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“Oh god,” Lucius breathed, his voice tiny from where it was caught in his throat. For a moment he felt every muscle in his body lock up– before they all released at once with a shudder and he was flinging himself forward, shoving past leather-clad bodies like they weren’t even there. He found his voice again as their bodies collided and let out, quite involuntarily, a shriek that sent a wince through the rigid body in his arms.
“Sorry, ohmygod, sorry babe, ohmygodohmygod,” Lucius babbled, hands roving frantically until he grounded them in handfuls of Pete’s shirt. He was crying through the words as the tumbled out, unable to stop them even past a smile so broad it hurt.
Pete was still, where he stood, and silent, and shaking. It took Lucius a moment to realize it through his own shivers, but as he tried to pull away, a half-formed “what’s wrong” on his tongue, the spell broke– Pete gave a little gasp, hauled Lucius back in, and burst into tears with his face mashed into Lucius’s chest.
“Oh, honey, oh,” Lucius soothed, pressing Pete closer to him, as if he could press him straight through to the space between his lungs.
“Fuck,” Pete whimpered, pulling the edges of Lucius’s jacket forward to hide his face. “Fuck, this isn’t– if I ever sawy ou again I was gonna– oh–”
“Hush, baby, shh, it’s okay. I know. We’re here, okay, I’m here, Pete –”
“So embarrassing,” Pete mumbled. “I’m sorry, sweetie, I just thought– I heard– I mean– god , so embarrassing, everyone’s looking , sorry–”
“Pete. Babe.” Lucius laughed wetly. He took Pete’s face carefully in his hands, lifted it gently out of his tits, and choked out another damp sob-laugh as their eyes met. “Shut up, sweetness. First of all, my baby, literally no one is looking at us, swear to that,” he giggled. He thumbed away tears from Pete’s face before giving into the urge to pepper it with kisses– forehead, cheeks, brows, eyelids when they fell closed under the barrage. “They’re all very busy, promise you. And second, and this is important! Don’t you fucking apologize to me, baby, okay?”
“I look like a–” Lucius swooped in and kissed Pete full on the lips, swallowing his desperate noise, released his face to haul him up until Pete latched his legs around Lucius’s waist. The kiss went on a long time, half-breaking at least four times for quick gasps of air. Lucius clutched Pete around the hips and Pete clamped down around him with arms and legs both, Lucius staggering back until his back hit the mast and he could lean into it for support.
“Are you really gonna finish that sentence, love?” Lucius finally asked, the tips of their noses still touching. “Or are you–”
“I love you,” Pete blurted. He laughed a little, a smile finally unraveling across his face. “Lucius, I love– I love you. And I thought I was never–” Lucius hushed him through the next round of tears, stroking his back softly. “I told you I wasn’t ready for your death, you dick!”
“Hey!” Lucius yelped, giggling as Pete pummelled his chest, no force behind it. “Don’t blame me for that, you dick!”
“Oh right,” Pete mumbled, squirming to try to disentangle himself from Lucius. “Fuck, man, never thought I’d have to fight Blackbeard , this sucks .”
“Oh no no no,” Lucius said hastily, flipping them to trap Pete between himself and the mast, legs still around his waist. Pete melted instantly, tucking his face into Lucius’s neck. “Not on my fucking watch, big man, I’m not having you breaking your hand before you can stick it in me, got that?” Lucius grinned as he felt the response to that stirring between their bellies, then groaned at Pete’s mouth opening against his neck. “Oh, fuck, okay, yes, let’s get somewhere– slightly more private–”
They ended up settling for the sheltered space behind some piles of coiled rope, unwilling to look any further before buttons and laces started to give way. After all, Lucius was right: Not a single person between the reunited crews was unoccupied enough to notice.