Better than We've Had (boyxboy)

Chapter Nine

Surprisingly, I woke up early the morning after Intrepid's ravenous celebration. My head hurt, I was dehydrated and hungry but so very content after the time spent with Sebastian. For the first time since being on the pirate ship I headed to the canteen for breakfast with a bounce in my step. On my way there I passed several members of the crew and nodded in greeting to all of them. But they didn't greet me back. No, they scowled at me, if I was lucky, spat at my feet or even tripped me if they were feeling more brazen.

It took me until about the end of breakfast to realize that last night someone must not have been as drunk was we thought and they remembered Sebastian and me dancing together. And, of course they made the unacceptable behavior known to the rest of the crew. There was a Molly in their midst and they wouldn't stand for that. Or, at least, they wouldn't stand for that without making my life a living Hell, so I didn't get any funny ideas. It's funny how a bunch of thieves and misfits didn't accept all misfits. It's almost as if they thought that I'd sleep with them just because I like men.

That notion disgusted me.

This strange hostile behavior continued all day.

It was the hottest point of the afternoon when Captain Jack came to me at the wheel.

I immediately thought the worst. All day people had been behaving horribly to me because they knew that I liked men. What if the captain knew? Would I be thrown off of the Intrepid too?

"I need an extra hand with one of the riggings. Someone tied shoddy knots. Can you fix it?" his hard gaze focused on me.

I felt the knots in my stomach immediately start to unwind at his words. He didn't know.

And I was good at tying knots. Asking if I could tie them was like asking if I breathed air. "I' m a sailor," I stated with my best charming smile, "I was tying knots before I could walk."

"Yeah well, they're all sailors too and someone still tied the damn knots wrong."

"Good point."

He took the wheel from me and explained where the faulty knotting was. "Might want to check the rest of the knots on your way up there."

I agreed with a quick nod of my head and went to fix the offending ropes. They just so happened to be the main way to get up to the crow's nest.

I found it easier to climb barefoot so, pulling off my boots, I ascended the rigging fixing the bad knots along the way. I couldn't figure out how the knots could have possible come undone. Overtime, they would have naturally tightened while holding the weight of those who climbed on them. The only way they could have come undone was if someone tied them completely wrong or they cut the rope too short after completing the knot.

It took me the better part of two hours to fix all of the knots and make my way to the deck again. Once there I slipped on one of my boots and gasped in pain. There was glass in it, slicing into the tender sole of my foot. I jumped to my other foot reaching to pull to boot off.

Someone came up behind me and I felt the lick of a blade against my back. What the heck was going on?

"Somethin' the matter?" A low voice I recognized as Mark asked as he pushed the blade a little harder against my back for emphasis.

This was a trick question. Clearly there was only one correct answer and I said it through gritted teeth, "No."

"Didn't think so. Better put yer other shoe on. You wear those the rest of the day or your little boyfriend gets what's commin' to him. We'll make him pay fer what you done."