A Pirate's Kiss | Prompt Chapters

These are some 'prompt word' chapters that I have been working on for you guys. Writing stuff like this helps me to get through writers block – all of these chapters are written from a 3rd person POV and are loosely related to the main plot line. You can think of them as 'fillers' if you like :* They will all eventually lead back to the main story!
I hope you enjoy,
Love Daisy xx

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1. Paper Planes

Obsidian's eye twitched.

He was snoozing on the deck of the ship, his arms folded across his chest, a small frown settled on his face. Their giggling reached his ears again and the frown deepened in annoyance.

What was his brother up to?

One golden eye opened slightly as he peered in their direction. Cobalt was gathered with the girls on the deck, not five meters away from where he sat. Lacy and Circe were clustered in a small circle around him and seemed to be busy with something. As to what that something was, Obsidian couldn't quite see and his lip curled with mild irritation.

Circe laughed again, shook her head and took something from Lacy's hands. The younger girl uttered a retort and pouted at Cobalt, her reaction causing his broad grin to stretch wider. Obsidian thought that he could hear the rustling of paper.

He closed his eyes again and tried to let sleep take him. His injuries were still not fully healed from his recent battle and although he would never admit it, he was constantly finding himself short of breath. Circe had ventured out of his arms earlier than usual that morning and although she had tried to persuade him to rest inside, he had doggedly followed her out onto the main deck, preferring instead, to have her within an arm's reach.

The ships had begun to move again, the restocking at Port Savannah complete. Saying goodbye to Jack had been hard for everyone, there had even been an invitation to join them, but he had stoutly declared himself too old to go on such voyages. "Tempting an old man out of retirement never ended well for anyone," he had said.
And so they had said their farewells and set out to the open ocean.

Cobalt had asked him what their heading was to which Obsidian had replied rather abruptly that he didn't give a shit, and why was Cobalt asking when it was he who was Captain?

Good natured as always, Cobalt had announced to the crew that they were going on an adventure and after much consultation with Nathaniel and Hobbson, the three had decided on a heading. Curiosity rising as to how they had chosen a destination, Obsidian been unable to resist asking about their process, only to be told by his idiotic brother that he had closed his eyes and pointed to a random place on the map.

The explanation had earned him a cuff across the head, a gesture that had been protested with much enthusiasm. Obsidian had been deaf to his complaining however and had hosted himself up into the rigging, muttering insults under his breath as he climbed and cursing himself for asking and expecting an intelligent answer.

And now they were sailing to god knows where, although Obsidian had come to the conclusion that actually, the destination didn't really matter. After all, what else was there to do?
He wasn't used to the absence of urgency; this was what was making him skittish. The idea of just going somewhere because they felt like it was a foreign notion to him. He was used to hunting people down, visiting a town as a means to an end, evading pursuers or silencing those that were a little too persistent.

Hushed whispering cut through his train of thought and one eye popped open again. Caught in the act of staring, Circe whirled back around, her head meeting Lacy's as their shoulders shook with silent laughter. His infernal brother was murmuring something to the girls as he drew on the ground. Obsidian watched as Circe snuck a look at him from under her blonde hair. He eyeballed her and she blushed, quickly hiding her face.
He studied the delicate pinkness on her cheeks and wondered what kind of expression she would have made if he had looked at her in a different way. He decided to try it out next time he caught her eye.

Just then Nathaniel appeared. The two ships were travelling in convoy, but even so, Obsidian had no idea how he had managed to get himself over here while they were still moving. The boy's smile was jovial as he crouched down beside Circe, tugging the ends of her hair to get her attention.
She greeted him with an exclamation of surprise and gestured to whatever was sitting in the centre of their circle, shuffling back a little so that he had room to see. He rocked back on his heels before sitting down and moving forward, effectively blocking any and all view that Obsidian had of what they were doing.

He grunted, his handsome features twisted with distain, and shut his eye again. He didn't like the feeling he had – that somehow whatever they were doing involved him. His pride outweighed his curiosity however, and if they were waiting for him to come over, well they would be sorely disappointed.

Although such a thing proved easier said than done and ten minutes later he still had not found any peace. He was all but ready to stand up and demand they quiet their childish giggling when he felt a soft breeze brush his face and something landed in his lap.

He cracked an eye open and peered down at the small paper plane that had come to rest in the folds of his shirt and coat. His other eye opened and he glanced warily at the little group gathered a few meters away. They seemed to be feigning nonchalance, but he could pick out Cobalt's hidden smirk and the laughter that was threatening to burst from between Lacy's lips. Nathaniel was facing away, but his shoulders seemed to be shaking. Circe's face was pink again, the tantalizing colour at its deepest in her cheeks and around her ears.

To his horror she sent a coy glance in his direction, the look causing his embarrassment to rise up out of no-where. Wasn't that what he had planned to do to her? What were they even doing?! At his flustered expression, Cobalt burst into laughter, quickly trying to supress it although he didn't do a very good job.

Having had enough, Obsidian rose to his feet, paper plane clutched in his fist, (because despite it all, he wanted the damn thing,) and with a scowl set in place to hide the growing redness that was seeping across his face, he stomped into his room and slammed the door shut behind him. No-one made a fool of Obsidian Bones.

*

Later on, when paper planes littered the deck and Cobalt chased Lacy back up to the quarter deck in order to fly their latest creations, his keen eye spotted the figure that slipped out of the Captains quarters and up into the rigging, the dusk concealing his form from those on the deck below.
Cobalt watched as Circe laughed, waving up at him and Lacy to indicate they should begin. Lacy called back in reply and both pirate and girl let their planes fly. The little white planes floated through the air, Lacy's completing a small loop and sliding to a stop just ahead of Cobalt's.

As the younger girl raced down to the deck to collect the winning plane, Nathaniel sidled up to Cobalt, money in hand. Both of the boys had noticed as a third plane had come floating down out of nowhere and with perfect precision, landed in Circe's outstretched hands.

"You win," Nathaniel said unwillingly, "I thought I had him pinned though, when he stormed off earlier."

Cobalt snickered. "That was just for show, I told you he would come back."

They watched as Circe unfolded the plane to read the message inside which was no doubt a reply to her earlier one. Her cheeks coloured and a smile crept across her face.

"He's smooth, I'll give him that," Nathaniel's tone was one of reluctant admiration, "that was a good shot too, landed right in her hands."

Cobalt watched as Lacy ran up to Circe, causing the other girl to quickly conceal the unfolded plane in her bodice before turning back around, a slightly bashful grin on her face.

He laughed. "But of course! Who do you think taught me how to make them in the first place?"

*

2. Green Eyes

Leo stretched the thread between his teeth, biting it off and swiftly tying the knot. He smoothed out the fabric and studied his handy work. The sail had taken quite a beating, but the patch he had fixed was sturdy and the material would hold. He tugged it from a few different angles before leaning back, satisfied with his work.

Leonardo's day was a busy one, as was almost every day he spent aboard ship. He was due above deck next for his routinely inspection of the ship's hull, masts and yards. The survey took him some time – he didn't like to rush things, and after he had declared them sound he went back below deck to perform a weapons check.

It was there he found Samson and Jacob. The two gunners were currently polishing the cannons, the smell of polish tart to the nostrils. They greeted Leonardo amiably, pausing in their work for a moment to talk with him. The weapons had last been restocked and serviced in Port Savannah and had not been used since. Leonardo did a stocktake against the one he had taken when they had reloaded and found them to match up perfectly.
He quickly checked through the gun powder to make sure none of it had gotten wet and with his keen eyes he looked about the area to see if any of the walls needed repair. It wouldn't do to have any leakages in this area of the ship. Although the weapons had barely seen any use since he had joined the crew, it wouldn't do to become lazy with maintenance. He would make sure that everything was ready to go within a moment's notice.

He was about to bid the two men good day when Samson laughed.

Leo was surprised. "What is it?"

The big man chuckled jovially. "It seems you've gained a shadow Master Leo, perhaps she has something she wants to talk to you about?"

Leonardo felt his face relax as he realised what Samson was referring to, a small smile slipping through in return. "She's been following me since this morning, I am sure if she has something she wishes to say, she will say it."

Leo left the two to their cleaning and Samson watched him go, grinning as he shook his head. Jacob laughed behind him and slapped the cannon. "You know what they say brother! Love is blind."

Samson snorted. "I'm starting to think that maybe it's just the boy that is blind, love be damned."

Next Leo was inspecting the sails. He climbed up in the rigging to do this, checking the ropes as he went. A few of them were in need of repair and the job saw him into the late afternoon. Finally satisfied he swung himself down, landing gracefully on the deck.

He logged a few other details into his book and made his way into the Captain's quarters to give his report. Upon being told to enter, he found Cobalt pouring over the navigator's charts, instruments scattered across the large desk.
Obsidian was seated over by the table in his favourite high backed chair, his feet crossed up on the table top, his hat pulled down to cover his face. He appeared to be asleep but Leonardo knew better.
In the background, a piano was playing, the light whimsical sound coming from the mermaid door that stood slightly ajar on the other side of the room.

"Captain, I have the details from today's inspection ready for you to look over."

Cobalt looked up from what he was doing to take the book that Leonardo had extended out towards him. He paced back and forth as he read through it, muttering occasionally as he read aloud, pausing every so often to question Leonardo about something in particular.

"Good," Cobalt concluded, snapping the book shut. "Bones, do you want to read over it?"

Obsidian grunted and held out his hand. Leonardo waited patiently as the other man read through his notes quickly but diligently. Although he had named his brother Captain in his absence, a title that was now unofficially shared between them since his return, Leonardo still very much viewed Obsidian Bones as the Captain of the ship.
It wasn't anything in disrespect to Cobalt, but it was just the kind of person that Obsidian was. Leo could never imagine him serving as someone else's subordinate and although he knew Cobalt had given up on trying to get him to officially accept his Captaincy back, Leo could tell that Cobalt still saw him as the Captain as well.

"This is good." Obsidian sent a cursory glance in Leonardo's direction. "I wasn't sure about the two of you when we picked you up in Savannah, but you have proven your worth, you and Lacy. With her medical knowledge, she has become a great asset to the crew, as have you. Continue your good work."

Leonardo felt his pride swell as he accepted the praise. Approval from Bones was a hard thing to come by and it did not surprise him at all when the Pirate abruptly dropped his hat back over his face, threw him his log book and flicked a hand to dismiss him from the room.

Trying not to smile, Leonardo thanked him before taking his leave. The door clicked shut behind him, effectively cutting off the lingering notes from the piano although if Leonardo listened hard, he thought he could hear the tune sounded out from the door he knew to be at the rear of the ship.

Back in the Captains quarters Cobalt was pestering his brother with questions as to why he never praised him like that. Obsidian was quickly regretting his most recent slip of the tongue and feeling a little flustered he told his brother that if he did not shut up, then Obsidian would make sure he became an asset to the crew by being thrown off it.
Cobalt took this as an opportunity to point out that Obsidian's threats were slightly less threatening than usual to which Obsidian answered by punching his brother square in the face.

By this time Leonardo was in search of food. He was about to make his way to the galley when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a mop of curly black hair.

"Not with Circe this morning?"

Lacy stepped out of her hiding spot under the staircase and shook her head. "I've been waiting for you to finish. Do you want to get lunch with me?"

Leonardo peered up into the sky, studying the sun. "It's a little past lunch time isn't it?"

She huffed as she followed him below deck to the galley. "You know what I meant."

They were able to scavenge some cold leftovers which didn't prove to be too bad and chose to eat them up on the deck in the sun. It was a hot day but below deck was cool enough that goose bumps rose on Lacy's fair skin and Leo pointed out that it seemed a shame to waste the sunshine.

"After all," He said as they ate, "where we are headed, the weather may not be so fine. I had a quick glance at the charts that Cobalt was studying and it looks as though our heading may take us through a rather drastic change in temperature."

"You think so?"

He heard the excitement in her tone that always came hand in hand with the possibility of adventure. He looked at her thoughtfully as she swung her legs over the railing of the ship. The sun kissed her skin and made her black hair shine, the wild curls tumbling about her shoulders in the breeze from the ocean. He caught one of them and pulled it straight before letting it go. It bounced about like a spring and she laughed, throwing a carefree smile in his direction, her green eyes sparkling with something he couldn't identify.

Leonardo felt his stomach flip and immediately pushed the feeling away. This girl was like a sister to him. He had watched her grow up aboard her Father's vessel, a wild little monkey swinging about a Pirate ship with a knife clutched between her teeth. And when her Father had died he had taken it upon himself to protect her, like a brother would. She was precious to him and he was always watching her. Securing her safety and her happiness was what was most important to him.

So as he studied her now he tried to remember at what point in time he had missed her changing from a girl into a woman. He had been with her every single day and somehow the slight alterations had happened without his noticing. And then one day he had woken up to find that there was some more in her gaze than what had been there before. And what was worse was that he found that he didn't particularly mind her attention. In fact, when he thought about her giving it to someone else, Nathaniel for example, who Lacy had grown close to, the very idea made him grit his teeth with jealousy.
Leonardo was not a petty person and he could never truly resent Nathaniel, or anyone else for that matter. In fact, he considered the other man a good friend now, it was just when it came to Lacy, he found himself feeling ... possessive.

"Leo?"

He sighed and turned to face her. Keeping himself occupied this morning had done nothing after all, he had ended up with his thoughts swimming around in circles as they always seemed to do at the moment.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were okay. You seem to be caught up about something."

He always noticed how green her eyes were when she looked at him with the level of intensity that she was looking at him with now. That was the other thing about her that had caught him off guard recently. He had always been used to her erratic behaviour and her short attention span.
The Lacy that sat opposite him now, holding his gaze in a way that made him feel a little hot under the collar, was foreign to him and try as he might, he just couldn't get used to it.
It wasn't a bad thing, but ... it didn't help his concentration when she looked at him like that.

He stood up abruptly, tossing the rest of his scraps over board. "I'm fine." His answer was a little shorter than it might have been if his thoughts had been on something else. "I need to get back to work." He smiled at her and ruffled her hair, partially because he knew she didn't like it, but mostly because it was a gesture he had always done, ever since she was a child. She didn't need to know the reason behind why his hand lingered a little too long; turning the action into something more like a caress.
He refused to acknowledge the look of disappointment that glanced over her face or the way he felt her gaze linger on him long after he had turned his back. He gritted his teeth and pushed the confusing feelings away, maybe he was just over thinking things. Surely some space would give him the time he needed to screw his head back on straight.

Basically he had a bad case of denial and much to Lacy's disappointment; he planned to keep it that way for as long as possible.

*

3. Smile

Lacy liked watching Obsidian with Circe.
She had missed them both terribly and in the weeks that followed their reunion, her gentle scrutiny of the two had picked up a few differences that had not been there before.

There were the darker aspects she had observed, unobtrusively and from a respectful distance, like the sadness that entered Circe's eyes when she thought no one was looking her way, and the quietness that seemed to envelope Obsidian every so often, a kind of eerie calm that gave Lacy the feeling that his mind and thoughts were turned