#skipwr3ck

At long last, I have new tools for new drawings.

So take some glorious bois.

At long last, I have discovered the light brush.

My beautiful gay bois, Timothy Thorton and Niels Monroe. And here, have the scene that goes with it bc why not.

———————

The door creaked to a close as Scarlet closed it slowly behind her. Even as the soft click sealed it, her hand lingered on the knob. A sigh heaved her shoulders before her arm dropped back to her side.

“Captain?” A soft squeak sounded. Scarlet turned her head. Vin sat a few feet away with wide, worried eyes. Dried blood was stained his skin and clothes; Scarlet was unsure whether or not it belonged to him. She looked at her own hands. The blood there was not hers, but Thorton’s.

“I feel responsible for this mess,” Vin huffed quietly. He clasped his hands and hung his head. “Will he be alright?”

She nodded, expression stoic. “Niels is watching over him.” She wandered over to a nearby crate and plopped down. The rings under her eyes were darkened with more than just charcoal, but exhaustion as well.

Vin allowed the silence to settle before allowing his curiosity control. “They are friends, yes?”

Scarlet looked at him with narrowed eyes, then sighed and nodded.

“How does a pyrate come to be close with a Naval officer?” He asked with a small huff of a laugh, expecting to lighten the mood. Instead, he seemed to do the opposite when Scarlet merely continued to stare silently at the floorboards.

“Timothy enlisted in the Navy at a young age,” she finally answered. Her voice made it clear she was too tired to bite back. “He met Niels there, but eventually they were caught. The man only saw Timothy’s face, so he was gone the next day. He didn’t want to jeopardize Niels’ career. That’s how he found us.”

Vin snapped his head up, taken aback and slightly confused. “What you are saying… The two of them were close?” He paused. “Very close?”

Scarlet shrugged. “I never pressed for details, but one can only assume.”

Vin shifted uncomfortably, averting his gaze. “And you approve of this?”

Scarlet flickered her eyes towards him, shutting him up immediately. “I neither approve nor oppose. You have seen enough of this life to know there is far more to worry about than what goes on behind closed doors.”

Vin pressed his lips together, feeling a mix of shame and distaste. There were certain things that seemed important where the currency was gossip, as it was where he was raised. At the same time, he supposed she was right. It made more sense to him to worry about who was holding a blade behind his own back than to trouble himself with someone else’s past.

He stood and cleared his throat. “Will you find me when he wakes?” He asked. “I would like to apologize for putting him in danger.” He walked away before scarlet got the chance to nod.

—

Niels did not turn his head when Scarlet stood to leave. Truth be told, he’d hardly noticed. By the light of a single flickering lantern, he grasped the hand of the limp man on the table until his own knuckles were white. His hazel eyes were trained on the rise and fall of Thorton’s chest, anxiety pinching his own each time it paused.

He fought sleep for hours, afraid that Thorton would slip away the moment he gave in. His tired eyes trailed to Thorton’s face and his own scrunched. Cuts and scrapes and bruises riddled his skin, haphazardly stitched. His clothes were torn and bloodsoaked. Though they managed to peel off his jacket and examine the damage, Niels couldn’t help but to periodically re-check just in case they missed something. His shoulders slumped and he forced a soft smile.

“Quite a tizzy you’ve gotten yourself into this time, Timothy,” he muttered. “What did I tell you about shaking up with pyrates?” He paused, smile faltering. “Do you remember the day we met?” He shook his head and offered a breathy laugh. “I was so nervous about enlisting, I kept asking you the same questions a million times because I couldn’t remember what the Admiral had told us. And you told me to-“

“To bugger off before I made you the new figurehead.” The response was low and raspy and closely followed by a groan of pain. Thorton blinked his eyes half open. They were glazed over, his vision blurred. He rolled his head towards Niels, who beamed from ear to ear. Thorton, however, furrowed his brows, studying the purple crescent ringing Niels’ eye socket. “What happened to you?”

Niels released a slightly hysterical laugh. “To me?” He scoffed. “Perhaps you should look in a mirror.”

Thorton groaned. “I’d rather not, if you don’t mind.” With a grunt of pain he began to try and sit up, and Niels flew from his chair.

“No no, don’t do that,” he fussed, pressing a hand to his shoulder. “Rest, please.”

The urgency in his voice convinced Thorton to lie back down, though his expression was confused. “What happened? Why are you here?”

Niels smirked. “Someone had to save your halfwit arse from getting yourself killed.” His hand traveled from Thorton’s shoulder to the side of his face. “All things considered, I think I did well.”

Thorton frowned at his touch. He heaved a sigh and turned his head, reaching up to gently pull his hand away.

Niels watched with growing despair as he sat himself up once more. “Timothy-“

Thorton held up a hand and Niels shrunk back. He turned so he sat gingerly on the edge of the table. “You shouldn’t have come,” he rasped. “They’ll be missing you at the port.”

Niels’ scowl deepened. “Screw the port.” He paused. “I couldn’t let you die.”

“We aren’t boys anymore, Niels,” Thorton snapped, recoiling in pain and wrapping an arm around his torso. Breathing heavily, he continued. “I chose my path, and you chose yours.”

“As I recall, you chose mine for me,” Niels responded bitterly. He waited for a response, but Thorton only hid his gaze behind hanging hair. Niels took a deep breath and his tone became flat. “I promised to inform Captain Waters the moment you woke. I best be getting to that.” He hesitated another second before he turned for the door, face immediately falling.

He was reaching for the knob before a sound made him pause.

“Niels, wait,” Thorton croaked.

Niels turned and bit his tongue as Thorton struggled to stand and stagger over. He only took a step towards him when Thorton nearly fell and Niels instinctively lurched to steady him by the arm. He prayed Thorton did not lose his balance entirely. The man was significantly taller than himself, and Niels doubted he could support his weight.

“Sit, please,” he begged quietly.

Hardly having a choice, Thorton plopped into the chair previously occupied by Niels. “I didn’t abandon you,” he breathed. “Not for the reason you think.”

Niels became increasingly disgruntled. “You mean to tell me it wasn’t crippling shame?” He quipped.

Thorton looked up at him as though he’d just kicked a puppy, offended and saddened. “Of course not,” he growled.

Niels slacked slightly, regretting the outburst. “Why, then?”

“They saw my face, Niels,” he responded. “Not yours. Suddenly my future became uncertain, but you still had a career. A life.”

“I would have gone with you,” Niels snapped back. He continued as Thorton simply shook his head. “It has hardly been a life I’ve been living, guilt and regret conflicting with the duty of the career you seem to think matters to me more than you.” He swallowed the tears that threatened. “I only wish you had given me the choice.”

Thorton sighed. “You were not built for this life, Niels,” he murmured. “You would have grown to resent me, and I could not live with that.”

Niels remained quiet for what felt like an eternity. “Well,” he spoke. “As you said, we are no longer boys.” Slowly, he stepped forward and knealt beside the chair. Thorton dared to meet his gaze as Niels took his hand. “I have finally weathered enough winters to make my own decisions.” He smirked, and, to his relief, he thought he saw the shadow of a smile on Thorton’s face as well. “I do believe I’ve had quite enough of embroidered monograms and squabbling over who has the finest mustache when clearly it is me.” The chuckle that escaped Thorton brought a smile to his face.

“How do you feel about salted ham and drunken nights?” Thorton responded with a soft grin.

“That sounds splendid.” He slid his hand to the back of Thorton’s neck with an intended mere peck. Thorton, however, placed his hands on either side of Niels’ face, pressing their lips together and holding him there until he could feel Niels melt.

“Niels?” He murmured.

“Hm?” He responded blissfully.

Thorton twisted his face in a cringe. “Those may have been sutures tearing in my side.”

Prompt: taking a bath