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Fang barely registered Ivan walking up to him at the helm until a cup of tea was placed into his hand. “Oh, thank you,” he said, trying to not sound as startled as he was as he blinked a few times and took a sip.
“You slept up on deck again,” Ivan said, accusatory, but with a little smirk, “You know there’s a perfectly good hammock with your name on it in our room, right?”
“Lucius can’t sleep in a hammock. Messes up his back,” Fang murmured, blushing slightly as he looked down into his drink.
Ivan laughed, shaking his head fondly. “You’re down bad for that lad.”
Fang blushed a little more. “He’s very sweet.”
“I’m sure he is,” Ivan said, taking a sip from his own mug, ”Maybe don’t go sacrificing a good night’s sleep when you’ll be at the helm all the next morning, though, yeah?”
“Good idea, probably, yeah,” Fang agreed, giving Ivan a companionable pat on the shoulder after gulping down the last of his drink before refocusing his attention on the sea.
***
Buttons came to relieve Fang from the helm around noon, and Fang headed below deck to grab something to eat.
“Fang, beautiful!” Lucius called out when he saw the man, gesturing for him to come join the table, which Fang eagerly did as soon as he’d gotten his lunch.
“Lucius, how was your morning?” Fang asked, stifling a giggle as Lucius leaned in and pressed lips to his cheek in greeting.
“Oh, it was fine. Captains had a lot of ideas this morning. Doing something called brainstorming?” Lucius said, rolling his eyes, “I didn’t really follow, just wrote down what they told me to. Not much different than any other morning.” The boy sighed softly before getting a good look at Fang and frowning just slightly with concern. “How was yours? You look tired.”
“I’m fine, Lucius,” Fang insisted, patting Lucius’s arm.
Lucius continued to frown. “Did you sleep well last night?”
Fang had not, but he didn’t want to say as much outright and make Lucius feel bad. He was about to insist he had when Lucius’s eyes narrowed a bit, like the boy knew what he was going to say, and he realized he didn’t have it in him to lie, not to Lucius. “I sleep better in a hammock, is all,” he said simply, shrugging like it was nothing.
“Aw, Fang, why didn’t you say something?” Lucius pouted.
“Didn’t want to hurt your back in a hammock. Sleeping next to you was too nice to give up,” Fang admitted, a blush creeping up in his cheeks, which intensified when he saw it echoed on Lucius’s face.
Lucius put his hand atop Fang’s, still on his arm. “You’re very kind, but I think we can figure out something that doesn’t leave either of us miserable in the morning next time.“
***
A few days later, Fang was surprised to find Lucius knocking at his and Ivan’s door after Captain Bonnet’s storytime. “I’ve got helm in the morning. Should get good sleep” he said a bit sadly.
“I know,” Lucius said, the smile on his face still bright, “That’s why I’m down here and didn’t ask you to stay up on deck with me.”
“I’m not letting you hurt your back,” Fang said firmly, more firmly than he was used to speaking with Lucius.
“It won’t bother for bit of cuddling, and then I have a plan for when we want to actually sleep,” Lucius insisted, grinning widely when Fang relented and fully opened the door to let him in, and pulling the other man into a deep kiss.
After some more kissing, and, after a brief assurance that Lucius had spoke to Ivan and he wouldn’t be turning in until later that night, other activities, Fang and Lucius held each other until Lucius yawned.
“What was that plan you had?” Fang finally asked as he barely bit back a yawn of his own, nudging Lucius out of the hammock before the boy did fall asleep there with him.
“This,” Lucius said. He stretched a bit before grabbing an extra blanket and laying down on the floor. “You get comfortable, too.”
Fang didn’t quite understand, but he shifted into the usual position he slept in and looked expectantly down at Lucius. Then, the boy reached up and took Fang’s hand, dragging his arm so it hung over the edge of the hammock where he didn’t have to reach far for their hands to stay clasped together. “Not as good as cuddling all night, but I think it’s nicer than sleeping all alone, don’t you?”
Fang’s giddy giggle was more than agreement enough as he squeezed Lucius’s hand and wished him a good night.
If, in the morning, Lucius’s hand had been at an awkward angle all night, and he was no good for calligraphy until a more reasonable hour than Captain Bonnet often had him begin, well, it was a sacrifice Lucius was willing to make.