Chapter 15 So Many Gay Pirates
I step aboard my new ship with Sivan following close behind.
It’s a surreal feeling to finally be standing here on a ship that was built specifically for me.
Sivan is smiling brightly as I pull him around.
“Let’s go find my room!” I stop in my tracks and turn toward him.
“Wait, which ship do we want to use as our home ship? This one or the other? Do we need two rooms? Or will we share one?”
“So many good questions,” he says. “We better figure out the answers before our dads get here. If it seems like we haven’t thought this through, they won’t—”
“Hello, guys,” Rooster says, stepping onto the deck.
I forgot my dad said he came here to check out the ships earlier.
“Hey, Rooster, what do you think about the ship? Everything look alright?” I ask.
Lyndon, Captain Crawford’s first mate, appears from below, stepping onto the deck. “Everything looks good,” he says. “Rooster was concerned with the storage room being located in the wrong spot. You can have your crew members move things around if you need to.”
“Thanks,” I say. Both of their uniforms seem to be a bit wrinkled…maybe from the fight on deck earlier.
I see our fathers approaching on the dock, and I walk toward the side of the ship to greet them. My father is clapping at the sight. He holds his hands up gesturing toward the ship. “Hey, look at this, Vincent, your own ship! She’s a beauty!” he shouts to me. Captain Crawford is smiling beside him.
Sivan whispers to me, “I’m sorry for whatever happens, because he’s obviously really excited, and I’m thinking he might have a hard time accepting what we’re going to tell him.”
“About us being gay?” I ask, just a little too loud. Oops. I definitely forgot that Rooster and Lyndon were standing behind us. I’m not gonna turn around to see if they heard, just gonna blow past it.
Sivan’s eyes are wide at my slip up, but he’s not turning around either.
Both captains make their way onto the deck and over toward us. My father pats my shoulder, giving me a soft smile. “You looked like your mother leaning over the side of the ship, especially since your hair has gotten so long. But where is your hat?”
“We left our hats in my room this morning. Didn’t know we’d be getting into a fight on the deck, then a bunch of other stuff happened.”
My father turns toward Rooster and Lyndon, and I slowly turn, too. I’m almost wincing, just hoping they didn’t hear what I said. They appear to be in their own little world, discussing something, so it’s possible they didn’t even hear me. It’s also possible that they’re discussing what I said.
“Rooster, Lyndon, how are the ships? Everything in order?” my father asks.
Captain Crawford points at the two men. “You two look like hell. What happened to your uniforms?”
Lyndon and Rooster shrug it off. “Nothing, Captain,” Lyndon says. “We gave the ships a good inspection.”
“Inspections, my ass,” Captain Crawford says.
Rooster steps forward. “Everything is in order, Captains. The storage room on Vincent’s ship is not in the traditional place, that’s the only thing of note.”
We need to pull our fathers aside and talk to them before the chief gets here. I don’t really want to have this talk in front of Rooster and Lyndon, either.
“Captain,” I say, looking at my father.
Before he can answer, I hear footsteps approaching behind us.
Sivan and I turn toward the sound and see Brody and Michael standing just a few feet away and walking closer toward us. What the hell are they doing here?
“I knew they weren’t there just for drinks,” Sivan whispers to me.
“Is that you, Brody?” my father asks. “You’re all grown up. Haven’t seen you since you were a teenager! How have you been?” He looks toward the dock. “Where is your father?”
Michael is avoiding eye contact with us, while Brody is smiling and shaking my father’s hand.
“Hi, Captain Rodrigo, it’s good to see you.
My father isn’t going to attend today. I’ve been taking on more of the responsibilities at the department.
I have my partner, Michael, here with me to sign off on these two. ”
Michael extends his hand toward our fathers and greets them. My father is looking the two of them over, while he shakes Michael’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Michael.” He gestures toward me and Sivan. “These are our sons, Vincent and Sivan.”
What do I do? Do I pretend I’ve never met them? No. I can’t do that.
Sivan gives the two of them a wave. “Yes, we had a drink with them at the bar earlier. They told us they were here for work. I suspected it had something to do with us.”
Brody flashes him a smile. “You are sharp. Knowing your ages is what finally gave it away, huh?”
“He knew as soon as he saw you both,” I say.
My father steps to the side stroking his goatee. “What was discussed during this meetup?”
I look at Sivan. He’s better in situations like this. “Nothing, really,” he says. “I was suspicious of them, based on the way they were dressed, and the way they were acting. They didn’t ask us much before we left.”
“Excuse me,” Michael says, pointing at Rooster and Lyndon. “I recognize these two from your paperwork, Mr. Rodrigo and Mr. Crawford, but where are the two that are expected to be Vincent and Sivan’s first mates? We can’t sign any papers without them.”
This is not a great time for any of this, but I have to speak up. “Captains, Sivan and I have made a decision—”
Before I can get the rest of my sentence out, I see Matteo stepping on the deck. What in the actual fuck is happening right now? Why is he here? He knows what he said to me. What the fuck is happening?
I see Sivan inhale sharply and back up a step. He’s covering his mouth with his hand.
“I made it,” Matteo says.
My father walks over to greet him, while Sivan and I stand frozen. “Oh, I’m so glad you made it, Matteo. Did you drop Harlow back off at the ship?”
“Well, when I got your text, I did what needed to be done, Captain. We can talk about the specifics of it later.” He extends a hand toward Michael. “I’m Matteo, and you are?”
While they exchange their fake pleasantries, I whisper to Sivan, “What the hell am I supposed to do? Why is he here?”
Sivan whispers in my ear, “I assume your father told him beforehand not to discuss the abduction, so Matteo is just pretending nothing happened. But why is he acting like he belongs here? He couldn’t have forgotten what he said to you, or me.
I can tell everyone our plan, or you can. Which would you rather?”
The truth is that I don’t know what to do.
My father doesn’t know that Sivan and I are together, so he probably thinks Matteo’s behavior has just been because of Harlow.
If he knew the whole story, would he even understand?
What’s going to happen? I don’t know what’s come over me, but suddenly I’m terrified of the way this is going to play out.
I cup my hand around Sivan’s ear and whisper, “Baby, I’m kind of scared right now. I think I need you to do it.”
Sivan looks at me softly and gives me the slightest nod.
“Alright,” Captain Crawford says. “We’ll start with Sivan and his first mate, which will be easy, because he doesn’t have one.” Our fathers laugh, while Michael and Brody look confused.
“Actually, Captains, that’s not true. Vincent and I have decided that we will be combining crews. Vincent will be my first mate, and I will be his, we’ll be co-captains.”
Everyone on the deck is staring at us in shock, except for Brody and Michael. “Sounds like a good plan,” Brody says. “Let’s head down to the office and get everything signed.”
Matteo closes the distance between us. “What?!” he shouts. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re naming him your first mate, Vincent? You’re combining crews? What the hell are you thinking?”
Sivan takes a step forward—coming within inches of Matteo’s face. “Don’t talk to him that way. I’ve had enough of your shit. You ran your fucking mouth earlier and you got away with it. I’m warning you that I won’t let you do it again. Back up.”
“Hey!” my father shouts. “Stand down, both of you. We have company. This is not the time for this. Matteo, you have to respect whatever decisions these two make, because they will be the captains of these ships. I wasn’t aware of this until just now, the same as you.
I don’t know what’s going on either, but we can figure it out calmly. ”
Sivan steps back at my father’s command, which I’m grateful for. I thought he was gonna beat the hell out of Matteo.
“Do you all need a moment to sort things out? We can’t interfere, but we can act as mediators if you need us to,” Michael says.
“No, no. We have it under control,” Captain Crawford says. He walks toward Sivan and me. “When was this decided? Have you thought it through?”
“We have,” I say, looking at Matteo.
Matteo scoffs and shakes his head. “What a bunch of bullshit this is.”
“Matteo, who are you kidding right now?” I ask. “Earlier, you pretty much said you wouldn’t do it, do you remember that?”
He smiles wickedly at Sivan and me. “All I remember is that since you two started fucking everything has changed.”
“Whoo, there it is,” Brody says.
I lean my head back in frustration. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
Our fathers appear to be in shock, staring at the two of us, while Lyndon and Rooster are whispering between themselves, seemingly unaffected by what’s happening.
My father grips the hilt of his sword. “What did you just say, Matteo?”
“Oh, I forgot that was supposed to be a secret.” He smirks. “These two have been sleeping together since the last meeting of the crews.”
“I knew it,” Brody says, earning a look of disapproval from Michael.
My father blinks hard, looking at the two of us. He seems to be seeking confirmation, although he isn’t saying anything.
Captain Crawford blows air from his mouth. “I have to speak honestly. Whether they’re sleeping together or not, what does that have to do with you, Matteo?”