Daybreak Oneshots

Artist's Rendition

a/n: this is relatively headcanon heavy, especially since this is inspired by one of my dakari headcanons LOL. other than that i hope u enjoy!!

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Lyndon sighed, opening the door to his cabin. He had just gotten out of another round of repairing advanced machines & protecting his crew, who were fellow survivors. The repetitiveness of it all exhausted him to the point of boredom. He admits, he kind of misses the excitement of being able to get out there and do adrenaline rush inducing things outside of the Mist, but if he was out there he wouldn't be able to stay with the one person he cared about.

Dakari Bowens. The endearing marine biologist who captured the seemingly cold-hearted pirate's heart.

The one currently sitting in a chair, hunched over a work table, who yelped after feeling something graze his hair. Rauhm, who was previously perched on Lyndon's shoulder, was the culprit: zooming to his food bowl sitting on a windowsill, and hungrily gobbling the tiny seeds up.

Dakari looked up at the bird, gingerly touching his curly hair. Then he turned around, letting his eyes land on Lyndon, who was still standing in the doorway.

"Rauhm gave ye quite t' fright," Lyndon smiled apologetically as he strode in, a rare sight for the normally stoic man.

Dakari chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I guess he was really hungry."

"Ye got that right, 'Kari. Poor thing was peckin' me shoulder while I was trying t' fix that darn generator. Kind of wish ye were there t' distract him. Ye have quite t' charm with animals."

"Aww," he cooed, glancing at Lyndon's avian companion. "At least he gets to eat now. Did everything go well, at least?" Lyndon nodded.

"Rauhm did an excellent job protectin' our crew. The lass who loves t' shriek couldn't land a single blow. She was furious!" Dakari chuckled.

"I can imagine." Dakari returned to the table, picking up a pencil he dropped and sketching something.

"What are ye doin'?" Lyndon asked.

"Finishing the blueprint of the gun."

"Ah, that contraption. Ye care 'bout it a lot, don't ye?" he noted.

Dakari never failed to impress Lyndon. While Lyndon was making a name for himself through pillaging & combat in the past, Dakari was in the future studying the oceanic environment & advancing marine biology through his contributions. Dakari was a few years younger than him and less experienced, yet held much more knowledge of the vast seas.

However, he wished deep down that all of Dakari's pining was for him instead of the watery depths below.

"I did make it, after all. I can't help but obsess over the small details."

"That's not always a good thing, 'Kari," he frowned. "If ye keep doin' that, ye shall lose sight of yer true goal."

"You're right," Dakari agreed. "You're wise for a pirate."

"I've been all over, I've seen many things." He couldn't help but lap up the younger man's praise like a thirsty dog drinking out of a water bowl. He was always complimented for his raw strength and fearsomeness, but never anything else. "May I see yer drawin'?"

"Sure." Dakari angled the blue sheet of paper towards Lyndon, allowing him to inspect it. A side view of the gun was drawn, with small notes scattered around it and arrows pointing to parts of the gun. Numbers littered the structure, labeling each part. There were also smaller drawings tucked in a corner displaying different angles & viewpoints of the device. If it were colored in, he would've believed it to be the real thing.

"Wow, it be full o' detail. Ye have skill," he complimented, handing the blueprint back to Dakari to put back on the table.

"Thanks, it's not much," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "It's muscle memory at this point, to be honest. These weren't the first and only set I made, after all."

"I have a question: can ye draw other things?"

"Yeah, guns aren't the only thing I can draw." Lyndon perked up in surprise.

"I would like it if ye drew a portrait of me."

"Really?"

"Yar."

"I'll try, but I can't promise it will turn out good."

"Do yer best, then."

Dakari grabbed a fresh sheet of white paper and a clipboard. He placed the paper on the board, holding it in place with the clip. He began creating strokes with the flick of his pencil, sometimes flipping his pencil over to erase a mistake he made. His brows furrowed in concentration, and he would only glance up at Lyndon a few times before returning to stare intensely at the sheet of paper in front of him. Lyndon wasn't expecting this sort of focus, especially not from him. He grabbed a nearby chair and sat down, waiting patiently for the artist to finish.

After what felt like an hour or two, Dakari finally put his pencil down on the table and held up the clipboard.

"Done." Lyndon's eyes widened. He held his breath, setting his gaze on the drawing.

Down to the smallest strand coating Lyndon's chin and the tiny glint in his eye, Dakari had created a serene mirror image of the pirate. In the drawing, he stood at the head of a ship, caring eyes seemingly fixed on what was ahead. Rauhm sat on his shoulder, looking in the same direction as him. Their posture was relaxed, and he was pressing his pirate hat to his chest, smiling. The sun could be seen rising, or setting, in the background, and the ocean gave off a calm aura. It was beautiful. No, more than beautiful. It was stunning.

"By Jove, 'Kari, this piece of art is... beyond words," he finally uttered, still awestruck.

"Thank you." Dakari lowered the clipboard onto his own lap, staring at it with half-lidded eyes. "I was kind of worried all those doodles wouldn't pay off." Lyndon quietly gasped.

"Eh? Did I hear that right?" he raised an eyebrow. Dakari nearly jumped out of his chair, realizing what slipped out of his mouth.

"I-I said nothing!"

"'Kari, is it true ye draw me often?"

"I... yeah," he sighed in defeat. "Could you blame me though? You look..." He glanced at his taller companion, before quickly looking back down at the drawing, tightening his mouth.

"Look like what?"

"You look... handsome. Uh, to tell you the truth, I couldn't finish the blueprint until now because something in me really wanted to draw you instead of my heal gun, Lyndon," he looked away, trying to hide his reddening face.

"Oh 'Kari," Lyndon grinned, taking Dakari's hand in his. "Ye have talent, there be nothing to be embarrassed about. Not many people have t' patience to do what ye did."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?" He had a hunch about what was going to come next, but wanted to see what the marine biologist would really say.

"I'm... in love with you," Dakari blurted out. "Like, head over heels in love. I can't stop thinking about you, no matter what I do." He put a hand over his face, shielding his eyes. "Man, I can't believe you had to find out this way."

Lyndon grip on Dakari's hand loosened. "Look at me, 'Kari." Dakari did as he was told, allowing Lyndon to gently cup his face with his own hand.

"I've never met anyone who could look at me with the same love as ye could. Anyone else would call me a monster, a man of steel, one who could not feel. I dunno why, but ye drew a side of me I've never seen in any drawin' of me ever."

"Lyndon..." Dakari buried his face in his free hand. "Man, you can't do this to me."

Lyndon chuckled at his response. "I feel t' same, 'Kari," he whispered. "I really do. I love t' way yer name rolls off t' tongue. I love how caring you are. And yer so beautiful..." he trailed off. Dakari placed his hand on Lyndon's, his soft palm making contact with the rough hand sitting on his cheek.

"I get it. I guess this means we're now lovers," he chuckled.

"Lovers of t' sea, and of each other."