@cptbonnet sent a message in a bottle: ❝ just let me look at you for a little bit. ❞ // at lucius, no bc if u don’t think he is panicked post season before he finds lucius and has him safe again… / IT’S ALL ABOUT THE YEARNING.
HE’S A LITTLE SURPRISED. sure, being tossed overboard was just a wee bit traumatic, but he survived it fine. it’s not like he’s the only one on this crew to have unspeakably horrible && decidedly fatal things happen to him while walking away without barely a scratch. since then, he’s just been hiding out — but then again, almost no one knows that, do they? as far as stede’s concerned, he died. tossed overboard && left to drown. so even in his confusion, as the captain grasps his upper arms && holds him there, looking at him critically && intently until he’s certain lucius is alright, he just sort of stands there && lets it happen.
there are worse things, lucius figures, then having someone who cares about you.
“uh, captain,” he finally says, when he feels like this has stretched on long enough, “while i’m normally quite alright being looked at, i’m understandably not feeling very pretty at the moment && i’m starting to get a little freaked out here, so can you, uh—” he gently removes himself from stede’s iron grip. “i’m fine. see? all good.”