MandC: Comfort
Title: Comfort
Author:thedeepeekay
Fandom: mandC
Pairing, Characters: Stephen, Jack, crew
Rating: PG-ish. Indirect mention of drug abuse, and, if you squint, slash.
Spoilers: None. Hints at Diana, but doesn't mention her.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been, never will be.
Length: 889 words
Status: One-shot
Summary: Stephen is grumpy. The Surprises despair.
Author's Note: For tootsiemuppet. Shockingly non-angsty. As always, not beta'd.
Crossposted to: perfect_duet, here
Written: January 2009
The Surprise was a happy ship. Most of the time. She should be a happy ship now, too. She wasn't, though.
See, a happy ship needed a happy crew. A happy crew needed a happy captain. And a happy captain, at least one called Lucky Jack, needed a happy doctor. Well, at least a not too moody doctor.
And right now, Surprise's doctor was very moody. Complete with snarling and hissing and snarking and bleeding the whole crew and telling the captain to bend over even though he had been on his best behaviour (for fear of angering the doctor further) when he was in one of his more aggressive moods. And sighing and moping and staring off into space and falling into the water and not eating anything but substances that were destined to become illegal in future times when he was in a less aggressive mood.
Surprise wasn't happy at the moment. And everybody (except the doctor) knew whose fault it was. Not the doctor's. No, it was the fault of the mystery woman whose handwriting had been on the envelop the post ship had delivered to him. The crew had known that letter was bad news when their doctor had taken it and disappeared from deck without lecturing anyone about shooting the albatross following them. The captain had known the moment he recognized the woman's handwriting.
~~~
The crew and the captain did everything they could think of to cheer their doctor up.
They did not shoot the albatross. The doctor had vanished under deck without even noticing.
They shot the albatross and fished it out of the water for the doctor to dissect. He told them to make dinner out of it, tried to climb the rigging, and fell into the water.
They had cut back on their grog because the doctor didn't want them to drink too much of it. But that had just made them sit around deck moping depressively, too.
They had made the doctor drink grog to loosen up, to forget and have a good time. He turned out to be a morose drunk who soon left their company to scribble into some book.
They painted the railing so the doctor would take pleasure in the sight of the trim, well-kept ship. He managed to leave footprints all over the deck, and halfway to the sick bay.
They worked the guns until they had a new best time to impress him with. All he said was that they'd given him a headache before he retreated for the rest of the day and the better part of the next. Then he made them drink some vile concoction, for their own good.
They found a French ship, chased it, and took it a prize after a hard fight. He grumbled about greed, bloodlust, and barbarism and then philosophised on human nature in general, in a tone of voice that had the captain follow him around on deck for fear he might fall into the water again, but this time deliberately.
They changed course towards an island with lost of vermin on it. He complained that now it would take even longer for them to reach England again, looked at the captain accusingly, and bled the whole crew. The captain twice.
They sang and danced on deck all evening because the doctor liked music. He insulted their taste and talent and went to bed because in that noise he couldn't play on his cello.
They refrained from singing and dancing on deck so the captain and the doctor would not be disturbed playing boring upper-class music in the cabin. He said that now he could hear in what a distorting manner the narrow walls reflected the sound and left the cabin abruptly in the middle of the first duet.
They reached the island with the vermin. He looked resentfully at the crewmen crowding in the boats to take shore leave and complained about sailors not knowing how to move on land and the injuries he'd have to treat from them stumbling over stones and roots.
They cancelled shore leave and walked around deck without breaking any legs. He complained that it was too crowded and there was no place to sit quietly by himself.
Then they decided they needed a break.
They bundled him into a boat and left him on the island for the night, hoping some bug would bite him and cheer him up. The captain volunteered to keep him company and make sure he didn't fall into a puddle and drown. His crew sent him off with dinner, grog, and a flare gun should he need rescuing.
And it was on that island, with the crew's endless efforts gone for the time being and the captain wistfully staring out at the sea and the ship, that the doctor felt the pressure on the anger he wore like armour lift. As the frown that had been carved onto his face eased, the band around his breast untightened, and, finding himself encased in the captain's arms, he finally could dissolve into heaving sobs and bitter tears.
~~~
The next day found Surprise a happy ship again. With a happy crew, a happy captain, and a happy doctor. And several dozen happy poisonous beetles, who were about to make the crew decidedly less happy.
Author:thedeepeekay
Fandom: mandC
Pairing, Characters: Stephen, Jack, crew
Rating: PG-ish. Indirect mention of drug abuse, and, if you squint, slash.
Spoilers: None. Hints at Diana, but doesn't mention her.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never has been, never will be.
Length: 889 words
Status: One-shot
Summary: Stephen is grumpy. The Surprises despair.
Author's Note: For tootsiemuppet. Shockingly non-angsty. As always, not beta'd.
Crossposted to: perfect_duet, here
Written: January 2009
The Surprise was a happy ship. Most of the time. She should be a happy ship now, too. She wasn't, though.
See, a happy ship needed a happy crew. A happy crew needed a happy captain. And a happy captain, at least one called Lucky Jack, needed a happy doctor. Well, at least a not too moody doctor.
And right now, Surprise's doctor was very moody. Complete with snarling and hissing and snarking and bleeding the whole crew and telling the captain to bend over even though he had been on his best behaviour (for fear of angering the doctor further) when he was in one of his more aggressive moods. And sighing and moping and staring off into space and falling into the water and not eating anything but substances that were destined to become illegal in future times when he was in a less aggressive mood.
Surprise wasn't happy at the moment. And everybody (except the doctor) knew whose fault it was. Not the doctor's. No, it was the fault of the mystery woman whose handwriting had been on the envelop the post ship had delivered to him. The crew had known that letter was bad news when their doctor had taken it and disappeared from deck without lecturing anyone about shooting the albatross following them. The captain had known the moment he recognized the woman's handwriting.
~~~
The crew and the captain did everything they could think of to cheer their doctor up.
They did not shoot the albatross. The doctor had vanished under deck without even noticing.
They shot the albatross and fished it out of the water for the doctor to dissect. He told them to make dinner out of it, tried to climb the rigging, and fell into the water.
They had cut back on their grog because the doctor didn't want them to drink too much of it. But that had just made them sit around deck moping depressively, too.
They had made the doctor drink grog to loosen up, to forget and have a good time. He turned out to be a morose drunk who soon left their company to scribble into some book.
They painted the railing so the doctor would take pleasure in the sight of the trim, well-kept ship. He managed to leave footprints all over the deck, and halfway to the sick bay.
They worked the guns until they had a new best time to impress him with. All he said was that they'd given him a headache before he retreated for the rest of the day and the better part of the next. Then he made them drink some vile concoction, for their own good.
They found a French ship, chased it, and took it a prize after a hard fight. He grumbled about greed, bloodlust, and barbarism and then philosophised on human nature in general, in a tone of voice that had the captain follow him around on deck for fear he might fall into the water again, but this time deliberately.
They changed course towards an island with lost of vermin on it. He complained that now it would take even longer for them to reach England again, looked at the captain accusingly, and bled the whole crew. The captain twice.
They sang and danced on deck all evening because the doctor liked music. He insulted their taste and talent and went to bed because in that noise he couldn't play on his cello.
They refrained from singing and dancing on deck so the captain and the doctor would not be disturbed playing boring upper-class music in the cabin. He said that now he could hear in what a distorting manner the narrow walls reflected the sound and left the cabin abruptly in the middle of the first duet.
They reached the island with the vermin. He looked resentfully at the crewmen crowding in the boats to take shore leave and complained about sailors not knowing how to move on land and the injuries he'd have to treat from them stumbling over stones and roots.
They cancelled shore leave and walked around deck without breaking any legs. He complained that it was too crowded and there was no place to sit quietly by himself.
Then they decided they needed a break.
They bundled him into a boat and left him on the island for the night, hoping some bug would bite him and cheer him up. The captain volunteered to keep him company and make sure he didn't fall into a puddle and drown. His crew sent him off with dinner, grog, and a flare gun should he need rescuing.
And it was on that island, with the crew's endless efforts gone for the time being and the captain wistfully staring out at the sea and the ship, that the doctor felt the pressure on the anger he wore like armour lift. As the frown that had been carved onto his face eased, the band around his breast untightened, and, finding himself encased in the captain's arms, he finally could dissolve into heaving sobs and bitter tears.
~~~
The next day found Surprise a happy ship again. With a happy crew, a happy captain, and a happy doctor. And several dozen happy poisonous beetles, who were about to make the crew decidedly less happy.