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fandomweekly2022-09-08 08:19 am
iluvroadrunner6) wrote in fandomweekly2022-09-08 08:19 am
Entry tags:
[#136] Play Me Time and Time Again (Original)
Theme Prompt: #136—North Star
Title: Play Me Time and Time Again
Fandom: Original
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 997
Summary: Christian gets a strange request from a passenger.
“Teach me.”
Christian startles as the redheaded woman appears next to him, playing with the hem of her shawl. It’s late, later than any of the women should be awake on a ship like this, yet here Dierdre is, standing next to him and innocently asking him to teach her something. From what he knows of Dierdre, in the short time that he’s known her, is that there is likely nothing innocent about her, but that doesn’t stop him from engaging all the same.
“Teach you?”
She points to the sexton, and map in front of him, then gestures up to the stars. “To navigate.”
He raises an eyebrow at her curiously. “You wish to learn to steer a ship.”
“I wish to learn to find my way in any situation.” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she strides forward, leaning in closer to him as though he’d keep away the sea chill. The wind still whips around them, and he can’t help but blush a bit at her closeness. “I might not always have a strong navigator like you to keep me company.”
“Fair enough, I suppose.” He clears his throat before turning back to the map. “But you wish to learn now?”
“It’s not as though the stars will be present if we wait until morning,” she teases. “They go away when the sun rises.”
“Another fair point.” He clears his throat before straightening and turning to point to the stars ahead of them. “Well, it’s all out there. So long as you learn the stars and constellations, you can navigate your way out of anything.”
“Anything? Truly.”
“Yes.” He scans the sky for a moment, before pointing to one star in particular. “That there is the North Star. True to its name, it always points north.”
“So if I sail towards the star, I’m going north, and in the opposite direction, south?”
“At least relative to your current location, yes. But what also matters is the direction that you came in.” He looks down at the map and gestures to the drawing of constellations on his map. “If you know the time of year, and what direction certain constellations will orient themselves around it at said time, you can determine whether you are coming from the east or the west, et cetera.”
“And what constellations can we find now?”
He teaches them to her, one by one. Ursa Minor and Major, the zodiacs and how they all spin around that one central star. The more he speaks, the closer she moves to him, yet she’s still attentive, focused on what he’s trying to teach her. It isn’t until the moment she gets too close that he takes a step back, forced to distract himself from the lesson and focus more on the woman next to him.
“I don’t believe your husband would like this,” he states firmly, erecting a boundary between them, even if he isn’t entirely sure he wants to. She’s alluring—she has since she set foot on the ship and started conversing with him, but her large, intimidating husband has a way of putting a damper on any thoughts he may have had regarding what to do next.
Dierdre frowns, but takes a step back to give Christian his space. “My husband is in a drunken stupor, two decks below. I don’t think he deserves the chance to object to an attempt to better myself.”
“Is that all you’re doing?” The question is tentative, soft. He doesn’t wish to contradict her. Perhaps he may be wrong. But that doesn’t change the fact that she is married.
Dierdre tips her head to the side, studying him quietly. “If it would make you feel better, I could return to my room.”
“It would.” A pause, and he continues. “I’m sorry.” He’s not sure what he’s apologizing for, but there’s a part of him that feels like he should.
“Perhaps we could have another lesson?” She tips her head to the side. “During the day, when my husband wouldn’t dare to object?”
He swallows before nodding. They have three months aboard this ship. Taking time for more lessons couldn’t hurt. “You could meet me on the deck tomorrow at lunch?”
Dierdre nods with a smile before she disappears back below deck. “Tomorrow, then.”
* * * * *
The lessons continue for about a week, and he can’t deny that she picks things up quickly. Another week of fine tuning and questions from the other woman, and he thinks she would make a rather competent sailor, were it not for her sex. Also, were it not for the bruises she thinks she keeps hidden, but Christian notices. It’s hard not to notice anything about her, despite trying to stay away.
Then, one morning he wakes up to pounding on his door, and the flushed, belligerent face of Henry, Dierdre’s husband, on the other side. “Where is my wife?” he demands, pushing the young sailor to the side to investigate his cabin thoroughly.
“Sir, I have not seen your wife in two days.”
“Neither have I.” Henry snarls in as he goes rifling through closets. “In fact, no one has seen her in two days.”
Something sinks into the pit of his stomach. He pulls on his coat and runs up to the deck. Henry shouts after him, and follows, but Christian doesn’t look back. He doesn’t slow until he reaches the portion of the ship where the lifeboats are stored and is disheartened to find that there is one missing.
Tucked into the vinyl fabric of the dingy below it is a small slip of paper that he pulls out and opens.
My dearest navigator,
Thank you for the lessons. And more important than that, thank you for the escape.
He doesn’t know if she’ll survive or not, being on her own in the middle of the ocean, but more than anything else, he can’t help but hope that she stays free.
Title: Play Me Time and Time Again
Fandom: Original
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 997
Summary: Christian gets a strange request from a passenger.
“Teach me.”
Christian startles as the redheaded woman appears next to him, playing with the hem of her shawl. It’s late, later than any of the women should be awake on a ship like this, yet here Dierdre is, standing next to him and innocently asking him to teach her something. From what he knows of Dierdre, in the short time that he’s known her, is that there is likely nothing innocent about her, but that doesn’t stop him from engaging all the same.
“Teach you?”
She points to the sexton, and map in front of him, then gestures up to the stars. “To navigate.”
He raises an eyebrow at her curiously. “You wish to learn to steer a ship.”
“I wish to learn to find my way in any situation.” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she strides forward, leaning in closer to him as though he’d keep away the sea chill. The wind still whips around them, and he can’t help but blush a bit at her closeness. “I might not always have a strong navigator like you to keep me company.”
“Fair enough, I suppose.” He clears his throat before turning back to the map. “But you wish to learn now?”
“It’s not as though the stars will be present if we wait until morning,” she teases. “They go away when the sun rises.”
“Another fair point.” He clears his throat before straightening and turning to point to the stars ahead of them. “Well, it’s all out there. So long as you learn the stars and constellations, you can navigate your way out of anything.”
“Anything? Truly.”
“Yes.” He scans the sky for a moment, before pointing to one star in particular. “That there is the North Star. True to its name, it always points north.”
“So if I sail towards the star, I’m going north, and in the opposite direction, south?”
“At least relative to your current location, yes. But what also matters is the direction that you came in.” He looks down at the map and gestures to the drawing of constellations on his map. “If you know the time of year, and what direction certain constellations will orient themselves around it at said time, you can determine whether you are coming from the east or the west, et cetera.”
“And what constellations can we find now?”
He teaches them to her, one by one. Ursa Minor and Major, the zodiacs and how they all spin around that one central star. The more he speaks, the closer she moves to him, yet she’s still attentive, focused on what he’s trying to teach her. It isn’t until the moment she gets too close that he takes a step back, forced to distract himself from the lesson and focus more on the woman next to him.
“I don’t believe your husband would like this,” he states firmly, erecting a boundary between them, even if he isn’t entirely sure he wants to. She’s alluring—she has since she set foot on the ship and started conversing with him, but her large, intimidating husband has a way of putting a damper on any thoughts he may have had regarding what to do next.
Dierdre frowns, but takes a step back to give Christian his space. “My husband is in a drunken stupor, two decks below. I don’t think he deserves the chance to object to an attempt to better myself.”
“Is that all you’re doing?” The question is tentative, soft. He doesn’t wish to contradict her. Perhaps he may be wrong. But that doesn’t change the fact that she is married.
Dierdre tips her head to the side, studying him quietly. “If it would make you feel better, I could return to my room.”
“It would.” A pause, and he continues. “I’m sorry.” He’s not sure what he’s apologizing for, but there’s a part of him that feels like he should.
“Perhaps we could have another lesson?” She tips her head to the side. “During the day, when my husband wouldn’t dare to object?”
He swallows before nodding. They have three months aboard this ship. Taking time for more lessons couldn’t hurt. “You could meet me on the deck tomorrow at lunch?”
Dierdre nods with a smile before she disappears back below deck. “Tomorrow, then.”
The lessons continue for about a week, and he can’t deny that she picks things up quickly. Another week of fine tuning and questions from the other woman, and he thinks she would make a rather competent sailor, were it not for her sex. Also, were it not for the bruises she thinks she keeps hidden, but Christian notices. It’s hard not to notice anything about her, despite trying to stay away.
Then, one morning he wakes up to pounding on his door, and the flushed, belligerent face of Henry, Dierdre’s husband, on the other side. “Where is my wife?” he demands, pushing the young sailor to the side to investigate his cabin thoroughly.
“Sir, I have not seen your wife in two days.”
“Neither have I.” Henry snarls in as he goes rifling through closets. “In fact, no one has seen her in two days.”
Something sinks into the pit of his stomach. He pulls on his coat and runs up to the deck. Henry shouts after him, and follows, but Christian doesn’t look back. He doesn’t slow until he reaches the portion of the ship where the lifeboats are stored and is disheartened to find that there is one missing.
Tucked into the vinyl fabric of the dingy below it is a small slip of paper that he pulls out and opens.
My dearest navigator,
Thank you for the lessons. And more important than that, thank you for the escape.
He doesn’t know if she’ll survive or not, being on her own in the middle of the ocean, but more than anything else, he can’t help but hope that she stays free.