Secret Santa 001
Title: Throwing a Line Out to Sea (To See If I Can Catch a Dream)
Summary: Pirate!AU ‘Tyson glared. “If you continue to argue with me about this, I’m going to hit you.” His expression softened. “Nicky, I love you. You’re more important than anything I own or any inheritance.”’
Pairing: Nick/Tyson
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 2,133
Note: This is part one of what will become an extensive AU. I’m really sorry I couldn't get it all done in time! I WILL be continuing this, and all the parts will be for yoooou~ <3
A loud clatter against his window woke Tyson up. Sitting up and looking around, he jumped as Something hit his window again, and Tyson drug himself over to his window to peer outside, ignoring the cold floorboards under his bare feet.
A grin lit up his face when he saw Nick standing under his window, face lit up by the full moon. Nick grinned and waved back, his other hand full of rocks.
“You realize you’re supposed to use pebbles, right?” Tyson asked, one he had quietly slipped out of his house, climbing down the trellis conveniently attached beneath his window.
Nick shrugged. “I haven’t broken a window yet.’ His tone was light, but there was a tense set to his shoulders and his mouth was tight.
“What’s wrong Nicky?” Tyson hesitated before asking.
‘Nick shook his head and murmured, “Not here,” before hurrying onwards to the forest lining Tyson’s home that had provided them with a haven to escape the troubles of their daily lives.
The empty streets were unsettling when combined with Nick’s silence. They walked side by side, Tyson’s hands stuck in the pockets of his dressing gown to protect them from the chilly night air.
Once they reached the outer edges of the forest Tyson turned to Nick and waited. Nick seemed to be struggling for words, so Tyson said nothing and watched emotions play across Nick’s face.
“They... my parents, they found out,” Nick whispered. Tyson’s breath caught. This was not good. “My mother saw us kiss when we met up two nights ago, and of course she told my father who - who is sending me away to study.” Tears were clouding Nick’s vision and creeping down his face. “They told me if I ever saw you again, they would tell your parents-” His voice broke off “-I shouldn’t be here, it’s putting you in danger. They could find out!”
Tyson stepped forward and enveloped Nick in a hug. “It’s not your fault,” he whispered fiercely. “I’m glad you told me instead of ignoring me to keep me safe.”
Nick breathed shakily and hugged him back. “I’ll miss you?” he whispered brokenly.
Tyson pulled back to stare at Nick, dumbfounded. “You’re not actually going to listen to them?!”
“Of course not!” Nick said, shaking his head. “I’m going to run away, try and get a job on a ship maybe. They won’t be able to find me there.”
“Find us, you mean,” Tyson said, his tone leaving little room for argument.
“What? No! You have a life here, and a family,” Nick protested. “You can’t just throw it all away for me.”
Tyson crossed his arms. “Yes I can. I’ll be married off to some air-headed girl sometime soon anyway. You are much better than any girl.”
Nick half-heartedly smiled before shaking his head. “I-I’m not worth you giving up your home, your life.”
Tyson glared. “If you continue to argue with me about this, I’m going to hit you.” His expression softened. “Nicky, I love you. You’re more important than anything I own or any inheritance.”
Nick hesitated before smiling, reaching forwards to take Tyson’s hands. Tyson grinned and bent forwards, pressing their foreheads together. They stood like that for a while, gaining comfort in each other’s presence.
“Let’s leave tonight,” Tyson said. “Your parents might have noticed you sneaking out.”
Nick frowned. “Do you think I’ll be able to go back to get my stuff?”
“Let’s not chance it; they will have been watching you like a hawk. I have enough for both of us.”
Nick nodded and then kissed him suddenly, not able to smother the huge grin that spread across his face.
-
Tyson had become a professional trellis climber from sneaking out to meet Nick, and had quickly developed the skill of climbing the trellis quickly and lightly. He was up it in a moment, while Nick had a little more trouble.
His foot caught and stuck in a gap in the wood on the trellis. He would have fallen to his death had the grip of his hands not transferred to the windowsill. Tyson rushed the short distance back and grasped Nick’s arms, helping heave Nick into the room. The trellis, however, was not so giving, and with a thunderously loud crack, it detached from the wall and the wood around Nick’s ankle snapped.
Foot suddenly free, Nick flew forwards and into Tyson, knocking both of them to the ground with a loud thump. They both flinched at the noise, but after a few seconds of listening to the silence, Tyson asked, “Are you alright?” Nick nodded and tried to look apologetic, but it was too dark in the room to see much more than the outline of Tyson’s face. They untangled themselves and got to work.
“Here,” Tyson whispered. “You finish this-” he handed the bag to Nick “-and I’m going to grab some food and supplies.” He grabbed another satchel and crept out the door.
Nick as best he could given the dim light of Tyson’s room, packing clothes quickly into the satchel, and when Tyson still wasn’t back by the time the satchel was filled, he rooted through Tyson’s other drawers, finding a fancy, gold pocketwatch and other valuable items. He started packing the trinkets, thinking that they could be used to buy board if needed. Stuffing the jewellery into a side pouch, he jumped as Tyson burst into the room, his expression wild and anxious.
“What’s wrong?” Nick asked, worried.
“I - I thought I heard voices,” Tyson stammered. Shaking his head he took Nick’s hand. “Let’s get out of here. We’ll have to go out the front. The trellis is too risky since it’s come off of the wall” It was then Nick noticed the two swords clutched in the hand not holding his.
He nodded and Tyson led them to the door, pausing to listen intently before obviously deciding that it was safe enough and tugged Nick through into the dark hallway, and down the servant’s staircase. They crept through the kitchen and into the dining room, Nick only barely dodging a rack of china.
It was their entrance into the foyer that ruined everything.
Tyson’s father stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, his face dark with anger.
“Tennyson,” his father began. “What is the meaning of this?” Nick glanced at Tyson’s expression, watching as it morphed from panicked to a scowl. Tyson hated that name, and only his parents insisted on using it, particularly his father. “Why was this peasant in your room? And where exactly do you think you’re going so early this morning?”
Tyson swallowed nervously and looked at a loss for words. Nick squeezed his hand to comfort him and hopefully give him strength.
“I’m leaving,” he said simply and walked past his father to the door, pulling Nick with him.
“No you are not!” his father lunged forwards and pulled Tyson towards him by the scruff of his collar. “I will not have my son corrupted and stolen by some commoner!” The thundered reply came and Tyson’s father continued shouting at Tyson and insulting Nick.
Seeing Tyson flinch back as his father roughly shook him using his hold on Tyson’s dressing gown, Nick clenched his hands and stepped forward. “Let him go!” Nick yelled, interrupting the older man’s tirade. “You’re hurting him!”
Tyson’s father scowled at him, taking one hand off of his son and stepping forwards, before bringing his hand up and abruptly backhanding Nick across the face.
Clutching his face, he forced himself to think. He had to get himself and Tyson out of here and away before Tyson’s father could wake the whole house. They were running out of time.
He stepped forwards and, using all his strength, shoved Tyson’s father away. It probably not would have worked had the elder man’s foot not caught on the stairs behind him. The bottom step disturbed his balance and his hand slipped off of Tyson as he fell.
“Guards!” the man shouted, making Nick flinch. Grabbing Tyson’s hand and they rushed past and fled the house, not stopping until they were in the town centre, out of breath.
“Come on, we should get a room and book passage out of here,” Nick said when he finally caught his breath.
Tyson only nodded, abnormally quiet and subdued and followed Nick towards a pub that still had light spilling out of the windows and onto the street.
Most occupants of the pub were passed out, half empty drinks still clutched in their hands and slumped over their tables. The pub owner looked on the edge of consciousness and rubbed at his eyes when he saw Nick and Tyson walk in.
“We’d like to rent a room for the night,” Nick said in way of greeting.
The pub owner blinked owlishly, his tiredness evident in his expression. “The night’s almost over, gentlemen.”
Nick said nothing and with a sour look, the host pulled out a key and told them the price. Nick bit his lip and looked at Tyson. “Would you be willing to party with any of this?” He said, holding out his satchel and gesturing inside. Tyson glanced inside before nodding. After a moment’s hesitation, Nick rooted around for a bit before pulling out a pendant and handing it over to the host. “Will this cover the cost of the room?”
The host hesitated - probably to ask something more - before handing the key and a small oil lamp over and muttering the directions to their room. Forcing a polite grin, Nick thanked him and they followed his directions, quickly finding their room. Stepping inside the tiny room, filled only with a single bed, a dresser and a small cupboard, Nick turned and locked the door while Tyson slid his dressing gown off and slid into the bed, scooting over to give Nick room.
Nick stepped over, extinguishing the lamp before climbing in. Pulling Tyson close, he whispered, “Are you all right?” Tyson’s unusual quiet was disturbing. His father’s presence must have really disturbed him.
Tyson nodded and curled into Nick’s side. Pressing his lips to Tyson’s temple, Nick tightened his arms around Tyson’s waist and rubbed his back soothingly, patiently waiting for Tyson to fall asleep before following shortly after.
-
Nick sat down next to Tyson on the floor, handing him one of the plates of breakfast he had managed to acquire from the pub’s cook.
Tyson smiled in thanks and dug in. He seemed to be back to normal that morning, no longer quiet and cowed. He had complained regularly of his parents’ control of him, but Nick had never seen its effects so directly. Tyson had said that he didn’t regret leaving, but he had wished he could have done so without confronting his father. Nick could understand why. His father was a terrifying man’. It’s less awkward to read.
They both felt too anxious to stay in town any longer than necessary and intended to buy passage on the next ship out of port. Before doing so, however, they had decided to stay for breakfast and to sort through what they had managed to pack. While Nick had left to get breakfast, Tyson had organised most of it into separate categories, messily piled around the room. One was obviously clothing, another one of valuable that Tyson managed to steal from his father’s study. A collection of daggers and pistols and a book his father always stashed money in were piled to Tyson’s left, and the jewellery Nick had foraged from his drawers were next to them. There was no food pile, Tyson having explained that there was no time to pack any since that was when he heard the noises from upstairs, but seeing as they had enough money and items to barter, it wouldn’t be a problem. Analysing the piles, Nick decided that they had almost everything they would need, and anything that they didn’t have, they could buy.
Picking up their bags, they split the piles equally between the satchels, carefully packing things so as not to break or fall out. Feeling guilty, Nick offered his share of Tyson’s jewellery back to him, but Tyson just laughed and shook his head. “It’s better if you have half of it. If I lost my pack, we’d be out of money.”
Nick nodded and then finishing, they shouldered their packs and headed downstairs, Passing by the bar, they nodded at the owner before exiting onto the busy streets and setting off for the docks, filled with hope for the future and a touch of destiny.