A Pirate's Life for Me

Chapter 5: It Be Too Late to Alter Course

Levi checked his phone on his break, staring at Nora's name. It had only been a day and she was already asking to spend time with him? He wasn't sure what that meant. He knew she couldn't possibly like him that much, but still, messaging him so quickly?

He put his phone down for a second, thinking. He'd told himself he was going to ghost her, try to get her to give up on him. That way, he didn't have to lie to her or tell her the truth. Eventually, she'd forget he existed, like everyone else did, and he could go back to admiring her when dressed like a famous pirate.

...When had he started admiring her?

Levi gritted his teeth, the fake mustache brushing unpleasantly against his lip. Before he could rethink it, he texted back, "I get off at 6:00."

He wanted to rub his face, but couldn't without smearing all the makeup that made him look tanner than he was. Levi stared at his mirror, surprised as ever to see Jack staring back.

Levi's day flew by. Nora had told him they should meet up wherever he wanted. He decided on Animal Kingdom, making sure she was fine with him grabbing something from Flame Tree Barbecue before they did anything else. She sent back a gif of Bruce the shark and, "I like eating meat too" then "That sounded weird. I didn't mean it in a weird way. I'm getting chicken" which had made him want to laugh and throw up at the same time, because he wanted this to work and doubted it would and didn't know what he was supposed to do.

So when it came to his last meet and greet time, he was really eager to finish up and run to go see Nora, even if she wouldn't be there until 6:30.

Which, as he found out, gave her ample time to come over and see him without knowing she was seeing him, much to his horrified delight as she came forward for her turn, a sort of similar look on her face.

"Hello, captain," she said.

"Nora. You really don't adventure far, do you?"

"Oh, I was planning on sailing over to Asia and Africa tonight. I just couldn't before making port here to make sure you weren't up to any trouble."

Trouble. He almost started sweating. He wasn't making trouble. No, of course he wasn't. "What's life without a little bit of surprise, aye?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'd advise being on very good behavior, Mr. Sparrow. I won't always be around to protect you."

"Don't worry, I have a whole crew. Gibbs. Angelica, when she doesn't feel like killing me. Hector."

"Hector isn't part of your crew."

He liked that she knew Barbossa's first name. "Aye, but with him I always find a bit of leverage."

"True." She grinned. "Who knows, maybe he wouldn't kill you out of the goodness of his heart."

"Hector? I beg your pardon, but his heart is as eroded as the Dutchman."

"And what's your heart like, in comparison?"

His mustache twitched. "My thump thump is just fine, thank you."

"It's not in a jar of dirt?"

"Most definitely not, though it might as well be buried." He blinked, not sure what made him say that truth. It did feel buried, suffocating over the fact that he couldn't be Levi right now.

Nora's eyes flickered with concern. "Still searching for immortality?"

"This is who I am. A pirate, forever and always." The words were bitter on his tongue. That was what he was now, with her. Gambling.