I do not own Death Note or anything in this fic.
Hearts Bound for America
A banner for this will be on my links/pictures webpage.
*Edit*
Thanks to a reviewer who has asked to remain anonymous I have realized I have made a MAJOR error: Protestants didn't speak Gaelic and Matt is Protestant. *sigh* I'm not going to change it because I hate changing major elements of a story but oh well. I do have a plan for the final chapter where it will make sense he speaks it though.
The sea breeze hit my face in cold blasts as I stood on the deck at the bow of the ship. The New York was a giant floating piece of rust with cramped quarters and horrible living conditions. That's why I preferred to freeze out here instead of dealing with all of those people in that cramped little area. But I heard it's worth it. That America is a land of dreams and freedom. I clutched my rosary tighter as the ship lurched. "Please keep us safe Father" I muttered. Just then I heard a noise behind me.
"Hey wat're you doing out here? Aren't you cold?" I turned and saw the person addressing me had red hair and a striped shirt like he was from prison. He had some odd goggles that were probably stolen from a factory over his eyes and was wearing a vest not a jacket. "You speak English?" I noticed he had an accent from the island of Ireland.
"Yes I speak English" I said in my partly British partly Austria-Hungarian accent. "What's it to you?"
He looked me over then shrugged. "You looked lonely." He took out a cigarette tin and used a match and the handrail at the edge of the deck to light one up. I doubted it would stay lit long.
"So why are you here?" I asked with a crinkled nose.
"If you mean on the deck then it's to smoke. If you mean on the way to America then… well I don't want to be caught up in the upcoming rebellion. I'm not against having our own country but I'd rather not deal with all those Catholics."
I snarled murderously "what's wrong with Catholics?" and got right in his face while trying to ignore the smoke smell.
He looked frightened then saw the beads of my rosary leading to where it tucked into my jacket. "N-nothing. Not a darn thing" he said quickly. I could see through the goggles he avoided eye contact then blurted "I'm Mail Jeevas."
I stared at him then said "Mihael Keehl" backing up a bit.
He took a drag of his soggy yet amazingly still lit cigarette and blew the smoke to the side. "You're not British I can tell. Where are you from?"
"Austria-Hungary. I hate the way my homeland is behaving in the war so I want to leave and go far away from it." I looked at him waiting for a reaction.
"So you're a deserter like me then." He flicked his finished cigarette over the handrail.
"I'm not a deserter" I snarled "since the war shouldn't exist anyway. I don't back down from real fights." He looked at my shoulder-length hair and feminine features but wisely chose not to comment.
Just then the ship lurched and I was hurtled on top of him and we fell to the wet deck. "We have to get inside" I said as I got up. I noticed he was blushing madly.
"O-ok." We entered the door to the hull then went down to steerage where all the cabins were. The ship was still madly shaking and my cabin (that I shared with 11 others) was one floor below meaning I would have to risk another set of stairs. "This is my cabin" he said gesturing to the door. "Where is yours?"
"Next floor down."
He opened the door and pulled me inside. I fought the urge to smack him for pulling me around. He took me to the tiny bunk bed he was provided and gestured for me to lie next to him. I glared but the ship lurched again and I was tossed on top of him. With a growl I climbed in the too-small bed and continued glaring at him. He smiled obliviously. I heard a child start to cry and a man began coughing and I cursed the horrible trip for what seemed like the millionth time. Eventually the lurching stopped but I felt rather warm lying on top of him in that cramped space, warmer than I had in weeks. Against my will my eyes shut and I fell asleep.
I awoke to a soft voice singing in my ear "'S iomaí oíche fliuch is fuar. Thug mé cuairt is mé liom féin nó go ráinig mé san áit. Mar a raibh grá geal mo chléibh-" the voice cut off and felt Mail shift underneath me and I understood he had been the one singing. "Oh you're awake! Good I think it's almost time to eat."
"Great" I muttered sarcastically.
"I wish we had some whiskey" he sighed wistfully as I got off him. "I really need a drink after all this."
"Whiskey does sound appealing" I agreed. We went with the masses to the galley where they gave us some hard bread and unidentifiable meat along with a cup of dirty water. "I think I've had more water in my clothes than stomach for weeks" I muttered and Mail choked on a bit of his water where he was sitting next to me.
"Good one" he laughed out as he slapped my knee. "Ah it's been a while since I had a laugh."
I forced myself to eat some of my food. "What do you think it will be like? America I mean" I asked as I turned to him.
He pursed his lips and thought then said "I don't know honestly. I don't know how true the rumors of glory and riches are. Personally I'm not going to get rich through work. I'm a gambler by trade." He gave me a wink at that.
"Why am I not surprised?" I asked while failing to stop my grin. "I was in a gang. I plan to join one in America too. It's what I'm good at."
He looked at me thoughtfully as he nibbled on his bread. "We should stick together then" he decided.
"Why do you think that?"
"I'm a gambler and a smooth talker, you're a gang member. We could watch each other's backs." He looked away and blushed.
"That's not the real reason you want me to help you is it? You fancy me." I smirked smugly and he blushed a deeper red and turned to me with large eyes behind his goggles.
"How did you know? How did you know I was a male deviant?"
I rolled my eyes. "Isn't it obvious? I'm one as well. As for your offer… I accept for both reasons." He gave a huge bright grin.
Just then a little boy's voice could be heard screaming "LAND! I SEE LAND!" Everyone got up at once to go see.
I turned to Mail. "Let's be smart and collect our things first. America will still be there when we get to the deck." He nodded and we went to our cabins to collect our bags. I met him in front of his cabin and we walked up to the crowded deck and gaped in awe at our first sight of America in the distance. Slowly I reached out and took his hand. He turned to me as he gripped back. "Together" I said simply and he nodded. Together we will take on America.
This is for yet another challenge on Deviantart.
The Irish Gaelic was from the song Bheir Mí Ó
It means:
Many's the cold and wet night
I went out traveling on my own
Until I reached the place
Where the love of my heart lived.
I added a link to a video with it to my links/pictures page.
Also for those who are confused "male deviant" is the antiquated term for a male homosexual. The reason I used that term is because my goal was to make this as historically accurate as I could. I am bound to have a few things wrong though so sorry for any errors.
