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“Did ye know that Sky's birthday be a few weeks from now?”
It was another day on the pirate ship, and it was going rather well for, y’know, being on a pirate ship. The skies were clear and no one went overboard yet (looking at you Jonny) so a pretty good start to the day. It was only a bit before noon with everyone going on to do their daily chores. Paul and Henry had kitchen duty today; a pretty messy combination by whoever set that up. Of course nothing could stay peaceful for long. Paul drops his broom leaving a thunk on the wooden floor. He takes a sidelong glance across the dimly lit room at Henry who was polishing one of the plates from this morning’s breakfast.
“You’re not just messing with me again, right?” Paul says with a nervous edge to his voice that of course Henry notices, but he decides not to poke fun at him for it for now.
“If I wanted ye to look like a fool I’d choose a more entertainin' way to do so. But I really be just 'elpin' out one o' me dear crewmates.”
Henry smiles sweetly. How terrifying.
“Your help always comes with a price, Henry, you and I both know that. What do you want?”
Paul sweats nervously, the humid temperature in the air feels like it’s dropping steadily with every second that passes by in the silence. Henry speaks, slow and steady.
“I’ve only been part o' this here crew fer a short while, but it’s been fun even if it been tumultuous at times. The Cap'n be a downright fool, but he does care about us in 'is own way, I’m sure you’re aware o' that there. Be it wrong o' me to just want to celebrate 'is birthday with the rest o' the crew as thanks fer all he does fer us? I just want yer help with that there.”
Henry’s quiet honesty shocks Paul to his core. Maybe there was more to Henry than snide remarks and a penchant for evil.
“O' course by help I mean helpin' me rob this here bank at the next town we’re stoppin' at.” Henry takes out a map from his belt, unfurling it to show an eerily intricate building plan of a bank, with notes scribbled in surprisingly good penmanship around it.
Nevermind.
“I will not help you rob a bank! That is completely illegal!”
“Oh please, bein' part o' a pirate crew should’ve gotten rid o' them pesky rule-abidin' morals ye 'ad as a Navy officer.”
Paul holds his head in hands. He’s so tired.
“Why do you even need to rob a bank to celebrate Sky’s birthday? I’m sure there are much less dangerous ways to thank him for all he’s done for us.”
“What else but fer birthday party funds? I thought the Navy accepted smart people into their ranks, I guess I been wrong.” Henry sighs in an irritatingly condescending way. Paul was done.
“I may be a part of this crew now, but I will not abide to committing illegal acts especially for an important occasion such as this. I will find another way to contribute to the party, just don’t get me involved in yours.” Paul makes his way out to end the conversation, but Henry intervenes with that by standing in front of Paul, making him stumble a step back due to his sudden appearance. For such a small guy he sure is fast.
“Alright, alright, don’t get yer britches in a twist,” Paul gasps, offended, “I still need 'elp with plannin' out other aspects to this here. Don’t worry it’s not “illegal”, it be just some setup fer the event.”
Paul sighs. The things one does for the one they love.
High noon comes, the sun beating down a sweltering heat on all that it comes to cross, but it’s not like that’s stopping everyone from being up and about. People hollering and laughing could be heard from the not-so-distant shore, their next destination clearly in sight from the ship’s decks.
“Paulie~!” Sky lunges himself at Paul, who turns around at the familiar voice, surprising the other with a tight hug that causes the recipient to blush while stumbling a little at the attack.
“Sky watch what you’re doing you could’ve made me fall!”
“Eh~! I just missed ye Paulie~. Didn’t ye miss me?” Sky pouts along with sporting some puppy-dog eyes for emphasis. For your information, Sky and Paul haven’t seen each other for only two hours.
“W-Well, I-I…” Paul blushes harder than before, his face telling his answer more than his words are. Sky giggles and reaches in for a kiss. Francoise coughs loudly to interrupt.
“Aye Cap'n, we’re about to dock soon. Remember we gotta stay an' watch the boat while the rest restock our supplies.”
Sky wilts and nuzzles his head against Paul’s neck. “Yarr, yeah… I’m goin' to miss ye Paulie, come back soon, ‘kay?” Francoise rolls her eyes.
“I’ll try to,” Paul says with a strained smile, his heart beating more erratically out of anxiousness now then the previous love-adorned erratic heart beating. Thank God that Sky is oblivious enough to not realize the looks Paul and Francoise share as the boat docks into the harbor.
Sunsets are beautiful. The ombre of the scorching sun’s bright light fading out into an expansive blue sky, with hints of stars peaking through to welcome the coming night brings often a feeling of melancholy when one takes to appreciating this natural beauty. But, Sky couldn’t bring himself to appreciate it today.
“Wahhh, where’s Paulieeeeee!!! It’s so late, what if 'e got kidnapped!! He’s cute enough to be stolen!” Sky clings to Francoise’s calves, sobbing against the petite pirate’s legs.
“Calm down, Cap'n. Paul can take care o’ himself just fine. Plus Henry an' Jonny be there with him too. I doubt anythin' bad happened.” Francoise awkwardly pats her captain's head to try and soothe him as he hiccups and sobs himself into a stupor.
“Cap'n, Cap'n! Be ye okay?!” a shrill voice comes from the right. Sky perks up at the familiar voice and runs up to meet them.
“Jonny! So ye scurvy dogs be back?” Sky has a big, hopeful smile on his face, looking around for a glimpse of Paul.
“Sorry, but it’s just me, Cap'n. The other two went ahead o' me an' I gotta head back after I passed on the message to ye scurvy dogs. We got this here 'uuuge job from a townsman there an' they’re willin' to pay us a lot if we do it fer the next few weeks. They even gave us this here huge down payment because we was willin' to do it on short notice,” Jonny enthusiastically states as he takes out a pouch from his pocket, shaking it around to emphasize the clinking of coins inside. Sky’s smile drops and his eyes sharpen.
“Huh? What kind o' job be it to be payin' this here much? How long will ye scurvy dogs be gone fer? Be it dangerous?” Jonny and even Francoise shrink back a bit at the angry tone of his voice. They didn’t expect him to be so interrogative over this matter and Jonny doesn’t exactly work the best under pressure.
“W-W-Well, u-uh, umm…”
Francoise sighs. Jonny really is hopeless.
“Actually Henry sent a carrier pigeon 'ere just before I met with ye Cap'n in case Jonny got lost again gettin' 'ere on his own. I been fixin' to report it to ye before ye broke down an' all, but apparently them three got hired by one o' the snooty aristocrats in town to investigate some recent thievin' in the area. They accidentally caught one o' them while they was in town so they got immediately hired to solve the case since the scurvy dog they caught seems to 'ave some associates. It’s an all around the clock job so they can’t come back until they catch them all.”
“I can’t believe Henry thought I'd get lost again! That’s so mean,” Jonny sobs pathetically.
“An' when exactly did ye depart from them to tell us what 'appened?”
Jonny sweats nervously. Francoise scoffs.
“A pigeon has a better sense o' direction than ye do.”
“Hey!”
Sky purses his lips as he looks down at the floor of the boat, as if searching for answers in the whorls of the aged wood, then up again.
“Well… I guess that there doesn’t sound that bad. Be it possible fer me to join——”
“Ye can’t, Cap'n!” Francoise nudges Jonny in the ribs, giving him a hard glare. “Ow! Ah, I mean ye can’t join ‘cuz, uh, the fancy man told us not to let outsiders know what’s goin' on since it’s supposed to be a secret an' all so the perpetrators don’t catch wind o' it, y’know? It been hard enough to excuse meself by sayin' I'd get our belongings to stay there fer a while. Hope ye understand that there Cap'n.”
Sky droops, but pulls himself together enough to look Jonny in the eye while placing his hands on the other’s shoulders.
“I understand… Just make sure to keep yourselves safe, y'hear. Oh, an' give Paulie this—”
Sky reaches up to his left ear and takes off his signature golden triangular earring. He gives it a light kiss with a smile on his lips before placing it into Jonny’s hands, folding his hands over it as if to keep it safe.
Jonny gulps and nods, overwhelmed by Sky’s heartfelt feelings.
Days pass into weeks, but to Sky it feels like months. He misses Paul of course, but to think the absence of his partner would take a toll on him this much. He glumly looks up at the bright blue sky, his mood contradicting the beautiful weather.
“‘Ay Cap— oh me god get off the floor, this here be gettin' pathetic!” Francoise, who had just come out to the boat’s deck, bellows at Sky, who just slowly turns his head to the sound of her voice.
“'Ay, Francoise… What's happenin’?” Sky says despondently.
Francoise sighs and shakes her head, but tries to steer her head back to the matter at hand.
“I been scavengin' around the harbor an' I’ve actually got some interestin' intel on treasure hidin' nearby! We should go look fer it. I’ve heard it’s quite a promisin' amount,” Francoise smirks and puts her hands on her hips, innerly though praying Sky takes the bait.
“But… Paulie an' the others may come back soon… I don’t wanna miss them when they do…”
Crap. Francoise sweats.
“B-But Cap'n don’t ye wanna fix up some holes on this here ship. Any day she might go under at this here rate y’know?”
“But won’t the pay from the job the others be doin' help with that there? It’s the whole reason why they’re gone so long in the first place. I’d rather stay 'ere than follow some rumors.” Sky sits up and stares at Francoise in the eye. Francoise ain’t no coward, but this sure is a situation she’d like to run away from.
“A-At least let me finish, Cap'n. I’ve actually 'eard the treasure be near this here old garden patch that there grows some mighty fine an' exotic tea leaves. Even if the treasure isn’t there, ye could bring some back to surprise Paul when he comes back since he loves tea so much.” Man, she hopes this’ll work.
Sky contemplates for a bit, but he soon perks up and smiles, “Jolly idea! Let’s go ahead then! Who’ll watch o'er the ship though?”
“Don’t worry about it Cap'n, Honestly this here ship be so dingy no one would think about pillagin' through it. Plus we won’t be gone fer long. The place shouldn’t be too far from 'ere.”
“Oh.” Sky wilts at the harsh words to his ship.
Francoise inwardly sighs a breath of relief. Thank God Paul kept rambling about those stupid tea leaves while they were scouting for a location to set up the treasure so much so that she recalled it in her time of need. Francoise fixes the hat on her head and moves to set things in motion.
“Woah Francoise be this here the place?!”
The sun was dimly shining through the tree leaves, painting everything with a blood orange hue, as the air cools down, hinting that nighttime was coming. Wildlife was everywhere, making it hard to navigate where one’s going as greenery popped up out of every direction. But it was all just a front as the path to this area was already marked beforehand, noticeable only to Francoise. They stand before a scattered wooden fence, clearly beaten down due to the elements of nature and time. What lies beyond was a field of shrubs of all kinds, clearly overgrown due to years of being unattended.
“I suppose so, Cap'n.” Francoise walks ahead, helping to clear a path for Sky to follow. Sky hops along after, excited by the interesting atmosphere to his surroundings.
“So these’re the tea leaves? They sure don’t smell as fancy as the ones Paulie drinks. Just kinda smells like grass,” Sky scratches his head, confused.
“Well yarr ye gotta dry them first to make tea Cap'n.”
“Oh, true.” Sky hums, takes off his hat, then starts plucking the leaves around him, and shoving them into his hat.
“Just what exactly be ye doing?” Francoise sports a face that’s a mix of exasperated and shocked.
“Gettin' the tea leaves fer Paulie. I don’t exactly 'ave a satchel, Francoise,” Sky says like Francoise was the stupid one.
Francoise smacks her forehead.
“Whatever, Cap'n. Ye can do… that there an' i’ll go find the treasure I guess.”
With a fist full of leaves, Sky gives her a quick thumbs so it’s a very leafy thumbs up. Francoise decides to ignore it for her own sanity and moves on.
Hat full of greens and a chest under his arm, Sky couldn’t have looked like a happier fool. He was kind of surprised the chest was so small, but it was pretty heavy so it must have something valuable. Since the chest had a lot of locks on it Sky and Francoise decide to go open it on the ship where they can smash it open with a hammer safely.
Nighttime falls by the time they get back, the sky a beautiful dark blue highlighting the goddess called the moon surrounded by their angels called stars, their halos lighting the trip back. It was much faster getting back then it was to get there as now they know how to traverse the terrain more clearly. When Sky arrived at the harbor, he saw a different hue of light coming from his ship. Feeling alarmed he ran to it, scared something might have happened while it was left unprotected, but to his surprise it was the person he was waiting for for so long.
“PAULIEEEEEEE!!!!” Sky drops everything and runs faster than he’s ever run before, hurtling towards his destination with open arms. Of course this results in a crash landing.
“Ow! Sky! It’s dangerous to jump on people out of nowhere!” Paul berates him, but that just makes Sky hold Paul tighter in his arms, breathing in his smell, heart warm from hearing Paul’s voice and the way his heart beats.
Paul sighs, but rubs Sky’s back and places his head on the top of Sky’s head.
Henry clears his throat.
“Sorry to ruin this here touchin' reunion, but the grub will get cold if we wait any longer.”
Paul blushes and rushes to stand up, albeit struggling to by the clinging weight of Sky still around his torso.
“Grub?” Sky peers around and is surprised to see a whole buffet of food on a table, with some modest decorations here and there.
“Oh Cap'n, did ye forget yer own birthday? We’ve been preparin' a long time fer this here so it’d be nice if ye was a bit more excited.”
Sky gasps.
“Oh blimey, you’re right! Ye scurvy dogs rememberrred—!” Sky cries and gives a big hug to Jonny, Henry and Francoise. “I’m so touched! I’m so glad you guys’re part of my crew! I love you guys!!”
Paul smiles to see the faces of the three: Jonny reciprocating Sky’s crying and screaming he loves him too, Francoise blushing and looking to side to not get overly emotional, and Henry, well is Henry and has the same old coy smile on his face, but if he knew any better, Henry’s eyes and smile look a bit softer than the usual.
Sky wipes the tears out of his eyes and smiles wide. “What’re ye scurvy dogs waiting for! Let’s go an' celebrate!”
The ocean was calming. The tides coming and going hit a rhythmic thump against the ship as it soothed its passengers into a lulling sleep. All except for two.
“Here’s your earring back,” Paul reaches to remove the triangular earring he received from Sky, but Sky stops him.
“No, ye keep it.”
“But, isn’t this really important to you…” Paul looks at Sky, who leans against the railing and staring at the sky.
“It be, but I’ve realized somethin' these past couple o' weeks. When ye was gone it felt like there been no meanin' to my life. It been really 'ard to really do anythin' without ye by me side. It even felt 'ard to breathe right. When Francoise tried to get me to go after the treasure ye scurvy dogs set up fer me, it didn’t really excite me. It been weird… I could only really go when I thought o' makin' ye happy.”
“Sky…”
“Paul, you’re the best treasure any pirate can ask fer. So please always stay by me side.” Sky reaches out to tuck Paul’s hair behind his ear, the triangular earring sparkled in the moonlight, but Paul’s eyes shine brighter. They both lean forward to seal their unspoken vows, the only witness being the moon and the stars shining high above, with a kiss.
They turn to look at the sky together, hand-in-hand, feelings one and the same.