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When Beef woke up to find his hammock completely soaked, his first thought was that he'd wet the bed. But then he heard the screams. "The waves 'ave smashed the windscreen!" someone was yelling. "Belowdecks are flooded and the lifeboats 'ave gone overboard in the storm. We're takin' in water fast!" Footsteps crashed around overhead and the captain's voice became indistinguishable among the cries.

What a funny thing to wake up to, Beef thought and rolled over. It was a miracle he did, because if he hadn't rolled over and fallen out if his hammock into the water, he might have went back asleep and drowned. He stood up fast, blinking water and sleep from his eyes. The cabin was almost half underwater, he realised in horror. He turned to the beds of his other cabinmates, ready to shout at them to get up, but four of the five hammocks were empty, their owners probably already on deck or fruitlessly trying to bail water from the engine room. The occupant of the fifth hammock had not been so lucky. His leg was caught in the hammock, hanging into the water face-first. "Grian!" Beef yelled, turning his friend's body over. Grian was dead, drowned in his sleep. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Beef whispered and backed away. He needed to focus on getting himself out. He waded towards the cabin door, pulled himself up the runged ladder built into the side and stumbled out onto the deck.

The ship was swaying dangerously and Beef had to grab a railing to keep from being vaulted overboard. Another sailor wasn't so lucky, and Beef watched him fall helplessly. The waves were taller than the ship, crashing over the deck and pulling even more men overboard. Void, we are so fucked.

A huge wave smashed the mast and it fell, hitting the deck with a splintering crash. Beef made a split second decision and leapt, grabbing it as they slid overboard, splashing into the rough ocean. As the light of the ship faded into blackness, Beef thought that maybe that hadn't been the best idea. Now he was alone, in the dark, with nothing but the wooden mast and his kicking legs keeping him afloat. He couldn't hold on forever, and he would need to sleep soon. 

Chapter Text

For the second time that day, Beef woke up to loud voices. "Holy shit! He's alive! Get somebody over here quick!" Beef shook his head groggily and tried to get up. "Hey, hey, you're alright. Stay there." A man with a red headband kneeling beside him, peering as he struggled with the blanket. "Who are you?" Beef demanded. "Where am I?" The man put both hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down. "Damn, you're strong for an almost dead guy! Stay still, I'm not gonna hurt ya!"  Beef stilled, knowing that fighting probably wasn't going to get him anywhere. "There we go," said the man. "Just as I thought I was gonna have to throw ya over. Want some water?"  "Please," Beef croaked, not caring how desperate he sounded. His throat ached and his mouth was dry and salty.

"Here ya go," said the man, holding out a chipped mug. Beef took it in shaking hands and sipped gratefully. "Who are you?" he asked, more calmly than before. "Bdubs," the man said, holding out his hand. "We pulled ya in last night during the storm, half conscious and holding onto a broken mast for your life. Ya kept rambling about bodies being in the water and ya had to go back and save them but they had eyes like sharks. I think the tiredness and dehydration might have gotten to your brain or something."  "Oh," said Beef. He didn't remember any of that. Looking around, he saw that the deck of the small boat was completely covered with people, huddling in little groups, all of them just as scared as he was. "Your ship wasn't the only one having difficulties in the storm," Bdubs said, following his gaze. "We picked up as many as we could, but at a guess I'd say hundreds died last night. You were lucky."

A man strode out into the centre of the deck, dressed like a captain or an officer of the navy, both of which he was surely too young to be. He had white hair and a pale face half-covered by a mask, with a long scar running through his left eye. He was no older than 25, Beef gauged, based on his face. Far too young for the authority that he seemed to have. The deck went silent, every eye on the man as he stood there, eyebrows raised. He clapped his hands twice and smiled.

"I am Etho, the captain of this boat. As some of you might have already noticed, or been told by my crew, all of you were pulled from the water last night during what was possibly one of the worst storms I gave ever witnessed on the Mooshroom Sea. It was quite an effort to get you all on board safety, so please treat my crewmembers with respect, because it is far easier to throw you off. This is only a 60 man ship, and all 60 hammocks, along with all the floor space in the cabins, are occupied, which is why you lot are on the deck. Please do not argue about that. I'm sure the bottom ocean of the ocean will suit you better if you aren't happy. In approximately 5 days we'll reach port on the mainland and drop you off there. Until then, please stay out of the way of the crew. We still have jobs to attend to. Food will be brought around to you all later. Thank you." Etho spun on his heel and walked back the way he came.

Beef turned to Bdubs, who was staring after Etho. "He's the youngest captain to ever hold down a ship on this here ocean. I dunno how he does it. Stronger, more experienced captains than him have lost their ships and lives to mutiny but somehow he's managing. He's only 24 but he'll tell ya he's 27," Bdubs shook his head, lost in thought for a moment.  "Strange guy, but a mighty good captain."  

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That night, Beef couldn't sleep. The sea was still quite turbulent from the storm and the boat was rocking a bit too much for his liking. They went over a particularly big wave and one of the men sleeping closest to the railing slid under it and went overboard. His cries were drowned out by the sound of the sea and he was out of sight of the boat within seconds. Nearly everyone was asleep, huddled in little piles of blankets on the hard wooden planks, but after seeing that, Beef doubted that he'd be joining them.

The night would have been completely dark only for a lantern hanging from the mast, casting eerie glow across the deck. It flickered slightly, probably running out of oil. Beef hadn't seen any of the crewmates refill it. He was proven right when, only a few minutes later, the lantern spluttered and went out, submerging the boat in darkness.

Beef sat up, bringing his knees to his chest. Everything felt more real when he was enveloped in the inky blackness of night. He'd lost everything, his home, his friends, his job. He was the only one rescued from his boat. He was well and truly alone now, and everyone and everything he'd known was gone. Beef wiped his eyes. Crying wouldn't bring his friends back.

The door to the captain's quarters opened and a figure holding a lantern stepped out. His boots clicked on the decking as he walked among the rows of sleeping men. Beef deliberately stared out over the starboard side of the ship as Etho was passing him, but to his surprise the captain stopped and sat down beside him. "Are you alright?" he asked Beef quietly. "Yeah. I just... can't sleep," Beef replied, turning to face the young captain.

His breath caught. Etho looked even younger in the lamplight, his pale skin glowing and his eyes shining. "I know what it's like to lose everything," Etho whispered. "At the start you just feel so lost and helpless. Like nothing you can do can make a difference. It gets better, I promise."  Etho had such a faraway look in his oddly coloured eyes as he spoke that Beef wanted so badly to hug him and hold him close, to ask what had happened to put that look there and reassure him it wouldn't happen again, that he was safe with him. but he didn't. That would be appropriate behavior toward a captain. Instead he said "Yeah. It's overwhelming. I sometimes wish that I could have died with my friends. Maybe it would have be easier that way."

"Don't wish for that!" Etho said quickly. "Do you have family on the mainland? A wife, perhaps? Someone waiting for you?" Beef shook his head. "My family all died of enderpox when I was fourteen and I've been at sea since then."  Something a bit like hope flickered in Etho's heterochromic eyes for a split second, but it disappeared too quickly for Beef to see it. "What age are you?"  Etho asked. "26. What about you?"  The smaller man leant in, his breath tickling Beef's ear. "24. Please don't tell anyone though. I told most of my crew that I was 27." 

They sat there in silence, watching the waves for another few minutes before Etho got up and dusted off his trousers. "Sorry, I have to go. Captain's duties won't wait. It was nice talking to you though!" Beef smiled up at him. "Nice talking to you too."  Etho took a few steps toward his cabin but then stopped. "Sorry, what was your name?"  "Beef."

Etho winked. "See you later Beef."

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The sun rose and still Beef sat there, unmoving, staring out at the swell. Only two days ago, he'd had his entire life planned out. He'd intended on working his way up the ranks until he was a first mate on one of the company's ships. Now he didn't even know if he was going to make it to port alive, and what he would fo there if he did. It was crazy how fast his life had been turned upside down.

Around midday, a scuffle broke out on the main deck. Bdubs and another of the crew were arguing loudly with a rather small man wearing boots that were most certainly not those of a seaman. The fight was shortlived and Beef only caught the words 'law' and 'duty' before the two sailors picked up the man and turfed him over the side. Nervous chatter broke out on the crowded deck and a few people whooped. Bdubs turned and bowed, giving the onlookers a bright, reassuring smile. Beef didn't smile back or cheer. That man hadn't posed a threat to Bdubs and his large accomplice, yet they'd killed him in cold blood, seemingly without conscience. The thought made him feel slightly ill.

Beef struck a conversation with the man beside him, who was from some far-off place that he'd never even heard of. "How have you not heard of Chromia? It's a real place, I swear!" Beef shook his head. "I think you must have swallowed too much salt water. All this nonsense about brightly coloured building and rainbow wings that you crafted out of broken elytra, sticks, carpets and dye! What even is elytra?" Scott huffed and folded his arms over his chest. "You're just uneducated is the problem. Chromia is real, and elytra are wings."  "Where are your precious wings then?" Beef asked, laughing. "Back home," Scott said defensively. "I didn't think I'd need them on a boat journey!" Before Beef could argue further, Bdubs appeared with a tray of cups filled with water. 

"What happened earlier? With that man?" Beef inquired. Bdubs grinned, revealing that he was missing several teeth. "He was a sheriff over in one of the west empires. Started preaching to us about The Law and when Doc, my friend over there–" he pointed to a sailor who was missing both his eye and his leg, "–told him that the tide is the only ruler around here, Mr Sheriff took offence. He said he'd be reporting us for disrespectin' The Law and smugglin'. I said we've committed more crimes then that and then we threw 'im over." 

Beef swallowed. "You're smugglers?"  "Amongst other things. You have a problem with that?" Bdubs, despite his relatively short stature, made Beef feel uneasy. "No, no, of course not. Each to his own."

Bdubs nodded, "We do our business, you do yours. Not all of us are made to be law abidin' citizens. Some people are born with a hunger for blood and the fire of rebellion burnin' in their veins."

Chapter Text

A single day feels a lot longer when you haven't got anything to do. As far as the eye could see, the ship was completely surrounded with water, so looking out at the waves got boring pretty quickly and there was nothing else for him to do except talk to the others. Beef was relieved when the sun set and everyone on the deck started to get comfortable enough to nod off. Unfortunately for him, whenever Beef closed his eyes he could see that man sliding under the railing and the splash as he hit the water. 

There was no lantern left on the main deck that night, so when Etho left his cabin the small lantern was extraordinarily bright to Beef's dark-accustomed eyes. He watched and waited as Etho paced the planks making sure everyone was alright. 

Beef said nothing when Etho reached him, but for some unknown reason his heartbeat sped up drastically as the younger man sat down beside him. "Why aren't you asleep?" Etho asked, reaching up to unhook his mask from behind his ears. Beef didn't hear the question.

Without the mask, Etho was absolutely stunning. He had skin that shone in the lamplight, high cheekbones and plush pink lips that made Beef want to lean in and– "Uhhh... Beef? I asked you a question?"  He quickly looked away from Etho's lips. Had he seen him looking?  "Sorry, what was the question?"  A faint blush crept up Etho's face and he stratched his neck self-consciously. "I asked why you aren't asleep?"  "I'm scared to fall asleep," Beef admitted. The other man frowned slightly. "Because you don't trust the people around you?"  Beef pointed at the empty space where Scott, the man from 'Chromia', had been sleeping only two hours before. "Because I don't want to roll off the side of the ship."  "Oh."

Etho said nothing for a moment, biting his lip and looking like he was contemplating something of great importance. Before Beef could ask what he was thinking about, the captain got to his feet and held out his hand. "Come with me," he said almost breathlessly. Beef took the outstretched hand and let Etho lead him across the crowded deck. When they reached the door to the captain's quarters, Beef hesitated. "Am I... allowed in there?" On all the ships he had worked on, members of the crew weren't allowed into the officer's quarters nevermind the captain's. Even the first mate was seldom allowed, and that was with express permission. Beef knew that Etho's ship wasn't exactly law abiding but surely they had a proper tier system of respect regarding captains and officers? 

Etho glanced around to made sure no one was watching. "I'm the captain. I decide what's allowed and what's not, and I say you're allowed in. Come on!" Beef didn't think about why he was being allowed in. He didn't think about what would happen if someone found out. He didn't about anything but Etho, who was beckoning him inside, beautiful eyes glimmering. With the strange sense that he would follow this man to hell if that's what it took, Beef stepped inside after Etho. 

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Beef had been expecting the cabin to be a disorderly mess like the rest of the ship and it's crew, but Etho's quarters were pristine and organised. There were several chest along the left wall, a desk covered in stacks of charts and maps in the corner, a long table in the centre of the room and a neatly made bed in the corner. Under the bed, Beef noticed several handheld guns. For a horribly long moment, he thought Etho had brought him in there just to kill him, but then he noticed the red flush creeping up the younger man's cheeks and the way he was twisting .

"I... uh...thought maybe you would... be able to sleep better here? I'm not going to be using the bed anyway and... you won't fall overboard?" Etho said with a shy smile. Beef hoped that his surprise wasn't written all over his face. He was a total stranger to Etho, yet he was being offered the captain's bed. The only real bed on the ship. Why?

Etho was looking expectantly at him, waiting for an answer. It was Beef's turn to stumble over his words. "Umm, are... er... are you sure... a-about that?" Etho nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. I'm going to be working at the desk with the lantern on low, you get some sleep."  Beef didn't know how to respond, so he gave Etho his cheesiest grin and said, "You got it, Cap'n!"  

He didn't miss the blush creeping up Etho's cheeks and he turned around.