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Gil sighed as he was shoved outside by Harry. Again. One of these days, Uma was going to warm up to being called Shrimpy. He watched as the doors swung closed after Harry sauntered back inside. 'Not today, though', he thought.
Making his way towards the docks, Gil began to settle in for the night. Uma hadn't been in a particularly good mood, and he wasn't exactly memorable at the best of times. After all, he'd known Uma and Harry as long as they'd known each other, had watched them grow from rivals to allies to friends to whatever they were now, and they only found out his name once Uma got her ship. He'd grown to think of them the way they thought of each other, but he knew that they hardly thought of him at all. On the rare occasions they did, he was there for the muscle. The back up.
It was fine. He was used to people forgetting he had emotions.
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Ben grumbled as he was dragged through the streets of the Isle. This place was worse than he expected. And he expected bad things. So absorbed in his thoughts, Ben didn’t notice a leg sprawled out in front of him, and fell over it. Clambering to his feet with Evie’s assistance, Jay and Carlos attempted to get them gone before the guy woke up.
They didn’t.
The guy climbed to his feet, scratching at his eyes. He was taller than all four of them. ‘Hey, watch where you’re going man- wait. I know you.’
Ben coughed, attempting to lower his voice. ‘No, you don’t, ‘cause I don’t know you,’ he tried.
‘Yeah you do!’ The guy continued, both oblivious and enthusiastic, and Ben could feel Carlos and Jay glaring at the back of his head. ‘Here, I’ll give you a hint. My dad is quick, slick, and his neck,’ here he gestured to his own neck, ‘is incredibly thick.’
Evie took over the situation. ‘Nope, lets go-‘
‘Wait,’ the guy, the son of Gaston, repeated. He was looking between Ben’s face and something on the wall behind him. Fairy Godmother, Ben knew those posters were a bad idea. ‘You’re King Ben! And Evie, and Jay, and Carlos! Wait till I tell Uma, she’s gonna-‘ The guy was cut off as Evie whacked him over the head with a shoe.
‘We can’t have it getting to Uma that we’re here. C’mon Jay, you’re the strongest, and we need to take him with us.’
Ben shrugged. ‘Sorry?’
__________________________________________________________________
Uma was unhappy. She'd sent her first mate to find their third what must have been half an hour ago, after Gil didn't return all night. She continued wiping down the tables aggressively, not noticing Harry walking up behind her till his hand was on her shoulder. She whipped round, ready to yell, before noticing the look in Harry's eyes.
Harry began, ‘So, bad news or worse news first?’
Uma contemplated that for a second. ‘Bad,’ she decided.
‘Mal is back on the Isle,’ Harry announced.
Uma thought for a second. ‘Okay. Worse?’ He looked panicked. She had never seen him panic before. Before she could ask what was wrong, words began to flood from his mouth.
'I looked on the docks and in his old house and I sent some of the crew all over the isle looking for him but nothing turned up and-'
'Harry. Chill,' Uma snapped. She placed down the rag, before turning back to him. 'What's wrong?' she questioned, softening slightly once looking at him.
'We can't find Gil.'
Uma laughed. 'Very funny, now tell me what's really wrong.'
'He's gone!' Harry replied, the crazed glint in his eyes growing, 'We can't find him anywhere.'
Uma rolled her eyes. 'You mean to tell me that Gil, the boy who rarely leaves the dock, the boy who's barely left our sides since we were six, the boy who belongs to us-'
'Not officially,' Harry interjected.
Uma gave him a look, then continued, 'The boy who was the first to ask to join our crew, is missing.'
Harry nodded once.
Uma began to yell at her crew to find him. ________________________________________________________________________
Carlos watched, pleased, as Ben taught Gil how to tie laces. His boyfriend poked him once in his side, asking what put that smile on his face. Carlos grinned even wider, beginning to prod at Jay's pout.
'Why? You jealous, Jay?' he teased, before leaning in to kiss the pout away. 'You know you're the one for me. No, I'm just glad he's moving on. He's been pining over Uma and Harry for longer than I've known him, and whilst they made moves on each other, they haven't tried anything with him for ten years. I think Ben and Mal could be good for him.'
Jay nodded, perplexed, but appeased.
_______________________________________________________________________
Harry was worried. He rarely fretted over anything, but Gil, his Gil, was missing. Had been missing for nearly a week. He was missing and he and Uma hadn’t even begun their little courting process yet, let alone claimed him as their own. They’d had a plan and everything. Once they got to Auradon, they were going to get Gil a castle, and an education, and anything else his heart desired. Then, they were going to woo him.
Maybe not the same way they wooed each other, what with the sword fights and the bickering and the arguments, but in a way Gil would appreciate. However, that little fantasy would have no chance of happening if Gil didn’t turn up.
Uma noticed his frown, and, settling herself into his lap, asked what he was thinking about. ‘Do you,’ he began, before hesitating. Uma lightly tapped him to continue. ‘Do you think that it’s my fault? That Gil’s gone, I mean. Maybe if I’d let him inside when he tried to come back in again, or-‘
Uma cut off that train of thought by pressing her mouth against his. ‘None of that. If you think that’s it’s your fault for not letting him come back in again, then it’s my fault for sending him out in the first place, no?’
Harry shook his head rapidly. Uma giggled lightly, before pressing her forehead against his. ‘We’ll find him, Harry. It doesn’t matter if we have to burn down the Isle itself, we’ll find him. We’ll find what’s ours, and then we’ll never let him leave again.’
Harry smiled. ‘We’ll make him ours? Officially?’
‘Officially.’ Uma agreed. ‘After all, we’ve covered the pirate with a first mate, now we need to give the Queen her consort.’ _________________________________________________________________________
Evie wasn’t totally sold on the whole Gil thing. If it wasn’t bad enough that he was friends with her Carlos before she was, then him being one of the few of Uma’s group that were allowed to call her Uma was probably a bad sign.
She had noticed members of the group all over the Isle, looking for something. Even Harry Hook and Uma herself were among them. Upon noticing Uma, Evie realised it was probably less of a what, and more of a who that was being searched for.
It didn’t matter, though. They’d made plans to leave the Isle tonight, having found Mal. They were going to take Gil with them, if he’d come along.
Her thoughts were scattered when none other than Harry Hook himself barged into their stolen room, gripping Ben by the sleeve. Looking around, she exhaled in relief to notice Gil still gone with Jay, Carlos and Mal to see Dizzy. Evie darted towards a rather large cupboard, praying that Harry wouldn’t look in there.
‘Well? Where’s Gil, King Ben?’ Harry demanded, mocking the title.
‘For the last time, I don’t know!’
'That doesn’t matter,’ Harry giggled. ‘I’m sure we can fetch a pretty penny for you, King. Maybe a way off this forsaken Isle?’
Ben wisely kept his mouth shut.
Evie, however, did not. Climbing out, she began to demand answers from Harry.
Harry just laughed her off, before saying, ‘If you really want him back, tell the rest of your gang to come to our ship tomorrow, at noon. All of you. And bring the Fairy Godmother's wand; we'll make a trade.’
Evie glared at him as he sauntered off, grip tight around Ben’s arm.
_________________________________________________________________________
Ben struggled against the ropes tying him to the mast as Hook tickled under his chin with his, well, hook. He looked ready to stab Ben at any minute, and as Uma approached, Ben felt embarrassed by his rush of relief.
Uma looked bored. ‘Harry, go fight with Gil or whatever it is you do when you aren’t with me.’
Hook’s face fell. ‘Gil is still missing, Uma.’ He pulled his hook away from Ben and strode to where Uma was sat. Ben frowned. Wasn’t Gil the boy who they, for the lack of a nicer term, kidnapped? The one who was unappreciated by the two people he loved?
Uma reached up, stroking along Hook’s chin. ‘Then go keep looking for him, Harry. If we don’t find him soon, you know what that means…’
Harry looked immensely panicked for a second, before looking back at Ben and beginning to whine like a petulant child. ‘You said I could hook him!’
Uma nodded towards the pocket watch dangling from Hook’s neck. ‘I said at noon.’
The cold, callous way they were discussing Ben’s possible death didn’t go unnoticed by the young king.
_________________________________________________________________________
Harry was trembling with excitement when Mal and her groupies arrived. Either they'd kill a King – Harry had never killed a King before – or they’d get the wand. As soon as they got the wand, they’d break the barrier. Uma was also fairly certain she knew a location spell; if they got the wand, they’d find their third that way, and if they didn’t, they’d just kill people until they found him, and there was just their crew on the Isle.
Mal made her way towards their ship, and they began to lay out their demands. She raised a brow, before speaking.
'Actually, I have an offer for you. We have one of two things to offer in exchange for Ben. One, the wand. The second, well, I'm fairly sure it’s been missing for what? Two weeks now?'
Harry exchanged a look with Uma.
'Jay,' the purple devil called, 'could you bring forwards the prisoner?' Jay dragged forwards someone bound similarly to Ben, except with more rope. Their captive was struggling against a gag in their mouth. He looked into their face, and felt himself be filled with fury.
Gil.
Uma began to whisper in his ear. She told him that once they’d gotten the wand, they could take back Gil - they'd have the upper hand – and then explain it all to him. He’d forgive them, of course. He always does. He was vacantly aware of Uma telling them they’d choose the wand, too busy drinking in Gil, checking for wounds, knowing he was alive and would soon be safe.
He was distantly aware of the trade. Gil looked heartbroken.
They’d rectify that soon enough.
As soon as Uma had the wand, however, his attention was drawn to her, waiting for the barrier to break and for them to have everything they wanted. He watched as the wand didn’t work. He watched as Uma realised it was a fake. He watched as the traitors began to run. He and his crew fought them. But those traitors knew their weaknesses. He ruined it all; had to get his hook, had to distract his lover when she had to help him out of the water.
At the end of it all, he watched as they fled. Watched as Mal and Gil stood in the tunnel and Mal cut Gil's bonds and Mal kicked Gil into the shark infested waters.
‘If we can’t take it, break it,’ she singsonged.
Harry shed his coat and hook and jumped at the same time Uma did. _________________________________________________________________________
Gil was strangely comfortable with the knowledge he was about to die.
He had served his captain and first mate as well as he could.
He would die alone and unloved; a true villain’s death.
His father would be the closest thing to proud he’d ever be for Gil.
Not even good enough for his father to be angry when he left.
Shock, even icier than the water, flooded his veins as hands gripped and lifted him.
He was lifted onto the side, sputtering salt water from deep in his lungs. Harry was leaning over him, sweeping soaked hair out of his eyes, as Uma began to push at his chest. He kept coughing, even as Harry began to mumble at him, and tugged at the various accessories he had on. The second that Uma began to tug at his overshirt, however, he began to move away, and attempted to stand. The key word there was ‘attempted’, because it seemed Uma and Harry were having none of it. Harry rested his head in his lap and reached over to help Uma, having laid his hook on the side.
Uma whipped her head around and began yelling at her crew to find fresh blankets.
_________________________________________________________________________
Uma watched as her lover tended to their soon-to-be lover, Mal’s spellbook clutched tightly in her fist.
Harry glanced over and smiled at her, before noticing what she held.
‘Go,’ he mouthed, ‘I’ll hold fort over here.’
Uma looked rather dubiously at the completely out-of-it Gil lying breathless on the dock.
She didn’t want to leave him; not when they had so much to discuss.
Harry met her gaze. ‘Go, Captain,’ he whispered, ‘go before the barrier closes. I can talk to Gil. Trust me.’
And for the first time in her life, Uma listened.