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When Caitlin idly mentioned to Will her idea for a marine documentary, she never imagined that she would end up on a boat, getting ready to head off into the Pacific ocean, surrounded by waterproof cameras, and waiting expectantly for the expert the script editor and producer (Will’s friend, Derek) had hired. Everybody else rushed around, busy with other things they had to do. Will, as always, was going above and beyond the role of director, by fixing up things on the boat to make sure it was in top shape before sail away, and Derek was as harried as his chill persona allowed as he talked into his cell. One man came to stand in front of Caitlin. At first, she had thought that he was a caterer, because he had shown up with an boxful of mini pies, but he had been introduced to her as the wardrobe department. Now, he was talking to her, and it took a moment for her brain to catch up to the movements his lips were making.
“[...] Have your hair down, or should you be wearing a swim cap?”
She shrugged. “I’m not wearing anything that can’t get wet at the moment. If they ask me to go diving, that’s a different story.”
The man pulled a thoughtful face and spun on his heel. Caitlin was left with nothing to do again, and though she had a book in her bag, she didn’t want to get lost in a fantasy world when she wasn’t wearing her processor and headset. It would be too difficult for her to know when something new was happening.
Just as she was thinking that it was too boring just sitting there, the activity around her changed. Derek was off the phone, and Will was striding over to her accompanied with a man wearing a San Jose Sharks jersey and sunglasses. Will started to sign, but only got as far as making sure he had her attention and then gesturing towards his companion before something else caught his attention. He turned his head towards Derek at the same time as the boat lurched suddenly on the water, and Will’s foot connected with a spillage from earlier. He fell into the other man, who was pushed, eyes wide, straight into Caitlin. His arms flailed for a moment, before coming up instinctively to protect her head from hitting the floor as the two of them tumbled down and she found herself pinned beneath him.
“Oh no!” he exclaimed, and even without being able to hear him, Caitlin could feel the panic in his tone. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay? This really wasn't the first impression I wanted to make. Dex told me about you so I had all these thoughts about how this would go but this is probably the last— Oh my God! I'm sorry! I'm Chris, by the way. I can't believe I didn't even say that. I'm the marine biologist they asked to come and check all the information is right. [...] if Dex and Nursey said, I was at Samwell with them. [...] me ages to decide my major [...] was sort of an accident? I think my advisor misunderstood me [...] I like the Sharks? [...] all worked out! I actually really enjoy it and then when Nursey [...] if I could help with this [...] I was thrilled. It's just—”
He cut off abruptly, and turned his head. Someone must have reminded him that he was still lying across her, because a moment later he was scrambling to his feet, apologising again as he held out a hand to pull her up.
“Oh no, I really am sorry this is— Oh. You can't even hear me, can you?”
Caitlin smiled and shook her head. Immediately, Chris started signing, painfully slow but with a precision which implied hours of practice. “Hello, my name is C.H.R.I.S. I am a shark doctor.”
Caitlin bit on her lip to stop herself from laughing. It was incredibly endearing that he had learned the introduction phrase, even if it was an unorthodox way of describing his job. Then again, terms like that were difficult to figure out even for fluent ASL signers. She wondered which website Chris had found shark doctor on. “Caitlin,” she said, holding a hand out for him to shake. “And I can read lips so it's okay. You just need to slow down a little more.”
“Okay! Okay, I'm sorry.”
“You can stop apologising now, too. At least we didn't go overboard, right?”
Chris's eyes bulged and he nodded.
Derek threw his arm around Chris’s shoulder, and faced Caitlin. “Enough chitchat. Let's go and look over this script.” He led Chris off to the side and Caitlin started to follow, when her eyes fell on Will.
“You can wipe that smug smile off your face,” she signed to him.
His grin widened. “I call best man.”
She shook her head in exasperation, but she couldn't help but glance back over at the man who had just come crashing, quite literally, into her life. The next few weeks were going to be interesting, she thought.