Disclaimer: I don't own any of them pirates, they are free men! Well... sort of... you know what I mean...
Summery: My take on Season one, it's kind of the off camera scenes that I believe were wrongly left out of the show. The story is mostly Billy Bones POV.
Author's note: I've been wanting to write this story for a long time, and I had it all down in my head, but then I decided to re-watch season one in preparations for season two and realized that my time-line was completely off... So I had to go back and rethink the whole thing. But in the end it worked out better because I had the idea for season two and worked my way back.
I tried to stick to the original plot as much as I could, which means you have to watch the whole series to understand what I'm talking about, but I guess that's not going to be much of a problem, right?
This is sort of my comeback after a really long time of not being able to write anything, so I hope you like this. It's a bit long, because you know me... If it's less than 17,000 words- it's not a proper one-shot...
One last thing- Pirates rules!
Give me more Rum
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"Captain's going to ask Mr. Guthrie for a favour, Mr. Guthrie is going to say no. When that happens the Captain will most likely react poorly. Your job is to restrain him." Billy played Gates' words in his head over and over again, "Your job is to restrain him." Well, he thought sadly as he looked at the unconscious man lying in the bottom of the longboat, that definitely went well...
Billy sighed, he could just picture Gates' face, that 'You had one job!' look that always made Billy feel like a rebuked child. It was quite amazing really- most people around here never even got to know one father, but not Billy, no- he had two! First his real father, who wasn't bad as fathers go, and now Gates, who was way overprotective and Billy hated disappointing him more than anything, which made the predicament he found himself in a whole lot harder.
He tried to take comfort in the cerulean water, the small waves lapping on the sides of the dark polished wood, as the ocean always served to calm his nerves, but now his mind was too preoccupied with trying to think of how to minimize the damages. But truth was, there was no fixing this- he failed and as a result he was an accessory not only to the kidnapping of the most powerful man in New Providence but also to physically assaulting three officers of the Royal Navy- forget disappointing Gates, they were all headed straight for the gallows!
Billy took a deep breath and looked at the Captain who sat the stern of the longboat, his gaze fixed ahead and his entire posture tense, like an animal ready to launch for attack at the slightest provocation. Billy was always slightly scared of the Captain, scared and impressed and sometimes even in awe of the man. There was just something about Flint, something that commanded respect, even if you hated the guy, and Billy certainly didn't hate the guy. He knew most of the crew thought pretty much the same as he did, and although the control of the 'Walrus' was now shifting because of the Captain's secret obsession and his refusal to divulge information Billy still found him intimidating and unpredictable. But he also knew he'd do his Captain's bidding because this is what he was taught when he first learned to sail, and Billy was a good sailor, one of the best around. The main problem with Captain Flint, as Billy saw it, was that he could never tell what the other man was thinking or what his next move will be. He suspected even Elanor Guthrie had a hard time controlling the man, though she seemed to hide it a lot better than most men.
He would help his Captain, that he was sure of, but he wasn't stupid enough to let his guard down. He watched as the Captain pocketed Guthrie's rings and threw his wig into the ocean, that simple act of hiding Guthrie's identity cemented for Billy the fact that they were neck-deep in this shit together. He tried to stand up to his Captain, but just as it was in Guthrie's office he couldn't put real power behind it and Flint knew it, which made Billy hate the Captain a little for having such power over him, but it made him hate himself even more for being so easy to control. He even went as far as pulling his knife when the Captain advanced, but he had a feeling Flint was trying his best not to laugh at him. Challenging Captain Flint was never smart- especially not in a tiny longboat with no one to back him up. The look in the Captain's eyes was enough to tell Billy to chose his words more carefully from now on.
"When the king brands us pirates, he doesn't mean to make us adversaries, he doesn't mean to make us criminals, he means to make us monsters." The Captain's voice was deep and calculated, washing over Billy and making his skin tingle just as much as the words themselves, "Because that's the only way his god-fearing, tax paying subjects can make sense of men who keeps what's theirs and fear no-one." Billy gulped, his hold of the knife tightening when the Captain advanced, completely oblivious to the sharp point. His eyes were fixed on Billy's, the green irises darkening in his anger. He was fully immersed in his speech and Billy knew first hand how enthralling the Captain's speeches could be, damn but the Captain was good at this, "Civilization is coming, and it means to exterminate us. If we are to survive we must unite behind our own king."
"We have no kings here." Billy heard the words, he knew they were coming from his own mouth, and he knew what the answer would be. A part of him was scared of the implications of what the Captain was about to say but most of him was anxious to hear the Captain saying the words out loud, to make this a reality rather than a bad dream, because once it was out there will be no turning back, and then he'd have to make his own decisions, and part of Billy really wanted to get the waiting over with and start planning ahead,
"I am your king!" The Captain's voice was hoarse, and his eyes never left Billy's. The knife trembled slightly in Billy's hand before it fell with a clang to the bottom of the longboat. Before Billy's brain could catch up, his body was moving forward, grabbing the Captain's shoulders as his mouth descended hard on the Captain's. It was a harsh and desperate kiss and Billy knew he was going to pay for such insubordination, but he couldn't help himself, not when the Captain was kissing him back, just as fervently and desperately. There was nothing gentle about this kiss, nothing nice but still Billy felt it all the way down to his toes, normally just standing near the Captain made Billy's skin burst in goose bumps- all that raw power the man exuded was intoxicating even from afar, but right now, having all that energy focused on him- it made Billy's head spin and his knees weak. The kiss ended rather abruptly when they heard a whistle from above. Billy jerked back, trying to find his balance in the small boat before he closed his eyes and bit his lip, his breathing harsh and trying to regain control of his body as the Captain brushed past him, seemingly unaffected by what had just happened and lowered the sail, revealing the 'Walrus' above them. Without a word, or even a glance backwards the Captain climbed to the ship, leaving Billy to trail miserably behind. He knew there was no coming back from this unscathed, because kissing the Captain was addictive and Billy already wanted more.
As soon as his feet landed on the deck Billy's eyes searched for the Captain. He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help it- it was like his body was possessed. Luckily his brain cleared a little now that he was no longer physically close to Flint and he was able to try and think of ways to explain himself. Could he just chalk it all up to the heat of the day? The fact they had Richard fucking Guthrie lying unconscious and hurt in their boat? He knew the Captain will never believe him if he said it was the adrenaline of the fight, he's been a pirate long enough to know how to deal with that, and he certainly never jumped his Captain's, or anyone else's for that matter, bones after a fight before. It was that declaration, those four little words, which were said with such conviction and strong belief that made Billy's body shiver all over and lose his mind like that.
"Well, how did it go?" Billy startled as Gates materialized in front of him, breaking his thread of thought. Not trusting his voice right now he nodded his head slightly towards the longboat, Gates immediately looked down and saw Richard Guthrie's prone body in the small boat, his left shoulder red with blood. "Jesus!" He gave Billy a look, exactly the one Billy was afraid of and the younger man wanted to roll his eyes. Before he could explain to Gates none of this was his fault the portly quartermaster was gone, storming into the Captain's cabin in search of Captain Flint.
Billy looked around him, he's been gone for about twenty-four hours but it seemed things have reached a boiling point in his absence and his and the Captain's return to the ship signaled the end of the fragile peace aboard the 'Walrus'. Billy was slightly torn, he knew he should vote for his Captain, and he knew he would, there was no way he'd vote to lose him but he also knew there was a very good chance the Captain was going to lose the vote, and where will that leave them? Because despite of everything, despite the lies and the meager profits they made in the last couple of months, despite the fact that if he wasn't Gates' confidant he'd probably still be in the dark just as the rest of the crew was he knew they needed Flint, maybe even more than he needed them. He was their Captain, he was the one who had a vision for this place, who was going to turn things around and not simply chase fat merchants for their money the way Singleton would. It was standing there, getting himself mentally ready for the vote that Billy knew with absolute certainty that he was going to do everything within his power to help Captain Flint see his vision come alive. The thought, nevertheless, scared him to his very core.
The Captain showed up on deck and to Billy's utter shock, told them all the truth, about the Urca, about the schedule, about its loss. It was a move Billy never actually expected, and it seemed the crew didn't either. But Singleton was having none of that and he challenged the Captain, actually challenged him. Billy watched with his heart in his throat as the two fought, knowing there could only be one man standing at the end of things. Even though it was quite a common practice among pirates it seemed that even the crew was taken aback by the brutality of the fight, they all expected a vote- which usually consisted of lots of arguing, plenty of profanity and yelling only to be concluded by getting down to shore and celebrating with a flagon of rum and the pretty ladies of the brothel.
The crew watched with wide eyes as things got uglier and bloodier, they all knew the Captain was tough, he had to be to stay in command for so long, but no one would have put their coins on his win, not against Singleton, who they knew first hand just how strong, brutal and blood thirsty the scarred man was. This fight was different, different than any other on this ship- but not only because it involved the Captain, who rarely dirtied his hands this way. This was a fight for their future, and Billy prayed to every dainty he could think of that Flint will raise from it, because there was no other way- somehow in the last hour or so it became completely clear to him that Nassau's future, and therefore theirs was linked to Flint's plan in a way that left absolutely no other path.
They all thought Singleton was going to win this, and those who were actually rooting for Captain Flint were looking rather disapointed at first, but then the Captain summoned powers no one knew he possessed and his survival instinct kicked in, making the man detach himself from everything he knew, everything he believed in. Nothing mattered just then, there was just one thought in Flint's head and that was staying alive, making sure his adversary stayed down for good. It was the primal part of him, the animal part that took over and was fighting for its life with everything it had. Later on, when he'd regain his mind Flint would have trouble remembering the details of the fight, even when he heard the men retelling it. This too was an instinct- he didn't want to remember, he didn't need to.
When Singleton stopped moving the Captain reached into his pocket and pulled out a page, the crew watched with rapt attention as he handed it over to Billy. Billy swallowed hard, he knew what he was expected to do, he knew what the Captain wanted him to do, what Gates wanted him to do, but the internal turmoil was just intensifying- should he lie? He knew damn well this was not the page they were after. He held out his hand, praying that his fingers were not visibly shaking and took the page. He opened it slowly, hoping the crew would think he had to do it this way because the page was sticking to itself with all the blood. It was blank, just as he expected. Billy slowly lifted his eyes, nowhere near a decision when his eyes met the Captain's. His hard stare told Billy that he trusted him, that he'd trust him even more if he did this right. Billy swallowed hard, he didn't know why the Captain was having this effect on him, after all, before today the man barely knew his name, but now, somehow he's become just about the only person on the ship that the Captain trusted, and that made all the difference.
"It's the schedule." He said loudly, watching as Captain Flint actually sagged with relief and most likely exhaustion as a murmur started up in the crew. There, he did it. He lied for his Captain- there was no going back from this. Billy just hoped that in gaining the Captain's trust he hasn't breached the crew's trust in him. He looked around him, the men were talking amongst themselves, some were still bitter about the results of the fight, but already the crew seemed to forget the battle that took place mere minutes ago and they started preparing their descent to shore. But not Billy, no, he still had work to do. As he gained his Captain's respect, it appeared that he was expected to work even closer with Gates and make sure the Captain's orders were met, and that meant going to look for the god-damned cook, who seemed to be more slippery than a freshly caught fish.
Billy shook his head with a grim smile, as he walked the streets of Nassau. Anyone who didn't want to be found around here was not going to be found, especially someone who wasn't stupid- like John Silver. Even Billy, who knew these streets better than most men who lived here was going to have quite a wild goose chase ahead of him. Everyone around here was either a liar or a thief and in most cases both, so bribing your way to safety was a lot easier than most people thought. There was hardly any way to track down people who wanted to disappear, at least not before it's been a couple of days and they realized the island was quite small and the only way out was via a ship, if they were lucky or death if they weren't.
He found Gates sitting in the same place he'd left him, on the balcony overlooking the street, watching the appraiser like a hawk. Billy knew Gates was more cunning than most men, and that he wouldn't just be sitting there all day for naught, though it didn't stop the tall bosun from berating his quartermaster for having to walk the length of the streets all morning, while the other man sat down in the shade with a cool drink. Billy didn't really mind the muscle stretching, in fact it was nice to walk on solid land every once in a while, but walking around all morning gave him ample time to think, and that was never good, even if he didn't have so much on his mind. He managed not to think about the kiss for almost the entire morning, his mind was still running the scene with the blank paper over and over again. By now he was reconciled to the fact that he was Captain Flint's man through and through, which was probably something the entire crew knew already. The problem was, once he settled this with himself, there was really nothing stopping him from remembering the fact that he kissed his Captain- and that was when Billy decided he needed a break from his own thoughts and went to seek out Gates.
To Billy's immense surprise it only took until nightfall to find the elusive cook, hiding amongst the rocks on the edge of the harbour. Only the bastard had burned the schedule so that they were forced to take him along since he was the only one who knew it by heart. Billy really didn't want the man on-board, he just knew that man was going to steer trouble on their ship, working them against each other to preserve his worthless skin. Besides, the mere sight of him with his stupid curly hair and that satisfied smirk made Billy want to punch his nose every time he looked at the man. He knew in his guts that the Captain and Gates felt the same, which was a small comfort but didn't make him like the cook any better. Once the man was back on the ship, safely under Gates' and the vanguard's care the Captain disappeared into the dark night. Billy battled with himself for a while before he gave up, took the small boat and rowed back to shore.
Walking around Nassau was never much fun, the streets were dirty and the people even more so, but at night it was a special treat for only the brave of heart to attempt. The streets were lined with drunken men, their numbers growing larger as the hour grew late, scuffles and fights broke out on every street corner, mostly because men were too drunk to know who they were, or who their opponents were or what the hell they were even fighting about. Billy carefully made his way around the fights, making sure he was not caught in any of them. Over the years he'd developed quite an impressive way of moving about, completely silent, despite his height and build. He wove his way leading away from the center of the town which was the brothel and the tavern towards the darker parts of Nassau. Soon he found himself standing in front of the local church- it wasn't much to look at, in fact, the only thing singling it from the buildings around it was the big cross on its roof. It certainly wasn't one of the more popular establishments on the island, but the priest did have a small congregation which he took ever so seriously.
Billy leaned on the wall of the building opposite the church, just looking at it. He's never set foot inside a church in his entire life- when he was a kid, his parents refused to visit the church, claiming it was the source of everything that was wrong with England and by proxy, the world. By now Billy was pretty sure that if he did set foot in one of those places he'd be burned into a pile of ashes before he could even walk halfway down the aisle. But he liked looking at churches, even as a small boy he'd go and sit in front of the big cathedrals in London, the quiet they induced and the power they exuded always served to calm his nerves and help him think more clearly.
After a while Billy shook himself and pushed off the wall he was leaning against. Walking down the street he stopped in front of the fourth house from the church. Looking to both sides he lifted his hand and knocked softly on the door. He could hear some shuffling around inside before the door opened. Billy smiled slightly at the sight of Dufrense standing in the doorway, rubbing sleep from his eyes and wearing nothing but his long-johns. When he saw Billy he smiled and let him in, placing the candle he was holding on a small table by the door, before closing it, and the world beyond it, outside.
Billy turned to Dufrense, pushing him against the door without a word and claiming his mouth in a hard kiss. It's been a while since he's been able to do that, as they couldn't do anything more suspicion rousing than smile at each other while at sea. This was the place he came to relax and feel human again. It was a stroke of pure luck that Dufrense had a house in Nassau, one that belonged to his mother who passed away a couple of years back, leaving him a property owner- sure, it wasn't much of a property, just a big room with packed dirt floor and slightly dilapidated roof but it was a place to call his own, a home.
Dufrense didn't waste a minute in pulling Billy towards the bed, this visit was long overdue and now that he was awake he had absolutely no intention of letting the other man leave. He started stripping the taller man, Billy's hands intermingled with his as they both tried to divest Billy's clothes away. A job made a whole lot harder since they refused to stop kissing even for as long as it took to get rid of a pair of trousers and a shirt.
"What took you so long? I thought you weren't coming." Dufrense panted as they finally fell onto the bed, blissfully naked and their skin pressed together.
"I had to look for the bloody cook all day." Billy said with a grunt, flipping their positions so that he was on top, covering the shorter man with his body. Dufrense didn't seem to mind one bit as he started to place little teasing kisses on Billy's jaw while his hands roamed Billy's back, before they stilled just above the bosun's arse,
"What's so important about this new cook?" He asked, his eyes squinting a little in the absence of his glasses as tried to focus them on Billy. Billy looked down at the man prostrate under him, knowing he'd said too much. Dufrense was by no means a stupid man and Billy knew that given the time the man would put two and two together and realize that Billy had lied about the page the Captain took from Singleton, but right now, the last thing Billy needed or wanted was to talk about any of what had happened today, especially not with Dufrense. Instead of answering he lowered his head, sealing their lips together to keep the other man quiet, his hand sneaking its way down to grab Dufrense cock and distract him from everything else. His strategy soon payed off, as Dufrense bucked against him and moaned loudly.
Billy buried his head in the crook of Dufrense neck and smiled. When he regained control of his facial muscles he reached over for the little vial of oil Dufrense kept beside the bed. He quickly spread the oil on his fingers, spilling some of it on the floor in his haste and not really caring before he prepared his lover. He didn't care anymore if Dufrense was going to find out the truth eventually, or even if he found out the next morning, right now he needed the distraction, the heat and the means to let his brain rest for even a few minutes. He pulled Dufrense legs up as he slowly sank into the heat of the other man, Dufrense's deep moans echoing in the small chamber accompanied by his own panting breaths. Billy set a fast pace, in no mood for gentle touches and long caresses tonight- right now he needed the white hot explosion behind his eyes, that ecstasy that was so intense it'll nearly caused him to black out, because then maybe he'd be able to stop thinking for a few minutes. Dufrense seemed to understand the urgency and pushed against Billy, meeting each and every thrust. Usually when they came back to shore the first time they copulated was the most intense, after the long period of teasing and abstinence, but tonight it was like Billy was a different man- and frankly, Dufrense quite enjoyed this hard and rough fuck, even if deep down he knew that what led Billy to behave this way was eventually going to come back and give them both hell.
Later, when Dufrense's arm was thrown over Billy's chest and his quiet breathing filled the room, Billy laid on his back, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. It was no secret on the 'Walrus' that Billy Bones never slept, but most of his crew didn't know why that was. The truth was, sleeping meant dreaming and dreaming, for Billy, meant nightmares. And so he rarely slept properly, most of the time catching little catnaps whenever he could just to keep him going. Usually when he came over to see Dufrense, Billy did manage to catch some proper sleep after they fucked, which was another reason he liked coming here. But tonight he had no such luck- tonight his head was swarming with everything that took place lately, and the voices in his head just wouldn't shut up.
He looked over at the man sleeping next to him, part of him was quite envious of Dufrense ability to just let go of his guard and trust Billy enough to sleep so soundly, but that only made Billy feel more guilty than he did when he knocked on the man's door. They never actually discussed what it was that they were doing, and Billy could try and lie to himself for all he wanted that it was just about the sex but the fact was- he didn't sleep with anyone else, and he never wanted to before, he liked the comfort brought on by a steady relationship, and Dufrense was a good man, a smart man who Billy considered a friend even before they started fucking. But now... oh, things were definitely different now, because he kissed the Captain, and Billy knew that if he was given the chance, he'd do it again, in a heartbeat.
The Captain trusted him, brought him into his inner circle of the ship's command and Billy knew that once he gained his Captain's attention there was no slipping back into the shadows. He wanted to hate Gates for putting him in this situation- after all, if Gates hadn't sent him on this ridiculous mission at Mr. Guthrie's house everything would have been different. But even if Gates had sent someone else he was bound to cross paths with the Captain at some point- he wasn't just an ordinary sailor anymore, he was the bosun, and that meant the Captain was bound to notice him sooner or later.
He wondered if the Captain would turn him down if he tried to kiss him again, if he tried to be more bold- he could end up with a knife sticking out of his ribs for this but somehow he had the feeling he wouldn't. He turned his head to his bed companion and sighed, great, here he goes again, thinking of the Captain when he was in Dufrense's bed. Billy wondered if he should wake the other man for another round, hopefully this one will tire him enough to knock him over and give him a couple of hours' peace, but he didn't have the heart to wake Dufrense, especially when the other man clung closer to him, rubbing his face in Billy's muscular arm in his sleep. Billy smiled slightly and turned to his side, rolling Dufrense gently to spoon him from behind. He buried his nose in Dufrense nape and closed his eyes. Dufrense was comfort, he was the harbour in Billy's turbulent sea and Billy couldn't give him up, but Dufrense never made his blood boil the way a simple look from the Captain did, Dufrense didn't make his head spin and his fingers itch to touch just by standing next to the man and Billy hated himself for wanting more of that intoxication Captain Flint offered.
When Billy opened his eyes again he could see the grey light of dawn filtering through the shutters. He blinked and wondered how the hell he managed to fall asleep in the end. Stretching carefully he began to disentangle himself from Dufrense, without waking the other man up. He was almost free of both limbs and bed sheets when an arm tightened around his midriff, trying to pull him back into the bed,
"Where are you going?" Dufrense sleepy voice was slightly muffled by the sheets and Billy smiled, it was always nice to know he was wanted, but that didn't change the fact he really did need to get going,
"I have to get back to the ship before everyone wakes up, you know that." He said softly, covering Dufrense arm with his and squeezing for a moment before he removed it. Dufrense sighed as he rolled to his side, leaning his head in his palm as he watched Billy's naked body rather hungrily as the tall man was picking clothes off the floor, bringing them closer to his face to make sure they were his own in the near dark of the room. This was the part he hated the most, seeing Billy leave- sometime the bosun left before he even woke up, but sometimes he managed to steal a few more minutes with the man before Billy's sense of duty fully kicked in. Today, however, was not to be one of those days, Dufrense realized sadly as he watched Billy's magnificent body disappearing under his clothes. When Billy sat down to pull his boots on, Dufrense scrambled to press against his back and pepper Billy's neck with small kisses. Billy leaned into the touch, a happy smile gracing his face, before he turned his face for a proper kiss. He knew he didn't have time for this, but he couldn't help himself, because despite the thoughts that were plaguing him all night this felt good, blissfully perfect and he tried to prolong the moment as much as he could.
When he finally made it back to the 'Walrus' he barely had time to set foot on deck before Gates called him to escort him and the cook to Elanor Guthrie's office. Billy sat there, knowing he was meant to play muscle as he watched the cook write down everything he remembered about the schedule. He tried very hard not to look at the Captain, who was sitting at the window, holding himself a little stiffly. Billy could see the outlines of bandages under the Captain's white shirt and wondered who patched him up- it certainly didn't look like the crude bandaging the ship's doctor did after the fight yesterday.
When it became apparent that the cook was leading them on again Billy really lost his patience. How could the Captain be seriously considering taking this little shit along with them? And Elanor was backing him up on this? Man, he knew they should have brought Joji along with them...
"You and me outside, Billy." Gates' voice brook no argument, and his face told Billy he was not above pulling him out by the ear. Billy stood up slowly, wanting to punch that little smirk off of Silver's face so badly he could feel his palm itching. But instead he followed Gates outside, taking a couple of calming deep breaths as they crossed the tavern, knowing that it didn't matter what he'd say, the Captain has made up his mind and there was no changing it. He did try to bring up his argument with Gates, just to ease his own mind but the man shut him down before he could even start, just as he always did. Sometimes Billy really hated the fact that Gates was so level headed.
The Captain showed up with the little vermin Silver, giving Billy one of his looks, which made Billy want to kiss him again, or at least reminded him what it felt like to do it in the first place. Before he could do something colossally stupid, and in front of Gates and Silver no less he rolled his eyes and told Silver to follow him, suddenly needing to put as much space as he could between him and the Captain.
"You sure he's alright?" The Captain eyes bore into Gate's trying to convey the message that he needed Billy in full strength, and more importantly- in full support. Gates shrugged,
"Billy? He'll be fine." The Captain raised an eyebrow but said no more as he brushed past Gates, leaving his quartermaster to his own calculations. Gates stood on the stairs for a couple more minutes, trying to put his finger on that little nag in the back of his mind. One thing that made Hal Gates so good in his job was his ability to read people- he knew how to work almost every man to his own advantage after less than 10 minutes in his presence. The Captain of course was a lot harder to pin than most men but Gates prided himself of mostly succeeding in figuring him out as well, but now... now something was definitely up between Billy and the Captain and he needed to get to the bottom of this before Billy did something stupid.
Billy pulled open the flap of the kitchen tent, ushering Silver inside. Well, if the man claimed to be a cook, cook is what he shall have to do. With a bit more vengeful glee than was strictly needed he set Silver peeling potatoes alongside Randall, telling the old cook to keep an eye on Silver. The knowledge of saddling Silver with Randall was giving him another little kick of vindictiveness, though he was realistic enough to realize this was actually a good plan to get someone to keep an eye on the old cook, and Silver seemed to be getting along with Randall much better than anyone else. Billy rolled his eyes on himself, fucking John Silver was taking the fun out of everything.
Billy decided to make his own inquiries, if the Captain and Gates didn't tell him the whole truth he had no choice but to try and figure things on his own, and this is how he ended up talking to Logan, trying to sass what was going on with the crew. Logan was the best source of gossip on the 'Walrus' and everybody knew it. The man just couldn't keep his trap shut, but he wasn't smart enough to put two and two together and use his knowledge to his advantage. Billy knew that, of course, which was why he often went to Logan for information- the problem was, with Logan you had to craft your questions carefully so that you got the most information out with the least information revealed. But Billy was too distracted by the whole incident with the cook this morning to form any intelligible questions, and somehow instead of getting the information he needed the conversation ended up with Logan complaining that Billy never went to the brothel. Billy decided not to comment on this, especially not when Logan was sharpening a sword. Trust Logan to keep tabs on who got fucked and when but not on the important things.
The rest of the day he spent doing all sorts of errands, actually happy to be on shore for a bit, since it meant he wasn't confined to the ship and therefore could roam the town and get away from the crew a little. Well, get away from the Captain was more accurate, but Billy wasn't about to split hairs on this. He got himself a new pair of boots he was pretty pleased with, wondering if he'll have time to break them in before they set sail- there was nothing worse than a pinching pair of new boots when you needed all your concentration just to keep the ship afloat. But his luck seemed to end there because that slippery shrimp Silver caught up with him, trying to get on Billy's good side by pointing out possible mutineers. Billy was actually quite impressed with the man's persistence and innovativeness, John Silver wasn't stupid and he figured out exactly who were the people to suck up to in order to save his pathetic hide, but that still didn't make Billy like him any more.
But something Silver pointed out did stick with Billy, and he decided he needed to have a word with Morley, just to make sure the man wasn't about to cause trouble. Turk and Randall were no issue, no one believed a word they said anyway but Morley was a lot less stupid, and therefore a lot more dangerous. Billy knew that as the lowest man in the command chain he was the closest to the crew and that meant he was the Captain's eyes and ears amongst them, and therefore he needed to keep tabs on all possible trouble-makers and squash any attempts to raise against the Captain before they started. They could not afford to have another Singleton trying to undermine the Captain- not so soon anyway. Billy caught up with the man late at night, approaching Morley as he sat his post guarding the 'Walrus' and smoking his foul pipe. He managed to make Morley believe that Singleton did steal the page, though Billy saw in the man's eyes he was only willing to go with Billy's story but not wholly believe him. In exchange he told Billy about Mrs. Barlow.
Billy had long suspected the Captain went inland to meet with someone, it was clear he had a better place to lay his head than his Captain's cabin while in Nassau but up until now Billy could persuade himself there was no one actually there to greet the Captain after a long day. He briefly wondered if it was that Barlow woman who patched up the Captain so nicely before he caught himself, realizing he was actually starting to feel jealous of this invisible woman. Morley's tale of the Captain's exploits never the less left him feeling uneasy. The Captain was using them, Morley had said, they were all just chips in his bigger plan and were all expendable. He spent the rest of the night sitting at the bow of the ship, gazing at the black sea under him and trying to make sense of everything.
The morning brought in the news of Elanor procuring Captain Vane's ship for them, and Gates imminent departure. Billy wasn't sure how he felt about this, after all Gates has always been there for him, and despite how much the man vexed him at times he wasn't at all sure he wanted out from under Gates' wing. Gates called for a council meeting and offered Billy as the new quartermaster. It felt good to have all the men cheering for him like that, a feeling that lasted for exactly ten seconds until he opened his mouth.
Billy always knew the crew respected him and trusted him, he was a good sailor who made his way up in the ranks by working hard and never complaining. He was always ready to land a hand and was usually the first on deck when needed. But none of this prepared him for the task of a quartermaster. Giving orders while in sea was one thing, everyone knew that if he yelled an order it was to be obeyed, but now, now he had to deal with stuff like fuck tents.
If he thought the issue of the fuck tent was bad enough, and it was quite bad, it all came crashing down around his ears when he broached the subject of careening, and tipping the ship. It started with Mr. De Groot insisting they could not do it in the bay and needed to find a better place, and even that was something Billy thought he could handle, but he was never given much of a chance when the Captain stepped forward and told De Groot and the rest of the crew with no uncertain terms that they did not have the time to dawdle in the matter. Billy stood there, trying to school his face to stay impassive, as if he wasn't caught by surprise by this, but inside he was seething. The Captain may say he trusted him, but he didn't think Billy could do the quartermaster's job, and Billy was quite offended by that. The last thing he needed was another overprotective father figure in his life, especially not the Captain.
After the Captain had retreated to his tent on the beach Billy took charge of the tipping. This was what he was good at, working hard and making sure the men were kept in line, and if this is all he could do to regain the crew's trust right now than this was where he'd start. When he finally let everyone go to lunch Billy was quite exhausted, his muscles were sore from hard labour and his skin glistened with sweat. He looked over the Captain's tent and saw the man staring straight at him. Billy flushed a little and turned around, intent on ordering everyone back to work but no one was around him. He could almost feel the Captain gaze boring into his back and cursed his decision to take off his shirt.
"Here you go." Billy started a little as Gates materialized next to him, cursing the man's ability to sneak up on him like this. Gates handed over a bottle of rum which Billy ignored and a plate with some bread. He led Billy over to the shade of the little palm grove and sat down, leaning his back comfortably against one of the trunks, Billy sat down next to him, knowing he was in for a dressing down, and slowly chewed his bread, waiting for Gates to finally start talking.
"Billy," The man finally said, after another hearty swig of his bottle, "The job of quartermaster is a tricky one, and one that requires... certain flexibility." Billy cast a side-long glance at Gates, hoping the man will get to his point quickly, "The point is, Billy," Gates continued, his eyes still fixed on the tipped ship, "You need to stop fighting the men about the fuck tent." Billy sighed, so this is what it all comes down to?
"It's a stupid idea, I need them focused on the careening not their cocks." He said gruffly, but he knew Gates was right. The man did tell him, time and time again that a happy and satisfied crew was a crew that worked better and got the job done. Gates would never object to a fuck tent- hell, he'd probably be the first to offer one if he was still the official quartermaster.
"Yes, but you are forgetting that the men around here care for two things- gold and their cocks. Denying them that will only lead to trouble." Gates said, and looked down thoughtfully at the bottle in his hand, "And while we're at it- you need to start showing your face around the tavern more. There's nothing more suspicious than a pirate who doesn't drink." Billy wanted to roll his eyes, being a quartermaster was losing its appeal fast if such a big part of the job was going to the brothel and getting drunk. "I'm only saying this for your own good." Billy snorted,
"Really? So in order to be a good quartermaster I need to get pissed on a daily basis and get all sorts of diseases from the whores at the brothel, is that it?" He knew he sounded like a petulant child but he couldn't help it- he hated the politics that came along with quartermaster's job. He was bad at lying and he was bad at pretending he didn't care about things he cared about and Gates bloody knew this. Gates looked at the man next to him, it was quite amazing really that Billy managed to get as far as he did because every trait in his character defied the very essence of piracy and yet he was one of the best Gates ever met. Gates made a non-committal sound, somewhere between laughter and scorn,
"You know what I mean. The men notice you're not getting laid." Billy lowered his head,
"Who said I wasn't?" He muttered, almost to himself but unfortunately Gates heard him.
"That's another thing, you need to be more careful." Billy looked up sharply at his companion, and Gates gave him a sad little smile, "I know about your little 'arrangement' with the bookkeeper" Billy clenched his jaw and averted his eyes. Damn it! He thought he was much better at keeping this a secret but apparently Gates could read him like an open book. He bit his lip and tried to think of what to say next, will Gates hate him for this? Was this the real reason he decided to go and Captain the new ship, so that he could get away from Billy and his abnormality? Billy shook his head, this was ridiculous, if Gates wanted to get away from him he wouldn't be sitting here telling him he needed to drink more.
"Do you hate me for this?" He asked lowly, his very being praying that Gates would say no. Gates looked at his young charge and sighed, poor Billy, even after everything he's been through he could still be so naive at times.
"Of course not." He almost scoffed. He's been Billy's mentor long enough to know pretty much everything there was about the lad, and frankly- this was something he realized quite early, Billy was notoriously bad at lying and if one took the time to actually look at the man he could read every expression without even trying too hard. Sometimes it amazed Gates how Billy survived at all, let alone be one of the most respected and loved men on the ship "You're like a son to me, Billy, I could never hate you." Billy tried to smile, relief washing over him in waves.
"I could be hanged for this back home." Billy stated quietly, one of the reasons he kept himself to himself in the matter and one of the reasons it took him so long to accept Dufrense's proposal in the first place was the thought of being caught and sent back to England for this crime. It scared him more than getting charged with piracy did.
"We're a long way from England, Billy." Gates said as he drained the last of the rum in his bottle. He lumbered to his feet, a little unsteady because of the alcohol in his system and patted Billy on the shoulder, "Just be careful." He said and made his way back to where the tents were. Billy stayed where he was for a long while, thinking about what Gates had said. He was glad Gates wasn't mad at him, but he was still worried about the rest of the crew finding out. He needed to be more careful, Gates had a point, he couldn't afford to be unsocial anymore. Which probably meant he should stay away from Dufrense's house tonight, and that was quite a shame because if they were about to leave in a couple of days he didn't have many chances to get laid before they set sail again.
He went in search of Dufrense, just to give himself some sense of normality, to assure himself that not everyone was a conniving and plotting bastard around here. He found the man hunched over his books in one of the tents- when he saw Billy the bespectacled man gave him a brilliant smile that warmed Billy through. He didn't mind the way Dufrense's eyes roamed over his half naked body either. It was a hot day and Billy figured it was better to take off his shirt than having it soaked through with sweat, it was only logical. But now it had the added bonus of making Dufrense hard for him and Billy kinda liked the idea of the man trying to concentrate on his job only to be repeatedly distracted by the image of a half naked Billy. They couldn't do much, not with people going in and out of the tent all the time, and the breeze blowing the tent's flaps in every direction exposing them to the rest of the crew, so Billy used the time to wash up and get dressed again, much to Dufrense's disappointment and Billy's amusement, but as much as he wanted to give Dufrense a show he still needed to remain somewhat professional and putting his shirt on was the first step there. Besides, if Dufrense kept giving him those looks it would be quite hard to keep his hands to himself and that will only lead to trouble.
They talked quietly for a while, enjoying the little peace when the screams began. Billy lifted his head sharply, cursing himself for letting his guard down and rushed outside to see what happened. The wind had picked up and the ship was pulling at the palms it was anchored to. Billy saw De Groot running around yelling for people to get away from the ship. He ran over, trying to make sure everyone was back on the beach safely as he saw one of the palm trees being pulled from the sand, roots and all and realized that despite his order to tie the ropes to a further tree the men apparently ignored him. Billy cursed under his breath again- he was too preoccupied with Gates' little talk that he never went back to check on the ropes.
The crew was back on the beach, watching as the long beams they used to anchor the ship snapped like twigs under the ship's weight. Suddenly a blood curdling scream was heard and everyone realized Randall was trapped under the ship. Morley was already making his way to the injured cook's side and Billy was about to do the same when the Captain stopped him with a hand on his arm. Billy didn't know why the Captain was doing this, but now wasn't the time to question the man's motives. He joined the rest of the men by the ropes, knowing he'd have to give the order to cut them loose, but trying to delay as much as he could to give the three men under the ship a chance. Eventually he could stall no longer and with a heavy heart he gave the order and prayed the men's luck will hold.
Every single man on the beach waited with halting breath to see what would happen when the Captain showed up, his face covered in blood and supporting a legless Randall. Billy could feel his heart pounding in his chest as relief washed over his entire body- the Captain was alive, and seemed unharmed. He locked eyes with Billy briefly, his gaze unreadable, before he continued with carrying Randall over to the doctor's tent. Billy squared his jaw and turned his eyes back to the ship, part of him expecting Morley to walk right behind them, or even crawl out but when it became clear the other man wasn't going to show up Billy made his way slowly around the ship. He saw Morley's dead body half stuck under the ship and Billy couldn't really shake the feeling that Morley's death had something to do with him. He walked back to the beach, letting the men run around him as they went to retrieve the body. He searched for the Captain with his eyes but the man was nowhere to be found.
Billy sank slowly on a barrel, feeling like his head was full of fog. Why would the Captain kill Morley? After all, Billy had assured the man that the page he took from Singleton was the genuine schedule, Morley had no power on the ship, even if he did try to organize a mutiny he probably wouldn't find enough men to support him and now that he knew Billy was keeping an eye on him he'd be extra careful to whom he talked. There was no need for his death. Unless... unless the Captain somehow found out about Morley telling Billy about Mrs. Barlow... No! That was too ridiculous to consider- the Captain pushing Morley under the falling ship because the man told Billy something he shouldn't have? That was a little paranoid, Billy had to admit to himself and if he started down that road- he was going to end up worse than poor Randall.
"Billy, you know I think of you as a son," Billy wanted to roll his eyes. Of course Gates would find him, hell if he sat in one spot long enough Gates would always find him, and use the time to give Billy a little pep talk.
"What did I do now?" Billy asked with an exasperated tone, mostly to amuse Gates though, he knew the man would speak his mind no matter what Billy had to say,
"You tell me." Gates said, looking straight at Billy, "Why is the Captain pissing a circle around you?" Billy gulped, shit- so it wasn't just his imagination, the Captain did kill Morley because of him... Billy felt deflated all of a sudden, this was getting real.
"I don't know..." He said slowly, trying to gain some time to piece things together. So the Captain did find out that Billy knew about Mrs. Barlow, otherwise why was Morley dead? How the hell did he find out?
"You did something bad, didn't you?" Gates' shrewd eyes bore into Billy's, who paled under the scrutiny. Gates rolled his eyes, he really needed to sort this mess out before he left the ship because if he couldn't trust Billy to take care of himself there was no way he was going to go Captain the 'Ranger', no matter what Flint said. Billy bit his lip and Gates sighed, "I don't really want to know."
"I kissed him." Gates gritted his teeth, damn it!
"Billy!" He cried out, before looking around and noticing he attracted the attention of several of his men. He gave a tight smile to indicate everything was fine, before turning back to his charge, whose head was bowed and held in his hands.
"I'm sorry." The tall man mumbled and Gates wasn't sure if he wanted to offer the man a hug or slap him so he folded his hands in his lap, just in case. Gates contemplated his next words, this was a delicate situation, and he needed to stress the need for caution on Billy's part before the lad did something stupid that would get him killed.
"Look, this is a delicate situation, and you need to be extra careful," Billy lifted his head sideways to look at Gates, whose gaze was fixed on the ship. He knew he messed up, and now that Gates knew he messed up too he did need to pull himself together, "You can't go around flirting with Dufrense in front of the Captain!" Gates hissed between his teeth, his whisper angry and Billy gave him a puzzled look, wait- this whole talk was about the Captain... being jealous? Billy rubbed his forehead, this was so messed up. "I'm not going to be around soon, so you better not fuck this up, got it?" Billy nodded, he didn't really need the reminder that Gates was going to leave him on his own.
"Yes, I got it. But..." He started, when Gates held up his hand,
"Billy!" He said, his voice a clear warning, but Billy didn't care. He needed to tell someone what he knew, and Gates was the best man for the job. If his fate was going to be like Morley's than at least he would make sure someone else knew the truth.
"He's been keeping secrets!" He insisted and Gates sighed. Sometimes he really wanted to thump the Captain for making him do the dirty job of cleaning up his messes.
"All Captains have secrets, it comes with the job." He shrugged and Billy gritted his teeth in annoyance. He hated when Gates did this, when he tried to down-play whatever Billy was saying, making Billy feel like he was eight years old and knowing nothing of the world.
"There's this woman, he's been seeing a Mrs. Barlow," Billy started to explain, his voice pitched low and his eyes darting around to see if they're been watched,
"Jealous?" Gates' voice was far too amused for Billy's liking and he gave his friend a scorching glare, which only made Gates' smile widen,
"It's not funny!" Gates nodded, trying to school his features back into seriousness, with partial success.
"Billy, just leave this be. Trust me, the less you poke your nose into the Captain's private affairs the better." Gates patted Billy on the knee as he got up from his crouching. He had learned long ago that Captain Flint wasn't someone to cross, and yes, the man did make some questionable choices over the years, leading them all to chase his personal vendettas under the guise of a particularly profitable raid but he was a good Captain and Gates knew he was following him not out of awe or duty, but because he wanted to see the end of this just as much as Flint did. Questioning the Captain motives never led anywhere good, and if Billy was smart enough he'd take what had happened to Morley as a warning sign and keep his mouth shut. "And don't you go round kissing the Captain again, you hear me?" He added with a raised finger as he bent over the sitting man. Billy squared his jaw,
"I got it." He said grimly, knowing he's lost Gates' ear. The portly man clapped his hand on Billy's shoulder in a friendly manner,
"Good, then go make yourself useful." The tall man sighed and rose to his feet. Going back to work was probably a good idea, at least this way he'd have something else to do other than come up with all sorts of wild theories about the Captain's motives.
They set sail that same afternoon, there really was no point in delaying. Billy stood at the bow, looking at the water. He was still feeling guilty about the whole tipping going wrong- if only he'd gone back to check on the ropes... Perhaps it wouldn't have saved Morley, but at least they could have finished the careening. He shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts, he had work to do, and right now his job was to go and tell the Captain what was going on. He found the Captain at the stern, gazing ahead with his hands behind his back. He looked poised, and Billy could practically see the tension in his shoulders. He took a moment just to look at the man, trying to calm the storm that was building inside him- the natural reaction to being near the Captain these days.
Eventually he realized he couldn't just stand there staring at the Captain's back, and if only because someone might see them this way and start questioning his sanity. He cleared his throat and called for the Captain's attention. Flint turned, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Billy. He didn't care much for their current speed right this second, but it was his best chance to catch Billy on his own and make sure they were at the same page. Speaking of page, Billy has had enough of the lies- and since talking to Gates left him feeling like he just got a dressing down from his father, complete with the 'You're too young to understand' underline he decided the best way was to confront the source of all these lies and secrets. It seemed to Billy a little too far-fetched that they were basing their whole endeavor, that they were risking all of their lives for a bloody page, a page they did not possess and never will and the only way to know what was in it was to trust the least trustworthy man in all of the new world! What if the cook remembered wrong? What if the schedule wasn't accurate to begin with? What the hell were they doing? The crew may be satisfied with the promise of 5 million pieces of gold but he needed more assurance than what he was currently getting from his superiors.
As it turned out talking to the Captain was not much better than talking to Gates. Sure, the Captain didn't treat him like a child but he nevertheless avoided Billy's questions in a way that left Billy quite frustrated but also intrigued at the same time. He couldn't deny it- Captain Flint had a way with words that was unmatched by anyone Billy's ever met. And Billy tried his best to stay focused, because he knew once he lost the thread he'd forget what he wanted to ask in the first place, it was always a hazard when talking to the Captain. But just then, as the Captain was talking about the ways to attack the 'Andromache' and the need for the crew's support there was only one question that Billy wanted to ask. He could feel it in every fiber of his body, the words gathering on the tip of his tongue until he could no longer contain them,
"Who is Mrs. Barlow?" The Captain smiled, giving Billy a look that said he was quite impressed with the change of subject. Turning away from Billy he walked a few paces and put some distance between them. Billy wasn't sure why, after all the Captain was notorious for invading people's personal space to gain their full attention, though Billy always suspected the Captain felt a little bit in disadvantage having to look up to catch Billy's eye.
"You heard the stories, haven't you?" Flint's voice took on a light, amused tone and Billy just knew he'd lost this course of conversation as well, "She's a witch, who pledged my soul to the devil, and anoints me in the blood of infants to keep me safe in battle." The Captain wasn't even looking at him when he said the words and Billy knew the other man was trying hard not to laugh. It was kind of funny, to be honest, and if Billy wasn't so frustrated with the way the conversation was slipping between his fingers he might join in on the fun, instead he let out an annoyed huff,
"Come on, I'm not stupid!" The Captain turned his sharp eyes to Billy, all trace of mirth suddenly gone,
"No, you're not." He intoned flatly, and then sighed, his eyes once again gazing afar, "So you can probably guess it isn't as much fun to tell stories about how your Captain makes a home with a nice puritan woman who shares his love of books." The Captain locked eyes with Billy's once more, his expression as unreadable as ever before he left, leaving the new quartermaster to his own thoughts. Billy wasn't sure where to even begin sorting this new mess out. He knew the Captain wasn't lying, but he also knew he wasn't telling the whole truth, and that made him want to punch something.
The Captain was making a home with that Mrs. Barlow, making a home- those were the man's words. Billy sat on the stairs, trying to get his brain to stop repeating them. Somehow it bugged him more than it should. Nobody expected the Captain of a ship to stay in it while on shore. After all, everyone in Nassau knew that Captain Vane was warming Elanor Guthrie's bed, or at least used to, lately is seemed he had lost her favour, and that Captain Hornigold had his fortress, nobody was quite sure what he did there apart from sitting on his chair and smoking his pipe all day but it was still his home. So Captain Flint made a home too, with a woman no one knew nothing about except that the Captain was willing to kill for her. They must have known each other for quite some time if she was such an important part of the Captain's life even before Billy joined the crew, maybe the Captain even brought her with him from England.
By nightfall Billy was nowhere close to figuring out what was really going on, but he found himself tucked between two barrels with a bottle of rum, hoping to drown the voices in his head with enough alcohol to dull them to a murmur he could handle. They were in hot pursuit of the 'Andromache', and he was now the second in command, he could not afford to get distracted by thoughts of the Captain and that Barlow woman when the fight began. A tiny voice in his head noted that he couldn't exactly go into battle drunk out of his skull either but under the influence of the rum it was easy to ignore it.
"Jesus, Billy," Billy lifted bleary eyes to see Gates crouching before him, his brow creased in concern. Billy could just about make the shape of the Captain standing behind Gates, his dark clothes making it a little hard for Billy to separate him from the background but he was pretty sure the man's arms were folded and he probably wore the same exasperated expression as Gates. "What the hell have you done?" The older man gently prayed the bottle from Billy's fingers, lifting it to the meager light to assess the damage. The bottle was about three-quarters empty and Gates shook his head, Billy was the worst drinker he's ever seen. Maybe telling him to go drink with the crew was a mistake, if the man couldn't even handle an entire bottle...
"Come on, let's get him out of the way before anyone sees him." The Captain's voice broke through Gates' musing and he nodded. Together they managed to get Billy to his feet, Gates grumbling and cursing under his breath the entire time, complaining about Billy's height. Flint said nothing as they made their way to the Captain's cabin, but his jaw was squared and he looked rather angry. When they were inside the two men dropped Billy's body onto the bed, the tall man going down like a fallen tree. Billy stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out where the hell he was and what was going on, the sudden change of pace was making his head spin and it took him a moment for the world to right itself again. He could hear the Captain and Gates talking quietly by the door and turned his head towards them. Gates nodded before he turned to leave and it suddenly dawned on Billy that he was being left alone, in the Captain's cabin, with the Captain when he was utterly drunk and not in complete control of himself. Billy knew he should panic, and probably leave before he did something stupid, but the bed under him was comfortable and his head was still buzzing. Besides, there was no way he could actually work his limbs to an upright position right now, not without assistance.
The Captain looked at the prone figure on his bed, shaking his head- he knew he should have been more careful at avoiding Billy's questions but from some reason he hated lying to the man. But Billy was not someone to be taken lightly, he was smart enough to know something was going on, and Flint knew Gates was doing his best to dissuade Billy from getting too close or asking too many questions, but lately it seemed that the less information Gates was willing to share the more it spurred Billy to seek answers on his own, and that was dangerous, having his quartermaster going round making his own investigations. He approached the bed and started pulling Billy's boots off- after all, if the man needed to sleep the alcohol off he should at least be comfortable.
Billy looked as the Captain removed his boots, feeling a little weird at having the other man do that. When Flint passed next to him, on his way to his desk, Billy's hand shot out and grabbed the other man's arm, stopping him on his tracks. The Captain looked down, seeing Billy's eyes fixed on him, the glassiness of the drink almost entirely gone from them, before Billy tugged on his arm, pulling the Captain towards him. Flint's expression didn't change but he let himself be pulled until he was sitting on the bed next to Billy. Billy gulped, suddenly unsure of what he was about to do but there was still enough alcohol in his system to give him courage. His hand left the Captain's arm and made its way to the front of the Captain's jacket, grabbing the leather and pulling the other man towards him. This kiss was not as fevered as the first, it was much slower but just as intense and Billy was glad for the alcohol searing through his veins, dulling the emotions somewhat. The Captain's hand found its way to Billy's face, the fingers caressing his short cropped hair and sending little shivers all the way down to Billy's toes.
Outside the Captain's cabin, Gates leaned his forehead against the almost closed door and sighed. He knew he shouldn't leave Billy alone with the Captain, or rather the Captain alone with Billy but he couldn't very well toss the Captain of the ship out of his own kip. He knew Billy well enough, more than most actually and he knew how the man felt about the Captain. In a way Gates couldn't blame the lad, Captain Flint had a certain something about him that drew the people to him, and Gates served under several Captains in his day and he could tell Flint was different from all of them. He was more educated, more suave but that wasn't just that- he was more determined, more focused on what he wanted and there was nothing that was going to stop Flint from getting that, no matter who or what was standing in his way. This sort of intensity could spin anyone's head and Billy was no different. Gates knew full well that Billy needed affection, and he did his best to give it to the man, in his own way, but it seemed Billy needed something more, something that even his nights with Dufrense couldn't give him and Gates realized he had no way of stopping what was happening in the Captain's cabin. He sighed again and closed the door silently, before he turned and sent a little pray for Billy's sake, heading bellow deck to catch some sleep.
Billy's hands were buried in the Captain's hair, his fingers clumsily trying to undo the leather band that held it together. He wanted to see those beautiful auburn locks fanning the Captain's face, he wanted to feel them tickling his own when the Captain leaned in for another kiss. The Captain's fingers were working on Billy's shirt, trying to open it- he wasn't a fool and he wasn't going to pass this opportunity to bed one of the best looking men he's ever laid eyes on, consequences be damned. When the shirt was finally open and Billy's magnificent torso on display, Flint's eyes were immediately drawn to the dark marks on his shoulder. They were not bruises from a battle or even hard labour, those were lover's marks left on Billy's tan skin and the mere sight of them angered the Captain quite a bit,
"What the hell's this?" He hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes going hard and Billy could feel the Captain's ire running through his own body and that was fucking exhilarating! The Captain was jealous, of the marks Dufrense left on his body the last time they were together. Normally Billy didn't even notice the bruises Dufrense left on him, feeling them only a day later when a sudden touch to them made him flinch, but he liked them nonetheless- they were his to carry around when he couldn't do much more than smile at the other man. He never really thought about how this sort of thing could effect someone else, but right now, seeing the Captain's face at seeing the marks made him feel a lot better.
Billy grinned and grabbed the Captain's nape, pulling him down for another hard kiss, his whole body singing with joy. This was something he wanted to do for a long time, even before the first time he caved to his basic needs, and although he did his best to squash those thoughts whenever they arose and hardly let himself think of this before, the reality was so much better. So much hotter. Every muscle in the Captain's body was pulled tight, and Billy could feel it even through the leather jacket he wore. Suddenly Billy was struck with the need to see the Captain's skin, to feel it under his fingers to see if it was as hot as his own, he wanted to trace the little freckles he saw through the Captain's collar with his tongue. Billy pushed the leather jacket from the Captain's shoulders, his fingers somewhat clumsy in his drunken state, but Flint understood what he wanted and straightened up, pushing the heavy coat from his shoulders and tossing it to the ground. Next came the shirt, and Flint couldn't hide the little satisfied smile that graced his face at the way Billy's eyes widened in want at the sight of his bare skin. His chest was still decorated with large white bandages but those were mostly there to help his closed wounds stay clean. Billy's fingers traced the edges of one of those bandages, and suddenly he felt angry, knowing it was that Barlow woman who put them there. The Captain must have sensed his sudden change of feelings because the next moment he was straddling Billy, grinding their clothed erections against each other and Billy dropped his head and let out a loud moan, forgetting all about that blasted woman who was haunting him without him ever knowing who she truly was.
Billy felt like he was about to explode with the sheer need and desire, his skin felt too hot, too tight on his body and his head was swimming and felt almost completely detached from the rest of him. There was no way he could hold himself together much longer, even his lungs were about to explode, it was all too much, too much!
Flint watched as Billy's eyes rolled back and his body became limp under him. He knew it wasn't Billy's fault, and he knew he should have seen this coming when the man first kissed him, after all he could practically taste the rum on Billy's tongue, but still it did not make him feel any better about his current predicament. Here he was, hard and wanting, straddling an unconscious man. He briefly wondered if he should slap Billy back to consciousness but James Flint was a better man than that. With a regretful sigh he climbed off of Billy and headed to his desk, he'll just have to take care of things on his own, and then try to figure out where he'll sleep tonight.
Billy's head swam back to consciousness, a soft pounding making it hard for him to even open his eyes. He could feel a soft flat surface under him, some sort of bed, he thought. It was definitely not a hammock, and a good thing at that because he couldn't actually fit in any of the ship's hammocks, which meant he usually took his catnaps propped against a barrel or sprawled on the sacks of sugar, if they were carrying any at the moment. His eyes felt glued shut, the light filtering through his eyelids, making him want to open them even less. He hated hangovers, so so much. This was one of the main reasons he never actually drank, that and the fact he tended to do things he regretted the next morning. Suddenly his eyes flew open, the ache in his head intensifying with the sudden move. Oh, no... Oh, please no... turning his head slowly Billy prayed with all his being that the little snippets of memory that flashed through his brain were not memories, but then he saw Captain Flint sitting calmly at his desk. Billy groaned pitifully and covered his face with his hands, what the hell did he do last night?
"Good morning." The Captain's voice was neutral, but Billy had a feeling there was an underline emotion there, only his head was too sore to figure out which. Was the Captain mad at him? Disappointed? Hurt? Oh, dear lord, did he hurt his Captain's feelings? Slowly he began the harrowing task of disentangling himself from the bed covers, his tired body protesting against every movement he made, the fact that the bed was suspended and swaying slightly with the ship's movements didn't really help. He found his shirt on the floor and put it back on, refusing to look anywhere near the Captain's desk. His brain was full of cotton, making it hard to put his thoughts in order, but Billy fought the fog nonetheless. He needed to remember what happened last night, what he did, and he needed to do that before facing the Captain.
Once he was presentable enough he was left with little choice but to acknowledge the other man in the room. The Captain was giving him a rather amused look that made Billy want to crawl under deck and never emerge again. The Captain had the advantage of remembering everything while Billy was still struggling with chasing little shards and snippets of foggy recollections. Billy slumped into the seat before his Captain, feeling like ten kinds of idiot as the other man pushed a plate and a mug his way. Billy tried to smile as he accepted them. He took the mug of water, his stomach rebelling against the thought of any sort of food right now, and busied himself with taking small sips, trying to make each of those count as much as possible.
"Feeling better?" Billy closed his eyes, the Captain's tone making him feel even worse about himself, though it was still that same neutral, unaffected tone as before. Billy nodded slightly, before he lifted his eyes from the mug to look at the Captain. He found the Captain's eyes boring into his and quickly lifted the mug to his lips again, trying to hide the sudden flush covering his cheeks.
"Did we..." He started slowly, his voice sounding strange in his own ears. He needed to know, for good or for bad he had to know! Captain Flint held his gaze for a long moment, the panic inside Billy rising the longer the Captain just looked. Eventually the Captain lowered his head back to his maps,
"No." Billy let out a long breath he wasn't even aware he was holding, relief suddenly washing over him. He wasn't entirely sure it was because he didn't have sex with the Captain in the first place or because he couldn't remember it. Because despite everything, it would be a real shame if he did have sex with the other man and couldn't remember anything. Billy shook his head to stop the thought- what happened last night was a mistake, he was drunk and he was out of control and he couldn't let anything like this happen again! Flint watched the array of emotions running through Billy's face, it was true what Gates said- Billy was as easy to read as an open book. He found it rather amusing but right now he needed to keep a cool head- last night was something he didn't expect, but as soon as the light of day rose it was another day and last night became the past, and they had a lot of work today, a lot of work that needed their complete focus, which meant the past had to be buried, and fast. "If you're ready then we need to get to work," Flint's words were brisk and professional, and Billy nodded again, knowing he was not going to get anything more from the Captain regarding last night, "I need you to tell the men the plan of attack." Billy lifted his head, that wasn't something he expected,
"Wouldn't it be better if you told them?" He asked, after all, this was the Captain's job. Flint tapped his calipers on the desk, each tap sounding like a church bell in full swing to Billy's sore head,
"I think they'll take it better coming from you." Billy nodded again, wondering if it was punishment for last night or if the Captain really thought the crew will take the plan better coming from him. Whatever the Captain's motives were it didn't change the fact that he had to get out there and pretend everything was alright, that he didn't drink himself into a stupor last night, and that he didn't do... whatever it was he did with the Captain last night. Billy stood up, squaring his shoulders and headed to the door. Work, he had work to do and he'll be damned if he didn't do his job the best way he could!
He was almost happy when they spotted the 'Andromache' in the late morning. Seeing the other ship, knowing what he had to do was pumping the blood in Billy's veins, helping him rid of the rest of his headache and erasing the shameful memories of last night. This was what he was good at, this is what it was all for and he was ready! Or, at least he thought he was until he found himself below deck with Dufrense and Logan, discussing the state of their supplies. Dufrense was giving him strange looks, and Billy wondered how much the other man knew- he checked himself in the barrel of water earlier to make sure he looked normal, not that he could tell a lot from the dark reflection but he felt his neck and knew he didn't have any new marks. Still it made him feel rather self-conscious standing in front of his long time lover knowing what he did last night. A part of Billy was glad Logan was there, since it meant Dufrense couldn't accuse him of anything, but most of him was angry- he wanted to hate Dufrense, to hate the Captain, he wanted to be able to detach himself from his own feelings and just not care who he hurt in the process of seeking relief but he couldn't, he never could and now Dufrense knew something was up and Billy knew he couldn't deny anything if Dufrense pressed the issue. Instead he thrust a gun in the man's hands, telling him he needed to get ready to go overboard. The fear in Dufrense eyes made Billy hate himself even more.
After that he tried to avoid both Dufrense and the Captain as much as he could. He needed to keep a clear head about this if he didn't want to lose it altogether. They were approaching the 'Andromache', sailing straight at it and the tension in the crew was palpable. Every man took his time to say his goodbyes, knowing there was a good chance he won't be making it out alive. This was the main risk of being a pirate- freedom never came without a price. Billy looked around him, he was immensely proud of his crew, each and everyone of them was ready and poised, even though they didn't know what was awaiting them on the other ship they were still ready to go to whatever end for their friends and their mission. His eyes landed on Dufrense who was as pale as a ghost, his eyes darting all around, trying to draw courage from the others in hope of drowning his own fears. Billy wanted nothing more in that moment than to grab the other man and hug him tight, promise him that everything was going to work out just fine, but he couldn't do that, he couldn't make promises he couldn't possibly hope to keep. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, trying to center himself again.
When the battle began is was clear to Billy that Dufrense was in no shape to go overboard without getting himself killed for certain. He knew the Captain wanted every man out there, fighting for the 'Walrus' and he couldn't very well deny him, not when the man was on the front line, charging fearlessly ahead. Turning back to Dufrense Billy did the only thing he could think of- he lied. Telling Dufrense that no one had died on their first time over was a little far-fetched, and he knew that if Dufrense was in any state of mind to think he'd see right through the lie, but the bookkeeper was desperate enough to buy any lie Billy told him right now that would help him overcome his fears that Billy didn't even feel too bad about it. He really hoped Dufrense will managed to make it alive though.
The fight was brutal, but short. Something wasn't right- Captain Bryson and his men barricaded themselves below deck and the 'Walrus' crew had no way of getting to them. For now everything seemed calm. Captain Flint took Gates back to the 'Walrus' to form a strategy, and for once Billy was glad he was not called in. He was meant to stay on board the 'Andromache', keeping the men in line and making sure they were ready to fight again when the need arose. Once he made sure the wounded were back on the 'Walrus' as well as the dead bodies he wandered around the 'Andromache' looking for Dufrense. He desperately wanted to see the man, to make sure he was alright. When he found him earlier, covered in blood Billy's heart nearly stopped and when he realized that most of that Blood wasn't even Dufrense's he was awash with such relief it scared him. This level of emotion was something he wasn't used to and Billy knew it will get him in trouble in the long run.
He found Dufrense in the Captain's cabin, where he knew he would- surrounded by paper, ink, letters and numbers, just as he liked. Billy took a moment to look at the man, noting that while he hadn't washed the blood off his face or clothes, his hands weren't shaking anymore. He figured that the books helped, Dufrense was just that sort of man. Coming to lean against the edge of the table Billy said nothing until Dufrense lifted his eyes, looking at Billy over the rim of his glasses,
"Jameson." Billy bit his lip, he knew it wouldn't take Dufrense long to figure out his lie once he had time to think about it, but it was still funny,
"Beg your pardon?" Dufrense went back to his pages, studiously refusing to look at Billy,
"You said no man ever died on his first time over the side," Dufrense's face was still covered in blood, making it a little harder to read his expression, but Billy knew he was probably angry at being lied to like that, "But you forgot Tom Jameson." Billy rolled his eyes up as if he had just remembered what Dufrense was talking about,
"That's right..." He said slowly before he leaned in and lowered his voice, "Also- Christian Thom, Will Robbins, Jean DuBois and that Portuguese guy with the lisp, what was his name?"
"That is funny..." Dufrense mused, his voice seemed rather detached but Billy couldn't hold back a snort of laughter. "Thank you, that helped." Dufrense continued in the same flat tone, not looking at Billy, which frankly started to creep Billy out. He reached and touched Dufrense's chin softly, turning his face to him. Without taking his eyes from the other man, Billy pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and spat on it, bringing it to Dufrense's face and gently started to wipe the blood away. Dufrense face contorted like a child's trying to get away from his mother's overbearing, which only made Billy's smile grow wider. When he deemed the other man clean enough he leaned forwards and pressed a gentle kiss to Dufrense's lips. This was probably the only chance they were likely to get in the near future and he wasn't about to waste it, not even under the threat of someone walking in. Dufrense melted into the kiss with fervor and Billy was mightily relieved the other man was no longer cross with him. When the kiss ended Billy pressed his forehead to Dufrense's and sighed deeply,
"I better get back out there." He said, his voice full of regret. Dufrense nodded, he knew this was not the time or the place for this, but he was still very glad Billy took the time to seek him out. After the way he'd disappeared last night, and the way he was ordering him about this morning Dufrense knew something was up. He couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed but Billy seemed distant, even cold. Dufrense wasn't a fool, he'd seen the way the Captain looked at Billy, back on the beach when they were tipping the ship- he couldn't really blame the man, though it seemed Billy wasn't as unaffected by the Captain's attention as tried to project and Dufrense couldn't help it, he was jealous. While his relationship with Billy was comfortable, solid- even domestic at times he knew that if the Captain decided to win Billy over he was no match to the fire and the excitement that was Captain James Flint. The fact that Billy told him that lie, the fact that he came here and owned it did a lot to ease Dufrense's mind. He pulled back with some effort, smiling at the tall quartermaster,
"Go." Billy stood up from the desk, looking at Dufrense for a second longer but the man was buried once more in the papers before him. Billy shook his head and turned to leave when something caught his eye- it was a letter, which wasn't that interesting but it bore the same name that was haunting him for days now- Barlow. Without thinking Billy took the letter and shoved it in his shirt. Dufrense lifted his head to look at him and Billy gave him a short smile before he left the room.
When he emerged to the deck he found the entire crew pointing their pistols to the same place. He crept up to see what was going on and watched as a young slave-boy rose from the deck below to deliver a message to Flint. Billy watched as the Captain grew angrier, knowing he was in a disadvantage and hating it. But then the Captain made the mistake of turning his back to the boy, searching for Gates. The boy pulled out a grenade and wicker, his fingers trembling as he lit it. Billy quickly drew his pistol and fired. The Slave-boy fell to the ground, Flint immediately turning to see what happened. He saw Billy standing on the deck above him, his gun still smoking and their eyes locked. The grenade under the slave-boy exploded, blasting the dead man to pieces and splashing blood all over Flint's face. The Captain didn't even seem to notice that as he gave Billy a curt nod. Billy lowered his gun and turned his head. Dufrense was standing in the door of the Captain's cabin, looking at Billy with wide eyes. Billy clenched his jaw and put his gun away. Without looking at Dufrense or the Captain he turned and walked away.
He spent the rest of the afternoon trying to make sure everyone was still in position and knowing their job, trying to give the Captain and Gates as much quiet time as possible to come up with a plan, but mostly he tried to avoid both the Captain and Dufrense, a job that was not made easier when he caught the look on Gates' face and realized he'd have to avoid him as well. But when the night came they were nowhere near breeching the bunker and time was running short- they were stuck. They couldn't sail without the cannons and they couldn't take them off ship while Bryson and his men were still alive, but they couldn't get close to them either. Billy could see the tension on the Captain and Gates' faces and he knew they were considering desperate measures.
Using the tense waiting time Billy grabbed a wicker, unable to stave his curiosity any longer. He entered the Captain's cabin, which was now deserted and quiet and lit a candle. He needed to know what was in that letter- because Billy knew in his bones it had something to do with Captain Flint, why else would the Barlow woman send a letter with Captain Bryson? He was a member of the Royal Navy, which meant he was to deliver the letter to someone who was on their way back to England. Billy read the letter quickly, knowing he didn't have much time before someone saw the candle light and came to berate him for breaking the Captain's order. Snuffing out the candle Billy stared into the darkness- the crew was likely to turn against the Captain once they learned of his betrayal... That was what the letter said, betrayal. Billy ran a hand over his face, this was too much for him to handle alone, he needed Gates!
Only Gates wasn't inclined to listen anymore now than he did before and Billy was just about ready to pull his hair out in frustration. Why was Gates so determined to protect the Captain? And why the hell nobody was telling him anything? Gates obviously knew something, despite his evasiveness and Billy was not far from grabbing the man's lapels and shaking him until Gates told him everything. Just then the Captain showed up behind them, giving them both a queer look. Billy let Gates sooth the Captain with a lie. He didn't have the strength to stand up to the man himself. Something was up and he could tell the Captain knew that. The look in Flint's eye was hard and calculating and suddenly Billy was afraid for himself. If he pushed too far what was stopping the Captain from ending him the way he did Morley? A couple of drunken kisses were not enough to save him if the Captain decided he was expendable. Billy followed his Captain and Gates back to the main hold where the crew was gathered to hear out the next plan. Billy watched the Captain closely, he knew he was pushing too hard, but he couldn't help it, something was wrong, very very wrong and he didn't know how to fix this.
The Captain's new plan was quite suicidal and everyone knew that. Billy was only half listening, his eyes trained on the Captain as if afraid the man will turn on him at any given second. Logan's voice brought him back from his musings, stubborn and full of contempt. Billy opened his mouth, not even sure what he was about to say- yes, the Captain's plan was insane, and it will probably end in a disaster and at least four men dead, but when the Captain's eyes landed on him he realized he couldn't say a word. He had already crossed the line and if he defied Captain Flint now the results will be indeed dire. Once again it was Gates who saved his pathetic hide when he punched Logan to show the rest of the crew exactly what happened when a direct order was disobeyed. Flint's eyes were still boring into Billy's when they heard the watcher's whistle. Once the Captain ran over to the rail to see the white flag and his eyes left Billy the tall man felt like he could breath again.
The Captain and Gates devised a new plan quickly and Billy found himself in charge of hacking the lower deck to give the slaves below a chance to break their chains under the cover of the noise. Billy focused his entire being on the axe in his hands, refusing to think about anything that will disrupt his rhythm. If he didn't think, if he just charged ahead and did his job he'll be fine. He'll be just fine. That thought kept him going throughout the battle, but once everything was quiet again and they started loading the guns back onto the 'Walrus' Billy realized his moment of mental peace was over. He gave Dufrense a strained smile as the man made his way to where Billy was standing, overseeing the loading to the guns.
"Billy," Dufrense started, his eyes fixed on the net that held the heavy cannon as it sailed between the ships, "Did you and the Captain..."
"No." Billy cut him before he could complete the sentence. Whatever Dufrense was about to ask the answer was no. No, he did not sleep with the Captain, No he did not kill that man for the Captain- well, he did, but that was only what every good seaman will do for his mate.
"Just tell me if there's something..." Billy bit his lip, he really did not want to have this conversation, not now and not ever. But especially not now, while they were in the middle of the sea, surrounded by men day and night and with Captain Flint mere yards away.
"Nothing is going on." He assured Dufrense, knowing the other man did not believe a single word he was saying, but in all honesty Billy wasn't even sure what the truth was anymore. All he knew was that the Captain was angry with him for digging too far into the Barlow woman's story and therefore his private affairs, and Dufrense was angry with him for putting the Captain so high on his priority list and right now Billy felt like he was trapped from all sides, and he didn't even have a place to run to!
"Billy!" Billy nearly sagged in relief when he heard Gates' voice calling for him. He tossed half a smile in Dufrense's way before he made it to where Gates was standing, arms crossed over his chest.
"What? Afraid I've got loose lips?" He asked, his tone amused and light. Truth was, he was dead relieved to be out of the woods, even if it was for only a brief time. Gates didn't seem all that happy about seeing Billy's smile though,
"Please know that I'm on your side," The older man said, his voice sounding tired all of a sudden, "You've got to believe that." But Billy has had enough- if Gates really was on his side, if he wanted to prove that to Billy then there was only one thing to do,
"Then get some answers." He said simply before he went back to his post, intent on doing his job and not letting anything else grab his attention. They had about half the cannons safely on board of the 'Walrus' when a mighty blast sent everyone down to the ground, covering their heads. Billy lifted his head slowly, wondering what the hell was that when he saw the giant mushroom of fire, that could have only been caused by a number of gunpowder barrels going off at once. He shakily made his way towards Gates and pulled the older man to his feet. The bloody 'Andromache' had blown up, and nobody was sure how.
There were still some cannons on board the 'Andromache' but there was no time to retrieve them now- the ship was sinking fast, and besides, the explosion must have been heard and seen for miles around and they knew the 'Scarborough' was patrolling nearby. The Captain gave the order and everyone hurried back to the 'Walrus' deck. The sails were lowered and the 'Walrus' was pulling away at top speed. Something was dragging them down though, and when Billy looked over the rail he could see a part of the 'Andromache's sail being dragged alongside the 'Walrus'.
Running down to the side of the ship he carefully climbed the rail and grabbed the nearest rope, pulling out his knife he started to cut. The Captain was pulling up in front of him, taking out his own knife. Billy tried to ignore him, tried to stay focused on the job ahead when he heard the Captain's voice, loud enough to overcome the crash of the waves,
"When you and Mr. Gates were having words earlier, he mentioned a letter." Billy froze. He knew the Captain didn't believe Gates when the man said they were just talking strategy but he had no idea the Captain had actually heard them mentioning the letter. This was not good, this was actually very bad. "What was in it, Billy?" After a few seconds he managed to pull himself together and cut the rope loose, letting the sail float away. But the Captain was not having any of this, he needed his answer, and he needed it now, "What was in that letter, Billy?"
"I think you know what was in it!" Billy tried to make the Captain's shape through the water splashing over them, but he couldn't really make out his expression. He knew he needed to get away, away from the rail and if possible away from the Captain, but he never got the chance. He dimly heard the boom of the cannon being fired but it didn't register with him until a minute later the entire ship shook at the impact. Billy felt his feet sliding and he lost his footage, the slippery wood offering no support for his feet. He desperately tried to grab onto a rope but his fingers closed on nothing. He heard the Captain's frantic yell, and felt his slippery fingers close on his. Billy tried to hold onto the Captain's hand, to anchor himself so that he could be pulled up but both his and the Captain's fingers were too wet and Billy felt them sliding out of his reach. The hard impact with the cold water left him gasping with shock before blackness covered everything.
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THE END
A/N: I can't tell you how annoying this is that Dufrense doesn't have a first name... I thought about giving him one, but I can't find a good enough name for him.
I chose to give Captain Flint the benefit of the doubt and believe he didn't push Billy in the water.
BTW- Careening is my new favourite word. Too bad it's completely useless...