Charles Vane Imagines

At his lowest

Warning: underlying rape and murder (it's not as dark as it looks, just wanted to inform you)

Charles Vane x reader

***

You met Charles Vane at his lowest. He was supposed to go on a special journey with Flint but Eleanor Guthrie, your boss, banished him from captaincy. You work at the tavern as a waitress and Vane is one of your regular customers, as well as his crew. Working there makes you well acquainted with the secrets on the island, especially because Eleanor trusts you. So, when shit went crazy the other night, she told you what happened. Vane was sequestering one of the whores of the brothel, Max—Eleanor's lover—, and one person of his crew raped the woman in front of everyone. Eleanor took drastic measures and gave Flint's crew Vane's ship.

Not long after that happened, Charles Vane showed up to the tavern and asked for a bottle of rum. He took it down and asked for another one before disappearing. He showed up an hour later, asking for one more, and the circle would continue; the only change would be the level of alcohol in his blood.

It's been two days and Charles Vane wasn't himself anymore. The once-feared pirate became a drunk, unable to face reality. You fold your apron and place it back before leaving the tavern. Your shift was finally over so you decided to go on a walk. You wander around, enjoying the good mood in Nassau. You walk down the beach and notices what's left of Vane's crew. You get closer, not really knowing what you are looking for.

"He's not himself," Jack Rackham, Vane's quarter master, says.

He is talking to Anne Bonny, but it seems more like he speaks to himself.

"I can't believe he fell apart like that! Charles Vane is not himself," he continues, pointing at a tent as he says his captain's name.

You look at the tent, wondering if that's where Vane is hiding. You carefully make your way to the tent and get inside. He's here, lying on the ground, not asleep but half conscious. You kneel next to him to make sure he's still alive, and when you press two fingers on his neck, his ocean blue eyes shot right open.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, trying to get up.

"Sorry, I... I just wanted to make sure you were okay," you explain.

He frowns and lets himself fall on the ground with a grunt.

"Why?" he asks again.

"I don't know. I guess I just don't like the way she treats you. You've always been nice to me and from what I've heard, you're not nice to a lot of people."

Charles looks at you with a strange expression on his face as you brush some of his hair sticking on his forehead behind his ear.

"Thank you," he whispers before looking for a bottle of rum and emptying it.

He falls back on the ground with his eyes closed and starts to snore seconds later. You smile softly and carefully make your way out.

***

This became a habit; after every shift, you would go to his tent and take care of him or just talk to him about random things. The more the days pass, the more he became sober. You didn't know it was because Charles enjoys your presence and doesn't want you to think he can't put himself together.

"Hey," you say as you enter his tent.

"Hey," he replies, looking up from some papers on his table.

"What are you doing?" you ask as you make your way to him.