Chapter Text
“Chip, you must keep better form if you ever want to land a hit on someone stronger than you. You cannot rely on sneaking up and dodging forever,” Gillion said, though it was more of a tease than actual judgment.
“I can do whatever I want, as long as it keeps me alive, can’t I?”
“How will you stay alive if you can never vanquish your enemies?”
“Oh, fuck off, I’ve kept alive doing that till now.”
“Solely because Jay and I have been there to help when you needed it”
“Nuh-uh, I can handle myself perfectly fine on my own.” Gill looked at Chip as he said this, constantly astounded by the bold statements Chip would give that he could only occasionally back up.
“Fine then, prove it.”
Chip seemed taken aback for a moment, spluttering out the beginnings of a few sentences, before landing on, “This won’t be like before, right? It’ll just be a training match, no ice arena ‘n shit?”
“Of course, a simple match between friends, whoever wins is the one who’s correct in this situation. Either you’re correct in your assumptions that you can continue to fight as you are without need for improvement, or I’m right, and you should attempt to learn some new things to better yourself on the battlefield.”
Chip stared at him, drumming his fingers across the hilts of his swords where he held them, before shoving one in its sheath to thrust out his hand towards Gill.
“You’ve got yourself a deal,” he said, as he shook Gill’s hand, nothing short of a mischievous glint in his eye, “But, there has to be some boundaries to keep this safe. First, no striking anything vital, no killing moves, obviously. If anyone says they forfeit, or taps out if unable to speak, then the whole fight stops immediately. Anything is fair game in the fight, swords, magic, whatever you want. Lastly, Jay gets to referee.”
Jay looked up from where she’d been stooped over her compass at the helm, trying to figure out the plan for their course to the nearest island, “Was that my name? You aren’t trying to drag me into your shit again are you, Chip? I’m not gonna cover for whatever your dumbass did this time.”
“Jeez, no need to be so harsh. No, you’re not gonna be involved, you just get to referee a training match between Gill and I.”
“Oh wait, I get to just watch you get your ass beat? Well fuck yeah, count me in.” Jay ran over, quickly finding a spot on the rails of the ship to perch on as she watched Chip and Gill get set up in position to start the fight. “Do I need to count you guys off or something?”
“Yes, please, Jay. Preferably a count of three.”
“Anything for you, Gill,” Jay winked over to him jokingly, and Gill laughed, before shifting into his stance to fight. “Alright guys. Three…”
Swords were raised to the ready position, held tight in steady hands.
“Two…”
Gillion’s hair began to lift ever so slightly, energy crackling across his coral crown, his eyes taking on that just-noticeable glow.
“One…”
Chip took a visible breath in, and slowly let it out. Inside that tiny movement, Gill could see the millions of ways in which Chip prepared his attack, the shifts in his stance showing exactly where he planned to leap so he could get the best strike. Gillion could read it all. He wasn’t able piece it all together, though, before Jay spoke again and cut off his train of thought with an echoing cry of,
“GO!”
As soon as the word was out of her mouth, Chip was off. Gillion watched as he launched over towards his left, swinging his sword towards Gill as he passed by, Gillion blocking it and turning with him. It was almost like a dance. Their steps synced up, though Chip with less form and more variability. Swords clashed against each other, metal striking metal, slashing through the air with more vigor than before. Each time Gill blocked Chip’s attack, the next one would be more difficult, Chip’s amateur form making it slightly more difficult for Gill to judge where he’d move next. His heartbeat racing in his chest wasn’t helping either.
It was thrilling, truly, to be able to spar with Chip like this. The way they synced up as they danced closer and closer to each other, attacks becoming more and more targeted to the others weaknesses rather than just a general attack. It was almost intimate, to know a person so well as to be able to fight like this.
It wasn’t until a single misstep in the match, where Chip’s steps had faltered as Gill shaped the moisture of the deck to become ice under Chip’s feet, that the scales truly started to tip in Gill’s favor. From that point it was as simple as a couple attacks targeted to knock Chip off of his balance, using that to distract from his attack towards Chip's swords, sending them spiraling out of his hands and clanking down to the ground a few feet away, still attached to Chip by their chains. There was no chance for Chip to reel them back in, though, before Gill had his sword pointed to Chip’s throat, not making contact, but close enough that it was obvious there was nothing Chip could do to escape.
“All right, all right. I think that's game, guys. Gill wins,” Jay shouted from the rails, clapping a few times for Gill, before heading back to the helm to finish attempting to figure out their course.
Gill could feel the exhaustion seeping into his bones, the ecstasy of a good battle shimmering in the air. He was worried that he would have to deal with a sulking Chip after his defeat, but when he looked over towards him, Chip was laughing. The sun was glinting off his face, his smile radiating the light even more, and the air echoed with his laughs as he gathered his swords back towards himself. It was so entrancing that, for a moment, Gill completely forgot about the battle that had just taken place, just so he could take in every detail of how Chip looked in this moment. It was almost as if he were studying him, though there was no reason to now, no fight about to take place where he’d need to know his every step. Just, Chip.
“God, Gill, stop looking at me like that,” Chip said between laughs, “I know, I know, I need to actually work on shit now. Next time, though. Just you wait, I’ll have you figured out by then, and I’ll actually beat you.”
“Sure thing, Chip. Until then, I’ll- uh- I’ll figure out what you need to work on most.”
“Great, thank you. I’m gonna head in to get some juice. Shit, I’m tired after that. Wanna come with?”
“No, I think I’ll just stay here and keep training, I’ve got more I need to work on after seeing how you fight.”
“Ay, don’t train too much, I’ve still gotta be able to beat you next time,” Chip said as he walked off towards the kitchens, throwing one last smile over his shoulder at Gill, before descending into the ship.
As soon as Chip was out of view, Gill started pacing. The entire sparing match had all felt so… personal, and it was honestly terrifying. They had been so connected, for just those moments, so focused on the other. Now, while Gillion didn’t know much about how the overseas worked, he sure as the sea knew his own feelings. And in that moment, the furious beating of his heart, the heat rushing to his face, and his thoughts already straying back to Chip, he knew. He was quite certain of it, truly.
As he stopped pacing, a whispered confession left his lips, as quiet as the blade falling towards the neck of the guilty, and with just as much weight, “I’ve fallen for Chip.”