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Gillion Tidestrider did not know much in the way of romance. Even less in the workings of soulmates. He knew that they Did work. But not the How or the Why. Growing up, the Elders never said much on the topic, and when they did, it was along the lines of "They will no doubt be of a noble position." His Grandfather had gone out long ago in search of many answers; there was no doubt that soulmates were one, if not many, of them.
Gil didn't often ponder about such things; he had finally broken free of such a life. Of a life where it was all dictated by others; a Life that was no life at all. Soulmates had just been another string with which he would be pulled along with. Although, now that he had time to sit down and think while not feeling the pressure from the council, now that he knew that the council was not always right, he wondered about how much truth was to be held in their words about Soulmates.
He'd asked Jay about it at one point. So at the very least, he knew the council never muddled anything about the ways soulmates can identify each other. However, he was more than sure that what the council told him about His Own Soulmate was nothing more than what they deemed to be correct for him.
Gil wasn't sure if he even wanted his Soulmate. Not anymore. Before leaving the Undersea, it seemed like a blessing—someone who would always be there for him and love him, and someone to whom he could give all his love in return. Now that he'd had freedom, seen more of the world, Loved someone, the thought of being tied to a stranger terrified him.
It's terrifying, to be expected to meet someone and be expected to give them your love just because you are bound by the force that brought you together. Terrifying to be expected to give up his love for someone he already loves far too deeply to love a stranger. He didn't want-
The rope around Gillions waist tugged, pulling him from his thoughts. This prompted Gillion to lift his head out of the water to look toward where his rope was tied to the boat. There stood Chip, rope in hand, a smile on his face that promised trouble. "Gil! I need your help with something!"
The smile that spread across Gillions face was involuntary; Chip's own grin was infectious in that way. Grabbing the rope, Gil starts to swim closer to the ship. "What do you need my help with, Chip?"
"Okay! So! Me and Jay have been having a small-scale prank battle the past couple weeks, yeah?"
Gillion nods as he pulls himself up the side of the ship; he'd been quite amused by Chip and Jay's petty antics as of late.
"Well! Jay used Ollie to get me in her last prank, soooooo, I was thinking, why not get help from you since she wanted to play dirty!" Chip explained, his hands flying about as he spoke.
Gil, now on just the other side of the railing from Chip, couldn't help the laugh he let out. "Well, Chip, what would you have me do?"
The response got Chip basically bouncing, "Ok, ok, ok, now, hear me out, every time Jay interacts with water, you freeze it! Then she'll be stuck in it for an hour! Just imagine! Jay walking around for a whole hour with a cup stuck to her face!"
All Gillion could do was laugh along while nodding. Some small part of him wondered how he had fallen so hard without knowing.
Off the two went, spending the day annoying Jay with constantly getting frozen to things, cups of water, a conveniently placed barrel of water Jay just so happened to trip into, and even a small puddle she had stepped in at one point.
As the day wound down, Gillion found himself joking around with Chip up in the crow's nest. They had escaped up there to hide away from Jay's ire. In the calming fall of evening, Gil's thoughts drifted back to his earlier musings, his thoughts about soulmates. His own, specifically.
However, before he can slip further into thought, Chip nudges him: "You good? Seem a bit distracted."
Glancing over, Gil couldn't help the small squeeze of his heart, seeing Chip, soft smile on his face and the setting sun outlining him in brilliant hues.
Nodding, Gil looks out towards the horizon and asks, for his own sanity, "Chip, what's the Oversea like with Soulmates?"
Chip stilled a bit at the question, seemingly caught off guard. When he gathers his wit, his response is quiet. "They're seen in a lotta of different ways, some believe them to be a gift from a higher being, most think its your perfect match, others have thought it to be a journey of discovery to find ones soulmate. There's even societies where the different connections between them affect their place in society. But, in my opinion, they're a person you'll never know you'll need until you meet them. Romantic or platonic, they're someone you would never want to live without."
There was a moment of silence.
"In the Undersea, Soulmates aren't held in much regard outside of nobility and the occasional people of interest. They're often seen in the light of If they were important, they'll come to me. I'm no longer sure about if I want to meet my own. Honestly, I don't want to meet them."
After Gil's admission, Chip stood up rather abruptly, an overly sweet smile on his face. "That's fair; I'm going to head to bed now."
All Gillion could do was sit there in stunned silence as he watched Chip beeline for the captain's quarters and presumably his bed. After several long minutes of staring at the long-since closed door, Gillion slowly made his way down from the crow's nest. Once firmly upon the deck again, he sought out Jay, hoping for insight on what just happened.
It didn't take long, with Jay being on the upper deck watching the water. Gillion took a few moments to gather his words, and Jay thankfully waited for Gil to say something first.
"Jay, I think I did something to upset Chip, although I'm unsure as to what I did nor how to fix it."
"How about talking with him? Ask what upset him, why it did, if there's anyway to make it better, if you can, even if it's just being there for him. Communication is important."
Gillion starts to nod. "That's a good idea, Jay. Thank you."
As Gillion walked off, Jay glanced at her left ring finger, where her string stretches out far beyond the sea. Maybe she would take her own advice one day.
---
Walking into the Captain's Quarters, Gil found Chip tucked into the back corner, legs pulled to his chest, and his face buried in his knees. He slid down the wall to sit down next to him, legs laying in front of him. It was a moment before Gillion said anything.
"I'm sorry I upset you; admittedly, I am still unsure what exactly it was that upset you, but none the less, I don't want to upset you again. Would you be willing to tell me what it was I said or did?"
Chip lifted his head up, leaving his cheek to rest on his knees. "Why don't you want to meet your soulmate, Gil? When you don't even know them?"
Gil pauses for a moment, trying to grasp the words, "I don't wish to meet them for a few reasons, admittedly. I have many goals in life, many dreams, and I feel they wouldn't understand. That they would try to change me into something I'm not, that I'd disappoint them. I also have no desire to be anywhere else; I want to stay with the crew, with you and Jay, and I don't think they'd understand, that they'd want me to stay in some city or town, stuck in place. But mostly..." Gillion paused for a moment, steeling himself for what he is to say next, eyes heavily focused on his hands clasped together in front of him, voice grim. "Mostly because it would not be fair to me or them, because I could not love them as they would wish, and I would be longing for another. I wouldn't be able to love them with my whole heart because I love you, Chip. I always will. So I will not place that anguish upon them."
Its quiet for several long minutes after his confession, it feels like agony. Gillion didn't dare look up, not wanting to see whatever look may have ended up on Chip's face. But eventually, the long silence go tto be too much, so Gillion looked.
Chip had a look of a mix of fear and horror, eyes wide, his mouth gaping, tears forming in his eyes, his posture hunched in upon himself.
All Gillion could do was let out a humorless chuckle before going back to looking at his hands. "My apologies Chip, it was not my intention to make you uncomfortable." Before he could get a response, Gillion left.
---
Things were... tense after the talk. Chip was more distant, more likely to go on a defensive ramble in a conversation with Gillion, and there had been times where Gillion had walked into their shared room, only for Jay and Chip to cease their conversation.
Gillion had no clue how to approach the situation, let alone how to fix it. It left Gillion feeling both wrong footed and like there was a chuck of his heart torn out whenever he saw Chip avoid him.
He found himself once again drifting as he was pulled along by the boat. He wanted to fix it. He'd give anything to be able to make Chip smile, truly smile, the carefree one he has when Chip is simply being in the moment. But on, he gets forced smiles and excuses to run away.
But there's no simple way to take back an I Love You, especially when Gil still very much loved Chip.
It had been close to two week since they last talked, actually talk, not just Gillion wanting to say something and Chip finding an excuse to be anywhere but there. After a point, Gil just stopped trying.
So now he ponders what to do next, drifting in the water and his mind.
Eventually, there is a tug on the rope. Upon looking up, Gillion is met with the sight of Chip holding the rope, face full of discomfort. Oh how Gillion's heart aches at seeing such a face on Chip, even more so when the source of discomfort is Gillion himself. Nevertheless, Gillion swims back towards the ship, climbing up to the railing where Chip was standing, where they had been but two weeks earlier when Chip hadn't been avoiding him.
Pushing away his thoughts, Gillion greets Chip with a smile(no matter how much pain his heart feels, he couldn't not smile at chip), "Hello Chip, what do you need?"
Chip was constantly shifting. His posture was stiffer than it ever had been but he was messing with his hands, shifting his weight back and forth, as well as tapping a foot. At Gillion's words he stilled before picking it all back up again faster. "Hi Gil, uhm, could we go talk? Preferably in our room?"
Gillion nodded, allowing Chip to lead them into their room. They were silent for several moments, the only noise coming from out on deck, where the crew on deck.
Gillion was the one to break the silence first, "I apologies if I upset you with my words, I get off the boat if-"
"No!" Gillion's head snapped over to Chip, who had an alarmed look on his face, and, for the first time in two week, was looking Gillion in the eyes.
It gave Gil some hope, that things weren't completely irreparable, that the currently dull, throbbing pain in his chest wouldn't be there forever. That maybe Chip didn't hate him. That Chip might even- Gillion cut that line of thinking, not wanting the false hope that wandering thoughts so often give.
Chips eyes quickly darted back down to his fidgeting hands, "It wasn't you Gillion, I, well, I know who my Soulmate is and..." as Chip trailed off, trying to find the words, Gillion couldn't feel anything over his heart sinking, "I understand Chip, i will support you however-"
"No!" This time Chip looked frazzled and distressed, "Actually, just, lemme do this-"
And with that, Chip started to pull off his shirt. Gillion barely had anytime to avert his eyes, "Chip, please put your shirt back on, this is hardly appropriate."
"Wha- No- Gil- Gil, just Look. It'll explain better than I can." Knowing there probably wasn't getting around a persistent Chip, Gil finally looked at Chip. Who now had his back to Gillion, his back that had a name on it, a back that had His name on it. A back that had Gillion Tidestrider neatly written across the middle.
Without realizing, Gil had moved to where Chip was, hand hovering right over where his name was, tracing the air along his name. "I, uh, didn't know how to quite say it, but, I, I love you too Gil. Its why I asked about it all, but it was a lot more than I expected, and I wasn't as ready as I thought I was-"
"Chip," Gillion says softly, gently turning his Soulmate(his Soulmate!) to face him, Chip immediately stopped talking and gazed up at Gillion, eyes wide with nervous energy, "Chip, may I kiss you?"
Chip gave a nod and that was all Gil needed before pressing their lips together. It wasn't fireworks, it was more like a calm tide, gently giving and taking, until finally it pulled back to reveal a tsunami of emotions. Of the Longing, the Hope, the Love.
When they finally pulled apart, Gil had the largest goofiest on his face, a grin that Chip couldn't help but mirror.
Extra
As Gil opens the door, to walk back onto deck, the rest of the crew falls inwards, having been listening in on two of their Captains, and there at the bottom of the pile was Jay. "Took you guy long enough! Now we don't have to deal with y'alls pining over each other, it was so painful to watch. Worst slowburn I've ever seen."
"Shut the fuck up Jay, like you're any better" Is all Chip can say, only barbing back at Jay being able to process.
Extra 2
"Hey Gil" Chip calls, hours later, "Do you have a mark for me now?"
"I checked earlier" Gil called back, "Its on my chest, right over my heart."
Chip let out a strangled sound. "Its WHERE?!?"
Blue and green poked out around the corner, a wide grin on Gil's face, "My heart, Trust me with it that much?"
On the other side of the room, Ollie turns to Jay, "Ms. Jay, do Soulmate Placements have some sort of meaning?" He asked while looking down his left arm, which had a black blob down part of it.
"Ehhh, some do, with Names That Appear, the placement is typically somewhere significant to the named person, like Gil's name being on Chips back means that Gillion has the upmost faith in Chip, that he trusts Chip to always have his back. And with Chip's name being over Gillion's hart, it means that Chip trusts Gil with his heart, that he'll always do the most to protect Chip and his emotions."
Ollies eyes were wide with wonder, he glanced over at his two Captains, and whispers out a "Cool" before thanking Ms. Jay and going off to find Earl.