A Deal's a Deal

Chapter Thirteen

After consulting your maps, you and Buggy set a course for Hana Island.

The two of you worked together to raise the anchor and unfurl the sails, getting the boat moving by midday. When it was time to take the wheel, Buggy volunteered.

"I can do it," you'd told him, but he'd insisted.

"Who's the pirate here?" he'd asked you with a cheeky smile. "Relax, babe. Read a book. Get nude, get a suntan."

You'd rolled your eyes. "I'll pass."

"Shame. Maybe later."

Trusting him to steer, you'd decided to relax after all, since there wasn't much else you could do in the meantime. You lounged in one of your chairs on the deck, sketching away in your small paper book.

Buggy looked over at you curiously. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Just drawing," you answered.

"You draw? " he asked, sounding genuinely surprised. He left the wheel for a moment to hover over your shoulder, taking a peek at the drawing you were working on. "Damn. That's really good. What is it?"

"Just an albatross," you said. "I saw one pass by not too long ago."

"You remember how it looks, just from memory?"

"I guess so, yeah," you said. "It's not that good. It'd be better if I could see it up close."

"It is good!" he protested. He snatched the book out of your hands, flipping through it.

"Buggy!" You whipped around, trying to grab it. "Stop that! Give it back!"

Buggy said nothing, observing your drawings thoughtfully. "These are lovely," he said, in an oddly tender voice. "You're really talented."

You calmed down, equally stunned and touched by his sincerity. He handed the book back to you, and you placed it in your lap. "Thanks," you murmured.

"Why didn't you tell me you could do that?" he asked.

You shrugged. "It's not a special talent. Not circus-worthy, anyway."

"Not a special talent, my ass." He snorted. "You're a damn artist! I bet you can paint too, huh?"

"I mean... yeah, sometimes."

"Then you can paint jolly rogers!" he said, eyes bright. "And posters! All kinds of fuckin' things! That's pretty goddamn useful, if you ask me." He clasped your hands in his. "Draw me. "

You blinked. "Draw you?"

"Yes, draw me!" He straightened his bandana and puffed out his chest. "Nothing compares to the real thing, of course, but I've gotta see how you capture my flashy likeness."

Seeing him like that made you laugh. "Why, though? Why do you want me to draw you?"

"Why not?" He headed back towards the wheel. "Gives you something to do. You get to draw my handsome face, I get to see my handsome face reflected back at me. Everybody wins."

"Are you sure?" you asked, slightly hesitant. "Like I said, I'm not that good. You might not like it."

"Zip. Zip." He made a "zip your lips" gesture across his mouth. "Just draw, woman. You've got nothing to worry about."

You looked down at your book, then back at him. You released a soft sigh. "Alright," you said. "I'll try. Just don't strangle me if you don't like it, okay?"

"I'll only strangle you if you ask me nicely, babe."

^ ^ ^

Drawing Buggy took longer than you'd anticipated.