my darling, pirate // fish and chips fanfic

chapter two - a sky of stars

Most of the Black Rose Pirate crew had fallen asleep. It was only Chip who was still awake, Lizzie leaned against his shoulder sunken into a deep sleep.
He looked over to the center mast, they had brought all the royals inside as it got cold, had locked them into cells under deck.

He thought of Gillion, as he sat here, legs dangling down from were he sat on the helm, holding watch.
The prince of the undersea, who was so endearing to him, he couldn't help but blush at the thought if his proud smile after winning against him in chess.

He nudged Lizzie. "Hm?", she mumbled, eyes still closed. "I'm gonna check on the- the new people", he said and she smirked.
"Worried your prince charming would escape?", she asked and he pushed her off to the side. She caught herself and chuckled as she opened her eyes and yawned.
"Okay, go ahead, I'm awake", she said and started gathering her hair up in a ponytail.

"Is it- Nevermind", he mumbled and she looked up to where he stood.
"No, what is it?", she asked and stood up as well, pulling out a compass.
"No, it's just... I don't want to let him leave again when they pay us the money for it. I feel sorry for him. For all of them.", he said and Lizzie sighed as she nodded.
"Yeah, I get that.", she said, "I actually quite like them. Not that they ever had to find out about that. They are nice."

"My lips are sealed", Chip said and then he slowly walked down to open the hatch to the cells. He walked along the bars, saw everyone sleeping, except for Gillion.
He held Pretzel in his hands and seemed to quietly tell her a story. He looked tired, exhausted even and when he saw Chip, he slowly put Pretzel into the little tank on his hip.

They looked at each other silently, before Chip stepped closer to the bars.
Gillion stood up, walked closer as well.
"Why aren't you sleeping?", Chip asked quietly and Gillion looked down.
"I usually sleep in water", he mumbled, "But it's alright, don't worry about me"
"You're too humble for your own good, did anyone ever tell you?" "No. Honestly people usually tell me I'm a disappointment quite frequently.", he said with a sad smile, "But I shouldn't burden you with that"

Chip tilted his head to the side and looked at him. "You? A disappointment?"
Gillion chuckled, almost bitterly. "Yes. I wasn't the first pick for the heir. My sister was supposed to follow in our fathers footsteps, but she disappeared.", he said and hugged himself tightly, "And everyone makes me feel that I'm not the first choice, that I will never be as good as her"

Chip opened the cell door, held him a hand.
"You'll always be good enough here", he said and after a moment of hesitation Gill reached for his hand.
Slowly Chip pulled him into a hug.
"You wanna go upstairs? We can probably find you a barrel and I don't know... just talk for a bit. I wanna know who you wanna be", he said and Gillion smiled softly.
"Yes, I would like that, I think"
"You don't get to make decisions for yourself a lot, do you?", the brunette asked and Gillion looked almost shy as he shook his head.
"I have my advisor and the elders council. They tell me what to do and I don't want to disappoint anyone, so I follow instructions"

Chip hugged him closer, held the back of his head. "Believe me, being on this ship will help you find out who you are. Everyone here just wants the best for each other. We're family here", he said and then he gently let go of the hug and lead him upstairs.
Lizzie had fallen asleep on the helm again and Chip shook his head, took a blanket from a compartment in the deck and put it over her, before looking for a barrel for Gillion.

He carried one over the deck to a spot they could watch the stars in and pulled up a crate he could sit on.
"There you go", he said and sat down, watched Gillion slip into the barrel.
A bit of the water splashed at Chip and his face was wet when Gillions head broke the water again. Gill laughed at the expression on Chips face, old ways still holding him back as he covered his lips and slowly sank under the water, till only his eyes peaked over the surface.
"No, it's okay", Chip chuckled, "It's funny"
Gillion smiled and watched as Chip rested his arms on the edge of the barrel and then placed his head on them.
"I'm sorry for being over the top earlier, when we invaded the castle. I can imagine how scary that must've been to be kidnapped by someone who just acts incredibly obnoxious. I always get a bit weird when I have that adrenaline of a fight. I'm not always like that, I promise", Chip mumbled and Gillion slowly lifted his whole head out of the water to speak.
"It's okay. You don't seem like such a bad guy now", he mumbled and Chip let out a soft chuckle. "Good to know"

A soft breeze rushed over the deck, tugged on Chips hair and torn clothes as they fell quiet. The sky was bright with the stars and the full moon that softly illuminated Gillions face. He was beautiful, Chip thought.
"How about I teach you a bit about being a pirate tomorrow and you teach me a bit more about chess?", Chip asked and Gillion smiled softly and nodded. "I think that would be nice", he said, before something like realization creeped over his face, "But what if I'm not a good pirate?" "No one is a good pirate at first. Failing is okay, that's what I've been taught", Chip replied and looked up at the sky, "As long as you try your best you'll always succeed in the end, no matter how much you fail" "So I won't disappoint you, when I can't do it?" "What?", Chip looked at him, "No, of course not."

Gillion gave him a look that seemed like a mix of surprise and confusion, before his gaze softened. "I like it here.", he then said, hands trembling where he fidgeted under the water. Chip smiled and then he said: "Yeah, me too."