Chapter Nine
The grand escape from a raging inferno
Jim Hawkins x fem!Reader
Chapter Eight
Word count: 2346
Summary: the escape scene, as required.
Notes: if you read Chapter Eight before the day this is posted (May 17th, 2022), you will have already read this. This is because I realised that almost 5,000 words was excessive for a single chapter given that most of them are in the 1-3,000 area and it would be logical to split it in half here. Feel free to skip to Chapter Ten :)
“Aloha, Jimmy—Oh, oh!” Ben’s voice interrupted you, and you both turned to see the RLS Legacy descending. “Hurry, people!” the robot continued, “we’ve got exactly two minutes and thirty-four seconds until the planet’s destruction!”
You ran towards the ship, jumping on when it was close enough. Your stomach was swirling with butterflies, your knees shamefully weak. You needed to talk to Jim, really talk. And you would later, you vowed even as you cursed yourself. You were not supposed to get so caught up in kissing cabin boys -- even if they were smart and brave and sweet (and a bit moody), and especially not when the planet you were on was minutes away from total destruction.
“Take us out of here, metal man!” Captain Amelia shouted from near the mast, and Ben complied.
“Cap’ain,” John said, bowing low, “you dropped from the heavens in the nick o’ time!”
“Save your clap trap for the judge, Sliver.”
John glanced sideways at you, then frowned. Overhead, a piece of debris smashed into the mast, sending the top half of it crashing down onto the thrusters. The ship slowed, and you cursed.
“Thrusters at only thirty percent capacity, Captain!” Ben reported.
“Thirty percent?” Doppler echoed, “That means… we’ll never clear the planet’s explosion in time.”
“We gotta turn around!” Jim said, jumping down to the deck below and grabbing a piece of the thruster.
“What?” the Captain and you both said at the same time.
“There’s a portal back there! It can get us outta here!”
“Pardon me, Jim,” Doppler said, “but didn’t that portal open onto a raging inferno?”
“Yes,” Jim grunted, heaving a piece of metal off the ship, “but I’m gonna change that! I’m gonna open a different door!”
“Captain I don’t see—”
“He’s got a point!” you yelled at the same time as John said: “Listen to the boy!”
“One minute twenty-nine seconds till the planet’s destruction!” Ben warned.
“What do you need, Jim?” John asked, kneeling beside him.
“Just some way to attach this!”
“Alright, stand back!” John switched to his welding function, zapping at the place where the thruster meets the scrap of metal. Bright white sparks flew, then the two were joined. They lifted the contraption up over the edge of the ship, balancing it on the railing.
“Ok,” Jim said, jumping up onto the piece of metal, “no matter what happens keep the ship heading straight for the portal.”
“Wait, Jim—”
“Fifty-eight seconds!” Ben yelled over you.
Jim held your gaze for a fraction of a second, then nodded to John and stepped down on the back of the thruster, blasting off the ship and into the chaos that Treasure Planet had become. You felt strangely like the girls left tearfully waving on the docks as the Space Cadets shipped out to their assignments in the Academy’s recruitment advertisements. You weren’t all that fond of the sensation.
“Well you heard ‘im,” John yelled at Amelia, “Get this blasted heap turned around!”
“Doctor, head us back to the portal!” she commanded, and Doppler did so.
You could see the glowing triangle in the distance, somewhat obscured by all the falling pieces of the planet and flying debris. You wondered how the hell Jim was ever going to get through. How were you going to get through?
“Twenty-five seconds!” Ben shouted, tapping away at the screen.
“That’s not helping!” you screamed back.
“Come on, lad,” John murmured, leaning forwards.
“Seventeen seconds!”
There was no sign of Jim ahead, and you were so close to the portal that the fiery mess inside was reflected in Doppler’s spectacles.
“Seven, six…”
Suddenly, Jim shot from beside the ship to in front, and you thought he hit the right button on the portal’s control mainly because you weren’t dead, but you weren’t sure.
“Three, two…”
You squeezed your eyes shut, waiting for what was going to happen.
Everything was cold, and dark, and there was no debris raining around you, and you could still feel every part of your body. You opened your eyes, taking in the bright crescent of Montressor space port ahead of you, the purplish clouds around and the deep blue of space.
“Yes!” you shouted, jumping and embracing John, who yelled along with you.
“You did it, you did!” he called to Jim, who swooped by, catching a high-five. “Didn’t I say the lad had greatness in ‘im?”
You ran across the deck, throwing your arms around Jim’s neck as he landed the makeshift hoverboard. He laughed, spinning you around before placing you back on the deck and stepping back.
“We’re ok, then?” he asked, his hands still resting on your waist.
And suddenly, faced with him and everything he entailed, you were shy. To your horror, you felt your cheeks heat up. “I would like to be, yes,” you said with as much dignity as you could muster.
Jim stared at you, studying your face, and you felt the blush grow in force. “Am I making you blush?” he asked, incredulous.
“Shut up,” you muttered. But you were smiling, and he was too. The whole situation was sickeningly... sweet.
“Unorthodox, but ludicrously effective.” Captain Amelia interrupted, and Jim’s hands dropped abruptly from your waist. “I’d be proud to recommend you to the Interstellar Academy. They could use a man like you.”
“Just wait until your mother hears about this!” Dr Doppler said.
You looked over to where John was standing, catching the corner of his coat disappearing around the door frame. You looked back at Jim, who was paying attention to Doppler. You didn’t want to leave the happy moment, didn’t want to leave him. But John was down in the galley, no doubt preparing a ship. The thought of taking off sent a sharp pang through your chest. You wanted to stay with Jim, wanted John to stay too, or maybe you wanted Jim to come with you. You were ok, he had said, and still you hadn’t told him the truth of everything.
But it was better, you told yourself as silently, you slipped away from the little group and down to the galley. It was better for you -- the criminal pirate slave girl -- to leave the promising future Interstellar Academy Cadet. You could become an adventure, a myth alongside Treasure Planet and Flint’s Trove. As much as the thought pained you. Maybe you’d write him a note or something, but the idea felt somehow trite.
John was waiting by a longboat, leaning against the edge.
“Are we leaving now?” you asked, clearing your throat of the unexpected -- and equally unwelcome -- lump that had gathered there.
“I’d best be getting’ along,” he said, mercifully not passing comment on your slightly choked voice, “but I wanted to give you somethin’.” He reached into his coat pocket, withdrawing the chest you had packed full of gold.
“Is that…?”
“Eight thousand gold pieces,” he smiled, “no more, no less.”
“How did you…?” You took the chest, peaking inside at the money.
“Ah, I got me ways. Now, I think I’ve got the documents right here… yes.” He pulled out a wad of yellowed paper, followed by an old pen and unfolded it, resting it on the side of the boat. “I sign here,” he said, scribbling at the bottom of one page, “you sign your name here and put your number here.” He flipped to the back of the bundle, and you took the pen.
You undid your bandage, looking at the numbers. You didn’t need to see them to know what they were, that sequence would always be burned into your mind, but it felt right. You neatly printed them in the space, then signed your name with a flourish. “That’s that, huh?” you grinned, handing back the pen.
“What about me money?” John feigned indignation, and you laughed. You handed over the chest, and he passed you the documents.
“Free,” you smiled.
“Free indeed.”
“So, where to now, Captain?”
He arched an eyebrow. “You need to think, lassy. You’ve got the best choice there is. You can get off in court because of your ah, situation, or you can go with me now and none’ll be the wiser.”
So think you did. You thought of all the adventures and the fun and excitement that John and his escapades brought with him, the comfort of his gruffly assuring voice and a hot meal cooked just for you at the end of the day. You thought of the gentle yet firm instruction he would offer without a second thought, and the easy camaraderie between the two of you even in the worst of situations. And you thought of the same easiness that came with being around Jim, the same thrill of every conversation you had with him, the fun of the journey you’d shared and the pain of thinking it was going to end.
“You’ve got somethin’ to stay for now, haven’t you?” your friend prompted gently.
You nodded, pressing your lips into a thin line. “I don’t want to leave you either,” you whispered.
John placed a hand on your shoulder, squeezing softly. “I’ve taught you all I can. lass. You’re stronger than I ever coulda hoped, you got a quick wit about you too. And I think there’s a certain young man who could use that sense o’ yours, eh?”
You sniffled, laughing.
“Eh,” he grunted. Then his eyes flicked past your shoulder, twinkling brightly. “And speak of the devil, Jimbo!”
“You never quit, do you?” the boy said, leaning against the wall.
“I was just checkin’ to make sure our last longboat was safe and secure.” The former cook ben down and tied one of the sloppiest slip-knots you’d ever seen, smiling unconvincingly.
“Hmm…” Jim crossed the walkway, undoing the knot and tying a much more secure one. “Well that should hold it.”
“I taught you too well,” John chuckled. “If you don’t mind, we’d just as soon avoid prison, little Morphy here, he’s a free spirit! Bein’ in a cage, it’d break his heart.” Morph cooed sadly, and you smiled at the two of them.
Jim shook his head, then turned and thrust down the hatch’s lever, opening it up to the bright dawn sky. He bent and undid the knot, casting aside the rope.
“What say you ship out with us, lad?” John asked, looking at you. “I was just talking to (Y/N), and she’d love to have you along! Us three, full of ourselves and no ties to anyone!” Morph transformed into a hat, settling himself on Jim’s head.
“You know,” he said, taking off the hat, “when I got on this boat, I would have taken you up on that offer in a second. But I met an old cyborg and a girl who throws knives, and they taught me to chart my own course. That’s what I’m gonna do.”
“And what do you see, off that bow o’ yours?” John asked.
“A future.” Jim looked up from the open hatch, past John and to you. He smiled, and so did you. Maybe there was something about near-death experiences that made people oddly sappy.
“Look at you,” the cyborg laughed, “glowin’ like a solar fire the both o’ you! You’re somethin’ special, Jim. You’re gonna rattle the stars, you are.” He placed his arms around the boy, hugging him tightly. “Now,” he said after a moment, drawing back, “you look after my (Y/N), won’t you?”
“I don’t need looking after,” you grinned, punching his arm lightly, “and I’m not yours!”
“Ah, o’ course not,” he smiled, then coughed. “I ah, got a bit o’ grease in the old cyborg eye.” He turned away, wiping at his face.
“Wrong side,” you pointed out. Beside Jim, Morph let out a wail and collapsed into his hands as a puddle of water.
“Aw, Morph, I’ll seeya round!” Jim told him, and Morph mimicked it, then floated to join John. Hesitantly, experimentally, you slid an arm around Jim’s waist, and he patted your shoulder.
“Morphy, I got a job for you.” John said, holding up the little creature. “I need you to keep an eye on these two. Will you do that favour?”
Morph wriggled happily, nuzzling against John’s face and cooing. He zoomed over to you, hovering excitedly next to Jim.
“Oh, and one more thing!” John called as the longboat descended, “this is for your dear mother, to rebuild that inn of hers!” He tossed a handful of jewels and gold up to Jim, who caught them. He stared from the treasure to John, then to you, and back to the treasure.
“Stay outta trouble,” he said finally, “you old scallywag.”
“When have I ever done otherwise?” your friend called back, laughing as the longboat flew off into the orange dawn.
“So,” Jim said at last, “you burned down my mom’s inn.”
“It wasn’t me,” you protested, “Hands knocked over the lamp. We weren’t supposed to destroy the whole building, it just kinda—mff!” You were cut off by Jim’s lips on yours, but you didn’t mind. He was soft, you reflected as your arms snaked around his shoulders, though you wouldn’t dream of describing him as such to his face -- at least then. His skin was soft, his hair was soft, his mouth was soft, his hands on your cheeks -- though slightly calloused thanks to John’s never-ending stream of chores -- were soft. You kissed him back, breathing in the slightly singed smell of his hair and clothes. You could get used to this, you thought, could get used to him.
“Maybe don’t mention that to my mom when you meet her,” he said when you broke apart, “I don’t think she’d take it well.”
“Wait, I’m gonna meet your mom?” you asked, stepping backwards. You hadn’t thought that part through. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, I’m an ex-slave pirate who burned down her inn.”
“But she doesn’t have to know that, right?” he grinned, rubbing the back of his neck.
“But what about—”
“Shh, it’ll be fine. She’ll love you, trust me.”
Chapter Ten