Grieving Wounds

A/N:Wheeee! My beloved Pintel and Ragetti. -Coughs- Ahem!

Basically just what the summary says, a one-shot about Pintel and Ragetti after DMC, in Tia's hut. I dreamed this up after watching DMC for the tenth time.

Disclaimer: Most regrettably I do not own Pirates, I am merely borrowing a few of it's characters…with every intention of bringing them back, of course! -Shifty eyes-

Pintel was quite used to having Ragetti's rather annoying voice in his ear, constantly talking about anything and everything, so the silence the pirate was experiencing was an unusual change, and although Pintel would never admit it, not an altogether pleasant one. He was used to having the other man at his shoulder.

The pirate in question was currently sitting on the ground next to Pintel's feet, remarkably quiet. The Turner lad, the poppet, Barbossa, the Voodoo Priestess and Gibbs were all involved in a discussion about World's End, which was apparently too important for the likes of them and their fellow deck hands. Cotton was sipping the Priestess's drink and Marty was eavesdropping on the discussion which left him and Ragetti out on the balcony, with little to do but to try and guess what was being talked about.

Frowning, the pirate turned to look down at his friend. "Wot do you tink 'eir talking 'bout in there?" he asked, squinting into the hut. A shrug from Ragetti was all the answer he received, much to his surprise. Normally, Ragetti wouldn't have shut up when asked a question like that, listing off numerous unlikely answers. The ceaseless chattering was missing and Pintel turned puzzled eyes on his friend.

"Wots up wif ye, ye daft bugger? Ye've barely said two words since we got 'ere!" he snapped, the name calling second nature to both of them by now, after years of friendship.

"Nuffing, Pint," Ragetti replied in a downcast voice.

Pintel's scowl deepened at the pirate's obvious lie. Rolling his eyes, he let the matter drop, albeit with some hesitation.

"Suit yerself." Pintel replied before deciding to go and try to get some info out of Marty, he walked towards the door back into the hut, giving Ragetti a friendly dig in leg with his foot as he passed.

The pained gasp that escaped from the thin man's lips drew Pintel's attention back to Ragetti. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he knelt and inspected Ragetti's leg. There was a slash in the battered fabric below the knee, and as Pintel parted the fabric, he could se a bloody cut, the colour of rust, stark with dried blood.

"Ye stupid blighter, why didn't ye say somefink?" Pintel demanded, worry making his tone harsh. Despite his best efforts, he had a soft spot where Ragetti was concerned, a soft, protective spot. Suddenly, a few curious memories that had bothered him slid into place: Ragetti had been slow climbing the ladder, his movements stiff and once they got into Tia's hut, he had sat down on that table almost at once.

Pintel had assumed that the cause of Ragetti's distress was the death of Captain Jack Sparrow, however, now it clear that cut on his leg had been hurting him.

Sighing in exasperation, Pintel shook his head and rose, going over to the ladder and climbing down, without waiting for an answer from his friend. Feeling Ragetti's curious eyes on him, Pintel untied the bandanna from around his neck and dipped it in the water, trying to ignore the stares from the swamp people.

He climbed back up the stairs and knelt next to Ragetti, using water from the cloth to clean the wound. "Honestly, why didn't ye say somfink?" Pintel demanded, tying the bandanna around the wound with surprising gentleness.

"Didn' seem right…what with Captain Jack…" Ragetti's voice trailed off and Pintel sighed.

"Ye should have told me," Pintel replied, marvelling at the damned protective streak that was rearing its head again. Only for Ragetti did he have those feelings.

"Ye know, we is going to bring 'im back. Nuthin' can keep Cap'n Jack Sparrow down. Sailin' to Worlds End…" Here Pintel trailed off, noticing Ragetti's slight shudder.

It suddenly dawned on him: Ragetti wasn't just hurt and grieving, he was scared! Shaking his head, Pintel gave Ragetti a very rare smile.

"Ye know, Worlds End ain't gonna be that bad. And we gots Cap'n Barbossa and that Voodoo Lady. We'll be fine." Pintel moved closer to Ragetti and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Ye think so, Pint?" Ragetti asked, looking at the older man.

"Yeah…"

"Ye a good friend, Pinters." Ragetti smiled at Pintel before seeming to perk up a little. "Wot do ye tink Worlds End is gonna be like? Do ye tink there'll be Gold? Monsters? Zombies?"

The familiar relentless chatter was a sure sign Ragetti was feeling better. Summoning up every strand of patience he could muster, Pintel prepared himself for a long night with plenty of name calling, shouting and…friendship.

Finis

Gaah! Going very, very mushy here. Oh well, hope you enjoyed this fic and please leave a review on your way out, I would like to know how I went with my first Pirates fanfic.