Fool's Fare: Chapter Fourteen
Fool's Fare: Chapter Fourteen
Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader
Summary: Captain Jake "Hangman" Seresin had come close to swinging from the gallows more times than he would care to admit. He's stolen, cheated, even killed. The worst thing he's ever done? Broken the heart of a woman. Having broken the heart of the woman whom Davy Jones himself had fallen for six years ago, Jake is now cursed to live as something not dead, but not alive. He's doomed to live a half-life for the rest of his existence unless he manages to obtain the treasure Davy Jones deems most valuable. The problem? He has no idea what it is, and he only had seven years to obtain it.
Content Warning: Secrets revealed, Cursing, Despair, Trickery, Magic, Loss, Schrodinger's major character death (Are they dead though? It's open ended.), Bittersweet endings. I think that's it, but please let me know if I missed something!
Word Count: ~4.1k
Series Masterlist || Moodboards || Playlist
The glowing embers of Tom’s pipe cast sharp shadows that made his already stern looking face harder. Your breath caught in your throat as shock clutched at your ribs, a pressure building in your chest.
“Tom?” You repeated, taking a hesitant step forward. “What are you doing here?”
The old man gave you a wry smile, lowering the pipe from his lips as he blew out a long puff of smoke. The tendrils curled around one another, racing towards the sky in a dance that gave you pause. How often had you watched this same man growing up? This man before you who had been like a second father, bringing you gifts from his travels and setting you on his knee as he and your father discussed things you could hardly grasp. This man who had taken care of you and Bradley when your father had died at sea, making sure the two of you never went without even when the both of you had found work to support yourselves.
“Guppy,” he murmured, blue eyes filled with sorrow. “You’re looking well.”
“Cut the shit, Tom,” snapped Bradley. You turned to look at him, reeling back from the fury in your older brother’s eyes. His jaw clenched tight as his nostrils flared, hands curled into fists as his face flushed with anger.
“Bradley,” Tom sighed, inhaling more of the tobacco.
“I don’t get it.”
You turned to look at Jake, the blond man standing there with his brow knit and eyes darting around looking for answers.
“The old man from the tavern?” He asked, looking at you for confirmation, green eyes lost as he tried to process what was happening. “I don’t understand. Where’s Davy?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Growled Bradley, sneering at the older man. “Tom is Davy. He’s been Davy Jones this entire time, and he’s never said a damn thing.”
“Would you have believed me if I had?” Tom challenged, no real heat to his tone as he stared down the younger man.
“I might have,” Bradley shot back, venom dripping from his tone. “If you had tried to warn me from signing up for this crew, I might have listened.”
“You’re a bad liar, Bradley,” Tom snorted. “Always have been. You’d have called me an old fool had I told you who I really was without proof.”
“Then why didn’t you prove it? Why did you just let me sign up? None of this had to happen!” Screamed Bradley, voice echoing off the rocky walls of the cliffs, making you flinch.
“I couldn’t very well reveal myself in front of a room full of people, boy,” Tom glared, jaw ticking as he fought to keep his temper at bay. “Not when it wouldn’t have made a difference. You had already made your decision.”
Bradley didn’t say anything, lips pressed tightly together as he continued to glare at the older man.
“Am I wrong?” Tom prodded, staring the other down. A moment of silence passed between them before Bradley hung his head.
“No,” he murmured, squeezing his eyes and fists closed. “You’re not.”
Another beat of silence passed. The waves crashed against the shoreline as gulls cried out overhead.
“You’re too much like Pete in that sense, I s’pose,” Tom grumbled with a shake of his head. Your heart clenched at the sound of your father’s name. It was true, Bradley was much like your father. So much so that sometimes you forgot the two of you weren’t related by blood.
“That stubbornness is what got him killed in the end,” he continued, turning towards the waves with a grimace.
“You don’t look like the Davy Jones I know,” Jake challenged, a hardness to his stare that equaled the disdain found in Tom’s.
“Not often someone sees what I really look like these days,” Tom sniffed, spitting out onto the sand. “Takes practiced magic to keep up appearances, and I can’t exactly go around scarin’ folks left and right when I’m on land.”
“Magic? What do you know about that?” You asked, taking a step forward. You needed to know why the magic you had encountered on your travels affected you differently from the others.
Tom turned back to look at you. “I know more than you think.”
“My whole life,” you started, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath, “I’ve known that I was different. I knew things that others shouldn’t. I knew when Papa-”
You stopped, exhaling shakily as you remembered the day you clung to your father, begging him to stay on shore. You remembered the day his heart stopped beating.
“When we encountered Thetis,” you continued after a moment, and Tom stiffened at the name. “I knew something was wrong about that isle before anything had ever happened. She sensed something different about me too. The sea serpent stopped its attack when it saw me. Like it knew that we were one in the same.”
You took another step forward, eyes pleading with the man before you.
“So help me to understand, Tom,” you begged. “What am I?”
Silence stretched out along the beach as Tom studied you.
“You’re a promise,” he answered with a heavy sigh. “Long ago, when your mother and father were young and fool’s in love, they wanted a baby. But, your mother struggled to conceive. Your father called out to me to make a deal. We had been friends for a while by that point, so he knew the price he was paying. He asked for a child for his wife and a son for himself. In exchange, he offered up himself. A soul for a soul. I managed to warp the magic so that they got you, Guppy. A daughter instead of a son. That way he could live out his days with the family he wanted, and no price would need to be payed because the deal hadn’t been fulfilled.”
He closed his eyes with a shake of his head.
“Magic is a tricky thing, though,” he continued, eyes flickering towards where Bradley stood. “It will always find a way to get what its owed.”
“What does that mean?” You prodded.
Tom sucked on his teeth, measuring his words. “Means that Pete was given the son he was promised, and the magic was free to take the soul it was promised.”
You turned back to look at Bradley, sucking in a sharp breath at the look on your brother’s face. Brown eyes stared at the old man, tears streaming down his face as his jaw went slack in disbelief.
“It’s my fault?” He asked, voice so soft you almost didn’t hear him above the waves. Tom shook his head vehemently.
“No,” he growled, a hard look in his eyes. “It’s not. Pete took you in of his own free will. Declared you his son knowing damn well what that meant for him.”
Bradley pressed his lips firmly together, eyes darting towards the ground as he hung his head. Your heart broke at the sight. Your father loved Bradley, you knew that, and you knew that somewhere inside, Bradley knew that too. You took a step back towards him, hand extended to reach for him, but something inside you told you to stop. Your hand fell back to your side, uncertainty coursing through your veins as you tried to figure out what to do. What could you do?
“Are we going to stand around here all day,” groused Tom, eyes flickering between your trio, “or do you have my payment?”
You shot a glare at Tom as Jake sucked in a breath, body growing rigid before his hands reached into his coat, digging around for the necklace. The sight of it still took your breath away, the clear crystal that seemed to shine with its own light on the darkening shore. You were so mesmerized that you almost didn’t catch Jake’s eyes flicker to you, a press of his lips as he seemed to consider something.
Your own brow furrowed. What was he waiting for? Your eyes glanced towards where the sun was rapidly descending below the horizon, and you looked back at him.
“Jake?” You whispered, snapping him from his daze. He shook his head before crossing the divide towards Tom. He stared the older man down, shoulders squared as silent communication passed between the two. You shifted on your feet uneasily, eyes flickering towards Bradley. His face was unreadable as he watched the other two men, seemingly resigned to whatever was about to happen.
Jake’s shoulders rose and fell as he let out one last breath, holding his hand out towards Tom. The chain swayed in the evening breeze, the gem shining brighter than ever now that it was so close to its original master. Tom arched a brow as he studied it, his hand slowly rising to take it from Jake. Jake let his arm fall back to his side, taking a half a step back.
“There it is,” he nodded, gesturing towards the gem that now sat in the palm of Tom’s hand. “The greatest treasure in the world.”
Tom’s eyes flickered up to consider the man before him, lips pressed firmly together as he seemed to chew over his thoughts. He raised the gem up to eye level, head tilted slightly as his gaze shifted back out towards the sea. He grunted, tossing the gem up before catching it in his hand.
“Thanks,” he sniffed, raising the gem towards Jake before pocketing it in his coat. “Been looking for this beauty for a while. Thought Thetis had gotten her mitts on it, and I can’t have that. Need it for something before I even entertain the idea of giving it back.”
“Is it over?” Jake asked, eyes shining with hope. “Is the curse broken?”
Tom’s attention turned once more to the horizon, and you followed his gaze to watch the last bit of the sun disappear below the horizon.
“No.”
Your heart stopped. You whirled around to face Tom, eyes round with horror as the older man met Jake’s eyes. Jake looked about as shocked as you felt, and you watched as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, searching for the words that wouldn’t come to him.
“No?” He finally managed, his voice sounding so foreign and far away. He blinked at the old captain before rage twisted his features into something almost animalistic.
“What do you mean ‘no’?” He shouted, a vein in his neck bulging as he clenched his fists. “I brought you the greatest treasure! Handed it over to you without so much as a fight! Break the damn curse, old man!”
Tom stared at him, unmoved by his outburst. He shook his head.
“After all this time, you still haven’t figured it out,” he muttered. “I almost feel sorry for you.”
Jake lurched back as if he had been physically struck, eyes wide before anger seeped back in and he let out a scream that chilled you to the bone. You had never heard someone sound so broken before. His hands clutched at his hair as he hunched over, breaths coming out in shallow gasps as his eyes searched frantically for answers. His head shot up, hands shooting out to grip at Tom’s coat, shaking him.
“Undo it, you bastard,” he growled, spittle flying from his mouth as he stared menacingly into the eyes of Davy Jones himself. “Undo it!”
“Jake,” you called out, and his head whipped around to face you. For a moment, you were almost frightened of him, but then you saw the face of the young boy who seven years prior had been punished for something that wasn’t even his fault. Tears streaming down his face, his anger crumpled around him, his hands releasing Tom as a sob ripped through him. He stumbled towards you, tripping over himself to land in the sand. You moved forward at the same time, meeting him halfway to catch him and lower him gently. Your arms wrapped around him tightly, cradling him as he clung to you. The tips of your fingers ran through his hair as you tried to soothe him, your own tears an afterthought.
“I’m sorry,” he hiccuped, pressing himself closer to you. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” you told him, shaking your head. “You did everything you could, Jake, and I love you for it.”
He looked up at you, green eyes shining as you brushed the hair out of his face.
“You love me?” He asked. You realized then what you had said, and you smiled.
“Yeah,” you nodded. “I do. With all my heart.”
A ghost of a smile curled on his lips as he leaned his forehead against yours. It didn’t last long before his face crumpled once more.
“I’m such an idiot,” he growled, shaking his head. “Never told the girl that I loved her, and she beat me to it. Now…”
He trailed off, but the words were plain as day. Now the two of you would be separated, torn apart and unable to find happiness with each other.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
The two of you looked up to see Tom still watching, a grimace sat firmly on his face.
“Looks like you did find the greatest treasure after all,” he grumbled. Your eyes met Jake’s, and the two of you scrambled to your feet as Jake’s face glimmered with hope.
“I found it?” He asked, another smile curling at his lips. “Does this mean the curse is lifted?”
Tom shook his head. “No.”
You looked up at him, catching the brief flicker of regret in his eyes before they hardened once more.
“What do you mean?” Jake demanded, keeping a hand on you as he stepped forward. “You just said I found it!”
“You didn’t present it to me before the deadline,” Tom shot back, gesturing towards where the sun had disappeared only minutes before. “You were too late.”
“Why are you doing this?” You asked, voice barely above a whisper. Something shone in his eyes, but it was snuffed out just as quickly as it had appeared.
“You weren’t supposed to get wrapped up in all this,” Tom told you. Rage raced through your veins as you bared your teeth at him.
“But I did!” You shouted at him. “And now I’m losing everything because you won’t change the magic!”
“I can’t,” he snapped back.
You scoffed. “Bullshit! You’ve done it once before!”
“And look at what’s happened because of it!” He spat. “The magic didn’t just take your father, Guppy! It gave two souls, and two souls it collected in return.”
You balked. He couldn’t mean…?
“Your mother,” he nodded. “Your mother’s life was forfeit to the magic all because I thought I could bend it to my will. It’s my fault they’re both gone.”
You swallowed, processing his words. The magic took what it was owed.
“What’s the magic owed this time?” You asked, eye gazing up at the old captain. “Another soul?”
Tom paused, narrowing his eyes down at you. “It’ll take magic to nullify the curse. Magic negates magic.”
“Then take me,” you told him. All eyes snapped to where you stood.
“What?” Tom grunted.
“Take me,” you repeated. “I’m a product of the magic, right? If you take me, will the curse be lifted?”
“Guppy, no,” Jake started, but you shook your head.
“If it means that you and the others will get to live a life free from suffering,” you began, sighing as you let the decision settle in your mind, “then it’s a price I will happily pay.”
“But I won’t,” he argued, grasping your arms in his hands. “I won’t let you do this.”
“It’s not a decision you get to make this time,” you told him, eyes pleading with him.
“You don’t get to make it either.”
You both turned to look at Bradley, a determined look on his face as he crossed the distance to stand in front of Tom.
“I’m a product of the magic too, right?” He asked. “Maverick only found me because he was owed a son.”
“Bradley, no,” you started, but he held a hand up to stop you.
“He took me in and cared for me like his own flesh and blood child when he didn’t have to,” he continued, offering you a gentle smile. “This is the best way I can think of to repay him.”
“Bradley,” you pleaded, “don’t do this.”
Your eyes met his, and for a moment the two of you were standing in the village again, your tiny fists balled up as you glared at the other children from the village. A group of teenage boys snickered at Bradley, taunting him with jeers and quips about his background.
“Nobody wants you, you know,” one of them sneered, a cruel smile on his lips. “You’re only around for the free labor.”
Bradley didn’t say a word, continuing to load the cart with the supplies the two of you had just purchased. You waited for him to say something, anything. He’s so quick to jab back when it’s the two of you at home, after all.
“Come on, orphan boy,” the same boy taunts, kicking at one of the small, wooden crates by Bradley’s feet, causing it to tip over. “You and I both know you’re not worth the food they waste on you.”
You saw Bradley’s jaw tick, but he continues with his task, not even looking in their direction. The boy growled in frustration, marching forward to grab Bradley by his collar, forcing him up and back against the wall. Bradley let out a grunt as his back met the wall staring the other boy down, daring him with eyes alone to make a move.
“I’m talking to you, rat,” the boy spat, eyes blazing. “Or maybe you’re too stupid to realize that. Is that it? Poor, orphan boy. You’ve not got a family to cling to, no one to protect you. You’re all alone in this world, and you always will be.”
“Stop it!” You cried, shoving at the boy, startling him enough for him to let Bradley go.
“Why should I?” He sneered down at you. “We all know it’s true.”
“It’s not true!” You hollered. “He’s got a family. He’s got me, and my mama, and my papa. He’s my brother, and we’re family!”
The boy stared down at you as you met his gaze with your fiery own. He snorted, turning to walk back towards his friends.
“Whatever,” he muttered. “Once an orphan, always an orphan.”
You glared after them, waiting until they were a ways down the street before turning your attention back to Bradley. You looked him over, checking for any bumps or scrapes, only stopping when Bradley waved you off.
“Enough,” he snapped. “Quit it.”
“Let me do this for you, Bradley,” you murmured, tears stinging your eyes as you looked at him. “Let me be your sister.”
He stared at you for a moment, the hardness in his gaze melting away as he sighed.
“Come on, Guppy,” he hummed, eyes earnest as they met yours. “Let’s get home.”
You stared at him now, the same earnest look in his eyes as he offered to take your place.
“Let me do this for you, Guppy,” he murmured, echoing your words from so long ago. “Let me be your brother one last time.”
You lurched forward, throwing yourself into his arms as you hugged him tight.
“You idiot,” you whispered, eyes squeezed tight. “You’ll always be my brother.”
He chuckled, wrapping his arms around you tightly, as if he were afraid to let go. After a moment, Tom stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Bradley’s shoulder and clearing his throat.
“It’s time,” he said. Bradley released you reluctantly, taking a step back as he looked at Tom. A moment of silent communication passed between the two of them before Bradley nodded. The two men moved to walk away, but you grabbed Tom’s hand, stopping them once more.
“Will I see him again?” You asked, swallowing around the lump in your throat. “Or is this it?”
Tom studied you for a moment, chewing on the inside of his cheek. You felt Jake come up behind you, sliding his hand into yours with a gentle squeeze, but your eyes remained fixed on Tom’s.
“Maybe one day,” the old man nodded, sniffing. “You’ll see him again.”
A zip ran up your spine, and your eyes widened as something softened in Tom’s. A hint of a smile curved on your lips as you nodded, letting him go. Tom turned back to Bradley, slapping his hand on his shoulder as he guided him down the beach.
You watched in silence until the two men disappeared into the night, and even then you waited a moment longer. You didn’t know what lay ahead of you, but you knew you wouldn’t be alone. You had a family still waiting for you back aboard the ship, and they would be anxious to hear the good and sad news.
“Guppy?” Jake prodded, uncertainty in his tone as his arm came around to hold you close. You let out a sigh, closing your eyes for a brief moment before turning to look at him, the smile carving its way back onto your face.
“Come on,” you said, tugging his hand forward. “Let’s go home.”
The waves lapped against the hull of the Hangman, the sky above shining with the light from the stars that hung above. For the first time in almost a year, the air around you was still, no sense of doom looming over your head. You inhaled deeply, letting the salty, sea air fill your lungs as you closed your eyes and basked in what had transpired in the weeks since the confrontation with Tom on the beach.
You and Jake had arrived back aboard the Hangman, cheers and revelry already sounding as the crew slowly realized that their curse had been lifted. Bob had helped you aboard, Jake’s hands on your waist to steady you as you crossed over from the lifeboat.
“What happened?” The bespectacled man asked, a smile on his face as he greeted you. “You were gone for so long!”
You did your best to match his smile, but even you knew it looked more like a grimace. Bob’s face fell as he watched Jake cross over to the deck, eyes searching for the third member of your party.
“Where’s Bradley?”
Your heart clenched at the sound of his name, and you hung your head. Tears stung the back of your eyes, and you shook your head.
“I think it’s best we head inside,” Nat murmured, resting a hand on your shoulder as she guided you back towards the cabins, the others close behind. Both Jake and you did your best to recount what had happened on the beach, and a drink was poured for Bradley and his sacrifice.
Most of the crew left the employment of the Hangman soon after, and the ship operated with a skeleton crew until new crew members were found. Javy and Nat chose to stay behind in Port Royal, Javy eager to set up a trading company of his own, and Nat eager to stay with him. You bid your friends farewell, promising to visit often before the rest of your crew departed.
“Can’t sleep?”
You jumped, turning to see Jake making his way towards where you sat at the bow of the ship. You scowled at him, earning a chuckle. You watched as he climbed up, sitting down next to you with a grunt.
“I suppose I couldn’t,” you replied to him finally, looking back up at the stars.
“You’ve been through a lot,” he conceded, “I’d be surprised if you could sleep after everything.”
“I’m not scared or anything,” you told him. “No nightmares. I’m just…wondering what comes next.”
“Another adventure already?” He teased. “I figured you’d have had your fill by now.”
You hummed, but didn’t reply. Instead, you shifted closer, pressing your thigh against his while resting your head on his shoulder. Jake let out a contented hum of his own as he wrapped his arm around you.
You had had your peek at the mysteries and pasts that lay beneath the surface of the ocean below, and they had terrified you. You had weathered every storm your travels had put in your way, and you had come out the better for it.
You’d be a fool to think otherwise.
A/N: And that's it. That's the end. Wow, what a ride, huh? An end of an era. I'm certainly not emotional about this at all. Nope.
Let me know if you guys want to do something to celebrate!
As always, reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated. I no longer do taglists, so if you would like to be notified on when I post, please follow my sideblog ( @arcanevagabond-library ) and turn on post notifications! You can find me and my works on AO3 under the username arcane_vagabond. Until next time!