✔ Masquerade | England [EDITING]

t h i r t y - e i g h t

Continued

You rushed out into the deck. The sight beyond was dreadful. The sky was dark and the winds sent the rain flying in all direction. Large bolts of thunder blasted and lightening flashed as the tall waves threatened to swallow up the fleet.

"Try to steer the ship for now and tell the others to try fixing up any broken ship parts!" You screamed over all the noise.

Antonio ran to the wheel and did his best. While he did that, you woke Arthur up.

"Arthur! Arthur! Wake up, quickly!" You shook him.

"What...?" He mumbled, unaware of the situation, despite the din outside.

"Hurry up! We've come across a storm!" You screamed. Arthur slowly got up and walked out. A huge wind hit him and he was unfazed.

"Ah..." he beheld the commotion on the waters and then looked at you, "You call this little tantrum a storm?"

"This thing is a tantrum for you? Either way, that's not important. You need to go and help the others, or else they might be hurt!" You exclaimed.

"Simmer down." He landed a karate chop on your head, "Panicking about this won't cease the storm. You hear me?" 

"Yeah..." You rubbed your head where he hit you. 

"I'll be off, then." He removed his coat and gave it to you.

"I'll come with you!" You stood up straight.

"No, you are staying here." he replied and gazed out the door.

"But...!"

Arthur sighed heavily. He took your hand, made you sit on the bed and draped his coat around your shoulders. 

"Look, you are staying here. Commander's orders, alright?" He looked into your eyes and then said softly, "I'm not allowing you to risk your life for a petty storm, do you understand?"

"Yes..." you obediently dropped your gaze.

"Right, now be a good girl and try not to let the storm scare you. I'll be back soon."

With that, he ruffled your hair, marched to the door and glanced at you before shutting the door. You were now left with your thoughts and his coat.

-Arthur's P.O.V-

I walked out with perfect balance on this rocking ship, into the fierce gale pretty calmly. This wasn't the first time I've been in such a storm. I looked at the wheel. Antonio was there, unusually pale, trying his best to steer the ship.

The sails were tearing and the supporting masts looked unstable. It's been ages since I shivered. Not out of fear, but out of excitement.

I like anything that gets my adrenaline running ferociously.

"Time to get work done." I cracked my knuckles and ran to the wheel.

"Antonio!" I called, "Is everything intact?!"

"Are you seriously expecting anything to be intact in this situation?! Of course not!" Antonio yelled.

"Well? What isn't intact?"

"We've got an unstable mast, a broken starboard and water flooding in!" He gasped.

"Tell others to get the water out and I'll go fix that starboard."

"Get buckets from the rooms and hurry up!" I ordered and walked down the elevation and went to Antonio's room.

I opened up the secret hatch and climbed down into the darkness to get some wood, nails and a hammer.

"I need to hurry." I reminded myself as I took out an oblong red scarf and tied it on my head to keep my bangs from bothering me.

With that, I rolled up my sleeves quickly, grabbed the materials and rushed up the deck to repair the starboard.

----

Third Person's P.O.V

The faint flicker of the lamp was the only thing shining in the dark room. As the sound of waves, thunder and rain filled your ears, you sighed heavily,

"I feel so useless."

You covered your ears with the blanket and fell on the pillow, hugging Arthur's coat tightly. His clothes had this nice soapy smell which was not strong or overpowering. It was probably lavender, but you cared less.

It felt like he was here with you. Even so, you needed a real person to hug. Lightning continued to flash. Thunder continued to roar. You wanted the storm to end soon.

While you were thinking about your life, the door creaked open, revealing someone with an apparent curl.

"Who is it?" You asked as you stared at the wall next to you.

"Bella, it's me. Lovino." the silhouette replied.

"What brings you here, Lovi?" You asked, hugging yourself tighter under the blanket.

"The Commander asked me to keep you company." he sat down on the edge of the bed before relighting the lamp.

"You don't mind me being here, don't you?" He asked.

"No... I was feeling lonely anyway." you exhaled.

"Are you scared?" He looked at you and you responded with an affirmative hum. 

"I've been through a ton of huge storms yet still... they scare me." Lovino confessed, "But, the Commander has no shred of fear when it comes down to that."

"Well," you started, "Since he is the leader, he can't be scared."

"That's true." Lovino agreed and then asked, "Are you cold?"

You hummed again. Lovino felt the blanket for it's texture, trying to figure out what the material was.

"This blanket is fleece. How are you feeling cold?" He questioned.

"I don't know." you replied as you played with the tassels hanging from Arthur's coat. You could hear him sigh. He always did that when he was disturbed or annoyed.

"Do you want some extra warmth?" He suddenly spoke up.

"Extra warmth... as in?" You asked.

"An extra blanket or a hug?" He gave you a choice.

"Both." you replied.

Lovino said nothing. He stood up, walked to the cabinet and took out another blanket. By the time, you sat up straight, still tightly clutching the coat. He sat next to you and wrapped up the blanket on both of you.

"Oh, is that Commander's coat?" asked Lovino.

"Yeah." you smiled, "He probably gave it to me so that I could calm down."

"I see." He nodded, "Is this warm enough or do you need a hug?"

"It's warm..." you smiled softly, "And I think I could do with a hug too."

Without a word, Lovino pulled you in a tight hug.

"How do you feel now?" He asked.

"Perfect." You sighed. As you were being embraced, his warmth seeped into your skin, making you feel safe and protected. His clothes were a slightly bit damp from all the rain and water. Somehow, it smelt a bit dry too.

Minutes of silence passed by and Lovino was stroking your hair softly, in an attempt to make you fall asleep. You soon did, even though the sound of thunder rang in your ears.

Lovino was still stroking your hair. Along with that, he was whispering stuff to you. But his voice sounded vague and inaudible to your ears, even in what you felt was silence.

Slowly, you fell into deep sleep.

Continued

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