The sound of soft, deep breathing filled the cabin. He put the plates gently on his desk which had a raised lip to keep things from sliding off from the motion of the waves.

Finn had moved since Xan had left. Instead of being curled up on his side against the wall he was now curled up in the spot Xan had vacated. He couldn’t blame the kid, he’d likely left a nice warm spot to take over. His face was shoved down into the pillow and he had burrowed deeper into the blankets so that all Xan could see was a tuft of wild curls sticking out of the top.

He felt guilty at the thought of waking the kid, but he didn’t want him to miss out on a warm meal. He quietly crept over until he was next to the twisted cocoon of blankets. Finn really had made himself a nice little nest.

He placed a hand on where he thought a shoulder might be and gave a gentle shake. In return he got a soft groan, a slight shift, and then silence.

He gave another and kept his voice soft.

“Finn, Fiiiiinnnn. You need to wake up. I brought food. Come on, you need to wake up now.”

Slowly from the cocoon a head poked out. Soft curls were sticking in all directions. Xan was barely keeping his laughter contained. Another soft groan and then two dark, sleep heavy eyes blinked blearily up at him.

“Come on sleepy head. It’s morning and I brought breakfast.” Xan moved back toward the two plates sitting on his desk.

Finn seemed to be getting more of his wits about him. He stared around groggily, a deep crease in his brow. He stared at the bed and how far he’d migrated, he stared at the cabin as if remembering where he was and then he stared at Xan and the two plates on the table as if he couldn’t believe what was going on.

Finn slowly untangled himself from the sheets, and the absolutely twisted mess he’d made. He gave a lazy stretch before making the small jump off the bed and putting his feet flat on the floor. Xan could see the slight wince cross his face when he felt the cold wood on his feet before hesitantly making his way over to Xan and the food.

Xan had several siblings, all sisters. He’d never had a brother, but he’d always wondered what it would be like. He watched Finn slowly stagger across the floor, clothes ill fitted and hanging limply, the wildest bedhead he’d ever seen, eyes still a little fuzzy and heavy with sleep, and possibly a little dried drool at the corner of his mouth. It reminded him of when his younger sisters were small and would come to breakfast in a similar fashion.

Maybe having a little brother wouldn’t have been as different as he’d always imagined. At the moment it was equal parts endearing and amusing.

Finn eyed him warily. Like he didn’t truly believe he would be given food and was surprised every time it happened.

To be fair Finn was still hesitant about the pirate and what he wanted. So far Xan had been fairly accommodating and kind, but how long would that last? His reservations were not unfounded. Xan was a pirate and he had bought Finn. He wanted to believe Xan only wanted to help him, but he knew there was always a motive.

Everyone wanted something from you. Always.