Chapter Text
The next day, they reached the cove where Rhys' ship was moored. His crew worked to pull the tank out of the wagon with no small amount of effort, particularly since Mor and Cassian had not yet returned. In the end, Feyre agreed for the tank to be tipped over, and for Rhys to carry her out in his arms.
Feyre could breathe the air okay, just couldn't dry out. So as Rhys waded into the ocean, she looked back at where Azriel and Amren were now moving their things back on to the ship. They had said their goodbyes already, and would now wait for everyone else to get back before sailing off. The ship itself was fairly small, with dark wood panelling. Amren was now hoisting a skull and cross bones flag, and Feyre noticed the skull was grinning.
"What's it like being a pirate?" she asked Rhys. Out of the water, her voice sounded scratchy and hoarse.
"It's not a bad life," Rhys responded. Her fingers trailed over the muscles of his chest, and the water sloshed around his legs as he walked. "Answer to no one, not bound by state law or property lines. We just go wherever we please. And no one bothers us. The difficult part is finding things to fill the time, actually. We weren't into looting, so now we mostly do rescue missions." He gave Feyre a rakish grin.
"And, you're the captain, right?"
"I am," Rhys replied.
"So the crew goes where you tell them to?"
"I like to think we have more of a democratic system, but sometimes that's true, yes."
"And, do you find yourself ever returning to the same places?" she asked. He pressed a kiss to her temple.
"All the time," he said.
Rhys was now standing chest deep in the water, and he gently let Feyre down. She grabbed onto his shoulders, and pulled herself up to meet his eyes.
"I live in the Rainbow Reef," she told him, and then kissed him long and sweet. "Thank you, Captain Rhys. You will always be welcome in my home."
And then she let go of him and swam away, swam as fast as she could all the way home.
----
It was six weeks before Rhys and his crew came to Feyre's reef.
She had not really expected him to visit, after all, they had known each other only two or three days. And he had the whole ocean to reside in.
But she was out past the edge of the reef one day, collecting molluscs when an enormous shadow passed over head. Feyre had frowned upward, thinking it was a strange time of year for whales to be passing through. Then she realised it was a ship, and a little way away it dropped anchor. Thoughtfully far enough from the reef itself to be likely to damage any structures.
Feyre swam to the surface and popped her head out, always curious about visitors to the area. It was a bad habit, and one that had gotten her captured when it was Tamlin's ship coming through. But she was so intrigued every time. So up she came, trying to be more subtle about it at least. When she saw the pirate flag, she grinned as broadly as the skull face on it, and sped toward it.
Rhys dropped into the water before Feyre reached the ship. He saw her coming toward him, gave her that stunning white smile, and opened his arms. When Feyre barrelled into him, he laughed, and the vibrations of it where their bodies pressed together were such a delight.
"Hello, Feyre darling," he said, and kissed her like the sun setting down on the horizon.