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When Vaughn packs up the things on the ship, he didn’t except someone talking to him.
In fact, he never excepts anyone to ever talk to him. And that is absolutely fine. No, it is great. First, when he is out and packing his things up to leave to Sunny Island, it is way too early for most of the people here. And when he works, he only cares about his customers and doesn’t bother to talk to anyone else.
Secondly, he didn’t look like a guy who wants to talk and besides, his glares can send some shivers over your back. He didn’t want to get bothered anyway and also he loves silence so much. He is a loner and he is fine with that. That’s what he had chosen for his life, but it seems like life had chosen something different for him.
“Good morning, sir!”
Vaughn looks over his shoulder to see a smiling, tanned face with friendly brown eyes. Some brown curls peep out from his purple headscarf and a black, fluffy bird is sitting on his left shoulder. Vaughn isn’t surprised about that; some strange people are always wandering around on the mainland.
“What do you want?”, Vaughn asks, kind of unfriendly. The stranger doesn’t seem to care about that.
“Ah, I just, you know”, he begins and seems a bit nervous (and Vaughn gets already impatient), “I just see you packing the things up on your ship every Wednesday in early morning and I uh, wondered, where you go?!”
Now it was Vaughns turn to wonder about that guys irritating appearance. Why would he just say where he goes? Does he really think Vaughn would just tell a totally stranger where his journey goes to? His face changes, but not too much, just to an annoyed glare and he hopes the stranger just leaves him alone.
“Not your business”, he tells him and goes back to pack the last things on his ship.
“Ah, yeah, of course!” Ah, why does he keep talking? Why doesn’t he shut up? Vaughn wonders if he should kick that guy in the sea to make him stop talking.
“But, you know, in this direction is a certain island I always wanted to visit. I am a fisher and I heard that there are-“
“Not interested in your story”, Vaughn interrupts him and that guy looks at him surprised. And then he does something Vaughn again didn’t except.
He laughs.
That guy was standing right behind him, at the port, and he laughs. The few people walking around there look at him confused, but he doesn’t seem to care about that. He just laughs and can’t stop.
“Will you shut up?”, Vaughn snaps at him but that makes the stranger just laugh more and the bird sitting on his shoulder seems to laugh along. Vaughn feels really stupid now and he just snorts angrily and is about to go on his ship.
“Ahhh, wait, wait!!” Vaughn suddenly regrets not kicking the guy in the sea. “I am sorry!! It was just… you seem so cool and that was a reaction I absolutely like and that’s why I was laughing!! … Oh man, I sound stupid… I sound stupid, right?! I am sorry, man, I just-“
“How can a person talk so much”, Vaughn mumbles and the guy looks at him.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. Do you want something else? Because I will go now.” Vaughn already makes everything ready, the ship is about to float away and he looks at the guy.
“… my name is Denny, by the way”, the guy grins, after he watched the ship floating away for a few seconds. “Have a safe journey, pal. I’ll see ya!” And then he salutes and waves to him, while Vaughn watches him from a little far.
What an irritating person.
---
He doesn’t see him for a few weeks.
Vaughn almost had forgotten about him, but then Denny appears again at the port on a Wednesday morning.
“Good morning!”, he tells him and Vaughn nods. He isn’t someone to be resentful.
“Hey man, uh, about last time, sorry again.” Denny scratches the back of his head and smiles apologetically.
“Don’t worry about it”, Vaughn tells him and Denny grins.
“Good. Good!! I am glad! Uhm, hey. About that island. I was near of it last time. It really has many fishes there and-“
Vaughn looks at him. His already annoyed glare speaks more than words and Denny thinks for a second what to say to not annoy him more.
“-I am thinking of moving there. To that little house at the beach, you know. But my property is way too much for my little fishing boat. Uhm… I would pay you and… can I… would you… I mean…”
“…. next Wednesday, 4am. Be on time or I’ll go without you. We talk about the price on the ship.”
And then Dennys smile goes brighter than the sun which is just rising.
---
“If you talk too much, I am going to kick you in the sea.”
“…I’ll behave myself”, Denny laughs and packs the last things on the ship.
Vaughn was glad to see Denny being on time; he really hates late people. Also, if Denny wouldn’t have come, there would have been no extra money. Not that Vaughn only thinks about money, but extra money was always good.
“You know”, Denny begins, when they are already on the wide sea and Vaughn is proud of him to keep shut up until now, “that’s really nice of you. Taking me along, I mean.”
“I normally don’t do that”, Vaughn says and looks at the sea.
“You are the only exception.”
And then Denny looks at him and sighs, smiles.
“That’s so romantic!!”
“… let’s talk about the pay.”
“We will be good friends, pal!!!”
Vaughn is a loner and he wanted to stay one, but life had other plans with him. Life had send him an annoying guy called Denny, who won’t stop talking and is not going to leave him alone.
But maybe… just maybe, that’s not too bad.
Sometimes, even Vaughn would need a good friend in bad times.