Work Text:
Roy usually tries not to pry into Jason's business too much. He does not have an issue with the… extra-legal side of it, but they have tried to keep it apart. Both Roy and Jason are safer like this. Jason's enemies can't target Roy and even if someone targets him Roy would know nothing.
As far as he can guess Jason is thief or perhaps a smuggler. Something that puts him on the path of interesting goods and persons but none the less the sort of works that allows him to step away for periods of time to stay with Roy and Lian over in New Cloud City. It made him carry the hope that Jason could be flexible with them.
"I am thinking of moving Lian and me back to Star city to be closer to family," Roy had started. "And I was wondering if that would work for you too." The two of them had been laying in Roy's bed entangled in each others limbs. Happy and together. It had made the question a little less daunting to ask.
"It would," Jason tells Roy's chest where his face is pressed against it. "I can rearrange some things and drop by Star just as well." He paused but Roy could tell he wanted to say more. "Are you sure? You are uprooting your life again and things… have not always been great with Oliver. "
"I am. The last few times either of us visited the other went well and I think it would be good for Lian to spend more time with family." Roy had rolled the two of them over then, leaning against Jason to press a kiss to his lips. "It would give us some more time together too, with her grandparents taking her from our hands."
That suggestion ended up a little more distracting than intended. Roy, thankfully, did remember to ask the other important question he had for Jason a little later. Roy knows he has a small personal airship of his own. He has brought it to Roy's place and let Roy tinker with it plenty of times before. The thing is not big enough to take long journeys out of Star so he must have other connections.
"Do you perhaps know someone with a ship large enough to haul us and all our things across the continent for the move? No worries if not, I can sell most of it and rebuild in Sta-"
Jason cut him off. "I do. I can get you and Lian and all your things down to the very last bolt over to Star city without any costs to you. Tell me when and I will arrange things."
Roy had assumed that meant he knew a guy who owed him something big or something. Still. He finished his arrangements, agreed on a date and packed all his things. All that remained was waiting.
When the knock comes Roy and Lian are both already dressed in the skyship worthy clothes that Jason had sent the two of them. Both of them in very nice red woolen coats with goggles and face masks. All of it fit perfectly, from Roy's thick woolen suit to Lian's new blue dress with warm underlayers, and was of a quality neither of them normally bothered with. But well who is Roy to deny Jason the right to spoil them.
When he opens the door he had been expecting Jason and a cart for their things. Perhaps the guy who was going to give them their lift. He had not expected Jason to come with a whole six person crew dressed in black with red accents. Nor for all of them to wait for a hand gesture from Jason before they all started to move in to grab the many trunks and crates Roy had filled up.
"Please do not show me any affection and call me Red and each other by title until we get to the ship," starts to make a lot more sense now.
There was a lot Roy could say that would tell Jason off about not telling them enough in advance, but it is mostly on him for never asking too. A brief flash of anger settles as exasperation when he calls out a friendly "Good morning!" Lian joins in with her own sunshine bright "Good morning Red!"
Jason greets them back with a very fond "Good morning to you two too." The unspoken but not at all unfelt declaration of love does a lot for Roy's lingering annoyance. He knew his type was rather rogueish.
It turns out that there is a cart set up for them. One with a honest to God expensive looking horse in front of it.
That is the exact point of time that Roy starts to really reassess his assumptions about Jason's work.
He has to reassess again when they make their way to the little out of the way sky-dock and Jason guides them all to skyship that is about three times the size that Roy had expected.
"Princess," Jason starts when they are finally on deck, "I have only one very important rule. This is a working ship and there might be dangerous weather or accidents. When any of the adults working the ship tell you to run or go to your room you do that."
Lian dutifully nods. She's old enough to understand and young enough that Roy is pretty sure she won't disobey out of rebelliousness. Hopefully.
"Otherwise, I want to welcome you two to my darling Bowsprit."
Roy frowns. "But this is the top deck?"
Jason grins. He is still wearing the mask, but Roy can tell. "No the ship is called Bowsprit."
Roy lets out a bone deep sigh.
The stupid joke distracts him enough that he almost forgets that Jason called it his ship.
Every single member of the crew greets them with a respectful "Sirs. Princess." and Roy feels like he walked into some sort of novel this morning.
Roy looks for one, but he does not get a private opportunity to ask Jason about it until late that night. The two of them are tucked into Jason's ostentatious bed and its comfortable but bizarrely expensive trappings. Roy is very aware that he only dares to initiate sensitive conversations when they are wrapped in each other's arms.
"So what do you do then?" he finally asks.
He cannot see Jason's face, but Roy imagines that he has this familiar slight frown that he always gets when he is careful with his words. "We smuggle, a bit of thievery here and there… piracy."
"That is not what I asked, Jaybird. What is your role on this ship? Because both of us know that you do not think I am stupid enough not to notice that you outrank everyone and that this is very obviously the captain's quarters. I just want to hear you say it too. Please tell me this once?"
This time Jason is quiet for a little longer. "I… I am not the Captain, I uh… Outrank the captain. I command a fleet. I also own uh… several more ships."
Roy is not used to an answer like that from his usually so composed partner. "What is your title then?"
"Someone jokingly called me a Pirate King and it stuck." Jason sounds embarrassed, when is the last time Roy had heard him embarrassed. "Calling Lian Princess started as a joke too but it stuck. Please don't read too much into it. I can stop if you want me to bu-"
"It is fine Jay. I am not cross with you. I just..." Roy sighs. "This is a huge part of your life and we have both kind of ignored it up until today." Roy lets his hand slide over silk sheets. There are benefits to this side of Jason's life. "I mean, you could have treated me like your… your prince Consort and gotten me silk sheets much earlier."
It is the first time Jason properly laughs that day and the sound of it warms Roy's heart. There is a lot more to talk about. A lot more stories Jason might want to tell him. But for now he has had a very long day and a comfortable bed to sleep in. There are more important things in life and one of them is currently being used as Roy's pillow.