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It was late already, long after the other cadets had gone to bed, when Helmeppo and Coby finally made it back to their quarter, exhausted from another day of training with Vice Admiral Garp. Barely enough energy to take a bath, Helmeppo nearly fell asleep in the tub, Coby walking in to check on him, chuckling as he saw his partner's tired eyes blinking back at him.
No matter how tired they were though, they always talked in bed before sleep finally overcame him. They chatted about a lot of things, mostly starting with a recap of their training, Helmeppo always complaining about the sore muscles he would have in the morning, let alone the bruises all over his body from getting his ass handed to him by Bogard, while Coby simply chuckled, at first staring at the ceiling until he finally cuddled up to Helmeppo’s side, Helmeppo placing his arm around the boy, holding him close.
This was the turning point in their conversation, the light heartedness of Helmeppos whining forgotten as one of them inevitably started speaking whatever was on their mind.
Tonight seemed to be Helmeppos' turn.
“I never thought I’d have something like this. Not after-” He stopped himself, still unable to verbally admit to the abuse his father had put him through, “Not with my father.” He simply stated, knowing Coby would understand what he was alluding to.
Of course Coby understood. He could always see through Helmeppo with ease.
“He can’t hurt you anymore Meppo. You’re your own person now. You get to decide who you want to be and what you want to do.” The soft smile Coby directed at him made Helmeppos' heart skip a beat. He truly couldn’t comprehend how someone like him, a narcissistic, egocentric asshole, could have such a truly kind and loving soul as his boyfriend, how someone like Coby, gentle, compassionate, adorable Coby, could love him.
Yet, the pink haired boy loved him. And Helmeppo loved him just as much.
Helmeppo returned Cobys smile, leaning in for a quick kiss, keeping his face close to Cobys, their foreheads touching in a soft display of affection.
“I’m so lucky to have you Coby” Helmeppo chuckled at the soft blush spreading over Coby's face, the others' grins only growing.
“And I’m lucky to have you” Was Cobys simple answer.
After a short moment of staring into each other's eyes, Helmeppo nearly getting lost in that beautiful blue, Coby cuddled up to Helmeppos chest, exhaling softly.
“Did you see what happened with Falcon today?” Coby suddenly asked, barely containing a chuckle.
Helmeppo looked down, slightly confused. Falcon was one of the marine cadets they had come on board with, and no, Helmeppo had indeed not seen what happened with him today.
“No, I didn’t?”
“Shortly after Bogard wrapped up his training session with me, he had turned around to leave and Falcon was standing behind him, mopping the deck. Bogard apparently didn’t realize Falcon was there, got spooked, and hit the poor guy square in the face” By now Coby was laughing at the memory and Helmeppo had to chuckle as well.
“Oh god. Is Falcon okay?”
“He’s fine, yeah, Bogard even apologized to him!” Coby was grinning, clearly very amused and Helmeppo couldn’t help but smile.
“Well, I overheard the kitchen crew complaining about the amount of meat Garp was eating. It seems they didn’t consider the immense appetite for protein that a single person could have” He added to Cobys story, sharing his own wacky adventures from today, causing Coby to start laughing once again, Helmeppo soon joining as the two started sharing anecdotes and stories from their time on the ship so far, only causing each other to laugh even harder and louder with each word they spoke.
The moment didn’t last too long though, as suddenly the door to their quarter was ripped open, a rather angry Bogard storming in.
This must’ve been the first time either of them had seen Bogard no in his usual uniform, the lack of the fedora giving both a clear view of their superiors face for the first time. His brown hair was messy, the shadow of his beard much darker than hours before, as well as the bags under his eyes a lot more noticeable. Without his hat, his age could really be seen on his face.
Where it couldn’t be seen though was the rest of his body, only dressed in a pair of sweatpants, his muscles twitching as he crossed his arms in front of his scarred chest, staring at the two men with an annoyed expression.
“I know you two are young and all, and you’re excited about being with each other, but some people on this ship want to sleep, which is hard when I have to constantly listen to your cackling through the thin walls. So shut up, let me sleep, or so help you god tomorrow you’ll wish you were never born. Understood, cadets?” His voice was stern, albeit tired. Bogard was clearly very serious about this, something which still scared both men to their very core, so they simply nodded, Coby croaking out a quick “Yes, sir!” before Bogard nodded, closing the door again and retreating into his own quarters.
If they were serious, neither Coby nor Helmeppo knew Bogard occupied the quarter next to them. That made this little endeavor of theirs a lot more interesting. And dangerous. Somehow, Helmeppo was excited for it, testing out the limits of how far they could tease Bogard until the older man made their lives hell on earth.
He looked down at Coby, who was staring at him, both breaking out into a quick fit of laughter, immediately shut up by a punch to the wall next to them.
“I said shut it!” Toned Bogards voice again, already way more annoyed than mere seconds before.
Helmeppo and Coby looked at each other for a short moment, before Helmeppo simply smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Cobys forehead.
“Guess that’s goodnight” He whispered, careful not to be too loud.
“Guess so. Goodnight Meppo, I love you” Coby whispered back, words that Helmeppo could’ve only dreamed of hearing.
“I love you too.”