A/N : So I literally wrote this all out now, and I haven't checked it over that much, so if you come back in a few days it might be edited or if I think it's bad, gone.
It was driving Will crazy.
The almost constant touching.
Finn almost never left Fontaine alone when he was on the Aronnax.
And he was almost. Always. Touching. Her.
Whether it's leaning on her shoulder or slinging his arm around her or poking and annoying her. And Will hates it.
Seriously, hadn't that boy ever heard of personal space?
That's his daughter, and he doesn't want anyone who could hurt her going near her.
She's his daughter, and he does not appreciate the fact that Finn seems to be laying claim to her.
Maybe he'd understand it if there were other boys around to show she's 'taken', but there aren't. It's just them on the Aronnax.
And despite the fact that his little girl is almost 18, he's nowhere near ready to give her up to somebody else.
Not that Finn's asking to marry her, but the idea is the same.
Vaguely.
You'd think that in an underwater submarine that's constantly moving across the globe that he'd have been able to keep his little girl from meeting any boys until she was at least 25. If not 40.
But clearly life doesn't work that way.
She'd not just fallen for anybody.
She'd fallen for a pirate.
If there was one person he didn't want his daughter to fall for, it was the type of person who could hurt her and walk away. And a pirate fits the bill.
It's a good thing Finn didn't want to be a pirate, or he wouldn't let him within five yards of his daughter.
As it is, he's seriously reconsidering his acceptance of Finn onto the Aronnax as often as he came.
Especially since he almost never left Will's daughter alone until he left again.
He sort of understood where the boy was coming from- granted, he wanted to make the most of the time he had with her, but that didn't mean he always had to be around her.
Initially, he'd figured she'll eventually get sick of it and tell him to leave her alone for good, and he'd hoped he'd be there when she gets rid of him.
But that day seemed a long time coming.
Fontaine doesn't seem to mind. At all.
She just laughs and swats him away, or intertwines her fingers with his and gazes up at him, or pulls him in for a kiss.
And even when they're doing something like watching a movie, and they're lying innocently together on the couch, he'll slide his fingers through her hair, and she'll nestle closer, and he'll want to kick Finn off the ship.
Kaiko catches him one time glowering at the couple in their happy little oblivious bubble as Fontaine leans against Finn, watching a video while he reads a book over her head and traces his fingers gently over her arm.
Kaiko gives him an amused look and addresses it later in their room, when everyone else has gone to their own, individual beds.
"So, want to tell me why you were glaring at Finn like you wanted to murder him?" she asks, hands on her hips and head cocked to the side, studying him with an air of amusement.
He doesn't find anything about the situation funny. As far as he's concerned, Finn's trying to claim her for himself. And she'd always be his little girl, no matter who else came into her life and tried to take her from him.
"Doesn't it bother you?" He asks her. "He's always in her space, touching her. You don't find that the tiniest bit annoying?"
"She doesn't seem to mind, so I don't see why you're so bothered. He just likes knowing she's around, what's wrong with that?" she counters.
"It's like he's laying claim to her," he growls.
Kaiko laughs. "And you weren't like that?" she asks, quirking a knowing eyebrow at him. He sighs and pulls her closer, leaning his head against her stomach. "Yes, but I had a reason to be. There were lots of other boys around. He doesn't. There's no one else here but us."
"And that's what makes it so much sweeter."
"She's our daughter. What's so sweet about trying to separate her from us?" He demands.
She sighs, rubbing his shoulders comfortingly. "Oh, Will. It's not like that. Do you ever think of it from Finn's perspective? It's a big thing for him to be doing this. His family isn't big on physical contact, you've seen that. He's showing her he loves her. And clearly he loves her a lot, if you say he's doing it all the time." She frowns. "And maybe...maybe it might be bigger than that. It might be that he's afraid to lose her, so he's always checking she's near? He lost his mother when he was young, remember, and I don't think he was with her then."
Will falls silent, the revelations sinking in. Then he groans and drops his head into his hand, shaking his head at himself. "God, I've been such an idiot. I kept thinking he was trying to lay claim to her, the way I kept doing when we were dating." He looks up sheepishly at her, as she laughs.
"It's alright, I certainly didn't mind it at all," she says, a twinkle in her eye.
His grin fades as he rubs his forehead, berating himself. " I should've realized it was much more than that. I'm supposed to be the one looking out for the kids, and instead I'm...just ruining everything for them."
"It's okay, Will, you didn't ruin anything," Kaiko comforts. "Yet." She laughs at his expression. "But you're her father, I'm sure they were expecting some sort of overprotectiveness. And she's always going to be our little girl, nothing will ever change that. And she knows it. She's not going to stop being our daughter if she starts being someone else's girlfriend- or wife, for that matter."
"I know," he mutters. " I just...sort of thought she would, you know? She might not want us around anymore if she's got someone else to lean on."
Kaiko shakes her head. "Fontaine's a smart girl. She knows some things Finn can provide, but we can provide others. She's just becoming more independent, and we just have to trust her."
"I'm not ready to let her go yet."
"I know. Me either. But she's not gone yet, so we should make the most of our time, like someone else you've been watching." She nudges him playfully with her hip and he laughs.
"Yeah, looks like we'll be taking pointers from a pirate. Who'd have thought?"
"Definitely not you," Kaiko teases, poking him.
"You're right," he grins as he grabs her wrist, pulling closer and kissing her. "You're right about everything," he says quietly as he pulls away.
"And don't you forget it," she laughs.
He smiles at her as she leans in for another kiss.
Kind of a lame ending, I know. Let me know what you think!
By the way, I don't really know if anyone's interested, but I'm still working on my story!
