Rafael stared at him for a long moment, the sun warm on his skin, the sea whispering behind him, and Gregoris's words still echoing with that infuriating calm conviction.
Then he scoffed, a sound more breath than laughter.
"You're unbearable," he said, turning toward the water. "I'm going to float. You can… assess the tide or something."
He had taken only a few steps when Gregoris moved. His hand closed around Rafael's wrist, stopping him. Rafael found himself turned back, drawn into the solid line of Gregoris's body, the warmth of him cutting through the sea breeze.
For a heartbeat, Gregoris simply held him there.
Rafael felt how his posture softened by a fraction, the rigid edge of the commander easing into something more attentive, more… careful.
"You can go in the water," Gregoris said, voice lower now. "In a moment."
Rafael tilted his head up, irritation still there, but threaded with something else he couldn't quite name. "You're doing this on purpose."
"Yes."
