Chapter Text
Lucius had never seen such clear water before. It was a lot less scary to contemplate swimming when the ocean looked like a glass case full of colorful jewels. It wasn't deep here, either, as Fang and Pete demonstrated by wading out into the small, protected cove that Stede and Ed found.
This beach was theirs. Stede and Ed emphasized to the whole crew that this spot was all for Pete, Fang, and Lucius to enjoy. Well, Wolfy too.
At the moment, though, just Pete and Lucius were standing at the edge of the water, naked. Fang had walked to the next beach over where the rest of the crew were enjoying time off, too.
Pete squeezed Lucius' hand. "Babe, I'm here. It's very safe, I promise."
Lucius sighed. "I wish I could just stop being scared."
Pete's eyes were sincere and bright. "Babe, it's okay to be scared. But you're being really brave right now."
Lucius smiled. "Thanks, Babe." He took a deep breath and waded in deeper. The water was pleasant, really, a lot different from the cold, churning ocean he'd been flung into when he was pushed overboard. That helped things a little, too. He looked at Pete who was, in turn, concentrating on Lucius. "What should I try first?"
Pete said, "I was taught to float, first."
Lucius said, "Me too, but I never got much past the basics."
"I still think we should start there," Pete said.
Lucius walked in deeper, feeling the water creep up his body, enveloping his chest and rising to his neck. He bit his lip and looked down, seeing his own body distorted. He squeezed Pete's hand and let himself fall backwards. He would have panicked if Pete wasn't there, guiding his body, helping him stretch out into a floating position on his back.
When Lucius opened his eyes, he looked up at Pete's smile. The little scar on his lip was white in the bright sun. His blue eyes really stood out here. Lucius let out a ragged breath.
"Are you okay?" Pete asked. His hands were barely touching him now.
Lucius answered with a smile. "I feel safe with you. I'll be okay. Also, you look so gorgeous right now."
Pete blushed bright red. "I'll never get used to the nice things you tell me," he said. "Though I really, really like them."
Lucius felt warm. "I really like saying them to you because it's all true."
That earned him another smile from Pete who kissed him gently on his lips. Unfortunately, that also jostled Lucius a little bit and he tensed up.
"Sweetie! Don't worry, I've got you."
"I know, I know. I'm trying," Lucius said.
Lucius let himself float in the cool water with Pete's supervision for a while. Then Pete lightly brushed his chest. "Want to try some swimming?"
"Okay… I guess."
"Remember, it's shallow enough here that you can touch the bottom with your toes."
Lucius rolled over in the water and stood up. It felt more okay to stand in the water. It was the floating and the lack of anything solid to hold onto that was upsetting. "Show me how you swim," Lucius said.
Pete did a little tuck and dove under the water. When he came up, he swam around Lucius in a fast, smooth motion, his legs splashing and his strong arms flashing white in the sun. He was an excellent swimmer.
He paddled back over to Lucius and said, "See what I did?"
Lucius nodded and threw himself at the water, trying to imitate Pete's effortless example. He floundered, though, sinking at one point and panicking until he remembered he could stand.
"Sweetie! Not like that!"
Lucius said, "I know!"
Pete didn't react to Lucius' sharp tone. Instead he positioned his hands and moved Lucius' arms the right way. Pete let go after a few minutes, saying, "Now you try."
Lucius paddled his arms through the air for a while before Pete announced that he should try swimming again. It went better this time. A lot better. They swam around the shallow water long enough for Lucius' arms to tire out.
Pete paused, then said, "Fang's back."
Fang was walking across the beach in the fading light. He had a basket in one hand and Wolfy trotted along next to him. Fang called out, "Dinner's on, lads!"
Pete and Lucius started back towards dry land. Fang added, "Don't bother getting dressed. I like the view."
Lucius curtsied for Fang while Pete flexed.
Fang laughed. "Go on, then!"
Lucius watched Fang take a blanket out of the basket and spread it on the sand. Lucius sat down on one side of Fang and Pete sat across from both of them. Inside the basket was fruit and raw fish tucked next to some spicy flatbread. Everyone helped themselves, with Pete and Fang both sharing food with Wolfy.
"The others having a good time on their beach?" Lucius asked.
"Oh yeah. Wee John, Frenchie, and Ivan are building a bonfire. When the sun sets, we'll probably see it. The Captains and Buttons stayed on the ship. Roach was fishing, as you can tell. Izzy just sat in his leathers and watched his dog play with Olu and Jim's. He seems kind of happy."
"Nice," Pete commented.
Fang picked up a little skull carved from an avocado stone. "I see you're using the gift Mrs. Bonnet gave you, Pete."
"Yeah. The carving tools are real nice. Lucius also painted some pictures."
"Oh?"
Lucius smiled. He was really proud of how the painting was going. He'd never done it before and was enjoying playing with color now. He retrieved his notebook and showed Fang the portrait he did of Pete.
"You really captured the lovely blue of our boy's eyes," Fang commented. "Very nice."
"Thank you," Lucius said, feeling proud of himself.
The sun was beginning to set and Pete turned around so he could watch it color the sky along with his boyfriends. Lucius made Fang strip, too, and they snuggled together on the blanket.
Fang gently stroked Lucius' hair back. "Dearie, thank you for this time off."
Lucius smiled, "We worked really hard. So we earned it, right?"
Wolfy barked.
Fang said, "Absolutely."
"I think I'll be feeling better when we go back to work next week," Lucius said. "I'm already improving my swimming and I never have to go on another raid."
Pete said, "Make sure you watch Fang and me during the raids."
Lucius sighed. "Honestly, I don't even want to look at the fighting. No offense, you two."
Pete patted his arm. "None taken. It's more important that you feel okay, love."
Lucius snuggled in closer. "With the two of you on my side, I'm always good."
In the distance, they heard the other pirates singing and hollering. The brightness of the bonfire lit up the sky.
Four strong, warm arms held him close. Their small dog was curled up by their feet. Lucius basked in the happiness, feeling safe and so, so loved.