ᴄ ʟ ɪ ᴘ s : ̗̀➛

ʟ ᴏ s ᴛ ᴀ ᴛ s ᴇ ᴀ : ̗̀➛

[ song: dear fellow traveler, by 'sea wolf' on spotify ]

abi stared at the massive ship that towered over him as it swayed up and down slightly with the waves. it seemed impossibly large, and it certainly looked out of place among all of the smaller trading ships docked there. the young boy started as captain dux placed a hand on his shoulder. 

" admirin' me ship are we now? "

the captain asked.

" i- uh.. yes sir! "

abi stammered back, surprised by the captain's sudden appearance. 

" well what're ye waitin' for, boy? come aboard! we've got a schedule to keep. "

" aye aye cap'n! "

abi exclaimed before scrambling to board the large vessel. 

this was an absolute dream-come-true for abi, he's always had a strange fascination with the ocean and the boats that crossed its surface. when captain dux approached him about joining his crew on the abigail, he eagerly accepted. this was his golden ticket out of the sleepy little fishing village he had lived in all his life, and his only escape from the pitying gazes of the villagefolk, who always said they felt bad for him but never lifted a finger to help him out. no. abi felt no loyalty towards those people, and he was ready to leave them behind without so much as a glance over his shoulder.

so abi fell into step behind the captain with a smile as he was shown around the ship and introduced to the rest of the crew. he got on well with most of the crew right off the bat, already envisioning his life on the ship when captain dux introduced him to the other cabin boy. he was about the same age as abi, 14 or 15, and sported jet-black hair, which looked like a black hole next to his own fluffy brown hair. the boy was about two inches taller than abi, and he looked to have a permanent scowl as he studied the shorter boy. he had shockingly blue eyes that glinted harshly as their gazes met. 

" what's yer name? " 

the boy demanded.

" abiit. call me abi, and you? " 

" dolorem. call me rem. "

" alright, rem. "

- ☁ -

several months passed, and abi was settling onto the ship quite nicely. he got along great with all of the crew, save for rem who seemed to hate abi's guts. their relationship had been strained from the beginning, but it all seemed to come to a head one fateful summer night. some storm clouds had blown in from the south and surrounded the abigail with angry black waves and relentless rain that made the deck slippery. everyone on board was doing their part to keep the ship afloat, including both cabin boys. the abigail was being thrashed about and at one point rem lost his footing. he started slipping down the deck towards the unforgiving waters below, and before abi had a second to think he was grabbing a rope and jumping down after his crewmate. he swung down and grabbed rem around the waist before climbing the rope back up to safety. both boys were exhausted, and everyone was relieved when captain dux grabbed ahold of the ship's wheel and steered the abigail to calmer waters. everyone on board was in shock, so it took rem a moment to realize that abi was still holding him around the waist.

rem's face immediately flushed bright red, and he rushed to push abi away. it was then that abi realized how he had been holding rem, and blood rushed to his cheeks as well. rem looked away and quickly stood before abi could stammer an apology. 

neither boy may have noticed it, but to the rest of the crew, it was blatantly obvious.

both boys had a  c r u s h. 

so naturally, the crew teased them relentlessly about it, and shipped them madly.

everyone was hinting about it, but neither rem, nor abi could get it through their heads. so the boys started avoiding each other, and blushing whenever they had to interact.

eventually, no one could take it anymore. so the next time they stopped for supplies the captain rounded everyone up and announced that they should all learn to dance. while many protested at first, the crew members soon caught on, and started to encourage the idea.

soon enough the dining room had been cleared to make room for the dance lessons, and captain dux paired everyone up. so when he got to the cabin boys and put them together, he cited a poor excuse that they were similar in height. the captain brought out a record player and put on a waltz, and before they knew what was happening the other pairs started waltzing in a ring around the two boys, not wanting to miss a chance to see them dancing together.

blushing wildly, rem extended his hand to abi.

" care to dance? " 

" only if you show me how. "

abi grinned up at rem as they began to make their way gracefully around the room. 

everyone gradually got more comfortable and started to enjoy themselves more, but all too soon the music spun to a close and the dance was over.

it was short, but it seemed to the crew like their dance lesson did the trick, as the boys left the cabin hand-in-hand. everyone discreetly followed them out to the deck, where they sat down to watch the waves, and it took a harsh glare from captain dux to stop the crew from cheering when the boys kissed. 

it was a magical moment, the moon shining overhead, and the waves crashing in the background, and rem's lips on abi's. the kiss lasted until they both ran out of breath, at which point they pulled away and smiled at each other before abi rested his head on rem's shoulder. 

needless to say, it was a good night.