Work Text:
Sleep
After they had captured the ship, all of the pirate crew were prone to sleeping on the rather draughty boat. Because several rooms were not suitable for living, Uma decided that Harry and Gil were to live in the more spacious (and safe) captain's quarters with her (that was the official reason anyway). The three got used to sleeping in one bed, curled around each other. Listening to three heartbeats, feeling two sources of warmth around them, hearing two people breathing in sync with them. They all got so used to this that after Uma left for Auradon, Harry and Gil lay in bed every night, wide awake.
Harry took to taking "sleeping pills" their ship doctor had handed to him- he didn't want to drink, but it was an open secret that the doc's pills were just the hardest alcohol the Isle had held together by thick and hard bread crusts. Gil, on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to do the same. Instead he lay awake night for night listening to Harry's noises and wondering where and how Uma was. By the time the royal guard took them to Uma, ( "or straight to the royal torture chamber", Harry grumbled from the limousine seat) heavy black bags had developed under Gil's eyes and fatigue overcame him frequently, any notion of sleep was disturbed by heavy night terrors that startled him awake, his mouth opened in a (sometimes silent, sometimes loud) scream.
The crowd that greeted them at Auradon prep was rather small: only King Ben, Mal and Uma herself were there to greet them. Harry and Gil climbed (or in Gil's case it was more like crawling) out of the car. "Captain", Harry murmured and nodded at Gil. The sea witch took in Gil's fatigued figure and the bags under his eyes and, with an impatient gesture, sent away Ben and Mal. The King looked as if he wanted to protest, but Mal simply dragged him along with her, hissing: "Let's leave them alone for today, you can do your kingly duties tomorrow."
Uma waited until the pair was a few steps away on to nearly rush to her two... lovers? Boyfriends? Damn Auradon for introducing her to the different types of emotions! She wrapped an arm around Gil's waist and pulled him against her body, noting sadly that he leaned against her heavily. Harry decided to join their embrace and wrapped his arms around their waists, supporting Uma in carrying Gil's body weight. Uma silently said: "Do you want to go to your room now? I can just give you the tour later." "I think, that would be best for our boy", Harry answered. The three quietly made their way towards Uma's room, being careful to avoid any attention since Uma and Harry didn't want anybody to see Gil so vulnerable.
Uma opened the door to her dorm and together, she and Harry pulled the half- asleep Gil onto the bed. Gil blinked tiredly and murmured: "I... I don't know why I'm so tired." "Because you haven't slept since Uma left for Auradon, treasure", Harry answered quietly, sounding vaguely amused: "But now our captain is back, so sleep." Gil turned his head slightly to look at them, trying to grab her arm weakly, missing her by a few centimetres. "We're just going to undress you, okay? And then sleep." Gentle hands tugged at Gil's clothing, ridding him of the unbendable leather, leaving him naked under the covers. He curled up and only half consciously noticed that Harry and Uma had settled down next to him, wearing Harry's old shirts. Uma smiled down at the sleeping form of her partner and stroked his hair gently. "I'm sorry I left you", she whispered, looking at Gil intensely, ignoring Harry's gaze.
Harry smiled (without his usually maniac edge) and his hand joined hers stroking Gil. "We know why you did it and we forgive you. It was just hard", he put her hand into his gently and rested them on Gil's head, stroking his scalp with their thumbs. They lay down completely and curled into Gil's warmth, their hands now resting on his hip. The trio fell asleep smiling, content with themselves and ready for exploring Auradon in the next days. At one point during the night Gil woke up, not expecting to fall asleep again. But when he saw Uma lying next to him and heard her breathing, he fell asleep again, utterly happy.