All That Glitters Is Not Gold (Work In Progress) (PAGE ONE)
(slash requested)
Summary: Shark is a handsome young pirate with an endearing smile, he seems sweet and sometimes just a little misguided or misunderstood. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth for this calculating cutthroat and when he discovers a woman onboard trying to get home, he discovers that life isn't all about riches and taking liberties with human lives. But will he ever change?
***
Unfinished. Unedited. Rough Draft.
***
UPDATED: February 18th, 2015, 8.54AM (my time)
***
Spring was a good time of the year to be just about anywhere, huddled away in a corner of the globe was a small village town that was thriving with tourists who had come from near and far for it’s spring festivities. The docks were filled with ships and the salty sea air was warm and welcoming as a gentle breeze blew all around, keeping the climate temperate and comfortable. There were a lot of smiling faces and plenty of cash flow to keep the little town going for another year at least, their fishing boats and small exports of crops and supplies being the main income for the rest of the time. It was early morning and the only upset at this quiet hour, was a man known only as ‘Shark’ being thrown out of the local brothel. He stumbled, still buckling up his belt and turned to face his abuser.
“..And don’t you ever come back!” the better dressed man snarled.
“I’m sorry,” Shark apologized, bewildered, “I don’t understand, what have I done wrong?”
“I’ll tell you what you did,” the man glared at him, grasping his wrist firmly, “you only paid for one girl and you’ve been seen with at least four others! I’ll have the authorities take you in for that!”
“Oh.. “ Shark looked suddenly sheepish, “th-there’s been a misunderstanding, oh I feel so embarrassed! Where I come from, you see, we just pay at the door and have at it.. I’m so sorry, I feel terrible! Yes, call the authorities.. “
The man softened his eyes and let go of Shark’s wrist, clearing his throat and straightening himself up.
“Yes, well.. “ the man looked a bit uncertain now, “see that it doesn’t happen again. I’ll let you off this time.”
Shark looked genuinely relieved, but he was soft spoken and people found that his British accent made him sound intelligent. Of course he was very clever and quick witted, one might even say cunning, but he often played it down so as not to appear too proper, he'd never get away with anything if people thought he was rich gentry.
“Oh thank you so much, sir!” Shark breathed with a half smile, “I’d pay you, I would but.. I don’t even have enough to get home.. I feel awful.”
The man inclined his head, looking over the younger male. Shark's expression was apologetic, his eyes big and sad for what he'd done and the brothel owner felt badly for him. His heart went out to the handsome blonde fellow, so producing a small pouch, he opened it up to Shark and thrust it towards him.
“Here,” he spoke gently, intending for Shark to take a few coins from inside. Shark took the entire pouch, surprising the man.
“Oh, thank you!” Shark was instantly ecstatic, “you are truly kind sir, I shall tell everyone I meet to come by your brothel, I swear! Thank you!”
He was backing away as he praised, leaving the man stunned as to what had just happened. Shark hurried on towards the center of town, shoving the pouch into his pocket and looking around quickly to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He smirked to himself for a job well done, not only had he just had the time of his life last night with no less than 6 women but he’d got it all for free with some extra coin for his efforts. There was easily enough in that pouch to have paid for all six women, so he picked up his pace and walked just a little faster to be on the safer side of things. Glancing up at the store signs, he noticed they were opening up and he went into one to have his boots mended. While he sat and waited, Shark kept an eye on the window because he thought that sooner or later, the authorities might actually come looking for him. He need not have worried though, the man was too embarrassed to admit that he'd simply handed over the pouch, how was that stealing? He couldn't call upon anyone without having to either lie or admit that he'd been quite foolish!
He consoled himself with the hopes that Shark would live up to his word and send him richer clients, he had no idea the young man was a pirate because Shark was quite good at deception and trickery. He'd lived on a ship for as long as he could remember, before that he was nothing more than an abandoned street urchin but he never struggled to survive. Shark used his cuteness back then to make people want to give him things, he wore nice clothes because of this and so was not regarded as homeless or dirty. But there was something about him that few, if anyone, ever actually understood. While he appeared sweet and misunderstood on the surface, Shark lived up to his nickname and was actually quite cold blooded, so to speak. Not much could faze him. For example, one of his best friends died right beside him onboard and he had simply cast the man a quick glance before getting up and just walking away. No tears, no outward grief or sadness and he had a new best friend within the hour, having received comfort from them for feelings and emotions that he was supposed to have had at that point in time.
Shark was hard to miss, with eyes unlike anyone else’s anywhere in the world. Both blue but one pupil damaged beyond repair, making that one eye (the left) seem green or brown in different lighting. He stood up as his boots were placed upon the counter, looking them over to inspect them while the clerk waited for his approval.
“I really could do with some socks,” Shark told the clerk, “you’ve done an excellent job, a fine job sir, if I may say so. I just wish.. I had a bit more money sir.”
The clerk looked up at him and felt sympathetic towards the young man, who looked like he was fighting back tears of embarrassment. But again, Shark was well kept and didn't look anything like a beggar nor a pirate, so sympathy was easily gained here.
“Tell you what,” the kindly clerk offered, placing a few pairs of socks on top of the mended boots, “just take them, you can pay me another time.”
He smiled and Shark gathered up the lot, putting his boots on and thanking the clerk profusely as he left the shop quickly, before the clerk could figure out that he’d taken the boots and the socks without paying him at all. The clerk stood there for a while, a confused expression on his face, he had only meant for the socks to be taken without payment, he made them with the free leftover wool from the farmers just out of town. But the mended boots weren’t part of that offer, of course he did not call anyone, figuring it to be his own fault for the misunderstanding and chalking it up to a lesson learned. He’d have to be a lot clearer in the future..
Shark glanced up at the shop signs once more, but there weren’t any others he was particularly interested in, so he continued making his way towards the docks. The ship he had come in on was the biggest ship in port, they had been docked here for only two days so far and the Captain didn’t like to stay in one place for any longer than three. Shark got his name a long time ago, when he'd first come up with the idea of pretending to be a shark in the water to extract information out of those unwilling to be thrown overboard. Just as well he could swim and that there weren't any real sharks around whenever he did this, or he might have ended up as dinner instead. He'd started out as nothing more than the Cabin Boy, from what little he could recall, he'd been picked up by the pirates for his cleverness after having tricked some of the crew out of their property without them even realizing it until it was too late. But they had found him later on and dragged him into their world, opening up a whole new set of opportunities for the young waif. He'd only been around four or five at the time, but Shark was a very sweet boy with bright blue eyes and a smile that melted even the coldest of hearts, he could take just about anything and rarely ever did anyone actually punish him for it once he'd cried 'misunderstanding' and put on his saddest expression for them to see.
Approaching the huge vessel, Shark looked around and glanced up, the Captain was standing on deck and waved him aboard.
Boarding this ship was only allowed with the Captain’s permission, if you were not part of the crew, you were not welcomed to set foot upon its deck. Shark stood before the Captain, who was called Spider for many different reasons. One of them being that, once drawn into his clutches, there simply was no escape. Anyone caught trying to abandon the ship, either at sea or while in port, was immediately marked for death. Conditions aboard the ship were only as decent as each individual could make it for himself, there was no free sharing of anything unless between friends, but being pirates.. well, friendship never really counted for much anyway and one was likely to find his rations missing rather than doubled at the end of the day. So it was every man for himself, only pulling together to make sure the ship sailed smoothly and attacks and raids were hugely successful. You got to keep anything you stole, with the only exception being that the Captain took his share of everything, since it was his ship and keeping it in good condition was costly. Shark looked towards the rising sun, his eyes as azure and deep blue as the sky itself and Captain Spider often felt mesmerized by them, he could stare at them for hours.
“We’ll be shoving off today,” Spider told Shark, who squinted as the sun affected his left eye, since that pupil could not close and thus failed to filter out any light.
“Aye Captain,” Shark nodded, turning his gaze to the much larger male, “shall I spread the word?”
“No. I’ll be raising the flag soon enough,” Spider spoke firmly but less harshly to Shark than he did to anyone else. Spider had known Shark since he was a toddler, much of his crew had been exchanged or replaced, save for a few here and there who also knew Shark from an early age. It was this very Captain who had taken Shark aboard and kept him as a son, then a Cabin Boy and now his First Mate.
Shark nodded and wandered off to the Captain’s Quarters, only he and Spider were allowed in there. This was the only room on the ship that was locked with a key, Shark left everything in here that he did not want to get stolen by the rest of the crew and Spider allowed for this without question. First Mate position certainly had its perks, but facing the envious and jealous sneering from the other pirates was a downside that Shark had to endure on a daily basis. They called him pretty because he was usually clean and the only one onboard with blonde hair, they liked to spend their coin on women and drink while Shark kept his for not so piratey things, such as hygiene products and clean clothes to change into. He wasn’t muscular like some of the fighters onboard, but he had a lightly toned physique and could lift almost as much as anyone else.
On a pirate ship, if you weren’t useful then you were out of luck and so Shark always made sure that he was irreplaceable. It was survival of the fittest, the smartest and the quickest out here - not necessarily the strongest. Shark took out several items and left them on the bed, including the pouch filled with coins and the extra pairs of socks he’d picked up in town. Spider would put them away later, it was important that Shark leave them where they could be found easily by the Captain, for inspection and to show off what he’d brought back in hopes of a reward or some other small favor for his efforts. Keeping in good with Captain Spider was paramount to Shark’s survival, Spider would always keep a sharp eye out for any trouble brewing among his crew and if Shark should ever find himself pinned to the wall somewhere, you could almost guarantee that Spider would have his cutlass at the aggressor’s throat within seconds of the confrontation. It didn’t matter who had started it, Shark was the favorite and that was the end of the argument. Nobody really did try to hurt Shark though, most of the crew actually tolerated him, if only because he really was the only good looking one onboard the whole ship. There was more to it than that, of course. Shark was very good at being everybody’s best friend, usually whilst fleecing them blind..
Captain Spider walked to the edge of the deck, overseeing the supply crates being loaded up onto the ship. Supplies and repairs were costly, but he was easily rich enough to pay for them because of his crew and especially because of Shark, who now approached him silently.
“You know what to do,” Spider grumbled softly. Shark nodded and headed down to speak with those who would ask for payment soon, while Spider raised the flag to signal the rest of the crew. Once they noticed it, they would immediately start to head towards the ship for fear of being left behind and mistaken for a deserter. The town was a prosperous one, with fishermen, farming exports and several brothels. It had a large port to encourage more tourists and sailors to stop in and spend their gold, trade their wares and spread the good word after they’d left.
Word had started to get out that there were pirates in town, hence Spider’s eagerness to get sailing before they were caught out and locked up to be hanged within a week of their capture. Shark passed idly by a fishing trawler, which had a net filled with fish looming over the wharf. There were several cats hiding among the many crates and boxes, ready to snatch up a stray fish that might slip through the nets or if it was lucky enough, pounce upon a gull that was ready and waiting for the exact same opportunity and not paying attention to its surroundings. But the cats and the gulls were intent on the fresh fish, preferably still alive, so when Shark walked by a small carcass that was mostly bone with the head and tail still just barely recognizable, he was not surprised that it hadn’t been eaten. He knelt down and picked it up, unable to help his curiosity, morbid or otherwise.
“Excuse me?” came the voice of a lady from nearby. Shark stood up quickly, not thinking as he shoved the fish into his pocket and wincing uncomfortably as he realized what he’d just done seconds later.
“Good Morning Miss,” Shark bowed his head politely, for she dressed and spoke as if she were quite well off. She held a parasol over her shoulder and wore a fancy bonnet on her head, her dress was made from nothing short of the finest materials and she carried a bag with her shopping inside of it. She smiled at him, amused at the strange face he’d pulled a moment ago and feeling pity towards him because of the way he smelled so oddly of dead fish.
“Good Morning my good sailor,” she responded politely in return, lifting her chin to ensure he was aware of her above status over him. Shark kept his head down a little, it made him angry that people had to behave better than everybody else but he showed the woman only his kindest and brightest of grins.
“How can I help you, Miss?” Shark wondered, not bothering to correct her that he was not actually a sailor at all, but a pirate.
He didn’t look much like your average pirate, he didn’t sport a thick beard or have lice infested hair that needed treating at every port they docked into and his teeth were far from stained or rotting. He actually looked quite handsome and healthy, making the most of his brief time in any town to look after his diet and drink plenty of fresh water. Out at sea, water went stale pretty quickly and there wasn’t anything else to drink that’d keep over months at a time except rum and the like, so much of the time everybody was either drunk or hungover. Shark had little to no interest in drinking that much, so he only took enough to keep him going and while it ended up making him just a little drunk in the end, he never ended up anywhere near as raging drunk as the others.
“I’m supposed to be meeting my husband here in a few minutes,” the woman told him, “would you take this bag for me please?”
She blushed as she held it out towards him, there were some items inside of it that she wanted to keep her husband from seeing. Shark accepted the gift and held the bag close to his body, thinking that she was very generous indeed to have given him her groceries.
“Thank you so much,” the woman smiled at him, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She left quickly and expected him to wait there for her to return, so that she could collect her bag and continue on home but Shark misunderstood and simply walked away. He had something to do right now, it was more important than standing around waiting for her to come back for whatever reason she had failed to mention. With a swagger in his step and radiating confidence, Shark approached the men who were almost done loading up the ship’s supplies.
“That’s the last of it,” one of them turned towards Shark with a friendly grin, “looks like you’re heading out?”
“Yeah,” Shark nodded, sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, fitting in with them and relaxing his stance to a more casual one, “places to go, women to roger, you know the deal.”
The men laughed and smirked knowingly at him, nodding.
“Yes we know,” another one of them piped up, making a crude gesture with his hips several times.
“So listen, I really need to get going,” Shark told them, “so I’ll see you boys later.”
“Hold up,” he was grabbed by the shoulder, “you haven’t paid us yet.”
Shark looked at him with a sad sort of smile and the man let go of him, frowning with casual interest.
“I mean, well, you know how it is,” the man explained, “we got families to feed.”
“Oh, of course,” Shark agreed, “yes, oh I bet your little ones are adorable.”
“I can’t complain,” grinned the man, “my son is growing up to be a strapping young man.”
“Aha, takes after his father,” Shark boasted, backing away with a short nod and a grin, “you must be so proud!”
“I am that,” the man agreed, unawares as he returned the nod and watched Shark turn away and head back onto the ship. It wasn’t until after it was almost out of sight that they all suddenly remembered that they hadn’t actually been paid..
Just down below deck were the Crew’s Quarters, among other various sections of the ship, including a room set aside for washing. Rainwater was collected for washing clothes, because the salt in the seawater would gather moisture and thus keep the clothes damp for far longer than fresh water ever did. There were some large, wooden tubs for the men to sit in and bathe if they so wished, sponges were available but they would need to provide their own soap and shampoo. Many of the pirates preferred to keep their natural body oils, thinking it was better for their health or protection from the elements and they only bathed perhaps once a month or less, if ever. They were all males on the ship, everyone had their musky man scent and were quite used to it by now, so it made for further alienation of Shark. He liked to keep himself very clean, only going without bathing if it wasn’t possible to get anywhere near the tubs or if the weather was too rough for the water to stay inside of them.
There was a lot of commotion now that they were free of the town, stories were being swapped and boasts were being bragged about. It was entertaining to hear of each man’s adventures and experiences during the few days they’d been ashore, from sexual romps to lucky gambles, nothing was left out of the storytelling that night during dinner. The first week after docking was always the best, everyone was in high spirits, there was red and white meat, fruit and vegetables to cook with and enjoy a change from fish, rice and beans. Water was plentiful while it lasted and new items procured from town were shown and marveled at by all, it was relaxing and just what every crew needed after long months at sea and going without. Shark was even slapped on the back for his efforts in helping them all to slip away without having to give up any of their treasure, some of them had families to send things home to while others just looked after themselves and saved up for the next trip into a town full of ready and waiting women. Cheers and laughter were the song of the sea tonight, eventually breaking into song before everyone finally went down to their hammocks to sleep it off. Only a couple of the crew stayed above deck, to make sure all was clear sailing during the night.
Shark had left a little earlier on, he had the finest voice on the ship and did enjoy to humor the boys with his singing but he tired quickly and was keen to relax in one of the tubs before bedtime. Filling it took a little while and once it was ready, he took off his clothes and slowly got into it, sighing as he leaned back and closed his eyes.
“Aahh,” he exhaled loudly, wiggling his toes and grabbing up the soap to wash himself.
A lot of the crew were much bigger than himself and they had trouble fitting into the tubs, but they were just the right size for Shark, although he did have to draw up his knees to get his feet into the water but that was alright by him. The woman who he’d run into on the dock had some nice things in her little shopping bag, including some very expensive little soaps and Shark was gratefully using one of them right now. He washed himself luxuriously, for it was never certain when his next bath might be, the weather was unpredictable and so were the situations that could arise out here. He was considered peculiar for his cleanly habits and while he was accustomed to the odors of the other men, they found his washed scent somewhat offensive at times. Perhaps they just didn’t want to admit that he actually smelled very alluring, making them feel something they probably were fearful to admit to themselves or others..
Rinsing off the soap with water, shaking his head to try and get it somewhat dry before getting out, Shark set down the sponge and sat back to relax once more. It was most certainly a luxury to be able to take a bath, not all ships provided such a thing and Shark was thankful that this one did. He became aware of another’s presence as the heavy footsteps down the ladder gave them away, he sat up and looked around but it was not anyone to be afraid of.
“I thought I might find you down here,” Captain Spider’s deep voice rumbled through the small room.
“Captain,” Shark greeted him, nestling back into his tub comfortably, “I’m just about done if you want to get in when I.. “
He trailed off as Spider knelt down to press his face close, taking in a deep inhale through his nose.
“Mmm,” Spider hummed, putting his arm around Shark’s shoulders, “you smell just like.. a woman.. “
Shark remained silent as Spider continued to take deep sniffs of him, listening to the deep, throaty hums and murmurs of content.
“D’ya know what I like best about you?” asked Spider, finally standing up to circle the tub like a vulture.
“No,” Shark kept his eyes lowered in subordination.
“I like how false you are,” Spider told him.
“False?” Shark looked up quickly, “you think I’m false, Captain?”
“Don’t take it so negatively,” Spider knelt down and rested his hands upon Shark’s shoulders, squeezing them firmly, “it is a very useful trait.”
Shark turned his head hesitantly, but Spider reached down for the sponge and began to wash Shark’s chest.
“Mmm,” Shark leaned back and relaxed, enjoying the soft sensation and quickly figuring out where this was going. Spider became further aroused by the gentle hum, venturing to slip the sponge down between Shark’s thighs.
“Captain!” Shark tensed up and gasped.
“Shhh,” Spider whispered against his neck.
“Huhh.. “ Shark moaned and closed his eyes, “please.. “
Spider continued stroking him carefully with the soft sponge, smiling and showing his teeth in dominance.
“Pirates never say please,” Spider grumbled, “you are so insincere, I love it!”
Shark groaned again, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling quickly.
“You are so fake,” Spider murmured, his lips brushing against Shark’s ear, “I’d not be surprised to discover that your heart was carved from stone!”
He stood up, dropped the sponge and shifted away from the tub, Shark glared up at him and set his jaw.
“Strip,” Shark told Spider firmly, “now.”
Spider smiled like a predator, but did as he was told, slowly. Shark got out of the tub and walked over to him, grabbing his arm and turning him towards the barrels. Spider leaned over one of them, setting his feet apart and relaxing as he felt Shark’s body pressing against his own. Shark quickly reached around and unbuckled Spider's belt, dropping his pants to his ankles.
“You think I’m false?” Shark spoke quietly, positioning himself at once, there was no room for foreplay on a pirate ship and no sense of loyalty nor love among shipmates.
“I do,” Spider murmured back, enjoying the feeling of Shark’s soap slickened body and taking several deep breaths to ready himself.
“You are the false one,” Shark whispered back, thrusting his erection partway into Spider’s waiting ass, making them both grunt uncomfortably, “you wear the Captain’s clothes and yet here you are, naked and stood over a barrel!”
Spider gripped the barrel tightly and put down his head, Shark grasped his hips firmly and began thrusting hard but slow at first, their grunts soon softening into groans as their movements became slicker and less rigid. Heavy breaths and moans filled the little room, Spider reached down to masturbate as Shark picked up speed.
“Huhh, ah!” Shark threw back his head, pressing his body hard against Spiders and exploding silently inside of him, his breathless pants soon working the Captain into his own orgasm.
“Damn,” Spider gasped, spilling his release all over his boots and down onto the floor, surprising Shark. It took them several long minutes to recompose themselves, Shark slowly dismounted and stood back with a gulp, eyes wide and heart pounding for what he’d just said and done. Spider turned and pulled up his pants, walking towards the ladder.
“Captain?” Shark ventured.
Spider looked around at him, but said nothing as he left. He didn’t seem angry, so the silence was taken as satisfaction and content. The reality was much different of course, Spider saw Shark as his son and it made him feel disgusted with himself for being attracted to the younger man, but he had to remind himself that this was not the case of Shark's identity. Shark was unfazed by the encounter, so he simply got back into the wooden tub to wash himself off, then he took some time to wash his clothes and hung them to trail at the back of the ship to dry. He went down to the crew’s quarters and took out some clean, fresh clothes from his locker, put them on and finally got into his own hammock to get some sleep. It’d probably be difficult for a regular person to be able to fall asleep, being the only half or sometimes non drunk onboard and surrounded by loud, obnoxious snoring, grunting and scratching but Shark found it comforting, familiar and soothing. He had no trouble falling asleep amidst the various sounds of sleepy moans, belches and the occasional passing of gas. It wasn’t ideal to most, but this was home and these men were his family. Well, sort of. They were the closest thing to a family as he could ever remember having anyway. He yawned and closed his eyes, shifted onto his side and soon drifted off to sleep.
The next morning at breakfast, Shark endured the usual barrage of lame jokes and insults thrown his way during the Captain’s absence and he took it on the chin with nary a word in response. He chose his battles carefully and a little ribbing here and there simply wasn’t worth the effort, he could take it. Spider’s eventual presence soon ensured the attention was deflected from Shark, who then put up with the Captain squeezing his thigh under the table and other discreetly copped feels here and there. This, he did not mind so much but the taunting often got to him more than he cared to let on, or so his tearful expression would suggest later as he gazed over the edge of the ship’s railing and stared out over the water. Being the youngest onboard was never easy, save for the newest Cabin Boy of course, but Shark had had to deal with a lot in his life and he was stronger for it from an early age.
“Hey, Shark.. “ a rough voice came from behind him and Claude stood beside him, “what’s so interesting down there? See your momma?”
Claude laughed at his cruel joke but Shark just smiled faintly, glancing sideways at the other pirate. He was a thin fellow, with long, scraggly black hair and brown eyes. His teeth were yellowed and one was missing from the back, he spoke English well enough but his accent was French/American.
“Do you know why Captain really calls you The Shark?” Claude continued, “have you ever seen the eyes of a shark, hm? They are blacker than black itself, empty.. Like they have no soul.. He calls you this because of your cold-fish heart.. Maybe this is how you ended up on the streets, hm? Nobody likes you, not even your dear momma and papa.. “
Claude laughed to himself again and Shark clawed at the wooden railing, lowering his head. When he didn’t get a retaliation from Shark, Claude looked at him and tilted his head as he fell silent.
“You never bite back,” Claude frowned, “why is this?”
Shark sniffled and kept his head down, Claude softened his expression and sighed heavily.
“Perhaps I have went too far,” Claude spoke apologetically, reaching into his pocket and taking out a rare treasure indeed, “I was going to keep this for my beloved back home.. “
Shark slowly dared to look at the item and lifted his brows curiously, a block of chocolate? Out here? Claude tore open the top of the delicacy, holding it out towards Shark.
“Here,” Claude offered for Shark to take just a piece of the chocolate, “with my apologies, I was only kidding around.”
Shark looked up at Claude’s eyes and placed his hand on the block, curling his fingers around it and smiling sadly.
“Shark!” Spider bellowed for him from somewhere. Shark whisked the entire chocolate block from Claude’s hand and thanked him repeatedly while backing away and hurrying off to find the Captain. Claude stood there for a moment, until Peter nudged him upon passing by.
“Claude! Come on!” Peter urged him to move, “the deck ain’t gonna scrub itself!”
He thrust a bucket and a mop into Claude’s outstretched hand and Claude finally blinked, as if he’d been mesmerized somehow.
“What’s with you anyway?” Peter asked him.
Everyone knew what Shark was like, they were all aware of the sweet façade that hid his true agenda, which was murkier than the depths of the sea itself. So whenever anyone found themselves having fallen for it after all this time, it was shameful to admit to and if the rest of the crew found out, the victim would be the laughing stock of the entire ship. Nobody liked to admit that they’d been had, everyone was fearful of talking to Shark for two reasons: Firstly because of the Captain’s extreme jealousy, secondly because they didn’t want to be drawn in by Shark’s smile or crocodile tears, potentially losing the very shirts off their own backs.
“Nothing,” Claude finally responded, taking up the bucket and mop, “I was just thinking of home.”
Peter accepted the explanation and they walked off to wash the deck together, the two of them had women lovers to return home to but out here, they only had each other. There were often many months between visits to towns, so having a close relationship with one or two shipmates was essential, unless jacking off was your style of course. Physical intimacy between the men onboard was often fleeting and usually just a quickie for the sheer sake of release and nothing more, not a word spoken between them before, during or afterwards. No eye contact whatsoever. It was different with Shark, he found both genders equally satisfying but he had yet to actually fall in love with anyone.
He wandered over to the ship’s wheel and stood waiting for Spider to command him, but the Captain just wanted Shark to be there where he could see him and keep an eye on him. Spider was a solid man with short, dark brown hair and a trim cut beard with pale green eyes and a muscular frame. He stood tall and proud and held a reputation for being fierce and cutthroat, a merciless shark feeder, although nobody knew it was just his First Mate, wearing a plastic fin and swimming in circles just near the ship so that Spider could extract information from those who didn’t want to be eaten by ‘The Shark’ down below.
Sometimes, being First Mate could get a little boring and it made Shark to be much more inclined to have to make his own fun. He didn’t enjoy being listless or still for such long periods of time, when the Captain was gazing out at the ocean and contemplating his next adventure. Navigating the seven seas was quite a task, he spent quite a lot of his time standing there up by the ship’s wheel and it got very tiresome for the very fidgety Shark. Spider glanced around every so often, just to make sure his First Mate hadn’t wandered off somewhere out of sight and upon seeing him, would go back to doing whatever it was he’d been doing.
“Do you have anything for me, Shark?” Spider wondered, his tone slightly distracted.
“No Captain,” Shark answered him, “shall I find you something then?”
Spider smiled and shook his head, glancing back at him. Shark was sitting up on the railing of the ship, if the ship suddenly lurched or changed direction really fast, he’d be overboard within an instant. He contemplated doing it just for a laugh, he'd done it before..
“Come down from there,” Spider scolded him, “and turn out your pockets.”
Shark sighed and jumped down, landing lightly on his feet and approaching Spider.
“Don’t you trust me, Captain?” Shark wondered, reaching into his pockets.
“I’d be a damn fool if I did,” Spider laughed heartily, watching things fall to the deck at Shark’s feet. Gold watches, silver coins, a couple of shiny pebbles, a clutch of necklaces and gold bracelets, two silver earrings and a block of chocolate.
“Nothing, huh?” Spider lifted his brow.
“I might have forgotten a few things,” Shark offered nothing more than a shrug in response.
“Right,” Captain Spider rolled his eyes, “just give me that chocolate, you can keep the rest.”
“Aye Captain,” Shark picked up the block and handed it reluctantly over. Spider tore it open just a little and deeply inhaled through his nose, smiling and humming quietly.
“Aah the smell of chocolate,” Spider sighed happily, “where’d ya get this anyway?”
“It’s mine,” Shark spoke defensively, “I didn’t steal it.”
Spider laughed then, it was still a quirk of Shark’s to be so defensive about doing things a pirate ought to be proud of doing. Shark knelt down and gathered up the rest of his things, though Spider could only try to imagine how he’d managed to get his hands upon such treasures. As if to answer that, Shark looked at Spider sadly and he felt a pang of guilt strike into his heart. He was almost tempted to give the chocolate back, along with an apology and perhaps a coin or two to make it up to Shark. However, Spider managed to catch himself before he actually did this and tore his gaze away from the miserable expression of his First Mate. It would seem that even the Captain was not immune to Shark’s sad eyes and hangdog expression, but now that his back was turned, Shark looked around for something else to do - as though completely unfazed. Like he didn’t care..
But that’s just how it went, if his tricks didn’t work then he’d not waste time getting angry about it. Until the chocolate had all been eaten, there still remained other opportunities to get some, he just had to keep his wits about him. Some minutes later, Spider looked around and found Shark pretending to hang himself with a rope.
“Who does this remind you of?” Shark asked with a grin and Spider laughed amusedly.
Some weeks ago, they had boarded a ship laden with rum, bound for the midlands but it never got there. Most of the sailors onboard that ship were slain and tossed overboard, but the Captain was captured and hung from the back of the ship for several days by his neck. Until an actual shark had leapt up out of the water to eat him and that had been the end of their games of who could spit/piss/throw rocks closest to the body, if you hit it, you won a portion of every player’s rations from that night’s dinner.
Getting enough to eat wasn’t easy as the weeks went by and the food began to dwindle, Shark was in charge of making sure the ship’s cook didn’t steal any food whilst cooking in the galley and he took this job very seriously. Each night he’d walk in and keep an eye on the cook, helping himself to whatever was there until he was quite full. The cook did not complain, he knew that there was no point in telling anyone because somehow he’d get the blame for it himself. Funnily enough though, Shark would then be seated down to dinner and take whatever he was given. What he did with it then was proof that he was a calculating and cunning pirate underneath that sweet, nice-guy act he put on. Hungry crewmen would eye off Shark’s plate as he rested it upon his lap, sitting in his hammock and pushing the food around his plate idly.
“Not hungry?” someone would venture.. and the bidding would begin.
Despite the taunting Shark received from his shipmates, many of them actually considered him a friend and more often than not, he would be seen sitting with one or two of them, laughing and joking when there wasn’t a lot else to do. He was a quiet sort of fellow with an easy going grin that just made people seem to want to open up and spill their innermost secrets and desires to him. They shared things with him that they would normally keep strictly to themselves and they would steal a kiss from him if they were so inclined, but only when it was all clear and there was nobody else about to see it. Shark didn’t mind really, affection was affection, one way or the other but he felt nothing towards them deep down.
One evening, Shark was hanging over the ship’s railing as if being sick into the ocean but really he was just bored and thinking of going for a swim. He became aware of someone coming to stand beside him, so he stood upon his feet and turned around, leaning back against the railing casually.
“Nice night, Franz,” Shark offered a gentle greeting.
“I suppose it is,” Franz grumbled, looking irritated.
“Alright then?” Shark wondered.
“Not particularly,” Franz balled his hands up into fists, “Ollie and his thugs say I stole his last box of matches!”
Ollie was the ship's biggest bully, he was the strongest and had two other very strong males always by his side but his worst trait by far was the fact that he raped indiscriminately. He just didn't care but he preferred those who really couldn't defend themselves, he was a lazy bastard.
“And did you?” Shark questioned him.
“For the last time, no!” Franz raised his voice, causing Shark to avert his gaze and look hurt. Franz patted him on the back, clearing his throat.
“I’m sorry,” Franz apologized, “I forgot you weren’t there.”
Shark nodded briefly, letting Franz rest his head on his shoulder and hugging him to offer some comfort.
“There you are,” Ollie growled, stalking towards Franz and Shark, “time’s up, where are my matches?”
“I told you already!” Franz bit back angrily, “I didn’t take them!”
Ollie looked at Shark warily, the ship’s First Mate still had his arm slung over Franz’s shoulders.
“We didn’t mean to disturb you, Shark,” Ollie apologized gruffly, as his two thugs came up to stand beside him. Shark shifted and stood away from Franz, abandoning him without threat nor reason to move. Nobody sane would lift a finger against Shark or anyone he might be with at any given time, but that didn’t mean he would interfere.
“I have to go anyway,” Shark told Franz, “nature calls.”
He wandered off, not bothering to look back as the sounds of a vicious fight suddenly broke out. So much for friendship, but there was nothing lost on Shark here, he knew fully well what he was doing.
Some time later, Ollie approached the rear of the ship alone, his knuckles bloodied and bruised. Shark liked to hang out back here because it was quiet and allowed him to think and be alone, but it was no secret and everyone knew where to find him if he wasn’t in sight. Shark looked at him briefly, then turned his gaze back up to the moonlit sky. Ollie liked Shark’s cleanly washed skin, it was always so soft and luminous in the light of the moon, he sometimes could not help but stare.
“You’re making me very uncomfortable, Ollie,” Shark commented. Ollie blinked and tore his gaze from Shark, looking out over the sparkling water.
“I just need to smoke my tobacco,” Ollie complained, as if it were a good excuse for having stared at Shark, “but I haven’t got any matches!”
“Oh,” Shark reached into his pocket, “here, you can use one of mine.”
Ollie frowned curiously as he accepted the box of matches from Shark’s hand, it looked suspiciously like the box that had gone missing from under his pillow.
“Where’d you get these?” Ollie asked him, lighting up and handing the matches back to Shark, “you don’t even smoke.”
“I suppose it was traded to me,” Shark gave a gentle shrug, “I honestly couldn’t tell you, I really don’t remember.”
Ollie narrowed his eyes and exhaled slowly, Shark had a memory better than anyone he knew but it was not wise to argue with the Captain’s favorite.
“Come here,” Ollie grabbed his arm and pulled him up against himself. Shark grimaced at the strong smell of tobacco on Ollie’s breath, as Ollie tried to make out with him and he found it difficult with the reluctant Shark not wanting that taste in his mouth.
“Ollie.. “ the Captain’s voice interrupted them and Ollie quickly stepped back from Shark, “what’re you doing back here?”
“I was erm, j-just showing Shark here how to smoke a pipe,” Ollie responded quickly.
“Well don’t,” Spider warned him gruffly, “he don’t need no rotting lungs and teeth to match like the rest of us.. Get outta here, go on!”
“Aye Captain!” Ollie nodded and hurried off to get back down to his hammock.
“Captain?” Shark wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Spider leaned on the railing, gazing out over the ocean now.
“Bad dreams?” Shark ventured, for Spider often complained to him in private of having them. Spider nodded, sighing heavily.
“I could lick melted chocolate from your fingers,” Shark offered, leaning against him affectionately, “could make for sweeter dreams.. “
Spider laughed and threw his arm around Shark’s shoulders, kissing the top of his head and breathing in the scent of his recently washed hair.
“What would I ever do without you, hm?” Spider wondered amusedly, knowing fully well that Shark didn’t give a damn about his nightmares and was simply looking for an excuse to have some of that chocolate. Shark relaxed and closed his eyes, it was worth a shot, easy come easy go. He could try again another day.
Later that night, Shark was woken from a deep sleep by some shuffling sounds and short, sharp breathing close to his hammock. Blinking slowly awake, he wondered if perhaps one of the older men might be suffering some kind of attack and he sat up a little to squint in the dimly lit cabin and look around. Most everyone was drunkenly sleeping, snoring and grumbling but two figures were right up against the wall just next to him. It was uncommon to see the act itself being performed down in the Crew’s Quarters, while sex among shipmates was common knowledge, it was never actually admitted to nor witnessed, so to see it being done right there where anyone could just wake up and catch them was a curiosity indeed.
Of course, waking up was not something anyone really did unless there was a lot of noise and so far, these two were just doing a lot of heavy breathing and grunting. Shark had heard snores louder than what they were doing, so it stood to reason that the drunken slumberers were not bothered by the noise.
“Ollie?” Shark asked sleepily, rubbing one eye.
“Go back to, ohh.. to sleep, Shark!” Ollie groaned back, he had someone pinned to the wall, but Shark could not quite make them out in the dark. Ollie had became excited by Shark’s reluctance to kiss with him, the womanly scent of expensive soaps and oils didn’t help much either, so this is what he’d had to stoop to in order to relieve himself. Just grab one of the older males, they couldn’t handle their rum as well and never put up much of a fight.
“I was just dreaming about this beautiful, curvy woman,” Shark got comfortable again and closed his eyes, “she had these nice, big, firm breasts and she let me ravage her.. “
Ollie suddenly gasped at the thought and some moments later it was over and there was only the usual sounds left to lull Shark back to sleep once more. Of course, Shark had not stolen the matches from Ollie himself, he did know who traded them to him but such information would have cost Ollie something, whatever he might have to offer in exchange - Shark wasn’t fussy, everything had it’s use. Ollie wasn’t sure if he wanted to part with anything, only to find out he’d got the matches from Franz after all..
It was a long time before another ship was finally spotted, Shark was watching some dolphins race the ship when the call of ‘ship ahoy’ was sounded, his gaze lifting to the mast as their flag was changed over to that of the skull and crossbones. Captain Spider ordered for the cannons to be loaded, the sails were full with the wind in their favor and Shark went up to take his place by the Captain’s side at the ship’s wheel.
“Is it a Spanish Galleon, Captain?” Shark wondered.
“We’ll know more when we get closer,” Spider answered him, rubbing his hands together.
It didn’t matter to a pirate what sort of ship it was, there’d always be something of interest to them onboard. Even passenger ships could be robbed, the women raped and the men tied up or thrown overboard, or even recruited if they seemed reliable enough and willing. Food, water, blankets, clothes - anything and everything was taken. They did prefer riches, but useless items could be sold or exchanged for much more valuable things next time they docked.
“What’s playing on your mind, Captain?” Shark questioned, “you look on edge.”
“Our ship is getting crowded,” Spider answered him.
“Are you thinking of a fleet then?” Shark lifted a brow.
“I might be,” Spider gruffed, “we need more storage space and half the crew is sharing a hammock by now.”
Shark did not argue, but he did wonder who might be appointed Captain of the new ship? And would they eventually turn rogue? These thoughts were clearly on Spider’s mind as well, as he seemed keen but torn as to whether he should take the risk or just head back inland earlier than he’d planned to. The longer they remained out at sea, the less likely people were to be bothered trying to find them after a while, so he tried to stay out for as long as they could survive on whatever they had traded for and the rest would be pillaged from other ships. As for the over crowding, he could just inspect the crew and leave the oldest and weakest members behind when they next docked into the port of another town. Things could be righted without obtaining a second ship, but was his ego too big to just sink it when they’d finished robbing it?
As they drew nearer to the other ship, it was anyone’s guess as to what might happen next..
****
(page 2: http://luv-bowie-luver.livejournal.com/60047.html)