Chapter Text
“Why marry the first guy who comes along?”
Pepper’s words rang in Sky’s head as he slumped on a barstool. It was good advice, though he hated to admit it. And clearly Sophie agreed, or she wouldn’t have broken off their engagement at the altar. He was angry with her at first; any sane person would have been. But he wouldn’t dare show it, not when Sophie seemed truly happy for the first time in months.
“Something on your mind?” Sky jolted as Pepper grinned at him. He’d been so lost in thought that he’d forgotten he wasn’t alone.
“Nothing much, no.” Sky sighed, drumming his fingers on the countertop. Pepper nodded as he polished a glass lazily.
“Single life been treating you well?” Pepper prodded. Sky groaned. He and Sophie had only been back for three days, but practically all of Kalokairi had decided to insert themselves into their personal life.
After the commotion of the wedding, Sky and Sophie had decided to take time away from the island to travel the world. But on their way to the mainland, riding the rocking waves, Sky told Sophie the truth. He knew how much she wanted to “do it right”, with the whole dating-to-marriage-to-baby plan. But now he was worried the wedding wasn’t the only part she didn’t actually want to do.
Sophie had stayed eerily silent as Sky carefully laid out his thoughts. They’d only dated each other for a year when she’d put marriage into the conversation. Had she even been with anyone before him? Personally, he’d always considered himself too busy for love before he stepped foot onto Kalokairi. But Sophie had smiled and chatted her way into his life until he woke up one morning and realized he hadn’t slept in his own bed for a week. He wasn’t even sure they were dating when Sophie had casually referred to him as “my boyfriend” at lunch with Pepper and Eddie.
It wasn’t like Sky hated it. Being with Sophie was easy and uncomplicated. She was sweet and pretty and cool, like a breeze through the harbor on a hot summer day. So he had agreed to stay on the island and pressed pause on the rest of his life. But they were older now, albeit only by a couple years. And Sky wasn’t sure they were right for each other anymore.
“Don’t you feel it too?” Sky had asked, grasping for anyway to make Sophie understand him.
“Feel what?” Sophie spoke calmly. That only made Sky more anxious.
“Nothing.” Sky shrugged helplessly. That seemed to finally shake Sophie.
“No, of course not! I care about you, Sky! And I love you!” She seemed almost offended at his suggestion.
“Sophie, I love you too, and you know that. But can you honestly tell me that you love me any more than you love Ali and Lisa? Or Eddie and Pepper?” Sky pleaded. Sophie had only stared at him open-mouthed, her expression shifting from hurt to confused to realization, then finally to sadness.
“I love you, Sophie. I really do. But I’m not in love with you.” Sky’s words seemed to fall on Sophie like rain, washing away all confusion and doubt. All that was left was regret.
“I really wanted to love you.” Sophie whispered, tears running down her cheeks.
“I wanted to love you too.” Sky pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. She smelled like honey and wild grass.
In the end, the two of them decided to continue on their travels together, now as friends. In a way, Sky felt like he and Sophie had never been closer. Things felt more open, like they didn’t need to worry about hiding anything anymore. But as their time away came to a close, they were presented with another pressing issue. How would they break the news to Donna?
It turns out that all their planning was for naught. When Sam and Donna came to meet them on the dock, Donna had commented on “how nice it was to see her future-son-in-law”. And unfortunately, Sophie couldn’t stop herself from blurting it all out.
“MomI’msorryIdon’tknowwhattotellyouandmaybeIshouldhavetoldyouearlierbutSkyandIareactuallybrokenupnowandwe’renotdatingandwehaven’tbeensincethewedding” was not Sky’s ideal version of events, but it’s the one he wound up with. He’d never known true fear until Donna rounded on him, utterly convinced that he’d broken her little girl’s heart.
In the end, it had taken Sophie, Sam, and a hastily yelled for Eddie to restrain Donna and give Sky a chance to run for safety. He found refuge at Pepper’s bar while Sophie tried to explain what had happened to Donna. Sam came by to check on him later, offering his best approximation of fatherly advice and warning Sky that he probably shouldn’t go by the Taverna anytime soon. Pepper graciously offered to let Sky stay on his couch while Donna cooled off, and to get some of his things from Sophie.
Unfortunately, this meant Sky was now bunking down with the most annoying man in all of Greece. Man didn’t even feel like the right word to describe Pepper. Boy-child felt more accurate, despite him being half a year older than Sky. And this boy-child was now smirking at him, far too cheery for the heat and far too nosy for his own good.
Sky rolled his eyes and got up, walking down the beach towards the sea. For all the headaches this island had caused him, he had to admit it was truly stunning. The crystalline water sparkled underneath the beaming sun, framed nicely by the chalky cliffs sprinkled with greenery. He matched his breathing to the ebb and flow of the waves, determined to calm his mind.
Unfortunately, the natural beauty of Kalokairi was not enough to make Sky forget about his predicament. When he closed his eyes, he could only see Pepper’s lopsided grin, mocking and taunting him.
“Single life been treating you well?” Pepper seemed to have a natural talent at worming his way into Sky’s subconsciousness. Who did he think he was, that he could get away with endlessly making fun of Sky? He’d had his braces on during the wedding, and Sky knew for a fact that he still slept with a teddy bear. He had no right to push Sky around when he’d never even had a girlfriend.
Sky turned around to go give Pepper a piece of his mind when he crashed into something solid, falling onto the mystery object and landing with a dull “oof”. Blinking sand out of his eyes, Sky saw just what, or rather who, he had crashed into. It was none other than Pepper Richards, resident nuisance and certified pain-in-Sky’s-ass. He must have snuck up on Sky while he was staring at the ocean, no doubt to play some sort of prank.
The look on Sky’s face must have been somewhere adjacent to murderous, as the playful spark in Pepper’s dark eyes was quickly washed away by fear. As annoying as Pepper could be, Sky really did like him. He had always been a good friend, helping to lighten the mood and offering plenty of alcohol when Sky wanted to get drunk. And he knew that underneath all his jokes, Pepper really cared about him.
Still somewhat stunned by the crash, Sky just dumbly stared at Pepper, taking in the close-up view. Pepper’s dark hair swooped wildly across his face, stray strands sticking up from the fall. He had more freckles than Sky had realized, splashed across his nose and cheeks and collecting along the base of his neck. Just like flakes of pepper, Sky thought dimly. Maybe that was where he had gotten his name.
Pepper stayed limp under Sky’s weight, gazing up at him through his beautifully long eyelashes. Sky had never noticed how pretty his eyes were. Pretty? Sky mused. He’d never considered Pepper to be particularly pretty before. He’d never really considered Pepper at all. But now, with Pepper lying beneath him, illuminated by the midday sun, pretty was the only word Sky could think of.
Sky cleared his throat, shaking off these new and unusual thoughts. He stood up carefully and brushed the sand off his shirt as he extended a hand to help Pepper up.
“Sorry about that.” Sky grunted, unable to look Pepper in the eye. Pepper grabbed Sky’s hand and pulled himself up. Oddly, Sky had a hard time letting go. They stood there awkwardly for a while, the silence pressing down. Finally, Pepper spoke.
“You have something…” Pepper reached up, balancing on his toes as he plucked a small seashell from Sky’s hair. He turned it over, examining it for a while, before handing it to Sky with a mock-bow.
“A gift, my liege. Something to remember me by.” He smirked mischievously, daring Sky to play along. Sure, why not?
“Why thank you, good sir. How kind of you.” Sky took the seashell and pressed it to his heart. “I shall never forget this.” It was rather pretty, blue and white stripes laid over the spiraling shell.
“Anything for you, my liege. Anything at all.” Pepper knelt down and took Sky’s hand, pressing a gentle kiss to it. Instantly, Sky felt his cheeks burn and he yanked his hand away.
“I-” Sky choked as he stumbled backwards, swaying from the 3 or 4 mystery cocktails Pepper had supplied him with. Unfortunately, the alcohol had also dulled his coordination. He found himself falling over a rocky patch, landing flat on his back against the sharp gravel.
“Shit, Sky!” Pepper rushed forward, crouching over him to assess the damage. “Jesus, how much did drink?”
“I don’t know. Aren’t you the bartender?” Sky coughed, squinting up at him. The sun made a halo around Pepper’s head, turning him into the world’s worst angel.
“Fuck, your leg’s bleeding.” Pepper cursed. Instantly, Sky noticed the sharp sting carving a line through his calf. “Hold on, let me get Sophie. She’s better with this stuff. Don’t move.” Before Sky could argue, Pepper took off.