GLEE FIC: More Precious Than Gold (4/?)
Title: More Precious Than Gold, part 4
Summary: Blaine’s parrot, Pavarotti, always seeks out treasure for the young pirate. Pavarotti’s latest discovery baffles Blaine but that doesn’t stop him from stealing it.
Characters: Kurt/Blaine (eventually), Burt, Karofsky, the Warblers
Rating: R
Spoilers: None.
Category: AU, action/adventure (probably), drama
Word count: 3,589 (part 4)
Warnings: non-graphic attempted non-con, violence
Notes: This chapter was inspired by inksplotchx10 's sketch and summary of Kurt and Blaine's encounter with Karofsky. This doesn't quite follow the same plot because I had to tweak it to fit what I had already done. But hopefully you will all enjoy it regardless :)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4:
Kurt remained in the cabin until he heard a commotion outside. As he walked to the door, he picked up Blaine’s coat without thinking about it and shrugged it on; the temperature had dropped somewhat since earlier. Then he went out onto the deck. “What’s going on?” he asked the nearest Warbler (he hadn’t learnt all their names yet).
“We’re making anchor,” the blonde-haired pirate told him before continuing on his way.
Kurt looked around and saw the shore around a quarter of a mile off the port bow. Land! A chance to escape! Admittedly, there didn’t seem to be any sort of town in view at the moment but that was beside the point. If Kurt ran away, he was bound to come across a town sooner or later and then he would be able to get back to his father.
He saw Blaine supervising several of the Warblers getting into the row boat (which, Kurt noticed, was tied to the ship just ahead of the stern). “Can I come?”
“No,” Blaine flatly refused, not even looking in Kurt’s direction. “You’ll just try to escape.”
“I won’t,” Kurt lied. “I just… I’m not used to being on a ship.” That, at least, was true.
Blaine thought about it for a minute and then reluctantly nodded. “But you stay with us at all times.”
“Of course.” Kurt didn’t mention that he would be leaving as soon as he was able. He moved past Blaine and started climbing down into the boat.
Blaine stared at him, his brain belatedly realising that Kurt was wearing his coat. Was that deliberate on the part of the younger man or not? Blaine wasn’t sure. Despite developing strong feelings for Kurt, he barely knew him at all. And that wasn’t going to change, Blaine told himself; he would eventually take Kurt back to Port Royal where he belonged. No use getting attached. Blaine sighed; he wished he had remembered that before kissing Kurt as he doubted he would ever be able to forget what it felt like to have that slender body under his…
Shaking his head, Blaine pulled himself out of the memory and focused his thoughts on the task ahead. He sprang over the side and clambered down into the boat, taking care to not to sit next to Kurt.
Several minutes later, ten of the Warblers and Kurt were on the beach. While Blaine was giving orders to the pirates, Kurt started to sneak away, planning to begin running when he reached the trees. However, a strong hand attached itself to his arm, halting his progress. Kurt glanced back to see that the blonde pirate whom he had spoken to earlier, and who was several inches taller than him, was holding onto him. It looked like he wasn’t going anywhere.
When he had finished giving orders, Blaine noticed Seamus holding onto Kurt’s arm. One glance at Kurt’s overly-innocent expression had Blaine guessing that his captive had been attempting to escape. Changing his plans, he said, “Actually - Seamus, you and Kurt stay here to guard the boat.”
Kurt’s expression became indignant but he didn’t speak; protesting wouldn’t do any good. He shrugged his arm out of Seamus’ grip and plonked himself down on the sand.
Blaine internally laughed at Kurt’s face; the pout was so cute. “We should be back in an hour.” It would be dark by that time but the pirates had lanterns so they wouldn’t get lost.
He was unaware of what would transpire in that amount of time.
**********
Forty minutes into the silent vigil on the beach - Seamus was a very quiet companion - a splashing sound was heard. Looking out over the ocean, almost hidden by the dying sunset, Kurt saw another boat approaching the shore. Shifting his gaze to even further out, he saw a ship anchored further out than The Dalton. So was this friend or foe that was coming towards him?
As the boat grounded itself on the beach, several figures jumped out of it. Kurt had no trouble, even in the almost-dark, recognising Karofsky’s bulk. “No,” he whispered. How had the guard found him?
Kurt took off running, not caring where he was going, only that he needed to escape from the man who had assaulted him.
Karofsky swore under his breath. He had taken a chance that the pirates had brought Kurt to the shore, thinking that they would leave the young man there. Several sailors had gone to the pirate ship while others had accompanied Karofsky on the boat. He hadn’t thought that Kurt would be just sitting on the beach; it was almost like Kurt had been waiting for him.
He took off after Kurt. For someone of his bulk, Karofsky could run fast, and he was more used to traversing rough terrain than Kurt was. Despite that, he only managed to close in on Kurt when the latter tripped over an exposed tree root. Karofsky was on him in seconds, hands gripping tightly.
“Let go of me!” Kurt demanded, struggling desperately against the hold.
“Shut up! I’m trying to rescue you,” Karofsky hissed as he started to drag Kurt back towards the beach. “Your dad sent me to find you.”
“He wouldn’t have sent you if he’d known what you did to me,” Kurt countered. “And how did you know where I was?”
“You were seen being taken aboard the ship,” Karofsky explained, omitting a few important facts, such as it being himself who had been doing the spying. “Once the alarm was raised, your father and the Governor asked me to get you back.”
“And why would you agree to that?” Kurt was sceptical of Karofsky’s motives. “Did you think I was going to be grateful to you? After what you did?”
“You were asking for it,” Karofsky shot back, his grip tightening on Kurt’s bicep.
“I didn’t ask for anything, and even if I knew what to ask for, it wouldn’t be with someone like you!” Kurt was angry enough to say, not caring if he was provoking the guard. They came into sight of the shore. Seamus was on the ground - unconscious or dead, Kurt couldn’t tell - and the sailors were missing, presumably having gone after the pirates.
“Get in,” Karofsky demanded as they reached the boat.
“No.” Kurt was not going to do anything the bigger man said.
Karofsky picked Kurt up and literally threw him into the boat. Then, while Kurt was stunned by the violent move, Karofsky whipped off his belt and tied the younger man’s hands behind his back. Then he settled himself onto one of the benches, placed one foot on Kurt’s back to keep him still, and started rowing.
Face down in the boat, Kurt could do little but remain where he was. It seemed to take forever before he could move again and by the time they reached the Navy ship, Kurt was cold to the bone. Not because of the weather but because of fear. Who knew what Karofsky would do to him when they were alone?
The guard picked Kurt up and undid the restraints. “You will behave yourself when we go up there or I’ll make sure you never see your father again,” he threatened quietly.
Kurt swallowed hard at the sincerity of the threat. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He climbed onto the Navy ship and waited silently while Karofsky spun some sort of tale to those on board. Then he felt himself guided below the decks to a small room where several hammocks were hung.
Karofsky wasted little time before striking Kurt across the face. In the lantern light, he could see that the man he lusted after was wearing the same coat that the pirate captain had worn in Port Royal. “You little whore!” he accused. “It’s only been two days and already you’re in the pirate’s bed!”
Kurt unsteadily raised himself to a sitting position, his head spinning from the force of the blow. “I’m no whore,” he enunciated clearly, hoping - but not expecting - Karofsky to believe him. “Not for you, not for anyone.”
Angered by Kurt’s continual rejection of him, Karofsky lifted Kurt up by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. “Don’t push me, Hummel!”
“Or you’ll what? Beat me up? Kiss me? Rape me?” Kurt was frightened but he wasn’t going to let Karofsky do anything to him without some sort of a fight. “Go ahead. That will make you no better than the criminals you put in gaol.”
“I’m warning you!” Karofsky desperately tried to hold onto his temper but knew he was fighting a losing battle.
“And I’m telling you that what you are going to take isn’t given freely,” Kurt responded defiantly.
With a cry like a wounded animal, Karofsky brutally kissed Kurt. The soft yet unyielding lips under his felt so good that he never wanted to surface. But he wanted more.
Kurt felt hands removing his coat and he unsuccessfully fought against it. Then those same hands were tearing at his shirt and Kurt doubled his attempts to break free. All of a sudden, he was on the floor and Karofsky was trying to undue his belt buckle. Desperate, Kurt kicked upwards, catching Karofsky in the chest and propelling him away.
Kurt scrambled to get up, desperate to escape, but the guard was back on him in a matter of seconds. The younger man continued to struggle until a strong hand closed around his neck, forcing him to gasp for air.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” Karofsky threatened. When Kurt didn’t say anything, passively agreeing to obey - or so he thought - Karofsky loosened his grip but didn’t let go. With the other hand, he undid Kurt’s belt and went to pull the trousers down.
A loud commotion overhead halted the assault. Karofsky listened carefully and realised that there was fighting on the deck above them. That meant that the pirates had either escaped or defeated the sailors and were now on the ship trying to get Kurt back. Well, that wasn’t going to happen.
Using the belt, Karofsky tied Kurt’s hands to a iron ring in the wall. Then he headed out to find the pirate captain and kill him.
In spite of his injuries, Kurt immediately started to attempt to free himself using his teeth. It wasn’t going to be easy but he was not going to stay put.
**********
When two sailors intercepted the pirates on their way back to the beach, Blaine’s first thought was for Kurt. He and his men were easily able to defeat the sailors, and then Blaine ran as fast as he could back to the beach. His fear that Kurt would be taken was confirmed when he couldn’t see the young man anywhere near the boat.
As he approached the boat, Blaine saw Seamus lying on the sand. He raced to his friend’s side and checked for injuries. Despite the bleeding gash on his forehead, Seamus was still breathing, for which Blaine was relieved. However, it didn’t ease his fears any about Kurt’s safety.
Blaine looked out to sea and saw a ship that definitely hadn’t been there when The Dalton had weighed anchor. A Navy ship, he presumed, given the uniforms of the sailors from before. So that begged the question - had they been sent to find Kurt or was it just a lucky opportunity?
Wes ran up behind Blaine and saw the ship. “Where’s Kurt?”
“On that ship. We have to get him back.”
“Blaine, for once will you think before acting?” Wes said. “What if Kurt went willingly?”
“And what if the guy who attacked him is on that ship?” Blaine thought it possible if the guy was obsessed with Kurt. “Do you really want to take that chance?”
“Do you really want to get caught, imprisoned and hung?” Wes countered, trying to get Blaine to see sense.
Blaine ignored him. “I’m going to rescue Kurt. Who’s with me?” he asked the other Warblers who had now assembled on the beach.
Most of the pirates put their hand up.
“Alright. Those who don’t want to come, we’ll drop off at our ship and you can take it back from whoever’s on there. The rest of us will board that Navy ship, rescue Kurt, and take whatever treasure we can.” Nothing was going to dissuade Blaine from rescuing Kurt unless the latter asked him not to. And even then, it would be very hard to stop.
Several minutes later, seven Warblers pulled alongside the Navy ship. Their arrival didn’t go unnoticed, and the pirates had to avoid getting shot as they climbed onto the ship.
Blaine immediately set out in search of Kurt, trusting his crew-mates to watch his back. Before he could head below decks, Kurt’s attacker - whose name Blaine still didn’t know - appeared in front of him. Mentally labelling him Captain for the guard uniform he wore (because He-Who-Must-Die was too long), Blaine drew his sword and lunged at him.
Karofsky was surprised by the sudden appearance of his recent nemesis but recovered quickly enough to block the sword. He immediately went on the defensive and struck back.
The two battled for several long minutes, neither quite managing to injure or kill the other. Finally, Karofsky’s sword sliced through the skin on Blaine’s left leg - not enough to truly hinder but enough to hurt. Despite the pain, Blaine fought on; he couldn’t let Kurt remain with the other man.
Karofsky closed in, believing he was finally winning. Unfortunately, that meant that he was careless and dropped his guard long enough for his opponent to put his sword through Karofsky’s right shoulder.
When Captain dropped, clutching his shoulder, Blaine used the hilt of his sword to knock the other man out. Then he ran as fast as he could below decks to find Kurt.
**********
Undoing a belt buckle using only teeth was a skill Kurt was discovering that he didn’t have. He had made a little loop but it wasn’t enough to undo the belt and he was worried that Karofsky was going to come back before he was free.
The door flung open and Kurt looked up in fear. When he saw Blaine standing there, all Kurt felt was relief. Given a choice between the pirate and the guard, Kurt would choose Blaine any day even though the older man was technically his kidnapper. Apart from a couple of occasions, Blaine had always been a gentleman whereas Karofsky couldn’t claim the same thing. Therefore, Kurt felt more safe with the pirate than he would have ever believed.
“Kurt!” Blaine was shocked by the sight in front of him. There were bruises forming on the pale skin, on Kurt’s face, arms and torso, the view courtesy of the ripped shirt. Blaine rushed over to him and brushed his thumb gently over Kurt’s cheek. “Are you alright?”
“I’ve been better,” Kurt replied, his skin tingling at Blaine’s touch; he thought that his appearance would speak for itself. “Karofsky?”
“Is that the man that attacked you back in Port Royal?” Blaine asked as he started working on the restraint.
“Yes.” Kurt’s reply was very quiet. “He said he was rescuing me.”
“Well, I would hate for him to rescue me,” Blaine commented as he undid the buckle. He could see some welts on Kurt’s wrists where he had obviously tried to free himself. “He’s unconscious up on deck. If we get out of here quickly, he won’t be able to stop us.”
Kurt was torn. He really wanted to go home but he didn’t want Karofsky to be the one who took him there. Giving himself time to think, he took the belt from Blaine’s hands and used it to secure his trousers again. After a few seconds, he stated, “I want to go home.”
“And you don’t mind that he’ll beat you up if you stay?” Blaine asked incredulously.
“I’m asking if you have an alternative,” Kurt corrected him. “Will you take me home if I go back with you?”
“Yes.” That wasn’t a lie; Blaine would eventually take Kurt home. It just might take a few weeks while they delivered their cargo first.
Kurt accepted the answer but wasn’t sure that he entirely trusted Blaine yet. Still, the pirate was the safer option. “Let’s go then.”
“Wait.” Blaine retrieved his coat, which was lying on the floor. “It’s cold out there. You’ll need this.”
“Thank you.” Kurt put the coat on, feeling warmer straight away. Then he noticed something. “You’re bleeding.”
Blaine shrugged. “It’s just a scratch.” The injury was hurting now he was putting weight on it again but he wasn’t about to mention that.
Kurt rolled his eyes; why did men always feel they had to put on a brave face regarding injuries? (and he included himself in that). He took the coat off and then tore his ripped shirt into long pieces to use as a bandage before putting the coat back on. “Stand still,” he ordered as he knelt in front of Blaine.
The pirate didn’t protest as Kurt bandaged his leg tightly, the pressure helping to slow the bleeding. He didn’t feel the pain as he was too aware of Kurt’s proximity to his groin. All he would have to do was put a hand in Kurt’s hair and then guide the younger man over just a little bit… Stop it! he chastised himself. Now really wasn’t the time to indulge in such fantasies.
“There, all done,” Kurt said, proud of his handiwork. Though his concentration had been on Blaine’s leg, he couldn’t help but be aware of how close he was to the pirate’s manhood. Kurt’s gaze drifted sideways and he noticed that there was a slight bulge in Blaine’s trousers, and that made Kurt scramble nervously to his feet.
“Right then. I suppose we should…” Blaine gestured towards the door.
“Right,” Kurt echoed. The sooner they were off this ship, the better.
The two of them headed up the stairs. When they got there, they found most of the sailors lying unconscious or dead on the deck, with a handful on their knees - hands tied behind their back - with the Warblers pointing swords at them.
“What took you so long?” Wes called out from the other side of the deck.
Blaine ignored him, unable to think of a witty comeback at the moment. “We need to get out of here before they can follow us. Can we disable the ship to slow them down?”
“Already done.” Wes pointed towards the sails. There was one large tear in each one, which meant that the wind wouldn’t catch them very well.
Blaine grinned; that’s why Wes was his second-in-command.
The pirates plus Kurt made their escape. Fortunately, the Warblers on The Dalton had taken the ship back, and they had thrown the sailors overboard when they saw their crew-mates returning.
Once everyone was on board, The Dalton set sail under Wes’ supervision. Blaine went to his cabin to lie down and Kurt followed him to make sure he was alright.
“I’m fine,” Blaine said as he collapsed onto the bed. Part of him said that he should be looking after Kurt, who had been beaten up, but his body was beginning to protest being upright. “I feel like I should be making sure you’re alright.”
“I just have few bruises, they’ll heal fine,” Kurt retorted. “You, however…” He unwound the bandages and checked the wound; it was shallow but long, and the bleeding had slowed right down. However, the edges really needed to be sewn together to help it heal better. So Kurt got his sewing kit and sat down next to Blaine.
“What are you doing?” Blaine queried when he saw Kurt threading the needle.
“What does it look like? Oh, where’s the rum?” Kurt suddenly asked, glancing around the cabin. At Blaine’s confused expression, he added, “This will probably hurt so you might want something to dull the pain.”
A drink sounded good about now. “Cabinet.”
Kurt retrieved the bottle of rum and gave it to Blaine. After the older man had had a few mouthfuls, Kurt settled himself down again and started to sew Blaine’s skin together.
Blaine bit back a shout at the feel of the needle sliding through his skin. But once the rum started to kick in, things got a lot better. Especially when the events of the past hour caught up with him and he passed out.
When Kurt finished, tying the thread neatly, he realised that Blaine was unconscious. He took the opportunity to study the pirate. Blaine’s dark curls were coming loose from whatever he usually put on his hair, and they made him look younger and more vulnerable. Kurt liked that look on him. It made him briefly forget that Blaine was a pirate who had kidnapped him for no other reason than Pav had taken a liking to him.
The parrot wasn’t anywhere in sight so Kurt assumed that he was still hiding somewhere after all the fighting. Since none of his own injuries needed tending, Kurt figured he should go look for Pavarotti but first… He leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on Blaine’s lips as a thank-you for the rescue; he wouldn’t dare do that if Blaine were conscious. Then he left the pirate to rest and went in search of Pavarotti.
Part 5...