Mini nodded. “He likes kits, says we’re very useful on the lines. He’s the one who taught Kit how to sail when he was young. You should really go warm up; you’re turning blue.”
Mini trotted away and scuttled back up the lines. Nick waited until he had safely made it to the crow’s nest before going to the med bay. Two of the beds had ailing sailors. The third had Kit. He was sitting cross-legged with pages spread around him. Kit looked up as he entered the room and frowned in concern. “Has your headache worsened? I noticed these past few days you have not been sleeping well.”
The med bay had two closed and latched portholes and a door that would remain open and unlocked given the function of the room. Nick stood right against Kit’s bed, fighting against his own instincts, but caved with an internal curse. He gathered up all of Kit’s pages into one arm. “Come on,” Nick said.
Kit frowned but didn’t object, following Nick to the bedroom. Nick set all his documents on the table. “Just do your work here, don’t take up someone’s sickbed.” His voice was decidedly gruff.
Kit was silent.
Nick placed the lantern on the table, then double-checked the porthole was latched and the door was securely closed. He hesitated, wanting to lock it. But. What if Mini or one of the kids had an emergency and needed to get to Kit? Nick would at least wake up if that was the case. Plus, the door creaked when it opened. Nobody could sneak in. Nick checked the bathroom was empty, and finally, the tightness in his lungs released. Nick heeled off his boots and climbed into bed. He purposefully lay with his back to Kit, though he felt the weight of his gaze burning the back of his neck. Nick waited, tense. He really didn’t want to explain to Kit the complicated rituals he needed to sleep. How, despite Kit’s superior physical strength, what Nick witnessedhad landed him firmly in theneed to protectcategory of his subconscious mind.
Kit’s clothes rustled as he sat. Pages crinkled, and then there was the sound of a pen scratching against parchment. Nick breathed in deeply. The room always smelled faintly of soot and salt, but also of the tea leaves, beeswax and that faint ochre musk that clung to Kit’s skin.
“Where do you sleep?” Nick asked. He peered across the room at Kit, who had moved the chair around so it angled towards Nick. His tail was relaxed—Nick was getting good at reading Kit’s mood from his tail—but the look that crossed his face was one of distrust. “I haven’t hurt the chickens, or your little minions, or the coffee beans.”
It was, as far as arguments went, very weak. But Kit inclined his head anyway. “The rooms just next door. I borrow whatever hammock is free.”
Nick could work with that. “Alright.”
He turned his back to Kit again, and Kit thankfully didn’t ask him about why he was acting like a total weirdo.
???
Nick woke slowly to the kits having their morning lesson, and he was content to doze as Kit’s calm voice guided them through mechanical drawings. Mini, despite his late-night watch, was apparently excelling as usual. Nick wondered in his half-asleep state if Kit knew that Mini had cut that rope to get him away from Desre. And then Nick wondered if all of Kit’s crew knew what she did to him. Yesterday hadn’t been a one-off. Kit’s reactions told him that much. And it had softened himentirely—how could Nick stay mad at Kit for doing what Desre asked, when the alternative wasthat?
“Now,” Kit said. “You have all drawn your plans and listed the materials you need. Go to Olis in engineering, I told him you’ll be presenting a signed materials request—and all material requests need to be signed by the captain or the quartermaster—and then you’ll be using his equipment to carry out construction. You can help each other.”
“Should we make Nick his tea?” Mini asked. “I heard his breathing change.”
The kids helped brew the tea, and then they filed out with chattering excitement, each calling out a little, “Morning, Nick.” Nick mumbled back a croaky, “Morning,”that elicited snickers. He rolled over to blink bleary-eyed at Kit, who was hovering a few feet away with two cups of steaming bitter tea.
“You do not sleep well. Is it the headaches? Seasickness? Are you too cold or too hot?” Kit had a determined look to him, like he was about to fix the problem whether Nick wanted to participate in its solving or not.
“I always sleep badly.” Nick held out his hand for the tea and enjoyed the sharp bite as it covered his tongue.
Kit’s head cocked to the side, focusing very hard on what was being said. “It is a childhood difficulty?”
“No, it’s…” Nick snorted, darkly amused. “Last year, men came into my house and took my little brother. Spirited him away onto a ship.”
Kit’s worried look shut down. He turned sharply from Nick, something stung in his expression.
“I’m not lying,” Nick said without rancour, “though it might sound like it to you. They took him and sailed out into the worst storm in years.”
Kit’s tail lashed through the air, agitated. The lean black limb was twitching when he tilted his head back towards Nick,studying his face. He didn’t say whether he believed Nick was lying or telling the truth, but he waited, so Nick continued.
“The ship capsized.” Nick’s fingers tightened on the cup, but he didn’t look away from Kit even as a heavy weight settled in his stomach. “My whole family was at the house. I tried to stop those men, and it was the most incompetent thing I’ve ever done in my life.” Shame tightened his throat into a knot. “I had been such a shit to him too. His mom was horrible to him, and I saw that, and I saw that there was good in him—these little glimmers that, despite his best efforts, always shone through. I ignored it. I refused to see that there was a reason he would lash out the way he did.”
Kit’s tail stilled mid-air. He watched Nick intently.
Nick let his gaze wander from Kit’s face to his tail. The lean and black weapon was like a direct line to Kit’s emotional state. Despite its strength, there was something vulnerable about how revealing it was. The race of kits was clearly not born to deceive.
“He’s fine,” Nick said. “His boyfriend’s a merman, and he rescued him when the ship went down. But, the, uh, sleeping thing.” Kit’s tail swayed towards Nick until the tufts were brushing against his shins.Comfort,Nick understood. “I let him down. Emotionally. Physically.” The little tufts travelled up and brushed against Nick’s knuckles. “So I can’t sleep. When I’m at home, I check that every window and door is locked at least half a dozen times. When I’m living away at college, I do the same for my roommates while worrying about my family at home because I know that they don’t.” Nick breathed out hard. “We live in such a safe area that people don’t even lock their doors when they leave the house.”
Kit sat next to Nick on the bed and leaned against him. Nick shut his eyes, not complaining even as Kit’s tongue slid over his temple. From his chest came that purring sound. Nickunderstood it meant comfort, and that this time it was forhiscomfort, and not Kit’s.
“I made Jasper close the veranda door. And I checked that my dad’s veranda was locked too, and when I still couldn’t sleep, I went to double-check that the guard was going to be there all night.” Nick shut his other eye as Kit cupped his cheek and pulled his face towards him, licking the bridge of his nose. “Where I found you. So, I’m going to resign myself to never sleeping again because knowing that I’m overthinking is one thing—mm.” Kit’s tongue slid over his top lip. “Beingjustifiedin acting so crazy is straight up—mm.” Kit’s tongue slid over his bottom lip, breath warm across Nick’s face. “Ridiculous.”
Kit’s purr was broken by a wounded sound from deep in his throat, all of his body pleadingsorry. The musky scent from yesterday filled Nick’s nose, and Kit’s tail slid round and round until it was winding all the way up Nick’s forearm, the end sliding beneath the sleeve of his shirt.
