#drabblecember2023

He was so tired.

While promised that the event wouldn’t go on for long, and that he was sure to be an invaluable asset to the mission, Threepio served little purpose that night other than to be his former master’s coatrack. Granted, he was told to be on standby, should his services be needed, but at this point it appeared whatever Anakin and Obi Wan assumed was going to happen at the gala was nothing to warrant the lightsabers securely stashed away. The night had drone on for long enough, and while no verbal or physical labor had been required of him, he felt exhaustion coupled with utter loneliness. Standing still for hours, let alone with no one eager to use him for the one thing he was good for, was upsetting. That is, until his attention was brought to a flash of scarlet, in the form of a shiny red dress. The owner of said dress a familiar, not completely unwelcome sight.

“Well, don’t you clean up nicely.”

He turned to see Kaiyo grinning, gesturing to the bowtie Anakin had fastened to him earlier that evening. It had gone a tad crooked at this point.

“Thank you…you look quite radiant yourself.”

“I know,” she teased, darting her head around before facing him again. “Did you come by yourself, or is your date just in the restroom?”

He mimicked a scoff. “I do not have a “date”. Master Anakin asked me to accompany him and Obi Wan here for a mission, supposedly…although I’m unsure why my presence is even necessary at this point.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” She jerked her head towards his shoulder, suit jacket draped over.

“I believe that further proves my point.” He said.

“Well…if you’re not too occupied, maybe you could join me outside for a walk?” She sighed dramatically. “It’s so stuffy in here, not even the food is worth staying for. You’d think with how wealthy the owners are they’d at least have a decent menu.”

“A-As lovely as that sounds, I must remain here. What if I’m needed?”

“I’m sorry, how long have you been standing here doing absolutely nothing? Two hours?”

“…Three.“

“Oh, you poor thing.” She took hold of his arm, tugging him towards the exit. “Let’s get you some fresh air.”

“I must remind you, that as a droid I do not require ‘fresh air’.”

————————

He hadn’t protested much. Keyword much, though he knew realistically Kaiyo saw through his protests and was aware he was grateful for an excuse to take a break. While unaccustomed to the chilly night air, he slowly started to prefer it to the stuffiness of the ballroom.

“Soooo, what’s this mission about, exactly?”

“I can’t tell you that! It would go against my protocol to reveal such information.”

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“They didn’t tell you much of anything, did they?”

“Well—“ he began to protest, “I—um, of course they did…”

Kaiyo gave a small laugh, her suspicions all but confirmed.

Heat ran through his faceplate, and he glanced away.

“L-Let’s not talk about that. I’m rather curious to know what you’re doing here.”

She shrugged.

“You have your mission, I have mine. Let’s just say I wasn’t able to gather the intel I was looking for.” She pressed her lips together, hoping he wouldn’t question further. He wasn’t always adept at picking up cues, but he had someone grown to recognize her tells. One of which, he noticed, was what he understood was the natural human response to the cold: shivering. He could tell she was trying to power through it, slightly increasing her pace, and he wondered why she didn’t simply suggest going back inside.

“Kaiyo…” he began.

She paused, turning back to face him, eyes widening when she realized that she had outpaced him by quite a few feet in an attempt to generate heat.

“Oh, sorry! Am I walking too fast?”

“Well yes, but—“ she hurried back to his side as he spoke, “I was going to point out that you seem cold.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly. “It’s pretty chilly…”

Wordlessly, Threepio slowly slid Anakin’s suit jacket off his shoulder, gently placing it around Kaiyo’s shoulders.

“Oh!” Kaiyo glanced up at him, further burying herself in the jacket. “Are you sure Anakin won’t mind?”

“I’m sure if he needed it, he would have asked for it back by now,” Threepio explained. Kaiyo nodded, a small smile gracing her face. Threepio forced himself to look away.

She had no business looking so cute.

He thought if he just avoided looking at her, focused his gaze on the grass, the sky, anything else, that the rush of energy through his circuits would subside. That is, until she seemingly read his mind and decided to make it worse.

Granted, while she could technically read some minds (a perk of her mastery of the Force), he thanked the maker that such a trick didn’t work on droids.

But as she reached to adjust his bowtie, patting it down slightly with a satisfied smile that made him feel like his circuits were melting, he wasn’t so sure.

The storm made its presence known long before it actually arrived. Dark clouds were gathering at the horizon, overshadowing the light of the day, and the air had an unsettling feeling about itself.

Selena stood at the railing, watching as the sunlight faded more and more. A slight nervousness was growing within her chest; it was the first storm she would witness while being aboard the Flying Dutchman. The first ever since that horrifying night, when the winds were furious and the waves were raging, and an unexpectedly strong surge of water just yanked her from the deck of the Diligence to pull her down into the dark, cold water. Selena was sure she would have drowned that night, hadn't the cursed ship found her and picked her up, soaking wet and freezing. The life aboard the Dutchman wasn't an easy one, but it was a life at least.

A rough push from behind snapped her back from her thoughts. She felt a clawed hand on her shoulder and turned around to find Maccus.

"C'mon. The captain wants ta keep an eye on ya when we're going down. Can't have ya get lost at sea another time, hah."

"Down?" Selena frowned as she followed him across the deck. She knew of the Dutchman's ability to dive underwater and resurface without any damage on neither ship nor crew, but in the weeks she had been here, she had never had to experience it herself. Until now.

"Would ye rather want to sail right through the storm?" Maccus turned his head to grin at her, showing multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth. "'Cause I doubt that, givin' yer seafaring skills. Trust me, it’ll be easier sailing below."

Selena scrunched her nose. She knew he was probably right, but that still didn't make her nervousness go away. "It might be better than a storm, but it doesn't sound like the most pleasant thing either. It's just something new to me, that's all."

"That's why the captain 'imself is gonna have a watch over ye", Maccus said in a smug voice. He gestured Selena to follow him, leading her to the captain's quarters. Other crew members were running across the deck, even though the Dutchman didn't need a lot of preparation before going below the surface, they wanted to be sure that nothing would go wrong.

Davy Jones opened the door to his quarters upon Maccus’ knocking, his gaze darting between the hammerhead shark and Selena.

"I brought ya the lassie. Figured she better not be on the open deck during her first dive."

The captain's gaze softened in a barely noticeable way, and he stepped aside to let Selena in, before turning his attention to Maccus again. "Order tah men ta start going down. They shall not veer off th' course, sail straight away undah tha storm."

"Aye, cap'n!" Maccus returned to the way he came from, and Selena could just hear him start to yell orders before Davy closed the cabin door.

"Is the first dive frightening?", she asked. Davy seemed to think for a moment before he responded. "Tha new sailors always dread it. It certainly be an … unsettling experience for those once mortals. Many of them say it feels unusual or unpleasant, but most of them adjust in a short time. I’ve been doin’ it fer so long, I … cannae remember what it was like in tha beginning."

His eyes became a little clouded as the memory seemed to pain him. Selena didn’t say a word, but reached out to gently take Davy’s right hand, squeezing it lightly. His tentacle-like index finger responded immediately to the action, wrapping around her hand as if it wanted to make sure she didn’t let go. Davy gave her a thankful look, before leading her to one of the windows. His beard tentacles were writhing calmly around his shoulders, and his whole demeanour had softened slightly, like every time they were alone.

"Yah might feel like ye're drowning when we’re going underwater, but it will pass, alright? Ye're bound ta the Dutchman now. She will not be leavin' ya behind."” His gaze became a little more tender, and he leaned a little closer. “I will not be leavin’ ya behind”, he muttered.

All of a sudden, Selena felt a slight jolt going through the hull of the ship, before the floor underneath her feet started to tilt. Instinctively she grabbed Davy’s sleeve with her free hand, while holding onto him a little tighter with the other one. He pulled her closer towards him, just enough so he could wrap his crab claw around her back, securing her where she was standing so she wouldn’t fall over on the uneven ground.

“Maccus must’ve given the signal.” Selena was a little annoyed about how nervous she sounded. But even though Davy assured her that she would be able to get through the dive like every other crew member, the thought of experiencing another time what it felt like to almost drown made her stomach turn, and she took a deep breath to calm the feeling. She felt how Davy started to rub her hand with his thumb in a soothing motion.

“We will stay inside here for this time. It be calmer and there are less things for ya ta worry about than on tha open deck. I think Maccus made a fine decision there.”

“Maccus?” Selena tilted her head. “So he didn’t bring me here on your command?”

Davy shook his head slightly, and a little snort, almost like a chuckle, escaped him. “Nay, he didn’t. But he seems ta keep an eye on ya. He be a proper first mate.”

In the meantime, water had started to seep in, coming through every opening in the ship’s hull and filling up the insides. It was already washing around their feet, and the level rose quickly. On top of everything, Selena also felt a biting cold creeping up her ankles now, and pressed herself closer to Davy.

“It will be alright, Selena.” His gaze caught hers, bright blue eyes captivating her. “Remember, ya will survive this. Even when we’re underwater, breathe. Ye’re bound ta the Dutchman now, and bound ta the sea.”

The water had already risen to Selena’s knees now, and it couldn’t be stopped in its way. She flinched as the cold waves reached her stomach, then her chest, her chin. A few moments later, she and Davy were both completely underwater, the entire room was filled. The Flying Dutchman had completely submerged beneath the stormy sea.

Selena had instinctively closed her eyes and pressed her face into Davy’s beard when it happened. She stayed in this position until she felt something soft gently caressing her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes again, finding that it was one of Davy’s beard tentacles. He looked at her with a tender gaze, his arms wrapped around her a little tighter now.

The first thing that Selena noticed about their surroundings was how clear she could see everything. She remembered how she tried to “dive” in her bathtub as a child, and how blurry it had always been, but this now felt only marginally worse compared to her eyesight above the surface. Apparently, this was one of the positive effects of being bound to a cursed ship. She could see the details on the wooden planks that the ship was made of, and the small barnacles on Davy’s clothes. The captain himself offered an unexpectedly amusing sight in this situation. Unlike usually, his tentacles were not pulled down by gravity now, and were floating more freely, although he seemed to control them enough that they weren’t going all over the place but kept their beard-like shape. He even had used two of them to keep his hat in place.

She had initially held in her breath, as this was an instinct that was hard to suppress, but now Selena felt her chest getting tighter. Davy seemed to notice that she began to struggle, he let go of her with his right hand and brought it to her cheek instead, brushing over her lips with his thumb as if to encourage her to take a breath. Hesitantly, Selena let go of the last bits of air in her lungs, before she had no other choice than to suck in the water that was the only thing surrounding her.

The first breath was unpleasant, even painful, like something heavy pressing on her chest from both in- and outside, along with a burning sensation as her body took in the water where air should belong. Selena contorted her face, but after a few moments, the feeling started to fade again. She tried to take a few more deep breaths, adjusting to this new feeling, and to her relief it seemed that Davy and Maccus told her the truth and it was merely a matter of getting used to it.

When she looked up to Davy again, Selena received the honour of witnessing one of his rare genuine smiles. She couldn’t help to note how natural he looked in this environment, as if he belonged here. She opened her mouth, attempting to saying something, but only a string of barely understandable sounds came out. Davy’s smile turned into more of a grin, and he shook his head, as if to tell her, ‘No talking’. Instead, he leaned forwards to wrap his arms around her and pull her into him, resting his cheek against her forehead. She could feel that he was proud of her, as well as relieved that she took the whole experience so well.

Selena felt how some of Davy’s tentacles started to play with her hair - it was something they seemed to attempt at every opportunity given, whether Davy wanted it or not -, and now she felt a smile forming on her own lips as well. She lifted a hand, caressing a few of them with her fingers, and shifted her body a little to make herself more comfortable in Davy’s embrace. She didn’t know how long the Dutchman intended to stay underwater, or how long it would take to leave the storm behind them, but for now, Selena felt calm and content, far more than she would have expected before all this. She looked out the window, into the vast sea that was far quieter than what she was used to from it, and something that Davy said came up in her mind again, putting a tender smile on her lips. ‘I will not be leavin’ ya behind.’

~~~

Minamimoto sneezed as he retracted a bit into his clothes. “What’s wrong, Sho?” Haruka asked as she looked to her side. He side eyed her. “It’s zeta cold. How‘re you not freezing out here?”

“Well, I grew up pretty up north… I’m used to it honestly.” With this, she gave a cheeky grin. “Interesting how you hate the cold, Mr. Perfect.”

“...Shut up.” Minamimoto muttered grumpily. It’s not often he’s in a great mood, but the cold really did seem to be making him grouchier than usual. “...I know what’ll cheer you up. I heard that the cafe you like so much has a new option for their pancakes… A huge stack with cream, sugar, and butter on every layer.”

Minamimoto’s eyes lit up a bit, as he tried to avert his gaze to not make it obvious. With how he acts, most wouldn’t expect it. However, he did indeed have quite a sweet tooth, especially when baked goods are involved. It was hard for him to turn down anything of that nature. “Well, how ‘bout it? I’m sure it’s warm in there too.”

“...I suppose it’s not out of the equation.”

“I thought not. Let’s go check it out!” With this, Haruka took his hand and began to lead him along. 

The image of the woman was enough to set Ramuda into a state of dread. He wanted to excuse himself for an hour yet Dice sat him back down, even if forcefully. “C'mon. It ain't that bad. She won't jump outta the screen and latch onto you.” Dice had told him, essentially forcing Ramuda to stay. And yet, his stomach turned with each passing scene… Ok, not at first. He thought that Gentaro had been exaggerating and that this was just a normal, fun movie… Until the scene where the protagonist spots this woman and she lifts her hat up.

The shot was right at her face, focused on her lifeless eyes in utter silence. They were sparkly golden yet unbearably cold. She started expressionless yet that expression formed into a smile… Ever saw someone who tried to smile cutely? Imagine that but it's the creepiest smile you have ever seen in your entire life. And that shot felt like it was dragging on for ages, not moving forward. Time was at a standstill and Ramuda was forced to look. He was so close to jumping but no, he couldn't just do— “Po.“ – “GYAA! NO! GET HER AWAY FROM ME!”

That thought had crossed his mind too soon. Because the next thing he knew he was clutching onto the next best person, though it had not registered at first. His hands were busy grasping whoever so tightly as his face seemed to have been pressed into the equivalent of soft cushions. He didn't see exactly what nor did he care, as long as he didn't have to see her face again! “Ah– Ramuda!? Wha–” The voice would try to speak yet he kept on interrupting them. “Get her away, get her away, get her away!” He even nuzzled against whoever!

“Calm down. She's gone. “ After a few seconds of silence this sentence dropped in a rather soft voice and a hand was stroking through his hair. It made him open his eyes finally, spotting what exactly those cushions were. It only took the fabric of the clothes for him to finally register. No, the soft voice and tender touch were already telling. It would always calm him down in times of stress. At first they had kind of forced Ramuda when spotting him being a mess, may it be because of work or some memories of the past creeping up.