Cresting Waves

Noon Tide

Weeks pass. Zayn's hair continues to get longer and more annoying until Harry finally begs Zayn to let him braid it. Zayn agrees readily, and enjoys the feeling of Harry's long fingers combing through his scalp every few days. Tommo lets him borrow his razor to tame the wild beard that starts to creep over his cheeks. Liam pouts at him every time he shaves it, but it's too hot on the ship to keep it.

"Noooo! Why?" Liam groans when he catches Zayn in front of the vanity mirror, half his face shaved and a bowl of dirty water in front of him. "Why do you have to shave it off?"

Zayn rolls his eyes, trying to hide his smile as he leans forward and puts the blade against his cheek once more. "Because it's very hot on this ship, Liam. And some of us grow facial hair very quickly."

Liam pouts, rubbing his fingers against his own scruff. It's taken him twice as long to grow it to that length than it would take Zayn. "I find your insult very offensive."

"Who said I was insulting you?" Zayn glances at the other man in the mirror, catches those chestnut eyes looking back at him. The razor slips and Zayn winces, a thin line of blood trickling down his cheek.

"Damn, are you alright?" Liam's quick to Zayn's side, a handkerchief pressing gently against the wound.

"It's just a cut," Zayn answers, his eyes tracing over Liam's face as the other man concentrates on gently dabbing the blood away. "It's happened loads of times." He reaches forward to brush a stray bit of hair off Liam's forehead, letting his fingers linger a bit at his temples. Liam gets Harry to cut his hair regularly, but it's getting a bit long again. Zayn could have Harry do his as well, but he's grown kind of attached to the length.

They're both kind of frozen, just looking into each other's eyes until a flush creeps over Liam's cheeks and he focuses on the cut again. "The bleeding's stopped now." He pauses, and Zayn waits, almost holding his breath in anticipation of what the other man will say next. "Do you want me to do the rest for you?"

Liam seems hesitant, like he's expecting Zayn to say no. A few weeks earlier, he might've. Purposely allowing a pirate, even if that pirate was Liam, anywhere near his neck with a blade? No way. But now, after living with them all, it doesn't seem so scary. Everyone, and especially Liam, have been nothing but gentle and kind with him.

"If you'd like," Zayn answers, aiming for nonchalant but the hitch in his voice betrays him as Liam takes his chin between his thumb and forefinger. He drops the stained handkerchief on the vanity top, taking the forgotten razor and tilting Zayn's face gently. He carefully places the blade against Zayn's skin, and Zayn closes his eyes.

The rough-sounding scrape and the ring of Liam washing the razor off seem quiet in comparison to Zayn's own breathing. He feels stuck in place, fingers trembling against his knees. The smell of Liam so close, kind of salty and with the musk of freshly cut wood, makes Zayn's heart pick up. He's never been so close to someone, having their full attention on him before. It's a bit exhilarating. His fingers twitch again, and he can't help but let them reach forward and tangle in the loose material of Liam's shirt. Just to have something to hold on to.

Another thing Zayn still isn't used to is the amount of naked skin he's constantly exposed to on a daily basis. He himself has taken to wearing sleeveless shirts, purely for the sake of keeping cool. It made him feel scandalous at first, then slowly became normal. But he's never dared to do what Liam, Harry, and some other members of the crew do and just walk around the ship completely topless. Seeing them always makes him blush and instinctively try to cover himself.

"There, done." Liam dips a clean corner of the handkerchief in the water, gently running it over Zayn's cheeks. He briefly tucks his thumb under Zayn's chin, giving him a smile. Zayn feels in a daze almost, the skin on his face tingling.