Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

On the corner of Johnson Street, past the bumbling streets and cafes, sat a toy store. Blue paint matching the clear sky, aisles of plastic products piled high. Chip worked here, and he hated it. 

Don’t get him wrong, Drey’s a great manager, Jay is somewhat tolerable, but you can’t blame the man for wanting more. He had dreams and ambitions that were stifled by this job. He didn’t even like toys!

What he hated more were the boxes they came in. Giant packages, just dumped out front of the store. Heavy cardboard boxes he had to carry inside after the trolly incident. Drey refused to replace it. Apparently this a “punishment for your actions” and “you’re lucky I didn’t fire you.”

If you asked Chip, that was bullshit. 

He entered the shop with an exhausted sigh, glancing at the clock. 2:15. He should be here soon. 

“Are you waiting for your boyfriend?” Jay teased from behind the counter, a smug smile on her face. 

“I will throw this at you.” Try as he might, Chip couldn’t convince her his fascination with the Triton man wasn’t romantic. Hell, he didn’t even know his name. Frogtopus Fishman was what they called him. The Riptide Toybox didn’t get much traffic, let alone regular customers.

This Fishman was a strange one. He came by every single day sometime after 2pm. He would peruse the products carrying his pink frogtopus plushie. Chip thought it was cute, but he’d never mention that to Jay. God, he could already hear the ridicule he’d receive… 

Frogtopus Fishman never bought anything. Ever. He just looked at the toys, then left. Every single day. He was an enigma.

Chip knew a few other people from the Undersea, and this behaviour didn’t seem to be cultural. Caspian had purchased from them before, and he barely stopped by the shop. The pretty bartender Edyn had never stepped foot inside their building, though Chip wished she had. Clearly the Undersea weren’t obsessed with toys.

Look, he wasn’t judging this Fishman, just intrigued. Endlessly so. Chip tried to man the cash register whenever he was in. It’s an easier spot for observation. Usually Jay would relish in the opportunity to check her phone or piss or whatever she did. 

Unfortunately, Miss. Ferin refused to help with the boxes, so that wasn’t an option. How fun for him. 

He places the box next to the others. At least he wouldn’t be opening them and checking inventory. He wasn’t very good at counting. 

He left the store room, glaring at Jay. 

“Maybe if he sees how strong you are, he’ll talk to you,” Jay said tauntingly. “Use your big strong muscles to carry those boxes.”

“I’ll carry your boxes,” he retorted back. 

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“You don’t make sense!” He stomped his way outside, preparing to pick up the next one when a flash of blue filled his periphery. His eyes locked with Frogtopus Fishman’s. “Oh, hey.” 

The Triton stared back. “Hello,” he muttered back shyly, seemingly clutching his plush closer. 

Chip sat in the silence for a moment, unsure of what to say. So instead, he picked up another box, heading inside. Frogtopus Fishman followed. 

Jay flashed him a sarcastic thumbs up, flexing her muscles when the Triton wasn’t looking. 

Chip couldn’t help scowling, sticking out his tongue in childish retaliation. He glanced over at the Fishman, who was taking an interest in their new dolls. 

Chip swelled with pride. He set that up this morning, good to see someone had taste. Fishman turned his attention in Chip’s direction, causing the human to fumble his grip on the box, dropping it. 

“Jesus Chip!” Jay yelled, unhelpfully. “If you break anything, it comes out of your paycheck.”

“I wasn’t trying to break anything!”

“Are you just gonna leave it there?”

Chip rolled his eyes, his coworker undeserving of a real response. Before he could pick it up, however, a pink frogtopus was placed on top of the box. 

“Allow me to help,” Frogtopus Fishman said, picking it up. 

“Oh, no, y-you don’t have to–” Chip tried to dissuade.

“The boxes go in that room,” Jay said, pointing. 

The Fishman nodded, following her directions. 

“Jay what are you doing,” he whisper-yelled. 

“Hey, he offered.” She shrugged nonchalantly.

Chip grabbed another box from outside, glaring at Jay all the while. She was pure evil, a devil. 

“Are you able to carry that?” The Fishman asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Chip felt embarrassed. He hated asking for help. Chip brushed past the man, setting his box down next to the one with the frogtopus. 

He stared for a moment. It looked old, not nearly as soft as the ones in store. The shade of pink seemed dull, one of the eyes was replaced with a button. It was clearly a very well loved toy. He smiled. 

“Her name is Pretzel.” A voice sounded from behind him, causing Chip to jump. 

The Fishman placed down two boxed he’d stacked up. Chip tried not to feel emasculated. 

“That’s a nice name. She’s very cute.”

A grin spread across the Fishman’s face. “She is my best friend. She comes with me everywhere.” He picked up the toy, offering it towards the other man. “Would you like to hold her?”

“Yeah, sure,” Chip took hold of the surprisingly heavy toy. 

“She is weighted.” The Triton watched him inspect the toy. “Pretzel was a gift from my sister.” 

Chip handed Pretzel back to him. “What’s your name?”

“I am Gillion Tidestrider. It is nice to meet you, Chip.”

“How do you know my name?!”

“You are wearing it,” Gillion pointed to the name badge.

“Oh, right. Well, thank you for helping with the boxes,” he chuckled, scratching his neck. 

“It is my pleasure. There are still three more–”

“No, Gillion don’t–”

He had already left the storage room.

Chapter Text

Whenever Gillion would visit the shop, he actually talked to Chip and Jay. Albeit, not in full sentences. 

“How are you?” “When is this toy restocking?” Chip still found joy in every syllable. But like, because the dude was interesting. Nothing else. 

Jay's teasing had increased to an unbearable level. 

“You should ask him on a date.”

“Jesus, Jay… I don't even like him!” 

“Like who?” Drey asked. He wasn't usually in-store. He had other businesses to manage. 

“His fish boyfriend Gillion.”

“He is not my boyfriend,” Chip angrily spat her way, pretending the red in his cheeks came from his rage. “I will not ask him out.” 

“Well, there's no harm in seeing where the relationship goes,” Drey attempted to assure. “Worst that happens is you realise you ain't compatible.” 

“No! No, stop it.”

Chip was almost thankful when Gillion finally stopped by. Almost. 

Sure, the pair of Ferin's had to stay quiet, but they still made gestures and stupid facial expressions. 

Gillion approached them, Pretzel in hand, with a smile. 

“Good afternoon Jay, Chip, old man.”

Drey chuckled. “The name's Drey, I'm the manager here. I've heard alot about you, Gillion.”

“Wet things, I hope.”

No one was quite sure how to respond to that, but the Triton looked at the shelves, so it was okay. 

“I see what you mean about him,” Drey whispered to the pair. “He is odd. Nothing like my old pal, Finn.” 

“Well not all Tritons are the same,” Jay muttered. 

“That's literally what Drey just said.”

“I literally didn't ask.” 

“Come one, settle down,” Drey hushed them both, walking up to Gillion. “So you like toys, huh?” 

“I do,” Gillion said with a nod, presenting his frogtopus plush. “For the longest time, I had only Pretzel to comfort me. I have a great deal of appreciation for them.”

“Wow, backstory,” Jay muttered to Chip.

“Yeah, it's crazy what you can learn when you actually talk to someone.” Which is something neither had attempted with Gillion. 

“You ever think about expanding your collection?” Drey put on his sales voice, much to the confusion of the man before him.

“What do you mean?” 

“You know, you ever thought about buying another frogtopus?” 

Gillion stood silently for a second. “What?” 

“Buying a frogtopus plushie,” Drey stated in a semi-persuasive tone. One that didn't seem to affect Gillion in the slightest. 

“But I already have Pretzel.” 

“What if Pretzel gets lonely?” 

Gillion shakes his head. “She is always with me, that is impossible.” 

He moved on to the next row of shelves, leaving a bewildered Drey behind him. 

“Well, sure. You've already got a frogtopus, but what about one of these!” Drey presented Gillion with an action figure. “Huh? 11 points of articulation.”

“What?”

“Articulation, of the joints. You can move him around, pose him–” 

“I am not interested in that one,” his eyes narrowed. “He looks evil.” 

Drey continued the sales pitch all around the store. “This one's limited edition.” “You can throw this ball really far.”

All attempts were met with the same answer: “No.”

Chip would've been shocked if he wasn't so intrigued. If Gillion didn't want to buy anything, why was he here? Why did he keep coming back? 

These questions kept bothering Chip, even as they closed up the store. 

“I just don't get it!” 

“The only way you'll ‘get it’ is by asking. And I mean Gillion, not me,” Jay rolled her eyes, shutting down the computer. “I'm sick of you yapping on about it.”

“I don't ‘yap’!” Chip continued sweeping the floor. “Besides, I don't how I would even begin to–”

“UGH!” Jay cut him off, flicking the lightswitches. “Stop making this my problem.”

So he didn't. Chip let his thoughts spiral.

Chapter Text

When Chip woke up the next morning, he was glad to have the day off. 

His body was aching, bones craving a hot shower. Unfortunately for him, the bathroom was occupied.

“Lizzie!” He yelled, angrily knocking the door almost off it’s hinges. 

“Just a minute!”

Chip’s eyes rolled as he leaned against the wall, fiddling with the towel slung over his shoulder. 

People always told Chip to never move in with his friends. He could only imagine the stress Jay would bring to their flat. He shivered at the thought. Well, that and the lack of a steaming shower.

In all honesty, he’d lucked out with Lizzie. Sure, they would butt heads, have clashing opinions, but for the most part it was a perfect arrangement. They’d grown up together, so it made sense to continue living under the same roof.

Caspian, however, was the embodiment of the perfect flatmate. Never left a mess, no loud noises, nothing. In all honesty, Chip sometimes forgot the Genasi lived with them. They had opposite schedules, Caspian working nights, Chip working mornings. 

The only time their paths even crossed was at 6am. 

The only problem he caused (it wasn’t his fault, mind you) was that his bedroom was the bathroom. Luckily the toilet was separated by a door, so it wasn’t all bad. They made this two bedroom one bathroom work for three people. 

That just meant Chip couldn’t shower when Caspian was asleep. But according to the flat group chat, Caspian was out with a friend today, so the shower was free reign. 

When Lizzie opened the door, she didn't say a word. Chip assumed this was out of cruelty, but then he saw the toothbrush in her mouth, he let that thought go.

“Took you long enough.” 

Lizzie made pointed eye contact as she spat out her toothpaste. “So, Gillion..”

“Jesus, have you been talking to Jay?”

“Of course I have, you never tell me anything.”

“Because there’s to t–”

“Chip.” She cut him off, washing her toothbrush. “You know it’s okay to have feelings for someone.”

He covered his flushed face. “I know it’s okay, but I don’t like him! Gods, I don’t even know him!” 

Lizzie only smiled. She left Chip alone in the bathroom with his thoughts.

~~~

“I mean, why would she even say that,” Chip complained, pacing back and forth. “She’s obviously planning something…”

A small boy sat on concrete steps, eyes following Chip’s movements. “Uh huh.”

“It’s like, get off my back,” he began kicking at the loose stones near his feet. “You know what I mean, Ollie.”

The boy smiled. “Nope!”

Chip sighed, dejectedly sitting beside him. “Anways, how is school going?”

Ollie’s eyes lit up as he regaled the man with stories about the substitute teacher they had for maths. 

Chip viewed the boy as a younger brother. He tried to be a pseudo father figure for him. Not that children need an older male influence in their lives, but it was nice for Chip to be that for Ollie.

He could only hope he was a good influence.

“And that’s how I got suspended.”

“You got suspended!” Maybe not.

“Ugh, you sound like my mum,” he said, voice trembling on the last word. “It’s not a big deal.” He tried to be dismissive, but was clearly upset.

Chip sighed. “It’s not not a big deal.”

Ollie clutched his legs to chest. “I thought you already knew.”

“How would I’ve known?”

“I dunno, you seem to know everything.”

“I know most things.”

“Plus, it’s a school day.”

“Then why aren’t you at school?”

“Because I got suspended, dumbass.”

“You can’t say that word, what would your mum think?”

Ollie fell silent at that rhetorical question. 

“Hey, I didn’t mean…” Ollie’s mum was always a sore subject, but recently, she’d been getting worse.

“No, I know.”

They couldn’t afford any effective treatment. Chip tried to help. What little money he had left over was hesitantly accepted by the two. Chip understood.

He didn’t always have money, didn’t always have a roof over his head. If it wasn’t for Drey, for the Black Rose Organisation, Chip couldn’t imagine where he’d be now. Probably dead.

While he wished he could just give them money, he sympathised with their pride. They didn’t have much, but they held onto their dignity. 

“Dignity” makes it sound so… He wasn’t sure of the word to use, but it would probably be an ugly word. All he knew was being indebted to someone was sometimes worse than having nothing. He knew from experience. 

“Come on Ollie, let’s get some ice cream.”

Chapter Text

Chip was angry. He was fuming at himself. 

He couldn’t stop checking the clock

Jay had been kind enough to not verbalise any of her thoughts, but Chip swore he could hear her smirking. 

“Captains,” a robotic voice with a Southern drawl spoke. He held a piece of paper, probably just a delivery notice. “What do I do with this?”

“I’ll help you, Alphonze,” Jay said, throwing a sneaky glance Chip’s way. “If Gillion comes in–”

“I am not asking for his number.”

She shrugged, headed towards the automaton. “Worth a shot.”

At moments like this, Chip was grateful for the new hire. It was so difficult to not make a “robots are stealing our jobs” joke, they weren’t sure if Alphonze would understand that it was a joke. 

Drey made them both promise to be on their best behaviour. The automaton had only recently left Edison Kingdom, apparently he was still impressionable. That didn’t stop them from teaching Alphonze that older employees were supposed to be referred to as “Captains”.

Chip was sure Drey would understand. It’s not like it was hurting anyone. Plus, it was funny. Also, the accent thing was barely his fault. Alphonze shouldn’t have even mentioned he could change it at will. Literally can not blame him, Chip is but a man after all. 

Speaking of men, here comes Gillion. 

“Good afternoon, Chip!”

“Hey Gil,” he said, silently cringing at the nickname that slipped from his mouth. Thank the Gods Jay was busy.

“Where is Jay?” Gillion asked, as if reading the man’s mind. 

“She’s out the back with Alphonze,” Chip said, continuing before Gillion could ask. “He’s our new hire.”

“Ah.” The Triton turned away, causing Chip to panic for some reason.

“H-How have you been?” 

“I have been… Adjusting.”

Chip almost regretted asking. “To what?”

“The Oversea. It’s very different, not at all what I was expecting.” Gillion clutched Pretzel tighter.

“What were you expecting?”

“I heard a lot of stories about your people and their cruelty,” he met Chip’s gaze. “I know now they are not true.”

Chip tried to ignore the colour change in his face. “Right. Well, that’s good.”

Gillion practically zoomed across the store, and Chip had no choice but to follow. 

“What is that?” Gil asked once he’d stopped. He was pointing at one of the new toys they’d received this morning.

“It’s one of our new stocked items. Drey said we needed more birds…” Chip trailed off, enchanted by Gillion’s fascination, his focus. 

“Wow,” was all he said. 

“Do you, uh, wanna buy it? I was told I’m supposed to try selling you things.”

Gillion sighed, turning away from the toy. “I wish.” 

Chip thought back to the previous time Drey tried to “work his magic” on the Triton. “Do you not like it–?”

“No, I… I do, but,” he scratched the back of his neck, cheeks coloured slightly purple. “I don’t have any Oversea currency.” 

“Oh. Well, I mean, we’re probably hiring–”

“It is okay, Chip. Thank you.”

“Y-You’re welcome.” Chip thought about saying something, referencing his own upbringing, but chickened out. “Do you have a phone?”

He couldn’t believe himself. Where is this coming from? This time he wasn’t imagining smug sounds from Jay, he could hear her chuckling. 

“Don’t be silly, I am too wet to use a phone,” Gillion laughed, booping Chip on the nose with his wet finger.

“Yeah, of course, duh,” Chip muttered, remembering Caspian wore a gloves to use electronics. “Silly me.”

“I will see you tomorrow.” Gillion smiled as he walked out, leaving behind an uncharacteristically speechless Chip. 

“Wow,” an annoying, snarky, stupid voice said. “I could cut that tension with a knife.”

“Best behaviour, Jay,” Chip said, still eyeing the bird toy.

“Nice try getting his number, I didn’t think you’d actually try.”

Chip paused. “I think I like him.”

“Yeah, duh,” Jay said, booping him in the same spot. “Silly.”

“Best behaviour.” 

When Jay turned around, he wiped his nose. As if on auto pilot, he took the bird toy to the check out, pulling out his eftpos card.

Chapter Text

Chip was used to waking up early. He didn’t enjoy it, but if he wanted to keep his job, he had no choice. Especially on the days he was opening the shop. Which was almost every day. So he essentially had no choice. Ever. Except his days off, but his body clock had absolutely fucked him in the sleeping in department. If he was lucky, he’d wake up at 9am.

Earlier starts weren’t all that bad. He was guaranteed a beautiful sunrise view on his way to work. And he preferred morning showers, they never failed to wake him up. It was almost better than coffee. Almost. 

If he wanted a morning shower, he had to wake up super early. Like, 6am. Which probably doesn’t sound that bad, but it’s early for Chip, okay! 

Anyways, that wasn’t the point. The point was, he was squeaky clean, drinking his homemade mochaccino in the kitchen. Well, it was more like a hot chocolate with a shot of coffee. Listen, Chip didn’t have to like coffee to drink it. Caffeine was caffeine, and energy drinks made him too jittery. And they tasted like ass. 

Standing with only a towel wrapped around his waist, he heard a murmuring at the door. He listened to the giggles and metallic struggles, followed by a knock. 

With a sigh, he opened the door. It wasn’t often Caspian arrived home this wasted, but Chip was no stranger to this. He was sure the Genasi would be able to figure out the lock on his own, and listening to him struggle was funny, but Caspian would offer him this courtesy when their roles were reversed. Plus, he was already awake. 

What he didn’t expect was an equally sloshed Gillion. With their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, they stumbled in, past a stunned Chip. 

“Thank you, Chip,” Caspian muttered, manically waving his hand in some drunken form of gratitude. He almost lost his balance. Both Undersea men laughed. 

“CHIP!” Gillion yelled, gesturing his free arm for Chip to join in their huddle. 

Chip chuckled in discomfort, closing the front door.

“Gillion, what are you doing here?” He wasn’t upset, just surprised. 

“Caspibin said I…” Both men laughed. “ Caspian, not Caspiban.”’

“We are friends!” Caspian announced a little too loudly for Chip’s liking. At least Lizzie was a heavy sleeper.

“Okay, okay…” Chip suddenly realised he was shirtless and crossed his arms. “You, uh, should like, go to bed or something.” 

Gillion leaned Caspian against the kitchen island, letting him go. He placed Pretzel carefully next to Caspian and slowly approached Chip with a look of curiosity. “You’re wet.”

“I had a shower.” Chip was glad they were both too drunk to register him blushing. 

“What?” His face was blank. He took a step closer, Chip could smell the salt and alcohol on his breath. His cheeks were dusted with a lavender blush, his eyeliner running, threatening to drip past his cheek. It took all of Chip’s control to not wipe the droplet away. 

“A shower, it’s where I clean,” Chip was struggling with his words. Even more so when Gillion ran his fingers through Chip’s hair. It was a shock initially, but it wasn’t unpleasant. It felt nice. 

He unconsciously leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. He let out a contented hum, he was still too tired to resist. 

“You smell nice. What is it?” 

“2 in 1 anti-dandruff shampoo,” Chip responded quietly, scared Gillion would stop. It had been so long since he felt this calm. 

“I don’t know what that is,” Gillion responded with a whisper, like it was a secret. A moment shared between only the two of them, as if the whole rest of the world had faded away. 

“It’s for hair.” 

“I like your hair.” A finger curled around one of his locks. 

Chip chuckled, opening his eyes. “I can tell.”

Gillion was looking at him, but not in his eyes. 

Chip wasn’t exactly muscular, but he wasn’t scrawny either. He never went to the gym, but he had a fast metabolism. All the heavy lifting he did gave his muscles some definition, enough that he was confident in his body. And Gillion was looking at it. 

Chip recrossed his arms. Sure, he got checked out sometimes, but this time felt different. He wasn’t being looked down upon. There was no lust in Gil’s gaze, only admiration, curiosity. He didn’t feel like an object, something to be ogled at. He didn’t feel like some specimen under a microscope to be studied. Chip felt like a person, an equal. Somehow, that was scarier than being viewed as a piece of meat. 

Gillion took a step back. His cheeks darkened to a deeper purple as he looked down, shamefully. “I-I’m sorry.”

“No, Gil, it’s okay–” 

“I’ve had too many squirties, goodnight.” He made his way back to Caspian, casting one last apologetic glance Chip’s way before they disappeared into the bathroom.

~~~

Today’s opening hour felt immensely longer than usual. He was overwhelmed with panic, replaying every moment from the morning. Mulling it over. Maybe he misinterpreted everything. Maybe the Undersea is different about that stuff. 

He’d been making steady progress with Gillion, slowly getting to know. He’d hate to think he somehow ruined whatever relationship they did have. Did he take advantage of Gillion’s drunken state? It’s not like anything really happened . But it all rubbed him the wrong way regardless. 

Gods, what was taking Jay so long? She usually had “drama tingle”, she seemed to miraculously appear whenever something happened to Chip. Not today, apparently. 

As soon as their door’s bell jingled, he pounced. “Jay, what the hell took you so long! I need to talk to you, you’ll never believe–”

He cut himself off when he didn’t see Jay’s slender frame, but rather her Uncle’s hulking one. 

“Good morning to you, too,” Drey chuckled, closing the door. “Jay’s sick, says she got food poisoning or something.” 

“Oh. Is she okay?” 

His hearty laugh calmed any nerves left in Chip’s body. “She’ll be fine. Prob’ly just drank too much last night.”

Chip let out a chuckle. “She’s not the only one…”

“What’d you get up to last night?”

“No, not me. Uh, Gillion, actually.” Chip was hesitant to tell him anything. Not because he didn’t trust Drey, exactly the opposite. Gods forbid the man thought any less of him. “It’s embarrassing, I don’t want to–.”

“You went drinking with Gillion?” Drey’s voice swelled with pride. He gave Chip a slightly too strong pat on the back. His prosthetic arms made it difficult for the man to know his own strength. “Attaboy. About time you tried a squirty–”

“No, no. I didn’t– He just showed up at my house.”

His demeanour changed completely. “Did he follow you home? Do I need to–?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. Him and Caspian are friends, I think?” Chip sighed, leaning against the front counter. “This is why I don’t wanna talk about it, you always jump to conclusions.”

“I’m just trying to look out for, kid,” Drey said, standing closer to Chip. “I’ll stop talking, promise.”

Chip gave him a nod. “Well, I’d just had a shower, right–”

“You were naked ?” 

“ No , I was wearing a towel! You said you wouldn’t–”

“I’m sorry, please continue.” Drey did a zipping his lips gesture. 

“Right, so Gil and Caspian came home. They were completely fucked–” Chip remembered he was talking to his manager. “I mean drunk, completely drunk. Anyways, Gillion started touching my hair and looking at me and…”

He covered his face with his hands. 

“You don’t have to tell me anything,” Drey said, offering a comforting pat on the back.

“I don’t know what to do.” His voice was muffled, his hands dragging their way down his face.

“When he comes in, you can talk to him. I’ll be right here with you, okay?”

Gillion didn’t stop by the shop that day.

Chapter Text

It had been three days since Gillion came by the store. Chip was starting to worry.

“Stop worrying,” Jay said, unhelpfully. 

“For months he’s been coming in every day–” Chip tried to argue, but was shushed by Jay. 

“Chip, he’s probably just embarrassed for his behaviour that night,” Jay said, being semi-reasonable for once. She kept telling Chip to talk to Gillion, but conveniently leaving out the fact he has no way to do that. Typical.

Chip sighed dramatically, staring at the clock.

3:27. He wasn’t coming, again. 

“Look, it’s going to be okay,” she lied, like a liar. Chip was convinced he’d never see the Triton again, no matter what Jay had to say. “I’m sure he just needs time. Or he’s busy?” 

Chip glanced over at the bird toy he’s purchased, the one that captured Gillion’s attention. 

“Or he hates me.”

“Why would he hate you?” 

“I told you what happened–”

“And I told you that he was drunk, he initiated–”

“He backed away–”

“He apologised! He said he was sorry–”

“He had nothing to be sorry–”

“Captains!” Alphonse yelled, snapping them both out of their argument. “Why are you fighting?”

“We’re not fighting ,” Jay said. “We’re just disagreeing.”

“I’m sorry,” Chip wasn’t sure where this apology was directed. “I’m just kinda freaking out!”

“This Gillion means a lot to you.” It wasn’t a question. Somehow Alphonse knew.

“I… Well, yeah,” Chip looked down at his shoes, surprisingly flustered. “I fucked it up, like I always do.”

“There is always a way to make things right, Chip,” Alphonse said, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder. 

Chip looked up, into the mechanical eyes. He stared at the reflection of himself before glancing at the toy.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

~~~

Chip knocked on Caspian’s door, stuffed bird in hand. The Genasi didn’t have time to register anything before Chip barged in. 

“Gillion’s mad at me, isn’t he! I knew it, I knew he–”

“Slow down,” Caspian said calmly. “What’s going on?”

“Is Gillion okay?”

Both men were quiet for a moment. This did nothing to soothe Chip’s nerves.

“No,” Caspian finally uttered. “He’s not.”

Chip slumped onto the edge of the bathtub. “I knew it.” He stared at the bird in his hands, fiddling with its wing. 

“Yes, with the state his Grandfather is in, it’s no wonder–”

“His what?” Chip interrupted, sitting tall in attention. 

“His Grandfather, Finn. You know about his condition, right?”

“Yeah,” he lied. “Of course.”

“Usually I wouldn’t tell you this but, seeing as you two are friends…” Caspian trailed off, taking a seat next to Chip. “Finn is getting worse.”

Chip thought of Ollie, of his mother. “Oh. Is that why he hasn’t been by the shop?”

Chip felt awful. Of course he’d assumed this was about him. Always so selfish… Gillion was going through something serious, and all the man could think about was himself.

“He refuses to leave Finn’s side, you know how he is,” Caspian laughed, as if Chip really knew. “I had to literally drag him out of the house on Friday. But once he got a few squirties down…” 

Chip chuckled. “Do you remember coming home that night?” 

Caspian shook his head. “All I know is I awoke beside Gillion the next morning.” 

“That’s probably for the best,” Chip said, staring at the toy. “Would you be able to give this to him? From me?”

“Certainly, does it have a name?”

“Uh,” Chip hadn’t even thought about it until now. “Apple.” He cringed at himself. Such a silly name. 

“Apple,” Caspian repeated with a smile. “I’m sure he will love it. I’m seeing him in an hour if you’d like to–”

“No! No, uh, I’m tired from work. And sore.” He cracked his back for effect.

“Very well.” Caspian stood up, opening the door.

“You know,” Chip said as he walked out of the room, “this is the longest conversation we’ve ever had.”

“I suppose it is,” Caspian hummed. “Gillion truly has a way of bringing people together.”

When the door shut, Chip felt the guilt pooling in his stomach. He felt sick.

Chapter Text

Gillion was waiting for him. 

It was 7:28am, the shop didn’t even officially open for another 32 minutes. Yet here he was, patiently standing by the front door.

“Gillion?” Chip slowly approached the man as if he were a deer. “What are you doing here?”

“Good morning, Chip,” Gillion said, holding Apple out in front of him. “I can not accept this.”

“Oh. Do you not like–?”

“I do. Very much,” Gillion mumbled, staring at the ground, hand extended. “I can not take her.”

“Okay, uh,” Chip shook his head, unlocking the door. “Do you wanna come in at least? How long were you standing here?”

“Not long.” Gillion followed the man inside, standing awkwardly by the counter. “Chip, I don’t understand why… I don’t have any money.” 

“I know,” Chip said, flicking on the lightswitches. “I got it for you.”

“With your money?” He placed Apple on the counter, shaking his head, seemingly horrified. “I can not–”

“Gillion, it was a gift,” Chip attempts to console him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I have done nothing to deserve this!” Gillion yelled, shoving Chip off him. The outburst shocked both men. “I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” Chip reassured, taking Gillion’s hand in his. “I wanted to do something nice for you.”

“Why?”

Chip averted his gaze, unable to look into his eyes. He felt colour rising in his cheeks. “Well, I mean, I like you.”

“I like you, too, Chip,” Gillion said in a tone the man couldn’t place. “But I have nothing to give you in return.”

“I don’t want anything,” Chip said with a chuckle. “Just being around you is enough.” 

Gillion frowned. “I am sorry for not stopping by.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, your Grandfather–”

He took a step back. “How do you know about my Grand Pe-Pa?”

“Caspian told me,” Chip said with a sigh, leaning against the counter. 

“I told him not to tell anyone.”

“He told me ‘cause I asked. I was worried about you,” Chip muttered, crossing his arms. “He only told me because we,” he gestured between the two of them, “are friends.”

“We are?” Gillion seemed surprised, cheeks flushing purple. 

“Of course we are, Gil,” Chip said, picking up Apple. “I want you to keep her.” 

A deeper purple crossed his face. He looked down sheepishly, accepting the toy. “I… Thank you. Truly.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Chip’s goofy smile faded. “Do you remember anything about, uh, that night? At my house?”

“Oh, yes,” Gillion said cheerfully. “You have a lovely home.”

Chip laughed. “I meant, like, do you remember what happened?”

“Hmm,” he thought for a moment. “You opened the door, we talked, I went to sleep.”

“Great!” Chip said too cheerfully. “That is, that’s good.”

He didn’t remember anything. Chip was beyond relieved. This was amazing, Gillion wasn’t mad at him!

Gillion chuckled in confusion. “Yay?”

“Are you gonna come back later today?” He immediately regretted asking. It implied that Gillion was leaving, Chip didn’t want him to.

“I will have to see.” Gillion looked down at Apple, fiddling with her wings. He glanced at the door, then back at Chip. “I should go.”

“You don’t have to!” Chip responded too quickly with too much enthusiasm. “I mean, if you wanted to stay for a bit, you could totally do that.”

Gillion smiled. “Alright.”

~~~

“So where’s Pretzel?” Chip asked Gillion as the Triton watched him count the float.

“She is with my Grand Pe-Pa,” he replied, somewhat reluctantly. “If he does wake up, I don’t want him to be alone.” 

Chip wasn’t sure what to say, so he smiled. “That’s very thoughtful of you.” 

“Why are you counting the money?”

“To make sure it balances.”

“What?” Gillion didn’t know anything about Oversea money. He was fascinated by all the coins and notes.

“Balances, like, make sure it matches what we counted last night,” Chip tried to explain without losing count.

“So you’ve already counted it.” Gillion thought very hard about this. “Are you checking for thievery?”

“Ding, ding, ding! 10 points to Gillion!”

“Okay,” Gillion said with an excited nod. “What do 10 points do?”

Chip glanced at him with a smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Yes, I would. That’s why I asked.” 

He laughed at the earnestness. “Well, it’s a secret.”

“Aw…”

The front door’s bell rang out through the store. “Good morning Chip! You better not be moping about your boyfriend that won’t talk to y– Oh. Hi Gillion.” 

“Jay,” Chip said through gritted teeth. 

“Good morning Jay,” Gillion greeted her before turning his attention back to Chip. “You never told me you had a boyfriend.”

“Because I don’t,” he muttered, sending a glare towards Jay, who just shrugged. 

“So you lied?” 

“No, I didn’t lie ,” Jay said defensively. “I was joking, it was a joke.”

“But it wasn’t true?” Gillion questioned, turning his attention to Chip, who couldn’t agree more.

“Exactly. Jay, why are you a chronic liar?”

“I am not a chronic liar!”

“But you are a regular liar,” Chip insisted. “Right Gillion?”

“Well, Jay did lie.”

“Gods, you two are so annoying,” Jay groaned, rolling her eyes. “If you need me, I’ll be pissing.”

“Well, that wasn’t a no.”

~~~

“Look, Jay, I love you like a sister, but you’re wrong.”

“The whole point of a bathrobe–”

“We are talking about towels, Jay!”

She rolled her eyes. “I know. What I’m trying to say is you can wear something soft and fluffy after you’re dry.”

“You can, but that doesn’t mean you need to drag sandpaper across your skin–”

“Come on, it’s not that rough.”

“Soft towels are better, Gil,” Chip said to the confused Triton. 

“Don’t listen to him, he’s being ridiculous,” Jay insisted, stupidly while being super wrong. “It’s up to personal preference.”

“Gillion, there is a right way and a wrong way to dry yourself. The right way is with a soft towel.”

Gillion looked towards Jay. “I still don’t understand why you would want to be dry.”

~~~

“This is actually the third wave of Skulltimate Secrets dolls,” Jay said to a very intrigued Gillion. “The new generation of Monster High dolls have been very popular.”

“What are those ones?”

“Those are Rainbow High dolls,” Jay continued talking, but Chip wasn’t listening.

He was watching Gillion as he soaked in all this new information. His face furrowed with such intensity, as if this was this would be on a test. He seemed to treat every new piece of information with the utmost respect, as if it was all equally important. 

“You’re smitten with him,” Drey said from behind Chip, startling him.

“Ah! Give a man a jumpscare warning next time,” Chip said, hand over his chest, dramatically heaving. “I am not ‘smitten’. No one even uses that word anymore.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.”

Chip scoffed. “You only see me at work, that’s not exactly a joyful environment.”

“We work in a toy store. That’s about as joyful as it gets.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Chip said dismissively, waving his hand. “You know what I mean.” 

“I’m just glad you’ve found someone,” Drey said, giving him a pat on the back.

“No, I haven’t,” Chip denied, flustered. “He’s just a guy I know.” Admittedly, a very kind, interesting, attractive guy. But even still, Gillion was just someone he knew, not the someone.

The sound of Gillion’s laugh at something Jay said drew both the men’s attention. His head flew back, eyes closed. The way sunlight reflected off his dewy skin… Fuck, maybe Chip was smitten.

Chapter Text

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lizzie scolded, leaning against the kitchen counter. “That’s a horrible first date.”

“I don’t want it to be a date,” Chip replied defensively, scrubbing at a stubborn stain on the plate. “I just wanna, like, get to know him.”

Lizzie took the plate from Chip’s hands, beginning to dry it. “How would going out drinking–”

“Okay, okay,” Chip flung his hands in the air, splashing soapy water in Lizzie’s face. “What should I do then?”

She used the back of her hand to wipe away the moisture. “Have dinner? See a movie? Have a long walk on the beach?”

“Those all sound like dates,” Chip said suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes, accusatorially, as Lizzie stared back with a blank expression.

“I’m trying to help you woo him.”

“Stop helping then!” Chip angrily thrust another plate in his direction.

“Fine, whatever,” she mumbled, ignoring the plate to look down at her phone. “Caspian says you should take Gillion to the aquarium.”

“Why are you talking to him about this?!” Chip tried in vain to snatch her phone away.

She put it in her pocket, throwing the tea towel in Chip’s face. “Because you’re hopeless. You can’t make a single decision by yourself.”

~~~

“Can you believe she said that?” 

Ollie sat on the stairs, watching Chip pace back and forth. “I can.”

He stopped. “What, why?”

“You’re asking a 12 year old for advice about–”

“I’m ranting, not asking.”

“You asked me a question.”

“A rhetorical one!” Chip shook his head in disbelief, throwing his hands up in the air. “I swear, the people I surround myself with are just the worst.”

“Even Gillion? Is he the worst?”

Chip stared at the boy, seeing the cheeky glint in his eye. He considered his options before answering honestly. “No, he’s the exception.”

“Sooo…” Ollie said, leaning forward in excitement. “You like Gillion?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“YOU LIKE HIM!” He yelled, practically vibrating on the spot. 

“Yeah! I do! So what?!” 

Ollie stood up, wrapping his arms around Chip. “You like him! You like him!”

“Stop it, get off,” Chip mumbled in embarrassment, failing to wriggle his way out of the boy’s grasp.

“What’s all this yelling for?” They both turned to the door behind them, seeing a frail framed woman supporting herself on the doorway.

“Mum,” Ollie exclaimed, letting go of Chip, making his way over to her. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“Hey Mrs. T– Uh, Miss. Teach,” Chip said, scratching the back of his neck. “Nice to see you.”

“Chip,” was all she said in his direction. She looked back down at her son who was hugging her side. “I had to see what all the fuss was about.”

“Chip likes Gillion,” he whispered, as if Chip couldn’t hear him.

Looking up, she smiled at him. The smile did not reach her eyes. “Isn't that lovely.” 

Chip wasn’t sure what specific reason she had for her disdain towards the man, but he didn’t blame her. 

Miss. Teach was very protective of her son, she would do anything to keep Ollie safe. She had every right to dislike him. Didn’t mean Chip was happy about it. 

“Well,” Chip said, beginning to walk away. “I should probably head off.” 

“I’ll come with you!” Ollie exclaimed, missing the point of his abrupt exit. 

“Oliver,” his mother said sternly. “You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You’re suspended, which means you’re grounded.” Chip received a pointed glare. Ollie’s suspension was somehow his fault? He wasn’t even there!

“She’s right Ollie,” he agreed, attempting to get back on her good side. The blank stare gained in response suggested he never was on her good side. 

“You never let me do anything!” Ollie stormed inside. A faint slam of a bedroom door could be heard from outside where Chip faced Miss. Teach.

“You know, I–”

“I don’t want you around him.” 

Chip stood silently for a moment. “What?”

“I don’t want you around my son,” she repeated. “I appreciate you trying to help us, but we don’t need it. Oliver can’t get in trouble again.”

“Look, if there’s something I did–”

“He’s a good kid, he’s smart,” she said, closing the front door of her apartment. “This isn’t the first time he’s acted out in school.”

“It’s not?” Chip was genuinely shocked to hear that. Ollie had only ever said positive things about school. 

“This wasn’t the first fight he’s gotten into,” she continued, unable to look at him. “He looks up to you, Chip. I think he wants to impress you.”

Chip stared down at his shoes. Ollie was being bullied at school, he knew that much. He had told the boy to stand up for himself, to “act tough”. Clearly, he took that too literally.

“I had no idea, I’m sorry.”

Miss. Teach seemed taken aback by his apology. “Thank you, but the damage has already been done.”

He nodded and started to walk away.

“Look, Chip,” she said, seemingly hesitantly. “I know it’s not my place to say, but…”

He turned to face her. “But what?”

“I know you’re not with the Grandberries, but you know them. Just be careful who you associate with.”

“What? I don’t know–”

The door was shut before he could ask any questions.

“I don’t know the Grandberries..”

~~~

“Yeah, that sucks,” Jay said, restocking their Squishmallow display. “But why did you come here?”

“To tell you? So you can sympathise with me?”

Jay scoffed, throwing a dragon Squishmallow at him. “You need more friends.”

Chip clutched it to his chest. “Do you think it’s my fault?”

“That Ollie’s fighting other kids?” She thought for a moment. “Yeah probably.”

He threw the dragon back at Jay. “You’re not supposed to agree.” 

“Look, you can’t control someone else’s actions, so it’s not directly your fault that Ollie got suspended,” Jay said, putting the toy on the display. “You didn’t make him get into fights.”

“I told him to stand up for himself…”

“Which is the most generic piece of advice in that situation,” she said with a laugh. Chip punched her shoulder. “I just mean anyone could have told him the same thing.”

“You’re so full of wisdom, Jay,” he said sarcastically. 

“I do agree with his mum though,” she continued. “He definitely looks up to you. He’s only 12, so obviously he doesn’t know any better.”

“Hey!”

“From what you’ve told me, he isn’t violent.”

“He’s not,” Chip insisted. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone! Well, aside from those kids I guess…”

“Clearly he’s going through something,” Jay said, picking up an empty box. “What do you think, Alphonse?”

“I think Chip should respect the Mother’s wishes and leave Ollie alone.”

“Cheers.” Chip said, unenthusiastically. He followed Jay to the back room, thought of the Grandberries plaguing his mind.

They were some kind of rebel group, referring to themselves as pirates. While Chip did think that was super cool, he didn’t know any. He also wasn’t entirely sure what they did. They liked to put up posters and graffiti. 

He did know that the Grandberries were rebelling against Jay’s family, so… As much as he wanted to talk about it, he didn’t want to upset her.

“Spit it out,” Jay demanded. She flipped the box upside down, slicing the take with a box cutter. “You look constipated, what do you want to–?”

“Miss. Teach thinks I know the Grandberries!”

Jay paused mid cut. “She thinks you’re a pirate?”

“No, she just told me to be careful who I associated with.”

Jay nodded, cutting through the rest of the box. “Do you know any of them?”

“No! At least, I don’t think so.”

Jay was uncharacteristically quiet. She usually was when it came to her family, but this time was different. She would typically hold a dismissive attitude, however she was contemplative. Thinking. 

“Thinking hard, huh? The first time is always the most difficult, I know your brain doesn’t–”

“Chip, shut up.” 

He did.

Jay took in a deep breath before turning to look at him. “Promise me you don’t know any of the Grandberries.”

“I promise. Jay, are you okay–?”

“The Grandberries killed my sister.”

Chapter Text

Chip tried to find out more about Ava and how she died. Jay refused to speak about it, Drey said it’s “not work appropriate to talk about this”, whatever that means.

Alphonze was no help, well, maybe a little help.

“The Grandberry Pirates are self described ‘vigilanties’. Your government likes to refer to them as a ‘terrorist organisation’, however they have not committed any attacks in years,” Alphonze explained to him as they worked. Jay had a day off, so it was the perfect time to find out something . “After an incident involving many casualties and one death, they have been ‘laying low’.”

Chip nodded. “That was probably Jay’s sister, huh.”

“Affirmative.”

Chip knew about Ava, knew that she was killed, but until now he had respected Jay’s boundaries. He almost felt bad.

Chip knew he had to do something to help Jay. He wasn’t sure what, or how he could help, but he had to try. For his own curiosity, he had to know what happened. He tried looking up the incident online, however all the details were impossible to find.  

“Hello, Chip!” He turned around to see Gillion, hands behind his back.

All thoughts of murder and Pirates were gone.

“Hey Gil,” Chip said, unable to control his grin. He glanced at the clock. “You’re early.”

“I– Yes,” Gil muttered, cheeks flushed purple. “I hope that is not a problem.”

“Of course not! I love seeing you,” Chip almost yelled, for some reason. Without consulting the rest of his body, Chip’s arm gave Gillion a pat on his bicep. Surprisingly firm bicep. Does he work out?

His arm retracted. Gillion laughed. 

“Good. I am glad,” he stated, staring at Chip. He presented his hand, holding a conch shell. “This is for you.”

Gillion placed it in Chip’s outstretched hand, their fingers brushing. Chip felt his ears heating up as he stared down at the shell. “It’s beautiful.”

He glanced at Gillion, who stared back with the same adoration Chip held for the conch. “It’s a phone. So, uh, you can call me.”

“Yeah, okay,” Chip said, nodding way too enthusiastically. “Cool!”

Gillion mimicked his nodding. “Cool!”

Both men laughed, stopping their head movements. They stood, upspeaking, staring at each other. 

“Captain,” Alphonze said from across the shop. Chip turned to see a Mother and daughter at the check out. “I require assistance.”

“Be right there!” Chip yelled, turning back to Gillion. “I gotta…”

“Of course, I will look around the store,” he replied with a small smile. 

Chip couldn’t help the spreading across his face. Gillion wanted to stay longer, to see him for longer. His joy didn’t last for long once he saw the scowl on the woman’s face.

“Welcome to the Riptide Toybox, how can I–?”

“I bought this doll from you,” she said, placing a Barbie on the counter. “It’s now on sale.”

Chip fought back a groan. “I see.”

“I want the new price.”

“You’ve already bought this doll–”

“Yes, but now it’s on sale.”

“I’m sorry Ma’am, but–”

“I want a refund.”

Chip took a moment to keep calm and collect his thoughts. He’s dealt with a lot of entitled pricks like her in his time. Everytime it happened, he wanted to quit.

“We can’t do that.”

The woman scoffed, crossing her arms. “Why not?”

“You’ve already paid for this product–”

“But it’s on sale–”

“This doll has been opened and played with–”

“I want a refund!” 

Chip paused, staring back at the woman. His jaw clenched into a fake smile. 

“I’m sorry Ma’am, but we are not able to–”

“This is ridiculous! I want to speak to your manager.”

Ah, there it is. 

“The store manager is unavailable at this time,” Alphonze said, breaking the silence. “If you would–”

“I’m not going to take this kind of attitude from some kid and his robot,” she spat, grabbing the Barbie off the counter. “We are leaving, and never coming back!”

“Have a great rest of your day,” Chip said out of instinct. The woman glared at him with the intensity of an ocean’s storm.

“You have behaved completely unprofessionally! I will have you fired!” 

“No you won’t,” Gillion said from three aisles over. 

“Excuse me.”

“You’re excused,” he responded, seemingly genuine. The woman took offense to this, turning her glare back to Chip.

“Your shop is full of freaks! It’s a miracle you haven’t gone under,” she grabbed her daughter’s hand a little too tightly. 

Chip’s throat tightened, fists clenched. “You take that back.”

“It’s the truth.”

“He is not a freak,” Chip muttered. 

She looked Gillion up and down with a disgusted look in her eyes. Gillion held Pretzel behind his back. 

“You keep telling yourself that,” the woman tugged the girl behind her, storming out of the store. 

Chip let out a pained sigh, leaning his head on the counter. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

Alphonze gave him a pat on the back. His metallic hands didn’t offer much comfort, but it was a thoughtful gesture. 

Chip was used to being treated like shit. It was part of the job description afterall. But to bring Gillion into it, the most amazing person Chip had ever met… His knuckles were white, deep breaths weren’t helping. 

“Chip, are you okay?” 

Chip looked up to see a concerned Gillion. The sight of his face was almost enough to make him forget his anger. “I’ve been better.”

“That woman was very rude,” Alphonze commented with outstanding observational skills. “You handled her well.”

“At least she’s not coming back,” Chip groaned, rubbing his face. He looked at the clock: 3:36. His head collapsed back into his folded arms. “Man, I could use a drink.”

“Oh, I can get you some water,” Gillion said, looking around. He frowned, not seeing anything.

“No, I mean a drink drink. Like alcohol.” 

Gillion nodded, glancing at Alphonze. “Is that allowed?”

“After work,” Chip added. “You should come with me.”

Gillion’s cheeks flushed purple. “If you would like that.”

“I’d like nothing more.

Chapter Text

The bar was starting to get busy. Jay had just joined the pair for happy hour. Chip didn’t want to invite Jay, but Gillion had insisted. 

“I would like to befriend her, she seems lovely,” Gillion had said in a moment of extremely poor judgement. 

So there the three sat, sharing stories and shots of tequila. Jay’s choice, not theirs. Chip was unable to tell if Gillion liked tequila or not. He kept a completely straight face when drinking. 

The Triton left the table to get another round. Jay had a shit eating grin on her face. Her face was red from having a little too much to drink.

“Is this a date?”

Chip pretended the growing blush was from alcohol. “No! No, shut up.”

Jay leaned forward, poking Chip’s face for some drunken reason. “I’m totally third wheeling right now–”

“No you’re not! This is not a date, Jay,” Chip insisted, slapping her hand away. “Just, be cool, okay?”

“I’m always cool,” Jay lied, leaning back. She flexed her biceps. “Way cooler than you.”

Chip groaned, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Jay, Chip!” Gillion yelled from across the bar, waving frantically. “Come.”

“He said cum,” Jay chuckled under her breath.

“Uh, stay here, Jay,” Chip said, standing up. He didn’t trust her not to fall over or break something. She gave him a salute as walked away.

At the bar, Gillion stood talking to another Triton. Her face formed a frown when she saw Chip. Ouch. What had he ever done to her?

“Hey Edyn,” he said, trying to be friendly.

“You two know each other?” Gillion asked.

“He comes in for a drink sometimes,” Edyn said while polishing a glass, not looking at him. Chip really had no idea why Edyn disliked him. Sure, he’d flirted with her a few times. There was that one time he knocked over a table covered in drinks… But that wasn’t even that bad!

“Well, Chip, as you know, this is Edyn. She’s my sister. Edyn, this is Chip, my best friend!”

Chip’s eyes widened. Best friend…?  

They both stared at each other for a moment, processing this groundbreaking information. Chip knew Gillion had a sister. He never thought it would be her. 

Edyn seemed dumbfounded. “This is Chip?”

“Yes,” he replied, fidgeting on the spot. He felt very judged under her gaze, more so than usual. “We’re best friends?”

Gillion didn’t notice the questioning tone in the man’s voice. He beamed brightly, throwing his arm around Chip’s shoulder. “How wonderful you’ve already met each other!”

“Yeah, for sure,” Chip muttered, offering an apologetic glance at Edyn. “So you gave him Pretzel?”

“You gave him Apple?” She asked in response, giving Gillion a small smile. “You don’t look like you’d work at a toy store.” 

“He’s very good at it!” Gillion added, still not letting go of him. 

“T-Thanks Gill.”

“Well, if he makes you happy…” Edyn said with a shrug, grabbing the bottle of tequila off the shelf behind her.

It was clear they both cared about Gillion in their own way, but it was doubtful they would ever get along. Which was, like, whatever. Chip didn’t care. At all. 

~~~

“And so it’s… It’s elusive,” Gillion attempted to explain to the drunk humans.

“Why though?” Jay asked, sipping on a glass of water. She sat across from Chip, kicking his legs under the table.

“No one’s seen it,” Gillion explained, circling the illustration on the napkin.

“What is a crawfish?” Chip asked, head leaning against Gillion’s shoulder, the Triton’s arm wrapped around him.

“It’s a friend,” he said, as if that answered his question. 

“You’re my friend,” Chip said, taking the pen from Gillion. He drew two stick figures holding hands. He scribbled what was supposed to be coral on one of their heads. “That’s you.”

Gillion placed a kiss on the top of Chip’s head, causing him to freeze. Jay made a gagging sound, snapping him out of the shock. 

“Shut up!” Chip poked his tongue at her.

“You shut up, you’re being gross.”

“Name one time I’m gross.”

“Right now!”

Chip shook his head. “No. Doesn’t count.”

“Okay. How ‘bout all the time? You’re so gross. Always,” Jay hissed, covering her nose. “You smell. Real bad.”

“Nuh uh!” Chip held his nose. “You smell yourself.”

“Who smelt it dealt it.”

“You smelt it first!”

“I think you smell great, Chip,” Gillion whispered, stroking his hair. 

He closed his eyes, smiling. “You hear that? Gilly says I smell great.”

“Cause his fishy nose likes rotting fish smell,” Jay whispered, pointing a finger. “Which you smell like.”

“Do not,” Chip squinted his eyes open long enough to see Gillion gazing down at him, eyes filled with adoration. As if he was something precious. 

His heart swelled, stomach did somersaults. It was like one of those moments you saw on TV, something dramatised for the screen. The most handsome man you’ve ever seen staring into the camera. 

Chip wasn’t sober enough to convince himself it was his imagination. 

“Ew,” Jay said, shakily standing to her feet. “I’m dancing.”

“Hi,” Chip whispered up at Gillion, unable to contain his smile.

“Hi.” Gillion unwrapped himself from Chip, standing up. “We should dance?”

“Yeah, okay!” How could Chip say no?

~~~

“What is this song?” Gillion yelled into Chip’s ear. 

“I don’t know!” Chip yelled over the music. He thought for a moment before yelling again. “Aquarium!”

“What?”

“The aquarium, we should– come with me?”

“What is an aquarium?” Gillion asked, stepping closer to Chip.

“It’s where they keep fish,” he said, closing the gap until their chests were touching.

“Like an ocean?”

“Yeah, but a glass ocean.”

The idea of a glass ocean seemed to intrigue Gillion. His eyes went wide, as did his toothy grin. “I would like that very much.”

Chip wrapped his arms around Gillion’s shoulders, swaying to the music. He felt the Triton’s hands resting on his hips. He felt so safe.

Chapter Text

Chip stood at the bus stop, flowers in hand, sweating his balls off. It was an overcast day, sun barely peeking through the blanket of clouds above. He couldn’t blame the weather.

He was nervous.

Which was stupid, because this definitely was not a date. No matter what these dumb flowers suggested. Chip wasn’t sure what compelled him to buy the bouquet. 

He was minding his own business, walking to the agreed upon meeting place to catch a bus with Gillion. He was very excited about the idea of a bus; a giant vehicle, packed with passengers. 

It was Chip’s worst nightmare, but Gillion has a way of finding beauty in everything. 

Anyways, he was thinking about Gillion, then he saw a flower shop, spotting a pink, blue and green arrangement that reminded him of the Triton. Next thing he knew, his pockets were much lighter, and he was holding a delicate bundle he’d have to carry with him for the next few hours. 

Great.

“Good morning, Chip!”

He beamed, turning to face the man of his dreams. No, what? That’s not true. “Mornin’ Gil!”

Gillion’s gaze dropped to the bouquet. “What is that?”

“These are flowers,” Chip said, presenting them to the other. “They’re for you.”

He stood still with a blank expression before lighting up with a smile. “For me?”

“Yes,” Chip said, holding the flowers outwards, double handed. 

“I am not good at receiving gifts.” Gillion placed his hands over Chip’s, staring intently into the other man’s eyes. “These are beautiful, Chip. I would have gotten you something if–”

“Shh,” Chip shushed. “Stop talking, and take the damn flowers.”

So he did. Gillion stared happily at the flowers, not saying a word. He twisted the bouquet around in his hands, watching the colours swirl.

“I forget how vibrant things look in the Oversea,” Gillion muttered. “Back home, it is more… muted, I would say.”

“You don’t talk much ‘bout the Undersea,” Chip replied, testing the waters. It seemed to be a sore subject for the Triton. 

Gillion glanced at him with a half smile. “I do not.”

Chip chose not to pry any further. As curious as he was, he didn’t want to force him to disclose anything he wasn’t comfortable sharing.

“I do miss it,” Gillion continued to say, eyes fixated on the flowers. “The Oversea feels so endless, reaching heights I never thought possible. It is hard to linger on the past when the future is so big.”

“That’s beautiful, Gil.” 

“Sometimes, I think about going back,” he muttered, taking hold of Chip’s hand. Gillion ran his thumb back and forth in a calming manner. “But I would lose so much if I did.”

Both their eyes met, cheeks blushing. 

“I don’t want you to leave.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t plan on leaving.”

Their hands didn’t separate until the bus arrived.

~~~

“Do not worry, Chip,” Gillion announced proudly as they stood by the aquarium’s entrance. “I can pay for us both!”

He excitedly placed down a pile of shells, much to the confusion of the service worker.

“Uh…” She said, looking frantically between the two men.

“You see, they must accept Undersea currency if they are showing us fish,” he said, unaware this perfectly valid assumption was false.

Chip saw the look of pride on the man’s face and didn’t have the heart to ruin his joy. He smiled, making direct eye contact with Gillion as he slid his wallet across the counter.

“Thank you, Gil,” he said genuinely. “That’s so thoughtful.”

“It is the least I could do to repay you,” Gillion replied, oblivious to the beeping sounds of the eftpos machine. 

Gods, I wanna kiss you.  

Chip distracted himself from his rash thoughts by taking the bouquet. “Do you mind if we leave this here?”

“What for?” Gillion asked. 

“I just thought you’d want your hands free for the aquarium.”

Gillion nodded. “Okay. But we must come back for these flowers.”

Chip chuckled at the man’s insistence. The worker took the bouquet, placing it carefully behind the desk.

“These are so pretty,” she remarked. “You have such a good boyfriend.”

“We’re not–” Chip tried to explain before he was cut off.

“Thank you!” Gillion interrupted, proudly placing a hand on Chip’s shoulder.

He couldn’t help blushing. Anyone would in that situation. Even if it was probably some Undersea misunderstanding of the word ‘boyfriend’, Chip’s stomach did somersaults.

“Here’s your tickets,” the girl said, passing two slips of paper and a wallet to Chip. She picked up 4 of the shells, handing them to Gillion. “And your change.”

“Thank you,” Gillion said with a slight bow. He took hold of Chip’s hand, racing towards the aquarium’s entrance.

“Woah! Thank you!” Chip yelled behind him, shooting the girl a wave. She smiled back, playfully shaking her head in amusement.

~~~

“Ooo, Chip, look!” Gillion yelled, tugging Chip’s arm, dragging him to another tank. “The Oversea calls these ones Clown Fish. We call them Stripey Reds.”

“Clown fish are orange, Gil.”

“The Undersea does not have the colour orange. Orange is an Oversea fruit,” he explained. “The Oversea did not always have the colour orange, either. In fact, there are many animals labelled as ‘red’ that would now be considered orange. Take for example…”

Chip didn’t understand half of what the Triton was saying, but he didn’t care. Just hearing Gillion’s voice so full of passion was more than enough to make his heart swell. He selfishly hoped the man would talk about Chip in the same way, with the same excitement. 

He wished that whenever someone said ‘Chip’, Gillion’s eyes would light up. That he words would spill from him as he gushed about how deeply he cared for the human. 

Hey, a boy could dream, couldn’t he?

“...which is why I find colours so fascinating,” Gillion concluded, walking towards the shark tank. “Wow. She’s beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you,” Chip’s mouth said in a moment of betrayal. That’s so embarrassing, why did he say that?

Gillion didn’t seem to think so. In fact, his cheeks deepened to a purple colour. “W-Well, if you think that is true, I will not disagree.”

“I’m always right,” Chip insisted. He took in a deep breath, holding back his internal cringe. “And I think you’re gorgeous.”

The Triton clearly didn’t find these words to be sappy. He stuck his thumb up in response. “O-Okay!” 

Chip smiled as he admired the flustered mess before him. Usually Gillion was so loud and confident, but at this moment, he was barely able to manage a single coherent thought. This made Chip feel oddly satisfied, as if he had bested Gillion in some kind of romantic combat. 

“You’re not very good at receiving compliments,” he snarkily remarked, taking Gillion’s arm in his. 

“I am not used to receiving any form of praise,” Gillion admitted quietly, not looking in Chip’s direction. “I do like it, though.”

Chip’s heart sank. If he ever met anyone from the Undersea who treated Gillion with even the smallest bit of disdain or disrespect, he would beat them up so badly. 

“So no one’s ever told you how smart you are?”

Gillion laughed. “Quite the opposite, actually.”

“No one’s ever said how charismatic you are? How confident you are,” Chip continued, enjoying using compliments to tease the man.

“I believed they used the word ‘boisterous’...” Gillion’s hands covered his face, eyes poking through between his fingers. 

“You’re telling me no one’s ever said how beautiful you look when you smile?”

“Ugh, Chip! There are people,” he said, gesturing to the aquarium guests that were paying no attention to the couple. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop!” He yielded, wrapping his arm around Gillion’s shoulder. “Just know all these people agree with me.”

~~~

“What is this?” Gillion asked, stopping in front of a sealed exhibit. They stopped to read the sign.

COMING SOON: Dance With The Gods

“That could literally mean anything,” Chip remarked, squinting at the sign as if that would reveal more answers. 

“Can we come back when it opens?”

Chip smiled. Gillion wanted to come back, with Chip. Man, did he wish this was a date… 

“Of course we can,” Chip said, leading Gillion away. “But I’m paying next time.”

“Are you sure? You have already–”

“Shh,” Chip shushed, putting a finger to Gillion’s lips. “I like giving you things. Gift giving is one of my love languages.” 

“Your what?” Gillion asked, finger still on his lips. Chip removed it.

“There’s, like, 6 different love languages. It’s a way to tell people how you show affection,” he explained. “I’ll see if I can remember them. There’s, uh, acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch…”

“I see,” Gillion nodded, taking hold of Chip’s hand. “I like physical touch.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Chip said, squeezing Gillion’s hand in his.

Before either man could say another word, Chip’s phone rang.

“Sorry, I should take this,” Chip let go, opening his phone. 

‘ Mrs. Teach ’ is what the contact name said. Which was strange, as last time they spoke, she wanted nothing to do with him. Chip took a deep breath.

“Hello, Chip speaking!”

“ Where is he? ” A voice yelled frantically from the phone.

“Who? What are you talking ab–?”

“ Where’s Ollie?! ”

“I swear, I haven’t seen him since you told–”

“ Ollie’s missing! ”

Chapter Text

Chip paced back and forth, phone ringing into his ear.

“What is–? ”

“Drey, Ollie’s missing!”

“Is that the boy you watch over? ”

“His mum called, I’m totally freaking out. Where could he go? I mean, he’s never–”

“Chip,” Drey said, shutting the boy up. “Calm down. Where are you? ”

“Across town, at the aquarium. Gillion’s with me.”

Gillion squeezed his shoulder, offering a small supportive smile. Chip sent one back, leaning against the Triton. 

“Oh,” Drey said in surprise, for some reason.

“What do you mean ‘oh’?”

“I didn’t think you’d ask him on a date is all. ”

Chip blushed, thankful the phone wasn’t on speaker. 

“This is not a– Look, Ollie is missing, I need your help.”

“Okay, okay. Chip, it’s going to be okay. We’ll find him. What does he look like? ”

Gillion ushered Chip over to the reception chairs. He sat them both down, holding his hand while the man answered Drey’s questions. Chip was thankful for the support, the last thing he wanted was to be alone.

He knew if he’d found out Ollie was missing while he was alone, he’d be spiralling. Chip most likely wouldn’t have called anyone, just stewed silently in his anxiety. 

“... but it’s been a while since I last saw him, so I can’t say for sure if–”

“Chip,” Drey reassured. “I’ll take it from here. I’m going to make a few calls.”

“Okay,” he sighed, resting his head on Gillion, who began stroking his hair. “Thank you, Drey.”

“Before I go, will you be okay comin’ into work tomorrow? I can cover your shift? ”

Chip shook his head, despite Drey definitely not being able to see him do so. “I’ll be fine. Thanks though.”

“I’ll let you know if we find anything,” Drey paused. “Take it easy, yeah? ” 

“Yeah,” Chip whispered, hanging up the phone. His eyes closed, soaking in the sensations of Gillion.

“How are you feeling?” The triton asked, placing a kiss on top of his head.

“Scared,” he muttered with an emotionless chuckle. “I can’t help thinking this is my fault…”

“Hey!” Gillion yelled, shaking Chip by the shoulders. Probably more violently than he intended. “This is in no way your fault.”

“Okay, okay!” He yelled back. 

Gillion stared into his eyes, brows furrowed. “Say it.”

“This isn’t my fault?”

“Say it like you mean it.”

“This isn’t my fault.”

“Good,” Gillion said with a nod, letting him go. “Do you wish to go home?”

“We can stay if you want–”

“What do you want?”

Chip paused. He wanted to make Gillion happy, to see him smile. Waving at all the fish, try talking to them. It didn’t matter what he wanted.

“I need to go home.”

Gillion smiled softly, taking hold of Chip’s hand. “Well, I will take you home.”

He brought them both over to the receptionist, who had a concerned expression on her face.

“Is everything okay?”

“Uh, family stuff…” Chip mumbled, unsure of what to say.

She offered a sympathetic smile, turning to grab the flowers. “How was the aquarium?”

“It was beautiful!” Gillion announced. “When is the new exhibition opening?”

“In a few weeks.”

“We’ll be back, right Chip?”

“Oh, um, yeah. For sure,” he tried to smile, not quite managing to bring any joy into it. It was hard enough to not break down crying in front of them both.

“I look forward to seeing you again, hopefully under better circumstances,” she replied with a wave. 

The men wandered to the bus stop, hand in hand. As they sat silently on the bench, Gillion ran his webbed hand through Chip’s hair. He seemed to be humming to himself. It was a tune Chip didn’t recognise, but found soothing.

“What song is that?”

“Oh, it is an Undersea lullaby. It always keeps me calm, so I thought…” Gillion blushed, beginning to mutter to himself.

“I think it sounds beautiful.”

“Do you like music?” Gillion asked curiously, changing the subject. “I find Oversea music can be quite relaxing.” 

“Of course I like music, who doesn’t?”

“The Elders do not like music…” He muttered, a slight grimace on his face.

“Who are The Elders?”

Gillion froze for a second, as if he was surprised Chip had heard him. “That is not important right now. What music do you like?”

Chip smiled softly, pulling out his phone, opening Splash-ify. “Do you know Frank Sea-natra?”

“What is that?”

“He’s a musician. We could, uh…” Chip blushed, offering his spare earbud. “D-Do you wanna listen?”

“I would love to,” he replied, taking hold of it with a hint of confusion. “How do I–?”

“Here, let me,” he muttered, tucking Gillion’s hair. He could’ve sworn he felt Gillion shudder. In spite of his emotional state, he still knew better than to think that. He placed the earbud in his ear. “There we go.”

Gillion chuckled. “It feels weird.”

“Just wait ‘till the music starts playing,” he said, pressing play on the song Somethin’ Stupid.

“Oh wow!” Gillion exclaimed, coiling back a little. “I can hear it!”

Chip laughed. It was always so refreshing, seeing something mundane through Gillion’s eyes. Everything was exciting, was something to love.

Maybe he should start watching himself through the Triton’s eyes. 

~~~

“Thank you for walking me home,” Chip said, avoiding eye contact with Gillion while standing outside his apartment door. “And for, well, for everything.”

“You are more than welcome, Chip.”

“Do you think…?” Chip sighed, swallowing his pride. “Could you stay with me?”

Gillion’s face softened into a smile. “Of course, Chip.”

Chip stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Gillion’s waist. He inhaled deeply, taking in scent, losing himself in the circles rubbed on his back. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Gillion murmured into his neck. 

For the first time since he’d received the phone call, he believed it.

Chapter Text

It may have been a bit presumptuous of Chip to assume he would be able to work. He supposed it was better than the alternative; sulking in his room worried to death. 

Jay was being nice to him for once. She didn’t even try making fun of him. It was slightly unsettling. 

Everytime a young boy’s laugh echoed through the aisles, Chip perked up, only to deflate again when he realised it wasn’t Ollie. Jay’s sympathetic smiles made it more bearable.

Despite what he’d said to Gillion the day before, Chip firmly believed this disappearance was entirely his fault. How could he possibly think otherwise?

His attention drifted to the impossible to ignore man being broody in the plushie aisle. He was a hulking man of like, way over 6 feet tall. Which didn’t bother Chip at all actually. He didn’t feel insecure in the slightest.

If anything, he felt even more secure in himself. So secure that he could totally approach him without feeling intimidated. 

“Hey, can I help you with anything?” Chip asked the customer, desperate for a distraction.

“No thanks, just lookin’,” he grumbled, glancing at a panda bear plushie that somewhat resembled the man. 

“Just let me know if there’s anything I can do.” Chip had never met a Pandaren before. He would be excited if his mind wasn’t elsewhere. He bet this guy had never been responsible for a child’s disappearance before. 

He glanced at Jay, who was glaring at the Pandaren for some reason. 

“What’s up?” Chip asked as he made his way over to her. 

“I don’t trust him…” She muttered, typing something into her phone. “I swear I’ve seen this guy before.”

“It’d be hard to forget someone so unique.”

“I guess…” Jay sighed, glancing over at Chip. “How are you doing?”

“Fine,” he answered, a little too quickly to be convincing.

She smiled softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Someone will find him. How far can a 12 year old run off to?”

“He has long legs,” he tried joking. “You’d be surprised how fast he is when he wants to be.”

“If you need to go home early, I can–”

“Hell no. I’m fine!” 

“Really?”

“Yes, really. When have I ever lied?”

“You lie all the time.”

“Name one time.”

“Right now.”

“That doesn’t count, I wasn’t lying.”

It felt nice to just joke with his friend, pretend things were okay. It was all Too Much™ for him. How was one man supposed to handle a job, a missing kid, and a beautiful Triton all at once? 

“Okay, how about when you denied having a crush on Gillion?”

Chip pretended he wasn’t blushing. “I don’t have a crush on him, I’m not a child.”

“What would you call it then?”

“I would, uh…” he thought for a moment. “I would call it a… romantic curiosity.”

“Uh huh,” Jay shook her head, unimpressed. “How is your ‘romantic curiosity’ going?”

“Fine.” He answered too quickly, again.

Jay said nothing. One of her devious tricks. She knew Chip couldn’t stand awkward silence. It’s called awkward silence for a reason.

“I said it was fine,” Chip reiterated.

“...” Jay said nothing, but it spoke volumes. 

“Maybe I cried in front of him or whatever, but it was fine,” Chip muttered, his gaze refusing to meet Jay’s. “I got the call when I was with him. About Ollie.”

She still said nothing.

“He was so nice about it, and like, comforting. He kinda held me and shit,” Chip felt himself blushing, but he couldn’t stop gushing about Gillion. “He’s so kind and curious and– you should’ve seen how he was at the aquarium! He was running between fish tanks telling me stories of the Undersea.” 

“That sounds nice,” Jay finally spoke, with a small smile on her face. “I’m jealous.”

Chip knew that was another one of her tricks, making this a competition about their love lives. He couldn’t stop his mouth from running. 

“You should be, he's so amazing in every single way, and that scares me,” he said out loud for some reason. Why couldn’t he stop talking? “Why is he even interested in me? If I let him know me, the real me, he’s going to change his mind and find someone way better. Which isn’t very hard–”

“Chip,” Jay said, placing her hands firmly on his shoulders. “Breathe, it’s okay.”

He shook his head. “No it’s not. Gillion is way too good for me.”

“Obviously,” Jay whispered.

“Hey!”

“Just because he’s better than you in every way, doesn’t mean you can’t be happy together,” she had the nerve to chuckle, as if any of this was funny. “Have you talked to Gillion about this?”

“Of course not, we’re just friends.”

Jay was laughing. Chip’s whole life was falling apart, and she was laughing. Jay had this way of making him admit to things he didn’t even realise were true. Like, yeah, obviously he knew that Gillion was one of the best people he had ever met who deserves the world. Clearly he deserves someone as perfect as he is. But Chip had never admitted that to himself. 

This wasn’t the first time Jay had laughed at his plights, but this time hurt more. It was inevitable Gil would move on from Chip once he got bored, but the man wanted to live in denial for as long as he could. 

“Have you asked Gillion if you’re ‘just friends’?” she asked, stupidly. 

“Well, no–”

“Did he tell you he–”

“You’re not helping,” Chip grumbled, wriggling his way out of her grasp. He leaned his elbows on the counter with a dramatic sigh.

“Fine,” Jay raised her hands in defeat. “I’ll let you sulk.”

~~~

“Good afternoon Chip.”

He didn’t try hiding his grin. “Hey Gil.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here,” Chip instinctively reached out for Gillion’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

The Triton’s cheeks were tinted purple at that comment. “O-Oh, well, I am glad to help.”

Chip could feel Jay’s judgemental gaze staring, so he reluctantly let the hand go, placing his own in his pants pockets. 

“H-How are you?” Oh Gods, that was the worst thing he’s ever said. That stutter was so embarrassing, Chip should totally just run away and never come back.

“I am better now that you are here,” Gillion said hesitantly. “No, you were here first… I am better now that I am here where you are.”

Chip chuckled, resisting the stupid urge to cup Gillion’s gorgeous face in his hands. “You’re so cute.”

Oh no, did he say that out loud?

Gillion seemed to shrink into his shoulders, clutching Pretzel tighter as he blushed. “I… Okay.”

“I had a good time yesterday,” Chip said, desperate to change the subject. “Well, until… You know.”

“So did I,” he replied with a smile, still flushed. “As first dates go, I think it–”

“F-First date?”

Gillion’s face fell. “Oh. Was that not a date?”

“I, uh…” Chip blushed. “I didn’t think you’d want it to be a date.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I–,” Chip grumbled, shrugging. “I don’t know…”

“Did you want for it to be a date?”

“Well… yeah,” he muttered, unable to bring himself to meet the man’s eyes. “Like, a date as friends, or…?”

“I was told dates are for romantic pursuits,” Gillion said with disappointment wrapping around his words. “However, it seems I have misunderstood–”

“No! Gods no, that’s not what– I just assumed you wouldn’t want to romantically pursue me.”

“Why?” Was all the Triton asked, a blank expression of curiosity covering his face.

“You’re you, and I’m… just me,” Chip said, as if that made any sense.

“That does not make any sense,” Gillion replied with a slight smile.

Chip smiled back, unable to think straight. “I’m honestly not sure what’s happening right now.”

“That is okay,” Gillion reassured. “Would you be interested in a second da–?”

“Yes. Yes I would!” 

Chip heard a malicious stinky giggle from behind him.

“Hello, Jay,” Gillion said with a wave. “Chip and I are going to have a second date.”

“Congratulations you two,” she replied smugly, passive aggressively placing her hand on Chip’s shoulder. “What did I tell you?”

“So, uh, where should we go?” Chip asked, pushing Jay away, ignoring her completely. “For our date?”

“Do not even think about it,” Gillion announced proudly. “I will take care of everything!”

This did leave Chip a little worried, but not enough to do anything about it.

“That’s great, thank you.”

“Do you need any ideas?” Jay unhelpfully asked in a threatening manner. “I know Chip very well.”

“No need! I have my own ideas!” Gillion proceeded to turn around and leave the store without uttering another word. 

Chip couldn’t help the exasperated laugh that escaped him.

“I won’t say ‘I told you so’,” she whispered, “but I am thinking it.”

Chapter Text

Chip woke up to the sound of his conch shell vibrating. His hand flailed around until it landed on the surprisingly smooth shell.

With a yawn he held it against his ear.

“Chip! There is something wrong with the flowers! ”

“Wh-What flowers?” He replied groggily, rubbing the crust from his eyes.

“I believe they are dying? ” Gil’s voice sounded panicked. “The flowers are turning brown and falling apart when I touch them.”

Flowers…? Oh.

“Oh shit, that’s right,” Chip muttered, upset at himself for not warning Gillion about this on their date. It was so easy to forget that he was still so new to seemingly common concepts. “The flowers are already dead.”

“What? ”

“Um, when we gift people flowers, they’re like, plucked from the ground.”

“So… the Oversea kills the flowers? ”

“I guess so, yeah.”

Gillion was silent for a moment. “I do not like that. Why do they have to die? ”

“That’s just the way it is,” Chip said, unable to think of a better answer. 

“Perhaps this is the cruelty I was taught about,” Gillion said sadly. “I was told the Oversea had no respect for nature, and had a disregard for life.”

Oh boy, did that sound correct. Chip was unsure whether he should break the news, so he held his tongue.

Chip had grown up an orphan, spending his day watching the rich walk past him, ignoring his pleas for help. He’d experienced the injustice of the human race first hand. He didn’t have the heart to break Gillion’s any further. 

“Well, humans aren’t the most kind species,” he replied.

“I think you are kind.”

Chip chuckled, ignoring the heat in his face. “I guess I’m one of the good ones,” he said jokingly.

“Indeed you are. I apologise for waking you over something so– ”

“Sssh, it’s okay. I like hearing your voice.”

“Thank you. Your voice brings me comfort.”

Chip coughed in response, for some reason. Why couldn’t his body be normal? “Cheers.”

Gillion laughed, which was such a beautiful sound. Chip couldn’t help smiling whenever he had the honour of hearing it. “What’s a ‘cheers’? ”

“Oh, it’s uh… It’s a word.” He internally face palmed. “I don’t know why I said it, actually.”

“Do I make you nervous? ” Gillion asked in an act of unexpected boldness.

Chip was glad the Triton couldn’t see his blushing face. “Maybe.”

“That is good. You are meant to have things in common with someone you are romantically pursuing.”

Chip couldn’t help chuckling, again. “Yeah, that’s a good thing to have in common.”

“Um, I will not see you today, sorry,” Gillion muttered. “The doctor, my Grand Pe-Pa’s doctor, is visiting. I do not wish for him to be alone.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have to visit everyday.”

“But I want to! ” He yelled. “I like seeing you.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“That is good. This is an essential common interest.”

“I would hope so,” he replied semi sarcastically. He was being so chill right now.

“I have been doing research on human relationships! ” Gillion exclaimed excitedly. “Did you know that half of human marriages end in divorce? ” 

“That’s wild.” Chip definitely already knew this. 

“Oh, and it is common to refer to the person’s gender in the beginning of relationships. So, we would be boyfriends.”

“Is this you trying to tell me something?” His jaw was starting to hurt from how much he was grinning.

“Well, yes. I did tell you many things.”

“No I mean, are you, like, trying to hint at something?” Chip was thinking: ‘Please ask me, please ask if I want to be your boyfriend🙏 .’

“I do not know what you mean.” Chip was unsure if Gillion was playing dumb, or if he genuinely didn’t understand.

“I…” The words got caught in his throat. He was wrong. Chip knew he was misunderstanding, he had to be. “Um, I should probably get ready for work.”

“Of course, Chip. I will hang up now.” 

He hung up before Chip could say goodbye.

~~~

“So, let’s say this toy is on sale,” Chip began to explain to Alphonze. “Usually discounts are automatically applied when scanning the barcode, but–”

Chip was cut off by the door’s bell jingling. His head turned, not expecting to see a familiar face.

“Hey Edyn,” he said, slightly confused. “How are you?”

“Can we talk?”

Uh oh, that’s never good.

“Y-Yeah sure, uh,” Chip turned to Alphonze. “Can you watch the store?”

“Yes, Captain.”

Chip nodded, ushering Edyn to follow.

“Captain?” 

“Oh, yeah me and Jay, we taught him to say it,” Chip closed the storage room door behind them. “So… you wanted to talk?”

“It’s about Gillion.”

Chip ignored his stomach dropping. “Oh?”

“I know you two are close, and that’s great,” she said, taking a deep breath. “But I’m scared for him.”

“I would never do anything to hurt him,” Chip stated seriously, hiding his shaking hands in his pockets.

“Maybe not intentionally. He trusts so easily, despite everything,” she still didn’t meet his gaze. “He has so much love in his heart. He speaks so fondly about you, but you’re his first real friend up here.”

“I know,” Chip responded, only half understanding what Edyn was trying to say.

“He doesn’t know what friendship is supposed to be like. I’m not saying you’re a bad friend, I just want you to be aware of how…” She let out a sigh of annoyance. “I’m not saying this right.”

“That’s okay, you can take your time.”

“I won’t pretend to know you or your intentions. Gillion has never had any relationships with humans before. Romantic or otherwise. So if you take advantage of him–”

“I would never!” Chip yelled defensively. 

Edyn sighed. “You will disappoint him. I’m not saying that to be mean, I want you to be prepared. He… He has no idea what to expect. Everything is new to him.” 

Her eyes met Chip’s with a ferocious fire behind them. “Whatever happens between you two, I will be there for Gillion. I don’t want to put him back together if you break his heart.”

“I will try my best to be enough for him. I know he deserves someone better–”

She cut him off. “If he wanted someone better, he would find them. He wouldn’t be planning ‘the perfect’ date for you. He figured out how to use the internet to research human romance. He insisted on doing it all himself.”

Chip chuckled. “He did?”

“He’s smart enough to make his own choices, and he’s chosen you. I will respect your relationship,” she said, holding out her hand to Chip.

“Thank you, that really means a lot.” 

He took hold of her hand, and wow she had a strong grip.

“Just because I’m expecting the worst, doesn’t mean I’m not happy for you two.”

~~~

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, Edyn’s so intense, I thought she was going to punch me.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”

Chip stared at the TV they weren’t really watching, thinking about Gillion. “I can’t believe he’s planning it all on his own…”

“Huh?” Lizzie asked looking up from her phone.

“You know, Gillion.”

“What about him?”

“Were you paying any attention?” Chip playfully ruffled her hair. “He’s planning a date for me!”

Lizzie leaned away from his touch. “That’s impressive considering you needed my help for your date–”

“Hey, the aquarium was Caspian’s idea,” Chip said as if that was disproving her point in any way. “I bet you’re jealous.”

“Of Caspian’s idea, or your relationship?”

“Both.”

This seemed to hit some kind of nerve (despite her bringing up the topic, but whatever), as Lizzie’s brow furrowed. “I’m too busy for a relationship.”

Chip realised they’ve never talked about Lizzie’s love life. Not for any specific reason, it had simply never come up. 

Chip took in a breath, with the intention of speaking. 

“I’m not discussing this. Not tonight.”

Chip raised his hands in defeat. “Fine. But I’m here to listen when you want to.”

She smiled, taking hold of the TV remote. “We’re watching a horror movie.”

Chapter Text

Jay was glaring at her face-down phone, sighing loudly. This was an obvious sign something was bothering her. However, Chip didn’t feel like asking what was wrong. 

Jay’s phone began to ring. She quickly stopped the noise, glancing over at Chip.

She sighed again, resting her cheek in her hand, still staring at Chip. He gazed intently at the computer screen, pretending to be transfixed by the stock he was ordering. 

“Okay fine,” Jay relented, realising Chip was not going to ask. “My Father keeps trying to call me.”

Chip’s attention immediately shifted from the computer. “Why didn’t you lead with that? Why’s he calling?”

“Why would I know that, Chip?” She had the nerve to sound agitated, as if that wasn’t a perfectly reasonable question. “I’m sorry, it’s just– Are you serious?”

The phone rang again.

“I’m pretty sure he knows you want nothing to do with him,” Chip muttered as Jay hung up. “Can’t he just text you like a normal person?”

“Have you met my family? There isn’t a ‘normal’ person among us.”

“Isn’t he busy running the Navy? Surely he has better things to do…”

Once again, the phone was ringing.

“I guess not.” Chip paused, hesitant to speak his mind. “What if it’s important?”

Jay sighed angrily, picking up the phone. “Stop calling me.”

Chip couldn’t hear the other side, but whatever her father said made Jay’s face fall. She placed the phone on the counter, turning it to speaker mode.

“Say that again.”

“The boy your friend is looking for; we found him.”

Chip froze. 

“Found him, or took him?”

The man laughed. The slight distortion of the speaker somehow made the sound even more unnerving. 

“I’ve missed your jokes, darling. The boy snuck onto one of our ships, a Marshall found him.”

“Why didn’t you just text me? Like a normal person,” she replied, half smiling at Chip, who couldn’t return the gesture.

“I wanted to hear your voice, of course! It’s been so long, you never visit anym–”

“You know exactly why I don’t–!”

“Watch your tone! ” He yelled, shutting Jay up. “That is no way to speak to your Father.”

She bit her lip, saying nothing. Chip placed his hand on top of her clenched fist for support. He could feel it shaking. He hoped it was from anger and not fear.

“The ship arrives at port tonight. 7pm. Why don’t you come pick him up? ”

“I don’t want to see you.”

“Jay, I’m not going to hand over a child to a stranger.”

She groaned, sending a worried glance towards Chip. 

“I can call his Mother and arrange–”

“I am not asking, Jay. I will see you tonight.”

Before either of them could get another word in, her father hung up. It took a few minutes before any words were spoken.

“Well, what a dick am I right?” Chip said with a chuckle that went quiet almost immediately. 

Jay’s jaw was clenched as she took deep breaths through her nose. If her glare was anything to go by, she did not appreciate his joke even a little bit. Which was fair enough, but Chip had to admit it hurt a little.

“Do you think… Should I call his mum?”

Jay shook her head. She refused to elaborate as she sat down on the floor, knees pulled to her chest.

Chip thought about sitting next to her, but the store was still open. So he stayed standing, unsure of how to help.

He checked the time, 1:30. Four and a half hours of worrying.