Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Haunting. That was the name of the ship. It was captained by the pirate known only as Skeleton. Few knew his real name. Those who did were either dead or part of his crew. The name seemed fitting - its presence struck fear into the hearts of every pirate. As did its infamous flag, the hourglass instantly recognisable. To see that flag approaching was practically a death sentence.

The captain of the ship sat alone in his study. The dim light of a few candles illuminating the room. His messed up, light blond hair had fallen across his face, casting a shadow over the eyes already darkened with eyeliner.

Despite the knock on the door, he didn't move. He remained in his seat, with his back to the door. His position fixed. "What?"

The door opened and closed. His first mate now stood in the room with him. He cleared his throat.

"What do you want?"

"Boss, you haven't left this room in two days."

"So what?"

"It's the crew. They're starting to worry about you."

"Tell them not to. They have jobs to do."

Frank rolled his eyes. "So do you, you're their captain! The dreaded pirate Skeleton - so start acting like it!"

He took a deep breath and stood up, walking towards his first mate. He loomed over him, taking a knife from the holster on his belt and holding the blade up against Frank's throat.

"Like this? Is this Skeleton enough for you?" He hissed.

Frank smiled, reaching behind him to open the door.

Skeleton returned the knife to its place, stepped around Frank, and headed out the door.

Appearing on deck, the rest of the crew greeted him.

"Captain, we have news!" Gerard announced.

"Go on."

"A ship's been spotted."

"An unfamiliar vessel." Ray chimed in. "Got a flag none of us have ever even heard of before."

"What's the flag?"

"A diamond. With a line through it."

"Show me."

Mikey handed Skeleton a telescope, pointing him in the direction of the ship.

After looking at the flag, he watched the deck of the ship. One man in particular caught his eye. There was something intriguing about him, something different.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a knife flew into him. The man fell back, with the crew gathering around him, obstructing Skeleton's view.

He handed the telescope back to Mikey, then turned to Frank, who was now stood beside him. "I want that ship boarded."

"You got it, boss."

He needed to know who the boy with the diamond flag was.

Chapter Text

The captain of The Dream Catcher had been so for almost a year now, but he still hadn't fully grasped life at sea. There were a few too many times his first mate Zach had been a better captain than him. He never said anything about it, though - likely to try and spare his captain's feelings.

He stood towards the edge of the ship, leaning against the railing, watching his crew. Zach stood at the helm, Andy was making his way down from the crow's nest, and Patrick and Pete were practicing knife throwing near one of the masts. He couldn't see Joe, so assumed he was doing something below deck.

Once Andy's feet hit the deck, he shouted with a sense of urgency. "Captain!"

They hurried towards each other. "Is there a problem?"

Andy's eyes were darting about in fear. "Pretty fucking big problem."

"What?"

"You see that ship out there?" He pointed to the shape approaching them.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"It's not just any ship, it's..." He tried to calm himself. "It's Skeleton's ship!"

The captain's eyes widened. Before he could say anything, a knife came flying over and lodged itself in his side. He stumbled back, falling over.

"Shit!" Patrick exclaimed.

"Cody?!" Zach yelled, racing over to his captain.

"I didn't mean to! I missed!" Patrick tried to explain.

"Forget about that for now, just help me get him to his quarters!" Zach ordered.

As soon as the four of them began to lift Cody up, Joe walked up on deck.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Patrick stabbed the captain." Zach called over his shoulder.

"Accidentally!" He interjected.

"It's fine." Cody said weakly. He was starting to slip out of consciousness.

"Joe, come and help. Skeleton's coming for us - we need our captain."

Joe immediately did as Zach told him, opening the door to the captain's quarters, then helping the others to carry him.

Laying Cody down on his bed, the crew started working to dress his wound. His shirt was swiftly pulled off, the knife removed, and the fabric pressed into the wound while suitable bandages were being found.

When the job was deemed finished, the now blood-soaked shirt was dumped in a corner to be dealt with later. Cody was left alone to recover, since the crew hurried back on deck.

The ship was now almost right next to them. The unmistakable vessel: The Haunting.

The crew of The Haunting stood facing them. In the middle stood a man dressed in all black leather, a black and white patterned bandana tied around his head, and dark eyeliner smudged around his eyes. They'd heard the stories - they knew this was Skeleton.

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.

Chapter Text

Leading his captain up on deck, Frank began informing him of what the rest of the crew had done while he was off introducing himself to the captain of The Dream Catcher. 

"We've gathered up as much loot as we have space for. What would you like us to do with the rest? Throw it overboard?" 

"Just leave it." Maxx responded. 

"What?"

"Just leave it all here. Put it back." 

Maxx then saw Cody's crew tied up around a mast, with his own crew surrounding them. "Untie them."

"Are you sure, Captain?" Gerard questioned. 

"Must I repeat myself?" 

Gerard, Mikey, and Ray immediately followed his orders. Frank just stared at him. 

"What has gotten into you lately?" Frank hissed. 

"What do you mean?" Maxx didn't even look at him, he just gazed out as if he wasn't paying attention. 

"Don't play dumb with me, you know exactly what I'm talking about." 

Maxx didn't respond. 

"What happened to Skeleton?"

"Maybe Skeleton wants to take a break." 

"You can't just 'take a break' from being Skeleton."

"Sure I can." He said, right before wandering back below deck, ignoring Frank's efforts to reclaim his attention. 

Maxx found his way back to the captain's quarters. Despite the door being wide open, he still bothered to knock. 

Hearing the soft tap on the wood, Cody's head shot up. He stopped writing, quickly shoving it underneath a bunch of other papers. "I thought you had to be up there?"

"Skeleton had to be up there, but Maxx... I want to be here." 

Cody offered him a smile, gently kicking out a chair at the table he was sat. 

Maxx returned the smile, and took the seat. "What were you writing?"

"Oh, uhh... Just some lyrics." He responded a little nervously. Why was he nervous? He'd never felt like this when being asked about his lyrics before. 

"Can I see?" Maxx asked apprehensively. 

Cody hesitated. He had always been open about what he wrote, so why did he suddenly feel the need to hide these? 

"Sure." He slid over a sheet of paper. Not the one he had just been writing on, but still relatively recent. 

Maxx picked it up, smile creeping further as he read. 

"You like?" 

He lifted his head to meet his eyes, and nodded. "'Something New', that's just what I need." 

"I hope you find it."

"I think I have." 

Chapter Text

Initially, Cody felt a little bad about staying in his quarters with Maxx, but he knew his crew would be okay, he trusted Zach's abilities. Trusted Zach to handle the situation on deck. 

Cody enjoyed Maxx's company. He'd idolised Skeleton so much in the past - but when it came to meeting him, he was glad it was Maxx. There was something about Maxx that entranced him. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something that drew him in, making him desperate to know more. 

He was still sat at his desk, watching the way Maxx gazed at the various paintings on the walls, the way each one seemed to fascinate him. 

"I'm guessing you don't stop to admire artwork often." 

Maxx turned back to him and shook his head.

"You know," Cody began. "A lot of these paintings were done by people on my crew. Past and present."

"Thats... I don't know the right words."

"I ask them to create art of anything they want. That way, if anything happens, they leave behind an authentic part of themselves to be remembered by."

Maxx looked back at the paintings. "Did you do any of these?"

Cody shook his head, then realised Maxx couldn't actually see that. "No." He responded. "My skills lie with music." 

Maxx faced him and smiled. "Play me one of your songs then."

Cody returned the smile, feeling his face briefly flush red. What was happening? 

He got his guitar, and when he went to sit back down, he saw Maxx had taken a seat in front of him. 

Cody didn't take long thinking about the song. He knew one Maxx seemed to have an interest in. 

He took a deep breath, and began. 

"Well I've been stuck in my head, wondering,

What's it gonna take to break the mould?

I'm searching for something, that fire, that lightning

I used to think was uncontainable..."

As he played, he watched the way Maxx's smile spread across his face, watched the way his hand began to tap against his leg in time with the song. 

"So when I open up my eyes,

And shake that worry from my mind,

I check the clock, and it's still running..."

His voice got louder, becoming more full of joy as he watched Maxx's smile growing. 

"So, let me show you something new,

I need a little revolution,

This could be like a revelation,

Make you see, that a change is overdue,

Let me show you something new..."

Maxx's lips moved along with the words, recognising the ones he'd read. 

Finishing the song with the end of the chorus, Cody watched for Maxx's reaction. 

Maxx clapped his hands loudly. "That was fucking amazing!" 

Chapter Text

Maxx spoke, breaking the silence they seemed to have fallen into. "Hey Cody, can I ask you something?"

He put his guitar down and leaned forward. "Yeah, go ahead."

"You have so much talent with music, how come you don't utilise that back home?"

"I uhh..." Cody looked down at the floor. "I tried. Let's just say my music wasn't well received. Too different to what everyone's used to hearing, you know?"

Maxx frowned at that. He loved Cody's music, it deserved to be heard. Granted, he hadn't heard much, but it had been enough to know he was right. 

"Plus," He sighed. "I just wasn't happy. I was married - arranged. We only liked each other because we had to. I know she's happier without me. And I know I'm better off here, I love my crew."

"What made you choose piracy?"

"I'd heard so many stories about great pirates - like you - I wanted to know what it was like, experience the adventure." Cody stopped for a second to think about whether he wanted to share what he was about to say - he had only known Maxx for the best part of an hour, after all. He felt so comfortable with Maxx, talking to him was easy, he wanted to share more. "All those stories I read, I loved the bond of the crew. After feeling so out of place back there, I longed for that belonging. My god, did I find it! My crew's the fucking best. I really couldn't have asked for a better first mate than Zach." 

Maxx smiled. "I hear that. I love my crew. Frank's the first mate I need - he doesn't just blindly follow me, he's the only one who's not afraid to call me out on my bullshit. Sure, he can be a bit much at times, but I really do appreciate him." 

Cody opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the door to his chambers being flung open, hinges protesting at the force. 

"Captain!"

Instinctively, they both turned before Maxx saw it was Zach. 

"What is it?" Cody asked. 

"Ship." Zach responded. His eyes were wide. "The captain wants to talk to you."

Cody followed Zach up on deck, with Maxx close behind. His hands were ready, one on his knife, one on his gun. 

A sinking feeling set in Maxx's chest, he recognised that flag, he'd heard the tales. Hell, even as the feared pirate Skeleton he hoped he would never come across this ship. 

It was dangerously close to The Dreamcatcher. Two women stood at the railing - the captain and her first mate. One woman was blonde, the other had evenly split red and black hair. The blonde spoke first. 

"You must be Cody Carson, captain of The Dreamcatcher!" She then looked at Maxx. "Is that Skeleton beside you? You must have quite the story to tell! I'm Hannah Collins, Queen of the Pirate Scene. Allow my first mate Ash to bring you aboard." She gave a smile. "Don't try and fight, she's very skilled with a sword. It really would be a shame if any of you had to lose a limb." 

Taking that as her cue, Ash unsheathed her sword, pointing it at Cody. 

"I am your Scene Queen, and you will obey me."

Chapter Text

"You wanted to see me?" Ash asked when she entered her captain's quarters. 

"Yes, I have a job for you." Hannah said. She was sheathing her sword, and making sure her guns were in place. "We're approaching a ship called The Dreamcatcher. I've heard a few things about the captain. He's fairly incompetent, so he won't be an issue. However, there's been talk of The Haunting being spotted in a similar area."

Ash was pretty sure she could guess where her captain was going with this. 

Hannah now stood close in front of her. "If we come across Skeleton, I want you to seduce him. I need him under my - our - control." 

"Are you sure that's going to be safe? I mean, this is Skeleton-"

"Safe? Ashley, You're a siren working for a pirate queen, when has safety ever been on the cards for you? Need I remind you of your debt to me? I want you to do this through any means necessary. Do you understand?"

Ash sighed a little and nodded. 

"Good. Now follow me up on deck."

---

Before leaving his ship, Cody turned to Zach. 

"You're in charge, keep everyone safe." He said with a smile. 

"You got it, boss." Zach responded, returning the smile. 

Cody hoped he would be able to return to his crew soon, but Maxx's unease didn't exactly fill him with confidence. At least he had that small comfort of knowing the others were in good hands. 

"Frank!" When his first mate came to stand beside him, he put a hand on his shoulder. "Take orders from Zach." 

This earned him a scoff and an eye roll. 

Maxx watched Cody step up onto the gangplank, hesitating for a moment. He looked back at him. 

"I'm right behind you." He said reassuringly. He didn't trust Hannah in the slightest, and the way Ash kept staring at him summonned a feeling of dread. 

"There's no need to worry." Hannah called. "We just want to take you out on a boat ride."

They both knew there was more to it than that. 

Cody sucked in a breath when he planted his feet on the deck of this unfamiliar ship. He tried not to think about what could possibly be in store for them. 

Chapter Text

Once they were on deck, Hannah greeted them with an unsettling level of cheeriness. "Welcome aboard The Rapture!"

Cody tried to be friendly, putting on a smile, hoping that would give her what she wanted. He made sure he was stood close to Maxx - so close they were almost brushing shoulders. 

Maxx's face was hostile; he didn't trust them, and wanted them to know that. 

"Cody, right? I want you to join me in my quarters: there's business we need to talk about."

Cody looked to Maxx, as if asking what he should do. He nodded at him. "Lead the way." 

He was uncertain about this, but having the more experienced pirate by his side certainly helped. 

Maxx moved to follow behind Cody, but Ash stopped in front of him, putting her hand on his chest. "Not you, Skeleton. You can come with me below deck, I could do with a hand."

He wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to do now. "Uhh..."

"Oh don't worry, your friend will be fine with her - and I don't bite. That is, unless you want me to." She added with a wink. 

Ash put a hand on his back, leading him down into a dark room full of barrels. Her touch put him on edge, what exactly were her motives here?

"I need to move half these barrels into the room next door." She pouted, "But they're very heavy, and I don't think I can do it on my own." She ran her fingers over Maxx's bicep. "You seem like you're strong enough to help me." 

Maxx flinched away from her, and Ash turned away for a moment. She had to take a second to grimace at her own words. Ash could easily do this on her own - hell, she was even willing to bet money on the fact she was stronger than him. But she had to do this. Hannah had saved her from hunters all those years ago, and so had been in her debt ever since. 

Resuming her role, Ash pointed to the closest barrel. "Shall we start with this one?"

"Sure." Skeleton responded with a monotone voice. He wasn't really engaging with her - this was going to make things more difficult. How could he not be even the slightest bit interested? She'd been told her human form was very attractive, so why did he seem so unbothered? 

She thought about it as they carried the barrel together, with him not even looking at her. Was she not making herself clear enough? Ash debated using force to get the kiss she needed, but that could go south. She would just have to try harder. 

Once they'd moved the last of the barrels, she adjusted her corset a little, then leaned against the doorframe. She feigned being out of breath. "Thank you for your help, Skeleton."

"You're welcome, I guess." He mumbled. 

She approached him. "You must get lonely, all that time out at sea, not knowing when you're next going to see another vessel."

"Not really. I have my crew." He shrugged. 

"Of course, but what about the company of a woman? It's just you and me down here." She leaned closer to him. "Why don't you take your chance?"

Maxx took a big step back. "No, uhh, I'm good." 

She sighed. "Suit yourself. Your loss." He was clearly uninterested in this form. She frowned and left. 

Hiding round the corner out of sight, Ash closed her eyes and willed herself to change into what Skeleton desired. 

She looked down at her new form. 

Oh.

Well, this was...unexpected. 

Walking back into the room, Maxx's face lit up. 

"Cody! You're okay!"

Ash smiled as Skeleton hurried over to be close to 'Cody'. "Yeah I'm okay, are you?"

He nodded. "I am now you're here. I think Ash was hitting on me, it was weird. But that doesn't matter. What did the captain want to talk to you about?"

"Oh, just introducing herself and proposing an alliance."

"An alliance? What did you say?"

"That I'd think about it."

"Cody, please, don't accept it. I don't trust her."

She nodded. "Alright, I won't." She took a breath, now was her chance to get him. "You know, this situation's made me think about something." 

"Yeah?"

She spoke slowly. "It's made me think about what I want..."

"Okay...?"

"And I realised, one of the things I want..." She gently pushed him back against the wall, earning a soft grunt, and his face flushed red. "Is you."

"Cody, I..." He tried to catch his breath. "I feel the same."

Yes. It was working. She put a hand on his face. "Oh, Skeleton..." She breathed. 

"What was that?" Something changed. "You don't call me Skeleton, why did you...?" He trailed off as he saw the slight panic on 'Cody's' face. 

"What the fuck?" 

Maxx's head snapped to the side. There, in the doorway, was Cody. 

"Shit!" Ash exclaimed, when she was pushed back. She transformed back, out of Cody's form. 

"Ash?!" 

Cody stood deeply confused. "What exactly is going on here?"