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Oluwande is used to being alone. He is used to fading in the background, never being the center of attention. It's how he's kept himself (mostly) safe and alive all of these years. Harder to get in trouble if you spend your life being unnoticed.
It doesn't mean shit has come easy to him. He was kicked out of his home at a very young age because his parents refused to support him anymore and he wasn't of use to them. Too soft. Too weak. He doesn't blame them.
He tried to have normal jobs, y’ know, construction, service, fishing but none of it worked out for more than a couple of weeks. Everyone seemed to think he was a tough guy from first glance and then showed disappointment when he wasn't.
The need of survival led him to the only viable option: piracy. He was… surprisingly good at it. He learned the necessary skills to run a ship quickly, he was decent at cleaning and he knew how to defend himself in the field.
He passed from ship to ship, keeping quiet and never making a connection. Everyone was gone too soon. Until one day he landed on the Republic of Pirates and he was kind of tired of the action at that point, if he's honest.
He didn't even know why he kept going, he had nothing to live for, it was just that there had to be something better for him out there. Wasn't there?
And there was. He knew it from the moment he first placed his eyes on them.
Oluwande had been working at Spanish Jackie'z for a few weeks. He still didn't understand how he got the job, he was the only one (who wasn't a husband) working there.
That was the time when Jim arrived at the Republic of Pirates.
It was a time when Jim still wore dresses that didn't seem to fit them and they were known by a different name.
They came around the bar a lot but Olu didn't get the chance to talk to them.
The rumors said they were trying to get some money and they were looking for something or someone. No one knew what exactly.
He felt immediately drawn to them. Jim didn't give a fuck about what anyone thought. Always picking up fights and slashing throats when anyone dared to mistreat them. They were reckless and brave. But at the same time, their moves were calculated. They were impressive, scary and everything that he wasn't.
One day, when Olu was cleaning up after the bar was closed, he heard sudden loud banging noises and whispered curses in spanish coming from the back.
Shit, not even Jackie spoke spanish, who the fuck was back there?
He considered going to get Jackie, Geraldo or any of her husbands but a treacherous voice in the back of his mind told him not to. He grabbed his knife instead and headed to the back, his steps as quiet as possible.
He cautiously opened the door and scanned the room, only to find a disheveled person sitting on the floor, back against Jackie's desk, head on their hands. It looked like they hit their head against one of the cupboards and fell.
It was them.
Oluwande knew that this was a bad idea. Jackie would have his nose or even worse, his balls, if she ever found out. She wasn't the merciful type.
Then why was he crouching down to approach the person on the floor? He was probably just an idiot.
When Jim looked up, there was blood dripping on the right side of their forehead and their face was what he imagined a frightened cat would look like. Their eyes widened significantly and they started looking around frantically. Probably trying to find something sharp to stab him.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Oluwande lifted his hand slowly, carefully and put his knife back on his belt. “I’m not trying to hurt you. See? Knife’s out of my hands.”
Jim looked at him skeptically, they did not speak but at least they looked less inclined to murder him, for now.
“Are you alright?” Olu continued. “I can get a wet rag to clean that.” He pointed at the blood in their forehead.
Jim kept their eyes on him, as they touched their own forehead “Carajo!” They hissed. “Why are you helping me? Why didn't you just call Jackie? Or one of her fuck-knows-how-many husbands?”
“It's 20, actually.” Oluwande shrugged. “And I dunno man, I heard some noise and decided to come here. I’m not feeling the need to get you killed.”
"Why the fuck not?” Jim said, defensively. Oluwande shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.
“I’m just not the type, I guess.” Oluwande really didn't know what to say. ‘I don't want you to get killed because I think you're fascinating’ didn't seem like a good answer.
“Do you want to clean up? Or I can just keep look out, if you’d rather leave.” As much as Olu felt the need to help them, he also didn't want them to feel trapped.
“I- uh- I will take the rag.” Jim mumbled, looking away and he got up quickly to get it. Oluwande really hoped they wouldn't run away.
Once he came back, Jim was sitting straighter on the floor and patting at their clothes, most likely trying to get some dirt off them.
Olu sat down next to them and before he could think about it, he reached to move their hair out of the way with the rag on his hand to clean them up.
Jim flinched at the touch but didn't move away. The tension was palpable in the air, as he swabbed carefully to get the blood off their face. Oluwande knew he shouldn't be staring but he couldn't help it, their face was beautiful up close.
Jim was torn between looking at his face and the floor. Had no one taken care of them before? Oluwande didn't feel in the position to ask. He was already pushing it. He was lucky that Jim didn't put a knife on him for daring to touch them.
“¿Quién carajos eres?” Jim whispered under their breath. They were definitely talking to themself.
“Me llamo Oluwande.” He said and Jim did a double take.
“What the fuck? You speak spanish?” They were so taken aback that they didn't seem to notice their hand jumping to hold his wrist.
“I do.” He said, scratching the side of his head with his other hand. Jim dropped his wrist like it was burning them. Olu weirdly already missed their touch.
“I worked at this small shack a while back, everyone on the island spoke spanish and I picked it up from them.” He added.
“Oh. For how long did you stay there?” Jim said. Tilting their head with interest, that was new.
“I’m not sure, about a month probably.” Oluwande said, playing with the dirty rag on his hands.
“You learned spanish in a month?” Jim’s tone sounded impressed, were they? It was hard to read their face.
“Yeah, I kinda had to. Would've made the job really hard if I didn't.” He said, he was starting to feel self conscious. He should've pretended he didn't know.
“I’m Bo- I mean Jim.” They said, getting up suddenly. “Seems only fair that you know my name too.”
That was definitely not the name he had heard used for them but he wasn't about to argue over what they wanted to be called.
“Nice to meet you, Jim.” Olu said, offering a smile. Jim was still looking at him with a guarded expression.
“Yeah- okay- I better go.” Jim said. Standing up and quickly gathering a bag that Oluwande hadn't seen until now.
“Bye Jim! See you around!” He responded, as Jim only nodded and quickly made it to the door.
Before Jim left, they placed a hand on the frame and looked back. “You won't tell Jackie, right?” There was a hint of fear in their voice.
“Not a word. It’ll be our secret.” He assured them, gesturing a zip on his mouth. Though Oluwande never learned why Jim was there in the first place.
Jim left Oluwande alone with his thoughts. He sat there trying to piece together why he felt the need to protect them and why this felt so much bigger than just showing mercy for a stranger in need.
The encounter did switch things around because every time that Jim came to the bar after that, they actively looked for Oluwande. Sometimes they just got a drink and left, other times they spoke to him for a few minutes. Those were his personal favorite.
Jim was still strangely secretive but he had gathered some bits and pieces about them.
1. Jim did indeed have a purpose to be in the Republic of Pirates, they wouldn't say what it was.
2. No one else, besides him, knew them as Jim.
3. Jim couldn't, for the life of them, find a job.
Which led to yet another possible bad decision. Oluwande was sticking out his neck for someone who he barely knew, but his gut told him it was the right call so he put in a good word with Jackie and got Jim a waitressing job at the bar.
It was worth it though because he got to see Jim give him a soft smile for the first time. It was quick, their serious expression was back in place within seconds but still… it was just for him.
Jim was in their element. They mixed drinks, cleaned the tables and he even caught them flirting with a hot customer from time to time (which was fine, he had no reason to be jealous). They still got in trouble due to their short temper but everyone out here were pirates after all.
Jim and Olu fell into a routine for a while. It was nice. Oluwande never had anything like it before. They shared a room, they spent every meal and every work shift together.
Oluwande learned that Jim had constant nightmares but they didn't speak about it. He learned that they were sick of the ‘stupid dresses and skirts’, so he bought a shirt and a pair of pants for them at the market.
Jim hadn't worn them yet but Olu saw the mist in their eyes when they saw the clothes on their bunk. He found a shoulder bag in return on his own bunk the next day.
There were a million unanswered questions between them but Oluwande found a friend, someone who he cared about and who cared about him, on their own way. No one had cared about him before.
He never dared to imagine how it would feel.
Almost too good to be true.
Oluwande was getting ready for bed after his shift as he always did, it was strange that Jim hadn't joined him yet but they would get there soon he was sure.
It was late, Oluwande was sound asleep when Jim finally entered the room, they kneeled by his bed and shook his arm to get his attention.
Olu! Are you awake? I need you to be awake.” Jim said, still shaking him. There was urgency in their voice. What the fuck was so important?
“Fuck, I am, I am. What's happening?” Oluwande replied, barely getting out of the haze of his sleep.
“It can't wait any longer. My purpose for being here, it's happening tomorrow.” Jim clarified. That definitely woke him up.
“What? Jim! I don't even know what your purpose is, you never told me!” Oluwande said and sat up to try to process the situation.
“And I still can't tell you.” Jim answered and shushed him before he could protest. “I know, I know.” They continued and raised their hand to cup Oluwande's cheek. “I need you to trust me on this Olu. Por favor. I promise that we will be okay.”
Jim said we. Oluwande was terrified, he was absolutely scared for their life but Jim said we. Which meant they were both in this together. He could be brave for them.
“I trust you. You know I do.” Oluwande confirmed, leaning his face into their hand for a second and looking into their eyes. Jim’s eyes softened and for a moment it felt like their face was getting closer.
But then... the spell was broken. They cleared their throat, swiftly slid their hand back and stood up to sit on the edge of his bunk.
“Alright. I need you to pack everything, leave before dawn without anyone noticing and find a rowboat.” Jim said.
The commanding tone made something on Olu’s belly feel warm and funny but he didn't have time to analyze that.
“What happens then? Where are we gonna go?” Olu asked. He wasn't supposed to ask about the mission but at least he should know about the plan.
“I found us a new job. I heard about some rich guy in Barbados. He is hiring a crew for his ship, offering a ton shit lot of money as a salary. That is where we’ll go.” Jim answered.
“I know what I'm asking is a lot-” They continued.
“Not a lot, mate. I got you! Are you sure you don't want me to help you?” Olu asked. He just wanted to make sure they'd be safe.
“You are helping more than you know, Olu. I will be okay. Just wait for me and be ready to go.” Jim smiled at him.
He knew they were trying to reassure him but his stomach was still in knots at the idea of something going wrong.
“It's late.” Jim added. “We should get some sleep.”
Instead of leaving to sleep on their own bunk as usual, Jim cuddled up behind him and wrapped an arm around his waist. Oluwande's face was heating up at the intimacy of it but he wasn't about to object and ruin the moment.
Maybe Jim just needed the comfort. Maybe this is what friends did.
Oluwande shifted to get more comfortable, wished Jim goodnight and proceeded to get the best night sleep of his life.
The next morning was a whirlwind. Oluwande woke up alone, the other side of the sheets was still warm so he could tell what happened wasn't a dream. He blushed again at the memory of Jim’s body flush against his and their warm breath tickling his ear.
Olu was still worried about Jim but they had a plan. A plan that included Oluwande so he had to get in motion. He packed what he owned in the bag that Jim gave him, which wasn't a lot, just a few clothes, weapons and a couple of trinkets from his family that he had managed to keep for this long.
Jim had left their own bag ready on top of their bunk, Olu didn't want to pry but he noticed an unfamiliar hat and what looked like a fake nose and beard sticking out of it.
Oluwande had no time to dwell on it. He picked both bags and slipped out of the room, into the hall and thankfully made it through the front door without being noticed by Jackie or any of her husbands.
All that was left for him to do now was find a small boat, either buy it or steal it, whatever happened first. Easy peasy.
Once he made it to the docks, it was actually easy to find a dinghy. He was able to get it for a few doubloons and it didn't look that worse for wear. It would work. Some bearded guy in a black shirt with too many open buttons, a pearls necklace and a scarf around his head sold it to him, not without offering to ‘make magic' with him first. It was flattering but he wasn't interested.
By the time that Oluwande got the dinghy ready, the sun was starting to set and he could feel his anxiety rising. Jim had to be okay. For all he knew, their mission was just stealing a valuable or maybe they owed someone a favor. They were just a little late. He had been worried about things going south. If something happened to Jim, he didn't know if he could ever recover. He was trying his best to not fall into a spiral.
Oluwande needed them to be alive.
Fucking thankfully, that was the moment when Oluwande looked up and saw them.
Jim was running towards him, their dress was covered in blood. It wasn't only their clothes, their face, their hair and their knife too. He felt his heart sink down to the sea floor but the closer they got, the clearer it was that it wasn't their blood. It was someone else's.
“Jim! Shit, man! I was worried!” Oluwande told them, as soon as they jumped on the boat. “Where were you? Are you okay?”
Jim was breathless, they were recovering from their run and whatever in hell that just happened. “I’m- uh- fuck- fine, Olu! Start rowing now! We have to fucking leave before she finds me!”
Olu did as instructed but there was no way that he would let the conversation end there.
“Who's gonna find you? Are you gonna tell me what happened now?” He insisted.
“Jackie. I just killed Alfeo de la Vaca, her favorite husband.” Jim said, flashing him a menacing grin over their shoulder.
“Shit fuck, yeah we better get fucking going then.” Oluwande couldn't say he wasn't surprised but if Jim killed the guy, the fucker probably had it coming.
Jim started looking through their bag to clean up and change into their new clothes but they stopped for a second to place a hand on top of his.
“Hey Olu…. thank you.” They said, sincerely. “It's you and me now.”
“It's you and me now.” He repeated.
This wasn't the first time that Oluwande had to run away but it was the first time when he felt that instead of losing a home, he found one.
His home was a person. A person that he loved. Maybe one day Oluwande would be brave enough to tell them.