I basically listened to You and I by Lady Gaga on loop while writing this. The lyrics might not perfectly match up, but it had the exact feel I wanted out of this story. Also, the music video inspired part of this fic too. Enjoy!
Retirement did not make life any easier for Gill. After he left the Skylanders, after the tributes and parties and farewells from friends old and new, he chose to settle back down in his hometown. Years and years of adventures had mellowed him out. And after seeing the Skylands and more, he felt like it was time for him to return to someplace familiar. Someplace which he knew like the back of his hand. It was funny how age changed a person. When he was younger, and had first signed up for the military, he had expected that he would someday retire with a mansion on some sort of exotic island far away from that city. But the idea of him residing in a house as lavish as a mansion now made him laugh. Like always when a Skylander retires, Eon tried his best to raise money, the pensions for being a Skylander were not the greatest. Most of the pay for being a Skylander was food, board and community. And even now, with his pensions, he still needed to work to make ends meet.
The city had changed a lot. New politicians were ruining everything for everyone. New street gangs with new methods of terrorizing people in the bad part of town. New trends, new restaurants, new infrastructure. Some things had changed beyond recognition. And it was admittedly strange and a tad overwhelming to suddenly be confronted with all those changes.
But thankfully, it was all still familiar in the ways that mattered. The attitude of the people as they walk through town. The way the lights shone from buildings during night time. The city he knew was in the laughter of children he met when he goes to work in the mornings. It was in the lovers who were walking slowly in front of him on a bridge in the evenings. The markets, the historical landmarks, the smell, the sound, the feel. It was all exactly the way he had left them.
One change which he was rather welcoming towards was the increase in different aquatic creatures migrating there. The city, first and foremost, was a merchant's town. As a child, he already recalled there being a wide variety of sea creatures everywhere. It was one big mixing pot. And when he returned, the place had only gotten more diverse. More aquatic creatures, and even other amphibious creatures besides the Gillmen. Frogs, fish, octopi, squids. Indeed, the city had changed, and the increased diversity was definitely one of the greatest factors for change.
All in all, it was a net positive for him.
For one, he got to meet a lot more people, and different types of people. One of his favourite parts about being a Skylander, and one of the things which truly made it all worthwhile, was being able to befriend those of all walks of life. He worked as a security guard at the hospital, and his coworkers came from everywhere. Some were Gillmen born and raised in the same city, while others were squids or frogs or newts. Some were Gillmen who came from other smaller towns, and one of them was even a shark. But Gill had managed to befriend most of them. Together, they worked to keep the hospital safe and running, which was surprisingly difficult for what Gill had thought to be a boring, quiet city in his youth.
He supposed the reason why he found the city boring and quiet when he was young was because he had not been looking at the right places. In that particular hospital, which was the largest and busiest in the city, being a security guard meant that there was never a dull moment. There was always someone, an emotional friend or family member, who was in dire need of comfort. Always a fight happening somewhere in one of the wings. Someone upset, dissatisfied at the answer a nurse or a doctor gave them. Grief, anger, pain. Those are common feelings in the hospitals. And while the visitors can't help the way they feel, they still need to protect the other workers there.
So that was where they all came in.
All of them, with their unique abilities, were usually able to maintain the peace in the hospital. Gill, being the oldest and the one with the most experience working with teams, usually helped to assign duties. In a snap, he could plan out who would be the best one (or in some cases, the best ones. Yay teamwork!) to resolve which conflicts. Like with anything, it was a skill. And he had a ton of practice in refining that skill with his previous job.
Still, this usually left him exhausted at the end of the day. Though he had something which was considered a desk job, sometimes he did go out to break up a fight himself. It was still a rare occasion though. Even though he did keep in shape for his age, he wasn't the lively young whipper-snapper he once was. He tired out easier, and sometimes the scars earned from his days as a warrior would act up again. Most of his work was mental, but it was still surprisingly tiring. So once his shift was over, and he exchanged greetings with Bubbles (the guy talking the night shift), he would immediately head home.
Back home, where he would return to the second reason why he was happy for the increase in diversity in his city.
He would take the amphibian's train home, which ran alongside the aquatic tube. Both had the same functionality, being public transport intended to be convenient and inexpensive to citizens. When he was a boy, there had only been one train. And that one was only intended for amphibious creatures. But now, with the increase in completely aquatic creatures who had chosen to make this city their home, the government finally needed to create new facilities to accommodate them. That included shallow pools in public spaces for them to move around in, the tube, and new houses and apartments built to be equipped for both aquatic and amphibious creatures.
Gill himself lived in one of those apartments. Most were fairly expensive, being new buildings, but thanks to Gill's pensions, he had been able to afford renting one of those. His salary as a security guard left him with not much else left after he bought his necessities (as well as a ton of art supplies, but we'll get to that later), but with whatever he could save up, he usually saved up to buy some special things he sees in shop windows. Things like seashells, jewellery, makeup, so on and so forth.
That day, before he went home, he walked into a gift shop and bought a scented candle he had his eyes on. It was a beautiful shade of sky blue, and it reminded him of the skies on the surface. The sample had smelled nice enough, so he had saved up as much as he could for it. Packing his own lunches, using coupons at the department store, all the little money-saving things his Mother had taught him as a child. Until finally, he saved up enough to buy it.
He carried it carefully until he arrived home. Then, he pulled his keys out of his pocket, and he walked in.
"Hey, Honey. I'm home!"
There was no response, not that Gill expected one. She was probably too focused on working on her current art project to hear him. As per usual.
Staying home all the time frequently left her bored, which was why Gill Grunt often bought her art supplies. She had told him when they first moved in that she would have loved to work. But when they found each other, her injuries had all been worse than his. Every doctor and medic said that it would be dangerous for her to work at all. So Gill Grunt defaulted into becoming the primary breadwinner, and she needed to find a way to entertain herself at home. That was when she started to take up art, as recommended by Splat, one of Gill's old friends in the Skylanders. Despite their distance, he still tried to keep in touch with every one of his old friends. Not that it was easy. But every time he got a letter, he always took it upstairs with great care. That piece of paper was to be read out loud, then filed away safely for him to remember forever.
He searched around the house, looking at the shallow pool which ran around their home. She wasn't in the living area, not the kitchen or their bedroom. She wasn't even in the tiny guest room, which had been converted into her little art and trinkets room. Which was strange, she would usually be there whenever Gill Grunt gets home. With a pencil or paintbrush in hand, working on a new project for him to see.
Stepping into the place, Gill tried to search for clues. The walls of the room were lined with her art. Abstract blobs of paint and poorly drawn pictures of Gill. She called him her muse, and he had been flattered when she called him that. Every time she showed him a piece, he could always see her improvement. And even the first and least 'well-done' of her works was beautiful in his eyes. Buying quality brushes, paints, and canvases for her did lead to some rather expensive bills. But Gill always insisted on the best for her. And with the best supplies that his money could buy, she always managed to make something he found beautiful.
All those expensive paints were neatly put away. All pencils stored carefully in the cupboard. Barely a trace of her being there.
Curiously, she did have an easel propped up and turned towards the shallow pool, with a canvas on it too. Based on the paint on the canvas, which was definitely not dry, she had just been painting. But if she wasn't here, where could she be? Looking closer at the water, he realised that there weren't even ripples within it. Instead of ripples, which suggested movement and some sort of living being within the water, the water was actually fairly still. Gill scratched his head, and sighed. Where could she be?
He sniffed the air, and found that there was an aroma which had suddenly filled the apartment. Suddenly, a strong smell, fruity and tropical. And a familiar smell at that. Following his nose and moving his feet towards the scent, he found that he was headed towards the bathroom. With an eyebrow raised and his curiosity aroused, he placed his hand on the doorknob, and twisted it open.
When he entered the bathroom, he found the bathtub filled to the brim with steaming warm water. Packets of bath salts were opened and scattered around the floor. And inside of the steaming tub, pouring those bath salts into the tub from a bucket, was his lovely mermaid girlfriend herself.
"Coral," he began, walking into the bathroom. "What's all this?"
She gently placed the bucket down, and bashfully turned towards Gill. "Ah, hi Gill. Welcome home. I guess I was so busy making this, I didn't hear you coming in."
"Alright then. But what exactly are you doing, anyways?" He walked up to her, and placed his hands on the tub. Walking up to the tub took little more than a few steps. But the minute he got close enough so that his increasingly weakening eyes could see her in detail (Coral was always telling him to save up and get some glasses already), he blushed. As if he were a schoolboy looking at his first crush.
Usually, she would be seen lounging around at home in an old waterproof t-shirt. One covered with paint blobs and ink marks, like an artist. But today she was wearing an old seashell bra. The kind she wore when he had first met her years ago, back at the lagoon. Usually, when he came home, he would call her the most beautiful woman in Skylands. Now, even though she was getting on in years, he still couldn't help but feel a little warm looking at her.
She sighed, and placed the bucket down on the floor. "Well, today while I was out getting groceries, I was overhearing how some of the regulars were thinking about getting hot tubs for their homes."
The nearby department store was one of the few places Coral felt comfortable going by herself. And since she hated spending all her time indoors, she often went there to cull her boredom. It wasn't the cheapest place, but she did not always buy something. Most of the time, she window shops, only buying necessities with whatever money Gill and her agreed to spend on. Incidentally, that department store was also near some condos. And unlike Gill and Coral, who needed to pay rent for their apartment using Gill's pensions, the people who lived in those condos owned them.
The kind of people who lived in those condos weren't lowly security guards like Gill or amateur artists like Coral. They were private lawyers, celebrity surgeons, Coral was also positive that a movie star lived there. Those types sent their children to private schools. Those types proposed to their partners with diamonds and gold. Those types had the most lavish weddings, some of which were featured in bridal magazines. And those types had partners who only worried about boredom while they themselves were busy at work. The way they lived, it was enough to make most people in their city green with envy.
Those were also the type of people Coral spent her time eavesdropping on. It was admittedly a bad habit. She had a tendency to be nosy, and Gill had once told her that she would be an excellent spy if she were healthier. "So, those housewives, they were talking about all those health benefits that came with hot tubs, especially if you add in herbs or bath salts. And well, I know they got that information from those magazines." She was referring to those women's health magazines which were sold for cheap at the department store. "And I know those magazines are full of baloney. But at the same time, a hot tub did sound like a fun idea."
"Alright, but where did you get the money from?" He'd joined her in shopping before, and he had seen how much bath salts cost. They weren't cheap, to say the least.
For a moment, Coral went silent. Then, she revealed. "I spent the money I'd been saving to get those under-watercolours."
And before Gill could say anything, she cut him off with a vent.
"I mean, it's all I really have. Look, here you are going out everyday earning for the two of us. While all I'm doing is sitting at home drawing pictures. I hate this! I hate how you're always able to pay for luxury items for me, but I can never pamper you the same way. I really do want to work, even though I know what all those damn doctors keep saying about me and my current condition.
"And your birthday's coming up too." Gill had honestly forgotten about that. "I want to give you something special. Something where I could treat you back. Like, dammit Gill, I know you're 'the man' or whatever in this relationship, but I want to give back too. I don't just want to take and take and take from you."
Ah, so that was what it was about. Coral had often expressed her dissatisfaction at staying home all the time. Not just because of her own boredom, but also because she found the whole set-up unfair to Gill Grunt. "You go out every day, earning the money we need and all I'm stuck doing is sitting at home, painting my pictures," She sulked one evening. "And when you come home with all those gifts, I always feel so guilty because I could never give back to you."
Gill Grunt recalled that conversation, standing there before the bathtub. He remembered kissing her tenderly on the forehead, telling her to not worry. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best way to deal with her worries. Knowing how Coral was, she probably needed to hear different words, be shown different gestures. Coral was most definitely a woman of action, and sleepily brushing her off probably didn't do much good.
This was kind of embarrassing. By right, at his age he should know the best way to talk to his woman. Just like how his grandfather and father did before him.
It was another reason to hate pirates, he supposed. For robbing him of the years he could have spent getting to know his woman. By now, they should have been like an old married couple. But as they were right now, they were more akin to a young couple who were only beginning to get over their honeymoon period.
He had known friends who had parents divorced shortly after they were born. Parents who had thought that a child would bring them together, but at the end of the day nothing had changed for them. He also remembered thinking that from a young age, he must not end up like that. As a boy, he wanted to be like his Grandfather and Father. Men who had loved their wives until the day they died. Talking to his Grandfather about it as a young teen, he knew that doing something like that wouldn't be easy. But he knew that he at least needed to try.
So try he will.
Gill smiled at Coral, and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Uh, Gill?"
"I actually completely forgot about my own birthday. Thank goodness I have you around huh? If not, I wouldn't have gotten a gift like this."
"So, you like this?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well..." He grinned, stripping off his shirt. He tossed it carelessly to the floor. Tomorrow was his off-day, so he could worry about laundry then. "There's really only one way to find out."
Before she could say a thing, he stepped into the bathtub with her. Water flowed out, making a mess of the bathroom floor. But once the waters stilled again, Coral found that Gill Grunt had wrapped an arm around her, and was drawing her closer to him.
"Hmm,' he hummed, stretching himself in the water. "Not too hot, not too cold, and it smells great too. Yup, this is a pretty darn good hot tub. And an excellent birthday present might I add."
Coral looked at him, surprised and wide eyed. As if she had no idea how to respond to his sudden actions. Grinning, Gill pressed a kiss to her lips, and nested his head in the crook of her neck.
"I'm sorry for acting dismissive about your problems, dear," he began.
"It's fine, you've been alright. But, I just find it unfair. Like, all I want is a way for me to spoil you rotten, just like how you spoil me. But I can't even work, and that's why I feel so frustrated."
Gill hummed, a sign that he heard her. "I understand. But," and suddenly, an idea hit him like a meteor. The solution to her problem had been right under his nose the whole time. And he chuckled to himself, knowing that he wouldn't have gotten this idea if he hadn't stopped to get a candle for her.
"What?" She tilted her head to look down at him. "What's so funny?"
"I think I have a solution to your problem," he said. He noted that her eyes lit up at that. Good, he had her attention. "So, earlier when I was on the way home I bought you a scented candle."
"Oh, Gill. You don't have to keep buying me gifts. Save your money and get something nice for yourself." She said, wrapping her own arms around him. He merely placed a hand gently on her arm, and squeezed her affectionately.
"Hush. But anyways, when I was buying you the candle, I came across a poster for an amateur art competition. It has no age limit, anyone can sign up as long as they are an amateur artist, and the grand prize is one-thousand dollars and you get to go for a ten-day course to improve your art skills." He smiled as he watched her expression change. Her eyes widened, they brightened up. And slowly, a small smile crept onto her face.
"Do you know how to sign up for this?" She asked. "It sounds good, and I do hope that I'm skilled enough to take part in it. I really want to earn some money for once, and treat you to something."
"We can head over there tomorrow and get the details. And anyways," he kissed her neck playfully. After spending all those decades away from her, he would never get bored of how her body felt close to him. "No matter if you win first, second, third, whatever. We'll at least end up with a beautiful piece of art to frame up. And that's more than enough for me."
She giggled and blushed, a sight and sound which sent Gill's heart aflutter. It was a beautiful thing, just like her art and her efforts to treat him, simply because it came from her. He wished that he could have heard that sound, seen that sight dozens of times over his life. Among other things. He wished that when he was younger, he could have woken up to the sight of her. He wished that he could have gotten used to the sound of her voice, the feel of her lips, and he wished that they could have become a familiar comfort to him. All of them were the first things he thought of when he came home or woke up. A part of him had wished that they had found each other sooner, and that they could have built a life together. Back when they could still bear children, back when they had all the time in the world and they weren't too tired, too sick, or too sore to do anything.
But there was no point dwelling in the past now. Right now, he should relax. With her by his side, they still had some time left together. This woman, who met him halfway and escaped her captors just to find him herself. This woman, who in her old age was still determined to do so much. She was a very different woman from the young maiden he met years ago. But he was a very different man then too. And in all honesty, his love for this woman only grew stronger by the day. And he knew that as the years go by, and they keep going, their love would only grow stronger still.