Chapter Text
It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
'By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?
The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
May'st hear the merry din.'
-The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“Psst, Jay,” Chip whispered, cupping one hand around his mouth to slightly muffle his words as he tried to get the other co-captain’s attention.
He was just beginning to stomp back up the gangplank of their ship, coat hanging open and whipping in the wind as it tugged his hair in front of his face. He hooked his hands around the railing and pulled himself the rest of the way up, searching for where he had just seen Jay disappear.
“Jay,” He called again, knowing that he had just seen the redhead walk by. He kept his shoulders low, body crouched as if he were sneaking onto a ship that didn’t belong to him. He swiveled his head back and forth, glancing around the top deck like he was trying to avoid something. Or someone.
“What?” Jay hissed, peeking her head out from the kitchen door, her hair tied back in a messy, frizzy ponytail. She furrowed her eyebrows and glared at Chip a bit, seemingly annoyed by his distraction.
Chip hurried over to her, his boots tapping quietly across the wooden floorboards expertly in the way that he had practiced pretty much his entire life. He all but shoved Jay back into the kitchen, quickly slamming the door shut behind the both of them. Jay stumbled, grabbing onto Chip for support as they both tripped over each other's feet and nearly got sent sprawling.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Jay exclaimed, wrestling out of Chip’s grasp, “What’s gotten into you?”
Chip looked around the kitchen to ensure that they were the only two inside the room. Then he stood up on his tiptoes and peered out the small window in the kitchen door to glance out at the deck, once again making sure they were alone.
“Where’s Gillion?” Chip whispered, pulling on Jay’s shirt and getting her to bend down to his height, knocking his forehead against hers.
Jay furrowed her eyebrows and frowned, pulling away a little bit, “I think he went with Ollie and Gryphon out in the town. What are you doing back so early anyway?”
Chip let out a sigh of relief and wiped his brow dramatically. He nodded slowly in understanding of what Jay had just told him and then wiped his hands off on the front of his coat.
“Look what I found,” Chip said, sliding his tongue over his lips as he reached into his pocket to curl his fingers around the mysterious object in question. Jay raised an eyebrow, taking a step away from Chip so he couldn’t grab her again, watching him produce what seemed to be some piece of jewelry out of his coat.
It was a necklace. One with a thin, shiny golden chain that dangled from Chip’s fingers as he produced it, the rattling of the beads making a satisfying sound as it unfurled. There were pearls beaded into the links, odd, slightly deformed white spheres nestled neatly between pieces of an opalescent shiny gemstone as well as other similarly colored pearls. In the middle, hanging lowest of the entire necklace and providing most of the weight, was a large opal. It was wrapped in golden wire and looped delicately to the chain.
Jay’s eyes widened, and she reached out with one hand to place behind the opal, lifting it up into the light and examining it every which way. “Wow… Where did you find the money to buy something like this?”
“It was washed up on the beach,” Chip said, rocking back and forth on his heels. He lifted the necklace up to his eye level and examined it proudly, thumbing through the pearls and feeling the texture of the chain. “It’s pretty isn’t it, it immediately caught my eye.”
“How the hell did something like this wash up on a beach?” Jay shook her head in disbelief, “And in such good shape?”
“I don’t know, but I’m certainly not going to look a gift fish in the mouth,” A smile spread across Chip’s face, “It’s beautiful.”
“Mhm,” Jay nodded in agreement, hesitating to agree with Chip when she couldn’t tell what was going on inside his head. Gears were turning inside his brain, anyone who knew Chip for more than a day could tell, but Jay just couldn’t figure out what. She examined Chip’s expression closely, staring at the small twitch of his lips or the way that his eyes were scrunched up mischievously. “What on Mana do you have planned?”
“Nothing bad, I promise,” Chip held up his other hand in a placating gesture and shook his head lightly, “It’s for Gillion.”
Jay’s eyes widened significantly at that, a playful smile immediately taking over her entire face as she had to hold back her string of laughter. She bounced a little on her feet, placing her palms together playfully. “It’s for Gillion?”
“Not like that!” Chip immediately countered, pulling the necklace back close to his chest and shoving Jay lightly on her shoulder, “It’s not like that!” Jay laughed at that, allowing herself to stumble a bit as her chest rose and fell with breathy, almost incredulous laughter. Chip’s face immediately flushed a dark red, a blush creeping all the way up his cheeks.
“What else is it supposed to be?” Jay asked.
“It’s just a gift…” Chip shook his head slowly, staring down at the necklace in his hand.
Jay reached out and lifted up the pendant once more, the chain trailing delicately over her fingers, “Mhm… Just a beautiful, very expensive-looking necklace. With pearls, shiny gold, and other shiny gems. A necklace that you just so happened to find washed up on the beach.” She laughed at Chip again and Chip snatched the necklace away from her.
“I’m being serious about that part, I did find it on the beach,” Chip narrowed his eyes at her, “And I was thinking it should be a gift from both of us.”
Jay raised one eyebrow at Chip, placing a hand on her hip, “So you can conveniently hide your massive crush—”
“It’s a gift from the both of us!” Chip cut her off, frantically reaching out to cover her mouth with his palm, his face going even redder than before. Jay licked his hand and he recoiled with a yelp, trembling a bit where he stood as he tried to fan his face to hide the fact that there were flames steadily creeping up his neck.
“Okay, okay,” Jay held her hands up in front of herself in a placating gesture, shaking her head lightly, “It’s a gift from both of us… How come?”
“I mean… I saw it and I thought he would like it,” Chip looked away, glancing down at his feet as he absently toed at the ground, “He always looks at the pearl necklaces in the windows of jewelry shops like he wants to buy one but every time he convinces himself not to right at the last second. I thought this would just be something nice for him. Especially considering it just happened to be washed up on the beach looking good as new.”
“Mhm,” Jay chewed on the inside of her mouth and stared at the necklace in Chip’s hand, watching the colors of the opal swirl as it swung lightly back and forth from the chain. The light reflected a million different shades of opalescence on the surface of the gem, enough that the swirling patterns managed to catch Jay’s eye. “He’s definitely going to love it.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Chip gathered the chain in his palm, allowing the string of pearls to rest over the side of his hand as he cradled the gem. He wrinkled his nose a little bit and let out a sigh as if he were coming up with an image in his head, “It’ll look really pretty on him.”
“Mhm,” Jay agreed, “You might wanna come up with some other excuse other than it washed up on the beach, I don’t think he’s going to believe that.”
“It’s the truth!” Chip insisted, closing his fist around the necklace and stuffing it into his coat pocket, “I told Gillion I wouldn’t lie to him and I’m not. It was on the beach a few blocks down from the dock! I swear it on your life.”
“Why would you swear on my life!” Jay exclaimed, shoving Chip’s shoulders, “That just makes me believe you less!”
Chip laughed and ducked away from Jay’s hands, “I’m being serious!” He caught Jay’s wrists and squeezed a little bit, shaking her arms and jostling her a bit. “Okay, okay, okay, that’s not important right now, we’ll give it to him after dinner, okay?”
“Sure,” Jay agreed while shaking her head sarcastically, Chip narrowed his eyes at her. “Yes! That sounds good! Right before we go to bed.”
“Yes,” Chip slid his tongue across his lips and sucked in a long breath, “We’re gonna be out on the ocean by tonight?”
“If everyone gets back in time, yes, that’s what Alphonse and I were planning on at least,” Jay shifted so that she could wrap her hands around Chip’s forearms while he was still holding onto her arms. He let go as soon as she tried to grab him back, shaking her one last time for good measure.
“Okay,” Chip nodded mostly to himself, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He furrowed his eyebrows and Jay could tell that he was thinking long and hard about something. “Should we just give it to him or should I try and find something to put it in, or should I—”
“Let’s just give it to him,” Jay interrupted, not wanting to get too roped up in one of his elaborate schemes. She didn’t have the time to deal with some sort of absurd plan.
“I’m sure that he’ll appreciate it whatever way we give it to him. So don’t overthink it.”
Chip blew a long raspberry and rolled his eyes, “You’re no fun.”
Jay raised an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously, “You’re just gonna end up stressing yourself out more than you need to, it’s just a casual gift, it doesn’t matter how you give it to him.”
Chip hated to admit when Jay was right, so he just crossed his arms in front of his chest and huffed, turning away from Jay with his chin tilted upwards. His hair fell in front of his face when he tilted his head down and he made no move to brush it away. Jay let out a breathy laugh and rolled her eyes, shaking her head lightly at his childish antics.
“I’m gonna go at least find something nice to put it in,” Chip muttered under his breath, still keeping his arms crossed over his chest as he walked away. Jay watched him go without saying anything else, still trying to hold back her laughter, one hand covering her mouth to muffle the sounds.
The door slammed shut behind Chip as he walked away, leaving the plan and secret gift to hang between the two of them in secret until after dinner.
After searching around the ship for a few hours, helping Jay work on dinner, and then doing a little more searching in a rushed frenzy, the only thing that Chip was able to scrounge up to hide the necklace in was an old tinderbox that had been stuffed in one of the drawers in Jay’s desk.
Chip had cleaned it out a little bit, he blew out the dust and wiped it off with his sleeve so that when he placed the necklace inside, it hopefully wouldn’t get dirty.
The chain clattered a little bit against the metal sides and Chip only had a brief thought to find something to cushion it with. He added a few scraps of fabric to hopefully keep the necklace from bumping around inside the tin for a while until he was able to give it to Gillion.
Then, he tucked it back into his coat pocket and went about the rest of his business of the day, feeling a soft fluttery feeling settle in the pit of his chest. Chip couldn’t tell if it was excitement or apprehension at giving Gillion a gift.
Chip was sure that Gillion would like it, but a part of Chip couldn’t help but worry. What if Gillion didn’t like it, what if he thought that Chip was a fool for considering that it would be something he liked? What if Gillion hated it so much that he would never forgive Chip for such an insult? What if giving gifts like this was seen as a sign of disrespect in the undersea and Gillion took offense to it?
Chip swallowed thickly and felt the tin in his pocket, smoothing his fingers across the tinderbox, tempted to slip the necklace out of the box and hide it somewhere on his side of the room. He didn’t know what he would do if Gillion ended up not liking it. Gillion might be so disgusted at the gift that he would never talk to Chip again because of the awful attempt at doing something nice.
Gillion liked pearls, Chip knew that. He liked the shiny iridescence of shells and pearls and the nacreous colors that always reminded him of the undersea. Anytime they walked by some sort of jewelry store, Gillion would linger by the pearl necklaces, staring longingly at the beautiful strings and lovely arrangements. But if Chip or Jay asked, he would deny it and continue walking.
Maybe Chip had misread the long glances that Gillion gave. Maybe they were looks of sadness or such painful nostalgia that having such a necklace with pearls and all things shiny on it would hurt Gillion more than it would make him happy. It might remind him too much of his home (something that Gillion could never go back to). It was too much added salt to the wound that Gillion didn’t deserve.
Pacing the floor in their sleeping quarters, Chip had all but convinced himself that giving Gillion the necklace was an awful idea by the time they had set sail from town the sun was just starting to sink below the horizon and it was getting time for dinner. Thankfully Jay was the one to come fetch him when everything was ready.
“You’re going to put a hole in the floor,” Jay deadpanned as soon as she opened the door, watching the way Chip paced around for a few moments. “What is your problem?”
“What if he doesn’t like it?” Chip blurted out, whipping his head up to look at Jay, his hand still in his pocket clutching the tinderbox that he had put the necklace in. He could feel it practically burning in his coat, the flames of his tattoos curling and sparking across his skin. “What if he hates me for it?”
“Why would he hate you for it?” Jay asked incredulously, shaking her head as if she could hardly believe what Chip was saying, “What are you talking about?”
“Maybe we were misreading his thoughts all those times,” Chip shrugged, hiking his shoulders all the way up to his ears, popping his collar to hide behind the familiar fabric, “What if it reminds him so much of his home that it’s painful. We might just be hurting him more by giving him something like this.”
“I don’t think that’s the case,” Jay stepped forward and caught Chip’s arms before he could start pacing again, squeezing his biceps gently, “He loves these kinds of things. He has an entire collection of shiny rocks and gems, how could he not love something like this? It’s like his entire thing.”
“It might be insensitive… considering he got… well…” Exiled is what Chip didn’t want to say. It was a sensitive subject for Gillion to even talk about, and even the few details that they managed to get out of the Triton were vague. Talking about his exile behind his back felt wrong. But Jay understood what Chip meant.
“It’ll be a reminder of his home, something he can connect to,” Jay reassured Chip, reaching up to brush some imaginary dirt off his shoulder, readjusting his collar, “I don’t think it’ll hurt him, I think he’s going to love it.”
Chip sucked in a deep breath but nodded slowly, still not fully believing Jay, but wanting to at least listen to her a little bit. He could still feel the clutches of anxiety coiled around his chest like a snake, making it hard for him to think logically about the situation at hand.
He had a gift for Gillion, a necklace that he had found washed up on the beach (would even that be an insult to the Triton?). And even if he knew logically that Gillion would enjoy the gift since he liked anything that the two of them got him, that still didn’t chase away the fear.
Maybe it was just the anxiety of being rejected (not that Chip was actually asking Gillion anything, it was just a friendly gift because he was thinking of Gillion) that was making Chip overthink everything. He wasn’t really one for giving gifts, so it was always a nerve-wracking moment whenever he found something for one of his crew mates. Chip just wanted to make sure Gillion liked it.
Jay squinted at Chip suspiciously, “Come on, it’s time for dinner.” She rolled her eyes and took hold of Chip’s arm.
“Right,” Chip shook his head slowly, trying to rid his mind of all the negative thoughts. Jay continued to stare at him for a few seconds, looking deadpan as if she were tired of dealing with him and his antics. Chip was sure that she was. He definitely wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.
Chip wrung his hands nervously, but he followed Jay up the stairs towards the kitchen where the rest of the crew had already gathered.
Dinner went by rather uneventfully. Chip found himself nervously tracing his hand along the edge of the tinderbox that he had placed the necklace in, worry eating away at his stomach and killing his appetite. But since Jay made the stew, he forced himself to eat at least his first serving to avoid her wrath. He would wake up hungry in the middle of the night if he didn’t eat anything anyway.
It was hard to focus on the current conversation when all Chip could think about was the necklace in his pocket as he anxiously waited for everyone to be done so that they could call it a day Gillion sat right next to Chip, his leg pressing against Chip’s thigh, occasionally bouncing as he idly fidgeted in his chair.
The Triton kept leaning against Chip’s side whenever he spoke as if he were waiting for Chip to respond (which he only managed a few halfhearted responses. His nerves were too shot to come up with anything else). Gillion smiled and leaned forward, laughing along with Jay or Ollie as they joked about the day. Chip could practically hear Gillion’s voice go right through him as he considered the weight of the gift in his pocket.
He kept reassuring himself that it would be fine, Gillion was going to love it because he loved anything that they gave him. That was just who he was as a person. Gillion wasn’t used to receiving any sort of gift, so anything that even remotely considered to be a gift, he cherished thoroughly. And the necklace was sure to be no different.
That didn’t stop Chip from choking every time he thought about giving Gillion the necklace. Gillion smiled at Chip and he felt his heart skip a beat, immediately making Chip look away in embarrassment, heat creeping up his face as his tattoos swirled across his neck.
After everyone finished eating, Chip had to painstakingly help clean up the kitchen, washing the dishes and making sure the counter was clear for the morning. Gillion continued to idly chat about whatever was on his mind at the time, smiling at Jay and Gillion, big teeth poking out from behind his lips.
“I think tomorrow will be a nice day for training,” Gillion admitted, his tail wagging back and forth lightly, ears twitching in both Chip and Jay’s direction, guiding the conversation, “We will just have days of sailing ahead of us and it is good to keep up with our bodies.”
“You and Chip can train,” Jay said, almost immediately throwing Chip under the bus, “I have some stuff to work on tomorrow.”
Chip jolted at his name being mentioned and he looked over at Gillion and Jay, his hands elbow-deep in soapy water, “Right…” He muttered, thinking long and hard about the situation at hand, trying to figure out what the correct answer would be. He didn’t want to make Gillion or Jay upset in fear of what might happen if he said something wrong. Obviously agreeing with Gillion would make both of them happy. So he did just that. “Sure, Gill. We can train tomorrow if you want.”
Gillion’s face lit up and he wagged his tail harder, shifting his weight from foot to foot and practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. He nodded fervently and made a small chirp from the back of his throat.
“Perfect, we will start first thing in the morning,” Gillion clapped his hands together, a little bit of water splashing from where he was still rinsing off the dishes.
“Maybe let a few of us wake up first before you get going with your training,” Jay waved her hand dismissively and shook her head a little bit, “Not everyone gets up as early as you do, Gill.”
“Right,” Gillion’s ears drooped a little bit, “First thing after breakfast?” He looked back and forth between Jay and Chip for confirmation. Jay gave a thumbs up and smiled.
“Sounds perfect,” Chip agreed with a small, hesitant smile, his lips twitching a bit as he looked away. Gillion’s smile widened and he just let out another happy trill, gills fluttering with the vocalization.
After that agreement, the three of them finished doing the dishes and simply left the remaining ones out on the counter to dry in time for breakfast. Since nothing was made of glass or porcelain, they didn’t have to worry about something breaking in the middle of the night by falling off the counter, it would just be a bit of a mess to pick up in the morning. Nothing that they had to deal with at the moment, and nothing that they wouldn’t be opposed to dealing with in the morning.
When they finally managed to get down to the sleeping quarters to turn in for the night, Chip was just about bouncing off the walls with his own anxiety. He tried to think of when would be a good time to present the gift to Gillion. He had to act soon before the Triton got settled in his barrel to go to bed, waiting for his turn at watch (Jay had the first shift).
The tinderbox weighed heavily in his pocket as he took his coat off to fold neatly for the morning, the fabric bunching up in his hands. Chip removed the small box and held it in his palm, staring down at it as if it were some sort of terrifying insect. He couldn’t bring himself to present it to Gillion, even as he could hear him removing his heavy armor and getting more comfortable to sleep.
He debated just putting it back in his pocket and hiding it somewhere in the room for a later date. Maybe when it was actually a special occasion and gifts would be expected (When was Gillion’s birthday? Chip didn’t even know). Was it weird to just give a random gift out of nowhere? Gillion might even feel obligated to give something back to Chip or Jay, which definitely wasn’t the point, and Chip didn’t want him to feel like that.
But Chip didn’t get the chance to decide before Jay cleared her throat, lounging casually on her bed. That got the two boys in the room to look over at her curiously, Chip looked like a fish caught in a net as he clutched his fingers tighter around the tinderbox.
“Gill,” Jay started, smoothing her hands over the top of her bedspread as she squared her shoulders, “Chip and I got you something.”
Gillion’s eyes widened significantly and he looked back and forth between Chip and Jay a little nervously. He frowned.
“You got me something?” Gillion’s tail twitched and he seemed both a little curious but apprehensive. He made a noise from the back of his throat, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he held his hands around the edge of his barrel like he was just about to get in. “You two did not need to do that…”
Jay smiled softly and shrugged her shoulders, “It was Chip’s idea, he was the mastermind behind it all.”
Gillion looked over at Chip now, his gaze intense as he stared at the man intently. He slid his tongue across his lips while Chip nearly wilted underneath his gaze, his heart pounding so hard against his rib cage that he was afraid it might burst right out of his chest. He sucked in a sharp breath and tried to get some semblance of air in his lungs while he actively felt like he was suffocating. His hands were shaking around the tinderbox holding the necklace.
“I saw this… and…” Chip hesitated, staring down at the metal box in his hands nervously, he could practically imagine the necklace inside. All shiny gold and beautiful pearls and opals. The colors would match perfectly with Gillion’s skin, and he knew that the Triton loved pearls and anything nacreous in color. “And I figured that you would like it.”
“You didn’t have to do anything of the sort,” Gillion laughed hesitantly and held his hands up in front of himself in a placating gesture, he smiled politely, “I have done nothing to deserve a gift.”
“It’s just a nice gift from a friend,” Jay reassured him with a wave of her hand, still sitting on her bed and watching the way this played out. She licked her lips and grinned, nodding in Chip’s direction, then to the object very obviously held in his hands. Chip’s stomach did dangerous flips.
“Right…” Chip shook his head slowly to clear his mind, trying to find his senses again, “It made me think of you so I thought you’d like it…” He stepped forward on shaking knees, feeling very much like a newborn deer as he struggled to cross the room to where Gillion was standing.
As Chip approached, Gillion barely backed up a little bit, starting to hold his hands up in front of himself in a placating gesture. He already didn’t like the gift and Chip hadn’t even presented it yet. He should have known this would happen. Gillion was never one to comfortably accept gifts, Chip didn’t know why he thought this time would be any different. Gillion surely wouldn’t like the necklace.
And if Chip tried, maybe he could get himself out of this situation without any harm done. He could secretly slip the necklace out of the tinderbox before handing it over and then when Gillion opened up the box it would just be some sort of joke. A harmless joke between friends…
An image of an ice arena burned in the back of Chip’s mind.
He was already standing in front of Gillion, the gift shaking in his hands as he struggled to gulp each breath down his throat, filling his lungs with desperate, shameful gasps. Jay cleared her throat again, clearly fed up with all of Chip’s anxious antics. She probably wanted to get on with this entire thing so she could go upstairs and take the first watch. She was still fully clothed after all.
Gillion had taken notice of the small box in Chip’s hand and he was eyeing it nervously, as if something might spring out at him if he opened it. Chip hadn’t handed it over yet. He felt frozen. Unable to move.
It was as if the mere presence of the necklace itself was preventing Chip from handing it over. That odd sense of anxiety and insecurity bubbled up so high in his throat that it made Chip want to spill out a million apologies and quickly hide away somewhere else on the ship where he wouldn’t have to face Gillion or the disappointed, angry expression that he was sure to wear.
“Uhm…” Gillion shifted uncomfortably, backing up another pace as he stared up at Chip with worry causing his eyebrows to furrow. His tail twitched and he tucked it close to his legs.
Chip was making him uncomfortable. What an awful friend he was being at the moment. Gillion certainly wasn’t going to like the gift after Chip made such a big deal about it like this, making it seem like it was the worst thing in the world.
Shaking himself to his senses once again, Chip practically shoved the box into Gillion’s arms, jerking back like the metal burned his palms. He moved jerkily like a puppet tugged on inexperienced strings as he forced the Triton to take hold of the box.
Gillion made a small yelp and grabbed at the tin before it could clatter to the ground, his claws scrambling for purchase around the smooth, polished metal. Chip swallowed audibly and backed up a few steps, curling his arms around his waist as it felt like an insurmountable weight had just been lifted off his shoulders at the passage of ownership.
“It’s inside the box,” Jay chimed in, covering her mouth as she yawned, still glancing back and forth between Chip and Gillion, her gaze lingering on the former for a bit longer than what Chip deemed comfortable. She was looking at him suspiciously as if he had done something wrong. Chip swallowed thickly and shook his head a little bit, forcing a soft smile on his face.
“Are you sure?” Gillion asked, still looking worriedly up at Chip. He frowned and his ears drooped a little bit, as if he wanted to give the box back to Chip before he had even opened it.
“Go on, open it,” Chip insisted, waving his hand in Gillion’s direction, finding his voice coming back to him easier and easier now that he had actually gotten it over with and given Gillion the gift. He just had to wait and see how Gillion was going to react. The hardest part of the entire situation was over, now Chip just had to wait.
He just had to wait and pray that Gillion didn’t hate him for this, or that he didn’t completely hate the gift, disgusted that Chip would have even thought it was a good idea to give him something like this.
But Gillion, soft, kind Gillion, just smiled bashfully, as if he didn’t know what to do with his expression. His ears flared out around his head, twitching back and forth with embarrassment.
Gillion hooked his fingers around the edge of the tinderbox, the object looking almost comical in his massive claws. He dug his nail into the seam between the two sections and very gingerly peeled it apart like he was shucking an oyster for the meat inside. The pads of his fingers slid underneath the top lip of the metal box and he peered into the gold-covered maw.
Throughout the time that it had been in Chip’s pocket, the scraps of fabric had gotten a little tangled with the chain of the necklace, wrapping it all up in a way that Chip had tried to avoid. But Gillion pulled it out thoughtfully, balancing the tin underneath his elbow while he detangled the fabric and metal. His eyes widened minutely, but Chip could almost tell that he was trying not to get too excited.
Chip wrung his hands nervously, watching Gillion intently as the Triton tried not to give any significant reaction. He kept his lips firmly pressed together, jaw clenched and cheeks slightly sucked in like he was chewing on the inside of his mouth. His ears twitched a little bit, constantly shifting in different directions as he worked with the chain, easily pulling the fabric scraps away from it, revealing the beautiful opal gems and the shimmering nacre pearls.
Gillion’s tail wagged lightly and he sucked in a sharp breath as he held the necklace up in front of his face. When he opened his mouth to say something, the smallest hint of a smile gave him away.
“Chip…” Gillion breathed, barely able to keep his voice steady as he ran his fingers down the length of the golden chain, running his thumb over each individual pearl as if testing their authenticity. “Jay…” He looked over at Jay as well, who was smiling softly and looking vaguely amused at the situation.
“Well?” Jay tilted her head to the side and nodded in Gillion’s direction, “What do you think?”
“Oh it’s beautiful,” Gillion continued to stare at the necklace, twisting the pendant back and forth, feeling the golden wire that held the large opal in place. His ears flared out around his head, drooping a little bit near his face. He gave a soft, polite smile, trying to hold back his excitement. “Why though…? Why get this for me?”
“Because we’re your friends,” Jay said firmly, “And we care about you and want you to have nice things.”
“Plus…” Chip added, swallowing down the shake in his tone as he stepped closer to Gillion, gently plucking the necklace from Gillion’s hand who let it go easily so he could unlatch it. The metal was cold in Chip’s warm hands. “You always look longingly at the pearl necklaces in the shops, so I figured you’d like it.”
Gillion’s eyes widened and he watched Chip’s movements carefully, he opened and closed his mouth dumbly a few times, trying to come up with something to say to that. Chip, building up the courage and shaking off the previous bouts of insecurity, leaned forward, curling his arms delicately around Gillion’s shoulders. He brought his hands behind Gillion’s neck, the necklace pressing against his throat while Chip worked to latch it.
He was close enough to Gillion that he could feel the Triton’s breath on his face, hear the way that his chest rattled with each inhale. Chip focused on the necklace in his hands, quickly attaching the metal clasp to the chain, and latching it neatly around Gillion’s neck.
When he pulled back, Chip allowed his fingers to trail along the line of gold, dragging the necklace up a little bit to feel the texture of the metal before letting it fall against Gillion’s collar without so much as a sound. The pendant settled just a bit below the top of his sternum, the opalescent colors reflecting in the low light of the sleeping quarters, the flickering yellow glow of the lanterns causing the colors to swirl. Gillion’s shoulders drooped and he let out a slow breath.
Chip looked up and for what couldn’t be any longer than a few seconds, their eyes met and Chip had a hard time remembering how to breathe when he saw the way Gillion’s intense gaze bore into his skull. His electric blue eyes swirled with that same wave-like hue that always seemed to put him in motion. Chip swallowed thickly and tried not to blush as he looked away.
“Thank you…” Gillion whispered, barely loud enough for Chip to hear. It seemed like he wanted to say so many things, but that was the only thing that came out. Chip could practically see the gears in his head turning, he didn’t want to imagine all the worried thoughts going through Gillion’s brain at being presented with something nice. He reached up with one hand, curling his fingers around the opal as if he was making sure it was still there and not some elaborate trick.
“Hey, hey, lemme see,” Jay waved her hand in Chip and Gillion’s direction, a wide, unapologetic smile spreading across her face. She leaned forward, her legs dangling over the edge of her cot as she placed her hands in her lap.
Gillion turned to face her, a dark blue blush creeping up his face at the attention, “How does it look?”
“It looks beautiful on you, Gill,” Jay clapped her hands together excitedly, her smile only growing wider. Gillion looked down at himself and his lips twitched and pulled back to expose his sharp teeth in a wide grin.
“Thank you, both of you,” Gillion said a bit louder this time, looking back and forth between the two humans in the room. His hand came to rest over the large gem of the pendant, fingers twisting the pearls, “I will find a way to repay you for such a wonderful gift.”
“Gill,” Chip reached out to put his hands on Gillion’s shoulders, “Gifts aren’t meant to be repaid. It’s just a gift for you.”
Gillion pressed his lips together in a thin line, “Are you sure, it’s such a fancy necklace, it had to have been difficult to acquire…”
“Nope, super easy,” Chip shook Gillion’s shoulders a bit, “And it looks amazing on you, really wonderful, beautiful even, super pretty” Chip cut himself off with a cough.
The necklace did look beautiful on Gillion, the opalescent colors looking like they belonged there the entire time around Gillion’s throat. It hung nicely down his chest in a place that hopefully wouldn’t get in the way of anything, but it wasn’t so short that it was inconvenient to wear. It complimented his skin, and with the way that Gillion kept running his fingers along the length of the pearls, it seemed to be a comfort. Something to remind him of home when he could never go back.
The swirling colors matched every impression that Chip could have of the Triton, so many different colors to him, constantly introducing something new that Chip would have to process. It went well with his eyes, not that Gillion would be focused on that.
“Thank you, Chip.” And then Gillion pulled Chip into a hug, practically crushing the man in his strong grip, squeezing him so tight that Chip let out a small gasp. His face buried into the crook of Chip’s neck, his cold nose causing him to shiver.
But Chip leaned into the hug, curling his arms around Gillion’s back and hugging him back as hard as he could. It wasn’t as strong as Gillion’s embrace, but it was enough for the Triton, who chirped and chittered in Chip’s ear, his tail wagging back and forth excitedly as he no longer seemed to hide his excitement.
“Well, I should get upstairs,” Jay smiled and laughed a little bit, pushing herself up to her feet and stretching her arms above her head, “I’m glad that you like the gift Gillion.”
Gillion pulled away from Chip just in time for Jay to lean down and give him a chaste kiss on the cheek, her palm lingering on his jaw. Gillion pulled her into an embrace as well, practically toppling her over due to the height difference. But Jay chuckled again and rubbed his back, allowing him to nearly squeeze the air out of her with his excited hug. He chirped happily.
Jay patted his shoulders, hesitating for a second to examine the necklace closer now that Gillion was actually wearing it. She readjusted it a bit, making sure that it was hanging correctly and not irritating his skin or anything.
“You deserve something nice,” Jay insisted, speaking firmly and leaving no room for Gillion to argue, “Every once in a while. You can indulge in something that you might think has no use. Because it looks beautiful, and you look beautiful. And if it makes you happy, that’s what matters.”
Gillion’s ears drooped, “I am very happy.”
“Good,” She kissed his other cheek this time, “I’ll be taking my shift then.” Jay stepped away from Gillion and shook out her shoulders, grabbing her jacket from where it was lying on the edge of her bed. The end of Gillion’s tail thumped against the floor when he wagged it.
“Goodnight, Jay,” Gillion smiled a full, toothy grin, the tip of his tongue poking out from between his crooked, shark-like teeth, “Thank you both so very much.”
“Of course, Gill,” Jay held up her hand in a half wave, “Night Chip, I’ll wake you up for your shift.”
“No kiss for me?” Chip asked, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout and staring at Jay sadly. Jay rolled her eyes and let out a long sigh, almost like a groan. Then she leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
“Night,” She ruffled Chip’s hair and stepped away before he could retaliate. Chip squawked in surprise and tried to fix his hair, placing his hand on the top of his head.
Jay laughed to herself, muffling her chuckles with one hand as she crossed the room. She slipped through the half-open door and allowed it to shut behind her, and then she was gone to the top decks to take the first watch.
Chip backed up a few steps and flopped down on his cot, letting out a massive sigh of relief. He smiled and sank against the mattress, a yawn pulling from his lips.
“Chip,” Gillion said softly, approaching Chip’s cot tentatively. Chip looked up just as Gillion sat down on the edge of the bed, his weight causing the bed to creak. The fin of his tail smacked against the wall as he tried to situate himself with the massive heavy limb. He pulled his shoulders back and let out a low rumble deep from within his chest, one that Chip had learned meant at least something pleasant.
“What’s up, Gill?” Chip asked, raising one eyebrow and wedging his arm underneath himself to sit up slightly. He scrunched up his face in a small smile, holding back his yawn.
Gillion held his hands in his lap, picking at the skin around his claws as he idly fidgeted. Then, he leaned down to press a very quick, chaste kiss to Chip’s cheek, his nose pressing against the warm skin of Chip’s face and making him shiver.
“Thank you for the gift,” Gillion held his face close to Chip’s, allowing his eyes to slip shut for a second as he held his forehead nearly pressed against Chip’s. He sighed softly and his shoulders drooped, the pendant dangling between them, swinging like a pendulum as he leaned forward. It reflected in the dim light, immediately catching Chip’s eye.
“Of course, Gill,” Chip responded, sliding his hands across Gillion’s shoulder to hold his hand at the back of Gillion’s neck, his fingers buried into the small baby hairs behind his head. “You deserve to have some nice things every once in a while.”
Gillion smiled politely as if he could barely believe what Chip was saying, but instead of saying anything, he just slowly nodded hesitantly, sliding his tongue over his lips. His tail thumped lightly against the mattress of Chip’s cot and he shifted a little bit.
He leaned forward minutely, their faces remaining impossibly close together, Chip could see each of the individual drops of water beading on the ends of Gillion’s curls and across his skin. He could feel the Triton’s breath on his face, feel the intensity of his gaze, feel each small touch as if they were sparks of electricity.
For a moment, Chip debated closing the gap between them with a kiss, his heart hammering so hard in his chest that he could hear the blood rushing in his ears.
He never got that chance before Gillion pulled away with a polite, almost awkward cough, “We should get to bed.” He reached up to curl his fingers around the gem, thumbing across the beads almost nervously.
“Right,” Chip swallowed thickly and pulled back as well, sliding his fingers through his hair, his frizzy brown bangs falling right back in front of his forehead. He coughed awkwardly and gave Gillion a small smile.
Then Gillion was standing up, fully extracting himself from their almost embrace, if his touch lingered, Chip couldn’t tell. The markings across his body glowed faintly in the dim lighting, just enough that they rippled when he moved, catching Chip’s eye. He nodded once to Chip and then shuffled across the room to his barrel, easily pulling his body over the edge and sinking into the lightly shifting water with little effort.
His tail flicked up and over the edge for a few seconds as a few steady streams spilled over the rim of the barrel while he got situated, the barrel rattling with the effort of his movement. He peeked up over the surface of the water just long enough to retrieve the lid of his barrel, eyes darting over to where Chip was half-laying on his bed.
“Goodnight, Chip,” Gillion smiled warmly, another happy trill vibrating in his throat.
“Night, Gill,” Chip shifted so that he could wiggle his way underneath the covers. He turned away from Gillion’s barrel right as he heard the thump of him replacing the lid on the surface, the wood grinding against wood for a moment before he settled.
Their sleeping quarters settled into silence after that, the only sounds being the crashing of the waves against the side of the Albatross as they rocked back and forth and the sloshing of water in Gillion’s barrel. If Chip focused, he could barely make out the sound of Jay’s boots thumping against the top deck as she paced across the ship during her watch.
Knowing that Jay would be back below decks in a couple hours to switch shifts with Chip, and then after that, Chip would wake Gillion for the last bit of the night until morning. So Chip allowed his eyes to slip shut, wanting to get as much sleep as possible before he would be forced out of his warm comfortable bed.
Happy that his gift had been well received, unsure why he had even been so panicky over the subject in the first place, Chip drifted off to sleep.