Chapter Text
Salty winds swept Max Verstappen’s wet blond hair behind him, and the storm raged on. It had been foolish to sail beyond the rocks with this weather, but he had no other choice. Dark clouds loomed above, opening up the sky for rain to pour down. Thunder roared, threatening to strike down anything or anyone foolish enough to traverse the seas.
He tightened his grip on the mast, yelling orders at his crewmates along the deck. The helmsman was barely hanging on, gripping the ship’s wheel desperately, for his life and for the ship. The rain made for slippery conditions, and Max could only watch as his men slipped along the main deck, hopelessly yet painstakingly carrying out his every order. If they made it to land– no, when they made it to land, they deserve a well earned break.
His eyes searched the waves, the rage of the sea was merciless, sending waves after waves of water as tall as castle walls crashing and hitting into Max’s beloved ship. Just as a crewmate cried out that there was no hope, that they should turn back, he saw it.
A flash of silver within the waves, one so luminant it rivalled that of the moon’s.
Max yelled, and his men got into position, hurriedly aiming their crossbows towards the silver, right before it disappeared. They kept their arms steady, even as the rain poured and thunder cracked open the sky, watching for the silver to reappear within the waves. Max let go of his hold on the mast and ran to the railings, desperate to see the flash of silver again.
Suddenly from the Starboard side of the ship came a massive wave, one that engulfed it in its fury. Max turned as he heard the screams of his men, watching the wave climb higher than the deck of the ship, to almost near the top of the mast, before coming down before one could even blink their eyes.
He couldn’t escape in time. The wave crashed down upon him, the force of it pulling him from the railing. His balance failed him, and he felt his back hit the railing. The wave pulled him down, ruthlessly dragging his body into the sea.
Cold water pierced his skin as he sank. Oxygen made its way out of his lungs, slowly filling instead by salty seawater. Darkness clawed at his vision, threatening to blind him as he sank, and sank, and sank deeper into the abyss, the moonlight getting dimmer and dimmer.
His limbs were heavy. Too heavy. The ocean was keeping him trapped, keeping him as a prisoner.
Is this the end? This pathetic, miserable, lonely ending for me, Max Verstappen?
Maybe it was for the better. Let the tides lull him into his endless slumber. As he felt his eyes closing, from beyond the darkness came the same glimmering silver. He knew he was far from the surface, the moonlight could barely be seen from this underwater chasm.
The glimmering silver approached. The very last bit of oxygen had left his lungs, and frostbite had numbed his fingers a long time ago. His eyes struggled to stay open in the sting of the salty water, yet they held on, desperate to catch even the slightest hint of the gleam of silver.
Max was fighting a losing battle, and as his eyes drew to a close, his last view was that of luminescent silver and the most beautiful pair of glacial blue eyes he’s ever laid eyes on. The last sensation he felt was a soft touch on his lips, and his world went dark.