The Pirate Captain was a little worried, because he hadn't seen the Pirate with a Scarf all day since he got up earlier that morning. Ever since they were married, it was usually his trusty scarf-wearing husband who would be first to awake and get up to get ready for the day ahead. However, on this particular morning, it was the Captain who got up first. Even after he had dressed and left the cabin, the first mate was still sound asleep in the hammock. At first, he assumed that the younger pirate had just decided to have a bit of a lie in that morning, though that was before he remembered that that wouldn't have been like the Pirate with a Scarf at all. He concluded then that something wasn't quite right, and as the day went on, he got more and more worried.
While he was in his office, studying some of his old maps, he eventually found that he couldn't concentrate because all he could think about was the Pirate with a Scarf, still in their cabin below decks and he had grown so worried about him that he soon just gave up. Standing up from his chair, we walked towards the door, not noticing the questioning look from his beloved dodo Polly, who was sitting next to him on the desk.
He opened the door and went outside, which caused his crew to cease in their shanty singing, their eyes immediately tuning towards him. But he took no notice; he just walked through them across the deck towards the hatch which led below.
"Everything all right, Captain?" asked the Pirate with Gout, having obviously seen the worried expression on the Captain's face.
"No, not really, Pirate with Gout," he answered, not even turning round to face him.
"What's wrong?" asked the Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate.
"It's the Pirate with a Scarf," replied the Captain solemnly. "He hasn't come out of our cabin all day, and I am very concerned about him."
"Oh dear, I hope he's okay," said the Albino Pirate.
"So do I, Albino Pirate," said the Captain. He turned round to face the young pirate and repeated, "So do I." before opening the hatch and descending the stairs leading below, carefully closing said hatch behind him. Walking through the corridor, he reached the door to the cabin he shared with the Pirate with a Scarf before knocking it.
"Who is it?" called a voice from within which could only have belonged to the scarf-wearing pirate. The Pirate Captain was very relieved to hear that his beloved first mate was now awake, but that relief quickly diminished when he heard that his husband's voice was a touch on the hoarse side.
"It's me, Number Two!" he answered. "Are you all right?"
"Not really, sir," the first mate replied.
In that instant, the Pirate Captain turned the knob, opened the door and went inside. His eyes immediately fell upon the Pirate with a Scarf, who was sitting up on the hammock, propped up against some pillows and just staring out the window at the blue ocean all around. At first, he looked as though there wasn't much wrong with him, but when he turned to face him the Captain's anxiety grew when he finally saw the state his husband was in. He was as pale as a ghost and there were huge bags under his eyes, which had now glazed over so much that they had lost that beautiful sapphire colour which they normally held.
Without thinking, the Captain instantly strode towards the hammock, knelt down beside his husband and put his hand to his forehead. Feeling that his temperature had risen, he took his hand into his own and asked him, "Why didn't you tell me you were ill, Number Two?"
The Pirate with a Scarf smiled and shook his head. "You were already gone by the time I had woken up, sir," he laughed.
"Oh... of course... so I was," answered the Pirate Captain sheepishly. "But how did you end up sleeping in so late? Usually, you're up earlier than me. In fact, I normally have to rely on you to get me up every morning."
The Pirate with a Scarf sighed, putting his hand to his forehead. "I barely got a wink of sleep last night because of this terrible headache had suddenly started up," he explained. "When I woke up, it had gotten so much worse and I just generally felt really unwell all morning."
"Have you taken anything for it?" asked the Captain.
The Pirate with a Scarf nodded. "Yes, I took some aspirin for it not too long ago. It feels a little better now, but it still hurts. I think the best thing for me, at the moment, would be just to rest it off."
"So then... it's not serious?" the Pirate Captain asked hopefully.
The first mate chuckled. "No, sir," he said, smiling. "It's just a cold. It will pass."
"Oh, well then, if you're sure," answered the elder pirate, relieved to hear that what his husband was suffering from wasn't of any consequence, but at the same time, hoping that he wasn't just telling him that to stop him from worrying about him. "Is there anything I can get you at all?"
At that moment, the Pirate with a Scarf put a hand over his mouth as he began to cough. "Actually, sir," he began, lowering his hand to his chest with a slightly pained expression on his face. "If you could get me a glass of water to help me with this damned cough. Make sure it's from the tap and none of that horrible sea water from any of the barrels."
"Of course," answered the Captain, immediately standing up. Just before he had risen to his full height, he planted a kiss to the Pirate with a Scarf's cheek. "Won't be a minute," he said before turning and leaving the cabin.
Upon entering the galley, he took a glass out of one of the cabinets and began to fill it under the cold tap in the sink.
"How is he, Captain?" The Pirate Captain turned to see that the Pirate with Gout had followed him down the stairs and was now standing at the galley door, the look of concern still on his face.
"Oh, he's fine," answered the Captain. "He's just got a cold is all."
"Oh well, that's good, sir," replied the Pirate with Gout, nodding in satisfaction. "The rest of us were all getting worried up there, so I thought I'd come down and check."
"Thank you, Pirate with Gout," smiled the Pirate Captain, turning off the tap. Turning back towards his friend, he said, "Listen, I'm going to be staying down here with the Pirate with a Scarf for a while. Would you do me a favour and ask the Albino Pirate to take care of Polly for me for a bit, just until I come back up?"
"Yes, sir," said the Pirate with Gout, nodding before turning and hobbling his was through the corridor back towards the stairs. The Captain too, left the galley with the water and made his way back to the cabin, where his husband was waiting for him. He opened the door, went inside, walked towards the first mate again and handed him the glass. The Pirate with a Scarf took it from him gratefully and took a sip.
"Hmm, that's better," he sighed contentedly as the cold liquid slipped down his throat, soothing the ragged feeling there just a little. Looking up at the elder pirate, he smiled and said, "Thank you, sir."
The Pirate Captain returned his lover's smile. "Not a problem, Number Two," he answered, pulling up a chair and took a seat next to him.
He kept his gaze upon his husband as he drank the rest of the water. At one point, he even took his hand into his own and gently caressed it with his callused thumb. They probably would've gotten into conversation then, but the Pirate Captain felt it best for the first mate to rest his voice as much as he could while his throat was hurting him. So instead, they just sat together in total silence, listening to the boat creaking as it sailed gently through the ocean.
When the Pirate with a Scarf had finished, he placed the now empty glass on the side table next to the hammock. Then his eyes clenched shut and he grimaced slightly as he leant his head back a little before throwing itself forward again as he let out a loud sneeze.
"Ugh..." he groaned miserably as the fuzzy feeling in his head began to return.
"Are you all right, Number Two?" asked the Pirate Captain, giving his husband's hand a light squeeze.
The Pirate with a Scarf shook his head. "Not really," he answered quietly, picking up a handkerchief and wiping his nose with it. "I think that headache is starting to come back." Settling back down against the pillows, he added, "So I should probably try and sleep it off again."
At that moment, the Pirate Captain stood up and removed his hat, coat and shoes. Picking up the covers, he proceeded to climb into the hammock with the first mate.
"What are you doing, Captain?" asked the Pirate with a Scarf.
"What does it look like I'm doing, Number Two?" the Pirate Captain asked back as he settled down and pulled his husband close to him.
"But Captain, if you lie with me while I've got this cold, you'll catch it too," said the first mate, now understanding what his husband's intentions were.
"I don't care," replied the Captain, having lowered his voice. "I really hate seeing you like this," he went on, lovingly caressing his face. "So I will do what I can to comfort you. And besides, you have nursed me back to health every time I have been sick or injured, so think of this as repayment."
The Pirate with a Scarf couldn't help but smile sweetly up at the Captain. He understood that since this was obviously the first time the Pirate Captain had seen him get sick since after they were married, he wasn't used it. So, he really couldn't blame him for being just a little bit overprotective. To help him feel better, he decided not to argue anymore and to just let him stay with him. Snuggling closer to his husband, he said, "Thank you, sir."
"Not at all, Number Two," replied the Pirate Captain before leaning down and pressing his lips against the first mate's in a loving kiss. "I love you," he whispered when they parted.
"I love you too," the Pirate with a Scarf whispered back, closing his eyes and resting his head against his husband's chest.
For a little while, the two just lay like that, the Pirate Captain holding the Pirate with a Scarf close to him, stroking his rowan hair as he kept his gaze upon him. He truly hated seeing his beloved husband in this state and wished that he could've helped him get better simply by staying with him. However, the harshness of reality meant that that was not to be, but he was still pleased to see that his presence brought some comfort to the younger man at least. Leaning down again, he gently kissed his husband's forehead before resting his head against the pillow. Closing his eyes, he listened to the Pirate with a Scarf's ragged breathing before he too slipped away into a pleasant sleep.