Chapter Text
The streets were fairly empty as Jay slipped into the central part of town, his focus on getting to the wharf without gaining the attention of Uma and her crew as he slipped through the shadows of the alleys unseen. Venders called out to the few people wandering the market, his own father’s voice ringing high above the others as he rounded the back wall of the Junk Shop to ascend the fire escape to the roof.
“Hey.” Jay jumped, startled at the sudden voice, and spun to face the person while slipping his knife from the sheath at his waist, eyes narrowing as his gaze landed on the boy standing a few feet away from him.
“Gil. What the fuck.” Gil gave a half chuckle, and Jay took a moment to take in the blond’s appearance. Gil’s face had blood across it, his nose clearly crooked and his upper lip cut in a manner that led Jay to believe someone with a strong arm had punched him in the face. He had a few cuts along his upper left arm, mostly shallow, though two looked fairly deep at the pace they were bleeding. “What the hell happened to you?” Jay held no love for Gil, personally- he was part of Uma’s crew, and thus he was the enemy. He rarely interacted with the dense teen, usually pairing off with Harry in any fights they got in with the pirates, but he knew that Carlos had...some sort of soft spot for the guy. Gil gave a shrug, reaching to wipe the back of his hand across his nose as he gave a wet sounding sniff.
“I was kinda really hoping I’d run into you! So I came here on my way to Carlos’ place, cause I figured you’d probably be around, and here you are!” He grinned, and Jay noted that he seemed to be missing his front left tooth, which he assumed explained some of the blood on his lip.
“Uh, yeah. That doesn’t explain what happened to your face, dude.” Jay lowered his knife slightly, glancing around; it didn’t look like any of the other pirates were with Gil, but he couldn’t let his guard down. Gil chuckled, giving a shrug as he followed Jay’s gaze around the rooftop.
“Oh, yeah. I fought the crew? Uma found out that you guys were the ones to set the Revenge on fire, and she was gunna go attack Carlos cause like no offense man but you and Mal are totally not smart enough to know the best way to set a boat on fire? And like...I couldn’t let her do that, y’know? Carlos is kinda the only person who doesn’t treat me like shit or act like all I am is muscle. Sooooo I stopped them. They’re really good with swords and stuff, but like...doesn’t really beat raw strength in a fist fight, y’know?” He grinned, and Jay’s frown deepened.
“What do you mean, Uma knows we set the revenge on fire?” They had been so careful. He had thought they’d have the chance to put the scent on Maddie and Ginny, but he supposed they were too late there if Uma already knew it had been them.
“Well, she figures anyways. She’s not really sure how you guys managed it but yeah. She pretty much knows it was you. And she’s not wrong, right?” he raised an eyebrow at Jay, and Jay sighed.
“Guess not. So what, you wanna fight me or something for setting that shitty boat on fire?” Gil snorted, shaking his head as he shifted on his heels.
“Nah. That ship was never gunna float again. Carlos kept trying to tell Uma and Harry that, but they never wanted to listen to him. And honestly, as much as I was part of the pirate crew, my loyalty is to the people who want me around, y’know. Like Carlos. Plus, he doesn’t treat me like a stupid henchman.” He shrugged. “And he’s never beat the shit out of me, which puts him pretty high on the list of people I like!” Jay frowned as he considered Gils words carefully. Most people on the Isle, no matter what faction they were in, who their parents were, lacked loyalty. The pirates only had a semblance of loyalty out of fear. Hook and Ursula ran the docks with little room for disagreement between them, and the pirates knew that unless they fell in line with Uma and Harry, they would have no place there. But Gil...well. As far as he and Mal could figure, from watching the pirates, Gil wasn’t...technically a pirate. He rarely interacted with the other pirates outside of Uma and Harry. He spent half his time following the captain and her first mate around the docks, while the other half of his time was spent...Jay honestly didn’t know, but he could only assume now that he’d spent some of that time with Carlos and Evie. Unless he was ordered to, he usually left other people alone, and on the rare occasion Jay was fairly certain he’d seen him helping some of the younger children about the market.
All in all, Gil was more of an enigma than a pirate. And one that Carlos seemed to trust.
“Why are you telling me all this anyways? Why didn’t you go straight to Hell Hall to warn Carlos if they’re out to get him?” He eyed him warily as he lowered his hand, though he kept his hand tight around the knife just in case Gil got any ideas.
“Well, I figured Carlos probably won’t be able to defend himself as well as we could defend him. So I came to barter.” Gil shifted awkwardly as he watched Jay consider his words, rubbing his arm and smearing some of the blood over it. “I figure, if he’s already working with you, you gotta have some sort of investment in keepin’ him safe, right?” Jay gave a slight nod, and Gil seemed to relax slightly. “I’m strong. You know that. I know how to fight. I know Uma’s strategies. People always think it’s safe to talk in front of the idiot, you know? They always think I don’t understand what they’re talking about, but I’m not really that dumb.” Jay nodded, silent for a long moment.
“I’d have to discuss it with Mal and the others first. Obviously.” Gil nodded, and Jay sighed. It would throw a wrench in their plans, for sure, but the extra muscle could be handy, especially if the pirates were now out for their blood. “Alright. Come with me. We’ll go talk to them. They’re at Hell Hall.” Gil perked up at that as Jay moved to go back down the fire escape, bouncing on his heels some as he moved to follow. “But you’re walking in front of me, and if you try anything….”
“I won’t! I won’t. I just want to make sure Carlos is safe.” Gil held up his hands as they reached the bottom, and Jay gave a firm nod.
“Good. Move it, you know the way.” Gil started to walk, and Jay followed, wondering how the turn of events would effect their plan.