Chapter Text
“Get up lazy ass”
Chip rolled over in his bed to see Jay standing next to him, hands her hips. Chip sat up and rubbed his face tiredly.
“Jay what the” Chip said with a yawn.
“Get up and get dressed. It’s an important day” Jay said turning around and walking towards the door. She turned back around to see Chip’s confused face. She sighed. “Look at the day stupid” she said before walking out and closing the door.
Chip begrudgingly got out of bed, the wooden boards cold under his feet. Shuffling along, Chip made his way over to his sort of calendar. Picking it up, Chip squinted down at the numbers, before locating the day. Under it was one bullet point for the day,
“Happy anniversary!”
Chip’s eyes widened.
He rushed over to his closet and threw on clean clothes. Running over to his desk, he pulled out a hidden key from underneath a plant on said desk. He leaned down, unlocked a drawer, and pulled out a small box. Chip walked over to a mirror in the corner of his room. Taped to the corner of it was a picture of Gillion and Chip laughing. Flipping the picture over revealed a date written on the back. The same date on the calendar except for one difference.
The year has increased by one.
One year ago on this same day the two of them had officially started dated. After traveling together for a year and a half, the two finally admitted their feelings, much to the other 4 crew members excitement.
“You guys owe me 5 copper” Jay had said with a smile once the two said that they had both sort of confessed at the same time. Apparently the rest of the crew had a bet lasting a few months over who would confess to who. Ollie was confident it would be Chip while Earl and Pretzel believed it would be Gillion.
Jay had said “Those two idiots are gonna either happen to do it at the same time or never do it all”.
Returning to his desk, Chip opened the box and placed the photo inside it. Chip walked towards his door with the box under his arm. Letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, Chip swung the door open and walked up stairs.
On the main deck was most of crew except for Earl who Chip figured was in the kitchen based on the noise coming from it. Ollie was sitting on a barrel with Pretzel in his hands. Pretzel’s tentacles were sticking and unsticking themselves from Ollie’s face causing the younger boy to laugh. On the opposite side of the deck from Chip was Jay leaning against the mass talking to… Gillion.
Gill had his back to Chip but Chip could still tell from the triton’s mannerisms that he was nervous. His head was tilted down and he seemed to be fidgeting with something that he held in his hand. Chip couldn’t help but let a smile form on his face as he thought of his favorite way to distract Gill.
Chip puffed out his chest and called out, “INCOMING!”, before sprinting towards Jay and Chip. By the Gillion spun around, Chip was half way across the desk. Chip watched Gillion’s eyes widen. Jay laughed and stepped out of the way of Chip’s direction and towards Ollie. Ollie had only spared a glance before turning back to Pretzel. After all, this wasn’t a rare sight.
Chip was only a few feet away from Gillion before jumping the rest of the way and wrapping his arms around Gill’s neck. Gillion caught Chip, almost falling over in the process.
“G’morning!” Chip said casually to Gillion.
“Ah good morning Chip! Happy anniversary to you too” Gillion said with a chuckle.
Just then, the door to the kitchen swung open and out walked old man Earl.
“Food’s ready” Earl yelled out. He turned towards Gillion and Chip and raised an eye brow. “Lovebirds need food too chop chop” He said before going back inside.
Jay, Ollie, and Pretzel followed quickly behind, eager to eat. Gillion placed Chip down and went to follow the others but Chip grabbed his hand before he could.
“Wait Gill! I’ve got something for you” Chip said excitedly and he held out the box in his hands to his boyfriend.
“Oh! I’ve gotten something for you too” Gillion said handing a small drawstring bag that Chip had noticed him fidgeting with earlier. The two exchanged the gifts and Chip pulled out of the bag an earring.
It was a dangling earring that had a teardrop shaped pendant that had a sort of swirling blue and green sparkling liquid in it. It was beautiful and Chip could feel as though his gift paled in comparison. His fears were put to rest once he looked back up at Gillion.
The triton’s eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open as he shuffled through the boxes contents. Gillion looked back up at Chip, his eyes sparkling.
“You kept it all?” Gillion said softly.
“Yeah… it’s like a memory box for the past year… ya like?” Chip said nervously.
“I love it Chip, it’s perfect”, Gillion said staring at the boxes contents.
“And your earring?” Gillion said whipping his head up, “I know you never change yours because of its value but I thought you might like it..” Gillion trailed off nervously.
Chip reached up to touch the golden axe earring he wore constantly. It was a gift from Arlin.
His family.
He looked down at the new earring. It was a gift from Gill.
Who was also his family.
Chip began to tear up.
“Oh Chip I’m so sorry I didn’t know” Gillion said panicking. “I can take it back if you don’t-“
“If you take this from me Gill, I’ll cut your hand off” Chip said quickly before letting out a chuckle, “I love it, it’s perfect”.
Chip stood up on his tippy toes and planted a small kiss on Gillion’s forehead where lines of worry had appeared because of his fear of upsetting Chip. Gillion’s faced smoothed out and Chip walked past him towards the door to the kitchen.
“Hungry?”
“Yes” and Gillion followed behind quickly.
The day was relatively normal.
I’m Gillion dug through the box during breakfast and would occasionally pull out a particular item and start talking about it as if all the people in the room hadn’t been there for it. There was the general busy work for a typical day on the ship, ropes, sails, repairs if necessary.
Chip had managed to convince Gillion to a break for lunch for (Gillion would insist he didn’t need to eat lunch so often it also became routine until Chip got on his case more) and the two sat with fruit sandwiches in the crows nest. The day flew by after that and after dinner, Gillion and Chip laid out on the deck alone staring up at the stars.
The two had developed a game after figuring out the oversea and undersea had very different names for constellations. The game was simple, one of them would point out a particular combination of stars and the other would name the constellation. Usually it was a humorous game where Chip would produce some joke to go along with his answers and then be forced to explain it to his undersea partner.
Tonight was different however. The answers were softer, more genuine. The final constellation was one Chip pointed out.
His raised his hand above their heads to trace a set of stars the seemed to be two lines crossing over before curving back to the center.
“What about that one Gill?” Chip said lightly, letting his hand drop back down.
Gillion stared up at the glittery sky for a moment before slowly moving his hand slowly towards Chip’s. He reached out and interlocked his pinky with Chip’s.
“The Promised” Gillion said quietly.
Chip tighter his pinky and Gillion returned the gesture. The two laid for a moment more before standing up. The two wordlessly walked over to Chip’s quarters, fingers still locked. Once they arrived right outside the door, Gillion leaned in and planted a kiss on the top of Chip’s head.
“Good night, my destiny” The triton said before letting go of the hold and walking away.
Chip sat on his bed in the faint glow of a candle.
In his hand was the earring Gillion gifted him.
The earring looked just like Gillion’s eyes, blue and green and sparkling like the sea. It was full of life, just like Gillion. Slowly, Chip removed the golden axe earring hanging from his ear. He placed both earring on his night table.
“I’ll wear it tomorrow for Gill, he’ll love it” Chip thought right before he blew the candle out and laid down for bed.
A little over a year ago had been his last nightmare.
A month before he and Gillion confessed.
That had been the last nightmare.
And yet the moment Chip woke with a start, dripping sweat, unable to remember why he was panicking so much, he knew they had returned.
He also knew he hadn’t just scared himself awake, he could have sworn he had heard something down the hall.
But silence followed. He tried to sleep again but couldn’t.
Or maybe he didn’t want to.
A little over a year ago was the last time Gillion had heard from Caspian.
Chip’s attitude towards the affair had really shaken him and he thought perhaps is he stopped communicating to them, they wouldn’t think to communicate with him.
It was foolish to think, but it gave hope. Hope that he could stay with his crew and be happy.
And yet when he the shell start to rattle loudly near his barrel, he knew that he had really known all along that it was futile.
He quickly extended an arm out of his barrel and brought the shell in with him. The second he touched the shell the rattling stopped and how he could hear a voice coming out.
It had always been his destiny and Gill was not one to stray away from destiny, but never more had he wanted to throw the shell against the wall and watch it shatter. And he almost did. He raised his arm out the water of his barrel, and leaned it back ready to let it go sailing.
But… Gillion’s wrist burned.
As if taking it out of the water meant he was instead putting it in fire. He nearly dropped the shell in his hurry to get his arm back in the water. Gillion looked down at his wrist.
“Hello? Gillion are you there?”
Gillion gagged.
“…yes I am”
Gillion tried to sleep again but couldn’t.
Or maybe he didn’t want to.