„What was that about just now?", Maeve huffed, stressing each and every syllable as she stared at Sinbad incredulously.
After her initial shock she was slowly regaining her senses now, the mild breeze cooling her cheeks which still showed remnants of the intense blush that had conquered them upon the captain's kiss and his confession.
The red-headed sorceress sighed in frustration, waiting for the sailor to give her an even remotely reasonable explanation for the sudden change in his behavior, especially considering he was the one who had asked for keeping their newfound understanding between only the two of them in the first place.
As her hand sought his left wrist, she pulled him just a bit further towards the prow, intent on making sure there was no other sailor in listening distance.
In a way, she would have preferred to discuss this in the privacy of her cabin, but she could well imagine how that would have looked like and so she had rather opted for talking here on deck.
Impatient brown gaze seeking sea blue eyes, Maeve eventually let go of him, crossing her arms in front of her chest and sighing audibly.
"So?", she pressed again, clearly distressed.
If she was honest with herself she didn't even know just why exactly she was so upset about what he had just done. It was not like it really bothered her if their friends knew. In fact she had been the one to remind him of how supportive the crew were of Doubar and Bryn, so there really should be no problem about another relationship being revealed.
Still, there had been reasons just why till now they had never admitted to their feelings in public.
It had taken them years to get to where they were now, and quite honestly the Celt was still getting used to the sincerity with which, at times, he and her treated each other lately.
Hiding behind their usual fights and arguments was so much easier than really letting each other in in front of everyone, and so she had readily agreed when he had wanted to not let the others know just yet – taking up on old habits, walking the easy path and being who they always were instead of facing the unknown. Up till now she had thought they both were content with that choice, but obviously at least one of them was not.
But why, she wondered, had he now of all times broken free from their well-established routine, and why in that way?
Sensing her uneasiness, Sinbad turned under her stare, leaning his back against the reeling and casting a glance towards the young brunette sorceress who by now sat right behind Doubar, combing the first mate's hair as it seemed.
"We've run away for so long, Maeve", he finally began, still watching the other couple absent-mindedly while he seemed to choose his words well.
"We ran away from who he are, always scared to lose something we didn't even have. I've lost you once without having been able to tell you what I really felt. Back then I had promised myself I would stop to pretend if only you were returned to me, but look what happened."
A weary sigh escaped his throat, and suddenly his deep blue gaze was all on her.
"We continued right where we left off, and I start to wonder if it's really worth it."
For a long second then, he just eyed her, waiting for any sort of reaction from her side but when she remained silent, Sinbad continued speaking.
"Bryn reminded of that we cannot take all we have for granted. You would think we've already learned that the hard way but obviously you and me, we both are quite stubborn. And we're cowards, too. But what if we just quit running away, Maeve? What if we stopped hiding? Would it really be that bad? What if we just tried it out – this that Bryn and Doubar have? Would that really hurt?"
Slowly, the captain's voice faded to a forlorn whisper as he half-repeated the words that the Celt had used about a week before.
His shoulders then sank, his whole body language betraying his own conflicted state of mind as, in comparison to how he had approached her just a few minutes ago, he seemed a lot more thoughtful now, her own reluctance no doubt affecting him a big deal and making him re-consider his sudden act of confessing.
He better had talked to her first, was probably what he thought but as the red-head saw him standing there, talking to her in all honesty and with all his protecting walls let down, she realized that in fact he had done just the right thing.
"You know what I said to Bryn not too long ago?", Maeve suddenly broke the silence that had just started to settle between them, her tone somewhat light and good-natured.
"I told her that you were a pig."
"Hey!", came the instant reply, accompanied by a deep frown that had the sorceress giggle.
"And that I believed you were not yet ready for any sort of commitment", she quickly continued before he could possibly get her the wrong way.
"I wanted this we have", and she vaguely gestured between him and her, "to remain between us because you wanted to, and because it was somewhat easy to just continue life as it was."
Her velvet eyes closed for a heartbeat and she drew a deep breath, a smile slowly settling on her face as she did so.
"But actually, I am tired of playing hide. If you're really in this, then I am, too."
Her eyes almost sparkled at him when she opened them again, a serene look in them that Sinbad had not ever seen in them before.
"And besides", she then continued, a playful glint suddenly showing in her gaze, "this way I should get to boss you around more easy even. Girlfriend beats captain. Always."
Her smile turned into a full-fledged grin as she beamed at him, and eventually Sinbad let out a small laugh of his own, shaking his head with amusement.
"Not that you ever had troubles with that before though", he muttered while rolling his eyes in fake annoyance.
"Exactly", was all she gave him at that before without a warning she stepped up close to him, leaning forwards until her breath tickled the sensitive skin of his lips.
Keeping but a minimal distance her eyes travelled the line of his jaw for a moment, noticing how it tensed with anticipation.
Tilting her head a little, she brought her own lips close to his left ear, whispering into it before as sudden she invaded his personal space, she pulled back again, letting her words echo in his mind while quickly she retreated - leaving a dumbfounded captain to stare after her as she walked towards the other pair.
"I, too, don't care anymore who knows."