Mal's POV

Ben nuzzles himself closer to me and I sigh in content. We're currently having our first date at a lake in the middle of the woods with stone ruins.

"Are you warm enough?" he asks gently, and I nod against his chest. I had just jumped in the water because I thought Ben might of drowned, but he ended up saving me instead. I pull his jacket closer and put my arms through the sleeves.

"I'm sorry about that" he says guiltily and hugs me closer.

"It's okay" I say calmly, leaning up and kissing his cheek.

"Remind me to teach you how to swim" he says and I laugh.

"I actually wouldn't mind never going into water ever again if you don't mind" I say playfully and he lets out a small laugh.

"But it'd be more fun to swim with you" he whines and I giggle.

"Alright I'll make you a deal" I say with a playful smirk.

"What kind of deal?" he asks curiously, shifting our position so we're looking at each other.

"If you do workouts with me I'll do swimming lessons with you" I propose, and he grins at the idea.

"Deal" he says happily, rubbing his nose against mine. I laugh and playfully nip on his bottom lip, causing him to let out a small moan. He kisses me gently and for a moment nothing else exists.

"How'd I get so lucky for you to say yes?" he pants, resting his forehead against mine. We've been dating for two weeks and have basically become inseparable.

"I think I'm the lucky one" I say before moving to kiss his forehead. He closes his eyes as my lips are about touch his skin, and opens them slowly when I lean back down. He hugs me to him again and I playfully push him on to his back.

"What are you doing?" he laughs as he looks up at me.

"Enjoying the view" I say before leaning down and kissing him. He kisses back and gently holds on to my waist. After a moment he rolls us on to our sides and we cuddle up on the blanket holding our picnic.

"This has been a perfect first date" I say softly and he smiles at me.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it" he says, drawing me closer to him.

"Wanna get started on those swimming lessons?" he asks with a smile and I frown slightly.

"But I don't have anything to swim in" I point out, gesturing to my still damp dress.

"I packed an extra T-shirt and some shorts just incase" he says bashfully, and I laugh at the light blush coloring his cheeks.

"Alright go ahead and get in the water, but no peaking!" I say warningly and he laughs before giving me a quick kiss and walking off. I quickly get changed into the spare clothes and look at the water nervously.

"Ready?" I hear Ben call out, and I look up to see him on the little ledge he jumped from earlier.

"Ready as I'll ever be" I call out nervously and he canonball's into the water again. He quickly swims over to the ledge of the ruins I'm standing next to and looks up at me, the water just below his waist.

"It's alright I'm right here" he says encouragingly as he opens arms for me. I just continue to look on nervously as I lower myself to the ground and lower my legs into the water.

"I-I change my mind" I stutter as my heart begins to beat faster.

"Hey hey" he says soothingly, moving in front of me and gently rubbing my knees.

"I'm right here, I won't let anything hurt you" he promises and I begin taking deep breaths to calm down.

"Okay" I say in a small voice and he frowns slightly.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea" he says and I see a little dissapointment in his eyes.

"No! No it's okay" I say quickly, I don't wanna dissapoint him. He holds my hips and helps lower me into the water.

"It's okay, you're being so brave for me love" he says gently as he wraps his arms around me after he makes sure my legs are wrapped tightly around his waist. He slowly walks backwards so we're a chest deep in the water.

"I've got you, I won't let you go I promise" he says before kissing my cheek.

"I-I believe you" I stutter before nuzzling my face into his neck and closing my eyes. I sigh into his neck and he cuddles me closer to him.

"This is all I wanted, for you to give being in water a chance" he says before kissing my jaw and I open my eyes.

"You don't have to swim, I don't mind just holding you like this" he says as he carefully bends down so the water is below our shoulders. I let out a shaky breath and try not to panic.

"You alright? Do you want me to stand up?" he asks me concerned. I don't trust my voice so I just nod my head, tightening my arms around his neck. Without another words he tightens his grip around my waist and stands back up so the water isn't so high up against me.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you to do this" he mumbles, and I don't need to be able to see him to know he has a guilty expression on his face.

"It's okay" I mumble against his neck, causing him to shiver.

"Wanna finish our picnic?" he asks sweetly and I smile.

"Yes please" I say, turning my head so I can kiss his cheek. He shifts me in his arms so he's holding me bridal style and I giggle as he carries me back to the ruins and places me down on the stone structure before pulling himself up and shaking water out of his hair. He puts his jacket back around my shoulders and we sit across from each other on the soft blue blanket. We smile at each other and eat pieces of fruit as we talk about a bunch of little things.

"Um...Ben" I say seriously after a moment, wanting to explain why I don't like water.

"Yes Mal?" he says, and I see a bit of worry in his eyes.

"Listen...about me not wanting to swim-" I begin to say.

"No no, don't worry about it" he says soothingly, shaking his head.

"I want to tell you why I'm scared of water" I continue and his eyes widen in surprise.

"It was a long time ago...I was seven, maybe eight years old" I start, and the memory comes flooding back.

"I was on the docks by Pirate Bay and my now ex friend Uma and I had had a falling out months before" I continue, trying my best to block out the memory.

"She shoved me because she was angry about something, I don't even remember what about anymore" I say, shaking my head.

"I lost my balance and fell into the water, I tried calling to her for help as I struggled to keep my head above the surface" I say and tears start sliding down his cheeks.

"She just stood there and watched as if it was the funniest thing in the world, and after a moment my head went under the water again and I couldn't get it back up, everything became dark and I was starting to lose consiousness" I say while looking down at my lap. Ben sniffles and I look up to see him silently crying. He holds his arms open for me and I take the hint. I crawl on to his lap and he holds me close to him, as if he needs to be reasurred that I'm here with him and not at the bottom of the ocean.

"The last thing I remember is waking up to a soaked Harry Hook giving me CPR and his older sister Harriet screaming her head off at Uma" I finish with a shrug as I blink away my own tears, nuzzling my face against his shoulder. He lets out a low whine and holds me impossibly closer as he buries his face into my neck, and I feel his warm tears dampen my neck.

"Shhh it's alright, I'm still here" I say soothingly, running my fingers through his hair.

"You're safe with me I swear, I'll never stop protecting you" he promises before kissing my jaw. And I cup his cheeks with both hands before leaning forward and kissing him sweetly.