Alone On the Ship

While We Sleep

Lucia was a night owl, so the emptiness and darkness in the late hours of the ship was a change for her. She was used to people partying with her and living up the night life. Despite it, safety was her number one priority. Anybody who disregarded that for even a minute was kicked out and could never come back to future parties. They were stopped from drinking too much, they couldn't do drugs, and they couldn't do "any stupid shit" as she put it. Despite seeming carefree, she held everybody she met in high regard. She was a loving person, and everyone knew that. She was a peacemaker at heart, and she just wanted everyone to have fun. Even still, she became a completely different person if somebody screwed it up. Lucia walked through the halls without regard for the game. Death was never something that was on her mind, except for when she was mourning Nari and Kazuo. As she walked up to the main deck, she saw Shun looking out at the stars.

"Hey! Shun!"

He turned around and immediately drew his knife. Upon seeing that it was her, he returned it to his sheath.

"You're looking to get yourself killed." Shun said.

"Please, nobody can put me down!" Lucia said.

"You seem to be quite cocky..."

"You're being too serious..." She said.

"Lucia, this game is a matter of life and death. Any wrong move will get you killed." Shun responded.

She lightly flicked his nose, and he grabbed her arm.

"If I was your assassin and I had you grabbed like this, I could easily kill you and throw you overboard. Nobody would notice until it would be too late, especially since everybody's asleep." Shun said.

"Alright, alright, just let me go..." Lucia said.

"You're not getting the picture." He said.

Shun dangled her over the lower deck, and all she could do was reach out and flail her arms. Her arms were short as it was, but he held her out far away.

"All I need to do is throw you overboard, and the watch on your wrist would inject you with a lethal neurotoxin." Shun said.

"Alright, alright! Let me go!" Lucia pleaded.

He did as she requested, and she realized the error in her choice of words. As she would've so eloquently put it, "he dropped her on her butt." The pain courses through her body, and tears came to her eyes. Still, it was better than being in the water. Shun intended to teach her a lesson, and so he did. He leapt down onto the lower deck and picked her up.

"Do you understand now?" He asked.

She stayed silent for a minute.

"Asshole..." She muttered.

He stroked her hair and carried her back inside.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"What do you think?" She pouted.

"You're alright." He said. "Stop complaining. I could've killed you ten times by now."

She sniffled.

"And how is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"You're alive, aren't you?" Shun asked.

Lucia knew he was right, and she flinched as he wiped her tears. It wasn't a matter of being shocked, but rather anger. She didn't want him to do it.

"Calm down..." Shun said and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Good!" Lucia pouted.

"Look, you're going to have to be a bit more resilient than this if you want to survive." Shun said.

Lucia huffed as he stroked her hair.

"I'll make you an offer, no catch to it." Shun said.

"Alright..."

"I'll protect you. Simple as that." Shun said.

"I don't need protecting..." Lucia said.

Shun sighed.

"Fine... I'll try to have 'fun' while I'm at it." He added.

"Really?" She said, perking up.

"Yeah." Shun said.

"Say it with a bit more enthusiasm!" Lucia said.

"Yeah." Shun said in the exact same voice.

"Well... It's a start, I guess." Lucia said. "I just want you to know that I bruise easily..."

"Alright."

"I need you to check to see if you bruised my butt." Lucia said.

"That wasn't in the agreement." Shun said.

"I know it wasn't, but I think it's bruised." Lucia said.

"Well, you asked to be let go." Shun said.

"Not like that!" Lucia said.

"It's all in your use of words, darling." Shun said.

Lucia blushed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lucia asked.

"It's sarcasm." He replied.

"Idiot..." Lucia said.

The two walked all over the ship, and their arguments continued the entire time. They were the exact opposites. Most would see them as enemies, but their arguments caused them to become good friends. They passed by Jirou's room, and he told them to move in together. They then began to yell at him together as he laughed, waking Akuma up. She shut the argument down as soon as they woke her up, so Shun and Lucia ended up walking back to the main deck.

"You know, you're pretty cool..." Lucia said.

"Yeah... You are too." Shun said.

"Hey, last one in the pool has to drink some of the water?" Lucia said.

"I'm carrying you." Shun said and laughed.

He put her down and smiled.

"Alright, let's go." Shun said.

They ran to the pool and jumped in, unsure of who was in second. Shun hugged her, and she smiled.

"You're pretty fun, Shun." Lucia said and giggled.

"Good." He replied.

Lucia looked up at him and smiled.

"I dare you to kiss me. Right now." She said.

He pressed his lips against hers and closed his eyes as he held her close. Despite the fact that she wasn't his type, he adjusted to it, and after he did that, he realized that there was more to her than he expected. It made him want to become close to her, and he knew she felt the same way. He doubted that he'd fall in love with her or anything of the sort, and he doubted that she would love him, but he knew that only time would tell. The only time they would be far away from each other was when they'd sleep.