Notes:

Descendant fam!

Hey guys! Twisted is over and we've having an unplanned writing session in celebration of my first day of work... And the possibility that she'll be closing on her house tomorrow!!

But enough about us, we hope you enjoy the chapter!

Still the same day

Gil smiles as he amiably strolls down the familiar path to the beach. His eyes light up once they land on the familiar figures, both clad in rags. A large, goofy grin lights up his face. He'd been worried after last night. T dropped off the letter for Uma, borrowed a map, made a few half-hearted apologies, then made a hasty retreat. It wasn't like him at all- unless he was injured.

But seeing him with Hyades, exactly where he'd promised to be, easily assuaged those fears, making him glad he'd kept his concerns to himself. Harry and Uma had the habit of overreacting when they suspected something was happening under their noses.

He lifts up his arm and waves at the two of them enthusiastically. His signature grin splits his face when they both wave back.

"Heya Gil," Hyades greets with a small smile once he makes his way over to them.

"Hey Deez, T." Gil gives them a dopey grin.

"Sup?" T greets with a small smile.

"It's good to know you can still get out of the chip shop every now and then." Hyades shifts awkwardly in the soft sand of the beach, her eyes focusing anywhere except on the two standing with her.

"My problem is more of staying in the chip shop, than out of it." Gil rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

"What ya' do this time man?" T frowns as he leans against the post.

"Same thing as usual." Gil looks away with a blush, "Never know when to shut up."

"Sorry man," T clasps the other boy on the back. "that really sucks. At least ya got Hook to cover for ya again."

"Yeah," Gil nods, "he's good at that."

"Well, at least he's good for something." T grins, taking an easy shot.

Hyades absently chuckles, though she doesn't pull her gaze from the grey waves rolling in on the trash-strewn shore.

Gil frowns as he looks between T and Hyades, "So, did you make a copy of the map yet?" He finally asks T. "Uma wanted to know when she could expect it back."

T looks confused for a moment before his eyes light up. "Oh yeah... I fell asleep working on it last night." He rubs his head sheepishly. "I can probably finish the second one now actually...If Deez doesn't mind lending me a stone."

"Hmm?" Hyades blinks up at T, only alerting to her name.

"Can I bum a tablet." T repeats at the dazed look on Hyades face.

"Oh, yeah. Here." She digs in her bag, pulling out a blank tablet.

"Sweet." T grins, "I'mma do this." He adds dismissively as he grabs the tablet. "Thanks." He grins at her. "And before I forget..." He turns and starts digging through his messenger bag til he pulls out a folded piece of cloth. "Here." He trades with her.

"Thanks." Hyades automatically tucks the cloth away in her bag before squinting back into the grey of the sea.

Gil frowns as he studies his two friends in concern. "Am I missing something?"

"Nope." T shakes his head from where he'd plopped down several feet away. "Jus' same old shit man." He offers offhandedly when Hyades doesn't jump in to respond.

Gil narrows his eyes suspiciously, "Huh." He looks between Hyades and T with a frown. "Same old?" He questions skeptically, clearly not believing T. He was missing something. It wasn't like Hyades to be so quiet and T wasn't usually so quick to respond.

Hyades shrugs before she turns to Gil. "Want to sit?" She asks before she looks back out at the water.

"Sure." Gil gives her a small, confused smile as he takes a seat next to her, unsure where the tension was coming from.

"How are Uma and Harry?" Hyades pulls her knees to her chest and rests her chin on them, letting her hair spill around her like a cloak, "I haven't seen them in a long time."

"Busy," Gil informs with a frown. "But Harry said when James relieved him he'd swing by if I hadn't headed back yet..."

A small smile ghosts her lips, "I've got plenty of time to wait if you want."

Gil nods as he leans back in the sand, "It would make Harry happy to see you both."

"Oh, I bet," T responds snarkily.

"Harry would enjoy your mystery vibe." Hyades teases, "I didn't know he had his hook in you that bad though."

Gil can't help his snort. "Pretty deep too."

T rolls his eyes, not looking up from the map. "What doesn't get caught on that kids hook?" He adds darkly, clearly unamused.

"That's a good point." Gil chuckles, happy when he catches Hyades also laughing.

"And Uma?" Hyades prompts after the laughter dies down.

"Uma would be a lot happier if the two of you came around more..."

Hyades furrows her brow as she turns to look over at T, "I didn't mean for our game to take you away from the docks."

"I like the challenge," T responds simply, still working on copying the map. "That doesn't mean anyone else is a fan of our game..."

"I know I'm not." Gil pouts. "And Uma isn't. Harry's just upset he's not invited."

Hyades absently reaches over and pats Gil's arm, "I never dreamed you'd like our game." She grins, "But it is fun. I like finding new places to hide."

T nods, "Same on all accounts."

"S'not funny. It's a big isle." Gil pouts before he looks between the two of them. "And you're both hard enough to track down as is." He chastises.

"Hence the map. From now on I'll hide in an agreed on quadrant." She offers as shakes his arm, "Much safer."

Gil pouts, "How is it safer?"

"Smaller area to search if I need to find her fast." T offers offhandedly, as he makes another mark. "So... probably not safer, but, dunno, more organized."

"We could always make the areas smaller if it makes you feel better." Hyades offers with a frown.

"Lame." T offers dryly.

"I think it would make all of us feel better." Gil adds after shooting T a dirty look. "I know the isle is only so big, but there are a lot of dangers." He frowns in concern when he feels Hyades shiver. "And not being able to find you," He pauses as he looks between T and Hyades, " Either of you, sucks." He pouts.

Hyades pulls her hand away and stares off into the sea again.

"It's better than her sitting in the tombs all day." T absently disagrees.

"At least we know where she is." Gil pouts.

"So you'd rather have her be convenient to you?"

"Doesn't mean I'm safer," Hyades whispers absently into the wind.

Gil frowns as he turns to study Hyades with concern. "So... I am missing something." He states more surely as he looks between the two of them with a frown. That wasn't good. He couldn't think of two worse people to share a secret. At least if it was anyone else it would eventually be dealt with... But he highly doubted T was going to make Hyades talk and vice versa.

Hyades blinks before looking to Gil, "Isn't everyone afraid to come to my place?"

"Not everyone," Gil responds slowly. "I'm not, and T clearly isn't."

"Sorry... What I mean is-"

"That her house is full of dead people, and her father is a psycho on a leash and the two imps are overwhelming..." T offers at Hyades hesitancy.

"Pain and Panic mean well..." Hyades defends with a small frown.

"Didn't say they didn't." T shrugs. "Just said they are overwhelming."

Gil narrows his eyes as he looks between them with a frown. Oh yeah. They were definitely keeping something from him. That wouldn't be a problem, usually... But the way Hyades kept staring off into nothing had him concerned. T was a bit harder to read, but with how quickly he was jumping to finish Hyades' sentences... No there was definitely something happening between them. He was sure of it now. Uma wasn't going to be happy to hear about this at all. "I like Pain and Panic." He finally offers, "They usually offer me food."

"Sounds like them." Hyades nods. She drops her arms to her sides before she shifts to dig a small well in the soft sand, "They always get extra food from the commissary for me to bake with."

"Oh." Gil nods, "I think ya told me that before."

"They also got a small orchard of crab apples to grow." Hyades continues as she furrows her brow, glaring at her work in the sand.

"That's impressive," T comments offhandedly. "It's a struggle to fucking get anything to grow here."

"And delicious," Gil adds, before he turns back to look at Hyades. "It's been a while since you baked D."

"I guess it has." She tilts her head thoughtfully, "I can always make another oven."

T frowns as he finally looks up from where he was copying the map. "Sorry, gotta ask. What happened to the first."

Hyades jumps at the sudden flare of fire that jumps from the sand she'd been slowly curing into glass, "I uh, broke it."

"Too much heat?" Gil guesses.

"Yeah," Hyades quickly agrees as she pats the fire on her arms out, "Or I didn't make it well the first time. I dunno, but I can always try again."

"I'd like that..." Gil offers with a smile, "Your food always tastes the best." he leans over and helps her with the last of the fire, not at all bothered by her breaking out in flames.

"Don't let Ursula hear you say that," T adds.

Hyades shivers, "Yeah, she doesn't like to be second in anything."

"No, she does not." Gil agrees as he puts an arm around Hyades and pulls her to him protectively. His smile widens when she easily relents to his hold.

"Must be a family trait," T adds vaguely.

Hyades nods slowly, "I've been told something like that before. Apparently, the gods are just as slow as kids when it comes to pride."

"Pettiness is not just inherently human, good to know." T comments, attention back to the map.

"According to Yensid." Hyades shrugs.

The three drift off into silence after that.

T continues to work diligently on the map while Hyades remains contemplative in Gil's arms, still staring out over the waves. Gil himself did his best to silently work through what the other two were keeping from him. The sounds of the ocean was a soothing contrast, despite the bleakness of the cresting waves.

"Why can't everyone just chill like this?" T suddenly blurts out, the words loud in the silence as he finishes the first half of the map.

Hyades shrugs before she bursts out laughing, "Now you've done it. It's like you summoned him." She chuckles again as she points off to the side of the shore.

Gil turns in her direction, letting out his low laugh when he sees Harry.

T pouts at the laughter before he looks around, hanging his head when he sees the interruption. "Oh." He turns back to the map. "James was early tonight."

Gil can't help it as he laughs that much harder at the sullen tone. "I thought you liked Harry."

"He also likes quiet." Hyades points out as she waves to Harry, "Don't we all?"

"She gets it." T thrusts his thumb over his shoulder at Hyades.

"Harry's not that loud." Gil defends his friend.

T and Hyades both snort before dissolving into laughter.

"And you think you're a snore." T shakes his head.

"It's okay to like quiet, but also like being around Harry," Hyades twists in Gil's arms to look up into his shining brown eyes, "Isn't it?"

Gil's lips purse together in thought before he shrugs. "I know I do."

"Then it's fine for him to be loud." Hyades shrugs.

"Glad to know where my opinion sits," T mutters darkly.

"You can't yell at a stone to be anything other than a stone and expect results." Hyades teases.

"Maybe you're not yelling loud enough," T retorts, "It works for Uma."

"Fair." Hyades concedes before she smirks, "Maybe stone was too hard a metaphor."

"I can be ah tellin' when people be talkin' 'bout me," Harry announces as he walks up, casting the three of them in his long shadow from the slight light of the setting sun.

"Hey, Harry." Gil beams at Harry as he waves jovially.

"Gil." Harry nods, "Deez, T... I be surprised ta be ah catchin' you three together." He tilts his head to the side as he eyes Gil's arm around Hyades, "And I be ah wantin' in on that." He grins as he plops himself down on the other side of Hyades, throwing one arm around both her and Gil, "I be ah havin' ah spare if ya be feelin' drafty out there lad." He holds his other arm up in invitation.

"I'm good with a draft," T responds dryly, not looking up from his work.

Harry winks at Gil and Hyades, "Oh aye, be suitin' yerself then."

"Missed you too Harry." Hyades chuckles lightly as she pats him on the cheek with one hand.

"Aye, I be ah hard one ta be partin' with." Harry's grin widens.

"I seem to do okay." T disagrees easily.

"I be guessin' some need ta be pretendin' otherwise." Harry glares, "Though I were ah thinkin' ya be avoidin' Uma and her swimmin' lessons, not me."

"Swimming lessons?" Hyades asks with a strained voice as she looks from T to Harry and Gil.

"Oh yeah, Uma was teachin' all sorts 'o lessons that day." Gil shakes his head.

"She be ah shovin' him right overboard I be ah hearin'." Harry adds with a glare at Gil.

"Uma shoves people overboard to teach them to swim!?"

"No. Uma shoves liars overboard to teach them to swim." T corrects Hyades, noting the concern in her tone.

"What did you lie about?"

"Being able to swim." T shrugs.

Hyades shakes her head and tries to pry herself out of sandwich she'd found herself in with Harry and Gil, "So, wait." She concedes to exaggerated gestures when she can't budge, "She knew you couldn't swim, and she shoved you overboard anyway?"

"Yeah?" T shrugs, "What about it?"

Hyades blinks stupidly at T for a moment before she looks back to Gil and Harry, "Nope." She shakes her head, "Just nope. I'm so full of nope about that. Never... I'm never going-"

Gil reaches out and takes her hand, squeezing it. "Uma'd never just toss you overboard Deez."

"It's not like she let me drown." T rolls his eyes.

"Not for your lack of trying," Gil comments darkly as he shoots T a rare look of disapproval.

"Aye..." Harry chuckles before he turns to Hyades, "And be ah listenin' ta Gil, and don'nah be dumb. Uma would rather be dyin' than be doin' that to ya."

"I also ain't dumb enough to test her patience."

"Uma has patience?" T asks with a raised brow.

"See!" Hyades points to T, "Nope!"

"T!" Both Gil and Harry both bark at him.

"What?" T lifts a brow.

Hyades wiggles against the boys' grips, "What is the problem with me standing?"

"Because you're a runner." T supplies for them.

"I'm not going to run." Hyades points out with an eye roll.

"But I be ah gettin' my rations of Deez I been ah missin'." Harry complains as he snuggles against her hair.

Gil nods his head, "An I promise ya Uma would never do that to you Deez."

"Fer one, ya'd never be stupid 'nough ta be ah lying to her face."

"You guys are probably right... I'm just sayin' it's not a risk I'm willing to take."

"You wouldn't have to be afraid of drowning if you learned to swim." T points out.

"I don't really know how this works," Hyades gestures between herself and the sea, "but I'm pretty sure that's not it."

"I really don't think anyone is planning on dropping you in the water Deez." Gil offers with a frown.

Hyades' eyes suddenly widen and she snaps her full attention to T, "OH MY GODS! When did you learn how to swim?"

T looks around confused. "Didn't we just cover this?"

"So, after the incident, we don't speak of?" Hyades demands with a glare.

T's face goes red, as he turns back to the map.

"We could have died!" Hyades shrieks, "I completely fucking froze! And you were burned to hell and back! How the hell did we manage to live through that?"

Gil blinks, going pale at the thought. He hadn't even thought about it, but Hyades was making an excellent point. He turns to look at Harry, only to find him staring at T expectantly.

"Eh... How do any of us live through anything?" T questions back, clearly unconcerned with her epiphany.

"You..." Hyades slowly shakes her head, as if struggling to form words, "You jump into things without thinking!"

T blinks at the accusation. "I'll have you know I knew exactly what I was doing ... "

Hyades drags her hands down her face, "But not how to get out of it."

"So?" T shrugs, "It worked out better than expected..."

"T." Gil starts in concern, unsure how to begin to address the new information. T sunk like a rock when Uma dropped him into the sea. How had he not put the pieces together sooner?

"So the lad be leapin' ah 'fore he be ah thinkin' 'bout exits," Harry shrugs, "There be plenty worse things ta be wrong with ah person, and anyone can be trainin' ta look fer exits."

"What Hook said." T waves off the concern. "S'not a big deal, it all worked out." He shrugs returning his attention to the map. "Just try not to think too hard about it."

"You try hard not to think about it." Hyades mocks as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Done," T responds easily.

"Now now, don'nah be like that." Harry tuts as he squeezes Hyades to his side, "Things did be ah workin' out." He reaches down and tweaks her nose, "An if it be ah worryin' yer little princess head that much, I can be ah teachin' T the finer points of exit strategies."

Hyades glares up at Harry, shooing his hand away from her face, "Cut it out."

"Ooooh, I be ah hearin' ah challenge." Harry grins mischievously before he rolls with Hyades, pinning her under him as he searches for ticklish spots. He laughs maniacally as his fingers dig into her sides, eliciting screaming giggles.

Gil watches the two wrestle for a moment before he scoots closer to T "So, what exactly was your plan?" He asks quietly as he studies the other boy in confusion.

T shrugs, "To keep Deez from leveling the clearing." He responds without looking up from the map, easily ignoring the squeals of torture and delight coming from Harry and Hyades.

"To keep Deez..." Gil stares at T. "That didn't answer the question."

"Didn't it though?" T offers vaguely, as he puts the finishing touches on the map. "Managed to get what I wanted."

"Yeah, but I mean, what was your plan to get out?"

T shrugs, "Woulda figured that out next if I had had too... But luckily I didn't."

Gil stares at T dumbly. "Luck?"

"Mostly dumb." T agrees.

"You could have died." Gil frowns in disapproval as he studies T in confusion. "You could have killed both of you. Doesn't that..." He worries his bottom lip thoughtfully, "I guess, worry you?"

T's silent for a moment. "Of course it would've. Wasn't my goal to kill her Gil, just get her the fuck away from the rest of you."

"Yeah but-"

"But- It wasn't my best moment Gil." T shifts in discomfort. "I thought about it okay. Weighed the risks, and acted before someone could so much as lose an eyebrow." He assures the other boy. "No big man."

Gil purses his lips to the side. He didn't like it. T seemed intent on the idea that he was doing what he thought was best for Hyades, and he didn't seem to care about himself. It made his chest hurt strangely. But beyond that problem, there were so many what-ifs... What if the water had been deeper? What if T hadn't survived the fall?

The only real consolation he could give himself was the fact that he and Harry would have jumped in after them if neither one had responded at the well.

"You're gonna hurt yourself." T dismisses as he stands up. "Get this back to Uma for me?" He offers Gil the original map.

Gil blinks as he reflexively reaches out for the map. "Sure."

"Great." T nods before he turns and starts walking away, "Tell Deez I'll find her later, yeah?"

Gil sighs, "Right." Obviously, he'd pushed too hard. He watches with a frown as T disappears from sight before he turns his attention back to Hyades and Harry. "I think you've made your point Harry." He smiles at his best friend.

"How can ya be ah sure Gilly boy?" Harry taunts over his shoulder as he continues to hold Hyades arms above her head to torment her sides.

"You know she's holdin' back right?" Gil chuckles as he folds the map, and sticks it in his bag.

Harry turns accusing eyes back on Hyades, "Oh, ya be a'holding back?" He digs his fingers in harder against her side.

Gil can't help his low laughter as Hyades lets out another squeal of delight. He picks himself up and walks over to the two, a devious grin on his face before he catches Harry and returns fire. Harry's laughter lifting his spirits exponentially as he finds himself happily distracted from his chest aching thoughts.

Hyades kick crawls back a few feet before she sits up, heaving from exertion. "That. Was. Unfair." She glares.

"Pirate." Harry barks out with a gleeful bale of laughter.

"Oh yeah?" Hyades runs over to get a few tickles in of her own, "Come on T, he's helpless." She giggles as she looks around. When she can't find T she stops, "Where's T?"

At Hyades question, Gil gives Harry a reprieve. "He took off... A bit ago. Said he'd... Meet ya later." He explains in a clipped tone, winded from the roughhousing.

"Oh." Hyades' face falls slightly, but she quickly jumps out of Harry's reach when he tries to pull her back into the pile. "Nice try." She teases, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Oy, ain'nah nothin' nice 'bout me princess." Harry smirks, "I be ah pirate." He shoots out from under Gil and, like a viper, catches Hyades by her bare foot.

"Truce!!" Hyades screams, her voice trilling with laughter as Gil and Harry pull her off balance, making her fall hard on her ass. "Truce!!" She screams again as she falls back.

Gil chuckles as he throws himself down on the sand next to Hyades, laying on his back to look up at the sky with her.

"That means I be the one ah winnin' here." Harry proclaims proudly as he mirrors Gil.

The three lay on the cool sand, shoulder to shoulder, staring up at the dreary sky dotted with stormy clouds.

"There's a ship. Look!" Gil excitedly points to a grouping of clouds.

Hyades and Harry join in the cloud gazing, happily falling into arguments over what each cloud resembled.

Notes:

So Descendants what did you think?
Was this chapter so fluffy you wanted to die? How are you liking our Gil? We wanted to make him a stoner at first, but after a lot of contemplation on our part, we decided that none of these kids would dare inebriate themselves on purpose. When you live in a constant state of survival, you don't want to be left unawares...So how do you like this take on him? We're dying to know! Also whose introspections do you enjoy reading the most? And why (Trust us, this feedback is super important as writers and we really appreciate the time some of you take to leave a review.) And whose introspections do you want to see more of?