Author's Note: Ahoy, mateys! And welcome back to A Pirate's Life for Us! Sadly, Seven Seas July is over, and that means I couldn't get the whole story up on time by the end of July. But never fear! Just because Seven Seas July is over, that's not going to stop me from completing this story! We have 6 chapters left, so I refuse to stop because we have arrived at CHAPTER 5! I hope you all enjoy it! BUT…before we get to that…REVIEW REPLIES!
Ochre57: Thank you so much, friend! As for Tony being tall, you have to keep in mind, Peter was on his knees so Tony looked tall to him. That's all. I don't have any plans for Sam, Bucky, Fury or Wanda to come in, but if I write a follow up or something, I might cover that. But for now, it's just Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, Peter, and the OG 6. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Chapter 5
Prompt: Sword Fight/ "I'll be damned if I accept your surrender or surrender to you"/Mutiny
A week had passed since Tony and Peter sat together in the captain's hammock, and ever since that night for the past week, both said captain and cabin boy made it part of their routine that they would sit under the stars and chart them together before turning in for the night whenever it was Tony's turn. They never spoke to Pepper, Happy, or the rest of the crew about it, but they seemed to understand what was happening between the captain and the cabin boy and couldn't help but feel happy for them. Both had suffered great loss in the past and seemed to have found something special in each other. There was still the question as to what was going to happen when they would reach the next port. Was Peter going to really leave or stay with them? They all just silently agreed not to say anything until it was necessary. For now, they could just enjoy their time together at sea before that day came.
On that day at sea, all was proceeding as normal. Steve was at the helm. Tony was with him directing his course. Pepper was in his office managing the ship's logs and inventory with Happy. Rhodey was supervising the deck. Peter was swabbing the deck with his mop, and Clint and Natasha were in the crow's nest keeping watch. All was quiet…until…the silence was disrupted by…swords clashing against one another. Everyone looked up only to see…Bruce and Thor sword fighting. Peter couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. It wasn't out of the ordinary for two of the Avengers to suddenly have a sword fight, especially when it was a quiet day of sailing. Most of the time it seemed to be always Bruce and Thor, who would engage in a sword fight. Other times it would be Thor challenging another crewmember or even Natasha and Clint when they weren't on duty. Today, it was Bruce and Thor.
"What are you two fighting about this time?" Rhodey asked.
"Nothing, Rhodes," Thor said as he and Bruce continued to clash with their swords, "Banner and I are simply trying to determine who the strongest Avenger is? Care to join in?"
Rhodey chuckled and shook his head. "No thanks," he said. "I'm doing just fine doing my job…unlike you two."
"Very well then," Thor said. He then looked up at the crow's nest. "Natasha, Barton, how about you?"
"No thanks," Barton shouted back to Thor.
"Don't need the answer to that question," Natasha added.
"What's the matter, Thor?" Bruce asked breathing heavily. "Afraid you'll be defeated by the strongest Avenger?"
Thor paused for a moment with his eye widening slightly before resuming the duel. "You will regret that, scoundrel!" he shouted earning a laugh from Bruce.
"Relax, Point Break," Tony said as he walked down the stairs to the main deck standing next to Rhodey, "I'm sure you've got a mean swing."
"Indeed, I do!" Thor shouted as he continued with all his might to overcome the surgeon.
However, Bruce was too quick and clever, and while Thor and he crossed swords, he managed to push Thor towards a pile of rope on the floor. He smirked to himself as he adjusted his footing only slightly only for Thor's foot to get caught on the rope…causing him to fall to the floor…as he screamed…only to land on his bottom.
The surgeon smiled breathing heavily as he stared at the gunner on the floor proud of himself as the rest of the crew laughed, cheered, and clapped for him. Peter and Thor were the only ones who stared in complete shock over what just happened.
"Atta boy, Bruce," Rhodey said happily. "You cleaved him to the brisket!"
"Alright, alright," Thor said as he stood up, "I can be man enough to admit defeat." He held out his hand to Bruce with a small smile. "Excellent duel, Banner…You truly are the strongest Avenger."
Bruce's smile widened as he shook Thor's hand. "An excellent duel, indeed," he said. "You fought well, Thor."
Thor widened his own smile as they shook hands. "But this doesn't mean that we're going to stop dueling," he said simply.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Bruce added before they released each other's hands.
Peter's look of shock slowly turned into a smile as he watched the scene unfold. He had seen Thor duel with someone else, especially with Bruce ever since he first joined, and he had always wanted to join in and have these duels. They always seemed like fun. Although, he could never join one…not when he didn't know how to use a sword, so all he could do was get back to work. He had thought about asking one of the Avengers to teach him, but…would they want to even waste their time teaching him?
"Alright, who's next to challenge the mighty Thor or the mighty Bruce?" Thor suddenly called out.
No one answered that, and Peter continued to mop the deck pretending not to listen or to show any interest.
Tony was just about to suggest that they go back to work…only for Rhodey to elbow him on the arm earning his attention. He looked to his first mate and best friend, who nodded to the starboard side. Tony followed his direction, and his face fell when…he saw his cabin boy himself swabbing the deck clearly trying not to pay attention. He couldn't help but smile sadly, and he wasted no time and took a deep breath. He couldn't stand the idea of the boy feeling alone and excluded. Peter never learned how to sail or chart the stars from his family, and that probably included sparring too. Then again, he couldn't imagine a reason for Peter learning to fight with a sword, but now that Peter was going to start a new life for himself…it wouldn't hurt to teach the boy how to defend himself. Besides, who better to teach him than Captain Tony Stark himself?
"You know, Point Break," he said after a moment, "I think I'll take a crack at sparring, but…" he turned to Peter, "I think I would rather teach a certain…Shark Bait how to do it."
He could see Peter freeze briefly only to continue swabbing the deck, which only made his smile widen.
"Peter," he called with a whistle to get the boy's attention. "Come here, boy."
Peter stopped what he was doing and turning to face Tony. "Uhh…y-yes, Captain," he said as he straightened, "did you need something, sir?"
"As a matter of fact, laddie," Tony said with the smile still on his face, "I do need something. I need you to stop what you're doing and spar with me for a bit."
The cabin boy simply stared with widened eyes. "Oh, w-well, sir," he said, "I-I would love to spar with you, but…I-I don't know how to sword fight. I-I don't think it would be—"
"I know," Tony said as he grabbed two wooden swords, "and that's why I'm teaching you how to do just that."
"Really?" Peter asked with a small, hopeful smile. "Y-You really want to teach me?"
"You bet your booty, laddie," Tony said walking up to Peter. "Besides, we're two weeks away from our next stop. You need to know how to defend yourself." He felt a slight pang of sadness in his heart as he made that statement knowing that Peter's time with them was coming to an end.
Peter didn't even acknowledge Tony's comment about how he had two weeks left with the crew, and he simply smiled. "Th-Thank you..." he began, "thank you, Captain."
"You're welcome," Tony replied. He could feel the crew watching them, but he paid them no mind. Instead, he focused on the boy in front of him. "So, what do you say, boy? Put that stuff away, and we will get started."
Peter smiled and nodded eagerly.
All the crew along with Happy and Pepper watched eagerly as Peter and Tony engaged in training with their wooden swords.
"Alright, laddie," Tony said as he stood across from Peter, "let me see your defensive stance."
Peter got into the stance he saw Bruce and Thor use when they engaged in their duel earlier. Tony placed his hand on his chin as he observed the cabin boy, and it was clear that he needed some assistance as he was shaking and was hunched too far over. Not only that, but his arms were stretched too far out. The Captain couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head fondly as he walked over to Peter.
"Relax your shoulders," Tony said pushing Peter's shoulders down. "Keep your knees bent and stay straight," he fixed Peter's posture, "and," he moved Peter's arms closer in front of his face, "keep your sword in front of your face."
Peter nodded and allowed the captain to fix his stance. Once he was in the perfect stance, Tony smiled and nodded.
"Excellent, Peter," Tony said. "Now comes the fun part: you learn how to defend yourself."
The cabin boy smiled at the captain and nodded again. "How would I do that?" Peter asked eagerly.
"Allow your body to move around in ways that could help save you," Tony began, "and only focus on blocking any attacks."
"Aye, aye, Captain Stark," Peter said as he prepared himself to fight.
With that, they began to duel. Peter of course was new to it, and one could see that he was shaky and that his movements suffered from that. He also couldn't help but look down at his feet trying to make sure he didn't trip while also blocking the jabs Tony was making at his face. It wasn't long before he ended up tripping over some rope and falling to the floor on his bottom. He looked up only to see Tony smiling gently at him and held his hand out to the boy, and Peter smiled as he took his hand allowing himself to be pulled back up to his feet.
"Uhh…I'm guessing that's not how to win a sword fight," Peter said with a nervous grin on his face once he was upright again.
"It was close," Tony said with a smirk. "Just don't look at your feet. You must focus on what your opponent is doing. When in a real fight, you must look to see what they're doing next, but it's never going to be perfect. It's full of jabs and movements, and we'll have to work on your footing. Look at my chest and use your eyes to watch my arms. Let's begin again."
Peter nodded quickly before assuming the position again, and Tony didn't hesitate to resume the lesson. The other pirates, the captain's wife, and the cook could see that Peter was learning quickly and that he was doing slightly better the second time around. He was taking Tony's lessons to heart as he focused on the captain's chest and doing better in blocking the jabs at his face, and they couldn't help but smile at the sight…at how happy they seemed together. It was just too bad it wasn't going to last forever.
Pepper wished with all her heart that Peter would find it in his heart to decide to stay with them. She smiled as she placed a hand on her chest watching her husband and the cabin boy, a boy, who had been through as much as Tony had. Ever since Peter had joined the crew, she couldn't help but notice how much happier her husband seemed…how he was slowly reeled into caring about Peter, and it was easy to see that Peter cared about him too. She of course cared about the boy as well, and she could tell that Peter cared about her, too. However, there was just something about the bond that was forming between her husband and the cabin boy, and she loved it. She was then jolted out of her thoughts when she saw Peter get a wooden sword to his chest…only for him to groan in frustration.
Tony couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. "You were better that time, baddie," he said with a smile as he ruffled Peter's hair.
"I was watching you the entire time," Peter whined. "How did I not see that?"
The captain widened his smile and shook his head. "I told you," he said. "A fight is never perfect, but you have to be faster…be further ahead of the enemy. That all comes with practice." He couldn't stop the warm feeling in his chest that refused to go away. If someone had told him that he would one day be teaching a cabin boy…his cabin boy how to sword fight, he probably would've had them marooned, keel-hauled, or thrown overboard, but now, as he was training Peter, he was loving every minute of it. He loved spending this time with Peter…teaching him how to be a pirate…how to defend himself…things that his own father couldn't be bothered to teach him when he was Peter's age. He was finally breaking the cycle of shame that was Howard Stark. However, he felt his heart break when he saw the sad look on Peter's face.
"But what if I never get better? What if I don't get to be as good as you, Captain Stark?" Peter asked as he sat down on a barrel.
Tony sighed and walked up to Peter standing next to him. "Lad, listen to me," he said wrapping an arm around the boy, "I didn't become good at this overnight. It took me a good few years to get to where I am…Hell, it took us all years to become good at what we do. So, don't lose heart. You'll get better at it. I guarantee that one day…you'll be even better than me." He then sealed his statement with a wink.
"You'll really think so, sir?" Peter asked with a hopeful smile.
"I know so," Tony said nodding. "We'll keep practicing. I refuse to let you surrender now."
Peter's smile widened. "Well, I'll be damned if I accept your surrender or surrender to you," he said.
"Good," Tony said nodding again. "Let's begin again."
A few hours passed, and Peter and Tony refused to stop their sparring matches. Peter refused to give up until he won at least one match against Tony, and Tony himself refused to give up on Peter. He wanted the boy to have at least one victory on his first day of training to sword fight. He could feel his crew and Pepper all watching the both of them, but he didn't care. He didn't care want to hide it. In fact, he loved every minute of the time he was spending with the cabin boy, and he wished it could last forever.
"Keep going, boy!" Tony said over the clashing of the wooden swords. "You're doing great!" Peter really was improving. He couldn't help but notice that Peter was lasting longer in their duels. He was watching and reacting to the jabs at his face and chest. He was truly learning how to defend himself. The captain then made another jab toward Peter's chest…only to be blocked by Peter.
"You…you really think so, sir?" Peter asked hopefully with a smile despite his shaking sword blocking Tony's.
"I know so," Tony said with a wink. "You're really improving, but we still have more work to do."
Peter widened his smile even more hearing Tony's praise. "I have a great teacher," he said before pushing against Tony's sword breaking free from the clash causing Tony to fall back and stumble only to steady himself on his two feet. Before the captain even had a chance to react, Peter ran at him with a huge smile on his face making a jab on his chest.
However, his jab at the captain was met with Tony's causing the swords to clash and the hands to shake again.
"This is fun, Captain Stark!" Peter said with a huge smile on his face.
"All part of being a pirate, laddie," Tony said with a smile of his own and a wink at Peter.
Peter smirked before pushing back against Tony's sword breaking free from the clash, and then he saw his opening and immediately went straight for Tony's chest and jabbed it with his wooden sword. As soon as it touched the captain's chest, a silence fell upon them and the crew, and it wasn't long before a smile splashed upon his and Tony's faces.
Well, blimey," Tony said relaxing and smiling himself, "Peter Parker, you just defeated Captain Tony Stark in a duel."
The crew, Pepper, and Happy cheered as Peter looked at them and then at Tony.
"I did it!" Peter said happily. "I can't believe I did it!"
"You did," Tony said with the smile never leaving his face. "You really did it, Shark Bait. That was a great move."
"Well…" Peter said as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "I have a great teacher." Then he perked up and looked at Tony. "Can we go again, Captain Stark? I really want to keep trying, please?"
"Whoa, whoa," Tony said placing a hand on Peter's shoulder, "slow down there, laddie. Before you go starting a mutiny on me, we need to take a break. We'll have one more practice today and continue to train until we get to the next port, hmm?"
"Yes, sir," Peter said nodding eagerly, "thank you…" Without thinking, he practically plowed into Tony wrapping his arms around Tony's middle, "thank you, Captain Stark."
Tony stared at the boy in complete shock as Peter suddenly hugged him. This was the last thing he expected after a training session with his cabin boy, and yet he didn't mind it at all. In fact, it seemed to make the warm feeling in his chest grow even more, and he loved it. It had been growing ever since he made Peter part of the crew. It was different from whenever he hugged his wife or best friend, and he loved it just as much. He could feel Peter tensing wondering if this was overstepping, and he wasted no time in hugging him in return. "You're welcome, Peter," he said.
Peter himself smiled as he buried his face in Tony's chest completely forgetting about Pepper and the other Avengers. He felt safe…and warm in the Captain's arms, and he hadn't felt in a long time…since his family died, and he didn't want it to end.
The Avengers could only smirk at each other as they watched the scene unfold. Pepper could only smile herself as she placed a hand over her heart watching her husband and the cabin boy. A bond was forming between Tony and Peter, and it was so beautiful to see.
It had been a whole week since that day, and Tony and Peter continued to take time out of their days to continue to improve Peter's sword fighting skills. They had yet to admit it out loud, but they both loved every minute of it. It was more time they got to spend together, and Peter was improving. So, Tony was eager to see his cabin boy make progress.
After another long day at sea and a night of star-charting with Tony, Peter went into the crew's quarters to retire for the night. He was about to sit down on his hammock when he noticed something long wrapped in cloth with a piece of parchment paper on it. He furrowed his eyebrows together as he picked up the note and read it…
"A good pirate should never be without his sword, Shark Bait—TS"
Peter widened his eyes and quickly looked at the object on his bed before unwrapping it. His eyes widened even more when he saw what it was…It was a sword…a real sword in its own sheath. He pulled it out only to see his reflection in the sharp, metal blade, and he smiled to himself. Now, when he would have to leave, he would always have a piece of the Avengers and Tony with him no matter what. He made a mental note to thank Tony himself in the morning despite the ache in his heart that he wouldn't be with them for much longer, but he could rest easy knowing that in a way, he would have a way to always remember Tony and the Avengers.
Author's Note: Annnnnnnnnnnnd that's all for now, boys and girls! Up next is CHAPTER 6…and we tackle the question as to whether or not Peter will end up staying with the Avengers or if he will decide to leave. What do you think he will do? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to read and review! Thanks, guys!