HIRAETH // Captain Puffy X Reader

24

The dread only increased as the morning turned into noon. The island got closer, but so did the navy ship - until you could make out the name on the side, Fortune's Disgrace. Gemma and Puffy stayed perched up by the helm of the ship, and you distracted Tubbo as best you could - not that you were really distracting him as much as yourself anymore. 

You really didn't want this dream to end. You'd finally found something real on the Ghost - and though it had taken you a while to realize it - and you weren't about to lose it now. 

It was only so long that you could keep Tubbo distracted though, soon enough he was begging you to go back up on deck so that he could watch as the ship pulled up to the beach. 

"Please?" He asked again. "I want to see!"

You sighed, looking down at the half finished checkers game in front of you. "Only if you promise to stay away from the edge so you don't fall out." 

"Promise!" Tubbo said, all but leaping out of his seat and scrambling towards the steps that would take him up to the deck. You didn't bother to clear the checkers board as you followed after him, stepping out into the sunlight of midday. 

Most of the crew was gathered on deck, awaiting Puffy's next set of orders. You looked up to the helm, expecting to see her there, only to see Gemma in her place, slowly guiding the ship as close to the island as she could get it without beaching the thing. You scanned the deck for Puffy, only to find her nowhere to be seen. 

"Where's your Mum?" You asked, expecting Tubbo to answer. 

When he didn't, you looked down at your side to see he was gone, completely disappeared.

Your eyes scanned again, now frantic. "Tubbo?"

Puffy strode out from her cabin then, dressed for combat like the first time you had seen her. The gold accents on her captain's jacket shone in the sunlight, and the sword at her hip was polished to sheen. She looked almost regal as she cut through the crowd of her crew, but you didn't have time to appreciate it fully, as you were scanning the edges of the ship for Tubbo.

He had completely vanished. 

"We've only got a limited amount of time, gents." Puffy announced to her crew, face stern. She gestured to the navy ship a distance behind you, closing in on the island. "And as much as I would have liked to have everyone come along, we need to get in and get out, so I'm going alone."

The crew didn't object - it was clear they understood just how close you would be cutting things, and one adept adventurer would certainly be faster than the entire crew. 

"I need you all be to be ready to leave at a moment's notice." Puffy continued. "And if things get sticky before I get back, I need you all to be ready to leave me behind." 

Your heart dropped at her words - there was no way she was actually telling everyone else to go on without her if she didn't make it back in time. You paused in your search for Tubbo for a second, and your eyes darted to Puffy's - but no, her gaze was deadly serious. 

She was actually telling everyone to leave if the navy caught up before she made it back. 

"Gemma is in charge until I return." Puffy said. "And if I don't make it back, I'm passing over my captaincy to her." She tipped her hat to Gemma, a sad sort of smile on her face. 

Up by the helm, Gemma tipped her hat back. 

You peered around someone that was standing in front of you, looking towards the stairs back down to the hold. He hadn't gone back down there, had he? That wouldn't make sense, he had been so eager to see the island-

Oh no.

Puffy saluted her crew one last time before she was climbing down the side of the ship and wading through the waves to get to the beach. The crew waved at her from the rail of the ship - shouting words of encouragement and luck as she walked into the forest. You flocked to the rail for a different reason, eyes scanning the beach for a familiar mop of messy brown curls. 

You spotted him just as he disappeared into the trees. 

"Tubbo!" You shouted, voice lost in the cacophony of other voices. You couldn't see him anymore - what was he even thinking? It wasn't safe for him out there, not alone.

You glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed, but it seemed you were the only one that was aware Tubbo slipped away at all - even Gemma had been too focused on Puffy's parting words. 

Before you could think, you were swinging a leg over the railing and dropping off the side of the ship, the water breaking your fall. You ignored the shouts from the crew as you waded through the salty waves as fast as you could, sprinting across the beach and into the trees you had seen Tubbo disappear into, the shade of the forest enveloping you. 

You needed to find Tubbo and get him back to that ship before the navy arrived or he got lost and couldn't find his own way back. 

"Tubbo?" You called, picking your way through the forest, scanning through the foliage as best you could, looking for any sign of where he had gone. "Tubbo!" Broken branches, little footprints... anything. You were sure you were alerting literally every living thing in this forest of your presence, but you didn't care, pressing onward. The branches on the ground hurt your feet, and the plants sliced at your ankles as you scurried through them, but you were beyond the physical hurt right now. 

You were not just going to let him disappear like this.