STOWAWAY (A Thomas Nickerson X Reader)

4

A few hour hours later after we cleaned and fixed as much of the ship as we could Thomas and I sat it the kitchen and he started to help me tend to my wounds 'Thank you' I said as he gave me a cold rag to hold against my head 'No problem Miss' he said as he continued cleaning potatoes for dinner 'Mr. Nickerson what did we say about calling me miss.... Y/N, my name is Y/N' I said and he gave me a soft smile before we both flinched do to a loud bang that could be heard from the captains cabin

'damn your impertinence!' The captain shouted 'Do you know who your speaking to?' The captain shouted once more and Thomas and I shared a look before we got up and started to listen in  'My name is CAPTAIN George Pollard. Pollard! And you Mr.Chace, no matter how many wail pins you may have on your lapel, are nothing more than the son of farmer who's managed to bully his way into an officers tunik. Now get out!' The captain said and pure disgust washed over me how dare he. My father was the best wailer this damned country ever had and for a spoled silver spoon "captain" to talk to him like that is disgusting!

My father barged out of the cabin a few moments later looking at me before leaving 'im gonna go talk to him' I said and Thomas nodded and I got up walking after him 'father!' I shouted walking on deck and seeing him looking out across the sea 'dad?' I said as I walked up to him putting a hand on his back 'hey sweetheart' he said quietly 'Im sorry I know I shouldn't have listened in but' i started and he cut me off 'you heard that?' he said annoyed 'How could I not he was shouting like spoiled child' I said earning a laugh from my father 'look dad you are the best wailer I have ever met, you have worked hard to get where you are and all he had to do was get born into it with a silver spoon shoved into his mouth' I said taking his hand 'and honestly if that's what it takes to be a Captain I don't want you to be one' I said and he looked at me with a kind smile before hugging me tightly, he put a hand on my head and he kissed my forhead but I winced.

A wave of concern washed his features 'did I hurt you?' he asked worried and slightly confused 'no it's my head I bumped it today it's okey' I said and he looked at his had that was covered in blood 'Y/N you're bleeding' he said quickly looking at my head 'come with me Iets get you cleaned up' He said walking forward 'Thomas was helping me I just wanted to see how you were doing' I said and he turned around 'Nickerson huh?' He asked suspiciously 'oh come on Father please don't start' I said and he gave me this look, a look saying "something's fishy here" that only he could do 'okey go' he said and I smiled 'thank you' I said walking up to him and kissing his cheek. I made my way back to Thomas and he helped me clean up my wound properly.

-------------------------time skip---------------------------

A few weeks had past and I was on deck cracking jokes with Mr.Joy. We grew fond of eachother and I saw him like somewhat of a brother or uncle. When all of a sudden I heard a sound 'what is that sound?' I asked and he stopped to listen 'blows....BLOWS!' He shouted and not a second later my fathers booming voice washed over the boat 'BLOWS!' 'To windward' a crewmember shouted 'There she blows!' he shouted once more and Mr.Joy and I stood up rushing to the edge of the ship beside the captain to see water spouting from not far away 'Right or Sperm,Mr.Ramsdell?' The captain shouted and my father climbed up some roles 'Sperm whales they are!' he shouted and I smiled at Mr.Joy 'I can't wait' I said my face glowing with excitement 'Mr.Chace Hoist and swing boats' Mr.Pollars ordered 'All hands! All hands on deck!' Mr father ordered earning cheers from the crew 'All hands on deck!' Mr.Joy shouted while rigging the bell to wake the sleeping sailors.

'Lower away!' someone shouted and I jumped into one of the boats and we started to row towards the whales. dolphins jumped beside us splashing us as they did and all I could do was smile at the sight my adrenaline helping me row 'Straight! Crack them backbones' My father ordered earning an Aye sir! From the crew 'Spring those oars till your arms fall off' Father continued and he was right that's exactly what they felt like a burning heat engulfing all of my muscles, I felt like they might tare.

'There they breach!' Mr.Pollard shouted from the boat next to ours and I turned to see a huge whale jump out the sea 'Come on! Put your back into it' Father shouted and a whale surfaces right next to me and I stopped rowing the shock of thie huge beast stunning me 'that's a calf' One of the sailors said seeing me in shock to which earned more cheers and laughs from the crew mates 'that's the calf!?' I said surprised to how such a large beast could be a baby.

'that's the cow' the same sailor said as the mother three times the size emerged and my eyes widened more 'if that's the calf where's the dad!?' I said terrified at the thought of how big he would be when all of a sudden a whale the size of our boat emerged 'and thats our boy! That's the money' Father said and I was stunned once again 'Y/N push!' My father said seeing I had stopped 'Sorry sir' I said snapping back into reality and I started to row harder than before 'forty barreler?' one of the men asked 'fifty' my father corrected and I grunted pulling the oar the pain in my arms greater than before 'Mr.Ramsdell,prepare the line' My father ordered 'Aye, sir' he said as he started to do as ordered.

'Mr. Lowrance the first ones mine' My father said walking to the front of the boat and picking up a spear and lunging it into the whale perfectly earning cheers from all of us and then the wail started to pull causing us all to fall forward. The wail started to pull us and we were skimming the surface of the water the waves splashing on my face and I cheered in pure bliss 'You're on your first Nantucket sleigh ride kids' My father said and I shared an ear to ear smile with Thomas. 'look at him the most fearsome creature ever to live on this Earth I can't believe it' I shouted to which my father smiled. The whale suddenly stopped and started to pull downwards 'Thomas let go!' I shouted letting go of the rope but he wasn't as fast as I was and the rope cut right threw his hands 'Ah! My hands!' Thomas shouted in pain looking at his bloodied up hands 'oh my god Thomas are you okey!' I shouted looking at him 'it stings horribly' He said looking at me in pain 'put your hands in the sea it will hurt but it's an antiseptic' I said and he did as I said his face morphing in more agony I quickly ripped a part of my sleeve and I ripped it into two 'Tom give me your hands' I said and he did as I asked I quickly wrapped the two peaces of fabric securely around his hands 'there that should hold you off until we get back' I said and he gave me a smile

'we need to wet the line... Nickerson? Y/N?' said the sailor sat just behind us. We quickly took buckets from the floor and we started dumping water on the rope. The friction Inbetween the wood and the rope smoking almost setting it on fire. 'Eighty fathoms of line sir, he's gonna pull us under!' Nickerson said and the panick on my father's face was unmistakable 'Mr.Joy I need your line' I shouted to the boat beise us he threw it urgently 'quickly tie it to ours' I said to the sailor incharge of the line 'down to 60 fathoms of line sir!' Nickerson shouted out 'Twenty fathoms' Nickerson shouted 'Safe Go!' he shouted and he threw the tied rope into the sea so it wouldn't get caught onto one of us and just as he did the rope swung across and started to pull from Mr.Joys boat.

'70 fathoms left sir' a sailor from Joy's boat shouted and Mr.Joy picked up an axe 'no no no no wait!' father ordered 'Owen!' Mr.Jow shouted worried they were going to get dragged down 'No,no! not yet!' father ordered once more 'don't touch that line!' He shouted 'down to 50 fathoms sir!' the sailor said worry carved deep in his voice 'owen god damnit!' Joy said with an axe in hand 'I said don't touch it!' he repeated angrily '30 fathoms left, Mr.Joy' the man warned '10 fathoms left sir!' he shouted and my heart pounded so hard I thought it might brake my ribs and then nothing. It stopped pulling and a few moments later the whale came back up for air a massive gush of water exploding as he did so and to that all the men cheered.

My Father and Mr Joy started to pearce the whale over and over again until 'chimney's afire!' a man exclaimed as the whale started to not blow water but blood instead and a rain of blood started to cover us all and I couldn't help but feel bad for the beast and I could tell my father felt the same. It was cruel what they did, but that was the world we lived in and that's just how it had to be.