HIRAETH // Captain Puffy X Reader

21

You were up bright and early the next morning, feeling refreshed and rested after you had finally put your thoughts (and yourself) to bed. You were sure to be careful climbing out of your hammock and through the piles of sleeping pirates - most everyone was still asleep, and you wouldn't want to accidentally wake anyone if you could help it. 

You were hoping Puffy was awake though - you had something you wanted to say. 

You made your way to the deck, where you could just see the sun peeking out from over the ocean - the world still mostly in shades of gray. It was a little strange, to see the ship so devoid of life when it was usually bustling, and the creak of the wooden paneling under your feet seemed so much louder now. But you pressed on, creeping to Puffy's door until you were stood outside of it. 

You took a deep breath. All you had to do now was knock on the door and explain that you actually wanted to stay on the crew after putting yourself through the mental torture of a lifetime. Easy peasy. 

You brought your fist up to rap your knuckles on the door, hoping Puffy was awake. 

You loitered outside her door for a moment, feeling the goosebumps rise on your skin - from the cold spray of the sea or the nerves about apologizing to a woman that terrified you sometimes, you didn't know. You were just about to go back down to the hammocks when the door opened, revealing a sleep-rumpled Puffy. She wasn't wearing her usual captain's outfit - instead, she wore a simple cotton nightshirt with little blue stripes. That, combined with the sheer size of her hair, made her look so much softer than normal. 

It eased your nerves somewhat. 

"Y/N?" She asked. "Something wrong?"

You shook your head. "I just, uh, wanted to talk to you. If that's alright."

Puffy raised an eyebrow, but opened the door wider anyway, letting you step inside her cabin. The bed was unmade - the only time you had seen it like that. Puffy perched herself on the edge of the table with all her maps strewn across it, putting herself at eye level with you. "So." She said, sounding skeptical.

You hovered, not knowing just where to start. Maybe it was best you just get the hard part out of the way. "I'll tell you what I know about the navy ship."

Puffy blinked, obviously taken by surprise for a moment. "What, really?"

You nodded - now that you had gotten the hard bit out of the way, the words came easier. "I was thinking about it all day, and I figured that... I really like being on this ship. It doesn't feel like when I was in the navy, it feels like a family. And I don't think I could bear Tubbo's face if I left."

Puffy smiled at that. "Yeah, he has that effect on people."

"I want to stay." You said, hoping that you had expressed just what sort of emotional resonance the decision had had on you. "If you'll have me on the crew."

Puffy looked you over, and a silence fell between you. You watched the wheels turn in her head, but her face gave no indication to either side of the decision she had to make. You were fearing the worst when Puffy took a heavy breath. 

"Yeah." She said. "We'll have you."

You felt a smile stretch the corner of your lips.

Puffy slid off the table, pulling the treasure map towards where she was standing, her other hand tugging on your nightshirt until you were standing beside her, looking down at the worn parchment. This was the first time you had seen the map, and it's significance wasn't lost on you. You could see exactly where the ship had traveled - as those parts of the map had colored themselves in and continued to do so as the ship sailed on. 

"It's magic." You said, looking down at the paper in awe. 

Puffy hummed, putting a finger to a chunk of land that had yet to be colored in. "That's where the treasure's supposed to be." She said. "We should be able to see it sometime in the next few days." She gave you a second to let the information sink in. "Think we'll be able to make it?"

"Right to business, huh?" You joked. 

"It's a little urgent." Puffy said. 

You pursed your lips, thinking back to the ship you had seen on the horizon. "They'll be outfitted for full on battle at sea, after what happened to the Knave." You said. 

Puffy pulled a loose piece of paper out of a nearby notebook, grabbing a pencil to jot down what you were saying. "How much artillery?"

"Enough for at least three hours of back to back canon fire." You said. "And they'll have men on board to man all those canons as well." 

Puffy wrote that down as you watched - she had very pretty handwriting. She frowned down at the parchment. "There's no way we can beat them in battle, not after we used so much ammunition on the Knave."

"We might not have to." You said. "If I'm correct, the ship they would have sent to replace the Knave would have been more suited for combat than speed, not to mention all the supplies they had to carry to feed a crew of that size. If we keep going like we have been, it'll be close, but we could make it."

Puffy glanced up at you. "You think so?"

You nodded.

She smiled back down at the map, and something fluttered in your chest. For the first time, you found yourself believing what Gemma and Tubbo had said - that she actually didn't despise you, in fact, she liked you - at least a little. And, even though you had just given military intel to a wanted criminal, something lifted from your shoulders. 

You were one of them now, for better or worse.