Categories > Anime/Manga > Gundam Wing > Captains
TITLE: CAPTAINS
FANDOM: Gundam Wing
PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background
RATING: R/NC-17
GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance
WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing
DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me.
SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.
Chapter 7: The Hasty Departure
The afternoon was coming to an end and a few ships had just sailed away profiting of the tide. People had come in great numbers to say their goodbyes or make a few last deals with the departing seamen who might not touch ground again for a few weeks, sometimes even months. The docks were thus inconveniently crowded.
While growing up in his faraway Spain, Hernan had often been mocked by the other kids regarding his plumpness. Nobody ever wanted to let him join in their ballgames saying that he was too fat to run. Nowadays in his fifties, he had overcome his traumatizing childhood and had grown comfortable in his round body. If those mean kids of long ago could have seen him right now, they would have been ashamed of themselves. Because in spite of his cumbersome weight, in spite of his age, Hernan was running and he was damn fast. He rushed through the crowd like a cannonball not slowing for anything or anyone, pushing aside the annoying passers-by that got in his way, impervious to their indignant protests. He had been among the ones that followed after Wufei in search of their errant Captain and was the first to leave the scene when it became clear Shinigami's crew would have to pull off one of their disappearing act.
"Holaaaaaaa Rashiiiiiiid! Get ready to sail!"
Rashid cringed at the sheer volume of the blooming voice but hurried nonetheless to ready the Sandrock. It looked like they wouldn't miss the tide in the end. He didn't spare the time for a glance over the guardrail as he knew well what he would see. The sight of the plump Spanish man sprinting toward the ship with a big toothy grin under a black pointy moustache was a familiar one. Those hasty departures were getting old fast. He gave urgent orders to cut the mooring ropes and to release the sails pointedly ignoring the missing members of the crew who came bursting one after another on the gangway. Even Auda and Abdul unceremoniously dumping a sputtering Wufei on the deck didn't get more than a raised eyebrow.
When Captain Shinigami finally took his place behind the helm with a bloodied nose and ordered the crew at their post with an unusually nasal voice, everybody instantly scattered to obey without any comment. Rashid went down the low deck to check that the cannons were secured. When the boat cleared the dock, he heard the forgotten gangway falling in the water with a resounding splash. He shook his head with reluctant but fond indulgence.
Sandrock in its brigantine form couldn't compare with the Deathscythe. It posed as a modest merchant ship and thus didn't have much sails. It was still decent for its class and with the tide at its strongest and favourable winds it cleared the port in no time. However, the crew only began to relax once the night descended over them without any sign of pursuers and once Duo gave the familiar order to let the Deathscythe loose. Shinigami had the preternatural ability to know when someone lurked around his ship. That was how nobody had ever assisted to the incredible transformation. If he was allowing it now, they knew they were safe.
It was an unsettling experience to be onboard while the change was underway, yet they had all gotten used to it and even found it strangely comforting now. They always huddled in the living quarters as that was the only place that stayed the same on board both incarnations of the ship. They listened in utter silence to the cracking of wood and the screeching of metal with an ever anew quasi religious awe, no matter how many times they had witnessed the phenomenon. Barring occasional problems which then had Howard and Gene exiting the safety of the cabins in order to repair a mechanism or another, once Shinigami activated the lever on his desk, the transformation only took a little under fifteen minutes. That wasn't all that long considering the extent of the prowess, but the engineers were working on reducing even that already short time. They feared it was still too long as the noisy machines could give them away by those eerily calm nights on the sea when sound travelled far. It had happened already a number of times that other seamen or even islanders heard the transformation from a distance. However, as the disturbance's origin was too improbable to fathom, the unidentified sounds had gave birth to all new tales of sea monsters which, all things considered, were much more believable than the reality. Even when it wasn't planned for, Deathscythe was a prolific myth-maker.
When it was safe to leave the cabins, the crew didn't waste much time to chat and went on to attend to their various tasks. Wufei alone was conspicuous by his absence and Meiran commented that he was probably hiding somewhere flagellating himself about almost spilling Shinigami's secret in front of a Navy officer. It was most likely true as the proud Chinese valued his honour above everything and such a stupid mistake committed while in a fit of rage was sure to have shamed him deeply. He was probably apologizing to his ancestors swearing to try to rein in his temper from now on. This good resolution however would probably not hold for long as the poor man was living in a very stressful environment surrounded by the most irritating people ever and they would have challenged the patience of even the most level-headed of Saints.
Auda, the unofficial cook went to his stove, happy to have fresh produces to work with and do justice to his talent. When they spent some time in deep sea the stock dwindled fast and they had to get going on bland food made from cereals which spoiled slower, usually oatmeal, even if the introduction of rice onboard by their Asian crew members had pleasantly improved their menus. Abdul had first watch and climbed to the crow's nest with the agility of old habit. Howard and Gene went rekindling their old debate about armour against speed, or some such argument they indulged in to keep their mind sharp. As the inventor of the saltpetre lamps, clever devices which littered the ship and provided onboard the much needed blue-green light almost unnoticeable from afar, Hernan was in charge of lighting them; he went on his way whistling. Meiran, Rashid and Ahmad busied themselves securing the load, checking the decks were clean and unencumbered and doing other menial tasks that were necessary maintenance when living on a boat. Quatre, second in command by general consensus took the helm as his Captain was otherwise occupied.
The bald man who had truthfully introduced himself as Duo and Wufei's Doctor earlier in the day stayed behind to dispense the needed care to his Captain's injury. Shinigami had found him years ago drifting on a funeral barge in the open sea off Batavia. There had to be a good story behind this event but Omkarnath, whom everyone simply called O for obvious reasons, had not been very forthcoming with the details. The mysterious man was knowledgeable in Oriental medicine and herb lore. With nowhere to go, he had chosen to stay onboard Deathscythe and was now in charge of keeping the crew alive and healthy, which more often than not proved to be a challenge. Duo hating being fussed over and O's bedside manners letting much to be desired, the examination went quickly. Once assured his Captain wasn't haemorrhaging and would thus live, O departed hastily with an irreverent chuckle. Duo really sounded funny with a busted nose.
Shinigami locked himself in his apartments, studying his maps to plan their route to the next port. They were expected in a fortnight in Port Royal where they had to deliver an artefact some old coot had promised them a fortune in gold for. They had been unexpectedly fast in accomplishing their mission and in spite of the troubles they had encountered on their way back, they still had plenty of time to spare. Duo wasn't worried. He knew Deathscythe could easily reach Jamaica in a week and that's why he had taken the time to stop in Sank for well needed repairs. Feeling ambitious he mused if it would be worth it to try to cut the trip by half. That would have been impossibility for any captain, but Shinigami wasn't anyone and it would be nothing more than the latest in a long list of challenge he regularly attempted on a whim. Under his apparent good-heartedness, Duo Maxwell was an expert navigator and a talented sailor. There wasn't a reef or a traitorous current he didn't know in all of the Caribbean and a few other areas. At the source of Shinigami's legend there was much more than folklore but real genius; that's why his crew trusted him fully.
One hour after separating, they met again in the kitchen. It was tradition onboard the Deathscythe to take each meal together as a big obnoxious family. The person on watch in the crow's nest was usually the only one excused from attending but today Wufei didn't come out of hiding either. Dinner was an unusually quiet affair and the conversation rolled on diverse but innocuous subjects as Shinigami seemed reluctant to talk about the day's events and no one was too eager to give him any motive of getting angry again as he had been at noon. Once every plate had been emptied clean to Auda's beaming pride everyone but Rashid who had helm duty retreated, most likely on their way to the living quarters to sleep or to compete in a few poker games.
Shinigami was weighing the wisdom of going to bed with the knowledge he wouldn't be able to sleep against that of taking one of the heavy books he kept as treasures and reading till exhaustion. He was interrupted in his musings by a quiet knock on the door. Would he have been asleep, it wouldn't have awakened him. Such thoughtfulness could come from only one person and Duo smiled before inviting his visitor in. Once he'd gotten the go ahead, Quatre entered the cabin decisively and deposited two bottles on the desk. He gave Duo a mischievous grin and took a seat. Quatre had brought rum for his friend and lemonade for himself as his religion forbade him to drink alcohol. Duo often teased him about being a shame as a pirate as he didn't even know how rum tasted. At least he hadn't brought glasses this time: it had been a trial to bend the Prince's manners till they allowed him to drink directly from the bottle. The blond studied Duo for a while taking stock of his general appearance. He winced with sympathy when his eyes got to the nose which had swollen significantly.
"How do you feel?"
"I've been better... Yet again, I've been worse. Doc' O assures me nothing's broken but it still hurts like a bitch."
Quatre nodded, satisfied, and then began his interrogation.
"So, care to tell me what was this all about this afternoon?"
Duo looked decidedly uncomfortable and sighed with annoyance. There wasn't much anyone could do when Quatre wanted you to spill your guts, aside from tell him the truth that is. He had that angelic baby face and earnest eyes you couldn't help but confess everything to and as if that wasn't enough, he always knew when you were lying.
"Well, I was in no hurry to get back to the ship..."
The blond gave him a knowing look. "You were sulking."
"Whatever. I stopped to chat with some Ladies."
"I guess we're talking about LeChuck's prostitutes here."
Duo answered with a cheeky unapologetic grin. "That's what I was saying. Then I saw the dressmaker who introduced me to the Governor's daughter."
"Last week's flavour you used and dumped without remorse if I'm not mistaken." Quatre, unlike Wufei had a way to reprimand that didn't make you want to hit him, maybe because he sounded more amused than righteous.
"Anyway, I thought it was wise to avoid her... You know, to spare her feelings..."
"You run like a girl so she wouldn't make a scene."
This time, Duo ignored the interruption. "...and I ran into the Captain Lowe... literally. That's when Wufei appeared from out of nowhere and got into another fit of rage. I didn't do anything to anger him... this time. Honest to God!"
"Huh huh... Captain Lowe you say. Do you know him?"
"That's the weird thing. I had already met him this morning at the Palace... while in the dress. When I saw him again, I was worried he would recognize me. He didn't appear to. But seriously, two collisions with the same officer in one day, somebody up there must hate me. What are the odds?"
"Not good."
"Humph, we have the shittiest of luck lately."
"You don't say. Nobody's gotten hurt real badly yet but I'll feel better once we get to Port Royal. I can't wait to get rid of that thing."
"You really think that cross is cursed? You can't be serious."
"All I know is that since we found it we've been attacked twice and Deathscythe's been damaged each time including by the Epyon which was in the habit of missing us every time. We were caught in a storm. The mast broke. Everybody's been sick or injured and now that! Such string of bad luck is kind of unusual, don't you think? However you look at it that doesn't seem natural... and I have a bad feeling."
"Okay okay. That's probably enough to make anyone superstitious but it's not as if there's much I can do about it. I refuse to dump the cross in the ocean with how much Serin is ready to pay for it. In less than a week we'll be in Jamaica, so, if you're right that's not much time to wait before things get back to normal."
"May Allah hear you Duo! May Allah hear you."
FANDOM: Gundam Wing
PAIRING: 1x2 and some het pairings in the background
RATING: R/NC-17
GENRE: AU, Adventure, Historical, Romance
WARNING: yaoi, crossdressing, swearing
DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything save for the story, so please don't sue poor little me.
SUMMARY: The Caribbean in the time of pirates. Duo Maxwell is an infamous captain pirate bored with easy lays. His life will get much more interesting when he meets the dark Navy Captain Heero Yuy in the most unusual circumstances.
Chapter 7: The Hasty Departure
The afternoon was coming to an end and a few ships had just sailed away profiting of the tide. People had come in great numbers to say their goodbyes or make a few last deals with the departing seamen who might not touch ground again for a few weeks, sometimes even months. The docks were thus inconveniently crowded.
While growing up in his faraway Spain, Hernan had often been mocked by the other kids regarding his plumpness. Nobody ever wanted to let him join in their ballgames saying that he was too fat to run. Nowadays in his fifties, he had overcome his traumatizing childhood and had grown comfortable in his round body. If those mean kids of long ago could have seen him right now, they would have been ashamed of themselves. Because in spite of his cumbersome weight, in spite of his age, Hernan was running and he was damn fast. He rushed through the crowd like a cannonball not slowing for anything or anyone, pushing aside the annoying passers-by that got in his way, impervious to their indignant protests. He had been among the ones that followed after Wufei in search of their errant Captain and was the first to leave the scene when it became clear Shinigami's crew would have to pull off one of their disappearing act.
"Holaaaaaaa Rashiiiiiiid! Get ready to sail!"
Rashid cringed at the sheer volume of the blooming voice but hurried nonetheless to ready the Sandrock. It looked like they wouldn't miss the tide in the end. He didn't spare the time for a glance over the guardrail as he knew well what he would see. The sight of the plump Spanish man sprinting toward the ship with a big toothy grin under a black pointy moustache was a familiar one. Those hasty departures were getting old fast. He gave urgent orders to cut the mooring ropes and to release the sails pointedly ignoring the missing members of the crew who came bursting one after another on the gangway. Even Auda and Abdul unceremoniously dumping a sputtering Wufei on the deck didn't get more than a raised eyebrow.
When Captain Shinigami finally took his place behind the helm with a bloodied nose and ordered the crew at their post with an unusually nasal voice, everybody instantly scattered to obey without any comment. Rashid went down the low deck to check that the cannons were secured. When the boat cleared the dock, he heard the forgotten gangway falling in the water with a resounding splash. He shook his head with reluctant but fond indulgence.
Sandrock in its brigantine form couldn't compare with the Deathscythe. It posed as a modest merchant ship and thus didn't have much sails. It was still decent for its class and with the tide at its strongest and favourable winds it cleared the port in no time. However, the crew only began to relax once the night descended over them without any sign of pursuers and once Duo gave the familiar order to let the Deathscythe loose. Shinigami had the preternatural ability to know when someone lurked around his ship. That was how nobody had ever assisted to the incredible transformation. If he was allowing it now, they knew they were safe.
It was an unsettling experience to be onboard while the change was underway, yet they had all gotten used to it and even found it strangely comforting now. They always huddled in the living quarters as that was the only place that stayed the same on board both incarnations of the ship. They listened in utter silence to the cracking of wood and the screeching of metal with an ever anew quasi religious awe, no matter how many times they had witnessed the phenomenon. Barring occasional problems which then had Howard and Gene exiting the safety of the cabins in order to repair a mechanism or another, once Shinigami activated the lever on his desk, the transformation only took a little under fifteen minutes. That wasn't all that long considering the extent of the prowess, but the engineers were working on reducing even that already short time. They feared it was still too long as the noisy machines could give them away by those eerily calm nights on the sea when sound travelled far. It had happened already a number of times that other seamen or even islanders heard the transformation from a distance. However, as the disturbance's origin was too improbable to fathom, the unidentified sounds had gave birth to all new tales of sea monsters which, all things considered, were much more believable than the reality. Even when it wasn't planned for, Deathscythe was a prolific myth-maker.
When it was safe to leave the cabins, the crew didn't waste much time to chat and went on to attend to their various tasks. Wufei alone was conspicuous by his absence and Meiran commented that he was probably hiding somewhere flagellating himself about almost spilling Shinigami's secret in front of a Navy officer. It was most likely true as the proud Chinese valued his honour above everything and such a stupid mistake committed while in a fit of rage was sure to have shamed him deeply. He was probably apologizing to his ancestors swearing to try to rein in his temper from now on. This good resolution however would probably not hold for long as the poor man was living in a very stressful environment surrounded by the most irritating people ever and they would have challenged the patience of even the most level-headed of Saints.
Auda, the unofficial cook went to his stove, happy to have fresh produces to work with and do justice to his talent. When they spent some time in deep sea the stock dwindled fast and they had to get going on bland food made from cereals which spoiled slower, usually oatmeal, even if the introduction of rice onboard by their Asian crew members had pleasantly improved their menus. Abdul had first watch and climbed to the crow's nest with the agility of old habit. Howard and Gene went rekindling their old debate about armour against speed, or some such argument they indulged in to keep their mind sharp. As the inventor of the saltpetre lamps, clever devices which littered the ship and provided onboard the much needed blue-green light almost unnoticeable from afar, Hernan was in charge of lighting them; he went on his way whistling. Meiran, Rashid and Ahmad busied themselves securing the load, checking the decks were clean and unencumbered and doing other menial tasks that were necessary maintenance when living on a boat. Quatre, second in command by general consensus took the helm as his Captain was otherwise occupied.
The bald man who had truthfully introduced himself as Duo and Wufei's Doctor earlier in the day stayed behind to dispense the needed care to his Captain's injury. Shinigami had found him years ago drifting on a funeral barge in the open sea off Batavia. There had to be a good story behind this event but Omkarnath, whom everyone simply called O for obvious reasons, had not been very forthcoming with the details. The mysterious man was knowledgeable in Oriental medicine and herb lore. With nowhere to go, he had chosen to stay onboard Deathscythe and was now in charge of keeping the crew alive and healthy, which more often than not proved to be a challenge. Duo hating being fussed over and O's bedside manners letting much to be desired, the examination went quickly. Once assured his Captain wasn't haemorrhaging and would thus live, O departed hastily with an irreverent chuckle. Duo really sounded funny with a busted nose.
Shinigami locked himself in his apartments, studying his maps to plan their route to the next port. They were expected in a fortnight in Port Royal where they had to deliver an artefact some old coot had promised them a fortune in gold for. They had been unexpectedly fast in accomplishing their mission and in spite of the troubles they had encountered on their way back, they still had plenty of time to spare. Duo wasn't worried. He knew Deathscythe could easily reach Jamaica in a week and that's why he had taken the time to stop in Sank for well needed repairs. Feeling ambitious he mused if it would be worth it to try to cut the trip by half. That would have been impossibility for any captain, but Shinigami wasn't anyone and it would be nothing more than the latest in a long list of challenge he regularly attempted on a whim. Under his apparent good-heartedness, Duo Maxwell was an expert navigator and a talented sailor. There wasn't a reef or a traitorous current he didn't know in all of the Caribbean and a few other areas. At the source of Shinigami's legend there was much more than folklore but real genius; that's why his crew trusted him fully.
One hour after separating, they met again in the kitchen. It was tradition onboard the Deathscythe to take each meal together as a big obnoxious family. The person on watch in the crow's nest was usually the only one excused from attending but today Wufei didn't come out of hiding either. Dinner was an unusually quiet affair and the conversation rolled on diverse but innocuous subjects as Shinigami seemed reluctant to talk about the day's events and no one was too eager to give him any motive of getting angry again as he had been at noon. Once every plate had been emptied clean to Auda's beaming pride everyone but Rashid who had helm duty retreated, most likely on their way to the living quarters to sleep or to compete in a few poker games.
Shinigami was weighing the wisdom of going to bed with the knowledge he wouldn't be able to sleep against that of taking one of the heavy books he kept as treasures and reading till exhaustion. He was interrupted in his musings by a quiet knock on the door. Would he have been asleep, it wouldn't have awakened him. Such thoughtfulness could come from only one person and Duo smiled before inviting his visitor in. Once he'd gotten the go ahead, Quatre entered the cabin decisively and deposited two bottles on the desk. He gave Duo a mischievous grin and took a seat. Quatre had brought rum for his friend and lemonade for himself as his religion forbade him to drink alcohol. Duo often teased him about being a shame as a pirate as he didn't even know how rum tasted. At least he hadn't brought glasses this time: it had been a trial to bend the Prince's manners till they allowed him to drink directly from the bottle. The blond studied Duo for a while taking stock of his general appearance. He winced with sympathy when his eyes got to the nose which had swollen significantly.
"How do you feel?"
"I've been better... Yet again, I've been worse. Doc' O assures me nothing's broken but it still hurts like a bitch."
Quatre nodded, satisfied, and then began his interrogation.
"So, care to tell me what was this all about this afternoon?"
Duo looked decidedly uncomfortable and sighed with annoyance. There wasn't much anyone could do when Quatre wanted you to spill your guts, aside from tell him the truth that is. He had that angelic baby face and earnest eyes you couldn't help but confess everything to and as if that wasn't enough, he always knew when you were lying.
"Well, I was in no hurry to get back to the ship..."
The blond gave him a knowing look. "You were sulking."
"Whatever. I stopped to chat with some Ladies."
"I guess we're talking about LeChuck's prostitutes here."
Duo answered with a cheeky unapologetic grin. "That's what I was saying. Then I saw the dressmaker who introduced me to the Governor's daughter."
"Last week's flavour you used and dumped without remorse if I'm not mistaken." Quatre, unlike Wufei had a way to reprimand that didn't make you want to hit him, maybe because he sounded more amused than righteous.
"Anyway, I thought it was wise to avoid her... You know, to spare her feelings..."
"You run like a girl so she wouldn't make a scene."
This time, Duo ignored the interruption. "...and I ran into the Captain Lowe... literally. That's when Wufei appeared from out of nowhere and got into another fit of rage. I didn't do anything to anger him... this time. Honest to God!"
"Huh huh... Captain Lowe you say. Do you know him?"
"That's the weird thing. I had already met him this morning at the Palace... while in the dress. When I saw him again, I was worried he would recognize me. He didn't appear to. But seriously, two collisions with the same officer in one day, somebody up there must hate me. What are the odds?"
"Not good."
"Humph, we have the shittiest of luck lately."
"You don't say. Nobody's gotten hurt real badly yet but I'll feel better once we get to Port Royal. I can't wait to get rid of that thing."
"You really think that cross is cursed? You can't be serious."
"All I know is that since we found it we've been attacked twice and Deathscythe's been damaged each time including by the Epyon which was in the habit of missing us every time. We were caught in a storm. The mast broke. Everybody's been sick or injured and now that! Such string of bad luck is kind of unusual, don't you think? However you look at it that doesn't seem natural... and I have a bad feeling."
"Okay okay. That's probably enough to make anyone superstitious but it's not as if there's much I can do about it. I refuse to dump the cross in the ocean with how much Serin is ready to pay for it. In less than a week we'll be in Jamaica, so, if you're right that's not much time to wait before things get back to normal."
"May Allah hear you Duo! May Allah hear you."
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