#being purposefully vague about the details blue said when proposing the AU

[thelastspeecher]

Pirates!

The post I made where I mentioned that we developed a Pirate AU on the discord recently got five likes, which is all the encouragement I need, so.  Here.  Have Stan talking his way into being a pirate, then later climbing the ranks to be a first mate to a feared pirate captain and discovering said captain’s biggest secret.  I have even more stuff written, but here’s a bit of a taster to tempt y’all.

Shout-out to the folks on the discord who have helped to develop the AU, esp @bluestuffeh, who first said “Hey what about a Pirate AU where...”

Enjoy.

——————————————————————————————

              Stan held his breath as another pirate walked past the barrel he was hiding in.

              Stan.  You’ve made a lot of shitty decisions in your life.  This might be the shittiest.  The ship hit a rough wave.  Stan’s barrel toppled over, spilling him onto the deck.  Promptly, there was a cutlass at his throat.  Yep.  This is the shittiest.

              “Uh…hi,” he said weakly.  The man pointing a sword at him, enormous and redheaded, glared at him.

              “Someone fetch the captain to deal with this stowaway,” the man said.  Or rather, roared.  Stan winced.

              This guy went into the right career.  He clearly doesn’t have much of an inside voice.

              “No need to fetch me, Dan,” a voice rasped.  Stan’s heart leapt into his throat.  “I heard you from my cabin.”  Stan swallowed nervously as footsteps approached.  The captain walked up to Stan, looking him over with a careful eye. A thick scar on one cheek marred his surprisingly delicate face, but Stan’s gaze was drawn to the scar on his neck. Rumor had it that the captain got it his first night on a ship when someone tried to slit his throat. Whoever tried to kill him hadn’t survived to tell the tale.  Neither had the captain’s voice.  It was irrevocably damaged.

              “What should we do?” asked Dan.  The captain watched Stan expectantly.

              “I think I’d like to hear what the stowaway has to say for himself,” the captain said.  Sure enough, his voice was rough and mangled.  Stan opened and closed his mouth silently for a moment.  “Well?”

              “You’re short,” Stan said without thinking.  Dan grabbed Stan roughly and pulled him to his feet.  All the gesture did was further prove how short the captain was.  Stan was almost a full foot taller.

              “Wanna rephrase that?” Dan snarled.

              Yes.  But I’ll just bury myself deeper, because the only other thing I can think of to say is that he’s handsome.  At Stan’s continuing silence, chuckles came from the crewmen that had gathered to watch the spectacle.  The captain stepped closer to Stan.

              “Give me one reason I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

              “I want to join your crew,” Stan blurted out.  The crew’s laughter grew louder.  The captain held up a hand, silencing the crew.  He raised an eyebrow at Stan.

              “What exactly do you think this is?  This is a pirate ship, boy, not a bar.  I don’t exactly let anyone who walks on board interview for a position.”

              “Hear me out,” Stan said desperately.  The captain made a “go on” gesture.  Stan took a deep breath.  “I can’t work for my brother anymore.  He- he’s the captain of the ship you raided last night.  I wanted to be at sea ever since I was a kid, but my brother, he was the one who was going places.  So I just sort of went with him when the governor hired him to captain a ship.  And I’m sick of it.”  Something flashed in the captain’s eyes, a startling blue that matched the waves hitting the ship’s prow.  “I can’t- I can’t be his lackey anymore, I can’t just do the stupid, pointless tasks he gives me.  I mean, I’m not even his first mate, I’m just- I’m just the cabin boy.”

              “Hmm.”  The captain’s eyes bore into Stan.  He resisted the urge to look away.  “Dan, put the sword down.”  Soft murmuring broke out amongst the crew.  “What’s your name?”

              “Stan.  Stan Pines.”

              “Stan.  Welcome aboard.  For a probationary period.”

              “You have a better vocabulary than I’d expect from a pirate,” Stan said, again, without thinking.  An expression crossed the captain’s face, too quickly for Stan to identify.  It might have been amusement, it might have been frustration.  It might have been both.

              “And you’re damn good at putting your foot in your mouth,” the captain retorted. “I’ll let you join the crew for a while. If you try to get out of pulling your weight, if you turn out to be a spy for the crown, you’ll be in Davy Jones’ Locker before you’ll know what hit you.  Got it?”

              “Got it.”  Stan swallowed.  “Uh, and thanks.”

              “It’s not a favor to you,” the captain said roughly.  “A man’s gotta have a code to live by.  I spent most of my life feeling adrift at sea, and I try to help people who are in the same spot.”  The captain turned around.  “Dan, show him where he’ll be sleeping.  And Stan?”

              “Y-yeah?”

              “You should probably know who your new captain is.”  The captain grinned viciously over his shoulder at Stan. “The name’s Sullivan McGowan.  But you can call me Captain Sully.”

              “Will do, Captain Sully,” Stan said dutifully.  Captain Sully’s grin broadened.

              “That’s what I like to hear.”  The captain marched away.  Stan could only stare silently.

              How the hell did I pull that off?

----- 

              The ship doctor finally emerged from the captain’s cabin.  Stan stopped pacing and looked at the doctor hopefully.

              “Can I see him?” he asked.  The doctor’s face was unreadable.

              “Yes, you can see the captain,” the doctor said.  Stan entered the cabin, his heart racing.  When he’d seen Sully go down in battle with a sword in his side, he’d feared the worst.  But Sully was a tough bastard, so of course he stuck around.  Stan closed the cabin door behind him.  At the sound, Sully sat up in bed.  Stan’s jaw dropped.  He’d never seen Sully shirtless before, and now he knew why.

              The captain has…jugs.  Stan immediately winced and prayed that Sully didn’t hear him think that.  Sometimes, it seemed like the captain could read minds. Sully stared at him, face reddening. After a moment, he cleared his throat.

              “Well…I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Sully said softly.  His voice was higher than usual, clearer.  It lacked the distinct gruff rasp that Stan knew so well.  Stan swallowed.

              “Look, captain, I’ve- I’ve met people who used to be guys but then became girls, and girls that became guys.  I’m not judging you, and you- you being- it doesn’t mean you’re not a man.” Sully let out a soft laugh.  He swung his legs over the side of his bed.

              “That’s very progressive of ya.  But not necessary.  I’m a woman. Have been my whole life.  I just pretend to be a man ‘cause it’s a man’s world.” Sully scowled.  “When I first got into piracy, I knew I couldn’t be myself if I wanted to survive.”

              “What made you think that?” Stan asked.

              “What was the first thing ya said when we first met?”

              “Uh…that you were short.”

              “I’m not just short fer a man, I’m short fer a woman.  I was soft, petite, fragile, like young ladies are s’pposed to be.  Someone like that won’t last long on the sea.”  Sully got up.  He- no, she limped over to her desk and sat down.  “I changed myself so’s I could live.”

              “That’s…that’s rough, buddy,” Stan finally managed.  Sully snorted.

              “Thanks.  I am plannin’ on tellin’ the crew at some point that I’m a woman.  Can I trust ya to keep this secret until I’m ready to spill it on my own?”

              “Yeah.”

              “Good.”

              “And I’ll make sure the doctor doesn’t let anything slip, too,” Stan added. Sully nodded gratefully.  “If you don’t mind me asking…”  Sully waved a hand airily.

              “Ask away.”

              “Sully isn’t actually your name, is it?”

              “No.”  Sully’s lips flattened into a thin line.  “It’s Sally. And- and even then, Sally’s my middle name.  My first name’s Bridgette.”

              “I see why you went by Sully,” Stan said.  Sully- no, Sally chuckled.  “One other thing.”  Sally raised an eyebrow.

              “Yes?”

              “Your voice-” Stan started.  Sally let out a bark of laughter.

              “You know I’m a woman and keepin’ my voice low strains it, so of course it’s higher than yer used to.”

              “No, I figured that out.  I was wondering why it’s not so…rough.”

              “Ah.”  Sally pointed at the scar on her neck.  “The rumor that my voice was affected by the wound that caused this?  Just that.  A rumor. I got it my first night on a ship. The person that patched me up said it might mess with my voice.  So I went with it.  Anything to make myself more intimidatin’.”  Sally grinned.  “And as fer the accent you’ve no doubt picked up on, I’ll explain that some other time. Right now, I need to rest.  Go run the ship like the capable first mate you are.”

----- 

              Fiddleford charged through the crowd of battling sailors.  He could see his target, gleefully kicking his first mate overboard.

              “Anyone else want a piece?” Captain Sully snarled.  His voice rasped painfully, in line with the rumor his vocal cords had been damaged years ago.

              “Me,” Fiddleford said, stepping forward.  Captain Sully’s head whipped around.  He grinned viciously.

              “You’re gonna regret that.”  Captain Sully marched towards him.  Fiddleford grit his teeth.

              You’re doin’ this fer Angie.  Yer doin’ this to find out where yer baby sister’s gone to.  Before he knew what was happening, Captain Sully was in front of him, his throat tickled by the pirate’s cutlass.  Fiddleford could only stare silently into Captain Sully’s eyes.

              “What, you won’t even try to fight me?” Captain Sully snapped. Fiddleford’s heart was in his throat. The nose was a dead giveaway, and so was the height; but there was a spark in the pirate’s fierce blue eyes. A spark that Fiddleford remembered seeing whenever he played games with his overcompetitive little sister.

              It can’t be…  A few strands of blond hair fell into Captain Sully’s face.  Fiddleford’s stomach churned.  It- it’s Angie.  He wanted desperately to say something to his younger sibling.

              “Are you like me?  Did you start a new life, where no one would know the name you were born with?” But not a single word crossed his lips. Captain Sully, fed up with his silence, spat in his face.  Fiddleford wiped it off quickly, but while he was occupied, Captain Sully knocked his legs out from under him and chucked him overboard.  His head broke free from the water.  He stared at the pirate captain that had once been his baby sister.

              What happened?

----- 

              Once again, a cutlass was at Fiddleford’s throat.  Captain Sully sneered down at him.

              “Anything to say?” he said jauntily.  “I’ll grant you last words.  It’s the least a man can get.”  Fiddleford swallowed.

              “I’m sorry,” he whispered.  Captain Sully frowned, bemused.  “I’m sorry fer bein’ a poor excuse of a big brother.  I should’ve been there fer ya.”  The pirate’s stony expression broke.  Shock filled his eyes, a blue that they both had inherited from Ma. “But…if this is what ya wanted, to have a new life, start over, I- I’m just happy to know ya found yourself.” The cutlass at his throat quivered.

              “I…”  Captain Sully’s brief devastated expression returned to a vicious glare.  “Dan!”

              “Yes, captain?” asked a redheaded bear of a man.  Captain Sully sheathed his sword.

              “Take him to the brig.”

              “Uh…”  The ship’s crew looked at each other.  “Are- are you sure about that?”

              “Are you questioning me, Dan?” Captain Sully snapped.  Dan swallowed.

              “N-no, sir.”  Dan marched forward and pulled Fiddleford to his feet.  “I don’t know why the captain decided to go easy on you, but you should count yourself lucky.”  Fiddleford watched Captain Sully disappear into his cabin, closely followed by a man he could only assume was the first mate.

              “…I do.”

----- 

              “Hey.”  Fiddleford’s head whipped up.  It was the first mate he’d seen follow Captain Sully into his cabin.  “What’s your name?”

              “F-Fiddleford.”

              “All right.  Fiddleford.” The first mate unlocked the door. “You’re coming with me.  The captain wants to talk to you.”

              “He’s not doing the interrogation in the brig?” asked Fiddleford’s guard. The first mate shrugged.  “Man, what is it about this guy that’s making the captain go so easy on him?”

              “Dunno,” the first mate grunted.  He grabbed Fiddleford’s arm.  “You’re coming with me, Twiggy McGee.”  The first mate dragged Fiddleford out of the brig, up to the deck, and into the captain’s cabin.  “Sit.” Fiddleford was shoved into a chair in front of the captain’s desk.

              “Stan,” the captain said softly.

              “Yep.”  The first mate – Stan – closed the door.  “You better cooperate with anything the captain asks you, capisce?”

              “I- I was goin’ to,” Fiddleford stammered.

              “Good.”  Stan leaned against the door.  The captain looked up from his desk.  He steepled his fingers, his eyes staring into Fiddleford’s.  A tense silence fell.  Clearly, Captain Sully wasn’t planning on speaking first.  Fiddleford cleared his throat.

              “You make a fine young man,” he said finally.  Captain Sully leaned back in his chair.

              “So do you.  But I’m guessin’ that you ain’t pretendin’ to be a man like I am.”  Fiddleford sat up straight.  “I heard ‘bout yer…passin’.  Well, the passin’ of Viola.”

              “H-how?”

              “I have my ways.  Why’d ya think I named my ship Sweet Viola?”  Captain Sully snorted.  “If I’d known my sister died so my brother could be born, maybe I would’ve named her somethin’ else.”

              “Wait, what exactly is going on?” Stan asked.  Captain Sully sighed.

              “Remember what you thought when ya first saw me shirtless?”

              “Yeah,” Stan said.  Captain Sully nodded at Fiddleford.  “…Oh.”

              “You- you aren’t a man now?” Fiddleford asked.

              “Nope.”

              “But-”

              “Sally’s been dressing like a man so that people take her seriously,” Stan said. Fiddleford frowned.

              “…Sally?  If yer first mate knows yer a woman, why don’t he know yer real name?” he asked. His younger sibling, who he now felt comfortable thinking of as Angie again, narrowed her eyes.

              “He knows Sally’s my middle name,” Angie ground out.

              “But-”

              “By the way, don’t think I missed that little squeak ya made,” Angie said, talking over him, probably to prevent Fiddleford from letting slip that Sally wasn’t her middle name.  “When I said Stan saw me shirtless.  If findin’ out someone saw me without a top on is enough to make that overprotective siblin’ nature kick in, you’ll be apoplectic once ya hear what else I’ve done.” Angie kicked her legs up on her desk. At some point, she had changed out of her long pants and into shorter ones.  Fiddleford’s mouth went dry at the scars running up and down her legs.

              “Look…Sally, I-”

              “Save it,” Angie snarled.  “I didn’t kill ya ‘cause yer fam’ly.  But that don’t mean yer entitled to-”  Stan cleared his throat.

              “Sally, remember what I said?  About how he clearly hadn’t written you off?  And was trying to find you?” Stan said gently.  Angie closed her eyes.  Fiddleford’s heart sank.

              That’s why she’s so upset.  She really- she really thinks that we abandoned her.

              “Junebug,” Fiddleford whispered.  Angie looked away, but not fast enough to hide the tears beginning to trickle down her face.  “We- we never gave up on ya.  I’ve been- I’ve been searchin’ fer ya fer years.  Why else do ya think a farm boy went and joined the navy?”

              “…Farm boy?” Stan said.  “Sally, did you grow up on a-”

              “Not now,” Angie mumbled.  She rubbed her face roughly.  “I…”

              “I’m sorry it took so long to find you.  And I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help when you needed it,” Fiddleford said, leaning forward.  He cautiously reached out a hand.  Angie didn’t move away.  Emboldened, Fiddleford took hold of her hand.  It was as thin and dainty as he remembered, but roughened by callouses and scars.  “But I’m here now.  I want- I want to know what you’ve been through, and I want to tell ya what you’ve missed.”  Angie took a shuddering breath.

              “Okay,” she said quietly.  “First things first, you should prob’ly tell me whatever name yer goin’ by now.”

              “Oh.  It’s Fiddleford.”

              “Fiddleford.”  Angie snorted.  “Of course, when you had the chance to choose a name, ya went with Fiddleford.” Fiddleford grinned.  Angie didn’t return the expression, but the steely, vicious glint in her eyes softened.

              Just a bit.