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It was one of those days on the ocean where the sun relentlessly beat down without a cloud in sight to even attempt to give a reprieve from the heat and glare off the water. Gillion hated those kinds of days. It felt like his skin was burning, and his usual dampness was completely gone. On those days, he stayed in the captain’s quarters with many apologies to Chip and Jay, who were left to man the Albatross without him. He felt terrible about it; however, there was very little that he could do out there without fainting from heatstroke.
He wasn’t just sitting in the captain’s quarters, though! After rescuing Marshal John from The Block, things on the ship had been a bit… chaotic . Everyone was high-strung about the possibility of the Navy finding them on their way to All-Port, so none of the captains had much time to maintain any semblance of organization in their quarters. Gillion decided that he would use his time stuck under the deck gathering laundry, cleaning the floor, and properly shelving their belongings.
Gillion himself didn’t have much-- simply his armor and barrel sat in the corner across from the hatch to come down. There wasn’t much of a need for him to do much there. The area around Chip’s hammock, however, was a mess that not even Gillion had the words to describe. His clothes all sat in a large pile in the corner, and his assorted weapons and tools were scattered on the floor under the hammock. The only thing that could even be considered somewhat kept was the box that he stored his jewelry in. It was only a few gold bracelets and necklaces that they’d picked up along the way, but they were set in a way to not get tangled. Gillion could respect that.
So, standing before the most difficult beast that Gillion had encountered thus far, he decided to start with the pile of clothes. He moved Chip’s extra pair of boots to the side and began to scoop the mound into his arms. It was a bit of a struggle to hold it all, but he managed it easily enough. He stood swiftly and turned to walk to the basket he’d acquired from the kitchen when he heard a loud thunk on the floor. Gillion turned his body to look at the floor in front of him. Sitting there was a glass bottle about the size of a flask but with a bit more depth and an odd silver cap. The liquid inside was a light, rosy pink that seemed to move and shift with white sparkling particles. There’s a vague memory of Chip buying the potion from Braxton back on Joaldo Island, but he couldn’t remember exactly what it did.
Gillion deposited the clothes in the basket and took the bottle into his hands. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, he tried to twist the cap off to at least attempt to figure out what it was. And he did twist the cap. For about a minute. And it just kept spinning with no progress toward coming off. Gillion’s head tilted on instinct, and he brought the bottle closer to his face. The cap seemed loose, and it wiggled a bit when he tried to pull it off like a cork, but it still refused to open.
“Interesting…” he mumbled to himself as he turned the bottle over. On the other side of the cap was a small circular engraving or something of the sort, but he couldn’t make out what it was supposed to be. He brought his face even closer-- close enough that he could see his breath condensing on the cool glass. Gillion squinted. The engraving didn’t become any clearer. He went to turn the cap once more to get the lamplight to shine on it, but his fingers slipped on the smooth metal and pressed the cap down.
A sudden blast of the potion hit his face, leading Gillion to fall to the floor in surprise. After a second, quick footsteps echoed on the deck overhead, and he watched as Chip dropped himself into the captain’s quarters, disregarding the ladder completely.
“Gil, are you okay?” Chip rushed while his boots hit the floor with a soft clack . “I heard-- is that the love potion from Joaldo?”
Gillion glanced between Chip and the bottle for a moment; a slight smile growing on his face. “I suppose so. I don’t think it works, though. You’re the first person I saw, and I don’t feel any different.” He shrugged. “Maybe it… What was that word you use in the Oversea? Expired ?”
Chip frowned. “Huh. That sucks; I paid a lot for that.”
“It’ll be alright, Chip. There is no doubt in my mind that you will plan another great adventure and make up what you have lost!” Gillion pushed himself up and moved to set his hand on his companion’s shoulder. This close, he could see a light sunburn on Chip’s nose and cheeks that accentuated their already rosy nature. The freckles dusting his face were also darker and more pronounced. It was almost entrancing, and Gillion’s hand moved up to Chip’s chin. His fingers settled just behind his jaw, and he used the base of his thumb to tilt his head down ever so slightly so he could get a better look. “You have such beautiful freckles. They look like stars on your face. I wonder what constellations could be made with them…”
Chip’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to reply, but Jay poked her head down the hatch before he could get anything out. She made a slightly amused face and asked, “What’s going on?”
Gillion looked up at her, not moving his hand. “I accidentally sprayed myself in the face with that love potion that Chip had bought, but it didn’t work. I feel the same as I usually do.”
Jay blinked. She pulled her head up and climbed down as well. Her smile was wide. “Gil, what’s something that you admire about Chip?”
“Oh, that’s easy!” Gillion chirped, turning back to Chip. “Although he doesn’t show it often, he has a kind and generous heart, and he will never betray those he loves.”
Chip stood extremely still, and he continued to simply gawk at Gillion. Jay snickered.
“Alright. And what do you think is Chip’s most defining feature?”
Gillion brought his hand to rake through his companion’s brown locks and rest at the back of his neck. “When the sunlight catches his hair, it shines a fantastic gold that rivals even the finest of jewelry.”
“Do you love him?”
“Undoubtedly.”
Jay huffed a short laugh. “Well, I think we’ve collected enough data to come to a conclusion.”
“What do you mean?” Gillion asked, tilting his head as he looked at her.
“Gillion Tidestrider, you absolute idiot,” she began, “you don’t feel any different because you’re already head-over-heels for Chip.”
Gillion blinked a few times, and then looked between Chip’s shocked expression and Jay’s pleased one a few times. “Oh.” His gaze landed on Chip, who looked like he couldn’t believe what was happening in the slightest.
“Yep! Well, I’m gonna give you two a bit of alone time. Bye!” And with that, Jay returned to the deck and her duties.
A tense silence settled between the two remaining captains as they stared at each other. Just as Gillion was about to pull his hand back to his side in embarrassment, Chip blurted, “You’re in love with me? For real?”
Heat rose to Gillion’s cheeks, and he looked at his feet. “I suppose so. In the Undersea, I was never… I wasn’t allowed to form any relationships besides my family, so I guess that I didn’t recognize what I was feeling. I truly apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable in any way. I didn’t mean to--”
“Gillion.” Chip interjected, using the tips of his fingers to gently tilt Gillion’s chin up. A sweet, soft smile tugged at the corners of Chip’s lips instead of his usual cocky grin. Brown eyes met blue. “I love you, too.”
For the second time in five minutes, all Gillion could manage was a quiet, “Oh.”
“Can I kiss you?”
“Yes.”
Chip led Gillion’s face to meet his, and the tension that had built up in the Triton’s shoulders melted away. The kiss was short, and Chip had chapped lips, and Gillion clutched at the other’s shirt like a child, but… It was sweet and soft and real .
As they parted, Gillion opened his eyes to see Chip’s wide grin and the deep blush that colored his face. He smiled back and pulled Chip in for a tight hug. Gillion supposed the potion had worked, after all.