The three of them returned to the mansion later that night. Reyna had a great time. It seemed like Deacon and Rooke shared the sentiment, who had been talking and chuckling amongst themselves the entire way back. She felt right at home when they approached the massive front doors. There were some lights inside. They recognized who was there when they stepped into the living room and found two figures sitting across from each other with a game of chess on the table.

The jester perked up in his seat. It sounded like he'd been dying from boredom until they arrived. " Finally , you're back..!"

"Were you waiting on us..?" The spymaster asked, sounding confused.

"Are you kidding? Rooke's never home!" Phule walked over and tapped him on his arm. " Allora, cosa mi racconti? "

Rooke pointed to his brother in amusement. "Deacon sang karaoke tonight."

"You said you wouldn't tell anyone-!"

Deacon grumbled as Rooke began spilling all the details to their older brother, who relished this valuable information. He moved his attention to the man still sitting on the couch, whose plague doctor mask regarded him quietly. He moved over and sat beside him. Reyna followed suit to relieve herself from all the walking.

"You're up this late?" He inquired of his sibling.

"Phule bothered me for a game. But now I realize he was just stalling time." He looked back to the board and sighed under the mask. "Welcome back. I am glad to hear you had a good time."

"You probably know what's been going on..."

"I know what happened to your ship and prisoners." He peeked over to look at the woman beside him. "-Will she be staying the night?"

He rolled his head and tapped his girlfriend on the shoulder, who jumped back awake. She'd been dozing off. There was no doubt she was going to pass out at some point tonight. "Actually, Bishop, I should re-introduce you two. Reyna is my girlfriend."

"Congratulations." Bishop stated flatly.

She smiled shyly in return. She wondered if he recognized her without her mask and uniform. She hadn't talked to him since she came over to see Deacon's piano. "It's nice to see you again."

He leaned over to clean up the board. "Would you like to play a game?" He offered.

"You don't want to play with her ." The Emissary snorted. "She's terrible at chess."

"Oh, dear. That is not ideal."

"Why does everyone keep saying that..?" The woman tiredly muttered under her breath.

"Well. Anyone can learn if they are willing to practice." His goggles shone invitingly as he gestured to the seat across from him. "I encourage you to play with me."

"It's more preferable than Kane," Deacon shrugged as he looked at Reyna. "You should join him."

She groaned before standing up and moving into the seat. She swayed a little as she tried to gather her bearings. Why was she such a lightweight? She only had a couple drinks tonight. There was no doubt she was going to do terribly and embarrass herself in front of one of Deacon's brothers…at least it wasn't Rooke…

"I assume Deacon has taught you about the game," The tall man sat up straight as he positioned the board to his liking. "I will be happy to fill in anything you do not know."

She eyed the pieces which were getting slightly blurry by the minute. "I seem to get myself cornered a lot."

"That is insightful. I will help you to prevent that."

. . . .

And so she engaged in a game of chess with the Armada's genius. Such a position sounded daunting, but Bishop was actually informative while they played together. Granted, she was sure she would've done better if she was in a sober state of mind, but the tinkerer was patient and gave her tips on how to avoid ending the game like she'd done so with Deacon. She didn't even mind playing her least favorite game in the world - but she credited that to the alcohol at that moment.

All she could remember last was Bishop cleaning up the board before her body felt limp and the world around her darkened. She jolted awake some time after and found the chair across from her empty. She was able to spot some blue and red colors on the couch. Phule glanced over to her and she was met with a pair of beautiful blue and brown eyes. He was drinking from a bottle of beer.

He smirked as she rubbed her eyes. "You fell asleep."

"Ugh…" She groaned as she stood and placed a hand on the table to balance herself. She looked around. No one else was in the room. "Where is everybody?"

"Playing doctor," He pointed to a door with his mask's long nose. "You should go check up on your compagno ."

She passed him a strange look before following where he told her to go. When she opened the door, she found two men huddled around a small cot. She stepped inside and earned their attention right away. She was met with Rooke's hazel eyes and Bishop's blue goggles. They addressed her before turning their attention back to Deacon, who was laying before them without a shirt on. She joined their side and eyed his bruised chest worriedly.

Bishop noticed her look and assured her. "It is not bad. A non-displaced fracture, but a couple ribs are broken, nonetheless." He pressed some ice to the area, which made their 'patient' hiss through his teeth. "Still. You could have damaged your internal organs. So consider yourself lucky."

"You should have been resting," The large general muttered.

"Hard to rest when I had to escape pirates." The Emissary rolled his eyes. "I know you shrug these injuries off too, Rooke."

He chuckled. "Alright. Maybe I'm hiding some injuries of my own right now. It's annoying to be on the bedrest, but it is still necessary, fratello ."

"How long does he need to take it easy?" Reyna asked.

"A few weeks. Make sure he does his breathing exercises and ices the area a few times a day. I'm sure some painkillers wouldn't hurt."

" I'm right here ," He reminded his twin.

He stood back and clapped his large hands. "I know. And it's a good thing you've got yourself a partner, now. I can trust that she will make sure you recover."

"You act like I'm trying to get hurt," He winced as he removed the cold compress from his skin.

"You and Rooke suffer the most injuries out of all of us," Bishop dutifully reminded him.

He glared daggers at the taller man from the cot. He went to rise, but was pushed back down by Rooke's gloved hand. He forced him to return the ice to his tender areas.

"Give it 10 more minutes. We'll play some scopa once you're done."

"Fine."

The two dismissed themselves and left the couple alone. Deacon laid back and closed his eyes while she shuffled uncomfortably next to him. She was glad to see him finally taking care of himself, but the sight of those bruises and his slow breathing reminded her what happened back on that ship…and then she was brought back to the memory of her concussion; how he also waited by her bedside.

"He's right, you know." She told him cheerfully. "I'll make sure you get proper care when you're under my watch."

"Hooray," He responded dully.

She took a seat on one of the chairs. It looked like they were in a closet of some sorts, but it was bigger than any she had back at home. This one was filled with chairs, cups, and different board games. She leaned over and pressed a kiss on his dampened forehead.

"You'll have to wait until we're back on duty, anyway, so get used to having to rest like this."

"I'm not going to be completely bedridden, you know." His free hand sought hers. It was still a strange sensation to feel his bare palm instead of his usual gloves. "We can still have some fun."

She raised an eyebrow. "Define 'fun'."

"We can practice our shooting and work out a little bit. I want to stay in shape so I'm ready to go back to being a captain."

She sighed. "I guess we'll have to set back your singing lessons until you can breathe normally."

"A pity."

She smacked his shoulder at his sarcastic tone and he laughed. At least things weren't bad. She could've lost him to those pirates…and he could've lost her to those scum back in Cool Ranch. Something uneasy settled in her stomach coming to terms with this; having to get used to the close calls and just hoping that they could save each other in time. That's what being partners meant, didn't it? She still wasn't sure she liked being in love with a man and having to join him in a gunfight nearly every day.

"Things will be alright," She was comforting herself more than him.

He squeezed her small hand in return.

"They will."

Once he was done icing his injuries, they went to the entertainment room and found a table prepared for a card game. Reyna spent the next 20 minutes attempting to learn how to play scopa. It was fun watching the elite play and get frustrated with each other. It reminded her of the good days when she used to play games with her own family. And when she was brought in to try, she was practically treated as one of their own.

They did not spare her any mercy.

"Take it easy on her," Phule spoke up as he watched her cards being swept from the table. "She's just a girl!"

"A girl who will kick your asses once I figure out what I'm doing…" Reyna bit her lip as she watched the cards move around.

"Sit the next one out and watch carefully," Bishop instructed as he moved to play with Deacon.

She spent the rest of the hour watching instead of playing, which felt like a fortunate turn of events. It was late into the night when they decided to wrap things up. Everyone left for their rooms and Reyna followed Deacon into his. She slipped into one of his shirts and settled comfortably back in his bed. The sheets still felt immaculate under her touch.

"I'm glad you like it here," Her boyfriend said quietly. He was dressing himself to join her side.

"Of course I do. Your brothers are pretty nice to me."

He huffed. "I'm surprised Bishop was helpful to you tonight…he's usually a little more judgemental when it comes to most things."

"Maybe he felt bad that I couldn't play chess. He beat me at scopa, though."

Deacon slipped under the sheets and shook his head. "He usually doesn't play games like that. It's been a pretty good night."

"I would say so," She replied, moving over to cuddle him and nestle her face in the crook of his neck. She was being careful of his chest, but he didn't seem to mind, as he rolled right over and took her into his arms. They laid there for a bit, listening to the footsteps and murmured voices above.

"You should have me meet your family," He whispered into her ear. She sat up in the sheets in alarm.

"Are you crazy!?"

"If my family can get along with you, then I'm certain yours can as well."

Her eyes roamed around his room in thought. "Well. It might not be the worst idea - my mother would rather I come home with a man…We might just have to pretend we're engaged. Can you do that?"

He scoffed. "Do you not think I can settle down?"

She snickered. "You? Settling for me ? Your life's on the ocean, Espía. I don't expect you to give up anything for me."

He went quiet at this, his blue eyes moving elsewhere. She took this silence to settle back down beside him and close her eyes. The light was still on and he had yet to set an alarm. When she felt no movement after a minute, she opened her eyes and found his gaze fixated above him, eyebrows knitted together in thought.

"Deacon, we can go to bed. I wasn't being serious or anything-"

"-No, you just have me thinking." He shook his head and reached over for his clock. "If I really want to be an Elite for my whole life."

"What-"

"I've never really thought about it before until I met you." He set the device down and rested against his pillow. "I was under the assumption I'd be doing this job until I die - but if I had the option not to…"

Her emerald eyes glistened as she propped herself on an elbow to look at him. Her mind had also been on the future, but not that far in advance. She'd been too worried about losing her position in the Armada, and not if she truly wanted to get married and have a family. It's certainly what her parents wanted, and what her sister would support, but…would it be the best for them? Or should they be destined partners, leaving on missions for the rest of their days?

"We'll get to that when we're ready." She placed a hand assuringly on his forearm. "For now, we should do our best for the Armada and see where it takes us."

"I'm not against giving you what you want," He protested quietly.

"What I want is to be with you , whether that's on a ship or in a house. Really, we don't have to worry about it. It's just…a precaution I want to make, when you meet my parents. I'm pretty sure you'll impress them no matter what."

He smiled at her. "Why? Because I'm rich?"

"No, but that will help, I think."

He laughed and leaned over to cover her in kisses, which made her giggle. Her lips met with his shortly after, which caused them to calm down. They turned off the light to shut the room in darkness. Sleep came easy and they had a truly restful night, compared to the many restless ones they've had recently.

Reyna yawned as she rose from the bed that next morning. As she expected, the spot beside her was empty with the blankets pulled back. When she felt the pillow, it was still a little warm, so Deacon must've gotten up not long ago. She shrugged as she moved to get ready for the day. It was still a little disorienting waking up in her boyfriend's room instead of the cabin on their ship. She needed to freshen up and get a proper change of clothes.

She decided using their shower in the meantime will do. As she left for the bathroom, she ended up bumping into someone in the hallway. She stepped back in surprise and immediately opened her mouth to apologize, but froze when her eyes met who she stumbled upon.

The Supreme Commander looked down at her tiredly, with a mug of coffee clutched in his left hand. He wasn't in his impressive uniform, but still wore something comfortable yet extravagant. His hands were bare from their usual gloves and she spotted the wedding band on his finger. She couldn't believe she was seeing Kane in his home clothes..!

"O-oh! I'm so sorry, sir..!" She stood up straight and saluted him out of habit. After doing it, she immediately felt stupid because he looked at her oddly and held up a dismissive hand.

"Not necessary. Have a good morning."

He passed by her breezily and her awestruck gaze followed him until he disappeared into a door at the end of the hallway. She heard the distant sound of a woman talking - and recognized the voice of Queen. She'd had no idea they were home today.

She rushed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Again, she was impressed with how fancy everything was and the expensive skincare products laying around the cupboards and shelves. She used as little of everything as she possibly could and changed into an extra pair of clothes she'd brought. She had the feeling she was going to spend the night here again and was glad she brought them.

She went downstairs and heard the beautiful sound of the piano. Her feet moved faster than she could think before she found Deacon sitting on the bench playing the instrument. She didn't even process her movements as she plopped down beside him, surprising the unsuspecting spymaster with her sudden presence.

" Buenos días ," He greeted happily. He was wearing his mask and she realized she hadn't put hers on yet. She was sitting as still as a statue.

"I ran into Kane just now," She blurted out. He blinked at her before moving back to the keys and continuing the little song he was playing.

"What happened?"

"Nothing…he told me good morning."

"I told you he wouldn't care if you're here. You should go get some breakfast - Bishop made something this morning."

She felt even more confused at this information. She stood and made her way into the kitchen, where a prepared plate was sitting on the counter. It was a typical breakfast arrangement - bacon, eggs, a slice of thick toast, and a glass of orange juice. She realized she was hungrier than she thought when she sat down in the dining room and ate through it easily.

..The table was long and empty at that moment, so she enjoyed her breakfast in peace. She picked up her plate and returned to the kitchen, where she ran into a tall woman grabbing something from the fridge. The moment they made eye contact, Queen straightened in delighted surprise.

"Dea! Buongiorno, come va?"

"Buongiorno, Signora. I'm feeling…very good." She nodded politely. The plate was swiped from her hands and set carefully into the sink.

"Kane told me you were home. I was so happy to hear." She leaned down and observed her closely. Reyna realized her face was bare and she began to turn red under the attention. "You've been sleeping well. His bed is comfortable, isn't it?"

Her question made her blush even further. "Uhm…yes, it is. I should be getting back to Deacon, actually."

"Of course. I assume you and the boys had fun last night?"

"Oh, yes. We did." She nodded her head and grinned. "You look lovely this morning."

" Molte grazie. You look wonderful yourself. Remember you're welcome here anytime."

" È molto gentile da parte tua ."

Reyna excused herself back to Deacon. He wrapped up whatever he'd been playing and stood from the bench to face her. He got a good look at her before embracing her and running his hand through her hair. She leaned into his touch when he swayed them slightly.

"I guess I should be going back to my place," She sighed sadly.

"Let me give you something before you go," He insisted, withdrawing from her and moving to grab something from the table. He returned with a small communicator in his hand - the same one she knew existed on his left wrist.

"These are usually only used for the elites, but we have a few spares. I set this one for our contact only. So we can speak even if we're far away."

She took it from him cautiously. "Are you sure I should have this?"

"My excuse is that it's helpful for my first-mate to have, and we're testing it out in the meantime." He brushed his mask's nose on the side of her face. "Remember that I'm not far, carissima . If you ever want me, I'm a call away."

She couldn't help grinning. "Mind if I abuse that power a little bit?"

"Not at all. Do you want me to sail you home?"

"If you don't mind..?"

He nodded and collected his cane from the wall. She followed him out of the residence and to their dock, where he prepared his small vessel. Reyna couldn't help gazing out longingly into the ocean and enjoying the sunny weather. She hoped to be back on duty soon so she could enjoy this every day again.

They spent the next few weeks being simultaneously close and far from each other. They went on a couple more dates and visited each other when they could. Deacon was quite preoccupied with catching up on a few of his personal businesses while Reyna killed some time revisiting Monquista and reflecting on the past month. She received a letter from her family detailing their shock and opinion on her current situation. She ignored what they had to say and hoped she wouldn't have to face them again for awhile. She thought about how they would react to Deacon and got some quiet pleasure knowing he would be more than what they wanted. It wasn't her goal to impress them, but he wanted to meet them eventually.

…She'll make sure to take her time on that.

She might've bugged him more than once to remind him to ice his ribs and exercise his breathing. He wasn't pleased but he did as she wished, which made her happy all the same. She was glad to still hear his voice even though they were a few islands away. It made all the waiting easier.

When the weeks passed by and she finally received the news that their boat and crew were ready, she hadn't ever moved so fast in her life. She left her apartment and met at the Armada station, where she received her new uniform. It wasn't the dress she'd worn before, which was nearly identical to Deacon's design, but it followed his crew colors and insignia. She was allowed to use her old mask and zendale, which made her elated.

She joined the crew on the docks and got familiar with them as they waited on their new ship. It was more reminiscent of The Erebus, judging from what she heard about it. It was spacious and had a hefty brig. She'd been in a conversation with one of the soldiers when she heard the other crew members exclaim in surprise. She turned around to see Deacon himself had finally made his appearance.

'This is the first time he's ever been late,' She mused to herself.

He instructed them to line up on the ship and they did as they were told. She stood at the head of the line with a proud stance and salute, which earned an appreciative glance from her Captain. He gave them a little speech similar to the one they'd given their own crew back in the day:

" Buongiorno. My name is Deacon, the Armada's Emissary and Spymaster. I will be the captain of this vessel. You are to answer to my command and keep our ship in good shape while we arrest any undesirables and sail the Spiral."

He moved his gaze to Reyna, who perked up under his attention.

"-You shall also answer to my first mate, 'Dea', and carry out her orders. Direct your concerns and questions to either of us. For the glory of the Armada!"

They repeated this exclamation proudly. The spymaster dispersed his crew, who busied themselves preparing the ship and getting it ready to sail. Deacon motioned for Reyna to follow him, and she happily obliged. They stepped off the boat and walked a bit on the deck until they met with Kane himself. He crossed his arms and addressed them with a strong stance.

"Welcome back, you two. As of today, you are back on duty and will return to all your duties. Your main goal is to catch your last escaped criminal. I want that pirate brought back alive. Dea, you will serve as Deacon's first-mate during this time, and I expect you both to perform appropriately and in-line."

"Yes, sir." They nodded in unison.

" Bene . I shall expect better progress this time. Do not let me down."

Her captain bowed his head. "Of course not."

The Supreme Commander dismissed them and they were sent back to their ship. Deacon excitedly led Reyna by the hand to the cabin. It was a little different compared to their last arrangement - as this one only had one bed, but it was a size bigger than the usual singles in Armada cabins. She raised an expecting eyebrow as they entered the room and he gestured around

"Consider yourself quite fortunate, because you get to sleep with the Captain." He tapped his cane on the floor.

"I'm assuming not every first-mate gets to have this privilege?" She placed her hand on her hip expectantly.

"None of mine have, until now ." There was a playful glint in his eye. "You can put your things around here if you'd like. I won't have much beyond my books."

She sat down on the bed to test its springs. "What's the difference between a 'co-captain' and a 'firstmate', truly?"

"The title. Co-captain is in coexistence with an Elite, because you were technically at my level. Now, you're a reporting officer."

"Right - a demotion. How could I forget? Kane said it himself."

"Yes, but not in my eyes." He leaned down and rested the forehead of his mask against hers. "You're going to help me track down this pirate and arrest them once and for all. I have complete faith in you."

"Oh? Is this the mighty Deacon, telling me that he isn't going to work alone ? How long did it take you to come to this decision?"

He moved forward and hugged his girlfriend tightly, inhaling under his mask so he could enjoy her perfume. This was the first voyage of his he would go without his pack of cigarettes, and he was quite proud of it. He wouldn't need them and he could find peace in something else now. He was going to sleep beside her every night. He couldn't believe his job could get any better - but it did.

"As long as it took me to find you," He whispered. He dearly wished he could take off his bauta and kiss her right about now, but they had work to get to. He let go and stepped back, giving her room to stand from the bed. "We should set sail now. We have a prisoner to catch."

"A prisoner to catch together." She corrected him.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Of course."

THE END