Victoria

Back on the Victorrus the crew was all downstairs in the dining hall eating delicious smelling dinner. I would be worried having Em all alone on a ship full of boys, but I think she could handle herself pretty well.

Alcohol, mashed potatoes, those were the two main courses for tonight’s ‘feast’. They had a side of lamb and gravy, and the men were already halfway through a song as they ate.

“Bloody hell!” Cyrus groaned. “The one time, THE ONE TIME, and we aren’t even bloody here.” He stomped into the kitchen to go retrieve his share. I looked at the drinks and nearly licked my lips.

“I’m never going to get a sober night on this ship!” I exclaimed.

Angelica and Vincent laughed and plopped down at tables with the crew. Everyone seemed merry and happy, though it might have been the alcohol. Usually there was at least two idiots picking a fight with one another.

“To hell with it!” I grabbed the nearest beer keg and downed it in a gulp.

The crew mate who’s beer keg that was looked at it sadly. He glared at my boots but just drank a deep sip from his neighbor’s glass. Causing his neighbor to be very confused when he turned back around to find his glass nearly drained dry.

Cyrus walked back out with a plate with steaming food. He didn't have any beer but then again he too hadn't gone to bed sober in days. My stomach eagerly reminded me that I hadn't eaten since breakfast and needed nutrients. I fled into the kitchen where Em was cleaning off dishes, she barely looked up when I walked in. She pointed unspeaking to a plate of food and a small glass of beer. I frowned at the small size of my glass of beer but didn't dare complain.

When I walked back out I looked around at my crew. They were all laughing and talking loudly, acting almost like a family. Angelica was seated on the table, singing some song in a horrible pitch with three crew mates. Vincent was laughing as he watched several drunks attempt to play poker. Cyrus was talking pleasantly with the crew, laughing at their jokes and engaging in conversations (not to mention taking the opprotunity to hit on the men while they wouldn’t notice). I took a deep breath. I hadn't realized how much I enjoyed being on this ship. Having a ragtag family. Having friends. And being able to see Cyrus everyday. I enjoyed growing closer to all the crew members. They were a bit intimidated by Cyrus's threat at first but soon became friends and colleagues of mine. I took in a deep breath. This was nice.

I sat down beside Vincent and requested they teach me the rules of poker. The drunk guys playing introduced themselves, I already knew two of them. Mark, Robert, Bart, and Troy were all playing poker. They agreed to teach me the rules happily, though Vincent had t correct many of their drunk ramblings.

Such ramblings included but were not limited to:

“Now if you have t’ree queens you get to steal your neighbor's pet ram!” Mark said completely serious. He looked me in the eyes and grabbed my shoulders. “Their pet ram!”

“To win poker you have to make your opponent ehm... Wha- Wasn’t thur somethin’ with fish involved?” Troy turned to Bart.

“What? Nooooo, wrong game, that was uh- That was War wasn’ it?”

“Are you callin’ me stupid?”

“No, bu’ I am now, STUPID.”

“Why I oughtta-” One of them leaped at the other, and the first drunken brawl had begun. I sat there dumbfounded.

“I guess that means no poker.” I said, watching as blur mate number one lifted his fist to punch blur mate number two. Vincent stepped in at this point.

“Easy there fella’s” He said in a friendly voice. “No one wants to fight anyone. Especially in front of a lovely lady such as this” He gestured towards me then paused, “No one wants to deal with Em if she finds blood in her dining hall either.”

That stopped the two crew mates.

“I'm a lovely lady then?” I asked, batting my eyelashes. He blushed slightly, before turning away.

The question of have u writen something and it hasnt loaded yet or not DX

“Er..Well... Yes.” He said, clearing his throat. “Anyone could see that.” He stated almost sourly, before standing up and stepping away from the two crew mates.

“What does that mean?” I questioned, standing up as well.

“Well, that you are a lovely lady.” He said curtly. “And any man can see that.” I rolled my eyes.

“Reaaalll, helpful.” I snort.

“You want me to say that men are looking at how lovely your body is?” He snapped, then turned bright red. “I didn't mean it like that!”

I felt my ears and cheeks turn a shade of pink. “So I have a lovely body, huh?” I smirked, rubbing up against his arm.

“BLOODY HELL, YES, NOW GET OFF OF ME.”

A few heads, Cyrus’s included, turned at the commotion of Vincent shouting in my face. He shoved me off and stormed out of the room, while Cyrus hopped off yet another table.

He looked at me questioningly, and I shook my head no to whatever form of murder he was planning. I followed after Vincent curiously. I checked on deck and in the captain’s cabin, then moved on to the men’s sleeping quarters. There were a few sleeping crewmates there, but none were Vincent. Finally ai checked the girls and my room. I opened the door to see him holding his head in his hands as he sat on Ems bed.

He flinched when he saw it was me that walked in. “Sorry, I’ll get out of your room. I just wanted someplace alone.” He said getting up.

“No! No, it's fine.” I said quickly. Shoot what was I supposed to do now? Apologize? Probably. “I’m sorry for whatever happened in the dining hall.” I gestured with a hand,

He blinked at me plainly. I sighed, best apology ever Vic. “I'm going to get some sleep.” He said grudgingly, trudging towards the door.

I frowned in annoyance. “Really, that’s it?”

“What else do you want from me?” He asked over his shoulder, his voice edged with ice. I was startled at the sudden cold.

“What’s your problem?” I asked, stepping closer very slightly..

“What's my problem? You're the one who came to apologize then started picking a fight!” He turned to face me.

“How was I picking a fight?” I demanded.

He barked out a sour laugh. “You are always picking a fight! With everyone! You don’t know how to not bloody pick one!” He spat at me.

“What about you? Acting all nice and smart but really you’re a massive d-” I bit down on my tongue, refusing to be any worse than him.

“Just bloody let me leave then if you hate me so much!” He shouted.

“What? I never- Look! I said I was sorry! I never said I hated you!” I paused and we looked at each other. “Do you hate me?” I asked quietly.

He stopped for a second, looking at me for a moment before letting out a tiny laugh of disbelief. He walked forward until he was a foot length away from me.“You are such an idiot!” He raked a hand through his hair. “I feel anything but hate towards you! I loved you the moment I saw you. You kissed me and it took everything in me to not take you away with me right then.”

I watched with wide eyes as he pushed forward, tilting his head ever so slightly as his lips melted into mine. I closed my eyes, relishing in the feeling of his mouth against mine. Vincent wrapped his arms around me, one hand clutching the crook of my back and the other holding my cheek as he stepped closer. My hands slid up his chest and around his neck, my fingers wrapping around his dark locks of hair. His tongue licked my bottom lip before curving into my mouth. I sucked in a sharp breath and smiled between kisses. My hand crawled up under his shirt as we crashed against the wall behind us. He pushed me against the wall and I wrapped my legs around his waist. His hands pushed up my shirt and he stopped. We broke apart, our eyes locking as our chests rose and fell heavily.

I stood back up, my feet wobbling. We were watching each other cautiously.

“I love you too.” I whispered low enough that only he could hear.