to redirect your aimless floating
Gillion floated on his back a bit above Chip in the middle of the library’s main hallway. One of his hands was limply dangling at his side and the other was gently holding his side where Chip assumed he would find the remains of a nasty stab wound if he moved the hand away. Pretzel was nestled on top of his chest, doing her best to comfort him. He looked a bit too much like a dead fish for Chip’s liking. or; Chip worries for his friends and does his best to comfort them
also on ao3
The atmosphere of the library was quiet. Not in a way libraries usually were quiet but in a way that everyone in there is too exhausted and unsure to make even the smallest noise.
As soon as they had gotten everyone inside and were sure that the guards weren’t going to instantly burst through the door, Chip had sunk down to the floor, back against a random bookshelf. He was exhausted. Even with his new heart and newly gained will to live, today had been a lot.
So far, Chip was not the biggest fan of the Undersea.
He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down his shaking body. After a while he raised his gaze up from his own hands and checked what the rest of his crew was doing.
His gaze stopped on Gillion for longer than he meant to. His first day back in the Undersea hadn’t exactly been ideal.
Gillion floated on his back a bit above Chip in the middle of the library’s main hallway. One of his hands was limply dangling at his side and the other was gently holding his side where Chip assumed he would find the remains of a nasty stab wound if he moved the hand away. Pretzel was nestled on top of his chest, doing her best to comfort him.
He looked a bit too much like a dead fish for Chip’s liking.
Gillion hadn’t said a single word since they got in. It was like all energy he had gained from spontaneously stealing the Elder’s Palantir had left him as soon as they had gotten into the safety of the library. And it’s not like Chip expected him to say anything; it was just a little unnerving to see him so still and quiet. Gillion Tidestrider was rarely so… non-existent.
Chip teared his eyes from Gillion’s floating form and turned his attention towards the rest of his crew.
Much like Chip, Jay had sunk down and tried to, best to her ability, sit on the floor and pull out some of her tinkering tools. The slight water currents from small movements and the axolotls kept floating her tools away from her and she had to constantly snatch them back before they drifted out of her reach.
Jay had laid her injured leg straight in front of her and was bending down to inspect the brace that seemed to be the only thing making her leg function anymore. Her face was set on a look of sheer determination while she worked. Chip had to momentarily look away when she shoved a screwdriver basically between her bones to tighten up the screws keeping it together.
She hadn’t complained once since they had met up again, but Chip knew she was hurting. And not just physically. Aurora had taken one look at Jay’s leg and said it cannot be saved and that was almost two days ago. After that assessment Jay had spent hours drenched in salty seawater, swimming and fighting. She had to be in a ridiculous amount of pain. Chip didn’t understand how she was so calm about it.
Well, he was pretty sure she wasn’t calm about it. If Chip had to guess, Jay had just placed get a new leg below get information on how to save the world on the To Do -list. He couldn’t really blame her for that but he wished she wouldn’t risk her own health that willingly.
As soon as they were done hiding from the Undersea Elders in their own palace, Chip was finding a doctor to cut Jay’s leg off. He’s getting her help as soon as he can.
A little deeper in the library a reading light turned on. Aurora had made her way to a small table and set down her scrolls. She instantly buried her face into them and started reading. Chip wanted to tell her to leave the scrolls for later and rest, she had just fought a deadly clone and single-handedly kept Gillion alive, the scrolls could wait. But that would require breaking the heavy silence that had filled the room along with the seawater.
So he didn’t say anything.
And they kept sitting and floating in silence.
Despite his exhaustion, Chip’s body was unable to relax properly. His eyes kept jumping between Gillion, Jay and Aurora, like he was waiting for something to happen. But nothing did.
Jay and Aurora kept working on their own things, but Chip could see them glance to Gillion’s direction every once in a while. He couldn’t blame them. He also found himself staring at Gillion with eyebrows burrowed in worry.
Gillion hadn’t moved in ages. The only thing reassuring Chip that he was still alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest.
Chip watched as one of the Finn axolotls swam across the hall in a great hurry. It bumped its head into Gillion and pushed him a few inches closer to Chip before continuing its journey deeper into the library. Chip didn’t want to know what it was looking for.
Gillion didn’t react to the axolotl in any way and Chip took it as a sign to do something.
He reached up towards Gillion’s limply floating hand under him and gave it a light tug.
“Hey, Gill? You alive there?" Despite his soft tone he felt like he was yelling in the silent library.
Gillion didn’t answer right away, and Chip refused to let go of his hand before Gillion gave him at least a quiet huff.
Eventually, with what had to be the quietest voice Chip had ever heard come out of Gillion Tidestrider, just barely loud enough to hear, he mumbled, “I’m alive.”
Chip gave his hand a small squeeze before letting go. “Good.”
His fingers had barely lifted from Gillion’s hand before they were snatched right back. Gillion was squeezing his hand like his life depended on it which only increased Chip's concern.
Other than that, Gillion didn’t move. He didn’t look down at Chip or their hands. He just squeezed.
“H–hey hey, it’s okay, I’m not going anywhere,” Chip stammered a bit while twisting his hand around to properly hold Gillion’s hand again. He squeezed back.
Gillion said nothing more but he clearly wasn’t willing to let go.
Chip looked up at Gillion’s hand, lightly rubbed his thumb over the back of Gillion’s knuckles and wished he knew what to do in this situation.
It kind of felt like he was trying to hold onto a balloon that was trying to fly away from him. Chip didn’t like that thought.
He looked up again and saw Pretzel peaking down at him from Gillion’s chest. Her eyes were filled with worry.
Chip took a deep breath and tugged Gillion’s arm again.
Gillion didn’t say anything and he didn’t let go of Chip’s hand.
“Okay, come here, buddy,” Chip mumbled under his breath and pulled Gillion towards him.
Gillion didn’t fight back; he simply floated down until he was low enough that Chip could see his face. He wasn’t prepared for his friend to just look so numb. There were no traces of the energy and excitement that usually filled his eyes.
All the elements of Gillion’s usual eccentric behaviour and righteous attitude were gone, and he was left looking like an empty shell of what Chip was used to seeing as Gillion Tidestrider. That energy had been dwindling out of Gillion slowly for a long time, but after the hole it was completely gone.
Chip wasn’t stupid. He knew there was more to Gillion than the posture he put on. He had occasionally seen bits and pieces of those other parts through the cracks of Gillion’s armour, but they had never been out in the open like this.
He didn’t exactly know what to do with all of this. He wasn’t sure if Gillion knew.
“What do you need?” Chip asked instead, giving Gillion’s hand, what he hoped was, another reassuring squeeze.
Gillion just looked at him.
He looked at Chip for what felt like an eternity.
And then sighed and let go of Chip’s hand.
With one powerful kick, Gillion flipped himself over and let himself sink down next to Chip.
Chip didn’t waste a second; he wrapped an arm around Gillion’s shoulders and pulled him into his side. Gillion was stiff as a board, clearly floating around like a dead fish didn’t help him relax.
He wasn’t even wearing his armour. Usually that meant he was in a safe environment and had let his guard down. Now it felt like all Gillion’s walls and security had forcefully been ripped out of him.
Chip pulled him a little closer.
“I’m so worried about her,” Gillion mumbled in a soft, broken voice that sounded so unnatural coming from Gillion’s mouth.
“I know,” Chip couldn’t think of anything else to say so he wrapped his other arm around Gillion and pulled him into a hug.
Gillion moved easily but he barely hugged Chip back. He simply placed his head on Chip’s shoulder and let out another deep sigh. Some of the corals on his head poked Chip’s neck and cheek but he paid them no mind and tightened his hold on Gillion even more.
Gillion didn’t cry. He didn’t do anything else than lean onto Chip and exist. It seemed like he didn’t have the energy to do anything else.
Movement from the other side of the hallway made Chip look up from Gillion.
Jay had abandoned her tools and let them float further away from her. She turned herself around in the water and pushed forward with her hands and a few kicks from her good leg until she made her way over to the other side of Gillion.
She carefully placed her injured leg straight in front of her before turning to the side and wrapped her arms around Gillion as well.
They stayed like that for a long time.
One of Jay’s hands found its way to Gillion’s long hair and was massaging his scalp with circular motions.
After a while, Chip felt Gillion’s body slump down and relax against him.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help today,” is the first thing Gillion said to break the silence.
Chip’s head turned to look down at Gillion in shock before looking up at Jay. Her hand had stopped its movement in Gillion’s hair, and she had the same bewildered look on her face that Chip felt on his.
“Hey, none of that,” Chip replied sternly after a second, “You were literally dying.”
Jay bent down to look Gillion in the eyes with a slight frown. “You did everything you could, no one is expecting anything from you right now.”
A heavy silence settled among them again. Gillion seemed reluctant to comment any more on that train of thought.
“I need to find her,” he said instead.
“And we will,” Chip agreed without missing a beat. Jay was nodding with a serious expression even though Chip wasn’t sure if Gillion could even see it. “Gill, I promise we will find her. We know she’s alive, we just have to figure out where they keep her.”
“It doesn’t matter how many strongholds and prisons we have to break into, we will find her,” Jay added.
Chip felt one of Gillion’s hands wrap around his lower back and hug him back weakly. His other hand was on Jay’s good knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.
After a beat of silence, Gillion opened his mouth again. “Can I say something a little stupid?”
“Oh, always,” Jay nodded with an encouraging smile.
“I’m so glad that I got to see Edyn again even if it wasn’t really her. It felt so nice to see my sister,” Gillion had to choke out the last few words, like he was doing his best to fight back tears.
Chip’s arms had relaxed around Gillion when he started talking but now he tightened his hold once again.
“That’s not stupid at all,” Jay reassured him. “It’s been a long time since you last heard from her, we were all glad to see her.”
“Thank you, friends,” Gillion said with a hint of a smile in his voice. It sounded a lot better than earlier broken whispers.
Gillion didn’t talk after that. He shifted a little for a more comfortable position, pulled Pretzel to his lap and closed his eyes. Soon after his breathing slowed down to a calm rhythm and he was asleep. Head still on Chip’s shoulder, Chip’s arm wrapped around him and Jay’s hand playing with his hair.
Chip leaned his head against the bookshelf and hoped that Gillion had peaceful dreams.
When Gillion was in deep enough sleep that he wouldn't instantly wake up, Jay carefully detached herself from him and carefully started to push herself towards the part of the library she had set up camp.
“Wait, Jay,” Chip found himself lifting his head again and whispering to get her attention.
Jay looked back a little surprised, like she had expected him to be asleep as well.
Chip reached out the hand that wasn't holding onto Gillion and offered it to Jay. He wiggled his fingers until Jay sighed and took his hand in hers.
Jay’s hand was steady in his, but her eyes were filled with uncertainty. Chip wasn’t really sure what he was doing either, but he knew he had to say something.
“I know we’re focusing on Gill a lot right now, but don’t you dare to think I have forgotten about you. We’ll get help for your leg soon,” he gave Jay’s hand a squeeze and looked her straight to her bright eyes. And then, because Jay had been making a few too many worryingly self-deprecating comments lately, he added with a small smile. “You did good today.”
Jay turned to look somewhere to her left, away from Chip’s piercing gaze. She was quiet for longer than Chip would have liked her to be but eventually she squeezed his hand back.
That was all Chip needed from her. An acknowledgement that she knew she wasn’t alone. He let her hand go and leaned back against the bookshelf again.
Jay floated in the water in front of him for a second, looking back towards her tools that had slowly been drifting deeper into the library. Chip expected her to swim to get them and then go back to working on her leg brace, but she just let out a weary sigh and sank back down to the floor next to Chip.
She mimicked Gillion’s position on Chip’s other side and leaned her head on his shoulder. When Chip tilted his head to look down at her, he saw her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
He brought up his arm and carefully wrapped it around her and let her settle down in a more comfortable position.
Jay’s voice was quiet and teary when she spoke again. “Thank you, Chip.”
Then she closed her eyes and fell silent. Soon she was deep asleep, and Chip was unable to move either of his arms.
Chip let out a long breath and leaned his head against the bookshelf. He stared at the ceiling and watched as his previously dead axolotl copy regained the spark of life and started moving around the library more.
Honestly, it was rare that both of his co-captains were doing significantly worse than he was and everything be damned if he didn't do all that he could to help them. Even if it meant waking up tomorrow sore for sleeping in an uncomfortable position to comfort Jay and Gill.
“They are lucky to have you as their captain,” Aurora’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She looked up from the midst of her scrolls and smiled at him across the library. “You look out for them so much.”
“Well, technically we are all captains. They look out for me too,” Chip usually wasn’t one to deflect compliments but for some reason this one made him feel unusually sheepish.
“Well, then they are lucky to have you as their friend,” Aurora argued back with a small smile.
At that Chip felt his face split into a wide smile. His newly beating heart felt warm and cozy.
“Thank you,” he said quietly and as sincerely as he could muster.
Aurora gave him a bright smile before turning to her scrolls again.
Chip leaned his head on top of Jay’s head on his shoulder to avoid Gillion’s corals poking at his neck and closed his eyes.
Then he opened them again and glanced back towards Aurora. She was already nose deep in her notebook, clearly with no sign of stopping anytime soon.
“You know you should probably rest as well,” Chip said after some peaceful silence, catching Aurora’s attention again. “I’m not sure when we’ll next get a moment to breathe without anyone trying to stab us.”
“Is that normal for you guys?” Aurora asked with a slightly alarmed look on her face. They really need to fill her in on how many people held grudges against them.
“Yeah kinda,” he responded with a small shrug of his shoulders. Gillion’s head almost rolled off his shoulder with the movement before Chip gently guided it back with the arm that was wrapped around Gillion.
“Insane,” Aurora mumbled but she still had a small smile on her face. She placed paperweights on the open scrolls on the table before swimming over it, towards Chip, Jay and Gillion.
She stopped on Jay’s other side but instead of fully sinking down to the floor to sit next to her, she stayed floating a few inches from the ground and curled up like she was lying down on a comfy bed.
“Good night then,” Aurora said and closed her eyes.
“Good night,” Chip mumbled back.
In the dim light of the library, surrounded by the people he cared about the most, Chip let himself close his eyes and relax.
He was happy to be alive. Eager to help his friends. Ready to be a good pirate.
With those thoughts his consciousness drifted away from him and he fell asleep.
