Sodalite and Aventurine (Larry Stylinson au)

CHAPTER IX

AVENTURINE

When Louis came to, it was only moments later, yet the sun felt so much brighter. It hurt to open his eyes, so Louis blinked a few good times. His head throbbed and he could taste blood.

"Darling," came a voice.

Louis blinked again and there was a figure above him. They were glowing at the edges in the early morning sunlight, streaks of orange shining through their long, hanging curls.

"Harry," Louis managed. His voice did not quite feel like his own, it was rough, groggy. Like he'd been coughing too much.

"Are you okay?" came the reply. A hand came too, curving around the apple of Louis' cheek. It was soft, damp with sweat. Louis blinked a few more times and the world came a little more into view. He looked up at Harry like he was lost.

"What happened?" Louis asked.

Harry thumbed Louis' cheek and replied softly, "You were struck with the handle of a flintlock. But it's okay, it's over now."

"It's over?" Louis parroted. He could not quite collect his thoughts.

"Yes, love." Harry nodded. "We made it."

Louis took a moment to try and recollect the morning, all the events that had lead up to his waking up in the bright glow of the sun. Flashes of fighting and kneeling in a pool of blood and trying to punch out a window played back in reverse. And then Louis thought of the moment just before he blacked out - how he could not fight because he had his hands tied behind his back.

Louis looked down.

And he lifted his hands to his face.

They were no longer tied.

Louis was free. He could place his hands wherever he desired. So he laid one on the hand that Harry had on his cheek. He felt the sweat on Harry's skin mixed with cracks of dried blood from his cut in the window.

Harry smiled down at him. "We should go," he said. "Can you sit up?"

Louis attempted to shift himself, moving up onto his elbow. His body ached and his head hurt, but he could move. That was enough.

Harry helped him all the way up, then he brought Louis' arm over his shoulder and tucked a hand around his waist. They walked, slowly and carefully, across the deck to the awaiting galleon. Louis could not help himself, looking around at the mess that had been made. The Black Dagger was not in good shape. Her hull was blown into parts from cannon fire. It was something Louis had not noticed in the clutches of the crowd earlier, nor in the flurry of the fight. But now that the ship had fallen into silence, it was eerie to see how her wood had collapsed into itself, how one of the masts had cracked open and fallen to the head of the ship. It was a wonder the ship was still floating at all, though Louis was not sure for how much longer. Bodies were everywhere too, pooling with blood. Men were strewn about, laying on the ground and over bannisters and across barrels. Louis' eyes fell on the motionless body of Tavis, he looked so slight compared to so many of these other bodies. He was only a teenager, one who had put himself in a game had by adults. He had caused so much chaos, so much pain, and now he was merely a single body amongst many. In a way, they were all like that, these pirates, leaving a wake of distraction in their effort to survive. Louis did not know how he felt about that.