F/V Lost Agnes

"We'll see, I guess," he said. "I don't think we're gonna need the Coast Guard. We might need to get him to a hospital though. Let's get him inside."

Captain Rich and I struggled to get him into the gear room, out of the wind and the spray from the waves. I took his raingear off while Captain cleaned up more of the blood.

"Here, Artie. Hold this on his head." He gave me some gauze pads, and I put pressure on the wound, just like I learned in first aid class. I kept talkin' to him, tryin' to get him to talk to me. I was babblin', but I couldn't stop. It was like I was tryin' to talk him into bein' OK.

Captain Rich grabbed some kinda antiseptic shit and started cleanin' out the gash. I guess it musta stung or somethin', 'cause it woke him up a bit. Somebody handed me a bag of frozen peas to put on his head.

The captain started askin' him questions too, tryin' to get him back to us. "How many fingers am I holdin' up?" he asked.

"I dunno. Twelve?" The kid's eyes were barely open, but it looked like he was startin' to come around. I was so relieved, I felt my eyes fillin' up with tears. I didn't think till later what the consequences of cryin' would be.

Once Captain had got him cleaned up, he used some superglue to fix up the wound. Before my days on a crab boat, I woulda thought that he was fuckin' crazy, usin' glue instead of stitchin' him up, but that's what we did for a cut like that.

Usually anyways. Captain was afraid that Carson had a concussion, so as soon as he could walk a little bit, we got him into his rack.

"You OK, kid?" I asked.

"My head hurts," he said.

I went to his bunk and kissed him on the forehead. "You'll be OK. It makes you look like a tough guy." I smiled into those blue eyes. "My god. You're adorable," I said. I couldn't help it.

"I'm glad you're here with me, Artie. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I'm glad you're here too. I like you, kid. A lot."

His eyelids were droopin'. Captain'd asked me to stay with him and keep him awake, in case he had a concussion.

I did a shitty job though. After about half an hour of watchin' him sleep, I was out like a light, right on the floor next to his rack.

* * * *

After about twelve hours of good, hard sleep, Carson was back to work. Captain gave him some antibiotics and ibuprofen, and he was good to go. He worked slower, but he worked.

I'll tell you what though. He was damn careful where he swung that sledge after that. And it wasn't just that. He looked like he lost every bit of confidence he had built up in the last coupla weeks. His shoulders slumped and he lost his hustle.

He kept up though. Even Chip didn't complain too much, but that was probably just because we were catchin' a whole lotta crab. The holdin' tanks were almost full, and we figured that we'd be headin' into Dutch again to off-load as soon as we pulled the last strings we already had out there.

We had a couple hours down-time when we were on our way out to the pots.

Me and Carson went to hit the rack awhile, knowing that we'd be up and out in the cold for the next twenty-four hours at least. Carson still minded the cold somethin' awful. Probably 'cause he was usta the warm weather in the south. I grew up in New Hampshire before my family moved to Seattle. It was cold there all the fuckin' time.

This was the first chance we really had to talk since he gashed his head.

"How ya doin'?" I asked.

"Fine. OK, I guess." He didn't sound too sure.

"Really, man. You can tell me."

His eyes looked so sad. He was fuckin' miserable.

"Honestly, I don't know if I can make it until we catch our quota. The guys said we'd probably be in for at least one more run after the next off-load. I don't know if I have the emotional strength for any more of this.

"I love hard work. I love being outside. I don't even know why I majored in business. I don't have the ability to sit at a desk, sedentary all day, every day. I thought I'd be able to handle this job, but life on the Lost Agnes is too much for me."

"I guess you're findin' out the hard way that dreams don't always come true, huh?" I said.

"It's not like I came here to get rich and famous. I just came to show my father that I could do it," he said. "But this...Here...I've never experienced cold like this. Sometimes I feel like I'm already dead just because I'm so cold. It goes straight to the marrow of my bones. I don't know if I'll ever warm up, even when I go home."

I just let him talk until he was done.

And then I went to him.

I knelt next to his bunk and stroked his hair, just like I did when he was bleedin' on the deck. His blue eyes stared up at me when I leaned in and kissed him. The kiss was soft and sweet, and we held onto it longer than was safe. My cock was like a metal bar in my Carhartts. I suspected Carson's was too, but I didn't dare check.

When I finally pulled away, I took a deep breath, and whispered, "I don't know if a young, smart guy like you could ever love an old dummy like me, and I've never really loved nobody before, but I'm pretty sure I'm fallin' in love with you."

A smile broke through the cloud across his face for a minute.

"Artie, I fell for you weeks ago, at the bar. What happened afterward wasn't just a physical thing for me, you know."

"Me neither," I said. I kissed him again, mostly because I didn't know what else to say. Where the hell could a relationship like this one go? I was too old for him. He was too educated for me. He would go home to Georgia. I spent summers fishing off the coast of Seattle.

This couldn't go nowhere, and we both knew it.

* * * *

Captain got the first storm warnin' before we even got to our first string. Accordin' to the Coast Guard weather bulletin, we were expecting sustained winds in excess of fifty knots and seas greater than twenty feet. That was a fuckin' scary storm, and it wasn't even here yet.

We couldn't do nothin' about the weather 'cept work faster. We couldn't just leave the pots soakin' until the storm passed. Crab pots are fastened with thin cotton twine that biodegrades pretty quick so that the pot will open and let the crab out if they're in there too long. That way they don't die in the pot if it gets lost or left behind or somethin'. If they crawl out while we're ridin' out the storm somewheres, we end up doin' a lot of work for empty pots.

As we got closer to the strings, the wind and the waves picked up, makin' Carson sick like he hadn't been since the first few days.

We were just about to pull the first pot, when Captain saw the wave. He yelled out a warnin', but Carson was right up against the rail, tryin' not to puke, when it hit. I was just glad I was lookin' in his direction, or we may not have saved him.

The wave knocked him right over the rail and into the frigid water. We were lucky he went over where he did because he didn't get sucked under the boat or anythin', and since we were pullin' the pots, the boat wasn't movin' forward past where he fell in.

As soon as I could suck in a breath I started shoutin', "Man overboard! Man overboard! Get the life ring!"

I stood against the rail, watching the kid get pushed under by the waves twice before Chip got there. I stared right into his eyes, tryin' to take some of his panic from him. I knew if I took my eyes off him, we'd lose him. Chip pushed me aside, and tossed the life ring. He got it right to the kid, but a wave hit at the same time, and he went under again.

When he missed that ring, I felt like I been punched right in the gut. The air in my lungs was sucked out into the storm as I screamed. I doubled over in pain, thinkin' I was gonna shit my pants too. I hung onto to the rail and kept my eyes on the spot where he gone under, but I was sure all hope was lost, and that my love was gone.

He musta been stronger than an ox though, because he popped up outta the water again, just in time for Chip to throw the ring a second time. The panic was fading from his eyes, which scared the fuckin' shit outta me. When he was panickin', he was fightin'. Now he looked like he was givin' up. Like he was acceptin' the Bering Sea as his final restin' place.

"No!" I screamed. "GRAB THE MOTHERFUCKIN' RING, CARSON!"

Chip threw it again, and this time, Carson snagged it with his arm. I don't know where he found the strength to hold on, but he did.

I didn't think he was religious, and I knew I sure wasn't, but it sure seemed like somebody was takin' care of him that day. It took all four of us on deck to haul him up.

As soon as he was on the boat again, we picked him up and brought him inside. He was conscious, but only semi-coherent. He was in the water for less than four minutes, but that was enough.

We got him into the gear room and helped him strip off his wet clothes. He was weak and lethargic. He made noises that sounded like he was tryin' to talk, but we couldn't understand a word he said. Ed and I carried him to our room, and we bundled him up in blankets and put a dry hat on his head.

Ed looked at me real serious and said, "You know what you have to do, don't ya. You gotta get in there and warm him up with your body heat. Naked, you know, both of yous. You think you can do that?"

"Yeah, Ed. I think I can." I realized then that Ed didn't know I was gay. Maybe it was all in my head. Maybe none of the guys knew.

"It doesn't make you queer, you know," he added. "Even if he is."

I tried to push my anger in check. "I know. Now go. I don't want to be embarrassed by you watchin' me."

"Yeah, sure, but I'll stand out there in case you need somethin'. I'll tell the guys to leave you alone too. And I'll make sure we knock, OK? Nobody wants to make you feel weird, Artie," he said on the way out.

"Not likely that I will," I thought to myself as I stripped off all of my clothes and climbed under the blankets behind him.

His body was shocking cold. I started shivering immediately as I wrapped my arms around him and held him as close to me as I could. My teeth chattered out-of-control, and I started to rub his skin with my hands. I jumped when my warm groin met his ice-cold buttocks. My cock and balls tried to climb inside my body for warmth, but I didn't let go.

He moaned in pain as he started to warm up. "I'm so fuckin' cold. I don't wanna die."

I heard Ed talkin' to the captain outside the door. Captain pounded on the door, and then came in without waitin' for me to answer.

"How's the greenhorn?" he asked.

"Fuckin' cold. That's all I know. He's startin' to talk, so I think he's thawin' out a little."

"Well, the storm is pickin' up. We're gonna get outta here. Do you think he needs the Coast Guard to fly him?" he asked.

"I think he might. I don't know." I wasn't sure he really did need the Coast Guard. That would be a huge, expensive operation, but I was afraid he would die on me, right there in the bunk. I wasn't the right person to make that judgment.

I knew for sure that I was in love with him.

"Let's give it a coupla minutes, and see if he comes around. I'll tell Ed to give me a report in ten. Lemme know if you need anything." He started to walk out, but turned right back toward me. "You know, Artie, he'd warm up faster if you was face to face. The heat will transfer easier from your body to his. I know it'll be creepy, but it'll help."

I tried to sound like it was a hardship, that it was a threat to my manhood. "I've never heard that before." I sighed real loud. "OK, Captain. I'll do it right after you close the door behind you."

"Good," he said as he left for the wheelhouse, and Carson and I were alone again.

"C'mon, buddy. Do it for me. You gotta stay with me," I chattered into his ear as I struggled to climb onto the other side of him. I pulled him closer and kissed his lips. He was so cold against mine, it felt like he was already gone.

* * * *

Five minutes later, Captain Rich heard the distress call comin' from the Alaskan Nightmare. The Nightmare was about twelve miles from the Agnes, and we were the closest. Captain Rich turned the boat around right away, and started racin' toward the Nightmare. He barked orders to our crew so we could help in the search.

Two of their crew members had went overboard, just like Carson did. They were tryin' to secure the pots on deck to get outta the storm, but a huge wave washed over the deck takin' their greenhorn and deck boss with it.

I could hear Captain shouting to our guys, tellin' 'em to gear up in survival suits and get rescue equipment ready on the way.

After a few more minutes, Carson could speak coherently, and I could tell that he was finally startin' to warm up. It was a good thing because we wouldn't be gettin' the Coast Guard now. Not with two guys in the water.

"Carson? You OK, kid?" I said in a real quiet voice, right into his ear.

I rubbed as much of his skin as I could reach and nuzzled his neck with my lips. The sound of chattering teeth filled the tiny bunk space.

"I...I think so. I'm just so cold. I d...d...don't think I'm e...ever gonna warm up." I felt his hands movin' on my skin, like he was tryin' to warm me up.

"I got you, kid," I said.

"Am I g...going to the hosp...pital?" he asked.

"Do you think you need to?" I asked.

"N...no. I...I...don't think so."

Without survival suits, those guys from the Nightmare were goners. You can't last more than six minutes in the Bering Sea and survive. It had already been more than fifteen, and the storm was gettin' closer.

I heard Captain Rich yellin' at Chip to get the fuck into the wheelhouse.

"I can't fuckin' see anythin' from the wheelhouse," I heard him answer when he came in off the deck. He was pissed. "The fuckin' storm isn't here yet!"

"Wh...what's going on?" Carson asked. His teeth were still chatterin', but they were slowin' down.

I didn't wanna tell him. Not till he had warmed up, and we knew he'd be OK. He wasn't out of the woods for goin' into shock yet. News like that was not gonna help warm him up.

"There's a big storm comin'," I told him. "That's why the boat was so rocky and you felt sick before. How's your stomach now?"

"I'm so c...cold, my stomach isn't even an issue," he said.

* * * *

I could tell the minute he realized that we was both naked. I felt his cock gettin' hard against my hip.

"Artie?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we b...both naked in here?"

"Yeah, kid. We are."

"Aren't you afraid the guys w...will, you know..."

"Carson, right now, I'm here to warm you up and save your life. The guys all know that this is how this works. I told 'em to get the hell outta here, so I didn't get embarrassed."

"So we're alone in here? N...naked?"

Now my cock was hard too.

"Yep."

"Sh...should we be up there with the rest of the crew? They sound busy."

"Christ, kid. You just went overboard! And you're still fuckin' freezin'! The only thing we have to do is get you warm. Don't try to be a hero, kid." I hugged him tight and put my lips against his.

I heard more shouting as the boat approached the area where the men went overboard. I heard Chip yell, "I don't give a shit. I'm goin' out there to fuckin' look." A door slammed, and I heard Ed and Larry yellin' as they went out the door too.

"Wha—"

I poked my tongue between Carson's lips to distract him. It worked. His tongue met mine and explored the recesses of my mouth. His skin felt warmer to me, and my cock started to throb with need. I groaned and shifted my hips so that it brushed his cold hand. I shivered when his cold palm wrapped around it and gave it a squeeze.

"My god, you're freezin'," I said with my lips still pressed to his.

"I'm w...warmin' up though," he said in a husky voice with just a hint of a stutter. "Are you s...sure the guys aren't gonna come ch...check on me?" I chuckled thinkin' about how much bolder he was when he held my body against the door to keep it shut.

Instead of answering, I grabbed his cock and started to stroke him slowly. I could feel heat radiating from his groin, and figured that was a good sign. I cupped my hand around his balls and said, "You're warmin' up down here pretty nice."

He shivered again, but this time I didn't think it was only the cold. I moved my lips to his neck and kissed him, my tongue and lips making their way to his throat. I could feel his pulse against my lips. His heart was poundin'.

I put my lips to his ear and whispered, "I love you."

"Good," he said. "I love you too."

I stroked him faster, making him moan a little bit. I could tell that he was tryin' to stifle it, and I whispered in his ear, "You know, you were moanin' like mad from the cold just a coupla minutes ago. The guys aren't gonna think anythin' funny is goin' on in here. They're just gonna think you're thawin' out."

He started to pull the blanket back a little bit, but quickly decided that wasn't a good idea.

"T...too cold for that, I guess," he said, wrapping the blankets tight around us again.

"Too cold for what?" I couldn't help but ask. I was smilin' for the first time since I seen him go over the rail.

"I want to blow you, but I need the blankets," he answered before he kissed my mouth hard again.

I could hear the captain's radio squawkin' that the Coast Guard was approachin' the area, but I hadn't heard anythin' that sounded like they had found the Nightmare guys. I tried to push it from my mind. I had only two tasks right now. Keep the greenhorn warm and keep him in the dark about the other guys that went overboard.

We were still on our sides, facin' each other. I felt his fingers on the back of my neck before they trailed down my spine. When they reached the crack of my ass, he poked between them, making me shake a little. His fingers were warmer now, but he was driving me crazy with lust for him.

When his fingertip brushed my asshole for the first time, I couldn't help it. I picked up my leg and threw it over him, exposin' myself to his touch and pullin' him closer to me at the same time.

He removed his hand, and I said, "It's OK, Carson, they're not gonna..."

His finger went to his mouth, and I understood. He wasn't stoppin'. He was gettin' ready for more.

It'd been a long time since anythin' had breeched my cheeks. I thought back to that guy from my sister's party. I didn't even remember his name. I did remember that he had a big dick, and when he rode my ass, I thought he'd tear me in two.

I felt Carson's wet finger brush between my cheeks again, and I took a deep breath. His finger poked against my asshole. I tensed and pushed back against him. I needed him.

He kissed me while he penetrated me. As his tongue probed my mouth, I imagined it probin' my asshole. I felt a surge of pressure through my pelvis, and I knew I needed more.

The boat lurched hard when a big wave hit, remindin' me of the danger we were still in.

"Carson?" I licked his earlobe while I waited for his response.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to fuck me."

"Here?"

"Now."

"But what about—"

"Don't worry about them. Are you warm enough? Do you think you can?"

"Well, I am still cold, but I think I can make that happen. I almost died today. I need to celebrate with something life-affirming," he said, smilin' at me. "Like a good, hard fuck."

That excited me so hard, I gasped.

I rolled onto my stomach and hoped that his monster tool could get in there without lube. I grinned, wonderin' if the cold water had shrunk him at all.

Carson shivered when the cool air got under the blankets. I was alarmed, and I turned to look at him, but he put his hand between my shoulder blades and pushed me back down. "I'm OK, Artie. Spread your legs."

He put his hands on my hips, and tugged my ass up. My cock throbbed, but my ass needed him more.

"Artie, I've wanted this since the day we met." His lips went to the back of my neck, and he kissed me as he lined the head of his cock against my asshole.