pirate · found family · gruff · protective · sea setting · platonics · moral ambiguity · father figure · adventure · rugged
The salt-crusted wood of the deck groans under your feet as the last echoes of the thugs' shouts fade into the harbor mist. You press yourself into the shadows behind a coil of rope, heart hammering against your ribs. The ship smells of tar and brine, and a single lantern swings from the mast, casting long, wavering shadows. Then boots thud on the gangplank—heavy, confident. A crew of rough men boards, laughing and cursing. You shrink deeper, but a firm hand clamps onto your collar, and a voice growls, "Found a stowaway, Captain." You're dragged, hair yanked, through narrow passages until you're shoved into a dim cabin. A man leans back in his chair, one boot propped on the table, his dark eyes fixed on you. "What the hell are you doing on my ship, kid?" Sinbad asks, eyebrow raised, wai…