Hey everyone! Hope you all had a good week. :-)
New chapter! Yay. I'll be honest, I'm not so sure on this one... It's in Bill's POV, so at least you all get to see a bit into Bill's mindset during all of this, but... This chapter marks the beginning of my writer's block, so it's... not the best. Same with the next two. I did my best, but... eh. I think my least favorite part of this story is how fast things are going, in the story. But, then again, they are under a bit of a deadline... So, I guess it makes sense? Eh. Whatever.
I have some good news! I managed to finish chapter 17! I estimate that I have no more than three more chapters to write, so this story should end up with 19-20 chapters total, and over 100,000 words. Which is a record for me.
Oh! And I added a new character in this chapter. I had considered making an original character, but thought it might be better to have a character people already sort of know, even if he's not canon. So, I added Tad Strange. Hadn't wanted to, but I felt it would be best to have Bill interact with his crew. Fun Fact: Quartermasters had as much as, if not more, power than the captain on a pirate ship. At least according to the research I did. Who knew?
Also, the title of this chapter comes from the song In the Water, by Anadel.
Enjoy!
Bill Cipher looked down at the boy he held in his arms, his fingers running through unruly curls. He could feel soft, warm breaths fan across his neck, could feel a single heartbeat against his own. As he watched, he couldn't help but marvel at how small this boy seemed. He knew the child couldn't be more than a handful of inches shorter than him, and not all that much slighter, yet in this moment he seemed small. Minuscule. Elfin. Like he would break if Bill moved the wrong way. Like he was fragile.
Bill let out a breath of air, leaning back against the wall he was pressed against, cradling the boy closer to his chest. He heard Dipper let out a soft, sleepy sigh as he settled against him, hand clutching the collar of his shirt.
He had told him about his childhood. Had spoken words that he had never told a single living person before. Had trusted this boy, this child who had already betrayed him once. And he didn't even regret it.
He was, in no uncertain terms, completely and utterly screwed.
Bill closed his eye, listening to the boy breathe, and had to wonder how exactly this had happened. How had he allowed himself to trust this child? This was not supposed to happen. He was Captain Bill Cipher, one of the deadliest and most ruthless pirates on these seven seas. He didn't have flights of fancy, didn't indulge in his 'softer' side. Didn't care for anyone but himself. So how, on Earth, had he allowed himself to… to fall for a child?
He was not a good man. He knew that. Had known that since he was twelve and had felt such glee as causing the light to leave that man's eyes. Since he had set fire to a pirate ship right before he had rowed away on the only remaining rowboat, damning an entire crew to death. Since he had begun his life as a pirate, grinning at the death he doled out. He knew he wasn't good, that there was no good inside of him. Knew it like he knew the sky was blue. Yet this boy made him want to be better. Made him want, period. He had never wanted a person, before. People had never impressed him, too flawed and boring for him to even bother with. Yet this boy wasn't. And he wanted. God, did he want.
It concerned him greatly. That he could feel that way for a person who wasn't even out of puberty. That this boy was making him want to be good. Making him want to be better than he could ever hope to be. For no other reason than the fact that he hated the look the boy got in his eyes when Bill spoke of his crimes. The disgust. The hatred. The fear. It had once amused him to see, yet now it pained him. And that concerned him.
There wasn't much he could do, though. He had tried. Had tried to force the boy from his mind, to not care. To feel indifferent. Yet he couldn't. And after his punishment, after the lashes he had dealt, he had felt that horrid regret. So fierce that it had driven him down to the boy's previous cell to try and fix him. Fierce enough to force him to keep returning, day after day, even though the boy hadn't wanted him to. It had been torture, seeing the child each day, feeling the way he cringed at his touch, feeling his hatred. He hadn't known why it had bothered him so much, just that it had.
It had messed with his head. Seeing the boy, so small, so broken. Seeing him cringe from him. God, for the first time he had actually wanted to make it up to the boy. And he had hated it. Hated it so much. It had built in him, that disgust, that anger.
And then, when the boy had spoken back to him, when he had tried to claim he wasn't his… that he didn't own him… such a possessiveness had risen in him. Possessiveness he hadn't ever felt about a person before. And he had needed to show the boy that he was his. Had needed… had just needed. So much, he had needed. And then, in response to his tumultuous emotions and thoughts, he had pressed his lips against the boy's, the first time he had ever initiated such a contact, and it hadn't been nice. Hadn't been good. It had, instead, been forceful, and cruel. A kiss of possession, a kiss of ownership. He had just meant it to show the boy that he was his the only way he knew how. Had wanted, in that moment, to break the child's will. Had wanted to infect the boy like the boy had infected him. He hadn't thought that it would affect him like it had. Hadn't thought that he would come to regret it, his actions reminding him so terribly of what those pirates had done to him.
But it had. Of course it had. Bill should have been used to it, by then. Should have known. He knew the child would hate him for what he had done, and for reasons he hadn't wanted to examine, he knew that he didn't want that.
Taking the boy stargazing had seemed like a good idea, at the time. A way to apologize without actually apologizing. He had seen the hatred and fear in the child's eyes when he went down there, and he hadn't blamed him. But the boy had been so eager to be free. To taste the salt air on his tongue. To feel the breeze in his hair. So eager that he had agreed to spend time with Bill just so he could have the illusion of freedom.
And then things had gotten weird. Like a spell had been placed over the two of them. Like time had stopped and the world was holding its breath. That child had looked so beautiful in that moment, under the stars, eyes wide with rapture and bliss. Like he had gotten everything he had ever wanted. Like it was the greatest relief he had ever felt. Bill had been spellbound just looking at him. And then, the way he spoke… so passionate, so enthused… oh, he had been enthralled. Utterly and completely enthralled. Watching the sky with his Pine Tree, feeling that cool hand pressed against his warm one… it had been so surreal to him. Holding the child's hand had been even weirder, but he had found that he had liked it.
But it couldn't have lasted forever. Nothing ever did. The sky had grown lighter, and he had known it was time to go. It had hurt, seeing the panic on the boy's face. Hurt in a way he hadn't known he could hurt. Listening to the boy beg had been torture. He had once wanted it, wanted to see the proud child stooped so low, but it hadn't been what he had thought. Nothing about the boy had ever been what he had thought.
He understood it, though. The boy's pleas. He had spent an extended amount of time in the brig of a pirate ship, after all. He knew what it was like, down there. But he had no idea, at all, just what it was that had possessed him to invite the child into his own quarters. His own private sanctuary.
Bill sighed again, extracting his fingers from the boy's hair and running them through his own. That had been the beginning of the end, really. He had kissed the child again, for no other reason than he could, because he had wanted to. And then, after he had woken to the boy staring at him, like a hawk, he had wanted to do it again. Deeper, more forceful. Had wanted it so badly. It had scared him, if he was being honest. So he hadn't given in to his unwanted desires, had instead decided to tease the boy. Had tried to hide his tumultuous emotions behind a mask of indifference like he always did.
He honestly hadn't expected it to bother the kid. Truly. Yes, the boy had been looking at him strangely, and he had known he had to have felt something, but Bill had no idea the extent of the kid's feelings. How could he have? Just a day previous he had called him a monster, wishing him to be sent to Davy Jones'. How could he have ever guessed that the child- so young, so naive- could have wanted him? But the boy, inexplicably, had. And oh, how that had messed with him. Had made him feel, had made his cold and dead heart clench. So he had apologized, something he never did, had patched the boy up, and had kissed him, to satisfy that feeling in his heart. And oh, how good it had felt. How right.
It was sick. How much he had enjoyed it. Disgusting. It had made his heart beat fast, had made his veins burn. He still hadn't felt any stirrings in his gut, like he had always heard, but it hadn't mattered. The pleasantness that had filled his heart had been enough. It was awful, like losing a part of himself. Yet he couldn't stop. Every day, whenever he saw the boy, he had felt the need to be near him. To be touching him. Always, always touching him. Had needed it like he had never needed anything before.
Bill looked down at the boy in his lap, at the boy who had caused all these emotions, and knew he was lost. Had been lost from the first moment he had seen him. God, he had told this boy about his childhood, hadn't he? Had revealed something he rarely thought about, let alone spoke about. He had been prepared- so, so prepared- for Dipper to push him away. For Dipper to look at him with disgust and hatred. And yet the boy hadn't. Had just looked at him with those too wide, too brown eyes and had kissed him so sweetly. And now he was lost. So utterly lost. There was just one problem.
This child didn't belong here. Bill knew this. Could see it in the boy's eyes, saw the listlessness and the desperation. The fear and the resignation. Being on this ship was killing the boy. If he stayed here, if he was trapped here any longer, it would eventually destroy him completely. Everything good in the boy, everything pure, would wash away. Bill knew this. He knew it. Yet he couldn't let him go. Couldn't bear the thought of this boy leaving him, knowing that if he did, he'd never see him again. That he'd lose the only good thing he had ever had.
Bill pressed his lips against the top of the slumbering boy's head then, wishing that things could be simple. That the boy didn't, for whatever reason, want him. That the boy had pushed him away. That he hadn't held him so tightly, hadn't looked at him like he was the only thing that mattered in this world. God it was confusing him. Making him feel things he shouldn't feel. Making him want what he shouldn't want. They had spoken, so softly, after their shared stories, like they hadn't just bared their respective souls. And it hadn't hurt. Hadn't felt wrong, so soon after thinking of his mother, and those monsters. He had sat against the wall, had allowed the boy to crawl onto his lap to kiss him. Had held the child as he fell asleep, continued to hold him as he slept. And he didn't mind it. Reveled in it, to tell the truth. Loved it. Loved him.
Bill closed his eye, letting out a soft, breathless laugh as he thought that. Loved him. Well, of course he loved him. Of course. Of course. Why not? Why the Hell not?! Because the boy was his prisoner and never could truly love him back, no matter how attracted he might be? Because he had only known the boy for a little over two weeks? Because the whole thing was so ludicrous that he wanted to scream?! Who cared! Because Bill freaking Cipher had actually just thought that he could possibly love this child. Because he had actually told said child about his childhood and yet didn't regret it. Nothing made sense anymore.
Oh, he couldn't sit here any longer. Couldn't bear to touch this boy, couldn't bear to feel his soft breathing under his hands, his soothing heat. He felt so wrong, so weird inside. Love? What the hell was love? Bill didn't know. He had never felt it before, wasn't even sure he was feeling it now. His heart had turned black and had died long ago. Long before he had murdered that man. Before, even, his mother had died and had left him on his own. It had been destroyed with each word his mother had uttered to him, had died each time a person overlooked the sad, pathetic child shivering inside a cold alleyway. Had burned away each time he had watched people, dying and diseased, and yet had felt nothing more than intrigue and sick interest, like only a demon could. He hadn't ever felt love, not even for his mother. Had killed his 'father'. How could he love this child when he didn't even know what love was? When his 'love' would be unwanted, unwelcome? So he had to go. Had to be away from the child for a little while, had to come back to his senses. Love. Ha! Like that was even something a demon like him could feel.
Bill shifted then, shifting the boy in his arms carefully. He didn't want to wake him, after all. He gently placed the boy on the ground, settling him as tenderly as he could. It sickened him, how gentle he wanted to be with this child, but it seemed that he could not help it. He watched as the boy let out a sleepy sound of discontent, a small frown blooming on his face. It caused something in him to squeeze, so Bill found himself grabbing a blanket that had been lying on the couch and draping it over the boy, while placing a pillow beneath his head. When the frown on the child's face faded, Bill could feel the grip on his heart lessen. Disgusting.
It was with a soft growl that he stood, a jerking motion that contained all the frustration he felt at his recent thoughts, and walked from the boy. He grabbed his signature jacket on the way out of the room, pulling it on as he went. He couldn't bear to spend a single second in this room, not when his mind was racing like it was. Not when his heart felt so weird. Not when he felt so wrong inside.
Walking over to the port side of the ship, Bill took a long look out at the sea, the rising sun peeking out over the horizon. He hadn't even realized that he had spent the whole night awake, a good majority of it spent holding the boy he had just left behind. God, he was pathetic. It was a good thing he had never needed much sleep; a couple hours per night and he was fine. With how little sleep he had gotten recently with his thoughts of that boy and his indulgences, it was a useful skill to have.
As he looked out at the ocean, he wondered, briefly, what his mother would have said if she could have seen him then. Probably would have laughed, saying how pathetic he was to ever hope that a boy like Dipper could ever grow to care for a monster like him. Would say that he was lucky the boy could even stand to be in the same room with him, let alone touch him. That the boy was only pretending, trying to get his guard down so that he could escape, since there was no way the child actually wanted him. After all, who wanted a person who had the Devil inside them? She would probably have been right. Which just made it so much more pathetic that he actually wanted to believe that she was wrong.
He let out a sardonic smile as he watched the sun rise, wondering if he should do something to stop these feelings. If he should throw the boy back in the brig and let his men have their way with him. If he should forget the boy even existed and go back to being Bill Cipher, scourge of men. But even as he thought it, he knew he wouldn't. These emotions were so foreign, but… pleasant. He hadn't ever felt pleasant before. Part of him didn't want to lose this feeling. Even if it, in the long run, would make him hurt. Because there was no way this could ever turn out well. The child was his prisoner. Even if he wanted to be with Bill, there was no saying that the child was in his right mind. Captivity did strange things to people, Bill knew that more than most. Perhaps, if he indeed wasn't faking his feelings, Pine Tree was just creating them as a way to cope with his loss of freedom. It wasn't unheard of.
But none of that really mattered. Whether or not the boy wanted him back, it wasn't like they could ever work. After all, he was a pirate captain, and Pine Tree was a prisoner. A former Noble who despised pirates with all his heart. It just… wouldn't work. Couldn't work. And no matter how pleasant Bill felt, he couldn't afford to be soft towards the boy. His men were already anxious and mistrustful, if he showed the child anymore favor they would most definitely rebel. And that was the last thing either of them needed. So he would keep what they had simple. Kissing the boy was nice; it made him feel almost human. As long as the child allowed it, he would do it. Baring their respective souls to one another meant nothing, really. It just meant they trusted the other wouldn't use the information against them.
He could still feel that wrongness in his heart, though. The pounding, the lightness. It was so utterly wrong that he barely wanted to think of it. So he wouldn't, anymore. Couldn't. He didn't like lying to himself as a rule, but in this case he wasn't as opposed to it as usual. These thoughts, these feelings… they would lead to his downfall. He knew they would. So he turned his thoughts away from the 'feelings' he had for the boy, focussing instead on the sun as it rose.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, he could hear his men milling around the deck, getting the ship ready for the sailing they would do that day. That meant he would likely have to take over his duty as head helmsman soon. He was not sure if that was a good thing or not. While he did enjoy guiding the ship, enjoyed the power it gave him, it was typically not very interesting. And with all the thoughts he had running through his mind, about that boy, it was not wise for him to be alone with his thoughts for too long. It also did not help that, as of that moment, they did not have a set destination in mind. The crew had voted to set course for the slave trade to sell their prisoner, but since Bill was nearly certain he was not going to let his Pine Tree go, there was not much point in their current destination. It would be hell to convince the crew to change course, though… especially with their concerns with his intentions towards the boy.
Perhaps he could convince them of a better destination, of somewhere that would benefit them better as a crew. That could make them forget their current destination and let them not mind the fact he was intending on keeping the boy with him for as long as he could. He had no idea where, though. Buried treasure was a scarcity, and there was no saying that the crew would want to change course just because of a chance to attack a port town.
Well… there was one thing he could think of to get them to change their destination. Thinking on it, it would also kill two birds with one stone. While he had not found any buried treasure, or any maps, he had heard of several pirate captains who had. And one such was a name that a certain Pine Tree had mentioned the night before, a name uttered oh so bitterly from such innocent lips. Perhaps, if he spun his tale well enough, used his expert lying skills well enough, he could convince his men that going after one Captain Jackson Hallow would be a grand idea, to gain possession of that treasure map the man had foolishly flaunted a month or so ago around a neutral port. Even if he had found the treasure, he was sure his men would be all for liberating the man of it. It possibly could work.
With that determined in his mind, Bill moved then to take his place as helmsman, knowing that he would raise his idea for changing course that night, while the crew was resting for the night. Before he could get far, though, he was stopped when he heard a voice calling his name. As soon as he heard it, he felt a scowl rise on his lips, knowing there was only one man aboard this ship who dared call him by his preferred name instead of his title. Only one man with the rank to do so.
Turning, Bill looked with distaste at the Quartermaster, a small, lean man whose face seemed to be permanently stuck in a scowl. Theodore Strange was his name, and he was the biggest pain that Bill had to put up with as a Captain. Since the man shared his power, more or less ruling the ship while they were not in battle, the man believed himself to be Bill's equal. Bill disagreed, which, more or less, caused the majority of their issues. Not to mention the fact that he was one of the biggest disapprovers of his interest in Dipper, constantly reminding him of the crew's upset and disapproval. But, since the man was the representative of the crew, he was forced to play nice with him. Joy.
"Theodore! How great it is to see you! Was there something you wanted?" Bill asked, a huge and highly false grin on his face as he looked at the sour faced man. Theodore merely scowled at him, arms crossed and eyes pinched.
"You placed Roderick in th' infirmary." The man accused, not even bothering with a greeting. Bill rolled his eye and shrugged in response.
"He disrespected me! What was I supposed to do?" And the man had! Had said, right where he could hear, how it was nice that 'the captain was enjoying time with his little whore.' First off, that implied that Bill would stoop so low as to need to get a whore, if he even cared for that thing. Second off, the man had been stupid enough to say something derogatory about his captain while said captain was in earshot. In his opinion, Roderick deserved the broken jaw, thank you very much.
He watched as Theodore let out a loud sigh, rising a hand to massage the bridge of his nose.
"And it had nothin', at all, to do with th' fact you're messin' around with that prisoner of yours?" The man demanded, which caused Bill to scowl and turn away. Ah, so the man was bothering about that again. About the boy that 'the whole crew' believed him to be going 'soft' for. Well, they were wrong. He may have… feelings for the boy, but he would not allow it to effect his position. What he had with the boy was pleasant, but not worth losing his ship over. He had been captain for over four years, after years of laboring under the command of unworthy and pathetic men. Nothing would make him give that up. When he did not reply, though, he heard as the man sighed once again.
"That child is changin' you, Bill. You once were ruthless against your prisoners, carin' not what happened ta them. You never cared what your men did. Now? You act defensive any time th' boy is even mentioned in conversation. You strike members of your crew without due cause and without permission. And you moved the boy into your own quarters with no warnin'. Th' men are not happy, Bill. Not happy at all. You continue on this path and you might find yourself with a mutiny on your hands." Theodore warned, eyebrows raised. Bill scowled deeply in response, feeling anger bubbling in his gut as he looked at the aggravating quartermaster. Oh, he wished he could slay the man and just be done with it, but that would regrettably end his stint as captain, and quite possibly his life. The crew would not take too kindly to their quartermaster being killed by their captain. Theodore, after all, was the one who split up their shares of the gold, as well as looked after their interests. So he had to restrain himself, even though he could feel his hands itching to grab his knife and stab it through that ridiculous face.
"I have not changed at all, Theodore." Bill growled, eye glaring daggers at the man he was regrettably speaking to. "So I have found… pleasure in my captive. How is that different to any other man on this ship, at one point or another? I do not like to share, as you are well aware, so I forbid anyone from using the boy. My interest in the child is nothing more than carnal, I assure you." He lied, knowing that should he reveal his real reason for keeping the child, he would only rankle his crew even more. And while he refused to feel shame for anything he did, ever, he did know that admitting to his crew that he, possibly, cared for his prisoner would just make things infinitely worse. He doubted they would actually mutiny against him, but if they felt he was unable to do his job properly… even if it was completely untrue, there was not much he could do against it. So playing up the fact that the crew thought he was sleeping with the boy would be in both of their best interests.
"And th' change in his prison? Th' crew does not like how the boy is so close ta you, Bill. They do not know what it is that th' two of you get up to in there." Theodore shot back, standing up as straight as he could, even though he barely reached Bill's chin. Bill snorted at the question.
"What do you think we do, Violaceous?" Bill rejoined, putting a bit of a leer on his face. As long as he played up his supposed attraction to Pine Tree, the crew would not doubt his intentions towards the boy. After all, they had all wondered about his lack of interest in the carnal pleasures, though none would say it to his face. When he had gotten strange looks, he had always claimed he was not interested in such trivial matters, but perhaps now he could convince them he was reconsidering. Good thing he had always been an expert liar. "The boy is interesting and I enjoy watching him break beneath me. His screams are delightful to hear and the dead look in his eyes tickles me. Having him in my quarters is simply more convenient than returning to the brig every time I wish to satisfy myself. I had not thought that such a change would be one that needed voting."
Theodore looked at him for several moments, not saying anything, simply staring. Bill just stared coolly back, not allowing any cracks to form in his seamless mask. He had perfected this mask several years before, long before he had ever set foot on a ship. It was one of the first things he recalled learning, as a child. How to hide unwanted or unpleasant emotions from the outside world, to project an image that was completely different to what he truly felt inside. He was proud of this ability. So it was no surprise when Theodore sighed, looking away from him. No one was able to stand looking at him too long, he had heard. His stare unnerved them too much.
"Very well, Cipher. If that is what you say, I will believe it. And I will do what I can to sooth over the crew. I have no desires to see you removed from your position, as it would be a pain to find a captain even half as skilled as you." The man claimed, his scowl less pronounced than it usually was. Bill simply rolled his eye at the words.
"I have been a pirate for fourteen years and Captain for four. Did you truly believe that I would throw that away for some boy?" He questioned, a smirk on his lips, his eyebrows raised. It was a good question, one he knew would alleviate a good majority of Theodore's lingering doubts. After all, the man knew the glee and pride that Bill took from his work. And, as predicted, he could see the last remaining doubt leave the man's violet eyes, the man finally secure in the knowledge that Bill hadn't gone completely mad and decided to go soft for some boy he had known for less than a month. And it wasn't even a lie. Bill would admit that the boy had changed him a little, had brought out some latent tenderness from inside him, that he possibly… cared more for the boy than he probably should, but he was not going to let it affect his role as captain. He refused to allow the boy reign over this aspect of his life. He'd throw the boy into the raging sea before that happened, even if it would sting quite a bit.
"No, you would not. I believe you, Cipher." The man nodded, before turning to leave. As he did, Bill remembered his thoughts from before the man had come to speak to him, and he found himself calling out to the quartermaster. When the man turned back, eyebrows raised, Bill gave him a careless grin.
"I've been thinking, recently. Do you remember Captain Hallow and the tales of his treasure map?" Bill inquired, keeping his tone light. He watched as Theodore frowned further, giving him a peculiar look.
"Yes… if I recall correctly, you voted against tryin' ta thieve it from th' man. Said it was a waste of time." Theodore said slowly, like he was attempting to understand Bill's thought process. Good luck with that, Bill thought with mild humor. Not many people could follow his special brand of crazy, which often went in his favor. When people didn't know how you thought, they couldn't predict your actions, which was good while trying to not get caught by the British, French, or Spanish Navy.
"Yes, well, I've reconsidered. I believe it would be beneficial for us to try and retrieve it from the man. It's been a while since we've looked for treasure; it should be fun!" He claimed, a pleasant grin forming on his face. He watched as Theodore's eyebrows shot straight up, a comical look of shock and confusion rising on his face. Bill didn't have much time to appreciate the stupefied expression before the look cleared, replaced by understanding and a scowl.
"Is this because our current course is to th' slave trade?" The quartermaster questioned suspiciously. Bill continued to grin pleasantly, though he spared a quick second to regret the fact this man was more cultured than most of his crew. Theodore came from a naval background- defecting from the Navy only after murdering his commanding officer- which meant he had an ounce of a brain in his head. It was why he was quartermaster, after all. It meant, though, that it was harder to fool him than most of his men. Harder, but not impossible. So, he shrugged carelessly, allowing his grin to take on a sardonic tilt.
"That was not what made me think of it. Gaining the map would allow us the chance to get more gold, is all. I suppose changing course now would allow me more time with Pi-the boy, but that was not why I had thought of it. I will admit, though, that it would be an added benefit. After all, he really is fun to break." He grinned, allowing a dark look to enter his eye.
"Well, we could always set course after we drop th' boy off." Theodore stated slowly, still looking at Bill with that damned suspicion. Just when he had thought he had gotten the man off his case, he had to go and get suspicious again. Why couldn't his crew just trust him? So aggravating. Bill shrugged again, not letting the annoyance he felt show.
"I suppose we could, but we're still two weeks away from the slave trade, traveling northeast. Last I heard, Dark Destiny was spotted around the British coast, due west from us. The longer we wait, the less chance we will have of gaining his map, or better yet, his gold. It's been a month already, if we wait any longer we'll lose our chance. Come, Taddy, don't you want to go treasure hunting again?" He questioned, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, allowing some of his usual manic personality to show. It was with relief that he saw the suspicion in the man's eyes fade again, though it was replaced with mild annoyance. But Bill didn't mind. He loved annoying people, really, it made them unpredictable, which made it easier for Bill to predict. He was, after all, the master of being unpredictable.
"I suppose that makes sense. I will bring that up with th' crew as well. I'll call for a vote durin' breakfast. You may wish ta join us in the mess hall t'day, then, so you can explain yourself." Theodore told, before turning and leaving, his ridiculous purple overcoat billowing in the wind. Bill rolled his eye at the sight, turning to head up to helm. While he would not be setting course just then, waiting instead for the vote the quartermaster would hold, it wouldn't hurt to stand at his station and look at his ocean. Not to mention he did not wish to go back to his quarters just then. He still wasn't quite sure what to think of his… feelings towards the boy who occupied his living space. So the helm it was.
As he walked, he had to admit that, while speaking to Theodore was never pleasant, at least now he had gotten two things cleared up. Now the man was no longer suspicious of him, something he had been unable to achieve for the past few days, and he had gotten his vote for the change of course. With his talent for words, he'd be sure to convince the simpleminded sailors who worked under him that changing course would be in their best interest. One mention of More Gold and he knew at least half of them would give in right then. Slave trade did pay well, but not nearly as much as buried treasure. Not for one, slightly effeminate boy. Once everything was cleared up, things would go back to normal, and he'd just have Pine Tree to spend time with every night.
There was no way this could at all go wrong.