Chapter Text
The wooden beams of the ship creaked with every wave, the scent of salt thick in the air. Normally, the steady rocking of the vessel was second nature, but today, it only made Gale feel worse.
Curled up in his bed, wrapped in a blanket that barely fought off the ocean’s chill, he let out a tired sigh. His fever hadn’t broken, and while the crew checked in when they could, they never stayed long—always pulled away by duty or adventures.
'This is so stupid! I'm the Captain, yet I'm just laying here!'
The door to the cabin creaked open, and Gale lazily cracked one eye open to see Cass stepping inside.
“Still breathin’?” Cass teased, but his voice was softer than usual.
“Unfortunately,” Gale muttered, voice hoarse.
The other chuckled breezily and handed him a small cup, "Well, here's your medicine. Hurry up and get better so we get our Captain back."
Gale nonchalantly took the cup and drank it in one gulp. He's normal with medicine, just not...vegetables.
But that's besides the point.
Gale set the empty cup on the bedstand, expecting to see Cass leave.
Instead of leaving after the usual check-in, Cass kicked off his sandals and climbed into the bed beside him, shifting carefully to keep him comfy-snuggy.
"I wanna rest. Move over."
Gale blinked, too exhausted to argue, and let him settle in. The warmth was immediate, steady against the cabin’s ever-present chill. Cass's silk robe quickly meshed with the once-dry blanket, giving Gale's skin a pleasant, smooth feel.
"Why are you suddenly here?"
"Can't a guy go visit his ill Captain without being questioned?"
Cass looked up, his cheeks slightly flushed as he scoffed.
Gale gapes.
"Are you tipsy?!"
"What- no!!!"
"The crew was drinking, though."
"I only took one shot. It was too loud, and I had a headache. So I seeked the only quiet room."
"Oh!!!"
"Yeahhhh," Cass laid down completely on the bed—pulling Gale down with him—and snuggled into his side.
"Eepy elf."
"Shut up."
"You're being weirdly cute, bro. This damned guy."
"Mmm.... You're so stupid."
As Gale's fingers ran through Cass's long silky strands, Cass was already dozing off.
Zanny was missing his drinking buddy.
Of course, the charming incubus was enjoying the company of all these crew members, but he was missing his vibe. Gale.
Out of all five men, he and Gale were the only ones who actually drank.
And they were monsters at it.
The crew members were already long gone, some were babbling incoherent shit to each other, some straight up dropped dead on the table.
Zanny wasn't even the slightest bit affected yet.
He sighed and stood up, drifting over to the cabin area.
'Hmmm...Luci's out there for supplies. Rosco's probably stealing food from the storage room again. I'll go see Gale. Cass delivered him medicine earlier, too, didn't he?'
He strode leisurely towards the Captain's door and gently opened it without hesitation.
Inside was probably the most endearing sight he'd seen in his 126 years of existence. Cass was laying there, curled up and snuggled into Gale's side. Gale was facing Cass, one arm around his waist and a hand tousling the silky, white hair.
Gale half-consciously mumbled into the ceiling.
"Hey Zanny."
Without a word, Zanny approached the two men and joined the cuddling session. He slipped beside Gale, nuzzled his head into the broad shoulders and swung his arm over the Captain's chest.
"Who would forget to invite an incubus to a cuddle party?"
"I thought you were drinking."
"Oh Gale, your men are heavy drinkers, I admit, but I'm not even the least bit affected before they had rolled over."
"Uh huh."
"Mmm...if it was going to be a cuddling session, shouldn't we invite Rosco and Luci too?"
"Luci's out for supplies. I doubt Rosco would actually want to join in anyway."
"Nah."
"Just call 'em."
As Zanny was contacting the two other men, Gale had fallen into slumber.