Chapter Text
Gillion waved to the ship he had spent so long on as it left the port. He would stay back this time, it had been decided many moons before that he would stay in this town the next time they wound up sailing into its harbor. It felt like the day would never come, but now that it had he felt a deep ache in his chest.
Jay had retired with Lizzie before him, so now the ship was filled with a new generation of pirates. New pirates who would sail the seas and keep the legacy of the Riptide Pirates alive. It was a sad realization, but he could not have been prouder of Ollie for taking over as captain, and of the rest of the crew who had left with a familiar spark of youth and wonder in their eyes.
The ship disappeared beyond the horizon, and he turned around to find home. He took the path into the woods and stepped into the clearing. There was a cottage here now, one he could spend the rest of his days in. Perhaps he would become a writer like his grandfather, or maybe a gardener. He had a long time, so he would probably try both.
The cottage was homely once cleaned up, instead of a bed there was a tank of water, and the bathtub was extra large to fit his stature. He swept away the dust and allowed himself to be content with what he had.
Every morning he would take a walk in the woods, ending by the tree with a bench where he would sit to collect his thoughts and meditate, a comforting habit he picked up on one of his adventures. Then he would walk back home, and continue the writing of a new book. He decided to record the old adventures of the Riptide Pirates, and of all the creatures he met along the way.
Today he was sketching a blue bird and the warm smile of a triton, written underneath was "Apple/Finn"
As he finished his sketch and began to color in the blue feathers he heard a hollow tap on his window.
He stood up and looked to the glass that rested over a pile of cushions he kept for the rare guest or traveler. In the round hole was the figure of a cat, Gillion never liked cats.
He walked over and opened the window, intending to shoo away the fiend, but instead it jumped past him into his home.
Confused and annoyed he tried his best to get the cat out, it was a siamese cat that jumped under and over his arms every time he reached for it. The cat landed in front of his sketchbook, filled with artwork of his old crew and friends. It pawed at the pages, flipping it open to a drawing of the person Gillion loved most.
Annoyed, Gillion snatched away the book while muttering a string of curse words, only briefly looking at the page it was open to. As it registered, he took a deeper look at the page. The smiling face of Chip stared at him from the book. A dashing replica with his scarred cheek and his golden earring, Gillion's heart ached at the sight.
His brain slowly connected the dots, a phrase repeating itself in his brain.
"I will always find you."
"Chip?" he wondered allowed, staring at the cat.
The cat only meowed in response, but walked towards Gill tentatively, before purring against his scaly skin.
Gillion picked the cat up carefully, its face had a familiar scar reaching up the cheek, and its ear was chipped. His heart seemed like it was beating so hard it could burst, and he held the cat closely.
"You kept your promise."
The car purred into his hands and in the back of his mind he heard a whisper, "I will. I always will."