7. Lucky
Lucky
The first thing Lucky did after Antonio dropped him off at the marina was text his dad. The second thing he did was a happy dance in a circle, completely ignoring the people getting ready for a day on the water. He felt like he was floating.
A bit of back and forth confirmed that his dad wouldn’t be able to come work on the boat right away, so Lucky caught the bus back home.
He listened to music and watched the island slide by the window.
The beaches were full, covered in colorful umbrellas and beach towels.
Residents went about their day while the tourists soaked up the sun and the island carried on as she always had.
He got off the bus far from the bustling tourist centers. Rosaria was a residential town, quiet and flush with nature. Lizards scrambled up stone walls as he walked by, and bird calls could be heard through his headphones. It was peaceful.
Unlocking the front gate, Lucky hopped across the rainbow paving stones to the door.
Home was a quaint two-floor house with a small front yard and gated driveway.
The house was painted yellow a long time ago, but the vibrant color had faded significantly.
In the past year, they had painted the window frames and doors bright red.
“Took you long enough!” He was ambushed as soon as he stepped inside. Long arms wrapped around him and he got a mouthful of black hair.
“Jackie! What are you doing home? Shouldn’t you be helping dad at the center?” Lucky laughed, hugging his brother back.
“I had a dental appointment today, remember?” Jack tugged his cheek back, showing off the shiny new gold crown.
“Right! Shit… Are you okay, no pain?” He cupped Jack’s face.
“A little tenderness now that the numbing stuff is wearing off, but overall fine.” Jack huffed, batting his hands away.
Lucky let his twin drag him over the couch. He let his bag drop beside it before plopping down onto the well-worn green cushions. He sprawled over Jack’s lap, reaching up to toy with one of the gold hair accessories woven into Jack’s hair. “Shall we take a nap then, enjoy a rare lazy afternoon?”
“A nap sounds lovely,” Jack grinned, “but only after you tell me everything about last night! Dad said you were with Antonio Saavedra. How the hell did that happen?”
“The Turtle Top’s engine stalled.” He smiled sheepishly.
“I told you she needed repairs.” Jack chided.
“I know, I know… She’s been chugging for a while but really it’s not everyday I get to swim with orcas!” The justification didn’t win him any favors as Jack’s wicked fingers teased his sides. Lucky laughed and squirmed until Jack relented.
“I’ll help you fix her this weekend.” Jack sighed, “But that’s not important, how did you end up going home with the captain of the SAR squad?” Lucky laughed again as Jack shook him.
“I’d finish the story if you waited a second.” Lucky flicked Jack’s cheek.
“Fine, fine, I’m all ears.”
For good measure, Lucky tugged Jack’s ear before continuing. “I put out a mayday since I knew it would be hours before dad could come for me. To my surprise, Antonio was off duty and within range. He offered to tow me to the marina.”
“What kind of boat does the good captain drive?” Jack’s curiosity knew no bounds.
“Something fast and sleek. No refurbished fishing boat, that’s for sure.” He snorted, “She’s named the Sleeping Siren. You can check her out online, I’m sure.”
“Or I could just ask him about it, assuming you intend on seeing him again.” Jack teased.
Lucky covered his face with his hands, but he knew it was too late. Jack absolutely saw his blush. “…He listened to me talk about rays the entire drive back. And then asked me to give him more animal facts when I invited him for drinks. He asked about my favorite animal, Jackie.”
Jack whistled. “Wow… Okay so he’s actually perfect, maybe, kinda sounds like it. Just saying. But how was he in bed?” Jack pried Lucky’s hands away from his face.
He was certain his cheeks were as red as his hair.
Jack’s whiskey eyes sparkled with amusement, gold flecked just like his hair and his ears and his fingers and his wrists.
“You would focus on that!” Lucky huffed, but then sighed with a small smile, “It was magical, Jack. He took me to his home, and we kissed and he smelled like magnolia flowers! He didn’t even mind when I took charge… ”
“My baby brother, putting alphas on their backs…” Jack wiped a fake tear, “You’ve grown so much.”
“Oh my god shut up, we’re literally twins!” Lucky shoved Jack’s face away.
A bit of hand-fighting turned into another tickle torture.
By the time he begged for mercy, they were both breathless and laughing.
Sitting up for a moment, Lucky let Jack stretch out beside him even if they didn’t really fit anymore.
Limbs tangled together to make the best use of the narrow couch.
Nose to nose, he breathed in Jack’s comforting cinnamon scent.
“So, will you see him again?” Jack asked softly, tone becoming a bit more serious.
“I think so. I’d like to, anyway. I gave him my number, but…
Who knows when he’ll get around to calling.
He’s got people to save, old ladies to help, and kittens to pull from trees.
” The search and rescue team were popular for so much more than saving tourists.
“Maybe it’ll just be a really nice memory. ”
“Oh, how melancholy you are.” Jack huffed, squeezing him tighter. “You’re beautiful and sweet and if you say it was a good night then he would be a fool not to text you.”
“We’ll see.” Lucky was grateful for Jack’s assurances but there really was no way to know.
“Besides, you’re busy too! When are you heading over to Tesoro to look for turtle nests?” The topic change was comforting.
“You always say the right things.” He poked Jack’s nose gently. “I wanted to go this week, but with the boat repairs I might have to wait.”
“You know, dad and I can take care of the boat.” Jack volunteered, “Why don’t you just worry about mom’s turtles, yeah?”
“It’s been twelve years since we released that clutch of Paradise Leatherbacks with mom.
It could be any year now. Assuming even one female survived, we should see a clutch laid in Tesoro.
” The clutch their mother carefully cultivated, the one they helped mom monitor when she was too sick to sit in the sun…
Lucky buried his face in Jack’s chest.
“It’ll happen, Lucky. I know it will.” Jack whispered into his hair, rubbing his back. “Like dad says, animals move at their own pace, all we can do is protect their environments and create the opportunities for change.”
“Nature has been doing her thing since before humans and she’ll keep flowing after humans are gone.
” Lucky continued, their father’s familiar speeches burned into their brains.
He gave the same one to every field trip and guided tour group.
“I’m gonna get these turtles to fuck even if it makes me go grey. ”
Jack cackled at the grumpy words. “I know you will.”
Conversation lulled. Laying down, listening to Jack’s breathing, and watching his brother’s eyes droop was almost enough to drag Lucky down. Until his phone chirped. The device vibrated insistently in his pocket, prompting him to free it much to Jack’s dismay.
A smile stretched across his face. “When we, ah, were…”
“Fucking?” Jack supplied.
Lucky didn’t know why he felt shy now, but he nodded, “He told me I sang like a canary for him. I told him canaries are yellow.”
Jack’s fingers immediately sank into his hair. “And you’re anything but yellow. Not a blond, and bold as they come.” Lucky butted his head into Jack’s hand affectionately.
“Look what he sent.” Turning the phone to his brother, he clicked on the video. A large cage with a small flock of bright red canaries, their sweet singing floating from the speaker. The birds flitted about and someone laughed in the background before the video cut off.
Jack whistled, “Wow. Well, you said he likes animal facts, right?”
“No, I said he listened to me ramble for several hours.” He corrected.
“And then he took you home and fucked your brains out.” The blunt words made Lucky flush.
“Okay yes. Your point?” He elbowed Jack in the side for good measure.
“My point, dear twin, is that you should invite him to look for turtle nests with you. Pack a picnic.” The suggestion wasn’t bad…
“Jackie… You’re my favorite brother.” Lucky rolled over to press a smacking kiss to his brother’s cheek.
“I’m your only brother!” Jack complained, nose wrinkling in disgust.
Lucky ignored him, holding his phone up. It took several deep breaths to organize his thoughts. “If you’re free sometime during the day this week, would you like to see first hand how turtle conservation is done?” He mumbled the words as he typed, earning an amused hum from Jack.
“You should use some emojis at least!” Lucky had to roll away from Jack to stop him from tapping the screen but for good measure, he added a turtle emoji. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
He pinned his phone to his chest so he wouldn’t stare at it. He wasn’t even sure five minutes had gone by when the phone chirped again. Jack stared at him expectantly. His heart thundered as he opened the conversation. He smiled so wide his cheeks hurt.
“He said yes!”