Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Skeleton sat forward in the chair he'd pulled up beside the bed. The captain of The Dream Catcher was beginning to come to. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up.

"Take it easy." Skeleton said, helping him.

Cody looked at him, a little confused. "Who..." He cast his mind back to earlier: Skeleton's ship was approaching. "Do you work for Skeleton?"

He was taken aback by this. The first time in what felt like forever that he hadn't been instantly recognised. "Do I-" Wait a minute. Oh, he could have fun with this. "I guess you could say that."

"I'm Cody." He held out a hand.

"Maxx." He shook it, returning the warm smile Cody was offering him.

"What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Being on his crew - working with probably the most famous pirate ever?"

Maxx felt strangely comfortable with this man, willing to divulge information he never normally would. "It's... It's not all you'd hope it would be." Here, he wasn't Skeleton. Here, he was allowed to be Maxx. Even if just for a moment.

Cody could sense something in Maxx's mood drop. Clearly, this wasn't the topic he should've brought up. He was going to change it, but he didn't need to. He watched Maxx's eyes wander around the room, settling on the guitar laying on one of the other chairs.

"You play?" He asked, standing up to approach it.

Cody followed suit, ignoring his pain. "Yeah. So does my first mate."

Maxx was now exploring the papers scattered on the table beside the guitar.

"I also write."

He turned around to face him. "You'll have to play one of your songs for me sometime." Maxx said with a wink.

He immediately began mentally scolding himself. Why did he say that?

"Maxx!" A voice called. Frank's voice.

"Is that Skeleton?"

"I'm Skeleton."

Cody's mouth fell open, eyes widened.

Maxx laughed and took an overdramatic bow.

Frank had now entered the room they were in. "Captain, we need you on deck."

Maxx nodded and Frank left. He made his way to do so too, but not before slipping one of Cody's songs into his pocket.