30. Strike

His head was aching, his chest felt tight, and his limbs felt slightly numb. What had happened? He was starting to remember something... thunder? Yes, a thunderstorm! It came on so quickly, they hardly had time to prepare. Not only that, but with all the clouds and rain, it was hard to even see let alone tie a decent knot. The only light they had were the flashes of lightning around the boat. He hoped not all of their supplies went overboard.

Number Two had said something about heading inside. It was very windy, with the rain coming down hard, feeling as cold and sharp as a cutlass.

Wait, the wind. It had blew his favorite hat clean off his head. Someone shouted at him when he went to go get it. Did he catch it? He couldn't remem- wait! Yes, he did, and then-

... What had happened after that? He didn't know, but the pain was still there. It was like being run through and jumping into freezing cold water at the same time, sending all of his body into shock but still feeling the pain before blacking out.

Voices were all around him, not harsh or frightening, but worried and concerned. As he started to fade back into consciousness, he could feel a warm light above him. Slowly opening his eyes, he could see it was a lamp. He was in one of the rooms beneath the deck, he couldn't tell which one. Closing his eyes again, he let out a low groan, wanting to go back to sleep. But one thing made him want to stay awake.

"C-Captain?" Turning his head slightly and opening his eyes once more, he could see his second in command. The Pirate with a Scarf was sitting right in front of him, with the rest of the crew standing a foot or so behind him. The Pirate with a Scarf smiled at him, looking relieved and happy to see him awake.

He tried to lift himself up, but his body ached. Even though he knew his captain shouldn't be sitting up, the Pirate with a Scarf also knew the Pirate Captain wouldn't stop trying until he did. So, Number Two helped sit up. "So, are, are you alright?" he asked, his voice still a bit worried.

The Pirate Captain gave a weak smile. "Well, this ought to make a good story to tell the other pirates, eh Number Two?" The Pirate with a Scarf made a noise that was a mix of a laugh and a sob before moving forward and giving his captain a hug. The Pirate Captain was a bit surprised, but didn't hesitate to hug back.

Looking up at his crew, he could tell that they wanted to get on it too. "Well, get over here you coves," he told them. The crew smiled and quickly joined in, making it one big group hug.

Even on their ship and considering how close they all were, hugs still weren't something done often. But at that moment, no one minded at all.

I personally don't ship PirateCaptainxScarf (though I don't have a problem with those who do), I think of them more like best friends/brothers. And when your best friend and captain nearly dies, I think a group hug is an appropriate response. Besides, I feel like Scarf would want to return the hug he got in the movie (which I'll admit was really cute) at some point. Sorry if this was a little corny, but I enjoyed writing it. Please review!