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Jim stood in their room, hands in their belt. The room looked different, there was a bunch of stuff moved around. They wondered what Olu had done in the time they were gone.
Their sweet Olu. They would gut the first person who accused them of being sentimental, but they had missed Olu greatly. A little voice in the back of their head spoke and made them wonder if maybe Olu didn’t miss them as much as they had missed him. And even though they would never have admitted it, it hurt their heart to even think this. They wondered if perhaps they had made a mistake coming back. What if Oluwande didn’t want to see them.
When they left, the first thing they felt was regret. If it wasn’t for their stupid Co-Captains, they would have kissed Olu and they wished that they hadn't have backed out even with the undesirable company. Watching Olu walk away was so hard. It felt like half of them was gone and even revenge couldn’t fill that hole.
They just wanted one more day together.
Speak of the devil.
Jim heard someone walking up to the door, they couldn’t help but hope that it was Olu. And luckily for them, it was. They could feel their heart squeeze in the best way possible. And with sweaty hands they turned around after hearing their love speak.
When Jim left, Olu was heartbroken. He tried to drown his sorrows in booze but even on the edge of consciousness all he could think about was Jim. How his heart skipped a beat every time they threatened someone, which he didn't feel like thinking about too much right now. Or how their skills with knifes fascinated Oluwande.
How looking into Jim’s beautiful brown eyes made him feel more nervous than when the ship was under attack. How with every fiber of his being he wanted to protect Jim and stop them from ever getting hurt again. Even if he knew better than anyone that Jim out of all the crewmates didn’t need protection.
He has given away his room to Frenchie and Wee John because being in their shared room alone hurt so much. They couldn’t sleep in the bed, not when it smelled so much like Jim. It always surprised Olu that even though Jim was on the same ship as the rest of the horrible smelling crew, they still managed to smell good, or at least not smell disgusting.
Of course Olu knew that Jim needed to finish killing the bastards who slaughtered their family. Olu would never want to stop Jim from doing something. Especially something so important. But he couldn’t help but selfishly think that maybe Jim would have stayed, for him, for them.
He just wanted one more day together.
When their ship was raided by the English and their captains were taken, Olu felt absolutely helpless. What was he supposed to do? Stop the English? It made him feel the same way as when Jim left.
But now, Jim was back, they were actually back. And Olu could only hope it was for good this time. Because he wasn't sure he could deal with them leaving again.
When they, his crewmates, had told Oluwande that Jim was back on the ship it took everything in him to not sprint to them. He didn’t have to ask anyone to know that Jim was back in their room. Frenchie and Wee John had given him back the room after the raid because they thought it was bad luck. He was grateful for that.
He was speed-walking down the hall, hoping not to seem too excited for fear of freaking Jim out. But he couldn’t contain himself and he didn’t even knock before opening the door. Something he never would have dared to do a couple of weeks ago. But for some reason he knew that nothing bad would happen to him, not from Jim.
When he opened the door, he saw that Jim was facing away from him, taking in the room most likely. Oluwande smiled and said “You’re back”.
Jim turned around and was finally face-to-face with their amor.
They shrugged, “looks that way”.
Seeing that smile on Olu’s face made Jim smile. They couldn’t help it if they tried, something about Olu made them happy.
But eye contact and awkward silence was never their strong suit.
“What’d you do to the room?” They said, adjusting their belt and looking are the slightly disheveled room. They felt a little nervous around Olu, but a good nervous. The best kind of nervous. The school graduation nervous, of starting something new. The nervousness of knowing you’re finally with the love of your life. And although they would never in a hundred million years admit this but it felt like the love in fairy tales, the ones they used to sneak from the pathetic village library and read as the dawn broke. The ones that they used to hide from Nana, least they were reprimanded for letting their mind wander even a inch away from La Vengancia.
“Uh, long story. I.. I gave it to Frenchie and Wee John,” Olu responded, Jim was so lost in thought they had forgotten that they had even asked Olu about the room, “But they thought it had bad juju after the raid”.
Olu gave their room away? They felt a small sting, why did Olu give their room away. They moved their shoulders awkwardly, what if Olu didn’t want them back here. What if they didn’t want to share a room together anymore.
“Why’d you give it away?” They asked, hoping that their voice didn’t betray any of their insecurities.
But Olu knew them better than anyone, and he could see past the awkward smile that Jim tried to pass off as casual. And he knew that the only thing he could do was tell the truth.
“I, um…” Easier said than done, he stepped closer to Jim, “...um I missed you”.
And Jim smiled. And Olu could feel his heart explode. That smile made everything worth it, all the piracy, all the running, all the near-deaths. Olu would get raided by the English a hundred times over for just a glimpse of that smile. He would walk to the ends of the earth for that smile.
Jim couldn’t help it. Olu was just so…so attractive, he was truly the perfect man. Level-headed and kind, understanding, attentive. Olu was everything Jim wasn’t, and everything Jim needed. Jim leaned forward, grasping Olu’s face with his hands.
And then they were kissing and it was like all the world fell away. Like there was nobody else on the ship but them. Like there was nobody else in the entire world. And both of them believed that if they died right then, they would die happy. Truly and utterly happy.
Olu’s lips were chapped and tasted of the ocean. Jim’s lips were soft and tasted lightly of rum. Olu could feel the callus on Jim’s hands as they pressed against his face and Jim felt Olu’s large hands settle gently on their hips. And if it was anyone else that was touching them, Jim would have already slit their throats and shoved them overboard. But this was Oluwande, gentle and loving Oluwande. And they felt themselves fall onto the thin straw bed, pulling Olu with them.
Jim ran his hands down Olu’s back, tugging gently at the collar of his shirt. And Olu didn’t have to be asked twice before he was unbuttoning it, cursing under his breath at just how many unnecessary buttons his shirt had. Jim laughed against his lips, and it was music to Olu’s ears. Call him crazy but he was sure that he could survive purely off that laugh. He was so enamored with Jim, there wasn’t enough of him to feel embarrassed. Jim pushed Olu up slightly, just enough to give them enough room to take off their big jacket.
Jim helped push Olu’s shirt off, more gently than they think they’ve ever been before. Olu’s baggy off-white shirt fell at his hips, still tied around his waist by the rope holding up his pants.
“Are you sure about this?” Olu asks, detaching himself from them as Jim begins to tug off their vest. Jim looks up at them, a flash of concern crosses their face before it begins to turn red and they cross their arms around their chest. Clearly Olu had said something wrong.
“I..I just mean, you know, would you” Olu began fumbling over himself, embarrassed just like the time on the beach, “I just want to make sure you want to do this, well, do this with me” Olu explained, suddenly feeling so incredibly naked.
Hearing Olu ask them if they were sure about 'this' made Jim feel very insecure, was Olu not sure about this? Whatever 'this' was. And they could feel their face heating up, god they hated the heat. But hearing Olu trying to explain himself helped them feel less awkward, weirdly enough.
“Of course I want to do…this,” Jim gestures between them and Olu, “with you, you’re the only person I want to do anything with, idiota”. And they smiled up at Olu, trying their best to put as much comfort and love into a smile. And Olu smiled back, understanding Jim better than anyone else in the world.
Olu placed a hand on Jim’s face, leaning back down to kiss them softly. But Jim, tired of the softness, wrapped their legs around Olu’s, pulling him down to cover their body.
And if anyone heard the soft moans and quiet creaking coming from their room, nobody would dare to say anything, for risk of actual death.
✧
Laying on the uncomfortable mattress, Jim was wrapped around Olu, in an almost protective way. Oh who were they kidding, in a protective way. The sun was shining through the window. They were kissing Olu’s shoulder, and Olu was telling them about everything they missed while they were gone. And Jim was content, happy, and they wanted this moment to last just a little while longer. Of course the universe hates Jim.
Lucius bursts into room, eating some biscuits, “Hey guys so we’re havin’ a thing on–”
Jim and Olu both scream, Jim yelling “Carajo!” covering themselves up with the thin blanket. Jim wraps their arm back around Olu, sitting up enough to face Lucius and give him the worst glare they can muster
Lucius, clearly freaking out, yells, “Oh god, I’m so sorry!” as he drops his plate of food onto the ground in a panic.
“There’s a sock on the door!” Olu yells at him.
“Are you a freakin’ idiot?!” Jim yells at the same time.
Lucius, flustered and trying to remember what he came into the room for stammers out, “I don’t know what that means! Um, we’re havin a thing on deck for captain”
Olu rolls his eyes, “Get out!” If Olu was slightly more violent he would probably have already throttled Lucius, if Jim didn’t beat him to it.
Speaking of Jim, Olu was surprised that they hadn’t already tried to kill Lucius. But he guessed they couldn’t do much, seeing as they were both barely covered by the blanket. Olu turned their head up to look at Jim glaring daggers at Lucius. And Olu suspected that if their real daggers were in reach, they would have already thrown them.
Lucius, clearly unsure how to react to seeing them, yelled “Sorry!” and started leaving.
“Close the door!” Jim yells at Lucius and because Lucius was kind, but mostly smart enough to value his own life, he comes back to close the door.
Jim makes sure to yell out, “Vete hombrecito!” to be safe and because Lucius was Lucius he yelled back “Hey Jim. Glad you’re back” muffled by the wooden walls.
And as the both lay back down onto the bed they burst into laughs. Olu starts first and Jim follows soon after. They’re almost hysterical at this point, laughs echoing through the ships. With every laugh Jim felt lighter, like they were floating and they knew then that one day would not be enough. Jim wanted to spend every day with Olu. And as they ran their hand down the side of Olu’s face, pressing another kiss on his lips, Jim hoped Olu wanted that too. And Olu, looking up at them as if he could read their mind, didn’t want anyone next to him if it wasn’t Jim.
And as they kissed each other, they both hoped that they could show all the love they had no words to express. “Round two?” Jim whispered against Olu’s mouth. “More like round four” Olu whispered back.
They didn’t need words, they had each other.
✧
Stupid. Fucking. Blackbeard. Jim was going to kill that stupid fucking cabron, llorando por su asta mas pendejo novio. Jim was going to kill Blackbeard, find Stede fucking Bonnet and then kill him too.
Olu was a little more level headed about the situation, as he tended to be. Especially since he has a crew of morons that he needs to watch after. But he suppose if the opportunity were to arrive, he would be more than willing to kill Blackbeard as well. He dared to take them away from their lover, and he did it in the shittiest way possible.
After waking up with the worst headache, and Ivan’s ugly face staring down, Jim knows something’s wrong, especially since they can’t hear the gaggle of idiots they call their crew.
Olu was actually the second one to notice that something was wrong as the Revenge began sailing away from them. He knew they were screwed. And he would bet everything he had, which at this point was nothing more than a small hand held telescope and a fake fishing pole, that Jim was on the ship.
Jim didn’t know exactly what was happening, they may be the most attentive during a battle, but people’s personal lives was something they most decidedly stayed out of. But they recalled hearing their cariño, Olu, say that Blackbeard was stood up by Stede or something along those lines.
And leave it up to fucking Blackbeard to be the most dramatic person to every break up with. Stupid Stede Bonnet.
And now with a worsening headache, a growing anger, and faint worry, Jim was locked up in their room, being guarded by Ivan. Presumably so they don’t kill Blackbeard for knocking them out. Blackbeard hasn't lived this long underestimating their potential killers and their ever growing number of enemies.
And Olu, for all he was worth, tried his best to keep himself sane, although that was getting harder to do as the hours ticked by. And he couldn’t help but think about Jim again, for probably the hundredth time this hour. Wondering if they were safe, if they knew that the rest of the crew was gone, most likely, and that Olu was missing them greatly.
And as both the lovers looked up, Olu at the darkening sky and Jim at the old wooden board ceiling, they both had the same thought.
We barely had one day together.