my darling, pirate // fish and chips fanfic

chapter four - conflicts and conversation

"You look upset", Chip said, as he sat down next to Gillion, who stared at the horizon.
"No, I'm fine", Gill mumbled, while tears slowly formed in his eyes.
"Do you miss your home? I'm sorry, we shouldn't have-" "No, I'm conflicted, because I love being here so much", Gill replied, "It's only been a week, but I feel so much more welcome here then I ever did at home"

Chip heard himself gasp quietly, before he carefully reached out to hug Gillion.
"But- But I just- I have my duty to become king and do right by my people", Gill whispered shakily, "But I know my heart isn't in it. It never was"
"Hey, it's okay", he replied, holding the back of Gill's head gently, "Sometimes the ways in life we expected just aren't right for us and that's fine. It will take courage to listen to your heart, but seeing you fight the day we took you in and facing this unknown life, shows me that you have more then enough courage to figure this out"

Gill hugged him just a little tighter.
"When I met you, I didn't expect that you'd become one of my favorite people", he suddenly whispered and Chips lips parted in surprise, before he smiled and looked at Gillion with a soft, affectionate gaze.
"You're one of my favorite people too"

Behind them on the main deck they heard distant laughter. Jay and Elizabeth had been training their aim with Drey all morning and all three of them laughed at the look the captain had on his face when they each shot a feather from his head.
"Sorry, captain!", Drey laughed, "But they need to practice on moving targets!"
"As long as I'm not the moving target again, do whatever you want", Rose replied and chuckled after the initial shock had faded.
Drey ran up and helped him pick up the feathers.

Lizzie and Jay continued their exercises with the wooden targets, gave each other little pointers, before Lizzie looked up at the sun and then at a compass.
"Oh", she mumbled and then shouted over at Jay, "I promised Caspian and Rudith to hang out in a bit, is it cool when I leave you alone?" "Yeah, sure", Jay replied and holstered her gun, "Have fun"
She gave Lizzie a little smile and turned around to walk up to the bow where she had seen Gillion before.

She stepped closer slowly as she heard quiet sobs carried by the wind and as she reached the bow, she saw Gillion curled up in Chips arms, crying as the brunette held him and ruffled his hair softly.
"It's a hard decision to make, you have all right to be nervous and anxious about it", Chip reassured him quietly, as Jay joined them. She sat down to their feet on the beam that held the figurehead and looked at Chip.

They hadn't really talked since they kidnapped them, but as she pulled up an eyebrow at him he understood without words. He gave her a look that she easily understood as emotional conflict.
"Hey, Gill", she said softly, "Can I get you anything?" "No", he mumbled and she nodded, put a hand on his leg and said: "It'll be okay, whatever conflicts you, it will be okay" "She's right. I know you grew up with duty instead of choice, but right now, here on this ship, you have one. You have the choice to go back after they pay the gold or the choice to stay here", with me, he thought.

His eyes met Jays and witnessed her realization of what Gill's conflict was and then it switched to something that almost looked like a realization of her own.
That she had a choice now that she was here. That she was free to be whoever she wished to be.

Chip gently ruffled Gills hair with one hand as he reached out to Jay, pulling her into the cuddle pile. "You guys will make the right decision. I'm sure", he said and felt how Jay hugged them both back.
It was weird that Jay and him had barely talked and yet it already felt like his sibling connection he had with Lizzie.

He held them both and for a moment he wished that they would never leave, because it was almost like this was meant to be. The three of them, on the open sea, connected despite the different worlds they came from.
They sat together till sunset, finding comfort in each others presence and when the crew started playing instruments and celebrating being alive and well, they sat on the railing together, everyone with a drink, singing along to the shanties.
And it felt like home almost as if it was their destiny.