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“No, please Captain Sturmhond!” you pleaded.
“Silence. For your crimes, you will walk the plank.” Nikolai’s face remained impassive as you shivered in the cold.
“Please Captain,” you begged. “I have an incredibly handsome boyfriend to return home to. We love each other, I can’t possibly do this to him.
You made eye contact with Nikolai, the two of you maintaining blank faces for all of a second before you both doubled over in fits of laughter. Your laughs rang out over the deck of the Volkvolny and over the rippling waves. He was wiping tears from his eyes when you managed to cross the deck to reach him, still giggling.
“An “incredibly handsome boyfriend” is it?” You nodded, your eyes flashing with amusement as you twined your arms around Nikolai’s neck, looking up into his face. “Well, I think you forgot charming, dashing, innovative…”
“Clever, charismatic, a world-renowned privateer” you continued teasingly as the two of you swayed together. “And,” you leaned in closer, lips barely brushing his, “an excellent kisser.”
He flushed, his cheeks taking on a slight pink hue as he struggled to get his words out. “You- you really will have to walk the plank now.”
“Oh? And why is that Captain?” you asked, smoothing your hands down his chest. His throat bobbed as he swallowed and his hands wrapped around your waist. You loved seeing the effect you had on him, how the slightest bit of attention could leave him pink and stammering. It was unbelievably endearing.
He seemed to regain some of his composure. He straightened a little, falling into the role of the stern captain again. “Insubordination to your captain.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“And I have to walk the plank for this?”
Nikolai nodded, his head tilted to one side as he looked at you curiously, wondering what you were going to do.
“All right then.” You stepped away from him, shrugging out of your long jacket casually, letting it fall to the deck as Nikolai trailed his eyes hungrily along your figure. You looked at him over your shoulder and winked flirtatiously. “I’ll see you in the water Captain.”
You took off at a run, leaving your stunned boyfriend behind you as you bounded towards the plank, springing off it and plummeting towards the water below. You hit the water with a splash, the cool water enveloping you and dimming your hearing for a second before you surfaced. You floated lazily on your back, eyes trained up at the full moon in the inky black sky.
Nikolai appeared at the edge of the Volkvolny, his eyes marvelling at the sight of you swimming below him. He was quick to shed his own teal coat, throwing it somewhere on deck hastily as he rolled his sleeves up. You admired the view, lazily paddling around and easily treading water.
He retreated a few steps, looked down at you, winked, and took a running jump off the ship. He landed in the water with barely a splash, sinking below the still waves as you watched.
“Show off” you scoffed, waiting for Nikolai to surface again. A few moments passed and you were still waiting for his head to break the surface of the water. You frowned slightly, turning around to make sure he hadn’t simply swam up behind you.
Suddenly, you felt something grab hold of your ankle and tug lightly. You shrieked, your leg kicking out and your hands flailing. Nikolai finally surfaced beside you, his hair plastered to his forehead and a playful smirk on his face. He pulled you close to him, brushing your slick hair out of your face.
One hand gripped his arm as you smacked his shoulder and looked up at him, narrowing your eyes. “Nikolai Lantsov, you little shit.”
“Ah,” he said, eyes twinkling in amusement. “The little shit who’s an excellent kisser.”
You rolled your eyes in fake annoyance, but you were already smiling, drawing closer into Nikolai’s arms.
“Would you care to remind me of your skills?”
Nikolai grinned and obliged you, putting a hand under your chin and tilting your head up, pressing his lips against yours gently. His hand moved to tangle in your hair as he kissed you, holding you in his arms and keeping you both afloat as the moon shone above you.