Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER SEVEN; pirate aboard
♠
THE FIRST TIME SHE REMEMBERED WAKING UP, Ace felt like she was in a dream—a painful one, one where her head felt heavy and the mere movement of opening her eyes felt forced. Drowsiness settled in her and Ace was going to be sick. She took a deep breath, her nose scrunching up at the smell of the ocean—right, they were in a boat.
Opening her eyes took a few seconds, adjusting to the darkness another moment, and processing her surroundings a couple of minutes. She was on a bed, covers under her body—the mattress was rigid and most likely made out of hay; the cotton covers were stiff from the salty air. Her skin felt clammy, her head was pounding, and the cabin where she was staying was so tiny she heard the scrape of shoes against the floor—as if whoever was there was running away because she woke up.
Groggily, Ace turned her head to the side, blinking up to see Kaz freezing at the door, lips pressed tightly, hair less kept than usual, eyes searching her face for... injuries? pain? Ace couldn't know, not when just keeping her eyes open was taking more effort than usual.
"Kaz," she rasped, closing her eyes tightly when her head pounded.
"Go back to sleep, Ace."
"I... What are you—" Ace looked up at him again, a frown marring her face. "Were you... watching me sleep?"
Kaz rose an eyebrow her way and scoffed softly. "I was making sure you weren't dead."
Her lips twitched up and Ace closed her eyes, "You care."
"I'm making sure I still have competition. I can't be the best if there's no one to best," he said from afar, Ace was sure he was still there—at least it sounded like he was.
"I'm the better thief," she told him.
"If that helps you sleep, then by all means."
"You're irritating—My head hurts."
"You have a concussion."
"Perceptive as ever, Brekker."
"Go back to sleep, Ace. You need rest."
There was no point in arguing, he made a good oh-so-tempting point; her mind was begging her to shut off for a few more hours, begging her to stop thinking. Faintly, she thought she nodded against the thin pillow, and as sleep welcomed her with open arms, so did vulnerability, and she whispered into the small cabin a simple, "Stay."
For a moment, he didn't speak, but then she heard it, from afar a single word, and she didn't know whether it was real or she was dreaming, but Ace fell asleep with a lighter head. "Always."
