against it, even biting it. Nothing worked, you couldn’t get out of that stupid bubble. You didn’t want to yell too much in case it brought more beings into his quarters – you didn't want to attract more attention now that Marco wasn’t there to intercede on your behalf.
After trying to pop the bubble unsuccessfully, you decided to lie down on the bed to try and relax. You were tired after the events thus far and there wasn’t anything else you could do for the moment. You tried not to think about how dark it was in the bubble, how the walls seemed to be closing in on you, how your eyes strained to see anything on the outside. Would you be safe? What if Marco was going to give you to his innumerable brothers, like he said? What if they hurt you like Thatch had -- or worse? You began imagining different scenarios, each one worse than the last.
You realized your nails were digging into your palms so strongly that they were nearly puncturing your skin. Your forehead was clammy and your heart was skittering in your chest. You needed to calm down. Nothing had happened, you were still OK. Being anxious wasn’t going to help your situation. Using the same techniques you used when Nacl’s ship was in deep space, you closed your eyes and breathed in through your nose and exhaled out your mouth. It almost worked, your breathing more normal than it had been.
You decided to close your eyes in the hope that sleep would quell your fear of the dark. It wasn’t a welcoming bed; the mattress felt like cold rock and there weren’t any blankets other than the ones you already had. You spied one pillow, which you grabbed and shoved under your head. It was fairly comfortable, though not as fluffy as you wished it was. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and tried to push everything out of your mind.
You focused on relaxing your muscles, beginning with your toes. Little by little you were able to get your limbs to loosen, your body and mind relaxing after your never ending ordeal. As you laid in the bed, it became more comfortable as if molding itself to your body. It wasn’t made of metal or rock like you’d suspected, but an extremely thick goo that seemed to be activated by your body heat. The goo fit around your body closely, cushioning you with surprising comfort. Now that it wasn’t rock solid, this was maybe the best mattress you’d ever slept on. The beds on lafftale were made of leftover fabric scraps and the ones on the merchant ship were metal. This, however, was something you could get used to. You would need more energy for when Marco would return, you had no doubt that he would want to continue his fucked up experiments on you. You rationalized to yourself that it was OK to rest for a while, you could enjoy the comfort that the bed was providing.
You were asleep before your next thought.
“Stop, Sol,” you mumbled to the hand that was shaking your arm gently, though the fingers were gripping you a little too tightly. Why was Sol bothering you so early? There was still plenty of time to sleep before chores, she didn’t need to bother you now. The insistent hand shook you again, more firmly this time. You tried yanking your arm away but she wasn’t budging.
“Sol, stoppit. Lemme sleep,” you grumbled louder this time. You were determined not to let your sister wake you up, this was the most comfortable rest you’d ever had on Lafftale. You tried to yank your arm away from Sol but she had your arm in a vice. Actually, she was hurting you now, her grip tightening painfully on your upper arm. But…Sol wasn’t stronger than you - A low hiss like two rocks scraping together resounded in your ears. Your mind stumbled over the noise, the sound incongruent until your mind finally pieced together where you were. The bubble, Marco, the examination – and now someone was in it with you.
Your first reaction was to curl into a tight ball and try to cover your head with your arms to protect yourself. But the hand on your upper arm didn’t let you move as you desired, forcing you to remain unguarded. You heard another soft hiss, the fingers now gripping you so hard you’d definitely be bruised. You cracked open your eyes and peeked out from between your arms. Looking up, you saw that the bubble had disappeared, revealing Thatch sitting on the side of the bed next to you. He was looking down at you with an intense stare and continued to hiss at you, his forked tongue flicking out of his mouth as he spoke.
Even though Thatch’s grip was hurting you, based on what you remembered in the examination room that probably wasn’t his intention. If anything, you were worried he was going to try and fuck you in Marco’s bed. Maybe you could show him that he was causing you pain and he’d release your arm. It was worth a try.
You sat up and put your palm over his own, his hand surprisingly warm for being scaled. He stared you in the eyes, emitting a long hiss. Despite his probable thoughts, you willed him to understand this wasn’t sexual. His mouth frowned as your tiny fingers pried his much larger ones off slowly, one by one. He acquiesced to your unspoken desires, removing his hand from your arm completely after the first few fingers. You looked over your arm, dark bruises already forming in the shape of his fingers. Rubbing your skin where he’d grabbed you, you tried to give him a pathetic look to show that he’d injured you. His tongue flicked over his snout as if in thought, his eyes roving over your minor injuries.
After a moment, Thatch started hissing in varying tones and gesturing vaguely with his hands. You weren’t sure what Marco had told him to do specifically, and you didn’t want to get in trouble again if he felt you were disobeying orders. To quell any potential misunderstandings about your compliance, you turned your head and bent your ear to show him that you no longer had a translator. Another hiss came from him, and he reached to grab you again. You jolted back, not wanting to be touched or fucked or grabbed or whatever else it was he wanted to do to you.
Thatch slowed his movements, his tone more placating than it had been before. He slowly brought his hand back towards the bedside table, as if showing you he wasn’t going to harm you. He was treating you like a wild animal caught in a trap, like you’d bolt if he moved too quickly. Thatch grabbed a plate you hadn’t seen before, piled with unappetizing brown mush. He reached to hand the plate to you, his reptilian eyes watching you with keen interest.
You swallowed, your throat suddenly dry. Marco had told Thatch to cook for you but you were incredibly nervous. Marco had said a lot of misinformation about humans but he did get one fact correct – there were many foods you couldn’t eat without risking serious health issues. On your previous ship you’d eaten only Baratie meal replacement bars, the small rectangles a sure bet not to kill you since you could be certain of the high quality ingredients. They were expensive but at least you knew you wouldn’t die, the high price worth your piece of mind. You remembered that Marco had sent a list of unsafe foods to Thatch but what if he made you something that wasn’t on the list but was still unsafe? You couldn’t ask him right now, and Marco wasn’t around to heal you if you needed it. Your mouth watered at the sight of the food even as your brain worried that it would kill you.
Thatch reached to hand you the plate but you shrunk back. You were too nervous to eat it, regardless of whatever it was Thatch had prepared. Thatch clicked his tongue at you in a clear show of rebuke and reached forward to hand your the plate again. Your stomach chose that exact moment to gurgle in protest, making its presence known. You hoped that Thatch hadn’t heard but his eyes opened wider with interest, his head tilting to the side. His hand went to touch his controller – was he going to tell Marco you weren’t complying?
Hoping to mollify him and avoid another spanking, you reached out for the plate with shaky hands. You were hungry and you didn’t like wasting food, so you’d have to take a chance on whatever the brown mush was. Your arms dropped once you grasped the plate, finding it much heavier than you were expecting. Thatch’s hands shot out, grabbing the plate so that it didn’t fall. He took it from you and set it in front of where you were sitting on the bed.
You were ready to eat but was he going to give you any cutlery or…? You pantomimed that you wanted a utensil with which to eat, bringing your hand to your mouth as if holding a fork. But Thatch just nodded eagerly at you, he must have thought you were asking if it was food. Well, duh, it was food of some kind. How dumb did they think you were? You were taking too long by his standards because he plucked one of the brown bits off the plate and held it in front of your mouth. You licked your lips as your heart skittered in your chest. You reached for it with your fingers, only to hear another click and Thatch to pull it away. You frowned, realizing he wanted to feed it to you.
You parted your lips hesitantly, only for Thatch to pop the piece of food in. You quickly closed your mouth, not wanting to give him any ideas of sticking his fingers in like Marco had before. Chewing and eating the food was an interesting experience . It was kind of dry and wet at the same time, crunchy but also soft. It didn’t have much flavor, maybe a hint of savory broth and saltiness, but it wasn’t completely inedible either. It wasn’t the best thing you’d ever had, but you could choke it down.
You reached down for another bite, grabbing more with your fingers and tossing the strange food into your mouth. Thatch gave you an encouraging click, to which you glared. You knew how to feed yourself, this wasn’t a feat. By the time you’d chewed and swallowed your first few bites, you didn’t care about the texture or taste. Once you started eating, you realized you were starving. You weren’t sure how much time had passed since you’d last eaten but whatever Thatch served you was palatable enough for your stomach. You pinched more between your two fingers, shoving it into your mouth.
“Thanks,” you mumbled to Thatch after swallowing the bite. His attention hadn’t wavered in the slightest, he was watching you like you were the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. It was unnerving to have someone staring at you while you ate but you did you best to ignore him. You ate quickly, not enjoying the feeling of being watched and giving periodic hissing commentary, even if you couldn’t understand it. You ate rapidly, finding the food easy to eat quickly. Once you were done, you pushed the plate away from yourself. There was still a lot left on the plate but if you ate any more, you’d burst.
Thatch made a loud rasp once you were done and reached out slowly for the plate. He took it back from you, hissing loudly as if pleased with your efforts. Now that your stomach was full, you wanted to lay down again. Maybe you shouldn’t have eaten so fast, you thought in retrospect. Thatch grabbed a cup of liquid off the table, pushing it against your lips. You took a sip, it tasted like water. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t but you were suddenly too tired to care.
Your eyelids were heavy now, your body swaying with an unnatural drowsiness. Your head lolled to the side and another hiss escaped from Thatch. This wasn’t normal lethargy, you thought as Thatch hovered over you. You tried to keep your eyes open, to focus on Thatch as he loomed over you. Your mind tried to rile your body to action, but all you could do was curl up back on the bed, your eyelids heavy. Your eyes closed and the last thing you remembered was Thatch pulling the covers up to your neck.
Marco POV
Marco stood outside Pops’ room, checking his controller for your vitals. He’d been checking your vitals every few minutes, the real time data comforting him that you were alive in his absence. He didn’t know how you’d managed to survive without someone monitoring your care - you were always frightened, always scared. Marco knew you’d fallen asleep by the easy rate of your heart but something had frightened you, causing a rapid spike. Thatch had told Marco he was on his way to Marco's room so he sent a message to Thatch on their private message line, just to make sure all was well.
Marco: Is she alright? I got a notification that her heartrate spiked.
Thatch: She was sleeping when I came in and wasn’t anticipating me waking her up. She startled awake but ate the food I brought her.
Marco: Excellent, thank you. How did she tolerate the food?
Thatch: I was concerned because she initially refused the food but then a gurgling sound emanated from her. I nearly contacted you, I was worried something was wrong. But then she ate most of the serving, she seemed to enjoy it immensely. I made too much – I forgot how small she is. Marco huffed out his nose. Already testing more boundaries like the tricky little human you were. He clicked his tongue out loud as if you were there to hear the reprimand.
Marco: Human stomachs emit noise when they’re hungry, it’s normal for her. Like I said, humans will lie about their needs and wants. This is a perfect example – she refused the food even though she was hungry. You did well to insist she eat .
Thatch: Interesting. I’ll keep that in mind for the future. She repeated the same word a few times as she woke - Sol? I’m not sure what it means, my translator couldn’t determine anything. Marco typed the word into his notes - he’d ask you about it later, along with several other questions he'd gathered over the course of his time with you. Maybe Sol was something important to you that he could use as leverage for your compliance. He really should get to his meeting but his need to know about your current situation was not yet satisfied.
Marco: What is she doing now?
Thatch: She’s asleep again, curled up in your bed. I gave her the narcotics like you asked, they worked nearly immediately. Such a cute little thing [pic attached]. Marco’s heart warmed at the thought of you sleeping in his bed. He had asked Thatch to drug you to sleep using some harmless medications he’d found in his lab. They wouldn’t keep you asleep long, just enough time for Marco to talk to Pops, gather supplies and finish his tasks before returning to you. After this conversation he was going to do a few modifications to you and would prefer if you were not awake for the process. He’d complete them either way, he didn’t need your permission by any means. But the process was rather unpleasant and it would be easier to complete if you weren’t resisting or fearful.
Marco: Thank you again, brother. I wouldn’t trust another with her nutrition. Marco could practically hear his brother’s proud hiss as he received the complimentary message. But Marco wasn’t just complimenting his brother out of courtesy, he trusted Thatch more than any other chef he'd ever met. He trusted him enough to help care for you .
With that, Marco closed the conversation on his controller. He opened the picture attachment Thatch had sent, nearly cooing at the image it displayed. You were indeed curled up in his bed, the mattress much larger than your tiny body. Your fingers were curled around the emergency blanket, making him wonder if it was warm enough in the room for you. He’d adjusted the temperature to the optimal sleeping temperature for humans, but it could vary between humans. Marco wished he was lying next to you, your back flush against his front to warm you, your soft skin against his own. Soon.
Closing the image, he knocked on Pops’ massive steel door.
“Enter, my son,” Pops boomed from within. Marco had been in Pops’ room innumerous times – his relationship with his Captain spanning many galactic cycles and was proud to be a Whitebeard Commander. Pops was reclining in his massive chair, his eyes bright with interest. Pops was from an old lineage of beings, nearly gone in this age. Whitebeard was a Titan, a colossal being made of moving slabs of naginatite, the strongest mineral in the known galaxies. He respected Pops’ decisions, both as Captain and as his adoptive father. Marco desperately wanted to keep you, but he would abide by whatever Pops decided.
“Marco, I haven’t heard from you since that merchant ship was sent on its way,” Pops said in his gravelly voice.
“I have news yoi,” Marco said, wanting to cut right to the heart of the matter.
“I found a human on that crew. I already detained and examined her. She’s healthy and in breeding range.” Pops shifted in his chair as he thought through the implications of Marco’s statements. Some sediment fell to the floor, but that wasn’t unusual.
“What percent?” Pops asked, the massive slabs of minerals that comprised his body clacking against each other in interest.
“100%. She’s fully human,” Marco said, trying to maintain a cool and detached attitude. Yes, Marco wanted you, but right now he had to act in the best interest of the Whitebeard Pirates, not just for his own personal gain.
“Were there any other humans aboard the ship?”
“No. Just her, the rest were commonly found species yoi. She had disguised herself as a Three Eyes, but the scanner picked up her hDNA percentage.” Whitebeard was silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts as he stroked the white rocks above his mouth.
“Where did she come from?” Marco sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He wished he had more answers to give Pops.
“I’m not sure. Based on how I found her and her general demeanor, it is clear she wasn’t owned by any other masters previously. I haven’t able to extract information from her yet. Her translator was external and poorly installed. I had to remove it to heal the infected implantation site. I will be installing another shortly.” Pops continued stroking his mustache, contemplating Marco’s announcement.
“I saw a human once, many cycles ago. Small thing, slept a lot,” Pops mused. “We need to find out more. Where she’s from, if there are more humans, why was she on that ship, what her plans were,” Whitebeard intoned. Marco nodded, he’d planned on getting that information out of you as well.
“Where is she now?”
“My quarters. She’s sleeping,” Marco’s voice tightened with his admission, swallowing the question he wanted to ask. He wanted to know if he could keep you, if he could be your master. He didn’t want to sway Pops in any direction, assured that Whitebeard would do what benefitted the crew as a whole.
“Are you her master then?” Pops asked with a hint of amusement in his tone. Marco bristled slightly but told his Captain the truth.
“For now. I’d like to remain her Master, if you’ll allow it. Humans have always been a special interest of mine, I do feel that between my knowledge of humans and my medical knowledge I am the best equipped to take care of her. Humans are very fragile and I’m worried some of my brothers will accidentally injure her without proper education.”
“I remember your interest, my son. Finally all those articles and videos came in handy,” Pops said with a knowing smile. “And about breeding her?” Marco forced his face to remain neutral.
“Well…I’d like that too. I tested her limits and she should be able to take a number of the Commanders, but some are too large. It would be a privilege to breed with her,” Marco replied honestly, his feathers ruffling as he spoke. Marco didn’t want to share you with anyone , but he wasn’t the only member of a dying species on board. His face must have shown his apprehension because small rocks fell off Pops’ shoulders as he laughed heartily.
“GURAHAHAHA Keep your human, Marco. You can share her as you see fit, I trust you. From what I remember, humans are social creatures. So if there’s one, there’s more. Your brothers can begin the hunt for their own once we get information from her,” Pops said.
“Thank you, Pops,” Marco said quickly, his shoulders loosening with the knowledge he wouldn’t have to share his prize. With Pops’ permission to keep you as his personal pet, Marco’s anxiety decreased significantly. Now he could focus on acclimating you to life as his pet, guiding and preparing you for how things would be for the rest of your life. You had quite a bit of training ahead of you, and Marco was excited to be the one to provide it. He hoped you’d settle into a peaceful life, your sadness and fear finally abating as you realized you were safe with him.
“Perhaps I’ll have some grandchildren soon,” Pops said, a wistful look on his face. If Marco had been a human like you, he would have flushed. Marco loved his Captain, would die for him, but did not want to discuss procreation with his father figure. Marco cleared his throat.
“We’ll find the rest of the humans yoi. I’ll get her talking.”
Taglist: @rebeccawinters @mfreedomstuff @joyfullittlethings
