Royal or Rebel (A Disgraced Prince Scott AU)

Honesty Hour

Apo stood the door of the tavern, smiling, he'd arrived back just in time to catch Kuervo's story.

Kuervo waved him over, "Apo! Is everything alright?"

Apo let out a small hum, "Just thinking- dangerous, I know- but I was thinking about how lucky I am to have you guys, and everyone really but you guys especially."

Will embraced Apo, "You will make me cry," they chuckled, just simply letting himself be.

Acho took a deep breath before speaking up, "I have something I'd like to share, since Kuervo told us about his sister."

Kuervo looked over at the Denholm, "You do not have to Acho."

"I know, but I want to," Acho sat back down, smiling as the others sat down.

Apo made himself comfortable, hugging a pillow.

"I was two years old when a great prophet spoke of a great pirate captain who would take me away and my parents locked me away for a whole year until they gave up because they stopped pretending that they care about me," Acho shuddered at the thought of that room, star had been locked in that room many times throughout their life in Avias.

"Acho-" Will started but was cut off.

"My whole life I lived in fear of being taken and then I came here. Here I thought that the prophet referred to Scott but then I joined the Nightingales and realised that Will was a captain too," Acho smiled, running a hand through Dipper's fur.

Will felt a flurry in his heart, "A great pirate captain aye?" He spoke in his English accent.

"The greatest," Acho replied.

"There's something I'd like to share too," Apo shrugged.

"Go on," Kuervo urged gently.

"I came from a bad home. When I got to the Isles I wanted to be a Kite because all I knew was violence and then I came here and I learnt exactly what it meant to be a family," tears welled in Apo's eyes.

Will went to give him a hug but Apo flinched back a little so he lowered his hand.

"I finally had a family who didn't add to the scars and instead they cleaned them up and held me. The Nightingales didn't hit me and tell me how much they hated me, they loved me," Apo let himself lean into Will's embrace.

Will let out a small noise of happiness, "Well since it's honesty hour..."

Acho glanced over at Will and saw that he did not make eye contact.

"I had a friend on the Lucsinia, he was Merton's prisoner, his name was Caer. I'd spend hours just listening to his stories until Merton would find me and drag me to his office..." Will looks down and pulled at his collar until he showed his collarbone where two letters were scares.

Acho winced, he'd met Elyas Merton a few times in the past but he'd never seen this.

"Elyas Merton left me beaten on the beaches of the shores here and he left this as a final reminder who had the best of me. I miss Caer every day, he was the closest thing to a friend I had on that ship and I miss him," Will shook his head sadly, leaning into Apo's arms.