The North's Galleon

Chapter 15: Shared Bunks

Gunther was not, and would never be, someone Lawrence wanted to share a room with, let alone a bed. Especially not a hammock.

"Can't you sleep on the floor?"

"No. You're skinny, make room."

"Good grief..."

"Look, I'm not leaving the girl without something to sleep in, and I have yet to figure out how to sleep on a floor, so just scootch."

"I'm not spending two weeks with your snorey ass right next to my head."

"And no one wants me completely sleep-deprived, move."

Lawrence finally relented, and tried to make room for Gunther to crawl in next to him. That is, Gunther, a pillow, and two blankets.

"Good grief."

"Can't sleep without them."

"In a hammock? You just sleep. Easy."

"For you, mister 'I slept on rocks with revenge as my blanket,' but I was raised on silk sheets and down pillows. Wool's a hell of a downgrade anyway."

Gunther finally got in, somehow, without flipping the hammock.

"Gods, you are hot."

"Thank you."

"I will throw you out the window right now, do not test me."

"I'm actually cold, thus the blankets."

Lawrence rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, forgot you like to sleep on ice because of your whole trauma thing."

"I do not. Thanks for bringing it up though. Really appreciate that, I'd actually forgotten for a minute about it."

"Your welcome. Good to know we'll both be awake all night."

Lawrence sighed, deciding to just give up and relax into the obnoxiously warm body next to him. Sometimes, he couldn't understand how they hadn't killed each other yet.

"You're all boney."

"I'm sure that has nothing to do with never being able to eat the whole time I was growing up."

"Sorry."

Lawrence sat upright, nearly flipping the hammock. "What did you say?"

"Easy! I don't want to eat the floor tonight!" Gunther was clinging to the hammock like it was his life.

"Did you just apologize?"

"Uhhhh..." Gunther turned sheepish. "Look, I feel like it's partially my fault for...everything that's happened to you."

Lawrence smacked him on the head. "Well, don't. You're not the king who ordered a genocide."

"But--"

--"No. Don't ever apologize to me again. It's weird." Gunther rolled his eyes as Lawrence laid back down. "What is this, do you get sappy late at night?"

"Uh, yeah? You're the one who's caught me crying on night watch."

"How many times now? Like, mate, you gotta get yourself together."

"I dunno, night's just when the feels get me. Especially night watch. 'Cause it's just me, the sky, and the ocean. Anything could happen, and I'd be the only one awake. Everything's quiet. It reminds me of what I came out here for."

Lawrence stared at the ceiling. "Don't get weird and sentimental while you're basically laying on me."

"You're the one making it weird!"

"Shut up!" Millard's voice bellowed from the next cabin over.

Gunther relaxed, and Lawrence felt his full weight settle onto him. Maybe it was Gunther radiating enough heat to be confused for a campfire, but he was drifting off faster than usual.

"Y'know, Denise was asking all sorts of questions about you."

"Aw, damn, do you think she's onto me?"

Lawrence snorted. "No, surprisingly. North just about outed you though."

"Dammit, North. I should call him 'Johnny' all day tomorrow. As payback."

"Good ol' Cap'n Johnny."

"He made a mistake telling me his real name."

Lawrence snorted. "I'll pay you twenty diir if you do it."

"Consider it done."

"Wow, so cheap."

"Twenty diir will buy me a nice drink on land. Especially at Port Swall."

"Forgot their liquor is cheap."

"How would you know, you don't drink."

"Because that's the only place on land you'll go out drinking since you're too broke for anywhere else."

"I'm not broke."

"All I have to say is 'ten diir on' and you're betting. I could get all of your money in less than 24 hours."

"Only if you win the bets."

"You have yet to win a bet against me."

"Not true."

"Betting on monsters doesn't count."

"Ugh, why not?"

"Because you're banned from betting on monsters when you didn't get one wrong for a year straight."

"I guess that's a good point." Gunther shivered. "You think North will yell at me?"

"Oh, probably. You know he only lets Paul call him by his real name."

"So after a full day...you think he'll add another week of cleaning?"

"Maybe on the third one. By the end of the day, he'll be tossing you in the ocean."

"Only because of Denise. Otherwise, I think he'd start using my name."

Lawrence snorted. "Actually, I'll pay you fifty diir if you wait until Denise gets off. I wanna see that."

"No, I think I'd cry if he called me that. We'll keep it as tomorrow."

"Damn." Lawrence was really trying to stay awake. He didn't want to be the one who fell asleep first.

"So, North told Denise I killed Edward?"

"Yep."

"Well, I kinda did, so that works. He also told me she's got connections to the royal family, which I guessed, and told me to watch my mouth."

"Yeah, watch your fat mouth. The last thing we need is another Edward situation."

"Yeah, yeah. We all know you don't like me."

"I warned her not to talk to you about it, 'cause we all know the minute she asks you'll get all squeaky."

"At least I can lie to start with. You just go all dumbstruck and make Possum look chatty."

"Hey, I kept it together earlier."

"You're the reason we're in trouble now. I was doing really well, and then you couldn't back me up."

"North is really intimidating when he's pissed."

"Really, I had no idea." Gunther's voice dropped with sarcasm. "I thought I was going to die over bringing a girl on board."

Lawrence didn't respond.

"Lawrence?" Gunther lifted his head.

The second mate was out cold.

"Wow, that was fast." Gunther sighed and laid back down. "Meanwhile, I've got his elbow in my ribs and I don't even feel tired. This is stupid."