How Mia Met Gulliver

-6-

Monday

April 20

2020

He slowly stirs to a familiar tapping on his shoulder, followed by Mia's soft voice.

"Gulliver?"

"Nnn..." he mumbles, too tired to open his eyes. "What is it..."

"Gulliver, wake up. They're here!"

"Who's...here?" Hmm...this better be good...

"Your crew, silly! I saw the ship outside."

Even in his half-asleep state, his heart skips a beat. Wait, really? He lifts his heavy eyelids and begins to make out her figure...surprisingly close to him, with what seems like her knees practically in his face.

"GAH!" he yelps. "Wh-what are you..."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She moves back a little, still sitting on the bed. "I just wanted to wake you up. Much easier than yesterday, lemme tell you."

"Yeah...that makes sense..." He groans and lets out a long yawn.

"Well, I don't want to rush you," she explains. "I actually talked to one of the lads, and she said they'll wait for you as long as you need."

"Okay, cool...what time is it?"

"Looks like it's almost noon. You slept in pretty late."

"Yeah, I guess so," he replies, briefly closing his eyes again. They're here...they actually came back. It's like a dream come true.

She is silent for a second, but a smile appears on her face. He wonders if she can notice his sheer relief.

"Can I get you anything?" she asks. "Lunch for breakfast, perhaps?"

"Nah, I'm fine...I can just eat on the ship." He knows they have some pickled herring in the fridge, and Mia doesn't have that here.

"Alright, good. Whatever you want to do."

She stays by his bedside for a while, letting him get up on his own. It takes a few minutes for him to finally sit up and look her in the eyes, still a bit groggy. He tries his best to smooth out the feathers on the top of his head.

It seems like she's gotten dressed; instead of her nightgown she's in a cropped gray tank top and dark blue baggy jeans. Her hair is up in a ponytail with a curl framing her face on each side. After studying her look, he glances at his sailor outfit, still folded up on the dresser. It reminds him that he'll be back at sea soon.

"Alright, Gulliver," she says eventually. "I think you should get ready now."

"Yeah, me too. Here, I'll get my butt out of bed." He does so reluctantly, not wanting to leave the incredibly soft blankets, and takes a second to stretch.

She reminds him where the sailor outfit is, even though he already found it, and she mentions nothing about the navy shirt he's currently wearing. Oh well...maybe I won't get to keep it. With the outfit in hand, he heads over to the bathroom door.

"I'll be waiting right here," she assures him. "Don't mess up that bathroom."

"Okay, I'll try not to." He smiles and enters the room, closing the door behind him. With only a shirt to leave behind, he knows he wouldn't really make a mess anyway.

...

After he finishes, they return to her bedroom. She takes the navy shirt, which she clearly won't let him keep now, and tosses it into her laundry basket. His communicator is in the pocket of his sailor shirt; there is no reply from Chip, but since they're here it doesn't matter.