Alfred managed to fall asleep unusually fast. Maybe it was the swaying of the boat, or maybe it was the warmth of the body next to him, or a combination of the both. He really didn't know, but the instant he shut his eyes he was out like a light. But he didn't sleep easy, the second he fell into a deep slumber he was instantly transported into a nightmare. He wasn't directly in it, it seemed more like he was floating above the scenery watching everything as an observer. Alfred was in a cemetery and one he recognized as the one of the church nearby his house.
There was a funeral occurring, he couldn't tell who's it was, but he quickly started to drift closer towards it. His eyes widened with fear, upon seeing a young boy in the wooden coffin. His hair was a thick matted blonde, with a pair of small glasses on top of his closed eyes, his mouth shaped into a peaceful smile. Alfred gasped when he realized...it was his brother. "No...No...No" He whispered to himself, and he outstretched his unseen arms towards him.
But unfortunately he started to float further and further away from. He began shouting in his dream. "No! No!" Until he jolted up in the bed, breathing heavily, a cold sweat running down his face. He looked at his surrounds for a few seconds before remembering where he was. 'Pirate ship...right' He told himself, as he ran his hands though his hair. 'Just a dream...Just a dream..' He repeated in his mind.
Arthur sat up, eyes wide with horror as the boy next to him began to shout and plea, tears streaming down his face. "No! No!" He shouted, weakly lifting an arm barely off the bed before it fell back down to his stomach. "No!" He shouted, finally jolting up into a sitting position next to The Captain.
Arthur sat, eyes still wide as Alfred frantically looked around the small cabin, feeling around the bed and out in front of him as he did so. One of the boy's hands reached up to his face, wiping the tears that stained his face. "Shit.." He whispered under his breath. "Oi, you ok?" Arthur spoke softly and carefully, placing a cautious hand on Alfred's still shaking shoulder. His head turned to meet Arthur's eyes fast, causing him to snap his hand back.
Both the men scooted away from each other. Arthur watched as Alfred neared the end of the bed, his hand slipping under his weight until he was able to catch himself again. "Eh- he- I..." Alfred's face went dark red, the shade barely dark enough to see in the enclosed space. "You..." Arthur prodded, holding his hands in front of his torso to protect himself if anything happened. Alfred just shook his head and put it in his hands. "I couldn't do anything.." He cried. Arthur was taken aback by that. He hadn't expected the boy to openly cry in front of him.
"I- uh... It's just a nightmare." Arthur tried again, scooting closer to Alfred and reaching for his hair, strands of blonde sliding through his fingers. It was incredibly soft. Alfred sat up taller at that, eyes closed and his head leaning into the hand that lay on his cheek now. He slowly reached his hand up to Arthur's, fingers intertwining in his as he pushed his lips against The Captain's palm. Arthur's face went red at the sudden action. "I... Um..." He pulled his hand back a bit, Alfred opening his eyes to show a speck of nostalgia before they flashed to fear and embarrassment. "Ah! I'm sorry! I'm still half asleep and... And..." He searched for the words to say. "My mom used to do that a lot when I was scared."
The Captain let out an exasperated sigh, and scooted a bit away from the boy, his face still a tiny bit red. "It uh...don't worry about it.." He muttered, looking down at the mattress. Jesus...what was this kid doing to him? If that had been anyone else, they would've gotten their hand chopped of but Alfred...Alfred was different. He was so child like, so sacred and innocent, Arthur for some reason felt as though he needed to protect him.
Alfred ignored The Captain's words and buried his face in his hands, the memories from the nightmare reappearing in his mind. He saw the image of his brother waiting to be put in the ground and he began to weep into his hands again. "It's all my fault..." He said quietly, not really to anyone specific.
The Captain looked back up to the boy, hearing his words. He furrowed his brow with concern. It was only a dream...didn't he know that? It must have been pretty bloody terrifying to have this much of an effect on him. He extended a hand out toward him again, but quickly drew it back not wanting a repeat of last time. Instead The Captain just scooted himself closer to the boy, so now there wasn't really any of the bed separating them. "It was only a dream lad. It didn't really happened." He said trying to make Alfred feel better, but he knew that it wasn't helping.
Alfred sniffled a few times before looking up at The Captain and speaking again. "But it's my fault...he's going to die! All because..." He hung his head low, a few more tears falling down his face, staining the silk sheets. "All because...I had be so...Damn selfish..." He said those last few words, as he softly hit the mattress under him, with rage.
"Selfish..?" The Captain spoke, but Alfred didn't hear, or perhaps he didn't want to hear, as he continued to take deep breaths in and out with anger. Arthur looked at the kid, wondering how he'd gone so far without parents to help him out when he fights with himself over such trivial things. Though, he still knew he wasn't good at comforting, he decided to try anyway. "Hey, your brothers fine. We'll find ya a doctor and he'll be safe. Kay?" Alfred didn't reply. "He'll be ok.." The same words that his father used to say. "Your mother is fine. She'll be ok." His voice rang through Arthur's head. ".. He'll be ok.." He grabbed Alfred's hand, pulling him up to meet his eyes. "I promise."
Alfred felt the man's hand take his, as his face slowly starting to burn with a blush. He looked up and met the pirate's eye, the one which had been filled with disgust and hatred only a few hours ago now had concern and understanding in it. Alfred smile weakly and nodded his head. "Okay."
He knew he shouldn't believe The Captain, no one could promise something like that. Matthew was already doing worse than he had been. Before all this happened Alfred guessed that he would only live for a few more weeks, now it was probably a few days. But still, he liked that The Captain was trying to make him feel better, that...actually meant a lot to him. "Thank you, Captain." He said as he slightly squeezed the hand that was his.
"Don't mention it." Arthur smiled, blushing a bit. "Would ya like to try and rest again?" He said, voice soft and gentle in contrast to what it had been only a few hours ago. Alfred nodded slightly, releasing Arthur's hand to nuzzle under the covers. Arthur felt strangely like he had lost all his warmth with the loss of Alfred's grip. He too crawled back under the heavy sheets next to the boy. He felt him shiver next to him, notably still scared. Arthur suddenly felt the overwhelming sensation to want to wrap the boy in his arms and hold him close, to tell him it was ok, but he knew that he didn't know the boy that well yet. Rather, The Captain scooted back until his back touched Alfred's. Alfred froze behind him, but soon let his muscles relax and his breathing soothed out. Arthur knew he had fallen asleep.